Friday, February 26, 2010

Made From Scratch

Here it is. My vacation album from our Sanibel Island vacation. I am finally finished with this. It was a labor of love. I loved making every single part of it from the memory making vacation to the last stitch in the album. I handmade each page with the sewing machine.


The front cover was something I visualized doing a long time ago. It was a perfect look for this beach vacation album. My favorite part of this album is the handmade glass seahorse. It was a found vintage item. I found it in a huge stash of vintage jewelry I purchased at a garage sale this summer. When I saw it I thought I'd never use it. Isn't it perfect for this album. It actually reminds me of a part of our trip when Cole saw a seahorse and was completely intrigued by the seahorse. I love that I was able to use it on this album.


I purposely left spaces for my sons to put their memories into this album. I didn't want to hand write on this before I took pictures. I am a big chicken like that.
I also used items from our vacation in this album. I like having these items incorporated into the album because I think years to come it gives a sense of the times. I also think they provide information that you might not think of incorporating. One of the pages I used a tide chart from the days we were there. The tides were important to us because when the tide is low is the best time to go looking for shells. We made sure to get out to the beach at low tide so we could hunt for the best shells and so the boys could walk out to the sand bar.

This album took a lot of time but the great part was that I didn't get overwhelmed by it. I didn't post all of it. The album is quite a few pages long. To prepare to make this I took all the bits and pieces I wanted to use a long with the papers that matched my color scheme and made a kit for myself. This saved me a lot of time searching through stuff. I used what was in the kit I made for myself. I took everything from my stash and bought next to nothing new (only a few journaling tags). I am actually really excited to make more of these albums and am starting to feel like I am learning what my style is as a scrapbooker. I owe a large part of this to Donna Downy because she rocks and she was an amazing teacher.






































Saturday, February 20, 2010

Reasons to be happy even though you are going to get slammed by a winter storm and are totally ready for spring......

We are currently slated to get 10 inches of snow. This does not make me happy, but what can you do? Nada. Nothin'. Zilch. However, while we were out and about today, I found an estate sale. For me, that is pretty damn exciting and it turned this dreary weekend into a much better weekend and Traci into a much happier girl. I scored too! I found another Royal DeLuxe Typewriter from the 1940s, very odd barkcloth, a couple of great vintage cookbooks and hundreds of vintage postcards from all over the world. I can't wait to look through all of them to see what we have. If you are looking for any particular postcard, let me know, I think I have it. Do you see that purse? 1950s goodness and a suitcase from around the same time.
On the agenda for the rest of the day:
Finish this project! I am getting really excited to see it all come together. I am hoping by Monday I will have it all done. It is a matter of time management. I have to decide between listing the fab estate sale finds in my Etsy shop or being creative with my scrappy stuff.........decisions...decisions.In other news.....It has been an exciting weekend. The 6 year old lost a tooth. He was a little freaked out at first but when he realized the tooth fairy would be coming, he perked up. Oddly enough, we just went and saw the movie "Tooth Fairy" starring the Rock and Ashley Judd. It was a cute movie and perfect timing for us. Maybe I will wait up for the tooth fairy tonight in hopes he looks like Dwayne Johnson.


Friday, February 19, 2010

Etsy Dreaming

The other day I was looking through the awesomeness that is posted on Etsy and I thought about how fun it would be to put a head to toe look together using only items from Etsy. I got this idea from a book I am reading....more on that later. I like the idea of buying only handmade items and vintage items. I'll explain that later also.........

Start from top left to right:
I have a two of these already and love them. The flower comes off the headband so it can be used in other ways. On a hat perhaps? Or during the summer on a purse.
I like this for a night out with the hubs. It's simple and chic.
Why can't I be a size 11 so I may have these shoes. Must tell Florence about these shoes she will fit them.

Isn't it just the sweetest!


