Paper a la Mode

Moving...

2011-11-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

Visit my new blog: http://www.haloandmeme.com/

Spring Cricut Cartridge April Showers

2011-03-26T14:03:00.001-07:00

A few items I've recently had fun creating for the craft booth with the new Spring Cricut Cartridge called April Showers. It's one of the limited edition carts and it's oh so cute!

Pretty Hand Dyed Ribbon

2011-02-05T16:08:00.001-08:00

From a secret admirer!!! Isn't it gorgeous! I can't wait to use some of this lusciousness on projects and card. Thank you Jenn and Holly!

Valentine Projects

2011-02-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

A few heart day happenings from my craft room. I've been on a altering kick this week hiding from the frigid weather.

Christmas Decor

2010-12-02T08:57:00.001-08:00

Wow. What happened to November? Time is just flying by. We had the family for Thanksgiving it was so much fun and so nice to see everyone!!! We ate wonderful food, gave thanks and played silly board games. A fun night was had by all.

I spent the weekend Decorating for Christmas eating leftovers and staying away from shopping centers. Here is a few pictures of this years decorations:

Halloween Decorating

2010-10-03T09:41:00.001-07:00

Doing a little Spooky decorating this weekend. Going for a Spooky Apothecary theme on this table and I think I need to make a few spooky tags for the jars telling of the scary contents. Next I'll be working on the dining room for the Witches Tea I'm hosting the end of the month. More to come...

Halloween ATCs

2010-09-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

These are my ATCs for a local swap with my scrapping buddies. Usually I make my ATC sets all the same but this time I went a little crazy. It's Halloween after all.
My craft room now looks like a mad scientist lives there.
For the background of the cards I used a Tim Holtz technique with ink, water mister, craft mat and a heat gun.
Other Techniques Used:
Heat embossing, Cricut cartridge October 31, stickles, lots of stamping and other odds and ends. Charms from http://www.acharmingplace.com/

Halloween Banner

2010-09-22T08:10:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post about the banner I've been working on. Really fun and quick project to put together for your Spooky Festivities!

Cricut Cartridges used: Oct. 31, Storybook, Straight from the Nest, Pumpkin Carving

Papers are from the DCWV Midnight Spell stack and Simply Lux

Punches used for borders and embellishments are from EK Success and Martha Stewart

2010-09-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

Haunted Masks
Things are getting creepy around here already! Here are a couple of masks I have been working on. I started with a plain paper mache skeleton mask from Michaels. Painted and then decoupaged with stamped (stazon ink)tissue paper spritzed with a little Glimmer Mist and embellished with creepy black roses, netting and ribbon and other spooky odds and ends.

2010-09-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary

To my little sister and her sweet husband. Love you guys!

K&Company Jubilee paper, Land of Enchantment clip art, Recollections pearl bling

2010-09-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Getting Halloweeny

It's chilly here this morning,the leaves are just starting to change here, a perfect morning for a fall themed post!

I have been working on this Halloween themed 7 Gypsies Printers Tray simultaneously along with the wedding one, and yesterday I finally finished it! Tons of Cricut Cartridge Oct.31 and Pumpkin Carving cut outs, Marta Stewart embellishments (from her 2 new lines which are adorable and available at Archivers!) and punches (my favorite being the Gothic gate with the tiny bats oh so cute!) Making Memories and DCWV paper, EK success punches, bling a and some vintage odds and ends including a vintage magnifying glass.

2010-09-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

A Closer Look

I won!!! I won!!! My 7gypsies Printers Tray using K&Company's Jubilee line won the Archivers printers tray contest and is heading for Scrap Fest!!! There it will compete with 44 other trays for the grand prize of $500.00!!! I am so excited!

Before I dropped the tray off at Archivers yesterday I took a few detailed pictures. I added a few more pieces of my veil to the tray and I think it turned out super cool. Tearing apart my veil was so liberating! It has sat in a box for years and now it as new life in this keepsake tray. I hope you enjoy a closer look.

2010-09-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

Another Birthday Card
It's a busy birthday month for my girlfriends! So fun! This card is for my friend who like me, loves owls. I used Basic Grey paper, Tim Holtz texture plate, Hampton Arts owl clear stamp, Sizzix flourish die.

2010-08-27T20:50:00.001-07:00

More K&Company Jubilee

I am so in love with this line.

2010-08-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

7 Gypsies Printers Tray and K&Company Jubilee
My busy summer has finally settled, leaving me some crafty time! I've busy in my studio and need to update this blog with all the projects. This morning I made this Printers Tray for a contest at Archivers. All of the papers and embellishments are from K&Company's new Jubilee line. I can not say enough wonderful things about this line. Every single piece of paper is a work of art. I just adore it! I also used a small piece of tulle from my veil. It's was fun after 20 years to do something different with our wedding memories. I can't believe I've been married that long.

2010-07-14T07:15:00.001-07:00

Altered Tin Swap

I wanted to share some of my tins from the swap that I'm in this month on 2Peas. I did 10 (only 5 are shown) and they are all decorated inside and out and then stuffed with tiny treasures. My favorite is the Halloween tin. It turned out so cute and made me ready for Autumn! I can't wait to go pick out big gorgeous orange pumpkins for my porch!

Papers I used Basic Grey, Tim Holtz, the new Basic Grey basics, and clip art I purchased from http://www.etsy.com/shop/sabinesydney She has wonderful stuff! All the gems and bling were set with my new I-Rock tool. It's awesome.

2010-06-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

I've been on a decorating binge.

It started with cute new curtain panels for the family room from World Market, and has snowballed into new drapes for 4 other rooms! How does that work? I found some awesome decorator fabric on clearance at Wal Mart for $4.98 a yard and I couldn't pass it up. It's the perfect red and I love the pattern. I stitched up these simple panels in about an hour. Didn't even use an iron. Don't tell my grandmother.

New curtain panels are an easy way to freshen your decor. I love looking for deals on yardage of fabric for panels, sometimes I don't even sew. Fold and clip, or swag and hot glue? I've done it! About 3 yards per panel is what I figure considering my rod heights, that also gives me extra yardage to puddle on the floor so I don't have to hem.
WM can be a great resource for fabric. Unfortunately I think most stores are getting rid of their fabric section. So keep you eyes open for some great deals right now. (Don't go walking through WalMart with your eyes closed like you usually do.)

2010-06-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Altered Frame

Saturday my scrapbook group had an "Altered Frames and Fondue" night, we all worked on frames and dipped stuff into chocolate and cheese. It was awesome! All 9 girls made wonderful artistic frames. I wish I could show you them all, every last one was truly amazing. I did have to endure a little ribbing that night for having a mini bird nest and tiny eggs in my scrapbook tote, but what can I say. Hehe!

Here are a few pictures of my finished frame. I used K and Company and 7 gypsies paper, Tim Holtz tattered flower die and some other little odds and ends. I'm planning on adding some Altered Frames to my Etsy shop soon.

2010-06-10T19:02:00.001-07:00

Book Thong Swap

Started working on my book thongs today for the 2Peas swap I am hosting this month. These are so much fun and so easy to make. It's a great craft for using left overs from other projects and easy enough for kids! You just need ribbon, ribbon end crimps, assorted beads, buttons, charms, jump rings, wire and your basic jewelry tool kit.
Happy summer reading!

2010-06-09T16:35:00.001-07:00

Mystery Challenge!

Saturday night one of the girls in my Meeet Up Scrapbook group handed me a wonderful little goodie bag full of oddities for a Mystery Challenge. We were to come up with a project featuring some of the items in the bag. I knew the project would have to be grunge/Tim Holtz inspired when I pulled out the first red wire with silver connectors. Here is the finished project.

2010-05-29T13:38:00.001-07:00

New Finds At Michaels!!!

I was so enamored by these new charms and findings at Michaels today. It took me back to digging through my Grandpa's "junk drawer" for little treasures. I just had to come home with a few to add to some of my mini albums. But I also came home with some great inspiration for making my own "junk charms" from things around the house and garage.
Tutorial to come!!!

