Halloween Crafts and Rileyman's New Art Space

In my previous post, I showed off my new desk and organized art space. It is the perfect space with everything I need right in reach. No more digging for supplies or clearing a space to work in. The best part about my new space is that Rileyman has inherited my old desk and he now has HIS very own art space! 

I took apart his easel and propped it up behind his desk. He loves having the chalk board and dry erase board side by side in his space. 

I picked up this caddy at the Dollar Tree and it holds everything he needs such as color pencils, crayons, markers, chalk and glue. All of his scissors, staplers and tape are in the top drawer of his desk and in the side drawers are notebooks, drawing pads, construction papers and those necessities like pipe cleaners, pom poms and googlie eyes. He has been making lots of bats to hang around the house for Halloween. SO cute. I love them!

Above his desk I hung string so that he can display his artwork. We found some mini clothes pins in the office supply section of WalMart to hang them with.

As always, the Rileyman has lots of project ideas in mind but we dug out some of last year's projects for inspiration. This Halloween wand is made from an empty ribbon spool and hot glued to a wooden dowel. 

Glued to the outsides are Halloween scrap book papers that are embellished with stickers. We glued some black ribbon around empty spool and tied on some purple string to finish it off.

Below are Riley's pumpkin mason jars. We cut masking tape in the shape of pumpkin faces and stuck them to the outside. He painted the insides with yellow paint, the outsides with orange paint, then pealed off the tape taaadaaa! 

Mason jar pumpkins! 

This next project is made with Cracker Barrell syrup bottles. I have always been fascinated with these little bottles and they were perfect for this project. We searched online for some printable potion labels, cut them out and glued them on and filled the insides of the bottles with decorative colored sugars and candies.

The Swamp Fog bottle actually fogged up when we put the candies in! I think it was because the inside of the bottle was still a little wet from its prior washing but........we really don't know for sure. Spooooooooooooky!

~Amber D. McNabb

(and the Rileyman)

Organized Art Space!

I have been working so hard these past few days going through all my art and craft supplies and setting up a new, organized art space. I wanted to have everything easily accessible because nothing kills inspiration more than having to dig for supplies. The top drawer of the green file cabinet underneath holds all my cool tools like a power sander, solder iron, wood burner kit, hot glue gun, hot air gun etc. and the  bottom drawer is packed full of all my wood slices.

This desk was a craiglist find and absolutely perfect for my space and needs. The cabinet on the left houses my sewing machine and the drawers on the right are full of office supplies and decorative and inspirational papers. The shelving across the top is an upcycled/ repurposed waterbed headboard that I found laying on the side of the road. It holds my boxes of beads and jewelry making items, drawing pads ornament papers and art pencils.

My paints down below are organized by a wooden dish drainer that was an awesome yard sale find. It holds nearly 100 bottles of paint! It sits on top of a Rubbermaid drawer full of sealants, various types of glues and resin kits. 

I am just tickled to pieces about my new space! 

The Rileyman inherited my old desk and he now has a new space of his own. He has already been working diligently on Halloween crafts. Check back for the next post to see Riley's new art space!

~Amber D. McNabb

Illustrations, Instagram, and the Pioneer Woman

Have I told you that I am in the middle of illustrating a children's book? I am so completely excited about it and getting super nervous because my deadline is fast approaching. But I work best under the pressure of a deadline so I know I can "doooooo it". Problem is, I am squirming to share the illustrations but, per the author, I cannot. At least not until January.  So I will share with you some of my cell phone photos via Instagram.

The Rileyman & His Butterfly

Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, randomly hands out photo assignments promising shiny prizes for the winners. The most recent photo assignment is cell phone photography. Photographs can be edited using Instagram or any cell phone photography app.

Salamander in a Sonic Cup

You can enter once per day.

Enjoying the Sunset

So of course I have entered a few times hoping for a shiny prize.

Farm Kid

I LOVE  being able to take such awesome photos with my cell phone. 

Searching for Arrowheads

It just boggles my mind that such a tiny little contraption can produce these vivid and beautiful images.

When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!

Grammy would have loved these super bright daisies I brought her.

~Amber D. McNabb

Pumpkin Decorating Ideas!

This one time, at band camp, I used to create and sell painted pumpkins. Without the band camp part. I mass produced my own creations and took custom orders as well. 

I no longer sell painted pumpkins but the Rileyman and I will be creating some pumpkins of our own today. I thought I would drag out old photos of pumpkins past for inspiration. Hopefully they will give you a little inspiration too.

This Bears pumpkin was a custom order for Campione's Taste of Chicago in Gallatin.

My husband is pretty happy to not have the house overrun by painted pumpkins in the Fall. He was pretty perturbed about sharing his space with these things. They really were EVERYWHERE.

This one went to the actual Nashville Predators Mascot.

I think this year, we will go old school and carve a few.  

Just keep in mind, no punkin is too small.

You could also decorate with Fall Stickers. We opened up this one anyway so we could plant some punkin seeds. And roast some too. That reminds me, I need to check Pinterest for roasted pumpkin seed recipes.

If you have left over pumpkins laying around, just let them sit and turn into dried gourds. They make great bird houses. This one sat all winter and was ready to clean, carve and paint by Spring.

Your could also upcycle some old light bulbs. They make the cutest painted pumpkin decorations. I love these little pumpkin dudes. I still have some of them. 

Maybe I will have a pumpkin dude giveaway!

Happy Fall!

~Amber D. McNabb

The World Didn't Stop For Our Broken Hearts

It has been a year. How can it have been a whole year? One year ago today was quite honestly the worst day of my entire life. It was the day that we drove out to the farm to discover that my father in law had been called home to Heaven. 

I still can't quite wrap my head around this. My brain is still rebelling with reality. My heart still says "No! this isn't right!" And if I am being totally honest here, I still wake up at night and have a good cry. If time is supposed to heal, this is going to be a long recovery. 

The worst part is knowing I can't fix it for me or anyone else and I like to fix things. I wish I knew how to fix the sorrow. I wish I could give my husband his best buddy back. My heart just breaks daily for my mother in law. 

I so desperately want to make it better but I can't. I want my boys and nephew to have their Grandfather. He was such an awesome Grandfather. Like "to infinity and beyond" awesome.

 I want to give my sister in law her Daddy back. Every girl needs her Daddy. I want to smush my Aunt Becky in my arms and make it right. But you just can't make this right. He was such a great brother, uncle, friend..........   

And I just selfishly want my father in law back because I really truly loved him so very much.

He never missed a beat in our daily lives. He was the most involved,  loving, thoughtful and truly awesome father in law ever and I am so thankful for the near twenty years that God blessed my life with Wade McNabb.

But like the song goes, the world didn't stop for our broken hearts and here it is a year later when it stills feels and hurts like yesterday.  One of my most favorite things to do is to blare the radio in the car and sing at the top of my lungs. How in the world I got to work safely this past year with tears in my eyeballs while singing "You went away, how dare you, I miss you. They say I'll be ok, but I'm not going to....ever get over you." 

or "One more day, one more night, one more sunset maybe I'd be satisfied. But then again, I know what it would do, it'd leave me wishin still for one more day with you."

I had a dream the other night with Wade in it. If it was really Wade paying a visit, it kind of tickles me. All he showed me was that he was drinking orange soda. REAL orange soda meaning he no longer has "the diabeetus". And he was hanging out with his buddies from Vietnam. Helping them . Because that's what he did. He helped. If there was a need. He was there to help. 

So today I focus on the positive and I am singing this song.

I created this random art on canvas board last night.

And in honor of Wade, I just might give it away. 

When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!

~Amber D. McNabb