Robyn's Craft Nest

Goodbye Blogger, Hello Wordpress!

2011-02-25T13:55:00.000-05:00

I've moved my blog and all contents to www.robynscraftnest.wordpress.com. Come and take a look!

With All My Heart

2011-01-24T18:56:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I worked on my two hearts for Red Lead's "With All My Heart" valentine swap. I made two heart collages using Red Lead's large chipboard folk hearts and collage images and rubber stamps. Here are my creations:

I made an extra one with the cats on it to send to Matt and Jen.

I know I haven't posted any Getting Organized Challenge posts lately. I've just about gotten my house back together and am ready to take on another challenge, which I hope to do tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Organizing Challenge - My Day #7

2011-01-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

Today the lemon lady's challenge was to organize your vitamins and medicines. Since I did that the day I cleaned and organized my bathroom drawers and cabinets I decided to clean my bedroom! After living with 2 dogs in there for a week it certainly needed it. All but the blinds, I'll tackle them another day.

I've been working on cutting out the little boxes we are going to make for favors for Matt and Jen's wedding. I have to make 200! (just in case. . .) My sisters Diane and Lesley are going to come help me one day. Here's a photo of my prototype:


Cute, huh? Filled with Ghirardelli chocolate squares!

I think we will have our work cut out for us! (no pun intended.......)

21-Day Organizing Challenge - My Day #6

2011-01-17T17:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't post at all last week while our floors were being done. I couldn't even get to my computer! The floors are now done and look amazing! Living in the bedroom for a week was well worth it! So now my house is just about put back together and today I decided to get with the organizing/cleaning plan once more. A Bowl Full of Lemons had Day #6 as Dresser Drawers day but my drawers really didn't need anything done to them. The lemon lady, as my sister Diane calls her, had the pantry on Day #7 so I'm doing that for my Day #6. Here's a photo of my pantry before I cleaned/organized it:

Not too bad, you say - but I thought it was very disorganized even though I knew where everything was. So now this is what it looks like after:

I guarantee that neither Jay nor Adam will be able to find a thing now!

When I was cooped up in the bedroom I got quite a bit done: all my ironing, and believe me, I had tons - and I cleaned and organized Jay's closet! That wasn't even on the list! Now all I have to do is get him inspired to do his dresser. . .

Getting Organized Challenge - My Day #5

2011-01-06T17:26:00.001-05:00

So today the challenge from A Bowl Full of Lemons was to clean out and organize under your kitchen sink. My stuff wasn't bad, I just had too much of it! Much of what was under there I didn't use on a regular basis.

Before

I took everything out, cleaned the cabinet and lined it with wallpaper. I have tons of leftover wallpaper in a drawer in my guest room (oh oh - an upcoming challenge??) and I often use it to line cabinets and drawers. I took everything out that I didn't use pretty much on a daily or weekly basis and put the rest on my "household overflow" shelves in my garage. After I got everything back into the bin I realized I didn't need that little turntable so I'll use that somewhere else one day. I actually looked around today for some under-sink storage items but didn't see anything that would help any more than what I already had. The plumbing underneath was also a challenge!


After

Well, another challenge finished! Even though I could do this on my own, I know I wouldn't without A Bowl Full of Lemons challenging me or my three sisters participating. I have even made a list of some things to do on my own after the challenge days are over. I don't think she's going to challenge me to clean out all the cabinets in the butler's pantry. . . and that guest room closet. . . the list goes on!

Get Organized Challenge - My Day #4

2011-01-05T11:18:00.001-05:00

Today's challenge on A Bowl Full of Lemons was to tackle the linen closet. Every bedroom in my house (3) has it's own closet large enough to accommodate the linens for that room, so today I just tackled the linen closet in the master bedroom. Here's the before photo:

Actually I don't think it was that bad, but I did have tons of hair and body products on the shelves that I ended up moving into the drawers in the bathroom - after I cleaned them out! And the dust! The cat actually got into the closet after it was empty and started batting around the dust bunnies. So here's the after photo:

So not only did my linen closet get cleaned out, but the drawers in my bathroom as well. Oh - except for Jay's, which is a project for another day!

Get Organized Challenge - My Day #3

2011-01-04T18:57:00.000-05:00

Today's challenge was to clean and organize the cabinet where you keep your Tupperware and storage items. I don't have an issue with mine so my one picture shows my cabinet (the second one up and the fourth one up) as it is and has been for some time. I used to keep them in a lower cabinet and I could just throw everything in - which I usually did! Having them above the counter instead of below has made it easier to keep things neat.

Getting Organized Challenge - My Day #2

2011-01-03T17:39:00.000-05:00

Second day of the getting organized challenge on A Bowl Full of Lemons. This was an easy one! Today's challenge was to clean off the top of your computer desk. My computer desk was not that bad, and the cat comes and goes! Here's my before picture:

Here's my after picture:

Hopefully all the daily challenges will be this easy!

