the many adventures of a painter girl

christmas recap

hello all! i hope you had a wonderful Christmas...mine was (as if you couldn't tell) BUSY!!!  so much to do and then poof, it is all over! it came and went so quickly this year! i was told my blog was 'boring lately' (in a wonderful, i can't wait to see what you have been up to way!!)...so sorry for the absence!  i have some pictures to share of how the rest of my december went...

lots of baking...

and, basket filling...

each year, i make these baskets for friends and family...loaded with baked goodies, candy, coffee and tea...i try to wrap them in different ways each year...this year, was a simple kraft shirt box, doubled up and stuffed with goodies...this is a picture pre-wrapped...they get all dressed up in cello...which would be hard to show all the goodies inside to you...

and, of course, the season was filled with paper crafting...i made these Christmas Cookie recipe books for the special gals in my life...

a few of the inside pages...

 

and, a closer look at how each one was decorated after wrapping in brown paper...

i used my making memories accessory box from the falala line and made each package special...i really loved how these looked! most of the girls didn't want to open them...they just loved the outside!

well...packing up the Christmas papers, packages and bows and bringing out some yummy new things to work with...so, promise (especially for you, Michelle!) to have some fun for you tomorrow!
see you SOON!!!
chelle

dland love

happy wednesday!

just popping in to share a couple pics from disneyland...the projects i am working on are top secret...i may share a wee bit tomorrow though...see you soon!
chelle

nic, miss, and i...

my girls...how i heart them...

my beautiful girl...i see a layout in my future with this pic...hmmm...

birthday girl

it was my sister's birthday yesterday (happy birthday princess! i hope you had fun!)...we had a little party here for her...besides the 'cheesecake bar buffet' (as requested by the birthday girl) we had cupcake pops...oh so cute and delicious! i first saw this morslettes of deliciousness on  martha stewart and just knew i had to have them for her birthday! be sure to check out bakerella (her's are perfect and adorable...and so many ways to decorate them!)...

Nic pre-made the pops and then we all decorated them as an activity at the party...fun and provided lots of giggles!

the more imperfect they were, the yummier!

 yummmmm....

and, here is the base i made to hold them...styrofoam decorated in her favorite colors...

i'm not sure if my 6 year old niece (the only kid there) had more fun or my sister's best friend...it was a blast!

today, we went to the happiest place on earth to continue the celebration...it was just a wee rainy which makes for short lines...we fit lots in to a small amount of time...fun...back to work tomorrow!

hope your week is great!
chelle

i heart cosmo cricket

A LOT!!! if pressed (which i don't have to be to gush) i would pick cosmo cricket as my most favoritest line of papers...i really, really heart them...

this stuff practically makes itself...

is that not freakin' adorable??? even chicka said...'your jar's pretty tight mama'...and coming from a teenager, that's somethin'!!!!  last year i re-discovered this tea mix that i just love...it has lots of sugar, so i shouldn't love it so much, but it just makes a lovely hot beverage to curl up with a cozy blanket and a good book with...it will be a holiday tradition each year...the back of the tag has the instructions on how to make a cup of this deliciousness...

i used lots of stuff from the 'oh joy' collection...with it's coordinating buck naked chip board...i in fact put together just about all of the die cuts and chip board, sanded up all the edges, and inked the edges with antique linen distress ink before i began to create...cause i knew once i got going, i was gonna wanna play with it all!  i ended up making the jar and several ornaments that will be tied onto Christmas presents...

and, then, i made this...which is mine...all mine...cause i love it...

the top button will hang on a small nail cause the back piece has holes in it...oh so cute...

well, more cosmo cricket awaits me...gotta go make more stuff!!!
happy thursday!
chelle

SPICED TEA RECIPE:

1 cup instant unsweetened tea
1 cup orange tang
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemonade mix
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

mix all the dry mixes together and pour into jars (this is a half recipe, i use double when making jars of it for gifts) some put red hots in the mix, i do not...yummy as is...

here are the instructions you put on the jars:

Stir 2 heaping teaspoons into a mug of steaming hot water...Enjoy on a cold winter's night!

oh joy

am i the only one that is finding it hard to get into the spirit of Christmas this year?  i don't know if it is the warm weather that we have been having in CA or the financial state of so many families...it is just hard this year...i am really trying though...i don't want to just go through the motions of it, i want to feel it...believe it...

