Travel Journal Prep - WIP

In a few weeks,  I'm taking a trip with my Investment Club to Charleston, South Carolina.  I wanted to prepare a journal ahead of time to have a place to record things while I am there.  Also,  I won't  feel so overwhelmed in completing this journal when I get back. 

This is a work in process that I have been working on the past few days and I wanted to share my progress with you.  More embellishments will be added along with lots of journaling tags and spots, but here we go:

All of the photos that are in this journal I printed on my home printer from a search online of photos of Charleston.  I do not have sources for the artwork and photos,  but if someone recognizes the art as their own, please let me know and I will be happy to give credit.  

As you turn the front page, I found this cute "map" that I have a journaling card tucked behind.  On the right side, there is a fold out with plenty of blank space for pictures or journaling.

On the next pages, I added clear transparency sheets as pockets and embellished with white paint and a die cut.  I'll tuck pictures, receipts, and whatever else there.

 While we are there, we are going to go to a Gospel Brunch, so I thought it would be fun to decorate the page on the left with a Hymnal page.  The small blue page flips open to reveal a journaling spot.   On the right is plenty of room for journaling, and another spot for tucking papers in.

The green page below will probably get more embellishing.  As I mentioned, this is a work in progress, and I'm just thrilled I got this far.  Usually, I'm last minute Annie trying to get my act together and running out of time.  How nice it feels to already have this much ready to go!

The page on the right has a couple of pockets to tuck receipts, notes, whatever into.  The plain cardstock behind the larger pocket will most likely be jazzed up a bit or covered with more cardstock and a tab before the trip.

 The large journaling page with the bird makes me happy, and so does the graph paper on the right.  I recycled a big yellow mailing envelope as a page and I'll probably put some maps in there.

 On the left page below, I used a recycled manila file folder as a fold out and covered one side with a vintage dictionary page coated in gesso.  On the flip side is more graph paper.  Again, lots of room for photos and journaling.

For the last set of pages, I used a recycled coffee cup insulator to be used as a little pocket on one side and left the other side primarily blank (for now).

Finally, on the back cover, I used this picture of an iron gate and I'll probably add some lettering or something.

So, there it is - my work in process. I hope you enjoyed seeing it before it gets all filled with fun ephmera from my trip. As I said, I'll be working on more tags, journaling spots, and embellishments up until my trip in late September.  When I get back,  I'll share the complete journal at that time.

Feeling neglectful...

I can't escape the feeling of being neglectful of things. I haven't blogged much at all this year and I know I'm going to regret it later because I so like to go back and see all that the year held.

However, our year got off to kind of a rocky start.  Phoebe was sick, and then we had the water leak and had to undergo major construction on our first floor.  The stress of that mess and then the getting unpacked and settled back in took much of my efforts and left little time or even patience for other things.

Then, our spring was cold and I didn't feel much like getting outside to do anything in the flowerbeds, and just overall felt like I needed a break from things.  Plus, with all rain, the mosquitos are pretty bad this year.  So, our yard has suffered and it makes me sad.

Although we have had plenty of beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds, (they don't mind the sad state of things) I haven't even taken many pictures of them this year.

Time has flown by and it seems summer is coming to an early end.  The good news is that now I may actually be able to get outside and spruce things up a bit!

I've done some organizing projects, painted our master closet,  and have done a few crafty things but it's time to get my butt in gear.  I'm starting to get excited about fall and Halloween and have a bunch of things planned for the house, the yard, and for crafting.  Let's see if I can be a better blogger too.
:)

Weekend in Dallas

Last weekend, Doug and I traveled down to Dallas to attend a work related function for his company.  The North Dallas branch is merging with the Oklahoma branch and this was a "get to know each other" meeting.   Honestly, I didn't want to go, and kind of complained about it several times leading up to actually getting there.  I just wanted to stay home and get a few things done around the house. But we went and ended up having a nice, relaxing weekend. 

  We stayed at Hotel Zaza in Dallas.  This summer, the hotel opened up it's new bungalows which are adjacent to the actual hotel. Our group was the first to actually stay in the bungalows.

  Each one is decorated a little differently, and the bungalow we stayed in was so comfortable, we wanted to move right in. This was one of our two sitting rooms.

Sitting on that beautiful sectional, we could watch one of the three big screen TV's here in our suite. 

