Diary of a Craft Room Transformation

I wore red and I won!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:54:00 +0000

This is just toooo cool! I forgot to post on here February 3rd, well actually February 2nd, to remind everyone to wear read on the 3rd to raise awareness for heart disease. Well I did post it on Facebook and WordPress (my healthy life/diet blog). Anyway...... I WON A PRIZE for posting a picture of me wearing my red sweater which, btw is being retired due to the fact that it fit 30 pounds ago, but hangs on me now.... WOOHOO!!!!! What an irony, huh? I am getting healthier and the clothes are going bye-bye! Actually the Snoopy cardigan I was wearing today is going to be transformed in to a pillow for my husband's Snoopy den. Not sure what I'll do with the rest of it, but am thinking about making a shrug? We'll see... guess I'll post a tutorial when the time comes. So here's a pic of the prize I won. It's a Color Mist package from Studio Calico.

and if you want to sneak a peek at the entries, go hang out at Ella Publishing's blog here.

Using up scraps from my stash

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:31:00 +0000

I've been creating up a storm the past couple of weeks and finally made my first goal of 100 cards for a church ministry. The two below are a couple of my favorites, possibly because I love that paper was actually designed after some fabric that I have in my stash. Sorry that I can't tell you what brand it is, but I won it and it was unmarked. It has been great being able to use up scraps of paper and ribbon knowing that someone would get such pleasure out of receiving each card with a handwritten note by someone at the church. Don't you love that ribbon slide on the bottom picture? Would you believe it's metallic cardstock cut using a new die set that I got on sale over at StampingScrapping. The sentiment, oval and label punch are from Stampin Up. The ribbon is seam binding.

Linking up to these challenges:
Pollycraft Monday Challenge Favorite Things #125
Mojo Monday 226
Hotshot #3

Join The Fun at the Gotta Have It/Gotta Blog Link Up Party

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:41:00 +0000

I'm participating in a new kind of party over at the Mercantile Muse and think you'd enjoy it too! She's got all kind of goodies laid out for us to enjoy (that is, if you enjoy looking at all the luscious art and handiwork of some uber talented artist!) If you've got a shop or blog you'd like to show off or would just like to come look around please stop by for some fun!

Take 12 on the 12th Year Long Project Begins Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:33:00 +0000

One of the Christmas presents I gave myself this year was an e-book by Ella Publishing Co called Take Twelve and it started today. The goal is to take 12 pictures on the 12th of each month for 12 months. The book is full of inspirational ideas, photography tips and checklists, among other things. I'm excited about it and have asked my daughter to join me. It'll be fun to compare notes and look at all the pictures. Here's a little collage made with the 12 pics from today. Sorry about the watermark, but I'm trying out the program. The theme is all about inventories and includes things like calendars, lists, household organization, and so on. I just couldn't resist taking a shot of all the dogs lined up patiently awaiting their supper, then HAD to zoom in on my husband. Isn't he cute in that ski cap that he wears ALL the time in the winter? Yeah, I thought so too!

Challenge for the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:53:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been an entire MONTH since my last post! Where has the time gone??? Unlike some of you who have very busy lives with children and/or grandchildren running around the house during the holidays, it's just me and my dear husband and menagerie of dogs and cats. Sure we have an occasional visit with our daughter and son-in-law, sometimes along with one or two of their dogs; but for the most part it's just the two of us. I think that my mojo got sucked up in the thick atmosphere and blew away for a visit somewhere else!

What have I been doing? I dare not show any pictures because of the perpetual mess my craft room is always in, but I will tell you that things are moving along. Like some of you I am trying to use up what I have on hand in my stash. This MIGHT be the time for me to finally make the switch from paper to digital design, BUT not until I've gotten my stash down to a reasonable amount. Here are some thoughts I've had lately:

Create card kits to sell on Etsy.
Create scrapbook page kits to sell on Etsy.
Put stuff together for a swap with friends.
Donate a bunch of stuff to groups that make cards for charities.
Make cards to donate to Operation Write Home.
Make cards to donate to a local church that in turn donates to homeless shelters (currently doing this one.)
Make card assortments along with boxes to put them in to have on hand for gifts.
Offer some blog candy (coming soon, so stay tuned!)

