Happy Spring Upcycled Container for THE CUTTING CAFE SHOP

I really dig (get the pun here) Regina's Wheelbarrow Delivery stamps that are fresh from my mailbox. She has four new sets over at THE CUTTING CAFE SHOP and two of them come with free outlines for your cutting machine. What a time saver!

I actually precut a bunch of outlines and I'll be keeping them with the stamps so I can keep the fussy cutting at a minimum. I really like the font for "Happy Spring" and I thought it worked perfectly for this upcycled round fabric jar.

 The flowers at the top were also upcycled from THE RESTORE and came with those fabulous green leaves. Of course I had to add a gem knob that I misted with some gold spray paint. My son keeps a cordless screwdriver & drill bits in his room, so it was easy to go on a raid to add the feet knobs as well.

I snuck in a small piece of a gem necklace I had in my stash as extra bling so all kinds of upcycled things on here including all kinds of vintage lace!

I'll be back tomorrow showing off a few of the smaller stamps on the Wheelbarrow Delivery set. I kept stamping and made Easter Cards!

Happy Tuesday!

A Glittered Manifest Destiny: Jeff Goins 7 Day Blog Like A Pro Challenge

 The other day I fished my sunglasses out of my purse and realized that yet again something I owned had spray paint on it. I am compelled to create. Usually that involves spray paint, adhesives, and upcycling. I am pretty sure if I was stuck on a desert island, my Wilson would have sea shell earrings, sea glass eyes, and a coconut beanie complete with sea weed tassel.

Cutting up paper, inking up a stamp, these are such simple things that bring me so much pleasure. If I had the ability to stop there, things would be much easier. Instead, I wait for the sun to emerge, grab my newest creation and rush out the door, camera in hand. Must….blog….newest….thing, immediately.

The odd part is that I am weird about stuff. And by stuff, I mean that slow accumulation of things that grow over time in a house. Despite my best intentions, some days I look around and realize that I have too much. I start feeling heavy and burdened. It’s quite possibly due to having moved several times. Unpacking boxes & figuring out that what you unpacked didn’t have a place in the last house and likely not in this house either is upsetting. Endlessly creating also tends to burden. I’m my own worst enemy.

I try not to buy new things if possible. I haunt the second hand Habitat store at least once a week for vintage. Sometimes I bring them more than I buy.  I worry that it’s odd that I can produce a pile for the second hand store every couple of weeks. Sometimes I bring them something that has been upcycled from their store. Only now it’s better because it's been painted, glittered and is cool. I always hope I don’t spot it the next trip down or if I do, it’s got a large price tag so they can make the most money to build more houses. 

When I was younger I used to want to save the world. Now I just want to add spray paint, a little glue, glitter, and make someone smile for a minute or two.

When I was younger I used to want to save the world. Now I just want to add spray paint, a little glue, glitter, and make someone smile for a minute or two. Just a little bit of frosting on the daily. Or, if they are reading a blog post about my newest creation, they are inspired. Inspired to pull out some of those craft supplies lurking in the closest, or at least head to the second hand store to buy something used to reuse in a new way. I suppose that is saving the world just a little, now isn't it. 

You can thank Jeff Goins for my second blog post of the day. I'm participating in a 7 Day Blog Like a Pro Challenge. Today's assignment was to write a Manifesto. 

General Laborer Editor in Chief & Assistant Aeronautical Engineer for Memorandum Monday

Oh goodness another week under our belts. In between being an editor on a paper for the Tong Dynasty to an assistant to the master plane builder, it's been busy on the Mom Job front. In my down time I pulled a ton of barbed wire out of our woods. I'm trying to imagine what kind of job title that would even be in the working world....I'm going with General Laborer Editor in Chief & Assistant Aeronautical Engineer.

I did learn that the Chinese are responsible for paper, an invention for which I am forever grateful. We might be able to even claim that led to the rise of Washi tape, which is one of the second best inventions ever. Gold doilies being the first of course.

