Blog Candy Winner and Splitcoast Stampers Crafty Secrets Challenge

Good morning to all my blogging buddies!  First things FIRST…the winner of the blog candy is Amy Dalton from MI!  You can check out her beautiful blog “Art from the Heart”.  Congratulations to AMY!!!

I’m hosting this week’s challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers, Crafty Secrets Group.  If you get a chance we’d love to have you play along :)  Here’s a link.

Happy Memorial Day

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I hope you had a chance to enjoy time with family and friends this weekend.  Kim had such a nice Graduation and open house.  I always love to spend time with such good friends…we stayed up till 1 AM which is LATE for me
OK…the progress and completion of my pre-graduation projects.


Lower level family room

My craft room
House and outbuildings.

Living Room Furniture is IN!

Hello friends! I’m telling ya, it’s been a busy couple weeks at our house!  So much has been accomplished and the living room and dining room are put back together.  Here’s some pictures of the new living room.


My craft room, lower level family room and dining room are coming along, too.  Graduation will be on Sunday and I’m really looking forward to some rest   So, what do you think?

Glue Arts and Unibind Graduation Book

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Hello friends!  Glue Arts and Unibind teamed up for some fun and inspiration this week.  I decided to make an album for my daughter’s graduation this Sunday.  YIKES..time is passing to quickly!  The picture of my daughter, Kim is one of my favorites.  She’s up in the barn window and it looks like she’s celebrating already.  LOL!  Anyway, I’ve used Glue Arts Accent-It All Vinyl and the book and binding are done with Unibind.

Gift Box with Cherries

Hello friends!  Today I’m sharing a project I had done in advance for Heartfelt Creations.  These are cherries that were  picked fresh from our cherry tress last year.  Don’t you just love the bright and cheery stamps?


Products used:
HCPC3387 Luscious Cherry Swirls PreCut Set
Spellbinder’s Label 4 (S4-190)
Other:
Cardstock (October Afternoon), 5” x 5” corrugated box, white acrylic paint (DecoArt), black ink (Stazon), recycled cardboard, Zip Dry Glue.
Instructions:
1.) Stamp the cherry image on red polka dot paper.
2.) Stamp the leaves on green paper.
3.) Cut out cherries and leaves.
4.) Stamp the cherry stamp on the Label 4, kraft cardstock.
5.) Glue the cherries and leaves in place.
6.) Layer the kraft Label on blue cardstock.
7.) Cut a 4” x 4” piece of red polka dot paper and layer the labels on top.

A little more progress!

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My craft space got put on the back burner today so I could focus on the living room and run several errands.  I did get a little breakfast set painted, too.
I waxed the living room floor and the trick was to keep two cats and our PD puppy off it..LOL!  Here’s part of the living room and floor.

I went shopping for new living room furniture and I found a set complete with a couch, chase, two coffee tables and an end table. I bought two new lamps and an area rug.  My mind was made up that I would buy leather furniture again…until I saw the set I fell in love with.  I don’t think I have ever seen furniture that fit my taste so perfectly.  It will be delivered on Friday so I’ll take a picture when  it arrives.  Maybe by then I’ll have my curtains back up.  OH..and I bought a beautiful new dining room set, too.
Yesterday I made lots of progress in what will be the lower level living room.  Our furniture from upstairs will go down .

As you can see, most of my craft stuff is gone and I have a few displays that I plan to sell.

A New Craft Room

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Good morning friends!  We’re still busy painting and it was so windy yesterday that we couldn’t paint outside so..I decided to tear into a project that I’m now regretting a bit.  I changed a few rooms around and decided to paint the one that will be my new craft room.  I’ve had a huge area to craft in and decided to go back to a smaller room.  Well, it’s not really small at 20 foot x 15 foot, but my other area was double that.  My though was if I reduce the size of my space, maybe I would quit filling it up ..we’ll see how that works.  LOL!
So, here’s the room I was in….

Here’s the room I’m moving in to.  This was my original craft room and the lighting, etc was wired just for me…why did I ever move out of this room???

Some shelves and one of my very favorite things is this old Hoosier drawer I found at an antique shop that hold my Crafty Secrets goodies This drawer is one of those things that just makes me happy !



