My Summer Vacation…

August 11, 2015May 17, 2017Leave a comment

When the Jimmy Buffett tune came across the radio…

I was immediately filled with a combination of jealousy and sadness.

My husband’s vacation was just a few days away and we had no plans.

I mean none other than work in the garage and scrape and paint the deck. (yay!)

Every other summer we try to plan a “beach vacation” and this was that summer.

For months, I’ve endured everyone’s Facebook vacation pictures while longing for the beach.

(Insert dramatic sigh!)

But…being practical people, this summer, we’d opted for a “Garage Make-Over” instead.

Don’t get me wrong… I love our new garage. (another post for another day)

I just love the beach too.

Truth is… I have a teen-ager.

The thought of him being stuck with two boring parents away from his friends,

his music and games for a whole week sounded like torture to him.

He was not interested in the least.

I know we should of made him go.

But… I wasn’t sure that I wanted to spend all that money to take a sulky teen.

So, we opted for practical instead.

But… when I heard the song on the radio, it reminded me of our favorite Mini Golf place

the one on Myrtle Beach where they play nothing but Jimmy Buffett songs.

I told my husband when I got home, and…being the good man that he is…

he checked for last minute cheap airfare and hotels. (what a guy!)

But… practicality won out again and we decided for something closer.

A trip to Lake of the Ozarks. (romantic I know)

When we opened the door to our room, on the Marina, we were struck by the amazing view.

Our son, who’d refused to bring his swim trunks was now having second thoughts.

Seriously, you could fish off the patio. (Which he immediately did.)

Neither one of the guys had been in a cave before. So we did that.

The real highlight of the trip was when we rented the boat and took it out on the lake.

Driving a boat for the first time, girls waving from the other boats, actually brought a smile

to his face. I didn’t catch it on camera, but it was definitely there.

It was a great trip, a great memory and I’m so glad we went even if it was for just a few days.

Painting on Acrylic Frames

August 3, 2015February 9, 2023Leave a comment

With all this new Home Décor chalk paint out on the market…

with it’s claims of being able to paint on most anything. I decided to give it a test.

I’ve used it on wood, old frames, stuff like that.

Acrylic frames? It was worth a try.

I created a mask using blue painters tape and applied it onto the front of a

Mini 3″ x 4″ Sign Holder* (*affiliate link) from Deflecto Craft Solutions.

Make sure to burnish the edges of the tape.

I painted the surface of the frame with:

FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Furniture & Craft Paint in Imperial*

I used 3 coats of paint. Make sure to allow good drying time in between coats.

After allowing plenty of time for the red paint to dry and cure.

I gave the frame an aged look by applying a layer of Tattered Angels Decor and DIY Paint*

I wiped it off with a damp paper towel. Leaving bits of the black streaks.

I stamped around the edges of the frame with a crackle background stamp

and Tsukineko StazOn Ink Pad, Jet Black*

Carefully remove the blue painter’s tape mask.

At this point, I stopped and admired my frame for almost a month.

Just waiting for inspiration….

Meet Rachael Cunningham Parr.

I found Rachel, a tin type, years ago while hunting for treasures.

If Rachael is your relative, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t really a gypsy.

(She really is a beautiful woman.)

I embellished the frame with some vintage rickrack, key, and a tiny flower.

“R is for Racheal” was made with Metal Type Charms by Tim Holtz*

Once inspired… I created a couple more frames.

The frames uses charms and hardware from Canvas Corps Brands

and Chitchat Word Stickers by Tim Holtz*.

Now to try this on a bigger frame!

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.”

*Disclaimer: This blog uses ads and affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!

Creating a Decorative Display Board for all my Little Pretties

July 29, 2015February 9, 2023Leave a comment

My project started as a Memo Board and…

While I was looking for some push pins I stumbled across a collection of little pretties.

Tucked away in a cabinet along with a lot of other embellishments were these little

metal frames. Something that I’d been hoarding since my K & Company days.

I added those frames along with some other little pretties onto my board. (Love!)

To make my Memo/Display Board I used: (*amazon affiliate link)

Smoothfoam 12 x 12 Scrapbook Page Mount
Wood Laser Cut Frame
Gingham Material
American Crafts Homegrown Layered Flowers*
Cream Acrylic Paint and Paintbrush
Craft Knife, Cutting Mat and Ruler
Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive*
Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive*

Directions:

Paint wood frame with cream acrylic paint.
Cut the Smoothfoam sheet a 1/4″ larger than the center opening of the frame.
Apply spray adhesive to the front of the Smoothfoam and lay onto the fabric.
Wrap and glue the fabric around the back of the Smoothfoam.
Glue the frame onto the front of the covered Smoothfoam.
Decorate the top and bottom of the frame with dimensional flowers.

