I've been M.I.A.

Sorry I've been gone...it seems like forever. Last week I got hit with a rogue trojan carrying what I call "ransom-ware" ~~ I'm sure you've seen it. Comes in looking like your virus protection, says it caught some bugs, asks you if you want it removed and if you say 'yes' it takes you to their payment page, basically forcing you to make a purchase you don't want or need.

Sad thing is, some people actually fall for this attack. They pay the ransom, the people holding you for ransom PRETEND to remove the problem, but really leave the problem in the background and take off with your credit card information to shop, spend, and shop some more. My middle son got hit with it a week before I got hit with mine, so we had two laptops down till this last Sunday.

A friend of ours came over & we tried doing a repair with the main OS (operating system) disc, but it was so deep in the registry that we had to scrub and rebuild everything. Sucks rocks! Especially when you have as much on your computer as I did. It's Wednesday & I'm STILL loading programs and websites in here.

These hits can be totally random, not just from a new site you visit or an accidental click...I got mine leaving a site that I visit daily (sometimes several times in a day) so my friend figured that it rode in on a tracking cookie. EMPTY YOUR CACHES daily if you surf online a lot! Some of your browsers, like IE 7 & 8 or Google Chrome can be set up to dump cookies every time you close your browser (look under 'tools' then 'options')...set it up to do just that! Save yourself some headaches & lost files.

Now, while I was without my electrical lifeline to the outside world, I had some time to work in my office. I sorted out a few boxes lying around and was bitten by a crafting bug. I still have sewing to get done, and I'm working on it (HONEST!), but I had this papier mache dress form sitting on my work desk, and it started calling my name. So, I'd like to introduce you to...Yvette! (or maybe Holly Golightly, since I love "Breakfast At Tiffany's" so much...)

She LOVES everything vintage, and you can tell by the postmark that she loves to travel!
She has a deep appreciation of all things 'artsy'...
And all things 'timeless'...
She's classy, too. Loves her lace and gramma's pearls, like any proper lady should. Never mind the butterfly tattoo...she got that when she was young, carefree and a bit wild!
But, as you can see, she's settled and seems very happy living among the antique buttons and Prima flowers. I hope she decides to stay with me for a long time.
Thanks for stopping by & have a fantastic rest of your day!!

supplies used: papier mache dress form; tissue paper; stamps from Stampabilities, Mod Podge; Ranger Distress Ink (vintage photo); StazOn ink in black; wooden candle cups; E6000 glue; black spray paint; homemade shimmer mist sprays; flowers from Prima; tea stained vintage seam binding; paper doily cut to fit around neck; adhesive-backed half pearls

This is great...

and SO VERY TRUE! Go read what Miss Mustard Seed has to say...you'll love it!!!

A bit of randomness & thrifting

Today...
♦ outside my window…the neighbor kids playing in their yard
♦ i am thankful for… those rare days that my kids ALL get along
♦ i am wearing…denim shorts, barefoot, khaki t-shirt, & sloppy up-do/braid (inspired by Magnolia Pearl)
♦ noticing that…I REALLY need to make everyone leave me alone & get to work on my cave this weekend {can't hardly walk in here - grrrr!}
♦ i am still reading…my new TAC catalog (there are SO MANY things I want in there!!)
♦ on my mind...Are they TRYING to cause me to have a stroke?
♦ pondering these words…noise, noise, noise and more noise {stop the world, I wanna get off!!!!}
♦ around the house…pretty clean, a little cluttered, but nothing I can't live with for now
♦ from the kitchen… mesquite grilled chicken on a fresh mixed green salad with dried fruit and Vidalia Onion vinaigrette dressing and a cherry Pepsi
♦ one of my favorite things…sitting and stitching while listening to one of my Playlists {today it's calming folk music - and the music seems to have a strange but nice sort of repelling effect on the males in my household...interesting}
♦ i’m creating…a watercolor piece for a friend & after lunch I'll be working on some embroidered pieces for a Christmas in July swap
♦ a few plans for the rest of the week…embroidery (MUST finish!), emptying boxes in my she-cave and putting things away, getting files made for Cordell's home school year
♦ from my lens…my thrift store finds from Tuesday (see below)

