Thursday, August 30, 2012

Paper Painting....

I used to paint...I did oil paintings, acrylics and water colors .... It's been 20 years since I've painted.  But in my destashing when moving from the old craft room to my new room, I found a canvas.  I had high hopes that suddenly an urge would come over me and I would sit down and do a painting with pretty turquoise flowers, lovely bright green leaves and some do-dahs to fill it all in.  Sadly the urge never arrived to paint but I decided to use some paper and create with that.  It isn't the most wonderful thing I've ever done but it fills a spot on that big wall and it sort of gives me a little smack of cheery welcome when I walk into my beautiful new room.  I don't think it's finished.... I will add some more words I think...maybe "sew with glee"....  I had a cartridge already in the Cricut, the flower was there for the picking (pardon the pun)... I cut several layers, curled the petals, added some gems.  I am sorry I can't tell you what cartridge I used but the flower is very pretty. 
I like my little paper painting...  Thanks for taking time to take a peek at my artful endeavors.

Monday, August 27, 2012

BBTB2/Back To School

Our hostess this week at BBTB2 is sweet talented Brenda.  She has asked the design team to create something with a "Back to School" theme.   It seems like summer just began and now the schools are revving up to begin a new year.  In my day (dates me, doesn't it?) our schools always started up the first Monday after Labor Day.  I loved our summer months..... three long wonderful months of carefree days of swimming and gathering around friends in picnics and fun.  I loved high school, and I am so proud to say that at age 75, I am still surrounded by cherished friends that I went to grade school and high school with.  We have a luncheon reunion every April, and in October we have a picnic luncheon at a park.... our turn out is amazing.  

My card has a wee bit of a different take.  I loved Art in school, and I carried that love with me to this very day.  My card recognizes school days but it celebrates artful endeavors.  My email address is crayola58 (I was 58 when I got my very first AOL email account) and so I present a box of 3 crayons, an apple that is always good to represent school...the lettering is Don Juan, and the Crayon box is from Simply Charmed, page 52. 
Hope you all join in with our Back To School challenge.  Just follow our simple rules which are printed  at the top of our BBTB2 blog.  Thanks for visiting, and I love your comments.

Monday, August 20, 2012

BBTB2/Vacation

Happy Happy Monday.  I am so pleased to tell you I am the hostess this week for Bitten By The Bug2 ... For many folks, summer months usually mean vacation travels so I picked just that for my theme this week.  .. Folks are heading to destinations that call to them, or to visit loved ones .... they take trains, planes, buses....and if I were planning a vacay, I would climb in my car.   No, I don't own a Chevrolet anymore but I had a few in my life starting with my very first car, a 1949 Chevrolet painted a horrid color of bronze.  My next car was a 1953 turquoise Chevrolet Bel Air, followed by a 1954 Red and white Chevry Bel Air, then a 1957.  My very first brand new car was a 1962 Chervolet Nova II and I was so proud of that little sweet car...

My card was fun to make, but a little frustrating because I ran into design issues, color themes, layout but in the long run this is what I came up with.  A little street scene in some quaint city USA.  
The sign is computer generated, and I even added a tiny little license plate that says "Chev".  We used to watch Dinah Shore who sang this song so well..... The buildings are from Heritage, and the little cloud drifting overhead is from April Showers.  Hope you like my little vacation scene.     
Please join us on our challenge.  Make sure you have a Cricut cut representing some sort of vacation theme, when you link up your card to BBTB2 for the challenge, be sure to link back to your blog and mention you have joined in our challenge.  No back dating...and please disable any word verification you might have.  Oh, important news.... we have changed the challenge time from 2 weeks to a week so get your challenge entries linked up.  We want to see them...!!

Monday, August 13, 2012

BBTB2/Elephantly Speaking

Our BBTB2 hostess this week is our talented miss Shelly.  She asked the design team to design with an elephant.  I hope you've come to visit after you've enjoyed all of the cards from the design team.  We hope that we can inspire you on all levels to create using Cricut cuts.  We love creating with the Cricut cartridges.


My card honors a sweet little elephant from Celebrate With Flourish.  I cut her from gray paper, and added a pink hat with a pink button. The sentiment "a best friend is always here" is complimented by the inside sentiment that says "and here I am".  Please notice that lovely embossing folder that features some cutaways in the design.  A few weeks ago I was looking at some cards on a Pinterest bulletin board and I saw a gaspingly beautiful card that featured this embossing folder.  There was no mention of the folder, however.  I emailed the blog owner and she happily told me the folder is from the line of Marianne's Designables and she bought it from Cuddly Buddly.  I went to that site instantly only to find that although there were many pretty embossing folders, the folder ROMANTIC was not offered.  I hit the world wide web, I dove headfirst into every shop online that carried her designs only to find this particular folder had been discontinued.  I can't imagine why.  Between the net surfing, telephones and my friend Pat, she found a shop that had two "left" and she and I are now the proud owners of this embossing delight.  I would be embarrassed to tell you what we paid.  

