A Vintage Chic

The Best of Friends…and a Giveaway!

2012-01-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

Hello, dear friends!

Oh my goodness! I sure missed visiting with all of you the last couple of weeks—blogging is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?! But sometimes it’s also a wonderful things to take a little time off…and now I’m ready to be back!

Just a little whimsical project to share with you today {I’m easing back in with something light!}…

…three sweet friends…my daughters think they’re a bit odd…but I quite like them!

I was inspired by this vintage photo found on Pinterest {my very favorite place to “hang out” these days"!}…

… “Ghost Girls”, it was titled. I immediately knew what I wanted to do with it…add a few of my favorite German china doll head images, of course!

I decided not to mess with their “ghosty” legs—or lack of legs—so I just covered them up! Isn’t this trim lovely?! It’s from “Recollections”, found at Michael’s…

…kinda makes them look like they’re on stage, I think! A pretty black vintage button added, just for a little POP…

And that’s about it!

Now for the fun part! I think I mentioned in my last post that I’m about to turn the big 5-0. On Monday to be precise! So, I thought this would be a perfect time for a giveaway!

Some of my favorite crafting products to share with you…from Crafty Secrets, the new “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD and four sets of Creative Scraps—I just love those! From Maya Road, a couple of mini chipboard albums to play with…

…and a pretty little charm necklace I made using one of the images from Crafty Secrets’ “Mini Vintage” Creative Scraps {included in the giveaway package}…

…isn’t that a pretty crown?!

{sorry for the shadowy pictures…it’s a little gloomy today!}

So, all you have to do is leave me a comment if you’d like to win…that’s it! Just let me know in the same comment if you’re a follower & I’ll put your name in twice—easy peasy!

I’ll draw the winner’s name a week from today—next Friday, February 3rd at midnight-ish!

***Another treat for you…Stop by the Crafty Secrets blog for a gorgeous new $5 Vintage Valentine downloadable kit—chock FULL of fabulous vintage love! Sandy (owner of Crafty Secrets) has also posted a beautiful free Valentine downloadable image—you won’t want to miss it!***

That’s it for now…I’ll be back on Monday with something new…

It’s good to be back!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,giveaway winner,best friends,German china dolls,Pinterest

Just A Little Time…

2012-01-12T09:13:00.001-08:00

Hello, my friends!

A quick post to let you know I’ll be taking a short blog break—just until the end of the month.

I need some time to help my daughters (and me!) adjust to a new homeschooling experience—an all on-line school—should be much easier on old Mom!

Between that and the need to get things in order, re-spark my creative muses, and just taking some time to stop and smell the roses…

…YES! I still have roses blooming in January! {You’ve just got to love California!}…

…I need just a little time off.

I’ll be popping in to check on things & be making visits when I can, but I won’t be posting till then…

I’ll be back just in time for my BIG birthday—50, here I come!!! Hope you’ll come back and visit when I get back—I’ll miss you!

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Time

Keeper of My Story

2012-01-10T05:18:00.000-08:00

Once in a while, something comes across your path that describes you perfectly…better than you ever could yourself…

I found that very thing just yesterday on a lovely, like-minded friend’s blog…she graciously said I could share it here….

The Chosen

“We are the chosen. In each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again. To tell the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve.

“Doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of our tribe. All tribes have one.

“We have been called, as it were, by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do. In finding them, we somehow find ourselves.

{close-up of my 3rd great-grandmother, Susannah Benson Vance’s grave—I LOVE the clasped hands…the same image is engraved on her husband’s gravestone just next door…}

“How many graves have I stood before and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told my ancestors, “You have a wonderful family; you would be proud of us”.

{my poor, un-pedicured feet during a very emotional first visit to my 4th great-grandmother’s grave this summer—one of my guardian angels, I just know she is…}

“How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say. It goes beyond documenting facts.

{my oldest daughter Chelsea—years ago—by the grave of my great-grandmother Pauline’s grave…I started teaching them very young…}

“It goes to who I am, and why I do the things I do. It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying – I can’t let this happen! The bones are bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh.

{the sweet little hands of two of my daughters letting their 4th great-grandmother know they love her….}

“It goes to doing something about it. It goes to our pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family.

“It goes to deep pride that the fathers fought and some died to make and keep us a nation. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us.

“It is of equal pride and love that our mothers struggled to give us birth, without them we could not exist, and so we love each one, as far back as we can reach. That we might be born who we are.

“So, as a scribe called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and take my place in the long line of family storytellers.

“That is why I do family genealogy, and that is what calls those young and old to step up and restore memory or greet those who we had never known before…”

And so it is that I do what I do. I felt this stirring—this call--in my blood when I was just 12 years old. I remember it very well…

The heritage pages I’ve been making and sharing with you are more than scrapbook pages…they are stories. Picture stories that will be bound together along with their written stories in many books to tell my story…

…the story I’ve been chosen to keep.

{most of the background prints & paper emphera on my pages are courtesy of Crafty Secrets}

I’m looking forward to sharing my books with you when I’m done…although I don’t think I’ll ever be done…the story goes on…

I’ve been quietly training three more Keepers of the Story for years now…

…I think our family story is in very good hands…

Every family has it’s own unique story…how will you tell yours?

Julie

{“The Chosen” by Della M. Cummings Wright; rewritten by her granddaughter Dell Jo Ann McGinnis Johnson; edited and reworded by Ton Dunn, 1943, and, thankfully, shared by Sandy of 521 Lake Street}

LiveJournal Tags: Heritage,Genealogy,521 Lake Street,Crafty Secrets

Piano Lessons

2012-01-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Just down the street from little Velda, close to the old railroad track, things were happening….things she wanted to be part of…

When she was just about four years old, she became aware of Mrs. Muzette Brown’s group piano lessons…and she wanted more than anything to learn how to play the piano…

{beautiful floral background print from Crafty Secrets’ new “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD}

Not telling anyone where she was going, she would just “show up”, as she remembered, at Mrs. Brown’s house during lesson time.

“Mrs. Brown, being a very nice person, and apparently being perceptive about my hunger to learn, would succumb to my pleadings and would give me some little thing to do to keep me from being so obnoxious…”, Velda remembered…

{I really wanted some kind of keyboard or piano image for my page, but couldn’t find anything that worked…so I just made my own!}

When her mother finally realized what was going on, she paid Mrs. Brown a visit herself. “She’s much younger than anyone I’ve ever taught”, said Mrs. Brown, “but I’m willing to take her on if you wish to enroll her”, she said.

Her parents eventually “gave in”, as Velda put it, and she was a regular student at Mrs. Brown’s for many years.

{Velda, about age 12, 1927}

“I regret to say that although I continued with piano lessons for quite a few years, I was never a ‘child prodigy’, and I finally convinced my parents to be satisfied with that obvious fact…”, Velda said.

She quit lessons while an older school girl, but later in life regretted that she didn’t study longer…

{a new page for my heritage scrapbook}

I started taking piano lessons around the time I was 7 years old, continuing until I was 17. I didn’t always enjoy the lessons & daily practicing, but I do love playing the piano now, and I’m so grateful that I can.

I always just assumed my parents paid for my lessons all through the years, and one day, a year or so ago, I thanked my mother for doing that.

{me—1969—about the time I began my piano lessons}

“Oh, we didn’t pay for them”, she said, “your grandparents did.”

I never knew. They never said one thing to me about it. They were ever supportive, always wanted to hear me play, but they never told me.

They’ve both been gone for years now…I wish so much that I could thank them for this…and, well, I guess I am right now…

Thank-you Velda, thank-you Dow, for the gift of music in my life…

{my grandparents—Dow and Velda Ostlund}

I love you.

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Piano Lessons,Velda Stapley Ostlund,Dow Ostlund,Crafty Secrets

Happy New Year Wishes & a Winner!

2012-01-01T16:28:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year’s Day, dear friends!

My goodness…2012…sounds like a very good year to me!

We had a calm—but very lovely—ringing in of the New Year…just my family and mother-in-law together…

…playing games, eating food (too much!), watching that big, glittery ball drop, a little sparkling cider…hugs & kisses all around…nothing fancy—just the way I like it!

And just to sweeten the day a tiny bit, here’s the winner for the Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD…

Anna Christensen from Hove, England is our winner on this very first day of 2012—Congratulations, Anna! Would you mind sending me your email address? I’ll get it sent off to you right away!

Thank-you all for entering the giveaway….thinking I may have to do another one very soon!

On this lovely first day of the year, I’m sending you wishes for a bright, wonderful, safe & happy New Year. Hoping it’s a year of renewal, refreshment, fulfillment & creativity…

…a year full of blessings for each of us & a year full of opportunities for each of us to bless the lives of others in every way we can…

…a year to not expect ourselves to be perfect right now, but to be just a little kinder, a little more patient, a little more generous, a little bit better every day...

Happy New Years’ wishes to each and every one of you…thank-you for all you do, share & inspire each and every day all throughout the year!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Happy New Year,Crafty Secrets,giveaway winner

A Bag Full of Creativity…and a Giveaway!

2011-12-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

Hello, my friends!

How could Christmas possibly be over?! It does go by in a blink, doesn’t it? Hope you enjoyed—and are STILL enjoying—every single moment with your families…

…I sure have been! Here we are—taken last week in my “office”…the beautiful park where I take sweet little school children on field trips & teach them about our local wildlife…not a bad job, huh?!

