Happy New Year

It's amazing that a year has passed and so much has changed; some good and some bad. Even with the bad, all I can say is that it's working for my good. Thanks be to God.

 Hope you all had a blessed and safe New Year's Day.

Be Blessed

My Desk...is a Mess

Good Morning All,

I always wait to the last minute to participate on the WOYWW blog, at least as far as taking the picture. I need to set a reminder in my phone. Wednesday comes at the same time each week; go figure.

I've been working on a mini album for a week now. I cannot seem to get an entire day in on this thing. Today, I have at least 3 more pages to cover and hopefully by tomorrow or Friday I can get it in the cover. I'm using the DCWV The Primrose stack. This paper is so pretty and girly. I had 3 packs but took one back. From each stack I think I can get 2 large (med) minis and a few small ones from the scraps.

 

Looking at this picture now, I can see that the lamp and the caddy are taking up a lot of valuable desk space. Organizing is a never ending task.

 

Happy creating all. Enjoy.





 

Vintage Made New

Hi all,

Hope you are having a happy Friday. I know I will.....it's Fridayyyyyyy! The week has been long and trying to get my craft room straightened has been a feat. I would say it's about 90% done...as long as I don't go out and buy anything else.

I brought in my tool box a few days ago; which is where I store my things for making jewelry and my vintage pieces. Some of these earrings cost maybe $0.50  to a few dollars and the brooches I may have paid $10 for a few but less for most. Some, I've already moved to my jewelry box and have been wearing. I decided it's time to convert all the earrings with the screw on backs to pierced. I don't know how they wore those back then, but they hurt your ears. And don't be jumping, the thing is liable to fly off.

screw posts

 

This is what is in the drawer now. Most of the items on the left are brooches. I don't know how but I found two similar bracelets from two different stores in two different cities. One is jade and the other is a turquoise bracelet. I haven't worn them yet. The brown pieces on the left behind the bracelets came from a pair of sandals I had that broke, so I took the pieces off and will add an earring post to the them. The lone blue and white earring, I cannot find the mate. I must have used it on something else.

This brooch reminded me of my mom. My mom used to have a necklace that had a beautiful pendant on it that opened and inside the pendant was this perfumed cream that smelled really good. I wish she still had it, I'd claim it and wear it now. This one; I don't think what's in here smells good. It may have back then. I 've got to clean it out before I wear it.

Now some of these earrings, although vintage, are a bit gaudy and I cannot see myself wearing them, they may end up being used for another project.

<---the gaudy sisters--->

 

 

These are a few that I can see wearing with a summer dress. They are light and playful. The pink ones at top are buttons that I will be cutting the back off of and adding an earring post. One of the orange flowers is missing the back. I can even see the shoes with this outfit.

 

 

Great for summer

 

The top two I can see going with a nice sundress or Sunday at church. The bottom one reminds me of Christmas and poinsettias. 

 

These I'm classifying as my "church lady earrings" hehehe. Now the big ones with the gray stone....I don't know when or where I will wear those.  

 

Church lady earrings



 

These belonged to my grandmother. I am working on these first; they will be for my mom. Some of them are really big (to me) for such a small woman (my grandmother). I hope to someday pass them down to my daughter. I will share some of the finished earrings once the posts arrive and I've completed them. I shouldn't be to difficult. I've already started cutting the screw posts off.  

 

 

 

Well ladies, the next time you see a pair of vintage earrings that you adore but have the screw posts, don't pass them up. They can be converted. Clean them, redo them, and wear a piece of history.

 

Be blessed and have a great weekend. 



What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 240

Good Morning Ladies,

Today I'm participating in Stamping Ground's WOYWW.  I enjoy checking out crafting that's going on elsewhere, I enjoy seeing the messy desks, the flow of creativity trapped in the rooms of the crafters, and knowing that when they are crafting they are enjoying it and being filled with joy and happiness. Even when we get frustrated when something does not turn out the way we told/wanted it to, crafting is our fresh air, our fun place.

Still [trying to] get my craft room organized. I ordered a few Whimsy stamps a few weeks ago and decided to pull them out and play with them. I'm still learning how to not get bleed thru with my copics.  I was also trying to put up a pegboard over my art journaling desk, but my screws were not long enough so I took it down until I can get to the hardware store.

Well here are my desks.

 

This is my art journaling desk. It's the first desk I had and the top has paint stains. I've since (after the paint) put a plexi glass on top and on top I that I put packaging paper for paint drips and that piece will eventually be cut down to be used in journal. The peg board will be on the wall behind (hopefully by Fri/Sat). Desk is in the middle of transition/cleaning

 

I use this desk for "clean" projects. The pile of notebooks on the left are being worked on. They will be altered notebooks for Valentine's Day. See the one under the eraser, I'm going to paint and alter 4 more...this one was the test tummy. The rack holding up the glue storage came from the other desk. Why can't organizing be done once and for all? Well today is not a craft day, but I'm working on cleaning and organizing my closet.

 

I put up 2 Ikea racks for my purses but think I need one more. This is just one of them.

 

 

 

Phewwww...

 

Hope you all are having a fantabulous day.

