Aleene's Creative Living Television Show Sailboat Home Decor Project

I'm really dusting off the cobwebs on these vintage Aleene's Creative Living Television Show projects.  Check out this cute sailboat home decor idea using Satin Sheen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88Hd3m5k-E

Tissue Paper Art

Heidi Borchers, the daughter of Aleene from Aleene's Creative Living Television Show and Magazine taught a group of us how to make this really cool graffiti paper using tissue and paint!  This frame is going to be a gift for my nephew - think a 17-year-old will like it?

Krylon & Artistic Wire Dressing Table Accessories

Another favorite project from my past from Aleene's Creative Living.  Check out the bargain bin or dollar stores for brushes, mirrors and perfume bottles to decorate in your favorite colors.

Aleene's Vintage Instruction Sheets

  

I was doing a little closet cleaning and ran across a HUGE binder filled with 350 (yes, I counted them!) Aleene's instruction sheets.  It's time to share these amazing projects with others so here's your chance to be the proud owner of years of Aleene's Creative Living history.  The projects are holiday and everyday so there's certainly a lot of crafting territory covered! Please contact me if interested and we can iron out the details.

  

  

  

  

Aleene's Vintage Decoupage for Your Bathroom

It's about time for all those visitors for the holidays and just in time are these suggestions to fresh-up your facilities. Use wrapping paper, napkins or a poster instead of the decoupage papers.  It's quick, easy and will be an expression of you!

 

Aleene and PattieWack at CHA

I so missed seeing Aleene at CHA. Here's a picture of Aleene and PattieWack in the i love to create booth. I learned so much from Aleene during my eight years at Creative Living and am thankful for each and every one of the hats / experiences I had there.

Aleene's Creative Living Magazine Pot

This story starts ten years ago this month. I was the Editor of Aleene's Creative Living Magazine and the team that got the magazine out every month was AMAZING!!! So very talented and so very caring - we published a magazine that I am so proud of!!!

Just before Christmas in 1999, Erin, who was a graphic artist, gave us each a wonderful gift. A ficus tree in a pot she'd painted herself. I remember the day she gave me the gift - she said something like "I wonder how this paint technique will hold up." - she'd tried something different - I think it was milk painting.

We all went our separate ways soon after that Christmas and I lost track of Erin, but thought of her often. Years and years went by and I would admire my ficus and the hand-painted pot wondering what happened to Erin. Well, thanks to Facebook (if you're not on FB, it's a fabulous way to find people - I've found classmates I haven't seen in over 30 years, old co-workers and relatives!!!) Erin and I found each other this year - ten years later! I was finally able to show her the pot and the tree she so lovingly planted for me ten years ago when Erin visited me this year and it was wonderful to catch up on where life had taken us.

In honor of the 10th anniversary, I repotted the ficus - I can't wait to see how he grows and how Erin and I grow too in the next ten years. Thank you, my friend, for your gift that still makes me smile after 10 years!!! You're the best!

The lesson here is for all of us creative types to put love into every project that you make because we never know how it will touch someones heart, ten years or more later!


Mr. Ficus in his new pot!!!

Guide to Shrink Plastic by Joan Martin Fee

I LOVE SHRINK PLASTIC!!!

I really must send out a great big, huge thank you to Andrea Garcia. If it weren't for her coming to visit when she was a very small girl, many, many years ago, I know I wouldn't be where I am today!!!

Andrea and her dad came to visit for a weekend and while my then husband and Andrea's dad visited, Andrea and I played with her paper dolls for hours, but we kept getting frustrated when her accessories wouldn't stay on. That set my creative mind into over-drive and I came up with Dress-Up Dolly made from Aleene's Shrink-It plastic and then I applied Aleene's Tack-It Over & Over (it's an adhesive that lets you place things, remove them and place them over and over) to the backs of all of the accessories so they would stay on and then could be taken off when we wanted.

From there, the rest is a fabulous creative history. I submitted the idea for the Sharing portion of the Aleene's Creative Living Television Show and to my surprise I was asked to demonstrate how to make Dolly on the television show.

Here's Aleene, me and Tiffany on the set of Aleene's Creative Living Television Show the day I taped Dress-Up Dolly.

