Phoenix

I'm incredibly behind in posting but wanted to share all the goodies from my trip to visit the amazing and lovely Maija in Phoenix. She graciously invited me to stay with her while we went to Terri Brush's class hosted by Melrose Vintage. This is a pic of their gorgeous sign. I love the mix of retro/vintage and shabby chic.


The classes were held in the courtyard of a fabulous house in a lovely neighbor not too far from the Melrose area. All of the houses looked like they were from the 1920's-1940's with lots of character, stained glass with streets lined with palm trees. If I didn't know it could be up to 117 in the summer this neighbor could convince me to relocate. Alas, I'm scared of melting in the summer sun! I'm sticking with lots of visits.


A great pic of me and Maija taken by the lovely Tricia. She had a super cool printer that printed out these amazing pics in different styles including calendars. I've got my eye on a new toy!

The immensely talented Terri Brush, and a weird pic of me. Terri's class was one of my best classes ever. She does a great job of gearing it towards all levels so that beginners and more experienced artists all learned new techniques with everyone taking home awesome finished pieces. Terri and the Melrose ladies also went above and beyond in terms of supplying everyone with anything they might need including finished necklaces from Terri, sweet treats and all the sparkly goodies one might need to finish a piece. If you get an opportunity to attend a class, I can't recommend it enough.

One of my finished pieces - shield bracelet that I've worn 3 times since coming home!

Previously mentioned sparkly goodies!


p.s. For any foodie nerds out there, Maija also took me to the Trader Joe's where I wanted to take home one of everything! I settled on peanut butter, assorted chocolate and some recyclable bags since I can't resist a graphic bag!

p.s.s. Next post, I'll catch you up on this weekend and some of my new favorite shopping haunts. Plus, tomorrow is the premiere of V and I'm super excited as well as a giant geek!

Phoenix

I'm staying with the fabulous Maija and her family while we take a couple of classes hosted by Melrose Vintage. Today was awesome. I learned a few new things, including how to play with the torch! Tomorrow is a bracelet that looks gorgeous! We've even sqeezed in a little shopping. Shocking!
I'll include pics and links in a later post since there are limits to what I can do with my phone! I've added a few pics via Twitter (www.Twitter.com\amyhuff).

Weekend fun

My family came down for the weekend and we had an awesome time. It finally stopped raining and was gorgeous weather with beautiful cloudless blue skies and still chilly at night for a fire on the back patio. We managed to squeeze in some great flea market shopping at third Monday, lunch at Jimmy's, shopping on the square and some tasty goodness from the farmer's market. Weekend greatness.

Spooky Charm Swap

I had a terrific weekend with my family in town. We hit all the fun McKinney has to offer and then some! I'm still working on getting those pics off the card. In the meantime, I've posted some timely pics of my Spooky Charm swap. The idea was to create a charm around our favorite Halloween story or trick or treating experience. For me, I'm a classicist and it's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow all the way. I used a cabinet card that looked the most like a nerdy scarredy cat but kind of sweet - my idea of what Ichabod might look like. Add in a little photoshop help, some vintage wall paper with some fun details like the date the story was first published and you've got yourself a new take on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I love the vintage/retro feel off this one, if I do say so myself! :)

More Creepy Doll Heads

Latest project to get said creepy doll head attached. I love them but the husband is starting to get a little wigged out about where the might show up next. This one is going into the bedroom, or maybe on the bathroom vanity, for extra jewelry storage.

He's advocating that I make some for the etsy shop. He's sure they'll be incredibly popular and I'm betting it doesn't have anything to do with his hope that they'll live somewhere else. :)

Recipe Box

This is a sneak peek of our baby dining room remodel. It was mostly a paint job with some furniture rearranging and some desperately needed accessories updating. But, you can get a glimpse of my old plastic recipe box that I've had for about 14 years. I was on the hunt for a new one and after a week of searching online I finally realized I was crafty and could take care of this myself. After a quick trip to Michael's with my 40% off coupon (Rolland's new nightmare since I make him go through the line with my other goodies) and a bunch paint - throw in some rhinestones and a doll head - then viola my new recipe box. I think she's going to look great on the book case.

Saturday in Salado

Last weekend we hit the road for Round Top to check out the twice yearly antique paradise but once we hit Austin the skies opened up and there was a major downpour. I didn't have it in my to tromp through the rain and muddy fields in my new pink converse. Plus, I have just gotten over being sick for a month and am not about to ruin the fall for antique heaven. Well, it would also have just been gross.