2010-05-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy moving and reorganizing my studio. It's close to being done and I wanted to give you a little sneak of how it is turning out. The book case is an Expedit from Ikea. I love it!

2009-12-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009

Here's a little of what we've been up too this holiday season!

2008-12-18T06:54:00.000-08:00

The $10 Snow Village

I started with 5 messily painted little village houses I found at WM for $1. I've seen these garish knock off Christmas houses at everywhere this year. Even thrift stores, garage sales and drug stores. I decided to do an all white snow village but the possibilities are endless. How about a pastel pink or blue glittered village for a little girls room? So cute!

To do this project you will need:

Village houses and trees
1 can of grey primer
1 can of flat white or off white paint
small bottle of acrylic white pearl paint (found in the craft paint section)
glitter fine clear or white
Glass glitter such as diamond dust
Faux snow flake
glue to adhere glitter (I used marthas brand)

Prime all pieces let dry, spray each house white and let dry over night. As soon as the paint is nice and cured you can glitter each piece. I dry brushed my houses with some pearl paint before I used the glitter for a little extra depth. Apply the glue in sections and sprinkle with glitter. I did the fine stuff first and then went back with the diamond dust in some sections. Spritz with a watered down aging solution if you want a vintage look. (aging solution can be as simple as burnt umber acrylic paint and water in a spritz bottle, Tattered Angles has a line of glitter mist that have pigments and sparkle. Very cool stuff.) Seal with clear sealant if desired.

The Church was a experiment with aging solution. Now that it is finished I kind of like the vintage looked of it. I will probably go back in and try to duplicate the look with the other pieces. First I need to buy back ups in case the aging project goes awry.

I arranged my snow village in cloches but of course villages look wonderful anywhere and they don't need to cost a fortune to be a lovely addition to your holiday decor.

2008-12-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

Kimba is Having a Holiday Home Tour Party

Click above or on the link on my sidebar to join in the festivities!

Here is a little unfinished holiday cheer from my foyer. I still have an advent calendar garland sitting in my workroom waiting to be strung on the banister. It's a little late for that, don't you think? Oh well, maybe I'll throw it up there today and pretend we've been playing along since Dec. 1.

For the foyer table I re-purposed my wire Halloween tree and wrapped a piece of plywood and a town house cracker box for the faux presents. That was my "green living" move of the week. Sweet eh?

These are actual real gifts I stacked here because I'm sick of my bedroom looking like an elf yakked up.

Tomorrow I'll show you my finished thrifty snow village. Don't forget to join the Holiday fun over at Kimbas.

2008-12-12T18:09:00.001-08:00

Hey...It's been awhile. I felt so bad abandoning this silly little blog for more than two months I almost gave it up, the whole blogging thing that is. I'm flighty lately and I've kind of retreated into myself a bit after everything that has happened the last few months. It just feels safer I guess.

Well, all it took to put me back in the mood was visiting a few of my favorite blogs, yours. I am so inspired by all of you and your beautiful projects and homes. So here is a little peek at what I have been up to the last few weeks.

I promise to be better about posting here and visiting you all. I also promise to share a fun snow village I am working on made from some serious ugly ceramic houses I found for a dollar, spray paint, glitter and my cloche.

Check back soon!!!

2008-10-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Finding My Peace

Our trip was wonderful. I laughed and cried, found time to be a kid, and time to be totally with my kids. It was truly healing. While we did spend the majority of our trip at Disneyland, we also found a few days to venture out and see some of my favorite Southern California sites. My favorite, and a place that I wish I could spend days and days taking in, is the Mission at San Juan Capistrano.

The only way I can explain the Mission it is that it is amazingly alive. You can feel and connect to an incredible array of energy, past and present, happiness and sorrow, struggle and calm. It's all there and it envelopes you as soon as you step foot through its 4 foot wide adobe walls.

The fountains and gardens were so inspiring. These gold, green and red, lily pads were my favorite. The huge brightly colored Koi fish were icing on the cake. Everywhere we walked there were artists painting on small canvases and easels. They painted pictures of of small sections of the old adobe walls with their amazing patinas, doors, arches, fountains and gardens.

The tiny Church was gorgeous. The oldest part dating from 1777. The richly decorated Spanish architecture was awe inspiring, the colors took my breath away. You can tell with no uncertainty it has been well loved over the years.

I took over 100 pictures that day with my silly little 100 dollar point and shoot. I was burning it up! It was easy to do.

The 300 year old Baroque Alter is from Spain. Brought from Barcelona about 1806 its 196 parts are hand carved and gold leafed.

As much fun as we all had I'm glad to be back to my haven, my home, and am really looking forward to the Holidays. We didn't do holidays when I was growing up due to my parents religious beliefs. Let's just say I feel like I'm making up for lost time now. :) I have mental lists a mile long of all the projects and baking and fun I want to do. See you soon!

2008-10-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

We are off for a week at the Happiest Place on Earth for some fun, laughter and maybe a few moments of being a kid again. I love all the holiday decorations at Disneyland, I always come home inspired. Look for some fun projects to come next week. See you soon!!!

2008-10-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Wire Halloween Tree

Hi everyone! First I want to thank you all for your prayers and support, it truly kept me sane during these last few days. I loved opening my email every day to so many loving thoughts and stories. Blog land is so wonderful that way!

Things are slowly getting back to normal, and I have been trying to keep busy. My version of the Glitter Lady's wire tree is done and is sporting some scary ghouls, ghosts, ribbons and spiders. I am working on few more spooky items to add to this display. I'll share them another day.

Here is the finished TV nook. We found a buffet that fit perfect and I really like how it turned out. These nooks can be tricky and expensive to find furniture for. Once I finally stopped looking for an "entertainment center" there were all kinds of furniture pieces to choose from.

2008-10-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a brutal, confusing, heartbreaking 4 days. My Mother passed from an accidental drug overdose, yesterday at about 11:30 in the afternoon. 19 hours after we made the decision to take her off life support. My sister, brother, grandfather, and Dad were all with her.

My sister Kristen and I arrived in Santa Barbara California on Sunday afternoon, at that time Mom had been on life support for approximately 24 hours. In the ICU we were greeted by a group of apparent drug addicts (one of which claimed to be her husband) all giving us their condolences "I'm so-and-so I knew your Mother...I'm so sorry". My mind was screaming, my head feeling as if it would explode at any second. "You don't know my mother!! You don't even know her name!!" I wanted to scream it a thousand times into their faces. I wanted to claw their lieing, smug, unfeeling eyes right out of their sockets. I wanted to kick and punch and pummel all of them into tiny little pieces of blackness. Instead, I smiled a pain filled smile, acknowledged their pain and went on.

My 90 year old Grandfather (sharp as a tack yet far to trusting) had been sucked into my Mothers illness, believing and using her excuses to protect her. Right off the bat, before we had even had a chance to see her, he blamed my sister and I for abandoning her. His denial, made my head spin, it enraged me, it hurt me to the core.

Kristen and I were shown into her room alone. As soon as I saw her I knew she was no longer with us, I didn't feel her energy or spirit I didn't feel the deep deep anguish and pain she carried. As broken as she was she still had a very strong life force that I was very connected too. My first reaction was the feeling of wanting to pull all of the machines off of her. To see her reduced to a machine breathing for her was surreal. The sound of it is still ringing in my head. It's amazing the quantity and variety of emotions that goes through you at times like these. Minutes feel like hours, there is no night or day, no month or year. It's like a vortex, a tunnel. You see nothing around you except for the things you are profoundly paying attention to. Everything is deafening and silent, you can't see your face in the mirror, you can't taste yet food tastes so wrong. I think it's an alternate universe. I think you can forget to breath.

