Spring cleaning

I started organizing one little plastic container and lost my mind.

Perhaps it's a longing for open windows and sunshine and frolicking and singing on our grassy hill a la Julie Andrews, but there was a sudden and immediate urge for spring cleaning.

Before too long I regretted it. The sheer volume of things in my stash! Not helping matters in the least was that I ventured into the closet of doom. I had exactly 3 gazillion things in there.

And then I reached this point...

This was where I sat and wanted to turn back time and wished I had not started organizing that one little plastic container.

I went and had a cup of tea and slice of cake. Tea and cake always helps.

If you ever feel badly about the state of your creative space, think upon the picture above and remember that I somehow survived.

Anyway after 2 days the joint is clean and organized.

And I won't be able to find a flipping thing for a week and a half :)

P.S. I'm using this as my "happy place" project because a) it is my happy place and b) 2 days worth of anything has to count for something.

Take your wife to work day

My husband needed to pop into work yesterday so I tagged along for the ride. I took my camera with me, hoping to get some shots of the vineyards at Casa-Dea Estates Winery but it was too blasted cold and I am a wimp. Instead, I snapped some pics inside the barrel cellar and production area.

It's actually a lot like a mad scientists lab in there. There are loads of stainless steel contraptions and tanks, there are beakers and tubes. I supplied the evil laugh.

Here are some of the pics I took. The equipment isn't really rusty and grime covered. Everything needs to be shiny and clean for winemaking, so the pics are photoshopped to the ends of the earth to add a dash of ominousness.

And one last pic of the mad scientist himself :)

One Little Thing - Happy Place

Whether it's a place in time, an imaginary place, a physical location or a quiet spot in your mind, this week's challenge is all about your 'Happy Place'.

Take a few minutes this week to think about your personal 'Happy Place' and create something based on your reflections.

Remember, there is no wrong way to complete this challenge. Any form of creativity is game! Write, make, glue, paint, doodle, sing... it's all good!

Have fun!

Lucky Horse Shoe Wall Hanging for Petaloo

I am totally and absolutely superstitious. 100%. Every entrance of our home has a horseshoe hanging above it. Let's blame my Irish roots.

 

Needless to see I was wholeheartedly on board to play with Authentique's "Lucky" collection. Having an extra horse shoe (or two... or more...) hiding in my stash I knew it was my lucky day (terrible joke... could not be helped!).

I painted and distressed a lazer cut flat frame and applied Authentique's "Lucky Four" for the background. Next, the old rusty horse shoe. Then a healthy application of Petaloo flowers and burlap trims. Finally a sentiment from Lucky's "components".

Besides being a great project to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (when EVERYONE is Irish and hopefully just a smidge lucky), I think this would make a great house warming gift, bestowing the luck of the Irish upon the recipient :)

Botanica Blooms Pistachio 1102-108

Burlap Blossoms Pistachio 1201-214

Botanica Petite’s White 1101-100

Burlap Trims Green 1483-102

Authentique's "Lucky"

• Lucky Four

• Components

Lazer cup wood frame/base

Horseshoe

Cute As Buttons Gazebo for Alpha Stamps

This months Alpha Stamps kit is themed "Cute as a Button". It's very sweet. If you are a doll maker or like teeny weeny things I highly recommend that you check out the add-on kit which contains the most adorable perfectly tiny buttons you have ever laid eyes on. Now, on to my piece...

I've transformed a Rusty Metal Lantern* into a tiny gazebo with just a bit of white acrylic paint, paper and Thin Looped Dresden.

Love the Montage Mercantile Scrapbook Paper included in the kit. The butterflies on it are gorgeous.

It is the perfect spot for faeries to sit in thimbles and darn socks, surrounded by Small Wooden Spools and those delightful 4mm and 6mm doll buttons.

Be sure to hop over to Alpha Stamps and check out all the Cute As A Button goodies. You might also want to poke around their growing Doll House Miniatures section which is expanding by the month :)

Butterfly Vignette Box for Alpha Stamps

Two posts, one day... it's madness! 

My friends at Alpha Stamps sent me the most wonderful little box with wrap around lid to play with. It's very much like Graphic 45's Mixed Media 5x5 Box, only without the window and shrunken to fit in the palm of your hand. 

I'm going to start a bit backwards here and show you the finished exterior. I covered the outside with Yesterday Papillon Scrapbook Paper*, added a few snippets from Thread Trading Card Cuties Collage Sheet and Sewing with Kitty Collage Sheet  tied it together with some twine and an Ornate Metal Key. I finished it off with a Bronze Branch Connector on the little magnetic closure flap. 

Here's the outside without all of the fuss. I distressed the heck out of it. I mean I REALLY distressed it... glue, paper, water, paint, ink, sandpaper. I love the way it looks but I really battered that little box and I'm not sure how much more it could take. They are sturdy little things, but if creating your own, I'd suggest a light hand on the creases and not going batcrap crazy with the water and sandpaper like I did.

Open up that grungy old box and here's what you'll find inside...

The papers on the interior are from the  Sew Lovely 6x6 Paper Pad . Again, I distressed them. They totally remind me of the inside of an antique steamer trunk I have. Amid all this grunge and distressing is a beautiful little vignette of butterflies and flowers. An intimate, quiet moment that reflects the sentiment "Oh, the world wasn't so big... it was wonderful."

I like the surprise of something small and pretty beneath the dust and grime. It's like hope, or star-shine through the dark.

A Fairy Planner for Graphic 45

This book is actually a work in progress. It isn’t filled yet. I’ll be using it to sketch, plan and chronicle my fairy adventures this summer. 

