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Monday, December 18, 2017

Why, yes! I do have gift certificates!!!

Out of ideas to suggest to others for a gift for yourself?  Out of ideas to give a fellow crafter?  You've come to the right place!  I can give you gift certificates -- for any amount you'd care to purchase.  You pay for the gift certificate.  Your special recipient opens their gift (certificate) and shops at their convenience, and they can settle up with me if there is a difference in amounts after they place their order.  Sounds easy and fun, doesn't it!  It is!
Here are some of my previous gift card / gift certificate / cash holders I've made, in case you'd like to make one for the certificates you purchase:






... and a laugh for the day:
THE LATEST:
- SU has an End of Year Sale going on right now.
- Click here to check it out.
- Click on the link on the left side of my blog for the PDF.
- I'll be posting my 2018 schedule for my classes and events soon.

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.
- Come back often for more creative inspiration.
- Let's create something beautiful today.

Thursday, December 7, 2017

the Stamparatus

You can reserve your own Stamparatus now.  Be sure you get yours now because you know you'll want one.  I think it's going to be fabulous.
Click here to learn more about this wonderful stamping tool.  Also, enjoy this little video about our Stamparatus.  I'm getting over a bit of a reaction to my flu shot, so I'll be back soon with more to
share with you.
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3teCr7Xo4G8&feature=youtu.be 
THE LATEST:
- All my Christmas Retreat cards (kits) are sold out.
- We have one remaining class for 2017.
- Sign up ASAP for my Dec. 11 Scraps and Prayers.
- SU has an End of Year Sale going on right now.  Click here to check it out.
- Click on the link on the left side of my blog for the PDF.
- I'll be posting my 2018 schedule for my classes and events soon.
Keep coming back throughout December and see more cards and projects I'll be sharing.

December 11 -- Scraps and Prayers Class:
     5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Christmas Cards and Tags
It's going to be a party atmosphere at our last class for 2017.  I've even been working on a hand made present for you!  The class is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot right away

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.
- Come back often for more creative inspiration.
- Let's create something beautiful today.

Sunday, December 3, 2017

The Scoop on All The Latest SU News and A Quick Look Back

I'm trying really hard to wrap my mind around it being 3 days into December already.  I thought I'd do a quick post today to make sure you're up to date on all the latest, as well as a quick look back, for fun.
THE LATEST:
- All my Christmas Retreat cards (kits) are sold out.
- We have one remaining class for 2017.
- Sign up ASAP for my Dec. 11 Scraps and Prayers.
- SU has an End of Year Sale going on right now.  Click here to check it out.
- Click on the link on the left side of my blog for the PDF.
- I'll be posting my 2018 schedule for my classes and events soon.
Keep coming back throughout December and see more cards and projects I'll be sharing.

And, looking back, here's a shot of my studio in 2014.  I think a lot has changed, but I still love this display.  I'll share my studio for 2017 soon and, I think you'll agree, there are a lot more projects on display now, as well as cards.
December 11 -- Scraps and Prayers Class:
     5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Christmas Cards and Tags
It's going to be a party atmosphere at our last class for 2017.  I've even been working on a hand made present for you!  The class is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot right away

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.
- Come back often for more creative inspiration.
- Let's create something beautiful today.

