Scrap bits

I'm doing WITL (Week In The Life), are you?

Looking forward to participating in Week in the Life again this year.  This will be my second time, I did it before in 2008, and just found that scrapbook last week while unpacking boxes. (yes, I STILL have boxes to unpack from my move in July! What?). You can see more of my week here and here.

For those of you that dont know, Week in the Life is the brain child of Ali Edwards, and you can read all about it here.  All you need is a camera- you will document your life for one week. Taking photos of every day things, and keeping bits of reciepts, handwriting etc. Its very easy to do and you dont need to be a scrapbooker or photographer to do it.  It's a really cool thing to look back on, and I am looking forward to it especially since my life is so different now than it was in 2008!

I will post my progress here all next week. Should be fun!

let's go!

OK. It's been awhile.  I just got back from an amazing trip to Cancun and it was the best vacation of my life!  

Things have been all over the place with me. Life is re-prioritizing. I feel like it's a good re-start for me. I am back and ready to get organized and get my art going full throttle.

I have a studio to organize. I have canvases to start.I have a website to re-design. I have ideas. 

I am here.

I am ready to go.

Stay tuned...

Totally making these!

I am hosting Christmas dinner this year.

For 14 people.

In my new (smaller) house.  

Not sure where everyone will fit, but I will figure it out. It's going to be a great start of a new tradition- new house-new life.

I was thinking about trying something different with my usual (boring) mashed potatoes, and saw this at Pioneer Woman Cooks.  It's make ahead (perfect!), and fancy. Totally NOT low fat, but looks yummy.

Full recipie with step by step photos is here.

If I remember, I will take a photo of mine... see if they look as good as these!

LOVING my new iPhone!

I finally got myself an iPhone- I wanted one for awhile....so... Merry Christmas to me!

I am totally in love with Instagram.  What a great app! I have to say I am a little obsessed.

My daughter working on some art...

 

magazines on my night table

 

My breakfast

 

 

My purse

 

love this one... I have it as my screen saver on my iPhone

 

Even a regular old keyboard looks cool with the filters applied!

Follow me on Instagram under tanyascrapbits

 

House Update. Before and After

I moved into this new home at the end of July, things are finally getting done and this place is starting to look like me-starting to look like home.

It takes me some time to decide what I want to do in what room. I am not one for immediately decorating the whole house just to get it done. I like to live in it for awhile, and get a feel for each room.

I still have so much to get done. My to-do list is huge, plus I am trying to work on my etsy store and get some holiday things listed in there. I have a bunch of new prints to work on as well. I also hope to get a 2012 calendar in the store... maybe I am taking on more than I can handle? We will see.  Cant believe Christmas is just round the corner! How the heck did that happen?

One of the things I just finished was my hutch (or is it a buffet? I never know). It is pine, and really nice, but I dont like the color. I never liked the "orange" look so common in wood from the 90's.  I was lookiing for a more "Pottery Barn" painted look.

I dont have an actual "before" photo, cuz I didnt think that far ahead, and by the time I remembered I had already taken off the doors and drawers and started with the primer...but you can get a pretty good idea of the orange color from this photo;

I gave the wood a light sand, wiped it off then just put one coat of primer on. Here it is all primed; 

I had planned on getting new knobs and hinges, but first I wanted to paint the ones that were already on there and see how they turned out. I sanded, primed and painted the wood knobs, and sprayed the metal hinges with Tremclad metal paint- didnt prime them at all.  They look great and I am happy that I didn't have to spend any money on new hardware!

After the primer was dry I did one coat of black paint. When it was dry I gave it a light sand. Here it is with the first coat;

You can still see the white primer under the first coat...

After another coat and another light sand in between, it was all done! I am so happy with how it turned out. Like a brand new hutch! And it didnt cost any money- just time (although I dont have an abundance of either! ha!)

There it is! My new and improved hutch. I got lots more before and after to come. Lots to do in the new place. I have some great ideas for art I want to put on the walls so I gotta get to it!

Hi. Me again! (and my first tattoo!)

Hi!

Remember me?

It's been awhile, but I am still here.  If you recall from this post where I mentioned I had some changes going on and I was moving to a new home. That's my excuse as to why I have fallen off the face of the earth in regards to my blogging!

I have been slowing finding my way, unpacking, planning, painting, redecorating, etc, but then I realized that it will take me FOREVER to get everything done!

SO.  Here I am. 

Hello again, thanks for sticking around.

Remember this post where I mentioned that I was ready for my first tattoo?  Well, I did it! I ended up going with something different than I originally was planning, I went really small and simple, and I love it! 

Three stars on my wrist/hand. It represents me and my two kids. I am so happy with it, and I am already planning my next one (or ones-plural- I have a lot of ideas, and people are so right- they are totally addicting!)

 Take a look at my pintrest and check out my ideas for tattoos board. I keep adding to it- there are some really creative people out there with some fantastic tats!  

Do you have any tattoos? I would love to see them- please share!

Link With Love

I follow an art blog by a fellow Canadian, Kal Barteski. Her blog is fantastic, full of posting about her art, being a mom, and trying to find time for it all. She recently had a bad experience with someone stealing her on line art & selling it for their own profit and not giving her credit. Kal turned this bad experience into a positive and started a blog about changing the way we use art/photography and images on the internet.

Here is a quote;

"We believe that intellectual property needs to be handled with love and respect. We believe in the goodness of people. We believe in the power of the internet." 

Huh. Pretty basic & straightforward. I love it!

Take a sec, and check out the Link with Love Blog. Also check out the facebook page, Twitter, and Pintrest.

Come'on everyone. Show the love.

Look What I Just Bought!

I have been keeping very busy getting this house packed up and all the other stuff that goes along with a move, and a seperation.  Lots to do and think about! I did cross a really big item off of my list this weekend and that was....(drumroll please!)   

I BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!

Yup. Bought a house for the kids and I. Did it all by myself- AND I was in competion with 4 other people! Yay!

So for the next little while, I will be busy packing up this house and 12 years worth of living, and preparing for this new chapter in my life.

...stay tuned

 

 

Another version of the starburst mirror

Yes, I love a starburst mirror.  Remeber the one I made here?

Well I just came accross the most fantastic one, which I will be making for sure when I get in my new house.

Come on now! How cool is this? Flamingo Toes has a full step by step tutorial on her blog with great detailed photos.

The NON- Tuturial. Coffee cozy

I made this coffee cozy quite a while ago, and I didn't think to take photos of the process.  Sorry!  Next time I will have the steps for you. Maybe I will make another and take step by step photos for you... would you be interested?

I just took a paper cozy from my morning cup of joe and opened it up to trace it onto my material and went 1/4 inch bigger then the paper template for seam allowance.  I cut the back from plain black, and the front I used suiting flannel. Then I attached some different materials and fibers to the front and free motion stitched all over it.  Sewed a bit of leather lace in a loop, and added a clear button.  Pretty easy & fun. I love how it turned out. I am thinking of making a bunch and selling them in my shop, but that would require me to be organized and I am so NOT organized these days!  We'll see.

Much better than those cardboard sleeves, don't you think?