Every year I work closely with the little people to build houses, picnic areas and camps for my fairy friends. Children (and grown ups too) come to visit to see if they can spy winged creatures on my lawn. What could be more perfect for fairy planning than Once Upon a Springtime?! 

I wanted to make this book look as though it was discovered in the forest, old and well worn, with a dash of magic too but I also wanted to make it practical enough to be put to good use. 

The outside embellishments are not over-the-top and inside I’ve been conservative too. I’ve grunged up the divider pockets, and only used small die cut labels as embellishments. Sometimes a little touch is all  you need.

The supply list:

Graphic 45 Mixed Media Album

Once Upon a Springtime Deluxe Collector's Edition

Stamped Metal Brads

Stamped Metal Butterflies

Metal Door Plate

Tim Holtz Thinlits Mini Labels Die Set

Organza Ribbon

One Little Thing - Crowning Glory

This weeks prompt is "Crowning Glory"

Take the prompt literally and create a glorious crown for your much deserving head, create something that shouts to the world your very best achievement, or explore the most important accomplishments of someone you admire. There is no wrong interpretation!

Have fun creating and making :)

Paper Crafter's Library, Graphic 45 and altered bits

I'm featured over on Paper Crafter's Library today, a proud representative of Graphic 45.

Picking a project that represents my work is difficult. I dabble in so many styles, materials and whatnot, that it becomes a task to select one thing that says everything. Getting off track here... I chose this series of altered art pieces for the Paper Crafter's Library feature.

I wan't going to use this project to represent my Graphic 45 work at all. I thought that maybe their product wasn't quite glaring enough (companies like when their product is glaring). But truly, it's the versatility of Graphic 45's products that I love. Their designs can be unmistakable... but they can also meld beautifully with authentic vintage rusty bits in altered art. Getting off track again. Here's the featury bit..

These little altered art pieces were a lot of fun to create. They use a combination of authentic old pieces and new items, including a slew of Graphic 45 metal staples. I’ve used papers from Graphic 45’s Typography (one of my favourite collections!) for the back ground, as well as their washi tape for accents.

Altered art is a lot of fun and a great exercise in creating visual balance, texture and layering. It’s a lot like building a puzzle from scratch, with the final picture often telling an unexpected story.

Supplies

• Graphic 45 Typography
  • Journey
  • Inspire
• Graphic 45 Staples
  • Washi Tape Set
  • Ornate Metal Key Holes
  • Antique Metal Door Pull
  • Ornate Metal Keys
  • Stamped Metal Brads
  • Metal Butterfly Wing
• Spellbinders – Media Mixage Collection – Bezels – Shields One – Bronze
• Tim Holtz – Idea-ology Collection – Clock Keys
• Resin Senorita Cameo
• Other: Vintage spoon, Iron nails, Buttons, Beads, Laser cut wood frames, Metal Letter, Bottle cap, Metal Hands, Large Game Spinners, Vintage lottery number, Tintypes Collage Sheet

Remember to  hop over to Paper Crafter's Library and take a good look around, there's loads of beautiful work by talented folks to be seen :)

Couture Caravan for Graphic 45

This little piece is inspired by beautifully crafted “vardo”, traditional Romani wagons. 

The roof and base were cut from Couture’s Stunning using the largest die from Spellbinders Shapeabilites ‘Bow Elegance’. 

The body of the wagon is a simple box shape with a curved top created with ‘Gorgeous’ with panels of ‘Classy’ layered on top. 


It’s the addition of LOADS of Graphic 45 staples that really pull this piece together, giving it elegant little details throughout.




Supply List
Couture>
Gorgeous>
Classy>
Stunning
Graphic 45 Staples> 
Shabby Chic Door Pull> 
Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Key Holes> 
Door Knockers> 
Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Brads> 
Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Keys
Spellbinders Shapeabilites ‘Bow Elegance’ s6-017
Tim Holtz Thinlits Mini Labels Die Set
Wooden craft wheels
White Foam Stamen*
Dried flowers
Bamboo skewers

Be sure to check out all the great project from my super talented teammates on Graphic 45's blog.

One Little Thing - Family

Tomorrow is Family Day in Ontario.

'Family' means different things to different people. For some it's blood relatives, for others friends are their chosen family. Lets not forget the important role that 'fur babies' play in the lives of many.  

This week your challenge is to create one little thing using the theme of 'Family'

Have fun! And enjoy creating :)

Forever Bouquets for Petaloo

The hubs and I have been together forever and we don't really celebrate Valentines Day. The sweeping romantic gesture in our house will be pizza and beer. Anyway, I really wanted to create a project that could be for any occasion, a sweet little something so say "I think you're nifty." So I made these little 'forever' bouquets with Petaloo's amazing faux blooms.

I'll probably keep these, maybe tuck them in the guest room, so that there are pretty blooms to look at year round. A few drops of essential oil and they'll even smell great too!

This little bouquet is in a small galvanized metal can. Inside I've placed some oasis, carved the top into a sort of dome shape and glued the blooms in place. So easy and cute as can be!

Perfect little blooms that don't need water and will never wilt.

This tiny arrangement was created in a mini mason jar. I painted the inside of the jar white, allowed it to dry, then added my oasis. Again, so simple and very sweet :) 

Be sure to hop over to the Petaloo blog for more gorgeous (though non-pizza related) ideas for your lovely.

Supplies
Botanica Blooms 1102Botanica Petite’s 1101Chantilly-VelvHydrangeas 1272
Burlap Trims Natural 1483

White paint
Floral Oasis
Small jars or tins
Hearts or other small embellishments
Optional - Essential oils