Feeling inspired

So many projects to share! Well, not really, but a few! I have been feeling inspired by new pictures, new stamps, and new accessories! Let's jump right in, shall we?

This picture is from last year at the Mid State Fair, but it is fair time once again and it reminded me that I still needed to scrap this awesome pic (or pics)! We did rock star poses, such nerds. I have been really into simple layouts lately, but who knows how long that will last.

I got some new Tim Holtz stamps -Don't judge me, I had a 40% coupon!-and they inspired the above tags. I like the top one better. I have an idea for displaying all of my tags in my scrap room, but that project will come later.

This project was bunches o' fun. I bought the plain wooden bin from Michaels and antiqued it up! I added some chalk paint as a label (Yes, that does say Holtz because the bin holds all of my Tim Holtz stuff). I used Rustoleom...white? Some variation of white, stain, and elbow grease with sand paper. It's neato, eh? I'm starting to put some stuff on my walls and it is very exciting, pictures to come. Adios!

Big Time Do-ins

This project was so freakin' exhausting much fun! I've never really done much with furniture, but I saw some blogs featuring antiqued furniture and I just had to try. I didn't really want to spend any money on the furniture itself because there was a lot of potential for me to ruin it. BUT, fate was at work. While at a friend's house I was told about some furniture on the sitting on the side of the road. When I went and looked at it I got sooo excited! The end table was solid wood with a glass top. Perfect for antiquing? I think yes. 

Brenna D'Arcey is a GENIUS and had the perfect idea: I could do a "before" and "after" type deal. So, step 1: Take a picture of the piece in it's original state.  ...oops. I screwed up on the first step! I forgot to take a damn picture! So, I found something similar on the net that will have to be the "before."

It is kind of insane how similar this table looks to mine. Anyway, the stain on the table I found wasn't as nice as the stain in the pic above. I decided it needed to be primed, painted heirloom white, and stained again for a beautiful antique look. Because, honestly, I find the "before" table to be hideous. (No offense to anyone who has an end table that looks exactly like that : /)

Now for the big reveal:

Okay, so it basically looks like I painted it white...but in person it looks really cool! Promise! I need to figure out how to photograph furniture properly. You can see the antiquing a little better on this pic of the neato claw foot.

Cool, right? ...right guys?

It's been too long!

Howdy folks! It has been way too long since my last post. I was really busy with finals for a while there and then I just got too wrapped up in my summer vacation. : ) A few projects are in the works right now, but i'll post more about those later. 

I gave "thank you" cards to a few people thanking them for birthday gifts and a great evening. Thought i'd post them...

This one was made for my lovely mother. She worked so hard to reserve and pay for the room, make the food, get decorations, etc. She is always so giving! I love her to pieces. 

This funky little card was made for Alyssa "so stinkin' cute" Larson. She got me an awesome sign that says "faith" and went halfsies on a super cute pair of earrings (that I happen to be wearing right now). She knows my style.

Last, but certainly not least, is Shellay's card! She was the other halfsies of the earrings purchase. Her presence alone helped make my night spectacular! It would not have been the same with out her. 

Another Non-Paper Project

White vintage frame + black chalkboard = awesomeness! I found an affordable frame at Vintage Etc. that I just had to have. You know how that goes, right?  Right. I thought a nice black chalkboard would look lovely against a white frame, and guess what, it does!

I bought a cheap piece of wood at Home Depot and Ralph helped me cut it to the right size. (Let's just say it was good that I measured twice and cut once!) I would have used sandpaper on the wood, but it was already very smooth. I primed it with spray can primer and used spray paint chalkboard paint. I did multiple layers of the chalkboard paint to completely cover it. I don't think it looks half bad for my first time with spray paint. Here is what the detail looks like on the frame:

Isn't it pretty? Well, I really like this chalkboard. I can't wait to put it up in my scrappy room along with my awesome sign that Ayssa gave me! I can't wait for things to start coming together. Until next time...

Festive

Spring Wreath 

I never thought I would be such a festive person! : )

Too Many Projects

All the blogs and magazines i've been reading have my head reeling! There are so many projects I would like to try, but I haven't had any time (or money)! So, I decided to do a quick digital layout to satisfy my creative craving:

I used Amanda as my muse. Hope she doesn't get embarrassed. ; )

The projects swirling around in my mind are: my basket liner, chalkboard with vintage frame, knitted headband, new sofa cushions, and painting our end table in the living room. I have started the headband which is coming along nicely. I'll post pictures upon completion. The rest I have not yet started. I attempted to gather supplies for the chalkboard, but Michael's only had green chalkboard paint. I bought the green accidentally and it made me so mad! When ranting to Ralph about it I threatened to spray the staff in the eye with the chalkboard spray paint. : / Not one of my best moments...

