The Other Side of Me

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday, Lee!!

2012-02-14T14:36:00.026-05:00

I hope that you are all having a wonderful day of love, and hugs and kisses!! Mine has been filled with lots of sweet treats (just what I needed) and the hugs and kisses will have to wait for when I see hubby this weekend. But before I share with you some Valentine goodies I made and gave to some real sweethearts, I want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEE!!!!!
Lee's birthday was Sunday on the 12th! Since I could not be with her to celebrate I sent her these gifts.I made this cuff bracelet for her along with the gift bag.
I had to have a little metal something on it. Lee loves her rusty metals!
Then a box of crafting supplies. You can never have enough!!!
Happy creating, Lee. I hope you had a wonderful birthday. I miss you!!!!!!

So Valentine's day is always a fun time. Our "Stitch and Bitch" group got together today (Me, Mom, Judy and Carla) to craft and have lunch. So I brought them a few goodies to celebrate the day and our friendship.
I made for Mom a vintage lace and crocheted doily pincushion with lots of lavender. I added a picture of her two girls to reminder her of how much we love her.
Carla received a pin cushion, too.
Her's was in green to match her new studio.
I made for Judy this pretty wall hanging.
Love you, Sissy!!!
After lunch we had the most awesome brownie!!! Judy made these heart shaped brownie's that were to die for. Soft, moist, very chocolate decadence. Yum!!! At the top of the pic, is a cute ornament Mom made. it is a crocheted chocolate candy in top of a heart. Way cute!
Well, it was fun playing cupid today. We are off now to have Valentine's Day dinner out with Mom and Dad. I hope your day was filled with lots of LOVE!!!

A Product that is Worth Sharing

2012-02-10T21:02:00.004-05:00

I bought this product a couple of weeks ago and I have been thrilled with how it works I wanted to tell you about it. This is Avon's MaGix Face Perfector. This lightweight cream goes on over your moisturizer before your make-up. It goes on and feels like your skin is velvet making the perfect surface for applying your make-up. It is not greasy or heavy, no odor and has SPF 20! And best of all it is only $10.00. Love it!!!!! Get your tube today. Once we are over 40 baby, we need all the help we can get.

Good Bones and Ballet shoes

2012-01-27T20:25:00.035-05:00

It has been a busy week or so. I am beginning to think that "busy" is the norm. Here are the highlights of what we have been up to.
The girls (Natalea, Heather, Viv, Sandy and I ) have been at it again with a Valentine Ornament Swap. I think this is the 4th year that we have been swapping for Valentine's Day! My Valentine tree is so full. It looks great.
I made these heart-shaped Valentine Ladies.
Truth be told that I started this project with a different outcome in mind, but I could not find the right shaped chenille pipe cleaners. They were going to be chenille Valentine ladies, but I improvised. I made the stick figures but needle felted heart-shaped bodies. Then added all of the extras. I think they came out cute for starting off so wrong. I hope the girls will enjoy them. I am looking forward to getting their creations this week.
The camper project continues..........
My Dad kept saying, "I think the main door into the camper is broken." Mind you it has the aluminum skin over a wood frame. So he pulled it off, carefully removed all of the aluminum outer skin pieces and low and behold, this is what we found. From the door knob down, the inside wooden frame was completely dry rotted and almost in shreds. So, Dad went down and bought the wood and started to reconstruct the door.
Here is my sweet Dad at his craft. He loves doing this stuff. He built this door frame in no time.
Here it is. Fresh and clean "new bones." We added foam between each section for insulation and then went to work on straightening out each piece of aluminum in order to recover the door. After 45 years, some of her skin has been twisted and torn in some places. So with much love and care, I have a new door to the camper. All new weather seal around it. We worked all day on Thursday to get her done and hung back on to beat the rain that was coming. Wahoo! Another project down. It is getting closer everyday.
Of course while my Dad is busy making her a strong and beautiful "mini studio on wheels" I am finding all the goodies for inside.
I found this 1950's reproduction of the "Moonbeam clock." It's about 5x7 inches in size in a pretty blue color. This baby was from L.L. Bean of all places. Found it on the back cover of the catalog and had to have it for the camper. I promise to take some more pictures of some of the other items I have picked up.
Last but not least, my sweet 6 year old is in her 3rd year of ballet. Each January they invite the parents to an open house to watch them in class. We went this week and I so enjoy watching her grow and get better every year.
Small things like finally knowing left from right and taking directions makes a big difference in the class. Her class has 15 girls in it this year.
They announced that this year's recital is going to be Alice in Wonderland. Her class is going to be roses. They will have a dance routine and then they will remain on stage as part of the scenery and keep changing poses. Should be cute.
Okay, so one last thing.
We finally booked our first cruise! In May, we are going to cruise on the Disney Dream cruise ship to the Bahamas. We are going with our friends, Paul, Marla and Jennie. We are really excited. With no airfare involved, it was really a great deal. So, the weekend is here and Don is flying back in from CA. We are planning a quiet, do nothing weekend. Lots of walking and reading. Can't wait!

I Ordered Mine!

2012-01-22T10:41:00.004-05:00

I saw Elizabeth Hasselbeck wearing this T-shirt on The View last Friday and I had to have one. GO check out Dang Chicks and see what they sell. Cute T's and jewelry. Go USA!!

Light Fixtures for the Camper

2012-01-12T21:48:00.011-05:00

Finding replacement light fixtures for my little Shasta has been challenging. What was in there was something new that the previous owner had installed. So not cutting it. So, I started looking at new ones that would have a vintage flair or something that would go with the "Glamping" style. They were either rediculously expensive or did not have a switch at the source. So I finally decided to look up vintage light fixtures on eBay.
Low and behold I found these beauties. They are from the 1930's, porcelain and painted with a soft blue trim and pink roses. I found the pair! One will go over the dinette table and 1 over the sink where the tiny kitchenette is. Got them in the mail and cleaned them up and they are perfect. Honey will rewire them and install. There is 1 other light fixture that hangs on the wall in the back over the couch/fold down bed. So I kept searching and found from another eBay dealer a matching wall sconce. SCORE!!!! That one is being shipped. Will show you that one when I get it.

Also, Dad finished rebuilding the closet today and is officially finished with all of the woodwork. He has primed the entire inside and she is ready for her paint job. I decided on a color called antique white. It is a warmer white that matches the faux tin roof tiles I bought to finish the ceiling inside. I didn't care for the wood tone inside so she will be a pretty white. I plan on adding color with the cushions, curtains, pillows, etc. Can't wait to show you the details.
More pictures of before and after next week.

Where would we be without our friends?!

2012-01-05T21:20:00.019-05:00

Friends have a special way to lift us up! They add so much to our lives. I cherish all of my gal pals. They are a true treasure. This friend is a big, sparkly, pink diamond in my collection of jewels! Mind you, all of my friends are beautiful, but very unique in their own way. Remembering my birthday and always thinking of me even in the smallest of ways makes my day. Getting her funny texts or messages each week keeps us connected. Thank you pal for all that you do. I so appreciate you!!!! Luz sent me this lovely journal and she made this sparkly rose brooch. She cleverly added paper text to the rose petals.
You didn't think it would be all sweet and soft now did you? Yes, I am a circus freak and I know that because she tells me so. What a fun pillow. It of course reminds me of her immensely. I think it may be the shoes.
Yes, she found one! A tiny vintage trailer ornament even in the colors that I am planning to use. Way cute. I will be leaving this out and putting this in the camper when it is finished as a part of her accessories.
When your friends get you, it really makes you smile. Such a pretty, soft vintage apron with tiny red strawberries. What a great collection of goodies. Many thanks, Luz for all the pretty gift tags and care you gave to making these gifts so special. YOU ROCK!!!
Speaking of my trailer, she is really coming along.
With Don at home and his son visiting, my Dad got them to lift the new air conditioning unit on the top. Dad literally works on this little buggy everyday and he absolutely needed help with this. It went on very quickly and smoothly. Don got it wired and away it went. I am happy to say that it is super quiet when it runs. It even works as a heater, too. I was not thrilled about adding it to the camper, because I thought it would look hideous on top. Well, to make a long story short, once the cover went on it, you can't really even see it up there. And hubby said that he would be going no where with me if it didn't have air. I have to concede, that by mid May it would be too hot to enjoy it, if I couldn't cool it down in some way. So, Hubby 1, me 0. He was right, it was a good addition.
This was the latest mess Dad uncovered. The door frame and part of the trailer frame has dry rot. I am happy to say that he has already ripped it out and rebuilt the frame and rebuilt the part of the floor at the entrance. She is solid again! Advice to anyone thinking of purchasing a vintage trailer, pull up the carpet and lift the outer skin to inspect what is underneath. I still would have bought her, but I would have chewed them down on the price a bit. Thanks goodness my Dad loves doing this stuff. The Spring is looking good for her to be finished. In March I will start pricing out her new paint job. Stay tuned......

Little Vintage Trailer GIVEAWAY!!!!

2012-01-01T15:13:00.003-05:00

Look what I stumbled upon!!!! Little Vintage Trailer is giving away this fantastic artwork of none other then a sweet little camper. I SOOOOOO need to have this hanging in my sweet little canned ham. My Dad is working feverishly on her and she is looking wonderful. I will share the recent photos soon. So help me out my friends. Head over and enter to win!

Happy Birthday and Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T17:16:00.012-05:00

Happy 60th Birthday Don! We celebrated Don's birthday a little early this week. The family went to Natalia's for a wonderful dinner.
Don's birthday is officially on Tuesday, January 2nd but with all the family in town it was a good time to celebrate. We drank and ate until we were very happy!
Don's children; Corwin, Shelby and Amber. It is hard to believe that time has gone by so quickly that my hubs is turning 60. We have had such a great time and wonderful life since we met each other. I look forward to each year that we share together.
I hope you all have plans tonight to ring in the new year. May this year be your most happiest ever!!

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-23T11:30:00.005-05:00

May the spirit of the season touch your heart. My thoughts are of my family and friends near and far and how much you are loved and cherished. I await the first opportunity to see you in 2012!
May you have a Happy Christmas and Joyous New Year!

The Winner Is......

2011-12-17T21:27:00.003-05:00

Thanks for all your sweet comments. The winner of my pink tree is Lee!!!! Since Lee is the one who actually got me started blogging, her name being picked out of my little hat was perfect. Congrats, Lee and thank you for sharing your blog with all of us and for inspiring me to start mine 4 years ago!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!!