I finally took a little creativity time for myself this morning, and this is what I came up with…

…a very easy bag made with prints from Crafty Secrets’ new “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD—I had so much fun with this!

I can’t even tell you how easy it was—I already had a canvas bag (from Michaels) all ready to go…a striped piece of muslin for the background…

…then a print chosen from the CD for the background, printed on printable cotton—so fabulous!

…then the main image, also from the CD and printed on cotton was added on top. I just typed up the word “Supplies” in a lovely vintage font, and that was it!

Everything was quickly stitched together with the sewing machine, and all that was left was embellishing!

Some pretty, older lace was dyed with Glimmer Mist (one of my favorite things to do!), then vintage mother-of-pearl buttons were added on top…

…sweet, very shabby handmade roses were added next, made with old scrim given to me by my mother, and also dyed with Glimmer Mist…

…a bit of chocolatey seam binding added here & there, some Platinum Stickles framing the main image, and that’s about it!

I thought it would be fun to give one of these wonderful CD’s away so YOU could have fun creating with it, as well!

{Crafty Secrets CD shown with samples showing some of the things you can do with it!}

***To win, all you have to do is leave me a comment here—let me know if you’re a follower & I’ll count you twice!***

The winner’s name will be drawn at noon on New Year’s Day—not a bad way to start the year, huh?!

Meanwhile, I’ve got my new bag stuffed with yummy yarn…a warm, wintry scarf being made while I watch late night movies with my family…

…can’t wait to hear what you create with your CD!

Wishing you a wonderful last week of 2011…see you soon with something new!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Giveaway,canvas bag

A Childhood Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve…are there two more beautiful words in the mind of a child?

Christmas Eve was ONE thing in my childhood…pure magic. From waking up that waited-for morning till jumping eagerly into our beds that night, absolute magic. It tingled our skin, ran through our veins, sparkled our eyes, made our little hearts go pitter-pat…

{my brother Scott & I at one such snowy early 70’s Christmas time}

Growing up in Northeastern Ohio was a wonderful thing.

{my dear Dad, doing what dads do…}

We were most always covered in snow by this time of December, and if we were very lucky—and we often were—the snow would fall gently on Christmas Eve night…magic snow fairies gliding down…changing colors as they went by the Christmas lights hanging from our front porch…

And, oh--the anticipation! Brothers and sisters sitting around the Christmas tree…counting and piling their presents—who had a bigger pile? What could this present be?!

{little Becky and Greg…oh, how time flies! Mid-70’s}

We were a little kinder to each other that day…a little more forgiving of the things that usually would annoy…this was our last chance to show Santa that we’d been “nice”, not “naughty” this year, after all!

{All the siblings gathered here mid-70’s except for Jenny…but she was there…Mom was pregnant here with number six. Mom looks tired!}

Making plates full of all the delicious Christmas cookies we’d been making during previous days…putting a bow on top of each, and taking them around the neighborhood quickly to our very best friends and neighbors…sharing a little Christmas cheer…

One year, some brilliant neighbor came up with the idea of every house in our large neighborhood being lit up by luminaries…and it became tradition.

{I wish I had a picture of our childhood house on taken outside on Christmas Eve…sadly, I don’t, but this one gave me the same feeling…}

Someone was chosen each year to bring around waxed paper lunch sacks and candles to all the houses. We would fill them each with a bit of sand so they wouldn’t blow over in the chill winds and light them as soon as it got dark…magic. Sometimes we would take a quick, snowy walk and just soak it all in…

Helping Mom get our traditional Christmas Eve meal prepared…pierogies and kielbasi. Now, we are not even one speck Polish, but there was—probably still is—a very large Polish population in our area of Ohio.

For some reason, we tried this meal one Christmas Eve long ago, fell in love with it, and it became tradition. Still is. {This year, however, it will be homemade pierogi for the first time in our house—yum!}

In every one of our homes to this day (there are six of us kids), all over this country…pierogies and kielbasi are the meal on Christmas Eve. A beautiful tradition that binds us together when we cannot be together otherwise (many thanks to the wonderful in-laws who allow it to continue!)…

{straight from the 1940s, this album was—and still is—my very favorite of all Christmas albums. I feel just like a little girl again whenever I hear it…}

After dinner, laying on the carpet in the living room near our beautifully lit tree, listening to the family Christmas records on the record player…waiting for the family to gather for our “program”.

We would read the Christmas story from the scriptures first—it’s the most important part, after all…sometimes we would act it out with one of Mom’s handmade nativity sets. We loved that!

Next—our favorite part! Dad—always Dad—would read the poem by Ogden Nash: “The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus”.

{illustration for the poem by Norman Rockwell}

As time went on, and we learned the poem better, we would shout out the end of each line in unison as Dad read…another tradition we continue in each of our homes each and every year.

Last of all—“The Night Before Christmas” was recited—now the excitement was so extreme, we could barely contain ourselves!

With kisses and hugs all around and the happy singing out of “Merry Christmas!”, we’d fly up the stairs to our beds…blankets cozily tucked up to our chins…eyes wide open…would sleep ever come?!

And so with the thoughts of jingling sleigh bells, hooves alighting on our snowy roof (and I remember Christmas Eves when I KNEW I heard them!), and jolly Santa Claus leaving all we had wished for under our tree, off we’d drift….

Christmas Eve. Is there any better memory to hold on to? Magic. Sheer magic…

Wishing each and every one the most merriest of Christmases…may warmth, love and family traditions fill your holiday with all the very best!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Christmas Eve,family traditions,Ogden Nash

Christmas Windows

2011-12-22T07:54:00.000-08:00

A budding artist, Karen was given free-reign to create as a child…and create she did! Clay, fabric, crayons & paint…she experimented with it all and made so many wonderful things!

Recognizing her talents, her parents encouraged her in every way they could…especially at Christmas time…

Large picture windows in the front of their Phoenix home were her canvas at Christmas…decorated for the neighborhood to see!

Karen was very proud of her work—and so were her parents! I love the photos I have of her posing in front of her festive masterpieces!

I know that she would practice her pictures on paper before committing them to glass, because I found one of those paper pictures this summer at my mother’s house…the only one surviving, I would imagine…

Looking through a cupboard with Mom, I found a large, folded piece of thick paper…browned and tattered at the edges…a bit of yellowed tape still remaining on a couple of corners…

…as soon as I carefully opened it up, I recognized it immediately from the many photos I’d seen… “Oh, Mom! One of your Christmas window paintings!”, I said…she just smiled…

{sweet little sister, Judy poses in front of Mom’s painting…Judy was blind, and probably would have had this painting very lovingly described to her…}

“Can I take it home with me?”, I asked… “I’d love to hang it up at Christmas time!”

“Oh, you wouldn’t hang up that old thing”, she smilingly protested…

…but I did!

{in my kitchen today with my youngest daughter, Annie, who was about the same age my Mom was when she painted this one…}

Hanging in my kitchen, a warm reminder of Christmas past, when my mother was given the gift of expressing her talents for all to see by her loving parents…

…a wonderful gift, indeed.

Merry Christmas, Mom!

And the happiest of Happy Birthday wishes to my beautiful daughter Chelsea!

How is it possible that I’ve been a mother for 22 years already?! You are the most amazing young woman and I love you so…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Karen Ostlund Smith,Christmas,window painting,Chelsea Campbell

Oh, Christmas Tin!

2011-12-18T12:38:00.000-08:00

{I just love this vintage Christmas light reflector! Found in a box of Christmas treasures at a yard sale…lucky me!}

Hello, dear friends!

Just popping in during this busiest of busy weeks to wish you all a merry almost Christmas!

Had a wonderful time tonight…we had about 50 friends over for homemade soup (5 different kinds) and homemade bread—we’ve been in the kitchen for a couple of days getting ready! Think we’ll be making it our new Christmas tradition. My husband dubbed it “The Campbell Soup Kitchen”…cute, huh?!

A little project to share with you today…a bit of new life brought to an old, very used, very loved muffin tin from a kitchen long ago…

…found at a yard sale this summer for just 25 cents…little did it know what was in store for it (neither did I at the time!)

It was hard for me to do anything to the beautifully tarnished & rusted design of this lovely muffin tin…doesn’t it seem like even the simplest of household objects were given the utmost thought in design in days gone by? Probably why we all love them so!

I made this to share on a wonderful new & fabulously creative new site: The Creative Patch. Hope you all stop by and see what’s going on over there…the lovely & talented Sheila has so much in store for you!

Such an easy little project…I just chose some fun, retro images, cut them to fit the bottom of each cup, surrounded them with Platinum Stickles (of course!)…

…I decided a bit of “snow” was very, very necessary under each image…a bit of dimensional white paint was dabbed on just where I wanted it, then topped of with some fine, iridescent glitter…snow!

A nice, fluffy bunch of seam binding, topped off with vintage buttons crowned the muffin tin…

…and a merry collection of Christmas-colored vintage buttons finished it off at the bottom—easy peasy!

{I sure love photographing my projects on my Christmas tree during the holidays—gives everything just a little more sparkle!}

Well, that’s all for today…hope you’re enjoying every minute of every day in this wonderful holiday season with your family and friends…I sure am!

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Retro Christmas,vintage muffin tin,The Creative Patch

A Drugstore Christmas Eve

2011-12-15T05:25:00.000-08:00

{vintage Phoenix postcard with corner Walgreens found online—perfect!}

Do you remember the feeling you’d get on Christmas Eve when you were a child? When the sun went down, dinner was over and you knew the time was getting closer and closer to when Santa would arrive?

