Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! ~ Tuesday Treasury List

'Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!' by hartleyrowe

Saturday, March 2, is Dr. Seuss' birthday. I thought I would create this treasury list to celebrate him and Read Across America Day!

Treasury tool by StylishHome.

The Surprise Revealed!

As promised, here's a picture of the surprise I created for my son for his birthday. It took me a little longer to post this picture because the postal system didn't deliver the package on time ~ and I didn't want to spoil the surprise with a picture (my son actually reads my blog:). I rushed to include some homemade snicker doodles and to send them via next day express....four days later, stale cookies included, he finally received his present.

The two pictures my son is holding above are of two state flags. One is from South Carolina, my son's birthplace, and the other is California's state flag. My son is proud of his Southern roots, while loving the fact that he is now a Californian. We moved here when he was 16 and he has fallen in love with the Golden State, now living and working in San Francisco.

I made the stretched canvas transfers by printing my creations of vintage flags on fabric in black and white and then adhering them to the stretched canvases with Mod Podge. I used the flags' colors to paint the borders. You can see the paint colors in my previous post here.  I love doing these transfers and even have some featured in my Etsy shop, Hartley Rowe. Please let me know if you have any questions about how I make them or would like to see more.

I hope my son likes his new creations. He has quite a collection of Mom-creations. I can't wait to add more.....

~ Alison

Pitchers and Catchers! ~ Tuesday's Treasury List

Take a look at some great Etsy creations ~ I love creating Treasury Lists...it's a great form of "window shopping".

'Pitchers and Catchers!' by hartleyrowe

My husband loves baseball!! He's so excited that pitchers and catchers report for training this week. We've spent the weekend watching favorite baseball movies...last night's feature ~ "Field of Dreams". Enjoy a little warm-up to baseball season.

Treasury tool by StylishHome.

It's a Surprise!

I finally got back to my workshop today.  It's been almost a month since I last worked on a new creation.  I can't post a picture of my creations yet.....they're a surprise. I did, however, post a clue in the picture below. 

The reason the creations are a surprise is that I'm going to give them to our son for his 26th birthday.  My kids are usually my guinea pigs for my  new creations.  With three of the four being adults now, and always looking for accessories for their own homes, I love helping them decorate.  They know that in addition to all the fun stuff they receive for their birthdays, they usually always get a mom-creation.  It's usually pretty evident these first editions are in need of improvement.  And, I usually do find ways to spiffy them up before they go in my Etsy Shop.  But, I like to think that the kids all have creations I've made with each of them in mind.  There's always a story behind each gift.  

I'll post another picture soon.  The birthday boy celebrates his birthday soon.  Hopefully the mail man will deliver his package on time!  Happy Birthday, Andy, I love you!!

~ Alison (aka Mom)

A Little Bit of San Francisco.....

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I had almost given up on the project above, but I was persuaded not to by my son.  My oldest son, Andy, is moving back to his beloved city of San Francisco to start a new job.  I wanted to give him a small house warming gift for his new apartment so I worked on an inkjet transfer onto wood using one of the photos I had taken there during a past trip.  I was not happy at all with the way it was turning out, but he saw a "diamond in the rough".  I had abandoned the project and written it off as a "fail".  He took one look at it and could tell that it could become a beauty, something he would love to  have in his new place.   So, with the encouragement of  one of my biggest cheerleaders, a.k.a. Andy, I resumed the project and finished it up.  I'm happy to say, I have reports of it making the trip to San Francisco safely and it is now in its new home.  

~

Here are a couple of pictures of the transfer of the Golden Gate Bridge onto a reclaimed lumber board.  Andy, I hope you like it and and that you enjoy being able to see a bit of the bridge every single day....clouds or no clouds:)

Below is the inkjet printout I used as a transfer onto the wooden board.  I love the end result as it appears to be very aged and weathered.

One of the benefits of having adult children that live in amazing locations is that I get to visit them in their wonderful cities......I sure can't wait for my next visit to San Francisco!

I hope you all have some wonderful trips planned for 2013.  Be sure to take lots of pictures.  You never know what special treasures and creations those photos will become.......

~ Alison

Tuesday's Treasury List ~ One Day Late.........(my latest Etsy Treasury List)

'I Love My Border Collie!' by hartleyrowe

I had no idea there were so many Border Collie owners who loved their dog as much as I love mine! Here are some great creations honoring this wonderful breed. My dog's name is Jake. What's yours?

Treasury tool by StylishHome.