A Stitch in Time Tag Art Swap

2011-01-03T10:43:00.000-05:00

Red Lead has a new art swap - A Stitch in Time - using their beautiful new "sew cute" art stamps and alterations tags. Check it out on their Yahoo Group! Here's my entry:

When I was a kid my mom made all our clothes - including coats! My sewing skills were and still are, negligible. At the time I really didn't appreciate all that hard work, all I knew that by the time I was a teenager I really wanted store-bought clothes like all of my friends had. For the rest of my life, when my mom and I were shopping together and I saw a piece of clothing I wanted to buy, she would say, "Oh Robyn, you could make that for so much less!" No Mom, you could!

Getting Organized Challenge - My Day #1

2011-01-02T14:12:00.000-05:00

So I organized my drawer and here it is:

Looks pretty good, huh? I wonder how long it will stay that way! There are four more drawers in the desk in my kitchen that should also qualify as junk drawers - maybe I'll get to them soon. Now here's a drawer in my craft room that might need a little more organization - another label, perhaps?

Getting Organized Challenge

2011-01-01T22:19:00.001-05:00

OK, so it's not one of my New Year's resolutions, but a good idea nonetheless! My sister has found a blog called A Bowl Full of Lemons and it seems that her main goal in life is to be CLEAN and ORGANIZED - good goals! She has put out a challenge to get organized in 21 days so we're in. First day, today, is to clean out your junk drawer. Now I have to say that I do have more than one junk drawer but the main one that we all go to first is the one I'll be working on. Since it is the end of the day and we just came home from a New Year's Day party, I'll be working on mine tomorrow (Sunday is typically a "day off.") Here's a photo of my junk drawer before organizing:

Pretty messy, huh? Tomorrow I'll organize it and show the after picture! Happy New Year!

My Christmas card

2010-12-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Red Lead Giveaway!

2010-12-15T10:38:00.000-05:00

Leave a comment on Red Lead's Blog and win a boxful of Christmas Red Lead style! Their giveaways are always fantastic - not that I've won yet but I'll try again today! - so go on over and take a chance for some fabulous stuff!

Christmas trees!

2010-12-14T16:37:00.000-05:00

Last year we started a tradition of going to our farm in NC to cut Christmas trees and bring them back to FL for us and our friends and we continued that tradition this year. We left Sarasota on Thursday, Dec. 9 and arrived around noon on Friday. Our friends from Charlotte, Ron and Terri, arrived late Friday afternoon. Last year we had a winter wonderland on the day we cut the trees but we didn't expect snow for Saturday, Dec. 11, when we would be cutting this year. And - no snow on Saturday but we had fun choosing and cutting our trees. Then we woke up on Sunday morning to about 5-6 inches of snow! It was beautiful! But we couldn't get down our driveway to the paved road to get home! We had planned on leaving Sunday morning for home at 9 a.m. but didn't get out until 2 p.m. and arrived home at 1 a.m. Tiring trip - but well worth it!

Here are a few pictures from last year:

Putting the trees through the baler.

All baled up and ready to go!

Don't we look cold?


Christmas trees for sale!

Now here are the pictures from this weekend:

Snow in the mountains

Snow-covered Christmas trees

Birds are hungry!

Ron and Terri bringing Christmas trees home to Charlotte

Yes, it was cold!

We had a wonderful time and I would not have minded if we were unable to leave on Sunday. We had plenty of food, lots of wine, good friends and a fire. What more could we have wanted?

A photo of the perfect North Carolina Frasier Fir to come!

Eclectic Paper Artists

2010-12-08T07:21:00.001-05:00

Several of my crafty friends and I started a little swap group called "Eclectic Paper Artists." Every month the hostess decides what we are to use to create a little project. This month I sent everyone a 5 x 3 jewelry-type box to make a Christmas/holiday collage to send to each member. I love making these little dioramas! I originally got the idea from Chris and Sharon at Red Lead. Take a look at their blog for some great seasonal ideas! I'm posting a photo of the one I am keeping but want the others to be a surprise!

Annual Christmas Countdown

2010-12-02T16:35:00.000-05:00

Every year Lisa Vollrath publishes images on her website, Ten Two Studios, every day during December that can be downloaded for free. Take a look!

Getting ready for Christmas. . .

2010-12-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

My very favorite online group and store, Red Lead, is having a great swap, Good Wishes Holiday Garland Art Swap. Wow, the art these gals are making is just adorable! Not to brag, but one of my creations is featured on the home page of the Yahoo group this week! If you are interested in joining some really fun swaps with some very creative people, consider joining the group. And the store is full of fantastic supplies and some very cool stamps that cannot be found anywhere else. The store is in St. Louis - road trip anyone??

Here are the three chipboard garland pieces that I made. I can't wait to see what I'll get!

Fall is here!