 Looking from the other direction in the main sitting room, there was a little kitchenette complete with a microwave, coffeemaker, espresso machine, and mini fridge.  Behind the wall of the kitchenette was another seating area which was adorable.

 There were two full marble bathrooms which were gorgeous, and this was our bedroom.  Two veery comfortable queen beds with luxurious padded crown headboards, and of course another huge TV.

On Saturday, the guys went off to play golf,  and the ladies got to pick a spa treatment.  I had a wonderfully relaxing massage, and then went back to the suite to take a nice nap. Saturday evening, we reconvened outside in the courtyard of the bungalows for a magnificent dinner.

Hotel Zaza knows how to cater to their guests.  The food was fabulous the entire weekend, and the staff is on top of their game. The main hotel was very trendy and by the looks of the pool area on Saturday afternoon, it's a place to be seen.  I didn't venture out there - too hot and too crowded, but the bungalows were quiet, and very relaxing.  Overall,  I would highly recommend this place, and we were definitely happy we went.

Cabo vacation

Last week, we took a vacation with some friends to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for some fun in the sun and some relaxation. 

 We went to Cabo with John and Kristi.  Doug has been good friends with them since college.

 This was our walk down to the beach each morning.  Not too shabby!

 The weather was hot (just how I like it) and we had plenty of sun.  Although with my fair skin, I stayed most of the time in the cabana which was fine by me.  I read a good book, people watched and still managed to get a pretty decent tan.

 The waves in front of our beach were pretty intense at times, but we walked a little ways down the beach and found the perfect spot for swimming.

 We saw lots of people posing provocatively for photos so as a joke, Doug stretched out on the sand to pose for a picture.  Just as I snapped this one, a huge wave came up and he got soaked!

Now it's back to real life, but it was fun while it lasted!

Birdsong III Tag Swap Book

This year, the Tag Swap was hosted by Stephanie Oyler.  These little works of art are always so amazing and while I want one of each, sometimes it can be overwhelming to make so many tags. 

Stephanie limited the swap so that we only made seven tags each and then she randomly made a book for each of us in the swap.  She made made a cover for our tag book, bound them on a ring embellished with seam binding, and then added a sweet little bird charm.  Above is the picture of my cover with the tags spread out behind

This first tag was made by Linda McMillan.  I met Linda at the previous year's Birdsong.  Sadly, she missed out on attending Birdsong and we missed having her there due to an illness this year. She sent along her tags anyway and this is her beautiful creation:

 We had some new faces this time at Birdsong III, and one of those people was Lisa Phillippi.  She came up from Texas with Kristi Knox Day and I know she was so happy to be there.  Lisa has a distinct style - she is very feminine and all her projects look just like her.  I love this image of the little girl holding the basket with her dolly inside and looking up at the singing bird.

 Look at this colorful tag full of texture!  It was made by Linda Postma and guess what!? This looks just like Linda!  Linda also creates with a style that is all her - so bright and colorful and fun.

 Grace St. Clair's tag is sweet.  This little bluebird sitting on a nest with the sheet music and the script writing in the background makes me feel peaceful when I look at it.

 I met my friend Tami Hacker at the first Birdsong.  It was her very first craft event and she has now been to all three.  Tami started her own blog after being inspired at that very first Birdsong and you have to stop by her blog and see some of the beautiful things she creates.  Below is her tag.  I think I recognize some of the materials she used in this tag that were left over from our Tiffany Book Swap.   ;)

I was so excited to get a tag from my friend and traveling partner, Terri Wilkerson.  Terri is one of those people that is so easy to be around.  Not only is she so very generous, she creates the most beautiful things, and with her, there is NO DRAMA!   Terri made me a beautiful little Spring Basket in a swap earlier this year and I'm so happy to have this amazing little work of art.

The last tag I received in my book was from my friend Laurie Jackson.  I met Laurie at the first Birdsong and we've done a few swaps together over the last couple of years.  Laurie is very good at adding texture and little surprise elements to her projects like the rhinestones that peek out from under the lace.

Thanks to Stephanie for hosting this swap.  I always look forward to the tag swap. 

Birdsong Finished Projects

I absolutely love taking classes and attending crafty retreats but I am s-l-o-w to finish any of the projects.  Upstairs, I have a large pile of UFO's (unfinished objects) from prior events I have gone to.  It seems if I don't finish a project while in class, it most likely won't get finished once I get home.  

