Canning and the Messy Painter

So I spent 2 Days canning Peaches (1/2 a bushel at a time). I got 21 quarts and 6 pints put up and so glad that is done. Next it is on to tomatoes but that will have to wait till after camping. I am really looking forward to camping, I can't wait to have my morning coffee in the outdoors with my best friend and no schedule for the day.

We took the kids to meet their kindergarten teachers this morning. They were so excited, I hope they will be that excited on the first day.




Now for the crafting part of the blog. So does anyone elses hands look like this when they paint. I am working in something for my Mom that I will post next week just in case she looks at the blog. I was painting some small letters and before I knew it this is what my hand looked like.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend.

Afternoon Crafting

Before I get to the 1st day of school post (most likely tomorrow) I have one more post from the summer.

A few weeks ago one of my girlfriends and her daughters 10 and 6 year old twins came over for an afternoon of crafting. We made S'more people and when that was done they played with clay and anything else they could find in the workshop.

We had alot of fun.





I can now start posting about things in the present.

Kelly's Hideaway Tour

I love my house in fact I have loved my house for 36 years. When I was a little girl I used to tell my Mom that I would live here when I was married. And I was right. About 3 years ago after searching for the perfect downsizing house my parents found what they were looking for(4 houses down the street). So we put our house on the market and moved into my childhood home. Even before my parents started looking for their new home I would tell Ron what I would do to the house and which room would be my Hideaway.

There is a room off our Garage that my Dad used to have his Ham Radio equipment in that would be perfect, and I was right. I LOVE my Room. So I thought I would share it with you. This room has held Girl Scout meetings, and Crafty Afternoon's with my girlfriends kids. And if you look close you will see a treadmill that's right it is also a personal gym.







The perfect Table for Playdoh!
Oh and The Microwave and Coffee maker (very important for late night creativity).









Shelves organized (for the Moment) and alphabetized.












My workbench.









And the rest...

Summer is coming to an end...

So here it is the 21st of August already it is so hard to believe. In 3 weeks my babies will be getting on the bus and heading to kindergarten. I can not believe how these last 5 years have just flown by. I am alittle sad but at the same time I am excited for them.

We had I have not been to creative the past few weeks. We have been very busy with summer stuff. I also went school clothes shopping this past Sunday with some girlfriends at the Waterloo Premium Outlets alot of fun and Laiken and Patrick will be very well dressed kindergartners.

I have been slowly been working on something for a swap I am participating in with some other ladies through Violette's Folk Art . I can't show you anything at the moment but I will post after the Swap . The theme is Mermaids, which Laiken thinks is very cool.




Introducing Bruno

The family getting ready to roast marshmallows.

Not a Crafty Post

So after a week of draining, rinsing, and boiling my first canned goods of the season are done. Icicle Pickles done with my Great Grandmother's recipe.

Next peaches, tomatoes and lastly apples. I have put in my freezer; strawberries, beans and corn and will add to it as the summer comes to an end




Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

My Project Journal

So I have been reading alot about Art Journals lately and thought I would share my version. I am using just an ordinary composition notebook and things I had around the workshop.



I covered the lined pages with cardstock, however in the future I will be using gesso (something I just learned about). I then added pictures that were just printed from the computer. I also journaled on each page... Was it a gift if so for you, When I made it, How I made and so on.

I try really hard to use what I have. I bring this up because I discover a new word


Bricolage


A person who engages in bricolage is a bricoleur: someone who invents his or her own strategies for using existing materials in a creative, resourceful, and original way.

I love this concept what away to look at the world around you!! I will never look at a candy wrapper the same way.

Enjoy your day.

Challenge Projects

During the 6 month Challenge of not buying any craft supplies other then adhesive I had a few special occasions come up that I needed to make something.

The First was a Girl Scout trip to Savannah GA in the beginning of April. This was a 5 day bus tour Starting in Albion through Washington to Savannah and back again making a stop in Myrtle Beach.

I brought Laiken with me (she was the youngest on the trip). I had alot of help from my Mom and the other leaders. So I wanted to send them thank yous after the trip and came up with bookmarks.
I scanned our schedule and a few pictures from some brouches and came up with a cute thank you and reminder for those who helped me out.

Then at the end of April 10 of my girlfriends from high school met at Niagara on the Lake for a Girls Weekend. And to comerate our weekend I tried my hand at soldering and the use of Memory Glass.


I had some grape paper and got a picture of the cottage we rented and used canvas paper for the tags.


Then one of the last projects I did was a photo album for Miss Stacey. I dismantled an old 3 ring binder and used some of the dance stickers I had.
There was one special page were I used overhead transparencies to overlay a special poem over a picture. I was really happy with how it turned out (which is rare).

So now my 6 months is up and I seem to have really found my imagination again. Not to say that I will never go to a craft store again but when I do I will look throughout the store for inspiration.