So there you have it! The past few days I've been digging through my stash and pulling out all those assorted paper embellishments that I cut or punched out in bulk for who knows what reason (just because!) and am attempting to use them to make card assortments. Isn't it funny when you look at something that you've hung on to for several years and you can't for the life of you figure out what you were thinking when you made it??? The paper-hoarder in me finds it extremely difficult to throw anything away that might possibly be used on a card, scrapbook page, collage, jewelry or whatever. Don't you love seeing and reading about all the cool things people make out of what would normally go in the trash? Sorry folks, but I've actually begun throwing away those little bits of paper that are left behind when cutting borders with the scalloped border punch! Yes they make squares look like postage stamps, BUT if they haven't gotten used in over two years they're GOING BYE-BYE!

One last thing I'll kind of share with you is that I have a huge reason for needing to downsize, but am not quite ready to post in for the public yet. I guess I don't want the plans to get jinxed somehow, so will wait until time gets closer, but trust me, this will be a big life-changing and very exciting thing! No folks, I'm NOT pregnant (way too old and the plumbing's been removed since 1994!); but it DOES have something to do with family. Like one of my favorite movie characters once said, "That's all I have to say about that."

Christmas Cards I've Made

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:19:00 +0000

I'm just about done making Christmas cards and wanted to share a couple of them with you. The first one is extremely clean and simple (CAS) using only one piece of cardstock embossed using my Cuttlebug, a bow and a brad and some tape to adhere it to the front of the folded cardstock. The second got a little more involved and took much more time to punch all those little branches and get them lined up, but I love the way it turned out. The last one is super fun because it's in three parts. I got the instructions for it on Julie Davison's site and found all kinds of tutorials that I want to go back and try. The snowman stamps and the sentiment are from Stampin Up. What really makes this card special is the custom die that I used for the outer circles. It's called Embroidery Anglaise Circle and can be purchased here by itself or with matching stamps. Cindy at StampingScrapping has some awesome custom-designed matching stamps and dies and also has a TON of other products in her store. The Merry Christmas sentiment on the white card with the branches is from the matching set of stamps. She even gives discounts to subscribers of her Yahoo group. Disclaimer: I am not getting any compensation for telling you about her store, I just personally LOVE it and wanted to share the love! Ok, back to the cards.... enjoy!

A Holiday "Cheer-io" Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:21:00 +0000

Please hop over to Danica's Daily to enter her fun giveaway in partnership with cheerios. As you know, my dad and I are both army veterans, so this means a lot to me.

I think God is trying to tell me something...

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:52:00 +0000

If you're new to my blog and haven't seen last year's slide show about my father, a 21 year veteran of the U.S. Army, please take some time after reading this to view it on this post. Something I just now noticed while watching it for the umpteenth time is that in the picture of him peeking his head up over the top of the dining room table if you look directly over the top of his head you'll see a picture of me from my Army days. Yes, I also served in the Army as a WAC and was honored to serve on the same base with him in Germany in the early 70's!

Ok, so what's all this got to do with God and craft rooms and scrapbooking? Well, on Veteran's Day in 1991 the condo that I lived in with my young daughter blew up from a gas explosion, killing the neighbor boy and severely burning his older brother. My daughter and I escaped the burning building from the 3rd floor apartment and lost almost all of our belongings. My scrapbook from those Army days was tucked in the back of a huge walk-in closet situated right next to my waterbed and against an outside wall not exposed to the heat. Let me show you what my albums look like today. Now friends, when I say scrapbook please keep in mind that we're not talking about the elaborate one-picture-per-page full of embellishments that we do these days. We're talking plain cover, black pages full of pictures with some writing (who ever heard of journaling back then? Wasn't that for teenagers with diaries locked up and tucked under the mattress?) The first picture shows where the albums landed during recovery efforts and where they have remained to this day. Yes I've had them out a couple of times, but I guess the memories of that day have been too painful to want to actually DO anything with these albums. One I didn't photograph is from my year in California when I went out to attend LIFE Bible College, so it needs a whole album to itself.

