embossing on a picture frame

1. Take a cheap black frame (or one you painted).
2. Choose a stamp that will look good even if the image is a bit smudged. Make sense? I used the Stampin Up Charming set
3. Stamp image with versamark ink in lower corner a few times (or upper corner)
4. Sprinkle silver embossing powder, try not to make a mess
5. Apply heat gun.

Results:

Pretty neat huh? I admit that this has probably been done but I was so thrilled it worked on this very cheapo frame! Guess what my family members are getting for Christmas gifts?
By the way, I took this picture (arm outstretched method sitting on top of the swing set) and played with the color a bit in iphoto.

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things coming together around the house

I’ve finally finished all of the downstairs painting. Now comes the hard part: what to display/hang and what to put away? I collect all sorts of things-some really neat and some not so much. My problem is that I have this need to display every cool thing I have so I end up with lots of clutter. Or I hold on to things forever waiting for just the right spot to put something! Fortunately, I have a hard time putting nail holes in my freshly painted walls and this makes me really think about where I want things. Here’s what I have so far:

Dinning Room

-vinyl wall art from Stampin Up last year
-shadow box shelves bought 4 years ago, finally hung up. Just love my little white pitchers here!
-a photo our realtor took of our house and gave us for Christmas a few years ago
-name sign from a craft show a couple of years ago
-painting by a John Rogers (no info) that I found at a thrift shop years ago. Bought because I love this style of watercolor paintings and this era.

Living Room

-Love these colors, they really go well with all the old woods we have.
-oil painting by my mom
-some things on the mantel (work in progress)
-cowboy clock, given to me by my grandma in highschool

-a banner I made out of assorted new and very old papers

close up

-I used the thankful wheel with a permanent ink (heat set) on twill tape
-Die cut leaves out of paper, bingo cards, sheet music

All of these make me very happy. Feels like I’ve done a little blessing on my home. What have you done lately to spruce up your space?

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Everyday something new to discover–daily blessings

Trying to find something new to be thankful about each day about staying home.

Exhibit A:

Found this lovely moth outside this morning.

I caught it in a jar for the kids to look at closer and to show daddy when he gets home from work.

Even baby dog wanted to check it out.

Tonight we’ll let it go and do it’s mothy business.

Here’s to new discoveries, and working at being content with where I am.

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8 Time Suckers–Big Ones

This morning I got up much earlier than the rest of the family so I could something productive before the chaos starts. After starting the coffee what do I do? Get on the computer to go through my Google Reader where I found this post by Magpie Girl “8 Time Suckers“. How ironic I read that list when I’m in the middle of one of my time suckers!
I’ve come to a few generalities about myself and most people I know:
1-we are all busy, overcommitted, overwhelmed in one way or another
2-we all have things we have to do regardless of time (ie feed and bathe the kiddies)
3-we all have something (or several somethings) that we waste time on
4-finally, we make the time to do things we want to, when we want to.

So here are my 8 BIG time Suckers:

1-google reader, I have a million blogs I’ve subscribed to, and I am compelled to check it every day. I rationalize that google reader is not a waste of time because now I don’t have to hunt through my bookmarks for new posts.
2-facebook. I’m always amazed when I talk to friends who tell me they are hardly on fb. I wonder what they do with all that free time? Dust, write a novel? I will give myself a bit of credit, I don’t do the apps or games. I still spend too much time on it especially since getting an iphone with the fb app on it.
3-Nothing. I have found myself so overwhelmed with everything I need to do that I shut down and sit and do nothing. Smart one huh?
4-Reading. I love to read and I love authors like Patricia Cornwell, Nora Roberts, Lisa Gardner, Janet Evanovitch, etc…. Nothing wrong with reading right? It’s good to show your children a love of reading. My problem is I’ll start a book and can’t hardly stop. Which is silly because the story is not going anywhere, it will be there while I go be productive.
5-Looking for inspiration. This is related to #1 but it is such a big waster of time I felt it needed it’s own! Got a new stamp set? Go to Splitcoast Stampers for ideas. I save all kinds of ideas in my iphoto in a special folder called “ideas”. I always think that’s such a great way to do this or that, I’ll try it! Unfortunately my folder grows but not my pile of creations!
6-Worry. Who doesn’t right? But I worry about things I don’t have a lot of control over, which really is a lot!
7-Organizing Craft/Art Stuff. I love to organize these things, putting them into little baskets and buckets that I’ve collected from here and there. I love to see my craft space organized with cute tags, labels, with everything in it’s place. This lasts as long as I don’t use any of my stuff. Once I get started on a project I have everything all over the place. Yeah I know I should put things back after I use them (I hear my mom saying that) but I don’t.
8-Blogging. I started this blog in 2007 to have a separate place for my crafty ramblings. Sometimes I spend way too much time writing posts, worrying over the look of the blog. Wondering how many people will read the post. Hoping someone will have be inspired by my witty banter or lovely creations.

I’m sure there are more, but these are my 8 big ones. None of these are bad things–in moderation they can be good. I started a few weeks ago trying to use my time more effectively so I get done what I need to do and what I have to do, and so I give my kids enough of my time.

