Monday, August 31, 2015

Sidewalk Wrap Up (OMG thankfully it's almost done!)





























We moved into our back yard finally after it was torn up since APRIL! There is quite the spring in our step these days now that we've got the stone in and the rock patio for sitting.





























How do you like those rocks? They believe it or not were here when we moved in and some of them we removed when we dug for the concrete sidewalk...and since they were not being used, I wanted to create a little sitting area. So pretty!


Looks awesome coming in from the driveway! 


 It's not quite done yet...we made a swoopty garden to bring the pavers around from the side! I'm pretty excited about the new space. I had my eye on some pretty ornamental grasses but they were way too tall. On this side where I have the half window for the laundry room, I won't mind covering that up! Also need a couple more bags of chips..it's the story of my summer!



 I also have to seal my concrete fountain...still haven't quite figured out the fountain part yet, but that is up next! Wish me luck!

Happy Monday!



Thursday, August 27, 2015

On The Board Walk Layout: Atlantic City






































For a page like this, I love my large format printer. I don't always use it, but in this case that large banner photo printed on plain white paper makes me quite happy.

THE MAN took that photo when we got to the board walk in Atlantic City to text to his Dad. And since I didn't take any of the strip, I was quite glad to have it!























I thought it worked well with this photo of Luke getting his fortune read. He had no idea that Zoltar would talk and was pretty mortified.





























Just starting to dig into the photos from our trip. We didn't take a ton, but for a short trip we had some nice times hanging out as a family.

Hope your Thursday is awesome!

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Wee House Junkin Find


I've had my eyes out for some small houses for Christmas displays at the ReStore for months. This one was a jackpot since it was originally marked $21 from one of the really nice local shops. I also found that heavy brass candle stick for under it. I think I'll use a clear plate in between the two....

Now I just need to figure out Christmas or Halloween...


I have figured out that those country stars will be going away...I am contemplating filling them in with plaster and adding the siding back in with a knife...and I also think it needs to be a white house with that red roof...but that is as far as I got!

Anyhow wish me luck!


Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Layout from P.F. Chang's in Atlantic City






































Finally started scrapbooking some pages from our Atlantic City trip. Lexi asked me WHY I was taking photos of our food...because my dear, I MUST have a scrapbook page of our lunch at P.F. Chang's!

Just a simple page with a bit of washi tape, our fortunes, and some pretty blooms.

Love those Petaloo blooms and that pretty little butterfly dangle. Those green & black sequin circles came from Yvonne Yam and fit in perfectly! 


And just one last photo to see the dimension on the page. Happy food memories! 

Hope Tuesday is treating you well! 




Monday, August 24, 2015

Grandma's Vintage Hankie Quilt Progress


It's coming along! My quilter Cricket's Crafts texted me a progress photo! They are all butterfly like on a pretty blue background like the sky!  Just need to have their little antenna's embroidered on! She is going to put something on the back similar to this photo here:


I can't wait to see it in real life! Aren't you excited! ;-) And what am I doing with all those hankies I have left over...

Happy Monday!

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Summer Highlights: Layout for THE CUTTING CAFE






































Love this foot photo my friends and I took after we got together after work and got a group pedi! My hairdresser Kristen hooked us up! Kristy and Teri both are celebrating their 40th birthdays in 2015 so we thought we should do something fun to celebrate.






































The highlight of the page (besides the sexy toes) are of course these little digi stamps from THE CUTTING CAFE called the Elisha Jean and Friends set. Now if hand coloring a printed stamp gives you the heebie jebbies (like me) let me show you a little trick...


Now I have not jumped on the Copic Bandwagon. They scare me. So I dug out my very old & trusty water color pencils and did a very slacker job of coloring in Ruby J. Then, I just grabbed a very light shimmer mist and spritzed! Voila! Wait a bit for it to dry and then fussy cut.

 These I mounted on foam tape to get them off my page a little. Thought they looked really cute against the flamingo paper. I always feel like a flamingo when I'm doing my own pedi...thought it fit!