2010-10-20T10:54:00.000-04:00

And has been here in Western North Carolina for a couple weeks. The leaves are beautiful this year and the weather has been great! Here's a little look:

I've been very busy this last month putting together and addressing all the Save-the-Dates for Matt and Jen's wedding. It was time consuming, but Matt really did all the work designing and printing. I think they look great and they went into the mail last evening except for about 12 that I made mistakes on and now I need some more envelopes that will be delivered next week after we're back home in Sarasota. I should have known that would happen! Extra envelopes are always a plus!

Here's a link to their wedding website which is a work in progress: Jen and Matt.

Six More Days of Christmas!

2010-10-07T00:02:00.000-04:00

Here are my Days VI through XII from Bonnie's Twelve Days of Christmas workshop.

Twelve Days of Christmas

2010-10-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

My friend Bonnie down at The Art Room in Franklin held a great workshop today! We made a box with chipboard tags in it, each side for the Twelve Days of Christmas. Bonnie is such an creative crafter - I wish I had her imagination! This will be a beautiful addition to my Christmas decor. Here are photos of the box, all the tags and then tags Day I through Day V. I'll post the rest tomorrow!

Kitschy Kitchen ATC's

2010-09-30T19:44:00.000-04:00

For one of my trading groups I decided to do a "Kitschy Kitchen" theme. I love all the 50's and 60's kitchen stuff, much of what I remember as a kid. I collect vintage and vintage-like tablecloths as well. I found some great stamps from Crafty Secrets and I resized and printed an old recipe card I found at an antique shop in Maine several years ago. The papers came in a paper pack but I can't at the moment remember the company name and they're in Florida. The 3 1/2" by 2 1/2" card opens like a little file folder. Don't you just love the little measuring spoons from Alpha Stamps on the twill bow? Fun!

Halloween Fun!

2010-09-28T23:15:00.000-04:00

It's has rained the last two days and I've gotten a couple projects done. Today was glorious and it feels like fall has definitely arrived! Crisp, cool air and blue skies!

Here are some pictures of the Halloween Postcard Tags that I made for a Red Lead swap. These postcard tags are really nice, you can find them at Red Lead Paper Works, along with the images I used, the charms and the rubber stamps.

Sad News

2010-09-21T18:04:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't posted in awhile. My mother was doing so much better but on September 4 she had a stroke and died on September 6. I am so saddened by her death, she was not only a mother but also a friend. I had to rush back from NC and my sisters came from Maine, North Carolina and one lives near me in Florida. So it's been a rough couple weeks. Also, Jay and I came down with horrendous colds, we've been living on Sudafed and Bufferin! We're going back to NC tomorrow for most of October and look forward to enjoying the fall weather. I'm about to start working on Matt and Jen's Save-the-Dates so I'll be posting some pictures of them soon. Here's a photo of my mom with all of her daughters: (from L to R) April, me, Mom, Diane, Lesley. We miss you Mom!

A Circle Challenge

2010-06-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

In one of the groups I belong to, Eclectic Paper Artists, we take turns being hostess every month. The hostess decides the project we do - anything of her choosing - and we send it to each other. One month it was "hats," another month it was "mail art," etc. I am hostess for the month of July and I sent everyone a 4" foam board circle that they were supposed to use to create something. Darlene made a very cute clock that actually works! My creation is a sundial:

And it works!

Flip Flop Time!

2010-06-25T17:33:00.000-04:00

I'm going through some of my older projects and thought I'd post a little about some of my favorites. I made these little flip flops for two friends whom we were going to visit last summer - I made them with a template I have and they were so easy! Just popped them in an envelope and sent them off like a card in anticipation of our visit.

Happy Birthday Matthew!

2010-06-23T10:32:00.000-04:00

Matt, I can't believe it has been 27 years since you were born! No two people could have been more anxious to have a baby and no baby could have been more loved. I count June 23, 1983 as one of the happiest days of my life. You were worth all the trips to the ER, all the anxiety of your teenage years, all of it - everything - and I know I would do it all again to be able to see the man you have become. We love you, Matt - have a wonderful day!

Tribute to Mom

2010-06-21T20:51:00.000-04:00

Today I'd like to share an ATC I made several years ago (2 to be exact) when my mom and sister, Lesley, visited me in NC that summer. We decided to go to a scrapbook outlet in Sieverville, TN and also went to Pigeon Forge, to Dollywood. We had a ball! We actually got my mom, who at the time was 87, to go on the flume ride. They take those photos of you when you are just starting down that steep incline before you hit the water - you know the one! - and we actually purchased the photos because they were so hilarious. I made an ATC with the photo and here it is:

I sat in the back because I thought perhaps I wouldn't get as wet - right!

My mom is doing much better and will be released from the hospital tomorrow to rehab. Today the four of us spent the day looking at facilities and chose one in south Manatee County - closer to me, which is nice - where we thought she would get the best care and seemed the most active and cheerful. We hope she won't have to be there long before she's able to go back to her own place!