*My little pretties are stuck into the display board with decorative garment pins.

A really fast and easy project.

This project was created for and sponsored by Smoothfoam.

Shop Amazon Scrapbooking Supplies*

Disclaimer: This blog uses ads and affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!

My trip to CHA Paper Arts in Chicago

July 27, 20156 Comments

Last week, I got the opportunity to attend CHA Paper Arts in Schaumburg, IL.

I hadn’t been able to attend a CHA Show (Craft Hobby Association) since the last time

it was in Chicago a few years ago.

As you can imagine I was excited to go. (any excuse for a get-a-way)

I knew going in that it was going to be a small show.

But…by being a small show, it gave me the opportunity to mix, mingle and really get to know people.

I got to meet, in person, a few online friends, was able to make a few more and make some really

great connections. All in all I was satisfied.

Back in it’s hey day, when I had my store, I remember spending three days walking the show

and still not being able to see everything. (those were the days…)

On the first day of the two day show, I did remember to take a few pictures.

I wish I had taken more. Enjoy!

First off in the Sizzix Booth was dies from Stephanie Ackerman.

I’ve been following Stephanie’s blog, Homegrown Hospitality, for years.

She’s a real Superstar in my books.

New House Dies from Tim Holtz and Sizzix

I love the little house dies from the always popular Tim Holtz.

Tim Holtz Holiday Canvas

Ken Oliver of Ken Oliver Crafts

Ken’s another one of my Favorite Superstars. Here I am with Ken and The Paper Forest girls.

They had just taken a picture with Ken and was rubbing it in my face.

So… I made them take another.

I finally got the opportunity to play with Ken’s Color Bursts.

It only took a few minutes to create this masterpiece.

Eileen Hull’s Vintage Camper, Scotty on The Paper Trail at CHA.

Such a cute little camper. You can read about Eileen and Scotty’s Adventure here.

Eileen Hull’s Samples made using Sizzix Dies.

More samples from Eileen.

I met Eileen a few years back and she’s such a sweet and personable lady.

You can’t help but love her. And her dies… they are just too cute.

If I had her camper, I just might enjoy camping. (well maybe)

Another picture with The Paper Forest girls at the Graphic 45 booth.

Graphic 45 World’s Fair

Graphic 45 Mon Amour

Kaisercraft

Ready for Christmas Crafting? I am!

More Kaisercraft Christmas…

Kaisercraft

Little B LLC Christmas

I fell in love with Little B’s New Christmas Washi Tape.

This is another one of those booths where I got talking and forgot to take more pictures.

As a reward for all my work (aka…having fun).

I ended my adventure with a trip to my favorite Big Blue Store, IKEA.

DIY: Mini Crate Make-Over

July 25, 2015August 6, 2021Leave a comment

DIY Mini Crate Make Over…

Because sometimes a girl changes her mind.

It all started with this… My Sweet Earth Day Tea Party Crate. (←original post)

A cute cream and pink crate with a pretty pink flower.

It was perfect for what I wanted at the time.

But… always resourceful, I decided to reuse the mini crate* (*affiliate link) in my work space.

Because my work space has a vintage vibe… a mini make over was in order.

I took off the flower embellishment and gave the mini crate* a light sanding.

Then I painted the crate with FOLKART Home Decor Chalk, Imperial*.

Being an impatient crafter, I was tempted to start my next color right away. Make sure to wait.

Allow a couple of hours for the piece to dry before adding the next color. (trust me)

Next, I gave the crate a light coating with Black Home Décor paint.

Use a small paint brush to get into those corners.

With a soft, damp, clean cloth, wipe off the black paint to give it an aged distressed look.

I used Tattered Angels Décor in Ebony*.

If you start to think it looks to dark, just add highlights with the red paint directly over the

ebony paint. If you like a matte finish, you can stop right here.

I wanted a little more sheen, so I applied FOLKART Plaid Clear Home Decor Wax*.

With the wax, you apply a thin coat, wait one hour and buff with a clean soft cloth.

I’ve always loved furniture with that aged red finish and wanted to give it a try.

Now that I’ve started with something small, (which is always a good idea)

I’ve got my eye on a couple more pieces I’d like to refinish.

