How I Burb

Move along...nothing to see here!

2012-02-05T19:28:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

Sorry, I'm not going to be able to play along with this month's Counterfeit Kit. Please move on to the next stop in the kit hop, Susanne.

We decided to take a vacation later this month and will be gone through early March, so I won't be able to do the next kit, or at least not on time, either. So I am bowing out of the CKC group for now. But I'll come back from vacation with lots of pics and scrapping to do, so I'm sure I'll play along again soon.

Rebecca

Goals for the Year

2012-01-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a page for January's Challenge #1 (Make a layout for your goals/resolutions for 2012) for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge.

Resolutions are so daunting. I had just two resolutions last year: Quit pop and get caught up on scrapping.

I did a bang up job on the scrapping. But, I'm sitting here with a Mello Yello. In my defense, I've kept my habit way down, but I probably need to put some renewed effort into that goal. It's hard with another heavy pop drinker in the house. I won't compare it to drugs because I know that's more serious (although, I do feel addiction is not too strong a word to apply to a strong pop habit). But imagine being told you have to live at your LSS and you're not allowed to use anything in the store. It would put you on edge, right? How long would it be until you started sneaking pieces of pretty paper and embellishments?

On the bright side, I am really proud of all the scrap work I accomplished in 2011. There are just a few loose ends that I hope to finish this month, but otherwise, I can do more real-time scrapping this year.

So building from that project, I have decided this is the time to tie-up loose ends. Maybe that includes some bigger real life things, but for blogging purposes, here are the loose ends I'm looking to close:

I scraplifted this page from a great page in the 2Peas gallery from kahoogstad, http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/297071-kahoogstad/1770309-new-phase/?source=pinit. Thanks for the inspiration! Sorry my pic isn't that great. It was too bulky to scan, and I learned that the ipad camera is not the way to go for blog posting. Lesson learned :(.

Some of these items might not look like much, but I have longer "sublists" for many of them. We redid our bedroom in 2011, but there is a considerable list of shopping, patching, painting, hanging, and constructing that still needs to be done. There are loose ends all around me!

Remember what makes me happy.....like, vegging out in front of the TV is just a way to loose time, spending time in my craft room is a way to get the rejuvination I need to get through the next day. Which one's more important?

Some of those project might not look that exciting, but everything on the list needs to be done. I plan to leave this page on my desk for the next month or so, and as I finish things, I'll add a check mark and the date on the list. Then it can become the title page for my 2012 album.

By the way, I used some homemade mist and mistable fabrics on this page, for the flower and the blue banner at the bottom of the page. I'll try to get those pics and instructions up tomorrow.

Good luck to all of you with resolutions, goals and to-do lists. May we all be able to look back and feel like we accomplished something!

Dusting Off the Cobwebs

2012-01-05T20:10:00.000-08:00

I'm dusting off the cobwebs from this here blog, getting back into a post-holidays routine.

So I'll start with my January Counterfeit Kit as part of the Master Forger Kit Hop. The next stop on the hop is Susanne (and she had A LOT of loot posted on her blog, so I imagine her kit is going to be well stocked, too!).

I LOVED the December holiday posts on the CKC blog, and I am excited to get back to the usual monthly schedule, too. Of the kits offered for counterfeiting this month, I used the Cocoa and Marshmellows kit for my inspiration.

For the papers: I found some similar patterns/colors in a stack of DCWV paper (Cafe Mediterranean) that I received for Christmas. Rather than pull out a couple of pieces, I'm planning to utilize the whole stack for a few projects this month.

For the farmhouse alpha stickers: In an effort to get rid of the old, and to mimic the mix-match look of that alpha set, I've pulled a few partially-used alphas from my stash. They have a one-way trip from there; If I don't use them, they're going to the trash. I need to stop saving every. single. alpha. leftover.

For the tags and die cuts: I'm utilizing several printables, some I found on Pinterest, some I found through links here on CKCB, and some I've cut on the Cricut. I've added a few extra items for extra embellishments, too. For the yellow pearlspiece, I've added some bling from my stash and some pearls from my stocking.

For the stamps: I don't have any stamps that say "yesterday" or "tomorrow," but I did find a couple that say "today." So I'll try to work those stamps in, along with some new inks (also Santa-delivered :)).

For the Mistables: I am not a mister; I haven't jumped on the mist bandwagon. But when I saw these Mistables, I thought I'd take the challenge and make my own mist. I'll show you later this month how I made my own mist, recycled some fabric to form mistable shapes/banners, and used it on a project. Pictured beneath the mist are shapes and a flower that I made with the mist.

I made a quick page to use a bit of my new kit, too. I have a problem that's a good problem to have - I'm pretty much caught up and don't have a lot to scrap right now. I need to work on my December Daily, but outside of that specific project and supplies, I don't have a lot to do. I have a few random pages that need to be finished/pictures found/etc., so my goal is to use my kit to wrap up those loose ends. And I have two projects planned that should use a good bit of stash, too.

So here's the page. I was putting this particular page off because I didn't have great pictures. Solution: I found the pics on the event's facebook page, so I'm giving credit to the photographer at the James Cancer Hospital Cancer Survivor Day, held last September, for the photos on this page.

Next month will mark 5 years since my cancer surgery. On my last visit to the oncologist, last month on the Friday before Christmas, he said I've graduated and don't need to go back to him for regular check-ups. That was my best present this year!

Catch Up

2011-12-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

Well, it's a start.....

I'm bringing up the rear and playing a bit of catch up. I never completed any of the November challenges with my Counterfeit Kit. Since we aren't switching right to a new kit for December, I thought I'd turn in some late homework and try to catch up with my November kit.

The November blog hop challenge was to make something decorative for the home. My kit was Christmas themed, and I turned to my Pinterest board for inspiration. I found this post with an idea for a rosette tree (the tree is at the end of the post, after all the other pretty rosette ideas).

So here's my version, using the Little Yellow Bicycle papers from my kit:

I started at the bottom using 2" strips of paper, scored every 1/2". The bottom layers were 30" in length (2 1/2 of the 2" strips). I just used progressively shorter lengths, and at one point, I switched to narrower strips of papers.

I'll try to keep catching up over the next few days!

So Sorry!

2011-11-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

Hi All -

Sorry, life got in the way, and I didn't get my blog post completed for the Counterfeit Kit blog hop.

The next stop is Meridy. Please continue on to see her terrific project and then wrap up back at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog.

I'll be back soon. I've been MIA for no bad reasons - just some unexpected family visiting over the past week. My guest/craft room will go back to just a craft room soon.

Happy Hopping!

Cheating

2011-11-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make....I've felt very guilty all month, and I have to tell someone or I'll just DIE *cue soap opera music*.......I've been cheating..... on my Counterfeit Kit.

Who is this evil temptress of scrapbooking? She's DD, my December Daily! :)

She is filling up with lots of pages, all ready to document December. I spent the past few week amassing her pieces - the album, page protectors, cardstock, papers, stickers, stamps, and vellum - and now I am in the construction phase. I'm using every spare second, including lunch time at work, to work on this project so it will be ready for December.

So, I'm enjoying my torrid love affair for now, but I am aware that this "business trip" is going to have to end soon. There are things to be done with my lovely Counterfeit Kit - tags, cards and pages that need my attention - so I'll try to get some of that work done and posted this weekend.

And I hope to get all my December Daily foundation pages finished and take photos of some of that work this week, too.

Tune in next time to see what happens when CK and DD meet for the first time. More scrapopera drama to come!

November Counterfeit Kit!

2011-11-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

It's time to put together a kit for November's Counterfeit Kit Challenges!

This month's inspiration kits come from Scraptastic Club. Scraptastic is also the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog prize sponsor for the month - one lucky winner will receive a $20 gift certificate to Scraptastic! All you have to do to be entered in the drawing is either join the blog hop or comment on the blog hop...it's that easy! The blog hops will be on November 27th and 28th, and hop details are always available back on the CKCB.

There are four kits and add on kits to choose from. I saw an item in this Home Sweet Home kit that sent me over the moon - see those little houses? I LOVE little houses! I even live in one :). So I opted to counterfeit this kit.

Here is my kit, flipped forward into a Christmas Edition! The little houses in the original kit reminded me of all the little houses in the Little Yellow Bicycle collection, so I started there. Then I looked for anything homey to go along with the theme. In my stash I found a house stamp and a "home" embellishment; I also have several ideas for cutting houses and adding them to my kit. I included several tags and plan to use them and make more, maybe as potential gift tags. Topped it all off with some leftover Jillibean Soup embellishments and alphas, and I think I'll have plenty to keep me busy.

So, check out one of this month's inspiration kits and try making your own kit. It's great fun to shop your own stash, and if you're like me, it's pretty motivating to see a kit come together. Hope you'll play along!

Found My Album!!!!

2011-11-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

Everyone has different ideas for the December Daily/winter/holiday season/Christmas/journal project.

Since this is my first year to take on and follow through on this idea, I really want to follow Ali Edwards and her plan of using 8 1/2 x 6 pages. But I didn't want to buy the album kit, because I didn't want the other stuff - I just wanted the album.

Earlier this week I found something that will work, and it's p-e-r-f-e-c-t for me!

