A little bit of fun

I bought some of these Prince Albert Cigar Tins a year or so ago. Digging through some stuff the other day I ran into them again and decided to GO FOR IT....I needed some creativity in my life as it calms me and makes me feel good. I also had some of these adorable antique german doll parts so of course I had to try and put them together. I think she came out cute. I weighted her down by putting rocks inside the tin so she can sit on a shelf.

As far as the german doll parts, check out Retro Cafe Art. I love Kristin's online store and she is quick to ship and friendly.




These little "boxes" were made with my Cricut Expressions machine and Design Studio software.

I am trying to learn to use my Cricut Expressions and all the software you can get for it. Design Studio and Sure Cuts Alot. I downloaded a trial of Design Studio and am trying it out.

I used the GEORGE Cartridge and could have used just the Cricut Expressions and that cartridge and cut out the box but I wanted to "flip" the box so I could glue them together (back to back) so the inside of the box has the same design and the Design Studio software lets you do that yay! I added some flowers and hearts for embellishments.

And..........I got a digital collage sheet for Valentine's Day from Retro Cafe Art....yes, I told you I love, love her store. :} I shrunk my collage sheet and cut them out and glued them on.

Don't you think these would be great for a little Valentine gift with a few pieces of candy?

Well, enough creativity for this week. Thanks visiting, let me know what you think.

Jane's Birthday Celebration at Pink Pineapple

It was a fun celebration for Jane's birthday last Wednesday. I was reflecting that 2 years ago I attended a birthday party for her Big #0 birthday (won't tell you the age cause you'd never believe it anyway :)

Still....I can't believe I have known Jane for over 2 years and have come to love and admire her as most people do that meet her. I love her ability to help others and her creativity. Cheers to you Jane.

The party was at Pink Pineapple Scrapbooks in Vista. A great little store that let's us gather and play and share. Jane was busy making her Purpose of Your Life, read about it on her blog. Art Takes A Village. I hope to finish mine soon.

I decided to be creative and bring a fun veggie tree and dip. I have done this at Christmas time and it had a big effect on party goers. Get a Styrofoam shape like for Christmas a cone, for this day a square. I glued it to a plate and glued a plastic container on the top for dip.

Gather your veggies in bite size chunks carrots, peppers, tomatoes, etc and skewer them on a tooth pick and stick them in a random pattern in the Styrofoam. Then take parsley and/or cilantro and "weave" the stems and leaves around the toothpicks to cover the styrofoam.






What do you think?

We had fun, laughed and checked out each other's projects.




Jane opened presents........







Then we had a yummy birthday cake. Cakes by Melanie are so great. Melanie is such a great baker. This was a Red Velvet cake and it was so beautiful and RED and yummy.




Friends, parties, creativity...what more can you ask for?



Happy Birthday Jane.........

PREDICTABILITY

I had fun today surprising my niece to wish her happy birthday (tomorrow). I figured either she and her family would be camping or at the Pancake House for breakfast :}

Her family, like mine for some reason loves to go to the Original Pancake House for a special breakfast. It's such a fun place for special occasions or a great way to start the day. So I thought, I'll just cruz on by and see if I can spot their car in the parking lot and "pop" in and surprise her.

Luckily, I timed it just right. Drove in the lot and there was their car. Eureaka!!! I was grinning with anticipation as I walked in and spotted them at a corner table. SURPRISE!!!! and she was:} Then I got to spend a few minutes having coffee while teasing my great-niece and watching my great-nephew coo and giggle.

What a lovely way to begin the day, just like having pancakes. Predictability comes in because my niece said "are we that predictable?" Let's face it....we all have our special places, times and patterns even though sometimes we don't realize it but that's okay. I think it creates memories OR.....let's me find them when I want. ha ha

Aren't they a beautiful family? I think so :}




After that fun stop and a fast stop at Target, I went home and started staining our new front door. It was either pay $275 to have someone do it or do it myself. I feel like we are living in a "money pit". Did you see that movie with Shelly Long? They buy a home and "pour" tons of money into it with no end in sight.

Well, I do see an end in sight and it's not that bad but I didn't PREDICT how much extra money is needed as we are doing our room addition. Who knew such small things add up like door knobs, paint, lights, fans, mirrors, etc.

You know what? It was fun and I was learning on-the-job. I think it turned out pretty good. What do you think?

Here's the before..........




Here's the after..........



I do predict there will be more "fun" in the remodel in the future but at least it's predictable :}

Have wonderful week.

Art Meetups

I have been asked when I will start my art meetups again and it is now looking like it might not happen until March.

The remodel is about 75% done and I have "STUFF" everywhere. I kinda get organized and then the contractor wants me to move some "STUFF" because it might be in the way or might get dirty so off I go to "relocate" some more "STUFF".

How I yearn to have some space and time to create and be inspired :{

I WILL BE optimistic and believe soon all will done and I will be in full re-design mode for my new art studio so all is not lost.

I have alot of great ideas (I think) for our art meetups so be patient and keep on enjoying your own art and play dates and soon I can enjoy your company and inspiration at my home.

2009 Can It Be Better Than 2008?

I am sure it will be but as I look back over 2008 I have fond memories of lots of fun and firsts with family and friends.