You're invited to a Party!

I own two Vagabonds, one that is broken, and one that is in pristine condition due to lack of use by said owner. Currently, all my dies are sound asleep in my kitchen pantry, but now that I am having a Craft Studio built - the Beehive - I want to keep my dies close at hand. Considering how often I use them they could really stay in the kitchen, but I am determined to use them, at least occasionally.  

Because the Vagabond looks like luggage, I started searching for something vintage that would complement the Vagabond.  An old fashioned train case seemed to be the perfect choice.  Requirements - didn’t break the bank, didn’t stink and would look good with the addition of a few TH travel stickers.

I originally wanted yellow, which is the accent color of the Beehive, but couldn’t find one that made me say wow. I scoured Ebay, Etsy and Craigslist for weeks until – insert harp music here – tan leather, no stains inside, no mildewed odor. Finder’s keepers, losers weepers! 

Preparing for the Beehive is like putting together a trousseau or preparing for a new baby.  Got me thinking whether I should have a Craft Studio Shower? I could register at Michael’s, make party favors – bee themed of course – and I could invite all my talented crafty friends I have grown to know and love from the Internet. Ummm...think perhaps I better start planning right away because I need to find a recipie for a martini that contains honey. 

 I'm all packed and ready to move into the Beehive!

 

 

Not much room for new dies, but there's now plenty of empty space in the pantry!

 

I do hope you'll join me for the celebration. Please leave your RSVP in the comment section so I can plan accordinly. I don't want to run out of pink honey martinis! Or the milk and honey martinis! 

 

Twist and Shout

As some of you know, I am in the process of having a craft studio built in my backyard. No surprise here, it will be called the Beehive, and, please forgive me for saying this but I am buzzing with excitement! Although I have plenty of storage in our house, my problem has been not having a dedicated room for crafting. Since I am a stand-up-crafter, having to use the dining room table has left me with a permanent backache. My new high table, the Adams Craft Table/Bookends from Target has been purchased and is patiently waiting for this party to begin.

In preparation for the official groundbreaking ceremony, I have been culling my craft supplies and organizing like a madman. I’ve already completed the Washi tape storage HERE. Ribbons and lace were next on my list. My problem is that I have been storing both in a Jetmax canvas container and the only way to find anything was to either dump or dig. Searching for an inexpensive storage option I found an example of paint stick storage on Pinterest that wowed me. I haven’t finished wrapping my ribbons/lace but considering that the paint sticks are free, I was more than ready to twist and shout!

 I found that seam binding needs tape (pins leave holes) but for the lace you can use pins.

 In the Beehive little things, like pins, will be stored in vintage Jell-O molds.

 

No Michael's today!

I'm going shopping at Home Depot, Lowes and Orchard for more paint sticks.

 

How do you store your ribbons and lace? Next storage update will be for my Sizzix dies. I’ll give you a hint – passport ready for traveling. J

A Proper Lady

My mother always told me that a proper lady carried a lace handkerchief in her purse at all times. I started carrying hankies when I was in high school and even after all these years, it is an odd habit that I cannot break. The reason I call it odd is because although I own over 30, mostly vintage hankies, I would never actually use one to blow my nose.

Another thing that graces my purse is a floatie pen (which I collect and do use) and a notepad. For the last year I have been using one I received as a gift from a co-worker. Not any more. I have discovered the joys of altering mini-composition books and have made enough of them for every day of the week. 

The trick to making these is to use Mod Podge and wax paper.

I stick a piece of wax paper between the cover and the pad. Once the glue dries

just remove the paper and voila – no glue on the pad.

The husband loved them so much he asked if I would make him one.

Since he is a BIG baseball fan the paper choice was obvious!

My local CVS sells them in packages of 3 for $1.00. I'm definitely going back for more. Have you ever altered a mini composition book? Maybe now is the time.

House Hunters International

If you live in the states and have cable, you've probably heard of House Hunters International on TLC. The title says it all - it's a staged real estate "reality" half-hour show about finding the perfect home. It's kind of dumb, but I have lived vicariously through the buyers and have purchased homes in Israel (complete with bomb shelter), Tuscany (complete with vineyard) and Paris (complete with a view of the Eiffel Tower.)

Since most of Washi Tape comes from Japan, I was in search of the perfect home for these tapes that seem to propagate like bunnies in my storage closet. The minute I saw a whitewashed soda crate on Pinterest I knew I had found the perfect abode for my Japanese friends.

I purchased the crate from a buyer on eBay. The price was right, which included shipping, and I received it within the week. I have since had some communication with the seller and he deserves his 100% positive feedback.

I still have to sand it down a bit but I love the way it looks and best of all

I can fit a lot more Washi tape in the cubbies.

