create...breathe

pink a bella - here we come!

2012-01-26T20:24:00.003-06:00

tomorrow my sissy and i leave for our second annual (?) pink-a-bella art event with our little girlies. you can read about last year's experience here. (our mom is getting in on the action this year.)

we can't wait!
happy weekend!

i love making these...

2012-01-24T16:31:00.002-06:00

so simple.

so lovely.

so all about costing no money!
jill has a fabulous tutorial here.

something different.

2012-01-22T14:07:00.005-06:00

this is definitely different than most of the pretties i share here.

bolder colors, much less glitter, and not a bit of pink!

i found an old golden book all about nature that featured butterflies.

i used a butterfly paper punch, ledger paper, and hot glue.

we are talking e.a.s.y.

i really like how it turned out,
and i love the message of hope.

she has found her prince...

2012-01-20T17:44:00.002-06:00

his name is daddy.

daddy daughter dates are the best.

they are both totally excited.

i married a good man.

meanwhile...mr. elliott and i get to hang out at the local bowling alley and eat greasy pizza with a bunch of other mammas and sons.

sounds perfect!

stitching

2012-01-17T17:20:00.004-06:00

love these little 5 x 5 stitching squares.

i got hooked after a super fun silver bella swap.

i love that they can be seasonal pretties,

and used in so many different ways.

these became a romantic garland tied with ribbon.

xoxoxoxox

oooh - la-la!

simple and so lovely.

happy day, friends!

a valentine pretty...

2012-01-15T18:00:00.004-06:00

at my first silver bella (sigh with happy memories) i took a class from pam garrison called lineage of love.

loved it. it was paper-based, which is my fav. we used old family photos (or not) and we embellished like those silver bellas do best.
:)

i used the same concept and created a valentine's day pretty with color copies of vintage postcards, glitter, fancy lace bits, flowers, buttons, and other doo dads.

i think i'd like to make another, only shabbier.
hmmmmm.

my art room is calling my name!
happy day to you, friends!

remember these...

2012-01-11T21:21:00.004-06:00

pretty flowers? i had intended on using them in a wreath for Christmas. however, there were no styrofoam wreaths to be found in our little city in the month of december. not even at goodwill.

so they became a symbol of love. ooh-la-la. xoxoxoxo

i followed the instructions that matthew mead's team had given in their holiday issue.

and added a few giant "pearl" beads. all gluing was done with a hot glue gun.
easy.
peasy.
lemon-squeezy.

much love!

l.o.v.e.

2012-01-07T15:38:00.007-06:00

every january, something goes crazy inside me. i have this insane need to create and nest.

you might have read about our new and improved creation station, in which we spend every waking minute.

well, our family room is complete. we are just waiting on the furniture to be delivered and it will officially be done!!!! here is a photo from the night before the carpet was to be laid.

our very own roller skating rink!

everyone but the "play it safe, i don't want to have surgery mamma" got in on that action.

and here it is with carpet, a play station, and a very happy 10 year old. :)

having this space finished has doubled the size of our little home. we were also able to move my lover's office out of our dining room and into the old art room. doing this has changed my life. no longer am i constantly having to keep the front rooms neat and tidy. THEY STAY THAT WAY!!!!
we have room to spread out and live. LIVE i tell you! we are so full of joy and thanksgiving. not a day goes by that i do not utter a prayer for the blessing we have received. i think the fact that it took us so long to finish makes it that much sweeter.

here are a few snapshots of our home.

i have also been on a crafting binge. i'll share more on those pretties later.
happy day to you!!
xoxoxo

it's a boy!

2011-12-24T22:42:00.003-06:00

his name is Jesus!

much love to you all as we celebrate the birth of our precious Lord and Savior!

Merry Christmas!

shabby trees; a tutorial

2011-12-16T17:53:00.003-06:00

so excited to be a guest gardener here on saturday!!! hope you have time to visit! the ladies at the patch have been working overtime, cultivating some holiday happy to share with us!

merry*merry!

i love paper!