First up was Beth Leintz's class.  We decorated peat pots with fabric and ribbon and made fabric stuffed flowers, birds and hearts to put in the pots.  I absolutely *loved* this class.  In fact, I spent the whole day thinking of all the fabrics I could use once I got home to make some more of these little lovelies. Don't you think mine turned out so cute? Each person's creation was so different and it was fun to see certain personalities emerge from their project.

Next up was Karla's fairy cloche. Although more challenging, I really enjoyed creating this and then decorating it inside and out.  I've been dreaming of the variations I could do to this project. Some people were frustrated by the process of building the structure but for some reason, this came fairly easy to me.  

 On the second day of classes, Lori Oles taught us how to make this fun tag wreath.  We used stencils "painted" with modeling paste to create texture on the tags.  I'm definitely going to have to buy some of my own modeling paste to play with at home.  Usually I have a tough time making tags but I cruised right along and got my project finished.

The last class of the weekend was taught by Karla.  We used a special Mod Podge to make the main pendant and had lots of pearls, beads and charms to use on our necklaces.

For Birdsong weekend, I must have been in a really good creative space because I managed to finish every single project! Yay me! 

Birdsong III

This weekend was Birdsong III at Karla's. Once again, it exceeded expectations and I had a great time visiting and creating with friends.  

Part of the fun of these events is participating in the swaps.  I made two different tags for the tag swap which was hosted by Stephanie Oyler.  We had to make a total of seven tags and they were randomly put into books which Stephanie created a cover for  assembled to give back to us the second day of Birdsong.  I received seven absolutely beautiful tags which I will photograph and post on another day.  

Here are the tags I made:

Barb Buxton hosted a card swap, and again, we were to make seven cards and we received seven cards in return.  This was the card I created.

Gail and Marj hosted the always fun Matchbox swap. We were assigned a specific person to create a matchbox for and I was assigned to make one for Mercedes.  She loves flowers and all things feminine, so I made these flowers to attach to the paper and lace covered matchbox.  I just love the sweet little bird I perched in the corner of the box.  I hope she liked it!

I'll post on another day about the projects we made and the swaps I received in return.  We had a fabulous time once again and I have to get acclimated back to real life.

Slowly making progress

Gosh, I've been kind of boring with this blog lately... It's not like I haven't been doing anything, I just haven't felt like blogging. Sometimes I think I'll just stop blogging but then when I visit blogs that I really enjoy, it's always a disappointment when the blogger just suddenly disappears.  Plus, I really like looking back over my own blog and seeing what I've been up to.  ;)

I *finally* got the pictures hung back up in the dining room and in the kitchen. It feels a little more like home now.  We've got a few large pictures that need to be rehung but I need to buy some super heavy duty hangers before I'll feel secure in rehanging them.

 I mentioned that Arley Berryhill was in town back in April to teach his Mermaid class.  This is my mermaid in progress.  Her nose needs some better shading and I'm still working on getting her lace beaded and placed just right.  The beading is taking me a very long time...  Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how she is turning out.

The weather has been not so great here in Tulsa this spring.  It's been cold and rainy and not good for my overall psyche.  I bought a bunch of flowers about a month ago and have been dragging them back and forth from the patio to the covered porch.  Hopefully, they will get planted in the next few days.  

On the back patio is a bag of potting mix that I opened and has been waiting for me.  A sweet pair of birds were building a nest in the bag of potting mix!  I hated to move all their hard work but since they weren't quite finished building, I relocated the nest to a nearby planter.  I'm imagining they are going to rebuild elsewhere.

Ann-Denise Paper Clay Necklace Class

Back at the beginning of April, Ann-Denise had another one of her fabulous classes over at the Paper Crown in Oklahoma City.  We each made a fun paper clay jointed doll to put on a necklace.  Each person's doll came out so different but so cute!  

This past weekend, Arley Berryhill came from Albuquerque to teach a class for the Tulsa Dolling Dames.  We made a mermaid doll from his pattern, The Siren. If you go over to the Dolling Dames Blog, you can get a glimpse of Arley's sample doll and the first day of class.  My mermaid is coming out just beautiful.  I'm working on the embellishments and hope to start beading her tonight.  I might actually get her finished!

