Inspiration in the Everyday

You can find inspiration everywhere. Even in the mundane routine of the everyday.

Even when housecleaning!

Dusting is a weekly (or at least every couple of weeks) chore! While I was dusting my milk glass collection, I noticed while even though it is all the same color, each piece is unique and has a different texture. Ruffly, dotted (hob nail), glass cut and scalloped. I use my milk glass as decoration in my dining room, for serving meals and in my scrap room for storage.

After looking at all the pieces of my collection and seeing all the differences I was wondering if I could use my milk glass as inspiration for some cards.

But I knew I would need more than just plain paper to make an interesting card. 

So I gathered up some cardstock, papers, ribbon and embossing powders all in whites.

For texture I added some cool sparkly paper covered in glass dots, embossing folders and texture plates.

These three cards all sprang from my housecleaning inspiration. And the dusting never was completed, as my crafting bug took over.

Card #1 used a Stampin' Up texture plate run through my Cuttlebug the get the embossed words onto the pearly Bazzill cardstock.

I added a border punch/embossed edge to one side of the card with a MS punch. I added some pearled lace ribbon between the papers and 3 vintage velvet flowers from the hat I posted about Here.

Some pearl centers and the card is finished!

My next card used more embossed pearly Bazzill paper. The paisleys were embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The white paper with the sparkly glass "beads" is from Aaron Brothers Art Mart. It is a big sheet 2x3 ft, so I will be able to get many cards from that sheet. 

The white satin ribbon is from SU. I used a MS doily stamp and heat embossed the images on the plain side of the pearly Bazzill cardstock then cut out the scalloped circles with Spellbinders dies.

A close up of the heat embossing. A white washed brad from SU completes the card.

In my last card I added just a bit of color with the pink velvet embossed trim. More of the Bazzill pearl paper, without embossing and more of the sparkly beaded paper.

I popped up the oval scalloped greeting with pop dots for more texture.  

Using just a very simple color palette I was able to get at least three different cards with lots of texture from sparkly beads, heat embossing, dry embossing, pop dots, and decorative paper.

Look for your own inspiration in the everyday. And then make some cards!

If you would like more info on any of the papers, tools etc. Leave question in the comments!

The Outdoor Beckons

Gardening is not my specialty. I like to garden, but when you work 40 hours a week, have 3 sons and a hubby to cook for and love to do a million crafts, well maybe not a million, but lots anyway, there is not much time to take care of a yard.

But when spring and good weather arrive, the gardening bug hits.

This last Saturday I had to head to town for a few errands and one of my stops was Michaels, to kill time while waiting for La-Z-boy to open. Bought a new chair for my hubby and when I picked it up at the warehouse Friday afternoon, the care kit, that I paid for was not there!!

I checked out M's clearance and found some Easter decor really cheap!!!

(Don't look at the weeds in the background, they are gone now ;-) )

I had wanted to buy some really big eggs at Easter to decorate the yard, but was not willing to pay the price they wanted at M's, even on sale. But I found these in their clearance bin grab bags. I bought two $2 bags and got all these eggs!! The orange egg is 12" long. I added up the original prices and got about $60 worth of eggs for $4! And a few other Easter goodies besides. I am not sure what I will do with the combination egg and feather boa garland??

My next stop was the Emerisia Garden Center. My deck was looking pretty neglected and I had an old vintage cast iron sink to fill and use as a planter. I picked up some succulents, petunias and a new rose.

When I got home it was time to plant. I replanted several pots and placed new plants in the sink. I have two old water troughs below the deck that were replanted too.

This is my new rose. Starts out a soft pink bud and opens up to this beauty.

This rose below is one of my old favorites, I love a yellow and pink rose. It is a climber by my deck.

A few weeks ago I dug this old table out of storage to use on my deck as a side table when we eat outside. It is at least 60 years old and probably much older. My hubby remembers his dad using it for years and his dad's dad before that. It has gone to Massachusetts and back. My hubby says they used it in 1964 on their trip back east in the tiny travel trailer. Four adults and four kids in a station wagon and 15 foot travel trailer from CA to MA and back! 

 It is made of redwood and folds up for easy storage.

It is looking really old and in need of care. I can remember my father-in-law Ray using it years ago when he was selling apples. I think the tally marks are the number of pounds he sold.

I gave the table a good sanding, it was rough, the old redwood was really dried out.

After I sanded it smooth, I put on a couple of coats of outdoor sealer. And now it looks beautiful.

And will be protected from the elements.

The outdoor sealer should wear pretty well, as two days later I was still trying to get the sealer off my hands! Then I remembered I had bought this a  few weeks back.

A hand scrubber to get paint and ink off your hands after crafting.

