Seaside Treasures

Of all my posts this year, I was looking forward to this one most of all.....  until, that is,  I realized I couldn't find the projects I wanted to share.  So, being the creative person that I am - I decided to punt...  no doubt I'll find my shell encrusted frame and heart shaped Sailors' Valentine when I'm not looking for them - probably in December while I'm looking for the Christmas presents I've hidden.  Age is a great teacher and probably one of the most important things I've learned is - to make notes, otherwise those secret hiding places will remain just that - a secret!

Vacations and crafts go hand in hand at our house.  Partly because, for me, it isn't a vacation unless I'm walking along a beach somewhere looking for shells.  I've collected shells ever since I can remember.  We always went to the beach two or three times a year when I was growing up and I always came back with buckets full of shells.  I still have them.  They've been lovingly and carefully wrapped and stored in old biscuit (cookie) tins and shoe boxes and have always moved with me.

I remember building sand castles, sand cottages and motor boats on the beach with my parents, then decorating them with shells.  The shells I brought home were used to decorate boxes or turned into flowers, animals and anything and everything I could imagine.  I've written a lot of craft books in my time and one of my favourties is still "Seaside Treasures".  It was first published in 1995 and still available a couple of years ago.  It was updated in 2010 (I think), but the projects are still the same.  I have to admit though, that some of them definitely need updating.....

Crafting with shells is one of those timeless crafts many of us enjoy and since the "beach" theme always seems to be trendy in some form or another, shell crafts never go out of style.  Take a look at the photos I took in one of the showrooms at Dallas Gift Market just last week.

And, talking of photos, shells have been the focus (no pun intended) of a lot of mine.  In 2005 I created a line of transparencies,  "Quips, Quotes and Anecdotes" featuring photos, sayings and one liners to use on cards, scrapbook pages, etc.  Because they're on transparencies, they could also be used on glass for cool 3-D photo effects....... but, that's another post.  Here's an example. 

I found these shells in 1985 while on holiday in the Cayman Islands.  My son (7 yrs old at the time) dived down to get them for me from the ocean floor just off the beach - yes, I still have them......  and here's a banner I compiled from a bunch of different shells I photographed, then printed out to make a border for a beach, scrapbook page............

Hopefully I'll find the Sailor's Valentine I made and I'll post about it later this year.  I just love them, and the history is absolutely fascinating. 

Wish I could say I was off to the beach this summer, but.....  maybe next year....  Enjoy!  Y'all come back now........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Christmas Traditions

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  It's my favorite day of the year.  There's nothing better than getting together with friends and family to share good food and cheer. 

We do the same things every year, so I suppose these would be our family Christmas traditions.  We always have turkey, brussels sprouts, dressing, mashed potatoes etc and Christmas crackers just like we did in England.  Another of our traditions involves a manger scene.  It's only a small one - Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in his manger.   The manger remains empty however, until Christmas day which is when we put the baby in the manger.  I never realized what an impression this made on my 2 year old granddaughter until last Spring when she suddenly asked "where's Jesus?"  "He's in heaven watching over us", was my reply.  "No he's not!" she said, "he was right there!" and she pointed at the small side table where we always put our manger scene.  Of course, I had to rescue baby Jesus from the cupboard and now he is with us all the time.  I love the way children think........  The story reminds of the words of song by Larnelle Harris.  As the dad is packing up and putting away all the Christmas decorations, his son asks "do we put away Jesus too?"  With all the hustle and bustle, it's easy to forget the reason for the season.


Enjoy the rest of your holiday - y'all come back in the New Year!


Yours truly,
Julie :)

Halloween Votives

Votive candles are a quick and easy way to add a warm glow to any room in the house, 365 days of the year.  Check out these Halloween votives - made in literally minutes.

All you need are a few inexpensive glass votives, decorative napkins, a sponge brush and Mod Podge.

Napkins come in 2 or 3 layers.  Cut away the part of the napkin design you want to use then separate the layers.  You will only use the layer with the pattern on it.  (2 ply napkins from the grocery store are less delicate, than the more expensive ones.)

Using the sponge brush, cover the outside of the glass votive with an even layer of Mod Podge then lay the print on top.  Pat gently in place then cover with a coat of Mod Podge.  Let dry then add tea lights or LED flickering candles.

