Wrapping Up the Year

Hello! I'm so glad you stopped by for the last post of 2019!  I always feel a bit emotional on New Year's Eve-the ending of another year and the exciting promise of the new year.  This year was a rough one with a lot of personal struggle and the loss of my Dad.  I'm hoping 2020 will bring happier days and new opportunities.

I'm also excited to share some new creations and a peek at one of my Christmas gifts.  My husband must have told Santa I was extra good this year because I got a set of blending brushes in my stocking this year!!  I am so excited about getting to play with these, but first they needed a proper home.  I had an old baking powder can in my 'things to alter' crate, and I thought it would make a good holder for these beauties!  Of course, something this special needed not only a proper, but also an attractive home!  I thought since the brushes will one day be all inky, a grungy theme was in order.  I had a pattern paper from Paper Studio that I have been holding on to for just the right project, and this was it.  A little linen ribbon, a metal flower and I was finished!

Of course, I couldn't let the rest of that paper go to waste, so I used every scrap of it to make 4 thank you cards!  They were super quick and look a little more masculine, so they were a great addition to my card stash!

I think the card is also a great way to end my year of blogging.  Being thankful for the blessings of 2019 and looking forward to even more in the new year. And to my loyal visitors, Thanks a Million!

Throwback Thursday-Winter Cleaning

Hello and welcome back for another Throwback Thursday! Today's card is a little bit of 'stash' and an upcycled card front.  I'm not sure how old the card front is since it was in a pile of goodies I unearthed during the move. The 'love' ticket came from a SU kit that I've had for a while.  Even the card base was in my stash.  I think it's SU cardstock, but I'm not positive since the color doesn't match the purples I have in my file.  It's a little frightening how many things I have saved over the years!  Good thing I've started 'winter cleaning' to put these things to good use!

Another quick and easy card to add to my completed stash.  So easy that I really don't have any extra tips to share!  I am slowly making a dent in my pile of things to use, and I'm thinking once that pile is gone, I'll start another! Who knows, this could be the year of using up all of those things that were set back for 'someday'!  Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Valentines Banner(aka: I told you I would use that...)

Hi and welcome to my Throwback Thursday/Told You So post!! My DH is known for his eye rolling technique when I'm insisting that we shouldn't toss something because it can be used later.  I hate to admit that I probably save way more than I should, however, I do manage to use just enough to tell him 'I told you I would use that...'  Today I'm sharing a banner that not only uses more of those circular I 💓You pieces, but it also uses a worn out hair pony.  Yes, you read correctly... a hair pony! I regret to share that I didn't have a before picture of it. You probably would have questioned my sanity, but the 'after' is so pretty, I think you'll agree that I did ok! 

 My girls loved having pretty hair ponies to match every outfit and over the years I can't tell you how many were broken or worn out and tossed.  Except this really sweet pink sheer fabric pony...it had rhinestones on it... and it was just so darn cute... even if the elastic was severely stretched out and not functional any more...  So DH really almost rolled his eyeballs completely around when I put it in a container to save for 'later'.  I think there may have been an "Are you kidding me?" or a "You have lost your mind." but in the container it went-for several years...

When we moved, I rediscovered it, took it out of the container, and put it in a tiered basket stand so I would be more likely to use it.  When I decided to use the circles to make a Valentines banner for our mantle, I spotted the pony and KNEW this was what I was saving it for!

 

the paper part of the banner-layers of slightly grunged pretty paper

the finished project- just look at that pretty pink 'ribbon' separating the pieces!

This banner was truly a 'stash' project! The circles and the pony of course, but the twine that was used to string everything together came off of a Christmas gift.  Saving that was a no brainer, as it was a huge piece of fabulous twine!!  When I asked DH to help me hang the banner, he commented on how cute it was.  Then DD2 looked at it and asked "Is that my old pony on there?"  Cha! Ching! Score one for the hoarder thrifty crafter!  DH just laughed and said "I know... Now I'm not allowed to comment on you saving trash anymore...".  Of course, we all know he will and it will be complete with another wonderful eye roll.  But that's ok.  I'll just have to prove him wrong again!