The next two show the front my two albums from right before and during my 3 years in the army.

Miraculously none of the pictures appear to be damaged even after 20 years in that bag! *knocking on wood here at my desk!* The page edges are singed like the covers, but the pictures are fine as you'll see in the next picture. You'll be able to see a pic of me and my dad (I'm the one with the dark shorts on) with my Drill Sergeant. Yes I even got my hair cut and frosted just like her! Oh and pay no attention to those girls fooling around in the bottom picture. Things got a little wild and crazy around the barracks every now and then.

OK, moving on.... why do I bring up the past like this??? Well today I found out that I won a prize from a great gal over at Above Rubies Studio. It was graciously donated by a new company called Uniformed Scrapbooks of America and I get my choice of albums. Well for me it's a no-brainer and that link takes you to my choice.... ARMY!!! They'll even custom embroider the name and insignia rank. Since my dad and I had the same last name during that time period it will be just perfect. I've asked if they can do two insignias, one for each of our ranks, but even if they can just to one I'll be happy. What an awesome gentle reminder from God that it's high time I got busy re-doing these precious memories!!! My niece has recently uncovered a few boxes of Dad's military memorabilia that I've already laid claim to for a memory album. Hmmm, looks like I might need more than one, huh? lol! I also have every intention to do an oral history with him and now that they have all these recordable books it seems the time is right for that too. Oh so much to do with sooooo little time!

While you're over at Megan's studio you MUST watch her videos and find out about her new exciting product that I can't wait to try out! She does some awesome tutorials that you'll want to subscribe to on YouTube so you won't miss any of them.

Oriental Trading Post Haul

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:56:00 +0000

Ok Ya'll, please don't laugh, but I finally made a video to share a haul with you. I discovered that my daughter has the best place ever for making videos, so might just have to spend more time granddogsitting in the future. Or I guess I could just go when she's there to keep the dogs out of the room. Anyway, here's a video showing all the cool stuff I got from Oriental Trading Post.

Winner Winner Come for Dinner!

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:33:00 +0000

Well it might be kind of far to drive for dinner, but it'd be fun anyway! The lucky winner of my blog candy for gratitude is........ *drum roll please...*.......................................

Lisa T said...

Wow, lucky you! How nice of you to share. :) I added your blog candy to my side bar. (I'm on the SCAL list with you.)

October 2, 2011 8:17 PM

Lisa I will send you email. Please send me your full name and mailing address so I can get your package sent out. Congratulations!!!

How to turn a big screen tv in to a desk protector

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:58:00 +0000

Being the perpetual upcycler that I am when it came time to dispose of our broken 52 inch tv I absolutely could NOT throw away all the parts. Like that pop-off lens cover thingy in the pretty see-through smokey brown color. What could I do with it? Well, combine one huge desk that desperately needed protection from a messy crafter with one equally huge hard plastic surface and VOILA! I have to warn you that unlike my idol Brittany over at Pretty Handy Girl I don't have the best tools or knowledge of which drill bits to use on plastic OR the excellent camera skills that she has, so if it's REAL tool skills you're looking for please hop over there because she's started an awesome series of video tuts for folks like me who aren't afraid to use a tool, just lack a tad bit of knowledge and need her expertise. So, now on with the sheee-ooooohhhh.....

My go-to tool is the Dremel. Mainly because it's the only one I can reach and it doesn't weigh a ton. Plus I bought a ton (no kidding, well not a ton in weight, more like a gazillion) bits and attachments for it that haven't seen the light of day since being slipped in to the fancy 3-foot tall rolling tool box I bought for it. First I laid the plastic on the desk (please note the completely empty desk because you will NEVER see it this way again!).