I think they worked out perfect here to illustrate my friend page!

Hope your Thursday is awesome! We are approaching the weekend thankfully!

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Cocktails in the School Supply Isle

I am pretty sure people who work at Walmart have children. In fact, I am also pretty sure they have children that go to school. However, based on how they torture us parents, I am inclined to think that nobody who works there has a school aged kid. Running with this theory...

Last Friday and before supper (this part is important) I took Luke to get his school supplies. I also went to get groceries. I left him with his list and took mine to gather food for the week. Since he's nearly six feet tall and pretty good at crossing things off a list, I figured multi-tasking would work well. I already hate shopping. Add in trying to find all the crap you need from a two page school supply list (while also not adding it up in your head and thinking OMG this is gunna cost more than a week's worth of groceries) sucks donkey ass.

After a bit I stopped over to check on him. The next isle over was Alison & her clan who were shopping for school supplies. I popped over to say hi and suggested that it would be very nice if they were serving cocktails in the school supply isle for beleaguered parents to imbibe. Maybe just a small rum & coke...or something with a few pieces of fruit and an umbrella. A shot of tequila with the requisite salt on the wrist? Was that too much to ask? Maybe some easy chairs too?

Mr. Alison agreed with me emphatically. Three kids were getting their school supplies in one shot. Looked very painful. Alison wasn't listening. She was too busy trying to fly up to the top shelf and knock a three ring binder down. We watched this for a few minutes before Mr. Alison was like oh honey, you might hurt yourself. He is a pretty tall dude, but even so, there was really no retrieving that binder without wings or a ladder.

Alison returned to us mentally and ever so nicely asked if I had left Luke to get his own school supplies. Hell yes I said. I didn't think I was capable. It is approximately three weeks until New York kids have to go back to school. If I waited any longer it would be slim pickings. However, buying school supplies is conflicting with my case of denial. I never want my kids to go back to school. I also never want summer to be over. And I certainly don't want to shell out $100 for all that crap!

Luke reminded me we still needed to find tabs. He was kinda confused what he needed tabs for. I tried to illustrate what divider tabs looked like with my hands, however I was starving and starting to not make sense.

I tried asking someone who worked at Walmart while mentally trying to remember where we found them the year before. No use. That dude wasn't sure what they were either. After locating tabs in the regular not set up for back to school isle, we then had to find a large trapper keeper back up front.

Of course the nicer blue one was way up in the clouds on the top shelf.

Luke and I found a spare cart and I held it while he used it as a ladder. I was pretty sure his Daddy knew that I was doing something terrible and putting our youngest in harm's way.

THE MAN is always telling us about being safe at the house and there is no way he would think climbing in a cart to retrieve shit on the top shelf was smart. He is also way too smart to go school shopping with a twelve year old. Kinda hate how smart he is some days. ;-)

Thankfully blue trapper keeper was retrieved without injury so we were stuck finishing up the rest of the shopping. People at home kept texting us about how hungry they were and that it was getting really late for dinner. We felt no pity. They at least had food in the cupboard.

We still had to check out and the cart looked like a three ring binder tornado hit it. I tried to feel bad for the checkout lady but didn't. They probably have a private back to school shopping spree complete with private shoppers, stilts, those motorized carts, and wine coolers.


Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Be A Prune Layout






































The other day THE MAN and I were off on a mission. We had heard of a place down over the Pennsylvania border that sold different kinds of garden stones and wanted to check it out. We were going to stop in NY to grab breakfast but forgot until we were getting down off the highway in PA. It must have been fate because we had no idea that a Fractured Prune was right there.

I was so excited! A yummy hot homemade doughnut was calling my name. I had a maple one with powdered sugar all fresh! My first ever because I've never seen a Fractured Prune.





























Here is my journaling if you want to take a peek! It also tells the story about Prunella, who the francise is named for. A spunky old lady from the 1800's who played sports with the boys! She also got hurt, but hey she kept on trying!




























