Thursday, August 31, 2017

BFF Open House Link Party


Hi creative friends. I know we are all reeling from what we're seeing unfold in Texas. To those located in the zone of the hurricane (or who have family and friends there) , first and foremost I hope you are all safe. 

I know tons of creative peeps (including me) are figuring out how we can put our maker skills to use to help. If you have any ideas to share, please leave in the comments! 

I decided to go ahead and put the party up because maybe looking at some pretty things will be a welcome distraction. Be well friends! 


True confession: I am not a fan of Pumpkin Spice anything ( pumpkin anything for that matter) BUT I know it's super popular and so many people love it. I am a fan of the pumpkin image in this printable from The Organized Dream so featuring this gorgeous printable for all you Pumpkin Spice lovers ( and me for that pumpkin image) Win Win but even better, she's got two more gorgeous Fall themed printables at the link. Go get them!


Who loves the $1 Spot at Target as much as I do? Repurpose and Upcycle does for sure and look what she did with a wooden  toolbox she found there? How perfect for a Fall Farmhouse look. 


This intrigued me because of PhD boy who is a craft beer aficionado. I on the other hand do love a Pina Colada and here the two meet in a combo I would never have put together. From Craftbeering, I give you the IPA Pina Colada! 


This week's chocolate feature is from Jay Tried and True: Cookies and Cream Filled Brownies! Look at all that ooey gooey goodness. 

OK let's get busy seeing what you've been busy making. 

   
   

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Printable: Fall In Love With Fall




Who's ready for Fall besides me? Summer is OK but my favorite time of year is Fall, or Autumn if you prefer. The leaves changing color. The crispness in the air. Boots and sweaters. Bring it! The calendar is not quite there but I'm getting ready so I made a Fall printable using graphics from designbundles.net.   





It's sized 8x10. Click on the image to bring it to full resolution. PC Users Right Click to Save As. 

Keeping the folks in the path of Harvey in my thoughts. 


Thursday, August 24, 2017

BFF Open House Link Party


Happy Friday Eve all! Some of  you may not be old enough to recognize this but:


Sorry no features this week ! 

We'll just jump right into the party and hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

   
   

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

What Good Are (Altered) Wings Wall Art


I teased these when I shared my last project: Another Altered Cabinet Door. I might need to change my blog name to something w/ "altered" in it . 


I saw these wood wings earlier in the year at Michaels when they first came in and went back and forth on them mostly because they had a whole selection of different wings and I couldn't decide. That became easier when after procrastinating, there were fewer to choose from but the ones that remained were 70% off. Score! I mean they were originally only $19.99 but I got them for $5.99. Deal. 

Supplies: 
  • Wooden Wings
  • Acrylic Paint
  • White Glue
  • Leafing Glue
  • Silver Leaf
  • Vinyl Quote
  • Misc. Embellishments 
I had all of the other supplies in my stash which Mr. Chocolate calls "The Michaels Annex".


Paint with your basecoat color of choice. I used Craftsmart gray. Since I'm partial to a chippy / shabby / crackled look, I didn't care about complete coverage. 


If you prefer a more opaque look, go over w/ another coat. 

Did a combination of my fave white glue crackle and dry brushing over the grey using white acrylic paint. While the paint was drying, I laid out my quote in my Silhouette software and cut w/ my Cameo. The quote is by the poet Atticus: 

This is the same font I used for my vinyl ( it's called Ambrosia) and of course now I don't remember where I downloaded it from!  

I cut out my quote using black matte vinyl and since I'm easily frustrated w/ vinyl projects and inevitably muck something up that results in swear words , I trimmed the words into individual pieces to minimize the muck up opportunity. 


This also made it easier to lay out the words. Once I was happy with where I wanted them, I applied them to the wings. 


Never content to leave anything alone ( what fun is that?!) I decided to add some silver leaf to the tips of the wings and pulled out this pair of plaster wings I had in my stash, along w/ some adhesive rhinestone swirls. 

Metallic leafing is such a rich accent. I love adding bits and pieces of it to things. You need a good leafing glue ( called size) and I like the Mona Lisa brand. Basically paint where you want your leafing to go using the glue, wait 20-30 min (weather conditions matter so if hot, shorter time) until tacky and then apply your leafing. You can find many tutorials on how to use metal leafing on Pinterest and You Tube so won't go into that here. 



It hangs in our entryway which I pass everyday on my way to my office and it's a great reminder to me to be fearless, try new things, challenge myself. 

Thursday, August 17, 2017

BFF Open House Link Party


Zoom! Another week has flown by. Is it possible for days to feel like an eternity but the week to go by at record speed? Does that even make sense? Whether it does or not, that's how this week has felt to me. 

Let's take a look at some ideas from last week's party before we start this week's. 


I've said for years that I want to make homemade Vanilla Extract for holiday gifts and every year I wait too long and it needs about a month to cure. On my list again this  year , so featuring a recipe from Sew Historically to remind me! 


Totally in LOVE with these painted Milk Cans from Junque Cottage . You will NOT believe the condition they were in before she painted them. 


I don't know about you but I am so in the mood for Fall. This bright and fun wreath from Lolly Jane is a great Summer to Fall transition piece. 


This week's chocolate feature: Chocolate Peanut Butter Munch Brownies from Culinary Envy

Now, on to this week's party! 

   
   



Monday, August 14, 2017

Another Altered Cabinet Door: NEST Sign


I mentioned in an earlier post how I love using cabinet doors for projects. I usually find mine at a local architectural salvage place and got this one along with a previous one for a donation of $5 ( for both) to Habitat for Humanity. 

