Friday, April 30, 2010

Just a quote for Friday

"Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."


~ Mark Twain ~

(photo taken last summer of my mom, grandma, daughter and me)

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Birthday tribute to my mom.

I don't have many pictures of my mom (Marti) as a young girl, but I'm so happy that this is one of them. I have always loved this picture of her - it shows her cute and playful side. Today is her birthday, so with her permission I decided to share it with you, my blog friends.

The story goes like this:

In the late 1950's my mom's older sister (my aunt, Betty) had a boyfriend in the service and she wanted to send him a cheeky picture. So Mom, Aunt Betty, and Mom's friend Ann split the cost of a 12-exposure roll of black and white film. Each of them had four photos taken of themselves.

Well, Aunt Betty sent her picture, plus this one of my mom to her boyfriend, Otis (Side note: Why would you send a photo of your little sister to your boyfriend when she's this cute?!?!? I don't know...). Not long after, my mom got a letter from one of his service mates saying that Otis had torn off one of the ducks and wouldn't give him the rest of the picture...would Mom send him the rest? She did and they became pen pals for the next year.

Fast forward a few years later, and the pen pal sent another letter to my mom's address. This time his letter was answered by my grandmother, letting him know that my mom was married and had babies already. Aw, sad day for him, sweet story for us. :o)

♥ ♥ ♥

Happy birthday, Mom!
Hope your day is just ducky!
xo

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

In my element...

Carrie is in the final weeks of her photography class and working on her final project. The assignment is to take pictures of someone in their element. Enter me and my trusty craft space. And buttons.

She took a bunch of artsy shots that she'll upload at school and edit, but this one was taken with her little point and shoot.

This photo shoot was typical for me and her. Laughter. Frustration. Silliness. Irritation. Collaberation. Disagreement. I can't think of a better way to spend a Monday evening.

Gosh, I love that kid.

Monday, April 26, 2010

A little look at the little book...

Just thought I'd share a few photos of some of the pages I
completed of my nephew's beach book this weekend.
The sandcastle was cut with my Cricut using Doodlecharms
cartridge. The sun and bucket are from a package of felt
shapes I've had in my stash for a few years now.
No project [on my worktable] is complete without buttons!


I'll put the book together with my Bind-it-all once
I have the covers complete.

♥ ♥ ♥

For this project (and most of the other mini-books I make) I made the pages using a piece of chipboard and glued the base paper to each side using Yes! paste. I love that stuff though it's a bit messy to use. I slop it on and wipe it off with a credit card (like it's a squeegy if that makes sense) so there's a very thin layer. Once glued, I layer waxed paper between the pages and put them under a heavy book for at least 24 hours to cure. The pages end up being very stiff - almost like thin pieces of wood - and the paper doesn't peel around the edges like it usually does if I use a glue stick.

Happy Monday!
xo

Saturday, April 24, 2010

How I roll on a Saturday night...

Hubby is at our northern property this weekend with five of his friends, a wood cutting permit, chainsaws, steak and beer (I know, crazy combination!) so Carrie and I had girl's night in! Our good friend Janae came over and we had a fun time crafting and chatting and snacking and laughing.

My kind of Saturday night!

♥ ♥ ♥

Here's a look at my work space ~ working on Stone's beach book layout. I'm loving the color combinations and working with these adorable pictures my sister took!
Janae worked on a framed piece for her kid's bathroom.

Carrie worked on an art journal she's creating while taking an online class (Tell Your Story)...no pictures of her project because "it's kind of private." When we get together with friends there's always an exchange of art stash. Janae had a random glittered "C" in her stuff and gave it to Carrie. This girl loves her name and the letter C. :o)

This may seem like an odd thing to throw in, but a big distraction early in the evening was this large gecko lizard outside our kitchen window (see him on the upper right side of the fence?). I know, he looks small in the photo, but he was huge in comparison to what we normally see. He was out there most of the evening, along with a smaller lizard doing their "spring thing" right in front of us. It was fairly interesting and a little disgusting to see two lizards mating on our fence. LOL. We tried to get a closer shot outside but the lizard couple was shy and ran away at the first sight of Carrie and the camera on the side of the house.