FYI: If you’d like a mini crate like mine you can get it at online at Amazon* or Walnut Hollow.

This project was sponsored by Walnut Hollow, Canvas Corp and Plaid.

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Frosted Holly Wreath Ornament

July 22, 2015July 20, 201521 Comments

While most of you are outside basking in the Summer’s warmth…

some of us are inside thinking “cool” thoughts.

As you know… I love participating in the Designer Craft Connection’s Monthly Design Challenges.

The theme for the Challenge was Christmas in July.

This month’s Manufacturer Design Challenge was sponsored by Robin’s Nest and Smoothfoam.

My project for the challenge is a simple ornament using a small Smoothfoam Wreath

and a variety of dew drops, tear drops, diamond drops and trim from Robin’s Nest.

To Make the Wreath:

Apply a layer of embossing paste or Snowtex to cover the front and sides of the wreath.
Allow time for the paste to fully dry before continuing.
Glue tear drops and dew drops on the front of the wreath with a good liquid craft glue.
Glue trim around outside of the wreath. I originally had no trim on the outside of the wreath. By adding the decorative trim around the outside it gave me the pop of green that I needed to accent the wreath.
Next…Punch or cut a 3″ circle from red glitter cardstock. Find the center of the circle and start forming the snowflake pattern using 12 diamond drops. Glue small metallic dew drop in the center of the snowflake.
Glue hanger on the back of the wreath before adding the red snowflake circle.

A Big Thanks to Smoothfoam and Robin’s Nest for providing the products to work with.

To see what the other designers have come up with.

Click on the Designer Craft Connection Logo on my right sidebar to start hopping.

Kindness Matters

July 10, 2015February 9, 2023Leave a comment

Kindness Matters. All Day. Every Day.

This card was made using Art Play Paintables and Blender Basics.

I water colored the image using a waterbrush and a variety of inks from markers and inkpads.

Happy Friday Everyone!

*Disclosure: This blog uses ads and affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!

Thrifty Tuesdays Really Good Finds…

July 7, 2015July 7, 2015Leave a comment

We awoke to a rainy un-seasonably cool July morning. Not really a outdoorsy kind of summer day.

So my daughter and I (since she was in town) went to one of our favorite Thrift Stores.

You know…The kind that is ran by old church ladies and the prices are really cheap.

My very favorite kind.

I found all the items above along with 3 stemmed glassware cordials for only $8.50.

Of all the things that I purchased today (and I love them all) this has to be my favorite.

A creamy white platter with no cracks or crazing for .50 and a bag of old hardware for a dollar.

That totally made my day.

I almost put all three of these things back. (total cost $1.50)

Instead I gave the little box to my daughter, and will use the terra cotta pot

with the great patina for a bunch of pink impatiens that need re-potting.

After so much energy on great finds, my daughter and I treated ourselves to a nice lunch

at Potbellys and took a “selfie”.

It doesn’t take much to make us happy.

Quick & Easy Washi Tape Make-Over

July 6, 2015December 2, 20151 Comment

Quick and Easy, Keep It Simple. Sounds like a great DIY plan.

With a little creativity you can transform plain into something fun and personal.

I started with a plain pencil cup from Deflecto.

With a little Washi Tape wrapped around the top and bottom of the cup, a couple of stickers and

accessories… I now have a cute pencil cup to set on my desk.

I added a couple of my favorite pictures of my special guys from last year. (boy have they grown)

Need a couple “brownie points” for the upcoming back to school?

This would make a great teacher gift.

Just add the Teacher’s Name, Grade or “Welcome Back to School” along with a apple sticker or two.

Great for Dorm Rooms too.

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.”

Tie Dying for the 4th of July

July 1, 2015June 5, 20172 Comments

This may be the last Tie Dye Post from me. (or not?)

On Father’s Day we tie dyed shirts with the kids. It turned out to be a really great group activity.

Because we had to let the shirts set, rinse and then be washed….

I was not able to get pictures of all the kids and their shirts. (you know…the big kids)

Last Wednesday my sister brought my niece over for a play date with my grandsons and

I was able to get a few cute ones.

You may be wondering why only one kid got the last red white and blue popsicle.

Well…. the really cute and innocent looking littlest one had just recently taken a good hard

bite on the tip of his big brothers nose. “Ouch!”

It didn’t take long before he forgave his little brother and was sharing his popsicle.

Little brother wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Isn’t she adorable?

On her shirt, the dye was painted directly onto the shirt with a paintbrush.

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