We have a lot of blank wall space which I don't actually mind, but it's also great for when an idea does hit because  I haven't had to take something else down. This will hang in our TV watching area where we end up spending a fair amount of our time .  This is where I find out all of the latest intrigue on "Game of Thrones", say goodbye to my Sestras on "Orphan Black", see who's up to what on "Scandal" and "How to Get Away With Murder" and Netflix and chill.

We also read here when the TV's not on. We're homebodies so the them of "Nest" seemed appropriate.

Supplies: 
  • Salvaged Cabinet Door
  • Acrylic Paints
  • White School Glue
  • Printed Tissue Paper (Recollections)
  • Mod Podge
  • Adhesive Foil (I used Cricut Gold Metallic)
  • Scrabbook Paper (C'oredinations Cream and Black) 
  • Misc Embellishments
  • Die Cut and/or Electronic Cutting Machine (Silhouette and Cuttlebug)


The wooden wings will be part of another post but I took a pic of the unfinished cabinet door with them so more on that later in the week. 




I painted the "frame" of the door with black acrylic paint (I used Craftsmart). Taped off the edges and then painted the interior with cream acrylic paint. 


I didn't worry about complete coverage of the interior because I knew I'd be putting the tissue paper here.  Cut the tissue paper to size and then apply using Mod Podge. 

Measured out my tissue paper before I painted
Using my favorite white glue technique, I crackled the frame of the door. Basically paint a layer of glue ; let dry until tacky but not completely dry ; paint over w/ contrasting color. 

Tip: You want to use long even strokes and go in one direction, not up and down. Back to School is the perfect time to stock up on cheap, white, glue! 


While that was drying, I laid out my design on my Silhouette Cameo, then cut the images and lettering using Cricut Gold Foil. 

Enter frustration. When I applied the foil pieces, the transfer tape pulled up the Mod Podged tissue paper in some spots. The nice thing about working w/ the tissue paper was that it was easy to tear some "matching" pieces and just repair those spots with a little more Mod Podge. 


I don't think you can really tell where I had to patch. I used my Cuttlebug to cut the flowers ( Tim Holtz Tattered Florals) rolled the edges and added rolled roses in the center. I rummaged around in my mismatched embellishment stash and found some swirly things ( technical term) that I painted to match and put on the nest image and the corners of the door. 



Thursday, August 10, 2017

BFF Open House Link Party


Happy Friday Eve all! Did the week go by as quickly for you as it did for me? Now if the weekend would just not go by as fast!

Let's see some ideas from last week's party! 


I love a good makeover project so let's start with this tray transformation from A Sprinkle of Joy. You really have to see the before to appreciate the after! 


Here's another great re-purposed project from Much More Creative . Again, you're going to have to see the before :) 


With back to school activity underway, these adorable frames from Dazzle While Frazzled would make a great addition to any teacher's desk and what a nice way to start the year! 


No secret that I love both coffee and chocolate so these Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies from Jay Tried and True are right up my alley. It's like a mocha in a cookie! 

Now, let's see what you've been up to this week !



   
   

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Book Lover's Day Printable

HAPPY BOOK LOVER'S DAY

I have loved words and books since I can remember. I spoke before I walked , and one of the fondest memories of my childhood ( and my dad, who I lost way too early) was of being propped up in my bed each night with a book, while his voice played on a tape recorder stored beneath my bed reading me the story. 

He worked nights when I was very young and this was his way of tucking me in. 

Growing up, I don't remember going anywhere without a book, and while I have become a less voracious reader of late (thanks internet!) I still read as often as I can. My greatest joy is that I passed on that love of reading to my son who, like me, actually heard the words "No we are not going to the bookstore today" because he'd quickly burned through the last book we'd bought .  No visit home from Grad School is complete w/out a stop ( or several) to Barnes and Noble or the Amazon brick and mortar bookstore we have here. 

No surprise then that my BFF is also a voracious reader. This woman goes through books like I go through craft supplies. Non-stop!  I made this "Book Lover's Day" printable w/ her in mind and using a quote from one of my favorite authors: 


Click on the image to bring to full resolution, Right Click , Save As ( PC users). 

To quote one of my favorite characters, Albus Dumbledore, created by the phenomenal JK Rowling: 

“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”

Sharing At: 




Thursday, August 3, 2017

BFF Open House Link Party


Happy Friday Eve once again! Sent my "baby" back to grad school this week to get ready for what will be his first year in the classroom as a TA working w/ undergrads. I am so thankful that we have a son who is off on his own as we raised him to be, but who also loves to come home and spend time with us!

Let's take a look at some of the great ideas shared at last week's party. 


I love books and reading and always have, so it's no surprise that I would also love book crafts and decor featuring books. Simply September shared some great ideas about incorporating books and book pages into decor. Love! 


The ladies from Lolly Jane shared a guest post from Pocket Full of Paint that I think is just stunning and looks like something you find in a pricey boutique. Check out this beautiful leather hanging. Not too early to start thinking of handmade gifts! 


Speaking of handmade gift ideas, Artsy VaVa shared a great one. A DIY Dried Flower Phone Case! How cool is this? 



Finally, while I'm featuring these adorable chocolate cupcakes from Nightchayde, you have to see the ADORABLE Woodland Shower these came from. Everything , from the invites, to the food, to the decor is too cute! 

OK let's see what you've been up to this week!