Last week I bought a new point-and-shoot camera and it has a "smile detector" feature. Have you heard of this? Pretty crazy technology, actually. With the "smile detector" on you don't have to push the button to take a picture - it automatically senses an actual smile and takes the photo. (Why you would want this I'm not sure...???) We tested the different settings - slight smile, medium smile, big smile. Carrie would point the camera while we frowned, then as the corners of our mouths went up ==FLASH== the camera would go off. We found this extremely hilarious and had [too much] fun testing it out. Of the 20+ photos we shot, this is the only one that came out somewhat "normal" of Janae and I.

Good times! For sure.
:o)!!!

How was your Saturday night?

xo

Friday, April 23, 2010

Pet turtles on my blog

Just had to share this cute little gadget I came across while blog hopping this afternoon (thanks, Jana!).

You'll see that I added some pet turtles to the right side of my blog. If you click in their "water" it drops little pieces of food that they swim to. :o)!!!!! This little thing makes me so happy.

There are other "pets" and things you can add as well. Go here for a look.
.
Have fun!
xo

Just a quote for Friday

Practice makes perfect.
Be careful what you practice.

(photo is of the fabric yo-yo's I've been making for my felt birds)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

I do this because you're my child...

My daughter, Carrie and I correspond throughout the day by way of email or phone texts. In an email last week:

Carrie: "I can't believe we don't own HappyTape yet."
My reply: "Me neither. I'm going to order some right now."

I did, and we love it! Of course, since Hubby is a painting contractor and buys masking tape by the case, he wasn't as impressed as we were. :o] Oh well.

♦ ♦ ♦

So, I'm having fun using this multi-colored masking tape in a variety of ways. The other day I cut a melon for Hubby's breakfast and thought it would be a nice treat to send some with Carrie to work that day. I wanted to include a toothpick for her to eat it with. Enter orange HappyTape (because it had to match the melon, of course!):
Carrie: "Aw! Cute! You should take a picture of it."
Me: "Nah..."
Carrie: "And blog it. Because that's what you do."

I know. I know. I'm out of control.
PS: Yes, Mother, you need HappyTape.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Frame it!

Today I thought I'd share a photo of a little grouping I created for a narrow wall in our house. I used some cheap wooden frames, acrylic paint, rub-on's, and Prima flowers. (I went a little crazy with the rub-on's and put some right on the wall and I like it!)

The top frame holds a picture of Hubby and I -- the black around the edge is actually ribbon.

The bottom frame holds a picture of my father-in-law and mother-in-law in the early days.

The black frame on the right holds photos of my sister (Valerie) and I when we were little and still wearing matching dresses (Mom never made just one, you know...)

That's it...just a little something from around our house.
Blessings to you on this fabulous day!
xo

Monday, April 19, 2010

99 random things about me...

I've seen this list floating around on a few of my cyber-friend's blogs and thought I'd play along. The things I've done or experienced are bolded...if you are interested read on...

♦ ♦ ♦

1. Started your own blog (check)
2. Slept under the stars (does in a tent count?)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (I was 8 weeks pregnant with Carrie and sick the whole time!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (ashamed I'm not bolding this one...)
7. Been to Disneyland (original one in Anaheim, California...a few times...I grew up in California)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (no thanks...ever...)
12. Visited Paris (not yet...)
13. Watched a lightning storm (we have some pretty crazy ones in Arizona during the summer!)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (no, but my sister has - twice! :o} )
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (and made a scrapbook page about it...)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill :o}
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping :o}
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (haha...no...)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (this is relative, I'm sure...)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen)
41. Sung karaoke (not pretty...tequila was involved...)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started your own business (does Etsy count?)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (I suppose...but there's usually some reason involved...)
64. Donated blood
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (accidentally!)
68. Flown in a helicopter (Carrie made me do it)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Barbie dolls)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (it was disgusting)
72. Pieced a quilt (a few of them...)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (a few times and I must say, it's just a great big hole in the ground and you have to drive to the middle of freakin' no where to get to it!)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (God, no.)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (well, I helped a drunk old man out of an irrigation ditch when we were kids and my siblings still say that I "saved his life")
90. Sat on a jury (the guy was SO guilty!)
91. Met someone famous (Jesse Jackson and Jason Mraz - not together, but yeah...)
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo (twice)
94. Had a baby (once)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

***
Hope you are having a fabulous Monday!
xo

Sunday, April 18, 2010

You'd scrapbook these too...

