Ice, Ice Baby!

Hello, Happy Sunday and Welcome to the Farm! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that all are looking forward to a very happy New Year.

Now that most of us are settling back into a normal (snort, snort, NORMAL?) routine, we're getting back to some of those things we've been neglecting in order to get ready for our holidays. One of the things I'll be doing is going to a hockey game. I **HEART** HOCKEY!

Although I hate the cold outside, for some strange reason it seems to be entirely different when it's cold inside and there are two teams going at it on the ice. There is no feeling of cold, just the feeling of anticipation of what will happen next. Which team will be able to shoot the puck, make the next goal, wave their stick for success? How many fans are screaming, cheering, booing and jeering? Terms like icing, slapshot, blue line, hat-trick, high stick and hip-checking (not to be confused with the very common "breaking a hip") are thrown out like crazy, as each and every fan wants to see something different from their team of choice. OR, we just want to see them cream the other team. (Oh, did I say that out loud? Oops, my bad...)

We hockey fans get wound up worse than a cuckoo clock that won't shut up and WE LOVE IT. There's nothing like a goalie making a save, a defenseman making a great pass to a fellow defenseman, watching a power play and seeing those jerseyed players skating around like they own the ice. There's also nothing like people looking at you strangely when they see you tying your husband to the seat so he can't get up and yell (aka...getting in your way because you're short). The emotion and the anticipation are uncomparable to anything I've ever seen.

Keeping in mind that I like the game just a little (hee hee hee), I made this card for a masculine card swap that I participated in with my monthly card swap group. Did I mention that I like hockey?

Cardstock (Barnwood Solitude Blue) by Pebbles, Inc.; Pattern paper by unknown source; Stamp Set (D1233 Power Play) by CTMH; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko; Memento Danube Blue Ink by Tsukineko.

Viva La Veterans!

Hello everyone and Happy Saturday! Although I try to typically post on Sundays (just for my own sanity's continuity and no other reason), I really wanted to do a salute to our veterans, who have so long protected our country at whatever the cost may be.

I just so happen to have a veteran in my family; my big brother Tim. Or, as I call him still, Timmy. :) He has been my personal hero my entire life and I am proud to call him my brother. His service, as well as all of the other veterans who have, do and will work for our country, sometimes came with a price tag attached. In many personal, professional, emotional, intricate ways, our veterans have given up so much for us to be able to keep our freedom, without us even having to bat an eye. There is no cost for us; just our veterans and their families.

In my brother's case, one of his greatest personal costs was when he was not at home when our mother passed away. She had not been ill, and no one expected anything like this to ever happen; still, 26 years later, I cannot help but feel sad when I think of how he must have felt when the Red Cross had to find him out in the middle of an ocean to tell him of this news. I am breaking into tears as I write this, not only for him and the loss he suffered, as he and our mother were close, but for our mother to have had to miss out on a terrific son. I remember when he arrived; I remember how sad he was; I remember how strong he tried to be for the other three of us (we have a brother, Craig, and a sister, Mary); I remember him driving us to the funeral home the day of the funeral and him sticking his arm out the window to touch another car hood as we were driving (the lanes are soooo close together) and he was singing the then AT&T jingle of "Reach Out, Reach Out and Touch Someone" to make us laugh so we could handle the rest of the day. I remember someone pulling out in front of him in horrible traffic and him calling them a "boodiehead" which still cracks me up to this day. I remember like yesterday when he was getting back on the plane to go back out to sea and he put his sailor hat on my head. It was a time of no words; we had just said our final goodbyes to our mother and he had to go back to carry on his country's duty. He went, and I was so sad and so proud at the same time. He probably doesn't remember this, but I do. And I still have the hat. :) And I still say boodiehead. :)

Tim has always held a special place in my heart; not only is he my big brother, but he's so caring. Ok, I know he probably won't agree with that because he's always telling me it's time to send me back to the adoption agency but, really, underneath, he is. I think. Well, come to think of it, he DID eat my ho hos one time, so maybe not. Hmmm...might just have to rethink this whole being nice to my brother thing. Guess I should have thought this through just a tad bit more. hahahahaha

Really, I have very fond memories of my brother, who thankfully is one of the good guys still. I can remember very early days of him protecting me, feeding me, talking to me, taking care of me, and just being there. He even came all the way to my apartment from his house (which was a bit of a drive) to vacuum for me after I had my neck surgery and couldn't do it myself. HA! How can a brother be mean and still do that?

