Tuesday, February 28, 2006

The stuff I forgot to take photos of...



So, these are the other two things I did over the weekend that I forgot to photograph. On my Hello front door sign, I added a layer of Sparkle Mog Podge to the letters, and added some primas and rhinestones (as suggested by Sonia!). My beloved colored safety pin went bye-bye, but that's alright, cause I'm really happy with it now! I actually ALMOST went a whole weekend without using one, until I put one on the mini frame I made for Mike and Diane. Can you believe it? I'm also loving the whole 'dangling charm'-type thing.

I love the way these thank you cards for the volunteers turned out. They were fairly quick to make, too. The tags and mini-paper bags made them a little unique.

I started another 12x12 layout last night, but it was after 8:30pm when I finally got my butt off the couch, so I didn't finish it yet. I should tonight. I think I'm starting to get into my groove as far as scrapbooking. I've really liked the past few layouts I've done. And this one is looking pretty awesome, too!

Must go peruse the Cheesecake Factory menu online.....we're going there for dinner tonight. Yum!

Monday, February 27, 2006

Productive weekend.



I made the little framed project (it measures about 2 1/2" x 4") for some friends of mine on Saturday. We were going over to their house, so it gave me an excuse to make them something! I love painting and distressing frames. I got about 6 like this (in black) at Big Lots for 50 cents. That is a great store for finding things to alter.

I finished the volunteer Thanks cards, but I forgot to take a picture of them. Hopefully Chad didn't give them out yet so I can still get one.

I also 'fixed' by Hello door sign. I forgot to take a picture of that, too. Oops. Tomorrow's post will have alot of pictures!

As far as layouts, I did two. On the first one (above), I found those great photos, and, I tell ya, they really sum us up.
We're like that all the time! And, I did what I think is my best layout to date. I made one called 'The Path to Park Manager' for Chad. It's actually a 12x12, too! The only thing is- it has his first and last name, plus all the places he's worked, so I don't know about putting it online. Maybe I could blur some of it out. I kinda want to save it to submit to a layout call or something. I'm so proud of it, and Chad loved it.

Saturday night, I went to a brand new JoAnn's Etc. Let me just say OH MY GOSH about their scrapping department! A whole corner of the store was dedicated to scrapbooking. AND- they carry some HEIDI SWAPP items! I got a bunch of chipboard shapes, and ghost shapes. I was dancing in the aisles. I'm sure people thought I was a weirdo. Their paper is way expensive, though. They had a few styles of Basic Grey, and it was .99 a sheet. I can get it for .70 at my LSS or online, so I won't be giving them my business there.

Friday, February 24, 2006

My new obsession....for this week.


Sparkle Mod Podge! I've always known about it, and I've used regular Mod Podge since before I started scrapping. I just kinda thought, what the heck would you use that for? But when I dropped by Michael's yesterday to pick up some basics (sponge brushes were on sale for 8 cents each!), there it sat. I figured, I like sparkle, and I've been using the glossy MP on alot of projects lately, so what the heck! It is so awesome! It has clear, fine glitter in it, and it dries glossy. It makes life so much easier than adding glitter seperately. I can't wait to use it on some painted chipboard letters this weekend. Maybe this was what my Hello Door Sign needed!

I'm also going to try the tea-spray staining, too. On the Croppin' USA (on DIY) that was on this past weekend, Anna Griffin did it on recipe cards, and it looked really cool. You just make regular tea, put it in a spray bottle, spray the paper, and let it dry. Then you're left with these cool splatter stains. This may be old news, but this was the first time I'd seen it, and I'm gonna give it a try!

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Volunteer thanks cards (in progress) and RAK.



Last night Chad asked me if I'd make thank you cards for the park volunteers. Ah, the TOIL of a Park Manager's wife! It makes me feel good when he asks me to do things like this for him. And the volunteers go nuts over the stuff I make, and that's always good for anyone. Anyways, I only had to make one last night, but it still took me quite awhile to 1. Figure out what I was going to do, 2. Cut ribbon, etc. for all 14, and 3. Put the ONE together in a way I liked. Yeah, I'm one of those that takes forever to do one little project. So, the top picture is what I'm working with. Didn't get a photo of the one, but I'll get one when I get the others done.

