Altered Frame No. 2

Well after a few years with no success the cold and sinus demons finally caught me last week. I tried to fight them off but they held on with a vegeance. Eventually they won and as a consequence my house is a mess, my christmas shopping is not done, presents are not wrapped...
So, I finally told the little buggers that enough was enough and that I had things to do and grandbabies to hug. So they're slowly leaving and I'm now on the mend.Not enough to cuddle with grandbabies but enough to get my chores done at least!
I normally don't take meds as we don't get along all that well. But last week I was forced to take some which resulted in me spending a few sleepless nights. I knew that I had to finish (well, more like START) a frame for my daughters mother-in-law for Christmas. She's the other proud grandma!
I planned on doing it one day but seeing how I was wide awake at night I worked on it during the wee hours of the morning then slept most of the day away.
Of course I put a photo of our adorable grandson in it!!

Again, I used Graphic 45's 'Little Darlings' paper. I used an unfinished wood Prima frame rather than a Michaels one. I found it to be much sturdier with a proper picture frame stand (rather than a peg) and glass for over the photo. After painting and sanding I covered it in blue paper that I had inked to add to the vintage look. As in my last frame, I fussy cut and inked the 'little darlings' scroll to add to the bottom. Even though this one was landscape style and the scroll would be completely on the frame, I still decided to adhere it to chipboard to give it some dimension.

I then painted a bronze metal charm and antique buttons in 'buttermilk' coloured paint and dabbed off the excess with a paper towel so that  the metal would show thru and give it a worn look. Once this was dry I cut a little circle of a sleeping baby out of the paper, adhered it to the centre and covered it with a glass circle. I then adhered the charm near the end of the scroll on the frame.

Next I added both Prima and handmade flowers on

to the bottom corner and a chipboard tag with a little blue pearl on it.

and a handmade glittery butterfly in the top corner.

I know my daughter's mother-in-law will love this but I am just hoping

 she doesn't read my blog - at least not before

Dec. 25th!

I WISH ALL OF YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

    

It's the Most Wonderful Time...

Okay I promise I won't overwhelm you with new baby pictures but as any new grandma does I will indulge you!

How can I not?

Isn't he the sweetest!

There's nothing like a new little grandbaby to bring joy to your life!

And another Joy is decorating for the holidays. Today I put up our small 4' tree. It may be short but it is perfect for the two of us especially when we go to the 'kids' to open gifts.

 I didn't have room to display all of my Christmas village but I chose mostly buildings and figurines that I have made over the years. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without my village.

 And talking about babies and Christmas, as promised I will share with you an altered frame I made for my daughter-in-law's mother for Christmas. DIL is expecting our first granddaughter in February.

I used Graphic 45 "Little Darlings" paper. I've used this paper a lot - I just love the vintage look and the soft colours of it! I started by painting the wooden frame with a soft coral colour. I added a gingham coral/cream paper and fussycut the 'little darling' scroll, adhered it to  light weight chipboard to add a bit of stability, inked and then brushed on a gel medium on the entire frame to seal it.

While that was drying I made some paper roses and also a butterfly to add to it.

Once adhered smaller Prima flowers and leaves were added .

I also cut an oval photo of a baby girl out of the paper line and adhered it to an oval chipboard frame with an

antique brad. 

The centre mat was finished with a pretty polka dot paper.

Before you know it a photo of a pretty little baby girl will fill it up!

And now, time is sneaking up on me. I still need to make a boy photo frame for my daughters mother-in-law for Christmas.

Have a great week!

]

Two Thumbs Up!

As I explained in my previous post my right thumb has some sort of mystery pain. It still hurts and sometimes throbs making my hand and arm ache. Yeah, I should get it checked but I keep hoping it'll magically disappear.
Regardless, I have things that MUST get done!
I have an  Etsy customer patiently waiting her custom album, Christmas gifts to finish, Christmas decorating to do and YES a brand new little grandson to cuddle!
After FOUR loooong days in the hospital my daughter finally gave birth to a healthy 9lb. 3 oz baby boy.
Asked what  her overall thoughts were she said if you ask me in 6 months I would say it was okay but if you ask me now I will say it was BRUTAL! She had a pretty rough go of it but I'm very proud of her - and like she said - it was worth every minute of it.

