Capture the Details

candy corn makeover

My mom gave me some wooden candy corn shapes from her fall decorating inventory. My mom decorates her home in country and primitives and although I love that look, it's not how I decorate my home. The candy corn was painted with darker, primitive colors......

 
I figured that by brightening the orange, I could make them more 'my style'. So, I painted over the dark reddish orange with a sunset orange paint, and then I added a bit more of my whimsical style with a coating of glitter glaze.....

 
Now, the cute bunch of candy corn fits my decor! Simple and easy!

 
 
 
This project reminds me of the days when I worked at the scrapbook store. I would always tell the girls in my classes that if an accent wasn't quite 'right', there's no law saying you can't alter it to make it work for you. Remember that in your crafting, too! :-)

fun button projects

A few fun button projects that I designed using Styrofoam™ Brand Foam are featured on Stephanie Lynn's blog, Under the Table and Dreaming. If you are like me and have gazillions of pretty buttons in your stash, hopefully this will inspire you to create!

One set of projects is the Button Topiary and Egg, and the complete tutorial and supply list is available on Stephanie Lynn's blog.

 

Another featured design can be found on this post. It highlights my Button Covered Photo Cube and you can also find the tutorial and supply list.

 

Towards the end of Stephanie Lynn's first post a few more of my designs are shown... two button wreaths ~ one round and one heart shaped. You can visit the video page on the Styrofoam™ Brand Foam website and scroll to the bottom of the page to watch videos on how to create these pretty wreaths.

 
 
The holiday season is approaching very fast - these would make beautiful gift ideas! Have fun! :-)

pennants, wish flowers, tag set

I have always loved putting paper patterns and colors together. It's fun to see what combinations you can get. I am amazed at the fact that even though the papers come from totally different designers, you can often pull a selection together and they work wonderfully as a collection.

I made a set of three mini paper pennants and have them available in my store. They are great for a scrapbook layout. They are really cute hanging on an inspiration board. I bet they'd be adorable tied to wooden skewers and adorning the top of a cake (take a picture of the decorated cake and then do a scrapbook layout using the actual pennant).

 
 
So cute! I love them!

Another new item is this set of one-of-a-kind tags in pumpkin and plum colors. Again, I pulled a bunch of papers together in shades of oranges and purples to make this fun collection. I love the chenille pipe cleaner accents - you just have to rub your finger on them! So soft!

 
 
And finally, my wish flowers. I plan on designing more items with this illustration, but to start, I have these mini note sets.

 
It is a very soft and subtle design. The set has note sheets that fit inside the envelopes when folded in half.

 
I hope you can take a look at the latest items! ;-) Let me know what you think.

halloween topiary tutorial

A Halloween Topiary that I designed is featured on the Crafts 'n Coffee blog today. You can read a bit about how the tutorial came to be. :-)

 
You simply make strips into ruffles and attach to the cone... full, detailed instructions can be found on the Crafts 'n Coffee post. Check it out! :-)

before and after the game

I love all the Instagram photos flying around out there in blog land and I have been wishing that I had an Iphone so I can play around taking some neat shots, too. Then it dawned on me that Sarah has an Ipod touch and she can download apps. BINGO! She downloaded the Instagram app for me. So now I have been borrowing her Ipod to take Instagram pictures and emailing them to myself! I love the rough, grainy, free-style look that you can get using the different filters. They are far from 'perfect' shots, but it's neat how they capture a moment in a fun way.

Sarah had her first Fall softball game this afternoon. She went with better expectations than previous seasons (it seems she has been on losing teams, I mean like losing EVERY SINGLE GAME of the season losing teams, since she started playing). From her practices she's noticed that there is a pretty good group of girls together this time around.

I have to tell you that her jersey number is 34 and has been for several seasons now. We are all Phillies fans here at my house and Sarah loves Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, who happens to be number 34. His nickname is 'Doc', and as it so happens that is what her nickname is when she is playing. What a coincidence! I looked at Todd's cap before the game and noticed he had written 'Doc's dad' with a Sharpie marker, under the brim.

So, my 'Doc', sitting in the dugout pre-game, all serious and business-like (taken with the Instagram app! woohoo!)....

 
....and my Doc after the game, (THAT THEY WON!) with a celebratory snow cone and a mile-wide smile (taken with a different filter from the Instagram app)....

 

Sarah apparently was confused when the ump called the game finished and the coaches called the girls in..... "Wait. What? We WON?!"

Way to go Sarah and team! And yea! for the Instagram app! :-)

 

pumpkins and cornucopia

One of my designs is featured in the holiday 2011 issue of Create & Decorate! Look for this cover......

 
....and you'll find me inside on page 39.

 

 
:-)

if the sun ever comes out again....

.... I can take pictures and get some new things listed in my store!

I laid out a few things on my art table next to the window and edited them to get rid of the dull, gray atmosphere. It has been raining for four straight days thanks to the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. Here's a peek at some of the things coming soon....

 
...Pennant Party mini buntings, Make a Wish mini note sets, and a collection of tags (haven't named them yet). I have all kinds of Halloween things in the works and I'll post images of them soon. Stay tuned! :-)

five years... what a difference

I put together a little photo montage of Sarah and Ben with pictures from 2006 and pictures from 2011. The kids are growing and changing so fast. The things that stand out to me are #1 ~ Sarah's smile...she had a severe cross bite and started visiting the orthodontist at age 8 for a retainer and finally getting braces at age 12; and #2 ~ Ben's cheeks... when he was really little he had the cutest chubby cheeks, in fact one of the moms at preschool used to call him "cheeks". Now his face has thinned out and gotten longer - no more cheeks!

 
This will be neat to do once they become teenagers. Which I'm sure will happen all too fast. :-)

up!

Playing around with sidewalk chalk......

 
 
This next one of Sarah made me laugh. It looks like she's flying away and holding on for dear life....

 
I got the idea from Pinterest. That place is LOADED with inspiration!!!!

I took the pictures last night after supper. Tonight after supper we went out to the driveway again and Ben asked if I was done with the balloons... could he add to it. Sure! So now there is a six foot frog hanging on to the bunch of balloons. I'll have to take a picture tomorrow of his addition. LOL :-)

spray paint makeover - coat rack stand

I inherited a coat rack stand that was in my Grammy's house for as long as I can remember. It sat in the corner of her dining room. As my brother and I grew up, every once in a while it would get pulled out from against the wall so that my Grammy could mark our heights on the wall behind it.

I've had it for a bunch of years now and it's been in my garage, loaded with Todd's work coats. It's been empty in the back corner of my basement. I decided it was time for a makeover so it can add some charm to my living room.

The stand was an antique brass color and that's okay if you like antique brass. I prefer white and bright colors, so I grabbed my can of Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss White spray paint and got to work. I set up outside and applied a bunch of light coats until it was completely painted.

 
What a difference! It is now standing in my living room and it makes me smile every time I look at it. I have a tendency towards collecting family items and I love to be able to add new life to them and incorporate them into my home.

 
Thank goodness for spray paint! It makes 'makeovers' so much fun and so easy to do!

 
What do you have around the house that you could give new life to with a coat or two of spray paint? :-)