Dinning Room

This is our dinning room and kitchen area. I put the ivy and lights around the beam at Christmas time a few years back and never took them down. It looks very pretty at night. I thought I wanted to change the fabric on the chairs but after seeing this picture I am not so sure. I am shocked that my counter is clean. It never looks like that. I use it for sewing and it is usually covered with scrapbook paper, buttons and ribbons. Always cluttered. The door opens to the deck where I spend most of my time in the summer. I am so looking forward to that.

Seed Packets Act 2

This is a memory board that I have in the kitchen. It is a little cluttered but I love it that way. I would like the entire area covered. I made the seed packet banner earlier this week. It is a little hard to see hanging there. I may get a few more packets this week. Maybe I could actually use the seeds this time.

Mixing it Up

This chair is in our living room. Four couches and endless tables have come and gone but this chair has for the most part stayed right here. The pillows have been there for awhile now. A change was needed. I have to thank Stacy for her suggestion to mix it up a little. I took it to heart bought some fabric and did some sewing. I love the change. Thank you Stacy. The couch is going to get some new pillows as well. The first picture is how it looked before and the next two pictures are the after pictures.

Seed Packets

I bought these seed packets 5 for $1.oo. There is one missing because I used it making a birthday card. I glued one of the packets to a small wooden sign/pick. I glued my favorite punched out flowers on the packet. Tied a green ribbon to it and placed it in a potted plant on my kitchen counter. It is a simple craft but sometimes I just do not want a big mess. This shouts out SPRING.

Coffee Cozie

I am a big fan of coffee, big fan. I had some left over fabric so I thought I would try to make a coffee cozie. I traced around a paper cozie you can get at any coffee shop. This would not be my fabric of choice. I would like something more colorful. I think I will make a few more. You can keep them in your car and save a few trees in the process.

Paper Boxes

I found this book Paper Boxes by K & Company at my local A C Moore. It has pages of colorful pre-cut boxes inside. I made the red one to hold a small key chain. The book comes with lots of little paper flowers and other adornments . They are all color coordinated. I am always looking for a small box . Now I have many to chose from.

Covered Chocolate Box

Trash to treasure, I think not. I would never consider anything to do with chocolate trash. We seem to get a lot of chocolate at our house. This is the first time I kept the empty box . I covered it with paper, my daughter designed the bird cut out. I added a few paper crafts inside the box for her. A few little note cards and a few dresses to tack on her bulletin board. I like the way it turned out. Now I save all the leftover boxes.

Trash to Treasure

My father found this wall decoration on the side of the road. He has a knack for doing that. He found it rusted and painted black. He offered it to my daughter. It was then painted a bright blue and my father attached a bird to the top. It is just a wonder what a can of spray paint can do to almost anything. I wish I would of claimed it first. I guess I just did not see it's potential.

Birthday Present

I made another market bag, it is a birthday present for a friend. I am sorry there is no pattern. There was left over fabric so I made a tissue holder. The cards I made last week. The owl notebook I made over summer. It is nice to know that all my projects will eventually find a home.

I really enjoy making these bags. I try to use mine when I go grocery shopping. Boring I know but how many plastic bags does a girl need?

Happy Easter

Easter Cards

I made a few Easter cards for friends that I will not see on Easter. It would be so much easier to go out and buy the cards . Where is the fun in that? These were easy to make and have arrived at their destination so now I can share them. Hope everyone has a nice Easter.

Paper Eggs

I had allot of fun yesterday making these paper covered eggs. Torn pieces of paper cover plastic eggs that can be found anywhere at Easter time. I found this idea at http://www.inspireco.blogspot.com/ she is very creative and nice enough to share great step by step directions. It is a very easy project. http://www.seekingdelightfulpleasures.blogspot.com/ also shared her pretty paper eggs on her blogsite. I wish Easter was a bit later this year I would love to make more for gifts.

Memories in a Jar

Please excuse the quality of this photo I have allot to learn about photography. I do know where the delete button is. I delete allot. I have been wanting to do a project like this for a long time. I bought the jar which had nails in it at the second hand store. I have already used a few. The top of the jar is painted red. I love the green ribbon but just had to add the purple and yellow braided trim. The picture taken of my daughters a few years back sits on green moss. I thought the picture needed a little something so I added the little flower. I am using allot of those flowers. When in doubt put a flower on it.

Blue is the color of the Season

I wanted to share a before and after with everyone. The bar stool was in the basement just waiting to be called upstairs for a makeover. Okay, so I watch alot of makeover shows. Who deosn't? I like having old furniture that can be painted over and over and I mean over again. Stand still too long in my house and you could be painted or papered. This season the color is a shade of blue green I call Stacy Blue. It is popping up all over the house. The color is deeper than these pictures show. Again my lack of photography skills. I am doing my best.