The lower picture is a RAK to superpezgirl, who has been so kind as to have 'PEASed to meet you' buttons
made for all us peas so we can identify each other at scrapbooking events. She'll be getting these little notecards (complete with pink flowers and rhinestones!) I made in the envelope I'm sending with 80 cents and a SASE for 2 buttons. I hope she likes them.....I want some for me now. If anyone else likes them, I'd love to RAK a couple more sets!

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

10 things I couldn't possibly live without.


1. My husband, Chad. I have a hard time when he leaves for a few days on a meeting. I don't know what I would do without him. I love him so much!

2. My sister. She's such a cool person, and she is doing so much even though she is still in high school. She's my best friend! (besides Chad, that is!)

3. My family. Immediate and extended. They may have their quirks and may be totally nuts at times, but they are my family and I love them.

4. My furry children, Marley and Pickle. I don't have any REAL kids, so they get treated like darn near the real thing.

5. A camera. Any kind is fine. Well, maybe not a point and shoot film camera. I'm not too good with those. I always cut people's heads off. So, I guess, preferably some kind of SLR. Of any kind. Yeah.

6. My Art and Craft supplies. This is my livelihood, along with photography. I dream about my next creation all day long when I'm at work. I just HAVE to have some way to CREATE!

7. Hair Gel. I have really curly hair, and I have an absolute frizzy AFRO (and not the cool kind) when I don't use it. I've tried to go without it, and it ISN'T pretty.

8. Mascara. I have long eyelashes, but the tips are blonde, so they look short. If I could only use one type of make-up this would be it.

9. Birkenstock sandals. They are the most comfortable shoes ever, and you can wear them with anything. 'Nuff said. (Well, it'd be tough to part me with my Birkenstock clogs, too!)

10. Food. (Well, obviously!) I really like food. Probably too much. But if I had to pick one kind, I'd say.......Italian. I LOVE pasta. I could eat it everyday. Hmmmm, it's almost lunch time...

Thank you BonnieRose for this great challenge!

My packages FINALLY came!


I have to say, there is nothing more exciting to get in the mail than Primas and Basic Grey papers. I only had three jars of the tiny flowers in Ivory, Green, and Brown, so getting the big, bright ones was a REAL treat. I even got a bottle of the Limited Edition pink and purple! Yay! The store only had a few left when I ordered, and I was afraid that I wouldn't get it. The only thing though, is that the other colors have a packed FULL bottle, and that one is only 3/4 full. That's alright, though. They're so pretty!

I started on a layout last night, but then remembered that the Ladies' Figure Skating started, so I got engrossed in that. Tonight's grocery night, so I doubt I'll get much done today. It's so hard to get to crafts during the week, since I get home a little late. The traffic! But, by the time the traffic lets up, the bugs'll start coming out, so I guess it's one or the other.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Some new stuff.



The 'hello' door sign is what I made last night. I like it, but it still needs something more (or even less?), but I just can't put my finger on it. I know I'll come up with something. I'll play around with it more tonight. And, man, do I love colored safety pins or what? I've been putting them on everything. They're so simple and cheap, but they add just the right dash of color.

Above is also the 'Little Prince' magnet that I made of Pickle. I just thought this photo was so cute, and had to do something with it. I got the idea for the crown from Jenni Bowlin's project kit. I almost got that just for the crown charm, but I used my better judgement (spending-wise) and stuck with the papercrafting kit.

I really need to get that lost part for my tripod, and a light box, so my photos of my projects come out better. I just hate using a flash because it puts a hot spot on everything, no matter how you try to compensate! I at LEAST need to get the tripod fixed. This whole 'just barely out of focus' thing is driving me nuts!

Monday, February 20, 2006

Weekends pass so fast!




