The Best of Intentions

I have had the best intentions with my craft room….it was going to be everything I needed….but this is the third time in over a year I am totally moving everything around!!!!! It was so cute…

but I just couldn’t get it to work!

I have tried numerous formats…..

numerous pieces of furniture…

added another table and got rid of the computer hutch….

revamped the drawers and cubbies…

put the plastic drawers on this table, it works better here…

But this is what it looks like most days!!!!!! ( warning…ugly)

stuff everywhere and no place to work! So right now this is how it goes…..

I have moved all of the paper to one table…..still don’t like how it looks, but I cannot buy anything else…I have to make what I have work!

Clutter…clutter…clutter

I can’t believe I am showing you all this…..but I need some help!

Things I know:

1. TOO MUCH STUFF !!!!! Meri, Come on by, we are going to give you some more stuff!

2. No closet….a room 10’ by 10’ and no closet…..do I need to take over the only other closet in the house in the guestroom for seasonal things and such? It is a small one, but I cannot use our master bedroom closet….too far away and I would forget what is there…..there is no money right now for more vertical help, shelves, etc….so can you help me work with what I have????? I am at such a loss. I am so blessed to have all of this and yet it brings me down! This is really not good….shame on me! If I could just get a few good ideas…I know I could do better here with this room.

3. I LOVE scrapbook paper. I am a paper hoarder…..no doubt! Joyce, we need to start a group to help people like us! LOL Now that there is no extra funds, that ironically will help this problem…so this problem is basically alleviated right now.

4. I don’t do “organized”well at all…..is there a group for that????? :):) Seriously, my best friend Cheri just rolls her eyes, she comes over here and helps me clean and organize the same areas over and over, good thing she loves me! :):)

So…..my friends out there in blogland, help please…….

A Sweet Vintage Valentine

I am linking this post to  Very Merry Vintage Style.  This is a fun link up to show off your favorite vintage Valentines!

I recently received this card in the mail, and was thinking it was a reproduction, it was in such pristine condition…

Is she not the cutest little Valentine?????  Then I turned it over and saw the signature….

There are not too many children this day and age that would even know what a fountain pen was, let alone be able to use one!  I have a few cards from this same seller on Ebay and Arleen is in a few of them and they are definitely vintage!!!! 

Even in the 40’s they apparently had valentines for children in packs. :)

521 Lake Street’s Penny Rug !

I will warn you ahead of time lots of photos and a rather long post! :)

I have a dear friend I first met when I started blogging named Elizabeth. She has a magical site called Bluebird Papercrafts aka Creative Breathing. When I first saw her blog I was so taken aback by all of her talent for crafts and writing the most touching beautiful posts of the memories she has of her past.

We have become friends over the last two years and she has blessed me with many of her handmade items. I have them for every season! They are my treasures!!!!! When my life was in turmoil this last year Elizabeth was always there with a kind word or deed. Recently, she made me one of her coveted penny rugs. And not just any penny rug but a 521 Lake Street Penny rug! I knew it had to be a very special place that this beautiful piece of artwork resided. To keep it safe I decided to frame it. I envisioned a Red frame with a cute pale yellow matt. So, I went to Michaels and with the lest expensive thin painted red wood frame and just the glass it was $116.00…..are you ready????? AFTER THE 60% off coupon! Can you say RIP OFF????

SO my friend Cheri and I got creative and went to Home Goods looking for an inexpensive art piece in the right size frame…..here is what we got!

Pretty plain and ugly right now….but look at what we paid for it!!!!!

My kind of deal on the budget of the unemployed!

So I brought it home, took it apart and here are the steps it took to make it a perfect frame for my penny rug!

One can of Banner Red Krylon Paint $2.50

First coat of four coats..

Now, matting as we all know can be very expensive, so as Cheri and I went to Hobby Lobby to check out a single matt, we walked by the poster board…..this color is perfect!!!!!! Sorry for the poor photo, kind of forgot my tutorial…:)

Poster Board, two sheets (just in case) $ on sale for $1.06. Now, when times are better, and I am sure they will be soon, I plan on getting this matted correctly, but this works perfect for right now……

The frame had these horrible thick ugly staples, that I could not bend, so I had to pull them all out….to paint the frame. I wanted to keep the glass safe and clean it up, as there was a film on it.

So afterwards we tried staples…no good. So for right now, it is the good old duct tape method!

I used some glue dots to keep the penny rug stuck to the poster board…..so here is the finished product!!!!!! Drum roll please…..

And on the wall……

Never am very good t taking a straight on photo!