...you know you would!

Next project: A mini-book containing these sweet pictures of my nephew, Stone, taken by my sister on a recent trip to Hawaii.



This past week has been a busy one so I've had to let my blog slide just a little. As soon as breakfast is made, kitchen is cleaned, and laundry is started this morning I'm headed to my craft room to get started on a beach-themed mini-book. You can bet I'll post pictures of my finished project!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

xo

Friday, April 16, 2010

Just a quote for Friday

“Love is just a word until someone
comes along and gives it meaning.”


~author unknown~

Photo taken 5 years ago today.
Happy Anniversary, Doug! xoxox
♥♥

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Little birdies on Etsy


Thanks to the great response I had when I posted my little felt birds earlier this week, I have updated my Etsy shop to sell a few, including this one I made since my last post:

And in the process I figured out a way to get a better Etsy button on my blog side bar. (You can teach an old dog new tricks!)
.
Thanks for the love and support you show me every time you leave a comment on my blog. It encourages me to keep moving forward!

xo

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Butterfly punch strikes again.

I've seen a few different versions of notecards using a butterfly punch, and here is my take on it. My photos turned out so dark (boo!), but hopefully you can see my stitching...


I have a package of pre-cut cards with envelopes that I used ~ sewed a line with a loop in the middle and up through the center of the butterfly. I like how they turned out and will be making more, for sure.
:o)
xo

Monday, April 12, 2010

This little birdie...

When I find something I enjoy making I'll usually bust out a few of them before moving onto something else. A couple of weeks ago I saw this cute bird garland and was inspired. If I had had thick felt on hand I would have created one exactly like it, but I didn't so I had to improvise.

I decided to stitch two thicknesses of felt together. As I was stitching I thought, "I'll add a little stuffing..." Oh and then, "Some long strands of yarn with a knot at the end for the legs and feet..." I added an eye that I didn't like, so only the first bird got an eye...

I'd been wanting to try my hand at a fabric yo-yo and thought that would be a cute addition...and a button...and half of a large flower folded and inked for a wing...

Carrie wanted one in teal blue so this one came next:
I tried this one with no legs...decided I like with legs better...
And one more for good measure...

So, that's how my creative process works sometimes. I set out to make a plain and simple bird garland, and came up with something fairly different. I'm not sure what I'll do with these...the pink one went to my niece, Savannah. I think I might use the others to tie onto the tops of gift packages.

Doing this post makes me want to create a few more. I have an idea for stitching some with my machine using muslin rather than felt... ~sigh~ My mind just will not stop...

What do you think? Do you like them better with or without legs?

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Left-over scraps mini-book tutorial

While taking Shimelle's recent class "Something from {Almost} Nothing" I accumulated a lot of paper scraps! I had trimmed 8-12" x 11" pages down to 8" x 8" for my "Celebrate Life" album and had several scraps of paper all the same size (3" x 8-1/2") in a nice little stack on my worktable. What to do...what to do...
.
I know! I'll make a mini-book and while I'm at it I'll throw in a tutorial!

♥ ♥ ♥

I've made a bunch of these little books and they are quick and easy. Here's how it's done...
.
I used 6 pieces of 3" x 8-1/2" paper, scored them in the middle, and folded in half.
Next, I glued them back-to-back with a glue stick like this:
I wanted to add a ribbon tie, so I cut two 8" pieces of ribbon and attached it to the front and back with a small strip of strong double-sided tape.