It's a Paper Studio stamp storage binder, available in the stamping area at Hobby Lobby. It meets all my requirements. And it was about $8 after coupon, which added to the thrill. Here's how I'll use it:

--The album cover is 9 1/2 x 9 1/2. It's 3 d-ring, I think they are 3" around (maybe 2 1/2", but definitely bigger than any other option I could find).

--I ordered packs of 12 x 6 page protectors. I'll just need to cut them down to 8 1/2" and punch my own 3-ring holes. I ordered packs of 6x6 and 4x6 protectors, too, in case I come up with some great idea for those.

--The album came with 5 plastic holders (for stamp storage). I may use these pieces to divide each week within my book. We'll see if I can find a use for them :).

My chosen papers/supplies should be in at our LSS soon - maybe this weekend - and with album in hand, I can start putting foundation pages together.

I know it's a little thing, but I'm thrilled. This news is not something I can share with anyone in "real life," because....well.....simply, they don't care. But anyone reading here really *gets* it, right?! Well, thanks for indulging my excitement, either way!!

Have a great weekend -

Rebecca

Using Up the Kit

2011-11-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

A few pages I finished with my October Counterfeit Kit:

Just need to add a picture. I'd like to take the picture when my room is clean - yea, that's why there's no picture yet :).
I made one more title from foam and then a layer of glitter.
Now that I know that trick, I can see myself making those letters more often.

The last of the purple paper! I really got some mileage out of that add-on kit this month.
Have you ever seen these dog puzzles? Junior loves them - it's good brain exercise for him. Dogs are so smart!
I also used Shimelle's Scrapbook Starting Point for this page.

Still need to print the picture for this one, too.
I used a bunch of b-side scraps from my kit. I really took it down to scraps this month - love it!
Just a thought - Do "kid's today" even know what the phrase "b-side" means?

Have a great week!

Rebecca

Jillibean Soup Pages

2011-10-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

Coming off a a great weekend of scrapping - 18 hours of cropping at Red Letter Journals in Grove City, OH and 8 pages completed. Well, mostly completed.

Wait...back up....did she say 8 pages?

Not 18 or 28....8?!?!

What on earth was I doing??? I feel like I was working the whole time, but with all the breaks to shop and eat and talk and win prizes....I just didn't end up with a lot of pages. And they're not even all totally completed - I still need to print some pictures and a few other odds and ends. Oh well, it was fun!

I also did a make-and-take hosted by Jill Yegerlehner of Jillibean Soup - so nice and so helpful! We did a tag project with the new Hearty Barley line. I made three pages with Jillibean pieces and repurposed my make-and-take tag into a journaling block on one of them:

Used pieces from Hearty Barley and Blossom Soup. I made my own "chipboard" title, with four layers of the word glued together with the top later of pattern paper.
Have you seen this commercial, with the dog worrying over his bone? That could totally be Junior!

Again used pieces from Hearty Barley and Blossom Soup.
I had some shiny bright red ribbon I wanted to use, from an event at my new job, but it was
too bright and shiny for this page. So, I stuck a piece of vellum on top - toned it down a lot!
Also, I scraplifted a page from this month's Scrapbooks Etc. for this one.
Sorry, I don't have the mag here with me right now - I'll add that info later tonight.

I think this is all Hearty Barley, except the background piece - I think that is Cosmo Cricket?
I used the make-and-take tag, moved the pieces from it around, and turned it into my journaling block.
I also used Shimelle's Scrapbook Page Starter for this one - so thanks to Shimelle for some inspiration :).

I'm working on getting my November Counterfeit Kit together this week. If you'd like to use up some stash, start off a new month and play along with us at the CKCB.

Have a great week!

Rebecca

Happy weekend!

2011-10-29T14:25:00.001-07:00

Just a quick hello from our local scrapbook store, Red Letter Journals. I'm blazing through pages (yea, right) and having a great weekend. Just had a card class with Jill from Jillibean Soup, too. I'm so close to my goal of being caught up on our album. Midnight is going to be here too quickly, though!
More to come once I get some sleep and recover!

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop and Get Picky, too!

2011-10-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

It's time for October's Master Forger hop! If you're hopping, you likely came from Milissa. If you get lost along the way, the full list of stops is on the Counterfeit Kit blog.

Edited to add: This morning I forgot to also link this project to the Get Picky 1st Birthday Sketch 13 Challenge, so here it is now. I came across this fun group of bloggers this month via Keri, our October Guest Designer at Counterfeit Kit. Thanks, Keri! I used the sketch as inspiration rather than roadmap, but it was a great starting point for my page.

The theme for the CKC hop is to alter some stickers and use them in an unusual way on a project.

I had a pack of layered stickers in my October kit. I didn't take a before picture, but they had little-girl themed sayings on them, and I was never going to have an occasion to use them.

So I took off the top layer of each sticker, coated them with glitter to cover the writing, and then used them to hold some short journaling strips. I cut the journaling strips from a bigger sticker, too.

The page is about leaving my job earlier this year. I hadn't changed employers for 10 years -
I didn't realize how mentallly/emotionally draining the process would be.
Still feel like I'm getting over it sometimes! "Sweet goodbye" could be taken several different ways,
but that story is better told in some hidden journaling :).

My sticker stacks, repurposed as journaling blocks.

I cut the circle and the title multiple times and stacked them to make chipboard pieces.
Now that I've learned this trick, I'm going to use it all the time.

Thanks for looking! The next stop is Susanne. And don't forget to go back to the CKCB blog for all the info on this month's prize from Momenta!

Layers on Layers on Layers

2011-10-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's my take on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge #3 for the month: to use layers in a project.

My pages are from my niece's baby shower. My siblings collectively have 5 boys and 2 girls, so we're a bit boy-heavy in the count. So it was extra nice to hear one of my nieces was having a girl. Now I'm a great aunt - who has yet to meet baby Vera, who's several months old now, but I hope to see her soon!

All the layers:

Paper: I used an Allison Davis sketch, so layering papers was part of the deal. As an aside....I took an AD sketch support class last summer, and it was such a motivator! It really got me into/back into blogging, scrapping, everything.

Stickers: I layered stickers on vellum, stickers on photos and bling on stickers to make the embellishments.

Pearls: The flower paper was already layered with glitter and embossing, but I added my own homemade pearls as flower centers, too.

Title Letters: I've read that you can make your own chipboard by gluing layers of cardstock. I finally tried it - why did I wait so long?! I had no idea how easy it is and how good it looks, and I'll never have a flat title again. I cut "girl" 5 times (3 or 4 would have been plenty), with 4 from kraftstock and the top layer from a glitterstock. The layers of small letters were easy to glue with a zig glue pen.

Everything came from my October kits. When I started the month I had no idea how useful my purple add-on kit would be! I can't think of a time when I've used so much (or any?) purple like I have this month.

Now please go take the challenge, layer something on your own project and link it on the CKC blog. Thanks for looking!

P.S. And don't forget, Momenta is the October prize sponsor at CKCB. Get the details here.

Make-Your-Own Pearls Experiment

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

This month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge inspiration kit includes these pretty pearls from Queen and Co.

For the record, they're inexpensive (I found them online for less than $2/pack) in a range of colors. But, I don't have any of them. So I thought I'd experiment with some ways to counterfeit my own pearl-like embellishments.

I only wanted to use items I had on hand, so I went searching through my stash for flat-backed, dome-shaped things - pretty specific, and not much to be had. But, what I did find was a packet of googlie eyes.
Why on earth did I have - and hang onto - a variety pack of googlie eyes?!

Here are some of the larger size eyes,
after 2 layers of Martha Stewart pearl paint.

The Martha paints are relatively new and add some fun colors
and finishes among the little bottles of acrylic paints
that you typically find at the craft store.

A couple of tips that made the painting process on these slippery little suckers a little easier:

--I painted a line on the waxed paper and then put the eyes on the paint to help hold them in place.
--I used a little paint brush and sort of dabbed and swirled the paint onto the eyes, to get them coated without lots of brush strokes.
--The second coat just helped to fill in anyplace I missed the first time around. If you're more careful, one coat could be enough.

Some other ideas:

I used some faux snow to make some snow pearls.
Rough texture, but they would make cute
snowballs or ice cream scoops!

And I made some sand pearls with this Mudpuddles mixture.
I'll save them for a summer beach page.
Or maybe they look like a sheet of cookies?!

These ones are not mine - I found this tutorial from The Girls Next Door
that shows how to make pearls from clay. It's a lot more involved,
but they look stunning! Maybe you stampers
have some other ideas of how to use perfect pearls,
alcohol inks, or some other supplies?

If you come up with your own way to create one of these domed shapes, add your link in a comment below. Like I said - don't do this one for the cost savings, do it for the joy of making your own!

Here are a couple of projects where I've used my homemade pearls this month. And I have a few set aside for some in-progress cards:

Thanks for looking!

Candy Challenge: Using Some $1 Stamps and Inks

2011-10-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed last months' Counterfeit Kit Challenges which focused on stamping. The blog hops at the end of the month were like taking some stamping classes, and I look forward to using some of those techniques.

