tender arts

2008-07-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

Friends,

There have been big changes in my life. These changes are outward manifestations of changes that started in my heart more than a year ago. Tender Arts has been a part of my life since 2005 and I have loved my time here, but my focus has changed. This has been a place for me to share my dolls and crafts with you. Now my entire life is being crafted anew and I hope you will share in the process with me. I hope you will join me at Lemonade!

2008-06-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hey Girlies! Just popping in to say that I'm going to be taking a little blogging break. I'm pretty busy at the moment and rather than push myself any harder, I think I will step away for a bit. Don't worry- I'll be back!

Big hugs to all!

Celebrating all the Fabulous Girls!

2008-06-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

First, there is this one: Miss Carmen is an official high school graduate now! Wowie! Look out World, here comes trouble! (yes, my hair is flying down 15th Street! Windstorm 2008 visited Sacramento last night!)

Second, there is Amy! This little darling is the second in my four part series, the Seasonal Birthday Princesses. If you recall, Amelia (below) was the first one. She represented Spring. Amy, with her tanned skin and sunny yellow gingham is the epitome of Summer. I love her yellow rose crown- Carmen said it's her favorite crown that I've made! Anywhooo, sweet Amy, the Summertime Birthday Princess is available now in my shop.

Third, the adorable Blondie from Vintage Primitives is hosting lots of fun giveaways in honor of her Blogiversary! Follow the link below to get in on the lovely goodies!

Hugs to all!

Thank you, Sweet Amanda!

2008-06-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Remember "Pay It Forward"? I had so much fun making my little goodies. All but two of my six recipients will have received their item, and I will be mailing the last two today. But look what Amanda sent to me! I commented on her Pay It Forward post originally and then forgot all about it! I was so flabbergasted when all this beauty came in the mail for me! All the tiny pretties were packed in this amazing antique beaded purse. Isn't it the ultimate in sweet shabby chic? I love it so much!

And there are so many goodies that came with it! I have always wanted one of these ballerina cake toppers and now I have two! And those vintage wooden spools? That's seam binding wrapped around them! I love the way Amanda sealed them off with the tiny circles of art- so adorable. All the bits and bobs are amazing and I had no idea I would receive anything so fabulous! Thank you, thank you! Amanda, you brighten the blog world!

Playing House

2008-05-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

I've been having so much fun lately with my house! I love decorating and I love my home, but since having to work full-time, I haven't given my home nearly as much affection as I used to. Plus, I am easily discouraged by the messes!

But I did pick up a few pretties recently and I completed a little project, so I wanted to show everything to you.

I picked up this cute little piano bench from the curb during community clean-up a few years ago. It was stained and very beat up. The upholstery was typical "hurculon" abstract gold and brown ugly. It's been out in my shed waiting and waiting! Well, a couple of weeks ago I was at Salvation Army and fell in love with this old metal file box. So vintage! It's dark olive drab on the outside and the inside is this pretty forties Nile Green. I just happened to have that color in my craft paints. I had barely enough to paint the piano bench. Then I reupholstered the top with this fabulous vintage barkcloth that I bought on ebay for ten buckaroos! I know! It was seven uncut yards! It's not the typical cabbage roses that everyone wants, but it is in the palette I love and already have in the living room. I plan on making some throw pillows with it too. Anyway, pretty cute, huh?Plus, I wanted to show you my cute little Seth Thomas alarm clock I bought at Goodwill. I love it! I've always loved mantel clocks, but I don't have a mantel. This is perfectly sized for my end table. (The butler is waving hello, don't you know?)I have a lot of other fun ideas for the living room- I just hope I can get to them all! This room has been challenging for me ever since we bought the new furniture and re-painted a couple of years ago. It's a big change for me to be so muted in my palette. I love cottage and I usually associate that with color combos like yellow and blue or pink and green or even kitschy turquoise and red. I think I'm really beginning to see how to make these colors work with a cottage eclectic style. Speaking of cottage eclectic, check this out:

It's rainy here today so you can't see how golden this really is. So pretty! Another ebay find. It's from the twenties and I love it so much! I was so lucky to already have a pillow form that fit perfectly. My children have been severely threatened if they even think about abusing this pillow!