Anyway, spring break is pretty much here! That should give me some time for my projects. I'll keep you updated.

p.s. I would never actually spray someone in the eye with spray paint. 

Finally, a Centerpiece

I finally have a centerpiece! yay! I got some ideas from http://blog.addicted2decorating.com/. I might change the centerpiece at some point, but this will work for now. 

The cup was really easy to cover. I just added some adhesive and wrapped! Easy peasy! If anyone would like one i'd be happy to make one. Just provide a jar. I'm going to start refinishing furniture also. If anyone would like to donate old furniture to me I would greatly appreciate it!

Practice

I wanted to practice doing some layouts inspired by Creative Scrappers Sketches, but the only pictures I had were of myself. I ended up with this:

The journaling says, "I am beautiful for the one that loves me." Women often feel insecure in how they look, and i'm no exception. But, Ralph loves me and finds me beautiful. God created me, loves, and finds me beautiful. That should be all that matters, right?

Going Digital

Just a quick post: I digitally scrapped for the first time today! Woohoo! It is so frustrating fun! I have photoshop on my computer so I thought that I might as well give it a shot. I like how it is going so far. I think that I will mostly use it as a tool for mapping out my "real" layouts. Here is a sneak peek of my unfinished first try:

If you're wondering why the picture on it looks weird, it is because I textured it. It doesn't look too weird when it is blown up. This is just a practice layout that I am working on. It isn't going to be printed or anything. So, anyone who has photoshop or editing software should try it. It's fun! Anyway, goodnight all. 

Not an art project, but a project

Today was a little exhausting. I took a french test, worked with my french group, came home and cooked, then bathed and groomed Sparky. Whew! Very exhausting. Grooming Sparky was a total mess. Can you believe I showered BEFORE this task?!

This is what my bathroom ended up looking like! How could there be any of Sparky left with all that on the floor? hehe I was in the bathroom with him for at least an hour and a half. He groaned threw out the whole ordeal, but he started to get real annoyed towards the end...and I didn't get to finish. So here is what he looks like:

So, yeah. Here he is in all his glory. He kinda ended up with the "lion" cut because he wouldn't sit still. Oh well, at least he smells better.

Le Weekend

This weekend was one of those unexpectedly joyous ones. I got to spend a lot of time with Ralph (which usually doesn't happen because he plays shows) and got some quality time in with friends. I also discovered a new place to shop! (uh oh) I have driven by, "The Nest" numerous times, but I have never been inside. SO, So, so, many cute things in there that I need  want! I was so inspired by everything. I tried to behave as best I could. I did buy a couple things, but one I plan on selling:

This is a super cute little basket that I just couldn't pass up. I'm sewing a liner for it (pictured, unfinished, above) which looks pretty funky at this stage in the process.

 I got some pretty fabric that is beige with little light brown roses on it and some ribbon to tie it  to the basket. I'm going to try and sell it, maybe on etsy along with other things, i'm not sure.

Aaaaand...I got this cute little thing for myself. ; ) I think it will look adorable in my scraproom. I also watched a youtube video this weekend on how to knit headbands. I will probably give that a try soon! So, that was basically my weekend. I hope everyone else had a good one!

Mother

Sometimes it easy, with our busy lives, to forget our moms and how wonderful they are. My mom is friggin' awesome and helps me out ALL THE TIME! So, I decided to make her a card:

I thought that tying that ribbon across the front would be easy...but it wasn't. I ended using my ATG to put a line of glue on the card where I wanted the ribbon to lay. So, there is my card. I thought it looked pretty cute for being so black. Whaddya think?

Here is the inside. I posted a topic on the scrapbook.com forum for tips on making the inside as cute as the inside. I haven't checked back for responses yet. Any tips for making the inside of cards cute?

Late night projects...

I wanted to post real quick tonight because I won't have time tomorrow. Today I worked on a project and completed it, but it is a surprise for someone. It will have to wait until another day. BUT I did finish a scrap-lift from twopeasinabucket.com.

This simple layout is dedicated to our two "girls" in the backyard. They lay faithfully for us everyday. They are so cute and lay big brown eggs. I used some adhesive dots that are thick so whatever I adhere is raised off the page. I used those on one of the clouds and on the bees. So...that's it for tonight!

