Farewell,

goodbye, parting is such sweet sorrow...but it is time to say GOOD-BYE to summer

{doing the silly touch down dance}

I gotta tell you that I am tired of the heat, tired of the high electric bill - cuz the air conditioning has to be on due to the ridiculous heat, over the fighting between 3 kids that seem to have lost

their imaginations...and can't figure out anything to do by themselves...and well just plain

old tired of the dang heat...with that said...we have had a great summer...tons of fun outings and trips and our summer was filled with lots of visits to the ice cream parlor - lots of popsicles eatin' and tons of smoothies, were had in an effort to stay cool....

so to say good bye to our summer ice cream treat days - I thought I would make up this

card in celebration...

I used an image from WHEN THE SCRAP HITS THE FUN which is our sponsor over at

TUESDAY ALCHEMY this week

cute right? and so very fitting....do me a favor and come by and play along with us over at

TUESDAY ALCHEMY - this weeks challenge - is ICE CREAM SOCIAL

 I am linking this up to the following challenge:

tuesday alchemy - ice cream social

one stitch at a time - use a digi

kraftin kimmie - bright colors for summer

the play date cafe - color inspiration

xo

have a crafty week

What I wore....

Today is my sister-in-laws wedding & 4 of my kids are in it. Here's what I wore & my favorite part --- the shoes....

I'll share pics of the kids later....

Have a great weekend. xo

Sew crafty-Pillow

I have always loved sewing projects and I pretty much have NO experience sewing (for real)

I can sew straight stitches easily but never "REALLY" straight...so when I decided to make some NEW

pillow covers for our IKEA accent pillows that sit atop our IKEA couch - I figured I would

just follow the "LOOK" of the old pillow covers---easy right?

I mean it's just a simple pocket envelope style pillow cover with the button closures

cute toile pattern and nice but I was tired of them...so I picked a funky pattern and

with some color in it and tah-dah

here is my new pillow cover....minus the button hole closures - I added velcro instead

I know cheesy and if you don't EXAMINE the sewing construction - it looks pretty

close to the other one right? I am pleased and my hubby loved the new cover

and my kids thought they looked pretty cool too...I need to make one more and then

my couch re-do will be done. I can get "sew"-crafty at times but so long as there is no one

checking the pre-cisness - I am good to go.

(Note to self: sign up for that sewing class once & for all!)

I am linking this up to the following parties:

free style fridays

EBTKS

everybodys creative endeavor

once upon a weekend

a crafty soiree

hookin up with the house of hempworth

have a creative weekend

xo

its OWL good

I mentioned before that I was re-doing my room and I have been hunting down some fun

and different accessory pieces to add to my space and well I wanted to share this one with you.

I found this sweet OWL at an estate sale - for 1.00 and while I am loving it in its true form

it just doesn't go with my color scheme...

so I decided to take out my trusted can of paint (spray paint to be exact)

cute and totally retro piece right?

see what a bit of spray paint will do for something so ordinary...

it makes that piece a bit more EXTRA-ORDINARY

I love this piece now and it goes so well in my space now...

love the texture that this piece has. The spray paint doesn't hide any of the

ware and tear on my sweet owl...

I always have some spray paint on hand for just these types of quick fix ups.

I am linking this up to the following parties:

whatever you want wednesdays

wednesday wowzers

whatever goes wednesdays

handmade - tuesdays

we did it wednesdays

xo

Project Life Tuesday

Oh geez---Life is crazy - can you believe that school starts for my kids in2 weeks?

holy cow - summer went by fast but I gotta tell you that I am a bit happy that

class is back in session soon. I love my kids but keeping them busy is a daily CHORE.

Some days are better then others but I noticed as I was creating my PROJECT LIFE pages

that we DO do a LOT of items -most of the days of most weeks....

here's a peek at my recent weeks

We do our weekly normals - I like to call them...Thursdays I take care of one of my daughters friends for the day and it also happens to be the day we go to the Movies (see upper right corner)

early (9:45 a.m) then usually we go to our friend Darla's house and the kids swim and have lunch

We had a ridiculous heat wave - like 50% humidity - HOT

so we pulled out the Slip and Slide and the kids played in the water

for hours...and then we went up to the mountains and went to the lake there for a

birthday party and again played in the water and of course we hit some antique stores and

bought some fun "OLD" stuff

here is a close up of my trip to the nail salon with a friend of mine and got my summer toes

done. Also, you can see the kids laying out at the community pool - another weekly thing we do

is visit the community pool - keeps them busy for 2 hours and cool...BTW-I swim too...

overall I have realized that we are quite busy...so my fear of not doing much with my kids this summer is no longer a fear - I have proof - Hope you are having a fun summer!