So, I guess that's it. I will leave with one more pic. This is the owl that my father carved along with this ceramic Mission Carmel that I begged from my talented high school art teacher so long ago (thanks, Mr. Leenarts!) and Pointy Kitty. This is on top of my bookcase and it makes me smile when I look at it. I hope I will have more photos for you when the room is done.

(Doggone rain! Can't get a good shot!)

Hugs to all!

This might be useful to you...

2008-05-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Girlies!
I wasn't going to mention that I have a new blog because it is about personal finance and frankly, I didn't think any of you would find it interesting!

But today I was trying to figure out why it's so hard for me to juggle everything. Why can't I get out of debt? Why can't I lose weight? Why can't I be more organized? Well, the result of my ponderings is a long blog post and I feel like it might be helpful to my crafty sisters. If you are so inclined, check it out and let me know what you think.

My Real Life (...or, what I do in between crafts!)

2008-05-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

This sassy looking girl was going to her prom! This, unfortunately, was the best picture I could get! She went to the prom with two of her friends mostly because they wanted to go and they wanted her with them. She did not want a standard prom dress, but I think she looks very cute in this cherry print dress that I made for her graduation. I think it's the first time she's in a dress in a loooong time! She is definitely growing up! Since prom, she has also worn the dress to our annual May Birthday celebration at her auntie and uncle's house. Everyone was so impressed! They are all used to seeing her in grungy jeans and her grafitti-covered army jacket!

She even surprised me on Sunday when she dressed for our picnic in a little sleeveless tee and shorts! What a beauty my baby Carmen is.

Almost eighteen years ago she made a mommy out of me! I remember going to Mother's Day brunch when I was fully pregnant with her and I felt so proud to be one of the "mommies" along with Grandma, Aunt Denah and Mom. This year, we packed up a picnic and went to Crosswoods Park. Pretty standard looking park, right? There's the library on the left, the playground, the tennis court and just out of sight on the right hand side is the Community Center.

But when you turn around, this is the view:

And this is what you see when you look up:This is a gorgeous little corner of Citrus Heights. Arcade Creek runs right through here and the place is full of beautiful old river oaks. I used to bring the children here all the time when they were little.
Eric and I made these amazing sandwiches. Here's the recipe, if you would like to try it. Please note- the bug is one of the guests, not one of the ingredients!

Handsome husband contemplates nature:

Eric poses handsomely, while his best friend Cody watches for seagulls. (LOL- no! There was a lot of grape tossing going on!)

That is my granddaughter Nicole there with Carmen. The two of them are best, best, best friends. Always have been.

Good dog Buddy. After being insanely fetch-obsessed, he finally got worn out and took a rest!

It was a GREAT Mother's Day. Most years I try not to have any expectations and then I sit around and secretly wait (hope) to be feted. This year, I took the bull by the horns and planned a day that I knew I would enjoy and then I made it happen! Everyone had to do what I said and it was great. I hope all the mommies out there had a lovely day!

Now....in crafting news...this is what I have been obsessed with for the last two days:

It's a little Hitty doll! I am making it out of Aves Apoxie Sculpt. I roughly shaped it and then when it dried, I started carving. I am loving her so far! I will post updates as I progress.

I have some little goodies to share with the first commenters on my last post. I will be contacting some of you for addresses in the next few days. I'm so excited to show you what I made!

Speaking of mail love, Lisa apparently has still not received my box. I sent it Parcel Post on May 2nd! Do you think I should contact the post office? I didn't insure it or track it. I'm so freaking out about it. Why oh Why didn't I order tracking? Cross your fingers for me, Friends!

SALE! and Pay It Forward

2008-05-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

ConvenZioNE, here I come! I just learned this week about this wonderful altered art convention/workshop/party coming in August. I am so excited about this for two BIG reasons! First- it's in Pleasanton where Sandra, my best-est friend in the world lives and

Second- my darling new friend, Lisa Kettell, is one of the instructors!