Then I traced a line where the edge of the desk was so I'd know where to cut it.

My handy Dremel with the tile-cutting attachment and the bit that said it was for plastic.

After cutting only about 3 inches I brought in the reinforcements, ear plugs and the cotton swab to clean my ears before inserting the plugs. For someone with severe tinnitus you'd think I'd know better than to expose my ears to the extremely high-pitched whining the tool made while cutting the plastic!

Here's what the edge looked like after cutting. The plastic actually melted to the drill bit. Sorry no pic of that.

Ah, note to self, NEVER cut all the way to the end of something without supporting the piece about to drop off or you'll have a mess!

Another view of the rough edge. Actually, come to think of it this picture should come before the one up there with the white edge. That other picture shows what it looked like after I sanded the edge.

The metal sanding bit I used on the edge. Now go back up to the other picture to see what it looked like.

Since the edge was still a little sharp I dug out my handy-dandy rubber shelf liner, cut strips and laid under the plastic. Go figure, had to protect the desk from the desk protector!

The finished product! Ta da! I'll post another pic when I get my stuff put back on the desk, but for tonight I've got two get well cards to make (mom's in the hospital) and you know what that means. Yup, messy desk!

Oh, if anyone reading this has advice for the right bit to use or method for smoothing the edge please let me know. Thanks!

Time to get organized!

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:33:00 +0000

What do YOU do when you take time off from work? Well if you're like me you work even harder at other things. Whether that means gardening, cooking, sewing, taking kids to doctor appointments, cleaning house, caring for elderly parents, or like me, organizing your craft space; it usually requires a lot of work. I've taken the next two days off to clean up my two rooms dedicated to my crafts. Yes you heard me right, TWO ROOMS!!! AAACK!!! For those of you who are now wallowing in jealousy over the fact that I have two full rooms for my crafts (one for paper, the other for sewing) let me tell you that I'd have more room on my dining room table than in both rooms put together! More space means more STUFF!

On Saturday my daughter and I had a very successful sales event in Lawrence, Kansas. There were a dozen Etsy vendors set up in a room at a downtown restaurant, Pachamamas (with absolutely FAB food that we've promised our husbands we'd taken them to later!) The crowd was awesome and steady throughout the entire day and the other vendors were all so friendly and talented that just meeting them would have been well worth the time.

Anyway.... I've finished doing inventory and now it's time to make a dent in the mess called my craft room. Hopefully I'll be able to spend tomorrow cleaning up my sewing room. I have every intention to finally get both rooms to the point where I can actually walk in, sit down and do some creating, then eventually start creating tutorials. What would you like to learn how to do? Is there a paper craft that you've seen here that you'd like to learn all the steps? Maybe you've seen a finished product somewhere else and just can't figure it out? I used to do training as part of my job and I guess you could say that it's in my blood. There are already soooooo many awesome tutorials out there and I don't want to repeat things that are readily available, so pray tell, what can't you find? Not that I can guarantee I'll be able to figure it out, but it'll give me something to shoot for when this old antique computer gets replaced by a graphics capable one. Oh, please also tell me if you're more of a visual, auditory, textual or hands-on learner. I'm one of those people who needs to do all four: see it, hear it, read it and do it. If you're anything like me you do best when there are written instructions to go along with the video tutorial so you can concentrate on soaking in all the visuals and listening rather than scrambling to write everything down.

Ok, NOW I'd better get out of this room and get to work in that craft room! Hopefully I'll have some success stories and pictures to share later. Oh, OH OH! Don't forget to sign up for my October Blog Candy Gratitude Giveaway that closes at midnight on October 29th!

Hear Ye Hear Ye Read All About Kansas Handmade Market!

