Babsarella's Pocketful of Sunshine

Random Tidbits...

Hello Peeps! (love that word). Just wanted to pop in and let you know what's been going on...

* Creating cards for family and making good progress. Still have a few more to go.

* Trying to catch up on reading all the magazines that have been piling up. Finally finished Somerset Digital Studio, which I enjoyed and I am looking forward to trying some new things. Finished the latest Stampers Sampler, and am now reading Somerset Life.

* Saw a few movies over the weekend...Smart People was enjoyable. Made me laugh and that Thomas Hayden Church was such a hoot. Also rented Death at a Funeral, which was your typical British comedy. Did have one really nasty part where Miss B and I both were a bit grossed out (think poop). The other movie I rented was Girl With A Pearl Earring, which was not awful, but left me feeling like there was just not much to it.

* Got this duck (whom we've named Gregory) that likes to hang in our yard. For a while he had some girlfriends, but lately he has been all by himself. Little miss 4-legged B has been tolerating him.

* Something else that is going on in the backyard...the gardenia is blooming like crazy and the smell is wonderful! When we lived in our old house, I would always try to grow gardenias with no success. I was thrilled to see this bush when we moved to our current home, and it loves where it is planted because when it blooms there are tons of flowers.

* And while I am in the backyard, the ever watchful eye of a certain someone is there to make sure everything is OK. Here is a photo I took yesterday and then played with in Photoshop (inspired by the Digital Studio magazine).

* A certain other someone had their dance photos taken (and she doesn't like any of them...surprise surprise), has passed the drug and alcohol class she must take prior to getting a learners permit, is signed up to take driver's ed during the summer (yikes), and was most annoyed yesterday to find out the guidance office lost her schedule paperwork for next year (the paper where she had to get all the teacher signatures...grrrr...how can that school be consistently so incompetent?).

Sooooo...now you are all caught up!

The Future is Yours....

I wish! My future would involve staying home and being creative, but unfortunately, it is gonna be another weekend of running around. At least on Saturday. Got a list of errands to do during the day (dance practice at the far away studio, full body leotard shopping, clothing shopping for Miss B), then Miss B has a party in the evening at Dave and Buster's. The good thing is that even though D&B's is a bit of a drive, there is a movie theater in the same complex, so Mark and I can catch a flick rather than go home and come back. I am thinking Smart People (my preference) or Deception (Mark may like that better). Got a few flicks from Blockbuster that I am hoping to watch as well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will find some time to be creative on Sunday.

Oh, I've been meaning to ask...anyone know the status of the Martha Stewart line at Michaels? They don't seem to be getting in new stuff, and I thought the amount of items they got in for Easter was pretty small. I did a little digging around online, but did not find anything. Hmmmm....

Well, hope you have a beautiful sunny and happy weekend!!!

Happiness...

Hi there! Hope your week is going well.

I am feeling quite productive since I made serious headway on my theater project last evening. It is now COMPLETE (unless I change my mind and tweak a bit more)! YEAH! Now I just need some good lighting so I can photograph it. If I have time, I would like to make a second one (because I have supplies and ideas for another), but I have a few other things to do first. After I finished the theater, I started working on some cards I need for upcoming events. I have quite a few of them to make (because you know Mother's day is just around the corner), so I think that is going to keep me pretty busy for a while!!

I have also been researching what it takes to get a passport. Talk about challenges! Mark and I both had one , but since we haven't traveled out of the country in a very long time, we let them expire. Plus, Miss B never had one, so that is a whole other can o' worms. Looks like I might just have to take a day off to accomplish that task. Makes me wonder if I even want to bother with travel abroad (but an Alaska cruise does sound really nice). One thing is for sure...we won't be makin any vaca plans which require a passport until we have them in our grubby little hands.

Little Miss 4-legged B went to visit the vet last week for her checkup and passed with flying colors!!! Good Girl, now stay off the couch!

Okey Dokey, I think you are now all caught up!

Swappin with Maija...

I mentioned a few posts back that I was in a one for one swap with one of my blogging friends, Maija. Well, I received her package the other day and wanted to share the wonderful things she sent my way....First off, check out the photo of the wrapping! OK, so I actually unwrapped the pincushion (on the left) before I realized I really needed to take a photo, but lookie how beautiful the wrapping is and the adorable card! I love the cool decorative flower she made, and want to try making something similar because it really adds that extra special touch to a wrapped gift!

Here you can get a little closer view of the flower and the pretty pin cushion. WOW...look at the detail that went into these!

But what was all wrapped up so pretty????