4 Years of Blogging!!! Christmas GIVEAWAY

2011-12-13T21:32:00.010-05:00

Hello friends and visitors to the Other Side of Me. I am happy to say that I have been enjoying this blog and spending some wonderful time with all of you for 4 years now. I am celebrating my anniversary with a Christmas Giveaway!
I have decorated this pretty pink bottle brush tree. It is placed in a white and silver sparkled container, snow has been added and lots of vintage flocking. There are bright pink mercury beads added for the balls. It is finished with pick and silver ribbon and some mini silver tinsel. The old vintage pink Christmas ball is not included. That is one of my favorites.
SO if you are interested in adding this to your Christmas decorations join in the giveaway! Leave me a little lovin' in the comments section and I will choose a winner on Saturday. Many thanks to all of you who have been an inspiration to me and for those of you have become such wonderful bloggie buddies. You are truly the best!!!

Making Merry!!

2011-12-12T08:58:00.022-05:00

We have had a busy weekend celebrating with some serious Christmas spirit! Here is my little doll in her colonial costume. Shelby went on Saturday to a wreath laying ceremony for our veteran soldiers. She is in the Children of the American Revolution which is a national organization that recognizes and celebrates the ancestors that fought in the Revolutionary war. Shelby is related to an ancestor on my MIL's side of the family. While Don had her out that afternoon, I was busy getting ready for a dinner party for some special friends.
The table was set and waiting for the guests and dinner delights.
There are 8 of us that get together across the year. Each year, we each take turns having the Christmas dinner. This year I knew that I was going to home so I took it on. Several weeks of planning, invites, decorations, baking, etc. it was finally here. We had a terrific time. Everyone was dressed very festive and came to laugh and enjoy each others company. It was a blast.
Here is my sweet hubby that was a perfect co-host. Helping to serve and keep the glasses filled!
Here are some other pictures of my home this Christmas.
My little bottle brush tree creation.
These are my sparkly birdhouses I made for the Christmas ornament swap I hosted. I invite you to go check out Natalea's post to see the rest of the creations. Her pictures of each ornament are wonderful!
Last weekend we went to Callaway Gardens to see Fantasy in Lights. It was so beautiful. It is a 5 mile loop in the woods with light displays timed to music. This is their rendition of the First Noel. I do hope that you are all finding the Christmas spirit and enjoying some family time together.
Well, it is that tine of year again. My 4 year blogging anniversary and my 300th post!! I will be back this week with a sweet giveaway to celebrate!

CHEERS!!!

Christmas Corsage

2011-12-08T16:59:00.011-05:00

Inspired by this e-mag, I made this Christmas corsage for my Mom. The sweater that was used is from an old sweater that my Mom received from my Dad for their first married Christmas together. (Yes, my Mother keeps all sentimental things) 50 years ago she got this sweater. It is in beautiful shape, but Mom and I are not small enough to wear it. So I asked her if I could sacrifice it to my crafting habit and of course she obliged.
The reindeer is a vintage piece from her collection that I added. I made the acorns from acorn caps that I glittered and then needle felted the nuts. It is sewn on top of a piece of linen. An hour later and we are in vintage heaven. She wore it today on her jacket. I will be making one for me for sure.
I will be back over the weekend with our Christmas Ornament Swap!
Hugs to all.

JOY

2011-11-15T20:58:00.009-05:00

It always seems to amaze me how quickly the year goes by. Christmas is once again on my heels and the crazy, fun, crafting, baking, shopping, wrapping, celebrating is soon to begin. I find myself making things with this one word in mind. There is so much JOY in my life and I am so thankful.

There are so many inspiring idea's this holiday season. Go check out Amy Power's, Inspiring Ideas e-mag. It is wonderful and the best $3.99 you will spend this holiday season.
Another great find is this magazine. Matthew Mead has a great blog and this magazine is just full of the most wonderful images.
Well, Mom and I are heading South this weekend to Florida to a big Christmas Craft Show. Will let you know what I find. We will also be going to see this over the weekend as well.

My Own Canned Ham!

2011-11-01T21:49:00.016-04:00

Once again my hubby has indulged me on my whims and wants and bought me this 1966 Shasta trailer. I found her 40 minutes from my house on a website called Tin Can Tourist.

Here is her little kitchen with blue stove and fridge.
The dinette which folds down into a bed.
Here is the back couch/bed and closest on the left. So I know right about now you are thinking what are you so jazzed about. Well go Here and here to see what these ladies creations have inspired. (be sure to scroll down on each blog) I am ready to trick this baby out!!!!!!
So now that you know where I am headed with this little project, my Dad (God Bless him and his need to tinker and create) has already gotten started on pulling her apart.
The shelf overhead and the dinette are out. He found some dry rot today and we will need to cut out. Also he took the roof down inside and we will need to replace that as well. Mom saw some decorative tin tiles that they sell at Lowes (made to look like old vintage tiles) that may work over head. Anyway, I will keep you posted on her progress. Dad will work on her over the next couple of months and plan of getting her new paint job in the Spring. Can you say Happy Trails? This will be my little studio on wheels. A fun junkin' mobile and some of my buddies are looking for one too. So we will find somewhere to caravan I am sure. THANK YOU, Honey!!! Awesome birthday present.

Happy Halloween!!!!

2011-10-31T10:44:00.011-04:00

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you have a Spooktacular day with your little ghosts and goblins. Here is our Vampire Queen. She was all dolled up this morning heading out to school.
They had a parade of costumes at the school and a little trick or treat. Don and I went up to catch the action.
BOO!!!!!

The Spoils from Country Living Fair

2011-10-27T11:09:00.024-04:00

The key word being "spoil"! I did spoil myself at the CLF with some goodies because the fair is very pricey so you have to deal with that going in or plan to dig deep to really look for bargains. I have been looking for a glass cloche to sit on my scale in the studio and this fit perfectly. But idiot me carried it out by the bird on top and snap went the bird. The dome bounced and did not break. Lucky me, so I glued it back on top and added a ribbon. No one will ever know.
Here is my collection of goodies. There are some close-ups to follow. I enjoyed seeing some of the same vendors from last year. They even kept most of the vendors in the same spot making it easy to find them again.
This is called a Derby Bloom made by an Earth Angels artist. It is made up of some of the loveliest vintage fabrics, laces and trims. It has both a pin and clip and they were wearing them in their hair, on jackets, purses and one woman bought a couple to pin on her lampshades.
Some pretty tags and this 1950's Christmas book which has wrapping, baking and decorating tips.
My buddy Luz bought me this kit. You embroider the postcard image onto fabric and then make it into a pillow. I have already transferred the image and started stitching. I will show you my progress soon. Thanks again, Luz!!
Some bling for me. The earrings are made out of leather.
I got stopped multiple times that day for this old purse necklace. Love it!!! And of course bought CLF t-shirts. This year they are squirrels that say, I went nuts at the Country Living Fair."
This sweet doll pincushion, hand dyed seam binding and some great vintage lace.
I really enjoyed the Fair and will certainly go back again next year, so anyone of my gal pals that want to go next year, you are invited for sure!!!!!

What a weekend!!!!!

2011-10-24T15:40:00.061-04:00

We started the weekend on Thursday night with craft night in my studio. We had a little Halloween party with cupcakes and cookies. Here is my Halloween tree with all my swap goodies. Mom and Luz had gifties for us.
Luz made us witch hat ornaments and a beautiful decorated pumpkin. Here is mine!!
We made glass charm pendants, earrings and rings. I did not take any pics unfortunately but will show some of the pieces I am making later in the week. So Friday morning we got up early to leave for Stone Mountain and the Country Living Fair.
The fair was full of wonderful images and ideas. Here is my collection of photos for you to enjoy.

My lovely mother stood by this piece of furniture. Loved it. Good price, too. Next year going with something I can take big things home in!!
For Luz who coined the term, "booth bitch" here she is working the tables.
Wouldn't this be awesome on a front porch greeting guests to your home?
I wanted this pink child's chest it the worst way but could not justify $175 for it.
Dress forms decorated in every way you can imagine were all the rage again this year. I like the chicken wire on this one.
Me, Mom and Luz in the reflection of the mirror.
Luz bought this lamp for her studio. It matches the fabric on the chair her hubs recently bought her.
Relaxing in the trees.

The new "Minnie Pearl."
Here she is, the Queen with her diamond sceptor. Talk to the wand!
We got home and were all worn out from walking and believe it or not from being so chilly. It was cool that day and we could have been dressed warmer. We shared what we all bought that day. I will show you pics in a few days of what I brought home. The show was fantastic!

And the winner is.......

2011-10-20T22:10:00.006-04:00

#7 Patty!!!!! Congratulations for winning the crocheted spider.
Patty please email (trcl9346@earthlink.net) your full name and address so I can mail this out to you right away!
Heading out to the Country Living Fair today! Will share all the pictures soon.

Thursday NIght Craft Night and a GIVEAWAY!!!!

2011-10-15T15:37:00.019-04:00

Every Thursday night Mom and I and Judy and Carla get together in my studio for craft night. We usually each bring something we are working on, but sometimes we work on a common project together. This week we made these paper wreaths to add to our Halloween decor. I bought the first kit from Cindy Gilstrap at Junque Art. and this is the one I made from the kit. It was super fun and easy that I pulled the supplies together for all of us to each make one. Here is how they all came out.
Carla's creation.
Mom's bootiful masterpiece.
Judy's sweet red caped witch.
Here is the second one that I made that night. The bat girl with some added black tulle.
What could be more fun doing what we love with best buddies!
NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!!! It has been way too long since I did a giveaway so my MOm has agreed to make another one of her crocheted spiders for my giveaway.
Here is the one she made me, but she has made some black spiders, brown spiders, some have green, some have purple.
So the spider she makes will be unique for sure and could be any color she manages to whip up! So if you would like to be in the running to win one of these beauties, just leave me a comment on this post between now and next Thursday night and I will announce the winner on Friday! Hope you are all enjoying the lovely change in weather!

Fall Beauty in Vegas!

2011-10-12T09:02:00.031-04:00

We had Fall break here in GA last week so S and I flew out to CA to spend the 5 days with Don. We decided to spend the weekend in Vegas. We took a beautiful drive through the desert and 4 hours later went from Irvine, CA to Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Bellagio Hotel and Casino had the most amazing Fall display and was one of my most favorite places to visit down there. This is the lobby ceiling covered in these glass flowers.
This display stands behind the check-in counter in the lobby of the hotel. Everything is so massive and grand in these hotels.
Just beyond the lobby was this huge atrium that the Bellagio had all decorated for Fall. Here are some of the pictures I took to share with you. Just magnificent!
This tree was animated and said several greetings in a deep "Father Time" kind of voice. Way cool!
I wonder how long this flower art lasts? Do they refresh it every day?
In addition to the Bellagio we walked through the Aria hotel and casino. it was very different in decor. More modern.
Just off the casino floor was this amazing pastry and chocolate shop called Jean Phillipe. The displays and hand made Halloween chocolates were breathtaking.
It would be hard to choose just one.
This was jaw dropping for me. As you walked inside the Crystal Hotel and Casino this bar and lounge called Chandelier was covered in strands of crystals. The light glittering off these strands was so pretty.
You felt like you were sitting inside a big crystal chandelier. My pictures did not do it justice. I sooooo want to go back to Vegas. The shopping was amazing there, too. The Caesar's Forum Shops was a 3 story shopping mall of every designer you could imagine. We gambled only a little because we had Shelby with us. Children can walk across the casino floor but can not stop and watch anything. So next time.
We also had to spend some time at California Adventure. My little one became a vampire bat. We had a great time out west. The weather was perfect. Well, we are back and getting ready for Trick or Treat and a visit from this sweet person! Can't wait for your visit!!

