Sunday, July 31, 2011

Bellevue Arts Fair

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First of all, I love this mosaic maker from Big Huge Labs! This weekend is our city’s annual Arts fair. This is it’s 65th year and I’ve gone to this most of my life and it’s grown into one of the largest Arts fairs in the country. Some of the artists count on this fair for half or more of their yearly sales.

The main fair is run by the Bellevue Art Museum and is a juried competition that takes place earlier in the year. For those who either don’t want to go through that process or aren’t selected, two other fairs have sprung up but we view them as one big fair. The thing I love is that it promotes art, creativity, and engages the community. I love that streets are closed to traffic and you have to walk. It allows you to really take in everything around you.

There’s a kids fair which our son loved when he was younger where kids can get down and dirty ( literally!) in all kinds of projects and lately they’ve closed off one street so the kids can emulate this professional chalk artist:

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Every kind of art imaginable is on display from huge metal and glass installation pieces to woodwork, jewelry, cards , altered art you name it. This year, they wrapped all the lamp posts throughout the venue in colorful hand knitted sleeves. Not sure why but just something quirky and fun.

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The main part of the fair takes over the parking garage of the mall.

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with row after row of vendors where cars would normally be. So much talent and inspiration on display! If you’re ever in the Seattle area the last weekend in July, (it’s the same weekend every year) then this is a must see!

There were performance artists roaming throughout the fair…not really sure what the message was but sometimes that’s the point of art.

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Thursday, July 28, 2011

BFF Open House Link Party #13 At The Answer Is Chocolate

I cannot believe that it's almost the end of July! How did that happen? I think the same way I ended up without a a blog feature to have as part of Blog Feature Friday...the time just flew by!

But we'll party anyway and hopefully next week won't be so crazy for me at work (oh please oh please!) So let's see what everyone's been up to this week. I've seen some great back to school ideas as well as some really great Summer ideas ( it is still Summer!) but I'm also seeing lots of Halloween , Fall, and dare I say it...CHRISTMAS ideas out there! You know the drill, everything's welcome as long as it was made by you. Paper, jewelry, paint, glitter, chocolate ( someday, I want to see someone link up some edible chocolate glitter!) if you made it, link it. Just no advertising or Etsy stores please and please link to your post and not your main blog page. 

And let's share the love! Who doesn't love to see a comment from an old friend or a new one? OK Party on!






Wednesday, July 27, 2011

July 28 is National Milk Chocolate Day!

Which of course means that there are no calories associated with chocolate, milk or otherwise on National Milk Chocolate Day. Hey if someone is good enough to make up a chocolate holiday, I can make up my own rules! I’m also sure that any chocolate is an acceptable way to celebrate National Milk Chocolate Day.

Beth over at It Is What It Is has a downloadable candy wrapper you can use to wrap your favorite chocolate bar to share with a friend. OK the extra one you bought for the friend. OK the extra extra one you bought because you might have eaten the extra one you bought for a friend.

Here are some other ideas to celebrate this most delicious holiday!

Chocolate-Inspired Fun & Games:


(Courtesy of San Francisco Examiner)

Recipes:

Milk Chocolate Brownies from Epicurious

Fudgy Milk Chocolate Fondue from All Recipes

10 Milk Chocolate Desserts from Food and Wine

Milk Chocolate Frosted Layer Cake from Recipe.com

And in honor of the occasion, I’m re-posting some chocolate themed printables:

GIMME CHOCOLATE

GIMME CHOCOLATE_W

Plus one new one:

Love Peace Chocolate

Happy National Milk Chocolate Day !

