Yeah, Baby!!

Some dear friends just had their second child, so I wanted to make a card. Baby girl, but I wasn't in the mood for pink or even purple. Started digging in my ribbon stash, and pulled out this fun design I'd picked up at Michael's. Loved it, but hadn't found the right project for it. Love the results!

I started with the brown base layer, and computer generated the sentiment (MA Sexy font). The pale blue layer is Bazzill Bling, embossed with the Ellison Daisies plate. Baby (Stampsmith) is stamped with Versamagic ink (pink grapefruit). Accented with two primas and some pearl brads, and we're good to go!

Room Update

The past few days have been very productive - the handles are on (after some re-working, as neither of the two existing hole sets were a standard size), shelves and drawers are all lined (using leftover contact paper from the kitchen), countertop is up, and I'll be able to start reloading today! My hubby added a very fun detail for me, too. We have baseboard heat, so had to install the base cabinet a few inches off of the wall. It looked a little strange, and my DH had the great idea to hang a 2x4 along the wall, just under the back of the countertop. It helps support the countertop, and it's great storage for embellishments! I was originally planning to paint the board, but decided to mod podge some papers on instead. Very cute result, and super simple (papers from MAMBI vintage collection). We still need to do the upper shelves; I'll be spray painting those today.

Total cost of the project (paint, knobs, countertop) was just under $150. Not super cheap, but I'm soooooo happy with the results! I'll definitely be posting more pics soon.

Insomnia = Creative Time

I don't know what was wrong with me last night, but I went to bed and just laid there, totally wide awake. Decided I might as well get up, rather than tossing and turning (and definitely didn't want to wake my hubby up!!). Considered doing something crazy like scrubbing down the kitchen, but papercrafting won out...

I'd come across this little sign as I was cleaning, and thought I'd transform it into something for my revamped stamping space. I used chipboard letters (Maya Road), and covered them with BasicGrey Perhaps paper; I used a plain old glue stick to adhere the paper, trimmed it with an X-acto knife, then sanded down the edges (loving the little sanding kit from BasicGrey!) The sign had a soft whitewash, but it just didn't look right with the letters, so I covered it with an Adirondack paint dabber (pebble). I tied on a bit of fiber along the bottom (SU) and accented the knot with the little flower (Doodlebug). I tried a variety of ribbons, Primas, etc. but nothing else looked quite right. Glued everything down (although I used a bit too much, and got some minor seepage around the D) and all set! Back in bed by 1:30, and finally asleep about 2:00.

On a side note, "Tah Dah" is not because I think everything I do is magnificent. When I married, my initials went from TS to TD, and a friend made a joke about how it stood for "Tah Dah!" Well, when I started stamping and was trying to decide how to sign the backs of my cards, that silly joke came to mind and I've been using it ever since!

Wonder...

I couldn't take it anymore - I just had to stamp something!! I pulled out some scraps and made this simple 4 1/4" square card. I love this set that features adorable silhouettes, but had only used it once. It doesn't show well in the photo, but the little girl is looking up at a butterfly.

Images are from Skipping Stones and Autumn Leaves, BasicGrey Perhaps paper, Versamagic inks, ribbon from AMM and picture hanger by SU.

The cabinets are in!!!!!!!

Still not complete by any means, but we're making serious progress!! We should be getting the countertop later this week; that will be 7 foot long so that there will be "open" space for me to work, and the existing shelves that you see in the lower right will be turned against the wall. I have a large rolling Iris cart that will end up living between the bookshelf and the cabinet, and can easily be rolled out of the way if needed. You can also see a bit of my large bookshelf. My hubby built these when we moved into the house, and they go all the way to the ceiling. Of course they were originally for all my books, but those have had to make way for my new passion :) My boxed SU sets and books/magazines are on there, and I'll be doing some serious purging so will end up with even more space available. I'm so stinkin' excited!! I need to do some touch-up painting, cover the shelves and drawers with Contact paper, and then mount the doors and hardware. We're also going to put some open shelves in the space between the upper cabinets, so will have somewhere to display my finished pretties! And lastly, I'll be stowing my seemingly endless stash of alterables (tins, picture frames, bottles, etc) on the top of the cupboards. My hubby thinks I'm crazy and wanted to mount them flush with the ceiling, but I wanted to be able to reach into the cabinets easily (I'm only 5'4"), and really trying to maximize the space.

Any other ideas? Would love to hear your input!

Apparently I rock!!

Well, Denise (check out her new home on blogger, just arrived from Yahoo 360) has honored me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. How fun!! Time to dye my hair, develop an attitude, and practice my pout for the paparazzi...

Anyhoo, I now need to nominate another five rockin' bloggers. So much talent to choose from! So on to five blogs that I haven't previously nominated for some other award.

1. Inking Along
2. Card Creme
3. Kard Krazy
4. Trusting in the Lord for All Things
5. Artful Musings

I promise you that these ladies really rock - hope you're inspired!

RAK

I may not have anything new to share, but I did receive a lovely card from Jacki yesterday. She also included some flowers, handmade paper, fun shaped brads and even several Hambo stamps. How blessed am I to have friends like that?!?

I'm still plugging away on the cabinets - the rain, wind and high humidity has really slowed the process down, but the end is in sight!