Saturday, November 19, 2011

My Crazy Project

Yep, that's a chicken coop. I began this crazy idea of having backyard chickens after our summer car trip to Iowa. I was impressed with the work ethic of my nieces and nephews during our visit, and I attributed a lot of that to the animals they were responsible for. This sparked the idea of having chickens. My husband was game since he loved his growing up years on the farm. I searched the internet for plans of chicken coops, but couldn't find any free plans I liked, so I sketched out a design and went from there. I didn't have any measurements, so I bought 3 2x4's in 8' lengths. I cut one in half, so my coop became 8'x4'. Since the coop has an attached run, I wanted it to be tall enough to stand up in, so the height of the coop at the peak is about 7 1/2 feet.
After I cut the frame, I had the kids help me primer.




Then it was time to put the frame together. My husband made it clear that this was my project, but he couldn't help but monitor my work and progress.






Lots of painting! I wanted the coop to match the colors of our house, so I painted the frame a dark brown.


Then we started with the roof. I had a tough time with the angles/pitch of the roof (did I mention I am not a skilled carpenter?), but I put my math skills to work and finally got it.




Then the brooding box was enclosed with some siding. This is a shot of what it looks like on the inside. There are 3 sections in the back for the nests with a hatch door so we can retrieve the eggs easily.


This is a picture of the outside of the brooding box. There is also a side door to help with clean out.

The roof and shingles went on after that. I shingled most of it in the dark one night to beat the rain, but I am a bit height challenged, so my husband had to help with the top pieces. The chicken wire was attached, as well. That was tough work and I needed a lot of help with that, but the husband is now getting excited about it all, so was willing to pitch in.



And here are 3 of our 4 peeps. The darker red in the front is a Rhode Island Red and her name is "Millie" (short for Amelia). The lighter red is a New Hampshire Red named Mrs. Beasley (we've nicknamed her "Bossy Bea" for now because she thinks she owns the place). The bigger one to the back is an Aracauna named Daisy. She has such big eyes with long lashes! We've nicknamed her "Daisy Duke" She is supposed to lay a blue/green egg, so that should be kind of fun. The other chicken not pictured is the youngest of the bunch, so she stayed under the heat lamps during the photo. She's a Barred Rock named Harriet, Sweet Harriet (that would be from the movie So I Married An Axe Murderer)


We are having such fun with our girls, and they seem to be very happy in their new home!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

October Workshop

This Friday is my monthly Scrap Night and this is the layout we will be making using a kit/papers of their choice. I made these pages with Close To My Heart's Dreamin' kit. It has such beautiful fall colors, but because of the blue in the kit, it makes it that much more versatile. I titled this page "Counting Our Blessings" because of the photos of our 4 kids. Having 4 kids in 3 years has definately brought its challenges, but my husband and I wouldn't do anything different. Our kids bring us so much joy, contentment, completion, laughter, pride.... I could go on and on. God has truly given us an incredible gift!








Thanks so much for stopping by today!






Friday, September 23, 2011

September Layout

It's that time again for my monthly scrapbook workshop. Here is the layout we will be putting together tonight. I used Close To My Heart's new paper pack called "Roxie". Don't you just love that zebra print?!? It can really go with just about any color. I've also paired it with teal and apple green - adorable!





I used the cricut Calligraphy cartridge to cut out the title for this layout, as well as, CTMH"s Art Philosophy cartridge to make the scallop border. Thanks so much for stopping by today!





Friday, August 26, 2011

August Workshop

My August workshop is this evening, and this is the layout we'll be making tonight. I used Close To My Heart's Elemental Workshop on the Go. I absolutely LOVE this kit for its versatility. These are patterns and colors that I could use over and over, and would be a great compliment to other kits. As always, my attendees will be using a kit of their choosing, but most of them chose Elemental, as well.

This layout came together so easy, mostly due to the new Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, which I used for the title and embellishments. I'll post an update later with photos. Thanks so much for stopping by today!


All Supplies from CTMH.






Thursday, August 25, 2011

A New Hobby

I made this, upoholstered stools and all!! So, yes, I found another hobby (much to my husband's dismay - he actually thinks I might be slightly crazy). For my daughters' 9th birthday I decided I wanted to give them a desk/vanity for their bedroom since we have a very small bathroom that all 4 of my kids share. I needed to come up with a plan to make this shared room work, so having a vanity for the girls seemed like a good option. I ran across a great blog where this mom from Alaska posts furniture she makes and plans, too. So, I thought, "If she can do it, I can do it." You should check out her blog, but be careful, you might find a new hobby! It's http://ana-white.com/. Thank you Ana for the inspiration! Now I must confess that I didn't find an exact plan to fit my needs, so I took a couple of her plans and reconfigured/sized them to work and I couldn't be more pleased.

I began this project back in April, knowing that with working, raising a family, being a wife and all of my volunteer work, it would cause this project to take awhile. It did take some time to complete, but I made it in time for their birthday in June. I surprised them with a full room makeover. My husband had to help me with the furniture painting process (that's the part I hate - the building of it was fun, though.) While my daughters were at school, my parents came over on the day of their birthdays to help me paint their entire room (it went from yellow to a beautiful periwinkle), and then bring in the desk and upholstered stools. I hung a "happy birthday" banner on it. It was so fun to surprise them. They had no idea what I was making or why (I had to do lots of fibbing which I apologized for later), but when they walked into their room that night to "open" their gift they were thrilled. It was the cutest thing ever watching them use it to get dressed the next morning!

I ended up having to paint another dresser in their room to match, which my husband and I finally finished. Their room looks so grown up now. I love it!

