Silver Bella Part 1 & December project Goals

Happy Holiday Season!!

That originally said Happy Thanksgiving...but as you can tell I'm a little behind! I've been busy busy busy with the house, and trying to get "settled". I am getting there, slowly but surely, and with the help of my parents...big time.

I am starting to see the floor of my art studio! I can't wait to get it set up so I can actually finish unfinished projects and start new ones!

In the meantime I wanted to share with you my amazing time at Silver Bella. This is the third year that I attended. It was probably my favorite time too!

This year my friend Lisa Stanton from Oklahoma came up to Omaha for the event!! Yay. I love traveling and attending these events with Lisa, it's EASY, and of course lots of fun.

I will say the lighting in hotels is just the worst, and I'm by no means a pro at adjusting colors...so I apologize for the offcolor pics!!

This year I signed up for quite a few swaps. And per usual, every time I try something new, I realize how I need to UP MY GAME!! These Bella's are AMAZING! I really need to think WAY OUT OF MY BOX, and go beyond what I think I can do. AND EMBELLISH EMBELLISH EMBELLISH. MORE IS MORE!!

My swap that I hosted was the Cupcake Swap. I was happiest with this one in the end. I spent so much time on my pages, and doing the front and back covers, as well as making cupcake pin buttons, tags, and I included a cupcake pen or pencil with each. FUN. Labor of LOVE!

The yummiest fun of course was making my cupcakes to take the photo for my page. The unfun part was the few pounds I put on from eating too many :) Oh well, you only live once.

I'll take pictures of each page to share soon.

All the women in my swap were just terrific to work with, and so happy to receive their books. Here are just a few of them:

I'll include each with their links when I include the pages.

That is all for now...SO Much more to come.

I am working on two December projects, you know because December is just usually a boring and SLOW month ;) I have blinkies on the left for Hope and Kari's Winter Stories class, and Shimmell's Journaling your Christmas class. Both are really fun..I am REALLY hoping to actually finish these projects this month....(and not just print out the instructions!!)

Wish me luck!!

-Rach

New Home - Before and Afters

Hi Everyone,

As some of you know, I just moved permanently to a new home in Omaha. I've been here just about a month, and in that time feel like I've accomplished quite a bit, but still have a ways to go. My parents have helped tremendously!

Just waiting on furniture to come from work for my home office, and that room will be more organized. I also need to sit down and really REALLY purge my clothes. I'll give you a heads up when the nearby Goodwill will have some cool deals!

In the first installment of sharing my home with you, I thought I would show some before and after pics! I LOVE BEFORE & AFTER pics!! Hope you do too!

DINING ROOM

BEFORE

Note the 60's light fixture...retro, but not a COOL retro, also the "not my style" cream carpet.

AFTER

First things first, we removed all the carpet in the dining room/living room. Oh what a breath of fresh air, it made all the difference!! A bit of a bummer the prior owners used 95million staples on it, but beyond that the hardwood floors are in great shape! (Thanks to my Dad for taking out all the staples and tack strips!!)

Also you will see I purchased a new light fixture to go with the new dining room table and chairs/bench.

The wallpaper is still in the dining room....baby steps. The painting/wallpaper removal is probably a spring 2011 project!!

LIVING ROOM

BEFORE

Again note the carpet. I wasn't sure I was crazy about the mirrors on the walls, soooo 60's...but a friend has the same wall and said "good luck removing it"...so I thought I'd live with it awhile and see what I thought!

AFTER

It makes such a difference in a home when all your own things are in it. Once I got all the pieces in the living room it all started to come together, and even the mirror wall doesn't bother me. It just adds another layer of texture.

I'm still adding things, and taking things out as I unpack a few other odds and ends. But I feel pretty good with the living room/dining room.

Maybe a new rug or two someday, but for now I'll move onto other rooms to finish!

FIREPLACE IN LIVING ROOM

BEFORE

Again did I tell you how much I wasn't a fan of the carpet?

AFTER

Another addition that made a big difference were the red curtains. These windows are huge! My Dad and I picked up the hardward and then realized it was pretty tight given I didn't include the borders in the measurements!! Oops, however I don't think they'd have made hardware any longer..at least non-customized. We had a "make it work" moment and got the poles up. I had hours of ironing that weekend, 6 panels for this large window, 2 for the dining room, and 6 more for the downstairs window!

Hope you enjoyed the first installment of my New Home BEFORE and AFTERS!!

What house projects are you all working on??

-Rach