Little Red Wagon #74

This week we were challenged by Deanna to create with fabric. Hmmm...

This challenge took me a while to decide what to do and I am not sure that I am overly pleased with the outcome, but this is what I made.

I only fabric I had was left-over from the quilt I made, so I decided to use that to create a ruffle on my card. I dug deep in my wagon and found this paper that I thought would work really well with the fabric, but now I think it blends in too much.

Then I wanted to use a new stamp set by Our Craft Lounge, called Pins and Needles, but I was really having a hard time finding a color of ink that would match the paper. After a few tries, I settled on Old Paper Distress Ink by Tim Holtz. I also added some detailing and shading with my Copic markers.

A bit of ribbon, a button and some twine were the finishing touches. Maybe I will give the card along with the quilt? Or maybe I will just put it at the bottom of my card pile and try making another one. We will see :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday and be sure to stop by Little Red Wagon to see what the other Girlfriends came up with! I am sure you find some great inspiration ~

Recognizing His Presence

For some reason, I have been thinking a lot about my father lately. He passed away a couple of years ago and I realize even more now that he is gone, that he was our rock. He was the paternal presence that held our family together. He was honest, generous and hard working and he expected nothing less from his children. He was also funny and wise and was a great story teller. We all respected him and he was a steady presence in our lives.

So when I had a dream recently that I walked into my parent's home and Dad was sitting in his chair in the living room, I felt such joy and relief. With tears of joy, I ran up to him and said, "I am so glad you're back!" I couldn't get over the sense of relief that I felt. Dad was back - he could help to once again carry the burdens of our family. He could direct us and unite us and strengthen us. How blessed I am to have had a Dad as I did. He taught me the love of a father, which paved the way to my love for God, my heavenly father.

I continue to count the gifts. And as I do, I realize that as I recognize the gifts in the everyday, I am ultimately recognizing the presence of Christ who gives the gifts. I often do not see Him. I do not feel Him near. But the gifts I count, are His presence! And with each gift I say to Him, "Lord, you're back!" Then He gently whispers to my heart, "I never left." Because He never does!

So I continue to recognize, to count, to give thanks...

61. party planning with my sisters
62. the cheery feeling that bright, colorful scrapbook papers give me
63. afternoon naps
64. our oldest son starting his dream job
65. reconnecting with old friends
66. my Lenten journey of prayer and fasting that draws me closer to Christ
67. drinking at the well of His word when I read the Bible
68. sweet strawberries fresh from the market

69. our youngest son achieving honour roll status
70. our oldest son calling to ask my opinion about something (yes... he still needs me!)

Here it is!

The Spring 2011 issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today has hit the shelf and my layout is in print!

It is quite exciting to see something that I created actually published in a magazine! It has also been a bit overwhelming with all the positive comments that I have been receiving from my many scrapbook friends!

You can actually view the Spring Issue on-line if you like. It is a great magazine with lots of great scrapbook ideas!

Thanks to everyone for making this such a fun experience :)

On-Line Crop at TSF!

This weekend the Two Scrapbook Friends DT is hosting an on-line crop on the Forum! It is called Lights, Camera, Action! and all the challenges have something to do with television!

For my challenge I decided to go with the TV show Friends and I did up a layout with a photo of me and my BFF :)

The design of the layout was inspired by a sketch at Sketchy Thursdays. I started with a grid pattern paper and sprayed some Glimmer Mist on it (my new favorite thing!). Then I used lots of stickers from SRM for the words. I like the clean and simple look of them.

They even had the perfect sticker for my title - Sweet Friend of Mine! And I found the cutest little heart button in my stash that was perfect for this layout!

An on-line crop is the perfect thing for a cold, snowy weekend! I hope everyone has a good time!

Little Red Wagon #73

This week's challenge at Little Red Wagon is brought to us by Avril! She has challenged us to use butterflies on our creation. I adore butterflies so I was excited to play along!

I started with a stamped image from My Favorite Things - isn't she darling? Then I used my Copic markers to color it. I also did a bit of paper piecing (first time ever!) on her dress and added Glossy Accents to her shoes.

The butterfly was made using a punch by Martha Stewart and the card was inspired by a design in a recent Cards magazine.

Let's encourage Spring by seeing your butterfly creations this week! Flutter on over to Little Red Wagon and play along :)

Fun & Games

I have often admired the sketches and designs shown on the Sketch Support blog and when I saw a recent sketch by Allison I couldn't resist using it to create a layout with photos of my nephew. Her sketch has a grid design on it that I totally love and I combined it with a new paper line by Imaginisce - Animal Crackers!

I used my sewing machine to create the grid and then I hand-cut the tickets from the pattern paper, backed them with white cardstock and used foam adhesive to pop them up!

My nephew, Nathan, is the youngest of 13 nieces and nephews in my family, and he is adorable! Everything is an adventure to him and it was fun scrapbooking these photos that captured his delight on the carousel!

Multitudes on Mondays

My list of gifts came easy this week... there is so much to be thankful for!

51. the animated conversations of our teenage son
52. seeing the first robin of spring!
53. hearing my son's cheerful singing in the other room
54. being on my knees in prayer, because it makes me more fully aware of my dependence on God
55. a sharp pencil and a bag of M&Ms - the essential tools when I do bookkeeping for Mr B

56. coming home after a long day of work and changing into my comfy pj's
57. scrapbooking with my friend
58. reunions with loved ones
59. Sunday dinner that includes both our boys
60. long distance phone calls that allow me to hear my mom's voice

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
~Psalm 118:1

Reflections of You

I did a photo shoot of my niece, Danielle, early last year and I decided to scrapbook one of the pictures. I used a simple design and had fun with the embellishments.