Why this of course! Isn't it the coolest??!! I had seen it on her blog and was hoping that she might make me something similar, so I was thrilled to receive the one she actually posted. Again with the wonderful details...sweet vintage doll photo, beautiful vintage cabinet card page with so many pretty designs. She adds a bit of glitter, a bejeweled crepe paper flower, more crepe paper on the bottom, a cute little brass deer, vintage flowers and wallpaper, buttons, ribbons...just perfect!!!

Here is a closer peek at the bottom...

This is a closer peek at the buttons and heart danglie...

And a closer view of the image and the crepe paper flower....

I was so thrilled with my goodies...thank you again Ms Maija, and if you ever want to swap again, you know where to find me!!!

In other news...the weekend blew by in a flash (like every weekend). No kickin back and takin it easy in my house. I was hoping to accomplish a lot, but it is hard to get anything done in 2 hour intervals. Seems like every time I was getting started with something, it was time to leave and play taxi service. We did manage to watch Lions for Lambs on Friday evening. It was OK, but I wasn't overly thrilled. I think I need to rent something more upbeat next time. Seems like all the movies we have rented lately have been a bit depressing. I do believe a comedy is in order next time. We finally got together with our friends who live down by the zoo (which is about 45 minutes south of us). Now that the girls are older (they have a daughter the same age as Miss B, as well as a younger son) it is hard to coordinate a weekend. We have been trying since about October! Anyhow, it was a fun time and we got to catch up on all the fun stuff, and comparing notes on how the girls are faring in high school (their daughter goes to an all girls Catholic school). We also were invited (kinda last minute) to a farewell party on Sunday evening for the son of some other friends who is going to Air Force boot camp today. Miss B had school work to finish and tests to study for, so she was unable to attend. Anyhow, as you can see, I had only minuscule amounts of time to get creative. Still working on my mini theater, and keeping my fingers crossed that I can complete it (and a bunch of other stuff) by the end of the month.

Hope you had a great weekend...catch ya again soon...

Show and Tell Sunday - Vintage Bling!!!

This week's topic on Show and Tell Sunday is VINTAGE BLING!!! You know...all those cool rhinestones and pieces that are just perfect for adding a little extra touch to a vintage inspired project. I have started collecting bits and pieces when I go to antique stores or shows, and occasionally I will find something on Ebay too. The thing is, I am cheap thrifty, so I am generally looking for the $1 sale bin. It is often amazing what treasures you can find for $1. You just have to be patient and take your time sorting through all the stuff you don't want to find that perfect piece. So let me show you a bit of the ole bling....The first photo is just a grouping of my stash.

Here is a little closer view. In case you can not tell, I am really partial to rhinestones. I especially like the ones that are a bit discolored and/or imperfect. I think that adds to their charm.

This is how I store them...I found these pretty glass containers at the church carnival white elephant booth and thought they would look really pretty filled with all the pretty bits and pieces. I have segregated them so that the smaller one is for rhinestones and the larger one holds everything else. There is just one problem...they are filled up and there is almost no more room for new bling...what to do...what to to??? Oh, and I normally keep them on my desk, but the lighting is much better for photos in the guest bedroom, so that is what you are seeing the background (and my desk has way to much other stuff on it to make a pretty photo).

So let's get a few closer views, shall we? Some of my favorite things are the square and round rhinestone pieces. They are actually shoe attachments, but I thought they would make wonderful frames for vintage photos or tintypes to use on a collage or in jewelry. I also love rhinestone strands, even if they are broken. They can be cut into smaller pieces and added to art dolls as necklaces or belts. The pretty earring you see in the foreground of this photo I thought would look nice on one of the altered eggs I created back around Easter. I plan to make more, so I will be needing things like this for that special touch.

Here you can get a little better view of some of the pieces. Don't you just love the little bee pin? So very cute!! I also love old religious medals, like the cross in this photo.

A few more pieces. I love the old sweater guard and thought it would look really nice as a hanger for a collage or attached as a decoration to a tinnie. The earrings on the left look a lot like crowns to me...perfect for an art doll.

  Love the pretty cameo earrings..great for a Marie Antoinette type of project. It is kind of hard to see, but in the back is a pretty mother-of-pearl fan. I found this at Goodwill (along with a couple of smaller fans that I already used in a jewelry project). I think the fan will be perfect for an art doll accent. I am also partial to the rhinestone disco balls. They make such pretty accents on the jewelry I have made, and hope to make more of at some point.

