Have a Nice K!

Baby Chalkboard, Take Two

After my first attempt at making a chalkboard for my sister's baby back in May (Capturing the Moments - Wooden Chalkboard Frame) I had a second chance to perfect this project for the much anticipated Baby Stella.  I didn't plan on making one for her, mostly because I don't like to force my projects onto people, but after my sister-in-law saw the frame for Maya, I received increasing pressure, which started simply as, "I want one!" and escalated to sending a text message from "Baby Stella," wanting to know where is her chalkboard.  I got the hint and, after a lot of thinking and trial and error, eventually came up with this little beauty (sorry for the horrible photos).

I was unable to make the same chalkboard as last time because Michael's didn't have the frame I used, or anything close to it that I liked.  It also didn't help that I was being trailed though the store by my husband who typically likes to hurry through the store and my son who really wanted to buy a toy that his behavior did not merit.  I do have to say that my husband was quite helpful during this trip and his input was valuable.  He was the one who found the wooden letters and the tags that I put them on, plus they were on clearance.  I love the style of these letters, much more so than the dot letters I used on the first chalkboard.  

So, we got home and this is what I had first put together.

As much as I love the laser cut frames (Recovery is a Slow Process), I wasn't in love with the idea of using one for this purpose, but as I got further into the project I really loved the extra decoration that it added, which also meant that I didn't need further embellishment.  I'd also purchased another frame, but the shape of it just did not work well with the letters.  The best part about this frame was that I was able to use the leg and back piece that would allow it to stand up, which the laser frames do not have.

Next, I glittered the letters.  A spunky gold seemed to be a good choice because it worked well with the pattern choices that I intended to use on the tags.

***Side Note*** I HATE, HATE, HATE when glitter rubs off of projects.  It is bad enough that my husband has to go around sparkling for days because I've created a seemingly endless haze of glitter dust, but crumbling glitter means that the quality of the project is diminishing.  Not cool!  To combat this, I pulled out Mod Podge Dimensional Magic and coated over the glitter on each letter .  I couldn't have asked for better results.  The finish was smooth and hard and the glitter was completely covered.  Success!

Next, were the tags.  The shapes were super cute, but I didn't love the holes.  I know, I know, they are tags, and tags have holes, but the holes were just not right for this project.  So, I traced the rectanglar-ish tags and covered them with my coveted October Afternoon papers.  The scalloped circles were a little more challenging; I didn't feel like I could trace and cut and end up with nice looking scallops.  My solution was to paint the wood and then heat emboss a stamped pattern to it.  These are actually my favorite tags.  I love the glossiness of the embossing against the matte paint.

 After gluing the letters to the tags, my last decision was to either glue the tags down straight or slant them.  I really liked them slanted, but wasn't sure if that would be a little too much with everything else going on with the patterns and colors and letter and tags...  But after some input from my sister, I decided to just go with it.

To finish it off, I put the chalkboard vinyl onto the rectangular piece that was attached to the leg stand and my husband helped me attach it to the frame by creating wooden holders to keep the back piece in place.

I gave the chalkboard to my SIL on the 4th of July, and she has already started using it to document little Stella's growth!

 

***LINKING UP TO:***

Not JUST A Housewife

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It's What's on the Inside that Matters

Looking at my phone, I can see that I already have enough pictures to fill up my mini album, particularly from yesterday's excursion.  Noah and I visited a local nature center and participated in their Wild Wednesday program.  We went on a hike, learned about owls, and saw some local wildlife that made my five year old so excited that he can't wait to go back next week.  

So now the challenge is on.  I need to make sure that my photos get into the album, and I also need to make sure that I have pages  on which to put the photos.

So far I have these:

I cut three out of the four pages from maps; two of them came from an atlas, the other two are from a great map from our trip to Minnesota last fall.  The fifth page is simply a piece of cardstock that fit well with my color scheme.  I think these will work with a bunch of the pictures.  We are going to downtown Chicago this afternoon, so the cityscape could work for those pictures.  Although perhaps a little weird that it isn't the Chicago skyline.  I'm thinking it would work because the buildings won't be identifiable by the time pictures and captions are added.  The Minnesota map has such great graphics, I'd hate to not use it, and I don't want to become such a pack rat that I try and wait until I make the trip up there again to take photos that may or may not want to use with the map.

Any thoughts?  Do you think it is a bad idea to use location-specific backgrounds with photos and items from a different location?  I think if it is done in a subtle way, then it is ok.   

