Conquering Fear

I used to have a fear of bridges.

The kind of fear that makes you close your eyes and keep 'em closed whenever you cross one. Of course, this makes it kinda difficult to drive over bridges with one's eyes closed.

It turns out there's a name for this fear. Gephyrophobia. The fear of crossing bridges.

I used to suffer from gephyrophobia every summer when we lived in Michigan. That's because my husband insisted that there was no vacation spot worth visiting if it wasn't in the Upper Peninsula. The UP, as we Michiganders like to call it. And to reach the UP, you have to cross this:

The Mackinaw Bridge, gateway to the Upper Peninsula, bisecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The stories of this bridge are plentiful. Yugos (remember that car?) have been known to blow over that bridge on windy days and sink in the frigid waters below. And winter? Ice? Don't even go there!

The bridge just goes on and on and on...

Are we over yet?

On one of our family vacations, when our oldest sons were just seven and four, we had to cross back over this bridge on a foggy day. FOG!

At the time, I considered moving to the Upper Peninsula permanently. Just sell our house remotely, by telephone, and never ever ever have to cross the bridge again.

I shut my eyes and kept them shut. Tightly shut!

And then my son, Luke, piped in from the back seat. "Dad? What would happen if the van blew off the bridge and landed in the water?"

Aaack!

That's when his younger brother chimed in.

"Yuke!" he said, because he had a funny accent at the time and that's what he called his brother. "Yuke! Don't you know that Mom's afwaid of the bwidges!"

We still laugh about this story almost fifteen years later!

But a funny thing has happened recently. I'm not nearly as afraid of crossing bridges as I once was.

Perhaps it's because I have to cross the Glass City bridge every time I visit family in Michigan.

Or maybe, just maybe, it's because we moved to a city with this skyline full of bridges at every turn!

I think I am learning to conquer my fear.

You hear that, bridges? I am not afraid of you anymore!

Eek! Okay, maybe we can just be fair weather friends.

I purchased two things last year as soon as we moved to Pittsburgh. One, this stamp set from Paper Smooches, and two, this bridge die from Memory Box. Put the two together and you've got the Pittsburgh skyline, right down to the cloud cover!

I made this card for the Anything Goes challenge at Paper Smooches! (click on the logo on the left sidebar for more info!). The city skyline stamps are, in fact, straight, but I curved them on the clear block to make it look more like the hills of Pennsylvania.

{Today's Brew: Metropolis stamp set (Paper Smooches), Memory Box bridge die, Memory Box stencil, PTI card stock and inks, Prisma markers}

Thanks for visiting the cafe today!

The Studio Reveal! Before and After!

I cannot wait one more day. I HAVE to show you the progress in the studio/guest room remodel!

We've made a lot of updates in our Pennsylvania house during year one, but I think this may be the BIGGEST transformation to date!

This room was formerly a wood paneled "den". The previous owner, a doctor, had used it as his home office.

Here are the "before" photos from moving day.

Dark paneling everywhere, and heavy insulated drapes to keep out the light.

I tried to make the most of it by adding colorful accessories and swapping out the heavy drapes for sheer curtains. But in the end, those dark walls just swallowed the light.

So, after a LOT of priming and a LOT of painting, here's the studio/guest room now!

Let there be light!

The built-ins were a LOT of work to paint, but the result is perfect! We chose Valspar's (National Trust for Historic Preservation) Churchill Hotel Hazy Yellow for the walls, paired it with Valspar's Sea Kiss for the back wall of the bookcase, and a nice crisp white for all of the woodwork.

That sewing machine will come in handy when I finally get around to sewing the window treatment!

Yes, this room is still a work in progress. For example, I have not shown you the fourth wall behind a row of cabinetry that has NOT been painted yet!

Hmm. This one will definitely take some strategy. Those units are not built in, and they weigh a ton!

Maybe we'll just keep it this way to show everyone the "before" and "after"!

Maybe not.

I am so happy with the way all of the existing pieces came together.

The quilt and lamp base from Walmart (Better Homes and Gardens) that matched the clearance lamp shade from Target!

