Harper Valley

Halloween Costume Contest

 

Yesterday was the day.  The day of the office Halloween costume contest.  I haven't dressed up in years because I'm old and lame now...and not on the Halloween party circuit like I used to be.  So I was really excited to create an alter ego and be goofy for a day.  The majority of the team dressed up, so the creativity was abundant and the laughs were contagious. 

I dressed up as *Red Riding in the Hood* complete with fake nails, a boom box, tattoos, and of course my red cape.  I was on my way to my grandma's house in the Bronx.  Check out the winners below, and be sure to catch my video at the end for the full effect of our crazy day.  Halloween is so rad.  I heart it.

Red Riding in the Hood: I ain't scerred of no big, bad wolf.

Most Original: Michael Jackson, Before & After

Most Accessorized: Jem, the 80s cartoon rock star.

 
 
Scariest: Mini monster..scrappy and scary indeed.

Best Overall: Octomom, the ultimate multi-tasker.

 

Most Comical: We had a tie between Jeffrey, the creepy country club guy and Madea, everyone's favorite mama.  To break the tie, they had a dance off to Boom Boom Pow.  Check out the video below and crank up the volume! 

 

Have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Wedding Dance

Call me wacko, but this video totally made me CRY.  I was boo-hooing through the entire segment because I could feel the joy and love radiating through my screen.  Of course, I was laughing and grinning ear to ear while I was crying.  Want to feel warm and fuzzy for five minutes?  Watch this...

Build a Better Sand Castle

Next week, I'm going on a mini beach vacation with my youngest sister and her cheerun.  I don't remember ever going to the beach with wee ones, so I'm pumped about having partners for sand castle making.  I'm such a craft nerd that I Googled "how to build a better sand castle" and actually found some really helpful info.  Check this out below...

Sand Castle Tools:

• Buckets to carry water and sand
• Plastic straw to blow away loose sand
• Water-filled spray bottle to keep sand moist
• Small soft-bristle paint brush to erase knife marks and brush away loose sand
• Shovels and trowels to help sculpt (For bigger castles, don't use plastic beach shovels)
• Plastic knives, butter knives, and putty knives to carve and shape your castle

Sand Castle Tips:

• It is difficult to impossible to build a castle from the bottom up. While molds are great for simple structures, or to stand alone, the sand you turned over out of the green bucket just isn't packed tightly enough to support the weight of another layer on top of it.
• Ninety percent of the building process is actually sculpting the structure down from a larger pile.
• Start by making a pile about a 12 to 18 inches high. How long and wide it is will depend on what you want the final structure to look like.
• Pack the pile down fairly hard, and smooth off the top so it is flat. If you want to use a mold to make the top of a tower, place it near one of the ends of the flat "base."
• Now use the edge of a shovel - or a ruler or playing card - to "carve" down the rest of the side of the tower, and to form the walls of your castle. By moving down the pile in staircase fashion, you can create multiple levels, position additional tower molds, and exercise your creativity.
• Build towers by forming and stacking sand patties about the size and shape of thick pancakes. Place larger patties on the bottom, and gently shake the patties from side to side as you pile them so that the sand settles. Seal your towers by gently pouring water over them.
• One benefit of working from the top down, is that you can decide to stop at almost any point, and what you have already done will appear as a complete structure, deliberately built atop the base formed by the remainder of the pile.
• Dig a moat around the castle to protect it from invaders, such as breaking waves and dogs.

These tips and tricks were unearthed from various online sources.  You wanna know the best tip I found?  Here it goes --- "Sand castles are very much like life. The joy comes from the process of living and building, and not in the act of completion." 

Note to self:  Must remember quote when compelled to yell at young sand castle helpers.

Happy Building!

Creative Fear

Hola mis compadres creativos.  I'm sure that just like me, you've experienced fear, anxiety, and doubt surrounding your creative journey.  You've heard of Eat, Pray, Love, no?  Chew on this inspirational and poignant talk by its author, Elizabeth Gilbert.  Whoa. Stick with it until the end.  It's worth it.  

Craft Corps

Guess what?  I'm famous!!!  OK, so kinda not really.  BUT....I am a member of the brand spankin'  new Craft Corps website. 

Craft Corps is the brain child of Vickie Howell, knitting extraordinaire. Vickie's original plan was to create Craft Corps: The Book ...which is still happening and debuts in May 2010.  The book features some of our nation's fave and most interesting crafters.  Some of the featured artisans are in the public eye --think Carol Duvall (Carol Duvall Show), Jay McCarroll (Project Runway), Kathy Cano-Murillo (Crafty Chica).  Some are behind-the-scenes folks just doing what they do best..making stuff!