2011-12-12T19:23:00.005-06:00

and i love flowers!

and i love*love paper flowers!

and i love creating!

i spotted a lovely tissue paper wreath in holiday with matthew mead that i am dying to put together.

i will share more once she all assembled and embellished.

merry*merry to you!

pretty.

2011-12-09T17:26:00.002-06:00

i am totally challenging myself to use what i have on hand. be creative. make it pretty.

this is a repurposed cabinet card. the actual picture was either missing or used elsewhere. i have a whole stack of them.

this one became a birthday card for a wonderful friend. she is the kind of girl who appreciates the unique, handmade pretties that are fun to make and share.

the little girl is an image from a business card or ephemera bit shared by hope at paper relics in a swap. she is featured on the web site home page over there. i put her on a little pop out for extra happy.

merry*merry!

even more lovelies.

2011-12-05T07:10:00.003-06:00

oh yes, another package arrived at my doorstep!!!
girls, if you love to get mail, but don't, here's what you need to do: join a swap!!!!

these sweet creations are from mary. is that little birdie the cutest thing ever, or what?

oh, and i love this rag doll angel. she totally mixed media for this precious girl. so sweet.

and the soldering on this glass ornie is perfection! i love the old fashioned rose on music sheets - just so pretty.

my little pink tree is plumb full of gor.geous girlie ornies!!!! swoooon.
merry*merry!!!

finally...

2011-12-04T16:41:00.003-06:00

the beautiful weather we've been enjoying is a blessing, but it just doesn't feel right. you know?

NOW it feels like Christmas!!

happy wishes to you!!!

oohhhh - ornie love!

2011-12-03T06:22:00.005-06:00

let me just say, i was oh so happy to join a swap hosted by the talented cassandra at an artful adventure for an ornament swap!

it was seriously just what i needed to get me back in the groove and thinking about Christmas!!!

we were placed in groups of 4 and we were each asked to create 3 different ornaments to send to our partners. cassandra placed us with girls who had similar likes, which made it easier to create.

i sent my new friends a cheerful pink chenille house, an elegant pearl and lace fabric Christmas tree and a burlap frozen charolette angel, complete with a bell....you know, "everytime a bell rings an angel gets her wings".

so much fun! and the packages i received?!? LOVELY!!!

trisha, who might have the best blog name ever, sent these goodies!

so sweet. AND sparkly!!!

this little felted nest is darling. look at those tiny glittered eggs!

this paper rose covered ornament is completely intriguing to me. i LOVE it! She rolled the paper and brushed the palest of pink powders along the edges. it's soooo pretty. thank you, trisha! (i'll be begging for a tutorial on this beauty!)

there's more!

caroline sent these little lovelies!

how sweet is this? i LOVE the rose images she placed in the bottle cap and GLITTERED!!!! super-cute!

this ornie is made from wood, complete with an engraved rose and frills!!!

and this! look at this GORGEOUS glittered birdie!!! she is the sweetest thing. her little "eggs" are beautiful polished beads (stones?). they are super smooth!!!

thank you, girls, for spoiling me rotten!!!

i am expecting a package soon from our other partner. (mailing anything this time of year is always an interesting experience! no worries, no hurries!)

have a happy day, dear friends!
merry*merry!

sweetness.

2011-11-30T21:15:00.003-06:00

i love these little pink houses!

hello, december!
the Christmas countdown is on!

merry*merry to you!

our new creation station...

2011-11-28T13:40:00.010-06:00

fourteen years ago, my lover and i bought this precious cottage. okay, it was actually a run down rental where drug deals were made, but we could see the potential. we worked and worked and worked, filled it with love and babies, and kept working, but it's hard to keep up the pace with real jobs and minimal extra cash. you know what i'm saying? it may not be everyone's dream, but it's our home. our happy home.

let's just say the queens of this castle were recently relocated. (my man needs an office, and we've sorta outgrown our space, so it was all good.)

here is our previous art room.

ahhhhhhh. good times. (i can't believe how good it looked when it was clean, which in all reality was probably just for this photo.)

