Altered Bird House and September TAC Contest Winner

This is a small wooden bird house that I finally took the time to play with and altered.  I love the finished project.  I used cardstock from the Mia's Cottage Collection from The Angel Company, acrylic paint and buttons.  This really is a quick and easy project. 

I also found out earlier today that I was one of the September contest winners for The Angel Company.  I've included the link - I hope you will take a moment and check out my winning entry and the other contest winner projects as well.

http://www.theangelcompany.net/CW_Sept09_ThisisUs.html

Thanks for looking!!

Altered Coasters

These are some old ceramic coasters that I found at a thrift store. I scooped them up and finally decided to take the leap and altered them. I am really torn on whether I am totally happy with the finished project or not. The coasters on the top right and bottom left are my favorites. I kind of wish I had stamped more images on the other two. I can't make any changes now but that's okay. I will probably use them as paper weights anyway. Your thoughts??

The TAC products used in this project are:

"Amberley Grace" cardstock from the Soar With It Collection

"Swirlies" stamp set

"Life Thoughts" stamp set

Palette Ink - Burnt Umber

and finally Mod Podge to seal the tops and sides of each coaster.

100% Boy

I finally got this old canister altered this afternoon. All products (except the canister) are from The Angel Company. I used the following products:

Kaleidoscope Boyz Cardstock (V921)

Hoppy Everything Stamp Set (T2732)

Wonder Tape (F241)

Palette Noir Ink (T220)

Miscellaneous red ribbon.

I wrapped the paper around the canister using Wonder Tape. I attached the red ribbon around edge of lid. I stamped the little frog on green cardstock, cut him out and attached him to the bottom of the canister using mounting tape. I used the cardstock stickers to spell out my grandson's name. I think it turned out really cute. What do you think??

Altered Recipe Box #2

This is another recipe box that I altered last weekend. Although this box was already cute with the bird on it I really wanted to change the look with some pretty cardstock. but I decided I really wanted to use some TAC papers instead. I attached the cardstock to the box with Wonder. Stamped with images on cardstock and punched them out. Attached to box and added the button.

This really is a quick and easy project. I think I will finish altering all the other boxes I have and use them at workshops.

TAC Products Used:

"Angelee" Cardstock from the Soar With It Collection

"All Things of Nature" - Stamp Set

"Life Thoughts" - Stamp Set

"Jumbo Java" - Versa Magic Ink

Mega Scalloped Circle Punch

Giga Scalloped Circle Punch

Wonder Tape

Miscellaneous Products:

Ribbon

Buttons

Lace

Recipe Box

Altered Recipe Box

Here are before and after photographs of another item I altered this past weekend. This is a recipe box that I found on clearance for 50 cents a while ago. I thought it would be fun to give it a new look. I decided not to use any stamps and just use cardstock and miscellaneous items. This is another quick and easy project. I had so much fun making this one that I made another one which I will post at another time. I just wish this cardstock wasn't discontinued.

A Sneak Peek.....

Here is a before photo of something that I altered this past weekend. I thought it would be fun to give you a sneak peek at this before I post the finished project in a few days. This is another dollar item I found at a craft store (a long time ago) that I have been wanting to alter. I just haven't taken the time to do it. In case you can't tell what this item is - it is a 4.25" by 6.25" wooden placque. I think the princess is cute but I am really excited about my finished project and can't wait to share it with you. This was a quick and easy project.

Workshop Gift Ideas

I've been wanting to create some little projects that I can use as thank you gifts at my workshops. I decided to alter some 2010 planners that I found at a craft store.

TAC Products Used:

"Willoughby" cardstock from the Soar With It Collection"

"All Things Of Nature" stamp set.

"Just Because" stamp set.

"Jumbo Java" Ink from Versa Magic

Mega Scalloped Circle Punch

Giga Scalloped Circle Punch

The small containers I also found at craft store and are 2" tall & 2" in diameter. I wrapped them in cardstock using Wonder Tape and added some bling to the flowers and circles.

TAC Products Used:

"Mia's Cottage" from the Soar With It Collection

Miscellaneous Products:

Stickles

Rhinestones

Small White Container

"More Mimi" Cardstock" from the Soar With It Collection.

Miscellaneous buttons and ribbon and silver container.

Only problem is that I regret not getting more of these containers before they were gone.

and ends with this ..... (Part One)

This is the first of two wooden coaster sets that I am making albums out of. I will share the second one as soon as it is finished. The original post was on August 8th showing what the wooden coasters looked like before I altered them.

The biggest challenge was having to decide which photographs of Hercules I was going to use. My goal was to try and tell a story of his typical day with the photographs as much as possible. It was disappointing that I couldn't use all of them but some are better than none. There was very little wiggle room in the coaster holder itself so I wasn't able to use any embellishments on the coasters.

This is still an album that makes me smile because Hercules is my sweet little co-pilot. The rest of the photographs are below.

