Rack and Roll

Thursday I picked up these babies!

The storage capacity!

The wheels!

The color!

I called my Dad; asked him if he wanted to go for a road trip; picked him up from the Anderson Island ferry; and we headed to Aberdeen. And yes, it was the rainiest, soggiest, coldest day of the week! But Lisa of Seaworthy Home and her husband Steve helped us load them into the truck, lickity split. On our way out of town we checked out the Grand Heron. Beautiful store, but we were so distracted by hunger, cold and feeling like drowned rats that we couldn't give it the attention it deserved. But pop in if you are in Aberdeen!

All in all, it was a terrific road trip. I don't spend near enough time with my Dad, so it was a real treat to have him all to myself for a day...and he bought me lunch!

Can't wait to put these racks to work!

New Beginnings

I spent Monday setting up my new little space at Town Hall Antique Mall at Country Village in Bothell.

It was good medicine. Creating, arranging, visiting.

Sam only had a 6' x 4' case available...but I was ready to take the plunge.

Plus, I welcomed the challenge of working in a small space...it is after all for Lisa's Little House!

Ta Da!

And I made a sale while I was setting up. A fine start to a new adventure.

I am really excited about this new chapter.

And I have been so welcomed by the folks there already; like I am one of the family.

 And that means the world to me.

A year ago today...

...my step-dad of nearly 40 years passed away. I can't believe it. Some days it feels like yesterday.

Rod fell head over heels in love with my mom and wasn't a bit daunted by the fact that she had two little kids, 7 and 5 years old. He was still head over heels in love with her on the day he died. He told her so that day, like he did everyday. Important lesson here. Tell people you love them; every chance you get.

We tell stories; we always have as a family. We reminisce...a lot. We have so many stories to tell Henry, the first grandchild, when he gets here in May. He will never meet his grandpa, but he will know him. He will know what a practical joker he was, how much he loved books and learning and how much his family meant to him.

Mom is doing good. She recently drove herself to Salem, Oregon for a visit with my in-laws. A very big and brave step for her. Ophelia is getting ready for her first wedding anniversary and Henry's birth. I have been working on this junking business of mine and reconnecting to my home and garden.

We are adjusting to our new 'normal'. But still missing him so.

But I hope that Rod would be proud of 'his girls'...

Fat Book Swap

My page front and back

I really love swaps! For me, it is a super good excuse to create AND I have a deadline. Without a deadline, I would be lost! But that is another story for another day.
Last Saturday our monthly Artist Trading Card (ATC) group met at the Urban Scrapbooker in Edmonds and traded ATC's and then 9 of us stayed and swapped our Fat Book pages. After the pages are collected we bind them up however we like and enjoy!
In the past we have done a Halloween Fat Book and a Winter Fat Book. Of course, I loved the House theme! I used metal tape measure for my roof and red twig dogwood from my garden for my tree. I had picked up some mini-picket fence at St. Vinnie's on my last visit to Mom's so I wrapped some green wired stuff around the pickets and added some pink wired stuff for blooms. The back is an aeronatical map of the Puget Sound region, just because this is my home!

Lisa R & Caroline C side 1

Caroline C & Lisa R side 2

Cheryl H & Joanne C side 1

Cheryl H & Joanne C side 2

Linda B & Jane K side 1

Linda B & Jane K side 2

Nan did a pop-up page

The pages are best with lots of 3-dimensional detail. That makes them nice and Fat! And even though everyone's style is so different, as a book it all works due to the common thread of the theme. Now I need to work on my cover and get these babies bound up.
I love the pages I received in return; a little slice of Home from my swapping buddies.

The Curious Nest

It started with this darling necklace. Andrea Savar, proprietress of The Curious Nest in Seattle, posted this limited edition necklace as a fundraiser for Japan on her blog. Loved the cherry blossom bling and the worthy cause...so Friday, Ophelia and I took a drive to her shop. Oh my goodness. I have always loved Andrea and her vintage French pretties and she has outdone herself with this cozy 'nest' of a shop. It is filled with vintage French goodness along with Andrea's own jewerly line, Debbie Savar's (her mom) original paintings and various other local artist's work. It is a happy place with something for everyone.

One of Debbie's paintings...the detail and colors are beautiful.

Beads, baubles, boxes! Paper, pillows, paintings!

Andrea also carries The Salvage Studio book...so I autographed all she had...fun! And then I saw goodies by Laurie Cinotto of LaLaLaurie and Hazel's Vintage Pretties sachets from Katie Galbraith. It was like attending a party and some unexpected friends showed up.

"Urban Nests" for Urban Birds
Colorful nests filled with found objects.

Metal Star

And I loved these colorful creations from Kim Groff-Harrington.

Some vintage jewelry pieces from Miriam Haskell and some glass goodies.

And of course I had to pick up some treasures. Some will be used for my May Day Charm. I haven't decided what yet!

Beautiful birdcages filled to the brim!

It is hard to take a photo of a window display...but look at all the goodness inside!

Thank you Andrea, for your warm greeting, your beautiful Cherry Blossom Necklace fundraiser and creating a cozy 'nest' for us to visit!

Flowers for you...a tutorial!

I made these darling Button Flower Bouquets for my fellow Dream Girl attendees...and wanted to share them with you, too!

Supplies you will need:

Buttons!

Wire (22 or 24 gauge)

(or whatever you have that can bend easy)

Skewer or small dowel

Scissors

Wire cutters

Floral tape

Ribbon

 

Wrap wire around skewer and then clip to desired length for stamens...about 1 inch.

Cut piece of wire for stem about 6-8 inches long. Bend in half and insert into buttons starting with button you want on top. Before you cinch down and twist add curved stamen wire. Twist tight.

Gather your button flowers and wrap with floral tape. Trim bottom wires flush.

Wrap with ribbon starting at the top of the stem leaving a tail. Wrap to the bottom and come back up and tie the ribbon to the top tail. Trim ribbon.

Now you have a beautiful Button Flower Bouquet to give as a gift, pin on your lapel or tuck in a special place to bring a smile to your face every time you see it!

May Day Charm Swap On-line...care to join me?

 

After reading Rochelle's comment ("LOVE THIS IDEA!! Too bad nothing like that near me....boo hoo!") on my most recent Charm Swap experience, I decided to host one on-line! Sound fun? I know!

Announcing a May Day Charm Swap!

Create 12 charms to swap.

• No larger than 1-1/2 inches
• Not too heavy
• Waterproof
• Can be metal, wood, fabric, glass, you name it.
• A May Day theme is encouraged but optional for your charm...because everything goes with flowers!

Mail to me so I receive by April 22. Please include $2 for shipping and handling.

I will divy them up and get back to you by May Day (May 1) along with some of my personal treasures as a thank you for participating!

To keep my sanity intact (whatever!) I am going to limit this first swap to 12 'charming' people. Leave me a comment and your contact information on this post if you are interested and I will get back to you with all the details.

It doesn't matter if you are new to charm making or a seasoned professional, just give it a try! And don't stress...it is supposed to be fun. Fun to make and super-fun to receive!

Looking forward to hearing from you!