Crafty Goodness, The Hubs Strikes Again!

Hi Everyone,
Oh wow how weeks do pass! We have all been busy around here watching winter slowly turn to spring.  I must say today is beautiful here in Jersey. The sun is shining, the windows are open and I can hear the high school marching band practicing for tomorrows St. Pat's parade. I thought I would pit stop my blog to show you some pics of the cabinet the Hubs has made me for my ink storage.  He sure is a wiz these days with wood.  I asked if he could copy the ink storage system that is made by Stamp-n-Storage.  I showed him a picture and asked if he could change it up to be taller and narrow to fit the space where my current ink caddy is.  I knew I wanted it to hold a future Stampin' Up collection that I plan to purchase so I asked for 3 columns of 20, thinking that I could work with a total of 60.  I was amazed how great it came out.  Here are some pics I took along the way:

 WOW! he did an awesome job, it looks great and then I told him I wanted it painted black. Really I drive the dude crazy.  I love my SU ink and I mostly use re-inkers as I am not a huge rubber stamper and mostly use ink with sponges to highlight.  I told the Hubs that it would cost $1,000.00 to fill that cabinet with the pad, marker and re-inker. Well, let's just say I won't be placing that order any time soon. In the meantime I painted the cabinet black and hung it on the wall in the craftspace and it looks awesome!! Here is a pic and as you can see it is completely filled just waiting for me to collect more ink!

 I love how the shelves can be moved around. I made 1 box to replace 2 shelves in the first column so a my SU re-inkers are there.  I figure as I buy new pads, re-inkers and markers to complete my SU color collection I can use the shelf for all my other ink pads.  I love this shelf and a huge shout out to the Hubs (Paul) for a great job.  Hope you all are having a great weekend and thanks for stopping by,
Lysa

Here I Am!

Hi Everyone,
Well I guess we can say I will never be a professional blogger.  I am pretty sure the professionals can't let weeks pass between posts. It really is a good thing that I never tried to be a pro and have kept this little corner of cyberspace as more of my crafty diary than anything else.  I have been so busy with life that I just haven't had a moment to post.  I guess that too is a good thing.  The holiday season is running in full force and I am ... well let's just say dancing as fast as I can (and between you and me, that is never a pretty sight!). I actually have been enjoying the holidays with a lot of family and fun so I feel blessed and very lucky that the only thing I have to complain about is the time slipping through my fingers.  I wanted to check in and show you the Hanukkah gift card holders that I had made.  As always my pictures fail to show how nice they came out.  I have been using the Stampin' Up pattern for the file folder card that is all over the internet.  I just love it.  This weekend I want to shrink it down and get a Ghirardelli chocolate into it.  I just love it.  I use my envelope punch board just as they did to make it.  I have the original We R Memory Keepers board (they make it for SU).  Here are my pics:

I love how they came out!  I have a Christmas version too! I had great fun using CraftArtist2 to make the printed template and digi stamp on the file card.  I used my Brother ScanNCut to fussy cut the Star of David digi stamp.  That cutter has some drawbacks and some awesome goodness as well.  I hope to check in again before Christmas to show off my favors that I am making for the girls at work. Thanks for visiting, I am off to work on Christmas cards.  Wishing you all happy days as we move closer to Christmas.
Lysa
OMG! the reindeer food! add that to the list!!

I'm Still Crafty but It's Summer!

So here we are almost the end of July! Oh no where is summer going.  I am lost in the little sunshine I get when I am not at work. I have been ignoring just about everything so that I can get some pool time in. The house, a mess! Laundry, oh so many loads ... so little time! Well I am surely tan and filled with sunshine! Yeah, I will take it while I can get it!! So not to bore you with yet another non crafty post I had to show you all my dragonfly picture.  I will tell you they are just getting started. Awesome little creatures, I just love them.  I have been seeing monarch butterflies as well but I just can't get the shot.  I still have time, I know I can get at least one. For now here is my dragonfly ... so cute with his little bubble eyes!  I can watch them for hours.  Thanks for staying with me I am sure I will be back in crafty mode very soon ... after all Halloween is on the way!!!!