Now, let's make this clear: I am not a stamper. Heaven help me if I started a new collection in another budget sinking hobby. But I have collected a few novice supplies - some dollar stamps (they're just so cute!) and ink pads, acrylic blocks and a bottle of clear UTEE. But otherwise I'm pretty limited - no embossing powders, Copics, fancy inks or "quality" stamp sets.

But I went looking for a way to use my stamp stash for this month's Candy Challenge anyway, and here's what I found. When I made my tealight last month, I learned that stamping on vellum is fun. The ink stays wet long enough for UTEE to stick to it. That means the clear UTEE takes on the colors of the ink, giving lots of possibilities for colors and variety for someone with only basic supplies on hand.

I believe the candy stamp came from the $1 bin at Joanns. It reminded me of tootsie roll flavors, love the orange ones!
Other supplies: UTEE, Vellum, Variety of inks, Heat gun

Stamp one image on vellum.

Coat the wet image with UTEE and remove any stray flakes.
Heat to a shine. I heat from underneath, so I can watch the color change.

Let cool and then proceed with the next stamped image.

I ran my vellum through my Xyron to get the good edge-to-edge adhesive to the card.

Next time I shop I need to put vellum on the list. It's something I haven't used in quite awhile, and my stash is depleting. Now that I know these new tricks, I see myself using it a lot more often.

If you haven't already, visit the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog to take the candy challenge, and read more about this month's prize pack from Momenta. Good luck, and thanks for looking!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find some orange tootsie rolls!

Messy

2011-10-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

Another quick layout from my kit this month.

I used some Cosmo Cricut from my kit and realized the colors were a great match to some leftover WRMK's Furrever friends. So I used a mix of both.

Sticky Pretties

2011-10-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see that this month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge prize sponsor is Momenta. I haven't yet tried Momenta's Design Your Own stickers, but I'm always up for a unique new sticker, so I'm sure I'll try them.

Earlier this summer we went to my 20-year high school reunion and stayed at my dad's house. On our last day of the trip, my dad asked me to go through my old room and decide what to keep and what could be donated/thrown away. Much to my dad's dismay, I came home with just one small box of treasures, the rest designated for greener pastures of his choosing.

While going through all the college books, dolls, old clothes and collected papers, I came across the best treasure, something I thought was long gone: my sticker book!

Did you collect stickers?

Apparently I really liked holographic and puffy stickers.

Did you have a sticker store? I used to scrape together whatever change I could find and couldn't wait to get to the mall to go to the sticker store. It was just rows and rows of stickers on rolls -- holographic, puffy, scratch-and-sniff. I loved it all!

Rainbows were big. Rainbows and unicorns on the same sticker - that's sticker gold! I'm resisting the urge to open the facing page to see if any of the smells are still trapped in there.

I believe this album to be my only remaining prehistoric evidence of scrapbooking. I used to collect stationary paper, too, but I'm sure I used it all in writing to far-away pen pals. For those of you that might be less prehistoric than me, a "pen pal" was someone you exchanged handwritten letters (and maybe some stickers as a bonus) with through the USPS. There were no Skypes, no chat features, no instant messangers, so it took time to develop a good pen pal. I doubt many 10 year olds with fascinations for rainbows and unicorns know what a pen pal is anymore.

People always told me, be careful what you do, don't go around breakin young girls' hearts.....

As for my sticker book, it made the cut to take up space in my keepsake box. I might take some better pictures and eventually throw it away, but for now I'll enjoy the memories from the real thing.

Here's the page I made for the occasion, using items from my October Kit.

I scraplifted a layout but I can't find where it came from. I had it pinned on Pinterest as a project titled "Totally Happy" on the Jillibean Soup blog, but I can't find the original layout on the blog. So, if you recognize it, just know I tried to give some credit :).

I made my own foam letters for the title and counterfeited the glittered Thickers from the inspiration kit. I found that the best way to glitter the foam was to run it through my Xyron X, go around each letter to help release it from the edges and then pour the glitter over the adhesive side. Just remember to put the adhesive on the right side of the letter.

I added some purple Stickles to some plain stickers to make them a little prettier. I don't know that I've ever had an occassion to use purple on a layout, so I had to take advantage of it.

I used a few of my homemade pearls, too. I'll show how I made them later this week.

Stay sticky, my friends.
Thanks for looking!

October Counterfeit Kit Challenge

2011-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's October, and that means.....it's time to get a cold! No, no, wait....that's not it. I mean, I got the cold, but that's not the big excitement. October means I'm officially a Master Forger! And it's time to reveal our Counterfeit Kits for the month.

The inspiration kit is from Little Red Scrapbook, September 2010:

And here is my kit for the month:

Top Left: My full kit with some extra stickers to use this month.

Top Right: The papers are a hodge podge of Cosmo Cricket, GCD Studios, MME, DCWV and Basic Grey.

Bottom Left: In place of the Thickers in the original kit, I counterfeited my own. I'll show you how I did it and use my sample word later this week.
Bottom Right: I cut some tag shapes to match the ones in the kit, but I haven't decided how to decorate them yet. The round blobs to the right are an experiment. The googlie eyes are not for Halloween :). I don't have any of those pretty pearls from Queen and Co. in the inspiration kit, so I'm working on a counterfeit. I'll let you know how the experiments work out.

__________________________________________________________________________________

As I tried to put together my original kit, I couldn't find any scallop-edged papers to use in place of the piece in the inspiration kit. What I did find was a bright purple floral paper, and that inspired me to put together this purple-themed add on kit:

All the papers are SEI and American Crafts. I threw in some extra stickers (probably to alter) and some purple flowers.

Hope you are inspired to play along with a kit of your own!

CKCB Hop: Vellum Stamping and Tea Lights

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's my offering for today's Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop. You probably came from Jessica, and the next stop is Bethany.

Next month I'll be hopping on the CKCB Master Forger team - Whoop Whoop!! Can't wait to officially get started!

This month's hop theme is to use a stamping technique on a project. I went about this assignment sort of backwards. I stamped my project, realized I really should show a technique first, went looking for a tutorial, found fantastic instruction for a project much cooler than my original idea, and then made that other project to add onto this post. And so it goes with attention deficit crafting.....

My initial technique is a simple one, but something I haven't used much in the past. I used Staz-on ink to stamp onto vellum.

I won a set of "Hardware" Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets from Shirley (It was part of a huge prize that included all sort of Basic Grey Lauderdale stuff, too - thanks, Shirley!). As soon as I saw the stamps I fell in love with the ruler in the set. It was perfect for a page about our household facelift from earlier this year.

I used this week's sketch from Shimelle for this page, too. For my background I used a piece of vellum over a piece of patterened paper. I thought the pattern (Basic Grey) looked like measuring tapes and contruction plans, but I needed to mute the colors for this project. The vellum toned it all down. I wanted to journal right onto the vellum, so I used the Staz-on ink to stamp the ruler for my journaling lines. It stamps on the vellum with no smudge problems, so it's the perfect ink for that type of paper. Then I wrote my journaling with a vellum marker.

Journaling: We started 2011 with several big projects in mind. We had our room painted and updated with new fixtures, we created a new scrapbooking/guest space, and we upgraded my closet with new paint and cabinetry. The closet was a lot of work for us, but I'm glad we decided to do the project ourselves. It took months to complete it all, but now that it's mostly done, we're enjoying all of our updated spaces.

I still get a little giddy when I walk into my new closet each morning :). I did a blog post earlier this year where I talked about the project here.

So, that leads me to the vellum tutorial. Rochelle at I Stamp, I Create, I Have Fun showed how to make a tealight lantern using stamped vellum inserts. So cute! Her tutorial (the link above goes right to that post from 2008) shows how to cut the cardstock for the lantern and how to stamp onto the vellum. I modified the process a little bit to work for me.

I sat up my template on the Gypsy, so I could easily duplicate it. My template is 8 1/4 x 5 inches. The windows are about 3 x 1 inches. You could draw out your own template and cut it out by hand, too - it's not an exact science. After I cut the template, I scored the folding lines at 2,4,6, and 8 inches on my score board. Another under-utilized tool makes an appearance on my desk :).

I stamped my fall leaves with brown ink and a Martha Stewart leaf stamp.

I cut the vellum pieces just slightly larger than the size of the windows.
While the ink was still wet, I coated it with UTEE and heated it with a heat gun.

I used my ATG to tape the vellum pieces to the cardstock and the cardstock edge to form the box. Of course I will only use a battery operated tea light with this project - I wouldn't use a real candle inside this all-paper project.

And here's the finished project:

I can't wait until this weekend when I have some time to make more.
Add some ink to the edges, scallop cut the top edge, etc. Cute, cute, cute!

I've had a busy work month - it's just part of the cycle of my job to be extra busy during September on a college campus - and I ran out of time for a lot of things around the house. I have a friend coming for an overnight visit tomorrow, and it fell to Crystal to do most of the household cleaning to get ready for that visit. Nothing like company coming to whip you into housekeeping mode! I worked a lot this past weekend, and I didn't even have the energy at home to bring out any fall decor. So taking a few minutes to make a couple of these tealight holders last night was the perfect stress reliever for me. Now I have a bit of fall in the house, and we're ready for a fun visit.

Hop Order: You probably came from Jessica, and the next stop is Bethany. Take a second to go back to the beginning, too, and leave a comment on today's blog hop post on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog for a chance to win a stamp set from this month's sponsor, Ippity Chick Sherri!