***Side Note*** I LOVE Minnesota.  Beside having beautiful scenery, the people are very nice, and Minneapolis and St. Paul are fun cities.  Plus, it is the home of October Afternoon!  

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Anticipation

My birthday is (all too) rapidly approaching, so to help ease the pain, the big guy has ordered me the Silhouette CAMEO that I've requested. Now I just have to wait. I suppose we could have bought one at a physical store, but the only store that I could find that sells them is Paper Source. Oh, my beloved Paper Source! I really, truly wanted to purchase this magical machine from you, but your $299.99 price tag was too steep, especially since it didn't come with the packaged perks that many online stores offer. But I will purchase the sketch pens from you until the day I die (or until I find another, cooler machine). I have to give credit to Overstock.com for selling the CAMEO for $279.99, which included the $10 card to buy designs at the Silhouette online store AND one for $25, and free shipping. What a bargain!

So, again, now I just have to wait. If you need me, I will be sitting at my new craft desk twiddling my thumbs for the next five to ten business days.

A Place All to Myself ( to share with the dog)

This weekend I told my husband that I would like to put a desk in our third bedroom to use for crafting, instead of constantly cluttering the dining room table or working on the living room floor. I've mentioned this previously but got a bad look and the suggestion of taking over the basement, instead (Yay! Who doesn't love being in a dark NOT refinished basement?). So, I continued to make the living room and dining room my own personal craft studio, and I don't think it has bothered my husband, but it started to drive me nuts, so I spoke up, again. And it worked.

We bought me a simple white desk from Ikea that has a sliding side table. The space is everything I've wanted and it has already started to inspire me. My only issue is that there isn't enough storage to allow me to make it look Martha Stewart-worthy, but I'm working on that. I've relegated myself to the thought that I may have to store some things in the big, bad basement, but that isn't the end of the world, especially since I have a really cool book shelf and a cabinet with glass doors already down there, which were purchased in anticipation of me taking the unchartered territory of the basement by storm.

I'd like to hang a simple shelf above the desk, but I thought I should give myself some time to figure out how I will actually use the space... I'll post pictures of my little haven once I've gotten to that point. For now, I will just share my first creation made on the new desk. I'm crazy about the fun little collage magnets that I've seen on Pinterest, so I made one of my own. It was a simple little Sunday night project that I could easily start and complete, and didn't keep me up until two in the morning.

One thing I should probably mention is that the dog sleeps in this room each night (better for him to have his own bed than to sleep in mine, he likes to spoon), so I have to share it with him...and unlike my husband, I think he's a little more particular about keeping things neat and in order. Maybe I should have married the dog.

What's Going on????

Last weekend I put in a mad effort to try and complete, in two days, the beach bag that I have been planning in my head for at least two months.  Ha!  What I forgot to take into consideration was my lack of a solid plan and my sub-par sewing skills (I employ the figure-it-out-as-you-go-along technique).  What resulted was a semi-planned first side and a "what the heck was I thinking?" flip side.  

Below, I have displayed some very graphic and raw photos that may scar you for life...CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!  

This is where I'm at with my tote.  It's a little all over the place, a little wrong, and a little whimsical, I guess that's what makes it so perfect for me.  When I look at any of my creations I ask myself, "If I saw someone with this on the street would I think it's cute?"  Well, the jury is still out for me, but I'm not even close to being done.  I still have to replace the handles, attach the ruffles, and sew on the patches that go onto the striped side.

One thing that I can say for sure is that I've had a blast using my mermaid stamp from Paper Source.  For this project, I've been stamping the image on fabric with both a fabric-friendly ink pad and fabric paint.  By using the stamp pad, I reliably produced a clear image almost every time, but the thrill of using the paint was awesome!  I never knew if she would end up looking like an retro print or come out looking like she had a beard!

Sneak Peek

I've deamed this "Beach Tote Weekend!"  

It's also Block Party Weekend and Clean the House Weekend, but I'm most excited about the tote.

My family and I will be going on a little trip to the beach with my in-laws, and, to put my own personal spin on it, I'm making my own beach bag.

I'm really loving the Salt Air line by Cosmo Cricket for Moda Fabrics (whale tails, bubbles, and scales).  It has this really cool retro-under-the-sea vibe that makes me want to watch Frankie and Annette movies.  Here's a small glimpse into where this project is going:

My New Source for Creative Inspiration

It's funny how each craft store has its own vibe.  

