BFF Open House

 

It's that time again! Another week on the books and hope it's been a good one. Thank you all for the birthday wishes. We had a great day exploring a very artsy town near us, Tubac, which is one of the oldest towns in Arizona so it also has lots of history. Then dinner at one of our favorite restaurants from "up North" which also has a location nearby, and more exploring over the weekend. September is a busy birthday month. In addition to my own, I share it with my Fairy Grandbaby, cousin, and several friends including three this weekend and two on the same day! 

I even managed to post a couple of cards that came together with coordinating supplies from totally different places. 

Still working on my Halloween Tree skirt :)

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

The Apple Street Cottage is back with a collection of FABULOUS Dollar Store Pumpkin makeovers. Every one of these is great! 

Looking for a different pumpkin idea? Check out these Faux Terra Cotta Pumpkins from Family and the Lake House! 

Whether you're hosting a Fall dinner or just looking for a different take on Pumpkin Decor, Check out these beautiful Pumpkin Place Settings from My Thrift Store Addiction! 

Finally, to finish off my unplanned Pumpkin roundup, how about these cute Peanut Butter Pumpkins from The Kitchen Is My Playground.

'Tis the Season to be Pumpkin right? 

Thanks to all who linked up and let's take a look at what you've been up to this week. 

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Papercrafting: When Supplies Collide. Black White Metallic Handmade Paper Cards

 

As I've said before, I love it when a plan you didn't have comes together. I can't be the only one who picks up things as I see them, not specifically having a plan in place about what I'm going to do with them, right? RIGHT? I did that with a package of handmade paper scraps at Blick Art Materials a while back and then on my last trip to Dollar Tree, I found two sets of epoxy stickers that coordinated perfectly. The timing was perfect since I needed to make a couple of cards. 

Supplies: 

• Handmade Paper Scraps (Blick Art ...can't remember the price but around $5 I think)
• Epoxy Stickers (Dollar Tree) 
• White 110lb cardstock (Recollections, Michaels)
• Black and White Scrapbook Paper (Michaels)
• Black Cardstock Scraps
• Foam Tape
• Adhesive Tape Runner 

I couldn't have coordinated these if I'd tried! 

I cut the white cardstock to 7x10 for 5x7 cards. Then I selected the handmade papers I wanted to use along with a sheet of black and white scrapbook paper from my stash, cut in panels as shown and adhered to the card. 

I selected a trio of stickers from the gold and silver sheets and mounted on squares of black cardstock scraps. Then mounted these using foam tape down the center of the cards as shown. 

For the silver stickers, I chose a handmade paper with glittered silver polka-dots. 

For the gold stickers, I chose a piece of black, gold, and white handmade paper. 

This is a great cardmaking project if you don't have a cutting machine and/or if you're a beginning cardmaker! 

BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve all and for me, a kickoff to my birthday weekend. Celebrating another trip around the sun. Thanks for filling this past year with all of the creativity shared here each week. I'd also like to thank you for the support shown as I shared my journey with anxiety and depression last week. While I didn't share anything new this week, I did find the inspiration to start a Halloween Tree Skirt...have it cut out and just need to put it together...and a few cards I needed to make. Will share soon. 

It's cooled down enough to resume daily walks and having a new neighborhood to explore is great. Where we are now, we're surrounded by pecan groves filled with leaves and we're curious to see if they change color. 

Let's take a look at some of the fun ideas shared at last week's party! 

With Halloween approaching, now's the time to work on new additions to your decor. These DIY Spell Books from Masterpieces of My Life are just perfect! Pick up some old hardcover books from the thrift store or Goodwill and have at it!

Need a fun new shirt for Halloween? Check out this idea from Artsy Fartsy Mama who has the FREE "I'm A Little Batty" SVG file to download. This works for me regardless of the season! 

Nature crafts are always fun to make and these Twig Stars from Serenity You are no exception. I'll have to start looking for twigs on my morning walks. 

Finally, another nature craft...Word Stones from Thriving With Less. I've seen these in decor boutiques but none as gorgeous as these! If you collected some from the beach or river, what a wonderful way to memory keep. Or, you could grab a big bag from a home improvement store! 

Thanks as always to everyone who linked up and let's see what you've all been up to this week! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve all! Hope you've all had a good week and those of you who either as teachers or parents went back to school this week, I hope it was peaceful. We had a fun getaway for our 31st Honeymoon last week. We drove up to Las Vegas for the week and loved checking everything out. It seems like every Food Network or other celebrity chef has a restaurant or several! Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri, Buddy Valastro (Cake Boss) Lisa Vanderpump, and Martha Stewart's "The Bedford". We stayed at Resorts World which has three hotels in one and enjoyed their "Street Eats" choices as well as a fun place called "Sun's Out Buns Out" with great breakfast sandwiches and the Carver Steakhouse where we celebrated our Anniversary dinner which they made special. It also housed a 24 hr Starbucks which was great for me with morning and late afternoon iced mochas. We didn't do any shows this time mostly because we're such early birds and are in for the night well before they  start. It was good for me to get away since I suffer from some crippling anxiety and depression at times and the timing was perfect. Sometimes that helps me create. Other times it just paralyzes me so being distracted helped. 

