Sunday, August 26, 2012

No, those aren't plane propellers -

The picture I previously posted looked like a pile of metal shelves or as some said, it looked like plane propellers.  What are they?  They are shelves to a rotabin (rotating bin).  I found it at an antique store and it is actually something you would see at an Ace Hardware or other hardware store.  My understanding is that they are a rare find.  Here's what I did with mine...
I thought it would hold all of my stamps, and it does come close, but not quite.  It holds all of the sets, but not my single stamps.  I placed my punches on the second shelf because they are too heavy for my plastic bins.  Each level rotates left or right.  I am excited about this.  I am still working on getting my craft room in shape.  This was a great start because I think the stamps will be more accessible.  Wish me luck in finding the right shelving for the rest of the room.

Friday, August 24, 2012

What the heck is that??

My car is full of something wonderful...  I rattled the whole way home.
Steel wheels?  
Outside on my patio, just waiting to be cleaned...
The plan is to clean up this corner.  You can obviously tell it is something for my craft room.  Check back tomorrow.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

What a cute 9 year old!

Yesterday was Miss Myah's birthday - and just take a look at this 9-year-old in her new birthday outfit from Grandma Sota (Grandma in Minnesota).  I love that rockin' outfit.  You can't tell, but the stripes are silvery and glittery.
We met at IHOP in Phoenix for a birthday dinner celebration.  It was Myah's choice to go for breakfast.
When they saw the envelope, both Myah and Kylie wanted to know if there was anything else in there besides a card.  I said "Well, there could be a $1,000 bill.  What do you think?"  
Her mom said "there's a puppy in there."  
And in a way, there was a puppy in the envelope.  
I would love to take credit for making the card, but it actually was made by my friend, Lois, for one of our monthly card exchanges.  They LOVED the card.  
They were all excited when they realized it was a hand-made card. 
I also happen to know Myah loves this place called Flip Dunk.  
It is a fun place where you can jump on trampolines.
 Myah ordered red velvet pancakes with cream cheese frosting/syrup?  Not sure what you call it.  It was more like a drizzle.  I had a couple of bites and it really did taste like red velvet - not a strong flavor, but it was good.
 Miss Kylie ordered a chocolate pancake with a face on it.  It was huge and thick.  She said it was good, but she missed chocolate chips.  There were none.
(Notice Grandma and Grandpa Sota NOT looking at the camera.)
The birthday girl - enjoying her ice cream!
Happy, Happy Day, Miss Myah!  Just think - next year you will be in double digits.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

September Card Exchange

September is my month to lead the card exchange - the theme is humor cards.  I have already made my sample and cut my kits.  Here's the end product...
I used Graphic45 paper.  I thought it went well with the phone stamp.  The front may not seem funny...
But I love the sentiment stamp!  It puts a smile on my face.  Hopefully, others will feel the same.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

August's Card Exchange

I have had my cards done for August's card exchange for a while now.  However, we have had 3 additional women join, which meant I needed to make more cards.  Maybe you will remember that these are the cards I designed...
I just love this card, but I purchased the green tags off of Etsy.com and only had 12.  So I could not make more cards like the original 12.  So I dug around in my drawers and found different tags - also purchased off Etsy - and using the same design, made the following cards...
I think these flamingos are so stinkin' cute.  They remind me of my mom, who lives in Florida where they actually have flamingos.  She has always loved birds and bird watching.
My friend, Maryanna, recently joined the card group and made her cards ahead of time.  She went out of town and left her cards with me.  So I made two more cards for her.  Her original card is on the left.  Mine is on the right - I did not have the same products, so they are similar, but not exact.  
It will be nice to have 14 people in our group.  I get inspired by what other people come up with.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Baseball/Basketball Mini Album

I took a class from Debby Schuh where we started off with a paper gift bag.  The handles of the bag became the handles of the book.  I showed Cindy how we made them, and she came up with the following book for her nephew, Austin:
 
I think these pages are so cute!  Her nephew plays both baseball and basketball and this is nice book with pockets - a great place for mementos and photos.  Thank you, Cindy, for sharing.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

A lot of fun on Friday

My friend, Adriana, called me Friday morning and asked me to "play hooky" with her over my lunch hour.  Technically, it wasn't playing hooky because I take a lunch everyday.  She wanted to go check out Sweet Salvage, which is a vintage store that is only open 4 days a month.  She picked me up, we pulled up and it was crazy... and hot.  It was packed with people and parking was a premium.
 Here's a photo of one of the booths...
It is all really cool, "old" stuff - or stuff made to look old, some retro furniture.  We met Nicole there - she, of course, did not want to miss out.  The line was very long, so we walked through but none of us bought anything.  On the way back to the office, Adriana and I stopped at Melrose Vintage, another vintage shop but it also contains scrapbooking/paper craft supplies.  
Here are a few photos of Melrose items...
 The photo below is one end of the scrapbooking store...