I sure do!

Another little girl felt that same feeling on a Christmas Eve back in 1946…

Dinner over, her father had just one more errand to run that night…a very important Christmas errand…and he said little Karen could come along with him, if she wanted to.

She wanted to.

{Don’t you just love the internet? A few clicks and I found an image just like the car my grandparents had at the time of my Mom’s story…}

Off through the night in the shiny, copper penny-colored Plymouth they went…a drugstore in downtown Phoenix was their destination…

Parking in front of the Walgreens on the corner, her Daddy told her to wait in the car—it would only take him a minute.

As Karen sat in the center of that wide front seat, she looked around her at the beautiful holiday lights all along McDowell Street…stores were closing, people rushing home for the big night…Oh, how quickly her little heart was beating!

All of a sudden, she jumped—she’d heard her name spoken—quietly, but clearly… “Karen”.

She just knew it was Santa Claus calling her name…she just knew it!

{fabulous tag from Crafty Secrets’ “Retro Christmas” Vintage Cuts}

In a moment, her Daddy came smiling at her through the drugstore door, got into the car, and started it up…

“Daddy! Someone said my name—It was Santa!”, she squealed.

Her Daddy--a very smart daddy—said, “I’ll just bet it was one of his helpers, trying to tell you that we’d better get home quickly and get you into bed so that Santa can come!”

{my love affair with plastic vintage buttons continues!}

Oh, my! How she ever sat still in her seat all the way home, I’ll never know. Getting home, she buttoned up her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and jumped into bed as quickly as she could!

Santa did come that night, just as she knew he would...don’t you just imagine she fell asleep to the wonder of Santa Claus knowing her very own name?!

My dear mother, Karen, still remembers that night—as clear as a Christmas bell. She says she really did her someone say her name, and it wasn’t her Daddy…

{my newest page for my heritage scrapbook…}

This mother of mine has always kept the magic and excitement of Christmas alive in her heart. She has passed it along to me, just as I have passed it along to my own three daughters…

On Christmas Eve, all three generations of women in our family become little girls again…

And that, my friends, is the Magic of Christmas.

Off to be a little girl,

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Christmas,Karen Ostlund Smith,Phoenix,heritage album

Paper Soldiers

2011-12-11T06:59:00.000-08:00

It was a rare treat to go to Grandma and Grandpa Smith’s house for Christmas that year…

{my dear Dad—Clayn, on the left, his big brother, Grant, by his side}

But even though Grandma & Grandpa lived in Snowflake, Arizona, there was no snow that year…and no money, either.

It was 1942. The War was on, and money was tight for everyone. Little boys aren’t always aware of those things, though…

Early on Christmas morning, 5-year old Clayn and his big brother Grant ran to the lovingly decorated Christmas tree—eager to find the treasures they just knew Santa Claus had brought in the night….

They found only one gift each—cardboard soldiers. Sheets of soldiers to punch out and play with…that was it…

And they were thrilled!

{I found these soldier images on line from someone’s collection. While they may not be the same set Dad had that Christmas, they’re pretty close, he said!}

The two boys punched out, set up and played with their brand-new soldiers all that Christmas day. All around the house, upstairs and down—finding new rooms to conquer, new strategies to try…

The forbidden-to-little-boys ladder in the kitchen up to the attic was much too tempting for those two that magical day…and up they went…

{another wonderful find from the world of Tim Holtz. I just bought these metal tags on Monday with no thought of what I would use them for…fate was kind!}

Battle was interrupted, however, when they were discovered & brought down with a softer-than-usual reprimand, I’m sure—it was Christmas Day, after all!

All the day long they played…the two brothers together…

{Clayn & Grant standing at attention on their grandparents front porch steps—so glad they were thoughtful enough to pose so appropriately for me so long ago!}

“You know”, my Dad told me last night, “I think that was just about the greatest Christmas I can remember…”

A new page made today for my heritage scrapbook. How wonderful it was to hear the joy in my Dad’s voice as he thought back to that Christmas so long ago…

{no fancy stuff this time—glitter, seam binding bows & such things have no place with boys and soldiers!}

Little boys and paper soldiers. The magic of Christmas, it would seem, doesn’t require too much after all, does it?

See you soon with something new…

{a single, perfectly perfect & very old button from my stash}

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Clayn Riggs Smith,Grant,Christmas,WWII,heritage,soldiers

Very PINteresting

2011-12-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

Hello, my friends!

Have just about all of you discovered Pinterest by now??? I have to tell you…it’s my biggest addiction ever!

Pretty pictures and ideas by the score—just waiting to be saved on lovely virtual boards & used when I have the time…

…and I finally had the time for this one!

A really fun pin I saw there a couple of months ago—such a great idea—and I had all the materials on hand already!

{vintage buttons from my stash, pretty little millinery flowers & my new favorite vintage style resin flowers finish them off!}

Based around vintage soda pop caps (which I already had and hadn’t done anything with yet!), you just add any sweet little embellishments you chose until you’re happy with them…

{all image buttons are found on Crafty Secrets’ “Mini Vintage” Creative Scraps & topped with acrylic buttons}

…and I think I’m happy!

They look so cute on a chunky sweater or jacket…a fun little gift to make for family or friends. Good thing I have lots of these bottle caps!

Take a peek at Pinterest…you never know what you’ll discover…but one thing’s for sure—you’ll be hooked!

{and if you want to see what’s peaking my Pinterest, just click the bright red logo on my sidebar!}

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Pinterest,pins,Crafty Secrets

The Fairies’ Dance

2011-12-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

The fairies wouldn’t stop dancing around in my head this week…fairy-themed projects I couldn’t quite get out of my mind…

…I tried to stop them, I really tried!

“After Christmas”, I told them…”I’ve got too much to do!”

{one of the many piles of Christmas waiting to be organized at my house!}

…decorating, gifts to finish, Christmas projects, baking……………..

They still wouldn’t stop.

The only way I’ve found to stop the dancing is to listen to the fairies…

{one fairy properly captured…do you know how very, very hard it is to photograph something under glass? VERY!}

…so I did.

A couple of little fairy projects made this weekend…

{a vintage mason jar I acquired this spring…I LOVE those heavy, old lids!}

{sweet little girl with her dolly found online. Wings courtesy of Crafty Secrets}

And then we have little cutie:

A pretty piece of vintage sheet music found online, beautiful paper, and some lovely flowers…that’s about all it takes to make this little fairy happy…

{fairy girl, crown & wings found on Crafty Secrets’ “Altered Fairies” Creative Scraps}

…maybe now I can finish decorating!

So don’t forget to listen to the fairies…maybe they’ll actually help me with all my decorating now!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Fairies

A Homespun Family Christmas

2011-11-30T05:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas 1890

The Christmas hopes and dreams of children haven’t really changed much with the passage of the years…

“For some time, we had been talking and dreaming of Santa Claus, as children always do, and what he was going to bring us,” Pauline remembered of the Christmas she was six years old...

That year, however, things wouldn’t turn out quite as the Udall children wished.

On the day the parents were to make the all-day trip to Becker’s Store in the nearest town for Christmas gift buying, a terrible winter blizzard blew into the northern Arizona territory, making the trip impossible…

“Late on Christmas Eve,” wrote Pauline, “the wind had ceased and the snow was piling down when we children went to bed…”

{Young Pauline with two of her brothers}

“We awoke on Christmas morning to find the earth wrapped in a two-foot blanket of snow…we also awoke to find that Old Santa had been unable to make his trip in such weather.”

{fat, chunky snowflakes covered with clear German glass glitter}

“Dear Mother had some hand-made tokens for us, but our disappointment was more than obvious”, she said…”What we young ones were missing most of all were goodies!”

Their Father, understanding their disappointment, quietly began working in the kitchen…he began making the “sugar treats” he remembered getting as a boy to suck on in the old pioneer days…

“I remember with what interest we watched his proceedings…He tore clean, white muslin into eight pieces of about three-inches square. Then he placed on each square a spoonful of sugar, drew up the corners, and tied the sugar into a firm little ball…we had so much fun watching, that we began to have a great time!”

{the wise & loving parents: Ida and David Udall}

Then Mother Ida stepped in to help things along…”she got out her guitar and had us sing “Christ was Born in Bethlehem”, and other Christmas songs she’d taught us”…(what a beautiful scene plays out in my mind!)

{image of a 19th-century guitar found online and vintage Christmas carol illustration from Crafty Secrets’ newest CD}

As soon as the singing ended, father said he was going to take them on a “make-believe sleigh ride” around their property…the horses were quickly hitched up to the wagon, the children were warmly bundled , Mother and Father were seated up front, and off they went into the deep, new-fallen snow!

“We had the thrill of watching the horses break through the deep snow…there was the biting and invigorating air…the babble of happy childish voices. Over and around it all we had the atmosphere of that unusual paternal love and tender devotion,” she wrote.

{background print, journaling print & music from Crafty Secrets’ new “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD}

A new page made yesterday for my heritage album. Lots of little things added to tell a sweet, long ago tale of Christmas…

The Christmas hopes and dreams of children really haven’t changed much with the passage of time, have they? In the last 111 years, toys, gadgets & technology have changed, but the simple joys—the truly important things—haven’t.

