Tag 11

Tim's Tag

stole a few moments to finish this one. not one of my favorites of mine but it's done. :P one more to go! may have to wait until after Xmas!

Mine

Tag 10

Tim's tag

Mine



Instead of putting the ink directly on the foil with the pens I used a pen ONLY as a you would an H2O brush. a light wash of black to the background just to give it a slight pewter look and then dabbed black lightly over the surface like you'd see on a vintage mercury glass ornament. do this with the alcohol inks so that if you use too much you can erase it with blending solution.

tops of letters got a snow effect of Frosted Lace stickles and iridescent "buffalo" type snow.

I like mine *much* better than Tim's LOL! actually I almost skipped this tag but promised myself to do all 12 this year. there were a few nights I wanted to throw in the towel too! Now, I'm sad there are only two left!

Tag 9 - My favorite!

Tim's tag

Mine

This is a picture of me screaming on Santa's lap. It is the only picture I have of me on Santa's lap so I am going to guess it either traumatized me or my Mother! LOL Maybe Both! My Mom tells me my grandma made my Mom go through with it even though I was pitching a fit. I (obviously) don't remember all this but I am glad she got this picture.



OH! and I didn't have the filmstrip stuff actually. I just made my own with a free digital frame thingy I had. printed it on transparency and then inked a bit using alcohol inks on a Q-Tip! so easy!

Now you may all covet my vintage woodgrain DYMO tape hehehe! No 1970's holiday is complete without a little woodgrain right??!

Tag 8

Tim's tag


Mine
the day before he posted this I was at the craft store with those keys in my hand...and put them down! don't you HATE THAT? ugh! two trips to the craft store so far. And I would just like to say more stores need to remember to carry the black alcohol ink! they all carry the collections and I don't think pitch black even COMES in a collection. does it??





I had to improv on the key a bit with a cute charm and some alcohol inks. the hitching post thingy I didn't have either so mine is a pony bead and a full sized brad painted with a Krylon Leafing pen (have I mentioned how much I LOVE these pens??!!!) Every year I say I am going to remember to buy some of the "right" bells and forget :P I am not going back to the craft store!!

Tag 7

Tim's tag

Mine
I will probably be redoing this one. Leave it to a man (Sorry Tim!) to make things harder than they need to be LOL! Save yourself the aggravation and just stamp the white flourishes near the end, right before you do the embossing powder (with the mask still on the Santa's face). you'll thank me for it! ;)

I added a pom-pom to Santa's hat too ;)

Tag 6

catching up on posting!

Tim's tag

My Tag
I made my own sparkly fluff (worked great too BTW! decided to fluff the truck fenders too!) Had to make a Bingo piece because I BROKE my only "25" :(

SAVE! Tag 5

Who needs Hambly Rub-ons!!?? :P

Tag 5

Tim's tag

Mine
sighhhhh I NEED that "greetings" rub-on! mine is just not what I envisionsed. I tried stickers( thumbsdown!) and then realized I had the OLD MM rubons. I love the words "Merry and Bright" but the font sucks. I should have just ordered the Hambly's!

Tag 4

Tim's tag

Mine

Day 3- tag 1

Tim's tags

the thing I am learning that the hardest part about this is really figuring out what to use if you don't have the right supplies! :P I found that Epson Premium gloss photo paper was the best of the 3 I had on hand. you have to use more ink and blending solution but it worked out. the downside was that I couldn't blend out the alcohol inks.

the santa sorta have a vintage mercury glass look to it which I LOVE. I added Silver alcohol ink to my felt pad and stippled it (since I could fad out the inks with the solution on my photo paper). I actually like this better than the sample. HOWEVER, the silver then wiped right off the surface so out came the Krylon Matte finish preserve it spray which not only took care of the silver wiping off it also gave some softness and texture to the flannel! I think it is exactly what it needed actually. I didn't think this would be even a contender for favorite but the flannel is actually growing on me a bit. I also realized that the black alcohol ink looked too harsh and went with a combo of stonewashed and stream for contrast.

No stipple stamp so I used a stipple brush and white paint for the edges. also figured out that the pink cropodile set to the cone setter is a good subsitute for that distressing hammer!

Mine

Tim's Tags #2

Again had to switch things out a bit. the frame was "assembled" using 3 different stamps. also tried using Lumiere paints for the splatters and wasn't happy so I switched half way to my Kylon 14kt gold pen (Santa might need to replenish my Krylon pens this year ;) )

My Tag

Tim's Tag

now off to figure out what I'll be using instead of glossy cardstock! So far I have managed to only purchase two new wheels for my ATB labelmaker. Somehow I never bought the cursive & elegant wheels!

Tim's Christmas Tags!

So for the last three years I have been following the Tim Holtz's 12 Days of Tags and am really determined to do ALL 12 this year! usually 5 is doing good. LOL

I love his products though and wish I had all of it but NOPE, I don't! So these will be my interpretation on his ideas when his products are not available.