Project Recipe: Paper-whisper white, pretty in pink, Patterns Love DSP (ret), Ink-real red, soft suede, crumb cake, Stamp Set-Sweet Centers (ret), Accessories-Banners and Hearts framelits, an old used up pony, twine, Very Vanilla lace trim

Merry Monday-A 'Green' Christmas

Hello! I'm back again with something new(ish) that I'm hoping will keep me from panicking in December!  My dear stamping friend, Ann Marie starting making a set of Christmas cards each week.  I loved this idea and I'm hoping I can manage to keep up with this!!  Any extras that I can make before Christmas will be much better than last year!! Most of my cards were New Years instead of Christmas!

If you've been visiting my blog, you know that I've been attempting to set up my studio and get things organized.  One of the things I did accomplish was going through the Christmas cards we received this year.  The family photo cards, cards from very special people, and of course the handmade cards were saved.  I have a 'book' idea that I'm going to work on this summer to make these treasures easier to see!  There were some cards that got pitched (salespeople, business, etc.), but some were set back to have a new life!  Today's cards were made from one very pretty card that we received.  Two for one and it's even upcycling (hence the 'green' Christmas)! 

The first card was the front of the original card.  I just LOVE that glittery snow and the sweet house!  The second card was made from the back of the card and a piece of glittery snow cut off of the front.  Two super easy cards that will be mailed (again!) to someone special!

Thanks so much for visiting today and I hope you'll join me again next week! Maybe you can leave me a polite reminder if I don't make one each week! Ha!! Have a fabulous week!

Card Recipe: Paper-cherry cobbler, Accessories-used Christmas card

Oui Four-It's a series now...

Hello! Yes, I am back again!  We've had a worse than average wintery winter this year.  I know...not exactly correct in the grammar department, but it's pretty accurate! The temperatures for January have been extremely cold, and while we haven't had record snow/ice accumulation, it has managed to do it during one weekend!  This meant a little more time for me to do a little tidying in my studio.  It's still not anywhere near where I want it to be, but it's a little more organized and my table is once again cleaned off and awaiting creativity to strike.  What does all of this have to do with my creating another altered yogurt jar?  Well, when I use snow days to clean and organize, it makes it a lot easier to walk into the studio and randomly create, especially when it's freezing outside, and a co-worker gives you more jars...

She was thrilled with her Christmas set and informed me that she now needs a set for each season and holiday!  I didn't make a wintery one because I didn't have any extra jars, but I did get one made in time for Valentine's day.  I even wiped the dust off my Cricut and cut some letters for this one! Of course, after cutting the letters, I had to do something with the negative space that was left!  It was the perfect excuse to make a Valentine card to go with the jar!

Series #4 Valentines

super simple-red tissue paper, pink pirouette cardstock letters, 

and a bit of pretty white ribbon

the 'scraps' from the letters made a perfect piece to

 attach to a card front for a super simple Valentine

I hope you enjoyed my post for today and if you choose to join me in altering yogurt jars, please let me know! I would love to see what others can do with these cute little jars!  Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Oui! Take three!

Hi! I am so glad you stopped by today!  I have a little altered/green creation for today.  Before we get to the crafty stuff, I need to do some explaining lest you think I don't know how to count...  A few months ago, a co-worker jokingly challenged me to do something fun with her Oui yogurt jars.  I took home her empty jar and brought back a nice little fall decoration.  Little did I know the monster it would create.  A few days later she gave me a shopping bag with more jars in it...

I managed to make two really fun jars that were decoupaged with Halloween napkins and looked quite vintage by the time I was finished.  I also managed to forget to take a picture of them... So that was the second series.  Today, I'm sharing the Christmas/Holiday jars that I gave her for Christmas.  This makes three, hence 'take three'.  

I'm not sure how many more there will be in the series, but I'm already thinking Valentines, St Patrick's, and Easter!  If you are interested in seeing the first jar, you can see it here!

I am really bummed that I didn't get a photo of the Halloween ones, because I think the napkin versions were my favorites.  They just seemed to melt onto the jar and had a slightly translucent finish that looked great with the battery operated tealights.  The Christmas set was covered with some beautiful gift wrap that had red glittery ornaments on it.  I didn't take into account the weight of the paper and it was a bit difficult to work with at times.  Pieces didn't want to wrap and stay the way I placed them...  If you want to give this a try, I would suggest either distressing the paper first, or going with a lightweight gift wrap.