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:46:00 +0000

Our upcoming Handmade Market for Kansas Etsy shops was featured today on the front page of Lawrence.com. We are sooooo excited and hope to see some of you there!
http://www.lawrence.com/news/2011/oct/14/hands-sellers-kansas-etsy-artists-featured-single-/

Halloween Cards upcycled from food boxes

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:26:00 +0000

I've been busy lately preparing for our upcoming Handmade Market in Lawrence, Kansas for Etsy artists from Kansas. Would you like to see a few of my Halloween cards? Well you're in luck because I have posted a few pics below beginning with the blob that was supposed to be a spider. Maybe it'll adorn another card as The Blob, ya think? I tried homemade shrinky dink stuff using some plastic cut from something like a salad container and well, it must be the wrong kind of plastic! I ended up just stamping a spider on the plastic and marking over the image with a Sharpee to thicken the lines.

I like the way this bakers twine spider web looks. I cut tiny slits along the edges of the card to hold the twine in place, then tied the spider on to the center of the web.

What you can't tell about the pumpkin below and I can't photograph it is that it's painted with glow in the dark paint! Believe me, when I turned out the lights it was really cool looking! Oh yeah, the web on this card is painted on with Epsom Salts and looks awesome, kind of like ice crystals.

The little bats are stamped on the card using Versamark clear ink. The black dots around the orange circle are done with glitter glue and look great, just hard to photograph.

The spider and BOO below are done with a puffy black embossing powder that feels grainy.

Don't you just love the Stampin Up mesh embossing folder? I can't get enough of it!

Now for those who are just happy it's Fall, here's the perfect card for them. Very simple, yet elegant.

Below I've used a circle to mask off a spot, then sponged orange ink all around it. It really makes the paper cutouts pop, don't you think?

Luscious Heavenly Fabric Goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 23:23:00 +0000

Look what came in today's mail. Oh before I show you let me encourage you to head right over to SuziQu's Threadworks after you're done drooling over the contents of my package. The pictures she takes are much better than mine, plus you can see all her other beauties!

I knew the package was from her because, well, I currently don't have any relatives or friends living in Australia. New Zealand, yes, but the aunt who used to be a missionary for Wycliffe Bible Translators in Australia has long since retired and returned to her roots in Wisconsin. Ok, I digress and I know you're chompin at the bit to see my surprises, so here they are:

So what will I do with this lovely fabric journal? Well for now I'm just going to admire it, pet it and soak up it's yumminess. Then I think I'll let IT tell ME what it wants to become! Maybe something to house some of my favorite fabric swatches. Or how about swatches from clothing my daughter wore growing up? Or pictures printed on fabric and sewn to the pages? Oh there are so many possibilities! I'd love to hear what YOU would do with one of these!

Blog Candy for Gratitude! -- CLOSED

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:31:00 +0000

If you've been reading my blog you know that in one week's time I was the recipient of four blog prizes. This past week has been an all time high for me, making me feel almost guilty, but mostly grateful and appreciative of the generosity of others. The best way for me to show my gratitude is by paying it forward, so ..... drum roll please.... I've got blog candy!!! Yup, I put together a package of ephemera, vintage ribbon, buttons, vintage wallpaper, handmade embellishments, twine, silk flowers and other fun things that would be great for making mini albums, embellishing scrapbook pages and cards or anything else your imagination desires. This blog candy will run until October 29 with the winner announced on October 30. To be eligible all you need to do is the following:

Become a follower if you aren't already
Leave a comment
Tell someone else about the candy. If you want to post this on your sidebar that would be awesome, but is not a requirement. You can just mention how you are spreading the word (twitter, facebook, blog post, etc.) in your comments.

Oh and please leave me a way to get in touch with you. Here's a picture of what I've gathered so far. I will be adding more as the month progresses and if I get over 50 comments I'll start another box. Woohoo, let the fun begin!!!

You're not going to believe this!