With so many napkin designs to choose from throughout the year, you'll have no shortage of decorative votive candles for any occasion.  Enjoy!  Y'all come back now........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Creative Opportunities

        Have you decided to do something then wondered why you were doing it and ultimately wished you hadn't?   Well it's been that kind of weekend, actually an extended weekend since I probably won't finish until tomorrow and I started last Thursday.  I blame the heat........  I haven't been out much because it's so hot and hanging around my craft room for so long really got to me.  It's always a mess, but usually an organized one......

        It all started when I decided to organize some financial papers.  That part didn't take long, but after cleaning up this one area, it occurred to me that the space I had suddenly created would be the perfect spot for stacks of 12" x 12" paper.  It also meant I'd have to move some old VHS tapes, which I packed up in a box.  Well, you've guessed it, one thing led to another and now I have an even bigger mess on my hands that is no longer organized.  It will be at some point.  For better or for worse I believe that there's a place for everything and everything needs to be in its place.  I hate nothing more than having to search high and low for something when I need it.  If it isn't where it should be, it loses out.  I can't believe how much stuff there is, so I'm also setting supplies aside to photograph and sell at "Craft Lane Designs".  I use the term "sell" loosely.  I give away as much as possible here locally, but I fit as much as I can in USPS "if it fits it ships" boxes and the sale price is basically reimbursement for shipping.  I also put kits together to use for giveaways here on my blog, so I must admit that I add a few dollars here and there which offsets some of the shipping costs for the giveaways.  Hope no one minds, but if you've ever received a package from me, it always includes extra stuff.   I also uncovered a box of brand new punches in the garage and a treasure trove of rubber stamps, so if you're looking for supplies check out my little store - it'll take me a few days to get everything photographed and posted though.

        Tomorrow I'm going shopping.  Have you seen all the great sales now that children are getting ready to go back to school!  There are great deals on Flash Drives (love those for extra storage), storage containers (got a box of 18 shoe box size clear ones for $19 at COSTCO) and there are some great deals on larger containers at Target and Walmart.   Composition books are .50 cents at Office Depot - the covers are great for decorating and you could use them for an Art Journal, depending on what kind of medium you like to work with.  How about I work on a couple and YOU work on a couple.....  I'll show you mine, if you show me yours......  y'all come back now!

Yours truly,
Julie :) 

Ribbon Roses

Every once in a while I come across a product that I just love!  As you know, or maybe not, I design Elmer's projects for the TV shows.  Project design is always about showcasing the manufacturer's product and for Elmer's it's all about adhesives.  They have a lot of new paper crafting adhesives to choose from, but my favorite technique was the one I developed to feature the new 3-D Pop Up Glue Spots.  I used the glue spots to make ribbon roses.

Here's how you do it:

1. Tie a knot at the end of a 12" (about) piece of 3/8" ribbon.  Push the knot into the center of a glue dot.

 2.  Fold the ribbon down as shown then push the edge into the glue dot close to the knot.

3. Continue folding and pushing the edge into the glue dot all the way around the knot to create the center.

4.  Continue folding and pushing the edge of the ribbon into the outer edge of the dot.

 5.  When you have gone all around the outer edge, cut the ribbon.

6.  Tuck the end of the ribbon under the edge of the glue dot.  Voilà, you now have a ribbon rose. Store your ribbon roses on the backing sheet until you are ready to embellish your project!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  Don't forget you can use this same technique to make bigger roses.  Just push additional glue dots around a center dot - you can do this on kitchen wax paper and make them as big as you want.  Y'all come back now............

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Scrapbook Soup - More Sneak Peaks!

Sponsored by Michaels Stores, Sakura, Elmer's, Spellbinders,Westcott, X-Acto and other industry manufacturers, the new series, Scrapbook Soup will start to air on PBS stations across the US on July 21st.  Please check with your local stations for days and times.  Each station chooses when to air the show.  We do not control which stations pick it up, but there is a station finder on the show website @ www.scrapbookmemoriestv.com.  Enter your zipcode and it will tell you if its airing.  If not, it allows you to email your station to request it!  (Scrapbook Soup will be aired by stations which aired Scrapbook Memories.  BYU may choose to air the new show later in the year. 

Here's a sneak peek at one of the Michaels' segments with Jo Pearson, Host of Where Creativity Happens!  Enjoy!

Y'all come back now!

Yours truly,
Julie :)
 

Bavarian Folk Art

A few weeks ago a lady from Kentucky called to ask if I would paint a Bavarian Wedding Box for her to give as a wedding gift.  She had seen one that I had painted in the October issue of Paintworks magazine - October 1998!!!  Apparently she is an elderly lady and doesn't have access to the internet, so she went to the local library and asked them to help her find my phone number.

