DIY: State Paper Art

I came up with this project from combining a few simple ideas. Lately there has been this wave of popularity for your home state themed items. Frequently in art but also in jewelry and other mediums. If you don't believe me, here are some examples. All of which I can't help but love!

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This last picture is from Young House Love, my new favorite blog! They did a great segment on a local Richmond TV station where they gave several examples of quick and easy last minute Christmas gifts. The two picture frames on the table are state cutouts in pretty scrapbook paper on a solid background. Don't you just love their expressions?

My husband was born in San Diego, California but only lived there for a few years before his parents decided to move back to Virginia. I have lived here my entire life. As far as we're concerned, this is home! We absolutely love living here.  We have a desire to travel the world but Virginia will always be home. So I knew a tribute to Virginia would be a lovely addition to our home.

So for this project I combined the last two ideas and made my own state tribute. I simply Googled a map of Virginia but picked one that had counties outlined so I could pinpoint the area we both lived before moving to Lynchburg. The map I used is here. 

If you want to do this project for your home state and county, do it! It's really fun and easy and I absolutely love mine! 

You'll need:

• Two pieces of scrapbook paper, your choice
• Xacto knife or tiny precision scissors
• Glue and/or tape 
• Rotary mat (if you're using an Xacto knife)

Directions: 

Find a good map of your state. Print it to whatever size you prefer. I just stuck with 8x10 so I could easily print it with regular printer paper. 

Glue the corners your map onto your scrapbook paper. I used a few dabs of hot glue. You could use tape or a simple glue stick. Just don't glue the actual map area onto the scrapbook paper.

If you're using an Xacto knife, lay your rotary mat on a flat surface and place your paper on top. Carefully trace the outlines of the state. This part takes some time. Don't rush because you'll either hurt yourself or mess up and we don't want either of those things to happen!

If you want to cut out a heart, pick your favorite county or city and trace a heart over it and cut it out as well. 

Now just center your state onto the other piece of scrapbook paper and glue it down. I used rubber cement for this...not totally sure why I chose rubber cement over another type of glue. I doubt it makes much of a difference.

Now trim the excess of your scrapbook paper (they normally come in 12"x12" size) and slip it into your frame! 

Mine is living in our guest room above the hermit crab cage. 

The door across the hall goes to our bedroom. It was hard to get a good picture because of the shadows the light was casting. But, you get the idea. 

There you have a beautiful tribute to your home state. These would really be fantastic gifts! People are generally pretty loyal to their home state and county/city. I'll definitely keep this in mind as future gifts for friends and family!

Have you been spellbound by the state art that's been circulating lately? What's your home state and county/city?

Till next time,

Catherine

Check out some of the places I've linked up this post! The bloggers who host these parties are fantastic so go send them some blog love too!

I linked up with Life After Laundry and Sensational Creations for their Less Laundry, More Linking Party #2! 

I've linked up with Fluster Buster and This and That for their Fluster's Creative Muster Party #35!

Wally - The beagle with an amazing story (who needs a home!)

This is Wally's story.

"My name is Wal-Mart. Most people call me Wally. I was given this name because I lived outside of the Wal-Mart in Appomattox, Virginia for about 5 years. No one could catch me or touch me but many people loved me and would buy food just for me to enjoy. 

About 6 months ago, animal control officers amped up their efforts to catch me because it was realized that I had an embedded collar. My previous owner put it on me when I wasn't done growing. They managed to catch me and brought me back to the animal shelter. Soon after I was taken to a nearby veterinarian who removed the collar and stitched me back together again. I wasn't sure of anything but I was slowly learning to trust humans. 

While I recovered, I stayed in the pound. It wasn't my favorite place to be but I kept learning to trust people more and more. I stayed for about two months before landing a spot in a foster home, only to be returned because I didn't know how to walk on a leash and my first foster mom was unable to carry my 35lb frame around. 

Next I was brought back to the nice veterinarian man where they took away my manhood and tested me for diseases I could have picked up while living free. Unfortunately I had contracted heartworms and another tick-borne disease called ehrlichia. 

As if having my manhood taken away wasn't bad enough! Not to mention I hated having stitches in my tummy so I kept trying to pull them out. They stapled me, wrapped me up in bandages and put a humiliating cone around my neck! 

I stayed at the vet for many weeks while getting my first round of heartworm treatment, ehrlichia medication and recovering from being neutered. 

During those weeks I really learned to trust people and learned that they provide me with more than just food, but also love and affection! I also house trained myself. I couldn't understand why other dogs would treat their kennel run as a bathroom! Gross! 

