Still, it isn’t all that far off.  Or maybe it just seems that way because we’re having a very mild north central Florida winter, especially compared to last year.  According to our electric bill, we used 400 kw more energy last year during roughly the same period, probably because I had to break out the space heater on many occasions.  And I do remember quite a few dark, frigid mornings that required an ice scraper for visibility!  ::shiver::

But this year, as I sit here in my capris and T-shirt, expecting another beautiful day, my thoughts turn inevitably to spring related projects.  Budding trees, flowering bushes, flitting butterflies, nesting birds, and – why, yes! – spring is when the fairies come out of hiding, isn’t it?

(It isn’t?  There are no such things?  Oh come on, just roll with me here!  I’m in the spring mood!)

This was the first time I’d broken out the purple waxed cord.  I don’t use a lot of purple normally, but it goes well with the fairy image, which is from Shabby Cottage Studio.  And check out the background – a happy accident!  The cover was a very nice sky blue and I had intended to keep it that way.  Then, while outlining the edges with a fat Sharpie, my hand slipped and drew a squiggly black line about two inches long.  Disaster!  When I was done blinking in disbelief, groaning with frustration and kicking myself pretty hard, I grabbed some green paint to cover the mistake.  Not wanting to ruin all the pretty blue, I sort of “faded” the green into it.

I used white paint to highlight the stamped letters on the Tim Holtz metal tag.  Alas, this is when I discovered my Snow Cap Ranger paint dabber had stopped working.  The paint inside was as thick as pudding; its dabbing days long over.  On the bright side, it’ll be great for textured effects.

Anyway, check out the beautiful K&Company papers inside.  Always high quality, always so wonderfully designed.  My other papers are jealous because I spend so much time fawning over these.

Come on, Spring!  I’m ready for ya!

Since I have approximately 20 million deco tapes…and since my existing keyboard is a veritable breeding ground for whatever form of life springs from a combination of cat hair and dried marinara sauce (please don’t attempt to picture this.  It’s much worse in reality), this was a project I could really get into.

My first step was to order a new white keyboard.  This was more difficult than it would seem.  The prettiest ones are made for Macs, which I do not have.  The coolest ones don’t qualify for free shipping on Amazon.  (99% of the time, this is a deciding factor in my purchase decision.)  But eventually I found something crazy wonderful: a PINK keyboard!  The keys are white – perfection all around.

I planned to go with multi-color at first, as Mary Ann (and her mentor) had done.  But when life hands you a pink, white and black keyboard, why not just roll with that color scheme?

Unfortunately I didn’t have enough pink and black tapes for a good variety, but what I did have was plenty of ribbon!  I used my go-to glue, Fabri-Tac, to attach the pieces of ribbon.  I think they’ll hold out just fine.  And if not?  I have plenty more where they came from.  Of course, I couldn’t stop before adding some touches of bling in the form of Stickles and rhinestones.

I’ll have to find a new place to dine on stuffed cheesy bread and try to keep the cats at bay (Herculean tasks, both of them), but the sight of this wonderful pinkness will be worth it!

And, of course, glitter.  Lots and lots of glitter.

K&Company papers on the inside; lovely soft shades of rose and green.  Ah, romance!

I love these 7 Gypsies “Conservatory” book covers.  They have a great vintage nature look and are the perfect size for little scrapbooks or photo albums.

The metal corners, word tag and small washers are all Tim Holtz, and of course there are plenty of Stickles!

I used the covers to make a similar book, this time using an image I’ve used once before.  (I can’t help it; she’s just so pretty!)

Shabby chic to the max – my favorite look!  I’m smitten with the soft, lavender rose trim.  It wasn’t quite the right color, so I dabbed on some Distress Ink in Victorian Velvet.  So pretty!

That pretty black & white background paper is from a 6″ Christmas pad by Teresa Collins.  I just love her elegant style.  The green corrugated paper is something I’ve had for approximately one kazillion years and have no earthly idea where it came from.  Also have it in dark red and navy blue.  It’s wonderful when used in small doses.  :)

Are you ready for Christmas?  I have one more gift to make, so I’d better get back to my studio!

First up – baby boy!  Love these Teresa Collins coordinating papers and book covers; makes everything so easy.

It’s hard to find images that work well for baby books; vintage photos of babies are okay, but if I were the parent, I’d be all, “that’s not MY baby!” – and who could blame them?  So I was thrilled to come across the silhouette; really – he could be anybody’s baby!  :)

I love the soft blue papers; in fact, maybe even more than the pink ones for baby girl!

Got another Christmas book finished; I’m honestly a little burned out on those, but I just bought some beautiful new papers, so another one will likely be in the pipeline soon!

I normally print images on high-quality ink-jet paper, but I find these vintage photos look very lush and beautiful when printed on glossy photo paper.

The cover is by Teresa Collins, and the inside pages are by K&Company.  How beautiful are these papers, anyway?  I use K&Company almost exclusively now; love the gorgeous designs and consistently high quality.

This final book is definitely my favorite; the image is so pretty and the colors – wow!  I’ve been wanting to use the beautiful trim on the bottom for awhile now and was so happy to find an image that complements it.

Isn’t she dreamy?  I just love her expression and the soft color palette.

The covers are by 7 Gypsies.  And of course, K&Company papers inside.  These remind me of vintage wallpaper; they’re a little “grungy” and faded and, of course, softly, sweetly pastel!

The chipboard, cover and papers are from Teresa Collins’ “Chic Bébé Girl” line.  I love the elegant, French-inspired look.

The pretty baby angel image is from a collage sheet by Shabby Cottage Studio.  Naturally there are many additions of Stickles, both in “Star Dust” and “Baby Blue” (appropriate, ne c’est pas?).

Love those crowns and fleur de lis!

Can Steampunk be girly?  I don’t see why not.

I had so much fun adding Tim Holtz metal bits – a word tag, washers and gears; but the most enjoyable part was gluing on rhinestones and pearls and smearing on a little Stickles for shine.  The lace (which looks much like a series of cogs on an assembly line, if you use your imagination!) was dyed with Ranger Distress Ink and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.

The clear rhinestones were colored with Ranger alcohol ink and turned out so pretty!  Rather than use the “official” felt/handle applicator, I apply the ink with a cotton swab on a long wooden stick; you can get a zillion of them for about a buck at Big Lots.  It’s much easier to control when coloring small items like rhinestones, buttons or pearl embellishments.

So I’ve been making Christmas books!  And I’m already tired of them!  And it’s not even December yet!

Still, it has helped get me in the mood for gift shopping, which, amazingly, I actually started a few months ago.  (Starting early doesn’t help, though; it seems I’m always scrambling at the last minute!)

(I love the Japanese deco tape I used on this; it’s actually supposed to represent “river and rocks,” but it works with so many themes!)

I worried that I had gone a little too far with the embellishments on this one, but Dude said it looks fine to him.  And of course, my mantra lately has been “when in doubt…add more stuff!”

Can a book be TOO sparkly?  Not in my world!