Scrabble Tiles and more

I still had my Dremel out this morning, and I thought I would make some pins and a few charms by drilling holes in some Scrabble game tiles and adding pin backs.

I don't know if you can see what the charms are...so double click on the photo to see a bigger photo.
C - charm that looks like a Laurel Burch cat, G - angel, W - pair of flip flops, A - kitty, F -high heel, R -boxed heart, G - red heart
B & E scrabble tiles were made  into charms

I also found an old watch that came in a box of junk from a yard sale. The watch didn't run but the hands still moved. I added a jump ring and made it into a charm.

Then when digging thru another box I found the ugly fella pictured below. The pendant is approximately 3 inches. Don't know where the heck I found or bought this piece, but I know I wouldn't have paid very much for it.   I plan on making a mold out of this pendant and then using paper clay or sculpey to make some skeletons for some Day of the Dead  or Halloween art.

 

Simply Charmed

I joined a charm swap on the Yahoo group, An Affair with Art this past week.  I wanted to start on the charms right away, because I am a terrible procrastinator. I hate being late and so I figured better start early or who knows what will happen and then I'd be scrambling around at the last minute to get them finished in time.
Yesterday afternoon I started digging thru some craft drawers, bead and button boxes, and a box of assorted game pieces.  Then I went and dug out my small rechargeable Dremel drill.  Several years ago, I asked my husband, Tom for a Dremel for Christmas. My sons and hubby thought I was nuts, but I guess after they saw me using my sons, big, heavy, Makita drill they thought the little Dremel was safer for me to use. Just wish I had a small drill press to hold onto my tiny objects that I want to drill holes into. My son, Steven kept telling me that he was going to come home one day and find me with the drill bit bored thru my hand and he'd have to take me to the Emergency room. Thankfully that never happened.

My Dremel is and  small cordless that runs on a rechargeable battery pack. It is approximately 8 inches long with the bit inserted. MultiPro Cordless 7.2 V. There is probably a new and improved model out now since my Dremel is probably 10 years old.

  My dremel came in a hard plastic case with the charger and a pack that included sand paper discs, bits and other accessories.

I worked on a few more charms this morning as it was snowing again and I wasn't going to venture out on the slippery roads. I still want to make  more. I wouldn't  mind trading some charms with others.
Below...just some of the assorted dice and wood game pieces

Below: beads and clear vintage button, skull beads..glass, wood and bone.

Below: rubber stamped wooden disks that were originally from a trivet mat that I pulled apart, blue lamp work bead, copper coiled wire& beads, metal button, and frog head lamp work bead.

Well, what do you think of my charms? Any suggestions? What have you made charms from?
I also have some other objects that I want to make into charms. I've been drilling some Scrabble tiles and small domino's. I use to drill domino's all the time and make art dolls with them. You can see them here...Domino album in my picture trail album
Have a creative day.

First of my OWOH door prizes arrived

When I went to the mail box a little bit ago I found a package with one of my door prize winnings from One World One Heart blog event. Inside the package I found a bracelet of beautiful green ( aventurine), silver and pearl beads and it came wrapped in a lovely hanky from Sharon Maynard. Sharon's blog can be found here.. amethyst and lilypads. Thank you, Sharon.
 

Yesterday we had high winds and heavy rains all day long. Not a good day to be out and about. Then, when I was making homemade pizza for supper, I looked out the window and saw that it was snowing. Crazy weather!!! When I woke up this morning I saw that there was only got a inch of snow on the ground. This morning we woke up to sunshine, and I can see a few patches of winter grass, but the yard is still covered with lots of snow in most areas.
My erosion bag that has been hanging from my maple tree in the back yard since January really got a good drenching of rain yesterday, and so I am hoping that some magical changes will be going on inside that hanging bag.
Have a wonderful Saturday. :-)

Celebrating My **One Year** Blogaversary with a Giveaway

Somehow I missed the one year anniversary date of starting my blog on February 9th.  I just wasn't paying close enough attention to the calendar. So, I am a tad bit late in posting my 1 year giveaway.
I can't believe a year has already gone by since I first started my blog. I didn't have a clue how anything worked or what I was doing that morning that I clicked on the blogger site.  I still haven't figured out how every feature works on Blogger, but it has been a fun journey.
I am offering a giveaway to thank all of you who have visited or become followers. This little giveaway is just a small way of saying Thank You. Also, thanks to those who have taken the time to leave such nice comments throughout the year. I love to read them.

