• Blog

    T Tuesday: cabin adventure edition

    August 13, 2024 - By 

    Mini-me and I went on our “annual” girls trip last week. We really try to do one each year. This year we were able to stay at my cousin’s cabin in what is sometimes referred to as “lake country”. I grew up at this cabin…it’s a huge part of my childhood. I love being able to share it with my daughter.

    The area had gotten significant rain the day before so the gravel road we took in the cabin was not a good choice. We made it but it was not a fun drive. The mud and gravel was really caked up under the van.

    We had a good laugh later after the adrenaline wore off about on our Montana girls trip where we really did get stuck in the mud.

    When we arrived the lake was like glass…virtually no wind. We immediately changed into our swimsuits to get as much time in the water as possible knowing that the weather wasn’t supposed to hold out for us.

    We had a great time on the standup paddle boards. Neither one of us fell into the water. We left our glasses on shore just in case though and wore lifejackets.

    Because of all the rain we’ve had this summer the lake is really high…as you can see we had to wade out about knee deep to get onto the dock.  As I waded into the water I noticed all the minnows swimming in the shallows just like when I was a kid. So many memories.

    A campfire reheated hotdog was a perfect end to our first day.

    Our second day was a rainy one. We decided to drive into town. Mini-me was interested in a used book store which happened to be on the same block as a couple antique stores. We both found some treasures.

    After eating lunch at a favorite place alongside a lake, we stopped by 22 Northmen to pick up a 4 pack of my favorite summer beer.

    I brought a bag of crafting supplies since we knew the weather wasn’t going to be perfect. I’ve been on a card making kick lately.

    I managed to create 20 blank cards ready for sentiments. I love working with scraps and challenging myself to use what I have on hand.

    The following day was very windy. Also not great to water sports so we decided to go hiking. Inspiration Peak isn’t too far from the cabin, so that was our destination.

    The hike is fairly short but steep. The view was gorgeous.

    Since it was still early, we checked out surrounding area map for another destination. We found a state park we’d never been to before.  We did a bit more hiking there before returning to the cabin to enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

    We had a wonderful time quietly enjoying each others company. I’m so thankful my cousin let us use the cabin.

    Today has boring household chores on the agenda as well as some shopping for interview clothes for Mini-me. She has a second interview on Thursday…this one is in person.

    T stands for Tuesday
    What are you doing today?
  • Blog

    T Tuesday: coffee dye results & more

    July 29, 2024 - By 

    A couple weeks ago I mentioned that I was doing a bit of coffee dyeing. The heat and humidity were high. The papers took a good while to dry. I had to flip and rearrange the stack multiple times.

    The Results



    These were my favorites of the batch. I definitely learned some things about how the types of paper reacted. Some really thin paper that I thought would be great, really didn’t hold onto the coffee. I bought a vinyl lace tablecloth at the thrift store this winter for the purpose of coffee dyeing papers…do you think I can find it?!?! UGH! So frustrating. I’m sure I’ll find it in the dead of winter when I’m not able to easily coffee dye.

    Vintage finds

    I went to a vintage tractor, car, machinery, etc show with my neighbors on Friday. They have been telling me for years that I’d love it. They were right! So many things to look at. I have enough photos to do an entire post about it. But I couldn’t wait to share the items I bought at the flea market that was also on the grounds.

    I instantly fell in love with this little drawer. I love using interesting vintage items for storage. The color was what got me. I have a decorative wooden box the same color.

    Don’t judge me for the poinsettia tablecloth. It stays on our game table year round simply because it fits perfectly and I like the color in the space.


    Look at the adorable price tag. The booth that I purchased this from had all fun handmade price tags made from recycled boxes. Mine was a Raisinets box.

    I found some vintage papers that will be great for junk journals.

    And this amazing box of postage stamps. Some are sorted into small glassine envelopes but most are piled in the box and other envelopes. It’s a massive amount of stamps really.

    Look how fantastic the glassine envelopes fit in the drawer. It was meant to be.

    I fixed myself a hardy breakfast this morning. I had cooked way too much broccolini yesterday but it was great warmed up alongside the eggs. I used some Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Onion on top for a flavor boost. I love that stuff on eggs and was really good on the broccolini too.

    Today has me trying some new recipes for dinner. I love trying new things but I hate having to measure and follow directions. I’m more of an intuitive cook but I try to follow recipes at least the first few times.

    T stands for Tuesday
    What are you doing today?
  • Art - Blog - Creativity

    Pretty in pink

    July 28, 2024 - By 

    I really enjoyed putting this page together mostly from scraps. I chose the main image first from this ephemera book I ordered on Amazon over a year ago. Then I went about pulling out pieces from my scraps that spoke to me.

    The pink scrap wasn’t long enough but I decided to use it anyway and embrace the imperfection of it. The overall page still measures 7×10. I used layers of organza ribbon, lace harvested from a shirt and a bit of curtain scrap to help with the illusion of a full length page.

    I used a bulb pin to attach a pretty vintage button for even more texture and a bit of bling.

    I added a ticket cut from scrapbook paper along with a couple other random scraps to my design as well as the postage cancelation sticker. With that I felt I was done and stamped the date. As I was setting up to photograph the page for the blog, I decided it needed a bit more. I found a Tim Holtz butterfly that made me happy. I seem to be all about the butterflies lately.

    This may be my last page for “I’ve got a notion”. Time will tell.