Thanks for looking at this altered project and I hope you will come back soon!!

and ends with this..... (Part Two)

I think the last photo is one of my favorites. Even though I wasn't able to get a photograph of his face I think this photo still shows how he is just soaking up everything that is going on around him. The sun is setting in front of him as he sits there looking around his own little kingdom of joy. He loves his back yard and it's as if he is saying a prayer of thanks each night as he takes one final look before coming indoors for the evening.

"Want to Fly" Altered 4" x 4" Canvas

A friend of mind wanted an altered canvas for her desk at work. She loves butterflies almost as much as I do. One of her favorite cardstocks is from the Winchester Collection (V-835) so I used that to cover the front of both canvas pieces (before attaching them together). I inked the edges of each canvas to tone down the white edge with Versa Magic in "Eggplant." (S-963). I cut some DCWV cardstock into 3.75" x 3.75"and attached them to the insides of the canvas and then attached the canvas pieces together with the hinges. I cut two 3.5" x 3.5" squares out of being cardstock and stamped the images in Versa Magic "Spanish Olive" (S-959).

I created the bottom border on the canvas with the quote on it by using the edges only of the same set used on the opposite canvas. I used Wonder Tape (F-237) to attach the ribbon and cardstock to the canvas. I stamped the butterfly from the "Want to Fly" stamp set (T-3046) in Spanish Olive, attached it to the canvas and added ribbon to continue the line across the entire canvas.

For the front I punched scallop circles using the Mega Scalloped Punch (D-700) and Giga Scalloped Circle Punch (D-701). I stamped "Just Because" (T-2899) in Versa Magic Eggplant), added a large eyelet, ribbon and attached to the front canvas. I added bling to the flower centers and I was done. All supplies are from The Angel Company. It was so much fun making this altered canvas that I am going to make a similar one for own desk at work.

Elephant - Quick, Easy & Fun

This is the final quick and easy card that I made using the "Take Pride" (T-1102) stamp set from The Angel Company. It can be challenging at times to come up with ideas for masculine cards and this is another one of my favorite sets that is perfect for all occasions for men.

Inspiration Alley from The Angel Company

The New Inspiration Alley Fall Supplemental Catalog is almost here. I'm anxiously waiting for my copy to arrive - they were mailed out yesterday. There are 42 new stamp sets in this catalog which is more than the number of new stamps featured in The Angel Company Base Catalog. I will be posting updates as soon as possible.

One More Simple and Quick Card

This card was made using Birthday Wishes (T-2941) and cardstock from the Catelynne (V-851) Collection.




And last but not least the links for the Angels involved in this Blog Hop are listed under the PaperWings Banner Link.

I hope you will take a little time and check out their blogs.

Thanks for visiting my blog and please come back soon.

Variety Pack of Cards - Simple and Quick

I'm participating in my first Angel Blog Hop and really looking forward to it. This is a group of wonderful women (Angels) and our goal is to share cards and projects we've made using products from the newest TAC catalog.

I'll be adding the links of all these wonderful angels in just a while so check back soon and then do some blog hopping of your own by checking out their blogs for some great ideas.

These are a variety of Quick and Simple cards made with products from The Angel Company.

I really like this stamp set. This card was made using Hieroglyph Horses (T-2836) stamp set and cardstock from the Hemingway (V-836) collection. I use this set a lot to make masculine cards.



This card was made using the Petal Pack (T-2638) stamp set and cardstock from the Miss Moxie (V-841) collection.



This one was made using the Hoppy Everything (T-2732) stamp set and cardstock from the Hip Hop (V-850) Fly With It Collection. I used some of the cardstock to paper piece the frog instead of coloring the frog.

It beings with this.............

These are a set of wooden coasters stored inside a wooden box that I found on clearance at JoAnn's. The design on the coasters aren't my style however I had an idea when I saw them and brought them home. I am in the process of altering them into something I love. I thought it would be fun to have a little teaser which is why I am only showing these photos to begin with. I will post the finished item as soon as I am done.

Curious???

For the Love of Butterflies

These are cards I made over the weekend. The first and last cards were ones I was going to enter into the Terrific Trio Contest with The Angel Company. I chose three other ones to enter the contest and keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I might win. I really do love butterflies and use this stamp set a lot. All products are from The Angel Company. I'm not sure that I am finished with the bottom card yet. I'm still working on that one and will post an update if I make any changes to it.

Journals

I have had a love affair with journals all my life. The only thing that has changed is that I love making themself instead of buying them. The first photograph is a journal I found at the dollar spot at Michael's and the second one is a small composition notebook. The rest of the supplies I used are from The Angel Company.

