Weekend Class and Sister Time

This past weekend I headed to Savage Mills, a historic (19th century) textile mill that was transformed into a unique shopping adventure that features artist studios, craft galleries, antique stores and specialty shops. I took a class at one of the specialty stores there, The Queen's Ink, a funky, fun craft store that's way beyond your local super-sized craft store. They offer classes on a weekly basis, but this was my first and it was fantastic. We created paper mosaics and everyone in the class came up with something spectacular! Patti, the talented store owner, taught the class and told us at the beginning that there were no ugly mosaics, and she was so right! I'll post my finished project on my next blog.

Sunday and Monday, I played with what I learned and made a few more paper mosaics and then headed up to my sister's house on Tuesday. We finished working on our current projects, including a darling little jewelry box that I hand-painted for a client in Texas (see above). I whitewashed an unfinished musical jewelry box that I found at a yard sale (it was brand new) and then arranged the wooden letters and painted the flower and butterfly to frame them. I then painted each letter a soft background color and when they dried, I added a special touch to each -- polka dots, stripes, little leaves, little flowers and stars -- then I glued them to the top. I added Swarovski crystals to the top and the drawer handle and painted the front with the same pastels, covered it all with a protective coat and then shipped it off!

After we finished our projects, we had some fun (and a lot of laughs) creating Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). She also helped me take some photos and edit them for my showcase tomorrow morning. Visit my shop for some brand new creations!

Happy Endings

Looks like Steve, the wonder dog, has found a home! Thanks to all of you who suggested people, forwarded emails, etc. Steve is now living happily with another family (a friend of my son's) and living with another dog who he gets along with (of course, the dog had to bow down to him first).  My dog is now relaxed and happy and I think it will be a long time before we try to introduce another animal to the house.
I've been busy creating for an upcoming etsy store showcase. I've had a whole box of jewelry and trinket boxes that I found at various tag sales and just started working on them. I finished a few music collage keepsake boxes (I LOVE old sheet music). I also painted, stamped and decoupaged a small trinket box that I purchased at garage sale ... I love how it turned out (above). I used a vintage post earring for the knob. Right now I'm working on a custom jewelry box for a client. It's so much fun making it because I get to use pastels, flowers and all sorts of "little girl" creativity -- stay tuned -- I'll reveal it in an upcoming blog.

Wine and Design...Oh so fine!

We had a great time creating light switch covers at our monthly Wine & Design. Everyone came with something specific in mind and we were all happy with the outcome. It was a small group, but we had fun and shared creative advice and loads of funny stories. I took some pictures, but they didn't turn out that great. I'm sure Cassie (with her fancy camera :-) took much better photos. Check her blog at http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com.
As for an update on Steve, the wonder dog; we are still trying to place him. He seriously is a great dog, but our dogs just do not get along. We have tried all the  suggestions from Siberian Husky rescue groups, however, it's not working. They both want to be the alpha dog and neither one is backing down. It's pretty stressful here and we've got to find him a home! Please help if you can. He's a great dog ... he's at my feet right now. Oh, how I wish there could be peace on earth (or at least at my home).

All About Steve

Okay. I admit it. I've been a bit preoccupied. On a whim, we decided to adopt another Siberian husky. His name is Steve. He and my dog aren't hitting it off...at all. 

Here's his story: A couple who were in the U.S. Army bought him as a pup from a breeder in Poland (He actually has a passport!). They lived in Germany with him for 4 years. They recently transferred to Ft. Meade, MD and told us that they couldn't keep the dog because he was knocking down small children at the base in the common area (wanting to play); and they don't have a backyard for him. They told us he was great with other dogs. We brought our dog to meet him and they did just fine. Then we brought him home. 

He clearly needs to be an only or an alpha dog. He seems to like other dogs except our dog. Yesterday, we had a bit of a breakthrough...he wanted to play with our dog. Our dog (who clearly doesn't trust him) wanted no part of it and she let him know. We had a family come to look at him yesterday because their husky passed away and they want a new one, however, my kids and I are now growing attached. My heart says we can work it out, but my head says, "Are you insane?" The dog is beautiful, partially trained (he's very hyper, but will listen to commands such as sit, stay, lay down). 

I think he would make a great pet for someone, but he clearly must not be placed in homes with small children or dogs. I brought him to the SPCA, but they said since he fought with our dog that they would have to euthanize him. I did a 180 and got out of there as quickly as possible -- no way I was going to let anyone put down such a great dog. So, that's all about Steve. Stay tuned.

Back from the West

Well, we are back from another fantastic and memorable Zemanski vacation. We enjoyed helping Aunt Stephie and Uncle Chuck celebrate their 70TH anniversary. It was a true vacation with plenty of time for sight-seeing, enjoying time with family, swimming, hiking and eating.

However, reality hits pretty quickly...I've been home for less than 15 hours and I've already done five loads of laundry, went grocery shopping, checked my 198 emails and took the dog for a walk. It seems like I never left except when I go back and look at all my great pictures!  I thought I would share just a few of my highlights -- we visited Phoenix, Scottsdale, Slide Rock canyon, the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Flagstaff.
Here are some shots from the vacation:
First, the reason why we traveled to Phoenix:

Celebrating 70

Saturday we will be celebrating Greg's Aunt and Uncle's 70th wedding anniversary! They are holding a square dance for their celebration (they are 94 and 98 years old and they still square dance)! We are excited to go and join the fun. I wanted to give them something special for their big day, so I made them a little booklet card. Here are some sneak peeks of it. The technique I used on the front was smudging. I used a water based black ink to stamp various sizes and styles of hearts. I waited a few minutes and then before it dried, I used the side of my finger to very lightly smudge the ink to one side. It kind of gives it an interesting background. It's a bit messy and you have to be careful not to touch any other part of the book (I did, but immediately wiped it off with a wet wipe). My youngest told me that I needed to brighten it up a bit (everyone's a critic) and he was right, so I stamped the hearts on pink paper and added them in select spots. 

Then, I glued the "70" to the front and used a coat of Mod Podge to protect it. Each member of our family will write a short note to the happy couple inside.

Well, gotta go tackle laundry and house-cleaning before I go...

The Results are In...

Hop on over to Angie's, Country Chic Cottage blog to see what I did with the giant spool...nothing too earth-shattering, but as all you moms out there know, it's a CRAZY time of year. Last day of school was yesterday!
Hey, I'm still open to ideas, too!