and here is the before shot of our new space. it's in the basement, right off the family room. (we've been dreaming of finishing the basement for a looonnnnggg time. it is way exciting to be so close to wrapping it up)! i anticipate plenty of togetherness taking place in this new living space. (we even got a t.v., our ten year old thinks he won the lottery.) (yes, for those of you who did not know, we have been without a television for 5 years. i haven't missed it one bit.)

i've snapped a bunch of photos to show you.

it was time to dig through storage, use what we can and purge the rest. this old green cupboard finally gets to be used! (she's full of Christmas pretties.)

every nook and cranny is being utilized.

each cubby or cupboard has a story and a memory for me.

this is a happy place.

i had to come to terms with the amount of supplies i have. it is most definitely time to stop shopping and start creating.

it looks organized*ish, which is a ton of work for a right brained girl like me.

beatrice's art desk is butted up right next to mine. she has already spent hours drawing and designing in our new space.

i will share some handmade pretties soon.

i couldn't wait to set up my pink tree and hang some of my silver bella ornies.

the jars continue to be a symptom of my ocd. i am getting help.

oh, the floor...i totally just painted the concrete. i'm planning to cover it with glitter, paper scrappies, dripped glue, and other random bits soon and knew that i would destroy carpet.

here is a banner i made years ago featuring a favorite louisa may alcott quote; a little kingdom i possess where thoughts and feelings dwell.

perfect.

happy day, friends!
be back soon!!!

and the lucky gal is...

2011-10-08T16:32:00.002-05:00

miss tabitha, of creative wings!!!!! yay!!!

i have to say, i am totally missing my pre*silver*bella buzz. i have to get some creating going on, as that is the cure for the blues in this house. okay, so it's also the excuse not to clean, but that's another story.
:)
much love, friends!
xoxoxox

mingle - YAY! a - give - AWAY!!!!

2011-10-03T19:59:00.003-05:00

look at this! "creative ideas for unique gatherings"!!!!! gaaaaaaaa! love it! meet stampington's most recent publication. as usual, the photos are to die for and the stories are oh - so - inspiring. but the treat - the real treat is the joy that these parties and gatherings bring to the hosts and their guests!! you will be inspired for some straight up party planning, friends.

ohhhhhhh, stampington. i don't know how you do it, but you get it.
(i mean, seriously. i totally want to work for these people.)

this mingle can be yours. soooooo easy!

please leave a comment.

it would be kinda fun, i think, if you shared a great idea or a party theme from a favorite unique gathering that you have either hosted or attended. (however, you won't be eliminated from the drawing if you don't. just leave a quick little note and you're good to go!)

i will announce the winner this friday, october 7!
spread the word!

happy day, dear friends!

oh-my-goodness-gracious!

2011-09-30T20:04:00.003-05:00

hello!? remember me!??? it's been 25 days since my last post. that is totally unbelievable to me! where have the days gone? i can tell you they zipped right past us. we have a 10 year old, a seven year old, i'm teaching school, and we are living life in full throttle! i hear it gets "worse" (as in busier, not badder) before it gets better. i'd better hold on tight!

tomorrow is my sissy's birthday! i've seen these cute cakes around and wanted to give it a shot. my art room is quiet right now, it's also a horrible mess, but quiet. i miss it, and i feel out of sync. hopefully i can find some balance soon. let me rephrase that. i MUST find some balance soon!
:)

have a wonderful weekend, friends!

soccer season is officially over

2011-09-05T14:17:00.004-05:00

our soccer boys played hard all season long.

we watched them grow and come together as a team in ways that made their mommas proud!

uncle brendan came from minnesota to spend the weekend tournament with us. having him there was most definitely beatrice's most favorite part. :)

great days and time spent together.

the boys won the tournament!

go cyclones!

planners

2011-08-28T17:48:00.002-05:00

every year we are given new planners for the school year. these are freebies from the company that wants us to use their fundraising packages. and while i love free, they aren't very pretty. (you may remember this post from a couple of years ago.)

so, i like to bedazzle mine.

one of my best school friends gets hers prettified, too.

actually, i would love to make everyone's planner more girlie and lovely...but my real job gets in the way!
anyone out there share my pain???
:)

swap talk!

