Ribbons

Last week, when I made my laundry detergent, I figured since I was in "experiment mode" I would continue with a project that was inspired by Little Birdie Secrets. They showed how to dye your own vintage seam binding ribbon. When I saw LBS' video, it made the vintage girly-girl in me jump up and down, squealing! *LOL* It really is pretty & I can see me using it on so many different things.

They never said what type of ribbon they used, other than seam binding ribbon, and I have sent them an e-mail asking for the brand so I can locate it. Their blog post directed me to an Etsy shop & after spending the last two weeks looking around, I've learned that there are OODLES of rayon ribbon out there. Now the question is...WHICH rayon ribbon did they use?!? As soon as I have their answer, I'll let ya know so you can try this too.

For my attempt, I had some matte satin seam/blanket binding. It was a little stiff, so my concern was getting the wrinkle, since that was the effect that appealed to me the most. I didn't want to use my homemade glimmer mists just yet for this project, so I just dug out some retired SU re-inkers that I had in a box. {I'll be buying some Ranger Distress re-inkers to use with my glimmer mists once I get my hands on that ribbon!} I wet the ribbon with water, then only used 3-4 drops of re-inker per ribbon, crunched them up really well, and just left them sitting on styrofoam plates till they were about 90% dry & I was sure that the ribbon had absorbed the ink. The first time I blotted them with towels, most of the ink came off...I think that because the way this particular satin ribbon is woven, it doesn't allow for much absorption.

Here they are drying:


I had seven re-inkers, so I tried a little ribbon in every color.
This is the purely pomegranate.
River Rock. I used this on Sunday's card that I shared with you yesterday. It's an interesting khaki/greenish-yellow color.
Wild Wasabi
Groovy Guava...I really liked this color...kinda reminds me of the coral/red/aqua combos that are being used in cards right now. It's pretty.
Ballet Blue. Pretty, but a tad too bright for me. This one would be nice grunged up with a gold or bronze glimmer mist to tone it down.
Blue Bayou. Really liked this color...I think it would make a more elegant vintage look with some lace and flowers....
And finally, Soft Sky. LOVED this shade of blue in the ribbon! It's right there in that NOW color scheme that everyone's trying. I can just see this with some creamy ivory/yellow and a bright cherry red...maybe a pop of granny smith apple green. {Did you hear that? My vintage girly-girl is getting jazzed again! *LOL*}
Think I'm gonna go have some lunch, then make a couple of cards with this ribbon, even if it is a bit stiff and not as wrinkly as I'd hoped for. If I can get them done today AND find out what kind of ribbon Little Birdie used, I'll be right back to share!

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

It's still Monday!!

I know I said that I'd be back this morning to share my K.I.S.S. project, but it's been a very busy Monday. Got almost everything done on my "to do" list, too, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day. Mine was spent here at home, being...well, being Mom. Chris was out with his motorcycle club for a big portion of the day & I stayed home with the boys.

Anyway, sorry to keep y'all waiting....here's the card that I made yesterday:
Background is DCWV textured cardstock called "scratched wallpaper" and has lovely tones of green, gold, cream, & browns, so I let that paper do all the talking & tell me where this card was headed. I took some kraft cardstock, inked the edges of the background and the kraft with my Jumbo Java Dew Drop, a retiring TAC purchase-with-purchase stamp stamped with Rich Cocoa Memento ink, and some dyed satin ribbon that I made last week (I'll share pix of THOSE tomorrow). I tied the bow around the kraft cardstock, cut it with pinking shears & mounted it onto the DCWV cardstock. Took all of 5 minutes to put this card together. A simple & pretty way to tell someone "thank you!"

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

Running Behind Myself

I have a KISS project for you, but I'll have to share it tomorrow. I've spent the day with my boys and working on so many things that I got behind on what I had planned for my day. I did manage to do some tweaking to my blog & I hope you like the adjustments.

I'll see you Monday morning with my card!

Y'all ready for a few cards?

If I didn't bore ya to tears with the post about my soap-making experience earlier, maybe I can entertain you with some crafting eye candy. Either way, thanks for sticking with me!This card was super easy to make. The entire front - frame, flower, butterfly & grungy colors was e-mailed to me by the UBER talented Leanne Ellis. I simply added the sentiment (from TAC's "Inspirational Sayings" T-2105) in Rich Cocoa Memento Ink, homemade glimmer mist spritzes in bronze & pearl, and black floral trim. It made a beautifully elegant sympathy card for a friend in Pennsylvania whose granddaughter was lost in a tragic car accident last week.

