3D Loot Crate gift box

I was going through photos on my phone and realized that I never posted about the gift box I created for J’s birthday. The major gift he was getting from us and his uncle was a subscription to Loot Crate. Since there was nothing physical to give at that point, we thought a coupon of sorts would be in order. Loot CrateThen the wheels started turning and I thought how about a 3D crate that he could keep as a memento on a shelf as well. A physical reminder of the subscription.

I started with black foam core cutting it down to create the box.Loot Crate

Next I stamped a wood plank rubber stamp on the back side of a cereal box with Staz-on ink.Loot Crate

I then used walnut ink and watered down acrylic paint to make the cardboard appear as wood.Loot Crate

After assembly I added more light stamping for a distressed appearance. I wanted to make it look as if that crate had traveled the world. Loot Crate

It was a fun little project and had much more impact than a plain old coupon.

Loot Crate

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T Tuesday: chaos continues edition

Hello…thank you for continuing to visit my blog each week especially since my posts have become weekly…nowhere even close to daily as I would like. Evidently I am in a season of life that has me focused outward instead of inward. My mom is having some health issues so between her flurry of appts and my own children throwing curve balls at me…I’ve been in clinics, hospitals and ER’s more often than not lately. I’m feeling a bit run down myself today to be honest. Running on adrenaline will eventually cause you to crash. Never the less I am here. I am not even going to pretend that I am going to make it around to everyone this week…or even perhaps next. Sorry about that.

Anyway…enough of those things that are out of my control…and on with the post.

I took a bit of time yesterday to prep a new art journal and actually work in it. It was so much fun to create. I know I’ve said that dozens of times but it is always true! 

Playing with layers and getting the pages soaking wet to watch the color bleed has been very therapeutic in some strange way.

Since Spring is officially here it’s past time to think about starting my seeds.  Over the weekend Mr. G came up with a plan to enclose the plant cart since we purchased a new full spectrum light. Evidently some of the light is UV and will damage eyes.  We honestly weren’t as concerned about our eyes as big, dumb Marvin. The plant cart is a favorite perch and in addition he has a love affair with plastic. Guess what!?! I keep my seedlings in a big plastic tote. We were afraid of Marvin going blind from the UV light as he obsessively licked the plastic tote. Not even kidding.

It’s not the prettiest thing but it will keep all the eyeballs safe and still grow plants. The side facing the outdoors is removable so I can let the plants get natural light during the day and of course be able to water and monitor their progress. I promise I’ll share more once I actually get the seeds started.

Tuesday holds a pre-op appt for mom and something fun..lunch with some girlfriends. Super excited to see those girls!

As I’m writing this I hear lots of birds outside…I look and there is a flock of robins. I quickly snapped a photo and was able to distinguish 7 but honestly I counted at least 20 out there within my sight. I guess the robins have decided that Spring is here as well!

What are you doing today?

T stands for Tuesday

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T Tuesday: so many things edition

Today for T stands for Tuesday I have a whole mess of things to talk about….now where do I start?!

Last week J got his braces off after nearly 4 years!! He looks so different…so grown up!! My friend Sandy sent him a care package of gooey sticky items for his indulgence after so long of abstaining. Thankfully he is my moderation kid and the treats will last a good long time.

I’ve continued to work on sorting and purging and reorganizing in several areas of the house since I had to move my sewing area to make room for the treadmill.  It went from this…

to this…

I love that I can walk/run anytime I want but have to admit that not having my sewing machine set up all the time is really going to cramp my creative style. I sew all the time!!!!! Eventually I will figure this out.  A temporary, easy set up station of some sort.

I finished everyone’s taxes just a few hours ago so I can mark that off my list. What a relief to have that chore done.

Let’s see what else….

I have taken some time to create a couple art journal pages in the midst of organizing. Neither are my favorites but its all about the process at times.

EDIT: I’m linking up with Art Journal Journey for this first journal page as suggested. Thanks Susi!

Art Journal Journey

I realizing that I’m missing using old books for my journals. I guess it’s my art ADD. I was so completely sold on loose leaf until…I wasn’t.  And so it goes.

The kids were really hoping for a snow day Monday morning…wouldn’t that be a wonderful gift after “springing forward” for Daylight Savings Time?!?  No such luck. The street was plowed curb to curb when I got up at 5:30 (the old 4:30)…ugh. That was fine with me I had plenty of items on my list to keep me busy…such as shoveling.

Check that one off the list. It actually ended up to be a beautiful sunny day. Even though the temps never crested the freezing point…the suns rays are warm enough to melt snow.

In addition to sorting my crafting life, I’m also doing a bit of sorting of old paperwork and junk…basically trying to find space for things that are actually important.

Buried at the back of the bottom filing cabinet drawer was a stack of DVDs. I honestly couldn’t even remember getting these…until I started watching them. OH my gosh!! So much fun to see the house I grew up in…relatives that have passed on….how awkward we all were in front of a first generation VHS camera.