I'm working on a birthday card for Matthew - will post the results tomorrow!

Well, it's been awhile. . .

2010-06-19T22:31:00.000-04:00

since I posted! We got to NC just fine, weather was great, then I flew to PA to drive with my mom back to the house. On the way we stopped in Roanoke to see older son Matt and fiance Jen. While there mom fell but recovered quickly. When we returned to NC she wasn't feeling well and got progressively worse so we left a little early (June 8) to return to Sarasota. By Sunday she was miserable so she and my one sister made a trip to the ER and turns out she had a twisted bowel - surgery on Monday morning, June 14, and today she is still in the hospital, but getting a little better every day. All four of us sisters are here now, hovering and hoping to get her back to her independent state of living. We realize that at 89 it may be a long journey but I hope and pray that she will make it!

I had a project I wanted to make for Jay for Father's Day so I worked on it a little every day, when I wasn't at the hospital, and it is finally done. I originally got the idea from Ellen Hutson's blog, Simple Dreams. I tweaked it a little bit because of our grown boys and she has two cute little girls - but I love the poem and I thought it came out really nice.

Packing Up. . . and. . . We have a winner!

2010-05-21T08:39:00.000-04:00

We leave for North Carolina on Saturday afternoon so I need to start packing up today. Here are a couple of my last projects done this week.

First, a little altered journal. I am lost without my little book of passwords for my computer and I have been carrying it back and forth every year to NC. This year I decided I needed one in each location. I had a journal I had never used (I'm really not into journalling - I wish I was!) and decided I'd make it pretty for my passwords. Now all I have to do is enter everything and remember to update both books!

This is an ATC I made for the Smokey Mountain ATC group I'm in. The theme for June is "wings" so I decided to use some neat bee stamps I purchased last summer from Invoke Arts. They have some of the most unusual, beautiful stamps I've seen, esp. the nature ones. Thanks to my friend Bonnie Brock for introducing me to that company! I used watercolor paper and then used watercolor crayons on the card after I stamped the bee skep. Then I took my waterbrush and wet it and blotted it. Added the charm (there is a little bee image underneath it), stamped "Queen Bee" and put a little glitter on the text. I almost always use glitter, I can't help it!

And now we have a winner! Thanks to my faithful little group (esp. my sister!) for looking at this simple little blog occasionally and leaving comments. Sue has won the free collage sheet from Altered Pages! Have fun with it, Sue! I'll try to offer another giveaway once I get settled up in NC!

Another Giveaway!

2010-05-17T13:24:00.000-04:00

If you missed out on my last blog giveaway from Altered Pages, here's another chance! Just leave a comment on this blog entry and you could be a winner of a free collage sheet from Jackie! I'll choose a winner randomly on Friday!

These ATC's were created using the collage sheet Dogs Are People Too from Altered Pages, of course! There are lots of different dog playing cards, advertisements and such that are perfectly sized for ATC's. Jackie also has lots of other dog and cat sheets as well as lots of other animals. Remember to leave a comment!

Glimmer Mist Watercolor Technique

2010-05-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

I joined a swap on the Technique Junkies Yahoo group in which you had to make a card using a technique from the Technique Junkies newsletters or CDs for one partner. I chose the Glimmer Mist Watercolor Technique from the April/May 2010 issue. It is sooooo easy and I think it made a beautiful background. Choose 3 or 4 colors of Glimmer Mist and a sheet of matte cardstock. Spray the Glimmer Mist very close to the paper so there are pools of color. Cover the whole sheet with the Glimmer Mist colors. Then take a paper towel and, starting from the middle and working outward, blot the cardstock to soak up all the excess moisture. Then use your heat gun to dry it and bring out the shimmer. It really does look like watercolors and the shimmer adds a lot to the look. I did two sheets of cardstock so I had more to play with!

I cut a 4 x 4 sheet of the Glimmer Mist background and used a Stampin' Up wheel, So Swirly, to add the flourishes. Then I used one of the stamps from the Stampin' Up Oval All set and punched it out using the large oval punch and the scalloped oval punch for the bottom layer, and added the sweet dotted-swiss ribbon. Easy peasy, as they say over at Red Lead! I hope my partner likes it!

I had to take a picture of my gardenia trees which are blooming like crazy! I wasn't sure how they would fare this spring with the freezing weather we had over the winter, but they obviously are fine! I cut new flowers every day and bring them inside and the whole house smells like gardenias - beautiful!

And the winner is. . .

2010-05-08T10:25:00.000-04:00

Candy! I randomly chose (eenie-meenie-miney-moe!) Candy out of the three comments that were left on my blog this past week. Jackie will be emailing Candy her free Altered Pages collage sheet! And by the way, Altered Pages is having a great sale, 30% off all digital collage sheets! She has so many, it's hard to choose! Just sign up for the Altered Pages newsletters to get notified of all the great sales and new items.