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Sad Card, Happy Card

To everything there is a season and that includes the need to make sympathy cards. Sadly, I’ve had to make several lately, including this one for a colleague whose mom just passed away.
Black Cream Sympathy Card
Gathered up my materials:
Sympathy Card Materials (2)
which included cream cardstock for the card, DCWV flocked damask paper, antique gold cardstock scrap and Recollections Elegance paper scrap. I was going to use my one and only “Sympathy” stamp but then saw this gladioli image at The Graphics Fairy so printed that out along with a sentiment.
Sympathy Card Close Up
Added some cream organza ribbon and plain HW store twine and dotted the centers of the main blooms with an iridescent Stickles.
On a happier note, my BFF’s baby started High School yesterday! We both have college freshmen this year so she’s got a double whammy of “My babies are growing up”. Made the new HS student a more mature but still fun card to commemorate this milestone:
Blue KandCo Card
I picked the blue paper up at Michaels ( 4 for $1 this week!) and then got home and realized that without even trying  it’s who else…KandCo! (Addison Blue Garden Swirls) Natch, I had to use KandCo scrapbook borders ( Abrianna) and a dimensonal sticker for the center from KandCo (Cottage Garden Pink). Ran a scrap through the Cuttlebug and finished with a clear sentiment sticker mounted to a scrap.

Linking Up At: 

Monday, July 25, 2011

Paris Plaque

I went a little nuts over some Graphic 45 papers I found recently at a local stamp store called Impress. I love my finds at Michaels and JoAnn’s, but I also like to support my local independent retailers . Share the love. How gorgeous is this paper!
Graphics 45 Paris Paper
It’s a page of postage stamps of the Eiffel Tower with one larger image. I’d been in Lowe’s recently, making the Lowe’s people crazy like I do when I go there for stuff to not use for its intended purpose and bought some wood “plinths” I think they’re called.
I painted one with taupe and dry brushed with some white then Mod Podged a black and cream paper from Recollections Elegance paper pack on the back and part of the front. I cut out the largest image from the sheet and MP’d it on top.
Paris Plaque
Didn’t even sand the wood because it was in pretty good shape and I wanted a rough look anyway. Finished the whole thing with black and cream paper flowers, buttons and a self adhesive pearl . OK one time where less is more. One. Time!
Paris Vignette
It’s on a hall table with a collection of milk glass and a few other altered pieces.
Paris Black and White
Also wanted to play with one of the Art settings on my camera!
Linking Up At: 





BFF Link Party #12 Wrap Up and Features

Thanks everyone for linking up to last week’s BFF Open House LInk Party. I love seeing familiar names and some new ones each week and as always, the creativity is inspiring ( and adding to my ever growing to do list!). Here are just a few of the wonderful ideas that were linked up. Have a wonderful week all!
Bethany, from A Fish Who Likes Flowers, has been BUSY. These pillows, which are such a fantastic wedding gift idea, are only a portion of what she’s done for her niece’s wedding:
The Amazing Suzy ( I’ve renamed her) from Suzy’s Artsy Craftsy Sitcom, outdid Van Gogh himself by quilling a version of one of my favorite Van Gogh pieces, Starry Night:
If you haven’t seen these stitched furniture pieces from Bev at Flamingo Toes, you really need to check them out. They are so sweet and her collection of frames makes them pop!
And maybe it’s all the talk of the heat, or the fact that I’m starting to see stuff in the stores or my love of black and white or all of the above, but Kelly Dawn from ‘Til Death Do Us Part shared these adorable owl silhouettes that just make me want to get busy on Fall!
Thanks everyone for making each week’s Open House a fun and growing party!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

BFF Link Party#12 and BFF Southern Scraps!

Happy Friday and for once, people around the country are envying our Pacific Northwest weather since I think we’re the only part of the country that’s not sweltering. Hope everyone is finding creative ways to stay cool and maybe you’ll show some of them off here this week!

This week’s Blog Feature Friday is Fonda from Southern Scraps! This is one busy lady. You name it….cards, scrapbooking, jewelry, décor, sewing, re-fashioning clothes…she tries it and does a great job of it! I purposely didn’t feature this from last week’s party because I knew she’d be this week’s BFF and wanted to show it off here:
Isn’t that a gorgeous bracelet? It’s made out of ROPE! I just love it. And she didn’t stop there, making a necklace you can see here. She could look fabulous while staying cool wearing her bracelet and necklace with this re-fashioned tee:
 
I also love these punched flower décor balls :
And she’s also been rockin’ some great Anthro knockoffs:
I’m telling you, you will NOT be disappointed when (not if!) you go visit Fonda!

So….let’s see what everyone’s been up to this week! Anything goes as long as it was made by you! Please link to your project page and not your main blog page and please no advertising or Etsy stores. Otherwise…party on!