I've done a few other crafty things this month and hope to get them posted soon.  ;)

Spring in Tulsa

Temperatures finally got up to around 70 degrees here in Tulsa today.  Of course, I had to make a trip to my favorite greenhouse and check out all the beautiful flowers.

 There was plenty to choose from and I walked around and around trying to make a decision. I literally could have easily spent hundreds of dollars in just minutes with all the beautiful baskets, garden decor, herbs, flats...

While I was trying not to go totally crazy buying up every pretty thing I saw, I also know that if you see a flower you like, you'd better grab it because things go fast!  

I totally showed restraint and ended up with these:

Tomorrow I'm off to the Paper Crown again for a class with Ann-Denise.  We are going to make an adorable paperclay dollie necklace.  Can't wait!

Spring Basket Swap

Late winter, I saw that Tabitha of Creative Wings  was hosting a Spring Basket Swap.  I thought it would be so much fun and I was ready for some creative expression, so I signed up.  That was just before the rug was pulled out from underneath us and our house was torn apart.  Despite our huge construction project, having difficulty finding time and energy to create, and never mind just trying to locate any of my supplies up in my craft room - I did enjoy creating these cute little baskets and their contents for this swap.  

I covered a little cup with crepe paper and wrapped a pink velvet bow.  I used a gold pipe cleaner as a handle.  Inside I included a sweet bunny embellishment and attached a little bling to the ear with a fun rhinestone crown button.  I also made a little glass bottle charm, a bird on an embellished spool, and a little decorated matchbox with some fun goodies inside. 

The basket below was made for me by Tabitha.  I just love the bright pink crepe paper, flowers, and the cute NEST banner on the spun cotton handle.  Of course, birds are always a favorite for me.  Tabitha covered her cup with vintage paper and then turned another cup upside down to create a base for a taller basket.  I never even thought to do something like that.  She scalloped the edge of the paper on the bottom for a decorative edge.  Inside were lots of adorable floral embellishments along with a spool containing beautiful floral ribbon.   The goodies even overflowed outside of the basket - ribbons, flowers, buttons, butterflies, lace. - everything was so beautifully packaged and I can't wait to use some of those beautiful new embellishments.

The second basket I received in this swap was from my sweet friend Terri from The Junque Seeker.  Terri and I exchanged our baskets last week while attending a class at The Paper Crown.  Terri *always* goes above and beyond in everything she does, and this was no exception!  I didn't take a picture of the box her basket was packaged in, but she even decorated the box with lovely wide ric rac and a cute spring embellishment that she made. The box was just a preview of the loveliness waiting inside.  When I opened the package, I was so excited to see the basket she made for me!  My picture just does not do this basket justice.

Terri didn't follow the "rules" of the swap by using a candy nut cup.  She used a larger peat pot which she covered in a beautiful spring paper and embellished with that fun, multicolored crepe paper fringe. The basket is absolutely beautiful and much more sturdy than the one I made.  
 I didn't know what to look at first - the basket itself or those sweet chickies sitting on the edge.  But then, my eyes were immediately drawn to the left side of the handle and the collection of gorgeous silk and velvet flowers that Terri attached to the handle.  Inside the basket, she included a precious vintage hankie with little puppies (she knows my love of dogs!), some chocolates (yum!), vintage lace, crochet flowers, and a little envelope filled with little cards that spelled out "Spring", along with sweet little embossed vintage chickie embellishments.  I've been completely spoiled.  You'll want to check out her blog for much better pictures.

I just want to create a bunch of these little baskets now.  Aren't they so fun!?!

Moving back in

The reconstruction of our downstairs is almost complete!  The painters are here today putting the finishing touches on the trim work and repairing a few "dings" that took place during this humongous project.

We went for a darker finish on our floors than we had before and we are in love with how they turned out.  The picture below shows the true color of the floors.

 Here is a picture looking in from the front door.  Here the floors look much more orange than they really are, but I took these pictures with my phone since I have not yet located my good camera in all the boxes.

 Here is what things really look like around here.  I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes and packing paper, but hopefully, I'll get this all cleaned up soon.

In the midst of unpacking, I'm locating treasures that I forgot all about!  Look at this cute bunny tea pot I found - and just in time for Spring and Easter.  :)

I've been up to some fun stuff too - another class with Jackie, a Spring swap, and a few other things.  Hopefully now, I can catch up on some blogging that I've missed, so if you'd like to see what else I've been up to, be sure check back in a day or so.