Halloween Ornament Swap and Sweet Mail!

2011-10-01T19:25:00.029-04:00

The lovely Vivian has hosted another ornament swap for Halloween. All of us from Nat's Garden Art Weekend have joined in. These are the tags that I put on each of my ornament bags. If you are interested in this image let me know in your comments and I will email it to you.
I created an image using PSE and printed it out onto printable fabric. Then added some sparkly felt and ribbon to create some stuffed ornaments. If you are in the swap and don't want to see the ornament yet, STOP HERE>
This is my little witch in training. She has her own broom and hat and book of spells. I added the cauldron and tree to the background. The Halloween banner finished off my creation. All of the elements were from a collection I purchased at Raspberry Road Designs. The little girl was from an old on-line PSE class I took with Susan Tuttle. I think this is the third year for the Halloween swap. My Halloween tree is filling up nicely. I am looking forward to seeing what the other girls made.
Friday I got a sweet surprise in the mail from Sandy.
These creations are awesome.
This felted baby bat is way too cute and so clever. It is a little ornament. She had it nestled in this decorated box.
This great smelling Fall candle with a Halloween theme.
Last, but not least, yummy hot chocolate packaged in a coffin. Good timing on the hot chocolate. Is is finally cooling down here in the South. Sweater weather in the morning, short sleeves in the afternoon. Thanks, dear friened. I love everything!

Halloween Collage and other spooky creations...

2011-09-25T21:55:00.026-04:00

I have been working on this collage piece for a few weeks off and on and finally finished. I have had this box in the studio for about 2 years now and dusted it off and started adding the papers and embellishments. I have it hanging in my kitchen where we can enjoy looking at it.
I have my eye out for another box. I want to do one for Christmas, too.
Those of you who know my Mom, you know how talented and crafty she is.
We saw these spooky hands in one of the Halloween mags recently. I have so many right now that I can't remember which one we saw it in. However, we took a pair of vintage white gloves and followed the directions on "How-To." Not a surprise that it did not look like it did in the picture. The fingers were too fat. So, Mom had the idea to stitch the fingers to make them more narrow. Once that was done she put pipe cleaners into each finger to make them bendable. We slightly stuffed it and added the ribbon.
It came out great. Make one to greet your guests and trick or treaters.
This spooky spider is also one of Mom's crocheted creations. This came out so great. Mom can copy and create just about anything crocheted that she sees. She can figure out a pattern and then take off. The thread used on this looks like velvet. The orange thread and beads just pop on this 8 legged creation. She is making more. Can't wait to see them and add some more around the house.
I also started making these witch's potion bottles for my kitchen windowsill.
So, the Halloween crafting continues and it has been fun. I finished my ornaments for Viv's Halloween Ornament Swap. I will share those with you later in the week. Have a great week.

Last Year's Zine

2011-09-24T09:31:00.016-04:00

Lee and I had some fun last year putting together Spring and Fall Zines. It was alot of work but really fun. Here are some of the images that were inside the Zine.
These 2 images were some original artwork done by Lee in a Lyrical Interpretations swap we did. I scanned the artwork and made some enhancements with PSE.
Some French Postcards.
Journaling spot created by Natalea.
It seems the digital zine's are taking over, but I still love holding something in my hands. Maybe we can get a few of us to collaborate on another one?? We'll see.

Some Halloween Images to Share...

2011-09-21T14:21:00.012-04:00

I have been having a bit of fun with PSE lately and have created some fun Halloween images.
There is a great shop that I tripped over that has great digital scrapbooking layouts and images. It is called Raspberry Road Designs. She has a section of freebies that you can download. Go check it out. Enjoy the Halloween images!

We are back....

2011-09-20T12:04:00.009-04:00

It was a beautiful place. We had the best 5 days of relaxing pool side and just not being on a schedule. The Bahamas definitely have some of the most beautiful beaches.
The aqua blue will last for awhile in my mind. Hopefully the rest and time to ourselves will too.

R&R on the Way!!

2011-09-12T16:00:00.005-04:00

Don and I are heading to Sandals, Emerald Bay Bahamas for 5 days to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. We leave on Wednesday and I can't wait!!!! This is a picture of the resort. We have an ocean front walk-out room with butler service. Just can't wait to have time alone with him with some sun and sand, lots of sleep, drinks, food, dancing, etc. We have arranged for a couples massage and a candlelight dinner for 2 on the beach. Can anyone say romantic?? I am happy to say that after 14 years it is just as sweet as the first! I will take some pics and show you the "good life" when I get back. Off to pack!

Treasures...Friends and Finds

2011-09-09T20:06:00.029-04:00

I just love these little peep-toe baby shoes. I have to laugh at myself sometimes. I can't believe how goofy and excited we get when we find some great old treasures while junkin'. 10 years ago I would not have even been interested in these sweet things. Yesterday we had a great time shopping, lunching and junkin. Here are some of my spoils.

These 3 dolls were nestled in this box together to purchase. The ceramic one is so tiny with its moving arms and the other 2 are made of lead I think. They re so heavy and painted. I have added them to my small doll collection.
These 3 old bottles will be getting some witch potion labels for Halloween decorations. These were less than $2 a piece.
I found this for Shelby's new bedroom. We just redecorated her bedroom in lavender and put hardwood floors in. This looks so cute on her dresser. When I finish sewing her curtains and get them hung I will show you how sweet her room turned out.
This was a roll of beautiful cream vintage lace. Carla and I decided to split it. There is over 100 yards on this roll.
We also hit Hobby Lobby and found these Halloween goodies.
I scored this chicken wire basket for my kitchen table. I will be filling it with pumpkins and gourds in a few short weeks.
We had a great time celebrating Carla's birthday and of course spending our day together. I hope you all had a great week, too and enjoy the weekend ahead.

Birthday Wishes with a Studio to Enjoy!

2011-09-06T21:55:00.018-04:00

Happy Birthday, Carla and Congratulations on turning the big 50!!!! In honor of you today, I have taken some pictures of your new creative space to show you and to share with others. We love being there with you and it came out fabulous! Great Job, Friend!
Thanks for sharing your studio with us, Carla. We have such a great time every week. I hope you have a wonderful day! Tomorrow we are going to celebrate Carla's birthday with a girls day out. A visit to Hobby Lobby, lunch and Junkin', of course.

Halloween Mouse and a wee pumpkin

2011-09-01T16:07:00.015-04:00

Too soon for Halloween crafting.....No way!!!! We spent the entire day at my friend Carla's studio and we made these cute needle felted mice and this mini pumpkin. We have decided to meet each week at her place during the day and our usual Thursday night at my studio. Wahoo! 2 days planned each week to craft and create with friends.
Definitely have Holiday crafting on the brain. I love this time of year. Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas, a Crafter's delight. Working on my ornament swap with Viv and the gang.
Well, I hope you are all getting your scare on, too. Looking forward to all the Halloween creations. Have a great Labor Day weekend, all!

Finally Finished the Garden Art Project

2011-08-28T19:15:00.027-04:00

Natalea had cute kits for us to make these accordian collages at her Garden Art Party weekend. I started mine, but as usual spent too much time talking and did not get mine finished. Finally I sat down one night this week and got it completed. This is the one side which has some sweet pics of my little garden girl this summer.
This is the back side. These are way fun to put together and it is a nice memento from the weekend.
I also sent a package to this sweet person this week. Here are some house warming items I made.
Every new kitchen needs some special tea towels.
This one started out as a vintage linen I had on hand and I embellished the towel with tan linen and a fork image that I printed from the computer onto printable fabric.
This towel I made from tan linen and old vintage lace scraps. I have had this spoon pin for awhile and it made the perfect touch to this linen.
I look forward to going back to Toronto and seeing my old haunts again and getting to visit Sandy in her new digs. Will have to make a plan!
Lastly, I am enjoying another postcard swap that Natalea is hosting. Here is my postcard that I created ready to fly out to 16 lovely ladies tomorrow.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. For those of you along the east coast I hope you rode the storm out successfully.

Celebrating with Family and Friends

2011-08-17T14:20:00.035-04:00

Yesterday was a great day. We celebrated Mom's birthday.
We took Mom to the Grits Cafe in Forsyth, GA. The food definitely has a southern flair. The ambiance was really nice. The food was good, but the dessert even better.
We had a warm chocolate chip cookie with a big scoop of ice cream. Definitely not on my South Beach diet list of good foods to eat.
I hope you had a great birthday, Mom. You are the best Mother and Mimi ever!!!!
Then when I got home I found these goodies in the mail.
Sandy surprised me with these sweet gifts. The change of address card on the right was way clever. She made this fun "pals" picture album and put pictures in it of us from Nat's Garden Art Party Weekend. Love it!
This little bag came with a sleep mask and nail polish in these yummy colors. Thank you so much Sandy for thinking of me. As they say, "You are a keeper, Girl."
Lastly, I have a friend who finally has finished her new studio and has moved in her things and has started to decorate and organize. So in honor of her new precious space, I made her this.
Carla is an amazing seamstress and I made her something to go over her sewing area.
I printed the image onto a printable canvas fabric which gives it a nice texture and added little rhinestones to the crown and a button. It should look great in her new creative space. The little wrapped package is a neat set of Japanese sewing themed rubber stamps. I missed the picture opportunity.
When Carla is ready I will take some pics and show you her studio. It is really coming together great.
Catch you later, friends!

Meet our "Sweetie"

2011-08-11T18:38:00.012-04:00

We brought home this tiny creature last week on Shelby's birthday. Needless to say it has been a very busy week. Shelby decided to call her Sweetie.
She weighed 1.2 lbs. last week at the vet. She is so small it is hard not to step on the poor thing. But this week after her shots, the vet said she was 2.0lbs. Puppies grow so fast. So we are enjoying her while we can. We are going to introduce Sweetie to my Mom's dog this week. I hope they like each other, because Don and I are planning to have Mom and Dad puppy sit in September.
You can see how small she is here with Shelby. She is a typical pup, playing and biting everything. So wish me luck. I am going to need it.