After we were given some time with Mom, we starting the process of sorting through the facts, establishing who she was, her birth date, her history. The people that had brought her in had not know her but for a few months. And had unknowingly giving false information, they knew her as "Summer Choura" 45 years old. Her name is Debra Keating 53 years old. I think she had been using aliases and false identities to be able obtain the Morphine she was so desperately addicted to.

Family started arriving, her sisters, brothers and their spouses. My mom was the baby of the family. The youngest of 4. The room just spun as I tried to explain her addiction to her family, she had thought she had hidden it so well, however almost every single person I spoke with had some idea of her troubles. And all where not surprised she had finally lost her life to them.

I had decided before I got there I was not going to play into the despair of losing her and that I had to for myself be very real about who she was to me. Make no mistake, I am in a great deal of pain after losing my Mom. But there is also a sense of relief, knowing where she is and that she no longer lives in pain, that shes not cold or lonely, that maybe now she knows how much we all love her and only wanted her to live a sober healthy life.

I walked out of the Hospital yesterday after she took her last labored breath and went straight to the airport. I am done. I didn't say goodbye to anyone, I didn't hug my family, I didn't look back.

As she lay dieing I did all that I needed to do, I said everything I needed to say, I brushed her hair, and listened to her heartbeat, I laid my head on chest, kissed her eyes, smelled her hair, held her hand. I read her my favorite poem, I prayed. I was there when they took the tubes out and she labored and moaned, coughed, and gagged. I rubbed her legs and told her to let go and that the next time life will have a better one.

Well this update turned into more of a jumbled ranting emotional journal, so I will stop. There is much more to share, and I will. There is an criminal investigation that goes along with this story too, but I'm finding that part something I can't do right now. I'm glad there are people in my family that can. But for me, it doesn't matter in this moment. She made the decision to be in the situation she was, and unfortunately she paid the biggest price.

She lost her life at 53, alone in a house full of strangers.

Thanks to everyone who was thinking and praying for us. I could feel all of you and it fed me. It kept me focused and strong. I can't thank you enough for that.

2008-09-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

My Mom's heart stopped this morning, she is on life support. She is only 53. We have been estranged for over a year, and have had a strained abusive relationship my whole life. This is incredibly difficult.

I'm leaving in the morning. any prayers or good thoughts would be so appreciated. I'm just numb right now and have a long journey ahead.

2008-09-11T09:04:00.001-07:00

What I want to be Doing VS. What I have to Do

Isn't that tree darling?!?! I saw Laurie Davis the Glitter Fairy show Martha Stewart how to make it on her show and have been obsessing over it ever since. You can watch the segment on Martha's website in the link above. I went out and bought the wire and have been formulating my plan. I decided on black wire instead of copper so I hope I can make it work. I can't wait to show you!

For the last three days I've been doing the "have to do" instead of the "want to do" projects. We finally found a furniture piece for our TV that fit perfectly into the TV nook. I have been searching for 4 years! So I'm jazzed to finally be able to paint the nook and get it all put together. I ended up with a sideboard instead of a entertainment center. It just seemed more practical as quickly as technology changes and TVs become obsolete. I wanted something that would work other places in the house, and certainly didn't want to be stuck with a $4000.00 entertainment center that wouldn't fit new components in 5 years. Been there done that.
Here is a little peek of the sideboard and my painting project. I'll update tomorrow with the finished nook and hopefully my finished wire tree!

2008-09-10T14:16:00.001-07:00

Objectionable Pretend Plants

Hop on over to the Nesting Place to see what all the hub bub is about! It's a party, you know you want to...

Here is a sampling of my (Fall) Objectionable Pretend Plants.

A urn of fall leaves/abandoned nest in the dining room.

If I still lived in California where produce and flowers are plentiful and cheap. I probably wouldn't do fakes. Paying $3.99 for one pomegranate, $1.99 for a lemon or ten bucks for a small bunch of sunflowers about kills me when I think back to my childhood. I grew up in a town where we could walk out the kitchen door to gather lemons and eucalyptus for an arrangement. I miss that.

A little fall arrangement on the book shelf in the family room.

Here in the mountains it's different. Lots of pine cones, bark and rocks, which I do use in a lot of my displays and arrangements. I love to add found items to my decor. Especially stuff brought home to me by my boys. It just makes the room extra special and cozy.

I do have a few rules for the fakes that I pick, and I happen change and redo the fake flowers a lot. Pretty much instead of dusting them I rework, toss or redo. I guess it works out to be every couple of months or so. Another rule I have is to not have them on every surface, or make them to big. I don't like them to be a focal point of the room. Just a textured accent.

So there you have it! My fabulous excuses for using faux flowers and plants. Don't forget to go to the Nesting Place and join the party!

2008-09-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

Different Door Hanging

I decided the porch was on fake fall foliage overload with the addition of the pumpkin topiary earlier this week. I still wanted something for the door because it just seemed naked without a little something. I went shopping (you all know how much I hate shopping, Hobby Lobby especially *hee*) for a welcome sign and couldn't find one I liked.

I did however find a metal initial that I thought would be perfect with some ribbon, raffia, beaded twigs and a little nest. It turned out really sweet! I like that it's something maybe a little unexpected. You may even have an initial laying around your house just waiting to be re purposed as a door hanging.

2008-09-05T13:03:00.001-07:00

Mr. Hobby Lobby is Loving Me This Week.

Yes he is...

I've been in there everyday this week. I went to two different ones on Wednesday. I need an intervention.

When you need some fall stuff you need some fall stuff. What can I say? I did take inventory of my fall decor stock before I went so I wouldn't over do it. The ceramic pumpkins are all I purchased new for this foyer table. Hubby dropped the box of years past pumpkins when we were bringing them out of storage. Every single one broke, I was so sad and he felt horrible.
It was nice that they all had been purchased for 90% off two years before so it wasn't a huge loss. But it's still sad when innocent ceramic pumpkins go to waste.

I'll probably regret this but, I have to brag on the 58 degree sweater weather we are having today! I even turned on the heater *gasp* this morning. Have a wonderful weekend!

2008-09-04T06:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Fall

Hi everyone!!!! Sorry I've been such a bad blogger lately. Getting three teenage boys back into the swing of school, homework, and waking up at 6:00am has proven to be a bit more than I could handle. Anyone have a xanax?

It feels like Fall! I've caught the fall decorating bug and am buzzing around changing everything for the coming season. I wanted to share my recycled Pumpkin Topiary with you all. It's been around for 3 Autumns and I think this may be it's last. The excessive use of hot glue is finally showing. I fluffed it up with a few new fall picks, a bit more moss and gave it a go. We will see if it will weather the Fall wind storms. I may be chasing after it in my bunny slippers at 6:30 in the morning. The neighbors can only hope.

I hope everyone is enjoying the new school year and hopefully you can feel the promise of Fall in the tiny bit of crispness in the air.

2008-07-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

Gone Fishing...See you soon.

2008-07-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

Some new Jewelry for my "Ugly" Buffet

This little depression era buffet is one of my favorite pieces. When I found her and her little brother "China Cabinet" at the Goodwill 8 years ago they were ugly brown, sad, chipped and 50% off. Even so, I could tell they were sturdy and they reminded me of my Grandma. When my hubby and brother in law went to pick them up for me I think they were a little repulsed. When they moved them in for me they asked "are you sure you want these?" "Yes I want them. They are going to be super cute with a coat of paint." I replied.

Since they have been with me they have been white, red and black. They have been moved, bumped, sanded, chipped and pretty much abused. They are not fancy but they are strong. I love them.

I was at Hob Lob (again, I know, I know) yesterday and I found these great chunky ceramic knobs in a bunch of fabulous colors and shapes and I thought my beloved buffet would look so cute, maybe even a little fresh, dressed in these. So I bought three sets of different shapes in black and cream. They look great with the toile shades.

Aren't they sweet?

Doesn't she look proud?

Maybe now I'll finally paint the dinning room. I am still not sure if I want red or tan. What do you all think?

