Tiny Shabby Chic Altered Boxes

A few craft friends visited for a summer afternoon of crafting fun and a picnic in my yard. I wanted to give them a little something to take home with them, so I created these quick and easy tiny altered boxes by dry brushing a little gesso and adding an assortment of bling and vintage trinkets. These tiny boxes are great for holding vintage buttons and bits and bobs. By the looks of the photos displaying our lunch, I could use a little lesson on tablescapping...plain old card tables set up in front of the garage and next to the grill...how charming. It's funny how I love creating but have no interest in party decor...sorry Somerset's Mingle Magazine.  ;-)

French Flea Market Lace

I purchased several new pairs of pants that my mom hemmed for me. This is the thank you card I made for her. The blue lace I found at a brocante in Paris this past June.

Autumn Wall Decor

Found an old galvanized chicken feeder at an antique show and thought it would be nice to change out the container according to the season. I went to my local craft store and selected several autumn floral pieces, along with a really cool black crow,  and tried my hand at creating an autumn wall decor piece.

Velvet Ribbon Seashore Bookmarks

I absolutely adore Somerset Life magazine...one issue featured gorgeous velvet ribbon bookmarks along with a tutorial. They are very quick and easy to make. I made these for gifts...perfect for summer beach reading.

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!!

This past Saturday (5/5/12) was National Scrapbooking Day! I spent the day working on a project shown on the website "Life on the Scrapbeach". It features a mini album scrapbook in a box...and you create the box out of chipboard...the mini album doesn't come out of the box but rather it is attached to the left hinged side of the box...very clever. I purchased the instructions that were downloadable and got to work! A day of scrappin...oh, what a joy!!

Happy Mother's Day

This is the card I created for my mom for Mother's Day. It features some lace we found at a local antique show where a delightful lady sold me a stash of antique lace from her grandma in England. It is a stash of gorgeous vintage lace and was a little expensive so I use it only on very special creations...there's not much more special than my mom so...Happy Mother's Day!

A Vintage Lace Pin Cushion and Stick Pins

My newest addiction is making stick pins...like I needed another addiction...as if lace, ribbon, buttons, and paper crafting weren't enough  ;-)

Anyway, I needed a place to keep my stick pins until I need them on a project...I came up with this little pin cushion...it's a block of wood (don't you love using power tools when crafting!) with a foam top totally enrobed in layers of vintage lace trims...yummy. This one is mostly for my pearl stick pins and purple stick pins. I plan to make a second pin cushion to house the many other pins I recently made...I told you I was addicted.

Shabby Chic Peat Moss Pot with Button Flowers and Edwardian Vintage Lace

I just love shades of brown...very antique. My charming project for today turned out just as I had envisioned. The larger peat moss pot is for myself and features an antique Edwardian lace cuff off a Victorian dress. I wonder what the Victorian woman and owner of this cuff would think if she could see her dress cuff being used in this manner. I believe she'd be delighted, and I would enjoy listening to her share all the details about events she took part in as she wore this dress cuff. The smaller pot features red antique buttons because this little pot of spring is for my mom and red is her favorite color. I can't go to my mom's Easter dinner tomorrow empty handed...this little treasure is a surprise for her. Happy Spring! 

Vintage Altered Journal

Wow! It was a great weekend...spent quite a bit of time creating! I needed a new small journal for some goal setting so I created this! It features some metal filigree corners that I "aged" using guilder's paste along with two fancy vintage buttons, an antique lace applique with a beautiful floral cabochon, some vintage viennese lace in a beautiful deep cocoa, some mauve flower trim, and a gorgeous brown ribbon for a bookmark. It turned out fabulous! I love it! Why is it more fun to create the journal and write down my goals than to actually take the action concerning the goals.  ;-)

Altered Cricut Cartridge Box

I created this altered Cricut Cartridge Box using a few Tim Holtz techniques. (Click on the photos to enlarge them to really see the detail such as the bird image in the stamped image). The flower is a distressed flower using the Tattered Florals Die...these are labor intensive but really beautiful when finished. The tag showcases the Distress Resist Technique...simple to do and doesn't take too long...I like using the paint dabbers for this. I added a little vintage lace and some tulle. The box has a magnetic closure so I didn't add my usual doorknob or lock and key closure. I adhered a vintage shabby chic white button on the side where an actual closure most likely would be found. I covered the magnets with paper but they still work...yes, I tested first before creating the entire box...I've learned from past mishaps.  ;-)  This was created for a person on Swap-bot...the swap consisted of creating an altered box in the Tim Holtz Style. I hope my swap partner likes it! I plan to put some altered art supplies in the box for my partner to enjoy creating with. I converted all my cricut cartridges into a plastic organizer so I have a lot of these empty boxes...I kept them because I figured I could create something with them. I think I'll go create one now for myself to use for bits of vintage lace and trinkets.

