Monday, February 27, 2012

Up-Cycled Vintage Linen and Tart Tins Pin Cushions

With the Spring Sugar Plum Bazaar just around the corner -- March 10th & 11th at the Parkside Mansion on 1859 York Street, Denver ... I have been working on creating more small pin cushions.  Last year, most of the small pin cushions I made using vintage embroidered linens had a small ceramic bowl as the base.  I created a few more using the white ceramic base like these:

In the last few months, I have been lucky to find a great assortment of vintage tart tins and jello molds at various estate sales.  So, for the Spring Sugar Plum Bazaar I have created many small pin cushions using the vintage tart tins as the base.  I am happy with the results:














 The last group are larger pin cushions.  These ceramic bases were not purchased at estate sales but at one of my favorite stores, Anthropologie.  I have not decided if I will sell these, or keep them for myself or give them away as gifts. 
I am looking forward to the Spring Sugar Plum Bazaar.  To get more information, you can check it out on Facebook here.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentines Day!

My favorite color is purple.  My second favorite color is RED.  Creating a project with lots of red is always fun for me.  Thanks to inspiration and lessons taught by Margie Romney-Aslett  and her class Spark the Event, Love, Love Love
I created one of the many wonderful projects taught in her class.  She creates many of her projects with paper doilies, text papers, music notes papers, vintage elements and of course...Glitter!   All have become a favorite of mine.  This project gave me a good excuse to uncover little treasures I have stashed away in my studio.  Best of all, it is a great home decor project I personalized with items that have special meaning.  I love ladybugs...reminds me of so many painting friends from my years as a member of the Houston Ladybug Chapter of Decorative Painters.  Love butterflies...reminds me of my mom. The red fabric measuring tape also reminds me of my mom (wedding dress seamstress) and my age (46 going on 47).   Our family has 4 members - my family is my world.  Love them all!





 My project grew a little.  Also taught in the Spark the Event, Love, Love, Love class was how to make  large paper flowers.  I found these old "ugly" frames at an estate sale for $1.  I have now re-purposed them by adding the text paper and music notes.


Tuesday, February 7, 2012

A Healing Scrapbook

I don't know if it's because I have not considered myself an accountant for many, many years or what, but I am having a difficult time focusing on a task that really needs to be done.   It's tax time!  I have a book full of receipts and spreadsheets of Cost of Goods Sold in progress for my little business...Isa Creations.   I really need to just sit down at my computer and enter all this important data into my spreadsheets so I can prepare a Schedule C.  I told myself I was going to start this "project" two weeks ago.  I have not started yet...tomorrow..I will start tomorrow!

So, instead of taking care of some financial business, I have completed an e-course (although the projects I plan to do as a result of the e-course are still in the gathering supplies stage).  I have been working on updating my Etsy store...done.  I have been completing numerous applications for shows this Spring, Summer and even one for September...done.  Perhaps the biggest distraction has been feeling a strong need to scrapbook.

I have many, so many, scrapbooking projects that I want to start but have not.  Focusing on my little business has taken alot of my time.  Although I am a stay at home mom, the kids and the house keep me very busy.  Most evenings in my studio have been for Isa Creations with the exception of the last few weeks.  I have taken several wonderful e-courses that have inspired my creativity in more ways than one.   I have worked on several projects for me. 


I even created a mini paper bag scrapbook!  I can't remember the last time I created a scrapbook of any kind -- big or small.   This scrapbook is very personal to me.  It's about loss and finding a way to move on.   The photos are all from November 2011 -- days before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving 2011.  My sister and her two teenage boys came to our home for Thanksgiving.  My sister lost a husband and her kids a dad at the end of September 2011.  Robert's death was sudden and unexpected.   I think about my sister and nephews every day...and Robert too.  He was a brother to me and his loss continues to ache in my heart.  This scrapbook is about Robert and those he left behind.  It's about his family continuing to honor his memory by doing the things they did as a family.  It's about remembering his sense of humor, his deep love for his family and friends.  It's about living without him, yet keeping him in our hearts.   This book is bittersweet...but it was also important that I create it...for my sister, her kids, my family and me.








Sunday, February 5, 2012

New Listings on my Etsy Shop...Isa Creations Vintage

Sometimes I find it hard to find the time to take pictures, edit and write up listing for my Etsy store.  This year, I made a commitment to myself to keep my Etsy shop more up to date and to list a wide variety of items I sell at craft shows.  One  of my goals for this month was to add to my Etsy shop some of my paper magnets, origami folded paper dresses, vintage linen covered buttons and vintage origami technique hankie dresses.   I did it!

I love the digital papers and elements created by Rhonna Designs.  I love her Kiss Me Digital Collection. I also love her blog and looking forwarding to her new paper line with one of my favorite companies -- My Minds Eye.  Her new line is called Follow Your Heart.   I used her digital papers from the Kiss Me Collection to create this digital collage of my most recent Etsy listing. 
              



Saturday, February 4, 2012

Snow Day!

Thursday night, the kids and I were hoping for a Snow Day on Friday!  Our wish was granted!  NO SCHOOL!  A day to relax and hang out.  Then, my teenager surprised me.  In the afternoon, my 14 year old teenage daughter, Laura, announced she was going to go outside to shovel the snow on our sidewalk and driveway.  I said, really?  The best surprise is her offer came with no strings attached.  She did not ask for anything...wow!  So proud... here is my little girl shoveling snow.                        
She shoveled snow for over an hour!