Please join in on our challenge.  Just remember our simple rules, make it a Cricut cut, mention our name on your blog, and I hope by now the bloggy world has gotten rid of that horrid word verification. I am so disappointed when I try to comment on a challenge and I encounter that WV.  

Have a wonderful week, my friends. 

Monday, August 06, 2012

BBTB2/Fly Away

Welcome Monday and weeklong visitors.  Our challenge this week at BBTB2 is by our talented design team sister, Jeri. She asked us to design with a theme of Fly Away...we were to use a hot air balloon, however if there were no hot air balloons available to us, we could use an airplane. 

I used the B is for Boy cartridge for this card which features travel by car, train or  airplane.... I looked and looked and there were no hot air balloons on any of the 66 carts I own. .. I've written down a promise to me to NOT buy anymore cartridges for a while.  I have some I haven't even used and that's silly.
This shows the pop-dotted travel cuts.

The lettering is from Blackletter cartridge which is such a defined calligraphy style.  The papers are from a darling little paper pad I received from my friends while in Tucson for the annual Card Camp.
I added an embossed EK Success round scallop punch to the layer below the die cut.

I sort of slammed this card together.  My new Craft Room is wonderful but as you can imagine once you move your crafty supplies from a long-standing room to a new room, one can spend a lot of time trying to find where you put what you are looking for.  It was a fun adventure but nonetheless, slowed me down.  Once I get into the swing of things, all will be well. 

Hope you join in our challenge.  You will find a lot of inspiration on our BBTB2 Fly Away posts because our DT sisters are so so talented.  Read our simple rules and join in.... Remember....we are a Cricut based challenge team so please be sure to use a Cricut cut and mention BBTB2 and the cartridge in your link up.....thanks for looking. 

Thursday, August 02, 2012

New Craft Room Delight

I am so proud to present my new craft room.  I have dreamed about this room for at least 5 years, touting "if only I could win the lottery, I would build a craft room where all things crafty would reside instead of having things scattered all over my house".  I don't play the lottery and I never dreamed this would ever be a reality.  But here it is.... and it is truly beyond my dreams. 
My patio was 10x53, and had recently had Saltillo Tile laid.  Unfortunately the new room (10x16) required a foundation to be level with the house so that section of the lovely Saltillo was covered up in concrete.  Still, this is a photo of the remaining patio and it is plenty big for me, the two porch cats and a wonderful place to sit and admire.... you can see the craft room at the back, with the white blinds on the west facing 4x6 window. 
 This is a view of the left side of the closet.  My closet has only those items I use more frequently than others (and the old craft room closet is still full of other crafty things).  I had my builder place that last shelf high enough so I could shove the rolling bins of papers in the closet and not have them on the floor.  My closet has a light inside and lovely mirrored doors. The ceiling has 6 recessed lights so I no longer will use my Ott Light.
 Below  is a view of the "hanging side" of the closet...I can hang my quilts, sewn projects and I was delighted to find the Tea Cart with all of my threads for regular and embroidery machines could live in the closet as well.
 Here is my Sewing Station.  This is the new table that was built...since the former table collapsed and gashed my big toe to the bone.  This table will never collapse... The drawers (from Walmart) hold all of my fabrics, the embroidery design CD's, the hoops, and some of the stabilizers and batting... At the east end is a rolling cart that has more stabilizer, and a working drawer with all of the sewing tools I need when I am busy at the machines.  I made colorful tablecloths for each table, and this one is a bit short since the collapsed table was not as long.  I will add some length on each side so the ends of the door slab will not show. I made simply sewing machine covers ...two long panels, back with pretty fabrics, tied at each end with bright ribbons.
Below  is my Work Station...where the creativity begins. One thing is missing...the new TV set which will be set up tomorrow.  The old craft room counter was literally loaded with "stuff"... paper bins, tubs with all sorts of things to use.  I didn't want that on the new table so those 2 white bins hold the adhesives, the jewels, pearls, vinyl dots, and other things I use frequently to create. The room is entered off the master bedroom and by keeping the door open, and using the ceiling fan, the room is wonderfully comfortable.  However that AC unit works wonders should the room become too warm. The drawers hold my wonderful needs, including all of my Copics, pens, punches, glues, glitters, all things necessary. The drawers were ordered from Walmart for $49 and I love them.  They are sturdy and hold all things necessary. .
 Looking onto the patio is my wonderful Cricut Station.  My two Cricut machines, the Cuttlebug, embossing folders, Nesties, some paper and sundry tools reside here.  Also showing but to leave is the serger.  I find I don't use it like I once did and it will go to a friend.
 Here is a photo of the room capturing all 3 stations.  I love my new craft room.  Hope you enjoyed my tour.