Tuesday was an amazing day of thrifting. Best one yet!! At the Harrisville DI I got glass bowls, glass salad plates, another glass dome for my treats, a NICE candy jar with wooden lid. The plates were all marked 75¢ each, but I got them 4 for $1, the dome, one bowl, & the candy jar were marked $1 each but I got ALL THREE for $1. We also picked up 5 shirts for Chris that will be nice for his job (no pix of those).At the small Ogden Rescue Mission on Wall Avenue, I got this GORGEOUS hobnail milk glass lamp. I've had my eye on it for just about a month now, so when I saw that it was still sitting on the shelf, I got brave and talked the gal at the register down to $8...it still works!A trip to the bigger Ogden Rescue Mission near Riverdale Road got me a few ruffled trims for stitching onto totes, crocheted cotton doilies, a cute little crocheted doll hat, a table runner edged in cotton crochet, some dress patterns, some vintage iron-on seam binding, 2 packs of OLD Vogart iron-on transfers, & 2 little Stamping Up stamps (©2003).Oh, and some uncut warm n natural cotton batting (I use it for making my embroidered pieces look more quilted. Total for ALL the goodies, including the shirts and the lamp...$50. Considering I brought in 6 sacks full of stuff, I didn't think that was too bad.See how cute the table runner & lamp look on my barrister case?! I just love it! The barrister case holds my collection of tole painting books, Create & Decorate craft magazines, and some painting catalogs. Originally, it was on the other side of my cave, facing my computer cabinet, but I had to relocate it because I found something REALLY nice at the DI.....This gorgeous china hutch! It's 42" across, 74" high, and 16" deep. No scratches, no chipped wood, no cracks, no missing molding, & no broken or missing handles.On the right door, just next to the wood is its only imperfection...a teeny crack in the glass. You can't even see it till you're right up on the piece. It's arcing in toward the frame and Chris said that it shouldn't spider out any more & will be okay for quite a while. Gotta trust the guy that used to own his own glass business! *LOL*
Even the blue velvet lining in the silverware drawer is in great shape. The original manufacturer's sticker was there, too. Did a little bit of research...Keller Furniture, located in High Point, NC, has been around since 1945 and to this day makes Thomasville furniture. A good, solid piece of furniture, from a solid US company...made in America...I like that a lot!!!No issues with the drawers - they still glide evenly and smoothly. A little dusty, but I've taken care of that. I'll be storing craft items in it throughout the weekend.And this is the detail on the doors. A little old-fashioned, but I like it. Saw another piece nearly identical to this one on a blog yesterday (the big brother to mine) and she painted it distressed black, changed out the knobs and is selling hers for $550. I'm keeping mine...I need all the extra storage that I can get!!
It's going to stay the original wood finish for a while, too. My craft room is going to end up a mix of white painted furniture & stained wood over time, so it's not like its going to stand out. If I ever do paint it, and that's a big IF, I might go with a creamy white with a soft French/aqua blue inside the drawers & the rest of the interior.

For now, the most it's gonna get is a good dose of Almond Glow on the outside and maybe some lace doilies on the shelves and some pretty craft boxes to hold. After all, it has a job to do! *LOL*
I know, I know....what did you PAY for it? I'll tell ya, just don't hate me, okay? I told Chris over the weekend that I wanted a hutch & didn't want to pay over $50-75. He didn't think I was EVER gonna find anything that wasn't butt-ugly or required a load of work to make it decent for what I needed. Got this baby on my first stop for $75 & I'm tickled pink! Happy early birthday to me!! *ROFL*

Speaking of birthday...my blog's birthday was a couple of weeks ago & I still haven't celebrated that yet...I have a prezzie that I'm making for you, so I'll be back in a day or so. Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Some cards, a challenge entry, & a break from paper

Hey there! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday (US), Canada Day, or just a fantastic weekend, in general. Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous here - loads of sun, enough of a light breeze to stir my wind chimes, & the temps never made it over 75°...my kind of weather! Today it's breezy and sunny, but back to what July in Utah is traditionally...flippin' HOT.

While it was so pretty yesterday, I felt quite creative, so I dug out some images that I already had colored & waiting, found some papers that I liked, and set about making some cards for you. Ready?

