vintage paper/collage art

A box full of Mermaids

fairies, how to's, magazine pictures or articles, parties, Travel, vintage paper/collage art, We're having a party

Lisa's-Challenge-Banner
Do you love  Lisa as much as I do? I'm kicking myself for not going to Paper Cowgirls. It would have been great to have a chance to hang out with her in person. If she is half as much fun as she is on her blog, she'd be a blast.

So, of course, I was happy to participate in her soap box challenge.  The box is kind of like egg carton texture, and to me looked like a perfect little shadow box frame.

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Since I'll soon be heading out to Kim's event in California, I thought I'd get myself into a mermaid mood and turn my mini shadow box into an under sea treasure chest.

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I've heard wonderful things about Kim and her art affairs. I'm so glad to finally be going to one.  My husband will be flying out with me and going on a brothers golfing trip for the weekend while I am with the arty crowd. Then, he and I are meeting up for a spa get away.  The company he works for owns some  luxury resorts, and we were able to score some rooms for fantastic employee rates.   

I'm going to feel like a princess.  Or at my age I should say Dowager Queen?  And an itchy, poison ivy crusted one at that. If I don't get this crud cured, I won't be doing much spa time.

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  Since I am soon to be treated like royalty at  a couple top of the line resorts in California and spend an entire weekend filled with creative fun with friends, I'm already feeling a bit royal with the anticipation of it all.  That influenced me to add a "crown" to my shadow box.

The sparkly topper is made of a corner bracket from an old photo album with a rhinestone necklace glued over it, and a rhinestone clasp underneath.

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My sea creatures are made with two sizes of frozen Charlottes, with the smaller one in back and glued directly to background, and a larger one in front, raised up by gluing her to a button and shell.  I thought this might give it some depth.

The Charlottes have mermaid tails made up of paper clay, that has been painted and glittered. I added crowns of German foil and crystals to their heads. 

Each is glued down pretty solid, but their sea horse friend is suspended from a wire, so that she sways a  bit.  The seahorse charm was gold toned, and I drew on it with a black sharpie, and wiped that off a little, then wiped some white paint over that. I also swiped a swatch of white paint over her wire so it didn't stand out so much. If I were to do this over again, I'd use fishing line instead of wire, because the wire is still prominent even with the paint.

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The box sits in a plate stand that I wrapped in vintage ribbon. For a touch of extra gaudiness, I tied an aqua ribbon to the front of the stand and dangled a star fish charm from it. Because by the time I'd got to that stage of creation, the gaudiness was already pretty thick and I thought I should just go for it and gaudy it up even more.  Once you've crossed the line of over doing something, there's no turning back and you might as well just revel in it.

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See what I mean? There is a LOT of foof happening here. The inside of the box perfectly fit an old button card with the words "Mermaid Pearls" on it, along with two buttons.

Along the inside walls, I glued ruffles sewn from pattern paper, then I edged it with a strand of pearls.

Then, the cut out on the lid  was lined ink, glitter and a lace ruffle.

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The large parts of the box were covered in aqua wallpaper that has a nice sheen to it. The sides of the box have a raised edge where the lid meets the bottom, and it looked just too hard to cover in paper. So, I ran a bead of glue around it, and wrapped a ribbon around it, gathering as I stuck it into the glue.

Yep, this project was just what I needed to start feeling like a Mermaid Princess and get me in the mood for my trip. Its been a rough week, and I look forward to a get away.

Thank you to everyone who shared scary pregnancy stories with happy outcomes, that encouragement helped. And thanks for all of your well wishes and prayers.  I'm doing my best to stay distracted until we get news from the Dr. about the newest member of our family.

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And a big thanks to Lisa for hosting this party! It was a fun challenge and a well needed distraction for me.

I'm sending Lisa a had that I thought was suitable for her palette of colors.  She always seems to appreciate my hat whispering skills, so I thought I'd share.

Puppy Not Included

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Today I was also able to finish up my articles for Somerset Life. One is about this altered book.

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The other was about my Peat Pot Pretties with frozen Charlotte fairies.  And remember, that this one is the giveaway for June. All comments all month are entered. 

I'm also giving away another present from my followers.   So, please join in on my list if you'd like to be in the running for that gift, a pair of vintage rhinestone earrings.

