Christmas Present - Beads Organized

Hubby and I received some gifts from the church he pastors (the church has been so loving, welcoming, and generous).  I was very happy to see this organizer in my bag - the ladies who picked everything out know I like to be crafty and make jewelry.  It is a shoulder tote with four organizers inside by Creative Options.

So I spent two days organizing my beads, ignoring the mounds of laundry and dishes that I knew I should probably take care of.  I just sorted beads and moved them from the tackle boxes I had them in to these awesome organizers.  What I like most about the organizers is that I can flip them upside down and my beads don't mix up.  I did have to take some the itty bitty ones out (mostly stone chips) to make sure this did not happen, but even E beads are safe and stay where I put them.  Here's a picture of the containers filled with my beads.

All four fit neatly inside the shoulder tote, and there are also front and side pockets to store my tools.  And I am ready to go with my beads any time I want....that is if I don't mind carrying 10 pounds of beads around with me.  That's right, the whole kit and caboodle weighs a total of 10 lbs. 

I am so excited about this bag, and having at least one small corner of my life incredibly organized.  Now I have to get one to fit all my metal components and wire into!!!!!  Here's a shot of the same bag I found at www.stuff4crafts .com.  It doesn't look quite so bluish in person. 





Upcycled Frames - New Bathroom Art

I have been trying to add some color to my house, something I can change out if I get bored with it.  I am not quite ready to go with bright colors on the walls, so I figured colorful art and frames would be the way to go.  I wanted to start in the bathroom and was trying to think of something cool that hubby would like on the walls when it hit me - Outkast.  Oh yeah.  So I went to work.  The first frame I bought did not work out well.  It was thin and I had painted it black.  So I trashed it in search of a wider more colorful frame.  And when I saw this little beauty at the thrift store I just knew it would work.

I know, it looks kinda boring and gross.  But give it a chance.  I got my brush out and went to work.  One thing that I did not do that I really should have is sand it down a bit and prime it with gesso.  Don't skip this step!!!!  I just took the art out and went straight to painting my base coat, Folk Art Aqua.

Had to pull up the nails to get the panel out. 

I did two coats of the aqua paint and let it dry overnight.

Then I came back and antiqued it with some thinned down black paint (used water to thin it).  I just painted the black paint mix down and wiped the excess off.  And here is where I had problems.  Because I did not sand and prime my frame some of the paint peeled off.  Not a big deal, I just went back and touched it up with the aqua paint.  I had to do that in a few different places anyway because the black was too much.  I let that coat dry for a couple of hours and then coated the frame with a spray acrylic gloss (which is kinda nasty and should be used outside or with a respirator - or both!).  I sprayed one coat, let it dry 15 minutes, then sprayed another coat.  I let it sit outside for a few hours before bringing it in. 

When I brought the frame inside I put my print in and placed the panel behind it, then bent my nails back in place.  It looked good on my wall, but I thought it would look better with another piece next to it.  So I took a small plastic frame I had, painted it, and made a print of a photo I took to place inside.

I love this little frame, and thought it would look great with a nice coat of red.  Since I was out of red spray paint, and I am trying not to use it right now (baby bump and all), I just used red acrylic on this one too.  Normally I would use Krylon spray paint on something like this.  I didn't prime this one or even gloss coat it.  Just two coats of Folk Art Lipstick Red acrylic paint and I was done. 

I let it dry overnight and then placed my photo inside and hung it up with my other masterpiece.  They are in my bathroom right now.  Here is a pic of them on the wall together.  Once I get some more art and decor in the bathroom I will show you a wider view of the room.  But for now this should do.

I would like to warn you....if you come to my house and know this song you may want to close your eyes when you enter my bathroom.  Hubby and I both come out of the bathroom with this song in our heads EVERY time.  Usually we sing it or whistle it for a few minutes before we even realize what we are doing.  I may change this up before too long, but for now i think it is just too cool to take down.

New Brooches - and a Giveaway!!!!!

I made some new brooches the other day and thought I would make a couple extra for my lovely bloggy friends.  I had to make 8 for a lady my husband works with, and I made two extra for a giveaway. 

Here they are in progress, just before I added the backs and pins to them.  I made two of each of the solid colors you see below.

The material for the solid colored roses is repurposed prom dress material.  Very nice and thick.  For the multi colored roses I used material I salvaged from a couple of shirts that originally belonged to a family member that I found in the attic in the 90s.  I used to wear them a lot, but there is a lot more of Shayna than there used to be, lol, so they no longer fit me. 

Here's another WIP shot, and a picture of the back of one of the brooches.  The material is hand cut and the edges melted with a candle.  Then I sew little beads in the center by hand.  Next I glue a piece of recycled leather (from old jackets) to the back and glue a pin on top.  I finish it off by gluing a little piece of leather over part of the pin to make sure it stays.

Now for the giveaway.  To enter you must leave a comment below. For extra chances to win, you can do one or all of the following...

1.   Follow my blog and leave me a note in your comment that you have done so (if you already follow just let me know in your comment that you are a follower and you too will get an extra chance). 

2.  You can also post a comment on my Flickr here for another chance to win.

3.  Post a link to this on your own blog and leave me a link to your post in your comment.

International players are welcome.  I will draw a winner on Monday, December 19th.  Keep an eye out for the post, I will give the winner three days to respond with an email containing their address.

If your name is drawn, you will recieve both flowers shown below.

Thanks everyone!

It's a boy!!!!

Hey there my bloggy friends!  Just thought I would share some ultrasound pics of our little boy.

His name is Grayson Phoenix Butler.  That's my hubby's choice. I got to name the first child, Talula Renae Butler (she is 2 and loves the baby in Mommy's belly).  We are so excited!!!!!!  I am 18 weeks along and due on May 7th, 2012.

Foggy Weather

We are having some sloppy, messy weather today and it sure did bring the temperature down outside.  Here are a few pictures I took of the foggy afternoon we had today.  This is my back yard.

Only thing we need to make this perfect are some creepy zombies out there somewhere....

Or some sparkly vampires. 



On a brighter note, tomorrow hubby and I will go in to my OB to find out what we are having. Yes, for those of you who did not know, I am pregnant. This is my 18th week, so maybe we will luck up and see enough to tell if it is a boy or girl. Our two-year-old daughter Lula will go with us. We are very excited!  I will let you guys know what we find out.