Silver Linings 4 ME: crafts

Showing posts with label crafts. Show all posts

Monday, April 11, 2016

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V.15 {2016}

all pics taken 4.11.16

Okay. Here's the deal... I'm totally absorbed with the BABY SHOWER! I'm getting so excited. My daughter, SLE, is having a baby GIRL in June... but she's flying out this weekend so her sister, aunties, cousin & Nana can throw her a baby shower! No worries... GOOD thing she doesn't check my blog often (if at all?). More shower pictures will be posted next week!

Of course we have to play some RANDOM games... one of which is "How Many Kisses FOR Baby Bee?" Since we don't know the baby's name, I have lovingly started calling her "Baby Bee" as her last name begins with a "B"...

While waiting for Saturday to arrive, I've been indulging myself... by creating signs using my scrapbook stash & "whipped into shape" some picture frames (purchased from the Dollar Store) using off-white spray paint! (ok, I know my family is chuckling about my spray-paint habit)...

Another FUN little project... this is a teaser, so you'll have to come back next week to see WHAT this will be! Needless to say, I've got the bug! crafting & sewing... Cleaning? dust balls are swirling under the beds & in the corners. Cleaning will have to wait another day!

posting with Tamar @ Random-osity

{sorry I missed GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. last week}

see you soon!

Monday, February 22, 2016

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V.8 {2016}

Asparagus, Parmesan Cheese Fritatta

cleaned out the fridge - GOOD for breakfast & dinner

RANDOM = Spring + Easter decorations
are beginning to appear in stores!

Wish I had purchased one of these felt bunnies

so I could try to make my own pattern!

creative FUN

(l) used PicMonkey to add a red hat & sunglasses to a pic of Lola

(r) took pic of a pillow that resembled Lola

(at Therapy, one of my favorite stores

in Mountain View)

she's such a C.U.T.I.E. P.A.T.O.O.T.I.E.

Lola will be going home Tuesday...

we will M.I.S.S. her sweet little face!

posting with Tamar @ Random-osity

Monday, February 1, 2016

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V.5 {2016}

Saturday, we took a drive to Montana de Oro... about 25 minutes from our house. There are H.U.G.E. cliffs with sweeping views of the midnight blue ocean. Waves were pounding the rocks, people stood along the bluffs enjoying the wind and watched the storm blow in. It was sooooo GOOD to be out in nature...

Hopping rocks, looking in tidepools, exploring between the incoming tide... A few RANDOM samples of ocean life.

Some FUN... a break from procrastinating

(still decluttering the bathrooms,

honestly, I haven't gotten far...).

Too late for Christmas, but it was certainly FUN mailing this ornament to Allie & Brian.

I photocopied both sides of their wedding invitation on card-stock, cut it into slivers of paper, which I rolled around a pencil & dropped them inside this glass bauble.
Then I punched purple(s) & green confetti from the crepe paper I used to make their wedding flowers.
Here are the photos I sent to family showing them how this looked. Since no one had seen the ornament, I labeled the arrows showing them what the curled paper pieces were... C.U.T.E. & FUN!

posting with Tamar @ Random-osity

Monday, January 18, 2016

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V.3 (2016)

It's a GOOD time to begin blogging again! After all, it's a new year (BTW, I love even numbered years... 2016 is even... divisible by 2... I know, that's weird huh?) and I'm beginning to settle into RETIREMENT! It's been more than 6 months, BUT I'm still trying to find my "routine."

I'm thinking that for so-o-o-o many years, a woman gets used to a routine and then when it adjusts (due to having children, illness, or even vacation), we THINK we will start doing all those tasks we "dream of" when we are in a parenting-working routine.

I'll let you in on a secret... it's been hard getting used to being RETIRED! I LOVE it, but I still flounder around for most of the day trying to figure out which "productive task" I need to complete before my head hits the pillow at night.

Before you think I have NOTHING to occupy my time... well, you only need to look at my "stuff" to know crafts, books, photography, and sewing projects are all at the "tip of my finger." It's a matter of "turning off" my work-mindset and being OKAY with creating my path each morning over coffee.

A RANDOM thought... JPE & I haven't been to the Big Bear Cabin in the WINTER for several years. I'm missing the beauty of the lake... the cool-frosty mornings... sipping a "cuppa" while I watch the birds "swoop & skim" the glassy surface of the lake... Ahh! maybe we need to calendar a trip??

My second favorite holiday (besides Christmas) is VALENTINE'S DAY!! It's not quite as much FUN cutting, pasting, and creating messages of LOVE without other crafters. Does anyone want to come over and join me?

Thanks, TAMAR for continuing to host this Monday meme!

Her birthday is coming soon... Check out her "blazing candle display"

as she begins the "count-down" to her BIRTH-day.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

IT'S ON MY LIST!!

I'm TOO LATE!!!

urrghhh! I was looking at my photo archives for the past few Decembers... and I just remembered something I wanted to "attempt" making.

