My Place in the World

My place is not fancy or large or impressive.

In fact, I do not even own it — I rent it!

But, it is the place where I am happiest, comfortable, relaxed and at peace.

Get a better look at my place, see how I did it, and cheer me on by clicking here.

 

Red, White and Blue Challenge

This month’s challenge at Scrap It Girl is to use red, white and blue while making a card, layout or similar project.

I decided to take advantage of the challenge to make something I have been planning for quite some time — a “vintage” sign.

I started out with some barn wood from a friend who was demolishing a barn. My husband made a little frame on the back side with scrap wood to make it really strong (the barn wood was 150 years old and was extremely dry and fragile.)

Next, I used Claudine Hellmuth’s Studio Gesso to give it a white-washed look.

Then, I used painter’s tape to mark lines and painted them with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paint. I think this is Modern Red. I also added a bit more gesso in places so things there would be crisp white in spots and dull red in others. I wanted it to look like it had been left outside for some time.

Next came the lettering. I cut out the letters I wanted to use with my Cricut machine. I used both Doodletype and Street Sign fonts. Then, rather than using the letters, I used the paper they were cut from as a stencil and painted in the letters. I kept my brush dry and dabbed on the paint, like you would when stenciling. I just held the cardstock in place. It was a little challenging around the a, e and o, but I managed to get it.

The est. date is the year we got our first chickens and planted our first garden crops.

Now came the personal stuff.

We live in the middle of nowhere, in a small town that never made it into being more than a township, several miles from other small towns and 30 minutes from any city. We have one red light, but the speed limit never drops below 45 mph, so you know how small the town is.

While we are definitely in the country, we live between two lakes, in a neighborhood where the houses are super close together. Although we don’t have lakefront property,   we live in a cottage-size house with cottage-size lots, so we feel like we live on the lake.

On the other hand, we rent the house from my husband’s parents. They also own four vacant lots that go from our house to a wooded area on a dead-end road. They graciously let us garden and keep turkeys on their property, so we are able to call ourselves “farmers.”

We have a huge garden with corn, beets, squashes, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, beans, peas, onions, herbs and more. And, we raise turkeys, meat chickens and hens for laying eggs. This year, we also put in a blueberry patch so next year we can enjoy fresh fruit as well. I freeze veggies to eat over the winter and my husband and mother-in-law can and make pickles. We’re proud of our farming attempts and have even thought of offering some of our naturally grown products at farmers markets.

Our situation is unique. We can walk across the street to go swimming or boating on the lake and we can walk out to our garden to pick dinner. In my mind, it is the best of both worlds!

So, I wanted to show both the nautical and country sides of our life.

I started with one of the symbols of country living … a rising sun. Rather than yellow, I used paper from Authentique that features sand dollars. Then, I used a Crafter’s Workshop stencil and gesso to create the dotted rays.

I used Matte Glastique Finishing Glaze from Globecraft & Piccolo to decoupage the paper elements on to the wood. This way, I could work around the contours of the wood and make everything attached permanently.

I prefer Matte Glastique to similar products because it does not leave a tacky finish.

I used another sheet of beachside paper from Authentique, along with a die from Cottage Cutz to create the windmill. Rather than decoupage the top of the windmill on, I glued the center and then coated both the front and back of each of the blades with Matte Glastique. Then I bent them out. The Glastique keeps them strong so they will not rip.

Finally I added chicken dies, cut from both patterned paper and cardstock with a die from Die-Versions and anchors cut from cardstock with a QuicKutz die. A few pieces of twine (leftover from the stuff used to stake the tomatoes) and I called it done.

What do you think?

Visit ScrapItGirl.com to see what the other designers have created with this challenge and then enter your project to win!

