Flowers & Art

I finished the crocheted cozy!

2012-01-31T12:45:00.000-08:00

I ripped out and restarted this simple little crocheted phone cozy about a million times- but with the help of very generous people I think I might finally have the hang of the double crochet. I think I am ready to learn the next stitch!!! Here is the finished project:

Here is the strip of double crochet before I doubled it over and made the cozy- I think the edges look a lot straighter now. I ripped this apart and started over for about a week before I finally got the hang of it.

I'm so thankful for all the suggestions and help I received on this. Blogging friends are the greatest ♥ I've also worked just a tiny bit on my owl art doll- he has the beginnings of some tail feathers now :) Hope you are having a creative week too!

Trying to get Back in the Saddle

2012-01-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

So, the only way to get back into the habit of things is to start doing them, right? I've come to the conclusion that nothing is going to get easier until I get back into the habit of doing what I used to do. Lately, when I sit down to do minis, paint, draw--or even do a blog post it feels so forced. I don't think there is going to be a magical point where I am past that unless I just get back to doing it. I decided that I was going to start the habit of 30 minutes for some exercise after work and then 30 minutes of time spent creating something. Time carved out just for me- to help me start to feel like myself again. First thing- I had to clean up the craft room. Here's the before and after:

Whew- at least I have a cleaner desk to work on now. What did I do after the desk was clean? Well, I signed up this year for 2 different year long art groups. The first was Lifebook held by Tam from Willowing- I'm still working on my second page for that course- and the second was Book of Days with Effy Wild-what I sat down to work on. Click either link to find out more about these classes. Book of Days is like a journal- I'm following along with Effy as she remembers and expresses her days through art. I used an old encylopedia book as my base-here is the front and back covers after I altered them:

On the inside cover we included a space for a goodbye letter to 2011 and a looking forward letter to 2012. I choose to put envelopes down for my letters.

The next page is about what I am looking forward to in the year to come. The large heart is actually a flap that opens and I have written some personal things I am looking forward to and hoping to accomplish. I drew a picture of a woman hugging herself because I am struggling with the feeling right now that I take care of everything else in my life more than I take care of myself. If I am not the best I can be- how can I continue to do a good job with all other parts of my life?

This is my first spread of journaling. I drew the owl because I have been working on one lately and since doing artwork has been a struggle for me lately, I didn't want to overthink this page and then not do anything. When I first started working in this book I hated it. I'm used to working on watercolor paper that I don't prep in any way. With a book you are altering you need to either collage or add gesso to the pages to achieve a work area. I've never tried writing with a pen over acrylic paint before and it was a bit of a learning experience to figure out what would work without clogging the pen. However.....after I completed just these few pages- I am loving this book. When you add gesso and the paint to the pages they almost feel like thin soft leather when you are finished. I love to turn the pages just so I can feel them-it makes me smile every time.

After I worked on my Book of Days for awhile I decided I needed to get back into working on my minis too- so I got the sunroom out. I made a little potting bench for the corner of the room, finished painting the interior walls and started working on some plants. I need to make some more plants for this room and it is finished. It's so hard to photograph because of the glass- but I think this will end up being one of my favorite mini roomboxes ever.

Remember this project? The owl that I kept seeing in my head? I've been working on him too. Here is where he started:

Here is where I am at right now. I know his legs are twice as long as his body- especially because my hubby keeps pointing that fact out to me--but I have a vision. Can you tell where he is sitting? I was having trouble taking a photo and remarked that I needed to get a light box built when dh had this idea- and I think it might work! He is inside the cabinet that holds my sewing machine. We thought if we painted this inside white and I bought a piece of foam core to put in the back that it might make a halfway decent light box for taking pictures for the blog. I could even pin a piece of fabric to the foamcore to change the background. I think I might try it and see how it works.

Before I end this post I wanted to say thank you to all who replied to my plea for crochet help. I do have a very generous person working with me and I am keeping at it. I have crocheted and ripped out the silly little phone cozy about 100 times- I wish I was exaggerating there. I know I am having some kind of problem with the ends and where I am crocheting in the last chains before I turn. I do the first inch or so perfect- but somehow as I go along I mess up somewhere and start getting crooked edges again. I'm not giving up though- I will be posting a finished phone cozy here on this blog even if I have no hair left by the time I finish it! One good thing- if I can't seem to figure it out I received my community education classes pamphlet this weekend and there is a basic crochet class offered in February. It's only $15.00 and I'm thinking in my case it may be money well spent-lol :) Have a great week. My goal is at least one blog post a week from here on out- so see you soon!!

Crochet Help

2012-01-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

This is a short post with a little plea for help. I'm determined to learn crochet in 2012 and so I'm trying to do this first project of making a little cozy for my phone. It's double crochet every row. Can anyone tell me why my edges are scalloped looking? Am I doing the first double stitch across in the wrong hole? Is it just because I'm a novice and I'm not getting the tension right? It's not supposed to have that scallop look on the edges,right? Anyone have advice for me on what's going wrong?

What I've been Working On

2012-01-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

It's kind of strange- but I've had to take a break from blogging for so long that it feels awkward figuring out how to start up again. So, until I get back into the groove- I thought I may show you what I've been working on. I'm signed up for the Lifebook course at Willowing.ning.com. It's a year long mixed media course learning to celebrate and honour ourself. Our first lesson had to with celebrating the good qualities that make us wonderful. This is my first page- I struggled a lot with it. I really need to get past the fear I have of messing up and play with the supplies more. I can feel myself holding back when I'm actually working on the piece and I haven't been able to get past that yet. I don't know if it is the cost of the paper and materials ?? Anyhow- I may come back to her later after I've learned more and I hopefully get braver.

I've also been doing a little bit of miniature work. I've decided that I need to finish up all of the works in progress before I am allowed to start a new project- and I have a really fun new project planned. I pulled out the half finished tea room room box and the sun room box and I started working on finishing up the brick work on both pieces. I used paper egg cartons on both boxes and then I paint the bricks after the grouting. Still quite a ways to go-but it's a start.

Last........I'm still not giving up on trying to learn to crochet. I've practiced and practiced my single crochet and now I've been practicing my double crochet. As you can see- I have some more practicing to do- but I think I might actually be starting to understand where I am doing things wrong and how to correct it. Little more practice and then I'll move on to the next stitch. I'm going to have a lot of little scrubbing rags before I am a crochet master :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2011-12-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

Be-lated Merry Christmas to all my friends! I can't quite believe it's been over a month since I have blogged. 2011 was a busy and exciting year for me- but with the excitement and fortune of our branch at work growing, my personal life suffered a bit. I have missed blogging- but what better time to try to restart again than on the eve of a new year?!! I'm full of excitement for 2012. I am already contemplating goals and making lists of things I want to get done this year. I want to finish organizing and decorating my craft room this year- spend less time cleaning in there and more time creating. I want to get back to my art journal this year- I have not touched my journal in months-it's been neglected right along with my blog-and I have lots of mini projects swimming around in my brain. I have so many things I want to work on in 2012 and that I want to accomplish. I think that is my favorite part of a New Year- the excitement you feel for what's to come and the plans to make. I've seen a few bloggers in years past choose a word for the year that symbolizes what they want 2012 to be about for them. My word would be "reconnect". I would like to reconnect with being creative, with visiting friends, with blogging and with taking care of myself. Do you choose a word for the year? Would you like to share yours with me- I'd love to hear it! Before I go-- Miko the Pomeranian says hello- he's missed you all too :)

Painting in my Free Time

2011-11-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

I have some new followers--welcome!!! Life has still been very full and crazy, so I try to work on creative things in the moments I can. I have been trying to finish my painting for Willowings Mythical Magical Makings course. I think I am almost done- I need some more work on the face and hands. I am really unsure of her dress- what do you think? I love criticism- and sometimes someone else's advice can really help me out.

I've also been working on the Christmas ornaments I mail out every year. Here is a little peek at some of them-there is more work to go on these and then I have another set after these to paint up. I like to be done before the 1st of December so I can mail them all out before the post office gets too busy :) What have you been up to lately?

Reality Shot Thursday

2011-10-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

Claudia from the blog Mockingbird Cottage has created Reality Shot Thursday- a day where we share photos that are not staged or pretty and wouldn't normally be on our blogs- a slice of our everyday life. I love this idea and I wanted to participate this thursday.

This picture is the corner of my dining room. It's the first room you enter in the house when you come in off the porch. It's also where we tend to take off our coats and the dog's leash. The floors need to be vacuumed and dog toys put back in the basket. The floors need to be swept too :) On the hutch in the corner is some amber glassware, pumpkin serving dishes and wheat patterned dinnerware.

The trim in this room and almost all the others needs finishing. It might not get done in my lifetime unless I learn how to do it because my hubby hates the job. This corner is a bit what my entire house looks like right now--a touch worn and "lived in". Maybe I'll clean at least this little corner up after I post this blog entry.

I'm linking up to the Reality Shot Thursday with Claudia from Mockingbird Cottage.

Projects in Progress

2011-10-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

I have been slowly easing back into crafting again. Here's what I have been working on in little pockets of 10 minutes here, maybe a half hour there. We'll start with the miniature sunroom. I built two shelves and attached them to the wall. Then I had the fun part of deciding which treasures I have been collecting to put on the shelves. A lot of these are made by the talented Katie from Katie's Clay Corner. You can find her etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Katiesclaycorner There are 4 adorable birdhouses that Katie made and a line of small houses that spell out the word "grow". There is a watering can and antique sprinkler that I purchased from a dollhouse store. The little lavander plant I recieved in a swap and I apologize, but I cannot remember who gave it to me. The beautiful wreath on the door is from Dale at Dale's Dreams. You can find her etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dalesdreams I hope Dale does not mind- I took the purple bow off the wreath and I'm going to add a raffia bow instead. I took 2 very cheap gardening tools that I bought at a craft store and antiqued them with acrylic paint and hung them on the wall. That's as far as I progressed on the sunroom.

