Sailing Through September

photo credit: Hopemore Studio

As some of you may know, I was in California all last week with Phillip. A quick trip down to work a bit in the park on some enhancements. My first time "behind the scenes" after hours. Quite different than a "day at the Happiest Place on Earth" during the day.

So quiet. And, well, kind of surreal, actually, being able to drive our daily driver car onto the streets...who knew? Duh, how else do things get done in the night? Magic? I guess I just never thought much about THAT part.

We played a bit, shopping and visiting with our friends.

We laughed that it was raining in CA..seems we always get rained on in CA.

We drove through the smoke-zones...been doing that a lot lately, it seems. Smoke in Central Oregon. Smoke here at home.  Smoke in No. CA...My heart goes out to all those firefighters.

We woke up to a smoke alarm in the hotel...strike that! We woke up to the maintenance personnel removing tile in the room right next door to our room...As we were about to leave, the smoke alarm started wailing away...we grabbed our things and when we opened the door, the hallway was full of smoke... GREAT! MORE SMOKE! But not fire smoke...soldering smoke...lots of it! Obviously they were working on the bathroom...tile...plumbing...hmmmm.

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While we were on the road, my blog friend, Angie, of Hopemore Studio blogged about some little sailboats she created... and gave me a shout-out of thanks for advice and ideas... BUT don't let her fool you, she is a woman of many talents!!!

A couple of months ago, she surprised me with the most darling little boat...

complete with a Rand McNally map section of Grants Pass, Oregon...Josephine County.

Using this map, I can almost see my house!

The little guy in the boat, is adorable. I saw him a few years ago in a Stampington publication and have loved him ever since...How intuitive Angie was to select him for my boat! He's a bit upside-down in this photo, but who hasn't had one of those days??? (I raise my hand here...my Monday after being gone for a week?)

Any way, back to Angie...she has an Etsy Shop where she sells her adorable creations...her polymer slides are gorgeous!!! The perfect amount of vintage!

I just love blogging for fun! I have met some very creative and fun women via blogging. And always enjoy exchanging little "gifts" back and forth... Thanks, Angie!

To Light...

Sharing and remembering 9.11.2001.

Join me in lighting a candle in remembrance of all those that lost their lives so suddenly on that tragic day; and another in honor of the Heroes and Heroines who were first on-scene, giving themselves so selflessly.

Pearls of Wisdom...a Journal through Time.

Pearls of Wisdom…a Journal Through Time

Inspired by a recent trip to Maui, I’ve created a travel journal to document my thoughts and recollections of time spent in the South Pacific. A tropical place where the water is deep blue against the white sand beaches; the cool breeze, having travelled miles across the open ocean, is the freshest to ever fill my lungs; and each lingering day ends with a sunset that is beyond breathtaking.

“Standing at a northern precipice of the island, surrounded by craggy fields of black lava rock, I spot a length of huge rope floating in the churning surf far below. I spend almost an hour mesmerized watching as it’s tossed to and fro, floating on the surface, without ever coming close to the shoreline below. I let my mind wander, as my eyes gaze over the horizon, and I imagine a 3-masted tall ship crashing through the waves so many years ago.  What a majestic sight that must have been. The full white sails aflutter. I envision the beautiful, craftsmanship of the wooden hull and the intricately engineered rigging. Then I’m struck with the thought of the risks those early seafaring men took to get to shore and discover these islands for the first time. As I continue to watch the rope in action, I am in awe.”

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While I was in Maui, I bought this simple Kraft journal at Barnes and Noble. (Yeah, Maui now has a Barnes and Noble!) I liked that it was plain with the magnetic fold-over flap.

To create what you see here, I used the Spellbinders Grand Calibur machine and Shapeabilities - Fleur De Lis Accents die set to cut a border of nautical wall paper. (Yes, that's a perk of being on the ICE Resin/Spellbinders creative team! Getting to experiment with their products....Yay!)

Using the same die set, I punched four vertical cut-outs in a strip of brown paper lunch bag. With ICE Resin and a chip brush, (I prefer using them over foam brushes or sponges), I resin coated the bag. The bag turned a beautiful transparent caramel color. One of my new favorites! This allows the tall ship image to just "peek" through.

A slight aging was added to the journal by using a brown Cat's Eye ink pad. Simply use the ink pad direct. An older, drier pad works best. I find a newer pad is too wet and will give too drastic of a result, but if that's all you have on hand, dab a Q-tip or sponge on the pad and then apply that onto the journal surface.

With a light coat of Mod Podge, (I prefer to use Matte Finish), I adhered the wall paper to the front and flap of the journal. Once the paper bag section was fully cured, I then layered the lace, chain, rusty binder clip, metal gear and the tiny glass bottle filled with miniature shells with a soldered top.

Lastly, to add a bit more dimension and movement, I punched holes equally down the edge of the flap using my Crop-A-Dile (love that tool - ever since first demo'ing at the now-closed scrapbook store I used to work/teach at) and then added a few jump rings with fresh water pearls. I love how they give it just that extra little something.

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Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit ICE Resin and Spellbinders for additional product information.

Cheers and Happy Journalling.... 

A little bit everyday.

If I were a wooden sculpture, this would be me...

Always in  think. plan. do. mode.

A few nights ago Phillip and I were driving down the road on our way home. We were rolling the big truck (15' Isuzu box truck) and as we passed a pile of rolled up barbed wire on the side of the road with a FREE sign on it...he looked over to me and asked, "Does the MONKEY need any rolls of barbed wire, cause I can turn the truck around?"

Can I just say, right here and now, to whomever is reading today's post ???

I LOVE THIS MAN!!! HE TOTALLY GETS ME!!!

So, of course, he did a u-turn and I hopped out to load up many rolls of rusty barbed wire - bare handed, I might add, BUT I didn't get a scratch! The woman-of-the-house came walking down her dirt driveway and thanked me and gave me a hug! I love living here...NOT only are folks happy to give their "junk" away, but they give hugs!!!

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Fast-forward to last night...while the box truck was at home, we loaded up my future cash-wrap station into the truck...

Definition: cash wrap...the place where money will hopefully transfer hands from future customers and students to entrepreneur (me) in exchange for creative workshops, home goods, jewelry, garden decor, etc....where many stories will be shared and lifelong friendships will be created and nurtured...

NOTE to Self: keep eyes open for a replacement cabinet/shelving unit for the laundry room at home...

Today, we moved it into place.

The pink Formica counter-top will be replaced...cause pink is not my color....and has NOTHING to do with "RUSTY"!

I'm toying with the idea of painting the oak black too??? or maybe not...???

The back (now the front) of the cabinet is un-finished.

A few months back I scored a pile of old rusty corrugated panels from the Spaulding saw mill that closed down in Grants Pass....

 ...ignore the saw dust...that's just from when THE wall was being built...

Here's the plan...

...and I gotta get that old bed frame hung up on the wall so I can put up the letters...
R.U.S.T.Y... M.O.N.K.E.Y

 A little bit EVERYDAY!

Cheers!