Thursday, May 31, 2012

Celebrations: a blue mother’s day

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I don’t think I mentioned that I had a blue Mother’s Day. Blue as in accent color.


My brother gave me this pretty dish. I love it!


And my mom saved this cobalt blue water bottle so I could make something out of it. I wanted the bottle to match the swirls of my new glass dish, so I put a few drops of blue and white paint in the bottle, added a little water and swirled it around. It’s a borderline craft fail – not exactly what I had in mind. But is still looks pretty with the dish.


Here’s a better photo of the swirls but the actual color is closer to the photo above this one. It’s amazing how glass changes color depending on the lighting. I took dozens of photos and the color is different in each one.


And while we were celebrating Mother’s Day at my parent’s house, I spied this beautiful bowl outside on their deck. It was once a centerpiece with three large orchid plants in it. My mom didn’t want it anymore so this came home with me too. The bowl is huge, it could hold at least a dozen-plus apples if I use it as a fruit bowl.



Blog Blue Glass
I already have blue accent pieces in my living room, so I created a few mood boards to incorporate my new blue goodies. 

Blog Blue Glass-001I thoroughly enjoyed my “blue” Mother’s Day!


Thanks for visiting.

Carolyn


I link at the wonderful parties listed here and 
UndertheTableandDreaming Tip Junkie handmade projects Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Inkling: french flair paper

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Jolee’s Boutique® {EK Success Brands} has done it again – they’ve partnered with French General, a Los Angeles-based boutique that specializes in French fabrics, buttons and baubles. The result is a collection of paper crafting embellishments that will make you feel like you wandered into a vintage notions shop.


I received a sampling of the new goodies and this was the label on the packaging. They had me at “vintage” and “old world charm”.



EK Success French PaperHere are a few of the items that are in the line and that I received. So fun – cameos, buttons, labels, ribbons and more.


I sat and stared at all the embellishments for quite awhile. I’m not a scrapbooker and layering the bits and pieces and putting them together was challenging for me. What I did figure out quickly is that the products all go together and so you really can’t make a mistake. It’s just a matter of what you want to create and how you want to put them together.


I made some hang tags that I’ll use to identify supplies in my craft boxes. 


Most of the fabric sheets and labels have adhesive backs. Just peel and stick.


I also cut some of the labels and ephemera to cover some match boxes.
[ephemera: items designed to be useful or important for only a short time; pamphlets, notices, tickets, postcards, or labels that become collectible]

 

The collection is also perfect to create beautiful gift wrap and packing.


How fun would these be to use for a French vintage-themed wedding? ooh la la!


My favorite embellishments are the little cameos – so tres chic!


If you’re interested in this collection, the line is available on the EK Success Brands website, and Michaels stores in June. 

Thank you EK Success Brands for the wonderful opportunity to play with this beautiful line of Inspiration Francaise.



Thanks for visiting.

Carolyn

I received samples from EK Success Brands but was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.



I link at the wonderful parties listed here and 
UndertheTableandDreaming Tip Junkie handmade projects Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket 

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Inspiration Board: link party [52]

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Welcome to the Inspiration Board link party. I can’t believe it’s party #52 – one year of the Inspiration Board. I remember my first few parties when I was so worried that no one would link up. Well, 52 parties later and I’m still amazed that you all stop by and share your beautiful projects. Whether it’s your first time here or you’ve been visiting frequently, I can’t thank you enough.

Enjoy the party!  I’ll be going through the projects and featuring some in the spotlight on Friday.


A few rules:
  • Link up your own project - something you created, made, did, etc.
  • Link to a specific post, not your blog home page
  • [No shops or giveaways –  I have a new Link Party just for giveaways – see the Giveaway Link Party tab at the top of the page.]
  • Grab a “homework” button and include it somewhere on the post you’re linking, on your home page or a page of link parties. Or, if you prefer, add a text link.
  • Follow homework.  You’ll find the “Follow via Google Friend Connect” gadget on the right sidebar.
  • Please visit the other links that intrigue you and make someone smile with a comment or two.

I’m ready to be inspired - don’t forget to add my button somewhere on your blog. Spreading the word helps bring more visitors to your linked project.

homework
Want to host your own link party? Click here to sign up for InLinkz

Monday, May 28, 2012

Etceteras: pausing for spring

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It's Memorial Day here in the United States. A day that we remember the men and women who died while serving our country.
 Since it's a holiday here, I thought I'd share some pictures and pause to reflect on the day and enjoy the season.

I was noticing {and thoroughly enjoying} the sprinkling of summer projects that I’m starting to see around the various blogs and creative sites. Shell, nautical and beachy creativity is always so inspiring.

Even though Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial start of summer, I thought I should take time to enjoy spring. Here are some of the pictures from my yard that I snapped that say spring to me.


Bursts of color like these blue flowers are always a welcome sight after winter.


A ladybug enjoying the afternoon sun in one of my succulents.


Bright red geraniums make me happy.


Nothing says spring like butterflies in your garden.


Hip hip hooray! My first tomato!


Spring Photos
A baby blue jay perched on the trellis and finding a little meal.


Lemon buds… hopefully a bounty of lemons will follow.



A sweet little baby bird waiting for mama bird.

I hope you're enjoying the beauty of spring. Thanks for visiting.


*********************************
And, 
if you are remembering someone today, feel free to write about them in the comment section so we can all know about your special person.

**********************************
Carolyn



I link at the wonderful parties listed here and 

UndertheTableandDreaming Tip Junkie handmade projects Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket