Thursday, January 31, 2013

Wacky Answer

So did you figure out yesterday's (1-30-13) Wacky?  Do you remember Topps Pro Football trading cards?  I don't either, but that's what Foolball was spoofing.

A Little Rusty

The "No More Winter Whining" post I did on Sunday led me to this wonderful photo at Family Trees May Contain Nuts.  I left a comment how nice the picture is and mentioned it would make a cool painting.  The blog "proprietress" said, "Go ahead."  So I dusted off the watercolors and gave it a shot.


It's been a long time since I painted a picture.  I did a couple watercolor tags last year for Tag Tuesday, but for a number of reasons my watercolors are now used for coloring papers for collage or backgrounds for tags and cards.  It was kind of fun to try a picture again, and yes, I can tell I'm out of practice.  Think I still prefer collage work for now.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Wacky Pack Wednesday

In honor of the Superbowl this Sunday, here is a Wacky Package for all you fans (baseball is my game).

Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

TT/Letter D

A to Z at Tag Tuesday brings us Marlene Dietrich this week for the letter "D."  Pretty glamorous, eh?  They don't shoot photos like this anymore.

Enjoy!

Monday, January 28, 2013

White Rabbit

Last year I started a series of mini collages of my favorite songs.  I posted some of them, but it has been awhile so here is another one.  "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane.  That song really screams of the era, doesn't it?

Enjoy!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Structures In Winter

Another link party today, folks.  "Structures In Winter" is the theme in the "No WInter Whining" series.  This week's host is Muddy Boots Dreams, although the link is at Life Is Like A Garden once again.

I'm sure there will be a lot more interesting pictures than trees, but that was pretty much all I had access to.  So think of it as nature's structures.  Trees in winter do have a sculptural quality if you take the time to look.  Here are some shots of trees that share my humble street.




Enjoy!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Time For Pink

Here is a very pink tag I made for So Artful Challenges blog.  The theme is "time" using neutral and/or pink.  Being close to February, I naturally thought of Valentine's Day.


In case anyone is interested, this tag is heading for my Etsy shop.

Enjoy!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Wacky Answer

Most of you mature domestic goddesses out there probably recognized yesterday's (1-23-13) Wacky as Fab laundry detergent even though the colors and type of package have changed quite a lot.  For you Wacky enthusiasts, did you know there was an unpublished version of Fab called "Gab?" The slogan was "detergent for talk show hosts." I came across that on the internet thanks to my Ipad keyboard which is constantly typing the wrong letter.  When looking up Fab, I got Gab instead.  So a mistake actually paid off.  Wow.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Wacky Pack Wednesday

Here is a Wacky Package many of you may know.  It's still around today, although once again the logo has changed quite a bit.  Do you remember when laundry detergent came in rectangular, cardboard boxes?  I'll admit it-- I do.


Enjoy!

Just A Note

In case anyone noticed and is wondering, my blog posts are suddenly being dated incorrectly.  I draft posts in the evening then post in the morning.  Up to now, that worked fine, but for reasons I can't figure out, the posts are now being dated as to when I drafted them.  Hope this isn't too confusing.  If I can remedy this, I sure will. Thanks for understanding!

Monday, January 21, 2013

TT/Letter C

The Letter C is brought to you by Tag Tuesday this week.  Do I get extra credit since both the first and last name of this actress start with C?  Claudette Colbert. Born in France, Claudette's family moved to NYC when she was only three. Broadway was her first love where she did a lot of work-- I didn't know that.

 

I liked the colors of this old magazine cover-- very vinage looking.

Enjoy!

Pink

I found yet another paper crafting challenge: The Order of the Opus Gluei.  Their most recent challenge is create anything pink.  Here is a pink card I made.


It's kind of a slim style with pieces of a vintage sewing pattern, including the girl in the oh-so-mod dress.

Enjoy!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Finding Color In Winter

Joining in the "No More Winter Whining" linky party today at Life Is Like A Garden, although I haven't done much of that this year, believe it or not.  We've had a very mild winter so far.  And after the decades of struggling through snow, sleet, ice, white outs, blizzards... I'd say we deserve it!  We are expected to see highs only in the teens for a couple of days so these handmade afghans will come in handy!  I have quite a number of them.  I made some, my mother, my grandmother.  Most of them are very bright and bold.


