A mini for a friend...

This is just a little mini booklet I made for my showbox swap. One of our words is heartfelt. I thought this little booklet would be a great place for her to write reasons she loves her husband, children, and grandchildren. I little reminder of the things that make them special today. They change and growup so fast that someday when they look at it they will be reminded of something that made them special to her. There is a place for a pic and then a little journal spot to go with it. There are also a few tags tucked in pockets.

Fire and Ice

If you are looking at this you are probably thinking this doesn't look like fire and ice at all. I created this for my partner in the shoebox swap. I am posting it here because she is not a follower, so I think it is safe even though it is supposed to be a surprise. In this particular swap we get a list of words or phrases and you are to make or buy something to go with each word. On of the phrases was fire and ice. I am thinking most people are going to be thinking way different from me. "Fire and Ice" happens to be the title of a poem by one of my favorite poets Robert Frost. So, I decided to frame the poem. Her home decor is browns and greens with a rustic feel, so I went with the browns, greens, and crackle paint. A few flowers and a little bling finishes it out. I love these $1.00 wooden frame at Michaels. I have used several of them. I try to keep a couple on hand for quick gifts. Hope you like it!

Books...My Other Love

In addition to crafting, I spend a great deal of time reading. I guess that is why I became a Literature teacher. I definitely don’t teach ELA because of my great spelling or grammatical finesse. I love books. Although my sister reads, I don’t think she loves books the way that I do. I don’t think she has the same friendship with the characters that I do to the point where I sometimes mourn their loss when the series is over. Yet, this passion for books is because of her. She played school with me when we were little and taught me to read and love stories before a teacher ever gave me that gift. At times in my life when I was scared or lonely or things just weren’t happy for me, books were my refuge. They took me to other places where I was safe and happy. So Margie if you are reading this, thank you. It was the gift of a lifetime.

Anyway…to the point of today’s post. I thought I would start sharing what I am reading. Most of what I read is young adult fiction. I know, I know, why would a grownup want to know about kid books? Because they are amazing why else would you want to know about a book. They are great stories. It is much harder to get young adults to want to read, so they have to be better than they were when we were kids. It has to beat out Facebook, YouTube, Mtv, and the hot guy that lives down the street. In addition, most young adult fiction is missing much of the trash in adult fiction. It comes closer to reading Christian fiction. Most, but not all, of it is clean. I am currently reading the Gone series. I finished Gone and am now reading Hunger. It is a about a California town that has a nuclear power plant. One day everyone fifteen and older just disappears. There is a barrier around the town and some of the kids start developing powers. There is also this hunger in the darkness that is calling to them. The phones, internet, and tv all go out. The kids have to figure out how to cope and go on living without adult supervision. As I am typing this I realize just how weird that this sounds. It is really good though.

Right before this I read Hush, Hush and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. I have several people reading them now because they are so good. My students have been fighting over who gets my copy next. It is about a fallen angel and they are amazing books. I am so peeved because I have to wait until October 25^th for the third one. Take my advice, you want to read these books.

Not much crafting going on the last few days. Yesterday was my child’s 15^th birthday. I can’t believe she is growing up so fast. How does the time just slip away? Anyway, there was a softball game after school and she had her college class last night. Today I had to take her to interview a casting director and it was a wonderful experience for her. I wish I had been driven to reach my dreams at that age and that I had had someone willing to guide me and help me make the contacts I needed to make. Well, made I don’t wish that because then I would have a very different life than the one I am now living. Well, more on the casting director another day. Hope you aren’t bored by my musings.

Last thing for today...

This last thing is just me playing with new colors. My friend Nancy sent me a Wild Honey and a Tumbled Glass distress pad. I was just playing with the colors to see what they are like and made these tags.

Altered Paper Clips...

Okay, I had another swap to get finished. It was an altered paperclip swap. I also was in two groups for this one. I did gifts for one and hearts for the other. The flower paperclips are just some others I was playing with. I am really loving these paperclips. Being a teacher, I use lots of paperclips and I use them as bookmarks. I know other people use them on layouts and cards, but I use mine for everyday life.

Handmade charms...

I am in a swap over on the cricut messageboard. We had to make ten handmade charms . I am in two different groups. I am in two groups, so I had to make two different ones. I haven't made charms prior to these. I did the red ones weeks ago. They are grungepaper painted red with grungepaper flowers painted white and then embossed with clear utee. There is an irock stud in the center. It took me awhile to get around to doing the second one. I need to get them mailed, so this weekend is when it had to happen. I went with grungepaper again. This time I painted it with an espresso paint dabber. I added a couple of primas and pebble in the center. I hope they like them. I know some of the people were going with beads and that makes me a little nervous. I hope mine aren't TOO different.

Some more flowers I made...

Been really busy with very little computer time. We have an extra day off this weekend, so I thought I would try and post some of the last weeks creations.

Tuesday Musings...

Well, last night there was no time to craft and tonight I was working on baseball jerseys. I did make about six handmade flowers. They are for a RAK I need to get mailed. It was a long day. What I really need is an all night scrapfest, but I have to work tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow I can create and share something wonderful.

Today's Project...

Today I worked on baseball jerseys. Baseball season is starting and we need to get jerseys ready for the team. My son is playing on two different teams, so I got volunteered (by my husband) to make jerseys for both teams. This was my proto type for the Bucs. They are actually going to be on royal jerseys, but we didn't have an extra to practice on. The ones I made for the allstar team had an odd number of letters. This had to be split where it buttons up since it was only four letters. I think they are turning out pretty good. What do you think?

An 8x8 Layout...

                                     

I made this layout for a friend's All About Me book she is doing. I happen to know these are her favorite movies. The tag behind the pics have a place for favorite character, scene, line, and why she thinks it is worth watching. I thought years from now her grandchildren would enjoy reading that information.

Yesterday's Post...

Well these should have been yesterdays post, but it didn't happen. These are some flowers I have made recently.

I almost forgot... the gift he had to have for Friday was left on the kitchen table. I could have made it this weekend.

A quick gift...

Well, at 9:30 my darling 12 year old son comes to me and says, "Can you make something for Lacey for me." I say sure and ask what he would like for me to make. He says, "I don't know. Something with paper. You know like you would make for one of your cricut friends. Maybe something that flips or folds. She likes purple." I say okay I will make it this weekend. I am thinking Valentine's is Monday; I have the weekend. He tells me, "No! I need it in the morning. She won't be there Monday." Well, some Outback coasters, some paper, a little bling, and an hour later this is what I have. He is pleased with it. It just needs to dry before morning.

A Valentine Project

I made this for a swap as well. It was just a quick little project. I like the end result and think I will make some more as gifts. I don't know why it turned the pictures sideways. I guess that is one of those things I will have to figure out before I start tellign people I have a blog.

Testing posting pics...

Well, trying to figure out the whole blog things, so I need to see if I can post pictures. These are pics of a picture frame I altered for a friend on the Cricut Message board. It was part of the shoe box swap.

First Post

Well, I decided to bite the bullet and start a blog. A place to post my thoughts and share some of creativity. We shall see how regularly I post.