The holly leaves were bits that I had in my stash (probably from an old Christmas decoration), and I colored some large rhinestones with a red Sharpie to make the holly berries.  I also managed to sneak in some Christmas ribbon from my stash.  I wish I could say it made a big dent, but it didn't!  I swear that stuff multiplies sometimes...

My co-worker has been enjoying receiving her little gifts for each season and I swear she's eating that stuff simply to get more pretties!  Personally, I'm enjoying the new 'canvas' and it's been a great way to experiment with different materials and ideas.  Isn't that at the heart of any creative endeavor?  I hope you've enjoyed another recycled project and maybe you'll be decoupaging your own 'trash' soon!  Have a fantastic day!

'Green' Christmas

Hi!  So glad you're here!  I'm not trying to jump the gun on the upcoming holidays or anything, but I'm in a bit of a panic that I do not have many Christmas cards made and it is the end of October...

Fall break gave me some much needed time to do some sorting, cleaning, organizing, and yes, creating in my studio.  I even managed to use something that has been in my stash for quite some time.  

My DH loves to give me a difficult time about the odd things I save for creative projects, and I LOVE when I use something and can show him that I really did need to save whatever it was that he laughed at!  Several years ago, my MIL used some beautiful textured paper to wrap Christmas gifts.  I saved the paper for future use and about a year later, she gave me the remainder of the roll to use as well.  I decided to use the pretty paper to make some wonderful Christmas cards.  The paper was a bit tricky to cut because of the texture, but I decided that imperfect edges would work well with the shabby style I was creating.

a little inky goodness to add to the shabby effect...

changing up the sentiment on this one...

I think they turned out pretty cute and I'm happy to share that I used all of the paper from the wrapped gift!  I still have the remaining paper on the roll that I can still use for something fun too!  When I showed the finished cards to DH, he just smiled and shook his head.  I'm sure I will never convince him that saving these goodies is a wonderful idea, but he's learning not to ask "What are you going to do with THAT?!", so I guess I'm making a bit of a change in him!

I would love to see what you save and reuse on your creative projects! I think the oddest thing I've used was some funky, crinkly packing paper from Disney World!  If you have something to share, leave me a message with a link and I'll check it out!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Card Recipe:  Paper-Old olive, very vanilla, wrapping paper, Ink-memento tuxedo black, real red, soft suede, Stamps-Star Studded Season (1st card), Stampabilities Blessed Christmas (2nd card)

Decoupage-Challenge accepted!

Hello! I am so glad you visited and even more happy that I've been able to make something to share with you!  

About a week ago, a co-worker was eating Oui yogurt with her lunch and we all commented on the cute glass jar that it came in. We discussed the recycling vs. plastic trash aspect of the container and someone commented that it would be a cute jar to hold little things like paperclips.  Then someone else mentioned making it a candle holder.  I suggested decoupaging it so it would be even cuter.  Dead silence.... Finally... "Deco what?" So I gave a short tutorial on the versatility of decoupage and how many different looks one could achieve through this medium.  This led my co-worker to hand me her empty jar with the challenge of "make something".  They all laughed as I asked what theme she would like.  She responded that Halloween or Fall would be great.  Our lunch ended with people guessing just how that yogurt jar would be made over.

That weekend, I got busy.  I thoroughly cleaned the jar, removed the labels and dug out my left-over fall papers.

The cute little yogurt jar

Next I tore some burlap print paper into squares and triangles, and began to decoupage the papers onto the jar.

After everything dried, I inked the white paper spots with various shades of brown ink, smudging and smearing it onto the paper.  A glittery silk leaf and a burlap flower were added to give the jar a bit of flair.

 I used rubber bands to hold the leaf and flower in place until the glue dried.

the finished product!

Monday morning, I went to my co-workers classroom and placed the jar on her desk.  Her face registered shock and amazement as she slowly realized this was her yogurt jar!  She was very pleased and I passed the decoupage challenge with flying colors!  Now everyone is saving their jars for me... What have I started?!

I hope my project and story have inspired you to look at your 'junk' with new eyes and find a way to brighten someone else's day as well!  Have a fabulous day!!

No, really... I was cleaning...

Hello! I am so glad you stopped by because I need to share a true story with someone who will understand, and possibly believe my story.  Because my family doesn't...