        I love how his little hands are folded so politely. 

Sore thumb or not, this little guy gets two thumbs up!

Such a Blessing - Welcome to our family.

On the scrapbooking front I have not gotten too much done with this d%*#  thumb

but am slowly working on getting my custom order done. 

Before that I finished an altered photo frame that I made for my daughter-in-laws mother for 

Christmas. I used G45's 'Little Darling' in pinks for our next little grandchild due in February ( a little girl).

I hope to make a blue version for my daughters mother-in-law for Christmas too.

I'll try to get photos of the pink one this weekend to share with you. (with hopes that DIL's mother doesn't read my blog!)

Talk to you soon!

No Thumbs Up!

Being confined to a wheelchair, I know how important it is not to take things for granted.
Snuggling up on the couch and watching a movie then getting up and walking to the washroom during commercials or break should be a simple thing that requires no effort. Well to me it's a dream.
I know that and I'm okay with it. I haven't stopped living - I have just learnt to live it differently.
I have become accustomed to my life - so much so that sometimes I too take things for granted.
As you know, I enjoy scrapbooking and creating things with my hands.
I fussy cut, punch, glue and die-cut. I may not be able to walk but I could always count on my hands. So this week when it hurt to move my thumb I thought nothing of it.
But then when I tried to  use the scissors I could not open and close them. Okay, so no fussy cutting, I'll work around it. But then it was impossible to use even a simple punch or my corner chomper. My thumb was just too sore. So an early night it was with just me and my Advil. It's now been 2 days and I cannot  lift a dinner plate or hold my much needed morning coffee.
I know when I transferred into bed the other night  I slipped and banged my hand but it did not hurt at the time. I was just thankful for not falling. Could it be that? It feels sprained - but how? Maybe a broken blood vessel as hubby suggests. I don't know. All I know is that I don't like it and I miss my scrapping. I have a custom order partially made, Christmas items to finish and presents to wrap.
But, most important I have a new grandbaby due anytime now that I need to hold and cuddle!
Hopefully it will go away as quick as it came and that soon I'll be back at it.
In the meantime,

Have a Great Week!

Diva Duo

Time goes by so fast! But we already knew that. One day you take the kids to kindergarten (and cry more than they do) then you watch them graduate and eventually move out on their own. (still crying). Next you cry as they say their wedding vows and now I feel more tears coming on. My baby is about to give birth in 2 weeks.  Yeah, I'll be a grandma for the second time. Our son has a beautiful little boy and his wife is expecting our third grandchild in February. The first grandchild is always special and our little one will always hold a special place in our heart. But it's different with a daughter - and especially when she's your baby.
I'm so proud of her. She's grown up to be a beautiful young lady and is the  best daughter I could  ever hope for. I know that she will be a great mother and that someday she will say the same of her baby. (in a manly way - it's a boy!)
Two more weeks - SO EXCITING!!
On to scrapbooking - as promised in my last post I will share with you some altered items that I made for my Etsy shop.
The first is an altered frame. One night recently I couldn't sleep. After lying there wide awake for 3 hours I finally got up hoping that if I did something it would make me tired. Scrapbooking relaxes me so off I went to my scraproom with no idea of what to make.
I had just bought the Tim Holtz 'sewing room' die with the dressform, etc, So. I decided to try it out. I covered some chipboard with paper from Basic Grey's 'Little Black Dress' line then cut it out. I thought of making a skirt with tulle as I did on my altered matchbox but instead used another paper from the same line.
I added some lace to the waist , a sticker from the paper line and an antique brad and of course a tiny rhinestone necklace then voila - a cute little dress form.

An hour and a half later I was ready to sleep. Sure, I had a cute little dressform but I had no idea of what to do with it.