I've also been working on one of my unfinished projects- an owl. I've started adding feathers to his body and sculpted his face a bit with paperclay. I have a long way to go on the owl, but I think he is looking kind of cool so far. Here is his front and rear views:

Last- I signed up for an art course called LifeBook being held by Tam at http://willowing.ning.com/ . With sign up you could choose a self guided course to take also until LifeBook starts in 2012. I chose a course called Mythical Magical Makings and the first lesson is painting a goddess in the style of the artist Gustav Klimt. Here is where I am so far in the painting. I call this the ugly stage- it's where I usually get discouraged-but if I push on it will get better :) So....that's what I have been up to lately- I am looking forward to getting caught up with all of you.

to blog or not to blog

2011-10-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

Today is just a text post to get thoughts out of my head. Our move at work is over and I still feel like I am recovering from it. My hubby and I work for the same company and right before this move business really started to pick up for us. In today's world I know that is a GREAT thing- but we have not had a complete weekend off in a really long time and I am just struggling to keep up with the simple things in life like working a work day and then going home and trying to make sure the pets get attention, the house gets cleaned and the things a person has to do at the end of summer in Minnesota get done. I am really behind on that one- we still don't have the hoses rolled up and the outside water turned off- maybe tonight if we are not at work too late. I miss my blog a lot. It's funny how when I started blogging it was just a little place where I could write down my feelings- I didn't think anyone was reading so I didn't obsess about whether my post would be interesting or what comments I might get. Slowly over time that has changed a bit for me and I think it's a stumbling block for me right now on getting back to blogging. After thinking about it for quite awhile I think I need to be true to myself and go back to where blogging was enjoyable for me. I'm not going to worry about who is reading- and I'm not going to worry about making sure I stay "interesting" or make sure I have projects to try- life is just too crazy for me right now. What I am going to do is what I started out doing- posting when I have things I want to share and when I have them to share. No deadlines in the back of my head, no worrying about if the post will be interesting to everyone reading or if I will lose readers. I've met some incredible friends from blogging- so although I thought about quitting, I just can't lose those friends. It's amazing how important people I have never met have become to me- how much support and love I have received from them. Anyways, this week I was lucky enough to snatch a couple of hours to work on something for myself and I'll be back tomorrow to share them. If you have read this far thanks for reading and letting me get thoughts out of my head. Here is just a little shot of my new office- I won't share much because I don't know how thrilled my company would be to know that I put pictures of their building on the internet. I'm very lucky to work somewhere so new and clean and beautiful--and busy :)

Extending my Break

2011-09-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

I thought I could keep up but I am having to call "uncle" and admit that I am not really keeping up with anything. We have our big move at my job at the end of the month and each day leading up to it has become busier and busier. I am even dreaming about work at this point- so I am going to disappear for awhile again and concentrate on work so things go smoothly in my department. I'll be back in October- hopefully as a very happy camper because I have had a chance to see the painted walls in my new office and they are gorgeous. There are 2 windows that let in a ton of light and my desk will be right next to them- no more working in a dark little cave :) Best of all- my husband (whom I work with) will have his own office and I won't have to nag him to clean up anymore- I can just shut the door : ) If only I could do that at home-lol. I don't know if I will be able to even visit blogs much- but I will miss you all so much! See you in a few weeks!

A Sink for the Craft Room

2011-09-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

I love my craft room, but it can be a bummer to run up and down the stairs all the time when I need running water. My hubby came up with a make-shift sink for me and I love it! Here is what he did:

We had this old sink on a metal stand that was out in the barn on our property. My husband disconnected it, cleaned it up a little bit and dragged it up to my room. Here's what the little sink looks like:

Hubby put a wood shelf in the middle of the stand. We used an old ice chest as the container that will hold clean water for use and set that on the floor under the shelf. Hubby put a pump for a pond into the ice chest and ran the hose up to the pipe that comes out of the faucet.

Then my hubby used a bucket under the pipe from the drain. When I plug in the pump and open the faucet handle I now have running water! It's not never ending- there is only as much water as the ice chest holds- but it's better than constantly running up and down stairs and I love it! When I use up the water I just take out the bucket and empty the water and fill the ice chest back up.

I added a skirt in the same fabric as the chair in my craft room so that the bucket and ice chest is hidden and the sink looks a little prettier. What do you think? I thought hubby was pretty clever to come up with this :)

Before I go I'll give you a little shot of Miko cuteness. He always thinks he needs to help me in the craft room :) Look at the awesome Pommy smile.

The Candy House and Artsy Bloggers Sunday!!

2011-08-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

I tried to get this post up earlier in the week, but I kept forgetting to get the pictures off my camera. I have been working on the living room in The Candy House and it's almost done. I think I just have some trim work to finish by the ceiling and a curtain for the window. Of course, that can always change :) I added a decorative wall treatment frame over the fireplace. I made some molds from brass charms I had and made the top of the border with paperclay casts from those molds. The sides are chipboard and I painted the entire frame cream to match the fireplace. Then I made a couple of candle scones for beside the fireplace with 2 earrings, 2 more paperclay molds from jewelry pieces and a wooden bamboo skewer.

I made the two topiary trees with paperclay and small punched flowers. Here is the tree before- I roll a paperclay ball and stick it into the twig in a clay pot. I let that dry overnight and then paint it green.

Then I add the tiny flower punches to the paperclay ball. After that dried I touched up the topiary with a little paint and added coffee grind dirt to the bottom of the topiary.

I painted a little chair for the corner and a cream basket to hold some firewood. There is a trio of picture frames hanging in the corner made for me by my friend Dale from Dale's Dreams and the birdhouse is made by Katie from Katie's Clay Corner. Katie made the "candy" sign on the mantle and the sweet gold and orange candles on the coffee table. They are real wax and can actually burn! The little book on the coffee table was made for me by Maia from Maia's Twinkle Miniatures. The needlepoint picture of the Eifel Tower was made by my friend Kibbygirl from The Frugal Dollhouse Addict.

Next I'll start working on the kitchen. I already added a skirt to the kitchen sink and some wire to the cabinet doors. I need to finish the grout in the kitchen floor before anything else in the kitchen, so that is my next project.

Now that you've had a little peek at The Candy House's progress how about some Artsy Blogger Sunday links? Each week a group of my friends share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. If you have the time please check out what my friends have been doing this week :)

Creative Paperclay Necklace
Something new with paperclay!

Beading Arts
Want to add a bezel to a curved surface? Cyndi shows you one easy way to do it!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Eileen tries her hand at 3D paper tole. It's not as difficult as it looks, but does require a bit of patience.

Creative Dreamer
June's red bird turned out so well, she's made a blue bird... a blue bird of happiness, of course! And she's giving it away... get entered by September 4th!

Blue and Teal Garden Glass Sculpture
Another glass sculpture! This one uses blue and teal glass.

2011-08-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a beautiful weekend here in Minnesota. I've been working on The Candy House dollhouse today and it sure feels great to have time to work on minis again. I needed a break so I decided to pop in and post for Artsy Bloggers Sunday. Each week a group of my friends share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. If you have the time please check out what my friends have been doing this week :) We've been a busy group this week!

Beading Arts
The "Mostly Metal" challenge was a great success, many thanks to Michelle Mach! Come and see all the fun pieces that were made.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Did you love finger painting as a child? Here’s a – sort of – grown-up version you might enjoy.

Hot Pepper Jam
A great way to use up all those extra peppers in your garden.

Creative Dreamer
From a journal page to a three dimensional piece of folk art, June shares her completed bird!

Glass Garden Sculpture
Cherie makes a glass totem with recyled items for the garden.

I've been working on The Candy House dollhouse a little bit today- it sure feels good to work on miniatures again. I'll be back later in the week to show you the progress :)

Craft Room Progress

2011-08-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

I have been working on my craft room as I have free moments and I have another project to share with you. I love old suitcases and I have a lot of them. I like to keep some of my crafting supplies in the suitcases- but I decided that I think they are too dark and boring. Since I didn't really pay more than $5.00 for any of them I decided to give them a redo slowly one by one. Here is what one of them looks like before I started my redo.

I have piles of scraps of patterned paper. I gathered together a bunch of those scraps and started cutting them in small squares. Then I simply grabbed a bottle of modge podge and a sponge brush and started gluing paper to the suitcase. Here's a progress shot:

Here is one that is almost done. I think I have decided to paint the handles and trims on them silver, so I still have some work to do here.

Here is a couple of them tucked into the shelf in the craft room:

I liked how it looked so much I decided I am going to do it to the baseboard in the craft room too. I love all this crazy color!!

Then I decided that the front of the drawers on my metal filing unit needed some color too!

Since I am going crazy with color I decided to take an old office chair and recover that for my craft room. I unscrewed the back from the seat and cut fabric larger than the back and seat. I went right over the gray fabric that was there since this is just a chair in a craft room. A bit of stretching and stapling and now I have a funky new chair too!

I really can't help but feel happy when I am in my craft room- it's an explosion of color :) What do you think- would you go crazy in there or would you feel happy too?

An Inspired Ideas Project :)

2011-08-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

I've been working a bit here and there on my craft room this summer. A couple of weeks ago I received an email that the latest edition of the e-magazine " Inspired Ideas " was out (you can find this great e-mag here: http://www.amy-powers.com/mag/summer2011subscribe.html ). Have you read this e-mag? It's put together by the talented Amy Powers (you can find her blog here: http://inspireco.blogspot.com ) and it's fabulous! I have purchased every one that she has produced and you can tell how much work and love go into each issue. I have found at least 2 or more projects I want to try every time there is a new one. In this issue there was an article called "Window Bijoux" written by Amy herself that I knew would be perfect for my craft room. I'm not giving you a tutorial since this is a project I paid for and I respect that. Amy was sweet enough to allow you to show you my results though- in fact she was excited to see them too and I really love that about her. Amy meant for these cute little beaded lovelies to hang in a window- but I pictured them hanging from the spokes of my garage sale lamp in the craft room. I LOVE them! They almost look like little jelly fish swimming below my light- every time I go upstairs to work in my room they are the first thing I look at. Thank you Amy for a wonderful magazine that I look forward to each and every issue!!

I've also been painting polka dots all over the walls when I have little pockets of time. I know this room is kind of crazy-but our farmhouse is really old and the room was in very bad shape- so to me that meant I had creative license to just go ahead and do whatever crazy thing I wanted to in here. I've still got a lot of painting on those polka dots to do, but every time I go in this room and all this color envelopes me I feel so darn happy!

Here is another wall with polka dots started and a bunch of half finished projects all lined up. Do you do that too or is it just me? The more I clean up the more half started things I find. I might end up spending my retirement years finishing craft projects :)

Artsy Bloggers Sunday!