Friday, December 1, 2017

Last Month's Scraps and Prayers Class Christmas Project

Today's post is brought to you by some of my Scraps and Prayers group.  We made a Christmas decor project at our last class.  We had SO much fun!  I love this group.  It's open to anyone so, if you live in the area, you might want to give this one a try.  You'll leave with a smile on your face.  I promise. 
Our frame is an 8" round embroidery hoop.  The group loved this project - except for using some of my old adhesive sheets:)  Getting the backing off proved to be a bit of a challenge.  I assured them that the new sheets were much easier to use.  As I've said, I'm trying really hard to use up my 'stash' instead of hoarding it all.
We attached our DSP to a piece of cardboard backing from a DSP pack.  They're handy for so many things.  I then hot glued the DSP piece to the back of the hoop.  Speaking of hoops, there are some teeny, tiny hoops coming out in our upcoming Occasions Catalog.  They are adorable!!!  I hope to place my pre-order today and it will surely include some of these cuties.
We used up some of my old Sticky Tape by attaching it all around the outside edge of the hoop.  We peeled off the backing and attached some bright red ribbon.  Our old, retired bitty heart and star punches were very handy for this project.  I don't often part with a punch.  We used Red Glimmer paper for the hearts and Silver Foil for the stars.
NOTE:
There is a downside to hoarding retired products.  I recently made a large quantity of large gift bags for my daughter to use in her Christmas Shoppe at our church tomorrow.  I thought this would be a good time to use up the rest of my Sticky Tape.  Wrong!  I had several rolls left.  They were very old and absolutely stuck tight together.  I tried and tried and could not get them to unroll so I could use them.  I had to throw them all away.  I ended up using Fast Fuse ... and it was fast:)
I gave each person a Green Sprig to use on their project, but they didn't like how they wouldn't stay where they wanted them to be.  They'll use them for something else later.  No, the sprig below was not left like that.  I had a bit of cute/sassy actions going on that night.  My adhesive sheets brought out the best in everyone:)  Like I said, we have a lot of fun.
Below are two of their finished projects.  I love them!
Aren't these pretty?
The Latest Scoop:
I HAVE 2 REMAINING KITS FROM OUR CHRISTMAS RETREAT. / EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO MAKE 18 CARDS! / $40.00
December 11 -- Scraps and Prayers Class:
     5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Christmas Cards and Tags
It's going to be a party atmosphere at our last class for 2017.  I've even been working on a hand made present for you!  The class is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot right away!

Tentative 2018 classes and events schedule, coming soon!

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.
- Come back often for more creative inspiration.
- Let's create something beautiful today.

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Joey, An Artist Canvas, A Quick Tutorial and A Strange Visitor

Joey popped in to say hello today... or should I say he popped up:)  He loves to get inside baskets or boxes of any kind --- usually, as here, he prefers the smaller ones.  One look at his smile and my world is filled with sunshine.  Joey chose my Fall canvas project for me to share with you today.
Yes, I cut out a lot of leaves and flower layers.  I absolutely love the text on this one.
I have 3-4 layers of petals on my flowers.  After punching them, I sponged and shaped them.  You can use your bone folder to curve the petals up or down, whichever you prefer.
A brief recap for making an artist canvas project:
- Paint on clear gesso over the entire canvas.
- Let dry.  Add second layer, if you wish.
- Cover the canvas front with gesso (Be generous.) and carefully lay down your DSP over it.
- Make sure the entire piece of DSP is attaching to the canvas.
- Reattach corners with extra gesso, if they start to lift up.
- Keep smoothing it out as it dries.
- Sponge edges and corners, as you like.
- Once dry, go over canvas with gesso again, to seal it.
- Cut out all the pieces you will need for your project.
- Take time to move around the pieces until you get the arrangement you like.
- Start attaching your pieces, using hot glue or Liquid Tombow.  Hold in place a little while.
- Stop every once in a while and stand back to see if you're liking the balance of your design.
- When you feel like you've added enough pieces, you're finished:)
- STOP.
- STAND BACK.
- ADMIRE:)
As with all my decor projects, I loved creating this one.
Joey is hanging out with Buster here.  Lilly is lurking in the background.
Buster is trying to figure out why Joey would bother playing with a cup when there's no food in it.  Buster is a food lover.
I've had another buddy hanging around a lot this Fall.  He loves to be on the outside walls of my front porch.  This strange visitor is a praying mantis.  I haven't seen one for quite a while.  I think they look so elegant and graceful -- for a bug, anyway:)
Be sure to come back for my next post.  My Scraps and Prayers group will be sharing a decor project they made in our last class.  We had so much fun!!!