I am linking this up to the following weekly parties....

one-happy-mama

project life tuesday

xo 

pincushions-a new twist

so I must have this small - teensy weency obsession with pin cushions lately...

cuz I made some more.

aren't they sweet? I know this has been done before - it's not like I discovered this on my own

but it was the first time I tried it and with NO tutorial. So I thought I would make one up for you.

But please be aware that this by no means is the RIGHT way or the BEST way to make this...

it is JUST MY way.

so you'll need a small 1.00 frame from Michaels,  

some fabric, some stuffing and a glue gun.

Fist thing I did was cut the frame away from the frame backing...then I glued

on some from around the chipboard frame then I glued around it a bit more until

I formed a pocket and stuft that pocket with stuffing.

 

then finished the sluing around the back then because the frame NO longer fit properly

I glued it in place.

see how sweet - but DONT go looking at the back of the frame - gotta cover that up.

anyway, its a cute idea to add this with some fun sewing supplies and make a great gift for a gal pal.

I am linking this up to the following parties:

the shabby nest

freestyle friday

once upon a weekend

aloha-friday hop

a crafty soiree

strut your stuff thursday

 I'm off to spend the weekend with my hubbs in sunny Santa Barbara.

have a great weekend -

xo



something from nothing

like any real crafter out there I try new things all the time. Some are totally EPIC

and sometimes they are an epic fail. Take for instance these square lavender filled sachets

not sure what I was thinking - they are pretty but didn't really think this idea thru...not really much to them...

and to be totally honest - when I placed them on my table at my last boutique people asked

what are these? Uh, well isn't it obvious? OBVIOUSLY NOT!

So I played with them for a bit and pulled out some other bits and bobs

and decided to repurpose them...leaving the shape the same but adding some fun trim to them.

And check this out - some ribbon, some velcro and some sewing and

some wrist pin cushions that smell terrific...

sewed the ribbon on then sewed on the velcro to make it adjustable 

cute right? and happy to make something from nothing and it turned out better

then the first go around...lovin'em!

here are all three lined up sort of the same but a bit different.

hah--love to be able to make something even BETTER - I am so thrilled and will be sharing this

at the following parties:

the creative spark

whatever goes wednesdays

we did it wednesdays 

wednesday wowzers

overflowing w/ creativity

what I whipped up wednesday

xo

summer girl

silly but do you remember that song from back in the day...

SUMMER GIRL by Dino

I used to love it when I was like in the the 8th grade....

anyway - end of the flash back...

a few days back I blogged about me becoming part of the

TUESDAY ALCHEMY DESIGN TEAM...

{hoot - hoot}

so here is my first card for the T.A.D challenge #23 - buttons

cute image right? it's by ROBYNS FETISH DIGITAL IMAGES...go check it out...

sorry for the blur not sure what the deal-io is...but the card pretty much flows wouldn't you say?

it says summer time to me - the overalls...the paper - the flowers - the button centers...

the red, white & blue....---summer summer girl....

o.k. so why not head on over to TUESDAY ALCHEMY and play along with us.

and be sure to check out the other design team members and see what crafty goodness they came up with.

o.k. here's wishing you a crafty week.

linking this up to the following challenges:

tuesday alchemy - buttons

digital tuesday challenge - all tied up

paper take weekly - all things girlie

xo

the one about lamps

so in order to complete my "CLASSY" bedroom make-over I need to save some money on certain things that I could do myself and splurge a bit more on other things I absolutely couldn't do...such as these lamps.

we have them for about 8 years now and before they didn't really matter much - kind of went with everything - or so I thought. So a quick splash of white spray paint...

and you have a new lamp base

I didn't want to get rid of the lamps because I really liked the shape of them - kind of vintage chic

here she is done....oh yeah bought 2 lamp shades at Ross for 3.99 each...sweet deal!