This is my entry way….so everyone who comes in gets to see my wonderful 521 Lake Street Penny Rug!!!!!!

Total Cost: $25.00 and some change. Happy Dance here!!!!!

Elizabeth, you have my heart! Thank you seems so not enough!!!!! I will cherish this very special loving tribute to my favorite place always!!!!!

Thanks everyone for stopping by and sharing this wonderful piece of art with me!

Valentines and Mesa Arizona “Snow” !

Hi Everyone, sorry it has been so long between posts, but I have been busy making Valentines…..and enjoying the fact that things are getting a little better every day. But that is another post for another day! :)

I have been having a ball making Valentines to send to some of my friends…..

I used my Cricut to cut the tags…..I didn’t go with a heart as the cartridge I had I didn’t care for the shape, I know that sounds silly, but these came out fine anyhow…..

I have had this paper for years had bought it at Hobby Lobby, you can still get it there and I wanted to use it for the Scottie Dog shape ( you can just see his tail in the above photo)….

It is all vintage Valentines and I thought it would work so well….but once I got the little dogs cut out they were not quite what I wanted…..but oh well….live and learn! I still LOVE this paper! The last sheet will be going around a frame…..:)

I also plan on sending some of these, I won this Valentine on Etsy I think and it is huge but it is one of those sucker cards….remember these????

I printed them smaller, and they look pink here, my table on my patio is fire engine red! I just have to send these….the sucker goes in her hand and is tacked down in the white start burst……

And I also bought these bag toppers I think last year at Hobby Lobby…

I just love these…and I love cellophane bags, wrap you name it! I love getting items wrapped in them too! It’s a kid thing….:)

It has also been “snowing” leaves here in my “ back yard “ ( which is a small park where I live) and I wanted to show you how pretty it looks….I know this is images you normally see in October, but here in Mesa, it is January and February!

This is one of three huge Cottonwood trees I have, luckily none of them give off the fluffy white stuff that Cottonwoods are known for…..just leaves!

Thanks for stoppin’ by!!!!!!

 

PS…..I have a very special project I am going to be showing you all.  It has to do with a wonderful gift from my friend Elizabeth!  More to come…soon! :)

Wonderful Winter Roses

I just thought I would share a few photos of the roses that I had after Christmas…..they were just stunning! I have had them covered as it froze here a few nights and the roses that were on the bush died….but the greenery is fine…..aren’t these pretty????

I have two bushes of the pretty pink ones, and one large bush of the pretty coral colored. I am not a rose person, so I have no idea of what kinds these are, but I sure am glad they are in my back yard! :) Have a good day!

Fun Vintage Valentine Image CD for Sale! And a Gumdrop Snowman!

I know a lot of you are getting ready to swap Valentines, and there are a lot of images on the Internet. I also have a CD that I have compiled of Valentine cards I own, , that I have scanned and fixed color also. They are all 300 DPI and in the jpeg formula.

Here is a sampling of them: (blurred, no it isn't your eyes going bad :)... click on the image for a larger view)

There are a total of 75 of them and the cost of the CD is 7.50 plus 2.00 S&H, so the total is 9.50. These will make wonderful cards and art! Please contact me at sanjos333@yahoo.com for your order. I take checks and M.O. If I use Paypal, then it is $10.00 total for their fees added in. Thank you for looking!

I am going to attempt to build myself a small business with CD’s, decals and such. Paula, let’s start those classes! :):)

I also wanted to show you the ONLY item I bought after Christmas…..

and it was yesterday while I was out with a friend…..

look at his cute little candy cane!

Sorry this one is blurry, but I wanted to show you how he lights up!

I got him at Hallmark for 6.50! I bought the gingerbread house with the sweet gumdrops a few years ago, and last year the Christmas tree with the same….but this is much cuter that the tree! Next year he will be sitting by the gingerbread house! :):) I LOVE anything with gumdrops!!!!

ME Monday- Look ME Checks with Hearts!

So here is the first ME Monday with Vicki at Cherry Chick and look what I found! I know, I know….I am a bit early, but these are so sweet…..

I saw these in the Sunday paper and had to show them to all of us Mary Engelbreit fans…..I don’t use check often….but these are so cute!!!!!

When you go to their website, there is actually 4 different scenes in this set!

Here is the link:

http://secure.checksinthemail.com/product.aspx?lineid=241&productid=4317

They have a LOT of fun ME products!!!!!! Check it out!!!!!!

http://secure.checksinthemail.com/line.aspx?lineid=241

Happy ME Monday! :):)