2008-07-01T10:06:00.001-07:00

Antiquing Mirrors Altering Clearance Finds

I found these scrolly mirror thingys at Hob Lob in the 80% of section. They where not the right color but for six bucks I figured I would use my trusty black spray paint to fix that problem. After I sprayed them and hung them in my room something still wasn't right. The mirrors where way to shinny and where disrupting some sort of Fung Shway. (see how much I know about Feng Shui, I can't even spell it) Bottom line it looked bad. My hubby who pretty much says nothing (smart man) about what I do to the house, even asked "whats up with those mirrors?"
I knew then something had to be done.

I started researching ways to antique or age new mirrors. Surprisingly there was very little free info online about easy ways to do it. I did find a couple of expensive kits. But I wasn't willing to pay $60 dollars and the kits where huge! Tons of steps and chemicals. Not my thing at all. So I decided to use some things I had on hand and see if I could come up with a easy cheap solution. I also wanted to share it with you because frankly I think this is a way better idea than the $60 kits (sorry kit makers) for small decorative items.

This is not an entirely new idea, I've seen glass Christmas ornaments altered with alcohol inks that are gorgeous. I figured the technique would work well on a mirror, after all it's just glass with a reflective backing.

Up There^^^^ is a picture of the things you will need.

1. Tim Holtz Alcohol inks These come in a pack of 4 coordinating colors for about 8.00 Hobby Lobby carries them and they do go on 50% off quite often. I used Black, Mushroom and a Silver metal Mixative. This is fun stuff! Tim Holtz has a cool blog if you want to see the wonderful things he does with his inks.

2. Tim Holtz Blending Solution (plain alcohol works too with a somewhat different effect)

3. Paper towels

4. Old Toothbrush

5. Some felt for application (I had the Tim Holtz stamp felt holder thing so I used that but anything disposable with work for this) Cotton balls work as well.

6. Something to protect the surface you will be working on. This can get a little messy.

Randomly drip your alcohol inks on the mirrors surface. Think random. Don't be scared this can be wiped right off if you don't like it.

This is where you get artistic!
Pounce with paper towel to move ink around and remove some of it from your surface. I like to put a little of the blending solution on my paper towel. Keep adding ink until desired effect is achieved.

Now add some ink to your felt or cotton and pounce kind of like sponge panting. This is where the "faux oxidization" is added. Again just keep adding until it looks right to you.

Squirt some of the blending solution on an old toothbrush and use your thumb to spray the mirror.

It will give you a molted effect.

I went back and added bigger blobs of blending solution with a bit of felt.
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The case of the garishly shiny scrolly mirror is now solved!

Here they are back in the room .

Much better.

2008-06-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

New Paint!

The new Sherwin Williams Artichoke paint is on the walls and I really love it. It totally changed the whole room! So here is a quick tour. I'm still thinking I will paint the bed and armiore, there is a chandelier to paint and hang and the print for over the bed is on it's way. I'm on the hunt for a new chair for the corner. Lots of little things to finish!

2008-06-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Another Ugly Art Re-Do and "It Doesn't have to be Perfect to be Beautiful" Challenge ala Nester

So I have been redoing my room. I painted and re-did the "Mis-Treatments" this weekend. I ordered a print for over my bed ( for all of you that guessed in my last post you were all SO WRONG!! hehe! I went with the black and white tulip) so I needed to unify the rest of the art in the room. I'm all about re purposing, sure I love to shop and could have gone out and bought new art, but there is something so much more satisfying about a can of black spray paint 3 dollars worth of scrapbook paper from my stash, imperfect frames and a little elbow grease. Call me weird.

Check out Nesters imperfectly perfect challenge and play along you even get a free blinky out of the deal.

If you don't have a weird thing about having brown paper backing all of your art you can do this too! Heck, if you do have a weird thing about brown paper backing just buy yourself a roll of brown paper and hot glue it to the back of the frames. For me it just takes to long (the extra 5 minutes). If I catch anyone peeking behind the art in my house they are officially no longer my friend. Harsh I know.

So take down your art and rip off the brown paper . It feels like Christmas morning. Promise.

Now lift up all the staples holding the cardboard into place and pop out the glass and all. Take them out to the garage and shoot the empty frames with a couple of coats of your favorite black spray paint. Or brush them if you are a brush girl/guy.

Pop your paper and glass back in and you're in business! For some reason this is incredibly exciting to me. Possibly because I am actually using up some of my horrendously large scrapbook stash. I also like that you can't buy these in the store and that they are far from perfect. The brown paper is no more...

***Click here for info/where to buy the paper I used***

What do you think of the green paint? I love the way it turned out it really warmed up the room. I'll post lots of pictures when I get it all back together.

2008-06-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

I decided to buy a new print for the square frame above my bed. AllPosters.com has an amazing selection, but if you are anything like me you get overwhelmed with 37 bazillion choices. I narrowed my search by using their advanced search feature. A floral or botanical 28"x28". Ahhh much better, only 3 bazillion choices.

So which do you think I picked to go in my new Black and White Master Bedroom? The black and white tulip or the red tulip with the black and white scrollies?

2008-06-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

I Have Decorating A.D.D and a Can of Black Spray Paint

and I'm not afraid to use it...

I'm pretty sure I have some sort of decorating disorder. I never stay on task. Yesterday the family room, today my sons room and my room at the same time, tomorrow who knows.

Anyways... I need some help. Not so much for my decorating disorder, but for the two little thrift store 1.99 shelves I hung on either side of my window in my bedroom (another work in progress the bedroom...sigh. Things to Do: pick a color and paint the room, paint the bed, find new art for the frame, paint frame black, find gorgeous and cheap black chandelier to replace fan, new chair for the corner, on and on and on)

What should I put on them? The shelves. Symmetric? Yes? No? Tall? Black or a pop of color? Floral? Wreaths? Tell me! Show me! I bought two orchids but they didn't fit. I'm at a loss.

And while I'm at it I'll show off my Mistreatments I threw together on Sunday, in about an hour with a few yards of black and cream toile, that I still want to fiddle with to make right.

Saturday's yard saleing was a bust. Oh well, there's always next week.

2008-06-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Junk Sale Season

I'm not normally a Yard Sale girl. I have hang ups about it I guess. I rather like the anonymity of thrift stores and the fact everything is in one place, no haggling, yadda yadda. Well I think I may be changing mind mind set.

The area of town called "Old Farm" is having their community yard sale this weekend complete with hot air balloon rides starting Saturday. It's an lovely older established area. I ran over there this morning to see if anything struck my fancy, and boy oh boy did my fancy get struck!

I found this vintage red ladder for my porch. 4.00.

This vintage Tulip quilt 10.00.

and this crock for 3.00.

This was only one sale. I also found a pair of vintage glass lamps with shades of 4.00 and all kinds of other goodies that I will have to post later. Guess where I will be going first thing tomorrow morning.

2008-05-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

1.99 Thrift Store Finds

Gussying up my front porch with a few thrift store finds. I put a fresh coat of black paint on my old bench and dug out a few things I had tucked away for summer. These embroidered (crewel maybe?)Pottery Barn pillow covers where a steal at the Goodwill for a $1.99 each. I used some feather pillow inserts I had on hand and just popped them in a trash bag before inserting them. I also added a few rocks so they don't blow away in the wind. It has been crazy windy here!

The vintage cotton tatted (is that what it's called?) tablecloth was 1.99 too! I'm usually not a lace girl but I liked the texture. I'm thinking I will dye it red with some Rit.

I still need to add potted flowers to the yard, I had a little bit of sticker shock this week at the nursery. The price of flowers has really gone up compared to last year. Is it that way in your area too?

It will be a cozy spot for my morning coffee. I hope everyone has had a nice week. My youngest and I are off to see Speed Racer at the IMAX. Should be fun!!!

