Winter project..

  Baby, it's cold outside. It's been wicked cold here with temperatures into the teens. I know this isn't as bad a time as Alaska is having right now with their temperatures and snow.. Thank goodness I don't live there. Sorry Lily..
  Anyway, I stay in during these cold snaps and work on projects... besides cleaning.. My most recent project has been a little box I repurposed for our "command center". We have a bulletin board/white board to help us remember our important appointments. It works well for us. Located right by the phone on the wall... We needed something to house paper and pencils/pens for messages to tack up for remembrance. Notice we have trouble remembering at our age. This is that project:

Finished project...


     

   I used Claudine Hellmuth's paints since they cover anything so nicely. I bought the fan and dried rose at my favorite place in Bath, Maine: Tate's. Their sale in going away at the end of this week, so if you live close you need to get there soon.
  I also used a flourish from Sizzix which I haven't used in awhile. I love dots lately so I added some black ones using enamel accents.
   The strip of written paper is from Tim Holtz. I just purchased that recently. I can see many uses for it. The glitter is on the edges using his Stickles. Gotta love glitter. I printed out the word "Smile" using an interesting font. Cut out each letter after I had aged it a bit with Vintage Photo ink from Tim Holtz's collection.
   I have placed in next to our kitchen phone to hold pencils and pens along with a pad of paper. I think it will be working out well for us.. Ahh... to be done with yet another project.

In its rightful place.

Strawberry Season

We picked these!

A big one...

Bet you can't eat just one...

Row after row of strawberries

Russ in a strawberry patch.

Strawberry picking

 I absolutely love strawberries; picking them, eating them, and taking pictures of them.. This week my sister, Rochelle, my husband, Russ, and I went to Fairwinds Farm in Bowdoinham and picked away. Russ and I picked 8 quarts in no time.
   The weather was perfect for picking. Just enough breeze to keep the bugs off and keep us a little cool.
   Picking is hard on your back though. I think next time I will wear knee pads and sit in the strawberry patch. Closer to nature, don't you know...
   We plan on going back this weekend to get strawberries for our Fourth of July celebration. We are going to Rochelle and Mark's house for a barbecue and a dip in their pool. What fun...
   I took a break from packing today to make two anniversary cards for my sister, Chris and her husband, Tom. It's their 18th wedding anniversary this weekend. I don't usually forget this date because July 2nd is the anniversary of our first date five years ago. It was a great first date. We went to see War of the World with Tom Cruise.

Mom's card

Our card to Chris and Tom

   Anyway, I made one card for my mother to give them and I made a card from us.
   On our card I used a Spellbinders fleur de lis border die cut. I just cut it and turned one side upside down. I added the white ribbon through the middle. The sentiment is on a Spellbinders tag. The embellishments, I hope, give it a wedding like flavor. The card is on Tim Holtz's die cut that is for making cards stand up. Check out the picture to the left. I used grunge board to give it alot of strength.
   On Mom's card  I cased a card I saw on Splitcoast. Here is the link, in case you want to check it out.. The card I cased.  It's really a great card.  I love the folded piece of paper that goes through the middle of the card. I got to use the "bling" that hands down from the ribbon on this card. I purchased this from Tate's in Bath, Maine. The sentiment is on a tag from Spellbinders. The side of the card is a border punch from Martha Stewart's collection.
    I am afraid I am going to have to pack my craftroom soon. I have one more card to make and then it's into packing boxes for about three weeks. It will be like withdrawal. I'll still be blogging, but it will be about my adventures. I sure hope it will be exciting enough to read about..

Nature's Sketchbook Stamps

A Seaside palette

A Mediterranean palette

   I am almost finished with the Nature's Sketchbook stamps. Love these stamps and had not used them since I got them. One more stamp, the bird one, and I can check this set off my goal of using all my stamps at least once. I was trying to think of a design and color theme when I happened to pick up the latest Better Homes and Garden magazine. It had some colors put together by interior designers that I thought was quite lovely.
   I used the Seaside palette with the butterfly stamp. Colored pencils, distress inks from Tim Holtz, and Cuttlebug's embossing folder helped to give the card some texture. I made the bow using a simple method I saw on a Youtube tutorial. I will find that and add it to my blog for those of you who are interested.
  I used the Mediterranean palette on the strawberry card.  I love Spellbinder's lacy circle and the spikey circle, so I put them together. This time I used Copic markers to color the strawberries and leaves.
Cuttlebug's dotted Swiss folder gave the card texture. I used the Bow Easy to make this silk bow. I added a Prisma flower with other leaves punched from Martha Stewart's collection and McGill's collection.  The black dots are from Enamel Accents.

Here are more pictures of the cards to give you a better view.


Only one more card to go using this set. I hope to get it done before we leave for Disney. Thanks for looking.....

A Valentine for Nathaniel

   I have finally finished the Valentine I have been making for my son, Nathaniel. I've been dying to use the side step card I saw on Jackie Topa's blog. She gives excellent written directions and a tutorial on her card. She's on youtube,too. http://jackietopa.typepad.com/addicted_to_stamping/2010/07/side-step-dresser-tutorial.html

Worth all the work!!

   She is right.. the actual making of the card is easy. It's the design that took me forever. I loved her bureau idea, but I put it in a different place. I just purchased a new SU stamp set, Window Dressing,  from my friend, Cindy. Thanks, Cindy because I used the window and the little kitty stamps. The window is actually an outside window, but I made it an inside window. The little boy is a Matilda stamp,but I just can't seem to help myself .. I need for him to have a mouth...just a little one..
   The tree is from Stampin Up's Branching Out. The bike outside, which I know every kid leaves there, is from Tim Holt'z collection. I also used his distress inks to make things a little more realistic. I absolutely love Tim's Rock Candy Crackle paint. It give the banner a nice patina.
   Martha's Stewart's border punch is used on the bed coverlet. Sizzix die cuts were used from the ball, bat, and glove.
  It took alot of thinking, cutting,and arranging to get the card just right. I think Nathaniel will think it's cute. He's 29 years old, but he will always be my baby.

First Rosettes

   I am so excited that I could make rosettes for my paper crafting projects. I have been having a bugger of a time with it. I finally gave in and watched Tim Holtz's video on youtube. Just put in rosettes and his video will come up.

   Once I got it together I noticed that the paper started to rip between perferated sides. That bugged me. So I searched my studio and found a roll of decorative packing tape. It was something I picked up in traveling around to the different craft stores that I like. It was perfect. The sides did not come apart. I love the rosettes. I am working on a Valentine card for my DH.
   I noticed a website on the inside of the packing tape: www.fancythatonline.net   They have quite an array of decorative tapes and ideas on how to use them. I bet they didn't think of my idea yet...
   Anyway, I will be working all morning on how I am going to use these rosettes for my cardmaking. I'll be showing you, hopefully, on my next blog. Thanks for looking!