Hubby saved the day by turning the car around pointing us to Salado which is an awesome little town filled with great shops, galleries and quirky fences. It was awesome and saved the Saturday. I got started on some Christmas shopping and we picked up a couple of art pieces for the house before calling it quits when the rain found us. After a re-fuel at Cracker Barrel, a road trip must have, we made it home before dinner. That is a perfect Saturday road trip and I have the pictures to prove it!

Marie in Technocolor!

Apparently I was missing the crayons and coloring books since this page was all about the old school arts & crafts. Lori gave me a great background to work with since it was just a large page of water color paper so it's super sturdy and held glue like a champ. I dug through my bin of extras and found this neon lime tissue paper that I thought would work perfectly with the really strong colors I wanted to use on this page. Perfect Paper Adhesive is my glue of choice for this portion of the page. Next came the stamps at the bottom (Michael's 40% off coupons will be my downfall. The husband now has to go through the line with 1/2 my purchase so I can use the coupons to the fullest! This is not his favorite activity) the clear kind that stick to the acrylic block are my new favorite things. Again.

Next it was time to work on Marie. I got some amazing stamps from Character Construction when we started this project and they've been my go to on this round robin. There are some gorgeous options over there especially for the holidays. I had to do a little photoshopping on the dress to get the right proportion which gives me another reason to use the super cool new printer to scan. Look, it's all about the price per use here people!

I decided she would be the most likely person to be swinging from the chandelier so these made the perfect border. The final touch was a pass with the gold rub and buff (another old school favorite) to make the crinkles in the tissue paper stand out and my masterpiece was finished. I called in the husband to show of my latest masterpiece. This was met with silence and then "That's something". I'm sure he meant it as a complement. Hopefully Lori will be happier with it than my husband.

Next post, updated pics of the dining room and this weekend's road trip pics.

Marie Pages Continue

Latest page ready to mail. I'm working on a larger page tonight that's kind of fun since it's a much bigger scale. This one was tricky since it's the first time I've actually used an image on photo paper but it came out super clear so definitely using that technique on future projects.

Which brings me to my new printer. Not so new now, but still only a few months old, anyway it's greatness. I'm loving how clearly everything scans including vintage wallpaper so I can make all my goodies last a little longer now.

I hope everyone's having an awesome weekend.

October Goodness

October is my favorite month. By October fall is settled in and the heat of summer is entirely replaced by the crisp edge that hints of winter. Windows are open at night, extra blankets are added to the bed and the sky seems to have a slightly deeper tint on the perfect lovely blue that spring always promises but fall delivers. The moon is huge and starts to peek through the dormer over my front door and I know I can safely pull out the heavy sweaters and corduroy pants.

This October, I have planned to take advantage of every minute of fall goodness:

1. Round Top show this weekend - incredible antiques near Austin
2. Urban Bazaar
3. Visit from my family to plan next fall's New England road trip - I need to start reading up. 3 guide books have been purchased so far! I love to plan a trip. We're also going to check out Jimmy's Food Store and the McKinney Square (this is easy since it's about a mile away!).
4. Visiting Maija in Phoenix and taking a couple of these classes
5. First Monday with Jen and Bo - we are ladies who love the vintage, furniture and roasted corn!
6. Halloween candy shopping - this will require a couple of rounds since I like to get the good stuff then panic I don't have enough
7. I think we're going to visit the State Fair since we hate to miss out on the fried butter. Actually, I think I can but it's nice to know it's an option.
8. My friend Kate and I are practicing our cooking skills and thinking about pastry. The class we were signed up for tomorrow has canceled so I think we're going to take matters into our own hands.
9. I have to finish the dining room paint project. Mostly before the family arrives so I can get the ladders out of the dining room!
10. I'm getting ambitious and planning to paint the bedroom. I'm not sure where this fits into the above!

See, fall is awesome since you can do all of the above without worrying about melting into an unattractive pile of goo!

What do you have planned for October?

Marfa

I just got back from a super quick road trip to Marfa, Texas. Suzanne, who is an incredible graphic designer and artist, had a friend getting married in Marfa and wanted a road trip buddy so I quickly volunteered. Travel, Cracker Barrel and artsy desert town? I'm in!