The winner can choose 1 item from below.

 I made this stuffed fabric hanging heart. It has ribbons and beads as an embellishment.

Tim Holtz ruler ribbon
. a new set of 4 stamps

OR: a pair of green earrings with Sterling silver wires and a bag with beads  enough to make many more pairs of earrings.

OR:  a gallon zip lock baggie filled with fabric pieces.

 

Please let me know which prize you'd like to win when you leave a comment. Also a way for me to contact you if your name is drawn as the winner. Good Luck!

Fabric canvas pink pond lily postcard

I bought a package of fabric canvas sometime back at a clearance sale. The package was marked down to $2.00. Unfortunately there was only one package or I would have bought more. The package contained 8-
8 1/2 x 11 sheets.


The photo above ...I scanned 4 images from the Art to Wear CD onto one sheet of the fabric canvas. When the ink dried, I sprayed the piece with a fixative so the ink wouldn't smudge or run. The bird image will be my next project. I just haven't decided if it will be a postcard or if I will use it on a mini quiltie hanging art piece. Probably a hanging piece.

 
In Joann Fabric's they had a book... The Vintage Workshop Art-to-Wear: 100 Images & 40 Projects to Personalize Fashion" by Amy Barickman, that I wanted.  The photo above, I took in the store with my cell phone. The book was $29.99, but it was missing the CD that came with the book and the book was pretty banged up.  The store checked, but none of their other stores had another book. 
So, I checked out Amazon.com and found that Amazon offered the book. 
I ordered  a book that was in the used section from another vendor. It was stated that the book was new and had never been used. With the cost of the book and shipping the total came to $9.98. My husband had a $10.00 credit.  So, I was thrilled when he ordered  the book for me.  I used the pink pond lily that was in the book/CD and made a canvas fabric postcard with the image.
I used a glue stick that is made for fabric to hold the canvas photo onto a green brushed velour type fabric and then stitched around the canvas. I then ironed muslin fabric onto a stiffened material for the backing. After the piece was layered and completely stitched, I then stitched a piece of pink netting over the front and then added a mauve and gold trim to finish off the piece. The trim was also another bargain. I just love bargains.
I created this piece as a little thank you gift for Sharon of amethyst and lilypads blog. I thought it would be a fun thing to send to her as she also loves lilypads. I plan to create a little something for all 3 of the ladies that I won door prizes on their blogs from the recent OWOH blog event.

That's my fun art project for the day.  I have always loved pond lilies. The pink lilies were always harder to find, at least around here. So, as a child they were my favorites. I can remember falling into the water, as I tried to reach out and grab one from the water. :-)

Fudge Nut Squares recipe card...yummy recipe!

I wanted to tuck a recipe into a chocolate themed card I made for a swap. I happened to be going thru a handmade never ending journal Cookbook that I made awhile back. I had tucked a lot of hand stamped recipe cards inside that were doubles that I had made for various swaps.
Below is the double recipe card that I am going to tuck inside my chocolate card. Oh, and this recipe has been a family favorite for a very long time.
front of recipe card reads..I'd give up chocolate, but what would it get me?
double click on the recipe card to read the recipe.
Enjoy!!!

Beaded creations..In the mood for pink

So, as I was going thru my bead stash I found beads that caught my eye, and I decided to make 2 bracelets.

My First Creation..a spiral bracelet made with seed beads and Swarovski crystals. The pale opaque pink crystals have an AB finish that adds a nice sparkle.

For my 2nd bracelet I used pink Swarovski crystals and flat backed pale pink pearls.

One World One Heart.... and the winners are, door prizes mailed out

The blog event has ended, and I want to thank everyone who stopped by to visit my blog, and also a special thank you to all 159 of you who left such lovely comments. I hope you will stop back for a visit again.
Now...how to be fair in picking the winners of my giveaway door prizes.
 I printed out all the all the comments that were left on my blog and I numbered them. 1-159. I had two friends pick seven random numbers for me.

And the winners are....
Eileen B.... ....wild haired woman domino pin http://artsaveslives-paperqueen.blogspot.com/ 
Shannon C....package Tim Holtz embellishments   http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/                   
Shar..... lavendar earrings  http://illtemperedink.blogspot.com/                                               
 Tee (The Altered Paper)  .....toilet paper tube journal     http://creationsbytee.blogspot.com/
Linda.......hanging jeans pocket  http://charmedvictorian.blogspot.com/
Peggy Alburn fabric piece- Focus http://misspproductions.blogspot.com/
Sherry Edwards ...mermaid tag  http://sherrysimpleblog.blogspot.com/                                 
I sent out emails and now I am just waiting to hear back so I can get the packages out in the mail. Please post here when your package arrives. Thanks again!!!