Here's a Mother's Day card I made yesterday for Jay's mom:

Pretty Paper Dolls

2010-05-07T11:43:00.000-04:00

So here's a photo of some of the paper dolls I've made. They are fun to do but we, the gals I've been trading with, have decided to take a hiatus from them for awhile. The mirror in my embossing room (bathroom!) is covered with them!

Today I'm working on a Mother's Day card for Jay's mom. I'll post a picture of it tomorrow! AND pick a winner for the free collage sheet from Altered Pages!

Paper Dolls!

2010-05-06T17:21:00.001-04:00

I used to love playing with paper dolls when I was a girl. I can see some of them in my mind even today and sometimes I go to internet sites that sell retro paper dolls so I can revisit some of them! I've made quite a few to trade in the last year or so - one is posted here and I'm going to post more in the days to come. Isn't she cute? I purchased a paper doll rubber stamp from Dianne at The Art Room in Franklin, NC and it's a perfect size for these little dolls.

Just a reminder to leave a comment on Tuesday's post and you could win a free collage sheet from Altered Pages. I'll be picking a winner on Saturday!

Blog Giveaway!

2010-05-04T14:03:00.000-04:00

Here's a chance for a free collage sheet from Altered Pages! Jackie Garbarino has a great site with digital collage sheets, kits, ephemera and all kinds of stuff for altered books, ATC's, and whatever else you like to create! I've made this tag with some images from the Altered Pages Serendipity collage sheet. I'm giving away a free Altered Pages collage sheet - just post a comment on my blog and I'll pick a winner - randomly, of course! Take a look at all the great collage sheets here: www.alteredpages.com

For my Mom!

2010-05-03T15:31:00.000-04:00

I had an extra chipboard house when I finished the Red Lead Fly Away Home altered house project so I decided to make something for my mom for Mother's Day. When we were kids my mother made all our clothes (there are 4 girls!) - even our coats! I remember so many holiday dresses for Christmas and Easter. . . I wish I had saved them! Of course, when I became a teenager I wanted nothing more than to have my own money so I could buy proper store-bought clothes like all of my friends had! Unfortunately I did not inherit my mom's talent for sewing and I still ask her to do many jobs that involve a needle and thread. Yes, that is my mom and me in the picture, I think I'm about 4 - 1954!

Happy Anniversary to us!

2010-05-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

Jay and I were married at Selby Gardens 28 years ago today. I can't believe it! It actually doesn't seem like 28 years. We've had lots of ups and downs (mainly ups!) and raised two great young men. Early on I called him my "knight in shining armor" because I felt he "rescued" me from a previous unhealthy relationship and showed me how wonderful it could be to have a man in my life who loved me for who I really am. I could not have asked for a more wonderful, kinder, more loving man to be by my side for the last 28 years. Thank you Jay! (not that he ever reads my blog. . . lol)

Back Once Again

2010-04-30T21:03:00.000-04:00

I didn't desert my blog, I had just gotten out of the habit of posting since I've been back from NC at Easter! But I have been creating and will share what I've been doing in the next few posts.

This is a chipboard house I altered for the Red Lead "Fly Away Home Altered House Swap." In fact, today my house is on the home page for the Red Lead Yahoo group! Check it out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/redlead/.

My Blog is Carbon Neutral!

2010-03-14T11:57:00.001-04:00

I found this neat button , now somewhere on the right, on a blog that Lesley sent me. For every blog that bears this badge, a tree is planted - click the badge for the link that gives you all the details on where the tree will be planted, and how planting a tree will offset the carbon footprint of your blog. Heaven knows, I need to offset a lot more of my carbon footprints but at least this is a start!

More cards

2010-03-11T15:13:00.000-05:00

Here are two more cards I made for a swap on paperfollies:

Blog Changes and some new ATC's

2010-03-09T14:51:00.000-05:00

My blog looks different today! I'm tryiing to find just the look I want by downloading freebie backgrounds and templates, and of course I don't know exactly what I'm doing. I really like this background and the new header - now my only problem is how to get my title and description into that cute little frame! Hopefully I'll figure it out soon. . .

Here are a couple new state ATC's I made for Swap-Bot - Missouri and Montana:

I sure wish I could figure out how to put the pictures side-by-side too!

Red Lead Paperworks Giveaway!

2010-03-07T10:23:00.000-05:00

Red Lead Paperworks is having a great giveaway on their blog, Red Lead Paperworks Everyday. Just leave a comment and you could win a cute spring chotski pin! I hope I win!

Some Cards!

2010-03-06T16:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I decided to make a couple cards based on a design I saw in the latest Take Ten. I'm not sure what I'll use them for but I like to keep some cards on hand.

A Day at the Zoo!

2010-03-05T12:53:00.001-05:00

Here's the scrapbook page I made with pictures from when we all went to the zoo on December 28, 2009. It was fun to be with Adam and Cassie!