We hit the road early Sat morning and after an unexpected detour to Midland to the AT&T store we made it to Marfa in record time (well, I did get two warnings from two different officers but no ticket, no foul!). We stayed at the fabulous Thunderbird Hotel and had super tasty pizza at Pizza Foundation. Seriously, super tasty with a lovely patio so if you go for a few days you may need to check this out a couple of times to just make sure you get all the tasty goodness in you can.

After the pizza goodness we checked out the town a little, scoped out the wedding location and then got cleaned up and headed back out. The wedding was at the Marfa Mystery Lights viewing area which is off the highway and incredibly beautiful. We got there a little before sunset so we saw all the phases of the light on the desert. The ceremony was awesome and fun with the perfect blend of romance and funny. Greatness. We all stuck around until we got our fill of the super cool mystery lights then headed for the reception back in town at Padre's. Padre's is a bar and the home of the most tasty burger I think I've ever had. I may have to return a few times just to verify!

The next morning we got a quick breakfast in the hotel lounge and hit the highway for home. We took the detour to visit the Prada installation near Valentine. Super cool and worth the extra hour. After that not much to see. Luckily you can't miss a Sonic or a Dairy Queen when road tripping through Texas so we were well supplied! You can check all of our trip pics out here.

More Marie

I know I've been the worst blogger ever but it just wasn't on the miles long "to do" list so I got behind. I've finally got myself back down to one page but it's touch and go. Mostly being sick for a month can really cause things to pile up. Dust, dog fur tumble weeds, blogging, etc but I'm fully recovered thanks to my super pretty Tiffany blue antibiotics and a hubby who enforces a bed time.

In my delay, I missed these pages to keep you up to date on the Marie pages that have gone out. I've got another one 3/4's finished and ready for scanning this week. This fall is crazy busy but I kind of love it. There's lots of fun stuff coming up so I hope to update more frequently and with lots of pretty pics.

Weekend Jewelry Making

These are a couple of necklaces I made this weekend. The trick was I had to use things I already had and couldn't purchase anything. Oddly enough, it turns out I have tons of stuff hidden away in drawers, cubbies, boxes, etc. I'm not sure I have enough room for all the jewelry I can make without needing anything else! I also went back to basics on these and the 3 strand necklace I have one strand that's just strung on the beads, the next one was hand knotted between each bead (I found this bizarrely relaxing!) and the last was a simple chain made with sterling wire. I hadn't originally planned on using the quartz between the floral beads but it turns out with the loops 1/2 the beads would lay on their sides so not an attractive look. I'm actually really happy with how it turned out.

The green milk glass necklace was super easy but I really love the look of the dark steel chain against the green beads. I added the crystal for a little interest at the clasp so it can be worn in front or in back if I decide to add some layers. I've got a few more pieces started and I should be able to get them finished up over the weekend but I have a few house projects in mind... I haven't brought up painting a few rooms for a while now so I'm sure Rolland thinks I've decided against it but no, just laying low and will spring it on him when I bring home the paint! :)

Round Robin Charm

This is my latest round robin charm and it was for Sharon's necklace. I hope she loves it when it finally makes it back to her, it's gorgeous and I loved working on it! This is a soldered and patina-ed charm with a few little dangles added. There's a moonstone, a vintage religious charm and a skull bead. I love that they feel like they tell a story about an incredible adventure in an exotic land... or, that I need to get out more!

The one place I have tried to make a point of getting to this summer is our local Farmer's Market right off the McKinney square. We've had some tasty goodness including an incredible olive oil and some super tasty grass fed beef. If you find yourself looking for an outing between 8-1 in McKinney on Saturday, check it out! This is Anita and Rolland after I dragged them out pre-shopping.

Latest Marie Pages

In an effort to improve my tendency to procrastinate, I've been working on Marie pages for a swap I'm doing with my charmsters group. These are a few of the latest pages and I'm having a blast working on them. It's so much fun to play with the color and all the super fun scraps I've collected that are more than a little over the top.

I love journals but am the worst about keeping up with it. This gives me a great way to incorporate some of my favorite journaling images and techniques into the pages.

I also have a super cool new scanner/printer combo that's mac friendly and these babies come out bright enough you need shades! I'm loving the crispness of the images and the husband assures me I'm in no danger of loosing space with the larger file sizes. Whew!