This was a fun event, and today I found out that I won door prizes from three blogs. I am so excited, as so many people were involved in this event, I didn't think I would win anything.

I won a card from Mervi...from Finland...http://leikkaan.blogspot.com

A aventurine (green) and silver bracelet from Sharon..http://amethystandlilypads.blogspot.com

A beautiful art doll from Wilma that she donated on the Art Dolls Only blog.

Click here: Much ADO About Art Dolls: OWOH winners for 2011!!

  Wilma's blog is  http://empresswu.blogspot.com/


2/22/2011..all of my door prizes were mailed out this morning, as none of the post offices were open yesterday, because it was
a Federal Holiday celebrating...Presidents Day. Please post a note when you receive your package. Thank You! I all hope you enjoy the door prizes that you won on my blog.

Elaine

Mod Podge Amy Giveaway prize arrives

At 7:30 this morning there was a knock on the door. Who the heck was here knocking on the door that early in the morning. Tom handed me a package from Fed EX, and to my surprise it was from Mod Podge Amy of Mod Podge Rocks. Visit Amy's wonderful blog here http://www.modpodgerocksblog.com/. 
I had received an email over the weekend from Amy letting me know that my name had been drawn for leaving a comment on her blog. 
I was totally surprised that Amy had also tucked into my giveaway package a starter kit of all the different Mod Podge products. WOW!!  How very generous you are Amy. Thank You!!!!!
Now, here is the giveaway prize that I won.


And on another note:
What a glorious  morning this is. The sun is shining and it is warm outside. Yeah!!!  I wish I could say winter was over, but that is hardly the case.
I also want to share this with all of you.
Yesterday, coming home from visiting and doing errands for my elderly parents I stopped to take a few photos of three swans on the ice and in a small open area  of water in a cranberry bog reservoir. Snow and ice surrounded the open water. I only had my old Canon digital camera in the glove box of the car with me, and that camera doesn't have much of a zoom. It was late afternoon, and unfortunately the sun was facing the direction where the swans were. I couldn't resist getting out of the car and taking a few photos.  And, so this morning I decided to change the snowy woods photo on my blog header with one of the swan photos that I took yesterday.
immature swan walking on the ice
the same swan as in the photo above slipped into the water and paddled away. I guess he thought I was getting too close.

 

Aren't they pretty?

OWOH 2011 world wide blog event

2/17/2011

I will be having a friend draw the winners from my OWOH blog hop. My friend doesn't have a computer and so she will pick random numbers from the number of comments that were left. I will post the winners and also send emails later tonight or tomorrow morning. Good Luck! This was such a fun event.

  Click HERE for all the information..............this page will also hold the participant list which will be updated thru February 12th.

http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/2010/12/annoucning-the-fifth-and-final-one-world-one-heart-event-.html/    This event is hosted by Lisa Swifka's (the creator and organizers) blog
One World One Heart is a worldwide event. The FIFTH and final One World One Heart began SUNDAY NIGHT January 30TH (MIDNIGHT THE END OF THE 30TH) and runs until February 17, 2011.

This event gives all those who have had an existing active blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections and  make new friends from around the world. This blog event allows you to visit  and see the wonderful creations by other crafters. And, as an added bonus each blog visited offers up a chance to win wonderful door prizes just by leaving a comment. I am a little late in starting, but I wanted to join in on the fun. I am # 634.

Hello and welcome to my blog. If this is a first time visit or if you have stopped by before, I hope that you enjoy my little corner of the blogging world.  Feel free to become a follower and come back to visit when the  OWOH event is over.
My name is Elaine, and I live in Middleboro, Massachusetts, USA where everything is covered in snow. I'm a  nurse, but I'm not working right now. I have been married to my hubby, Tom for 43 years. We have 2 grown sons, and 4 grandchildren. We grow cranberries and sell our berries to Ocean Spray ( you can see photos of our harvest here on my blog in the archives (9/2010). Also there are more cranberry harvest photo and many more albums of  my artwork in my picture trail albums  www.picturetrail.com/elaine_akers.
I have enjoyed crafting for many, many years. I really like trying new things and don't have enough time in a day to accomplish all that I want to get done. So many ideas with so little time.