 

Be Blessed.

 



Happy New Year

Hello All and hope you had a joyous Christmas and that your New Year is a blessed one. I am claiming blessings for my household in 2014.

I am finished moving; thank God. Moving is tiring and strenuous work. Getting everything back in its place and trying to find things. The one thing I did not like about moving....NO CRAFTING. I put everything into my craft space and I am still getting it together. I need another expedit from Ikea. Even though they hold quite a bit, the ones I have are not enough and since I wanted to keep my bookshelf (the walmart/target kind) I don't have room for 2 large ones. There's nothing wrong with it so I don't want to throw it out.
The bookshelf stills needs to be [better] organized...HA!. Once I get the other expedit, some of that stuff will come off along with the clear paper containers on the floor. I liked them when I got them, but now realize they take up quite a bit of space. The brown paper on top of the clear storage was packaging from when I ordered things. I now use it to cover my desk when I'm art journaling and then I cut it up to use it in the art journal. The bells on the third shelf are being packed into the Christmas stuff. I will be using them next Christmas on a wreath. Let's see if I can find them then.

I kept my fabric storage chest that I got for I think $20 from a garage sale. I need to start using some of the fabric. I've got scrap fabric in the garage that I need to use or toss. The lamp on my desk...I'm so proud of me. I found it at the Goodwill back in November. I paid $7 for it. Around Christmas time, we went to a few antique stores and I saw the same one for $30. Yippee Yippee Cah Yeah....I luv saving...money for other crafty things.

I have not really been in my craft room a lot other than to "try" to get it organized. I did make a few cards. I made a Christmas card for a neighbor and a thank you card for a young lady at church.
For the Christmas card, I used the Stampin' Up lovely as a tree stamp and snowflake embossing folder along with Tim Holtz Distress Ink . To get the look of snow, I dipped a toothbrush in bleach and flicked the bleach onto the stamped image. The 2nd card I can't remember if it was a Raisin Boat stamp or another. I think I may have used another stamp ...it was Fiskars Latte Love stamp. I started making a few cards using the Raisin Boat but they aren't done.

 

 

Other than that, no crafting. I'm itching to play in my art journal but it won't be today. I took down the Christmas decorations yesterday and today they need to be back in the garage, but I've got to attempt to get it semi organized to get it in there.

Hope you all are having a wonderful day and it's a new year and a new time to celebrate and another day to give God praise.

Be Blessed

Art Journal Fall Page

Well, well...It has been way too long to not be creative. I have to laugh that I've been working on one (1) art journal page for a week. I wanted to use something from my Silhouette portrait for the fall but I am not really into Halloween. I like the fall colors and I miss living in the Midwest where you can experience the change of seasons, hear the leaves crunching, and see the fall colors coming into bloom, the smell of fall air. But I would not trade sunny FL for it.

 

 

I added the stickers as an after thought. They have been sitting for so long and weren't sticking to well so I put a bit of Elmer's on the back of them. The background stencil is a crafter's workshop branches stencil.

 

I luv the way it all came together, even after the stickers. I luv that the colors are muted like fall, there's a bit of darkness in the sky, the pumpkins for a bountiful harvest and the worn paint on the bench. I used a both distress and cheapo acrylic paint. Oh and if you look close enough you see graffiti on the bench and I luv that I have someone special to enjoy this fall with.

 

Well all, just wanted to share my bit of fall inspiration. Pull out your Silhouette, Cricut, or your choice of cutter and easily pull together a journal page.

 

Hope you all enjoyed the extra hour of sleep.

 

Be Well.

Days of Yesteryear & Two Great Women

This post is inspired by a Dyson bladeless fan ad that I saw in a magazine. I wish I had saved the ad to give you better visual, but i'll do my best to explain it.

A baby is sitting on the floor in front of one of these bladeless fans and i believe the caption assures the mother (who is standing behind) that the child is safe (if he were to stick his hand in it) The ad goes on to say that this fan removes the buffering sound.

Also, i recently read a blog post over at Happy at Home about a clothes line that made me remember being a young girl and the things we grew up with that have [some] unfortunately passed by the wayside (that will be a later post).

I had two wonderful grandmothers who were amazing; Stel (short for Estelle)& Malinda. I love them both so much and remember quite a lot about them. Both of them were women that er'body knew and knew their kids.

My Grandma Malinda, oh my goodness, I remember homemade biscuits...and when i say homemade i mean homemade...a bucket of flower...a bucket of lard...rolling them on the table with your hand, cutting them with a glass, a beat up (now vintage) baking sheet...that's the homemade I'm talking about. This was always a treat for us grands; Granny's biscuits with her homemade syrup. She'd always have on an apron when cooking (that's what ladies did then). When I was child I never knew 'that' syrup was made out of "using what you have" but I tell you, it was the best syrup I have ever tasted; and I'm now 4---.never mind, but you'd be lickin your fingers and the plate.