He is just a baby, Some of the others look like birds!!
Have a great day! Lysa

I Just Want To BEE Friends

click on the pic ... it's pretty

Hi There Everyone,
Pardon my non crafty post and just look at my BEE picture.
Oh how I love the bees that populate my neighbors bushes. I took this shot while standing in the pool. That is my little bit of backyard heaven. I am in awe of how many bees there are and how hard they are working at gathering up all the pollen. This bush hangs over the far side of my pool and year after year I watch the bees as they coat themselves in all this yellow pollen. I can watch them for hours. You know I live in a somewhat urban area. Major highways are this towns claim to fame. Sometimes I get sad at how our town has changed ... but I can still find my bit of nature lurking around this wired city. I have big ole fat ground hog that is living under my shed (probably doing scads of damage) and rabbits like crazy who are eating everyone's tomato plants. Birds by day and I can even see bats at night. I Don't even want to talk about the squirrels that are all over my deck. But it is all good with me because if they are all willing to put up with this city than I will surely put up with them. Here is one more bee shot I took and just so you know in another week or two I should be able to grab some shots of dragonflies.
I am almost done with my little breather from crafting and hope to start my Halloween goodies soon. Thanks for stopping by and hope you check in soon to see what I come up with for my fall projects. Blessings and hope you all are enjoying the summer! Lysa

click on the pic ... I love this bee!

I'm Here! Just Lost In Spring Cleaning

Hi Everyone,
I am in awe that it is May 1st! I have not left my craftroom, I just have not had a minute to post. As a family we have been busy, busy, busy! Can you believe it is only 50 degrees or so and the pool is open! Paul, the awesome hubs dude, needed to fix the pool heater so that involved an official pool opening. WOW, we worked for two weekends to get the house in summer mode and we are still not done. We have a new screen house going up this year and with a bit of luck I will be power washing this weekend. Now for my crafty review (sorry no pics) I have started the shower favors for Donna, made the invites for my Mother In Laws 80th. Made 12 miniature American flags for Karen (co-worker pics to follow), A baby onesie template for a friend that is making an awesome baby shower gift (hi Ellie)(Can you believe I practically begged the woman to let me cut the onesies for her) Ellie, you go girl, don't let me be a crafty control freak!! My SIL, Regina are planning some awesome crafty goodness for Mom's 80th (had to tell her about my crafty control issues as well) but I am super excited about those as well(ummmm Marshmellows!). The craftroom is still a hopping and I hope to post some picture soon. Thanks for staying with me,
Lysa

The Zing Has A Name!

Hi Everyone,
Please pardon my silly post, but around this homestead we have a habit of naming things.  You know the cars, the toys, the music equipment and the like.  So when the ZING came to play at our house we knew it needed a name.  Well after so many names (need I mention "Harry Plotter")  I finally settled on the name.  Are you
ready ... wait for it! Here it is,
Mr. Plot-tair!
Yes, that's right! named for the beloved sitcom "Welcome back Kotter" staring Gabe Kaplan (a fond memory for the hubs and myself) Every time Boom Boom Washington said his name I cracked up! That is how he said Mr. Kotter's name(Mr. Kot-tair). So I have named this awesome plotter ... MR. PLOT-TAIR! and I love it.  Why you may ask because just like any teacher this guy is going to take me on adventures and to places I have never dreamed about. I just love him!  He has been cutting up a storm and I can't wait to post the crafty goodness he has produced.  Have a great night and Thanks for stopping by!
Lysa

Just Checking In

Hi Everyone,
Just a quick post to say I have not fallen off the face of the earth.  The family took a trip to visit our Massachusetts family.  We got home and sure enough autumn has hit New Jersey.  All of us here are busy busy busy!  We have had all the "fun" of back to school, and we have all the Halloween decorations up.  We also have celebrated Rory's birthday (about 3 times). We have even had some crafty goodness happening.  Along with some Halloween crafty fun.  Samantha and I put together an awesome gift basket donation for a breast cancer fund raiser that the office she works in was donating (pic to follow as it is on my phone). Sam works for an oncologist and the basket was the office donation for an annual fund raiser.  Today we made some cupcake embellishments for a staff luncheon this coming week.  Above is the graphic we used for the cupcake tags. I made it in inkscape and used MTC to export it as an png file. I used my DSA2 to add text.  The tags were punched out and attached to toothpicks for the cupcakes.  Hopefully I will be here when Sam assembles the cupcake platter so I can snap a picture of the tags.  Now that I am done with that I hope to start banging out some Halloween projects before the holiday is here and gone.  If you want the svg or MTC file for the butterfly leave me a comment on how to contact you and I will send it off to you. Thanks for visiting, Lysa

If This Is The Spring Bucket List, Then, Why Are The Snowmen Still On The Mantle?