It sat on my table for a few days before the mojo hit. I would alter a frame and make it a diva sort of thing.

I

I painted an unfinished pine frame in dark brown then covered with paper again from BG's :Little Black Dress' line. After adding the name 'Diva' I sealed the whole thing.

I added the dressform to the left side.

After considering adding stilletos and 'diva things' I decided to make a butterfly and flowers using the dies I described in my last post.

Leaves, feathers and a small Prima flower finish it off.

Next is a little trinket box made with a kraft chipboard box.

I covered it in an old Theresa Collins Christmas paper. Her papers are always so elegant and classic.

I chose a non-typical black and white damask so that the trinket box could be used for anything at anytime and not just Christmas.

After painting the inside white then pasting and sealing the paper I added white tulle lace to the bottom making a little skirt, then topped it with deep cranberry seam binding, a bow and an antique brad.

On the lid I decided to keep it elegant but added a touch of whimsy. I tied strips of cranberry and black tulle 

alternately to a metal washer then tied it at the bottom with black twine to help it stand upright. After fussing and fluffing I adhered it to the top with a strong glue. (Fabri-tac - love that stuff!)

I then glued small Prima roses and Webster Pages resin hearts around the base to cover the washer.

This little box would be cute in any diva's boudoir and the good thing is that both it and the frame are available for sale in my Etsy shop! :)

Have a great week!

Dead Die Posting

OH NO ... NO, NO, NO...IT CAN'T BE!!!!!!!!!!!
Well that'll teach me! I just spent over an hour doing a blog post and didn't save it as I was going along. I was on the final stretch when POOF  - it was gone! At first I thought it had to be here SOMEWHERE - it's just playing games and hiding. WASN'T IT??
But the more I looked, the more panicked I got and I realized that nope, it was definitely a goner! This has happened before but it was always there - but no such luck this time! It took it's ball and went home!
So, here I go again - if I sound rushed that is because - well...I don't wanna talk about it.
Oh yeah - hit SAVE stoo-pid!

I was talking about dies. Kind of ironic isn't it!
I was saying how I hardly ever use my 'Bigshot' die cutting machine anymore. If I do it's to emboss cards or cut labels or circles. I'm not into 'cutesy' type dies or ones only for specific occasions. Plus they're too expensive to use just once or twice.
So, one night recently I was browsing Youtube and came across a video for paper roses. No, not the Marie Osmond song (but I couldn't get that dang thing out of my head!) but one where it showed how to make your own rose embellishments out of paper.
I got to thinking how easy it looked and how it would save me a fortune. I swear I have helped keep Prima in business!
It would also be a great way to use up scraps and what better match is there for layouts or projects?!
It just so happened that an on-line store I order from had both the featured dies in stock. YAAY!!
And so it was that the mailman stalking began.

(note to self: SAVE!)

The first is a Spellbinders die from Donna Salazar called Rose Creations.
It makes different sizes of flowers depending on the 3 die you use. I made 2 bigger ones (but not the biggest)
and a smaller one (using the 3 smallest dies).  After cutting the 3 dies you roll and lift the petals and adhere them together. On the larger ones I then added a pearl and a button and on the small one I attached a brad.
I then dabbed stickles and ink to the edges.

(excuse the blurriness)

(note to self: SAVE!)

The next is again from Spellbinders and called Spiral Blossom Four.

(apparently I missed, One, Two and Three)

I must admit that if I ever saw this die in a store I would have no idea what it was for. As a matter of fact I would probably think that it was stupid when in fact I would be the stupid one!

Once you cut the spiral you start at the end and roll and roll and roll. Hold it tight until you reach the end and then let it unwind. Cover the base with glue and hold it in the position you want until the glue sets.
Once the glue is set, play with it to get the look you want.

I again dabbed on some stickles but you could ink it, add glitter or leave it plain.

(SAVE)

The next one is my favourite. I combined the two!

