I Triple Dog Dare You!

I love the movie "A Christmas Story". Even though TNT or TBS or one of those "T" channels shows it for 24 hours every Christmas, I have it on both VHS and DVD. And, as I've said, I can pretty much relate anything to a movie quote. So when I stumbled across what I'm posting about, the scene from "A Christmas Story" where Ralphie describes the "oh no he didn't" moment of going straight to the triple dog dare popped into my head. I'm just twisted that way.



So while making my blog rounds this morning, I was over at Diary of a Chocoholic  which led me to Leslie, over at her blog Words Of Me Project who has a wonderful challenge up:




So for 31 days, starting July 26, I will do just that.

• Write...Blog or journal
• Create...on the go or in my space
• Be...in the moment, happy, content, appreciative

I triple dog dare you...will you take the challenge?

Getting Ready For Vacation and Tuesday Hops

I'm sure normal people just go on vacation but not me. Maybe it's knowing that I'll have limited time to make things while I'm on vacation that I have to make things for my vacation? So I'm either prepping projects I can work on while on vacation or making things to use on vacation. Anyone else do that? One of the things we like to do is keep track of the things we do on our vacations. It's easy to think you'll remember so that when it's time to scrapbook that vacay, you'll just know but HA! The older I get, the easier that sounds and the harder it is. So I started keeping travel journals which I can refer back to when doing my scrapbooks or when I just need a mental vacation. This time of year is perfect to find these:

 

And, as you can tell by now, if they're on sale like they often are at back to school time...I buy multiples! I think I got this last year as a pack of 2 and they were 2 packs for $1 or something. 

Trace the shape onto your choice of scrapbook paper. I went outside my usual neutral pallette:

and cut out a front and back cover in  coordinating papers. I Mod Podged these onto the composition book and tore some other coordinating papers to collage on. I had some chipboard frames I picked up on clearance that I covered with a scrap of the coordinating paper:

I didn't want to put a lot of heavy embellishments on my journal because it was going to be in and out of my bag so I used a combination of rub-ons, clear alphabet stickers, and things left over from other projects that were printed onto clear label paper to decorate. Of course I couldn't leave it blingless, so I had to put some self adhesive rhinestones on it :) 

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Update to respond to a question from the comments:
I tore a wide strip of a third piece of paper to cover the spine. Applied Mod Podge to it and folded it over the front and back so about 1/2 of it shows on each side. Hope that makes sense!

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Indulgence

I love jewelry. "Good" jewelry which I am really lucky to have been  given by Mr. Chocolate, and then there's the stuff I make lol.  One thing I like about making jewelry (well about making anything) is that you can reinvent it once you get tired of it or if you're not happy with it or if it breaks, and then I don't feel guilty about making more of it than I can wear because I can always transform it into something else.

I consider myself a "stringer" more than a beader. I don't weave with beads or do things requiring knotting because I'm not precise or patient enough. I do have a really cool knotting tool that a friend of mine's wife created. I still need to play with it.

Anyway...babble babble, I usually get supplies at the big box stores...Michaels or JoAnn's , both of which have improved their beading sections in recent years. But a couple of times a year, I get to treat myself with trips to amazing suppliers. Here in my home state, we have Shipwreck Beads  which is overwhelming on your first visit. You know you're in trouble when they have a lounge area (aka "man chairs") , cafe, and espresso cart because you are going to need a break to sit and regroup!

My other more limited, but sheer indulgent pleasure is, Scottsdale Bead Supply which to me is like the Tiffany of bead stores, or the Callebaut of chocolate  I'm definitely on an allowance there because as the saying goes, you get what you pay for and their materials are all fine quality. I walk through the store and take my time in each section, making probably three or more laps around before narrowing down my choices and then another two or three more laps to decide what I want, I mean can afford.  Then I do things like get them home and am so paranoid to use the materials because "OMG what did I spend?" and then they sit in my stash which is kind of pointless isn't it? Like the tee shirts we're afraid to re-fashion because "you mean I have to cut them up" but which otherwise sit, unworn, in the closet? Yep.

