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 :)