Is that serendipitous or what? Sandra, who has loved me since I was nine, invited me to join her this coming weekend in Las Vegas for our annual Mother's Day fun, but I had to decline for financial reasons. I'm super stoked to think we can spend a weekend together in August! Get our girl time in!

Lisa, who I know that I talk about all the time lately, lives in New Jersey so this is an incredible opportunity to meet her that will probably never happen again!

So.....it's "Pleasanton or Bust" for me! I decided to mark down the pretties in my shop to help fund the trip. Everything has been marked down a little more than 30%. A little angel recently gifted some cash to me so that's my "seed" money. Now let's see if I can sell some inventory to help the cause a bit!

If you feel inclined to share the news of the sale, I would appreciate it very much! Or, if you feel inclined to shop, I would appreciate it very, very much! Thank you, sweet friends!

ALSO...

In appreciation of the angel I mentioned above AND dear Amanda who recently gifted me as part of her "Pay It Forward", I would now like to do the same! This is how it works: as a love token for my sweet friends, the first six commenters on this post will receive a little something from me in the mail. Make sure that your comment includes some way for me to respond to you so I can get your mailing address. There's nothing required from you, but if you are inclined, you can pay forward a little kindness to three peeps in your life! You don't have to have a blog to be included. You can pay it forward "blog free"! I am choosing to gift six people instead of three because I have been twice blessed this week. So, please, let me send a little mail love your way. Remember, it's grooooovy!

Swappy Updates!

2008-05-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hello sweet friends! A while back I posted about my swap fever and I've been asked how I am coming along on them. Well...I must say, I am doing better on my swaps then I am at my 5K training! Hmm.....let's just not talk too much about that, 'kay? Will probably NOT be running it. You know, what would you rather do? Glue pretty bits and bobs and play with glitter OR would you like a nice set of shin splits with a side order of muscle ache? Yeah, me too!

ANYWAY!

Let's back to the fun stuff, shall we? You saw the beautiful box that Lisa sent me. Here is what I sent (slightly late) to Lisa:

I made the crown with pipe cleaners and cardboard! On top of the crown is a flat glass marble set into a bottle cap topped with a cross from a necklace. Adding the glitter was the best part! This is real silver glitter and it will tarnish with time which I think sets the mood so well. The box itself is a black velvet candy box that I've been saving forever. I added the little legs to it.

What I was trying to do with this box is to show the two sides of Marie Antoinette. This outside represents her public side. Rather a caged dove, wasn't she? Not highly independent or intelligent, she was quite tame, but she did become everyone's favorite scapegoat. The paper ruffle around the edges of the lid is to represent all the words written about Marie both during her life and posthumously. The tag under the crown says "Marie Antoinette, Reine de la France".

And this is the inside of the box. Inside the lid (on the left) I used this beautiful LeBrun portrait of Marie's two oldest children. So sweet! In the box itself I glued in little vignettes that I felt spoke to Marie's private side. I wasn't able to do everything that I wanted to do- in part because I ran out of time and money! I hope you can see the little labels I made that describe what I imagine she was like.

Then I put it in a box with some of the goodies for my other swaps I'm enrolled in. Nice little transition, eh? First there is the Princess and the Pea Hat (Lisa is my partner for that too!): I really love how this turned out! I used irridescent glass glitter on the flower petals and then I made a twining pea vine from silver wire that wraps around the hat. Strung in various locations on the pea vine are Austrian crystal beads that give off an opalescent shimmer. I like to imagine that the Prince commissioned this lovely hat for his oh-so-sensitive Princess as a wedding gift!Here's a close up of one of the flowers. The gorgeous paper that I used for this hat and that I used to line the Marie box all came from Dollar Tree! I think each pack has six beautiful 12" x 12" pieces of coordinating paper in it. I get so much use out these papers and I never feel guilty cutting into them! Oh, and the green beads on the edge of the hat? An eyeglass lanyard from Dollar Tree! I think of Dollar Tree as my "secret weapon"!

