Happy Birthday, Dawn and Valerie!

I can't believe I'm the mom of such awesome young women! I always wanted to be a mom, but having twins was a life-long "gee, it would be neat if..." bonus!

Happy birthday, Dawn and Valerie,

I love you more!

Life Hack

An accidental life hack: I save the scoops from laundry detergent for my crafting and discovered it holds a paint brush perfectly!

England Bound!

These shoes will be walkin' around London, England, soon! I haven't had a lot of time to craft, so that's why my posts have been sparse. I hope my next one will be about all the fun we've had over the pond.

We're all nervous about the plane trip and bus and train rides we're taking (we get motion sickness quite easily), so please keep us in your prayers.

I'M SO EXCITED!

Shrinky Dinks and Julie Nutting Paper Dolls

I had a couple of ideas kickin' around in my head and decided to put them to the test. I stamped a couple of my favorite things on to Shrinky Dink material, colored them in with water color pencils and coated them with Glossy Accents. I put a couple of holes in the London piece because I'm hoping to make a necklace out of it. I need to back it with something white first, not sure if I want to use paper or felt.

I haven't decided what I'm going to do with this pretty pink and blue doll. At first I wanted to make a pin, but now I think it would be better for the cover of one of my Smash Books or maybe even a card.

I'm pretty pleased with the Shrinky Dink pieces, but next time I'll be more careful with the Glossy Accents while it's wet. I laid the DVD remote control on them and had to quickly add another coat so it would dry smooth. There are more bubbles than there should be, but at least they weren't ruined.

The larger Julie Nutting paper doll stamp was cut and then embellished with all sorts of things. I've seen some pretty fabulous outfits on these stamps, so I wanted to try my hand at making a multidimensional version.

I had a piece of parchment paper sitting in my scrap pile and wondered how it would look as a skirt. I cut it into a small rectangle, gathered the top edge and glued it in place. I used clear glue, but it wasn't holding very well, so I added Glossy Accents. That stuff will hold down just about anything!

The bodice is colored with a blue glitter pen. I put tiny pearls in her hair and added a paper flower to her waist.

I also added strips of white ribbon so they would cascade down her skirt.

Underneath the parchment paper there's just a touch of light blue colored pencil along her hem. Her shoes were colored with a blue glitter pen then tiny pearls were added to make them extra fancy.

I like how the parchment looks like fabric. I think I'll use that stuff more often.

I enjoyed making this trio, especially because I was able to try a few things that have been puttering about my virtual list of things to try.

A video version of my kielbasa stuff, fried golden potatoes in olive oil with Kielbasa and sweet onions, topped with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Made in one of my favorite cast iron skillets.

I could fall asleep to that sizzle.

My plan is to make a cookbook for my daughters, so I've been taking photos of my not-gourmet-by-any-means things I cook. I figure after I'm gone they'll be able to recreate some of their favorites instead of lamenting as I did about missing my dad's cooking and having to experiment to get as close as I could to his version of meals I miss. I may as well do a digital version and include videos like this, eh?

Vintage Brass Plate Makeover

When I purchased this old brass plate a few years ago I imagined coloring it somehow. I wasn't sure how to go about it, so it's been sitting on a shelf in my craft room. When Dawn presented me with a collection of Viva Decor Inka Gold metallic rub, this is what came to mind.

It's a perfect little square piece with a sweet scene of a gentleman greeting a lady who seems to be walking her two dogs. I love her dress! And the gentleman is pretty snappy as well. The reverse side shows I paid $3, very well spent, I think.

 

The umbrella is such a nice touch, isn't it? And the flowers and leaves around the edging could not be more pretty.

Before applying the metallic rub and alcohol inks I sanded it down with some very fine grit sandpaper and steel wool. There were some rust and green spots I wanted to sand away to stop the corrosion.

I applied a very thin coat of red alcohol ink on the roses and green on the leaves. I added some red and pink metallic rub on the roses. I didn't use ink on the rest, just the rub; green on the gentleman's coat and hat, and pewter on his hair. The dogs are a dark grey. The lady's dress and hat are purple, her umbrella is blue.

I rubbed some gold along the stone work and windows to help make them pop a little more.

I left the rest as-is.

I could not be more pleased with the results. For a change, something turned out exactly how I pictured it in my mind. Next time I go thrift shopping, I'll look at these old brass plates in a whole new light!

Wizard of Oz and Close Friends

Michael's had a great selection of Wizard of Oz stuff, so I scooped up some of it for my card-making and scrapbooking. There was so much I could have brought home with me, but I'm trying to thin the collection because I have nowhere to display it. So I passed it by. *sigh* Anyway, I was proud of myself I was able to put a bunch of stuff back I had initially grabbed.

The two kits to make Dorothy's house and the Emerald City were the most difficult to put back. It would be fun to put those together with the movie playing in the background. But I'm honestly okay with not having them. I have so much Wizard of Oz packed away, what good is it doing me if I can't even see it? Time to do some donating.

On to other things. One of my most precious friends came over and gave me some neat word clear stamps and a button embossing folder, so cool! But the thing I was most excited about was her handmade card. It's rare I receive things other people craft, so this really touched my heart. She did such a great job, I love the flower brads and rhinestones she added. The scalloped pieces she cut from her dies add just the right touch.

And that sticker in the inside? It could not be more perfect at depicting us when we were teens! Of course, the sentiment is the heart of the card. I keep it where I can see it and pick it up and read it over again because it lifts my spirits.

 Thank you, Twila, for being like a sister to me all these 40+ years!