A Sweet Little Album

I had so much fun making this mini album for Express Yourself in Bethel, CT. I used one of the new lines of patriotic papers and sticker sheets from Carolee's Creations. This was one of those projects that came together so easily and was so much fun to do. I stitched some sequins on the pages (something I've been doing WAY too much of) for a little Americana bling!


Here's a look at the album - if you are headed anywhere near Bethel, CT, you can pick up the paper and stickers at Express Yourself!

Have a great week!

Birthday Girl Photo Shoot

It was a big event at our house last night. "The girl" turned three. I did a little photo shoot with my sweet one this morning and here's a pic that came out pretty good:




Now, if you know me, you're asking, "How did she take this picture, get it developed, scan the print, and post this so quickly?"

Well, I am now the proud owner of a digital camera. Yes, I held out for a long time, but finally bought a Nikon D80.

I am having a BLAST with this thing!

Grandma's Snowflakes

I have a Christmas tree in my house that stays up all winter. It's a wire tree and I don't take the ornaments off until Easter when I replace them with Easter decorations.

I save this little tree for my special handmade ornaments that I like to call "Grandma's Snowflakes". My grandma gave me a box of her costume jewelry before she passed away. Much of it was unstrung with loose beads, but Grandma said, "I know you'll find something to do with it."

I started making beaded snowflakes with her jewelry many, many years ago. I've given them away to family members with a little note about Grandma. I treasure them and have so much fun making them.

I have since scoured flea markets and tag sales for old, cheap costume jewelry to make more of these. I've sold some at fairs and they've sold very well. I would never sell any made from my Grandma's jewelry of course!

Here are some pics of Grandma's snowflakes:







And speaking of snowflakes, we expected a TON of snowflakes of the ground this morning, but only awoke to a little more than a dusting. Much disappointment in our house this morning!

The Tote Bag Obsession

I have an obsession with tote bags. I have a hard time throwing away those canvas freebies you get at conventions and grand openings. I'm always thinking, "But, I just might need this one . . . "

I've started altering tote bags and am having a blast with it. The three I'm showing here are heavy duty tote bags from Smith and Hawkin.

This one I bought with a gift certificate from my Cub Scout Den after completing my years as a Den Mom. I used Making Memory Rubons, ribbons, and buttons to decorate it. Many of the buttons are from my Grandma's collection.

Here's a little one that I got free last Christmas with a rose plant. Mother-in-law got the rose plant, I got the bag - LOL!

I used Making Memory and American Crafts rubons again, a paper flower and some pretty jeweled pins. The pink pin was my grandma's.

Here's another one I made for a charity crop for Anne Heyen's little girl Margaret (hope you're doing well, Margaret!):

I again used a lot of Making Memory stuff, ribbons, and buttons.

It's a blast using your imagination and changing an ordinary tote bag or gardening bags into totes personalized just for you. I've found that Making Memory rubons go on canvas wonderfully. You just need to place a firm surface under the canvas when you are rubbing. American Crafts rubons work great also.

Next on my to-do list is to alter my camera bag. I want to turn that thing into something just a little bit cuter.

Have fun with your own obsessions!