and here is my lamp on my bedside table...

it looks great wouldn't you say? oh and how cool is that vintage mirror - more about that later...

ok so the room is coming along nicely and I have more to share...

have a crafty week

I am linking this up to the following parties:

market yourself monday

craft-o-maniac

made with love monday

made by you monday

once upon a weekend

aloha friday

xo

Hope you

see you back here Monday with lots of fun sewing projects.

xo

WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE

It's today - It's today - It's today!!!! I am so excited to be participating in this years
WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE --- please click on that link and visit Karen Valentines blog
and check out all the many bloggers that are sharing their studio/craft spaces.

so make sure to grab a cuppa joe - and sit back and check out my space and then head back to
My Desert Cottage and move on to the next space...have fun - this will be going on for a few weeks so have fun. If you like my space leave me a comment or why not FOLLOW me and I'll be right over to follow you back...

Ok on with the show:

please remember that my blog is ONE CRAFTY MESS....hence my space. Is one "REAL" crafty mess...
this is LOLA - she is my $25.00 dress form find from a local thrift store (love her) I made her crown and the apron and I added my collection of rosaries to her neck. After all, any good hostess should be quaintly dressed - dontch'a think?

Here is a full view of my space...it's in the garage and it is about 12 feet long by 6 feet wide - not big but big enough...and what looks like clutter is home to my craft supplies & where I create my goods.

I have a white pottery barn shelf unit that houses some metal baskets and baskets that holds miscellaneous items...a crafty mess - the top of the shelving house my collection of vintage jewelry boxes holding my vintage jewelry and my adhesives and button collection....

this is my second work space and the wall behind it houses my "swapped" art - and art I have created.

Below you will see one of the tables I have that I store my roller drawers - container 1 - houses scrapbooking embellishments, #2 rubber stamps by category, #3 MORE scrapbooking stickers & embellishments. and above there you can see my first work space...

I have 3 walls in my studio and this is the right wall. My husband made me shelf and screwed in some small baby food jars that I added my googly eyes, some baby pearls, some buttons & some other small embellishments...the trays below in silver are fom IKEA and is home to more of my adhesives & my soldering goodies...

{and that name on the paper---well doesn't everyone have a pseudo ROLLER DERBY name picked out?}

Here is a cute vintage white swirly thingy...that I put my bottle of flowers on so I can easily my pick my colors and add them to my projects

Here is my wall of punches - not all the punches I own but the ones that have a deep enough handle to lay and hook onto these "CAFE CURTAIN RODS" clever right??? try it if you have the space.

above my shelf that holds my screwed on baby food jars are my BIG jars of ribbon, some more button jars, & some decoupaged bottles. I love the way the jars each have a different color in them and it kind of looks like candy - better and less fattening.

Here are some cute little shelves that I use to house my glitter salt & pepper shakers and my favorite vintage photos....

Here is my LOLA again and she bids you farewell...

Thanks for stopping by - I get that I could do more to organize & make alot sleeker but I gotta tell you that I like the way may studio is NOW. It's chaotic, cluttered, & colorful --- and that so says ME!!!

I have finally figured it out...it really costs a lot of time and energy trying to make your studio beautiful enough to be in the pages of magazines, it takes way too much money really to get that "Picture perfect" look - so I say do what you can with what you have and just make it your own...

Really you are the one that is creating in that space and you should be comfortable enough in that space to do your best work.

If you are here visiting from the blog hop - I will be on my way to visit your studio...

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you enjoyed your tour..

Have a crafty weekend.

xo

tina

Hot & sweet

I have to admit that I have a bunch of stamp sets that I bought but HAVE not used. Please tell me you do the same thing - buy for future use then never get around to it...UGH!!! I think that is a pre-liminary sign of a future hoarder {let's hope not}anyway so I pulled these stamps out from Papertrey ink - I believe they are Fillable Jars???  anyway they are fun but I think I put my jar together wrong but I love the way the card came out -- what say you?

aren't the colors fun...the base CS is a peachy color. Fun right? and I think it looks hot

with blue & red - kind of country like...I added some punched hearts to the top of the jar so it looked like "My Jar Runneth Over"

I am linking this up to the following challenges:

tuesday throwdown - hot colors

paper take weekly - starwberries & cream

going grey - use something new

have a crafty week

xo

How sweet

oh wow - could my week get any better. My blog is very new here and well I don't have many followers but I was kindly given a bloggy award by the sweet Anastasia from "In the shadows of life"  - it's the sunshine award---

The Sunshine Award is given from bloggers to "bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere."

