Thursday, December 27, 2012

Holiday Activity Day- Christmas Swags


For one of our November activities I had a dozen girls at my home,
each making their very own star swag.


JOY


LOVE


HO HO
 Even though I was the only person there above the age of 11- we successfully created 12 very pretty and unique Christmas decorations. I had several star patterns ready for the girls to trace onto a 12x12 paper, cut out and then edge each star in silver. We used sharpie pens. The girls got to try out my Big Shot tool to cut out scalloped circles on glitter card stock. We used Quickutz hand tools and dies to cut letters from the paper scraps. And then edged the letters in silver. The crinkled paper under each letter is a 2.25" x 5" length of tissue fan-folded, stapled in the center of the scalloped circle, then fanned out in a circle. We glued the circles to the center of each star. Then I helped each girl hot glue the letters onto the tissue and then hot glue each star onto a length of thick yarn.

Imagine something similar done with hearts for Valentine's, egg shapes and chicks for Easter, stars for July 4th, leaves for Autumn, pumpkins for Halloween. This was simple, inexpensive and fun. 

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Merry Christmas from the Murdocks - Two Peas in a Bucket

Merry Christmas from the Murdocks - Two Peas in a Bucket

Yup- I am trying out a new feature (new 2 me) on my blog. Click on the link above to visit a gallery where I have posted one of my recent scrapbook pages. It is a contest and the prize is scrapping stuff. Scrapping stuff is important and valuable to me :) so your help is APPRECIATED! While you are there viewing my work please 'like' my page. Thank you!!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

On Line Scrapbooking By Liz

This is a sample of the awesome kind of stuff my beautiful daughter-in-law creates.

Wow! I admire her talent. And I love how I benefit from her creativeness. Love these adorable guys!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

New Invention? Under The Bed Venting


The problem: The furniture covers the only air vent in the room.
The solution: Redirecting air via tubing and a T-vent.


I purchased a T-vent, air duct tubing, 5 metal ring clamps, and two dryer vent caps from the local Lowe's. I cut about 6 inches of tubing to attach to the T-vent portion which I stuck into the floor vent, (after I removed the floor vent plate of course) to aid the air flow into the T-vent. I did insulate the gaps between the circular vent and the oblong floor vent with waded up fabric. I had searched for something the same size as the floor vent but I was not able to locate exactly what I had desired. So I had to put a round tube in an oblong space. I was lucky that the guy at Lowes actually helped me and that with his help I was able to locate the tools I used. Unlike the guy at Home Depot who just rolled his eyes at me when I had explained what I was trying to accomplish and what products I was searching for.


Using the circular metal clamps I then attached enough tubing to each end of the T-vent to reach the sides of the bed. I attached the white plastic dryer vents at each end with the ring clamps and faced them upwards so that the air flow is directed into the room, rather than heating or cooling under my bed.


I knew my project was a success when my husband and I could actually feel the cooling effect of the air conditioner at night. Now that it is winter it is assuring to know that we are not paying to heat the carpet under our bed. A+ for me!!!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly offers exclusive layouts and designs so you can make your book just the way you want.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Sisters

Two of my favorite people in this world are my two youngest daughters. Among their amazing qualities is the way they keep their relationship with each other strong and vibrant even while they now live miles apart. While they both resided in the same home it was common to capture perfect pictures of the two of them together on a daily basis. What you see in the photos above is the way they lived every moment. Having the two of them in the same house was heaven everyday. Every girl deserves to have a sister as dear and true as Andi has in Amanda, and Amanda has in Andi.

Before they came to earth,
Andi and Amanda 
chose each other as
SISTERS.


I made this wood shape flower using a bit of scrap paper
from the Close To My Heart paper kit and using the technique
 I show in the post which follows this one. 

I love adding tulle, and ribbon, and bling.
I had no specific plans for this copper ribbon when I
picked it up just the other day at the sale at Archiver's. 
I decided it was a perfect touch of flourish for this page.

What is your favorite flourish for your pages?
I would love to hear from you.

Create something beautiful everyday!!!
Karen

Thursday, November 1, 2012

How To Decorate Chip Board Shapes With Any Paper Pattern



Wood shapes and chip board come in a vast variety of adorable options.
The frustrating part is that they seldom come in the
color or pattern to match my current projects.
 