The black and white squares is a small size I made when I was expecting my daughter as experts said color contrasts were important for infants' vision so I went along.

Arthur, the Mastiff, favors this rainbow stripes afghan.

Bright colors and a warm snuggly afghan can lend a certain comfort to winter, don't you think?

Enjoy!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Head Hunters: Winking

Since I posted a head vase find a couple of days ago, I decided to share another I have.  This is my favorite of my small collection for several reasons.  I like her bow; I like the bright colors, she is winking, and it's the only one I owned that belonged to my mother.




Considering my mom's "era," I'm kind of surprised she didn't have another one or two, but I'm very happy with this one!

Linking to Mockingbird Hill Cottage and "A Favorite Thing" with my favorite head vase!

Enjoy!

What Is It?

A little game for a Friday in January: Guess What This Is?


Yes, January is a clue.  It is frost on my front screen door.  And, yes, my front screen door is really purple.

Enjoy!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Wacky Answer

I know yesterday's (1-16-13) Wacky Package was no challenge: Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix.  Did you remember the old-world style package that indeed featured a "miss?"  There must be a lot about marketing I do not understand.  Why remove the logo from your product???  Not hip enough, I guess!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Head Hunters: Spaghetti

I have a modest collection of vintage head vases-- about 10.  If you don't know, these were popular in the 50s and 60s.  There are a myriad of styles from young girls to Christmas to a few celebrities; stylish hairdos, bonnets, earrings, umbrellas. Very cute.  Nowadays they are quite collectible.  I was lucky enough to inherit a couple, I bought a couple 20 or so years ago somewhat cheaply, but it has been a long time since I found one in person.  So what do you think of this one?


Wow, right?  To be honest, green is not my favorite color, and she is a bit garish, but at five dollars at an estate sale this fall, how could I say no?  I'm surprised it wasn't higher-- no chips or cracks either.  It has a paper Lefton label on the bottom.

There are a few reference books about head vases out there.  My sister gave this one to me in 2003 so the values are outdated, but the pictures are still fab!

So what's with my post title?  That "feathery" looking stuff on top of her hat is called spaghetti when referring to old ceramic poodles with that kind of stringy pottery.  So I guess that's what I'll call this vase: Spaghetti Hat.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Wacky Pack Wednesday

I'm sure everyone will know this week's Wacky.  I even have a box in my cupboard right now, and boy has the packaging changed!  There is no "Miss!"  What gives?!

Enjoy!

Monday, January 14, 2013

TT/Letter B

Week 2 at Tag Tuesday brings us to the Letter B.  In case you missed last week, I'm doing movie stars A to Z.  For B, I went with the one and only Humphrey Bogart. If you've ever seen The Maltese Falcon, you'll understand the brown paper and string.  If not-- go rent it!


Enjoy!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Authentique January Challenge

Below is a card I made for Authentique Paper's January 2013 sketch challenge.


I used their "Richness" and "Delight" papers from the "Splendid" line.  I never tried this "strips" technique before.  Kind of interesting!

Enjoy!

C'mon Get Happy

What you can't find on Ebay!  I bought this bag, rather inexpensively, a couple of months ago.  The seller stated these were used to bag a line of clothing back in the day.  Pretty cool!


Enjoy!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Playing Cards

I'm pretty busy this weekend making Valentine cards for a customer so a quick post today.  Here is a very retro looking pair of playing cards from my collection.


I don't think they are a true pair, but I thought they looked good together.  Click on the picture and look at the details.  Kind of fun.

Enjoy!

Get A Clue

A dear friend who I have known since my high school days (!) gave me this super fun pack of Nancy Drew fabrics for Christmas.


Aren't they too cool?

I'm kicking around a few project ideas but haven't decided anything yet.  I wonder what Nancy would make with them?

Those are vintage Nancy Drew books in the background.  I've picked them up over the years.  One even has a dust jacket.

Enjoy!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Wacky Answer

Here is the real product name of yesterday's (1-9-13) Wacky Package:  Sno Caps candy.  Movie theaters were a good source for this.  Can you still buy it there?  I haven't been to a movie since...

The 2012 Camouflage Award

Close to every year, one or two Christmas ornaments escape perusing eyes and remain on the tree after we think the "de-decorating" is done.  The winner of the 2012 Camouflage Award goes to:

Mini glass hot air balloon!  Well done!