Fussy Fun

2011-09-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

I made a page this evening. It was fussy. It took some time. I inked, painted, embossed, folded, layered and cut. And, in the end, I somehow meshed three challenges into one page!

I created my own background paper and used lots of stuff from my September kit for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge.

I used a striped background and the page starter for Shimelle's Scrapbook Starting Point.

And, while looking at Shimelle's blog, I realized I had my title for the 2Peas Fill in the Blank Challenge.

I inked an embossing folder and ran some Core'dinations cardstock through the Cuttlebug. So while I didn't really stamp my background, I did use ink to create the color on the dot pattern. I managed to piece it together in a way that most of the seams are hidden under other things.

I was going to make a medallion but didn't end up seeing a place for it on the page, so instead I just stretched the scored paper across the page. First I coated it with Triple Thick Gloss Glaze for some shine, and then lightly highlighted the folds with the blue and red inks that I used throughout the page.

Recently I have seen paint being used for matting/edging, so I thought I'd give it a try. I then inked the edges, too, to help define the pics and journaling block on the page.

I made the flower for a previous counterfeit kit and finally used it here. It was inked with an aqua blue, which didn't quite go with any of the shades of blue on the page. So I covered the aqua with a darker blue staz-on ink with a q-tip.

I am happy with the page, but more than anything, I am just happy that I had some time to fuss.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go pace and swear at the TV while I watch the rest of the football game :).

Walgreens Coupon Code

2011-09-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

Happy weekend! Just wanted to pass along this coupon code for Walgreens photo. It expires on the 17th, I believe. "5OFFANY" will get you $5 off a purchase of $5 or more for photo gifts.

So I went looking for what I could get for free :). The closest I found was one of the magazine cover templates for 5.99, so .99 after the code. Here's what I made and picked up last night:

One of Junior's pictures in front of the waterfall at the park fit perfectly into the template.

I believe you can also do some 5x7 folded cards that can apply toward the code. Collages do not (I tried). Maybe you can find something else that works with the coupon. Hope that info can help someone else!

Rebecca

More Dog Training - CKC Project 1

2011-09-13T04:50:00.000-07:00

Just had a little bit of time to work with my September Counterfeit Kit - 1 page about Junior's "advanced class" graduation in July. My page is a total, shameless scraplift of Nichol Magouirk's Day One Seattle layout posted in the 2Peas gallery. I simplified the top half and didn't include all of her beautiful stamping/printing work, but I did use the layout and picture placement nearly the same.

The title is my first use of my "faux-Thickers," which I cut from foam.

I also used several items from my kit: papers, faux stitch rub-ons, some ribbons and embellishments.
These pics were from before Junior's injury. We had to delay his next class, rally obedience, until this past week. I don't think I've mentioned it here, but since his back injury, we followed a few weeks of crate rest with very light activity. We just started taking longer walks again, and tonight was his first trip back to the dog park.

Foam Cutting Experiment

2011-09-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

I use a Cricut and try to find new ways to use it as much as possible. When I saw this month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge, using the September 2010 inspiration kit from Sweet Peach Crop Shop, my eyes were immediately drawn to that set of foam Thickers. I've been meaning to try cutting foam with my Cricut, so I thought now would be the perfect time to try.

This month's inspiration kit.

My experience is with a Cricut, a Gypsy and a regular blade. Maybe you have a Slice, a Sil, or one of 100 other electronic cutters. Or maybe you have a deep blade for your Cricut and already know you can cut thicker material. Regardless of the machine, my thought is google how to cut foam with your machine and give it a try!

To start my experiment I turned to YouTube to see what others have already done with foam. I found this tutorial from Cathie Rigby, and I think it was the most useful for getting started. By the way, Cathie's blog, Creative Cutter Room, is a great resource in general!

So here are the results of my experiments:

Round 1 - Epic fail. I had my machine set to speed 3, pressure max, multi-cut 2, and the blade at 6. It wasn't enough multi-cuts, and my blade was dragging between letters, so they ended up cut where they shouldn't be. I said bad words and went to bed.

Round 2 - Not to be detered, I tried speed 3, pressure high, multi-cut 4, and the blade set at 4. Better but not perfect. There was still a drag line, although it got better. And the extra multi-cut definitely made a better cut through the material.

Round 3 - Success, sort of. I didn't ever completely resolve the blade drag issue. If anyone has any ideas for that issue, I'll take it! But I tried something suggested in the video - I flipped my image on the Gypsy and that way the right side was stuck to the mat and protected from the overzealous blade. I also found that a quick trip around some area of a letter with a craft knife helped give a great release.

Flipped image using the Gypsy, so the "right side" of the cut would be the side that was stuck to the mat.

My early tries were pretty rough. The blue examples were my best cuts, and that's when I really felt like I was on the right track.

Round 4 - I tried my letters a little bigger (about 1 1/2" tall), chunkier/less intricate fonts, and some welded words. Great success! I also played around with running it through the Cuttlebug for an embossed image and changing the color with stickles or ink. I just wanted to quickly show how easy it is to change the color - you're not stuck with neon green if that's all you have. I really liked the brown ink on top - it made it look botanical and less like a kids craft item.

It took awhile to work out the kinks, but now that I know what works best on my machine, it will be a quick and practically free process to cut just the letters I need.

One final side experiment note: I have a Sizzix Sizlet alphabet strip (Wingo Zingo) - I found it at a flea market last year for $2. Anyway, I don't enjoy using it in my Cuttlebug because the letters stick in the die, and it's a pain to get them out. But I decided to try it with foam. Oh my gosh, it was so easy! And the letters peeled right out! And it was such a clean cut! I just wish they were bigger. But I can definitely see myself using that alpha with foam in the near future.

Sorry for the dirty craft mat, but I wanted to show the sizes of all my experiments, and this was the only grid surface I could find.

No time for Bonus Round 5 yet, but when I do, I'm going to try more stamping, dry embossing, and glittering. Stay tuned.

Moral of the story: Play with whatever machine you have, find the settings that work for you, and see how you like cutting foam!

12x18 sheets of foam are around $1 at any craft store and give you lots of room for cutting the letters as you need them. I also found packs of small foam sheets at Dollar Tree - it may be just a hair thinner but nearly the same as what I bought at Hobby Lobby.

If you have any hints or tips for cutting foam letters, please leave a comment so we can all learn more together. Happy crafting!

Rebecca

Football Friday Night

2011-09-09T18:03:00.001-07:00

I was just working on another project and came up with the solution for my football page. I have renewed love for my cuttlebug tonight. I just cut some shapes and embossed them with a star pattern embossing folder from hobby lobby. A few stickers for an OH - IO! cheer, and I was done.

We will be back in the stadium tomorrow. Hope it's 50 degrees cooler than last weekend!

My September Kit

2011-09-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

To see September's Counterfeit Kit Challenge, find all the info here. The inspiration kit is the September 2010 kit from Sweet Peach Crop Shop.

And here's my take on the kit:

I liked the blues and greens in the inspiration kit. I was reminded of an old My Minds Eye (everyday tango) stack that has been kicking around (haha - tango.....kicking.....haha) my stash for several years. I used a lot of the papers for a vacation album several years ago, but as often happens with stacks, it hardly looks like I put a dent in it. So many of the papers will work this month, and I hope to use up as much as I can. I even have a plan for card making with this kit, if I can get around to it!

I also included some other papers to work with this month - some Basic Grey, American Crafts, GCD Studios (I am loving grid paper as backgrounds right now), and cardstock (DCWV and Core'dinations).

I have a few embellishments pulled out for my kit - some rub-on stitching, some fall/themed metal pieces, and some ribbon. But mostly I'm going to rely on making embellishments and alphabet sets with my kit contents this month. I'm looking forward to some stamping challenges, and I have big plans for some foam to counterfeit the Thickers in the inspiration kit.

Looking forward to a month of creativity!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-09-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone that shared some ideas for my football page. I haven't decided yet, but I think I'll use a combo of a few different suggestions. I'll post it again when I get the page completely finished.

The random number generator and I are having issues, so you're just going to have to trust me to cut/paste the results:). So, here is the random drawing result:

True Random Number Generator
Result: 6
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

And that means Tracy, you won! Don't worry about not being a football watcher - the pack of goodies isn't necessarily sports-themed, so I hope you like it. Just send me your address, and I'll get it in the mail to you.

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. I'm still on Cloud 9 about yesterday's CKCB announcement!

Fun News!

2011-09-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

I was late to turn on the computer today. I was at a crop until late last night, so it was a slow-moving morning around here.

I started visiting my usual blog stops when I noticed a special surpirse announcement - I am now part of the Master Forger Team at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog!

I am relatively new to all this blogging and sharing projects stuff, especially related to scrapbooking. So I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with a great group and on the challenges that come along with the Counterfeit Kit.

So if you're coming here from the CKC blog, welcome! And if you've landed here from some other direction, welcome to you, too - and please make your way over to the CKC blog. The next monthly challenges will start on September 5th.

I will post the winner to my football challenge later this weekend. Just wanted to share my happy news today!

Happy September

2011-09-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

Happy September 1st!