Fall is here (I don't care what the calendar or thermometer says). I guess I should say "Fall Craft Time" is here. I'm going to start on a Halloween tree skirt for the black "Christmas" tree I got for 50% off from Wayfair. Found some great fabric 50% off at JoAnn's!

Let's see some of the ideas from last week's party. 

This is brilliant and perfect for any space. A DIY in this case Journaling Station but could be used for SO many thing including just as extra storage! From Thriving With Less.

I love what Penny's Vintage Home did with this Antique Wooden Dough Bowl! We have one from my husband's family's old farmhouse and last year I filled it with greens and baubles for the holidays but I love it with these Fall blooms!

Being a lover of neutrals, this Neutral Baby Shower from Saved From Salvage caught my eye. It is so elegant and fun and you really have to see all that she did! 

Lastly, I hadn't thought about using my InstaPot to make Bread Pudding but this Gooey Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding from Scratch Made Food may change that! 

Thanks to everyone who linked up and can't wait to see what everyone's been up to this week!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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BFF Open House

Happy September! Can't believe it's already here. No features this week. Straight to the party since we're on a getaway celebrating  our 31st Honeymoon. 😘Not sure where that time went either!

Hope you've all had a good week and back next week with features!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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BFF Open House

 

Halloween may be the next big crafting holiday but let me really scare you. Christmas is just FOUR MONTHS from today! EEEEEEK! 

I didn't get up to much this past week. We had my mom down to visit for a few days and then catching up on some errands. BUT, I did hit Dollar Tree for some decorations for my Halloween tree and I want to put it up NOW. They have some great things. Michaels and JoAnn also have some cool stuff and a lot of it already discounted. Shop early and often is my motto! 

I love hosting this party, especially when I haven't had time to work on anything. I love seeing all the things you work on and share and while I may not be able to comment on every link, I appreciate each and every one. Let's take a look at a few from last week's party! 

Check out this Not Yet Fall Pumpkin from The Apple Street Cottage. Isn't it GORGEOUS?! This can stay up all the way through Thanksgiving. And of course I did pick up a couple of extra pumpkins from Dollar Tree to play with! 

Likewise, check out this great DIY Witch Hat tutorial from Me and My Inklings! Fun on its own but also what a great topper for a pumpkin or a tree!

Even though I'm not a camper, I can't resist a good pun and if you're getting in one last campout of the season, Artsy Fartsy Mama has you covered to go in style with this Camping Is In Tents tee (free file at link)! 

Finally, I must confess I have an aversion to Pineapple Upside Down Cake...leftover childhood trauma from my least favorite aunt. It was the only dessert she made and if I didn't eat it, I heard about it. So when I became an adult "Not no way, not no how". But this Chocolate Raspberry Upside Down Cake from K'Mich Wedding Soiree Blog I would DEFINITELY try! 

Thanks to everyone who linked up and let's see what you've been up to this week! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BFF Open House

 

Another week in the books. Another Friday Eve. I hope everyone's had a good week. Hopefully we're approaching the tail end of monsoon season. We've been OK where we are but parts of the Valley have been hard hit with flooding. One thing you learn early if you live in the desert is you heed the flash flood warnings. If you're ever here and even if you come from places where it rains heavily (I moved from Seattle) these waters do not play with you! Dust storms either. 

Finished up our entryway and happy that I was able to do it without justifying buying new things!  Amazing what a little paint and a slipcover can do. You can see it here:  From Antique Brass to Hammered Pewter. I also finished painting some other pieces and am excited to be able to now start on some Halloween things! 

Let's take a look at some of the great ideas shared at last week's party and can't wait to see what everyone shares this week. 

Check out this amazing project from My Thrift Store Addiction using a Dollar Store Pillow! So pretty and perfect to stay up the entire Fall season. 

If you've ever wanted to try jewelry making, this project, complete with an excellent tutorial, from My French Twist has got you covered.

This DIY Hunny Pot from Drugstore Divas is just the perfect project for Winnie the Pooh lovers. 

Finally, love Churros but maybe you don't eat eggs? Check out these Eggless Churros (with a nice side of chocolate dipping sauce) from Treat and Trick! 

Thanks to everyone who linked up and can't wait to see what everyone's been up to this week! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter