Give Thanks Banner

Okay, here's the full banner. I hope it puts you in a Thanksgiving mood. I can smell the cinnamon and spice now...

Give Thanks Banner Peek

With the weather getting cooler here, I'm in such a creative mood. Here's peek at a Thanksgiving banner I made to hang up in our home.

My Story

Ah..... what another beautiful color inspiration photo to work with this month. I know I went through a time when pink was not my favorite color, but I just can't help it any more. Pink is just a happy color. All the lovely things in the world come in shades of pink after all... bubblegum, cupcakes, cotton candy, flowers, hearts... Hey, even the only medicine that ever tasted good came in pink!

I'm not sure that I can remember the last time I put black on something I wanted to be pretty, but I think it works in this case. A dash of Caribbean blue thrown in there makes it all the more sweet and refreshing. Besides, it's another color of my favorite food: cotton candy. Heehee!

Since it's back to school time, I started to make a cover for my notebook, but during my supply scavenge, I came across a journal that I decided to make a cover for instead. Here's how it turned out...

I had so many shades of pink that didn't really match each other that I decided to just include them all. I think it ended up looking "matchy" in the end after all.

I wonder what I should write in my journal...

Perhaps I'll start writing letters to my little Ethan. I think it would be nice to have letters from my mother and grandmother written when I was a child. Maybe I'll have family members write him letters and put them in here too. What a great keepsake for when he's older!

Do you keep a journal? How often do you write in it?

Do you have any keepsakes that you've put together or started for your children?

Supply List:

The Sweetest Thing - Material Girls collection by Heather Tozzi

Girly Girl - Material Girls collection by Heather Tozzi

Petit Blossoms - Homespun Chic by Melody Ross

Fauna Stripe, Pink - Animal Crackers Girl Collection by Rob and Bob

Baker's Twine

Glitter Words – My Story - Soul Food Collection by Melody Ross

Chipboard Word Stickers - Soul Food Collection by Melody Ross



Happy 4th of July

Don't you just love the 4th of July? Picnics, sparklers, watermelon, patriotic bunting & flags. I love it all. If you think your town really knows how to rock out a patriotic holiday, you should try living near a military post! My husband & I have collectively served more than a couple decades & feel that we're perhaps just a tiny bit of a couple of experts in the celebratory matter. My husband is the master chef grill-man extraordinaire while I am the planning decorating shin-dig startin' guru. Pass me the microphone, & I'll get it kickin' in no time! This year will be a bit quieter since my sweet hubs is deployed, but I just had to do a little decorating anyway. I was inspired by wood shavings for this project. Yes, those left over things from when you sharpen your pencil. Anyway, my pencil didn't make big enough shavings, and since my sweet carpenter hubs wasn't here to help me out, I decided to create my own. Let's get started...

Step 1: Pick out your patterned papers.

Step 2: Wrap ribbon around a foam wreath so that your pins will have something to anchor to & to create color blocking guidelines.

Mine looked like this when I was done:

Step 3: Punch out circles, scalloped circles, or even both from your patterned papers. Cut them in half, & roll them into "shavings".

I folded the tips of mine flat to give me a place to put the pins.

Step 4: Start sticking them to your wreath.

Keep going...

It took a while, but I ended up with this:

It looked a little plain, so I went on to

Step 5: Apply white paint or ink to some Chip Art stars, punch holes in them, & adhere them to your wreath.

Finally, here's what I ended up with:

Patterned Papers I used:

Spring Sky - Spring in Bloom Collection by Donna Salazar

Take Flight - Spring in Bloom Collection by Donna Salazar

Bandana - The Great Outdoors Collection by Heather Tozzi

Happy Camper - The Great Outdoors Collection by Heather Tozzi

Picnic Table - The Great Outdoors Collection by Heather Tozzi

S'mores - The Great Outdoors Collection by Heather Tozzi

Little Leopard, Aqua - Animal Crackers Boy Collection by Rob and Bob

Mr. & Mrs. - Sweet Surrender Collection by Tina Higgins

RSVP - Sweet Surrender Collection by Tina Higgins

Together Forever - Sweet Surrender Collection by Tina Higgins

Scandinavian Holiday Stripe - Scandia Jul Collection by Rob and Bob



Creative Charms

I hate that May is almost over. It's my favorite month. I'm pretty sure it will come back again though.

Anyway, I was cleaning out my craft room when I came across a giant wooden clothes pin. I used to have buckets of them. I just thought they were the cutest thing. I still see them all over the place and in all kinds of stores. I decided that I should finally do something with it, so here's what I whipped up using the Pink Blooming Garden embellishments that I picked up with the May Kit of the Month from Creative Charms...

 

What crafty goodness have you been hoarding that you might wanna pull out and play with?