2011-08-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm having a good weekend. I've been getting caught up on some housework and working a little bit on my craft room. I almost forgot to take a little break and share my artsy blogger links with all of you! Each week a group of my friends share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. If you have the time please check out what my friends have been doing this week :)

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Eileen takes a precious amethyst necklace from dull to dramatic.

Beading Arts
Cyndi is celebrating bead embroidery month on Beading Arts! Come find out how you can get started.

Creative Dreamer
June is turning a bird she created on a journal page into a three dimensional one, come see!

Garden Art and Missing my Blog!!

2011-08-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try to ease back into blogging and visiting blogs. I really miss blogging- I've been a bit unhappy since I stopped and I realized I miss it so much and I'm just going to have to make time to post once in awhile. The last couple of weekends I have pushed aside some of my responsibilities and taken some time for myself. My kitchen might not be as clean and I might be a little behind on laundry, but my creative side feels so much better. I finished poor Pedro's outfit finally and he is all tucked into his little niche on my craft room wall. He told me he doesn't see the point in having bullets with no gun- but he's still missing the gun. Perhaps his stern stare will work on his enemies for now :)

I also have a project to share. We made these glass totem type sculptures in my craft group this last year and I wanted to make another one for my garden. First you gather some glass dishes, plates, cups, etc. You want a variety because we are going to stack them up and put them on a stake in the garden. Here is what I started with.

Next, you need a strong outdoor glue. This is what I used- I bought it from the hardware store. It smells very strong, so working somewhere with good ventilation would be smart.

You also need to make sure you have a bottle or vase with a thinner neck. You can see I have a clear bottle in the mix there- it once held syrup but the thin neck is perfect for this project. It's interesting if one of your dishes for the very top is a shape--or even a little ceramic statue. I choose the hen dish for this- I glued the dish together so it's now one piece instead of 2. Then, start experimenting with how you want you tower of glass to look. I started gluing it together in pieces to make things a little easier. I glued these two piles pictured below together and left them overnight to dry hard.

Then, I glued those two piles together the next day and glued the hen dish to the very top. Since this was now pretty tall and it takes a little while for the glue to set I had to improvise a way to hold the tower steady while it was drying, so I propped it between two chairs. Miko the Pomeranian looks pretty impressed with this project, doesn't he? Since I had glued the two pieces separately the night before and let them dry overnight it was really only two places for glue to dry on this step- where the glass meets the white plate in the picture and where the hen is sitting on the top plate. I let this step dry for two nights to make sure it was good and hard before I exposed it to outside elements.

Here it is in my garden- the glass syrup bottle is on a steel stake that I also purchased from the hardware store. If your tower wiggles a bit on the stake you could wrap a bit of duct tape around the stake until you get a tight fit in the neck of the bottle. The first one I made has been in my garden the entire summer and has not broken or come unglued yet- but I think it's very important to use a glue made for outdoor use to achieve this. So, what do you think? I kind of like the way it glints in the sunlight- and water collects on the plates when it rains giving the butterflies a little place to get a drink. See you again soon :)

new life and busy life

2011-07-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

So, I know it's been awhile since I have posted. Life is challenging me this summer and I'm struggling to find a balance. I am very fortunate because everything that is taking up my time is positive changes, but I feel so very sad lately because I have not had time to create any new minis, to sew, to paint, to simply create! Do you feel sad and restless when you can't create things and express yourself? Anyways, imagine my surprise when I saw this the other morning:

One of my small banty chickens has been sitting on a nest of eggs and they have hatched. How can I feel sad when I can visit these little guys each morning before work and again when I return home?? Are they not the cutest little minis ever? There are seven of them!! I think that I am going to take the advice of a sweet friend and make time for creating this weekend. I hope to be able to work on my Pay It Forward gifts and get them in the mail before the snow flies. I also have a goal of finishing Pedro the doll's new outfit this weekend- even if we have to have peanut butter sandwiches for dinner Saturday and Sunday! I hope to be back on Monday with pictures of Pedro in his fine new clothes :) Hope your summer is going great too!

Fun Giveaway!!!!

2011-07-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not been blogging or around to reading blogs- life has exploded here at my house. I had to pop in real quick and tell you about a giveaway my friend Eileen from The Artful Crafter blog is having for some gorgeous note cards-there's a picture I borrowed from her blog of the cards. They are gorgeous- right??!! It ends July 8th- if you have a moment please pop over to visit her and enter the giveaway :) Here's the link : http://the-artful-crafter.blogspot.com/2011/07/collaborative-art-card-project-giveaway.html

Garden Pictures

2011-06-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

We have had sooo much rain lately-it's nice weather for pulling weeds. I didn't think I would have much of a garden this year because I had let the weeds take over so much last year- but I think all my hard work is starting to pay off. I lost a couple of plants to either weeds or the winter- but that happens some years. Here are some pictures of the garden I took yesterday. I wish I didn't have to work and I could just spend every single summer day out here- I love it so much.

Artsy Bloggers Sunday!!!

2011-06-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I have not been checking in a lot- so much is going on in my life right now. We are adding a couple of new customers at work and work has been very hectic- and after work we spend a lot of time out in the gardens. I did manage to get some more done on Pedro's outfit- but I need to finish sewing it before I can share. In the meantime- I have some artsy blogger links to share. Each week a group of my friends share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. If you have the time please check out what my friends have been doing this week :)

Estate Sale Chairs
Cherie is still working on finishing up the awesome deal she got on estate sale chairs.

Mo(o)re Gourd Whimsies
Creative Paperclay Design Team

Laura-Taz's Corner
Art Journal Pages and Babysitting...

Beading Arts
Free-form peyote stitch and wire work...what could be more fun than combining the two?!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
3D Paper Tole work is very popular on The Continent. Watch this video illustrating how you can take your decoupage into the next dimension.

Creative Dreamer
June turned another year older, and is sharing "Seven Simple Ideas".

I'll be back tomorrow with some garden pictures, but I have to share this right now because they are so delicious and I'm so proud of our garden. This is a picture of our first strawberry harvest. Aren't they beautiful?? See ya tomorrow :)

The Orphans of Sainte Cécile

2011-06-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

My talented friend has written a book titled :

"The Orphans of Sainte Cécile"

Miko and I have recieved our copy and we sat down this weekend to have a read.

It's a sweet book filled with lots of pictures of the magical dolls Patricia creates. Marie is the main character and we follow her story as she is placed in an orphanage when her Father goes off to war. I cried at the end- the book is so very sweet. Patricia has written the book in English and in French- so you can even learn a little French too- and the book comes with a cd of Patricia reading the story to you in her lovely voice- also in English and French!! I highly recommend this book- and Patricia's dolls. I am lucky enough to own 3 of her dolls- Amelie (that lives in the Candy House) was my very first one! You can visit Patricia's website and find her book here :

http://www.papillonbleuuk.com/book.html

and you can visit her blog and etsy store here:

http://papillonbleuuk.blogspot.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/papillonbleuuk

Congratulations on your book Patricia- Miko and I love it !!!!!!

Lots Going On!!

2011-06-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

Wow- life is keeping me hopping right now! We are very busy at work- lots of good changes coming up. Between work, keeping the house tidy and the gardens I am not getting lots done in the crafts department. I have been managing to sneak only small pockets of time here and there. Remember Pedro- my naked doll? His Niche is all painted and ready for him to occupy.

However- Pedro himself is still awaiting his new outfit. I managed to make him some new pants and a new shirt- but there are lots more accessories to add- Pedro does not enjoy looking this plain!

Since I don't have much to show you that I have been working on.......let's look at some new goodies I bought for the Candy House! Christine from http://dandelionfair.blogspot.com/ sells the cutest little crocheted animals. Here are 2 that I recently purchased from her etsy store- a little mouse and a cookie monster! They are so tiny--I took one picture with my thumb in for scale. Amelie is in love with them- they are perfect for her play room- thank you so much Christine!!!! You can find Christine's etsy store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DandelionFair

While I have been so busy I missed the very last Creativity Challenge from June at http://acreativedreamer.blogspot.com/2011/06/final-big-reveal.html and I was pretty bummed to have missed it. The theme this time was Artist's Choice and this would have been my entry. I worked on this piece for at least 2 or 3 years and it's one of my favorite creations. These panels are polymer clay tiles in a mosiac. Each tile was hand cut and carved by me and then handpainted. The little niches/houses hold polymer clay prayer boxes and I can add more prayers to the piece until the niches are full. I was so proud when I finished these- mostly for sticking with a project this size and not quitting :) Thank you June for holding the Creativity Challenges- I will really miss them!

Before I go do some work I'll leave you with some garden pictures. Hope you have a good week- I'll be back tomorrow with a very special post :)

Artsy Bloggers Sunday!!!

2011-06-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

Wow- what a fantastic weekend I have had! I traveled home to see my family and visit an old, dear friend. I'm really tired out but so happy. If my family is reading- thank you so much! Anyhow, it's time for me to share some links from some artsy bloggers! Each week we share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. If you have the time please check out what my friends have been doing this week :)

Laura-Taz's Corner
Mail Art, and Postcards, Plus a Big Thank You!

Beading Arts
Copper tubing makes wonderful copper beads!

Mo(o)re Gourd Whimsies
Gourd and Paperclay Apple Tree

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Follow this tutorial to make a pretty and practical seed kit featuring seed planting strips.

Estate Sale Chairs - Part 2
Cherie attaches the seat covers and starts on the backs.

Another Unfinished Project

2011-06-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sooooo.....what have I been up to lately? While I was on blogging break I was cleaning like a mad woman. I have been cleaning my craft room off and on for well over a month now- I cannot believe how much stuff I have collected from friends and family's donations to my artful life. I'm getting close to finding an end to the craft room cleaning- but usually when I clean that room I find unfinished projects that just beg to be worked on. This is one of them. Meet Pedro. I made him in high school in art class and I've kept him all these years. Pedro would really like some clothes and a place to hang out in where everyone can see him.

Last year I made a grandfather clock from a battery powered clock my Mom bought me at the thrift store. You can see it here: http://flowerkim.blogspot.com/2010/03/project-of-week.html I had a piece left over from the back of that clock that I have been saving and I thought it would be a perfect niche for Pedro to be displayed in. I have just started painting the niche in a colorful pattern and I drilled a couple of holes in the back so I can attach a wire or ribbon to hold Pedro in a standing position. Next week I am going to attempt to make Pedro a new outfit- which will be a real big challenge for me- so stay tuned for more :)

Time is Flying Away From Me!

