Baseball Goes Regency

Just because my newest scrapbook paper acquisition is called Dear Jane, it doesn't mean the paper is restricted for girly girls. I decided to try my hand at making something masculine and used the husband's favorite colors - green/gold - for inspiration. Just in case you're curious, it's because those are the colors of the Oakland A's Baseball Team.

I started with a tiny ring box which is only 2 1/2" w x 1 3/4" h x 2 1/4" d.

Next I removed the hardware, put it in a plastic sandwich bag and then added a few squirts of caramel Alcohol Ink.

I painted the inside/outside of the box with olive green paint. When dry I painted it lightly with an off white paint. I then sanded it down and used TH Scattered Straw on the corners for a real vintage look.

Then I then used three of the Dear Jane papers to line the inside, bottom and top. I attached the hardware and layered the top.

The finished Gentleman's Ring Box.   

I have to be honest and share with you that the husband thought it would have looked better with a  baseball player on the top instead of one of Jane's Fictional characters.  

I told him that he was my Mr. Darcy, gave him a kiss and that made him happy. Have you made something recently for YOUR Mr. Darcy? If so, please share.

Goodbye Recipe Journal, Hello Magic Bullet

No one believes that I once taught a 6 week vegetarian cooking class. Not because I’m a lousy chef, au contraire, it’s because I rarely never cook anymore. Way back when, I loved sharing my favorite vegetarian recipes and actually considered, for about a minute, becoming a professional chef. Obviously that never happened, but it is why I have a particular fondness for Recipe Journals.  
 

Which, in a round-about way, leads me to our latest purchase, The Magic Bullet. It’s sitting on our kitchen counter and I have used it 4 times in the past week. The husband and I spent hours reading reviews and opted for the super duper 900 series. Does it work? Yes. Is it worth the money? Too early to tell. But I can tell you that it is a great way to use up fruit that you would normally throw out.

Since I’m talking food here, I wanted to do a bit of show and tell. This morning I sold my favorite Retro Recipe Journal. It’s going to a good home, but there was a moment when I thought twice about selling it. However, since my latest recipes look like this,

(Ingredients

1 apple from our apple tree

½ brown banana

Some questionable strawberries

Handful of ice

 Directions

1.      Throw together ingredients into The Magic Bullet.

2.      Mix and eat or drink, depending upon consistency.)

 

I decided that that my Retro inspired Journal deserved to be filled with wonderful recipes, of which the recipe above is not.

 

Instead of showing a photo of our newest acquisition, here are a few photos of my dearly departed Recipe Journal.

 

 

I don't know if I will be doing any real cooking anytime soon, but I can say with assurance that another Retro Recipe Journal will soon be listed in my Etsy Shop - Inside The Beehive. Make anything tasty lately? 

 

HOPE is more than just a 4 letter word!

I am not a “Spring has Sprung” kind of gal.  Most of my journals are made with monochromatic Kraft paper and despite the fact that the door of the Beehive is yellow, there isn't anything bright and colorful in my closet.

There is this incredibly talented artist, Charlotte, who is also a professional photographer. Gorgeous photos and Gorgeous Digital Papers. Recently she asked me to make something special with her line that was inspired by the Kew Gardens in London and called The Botanical Collection.

Odd for me, but I was immediately drawn to her yellow and orange papers. I knew I wanted to make a journal and had a few ideas swirling around when I heard the sad news that one of my former co-workers had recently been diagnosed with cancer.  Having a good support group is so important when you are facing a life threatening disease, but also is expressing your feelings. And that is how my Journal of Hope was born.

The cover is layered with Washi Tape and three of The Botanical Collection papers.

 

Inside are pockets that hold tags for friends and family to add their notes of support.

 

There are 45 (90) pages of parchment paper that has been tea dyed and inked to give a vintage look.

We have all been touched by cancer in one way or another.  My hope is that I can make a difference, albeit small, in the fight against this horrible disease. I will be listing the Journal of Hope in my Etsy store – Inside the Beehive -  and will be making a donation to the Cancer Society with every Journal I sell.  

It's a Bird. It's a Plane. No, It is a Bird!

I have a love/hate relationship with custom orders in my Etsy Shop - Inside The Beehive. I think it's because I overthink everything instead of just going with the flow. I worry way too much if the buyer will like what I created. Fingers crossed, KOW, so far so good.

My latest project is a mini for a gal who likes bird's nests, robins, buttons, burlap and her favorite colors are pink and teal. I dare you to find any patterned paper in pink and teal. Double and triple dare you! There is absolutely none available in the universe. I checked. So, I improvised and made the bird mini album in pinks and added buttons in teal.

I wanted to add a real pretend bird's nest,

so I used an altered tray lined with vintage paper. 

 There are Five Birdies with plenty of room for journaling and small photos.

I hate seeing broken bird's eggs so I glued these down. 

 Note the buttons on the bottom. Cute?

Okay, you  can be honest with me. What do you think? If you like it please leave me a comment. If you don't like it please remember what your mama told you - If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything! 

Hugs from the EllenBee