Bulletin Boards

In my thrifty attempt to save money, I decided to resuse a bulletin board my little sister was throwing out. It was covered in this sweet navy blue fabric, with tiny white flowers, but it was old and faded, and really needed redone. So, this was one hour's work last Sunday, and I really love it!

The sponge board after I stripped it.

Wrapped, glued, and stapled in brown fabric.

Ribbons nailed in, button tacks added, as well as little silver clips for more hanging space. (Those corner ribbons say "remember" which I thought was a cute touch....)

All finished, and filled with recipe cards!

I had a lot of fun making this, and am considering making more. Would love to do some custom pieces....if someone wanted one in a specific color scheme. What do you think?

Escape

Spring break is still over a week away...and my kids (and me!) need a break! So, here's my newest bottle, inspired by a beautiful blue room I'd like to escape to!

(Thanks Paul for the pictures!)

This bottle was amber to start, so I just textured and added the details.

Weekend recipes

I love cooking on the weekend. Paul and I are both home, and usually rested, so we take a little extra time in the kitchen to make yummy date night dinners. And on Sunday, the whole crew comes over to make scrumptious feasts after church. The kitchen is hands down my favorite room, what with the red cupboards and coffee pot!, and I love having a kitchen full of people cooking.

I somehow inherited a George Forman thingy from my Granny. It's not a grill precisely, but it has a teflon cooking service that is covered to keep steam in, and is rather deep to keep fluid in. Anyway, we decided to do the steak in Saturday night for our date in. I slathered the steak in olive oil and Italian seasoning, yellow peppers, and onion. I then made a simple brushetta with boxed stuffing, Swiss cheese, and tomatoes which we put on top for the last few minutes of cooking time. Served with corn, it was the best steak I've ever had!

Also tried a Redbook Magazine recipe for lunch today, called The Butcher's Sauce. We amended the recipe a little, added some more sauce in place of the wine, and substituted ground beef for the turkey, and it was fabulous!

Any one have any other weekend favorites?

Pretty in Purple

So I actually got something done last night - a pretty purple vase. And thanks to Paul, who's a much better photographer than I am, took these pictures on our patio today, so that you can see it too. :)

This is the bottom, front half of the vase, with the copper charm I attached. I think it looks a little like a treble clef, so maybe I'll call it "Purple Medley"?
This top view allows you to see the ribbon attachments. A wide, white, wired (3Ws!) ribbon, with a thinner purple one overtop.
The inside. :) I put in purple marbles because I think I might use this is candle lantern instead. And, I glazed the glass a light lavender color, and then textured it in a clear glaze, leaving a sort of crackled glass effect, so the purple marbles really catch the light, and bring out the purple color.

The finished product. What do you think?

Weekend wonders

My good friend, Martha, gave me a treasure trove of artsy supplies this week, but it's been so crazy, I just haven't gotten anything done! But never fear, tonight is Make It Night, so I'm off to Miss Martha's with my lethargic self, and peppermint iced tea, in tow to satiate my laziness with creativity. :) However, in cleaning out of my desk and organizing my new stuff, I came across this. It's a little, white plastic snake skin card wallet. Just big enough to hold a driver's license and debit card. I thought it was cute, but a bit boring...so daisies!

The picture is a bit blurry, but I think it shows up okay. I think I shallacked this one, so it's shiny...