Thinking Spring

Trying to make some spring themed things this week. I think that a little girl in a bonnet definitely suggests spring. I always have more than a few projects going at a time. I made a valance last week and ran of of ball fringe, but put it up anyway. I have the extra fringe now so that should be first on my list. I have a couple of little Easter projects in mind. One of them involves the plastic eggs we all buy. I haven't bought them in years and now I can't get to the store fast enough to buy them. I would like to make a few Easter cards. First, I need some coffee.

Cute Note Cards

I bought a few boxes of monogrammed note cards last week. I added the small flowers made from leftover paper. The buttons were hot glued to the centers. I added a vine and few leaves to the green card. I am not sure if I liked the vine so I stopped there. Again, when to leave well enough alone. They are not works of art but I wanted to do a project that was easy and needed minimum clean up after. I think they would make cute gifts.

Market Bag

I made this large market bag last year at the end of the summer and did not get a chance to use it. The fabric is quilted and really soft. The straps are red and gold check. I would really love to use it at the Brimfeild Fair in May. It could hold all my great finds. Maybe I could use it as an overnight bag for a trip to Martha's Vineyard. Most likely it will be carried to the beach where I could read a book about great finds on Martha's Vineyard.

Red Gingham

I am still trying to add color to my kitchen. This table sits in the middle of the kitchen and right now as you can see it has a few bowls on it. Nothing fancy but the colors are a step in the right direction. I want to paint the table but have not decided on a color just yet. I have a weak spot for gingham of any color. But since I took the last picture I removed the long runner from the table. I guess you can have too much gingham.

Inspiration

I bought this little banner at a local store. I wasn't sure where I was going to hang it but it ended up in the kitchen. The white lamp was made by my father. He has made most of the lamps in my house. The lamp shade is store bought and I added the fringe around the bottom. I just painted the chest that the lamp is on a beautiful blue green color. A friend uses it all the time and I just had to give it try. I will post a picture of that soon.

Flower Power

My passion for paper will surely be revealed in future blogs. Little did I know when I made my first purchase that there were others out there who also shared my love of pretty, pretty paper. Mixing and matching. Folding and glueing.

Passion for Paper

I love to be creative. I find it both a blessing and a curse. Over the past few years I have found that my passion is for paper. I started making cards then moved on to covering anything that stood still. Who knew you could do so much with one small square piece of paper. Glue sticks are my new best friend. The ideas are endless and cause for many a sleepless night. I made a bunch of these flowers last year. I hot glued a clothspin on the back and pinned them to a vine that is on my memory board. They are so cute.

Little Accents

There is something about knowing that spring is around the corner that makes me want to brighten up our house . Out goes the dark accents and in come the light and airy finds. It is as simple as changing out a candle or putting down a new table runner. This spring will be no different and I have already begun to lighten up the kitchen. I am thinking of getting out the faithful white paint and painting a chest this weekend.

Red Rooster Journal

I love this rooster journal. It is made from a composition notebook, scrapbook paper and a rooster from a piece of wall paper. I think I may add a piece of ribbon on the binder. When is enough, enough? When is a project done? How many times have you gone that one step too far and you just can't take it back or remove it from your project? I may just leave well enough alone.

Red Pear Candle

I hope to find a home for this candle. It sits on a glass candy jar that I bought at the second hand store last week. I think there will be another visit there soon. Will the candle end up in the livingroom or the kitchen? Maybe it will be a traveling candle. Go from room to room.

For the love of Owls

Someone in my family has a small obsession with owls. Not the kind you find in nature. She likes the kind you find on a tee shirt, a piece of jewelry or decorations for your home. When did this love of owls start? I do not know. Why owls? I now look for owls that been left behind by others in stores. Who knew owls were everywhere? Here are a few owls I have made from paper and fabric. They are not the kind that fly.

The owl on the left is made from left over fabric and could
be tossed on a chair or in a basket. The card was one of
my first attempts at an owl card.

I like this card I may have to make another one.

This card can be used for any occasion.

A clipboard that in my opinion should
just be left on a desk. I would hate to see it

covered with paper. It is too cute. But it has

left the nest and I have not control over it now.

I love the making these little journals .

This is yet another owl journal. I am sure it has
left the nest and has found a new home in the
fine state of New York.

This project started with an unfinished
cigar box and ended up as a box to hold
note cards. Owl note cards of course.