The book applicant response was overwhelming, so Vickie rounded up the extra troops (AKA the ones of us who didn't make the cut...AKA me) and gave us an online community home.  I feel grateful that she found a way to include us!  And a little bonus to being on the website ---> a new member will be featured on the home page and the newsletter each week.  Check out my profile here.  From anywhere else on the site, I'm in the Paper Arts section on the right sidebar.   How groovy!

p.s. I appear a little younger on the site because I turned in the app a while back.  That was my age at the time, so I guess I'll be 34 forever.  Yahoo!!!

Creative Journey Day

There's nothing I love more than making art, eating scrumptious food, and drinking wine...and doing it with friends makes it even sweeter.  Enjoy these shots below of my Creative Journey group's latest endeavor. 

~Becky brought wooden crosses that we enhanced with collage, papers, paint, beads, stamps, broken tile pieces, and other found objects.

  

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~Lori used Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky-Back Canvas for the blooms on her cross.

 

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~Our completed masterpieces!  Can you guess which one is mine?

 

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~Denise did something a little different -- mini tags to represent her favorite quotes from the book, Captivating.

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~Debbie & Brian knocked it out of the park with gourmet pizzas on the grill.  Our topping choices included fresh roasted red peppers, onions, grilled portobello mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, six different primo cheeses, marinated artichoke hearts, spicy chicken sausage, roasted garlic cloves, and prosciutto.  As an alternative to regular tomato sauce, they also made olive tapenade, garlic/lemon/olive oil sauce, ricotta/fresh herb spread, and arugula/basil/pinenut pesto.  These were the best pizzas I've ever eaten...in my life....EVER. 

 

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~After pizza, we indulged in Becky's decadent mini cheesecakes.  They were stupid good!

Junkin' Journey, Part Two

 

Last night, my friend Tara e-mailed me about a Saturday junkin' trip to Mt. Dora's Renninger's Antique & Farmer's Market.    Do you know I've lived within a 40-mile radius of Renninger's for30+ years and never been???  So naturally, I jumped at the chance, being the junk lover I am. 

Renninger's has lots of stuff for everyone:  quality antiques, plants, fresh produce, funnel cakes, and true blue flea market trash.  It was a tad overwhelming, but I went with just a few needs in mind, so I stayed right on target. 

I almost didn't go because I wanted some "me time."  But I'm so glad I did!  I reconnected with Tara and got to know her a little better.  The weather was perfect.  The conversation was meaningful.  The purchases were affordable and purposeful.  And the pizza hit the spot.  Lovely day trip, indeed!

 

Office Makeover

It's finished!  It's complete!!  The office makeover is a wrap and it's looking mighty fine.  When we moved into the new space, our only decorative possessions were some sad artwork, four chairs, and a ficus tree.   But with a little imagination and a moderate budget, we now work in a whimsical, nature-inspired environment.  Aaaaah, how refreshing.  =)

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The Lobby:  Framed art from Z-Gallerie.  Lamp from Target with wood beaded embellishments from Joann.  Throw pillows from Home Goods.  Glass bowl from IKEA.

  

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The Lobby:  Custom logo decal from Dezign with a Z.  Console table from Walmart.com.  Lamps, copper tray, and cigar boxes from local yard sales.  Plant from Pier One.  Vase from Marshalls.

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Lobby View from Hall:  Floral grass wall decals from Dezign with a Z.

 

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Coffee Stations:  Coffee mug wall decals from Single Stone Studios.  Frame from old office artwork spray painted black (glass and prints removed).

 

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Printer Lounge Area:  Framed art from Marshalls.  Plants and pots from IKEA.

  

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Conference Room and Hallway:  Wall decals from Dezign with a Z.  Frames and mats from old artwork spray painted black (glass and prints removed). 

 

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The Hallway outside of Conference Room:  Wire leaf wall hangings from Pier One.  They're made to be hung vertically, but I propped them up on nails in a horizontal position.

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The Kitchen: Clock and plants above cabinets from Wal-Mart (plant pots spray painted black).  Bar stools from IKEA.

 

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More Kitchen

 

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 The Kitchen:  Square posters and glass frames from IKEA.

 

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The Kitchen:  Plates from Pier One.  Bottles from World Market.  Bottle fillers from Publix (red kidney beans, Piccolini wheel pasta, and split pea soup mix).