So, there you have it...Oh, and did you notice I used the vintage hankies as props...another fun use for them!!! Hope you are having a super weekend and the weather is as lovely in your area as it is here!!!

Seize the Day...

I sure wish I could...this week has been such a blur! Lots going on and almost no time for creativity...although I did finally get to see the movie August Rush that I had rented last weekend. It was nice, but not great. I was hoping for more. Oh well. This is one of the cards I finished last weekend and finally got around to scanning (although the scan is not so hot). It looks much better in real life. Stamps and background paper are from Character Constructions. I also used some of the new TWO SCOOPS line from Basic Grey...love that stuff.

Hope your week is going well. I am certainly looking forward to the weekend and am happy that the taxes are done for another year (I don't do them, but the gathering of info for the accountant is still stressful and I am not even the 'gatherer'...I just have to be around the 'gatherer' or try to find something that the 'gatherer' wants).

Weekend Highlights....

As promised, I wanted to give you a little update on what we did over the weekend. First up, I wanted to share some of my fun finds from a local antique show. This show is put on about twice a year at the senior center that is not to far from the house. The last one (back in the Fall) was the first time I went, and I wasn't expecting much. Boy was I wrong!! It is a great show, and I ALWAYS find lots of goodies. The first photo is a doilie that I found. I totally love the crocheted flowers...wish I could learn to do this amazing work. This is in perfect condition, so I was thinking about using it on the dining room table.

I also got these doilies from the same vendor. I just love the detail on them, and they are also in perfect pristine condition. I think I may hang them up on the wall in the kitchen dining area.

This little bisque cutie I just could not pass up. She is about 5 inches tall when she is standing up. I would like to make or find a little dress for her. I have her on the same shelf as my other bisque dolls.

I also found some nice bling! The white necklace at the top has lots of vintage rhinestone spacers just waiting to be turned into something beautiful.

Here you can see them a bit closer. I also found some pretty metal findings that will look really terrific on collages.

Oh, and I even found a really cool Mary Poppins bag that I forgot to photograph. It was a terrific show and I really enjoyed seeing all the wonderful antiques. I also got to talk a bit more to the manager of the antique mall near my house. She told me she has quite a few things that I could use for crafting, so I just need contact her a few days before I go there then next time and she will bring in a bunch of goodies I might like....SCORE!!

So, what else??? Well, Miss B had another dance competition. This was the one that determined if the team would go to nationals. Miss B only had to dance on Sunday, but she went to watch the competition on Saturday to support the other girls on the team. Being the bad mom, I did not stay and watch the dances (because I have seen them quite a few times already), but the girls did very well, scoring high golds on all but one of the dances. This means that we will be going to Orlando in June.

I also got a chance to see 3 movies. On Friday evening, we saw 21 and liked it a lot. Miss B and some friends saw Prom Night. She does not really care for scary movies, so she was not so thrilled with her film. On Saturday, we rented a few that I have wanted to see. Mark and I both saw In the Valley of Elah. Excellent film, but sad in so many ways. It really makes me think how hard it must be for the soldiers who are in Iraq and Afghanistan, not only while they are there, but even after they return home.  I also managed to stay awake for a second film and watched The Kite Runner. Another wonderful film, but also hard to watch at times. To see the changes that took place in Afghanistan, and a bit of how hard life can be in that area of the world was a real eye opener.

So, now you are all caught up. Off to watch Medium...catch ya later! 

Show and Tell Sunday - Vintage Hankies

This week's theme on Show and Tell Sunday is VINTAGE HANKIES! Those lovely little things that are pretty-much not used today (at least not for their given purpose), but are oh-so-lovely. I wouldn't say I have a lot, but have collected a few here and there that I will share. Unfortunately, I have no idea where most of them came from. Probably antique shows and antique stores. The most wonderful thing is that you can often purchase them quite reasonably...sometimes even for just a dollar. So let's see what we have...

This is actually one of a few that I have of this design. I liked the embroidery and the crochet lace around the edges.

I love the pale blue color of this and the very dainty lace around the edges.

I am kinda partial to solid white with lace edges, so you will see several similar to this one.

I liked the embroidery on this one.

Another plain white one...

  And another...

I liked the sheer material on this which has a cream colored flower pattern.

And  still another white on white. Maybe a bit repetitious, but they are each a little unique in their own way. So, you might be thinking "What does she do with them?". Which I would say is a fair question to ask. Well...I got them for one of the numerous projects I want to make....check it out...

Tinnies! Remember when they were in Somerset Studio??? You alter old cans...veggie cans...soup cans...any kind of can. Well, I think they look even prettier w