**Warning: Extremely Lengthy and Possibly Boring Story**

It all started as I was cleaning the kitchen earlier this week.  I did a major purge of my cabinets and pantry resulting in a lot of things ending up in a donation box or the trash.  I did not, however, throw away several different sized empty coffee containers.  They were moved to my craft area under the eye rolls of my family members.  I told them that if I couldn't come up with a use for them by the end of the month, I would get rid of them (the containers, not my family-although I was quite tempted...).

After the kitchen was cleaned, I realized I needed a better system for keeping our daily medicines organized.  Since we no longer have any littles, I don't worry about keeping things up high and out of sight.  So our vitamins, advil, and prescriptions are sitting on the counter, which is great until one of them gets knocked onto the floor and rolls under something or gets pushed to the back of the counter where it hides behind the whole wheat flour container (found some of my allergy meds there during the clean).  As I was pondering where I could find something that would look nice sitting on the counter, my eyes spied the stack of coffee containers. Hmmm...

The next morning instead of cleaning up my crafting space like I had planned, I got busy transforming the coffee canister into a lovely medicine bowl.  This would have been perfectly acceptable except that I shared my cleaning plans with DH so I would stay accountable.  His smug grin said it all.  Nothing wiped it off his face either-not my insisting that it was divine intervention that called me to use one of the containers, not the reassurance that this was actually finishing the kitchen clean up, not even the reminder that "Hey! I told you I'd find a use for those containers you rolled your eyes at yesterday!".

So now I have a perfectly lovely container that keeps our medicines and vitamins neat and tidy, and a super messy work space.  But like my fellow procrastinator Annie always says "Tomorrow... Tomorrow... I'll clean ya, tomorrow!  You're always a day away..." or something like that...  I'm pretty sure the mess isn't going anywhere and since we are scheduled for wind and rain tomorrow, it will be a perfect day for tidying up the ol' crafting space!

If you've made it this far, you will be glad to know that I do actually have a few pictures of the medicine container that is causing my family to doubt my ability to get the house organized.

I placed the plastic lid on the bottom since the edge of the canister was metal

and I didn't want to risk the can rusting. The crochet ribbon is hiding it from view.

The butterflies are covered in dazzling details but it was hard

to get a good shot of all of the glittery goodness.

Now you have heard my tale, sad but true, about a royal family who doubts their queen's ability to stop crafting long enough to keep the castle in proper order.  But I know that you saw the deeper meaning of this story.  The queen just saved one of the coffee containers from imminent doom, and I'll let you in on a little secret...she has plans for the other ones too!  Don't you just love a happy ending?

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a marvelous weekend!!

Project Recipe: Precious Butterflies and Inspired by Nature stamp sets, garden green & not quite navy ink, rose red & not quite navy cardstock, bitty butterfly punch, butterfly punch (ret), First Edition DSP, dazzling details, crochet ribbon

Tic Tac Love Challenge-A Cheesy Remake

Hello! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and feeling quite loved (It is Valentines weekend after all!).  Personally, we don't really do a lot for this holiday.  When the girls were in grade school they would make their own Valentines to share with their classmates, but now that they're getting older, there's not a lot of Valentine crafting happening.  So I was a little stumped on whether I wanted to make an actual Valentines project for this month's Anything But a Card Tic Tac Love Challenge, or go with an all purpose idea.  I compromised and made something that had a romantic feel but could be used for other occasions.  I decided to go with the top row.  Red, Recycle, Glitter.  Yes... I know my red is quite 'pink' but it is rose red so I'm pushing the envelope here!  I made up for my little act of rebellion by following the other squares to the letter.  My recycled container once held wedges of spreadable cheese, and I used both glass glitter and dazzling details for the glitter square.

I painted the cardboard container with vintage white acrylic paint and topped that with TH black soot distress crackle paint.  It's hard to see in the photo, but there are some fine crackle lines on there making it look just a bit aged.  I glued a circle of Junior Varsity DSP to cover the top of the container and used the spiral flower die to make the two larger blooms.  This was my first time using the die and while I'm ok with the results, I really need to play a lot more to get the rolling just right.  I inked the edges of the First Edition DSP with rose red ink before assembling the flowers, then added dazzling details to the edges of the petals.  I covered the seam around the rose red DSP with champagne glass glitter.  Then I decorated the top with the flowers and leaves.

 a close up of the sparkly flowers...

