JOY

I had the opportunity this past December to have a short visit with my grandfather. Yes, that's right. My grandfather. People are always amazed when I mention that my grandfather is still living. Not too many people my age are able to say that. We made sure we got caught up on all the news.

After enjoying a short drive, I wanted to get some photos before we had to leave again for the next leg of our journey. We positioned ourselves in front of the tree, and I was surprised to get a big, strong hug! He's still amazingly strong for someone who is 94! I love this photo and thought it would be perfect to use with this cute new frame I bought recently. It's made by Seven Gypsies (love their products), and is designed to stand alone without any support.

The three small sections were just right to spell "joy". I took my cue from the blue I'm wearing and the purple he's wearing. I inked up some chipboard letters, and coated them with a crackle glaze. I used gold pigment ink and embossing powder around the edges of the three blue squares and the frame itself. Then, just for fun, I tried a new product called Bronzed Fragments on the photo. I put down some liquid glue and pressed the fragments on top. I'm going to take this to work and enjoy having it on my desk.

Photographs are so great for reliving memories!
Immi

Massage as Therapy

Massages. Are you for them or against them? I am a big fan of a good massage, myself. I know there's another camp, though, that can't stand the thought of having some stranger touch them. Doesn't bother me one bit. Massage, manicure, pedicure, you name it and I'm in. The only part I don't like about manicures and pedicures is that they want to talk to me. I'm not a big fan of chatting - just do your thing and let me relax. Now with a massage, the room is quiet and warm. There is usually gentle music playing. The masseuse only says what is necessary during the process. Just the way I like it!

Today for the first time, I had a therapeutic massage. Now that's a completely different animal from a "feel-good" massage! I've started seeing a chiropractor, and part of the therapy is regular massage. I've got some really tight muscles and knots in my back & neck, and have had for years. We'll see how it goes, but I'm hopeful.

The room was quiet, warm and dim. The massage bed was heated, with warm blankets. Soft music played in the background. So far, so good. That's where the resemblance to a salon massage ends. Boy, did she work me over! There were places on my back where she even used her elbow to get to some tough spots. She told me at the beginning to let her know if it was ever too much. I'll admit it hurt, but I never felt that I couldn't take it. I sense from the amount of discomfort that I truly need this. 

I came home and took a hot bath after supper, and followed the advice to use icing afterwards. For those of you who know my weaknesses, it wasn't chocolate icing! I think a little ibuprofen at bedtime is in order, too. Tomorrow we'll see if I can move at all!

Here's to good health!

Immi

Just a quick post here with a layout I did recently. While we were visiting our daughter recently, she gave us a copy of this photo of our little grandson taken at daycare. The weird blurry spot at bottom right is where I blurred out his name. Too bad you can't see it, though, because I used some really cute letter stickers. They're red with tiny white polka dots. This all came together pretty quickly. Based on the colors in the photo, I knew that the large snowflake would be a great photo mat. The red & white numbered paper strip is cut from a larger piece. The stars I punched out, and I dug all the other embellishments out of my stash. Somehow, no matter how much I try to use up what I've got, it always seems like a drop in the bucket. Do you think it's because I keep bringing things in?

Till next time,

Immi

A Fresh Start

I'm sure I'm not alone in spending some time at the end of the year in cleaning and decluttering. Being on the cusp of a new year, it seems fitting to freshen things up a bit. I spent some time the last few days attempting to sort, clean, and reorganize my craft room. I'm a collector of stuff, and boy do I have lots of it! Some of it I've moved across the country a couple of times because You Never Know! When it reaches the point that I can't function any more, something's got to go. I forced myself to get rid of things I know I'll never miss. For example, I've held onto a good-sized stack of hard back book covers, because I like to use them as a canvas. It dawned on me that it's hardly worth having them take up space when I can get a book for 15 cents from the bin at Goodwill. I think my space is worth that, not to mention the emotional heaviness that I find comes from too much stuff.

While cleaning, I also looked for new ways to store some items that hadn't found a permanent home yet. This little overnight case belonged to my grandmother. My sister brought it to me a few months back, along with many other treasures from the past. (Thanks, Ann!) It sat in my room since then, lonely and without a purpose in life. It occurred to me that it would be just the right size to hold several large spools of baker's twine I had bought online recently. I cleared out a space on a shelf that seems made for it, and now I can use it and enjoy thinking of my grandmother each time I see it and open it up.

I also love labeling things, but I didn't want to use my labeler with the sticky tape on this lovely vintage case. I remembered some decorative paper tags I bought (you never know), and pulled one out. I used one of my favorite alphabet stamp sets, and a little baker's twine to tie it to the handle. Form and function, all in one!