A Polka Dotted Princess

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), jewelry, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art, wallpaper, yorkies

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Before Sugarwings came over to play with me today, I got a few things listed in the Boutique.  The jewels that I found recently are really nice, and in great shape. Someone took such good care of them, that you wouldn't even know they were at least 50 years old. 

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See what I mean? Nice sparkle to the rhinestones.

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This picture is made from one of my teensiest frozen Charlotte fairies, in a vintage frame.  I love it when a project can be made from ALL vintage materials.  Usually, something, somewhere in it needs to be newer. Like a tag, or a bit of card stock. This little lady is all OLD.  And as an older lady myself, I appreciate that about her.

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Sugarwings and I have the afternoon to play. Her Hippy Chick Mommy came by to do some laundry and is going to watch DVR-ed episodes of True Blood while she washes her clothes, so that means I get to snag the fairy baby to work in the studio with me.

 
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I'm not sure yet what we'll make. She did ask if we could make a polka dotted dress for her puppy to match her own dress. I'm not much of a sewer, but I think we can paint polka dots onto a hanky and tie it around the pup's neck.  Sugarwings isn't very picky, that should make her happy.  Especially if we use glitter paint.

The last time we worked with glitter, she had it crusted all over her and kept saying, "I have Project on me!!"  

Not that she is fussy. That wild child is usually encrusted with something.  

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This tag book is listed in the shop too.  Its two large tag covers and 5 small tags inside, all wallpapered up and ready to be embellished. I'm including scraps of the papers to finish it with.

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Don't forget that I have a Peat Pot Pretty with a frozen Charlotte fairy as June's giveaway prize!  Can you believe that June is almost over??? Geez, where did it go.  I have two articles to write by July 1st, and am not usually a person who waits till the last minute to do things (well besides taxes, uchk) but the time just got away from me.

My husband is going to be gone all week, so I should be able to get them both done.  When he is around, I tend to stop work early to fix dinner or just hang out. And we come up with excuses to see Sugarwings and play with her.  I can be more disciplined when I am on my own. Well, kinda- I am playing hooky this afternoon to make a polka dotted dog dress.

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And as a prize for the drawing for new followers, I have some of that nice old rhinestone jewelry.  I'll draw from ALL of the followers, not just the new ones. I appreciate you signing up, thanks!! When the number hits 250, I'll give away the earrings. 

Being inspired by other’s studios

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), parties, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies

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Thanks for all the nice comments about my studio!

Wow, what a TON of people participating in that party. I've not seen all the blogs in it yet (that's going to take a while) but I sure had a good time peeking into a chunk of them. As much as I adore my own studio, I was experiencing some studio envy
while looking around.  There are some fascinating ideas and places out there.  The more I looked at, the more I want to see. 

I'll be hopping through more as I have time this week. Thanks for hosting, Karen!

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And as much as I do love my own studio, sometimes its good to get out and go to another place to work.  Beth invited me over on Friday for estate sale shopping and hanging out in her craft room. I'd brought stuff to work on, but she offered me a box of goodies to rifle through and I couldn't resist.

Its so much more exciting to play with new (old) stuff!  I think that is why I keep shopping for more to add to my own stash instead of just working with what I have.  Because I sure do have plenty, you might have noticed from my previous post! 

New supplies are inspiring.  So, I bought more goods while at estate sales that day too…

And I also found this wrought iron bench. For now, its setting outside the back door to my studio.  I'm not sure if that is where it will remain.

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None of the sales that day were over the top wonderful, but we found  a little something here and there all morning.  At one house, I got a broken vintage crystal necklace.

I divided it up, and listed some beads in my boutique ($2.50 an ounce), and will keep some for myself too.  There is more to list from that day's haul, and I hope to have more time to add it tomorrow.

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One of Beth's boxes is labeled "images" and is full of some great stuff.  I made this tag with a picture from that and really wanted to make a matching set with another girl that was in the stash, but ran out of time so Beth sent it home with me to finish.

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What started out as an idea for a tag became an ephemera book instead.  Its in an old cabinet card folder and is filled with an assortment of old papers, ready to be used as an art journal.

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It should be in the shop soon.  But if you are interested now, please let me know.  It will be $24.

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Playing in Beth's studio got me all fired up to make some stuff in my own when I got home.  It was Father's Day weekend and we had a lot going on, but I managed to squeeze in a little bit of creative time here and there between boating and baking with Sugarwings and  petting and playing with Agnes Rosebud.