Art & Joy

2011-08-04T07:37:00.070-04:00

In between all the gardens, food and laughing we found time to create a little art and give each other some goodies and gifts.
Natalea decorated these aqua bags with this sweet garden girl and made each of us a fabric and paper journal. Perfect for capturing the highlights from our weekend together. The candy coated sunflower seeds and the dried lavender finished off the garden themed gift.
The pages in this little journal are so pretty. I hope I can do it justice with what I add.
Thanks Nat for all the time and effort you put into everything all weekend. Love my journal!!
I can't help looking at this little creature and smile. She makes me happy. Sandy made us these butterfly fairies. Of course they had hair color and length to match their new owners.
Sandy also made us these pretty mini journals with lots of burlap, lace, rhinestones and buttons, etc. The photo of the little girl is a pretty sepia with accent colors.
As beautiful outside as she is in. Makes me laugh like crazy!! My sincere thanks, Sandy for your gifts and especially for the art lesson and all the supplies that went with it.
This little bear just looks up at you and you can't help but fall in love. Vivian made these cuddly pin keeps. I think the joy in these gifts is having them in your studio or around your house and knowing that each time you see them you are reminded of the caring person that gave them to you. Gifts that keep on giving!
Merci, Vivian for the pin keep and especially for all that yummy strawberry salad and for taking such good care of us over the weekend. Hugs to you!
Heather of "the Speckled Egg" who we all know and love gave us each a pair of these elegant earrings. The pretty box they came in made them the perfect gift.
Of course, a gift from Heather would not be complete without some beautiful vintage wallpapers, trims and millinery.
Heather you look so pretty with these red petunias! Thanks girl for all the goodies. I will enjoy them immensely.
Tabitha put together this box loaded with crafting goodies. The top of the box was decorated so pretty.
Thanks Tabitha. I look forward to creating!
Now onto the art projects. Sandy gave us a tutorial on how to use resin and how to make these fun resin rings. She found these tiny little ceramic dolls.
We learned what type of resin to use, how to make it, handle it and deal with bubbles.
I was really jazzed about this project. I have always wanted to learn how to work with resin. Here are our creations.
Here we are modeling our rings. I am heading to Michael's this week to buy my resin and I think I am going to try to make some pendants. Great job Sandy!
Our second project was provided by Natalea. Look at these cute mini kits she put together.
We had all the supplies to make ourselves an accordian garden collage. I never work fast enough so I did not get mine finished. But here is a look at the one Natalea created.
She is so damn creative! When I get mine completed, I will share it with you.
Well friends, I had a blast. Until we meet again, create often, laugh much and remember "Life is Goooood!"

In the Garden with Friends

2011-08-03T06:37:00.039-04:00

It was so fun to be in Nat's home. There were so many beautiful things to greet us and make us feel welcome. The eye candy was everywhere! This welcome friends sign was in the bright and cheery kitchen.
Our lovely host on the garden patio. Natalea prepared lunch for us on Friday when we got there. We enjoyed yummy salads with bright edible flowers included!
I so enjoyed Natalea's garden. She has obviously worked lovingly in this space for years. Here are my favorite views of her backyard blooms.
Now on the inside, these are a few of my favorite goodies that grace Natalea's home.
Thank you so much Natalea for sharing your home and garden with us. It was my absolute pleasure to be there.
Here are the "Garden Girls!" From left to right, Sandy, Vivian, Natalea, Me, Tabitha and Heather. On Saturday we spent the day exploring downtown Buffalo. We set out on a Garden Walk tour of some very small,but unique garden spaces. I will be back with lots of gifts and goodies and our art projects.

My Gifts for the "Garden Girls"

2011-08-02T23:01:00.014-04:00

I am back from a most wonderful weekend. Natalea's Garden Art Party was a feast for the eyes as well as my creative soul! Over the next week I will share with you our garden art weekend. Our lovely host's beautiful garden, food and gifts were an absolute delight. So to start, here are the gifts I made for these special women.
These little gift bags were sewn with garden themed fabric and little garden girls on the front.
I made fabric cuff bracelets for my new friends. I used a vintage quilt as the base and added lace and trim, buttons and rhinestone jewelry to make each one as unique as the ladies I met.
They were really fun to make. Here is some of the detail.
I have sooo much to share. I took tons of pictures of Nat's garden, awesome decorations and artwork around her house, the great art projects we did and of course the girls. So I will be back to show you more!

Getting Ready for the Garden.....

2011-07-26T19:49:00.015-04:00

It is finally here! Natalea's Garden Art Party weekend is this Friday and I am putting the finishing touches on the goodies, gifts, and treats I am bringing. Here are some sneak peaks of the hostess gifts that I have already sent to Natalea as a Thank you for having me at her home and her garden.
It has been such a long time since I got together with my artsy friends and created and spent time together. I am really looking forward to it. I will share some pictures of the goodies I made for the girls and all of the fun when I return.

Doing something I never thought I would do!

2011-07-17T14:18:00.014-04:00

I bought this sleepy little pup as a gift for my parents. She was a 50th Wedding Anniversary surprise. Needless to say we all fell in love with this dog. She is a Malti-Tzu mix; part Maltese and part Shit-tzu. Mom and Dad named her Peaches.
We celebrated Mom and Dad's anniversary last night at Marco's in Macon. We had a great time. Back to the dog, she is doing great with Mom and Dad, but Shelby is missing that dog badly and surprisingly so am I. So my hubby said, "What are you waiting for?" Go get Shelby a dog. So we did.
We went to another breeder and found the same breed mix. We found out that both Don and Shelby do not have an allergic reaction to this dog and she hardly sheds!! Yeah for me.
This pup is only 6 weeks old and has to stay with her Mama for a few more weeks. We will be picking her up on August 2 for Shelby's birthday. So we will have to crate train and housebreak this pup. Wish me luck. I bought a book and trying to read how to do this. It is amazing how quickly these little creatures get under our skin and into our hearts. So Peaches is getting a cousin to play with. I will keep you posted on how we make out. As you can tell, Shelby is over the moon excited!

The Beauty of Summer

2011-06-14T11:20:00.008-04:00

My butterfly bush has grown so large that it towers over my head. The visitors are so beautiful on its blooms and branches.
We are enjoying the summer despite the heat. The garden is lovely and it is getting me in the mood for the lovely Garden Art Party I have been invited to in late July. Lots of inspiration for goody bags and treats to take along with me. Will share more later. Hope you are enjoying your summer time, too.

What have we been doing.....

2011-05-31T11:04:00.018-04:00

Keeping up with Shelby Love!
Shelby graduated from Kindergarten and is ready for first grade in the Fall . That went super fast. They had a really sweet ceremony and gave them certificates.
How fast they seem to grow. Then we moved on to the ballet recital.
The recital was Return to Oz. The story followed the book rather than the screen play. They were spiders in the wicked witches castle.
They did their routine with a rope which was to be their web. Very fun.
Then it was on to Disney for a couple of days to celebrate her Kindergarten graduation. Oh and I almost forgot...
She got her ears pierced. After asking for the last 6 months, we took the plunge and she did great. 3 weeks to go and we can change them out.
I was home for the whole month of May but I am back off to work in California and Winnipeg. Don is still rotating in and out of Irvine, CA. We have been like 2 passing ships, but we are managing. We are looking forward to our anniversary in September. We are going here:
Sandals Resort, Emerald Bay, Bahamas! Yeah!!!!!!

Simple Pleasures...

2011-05-12T13:37:00.000-04:00

It has been a great day. I started out having breakfast with my gal pals right after we dropped off the kids to school. We like to meet up at least once a month and have breakfast to chat and catch up. It is always a blast. After I left them, I did a little shopping, bought the newest copy of Somerset Life and headed home to have lunch.
I grabbed my sandwich and my new mag and headed out under the ceiling fans in my back porch. I put my feet up and enjoyed a few hours of quiet before S comes home. I also share this picture to show you the pillows I made this week. I found a lovely old vintage cloth a few months ago and finally dug it out.
The red flowers just pop off this fabric and liven up the place a little. I had 2 perfectly good pillows, but the fabric had faded over time. So I recovered them with this wonderful vintage fabric. Finally some homemaking going on around here. It has been so good to be home for a while. I found a really good house cleaning service and they started this week. Clean house, laundry done, girls morning, shopping, quiet time, Somerset Life....... Simple Pleasures!

Chicks on Parade

2011-05-06T16:13:00.021-04:00

These chicks were my first needle felting attempt. Mom, Carla and Judy and I all tried it together. We got online, ordered all the supplies, watched a few on-line tutorials and got started. We started this project in early March, but due to all my work travels we did not finish them until 3 days before Easter.
Here are all the teetering chicks. They are all different. We have decided to try some other projects with the wool roving we have left. Maybe some summer fruits. We laughed at ourselves and of course I was the first one to stick herself with the needle. Ouch! The supplies were inexpensive. If you have always wanted to try, go for it. It is a fun project.
Here are some other pics from things going on this past month:
Here is what I did with all of the shells we collected on Sanibel Island. They look so pretty in this glass jar. It sits on the desk in the family room next to the iMac. It is a wonderful reminder of our trip.
This is my nephew Blake and his date going to his Junior prom. They are so handsome. I don't recall us looking that grown-up when we were that age. It was great to share in their evening.
I know the Easter bunny didn't see this one coming.
We lost our first tooth this month. The tooth fairy came and left pixie dust on the bed and pillow as well as 5 dollars and 5 pennies . Apparently that is the current treasure the fairy is leaving.

Wel,l I finally got up in my studio this week. I still had Valentine decorations to take down. That tells you how long it has been. Looking forward to spending more time this week coming up. Maybe I can actually create something. I will be looking for a little inspiration.

Spring Break-Sanibel Island

2011-05-03T20:20:00.022-04:00

Where have I been? I can't believe that 6 weeks have gone by since I last updated my blog. Way too busy with work and home to keep up. I have missed visiting all my favorite blogs.
Back in April we took Shelby to Sanibel/Captiva Island, Florida during her Spring Break. We had a terrific time.
This little ham of mine just loves the beach. We got up early everyday to look for sea shells. Sanibel is known for its shelling. The best time is in the winter. Here are just a few of our finds.
We went to the sea shell museum and learned all about mollusks. It is amazing that all of these shells were made by these tiny creatures.
We boogey boarded, even in the mini surf of the Gulf. The water was really warm. Tough on the feet for all the shells on the beach. Nothing like a 5 year old to keep you moving!
Sanibel was really relaxing and much needed with us always going in different directions. The island was laid back with everyone getting around by bicycle. If you are looking for a beach local in Florida, go check it out.
In spite of all the work travel I have been doing, the needle felting project got finished a few days before Easter. I will be back soon with all the "chicks".