Day 75: Paper Roses

One of the Soldiers from another section got wind that I like to make paper roses from crepe paper, so he asked me to make a bouquet for a girl he likes here on the FOB. I totally forgot about it until last night, but I managed to squeeze out four in record time.

Little Treasure Box

I told ya I'm on a MM kick! I need to figure out a good way to use up all the little scraps I have still, though. This little box was just too cute to pass up. I bought it last week at my LSS. (Speaking of that... Memories in Bloom just started their very own blog! Stop on over, and tell Georgie I sent ya.) Okay, back to the little box... isn't it the cutest little thing. I used up some of my fuzzy rub-ons from Heidi Swapp that I've had forever. They're such a bugger to work with, but I do love the outcome if only I can be patient. I think I'm going to fill this little thing up with all of my favorite MM flowers and buttons, so they'll be at hand when I need them. They're currently in a cello bag right now. That's no fun, but this little treasure chest is. I feel like a little kid with a secret hiding place for my favorite little things. Heehee!

Arts & Craps

My craft space was dubbed the "Arts & Craps" room quite some time ago. I think it was my dad who coined the phrase for my hobby way back in elementary school when I initially began crafting construction paper mosaics and pop-up cards. In fact, my mom still has the first Valentine card I ever designed from way back in 1992. That was second grade. I made a butterfly out of different sized heart shapes and a few doodles. It's pretty lame, but I guess I was feelin' it at the time. Anyhow, I found this 47-cent doorknob hanger at the local craft chain a while back, but just this afternoon it started calling to me. As you can tell, I'm kinda on a Making Memories kick. The other two projects I made today are also from MM. Gotta love it!

Van Gogh

I've always loved the Lollipop Shoppe collection from Basic Grey, but I've been hoarding this paper for way too long. I don't think they even make it anymore. Anyhow, as soon as I saw the new Making Memories glittered die cut shapes from the Noteworthy Collection I knew I had to dig it up. I just love all those bright fun colors. I've been on a card kick lately preparing for a craft show, so I decided to make a little altered box. I wanted it to be a place perhaps that a little girl could keep fun little things like notes, jewelry, or other doo-dads. I'm not sure exactly what I'll do with it though.... how about turning it into a coordinating card kit? I do have tons of paper and embellies left, so why not?

Samantha

Remember Samantha? I introduced her in this post. Well, she's here! She came up to Tennessee for a four-day weekend. Today we went to the Adventure Science Center in Nashville, but first stopped for some BBQ and finished off the day with a stop at an old fashioned ice cream parlor and a souvenir shop. We also did some crafting. Her big sis, Chelsea, is off to college this fall, so we decided to make a picture frame for her dorm room. Samantha picked out all the colors, and I assembled the project out of a broken Goodwill frame. I designed it to be used vertically or horizontally. It didn't have any glass, so instead I attached a clip with a brad so she can change the picture easily as often as she changes boyfriends! Hmmm... maybe I'm thinking of my own dating life. Oh, and that's still as lame as ever if you're wondering. I'm still signed up for four different dating sites with meager results so far. I've had dates here and there, but they seem more self-obligatory. I have to convince myself more and more that I need to keep myself in the game rather than being unrealistic in thinking Mr. Right will just happen to knock on my door because he needed to use a tire iron after his car got a flat in my culdosac while en route to the emergency room where he's a medical intern. He also has a Yorkie and arranges flowers for the elderly on the weekends. Oh, and he loves his scrapbooking mother. Anyway... here's the frame:

Altered Composition Book

Today was such a tiring day. I didn't do anything particularly strenuous, but I'm wiped-out completely! I just got home, so that means I spend yet another extra hour at work somehow. I even went in an hour and a half earlier this morning. It's sucking my life away! At least I managed to get a post in. It's short, but it's here... Here's what I did: I started with a blank composition book and painted the spine and page edges in thin multiple coats of Meadow paint (Making Memories). I then used a combination of red line tape and a liquid adhesive to attach the embossed glittered polka dot paper (MM). I used my craft knife to trim the edges. I then attached the striped patterned paper (MM) and a couple of scalloped borders I trimmed from another piece of die cut paper (MM). I then attached the chipboard pieces, brad, and flowers (MM) using glue dots. And...that's it!

Altered Organic Soap

I bought these organic soaps packaged beautifully in egg carton-like boxes when I purchases the wedding favor stuff I posted a couple of weeks ago. I wanted these to accompany the bath salts, but I never got around to it. I'm such a bum sometimes. There's the side of me that works way too hard and the other side of me that could sleep the whole day away. That lazy bum side usually comes out more frequently after a long day of being G.I. Jane. More and more I think of how much I wish I could live back home though. I love being a Soldier, but life here isn't really moving forward the way I always thought it would be. I've felt like a transient for the past three or four years that I've lived here. I just don't have a sense of permanency that I really long for. I want to settle into something. I want something stable in my life. I just don't know what that something is. You'd think my job would fulfill this need. I mean, I do have the most stable job I can think of. I don't foresee getting laid off anytime soon. I'm not even in a deployable unit right now, and I'm even guaranteed to stay for another two years. That's stability, right? Then why don't I feel like it. Am I being selfish? Maybe I'm just done with this chapter of my life. I've accomplished all of the goals I set out to achieve. I just don't know what's next...

