My 2016 Big Summer Project

My baby sis bought a cool retro couch on Craigslist and she had so much fun using it to create photo shoots.  Here is a great picture of it and a classic family photo.

Unfortunately, she made the poor choice to store it on the family farm over the winter where a rat decided that it made for good eating and a great place to live.  The couch was ruined so she threw it on the burn pile.  Well, it did not get burned because I had seen this picture on Dot & Bo and inspiration struck. 

Dot & Bo Picture

I had a plan to up-cycle the couch into an outdoor bench for her birthday.  My dh helped me sneak it off the farm and it sat behind my house for a couple of weeks.

Lucky me that he helped me tear all the fabric off...but that it where the real work began.  Removing every single staple and tack was at least a 20 hour project and dh had helped some with that as well.  All the holes were filled and sanded.  I did learn the importance of using tack cloth to remove debris and getting a smooth surface in this project and and I am now a true believer (p.s. no one has paid me any money to say that!). We added a middle board that runs the entire length to add some stability for seating.  Plywood was cut and added for each side; then the entire frame was painted white.  

We used pallet boards that I sanded down, filled holes, sanded, and then stained individually.  All the boards are not the same width so I carefully planned their placement to match in the seating and the back.  The couch has a bow in the front so cutting those boards took extra work.  We numbered the boards to make sure they were in the correct order.  Dh was sweet and counter sank the holes prior to actually screwing the boards in place.  We added a couple coats of spray sealer to finish

Back View

Bowed Front

Final product at it's final home

I would like to tell you that this was an easy project but it took alot of grit and determination on my part.  It really helped that my dh was a team player and somehow we (without either of us having many woodworking skills) somehow worked through it.

All that is needed now is some pillows or cushions to soften it up.

Faux Stained Glass Class

About a month ago, it was decided that I needed to share with my co-workers what I had learned at a Faux Stained Glass Class that I took thanks to my sister's arm twisting.  We used a Chisel Tip Sharpie, Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks, and Blending Alcohol along with some individualized creativity.  There were six individuals who participated and this is what they created.  I have taken classes where everyone is expected to basically make the same thing and that is not what I wanted.  I love that they are so different and most of us even had fun!

Cubs Pallet Flag

A quick post because I wanted to share this a project that was finished earlier this year.  My DH put the boards together last year and I painted the blue square and red stripes shortly after.  Then I STOPPED (because I could not decide what to do with the blue square...one star, nine stars, decisions decisions) and stored it behind my chair.

Then inspiration struck me while on Pinterest (of course) and I was able to finish this beauty.  The white circle was bought at Michael's (unpainted) and the UBS was bought at Hobby Lobby...I think.  I cut the blue circle and the C out of plywood with a little help from my baby brother.  They aren't perfect but with the help of sandpaper it turned out pretty darn good.

I am so glad I waited to finish this project until it all came together.  My nephew is a proud Cubs fan in a family of loyal Cardinals, so he was the the lucky recipient!

Baby Card

I was asked to make a baby card by a co-worker who was in charge of a baby gift for another co-worker.  I  did not have much notice so I went to my letter sticker stash to get started.  The balloon accent was an afterthought that ended up being the perfect accent.

 

My Faves for 2015

Just a quick post to share the cards that made my top ten list for 2015 in no particular order.   Looking forward to trying some new techniques in 2016.

 

 

The Male Room Guest Designer

How lucky am I that I was invited to be a Guest Designer for The Male Room for their final challenge of the year.  The theme is Christmas or Seasonal Greeting.

On Friday, my work day ended early, which left me some extra time for Christmas shopping.  One of the stores I visited had a rhinestone covered stag head on display which inspired me to make this card.

The stag image is a digi that I purchased from www.misskatecuttables.com for another project.  The sentiment is stamped and heat embossed.  The final touches that I added were twine and snowflakes. The chevron paper is by Echo Park.  I hope you are inspired to join in the fun!

Safehaven Crafts

As promised, here are some pictures of items I made for the Safehaven fundraiser yesterday.  The first two are upcycled glass angels.  I had a friend send me a pic as she wants one for her flower bed; she will be getting one for Christmas.  They are pretty easy to make; it takes the right glue and a little patience.  Using glassware that was once owned by a relative would be a great memento.

This is my friend Kari, who is our fearless leader for these events putting together the reindeer gift bags.  She wants me to design some snowman bags.

Two samples of upcycled books I made to use as home decoration.  The first book was created using the chalk transfer technique and a Sharpie Paint Pen.   I used the technique featured here by Little Bit Funky for the second book.  The image was printed in brown and looked perfect without the ink overlay I was planning to do.

I will be linking my angels and books to Funky Junk Interiors.

