Having FUN!!!

and staying busy - that's what I've been up to.

I have some great projects brewing  - I can't wait to get them finished

 up so I can share them with you all!!!! Today I have been working on

 a couple of cigar boxes that I am altering. I love doing decoupage and

altering anything and everything I can get my hands on! So I joined 

another swap over on the CMB.....and this one was for a vintage 

altered box. So off I went to the local Smoke shop to try and score 

some boxes.....and WOW did I get the hook up! The guy at the Smoke 

shop gave me a dozen boxes for free! How cool is that? So not only 

am I altering a box for my partner Pamela for the swap.....but I decided

to alter one for myself also. Everyone knows how much I love the 

Graphic 45 line.....so for this box I chose the Le Cirque paper and it is turning out way better than I had anticipated! The paper is gorgeous and 

so far so is the box! I will post pictures as soon as I have them finished 

up. So keep checking back & I should have pics posted by the end of the

week.

My first Award! woohoo!

Cupe from cupecrafts.blogspot.com shared her stylish blog award with me! I am so excited this is my first blog award! Thank You so much! Please check out her blog, she makes adorable cards! I will be sure to do my part and share this awesome award with 8 other blogs!

Here are 8 random things about me:

1.) I Love Coca Cola and drink it everyday!

2.) I will only use bagged ice, and I have to always rinse it first.

3.) I collect precious moments figurines.

4.) I will only buy scrapbook supplies when they are on sale or with a coupon.

5.) I hoard scrapbook paper. If I love a paper stack I will buy two of them because I hate it when I have to cut it!

6.) I hate pictures of myself and am very camera shy! but love taking pictures of the family!

7.) I talk too much! I could talk to a total stranger for hours! ha ha

8.) I Jam in my car when I am alone....everything from Aerosmith to Kid Rock to Poison! I Love rock n Roll & Country music!

Here are 8 blogs I shared this award with:

1.  Hollie at http://hollieshotcakes.blogspot.com

2. Kim at http://littleredshood.blogspot.com

3. Peachy at http://peachypapercrafts.blogspot.com/

4. Jess at http://jessicashook.blogspot.com/

5. Ansleigh at http://pinkpolkadotscrapper.blogspot.com/

6. Rita (Sheri) at http://sewingdumby.blogspot.com/

7. Pamela at http://blog.pamelaosterday.com/

8.  Liz at http://lmcwcreations.blogspot.com/

To receive this award the rules to be followed are:

Step 1 - Make a post linking back to the person who gave you the award.
Step 2 - Share 8 random things about you.
Step 3 – Award 8 recently discovered bloggers with this award.
Step 4 – Contact these bloggers and tell them they have won the award.

Tim Holtz dress form tags

Here we go again with another swap......this one is for the Tim Holtz
dress forms and tags. I signed up for two groups for this swap, so I
decided to go with two different designs.


                                                     TAG ONE:

This is my tag for group one. I decided to do this one Vintage 1950's. 

Thank God for online resources! I used the internet and searched for 

1950's sewing magazines and ads and then after I found what I liked......

.I printed the images in thumbnail size. I then literally created this mini sewing magazine ( which has pages in it that you can actually flip

 through of sewing instructions, sewing machine ads etc.) I also printed

 a tiny picture of a Simplicity dress pattern, cut around it to create a 

small pattern envelope and stuffed it with an actual pattern. ( I have way

 to much time on my hands! ha ha) The spool of thread was hand cut

 from wood veneer paper I purchased at Michael's and then I wound 

thread onto it. The dress form is cut from black velvet coated mat board

 I scored at a frame shop. Finally I stamped and inked the tag to give it 

that aged worn look! Gotta Love Tim Holtz distress inks.....I used tea dye and antique linen both on this tag.