Using my Fiskar exacto-knife, Tombow multipurpose glue, a cutting mat,
and a bit of patterned paper I will show you how I turn
this wood shape into a beautiful embellishments to match my project.


Since I want to show the green side of this paper I will glue
my wood shape onto the reverse side of the paper.


I like the controlled tip applicator of the Tombow Multipurpose glue.


I place the glue side down and gently add pressure to insure a secure
and even bond of paper and wood. Using a stylus
I clean up any glue oozing from the sides before it dries.


Using my Fiskar exacto-knife I carefully cut the paper close to the edges of the wood shape.


When I have completely cut around the shape
it is ready to be inked, misted, glittered, or added to my project just as it is.
This same technique works great with chipboard shapes and alphabets.

I would love to hear what techniques you use on chipboard and wood shapes.

Happy crafting!
Karen

Saturday, October 27, 2012

My Organized and Assessable Creative Room


Now that my scrapping stuff has an identifiable place to be kept, it is more likely that my crafting table will stay clean and uncluttered. I don't have the latest in matching and coordinated storage boxes and such, but I can easily see what I have and where things are. Since my room re-do I have used my die cutting tools more since I can see them. My stamps and inks are utilized now as they are in easy reach. My acrylic stamps are in one place making it a breeze to browse through them for the perfect inspiration.


I can SEE my ribbons!!!!!!

My recently purchased items can be hung on the grid walls in plain sight making it more likely they are used sooner than (years) later.

When I started my room make-over I did have the option to paint the walls. I do like wall painting, but I decided that if I took the time to paint walls I would set myself back at least a week and possibly lose the inner excitement I had at the time to organize. In a moments decision I decided that I wanted a workable place to scrap more than I wanted a beautiful place for my scrapbooking stuff.



 My freshest papers are where I can see them. Embellishments are in one area instead of hidden in multiple places. I am using tools that had been forgotten only because they had not been in sight.


One place for inks and stamps! Die cuts are in two places with 2x2 Quickutz in binders on one shelf and larger die cuts on the opposite wall still in view and assessable.


The sewing area still has some organizing opportunities, but I have already done more sewing the past 4 weeks than I had the previous 4 months. Andi's maxi dress still isn't done, but that's because I would prefer she be here when I work on it since I want it to fit her.


I personally like clear storage places.  I do like the beautifully appealing look of designer drawers and boxes, but I have found that for myself I am more creative when I can see the materials I have to work with. Anything that is still in a non-see through container will eventually be stashed in something I can see through. My crafting space does have room for improvement, but I love it the way it is at the moment.


One of my favorite additions is the ribbon bar. I still have three totes of ribbons which didn't fit on the bar I have, so I am on the lookout for another one at the $25 I paid for the first. I am also scouring the web for clever ways to display the rest of my ribbon.


Behind the open grid wall is where we keep food storage, yarn crafts, gift wrapping and misc storage.  The white cabinet holds art supplies and stationary. All my scrapbooking tools and supplies are in this main area and in view. I love it!! I am truly blessed to have my own big space to do one of the things I really love to do.

Wedding Day August 17, 1984

My daughters tease me that I do not have a wedding album made with pictures from when their dad and I were married. Well- That's because it never happened. It's all a made up story.

 The story that I have been telling my youngest three children is that their dad and I were married on August 17th in 1984. Our marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake City Temple on a sunny, hot summer day.

My younger brother, Mark had taken photos and developed them onto slides. The only reason we do not view these pictures weekly at FHE is the fact that we do not own a slide projector.

A few years back (another time my daughters asked about the wedding photos) I had prints made from the slides. They turned out this blueish-green color. Bruce attempted to adjust the color, yet the results were not good. The pack of prints were tucked away until this past week when I came across them as I was searching for Christmas photos to put on some pretty new holiday paper I have recently purchased. (Yes, I needed MORE paper.)



 

Awe. Here is our little family. Jim is the little boy in green slacks with the argyle sweater vest. Chris is also in green. Chad is the little guy in the blue outfit. I am the gal in white, and Bruce has a caterpillar on his lip. :)

And we actually did get married  back in 1984.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

The Craft Room Table

The search for the ideal place to move when we sold our home on Carterville Road was a long and extensive task. My list of wants and must haves was short, but very specific. Luckily for me I had half a year to look for the 'perfect place' before our home sold and closed. The search actually took me THAT long.

