A few more cards...

that I made this week. This first one is based on a sketch by Clean and Simple. I'm really liking this idea. Pretty card with not a lot of fuss!



Products all CTMH: CS: Textured white daisy and Hollyhock, Inks: Chocolate, Hollyhock, Stamps: Aspiration, Accessories: chocolate watercolor pencil.

This is another take on Mojo Monday. I like to cut out two of everything when I make a card. That way I can make a couple different cards with the same sketch/idea. With this one, I simply flipped 2 of the pieces over and made a different looking card. (Gotta love that about CTMH papers... They are 2 sided!) The bird is the stamp that is included in this months promotion of Felicity. (see side bar or go to CTMH website, or better yet, call me!) I inked it with Barn Red, used my sponge dauber to take away some of the ink to add shading then stamped it and embossed it with irridescent embossing powder! Love that effect!

This is the inside...

Products all CTMH: CS Colonial White, B/T paper: Felicity (Jan promotion), Inks: Chocolate, Barn Red, Stamps: Felicity (Jan promotion), Card Chatter-thanks, Accessories: Colonial white organdy ribbon, Chocolate watercolor pencil, EK Success corner rounder, MS border punch.

This next card was for my nephew this weekend. He was in the pinewood derby and won first place in his troop and second place in his ??? next step above a troop. (We will be in boy scouts soon so I'll learn more about it then). He advanced to districts. Way to go Cody!
I made this card using my new cricut I got from my sisters and brother for Christmas! The car is from Cars (obviously) and was a little more work than I thought, but I wanted to add shading and highlights to give it a little more dimension. I think it turned out pretty cute. The exhaust is from a Stamp of the month we had last fall. (I hope we get it in our new catalog...so cute).


The inside of this one...not very creative, but it's a cute saying!

Products all CTMH except where noted: CS: Holiday Red, White Daisy, Sunny Yellow, Black, Spring Iris, Card Base (unknown), Inks: Black, Hydrangea, Stamps: Say it in Style, Boys at play, Around the Block (Nov SOM), Accessories: Cricut -Cars, sanding block, cranberry marker, Signo white gel pen, Copic C1

Hearts and Angels

Here is my offering for this weeks sketch Mojo #122. I decided to spotlight the Felicity collection by CTMH because at the end of this month, it will no longer be available. SO, get it while you can! I love this collection because there are masculine and feminine papers and it's very versatile. I will showcase some more of these with my next post. In the meantime, enjoy! I also used one of my new favorite stamp sets, Angel sent. I have been wanting this set for a while and now that A-sized stamps have gone down in price ($7.95) I decided to splurge a little extra this month! Don't you love her?

I'm so excited this week because my Craft room is finally organized and put together. I need to get some shelves up (and paint...but that's later), but I can create and everything is organized! I love it!

All products CTMH unless otherwise noted: Paper: Barn Red CS, Colonial White CS, Felicity Paper Pack, INKS: Barn Red, Sorbet, Chocolate; STAMPS: Angel Sent, Felicity, In my Heart (retired I think); ACCESSORIES: Colonial White Organdy Ribbon (retired), Watercolor pencils, Summer Posies, Waterbrush, EK success corner punch (Scallop), Unknown heart punch (old), Fruit Punch Stickles.

Getting my MOJO

As a birthday/Christmas present last year, my little brother, and 2 sisters got me a Cricut. I was so excited to have one and had even purchased the Tinkerbell cartridge (on sale at Walmart for $15) last fall in hopes that I would get one soon! Well, I got one and I LOVE IT! So, my little brother told me I had to use it for his birthday card...here is the result. I used theMojo Monday sketch (121) as inspiration. I made the resolution to, at the very least, make the Mojo Monday sketch every week. This is week 2 and I am doing good so far! Hope you enjoy it!