“That day left me with a memory of which I become more fond with the passing of the years. I have learned to love Mother Nature for what was at that time her cruelty. All impressions were shut out except that of family love and a happy home. It left to us the perfect enjoyment of the real spirit of Christmas.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Wishing you the beginning of a very merry Christmas season!

***(A very warm thank-you to the lovely & talented Sheila of Blessed and Distressed for my new blog header & button on the side bar…such wonderful gifts!)***

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Christmas,Crafty Secrets,Heritage,Udall Family,Pauline Udall Smith

A Homey, Thankful Day

2011-11-24T11:06:00.001-08:00

{free download from Crafty Secrets…here’s where you find it}

Hello, dear friends…

The turkey’s in the oven, the fireplace is on, candles burning, music fills the air…warmth, love and gratitude all around…

Just thought I’d pop in real quick to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day and to share a couple more autumn-hued cards made earlier in the week…

All paper and images here are found on Crafty Secrets’ new “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD…

I told you this would be quick today!

Life really is a gift, isn’t it?

And I am so very, very grateful.

So very grateful to all of you, too…for all the friendship, inspiration and beauty you share on a daily basis all throughout the year.

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Thanksgiving,vintage

Country French Happiness

2011-11-23T07:38:00.000-08:00

Hello, my friends!

A card & some fun news to share with you today…

…a little bit of French countryside whimsy to tell you how happy Sandy, the owner of Crafty Secrets is to go all digital!

In an effort to simplify her life (she’s a very busy woman!), all your favorite stamps will still be available—just digitally now—and grouped on future CD’s…it will be so easy to play with , re-size & use all these images and so many new ones to come!

Lots of new paper—and your old favorites!—will be found on the upcoming CDs…just like the beautiful scenery and vintage jointed French lady I used on my card today…

…isn’t she wonderful?! Just copy, cut out (I love cutting out pretty images!), and place her where you want her…so much fun to do!

This pretty floral background paper can also be found on the new CD—matches this sweet scene just perfectly, I think!

And just to make your feet do an extra happy dance…

…Sandy will be having a big sale on “Black Friday”, November 25th, on all the Clear Art Stamp sets—you don’t want to miss it!

Here’s what Sandy has to say about the new “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD:

“I’m super excited about this CD and with over 200 files it’s a fabulous deal for $15.99--but if you can’t wait until this Friday and want to pre-order it NOW, we will include a free Image & Journal Notes Booklet (just state what title you’d like in the message box in our Shopatron Store, or we will automatically send a Christmas Booklet). We should have the first 100 in stock this Friday, 1000 more to follow.”

That’s about it for me today…I’ll be back in a day or two with more projects using the new CD…until then, I hope your Thanksgiving holiday is a warm, wonderful, family-filled time!

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,French,whimsy

The Family Patio

2011-11-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

My grandfather, Dow, was the Vice President of a large bank in Arizona…

…this was his portrait for the bank--isn’t he handsome?

Because he was well-known in the area, a newspaper scheduled an interview and photo time with the Ostlund family one sunny, 1950’s afternoon…

…and this was what appeared in the paper. I’ve always loved this photo…the family all together, sweet, blind little Judy looking so happy, my mother, the beautiful teenager, in her homemade dress, my grandmother, Velda with spoon in-hand…ever the homemaker. Even Jocko the dog posed properly that day!

Here’s the same patio, probably 7 or so years later…

…a little less posed, my mother now married, Judy was sadly gone by now…but here I am…toddler me…toddling around on that very same patio…

I never lived in Phoenix, but nearly every summer, our family would spent quite a lot of time there…all of our extended family was there, after all…a very special place for us to be…

{you just don’t get to choose your thighs, do you?!}

Here’s me again, a year or two later, once more on that beloved patio…in the very same spot the family photo shoot took place a decade or more earlier.

Even though it was always summer when we visited, I never remember the heat bothering me at all when I was a child, and I would spend hours and hours playing outside…

I remember that very patio so very well….pink-hued cement…smooth and warm (sometimes quite hot!) on my bare summer feet…I remember the sun-baked smell of that backyard so vividly…isn’t it funny how even smells remain tucked away in our memories?

Just beyond it was the lawn—a stiff, prickly & well-groomed Arizona lawn…I didn’t like to walk on it barefoot unless it was being irrigated, and then I would walk forever in it--soft, drenched grass , lying underneath a couple of inches of water warmed by the sun…an absolute delight for a child!

{beautiful vintage prints and “tea cakes” tag found on Crafty Secrets’ 2nd soon-t0-be-released CD}

A new page made this last week for my heritage album…

I chose the colors very much on purpose…the vintage blue for the always-blue Arizona skies I remember in my childhood mind, and the warm, beautiful orange for the Arizona sun…

My grandparents moved away from the family home when I was about 11 or 12…off to a more modern condominium.

I will always miss that old house on Kaler Drive, but my memory holds it close to my heart…

…I’m so very grateful for these lovely old family photos and my very own memories of the family patio.

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Ostlund Family,Arizona,Crafty Secrets

A Woman of Conviction

2011-11-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

{beautiful vintage frame image & VERY realistic vintage brooch are found in Crafty Secrets’ soon-to-be-released CD}

She was only a farmer’s wife, it would seem on the surface…

Melvina Campbell, known to all as Vie, was, indeed, a farmer’s wife—and proud to be one.

{Melvina Howard, my husband’s great-grandmother. I love this old cabinet card photo…}

It was what she was underneath that label that I find so very inspiring…

A huge promoter of equal education for boys, girls and the underprivileged…

…a leader of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union—the W.C.T.U.—very active in all it’s auxiliaries…one of which strongly promoted a woman’s right to vote.

When the Women’s Suffrage Association started in Wisconsin in the mid-1800’s, Vie jumped right into the fray, quickly becoming one of the leaders in her Wisconsin Chapter…marching, speaking, writing…leading…

She continued her work in all these areas until her death in 1922…just barely seeing the right to vote given to women in 1920 when the 19th Amendment of the Constitution was passed—Wisconsin being the first state to ratify it.

{copy of newspaper article mentioning Vie’s work in the Suffrage movement, along with journal page in Vie’s own handwriting}

Isn’t it amazing…less than 100 years ago, we women couldn’t vote. I wonder if we appreciate that right as much as we should…

Just a farmer’s wife on the surface, and proud to be one…

{Vie in later life…she has quite a commanding presence, doesn’t she?}

…but isn’t it wonderful what a woman of conviction can do with her life if she chooses to?

I see Vie’s conviction for the things she believed in shining in her great-great granddaughters’ eyes every time they stand up for something they believe in…

{my oldest daughter Chelsea…climbing a mountain!}

{Sarah & Annie…San Diego}

…and I am so grateful to this great-great grandmother of theirs for the example she left for them to follow…

{the newest of my heritage pages made just yesterday…a small compilation of the life of an amazing woman}

I’m just a contractor’s wife on the surface, and proud to be one…Will I show the same strength of conviction when I’m called upon to show it? I’d like to think I would…

Thank-you, Vie.

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Melvina Howard Campbell,Crafty Secrets,Woman's Suffrage,W.C.T.U.

Window Shopping

2011-11-14T05:23:00.000-08:00

{Warning: LOTS of photos…will try not to talk too much!}

Hello, dear friends!

Come along with me down one of the most charming streets in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California…a few of it’s streets, actually!

This was one of those golden days…a day we took just because…We’ve been able to enjoy a few of these kinds of days lately…thanks to our new homeschooling journey…

…FREEDOM…

Right off the Pacific Coast Highway lies Ocean Avenue…lined with unique, charming & expensive shops that lead down to the beautiful sea…

Our first stop—the famous & fabulous “Tuck Box”…

…a place so charming & well known, Thomas Kinkade has painted it…twice!

…a delightful English tearoom—only open till 2:30 in the afternoon—you’ve got to get there early!

I’ve been wanting to take my girls here forever—and today was the day…c’mon inside with us!

…a sweet, sun-filled room awaited us…no one else in the place when we walked in—perfect! {it filled up shortly after, however!}

The girls just fell in love with the place! {Don’t worry, Chelsea…we’ll be going back with you as soon as you get home!}

Annie “tucked” into one of their famous scones…complete with marmalade & double clotted cream, of course!

As soon as we were happily stuffed, we started walking…{now’s when I stop talking so much…!}

Beauty-filled windows…

Irresistible delights…

…a LOT of whimsy…

…luscious indulgences…

{…just look at these chunks of fragrant, handmade soaps!}

…and extravagance…

…even an English-themed pub owned by a very famous local actor…

…did you know that Clint Eastwood was also the mayor of Carmel at one time?

There was time for a little “reflection”…

…a time to “rest and be thankful”…

…which Annie decided to take very literally! {with her photographer sister’s suggestion, of course!}

Everywhere we looked, touches of vintage beauty…

…charming architecture…

…and beckoning courtyards…

So glad you came along with us today! {Hope you’re still with me…this post is about as long as our window shopping day!}

…and a very special thanks to my photographer daughter, Sarah…this is why you didn’t see her in most of the photos! {don’t you just love her clever use of the double driveway mirrors here?!}

If you ever come to our little part of California, I hope you’ll stop for a visit to beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea…

…where else are you going to find a gas station sign with gilded letters?!

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Carmel-by-the-Sea,window shopping

Hello, Dolly!

2011-11-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

I really don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve made a couple of cards…just for fun!

I’m absolutely in love with vintage German china dolls…and these images make me SO happy!

