The Christmas holiday is less than one week away, I'd like to say that I'm completely prepared however I'm not. This season has been totally crazy! We finally decorated the tree last night and it finally feels official! Now to get all the shopping and wrapping done. I started designing my holiday cards yesterday afternoon - will I get them out? That's another matter entirely!

I designed these framed pieces a few weeks ago using Graphic 45 papers. I love how adding a bit of glitter and some simple embellishments turned these into art!

I wish each of you all of the best this holiday season and in the coming year!

A Box for Elizabeth...

My eldest sister doesn't know it yet, but this box will soon find its way to her door. I've been meaning to send this to her since her birthday in May! Better late than never! Paper from My Mind's Eye, Stamps from American Crafts. Enjoy!

A Space to Sew!

Here's a couple pic's of my new sewing area. It is a shared guest room but non-the-less, a little bit of space to sew little things - quilts? not so much... but soon I'll sew some little things that make me happy. I also wanted to share a tip for creating quick, inexpensive art. The art above the desk was made using an inexpensive frame from Ikea and a fabric table napkin. Yes, I framed a napkin! I think it turned out pretty darn cute! I like to look at things for what they could be rather than what they are. I'd like to challenge you to do the same! Enjoy the journey!

Here's a little thank you card I created using a stamp, pearls and card stock from Stampin' Up!, punch from Martha Stewart and this fun ledger paper (paper+cup) that was given to me by my friend, Andrea. I've also posted a picture of the ledger book in case you want to find one for yourself! Enjoy!

Recently I had a major change in my life - I left my job of nearly 13 years with Stampin' Up! The most difficult thing has been not seeing all of the amazing people that I worked with. Stampin' Up! truly employs some of the most creative minded, intelligent, and kind people around.

So in an effort to say farewell, I created these cards. The tough part wasn't creating the cards but figuring out what to say to these people that have affected my life so positively over the years! Here's a glimpse at the cards - I have yet to send them out... still searching for the perfect words.

To my friends at Stampin' Up! if you're reading this know how much I appreciate and admire all of you! Thank you for so many fun memories! I miss you all!

Here's the vintage inspired project I mentioned in my last post. I really enjoyed working with 7 Gypsies products on this! Paris is a place I long to visit - I see myself gathering creative inspiration, eating wonderful food, and bicycling around the streets. Someday... until then here's my Ode to Paris. Hope you like it.

I started this 7 Gypsies letter tray yesterday afternoon. I was inspired by October Afternoon's beautiful papers and then found various stamps and accessories to adorn each space. I love doing projects like this, each little rectangle space becomes it's own work of art. Stay tuned for a vintage inspired project next.

On another note, this month my creative space is being featured in Creating Keepsakes Magazine (Creatingkeepsakes.com). I love how the photos turned out. If you have a chance to see it, I'd love to know what you think.

I hope you'll visit often as I have plans to increase my posting! Hope to hear from you!

I am so lucky! I have the best co-workers in the world! The other day my friend, Paula surprised me with these lovely ceramic measuring cups - how cool are these? I love how great they look in my kitchen. It's amazing what a little kindness will do. Thanks, Paula, for the lovely surprise!

The Sewing Suitcase Reveiled...

 

So here's the final project. It was a lot of fun to do. I simply measured, cut, and sewed (just a simple hem to make it look more finished) sections of fabric for each side and hot glued the sections into place. Then filled it with fat quarters and vintage sewing finds. I love how it turned out!

Today is a day I've been looking forward to for a while. My friend Patti is in town from Canada! She's expecting and due in December so I'm attending a baby shower that my co-workers have thrown for her. I thought I'd make a little card to go with the gift using some of Patti's own designs! Even though she's having a boy I couldn't help but add this graphic floral paper to the card. After all, it is blue, right? :) Hope you enjoy. All products sans the glassine envelope and the elastic cord are from Stampin' Up!

Congratulations, Patti!

Blogger has been giving me some serious issues over the last week! I finally found a way to post - round about, but here it is! It's been a really busy last few weeks so I apologize for the delay in posts!

I spent the afternoon watching the World Cup - so sad the Netherlands lost! I'm sure my Dutch relatives are dissapointed. I heard that people in Holland took to painting their cars orange in support of their team! Problem is, the Dutch Police cars are orange as well. I'm told that the Dutch team will be given a hero's welcome despite their loss. I'm happy to hear it! They definitely deserve it!

On another totally different note, I thought I'd post a photo of the card I made last night (hence the dark photo). Another simple card - I love simple...