2008-05-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Big Lots...I Love You

Susie left me a comment yesterday that in fact Big Lots may have the same Black and white pillows I am searching for. So of course I had to go check. The pillows were no where to be found but I did find some wonderful deals on my favorite brand of scrapbooking supplies.
I have loved this ribbon since I saw it a year ago at a swanky scrapbook store but just couldn't spend full price of 12.00. I'm a cheap-o.

I thought all this stuff would be neat for some home decor projects. Not just scrapbooks, oh no.
I can see these book plates on some of my storage boxes.

And maybe a little piece of painted chipboard on a picture frame.
Bargains are so much fun!

2008-05-27T09:40:00.001-07:00

Working on Our Outdoor Space

I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend. We have been busy working outside setting up our outdoor living spaces. I will be planting and planting next, our last frost is usually the end of May up here in the mountains. The growing season is only about 4 or 5 months long. A heck of a lot different than my native Southern California weather. I do miss the that and the ocean.

This is the patio space right off the kitchen/family room. I want it to blend with the inside so I'm keeping it neutral and adding color with flowers. I 'll post pictures when I get all of my pots planted.

I'm on a search for another of this pillow. Tues. Morn only had one and I couldn't resist.

This table I used in the dining room for a while. I love having things I can re purpose and use in other spaces. It could be a desk or large sofa table too. Since it is a indoor table it doesn't have the little hole in the middle for a umbrella so we found a really cool offset umbrella for shade. I'll get some photos of it all set up later on. I'm off to the nursery for red geraniums and ivy.

2008-05-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

I was excited to find this brown trunk at the Goodwill this week. It has lots of cool stickers from different hotels and great red monogram letters on both ends. Still trying to work out what I want on top and on the wall above them. The mirror isn't doing it for me. I added a apothecary jar full of shells and other natural materials some books, pictures of the boys and a chippy lamp.

Changing the accessories in the dinning room for a lighter summer look. My weekend painting plans where put on the back burner because the pond took the whole weekend to fix. Maybe this weekend I'll get it done. I found the great Toile lamp shades at Tuesday Morning for a song. I also bought burlap for the window treatments. Yes burlap! It is going to look neat I promise. I'm going to add some fringe from my stash so the burlap looks fancy. hehe.

Wishing you all a safe and fun holiday weekend!

2008-05-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I'll be back to post the promised pictures in a little bit but I wanted to share some Blogs I have recently stumbled upon that have got me wanting to move to Sweden or at least sell everything i own and decorate my house in this Swedish Country style. How in the world are they able to make so much white so absolutely warm and inviting?!?! If I didn't have three teenage boys 2 dogs and a car loving husband I would have white everything!!!

http://lillablanka.blogspot.com/

http://vitahjartan-anna.blogspot.com/

http://vitaranunkler.blogspot.com/

http://www.underenvind.blogspot.com/

I hope you find some inspiration too. I know I did!

Oh and to answer a couple of questions, the lemons are "faux" from Home Goods, the table I sprayed first then brushed, my kitchen is Sherwin Williams Totally Tan and I am definitely going to look into windows Live Writer.

2008-05-21T08:06:00.001-07:00

A Short One on What I've Been Up To

Besides moving rocks, diggin holes and hauling sand. I've....

found another vintage trunk!!!

And Painted an ugly table. I'll be back with a long one later on today. Blogger is being fussy about my pictures this morning.

2008-05-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Finally Feeling Better
*UPDATED 5/16 PICTURES AT BOTTOM*

Today I am finally on the upswing from the horrible neck thing. Yay. I'm so exhausted from lack of sleep, and trying to get caught up on all the house stuff that gets neglected when Mom is sick. I was so happy to go do a little thrifting today. I started a little plate display/collection on the kitchen wall, on either side of the window. It's a work in progress and I've already changed and rearrange since I took these pictures but I thought I would share my process.

Reasonably priced brown transferware has proven a bit elusive around here. So I mixed it with some creamware and vintage silver. I'm liking the bit of glimmer and texture the silver gives.

In the end I put 4 plates on either side of the window. Mixing silver, ceramics, size and shape while try to keep it uniform. I'll post pictures of the finished wall tomorrow.

The little finial thingy in the center of the table was another junk store find for $4.00. I haven't decided where to put it yet, so it's kind of hanging out on the table while I make up my mind. I bought the table and 6 chairs off CraigsList for 150.00 in November. It is in like new condition has big chunky chairs and a great "shabby" finish. I love CraigsList.

I decided to paint my dining room "totally tan". So that is on the to-do list for the weekend. We also need to work on our little goldfish pond in the backyard it has seemed to have developed a leak. It should be a busy weekend. I hope you all are having a lovely week!

*UPDATE*

Here are the promised pictures of the finished (for now) display. I can't seem to figure out how to get a decent picture of the whole wall because of the window glare. Anyone have any photog tips for me??

2008-05-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

The More is More Mantle and My Favorite $3.00 Thrift Store Find

Texture is the word of the day. The more the better I say. I go through phases in my decorating style and I'm definitely in a more is more kind of phase right now. To facilitate this multi-decorating personality of mine I do a lot of bargain shopping. Thrift stores are a fav right now. Funny thing is 6 months ago you couldn't pay me to go to a Junk shop or thrift store. Now I find myself doing just that 2 or 3 times a week.

A little red pot stuffed with greens, feathers and a tiny rusty watering can. A stack of old books with peely edges and worn pages.

A chunky obelisk with chippy plaster and a weather worn vintage bird cage.

A shiny obelisk for a bit of bling, 100 year old books for texture and height and a chunky ceramic rooster.

I have been searching for some antique ceiling tin to cover the "builders choice" tile surround that I don't like. Of course it needs to be cheap and chippy, and I will probably install it with Velcro. You know so I can change it in about 3 months. As I type this I am feeling the need to switch out the round mirror for something else. But my neck still hurts so that will have to wait.

My favorite $3.00 thrift store find are these sconces.

They are chippy, rusty and romantic.

Normally I would have passed on these being a little too on the foofy side for me. But with the texture and age they blend in very well and don't seem overdone.

2008-05-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

Motherhood is pricedOf God,
at price no man may dare
To lessen or misunderstand.
~Helen Hunt Jackson

"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother."
-- Albert Einstein

Happy Mothers Day

2008-05-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

I' m Fussy and Drugged

I awoke at 6:00 am with a stiff neck and lopsided shoulders. I had plans today, big plans!!! I was getting together a garage sale for tomorrow and I had projects to do and things to make! Instead I'm stuck on the couch with a pillow propping my head in a semi comfortable position. Ugh. I hate this. Thank goodness I had a left over pain pill from my last stiffy. It barely knocks the edge off and just makes me loopy.

So I thought I'd post a picture of my happy place. My black and white studio where I really wish I could be right now. Hopefully this dang neck thing will let up soon and I can get busy. Someone send over a masseur would ya?

2008-05-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

Rush Street Pillows

I had about 2 hours this morning to sew some pillows for the family room. I reused the old pillows, the left overs from the mistreatments project and some coordinating fabric from my stash. Most of which I bought out of the 50% off remnants bin. Because I reused the old pillows some of my new ones are a little lumpy and a couple are a little flat. But they look used and loved and that is exactly what they should look like in a family room. Don't you think?

I try to buy neutral materials for my projects when I find them on sale and keep a stash. Things like nubby cotton fabric in neutrals, tan and blacks, off white matelasse and trims. It makes it really easy and inexpensive to change things when the feeling hits. Which in my case is quite often. So for a few dollars I have a nice fresh look on my dark, not so fresh, very used sofa.

My favorite pillow is the one with the raggedy frayed raw edges. It was the easiest one to do. I didn't even have to turn the fabric inside out. The pillow with the tea pot and number 1 are dishcloths I ordered from Sadie Olive a few weeks ago. Pillows are one of my favorite cozy touches to add to rooms and so easy to "do it yourself."

