Note:  just wanted to let you know that Target has the 12 x 12 black chipboard I used for the box below and there is no shipping.  No shipping on any order!

Video on my box below..............

I have been working on a great project I wanted to share with you.  Since I'm not the greatest picture taker,  I'll just give you a few shots to whet your appetite.  The pattern is from a lovely girl on You Tube under the name of  Paper Hoarder Disorder.  Her name is Christy.  She has the most wonderful set of patterns for sale in her Etsy store and she also has a blog.  This box opens to one side and has a waterfall like group of pages attached to one end.  Each page has a booklet inside for pictures or photos.  All the pages and booklets are 4 x 6 so you can get some nice size pictures inside or journaling.  Here goes:

Be sure to check out Christy's site as there are many more temping patterns.  The best part is the boxes are made from heavy chipboard which feels like box and will hold up forever.

Have a great weekend and get that shopping done!

Post Thanksgiving

Did you think I fell down a hole never to return?  Not Alice in Wonderland, just me.  Husband had surgery on his knee and have been so busy with that I am exhausted.  However, today I did have time to use one of the Sweet Innocence stamps to make a quick card.  She is colored with Copics and the snow is tiny dots of Liquid Pearls.  Getting in the Christmas spirit?  I'm not quite there yet but it will hit me any day!  Enjoy  your weekend and stay warm!

Hi everyone!  I imagine just about everyone in the country is colder today than a week ago.  Brrrr!  I have a few items for sale.  I have five Copic markers, brand new, that I already had (dummy!).  They are E97, E80, E37, YG00, and E0000.  They are $20 which is half of retail.  I also have a Pumpkin Stazon Pad for $4 and a Spellbinders border die from the Gilded Life series called the Long Die.  I used one just like it in the crown posted below.   It's $9.  If anyone is interested send me an email at primitiveseasons@comcast.net.  If you take it all I'll do a little better on the total price for you. Shipping is the buyers responsibility but it all fits in a small padded mailing envelops so it shouldn't be much.

Have a project and a new product to share with you today.  I had been wanting to try one of the card-in-a-box cards for some time.  This CHRISTmas one is a tiny one.  Each side only measures 1 and 3/8 by 2" approximately.   The whole thing is triple matted which makes it very sturdy.  There's another one of these in my future as they were a lot of fun.  Be sure to click on the image to see it larger.

The second thing I wanted to show  you is a new Sizzix die called The French Bow.  This goes together very quickly and is very classy looking.  I used black and a black and white toile paper.  And it's BIG.  About 6" long and 2 wide..  Great for  packages too.
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Hope you get out to vote today.  It's your right and priviledge.  Let's put an end to the apathy which has taken hold in our country.

The

Daylight Savings

Well how was your Halloween?  It was so cold here and threatening rain that there weren't so many trick or treaters as other years.  And, of course, tonight is that night we have to fool with the clocks.  Fall back, remember?  We gain a whole hour of sleep.....good as gold if you ask me.  With time on my mind, I  made this tag with mostly Tim Holtz design elements.  I edged everything with Frayed Burlap.  I used Wendy Vecchi's embossing paste and a combination of Dylusions and Adirondack color washes to color the tag.  I love spraying that seam binding......gives such a nice vintage-y look.  Bundle up and don't forget the tick tock!

Halloween Totem

I had this idea to use three of the ATC boxes by Eileen Hull and make a Halloween totem.  On the very  top is a black bottle brush tree with fall berries.  The very top of the tree shows a pumpkin man head with bows so the whole thing looks like a man up there rather than a tree.  On the sides of the three boxes I used various items like a creepy hand, a fly, a jointed Halloween doll, stickers, etc.  It was a fun project and I hope you enjoy it.  If you have any questions you know how to get in touch.

Christmas is Coming, the Geese Are Getting Fat.......

Or maybe it's me that's getting fat....but that's another story.  It's raining cats and dogs here and dark and dreary so I decided to make myself a cheery CHRISTmas card.  I used a stamp called Winter Walk by Simon Says I think.  The foliage is Tim's new Holiday Greens.  There are four types of greenery in this set:  pine, spruce, holly and juniper.  Plan on using this one a lot this season.  Enjoy!