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:51:00 +0000

Ok, truly now, if any of you want to hop right over and rub my hand for good luck I'm home the rest of the weekend! Oh yeah, I WON AGAIN!!!! I got the message that I'd won an awesome Stampin Up stamp set from Holly and The Dog over at Ink Paper Stamps while checking my mail on my cell phone in the car and let me tell ya, it's a good thing Mr. H was driving or I'd have gone off the road!!! We were on the way home and I promptly instructed him to stop at the next location that sells lottery tickets! Silly me made him come in with me because, well, I honestly don't know the first thing about buying lottery tickets. No really! Here is the lovely set that will be in my grateful hands soon. You've GOT to go give Holly and The Dog a shout out and enjoy her crafts. She's got some great tutorials if you're looking for inspiration!

I have been truly blessed!

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 23:33:00 +0000

This past week I was notified by not one, not two, but THREE very generous bloggers that I had won something!!! Can you believe it??? No, I couldn't either, in fact I told my husband that this would be a good week to buy a lottery ticket!

So what did I win? Well how about some pictures?
First I was notified by the lovely and extremely talented Suzy over at Suziqu's Threadworks that I had won a gorgeous embellished lace and linen doiley needlebook:

and some luscious yummy trim:

This uber talented artist has all kinds of beautiful fiber art on her blog and also can be found on Etsy as suziqu.
Oh and did I mention that she's from New South Wales, Australia? I happen to have an aunt still living in New Zealand and had one serving as a missionary in Australia for many, many years. Coincidence? I don't know, maybe just good karma! Actually the karma will come when I put together some blog candy and have the pleasure of giving it away, so stay tuned!

Okay, so still guiddy from Suzy's notification and tired from spending the whole day on Saturday at a scrapbook crop (where I was without a cell phone signal) I get home and find a message from my favorite Stampin Up consultant, Shelly May, that I've won these awesome Christmas cards!

OMG I told her that I would decorate my mantle with them because they're so gorgeous! I can't wait to see all the detail that went in to making these because everything Shelly makes is beautiful!

Now last, but not in any way least, is a digital scrapbooking software program from my friend Linda over at LadybugLair. The program is called My Memories and looks like loads of fun! I just downloaded it and hope to play with it as soon as I finish this post. You should hop over to her blog and see some of the things she's already done with it. Oh and you've got to see the funny card she just made for a friend turning 60. So funny!

I am genuinely touched and feel blessed to have received all these gifts. Now, the question is.... what can I give away that even comes close to these things? I've got some ideas bouncing around in my head and will let you know when I decide. Until later.....

Hugs and kisses...

Let the rivers clap their hands

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Sometimes I like to make pictures of words in my head, kind of like Dr. Temple Grandin describes in one of my all-time favorite books, Thinking in Pictures

When I read my daily devotional from Guideposts this morning I was inspired by the scripture in the heading. Being the pictoral sort of person that I am I immediately conjured up images of what a river would look like clapping its hands...

Perhaps it would look like this...

or maybe this...

but I kind of like the idea of gentle clapping, like this:

Now isn't that a picture that makes you feel like singing?

Psalm 98:8

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁸Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together

Awakening a fuzzy brain

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:13:00 +0000

What kind of title is that??? Well how about a happy one from someone who has experienced a week-long attack of fever, chills, head congestion, cough and general body aches and pains. Why would that make me happy? Well coming out of that illness makes me appreciate life even more! For the first time in months (yes I said MONTHS) I can actually breath through my right nostril. I have no idea what was going on prior to this week and honestly don't really care much as long as it stays away.

Tuesday I had my annual physical and the cold had just hit me on Monday after severely pruning a 10 foot bush, actually two grown together like brambles. I left the doctor's office with three new prescriptions, none of which had anything to do with my cold since it's no doubt just a virus anyway. One of the meds I just started taking to treat suspected narcolepsy is a generic Ritalin. Yeah, you know that stuff they give kiddos for ADD? Well you've heard me talk about having CADD before, right? That crafter's attention deficit disorder that makes us flitter from one project to the next and the next and the next, never completing any of them. Well it should be interesting to see how this new drug effects my CADD. I can tell you that it is keeping me awake during the day (PRAISE GOD!!!) My boss actually thought I was joking when I told him I'd been falling asleep at work, then I had to explain that I never actually slept at my desk because I always got up and walked around or did something that kept me awake, but was constantly struggling to keep my eyes open and head up. My doc said it's most likely caused by the fibromyalgia, but could also be narcolepsy. As much as I detest taking medication, especially anything with potential side effects, when something interferes with my ability to carry out daily activities and responsibilities then it's time to take action. The other one I finally succumbed to was for my high cholesterol. With my weight and family history it was time to give in and take something that can lower it.