I'll celebrate with a September 2010 page:

All the papers are We R Memory Keepers Furever Friends line; the title is ??from my stash, not sure what it is??; and the picture collage is from Walgreens. Love those free collages when they come around!

Funny Layout

2011-08-31T05:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a layout I finished over the weekend. I used a couple of December 2010 events to poke fun at my inferior photo-taking abilities.

I know all of December's blurry pics might make you think it, but.....I was not DRUNK!

The few pictures I have from these two events last December came from my phone's camera. I have learned that it can be a great camera, but it's really hard to hold it still. I've gotten better, but that first month was literally a blur! Anyway, joking about the blurry pictures gave me a way to coordinate these two unrelated events into one layout.

I used all Jillibean Soup (from last year's and this year's holiday lines), except for the shapes strung across the bottom of the page - those came from another sheet of shapes from my stash. I started with a sketch from Sketch Support.

Celebrate Football Season!

2011-08-30T05:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend starts college football frenzy around our house!

Crystal owns the TV from now until late November, and then again from late December through the bowl season.

She knows all the coaches and players and has a head for the stats, records and stories for all the teams. Thursday and Friday nights often include games. Saturdays become 12 hour football marathons, and it's not uncommon to watch 2 games at the same time. Sundays become analysis days, filled with sports shows, newspaper articles, and maybe an NFL game, just to keep up with where college players go.

I watch the Buckeye games, and I'll get interested in other games throughout the season, but the constant football attention starts to wear on me. I'm so happy to have my craft room, so I can retreat there. I fully expect to get a lot of scrapping done this fall - and I won't hear a peep about it from Crystal until sometime after Thanksgiving.

In honor of the fall football frenzy, I am having my first contest! It's a simple one - I just need your opinion. Reply to this post , and I'll draw a random winner. Here is the question:

September 2010 - Part of the Club - For just one day we got to see how "The Other Half" lives at Ohio Stadium. We parked in our reserved spot and made our way to the Skull Session. Then we went to the stadium and found our Huntington Club seats. Private food, bathrooms and TVs, our own seats with cupholders....don't think we can go back!

I "completed" these pages at a recent, very productive crop at Red Letter Journals, and I used a sketch from Sketch Support. But - after I got everything affixed to the page, I realized that I completed mismeasured the mat on the righthand page, and suddenly I had a big hole to fill.

I need ideas on how to fill that page! Anything that involves moving or taking this page apart is not an option - I used ATG tape, so it's all super stuck, and I don't want to put that kind of time into starting over.

So, tell me, what would you do? All suggestions will be entered into a random drawing. Feel free to include a shout out for your favorite team, too! Reply by 5pm, Friday, Sept. 2nd, and I'll draw and post a winner over the weekend. Winner receives a package of goodies from my stash. If the winner happens to be a Buckeyes fan, maybe there will be a little something extra :).

Go ____________________ (insert your team name here, even if it's Meeechigan)!

Want to Do vs. Have to Do

2011-08-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of "have to do's" this weekend. Yuck!

I have to work on Saturday morning, and then we're finishing up some projects around the house. I see patching, caulking, sanding and painting in my near future. Double yuck!

Add in the usual grocery shopping and laundry, and it's almost enough to make me want to skip to Monday.

But somewhere in there I WILL get some free time, and with that I will participate in the Miss Arts Papercrafting School Free Class. Looks like a great way to see one class and take a look at the site's list of other available resources, too.

Summer? Summer? Where Are You?

2011-08-24T05:26:00.000-07:00

I know where it went.....

It started in May with our trip to the Hocking Hills.....

It continued through June with Junior's classes......

and a terrific month of scrapping, thanks to the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog....

It turned into July and flew by with fun events like my 20 year high school reunion and this night when we were able to meet Tess Gerritsen.....

And I took an online class with Allison Davis at My Creative Classroom. These are just a few of the pages I completed for the class gallery......

....and then August has been the Month of Junior. Poor puppy hurt his back, so we spent lots of time at vets and emer$en$y vets, trying to help him through the pain and the uncertainty. After 2 full weeks of complete crate rest and another almost 2 weeks of low activity, he has had enough of it and wants to PLAY!

I did sneak away on one August weekend for a two day crop at a LSS, Red Letter Journals. It was a fantastic two days and nights, and between that weekend, the Allison Davis class and the Counterfeit Kit challenges, I am so close to being caught up on our 2010 and 2011 albums. My goal was to have it all done by August 31st, and I think I'm actually going to be able to say that I met my goal!

In Junior's Honor

2011-08-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple before and after for Metamorphisis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. My offering is not nearly as exciting as this week's featured screened in deck (it's lovely!), but it is something that will perk up our bedroom wall.

This post is in honor of our dog Junior, who is just not having a good month. Right now the vet's best guess is that he has a pinched nerve in his back. And while his x-rays didn't show anything to explain his pain, they did reveal a fracture in his hip. So, our boy is on strict crate rest for a month. That's right, 30 days. We're on day 2. I don't know how any of us are going to make it. How do you keep an active pup in a cage for a full month?!

As an aside, August is earning a bad reputation around our house. August 2009: Our cat, Owen, was in the hospital and then passed away. August 2010: Junior's first brush with emergency medicine - he was recovering from water intoxication after a beach outing. And how this. Serenity now! Serenity now!

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I found this plaque and liked the quote and sepia coloring:

And here it is after my alteration:

Notice the difference? I printed Junior's picture in a sepia tone, to match the coloring of the plaque. I chose a close up and cropped an 8x10 print to fit.

Just a quick, inexpensive way to personalize a piece of artwork.

Here's hoping our Junior will heal and get back to being the active guy he wants to be!

Counterfeit Kit Ad Challenge

2011-06-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick page I did for the ad challenge on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge.

My inspiration ad:

The ad reminded me of a pack of We R Memory Keepers divided page protectors that I wanted to use. I have a few different configurations and love to use them for quick pages and for lots of pictures on one page.

Blah....what a terrible picture. But it's late and dark and no time to try again.
This page is about the day I got to meet my latest niece, Josie.

While looking through my stash for anything baby (not much to be had), I found a vellum quote stack. Does anyone use those quote stacks anymore? I found a way to use it here. I fussy cut the background shape from a piece of patterned paper. I ran the vellum strip through my little Xyron X and adhered it to the background shape. Then I trimmed the edge of the vellum to match the shape, and inked the edges black to finish it off. It's hard to tell here, but the vellum really disappeared - it looks a little like a rub-on. I made a couple of other shapes for the page the same way. I was really happy to have a new use for an old supply.

The only things not in my original kit - the brads and the last of a pack of paper flowers. The pink ones were kicking around for a loooong time, and I was glad to get them used.

That's it for tonight. Have a great week!

Summer Counterfeit Kit Challenge

2011-06-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

Well, my leg did not get better - in fact, it's worse. After my bike fall last Saturday I've developed a big infection in my leg, and it H-U-R-T-S! It's not so comfortable to sit or stand in my scrap space, so I didn't do much this week. Here's hoping the new round of antibiotics will kick the infection this week.

But I did manage to get a couple of projects finished this weekend. Here is my Counterfeit Kit Challenge using the summer add-on kit and the sketch for this challenge.

I chose to include my Gypsy in my summer kit, to remind me to start USING it. So I made a few cuts to add shapes, a welded border, and some circles to stack like flowers.

I watched a lot of YouTube videos for Gypsy tutorials this week, and I've spent a lot more time watching than practicing. But it's research, right?! Anyway, I had a couple of "duh, how did I not know that" moments, but it has been good to put a few of the tricks into practice.

One tidbit I can share: I had a paper with some printed circles that I wanted to cut out of the paper. But I didn't have a punch exactly the right size, and I didn't trust myself to cut it by hand. How to cut it with my Cricut?

First, measure the diameter of the circle you want to cut. Create a circle that size on the Gypsy, and then cut the circle out of scrap paper.

Remove the circle from the mat, then without removing the remaining paper, peel it back to make room for the paper you want to cut.

Here's the circle I was trying to cut. Once you have it positioned, run your mat back through the machine and make the same cut.

And there's the circle I was going for, and it gave it a nice clean edge. In the interest of full disclosure, I did mess it up the first time - it was off the mark just a smidge. Fortunately I had an extra piece of paper in case I made mistakes. Just take some extra care to make sure you load your mat properly each time, and it works like a charm.

Here's the finished circle stack on the layout. It looked like a nice place for a paw print in the center :).

I'm sorry, I don't remember where I picked up that little trick, but I do have a couple of links to the best tutorials I found for the Gypsy. If you're like me and have the Gypsy, but never took the time to actually read any instructions, this series is a good one. It looks like the blogger that created these videos is no longer blogging, but her blog is still up and has other great ideas, too.

Cropaholicblog's Designing with the Gypsy Part 1
Cropaholicblog's Designing with the Gypsy Part 2
Cropaholicblog's Designing with the Gypsy Part 3

More Counterfeit Kit

2011-06-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pages using my Counterfeit Kit:

Junior's first pool day on the patio.

While I wasn't scrapping over the past few months, I did make monthly collage pages (I used the WalGreens site). I'm so glad I at least kept up with these prints, to make the actual catch-up phase go a little faster.

