Swap Happy

I say "Three Cheers for Sandy" our beloved Hostess of what I believe be known furthermore as our favorite swap ever, The Lake Street Easter Swap.

I was so excited to be paired with Susan, the reader who sent me the wonderful Valentine's Box filled with things she just knew I would love.Such a wonderfully shaped basket filled to the brim with things unseen but hinted at with Cute As Can Be containers.

Inside the blue egg was nestled a vintage bluebird whose egg released cheerful confetti all over my craft desk. How clever!

My characters couldn't help but come in for a closer look at all the craft supplies that came spilling out of the tiny pink box.

As with Susan's Valentine box, there seemed to be no end to lovely things contained within her basket. I had never before seen vintage seam binding. It is fabulously crinkly, and I have already used all of the yellow on my little Nursery Animals.

I hope you are smiling ear to ear at sight of this sweet Spoolie. EAK! the plaid body and matching hat flowers. The red shoes and pearls! Why this could be me! I'm known for always wearing pearls.

As Susan doesn't yet have a blog, I am sharing my gifts to her We must convince her to begin on to better get to know her.. A Wiltons paper Bundt cake form becomes my container to hold my Easter Spoolies.

Susan admired my Spring Bluebird; so I have tucked in one for her as well as one of my bath confetti Easter ornaments. Darn! I forgot to include instructions: "Don't Get Wet!"

Everything in it's place, I used plastic eggs to fill the bottom of the basket to lift the contents into view. Thank you Susan for being my partner and bringing such joy to my day!

Underwear

As modest as I am about nakedness, I am even more so about underwear. I would much rather be glimpsed in my all-together than my Just-My-Size underwear.

I can only attribute this to my many years in the military where you were required to strip down to your skivvies for even a foot exam. I tell you I have been on "High Alert" these last few days as I've made my rounds regarding my injured knee.

As I filled out paperwork in preparation of a MRI, I asked the receptionist if I would have to wear a gown for the scan. When she told me I could keep my clothes on, I let out a, "Yippie Skippie!" She said, "Pardon Me?" to which I joyfully responded, "I'm so happy I get to keep my clothes on!"

The receptionist then led me through a seemingly endless list of all the possible metal items I might have in my body. I felt as though I had gotten an "A" on a test by having answered "No" to each; but then she paused, and looked me right in the eye. "Do you have any metal in your eyes?"

I tell you I gasped out loud, "Would I know if I had metal in my eye? Do people come here with metal in their eyes?" To which she non-nonchalantly answered, "You'd be surprised." She then had me sign a release stating I knew I could cause major bodily harm to myself and the technicians if I entered the scanning room with any metal on my person.

The receptionist had me then place my purse in a locker which she locked and handed me the key dangling from a telephone cord like bracelet. "You can go in to the scanning room now." I didn't take a step!  I raised my wrist with the dangling key, "What about the metal release form?"

Thank goodness the technician took my key the moment I crossed the threshold of the imaging room. I was directed to lie down on the scanning table as the technician explained that three scans would be taken, each lasting about 17 minutes. He handed me a panic button, placed ear phones on my head, and removed himself to the control panel.

The table began to whir, I felt myself entering the scanner. The technician asked what type of music did I wish to listen to. I opened my eyes and realized my head was just outside the tunnel shaped opening. "Oh my gosh! My head is going to be on the outside? I don't need to listen to any music." He said that I had to as the noise the machine made could harm my ears. "Talk Radio, please"

It was at this very moment as the machine began it's jackhammer like thumping, and my earphones began talking in Spanish, that I realized my underwear was not situated just right. Oh My Gosh! I barely got through the first session trying to keep my mind off my squitchy underwear by desperately trying to recognize familiar words in Spanish.

The technician asked if I was okay at the end of the first session, but what could I say?  "We need to start all over because my underwear is in a bunch?" Let me tell you this was the longest hour of my life!

I go back to my doctor this coming Tuesday to have the scans read. I am already wondering if I will get to keep my clothes on if surgery is called for. Either way, I guarantee you my underwear will be situated!

Please do not Pin pattern on Pinterest.

Creative Breathing Painting Tutorial

It has been the most rewarding experience for me to see so many of you giving Paper Clay a try. I have seen the cutest Easter creations ever on so many blogs that I visit.I have gotten quite a few e-mails asking about the paints I use.  Ah! A Creative Breathing Post if ever there was one.

I am passionate about color and think knowing just a few basics elevates your work tremendously. Do you have a favorite color pallet? Think of all the things you have created and will create as your body of work. Is it cohesive, does it tell a color story?

Here are all of the paint colors I have now used for five years. Primary and secondary colors; black, brown, flesh, and white. Notice there are three values for each color, dark, medium, and light.

"Now, the dining room. I'd like yellow. Not just yellow; a very gay yellow. Something bright and sunshine-y. I tell you, if you'll send one of your men to the grocer for a pound of their best butter, and match that exactly, you can't go wrong!" Do you recognize this line from "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House?"

The paint scene is my very favorite! Here is how I work with colors. WHITE: Is put off center on pallet. Paint all white areas first. NOTE: Paint is pulled onto the brush from the edge of the paint.

FLESH: Is placed a distance away from white. The two colors are drawn to the center  to mix. NOTE: Don't squeeze white directly into another color as you will waste paint trying to get the right shade..