For Father's Day I took Sugarwing's Daddy and my husband to see Toy Story with our little fairy grand baby.  I'm a sucker for Pixar, our whole family is. But man, this movie was extra good.  I thought the plotting for breaking out of the day care was right up there with something out of Ocean's 11.  

And Big Baby could be more terrifying than Chucky.

And the end tugged at my heart so much, with Andy going away to college, that I sobbed.  I don't think any mother of a grown up son could have prevented herself from crying at that ending.

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Speaking of boys growing up and leaving the nest… I got to visit Button at Beth's.  Here he is up on the craft table, bounding across the supplies to come and see me.

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Seemed like he was glad to see his baby sis too.  This was the first of many play dates for the two little fuzz balls.

Who is the Dork?

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, family, Sugarwings, Travel, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies
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We are heading out of town again, this time to see my sisses in Indiana where I grew up. I've decided to take the pups with me, Sissy is being brave about a house full of little Stench Monkeys, as we call them sometimes.  I should be packing, especially gathering up the dog paraphernalia and stuff to entertain Sugarwings on a 9 hour drive.
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Instead, I'm playing in the studio.  This photo of Sugarwings at the water park was just calling out to me, I had to turn it into a fairy collage for my photo album.

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Especially after Beth pointed out that this water spray looks like a dorky!  I printed the picture and drew over it, following the dog shape in the water, then cut out the puppy.Okay, so now you know what you suspected, I am totally dog crazed. Maybe I am the dork, not the dogs.  But Beth saw it first, so its not just me. 
  
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Between playing with the dogs and imagining dog shapes in water fountains, I listed some new things in the Boutique
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But since I'll be away, I can't mail any purchases till Monday. Thanks for your patience!
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All the pups are spoken for now.  I decided not to sell ANY of them after all!! Each is going to family or friends.  I'm delivering one to Indiana to my niece, and another will go to my MIL in Utah.  This will most likely be our last litter ever, so I wanted to keep them as "family".  I just got too attached. 


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Between listing and gluing this morning, I also made some puppy pillows.  I had a pair of rose patterned flannel PJ bottoms that had ripped, and I couldn't bear to toss them.  So, I cut the legs into squares and stitched up little pillows, then tossed them in with all the pups. I'm hoping that when the pups go to their new homes, taking a pillow that smells like their siblings will help with the transition.When Teresa picked up her Lily a couple weeks ago, I sent a rosy pillow home with them too. I'm NOT a good sewer, and the pillows are simple as can be.  But I think they are a cute idea for the babies.
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Twinkle and the other big dogs will stay behind on this trip, with Ryan to watch them.  Its great to have a grown son around to dog sit! Plus my dogs have a fenced in yard with a doggy door to let themselves out whenever they want.  Ryan only has to fill their bowls once a day and say hi to them. 
He lives in an apartment above my studio, so when I am away, the house is not empty.  
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Well, as much as I dread packing, it can't be put off much longer.  I'd better start wedging stuff into my poor little car.  I have 3 adults, a preschooler, 3 puppies, luggage, puppy gear, toys, and a cooler to fit into a Scion.  My car is roomy for a small car, but this could be pushing the limits!

Taking better pet photos

Books, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), how to's, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies

Here is another little video of Sugarwings and a puppy.  When I ask her which puppy she has, you can't hear the answer very well, but she says "This one".  Well, dur, Grams.

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There is an ad in the paper to sell two of the remaining 3 pups. (the last one will go to Beth, she says any of them are fine with her)  Here is Dorothy, who will be bigger than the others, and is chocked full of personality. Her tail is in constant motion, she can't contain her happiness.

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This little guy, has an explorer's view of the world, he is the one who is always off deep in the bushes looking for something exciting.

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And this fella has a darker face, his coloring is a bit different than the rest of the group. He is a snuggler.

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Of course, this little beauty isn't for sale, I'm keeping Miss Aggie Rose. She is modeling one of the items I just listed in the Boutique, a vintage rhinestone bracelet.  I have a feeling that Agnes will be every bit the camera hog that her mom is.


Thanks for all the compliments on the puppy pics. I do love my camera, a Cannon Rebel XSi, even though I've never learned how to use all the bells, whistles, tricks and doodads on it.  I'm afraid I'll always be a point and shoot kind of photographer.

I use my pocket sized Cannon for some of the pictures too, and I think it does very well also.

