Something Wicked this Way Comes

Here are a couple of my favorite Halloween Projects from last year.  The "It's A Hoot!" owl banner ...

 And " Who Are You?" Alice layout. 

Both were samples for KatScrap Studio, which I'll miss even more at Halloween.  This is inspiring me to get cracking on some Halloween Cards, I do mean to do at least a few every year.  Maybe I'll get going on those, since I can't decide what to be.

Cheers

~Chelsea

Playing in the Dirt: Part 6 End of Summer Goodness

So after everything got fried this summer, at Mom's we put out an umbrella and started watering more often, then the weather did us a favor and got nice and overcast here and there and even had some good days of rain!  Just before the rain I got out there and planted some carrots and beets, and a few weeks ago I planted some swiss chard, and artichokes, as well as a scatter garden and some nasturtiums in the front garden.  So here's a look at what is sprouting.  Since I took these I also got some swiss chard sprouting and carrots.

Some beets sprouting up as well as some birdseed plants (I planted the beets under the birdfeeder, so this should be interesting)

 Here's the first eggplant, already picked and the second one is almost the same size now.

 It's hard to see in this one, but this is my lone cucumber, slowly but surely.

 My 2 butternut squash are coming along great!

 Lovely kale, and new sprouts coming up next to it.

 Onions, green onions and Garlic in the foreground.

Very excited to see how these do, so far so good, excited about the fall crop.  The tomatoes also keep coming, but are winding down and the orange tree is gearing up.  Planted more at the boy's garden, but that's a whole other post.

Playing in the Dirt: Part 5 Resurrection

It's been so long since I updated you on the gardens, I had to go back to see what the last post even said!  Such a slacker.  In all sincerity,with summer vacays and house sitting and all kinds of shenanigans this summer, the poor gardens were left to fend for themselves in the midst of summer heat!  I watered what I could when I could, or mom did, or I texted the boy to water his, they had no stable, consistent person to look after them.  So, by the time the big heat wave hit a few weeks ago, they were in dire straits!  I had decided that was it for the summer crops, cucumbers had gone yellow before I was able to harvest, onions fried in the sun, everything was dried out and brown.
While puppy sitting I was minding a similar garden that was well shaded, in a cooler part of town, and was thriving.  So when I got home I decided this "full sun" indication on the seeds and plant labels was a load of BS!  I grabbed a dilapidated garden umbrella we'd planned to throw out and rolled it over to the veggies in the middle of the yard, they seemed to have the most trouble.  After doing this, off I went to kitty sit for the boy...  Mom was back in town so the watering was not going to be a problem.  I went to work and yoinked out the dry dead stuff in the Boy's garden, the Artichoke kicked the bucket, the second round of onions I planted never emerged (it's a long story) and the pole bean had one more fruitful crop before it croaked. (cooking them was another failed endeavor)  So I was left with ample, happy but kinda crowded tomatoes, garlic, a happy herb garden, and a very sad looking Eggplant, oh and a desperate jalapeno- I suspect the jalapeno knew nobody was that excited about it, and just didn't have the will to make it.
So I watered those, and they seemed grateful, especially the sad sad eggplant, it's doing great now, and whenever it looks droopy I give it a glass of water, it has buds and everything!  By the time I got to Mom's everything was green again!  I couldn't believe it, the weather had bursts of scorching temps and just with some shade and extra evening waterings they really perked up!
So here's some pics of the progress at Mom's.  I wish I had taken photos of what they looked like in the heat wave, but I thought they were done for, and was deciding what to plant next.

Here's the resurrected Veggie Garden, you can see the Butternut Squash is quite pleased with itself, the Strawberries are hanging in there and the Kale finally got bigger

The cucumbers and the eggplants have lots of flowers too, so bring on the bees, lets make some veggies guys!

This is my goofy umbrella but it gives it nice shade in the middle hours of the day, and you can see my critter fence, hope it works.

One of the Yesterday Today and Tomorrow bushes even started getting more flowers this week.

I just think this crazy tangle of Bugambilia, Fig Tree and Grape Vine (from another yard) is so cool!

Compost is going great!  Been throwing peelings, eggshells, coffee grounds, and tons of leaves and clippings in, the bugs and spiders love it, eek!

I've got some beets and red carrot seeds in the ground, and more to plant, I also want to do some swiss chard and sugar snap peas for the boy.  So I'll let ya know how it goes.

Ocean Pendants

I thought it would be fun to do a deep sea theme with these findings.  Here's what I used.

3D Crystal Lacquer

Jewelry Findings Black

Gem Particles

Glass

Bail 

Antique GoldChain

Scrap Paper

Sea Life Stickers

 I arranged smaller sea life stickers inside the Jewelry Findings and placed the large eel sticker on some scrap paper that I liked as a background.

 I sprinkled gem particles inside the Jewelry findings, to mimic see water and put some pink on the Jellyfish to match it's color.  I sprinkled some on top of the scrap of paper with the eel.

 Next I filled the Jewelry Findings with 3D Crystal Lacquer and set them aside to dry overnight.  Then I used small dots of Crystal Lacquer to create a mosaic with the Glass over the eel sticker and Gem Particles.

 Once everything dried overnight, I trimmed the Eel Mosaic around the class, attached a gold Bail to the back of it with Crystal Lacquer and strung the chain through.  Voila!  Summer Jewelry!

I have really enjoyed being on the Design Team for Sakura Craft, so many wonderful products and ideas!  Please keep following me and the other designers as well as the Sakura Blog, for great ideas!