2011-06-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to miss my crafts a little bit. I'm still scrambling to clean things up outside from last fall and rescue my poor garden. On our back deck we have some chairs that have seen their better days. I decided new chairs were not in the budget so I decided to fix the ones we have. Here is the before:

A little sanding and a can of spray paint and they look much better. Now they need new cushions- which is in the budget :)

This morning when I walked out to the car to go to work I spied this in the garden- there were no open flowers last night when I was out weeding! What a beautiful way to start the day, huh?

I'm still steadily making progress on the weeding. Here is a couple of shots of the garden- looking a little better each week.

Dale asked me if I mulch after I weed, but I really don't. I know it would be smarter- but I put down bark in small paths through the beds and I don't want to put anything else down that takes away from the bark pathways- so I just weed. It's good exercise, right? That's what I tell myself anyhow.

I'll be back tomorrow to show you a project I've been working on at night when it's too dark to weed anymore. Before I go I have to show you the beautiful plant my sister sent me for my birthday. Isn't it sweet??!! I hope I can keep it alive- I'm great at outdoor gardening-but I always seem to kill indoor plants-so cross your fingers for me!! Thank you sis if you happen to read this!!!

Artsy Blogger Sunday!!!!

2011-06-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to share some links from some artsy bloggers! Each week we share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. If you have the time please check out what my friends have been doing this week :)

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
See how to make zero-calorie fortune cookies for your next party. Hint: they're made in the craft room - not the kitchen.

Recovering Estate Sale Chairs
Cherie gets a find at an estate sale and shows how to recover old chairs.

Beading Arts
Wire tutorials and resources galore on Beading Arts this week!

Creative Dreamer
June is having problems with watercolors, come see what's going on.

Campfire Pies
A fun summer campout treat idea.

Healthy Thinking

2011-06-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well- I completely fell off the healthy thinking wagon while I was on break. I had some issues at home and work that were causing me stress and when I'm stressed I tend to turn to sugary treats. I'm pretty much back to where I started from- but I am continuing to feel stronger- so that is a positive. When we first started working outside in the gardens and trying to finish up outside chores we neglected last year I felt like I was not going to survive it. The first week I was in so much pain- I think every muscle in my body hurt. It's getting so much better every week- if I can get my strength completely back and do things effortlessly again I have vowed to never ever let myself get weak again. It's funny, but every time I accomplish something new I feel so darn proud of myself. The strawberry patch looked like a hay field, but I kept pulling weeds and moving plants to a new row and finally putting down straw for the path and my goodness I was sure proud the day I was finished and I could see the pretty rows of plants again. We've started to eat healthier again- for some reason it's so much easier to eat better in the summer months. Maybe because it's not the focus anymore- there's just so much to be done that who has time to think about eating all the time? I don't know- but if I can keep up the exercise and good eating I'll hopefully be back on my way to losing again- and being STRONG! Yesterday I finished cleaning the room the treadmill is in- I can actually walk up to it now- so I think I might start walking/jogging on the treadmill for a little bit each week too. Strong muscles definetely feel better than weak ones :) So how about you- are you on a healthy thinking mission? How is yours going- do you have as many self imposed set backs as I seem to? I'll be back in 2 weeks to tell you how I've been doing again :)

More Goodies and More Garden

2011-06-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have some more great things I have received in the mail to share today. First, I have this beautiful room setting I won in a giveaway from Dale at http://dalesdreams.blogspot.com/. Isn't it beautiful?? I have it tucked away right now because I think I have to think of a special project to use it in. There is a rug, a folding screen, 2 sweet little pillows and a footstool. I love them all-thank you again Dale ♥ Dale sells her minis on etsy too- check out her shop if you have time- all her work is amazing--http://www.etsy.com/shop/dalesdreams?ref=seller_info

Next, I have to share this gorgeous bag that my sweet friend Laura from http://cleaninghouseandbakingcakes.blogspot.com/ sent to me for my birthday. The pictures cannot do it justice- it's incredible! I love the colors so much and you can see how wonderful the embroidery is on the close up picture. The tag that was on the bag says it was handmade by the Mayans out of the hand woven and embroidered traditional clothing known as huipils. Each village has it's own unique style of embroidery. I don't even know if I can use this everyday- it may have to be a special occasion bag because it is a treasure. Thank you so much Laura- I really love it and you too. I'm lucky to have met you-you are one of my very favorite people:)

Now......on to some more garden pictures. I am slowly making progress. Here is one small little area that has a lot less weeds (well, except for all of the pulled weeds all over the path- I guess I could have swept that up before I took the picture):

But....here is another area right across from it that is still screaming for help :)

I did manage to get all of the weeds out of the small blueberry patch and I started tucking the raspberries up into the wire we've strung to keep them in check......

After almost 2 weeks the strawberries are finally weed free and straw is down on the paths.....

Look at all those beautiful white flowers that will turn into berries for my belly!!!

Here are a few things that are blooming. When your garden is as full of weeds as mine is it sure is important to notice the blooming things :) This is a little tree my husband bought me years ago. The bees LOVE those yellow flowers and when you are weeding near it there is a constant buzzing music from them.

This is one of the two apple trees. We hardly had any apples last year, but it looks like we'll make up for it this year.

Here is a close up of the little forget me nots- they are one of my very favorite flowers.

Here is a shot of the lilacs. Last year we hardly had any flowers and this year they are loaded. It smell heavenly in my yard right now.

This last picture I just think is cool. I was taking a picture of the lilacs in the wind and this is how it turned out. Almost looks like I tried to do that in a photo editing program, doesn't it? I'll be back tomorrow to try to get back on track with Healthy Thinking. I really have not been working on it at all, so I guess it's time for me to get back on track again and blogging sure does help me stay on track with that. See you tomorrow!

Goodies from Friends!!

2011-05-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

First, I have to say that if I owe you an email I am trying very hard to catch up. My inboxes are very full- I'm afraid I've been avoiding them a little bit...but I promise I'll be responding to people this week. Now.....on to the fun stuff! I have some great things to share with you that I recieved from friends while I was absent. I won a giveaway held by Kat from http://minikatslittlethoughts.blogspot.com/ and look at the wonderful goodies she sent to me! Her stitching is more incredible than the pictures can show- absolutely perfect. I adore this little bunny so much- and I don't have many decorations for Easter so this cute little frame will have center stage each spring. Kat also sent some sweet eggs to hang and a tiny little stitched pillow for my dollhouse. The colors match the bedroom in The Candy House perfectly! There was chocolate too- but I've already eaten that :) Thank you so much Kat- I love it all!!!

Next, I want to share the items Dale from http://dalesdreams.blogspot.com/ sent to me for the Mother's Day swap she held this year. I think I might just use all of these in The Candy House too- they all look so perfect in there! Dale sent a sweet little wreath with the most perfect little roses, an adorable cottage picture that I think looks so cute in the Play Room in The Candy House and a trio of picture frames. I love them all so much Dale-thank you ♥ When I get back to working on The Candy House I'll show you all where I have hung them. I have to go get some work done today- but I'll be back again tomorrow with some more great gifts from friends and some more garden pictures too :)

I'm back :)

2011-05-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally getting back to blogging after a longer break than I meant to take. Sometimes real life just shakes things up a bit. I really cannot believe how quickly time flew past. I've been a busy gal- cleaning my home, cleaning and reorganizing my craft room, helping my husband plant and clean up the vegetable and fruit garden and trying to rescue my flower garden after I neglected it last fall. There is so much weeds and grass in my flower garden, I don't know if I'll be able to completely rescue it this year. I've been taking it one step at a time and just trying to fix what I can. Here are some pictures so you can see what I mean.

Ugh. So much to fix. But along with the bad comes some good. There are birds in 2 of the birdhouses and I get to watch the proud parents return time after time with food for their babies. There are also a few flowers blooming to keep me inspired.

I have lots more to catch up on. I've received some wonderful minis and gifts from friends and I need to get back on the healthy thinking track. I bought a couple of new books with projects I am itching to try out and share with you too. Before I go today I wanted to share some artsy blogger links with my friends. If you have some time please visit these gals and see what they are up to.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
See how Eileen used a 3D Valentine's Day card template to make a 3D card suitable for many special occasions

Beading Arts
Cyndi has been featuring wonderful wire artists all this month...take a look at what these folks are doing!

Mo(o)re Gourd Whimsies
Show-Me State Gourd Festival

Baseball Photo Collage
Created with a brick matte background and Artistic (textured) Letters

Creative Dreamer
June's got another give away going! This time it's a village for your wrist... come see!

A little bit of cute too-everyone taking a break from playing:

I'll be back tomorrow with another post and I'll be trying to catch up on what all of you have been up to also :)

Artsy Bloggers Sunday!

2011-05-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

I've been getting a lot done by taking a break from the internet. I'm still taking a little break- but I wanted to try to catch up with blogs I read and the blogs I follow have disappeared. Has this happened to anyone else- they have been gone for 3 days now :( Anyone know how to fix it? Anyhow- even though I don't have much to share from me this sunday I wanted to post some links from my artsy blogger friends. Each week we share what we have been up to and we share them with our readers too. If you have time please take a look at these talented bloggers :)

Creative Dreamer
It's a book... no, it's a frame... June has altered another book, this time into a double frame!

Made By Nicole
Make a gorgeous spring wreath with scrap cardstock and burlap.

Beading Arts
Don't miss our next giveaway package from the fabulous Cherry Tree Beads!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Need a last minute gift for mom? Check out the Mother's Day Parade of Crafts on The Artful Crafter. You're sure to find something to make that will put a smile on mom's face. Kid-friendly projects are indicated by our little Miss SmArty icon.

Laura - Taz's Corner
Spring Has Sprung! Postcards and An ATC

Blogging Break

2011-05-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about this for awhile and I have decided that I am taking a blogging break. I have some things going on in real life that need my attention and I am having a hard time keeping up with real life and the blog both. I figure if I take a break from the blog then I won't burn myself out and end up in a creativity block by trying to keep up with too much. I'm taking a break for 3 weeks. I'll try and visit blogs of friends if I can, but I'm not sure if I'll even be able to keep up with reading very well. If you need something from me I will keep checking my email- so please feel free to drop me a note. I'll be back before you know it :) Thank you for your understanding- I hope you'll be back to visit again when I am back.

Artsy Bloggers Sunday!!