For me, the trick to good animal (or child) photos, is to get down on their level. With the 1 pound baby dogs who have 3" long legs, that can be a hard to do. Sometimes, I am laying on my belly in the gravel trying to get the right angle.  Then, the other pups tackle me and try to play tug of war with the camera strap.

Also, have a good background.  Don't just snap a picture of Fido (does anyone really name their dog Fido anymore?) in front of Dad's Lazyboy, or the kitchen trash can, or a garish dog blanket.  The photo might be of your PET, but the background is a big part of it!

 I don't always clean up the yard before pictures, so you'll see a garden hose, or some of Sugarwing's toys sometimes. But, I do try to angle the camera away from clutter, or kick some of it out of the way.

Pose your pet. It takes practice for the animal, and LOTS of snaps of the camera to get one good picture.  I set them where I want them to be, pet and love on them a bit so they are comfortable, then take about 20 or so pictures to get one good one.  And remember to still bend down to their level with the camera! A straight on shot is so much better than one looking down at the animal.

EDITING! I use Picassa and Picknik and adore them both.  Both are simple and easy and make a huge difference in your pictures.  Crop, crop, crop, cut out all the extras and bring the focus to the pet.

I crop and tune on Picassa, then upload to Picknik.  On that site, I do the auto-fix, and sharpen. Then hit the creative area and play with all the buttons.  It sounds complicated and time consuming, but I promise it is not. I never spend more than a couple minutes per picture. 

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I'll leave you with some photos of what's new in the Boutique

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A vintage paper covered mini birdhouse/fairy house.


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A mini collage sampler book.

Rhinestone bracelt
 

It was Beth's idea to call it a "sampler" because it didn't really have a theme, beyond coordinating colors.

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It was also Beth's idea to make these. She brought cabinet cards to share with everyone at my Creative Cottage Girls Weekend, and showed us how to turn an old photo holder into a book.

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I kept the photo theme going with mine by using old pictures on the inside and outside of the covers. The rest is watercolor paper, blank and ready for its new owner to use it as a scrapbook, photo album, or art journal.

Lisa's-Challenge-Banner

Oh! Before I forget, here is something fun! Lisa is having a challenge. I'll be playing along and hope you will too.

More Puppy Pics and a lost and forgotten giveaway

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, give away, jewelry, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies
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We had such a nice holiday weekend. Of course, any weekend when we get some Sugarwings time is a good weekend.

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Add in some pups, and there couldn't be a better way to spend some time.

 

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Then, today was craft day and we took a few puppy breaks outside to enjoy the day.  This little tiny girl is the one we have decided to keep.  She was going by Glinda, which we like, but since we won't have a whole passle of pups any more, we won't really need to stick with the Oz theme, so we might change it.

I've kind of liked the name Agnes.  That was my Grandma's name, and my cousin suggested it for the Name the Puppies contest. I had told her that I loved the name but would save it for a baby we keep some day, not one that was for sale. At that time, we didn't realize we were keeping one.

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Since Twinkle got so ill, I simply had to keep one. We might never have pups again!  I'd kick myself for not snagging one for myself if there were not any more coming in the future.  I also decided that Beth needed one.  Her birthday is coming up but I just couldn't wait til then to surprise her, I had to tell her today.

We are going to have a blast taking the two pups with us everywhere.  Can't you picture us pushing our flea market carts with the dogs in them when we go to Sparks and White Cloud to shop?  Its going to be so much fun to have the puppies play together under our work tables while we cut and glue.

Beth is not ready to take one home yet, her husband has a trip planned and they want to wait till he gets home to be a part of settling in the new baby. 

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Its so fun to have a houseful of them, I'm glad I get to have Beth's pup around for a while too.  The other two are for sale now and it will be too quiet around here when they leave. 

They are so funny right now, running and  fighting and wrassling. Quite a few of my photos were just blurs, since these guys move so fast.   

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Not everyone around here is as impressed with the babies as I am, though.  Our old tom cat has eaten rabbits bigger than these guys.  He can completely ignore how cute they are when they try to get his attention.

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Not me. I'm smitten.  You might have noticed by my blog becoming a Dog Blog.  Sorry guys, bad news if you are sick of puppy pics, they are still coming. And by adopting Agnes Rose (or Agnes Fae?) into our lives, that means we'll have a never ending supply of fuzz ball photos.

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See what I mean?