Hercules beats the heat

This morning I woke up to find Hercules sleeping directly in front of the fan. It's been extremely hot this past week and staying cool has been a challenge. I managed to snap a photo of him sleeping almost flattened against the blanket with the fan blowing his fur. He looked so cute and was sleeping so peacefully and I liked how his fur looked from the breeze of the fan. He usually snuggles with me however it was obvious he hadn't moved at all during the night. He has so much fur it's hard to keep him cool. It made me smile to discover that he had found the perfect spot to beat the heat and make it through another night and without taking any of the benefit of the fan away from me.

Updated photo of altered box

From this to that...

This is a wooden box that I have had for quite a while. I have always wanted to alter it and finally decided to get it done. I used some beautiful cardstock called Willoughby from The Angel Company and covered the box piece by piece. I used Modge Podge to adhere the paper to the box and then sealed the box with another layer of Modge Podge.

Originally it was going to be a box to hold greeting cards or maybe a small album but that was no longer possible. All the cardstock made the lid to thick to easily slide back and forth into the box itself. In order to make it into a usable project I forced the lid on knowing that I would never be able to remove the lid again. I ended up chipping off a piece of the wood from the lid of the box and used the flower to cover it up. I still like how pretty it looks and it's now sitting on my scrapbook table. My only regret is that I didn't take a photograph of how pretty it looked inside the box before it was sealed forever.

I really wish the last photograph showed just how pretty this box is. I'm going to try and get a better photo later today.

Fashion Show by Hercules

Once a week Hercules and I visit mom and last night I decided to add an extra element of surprise to our visit. As you can see by the photographs Hercules made quite the fashion statement when we walked through the door. The look on all the ladies faces was priceless. They were smiling, laughing and a few of them screamed with admiration when they saw him. There is so much joy in watching how such a little guy can bring so much joy to so many people's lives. Best of all is the look of joy on his grandma's face as she is parading him around sharing him with all her roomies. And I can't forget the patience of Hercules as he is being loved and admired by so many adoring women.

Butterfly Swirls

I love butterflies and this butterfly is from one of my favorite Angel Company stamps. I used Angelee Cardstock; the Butterfly Swirls stamp set; white organza ribbons, misc. buttons and some string. I was going to enter this card in the Terrific Trio Contest this month but came up with another one instead (which I will share later).

Memories and Mom

I have this childhood memory of mom coming to my school and my classmates telling me how pretty she was. I was so happy. Forty six years later I still remember that moment as if it had happened yesterday. Memories - to me that's what life is all about. I created scrapbook albums for my loved ones before it was popular. I think part of why this is so important to me is that I don't remember a lot of details from my childhood and didn't want that to happen any more. And so began my love affair with journaling and creating albums - anything to help me remember the moments in time that were making up the story of my life and as one of a kind gifts for my loved ones. Memories of the times spent with my daughters, my grandsons, friends, family, the jobs I've had and don't have any more, my accomplishments and yes, even the times of challenges, struggles and heartache. Every memory from my life has helped shaped who I am and are a part of me and each of those memories are precious to me.

It was a little over a year ago that mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and I have watched this disease rob mom of her memories and it's heartbreaking. Once a week I wash and style her hair. She is a woman that has always taken great pride in her appearance. She never walked out of the house without her makeup on or a single hair out of place. She has deep blue eyes, a smile that lights up the room, an infectious laugh and the most beautiful shade of gray hair I have even seen. I always ask her if she thinks I will be lucky enough to have the same shade of gray hair one day and she just smiles at me. In third grade I thought mom was pretty but today I see just how stunning she is.

This past Sunday I was talking with mom while she was eating her breakfast. I told her that I had brought her some cinnamon coffee cake from Starbucks (it's her favorite) and how it was full of cinnamon. She looked at me with puzzled and perplexed eyes and asked - "Do I like cinnamon". "Yes" I said and she asked "how come I don't remember that". And it was at that moment that I felt like someone had just kicked me in the gut wearing combat boots. It broke my heart!!!

Preserving memories has taken on a whole new meaning for me now. I still want to create a life full of memories not only for me but for everyone that I love and cherish but I also want to leave a legacy of memories of times spent with everyone that I love so that they have lives full of good memories too.

Altered Clipboards

In the past 3 years I have altered more than 100 clipboards. A couple of years ago I altered 50 of them to give to children that were patients at Children's Hospital in Seattle. The others were sold at a Holiday Craft Bazaar. The Paris clipboard is my favorite - I have been offered some serious bucks for this one but I will NOT part with it. The other one I really like because it's purple and has flowers. I decided that tonight I was going to share these clipboards on my blog to show something different. There are no stamped images on these clipboards - just something I altered which is actually one of my most favorite things to do.

A Work in Progress

This is a glass cabinet that I found on clearance at Michael's well over a year ago. Each square is 4" x 4". I have decided I am going to alter it and turn it into a family album (of sorts). It's my daughter Lynette that seems to find the best clearance items (especially at Target) but I was the lucky one this day. Now I just need to decide how I am going to alter it, which family photos and embellishements to use. If you have any ideas just send them my way.