Postcards sent with Love and Inspiration

2011-03-25T20:36:00.017-04:00

I joined in the fun at Nat's latest swap idea. 13 of us are sending out postcards with inspirational quotes. So over the next couple of weeks I will get some fun "Mail Love."
The postcard was entirely up to us to either create something or buy a pretty postcard to send. We were asked to just send it with an inspiring or sweet quote. Something pretty to make someone's day. I decided to sit down with PSE and create something to send.
I started with this and after adding layers and images, I ended up here:
I love the image of this woman. Her dress is so vibrant and pretty. All ready for Spring.
This is the back side of the postcard. I will be stuffing them into envelopes. I don't hav.e the heart to send them in the open mail. I hope the girls enjoy them.
We started our needle felting project. I will reveal the project soon. I am hooked on that craft. It is so much fun.

One Sweet Chick!

2011-03-13T15:07:00.010-04:00

One sweet chick gave me this wonderful crocheted nest with its tiny bunny! My friend Carla made these colorful nests out of strips of fabric that she crocheted together with a large crochet hook.
Carla found the idea in a Spring issue of Crafts n Things Magazine. She brought them last Thursday night to craft night and let us pick out the one we liked best.
I am not one to save a lot of little fabric scraps, but I may need to rethink that. Carla is always sewing and has such a collection of sweet fabrics. Thanks Carla for sharing your nests with us.
Next week the group is trying our first felting project. We will let you know how we make out.

The Colors of Spring

2011-03-10T13:41:00.013-05:00

Each year I anxiously await the Spring. Everything seems so drab after the Winter that I long to see the beautiful colors of Spring and Summer. In middle Georgia this time of year, the daffodils and forsythia are blooming. The red bud trees, blooming pears and cherry blossoms are all starting. The pinks and whites and yellows are just so uplifting.
The Hostas have broken ground, day lilies are poppin' up, leaves have started on my hydrangeas and I was surprised to see my begonias have come back. I won't have to replant in that little bed off the driveway this year. I wasn't planning on digging in the ground just yet, but I need to divide those hostas this year. They were over crowded. The pictures I chose for this post are really early summer flowers but I just love to see these blooms.
This basket of hyacinths was given to me when I was pregnant with my daughter. I can still remember how wonderful they smelled. These are my all time favorite Easter/spring flower. I hope that Spring is peeking its head out where you live. For those of you still waiting for the snow to finally melt, hang in there, beauty is coming.

Junkin' Finds and a Vintage Smock for a Friend!

2011-03-03T09:19:00.017-05:00

Our trip to Monroe was so much fun. I wish I could treasure hunt every weekend. Here is a lady head vase that I found the perfect shade to match my studio. She is tiny, too.
This lovely old linen would make great porch pillows. It is very crisp and in excellent shape. I should have enough to do 4 pillows. They should brighten up my back porch a bit.
My camera and I don't seem to be getting along very well lately. So many pictures are blurry. Here is a collection of my other finds.
I love this old painted wooden hanger. It has clothes brushes on each end and is hinged in the middle to fold for traveling.
A met a fellow artist and sweet lady last Spring when the Southern Blogger's got together. Her name is Yvette, "E" for short and she has a kind spirit. I connected with her immediately. She is an amazing artist and has begun holding art classes. It would be great to go to one of her classes. E asked me to make her one of my vintage smocks. So after making her wait awhile, here is what I created for her.
I can see her sporting her vintage smock while teaching her art classes. You go E!!! Hope to see you soon.

Old Cotton Mill AnTiQues

2011-02-28T20:58:00.021-05:00

It seems like months since the girls and I did some serious junkin'. You know we were serious if we decided to drag my 5 year old around with us on Saturday. We put Mom in a wheel chair and we took off for Monroe, GA. We went for the first time to The Old Cotton Mill. It is a huge old mill with approx. 700 vendors. It rocked!! Great prices, very nice displays, etc. Like this one above. It was so sweet the way she had it set up like a child's room.

I really wanted to go home with one of these. They are old sink basins sitting on a home made frame. It would be perfect for a handwashing/paintbrush washing spot in the studio. I have to find a salvage yard around here and try and make one myself.
This place was so big it took us 3.5 hours to get through. The aisles are so large, they have shopping carts to use for browsing. Everything I bought was 10 -20% off. We will definitely be going back.
Just down the road in Monroe is another spot called the Cotton Gin and it is smaller but very nicely done. Very pretty to look at. This is one of the vendors display for some vintage jewelry pieces. We enjoyed lunch at the Butcher Block. I treated everyone to lunch for a whopping $21.00. Yes that was for 5 of us for lunch. Another bargain of the day. I will post some pics of my goodies in a couple of days. Have a great week.

My Poor, Neglected Blog!!!!

2011-02-24T10:18:00.011-05:00

I haven't had a new post since January and it has been busy, crazy around here. We have been traveling for work and for play. Don has been working in California, I went to Winnipeg, Canada where it was painfully cold and then we thawed out a bit in sunny Florida for President's weekend.
Mom had her knee replacement surgery and she did fantastic. We are all glad that the surgery is behind her.
While in Florida taking advantage of our annual Walt Disney World passes, our little princess paid a visit to the Bibbidy, Bobbidy, Boutique. Here she is in her Rapunzel costume and fancy hairdo.
We took our daughter in law, Erin with us. Corwin is in Kuwait for a year so we tried to keep her company for a little while and get her to thaw out a bit.
Here we are in in the new 3D Toy Story attraction in Hollywood Studios. We had a blast and it was sunny and 80 degrees every day.
Been busy this week volunteering up at the school with another art project and I finally have time to finish poor Yvette's vintage smock. I have not had any crafting or creating time in for over a month.
Heading out in 2 weeks for Santa Monica, CA for more work and a trip to Denmark is in the works. It will be April and Easter before we know it.
Well, I m off to do some cleaning and catch up on my domestic goddess chores.

Super Cute, Really Easy and Dirt Cheap!!!

2011-01-24T17:16:00.016-05:00

There are so many wonderful blogs out there that share great ideas and provide free tutorials. I found this idea on Tatertots and Jello. Love this site! There are all kinds of craft projects and great giveaways. This tutorial is for making these fun Valentine themed frames. The tutorial explains designing and cutting vinyl to do these frames but I used designer paper instead.
I have had these wooden frames laying around for awhile, dug them out and got Shelby started by painting around the outside edges with white paint. They are $1.00 each. Big bargain!!
Once they dried and she was put to bed, I cut out the papers and finished them up.
These two are on my mantle along with family photos and they look so sweet. I have been trying to build my Valentine decorations this year. I have so little. I will enjoy pulling these out each year. Give these a try. It's also a good project to do with the kids. Happy Crafting!

QUEEN OF HEARTS

2011-01-12T19:24:00.014-05:00

We're at it again! We are making Valentine's Day Ornaments for a small group of swappers. Here is a sneak peak at my Queen of Hearts dolls.
Alice and Wonderland has been very popular this year. This is my vintage version of the Queen of Hearts. She is a far bit prettier than the traditional character.
I cut a template out of thin cardboard and then started to put her together like a fancy paper doll. I had to make 6 for the swap. The other dolls are hanging on my Valentine Tree waiting to be wrapped up to be sent off.
This was a fun project. Best of all, I had all the supplies I needed in my studio. No last minute running out to pick up a few things!! Now, I need to figure out how to package them up. I will think of something. Time to start making the rest of the Valentine goodies. Over the next few weeks, Mom will have knee replacement surgery, I will be in Winnipeg, CA for business and then we are heading back down to Disney World for President's weekend. Valentine's Day will be here before I know it! Hugs and Kisses to everyone.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T10:32:00.035-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone. May it be a happy, healthy and a joyous one! Are you thinking of what you would like to do in the year ahead? Have you made plans? My plans are definitely in the development stage, but here is what I am thinking so far.....
1. Do some form of EXERCISE everyday!!
2. Take better care of my skin this year. Indulge in some spa treatments.
3. Continue to develop my career and this outfit wouldn't hurt either!! Take in a course or conference to enhance my knowledge.
4. Spend as much time with these fine friends as I can! They make me laugh, support me, cheer me on, teach me, and make everyday living in Gray the best place to be.
5. Find a way to get back to the Farm Chicks Antique Show this year!! I figure if we plan 6 months in advance Lee and I could get a few of our gal pals to join us!!
6. Be able to attend an Art Retreat to satisfy my creative soul.
7. Spend as much time in my studio as I can this year. I am going to try and pick 2 days a week that I put aside to spend up there. I have saved up some money to finally add a couch and a coffee table up there. I am on the search for the right pieces.
8. Find some new places to go junkin!
9. Have another get-away weekend with my Hubby this year!!!!!!!
Well, this is my wishlist for 2011. I am sure that some of it will happen and some things that I haven't thought of will happen too. As long as it is all good stuff. That is my hopes for all of you, too. Only the good stuff......

My Christmas Angel

2010-12-27T20:11:00.006-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Since my last post, we have been to Baton Rouge, LA for Amber's Graduation for her Graduate Degree and then to Disney World in Florida. Then back home in time for Santa. It was a busy, but blessed Christmas. Looking forward to the new year. The Lucik's are off and running as usual. Don has hernia surgery next week, then Mom's knee replacement January 13th, following that I am flying out to Winnepeg, Canada for work. It will be Valentine's day before I know it. I hope the New Year is full of good health, much wealth and joy for all! Be back in the new year!!

Home for the HoLiDaYs!!!

2010-12-09T22:50:00.031-05:00

That's right....HOME for the holidays and then some! This will be the first time since July that we will all be under the same roof for longer than a week together. It sounds terrible, but it has actually worked out extremely well for us. We have had a very blessed year. But after spending months traveling back and forth to California, it feels good to "nest" a little bit.
Don gets home tomorrow after spending his last 2 weeks in CA and I want the house to look warm and cozy and ready for him to join all the Christmas spirit we have had around here. Here is the hutch that he bought me this year decked out for Christmas.
I want to share this "good thing." This table runner and reversible quilted placemats are from the new Country Living line of linens. I bought them at KMart of all places. They were unbelievably cheap and so pretty.
They are a deep red and taupe floral toille and the other side is a small leaf and berry print. Perfect for the Holidays as well as for everyday. Go check it out. I paid only $4.99 a piece for the place mats and $12.00 for the table runner. Bargain!
Speaking of Country Living, one of my recent posts from the CL Fair was of these memory trees I saw. I finally sat down and made one.
It doesn't have the pictures on it yet, but here is my tree. I used a vintage table cloth for the fabric and a green glass candle holder as the base.
Mom and Judy and Carla have made several of these trees for themselves and for gifts. They are all unique and really cute with the old photos on them.
I added the bell bow and some old Christmas pins to decorate it a bit. Tomorrow I will choose some photos from Christmas past and add then with buttons and pins. I will share with you when I get it finished. We cut 2 triangle pieces of fabric, sewed then together and added batting around a tree shaped cone. Then slipped the fabric over the cone and hot glued the tree tothe glass base. Definitely try this. It is a great project and a place to hold old memories.
My good friend stopped by this afternoon and gave me this amazing ribbon wreath. These are all the rage around here this year. I wanted one, but decided not to spend the money on it. But she surprised me today with a beautiful Thank You card and this chubby and fun wreath. Thanks, MM! You're the Best.
Well, I am off to bed. It is midnight and I have to get up with Toots for school in the morning. Have a good weekend.