I did this layout one day several years ago while sitting back and reflecting on some personal moments. I hope it does justice.

While I've always been appreciative of my big brother and have loved him beyond words, I am also very proud that he chose to serve our country, along with many other men and women. They have all given something, and I hope we all have been able to learn from them, appreciate them, and most of all, support them. They are why we are free.

Card stock by Stampin' UP; Metal embellishments by Memory Makers; 3d embellishments by K & Company; Ink by D.O.T.S.

Boo-ya!

Hello, Happy Sunday, and Welcome to the Farm! This is the strangest time of year for me...kind of warm during the day but cold at night. I just never know how to dress; wish I could stay in my jammies all day. There's just nothing better than jammies...and hot chai tea...and a nice comfy blankie...and a good day in the craft room. Ahhhh, my favorite kind of day!

I've had a lot of those jammie days over the last couple of months (minus the crafting part) and, while laying around looking pitiful between naps, have had the time to think about projects I would like to work on. Of course, there haven't been very many done, but I'm trying to rectify that now. :)

Recently, I received a WONDULOUS (wonder and fabulous combined to form a really cool new word here!) Halloween goody box from Margaret, a fellow Two Peas swapper. Oh my gosh, I cannot BEGIN to tell you everything that was in that box, but suffice it to say I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it all! As a small and personal "thank you" to Margaret, I have crafted this "BOO" saying for her. It isn't much compared to all the funderful (fun and wonderful combined to form another really cool new word here!) things I received from her, but I made it specifically with Margaret in mind and it comes from my heart of hearts. I truly hope she likes it! There's just nothing like receiving heart-made (heartfelt and hand-made combined to, you got it, make another really cool word here!) gifts to make your day just a little better!

This particular craft gift was relatively simple to do, but did take time for the paint and Mod Podge to dry. Basically, I took raw wooden letters and painted them; adhered pattern paper with Mod Podge; sanded and inked the edges; applied Mod Podge over the top to protect from dampness; and adhered medallions and buttons.

Fun, colorful, Halloweeny, and I did most of it while in my jammies. Try it!

Wooden letters from Darice; Craft Smart orange acrylic paint and Mod Podge Matte-Mat from Plaid Enterprises; Double sided cardstock from Heidi Grace Designs (Jeepers Creepers/Words Decor); Shimmer glitter paper from Heidi Grace Designs (Tangled Web); Sparkle cardstock (Witches Brew) from Cloud 9 Design; StazOn Jet Black solvent ink by Tsukineko; Buttons on medallions by Doodlebug Design; Spider buttons from Blumenthal Lansing; Miscellaneous buttons.

Coffin Up Some More

Happy Second Day of October and Welcome to the Farm! We're having an awesome Indian Summer here, and I am enjoying it as much as I can. Mr. Scrappin is working around the farm, Toby is doing his dog thing, and I am in my craft room (when I'm not resting). What a nice, relaxing weekend. I hope you are all having a great weekend as well.

October is here and, with it, comes the beginning rush of trying to get some pre-holiday crafting accomplished. Whether it's Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas, we all want to get our ducks in a row and get done what we can. Today, I was working on finishing up another coffin for Halloween. This one is larger than the two previous ones, THANKS KELLEYLO FOR TURNING ME ON TO IT AND SENDING IT TO ME and it was a lot of fun to see if I could come up with something different. Well, I tried...and failed. BUT, it's all good since I still like the outcome of my project. I actually ran across a blog from Linda McClain titled Catered Crop and fell in love with the crackle coffin she had done. I loved it so much I was drooling. Sorry, I know you don't want to hear that, but it was seriously awesome!

Alas, my project did not turn out in the least like hers. I guess I need more practice with the crackle medium. In my defense, I had never used it before and was a little afraid of it, but that's ok, I'll be better next time. I think what went wrong was that my craft room was quite warm and it completely dried the medium before I got back to it. The end result is that I don't have the awesome crackle that attracted me to Linda's coffin (ooh, that sounds kind of morbid, huh), but I still have a project I'm happy with.