Doodle Monogram

When I first started blogging, I shared something called Zentangle. It’s basically art doodling that repeats a series of patterns and is done primarily in black and white. I haven’t taken any of the formal classes but just kinda started doing my own interpretation of it and it’s very addicting!

One of my son’s friends was over visiting last week and my sketchbook was out and she was enthralled by my doodles. So I thought I’d do her initial in a doodle!

Zentangle Monogram (2)

I didn’t just want to tear it out of my sketchbook to give to her so I painted an unfinished frame from Ikea, then dry brushed it and applied some rub ons that have a similar doodle pattern and some words from the same pack.

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I also thought I’d try out Big Huge Labs photo editing which I learned about from Viv at the V Spot Blog. I used it to create the mosaic of pics seen above.

Of course I had to finish the frame off with some strategically placed bling. Just a rhinestone in the middle of each flower. Got the stamp of approval from my son.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Creativity Tags

I posted last week about the opportunity I had to get some free craft supplies through Wholeport’s Creativity Expo promotion. I selected a paper sampler. It arrived quickly and I couldn’t wait to play.

Creativity Expo
I got some additional supplies out from my stash:
Creativity Expo Supplies
I’d decided to make some tags so I ran blank tags through my 2.5” Xyron
to apply adhesive. I’m not naturally drawn to pinks but there was something about the pink papers in the pack that made me want to play with them.
Creativity Expo Tags

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Used different things from my stash…buttons, KandCo self adhesive scrapbook borders, round and shaped self adhesive rhinestones, ribbon, paper flowers to embellish my tags. I incorporated some other paper scraps from my stash as well.
Creativity Expo Tag Pink

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Wholeport’s asked everyone who received sample packs from them to post what they’ve made on their Facebook page so I’m sharing there.
Linking Up At:
Tickled Pink at 504 Main

Monday, July 18, 2011

Christmas in July for Arianna

Christmas Card

Bella, from Bella Before and After sent out an SOS today. While Christmas is almost always a happy occasion, the reason for this Christmas related SOS is a sad one.

A little girl named Arianna loves Christmas. Sadly, she  has been battling cancer since 2009 and her doctors have advised the family to start making as many memories as possible with her. I can’t write more about this without getting too emotional. I also just finished sympathy cards for mf BFF and her family for the sudden loss of her brother. Too much sadness.

Friends of Arianna’s family are planning a Christmas party for her on July 22 which includes showering her with as many cards as possible.That’s something I can do!

I don’t  always have a lot of kid stuff in my stash but I did have some cute Santa rub ons. So I got those out and picked out some papers that coordinated. I found some green and white polka dotted paper that reminded my of snow, and a scrap of Beachy Shadow Wash paper.

Christmas Card Santas

I embellished the Santas with adhesive pearls on their hats, and even one for a nose and stamped the sentiment on another scrap. Had to use some Twinery twine in maraschino and key lime. Finished with some red and clear rhinestone strips. A little girl needs to have a blingy card dontcha think?

Christmas Card (2)

If you’d like to learn more about Arianna’s Christmas party you can click here.

BFF Link Party #11 Wrap Up and Features

Thanks to everyone who linked up to last week’s BFF Open House! I hope everyone enjoyed meeting Tammy from Not Just Paper and Glue. Fantabulous ideas as always and here are just a few highlights:
Bethany, from A Fish Who Likes Flowers shows us what to do with a Goodwill mirror, some sisal rope and a lot of hot glue
Must be a GW bug in the air…in another fantastic transformation, Kathleen from Charm Bracelet Diva linked up this beautiful stool she made from a GW find and a coffee sack:
Kathleen has a weekly “Club GW” link party each week where you can link up your transformed Goodwill goodies!
And Maggie  from Midwestern Sewing Girl showed she’s not just famous for her sewing skills. I’ve seen lots of starburst mirrors but the detail Maggie  added to hers just makes it pop:
Finally, this is so elegant and beautiful and you would never, ever, guess that it’s made from………………wax paper! Only Carolyn from homework could transform something so ordinary into something SO extraordinary!
Hope to see everyone back again at this week’s Open House on Friday!!