 

 

 

 

A Trip to the 1970s

The recent challenge for Mosaic Moments was to create a page that was inspired by the pop culture of the 1970s. Here’s the page I created …

Discover the images that inspired me and see how I created the page by clicking here … 

 

Welcome Home Banner

My son just finished a two-year tour in Guam with the U.S. Navy. His next tour is attached to the Marine Corps, so he is headed off for training in San Diego and will then be moving to Hawaii.

I am certainly proud of Christopher, but I miss him terribly.

Naturally, when I found out he was coming home for a few weeks, I had to do something special to welcome him home.

I created this banner that says “Welcome Home” to hang in the window and put out a few flags in the flowerbeds. I know the glare is awful, but that is my beautiful son standing under the banner.

I created it with a Lifestyle Crafts die. The set cuts both the outer pennant and the inside for a perfect mat.

I used papers from My Mind’s Eye American Made collection, and added cardstock from American Crafts for the mats and letters. The embellishments are also from My Mind’s Eye (leftover from another project I made). The letters are Street Sign, cut on my Cricut.

Mounting the banner is easy … I used a bit of baker’s twine. The dies create these tabs, you just put adhesive on them and fold them over the string and it is done.

The project is quick and easy, but it provides a large “punch”.

Since then, we have had a BBQ and fireworks, gone on a boat ride around the lake, visited Cabela’s and endured several days without power. Welcome home, Christopher!

A One-Paper Card

I love layering patterned paper in both my layouts and cards. However, creating a card with lots of layers can get quite pricey. In this card, for example, I used seven different patterned papers, plus a blank card. If I was to buy those to make just this one card, it would cost me about $8 — before I added the pearls, Distress Stickles and roses.

But, when KaiserCraft makes a single sheet of double-sided paper with multiple patterns on it, I can buy one sheet of paper for about $1 and create this beautiful card! Even better, I have four squares left to make another. Pretty cost-effective, don’t you think!?

SUPPLIES:

Paper, flowers, pearls: KaiserCraft

Card Base: Michael’s

Distress Ink, Distress Stickles: Ranger/Tim Holtz

Die cut: QuicKutz

Pop Dots: EK Success

A Home for the Fairies

When I saw this little wooden birdhouse at a big box craft store, I knew I had to have it. I immediately thought of how cute the little fence would be covered in white crackle paint and how adorable the roofs would be if they were embossed metal.

So, I bought the house and set to work covering it with paper, stickers and flowers  from the Paradise line by Little Yellow Bicycle. I love their little flower kits — they come with a variety of flowers, scored paper to make some, leaves, centers and more. I used one as a medallion on the front and several on the back …

But, I also used some of the pre-scored pieces as gingerbread trim along the roofs’ edges.

For the roofs themselves, I used three different techniques — all with Tim Holtz/Sizzix embossing folders and adhesive-backed metal sheets from QuicKutz (Lifestyle Crafts).

The one to the left in the photo above is simply embossed and adhered.

The one at the top is embossed and then treated with alcohol ink.

The colorful one uses a technique my friend Linda showed me, with gesso and alcohol inks. You can watch it yourself, here. It’s very cool!

Anyhow, once my fairy house was complete, I covered it (except for the tin roofs) with Ranger’s Glue n’ Seal, which creates a waterproof seal.

Then, I tucked it in my fairy garden …

I’m not sure how the sealant will hold up in the weather, but I figured it would be worth it just to enjoy it for as long as it lasts. It looks so cute tucked in there, doesn’t it?!

 

Chicken Scratch

This project just sort of evolved, but I absolutely love it!

It started with paper I found from Melissa Frances. Since I have chickens on the brain, it was a no-brainer, so I bought it. I originally intended to use it for a scrapbook page, but it is so cute, I wanted to look at it all of the time. So, I used it to cover a sheet of chipboard, added a bit of ink and ribbon, letters from Maya Road covered with crackle paint and a die cut from QuicKutz. I attached a stack of Post It Notes (it will look better once I get yellow ones!) and glued some magnets to the back.

Now, I can look at it on my fridge all of the time AND I have a place to write things we need to get.