I laid out the circles on my page on the Gypsy and cut the images from the full page. Then I filled those circles with Basic Grey Max and Whiskers papers. I added Jillibean Soup letters from my stash for the words.

Another collage print - so helpful! I left my chipboard shapes plain and added the holes around the edges with my Crop-o-Dile. I think it looks very similar to the frames in this month's original kit.

I had every intention this weekend of finishing a couple of challenges for this month's Kit, but roadblocks popped up at every turn. One specific roadblock threw me from my bike last night and resulted in a good deal of limping around today. I wasn't moving very fast for anything. So my summer add-on page is in the works, as is my ad challenge page. Here's a peek at my inspiration ad.....I just need to pick up some prints and add them to the page:

And a little humor on behalf of my bruised ego....Someone was driving by and saw my fall, and as I was pushing my freshly bent bicycle back to the house, she drove up and asked if I was OK. In that moment I felt a little like Principle Rooney:

Have a great week!

Using My Counterfeit Kit

2011-06-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

A few pages using my Counterfeit Kit:

Junior's first page, with a little bit of his story. I used several Basic Grey Max and Whiskers papers.

Junior's adoption information. I printed his page from the shelter website onto a notebook paper from my stash and included his pic from the site and the pic of him in his cast. Used more Max and Whiskers papers.

I made these letters from blank chipboard. I layered them with gesso, then layers of brown, green and red inks, and then glaze. I like how they turned out!

I used DecoArt Triple Tick Gloss Glaze several times recently - it's what I used on the letters above. I like the shine and the thickness, and I'm just pretty taken with it right now. It really gives an UTEE-like shine without the need for a heatgun.

My favorite Junior picture!

I printed these paisley papers and all the word tags from a digital kit at http://shabbyprincess.com/. I painted the J and the chipboard tag and covered with glaze, to have something shiny to go with the glossy pictures.

One more look at Junior, and a close up of the digital paper. I really like that paisley print and the muted colors that went well with other stuff already in my kit.

I am the world's slowest scrapper! But I've been having fun just playing with some of the techniques listed on this month's Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog posts, without worrying about how to use anything I create. I do have a couple of other pages near completion that I'll try to post this week.

My First Counterfeit Kit

2011-06-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is my first post for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge. I discovered the Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog a few weeks ago, via a thread on the Two Peas message board, and I found so much inspiration in the posts from the past few months. Besides being my first challenge post, it's also my first scrapbooking post in general, so here it goes!.....

The inspiration kit is at Burlap and Buttercups and included some really lovely paper. But I didn't have any of it, so I looked for similar pieces in my own stash, in colors that worked for me.

For my kit, I knew that I wanted to use it to get moving on pages for our dog, Junior. He has been with us for over a year, and I haven't done a single page for him. Bad dog mom. Bad! So I looked at what doggish things I've collected, considered those things against the inspiration kit, and here's what I came up with:

I used several Fancy Pants papers, and other papers from American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, Reminisce Autumn Afternoon and a few sheets of Core'dinations cardstocks. I also included a Basic Grey laser-cut doillie sheet and a 6x6 paper pad of Basic Grey Max and Whiskers.

I've already started using the Max and Whiskers to make some embellishment pieces.

I started some other homemade pieces in the kit, too. I made my own notebook paper on some Bazzill Kraft. I used another piece of Bazzill (with the swiss dot pattern like the background in the Fancy Pants Spring Fever paper), printed some journal blocks on it, and placed clear animal-themed stickers onto the paper. I'll play around with it and see if it becomes something useful.

I also included a handful of small embellishments and clips in lieu of the inspiration kit's stick pins (those things scare me - I'd be the one to step on them). And I didn't have any punched chipboard frames, but I do have loads of regular chip shapes. I played a bit with punching my own holes with my Cropodile - I like it! I also have this set of Lil' Davis Designs chipboard alphabet - same punched design idea. Maybe I can paint them or find some other way to finally use them this month.

I also put together a coordinating summer ad-on kit, based on Kim's inspiration kit (check out Kim's blog at http://lovejoyscrap.blogspot.com/). Here's my take:

This one is easy to describe: A few pieces of paper and my Gypsy. I just couldn't find any summer embellishments in my stuff, and for sure nothing that went along with the peachy/buttery type colors that seemed to work their way through my kit choices. But I do have several cartridges on that darn Gypsy. Specifically, I have Freshly Picked, Summer Vacation and Walk in My Garden - all good candidates for making some summer embellishments. I declare this month the month on the Cricut....I've spent enough money on the stuff, it's about time it started earning its keep here in my little corner of the 'burbs.

Can't wait to get started on all the challenges and projects!

Closet Project

2011-05-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing this post on Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. Click back to Susan's blog to see all the links to other great projects around blogland today.

I'm also linking to The DIY Showoff, so check out the party there, too!

We started 2011 with plans for several around-the-house projects. I'd like to share some of those projects, so today I'll start with my closet.

This project took entirely tooooo long! We were working on the weekends, and between my switching jobs, both of us being sick (one right after the other), and other unforseen delays, it took about 6 weeks to completely finish it.

Before: Plain 6' wire closet bar, useful but wanted more. It's a walk in space with just this closet bar on one side.

We painted the space (Behr Ozone) and then worked on installing the tower cabinets. We chose a white DIY set (Talon brand) from Menards. Our kit was inexpensive compared to other sets we could find, especially since we caught a sale during a rebate period. I wanted a white finish, but no nicer-looking kits came in a white finish. This set was the best one we could find that didn't break the bank.

Because of a heat register placement and the placement of the tower, I wasn't able to use the closet bars that came with the kit. I had to buy metal bars and cut to size (thanks to a couple of guys standing in line behind me who happened to be buying a hacksaw and cut my bars to size, right there in line!).

We acquired the Dremel one night when we realized the need to cut the trim so the cabinet would fit flush against the wall. Just one of those monkey wrenches that pops up in a project. At 6pm on a Sunday. Nothing's easy!

Here you can see the full before of the space as we were unloading everything from the space. Do any of you have these stair-stepped storage areas like I have in the back of the closet? It's three steps up the back of the space, and we've used it to stuff odds and ends ever since we moved here. I wanted to make it more functional for organized storage and use some of the space for more accessory and linen storage.

After: Our solution was to use a second tower kit on the bottom stair step. Once put together, the tower was 7 feet tall, but the space on the step was only 6 feet tall, so we had to make some modifications. I'm pretty happy with our finished set up. I can reach the drawers and the lower shelves without climbing up on the step. I keep a small folding step stool in the space so it's easy to get up there if needed.

Other details: In the end I gained about 12" of hanging space on the closet wall while adding the full tower of storage for clothes. The tower at the back of the space added shelf space for purses and accessories and drawers for linen storage. I even squeezed in that extra 10" bar to the right of the tower for longer hanging items.

I couldn't get a good pic of the top steps at the back of the closet, but basically the top step is full of luggage, and the middle step is space for comforters and blankets.

One shopping tip for you: I found these bags at the Dollar Tree. They are a great, inexpensive bag for comforter storage. They are big enough to fit fluffy king size comforters. They are not heavy duty, but if you just need something to keep the dust off and prefer a zipper bag, this option is a winner. I try not to go to DT too much, because I end up buying unnecessary things, but this bag was a great find.

It was hard work and more project than I expected, but I love my new closet!

Technology

2011-05-19T14:27:00.001-07:00

Just a test post using my phone. It might be a good tool for me!

So much life!

2011-05-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

Huh....guess who stinks at blogging?

18 months have gone bye-bye since my last post. I suppose there are lots of reasons. None of them matter, right? I'm here now, and I resolve to begin anew! Again. Begin anew again.

But if my next post doesn't happen until 2012, so be it!

What life has been happening since October 2009? Let's see....

Losing Owen was really crushingly sad for us. We were sad a lot.

We took a trip to Mexico in January/February 2010. THE trip for our 10th anniversary/Christmas/my birthday, all rolled into one. It was fantastic and completely necessary.

I came home with a renewed interest in scrapbooking. We took so many pictures, and we loved everything about our trip so much, that I really wanted to get some scrapping done. I'm pretty proud to say that I caught up on our albums for 2007-2009 and finished a whole book for our Mexico trip.

And we adopted Junior in March 2010, a loving wonderful puppy that makes us happy again! This summer he will be 2 years old. He makes us laugh, he makes us swear, he makes us talk constantly about our dog to people we barely know (yes, we've become THOSE people).

And a little secret (don't tell anyone, because it makes me sound a little crazy): This dog is a reincarnation of Owen the Wondercat. Seriously. 1) we think (he's a shelter pup) he was born around the time Owen died, 2) he looks like her, with the same colors, 3) when we first got to know him, he liked to climb up on my shoulder, just like Owen used to do, and 4) he's bad in the same ways Owen was bad, but so loving that it hardly matters.

And what did I do around the house in 2010? What spectacular feats of decorating/homemaking projects did I complete? That would be nothing. I completely lost interest. But 2011 has been different! We've been in a constant state of shuffle as we installed a closet, did some big updates to our master, created my craft room and finished the spring outdoor clean-up. I took several pics along the way, so maybe a couple of posts will come out of those projects.