Image is from Beccy's Place; papers from K&Co; COPIC Sketch markers used - 0, B000, BG10, YG11, YG03, G24, RV11, W1, E50; Nesties Labels Four

Image is from Fairy Coloring Pages; paper is My Mind's Eye "Totally Girl"; COPIC Sketch markers used - E50, YR65, YR68, E09, E37, YR61, W1, W3, W5, W7, W9, YG11, G21, G24, Y21, E00, YR00, V04, E04; Nesties Labels One; Ranger Distress Ink "Vintage Photo"; Sakura Stardust Clear Gel pen

Image from TAC "Gerbera Daisy" (retired); Nesties Labels Four; Ranger Distress Ink "Vintage Photo" & "Tumbled Glass"; paper from My Mind's Eye "All Boy"; Brown flocking from Studio G; COPIC Sketch markers used - E25, YG03, G24, G21, R08, R29, R39

Image is from FunkyKits UK "Manga Boy"; paper is from Best Occasion (a Wal-Mart brand); COPIC Sketch markers used - E02, YR00, YG11, YG09, YG06, C9, C7, C5, C1, YR68, YR65, YR61, BV00, BV04, BV08

This is my card for Challenge 38 over at the Sugar Bowl (below). We were given a sketch to follow & an option of adding an additional theme of scallops.
I used "Demure" by Elisabeth Bell for FunkyKits. Background paper is from My Mind's Eye "Signature Series" paper pack. I used a paper doily for the circle shape, sponged lightly with Ranger Distress Inks in Vintage Photo & Tumbled Glass. I took my MS doily lace border punch to some spotted paper from My Mind's Eye "Totally Girl" paper pack for the horizontal strip. The striped paper, behind the image is also from MME's Signature Series. {LOVE those grungy, distressed colors!} I placed two pearl drops from The Robin's Nest in the left side corners (bottom pearl is obscured from view by the stand - sorry).
COPIC sketch markers used to color image - YR00, E00, YG03, E31, E33, E04, B32, RV11, BG10, C1, B000, Y00, Y11, Y21. I rounded the corners then sponged on some more Vintage Photo & Tumbled Glass.
Finished it all off with a patterned flower from Prima (sponged with Tumbled Glass) and a pearl brad.

Now, the short break from paper shouldn't last more than a week or two. I hope. I've got loads of sewing projects piling up that have to be done. Curtains for windows, gifts for a swap, and tote bags for a boutique I'm doing at the end of August. One of the sewing projects will be my birthday blog candy here, so stay tuned. I'm not leaving you completely! {wink}

I'll have more paper goodies to share after I'm finished with my annual Christmas in July swap on the 25th (can't show her ahead of time what she's getting!). If you haven't entered MY First Challenge, there's still time & I'd love to have you come play. Please be patient & know that if you have any questions or need anything, I'm just a quick e-mail away.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

Taps

Thought y'all would enjoy this...



Here is a brief bit from the History Channel...


I have a wonderful collection of patriotic that you're welcome to listen to. Just click MUSIC at the top of the page and enjoy.

card share and freebies

Last month, I was meandering my way through some freebies over at Bird's Crafts and found myself on the BALLOONS page. I'm not normally a hot air balloon fanatic, but these made the vintage girly-girl in me say "Hmmmmm....I wonder what they'd look like if...." then my COPICs hand started to itch and twitch, and you know what that means...I just HAD to color them! *LOL*

So I grabbed a few images, opened my Print Shop and started sizing 3 of them to go on a card. Here's what I ended up with:

Pretty isn't it? The background paper is a vintage map from K&Co and the little metal tag is one that I had lying around. May have to see what else I can do with these cute little balloons.

I told you a few days ago that I'd have some Patriotic word art freebies for ya, so I've got those below. There's also a really nice phrase that's a bit late for this Father's Day but definitely could work for next year or maybe on a card or gift for a new father. Remember to right click, open in a new tab or window to enlarge, then right click again & save to a folder on your computer. I'd LOVE to see what you do with them, so take a pic & send me an e-mail or link to your blog. Enjoy!








Might have a few cards to show you over the holiday weekend or even more word art as the mood strikes me, so feel free to pop back by between the cookouts and fireworks. Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!