Not sure I remember how to do this ....

Its been close to two years since I posted on this blog .... I'll blame it on life being too busy ... but maybe its just because I've been busy sewing ... here's a couple bags I made with Tim's fabulous fabrics. I love the designs, the design prints are so precise, the touch of the fabric, the weight is all so nice ... and it sews like a dream. Happy to hear the fabrics are all shipping .... got a quilt design in my head!


A long time ...

.. wow its been a long time since I've posted anything. Hope I remember how .... I just don't know where the time goes!!

While spending a few days at CHA the end of January, I had a chance to take a class at Prima with Anna Dabrowski from Poland. Had a blast ... she has a very interesting style.

Here's a small, very simplistic, copy of her concept ...

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone had a very nice Thanksgiving!

Its been so long since I posted anything ... spent about 3 months recovering from "the flood" ... but life is back to normal now ... and as awful as it was in the midst of "the mess" .... my home is prettier than ever. A blessing in disguise ... a mandatory remodel ... but its very nice!

This is one of the first projects I made when I finally had a chance to set back down in my room.

I now have an off white 2x3 travertine brick kitchen backsplash and I couldn't have a plain tissue box setting against it ... so I made this cover ... pearl metal with my favorite mold from 10SS, a little black paint and a touch of "gems" and its ready to go ...

Christmas decorations went up this past weekend ....

Don't blink .... that day will be here in a flash!

Very slow progress ...

I have to admit that clutter is something that makes me a little crazy ... so after a month of living like this .....
.. I've certainly had my moments of insanity! But I pick up the pieces and get back to doing whatever I can to help with any part of this process. The photo above is/was my studio .. the only place I found sanity, but now that the painters have started, there's not too much going in there anymore. They're doing the slow tedious stuff first, so I'm hoping over the next couple days they'll pick up some speed. I can't wait to show you the "after" photos!

And this is the family room ... isn't it lovely! This shows slow progress ... damaged drywall and insulation are being replaced today ... one step ahead of the painters!

This is the living room ... funny thing ... what I miss the most is just having a chair to sit in for a moments rest!
Well back to shuffling stuff to keep out of the painters way!

Happy Day!

A little sidetracked ....

... just as I was settling into the summer, staying out of the heat and spending more time in my studio, catching up on the abundance of projects that have been begging to be worked on .... I got a little sidetracked ...

NOT by choice ...

July 24, my husband came downstairs around 1 am and stepped into 5" of water covering our entire downstairs floor ... he hollered up to me .... who was still in a deep sleep ..... there's water on the floor ....

oh, really???

Being in the insurance business, we knew just who to call, and Service Master was at our door at 3 am with a crew of workers, blowers, dehumidifiers, and water removal equipment .....

They sucked up the water, removed the baseboards, put the necessary holes in the walls and left us to dry out ....

5 days and lots of heat later .... the blowers and dehumidifiers left ... only to find out that the water had corroded the motherboard on the furnace that controlled the A/C unit ... no wonder it was so hot in the house .... 100 degrees one day with 80% humidity ... pretty bad when its cooler outside than in!!

And this is my pretty kitchen after the blowers left and the hardwood was torn up .... thank goodness we were able to remove the plastic after a few days ...

Good bye beautiful hardwood ......

I'm very thankful that my art studio is upstairs and came through this event untouched ... well, until I have to pack it up for the remodel ...

I'm thankful for Farmers Insurance, who has been fabulous through this, and everyone who has reached out to help us .... I just keep looking forward to a couple (or 3) months down the road when we are whole again ...

The moral of this story is ... know where your main water shut off valve is at all times!!

Stay dry .....

A quickie ....

... card ... made from some cute new stamps that I found at Frenzy Stamper last week.

Hope everyone is staying cool!

Back to basics .....

I've had a real urge lately to start again ... back to the basics .... use up old product ... rekindle favorite old techniques .... scrapbook some of the many memories I've been making over the last few years.

I'm tiring of some of the things I've been doing ... and find myself longing to go back to a 12 x 12 pallet .... where each page brings such a satisfaction .... I've been looking through many of my old scrapbooks .... remembering how much I enjoyed the entire process ....