I loved the process of building so much that I started another project which I will post about later (this one just might be crazier!).

Thanks so much for stopping by!


Sunday, June 12, 2011

So Happy For You

It's been awhile since I shared a card, so thought I would quick post one today. I received some new dies from Papertray Ink that I couldn't wait to play with so I made this card for my sons' teacher for her retirement. I used CTMH's Creme Brulee, Tulip, Sunset and Blush. Such fun colors! This cards was pretty simple to put together. I simply die cut 6 zig-zag squares, stamped different backgrounds in different colors, and then die cut a small flower from the center of each square. I then adhered the squares into a grid pattern on my card base and mixed up the flowers, adhering them with foam tape. Added some rhinestones, and "voila!", DONE!

The inside reads "So HAPPY for you" from a Verve stamp. A perfect sentiment for any occasion! Thanks so much for stopping by today!



Wednesday, June 8, 2011

June Workshop

It's that time again for my monthly workshop. This Friday we will be making this layout with papers of attendees' choosing. This first photo is a single page layout I plan to use as the front cover of my family photo album. I used CTMH's Bliss paper pack, which I absolutely LOVE. At first I didn't think I would have a need for it because I thought it was a "wedding" kit, but boy was I wrong! The papers are subtle, yet beautiful, and can be used for any number of occasions.


This next layout is the two-page spread that "my girls" will be making. For this layout I used CTMH's Lucky kit. These are pictures of my oldest son. He turned twelve a month or so ago and I always make a layout that celebrates their year past.








Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Monday, May 23, 2011

May Workshop & Special



This month Close To My Heart has a fantastic special for National Scrapbooking Month called "You and Me". You get darling papers, a fantastic stamp set that can be used over and over again, embellishments, and directions for 2 two-page layouts. These are some samples I made with the kit. I, of course, changed them up a bit by switching the colors of the two layouts and changing the picture sizes to make them more accomodating to standard size photos (5x7 and 4x6).




The papers are just beautiful! You should see them in person!!!



I changed the purpose of this layout because I wanted to use it for some miniature golf pictures, so the title reads "CELEBRATE Good Times". My workshop was this past Friday and we had a great time! Thanks so much for stopping by.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

April Workshop

This Friday is my April Workshop and this is the layout we will be making. Once again we're doing the "pick-a-kit" workshop where each attendee makes the same layout using papers of their choice. For this layout I used CTMH's Mayberry papers. I'll post pictures next week with the layout with photos. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

March Workshop

Edited to add pages with photos:

My March Workshop is coming up this Friday, and this is the layout we will be making. (I'll post pictures sometime Saturday of the layout with pictures). Each workshop attendee will be completing this layout in papers of their choice, so it should be fun to see the different combinations they come up with! For this layout I used CTMH"s Sweetheart papers and the Bohemian alphabet. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Celebrating 40

Just a quick post today to share a card I made for one of my dear friends, who turned 40 last week. I bought this stamp set & dies specifically for this card, but I know that I will use them again and again! Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI Distressed Stripes, Bitty Background Blocks, Big Birthday Wishes
Cardstock: PTI Rustic White, Aqua Mist
Inks: CTMH Heavenly Blue, Sunset, Chocolate
Accessories: PTI Numbers Die, Large Scallop Die, Brown Grosgrain Ribbon

Monday, February 21, 2011

February Workshop

Edited to add pages with photos: Just thought I'd add some photos of the completed pages. These pictures are of my daughters at a photo shoot for a local clothing designer. They started modeling for Isabel Garreton when they were about 18 months old. They stopped when they became too big for the clothes. It was a fun time in their lives & we created memories we will cherish forever. Isabel was a joy to work with, and I'm so glad to have known her!





I am starting a new series of workshops for my CTMH customers called "Pick-a-Pack" Workshop. Each lady orders one of the new CTMH paper packs, and any accessories/embellishments they want to add, and we all create the same 2-page spread using the papers each have chosen. Our first workshop is this Friday, and I am so excited to see all the different variations each girl will make! For this layout, I used the CTMH Wings Kit. The top page is a 12x12 layout that I left empty. This second layout is a 9x9 that I added pictures to.




I'll have to update you all of how the workshop turns out. I'm going to try to take pictures of the different layouts, but the workshop is in the evening so lighting may be an issue. We'll see how it goes. Thanks so much for stopping by!



Fallen Off The Face of the Earth

So, no, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, but it sure might have felt like it. I'm not even going to try to give you a ton of excuses. Let's just say, "Something had to give!". Anyhow, I'm glad to be back, and am looking forward to posting more. Mostly, though, I am looking forward to visiting some of my favorite blogs!

Here's a card I made awhile back for my niece using some of CTMH's new products from the Spring/Summer catalog. I always love getting new stuff to spark new creativity & inspiration!


I also thought I'd let you know that I haven't taken a break from crafting, just blogging. I've been busy making lots of fun scrapbook pages, cards and some home decor items. Below is a photo of one of the home decorating projects I've been up to.

I had these boring beige armless chairs for some time now, and I felt like it was about time to give them a facelift. I decided to sew some slip covers for them, which, by the way, was my first time sewing slipcovers. I couldn't believe how nicely they fit my chairs, and I am so pleased with the new life they were given. I also sewed some pillows to coordinate. I cut out some flowers from some fabric & appliqued them onto some white linen. I loved how they turned out. These chairs (2 of them) sit on either side of our tv cabinet and are pulled into the seating area if & when they are needed. Most of the time, though, they just sit there looking pretty.


Anyhow, glad to be back, and thanks so much for stopping by today!