One of our relatives was tech savvy back in the day and bought himself a video camera. He brought it to family functions to record them for posterity. At the time I was kind of mortified but now am so thankful for these recordings. I got so see and hear my dad again!  It was a little sad watching these videos but at the same time a gift. Seeing and hearing all the people that have passed on. Getting to show my kids a mini walk thorough of my childhood home. Having them laugh at me being young but still having the same mannerisms as I do now. Even better…seeing the exact same reaction from me as Mini-me has in the same situation. Laughter to tears and back again. So thankful for these awkwardly funny memories.

Tuesday holds errands and a couple appts as well as a college fair at the high school in the evening for us.

What are you doing today?

T stands for Tuesday

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T Tuesday: upgrades continue edition

As I continue to recover from a neck/shoulder issue…which incidentally is doing much better… *quickly knocks on wood* …work has slowly progressed on the crafty zone. Over the weekend Mr. G replaced this old florescent fixture over my workspace

with a new energy efficient and natural daylight color LED fixture.

It not only gives me better light but really cleans up the space.

As you can see I haven’t only spent time cleaning and organizing…I’ve been doing a bit of creating as well. I just can’t help myself. There are currently two work in progress pieces on my desk.

Tuesday has an afternoon appt and a giant pile of paperwork to complete on my desk since I’ve been pretty much avoiding the computer for going on two weeks! Although it has seemed to help.

What are you doing today?

T stands for Tuesday

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A second look: memorial paper bag book
Second on the 2nd
This month for Second on the 2nd I’d like to share a handmade book that actually came up in conversation just last week. As I went searching through my blog for the post I was so surprised at how many years had passed. Over the years I’ve made at least 20 of these paper bag books. Every single one was different. The ones I had the most fun with were when I knew the recipient and could tailor it for them in particular. Now that being said, I didn’t actually know my friends uncle but she had told me so many stories and memories of him that I think I did a pretty good job of channeling that into the book. Plus I’ve known a couple authentic cowboys in my lifetime.
Take a look….
3/14/2011
I got a call this morning asking if I’d want to make a custom paper bag book that would be at a memorial service. My friend Sandy explained that her uncle had been a real Montana cowboy if there ever was one. A simple man who spent his whole life being a cowboy…working cattle and horses…riding the rodeo…
I was touched that her mom had requested one of these books for her brother’s service. I got to work immediately since time is of the essence. She told me I could share the photos of the book.
There are lots of tags as well as some vintage postcards from Montana tucked into the pockets. Plenty of space for friends and family to write little notes, tell stories or simply sign their name.

 

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Larger than life

Just a quick post with my latest art journal page. I’ve got some neck/shoulder issues going on so sitting at the computer or sitting in general too long is very painful…so bear with me.

I was inspired by the new theme of Out and About over at Art Journal Journey this morning. I hadn’t even intended on doing anything creative today. Once I saw my neat as a pin work space I knew I just had to make a mess. :)

I didn’t have a plan as usual. I just knew I wanted to make a loose leaf page. It all started to fall into place for me as I added more media. The stacked paper and button flowers were not at all what I was going to use but my drawn and painted one just didn’t look like I wanted. Now I glad it didn’t. I like the whimsical touch these add. Since they seemed a bit oversized the words I found were perfect.

I made a bunch of paper pieced embellishments at craft club on Saturday evening. It’s a fun get together where we all bring our own thing to do and get to craft with friends. Now I have a stash for later projects.

Linking up with Art Journal Journey today.

Art Journal Journey

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T Tuesday: new chapters edition

Welcome to T stands for Tuesday…grab a cup and stay a while.

Last week I had a scheduled post as the boy and I were on a college visit. It was a dreary day but we enjoyed our time on campus very much.

As we were eating lunch in the dining hall, J said “I could see myself going here.” That’s good sign. This of course was just the first of several visits to different colleges that we plan to see. It’s a tiny very rural college, in fact they have a horse barn so students can stable their horse if they like. I can’t even make that up! It feels as if you are driving to the middle of nowhere. This thought had me giggling when we opened the info packet. The slogan on their brochure was “Welcome to the middle of somewhere”. Very clever!!

The other thing I mentioned in last weeks post was that I was getting a new washing machine…here it is! I’m super happy with it so far. I’ve been working at rearranging and purging a bit in my laundry room/craft room first in preparation and now after the fact.

Here’s a work in progress shot. So much stuff and so little space! Time to make some difficult decisions.

Two bags of books and a box of misc was easier than I thought to get rid of. I also threw away half a bag of random bits and pieces that weren’t worth donating and brought a small stack of papers and supplies to my crafty neighbor to share with her extended craft circle.

Ah yes…looking better! But now we just learned that my in-laws want to give us their treadmill….that means my sew table will have to be taken down and all my sewing supplies will need to find a new home…somewhere. It seems that my quest of organization and pairing down has only just begun.

I have done some crafting and a bit of art journaling. My latest journal page is in the previous post. I’ll share my crafty bits I made at craft club in another post.

That’s it for now. I have some errands to run today including a trip to Goodwill with my donations.

What are you doing today?

T stands for Tuesday

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