And no pics for this one, but Santa brought me a new job this year (it arrived a little late at the end of January). I now don't have to drive an hour each way, and the two of us carpool most days. It's quite a change to be home every night, and I'm still adjusting to the job.

So that's the big catch up post. May I not have to do a big catch up post again. Until the next time.

Summer Turns to Fall

2009-10-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Happens every year.....

I started the summer, and this blog, with such excitement for the season. I had plans. I'm always really, really good at beginnings. The beginning of a project, a season, a class - I'm on it. But somewhere around midway through it, I lose my resolve to finish. And endings in my life, both big things and little things, are never as pulled together as I'd like. I'm always looking forward to my next beginning. There's always something to pull me in another direction, and that's exactly what happened this summer.

June was a blast. But the fun ground to a halt like a broken carnival ride as soon as July emerged. July was drudgery. Complete drudgery. I took a statistics class. Maybe I'll talk more about my classwork later. All I'll say now is that it was miserable.

And it got worse in August when our lovely little kitty, our little baby Owen, our kitty practically since birth (hers and our relationship's), had a bad kidney crash. Reality set in after her week at the OSU vet hospital and subsequent few weeks at home with us. She came home with a feeding tube and showed us moments of happiness I'll always remember. But she also told us she was ready for us to let her go.

We started September as a family of two. And we have been sad. The tears have lessened, but we still ache for our lap buddy, our nap buddy, or door greeter and overall loneliness curer. We stayed busy - the beginning of the academic year at work, busy weekends with family, fun and football - and we got through it.

Now suddenly it's nearly November. It's dark when I leave for work (the best part of my drive to work is seeing the sunrise). And as the season has firmly changed to fall with hints of winter, I'm planning to restart some blogging and just see where it goes. Maybe I'll talk about school, maybe I'll talk about the holidays, maybe I'll talk about....whatever new beginning is around the corner :).

Rebecca

Thrift Stores and Credit Cards

2009-07-14T04:58:00.001-07:00

Uh Oh.

Thrift Store Purchases Could Hurt Cardholders
Some Credit Card Companies Track Purchases At Thrift Stores

That the card companies would be watching purchases isn't news. But that they would use my transactions against me? Ugh.

I wonder what the rest of my transactions say about me? I grocery shop at Giant Eagle - since their prices are so high, that should show that I'm solvent, right?!

Proof

2009-07-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am linking this old post to the Pets in Your Home theme-party at Funky Junk Interiors. I'm late to the party, but I just found it, so hopefully I can still post. She lost a pet last week, and it reminded me of our little baby. Miss you every day, Owie :).

And by the way, I did paint the brass on the fireplace. It's now a hammered copper color, and it was a low-cost solution to that case of the uglies.

__________________________________________________________________________

Proof that:

(1) Our Monster is indeed a monster. But we love her anyway (because she's microchipped and there's nothing we can do about it).

(2) I have the ugliest fireplace. I haven't died from looking at it, but it has made me grimace multiple times. Will somebody PLEASE get around to doing something about that hideous brass trim?!?! It's on the list.....

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-09T05:41:00.000-07:00

I'm linking this post to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

I have an addictive personality. When I discover something new I fall into it and forget about every other single thing for awhile. I somehow found BNOTP and spent hours pouring through all of Susan's great pictures and links on that blog.

Please go see all the tablescapes linked to this week's post - but don't blame me if you are up all night looking at pictures :).

Anyway, here's our table from the holiday:

Plates are The Cellar line from Macy's. The bowls are from World Market. I love my white dishes. I lucked out one day at Macy's and found the open stock plates and the salad plates for .50/each, so I think I bought 16 of each. The napkins and placemats came from Kohls a couple of years ago. The tablecloth is just fabric pieces I had on hand. The glassware is thrift store goodness.

Who says Santa only comes out in December?
Maybe he wants to lead a summer parade!

I used little scraps of fabric as ties on stems, napkins and silverware. They were from an americana-themed christmas tree I used to do--that's why I have the santa (bought him at Bronner's in Frankenmuth, MI).

My sister bought me these little partylite tealight holders a few years ago for Christmas. I finally found a place for them to fit! They look like the stars on the placemats or little sunshines....either way, it works for the holiday.

With the passing of July 4th, my summer travel and holidays for the summer are officially over. Only 2 weeks until the "dog days of summer" and their associated heat and drudgery!

A New Storage Solution

2009-07-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

I'm always wondering where to put the new dishes as I accumulate them. I may have found a solution.

Everyone talks about their fantastic Craigslist finds. I have found a couple of things, but I haven't found the crazy good, jump up and down deal yet. I'm usually just not willing to drive very far.

I do love to look at the Free ads. They're good for a laugh. I especially like ads that are one line, very little info, no pictures.

Today there was a funny one. I clicked on it because it said "Free Tea Set." Here is the full text:

"There is a Tea set in my tree at the front of my yard if you have an eye for them all yours. "

OK...assuming the person means for you to take the tea set and not the tree....there is no hint as to where the tree is, so one would have to email the author to get the location. Couldn't he/she just let the person then know - hey, here's the location, and I left it in the tree for you?

Check CL and see if you can find an amusing ad. If so, post it here!

Pantry Clean Up

2009-07-07T08:01:00.001-07:00

I have a list of nagging projects around the house, and I accomplished one over the weekend: Pantry Overhaul.

When we moved in almost 2 years ago, our first project was installing shelves in this closet/storage area under the stairs, off the kitchen. I wanted a pantry. So, narrow as it is, it's now a pantry.

But it was stuffed. And often we can't find things or don't rediscover something until it's long expired. Such is the life of a black-hole pantry.

I read an article recently about organizing (from Get Organized Now!). The article talked about excuses for not organizing, and one excuse was that it's too expensive. I totally related to that excuse when it came to my pantry. Each time I thought about redoing the space, I wandered from the basics and had a full list of lovely ideas for the space.....take down the shelves, paint, rehang shelves, fill with lovely wicker baskets with cute little label ties to identify the contents....and then I'd think "I don't want to spend that kind of money," and the project went back to the end of the pile.

But I decided the thing just needed to get cleaned and organized, and I needed to do it for no money. It's just the pantry, for crying out loud!

So, here's sort of the before shot. Forgot to take the pic before I started pulling out all the contents. Trust me, it was stuffed:

I bought a few plastic bins when I first added the shelves, so I did go back to the store to find more. Fortunately, they still had the same version. I spent $20 more on those bins, even though this was supposed to be a $0 project.

And here's the pantry after:

Room to spare! I don't know that it looks that much better to you, but I can already tell that it was a success. It's much easier to find things. I'm glad I waited to do this project, because I've definitely learned what I need to get to easily, what was hardest to find, etc.

I did label everything, even though Eyeball said, "can't we just see where things are supposed to go?" Right. But it will be helpful for spices, which I divided into 3 bins by alphabet.

OK, so one day I'd like to make the wire shelves more attractive (can't find the pics but I saw how someone covered the wire shelves in melamine and added a fabric border so it looked like more substantial shelving); have pretty baskets and tags; and paint the walls and bookcase to match. Someday. But until then, I have a functional space that makes me happy.

Do any of you have ideas on making wire shelving work hard for you? Feel free to leave comments with your ideas or links!

Dishes in the Mornin, Dishes in the Evenin, Dishes at Suppertime

2009-06-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

Poor neglected blog :(. I'll do my best to get back to building a fun site now that most of my summer travel is out of the way.

I'm Linking this post to 2nd Time Around Tuesday at A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words, since my souvenir is definitely used but new to me. Check out the other posts linked to this week's 2nd Time Around by clicking on the link above.

WHAT I FOUND ON TWO RECENT TRIPS:

Thrifty Souvenir Find, on our vacation trip to Summersville, WV: plates with an "R"top mark (my initial)--set of 6 for $10. I found them in an antique store that had a big sign on the front door: "Good Junk." My kind of place! This set has led to a new obsession as I try to identify this piece of restaurant ware. The stamp on the back is McNichol China (West Virginia).

Fiestaware Tent Sale: At the end of June we went to Homer Laughlin in Newell, WV. By all accounts I shouldn't have had such a good time. I don't even use/collect Fiesta, I dislike lines and HATE the heat, and I was dealing with an infected hangnail that landed me in the ER earlier in the week. But I had the time of my life! It was such fun, and we're already planning a trip to the next tent sale in October. The staff was so organized, the people in line were all laid back, and the process of getting from car to tent was super efficient.

We arrived at 6am to get a ticket and got tickets around 7:30am. We went back to our hotel for breakfast and killed some time at the casino down the street. BTW, casinos at 7am are sort of sad.

Back in line at 9am, and got to the tent at noon. People in line were so chatty and friendly. It was hot, but there were places where the line went through shade, and sometimes there were places to sit. It really didn't feel like 3 hours.

Time spent shopping: about 1/2 hour.
Time spent waiting in line to checkout: about 45 minutes.
Best find: a divided plate with a scrolled edge for $4
Biggest haul: my boss got service for 16 (4 of 4 different colors), lots of serving pieces for $150
Funniest moment: when a friend lost her mind mid-hunt & changed the colors she was looking for
Weird and wacky: ended up in line behind someone I went to college with, nowhere near there, 15 years ago.