I followed the directions and it scrubbed the sealer off my hands. Hope it works as well on paint & ink!

Happy Spring and happy gardens to you!

A New Day

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in it's place is something that you have left behind . . . let it be something good." author unknown

And a happy field of daisies is always a good way to start the day!

Happy Saturday!

Scrappin' on the River

I was lucky to spend Friday through Monday scrapping at a lovely retreat on the Russian River.
This was the view we saw from our scrap tables. Beautiful!!!! 
There were nine of us scrapping almost all weekend long.

We were lucky to be able to sit out on this deck to eat most of our meals until the rains started on Sunday. Despite the rain, it was still a beautiful spot to scrap and relax with a great group of girls.

We shared food, ideas and fun. I am ready to go back to this lovely, relaxing spot!

After sitting and scrapping most of the weekend I took a short walk on Sunday afternoon to the little town of Duncans Mills. I checked out a few of the shops. At one of the antique stores, Jim and Willies,  I found this vintage hat. All covered with lovely white velvet flowers, with that lovely vintage feel you can't duplicate with new. It was a deal at $10, I could get over 100 flowers for cards or scrapping!

 After I got back to the retreat, I started undoing all the stitching and removed enough flowers
to share some with my fellow crafters.

I completed almost 30 layouts at the retreat and 7 cards. This one I scrapped an old photo of my now 14 yr old son #3, when he was just 3. I love the silly, happy grin on his face. All pattern papers from Close to My Heart and the cute monkey was cut from the Create a Critter cartridge for the Cricut.

 

My birthday layout is done with both October Afternoon and Stampin' Up papers. I machine stitched around all the pattern papers and cut the flowers with my new Spellbinders flower die. And I used vintage pearl buttons for the flower centers. The banner stickers are from Jenni Bowlin Studios.

This two page layout from my trip to Boulder CO is mostly Crate Paper and Stampin' Up papers. Downtown Boulder has a great shopping/dining district called the Pearl Street Mall.  

 Three of the cards I made at the retreat. All have have ribbons and fabric from my stash.
I used Stampin' Up & Spellbinders dies. Papers from SU & Cosmo Cricket.

I really enjoyed my weekend but it was way to short! I could have scrapped and played with paper,
ribbons, stamps, and even my sewing machine for days more!
A big thanks to my friend Michelle H for setting up this fun retreat and all I want to know is...

"when can we go again?"

Eye Candy in the Mail

It was a good mail day today. I got my new issue of Summer with Matthew Mead.
This a great "book-azine", so full of summer! Cool summer colors, hot summer colors and great ideas for summer parties, summer decorating, summer crafting.
I had gotten the winter Holiday issue, and liked it, so I figured Summer would be a good buy also.


The book-azine can only be bought on line here Summer

After all the rain we had this winter, summer ideas sound really good right now. Eating outside, reading a book in the shade while lazing in the hammock. BBQ's, picnics, pool parties and family reunions. I will be hosting two family reunions this year so summer ideas are what I am looking for right now.

There are already two or three ideas I want to make and several recipes I want to try.

I wish I could share more pictures from Summer, but check out Matthew Meads' blog for lots of great decorating & crafting ideas and inspiration + yummy recipes. Lots of great eye candy!

Scrapbook Floral Bracelet

 I love to do many crafts and hobbies. Scrapbooking, papercrafts, sewing, beading to name a few. Which means I have a lot of craft supplies. When I can combine some of my supplies from different crafts it is icing on the cake. When I ordered some Stampin' Up supplies it included these pretty resin roses. I knew they would look good on a card or a scrapbook page, but after I got them I thought they would look pretty in some jewelry too!

I used flat bezel bracelet blanks and combined them with my roses and a few jewelry supplies and made several pretty bracelets.

I found many other scrapbook flowers made by Prima, Maya Road and Michaels.

I got my bracelet blanks from my sister from Britex Fabrics in SF. You can find some here Bracelet finding

It only requires a few supplies, flowers, bracelet blank, clasp and some strong glue. I like E6000.

Each bracelet blank has a different size bezel so lay out your flowers before you glue for a good fit.

Once you have your design chosen just put some glue, about a small pea size plop on the bezels

and add the flowers.

Set the bracelet aside to dry. I like to let it sit a few hours or overnight for a secure hold.

 

After the glue is dry, add your clasp and for fun, you can add a charm, like the little bee I added to the rose bracelet. I love all the bracelets I made and sent one to my sister in Oregon.

I showed some of my scrapping friends the rose bracelet when I had a crop a  few weeks ago. Everyone who came to my crop was added to a little drawing to win the rose bracelet with the Stampin' up flowers.

And finally now that I have posted this, the winner is Narda!! She will soon get a little treat in the mail!