{beautiful vintage green paper from Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD}

Isn’t she fabulous?!?!?

Lots of paper layers for depth & texture…some luscious seam binding to tie it all together…

{“vintage” pin from the oh, so fabulous Tim Holtz collection}

…some very vintage, velvety millinery flowers with a brass pin tucked in…”vintage”, it says…

{gorgeous doll images from Retro Cafe’ Art}

…a tucked-behind doily (my daughter says it makes her look like Queen Elizabeth!), a couple of vintage mother-of-pearl buttons, and everything very liberally spritzed with a coppery hue of Glimmer Mist…and that’s about it!

And oh, my goodness…just look at this little cutie!

What is it about these googly-eyed dollies that sets my heart a-flutter? I don’t know, but they certainly do!

{image from Retro Cafe’ Art}

One single little aqua millinery flower graces her pretty blonde hair…simple…

{perfectly pretty pink vintage paper from Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD}

I just made some little patterns for her outfit myself—glad they turned out okay—definitely nothing fancy! I used paper from Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” for this, too…easy peasy!

Well, that’s about it for me…so glad you stopped by today!

For our next visit, I’m taking you window shopping in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea with me…hope you can come along!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Retro Cafe' Art,German china dolls

Silvery Spoons

2011-11-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

Hello, my friends!

Just a little bit of playing with my vintage silverware stash this last week—had so much fun with these!

One of my old, chippy & much mended estate sale teapots graciously stands in to prop up my spoons today…

First, a little Alice in Wonderland…

{all images on the Alice spoon—watch, tag, and main image are found in Crafty Secrets’ “Wonderland Tea” Creative Scraps}

…a bit of a Mad Hatter tea party going on with this one…

…a very liberal “sugar” coating of chunky, clear German glass glitter…I LOVE this stuff!

{don’t you just love the detail on these old silver pieces?}

My very own jewel made with glassy glaze & some lovely aqua glitter on top of an old bronzy button…

{key is from the Tim Holtz collection}

…a few Alice inspired items top it off—a key, of course—“Journey”, it says…perfect for Alice’s fall down the rabbit hole, don’t you think?!

A “Drink Me” tag and a couple of pretty glass beads finish it off…

…and I just couldn’t leave this fabulous pocket watch out of the mix, of course!

And next…

{the main image and image behind the jeweled piece are found in Crafty Secrets’ “Girlfriends” Creative Scraps}

…a bit more sophistication with this one…vintage fashion in a spoon…why not?!

These lovely ladies are sporting the height of fashion from the 1930’s…beautiful!

A few charming charms grace this spoon…a gorgeous vintage button and a brass ruler sit atop a jeweled bezel surrounded by Platinum Stickles…

And that’s about it…I don’t think I’ll EVER be able to pass by a pile of old silver flatware again! I’ve got some fun knives in the works that I’ll share with you soon…

So glad you stopped by! Hope your day is beautiful in every way…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,silver spoons,Alice in Wonderland,vintage

Restoring Theodora

2011-11-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

{beautiful floral background paper & frame from Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD}

Theodora was born in a little town in Alberta, Canada in 1910…

…named for her grandfather, Theodore, lovingly raised by her parents, surrounded by two older sisters and two adoring younger brothers, all of whom called her “Dody”…

{Theodora, at 21 months old, 1912…with her older sisters, Ann & Mary}

…so beautifully photographed all throughout her life…

I really don’t know much about this great-aunt of mine, though she passed away just eight years before I was born…

I know that she had a very upscale dress shop in downtown Montreal in the late 40’s & early 50’s…

{vintage pearl-topped pins from my grandmother’s sewing box}

I know that she was married for a very brief time…we don’t know why she divorced. She never had any children…

…maybe this is the reason I’ve been thinking about her and her sisters so much lately…none of them had children…there’s no one else to give them a voice, is there?

I’ve come to love Theodora through her lovely portraits…I see a resemblance in her face to my wonderful Grandad, Dow…her little brother born just two years after her…

Knowing him so well, knowing his playful sense of humor, the twinkle in his eye, his loving nature…I suddenly feel I might just know Theodora a bit better than I think I do…

I found this gorgeous, old portrait in a scrapbook my mother gave me from her Dad’s side of the family this summer…

…it’s just a mess, poor thing!

So, for the first time, I tried my hand at a bit of photo restoration in Photoshop this morning---it’s certainly not perfect, but it’s better! {I’ve got SO much to learn!}

Another page for my heritage album made yesterday…

…just a simple, very feminine page to remind my family of this beautiful auntie of ours…

As often happens to me when I’m working on a family story, things coincide in my life that connect one thing to another…

I’ve been working on an old cabinet I bought for a song at a yard sale a couple of months ago…

…the poor girl’s a mess!

I wish I took pictures of her before I got started…

Built around the ‘20’s, the cabinet was painted & repainted, then wallpapered in different places, if you can believe it! That’s what’s causing me the biggest headache…removing the old wallpaper that shouldn’t have been put there in the first place!

After working on cleaning up Theodora’s portrait this morning, I headed out into our sunny courtyard to work on the cabinet…

…as I soaked & scraped, scraped & soaked, I found myself talking out loud to it…

“Beauty takes pain, you know,” I said…we have a relationship now, she and I…

She will next be sanded & painted a lovely, soft Martha Stewart “ballet slipper pink”…just perfect for the old girl, I think…

I’ll show you pictures when I’m finished.

When she’s all ready, she will be the keeper of much of my old family papers & photos…that’s her new purpose in life…

You know, I think I’ll name her Theodora…

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Theodora Ostlund,heritage scrapbook

All That Glitters…

2011-11-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

…is not gold. So goes the old saying. Shakespeare said it, although the word he actually used was “glisters”…the Old English form of the word…

J.R.R. Tolkien also used the reference in a beautiful poem he wrote for “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, long a favorite of mine:

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost…”

…isn’t that wonderful?

But back to my original reference—not all that glitters is gold…

…sometimes, it’s a rock!

{our friend Jessica holding my two perfect rocks}

A rock from the beach…

{beautiful Monterey Bay}

On a golden afternoon…just this past Labor Day, my family and I enjoyed a beautiful few hours on the beach at Monterey Bay…

{two of my girls with their friend Jessica}

While we were there, the girls found this very interesting rock…I quickly put it in my pocket to save for another day…

…I knew the moment I saw it EXACTLY what it would become!

And finally, months later, here it is…

{modeled by my beautiful daughter Annie}

Covered with Mod Podge and then literally doused, rolled & covered with real silver shavings glitter {my absolute favorite glitter!}, then covered over with Mod Podge once again to seal it all…

…it’s ready to wear. A fun, very sparkly remembrance of a glittering day on the beach with my family…

Not all that glitters is gold. Sometimes it’s something even better…

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Glitter,Monterey Bay

Tapping into Memories

2011-10-31T05:15:00.000-07:00

“It was a blue costume”…she told me immediately, “light blue satin with black X’s on it…”

“I was about 5 years old, and we sang & danced to the song “School Days”…and she started singing it for me…

“School days, school days
Dear old golden rule days
Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic
Taught to the tune of the hickory stick.”

“You were my queen in calico
I was your bashful barefoot beau
And you wrote on my slate
"I love you, so"
When we were a couple of kids.”

As she finished singing to me over the phone, she giggled like a little girl… “I still remember all the words!”

{new page for my heritage scrapbook…Mom, ages 5 & 6, in her tap costumes…}

“Our recital was at the Old Fox Theater in downtown Phoenix…it was so exciting! It was such a fancy, old theater…”

“Right after the performance, my mother turned that dance costume into a Little Bo Peep costume for me for Halloween…”, she said…

{I really do think you can find ANYTHING online! This cute little tap step button was one of those little findings}

Suddenly, she started in with:

“jump forward, back, toe plant…

“jump forward, back, toe plant…

“step, knock, knock…

“jump forward, back, toe plant!”

Giggling again, she said, “I’m doing it right now!” {sure wish I had a video phone!}

“In the other picture” , she said, “I was about 6 years old, and my costume was silver, with TONS of sequins all over the top…don’t remember what I danced in that one…”

Sweet keepsakes, long protected…first by her mother, now by me…

…metal plates…still shining, but oh, so worn…evidence of many, many practicing days on those little dancing feet…

And best of all, as I turned it over…carefully written by her mother’s hand about 66 years ago…

…I had never noticed that before… “Karen Ann Ostlund”…

Scuffed, rumpled, and ever-so-precious…I love these silver shoes…

I need to share with you something my Mom made for me this Halloween season. I know I’ve shared with you before what an amazing doll maker she is…

Please let me introduce you to Bonita…{Bone-ita!}

…standing (with help!) at a little over 6 feet tall, this regal, skeletal beauty happily occupies a corner in my dining room…

…just look at that fabulous rib cage! Made using PVC pipe, bleached muslin & stuffing…genius!

And a face only my mother could create…nothing scary about Bonita…just a sweet, new Halloween friend…{she does give you a bit of a fright, however, if you happen to be walking around in the middle of the night…she almost glows in the dark!}

Sending loving birthday wishes to my wonderful mother…

…thanks for letting me help you “tap” into your memories!

…“jump forward, back, toe plant…”, she said again at the end of our phone chat…

“I’ll do it for you when I see you next time!”, she said happily…

I can’t wait!

Love you, Mom.