Flower, greetings, card stock, ribbon, pearl and ink by Stampin' Up! Die-cut label by My Mind's Eye.

The other day I received this wonderful gift from a friend at work. I had posted some time back about my love of and collection of notebooks. Annie found this in one of my favorite stores, Emily Jayne. She saw it and purchased it for me! What a wonderful surprise. And I must say it came at the perfect time. So now I'm going to find that perfect gift for someone I know. It's amazing how the little things truly are the big things in life. So do something special for someone you know, and brighted their day as Annie did mine! Thanks again, Annie!

For this post, I decided to create some very simple cards. I used Stampin' Up!'s Simply Scrappin' to create some 3x3 cards - I just added some simple rubons and dimension. Simple cards to add to a gift bag!

And here's a little card using the Peddaling Past Stamp Set from Stampin' Up! Love this set! I used a die-cut from My Mind's Eye to create the label piece - I just traced the die-cut onto Whisper White card stock. Then added some fun patterned paper from Lily Bean and ribbon from Pebbles.

Bonjour from the Florida Keys!

My dearest friend, Marsha, brought this beautiful stamp set home for me when she recently visited Key West, Florida. It is almost too beautiful to use, but use it I did! Hope you like the results. Thanks again, Marsha!

The beautiful cake stand was made by my friend Emily - her blog can be accessed in my fav blog list under A Little Sparkle.

Card stock, ink, glitter and glue by Stampin' Up!

There is something very compelling for me about the quest for finding good things in overcrowded, highly unorganized, hodge-podge, flea markets or antique shops. I'm just waiting for my eyes to rest on the most coveted item in the place! If I love it, I'll usually pick it up, because I HAVE to hold it. If I see the price tag and realize that it is WAY out of my price range, I'll rest my hand on it briefly, just to affirm my love for said object. Weird? Maybe. But I'm so passionate about finding things that make me happy simply by looking at them - I have to acquire them! I always imagine the home they lived in before - their history becomes part of mine.

Recently, I went to Mesquite to visit my parents. No trip to Mesquite is complete without a trip to the local Salvation Army. This trip yielded an apothecary jar for the bargain price of $1, two dictionarys for the bargain price of $1.60 (printed in like 1973), some embroidery fabric, and an old vest pattern. Cool!

The following weekend and with the the bargain bug firmly established, I had to make a trip to Abode's monthly flea market. There I found this old typewriter, a piece of Haeger pottery, an old book, a muffin tin painted a fun yellow color, and an old suitecase. Check out the photos of these fun finds! I cannot wait to display and use some of these items in projects. Stay tuned for more goodness!

It's been way too long - so I've created a way too long post!

Here's a great way to keep those little bits and pieces displayed so that you'll remember to use them.
For me it's always outa site, outa mind! I found this old yard stick at one of my favorite antique shops, Gingerbread Antiques in Sandy, Utah. I think Charlet may have seen it first, but she was kind enough to let me purchase it. Thanks, Charlet!

 As promised a few posts back, here's a glimpse of what's on my nightstand. There are so many fun things in this photo! My dear Mother-in-law found this Emma journal filled with quotes from the book along with drawings of the characters - so charming!

Then I found this book at this darling children's boutique. It's called Believe and I think it's one of those must have quote books!

Also, check out my own version of a Pottery Barn Charging Station. I modified a small desk organizer as a home for my phone, sunglasses and a notebook - how cool is that? The other cool thing is I got the item on sale - I love me a good Pottery Barn Sale!

I also wanted to share my passion for collecting notebooks. Some of them were gifts from friends (who have excellent taste). I don't know why I'm so drawn to them! I have too many to count and I can scarcely bring myself to write in them for fear of tainting them in some way! How crazy is that? These journals are from Eco Jot, Caroline Gardner, Orla Kiely, See Jane Work, Design by Patti, and Cronicle Books. The colors and patterns always get me!

And here's my latest work in progress. I used very simple painters masking paper to create these flowers ($3 at the home store and the paper will run through the Sissix beautifully). I love how delicate they look. Stole this wonderful flower idea from my friend Patti's wedding decor. Just about the most beautiful wedding ever. So that's all for now, sorry for the long delay in posts! I was really missing it!

Bring on the Spring!

I thought I'd celebrate spring by creating little gifts for my co-workers. I had purchased some tiny notebooks some time ago, and knowing that my co-workers are always looking for inspiration and in need of someplace to jot the inspiraton down, I thought they'd make a great gift! I slipped each of the notebooks and pencils into these card sized cardstock sleeves that I sewed to create the pocket, then simply adorned each pocket with a punched out butterfly (Martha Stewart) and a cute little stamped label (Paper Salon). The cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon, and ink are all from Stampin' Up! I hope my co-workers will appreciate a little gift to celebrate spring!