Products (all CTMH unless otherwise noted):CS: Outdoor Denim, Indian Corn Blue, New England Ivy, Barn Red CS; Back Country paper pack, Autumn Terracotta patterned paper (retired); NEI brads; Cricut-Basic shapes; Cuttlebug EF; CTMH chalks; Stickles-Gold; Fibers-unknown

This was last weeks sketch (and was completed last week)!
Products (all CTMH unless otherwise noted): Paper Daydream, white daisy CS; Stamps: Treasures (Sept '09 SOM), Ink: Flower, Black; Martha Stewart Punch; Gemstones-paper studio; Pink baubles-Michaels; White Daisy Ribbon

My scraproom is starting to come together. I'm so excited to have my Original Scrapbox finally up and put together (mostly). Once it's organized completely, I will be in paper crafting heaven! I love it! I'll post pics when I get it completely done!

GREAT start!

Well, we are off to a great start! In a new home (again), the kids seem to enjoy their new school... they adjust well anyway, and the house is coming together. We have some really nice neighbors and friends who already live nearby!

As far as CTMH, I'm an active consultant again and I hope to start a card workshop once a month (at least) from my house. I'll see if anyone in the neighborhood is interested. CTMH has come out with this fantastic package for card and scrapbooking workshops that makes it easier for the consultants and customers alike! I can't wait to get my package to prepare for some workshops! I hope I can get a fresh start with it. I love cardmaking and scrapbooking! The best news is that I'm already signed up for CTMH convention which will be in July and only 25 minutes from our house! So look for new crafting stuff to come shortly! After my craft room is complete, it should be easy and fun to create! I finally have a space of my own!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic start to their new year! Happy 2010!

Exactly!

While perusing a couple of CTMH blogs, I came across this blog that had some really fun artwork. As I was reading there was a widget on the side that said "praying for stellan", so, of course I went to it to see what was wrong with this precious little baby pictured in the widget. Her latest entry was talking about finding 4 leaf clovers...and then she said this. I have heard it said in so many different ways, and even thought it myself, but I love the way she stated it and thought I would share it with you...


"Perhaps having a good life, one that we are satisfied or joyful in, is not measured by how much subjective good there actually is in our lives, but simply in if we look for satisfaction and joy.

For example, when I am full of a spirit of restoration and love, I can choose to look at my husband and see the good in him. I can focus my attention on the things I love about my husband and put blinders up to the small, irritating things that might otherwise irk me.

The converse is true, too. When I am feeling self-righteous and negative, I can look at that same husband and choose to see only his flaws. When I let his flaws fester in my mind, they seem to grow bigger and more irritating. The good that is in my husband is shoved to the side as I am first unwilling and, later, in fact unable to see it in him.

Nothing about my husband himself changed in these two scenarios. The difference was just in my outlook, in what I searched for."


Well SAID!

The more things change...

the more I think David may actually be right...maybe I really DO have some grey hair? Naw...not yet. But things certainly are changing! We went home to Ohio for a much needed break. Well... it started out a little that way. The first full day there we went to my sisters house in Doylestown where we had a great day with all the Ohio cousins playing baseball/softball (depending on gender)...just imagine, 11 kids ranging from 17 to 4 playing a game of pick-up ball... No tantrums, no fighting, just a fun, relaxing afternoon in the cool 60 degree weather playing an all american sport...life just doesn't get any better than that! Then we went back to my sisters house to have BBQ ribs and cheesy potatoes and brownies...YUM! Perfect! Then outside to collect fireflies and play in the dark...oh I remember being the little one! The next day was the 4th and we went to Blossom Music Center to watch the Cleveland Orchestra play their salute to America and the fireworks afterward. I LOVE outdoor arenas and Blossom brings back so many memories! I haven't been there in years and it was a great way to relax and celebrate the 4th...picnics, family and friends...so much fun! We celebrated Bethany's 11th Birthday the following Monday...can you believe I have an 11 year old? I can't!




Anyway, next day we went back to Doylestown to see my nieces play the last softball game of their travel season! What a great way for my girls to see how the big girls play! Not only did we have fun watching the game, but we had a great time playing with cousins and enjoying the brisk cool NE Ohio air! My kids have never seen so many fireflies (or giant attack mosquitoes) as they did in Doylestown. In Tennessee, we're lucky to catch maybe 3 or 4, but in Ohio they caught so many that they started speading the "light" parts on their faces like war paint to glow in the dark...poor little bugs. I wonder what their lifespan is anyway? With my kids, it is about 5 seconds!