I have none of the distress ink pads. so all of my inking is done with a handful of Adirondack pads. It IS possible to blend those puppies. it just takes a bit more work, a mini mister and my Colorbox stylus. ;)

Tim's Tag 1

My Tag

UPcycle those packing peanuts!

This is probably the most fun you will ever have with packing peanuts. I say that after spending last night trying to clean up an entire box of them that had spilled in the garage. unfortunately for me the garage door was open and we were having a wind storm here. (I was cursing my husband for still being gone about that moment. LOL)

So here's how I made this ghastly looking BRAIN! (...that's if I recall correctly because it was last year that I came up with this!)

start with a box of *REAL* styrofoam packing peanuts. not the ones that dissolve in water. if you aren't sure, let the dog lick it ;) the dissolving ones will stick to his tongue and turn to goo. (See, Auggie is good for something!)

a bottle of Aleene's tacky glue
an old knee high nylon
some stuffing from a pillow you planned to toss but saved anyway ;)
grey, white and red craft paint
a 1" artist paint brush (bristles to get into the cracks! a foam brush won't cut it)


Stuff reused stuffing into nylon and form into an oblong "brain" sorta shape. knot off the end. Working in sections cover outside of nylon with Aleene's tacky glue. add peanuts to surface and complete the bottom hemisphere of your brain. let dry slightly so peanuts don't fall off when you flip it over to do the top side. it take a little patience. let dry overnight. now using a box knife carve the crevice that creates the left/right side of brain. paint. drizzle with red paint for "blood". (I think I used some glossy accents over this so it looked wet.

If you have one of those great apothecary jars sitting around your house now its the time to take the fake fruit out and let it be useful for something other than collecting dust! make a pillow for it out of some red velvet (or if you are lazy just wrap it around some of that extra stuffing you have and pin the back with a safety pin) and Voila! Your brain in a jar! and if you are having the week that I am ,then having your brain in a jar is a GOOD THING! 'cause then at least you know where you left it! ;)

Discovering old supplies

I was recently reading about a Stampin' Up! product called Heat and Stick. It dawned on me I had something like it in my stash of embossing powders but had never had success with it (using flocking fibers :( why are those things so hard to use?). Also realized I should have been waiting to let the EP cool before layering on the flock or glitter! HUGE DIFFERENCE!)

So I dug out my Judi Kins Sticky Stuff embossing powder and gave it a shot. I tested it using the Daisy Bucket Mini Flourish stamp. It works fantastic! now I can use even MORE glitter!! :)

check out the video here

I also found that I could get even better coverage by pressing the cooled cardstock *into* a pile of glitter. in the case of these flourishes I stamped (orange on black CS), the coverage wasn't complete until I pressed glitter into the sticky EP. In the video it looked fine though using a light colored glitter on a light colored background.

(*note the extra glitter on the page isn't stuck down, I just hadn't brushed it all off yet when I took the picture!)

Photos on the lake

A few of my favorites. I took 118 pictures. whew! no idea which ones Mom is gonna like though. :P we never agree LOL! the Baby has a thing right now with sticking his tongue out in pictures. that's not his upper lip! it's his tongue! :P I guess this is better than his last phase during pictures, which was his mouth hanging open and a blank stare. LOL Someone tell me it gets easier as they get older??!!

Farmer's Market by Shabby Green Door

just a quick quirky card for fun!

check out www.shabbygreendoor.com for more ideas.

Jewelry Frame

I got a similar idea for this off of etsy recently. I had this extra frame that was a miss cut size and figured I'd give it a shot. I decided to do a crazy quilt of fabric scraps I had that match the colors I am trying to stick with for my master bath. I love it because it holds a nice collection of my fancy pins that I can look at everyday.

I patched this together onto muslin, tacked it down with Fabri-Tac ( let it dry before sewing!) and then machine sewn all the ribbons/trims on. wrapped it around foam core board and popped it into the frame. If I did it again I would have paid a bit more attention to the piece work of the quilt but it's just for my bathroom.

Doggone HOT!

I never thought I'd use these gold holographic leaves (alone they are pretty tacky and gaudy) but they worked perfect! the tree structure was done with a Krylon gold paint pen & Webster's pages sticker from the Magical Wishes line. I never use gold embellishments but it was kinda a fun change of pace.

Pretty Baby

My cousin's baby Kyson came over for his 6 month pictures. Too hot to do much more than one sitting at a time this week. (I'm sitting here and it's already 99 degrees at only 2pm. by 4 we should all be melted here in Washington LOL!) We have plans for some more pictures next to a cradle his grandma (my aunt) made for me when I was little. and another set of pictures out at the lake on the dock. we'll get to that when it isn't hotter than the face of the sun though ;) Here's my favorite.



Also, I got this really cute one of him and Auggie though that I love. Those two just love each other. Auggie and Kyson get in a back and forth. the baby laughing, Auggie "woofing" and jumping around. it's hilarious. Auggie is going in for a kiss here and the baby was cracking up.

I LOVE this song!

I heard it once before but never figured out what it was. It makes me cry listening to it. If you know me, then you know where my DH currently is and why this would make me cry. I miss him. If you read this Robert, I love you. "Hump Day" is near!

