Introducing: Crafty Schmafty Fridays!!

I'm starting to get my groove back with my blog. Can you feel it? The smooth ride . . . my hair flying in the wind . . . the sun shining on my face . . . yes, that's what I feel . . . Blogland . . . it's good to be here. (BIG smile).

To celebrate my return to this great land of blog, I thought I'd try a little something different for me. Some sort of schedule by which I can commit myself to. Something to plan for, to think about, to dream of. I think a schedule, of sorts, is just what I need.

So . . . without further ado . . . and in my best Maggie Smith impersonation . . .

I hereby welcome you & christen thee,

"Crafty Schmafty Fridays!"

 

"What?" you say, "What in the world is Crafty Schmafty Fridays?"

 

Well . . . Crafty Schmafty Fridays is going to be my attempt at sharing a creative idea, project or piece of art that I completed during that week. If you've read any of my posts this year, a big goal of mine is to not only get back to blog writing, but to also try and create SOMETHING each and every week . . . and to do my very best at creating it from my VERY OWN SUPPLIES in my studio (not going out and spending a fortune on anything new). From scrapbooking projects, to new mixed media art . . . I am going to try and come each and every Friday, and share a bit of my creative journey with you.

 

 

Let us begin, shall we?  

 

This week, Ella turned 6 . . . (pause . . . for the shock . . . and the tissue . . . and the realization that my baby is . . . not.a.baby. . . anymore.) We wanted to take Ella out for a special birthday dinner, but she really just wanted to stay home and make cheese quesadillas. (Yes, for real. She didn't want to go out anywhere, no matter how hard I tried to bribe her!) ;)

 

So because of her sweet little soul, I decided that I wanted to make it a special birthday for her and knew that decorating the kitchen was a MUST! Ah, but the budget . . . the budget . . . always the budget. As soon as Ella left for her afternoon kindergarten session, I got to work and decided to put all those thousands of scrapbook papers I have to good use. I went through my piles of paper and pulled out anything girlie and flowery and coordinated it with some other patterns.

 

Flowers, plaid, stripes . . . everything goes!

I cut the paper into 9" x 1-1/2 " pieces, and then in a somewhat random order, I made paper chains out of the strips.



I love the assortment of patterns . . . I am a pattern JUNKIE!



I had two hours before Katie would be home, and then Ella, to turn this kitchen into a fun birthday room!

Before

  With only a few left over pink balloons I found in a bin in my studio, it was coming together nicely!

Phil said the streamers had a retro-vintage sort of look to them, and he LOVED them!
Not bad for using up supplies I had, huh?

The flowers PG had bought earlier in the week were still looking so fresh and lovely, so all I did was change the water and pick off a few droopy leaves. I looked through an envelope of photos I had in my scrapbook stash, and found an adorable picture of Ella from last summer that made the perfect Birthday Tag to hang in from the kitchen light. I wrote her a little note on the back from all of us.

 

I love using up so many of these papers!

A short time later . . . and with the addition of a funky table covering I already had . . . we were ready for our Birthday girl! She was so happy when she walked in from school . . . she couldn't believe I did all of that for her.



After


And I couldn't imagine NOT doing it.

What I love about these paper chains is that they would be adorable for the holidays or really any special occasion. I have STACKS of Christmas paper, Halloween paper, Valentine paper, and even 4th of July paper that I will probably never use! Next time I want to make the house look a little fun (whether we are having a party or not), I'm heading to my scrapbook stash and making paper chains.

So there you have it, friends. This weeks "Crafty Schmafty Friday" project.

I hope you enjoyed it. Not all of them will be award winning . . . but each week I hope to share a bit of me, my creative journey, and a story. There is always a story to tell. Which reminds me . . . don't worry. I'm not switching to a Friday only blog. I'll still be back throughout the week with my regular posts. Maybe I'll bring the ol'Monday Vlog back again! (Remember that?) But at least for now, you know what my Fridays will be all about!

Wishing you a wonderful day, my friends, with lots of peace . . . and paper chains!

;)