Shopping & Creating

I'm not much of an after the Holidays bargain shopper but when Lucy mentioned on Facebook last week that Mary Engelbreit had some cute stuff available at Michaels Crafts for Valentine's Day that was all the inspiration I needed to get out and go see. 

What do these remind you of??  I found these little Cherries (at least to me they are) in the Christmas stuff mark down from $1.29 a bunch to a quarter each.

Cute little ME Valentine take out containers are available for .99.  The pink decorated clothes pins were marked down to .60 for the package.

Lots of cute stuff in the $1.50 bins like the Mary Engelbreit stamps in the first photo, several designs of cross stitch kits, and the mini scrapbook paper packages.

I picked up a couple of the little wooden bird houses for $1.50 and was inspired by the ME paper.
 

 

First I painted all the edges with some white acrylic paint.

Then it was cut...cut...cut...and glue...glue...glue.  Did you see the little window boxes on the sides of bird house?
Once all the glue dried I put a couple of coats of Mod Podge over all of the paper.  I still need to add a cute ribbon to hang the bird house with.  I forgot in my rush to get photos for my blog post.
I'm happy with how it turned out.  Next I'll work on making something with the mini Mary E. cross stitch kit.

Thanks for stopping by.  I'm linking up with Sue at It's A Very Cherry World.  Stop over and visit to see all the red that everyone has shared for "Rednesday" at Sue's blog.

Sunshine & Still Creating

I'm happy to say that the sun is shining in Florida.  Tropical Storm Debby is on her way out of town. She left a mess in parts of my area but one good thing about being unemployed is that you don't HAVE to drive anywhere.  Because I didn't venture out anywhere in the last four days, I've continued to create.  Here's a "Cherry Red" bracelet watch that I made Monday.

 

  A pair of Pink Poppy Flower Earrings

 

Something totally new for me is this "Cherries and Checks" silk cord necklace.  I've used some cute little lampwork beads, a piece of chain with faceted glass beads attached, and a fun silk cord that can be adjusted to just the right length for whom ever wears this pendant necklace.

Thanks for stopping by I'm sharing some Red today with the ladies over at "It's A Very Cherry World!" for Rednesday. Stop over at Sues' Blog to see more Red.

Rednesday

I'm happy to have something RED to share with Sue & everyone for Rednesday this week.  Pop over to Sue's blog "It's A Very Cherry World" to see what else is being shared for Rednesday.

Last Thursday I was coming back from a job interview and I stopped to see a former customer. She wasn't in, yet, so I popped into the Lifepath Hospice Thrift Store next door to kill some time.

Look what I spied on my quick circle around the store...Cherries!  I bet you think I paid $4.49 for this little treasure.



Well...you would be wrong my dear friend.  That little yellow line through the price sticker meant that it was 75% off which made it $1.12 + tax=$1.24.  Such a deal...ehh??

I even found these three little glass cherries in the bottom of the jar when I got it home and looked at the contents. Score!

Rednesday

I'm happy to be joining up with Sue and all of the other bloggers over on "It's A Very Cherry World" this week.  Last month Sweet Sue out of the blue sent me this delightful tag. It made me feel so very special to have something so custom made for me. It has a special spot in my studio and I think of Sue when I look over at it. Thanks, again, Sue for this little treasure.

Please stop on over at her blog to see what other "reds" are being shared this week.



Happy Rednesday

I'm thinking this would be a really cute idea for a wall in my studio done with all Mary Engelbreit fabrics...huh??
There's a little RED in there so I'm joining up with Sue and friends over at It's a Very Cherry World this week. Stop by to see who else has RED to share.

Happy Rednesday

Source: pamelajanes.blogspot.com via Cherry on Pinterest

I'm so happy to be joining Sue and all the wonderful ladies who share on Rednesday over on her blog It's A Very Cherry World. It's been awhile for me but I was inspired to share this fabulous photograph that I found on Pinterest (my new addiction) with all you red fans.  If you haven't found out about Pinerest you need to check it out. It's so much fun to scan all of the interesting things that interest others.

This really has nothing to do with Rednesday but I wanted to share with everyone my excitement over my new printer. Trust me, I'm not out spending all the $$ I've been making the last few months. Even though a few weeks ago I got the Motorola Xoom Tablet computer (love it!) this printer turned out to be almost "free".

I went in one day to use my trusty Canon Pixma printer and the silly thing wouldn't even turn on. How can I print my JoAnn coupons without a printer!! It seems like  everyday I needed to print something once the dang thing wasn't working. Ugh! I checked over at Amazon.com and they had this lovely lady for $98. Well! It just so happened that I had enough reward points on the ole credit card to cash in for 2 $50 Amazon gift cards. It's like it was meant to be! 

I really wanted something that was wireless and I really wanted a scanner, too. The Canon Pixma MG 5220 has both features and it copies.  I finally got around, after having it home for 6 days, to setting it up last night. It was a breeze! I was a little concerned about me being able to connect it to my wireless router but it couldn't have been easier. Can I just say how fabulous it is not to have to carry my laptop into my studio and then connect it to the printer to print something! OMG! I'm so lazy! I printed right from my couch in the living room. Last night I scanned my favorite kitten photo of my Sweet "departed" Rusty. This was taken before they even had digital cameras. I've always loved the photo because it was not "staged" and it was so appropriate. My good friend Kathy brought me the pillow back from Key West one year. In case you can't read it it's embroidered with the words "If I had two dead rats...I'd give you one!" One afternoon I just walked into the living room and saw Rusty sleeping there on top of the pillow in a wicker chair. It was such a "Canon" moment. Now I have a digital copy to share. I printed out an awesome 8x10 photo of Missy, my cat, last night on it, too. Looks great so I'm taking it to the office tomorrow to hang it on my bulletin board. I am one Happy Camper these days! Can you tell? I'm so goofy over technology!
Please pop over to Sue's blog and check out what else is red for Rednesday.