And let me point out I moved it to take the photo-- I'm not that blind!

Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Wacky Pack Wednesday

With the holidays over and done with for another year, it's time to get back to serious business, back to Wacky Pack Wednesday.  For anyone who forgot or is a newcomer, you can read about Wacky Pack stickers here.  I tried to find a seasonal Wacky to kick off the new year.  This candy has been around since the 1920s! Although Nutle (better known as Nestle) acquired it in 1984.  Seeing this, I want to go buy a box-- haven't had them in years!


Enjoy!

TT/Letter A

Rather cryptic post title today, I know.  With the new year, Tag Tuesday is continuing, but doing something different for the first 26 weeks.  Yes, we are going through the alphabet.  A to Z.  I hemmed and hawed a bit whether I wanted to commit to another year of weekly tags, but since I did think of a theme, I decided I had to play along.  So, folks, I give you "Film Stars A to Z." Mostly classic stars, mostly my faves; we start with A: Audrey Hepburn.


Isn't she too cute?

So who would you choose for A?

Enjoy!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Fleur-de-Lis

When I frist start blogging, I was worried I would quickly run out of ideas for posts, but if I keep finding these paper crafting challenges, I'm well-heeled.  This one is for Unruly Paper Arts, and the challenge is create practically anything incorporating a Fleur-de-Lis.


I made a bookmark size tag, using some pieces of a Paris themed scrapbook paper that I bought (on sale) a couple of months ago but had yet to use.  The people are Xeroxed and watercolored distant ancestors of mine.  I wanted the effect to be very "scrapbooky."  Hope Unruly Paper Arts likes it.

Enjoy!

Friday, January 4, 2013

I Forgot The Cranberries

Comic Louie Anderson did a bit about Thanksgiving years ago.  The family is eating their pumpkin pie when his mother suddenly shouts: "I forgot the cranberries!"  So she runs around the table putting cranberry sauce on everyone's dessert plate.  Of course, it's funnier coming from Louie.  Anyway, every time I suddenly remember something, I think of that line.  Like two days ago when I realized I forgot about a few Christmas decorations stored in my blanket chest.  How I forgot about this doll, I'll never know; I've had her since I was eight or so (insert joke about owning it for twenty years which makes me 28, ha, ha...).  My folks gave her to me, although I don't remember receiving her so maybe I was younger.  Six or seven?  Good, that makes me 26 or 27!


She's in pretty good shape for her age (she won't tell either).  I have replaced one of the pompoms on her frock, but that's it.  She even has (droopy) hose and a stiff petticoat (and lace trimmed panties).

My mom made the doll a summer dress that I unfortunately no longer have.  Drat. And I never gave her a name.  Maybe after this year, I should call her Mrs. Anderson.

I'm linking to Mockingbird Hill Cottage and "A Favorite Thing" today.  Anything I've hung on to for "28" years deserves to be a favorite thing!

Enjoy!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

New Year's Collage

I made a small collage a few days ago just for fun, just for me.  I was inspired by the chickadee; it was part of an old Christmas card.  An aunt of mine recently gave me some old cards, thinking my daughter and I might do something crafty with them.  She was right.

I shot it, thinking it was finished, but I forgot I wanted to splatter some gesso on it to look like falling snow.  So which do you prefer?  You might want to click the photos to bring them up larger.



Personally, I like it better with the splattered gesso.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

From Planet Q

I decided to share one of the more light-hearted Christmas gifts I received.  Four boxes of Quisp cereal and a Quisp bobblehead.  From my husband.  Who else?


I will say I was pleasantly surprised!

Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

TT/New Year's

I found this old-fashioned image online and thought the colors and roses were a bit unusual.  I decided to give it a try for the New Year's theme at Tag Tuesday this week.


I even had the two different shades of pink velvet ribbon, courtesy of a crafty aunt. Pink is one of my favorite colors so I liked the way this tag turned out.

In case you're one wondering, the goblet is quite old-- probably early 1900s.  I have a few of them; they belonged to my great-grandmother.  They're pretty and really sparkle when freshly washed.  It was pictured in yesterday's post too.

Enjoy!

New Year's Day 2013

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2013!!

Enjoy!