Liberty Post

I know it's been hit and miss with my posting lately. Life gets busy, as I know you all understand that one. My post today is all about getting a lot of bang for your buck.

I find Liberty Post not only full of fun things to look at, but she leaves me with thoughts to ponder. I love her attitude and tell it like it is personality......only to be true to herself. She bold, she's caring......she has something to say.

Her site has a full array of information........crafty things, bargains, photography.......great photography, food.........I leave feeling good every time I visit.
At first when I saw this photo, I thought...... "this girl is serious.......she keeps her magazines in plastic sleeves?.......really?" but what she really does is tears out the pages that inspire her......then places them in plastic sleeves for later viewing. Sounds like a great idea.......although that would require more time than dropping them into a basket like I do. :)She also knits.......but what I love about this photo is the bag. I love that bag.

So many things going on with this bottom photo.......first of all, just let me say.......anyone who can pull of wearing these rings has gotta be cool. Me? I would just look like I was wearing my mothers jewelery........I couldn't pull it off. Then of course the blue water, the shell AND those rings.......another great photo. It's the kind of photo you can stare at for a very long time.
I mentioned that she takes great photos? This q-tip photo is so cool..........Yes, I know it's only q-tips......but sometimes the coolest things are already around us, we just have to find them.The symmetry pulled me in.

There is no doubt she has style.........would love to see more of her home. hint hint.I hope you enjoy Liberty Post. Really, there is something there for everyone, really! Fashion, Food, Crafty stuff, and she even directs you to a few great blogs. Finding more blogs is always good.

I will leave you with something she has on her side bar. I love this girl.

My Dream
"My dream is to drive around the world pulling a shiny Airstream behind me. My Golden Retriever sitting in the passenger seat reading maps. A decent-sized purse. All critical travel items tossed inside. My camera. Baby-Cam. Laptop. My journal. My gouache paints, brushes and fine-tip sharpie pens. My sunglasses. Comfortable shoes. A great pair of jeans, long-sleeved (white?) man's shirt, suspenders, silver jewelry and push-up bra just in case I find a cake baker or coffeehouse on the side of the road along the way. I would pay someone to stay home to wash my baseboards and I wouldn't feel guilty at all for having a minimalist mantel. I would just keep on traveling until all the stories that I need to tell were complete. Then I'd go home and have a bath." - Liberty Post

Le Papier Studio

I love me a silhouette! And I love me some personalized stationary. I dream of owning my very own printing design company where I would design every one's stationary or letterhead for the whole City of Portland...........who cares if they would all have the same design........I would at least use different colors. I'm not a complete dork.
~Le Papier Studio~
Vana has created a fun little side business as well as being a busy Mom. I also love a creative mom using her talent to work from home so she can spend extra time with her babies. And she has a cute one! (she also has my "I heart Today's Creative Blog" blinkie!.........thank you)


I love her clean style. She really has a good eye for design. No wonder she's an architect in her spare time...........or maybe it's the other way around........Which came first? The good eye or becoming an architect? Either way, I love what she does.

Wouldn't the below monogram look cool on a wall? Besides perfect for personalized stationary.......... it would look so cool over a bed, or fireplace.......of course the phone number doesn't need to be there.....I'm not that big of a dork...........you could put your family names.

This lampshade is so dang sweet, I may get a cavity. Speaking of teeth..........reminds me of The Osmond Family.........stay with me here.................My sister sat in the theater watching College Road Trip only a few seats from DONNY OSMOND! I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned my love for Donny Osmond on here before, but I do..........I love him! OK, OK I'm a dork...........My sister even thought to herself........."I wonder what Kim would do if she were here" Did she get his autograph for me? NO! Whatever!Back to the Creative Side............Everyone loves a silhouette. She also does custom designs, so I bet she could create one of your children if you sent her a photo.........right Vana? I can't help thinking how cute all of these would be as a vinyl cutting and used for the wall. I'm not sure if she does that yet.......but she should. As stationary, how cute would a couple of these be for a teachers gift.

