Where Are My Glasses?

I recently saw a Pin on Pinterest using these clips to organize power cords for phones and Ipads.  It inspired me to use them to keep my ever growing collection of glasses organized and close at hand.  I clipped them to the shelf in my "locker" (we each have one) in my mud room, but they would work just as well hanging from the bar or shelf in the coat closet!

This was another pin that inspired me.  I am trying to lose 10 lbs but don't want to put up photos, etc. on my fridge.  I thought this was a great motivational "reminder" that only I would know about.  Put a stone in one glass for every pound you want to lose and as you lose it, transfer the stone to the other glass!  This is on my microwave which I pass on my way to the fridge and pantry...

Princess Samantha

Today we celebrated Samantha's 3rd birthday!  Samantha is my three year old Great-niece!  I decided to make a Princess Samantha doll for her that would be about her size so she could sit with her and have tea if she wanted.  My son, Joey, and I also wanted to build a tent for Samantha and her cousin to play in while they were at my house.

First, the Princess Samantha doll...

I wanted to make her wear a ball gown similar to "Cinrella" as my G-niece calls her.

Her hair - I like to add ribbons and rick rack to the dolls yarn hair.

Hard to tell in the photo, but she's wearing white heels and long white gloves as every princess should!

I made the center of her eyes larger after I took these photos and her eyes look better now.

See her pretty tiara?

Her tulle bow in back.

Signed of course!

When Samantha came in, this is how Princess Samantha greeted her, with a present on her lap!

Now for the tent - here is the "before" empty corner of my family room.

My son making the "refrigerator" for the tent kitchen.

PVC pipes we already had, cut to size and I purchased a few of the corner pieces.

The addition of twinkle lights.

Joe made a stove for her using some plastic storage units and two old knobs for the on/off switches.

There wasn't time to paint the refrigerator white, but it worked just as well to hold the fake veggies I bought and the empty plastic containers saved from recycling.

The stove.  In the top drawer I put tupperware plates and plastic spoons so she could make us all a nice meal!

The entry to the tent complete with clip on butterflies and silver and gold garland.

Hopefully, my photography skills will get better over time.  The twinkle lights were hung behind the sheet hanging in the back as well as the set we weaved over the top.  I couldn't have done this without the help of Joe and we had a lot of fun putting together everything for the kids.  The party was beautiful with all of the decorations that Samantha's Mom and Dad brought - all pink and princess-y and beautiful!  Not having any girls, I just love being a part of Samantha's glittery world!  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Go Cougars!

Last week I wanted to go to Dicks Sporting Goods for their giant clearance sale to pick up some items for my 15 year old son, Joe.  The exchange between us went something like this:
Me:  What size shorts are you wearing these days?
Joe:  What kind of shorts are you talking about?
Me:  Well, let's say running shorts?
Joe:  What kind of running shorts do you mean?
Me:  Um, what kind are there?
Joe:  There's meet shorts and then there are work out shorts.
Me:  What's the difference?
Joe:  (insert long explanation about the difference between the meet shorts and running shorts)
Me:  OK, what size are you in meet shorts?
Joe:  Medium.
Me:  What size are you in work out shorts?
Joe:  Medium.
Me:  What size are you in any shorts at all?
Joe:  Medium.
Me:  WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY MEDIUM WHEN I ASKED YOU THE QUESTION???
Joe:  Oh, I don't know.

This is living with teenagers;  frustrating and funny.  You never know where the conversation will lead when you thought you were asking a simple question and there are some days when I have to give myself a time out before I lose my mind and others I'm rolling on the floor laughing!  I'm so glad I've been gifted with a sense of humor, and so have my boys, because I'm not sure our family would survive these years without it!

Joe had a Indoor Track potluck at the school this week and parents were asked to bring either a salad or fruit.  I opted for fruit and thought I'd share my very simple fruit plate project with you this week.  I decided to carve the school logo in a melon to decorate the plate.  The kids loved it!

I just printed out the logo and taped it to the melon, then I used an exacto knife to cut the logo out, leaving the outline on the melon rind.

I carefully cut the rind around the logo, shallow enough to show the green.  Then I gouged a circle out around it, deep enough to show the orange flesh of the melon.  Very quick and easy!

Have a great week everyone and Go Cougars!!

Finally! A pet ornament!

I finally ventured out and tried my hand at painting a family pet! 

Where the Magic Happens!

The holidays are done, the guests are gone and I have finally managed to clean out my studio!  I'm still working on the holiday waiting list (Yep, a waiting list, how great is that? :))  but I thought I'd show you where I work.  We are lucky that the house we live in came with a "hobby room", complete with ventilation fans and located right next to the laundry room where the deep sink is located.  It's a total mish mash of furniture and supplies, but for me I like the organized chaos better than a properly designed room where everything matches and supplies are hidden from view.

I was told by a friend who collects art that generally it is better not to use any color but white on the walls in a studio because other colors can reflect on the paint you use for projects and change the look of them - but I wasn't sure I could live with white walls.  After seeing a similar treatment at a home tour in Maryland, I decided to do the walls white, but make a stencil and try to make it look more like wallpaper.  Then, because I live in a house full of boys, I painted the ceiling bubble gum pink!  It's worked great because none of the boys like to be in my "girly" room and I love it!

I keep leftover paint behind the pink curtains on the right

My Ooh Rah wall.  That's my Dad in the middle and bottom row center.  The Marine to the right of the large center photo is my nephew, Thomas and bottom right is me.

Storage for all of those little bits and pieces crafters use!

I just used a plain metal curtain rod and glued on some of the bazillion buttons and beads to decorate it.

I hosted a dinner years ago for my design group.  Inspired by the ladies below, I made each designer their own place holder out of roofing tin for the table with their company on it. 

My girls watch over my painting area, and yes, all must be careful how they address the queen...

Now on to some little projects I did over the holidays...

Have a wonderful day everyone!  Thanks for visiting! 

I am Grasshopper

Mom and Dad, the Creative Duo!

 It's 6am and my Mom and Dad just left to head back down to Florida.  Their leaving marks the end of the holidays for me and it's always a little bittersweet.

Last week, my Mom and I went to Michaels craft store to look at the jewelry section and pick up some tools she thought I needed.  Mom is a jewelry maker - a REAL one who uses enameling and silver and actual gems, not just beads like me.  She is an artist.  I was so inspired by her just walking through the aisles of beads.  She would lean in and pick up a strand of beads and say "these would go perfectly with these pink ones" or "I can see these on a long chain with a pendant".   Now, I consider myself pretty creative but I hadn't imagined any of the pairings she mentioned and the fact that she just went through the aisle talking out loud about what she was thinking was a wonderful tutorial for me.  I felt like David Carradine as Grasshopper learning pearls of wisdom from the Master!

When we arrived back at my house, she took one of my beads and proceeded to do something completely "out of the box" with it.  She didn't have time to finish but, again, what a great tutorial!

Mom told me about one of her professors who once told her "Don't bother making something that someone can buy in a store  Make something that no one has seen before.  Make art!"

Sage words.

So off I go into 2014, ready to make some "art".  It may wind up being the refridgerator kind of art, but hope springs eternal that with every piece I can channel a bit of my Mom's creativity and make it something beautiful and unique - just like her!