On a side note, these photos were taken with my new camera.  I would love to say this was a planned purchase, but unfortunately, my good ol' Canon bit the dust last week.  I was going to try to find a repair shop (none in our area) when my DH made the comment that it might be cheaper in the long run to just buy a new one.  WELL...Since you put it that way, twist my arm and I'll go pick out a new one!  I did some research, took advice from other shutterbugs, and finally decided to try a Nikon this time.  So far I really like it, although I must admit I don't have a clue what most of the buttons and settings do... :)  Hopefully, I will have some time to read the manual soon and learn a little more.

I hope you find some time to play along with our Tic Tac Love challenge; there's still a week left!  Have a wonderful week and thanks so much for stopping by!

Project Recipe:  empty cheese container, Junior Varsity DSP (ret), First Edition DSP (ret), circle framelits, spiral flower die, little leaves sizzlit, boho blossom punch, champagne glass glitter, dazzling details, vintage white acrylic paint, TH black soot distress crackle paint

Day 3 of the 25 Days of Accomplishments-Ornaments!

Once again, this post is also a bit of a cheat as we actually had them completed by Thanksgiving.  Tomorrow will begin the actual crossing things off the list!

Today's project features the artwork of DD#2 and once again DH was roped into helping us!  This time he was the master of the white spray paint!  And such a fine paint job too!!

We actually got the bottle caps from my dad's sister, so we owe her an ornament too!  DH painted the caps white, but the gold coloring kept bleeding through, so he ended up spraying these THREE times- the first coat that didn't take, the primer coat, and the final coat, and then we added the spray glitter!  I am so glad this was all completed in his shop and not my kitchen!!!!  He was actually very pleasant about the whole process and even gave us a thumbs up on the finished ornaments!  I cut the green ribbon and tied a loop using bakers twine, then DD#2 glued the bottle caps to the ribbon and let them dry.  The next day the faces and buttons were made using acrylics, and the snazzy red ribbon was added as a lovely scarf!  I know you can't tell from the photo, but these are absolutely SPARKLY!!!

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my girls ornaments and maybe they inspired you to make your own tree decorations this year!  I'll be back tomorrow with another project.

Project Recipe: bottle caps, satin white spray paint, glitter blast glitter spray, acrylics, gumball green ribbon, real red stitched ribbon

She's makin' a list and checkin' it twice...

No, I'm not disputing that Santa is a dude...  I'm referring to myself and my dire need to stay on top of things as we go into a very busy month!  While I don't usually stress too much about Christmas (things always have a way of working out), this year is a little different.  Not only is my nephew is getting married on the 28th, but I just received an invitation to a shower for my niece who is getting married next Feb.  Guess when her shower is?  December 15th...  So now my already busy schedule just got a little busier!

I decided that this would be a good year to try something new, so I am going to try to post something new every day this month.  At first I was debating whether this would add to my already long list, but I'm hoping that knowing I have to post something will help me stay on task with the homemade items that need to be finished on time.  Wish me luck!

Since I already posted yesterday without even thinking about this, today is officially Day 2 of my countdown.  Maybe I shouldn't call it a countdown... too much pressure in that name!  How about the 25 Days of Accomplishment? Now that has a very positive sound!!

So here is today's item (and I'm cheating a little) that was actually finished before Thanksgiving.  Every year my mom, her sisters, and all of the offspring get together for dinner.  It is quite a large crowd now and we love visiting cousins that we normally wouldn't get to see.  We also do a Sneaky Santa ornament exchange.  Many of you already know that my girls started a tradition several years ago of making their own ornaments for the exchange.  The Aunts love seeing what they have made for each year and the occasional battle for the handmade has been known to occur.  Last year we actually recreated an ornament for each aunt so no one would feel left out!

DD#1 did a scan on Pinterest and knew immediately what she wanted to make.  Fortunately, I had almost everything we would need.  Only thing missing was the 'canvas', but during our girls day out, we found just the right things at a 'pickers' store.

the blank canvas that turned into...

snow women spoon ornaments!