Lastly I got something for this teenage acne. Yeah, go figure! At 57 you'd think that wouldn't be an issue, but at certain times it is. I have known for several weeks that an illness was going to break out because the first sign is always a huge zit that is traditionally followed by one or two or more, typically in a trail across a part of my face. This year the first one was by my left eye, then left eyebrow, then several more moving across my eyebrow lines over to the right side. Ok, so I know ya'll didn't really need to know all that, but hey, isn't that what blogging is for? If nothing else I've got a written record so I can go back later to find out when it happened.

Now on a much lighter note, how about some pictures of this morning's excitement? Our county has an annual hot air balloon festival right down the street from us at Lake Shawnee and this morning they took flight. We are in the flight path and turned out to be the landing field for many of them because of the thick air that kept them from gaining altitude. I was giddy as a kid watching them fly overhead and land next door! The first picture is kind of fuzzy, but you get the idea. That Jack in the Box was the cutest thing ever!

The first one down was the tiger. I really thought they were landing on a house across the street!

Then down came Jack!

ReMax stayed up high and kept floating.

See that flame?

The two pics below show them deflating in my neighbor's side acre.

And on another note, I really have been working on crafts lately. Here's a card I made using a sweater from a catalog for color inspiration:

Now I'm off and running to get some last minute errands done in preparation for tomorrow's HUGE craft show over in Lawrence. My daughter and I will be selling our Etsy crafts and jewelry at the Lawrence Annual Fall Arts and Crafts Festival. We'd love to see you!

Oh boy I just received a check in the mail for $3,990.00!!! It looks like the real thing and came with a letter from G.T.Express Financial Services Inc. in NY, although the check itself has Presbyterian Village in Little Rock, AR on it as the owner and it came in an envelope postmarked Little Rock with no return address. Hmmm, time to investigate.... Oh yeah, the check is to go towards the "applicable Government Service Tax (GST) payable to the Revenue Department through your assigned tax agent" so I can get my $120,000.00! Sheesh! If only....

Update on weight loss

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:56:00 +0000

Today I got my third star for losing weight. That means I'm down 15.8 pounds. When I got home I took my measurements and have lost 11 inches (that's bust, waist, hips, thigh and arm) and feel pretty good about it! My clothes are fitting better and this morning I thought I felt a trickle of energy that wasn't there before. I'm still giving semi-regular reports on my WordPress blog, so you can follow me there or just check back here once in awhile.

Upcycled Envelope Mini Albums

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 22:38:00 +0000

Here's a sneak peak of what I've been working on the past couple of weeks. They are all made out of junk mail envelopes and decorative paper from my stash. No two are alike and they were a blast to make. There are more than what you see in the picture, but I'm having brain freeze about getting the flash to stay on while taking closeups. The one closeup is of a double-embossed cover that's made to look like leather. First it's embossed on the Cuttlebug, then with extra thick embossing enamel powder. What do you think? I saw a tutorial somewhere using this technique to make wallets and thought it would work equally well as an album cover.

Steampunk Mini Album

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:13:00 +0000

I've been very busy for the past few weeks trying to get inventory ready for the craft show in Lawrence next month. Emily and I are so excited about finally being in a venue that really appreciates the concept upcycled crafts and jewelry. I keep hearing about this thing called Steampunk (or is it Steam Punk?) and figured it was high time I got on the bandwagon and try my hand at creating something along that line. I went to my favorite site for finding free vintage graphics, The Graphics Fairy and grabbed a bunch of steampunk and vintage graphics for this project. I used cereal boxes for the covers and embellishments, upcycled junk mail envelopes, keys and metal washers from the garage (actually I think the keys came from my father's old collection), my new favorite purchased embellishments from K & Company and paper/cardstock from my stash. Here's a look at the finished product. I'd love to hear what you think of it!