This little darling WAS going to be entered into two challenges - the Sugar Bowl & Copic Colour Challenge, but I was too late, thanks to my sinus infection. It is currently traveling to Coweta, Oklahoma to my "mom by heart" for Mother's Day.
Blue background cardstock is from The Paper Studio. All patterned papers are from Prima's "Nursery Tales" paper collection. COPIC markers used for this project:B00, BV00, YG03, BV04, V01, 100, C1, C5, C7, YG06, RV11, V04, YR00, E02, Y00, Y11, & Y21

This is another beauty that showcases Leanne's incredible talent. I'm telling ya, she can e-mail me ANY TIME! *LOL* The black heart was a stamp from Lil See Ds & I just added the black rick-rack trim. I think my mother-in-law will love it!

This one is for my mother-in-law, but from the boys. I used some more of Leanne's artwork, added a touch of color with my COPICs, colored some chipboard with E49, then used Perfect Medium & bronze pearls to make the photo corners.Looks amazing & I think Mimi will get a kick out of it!This card is going to my gramma. She was never really a "dress" gal herself, but she always did the girly-girl thing for me, my sister, & my girl cousins. I remember, she bought me the prettiest lilac colored formal for my 8th grade graduation...LOVED it!Template for the dress can be found HERE. Paper is from My Mind's Eye, ribbon is colored to coordinate with COPIC markers, & the entire card was distressed with Ranger Ink in vintage photo.
That's it for me...I'm still not back to 100%, so I need to call it a day! Tomorrow....colored satin ribbons & MAYBE a painted project. Thanks for stopping by!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

Yes, I'm a new convert to this process. I've been tossing around the idea of it for the last year...ever since I searched online for and gave the recipe to my younger sister in Oklahoma. Up until this week, I never thought that I had the time to do this. I mean, I've got THREE BOYS (four if you count Biker Boy), I bust my tail most days thinking for them AND myself, I'm trying to get my fledgling business off the ground, run errands for the family, keep up with laundry, squeeze in a rare day out with a girlfriend, and everything else that day-to-day life throws my way. MAKE laundry soap? Really? Do I need to be a special type of certifiably insane to add THIS into the mix?!?

Well...*sigh*...the decision has been made for me. Whether I'm ready or not. After searching ELEVEN stores near my house for my trusty soap this week, I have found that no one is going to carry it any more. My kids & I share the same contact allergies to a lot of different fragrances, so this soap issue is a big one for me. At first, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown - one more thing that I have to scour the web for, then pay to have shipped to my house, most likely by the case-load. Was the cost going to be worth the headache?

Then I heard it...that little niggling whisper..."Suck it up, Buttercup! It's time to make the soap yourself & save some money." I bought a box of Borax, a box of baking soda, & a 3-bar pack of Ivory soap & headed home to pull up my link & read through what I needed to do. Since we moved into this house last October, I don't have the storage space any more for the 5 gallon bucket liquid versions that some folks out in the WWW are using, so I went with the powdered form found HERE.

The first batch that I made this morning was a triple batch (3 bars of ivory soap, 1 1/2 cups of Borax, 1 1/2 cups of baking soda). From start to finish, the entire time to make this was...are you ready?...forty-five minutes. I was impressed! {Hey! Sometimes I'm easy & it doesn't take much, okay?!?}

This is my bowl of Borax, soda, and grated soap on top. {NOTE: You can shave some time off if you have a fine grater blade for your food processor. It's just soap & washes right off - won't hurt ya! Me? I don't own a food processor and I'm a bit of a tightwad, so I just used an old-fashioned "knuckle buster" to grate mine.}
Grab a spoon and start mixing...Keep stirring. It kinda starts out but doesn't stay lumpy, it actually smooths out & reminded me of pancake mix...except for the smell...that reminded me of my great-gramma's Ivory Snow she used when I was a kid.Originally, I was going to use some glass canning jars for storing it in the cabinet above the washer, then thought better of it. My two oldest boys are at that age that they're learning what I call "life skills" and, well I'll be honest with ya, not only do they have ADHD (what I lovingly refer to as "etch-a-sketch syndrome") but they're klutzes ta-boot. I could just picture it in my head...them coming in on Saturday morning to do their laundry and ME coming in five minutes later to find laundry powder and broken glass all over the floor to clean up. Sure wasn't looking forward to THAT!

As I was digging through my craft cupboard for a wooden spoon to stir my chemistry experiment, I found these little beauties (below). Not sure of their "size" but I'm thinking around 48 ounces - they look larger than my quart jars in a side-by-side comparison. The antique labels came from a stash of vintage Melissa Frances stuff that I've had waiting for just such a project. Perfect! As you can see, my "mixture" made enough to fill one jar & start a second.
I tried it in two loads of towels today & it washes just as well (maybe better!) as the Purex Free & Clear liquid soap that I've used for the last 9 years. It only takes TWO TABLESPOONS per load, so this will last me quite a while, even with all the laundry I do for a family of five.