Hobby Lobby, being the vast and eclectic store that it is, is filled with large aisles that you often do not have to share with other shoppers, and has employees who are helpful, but not too helpful.  I don't know if I've ever been asked if I need assistance, but when I need to have fabric cut, there is always someone there.  

Michael's is definitely a large store, but I still always feel like everything is crammed in, and I always feel like I'm missing something because it is being overshadowed by seven million other items that are all within five inches of each other, and I love it!  The customer service is always very pleasant (with the exception of one store manager who is always in a rush and only gives half answers, ex: "If we have it, it will be over by the scrapbooking section," not too vague, huh?!?!).  One of the Michael's stores by my house always manages to be playing music that I love, so there I am for 60+ minutes bopping along while I dig through their merchandise; it's as though they have scanned my brain upon entry and know exctly what it takes to keep me there for the maximum amount of time.  The seemingly customized playlist usually involves some Billy Joel-esque soundtrack to keep me company as I wander through a wonderous aisle that is magically stocked with tempting treasures waiting to be unearthed from the rubble that is the clearance section.

Jo-Ann.  This used to be my go-to craft store, especially before I moved to my current town.  My original experience with Jo-Ann in my youth was a kind of messy, mostly fabric store that also contained a lot of seasonal chachkies that were usually on a pretty good sale.  I was awe-stricken when I went into the Bloomingdale, IL location.  My first thought was, "This is Jo-Ann on crack!"  All of a sudden I stepped into a brightly-lit, well-organized wonderland that had an abundance of materials for any project you could think of and a practically hidden clearance section that made me feel like I was busting into their secret stash. My heart would race as I plunked fifty cent stickers and scrapbooking supplies into my basket.  The experience was intimate, even though the store was huge.  Every time I'd go it felt like I was having an alien encounter because I'd be convinced that I'd only been in there for ten minutes, but 40 minutes later I'd come out with a huge bag that I could not hide and would discover a very unhappy husband who had been waiting in the car the whole time.  Oops!  SO, this may sound insignigicant, but about a year ago they re-arranged the store, and it totally messed up my Jo-Ann groove.  I definitely still frequent the store, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their app for my smartphone that is filled with awesome coupons, but I'm still hoping that they re-re-arrange my favorite location and return it to its previous awesomeness. 

So now, let me tell you about my newest temptation, Paper Source.  It isn't really a craft store, perse, but it contains so many unique and fun materials that inspire endless projects.  If Archiver's and Papyrus had a baby, it would look just like Paper Source.  Last week I took a little trip to the Paper Source located in Oak Brook, IL and quickly had to come to terms with the fact that it is my new guilty pleasure.   The boutique feel draws you in as soon as you see the gorgeously dressed windows.  The thing is, you don't go to Paper Source for something specific, you go there for inspiration.  I especially love the people who work there, they exude a sweet coolness that I never thought could be applied to crafting, and the best part is that they were of all ages.  My favorite score from this trip were teal 12x12 sheets of  scrapbook paper that are shimmery with a swirly red design.  I have no idea what I'm going to do with them, but I love the color combo, and part of me just wants to frame them and hang them on my bedroom wall.  Did I mention that I picked them out from their 50% off section?  Love it!

 

Like, Love, Loathe

For the past six months, or so, I've been keeping a running list in my head of all the things I like, love, and loathe.  Many of them are craft-related, some of them are just a lot of randomness that makes it onto my radar.  So now, I present to you, my first attempt at unloading these random musings from my mind.

LIKE
1. Baker's Twine- There's just something so wonderful about something so simple.

2. Doilies- I'm not sure if it's because they remind me of my grandmother or because they are so intricate and delicate, but I'm definitely a sucker for them.  I really want to make a 4th of July bunting banner out of them, like this one: Patriotic Doily Banner - The Scrap Shoppe Blog.

3. Chalkboard Paint- I know that this isn't something new, but a couple of months ago I found a bottle of blue chalkboard paint on clearance at Hobby Lobby, so I thought I'd give it a try.  This weekend I tried it out on a metal tray from the dollar store now Ia love it!  Today I bought chalkboard coating (which I didn't know existed), and I'm very anxious to slather my whole world in it and get good use out of my chalkboard pens (see Loathe Item #3, it really would have come in handy for these $12 markers!).



