Live in the Moment

My cats are a great joy in my life. Gidget has been really wanting attention this week. She loves to sleep on my chest or next to me and is always begging for her back to be scratched so I could not resist taking these pictures this morning.




Today, after reading Tim Holtz blog post, I decided I would spend my desk/crafting time working on a February tag for the 12 Tags of 2012. I was not sure I wanted to commit to a tag every month, but it's just one tag right? For most, that would be true, but being that I am unsure day to day if I can craft or set at my desk, then it becomes more challenging for me. So, I saw all of the tags posted on Tim's blog and was truly inspired. Wonderful tags, all so pretty, I wanted to play with my Tim products. Now, I do not have all of the products he used in his example, but I tried to use as many Tim products as possible. So, I hope you enjoy the pictures below.


The tag is a #8 sized tag that I made from watercolor paper. I clear embossed the tag first with the words and images. Then I colored the tag with Distress Ink Festive Berries. The edges of the tag was distressed with Tim Holtz distressing tool, then inked with Distress Ink Aged Mahogany. I then took a damp paper towel and wiped the embossed areas to clear off the ink. Then the tag was lightly sprayed with water to get a more distressed look.
The fragment charm I pounced Liquid Pearl Pink on the back and stamped the saying in StazOn Black on the front. The butterfly was stamped with StazOn Black on the Ranger Shrink Plastic. Cut out, punched a hole in the wing and shrunk with my heat gun. I then colored the back with Alcohol Inks Stream & Wild Plum. I then dabbed Liquid Pearl White over the Alcohol Inks. These are both attached with a Tim charm clip & jump rings to the ribbon.

The heart was cut from watercolor paper, stamped and clear embossed. Then I inked with Distress Ink Spun Sugar and edged with Festive Berries. I lightly spread Pink Stickles over the non-embossed areas on the heart. Another heart was cut from cardstock (any color you won't see it). I stuck Tim's Tissue Tape around the edge of the cardstock as Tim shows in his video. Due to tissue tape being sticky, I used my embossing buddy on the exposed part of the back of the tape. This takes care of the stickiness and lets the tissue tape stay fluffy. I rubbed some of the Festice Berries over the top of the tissue tape. I then attached the pink heart over the tissue tape heart and glued it to the tag.

The key and locket charms were really fun to make. I used one of the small keys from the grunge board elements and then the locket was hand drawn on watercolor paper and cut out. I colored both of these charms with Distress Ink Black Soot. Using a Versamark Pen I colored the entire top and dipped it in the UTEE Black. Both were heat embossed. I ended up covering both charms, front and back, with two layers of UTEE. Once cooled, I spread a thin layer of Platinum Stickles, then dabbed on Alcohol Ink Copper. I then re-heated the charms slightly to embed the stickles and copper ink in the black embossing. Both charms are attached to the tag with a charm clip, brad and jump rings. The hearts at the bottom of the tag were punched with a Martha Stewart Edge Punch on Tim Holtz paper and glued to the back of the tag.

I hope all the instruction is clear enough. If you have any questions about any of the process, please let me know. Until next time......Enjoy!

Encourage Your Hopes not Your Fears

Okay, so it's been a long while since I have posted. I have been hanging at home basically due to my disability now. I have been able to do a little each day at a desk or crafting. I always choose crafting over the computer. It's only been about year now since I have been able to craft for about 2 hours a day a couple times a week, so I am so thankful that I am able again.

Well, I want to share a page that I created for a journal I made in January. The journal was for Marion Smith's 31 Day Challenge 2012. We were to make a daily page for a journal and take a picture about our life or whatever we wanted. So this is one of the pages that I made from white card stock and stamps. Hope you enjoy.
So my goal is to do more blogging this year. I have also been hanging out on Pinterest, which is the best find this year so far. I have just posted my first video tutorial on Youtube and plan on continuing the videos too. Hope everyone has had a wonderful start to 2012 with more blessings coming. Enjoy!

Flutter, flutter, butterflies.....

Just a quick project today. I made this in a class I took with my Stampin Up demonstrator, who is a wonderful teacher. It is a card album. I thought it would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift (Grandparent's Day, too). It's simple and you can have the kids decorate the card for a special touch. Let me know if you have any questions.






Photo Album Card

Materials:

• 1 sheet 8.5X11" SU cardstock Pixie Pink (to make 2 cards 4.25X5.5")

• 5 pieces SU cardstock Barely Banana 4X5.25"
• 4 pieces SU cardstock Whisper White 3.75X5"
  
• Assorted pieces in same colors for decoration elements (see pictures)
• Assorted SU Stamps
• Assorted Ink pad and markers in same color scheme.
• Coluzzle or die cutter for oval picture windows.
• Favorite adhesive, I prefer Glue Rings or tape runners.

Directions:

1. Paste the two pink card bases together, back of first card to front of second card. This should now look like a one page album.
2. Adhere banana cards to each page (cover, inside cover, both sides of middle pages and inside back cover).
3. Using Coluzzle or die cutter, cut oval window in middle of 2 of the white cardstock pieces, keeping the cut out oval for later. Place adhesive following the sketch seen here.
4. Place windowed white pieces on the middle pages of album. Place the two solid white pieces on the front cover and the inside back cover of the album.
5. Album is ready to be decorated with stamps. I used scrap paper and the cut out ovals as masks.

Time Flies.........