2011-05-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to share some links from some artsy bloggers! Each week we share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. Please take a look at what these talented gals have been up to this week :) I have been working on The Sunroom Roombox this weekend so I'll be back tomorrow with some progress pictures :)

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Celebrate spring by making a pressed flower card.

Beading Arts
Don't miss your chance to win giveaway package #2 from Cherry Tree Beads!

Laura - Taz's Corner
Laura shares some Free Mother's Day Designs and more.

Create a Memory Journal for Friends
Cherie talks about creating a one-of-a-kind gift for a friend.

Moore (Gourd)Whimsies
Creative Paperclay Design Team!!!

Creative Dreamer
Last week June showed you how to create a woven "gum wrapper" photo frame... this week she's giving it away!

Made By Nicole
Add a little edge to your wardrobe with these easy to craft punk pins.

Chicken Rotini With Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce
An easy healthier meal to throw together on hectic week nights.

Butterfly Wings :)

2011-04-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

I live 2 hours away from my family. I don't get home as often as I like so once in awhile I like to send my nieces and nephews surprises via UPS. This year I sent them all Easter baskets and I asked my sister what my little niece might like in hers. My sis said that she likes to play dress up. How fun is that?? Well, I could not find much for playing dress up here in the town I live in. I found a cute little netted skirt with butterflies on it so I bought that thinking I could make some butterfly wings for her to wear with the skirt. I went to the fabric store to buy a pattern for wings, but they were sold out! I'm not sure why- but I figured...how hard could it really be? So, here is my version of butterfly wings for a toddler :) I bought 6 pieces of lavander fun foam sheets and 8 pieces of a fun glittered pink. I then made a simple pattern for wings and cut out the lavander sheets. I cut out 2 upper wings and 2 lower wings and then I cut out 2 body parts. I cut 8 pieces of the glittered pink just a touch smaller and glued them on top of the lavander on both sides- making each wing seperately. Then I took the 2 oval shaped lavander pieces and glued the wings sandwiched between them to end up with wings that look like this:

There is pink on the front and back of the wings. Next I took some elastic I had bought and cut off 2 pieces about 5 inches long.

I cut a small slit in the wings about 4 inches over from the center of the body and brought the elastic through to the back- leaving a loop on the front of the wings big enough for a little girls arms. I used embroidery floss and sewed the loops down securely- using very large stitches so you don't tear the foam. I did a lot of stitches so it would be pretty strong. Be careful not to sew the loop for the arm on the front shut.

Now- of course I sent off the basket without taking enough pictures- but here is a drawing to explain better:

Here is Miko modeling the wings for me since I didn't have a toddler to help me see if the size was okay. He only had them on for about 5 minutes tops- he doesn't care for being a butterfly . You can see Poopie cat's tail in the picture because Poopie cat is Miko's best friend :) My sister said that my niece loved her basket but my nephew liked wearing the wings more. I think that is so cute!

The Sunroom

2011-04-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

Well friends- I was so excited to show you some progress on this project. I have been working on secret items and I finally was able to do work that I could put on the blog! A little too excited I guess- because I broke it! Here is what the sunroom used to look like:

I painted the wood on the front brown and then I did a crackle coat like Katie does. When the crackle was still tacky I added a gray paint to the top of that. I let it dry overnight (you are right Katie- waiting for it to dry is the hardest part) and the next day I sanded the gray just a little bit. I was in love with it! I proudly showed it to my hubby and he liked it too. While setting it down after we had been admiring my handiwork I slipped and broke the glass on the front. So.......after much prying (tacky glue sticks really well to glass!) Here is the front now-I had to start all over with a new piece of glass. My hubby says that maybe I was meant to break it because he thinks you would be able to see into the room better if there was only one post in the middle instead of two. I think he might be right, but I'm still trying to decide. Anyhow, this gray paint treatment is what all the wood will eventually look like- what do you think?

Disregard the brown strip in the picture- I had to do a bit of repair and didn't add gray there yet. I also did more work with the brick wall in back and painted the door leading into the room.

My hubby made a cool little framework that drops right down onto the top of the box for some hanging plants to hang from. I can take the grid off if I really want to get my hands into the box for rearranging things.

So....this project is one step forward and two steps back I guess :) What do you think so far??

Artsy Bloggers Sunday!!

2011-04-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to share some links from some artsy bloggers! Each week we share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. Please take a look at what these talented gals have been up to this week :)

Taz's Corner
Laura has an announcement and an exciting opportunity!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has been sharing a travelog of her most recent trip to Guatemala!

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Easter Eggs
It's fun to make, fun to give these delicious handmade Easter treats.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Learn how to dye Easter eggs naturally. Not everything needs to come from a kit or a mix.

Made By Nicole
Learn how to make graffiti backgrounds using materials you have on hand.

Creative Dreamer
All of those altered books June has been doing has left her with lots of pages she has to do something with. Here's her first project... a frame!

Moore (Gourd)Whimsies
100th Follower Giveaway Winner!!

Peep Flower Centerpiece
Cherie makes a table decoration using what else? Peeps!

I've been working on the sunroom roombox this past weekend. I'll be back tomorrow to share some progress :) Happy Easter everyone!!

Monoprints

2011-04-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

I have LOADS of books and old craft magazines and they have lots and lots of projects in them. I tend to read them and think "someday I will try that out". Well- what am I waiting for?? While I was doing the never ending cleaning of the craft room this week I found some re-inkers for the colorsnap ink pads and I decided to try out mono-printing. Mono printing is a form of printmaking that produces one unique image. Even if I do a second attempt at the print- it is not exactly the same as the first print. The type of monoprinting I tried out involves putting the ink on a surface- etching into the ink and then transferring the ink to the paper to make the print. These are the re-inkers that I used for this project. If I try this again I might see how using acrylic paint from tubes works-maybe if I use a thicker medium I would get a stronger print?

So you start off with a piece of glass or plexiglass. I put a few pea sized drops of ink down right onto the surface of the glass.

Then you take a sponge (I used make up sponges from the dollar store) and spread the ink out a bit- using a separate sponge for each color.

Here is the fun part. I used a rubber stamp and stamped right into the ink. I cleaned off the stamp and stamped into the ink a second time with the clean stamp. Then I took a wooden stick and drew some squiggles right into the ink. The article stopped here- but I thought...I wonder what would happen if I put some paper shapes down in a couple of places too? (those are the pink flowers)

Now you carefully lay your piece of paper onto the ink and take a brayer and roll over the back of the page- being careful to keep the page in place and not letting it slide around. I did this 3 times because I was curious how many times the ink would last. The yellow page is my first print- the lavander is the second print and the green is the third.

I thought this was pretty fun and could be used in so many different ways. I wanted to make something right away with one of the prints so I took the strongest print on the yellow paper and I cut it out and layered over some other papers to make a quick card. I think I'll go write a note to a sweet friend in it and pop it in the mail :)

2011-04-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well- today we are at 163.6. Still a loss- and that's okay with me today. Today I am feeling good with my body. I know I still need weight to come off- but the energy...that's what is important to me. I feel a little stronger each week. I feel excited to get up and start the day. I feel excited to work on new projects and finish up old ones and more than anything that is what I wanted to get back. I know that my struggle with the weight will be a slow one- and one I might have for the rest of my life. I am okay with that. I think I would rather only lose .4 pound and have a couple of reeses peanut butter eggs (omg- thank goodness they are only once a year!) than not have any peanut butter eggs and gain 1 pound because I freaked out and ate a package of 6 by myself. I know I need to be more disciplined about the exercise and tracking my food- but you know what- I think I am okay with simply trying. When I get crazy and only concentrate on exercise and tracking---when it's all about the weight---then I start to lose control of everything else. If my journey is slower because I am not being as strict as I should be- but I am still managing to keep up with the rest of my life- then I guess I am okay with a really slow journey. I think I am going to start to do this post as a bi-weekly post. I know there are folks out there with no interest in reading this and wondering why I keep posting it. I've thought about stopping the posts more than once. After thinking about it for a few weeks now I have decided the reason why I keep doing these posts is that it is my blog- my place to share my heart and life and to write what I desire. Writing this out keeps me from spiraling out of control. It keeps me accountable- even if I'm not doing as well as someone else on the same journey would be doing. Even though I yo-yo and I have good weeks and then right behind them come bad weeks- well---that's just me. This last week I have come to realize that I am okay with "me". I actually like me :) If you would like to visit my friend who is also trying to get healthy or you would like to work at it along with us please visit Marsha for Wednesday Weigh Ins at http://sassyminidolls.blogspot.com
See you in a couple of weeks :)

Artsy Bloggers Sunday!!

2011-04-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to share some links from some artsy bloggers! Each week we share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. There are some great post this week- please take a look!!

Made By Nicole
Nicole shares a mixed-media art piece that is filled with love for family and friends.

Affirmations Page - Art Journal Background
Check out this easy journal background!

Moore (Gourd)Whimsies
Last Day for the Giveaway!

Beading Arts
The final chapter of Cyndi's e-book is now available! "Fibers, Fabrics, and Beads" challenges you to integrate all the fiber arts that you already love with your bead embroidery!

Make a Fish Cake
If you have a fisherman in the family they'll love this fun cake idea!

Homemade Mirrors With Poetry
It's National Poetry Month! In honor of that, Cherie is showing off a mirror she made using lines from one of her poems.

Creative Dreamer
Just a reminder that the visual journal June created all through March is going to given away to one lucky follower! But you have to hurry... the give away ends at midnight on Saturday!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Make these darling lamb place card holders for Easter or any special spring dinner. So cute!

Pay It Forward

2011-04-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

I signed up for something called Pay It Forward on my sweet friend Julia's blog. I think this will be fun-here's the rules:

The first five people who leave a comment on this post will receive a gift handmade by me for you.
There is an important catch, First you must create a post explaining Pay it Forward 2011 on your blog.
Then for the best part, make and send a gift to the first five visitors who comment on your post and who agree to do the same.
Don't worry you don't have to send these gifts out tomorrow, your gifts from the heart will take a little time.
This should be a fun way to make new friends and share your creativity.

Pay it Forward is about friendship and sharing.

So- anyone interested? As far as I can tell there really isn't a time limit to send out so no stress attached :)

A Bashed Chandelier

2011-04-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

Recently I purchase one of the new battery powered LED lights for The Candy House. I thought it would be perfect for that house since the place where I will eventually keep the house is not close to any electrical plug-ins. Here is what the lamp looked like when I received it.

