Perpetual calendar journal

Saw this cute journal idea on Pinterest.... my daughter really wanted to do this.

This is our version:
Berry basket is from Target on 70% clearance, 4x6 index cards cut in half, Month and date stamps, and paint chip cards for the monthly dividers.

Rubber Stamped image to decorate each month divider.  

At the end of each day, write a short notation of something that happened that day.
Use over and over as the years pass.  It will be fun to see what you were doing on that day previously!

Can't wait to get started!  I guess its better to wait until the end of the day to write!

Metal and drop cloth

I've been sprucing up my art room this weekend... it needed a color perk!

Spray painted and stamped drop cloth jar lids in the art room.

I love this green! 

Tags came from Michael's in the bridal section.

Spray jar lid rings.

Trace lid onto drop cloth and cut out.

Stamp an image with a rubber stamp and permanent ink onto the drop cloth circle.
Use spray adhesive to attach fabric to the lid.
Use dabs of hot glue to secure the lid inside the jar ring.  

I was inspired to work on my art room after looking at so many creative spaces on Karen's blog:       My Desert Cottage.  She was hosting a link party called "Where Bloggers Create 2012".  I have lots of other ideas for my art room now...having fun in my creative space!

Stitched and Quilted in July!

Land That I Love 

by 

Birds of a Feather

I love this pattern by Birds of a Feather!  I bought this in the spring on a trip to Williamsburg and I can't believe that I have gotten it stitched and finished and it is still July! I actually finished it on the 4th of July....I felt so patriotic!  I new that I wanted to make it into a small art quilt when I first started stitching it.  While in the mountains last week, I found the fabrics I wanted to use.  I had to wait until I got back home to quilt it up because I didn't take my sewing machine to the mountain cottage with me.  I need duplicates of every crafting thing I own at the cottage!!!!!!I was sewing even before I finished putting all the vacation stuff away last night.  Finished this morning!  I used Timetex for the batting so that it was stiff, kinda like a new placemat would be.  I think I am going to do some kind of creative hanger/stand for it.  We'll see!

In honor of The Tour!

It has been almost a year since I have done a large mixed media painting. 

 The muse came back this week...

This is a 24 x 24 board box base.  The layers include: a road map of the US, teal and aqua acrylic painted on and scraped off with an old gift card, lettering cut from scrap book paper, white and yellow acrylic painted on then wiped off with a wet paper towel, charcoal rubbed outlines, acrylic painting of the bike itself, old bike chain rings dipped in paint to leave a stamped image, bike chain dipped in paint and dropped on to surface, and the old photo collaged in is actually of a real family member.

Why the subject?  

 1.The other three people in this house are road bike cyclists!
 2. My son needed something over his bed that says"21" years old instead of 12!
 3. The Tour De France started today!

Chair love!

This weekends yard sale treasure!


Linking to Miss Mustard Seed: furniture-feature-friday

Embellished Sewing Caddy

I found some great stuff in the scrap booking isle at Michael's one day and got inspired to embellish a sewing caddy with a French sewing theme.  I talked my friend Clara into doing one with me.  What a great play day we had!

Started with a caddy from Hobby Lobby.  Already painted and distressed! $12.99 with the 40% coupon.
The lining is sticky back fabric from a scrap booking French themed 12x12 paper pack from Michael's.
My husband made the two wood dividers.  I painted them to match and glued them in.

Here is the caddy filled  with all made goodies!

This Blackbird Design Blog freebie was worked over one to fit an Altoids tin.

I lined the box with some of the same sticky back fabric paper that I used on the caddy.
My friend Clara gave me the needle minder.

Clara made some of these darning pincushions and gave me one with a French Bee motif stitched on it.
Love it!  

I had been working on a bee also, so I used it to make a thread keep.

I tote this caddy all around the house, wherever I want to stitch on that sweet patriotic piece you see here!

1950's to 2012

My big projects lately are taking place at the summer cottage in the mountains of NC.  I have been chalk painting 1950's (yucky) furniture, trying to bring this home into the 2012 realm of cottage chic.
Here is a peek into this sweet home and one of the furniture projects that I did this weekend.

 The bed and another tall dresser will also see some chalk paint soon.

Getting better!
Walls are going a creamy white next weekend!

Linking to Furniture Feature Friday: miss mustard seed