I am siting here at the computer and I can't believe that I can hear hail hitting the aluminum siding on the back of the house.  This would not normally have an effect on me except for the fact that it is March 23rd!! and it has been snowing and hailing on and off all day long.  I just sat down and took pen to hand to make a list of my needed crafty mojo for the next few weeks.  I have some fun and much needed crafty goodness knocking at my door.

FIRST AND FOREMOST is Donna B's. friends of the library favors.  You may remember them from last year.  This is a large group of dedicated volunteers that hold a large book sale in our community.  They use their proceeds to fund many outstanding programs for the children in our community as well as assist our local libraries to maintain their collection of books as well as maintain the atmosphere of the building itself.  Today we are all so digital and even with all the convenience of a kindle or other digi reader you and I both know that nothing beats the feel and smell and hands on love of a real book.  I am happy and honored to contribute to my friend Donna's endeavor. And I have a plan. OK, So I don't really have a plan but I am thinking something in the shape of a book (like last year) but this time no candy.  Stay tuned to see what I come up with.

THE BUNNIES ARE COMING!! so true to form I scoped out the Lindt bunnies at Walgreens and A.C. Moore.  I have a plan.  OK, So I don't really have a plan but I am thinking something along the lines of a itty -bitty basket this year.  All I know is once the bunnies land - the swimming pool is only a breath and a heartbeat away.

A SPRING/SUMMER RE-PURPOSE, REUSE, RECYCLE PROJECT - I have two or three things that I would like Rory and I to try this year.  If you remember last year we tried some capri sun juice projects.  This year I was thinking I would like to try something with plastic soda bottles and maybe something with newspapers.  And yes, I have a plan.  OK, So I don't really have a plan but I am thinking something along the lines of seed planters? maybe? not sure!!!  Only time will tell how this pans out.

THIS MUCH I CAN TELL YOU even if it is snowing this week-end and we get 10 inches, the snowmen are coming down off the mantel and going up in the attic!! For sure, Putting away the snowmen is at the top of my Spring Bucket List!!!
Thanks for visiting,
Lysa

WOW! Look At The Pretty Ribbon

                                                                Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I rarely take advantage of black Friday shopping deals.  I am more the cyber Monday type.  But, this year the Hubby got me up and out not just on Friday but Saturday too!  Joann's had this $24.95 ribbon ladder on sale for $7.99.  I loved it.  And Paul made it even better.  He bought me 2 and took one apart, flipped it and put the 2 back together to create one big boy ribbon ladder.  It is actually facing backward and mounted to the wall.(don't you just love our circa 1950's paneling?) Now I can remove the row and move the current season shades to the lower easy reach area.  I can now even see my ribbon inventory and stop over buying!(ok, so that is so not going to happen.)  I just love it.  The holiday weekend went so fast.  The house is totally decorated and we are in full Christmas mode.  I have started my favors and also did a quick craft with Rory.  Now the crafty fun can begin as the house is in order.
Thanks for visiting,
Lysa

Hi All!

Hi All,
I have not fallen off the earth!  I am in the throws of Halloween, Work, and Family.  So just a quick post to say Hi! and How are ya?  I did the Imagine update and all is Goooooooooood! Darn, I love that machine. Provocraft seems to really be striving to help everyone.  Many people are posting that Provo released to soon.  People keep saying that they want a machine that is complete prior to the release.  No, It does not work that way anymore.  Want to hear about my iphone updates?  To me the  Imagine was ready for release, and now we grow with it.  Everything in tech today works like that.  I don't mind the updating (gives me and Huey time together) I have been playing with the Imagine for about a month and I think that Provo brought a great printer/plotter combo unit to market at an affordable price.  I hope you out there who did buy it hang in there.  I think the updates coming down the pike will be worth the wait. OK enough about the Imagine,  I am happily finishing up this years Halloween crafty goodies and I have been dreaming of Christmas already.  Hope this post finds everyone happy, healthy and enjoying the fall season.  Hope to post some pics soon. Enjoy Halloween 2010! Thanks for visiting.
Lysa