Bid with confidence from the seller I bought my crate from - HERE

How do you store your Washi Tape? Have a better idea than a soda crate? Please share!!

Sleepless in Seattle - NO! Sleepless in LA - YES!

Our visit to Seattle was short but sweet. I have fallen in love with salted caramels, which are apparently a Seattle specialty. Definitely head over heels and if you have never tasted a salted caramel let me warn you that they are addicting. I made a simple file-folder mini to fill with memories of our trip and although I haven't had time to complete it, the cover is done. You can view the video HERE.

The Purple Cafe was our favorite restaurant but their card is brown.

Go figure? It's Seattle!

We returned home with great anticipation of the delivery of our new, very expensive latex bed. Hate it! I spent Saturday night on the sofa and last night was the husband's turn. The salesman warned us that we would hate it at first. I thought he was being facetious so I didn’t ask him when we would start liking the bed. Can hate turn to love or is that just a bad romance novel plot?

I have said it before, but it deserves repeating. The best thing about blogging and all this YouTubing is making friends. I just received a very special surprise from SuperTinaFey. She viewed the video I had made about the Bird Flu and commented that unlike me, she didn’t own much bird crap. So, I sent her a paltry little RAK of tweety items. Imagine my surprise when I found a package from her in my mailbox. I will now have to rethink my relationship with birds because this tag is gorgeous. SuperTinaFey you rock girlfriend! Many, many thanks.

You can see the Bird Flu video HERE. If you watch it you will be under no obligation to send me a tag, but if you do, it will be greatly appreciated. LOL

Goodbye Cruel World

Ladies and Gentlemen and children of all ages welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth!

This week the Circus is coming to Los Angeles and to commemorate the occasion and for your viewing enjoyment let me introduce the one and only Le Cirque mini album and Circus wagon. (applause)

Whenever anyone mentions the Circus I get a giggle in the pit of my stomach. Unless you suffer from coulrophobia or a hard core animal activist, no matter how old you are, there is something for everyone at the Circus. Popcorn, beautiful ladies atop dancing horses, trapeze artists that fly through the air with the greatest of ease and best of all the tiny car filled with a never ending bevy of clowns. As a child I could never understand how so many men could fit into that tiny car. I mean, I had trouble sitting in the backseat with just my two sisters.

My absolutely favorite circus is not Cirque du Soleil ( a close second) but Lady Circus, an all women troupe out of New York City. The performers are all amazing but my favorite is the glass walker. She is beautiful, talented and best of all, she is my daughter. I quite literally hold my breath every time I see her perform, and although I trust her ability, I always carry extra band aids.

The STAR of this year's Circus!

This was easy peasy to make! A bit of paper, glue, ribbons and charms
and voila, the Circus is in town!! 

I added Glitz Afternoon ephemera to the mini.

Only 14 tags so Dr. Scrapman's treatment is definitely working.
My Tiny Tag Syndrome (TTS) is under control...at least for now.

To see more of my mini watch the movie HERE.

Let's talk Circus. Like it? Hate it?

The top 25 TAGS in history according to Wikipedia

1.      Pet tag, an ID tag worn by pets 

2.      Ear tag, an ID tag worn by farm animals 

3.      Dog tag (military), an ID tag worn by military personnel 

4.      Tag (game), a playground game 

5.      Tag out, a play in baseball 

6.      Tag team, a type of wrestling

7.      A QR code is a mobile phone tag

8.      Tag (metadata), an index term assigned to a piece of information

9.      Tag URI, a unique identifier protocol used in internet technologies

10.   Tag (programming), a method for passing parameters to subroutines

11.   TAG (BBS), a bulletin board software program

12.   HTML tag, a component of the HTML programming language

13.   Knowledge tag, a type of meta-information that captures knowledge about an information resource

14.   Revision tag, a label for a specific revision of a project

15.   Tag system, a deterministic computational model

16.   Tag (LeapFrog), an interactive reading device

17.   Tag question, a grammatical structure that converts a statement to a question

18.   Tag (Hebrew writing), a decoration drawn over some of the letters in Jewish scrolls

19.   Kimball tag, formerly used to identify products to a stock control system

20.   RFID tag, current stock control technology

21.   A label used in electronic article surveillance to prevent shoplifting

22.   Protein tag, a biochemistry method

23.   Skin tag, a small benign tumour

24.   Theoretical and Applied Genetics, a scientific journal

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT TAG FOR ALL OF US

25.    THE ALTERED TAG!!

Made for a private swap with Pinkalicious!

I started with a sewn tag made by the talented Michelle in NZ.

Since I suffer from (SAF) Scrappers Avian Flu,
I decided to make a bird themed tag.

You can learn more about SAF HERE. Do you suffer from SAF?

The winner of the Enchanted Collection is Mariesporrong. Congratulations Marie!