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Karen Ostlund Smith,tap dancing,birthday,memories

Haunted

2011-10-27T05:27:00.000-07:00

A forgotten orchard surrounds the house. Trees heavy-laden with red, juicy apples that no one will taste…

The house sits stately…a once-resplendent Queen Anne Victorian, long-neglected, long-uninhabited…or is it?

{early photograph of Redman House in all it’s former glory…}

Windows and walls, doors and passageways…all witnesses to those that have lived, loved—and died—here…

{interior views of front door and a window in the Redman House}

…they are all gone now…but perhaps, just perhaps, some remain…

{long-ago occupants of the Redman House}

What goes on in a house when no one else is around to see? Who goes through the halls where once he skipped and played?

Who peers longingly through the high dormer window, wishing for a just a glimpse of the sea, or for one of those juicy, sweet apples…oh-so-close…that she cannot have?

Perhaps it was no one…perhaps, just perhaps, I only imagined it…

The story of the Redman House is a long and interesting one…someday I will tell you more…

…truth is often stranger than fiction, they say…and in this case, it is certainly true…

Sounds are heard…weeping in the night…doors opening and slamming on their own….mysteries unsolved remain…

A little “haunted” project made this week with this well-known local landmark in mind…

{fabulously haunted scene from Crafty Secrets’ “Halloween Greetings” Creative Scraps}

{duplicate Halloween revelers cut out & popped-up for some dimensional fun!}

…a light-hearted vintage look at a similar house from a similar time…

…where window and walls still remember those that have lived, loved—and died—long before…

…and red, juicy apples still hang from those long-forgotten trees…just longing to be tasted…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Haunted house,Redman House,Crafty Secrets

{My own photographs of the house and grounds are watermarked; others were found online}

Crafty Secrets DT Gift Bags & Envelope Challenge…and a Giveaway!

2011-10-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

***Congratulations to Sweet Bee Cottage for winning the Giveaway! I’ve sent you an email & will get your package sent out later this week!***

Hello, my friends!

Time again for a Crafty Secrets’ Design Team challenge…this time, we were to use a gift bag or envelope as the basis of our creating…

…I chose an envelope--a nice, chunky, dimensional envelope--and a retro Christmas theme for mine!

I just enlarged the envelope template found on the Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD, printed out two coordinating paper patterns also found on the CD…

{Love how chunky it is!}

…covered the front & back of the envelope with the paper, folded it up, and voila’!

Next, I chose some wonderfully retro images from “Christmas” Vintage Cuts and “Merry Christmas” Creative Scraps for the front…

{beautiful vintage label printed from the “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD}

…and back of my envelope…

{I just love this adorable vintage snowman label!}

Then came the real fun—embellishing with some vintage goodness found in my stashes…some perfectly perfect vintage buttons in just the right colors, threaded with baker’s twine…

…they look just like peppermint candies, don’t they?!

When closed, I wrapped the whole thing with the green baker’s twine, then added a few miniature jingle bells to the back—just for fun!

Now…what to fill it with???

I stuck in some lovely tags from the Vintage Cuts & Creative Scraps, a couple of candy canes wrapped with the baker’s twine, and a few vintage ornaments (don’t you just love those colors?!)

And that’s about it!

Now…here’s the fun part! I used so many elements from “Christmas” Creative Cuts & “Merry Christmas” Creative Scraps, that I thought I’d better share one of each for you to play with…

I think I’ll also just have to throw in some vintage Christmas cards from my collection…some of my favorite things!

…so just leave me ONE comment & let me know if you’d like to win—let me know if you’re a follower & I’ll enter you twice!

I’ll do the drawing on Friday the 28th at midnight-ish…and I’ll let you know!

For some great ideas, take a look at this fun video on what you can do with homemade gift bags:

Incredible Gift Bags

Well, that’s it for me today! Hope you’ll stop by & visit the other girls on the team…I can’t wait to see what inspiration they have for all-year-long gift giving!

Crafty Secrets’ Design Team:

Vicki Chrisman--Team Leader

Julie Campbell—me!

Victoria Warren Mears

Viola Mahr

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,DT Challenge,gift envelopes,Christmas,giveaway

Paper Moon

2011-10-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hello, dear friends!

Oh, my….there’s just so much to love in this world, isn’t there? So much to love OUT of this world, too!

I’m going to let you in on a couple of my many obsessions…

…the first is vintage “paper moon” photographs!

There’s just something so quirky and charming about these turn-of-the-century photos…most taken in arcades, boardwalks, seaside resorts, carnivals, county fairs…

…single photos or group shots with friends…these photographs were just for fun!

It was a quick, much less formal, and MUCH less expensive alternative to the customary Victorian studio photographs…

Why the moon setting, you ask? Some wonder if it was a result of the popularity of Jules Verne’s novel “From the Earth to the Moon”…who knows for sure. All I know is that I LOVE these moony prints!

Well, then I took a VERY wonky turn…I’m also head-over-heels in love with German china doll heads…

…combine the two, and voila’!

I saw this idea somewhere a while ago…can’t remember where (sorry!), but here’s my take on the combination of two of my loves…

I just took a sweet, innocent paper moon photo…

{love the color!}

…and added the German doll head image…

…easy peasy!

The words from Bing Crosby’s “Would You Like to Swing on a Star” were going through my head as I worked on my little hybrid creation…

…which led to moonbeams in a jar, of course!

My second lady in the moon was just as fun…

…I added one of those fabulous Tim Holtz tags here…imagine!

…”feeling just heavenly”, she says…

…I think she really is…

Before I leave you, I thought I’d share with you the words to an old song I found on the subject…

IT’S ONLY A PAPER MOON

I never feel a thing is real
When I'm away from you
Out of your embrace…

The world's a temporary parking place
A bubble for a minute
You smile, the bubble has a rainbow in it.

Say, it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me.

{image by Crafty Secrets…a pocket watch piece I made recently…}

Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me.

Without your love
It's a honky-tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade.

It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phoney as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me.

{Lyrics by Billy Rose, Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg….It was written originally for an unsuccessful Broadway play called “The Great Magoo”, set in Coney Island.}

See you soon with something new…

Julie

{all vintage images found online}

LiveJournal Tags: Paper Moon photographs,German china dolls,Tim Holtz tags

The Witch’s House

2011-10-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

Fairytales are real, you know…evidence exists…if you know where to look…

On a quiet, little corner in Beverly Hills…

…just inches away from this…

…and this…

…lies this…

…the Spadena House, also known as the Witch’s House…a whimsical bit of old Hollywood yet standing…

Designed by Harry Oliver—a Hollywood art director--in 1921, it originally stood in Culver City, and was used for dressing rooms and offices for a movie studio…also as scenery in an early film or two…

Here it’s shown while still on the Willat Studio lot, surrounded by crew members for the film “Face of the World”, in 1921.

It was moved to it’s little corner in Beverly Hills in the 1930’s, became a private residence, and has been restored to it’s former glory by it’s current owner…and it IS quite glorious!

This has long been one of my favorite of the “Storybook Houses”…and I finally got to see it in person…

Usually one to shy away from lurking around famous places, I lost all reservation (on our recent visit to Los Angeles), when my Dad suggested we drive by—knowing I loved this kind of thing…

It was starting to get dark when we arrived, so my photos aren’t the best, but it was all so magical, I promise you…

The charming little side gate that first greeted me upon leaving the car…looks like something you’d find at Disneyland, doesn’t it? In fact, it’s said that this house might have been an inspiration for Disney’s concept of “imagineering”…

…a close-up of the medieval-looking lantern hanging next to the gate…perfect…

Just look at the beautifully crafted front door…don’t you just love the door bell!

And oh! the shutters! If you look closely, you’ll also see that the chimney and stovepipe are a bit wonky…done purposefully, of course!

…a closer peek at one of the upper dormer window…look how that chimney seems to be “melting” into those fabulous ramshackly shingles!

…the landscaping was incredible, and so well thought out…fantasy mixed with just a bit of eery…here we see the bridged lily pond in front of the house…

There were cleverly made signs here & there… “no trespassing”…in creepy red letters…can you just imagine how much fun this place is for trick-or-treaters on Halloween?!

My daughter Annie was enjoying “lurking” with me…

I kept trying, despite the lack of sunlight, to get some pictures beyond the fence…wonderful inner gates…leading to a dreamy courtyard, perhaps?

Little fairy lights here & there on the walls…each with a different colored light…gold, green, red…oooooh!

Here’s one more shot taken in my attempt to visually “trespass” the beautiful grounds…

The sun was setting quickly…the family was waiting patiently in the car to go to dinner…reluctantly, time to leave…

If you ever get the chance to stop by the Witch’s House, please do so as the sun is going down, the full moon is on the rise…

…do your share of peeking, lurking, imagining over the cobblestone walls…

…thoughts of the fairytales of your childhood will flit through your mind…Snow White, Hansel and Gretel…the Wicked Witch…

…magic…

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Spadena House,Storybook style

{My own photos of the house and grounds are watermarked; all others were either taken from my copy of the book “Storybook Style”, by Gellner & Keister, or found online}

Anniversary Day

2011-10-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

Some days are just special in a family…for some reason, certain events just seem to gather on one day…

My beautiful grandmother, LaPriel was born on the 14th of October in 1912…just months after the sinking of the Titanic…

{LaPriel…just 17 years old in this beautiful photo}

Fast forward 25 years…my other grandparents, Dow and Velda, were married on that same day…

…little knowing they would share their special day with the mother of their far-in-the-future son-in-law…

Flying farther into the future…my grandfather Dow had passed away in the early ‘90’s…Velda—Grammie—didn’t like being without him, although she felt so much joy in being with the rest of her family…

{The last time we saw Grammie…May 2001. Surrounded by her beautiful great-granddaughters…just the way she liked it…}

“Why am I still here, Julie?”, she would often ask me over the phone. Firmly believing she would be with her husband again after she died, she would then ask—“Why hasn’t he come for me yet?”…and jokingly she would add… “Do you think he doesn’t love me anymore?”…and then more seriously… “Do you think he has forgotten me?”