From there I did hundreds of segments on Aleene's, became the Instruction Coordinator editing all of the craft project instructions and eventually became the Aleene's Creative Living Magazine and Book Editor.

I have taken all of those experiences and created a Guide to Shrink Plastic ebook and a how-to video.

Check out the Guide to Shrink Plastic ebook at http://www.lulu.com/content/6325538 - it's 58 pages of exciting shrink plastic projects, instructions and full-size patterns. You can download it right from the site, so there's no waiting to get going on your shrink plastic projects.



The cake decorations are one of my all-time favorite shrink plastic projects.

The video shows you how easy creating with shrink plastic is and it also gives you a little tease as to some of the projects in the ebook.

Happy Shrinking!!!

Joan

Class Reunion

Amazing Weekend

It is soooo hard to leave paradise, but I had to do it this weekend. My high school class gets together once a year and this weekend was it - can it possibly be another year has passed?

Friday night a bunch of us gathered at our old high school for the football game. One of our classmates showed up who we hadn't seen since graduation. I won't say how many years that's been, but it's quite a few! Of course we didn't watch the football game, we chatted away the evening catching up on grandkids and kids and gossip.

My brother and family have a travel trailer, so they let me 'rent' it on weekends when I'm there - that way I don't inconvenience my parents or my brother's family. When I got back from the game, my brother came out to talk to me and we stayed up until 1:00 a.m. solving the problems of the world. He's coming over in a couple of weeks to help me redo my front yard - yipppeeee!!! I can't wait! It's going to involve a retaining wall and lots of paver bricks.

I was fortunate to get a last minute appointment on Saturday in Fresno with my hair guy, Ben. It's tough in a new town not knowing who to go to. It was fun catching up with Ben - seems as though everyone I know goes to him, so it's like old home week when I see him.

Saturday night was time to assemble the ol' class again. I had the most delightful people to talk to at dinner - she is a classmate of mine and she and her husband tour the world doing exciting things - they're off next month to some exciting place I'd never heard of to scuba dive. Carol was driving a Can Am - I'd never heard of them, but it's pretty cool - ladies, there's even a trunk so you can go shopping!!! They were off the next day to my new town for lunch.

After dinner we went to a local restaurant and took over the back patio to chat and listen to one of our classmates play guitar and sing. For four hours we just sat, enjoyed the music and company of friends. I had the worst headache late that night, crawled into bed around 1:30 with my head still pounding. I woke up early the next morning so sick. I laid around and when I finally felt better, my mom called me over to their house for a photo op (she and my dad live two doors away from my brother and family). One of the photos is at the top of the page - it's part of their old barn. My mom had to stage it - I just like to take photos of things how they are without altering them, but she was so excited about it, I couldn't stop her.

It's nice to be back home again, but it got my behind in gear today to get going on some projects - all of a sudden I have everyone from my class coming to 'paradise' - there's a girl's getaway weekend already planned - I heard something about wine, chocolate, food and kayaking - one of the girls has 3 kayaks!

Here's a picture of milo planted on my parents farm.

Creatively,

Joan

I have a TON of Aleene's vintage magazines and books up on ebay - check them out!!!

Item #
170262980913

Backpack

Back to School Backpack

Whether you're 9 or 90 and heading back to school, make toting your stuff an expression of you!

Here's What You Need!
Aleene's Fabric Fusion
Tulip Glam-It-Up! Iron-On Crystals
Tulip Cordless Heat-Setting Tool
Backpack
Chalk pencil
Trim with dangles
Studs, star shape

Here's How to Make It!
1. Draw letters on center of backpack, using chalk pencil. Place Crystals over letters. Preheat Heat-Setting Tool following package instructions. Gently press Tool on top of a Crystal and hold for a few seconds. Let cool. Touch to make sure it is adhered. If not, reheat. Continue with all Crystals.
2. Glue studs randomly on backpack.
3. Glue trim where desired. Let dry.
4. Add Crystals along edge of trim.

Aleene's Creative Living Publications

Aleene's Creative Living Magazines and Books

I'm cleaning and really want to find good homes for a ton of Aleene's Creative Living magazines and books. I have thought many times this week that I could just take them down to the local thrift store, but I want them to go to someone who knows the history and would appreciate them. Please email me if you're interested and we'll work something out. craftproducts@yahoo.com

Joan