The organizational items from Target's Dollar Spot that matched the bins from Martha Stewart (Home Depot)!

The sheer curtains are from Laura Ashley, and they were a great price at Marshalls!

Finally, a place to just be still!

Overall, this room did not cost a fortune to update. Paint is such a cheap fix! New curtains and curtain rods, a new lamp and shade, and painting supplies. We paired it all with our existing bedding and storage items for a funky look that achieves the perfect balance between vintage and updated.

This room used to be "the black hole" at the end of the hallway. Now, it is the happy place at the end of the hallway! I can get a glimpse of it from my kitchen, and whenever I do, it just makes me smile!

Time to get inky!

The Camper I Can Afford

So, I got on Craigslist one boring Saturday morning, which is always a dangerous thing, and I got an idea, which is also a dangerous thing.

I decided we needed a camper. More specifically, a vintage Airstream camper.

And I found one, too! It was sweet! Smallish, with a cheery blue awning. The interior was in pristine condition, circa 1980, with all the mustard and olive and rust colors that were the rage back in the day.

ME:  Honey, I think we need a camper.

HUSBAND:  No, we don't need a camper.

ME:  But honey, look at how cute this one is!

HUSBAND: Uh huh.

ME: Wouldn't this be fun for the summer? Pack up the boys and the dog and just hit the road!

HUSBAND/A.K.A. BUZZKILL: We don't have a vehicle that can tow it.

ME: Don't bother me with details.

I promptly texted my sister, Tina, who has been RVing with her husband for many years. I sent her the photo, and she showed it to her husband, Doug They agreed that it was a sweet camper, and a great deal.

TEXT: Doug says he'll go in halves with you if you buy it.

TEXT: Great! Can we store it at your house?

TEXT: Nope. Doug says he'll only go in halves if you store it at your house!

TEXT: LOL

TEXT:   :)

So I did the next best thing. I bought the newest camper stamps and dies from Lawn Fawn!

I made this card for my husband for Father's Day. I figure he'll appreciate the fact that the stamps and dies only cost about $15, as opposed to, oh, say $7500.

See, honey! My stamps are saving us money!

I colored the camper with a silver metallic pen, to give it that shiny Airstream sparkle! Just a little reminder of the one that got away.

Happy Trails, cafe friends!

A Fun New Product! "Embossing" Without The Mess!

My craft room is almost finished! Yippee! Unfortunately, a lot of stuff is still packed in boxes waiting to be put back on the shelves. Boo! In the meantime, I did a little fun crafting at my kitchen table this morning.

I had some friends from Michigan visiting last week. Crafty friends. And aren't those kinds of friends the most fun? I had to take them to my happy place, Stamp Fanci in West View, Pennsylvania! We had a great time there, and I found the coolest new product!

Peel-Off Stickers from Elizabeth Craft Designs! Now wait, wait, wait. I can hear some of you yawning while you say "Stickers?! Yawn! What's so exciting about that?"

I will tell you what's so exciting about these stickers! They peel off of the black sheets, and when you adhere them to card stock, they will give you the look of an embossed image...without all the icky, sticky, messy inconsistencies of embossing!

Think "stained glass" without the work! And did I mention that the designs are really beautiful? At only $2.50 for a full sheet of stickers, I thought they would be fun to play with, and I was right!

I also picked up this nice small palette of Pearl Ex, just the right size to try without making a big commitment...like dating Pearl Ex without feeling like I need to marry it! :)

Oooh! So pretty! Soft, with just a hint of sparkle!

Embossing without the mess. I think I'm in love!

Taking a Bliss Break

Just a few minutes ago, I was sitting on my patio, sipping a cup of vanilla chai, flipping through magazines, when the thought came to me....bliss.

I LOVE patio weather! The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the flowers are blooming, and the bees are buzzing. All is right with the world!

I grabbed my camera quickly to take a few photos.

This is what bliss looks like.

I've been taking my garden angel's advice this week to "cherish life and family". What joy this brings me!

I have big things to show you in the days ahead...new products, new stamps, and {drum roll please}....

....the newly remodeled craft room!

Cherish life, cafe friends!

"Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him." Deuteronomy 30:19