I made up a scalloped half-circle banner using pattern paper with clouds on it. I thought it worked well since the photo was taken outside.

Then I had fun with some doilies! I misted one using Sea Glass Glimmer Mist and used it as part of the background. Then I scrunched a second one to create a flower! I topped it with a Jillibean corrugated flower and a little butterfly I punched out using a Martha Stewart punch (thanks Carolyn ♥).

The rub-on letters are from Doodlebug Design. The finished page is pretty and sweet - just like my niece :)

Thanks for looking ~

Little Red Wagon #72

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today was my turn to post the challenge at Little Red Wagon and I thought it would be fun to do something with office supplies!

I created this card using a Sizzix die for the file folder and a notebook border punch on lined paper from MME! Then I used my Lawn Fawn stamps (my favs!) that were perfect for this challenge (they even had a paper clip stamp!).

I finished it by adding a real paper clip, some ribbon and a bit of stitching.

I also added a stamped sentiment to the inside of the card :)

Now let's see what you can do with office supplies! Put on your creative caps and join in the fun at Little Red Wagon!

Your Smile

I thought I would post this layout that I did a couple of weeks ago at our CHA Giveaway Crop!

This single page layout was inspired by two things: 1 - Regan and her fabulous bag full of mists and 2 - the cover of the new Scrapbook Trends magazine, Quick & Easy Scrapbooks & More!

Our CHA Crop was scheduled to go from 9:00am-9:00pm, but I was persuaded to let the ladies stay a bit later. I said I would let them stay, but only if I was able to close the store and scrapbook with them! They all thought that was a great idea, so about 8 of us enjoyed some extra scrapping time and I was able to play with some ideas that were swimming around in my head.

First off, Regan had a large bag full of all kinds of spray mists in all sorts of gorgeous colors and all I wanted to do was give them a try. She happily let me borrow them and I created an awesome background by adding some mists to a Stella & Rose paper from MME.

Then I basically scraplifted the design from a layout by Mandie Pierce. It is a very simple design that keeps the emphasis on the single photo of my DS. It was quick and easy (hey - that's what the magazine is called!) and I loved that I was able to finish it in a short time.

I was also happy that I could play with some of the new products in our store. I not only used the new MME paper, but some fabulous canvas chipboard letters by Prima for the title! Everything else is from my stash.

Thanks for looking and if anyone wants to crop with me, I will be at the store on Thursday night for our UFO (Un-Finished Objects) Crop! It would be fun!

Counting Gifts, Counting Joys!

A multitude of gifts! Will you count with me?

41. checking things off my to-do list
42. my morning wake-up call
43. drawing nearer to Him who created and redeemed me
44. a pretty tea set - a special souvenir from a 'sisters weekend'

45. the gift of motherhood
46. safe travels
47. friends with a sense of humor
48. the smell of fresh, clean laundry
49. blue skies after what feels like an eternity of gray ones!
50. knowing I am loved

May you recognize the gifts and experience the joys ♥

I've Been Published!

I am thrilled to say that I am being published in the upcoming issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today!

I never think to submit my layouts or cards for publication, but I decided to give it a try and submitted a double-page layout to my favorite scrapbooking magazine - Scrapbook & Cards Today! I was so surprised when they contacted me and told me they wanted to publish it! Needless to say, I was doing the happy dance big time and it will be such a thrill to actually see my layout in print!

The Spring issue comes out in a couple of weeks and I will show you my layout then! For now it is officially 'out for publication'...

Rag Quilt ♥

I actually finished my very first quilt! Yay! It is a rag quilt and really easy to make - just very time consuming!

I used Art Gallery Fabrics and I made the quilt for someone very special to me! In case she reads my blog I can't say who it is for just yet :)

Here is a close-up of the back of the quilt...

I am surprised that I actually kept the squares all aligned! I washed it once - that is how you get the clipped seams to be all soft and ragged - but I might give it a second wash to soften it up a bit more!

I hope the special someone that I made it for will feel all the love I put into it! She deserves it :)

Little Red Wagon #71

This week at Little Red Wagon Deanna chose green for our challenge!

I was in a vintage sort of mood, so I used this Kaiser Craft dress form embellie and added some green ribbon and a green resin flower to it! Then I combined it with some green paper and I was sew happy with the results!

Why not celebrate green with us - Spring and St. Patty's day - by taking up Deanna's challenge and joining us at Little Red Wagon? We would love to see what you create :)

Counting the Gifts

I am s-l-o-w-l-y making my way through the pages of Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts. It is an intentional slowness. I am forcing myself to read and absorb each word. I want the wisdom of her words to make their way from my thoughts to my heart. And with each page I am blessed.

I recognize the gifts, I feel the thanks and my heart is full. My list continues...

31. long shadows
32. my heart being stretched to love more
33. good news concerning a friend's health
34. asking my teenage son to make me a cup of tea and him doing so without complaint
35. hidden sacrifices
36. robin's egg blue - the most beautiful color in the world!

37. the gift of family unity
38. favorite photos

39. finished projects
40. opening windows to fresh, Spring air

May your day be blessed!