Safe Haven Fundraiser

Hello!  I thought I would share a project I have been working on with some friends of mine.  They are passionate in their support of a local no-kill animal shelter and I have been helping them with fundraising.  We spent a Sunday morning making 19 pet sympathy cards after eating brunch.  They especially enjoyed using the Big Shot and playing with the Tim Holtz inks to create the watercolor backgrounds.  The die is from Paper Smooches and sentiment is by Our Daily Bread Designs.  I have other

Tomorrow is a craft show that I made some stuff to sell for Safe Haven that I will share in a future post.  I also designed a Make n Take Gift Bag activity based upon a creation that can be found here.  I am glad that I made a sample as it allowed me to tweak it.

Have a creative weekend!

Nerdy Pencil

A quick share of the card I made with the Nerdy Pencils digi from 2 Cute Ink.  Heidi's digis are generally perfect for fussy cutting, so I decided to take advantage of it for this card.  If you sign up on her Facebook page, you can get a free digi sent to you monthly.

 

Deedee's Digis

Good Morning!  I had the day off yesterday and took advantage of it by finishing my card for the current challenge at Deedee's Digis.  I decided to fussy cut the image out which ended up being challenging.  The sentiment is from her Autumn Blessings set.

 

W2SB & CSSC #7

I needed a little project to take my mind off some negative work things so making a card seemed like just the right medicine.  The theme at Words 2 Scrap By is "Book Lovers" and Leslie's new sketch is out at The Crooked Stamper.  I have always been a lover of books (probably why my home is cluttered with them).  I still remember when I discovered Pearl S. Buck's books in the school library. 

The image by Tori Beveridge was a freebie several years ago.  It is hard to see, but I popped the spine for a little more interest and added some brads.  Thanks for stopping by!

Deedee's Digis

Here is my card for this month's progressive challenge at Deedee's Digis.  I made this card a couple weeks ago, but forgot to post it.  I am happy that they decided to extend the deadline this month. 

 

CSSC #6 meets Cards in Envy

It has been quite awhile since I have played in The Crooked Stamper Sketch Challenge or Cards in Envy challenges and feel like I have been missing out.  I started with this fun image from 2 Cute Ink.  I just had to pair it with the pink Making Memories paper.  Another little hurdle for me was the diagonal element of Leslie's sketch.  I tried some different things and they just did not work for me.  I finally settled on the yellow paper by Studio Calico.  Sentiment is by CTMH. 

 

OWH Sketch #257

I have to admit sometimes I create my own creative roadblocks. When I was started the card, I was thinking the three accents needed to be the same shape, but I got past that idea.  This is sketch #257, and I am a little sad with things winding down at OWH.  Besides the sketch challenge, I am linking this card to the current challenge at Cards in Envy: Red, White & Blue and the OWH July ODBD:  Thank You challenge.  Colored papers are by Doodle Bug, White embossed Letterpress and sentiment by Paper Smooches.  Definitely a fun sketch by Kristie M.

Deedee's Digis

I absolutely love this little pup by Deedee's Digis so it was easy for me to CASE a card I had made earlier with the same image.  Kathy D had suggested that I add the graduation cap to my card.  My nephew will graduate from Iowa State in December so I decided to use school colors for the background.  He wants to get a puppy as soon as he has a "real" job and his own place which is the start of my inspiration.  I have had lots of fun as a guest this month.  Thanks to all, especially Zella, Guest Designer Coordinator.

Deedee's Digis Diver Daniel & OWH Sketch #253

This card was super fun to make.  A Darice embossing folder to create the background; I embossed the paper twice to add a little depth. Both images were used pre-colored but I did recolor the sentiment to a matching blue.  I used OWH Sketch #253 to create the card.  I will definitely miss getting new sketches to use each month when they close August 1st.  Some sequins were added to replace the bubbles I lost when I fussy cut the image.

Deedee's Digis: Blooming Blessings

This card is being featured over at Deedee's Digis.  It is a CASE of one that I had made earlier, but this time I colored it using some Copics.  The Ball jar image can be found here.  I just love how one can mock emboss using a white Signo pen...it really softens up the image.  The papers out of my giant scrap pile.

OWH Sketch #256 & 2 Cute Ink

Hello! This week's sketch by OWH seemed a perfect fit for this sweet image by 2 Cute Ink.  Heidi has a monthly freebie that is available by signing up.  Papers used were dug out of the scrap pile.  The tickets were another digi that I had saved a couple of years back.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

DeeDee's Digis

Hello there...  Just a quick post to share a few details about today's card.  I printed the wreath out twice on kraft and fussy cut one out.  I used the second one to cut out the rounded leaves to pop them up a wee bit.  Edges were all inked and Glossy Accents was added to the berries.  Another easy card once the cutting is complete and I just love the font on the sentiment!

Word's 2 Scrap By: It's a Mans World

Here is my card that is featured on the current challenge at Words 2 Scrap By: It's a Man's World.  It is a CASE of a card I had made previously.  The mechanic is a Birdie Brown digi that is no longer available.  The retro background is an older image that I found through Free Digital Stamps.  I love how the colored image really pops when next to it.