Benjamin Buttons

I think I have to add buttons to my list of obsessions. Let me start off by stating that I rarely use buttons on my projects. That wasn’t entirely true. I NEVER use buttons on my projects. Bottom line is that I don’t need buttons. However, for some odd reason I love the way buttons look in bowls and glass jars. I’m embarrassed to tell you how much I paid for these two P-nut Butter/Peanut jars. Shall we say – too much? But in their defense, don’t they look adorable filled with buttons?
 

Of course nothing really matters or explains my need to fill jars with buttons that I never use. So, I have decided to add something to my Bucket List – I have to make at least one project using buttons before I can buy anymore buttons…or before I die – whichever comes first.

 

I want to be inspired so please share a link to your favorite button project. Do you also collect buttons? Who has more? You or me?

The first items for my Etsy Store

“B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his name!” Do you remember that song from your childhood? While making these adorable Bingo Minis I couldn’t get the song out of my head. Each mini has a real Bingo Card on the front and back. The inside is stuffed with 50 single pages - that’s 100 pages - plus pockets, tags, stamping and assorted bits and pieces to make each mini truly a one-of-a kind sweetie! 

 

 Ready to give as a gift in their own little blue bag.

 

 

Front

 

 

Inside

 

Back

 

Okay ladies, here's where I need your help! How much do you think I should charge? Bee honest, the mini is 4"x4" and I made three - vintage, red/black and turquoise and red. I haven't seen anything like it on Etsy and I think I'd label it as a small scrapbook/smash/journal. Do you have an Etsy store? If so, have any advice?

Bucket List Mini-Mini Swap

Hope you gals are ready for an easy peasy one-on-one swap that I promise you can be completed in an afternoon! And it’s fun! And it’s cheap! Hope I have whetted your  appetite for the EllenBee’s Bucket List Swap over at Your Paper Pantry HERE. Link to join will be up soon!!

No big, fat, fabulous journal this time ladies, just a teeny-tiny meandering album. Don’t know what that is? Roxy made the absolutely best video tutorial so head over HERE for a look. It’s basically just one sheet of double sided 12” x 12” patterned paper folded and folded and folded again until you have this absolutely darling mini-mini.

Your task will be to make one of these cuties for your partner and then create a page for each of her top 5 Bucket List items. The rest of the mini will be left blank so that she can add to her list at her leisure. You will have total creative freedom to choose the paper and to embellish to your hearts desire. The only thing the two of you will exchange will be your 5 top Bucket List items and each
others address.

I did one for the husband so that you can SEE how simply adorable this project is!

 

Backpack at 70  

 

Learn how to play the guitar

 

 

Visit every single Baseball Stadium

 

Go to Italy

Check out the video HERE!!!

 

If you are new to Your Paper Pantry the cost to join is $12 per year. AND for the first few swaps you will be on probation - sort of. Anyone new to YPP will be partnered up with another newbie for this swap. There are a few rules like checking in once a week but like the project, it's all easy-peasy! Hope to see you at YPP!!!

 

Hostess with the Mostess Part 2

If I labeled each blog post, which I don’t because I am too lazy, this post would include – Bucket List, Romance Novel, Acorns and Fairies. Sound intriguing? I hope so because all those labels add up to a new journal I made for Dawn over at Your Paper Pantry.

But, let’s start at the beginning shall we? Roxy from YPP saw the video I made of my Bucket List and asked me if I wanted to host a Bucket List swap on her fabulous site. Of course I agreed since hosting was on "my" Bucket List. Though unfortunately for Roxy, my swap morphed from Bucket List to Favorite Fictional Character. You can read all about it HERE.

Here's the latest update: 26 days, 14 characters that include 2 Scarlett's, 1 Eliza, 1 Bull and a Little Prince  (not Georgie) and, as of last count 9 likes, 175 replies and over 2000 views. Not too shabby for my very first hostess job, right? BTW I refuse to take it personally that only 9 gals like my swap!!

My partner's favorite character(s) were a couple from the Regency period of England from the novel A Matter of Class. Anna and Reggie's love story is filled with all the necessary trappings that any good romance novel requires. Don't want to giveaway too much, but the story has an arranged marriage. I also don't want to spoil it for you, but I promise you the ending will surprise you.   

WARNING: Photos below so Dawn, if you don't want to see, STOP READING NOW!! 

 

The Acorn Fairy lives in the tree where the two lovers meet and fall in love.

Actual oak leaves from the magical tree? 

 

 Dawn, if you now want to see more, HERE's the VIDEO.

To my fellow swappers who have already finished their journals, thank you for inspiring me. And to all of you who are still crafting, I hope my photos and video have inspired you.

Who's YOUR favorite fictional character?

The Power of YouTube. The Power of Love.