2008-05-05T15:23:00.001-07:00

Lighter Brighter Misteatments

I admit it. Even though I took out the sewing machine and not the glue gun, these windows are definitely mistreated. I left some of the edges RAW. It looks darn good too! They really brighten and lighten the room. If it wasn't for Nester I would be sitting here with massive guilt about my raw edges. But I like her philosophy of "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." I'm a believer Nester!

Had a hard time getting some good shots because of the glare so I'll take more pictures when I get the rest of the room pulled together. Still have some pillows to sew and things to move around.

Check out this post to see Marie's fabulous Mistreatments.

The red trunk is coming together. I have added a couple of vintage suitcases, a long mirror and a chippy chair. Maybe it needs a lamp?

Hope everyone is having a good Monday. It's nice here and everything is blooming. I love this time of year.

2008-05-02T16:38:00.001-07:00

Phase One of Lightening Up the Family Room

Turned out a little more summerish than springish, but I like it. It feels light and fresh just how I wanted.

Pretty much everything I used is thrift store/junk shop finds. I found the gorgeous Staffordshire plates with amazing patina for 3.00 a piece. I am so in love with them. I wish they would have had dozens of pieces. I would have bought every last one.

The gravy boat was my Great Grandmothers given to me by my Grandmother on my wedding day 17 years ago. Until today I have never displayed it. Sadly my Grandmother is in the last few weeks of her life and I am so happy to be able to look at this piece of her everyday.

The bird cage I bought last week. It fit perfectly on the shelf just like I was hoping it would. I used some old books for color and the shells for texture. I most likely will be moving things around a bit more as I walk by it. I can't leave stuff alone to save my life. The curtains are next on the list. Hopefully I can get a good start on them tonight.

As for the red trunk, it is a work in progress. I need to do some collecting of accessories for it. I need a short, chubby, ratty lamp and maybe another trunk to set on top. I'm also considering putting some legs on it to raise it up a bit.

Hope everyone is having a fab Friday!

2008-04-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

Sneak Peek

I only had time to snap a couple of pictures before it got dark. It was pretty funk-a-lish-ous straight out of the back of my Tahoe. Somehow it looked cleaner in my excitement and the harsh florescent lighting of the ARC. Never fear, I can look past funk to coolness. After a oil soap and bleach bath. Not me the trunk. It felt better. Me not the trunk. And moved it into the family room. The room that I posted yesterday that I am refreshing for Spring.

I'm head over heels for the patina on it. It's looks to have been painted quite a few times, there is chippy black, white and aqua green paint, it also has great texture and tears on top . The inside is neat too. I'll get pictures tomorrow when I get it all cute-ed up.

2008-04-30T14:08:00.001-07:00

Oh My GOODNESS!!!!

I received three of these Arte y pico Awards today from some of my most favorite blog friends! I feel so special!!! Thank You Mrs. B, Jo, and Darla! You guys inspire me so much with your beautiful homes and abundant creativity. I am honored.

Here are the rules for the award: (Let's see how bad I can mess this up. I am a terrible rule follower)
1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award. (I know it says this is a rule, but I know not everyone likes to do this, so I won't be upset if you don't.)
4. The award winner and one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. To show these rules.

So I will start with my most favorite Mixed Media Artist.

1. Kelli Nina Perkins She is seriously amazing and I wish I had an ounce of her raw, fearless creativity. She teaches mixed media classes and has been featured in my Favorite magazine Cloth Paper Scissors.The girl can rock some paper beads! I just adore her. Oh and she has the hair-do I wish I was brave enough to have. LOVE her!!

2. Vicki Chrisman another of my artist crushes. She has the sweetest vintage style and her blog is filled to the brim with eye candy, tutorials and wonderful scrapbooking ideas. Everyday! She also is an awesome vintage shopper and finds great things on her shopping trips. ADORE her!

3. Heidi in all her crafty glory. Funny, creative and a fellow Coloradan. Another amazing vintage shopper. I love all of her sweet vintage decorating, collections and vignettes. Be sure to check out her glass glitter eggs. So cute! ADORE her!

4. Suzanne creative yummy family friendly foodie! I love her step by step recipes with lots of pictures. She owned her very own bakery and makes the most adorable flower sugar cookies you have ever seen. LOVE her!!

5. Nester Complete and utter amazingness. She is just plain RAD. Her blog is just plain RAD. What more can I say? LOVE her!!

Shoooeee!! That was hard! I love so many blogs and there are so many amazing bloggers.

Totally off topic but I went thrifting today and found some major coolness, a huge red vintage trunk. I will update with pictures a little later on.

2008-04-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Springtime Restyle

This room is in desperate need of some fresh springtime restyling. It's the most used room in the house. Usually there are kids and dogs flopped all over the furniture. Food wrappers, soda cans, dog toys, pillows all askew. (Have I mentioned I have teenage boys that don't eat at school because apparently it's not cool, so they come home after school and eat everything in the house? Seriously, I buy a rotisserie chicken for after school snacks. It's like living with cavemen.) If you look closely you can see where our puppy chewed the leg of our ugly comfy chair when our backs were turned. Ugh.

I learned long ago to embrace the chaos, to love the little imperfections and to laugh about it. The day will come when my furniture will be pristine and dog hair free, and the house will be silent. I think I may be a little sad when that day comes. For now I will continue to buy my furniture on sale or from garage sales and vacuum my pillows 3 times a day.

So for my spring restyle I have planned some lighter curtains and pillows. I found some great french stripe fabric and a complimentary floral that will make simple panels to clip onto my existing hardware. With a touch of the "fabulous fringe find" from last month I will definitely be mistreating these windows. What is on them now is tablecloths. Nester would be proud.

I would like to try to slipcover the ugly comfy chair from some matelasse coverlets I have stashed from a super clearance sale. If there is one thing I wish I was good at it would be slipcovers. Tight, couture looking slipcovers with fringe. Yes, that would be rad.

I'll be redoing the little display behind my sofa with some lighter accessories. Oh and the mantle, I didn't take a picture, but it needs redone too. I've also been on a hunt for a piece of furniture that will fit perfectly into the "TV hole". Hard thing to find I have found.

For a little Spring decoration inspiration visit HERE for a fabulous Spring mantle display, HERE for and super sweet family picture display wall and HERE for a darling Springy display bin that I bet you could put together with things from around your house.

So I'm off to go get my hair done and do a little shopping. I'll update my Spring redo later on this week.

Wishing you a happy Spring day!

2008-04-24T18:20:00.001-07:00

Fly

If I were a bird I would only pick the most beautiful scraps from a quilters cast offs. Spend my days rummaging through a knitters trash. I would fly miles and miles for just the right color of straw and steal buttons off a pretty lace shirt hanging out to dry. Only the softest cotton fuzz would make it into my nest and tiny strips of my favorite vintage page.

I decided to play bird and whip up a special nest for some Spring decorating. What special things would your nest be made of?

2008-04-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

Making Your Own Fleece Doggie Toys

We go through tons of toys around here. Our 10 month old English Bulldog loves to tear his toys to smithereens. His favorite is soft toys, cute little bunnies and such. After spending hundreds of dollars over the last 8 months I was getting a little sick of picking up obliterated stuffed lambs from all over the house. So I looked at the toys that seemed to last and decided to make my own with some bargain fabric. You can too! It's super easy and your furry friends will love you, and you may even get a slobbery kiss or two.

I got this idea from a toy I bought at PetSmart a few months back for $11.99. It outlasted every other soft toy I purchased so I figured it was a good one.

Get yourself some fleece. I bought this stuff out of the remnant bin for less than a dollar. I matched the fleece to the dog so they color coordinate. -It's a sickness really, the color coordination thing.

Cut it in 2 inch wide strips length wise. My strips were about 2 inches by 3 feet long.

Tie a knot in the center of 3 fleece strips. I did a triple knot. Knots are the chewy fun part.

Braid both sides. Can you tell I only have boys and never have figured out the art of braiding? It doesn't matter. Dogs don't care if you can braid good or not. They just want treats, toys and cuddles.