Okay, time flies when your having fun and not having fun, although in my case, mostly having fun. I had to stop by and post some new pics of our newest family member. Her name, well, it's a toss up at this point. We cannot decide, so I have been calling her Little Bit. Some of the most recent thoughts were Sugar, Sugarplum, Ivory, Snow, Snowflake, Snowball, Pinkie..... on and on it goes. Hopefully, soon we will make it definitive. But, for now she is Little Bit.




We found her on one of the coldest mornings of the year so far. It has been determined that someone dumped two little kittens out by our building. The all black kitten disappeared. Not sure what happened to him, but this little girl was under a vehicle, yelling with all she had. She was, at the most, 6 weeks old and been without food for 2 days. She finally came to the food that was offered. I had never heard a cat purr and eat at the same time. Of course, we monitored her food intake for 48 hours and then slowly introduced her to our horde. Needless to say, most of my sophisticated grown-ups did not want to be bothered by a rowdy youngster.


But, with minimal events of screaming, everyone is happy now.










Little Bit loves to help out with everything. She loves to watch my fingers move on the key board and watch the mouse run around on the screen. She watches TV with us, too. But, as any baby does, she gets worn out. Good thing is, she sleeps anywhere.









On a sad note, our beloved Max has passed away. He became ill and was gone in half a day. He was an old man, so we knew it was on the horizon, but it's still hard sometimes. Also, my aunt is under going lung cancer treatments. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

I vow to be more regular with posting for all to read this next year. Also, with more craft projects, painting, etc. Have a wonderful Holiday Season and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

Journals, Journals Everywhere!

It has been awhile since I have posted, I know. I have been creating! Yeah! My creation for today is another journal. I love journals, can you tell! I think I have posted more journal projects than anything else. Anyway, I have hand painted the cover. The journal measures 5.25X7. All of the papers and stamped images are from Stampin Up. I do not believe you can see it, but under the painting, in the same color as the top cardstock, I used the Boroque Border wheel. You can see it on the back cover, but it looks really cool in person. So, I hope this gift is well received! There are three tabbed sections inside, Scriptures, Confessions and Notes. I have used BIA for the wire binding. Please let me know if you have any questions about this journal.

No Dry Bones Here......

The week is almost over and the Great Lakes Believer's Convention is almost over. Jesse Duplantis was so inspiring tonight and funnier than ever. If you want to laugh, listen to Jesse! He is a true original. If you want to learn the Word of God, listen to Jesse! I was truly blessed to be able to listen this evening...God is awesome!

I haven't been creating lately, but I have been typing up some notes I have taken from web videos and TV. I have a TO DO list a mile long that I have made a small dent in. Hopefully I will be back to creating this weekend.

I want to share some roses with you. I love to create mini roses with Air Dry Porcelain Clay by Amaco. I had made these and still not sure what I will do with them. There are two roses that I can make earrings and the rest I will probably make pins out of. These are really fun and require no baking! That is the best part. They can be colored with oil paints mixed into the clay or I allow the clay to set up for about an hour and then use watercolor for a soft pastel porcelain look. The white roses are the porcelain with no added color. The second picture shows three heart pins and a barrette. Each of these are made with the porcelain clay and watercolors. The heart pins are about 1.5" and the barrette is 2" wide. I hope you enjoy these pictures. Please let me know if you have any questions.


The scripture verses for today are Ezekiel 37:1-14. I have been listening to Joyce Meyer this week teaching Me and My Big Mouth. She stated was what dry bones do you have in your life this week that you need to talk life into? What a profound statement! God has given us authority to speak the Word over our circumstances to produce change! Praise God! My favorite part of this section of scripture is verse 7, "So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a thundering noise and behold, a shaking and trembling and a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone." I truly recommend this teaching from Joyce Meyer. She explains this a lot clearer than I can right now.

God is faithful...ever true to His promise...

What a wonderful week! I have been attending, on-line, the Southwest Believer's Convention with Kenneth Copeland Ministries. It has been so awesome spending time immersed in the Word and hearing everyone teach. August 18th starts the Great Lakes Believer's Convention and I am ready!

I thought that I would share my favorite section of the Bible instead of just a verse for this week. It's found in 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 (AMP)

"That you are not [consciously] falling behind or lacking in any special spiritual endowment or Christian grace [the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in your souls by the Holy Spirit], while you wait and watch [constantly living in hope] for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and [His] being made visible to all. And He will establish you to the end [keep you steadfast, give you strength, and guarantee your vindication; He will be your warrant against all accusation or indictment so that you will be] guiltless and irreproachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

This just reassures me that God is on my side. I read it aloud when I can because "...faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God..." When everyday things get you down, don't talk about the situation. Find the scripture for you and keep repeating it. If you cannot find a scripture, just say Jesus is Lord or Jesus is the constant source of my supply. Something to build your faith and not the problem. See what God has planned for you! Praise the Lord, my friend!

I always have to include a crafting project, so today's is a box lid that I made for my club project and I then filled the box with different handmade cards. I used the SU wrapping paper, painted it and covered with Perfect Paper Adhesive. The tassel is the SU twill ribbon. I unraveled 3 equal length ribbons, leaving enough for the top and put them together with a brad to complete the tassel. The tag is made with the large & small tag punch and then stamped using black embossing and the Wild West Alphabet. Adhere the tag together and place an eyelet in the top. The belt is made with cream card stock, Boho wheel in black, deco-edge scissors and brown brads. It is then glued to the top of the box. Being that I wanted the tag on the tassel, I put the brad through the tassel and then tied the tag onto the brad with a piece of DMC Floss. Please let me know if you have any questions.