After I took the hardware off of my coffin (this is just so much easier than trying to go around it), I painted it with two coats of black acrylic paint. I only used two because I kind of have a light hand and some of the raw wood still wanted to show through. After that was thoroughly dry, I applied a coat of the crackle medium. My intent was to get back to it while it was tacky, but not dried completely, so that the medium would cause my top coat of paint to crackle. Unfortunately, it was too dry and didn't produce the result I was looking for. At any rate, I still applied my top coat of acrylic paint, which was purple. While I didn't get quite the great crackle I was looking for, I did get a slight crackle and weathered look, which I am still happy with. Next time I'll know that I need to get into my warm room a little quicker for the medium to work correctly. :)

While my project was drying and "weathering," I attempted to make a medallion. I have attempted it before, with no success, but this time I DID IT! Yay me! hahahaha I have the dexterity of Frankenstein trying to crack an egg, so this was a major success for me. Woo hoo! If you have never done a medallion before, there is a great instructional video Making Accordion Fold Paper Medallions by spottedcanary that is super easy to follow. Try it, it's really fun!

Once everything was dried and put together, I put the hardware back on my BIG coffin and put my embellies on. And presto, it's done.

For the coffin, I used: Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint in colors Black and Eggplant and Delta Ceramcoat Crackle.

For the medallion, I used: Double sided cardstock (Jeepers Creepers/Words Decor) from Heidi Grace Designs; Shimmer glitter paper (Tangled Web) from Heidi Grace Designs; Sparkle cardstock (Witches Brew) from Cloud 9 Design; Lavender bat button from Doodlebug Designs.

Ribbon and Halloween "Boo" and bat buttons I've had in my stash and cannot remember where they came from.

If you're looking for a fun, quick project for your Halloween holiday, consider having someone over and have them help you Coffin Up Some More. Enjoy!

Altered Halloween Coffin

Hello! Happy Monday (make that Happy Thank Goodness It's Over Monday!) Hope everyone had a great weekend and that the week to come is a good one. :) Fall is in the air, the weather is getting cooler in the evening, colors abound, and everything is changing.

When colors change and things get a little chillier outside, I start thinking toward the upcoming holidays. Halloween, with all the little ghosts and goblins making their annual treks to the neighbors for sweet treats, is the first of the holidays on the schedule. Candy is bought, parties are arranged, costumes are made, and little people everywhere start getting excited to dress up. Wow, can it be that time already? Yes! Now, to steal the candy from the kids and not get caught; that is MY goal for Halloween. Shhh, don't tell, I don't want them to know I'm coming.

Along with all the preparations for the fun, us crafters like to get our projects out to celebrate the holiday. Witches, bats, ghosts, Frankenstein; you name it, there's a decoration for it. The decoration I'm sharing with you today is an altered coffin (actually, two altered coffins, if you want to be technical). Yes, you read that right, a coffin. A plain little inexpensive wooden coffin that can be found at just about any craft store this time of year. It can be dolled up just about any way you like: paint, paper, marker, etc.

It just so happens that with my two coffins, I painted and used Halloween paper and doodads. (Doodads is the official name of things that cannot be described any other way, in case you're wondering.) I spent a quiet Saturday in my craft room getting these coffins together. And, for once, I got smart and actually took the hardware off of them BEFORE I started on the altering part. Wow, who'd a thunk it? Me...actually doing something the easy way...well, I guess there's a first time for everything.

For both coffins, I used Making Memories Scrapbook Paint in Monarch.

For the "ghost" coffin, I used double sided cardstock from Heidi Grace Designs (Jeepers Creepers/Words Decor)to line the inside and to cover the top. The ghost die cut is from My Mind's Eye. Ribbon from American Crafts. "Boo" word and ghost buttons I have had a long time and do not know where I got them. I'm sure something similar could be found at any local craft store.

For the "spider" coffin, I used sparkle cardstock (Witches Brew) from Cloud 9 Design and shimmer glitter paper from Heidi Grace Designs (Tangled Web). Spider buttons are from Blumenthal Lansing. The black "ribbon" around the bottom of the coffin is actually a roller skate shoelace that I found laying around. "Boo" word and checkered button I have had a long time and do not know where I got them. Again, I'm sure something similar could be found at any local craft store.

As Halloween nears, be sure to find that perfect costume, get out those awesome scary recipes, and start coffin up the fun!