Also into the box went my Mermaid Pageant ATC's. Lisa is the coordinator for this event and she is going to distribute two cards to each participant. I can't wait to see what I get! It's been fun to experiment with different collage techniques and images. Also, I don't remember if I shared my watercolor/colored pencil mermaids that I made in March. You can see them at my flickr photostream.

Whew! One more! I may have shown this before. This is the fairy dotee doll that I made for Amanda. She has rose petal wings and a cashmere body! I got a lovely, lovely dotee all the way from Australia! She came yesterday and when she is rested up a bit from her long voyage, I will take some pics.

So, what's left? The dollhouse book collaborative, the fairytale princess necklace and the Birds of a Feather book collaborative. And I just signed up for a tiny swap trading little felty charms! What can I say? It's so fun! Plus, I've been trading my ATC's at flickr and I have acquired some beauties from other artists and I love them so much! Mail love, my friends! It's groooooovy!

Hugs to all!

Fabulous Marie Antoinette Box from Lisa Kettell

2008-05-02T16:10:00.001-07:00

Fabulous Marie Antoinette Box from Lisa Kettell
Originally uploaded by Tender Arts

Now do you see why I love swapping? I mean, LOOK AT THIS! I cannot even believe how much I love this pretty Queen. So many yummy layers of papers and trim and fabulous-ness. But you know what I love the most? The little pearl earrings she is wearing! I know, how weird, but they are SO cute!

Inside was more decadent gorgeous MA goodies. You can take a peek at my flickr page if you'd like to see it all. All I can say is, WOW! did I ever get spoiled! Thank you so much, Lisa!

For me?

2008-04-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

How sweet!

I feel very honored to have been awarded the "Arte Y Pico" award by the fabulous Lisa Kettell! The "Arte y Pico" award was created/made to be given out to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and their works, whether it be writing, artwork or more. When one receives this award it is considered a "special honor". Once you receive this award, you are to pass it on to at least 5 others. For more info on this wonderful award pleases visit: http://www.arteypico.blogspot.com/. So, wow!

There are so many women whose blogs inspire me! Some I have awarded before, so I think I will try to pick five other bloggers. I hope you will visit each of them- they bring so much light into the blogging world!

First, there is Cheryl from Confections. I have never heard this girl grumble about anything! She is so upbeat and just a joy to visit. She very kindly featured Amelia on her blog yesterday, which I thought was so sweet! Cheryl is a talented needlewoman and crafter who makes it a point to highlight the work of others on her blog and that is why I am thrilled to give her this award.

Secondly, sweet Sherrie from Symple Tymes. I first met Sherrie in 2003 on the Yahoo group, Vintage Cloth Dollmaking. At that time she was hosting a patriotic doll challenge- it was one of my first challenges and she was (is!) the kindest, most gracious lady. Not only that, but she has been all over the crafting web. If you want to know what is going on in cloth doll world, Sherrie should be your first stop!

Third, dear Amanda at Violaceous. I know this makes me sound so old, but I really love visiting her blog and reading about her everyday adventures with her cute one-year-old, Lucy. Reminds me of when I was a young mommy, working my way through all the "firsts" with my babies. She has a lovely way of writing that makes you feel at home. Plus, you need to get over there and see her awesome Lucky Inspiration Jars! Too cute!

Fourth, a new friend! Michelle at Rose Garden Romantic. Michelle is originally from Sacramento, a fellow California sister, who is putting down new roots in Texas. She is a very talented collage artist and just plain nice too!

Fifth, Becky from Auntie Bunny's Blog. I think we met on flickr and Edith Flack Ackley dolls simultaneously. She is an incredibly talented artist. Like me, she does a bit of everything, but I think she does it better! I hope you will go to her blog- she made a beautiful EFA doll named Beth that you just have to see!

Sixth, (I know, but I want to do SIX!) another friend from Edith Flack Ackley dolls, Tracey at Giggle Face Studios. Tracey is a very Talented needlewoman with a fine sense of whimsy. She is a delight to visit.