Some of you may know that I'm a decorative painter and I've authored a number of painting books over the past 20+ years.  In fact, I just finished two painting booklets for DecoArt, which will be in Michaels stores in the not too distant future, but more about that later.  Since all my brushes and paints were unpacked, I agreed to paint the box and she arranged to have a blank bentwood box shipped to me.  Ta daa, here it is:

I know that Folk Art isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I truly enjoy "strokework" and the history behind this European style of painting.  From the Roses & Castles style found on the narrow boats floating through the English countryside, to the Bavarian style found on furniture and buildings in the alps of southern Germany, each country has its own style and use of color.  What really stood out on this old design, were the scrolls or flourishes that are so popular today - another example of what was "old" is "new" again.

I'm loving the new "mixed media" trend, another great example of re-discovering and updating old techniques.  As I searched through a mountain of magazines and tear sheets to find this particular project, I re-discovered a whole bunch of my old ideas, techniques and projects that I can re-cycle and update, so keep checking back, I may even inspire you to pick up a paintbrush too!

Don't forget, there's going to be a fabulous giveaway for July, sponsored by iLovetoCreate.  Here's a sneak peek

More details on how YOU can enter to win on July 1st, so y'all come back now.........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Chipboard Baby Album

My nephew and his wife are expecting a baby next month, so, of course we've been talking about different ways to display and scrapbook baby pictures.  One of the projects we talked about was a chipboard album I designed for Elmer's for show 1407 of Scrapbook Memories.  Here's a recap of the segment. Enjoy!

Don't forget to check back here on July 1st for our monthly giveaway.  It's a FIRECRACKER of a giveaway brought to you by ilovetocreate and you won't want to miss it!!

Yours truly,

Julie :)

Découpage on Wood

Découpage has been around for a long time, but it's still a great way to accent lots of different surfaces and use up all those leftover scraps of scrapbook paper and wrapping paper!  I created this découpaged project for show 1512 on Scrapbook Memories.  You can find full instructions on our website.

Don't forget to sign up for the Giveaway! (See below.) The winner will be announced on June 20th. Y'all come back now.

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Scrapbook Soup Sneak Peek!

This is the first segment of the first show of the new TV series, Scrapbook Soup!  Enjoy!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Bird Watching!

It took longer than I ever thought, but all the eggs have now hatched. These aren't the best photos, but I don't want to get too near in case the mommie is scared away and abandons them. I still don't know what kind of birds they are. She's kinda small and brown with no particular markings that I can see. Maybe daddy will come visit at some point........ the males are the good looking ones, right..... I wonder why "birds" was a nickname used by guys for girls......... hmmm.

These little guys are all beak and big eyes. I'm sure they'll look much cuter when they're older. I think birds are the only species whose babies aren't cute...... well maybe not.....

Have a great day!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Hatched!

Mommie bird hardly left the nest this past week, but I was able to peek in yesterday and 3 of the eggs have hatched. Not much to see except the one egg and pink blobs..... I wasn't even sure they were alive, but I guess they are. I'll probably wait awhile before trying to take photos; they don't look very photogenic at the moment and I don't want to scare the mommie away. The saga continues.

Hope ya'll had a fun and fabulous Fourth!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Hail to the Flag it's the Fourth of July!

I’ve found that most folks are unaware that we have a 4th of July in England – we just don’t celebrate…… My hubby and I live outside city limits so we celebrate with fireworks at home and have a great time. We have a tall flagpole in our front yard, so this year my husband is planning to fly the Stars & Stripes at the top and the Union Jack (the British flag) at half mast. I’m not really sure how I feel about that, but I'm a good sport and have offered to have a tea party on the front lawn complete with scones and jam butties. It should certainly amuse the neighbours………. the flag part, not sure about the tea party – way too hot. Can you imagine sending out an invitation to a tea party on July 4th.... I should sign it "Paul Revere". In case you’re wondering, I still drink hot tea in hot weather, it’s amazingly refreshing apart from the fact that I wouldn’t know how to start my day without a morning cuppa.

I have a real hankering to go to the beach again this summer and dip my toes in the ocean. Not likely though at this point. Maybe after I get back from CHA. I love the beach. It brings back many fond childhood memories of sand castles, sea shells and sailing.

There were always donkeys on the beach where we used to go and Punch & Judy puppet shows. The donkeys are still there, but I’m not sure about Punch & Judy; maybe they were censored for being too violent……

In the meantime I'll have to be content with the grandkids' slip'n slide and sand box. There are lots of sandy beach areas at the lakes around here, but lake water just doesn't do it for me. Not sure about the gulf water either at this point. So sad that it takes a tragedy to make us realize how much we depend on our environment and the things we take for granted.