Nerd

For those of you who do not know...i'm a total nerd. I am a nerd in general and a scrapbook nerd. Yes, a double whammy. I am very excited about my latest and greatest scrapbooking tool, the ATG. I had read posts about it on scrapbook.com where these woman were raving about it. I decided to check it out. When I priced compared it ended up looking like a money saver in the long run. I bought it day before yesterday and it is awesome!

So...I posed with it, (My nerdiness is exposed) and here it is. It kinda reminds me of a gun, so I went all Charlie's Angels style. Any thoughts?

Sad Face

I am struggling with emotions right now. A very dear friend of mine is going on vacation for six months and is not sure if she will be moving back to the area upon return to the states. I will miss her like CRAZY and don't want her to go. She is my pole dancing, scrapping, and going out pal. If I need to chat about something bothering me, she is always there....but at the same time...she will have SUCH A BLAST! I'm very excited for her but sad for myself. :(

Here is the card that I made for her:

Inside the card in big letters it says, "Already." I found inspiration on twopeasinabucket.com. They post a sort of "how to" video tutorial every Friday. All the projects are all super cute. Anywho, i'm going to focus and the excitement I feel for Brenna instead of how much i'll miss her. Happy Hump Day!

Projects

Soooo, I made a card for a friend that I am pretty stoked on. I took a great picture of it and was all excited to post it when BAM! A thought comes into my head...If I post the picture on my blog then my friend will see the card BEFORE I actually give it to her. haha Not good. So, no picture of that card today. But, I have other pics to post:

This is the first artichoke off our plants! I was waiting for those puppy's to grow like a kid waiting for Santa on Christmas! I love love love artichokes and am very pleased that we have some growing now.

The start of our new picnic bench! Isn't it cool? Ralph has been working hard on this project in the cold and rainy weather. He is so darn handy. In conclusion, I cannot take any credit for the artichokes or picnic table. Those were all Ralph. Thought i'd share anyway!

Spring!

Spring is here! Yeah it's raining, cold, and windy...but still spring! Time for my fall/winter centerpiece to say goodbye. I was looking at inspiration for a spring themed centerpiece and found this beauty:

Isn't it cute?! Mine probably won't end up being quite like this, but I like the moss, nest, and glass cover thingy. I also saw some cute candles made with wax poured into some dyed eggshells. So, this is my next mission. 

Done!

I am officially DONE with the tags for the tag swap I signed up for! I am very pleased with how they turned out (thanks for the help Andi!). 

The swap rules said that each tag had to be the same, but I did make some changes from one to the next. I used the same techniques, colors, and layout on each one, but I changed the color. I hope the swap host doesn't get mad at me! So, that is one project down with a million to go. Also, over the weekend, I realized that I have a problem:

What the heck am I going to do with all these things?! I need to get back into making layouts for my scrapbooks. I have been held back by a lack of printed photos. I'll have to search for some change so I can print some at CVS. Happy Sunday!

Funky Dream

So I have been following my cousin's blog for awhile now (kiwifreckles.com) and she has the CUTEST stuff on there from headbands to furniture...and it is has been making me so jealous! It is such a great and inspirational blog.  I saw the post of her house and had immediate inspiration for mine, but i'm broke, so it will have to wait. Anyway, after thinking about all those cute items in her posts I had a dream about a cabinet. I know, it is just plain ridiculous, but it happened. I dreamt about this beautiful cabinet that Ralph and I had in our living room.

It looked very similar to this one, but it was a little more distressed. I want one like it sooo bad now! Oh well, someday i'll properly decorate. So, any one else dream of weird things?

Homemade Embellishments

Today was a day for Adele Sophomore's "Rolling in the Deep." I had it on replay while I was cleaning. I just needed to hear her belt it out for awhile. On another note, in an effort to save money I made some handmade embellishments for my shadow box project. 

Here is the side of the shadow box with the embellishments. I made the flowers, heart with lock, keys, and little hearts. I stole sampled some paint cards from Home Depot and used them here. The cut the heart out of that material and the lock. I used metal brads to secure the lock on the heart. They keys are also made out of that material. The blue key hiding behind the blue and white flower is just a blue paint card. The white key with black riding at the top with ribbon on it is a white paint card that I covered with tissue tape. Then I ran it through the die cutting machine. The little hearts are the scraps from the key. 