The Latest Scoop:
I HAVE 2 REMAINING KITS FROM OUR CHRISTMAS RETREAT. / EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO MAKE 18 CARDS! / $40.00 

December 11 -- Scraps and Prayers Class:
     5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Christmas Cards and Tags
It's going to be a party atmosphere at our last class for 2017.  I've even been working on a hand made present for you!  The class is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot right away!

Tentative 2018 classes and events schedule, coming soon!

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.
- Come back often for more creative inspiration.
- Let's create something beautiful today.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Cajun and Copper - They Make A Perfect Pair ... and My Last Two Fall Cards

I have a couple more Fall cards to share with you today.  They both make good use of Cajun Craze and Copper. 
The first card uses the 'Acrylic Block technique' and the second card uses watercoloring to create a beautiful background for the card's elements.  I love them both.


Even though the embossing folder that I used for my second card is called Seaside, I use it to imitate the movement of winds blowing the leaves.
I love, love, love doing watercoloring.  Sometimes, I just create a whole bunch of card-sized pieces when I'm watercoloring and save them for later use in cards.  You can use the entire piece as a background or, as in this card, die cut shapes from it to use as elements for a card.
I'm pretty sure that these two cards are the last of my Fall cards.  In my next post, I'll share a Fall artist canvas I created ... and then ... it's all Christmas.  Yay!
The Latest Scoop:
I HAVE 2 REMAINING KITS FROM OUR CHRISTMAS RETREAT. / EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO MAKE 18 CARDS! / $40.00 

December 11 -- Scraps and Prayers Class:
     5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Christmas Cards and Tags
It's going to be a party atmosphere at our last class for 2017.  I've even been working on a hand made present for you!  The class is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot right away!

Tentative 2018 classes and events schedule, coming soon!

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.
- Come back often for more creative inspiration.
- Let's create something beautiful today.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

You Make Me Smile Card / Giving Tuesday ....... A Day to Give Back

Today is a very special day for us.  It is Giving Tuesday.  Our church, as a United Methodist Church has many, very strong mission projects and reaches out to many people - all over the world.  Today, however, is a day when our church hosts an event that speaks to our part as Christians in our own community.
I am so proud of my daughter's vision and calling to initiate this event.  We started hosting the event 3 years ago and each year we've had more organizations participate than the year before.  They've raised thousands of dollars - to help those in our own community.  If you live in the area, I hope you'll go check it out.  If not, you can always find some way to give back to others.
The first year, I was babysitting a very tiny Joey and we put him in his stroller and went down to see what it was all about.  Wow!  It was crowded with lots of people seeking ways to help others.  Last year, I waited until school was out and we took all 3 boys down to the event.  They had earned odds and ends of money helping out around here, especially during the summer when they were here all day.  I took their 'money jar' and dumped it out into 2 piles.  I gave a pile to each of the 2 older boys and explained what we were going to do.  I told them that they were to go to each table and find out what each organization did, to help people in our community.  Once they'd been to all the tables, they could decide on their own just how they wanted to give their money.  They both decided to give 'some to each group' and that really touched me.  Even more touching was when Aaron kept going back to the Cancer Society table and giving them more until finally he'd given than all he had left.  He knows that I survived my battle with cancer, but many in our family did not.
I was also touched by how, at each table, the people were all so very nice and did such an expert job of explaining to my boys all about their work.  This really helped to make an impression on our boys about how we all can help others.
Since last year, after experiencing the whole event and after really being touched by a lesson in church about giving to others, Aaron went home that very Sunday and started his own 'money jar' to use just for this event.  He has such a big, caring heart!
Having emptied our money jar, we've since gone to a record keeping book, where I add earnings and their allowances.  I give them an allowance during the summer because they're here all day and do help out a lot.  I give extra when they go 'above and beyond' with their efforts to help and I have had to subtract a couple of times if homework wasn't done as well as needed.  All in all, they've piled up a fair bit of cash in what they call their 'money books' as well as adding a few pages of beautiful art work:)  I told them I didn't expect them to give it all today.  I suggested using a tithing idea where they'd give 10% and then they could decide if they wanted to go beyond that.  I'm so proud of them for what they're learning and what they're doing.  Aaron has the most money and he fluctuates from day to day from giving different dollar amounts.  Like I said, he has a big, caring heart.
Last year, the Salvation Army director pulled me aside and commended me on what valuable lessons I was teaching the boys.  That touched my heart.  I feel very strongly about teaching my grandchildren values.  I want them to grow up to be strong and caring people.  Aaron wanted to give all his money to the 'cancer people' this year but I said I hoped he'd keep the Salvation Army people in mind, too.  There are so many fine organizations in our community.  It would be a very different place if we didn't have all these groups reaching out and helping others.
OK, so that was a long, long post, but I think it was important to say it.  As Christians, we cannot go around wearing blinders, helping only our church denomination's sponsored missions and events.  As Christians, we need to step up and help others our community.  After all, we are all children of God.
I'll climb down off my soap box now.  I just wish that I could go to the event today, but am physically unable to do so.  I will be sending Bill with the 2 older boys and look forward to hearing all about their activities.  God bless all those who reach out and help others.
And now, I'll share a card with you that is very fitting with this post.