This is the first double spread, 12 x 12 layout I've done in a very long time ...... and it really got me thinking ..... back to the basics.


Have a wonderful week ....

I promised ....

... so I must follow through.

I was reminded this weekend by an old friend, that it had been a very long time since I posted anything on my blog .... and I had to ask "well, how do you know" ... and she said "because I check it every day" ..... soooo, now that I know someone is actually reading it .... I promised I would post an update ..... thank you, Jennifer! Thats was just the push I needed to get back into it!

And the timing was perfect to have something to share!

I got to experience the Creative Escape preview days this past thursday evening, all day Friday and part of Saturday.

We're sworn to secrecy about everything we saw and heard .... but I will say this ..... IF you are on the fence about signing up to go to the last Creative Escape ..... go ahead and sign up. This will be my fourth year of assisting at the event, and I can say that I enjoyed the classes this time around more than any of my other years! Good projects ... useable projects!

Just before finishing up on Saturday, Bazzil sponsored a door prize .... a drawing .... and here goes my brain .... oh, I don't like drawings, I'm just so unlucky with drawings ... i never win drawings ..... oh, how I wish I could win this drawing ... forget about it, finish your project .... oh, I know that box is full of Bazzil goodness ..... oh, I wish ...... and then I hear ... I don't know how to pronounce her last name, its sharon .... and her eyes go to me .... ME?? Me .... I won??? No way!!!!

Yes, way!! I was one happy girl!

and that box was full ......

of lots of Bazzil goodness .....

Thank you to Bazzil for the special box of goodies ... and the opportunity to work at Creative Escape.

I'll miss it next year .... but you shouldn't miss it THIS year!

I've got all kinds of things to catch up on this blog with .... keep reading Jennifer .... I'll try to be better!!

Tidbits ...

... of nothing imparticular.

The sky is a beautiful broken china blue with a spattering of white fluffy clouds ... far from the rain, wind and cold temperatures that have been forecast for a week. Our warmer weather is right around the corner.

Tuesday is March, 2011 .... March, 2009 is when I started this blog ... really can't believe that its been 2 years. Time just sprouts wings and flies away .... everyday I tell myself that I need to grab hold of it. My life is pretty simple. I work long hours at our business, have the duties that come along with being a wife and keeper of the household domain, and dance as fast as I can to keep up with a busy life. I enjoy quiet time at home, working in my studio, watching a little tv at night (ie American Idol, Castle, Grey's to name a few .. thank goodness for DVR's) ... and feel pretty blessed. I don't long to travel the world, I don't need to go shopping every weekend, I don't need to be on the go constantly. But sometimes I can't help but wonder if I'm missing out on something, should I want more? But I feel satisfied .... will I wake up one day when I'm old and feel like I missed out on something .... who knows ..... what are your thoughts on this?

Yesterday was a busy day, but one of my normal Saturday stops is at Frenzy Stamper .... there was a Zentangle class going on ... which I swear I'm going to take one day ... love Zentangle .... Debbie brought to my attention a 2 hour class at 3 in the afternoon .... the sample looked pretty cool ... so I jumped on board ..... went home, gathered up a few photos for the class and headed back in the afternoon ..... and I'm very happy I did .....

Joy taught an altered photos transer class ..... here's the results of what I learned ....


The photos here don't do the technique any justice ... they're going to be repeating the class in mid-March ... you locals should check it out ..... fun, inexpensive, very cool results. Call Debbie for details ... 480-946-0007.

Have a delightful week!

Spring is around the corner ...

.. you can see it and feel it everywhere ... in Phoenix, at least!

After reading Carol Wingert's blog, and seeing her blossoms in bloom, I was inspired to make somthing bloom in my house. I decorated my dining room chandelier at Christmas, and now that all the Christmas decor is gone, it looked so naked .... so I made some miniature roses bloom on it, which is really nice against the rich burgundy drapes that highlight that room ... and the crystal dangles were a Christmas closeout at the French Bee ....

Speaking of closeouts .... thats another delicious thing about Spring being close .... you can get some irresistable deals on winter clothes right now ... its kind of like Christmas decoration closeouts ... you know you won't use them right now, but its hard to resist such bargains for next year! I took advantage of a few "opportunities" this weekend ... now I hope it stays cool for a few weeks longer!