I knew you were dying to see my pile of barbed wire. This is only half of it. I managed to completely ruin a pair of gloves and had to throw out the jeans I wore. The ticks were out in force and the rip in the jeans which was up near the hoo-ha was making me nervous. I was suspicious that the little buggers were going to use that entry point. Turns out my fears were unfounded and I managed to come out of the woods tickless. Because one doesn't go into the woods without a cell phone (in case of possible tick attack) I also sent what I thought was the funniest text message of the week to THE MAN.

I sent him this photo and told him I was in love with a dyke. I guess the tool version is spelled dike, but at the time the whole thing was funny to me. He is a lucky lucky man to have to me.

Anyhow I am also happy to report I saw my first crocus, so not only are the ticks back, but we have things in bloom! It's a great start to a week!

Waving over to Miss Sian, the host of Memorandum Monday who is likely equally happy that that Chinese invented paper.....and washi tape.

Upcycled Fish Tank Lightbulb Sculpture for LESSology

Everything in this little sculpture is upcycled with the exception of the two blue roses and that Spanish moss. The faucet handles were pulled out of my hardware stash, the gold tulip shape came from a candlestick, the glass base was previously a votive holder (and was flipped upside down & spray painted) and the light bulb was one that was headed for the trash and previously lit a fish tank. Gotta love turning all that junk into something motivational!

Since we are having a handwriting challenge over at LESSology, let's start with the bulb that was painted with glass paint and a bit of gold spray paint. I used epoxy to attach a finial to the top. Who knew a sharpie would write on glass paint...had to try! Accented it with a white chalk marker. 

It says:  A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

It's been my motto these days. 

 I really do think that lamp finial is the rock star on this piece. It really added the extra umph I needed and took away the phallic look I had going! Of course the blue and green faucet pieces paired up with a paper accordion flower are pretty cool too.

I've been enjoying this in my window all month and I'm glad I finally get to share my creation with you! Maybe you'll have a chance to play along with us at LESSology! 

Upcycled Belle Jardin ReStore Vase

Lately I've been striking out at the Corning ReStore. I think it's one of those weird times in between all the clearing out people do in January and before garage sales....so I haven't found any of the normal things I'm looking for. I decided to dig a little deeper and bring home something they have quite a lot of for a make over. I opted to go with a glass vase. Specifically I was looking for something that was colored glass & already filled with flowers that I actually liked. Must optimize the $3 I spent!

You can see the light blue the vase was previously. I treated it to some Mirror Spray paint and metallic gold after first spraying it with vinegar, which is what is in that perfect pearls bottle. I never bothered to rinse it due to lazyness so a little orange shimmer remains. ;-)

I was going for a gold mercury glass look that I paired up with a vintage French image. I just printed it out on my printer and modge podged it on. Since I wasn't using a laser printed image, it ran a little, but it works with that vintage look, I think. I also sprayed a little bit of the gold on the outside near the top and over the print out. I always like a gold rim.

I'm pleased with the vase. I think I'll enjoy it for a while and then pass it back to the Restore for sale. Betcha they mark it up! I'm waiting for the lilacs to bloom so I can enjoy both of them together and you can see by the state of our outdoors we have a few weeks to go! I think this vase would look awesome with a few pieces of my white lilac!

Happy Hump Day and here's to more finds at the ReStore and blooming lilacs!

Thinking of you Heart Chick Card

When you order from the Funkie Junkie Boutique, you get a little baggie full of goodies that is tied with a little crinkle ribbon bow. I wanted to make my friend Debbie a card to cheer her up and decided I was going to dress this little digi bird up with a tie, hat, and Sherlock homes pipe.

The bird is a digital down load from Ppinkydolls on Etsy that I printed on photo paper and then water colored. I really enjoyed added sparkles to the middle of the heart. The beak and the legs I just used a sharpie since I didn't trust my detail water coloring skills. ;-)

I tried to use up EVERYTHING in the little baggie, which included a die cut tie that I covered with washi, that Sherlock Holmes pipe, the bowler hat, the ribbon, and the metal & button clocks. Even the bag is tucked in behind the bird. I was pretty proud of myself!