The Latest Scoop:
I STILL HAVE 2 REMAINING KITS FROM OUR CHRISTMAS RETREAT. / EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO MAKE 18 CARDS! / $40.00 

December 11 -- Scraps and Prayers Class:
     5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Christmas Cards and Tags
It's going to be a party atmosphere at our last class for 2017.  I've even been working on a hand made present for you!  The class is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot right away!

I'm nearly finished with next year's tentative classes and events planning, so you'll see news of all that very soon.

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.
- Come back often for more creative inspiration.
- Let's create something beautiful today.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Which holiday is it?

Have you started decorating for Christmas yet?  I know ... we just had Thanksgiving.  I love to celebrate both holidays.  I started decorating my studio on Sunday afternoon, the 22nd of October - the day after my October Saturday Stampers class.  Even then, that gave me just 2 weeks to clean, decorate the studio for Christmas and get ready for my Open House/Christmas party.  At first, it felt a little silly and kind of strange.  But, in no time at all, it because quite fun and I was instantly into the Holiday spirit.  The fun and crazy part of it all is that my house was half and half, with the downstairs being Christmas and the main floor being Fall/Thanksgiving.  That way, Thanksgiving is never neglected.  The day after Thanksgiving, I started turning everything into Christmas.  I love decorating for the holidays, making special gifts and decor to add to my growing Christmas collection.  I'm starting to see houses in our neighborhood showing Christmas tree lights through their windows and garlands on their porch railings.  I'm now nearly finished with the upstairs, except for the Christmas tree.  That will have to wait until they finish cleaning our carpets.  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.  Trust me, there is a real Spiritual feeling to the entire season for me, as well.  That's what makes it the most wonderful time of the year.  Stay tuned ... they'll be lots more to come!  The fun has just begun.  And, without further ado, here is today's project I'm sharing.
If you remember when the new Annual Catalog came out, I used this frame to introduce and show off our newest In Colors.  Here, I'm displaying a sampling of DSP, some stamps, and our super fun Christmas embellishments.  I forgot to add our charms, but I think I showed pretty much all our other new embellishments.

The 'Merry Christmas' stamp is from our Merry Mistletoe stamp set in our Annual Catalog.  The other stamps are all from our Holiday Catalog.


I love the little elf holding the 'Happy Holidays' sign.  I later went back and gave him a tiny pom on top his hat.
 ... and here are some gift bags I made for our children's Christmas Shoppe at our church. 
The Latest Scoop:
I STILL HAVE 2 REMAINING KITS FROM OUR CHRISTMAS RETREAT. / EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO MAKE 18 CARDS! / $40.00 

December 11 -- Scraps and Prayers Class:
     5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Christmas Cards and Tags
It's going to be a party atmosphere at our last class for 2017.  I've even been working on a hand made present for you!  The class is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot right away!

I'm nearly finished with next year's tentative classes and events planning, so you'll see news of all that very soon.

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.
- Come back often for more creative inspiration.
- Let's create something beautiful today.
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