Indulge Your Shelf

Last week Jeanelle gifted me this amazing work of art: Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?!  She made it just for me, using Christy Tomlinson's method of Art Redefined to layer and texture a wonderful work of art!  I loved it so much , and so Jeanelle had me over yesterday with another friend, Lisa, to make some of our own! Jeanelle had everything all set up for us, and we just brought some bits and pieces of ephemera, paper, and stamps and stuff to add to the mix. Here I am holding my blank canvas, ready to start. First I layered alot of different ephemera; the idea is to have plenty of texture.  Here's Jeanelle, coloring with her daughter while her canvas dries.  She is an awesome multi-tasker! Her sweet pumpkin of a daughter was so patient as we created! Lisa, hard at work on her layers My canvas in progress, after paint, stamping, and paper "trees" have been added! More additions, including rub on letters. We stopped for lunch, then had about an hour to finish up. Here...

Lots of piles going on here... Piles of my Moo cards, packaged with buttons, as tote bag favors Piles of swap pieces waiting to go out... one swapper is late and holding up the whole group.  They were due Sept. 26, and still haven't gone out ! So, so inconsiderate! Makes me VERY. GRUMPY. Piles of neatly-stored ribbons and trims, which I FINALLY got around to organizing the other night!  These are bits and pieces that come to me from thrift store outings, etc. If I have a piece or strand that is not long enough to be wrapped on a card... the whole pile goes into bags, sorted by color. Then, if I'm working on a small project, I can pull out those little pieces and use them up. What about you -- any piles going on at your house?

We worked really hard on the Operation ReScrap show.  We marketed it as best we knew how, with multiple specialists doing great work. When we got on site the day before, we took these two huge empty rooms and set up these long, heavy wooden tables -- about 50 of them -- and then went to work setting out consignment craft and home decor items as they were dropped off. By the end of the day I was so tired, but excited; here I am holding up one of our really cute, custom-printed tote bags which were to be the opening night giveaway.  I'd stuffed them with goodies as one of my tasks that day. We had a line waiting at the door on opening night, Friday -- shoppers on the hunt for those great crafting bargains!  We had refreshments... live music... and lots of vendors set up in the second venue with their vintage and handmade items for sale! Amy's Pink Attic Cat booth was my favorite... The crowd opening night was smaller than we'd hoped, and unfortunately that trend co...

If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you know that I adore vintage Christmas stuff!  This was all in one of those grab bags at the thrift store! I grabbed it for the old bottle brush trees, which I can never seem to resist!  But then I was charmed to get these little primary-colored plastic houses, too! Look at this wooden one that was also in the bag! It's funny looking... and seems even stranger when you look at the label on it! I've scheduled this post ahead of time as I'm spending the weekend at Operation ReScrap's Craft & Home Decor Consignment Sale -- working!  (I love that I found a "job" that pays me to be at a craft and vintage fair!) The photo above shows a few crafty and vintage things I'm taking along to consign at the sale. I can't wait to tell you all about it when I get back! Don't forget: there's still time to sign up for the Christmas Ornament Swap at Button Floozies !

I live near a town with a huge military presence: Colorado Springs.  We have Fort Carson, Peterson and Schriever Air Force bases, and the Air Force Academy.  We used to house NORAD here, too.  For Veteran's Day every year, we have a huge parade downtown.  This year, Ben marched in his school band in the parade.  I thought you might like to see it: To all the veterans out there, I salute you! Thank you for your service!

A couple of days ago we had a snowstorm in the forecast.  I was sure I'd be stuck inside the next day so I treated myself to a stroll around one of my favorite antique stores.  It was such a peaceful and enjoyable time of browsing...sigh!  Here are the few little things I picked up there: a sweet vintage German Christmas ornament buttons... buttons... and more buttons! This mid-century train brooklet. It gives a narrative of what passengers can see out their windows. The area I grew up in figures prominently in this section. I love train travel, and the idea of train travel. Then...guess what?  It didn't snow after all the next day.

Here's my creation for Mary Green's November Collage Challenge: I used vintage wallpaper as a background; she's in her hotel room in Paris, taking in the view of a sparkling Le Tour Eiffel from her window (wasabi tape for a windowframe.) It's always fun to see what people do with the same three images!  Take a look .