The base part of the page and those two pretty little white flowers were created by my friend Kristy during a Crafternoon. I was there part of the time but had to run a kid somewhere so she made it up for me. I added the large Petaloo purple flower and the black heart with a green staple.




























Really digging those colors! That yellow is such a great compliment to that purple!

Hope your Tuesday is fabulous and you get to try something new!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Roughed in Japanese Garden


I am one lucky girl! The 'Rents mentioned they had a weekend free and wanted to take a trip down. It coincided with work on the garden between the house and the never-ending-sidewalk-project-from-hell. While THE MAN was mixing concrete for another slab, the rest of us were moving dirt. Well, not really me. I was running back and forth between the two projects like a chicken because I knew I was going to run the other side of the screed board eventually. It was hotter than the blazes. One of those few and far between NY days where you wished you owned a pool.


Of course Mom found the old pool that used to be in the back yard while digging a hole for that awesome amazing Japanese maple! She kept trying to get this rock out until I took a look at the rock and figured out it was a hunk of metal...

Thank god for connections! I have always in a big big way wanted to own one of those lovely Japanese maples but the $100 price tag always threw me off. They got me a much nicer deal.

Insert Happy Dance here!

And you might be wondering what that concrete rectangle is. The peeps that owned the house before us left us a 300 lbs concerete trough. I was excited about it but THE MAN kept hoping a stray meteor from outer space would drop on it. Or miracle upon miracles, I'd let him push it over the bank with the tractor. No such luck.


Instead we had to dig a hole for it & build a sling so we could move it with the tractor. I'll be coating the inside of it so it's water tight and adding a solar fountain to move the water a little. I am pretty excited about that.


Next step is to put down landscape fabric and find some cool stones to use. I'm excited to use rock instead of creating more lawn. It's never fun mowing right next to the house and I think it will be really pretty with smooth river stone! Wish us luck finding it though!

Happy Monday!

And a huge thanks to Mom and Dad for seeing my vision and getting me that awesome tree!


Wednesday, August 12, 2015

It's a Hoot Around Here




























I have always found the best way to change my mood is to make little arrangements of pretty things. My kitchen windowsill, mantle, and dresser all fall victim to various arrangements depending on the season. The other day I wanted to change a few things up in one room so this owl ended up out in the kitchen where I can enjoy it's silvery color and the rub-on. I spray painted it silver ages ago, but had kinda forgotten it. That Coca Cola Bottle was a recent find when I was walking through our woods. It's super thick and heavy and I thought it looked pretty with my salt and pepper shaker bird blocks that I made for THE CUTTING CAFE with her artist trading block set a while ago.


Here is a close up so you can see the silver & the shimmer. Made me happy! And that little rub-on is perfect, since this owl was previously an ugly bank. 

Not a huge post today. We are getting back from a trip to Atlantic City so I'll have a ton of fresh photos to share on scrap pages!

Happy Hump!

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Antique Trim in a Cigar Box






































Score! I went to my second favorite place for junkin in downtown Corning (it's right on the way past an awesome coffee shop that also sells cookies) and usually I just browse. But I couldn't pass up all this awesome hardware for $6!!! Omg. And it came with the cigar box. I was so excited. The dude at the register was laughing at me a bit and said it wasn't for sale...just joking!


I kinda know what I want to use them for. I would like a piece for our mud room to hold boots & shoes. I was thinking an old dresser, but something like these shelves would be awesome too, in black of course & distressed! Sadly it's for sale in the UK so I am guessing we'll have to make our own. Looks like a good winter project!

THE MAN just groaned when I showed him. He said he was very afraid.

Hope your Tuesday is tip top!





Monday, August 10, 2015

PIG layout: Hogsmeate at Tommy's House






































Just a really simple layout from a party we went to at Tommy's house a couple of weekends ago. Hogsmeate was the name of this year's party. They have a bash up in Potsdam and by sheer luck they also have a place near to us down South so we have enjoyed hanging with them at both houses.



