Archive for March, 2011

I Challenge You!

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

There are lots of great “challenge” blogs out there, especially for stamping. I don’t usually have a lot of time to participate but there’s a great new one called Lawnscaping and it’s for Lawn Fawn stamps, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite companies. The challenge this time is to take a stamp and use it in an unconventional way (a way it wasn’t intended for) so I took the Lawn Fawn winter bunny riding a sled, cut off the sled and his scarf and turned him into a woodland bunny. I also used the log from another Lawn fawn set, clouds from Hero Arts and words from Close to My Heart. I think it turned out pretty cute!

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Before and After

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Since we got our house almost 7 years ago I’ve been using half of our guest room as a “studio”, using one of my husbands small old computer desks and an unused entertainment center as my work space. It was not ideal, I made it work but of course I wanted something a little nicer and better organized. For a long time I looked at different computer desks, shelves, cabinets, etc. and finally came across what I thought would work for me and my limited space. I wanted a long desk top space so I could keep all my big tools (like my Cuttlebug, sewing machine, Stampmaker, etc.) out all the time. I found if they were packed away I didn’t use them as much having to drag them out and make space on my tiny desk for them. I also needed lots of open storage space for cardstock, books, etc. What I finally went with were units made for closet storage, I got four shelf units (one with a door) and two long pieces of shelving wood which I laid over top of three of the shelf sets and screwed into the top. I added the other shelf unit at one end and on top of the desk a small double shelf. It’s surprising sturdy considering it wasn’t meant to be put together in this way. I’ve now got lots of desk room, lots of storage room (though I filled most of it up:)) and it all cost me less than $150! I’m so thrilled with it and find it’s so much easier to create now! Big thanks to hubby for all his help.

Now for some pics. This is my “studio” before:

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Our dog Mahogany “Mommy, whatcha’ doin’?”:

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and now this is how it looks………….

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I added a shelf to display some of my favorite pieces, published items, etc. (thanks to my friend Marti for the “create” letters!):

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across the room is my stamp storage, plastic bins with pull out drawers:

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extra points for those that noticed all my Twilight items, calendar, cup, trading cards 🙂

I’m melting………..

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

Melting wax that is. I decided I hadn’t played with bees wax for awhile so I got my little crock pot out and played around with it the other day. I made some more captured fairy in a jar art cards, like I did in the past, dipping the collaged jars into the bees wax, they always turn out cute. I also did a bird collage I’m really happy with. I started with a wooden tag and collaged vintage music sheet and images of a bird and egg and the word “fly” cut from a vintage book. Then I took a brush and covered the tag with the melted wax. One of the cool things about wax is it can be remelted. So in a couple spots were it was too thick and cloudy I used my heat tool and melted it a bit to thin it out. You can also use a mini iron to melt the wax as well. I then added some game pieces that spell “egg” and faux grass for a nest. I covered a 5 x 7 canvas board in vintage dictionary paper, mounted the tag in the middle on cardstock and then added a few vintage buttons.

Here’s a couple of my fairy art cards:
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doesn’t he look shocked to be captured?:
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and this is my bird and egg collage:
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