Here is the key on the top left. I am going to print a picture of Ralph and I tomorrow after I get some cash. : ) The picture will go on the bottom right of the shadow box. I will post the finish product once complete. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Too productive

Yesterday I was too productive so now i'm sore and tired. Therefore, today I will probably not be as productive. I had fun though and did things that I haven't in a long time! I went horseback riding! Isn't that awesome? I haven't done it in years and I realized how much I miss it. I have a love/hate relationship with horses. I love to ride and think they are beautiful, at the same time, they can be little brats. When I would ride in a group all the horses just wanted to nip each other's butts all the time. Not so nice, right?! Anyway, my experience riding this girl was awesome:

After riding I was totally pooped and had worked up quite an appetite. But, I am also trying to eat healthy. Kind of a pickle, no? So, I bought some delicious raw milk, coconut milk, and organic strawberries and made a smoothie/milkshake! It was pretty yummy, but I was lacking vanilla ice cream. That would have been much better, but less healthy. So, raw milk is highly controversial. What are your thoughts?

I MUST study today, there is no getting around it. I might start off with studying so that I can't weasel out of it later. But after that, i'm gonna get scrappy! Maybe i'll display whatever I create here tomorrow.

My "sister"

I picked Penny out of a group of puppies when I was 10 years old. While all the other puppies played she stood by my side wanting love. She was calm and sweet, a lover of everyone. She was the queen of the park, sitting on the lawn looking on across the street at the people and dogs strolling around. Dad walked her around the park faithfully every night. She had such fun getting her exercise, sniffing along, and being with Dad. She just wanted to give love and be loved. She was a blessing to so many. I will always love and never forget my blonde "sister." 

SOoOoo Tired!

I have been very, very tired lately but still unable to sleep! So, I decided to have a little medicine last night:

2008 Pinot Noir! Not really medicine, but a half glass helped me get right to sleep! Now if I can only get my dog to stop waking me in the middle of the night...

So while I was drinking my wine last night I checked Tim Holtz' blog and was SO excited to see his latest post:

(These tags are creations of Tim Holtz and he holds the rights to the photo. Not me! The picture is not being used for commercial purposes in any way! [Just making sure I don't get sued.]) 

So, I have to say that the one with the plane on it is sooo beautiful! I love the map stamp that he used. I wasn't planning on getting any stamps from the new collection, but I perhaps have changed my mind. The butterflies are also pretty magnificent. Love the way he used packaging to make them 3D. He thinks of everything, no?

This is my current project (at least one of them) and it is a shadow box. I have used Distress Ink and Grungeboard along with the paper. I will add a picture and some flowers. I would like to order the Tim Holtz die with the flowers-can't remember the name-with grungeboard and glimmer mist. But, I can't afford any of that right now. It will have to wait!

Here is a close up. I might put the picture in the big red open space or on the other side of the page. I'm not sure. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

coeur à crêpes

So this morning I was making pancakes and I got the genius idea to make one in the shape of a heart. "I will make one, take a picture, and put it on my blog. That way everyone can see how skilled I am," I imagined. haha But then my pancake came out like this: 

Not exactly impressive, is it? haha 

Next item, I signed up to do a swap on scrapbook.com and i'm in the tag group (of course). I'm trying to figure out what style tag I should do. I need some help deciding. Here are a few options:

So please comment and let me know which style of tag I should make for everyone in my group! You can't really tell, but the tag second from the left is embossed. So, it is actually textured, not just stamped. Anyway, thanks everyone!

Once again...

I am blogging! Welcome readers! (Readers? Where are you? Hello?) I will now be posting pictures of my projects here among other things. My goal is to document the crafty part of my life while keeping it interesting for any potential readers. My first assignment on the to-do list is to introduce you to my craft space: 

This is my desk where aaaall the magic happens. If you have received a card, scrapbook page, bookmark, or any other project from me...it was made here. It is usually a little messy : / What can I say?

These are my handy-dandy craft bins that were donated by Amanda Kline a.k.a Shellz. I have my Big Shot, sticker maker, and scrapbooks atop. I really need some more storage and i'm thinking about hitting up the thrift shops around here. Moving on to the next item on the agenda...some new projects I completed:

I just love love love the Tim Holtz "the journey awakens the soul" stamp. I had it for months before I tried it out and now I want to stamp EVERYTHING with it. I used Distress Inks (Wild Honey and Fired Brick), a mini mister for the water drops, and another Tim Holtz stamp for the birds. This is one of my favorite tags because of the cheery colors. How is that for a first post? Thanks for checking out my blog. : )