The grunge flower on the front is done using a technique I learned while at an awesome Stampin Up retreat held by my favorite demonstrator Shelly May. I happened to pick up some 2 inch wide rolls of floral ribbon on clearance at Hallmark and was able to cut a strip 15" x 1" for this project. Then I cut slits all most all the way through at about 1/2" intervals, wound it around in a circle on to some sticky tape and zapped it with the heat gun. The finished product was just perfect for this album, don't you think? Oh and that button in the center is one of those spares that came with a jacket that has long since gone bye-bye. I tucked a bit of lace around one half of the flower to stay with the vintage feel.

I love this little graphic of the fireman running with a ladder. I colored him in with red pencils just to make him pop, then found some red ribbon studded with clear bling (the stuff is great to mimic dog collars in the pet albums!). The tag is held in place by some clear acetate.

One of my favorite keys from the collection is this one from Sears. Paired it with a Graphics Fairy pocket watch and an old rusted metal washer.

Yes that really is a picture of a young girl peering through some paint on the junk mail envelope page. She was just far too cute to paint over completely and makes me smile every time I look at her!

The envelopes are sewed together in groups of three (called signatures I think?), then attached with black cardstock which is held together with a binding made out of some leather-look cardstock/paper (thin adhesive cardstock from Sizzix).

Don't you just love the eye peeking through the window envelope on this page? It is enhanced with a metal washer over the eye and another very large washer serves as the tab for the tag.

I used platinum UTEE on the edge of the tag below, then embossed it quickly with a border stamp.

Here's some of that K & Co I told you about. The clock is a Graphics Fairy, the rest is K & Co exept the picture of the book cover for Lady in the Attic (more junk mail, although the book does sound interesting!)

I just had to show you the page below which I so fondly call my lemonade page. You see that upside down bicyclist? Well that was totally unintentional, but when the tape ended up in the wrong place (gee, can't imagine how that happened!) I decided that it was perfectly ok, no beyond okay, it was awesome!

Well that's all for now. I am currently working on mini albums made out of #10 junk mail envelopes and will post pics of those later. Like I said, I'd LOVE some input. What would you expect to pay for something like this?

T-shirt Transformed into Jazzy Ruffled Purse

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:46:00 +0000

I've been seeing a lot of ruffles around lately.... ruffles on blouses.... ruffles on headbands.... even ruffles on greeting cards! While making a ton of upcycled t-shirt totes for the Farmer's Market and upcoming craft shows I found myself with a pile of strips left over. So what's a girl to do with all that great t-shirt fabric? Why.... ruffle it of course! Here's what I came up with:

It has been quite a struggle NOT to just pile all my stuff in it and carry it around, but I convinced myself that there was a future owner out there somewhere who just couldn't live without this fun purse. Maybe I'll have to make another one soon! This project is also linked at the Passionately Artistic linking party
where you can find a ton of really awesome projects from yummy recipes, to colored glass jars, hand-sewn quilts and well, you name it it's there!

I'm featured this month in Scrapbook News and Reviews!

noreply@blogger.com (Sharon) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:38:00 +0000

I'm soooooo excited to finally be able to share with you the tutorial just published on the Scrapbook News and Reviews web site! It was such an honor to be asked by Dana Tatar to be a featured artist in July. I chose to write a tutorial for making grunge flowers out of upcycled book pages. Please go take a look around their site and leave me some loving in the comments so I know you were there! Here's a sneak peek at one of the flowers:

This project is also linked at http://www.passionatelyartistic.com/2011/07/hgtvs-cash-cari-with-linking-party.html