It's winging it's way over to Debbie now by way of the United States Postal Service in a bright orange envelope. Hopefully it scares all the bills out of her mailbox and puts a smile on her face!

Happy Tuesday!

When Life Gives You Lemons...make angels: Memorandum Monday

I always thought that quote was a bit silly. Who doesn't like lemons?

Anyhow, my point being is that I have quite a bit of free time on my hands at the given moment. One can only job hunt so much. Last week I sourced a bunch of spindles, ironed & cut vintage hankies, and cut & glittered wings. Since I'm terrible at relaxing and being bored, I figured I'd work for myself a bit.

On Sunday, Luke and I stopped into a store on Market Street called The Source. The owner is awesomeness. I met her before when I needed a basket put together. Part coffee shop, part gift shop with arts & crafts from locals, it's a fun place to hang around. I had been toying with the idea of opening an etsy store but then thought maybe someone will take my stuff locally and save me the trouble. She said they had put a call out for new artists just last week on Facebook so she'd be happy to accept my angels. My son always starts twitching when I asked randomly odd questions to folks, but I have leaned in life if you don't ask, you can't possibly find out the answer!

I'm planning on using spindles for some and perhaps have the angel hold something like a key or other vintage trinket. In this case I'm trying to portray "key to my heart" with what she's holding. In general, with the exception of the flowers, a large portion of each angel will be upcycled.

This one has a light bulb head. The light bulb was headed for the garbage can until I decided to paint it and mount it on a dowel. The nice part about these angels that each one is different so I don't get bored. ;-)

Waving a glittered wing over at Sian who is our official host for Memorandum Monday! Wish me luck!

Mrs. W's 8th Grade Art Class

To say Mrs. W is special is quite an understatement. Last year in school was a hard for Lexi. We thought the move would be more difficult on the youngest, but as usual, what you think will happen and what actually happens are two completely different things.

Anyhow, Lexi's sanctuary was Mrs. W's Art class. Mrs. W was completely supportive of Lexi's interest in digital art and in fact helped get her into volunteering at CMOG. It's with great pleasure I bring you some of Mrs. W's student's work and her own!

Her piece above is pretty awesome. I have looked at it a couple times and the more I look, the more I see. I am guessing that is her little one peeking in from the corner at us. Love that this is on a slice of wood!

So I recently hung out with Mrs. W at her house (love those dogs) and told her I'd write a blog post if she wanted. I always like talking about someone else once in a while! Here is what the assignment was, using Mrs. W's words. (oh my, I like how that sounds...)

We created a digital image in photoshop focusing on how an image can convey a message focusing on songs and how the music can be displayed with images.  We printed the pictures on a laser jet printer (this process does not work with ink jet printers unfortunately). We then applied a thick layer of acrylic polymer to the wood and put the printed picture on top face down.  When it was dry, we sprayed the paper with water and gently rubbed off the paper backing.  The ink absorbs into the wood and the image is left.  We then added various materials to finish off these mixed media pieces.  I was very pleased with my students work :-)  Please do not feel obligated at all to use any of this, just passing it on in case this process works for you.  I have done it on balsa wood which is light and thin.  You could totally use that in your scrap book stuff.  

This one might be my favorite. I am guessing it's a Beatles Song...Blackbird? Those little things sprinkled around are shell casings so it has to be some kind of powerful song.

Ok, so maybe THIS one is my favorite. No idea on the song, I just love the castle and the splotches near the top. Oh and that washi...

I'll have to ask Lexi if she has any ideas for me....she has a pretty good handle on popular songs...although a quick shout out to the dude (dudette?) that clearly created a piece about Guns N' Roses. I know this because they used WORDS and ROSES and OMG what a good band....thanks for the quick flash back to being a teenager and a G N' R song at a dance....oh the angst!

Happy Thursday Peeps! We are heading full speed to the weekend! Maybe I'll get a chance to give this a try!