2011-08-27T18:32:00.003-05:00

beatrice and miss kitt were lucky enough to swap pretties with maddie and olivia, heather's girls. it's blogland's version of pen pals.

maddie and olivia sent the girls these totally beautified tote bags that were just stuffed to the brim with treats.
purple for kitt.

pink for beatrice.

they oohed and aahhed over the stash and the lovely bags made JUST FOR THEM!

here are the thrifted purses that our girls embellished, filled with trinkety treats, and sent with love to their little friends.

thanks heather, madison and olivia for swapping!
let's do it again!!!

happy day, friends!

back to school

2011-08-22T19:54:00.004-05:00

wheeeeeeeee!
elliott began his final year at elementary school today. (sigh.)
beatrice started second grade, (big stuff.) and i'm in fourth grade for the 17th year in a row! ha! the kids attend our neighborhood school where their dad went, while i teach at another elementary school in our small city.

this year, my colleagues and i are enjoying a brand new building. let me just say, "WOW!" and "i love air conditioning!!!!!"

i've also found that while i will always miss the charm and character our previous building held, new construction offers cupboards and drawers that are deep and wide, (read: hold tons of stuff!) and the halls are eerily quiet with the carpeted floors.

i've been super duper busy getting ready for the new year, and i apologize for the lack of posting going on around here. i'll get into a groove soon, i hope!

much love and happy school days to you!

home love

2011-08-11T16:30:00.005-05:00

here is a happy front door greeting made from an antique wooden clothes hanger, white buttons, crepe paper scrappies, and vintage papers.

paper flowers. ahhhhhhhhh.

i used cheap stickers for ease.

oh, and i found an old key that has an "h" engraved on it. perfect! (i so LOVE home.)

i also used some thin champagne colored fabric on the flowers.

it's back to school time for this girl! i will do my best to keep up here, though, as i find much joy amongst you bloggers.
happy day to you!

pretty little cuff

2011-08-04T16:06:00.004-05:00

this lovely is similar to the bookmark as it uses stitches and scrappies.

the collage here was created with chunky vintage baubles and bits, since it obviously doesn't have to be held between book pages!

the greens were so fun to work with, and make me so happy to look at!

the clasp is made of stretchy elastic and an itty bitty touch of bling.
:)

happy day to you, friends!

bookmark

2011-08-01T21:41:00.002-05:00

i love to make handmade, one of a kind gifts for loved ones and special kindred spirits.

this bookmark is going to a dear teacher friend.

can you see that teeny tiny heart?

i stitched - freestyle/collage - which is my all time favorite method of stitching (no rules!) on a skinny fabric scrap and then glued it to some vintage lace for a pretty backing.

i added a few doodads to the bottom and voila! it's a pretty!
happy day, friends!
xoxoxox

summer love...

2011-07-29T16:59:00.003-05:00

found here!

amtrak adventure

2011-07-27T08:57:00.009-05:00

earlier this month we loaded up at

IN. THE. MORNING. to head to an amtrak station in a neighboring city.

we met up with karla and trent and kitt and bennett, and our parents, otherwise known as the lovebirds who are celebrating 45 years of wedded bliss! (thus the very reason for this adventure.)

we waited patiently for the train to arrive, and wondered if it would be on time for its 2:30 am arrival. we loaded at 4:30 am.
:)
a little insight. we live in the middle of nebraska, and train travel is a very uncommon, mysterious method of transportation. we didn't really know what to expect.

the time made no difference to our little travelers. they were so excited they couldn't have slept anyway.

the dining car was fancy and fun.

we were headed to grand junction, colorado. a 14 hour train ride. there were a few stops along the way.

i am a total homebody. i do not travel well. therefore, we were all a little uncertain as to how i would fare. (translated: would i be a jumper?)

let me just say: I LOVE TRAIN TRAVEL! i could craft, walk around, snuggle with my lover, have a snack, use the loo, buy a cold soda, all while moving without being strapped in by a seat belt!!!! it was quite glorious. and, the train is a great place for some serious people watching, too.

once we arrived in grand junction, we were off to sight see and spend time with family friends who live in the city.

the honeymooners. xoxoxoxo

these photos were taken along the grand mesa scenic byway on our way to land's end. just breathtaking.

the kids fed the chipmunks at land's end.

this was one of their highlights from the entire trip.

sweet memories.

we enjoyed more beauty at colorado national monument.

so amazing.

we even spent some time at a kid's paradise; complete with go-carts, bump-n-jumps, pizza and laser tag.

and homeward bound.

it was a wonderful trip!
you can read sissy's version and see more photos here.
love you, mom and dad.
happy day, friends!

barbie's extreme home makeover!