Some New Projects

2010-03-02T21:04:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to catch up on most of my swaps through April so I don't have to worry about them when we leave for Charlotte, Roanoke and the mountains at the end of March. Here are a couple I've finished:

This is for a matchbox swap, sender's choice. I based it on a travel theme, used Graphic 45 paper and filled it with little travel items, photos, stamps, a compass, "dream" word charm and some beads.

A couple ATC's I made for the Wild Card Traders, Ink. group:

And one for Smokey Mountain:

Tonight I'm working on a scrapbook page of when we went to the Lowry Park Zoo with Adam and Cassie. I'll post that tomorrow!

Altered Domino Fun

2010-02-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

I joined an altered domino swap and here is my finished domino. I put a magnet on the back, but these are great to use as pins or pendants, too.

Distress Ink

2010-02-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

I really like playing with Tim Holtz' Distress Inks. This card was made by wiping several color ink pads on a non-stick craft sheet, spraying lightly with water and then smooshing the card into the ink on the sheet. The sparkle effect was made by using the new Stampin' Up platinum paint mixed with alcohol and lightly sprayed onto the card. I've had this flying clock stamp and have hardly ever used it and in keeping with the "time" theme I used the little Ranger memory capsules and put watch parts into them. I like the way this card came out!

More Valentine Stuff

2010-01-24T14:31:00.000-05:00

I made these ATC's for a swap on Art 42 - had to have one or more hearts on your card. I do love Valentine's Day!

More Inchies

2010-01-23T10:44:00.000-05:00

More Valentine inchies for a swap at 1 x 1 Inchies!

I Love Matchboxes!

2010-01-16T13:27:00.001-05:00

I made this matchbox with the inchies for a swap on Paperfollies Yahoo group. I love making matchboxes and the inchies that go in them!

Here are a couple more I've made over the last year or so.

I love matchboxes!

Work Week!

2010-01-15T10:50:00.001-05:00

I've been working all week on my January commitments. Here are a few:

A Valentine tag for the Red Lead swap

An ATC for the Red Lead Very Vintage swap

Two more state bird and flower ATC's for Swap-Bot

And the January ATC for Smokey Mountain - the theme was nursery rhymes/Mother Goose. I'm working on a matchbox with inchies swap for Paperfollies and I'll post that when I'm done!

Bad Girl

2010-01-09T10:39:00.000-05:00

I've been a bad girl about blogging since - yikes! Halloween! After we arrived home from North Carolina I got busy with Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then computer problems. Finally things have settled down and I am ready to blog!

Matt, Jen, her family and I spent lots of time beginning wedding plans over the holidays - what fun! Here's a picture of Jen trying on wedding gowns - she is so beautiful, it won't matter what she wears!

Crafty Halloween Fun

2009-10-20T10:18:00.003-04:00

I've been having fun making little Halloween shadowboxes for everyone! I made one for Matt and Jen and one for Adam, one for Diane, one for me. They are so much fun to make! I made some for Easter last year, I'll post some of those pictures later, and I think Christmas ones would be fun too!

This is for Matt and Jen.

This is the one I made for me.

This is for Adam.

This is the one for Diane.

Fall is here!

2009-10-13T17:31:00.001-04:00

This is Yellow Mountain, kind of behind our house. You can see our Christmas trees in the foreground and, if you look closely, the barn in the distance. The colors are so beautiful now, we think it may be at it's peak. We're hoping that some will remain next week when Matt and Adam come to visit!

Hawaii State Bird and Flower ATC

2009-10-10T22:24:00.002-04:00

Today I made the Hawaii ATC for the State Bird and Flower ATC swap on Swap-Bot! These have been a lot of fun to make!

2009-10-07T17:54:00.000-04:00

I have joined a swap on Swap-Bot where you make an ATC with the state bird and flower for each state. I joined when they were on Delaware - I guess I'll have to catch up on my own! These have been fun to make. Today I made Georgia and I discovered something. I wanted to cut the edges of the stamp image I used with my stamp border scissors - but unfortunately they broke. So I improvised and used my 1/8" punch and just punched little half-circles along the edges of the stamp. It looked better than using the scissors - so I won't be buying another pair! Here are the other states I've made so far:

I haven't quite figured out how to arrange the pictures yet! lol

Old Wooden Box

2009-10-06T15:25:00.001-04:00

I found this round wooden box in the basement when we started renovating the house here in North Carolina. I assume it belonged to Jay's grandmother. I brought it up to my craft room where it has sat on my table and recently I started using it for inchie storage. I loved the label, but I thought the box needed covering. So today I did just that. I used Graphic 45 papers (Botanical) and I think it came out very pretty. I cut out an opening so you could see the old label. One problem, however; I have to struggle to close the lid now that there is a layer of paper underneath! I filed it down and it's better but I just don't put the lid down all the way onto the box. Ta da!

Sunshine!