Enjoying the Season!

2010-12-06T19:15:00.018-05:00

This year we were ready for Santa. We had our list and we made sure Santa heard every last item. We went to Bass Pro Shops for our free picture and to visit their Christmas village.
I found a little time this weekend to work on my Christmas tags. I found these images from Olga's Designs. I printed them out into tags, added some stickles and ribbons and I am ready to wrap! She's having a sale in her Etsy shop 20% off. Her images are always downloaded to you right away.
Well, here are my trial batch of Linzer Pinwheels. I have my Cookie Swap this Sunday and I will be busy making and boxing my 10 dozen. I will share pictures of our cookie fest. Happy Christmas everyone!

25 Days 'til Christmas

2010-11-30T21:37:00.025-05:00

WHEW! Just in time for the December 1st deadline. After seeing this idea on the internet in October, I set out to sew/craft this Advent Calendar for S this year.
There are 24 little gift bags made of cloth, lace and buttons that I sewed. Each one was made out of pieces of fabric I had in my stash. I made a pattern and cut out each piece and started to create. They were so much fun to make each one unique. Each day she will pick out the corresponding December date and find a little treat in the bag.
This is bag number 1 and there is a mini metal Slinky inside. The Original slinky like the ones we used to have as kids. This was the first fabric flower I have made. I added the rhinestone and pearls to finish off. Here are some of the other bags.
Thank goodness for the $ section at Target. I found lots of little treats and trinkets for 1$.
The bags have everything from candy, to toys, socks, gloves, crazy bands, lip gloss, etc. She is going to love these.
I constructed this in the living room tonight after she went to bed so I could surprise her tomorrow morning.
It is very girlie by design and I didn't want it too cutsy. I want her to be able to grow with this from year to year.
Each bag is hung from the rope by clothes pins. The clothes pins have buttons glued on with numbers 1-24. I mixed the numbers up for her to hunt through each day. We should have fun with this for years to come. I hope that she will continue the tradition and use this advent calendar for her children one day. Crafting up a memorable Christmas!

Christmas Ornament Swap

2010-11-24T14:52:00.022-05:00

The lovely Vivian is hosting a Christmas Ornament Swap and I have joined in. We were to make 12 ornaments and have them wrapped ready to be received like 12 little gifts. It is so much fun getting this box full of wrapped ornaments from some wonderful crafters. Here is the gift tag on the front of my little package.
I took 8x11 music sheet pages, folded them in half and sewed them along three sides. Then I slipped the orni in and punched holes at the top. Added the ribbon and tag and they were ready to go. Here is what I made.
They are little burlap stockings with vintage lace, buttons and ribbons. I stamped the front with NOEL. Super easy and fun to make.
Each one is a little different from the next. I used different buttons and lace.

I hope the girls love them. I burned the midnight oil sewing them last night. I mailed them out in the nick of time. Now off to the next project. I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving.

Another Vintage Smock and a Girls Night Out

2010-11-20T14:08:00.017-05:00

I met a lovely woman at the Country Living Fair who contacted me to make her a Vintage Smock. Here is her smock. She requested black, cream and red.
These are so much fun to make. Decorating with the vintage pieces is the best.
I hope Sue enjoys wearing it as much as I did making it. I even sent it in its own bag.
I sewed a burlap and lace bag and slipped the folded smock into it. I added an old rusted pin and tag to finish it. I have one more order to fill and then I plan on making a couple to place on Etsy.

My birthday month long celebration continued last night with a Girls Night Out! I took my gals pals out for drinks and dinner to Natalea's. 4 of the 5 of us celebrated birthdays in October, November and December. We had a blast as always.
From left to right; Trina, Suzanne, Marla, Annette and Me. Dinner was awesome and it was fun to dress up and go out together.
I gave each of the girls these Brighton mirror compacts. Here is Suzanne modeling to support my need to blog about everything. Thanks Girls for a fantastic night out. Love you all!!
Well, I am off to work on my Christmas Ornaments for a Swap I am in. They are due next week. Got to get busy. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

The Holiday Planning has Begun

2010-11-14T09:22:00.022-05:00

My dear friend Trina is hosting her famous Cookie Swap again this year. This invite is soooo cute, I had to share it. Trina attached her invite to a red spatula and then shipped it in this matching Christmas cookie bubble wrap mailer. It was so much fun to get in the mail.
I love the boxing and recipe card to make them like a little gift to everyone. Now, I just need to choose a cookie recipe. I have a little time. I have to start looking soon and be able to try a few batches. I will of course take pics and take you along to the party so you can see all the yummy cookies. This is not only fun, but you get 9 dozen cookies to bring home and enjoy without all that extra baking.
I had to share this with you. Before I left for California, Hubby took me to the Perimeter Mall in Atlanta and we did a little shopping for my birthday. We went into Anthropologie and I found this amazing perfume bottle. It has the cutest pincushion on top. It came with the 5 decorative pins. The perfume is the softest floral scent. I am in love with it!!
Here is the box it came in. The company name is very clever. Rosa Alba is the scent. If you love to sew or have a friend who does, isn't this the best gift ever?
Here is my big gift from my Sweetie. I love coffee and have always wanted my own espresso/capuccino maker. It is very small, easy to use and to clean. Yum!
Well, that is all for now. I got back from my 2 weeks in Cali on Friday and I am off and running already. I have a couple of Vintage Smock orders I need to get working on, preparing for Viv's Christmas ornament swap as well as Thanksgiving. Hope you are all doing great!

Not a Flea Market, but a Swap Meet.

2010-11-08T10:59:00.002-05:00

Despite the fact that there was no junk in sight and the crafter's corner was a let down, I had a really good time at the swap meet in Orange County. I first found out that they don't call it a flea market. It is known as a swap meet. It was a high end place to shop. Everthing from hand-made items to patio furniture, custom baby bedding and yes even convertible Mercedes and BMW cars.

There was even an entire section dedicated to every ethnic food you could think of. Fresh meats, bakeries, produce. It was really cool.

I did find a few goodies which included a crocheted bracelet with beads and hand beaded rings. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the walk around. So it was not a total bust.

Well, this is my last week in California and I lost my voice all weekend from a cold, I guess. My voice is almost back to normal, but I woke up this morning with what looks like pink eye. Looking for an eye doctor this morning so I can find out if I have an eye infection or not. It is always something.

Have a great week friends.

Happy Birthday to Me... Let's Flea!

2010-11-05T22:43:00.013-04:00

That's right, it's my birthday. I had to fly out on business and I am in CA for my birthday this weekend. It sucked being away from family and friends today, but we will celebrate a little when I get back. In the meantime, I am heading to the Orange County Flea Market. http://www.ocmarketplace.com. I have been traveling to CA most of this year and I have never gone. They even have an Artisan's and Crafter's corner that I am really excited about. I hope to find a little birthday something there.
I left the day after Halloween and I didn't get to share with you our little Cleopatra.
And here are some Mummy Cupcakes that Judy and I made together.
These are so fun to make. Green jelly beans for eyes dotted with chocolate, red swedish fish for mouths and lots of criss-crossed icing.
Well, I am off to bed to get up early for the flea market. I hope to show you some great finds!

Country Living Fair: Part 2

2010-10-27T18:33:00.041-04:00

These I definitely want to try. The artist called these memory trees. They are cloth trees glued to all kinds of vintage bases and they had old photos pinned on them. Cute idea.
I loved this couch. This would have been so cool in my studio. She appliqued this vintage fabric all over the back of this sofa, then did a wash of pale blue paint all along the wood. It was $995. Not in the budget.
This vendor had a great display and her jewelry was fantastic. She used old German optometrist pieces and placed old images behind them. Then strung them onto vintage jewelry pieces. Very nice, but she wanted $175 a piece for them. As you can see her table was still full.
Mom and I at the end of our Country Living Day.

Country Living Fair: Part:1

2010-10-23T20:25:00.032-04:00

What a glorious day we had. The sun was shining and the weather was in the high 70's. What a perfect setting for the Country Living Fair.
Here I am with my junkin posse. From left to right; Judy, Mary, Ruth, Me, Carla and Diane.
Here we are with our vintage smocks. Mom and Carla wore the smocks I made them and handed out my business cards to everyone who asked about them. All 30 cards were handed out. I should have planned ahead and made a bunch. I could have sold so many if I had them. They were all the buzz and I got lots of comments and interest in them. Got to get busy!
I took a ton of pictures. The setting was perfect. All these vendors had wonderful booths all decorated in and out of the trees in this park. This was a cozy setting set up by Country Living Magazine. There was a big stone fireplace. This is where the Country Living Store was arranged. I bought a cute T-Shirt with a hen on the front and an egg on the back with the Country Living logo. Too cute.
Here is the first half of the pictures I took. Watch for Part 2 in a day or so. I hope you enjoy the day with us.
CL Magazine had several booth set up where you could learn to do different projects for a fee. This one was to create this basket using a special machine.
Here is Carla digging into the goodies. We took off like a shot. The crowd was pretty good. It was busy, but not so bad that we couldn't get at anything. Prices were pretty good for the most part. The vendors that were too high were getting no action at their booths.
Are these not the cutest little red boots? Some little boy or girl loved these.

These last couple of photos in this post are from a vendor called French Vanilla. It was one of my favorite booths.
Stay tuned. I will be back with the rest of the eye candy in a day or so. Hope you all had a great weekend.

Kiddy Art and a Road Trip Friday!!

2010-10-20T18:58:00.009-04:00

When I agreed to volunteer up at the school to support the grass roots art program, I didn't plan on them assigning me the entire first grade. With Halloween upon us, I chose a piece of artwork called The Scream by Edvard Munch to discuss and then I planned for them to make their own screaming ghosts.
As I predicted, after 5 minutes of discussing this painting, they were ready to hit the glue sticks. After much preparation and wearing out my personal cutter, I readied 80 baggies with paper cutouts, crepe paper and paper plates. The kids were a blast! If I could just get the supplies prepared for me and just show up to teach the class, it would be perfect. But, I will have to plan the projects, prepare the materials and make appointments with the teachers. This is bigger than I planned. Oh well, I did make a commitment. I am at least getting to know the first grade teachers in preparation for next year when S moves up a grade.
Special thanks to my Mom for cutting every piece of crepe paper for these little ones!
With that behind me this week, I am heading out on Friday for a little road trip with the girls!
We are headed to the Country Living Fair! For the first time, it is going to be held in Stone Mountain, GA as well as Ohio were it has always been. I rented a minivan and 6 of us are going to check out the antiques, crafts, quilts, etc. I will share the pics and goodies when I return.
A few posts ago, I mentioned that I was planning on sewing some of these vintage smocks like I got at the Farm Chicks last year.
Well, I made two while I was putting all the project bags together. I am giving them to my Mom and my friend Carla tomorrow. I will show you what I made after I give them.