Ladies, you are all outstanding and inspiring artists! I am honored to know you!

Let's flock together!

2008-04-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

You know, like "Birds of a Feather"! One of the swaps that I am most excited about right now is on The Faerie Zine. It is a collaborative book and the name of the swap is Birds of a Feather. Here's the idea: Sixteen artists will each create sixteen identical 5"x 5" book pages. Then, the artists will send their pages and $10 to Lisa Kettell, moderator of The Faerie Zine. She will collate the pages, create front and back covers and bind the books and then mail them to the collaborating artists. How cool is that?

You know, when I do make money in my etsy shop, I usually spend the money on boring things like groceries. I rarely get to buy any of the wonderful things I see other artists offering. By participating in swaps, I am getting the opportunity to own original art by some of my favorite artists! Doesn't that sound great? Won't you join us? There is still room in the swap for four more people. The Faerie Zine is a private group, but I will happily send you an invite. You can take a peek around and see if you might like to join the swap. Just indicate your interest in a comment and I will get back to you with an invitation.

Please come and play with us!

P.S. To get you started, here is a free image from the The Collage Pool. Nice, eh?

The artist is not a special kind of person, but each person is a special kind of artist.

2008-04-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

(Photo by my young friend, Rachel Bale-great perspective, eh?)

The quote above is by Kelee Katillac, the author of House of Belief. It's a great book, by the way. Anyhow, I have this quote taped over my desk to remind me that my work is fine. To remind me to stop censoring myself. To remind me that I have something to offer- that we all do. Like many of you, I was encouraged to develop certain talents over others. My mother was very concerned that Art could never be a proper vocation and that I would be wise to become a secretary. And here I am. In an office all day and sneaking in my creative work on my free time.

If you have ever felt that your creativity was "wrong" or not valuable or not worthy of spending time on, I hope you will follow this link to the blog Bella Dia. Her post is better than mine and the video she shares is better than both of our posts. It is a twenty minute video, but so worth watching. Really, really wonderful stuff. Especially as it pertains to our children. Nurturing creativity is ALWAYS a good idea!

Waving Hi!

2008-04-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. Ours was pretty quiet, but we did have a super nice visit with my brother, Jonathan and my sister-in-law, Deb, when they had dinner with us Sunday night. We had not gotten together in so long! It was great to catch up. They are talking about getting a pair of doggies! Maybe a pair of Bassett Hounds!!! My favorites!

Isn't this cute? I was organizing my pics on flickr and was so happy to see these again.

This is Happy Clowners! I made him in 2005 from Edith Flack Ackley's 1929 book, "Marionettes". Isn't he the cutest thing? But we don't have him any more. I sold him not long after I made him and my Eric has not stopped talking about him since. It's funny because when I made Happy, Eric was concerned about having a creepy clown in the house. I tried very hard to make sure that Happy would be cute and not creepy and I guess I succeeded! Anyway, I am hoping that this coming weekend, I can make another. And this time, I am NOT going to put him up for sale!

Hugs to all!

Hamburger Pie, Me Oh My!

2008-04-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Do you know Hamburger Pie? It is good old fashioned comfort food is what it is. I hadn't made it in ages and so I was pretty excited last night when I thought of it. Then, when it came out of the oven looking this delicious, I had to snap it's picture. It's really one of those kind of bizarre fifties recipes, really, but it's so satisfying. Mine is made with lean ground turkey, browned. Add a can of tomato soup, a little water, a drained can of shorty green beans and top with cooked mashed potatoes (instant, of course!). Then sprinkle with whatever cheese you have, mine happened to be parmesan this time, but usually it's cheddar and bake uncovered for 25 minutes in a 350° oven. Voila! Yummy housewifey goodness!

And in "On My Desk Wednesday" action, I have this little cutie heading to her new home:

So, that is one swap out of the way! I won't say anymore about this little dotee fairy, because I want Amanda to discover her for herself. Amanda, look under the pink shreds too, okay? She is coming to you via First Class so you should have her in few days.