Now add some more chewiness with a few more knots. Trim the ends neatly

and give it to your fur buddy. This is Gunner. His mom and dad are named Axle and
Rose.

Hopefully yours will be more excited than mine. This is his pensive look.

and this is his "so ugly it's cute" face.

2008-04-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

A Little JUnKiN

I did a little Spring decor shopping today at my favorite HUGE junk shop. I could spend days in there and never come out. They have vending machines. A girl can survive on Snickers Diet Coke and shopping for at least 3 days right?

Anyways, I found 2 cute little bird cages a sweet lopsided urn with moss and a darling nest. I'll be restyling the shelves in the family room this week with Springish stuff.

On a sad note we have 2 wild fires burning to the east of us today, the winds are making the situation very dangerous. People are being evacuated, homes threatened, people can't get home to get their pets because highway 96 is closed. Please keep my friends and neighbors in your prayers tonight.

2008-04-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

Family Photo Wall

Emma asked "I Am wondering about all your "B"s...that is our family name initial also - will you show what you do with them??? "

So I thought I would share with you my Photo Wall. It was very fun to put together, a little brain drain did happen trying to get all the photos hung and straight. But it was worth it. I started by collecting black frames. I would buy 3 or 6 of thesame kind, when I found them on sale and just tucked them away until I felt like I had enough to complete this large staircase wall. I did the layout on the floor in the living room and took a photo to reference back to while hanging them.

I visited the Pottery Barn How to Create a Wall Display page multiple times while doing this project. A great tip is to add a bit of poster putty to the bottoms of the frames to keep them straight on the wall. With out the putty the whole thing would have been a hot mess in about an hour with the way my boys run down the stairs. Elephants are gentler.

The B's (our last name initial) were added about a month ago. I had always felt like the space needed a little something to balance it out. I purchased the initials at Hobby Lobby, JoAnns and Michaels over about a 2 month period. They were all different finishes so I sprayed them all black to match. They are all made of something different wood, metal, paper mache, and poly resin. All less than $5.00 shopping sales and using coupons.

I like to restyle this wall every season, never moving the photos just adding different elements around them for a different look.

I hope you all are having a lovely Spring weekend!

Hugs~

2008-04-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

Deal of the Week

I know not everyone is gaga over fringe. But in my book this is like the deal of the century. 30+ yards of yummy fringe.

Look at the little aqua colored vintage looking cotton lace isn't it sweet? And the black and tan bouillon fringe isn't it pretty!

Ooooooo. Yummy...Creamy wonderfulness...Is it weird I get this excited about fringe?

Now for the best part...*Drum roll please*

$1.99 a YARD!!! Yes, more than 90% percent off. I did hold myself back from buying all of it. I kindly left some of the purple and orange stuff for others.

2008-04-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

Ugly Art ReDo Part 2
I got everything hung, recovered the canvases that hide my ugly doorbell and thermostat. The canvas recover idea came from the wonderful Nester Queen of "Mistreatments" She is cool, wicked funny AND creative. You simply must visit her blog.

The chalkboard paint worked better on the ugly art than the ugly plaques. I figure with using everything I already had around the house this project only cost about $5.oo for the paint and the little bit of fabric. How cool is that! I really fills up the entry wall and has big impact.

We will be filling the boards up with sayings and stuff in coming few days. I need to find some cute sayings and keep the boys from drawing butts or worse on them. Sadly at 15, and 13 they do stuff like that. *Sigh*

2008-04-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ugly Art ReDO Part 1

When we moved into our new home I kinda went willy nilly with my art choices trying to get stuff on the walls and make it feel homey. Now as I look around I am like "what was I thinking?"

Lately I have been brainstorming about how to reuse some of this "ugly art."

I love the look of the big ole' chalk boards I see in the Pottery Barn and Ballard catalogs. And I really like the idea of having a message center where my crazy funny boys can write silly fun stuff to each other, and where I can scrawl ( with my less than stellar handwriting) random quotes, shopping lists, weekly menu, to do stuff. You get the idea.

So I thought maybe just maybe I could redo my ugly art with a can of chalkboard paint and a couple of cans of spray paint. I did two coats of chalk board paint, it dried really fast and didn't smell up the house at all. This stuff is really neat!

The project went well last night. I actually made a killer pan of Lasagna in between coats of chalkboard paint and spray painting the frames. I love multitasking.

I will post pictures of the finished message center later on today. It's snowy and blustery here today. A perfect day for some decorating projects!

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2008-04-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Thrifting
I wish I knew more about pottery, both these pieces are marked. After a little research I think the green one may be Brush McCoy. The pink one I could not find anything about on the internet. It's marked USA has a number and the initials TP. It's shaped like an egg and has three feet. I think it may have had a lid originally, maybe? Pink and green together is just to perfect together to pass up. Both had a coating of grime that easily cleaned off with a magic eraser. Magic Erasers rock! I paid $4.99 for the green one and $2.99 for the pink. The candle stick is wood and matched the pink and green theme so in the basket it went, it was $1.50.

Aren't the little cherry cocktail napkins the cutest?!? My heart skipped a beat when I saw these. Red and turquoise by far my favorite color combo and the black stitching is adorable. Is it sick I get more excited about a set of vintage cocktail napkins then I do about diamond jewelry?

I see these crochet pieces of lace all the time at thrift stores. I'm not usually to drawn to them but I thought these rectangle ones were cute and would look good framed over a piece of scrapbook paper. I bought 2 at .99 each. I had the frame and scrapbook paper at home, it took me all of 2 minutes to put together. Easy, cheap and cute. That's me!

2008-04-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is my dining room. Have we ever eaten in here? No. Unless you consider walking through the dining room with a mouth full of Cheerios on your way to put in another load of laundry, "eating in the dining room." I use the space mostly for playing with decorating ideas. I call it the "Lab".

I almost painted it red last month. Thank goodness I was to chicken to actually do it. The paint cans and brushes sat on the table mocking me and calling out to me "do it already will ya!!" for at least 3 weeks. I finally had enough and put them away and decided a nice tone of Latte would be better.

Yesterday, I did a display for the buffet that has been painted umpteen times. It didn't turn out as Springish (is that a word?) as I wanted. But I tend to collect things that are a little on the rustic dark side. My favorite color is red, I can't wear it so use it a lot in my house. I probably need a red intervention. Maybe.

2007-07-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

We are off for some fun and relaxation. Have a wonderful Holiday week everyone!

2007-06-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

I've been on a card kick. And making these little paper yo-yo's as I call them. Is majorly addicting. You take 3 sizes of circles, curl the edges add a button with some matching thread and you have a cute little flower embellishment. I think a little inking would be cute on them too.

2007-06-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

We got a little break from the heat this morning, so I decided to open all of the windows and doors and do a little baking. I whipped up Cherry Chip Scones from my new Taste of Home Cookbook. I love this cookbook! Having never made scones before I think they turned out pretty good, and the house smells divine.

Cherry Chip Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons cold butter

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk divided

1 1/3 cups dried cherries

2/3 cup vanilla or white chips

1) In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2) Combine yogurt and 1/4 cup milk; stir into crumb mixture just until moistened. Knead in cherries and chips.

3)on a greased baking sheet, pat the dough into a 9 inch circle. cut into 8 wedges separate wedges. Brush with the remaining milk.

4) Bake at 400* for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

2007-06-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

This card makes me happy. I had so much fun creating the little hand stitched flowers, the day just melted away. I love when that happens. I love getting in the creative zone only to realize there are kids to be fed and messes to clean 3 hours later.