2011-07-20T20:11:00.007-05:00

earlier this spring, i picked this doll house up at a garage sale for a great price. it had definitely been loved and played with, and was in need of some ty pennington kind of magic. however, months went by before she could get the attention she deserved.

so now it's like a million degrees outside, kitt and bennett are away at the cabin, and we are all caught up on most of our laundry, so beatrice and i decided to tackle this fun little project!

beatrice shopped like a pro at sherwin williams. she is a girl who knows what she wants. it took her about 18 seconds to select: clematis and drama violet for the exterior.

i let her dig through my paper stash and she picked out a couple favorites. we needed multiples to cover all the wall space and had to venture out in the heat to embellishments, our favorite local scrapbooking store for some other papers.

we used mod podge to glue the wall paper in place. she did a wonderful job slathering the paper in glue. my job was to adhere the sticky wet sheets on the walls.

here is the exterior. we are still working on the door. it is in disrepair and needs some help from the professionals. (the daddy.) she loves the flowers in the window box!

this is the attic/toy room. isn't the little girl paper so cute? she wanted pink polka dotted felt for the carpet.

for barbie's bedroom beatrice selected a walnut wood flooring found in the dollhouse section of your friendly hobby lobby! (coupons are out this week!) the wallpaper here is definitely my favorite; pink roses with little specs of glitter and a lace border. ahhhh, i'm ready to move in!

the bathroom is adorable. complete with vintage black and white "tile". beatrice chose a pink and blue polka dot paper for the walls. i topped it off with some pompom fringe.

this is the living room. the flooring is actually hot pink felt and not red as it appears here. the room next to the living space is barbie's art room. the art room carpet (purple felt) comes pre glittered, so barbie won't have to worry about cleaning up!

i am sure we will be on the look out for barbie sized furniture, or creating our own in the weeks ahead.

these are good days.

okay. i have to tell you this.
as we were working on this, beatrice commented several times that i needed to put this on my blog.
:)
happy day, dear friends!

hot. hot. hot.

2011-07-18T07:46:00.007-05:00

it's like a million degrees here.

i should be feeling sorry for these little stud boys who were playing their guts out in this heat.

and i do.
but c'mon, think. of. the. mommas!
:)

before we left for the tournament, i made all us mommas these charms using an anagram with each boy's initial and a bingo/lotto piece for his soccer number. my lover, who also happens to be my husband, helped out with drilling through the anagram. it was my first real go with wire wrapping. definitely not perfect, but getting better.

it was fun to do something for the "team".

all packaged and ready to share.

the cyclones were midwest cup tournament runner-ups! great job, boys!

and the mommas seemed to genuinely love their charms!

it was a happy, hot weekend!

EDIT: okay, i promise this is not turning into some sports blog...but please, PLEASE, click here and watch this precious soccer story! it's all about perspective.

and f.y.i. the coach is married to our flower girl. and we love him, too. :)

little stitchers.

2011-07-15T08:49:00.007-05:00

beatrice and mr. elliott participated in team tennis this summer. several of their friends were also playing, so as you can imagine, it was like a giant play date 4 times a week! so much fun!

the mammas, dads, and younger siblings had lots of time to sit and visit and, of course, cheer for our tennis stars! i had a stitching sampler that i was working on, and a couple of little friends were interested, so we got them started on their own. are they not adorable?

they each stitched up little fishies. so cute.

here is the sampler i worked on. it started as something to keep my hands busy. other than that, i had no plan for it.

if you haven't stitched in a while. give it a go! i have to warn you, however, it is an addicting craft.

i love freestyle stitching. no patterns. no worries.

once i finished, i decided to use it as the bib for an apron to have at school.

i used pink denim for the apron and added pom pom balls around the bottom. pom pom balls make everything fancier. :)

have a great weekend, friends!
we are off to a soccer tournament!!
go cyclones!

summer fun!