A Day on the Farm

2010-10-10T14:34:00.014-04:00

It was a beautiful day! Finally a day to spend together as a family. We drove down a country road to Twin Oaks Fun Farm to celebrate the Fall.
We took in the pony rides, hay ride, pumpkin painting, pig chasing and the playground.
Enjoy the photo gallery.
The weather is still warm here in central GA. It hit 85 yesterday. Despite the summer weather, the corn fields and sunflowers were lovely and the leaves are just starting to make their change.
I hope you are getting out and enjoying the "year's last beautiful smile." HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

T&F Zine: Fall Issue is Ready!!!

2010-10-02T11:42:00.011-04:00

Whew!!! 36 pages of our Fall Zine is ready to GO! Lee and I and many wonderful contributors have put together a collection of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies for you to enjoy. The Zine is full of images, articles, artwork, recipes, projects and more! I have added a few photos to this post to share some of it with you.
Check it out! Place your order HERE!!

Bling Bats Ready to Fly!!

2010-09-12T08:26:00.021-04:00

It has been awhile since my last post. Since getting back from CA I have not stopped moving. I will try and do a little catch up. My poor blog has been so neglected. It needs a Fall look and a spruce up. I will try and work on that tonight. In the meantime, I have been working on my Halloween ornaments for Natalea's, Kandeland Ornament Swap. Here are the packages ready to send out tomorrow.
Natalea hosts the best swaps. My "Bling Bats" are all wrapped in orange, silver and black tissue with tulle and ribbon and I added this tag to the package.
I can't wait to get my box of twelve new Halloween ornaments. Nat has asked us to each wrap them so we get a box of spooky goodies to open. Here are my bling bats...
I placed them all on my tree in the studio to show them all flying.
They were cut out with felt, sewn together and stuffed. I added lots of tulle and sparkly ribbon and a big crystal dangling on the bottom. I hope the girls enjoy them. Well off to the next big project...
Our Fall Zine:
This has been such a fun project and with some really terrific contributors! French Larkspur, Kandeland, French Kiss and more!! We can't wait to share this 36 page "Creative Home for the Holiday" issue. We are launching the Fall Zine on Saturday, Oct.1 but head over to our Etsy store and pre-order your copy!!
Continuing on with catching up:
We celebrated Don's Mom and Stepdad's 50th Wedding Anniversary.
We decorated the restaurant with photos of their wedding album and her wedding dress and veil. It was a fun night. Here is the couple cutting the cake.
We had family from Kentucky and Florida join us. Mom and Dad had a really nice time.
And of course I have been keeping up with this little one:
We've been playing with Goo and Roller Skating at the local rink. We are going again today and Mama promised to try skating, too. Wish me luck.
Well I am home this week and then heading back out to CA for the last 2 weeks in September for more work. I hope you are all doing great and I promise to make it around to your blogs soon!

What a Surprise!

2010-08-24T21:42:00.005-04:00

I spent the day running errands and getting some last minute things done because I fly back out to Irvine, CA on business tomorrow. When I returned home, I turned around and saw this new table and chairs and hutch in my kitchen. My hubby surprised me!!
My husband hates to buy furniture. SO this is big. We have been looking recently at both kitchen and dining room furniture. I saw this yesterday but told Don that I would wait until I got back from CA to look at it again and decide. So, hubby called this morning and had it delivered and put it in place before I got home. Needless to say I was so surprised. I love it. I can't wait to get back home and finish putting everything together and redecorate. Thanks, Sweetheart!!

Hope you are all having a great end of summer and getting the kids ready for school. Shelby started Kindergarten and we had a bit of a rocky start, but she seems to be getting used to the new routine and new friends and teachers.

I will be back in a week and a half. I am in the throws of a Halloween Ornament Swap hosted by Natalea and knee deep in designing and organizing the Zine with Lee. So when I get back from CA I will be busy, busy. Oh, and I also received my fabric for the vintage inspired smocks. Stay tuned. Missing you all!

Getting Back to Things...

2010-08-15T10:29:00.010-04:00

With school back in session, I have finally found some time to get back up the studio. I have done some reorganizing and straightening up. I am ready to get started on a few projects that I have been wanting to do for awhile.
My friend Carla has helped me create a pattern for a smock that I bought at the Farm Chicks show last year. Everywhere I go people ask me where I got it, so I am going to try my hand at creating some for friends and maybe to put a few up on Twigs and Feathers.
I ordered some beautiful vintage inspired fabric from Shabby Chic Fabrics. I will share these with you when I get them going. In the meantime. Lee and I and a terrific group of ladies are working on the Fall/Winter Zine "The Creative Home for the Holidays." This issue will be 36 pages of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas splendor. We can't wait to share it with you.

Ice Cream, Cupcakes, Candy and More!

2010-08-07T08:47:00.038-04:00

It was an ice cream party to remember. We had such a good time decorating ballons, making necklaces, playing games and batting away at a pinata! These were ice cream cone cupcakes that I made. They are cones filled with gum balls to weight down the base, a mini muffin sized cupcake turned upside down and then covered in icing and sprinkles. They had to eat all the cupcake to get to the gumball surprise inside.
Grammie Ruth made the ice cream soda centerpieces for the party. Shelby thought they were just terrific.
Michael's was the place to shop for this ice cream party. I was able to find the ice cream themed plates and napkins along with those cute ice cream cut outs that I used as place mats and decoration for the table. They also had some of the prettiest pastel sprinkles.
I put all the different sprinkles into a set of clear martini glasses across the table so you could see all the colors and the girls could dig in to sprinkle on their ice cream.
Goody bags or should I say goody bowls. These were pastel shaded ice cream bowls with matching spoons. They were put into the bag first and then filled with ice cream poppers, ice cream cone pencils and erasers, an ice cream cone shaped lip gloss, crazy bands and a candy necklace.
Each goody bag was tied with ice cream cone ribbon and a sweet tag that I made for each one. These were so sweeeet!
The rest of the decorations came from the Oriental Trading Company. Having the party at home was fun, but a lot of work.
Here is the birthday girl enjoying her ice cream soda before the party goers arrived.
Gone are the days when you could throw a kids birthday party and just have cake and ice cream, tear open a few presents and then call it a day. The kids want games and activities, etc. So we came up with a few fun things for the girls to do. The first was to make ice cream necklaces with lots of colorful beads.
I set up a beading station in the kitchen with plates of beads to string.
They each got 2 lamp work beads shaped like ice cream cones to put on their necklaces. The project worked great and did not take very long.
These are Shelby's gal pals. I actually got them to sit long enough for a group photo. Not easy.
After the games and activities it was time for ice cream and cake.
Let the fun begin!!
We finished the party with the pinata filled with 3 lbs of candy. Plenty of sugar to go around at this party.
Happy 5th Birthday sweet girl. WE LOVE YOU!!!

Turning 5 Portraits

2010-07-28T08:15:00.011-04:00

It is such a special birthday, turning 5! I can't believe that 5 years has passed already and that she has gone from being my little baby to my little girl. Here are some of the portraits that we had made up yesterday.
She is wearing her new "Birthday Girl" T-shirt and salmony pink tutu skirt.
She had a ball yesterday with the photographer. She is such a little ham.
I have never been a fan of the fake backgrounds, but this did come out cute. I know, she looks way too grown up.
I know I am her Mother, but she is really beautiful! The teenage years are going to be interesting.
Her big brother Corwin arrives today to visit for a week. He leaves for a 1 yr tour of duty to Kuwait in August. So we will be trying to suck in as much visit time we can in a week.

Finishing up the birthday plans and projects for Saturday. Will post all the festivities soon.

Ain't She Sweet

2010-07-23T09:37:00.008-04:00

I got home from Destin, Florida yesterday and Judy greeted me with this sweet thing. She is a little celluloid wind up doll.
She is in great condition and she still works. Wind her up and she crawls.
Thanks so much Judy for thinking of me. This little creature is from the 70's and was made by Tomy toys. She will be going into the shadow box in my studio along with my small collection of celluloid dolls.
On the home front, we are getting ready for this:
I can't believe that she is turning 5! I am busy working on the favors and games for the party. I will show you all the pics after the party. I crossed out our address and phone for obvious reasons, but isn't this invite sweet? I found this on Etsy by DoodleLulu. I hope you are all having a great week.

Vintage Egg Carton Swap

2010-07-08T17:18:00.033-04:00

Thank you Sandy for giving my creativity a jump start! Sandy hosted a Vintage Egg Carton Swap and asked me to join. I was also the lucky recipient of her creation.
Here are pics of all the goodies inside. Sandy knows my studio is blue, so everything had a blue theme to it.
These pieces of ephemera were tuck into the carton lid held by this pretty lace.
Thank you Sandy for all the beautiful things you sent! Your creation is wonderful. Okay Sandy, if you don't want to ruin your surprise, stop reading the rest of this post. The mail between the US and Canada is so slow. I hope you get your package today.

Here is what I made for Sandy.
I started out by spray painting the entire carton a soft white shade.

Then I had fun plowing through all the things in my studio to look for embellishments, and goodies for the inside.
I added lace, pom-pom garland and some feathers peaking out of the top cover.
I lined each of the eggs cups with silk rose petals.
I know how much Sandy likes her dolls. This one is ready for her to create something wonderful.
An old millinery flower with tags tucked into a pocket I made in the top.
Thanks again, Sandy for hosting this swap. It was a really fun project.

Aubri Lane with Fab Friends!

2010-06-30T14:48:00.012-04:00

Aubri Lane is a relatively new restaurant in downtown Millegedville, so the gals arranged for another couple's night to check it out. This building was originally an old bank. They turned the vault into a wine cellar with a romantic table for 2. The bar you see in this picture was very stylish and the drinks were top notch.
They have a lovely staircase leading up to the second floor. They re-finished the ceiling with old style tin squares. The chandelier was beautiful. Speaking of beautiful....
From left to right, Marla, Annette, Me and Trina. Smiling from the cocktails of course.
Our dates; Paul, Hal, Don and Stan. We always have the best time together.
After drinks we settled in for dinner and the food was really fantastic. Best of all the food prices were extremely reasonable. Next time you are in the area, definitely stop by Abri Lane's. They do a great lunch, too. We are off planning a beach weekend together. Last night the girls went to see this...
The third movie was the best so far. We had advanced tickets and saw the movie at 9pm. I will be heading back to see it again!
Our dear friends from Canada are here visiting and we will be celebrating Canada Day and the 4th of July together. Hope you are all enjoying a great week.