Hugs to all!

Amelia and Swap Fever

2008-03-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, Friends! Amelia is in the shop and is really looking forward to finding a home. I had a terrible time photographing her yesterday. I tried to do it outside, but the shadows were so harsh! We ended up indoors with her back to the window. I think the resulting photos turned out beautifully! The color looks so soft and perfect for her.

I seem to have fallen under a mysterious spell or contracted some kind of horrendous malady! I can't stop signing up for swaps! Have I finished my first two- the card swap and the fairy dotee swap? No! But that didn't stop me from signing up for

A Marie Antoinette box swap
A Mermaid Seaside Pageant ATC swap
A Princess, Pea & Tea Hat Swap
A Fairytale Necklace Swap AND
A Doll House Collaborative Book Swap!!!!

I'm blaming it all on my new friends over at The Faerie Zine. The moderator, Lisa Kettell is so energetic and full of such fun ideas, I can't resist! I mean, really! Don't those sound fun? The Marie Antoinette swap is actually hosted by a fellow blogger, but the rest are all from The Faerie Zine. But now, I must stop and focus on actually completing my swaps. I'm afraid of losing track! I've put all the swaps on my calendar and I am devoting a page of my notebook to each swap for noting ideas, etc.

Good weekend. Quiet, but that's okay. I do wish I'd had a little more energy, but sometimes you just gotta slow down a bit, ya know?

Shop Update-Sneak Peak!

2008-03-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Amelia,

the Springtime Birthday Girl

In true Pygmalion fashion, I am in love with my creation! I couldn't wait to show her off a little bit, but she's not quite finished. I have a few details to add over the weekend including a Birthday Crown! (Oh my gosh, I'm so excited about the crown!) Anyway, I will be listing her at 9 a.m (west coast time) Monday. She is from the Edith Flack Ackley pattern, "To Greet A Little Girl" which was published as a mail order pattern in the 1940's. I love thinking of all the mommies and grandmothers sewing this doll for a little girl's special gift. She is a bigger doll than I usually make- almost eighteen inches. All of her clothing has fasteners so she can be undressed and re-dressed which I think makes her extra special. I know she is going to make someone very happy!

On My Desk Wednesday

2008-03-26T10:59:00.001-07:00

Well, this is a bit of a cheat because I took this photo last night. But she was there again when I left for work this morning! Tiny Little has a serious HP obsession. I need to find the cover for that thing and put it back!

The other thing on my desk is this:

I'm working on a new look for the blog and the etsy shop. Since I seem to be so pink and blue crazy lately, I'm going with that. I drew these letters by hand, using my old Letraset catalog from my college days. It is such a good resource to have. I think there will be some shadowing added for depth. And, really, it should have some glitter somewhere. Then I need to collect some other little elements and have Carmen help me with scanning and other digital stuff. I'm excited!

I have some other WIP's too:

A new EFA doll. She is a cutie-patootie! If you remember Joanne, this doll is the same pattern, but she is a little blonde girl wearing pink calico. I'm really excited to get her finished and listed in the shop this week.
Blank birthday cards for this swap.
A fairy dotee doll for this sweet girl.
Mommy's composition baby. I really want to get her done so she can come out and play! (I had to look up my original post about this doll so I could create a link. It's funny to reread things you wrote two years ago! I said I thought a cabinet full of dolls was creepy! LOL! Now my doll cabinet is one of my favorite things! I think it's all in what you do with it. My cabinet is more of a "life" assemblage- full of special things and memories rather than just a cabinet full of dolls. But it's still pretty funny!)

So, that's what is on the work table at the moment. Isn't it grand to have projects?

Monday, Monday

2008-03-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know how remarkable my pretty Easter room really is, but I was very pleased with it. Probably because it is the first time it has been clutter free since Christmas! I think one of the things that really tickled me was the fact that I used many of the sheets I picked up on my lucky thrift excursion last year. Even the "new" curtains are thrifted sheets! See the artwork hanging on the curtain below? That is an unfinished piece that Selah is working on. So pretty!