So, my plan is to make a list of supplies to buy

(since many of them are seasonal) & head to Michael's tomorrow! I have a GIFT card from my colleagues (retirement gift from last May) + several coupons that are expiring!

WHAT do I want to make, you ask??

a glittery village of houses with fir trees, snow & Christmas ornamentation! Of course, this would be my "dream house"...

Oh... don't you love these! check out the adorable church!

some more "dreamy houses"

I certainly have my work cut out for me! Am I attempting something too difficult?

perhaps one this size should be my first attempt!

with a sloped roof to prevent the snow from building up!

Wish me LUCK shopping for my supplies tomorrow!

Working on several other projects right now!

so, this will have to wait until a "rainy day" in 2016!

Monday, November 23, 2015

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN. V47

Cambria, CA 11.23.15

Mom came up on Amtrak Sunday evening... We spent a GOOD part of Monday walking around Cambria... Isn't this a GOOD way to keep track of socks missing their mates??

hilarious book about breastfeeding

One of our RANDOM "finds"... some laugh-out-loud information about breastfeeding!! This might make you think I don't support breastfeeding... but it should be noted that I breastfed both of my daughters until they were almost 2 years of age. We couldn't help laughing at this silly cartoon, "Bad time to breastfeed"...

Ball & Skein Yarn Shop, Cambria, CA

I've seen plenty of cardboard reindeer heads, but this is my "first" cardboard sheep. What a novel, FUN way to display skeins of yarn. Allie would love-love-love the yarn in this store...

posting with Tamar @ RANDOM-OSITY!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

STRESSED?!?#? NOT ME...

image found here

HAVE YOU JOINED THE "COLORING CRAZE"

It's a real stress-buster... well... ONCE, you get over the idea that you are "wasting time" that would be better spent doing laundry, vacuuming the car (mine needs it), cleaning the garage (urrghhh! I promise to get to this JPE) or running errands.

Allie & Brian gave me some art supplies as a retirement gift, and I've been "sneaking" some time to just COLOR. I say JUST because I'm guilty of multi-tasking... watching HGTV & reading blogs with a pile of folded laundry beside me & another in the dryer. I've found that if I COLOR at my workspace, I get in the zone! I don't have the other distractions calling to me... this feeling continues to be problematic, I still feel like I'm "wasting time"... urgghhh.

So, my question is: how do you get over the idea that you are "wasting time"? please share.

I mentioned minimal supplies are needed. I've used felt tip pens & COLORED pencils... a child could use crayons (I like fine points, so I'll leave crayons to other projects). Just experiment with what you have on hand.

I have several adult COLORING books, but, a search on GOOGLE brought up several websites that allow you to print them from your own printer.

Easy Peasy & Fun http://www.easypeasyandfun.com - check out their holiday COLORING pages (under Printables)

Trail of Color http://trailofcolors.com/ - offers a variety of COLORING sheets for adults and children.

The design I'm COLORING I downloaded from Jenean Morrison (http://jeneanmorrison.net/) - an artist with many COLORING books on the market, including four that were recently published in France. Click on this link to see several unique ways to COLOR in the spaces (scroll to the bottom of the post).

Reminder... if you DO download COLORING sheets, please remember these generally have a copyright & are for public use only.

I was searching for COLORBOOKS on Amazon, and found TWO COLORING books with drawings that were created by Mary Engelbreit. They appeared on the cover but were credited to the person who is selling the book as their own work. SO, I wrote Mary (I still have all her magazines - being the magazine hoarder I am) to alert her to what I found! I received a PERSONAL message from Mary (& one from her marketing representative) thanking me for having "eagle eyes".... BTW, Mary has her own COLORBOOK which can be found HERE!

Ah, such is the life of a creative, huh?!!

Saturday, September 20, 2014

OH... MOM!!!

thanks MOM...

we LOVE our new AUTUMN table runner.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

RUSHING? WHOO-SH...

had to pick up some elastic at the fabric store...

technically, it's NOT even AUTUMN

(officially starts September 23rd)

...AND the CHRISTMAS decorations

are ALREADY being displayed!

I love CHRISTMAS, but

let's S-L-O-W D-O-W-N!

Monday, September 15, 2014

GOOD. RANDOM. FUN {WEEK 37}

continuing to share photos

~ VIA DEI COLORI-SLO

GREAT! drawings...

artists work from drawings.

blurry {oops! sorry} Tinkerbell drawing
next to the chalk-colored Tinkerbell!

RANDOM detail.

kids creating! FUN!

posting with Tamar @ RANDOM-OSITY

see you tomorrow!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 9.14.14

all photos taken 9.13.14 @ VIA DEL COLORI

{San Luis Obispo, CA}

TRAVEL - JPE & I drove to SLO to see the chalk drawings! the artwork spanned two blocks with the featured artist drawing in the front of the SLO Mission.

I loved the chalk drawing of the colorful houses PACKED together! reminds me of being in a foreign city.

Each drawing space was outlined with duct tape & marked with the sponsor's name. Alice, the rabbit & the STRIPED Cheshire Cat appealed to Disney fans!