I Got Top Three!!

Thank you so much!!  I am so surprised, and so humbled to be chosen top three by the CASE Study Challenge Blog!!  They had so many beautiful cards to choose from.  Time for a happy dance:)

CASE study #91

I decided to play along with the CASE study blog to make my wedding anniversary card this week. TFL!

Hero Arts May Contest

This is one of my cards entered in the May contest at the Hero Arts Blog. The challenge is to use yellow, orange, pool, green, and chocolate brown.  TFL.

Supplies: all stamps :Hero Arts, (three silhouettes, zig zag background, and sentiment), Card Stock: Recollections,  Wausau Paper, ink: Tim Holtz Distress ink, Ranger Archival(coffee brown),  spray mist:Glimmer Mist chalkboard(inchworm green), and glimmer glaze in orange crush, embossing powder: Recollections (snow)

Day Six Of the Online Card Class, "A Cut Above"

I     L.O.V.E.  this faux letterpress technique we learned in Jennifer McGuire's day six class. I am trying it out on all kinds of embossing folders that have been sitting around collecting dust! Thank you so much for a new way to look at products we already own!! :)

PS: All stamps Hero Arts, Happy Definition background, butterfly stamp and die, sentiment, and Lattice Background(white trellis on the tag) TFL.

Class Participation Day Three- "A Cut Above" Online Card Class

Shaped cards are the theme for day three. Love the new Hero Arts Fly Away Newsprint background. The butterfly is from the Sizzix/Hero Arts Dies and stamp packs. TFL!

"A Cut Above" Class Participation

This is from day one of the online card classes site, "A Cut Above" die cutting class. Love this class, I learned a lot. Also lovin  this new chevron stamp by Hero Arts and Studio Calico:)

Supplies: ALL STAMPS= Hero arts, dies= Hero Arts/Sizzix (framelits), ink=CTMH and Ranger Distress Ink, seam binding dyed with sorbet ink by CTMH. border punch=EK Success

Stairway Makeover Before and After

Before

After

That's me, using the power sander after taking off the shellac finish with "Citristrip". Getting down to the bare wood on the stair railing and the Newell posts so that I could apply Minwax Gel Stain in Mahogany. This was no picnic! My hands were aching after scraping every inch to get the finish off. Had to do this because the gel stain wouldn't adhere to the builder's finish even after sanding to prep.:(

 Yeah! Here is the new finish after two coats. I ended up doing three to darken the finish.

Close up after last coat of gel stain, and the balusters got a coat of chalk paint /primer, then one coat of Behr Premium PLus Ultra paint and primer in one. The color is Ultra Pure White to match the base molding.

I like the clean white balusters so much better. It really opens up the space.

Had the nautical rope from my son's room makeover. Hurricane is from Anthropologie, and the large rattan vase is from Pier 1 years ago.

New artwork for the niche via Homegoods!

The basket is from Harry and David Christmas gift from Mom, (Thank you Mom!) and the white vase is from Homegoods.

 Cost Breakdown :
Minwax GELStain = $12
Behr Paint (pint)=$9
Purdy Brush=#13.94?


Total = $34.94 pretax


Would love to rip up the carpet and refinish the wood stairs but that project will have to go on the to do list. 


Special thank you to "Centsational Girl" http://www.centsationalgirl.com/for her stair tutorial, and to "Miss Mustard Seed" http://missmustardseed.com/