After making the rose creation one I cut down the spiral one because naturally it was too big for the centre,

I then dabbed on gold stickles.

Move over Prima!

On that dark and lonely Youtube night I also saw a video showing the intricate dies of Memory Box too.

And didn't they have several beautiful butterflies? And don't butterflies love flowers?

Yep - you guessed it - the mailman stalking began again.

(Oh yeah - SAVE!)

Memory Box dies are amazing - so detailed! But I did order the metal adapter plate recommended and it makes a perfect cut.

I ordered 2 dies - they fit together. One is solid and the other has intricate cuts.

I used a black marker to colour the body on one of the butterflies and just added black pearls to the other. I dabbed on some stickles and added rhinestones.

On the purple one I used cardstock rather than patterned paper for the solid one and lightly misted it.

Once the stickles dried I adhered them at the centre so that I could spread their wings and let them fly!

Memory Box has several different shapes of 2-part butterflies but I particularly liked this one the best.

Darla/solid and Vivienne/intricate

So, here`s some pictures of all of my little pretties.

I have a couple altered items from my Etsy shop to show you too - but that`s another post for another day.

I hope this post has shown you to pull out that die cutting machine and make your own embellishments.

And what has it taught me? - to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!

Have a great week.

Welcome Lois!

Nothing is better than waking up in the morning, having a nice cup of coffee, checking my email - and discovering that my Etsy shop made a sale! As wonderful and flattering as this is it also means replacing the stock. With handmade scrapbooks and items this can sometimes take a few days to happen.
So to help out, the talented Lois Sokolan is now officially on the design team of  Sapphire Noteables. 
Lois makes amazing mini books and albums and some of her creations have recently been listed.

First is a beautiful Album in a coordinating Box  made with Bo Bunny's 'Serenity' Line. This album is Asian inspired and is full of tags and pockets with Asian influences.

Her next album is a little Halloween Brag Book that is perfect for any mommy or grandma to add photo's of their little goblins.

Next is a cascading album covered in the oh so pretty 'Sweet Fairy' paper from Prima. This is such a soft and pretty special album and any special lady would love it!

This is an adorable box and accordian mini album made from Graphic 45's 'Little Darling' paper.

I love the feathery flower!

The inside of the box has a darling picture of a baby  boy climbing the stairs at bedtime.

Next is a house chipboard album that would be perfect for a housewarming gift!

It's almost that time - OH NO!!!!!

Time to pull out the Christmas decorations and start making our lists.

This is the perfect accordian 'noel' album done in Basic Grey paper.

It all fits neatly in its' own altered tin.

And yes, it won't be long until we have all those holiday pictures. What better than to keep them in this pretty little Christmas album.

Lastly we have a Memory album with a coordinating Box

that is perfect for holiday photos or any other special memories.

The album itself is an accordion album and is embellished with 

emphera, stickers, chipboard and twine.

I'm so excited to have Lois onboard!

Watch for more of her creations being added soon to Sapphire Noteables.

So, what have I been doing while Lois has been busy scrapping?

Well, I made some Christmas cards for a cardswap and stupid me sent them off without taking photos! Than I started assembling a mini album using a technique that I found on youtube. So the bookbase is ready to go but I am stalking the mailman for the paper. I am tempted to start cutting cardstock for the pages but will patiently wait to match it up properly.

Also, the other night I was wide awake at 3AM so rather than lay there I figured if I got up and did something it would make me tired. So yeah, it worked - but 2 hours later! The good thing is that it is late evening/early morning that I get my best inspiration. 

So I covered a piece of chipboard with a paper from Basic Greys 'Little Black Dress' line and cut a dress form shape using the Tim Holtz  'Sewing Room' Alterations die. I then used another piece to make the skirt and added lace and a button to the waist. I went to bed tired and content but not knowing what to do with it!

I'm thinking I'll alter a frame and add it. It'll be kind of a diva thing.

Needless to say projects are in the works and as soon as they and/or Lois's projects are listed I will be sure to let you know.

In the meantime have a great week and a SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!