2007-06-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

Gosh it's been a zoo around here the last few weeks. The kids are out of school. Do I need to say more? :) I took some time today to make this little book. I have so many silly, weird, old, bad, and odd pictures of the boys I thought it would be fun to try to put them in a mini album. It's a 6x12 book made from manila file folders, I got the idea from Two Peas Creating Garden. I also made my own printed transparencies with stazon ink because I didn't have and of the cool Hambly Studios ones shown on the tutorial, a girls gotta make due right? The Scenic Route paper is from my June Scraperrie kit. The boys loved the finished book and we all sat around laughing and sharing stories from when they were little. Gotta Love It.

2007-05-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day! My boys treated me to a pancake breakfast on the patio. A snowman with bacon arms with a mickey mouse on the side. They even cleaned the kitchen!! The poem is from my youngest, my favorite gift of the day besides the extra hugs and kisses.

2007-05-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

Lucky Me!!! Check out these cuties from Melissa! These felty little handstitched darlings just make me super happy and they are MINE! Thank you to the uber talented Felt Mistress Melissa! That's her new official name in my book.

2007-05-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got this layout put together. This is a picture of my Aunt (my moms oldest sister) when she was little. I just love the curls and watering can.

2007-05-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

"A Road Less Traveled" Zing Boom Kit for May. The green and aqua screen print that came with this kit is really cool. I love this kit club because some of the materials you get (like a bit of 1970's brown and gold wallpaper and a vintage Three Horses beer coaster) are a little outside the box. It's challenging and I find myself working with some more difficult subject matter. Which is cheap therapy!

2007-04-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

What $3.75 will buy you at the annual P.T.A garage sale. Or why you never should let your 10 and 14 year olds go alone, even if it's only around the corner.

2007-04-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

More Amy Butler PP

2007-04-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

Is this not the prettiest paper? It's Amy Butler from K and Company To. Die. For. This layout has been sitting on my work table for two days. I've been moving things around on it every time I walk by. I even found the perfect green vintage ribbon in my box to go with it. Seriously you can not make this paper look bad. I've wrinkled it, ripped it, and slopped some robins egg blue paint on it by accident and it's still gorgeous. I guess I should straighten it out, add the finishing touches and glue it down soon. Maybe tomorrow.

2007-04-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

I worked on a few things today. First, I did this layout about my oldest who is now a hysterically funny, handsome 14 year old. I found this picture in my box and it reminded me how I always dressed him in head to toe Gymboree outfits, with all the crazy patterns and colors. Gosh that was fun. I miss those days. Now I have to pick up his laundry with a pitch fork off his bedroom floor. MAN! My kids grew up way to fast.

I did the title on the layout with my new toy the Cricut. Awesome machine and I have been enjoying the heck out of it.

I also worked on a few more altered felt notebooks to send out to the girls at Two Peas. The RAK list there sure has been fun.

My blog was tagged yesterday by one of my most favorite bloggers and creative goddess extraordinaire. http://vickichrisman.blogspot.com/ If you haven't been to her blog you should go check her out, she is amazing. So now is the part I go find and tag. This should be fun!

2007-04-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

I scraplifted this little beauty from artsyfartsychic on Two Peas in a Bucket. I saw her's in the 2 Peas gallery (which is a fabulous resource for endless inspiration) and I just fell head over heals in love with it! I ran right out to Michael's and stocked up on the notebooks, then I made a few to send out to my buddies on the 2Peas RAK list, and one for myself of course!

2007-03-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

Yep, I messed up the journaling on this layout. Am I changing it? Nope. You know why? Because I have spent years NOT journaling because I can't spell worth beans, my handwriting is horrible, and my 3rd grade teacher told me I would never be a writer. It's sad that I don't have little snippets of my life written down for my kids. Plain sad. So I'm going to really work on that. Anyways, isn't this paper the best?!? It's Basic Grey Scarlett Letter, I'm loving it! Very fun to work with. One of my art group friends sent me the vintage milk cap and I think it looks super cute on this page. Thank you Kelli!

2007-03-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

I altered the background paper with ink and paint then added Basic Grey papers for a different Fall layout.

2007-03-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

Scrapbooking is my first paper love. I've been collecting paper and supplies for a over decade. I admit I am lured by the bright colors, pristine pages and sentimental idea of it all. The picture perfect pages with smiling faces and clean shirts. However being the mom of 3 boys has made my idea of beauty a little different than most. I love a little scuff of dirt on things, the grunge of life. My car is never without crumbs and dried mud, I find dirty socks under the couch and finger prints on the walls. I guess that is why I feel better when I rub a little brush of paint over my scrapbook pages, a little ink in the crevices. American Crafts paper and 7 gypsies tag.

2007-03-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

deco pages for yahoo deco group

2007-03-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

2007-02-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

I just love Traci Bautista's new book Collage Unleashed. I bought it a few weeks ago and have been pouring over page after colorful page each day, trying to decide which technique to do first. I did a little doodling, dry brushing, stamping in my journal today playing with colors.

2007-02-15T16:35:00.000-08:00

Take two. I think I like this one better than the first.

2007-02-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

Delving into some unfamiliar territory with this mixed media piece. Water colors, charcoal, and LuminArte' on foam core. I was inspired by http://www.rachelkoepke.com/index.html recent project on HGTV That's Clever. A link to the directions and materials here: http://http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_painting/article/0,1789,HGTV_3282_4487989,00.html

2007-02-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

Playing around with altering photos. Using sandpaper block, Lyra watercolor crayons, colored pencils and walnut ink. The image is from http://melanisage.com

2007-02-01T12:42:00.000-08:00

Art Squared Skeletons, for a swap at Embellished Circus yahoo group. I altered a photo I took last summer and layered with a stamp image from http://melaniesage.com then mounted it on hand painted collage paper and chip board.

2007-01-29T15:29:00.000-08:00

~LOVE~

To keep one scared flame
Through life unchilled,unmoved,
To love in wintry age, the same
As first in youth we loved,
To feel that we adore
Even to fond excess
That through the heart would break with more,
It could not live with less.
-Thomas Moore.

2007-01-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

Shades of cinnamon deco page. Cinnamon increases your metabolism, and boy do I need that after the holidays. We don't even celebrate Christmas around here and I still manage fluff up quite substantially. Altered and distressed paper layered with script stamps in chestnut brown. Aged further with antique paper ink applied with a baby wipe. Sanded then embossed with copper embossing powder. Her eyes say it all, don't they?

2007-01-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Grungy little deco page. Black and White can be so crisp and perfect looking I just had to mix things up a bit. Altered paper and aging techniques. My Grandpa, the silly man that he is, always gave us kids a hard time when we would hurt ourselves playing. Trying to toughen us up, I guess, he would suggest we rub some dirt into our boo boo to make it feel better. This page reminded me of that.

2006-05-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

soothe~
you come into my darkness
just to sleep all day
we end up laughing through the pain
satisfying this
exceptional ache
below my
breast
bone
with your perilous disease
you
losing yourself in this hunger that i bring
resilient shells of fire
high off our own desire
blank
true
one more day
soothe

2006-05-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

panic~
the panic is still today...i poured it into you today
i took from you...one moment...and the rest of your life at the same time
it smelled like the darkest part of your soul
watery and musk
it felt hard and metallic
beyond these walls
beyond this world
the defect unseen but deep and open
waiting
for the next panic

2006-05-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

this space~
i started young
this closing in
closing down
making my world smaller so i could cope
taking things away
editing my life
words
people
friendship
time
the evil
the cause
for my despair
fear
i'm left now with few
reminders
of the things i was running from
reality so small it makes me squeamish to be in it
entangled and abandoned
in this space

2006-05-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

news~
sullen news
i want it all so quickly it stings
when it hits
ignites fury
when it sinks in
i should have let you tell me slowly
over days
but no
i wanted all of it
every last bit
until i could not breath
or move
until i pounded my fists on your chest
my black tears dirtying your shirt
begging you to take it back
the words
the wretched news
you sat there having emptied your soul
core now dark and faded
feeling like you had just executed
me
in your white bed
where the stains are now
the ones you can't conceal or sanitize
can't reject
so you enshroud yourself in them
and want me to follow
i will