Paris Shabby Chic Vintage Lace Tag & Treasure Swap

I created a Trim & Treasure Tag Swap for a friend from Canada who I met on Swap-bot. Swap-bot is a website that connects you with other creative people to swap handmade items and/or craft supplies. Our task for this swap was to first create a tag and then wrap it up with loads of ribbon and lace and tuck into it numerous baubles. I created a Paris themed tag and included some antique finds such as an ornate turn key, vintage buttons, cabochons, some bling, antique keys, a strip of vintage pins, charms, beads, a vintage card of buttons, a small flower applique, and a tiny antique locket. I totally wrapped it all up in a huge amount of vintage laces (only a small sampling is shown here), tulle, and vintage eyelet linen pieces. I had such a great time creating this little inspiration kit on a tag! I sure hope my swap-bot partner likes it!

Shabby Chic Toile and Lace Canvas Display

My mom and I spent two lovely hours together the other weekend exploring a craft store. As I was waiting in line to have several laces cut, I spotted a bolt of beautiful blue/cream/white toile on the counter. I noticed some of the laces would look fabulous with the toile and I imaged several layers of lace with the toile background as a spring canvas art home decor piece. I had envisioned using a vintage spring bunny graphic as the focal point until I was inspired this morning by a lovely stamp that reads "rest a minute" that I received the other month from a Swap-bot swap partner. I found a beautiful blue corner flower bouquet swag from my stash (found at an etsy store called KatiesKreations4U). I truly believe that the "key" to life is to frequently "rest a minute" with a good book...my mom would totally agree.  

Vintage Soda Caps Altered Picture Frame

I came across this picture today of an altered picture frame I did several years ago for a gift. I love the old vintage soda caps on it and the happy, bright, cheerful colors. Oh how I wish I had made myself one to keep! Has that ever happened to you?

Vintage Lace from England

I love finding treasures while antiquing! Yesterday my husband, mom, and I went antiquing at a show right here in town at our local historical society's old historical home. We had a wonderful time and I came across a charming lady who was selling her grandma's old vintage lace since she had no need for it. Well, I scooped up the entire lot! It is gorgeous! I told the woman I certainly had a use for the lace and I certainly needed it...wanted it...same thing right?  ;-) The vintage lace from England now has a new home with me!

Coloring Seam Binding

Well, I needed some seam binding in a particular color for a card I am teaching at a rubber stamping/card making class in two weeks...of course I didn't have the needed color...I know, hard to believe considering my craft room looks like a craft store...so, I decided to dye my own. I had seen several crafting blogs and YouTube videos showing how to do this so the other month I bought myself some HugSnug white seambinding with the intention of coloring it as needed. It was so easy! Just be sure to use your plastic craft mat and rubber gloves! Just mix a few drops of ink reinker and quite a few spritzes of water on your mat and then just smush your seambinding around in it...adjust the ink and water ratio to suite your desired color...that simple! I dried mine a minute or two with the heat gun and then let it set out overnight to dry. I had so much fun, I made more in three other colors...I must have spring on my mind!

Antique Buttons and Vintage Lace for St. Patty's Day

What an enjoyable few hours I had in my scrap room today creating this card for St. Patty's Day. I used some vintage lace and antique buttons along with an image from a vintage postcard. It feels good to actually have my holiday cards created and ready to mail so people can enjoy them for a couple weeks before the actual day...most will receive this on Wednesday which is Leap Day...wish I had planned ahead and made some Leap Day cards...now that would have been really cool!

Velvet Ribbon Bookmark

Several months ago I came across an article in Somerset Life magazine showing how to create velvet ribbon bookmarks. There were several photos of gorgeous bookmarks. My mom is an avid reader, so I thought I'd try my hand at making one for her birthday. I decided on a black and white theme using black velvet ribbon from my own stash as well as some beads and baubles, and I used ribbon clamps found at a local craft store. It was actually very easy to make and only took about an hour. Since my mom loves to sew, I presented her bookmark to her in a box lined with an old vintage sewing pattern rather than traditional tissue paper. My mom loved her gift, and my sister put in an order for a few summer themed velvet bookmarks for some coworkers. Gives me an excuse to go on etsy.com to look for summer charms and baubles...I already have a stash of perfect aqua velvet ribbon...  ;-)  

Before/After Shabby Chic Hardware/Button Organizer

     Several months ago, my husband and I went to visit his friend, Tom, who often goes junkin'.  Together the three of us explored out in his barn where he keeps his "finds". Tom says if we see anything we want we can have it. I found this old blue rusty hardware organizer and immediately I think a shabby chic "button organizer"! So I take it home and wash it, sand it, wash each individual drawer several times in order to get the labels off (quite the feat), and paint it white. Finally today was the day I finished the project. After I was done, I asked my husband if I should have put all the embellishments on the top of it. He said,"Of course, they're just going to end up there anyway because when you craft there isn't an empty  flat surface to be found; this way they're glued down so you won't lose them." Always the wise guy...even if he was speaking the truth.  ;-)