Here's what I did: I cut a strip of (double sided) patterned paper to 2-3/4" wide and a solid piece to 3/4" wide. I stamped the solid piece with a background stamp from Stampin' Up! in Really Rust also from SU!. I then wrapped the strips of paper around the box before adhering the strips to themselves, so I can still slide the band off without damaging the wrapping. I used the Making Memories Tag Maker to create the center embellishment, but stamped it with a set from PTI in Sahara Sand (SU!) first. I used my Crop-o-dile to punch a couple of holes in the tag so I could run the ribbon (SU!) through before tying it in a bow. And...that's it!

Wedding Favors

Whew! I did some extra special PT (physical training) this morning, and now I'm really feeling it in my hip flexors. PT is a great way to firm your buns and feel geriatric for a day or so. It's just super! Okay, so I was strolling around Wally-World as I often do. I get lost in there sometimes. It's really just a ploy to waste time on occasion, but this time I ventured into the kitchen section and discovered these cute little jars next to the assortment of sugar, salt, pepper, and parmesan shakers. I'm a sucker for any cute container, so I grabbed five. It's easy enough to make your own bath salts at home, but I bought three jugs while I was there anyway. They were only a couple bucks each and had enough salts in each to fill two and half of the jars. I guess I'm too lazy when there's a good deal and less mess. I also picked up some beautiful organic soaps to match. I brought my goodies home and filled them with with the colorful bath salts, added a fun little tag, and voila! I now have the wedding party gifts for my sister's reception this weekend. It took less than ten minutes to finish all five. I'll be sure to pick up some more on my next visit. It's a great thing to have for a quick gift. Here's what I did: This one is EASY... All you'll need are two scallop punchies (Stampin' Up!), one 1-3/8" punchie (SU!), six inches of ribbon, a flower, and a brad. One end of the ribbon is sandwiched between the scallops and the other end was pulled through a double slit made on the rear scallop so the user can remove the tag without loosing the ribbon. I originally secured both ends of the ribbon between the scallops, but my test audience (aka the girls at work) didn't like that the tag wasn't removable for "keepsakes".

L-O-V-E

Well, tomorrow is Valentine's Day! I'll be at work like most of you. I hope the day doesn't turn out to be too sad and lonely for me. I turn into a corny little sap on this day for some reason. I never get too hyped for it until it's actually here. I blame middle school and high school for that. We used to be able to send flowers to each other and get balloons and candy and all sorts of things delivered by the office aides during the day. It was a real show to see who was admired the most. It was just another popularity contest. Since 1992, (yes, I remember exactly), my dad has always ended up sending me the biggest and best out of all. Everyone was certainly jealous, but I really knew that they weren't from a secret crush or anything. My dad has always been my best valentine. He made it no secret that he was setting the bar high for any man that ever came along to take his girl away.

The Worst Date EVER!