2009-09-23T09:14:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning thinking it was much later than it was, since the sun was shining! It's a beautiful fall day! I took this picture around 7:30 a.m. I love seeing the clouds hanging in the trees with the mountains in the background. Who wouldn't love to be up here viewing this every morning?

Rain, rain go away!

2009-09-21T14:48:00.000-04:00

It has been raining here in Western North Carolina for almost two weeks, off and on, and now continuously for two days. See the rain in the first picture? Every time I think it is going to let up it starts pouring again! In the picture of the front lawn and Christmas trees, you can see the fog - sometimes it is so thick I can't even see the Christmas trees. The poor dogs are going stir crazy and Cody will hardly go out to pee!

Pumpkin Kid!

2009-09-20T19:32:00.000-04:00

Today I worked on a swap I joined at a site called Art42. You were to make a pumpkin kid ATC. I found the sparkly foam pumpkins at Michael's and I had a collage sheet of vintage kids. I thought she came out very cute!

Handmade Book

2009-09-19T11:47:00.003-04:00

I made this book at Keeton's at a class with Joey Long. We used a dremel to drill the holes in the spine and sewed the book together. It was very informative and fun, but I'm not sure I could do it again without Joey!

Red Lead Swap

2009-09-15T20:05:00.003-04:00

I joined the latest swap at Red Lead Paperworks, which is entitled "Which Red Lead Image are YOU?" You have to use a Red Lead collage sheet or rubber stamp and add your childhood picture to the image. I decided to be a butterfly girl!

Busy, busy

2009-08-20T08:23:00.002-04:00

I've been very lax in posting lately but I have been busy in the craft room! Here are some of what I've been doing: covered and decorated a box for Claire for Christmas (which I planned on doing two years ago!); made inchies and twinchies; finished all of my swaps for August and started on Sept. which includes a series of ten ATC's for Wild Card Traders.

Here's the box I made for Claire. I want to fill it with something so I'll check with Diane on what would be good. It was fun and easy to make!

Blog Candy!

2009-08-01T18:21:00.002-04:00

My sister told me about this great blog and today she's giving away AWESOME blog candy! Here's the link to Midnight Madness - check it out!

I made a beautiful book today in Joey's class at Keeton's. Pictures to come!

Challenge!

2009-07-21T09:47:00.004-04:00

Since my last post I've come home from North Carolina and gone to Maine and back. I'm home now until the end of August and am trying to keep abreast of all the projects I've committed to!

This one is from a Yahoo group called Card Swapping for Fun, but this was a challenge to use what the hostess sent to you and create something, not necessarily a card. We were sent a coaster and a scalloped oval punch. I just purchased a stamp set from Cornish Heritage Farms and was anxious to use it. I made this little "Honey Do" list using the stamp set and Stampin'Up papers. You send a picture of your creation to the hostess, she posts all the pictures in a file and the members vote on the one they like best. The winner receives a small prize. Wish me luck!

Fledglings!

2009-06-22T10:25:00.001-04:00

The birds are so much fun to watch up here in the mountains. It reminds me of growing up in NJ when my mom used to feed the birds. Some Eastern Phoebes (I know this because my sister, Lesley, told me what they were!) built a nest on top of one of the lights on our deck and we've been watching them since we discovered the nest over two weeks ago. The mother or father (I'm suspecting the father) was continually sitting on the wind chime which is hanging not far away, chirping and flicking his tail. We could see the little birds inside the nest. This morning I went over to look at them and one of them was sitting right on the edge so I grabbed my camera, took a couple pictures, and away they flew! Three little birds came out of the nest, one grabbed on to the side of the house, then flew away. I guess they're on their own now!

Inchies!!

2009-06-21T11:18:00.000-04:00

I've joined quite a few inchie swaps lately so I thought I'd show you some I've done in the past. These were for a swap on Swap-Bot (my first!) These were so easy, as are most inchies - at least most that I do! The hardest part for me is thinking about how I can get as much on a 1-inch square as possible! I used a bird inchie collage sheet. First I punched out scalloped inchies and then stamped with some script on them - edged them with Versamark and embossed with silver and glued on the inchie bird picture. I wanted to dangle something! So I stamped "sing" and a swirl on shrink plastic, punched a hole and shrunk it - then hung it from the inchie with a tiny safety pin! The safety pin worked great - I tried using a tiny paper clip but I couldn't open those little suckers enough to get them through the plastic and the inchie. I liked the way these turned out!

Rolodex Time!

2009-06-19T22:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, so here's another Rolodex card made for the technique group I'm in. It was the Paint on Paper Towel technique from Bernie Berlin's book, Artist Trading Card Workshop. I really liked this technique, which is painting with Lumiere paints on textured paper towels. I can't say the same for many of the other techniques we've tried! I will definitely do this one again - great background!

By the sea, by the sea. . .