I really love the smashed bottle cap flowers I made with the Tattered Floral Tim Holtz dye! It's easy to do, if you happen to save a couple of bottle caps from a party and then run them through a couple of times in your Big Shot. Makes a terrible noise, but eventually they are flat! And if my Aunt Coco is reading this, I'm going to suggest to her to give MacKenzie's Cider a try. Not only do they have a cool gold cap, but yum!


The second flower is from an orange soda cap. I brought the kids their own drinks. As you can see, Tommy and Luke are sharing some in the photo below. 


Fun times! Hope your Monday is happy!

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Hotel California Lamp for LESSology


This project includes several things I have been hoarding. That shimmery shiny Hotel California Tequila bottle, the cork & light socket kit to convert a bottle to a lamp, an orange zipper and that big black silky flower. It was nice to get all of them combined into a beautiful useful project!






































Let me show you the shade first. That big black silky flower was a gift from Yvonne Yam, the LESSology owner! I paired up a bunch of pretty blooms with some leaves that I cut on my Big Shot out of recycled cardboard covered with metallic duct tape! love that shimmer and those bold colors!


I used my orange zipper as trim! It gives a neat little patten at the top! Can you see it hiding under the sparkly ribbon? I had intended at one point to twist it into a flower, but it was really stiff so it got packed into my stash! I bet you have one hiding somewhere too that you could use in our zipper challenge!






































I also upcycled a little heart dangle from a necklace that I covered in alcohol ink! Check out those duct tape leaves again. I'm really quite excited about those!






































And here is the pretty bottle! THE MAN got this Tequila for Father's Day and we shared it with his Dad so it's nice to keep the memory in a lamp! Besides...gold label ahd shimmery bottle....LOVE IT!


I have really been enjoying this project! See how prett it is with it turned on? The flowers almost glow!

Hope you get a chance to play along with us! 

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Sparkly Jack Pot!

No, I didn't win the real lottery, but I won the glitter lotto at the second hand store today! Yummy vintage glitters in pretty glass tubes!






































I also grabbed a couple of shakers...with the thought of making some glitter mixes....and those lovely vines with beads will work well for that season that is coming right up here in the States....the fall! The little terracotta bowl made me happy too...not sure what I need that for...

Happy Hump Day & lucky day foraging for things at the second hand store!

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Duct Tape & Washi Box with Lizard Feet for THE CUTTING CAFE



I spy in my little eye five different tapes on this little box! I picked up some gold thin duct tape the other day when I was in a dollar store. That is on the edges while all the tape in the middle is washi. I had no idea what I was planning on using the duct tape for, but hey, you can't pass up gold duct tape! It's really thin and aside from being VERY STURDY reminded me of washi. I used it on the edges of my box to give it strength. I love making something out of paper that is very durable. ;-)


And while I am letting you in on that little secret, here is another. I use staples because I have a melt down if things come apart. Just little itty bitty ones, but it ensures things stay together forever and ever. Since I used a TON of hardware on this box, I need all the help I can get! Also if you get all mixed media with paints, glitter glue and mists, it helps when things are a bit damp.


Check out those feet! They were purchased at The Funkie Junkie Botique along with the handle and latch. Love them! What I don't love about this photo is the dog foot...she was determined to be involved....bless her doggy heart...




























Here is a top view of the box & the handle. Those flowers, leaves, and pink gems were all vintage stash...always fun to use something old on something new!


Now every one of Regina's boxes at THE CUTTING CAFE are designed for a purpose. This one is SUPPOSED to hold sticky notes which is a great idea unless of course you didn't buy any at the dollar store since you were way too excited about the four different kinds of metallic duct tape you found...you can check out her file here and see it's intended use.

One last photo minus the dog foot. She did eventually leave me in peace! Hope your Tuesday is awesome!