One Little Thing - Green

This week's challenge is to explore the colour green.

Easy peasy! I know you'll do great :)

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.