2011-07-13T12:57:00.003-05:00

any fancy nancy fans out there????
if so, you may recognize the clubhouse from...

fancy nancy: explorer extraordinaire!

beatrice has been having an absolute blast!!! (she's got a great dad who also happens to be great at "construction"!)

meanwhile...
i'm hoping to earn some big time momma points with a little backyard boy bash.

i
love
love
LOVE
summer!

hope you are all having a wonderful summer season!

oh, how i love good mail!

2011-07-06T16:17:00.006-05:00

yes. i totally splurged and purchased the hard copy of miss amy's inspired ideas. happy sigh. so beautiful! AND true to its name, full of inspiration! this is the mother of all craftiness magazines! 245 full pages. $3.30 digital copy. click here to purchase. you so won't regret it.

i cannot wait to try one of these gorgeous party dresses.

and i really adore julie collings. (sorry for the dark photo.)

all of the spoolies we've been creating most certainly need living spaces, and heather's dollhouse to go was the perfect solution.

after looking unsuccessfully for a cute suitcase like the one heather used, it hit me that i happen to have a haul of cigar boxes sitting around begging for new life!

a little paint here, a cut and paste flower collage there, add a ribbon handle, throw on some mod podge, and voila!!

my inner interior designer went for a little pink funk.

i used random wooden and cardboard odds and ends to make furniture.

she looks right at home, don't you think???
i'm thinking this will be our next little girl craft project!
so much fun!
thanks for the inspiration, amy!!!

birthday treasury swap!

2011-07-05T08:54:00.003-05:00

i was lucky enough to participate in miss amy's birthday treasury swap! look at the little lovely that i received from kristine!!!

i love*love*LOVE the tiny silver purse in the corner! so adorable! totally wish i had a life sized one just like it!

everything is perfectly girlie and happy!

so much fun! thank you, kristine,, for being a wonderful partner!

if you want to see other treasury boxes, amy has them on her blog, check them out!

i have to say i really enjoyed the process of creating tiny little dioramas that all fit together, and i am ready to make another. and, of course, i am thinking it definitely needs to be CHRISTMAS themed!!!
eeekkkk!!!

have a happy day, friends!

we are freaking out a bit around here!

2011-06-24T13:16:00.007-05:00

when i heard that stampington was putting together a publication devoted to artistic adventures with children, i knew this was something i would be interested in. when i read that they were asking for submissions to be included, i hoped our pink-a-bella weekend would be a good fit.

today, we received our complimentary copy.

this is the first time i have submitted anything to stampington. ohmygosh. what a great experience it has been. amber demien, the managing editor, was very helpful and so friendly.

i hadn't told the girls that the story was going to be included. i wanted to surprise them. it worked. so. much. fun! we are freaking out a bit.

beatrice and i also have a canvas piece that is included. "owl love you forever", which was tons of fun to create. we are feeling so blessed!

what a happy day!

mini books...oh my goodness!

2011-06-24T08:19:00.004-05:00

i love to create.

i neeeeed to create.

and really truly, i enjoy a plethora of art mediums.

but my first love is paper. love*love*love!

these mini books were all created for a swap hosted by that super cool michelle. (this link will get you to michelle's post with the artists who participated.) (let me just say right here. michelle is an incredible hostess. anytime you are presented the opportunity to join her in a swap, YOU MUST. she is a girl who delights in the details.) the photo above shows my mini book contribution all laid out/before being "mini-sized" at the copy store.

these are just a few of the lovelies.

each one is so full of happy!

someone suggested a theme mini-book swap. wouldn't a Christmas book be wonderful!???!

sweetness.

this book is my sissy's. it's a little stitch handbook! so cute and educational!

we're off to another fun summer day!
xoxoxoxo