I can tell spring is close too because I am having a hard time concentrating on being creative in my studio. When its so beautiful outside, it just seems I can't sit still in that chair. Thats okay though ... because I know I'll have plenty of time for that in a couple months when its 100 plus outside.

But for now, I'll take advantage of the beautiful outdoors ... which I did this morning. Metta, where I practice yoga, is sponsoring a free yoga class on the center lawn at the Biltmore Shopping Center each Sunday this month at 10:30 am. It was a tad bit chilly this morning when I arrived, but I found a nice spot in the sun. It didn't take long before Jordan had us warmed up very nicely .... there's something magical about doing yoga, outside, on the lawn, with the sun warming you up!

Have a great week!

Those days ...

Does everyone have those days when you feel like you don't have a creative bone in your body ... and then there are those other days when things just fall into place without a thought and you just love the outcome!

I've been planning this day for awhile now ... all day in my room, working on projects, no interruptions ... I couldn't wait!

But then I couldn't decide what to work on ... I played with this, and then that ... I finished a couple pages in my last heirloom book ... and made this card ..... made another card.


It was an enjoyable day ... any day I get to spend all day, uninterrupted in my room ... is a great day ... whether I get things done or not!

CHA is in the air ...

.. a very exciting time of the year for all us crafters, artists, hobbyists.

I've had the pleasure numerous times working at CHA in the Advantus booth, the Ranger booth, and many years ago with Timeless Touches. It's a great experience! Many hours on your feet, talking all day until your tongue has a hard time forming words anymore ... but I wouldn't trade a moment of it. It was fun and exciting to be amongst all the new products and tools and papers and "stuff" ... wishing that I could take it all home NOW!!

I've also had the pleasure of going as a retailer with my good friend, Debbie Bick of Frenzy Stamper .... being on the buying side of the counter. As a retailer you get to wander all day amongst the rows and rows and rows of vendors, doing make and takes, looking at all the new product, collecting brochures, trying to remember which row and aisle that one thing was that you wanted to go back and see!

Lots and lots of fun!

This year I won't be attending, but I was invited to make some samples with the new big caligraphy alphabet set from Ten Seconds Studio

I love this alphabet ... so versatile with so many products and applications. Its a large alphabet, but still so versatile .... check it out on the website

I made some personalized Christmas gifts using the alphabet, which everyone was thrilled with, but I failed to take pictures of .... and made these for the Ten Seconds Studio booth at CHA .... Cheryl has been working like crazy on ideas/samples and been posting some of them on the blog. I can't wait to see what she and the others came up with!

I've been sewing since I was 8 years old, so I feel right at home with a needle and thread in my hands ... that was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw these letters. I made a banner with each letter hand embroidered ...


The letters were stamped on tissue paper, colored with pencils and melted into the candles ....

The letters are perfect for embossing on metal .....

This cross is from one of the new, very cool, molds ...... the letters are a new mold too!

The funky flowers background is another new mold .... so fun, so many things that can be done with it ....

All the new molds and alphabet are on the website and available NOW!! And I'm sure that once the craziness of CHA is over, Cheryl and Megan will be posting lots of great Taco Tuesdays and great ideas!!

Here's to a great CHA!!

Sure hope ...

... that everyone's Christmas was blessed and merry!

It is such a sweet time of the year ... the glisten and glitter of the decorations, reconnecting with family and friends, and the rekindling of spirit that comes with this holiday season!

And then there's always the hustle and bustle, the stress, the anxiety that also comes with this time of the year. That I won't miss!

Now its time to look forward to 2011 ... with new hope, new beginnings, new ideas, new resolutions. I sincerely hope that it brings only the best of everything to each and every one of you.

I've been busy making all kinds of projects ... many were for gifts, so I didn't post photos of them ... and now I realize that I didn't take photos of too many of them!

Now I'm working on samples using the AWESOME calligraphy stamps that Cheryl at Ten Seconds Studio created .... I LOVE them! They're big, beautiful and oh so versatile ... if you haven't ordered one yet ... you should.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year!