2009-06-18T22:19:00.000-04:00

This month's theme for one of my trading groups is "beaches." I was inspired to make this card based on a larger card I made at a class a couple years ago. I tore the cardstock, wiped the torn edges with Versamark and stamped with a sand/snow stamp in Versamark, then embossed with gold tinsel embossing powder. Then I layered 3 pieces on the card and stuck the little shells between and on top of the layers so it looks like the shells are lying in the sand. I computer generated the text on blue vellum and tucked it behind the first layer of "sand." Actually, I realized I should have put the vellum on first as it was a little tough getting that layer to come up from the card once I had it glued down! I then mounted this card (3 1/4 x 2 1/4) on another card that is 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 and edged with a gold Krylon pen.

Father's Day

2009-06-18T13:58:00.000-04:00

I have been in NC now for almost three weeks and we've been so busy I've hardly done a thing until about 2 days ago. I realized I needed a Father's Day card so I went on SCS for inspiration and came up with this. Very easy! I think he'll like it!

Fun and Easy Technique

2009-05-28T11:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday my mom came over and we did a very simple technique called Wrinkle-Free Distress that I wanted to try from Splitcoast Stampers. You can see the technique here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/wrinklefreedistress/

We did some tags and card fronts and here is a tag I made. It was easy and fun!

Chatchki!

2009-05-26T10:38:00.000-04:00

I had a lot of fun with this project! I purchased a "chatski" pin (which I call chatchki) and collage papers from Red Lead and made some charms from Tim Holtz's fragment charms, which you can see a video of him doing on his website. I used some jewelry rings to attach the charms to the pin and added a charm or two. Then I just chose some ribbon and fibers to tie on. I like how it came out - I don't know what I'll do with it, but for now I just like looking at it!

Itty Bitty Book

2009-05-23T16:34:00.000-04:00

This is a page I made for an Itty Bitty Book swap with the Red Lead Yahoo group. We did one for Valentine's Day and this one is for a birthday celebration of the Red Lead store and the title is Butterfly Wishes. You were required to use either a collage image or a stamp or embellishment that you purchased at Red Lead. Since that is one of my favorite online stores (their physical store is in St. Louis) that wasn't a difficult requirement! The page had to be 1/4" wider than an ATC with no embellishments on the left side so it can be bound. There are 29 of us playing and I can't wait to see the finished book!

Inchies

2009-05-22T14:37:00.001-04:00

I love inchies! They are so fun and challenging. I've joined a swap where I need to send my partner 5 inchies. And because I'm so into birds right now - you guessed it - I used a bird theme! I punched out 3/4" pictures from a Red Lead (http://www.redleadpaperworks.com/) collage sheet, mounted them on a 1" scalloped square which I had embossed on the edges. Oh, I also stamped some script on the 1" square but it mostly got covered up with the 3/4" collage picture. Then I cut out some small tags from a Shrinky Dink sheet, stamped a swirl on the tag with Brilliance ink, stamped the words "sing" and "hatch", then shrank the tags. I used tiny safety pins to put them on the inchie. Fun!

Rolodex Cards

2009-05-21T09:50:00.000-04:00

As if we didn't have enough going on, some of us decided we wanted to trade Rolodex cards as well as learn some new techniques. We decided to use the book "Artist Trading Card Workshop" by Bernie Berlin. This photo shows a card using one of the techniques called Embossing Scraps, which has been my favorite technique so far. Some of them have been very challenging, some simply frustrating and some I would never do again! Others have made some very interesting backgrounds. It has been fun to try them and see how the others in the group interpret them.

I'm Bird Crazy

2009-05-20T14:40:00.000-04:00

It seems that many of my cards lately have included birds. I have lots of bird stamps and I just love them! Here's a card I made yesterday for one of my trading groups. I used a music score background, sprayed it with Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist, and stamped the birds with black ink. I adhered that to a card of SU Sage Shadow which I sprayed with Patina Glimmer Mist and edged with Brilliance Crimson Copper. I hope you can see the shimmer in the photo. I stamped the Bible verse with Stazon Timber Brown on vellum and tore it out and adhered it to the card. I thought I was done, but decided it needed something dimensional. I didn't have enough of any one charm that I liked, so I punched out these little birds (4) with my Martha Stewart bird punch and gathered them all together with a SU mini library clip. There are your "many Sparrows!"

My First

2009-05-19T07:43:00.000-04:00

This is my first post to this blog that I set up months ago. I'm not sure who will want to see what I'm doing but I thought it might be fun to post some of the stuff I'm doing in my little craft nest!

This is an ATC I made for a group I'm in. I had fun with making the background - I just swiped Kiwi Kiss, Purely Pomengranate and So Saffron pads on watercolor paper cards and swished over it with a large, very wet paintbrush. Then I stamped the bird, covered the slide holders with paper, adhered the slide holder, and added the little flower.

I'm going to try to keep up with posting present and past work so you can see that I just don't sit around all day eating bonbons (like my husband thinks I do!)