Any of you who know my husband well, know that in the past he has lived by the motto, "Make a decision  even if it is wrong, just make a decision!". In comparison I believe that a person should take the time to make the best choice in the first place, so that you don't need to second guess it later. You can imagine our wonderful compatibility. It works- He lets me do the research and the planning, and tells me when he doesn't wish to give his opinion any more. Over the years he has developed patience and an appreciation of the end results.

So, back to what I was saying- One of the 'must haves' for my new home was a craft room large enough for my old dining room table. I am talking about the kitchen table my dad made for my mom when there were 13 kids at home. It is a long and massive thing sturdy enough to have survived 15+ people eating, rolling bread dough, cutting fabric, folding laundry, playing with play dough, reading the newspaper, paper mache-ing, canning fruit, doing homework, playing games, and who knows what else on. All that was just at my mother's house. As her household dwindled in size mine grew, so I was lucky enough to inherit the old kitchen table. In my home so much happened on that table. I painted wood crafts, spread out fabric and patterns, cut large pieces of Cordura from forty pound rolls of fabric, served large groups of teenagers large quantities of food, celebrated birthdays with a candlestick for each year, spread out business plans, scrap booked, and sometimes we even ate meals on that table.

In the most recent years more crafting and playing has been done on that table than eating. Our family was becoming small enough that a normal table would look better in our kitchen, so when we moved out of our old home and into a new place the plan was to do away with the monster of a table and replace it with a traditional 4-6 seater. With that plan in place I still could not part with my handy dandy crafting table. It needed a special place in my future home.

Ha-ha. With my diligent search I did find the perfect new home, plus a room large enough for my crafting table. Seriously, this is a special piece of furniture. The top is smooth and solid. The legs are strong and immovable. It takes two to three people just to move the pieces when it is disassemble. It is heavy! My husband agreed to take it apart to move it here, but I had to re-assemble it without him. You'd think I was asking him to wrestle a bear.

My crafting and creative life now revolves around that 'bear'. I am blessed to have a smooth and sturdy and massive place to spread out my creative mess. My old table makes me happy!

Here are a few pics of my creative space with my wonderful craft table taking up the majority of the floor. These photos will also serve as the 'before' pictures of my now organized crafting room. Do notice the mess and the piles of stuff needing a specific home. And yes, I did sometimes actually create in this mess. My next post will be me proudly showing off my improved and organized space.

Till then- tell someone you LOVE them!

Karen


Yup- my craft room is in the basement and the walls are unfinished.


Notice the ribbon holder still in it's box with the receipt still attatched? It is that thing leaning up against the wall under the Costco photo envelope taped to the wall near the center right. That was a Christmas present I gave myself last year.


Look! My crafting mat has nothing piled on it! (at least for the amount of time it takes to snap the picture). This room is used for painting, sewing, scrapbooking, gift wrapping, beading, card making, and various artistic endevours. The space behind the gridwall is for food storage and storage of additional crafting items such as rolls of Cordura, boxes of yarn, vintage clothes, art supplies, framing materials and long forgotten crafts.


See? The table top is thick. The legs are massive! A person can pound eyelets without jiggleing the table. The benches came as a package with the Bear. Benches seat more people. :)

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Jayden Mckenzie Scott


This is the way I like to play with paper. I like to start with a photo of a beautiful person. Then add inspiring patterned papers, a bit of old fashioned cutting with scissors, maybe some die-cutting and paper folding, some inking around the edges, sprinkle in some bling, utilize some brass and buttons, and then place a bit more bling somewhere. The results? Artistically B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!


Cutting out the designs from the pretty printed papers is one of my favorite things to do. This time I was inspired by this pretty 'Pemberly' paper collection made by Close To My Heart. The brass letters are from Making Memories (product I had on hand), Sizzix has the perfect die to make the pretty rosettes. A couple of the flower centers were made with the handy dandy Epiphany Crafts charm setting tool. The beautiful girl is my adorable grand daughter, Jayden. As you can see, I have wonderful product and tools to work with. The most important being the picture of the beautiful girl.

Do Over!

During the task of organizing my craft space I came across a page I had started a couple of years ago, yet had never quite completed. I was so proud of myself when I took the time one evening to actually finish the lay out. All it took was a bit of journaling.