Now to finish filling up the second small canister & then the big guy in the back (that used to hold Biker Boy's protein powder mix). I've got him trained now...he ALWAYS asks me before tossing things into the recycle bin...the man KNOWS that if I can use it in a project to save me some money, I will! {truth: he absolutely HATES watching me stand on my head, diving through the garbage bins for things I can use!} *LOL*
Here are my bonus tips for the day: {1} for whitening/brightening/stain removal, I use hydrogen peroxide. I buy these big bottles (pic below) at Wal-Mart for 98¢ & it only takes 1/2 cup for a full load of towels, socks, & seat-covers. I use the sprayer for applying peroxide directly to a stain. It will NOT harm your colors OR delicate items. (Who needs OxiClean, Woolite, & Clorox 2? Not me!) {2} for the rinse cycle as a fabric softener...1/4 cup of good, old-fashioned white vinegar. I promise, your clothes will NOT come out smelling like a Caesar salad! *LOL*
Here's the cost comparison, so if you're asking "is it worth it?," you'll know the answer is "Um......YEAH!"

Purex Free & Clear liquid (64 loads) - $5.97 ea {Wal-Mart} (I average 4-6 bottles per MONTH)

3-bar package of Ivory soap - $1 {Dollar Tree}
4 lb box of Borax - $2.89 {Wal-Mart}
2 lb box of baking soda - $1 {Wal-Mart}

EDIT: Today, I made (3) triple batches of soap (filled both small containers & half of the larger one). Total cost for 3 packs of soap, 1 box of soda, & half a box of Borax ~~ $5.45 ~~ COST SAVINGS FOR THE YEAR ~~ over $200 ~~ you can't beat that!

Now to convince Biker Boy that the money I saved making my soap NEEDS to buy refills for my COPIC markers....

Taking the weekend off

Sorry in advance, folks - there won't be a KISS post for tomorrow. I've been fighting allergies most of the week and last night, they decided they want to fight back. Everything has turned into a secondary sinus infection - forehead & nose are stuffed, itchy ringing ears, the roof of my mouth feels like someone hit it with 80-grit sandpaper, scratchy throat. YUCK! With no insurance and no extra moolah to pay for a doctor or antibiotics, I'm just going to have to ride it out. Liquid Sunshine, odorless garlic capsules (to fight infection), 7Up, cat naps whenever I get the chance, and my heated rice pack are the only things making me feel halfway human.

I did want to tell you about some amazing candy over at Karen's place. She's drawing at the end of the month, but you DO NOT want to miss this opportunity...I mean, who can resist Tim Holtz yummies & stamps from The Girls Paperie?!?Click the pick to go sign on! I hope I'll be able to share my projects with you on Monday - I've got quite a few. Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

K.I.S.S.

Having a great weekend? Yesterday was a busy day...had a friend come over with his tiller/aerator & help with some trouble spots in the backyard, supervised the boys weeding my front flower beds, laundry...typical crazy Saturday. I've been kinda lazy today...blog surfing & looking at furniture re-dos, recycling & up-cycling, vintage thrifting, and just sitting, listening to the birds outside & coloring digital images for later projects. I did make a card for you using the items pictured here:

The paper (TAC's Rustic Chic) was more of an inspiration than an actual part of the project. I love the colors in it & the grungy feel, but wanted something a little bit softer....more shabby chic. I used my "flourish" Impressability, some white card stock, pink & blue Dew Drops by Tsukeniko & stenciled them onto the card base. Then I rounded the corners & grunged up the card using wheat, sahara sand, jumbo java, & rich cocoa Dew Drops. While those dried, I took one of MS's little round tags (they remind me of doilies!) and colored it with the pink Dew Drop completely, then did the edges lightly with jumbo java.

I stamped the sentiment from "Ordinary Greetings" in two parts with rich cocoa, and....DONE! Quick, easy, grungy, shabby and oh, so pretty! I love it!

A bit of sad news...over the next day or so, I'll be removing the link to my online store with The Angel Company (the shopping cart in the upper left sidebar). I'll still have my wings & will happily take your orders via e-mail, but can't afford right now to extend my store for another year...the economy just won't let me. Hopefully, things will improve to a point that I can reopen it...I just pray that it's sooner than later!

A bit of good news ~~ it's time for the Final Farewells at The Angel Company. From now till June 25th, we are retiring 75 sets, ALL of the purchase-with-purchase sets, AND the hostess sets from the 09-10 Big Book so we can make room for all of the UBER~YUMMY new goodies coming the first of July. I've seen some peeky-poos & CANNOT WAIT to share them with y'all...I'm pretty sure you'll love 'em! You can place your orders online through my store while it's still running, or you can e-mail me (you can qualify for free and 1/2 price items via e-mail).

Off to color some more...thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!