Bellevue Arts Fair

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:

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.

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

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.

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!

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:

• Dove EPromises – Send a chocolatey egreeting to a friend or loved one from Dove.
• ChocoRapids – Play this Chocolate Factory game online.
• Fudge Frenzy – Connect the pipes to make a Willie Wonka bar.
• Major Mayhem – This fun online game is similar to a game from back in the day. But fair warning – it’s addictive!
• Shmuffleboard – Play this online game from M&Ms.
  Flip the Mix - Another online game from M&M’s.
  Hangman – Play this no-frills hangman game about chocolate.
• Cadbury Chocolate Machine

(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:

Plus one new one:

Happy National Milk Chocolate Day !

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.

Gathered up my materials:

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.

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:

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: 

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!

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.

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!

It’s on a hall table with a collection of milk glass and a few other altered pieces.

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!

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!