Well, I had a nice weekend. I didn't get as much done in the way of crafts as I would have liked, but it was a very productive couple of days. I made myself a shelf to get some of these larger things out of my drawers to make more space, I finished getting my ribbon organized the way I wanted, and I organized my supplies better. I had wood dovetail roll out trays left over from one of my jobs at work (they arrived wrong from the manufacturer), so I brought a couple of them home. I used one here to make a little bit of extra space. And man, I love bread pans. They are so useful!

As far as craft type things, I completed a layout of a Jimmy Buffett concert we went to (my first!). You can see that here. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I FINALLY got to use some of the stuff from the Jenni Bowlin kit, too. I made a 4x6 mini canvas. Isn't it pretty? I also made this really cute magnet of Pickle (my Boston Terrier) that says 'My Little Prince', and I made a little crown and everything. I didn't get a photo of that, yet.

Saturday was the Native American and Pioneer Festival at our park. I got some awesome photos of the Battle Reenactment (Union soldiers and Seminoles). I hadn't gone out and taken photos in sooo long. I really enjoyed it. The battle itself was a little disappointing for me, though. I used to do Civil War reenactment with my Dad and sister, and I'm used to big battles like Olustee, and to people being really strict about everything being authentic and period. These guys had soda bottles sitting around, some had tennis shoes on, and they were so unorganized in the battle. And they kept misfiring the cannon. I guess I'm just spoiled, but it was still fun to watch, and the visitors enjoyed it. That's what counts.

Friday, February 17, 2006

This is what I have to work with.

So, I made a trip to Michael's during my lunch break because I needed some more rhinestones. This is what I came back with. I've been wanting some of these MM crystal brads, and when I saw them, I just had to have them! I got the round ones in crystal and multi-color. I wish they had a big box of just the pink ones! I'll have to search online for those. I thought the ribbon would be good for the layout I do for my Album Cover challenge. I'm going to make accordion albums out of the square boxes. Not so sure what I'll do with the smaller ones, maybe something for my mom and sister. The unfinished frame was a great deal, and I had so much fun doing my little one last weekend, that I thought I'd go for a bigger one. Have to go through some pictures when I get home to decide what will go in it. The little stands the brads are on are for some 4x6 mini canvases that I have...they, too will be altered in some way! I've got some ideas rolling around in my head, plus I have all the great Jenni Bowlin kit stuff that I haven't even gotten to use yet! My creativity is just bursting at the seams. We'll see what I come up with.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Still nothing new.

Well, I didn't get to play with my Jenni Bowlin kit yet. And my primas didn't come yesterday, either. I had to take some work home with me last night- pricing a job- because I didn't feel like staying late. And I HAD to watch Lost (in hopes that something will FINALLY make some sense!). I did manage to organize all my tons of ribbon, but I still don't think I'm happy with it. I think I may just get some of these. I'm just trying to cut back on my online shopping, though. I just need instant gratification, even if I DO have to do something several times. I guess I'm just strange.

Hopefully I can squeeze in some craft time tonight, but then again, we have the weekly volunteer dinner at the park, then Survivor and CSI is on tonight (then watch the OC on DVR). I could do without Survivor tonight, but CSI has just been so good lately!

I guess I'd better get back to work. I'm in the process of designing an Entertainment Center (bleh- my least favorite thing). Just....5....minutes.....till.....lunch.......

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Hehe..my first ever post!

Okay, so it seems everyone has a blog these days. I know a while back my sister was trying to get me to start one, but it just didn't make sense to me at the time. I recently joined 2peas and have been exposed to alot more personal blogs. They really DO make sense. So, I thought it would be fun to give it a try. I'll post random stuff about me (mostly so my family can keep up with what's going on in my life!) and pictures of the tons of projects that I do in my spare time.

The Native American and Pioneer Festival at the state park I live in is this weekend, so that should make for some awesome photos. I've been really behind in my photography, mainly because I have gotten so hardcore into scrapbooking. Yes, it's easy to get obsessed.

I got my Jenni Bowlin February Kit on Monday, and those of you who got it know that it's awesome! I can't wait to get a few spare minutes to make some stuff with it! Hopefully tonight. I've also got 4 bottles of Primas and some Basic Grey papers on the way...they should be here today! I love getting new stuff. It always motivates me to create.