So I put on my big girl panties and got out some of my treasures from my last trip to SBS and made a bracelet ( that I can wear on my next trip there which is coming up!):

Black onyx, another stone the name of which I couldn't remember but Mich in LA reminded me it's a jasper, Bali silver, smokey quartz and :

Silver, black onyx and mother of pearl inlay clasp. 

And...

And I've promised myself that if ( OK when ) I buy these special things, I'm not going to stash them away because they're too precious. Life it too short. Did you know stressed spelled backwards is desserts?

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Thank You For Coming....And A Winner!

Happy Monday and a big THANK YOU to all who dropped in for a visit to my Holiday Open House. I think we've all had that anxious feeling of "what if I throw a party and nobody comes" so I was very honored and excited that so many of you came to visit. There were 23 wonderful projects linked up and I'm not going to choose a favorite because they were all wonderful. Combine that with the 12 comments that were left and that's 35 names that went into the drawing for the giveaway celebrating reaching 200 Followers. I went low tech for this since it was a combo of linked projects and comments and you got one entry per.

 

And the winner is............

Congrats Michele! Email me your address so I can get "Lady Jingle Elf's Stocking" on her way .

And please join me next month on August 20th for another Holiday Open House!

"Christmas" ( and More) Open House Link Party!

Welcome, one and all to the first ever linky party at The Answer Is Chocolate! So glad you're here. What better time to have a holiday themed link party than in the middle of Summer? It's never to early to get ready for the holidays, so I thought I'd do this once a month through September, then weekly! Please link up decor, cards, gifts you've made, recipes...anything that goes from Halloween through New Year's! I realize it's early yet so even if it's not for / from this year, link it up because a lot of us are new since last holiday season and who can't use a new inspiring idea?

One of the things I love about the blogging community is how supportive everyone is of each other, especially us newbies. So please please please visit  at least two other links won't you? And leave them some bloggy comment love?

Christmas Open House Link Party Rules:

• Link to your specific post, not your main blog
• Describe your linked item  and don't just list your blog name
• Please grab my button and place in your post on on your sidebar

• No fruitcake ( just kidding...mostly) 

To celebrate my first link party and reaching the 200 ( now 219!) follower mark, I'm giving away a little something to get us in the spirit:

Lady Jingle Elf's Stocking

And what's a stocking without stuffers? So it will come with some goodies that may or may not include chocolate ! To qualify for the giveaway:

• Link up something to this party
• Leave a comment 
• Be or become a follower 

Both the giveaway and party will close at midnight Sunday July 18.

Chain Chain Chain.....Chain of Flowers

Sorry Aretha. Ooops. Miss Franklin.  After I made my first "bib" necklace  and used some chain I'd bought one day just because it was there, I had more chain leftover. OK I had a whole 'nother package of it because I have "Noah's Ark shopping disease" and buy everything in at least twos. Anyway, I decided to try another necklace, not quite as "bibby" but more with a medallion kind of look. I had more organza in my stash and more old tee shirts on hand, so I cut a couple into strips and made rolled rosettes....

I still wanted these to be lighter and softer than a traditional felt backing would allow so I thought Hmmmm...why can't I use tee shirt fabric as my base? So I did. Used fusible webbing stuff to glue two pieces together for the base:

Made layered flowers from organza and then put them and the tee shirt rosettes together on the base in a pattern I liked, hot glued them down then trimmed around to get the shape. I find this easier than cutting out a shaped base and then putting the flowers on but that's me. Sewed my chain on, and didn't even use a jump ring to add the clasp, just opened up one link of the chain and :

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Christmas Is Coming and Tuesday & Wednesday Hops!

Here's part of what I'm giving away for my "Christmas Open House" link party on Friday July 16:

 Lady Jingle Elf's Stocking

 Looking forward to seeing  great Holiday goodies! Halloween is OK too! 

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