Thursday, October 27, 2011

Haunted

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A forgotten orchard surrounds the house.  Trees heavy-laden with red, juicy apples that no one will taste…

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The house sits stately…a once-resplendent Queen Anne Victorian, long-neglected, long-uninhabited…or is it?

image {early photograph of Redman House in all it’s former glory…}

Windows and walls, doors and passageways…all witnesses to those that have lived, loved—and died—here…

image  {interior views of front door and a window in the Redman House}

…they are all gone now…but perhaps, just perhaps, some remain…

image  {long-ago occupants of the Redman House}image

What goes on in a house when no one else is around to see?  Who goes through the halls where once he skipped and played? 

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Who peers longingly through the high dormer window, wishing for a just a glimpse of the sea, or for one of those juicy, sweet apples…oh-so-close…that she cannot have?

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Perhaps it was no one…perhaps, just perhaps, I only imagined it…

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The story of the Redman House is a long and interesting one…someday I will tell you more…

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…truth is often stranger than fiction, they say…and in this case, it is certainly true…

Sounds are heard…weeping in the night…doors opening and slamming on their own….mysteries unsolved remain… 

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A little “haunted” project made this week with this well-known local landmark in mind…

DSC06575_edited-1 {fabulously haunted scene from Crafty Secrets’ “Halloween Greetings” Creative Scraps}

DSC06572_edited-1          DSC06569_edited-1 {duplicate Halloween revelers cut out & popped-up for some dimensional fun!}

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…a light-hearted vintage look at a similar house from a similar time…

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…where window and walls still remember those that have lived, loved—and died—long before…

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…and red, juicy apples still hang from those long-forgotten trees…just longing to be tasted…

Julie

{My own photographs of the house and grounds are watermarked; others were found online}

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Crafty Secrets DT Gift Bags & Envelope Challenge…and a Giveaway!

***Congratulations to Sweet Bee Cottage for winning the Giveaway!  I’ve sent you an email & will get your package sent out later this week!***

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Hello, my friends!

Time again for a Crafty Secrets’ Design Team challenge…this time, we were to use a gift bag or envelope as the basis of our creating…

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…I chose an envelope--a nice, chunky, dimensional envelope--and a retro Christmas theme for mine!

I just enlarged the envelope template found on the Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD, printed out two coordinating paper patterns also found on the CD…

DSC06544_edited-1 {Love how chunky it is!}

…covered the front & back of the envelope with the paper, folded it up, and voila’! 

Next, I chose some wonderfully retro images from “Christmas” Vintage Cuts and “Merry Christmas” Creative Scraps for the front…

DSC06541_edited-1 {beautiful vintage label printed from the “Creating with Vintage Patterns” CD}

…and back of my envelope…

DSC06533_edited-1 {I just love this adorable vintage snowman label!}

Then came the real fun—embellishing with some vintage goodness found in my stashes…some perfectly perfect vintage buttons in just the right colors, threaded with baker’s twine…

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…they look just like peppermint candies, don’t they?!

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When closed, I wrapped the whole thing with the green baker’s twine, then added a few miniature jingle bells to the back—just for fun!

Now…what to fill it with???

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I stuck in some lovely tags from the Vintage Cuts & Creative Scraps, a couple of candy canes wrapped with the baker’s twine, and a few vintage ornaments (don’t you just love those colors?!)

And that’s about it!

Now…here’s the fun part!  I used so many elements from “Christmas” Creative Cuts & “Merry Christmas” Creative Scraps, that I thought I’d better share one of each for you to play with…

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I think I’ll also just have to throw in some vintage Christmas cards from my collection…some of my favorite things!

…so just leave me ONE comment & let me know if you’d like to win—let me know if you’re a follower & I’ll enter you twice!

I’ll do the drawing on Friday the 28th at midnight-ish…and I’ll let you know!

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For some great ideas, take a look at this fun video on what you can do with homemade gift bags:

Incredible Gift Bags

Well, that’s it for me today!  Hope you’ll stop by & visit the other girls on the team…I can’t wait to see what inspiration they have for all-year-long gift giving!

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Crafty Secrets’ Design Team:

Vicki Chrisman--Team Leader

Pam Hooten

Heidi Blankenship

Linda Duke

Michele Kovack

Julie Campbell—me!

Amy Teets

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Fauve van Maanen

Gini Cagle

Jan Hennings

Tammy Roberts

Victoria Warren Mears

Viola Mahr

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See you soon with something new…

Julie