Love My New Printer

This past week, my HP Photo Smart ink jet printer finally died - after about 8 years. I was very disappointed since I couldn't work on much without a printer for images. It wasn't worth it to try to repair it, so I did some on-line research for another printer (http://reviews.cnet.com/best-printers/). I considered buying a laser jet this time, but after reading the reviews, there were several complaints about the printer that I was worried about - the most important one being the color quality not as good as ink jet. To cut to the chase, I ended up buying the HP Officejet Pro 8600 (from Costco for $175).

Now, I couldn't be happier that my old printer died, because this one is so much better! :-) The color quality is far superior and it's so much faster! From the time I clicked print and walked over to the printer it's already done.

Below are some examples of the color copies. The left side are the originals and the right side are the copies. I reduced the size because I'll be using them to make a small book.

I was really impressed by the copies of the vintage pages. The faded color of the vintage text pages reproduced very true to color.

This is the paper I like to use:

HP Premium Choice Laser paper. 32lbs and 98 brightness. It's a bit heavier weight than normal copier paper, but still lighter than card stock.

 

Then, I just have to share the cake pops my daughter made today...emoticons. Aren't they adorable?

Have a great week ;-)

Frozen Charlotte Necklace & Ski Trip

This week my kids were off from school and we all went up to Tahoe for some skiing & R&R. As with all my vacations, I always have to take some projects to work on so this time I made castings with Sculpey clay into my molds. I made a variety of frozen charlotte dolls, and also some mini frames. I ended up making a new necklace with a couple of the clay pieces.

Below are the castings I made with the Sculpey clay. I actually bake the clay directly in the molds at 275 for only 15 minutes.

Next, I made a three-sided mini shadow box and lined it with vintage text.

I made the box the size of my mini frames. Then I punched a hole at the top and inserted a bead cap - turned upside down to look like a crown and a pearl. This was how I attached the chain to the box.

 Afterwards, I gathered tulle around the doll waist to make a full skirt.

I made the chain out of various beads and rhinestones, and added a dyed seam binding bow on top.

Now to share some of my skiing pictures. We had one day of snow and the rest of the days were nice and sunny.

Below are pictures of the snow day...

Northstar Ice Skating Rink

We had to bundle up with face masks

My son Chris waiting for us to get going

Then we had beautiful weather the rest of the days....

It was a fun week for some much needed R&R! :-)

Matchbox & Paper Doll Projects

I love Pinterest and I am always inspired by so many ideas. There were a couple of matchbox projects that I couldn't wait to make on my own.  The first one is a soldered matchbox. I made the necklace below:

 It started like this...

I used an ordinary matchbox

Then I lined the inside with vintage text paper.

Afterwards I cut out an image and embellished it.

I placed some heavy plastic over the top and covered the edges with scalloped soldering tape. Then I soldered with lead free iron and aged the silver edge with black patina. I soldered a flourish to the top and some jump rings to the top and bottom. I put together a chain made from a variety of elements and voila, I have another new necklace!

This project was inspired by Marie from Lost Bird Studio.

The next project I made is a matchbox doll. Below is a picture of the matchbox when it's closed.

Closed

When you start to open it, you can begin to see her matchstick legs.

...pull down the drawer and her legs get longer - haha, if only it was that easy

This was inspired by this: Pinterest pin.

The last item to share with you is a paper doll. My dear friend Laura Haviland sent me one of her fun hangers and I used some stamps from Catherine Moore (bodice and skirt) & Levenworth Jackson (face). 

Happy Friday - have a great weekend!

New Mixed Media Projects & Valentine Treats

Hello everyone! I made a few things this weekend that I thought I'd share with you. The first is a shadow box that I bought last weekend at the Alameda Pt Flea Market. Finding these wooden boxes are one of my favorite finds. I added vintage text to the background and various bits and pieces to each square.

Here's some close-up shots...

At the flea market, I also bought some cool cork tops. I wasn't sure what to make with them, but my go-to idea is always a doll...

Wouldn't she make such a cute cork top on a wine bottle?

Next is a mini book inspired from a house book made by Michelle Ward - but this is a very mini version!

Here's some of my work in progress...

I used some balsa wood chips for the cover. They cut very easily and a regular hole punch works fine.

I used a 6"x6" paper pad from Prima, called Doodle Deux that I purchased from Hobby Lobby.

I cut the back cover from some chip board.

Below is a video of the inside pages.

And lastly, my daughter whipped up some chocolate cupcakes for Valentines day - so adorable...

and then she made a matching polymer clay charm...

Did you notice her Valentines themed nails?

Happy Valentines Day!

Flea Market Finds Turns Into New Necklace

This past Sunday, I went to the Alameda Point Flea Market...it's been a couple of months since I've been there. It was a beautiful day and I love running into friends (Tricia, Deb and Anna) that I haven't seen in awhile.

Here are my finds for the day. I've always wanted a large mannequin and found this great black one - perfect fit in my cart.

I purchased three little black coin purses and decided to turn one into a focal piece on a necklace. Below is the picture of the finished piece.

It might be too large to wear, but it also makes an interesting wall hanging piece. I've also been making some fun little shrink plastic necklaces.

Lastly, I thought I'd share a recent outing I went on with my family. It was a first for all of us...we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge.

It's 1.7 miles each way.

Below is a picture looking straight up...

Below is a picture looking straight down...

Gorgeous views from the bridge.

I can't believe it's February already. Have a great week!