I love being petted and rubbed. People are so nice to me! It took time for me to trust them but now I love them! After several weeks, another wonderful lady decided to foster me. She has a securely fenced yard where I love to run and breathe in the fresh air! 

One family brought me to their house for a few days to see how I would fit in. I made myself right at home with their beagle. You'd think we were long-lost cousins!

 I even like hanging around other dogs! Although, I don't really know how to play. Cuddling is more my thing.

I really liked the home and the other dogs, but, I enjoyed chasing their cat too much for their liking and they didn't have a yard for me to run in. I want a home where I can lounge inside at night but run around outside during the day. So now I'm back with my foster mom enjoying the "dog days of summer."

 This sure isn't the end of my story but I can hardly wait for the next chapter in my "furrever" home! Until then, I'll enjoy my time with my foster mom and her dogs but be dreaming of what's next."


If you know someone who may be interested (or are interested yourself) in adopting Wally, please contact Barbe with Friends of Campbell County Animal Control. He has come so far in his journey but needs a loving, forever home.

• Wally is great with other dogs.
• He may be ok with certain cats.
• He is great with kids. 
• He is shy at first but warms up to both men and women with time.
• He is house-trained. 
• He needs a home where he can run in a securely fenced in yard. Nothing he can dig under or climb over. 
• On the same point, he loves to be cuddled on the couch, so being able to come indoors and cuddle is a must. 

If you haven't guessed, my husband and I are the ones who brought him into our home for a few days before realizing it wasn't the best fit. As much as we love him and wanted to have him, we were being selfish. He needs space to run and it also wasn't fair to our cat because he was always terrified. In all honesty, I think Wally chased the cat simply because the cat ran, I don't think it was a "prey drive" chase. He's the one who ripped the bottom of our cheap-o blinds that we had to fix. He just wanted to see outside the window!

Please share Wally's story so we can find his perfect home! I know it's out there. If we had land and a fenced yard, we would have kept him for sure. He's a super sweet, loving dog with an amazing story. He deserves the best home!

I'll update this page when he gets adopted.

Do you have a rescue pet? What's their story? Doesn't Wally have the sweetest face??

Till next time,
Catherine

Christmas Eve

Today I had the pleasure of working on Christmas Eve morning! Nah, it's not that bad. Only a few hours of work then we're headed off to Richmond to be with family. It's been busy getting ready for Christmas and I'm so excited it's almost here! I don't want it to end, though! It's just such a lovely time of year!!

Oh and no worries! I completed my weekend To-Do list! I'm one of those that has to clean the entire house before leaving for more than a couple days. I think it's just nice to come back home to a clean house and not have a ton of work to do in addition to unpacking.

To anyone else who is traveling, be safe on the roads!

And don't forget to share some love this Christmas!! Remember, for many people around the world it's the most depressing time of year. Give hugs and smiles out like candy!

Till next time,
Catherine

Decorating for Christmas!

Now that we're back home from visiting family in Richmond for Thanksgiving...it is finally time to decorate!! We don't really have a lot, which is actually fine by me...less work! We have a small 4 foot tall tree that my parents are letting us use and it's just right! Not too large to take up a huge chunk of our living room but not a Charlie Brown tree either! As you can see in the above picture, we've got some twinkly lights on the stair railing and our stockings are hung on the stairs because we don't have a mantel. I might move them onto the TV stand instead so they'll hang nicer.

Step 1: LIGHTS! My husband LOVES Christmas. He would cover the house in Christmas lights if I let him!

Step 2: Gather and hang new ornaments and childhood ornaments. 

My mom bought me a whole lot of Breyer ornaments one year...I love that we can finally hang them! 

The silver stars I bought at Ten Thousand Villages quite a few years ago. My mom cross stitched the caroler ornament herself. 

I found this adorable little ornament at a craft show in Richmond last year. I love it!

I got a musical note for my husband since he is a great musician. Plus, it's super pretty and handmade!

We bought this ornament while on our honeymoon at Split Rock Resort in Pennsylvania!

And our panda stockings!!! How adorable are they?? 

Cat in the way...

So it may not look like much but we love it and it's full of so many precious ornaments that mean so much to us!!! We've decided that every time we go on a trip or vacation that we'll buy another ornament as a souvenir. There are several ornaments missing that we have gotten during trips to the OBX but I have to dig them out first. I plan to write on the back of the ornaments the month/year that we bought them so we don't forget. 

I LOVE CHRISTMAS! Yet somehow, I'm not ready to get rid of my fall decorations...

Which is your favorite to decorate for, fall or Christmas? Do you like to go all out or keep it simple? What are some of your favorite traditions?

Till next time,

Catherine