{the newlyweds…Dow & Velda on the front porch of their first home together}

Quietly smiling to myself at my end of the phone connection, I assured her—time and time again—that my Grandad of course still loved her and would come for her at the right time…and not until then…

{I love cutting out portrait shots…makes them feel so alive to me. A copy of one of the beautiful telegrams sent for their wedding…}

A little less than two weeks after one of the most dreadful of days—September 11, 2001—my mother was with me visiting for the week. While sitting at the table crafting with me, she suddenly said, “I need to call Mom.”

They had quite a long conversation, but something didn’t seem quite right to Mom…She tried to call her back shortly after , but Grammie never answered the phone again…

{pretty crysal flower stem from Michael’s…beautiful background paper from Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD}

A friend was called to go and check on Velda--she had had a massive stroke right after her talk with Mom—and was in a coma-like condition which she was never to come out of…

A last visit with my dear Grammie at the hospice in which she was staying…so hard to see her that way…eyes open, but she was barely there…she was waiting.

{photo taken on their 50th wedding anniversary…Velda was so proud to still fit in her beautiful wedding dress}

The day soon came. Two weeks after her stroke, Velda left us. A very special day, indeed—October 14th. Her anniversary day.

I just knew that her sweetheart would come for her when the time was right.

Late that same day, my daughter Sarah, then just 6 years old, drew a beautiful picture….a long table with many place settings ready for a feast…standing in the center was a very special couple—Dow and Velda—side by side.

I asked Sarah what the picture was about…”It’s their anniversary party in Heaven!”, she said, very matter-of-factly to me…

Of course it was. Some days in a family are just more special than others…

Happy Anniversary.

With love,

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Velda Stapley Ostlund,Dow Ostlund,Ruby LaPriel Riggs Smith,anniversary

Brothers

2011-10-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

1940’s Phoenix…a hot afternoon walk home…

…a young boy, happy to be done with classes for the day—thinking of the delicious afterschool snack that will be waiting for him in the kitchen when he gets home…

{cute little pocket included in the “Family Fun” kit…love that little boy “stamp”, too!}

Just before he gets to his house, he sees them--a few neighborhood bullies--standing between him and home…

Knowing he doesn’t have far to run—and perhaps feeling a little bit braver that day—he taunts the bullies…just a little bit…thinking he might just be a little bit faster than them today…

He runs—and they run—faster and faster…

…as he gets near the front yard gate, they’ve gained on him…”I’m a goner!”, he thinks to himself as he reaches his hand for the latch on the gate…

{a few perfectly colored vintage buttons and some “Linen” Tinted Tape help to finish off the vintage look here…}

Seemingly out of nowhere, his big brother appears—opens the gate to let him through—then stands there in the gate opening…arms crossed…daring those bullies to get past him to his little brother…

…they didn’t dare.

My father has told me this story many times, and I never tire of hearing it…especially when accompanied by the little boy twinkle in his eye as he remembers… and thinks of his big brother that saved his skin that day…

{I love this photo of my father with his big brother, Grant and beautiful mother, LaPriel…}

A new page made this weekend for my heritage album...

I love these new papers and images from Vintage Street Market…they make it so easy to re-create a little boy’s long-ago memory…

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Vintage Street Market,Family Fun,Clayn Riggs Smith,Grant Smith

Celia

2011-10-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

{sweet image found on Crafty Secrets’ “Birds & Blossoms” Creative Scraps}

A beautiful Kentucky Indian summer morning in the early 1800’s…not a care in the world for young Celia, running barefoot through the soft fields of her family’s farm…

Older brothers and sisters, busy with their chores, barely aware of their little sister that morning. Of them all, Celia loved most her older brother Hugh. She was his little shadow, always at his heels…he didn’t mind at all…

Seeing him near the house chopping wood—“kindlin”,as she called it—she ran over to be closer to him…but she got too close.

Before he realized Celia was near, the hatchet swung down—and off came four little toes on one little foot.

Horrified, Hugh swooped her up in his arms and ran as gently as he could toward the house. Hearing screams from her children outside, their mother knew trouble was coming…

What a terrible sight! Mother Martha’s heart must have stopped at seeing her baby girl in such a state…but, being the true heroine all mothers were—had to be in those early homesteading days—she went right to work…

Calling her daughters to fetch a quilt and place it on the sturdy, old kitchen table, she quickly gathered little Celia from Hugh’s trembling arms, laid her on the table, and carefully held the little foot with those four tiny toes hanging by just a bit of skin…

While the rest of the family held, soothed & comforted Celia, the competent mother undertook the work of a doctor—there was none nearby to call.

{four shabby rosettes representing four little toes}

She carefully cleaned the toes—then put each one in it’s own place and fastened it there with a narrow strip of clean, white cloth…then a wider bandage over all. While Martha did her work, the men of the family had been fashioning a thin piece of wood that they then bound to her little foot to keep her toes secure…

No home in the South at that time was considered properly supplied unless there was a bottle of “spiritous liquor” for emergencies just like this.

The bottle was brought down from it’s high shelf, and the liquid was poured over those small, now-bandaged toes. This was repeated many times over the days that followed…

Oh! the prayers that were uttered by this good mother and the rest of that family for their Celia. Would her toes heal? Only faith—and time—would tell…

Under the mother’s faithful care, the toes healed rapidly, until all that remained to tell the tale of that horrific morning was a narrow, white line across her foot at the base of her toes…

Years later, when she was a very old woman, Celia loved nothing more than to re-tell the story to her grandchildren & great-grandchildren….

{wonderful photo of family gathering in celebration of Celia’s 80th birthday…1885}

I can just see the impish, little girl gleam in her eyes as she would then slowly…dramatically… take off her shoe and stocking while they waited with baited breath…

…to see that thin, white line…

A new page made yesterday for my heritage album in honor of one of my 4th great-grandmothers. I love making pages that tell a family story…hoping that those who come after me will never forget…

{I LOVE that I have a copy of her handwriting…”Celia M. Hunt”. }

See you soon with something new.

Julie

{Green glen check paper, ornate brackets, cameo & doily background all from Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD}

{Images of the field, cabin, log-cutting, pioneer kitchen & jug found on internet}

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Celia Mounts Hunt

Illuminated

2011-10-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

For hundreds of years before books were common household items, scholars and monks spent years of their lives carefully copying and recopying important texts by hand…

…bent over their desks hour by hour, with only sun or candlelight to see by, perfecting their skills with each and every gilded stroke of their brush…

…they not only copied the words, they turned the words into masterpieces.

A few wonderful hours spent in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago…

…their special exhibit: Illumination. I was thrilled! I’ve loved this art form all my life—what a chance to see some of the originals up close…and what a chance to share that love with my two younger daughters…

{Although dim, I love this photo…through a display case, I see both my daughter and my mother…each studying a different display…}

Dimly lit rooms devoted to ancient books…manuscript pages…the tools of the trade…beautiful displays showing how it was all done so very long ago…illuminating…

My daughters spent most of our time there carefully reading the information, gazing into each and every page to see the incredible detail…

When we returned home, an art assignment was given…Illumination, of course!

{Annie chose to imitate old, illuminated letters she saw…choosing to leave them uncolored…focusing on the design…}

Here are the pieces my talented daughters drew—free hand, mind you—no tracing here! I’m quite proud of my students…

{Sarah—my redhead-- chose to create her own design—inspired by letters of the past…she’s always identified with “The Little Mermaid”!}

Having that time to spend in the museum was a gift…a wonderful “school” day—part of our new homeschooling adventure—a day very well spent, I’d say…

{another of Annie’s letters}

…when beautiful pages by unknown, long-forgotten hands can be seen with your own eyes outside of the pages of a history book…that is illumination, indeed…

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Illumination,Getty Museum,homeschool

The Years Fly By…

2011-09-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hello, my friends!

A fun little project to share with you today, inspired by my beautiful mother…and some really fun new products I was able to play with this week!

A fabulous album from Maya Road—in the shape of a purse—complete with handle & everything!

I covered it with some scrumptious aqua foil from Vintage Street Market’s “Dimestore Vogue” Paper Sheets & Tags kit…

…topped it off with a beautiful Maya Road rhinestone-encrusted chocolatey brown flower…

…then covered the pages with a variety of adorable papers from Vintage Street Market’s new “Family Fun” kit…

…I really had fun with this!

I decided to fill it with pictures of my mother, Karen…such lovely portraits taken of her all throughout her life, it was easy as pie to put this together!

{vintage buttons,ribbons & trims…on each page…}

As I was working on it, I thought of how quickly the years pass by…turning adorable, chubby little girls into beautiful, capable young women…

…the years really DO fly by, don’t they?