This actually turned into something of a family project. DH, who usually runs and hides when we get crafty, didn't make his getaway fast enough!  We asked him if he had any tools we could use to bend the handles. I knew that he would rather do this himself than allow us to play with his 'toys' and it would probably be easier to do it than to explain how to do it.  He did a fabulous job!  In an effort to speed the process, I made the felt hats as DD painted the spoons.  She did add the chalk to the edge to make it stand out more and glued them to the spoon to keep them from slipping off.  Over all I think she was quite pleased with the end results!  Now we just have to make a few more for Grandma and DD's two aunts, and me of course!

I will be back tomorrow with DD#2's ornaments!  Have a wonderful day!

Project recipe:  old spoons, assorted acrylic paints, black felt, brights buttons, white bakers twine, white pastel

Anything But a Card Challenge 22-Get Messy!

Well, hello! I am so glad you stopped by to visit!  Our challenge at ABAC is to Get Messy!  There are some amazing inspiriations at the challenge site, so be sure to visit them too!

I decided to go with an altered piece and while it doesn't look overly 'messy', the process was pretty gluey, inky, and messy!  I bought the little unfinished wood birdhouse at Goodwill a few months ago and decided to paint it.  I wanted an aged look, so after the paint was dry, I added crackle and ink to make it all grungy.

The brown trim around the roofs was salvaged from a shopping bag, and I colored some molded sculpy pieces I had left over from a previous crafting experiment.  Unfortunately, the ink wanted to stick to my fingers more than the clay and ended up all smudged.  I added a little crackle to these too and decided it added to the whole shabby chic thing... work with me here...

While you can't really tell from my pics, the roof has a piece of First Edition DSP under the light layer of paint and crackle.

I hope you enjoyed my messy little project, and I would love it if you would join us this week with your version of messy!!!

Have a wonderful week and happy crafting!

Project recipe: unfinished wood birdhouse (Goodwill), fawn acrylic paint, Picket Fence distress crackle, repurposed shopping bag handles, sculpey clay pieces, First Edition DSP, Ink & Markers-soft suede, midnight muse, river rock, crumb cake

Anything But a Card Challenge 21-The gift that keeps on giving...

Hello! Today is Father's Day here in the US and I will be spending part of the day with my two favorite guys, my Dad and my husband.  So it's quite fitting that today's project aligns perfectly with the Masculine/Dear ol' Dad challenge at Anything But a Card.  We are in week two of this challenge and it's my turn to share a project.  Be sure to visit the challenge blog and check out the team's inspiring pieces.  I would love to see you link up your projects too! Remember, they can be anything but a card-that leaves a lot of different art forms to play with!

For those of you who follow my blog, you know that my DH loves to give me a hard time about saving everything for my 'someday' projects.  Last year, his Father's day card included some corrugated paper saved from our souvenirs from Disney.  This year, part of his gift includes a lot of 'saved' items. Now you would think this would curb the teasing about digging through the trash, but I know him well enough to know that he will simply direct my eyes to the containers and shelves of things I've yet to use... Oh well!   I also had some assistance from my two girls on this project!

Before you see my altered shadow box, I need to apologize for the horrid photos.  I just couldn't get the shadows off of my shadow box!  I'm also not overly thrilled with the watercolor background, but I'm cutting myself some slack since I'm still in the experimental stage on this, and I had some input from my crafting partners that didn't quite achieve the effect we were going for. So I'm filing this one under the belief that art is in the process not the product.

The wood shadow frame was once the home to a kid's stamping kit.  The pieces, I'm sure, have long been lost, chewed up by Shadow (in his puppy stage), or visiting the socks that always disappear from the dryer.  The thin plywood back was cracked and loose on two sides so it was promptly removed, and the frame was put on the shelf with other 'someday' items.  When I was trying to decide on a project for this challenge, I just wasn't in a scrapbooking mood, which was my obvious choice, so I dug through the treasures on the shelf to see what might spark some creativity.  The frame kept catching my eye like it really wanted to be repurposed, so I decided on a shadow box.  The backing was a piece of watercolor paper cut to fit the frame, and I even managed to squeeze in some fancy chocolate liners behind the girls' pics. You should have seen the manly eyeroll I received for saving them...

