Happy Vintage Valentine's Day!

Well, most of the world is now already enjoying Valentine's Day....it has not yet arrived for us in California, but I'd like to wish you a happy one early!

Just a quick post to share a couple of Valentines I made yesterday.  On the Crafty Secrets' blog, Sandy Redburn shared two of her fabulous vintage Valentines as free downloads for everyone--you really need to run over there and get them!  I did, and made to VERY different Valentines...

This is a really different look for me, but it was awfully fun to play with!  A sweet little puppy-love Valentine! 

Love my silver Stickles! 

Here's a completely different, very Victorian style...

Love this beautiful cupid image--and the lilacs...oh, my!  I wish I had those draping all over my garden!   I just had to frame the image with gold glitter, and added gold Stickles dots around the image...some black lace, gold ribbon and some nice black satin ribbon to finish it off...

So sweet!

That's it for tonight...I'll be back Monday morning with more...and some exciting news!  Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day...filled with red & pink hearts, chubby cupids, luscious chocolates, sweet glittery cards & beautiful flowers!

Sweet Dreams!

Tattered Roses, Cupid...and "Emma"

Good evening, one and all!

I've got a few things to share with you tonight...had so much fun with these cards!  I think I enjoyed this first card so much because I love learning how to do things for myself, and that's just what I did today!

Here's my new addiction...

Aren't these fun?!  I was browsing around my favorite blogs a few days ago, and was visiting Sandi at her lovely blog, Wayside Treasures, and she showed these tattered roses, and linked to the blog where she found the tutorial...here...Oh, my goodness!  I'm hooked!  They just take a few minutes each to make, and they look SO good!

I played around with some of my reproduction vintage fabric, and loved how the roses turned out...but I wanted to make something especially to fit my Valentine for today...

...so I decided to make a bunch of them using some bleached white muslin I've had laying around forever...and then I sprayed them all to bits with Glimmer Mist--perfect!!!  (Click on the photo to see it better close-up--the Glimmer Mist is fabulous on the muslin!)  I needed some leaves, too, so I just cut them out freehand out of the muslin and sprayed them as well...I love the way they turned out!  I'll be making quite a lot of these, I think!  Thanks, Sandi!

The beautiful Victorian image for my Valentine is from Crafty Secrets' newly re-done "Girlfriends" Images & Journal Notes booklet...this particular image wasn't in the old version.  I just love the colors here!

The beautiful rose print paper is from Crafty Secrets' "Radiant" paper pack.  I made my own sentiment on the computer using one of my favorite vintage-style fonts "Rose", added silver shavings glitter, a truly vintage mother-of-pearl button, some ribbon and lace, and that's about it!

Next, a sweet cupid Valentine...

I love this adorable image found in Crafty Secret's "Homemade" Images & Journal Notes booklet...again I made my own sentiment using the same font...was going to say something sappy like "You have my heart on a platter", but my daughter Sarah said, "No, Mom".  Sometimes we need our kids to keep us in line, don't we?!

Some beautiful chocolatey lace, pink grosgrain, my favorite brown/cream gingham ribbon, again the silver glitter & some topaz crystal rhinestones...a bit of Glossy Accents on the heart with Dazzling Diamonds sprinkled in while still wet, and more diamonds on cupid's wings.

If you head on over to Crafty Secrets' blog, you'll find a couple of free downloadable vintage Valentine images, courtesy of Sandy Redburn--thanks, Sandy!  I'll be sharing the Valentines I made using them tomorrow--they're adorable!

Did you all see "Emma" on PBS the last few Sundays?  Oh, it was fabulous!  I collect all the British dramas I can--especially Jane Austen films...I love them all!  This new one, however, may be just about my favorite!

Emma, in this version, is played by the lovely Romola Garai, who plays her with such humor and spunk--you just kind of love her even though she causes so much trouble for everyone--including herself!  If you missed this on t.v., or even if you didn't--just do yourself a favor and add it to your collection!  I promise you'll want to see it over and over again!