Perfect. Just perfect!

 

Sparkly Valentines

Everybody loves to receive valentines.

The best ones have a little sparkle and come with a little treat.

I created this one to be simple enough that you could easily make enough for an entire class (or let the kids make them) — but interactive enough to make it stand out.

I started with a little white bag that I’ve been carrying around for years. I don’t remember where I got it from originally.

I added a piece of Bo Bunny paper to the front and then used my Big Shot to cut out a heart and foldable strip from QuicKutz/Lifestyle Crafts.

I used Close To My Heart alphabet stamps to stamp the sentiment on the inside and another stamp from CTMH to stamp the Happy. (It was part of a Happy Birthday stamp, but I only inked the happy portion).

For the heart, I spread a bit of Designer Dries Clear Adhesive with my finger and then covered it in Pink Azalea Ultrafine Transparent Glitter 147. When dry, I adhered it to the front of the folded strip. Then, using Designer Dries Clear Adhesive again, I attached the strip and the string (from My Mind’s Eye) to the bag. Tying the string into a small bow keeps the strip closed and invites people to untie it and read the sentiment inside.

I tucked three Smarties into the bag, but you could put in a sucker, a few Hershey’s Kisses, or any wrapped candy.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

At the beach …

During my recent vacation, I inadvertently discovered the most beautiful beach on Lake Michigan (or so I thought when I was there …)

On our way to the Sleeping Bear Dunes, I asked my husband if we could track down a couple of lighthouses on the way. I “collect” lighthouses — I visit as many as I can, take a picture or two and then scrapbook them in a special 8×8 album that I started after our honeymoon. So, naturally, he was willing to take a short detour to Frankfort, the next stop on my map of Michigan lighthouses.

What we discovered was an adorable town and a beautiful beach, not to mention a great view of the lighthouse.

This is the page I created about the beach …

I used paper, a journaling tag, a glittered border sticker and some fabric embellishments from Little Yellow Bicycle’s new Sweet Summertime line — I love the bright colors!

I attached all of the photos with Ultra Thin Glue Dots, which are perfect because they do not add any bulk to the page.

Next, I stamped the poem — from Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous — on a sheet of white cardstock with Ranger Archival Ink and then used Distress Ink to add a bit of color. I attached the poem with Glue Dots and then applied a few brads to the top.

For the banner, I started with the mini chipboard banners from Maya Road and painted them with Adirondack Paint Dabbers. TIP: Use Removable Glue Dots to hold the chipboard in place while you paint.

I cut out letters with QuicKutz dies and used Micro Glue Dots to attach them to the banner. Then, I covered each piece with Diamond Glaze to give it a shiny, epoxy-like finish. Again, use the Removable Glue Dots to hold them in place.

Then, I cut a piece of We R Memory Keepers twine to use behind my banner flags. I used Craft Glue Dots to attach these since they hold so well. I made sure some of the twine ran through the Craft Glue Dots in places to secure two parts at one time.

Finally, I used Craft Glue Dots to attach a few of the shells I took from the beach.

Here is a close up of the banner … click on the image for a larger view.

Just for Baby

Baby’s require a lot of stuff … diapers, wipes, lotions, powder, etc. … none of which is attractive to look at.

So, I created this little container to dress up those less-than-lovely necessities.

This one is really easy …

It started as an inexpensive plastic jar found in the kitchen section of a discount store.

Then, I cut out two pieces of American Crafts printed paper to size and attached them with Craft Glue Dots. I put a couple on each edge and then a few in the center to make sure it stays in place.

I cut another piece out to fit the lid and attached that as well.

The bear and letters are cut out of QuicKutz Fuzzy Self-Adhesive Vinyl using my Cricut machine.

For the final touch, I added pleated ribbon by Maya Road using Craft Glue Dots. For this part, I placed a Craft Glue Dot every 1/2 inch or so.

Now, the jar is ready to fill with supplies for baby!