I measured the "spine" and included this measurement (plus a little extra for wiggle-room) when I cut my book cover... (So, my cover was the same size as my book pages, plus 1/4".)
Scored and folded like this:

I love to stamp the covers and always do this before I glue it to the book pages:

Then I glued the cover on (I don't put glue where the spine is - the pages seem to turn easier not being glued in).

Now I can add pictures and favorite quotes or notes.
And that's it. The trick on this one is to cut your paper carefully to make sure the pages are exactly the same size. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you'll share pictures if/when you make one yourself.
:o)

Friday, April 9, 2010

Just a quote for Friday


"If you're not living on the edge,
you're taking up too much space."
~ author unknown ~


{photos taken last week, remote turn-off road
just off Arizona Highway 288}
{throwing in an extra photo ~ close-up of cactus flowers in bloom}

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Trading spaces.

I have a large jar that I keep on a shelf for rick-rack and bits of ribbon I'm using on a current project (have to keep it under lock and key so the fuzzy one won't snag it).
The jar is sometimes pulled over to
my workspace during creative time.

Isn't it amazing that when one space
opens up, it is filled by something else?

Edit: I was pleasantly surprised to see my blog-friend Sharyn's post this morning. Looks like she has similar issues in her craft space as well. :o)

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

I think I should bake a pie for my mailman...

...he's been treating me very well lately!

My good luck with happy mail started a few weeks ago when I received my blog giveaway prize from Rinda. Within a week I received a package from my Avon lady (aka my mom!) with some awesome face cream. And then came my prize from Lizzie! That should have been enough, right? Nope...

Next came my blog prize from the very generous Cate. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened this package and kept pulling out one goody after another! Fun Australian magazines, YUMMY chocolate, Thickers like I have never seen before, scrapbook embellishments, a pretty handmade card... I still haven't incorporated any of it into my own stash because I love looking at this pile of fantastic stuff! (And shipping from down under ain't cheap either! Thank you so much, Cate!)

In January 2001 I started taking online classes with University of Phoenix (I eventually graduated 5 years later but I digress...). In that first class I met a friend for life, my online-soul-sister, Connie. She's been living in Hawaii for the past few years and is in the process of moving back to the mainland so she sent me a fun package from her island - for no particular reason, just because.


And then! Just the other day I received another package of Hawaiian goodies collected by my sweet 5-year old niece, Presley. My sister and her family visited the islands recently and as you can imagine, there are turtle souvenirs everywhere. Every time Presley saw a turtle she would say, "Aunt Deb would love this!" and beg to buy it for me. These are the four items my sister was talked into buying and sending my way: (Thanks, Pres!!!)

I feel so very blessed and oh so grateful.
Many thanks to those who took the time to brighten my day
and lighten the load of my mailman! [wink]
:o) !!!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Buttons and Chipboard - Class Prompt/Assignments

Catching up!

We had a FUN Easter weekend camping with friends and family, and as a result I'm a little behind on my class prompts for Shimelle's "Something from {Almost} Nothing" class. Shimelle preaches to us to not be stressed out about keeping on a schedule, but I get antsy when everyone else is posting amazing inspiration and I'm still washing camp dishes!
♦ ♦ ♦

One of the prompts I'm catching up on is using buttons. I'm still using the same color scheme (and I'm about "over it" - ready to scrap in pink or orange or something!) for my Celebrate Life album. One of the things I "celebrate" and am SO grateful for is the relationship my daughter, Carrie has with my husband, Doug. This is one of my favorite photos of them, taken about 5 years ago. :o)The flower is one I made using this technique.

Next is chipboard. Those who know me know that I love my kitty-cats...a lot. I have a lot of pictures of Whiskers, but Fancy is more elusive when it comes to having a camera in her face. I took this picture recently and just had to use it for one of my pages!

I used a paint dabber on the top of my chipboard and then sanded the edges a little for texture.


There's one prompt remaining that I will tackle this weekend and my "Celebrate Life" album will be complete. Shimelle added some bonus challenges and I think I'll use those to scrap some of the adorable beach photos my sister took of her kids last week...I'm thinking in shades of blues and greens...

:o)
Make it a great day!
xo

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