As we were driving there, I noticed another place called Rust and Roses.  I had never been there, but definitely wanted to stop in, so, we did.
 This place was fun and actually put me in the mood for my upcoming trip.  And it was not nearly as crowded.  Nicole and I are going back to Minnesota to attend Junk Bonanza this year.  It is very much like these stores, only much, much bigger.  They hold Junk Bonanza at a fair grounds in Shakopee, MN.  I think the reason I love this kind of vendor is that it gives me a chance to take a stroll down memory lane.  
 Adriana has her eye on this piece.  It is an old revolving parts bin.  I want it, too.  It would be a great place to put all of my rubber stamp sets.  Darn it!  I just don't have a place for it.  I can't imagine how heavy it must be.
 This is an old tape measure - one you wind up by hand.  My dad used to have one.  Probably still does.
 More bins and trunks.
 It is hard to see in this picture, but they draped a filmstrip over a paper tree.  
I am thinking film strip would be cool on a Christmas tree.
 I couldn't pass up the alligator head.  And I absolutely LOVE small campers.  
 This one was definitely unique.  This is the inside... just a little too ornate for me.
It was a fun hour and a half.  I am truly looking forward to going to Minnesota and walking through Junk Bonanza.  I can't decide whether to take a larger suitcase so I have room to bring stuff home, or to take a small one, so I am limited on what I bring home.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Stamped Card for a Friend...

A friend of mine recently celebrated her 65th birthday - it was definitely cause for a special card, so I pulled out this rubber stamp (given to me by Cindy) and made this card...
I am a little rusty when it comes to coloring with my water color pencils, but I still enjoyed doing it.  The inside...
The stamp of the ladies reminds me of our summer vacations.  Every summer for about a 10-year + period, we would go to North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina for two weeks and my aunt and uncle would rent a house right on the beach.  We loved it!  We were given so much freedom while we were there.  It was a huge house and some of my aunts and uncles would show up with their families.  This reminds me of my mother and her sisters (although they did not drink).  Sisters, just hangin' out and having a good time.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

My weekend

I started a little early by going to the movie with Maryanna on Thursday.  We went to see Hope Springs with Meryl Streep, Tommie Lee Jones, and Steve Carrell.  Good movie - made me think about life events.

Then on Friday night, I saw Bourne Legacy with Maryanna and Pat.  Excellent movie!  I have been waiting for this movie to come out - I think they initiallly said it would hit theaters in 2010, so I was glad that the day finally arrived.

Kate then called Saturday afternoon to invite me to get a pedicure - her treat!  How could I pass that up?  When we were finished, we took a photo before parting ways.
That photo reminds me of the Palmolive dish soap commercials.  Remember the ones with the moms and daughters holding up their hands?  You can obviously tell mine is the one with the bunion.

I am going again today to see The Bourne Legacy with Kimmy.  I actually think I will catch things I missed the first time around.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Take a look at these clouds!

Last weekend, I was driving down the road and saw the most beautiful clouds!  They just jumped out at me.  I had to pull over and take photos...
Did you see them, too?

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Beautiful Altered Beach Book

While at the crop I worked on a beach book kit that was made and sold by Paper Vineyard, and actually featured a Grapevine Designs kit.  The kit went together so easily and I really enjoyed making it.  Here are my favorite pages:
 I love the look of this cover - the pages are different sizes and shapes, so you see a little bit of all of them.
This particular book is being sent to my sister in Florida - they have lots of "beach" pictures.  I can't take credit for the design of this book.  It was a beautiful book designed by Adriana.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Saturday's Crop...

I went to an all-day crop at Paper Vineyard and it had a picnic theme.
One of the ladies who attended made ant cupcakes - so very cute!
Adriana provided lots of snacks and treats, but these rice krispie cookies got my attention.
We made three projects provided as part of the crop.  The Recipe book was absolutely adoreable!
Love the little honey bee!
Then we made two cards.  We had a fun day and since I got there late, I stayed right up until 9:00.