I am So EXCITED!!!

2010-06-21T08:48:00.007-04:00

It is official! My new blog is up and running for Blue Sky Studio. I am happy to announce that Blue Sky Studio is going to host a series of Creative Art Classes with some very talented ladies.
Our first fun class will be with Dawn from the Feathered Nest to create one of her beautiful nest assemblages. We are going to be holding the class on Saturday, September 18th. I have also talked to Dawn about adding a second class the following week on September 25th. So watch out for updates on the Blue Sky Studio blog!
Many thanks to Sandy for creating my new blog banners and Etsy site banner. You rock, Girl!
Go check out the new blog and try and make it for the 18th!
Click on the announcement to enlarge.

Where Have I Been Lately?

2010-06-15T20:32:00.021-04:00

That is a good question! I have been really uninspired and have had very little to say lately. I know, I know, for those of you who know me that is impossible. Well, we have been so crazy busy lately, but Don and I did find some time to get away alone together.
After months of working in California and only spending a day and a half together once every other 2 weeks, we needed some quality time together. So we booked a long weekend at One Ocean Resort.
We arrived in our room to a chilled bottle of champagne and it just went up from there. Here we are in the lobby. The artwork and sculptures around the hotel were breathtaking.
We enjoyed a couple's massage at the Spa and afterwards I got into this lovely hot tub in the ladies lounge.
This was the entrance into the hotel restaurant and bar. The underwater theme was very effective.
This metal piece of art was so pretty right outside the bar area. The champange is kicking in, my smile is getting bigger.
The smile gets bigger. This was me before the massage.
Hubs all relaxed after the massage. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!! Worth every penny.
We found the bar after the massage and had a few more cocktails before dinner, here....
This is the hotel restaurant called Azurea. The food was outstanding. Yes, after all that drinking I do remember the dinner.
We arrived home in time to send Don off for another 2 weeks in CA and another project with the same firm. So, looks like we will be spending some more time going back and forth. In this crappy economy, we are happy to have the work. We will ride that wave until it rolls out onto the beach! So for now, I will be getting ready for friends from Canada to visit, see Don's son off for a 1 year tour of duty in Kuwait and work on getting some art classes going with some very talented ladies. Stay tuned for more on that. I hope you are all enjoying your summer. It is going by at warp speed for us.

Simple Beauty

2010-05-26T22:02:00.006-04:00

Seeing things differently can sometimes be a challenge. I am taking my second Visual Poetry On-Line Course called Digital Layers with Susan Tuttle . It is such a wonderfully nurturing place to learn. This course is really forcing us to experiment with PSE and applying layers to photos to ultimately do photo collage. I spent yesterday morning taking pictures that I can use as textured layers; concrete, tree bark, grass, bricks, mossy stones. It is so cool to see what effect it makes when you apply it to something so simple as a rose. I really encourage you to seek out one of Susan's course if you are interested in photo-manipulation. Her new book Digital Expressions is fantastic, too. I will share my creations with you as I go.

Ballerina Pup!

2010-05-24T21:30:00.019-04:00

It was Shelby's first dance recital this past weekend and she was a Nana Pup from the Peter Pan story. The young dancers had a 20 minute performance of Peter Pan. There were crocodiles, butterflies, fairies and of course, Peter Pan himself.
Is this costume just too much or what?
She just loved dancing this year and despite their young age, they really learned to be graceful. Here she is getting into character.
Each little one was assigned a buddy for the recital. This is Faith and Shelby was just in awe of her.
Daddy and Mommie had flowers for our little ballerina.
What a happy smile. I wish this was clearer, but I love seeing her joy.
We took the little pup home and celebrated her big debut with a cake, balloons and presents. She looks way too grown up here. I think this is going to be her thing, dancing. She truly shines.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2010-05-18T18:54:00.024-04:00

What an absolutely glorious morning we had today in sunny Georgia. The humidity broke and it was clear and very comfortable. So I grabbed the camera and decided to take some pics of my growing flowers and veggies.
I planted two trays of herbs right outside my kitchen windows. Looks like there is enough basil for my first batch of pesto.
Rosemary, Chives, Flat Leaf parsley and more Basil in this one. Summertime grilling and cooking wouldn't be the same without them.
I think this tomato plant has grown 12 inches in 2 weeks. There is something about this deck. It gets the perfect amount of sun and shade. The cherry tomato plant has tiny tomatoes already and the pepper plant is coming along too!
Big leafy coleus plant holds up great in the summer heat and sun.
This is my 3rd season in this house and I am still trying to establish beds. This one at least has the grass removed this year. We added some border grass which will come back every year and some begonias for the summer.
The palest pink hydrangea. It is really filling out this year. It has 15 blooms on it.
This hosta bed is inside the fence along side the pool. Next year I will have to split them out. They grow so well. Can't have them out front, though. The deer eat them down to the nubs.
Bright pink geraniums hanging from the shepards hook.
My small palm trees took a real beating this winter. We had 2 weeks straight of freezing weather and even some snow. This palm has sprouted new palm frands much faster then than the other ones. They look like they are all going to make it.
The next thing to bloom are my daylilies. This one has red flowers.
I so enjoy watching and tending to all these lovely plants and veggies. I will share with you my first batch of tomatoes when they are ready for picking. I hope you are enjoying the gardens and flowers around you this time of year.

California Dreamin'

2010-05-12T08:32:00.034-04:00

As I have mentioned, my hubby and I have been spending time working in California, each taking 2 weeks at a time. I am happy to say that the project is coming to an end after 10 weeks. It went really great. It was good to get back to work. We took Shelby out there over a weekend so we could all spend some much needed time together. Before we left, we went to Disco for Dads night at the school.
As you can see, she was ready to rock out!
Here she is with her gal pals. Future trouble standing here!
You think you know your children, especially at 4 1/2 yrs old, but I had no idea that this child could really dance. She has great rhythm and likes to shake what her Mama gave her. Needless to say the boys were attracted to her energy and that pink tutu skirt.
The event was really fun and by 8 pm she needed to be carried out of there.
California sunshine. The weather was lovely that weekend, but it was breezy and only in the mid 60's. Chilly for southern California. We drove from Irvine to Laguna Beach to have lunch at this lovely resort.
This is the Montage. It is set on the cliffs of the ocean in Laguna Beach. It was breathtaking. At 600.00 a night, enjoying the view and some lunch was going to have to do. It was fantastic.
This is the view of the pool from upstairs in the hotel.
We enjoyed a yummy lunch on this patio overlooking the ocean. Shelby was a doll and let Mom and Dad have a relaxing afternoon. After lunch we walked down to the ocean among these beautiful flowers.
These purple flowers lined the pathway to the beach. They had the most wonderful fragrance.
You can tell I missed Shelby. I spent the whole weekend holding her I think.
We did finally make it down to the water after stopping every 2 feet to take pictures of the flowers. When we got down there, there was this big seal sunning it self on the rocks. It was amazing to see that.
We did go to the San Diego Zoo to see more seals, this time not in the wild. It did not have the same effect.
Thanks for a great weekend, honey! It looks like we are going to be home for a little while. (I am keeping my fingers crossed) There will probably be more work out there, but hopefully we can stay home all summer. It is truly beautiful on the West Coast. I look forward to going back.

MANY THANKS! and the Winner is.....

2010-05-09T17:31:00.006-04:00

WOW! We sold out 20 copies of our ZINE in a week! Many thanks to all of you for your support and well wishes. We are listing an additional and final 10 more. Get them while they last!

The winner of our giveaway from my blog is Tam from Lollipops. We hope you enjoy the Zine Tam.

We will be creating a new issue for the Fall and Christmas time frame. We plan on adding more pages and info as well as some other contributors; not to mention another great goodie giveaway page. Stay tuned.

Twigs and Feathers ZINE is Here!!!

2010-04-28T23:03:00.018-04:00

Lee and I are proud to launch our very first issue of Twigs and Feathers Zine! Creative Spring Journey is a collection of beautiful images, stories, helpful, hints, creative techniques, recipes with a great giveaway goodie inside.

It seems like it was such a long Winter. We have warmed up the weather with this Creative Spring Journey.
Our long time friendship continues to grow. Get a copy of our Zine to find out what we have been up to and what is ahead on our next Creative Journey.
We have included a beautiful and inspiring journaling spot. Friend and talented artist Natalea Kandefer created this new artwork just for us. Thank you so much, Nat. It is awesome!
Here is a sneak peek at our Pocket Full of Posies!!
We had such a great time creating this Zine and we look forward to sharing it with you.
You can find it at our Etsy Shop. Leave me a comment, and you'll be in the running for a free issue. Become a follower, and get counted for two entries. Blog about it- and come back and let me know- and you'll be counted for three entries. The first person to purchase a Zine will be the proud recipient of a special prize, featured in the Techniques to Share.

New Book You Have to Get!

2010-04-28T22:49:00.003-04:00

I can't encourage you enough to learn from this wonderful teacher, Susan Tuttle. I am so excited about this new book. I have learned so much from Susan's on-line courses Visual Poetry and PSE that I am ready to keep learning how to enhance photos.

Go visit Susan's blog and see some of her recent photos. They are breathtaking. It is so wonderful that she is sharing her skills in this new book. Take an on-line course or buy this new book. You will not be disappointed!!!!

Susan is having a Giveway right now on her blog to win her new book. Go put your name in to win!

Art Journaling on an Airplane

2010-04-15T22:26:00.017-04:00

A Friend inspired me recently to start art journaling. Her work is amazing and after I read her article and saw her artwork in Somerset's Art Journaling magazine, I was hooked. So before I left on my last trip to California, I bought myself a notebook, pens and watercolor pencils.
I thought that I would find time in the evenings while I was there or on the weekend, but I never got to it. So in the airport and on the flight home, I gave it my first attempt. I have never been a good sketch artist and I am still not, but I LOVE these watercolor pencils. The more you work with them, the better you get at blending.
Art journaling is certainly different from any other art form I have tried, but I love paper art so I am in my happy place here. It is personal, thought provoking and I find that I am creating the text and the art only for me.
This piece is inspired by Nat. Her Somerset article talks about the use of white to make your artwork and text pop. It really does.
I was getting impatient on the plane for our beverage service. I needed my water for my paint brush. I stretched out my plastic carry case out in front of me and some how managed to balance everything in my lap. Creativity hits in the oddest and sometimes not so convenient places.
I will continue to plug away at this until I find my style and my comfort zone with it. I will pack it up again to take to California for this next trip and hopefully I will be inspired by the scenery or the people. Thanks, Nat for your artwork. It has inspired!