Anyway, now that the holiday is over, It will probably be a while before I see these surfaces again! Sometimes I think about how nice it will be to have a dedicated craft room, but most of the time I like sharing this space. I think I might get lonely shut up in a separate room.

Easter was lovely. Everything except the potato salad turned out great. I enjoyed seeing my stepfather and our friend, John, joined us too so it was really "just right". I actually had enough energy to do the dishes last night! How nice to have everything taken care of as we start the work week.

Now I need to start thinking about the next crafts! I have the urge to glitter AND sew!

Hugs to all!

We're ready

2008-03-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

for the Easter Bunny here in the doll cabinet! Here are some pretty decoupage eggs. I bought some beautiful German scrap from fellow Cottage Street Team member, Popalicious Too. She has really lovely things at great prices.

And Wendy has a basket of blue eggs, but she needs to be more careful!

This little gal doesn't have much, but she does have some cute bunny ears!

These are my faux sugar eggs. They turned out pretty cute, but I also learned a lot too! Next year I will be much better at it.

Tomorrow, my stepfather will be joining us for dinner. Also, I have plans to wake up extra early to attend the sunrise service. I can't wait! I've been very busy making the house clean and nice and when the sun comes up tomorrow, I will take some photos of the "Easter Room" to show you how pretty everything turned out.

Have a Blessed Easter, Friends!

Hello Friends!

2008-03-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

You will never guess what I've been doing with my evenings lately! Running! Okay, well, running may be an exaggeration. It's really more of a slow, shuffling jog! But I really, really like it. In fact, I've signed up for my first 5K. It's called the No Excuses 5K. How's that for a perfect name? anyway it's on Memorial Day and I've added a ticker to my sidebar over there. I'm so excited!

Not a lot of crafting lately, but I am signed up for a couple of swaps over at swap-bot. In fact, I received my first items already! I'm in a blank birthday card swap and my receiver is a different person than my giver. I got the most beautiful cards from Amanda at Violaceous. I wish I could show them to you, but I have to wrest my camera away from the teenagers! Ironically, in my second swap, a fairy dotee doll swap, Amanda is my receiver! She is such a sweetheart and so talented! Today, she and her husband are celebrating their little girl's first birthday. It just seems like yesterday that I was celebrating Carmen's first and now we are preparing for her 18th. Man, that was fast!

Sadly (for me), Carmen has decided that she would rather go on her senior trip than to have a big party. *sigh* I'll just have to save all my notes and sketches and use them in a few years for her 21st!

That's about it for me right now. Oh- except that I've lost 10 pounds! Woohoooo! And this time they are staying off! My attitude about my diet has had a complete turnaround. I have no doubt now that I will reach my goals.

I'll try to pop back in for another hello before Easter- I have some cute little things to show you!

Hugs to all!

I Heart Weekends

2008-03-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

My "Queen of the Nest" crown is complete and I love it!

I also whipped up a bit of assemblage art. This is the Rose Queen and she is for sale in my shop.

It's been a totally Crafty-licious weekend! And I got a fair amount of housework and laundry done too!

To top it all off, Sherrie of Symple Tymes, gave me this very sweet "You Make My Day" award! How nice is that? There are lots of blogs that make my day, but I'm supposed to hold it to ten. So, in no particular order here are some of my favorite girls:

Blondie of Vintage Primitives
Martha of Jellies Jams
Eileen of new blog Eileen's Attic
Jennie of Falling Down the Rabbit Hole
The other Jenny at Everyday is a Holiday
Of course Dannielle at Princess Nimble Thimble!
The brave and beautiful Deena at Can I Be Pretty In Pink?
Judy at Fabric Arts and Crafts
Amanda at Zhinkadinkadoo
Daughter Carmen at iCreate

I hope you will enjoy their blogs as much as I do!

My First Dotee Doll

2008-03-04T12:55:00.001-08:00

CUTE!!!