Nice, but not what I had in mind. I wanted to use this lamp in the bathroom of the dollhouse and I wanted it to be more girly than this. I painted the gold white and then I cut small paper petals to add to the globes. Still not girly enough, so I added some tiny crystal beads from my stash. I think it's perfect now- what do you think?

Here is the chandelier hanging in the half finished bathroom:

A shot with the flash off and the light on:

Last, here is my little helper very curious about what I am doing and wanting to help me take my pictures. Can't leave you without a little shot of cute, right? Who knew Miko would like miniatures too??

Wednesday Weigh In

2011-04-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

It's time again for Wednesday Weigh In. I had a good week last week. I didn't manage to exercise, but I was continuing on with spring cleaning and I know that counts for some exercise. I can barely wait till it gets warm enough to really start cleaning things up outside. I weigh in today at 164- and that's a little over a half a pound weight loss. I tried to watch my weight watchers points values a lot this last week. I'm feeling so excited about everything lately- spring coming, projects just pouring out of my brain, cleaning up my house and yard, moving my body is slowly getting easier- I am just feeling plain happy and I hope that will start to show in my battle to be healthy. I'm going to try really hard this week for another loss next week. If you would like to visit my friend who is also trying to get healthy or you would like to work at it along with us please visit Marsha for Wednesday Weigh Ins at http://sassyminidolls.blogspot.com
See you next week :)

Sunroom Progress

2011-04-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I have made some slow progress on the sunroom. I really have the itch to work on this project, but I have a wedding present and 2 swaps to finish so I only allowed myself a couple of hours last weekend for this. Remember where we started with 4 picture frames glued together with a floor?

Here is where I am at now. I am adding half walls to each side and separating the windows a bit with posts. I still have a long way to go- I need to add the walls on the inside still- and I want to have a weathered gray type of finish on the outside but I have no idea how to do this, so lots of paint experimenting is coming up in the future.

I decided the back wall will be brick and the floor will be navy tile- this should look really nice with the cushions on the chair Casey made for me. What do you think so far?

Artsy Bloggers Sunday!!

2011-04-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to share some links from some artsy bloggers! Each week we share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. Please take a look at what these talented gals have been up to this week :)

Made By Nicole
If Nothing Ever Changed, There'd Be No Butterflies - this mixed-media art piece was made using the bits of paper trash acquired during the weekend.

Beading Arts
Cyndi has a copy of the wonderful new book "Endless Sparkle" that she is just dying to give away!

Creative Dreamer
June is sharing a recipe for Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles...yum!

Taz's Corner - Free-Mixed Media Tips and Techniques! Art Journals and More...
Laura shares tips from her secret stash of techniques and tricks!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Eileen made a necklace and earring set using shells gathered on vacation and shares the directions.

Barbara-MooreWhimsies
Weekly thoughts and Goings On

Canvas Paper House - Part 2
Second part of the canvas paper house Cherie is making for her aunt.

Egg Carton Easter Bunny Craft
A quick and easy Easter for the kids (and it uses up those extra egg cartons).

Lots of great things going on this week- have a visit!

Finishing the Felted Bracelet

2011-04-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

Last week I needlefelted a "journal bracelet". This week I am finishing the bracelet. I found this project in one of my newsletters from the magazine "Cloth, Paper, Scissors" and the author's bracelet was centered around a memory from her childhood. I did not have a memory I wanted to journal- so I went with a theme of flowers instead because I love gardening. First I needle felted some green wool roving into little balls- the color reminds me of the first greens of spring. I wanted to use supplies I already had on hand, so I found these round wood shapes and drilled a hole in each one. Then I added some green paper on each side and painted the edges gold. To finish these up I drew a flower on each circle.

Using embroidery thread I sewed these pieces to the bracelet. I didn't think it really looked finished, so I went back to the supply stash and found some plastic flower buttons. I painted these gold and added them to the bracelet.

I think it's finished now! This was a really fun project and I think if I do it again I would make the actual bracelet a lot wider so I had more room to embellish. Here's the finished bracelet:

Wednesday Weigh In

2011-04-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

This is a short post today. I told you last week about feeling like giving up but not allowing myself to. I am slowly getting back on track. I am still trying to balance my exercise with everything else going on in life. I did get exercise this week- but it was mainly in spring cleaning and walks outside with the dog. I know I need to do more than that to really make the weight fall off- but I'm still unable to find that balance of job, house upkeep, blogging, crafting and weight loss. I'm going to get there- already this year I feel so much better than last year and I am slowly catching up to the many things I let fall through the cracks. I weigh in today at 164.6- which is a step backwards from last weigh in- but I'm okay with it. It could have been worse- I feared it would be. I've decided to really get cracking in hopes of wearing dresses this summer that used to fit me. I put pictures of the old me on the fridge and a big "stick to it" sign that will stare me in the face as I choose what to eat. I got out my old size 10 jeans and left only 2 of the larger size in the closet in the hopes of having to wash them so often will spur me on (silly, right?-- but these tricks really help me). I filled my fridge once again with veggies and put a "NO" sign on my hubby's snack cupboard (he really loves that-lol--he knows it's for me, not him). Spring is finally here- my attitude improves daily and I'm getting outside and moving- so I just know these posts will soon be filled with the excitement of a woman succeeding and changing her life. So- I'll see you again next week. Thank you to everyone that continues to read these posts and supports me- it is so helpful to me. If you would like to visit my friend who is also trying to get healthy or you would like to work at it along with us please visit Marsha for Wednesday Weigh Ins at http://sassyminidolls.blogspot.com /

A New Art Journal=March's Creativity Invitation

2011-04-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

After 30 days of journaling my journal is getting close to being full. I decided to make a new one and I thought I would share with you how I make them. The last journal I was working in was 8 x 10 inches, but I wanted a new challenge, so I decided to try out a smaller size of 5 x 7 inches. I start out with large sheets of 140 lb hot press watercolor paper. I like this paper because it's nice and thick for collage or painting but the surface is smooth for writing or drawing. Since my journal covers will be 5 x 7 I will be making my inside pages 8 x 6 for pages resulting in 4 x 6 after the sheets are folded into signatures. After cutting the paper into the smaller size I fold each sheet in half. I then nestle 5 of those folded sheets inside each other for one group of 5 folded pages. This is one signature. This journal will have 6 signatures of 5 folded pages each.

Now I'll need a cover. I used the actual cover of an old book that I cut the cover off of- but I've also used canvas board and once I even used plexiglass. Cut your covers to the correct size. I am going to sew the signatures into the journal, so I use muslin for the spine of the book. Glue one side of a strip of muslin to the front cover of the journal.

Now you will take the group of signatures you made and measure the thickness. That measurement is the space you want between the two covers. Glue the muslin to the edge of the second cover, making sure you match up with the bottom of the first cover. Flip the journal over and glue the top and bottom of the muslin over so that it is even with the bottom of your journal covers.

I decorate my cover before I sew the signatures in- so now I did some collage on the covers and I painted the muslin with a wash of green paint. I also glued a piece of pink paper on the inside of the covers so the inside looks nice too.

Finally it's time to add those pages! There are many different ways you can sew your pages in- this is usually how I do mine. I measure spaces for 8 holes on the edge of one of the folded pages. I like to make them a little uneven, but you can space them all out exactly the same measurement from each other- just make sure to go about a half inch or inch in from the bottom and top of the page.

Take an awl and make a hole at each of these measurements so you have 8 holes. Now, using this as a template poke holes in all of the signatures. I take this same template and make a small mark on the outside spine where the page should sit inside the journal. This will help with putting the first signature in so you don't have to guess where the holes are.

I'm going to sew this journal with a linen bookbinding thread, but I've also used cording and twine and the journal didn't fall apart. Starting on the outside of the journal I am going to go into the bottom mark on the outside of the journal and into the first hole of the bottom of the first signature.

Be sure to leave a tail of thread still hanging out of the spine. After coming up through the hole of the first signature go back down through the next hole and into the spine with the needle coming back out to the outside of the spine. I tie a knot here with the tail we still have hanging out of the first hole.

Now we keep going back and forth this way until we come to the end hole where we should end up back on the outside of the spine. Moving over a small space we go back into the spine and into the first hole of the next signature. Keep the thread nice and snug in between each hole so that the pages are firmly attached to the muslin spine.

Keep sewing this way, moving over a small space at the end of each signature before starting the next one. At the end of the last signature I make sure everything is nice and taut and then I sew under the threads to get over to the tail we started with and I tie another knot and put a drop of super glue on the knot.

We have a journal! I painted my thread the same color as the spine, but you could leave the thread color as an accent too. Now I better get to work filling it! (sorry about the glare- the girl is a packing tape transfer and I couldn't get a good photo) This is my entry for March's Creativity Invitation held each month by June from http://acreativedreamer.blogspot.com - if you'd like to play too please visit June's blog to find out more!

The Sunroom

2011-04-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Well, after finishing up the 30 days of art journaling I took a small break. I enjoyed the 30 days, but I did find that I was scrambling to keep up with everything this last month, so I am taking a month's break and I will have a new 30 day challenge in May. I have a couple of ideas I am thinking over- but I am open to suggestions too. Last weekend I wanted to work on miniatures. I worked a bit on the outside of the Candy House- but since I'm so close to being finished with the exterior I'm waiting to show you that. Instead, I will show you my project for the fabulous chair I won in Casey's Mini's giveaway. I wanted to try to build this project from scratch instead of buying a kit. I saw somewhere instructions on how to build a tabletop greenhouse for your life size plants from picture frames and I thought- why not try that out using smaller picture frames? I bought two 8x10 inch picture frames and two 5x7 inch picture frames at the dollar store. My husband cut a base for me and a back wall. We glued the entire thing together and started out with this:

My husband added wood putty to the frames to make them even on the outside and then I painted the entire thing cream. I wasn't sure what to do about the roof. My hubby surprised me with the wonderful roof made out of wood strips and plexiglass! I think it looks great! I've started to gather some things that I might use in this little sunroom. I'm thinking the back wall will be brick, with a door leading to the room from the house (use your imagination a bit here:) ). I'm also thinking I'll have a short wall around the bottom of the room with some faux posts to separate the windows up a bit. Here's the progress so far:

Artsy Bloggers Sunday!