Rednesday with a Queen

Today I am joining with Sue from "It's A Very Cherry World" and all the ladies who are sharing their RED on Rednesday. Please stop over at Sue's blog and participate with us.

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be treated like a Queen.  My wonderful friends, Kathy and Larry, invited me up for a "sleepover" at their house. They recently moved to a new house about 20 miles north of Tampa. It's not a long drive but we had decided that we would have a nice dinner together and share a bottle of some of the wonderful wine that they often bring back from their trips to France.  If you'll recall...Kathy and Larry recently gave me the new stove that I shared here on my blog. Kathy's only request was that I bake them some White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies. I totally agreed to that request. Additionally, I brought along some chocolate dipped fresh strawberries and some Garlic Knots that I had baked. It was a wonderful weekend with some dear friends who made me feel like a true Queen and gave me this pillow to let me know.

Rednesday on the Beach

I'm joining Sue from "It's A Very Cherry World" and all the other bloggers who will be sharing their RED today.

I once took a wonderful trip to Panama City Beach, FL. We had Sangria wine on the balcony.

While play around with the camera we were able to get this cool "double" photo of the wine glasses via the reflection of the sliding glass doors.

We had some really beautiful sunsets and the most perfect views of them. I love the scattering of the clouds in this photo.

Rednesday & A Red Balloon


 I shared this fabulous Cherry Balloon last Friday but I think it's so cute that it deserves it's own day on Rednesday. My friend Anne brought it to me for my BD last Friday. It's still floating high!

Please join Sue over at "It's A Very Cherry World" where she and many other bloggers are sharing their Red for Rednesday.

Rednesday...Good News...Bad News...

I've met some really wonderful women through my blog, websites, and Facebook. Every week it seems that I am surprised at the kindness and friendships that all three have brought my way. For this I am grateful.
I have a sweet and sour story to share. I will keep it as brief as I can because rule #1 in blogging is no long stories & more photos I'm told.

Friday evening on my way home from a long day at a clients house (18 miles away) I stopped at the post office to mail off the 3 earring prizes that I offered during the One World One Heart Event that had ended on Thursday. Having posted the packages I stopped to check my new PO Box for mail just in case any had been forwarded from my old PO Box. I haven't even put the new PO Box on business cards, yet. Inside the box was a key to a "locker" where I was instructed to go to pick up a package. Hmmm??? A Package? I wasn't expecting anything and who has my new address??? I found the locker and to my surprise there was a Priority Mail envelope in it from a name that I did not recognize.

Insert Photo #1

This wonderful package contained an assortment of Oh So Cute fat quarters, I think that's what they are called in the quilting world, from the very sweet Wendy over at Why Knot? You see Wendy is a quilter, she writes about quilting over on her blog and has been a "peep" for awhile following my blog.

Inside the package was this Sweet Note from Wendy and a stunning postcard from her home state of Montana. I'm sure the people walking by me were wondering why I was "ahhing" and "ohhing" there by the trunk of my car. I was so touched that Wendy had sent this wonderful present to me "just becuz". How thoughtful is that?!

 Or??? Perhaps, she knew that when I got back in my car to leave that my car wouldn't start. Crap! I feel so helpless as a woman when my car has "issues". Ugh! I got out and checked the oil like that's going to make a difference...yep... got oil. The check engine and the oil lamp came on when I was trying to get it to turnover. My next thought was "I don't need this!" but then I remembered the wonderful package that I had just received and then I remembered the reason that I had stopped at the PO Office in the first place. That is what I kept telling myself to be grateful for.

To shorten the whole evening ordeal let me just share with you what else I am grateful for....

1) Having a AAA membership to tow my car

b) only being 6 miles from the mechanic instead of 18 miles away because it's $5 for every mile over 5 miles of towing.

2) Wonderful neighbors who will come out at night to pick me up after the tow truck dropped me off at the closed garage.

3) the same wonderful neighbors who will loan me their car so I can go back to the mechanic Sat. morning to find out that I needed a new fuel pump & filter to the tune of $553 (not so happy for that) but grateful that I have a car.

4) blogging friends who will let me share the bad news with the great news.

Mucho Thank You's to Wendy for such a wonderful and thoughtful gesture and gift with perfect timing.

 I'm joining Sue for Rednesday over at her delightful blog "It's A Very Cherry World". Please stop over and see all the Red that is being shared their for Rednesday.

Rednesday and a Valentine

I'm joining Sue from over at "It's A Very Cherry World" and the ladies who will be sharing their Red for Rednesday. Be sure to stop over and see what they have to show you this week.
Rednesday

I found this "purr-fect" card for my neighbor, Paddy, for Valentine's Day. Paddy really likes pop up cards and I happened to be at Barnes & Nobles bookstore this past week. I noticed they had darling Valentine's Day card but when I saw this one with the white cat I just knew it was the right one. You see my "Missy" is a purr-fect white cat.

p.s. She's never had kittens...she's just that fat and yes...that is my work table that she likes to spread out on.

Rednesday with Glitter

Add Glitter and Stir

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I'm participating in the One World One Heart worldwide blog hop here in February. It's been really fun seeing the blogs from all over the world. On one of the blogs (can't even remember) had the phrase "add glitter and stir". I thought that was pretty funny.

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Be sure to pop over to "It's a Very Cherry World" where Sue is hosting Rednesday so that you can see more Reds.