Hall Pottery 50% Off Sale: People in line told us about another local pottery. After we cooled off and had some lunch we made our way to Hall's. JACKPOT!

Ramekins and small bowls for .05!
giant plates (charger size and larger) for .75!
a huge white rectange server for 2.50!

I spent a total of $11 and have put all my pieces to use in my kitchen. I'll show some of those items on future posts.

Here we are, all loaded up and ready to go home:

But the most valuable gain on this trip wasn't the actual dishes. It was a new interest in some pottery history. That area of West Virginia/Ohio is connected to McNicol China (the R plates) via the potters that migrated from one area to the other. I have done lots of internet reading on the history of these areas, and I'm interested to learn more. I'd better hurry and look for some books before Ted Strickland closes all our libraries.

Change of Plans

2009-06-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

I'm linking this post to Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality. Rhoda hosts the event every Monday. Check out her blog at http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/ to see all the links to everyone else's finds.

The past few days have been a constant change of plans.

I planned to do the Route 40 yard sales all day on Thursday and Friday. But a baby in the family was born on Wednesday afternoon and had a dramatic first 48-hours. He will be fine, but we spent the past few days making runs to two hospitals (mom at one and baby at the other), babysitting the 2 year-old sister, and generally trying to be available to help.

I did do sales on the way to the hospital on Thursday morning. My best find: a pile of Waverly valances and curtains that solve my dining room and kitchen window problems. The whole pile was $3 (some of them still in the packages). The man that took my money said his wife just told him to price everything. I told him to be sure to thank her for me! I'll use the valances and then cut up the curtain tiers for placemats and/or napkins to match.

But generally it just didn't feel like a lucky trip. Other things on my mind, I guess.

Do you ever wonder what's going to make a good thrift hunting trip? Is it just a matter of being in the right frame of mind? right place/right time? some aligning of the stars and moon? Because this morning I went to Goodwill, and I found so many things! A lamp, a pillar with the 29.99 Kohls sticker still on it, 2 wine carafs, a cloche ( 59 cents!), a pair of white candle sticks, a set of salt/pep to match a set of dishes I'm accumulating, & some ribbon.

But my best find, not pictured b/c it's still in the car - a thick bronze-ish curtain rod. I'm working on getting curtains hung in our master. I bought the curtains, the rod and the ring clips. But I forgot to get a rod for my closet window. I wasn't looking forward to going back to the store and spending another $30 on a matching rod, plus another at least $20 for ring clips. The rod I found today included a baggie with the tie backs, the hardware, and some nice clips, all nearly identical to what I bought for the main bedroom, all for 1.99!!! I saved about $48. I'm so excited to get this project started.

I fully intend to use that wine carafe tonight. It was one of those weekends that makes you look forward to the NEXT weekend.

Test

2009-05-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

Just testing out my new signature! Learning something new every day.....

Route 40 Yard Sales - Here I Come!

2009-05-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

It's time for my first big event of the summer. Today starts the Route 40 Yard Sale week/end. The sale starts the Wednesday after Memorial Day and ends that Sunday. I'm disappointed that I can't find much on the web about the national road sale; It looks like the antique store that was hosting the website is no longer active or participating. But it's an adventure, and I'm ready!

I am taking two days off to travel some of Ohio's Route 40 tomorrow and Friday. I had originally planned to use the two days to drive west into Indiana, but I have to come home for a meeting on Thursday night.

So here's the plan. I am most familiar with the area east of Columbus, so that's where I'll start on Thursday. It seems to be a pretty well developed area for the sales, and I think I'll have the best shot at finding sales that actually start before the weekend.

Friday I'll go west. I don't know how far I'll get or how dense the sales will be on Friday. But I don't have any time constraints except crossing back through Columbus during rush hour.

I'll upload some pictures as soon as I find anything picture worthy.

Summer Preview

2009-05-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

This week I had to seriously sit down with a calendar and get my vacation dates on the work schedule. Until I looked at the dates and really thought about it, I didn't realize that my summer has a theme: bargain hunting!

I previously mentioned the Route 40 Yard Sale. It's scheduled for the week after Memorial Day. I usually go out for a morning of yard sales, but I've never made it a real event. Last year I planned to drive further and see a new area, but gas was $4/gallon, and it didn't make any sense to bargain hunt while spending $200 for gas. This year I'm determined to enjoy 2 full days of shopping. The dates are sneaking up on me! It's just two weeks from today!

I unfortunately don't have a friend that can go with me. All the usual suspects that might jump on board have other obligations. And my partner (who I'll call Eyeball for the purposes of this blog....because she's always watching and knows when I bring junk into the house) is definitely not interested in two days of treasure hunting. In fact, when she reads this entry, she'll probably blow a gasket when she realizes how much yard/flea time is coming. So I'm on my own, and I'm excited to go at my own pace.

Mid-June is our family vacation. A few days of family fun in a terribly chic and glamorous location: Summersville, West Virginia. It's sort of a midway point for the branches of our family. I wanted to go to the beach as usual. I love the beach. But we couldn't get everyone together for a week, and it's too far of a drive for just a couple of days. Meeting in the middle makes sense.

When I made the reservation and gave the guy my address, he said, "you know, all good hillbillies have kinfolk in Columbus." I did not know that.

Summersville apparently has lots of outdoor activities - hiking, boating, diving, fishing, even snorkling. Here's the thing--I would travel around in a temperature controlled, bug free bubble most of the year if I could. I don't like being outside. If I'm not burning, baking or sweating, I'm scratching at bug bites. So I need to find other things to do that keep me in a more comfortable environment. That means finding the nearest flea market, as least one day.

The end of June is the Homer Laughlin Fiesta ware tent sale in Newell, WV. I'm going to WV a lot this summer, I guess! I don't collect Fiesta ware, but a couple of coworkers want to go. And I'm not saying no to an event that involves dishware at bargain basement prices. It should be an adventure. http://www.homerlaughlin.com/ffd/tent.asp, The picture above is a new color--lemongrass. I also read that brown came out last fall. I'd be interested in those two colors. The other pic is Homer Laughlin's restaurant line. I wonder if they have seconds of that type of dinnerware, too?

And then I think I will be bargain shopped out. I have such a long list of things I hope to find. And I have work to do; I need to find a suitable cart, put together a list of measurements/sizes for items I hope to find, and figure out a non-purse money carrying situation.

Now you know what the near future will be for my blog. May and June will be chatter about all my potential finds. I hope July and August can be full of projects derived from all those bargains. But I have a class to take in July/August, so we'll see how much I can accomplish.

A New Favorite Place

2009-05-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

Over time I'm sure I'll blog about some of my favorite treasure places.....the flea market at Lancaster, Ohio, the thrift stores around Cleveland Avenue in Columbus, and all the other fun places along the way. Today I discovered a new favorite, and I can't believe I didn't find it sooner. It's only about 5 miles from my house!

http://www.heritagesquareantiquemall.com/

More later about the treasures there.

Today's Thrifty Treasures: Books

2009-05-11T18:23:00.001-07:00

Before I started this blog I followed a few other blogs, one of which was Southern Hospitality. Mondays are Thrifty Treasures days at Southern Hospitality, so here's my contribution. Go to Southern Hospitality to see all the great finds posted by other bloggers; I'm so jealous of all the good finds that get posted there!

I didn't go to any yard sales over the weekend. I'm saving cash, time and enthusiasm for the Routh 40 yard sale at the end of the month.

But I did make a stop at GW. I didn't see anything exciting, but on my way out I noticed a sign that said books were all 10 cents that day. I turned back around to look for the books--just a couple of cases in the very back. But I got there just as some boxes were being unloaded. I picked up 7 craft/christmas/cook books for a total of .70. They're full of future projects!

Metamorphasis Monday: Plant Stand Project

2009-05-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at a weekly theme-post.

One of my favorite blogs right now is Between Naps on the Porch. That's where Metamorphasis Monday is hosted, so my thanks to Susan for some inspiration to set up my own creative space. Stop by her blog to see all sorts of great Met Monday projects.

My Met Monday project this week is a plant stand. I picked it up at a yard sale last year for $1, intending to sand off the rust, spray some black paint.....bing, bang, boom, good as new. I quickly learned that it wasn't that easy to get the rust off, so it sat in the garage gathering dust all year. I recently found a small wire brush drill bit that made it much easier to derust, but I didn't get around to actually doing the project until this weekend. I didn't think to take a pic of the stand before I started the project, but trust me, it wasn't much to look at. I'm certain my mom had the same stand sometime around 1973, but I like the shape and functionality of it for my guest room.

So here it is, post-rust removal and two coats of black spray paint on the metal parts.

I painted the middle wooden post cream.

I added a variety of rub-on vines around each part of the post.

AFTER: After spraying with a sealer, here is the finished project. The guest room where I'll use it is all black/cream, so I'm happy with how it turned out. Next project is to paint some pots for each spot, some for plants, some to hold items for the guest room.

Total cost: $1 for the stand, $1 for the paint, $3 for the rub-ons, and $5 for the wire drill bit for the rust removal.

Gettin' Goin'

2009-05-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Post #1.....

I have been looking at other blogs and thought it might be fun to jump in and start my own. So here I am! Consider everything right now "in progress," and I'll learn as I go.

Rebecca