Thank You Veterans!

My dad.

To all Veterans...
Thank you for all that you gave...&
thank you for all that you continue to give.

We treasure our freedoms & respect you!

I thank my God every time I remember you.
Philippians 1:3

Cheery Hello...

Hi Friends!
I have been crazy busy with deadlines...
Sorry to have not said, "Hello!" for a few days~

Thought I'd share this sweet fellas face!
A little corner from one of my new watercolors...

Our Blue Jays seem to summer somewhere else.
We enjoy them in early summer...
They bring their brood, line them up on a limb
close to the suet cake...and momma feeds the
very loud, anxious mouths as quickly as her
wings n' beak can take her!
Once they're old enough to hang on the suet...
They vanish!

Until late October...early November...
The bright blue friends
dash past my studio window~
They hang out on the ground in clusters...
Catching up on the latest neighborhood news.

Wonderful gift-givers~
Have found several Jay feathers...
Won't they look sweet on Christmas tags!

For More Than Doors...

I've had some of these keys for over 35 years!

It is fun to put them on projects that
will be treasured for years to come...

"Don't trust the lock to which everyone has the key..."
(Swedish)

The key to happiness, success, weight loss, etc. etc.
Ooops...wrong key~

I would "borrow" keys from my dads tool chests,
He must have collected them,
because I discovered several tacked with nails
in a row on a basement beam~

I found rings of them at the local dump...
Aunts had them in button jars...
Seems like every jar of old buttons we bought
had one or two tucked inside...
Then our daughter began searching for them~

Most of these newer little ones were found
at a local thrift shop...they had a plastic bin filled
with the old jewelry box & small lock keys!

Perfect for small tags, journals, boxes etc. etc.

Remember the Whiskers?

I'm sure more than a few of you thought I was
a touch loopy with my whisker collection.

But I ask you...

Would this new lil' guy be so cute without them?
"Crinkle"
His tail was caught by a farmer's shoe...
In his attempt to escape~
His tail became stretched out,
far longer than a mouse tail can go!
The wee mouse got away,
stopped to catch his breath~
Checking himself all over...
he looked at his tail & it was all crinkled up!

:)
Crinkle was made from an old gray sweater
and two small pieces of gray felt.

Keep lookin' for whiskers~
I know you'll have a use for them someday!

Baby Bird Treasure...

This was the third box that
I had made over the weekend...
"Baby Bird"
The front has a empty tag to
add a special name & birth date~

I didn't want much on the top...
The fabric is so pretty!

I made the inside story over lap
and come up the sides a little...

Inside view~

I painted the raw wood candlestick
soft green, aqua & pale yellow.
Sanded it here n' there~
White wash-painted it~
(watered down white & wipe off)
Once it was dry...I added a very diluted
antiquing medium wash so it would match the top.

I have a huge jar of corks...
They fit perfect in most candlesticks...
Makes attaching the boxes pretty simple~

Stockings Were Hung & Baby Bird

Little Sparrow stands straight!
(Those photos yesterday were horrible...)

More to come soon!

Land That I Love...

Because our vote makes a difference...

Sparrow Box...

Another of the weekend projects...

The way I propped the camera to
photograph it~ makes it appear tipsy!

Sparrow cover...
I wanted to add a nest~ dust..dust...dust~
Perhaps I'll put one inside...
Then they could set it on top if they wanted!

On one of our antique-thrift days we

discovered bobbins wound in this
pretty white string...reminds me of chenille.

I'll share the third one tomorrow!
Hope you're crafting~
Painting...decorating...
Sewing...gardening...cooking...

Stockings Were Hung Treasure...

This is one of the first gift boxes I have completed~
"The Stockings Were Hung"
I began these in September...remember that blog?
Whew! Time flies...

I painted the box with Avocado Green &
once it was dry...added antiquing medium.

Found this vintage ribbon (flocked) and a
sweet little scalloped lace~

I like the texture around the rim~
I haven't decided if I'm going to add more
to the bottom 1/2 of the box...it seems bare~
Not everyone likes busy collage like I do.
I'll have to stare at it & decide.

The little stockings move around freely...
The Gold velvet ribbon is also vintage~
Held in place with a spot of glue & a clasp earring...
Remember that Kathy?
Perfect touch~

I did put some vintage Christmas papers inside...
No glue stick here...thin layers of craft glue or
decoupage mediums.

Had a fun weekend playing~
Back to deadlines tomorrow...
I'm all re-energized to be creative!
Best Wishes...
Michelle

Board Book to Memory Book...

From time to time I'm able to find

kids board books from a few
of my favorite thrift shops...

With two BEAUTIFUL sunny, warm days
I was able to get them prepared for
Memory books...
Palm sander...what a wonderful tool!
I use a fine grit paper...but not "super fine"~

All those tiny fingerprints being sanded off
along with the colorful images~

New fingerprints will be added when these
are given for the holidays...
filled with photos & written memories.

With the gloss surface gone it's time to
gather up the glue sticks & papers...

Close up example of one book...

I like to use a glue stick because it doesn't
warp the chipboard or the papers...

I apply the glue (be generous) to the board book,
making sure glue is at the edges~
Place oversize paper on...design side up,
then completely burnish with a hard, smooth edge.

Trim with an Xacto knife by turning the
decorated side down to the cutting surface.
You can see the extra and use the book edge
as your guide.

These are all plain...(for now....)
I will keep them stacked under some heavy
books to make sure they are nice & flat before
I begin to add the "theme details" to each one.

Oh what fun these will be!
Travel...recipes...Christmas...
These are sweet thank you gifts...
I'd like to make one for a new neighbor~
fill it with local phone numbers for take-out,
electrician, plumbers, garden shops, bakery, ...

The possibilities are endless!

I'll be sure to share when I complete one~

Wishing you wonderful project times!
Michelle

Sitting Pretty...

If you have read our blog before
you will know that I recognize this chipmunk
as a bit of a pest!

This may look like a fancy post decoration...

This is his/her way of letting me know
the village is once again growing~
And that the bird feeder needs refilling!

We were able to take 21 of this adorable little guys
cousins, sisters, brothers etc.
to a new n' better home with our
Have-A-Heart trap...we must have missed two!

I've been crafting up a storm this weekend!
A few more finishing touches...
TONS of photos...
(step-by-step on how I made them)
Later today~
'til then...hope you have a WONDERFUL Sunday!
Michelle

100th Post Give-A-Way...

A new journal...homemade especially for one of YOU!

FREE GIVE-A-WAY
JOURNAL
To celebrate my 100th Posting
If you leave your name in the comment area below~

Names will be tossed in a basket...

One name will be drawn & posted at
9pm Wednesday night, Oct. 29!

I'll share photos of a few of my favorite pages~

...it gives light to everyone in the house...
Let your light shine!

"Oh my...look what has found us!"

Bridges in our life...

Girls out for a walk...

Sometime those mountains are difficult to climb...

...but the climb is easier with friends~

I tried my best to leave some pages
"a little less cluttered"
So that you could add some of your
most favorite ticket stubs, photos, scraps etc.

Best wishes to each of you!
I hope you'll join in the fun~
Michelle