Game Night with Old Friends

I'm participating in the DecoArt Mystery Box Challenge.  

Please visit the site and vote for your favorite!

Hint:  My project is #9

My MahJongg group had just left when I received a mystery box in the mail from DecoArt.  I quickly opened it, revealing its contents: a paper mache box in the shape of a house, luscious fluid acrylics in four vibrant hues, DecouPage and Liquid Glass.   It was the perfect starting point for my project, “Game Night with Old Friends.” 

Game Night was, and still is, popular among friends and families.  Vintage games are resurfacing including MahJongg, Scrabble and Rummy-Q.  So I used iconic game pieces to turn my paper mache house into a FUN-KY candy holder, perfect for our next Girls Night Out.  

Products Used:  

Paper Mache House Box (by Darice)

DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Quinacidone Magenta, Hansa Yellow, Cerulean Blue, Titanium White & Carbon Black

DecoArt DecouPage

DecoArt Media Liquid Glass

Supplies:

Rubber Stamps (from River City Rubberworks)

Staz-On Black Ink Pad

Paint chips

1” foam brushes

Paper Cutter

2-sided adhesive tape & glue dots

Embellishments:  Iconic game pieces

The How To

Paint sides and roof of paper mache house with DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics.  I painted each side a different color.

Stamp images on paint chips using Staz-On ink.  Cut paint chips to fit box sides and adhere stamped images to house using DecouPage by brushing medium on back of paint chip and paper mache house.  

Add embellishments using DecouPage (it's also a glue!), adhesive tape or glue dots. 

Paint Scrabble trays with Media Fluid Acrylic.  Spell out “Old Friends” using scrabble tiles, 

and place on trays.

This MahJongg rule book from 1958 was a great flea market find.

Place finished house onto BINGO card and display on game board.  Fill box with old-time

candy and share at your next Game Night. 

 How many games can you find in this project?  Do you spot your favorite game?

Disclosure:  I was provided product from DecoArt but all opinions and ideas are my own.

A Constant Friend

Most friends come and go, but true friends stay in your life forever.  Such is true with one of my closest friends.

 

We've known each other our entire lives.  We were pretty much inseparable, and lived just two blocks away from each other.  It was so much fun to meet at the local playground, stop for ice cream, and play in each other's rooms for hours on end.  We had tea parties and played dress-up.  We even attended Tiny Tots together. 

 

When we were both just 5 years old, my family moved f-a-r away.  Well, at the time it felt like we moved to the other side of the world.  In reality, it was just on the other side of the city park.  Nevertheless, what was a 10-minute walk was now a 30-minute drive. 

 

However, as I said, true friends stay in your life forever.  We continued to get together as often as we could.  I fondly remember sleepovers, play dates, sharing holidays together, and, of course, being that special friend who got to sit next to the birthday girl each year.   Our lives took different paths, but we still remain close friends today.  For most of our adult lives, we've lived 400 miles away from each other.  Still, we are constant friends. 

 

I recently found the perfect little gift to send for her birthday, a spiral notebook with the quote,

 

"A constant friend is a thing rare and hard to find." 

 

It immediately reminded me of her. I decided to embellish it a bit and make a coordinating birthday card.

I tied ribbon to the spirals, using different colors, textures and widths. 

I added a binder clip as well.

 

I took the color scheme from the notebook,

using mustard yellow, blue gingham checks,

floral paper, ribbon and the beautiful quote.

 

On the inside of the card, I stamped, "Celebrate You." 

I embossed the text and added a few rhinestones. 

 

While I had my stamps out,

I decided to add a few "hidden" notes

on the inside pages of the notebook:

 "Friendship is a Work of Heart"

And off in the mail it went. 

Happy Birthday, Dear Friend!

 

 Sharing at these fab parties:
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Crafting with a View of the Pacific Ocean Blue

Ahhhh--vacation!  We work so diligently immediately before and right after

a getaway, but it's all worth it for the change of scenery, relaxation and...

uninterrupted craft time! 

We spent one glorious week, with family friends, enjoying Laguna Beach. 

If you've been there, you know how beautiful the Pacific Ocean water 

shimmers under the bright hot sun. 

We hoped for some nice, cool ocean breezes,

given the relentless heatwave Southern California has been experiencing.

It was a "mild" 90', which was, at least, cooler than the 108' at home.

We enjoyed early morning walks at low tide,



beautiful views while sipping on a chocolate banana shake

overlooking Crystal Cove,

The Shake Shack

simmering sunsets

and crafting with friends!  

That's right. No vacation is complete without a trunk full of craft supplies.

Hey, if he gets to bring his boogie board, I get to bring my crafts.

One day, we moms got together on the large patio.

We altered shadowbox photo frames with, of course,  

a BEACH theme!

 

It was so much fun sharing my crafting obsession with the girls. 

Here's my finished shadowbox frame:

 

I love how the contrasting sepia photo with the brightly-colored photo frame

and the coordinating banner tucked underneath the glass.

Additionally, my husband encouraged me to take a collage class

with a well-known Laguna artist. 

She taught us technique, color and composition.

Here is my first-ever genuine collage:



It was a fun week.  Of course, the days flew by.

We're already looking forward to next year's beach vacation.

 

You may like this summer project:

Fun in the Sun Embellished Photo Frame

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My Garden Party Workshop

What do you get when you cross a garden party with altered art?  One of my Altered Artworks workshops, of course!  Last week, four crafty women came over in desperate need of creative therapy.  And that's exactly what they got--three hours of schmoozing with old and new friends, delicious snacks, and most of all, uninterrupted art time. 

From my vast array of scrapbook paper, metal charms, chipboard, brads, buttons, ribbon, and many other embellishments, each participant selected her own combination of colors and textures, creating a beautiful (and useful) garden pail as unique as the individual who made it. 

So, instead of showing you my artwork, I thought this time I would share theirs:

Gotta love this fun, bold print!

Catch the sparkling chipboard butterfly!

Birds, trees & a ladybug--check!

Love the birdcage print with its strong brown & green colors!

After decoupaging (did someone say "pass the modge"?) and embellishing were complete, the garden pails were filled with soil peats, a small terra cotta pot (which they painted), flower & vegetable seed packets, planting instructions and a shiny red pail. 

Although these pails make great gifts, I think my friends were going to keep their artwork for themselves!