Finished Banner for Hannah and a card for a favorite pilot I know :D

I have finished the banner for baby Hannah

I wish I could figure out a way to photograph these banners hanging up without my deck furniture showing in the background...do I need to hang a sheet over the door?

A closer look

I added a tiny button on the front. I really love the pink and brown color scheme.

Now the birthday card...

I'm really enjoying working in all digital.

The picture of the little boy (I found it on line but I don't remember where)

The alphabet block

The banner with the phrase

and even the background printed paper is digital!
I love layering and arranging the items...art without being able to draw or paint.
Anyway,  my pilot friend seemed to like it and since
he saved the card I made him last year, that qualified him for being "handmade card worthy".
You card makers know what I'm talking about *wink wink*.

This card was made using a very, very old publishing program from Microsoft
which isn't even around anymore. I have Photoshop Elements, I just need to download it. silly me!

I'm still working on some dining room decorating so I'll hold off showing any more pictures until there is more to show. We had a cook-out with my Book Group friends and the husbands on Saturday...had a fun time.
Tomorrow we (the Book Group girls) will be going to see The Help.

We read the book last fall and are anxious to see the movie adaptation. I just might wear a shirtwaist dress...and pearls!

xoxo
Joyce



Day #5 of the Paint-cation and finally,some creative things from my work table!

We were really busy on days #2-4 and I didn't take many  pictures.

Oooo, it's starting to look different here!

Here we are on Friday and the work is almost complete. I just have to get all of the china and glassware put back in their respective places. We also need to decide where we are hanging some new things and which things we're not keeping. In this before picture, you can see some of my pewter collection displayed on a handmade shelf.

Now of course I'm not disposing of my pewter...it's just time to change up for a bit. Here is the shelf today...

I love creamware but can't afford the real deal. I'm perfectly content with my pieces that have come from Marshall's, TJ Maxx or HomeGoods. The small planter on the bottom shelf was purchased from my blogging friend Deb of Garage Sale Gal and the cup and saucer on the top shelf was a gift from Elizabeth of Creative Breathing. I love the cream color against the new blue walls. It's so hard to tell in photos the exact color but this is the Valspar (Lowe's) paint chip...

Distant Valley is the color we chose.

I give up...it looks different in every picture. It's a blue-green color with a tad more blue than green. The lower part of the "wallpaper free" wall is painted in a Martha Stewart color called Popcorn...a soft off white.

I guess you're just going to have to stop by and see for yourself. I do love the color. It gives the dining room a cool, serene feeling which is good as we get the afternoon sun in that room. I promise to come back with more pictures once the room is totally set up.

David the painter comes highly recommended! Thanks Sweetie

While the painter was painting and I was trying to stay out of his hair, I got some work done on a baby gift for the daughter of a friend of ours. This little baby was born at 27 weeks and weighed only 2 pounds at birth. She was in the hospital until she worked her way up to four pounds and she now weighs a whopping 5 pounds. I waiting on sending a gift until we were sure she was doing good. Here is a peek of the name banner I am working on.....

I will show you the pictures of Hannah's banner once it is complete. (Boy, I'm saying that a lot, aren't I?)

I also decorated a simple black marble composition book for myself so that I can write down all of my directions for the projects I create using my Cricut Expression. I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Now  all of the recipes will be in one place instead of written on tiny scraps of paper all over my studio! The papers I used, in case you're wondering, are from The Girl's Paperie and the line is called Kitsch.

  Cricut Recipes...

Do you use a Cricut die cut machine? They are so much fun!

OK-back to reloading china. I'll be back soon.

xoxo

Joyce



I think I am too old for this...

David has taken this week off.
The plan is to paint the dining room.
It involves removing wallpaper on the lower half of the walls.
I am the remover....David is the painter.
The dining room is hard because all of the china and glassware has to be lugged to the living room so the furniture pieces can be moved.
Today is Day #1
This is what we accomplished.

~ BEFORE ~

~ THE DINING ROOM IN THE LIVING ROOM ~

 

~ WHAT THE DINING ROOM LOOKED LIKE AT 5 PM ~

Pretty good for Day #1

I will return when the painting is completed and the carpet is cleaned.

I'm sure it will be beautiful.

For now....I'm going to take 2 Tylenol and get ready for bed.

Every muscle hurts.

I'm going to go to work tomorrow for the rest.

I think that I'm too old for the "crawling on the floor" part of redecorating.

'Night.

xoxo

Joyce



A sweet RAK and a word about Pinterest

There's nothing that will make a blogger smile all day than receiving a Random Act of Kindness (RAK) in the mail....Happy Mail we often call it. It's what bloggers do for each other.  I have a blogging friend (who likes to fly under the radar so I won't mention her name) who has gifted me with books and beautiful cards when I've been sick.The gift giver gets as much pleasure out of the gifting as the gift receiver does...did you follow that? Anyway...I was fortunate to on the receiving end last week. My sweet friend Marie, of Spun By Me, sent me a wonderful assortment of treats. Marie not only makes wonderful art but she wraps up the presents in a fanciful way...this time she used sewing pattern tissue.

Each gift bearing a tag with a clue...

Really....wouldn't you love to be on the receiving end of all of this,...and I haven't even opened anything yet!

Some things were made by Marie...

and some were selected because Marie knows what I like...

A beautiful hand made card by Cherry of Cherrys Jubilee

A new dress form stamp for my collection...

and believe it or not...this is a dress form soap!

All of this left me quite breathless and very grateful for my friendship with Marie. Now you know we've never met in person (though we will one day because she lives a hop, skip and jump away from our kids in Maryland) but we do have a strong kindred bond. Dress forms and squirrels, grandchildren and soft vintage pieces, aches and pains....oh well, we're not going to go into that now. Good friends who now share another ...um, obsession  interest...

Do you pin? If you do and would like to link to me, you'll find my Pinterest link on my sidebar.

It's an awesome place to go for unending inspiration. Marie and I go there every day.

Speaking of my sidebar...did you notice my new mug shot. My previous one was 2 years old and I thought it was time to update my face.....I need to install my Photoshop program...pronto!

RAK....Random Act of Kindness....I'll be paying it forward this week. I hope my under the radar friend will be pleased! In the meantime...go pay a visit to Marie...she will welcome you with open arms!

Thanks Marie...I am blessed by your friendship.

xoxo

Joyce