See what happens when I get a little "me" time!?! As a dollmaker, of course I've been aware of art dolls. In fact I've even made a couple, here and here. But there's something different about Dotee Dolls. They are so fun and sweet. Sometimes "Art" intimidates me, but nothing about this project is intimidating- just fun! The lovely Australian woman, Dot, who created these dolls, wrote up a very nice tutorial here.

For the body of my dolly, which is only 3", I sewed up the two long sides of a rectangle and then closed one end with a running stitch, stuffed it, then closed up the other end in the same way. The whole project from start to finish took maybe an hour and a half, tops. It's the beading that takes the time and that is where it can be as simple or fancy as you like. If you search dotee dolls on flickr you will see lots of darling examples. And I know I don't have to remind you that these make wonderful Comfort Dolls.

If you have made one, or decide to make one, won't you post the link in the comments section? I'm having such a good time enjoying them. Each one is different and delightful!

Ahhh, Mental Health Break!

2008-03-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

I took this morning off of work since my weekend was full of teenage girls! My newest daughter, Selah, celebrated her 18th birthday this weekend with a slumber party. Selah is staying with us for a while as she finishes high school and gets herself established. She is a joy to me- she crafts! Anyway, her actual birthday was yesterday and one of her gifts was this message board I made for her:

I know, the photo is horrible, but I think you can see how it's made. Two baking sheets, decoupaged paper squares, ribbon "frames" and a full set of marble magnet. I made a lot more than I needed, but it was so fun! I used pages from a "Children's Best Loved Literature" book that I bought at the last library sale. It had already been abused so I didn't feel to bad about what I was doing! Here's a close up of the magnets:In other crafting news- We've been making crowns around here! So fun! This first one is for one of my step granddaughters. She's a big Hannah Montana fan, so I made her a Super Star crown:

I think it's very joyful! Last night, Selah and I worked on some new crowns while Carmen helped us with the 1,001 decisions that go into this process! You might be surprised to learn that crown making is kind of hard! One center motif? Along this edge? Or this? Stones or shells? Which glitter? And so on! Anyway, Selah whipped out this amazing Mermaid Crown:

And I got started on what I am calling my May Queen Crown:

I am really loving it so far! The bluebirds were from a piece of scrapbooking paper. They actually are standing away from the crown because I used little pieces of foamcore between them and the crown. Then I added some irridescent glitter to outline the bluebirds. The actuall crown part is covered with some beautiful pink kimono fabric printed with blossoms. I have a lot more to do with it, but I think it's pretty sweet!

Speaking of crowns and blossoms, Molly (thanks for all the name help), the Blossom Queen is now listed for sale in my etsy shop. I have been feeling guilty for letting the shop sit empty, but this morning I said "Hey! I'm pretty darn busy with life and work. I do my best, but it's hardly worth beating myself up for!" And then I felt better!

Okay, so that's it for now! See, I have been busy! Hope the rest of you are having fun too!

One more thing! Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Sandra, Happy Birthday to you! I love you my dear friend- I hope you have a wonderful day!

This is cool!

2008-02-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

So, I have a DIY planner that I've been using on and off for the last fifteen years and I was looking for some address/telephone pages for it since the ones I have are pretty ratty. My planner is 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" and it is designed after Deniece Schofield's that she outlined in her book, "Confessions of an Organized Homemaker". It's an awesome book, by the way. The planner alone makes it a totally worthwhile read. Anyway...I didn't find address pages, but I did find this incredible site- http://www.pocketmod.com/:

You can design and print your own little pocket planner! So cute!There are lots of pages to pick from, including a customized image page, as you can see. Best of all, I can actually carry this in my darling little clutch purse!And that is what I am excited about today. I have been so busy this month and I have a lot to show, but right now I am at the office enjoying my lunch hour! This weekend I will try to get some photos of what I have been up to lately.

Hugs to all!

Edited to say: There is a great site that has everything I need for the big planner. DIYplanner.com is an awesome resource- check it out if you're not familiar with it.