  

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The Kitchen:  Glass bowls from local yard sale.  Silk flowers from Joann.  Acrylic water from Wal-Mart.

 

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The Kitchen: Plates from Pier One.  Plate holder from our former kitchen, spray painted black (previously bronze).

 

Junkin' Journey

Today I met up with my friend Christy and her sweet lil' girl, Ada for one of our favorite past times --- Junkin'.  Our junkin' journey was quite productive...we found a several gems for our ongoing artsy craftsy projects. 

Our most valued treasure was discovered at one of the most unlikely yard sales.  Christy and I can handle yard sale grime, but this house was even a little too dirty for us!  Luckily, the homeowners were selling a Spencerian Handwriting Book full of 19th century American ornamental penmanship.  The book included lots of thick glossy pages, perfect for collages, art projects, scrapbooks, etc.  Since we were both drooling over it, we decided to split the price and split up the book pages.  Quite the find for only 50 cents each! 

The owners of this home also had eight cats.  Eight!!!  So I was fortunate enough to sneak a quick snapshot of one of the felines.  I thought he looked so cute and cozy in his dirty desk.  Great bargain. Great photo opp.  Guess this house wasn't so bad after all.

Christy and I giggled with great satisfaction when Miss Ada got into junkin' like the big girls.  She found a few bargains herself and even scored a free purse from one kind lady.  We think she caught the bug! 

 

Acrylic Water

Have you ever heard of Acrylic Water?  If not..you've probably seen it at the bottom of a vase full of  silk flowers.  I experimented with acrylic water for the first time this weekend.  I know, I know...fake flowers aren't as purty as real ones.  And they don't have the same life/zest/uniqueness as real ones.  But sometimes it's a necessary evil.  We need centerpieces for our eat-in kitchen tables at the office, so I opted for silks because bottom line...we can't afford fresh flowers every week! 

Acrylic Water is also known as Wonder Water, Quick Water, Liquid Floral Foam, etc. You can usually find it where floral arranging supplies are sold.  I'm happy with how they look.  Pretty sassy!  Here's how I did it....

1. Gather your materials:  Glass vase, silk flowers cut to desired length, acrylic water kit, disposable tray and stir stick, stones or marbles, rubber pads for bottom of vase (optional). 

 

2. Add marbles or stones to the vase.  Doing this adds weight to the bottom since the arrangement may be a little top heavy.  Plus, it looks neat!

 

3. Pour the two bottles in your kit into a disposable plastic container.  Begin stirring.  You'll notice that the liquid takes on a pearl-like hue.  This is normal.  Continue stirring for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture is completely clear.  Be patient! 

 

4. When liquid is clear, pour it into the vase, avoiding the sides.  Arrange your flowers and set the vase aside for 24-48 hours.  Additional patience required!! 

 

Special Note: You may have noticed two boxes of acrylic water in my first photo.  I found the green kit on the shelf at Wal-Mart, but there was only one box.  So I bought a different brand at Jo-Ann since I had three vases and needed more kits.  Well...the kind I bought at Jo-Ann was a disaster.  It's called Quick Water (white box).  It got cloudier and lumpier the more I stirred.  Not good.

So I hunted down a few more of the green boxes at a different Wal-Mart, 10 miles away, which was kind of annoying because that is NOT my favorite place to be.  I'll take Target over Wally World any day.  Ugh..I really dislike that place, but they have come through for me a few times, especially this weekend. 

Anyway, I digress.  If you do make these, I can highly recommend this brand below, sold at Wal-Mart.  The kit came with its own stir stick, and mixing tray complete with pouring spout.  Very convenient.  The other brand came with nothing but a big ole headache!

Fresh Wall DeZigns

 

Aaaaah...I'm back!  Did you think I abandoned my blog?  Kinda feels like it, huh?  My life's been pretty ordinary and downright boring lately, so there's been little about which to write.  Although, there is one cool thing going on ---> I've taken on the mission of decorating our new office space at work, so that's kept me on my toes.  It's been a fun project, and challenging as well.  I'll post some before/after shots in a few weeks when everything is finished. 

For now..check out this wall art above.  It's a vinyl wall decal from Dezign with a Z.  As you know, I'm decorating the office, but only the common areas (kitchen, lobby, halls, etc).  When we're not in the kitchen or lobby or halls, we're working in team offices (2-6 people each), so each team is responsible for decorating their own office...or not.  Anyhoo, we have a huge wall in our team office, so I thought it would be fun to try a wall decal.  Waddayathink?  Pretty fresh! 

