January...Brrr....

  It is January and it has been cold. We did have a thaw for a few days which was really lovely except the cold came in right behind it..Brrrrr..

Bead board is lovely.

  We have been hard at work doing our winter projects around the house. Russ finished the island last week. I love the bead board he added to the inside panels. I painted  the island and love how it came out.
  He is on to the next project which is a display bookcase for my Mickey collection. I will be staining it today. I will post pictures when I have finished putting all my Mickeys on it.

The front

                                                      I have finished the project I showed you last post. It looked a little weird at first because it was a template for a purse I had purchased a while ago. I just got around to making a Valentine purse for Evy, our granddaughter. I think she will like it. It was pretty easy because I had the template.

 

Outside of template

Inside

         
 I added Valentine paper to the outside of the pink cardstock I used.
  I just looked at my model which I had purchased ages ago. I tore it apart and figured out where to score and where to cut. Love the results.

A magnet closure

  I made a mistake with punching the hole for the handle. I did it too low. So I used the flowers to hide the boo boo. I also put bows on the inside flap to hide the holes. I think it looks great though.

Side view

Evy will love the flowers.

 

Me

   We took time out of working at the house to go to
Freeport to L.L.Bean. Russ had gotten a gift certificate from
our Christmas party and wanted to see what he could get there. Thanks Rochelle and Mark for the lovely Yankee Swap gift.
  We did have fun looking around. I couldn't pass up a picture of the L.L. Bean boot even a little snow covered.
  He found a neat umbrella that he can hook onto his pants for our trip to Disney this spring. You never know when a rain shower might pop up. We are ready
  He also found a USB plug for two phones for the car. We don't have to take turns now. It was a good day.

Love this....

I would like to thank our daughter,Kristin, in Colorado.( Yes, we have a daughter-in-law named Kristin, too.)  She bought me two Cricut cartridges for Christmas thinking I had the machine. I don't so I returned them to Amazon and picked out these three gems instead. I have not used them yet but am itching to start. Thanks Kristin. It was wicked cool to browse the dies and find something and not have to pay a cent. Love that feeling. 

Keep warm. I am staying inside today keeping warm and cozy by the fire. I hope you have a warm and cozy week, too.

Here Comes January!

  I love this time of year because we are usually waiting for the cold weather or a snowstorm to pass before going outside. Therefore, I am in my craft room working on  projects.  I have plenty started but not done.  Here is an example of one: I made a flip album using my cinch machine.
   I love how you can put your album on your desk and show whatever picture you want showing for the moment. You can also have a calendar attached to it, too.

It stands up ...

A magnetic belly band....

I added a belly band to keep it closed if you just want it stacked with other albums. It is magnetic to help keep it closed.
  I haven't added any pictures yet 'cause I made another one for my daughter-in -law, Kristin, and my son, Nathaniel. So I am working on two albums at once. That should keep me busy and out of trouble.
  The cinch machine has worked beautifully with these  projects. I learned, the hard way, that the pages of the album must match the cover or there is a  problem with the turning of the pages. I have been in contact with the company. They did not know of this problem so I let them know what I had discovered. They were very nice and tried to be helpful.  Oh well, lesson learned.

Beautifully done....

My girl friend, Elaine, has been working on a flip album, too. We work together about once a week to inspire each other in our craft. She has a great artistic "eye" for color and design. We work well together.
  I can't wait to see it completely done. I will post pictures of some of out pages for you to see .. We are using Pinterest for ideas from my board called "Scrapbooking".

FREE!!!!!

  Just a short  mention of the shiny new roasting pan I got free from the Shaw's in Freeport. They had a stamp collecting program where you collect so many stamps and you get stuff free. I picked this pan and I love it. I really don't want to use it 'cause it is so shiny. I will have to think long and hard about what my first roasting recipe will be using this pan.

New area in front of craft desk...

My Ikea cart....

  I have been using this winter time to move things around in my craft room. I felt that there was too much on top of my craft table, so I moved two cubes in front of my desk and put a Pottery Barn shelf on top of them. I really like it. I can see all the way to the other side of the room now.
  My new Ikea cart is just perfect for Prima flowers, Julie Nutting stamps,just to name a few items. It is on wheels which means I can move it out like it is in the picture, or push it underneath the table out of the way. It is a great addition to my organization of materials.

Helping husband.

 
 I have been working with my husband on adding bead board to our island. I love bead board . We have it as a back splash. He finished the installation and I have been painting the whole thing  mushroom. I have not finished as I have to do a second coat tomorrow. I will post picture of this project when I am done.  Hopefully , tomorrow.
  My New Year's Resolution this year is to post more on my blog. I have been lazy lately and an feeling like I can do better. I am also committing to eating healthier: more fruits and vegetables. My husband and I are working as a team so that we can feel better and lose a little more weight. Taking it a day at a time..
  I will leave you with a peak at  the project that

What is it????

I have almost finished. The picture shows the work
in progress. Wonder what you think it could be???
Hummmm....