Next, we visited the McKinley Museum and explored with the dinosaurs, learned about rock layers and fossils, discovered native animals of Ohio and even a little about space! Went on a museum scavenger hunt (in my opinion, all museums should have this wonderful learning tool! They equip the kids with pencils and clipboards and have them fill in age appropriate information about different exhibits...matching for the little ones, fill in the blanks for the big ones) and then went upstairs to learn about a distant relative of ours, William McKinley the 25th president. Of course, my 16 year old niece had to play the part of the blond and ask, "who is that" as the talking mannequin began his speech about his life in the white house and how he got there. I just had to look at her and let in sink in a little before she realized WHERE we were and put 2 and 2 together. Yes, it was the blond leading the blond, but I think I'm actually more brunette now! Pretty funny though. Then we climbed the stairs to look at the Memorial and slide back down the "rails". (Actually, I walked, they slid)



















Unfortunately, things took a turn with my dear mother-in-law and I thankfully went up to Geneva to take care of her and give my sisters-in-law a little break. I am so grateful for those 3 days! I learned so much about my mother-in-law. She lived an amazing life, endured with such grace and strength and loved so unconditionally...one can only emulate her. I enjoyed the time, realizing all too well that it was more and more limited. After those few days, David's sister return to care for her and David was on his way in two days to see her because her condition had become grave. We all were there on Friday for the weekend and on Monday, July 20, my mother-in-law was escorted to heaven by my father-in-law. She said he was with her and she peacefully went away with him. It all happened so quickly that none of us were/are prepared for it. 9 days after her discharge from the hospital she was gone. We all had some beautiful moments, some very funny moments and of course, some very sorrowful moments. Once again I'm reminded how precious life is and how quickly things change...


I took this picture when most of David's siblings were gathered around her reading a poem she loved. She was starting to relax after being restless and the moment was too beautiful not to capture. This period in time was not a time to carry the camera around, but while watching this moment, I couldn't resist taking this shot...pretty amazing!

Later that week, David's family had calling hours and a beautiful funeral. It was amazing to see their family's strength and weakness all at the same time, but it was more amazing to see my children during the process. Even Nicholas understood what had happened and I really had a hard time keeping my composure after he completely broke down at the funeral. We have some pretty terrific, very loving and very sensitive kids to truly know and understand this life changing situation. I can not imagine having to suffer the loss of my grandparents at such a young age and to know what it means. They understood completely and displayed such love, loss and grace.


Before we returned to Clarksville, we went down to Amish country to show the kids an amazingly different kind of life. While driving down there we passed this tree...


We had to stop and look at it. The owner of the house happened to be standing outside and I asked him about the tree. He said it was getting too overgrown and he knew he needed to cut it down, but he wanted to do something special with it. He was the former principal of the high school located right behind this house and knew one of the teachers at the school loved to carve wood. So he asked him what he could do with it and the teacher simply replied, "we could have a lot of fun". He cut the tree down to this point and the teacher started on a Wednesday afternoon and finished on the following Saturday afternoon. It is truly a work of art.





these are just a few of the images of the tree. It was pretty amazing!




Beautiful Ohio!


Speaking of things changing, we are moving...again. This time to Ft. Belvoir, VA for who knows how long. NO, our house has not sold, so some extra prayers for us in that area would be GREAT! We figured it would be better for us to be together and paying two rents, than being apart and paying two rents. So... if you know anyone who wants to buy or rent a house in Clarksville, I highly recommend ours! We have an awesome neighborhood and great friends here...(yes, shameless plug!)

Well, that's our last month or so...busy, full and never a dull moment.

Going home

Well, we are headed home for a couple of weeks... life is amazing! I have no idea where we'll be 2 months from now but somehow we will be fine. I'm in for a lot of hard work, a lot of long days and a lot of changes but life has a way of doing that. I still have hope, I still have dreams and I still have faith that God will help me find the right path to take. I just wish everything didn't have to be so hard. So for now I'm going back to my roots and hopefully things will fall into place, one way or another.