(if you want to hear it, turn on your speakers and pick the first song on the playlist alllll the way at the bottom of the page ;) )

Waiting For My Real Life To Begin
(written by: Colin Hay & Thom Mooney)

Any minute now, my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
I'll stand on the bow, feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down down down, on me

And you say, be still my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in
But don't you understand
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

When I awoke today, suddenly nothing happened
But in my dreams, I slew the dragon
And down this beaten path, and up this cobbled lane
I'm walking in my old footsteps, once again
And you say, just be here now
Forget about the past, your mask is wearing thin
Let me throw one more dice
I know that I can win
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

Any minute now, my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
And I'll check my machine, there's sure to be that call
It's gonna happen soon, soon, soon
It's just that times are lean

And you say, be still my love
Open up your heart, let the light shine in
Don't you understand
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

I WON!!

YIPEEEE! I'm lucky number 164!! I stopped my sub in May because June's kit was alot of stuff I had already. of course there are always fabulous exclusive items in Kerry Lynn's kits though. Still, I felt guilty rebuying the handful of things in there I already had.

Then the Kenner Road Creative Team had a blog contest and I visited each blog. And wouldn't you know it! I won the kit I originally wanted on Katie Watson's blog!

Now I can have it guilt free!

Where the {Bucket} meets the Door...

...head on over to the *NEW* Shabby Green Door!

Their fresh new line "Farmer's Market" will leave you salivating! (I think Kristi just might be a Farm Chick! :D )





and how cute are these??!!!

This is pretty much how deployments make me feel some days!

I found this doll on etsy.com and just LOL when I saw it! (last week was a very BAD week!) If she wasn't $80 I'd buy her. :( honestly I think she might have been "put together" better than I was by saturday afternoon. All is well now though. I went shopping yesterday and found both clothes and shoes I needed. :D

awwww!

Had a little visitor this week. My cousin and her baby came over and spent the entire day hanging out. Her little boy looks like he is getting ready to cut teeth so he was a totally drool machine and sticking everything in his mouth sleeve, fist, the dogs NOSE!! BLECH! (Good thing his momma isn't a germaphobe like me LOL) Auggie was really good but I think kinda nervous about the baby crying. (I really had no idea how he'd react since he's never been around a baby since he was a tiny little puppy! He's 8 now!) When Kyson would babble, Auggie would bark, and Kyson just thought it was hilarious and would go on babbling and laughing at Auggie. I'm pretty sure both would have been happy if we let Auggie get in the playpen at nap time LOL

Instead, I got this once Kyson left. dead dog. (and yep he's sportin' his summer "do" too ;) an entire garbage can full of hair came off of him. it's amazing that such a small dog can make such a big pile of hair!!)

Anyone read Post Secret this morning?

-----Email Message-----
I have faith in our generation because of you. Because if you and I are doing the same thing and have the same concerns and hope for more from our generation, then others do too. And that helps me sleep at night.

I love this Post Secret from this week. I feel the same way. I think I loved the response on there as much as the postcard itself.



(*Post Secret is a blog that shares artistic post cards printed with secrets or thoughts from people all over the world. it's updated every Sunday with new posts. there are also books that have collections of postcards in them)

More flowers!

we have some rose bushes along the backyard that are really needing some TLC. they've got it all. alphid, black spot, rust you name it. I've treated them twice already. I'm ust glad I'll get to see some roses out of them this year. they seem to be doing ok even with all the issues. I fertilized them well this year ;) I've got two mostly coming along. (I love this orange one! WOW!) one I still may lose (it had to be cut down to a twig basically) and another that is enourmous and looks like it may have white roses on it. (I can just brealy see it peeking through the bud.

I've also enjoyed the neighbors yard behind us. their backyard is like a little nature preserve LOL! the frogs LOVE IT including the little pond. there was this twiggy thing sticking up from the corner of the fence that DH and I thought was maybe a maple tree trying to come up around a huge evergreen bush. I was just out there a few days ago and realized we must not have been looking very carefully! it has the most beautiful raspberry pink roses on it. it's so diseased you can barely make out any leaves on it but it's over 7 feet tall!! I may have to go over there and talk to the owner and see if she even realizes it's hidden back there behind all the tall trees she has. this pictures doesn't do it justice at all. once it opens up you will see (there ar some I can barely see peeking through the fence. the blooms must be 6" across when it's fully open)



She also has this really nice tree along out back fence near our patio. I'm thinking dogwood?? if anyone knows for sure fill me in! I think I want one! (they are never in their backyard to ask!)

Terrariums are coming along!

after a second planting of Irish moss. (yeah I killed MOSS! in WASHINGTON! go figure! :P ) This second batch of moss came from my mom's garden, which originally came from my grandpa's garden. the jars have been outside under the patio umbrella for a couple weeks now so hopefully they are established enough to be inside. (it's growing like crazy!! yeah Mom I bought some Miracle Grow and used it :P ) you have to note the nasturtium growing out of the moss LOL! my mom has them growing along the sidewalk where I took the moss from.