I just love the rub on I used for the 'V'. It reminds me of those check yes or no letters we used to pass around to as kids. Anyhow, I forgot to fill you in on another date I had over a week ago now. (It was after the car accident date and before the Cha-ching date... got it?) Okay, so I met this guy at a nice place downtown in Nashville, and once we got in there I was wondering why he said we should wear jeans here. I didn't see anyone else dressed that way. It was one of those places where even the waiters were dressed better than James Bond. There was nothing I could do about my outfit a this point anyhow. The place had a fairly funky menu, so I opted for the safe chicken fingers. Besides, I was already dressed to wipe my hands on my own pants. The chicken fingers turned out to be more of a mountain of fried poultry than a delicate finger food more appropriate for eating during a date conversation. I nearly had to have a booster seat to look over my chicken mound at my date peering out over the top of his Eiffel Tower shaped mashed potato wad. I obviously didn't finish even half of my meal, but rest assured that my date got every crumb off of his plate before he started to indulge on my leftovers. We had already planned on going to a musical venue after dining, so I followed him in my own car to our second location. We didn't get one block out of the parking lot before he had his entire head and half of his torso out of the window while shaking his fist, yelling, and punching his horn at a car trying to merge in front of him. I was embarrassed, and I wasn't even in the same car! There's more. We pulled into the parking lot behind some building that I had yet to identify as something more than an old shack that had gone out of business or was about to be turned into a parking lot any day now. The show wasn't supposed to start for over an hour, so I suggested that we get ice cream down the street. He then walked around to my driver's side door and signaled me to put my window down. He then said, "I've got an emergency!" I heard a zip and a tinkle! Is he? No! YES!!! He's totally peeing right here next to me in the parking lot. I didn't know what to do, so I just turned up the radio for him. I didn't know if I was doing him a favor or myself. I don't know why I'm still on the date at this point, but I was still in shock I suppose. We made our way over to the ice cream place where I made my way to the bathroom to call for back up. I informed my secret bail-out agent to call me in 20 minutes with an emergency call from work before heading back out to enjoy my favorite Coke float. This part of the date wasn't so bad. I did have to clean up his huge sloppy ice cream mess before we left though. I guess it was bad. By the time we got back to the parking lot I had received my emergency call, and I told him I had to leave. He wasn't too upset, but he did want a goodnight kiss. He leaned in while I did the awkward head dance trying to give him anything but my lips. I was locked in one of those hugs that just doesn't know when to end while his "little buddy" started to get excited. That's when he points down at his crotch and says, "Compliments to the lady!" OMG! I'm sure I don't have to tell you that there has been no second date and nor do I plan on there ever being one. Ewwww! Deep breath.... back to the project: Here's what I did: I adhered, trimmed, and sanded the patterned paper to the letter first, and then highlighted various words with Star Dust Stickles. The three pieces of ribbon are just tied on and were found among my collection. The acetate wings are from Heidi Swapp and are adhered with Scrappy Glue. I then took a scrap piece of patterned paper from this collection and made a heart shaped tag using the Making Memories Tag Maker and applied it with a pop up glue dot. (The rub on is from 7Gypsies and was applied to the patterned paper before the metal rim.) I found the little red button stuck to the bottom of my foot, so I attached it to the tag with Scrappy Glue and covered it in Stickles as well. And...that's it!

Ultimately...love is everything.

"'L' is for the way you look at me..." Do you know that song? It's one of my favorites. I have tons of favorite songs though. Tomorrow I'll probably favor "Manic Monday". That's always a good song to start the week off. I really wish I knew how to download songs onto my iPod. My sister loaded a ton for me when I received it as a gift a few years ago now, but I've never bothered to sit down with it to figure the thing out. I still don't even know out how to turn it off. I just let the battery die, and then I recharge it. That's how I turn a lot of things off. I know. I know. It's not the right way, but whatever! Okay, so here's "L":Here's what I did: This one is easy! Just like with the last piece of this set, I started with the Love Letters Kit from MM and attached my PP with a glue stick then trimmed and sanded. The rub on is from Cloud9 Design and the ribbons are all from my assorted collection. I added Stickles (Star Dust) in most of the circles and doodled around the rest with a Basic Black marker from SU!. And...that's it!

Lovey Dovey

This is part of the four-piece project I've been working on since the blog candy game last week. It sure has been taking me a while to create lately, but I'm getting there. I blame work mostly. It's just too easy to do that. I seem to go in earlier, stay later, and miss more and more lunch breaks as time goes on. I'm so worn out by the end of the day that I just want to lay there on the couch and do nothing. It almost seems not worth it to take my uniform off when I just know I'll be back at it again in a couple of hours. You'd think being so tired that sleeping would come easier, but I've been staying up all hours of the night too. I think I need a tune-up! Perhaps the dating thing is getting to me as well. I'm tired of going on dates already. I took my profile down from the dating service too. Besides, there's someone I'm a bit sweet on. I feel like giggling just talking about it. He's super sweet and funny. And here's the best part... he actually thinks I'm sweet and funny too! Cha-ching! Here's what I did: I started with the Love Letters Kit from Making Memories that came out last year. It includes pre-printed hanging chipboard letters including L-O-V-E. Well, the O is actually a heart that you see above. I love kits, but I also love changing everything about them. I covered this piece in patterned paper from Reminisce with a heavy duty glue stick and then used a craft blade to trim the edges leaving the already attached ribbon hanger. Next, I added the big blue flowers and brad from Making Memories and tied on some fun ribbon and ric-rac from my stash. Then I used a lime green gingham fabric covered brad from The Paper Studio to attach two pink flowers and a polka dot acetate flower also from MM. The last little red flower is from Prima. I used a combination of glue dots for immediate attachment, but also dabbed Scrappy Glue around as well to ensure longevity of the project. "ooh la la!!" and "lovey dovey" went on next. They're both rub-ons from 7gypsies Next, I took a Basic Black marker from SU! and added tons of dots, lines and doodles. I then punched holes 3/4" of the way in on each of the scallops using the Crop-o-Dile. Finally, I used Stickles in Star Dust along the white stripe of the patterned paper to give it some glamour. And...that's it!