TAG TWO:

This tag is my take on "mild" Steampunke! I used DCWV Tattered 

Time paper and the Tim Holtz Birdcage die. Both of which were the inspiration for  this tag. The dress form itself is cut from Red velvet

coated mat board I also scored at the frame shop. I purposely used

a RED dress form on this tag VS a black one....I like the contrast in 

color!  I hand cut the wings from black glittered cardstock, stamped 

the gears on the T-shirt, used sheer black ribbon to tie around the

waist and then added a sheer black flower embellishment, and bling. 

I have NOT decided if I want to stamp a sentiment or something on 

this tag yet ....I am still mulling it around in my twisted little mind! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by....please leave a comment....I appreciate any and
 all comments and constructive criticism! I would Love to hear from you!

Tea Cup Pin Cushion Swap

I was too late in signing up for this swap on the CMB....so CoyoteKim was sweet enough to p.m. me and say that we could do a private swap between the two of us! Well this was way out of my comfort zone....but I thought I would give it a try!
Kim said she liked the beachy theme, and since I live in Florida and happen to have an abundance of sea shells.....I though this would be easy peasy! YEAH RIGHT!
I am here to tell you this was one of the hardest things for me to do! I may be crafty in other ways....but I am definately NOT doing any more tea cups! LOL! I took this thing apart and remade it at least three times! I had the hardest time trying to incorporate the sea shells and add them down the side of the cup! I sure hope you like it KIM, because it will be a one and only original from me! ha ha

Here is the picture of the tea cup pin cushion I made for Kim!

And this is the gorgeous creation that Kim made for me! This is so beautiful! I love everything about it!

The picture does not do it justice at all......it has so many hidden little treasures tucked in here and there. And then Kim made me the most beautiful stickpins! After I received it I realized that I did not include any stickpins with Kim's cup....OMG! that is like giving someone a wallet with no money in it! Kim I am so sorry, I will make you some special stickpins and put them in the mail to you! ha ha

Thank you Kim for the beautiful Tea Cup Pin Cushion.....I LOVE IT!

May stick pin swap

I signed up for Jessica's May stick pin swap over on the Provo Craft message board. These stick pins were to be soft colors for Mother's Day. I found this adorable "Queen of Everything" stamp at Michael's and thought it would be perfect to use for my presentation card for my stick pins. Because we all know our Mom's are Queen of everything! LOL! The paper I used for the tags was from a DCWV mat stack I had and I Love the lavender lace so I thought it was perfect too. The little heart charm dangle on the middle stick pin says "made with Love" on it! I used these beautiful pink and plum colored beads and then some clear crystals. I hope the pictures do them justice. This swap was a lot of fun for me to do, this was my first stick pin swap so I hope everyone in my group likes them. If and when I receive mine back I will be sure to post pics!

Coming soon!

I have lots more projects coming soon........I will post them as I finish them up! I am involved in so many swaps right now that I don't have time for anything else. I am doing a stick pin swap, a paint stick swap, a vintage altered box, an 8x8 altered canvas, Tim Holtz vintage dress form & tag swap, card fronts, and a tea cup pin cushion swap on the Cricut message board! Whew! Thats a lot of swaps.
Not to mention I just finished up the Paint can swap...handmade flowers and little boy card fronts, all of which I have uploaded pictures on previous posts!
So check back often and as I finish up my projects for the swaps I will post them......also as I receive my swaps back in the mail I will post the results!
See ya soon!

My paint can from Liz!

As I said previously in an earlier post.....I was in a paint can swap on the Cricut Message board recently, and I was partnered with Liz from LM & CW CREATIONS.  I sent her a paint can I made with Graphic 45 paper and filled it with goodies. And in turn she sent me this Gorgeous vintage can to match my scrapbook room! I was so excited to receive this today........Look at what a beautiful job she did on this:

I Love the colors and the beautiful clock paper....so pretty! And look at how she decorated the lid! Love it! Love the white feather and flower and the pretty pearl trim!

This is a handmade dangle charm Liz made and attached to the handle of the paint can......it's super cute....Love the colors and the little clear acrylic piece n butterfly!