Have a fun and fantastic Fourth!!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Do Not Disturb!

When my mother-in-law moved from her home to an independent living facility, I inherited her cherished Christmas cactus which she has had for a really, really long time. Needless to say, I'm a bit paranoid that it might die while in my care - which would definitely not be a good thing - so I check on it every day. I keep it outside on the patio in a corner by the bathroom door, to shield it from the winds and bring it inside in when it gets below freezing.

About 2 weeks ago I noticed there was a lot of dead grass and stuff on top of the soil, under the leaves/fronds or whatever they are. I carefully cleaned it out thinking the wind had whipped up dead grass and it had stuck in the the plant. About a week later there was another big bunch of dead grass and I cleaned it out again.......hmmm. A couple of days later a little of the grass was back, but this time I noticed it surrounded a dark hole and there - in the middle - was an egg! Lightbulb time.

After that, I check on the plant each morning and lo' and behold, a couple of days later there were 2 eggs, then 3, and this morning when I looked, there were 4!!!!

So yes, I plan on doing a "nest check" each morning. We've had nests around the house before, but this one will be so easy to photograph. I hope they all hatch. I've named them already, of course - John, Paul, George and Ringo - birds love beatles, right....... Hopefully she won't lay another egg tonight!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Great American Scrapbook Convention

I missed this convention last year and, since it was 100˚ this weekend, I almost didn't go this year. Sure glad I did! It was exciting to see lots of people on the show floor. Scrapbooking, stamping and crafting in general are alive and well! A great variety of classes, crops and lots of vendor booths with demos and Make It Take Its (MITI) continue to make this show one of the best. And, of course, who wouldn't want to come to Arlington, Texas in 100˚ weather, especially when the convention center is next to the Ballpark in Arlington, Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. This would definitely qualify for a family weekend getaway with lots to do for dad and the kids while mom shops and crops!

One of the most popular classes was the Michaels class taught by celebrity spokesperson, Jo Pearson, host of "Where Creativity Happens". As I mentioned earlier this year in my report about CHA trends, canvas is definitely "hot" (and not just because it was 100+˚ outside.....). Jo provided each person with a 12" x 12" canvas surface to work on and everyone walked out with a very "cool" altered canvas piece, using paper, glue and a plethora of embellishments.

Altered canvas is a great example of mixed media crafts. You can put anything on it - paint, paper, glue, jewels, charms - everything but the kitchen sink, and I'm sure someone will try that at some point.

Tim Holtz and Darcie were demonstrating on the show floor at the Art Gone Wild booth. Not only can Darcie's artwork be found on rubber stamps, she also has a line of CDs so you download the artwork then print it onto Shrink Art sheets to create the most adorable embellishments.

Tim was demonstrating a wide variety of rubber stamping techniques. What can I say except that I never cease to be amazed at his creativity.

"Everything's coming up roses" and every other flower imaginable. Made from paper, fabric, crochet techniques and whatever else, some booths were a veritable flower garden. This selection was created with Spellbinders dies and coordinating stamps from Heartfelt Creations . The simpler flowers were created by layering graduated sizes of circles. These were paper, but would also look great in a variety of fabrics - organza for example - yummy......

Creek Bank Creations had lots to offer its customers and I just loved this project at....... OMG, I am SO sorry, I do not remember who had this project, but the shadow box is from 7 Gypsies.

Quick Quotes is another company that always inspires creativity. They have a great variety of surfaces to craft with including lots of canvas and great embellishments. See below.

I saw luscious velvet paper at SEI and glitter was everywhere. Stamping Station had adhesive rub ons in letters, words and lots of shapes. You simply transfer these onto your surface, remove the top/carrier sheet then sprinkle with glitter. Rub the glitter into the adhesive, tap off the excess and you now have a perfectly glittered shape.

Sandy Rayburn's booth, Crafty Secrets, was full of eye candy. It's not just the vintage product that she carries that makes it so special, but the projects that she and her designer come up with. I just love this artsy, vintage, shabby chic look - and it's so easy - as long as you have the right product to work with.

And how about a ribbon smoothie to end the day...... creative packaging at its best!

Visiting scrapbook/craft shows and conventions is a great source of inspiration. It's also a great way to meet new friends, learn something new and get information on local stores. There's usually an admission fee, but it's well worth it! Enjoy!

Yours truly,
Julie :)