Invitations too........look how cool these are.

Go show Vana some Creative Blog love. She's somewhat new to our blogging world and she's gonna be floored when she sees the site of us.

Where am I?

WOW, it's been since Monday that I posted? Unbelievable! I wish I could say that I was distracted by a creative haze doing all things crafty this week, but it's just your normal run of the mill daily events........you know how it is. School obligations, work obligations, Mom stuff, ..........sometimes it takes over and leaves you with minimal time.

But I did receive a couple of nice surprises this week. First was an email from Lisa, a past feature. She has the blog Canvas Floor Cloths. She sent me a quick email to show me her latest addition.........she is doing Canvas Refrigerator covers.......

BEFORE:They are magnetic and go right over your fridge. Unless you have a stainless steal one. What a great idea and what a fabulous way to change the look of your kitchen. And two afters......... Love it. Thanks for keeping me posted. As much as I would LOVE to visit every blog on a regular basis, I just can't get around that quickly AND keep my new features coming. So if you don't see me posting on your blog, don't think I have forgotten about you.

The other surprise was my board from LollyJane! I absolutely LOVE IT! It's perfect! I can't wait to hang it.

Thank you!

And for those of you sitting here thinking that my last name is Demon..........no no no..........it sounds like Lemon but with a D.

Also........just a TCB update..........I'm sorry to have to put the comment verification on........but the nutjobs have left a couple of odd comments.

Alexa Lett

Ok, can you get anymore artsy than this? I love it when people use everyday ordinary items to make the most amazing art! Alexa Lett made this.........Dang! Alexa has been featured on HGTV and Discovery Channel--- how cool is that?

You can visit her blog to get the low down of this piece of art. The items she used will have you looking at ordinary papers in your house with an artsy eye. Another great way to recycle. I love one of a kind pieces that entertain your eye........so much.... it's hard to look away.

I love it when I have a hard time getting past the first page on their blog, where every photo is fun to look at........where I want to share every photo with you. Love this crayon Jenga stack. I thought about doing this with my son's crayons, but I know myself too well.........If I did this, he would need to leave it alone and you know he wouldn't be able to because he would need that one color on the bottom..........then I would get cranky about him dismantling the Jenga Crayon stack.........then I would feel foolish because after all..............they are his crayons........but you know what I mean don't you?

Alexa takes items that most of us would either pass up at a thrift store or even pass off as garbage........and makes the most amazing and interesting art! This below was an old seat to a chair.........she made it a piece of wall art, a wall vase. The chippiness of the red just perfect, don't you think?

A self proclaimed pack rat, she had a hard time getting rid of her daughters clothing. She finally figured out a way to satisfy her need to keep the items and rid herself of finding storage space. She made art of course..........she took her daughters favorite pieces of clothing, cut a small dress template and created something I think is so cool. What a great idea! It kind of reminds me of my love of scrapbooking. Just think how this can be passed down. Wouldn't it be cool to have something like this of your Grandmothers clothing? This gives Art with meaning a whole new spin.

This really cool piece caught my eye. The colors, the print, the textures.......the key. What a great idea for a house warming gift. You could even incorporate house numbers.........I would love that.Here's another fine example of how she will use many elements to create with. The fabric, the buttons, the paper. So many things for the eye to look at. I love those button circles.And this........the domino at the top just kills me. And I'm always a sucker for cut out words. I love the nostalgic, vintage, relaxed feel her art has.

I will never look at old books the same! The vintage turquoise.......the little scrolls, the hounds tooth ribbon. This is so original. I really want to try this.

This was one of her first pieces of art to be hung publicly. Another piece I could stare at for a very long time. Love the pop of color with the red circle that's supposed to be a tire swing. How does she think of this stuff? The exciting thing about her site, is she has FREE downloads of cool papers. All you have to do is send her blog link to 5 people, send her an email and she sends you the download. Very cool items. She also has an Etsy shop.........and I still don't. :) I haven't checked hers out yet.......I'm trying to save my money for a 50mm f1.4 lens...........I CANNOT look at such things.