2011-04-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to share some links from some artsy bloggers! Each week we share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. Please take a look at what these talented gals have been up to :)

Rummage Sales for Craft Supplies
Cherie talks about what to buy and what to skip at rummages this summer.

Made By Nicole
You'd never guess this pretty spring wreath is made quickly and simply with ordinary paper towels.

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Eileen shares directions for sewing a secret pockets hanger cover. This clever organizer can also be used to organize outfits.

Pirate Scrapbook Pages
Fun scrapbook idea for the pirate fan in the family.

Beading Arts
Do you like copper and turquoise together? Then you're going to love this new tutorial that Cyndi wrote up for you!

Laura - Taz's Corner
Laura discusses the "art" of words

Creative Dreamer
The March Creativity Invitation prompt is to create a journal page, and this month June has shared her techniques to create an entire journal... now she's giving that journal away. Come put your entry in!

Moore (Gourd)Whimsies
100th Follower and a Giveaway!

30 Days Of Journaling Day 30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it to 30 days and I was only late posting one day! I decided to just play around tonight without worrying too much about whether it would turn out good or not. I don't think I am 100% finished with this page- but I'll probably let it sit for awhile and come back to it later. I used scrapbook paper, sharpie markers and acrylic paint on this page. I added some more pattern by stamping with rubber stamps, the bottom of a spool of thread and bubble wrap. I wanted to do something I had never tried before, so I made a sliding dog on this page. The dog can be on the ground, or he moves up as if he is jumping :) I also played with adding some pom pom ribbon to the bottom of the page. I think I have a long way to go in learning new art journal techniques, but I sure had fun with this 30 days! Thank you to everyone that took the time to follow along!!!

Felted Bracelet

2011-03-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to the magazine Cloth, Paper, Scissors and I signed up for their newsletters. One of the last newsletters had a free project-- a felted journal bracelet. I liked the idea- so I thought I would give it a try. In the instructions from the email they are felting the wool with a wet method- but I wondered if it would work if I needlefelted the bracelet. First I started with a couple different colors of wool roving the length of around my wrist.

I added 2 ribbon strips that hung past the ends of the felt for tying it to my wrist. Then I added some raffia and thin twine and started to needle felt it all together. I think the repetitive stabbing of needle felting is so relaxing.

When I had it felted pretty firmly I added some beads with thread. What do you think? Would you wear it?

In the article they then added charms that told a "journal story" of a memory. I didn't really have a memory planned when I started the project, so I think I'll add charms of things that make me happy. Check back next week and I'll show you the charms I make for the bracelet.

30 Days Of Journaling Day 29

2011-03-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

I glued a couple of pictures and a list I wanted to save on this page and then I just did some drawing. I have a couple of projects I need to finish tonight, so I didn't spend have very much time to spend on my journal page. Tomorrow is the last day- I'm kind of proud that I only posted late the one time and I kept going till the end. I can honestly say I did something creative every single day for 30 days :)

Wednesday Weigh In :)

2011-03-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

Let me start off with saying I did not feel like doing today's post-but denial doesn't help me. I've never been gifted at writing and it's hard to explain why I'm not doing well in a way that doesn't sound like another excuse-maybe I am just making excuses for myself. I didn't weigh in this morning. I don't know if I lost or I gained---I have not exercised and I have only tracked my food half the time. I'm a bit scared of the scale right now. I was feeling so great- so much excitement for my exercise and for eating healthy. The thing I need to get past and the thing that trips me up sooo many times is the cold. This has been such a long winter to me this year. It finally got a little warm- I could stand the temps in the house after we got home from work- I was moving- I was spring cleaning- I was doing really well. Then we had a cold snap- it snowed- my butt froze to the car seat each morning and I felt like I had been slapped in the face. I kind of went into a weird denial/hibernation/rebellion mode. I feel like I backtracked at least a couple of weeks. The cold just threw me into a little depression and I have spent my nights in a mound on the couch working on whatever could be worked on while I still stayed under a blanket. This is a MAJOR stumbling block for me. I just cannot seem to stay on track when it is cold. I need to really concentrate and find ways to stop letting winter stop me dead in my fitness tracks. I do sooo well in the summer. I walk almost every day- I garden and work in the yard until the sun goes down. Anyhow- one of the reasons I decided to do weight watchers online this time instead of meetings is because I can just pick up and start again when I slip up and fall off track without having to feel so humiliated at my failure. I'm starting fresh this week- Miko the Pomeranian and I have even been trying to learn how to walk well together so he can join me on the walking path this summer. He has some issues with strangers- but so far in our trial runs he has been doing so well- I am very proud of him :) See you next week- hopefully with good news! If you would like to visit my friend who is also trying to get healthy or you would like to work at it along with us please visit Marsha for Wednesday Weigh Ins at http://sassyminidolls.blogspot.com /

30 Days Of Journaling Day 28

2011-03-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

I did this page around a vintage postcard my friend Dani sent to me. I used paper scraps, acrylic paint, and a sharpie paint pen on this page. It dawned on me as I was finishing up this page that I use circles a lot when I draw. Not too sure what that means, but I'm trying to pay attention to things like this because I'm going to concentrate this year on improving my journaling and putting more meaning into it. I only attatched one side of the postcard to the page, so you can lift the postcard up. Underneath the postcard is a little drawing Dani did on the envelope on one of her letters to me. Isn't it sweet? I'm going to go experiment with some wool now- see you tomorrow!!

30 Days Of Journaling Day 27

2011-03-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

I started this page with a magazine advertisement that I thought was cool. I had already glued a tip I wanted to save on this page at an earlier time. I drew around the ad and tip and colored the page with watercolor pencils. I really had fun drawing this page! See you tomorrow!!

30 Days Of Journaling Day 26

2011-03-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

On this journal page I have glued down a couple of pictures of shell art I found cool and inspiring and on the other page I have glued wrapping paper off a gift from my sweet friend Dani from The Netherlands. Then I doodled a bit on the page- adding shells, pearls, hearts and tulips and added some color with markers and watercolor pencils. I'm going to see how far I can get on my painted staircase angels today and catch up on blog reading a little bit tomorrow. The sun is shining today and the light coming in the windows is incredible. Makes me a really happy girl :) See you tomorrow!

Artsy Bloggers !!

2011-03-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to share some links from some artsy bloggers! Each week we share with each other what we have been up to- and post to our blogs to share with our readers too. Please take a look at what these talented gals have been up to :)

Made By Nicole
If you like Sticky Toffee Pudding, you're going to love this easy recipe for Arabian Date Cake!

Eileen - The Artful Crafter
Eileen reviews Chapter 4 of Cyndi Lavin's eBook, "Every Bead Has a Story"

Barbara Moore-Gourd Art
Look how close I'm getting!!!
Barbara is getting close to 100!!

Canvas Paper House
Step one of a journaling house Cherie is making, using canvas paper and collage.

Lamb Craft
This spring lamb craft would be perfect for March or Easter

Creative Dreamer
Let's talk paper...Some ideas about what kinds of papers to use for creative journaling.

30 Days Of Journaling Day 25

2011-03-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today I felt a little uninspired and restless, so I really just played in my journal. I used a mixture of papers, acrylic paint and markers. I was really lazy today. I'm feeling a little guilty about that so I think I'll go clean all the pet beds- see you tomorrow :)

30 Days Of Journaling Day 24

2011-03-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today I worked my page around a yellow bird I cut out of a magazine ad. I keep thinking about spring and gardening- so I wrote Spring Is On My Mind across the page and drew a woman with a nest on her head to go with the yellow bird. I added a picture of a garden, another flower I cut out of a card and a decal I had lying on my desk to the page and added more doodling on the edges of the page. Markers, watercolor pencils and acrylic paint was used to add color to the page. I started out with a different idea at the beginning of the page, so this page was actually a surprise to me in the end, but I think I like it. I have to go catch up with laundry so I can play for awhile on Saturday- so see ya tomorrow!

30 Days Of Journaling Day 23

2011-03-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Today's journal page started out with some stickers I found while cleaning in the craft room. I drew flowers around the fairy stickers and applied color with gel pens and watercolor pencils. The opposite side of the page has a clock I liked from a catalog that I saved in case I want to make something similar some day. The clock inspired the waves and boats on that side of the page- and I glued the little "how-to" booklet from my shape up shoes in the corner on this page so I wouldn't lose it :) See you tomorrow!

A Shot of Spring

2011-03-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Well, Mother Nature is not done with Minnesota. It snowed here this week-it's cold again and I am a bit cranky. I need a shot of spring badly. I have a large window in my dining room that looks out onto our backyard. Since we do not have close neighbors- no one behind us in fact but cows- I don't hang curtains on this window. I like the light to shine in- if I ever win the lottery I will build a house with lots and lots of windows. I do like to hang things in the window once in awhile though depending on the time of year. In the winter I usually hang wooden snowflakes here- in the fall I hang wooden fall leaves. I was thinking about rain and raindrops- wet earth, green shoots, flowers growing up out of the ground and I suddenly thought- why not spring showers in my window! I started out with some wooden shapes from the craft store.

I painted the flowers and the raindrop shapes and the third flower shape I glued in a pattern to a round wooden oval to create clouds

Then I glued a piece of ribbon to the back of the cloud. This is for hanging on a spring tension shower curtain rod I have on the top of my window frame. My hubby put a piece of trim on the window to hide the rod. I put the ribbon around the rod and simply use a stick pin to attatch the ribbon to itself on the other side. I drilled holes in the bottom of the cloud and all the shapes and used wire to attach them to each other.

Now, even though I have a new blanket of snow outside I have clouds raining and spring flowers growing in my window.

Before I go- remember my garden that I could almost see patches of wonderful squishy, glorious dirt? Here she is covered in a fresh blanket of snow. On the other hand, they say that this fresh snow is good for the cities that are fighting flooding from all the snow this year- so I will be grateful for that and try to smile about the snow. Let's see.....beautiful, pristine and refreshing snow- that's better, right?

