Be my Valentine? A little giveaway...

Hello, friends.  I had some fun this weekend painting tin molds and altering them into little Valentine treat baskets.  This one was painted cadmium red on the outside and antique white inside. The edges were glued and dipped in German glass glitter. I punch two small holes with a nail and ran some wire through for a whimsical handle.  The ends were just wrapped around a small pencil and trimmed.  The best part though was filling it with goodies from my stash.  I'd love to share this little Valentine with one of you....who knows, maybe I'll even make another one filled with surprises and give away two!  After all...

 

I have one more left and the husband says this is WAY too small for the bag of peanut butter M&Ms he's hoping for. Maybe I should alter a pie plate or loaf pan for him to hold all that chocolate? lol  Leave me a comment below to enter this little giveaway. If you don't have a blog, please leave me your email so that I can contact you if you should win!  I will announce the winners next Sunday. Hope you had a great weekend! xoxo

Let's catch up!

Hello, my friends.  It has been too long!  I'm slowly getting back to blogging after a challenging few weeks at work and home keeping up with everyone's busy schedules and deadlines. Let's catch up! Here's what we have been up to since the holidays.

My studio is back to normal after serving as your Christmas tree display and extra dining room for weeks! It took just as long to put it back together. It is in need of organization now. I found this little beauty above hidden away and longing to be used in a project. Isn't it fun to go through your stuff and "re-live" your finds and purchases?

This little suitcase is overflowing with ephemera.  I love the suitcase but time to get everything in there sorted and organized.  How do you store your paper?  I'm trying to think of categories. I may actually end up using this suitcase to store projects and switch the paper to a plastic divided container in the closet. So, studio back to normal. Time to organize and create.  As for the family...

 

Well, this little gal had some surgery recently to remove some lumps and bumps. Her recovery has included numerous vet trips, limited mobility and lots of TLC.  Not easy for a busy working mom, but she is worth it. She is doing great now.  One more set of stitches to come out this week!

Jack (who rarely makes an appearance here) finished a science project he's (and by he, I mean we...lol) been working on since Thanksgiving and took second in this category at the science fair.  Made all that hard work worth it!

And then there is Kara (who for the record hates this picture ) who I've been working with to study for the school spelling bee. She won last year and went on to county.  Well, those extra hours studying have paid off. She won the spelling bee for the second year in a row this week!  She's off to county again.

So, I've been focused on my family and their needs and deadlines. Work has been quite busy so I do look forward now to having the studio back as my getaway and stress free zone.  I have a little project in the works right now for Valentines Day.  I'll be sure to share this week! Hope you are well. I've missed you and look forward to visiting soon! Until then...xoxo

Some new goodies

Well, I may not have the studio back in order until this weekend, but the creative bug is biting!  I did a little shopping at Vintage Supply Company this week.  This shop is owned by Jeanette Janson, one of my favorite artists and bloggers. You can always find great vintage items and mixed media supplies in her shop. I bought this lot of old tape measure pieces for projects.

Jeanette often has huge lots of jewelry too.  My supply is getting a bit low.  It is fun to purchase a lot and to see what treasures you find.  I know that anything from Jeanette will include lots of interesting and useful finds.

I loved the look of this textured binding and had to buy a small piece. Jeanette thinks it is some sort of carpet binding.  I have a feeling it will end up in a future project! 

These old file cabinet drawer plates will really come in handy.  These will be great for putting words on art pieces or maybe even making a small collage right inside. We shall see!  Thank you for shopping with me. Be sure to visit Jeanette at the links I provided for you above.  All photos courtesy of Jeanette's shop.  Have a great day my friends. xoxo

Save your wine corks!

My friend Jodi saves all of her wine and champagne corks. If it was a special occasion, she writes that on the cork and includes the date. She then displays the corks in a very pretty tall glass cylinder in her kitchen. I loved the idea so I made one for us.  I bought this glass jar at Michael's with my 40% off coupon. I added a homemade tag and some lace - done.

I'm adding a handful of corks tonight from the holidays. I thought I would share this idea with you.  It is fun to look inside and see a cork from a bottle of wine shared from a "Girls Craft Night" or the champagne cork from "New Years 2011."  Plus, with all the great cork crafts out there, I've always got a few on hand. 

Remember my old tool box centerpiece?

Well, she got a quick makeover for Christmas!  I kept many of the same features including the mason jars and feathers. I added some evergreens, frosted fruits, pine cones and a touch of gold to match my chargers.

I think this shot is a bit closer.  It made for a beautiful table setting with very little work to change it out from Thanksgiving.  If you missed that post, go here.  I was also very happy with the new tablecloths that I found at TJ Maxx for $12 a piece.  I needed four of them so I was doing the happy dance.

Why four table cloths?  Well, we have a large family.  With 16 sitting for dinner, we set up another table in my studio!  Yes, the studio.  During the holidays, the studio displayed our tree and was our second dining area. It worked out great.  Just don't ask me what projects I have going right now...lol

That's my studio table against the wall holding all the presents.  Wondering why those presents aren't under the tree?  Well, maybe Shelby can explain....

Good thing these two are so darn cute.  Wishing you all a Happy New Year.  I'll be getting back into the blogging groove this week. And, once my studio is back in order, you'll see some new projects.  Until then...xoxo.