Here are my goodies that were inside the can. Liz sent me Tim Holtz masks, distress stickles, distress ink in dusty concord, Ideology trinket pins, An alterations On The Edge Die.....Flower Soft, Perfect pearls, a pkg of MS (months, days & numbers) tabs, Beautiful Recollections metal butterflies, K&Company little rosettes, a butterfly stamp, A K& Company alphabet pad, A Greeting Farm Stamp, and a huge package of vintage buttons ( These buttons are so beautiful in person! Love them!) I am already thinking of a million ways to use these!

 She also sent me the most beautiful handmade Glass flowers. 

And then she made me this gorgeous little altered box with a  handmade mini album inside!  

This was an amazing swap. I LOVE everything! I wish I could think of something more to say besides Love it, beautiful, gorgeous and Thank You, but I can't! You really touched my heart! Thank you so much Liz! Thanks for taking the time to get to know me and making this such a special gift! I will cherish this forever along with our new friendship! 

Graphic 45 mini album

This is my first attempt at making a paper bag mini album. I decided to make this mini for my Grandaughter Gracie's Halloween pictures from this past year, so I used the Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland paper collection. This is the front of the book. I used Prima flowers, leaves and flourishes to embellish it. I especially Love the clock button I used for the center of the black flower! I still need to make and insert the tags, and add the pictures. I will post more pics later, as this one is still a work in progress. 

Graphic 45 ~ Fairy Cottage

I purchased this Graphic 45 "Springtime Collection" paper recently to use on a paint can I made for a swap I was in over on the Cricut message board. I love all the Graphic 45 lines, but I think this fairy paper is my favorite, and since I had a little leftover after making my paint can.....I thought I would put it to good use and make this Fairy cottage for my Grandaughter Willow. Willow is ten years old and her favorite thing is "all things fairy" including but not limited to Tinkerbell! It warms my heart that she still has the innocence to "BELIEVE".

So I set out to gather supplies: A Shoebox, Graphic 45 paper, sticky backed Cork paper (for my floor) Hot glue gun, Flowers, beads, some twigs, elephant ear seed pods, acorns, pine cones, birds nests, and a bag of Moss and I started this little project. The base of the Fairy cottage is just a Shoebox turned sideways and glued to it's lid, painted and then decorated. One of my favorite Elements is the Tim holtz bird cage....I made this by printing a picture I found online onto shrinky dinks paper and then cutting it out and heating it with my heat gun. I then blinged it up a little with some misc findings I had laying around to make the hanger.

 I also made the little table and benches.....I used white chipboard, inked it brown, then stamped with my woodgrain rubber stamp, and hot glued twigs on the underside for stability and the little legs. The bowl in the middle of the table is an Acorn top turned upside down with fake berries glued in. My "chandelier" is just a beaded pic I wired to the ceiling.

when Willow was a baby we nicknamed her "Bug" because she was no bigger than a little bug! LOL! And she has collected Lady bugs her whole life because of her nickname.....so of course I had to add a few ladybugs hidden here and there for her.

As you can see......I basically covered the whole roof, back and sides of the cottage with various types of moss, seed pods, pine cones, flowers etc.
I took the Fairy Cottage to Willow this morning and she fell in Love with it! She was so Excited that I had made this just for her! She immediately took it into her room and put it on her dresser.....and then set out to find a seashell to use for a bowl , so she could gather food and supplies to leave in her cottage for tonight when the "fairies" come to visit!
Willow will know they stopped by to visit........because as we all know.....the fairies will take the food and  leave behind a glitter trail that she will find in the morning!
This may not be the greatest most artisistic thing I have ever created with my scrapbook supplies..........but it Is one that I am Most proud of......and one Willow will Cherish for a long time to come!

And as the seasons come and go, here's something you might like to know. There are fairies everywhere: under bushes, in the air, playing games just like you play, singing through their busy day. So listen, touch, and look around - in the air and on the ground. And if you watch all nature's things, you might just see a fairy's wing. ~Author Unknown