CHEEKS: A highlight color is added to pallet with room on the right side to drag shading brush first through flesh then edge of highlight color. I wanted a little orange with my MS Love Dove; so I have added it alongside. You can see the "clean line" on the pallet left by the brush.

YELLOW HAIR: Yellow is added a slight distance from white and mixed in the middle of both.

EYES: A small amount of black is added to pallet. Eyes are painted while flesh and white are still available for touch ups and highlights. A liner brush is dipped into the center of the paint an allowed to "ball" on the end of the bristles. This allows you to "push" the paint for easier application.

BRUSHES: An inexpensive package of liner brushes is essential. The longest brush is used to "line" the eyes. Add a few drops of water to center of paint and mix with liner brush. The brush is pulled and "twirled" several times to bring the brush to a point.

EYE LINER:  Begin where black has already been applied. If your line appears too thick, you have too much paint on your brush. Add another drop of water, and twirl brush into a point again. Eyelashes would also begin on the eye and go out.

  
MIXING COLORS: I have washed my pallet to mix lots of lightened yellow for ducks. I now want to paint a vintage shade of pink which has an orange tint to it. Because yellow is used to make orange, I will leave it on my pallet and use it to warm my pink and lighten it because there is already white in the yellow.

A lovely shade of vintage pink!

DUCK LIPS: You can always use a lighter shade of any color that is a component of the next color you want to use instead of adding white. Orange is made by mixing red and yellow. There is red, white, and a touch of yellow in my pink. It can be used to lighten my orange. A perfect duck lip shade!

MATCHING: Medium blue and white are mixed in the middle. A square shader is the other type of brush that is a must have. When painting a large area, the brush is "loaded" with paint. It glides onto the surface. (You can see this is a favorite brush as it's paint has come of the handle!)

The blue above was mixed to match my paper sailor's hat. Yellow is added for my bluebird to match the vintage paper on the trinket box. I use a very limited group of papers when I create as shown in the first photograph. Red, black, orange and green are added in the fall months. My papers match my felt and paints.
They tell my Creative Breathing story.

My Sailor Duck is happy that his shirt and hat match!  I share this post for those of you new to crafting to know that with just a few basic supplies, much can be made. And I do hope you will share your creations with me!

Hold the Phone!

Dear, dear friends, Thank you so much for your encouraging words.  It embarrasses me terribly to draw attention to myself, but I was in such a panic that I would not be able to mail out things promised. By the middle of the night, and a pain pill later, I was able to finish. But HOLD THE PHONE. . .

I believe I have sent two Sailor Ducks to the wrong people!!! Please, if you should read this, contact me at elizabeth.andrus@yahoo.com when you receive the package. I will give you the correct address and send you postage. I am so terribly sorry for this mistake.  Lesson learned, don't craft on drugs!

I am afraid I will need knee surgery for torn ligaments in my knee. How did I tear them, you ask? While using the rowing machine at the gym. I love rowing because it creates the nicest breeze. You truly do feel as though you are on a lake on a warm spring day. SPRING - I know! How cute is Laura's little bluebird!

I am not happy at all to have my crafting interrupted, but I do want to share with you the sweetest Nursery characters that ever were. I am obsessed these days with vintage wrapping paper. Swoon worthy, this sweet baby print!

I do believe this is THE cutest character I have ever made! Oh my gosh! I just love this little stork! (See below for availability)

Thank goodness it's Daylight Saving Time; so my middle of the night finishings weren't as late as they would be had I hurt myself the day before! I plan to make all of my little felt Easter characters as nursery ones to ride along in floats meant just for them. EAK! Look at these little rattle fellas. My most favorite of the vintage nursery characters found on greeting cards.

"Nose to Nose" kisses!

I finally fell asleep needle in hand at 4 o'clock this morning as I sat propped and fluffed and cooking on my heating pad as I worked on my Delivery Pom Pom.

Sigh, Don't you just love vintage nursery items? This deliverer of Good News is waiting for his chariot to arrive in the mail. He needed just the right planter, I can't wait for you to see!

Thank you again for letting me panic "out loud". I have had only a glimpse of the pain many of our dear friends live with daily. It truly is frightening.Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for your kindness to me. (A special thank you to Laura, Vintage Bettys for your spring paper egg and Cute as Can Be bluebird!)



Elizabeth Andrus 112 Gibraltar Ct Delaware OH 43015
elizabeth.andrus@yahoo.com 

Station Identification

Can you be spontaneous and predictable at the same time? I am someone who loves changeable weather, but is seasonally challenged. I love to strike up conversations with anyone that happens my way, but will decline in a moment the opportunity to meet new people.

I am someone who crafts by theme in a very specific order, but will jump to a theme out of order if my eye catches something I just have to make. Predictable and spontaneous. It's hopelessly me.

I find I must set aside my Easter crafting, and skip Gnomes all-together, to squeeze in Nursery Pink before Wedding Bells need to be rung.

I hope you won't mind this interruption in our Holiday of the Moment fare, but creating my Easter Parade from vintage nursery planters has me bursting at the seams with things I want to make.

It must be that others are Spontaneous and Predictable as well as our wonderful Keren has Baby Circles for me to use in my crafting here . Oh how I love vintage New Arrival greeting cards.

I know I will return to my predictable pattern of crafting as that is my nature, but for the moment I hope you will enjoy identifying this blog with all things Pink!