Studio....in more detail....

Just a few Different angles and peeks. I LOVE my new flower organization! It's great to have them all at my fingertips!

My New Studio

Don't you love it when a plan comes together? For awhile now I've been trying to maximize my design studio....and it usually would work - at first. But I always found myself just not crazy about the arrangement. So one day my husband comes into my room and came up with a plan, sketched it out, measured, and took me to Home Depot to do some shopping! (He is amazing - I know!). So after perusing the many different selections (most not in our budget - lol!), I found the perfect counter and cabinet combo for my little room of paradise.

I wanted to make sure I utilized as much "stuff" that I already had that I could. So I did a little shopping in the other rooms of my house and garage (the treasure trove) and found many goodies to add to my space. I also did a lot of flea market shopping :o)

I am really happy at how it turned out (and very lucky to have such a handy husband to put it all together for me!) We are just waiting for a friend of ours to add a few electric outlets along the wall so I don't have wires reaching from all corners of the earth (a HUGE pet peeve of mine!) Now everything has it's place (thanks to a much needed "clean sweep") and it only takes me 5 min. to clean-up after a project!

More picture of organization to come...

Thanks for looking!!

Dollie & Me

Did you have a favorite doll growing up? Maybe Barbie? Or Cabbage Patch? Each generation had their favorites. For me who could forget Kimberly - or Jem? I used to love them all! Whether brushing her hair or whispering secrets in her little ears, dolls were family.

Right when I saw this adorable paper by Crate Paper, the memories tea parties and sleepovers just flooded back. I knew it would make a precious layout for a special little girl and her own dollie. This single page layout is full of vintage bits and baubles. And did you notice that homemade pink cardstock from my last post peeping from behind all these yummies? Using the Crafty Secrets Artsy Banner stamp set really added a gorgeous design to a once boring cardstock!

So get out those stamps and see what kinds of paper you can create!!

Crafty Secrets + Cardstock = Designer Paper Bliss

Have you ever pulled paper upon paper out of your stash and just couldn't seem to find that "fit"? I was in that rut tonight! I had the perfect base cardstock layer - but it just needed a little kick!

Enter Crafty Secrets Artsy Banner acrylic stamps! By choosing an ink in a slightly darker pink to coordinate with the cardstock I chose, Iwas quickly able to add a subtle pattern to make the paper pop. After the images were stamped, I spritzed the cardstock with a transparent glimmer mist and white acrylic paint to give rustic paint splatter. While your newly created paper is drying, make sure you flatten it out with a large book or it will wrinkle. If there are wrinkle marks, you can use a dry iron to re-flatten the paper. And there you have it! Your own paper in less than 5 min. (well not including drying time - lol!)

Now that I have the perfect base paper - my life can continue :o) Here is my "planned pile" of goodies that will turn into an adorable girly layout....until then....enjoy!

Taylored Expressions Blast From the Past Blog Hop!

Do you love Taylored Expressions? If you love to stamp this line is essential for you - but beware there are TONS of cute stamps to choose from!! For this blog hop, we were asked to use a product from the past. I decided to use the delicious "Berries & Cherries" line. This set has SO many possibilities! If you noticed, I used tidbits from all of my leftover scraps from my Schoolhouse Album project that I posted last week. I just love "going green" and manipulating my scraps in a way that no one would ever suspect they were bitty pieces that almost hit the garbage.

Recipe for this card:
paper: October afternoon; american crafts (cardstock)
stamps: Taylored Expressions Berries & Cherries
Ink: Stazon stone grey
Other: ribbon; baker's string; vintage buttons; vintage book paper; cork board


Thanks for stopping by! Now get hopping!

The Fabric of Our Lives

beautiful 8 page album showcasing fabrics of long ago

So have you ever gone through your wardrobe and found yourself not being able to part with certain items for sentimental reasons? Baby blankets, your favorite high school T-shirt, grandma's apron? I tend to hold onto these items and sadly they get shoved in a drawer or bin - their memory becoming dusty and sometimes forgotten.

cover of album with vintage ribbons holding its pages together. you can also tear fabrics and use them instead

I tried to think of a way to keep the sentimental moments of these fabrics and bring them back to life and came up with this adorable vintage sewing album using Crafty Secrets "Sew Nice" creative scraps. By snipping these fabrics, you are able to tell a story of love, friendship, and family. I added baby blankets, baby's 1st hospital outfit, fabrics from loved ones and myself. Now this little keepsake can be put on display - cherished for many years. Become a conversation piece for family and friends - instead of the back of my closet.

papers used: papertrety ink and websters pages

baby's first outfit

using your own handwriting gives your work that personal touch

love this cut from the "Sew Nice" creative scrap. Add a few vintage buttons for dimension

vintage textiles and baubles like this spool or thread and doily can be added throughout your album

i just love this image! perfect for my wedding gown! vintage buttons and earring worn during the ceremony make beautiful embellishments

back view which shows how the album was decoupaged with layers of a vintage sewing pattern

You can create albums for each child, weddings - any special loved one!

*if you are interested in the svg file for your cricut to complete this album - just become a follower and drop me an email and I would be happy to send it to you! (pieces_of_home@yahoo.com)


The Crafty Secrets Design Team has many more creations to share with you today - using the LATEST and GREATEST products. Stop on by the other design team members' blogs to see their goodies for the month!

Crafty Secrets New Product DT Challenge

· Vicki Chrisman Team Leader

· Pam Hooten

· Heidi Blankenship

· Marisa Grosson

· Linda Duke

· Michele Kovack

· Melissa Phillips

· Flo from France

· Julie Campbell

· Heartwarming Vintage Blog

· Crafty Secrets website

Wanna hear a secret...

....a Crafty Secret that is? I am so excited to announce that I was asked to be on the Crafty Secrets Design Team! So I am just ecstatic to work with this group of amazingly talented ladies and share my creations using products from Crafty Secrets.

If you aren't familiar with Crafty Secrets you just have to look at their products! Crafty Secrets combines wonderful vintage images with nostalgic phrases. Their high quality products come in a variety of mediums - including stamp sets, stickers, cotton scraps, journaling pads, chipboard albums - just to name a few. The images owner Sandy Redborn chooses are priceless and sure to bring a smile to your face. The products you can create are endless - and it is my job to show you that! So make sure you join me every week to see what I have designed. And be sure to join our blog hop every month to see what the lovely Design Team members have created.

Tomorrow is the day I will be officially announced as a new designer - it is also the day of the monthly Design Team blog hop. So be sure to stop on by tomorrow!!

Become a "follower" today!

vintage blue bird - after....

Welp....remember that pile of goodies from yesterday? Now they are all brought to life in this lovely 12x12 blue layout. I just fell in love with this delicate paper. So much that I thought using three sheets was a "waste" - lol! Do you ever get protective of your paper and then ask yourself - WHAT AM I DOING? I have enough paper to last lifetimes! And new beautiful ones are always being released. Sigh....I hope I am not alone in this paper power struggle! lol!

This layout is available to purchase here.

Enjoy!

vintage blue bird - before...

Some of you may have read my post on how I plan my projects. After going through my vintage goodness I just had to take a picture! So here I am with another project "planning pile" to share with you. Tomorrow I will show you what I came up with using this pile of yummy goodies!