Yet I could not make myself add this page to an album. The happiness of finally completing the layout was outweighed by my displeasure of the results. I did not like what I had done.

I learned a long time ago to not be so critical of my own work. A lot of times the flaws seen by the creator are never noticed by anyone else. So I rarely re-do things I deem as 'finished'. After scowling every time I happened to look at this page I started the process of fixing it.


Of course the paper I had in my stash three years ago is not the same stuff I have now, so I couldn't just replace the strip of journaling that bothered me. I had to take the page to the store and search for replacement product. You know how that is . . . when you have a picture in your head of what you want the likelihood of you finding it diminishes immensely. Luckily for me, B-Jo at Achiver's had the same vision for my lay out as I did. With her help I came home with fresh paper and a vision of how to start playing with it. 

And I am happy to say that I am pleased with the re-do of the page I had started years ago. I can now call it finished and complete, and it will take it's well deserved place in a family album. 


I like the redo better. Don't you? I used patterned paper from Teresa Collins 'Christmas Cottage' and 'Vintage Finds' collection. A bit of a sheet from 'Ghost Gathering' from Little Yellow Bicycle's  Boo Ville line. The journaling spot was stamped using Close To My Heart 'Frame It Up Flair' acrylic stamp set and their newest ink in Slate. A smidgen of card stock by Bazzill in the color Thunder was used to hide a previous mistake. The tiny nickle colored circles are pre 2011 so forgive me when I do not recall where I acquired those. The best part of the layout (the photo and memories attached) are provided by my daughters, Andi and Amanda (in the middle) and their friends. 

Monday, October 15, 2012

Sunshine In A Cup

Dole company bottles an amazing mix of pineapple and coconut juice which has become an important ingredient for my 'Sunshine in a Cup' morning ritual. For almost a year now I have been dealing with a MAJOR problem in creating my special blend of beverage. The good folks in Florida, New York, and Arizona are privileged to be able to shop at their local grocer for my favorite juice, yet for some reason the distributors on this end of the Continent have decided not to carry this particular blend. Months ago after an extensive search on my part, the sweet people at Harmon's promised to special order a case of this stuff for me. They warned me it might take awhile before it arrived, but the promise of finally making my taste buds smile again put me in a festive mood. I waited and waited patiently for their call telling me my special order had arrived. When I didn't receive a call weeks later I began to wonder if I had misunderstand just how long it would take. I eventually called Harmon's to question their grocery manager if my juice had arrived. The nice gentleman didn't know what I was talking about, he hadn't seen any special orders for me. He was nice enough to do a bit of searching, but with no results. The very next day my adorable husband stopped in at Harmon's to inquire about the juice in person. Low and behold it had come in that morning, but been put out on the shelf for the general public. Luckily for me there were two (out of the original 8) containers remaining for Bruce to purchase. I am obviously not the only person in this city who likes this stuff. I was able to ration my two containers to last 2 weeks. Sniff, sniff. That was over a month ago. Gotta go bug Harmon's some more. Wish me luck!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Andi's Seattle Photo Book


Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

Vacations are happy days which can last a lifetime in the heart. Spending a week in Seattle, Washington last spring with Bruce, Amanda, Derek and Andi has become a cherished memory. Even though I became ill the night before we boarded the plane I was determined to make the trip. I told myself it was just as easy to be sick in Washington as it was in Utah. It was easier on me to be the one who was sick rather than being with someone who was sick. (Such as what happenned when Bruce and I went to South Carolina, and then again when we went to Hawaii.) Happy times!!! Love Karen

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Glimpses into Amanda's Smashbook


I love how Amanda Smashes!
Her personality shines through on every artistic page.
 
Amanda loves life!


She trys new things.


She is spiritual.


Family is important to her.


She cherishes lifelong friendships.

This is the way to create a memory book. I love how Amanda has a great combination of photos and journaling. The papers, tape, and embellishments she adds to her pages remind us of the styles and fashions of the times. There is always something romantic and nostalgic in keeping tags, ticket stubs, and memories in a persons own handwriting.

She has fun and makes new friends.


She is real.

She has dreams and ambitions.


She shares in the joys of others.


She is sentimental.


She is academically smart.


She knows how to be a girl.


She sees the beauty around her.

She finds happiness in each day.


She is pure.



She has an artistic style.

She is adventurous.
  
She surrounds herself with good friends.


She adds sunshine and joy to my life!