I am a first time participant, and sadly this is the 5th and final OWOH blogging event.  To win one of my giveaways please take a look around my blog, leave a comment with an email address, and if you are participating please leave your blog address or number so I can visit your blog too. The winners will be posted here and by email on February 17. 2011.

If I can't contact the winner of a prize I will draw another name after 48 hours, due to the fact that the giveaways all have to be mailed out within 3 days.  Thanks for stopping by to visit, and for leaving a lovely comment. I'd love to have you visit again when this event is over and you have more time to look thru my blog. I love having giveaways on my blog and have them often.

I am offering 7 giveaways--photo's below.
1.a beaded wild hair woman stamped domino pin
2.Package of Tim Holtz Foliage metal embellishments 
3.a pair of pierced earrings...lavender frosted glass beads with swarovski crystals.
4.hanging decorated jeans pocket. The beads can be removed easily if you don't like the added bling.
5.toilet paper tube tag journal. The pages and tags are blank waiting for you to add journaling or photos.
6.fabric piece I found tucked away in a drawer. When I first started the piece it started off life as an atc, but then I added it to background fabric that I pinked around the edges. I never ended up using it on a project. Maybe one of you can on a little hanging quiltie or fabric piece or add it to a journal page...you decide.
7.mermaid tag that has a beautiful shimmery background.


Below-PHOTO's of my giveaways

   

 

 
 
 
 
 

Escaped to Cape Cod for a few days

I've been away for a few days over the weekend and I have lots to catch up on.
I just got back home late this afternoon.
 I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day before the day is over.

Another thing....I don't know how this escaped my attention, but I noticed that  February 9 th, was my one year blogoversary.  I will have to do something to celebrate my first year of blogging. So, stay tuned for a giveaway.

Here are 2- 4 x 4's that I made for a Valentine swap on AAWA yahoo group that I belong to, but didn't get
posted last week.

Early Saturday morning before I left to go to my cousins on Cape Cod for the weekend I snapped this photo of my Fluff Puff  kitty (right side) on a tree limb in the maple tree in the back yard with his friend, the stray kitty ( left side). That other kitty is so cute, as it follows my Fluff Puff everywhere.

Anyway, getting back to the Cape....Saturday we didn't do much of anything other than I stopped at the craft stores and Colorful Creations scrapbooking/stamp store to pick up a few papers. I have been wanting to scrapbook some old photo's from 1986, when my brother and his family joined Tom, Tommy, Steven and I for a Florida vacation. We went to Disney, Sea World, Epcot, Lion Country Safari, and the Florida Keys. I had a huge album of photos taken during that vacation that I wanted to try and get into a scrapbook. So, I had to start somewhere if I was ever going to get an album done. Do I normally scrapbook? NO, but I have all the supplies.
I brought a photo album, papers, stickers and other supplies, and my cousin Cheryl and I spent yesterday afternoon and earlier today working on our albums. My pages aren't finished as I haven't added the journaling or all the embellishments, but it was a start.  I was pleased with how the pages turned out since I really didn't know what I was doing. I took the photo's below with  the pages already in the album. Sorry that you can't really make out all the pictures. I'd like to know how others who scrapbook all the time get close up photos of their 12 x 12 pages to share on their blogs of their finished pages.  Any hints?
My first page in the Florida scrapbook album...it's not complete.
Sea World photo's..I spent over $25 dollars the day the photos below were taken buying dead fish for the kids and everyone to feed the hungry dolphins. I think the kids liked Sea World more than Disney. It sure was a cold and windy  that February morning that we were there, we had on several sweatshirts to keep warm.







Lion Country Safari..West Palm Beach



Well, that's all I've accomplished while I was away...what do you think? The only other page I've ever really created was a Harley Davidson page for my oldest son that I put in a frame.

In between crafting time we stopped in the Stop n Shop grocery store to get a few things. While in the store, I saw Joe Kennedy shopping with his wife. Joe is the son of Ethel and the late Robert (Bobby) Kennedy.
And, another thing....I came home to find an email from Amy of Modge Podge Rocks that I won one of her giveaways that she had posted on her blog on January 23,2011. The prize was a book..The Big Ass Book of Home Decor by Mark Montano. I had left a comment on her blog when she first posted her giveaway. The person that was originally picked as the winner never responded. My name was the next name that was drawn. So, I was a winner by default, but I am thrilled. Yeah!!! Amy has frequent giveaways and her blog always has fun Modge Podge projects.