{a bit of “Linen” cellophane tape for more of a vintage scrapbook look}

Scrapbooks like this don’t have to take a long time to put together…this one literally took me two days—start to finish! When you’ve got the good stuff to work with, it’s easy peasy, my friends!

And Mom—thanks for always inspiring me…every single day…I love you.

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Vintage Street Market,Maya Road,Karen Ostlund Smith,mini album

A Bit of Vintage Halloween

2011-09-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

Hello, my friends!

Just a bit of vintage Halloween whimsy to share with you today…

The moment I saw this rusty, old muffin tin at a yard sale this summer, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it!

What used to hold delicious cupcakes & muffins now holds wonderfully vintage pumpkins, witches & all things spooky!

This came together so very easily! I just chose my favorite images from Crafty Secrets’ “Halloween Greeting” Creative Scraps, “Halloween” Images & Journal Notes booklet, and “Halloween Time” Vintage Cuts, cut them out & put them in place!

I wanted to keep the embellishments simple…wanted the “beauty” of the old tin to shine through…

…besides, the rust spots were the best part! Already orange against the dark of the metal…perfectly Halloweeny!

A few vintage buttons from my button bowl decorate the bottom of the tin…not too many…

For the images I put in vintage bottle caps, I covered them in Glassy Glaze, then sprinkled just a bit of fine iridescent glitter on top while it was still wet…for the other images, I simply framed them with Platinum Stickles…easy peasy!

Simply crowned with a gingham bow (tinted with some rusty brown Glimmer Mist), and topped off with the perfectly shabby black button…thread still remaining in it…stitched by some unknown, long-ago hand…

And that’s about it! What spookily sweet creations are brewing at your house?

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Halloween,muffin tin

All Things British

2011-09-23T05:41:00.000-07:00

Although I’m eternally grateful that my colonial ancestors won their independence from Mother England, I always have—and always will—LOVE all things British…

{a couple of images of British coins featuring Queen Victoria, found online}

Being about 3/4 British myself, it’s no wonder, I suppose…most of my ancestors came here from England in the early part of the 1600’s…the rest in the mid-1800’s…

{a pub we visited for dinner on night…built LONG before my ancestors came to America!}

I have only been to England once in my life, but it was a dream come true…during my college years, just two weeks after meeting my husband-to-be on our college campus…I flew of to Jolly Old England with my roommate and her very kind parents…

{Stamps from Artistic Outpost’s “London Underground” set}

I’ll never forget our first night in London. We’d just arrived that afternoon…still a little wonky time-wise…

{vintage stamp images found online}

Being later on a Sunday night, the city was relatively quiet…not to many people out and about…we felt like we had the place to ourselves…

{found this adorable toy bus image online, too—don’t you just love it?!}

…we decided to take a ride on the Underground to see where it would take us…

{it’s partly because of my love for England that my oldest daughter is Chelsea…sets used: “Loverly London” & “London Underground”}

…as we exited the tunnel in the center of London, my first wish was to see Big Ben…how would we find it?, I wondered…

{the picture I took of Big Ben right at that moment of discovery…a bit grainy, but what a memory!}

…then, I looked up—right in front of my nose—Big Ben, in all it’s late night splendor!

{me on the tour bus…my roommate was always laughing at me because I was constantly taking notes!}

We visited so many wonderful places during our stay…the Cotswolds, the Lake District…

…Bath, Stonehenge, Shakespeare’s home town…

{another moment I will never forget…Stonehenge was sufficiently gray, gloomy & mysterious that day…perfect!}

{in front of Shakespeare’s birth house…my, what a poser I was!}

{Anne Hathaway’s lovely cottage…}

…but your first time in London is really special…

{of course, being women…the very first visit we made on our very first day in London…Harrod’s, of course!}

…a scrapbook page made this week—a fabulous jumble of iconic British images…all in remembrance of that wonderful time in my life…

Stamps FINALLY purchased from Artistic Outpost…I’ve long admired them, but hadn’t purchased any until now…it won’t be my last purchase!

{Just about my favorite sign of all times—so glad to have it in stamp form! From “London Underground” set}

And just as a little extra…a small card to remind a friend in need—if needed—to KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON…

Someday, I'll visit that magical place again…this time with my husband and three daughters…someday…

{Windsor Castle…the Queen was “at home” that day…see the flag flying?}

See you soon with something new.

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: England,Artistic Outpost,travel

Crafty Secrets DT Challenge: Retro!

2011-09-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hello, my friends!

I LOVED the theme this month—one of my favorites—Retro! How can you not love all the fabulousness of Retro???

I immediately thought of kitschy kitchens, aprons, housewives from the ‘40’s & all that goes with them…and decided on making a family recipe book.

{images from Crafty Secrets’ “Homemade” Images & Journal Notes booklet}

All the fun retro paper patterns I used in my recipe book are found in Crafty Secrets’ new “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD…

What is it about a chunky board book that’s just so appealing?!

{image from Crafty Secrets’ “Domestic Goddess” Creative Scraps}

I decided to choose recipes from several generations of the women in my family…

…my great-grandmother Anna’s “Cream Cheese Tartlets”…

{images from “Domestic Goddess” Creative Scraps}

Just a fun page here…no family recipe, but one for “Fairy Cake”…couldn’t resist!

I just love these “buttons” printed from the CD…they really look like the real thing!

Adorable recipe card printed from the CD, along with my mother Karen’s “Creamy Pork Chops” recipe…

{image from “Domestic Goddess” Creative Scraps}

This fun kitschy kitchen image accompanies my grandmother LaPriel’s “Pinto Bean” recipe…I make a big pot of these at least once a month (and always think of her when I do…)

{image from “Girlfriends” Creative Scraps}

My grandmother Velda’s “Party Lemonade”…she and my grandfather loved to entertain, so I’m sure they used this often…

Another of the cute recipe card designs printed out from the CD…this one features my great-grandmother Estella’s “Quick Spanish Rice”…delicious!

(I just love all the layers on these pages!)

This sweet, motherly image from the “Kitchen Time” Vintage Cuts illustrates my “Scottish Shortbread” recipe…

{image from the “Domestic Goddess” Creative Scraps}

And another page left blank…just ready for another retro family recipe! I used another recipe card image from the CD, and a perfect vintage soda popcap I had on hand…

Just for fun, another little Retro Kitchen project….a card for a friend with the recipe theme… “What’s Cookin’?”, it says…love those colors together!

Well, that’s it for me today! Hope you enjoyed your morning dose of retro…if you need a bit more to get your day started, stop by and visit the rest of my friends on the Design Team—you’ll find SO much to inspire you!

Crafty Secrets Blog

See you soon with something new…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Crafty Secrets,Design Team Challenge,Retro,kitchen,recipes

One More Taste of Summer…

2011-09-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

“It’s apple-picking day!”, I happily announced to my girls yesterday…so ready for the joys of fall…so ready to let summer pass me by…

But Mother Nature had other plans that day.

A short drive took us to a beautiful local farm where you can pick your own berries in the summer, apples in the fall…

The website had said that apple picking began in September, so we were off with thoughts and plans of homemade applesauce, apple pies and apple butter in our heads…

“We’re here to pick some apples today!”, I said to the man in the barn…

“Oh, ma’am…it’s a little too early. They won’t be ready for you to pick for about three more days”…What?!

“You can still pick strawberries, though, if you’d like”, he said, a bit apologetically…

I was crushed! Wished I had called ahead to make sure…but, not wanting to leave empty-handed, we decided to walk to the strawberry fields and pick our fill…

We’d been a bit sad, this summer, as we hadn’t gotten our usual bunch of wonderful strawberries from our generous local farmer friends—we were gone too much this year…but the opportunity hadn’t passed us by, after all…

I imagined that there wouldn’t be many good berries left for the picking this late in the season…Oh my, was I ever wrong!

Perfect, succulent, red & bursting, we collectively picked an overflowing flat-full…

{so happy that Daddy had some time off & could join us on our adventure!}

Juice-stained fingers, full bellies and happy hearts…we headed for the car, homemade strawberry shortcake plans for dessert that night filled our heads and our conversation as we walked…

Walking back down the lane through the heavy-laden apple trees, I smiled to myself…

“You should never rush the seasons”, I seemed to hear Mother Nature say…

…and we’ll be back next week for the apples…

{my new hair…what do you think?!}

Sweet lesson learned.

See you soon with something new…

Julie

{Strawberry card made today…just to remind me to savor the sweet summer days…the vintage strawberry image is found in Crafty Secrets’ “Garden” Creative Scraps…paper from their new “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD}

LiveJournal Tags: Summer,strawberries,farm,Crafty Secrets

Vintage Beauty

2011-09-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, my friends!

Just came back from yet ANOTHER family trip…more to tell you about later this week!

But for now, just a fun & simple layout to share with you…

I’ve been playing with a wonderful new kit from Vintage Street Market…

…the “Family Fun Paper Kit”…

The page in the kit was so beautiful as it was, that I didn’t want to add or change too much…

…just added a copy of a beautiful photo of my great-grandmother, Estella (a true beauty all her life—inside and out…)

{is any vintage portrait complete without a framing of Platinum Stickles? I don’t think so!}

…added a little journaling tag from the kit, topped with her name and a few fabulous vintage buttons from my button stash…

…cut out and popped up additional images of the toiletries…

…and powder—had to glitter them up a bit, too, of course!

And that’s about it!

Sometimes a page—or a person—is perfect…just as it is!

Hope your day is wonderful…where will you find beauty today?

Julie