Okay, so here's how the award works:

First, you should thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them. Next, answer the following questions about yourself. Then, choose 10 of your favorite bloggers and link their blogs to your post. Be sure to let them know that you are nominating them for the award.

Last, be sure to copy and paste the award to your blog! 

 

can you believe that: wow - what a treat! 

 

 

 

ok so now on to the questions:

 

favorite color: green & I do mean all shades of green

favorite number: 3 (not to high not to low)

favorite animal: my sweet dog

facebook or twitter: use facebook most but would love to twitter more

good book or good movie: loving the fifty shades of grey series (sorry)

favorite drink: iced caramel macchiato (only 2 shots)

getting or receiving gifts: not going to lie I love getting gifts but I do love giving my handmade gifts lots too

my passion: paper crafting - heck crafting in general

favorite day: friday - makes me believe there is something to look forward to.

favorite flower: hydrangea--they are just so full and beautiful alive or dry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ok so now to pick 10 other bloggers to get this award...I couldn't possibly do that...I have so many favorites: I just offer this blog award up to anyone who has a blog - anyone who puts forth the time and effort to post and share with the world.

 

have a lovely week & thanks again Anastasia

xo

 

 

some exciting news

I am super thrilled and excited to have been chosen to be a part of

this amazing challenge blog and am looking forward to making some great new friends

who are interested in the same crafty hobby.

Yeah!!!

stay tuned for some fun and exciting proejcts ---{high fiving myself}

xo

a little taste

of something I have been anxiously waiting to do for sometime now.

it's a taste of my "NEW grown up room" we have always done the kids

room and the kitchen first (& more than once, I might add) and left OUR master bedroom to flounder and look a bit less than done. So we finally got our king bed and I took the bull by its horn and

decided this was our time. So this weekend we got busy - I painted our room a grey-ish blue

and the hubbs put together our dresser and well I couldn't wait to get my dresser - dressed!

I just thought I would share a teaser of my new room I will share more as I get "JUST THE RIGHT"

photos of my new diggs...

I am so jazzed - my daughter said it looks so classy now...{squeal} finally!!!

I am sharing this at the following parties:

market yourself monday

craft-o-maniac

saturday link & greet

spotlight saturday

made by you monday

made with love monday

just something I whipped up

stay tuned - hope you had a wonderful & crafty weekend

a layout

I know we all say that we want to scrapbook more and I am one of those people but this year I have made some attempts to make more layouts not quite as many as I hoped but this week over at

scrapping every day miracles - their challenge was to find the beauty and scrap it...

here is my interpretation of that call...

I took this photo around 3 years ago on our way up to santa barbara at

EL CAPITAN BEACH during one of many summer time trips - it's a lovely beach and has lots of rocks and I think this photo came out wonderfully. I love the stillness of it and the clear shot of the seagull...

I added some fun hexagons???chipboard stickers from Girls paperie to the bottom of the layout

and the top and pretty much kept the layout clean and simple....

The thought behind the layouts - was seeing the beauty...journaling

I have been noticing things like birds and butterflies that seem to follow me when I least expect it and I have decided that they are signs from my mom and brother who are in heaven watching down on me and my family. I try and find the beauty or the signs in things more so lately...may seem a bit contrite but it's how I get through things...

I am linking this up to the following challenges:

scrapping everyday miracles

tuesday throwdown - summertime

xo

have a great weekend



Happy 4th

Well today started off early...and we haven't stopped yet. Went to see spider-man this morning, had lunch stopped off at home for a hot second and now we are off to the dodger game! What a firework show that'll be.

WAnted to share this cool idea for your front porch...I have been using my kids stand up chalk board as a front door billboard of sorts -- here's what my porch looks like today'

Have a safe but fun night! I'll be linking this up to the following parties...

xo