Brenda Baker Productions

Twice a year, I look forward to the Ruffles and Rust show featuring vintage and handcrafted treasures at the Evergreen Fairgrounds in Monroe, Washington. Even after a long work week, I usually jump at the chance for the Friday night First Choice Shopping opportunity. In the end, it's worth the ticket price. Plus, if the show knocks my socks off, I'm also allowed free entry on Saturday, too. Here are a few things that especially tickled my fancy last night. In looking back at my photos, I see that I was drawn to the colors that scream "summertime" and any vignette that incorporated flora and fauna with fabulous vintage finds. For some reason, there was a lot of acrylic pastel dinnerware for sale. I love the colors, but not so much the material. Still, it is so pretty! I still prefer the croquet balls that I keep in a wooden bowl on my coffee table, but the mallets make for a good display, too. These are perfectly worn and still have some of the rubber tips in ...

You've been forewarned: Mother's Day is one week away. Get your cards ready (or in the mail!) and prepare to make your Mom feel loved. I had fun making Mother's Day themed cards last night. I got a late start so I didn't do too many, but here are a few to share with you. I used my new Josephine Kimberling for Impress stamp. I would say it's rather a peony-like posy image. Or--if we stretch our imaginations a bit--perhaps it's more of a chrysanthemum. Hence, we'll consider this the perfect stamp for "Mum's" day! While I continually gravitate toward my yummy-looking Fresh Ink stamp pads, I grabbed my VersaColor Ultimate Pigment pad in "Lime" and gave it a go. It gave this card a bright little lift. And then it made me want to make a margarita, for some reason. On this version, I decided to stamp the "Mum" in Fresh Ink "Pool" onto white cardstock. Then I carefully trimmed around it and mounted it on a handful...

Some people go to tropical island destinations or Disneyland or catch the last days of the ski season...but not me. I stay home for Spring Break. It is a much-needed break from my routine and affords me the time to tuck into my craft supplies. It's relaxing, fulfilling and--frankly--cheaper than a vacation! Here are a few things I worked on in the past few days. (In between catching up on real-life necessities such as eye appointments, dentist visits, house cleaning, and everything else that gets put "on hold" due to my daily work schedule.) For example, this is a package I need to put in the mail for my nephew. Embarrassingly, it's a month late. Worst. Auntie. Ever. Maybe I'm teaching him patience? The "gear" stamps are from a cheap little clear stamp set from WeR Memory Keepers called "Play." First time I've used them. Super cute! The "S" is from my beloved Impress alphabet. Part of the delay is that I rarely make "b...

My own Easter "miracle" was being ready EARLY for church on Easter morning. Since getting a coffee was an absolute necessity, I grabbed my camera and decided to set out early. It was a pretty morning as any Easter morning is (no matter the weather), so I knew I could find some beautiful images along the way. Even though it's hard to juggle a coffee and a camera, I had a wonderful walk to church! I started here: ...and headed to the Seattle Center. My usual daily route. So, why do we say "cute as a button" when daffodils are so doggone adorable? I captured a few different varieties in just a short distance. So pretty! And then there are the fascinating and charming Hellebores all throughout the Seattle Center landscaping. These are favorites of mine, so I'm glad they planted these everywhere--for my personal enjoyment, of course. I'll never get tired of seeing this structure every day. This shot is interesting because it shows ...