One Man's Junk ~ Is This Woman's Treasure!

For years (okay most of my life) I have teased my dad about all of the things he accumulates. His response was always "You never know when you might need it". Well, he passed on his gift to me. Except I don't collect things that could be useful. I collect things that other people think of as junk. 

If it's rusted, dented, cracked, or just plain dilapidated... it catches my eye. Much to my husband's dismay, I bring it all into the house. He just can't understand WHY I insist on raiding the barn for home decor items. Unfortunately for me, he draws the line at putting up rusted corrugated metal on the walls. Though I have plans of completing that project the next time he goes out of town. {Insert evil giggle here}

For now, I'm keeping myself busy with the things he will (reluctantly) let me drag inside. I went to a junk show over the weekend. Note to self... take more money next time. Boy did I make a haul! I did notice that 90% of what I brought home was old galvanized metal items. I think I have a slight obsession.

One of the things I found was an adorable 3' long vintage galvanized chicken feeder. I didn't know what I would do with it, but I had to have it. Once I got it home and situated, I decided to fill it with my handmade paper succulents. PERFECT! Plus, I don't have to water it! I really love the way it turned out. Another great way to use Stampin' Up! products!

How-to instructions on paper succulents coming soon!

Midnight Mojo

Wheat harvest is wrapping up and I'm going to get my daily crafting time back very soon. I can't wait! I sneaked out to my woman-cave after everyone went to bed. It makes for a LATE night for me, but totally worth the sanity it brings. Even though I'm sleep deprived, but that's pretty much normal for me. 

I finally got a chance at Mojo Monday's latest sketch. This one was pretty cute. I had a lot of fun with it. I'm still working on my photography skills. I think I need more light. Off to Home Depot!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Very Vanilla, Pistachio Pudding core'dinations

Ink ~ Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Baked Brown Sugar

Stamp Sets ~ Chalk Talk, Shop Around, Positively Chevron

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, In Color Boutique Details, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons

Non-Stampin Up supplies ~ burlap, cream ribbon, hemp thread

A Retro Kind of Sunday

I got to have a day all to myself! Well, it actually ended up to be more like 3 hours, but it was just enough time to get my design finished for Retro Sketches challenge #69. I had so much fun creating this card. It turned out pretty darn close to what I had pictured in my head. Love it when that happens!

Supplies Used: 

Paper ~ Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Pool Party Core'dinations, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand

Stamp Sets ~ Gorgeous Grunge, Chalk Talk, Lovely Little Labels

Other Supplies ~ baker's twine, soda pop tops, basic pearl jewels, vanilla ribbon

Monthly Card Swap {MAY} Challenge

So, a while back I joined a monthly card swap hosted by one of my best gals. She is a fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. There are 8 of us in the group. Each lady gets to choose a design idea for one month. I got to choose this month's challenge. Here is the criteria... 

Colors

The Layout

And here is what I came up with...

I had so much fun with this card. The colors went together so well {I thought}. I was even able to use one of the BRAND SPANKIN' NEW stamp sets from the new 2013-2014 catalog! There were many stages to this card. To be honest, it took a L-O-N-G time to complete. Probably a little more elaborate than I should have done, but I just LOVE this look!

Supplies Used for this card {Where do I start...}

Paper ~ Soft Suede, Specialty DSP, Whisper White

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink

Stamp Sets ~ Fresh Vintage, Oh Hello, Label Love

Other Supplies Used ~ Paper Doilies, Antique Brads, Vintage Trinkets