After visiting Alexa's blog, you will feel encouraged, inspired and motivated to make something artistic out of something ordinary.........something you can change from ordinary to Extraordinary!

Have fun everyone!

Craft & Found

Quick post today, but it's a BIG one full of all kinds of stimulus to keep you busy. It's off to baseball, basketball and maybe even a dinner out.........

Robyn's site, Craft & Found is like Today's Creative Blog on steroids! She has a lot of great crafty ideas and sites. You'll be there for hours...........I was. We must be cut from a portion of the same cloth.........or at least we have a lot of the same taste's............I noticed that we featured several of the same people. Great minds think alike!

If you enjoy Today's Creative Blog, then you'll find a friend at Craft & Found!

Ric Rac

You all know I have a future feature file right? Really I do. If I see a blog that inspires me, in it goes. So today when I clicked on Ric Rac to see what's she's been up to, I was quickly attracted and impressed by this bag. I have always been intrigued by the end strip of fabric.........I didn't even know it had a name. She calls the end part.......the part that has all the little circles of color. I love those...........she calls them Selvedges. You learn something new everyday. I suppose you already knew the name of those.........But remember, I don't sew.

I should sew........I should just magically know how. Kind of like I magically knew how to cut hair......My mom was a hair dresser.......a "Beautician" back in the day........that's another story.......but let's just say every boy in college had the same $2 hair cut from yours truly........My mom sewed just about everything......and probably would have sewed my underpants had she thought we would have worn them. She was a cranky sewer too. If you heard the hum of the sewing machine, you'd better just stay in the other room. The memories of trying something on several times and never knowing if I was going to get poked by a forgotten pin. Why didn't start looking for those before?.......I'm a late bloomer.......

Anywhoooo.......back to Jodi at RicRac. I love the idea of using those end pieces. Brilliant.

Does this vintage label bring back any memories? It does for me.

She also makes little clothing. I need to go back and read up some more.........but look at these perfect little adorable clothes. I can't even imagine how cranky that would have made my mom.

What I love the most about Jodi's site, is a list...........a whole list of tutorials. Fabric buckets.......So dang cute. Her tutorials are very detailed. They had me believing that I could actually maybe.......perhaps.......be able to try my hand at one.Vintage button rings! Another tutorial. I COULD DO THIS ONE!!!! I'm pretty sure I could handle the minimal usage of a needle and thread on this. Another great idea to use old buttons for. I love old buttons.She also makes cute little soft things. Yes, another tutorial. So if you are into sewing, or crafting with fabric, I think you'll really enjoy Ric Rac. Jodi seems very open to sharing her talent and you get the idea she's just as nice at her creations. I can't wait til the day when I can try one of these tutorials. The pencil bag looked fun.

I know she would enjoy your visit and a sweet comment. Enjoy!

HomeGrown Hospitality ~ Stephanie!

Remember this girl............Stephanie from HomeGrown Hospitality.........cuz she's probably going to be as familiar as Lisa from CK in a few months. Stephanie is a doll! High octane all the time. My blogger friend Jodi from Oregon (who is being published in the mentioned mag below) sent me an email today about Stephanie........and wouldn't you know it, I already had her in my "future feature file" so I took it as a sign to make this feature about her! Stephanie loves to be creative in so many different ways, but what you might recognize right away is her famous doodling! I had my own little Aha! moment when I clicked on her blog. I've seen her writing/doodling for years...........she used to be a designer for Me and My Big Ideas........and if you've been into scrapbooking for over 3 years or so, then you for sure know that line of products. Her doodles are drawn free hand............FREE HAND! Seriously..........free hand? If was sitting next to her at a crop, it would take all my will to not bump her elbow while I was busy typing up my journaling because my free hand stinks. :) Or I would probably do what I do best and just whine until she would doodle something for me too.