Halloween Lighting

Over the weekend Cricut offered a cutting file which resulted in the project below.  I was so excited because I love these intricate files.  It is a Halloween luminaria, one layer cut in black cardstock and the inside layer is just a rectangle of vellum.  You cut two panels of each and join them together.  The black cut tends to stick out because it's round so I glued the larger areas down here and there.

 You sit your LED lights inside.  It's very impressive when lit, sitting on my kitchen island.  The Explore cut it flawlessly and only one tiny pice inside the pumpkin remained on the mat.  I tell you I love this machine.  The file was $1.99 and is available, as far as I know, on the Explore Make It Now page.  Hope you like it!

The Royal Crown

Spellbinders has a line of dies out for pendant, pins and jewelry making as well as other items.  They are all very vintage-y looking.  I decided to give this crown a try and the results were worth the patience.  It's embossed on foils which you can purchase from them or elsewhere.  JoAnns is carrying this line also.  This is called the Vintage Trellis Crown.  It takes two dies, which could be used separately as borders for your cards and scrapbooking, and 1 sheet of foil. The bottom die is threaded with metallic ribbon, although that is not a must and you paint the inside with gold metallic paint.  I used Ranger.  It was a fun project, although as I said, required a little patience.  I just thought it was something a little different.  Mine is going on Grace, my antique dress form!

Brr.....fall is really here!

Last night and tonight our temps will be in the forties.  It was cold on the way to church at 7:30 this morning.  I warmed up with a latte afterwards and some good old fashioned creativity.  I have two projects to share today.  One is a very simple gatefold album for my daughter to put her doggie Halloween pictures in.  You know, the ones with the dog thinking  "I can't stand this nonsense!"

The other is a Halloween Witch Hat.  I bought the paper mache hat years ago and this was the year to finally get to it. I painted it black and then had so much fun decorating it with a large rose, a halloween bottle brush tree, a mouse, a pumpkin and acorns, a skull and a vintage Halloween card.  I think I covered most everything.....oh and orange and black tulle!  Hope you enjoy!

Print and Cut on the Cricut Explore

This is the first image I cut on the Explore with the new Print and Cut feature.  You print the image on your printer and the Explore cuts  it out.  I am so blown away.  I can think of a gazillion applications for this.  No coloring with Copics or markers.  No hand cutting etc.  Just a crisp clear image with glorious color.  Those of you who don't have an Explore better put it on your Christmas list.

Dancing Witches

Here's the other file I told you about from Megan Hardy.  I have the figures rather spread out (there is a cat on each end) but this is just to show you what a cute file it is. Click to enlarge it to see the wonderful detail, right down to the straws at the tip of the brooms.  What do you suppose they are dancing to???

Happy Hallow!

This little card was made using my Cricut and, originally, a Silhouette file.  I found out after the fact, that the girl who designs the files, Megan Hardy has her own Etsy shop where she sells some of the same files in .svg.  Halleluiah!  I used several paper collections and a rosette left from a project two years ago.  I hope you'll visit Megan Hardy's Etsy Store.  These trick or treaters are only one file of three all with different costumed trick or treaters.  And she has a dancing witches file to die for!

Amazing!!! Simply Amazing!!!

This beautiful cut was done on my Cricut Explore.  Be sure to click on the picture to see it up close and personal.  I found the file on a blog called Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! by a girl named Marigold.  I could not believe the intricacy of the file and how beautifully the Explore cut it.  Get yourself one of these machines.  They are superb!

Tired of it yet???????????

I am having so much fun doing these mix media canvases.  It's also using up lots of charms and baubles I've been saving over the years.  Today I tackled one of those large thick paper mache letters like Michaels and Jo Anns sells.  I gessoed it twice as a base.  Then applied paper scraps with multi medium (love that stuff).  Then I covered it with texture medium and laid on some cheese cloth and did some stamping.  Then for the fun....I pulled out all the fun pieces and began laying them on.  I ended up using all silver which is not what I had in mind when I started but some things just "tell" you what to do.  I used both E6000 and hot glue to add everything then sprayed with Perfect Pearls mists Patina and Mister Huey's Sparkle.  I love that.  It adds sparkle and shine without color.  So much fun.  Needless to say this will have a spot of honor in my studio!