i have tons of projects to get done over the next two weeks...tons i tell ya! so, i will be playing in my scrap room every second i can! for today's project i did a little playing with my cosmo cricket 'oh joy' paper and chip board...what fun that was! i have another project with it tomorrow i can't wait to get done and show ya!

i just love, love, love this paper! the vintage stuff gets me every time!

here is a little bit of a visual step-by-step for you...you know, cause you've been so nice lately!

i started with a simple wood plaque from michael's...nothing fancy, no need to buy the more pricey stuff for this project...the inexpensive pine that is rough is just fine...

i painted up the sides and back with acrylic paint in rookwood red by americana using a sponge brush...i use whatever plastic containers are laying around from supplies to use as paint pallettes...this was an empty container from some brads i picked up last week...i sanded up the edges and sprayed the painted areas with a matte sealer...

i then cut and trimmed a piece of the paper to fit the front...glued it down (use white glue, modge podge, pva, whatever glue you like)...

i then added a smaller strip of paper across the front, glued die cuts to the matching chipboards and sanded up all the edges...plaque included...then inked up all the edges of every little thing with antique linen distress ink and the blending tool....then just assembled it as i saw fit! i attached a lot of twine to buttons from my stash, added a brad to the green ribbon, and one in the top left hole that i drilled to add a hanger from...

i hope you are enjoying the season and celebrating friends and family in simple, wonderful, homemade ways!

see you tomorrow!
chelle

excited beyond words

but, i am sure gonna try...to use my words...

i am so very, very excited to announce that i have been asked to be a part of the fabulous design team at my LSS (local scrapbook store) Scrappin' Good Times!

i have been going to this store since it opened and it is fabulous! they were recently named 'best scrapbooking in los angels area' by fox la hotlist!!! yay!!!  the group of girls that work in this store (and the two great men!!!) are amazing and sweet as can be, i am so honored to be a part of their family now...

here is a wee sneak peek at my frist design...the store has 'scrap therapy' every thursday, and i am designing one of the projects for february...they are a make-n-take...you sit, chat and create a little something...wonderful...

i hope your week is going well, i had a few fabulous days off and head back to work tomorrow...up at 3 am...whoo hoo! lol

see ya tomorrow with some Chrismas fun!
chelle

go knights

nic has her high school volleyball banquet tonight...and, as captain of the team, she gathered the money for the coaches' gifts...i made the cards...

we found the scrap book paper in her high school theme at a LSS...it came in handy for the cards...all the girls will sign the page...i made it so the page folds up and glued on a front and back making a sort of book...when i glued down the yellow layer on the front, i added a piece of ribbon that wraps around the whole thing to close it up...if you click on the picture, you can see more of the detail of the card itself...there is paper piercing along the edge...the lettering (incl the 2008) and volleyball are quickutz, the stars are a SU! punch...

hope your thursday was great and friday even better!!! my 4 1/2 day weekend starts at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow...whooo hooo!!!!!!!! can't wait! i need a little break before the HUGE holiday season for us!

chelle

countdown to Christmas

...nope, i didn't finish it yesterday! but, i did today...here is Nic's advent calendar this year...

it's a karen foster advent calendar with lotsa wonderful my mind's eye be merry paper and die cuts...the numbers are quikutz (calendar set)...MS snowflake & tag punch...various other fun stuff from stash...

a peek at some of the goodies...

i won't put the last little gift in until the actual day....cause it is so special, and chicka is NOT good at not peeking...yes, my sweet girl reads the ends of a book cause she hates surprises...how sad...i love them!!  some of the days have just a piece of candy, others a note from mom...then some have trinkets, bracelets, money, etc...

have a fabulous day and try really, really hard not to get this icky cold going around....cause it is NOT GOOD!!! on day 5 of it and praying for it to go away!!!
chelle

happy december

i didn't finish my project that i wanted to show you today...that will have to be tomorrow! however, i did want to tell you about this:

tim holtz is doing his 12 tags of christmas again this year and it is a wonderful thing! go see!!! not only are they gorgeous, but you will learn some fabulous things along the way!!!

also, today is the first day of the december daily album!!! don't forget to take those daily pics and do your journalling! check out ali's blog for some digital help today and for more inspiration!

ok, back tomorrow with mentioned project!!! see you then!
chelle