LOVE

1. Collies- Life feels incomplete since mine passed away almost two weeks ago.

2. Wax Paper- It reminds me of my childhood when my great-aunt used to bring me wax paper bags and register tape from her job at a high school cafeteria; those little gifts made me so happy.

3. My Nana- She is 90 years-old and I try to bring her over to my house every other week to spend time with me and my family.  She lived with me while I was growing up and was more like a mother to me than a grandmother.  When I was high school/college age, we used to stay up late and make brownies at midnight, we called it...wait for it..."Brownies at Midnight," although sometimes we'd make a cake. She is the most selfless person I have ever met and she would do anything and give up everything for the people she loves.  Plus, she and my grandfather brought the first collie I'd ever met into my life.  I love pineapple upside down cakes because of her, and she tolerated, maybe even enjoyed, car trips during the summer of 1999 with me when I would blast the new Backstreet Boys CD, Millenium, particularly the song, "I Want it That Way."


LOATHE
1. Katy Perry- Her music makes me feel like I'm slowly rotting away, and I thought she was a little witchy a few years ago when she was a guest judge during the open calls on American Idol.

2. Fruit Flies- Do I really need to explain this dislike?  I leave a bowl of fruit out for just a little too long and then all of a sudden I'm playing inn keeper to a pest party that is the size of the entire population of China - come on, is that punishment really justified?

3. Talking the time to print out a Hobby Lobby coupon and then forgetting to use it. Totally not cool.  Plus, it just burns a hole in my purse as I keep trying to tell myself that I just spent $80 at that store, I do not have to go back just to use the coupon.

4. The fact that Hobby Lobby coupons are only available if you have an Internet connection and the ability to print. One day, after I'd used my coupon, a little old lady asked me where I got it.  She looked so deflated when I told her it was e-mailed to me. Please correct me if I'm wrong and there is another method of obtaining these (this is one of those times when I'd love to be wrong).

 

The Journey Begins

I creep up the stairs, thoughts furiously flying through my head. What am I going to do? How did I get myself onto this situation? How am I going to get out? I flip on the hallway light, only to be met by the hissing zap of the light bulb burning out. With only the glow of my cell phone to guide me down the hall, I come to an unsuspecting linen closet. Painted in a hideously putrid shade of brown, I can feel the cool, aged brass pulls of the double doors beckoning me to tug on them and expose the truths that lie within. I shouldn't dare, for I know that I'm not prepared to encounter what is behind those doors. "Face your fears," I goad myself aloud, half wishing that my subconscious angel would show up on my shoulder to combat the devil that had just arrived to tease me on. 

THUMP! THUMP! BUMP!

What was that noise? There's something in there! Before I have the chance to decide for myself, the double doors open and..... AAAHHHH! I can't look! I feel something heavy at my feet, but my cell phone light has gone out and I am paralyzed by fear, unable to find the button to bring the phone back to life.

I feel a presence behind me, as a deep voice begins to grumble. "You need to use the craft supplies you have before you buy anything new," my husband says as he reaches down to pick up a pile of miscellaneous card stock, glue sticks, fabric glue, wood glue, Super Glue, brightly colored gem embellishments, my new Zutter Bind It All, several Martha Stewart paper punches, along with a Hobby Lobby bag still full from the trip I'd just made over my lunch hour that day that had all just tumbled out of the overstuffed linen closet and onto my feet.

Over just a couple of years, I've managed to acquire more crafting supplies than I can handle. I finally know how those little old ladies who live with hoards of cats feel; I love all of my crafts and would feel horrible if I had to get rid of any of my supplies. But I know I need to be more motivated, so this blog is a challenge to myself.

I'm a part-time-on-the-weekends-during-the-wee-small-hours-of-the-morning-when-the-stars-align crafter. Technique? None. Patience? It waxes and wanes like the phases of the moon, it ebbs and flows like waves in the ocean. Passion? Spaceships and boatloads full. I'm an amateur, that's for sure, but there is something about making something lovely that keeps me coming back for more. 

My intentions for this blog are to:

1. Put a dent in my craft closet(s)
2. Finally commit to the projects I've already started to create in my head
3. Come out of my creative shell 

Even though I'm not at the skill level of the supremely talented, seasoned craft bloggers who are so inspirational, it's ok to want to share this love from my point-of-view, right? I want to share triumphs and tragedies, and maybe get some good advice (craft-related or not) along the way.

First up: festive birthday wreaths (unless I change my mind)