Maison de Joie .....

... another fabulous day with Carol Wingert.

I feel so blessed, lucky, privileged to have attended all of her heirloom events this year. Thank you Carol for the energy you put into each one of these events to keep them unique, pleasing and challenging.

I'm going to let the photos tell the story .... and be sure to keep an eye on Carol's blog for her eloquent description of the day!

We arrived at Annette's beautiful house at 8:30 for breakfast. Carol's daughter, Ashley, did an amazing job with the food ...... breakfast was fruit cups, quiches, pumpkin cake ... to mention only a few ....

We gathered our breakfast and made ourselves at home in the resort like backyard ...

After we were fed, it was time to settle in at our places ... this is what we started with ......

at the tables, nestled amongst all the fabulous Christmas decorations ....

Carol walked us through the latest heirloom book ... this one perfect for the holiday season, Christmas white, with some beautifully elegant designs, and a touch of sparkle ......

Carol and our hostesses .... Earlene and Annette .....

The whole lucky group ......

And then before we knew it, it was time for lunch .... more delicious food .....

enjoyed in the backyard ......

and the work continues ......

there were work stations inside and out ...... the weather was a perfect 75 degrees ..

Afternoon snacks ..... chocolate covered popcorn, cookies, hot peach cobbler .... again, to just mention a few ....

Prepared by our cute little chef ......

And the day draws to a close ..... we're happy, stuffed and full of Christmas spirit and joy ......

as we watch the sunset on our perfect day .....

A very special thanks to everyone that made this day possible.

So much to be thankful for .....

God keeps sending me angels .... i wasn't familiar with that song until I was watching a tv show called "The Defenders", and Jim Belushi started singing it at the end of the show. If you follow the show, it was a touching moment. I did a search on i-tunes and downloaded Kathy Mattea's version of it. Its one of my favorites now ... a song with a message ... check it out!

And speaking of angels .... I can't say that I collect angels, but I keep finding ones that speak to me .... this is my latest addition .... she flows, i love her wings and her spirit ......

On this wonderful day, I've got so many things to be thankful for ... I truly feel blessed ... I know the angels are watching over me!

God bless all of you today and everyday!

The canvas winners ...

... are being announced tomorrow! Thank each and every one of you for all the donations to this great cause! Be sure to have your ticket numbers available and watch here for the winning numbers to be announced tomorrow ... and be sure and watch the Taco Tuesday!

When things just fall together ....

... its a beautiful thing! An unexpected invitation brought five women together who quickly bonded, created awesome art, formed great friendships and had a very memorable long weekend.

Here's what happened .....

Cheryl from Ten Seconds Studio invited Terri, Roxanne and I to come enjoy a long weekend with her at her Bra Free Lake House. Carolyn from The Crafty Scrapper in Texas joined us too. Of course, we accepted .... upon arriving at the Lake House, the first thing we saw was the beautiful view from the deck overlooking the lake and inlet.

We then proceeded to turn the house into our art studio. Cheryl has done a grand job at setting this place up with lighting, supplies, table space and all the necessities a group needs for a great get together.

Roxanne volunteered to do all the food planning and cooking .... and she totally spoiled us. We ate like queens ....

This gorgeous creature came to visit every day, but this evening he came right up to us, stayed for awhile (he wanted dinner, I think) and then floated off into the sunset .....

The weather was perfect and we enjoyed many of our meals on the deck ....

enjoying the beautiful scenery ......

We were up early and stayed up very late (or is that early when you're referring to 2 am) creating together and inspiring each other. The slow burn technique that Terri and I learned from Julie Haymaker was a huge hit ... in fact, once we got everyone started with the woodburning it seemed like we were looking for any thing and any shape we could burn and color.

Here's a look at a few of the things we created with woodburning, paints, color pencils, paper and metal ......

And it was impossible to pick a favorite ......

Thank you Cheryl for a very special weekend.

If you're looking for a place to spend a bit of "girl" time, check out the Bra Free lake house or the country house ... I found it rather magical! You can get details on renting either location here

And now I'm off to put the finishing touches on a few of those projects ...

Enjoy your week!