You Are So Lovely My Friend: Drawers for THE CUTTING CAFE

So, yesterday I added a bit of GREEN to my Treat Layout for Another Freaking Scrappy. Today, I show you a project for THE CUTTING CAFE based on that color! Everyone is getting into the St. Patty's Day spirit! The Dresser Box (doubled) cutting file allowed me to construct this lovely chest of drawers set.

Of course I had a little help from the hardware fairy. Those itty bitty knobs were purchased from Wood N What-Knots of Character Etsy store and the Petaloo flowers, feet & drawer handles are from The Funkie Junkie Boutique. The paper was embossed with my Big Shot after I cut the pieces with my Silhoutte.

A while ago I pinned a tutorial on ink embossing that I used to color the cut pieces. I used a couple of different colors and not a brayer as I wanted a mottled look. So I just ran several different green/blue ink pads over the embossing folder. The top four drawers open. A cool spot for stuffing a treat for a friend!

Totally digging the faux mirror I made. I cut that with my Big Shot too, out of a piece of cardboard that I covered with aluminum tape. Added a sticker affirmation title. So, my friends, YOU ARE SO LOVELY! ;-)

Happiest of Hump Days to you Lovely PEEPS!

Treat Layout for Another Freaking Scrappy

This page is pretty CAS for me. I honestly had a couple of big chunks of paper left from a kit and I was determined to put them together for a page. Anne over at Another Freaking Scrappy asked that we add some green to our layout.







































It didn't take much green to bring out the green in the lime in my mixed drink! A little sparkly washi tape, some green glittered hand drawn lines across the top, side, and bottom, and that cool little scallop vellum card. Of course I also journalled in green!

I do think those cherries that were a gift from Yvonne over at Do More with Less are really the rock star of the page. They were super yummy just like my mixed drink! THE MAN and I went out to the Outback Steakhouse (supposed to be Aussie food, but I think they just make it sound that way on the menu) for our Anniversary! Thanks for the gift card Mom!

Happy Tuesday and first of the month to you!

Nesting and Hatching: Memorandum Monday

It's Eastering around here. It's always a pleasure to pull out stuff you made in years passed and enjoy it all over again! The little cloche & scallopy glass bowl are past ReStore finds and got paired together to show off these disco ball eggs. I made some similar but with flowers and nests for my friend Lisa over at You Made Me Ink ages and ages ago. Maybe we'll luck out and she'll show us her Easter Tree at some point.

To be honest most of the weekend involved a hot date with the couch, lots of tea & a box of tissues. I am thinking it's allergies early due to the lack of real winter, but I can't honestly say having gotten a degree in rocks vs. one that involves one in doctoring. I did my best to binge watch Nurse Jackie though to make up for lack of a medical degree....somehow I don't feel smarter, just well rested!

Due to the funk, I was less than motivated to do much. THE MAN continued digging the hole I started Friday. We are trying to locate the laundry room pipe that we believe is undersized and replace it. It's not glamorous work, so we'll skip photos of that. Needless to say we learned that the pipe wasn't where we thought it would be, so it's on to Plan B. More on all of that later as it will morph into the laundry room & half bath redos. I am not allowing to get myself excited about all that at this point in time because the yucky part is first. And when I say redos, it will mainly mean new paint and hopefully a vintage metal sink in the laundry room. Fun times!

Thanks for having us, Miss Sian over at From High in the Sky, for Memorandum Monday!

Upcycled Layout for Teri

I got texted the cutest picture of a little upcycled milk container the other day. At least I think it's a milk container. It's overwhelmingly cute, kinda like these two little people who belong to my friend Teri! I asked for photos so I could make her a page!

I printed one photo on plain white paper and then made a huge die cut! Love how it's like a mini me! Then I framed out the other photo with a ton of pretty things like those paper roses and some hearts...

Can you see the little tiny silver star there on the heart? Yeah, they are those pretty stars we used to get on our papers in elementary school...snagged those at the Restore the other day! I have a whole box I can hoard...now I'm in search of the gold ones...and those scratch and sniff stickers...

Love this layout! Can't wait to get this in the hands of my friend!

Happy Hump Day!