If you try these, I strongly encourage you to keep the white paper backing on the decal while you position it on the wall with painter's tape.  The directions say to remove the white paper backing first, and to then position the decal on the wall.  Major problem with this tactic: You're left with a giant sticker that starts sticking to itself and to the wall in all the wrong places.  This happened to me and I had a damn near meltdown.  Heart palpitations and sweat were abundant.  I finally got the stinkin' thing up and it's quite less than perfect.  Tomorrow, I'll perform surgery on my precious wall decal and hope that helps.  You can't see what I'm talking about in the picture, but trust me..it needs an intervention. 

That's all I got for now.  I'm off to have a glass of wine and watch some soul performances on my fave new cable addition, the Gospel Music Channel.  Until next time....  

p.s. If you buy a large wall decal like this, call or write me for coaching.  I can give you several very helpful tips!

Something Old. Something New.

 

I spent the weekend turning something old into something new.  Well, new to me anyway.  A few weeks ago, I moved into a new office at work and quickly discovered that I needed a bookshelf or a console table...stat.  I searched around town, but just couldn't seem to find the right thing that wasn't in the $200 range.  So I hit up one of my fave used furniture stores -- City Bargains.  With a little TLC, I turned my $35 purchase into a custom piece that will match my office decor perfectly!  Check it out...

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

 

After I sanded and re-painted the bookshelf, I added panels to the back (it was backless before).  I had some scrap silver fabric without a home, so I attached the fabric to illustration board using spray adhesive.  Then I attached the panels to the back of the shelf with upholstery nails.  I also added a silver stencil design on each side.  My office is a Classic Hollywood theme, so this will fit in just fab!

Self-Portrait Party

     

A few weeks ago, I hung out with my art posse for a Self-Portrait Party.  We spent the afternoon creating self-portraits of ourselves.  Here's mine above.  Last Summer, I made some colored papers using this shaving cream background technique.  I loved how they looked, but couldn't quite figure out what to do with the swirly buggers.  So I broke them out of the archives, tore them into pieces, and used them on my self-portrait.  I created four small mosaic canvases to be displayed together as one larger piece.  Waddayathink?

After a day of creation, we enjoyed a delicious dinner cooked by Chefs Debbie & Brian...our gracious hosts.  The hit of our dinner was ----> homemade ketchup.  Whoa.  I can never squirt Heinz on my burger again after eating that savory concoction.  It was just fabulous!  Then we wrapped up the evening with Becky's homemade butter creme cake, moist and light..topped with fresh strawberries.  The day was refreshing and full of laughs, just what the doctor ordered. 

Our finished products...

 

The buttercremalicious cake...

 

The whole gang.  Clockwise, from left: Becky, Brian, Debbie, Me, Lori.  And Denise is behind the camera!

Creative Every Day Challenge 2009

   

Alrighty....who's ready to stir things up this month?  I'm joining a group called Creative Every Day 2009, by Leah Piken Kolidas.  Would anyone like to do it with me?  If so...click here to learn more and join the fun.  The best part is - you don't need a blog to participate!  You can join the CED Flickr group to post pictures of what you're doing and/or you can leave comments on Leah's blog with updates.

A few words from Leah....

"Creativity is meant in the broadest sense, so it doesn't have to be something art related. Your creative acts could be in cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in the form of collage, paint, or clay...or whatever!

You do not have to post every day! I know for myself that having to post every day for a year would be too much. You can post about your creativity in whatever form you like, whether that be once a day, a few times a week, once a week, or once a month. Do what works for you! 

This is a low pressure challenge, with the idea of bringing more creativity into our lives. I will not be the creativity police. I hope that we can all find ways, simple and grand to express our creative selves. Have fun with it!"

February's theme is: Words.  So my next post will be my first CED Word Challenge.  Leah gives you kewl ideas of how to be creative with words.  Check them out here!  Plus, you can draw inspiration from what other CED participants are doing.  I hope you'll come along with me.  =) 

Words are alive; cut them and they bleed. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Valentine's Flowers That Last

 

These beautiful flower broaches were designed by Bajalia Trading Company and hand made by the women of Godavari, who live in the small town of Narsapur, India.  Most of the rural and urban women in this area belong to poor communities, and seek a livelihood by lace making.  Over 100 years ago, an Irish missionary introduced a lace-making technique to the women.  This community has been famous for it's lace ever since!

Click here to find Valentine's flowers that last, and more gifts that will make a lasting impression on someone's life.  Flower Broaches are only $10.00 each.  Such a deal!

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of others.