My New Studio

I am absolutely smitten with my new studio space.  It is bright and cheerful and cozy.  It would originally have been a bedroom, on the second floor, but I picked it out as my studio since it has east and south windows for plenty of natural light.  It has been quite a process unpacking all my things since our move, but slowly, it started to come together.  It is not yet as organized as I would like it, but, it may never be.  I will just enjoy it!


The "Before" pictures:

The "After" pictures:

My Paper Bakery Banner

I  am so happy to finally share with you my finished Autumn Banner kit that I purchased from Sarah Hill of The Paper Bakery.  I couldn't pass it up since she used the Farmhouse Collection paper from Crate paper, which seems to be my favorite paper at the moment.  I have my banner hanging on my front door using magnets that I stole from a set of magnetic mini blinds that never really worked.  I wish I could have found something more pretty to hang it up with, but I think that the fabric strips that I tied to them cover them up a little bit anyway.

Here is a little sneak peek of an upcoming project.  I am hoping to have it finished by Monday since I have a very busy schedule for the next several weeks.  My mom will be here next Tuesday for a few weeks, so I will be enjoying time with her and of course Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

 

H2H Bunny Hop

Welcome to the first Heart 2 Heart blog Bunny Hop!  Here are a few details, first, create something Easter or Spring inspired, then on Monday, April 18th, visit the H2H blog here and post your link on the Mister Linky.  You can ONLY post your artwork between 8 a.m. EST and 8 p.m. EST.  After 8 p.m. the link list will close.  Your project MUST contain Close To My Heart products.  Then you can bunny hop through all the links to see all the wonderful creations!

My project for the H2H Bunny Hop is an Easter door hanging.  I used papers from 5 different CTMH paper packs and the adorable March Stamp of the Month, Sensational Season.  I also used Sky, Sorbet and New Leaf wrinkle ribbon from my Etsy shop as well as several soft shades of mulberry paper roses.

Supplies:

Paper:  Patterned paper from Magnifique, Sweetheart, Sophia, Mayberry and Lucky.  Paper doily from Wal-Mart.

Inks:  Olive ink pad for sentiment

Copics:  E31, E33 and E35 for bunnies fur

              R20 and R22 for Miss Bunnies shirt and present

              YG91 and YG93 for Jr. bunnies jacket

              Y17 for ribbon on present

              W00 and W1 for shading

Stamps:  Sensational Season (D1454) and sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

Embellishments:  Cotton Candy crochet ribbon from CTMH Designer Pink collection, pink baker's twine, mulberry paper roses from Wild Orchid crafts, Wrinkle ribbon from my Etsy shop.

Other:  Chipboard base is from Melissa Frances, Tiny Tag die from Papertrey Ink, scallop paper punch from Stampin' Up and leaf paper punch from Martha Stewart.

Thanks for hopping on over and don't forget to hop back over to H2H to check out the DT creations and visit all the links!

Messy Messy

WOYWW #94

Another delightful Wednesday to share with you what is on my workdesk and a chance to peek at what is on everyone else's workdesk.  Skip over to Julia's blog to see more!

I  feel like recently I have abandoned my organizing nature as my desk hasn't had a proper cleaning for weeks now.  Things are just piling on top of more things until I have time to sort through it all.  When I do find extra time I am using it to enjoy these beautiful spring days and tend to my plants that are showing hints of green and enjoy having my windows open and all the birds singing.

So anyway, my desk this week has a new Jillibean Soup 6"x6" paper pad which I can't wait to cut into, a little strategic placement of 2 baby cards I made for the H2H challenge and what appears to be a somewhat organized mess, until.......

you see the other side.  It is just heaped with stuff, yikes!



And I just have to share a recent purchase that I am tickled pink about.  A sugar and creamer that matches my Old British Castles dinnerware.  I have been on the prowl for additional pieces for my set, but the price always is an obstacle.  I snagged these for $8.99.  The creamer has a small chip along the lip, but that doesn't bother me at all.  Over all they are in excellent condition.

Thanks for stopping by and have a joyful WOYWW!

From Your Heart to Ours

I am a big fan of the "From Your Heart to Ours" challenges at H2H.  It gives us more than just a project to think about.
This week for the "From Your Heart to Ours" challenge,  we are to feature a Home Decor item along with a little story or information about us and our artwork.

So, just a little info about myself.  Hmm, where to start?  Well, I am a fanatic about ancient history.  Yep, that's right.  When I am not in my scraproom you can almost always find me with my nose in a history book of some kind.  I am particularly fond of ancient Celtic folklore and traditions but I also love the Greek and Roman civilizations and culture.  Not only do I read about these subjects on a regular basis, but I am compelled to take notes as well, so I have notebooks full of information that is useful to me for later reference.  I know that it seems a bit odd, but I just can't help it, I'm a history nut!  I have a niece who rather enjoys my stories about faeries and the summerlands,  which of course I have read about since I was probably her age, so at least I have one family member who shares my passion.  I also enjoy playing the violin and piano and obviously I love paper crafting as well.  ;-)  I try to incorparate my interests into my artwork when it is possible, so that is why you often see faeries somewhere in my artwork.  (Even in todays project there is a wee bit of whimsy, can you find it?)

My project for this week is a wall hanging with a monogram.  I just completed it this afternoon, so it is something I made new, however,  I based it from a previous wall hanging I created this past fall.  Click here to see my original.

I used Silhouette paper which has the black and creamy bamboo colors.

The rosette is made from pleated Vineyard Berry and Black Ribbon with a black corduroy brad as the center.

The monogram "M" is cut from Black and Bamboo cardstock using my Cricut and then I dressed it up with Pink Paislee rub-ons, as I did on my original.  The vintage postcard pattern is from the Once Upon A Springtime collection by Graphic 45.  I mounted it onto black cardstock and then used a "stamp" edge cutter.

The entire center circle is attached using two layers of foam tape to give it some height.  All the edges were distressed using Vanilla Cream pigment ink except for the center circle where I used black ink.

Supplies (All CTMH except where noted):

Paper:  Silhouette pattern paper, Black and Bamboo cardstock, postcard paper is from Graphic 45 - Once Upon A Springtime

Inks:  Black and Vanilla Cream pigment ink

Embellishments:  Vineyard Berry and Black pleated ribbon, Black grosgrain ribbon, ivory crocheted trim (from stash), white lace trim (from stash), Black corduroy brad from the black Mini-Medley, rub-ons are from Pink Paislee.

Tools:  nail file used to sand edges even and smooth, Cricut to cut "M", Bonding Memories glue pen and rubber brayer to get an air-bubble free bond.

Thanks for stopping in!