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It might seem like it, but I don't spend ALL my time giggling in the garden with Dorky Babies and Fairies.  I've gotten quite a bit of new things made lately. This is the May Giveaway Prize.  Kind of late to announce, it, huh? If I was trying to drive my readership by offering giveaways, this is not the way to do it. Announcing it after the giveaway was over would be pointless. 

But I do them because I enjoy them and I have tons of crap, I mean- cool stuff- in my studio to share.

So this little mini book goes to:

Joanne

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There is new stuff in the Boutique too. I took a few hours to list  a ton of it the other day.

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A few of the vintage paper pieces that I made, but not all. I'll add more of them later.

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Quite a few pair of earrings that I made from vintage pieces.

 

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And some junk jewel bags for you to make something with.

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Some junkier than others.

By the way, there is a JUNE GIVEAWAY  starting now. All comments, all month count.  I'll come up with a prize and let you know. Hopefully not after the fact again, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Peonies and puppies

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, flowers, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies

Here are a couple of little videos of the pups on You Tube.  Each is a minute or so, really short.


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Springtime is my favorite time of year.  I love seeing the ground wake up and turn green, and plants take off blooming.  While I don't have the greenest thumb around (sometimes, I think I should just plant dollar bills, I wouldn't be any worse off) I have learned about gardening by experience.

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And after 19 years at this old farmstead, my yard has come to be a place  that I look forward to spending time in every Spring.  After all these years, most of the big, hard labor jobs are done.  I've moved tons of rock with wheelbarrows, I've planted dozens of trees, hundreds of flowers, built sidewalks with stones I've dug up from the side of the road.

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This is the year to really enjoy all the previous years of hard work. There is still a lot of maintenance to do, and weeds to pull, but the major projects are finished and now I can take time to sit in the garden swing with my little buddies and soak up Spring.

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Nothing around here is very polished or perfect. Its homey. Its home.

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When something really insists on growing somewhere, like the violets in this planter, I just let them go.   Instead of weeding them out, I just added a couple of coleus for color.

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I've learned that this big old yard will never be well manicured, that some plants live and some plants don't.  That a favorite area one year might not do well ever again, and to enjoy that area while it is thriving.

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And that any garden looks better with puppies playing in it!

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The little guys have taken over our world here, they are underfoot every step I take.  We've been spending a lot of time outdoors lately.  But tiny pups need naps, so while they sleep, I've gotten a little work done. I've added wings to the Charlotte on my bird house.

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And now have got all these Charlotte fairy projects done and ready to mail to Somerset Life.

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This is the bottom of the pocket watch with the fairy in it.  Its one of the images from Mary's class. She has tons of images that she has included for the glue books, and I just had to use this one somewhere.

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During the dorkies' nap time yesterday, I made up a couple of these little books (less than 4" square).  They are filled with watercolor paper and the inside of the covers are lined with rose wallpaper. 

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I've added one of the books, and some of these fun vintage doggies to my Boutique.

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Sounds like nap time is over and there is a basket full of furry babies calling out to me. I'd better get them outside to potty!

In the land of Ahhhs

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Silver Bella, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies

IMG_1551The puppies have names now, thanks for all of your suggestions. It was a tough job, but since Sugarwings is such an Oz fan, can you guess which ones we went with?

The little girl is now Glinda.


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And of course, Sugarwings already named her favorite, Dorothy.
 

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The third little girl is already living at her new home. She is the one I had been calling Bella, because she was on her way to go live with Teresa , creator and hostess of Silver Bella.  On her blog, she mentions that the little sweetie might be called Lilly.

I look forward to seeing the pup in November up in Omaha at the event.  I hear she will be the mascot! I hope she has a tiny crown to wear…

 

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How could we not have a Toto?

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And Jenn suggested naming one boy after the farm hands on Uncle Henry's farm. So, meet Zeke.


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This guy is going by Oz, or Ozzie.


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Winners are of the 'dog tags" are:
Freda

And Deborah Woodrow


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I'll leave you with some photos of what is new in the shop.  These are the test tubes filled with buttons that were in Somerset Life. The magazine was done with them, so sent them back. I thought I'd get them listed in the shop.

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Craft-a-thon

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), how to's, how-to projects, parties, vintage paper/collage art, yorkies
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Thank you for all the puppy names you suggested! There were some GREAT ones, and it was hard to chose. But one theme stood out and I went with it. I know I said I'd announce winners today, but  I don't have photos ready yet, so it will have to wait. 