I remember sitting on the front porch with granny, while she talked with the neighbor ladies and telling the chil'ren to behave or get out the street. I remember granny singing the Lord songs, telling us about Him. Granny, thank you!. Now back to this fan...although i can see the safety of having a bladeless fan, my granny had a square fan that either sat in the window or on the floor. I remember sitting in front of the fan going ahhhhhhhhhhhh with your mouth open and the fan breaks up; buffets the sound. That was plain fun back then yall. I don't recall ever sticking my finger in the fan; probably becasue someone told me not to so I grew up knowing it's danger. I also remember younger cousins coming after me and that same fan; you'd either move the child out of the way of the fan, tell them no...and I know a few spankins' were endowed from touching the fan when you were told not to (makes it sound like a gift huh...hehe).

 

Imagine the constant and on beat sound of the blades spinning in the fan....Mr. Dyson, i'll keep the fan my Granny had. It is comforting. Like sitting next to Granny on the couch, which I can't recall her doing too many times, instead she'd be sitting at the kitchen table looking out the back door. But something about the sound of a fan (with blades) I don't want to let it go.

I remember listening to R&B [or trying to in Granny’s house] and Granny said we can't play that devil music in her house. I remember my Aunt Rose's room. She'd tell us not to go in there messing with stuff, but you know kids don’t listen.

I remember Granny poppin us with the belt or fly swatter or a shoe if we got out of hand. and trust me it was only a pop because she'd tell our mom and dad and then they'd really get you.

I remember always one of my aunts would press my Granny's hair, guess they took turns. I can see her kitchen clear as day, i can actually see the entire house. I'm thankful to have that memory; mom driving us over to Granny's and we'd run up the sidewalk and open the screen door. Her home may not have had the best of things but what it did have was the best of Love; as it should. I could go on and on but my Grandma Malinda, but I want to tell you about my other.

Grandma Stel, I just called her Grandma, was the sweetest grandma. I love her and remember the ways her hands look, her smile, her love, and fussing with my uncles who thought they were [as old folks say] growner than them. I loved spending the weekend at my grandma's. My cousins lived across the street from my grandma and I remember going over their house sometimes to play (Tan, Deb, Lando). This side of my family calls me Peaches. It would have been my birth name but thank God my mom did not let that fly. I love the name as a nickname, but not to have to put it on a resume.

I remember there was a store behind Grandma's house and I remember my aunt or someone bigger having to walk me back there. I also remember being big enough to finally walk by myself. Back then, everybody knew who you were and there were so many kids outside playing, you were always accounted for.

I remember spending the night at Grandma's and getting to sleep with her. I remember one weekend, my Dad and I went over and I decided I wanted to spend the night but had not brought clothes. I played outside and before going to bed I had to take a bath. I remember Grandma making me sleep in a pair of her white cotton underwear. I remember lying in bed next to her and feeling like I was the best day I'd ever have.

I remember Grandma's caramel cake, a 3-layer cake with homemade caramel sauce; can you say sugar high. I'm sure when I was a child I could not entire an entire piece; even to this day I cannot. Thank God, long before my grandmother passed I asked her for the recipe. It's written on a piece of yellow legal-pad paper with stains and a few tears, but I will be sure to pass it down just as is to my daughter. I remember being in Grandma’s bed and the headboard faced the window; I’d stand on the pillows and look out the window.

I remember Granny fishing, which is why I don’t like fishing to this day. This fishing woman would be up before the chickens. It had to be 4 or 5 and we headed to or at a fishing place. She’d put the worm on my hook. I remember the last time I fished; it was with Grandma and a hook got caught in my finger. That was it yall. I DO NOT FISH!

One day sticks out in particular about visiting my Grandma. My dad and I had gone over to my Grandma's and they were sitting at the dining room table talking. I'm sure I had done something because my dad spanked me. I can remember to this day, it was a half-hearted spank because it didn't hurt physically me but hurt my feelings. My grandmother looked over to my dad and told him, "don't spank that girl." That was the last spanking I've ever gotten from my dad. Good thing, because my mom does not, never did, and won't ever agree to that. My dad even remembers it.

I remember the powder my grandmother wore. Sometimes I smell it when someone walks past and it reminds me of her. I remember the smell of her house; I remember my dad saying something funny and she'd go, "Oh, Sonny" and laugh. It's amazing the things that get etched into our minds, the sayings and feelings of love that have been imparted to us by our family. I want my grandkids and great grandkids to know that they come from a tree filled with women who through adversity, hard times, setbacks, celebrations, joyful reunions, and "life" have given so much to their families and when it's all said and done, have truly made a difference in the lives of us who loved them.

Wow God, I know you fore knew me, even before any of these people knew me...you knew me, but you must have loved me terribly to surround me and grow me up with two God fearing women who loved and worshipped you, who called you the Great God, Savior, Master and I know they bombareded you with prayer; mostly for us. They showed us how to be strong, be kind, treat people right, praise you, to persevere...God, they set the bar high. My mind wants to tell me that I could never match their faith....constant prayer...unfailing love, but the Holy Spirit reminds me that You've used because they wanted to be used, to remind me that all things are possible with God, and that they've shown us grands how it's done. It's our time to walk in the God Blessed Legacy of these two women. I truly thank God for having two loving grandmothers.

 

With much love....because it was freely given to me.