I hope 2011 ends well for you! 2012, here we come!
Immi

Gift Bags

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted anything. Naturally I'm crazy enough to try to get it going again in December. It will be interesting to see if I can manage any more this month. I started this post quite a while ago, but left it hanging. So without further ado...

Creativity interests me, but I don't really understand how it works. I see projects that others have done, and I think "I could never have thought of that!" I wonder how much of creativity is derivative. I know that soaking up the ideas and work of others can spark something seemingly unrelated in me. Or perhaps I'll start with their idea, but make it into something that reflects my own vision.

This project began from an idea I'd seen that I filed away in my mind to try sometime. I've become slightly acquainted with an artist who lives in Florida because I stumbled on her blog. I read her profile, and realized that we had the same church in common. I don't know too many people who like paper art the way I do, so this was intriguing. She has been published many times, and runs her own online business. Occasionally, she will post a video tutorial and that's where these bags enter the story. You can see the original tutorial here.

I watched the video, and loved the idea. It combines sewing, paper, and using up odds & ends. What's not to love?! Like many ideas I think are awesome, however, it sat unused for a while in a dusty corner of my brain. Sometimes I get aggravated with myself because I seem to collect ideas more than execute projects.

When I had some friends over for a jewelry party, I wanted to present the invitations in a fun and (dare I say) creative way. I thought that the folded invitations would fit into these cute little gift bags.

Now, this is what I call fun! First, of course, I had to run out and buy the bags. No luck at Target, but Walmart came through for me. Then I gathered up random pieces of paper, ribbon, fabric, buttons...whatever I thought I could sew or glue down. I grabbed whatever was handy and started sewing. It was hard to stop, so I did end up with a few extra. I think they'd be a great holder for a special card that can be hand delivered.

Happy December!

More Fall Decorating

Here are some additional photos of my preparations for the party recently. The first photo shows my el cheapo fake pumpkins in their "before" state.

   

As you can see, they were not much to look at. But, they were so cheap that I had no trouble experimenting with them. Here's an "after" picture:

 

I had lots of fun with metallic acrylic paint, glue and torn book pages. On a few, I broke off the stem and glued a vintage button in its place. Some of them turned out better than others, so I may have to play around a little more. I think my favorites are the ones covered with book pages.

The wire basket is new: I found it at Walmart. The tag attached to a gourd is one I made from a small shipping tag. Shipping tags are so much fun to use! They are so inexpensive and available at any office supply store. Just a little ink and some stamps completely transform them into something special.

Last, but not least, I love the way the front porch turned out. I was inspired by a friend's display on her porch. She has a bench and had placed plants, pumpkins, and gourds on and below the bench. While I don't have a bench, I knew the key would be to have a variety of colors and textures at different heights. Thrift stores to the rescue! I found a small, backless wooden bench and a metal pot stand to help out. I already had a small decorative chair that had been sitting on the porch all summer (can you guess where I got it???).

I went to my favorite local garden center (yay Gertens!) and picked up pumpkins, gourds and mums. Here are the results:

Fall Decorating

There's nothing quite like a deadline to get me moving. Several weeks ago, I agreed to host a jewelry party in my home. This meant, of course, the obligatory cleaning of rooms nobody is going to see - just in case, you know!

It also meant that it was high time I decorated for fall. I don't have a lot of fall decorations, and they always seem a little pathetic to me. I decided that this year, I'd try to step it up a notch. If I were smart, I'd be thinking about this for a few weeks ahead, doing a little shopping here and there. But that's not the way we rock and roll around here. No, I did nothing until the week before the party, with the bulk of it left until the last couple of days.

During the week ahead, I started keeping my eyes open for things I could use. I did end up buying some things, but I was also able to utilize items from around my house. These pictures show what I did in my dining room.

I've got a metal corner stand with four shelves. One of these days I'm going to spray paint it black, but I didn't get that done this time. I left the top shelf the way it was and had fun arranging things on the other shelves. The next shelf down holds a yellow wire basket I bought a while ago at a thrift store. The cloth pumpkins were a craze I went through last fall. I added the "welcome" sign using Scrabble tiles.

The next shelf has some old and new items. The pumpkin at the back is a fake which I left as is. The pumpkin in the front is also fake; I glued torn strips from an old dictionary on it. The books are from a thrift store as is the nut grinder. The other things I've had for a while; they usually live somewhere else.

  

On the bottom shelf, I left the large yellow urn, but pushed it to the back. You can see more fake pumpkins and gourds in a wire basket I got at the dollar spot at Target. If you look closely, you can also see an old whisk broom peeking out - a recent thrift store find.

I've got some other pictures showing more about the fake pumpkins as well as the decorations in the kitchen and living room. For once, I'm quite happy with the way things turned out. And, best of all, now that the party is over I can enjoy these decorations for weeks to come!

Till next time...