That's all for tonight...

Sweet Dreams!

Secrets...The Play Date Cafe' Challenge #16

Good evening, everyone!

Hope it's been a great day for you all...except for the blizzards, earthquakes in the wrong places & too many rainstorms...!

Just a quick post tonight--been a busy couple of days and I haven't had much creative time--that will be tomorrow!

This week's Play Date Cafe' challenge is hosted by the amazing Julie Ranae, and here are the beautiful colors she chose:

Of course, I was working off an older photo, and my colors are a bit different, but essentially the same...and since our color challenge is very open to interpretation, I'm going to be just fine about it!  Here's my take on this week's challenge:

I love this image from Crafty Secrets' "Girlfriends" Images & Journal Notes booklet--so fun & sassy!  I went a little over the top with my rhinestones & black diamond Stickles, but sometimes you just have to go glitzy, right?! 

Well, that's it for tonight--told you it was a quick one!  I will be back tomorrow, though, with a couple of Valentines to share with you.  Hope you have a wonderful night...off to catch a little pre-recorded "American Idol" with the family before bed...

Sweet Dreams!

Kitschy Kitchen Fun & a Design Team Call!

Good afternoon, everyone!  Hope the day is wonderful for you all today!  My girls are home from school , so we're just relaxing and not doing anything TOO productive....my favorite kind of day!

Just got a couple of things to share with you today...I was making cards while the family was watching the Super Bowl....I'm sorry....not a huge football fan!  But, I did come running in whenever they were laughing hard during the commercials--some funny stuff!

Both cards I made were kitchy kitchen cards...I was just in that mood, I guess!  Here's the first one:

The image is from Crafty Secrets' "Girlfriends" Images & Journal Notes booklet--love these fun booklets!  This came together really fast...the poka dotted paper is from also from Crafty Secrets...from the "Radiant" paper pack. 

Some of my favorite gingham ribbon, some rick-rack trim, buttons, and of course too much glitter makes the card complete!  I love the saying "I only have a kitchen because it came with the house!"  Good stuff!

Here's my second card:

This fabulous image comes from Crafty Secrets' "Domestic Goddess" Creative Scraps. I love making these flowers with  a 2" scallop punch & my SU! scallop punch--then just cut into the center to make the petals...and a button and you're done!   

Mrs. Wonderful in all her glory!

And now...a Design Team call to let you all know about!  I've been on the DT for "The Play Date Cafe'" for a couple of months now--such wonderful women to work with!  We lost a couple of our designers recently, so Julie Ranae is opening up a call for some new designers to join in the fun with us...here's what she has to say:


We are so excited to extend an invitation to YOU!

The Play Date Cafe Challenge is 3 months old and it is time
to add new talent to our Design Team.

Do you enjoy playing with color?


Do you enjoy a challenge?


Do you enjoy being an inspiration to others?

We are looking for a variety of styles.
Cards, layouts, altered art, shabby chic or vintage
retro, grunge, clean and simple...you name it!

The term would be for 6 months

Along with creating a weekly project inspired by colors
from your fellow design team,
once a month or so, you would also be responsible for
choosing color inspiration

We are looking for fun, creative people with a blog
and the capability of taking crisp, clear photos
If you would like to apply,
please provide the following:

3 creations that show 'who' you are as a designer

A list of your current/past design team experience

(No DT experience necessary)

Your name, address, phone #, email & blog address

Send the photo files and above information to

julieranae@hotmail.com

place DT submission on the subject line
WORLD WIDE OPEN CALL
DEADLINE FOR DT SUBMISSIONS
February 28, 2010

The Play Date Cafe is headed in a very, exciting direction!
We have had a number of potential sponsors contact us
along with some other surprises.

We hope you will consider joining our Senior Designers
Sarah Anderson, Julie Campbell and Julie Murray
as we head into the Spring and Summer.

Looking forward to hearing from YOU!
That's it for today--see you soon with more to share.  Make something wonderful today!!!