SO..Now the question of the day..to work outside or stay in and try to organize?  This chaos really might drive me crazy if I don’t get it organized.  I haven’t created for almost a week because of outdoor work but I’m missing my creative time

A Small Key Opens A Big Door

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Good morning to all my buddies.  Wishing you all a beautiful Friday!  We’re making some progress on the painting..15 gallons of paint so far.  The house is done and we’ve moved on to the corn crib.  I’m lucky my sister has been able to help but she’ll go back to work tomorrow and there is rain in the forecast. So, the paint will be flying today..LOL!
I made this 14” x 18” frame for Angela Pruitt, the owner of Basically Bare.  I’m so blessed to work with these great products!  I mixed in someGraphic 45, Prima and Tim Holtz.  Butterfly die is cut on canvas, applied therm-o-web to the back and then stuck it to fabric.  (Speaking of Thermo-o-Web..they have a design team call out if anyone is interested. I won’t be trying for this one as I already design for Glue Arts, which is an adhesive manufacturer.)  I've used Glue Arts, Hot melt Sticks and Accent-It All Vinyl in black and white.  The letters are cut with Cricut.

Somerset Studio Gallery Magazine Publication

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Good morning my blogging buddies!  Yesterday I spent  most of my day out painting the house.  My Sister came to help me and is coming again today so we can finish.  This is the start of a much larger project because we have a house, garage, hog house, barn, corn crib and machine shop to paint! Today is suppose to be nice weather wise and there is a chance of rain the rest of the week..so, I better keep at it today Our Daughter will graduate from High School a week from Sunday so I’m busy trying to get my flower beds, garden and inside and outside the house in order!  YIKES!
Anyway, after about 9 hours of painting yesterday, I settled in on the couch and opened mail and there was a copy of Somerset Studio Gallery.  They chose one of my pieces for publication and it’s on page 154.

You’re the flower in my garden

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Heartfelt Creations really does have some of the most beautiful stamps and coordinating dies.   I’ve used Daisy Patch Swirls and Vintage Word Background  stamps and Spellbinder’s Blossom 2 die. May Arts ribbon is used all around the die. Paper is g.c.d studio and EK Success.  Liquid adhesive is Zip Dry and the melt sticks are Glue Arts.

Clearsnap and Donna Salazar Album

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Hello friends!  I’m in love with the new Donna Salazar Antiquities line!  Each one  of the papers are gorgeous and are full of shabby goodness!  I’m so happy to be a Guest Designer for Donna for 2011-2012.  I dressed up my grungy little Gate Fold Album with Silver Fox Smooch and Colorbox Fluid Chalk inkpads.  The Chestnut Roan and Amber Clay inkpads are a great combination with my album. 

Wanna make your own?  Here’s how!
This is similar to the Gate Fold Album I recently posted a tutorial for but I have not completely covered the front and back covers. I wanted to leave my corrugated cardboard exposed.
Step 1- Using corrugated cardboard, Cut (2) 3.50" x 5.00" and (1) 5.00" x 7.00"

Step 2-Distress and ink edges using the distezz-it all,  and Chestnut Roan and Amber Clay ink.

Step 3- Cut the spines and inner pages
(3) 3" x 4" and (3) 4” x 5” (inner)
(2) 5” x 6” (spines)
Step 4- Score the spines  at 1,2,3,4,5” (Mine is cut with g.c.d. studios, Ashley Ella Blue Collection)


Step 5- Fold and use Zip Dry adhesive in the valley sections that will face the outside. (the fold used on the spine is called peak and valley)
Step 6- Adhere the spines to the 5.00" x 7.00" corrugated cardboard.

Step 7-Clip covers to spines and let dry.

Step 8- Decorate the cover  as desired.  I’ve added some sewing and a piece I cut off another sheet of designer paper.
Step 9- Use Zip Dry to adhere the inner pages.  I’ve added some Smooch to some of my pages.

Friday the 13th Brings Good Luck!

Hello friends!  I was talking to a friend this morning about diecut systems..and it sparked a very generous giveaway!  I personally use my Accucut for my larger projects such as cardboard, corrugated board and my Accucut dies.  For my smaller cuts with paper I use my Wizard by Spellbinder’s (which will be retired)..  I’m giving away a Wizard!

and…
Classic Card Packs (2), scrapbook color paint, shimmer brads by Making Memories. Red Glittered Alpha’s and transfers to go by K and Company. Posy Patch stamp set by Heartfelt Creations, Gradient Jewels by Creative Charms, Composition and Spiral notebooks, cardboard diecuts and 5 beautiful colors of hand dyed seam binding.

Here’s all the goodies!

Looks good, huh?  OK…here’s what to do if you’d like a chance to collect all these goodies!  You don’t have to become a follower of my blog I love people to follow but only if they like my art.
1.)  Grab my button on the top left of my page and post to your blog.
2.)  Tell the world about this giveaway!
3.)  Leave a comment on this post.  I will choose a winner from the comments.   and GOOD LUCK!  I will announce a winner on May 31st!
4.)  Everyone is eligible..I will ship to anywhere in the world!