Mixed Media-I'm In Love!

After doing the mixed media piece I showed you a few weeks ago, I found I am really drawn to this craft.  It feels like "real art."  So I did two more pieces, show below.  One is about the things I love and the other I did for my husband's office.  It's a little more masculine.  Take a look.  I'd love to  know what you think.  My inspiration, of course, is Finnabair and her wonderful collages and techniques.

I find with these pieces you have to study them to see everything.  But they are so much fun!  Have a great weekend.

Haul Videos............yes I said Haul!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just wanted to ask you to please turn up your video.  I did not have my settings right on the audio for these two videos.  I'll be sure to correct it!

New Blog Topics

I've never been one to make my blog about personal things.  But recently I've seen several articles and Pinterest posts about depression. Some are accurate in their facts, some not so much.  I've suffered from clinical depression for 30 years.  Most of that time I have functioned very well and life goes on.  There have been very dark times when it almost wasn't worth living (distorted thinking).   I was fortunate that I had an excellent psychiatrist who was really into the pharmacy end of treating depression.  The first ten years or so I was on a drug that killed the terrible anxiety attacks but I almost have no recall of what happened then because I felt so "drugged."  My gynecologist suggested I go on a different drug and I discussed it with my other doctor and he agreed.  That is one thing you must remember in a medical situation.  You must be proactive where your health is concerned.  After all, you are in charge of your own body.  It may take awhile for you to get that way.  Over the years I have had ups and down and tried almost every drug on the market.  Finally for the last ten or twelve years I have found a combination of drugs that gives me great moods, good sleep (which has been a chronic problem), good energy and a better disposition.

You must remember that depression is like any other illness such as diabetes, lupus, or arthritis.  It is not a character failing or your fault.  It is a disease, a treatable disease.  The biggest thing with depression is distorted thinking, the kind that says you should commit suicide because nothing else will help.  The kind that keeps you from getting help in the first place because you are SURE nothing can be done to help you.  The kind that keeps you from being the best that you can be, stay close to your family and friends and the kind that says the world is coming to an end in the middle of an anxiety attack.

Please if  you suffer, get help. If you don't know where to start, contact your local hospital and they should be able to hook you up with a psychiatrist.  Don't depend on your primary care physician to treat this.  Some are excellent at doing that but most just don't have the grasp on the medication aspects or time for talk therapy.  Most insurance plans cover some or all of the fees associated with seeing a specialist.  Some of us will suffer with this for the rest of our lives.  But I am living proof that a better life is achievable.

Doing a little bragging here..............

My new door box for fall.

A little enticement..............

This picture is not so great.  The sun keeps coming in and out here today.  If you sign up to be a follower or if you are a follower and you get someone else to sign up, you could win this Prima Paper Doll tag.  Whichever group you are in you must send me an email and tell me you signed up or signed someone else up (both of you get a chance).  Have a great Labor Day!

Sweet Innocence

A few cards using stamps from the Sweet Innocence collection of My Favorite Things:

Just a few Halloween projects to share:

This little shoe from the Sizzix ballroom slipper die is slipper style with o heel.  The other project is again from a Sizzix box die which are so popular now.  The paper is Lost and Found Halloween by Authentique.  I used TH corners on the bottom and a ribbon from my stash around the top.  The skull is sitting on a double rosette and has a spider rubbed with Inka Silver.

Finally, my photography assistant, Sophie, one year old. Adorable, yes?  Have a great week.

Here's the last bunch for now:

The cost of the valentine mini is $20.

This little heart mini which is spiral bound is made from a die and the box is actually part of the mini.  The picture with the beige rose is the box and the one that shows the teal rose is the front page of the mini.  There aren't too many embellishments on the pages but lots of little pockets and pages for pictures or mementos.  A great gift!  The cost of this one is $20.