Here’s my basic strategy:
-get up before the rest of the family, peruse google reader until kiddies get up. Still working on the get up early part, but when I do it’s good.
-only go on facebook once a day. Okay, sometimes it’s 3x a day, but I’m working on it.
-read in the evening before bed, stopping and going to bed at a reasonable hour.
-create a schedule for myself that allows for some crafting/me time. This is hard for me being a stay home mommy because my schedule for a long time has revolved around my two, three year old bosses. But the time for a written down schedule is here. Next week they start preschool and I start teaching at the same school. So Tuesday and Thursday mornings are going to be a set deal.
-not worry too much my blog posts, a few get read and commented on. That’s cool. I do it for myself. Remind myself of that!
-try not to worry over things I can’t control. I can’t control a lot of things but I can control how I react to them. This is my new mantra!

We’ll see how my plan works. In the meantime, I’ve got to finish my google reader for the day!
–

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Pretty damask notebook

I love little notebooks, I especially love little moleskin notebooks. I always have a couple in progress that I pack in a purse or diaper bag and keep handy where ever I’m at. But being the paper crafter that I am I love to embellish and modify things to make them my own. I found these simple moleskin kraft covered note books in Barnes and Noble in a pack of three. I immediately grabbed them thinking how sweet these would be to alter with my stash of goodies!
I have a couple in progress, they have a similar feel to them but are each different.
Here’s the first one completed:

Pretty nice huh?
For this project I used the damask from the Friends 24-7 stamp set, versamark ink, clear embossing powder, silver embossing powder, Bella Bleu pattern paper, vintage lace, and kraft taffeta ribbon.
Now I’m thinking I have big pads of drawing paper and lots of kraft card stock: I could be making my own little sketch books! Be on the lookout out for more!

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Pretty Photo Clipboard Holder

I take a lot of pictures of my kids, my family, stuff around me, and all over our house. I scrap a lot of them but I’m not real great about putting new pictures up for display on a regular basis. I don’t want to frame all of my favorite photos because my walls would be covered, instead I like to put up my recent favorites and rotate those often. I’ve been looking for cute ways to display photos that are also easy to switch out. What I have created is the clipboard photo holder. Disclaimer: this is not a new idea, it’s been done by lots of people but this is my twist to it. This clipboard could sit on a small stand (like for a plate or picture) or you could add magnets to the back and have it for your fridge or cubicle. I kept the design simple to keep it from overwhelming my photos. Of course now that I look at it I think it could use a bit of ribbon and lace to the top 🙂 but that’s just me.

For this project I used the damask stamp from the Friends 24-7 stamp set, black Stayz-on ink, clear window sheets, and an Onboard Clipboard I painted with ivory craft paint. Took a bit of time and patience so I didn’t smear the damask stamp. But it’s done and I really like how it turned out. I can see this being one of my Christmas gifts this year. Wouldn’t my parents, grandparents, and girlfriends love to have something like this?

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Gobble Gobble projects

The new Stampin Up Mini catalog is now available here. One of the stamps I pre-ordered was the Gobble Gobble stamp, a cute, single image of a turkey. On both projects I used markers to color the turkey different colors for a bit of interest. (all supplies Stampin Up)

First the card, a standard 4.25″ x 5.5″ size. I used the Bright Blessings jumbo wheel to create my own background paper.

Specs:
Stamp set: Gobble Gobble
Card stock: Dusty Durango, Kraft, Crushed Curry, and Whisper White
Markers: Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust
Accessories: linen thread, brad, Bright Blessings jumbo wheel, Big Shot, and Perfect Details texture plate

This next project uses the Autumn Meadows pattern paper from the new holiday mini. Love the rustic, rough fall colors paired with a bit of turquoise. This could be used as a place holder for your big Thanksgiving feast, just substitute the guests’ names for the give thanks saying.

Stamp set: Gobble Gobble
Card stock: Whisper White, Autumn Meadows pattern paper
Markers: Dusty Durango, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust
Accessories: linen thread, Orchard ribbon originals, Very Vanilla Button.

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More Small bits of Art

Back in June I shared these first few small pieces of art I had been creating on canvas. And here are a few more I’ve recently finished I’d like to share with you.
First up is a vintage cowboy image from a ripped dust jacket of Destry Rides Again

Being a farm girl and lover of all things vintage and bright, I love these types of campy western images. I layered paint, text (from the dust jacket excerpt), and medium to make the colors pop and look more vintage then they were. I’m on the lookout for more of these types of images for a series of B-western art.

Next up is a bird canvas.

I collect/hoard all sorts of old papers, sheet music, nature illustrations, fibers, and lots of other bits of stuff. For this piece I layered, old papers, stamps, paint, puzzle pieces, and twigs to create a pretty backdrop for a very sweet bird. I have more of these birds so there will be more of these for sure!

And finally is Joy.

This was an experiment in color and texture to define how I feel joy. To me joy is sweet, happy, and has many layers.

Now you might ask what I’m doing with all of these? Currently they are all hanging above my work table as one large collage, waiting for a new home somewhere.

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