The Card Box...

For someone who makes cards for a living, I always seem to be out of cards! I created this card box so that in a pinch I could create something fun, bright, and cheerful! I hope it'll come in handy.

A Glimpse of a New Project!

Here's a snapshot of some of the products I'm using in my next project. I'm looking forward to showing you the final result!

A Day of lounging, more lounging, and crafting...

I took today off and enjoyed the warmer weather, movie watching, reading, and just plain old lounging - of course there was a little bit of cleaning and laundry thrown in there for good measure. Sophie, my adorable lab mix is curled up next to me, seemingly bored with my lounging ways - no playing ball or walking the neighborhood today. Sophie couldn't let the day go on without a bit of mischief - she snuck into dad's garden - a definite no-no. And she made off with a couple of shoes and socks - that's what I get for not playing with her today!

I couldn't let the day go by without creating something - so I made this very simple card. Now, back to lounging...

Hearts a plenty...

I love this photo of Lauren and Ryan - it captures Ryans love of laughter (something I haven't seen much of lately.) Gotta love those teenage years! I love Lauren's smile and how truly happy the two of them look in this photo.

I created this page in My Digital Studio. I love how easy this program is, a page can be created in just minutes and there's no messy desk to clean up afterward!

MDS Card ~ Here for you

While watching Persuasion this afternoon, I created this card. I'm loving all that can be created with My Digital Studio - I think I need to invest in a few new downloads.

My next project will be to print one of these cards out and then create a hybrid card using embellishments.

Stay tuned...

Quilted Card

Often I'll make cards and save the scraps, while cleaning my craft room I came upon some bits of patterned paper that I thought would make a great quilt like card. I love sewing my paper crafts - it adds a finishing touch. Hope you like it :)

Sleepless in Salt Lake...

What do you do when you cannot sleep? Lately I've been retreating to my craft room to while away the hours - I'd much rather be doing something productive rather than tossing and turning!

You'd think after a long day at work the last thing I'd want to do is create something - the minute I rediscovered this paper and stamp set, I knew I had to put them to use!

Paper, ink and stamp from Stampin' Up!

Other supplies from Cosmo Cricket.

Simple Butterfly Note

Here's a card I made for my sister who has been recovering from hip surgery over the last few days. I thought I'd send her a little note to let her know that we're thinking of her during her recovery. Stamps from American Crafts, paper and ink from Stampin' Up!

Creative Display

This is a creative way to display all of my various crafting products. I recycled these old shutters from my in-laws home and found some clips that were going to be thrown out by my local grocery store. The store manager offered them up for free and it turns out they clip into a shutter with ease.

So, for the bargain price of, free, I have a wonderful way to size up my collection and so far it's been super helpful! As I filled up the pegs I found so many wonderful products that I'd completely forgotten about.

I like finding unique ways to store my stuff and it's even better when I can get organized for nothing more than some good old creativity and elbow grease!

A Simple Thanks...

I am fortunate enough to have wonderful neighbors. Every few months one of my neighbors delivers a piping hot loaf of fresh bread to our door - it's always just in time for dinner. And I should say that this bread is so delicious that it could be a meal unto itself! What better way to thank my neighbor than with a home-made gift of my own?

So I created this set of thank you cards. Simple, yet elegant and totally usable. How often do you reach for a thank you card? Here's the latest. Stamps by KI Memories, paper, ink and ribbon by Stampin' Up!

Vintage Goodness...

Here's a little vintage tag I made today. I think I might do a series of these, frame them and hang them in my office. I think my next challenge will be to create a collage sample using My Digital Studio and then try my hand at printing it directly on a large tag. Could be fun... stay tuned.

Just hanging around...

Here's a little look at the latest changes to my creative space...

Enjoy the Journey

I made this card in the wee hours last night or should I say, this morning? Anyway, I love these colors and had scraps left over from the last project so I thought I'd make a quick card. Enjoy!

Easy Card Kit Project

Today I had a little time to spend in my creative space and I thought I'd put together a little card kit using a stamp set that works with many punches. I love how easy it is to create small embellishments for cards using punches and coordinating stamps. Here's what I came up with.

Another MDS Project

So I thought I'd try my hand at a very simple page done with MDS. I love my paper projects to have a great deal of texture, but I find that I like MDS projects to be a bit more simple. I loved doing this page, mostly because it includes two people I love very much, my daughter Lauren and her cousin, Madison. Aren't they just beautiful?