I started by painting the frame with fawn acrylic paint.  When it was dry, I added a layer of clear rock candy distress crackle.  Then I set the frame aside to dry while I created the background.  I started painting all of the areas with crumb cake ink, when the girls got all excited about watercoloring.  So we added some wild wasabi and chocolate chip ink as well. Fawn paint was also dabbed on there to tie the background to the frame. When we were finished it reminded me of the camouflage fatigues  DH wears for trainings.  I added some stamping using chocolate chip ink.  See the index finger stamp and the special delivery stamps? They were two of my treasured finds from an antiques and craft fair.  The finger stamp was so caked with old, black ink, and the rubber is really hard, but I love the distressed style it leaves behind! I also used an alphabet set from my wonderful blogging sister, Lisa, to spell out different names for dads. The #1 is from the set Blue Ribbon.

The center space is paper from Woodland Walk.  I added fawn paint to this and the brown candy liners too.  A few retired chocolate chip corduroy buttons from my stash finished off the background.  By this time the frame was dry and I glued the watercolor paper to the back of the frame.  I also added some crumb cake ink to the crackle to make it stand out a little more.  The heart is a stamped sculpey piece that was sitting in a bowl waiting to be used, and the enamel dots are from another wonderful blogging friend, Sherry. They were a little too 'pretty' for this distressed piece, so I added a little brown sharpie ink onto them to distress them a little.  The natural trim ribbon was added to the center wood pieces to cover a groove that once held another divider (who knows where that went...).

So that's it for me!  I hope I've inspired you to make something manly for the special guys in your life too! Have a wonderful week and happy crafting!

Happy Father's Day and 'I told ya...'

A rather odd post title, right?!  There is a little bit of a story (and proving a point) in the card I am sharing today.

I know I am not alone in my hoarding using everyday items in craft projects, so this is the perfect place to share this story...especially when I know you will completely agree with me!  

The story begins in Florida... While we were at Epcot, I bought the cutest BIG coffee cup.  (It has Goofy dressed in traditional German clothing on one side and 'Guten Morgen, Kaffee!' (Good morning, coffee!) on the back.  With both my love of coffee and my heritage, I couldn't pass it up.)  Since it was fragile, the gentleman in the store wrapped it in the coolest packing paper.  It resembled corrugated cardboard, but was thinner like craft paper and had this funky cut pattern as well.  Fast forward a few days to us returning home.  When we were unpacking everything from our trip, I carefully unwrapped my mug, folded the paper, and put it on the table by my crafting things.  This is where the story really kicks in...

DH-Hand that to me and I'll put it in the recycling.
Me- No, I'm going to keep it.
DH- Why? (insert completely confused expression here)
Me- It's kinda cool.  I'm going to hang onto it and use it for crafting.
DH-Oh... OK... (insert knowing eye roll here)
Me-What? (with complete understanding that he doesn't approve and the knowledge that it really doesn't matter if he understands)
DH- I was just thinking that you still have the other brown paper stuff (craft paper) you saved from the last shipping package and all of that gift wrap from my Mom (imagine hand made paper with embroidery...) and you haven't used any of that yet.
Me- Well, eventually I will come up with a great idea for them and then I will use them and it will be fabulous.
DH- Silent but with that all knowing look on his face...
Me- Silent but with that 'I'll show you...' look

Does this sound at all familiar to any of you?  Please tell me I'm not alone...  Anyway, as I was crafting last night I decided I was going to make my Father's day card for my Dad.  I don't usually make one for my husband because the girls love making their own and I think that means more to him anyway.  But, as I was going through supplies and deciding on a card for my Dad, I saw the crinkly packing paper.  It was calling my name and I swear I heard it say "Let's show him!  Make him a card using me and he'll HAVE to admit you were right in saving me from recycling!"  After that, it was a piece of cake to put a card together, and I loved the manly edge the paper added to the card.  I ended up making one for my Dad just like his.

 

close up showing detail of the packing paper (sorry it's a little blurry...)

So now I am patiently waiting for Father's Day to see if my DH notices the special paper on his card.  I'm hoping I won't have to point it out to him and ruin the moment that he realizes that his wife is brilliant and frugal and most of all...right!  And I won't think this is mean at all, because he was smart enough to marry me! (insert wink and smile here)

Have a great rest of the week and happy crafting!!

Card recipe: Cardstock-soft suede, crumb cake, Ink-soft suede, pastels, Stamp Set-Tool Shed background stamp, Accessories- artichoke denim ribbon (ret), Fabulous Packing Paper