It all started with an old plastic basket I found at my favorite thrift shop. Inside was an assortment of miscellaneous threads and sewing supplies, none of which was an exceptional find, but the case was yellow, perfect for the BEEHIVE, so I bought it. Once home, I removed all the spools of threads and discovered that the case actually had a tray, which I lifted it up and discovered a wrapped box.

The box was filled with treasured mementos once owned by Jillian Rose Baily and it revealed a love story, albeit one sided, of Jillian Rose and a carnival performer named Vinni Bombo. After I posted the video, which you can view HERE, I received a message from Sarah T. who wrote that growing up she lived next door to a lovely woman who used to share stories about a relative named Vinni(e), a former carnival performer. She admitted that it probably was just a coincidence and that my Vinni probably wasn’t her Vinni(e) but she just happened to be going home for a week long visit and  promised she would let me know what she could find out.

Fast forward 4 weeks, 12 emails, two phone calls and one very special package.

Vinni and Jillian Rose did exist, not just in my imagination. Sarah T. was able to contact Vinni’s grand-niece who sent me; a framed copy of an old carnival poster, a photo album, three letters and a post card from Paris. Since she was camera shy she asked me to make a VIDEO so that the story of two lovers could be continued.

 

 

I am desperately seeking anyone who knew Jillian Rose Baily. Baily was her maiden name and I don't know if she ever married. I found the box in Los Angeles, California so I assume she lived here until her death. If you have any information please leave a comment. I am desperate to find out how this love story ended.  

The very talented Debbie from Ephemeras Vintage Garden has created a tribute to their love story which you can find HERE. Also, stop on over to her BLOG to receive her free downloads. They are awesome!  

Hostess with the Mostess

Technically, “mostess isn’t really a word. It's what you would call taking literary license for the sake of entertainment. I am using it here to refer to the most indecisive hostess ever – ME! Seriously folks, I drove poor Roxy crazy as I tried to create a simple swap on YourPaperPantry that kept on getting more and more complicated.
 

An example might be Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff from the book Wuthering Heights. (Check out the VIDEO I MADE HERE of what I might send my partner if she had chosen WH.) 

    

To help you and your partner create something you both will love, I have a questionnaire that I will post on YPP. Here’s mine:

1. Name of your character(s):  Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff

2. Where are your character(s) from? The book Wuthering Heights by Emilie Bronte. 

3. Can you tell me why you love your character(s).  Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books of all time because of the tragic love story of Heathcliff and Catherine. The fact that it was written by a woman who never knew romantic love makes it all the more extraordinary. 

4. Is there anything you want in the journal? I want lots of blank pages and tags. 

5. Is there anything you don’t want in the journal? Interactive pages.

The ONLY requirement of this swap is that you make a journal that is BIG, FAT and FABULOUS!  

 

I will assign partners on August 5th on YourPaperPantry.  TPP is not an ordinary swap site. You need to become a member but it is easy peasy. There is a cost - $1.00 a month - but that is a small price to pay to have the privilege of swapping with these talented ladies. You will have until the first week of September to complete the swap. QUESTIONS? Just leave them here or on YPP and I will answer them ASAP. No indecision here - I promise you this will be a very fun swap!

No Missing Ingredients

I have never done a tutorial because I am not a teacher at heart. My younger sister taught for 30 years and loves it. Me, although I once taught a 6 week vegetarian cooking class that was so popular it was featured in the local paper, I am actually the kind of gal who flies by the seat of her pants. I hate writing down measurements so rarely do my homemade dishes ever taste the same.

So why did I film a tutorial now you might ask? It’s because of the urban myth of the infamous missing ingredient. According to the legend, a homemaker used to make fabulous pies and everyone wanted her recipe, which she willing gave out to anyone who requested it. Hundreds if not thousands of folks attempted to duplicate her tried and true recipe and yet not one person succeeded in making a pie as delicious as hers. There was always something missing but no one could ever figure it out.

Have you figured out why? It’s because she left out one key ingredient…no, it wasn’t a mistake on her part, it was deliberate.

Here is my tutorial on how to alter a mini composition book, including my key ingredients:

 

Sandpaper and Wax Paper

 

Add 1 mini composition book and sandpaper cover.

 

Slip in wax paper and slap on mod podge. 

Cover with Garden Carnival  digital paper from Ephemera's Vintage Garden.

 

A feather, seam binding, stamp, cabinet card and a pinch of Stickles

 

Mix together well

 

 

Decorate with Circus Journaling Cards and enjoy!!

 

See, I told you I wasn't much of a teacher. To see a slightly better tutorial on how I make my mini composition books, with the secret ingredients, watch my tutorial HERE. Let's talk tutorials. Do you make or watch them on YouTube? Who are your favorite teachers?