30 Days Of Journaling Day 22

2011-03-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit disappointed in myself. This is yesterday's journal page. Yesterday morning I woke up sick again. I'm not sure if I have a bug or what the problem is, but I felt awful enough that I stayed home sick from work and I slept away most of the day. I woke up when my hubby got home from work to eat some chicken soup and work on this page, but I just didn't feel the energy to turn on the computer and get the photo edited and posted :( Now I need to run and try to catch up- it's amazing how far behind you can get by missing one day! See you later on today for Day 23's journal page :)

Oh yeah- guess I could tell you about the page. I get address labels in the mail a lot from charities I donate to and I couldn't just toss out the cute little quote stickers they sent this time, so I put them on the border of this page. Then I just doodled a bit on the page because I really didn't feel well and I didn't have a plan. Drawing without a reason is relaxing :)

30 Days Of Journaling Day 21

2011-03-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had to run a bunch of errands after work and it is COLD. It is snowing a hard frozen little pellet type of snow that is backed by horrible, strong slanted wind. By the time I put everything away and had a nice hot bath I decided to work on a journal page I had previously started. There is a card in the center of this page from my Sister that inspired the drawing around it. I added some color to the page and more doodling. I'm not sure if I will even write on this page- I really kind of like it and sometimes when I make a page I really like I leave it plain without journaling. See you tomorrow. I'm in the middle of a Spring project for my dining room window- maybe if I go work on it for awhile the snow will go away :)

30 Days Of Journaling Day 20

2011-03-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to play a little bit in my journal today. I glued some images down, stamped a pattern with a cork on the edge and painted over a piece of ribbon. I hated it. Then I decided to paint a couple of my own flowers to try to make things "join" together a bit more. I still hated it. I washed a thin coat of white over the entire page and let that dry- but I still hate it. I decided to just do a journal entry and leave it be. I might end up liking the page later- I might still hate it and try adding something to fix it- or I might just always hate it and move on. That's the beauty of an art journal- it can be filled with great pages and mistakes too. See you again tomorrow!!

So much to share!

2011-03-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

I have lots to share with you today :) First, I wanted to show you a few things I received in the mail in the last few weeks. Glenda from http://peppercornminis.blogspot.com/ was doing a bit of thinning in her minis and sent me some terrific food for the Candy House. I was so excited because I knew I wanted to have a basket of eggs and some fresh baked bread in the Candy House and now I do! Look at the wonderful things she sent- thank you again Glenda!!

Next I want to show you the adorable rug, pillow and blanket that my sweet friend Julia from http://juliassewsweetandspecial.blogspot.com sent to me- along with a little book to help me with my crochet! Thank you so much Julia- I think I need to do a special project with these items- they need to be featured! I am starting to understand the crochet better- I even did a little swatch that looks like lace- but I still need practice. Maybe I'll start posting some of my "practice" attempts and see what all the experts think :)

On St, Patrick's Day I received a fabulous miniature church made by the talented Katie at http://katiesclaycorner.blogspot.com . It arrived with perfect timing Katie!!! I bought it at Katie's etsy shop which you can find here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Katiesclaycorner?ref=seller_info

I was crossing my fingers that the church would fit on the table I had the radio on in the Candy House and it did! I am so happy because I fell in love with this little church the first time I saw it on Katie's blog. It's so detailed- doesn't it look cute in the living room?

Speaking of Candy House....I did a little bit of work on it last week. I added some more flowers to the vine on the chimney and I started adding a few leaves on the vine- although I am not too sure if I like the leaves or not.

I painted more on the front of the house and since I was punching out leaves, I made a wreath to hang on the wall besides the front door.

Still not finished with the outside of the Candy House, but it keeps getting closer :) Here's what happens when I try to take pictures of the Candy House. He just can't understand how the stupid house could be more interesting than he is.

Before I go, here's a couple pictures of my garden- the snow is melting- by this time next month I should finally see some green :)

30 Days of Journaling Day 19 and A Crafty Blog Roundup!

2011-03-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

I am feeling so much better today! After a good nights sleep I have been up and cleaning the house and getting ready for the busy week. For my journal page today I painted the page with a navy blue acrylic wash and then I glued down some of the mementos from the King Tut Exhibit. I added a little touch of yellow and gold paint- and that's it for today.

I also have some fun news to share! I was invited to join a wonderful group of bloggers for the Artsy Blogger Roundup. Every week we share our links on what crafty activities we have been up to. I'm really excited to join this group and I invite you to take a look at the links from some very talented bloggers for this week :)

Eileen -
The Artful Crafter
Most silk scarf painting/dying is done with a stretcher frame. But if you don’t want to spend
the money on a stretcher and are not planning a detailed design, this easy dye method can yield
beautiful results as well.

Yet More Ways to Use Up
Rummage Sale Fabric
Cherie makes the third project from the fabric she bought for a quarter.

Made by
Nicole
What to do when paint smears ... troubleshooting mixed-media meltdowns.

Moore Gourd Whimsies
Barbara has some exciting news to share!

Beading
Arts
Cyndi posted a tutorial to show how she made her Bead Soup necklace!

Creative Dreamer
June shares a background technique for the visual journal journey going on!

8 Fun Easter
Cake and Cupcake Ideas
Easter's just around the corner, so here are some yummy treats to get you started.

I'm off to visit these blogs right now myself! Have a wonderful Sunday :)

30 Days Of Journaling Day 18

2011-03-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today my hubby and I spent a little time with my family and then we drove back home. I'm still feeling a little under the weather and I meant to lay down for 20 minutes that somehow turned into 4 hours :( When I woke up I went over the sketch I did yesterday with ink in my journal, wrote a little entry across the page for the day and decided that was enough. I'm going to go lay back down for the night and hopefully wake up in the morning with lots of energy- see you tomorrow!

30 Days of Journaling Day 17

2011-03-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

This is a really quick post today. My hubby and I drove 2 hours down to the cities to go see an exhibit on King Tut today. I felt fine most of the day until we got back to the hotel. Since then I've been sick as a dog- I think maybe I have a little food poisoning. Anyways- this is as far as I got on my page today- I was dreaming and planning about my garden in the long car ride and missing the smell of wet soil. I'm going to go see my Mom and Sister while I am in town tomorrow and I am very excited to see them :) I'm off to go lay in the huge comfy hotel bed and be lazy and watch tv- see you tomorrow :)

30 Days of Journaling Day 16

2011-03-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

I thought I would show some of the steps that went into today's journal page. On this page I did a sketch for St. Patrick's Day since I am an Irish gal :) I wanted a celtic pattern for the border of the page, but I also wanted the page to go quickly, so I printed out a line art pattern I found on the internet.

Then I cut the pattern out and glued it to the page. I decided to use watercolor pencils on this page again because I have so many messes all around from the projects I am in the middle of, and I didn't want to create another mess. Watercolor pencils are nice and tidy :) Here's the page with the border glued on and the watercolor pencil before I have added water.

I went over the areas with watercolor pencil with a wet brush and when it was completely dry I added my journaling for the day. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! See you tomorrow :)

30 Days of Journaling Day 15

2011-03-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight I put the finishing touches on 2 gifts and wrapped them up, took a bath, made some tomatoe soup for dinner and then all of a sudden remembered I still needed to do a journal page for the day! This was just a quick start to the page- a little of how I am feeling right now- rush, rush :) I put the turtle in because I feel like I am trying to go as fast as I can but I'm running a little behind :) See ya tomorrow!

Wednesday Weigh In/Healthy Thinking Thursdays

2011-03-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot about weigh in today! I had to run back in the house real quick to jump on the scale-hubby thought I was crazy! I weigh in today at 162.1. Small loss again- really small if you consider it's been 2 weeks, but at least not a gain like I was afraid of. I have not been exercising and I know that makes a big difference for me. It makes a big difference in my energy levels too- I'm still having a really hard time keeping my act together. This week I have a lot of things I have needed to finish up for swaps, baby showers and a wedding. I'm hoping after all this is finished and I have some wiggle time again I'll do better with exercising. I really admire the women out there that somehow manage to do it all. If you would like to visit others trying to get healthy or you would like to work at it along with us please visit my friends Marsha for Wednesday Weigh Ins at http://sassyminidolls.blogspot.com / and sometimes my friend Laura for Healthy Thinking Thursdays at http://sunshineshangout.blogspot.com

30 Days of Journaling Day 14

2011-03-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight I did my journal page thinking of ideas for a sunroom roombox to showcase the chair Casey made for me. I've found a few pictures off the internet that have inspired me ,so I glued them on the page also- and then I just sketched some ideas and wrote down possibilities :)

Giveaway winners, 30 Days of Journaling Day 13 and the most wonderful chair ever!!!!

2011-03-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

My husband did the draw today for the giveaway winners, but first I have to show you the chair that I won on Casey's giveaway at http://caseymini.blogspot.com/ I tried sooo many times to get a good picture, but no matter how many I took you still cannot see just how amazing this chair is! I am in love with it! Look at the little footstool and basket Casey sent along with the chair- thank you soo much Casey- it's just perfect! I'm trying to build a little sunroom roombox to showcase the chair- I'm starting from scratch with a strange idea- I'll post more if I can get it to work :)

Next we have my journal page for the day. I worked with watercolor pencils on the page I started yesterday. A colorful little garden of love :)

Now......on to the giveaway winners! The winner of the little journal is FABIOLA :) Fabiola, if you could email me your mailing address at flowerarts at gmail dot com I will get this out to you this week :)

The winner of the miniature candy and rose is CHRIS :) Chris- same deal...please email me your mailing address and I'll get the minis out to you this week. Thanks to everyone that entered!!!

30 Days of Journaling Day 12

2011-03-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

I'm just popping a post online really quick for 30 Days of Journaling. I've been busy working all weekend- lots of progress :) I'm almost finished with a wedding shower present, I'm just about finished with a miniature swap for the All Things Miniature Group and I painted the wings on the angels for the staircase :) I did forget in the midst of all that to do my journal page, so this is what I did really quick to start on a new page. The image is from a greeting card. I glued down an ad that I had cut out and saved that sounded cool with the greeting card and I started drawing a garden of love :) Hope you had a good weekend- I'm off to prepare for the work week.

30 Days of Journaling Day 11 and The Candy House

2011-03-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

My journaling today was simply playing with adding some color to the page I started the other day. I used Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils on this page for the color- I love watercolor pencils :)

I did some more work on The Candy House today also. I did some more paperclay work on the front of the house, as well as working on the chimney and the vine growing on the chimney. The exterior of the house is getting very close to being finished- which makes me want to work on it every second even more!

30 Days of Journaling Day 10

2011-03-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

I did this page after work tonight- it was a very busy day at work and I just wanted to relax and draw a bit. This is how I felt today- like I wanted to pull my hair out :) I should go anwser some emails and read some wonderful blogs now-but I think I'm going to go work on The Candy House instead :) See ya tomorrow!!