Why did I decide to look at Etsy for an outfit? Here is why: You know how once in a while you read something or learn something new and it changes a very deep belief you have held onto? This book did that to me. The change in perspective for me was almost physical. The book challenged me to see Christianity in a whole new light. A good light, not the way it has been here in America for many years. Shane, is more than just inspiring, he is amazing. Truly, amazing. Shane believes all the same things I believe although he believes them for different reasons than I do. The truly wonderful part is down to the core of his being he lives his beliefs everyday and in every way. If you have read this book I would love to know what you think. I would love to hear your perspective and if this book has changed anything you do in your life.Shane explains in his book just how bad people are treated in many of the sweatshops around the world. He has taken to making his own clothing. Admirable, but I don't think I will be making my clothes anytime soon. Can you imagine making a bra? I'd have to contract with a blacksmith for mine. However, I can think about where I purchase my clothing and where the money will be going. With Etsy, I am getting a handmade items (although you have to watch it) or a vintage item. Not only am I helping reduce waste by purchasing a vintage item, I am also assured that the money won't go back to a corporation who is allowing humans to be treated like slaves. Does that mean I will never to to Target again to buy something, no, but I will definitely think twice and be more knowledgeable about who I am buying from.

There is much more to this book than talk about sweatshops and human rights violations. It's just damn amazing. No matter what your beliefs are, I encourage you to read this book. Just be ready to really think about how you live your life.










































































































Sunday, February 14, 2010

I Did It, Yeah, Yeah, I Did It!

Today I did something I have wanted to do for a long time; I listed handmade items on Etsy! I never realized how hard it is to put something out there on Etsy you made yourself. I have a whole new appreciation for those Etsy sellers who sell only handmade goods!


I had a great time making these bags. I plan on making more. Each is one of a kind. The ones posted above are made from bits and pieces of vintage goodies. The idea of making an item from something that might have been tossed, makes me giddy! I have so many more ideas and I can't wait to make them happen.








Friday, February 12, 2010

Inspiration, Love, and Beauty















My week was a bit consumed by having a sick 3 year old child. At one point this week, he was at 104.5 degrees. I get so worried when they have such a high fever. I am not complaining. I know having sick children is part of being a mom. More than anything I love being a mom to my boys. However, the worrying about my 3 year old being sick along with my 6 year old son's impatience and restlessness = me feeling ready to pull my hair out! A bright spot during the week was my six year old son's excitement for his Valentine's Day party at school. He had to make a box to hold the Valentine's he will be getting from his classmates. I was surprised and happy the 6 year old was looking forward to getting crafty with me. It is times like this I am extra glad to be a papercrafter/crafty mama. I didn't have to go and purchase supplies for his Valentine's project. In fact, I had so much paper, stickers, felt, paint, ribbon, etc. the 6 year old said (with an overwhelmed glaze in his eyes), "Mama, there are so many choices."
Today started on a much better note. On the way to take 6 year old to school, this morning, I noticed our park down the street was absolutely stunning. The trees had ice on them and the sun was shining through the ice illuminating everything. On any other day, I would keep driving giving only a second over to the thought of the beautiful winter scene. Typically I would not appreciate a moment that had the potential to take my breath away. Today I decided to appreciate the beauty nature had created. I had my IPhone with me, unfortunately not my Canon. My photos are not anything like what I saw. However, it wasn't about the photo. For me, today, it was about taking the time to stop and appreciate the beauty before me. I did. I stopped, took a few deep breaths, and appreciated the beauty right in front of me. I am so glad I did.

Here is some fun Valentine's Day inspiration from my fellow Etsy shop owners:
Legyviels
Just recently I discovered what a difference a good pair of socks makes in my comfort level during the day. I think I would die and go to heaven if I had these socks!








Cute, right!!!!

I adore this necklace. So simple.















The papercrafter in me adores every last item in this shop. My heart goes pitter patter as I peruse this shop.

A Bowl Full of Boys

A Bowl Full of Boys

The Nicholas at the end of the tunnel

The Nicholas at the end of the tunnel