But this photo is a hint.

Also, thanks for all your well wishes for Twinkle's health. She is not happy about being taken from her pups, but the Dr. says no more nursing.  The babies are old enough to eat puppy food, but I do have to get up during the night to give them fresh food, they need to be fed every few hours.

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The only good thing that came of the terrifying 45 minute trip to the vet's office, while Twinkle was near death, was that we decided to keep a puppy.  It was just too frightening to think about breeding her again someday, so we thought we should have one of her babies live with us forever.  

Each of us have our favorite.  So, I'm not sure which one yet.  Sugarwings' vote is for Dorothy, but I have a feeling that she can be swayed.  There are two that I don't think I could live without…. But we already have three dogs, we don't need 5. And that really would just be heading towards the sheriff knocking on the door wearing a gas mask to deal with the stench, and telling me that the county is confiscating my 50 animals that have taken over the home and made it smell so bad that neighbors have complained. (Or so my husband thinks.)

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This tiny girl is one of my choices. The other is the spotted guy. He is just too perfect to let go.  We all have a soft spot for him. 

When I came across this dress in the studio, Suzanne and I were giggling like kids and having such fun playing dress up with the pup and taking her photos.  Both of us were  just howling with laughter.  Which describes quite a bit of our Creative Cottage Girls Weekend.  It was a joy to have Suzanne stay here with me, she is an excellent house guest, we never ran out of conversation.

 

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I'd made up scrap packets for everyone, then sat out lots of other supplies on one of the dining room tables in the front of my studio.  Beth generously brought boxes of fun stuff from her stash too.

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First, we all covered bird houses in vintage papers.  This one is mine, but I think its not quite done yet. Don't you think that Charlotte needs fairy wings?

In February '08, I did a tutorial on blinging out a birdhouse. If you'd like to read it, and try one, I've added it to the list of free tutorials on my side bar. Just click on the "tutorial" flower button to the right and it will take you there.

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Before everyone came, I warned them that I don't craft in a sassy sundress, and that the weekend was just casual and relaxing, we were all there to chat while we made things and just hang out. No classes or group things, everyone was on their own to rifle through supplies and come up with their own creations. 

It seems like every time I see an arty gathering on other blogs, everyone looks like they are going to a wedding instead of a craft-a-thon.  And the tables look too pretty to work at.  Not here, these tables looked like work stations. And I think it was successful because we were all still cutting and gluing and talking long after dinner was over.

 

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There is so much crap good stuff in my studio, that I told everyone not to bring anything, I'd supply it all.

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But my pal Angie brought jewels and Beth brought lots of old pictures and papers.  I was glad, because its so much more inspiring to play with other people's supplies and I had a good time going through what they brought.

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We ended up making not only birdhouses, but tags, and cabinet card note books. Beth had a big box full of the old cabinet cards and showed us how she takes out the photo, adds watercolor paper, then sews it up into a book and embellishes it.

This one is Debbie's.

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And this one is Suzanne's.

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Of course, a big part of the day was playing with the little guys.

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The weather was beautiful, we worked with the doors open all day, and were able to have dinner outside. Debbie brought Pearl, who seemed to enjoy wandering in and out, but she wasn't so sure about the pups.

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Pearl liked to keep her distance as much as possible.  But she warmed up to me and I think we might be friends now.

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After all the running around, the babies were plain old worn out!

I have more pictures of our lunch at Carol's amazing farmhouse, (I felt like I was stepping into the pages of a magazine at her 1860s dreamhouse!!) and shopping at the Curious Sofa.   But for now, I need to go and watch the last episode of Lost before I accidentally hear any details from someone.  I didn't have a chance to see it last night, but its taped and waiting for me. I hear it calling out to me and can't resist another minute.

ps- Hi, Wanda!! It was nice to meet you!!

Creative Cottage Getaway

celebrations, flowers, vintage paper/collage art

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Our Creative Cottage Girls Weekend is so much fun! Thankfully, Twinkle's vet appointment this morning gave her the all clear and she is doing well. The pups are handling being taken away from her much better than I expected. But they were getting plenty of attention from all the guests!

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We made bird cottages.  I had piles of supplies and a big basket of bird houses to work with. Beth brought goodies to  add too.

I'll have some more photos later, right now its time to go play, we are on our way to Carol's renovated 1800s farmhouse for lunch. 

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