Merci 

~ Chelsea

NY Mini Album

 The Boy and I took a great trip to NY this summer.  So I made him a fun little coffee table type album.  It's an acrylic Arrow album by Rusty Pickle, the rest it s a hodge podge of different stuff I have on hand.  At some point I will get it together and start doing my actual scrapbook pages for these trips, but it's nice to make the boy an album, it's quick-ish and easy to share, just the highlights, and I feel productive and rewarded sooner than doing several full album pages.  

Anyway, enjoy we had fun on the trip and I had fun doing the album.

We went for the Premiere of a film called Starla that Brendan was in so lots of the pictures are from that night.  Great film, wonderful people and the Boy had a huge turn out of family, it really was a great time.

I had to make a flip up page to fit more pictures and an account of what happened the day of the Premiere.

 Pictures from walking around NY and meeting friends for Brunch.  Got to meet Tiff's babies for the first time.




Walked through Central Park, and St Patrick's Cathedral. Saw Jordan do Shakespeare in the park, it was a great trip.  Fast, but fantastic!

Circus Charms (DT Submission)

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Sakura Design Team, I can't believe our 6 months are almost up!  What a talented bunch of women, they have been inspiring and raised the bar on my creativity.  I have been honored to get to keep up with them every month.  So here I am again, hoping I make the cut.  Hope you guys like my Design Team submission. (Pick me!  Please pick me!)

I hang out at the Santa Monica (The Original) Muscle Beach.  We do acrobatics and all kinds of fun stuff.  There's been a really cool community down there for decades now, and the people are really wonderful. I also just this year, began taking Arial Classes, learning Silks and Trapeze.  Not flying trapeze, but acrobatics in the air.  Needless to say when Graphic 45 came out with their Le Cirque papers, I had to get my hands on them.

Their tiny postage stamp size Circus Poster Images were a perfect pairing with Sakura's Jewelry findings!  I love these little metal wearable frames, I had been looking for something like this for a while, nothing was ever quite right, until I stumbled on these.

This project is fairly simple, but I think it's extremely unique, and for me and my friends, images of things that are dear to our hearts and express our hobbies, or one of them.

MATERIALS

Sakura Jewelry Findings in Brass and Black

3D Clear Crystal Lacquer

Gem Particles

Strip of G45's Le Cirque paper

Scissors

Inspiring music: Caravan Palace (has a fun circus sound) or Cirque du Soleil soundtrack

 The key is trimming the images so they fit inside the frame of the Jewelry Findings and you get the portion of the image that you want.  I found some of the images looked better once trimmed than others.  (ie the elephant on the tricycle did not want to get inside the circle finding, it was probably my trimming skills)

Once the images are the right size, apply a dot of Clear Crystal Lacquer to the back, it isn't necessary to adhere it but it make it easier.  Then sprinkle in a tiny bit, or a lot, up to you, of Gem Particles, fill the whole thing up with Clear Crystal Lacquer and go read a book, perhaps Water for Elephants or something Circus like!

Tada!  I can't decide if I want to pop on some jump rings and colored ribbon as gifts for my acrobatic friends and teachers or put them all on a charm bracelet to keep for myself... thoughts?

For more amazing ideas and uses for Sakura products check out the Design Team Blog!

Glad you stopped by.

Merci

~Chelsea

Journal Tin

For this project I made a blank journal that fits inside a tin.  You could also forgo making the journal and use the tin for discreetly hiding unmentionable items in your purse. 

MATERIALS:

Small flat metal tin

3D Crystal Lacquer

Color Crystal Lacquer and Metallic Color Lacquer

Gem Particles

Rubber Stamps

Stazon Ink

White Cardstock

Tim Holtz Texture Fade

Glimmer Mist in Tiger Lilly

Distrezz It All

Steampunk Debutante Paper Pack cover

 First thing I did was trim the images I wanted off the Steampunk Debutante Paper Pack cover.  Yes the cover.  I use everything!!  I trimmed them and arranged them how I wanted on my tin, then used Clear Crystal Lacquer to adhere the pieces, I then rubber stamped some images on the metal using StazOn stamp ink in black. (some images I stamped before and they are layered with the paper strips.)

Next I filled in portions of the images on the cover of the tin with Clear Crystal Lacquer.  Intending to fill the areas with Gem Particles I chose what I did by color. I did the wings first with Green Gem Particles, then once I had the excess dusted off I filled in the girl's flowers with Lacquer and sprinkled Pink.  To be sure you don't mix you could let each section dry before doing a new color... I am not this patient, and I don't mind if stuff mixes.

 While this dried (see my patience above) I trimmed several sheets of white cardstock to 5"x8.5" and folded them in half to make a booklet of 4 1/4"x 5"  The top sheet I ran through my Sizzix with a Tim Holtz Texture Fade (post card) then spritzed with Glimmer Mist and let that dry (so much drying I better go read a book!)  I reassembled my folded journal, punched 2 holes in the spine with my hole punch, and strung twine through a few times to make the binding.  Finally I ran the page side through my Distrezz It All for a fun, steampunk, antique look.

I colored in the rest of the images I wanted to make pop, and the stamped images with various different Color Lacquers, and Metallic Color Lacquers, then allowed them to dry before going to the next image, otherwise things run together.  Then let the whole thing dry overnight.  The image above is of the back of the tin.

 Front

 Inside and journal fits perfectly!

Voila!  I chique journal you can take with you in your purse, and keep safe in it's own little tin!  For more great ideas check out the Sakura Design Team Blog!

Merci

~Chelsea