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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fun in the sun

College Graduation - check!  So both girls have now graduated, one from high school, and one from college.  It's been a busy week full of smiles and photo ops.  What now you ask?  SUMMERTIME!

What better way to kick off summer than with May Arts' Back to the Beach contest.  [This is a re-post from June 2011.]

May Arts provided the ribbon, and I chose an aqua, yellow and tan color combination as the basis of my project.  Here is the finished plaque:

And here are photos of the creative process with a brief tutorial.

Paint outside edge of the plaque with "Bahama Blue" acrylic paint [by  Americana].

Let dry.  Cover area with painter's tape. 

Paint inner edge with "Bleached Sand", creating a picture mat effect.

While paint is still wet, CAREFULLY remove painter's tape. 

[Ignore the messy center because that will be covered with paper.]

Mod Podge paper to inside portion of the plaque.  [photo not available] 

My favorite part:  Embellishments!

 Ruched flower using two different May Arts ribbon

Looped ribbon, adhered to back of acrylic photo frame; 

Chipboard letters, ribbon

 More ribbon tied to hanging wire

 Ribbon and sand dollar attached to letter "n"

 Close-up of ribbon combo

 A lot more ribbon, flip flops,

suntan lotion and seahorse charms pocketed in loops

 Flowers made with ribbon and buttons

Insert photo and Voila!

Now grab your towel and meet us at the beach

so you can create your own beach memories.

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When Life Gives you Lemons, Drink Up!

Remember when Sandy & Danny sang the song "Those Summer Nights" in the show, "Grease"?  They conjured up images of hot, sweaty nights and plenty of icy drinks.  This came to mind when I recently bought a stamp set with the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, then drink up".  I found it in the dollar bin in JoAnn's.  Well, that one-dollar investment sparked my creative "juices" -- and now my new favorite color is lemon yellow!

In keeping with a lemony summer theme, I created some fun altered art in the forms of a wooden photo frame stand, a magnetic note holder and a fun greeting card. Here is a photo of the completed altered photo frame:

And a close-up of the embellishments.  Note the cute, little ladybug!

And here is a coordinating note holder.  I started with a plain, wooden 1-1/4" x 4-1/2" clothespin,

added paint, paper, Mod Podge, ribbon, a mini sunflower, and voila:

a note or photo holder matching the wooden frame.

And an extra bonus: 

I made a gift card holder using leftover paper and a library card pocket,

then clipped this onto the wooden holder!

And here's the card I created which I turned into a birthday card for a dear friend. 

So, when life throws you lemons, well....you know what to do!

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Midwestern GIrl Ready for Summer