Not only is her blog a really fun read. But the big news is her magazine coming out next week! The magazine looks really really good, right up my alley so to speak. I love all my craft mags, but it would be nice to see a new one succeed........so make sure you all rush out and buy one. It used to be called Homegrown Hospitality and they changed the name. I missed it the first time around, it had a debut sometime last year. Now it's back with a new name and we need to rally to show the CK Media people that we not only want a new mag, we NEED one!

When reading her blog, you get the idea that she is a really happy person. I love happy people.

Look at this cute doodle of herself and all things she loves. A Doodle Expression. High octane.......With all that creative talent and skill, she naturally creates really cute layouts. Naturally. You'll have to check out her site, she has LOTS of other fun stuff to look at. In her Etsy shop..........am I the only one that doesn't have an Etsy shop?..........she sells these and a CD for her fonts. Very cool.

If you have a little time, you'll want to read up on her real life love story. Sweet.

Please head over and leave her a congratulatory..........is that a word?..........leave her a nice message about her magazine coming out. I bet she's on pins and needles right now. But don't worry Steph.........we've got your back!

Craft Gossip

Life is happening in fast mode at the Today's Creative Blog homestead. You know how that is........all things crafty get put on hold. It's finally a quiet morning, and I'm gearing up to do a little bit of organizing around here. Not sure about you, but I can't feel creative if areas of my home are trashed. My craft room is trashed.......what's new...........my planters are craving something springy for the porch and I desperately need to go through my son's closet and bedroom. Sadly, I'm looking forward to getting these tasks done. I set my sites on looking for an Organizing blog to give me inspiration. But, I found this one. Very interesting and so many things to find there.

Craft Gossip has just about everything under the sun about anything crafty. Reviews, tutorials, sales............you name it.

When I first came across Craft Gossip, I was afraid it was going to be like a few of those sites out there that trash a product or a "craft celebrity" and I didn't want anything to do with that. I quickly realized this site wasn't like that at all and it was full of really helpful stuff. They have a team of editors that do all the leg work for you.

Thank GOD I don't host our Easter dinner, but if I did I would totally make these napkin shapes. Think how impressed my guests would be.

I don't know about you, but I went through a serious paperbag album phase. These are great for quick mini albums. Here is a quick tutorial if you've never made one. You haven't lived until you make one of these. I used a paper hole punch, a few bags at a time........much easier.

Another great idea I found is this paper storage. Using the 12x12 storage containers from any craft store and a garment hanger, you can have a quick storage solution.

Loving this idea with the cubes. Cubes / blocks seem to be one of those "new" things to do with our scrapbooking goods. Combine that with your need to buy old things and you've got yourself a pretty original decorative piece. Wouldn't this be cool to use as a type of family tree? Or an Advent Calendar? You could have a variety of uses.

They have a whole section on recycling items for crafty purposes. You know I loved that. Here's a very simple one you could do today.

I have been meaning to get one of these stamps. I love these. All of them. Think of all you could do with this!

They have something for everyone. Even this below..................

What? You don't know what that is? Why they are the ever popular Tampon string lights.

I hope you all have a productive Sunday.

The winner is..................

Have I kept you waiting long enough?

Well, the random number generator picked number 21..........

The Red Door!

You know how I LOVE a Red Door! I think her blog title must have something to do with her adoption from China. Adorable little girl.

She does some fun things with fabric. I really really need to try my hand at sewing sometime. You know.......with all that free time I have.

This bag she calls her one hour bag.........ONE HOUR? I take longer than that for a scrapbook layout. :)

Love the bobby pins. I would wear these.

Thanks to all who entered the give away. I plan to have another give away on my real blog anniversary.......April 9th. Any ideas?

So, Red........contact me so I can contact the Lolly Jane gals.

Congrats!

I just tried to leave her a comment on her blog alerting her that she won! She doesn't have her comments turned on. I hope she reads Today's Creative Blog daily..........I mean who doesn't? :)

Red, email me. Krjdemmon@comcast.net