A Few New Projects

An assortment of bookmarks...

Close up.

Bookmark details

Keepsake journal for a friend...

Back of keepsake journal.

Bag created for keepsake journal.

Keepsake journal detail...personalized with monogram

And yes...more of my toilet paper boxes.

This was made for a friend who is a dentist.

...and this for a friend's son...

Okay...so I have rediscovered the wonderful world of Shrinky Dinks. I remember these as a child, the ones that started out as drawings or colorings on #6 clear plastic sheets and magically shrink down into these wonderful little plastic pieces used in an assortment of craft projects. But the new Shrinky Dinks...the specially treated plastic that you can print on from your ink jet printer...well this opens up a whole new world. Photographs can be printed...designs of your own creating...anything can be printed onto this plastic, offering a realm of opportunities. So I will be gradually posting some of the things I have been working on utilizing this process along with a few other projects.  Hope you enjoy.

I Am Back...

I must apologize profusely....it has been such a very long while since I have posted anything new. Between taking care of my father and continuing projects I am afraid I have fallen greatly behind in many areas and so therefore my blogging has been neglected. I believe my last blog that I posted heralded the arrival of our newest family member, my great niece Chloe Lynn, who arrived on February 2, 2011. What a little bundle of joy she is. It has been so much fun watching her grow and change every month. We almost come to blows at every family gathering, fighting over who get's to hold her next (totally kidding here!!!) Mommy and Daddy are very gracious in allowing one and all to hold her and inhale those wonderful rosey cheeks that are just begging for attention. She is discovering the world beyond her nose as she coos and giggles and laughs and tells us baby stories. What a precious miracle!

I believe spring has finally arrived in our little corner of the world, although it seems to be doing so begrudgingly as by this time normally there is a lovely profusion of greenery and colors bursting forth and we are just beginning to see these living things poking out of the earth here and there. It has been a very damp and chilly spring so I am definitely looking forward to some warm sunny days so I hope that I will not be disappointed.

It is at this time that I feel like clearing out...simplifying...paring down... and as the weather warms I will be spending time in the garage sorting and preparing for a HUGE sale. There is something to be said in doing this...a feeling of freedom from "stuff" so along with a garage sale I will be spending some time learning how to utilize Ebay as I am definitely challenged in this area.  I am always happy to receive any helpful information.

I will also be posting a few things that I have been working on and am hoping to do a watercolor painting in the near future if time permits. I usually have lofty aspirations, but because of the demands on my time...that is usually what they remain...lofty aspirations, but it is fun to dream. Until next time...faithfully yours and God bless each and every one of you.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

Finally...the wee little one has arrived...Chloe Lynn!! Hoping against all hopes that she would arrive on her great-grandmother's birthday (my mother) but she couldn't wait. After over five hours of labor she wiggled her way into the world and into the hearts of all those present and even those who were eagerly waiting at home for the wonderful news! Oh the wonder of it all...what a miracle! A picture will be forthcoming. By the way I made this garland after being inspired by something similar in a magazine...this is my version.

Blizzard Schmizzard!

Yes...a lot of that white fluffy stuff fell accompanied by a double dose of wind and a few claps of thunder. It was a good night to stay hunkered down with a flashlight in hand, just in case, and extra blankets piled on the bed. It made me feel incredibly thankful for the blessings that most of us probably take for granted. My mind drifts back to when I was a kid living in Pennsylvania. We lived way out in the country at the end of a very long lane and our neighbors were not "next door". In those days a "blizzard" was not an unusual occurrence. It was very common for our lane to drift so that the only way in or out was to walk. I can remember bundling up, hardly able to move and loading my school supplies and books on a sled and pulling it down to the end of the lane. It was always my goal to get there before the school bus arrived so as not to make a spectacle of myself climbing up and over the large mountains of snow left by the plows. On the days that school was cancelled I would usually grab a good book such as James Herriot's "All Creatures Great and Small", or Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women", sit on a stool at the foot of my mom as she sat at her ancient Singer sewing machine, you know the old black ones with a gold medallion on the front, in the big old country kitchen. She would be sewing clothes for "us girls" as well as my family of dolls or perhaps a wild bow-tie for my teenage brother. The sound of the machine whirring over the fabric and little stitches magically appearing in a trail behind the needle will forever remind me of my dear mother and all the hours she spent laboring, creating the most wonderful treasures and clothing that brought many a smile to our faces. Her meticulous craftsmanship inspired me to follow in her footsteps although I can say that I have not nearly equaled the time she spent at her machine. I could go on about my "snowy" recollections but will save that for another time. So as you sit with your cup of coffee or tea or hot chocolate in hand looking out over the white expanse of snow, hopefully some sweet memories of your childhood are stirring to keep you warm.

The Bagel

A bagel...you are asking yourself...what is so special about a bagel...perhaps I'm supposed to be looking at the plate it is sitting on. This isn't just any bagel....

...being on call 24/7 in my parent's home doesn't afford me the opportunity of venturing beyond the front door very often (especially during the winter) unless relief comes in the form of one of my two sisters. Well yesterday was such a day. The roads were clear (unusual this winter), the sun was shining and Barnes and Noble was beckoning. I relished the idea of rummaging through the decorating and crafting books hoping to find inspiration and great wisdom on blogging and becoming an entrepreneur (something that does not come natural for me). It is okay to dream though and I believe anything is possible.
   On my way to Barnes and Noble I saw a Panera Bread store and I pulled in to find the parking lot quite full. I finally found a spot to park and of course as I expected, the store was full of humanoids packed in like sardines. There were three lines of people that were ordering food and as I stood in my line I spotted the bagel bins behind the counter and at the very top was a bin with a dwindling supply of bagels labeled "Cinnamon Crisp." I was introduced to this scrumptious treat a year ago and haven't had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into too many of them since that time, not that I haven't tried mind you. It seems as though most previous attempts have failed because that particular bin is usually empty by the time I arrive.
   Well back to my story...as I stood in line I saw those bagels rapidly disappearing one by one and my hopefullness started to sink lower and lower. There was one cinnamon crisp bagel left and I realized I was next in line, my line, that is as there were still people waiting in the other two lines and the risk of losing out on that bagel was too great.
   Before the cashier had a chance to say anything I leapt forward pointing to that lonely bagel in the bin and yelled, "grab that bagel!" Time stood still as I was suspended in mid air in slow motion like an actress in a movie. As I landed in front of the checkout counter I was jolted back to reality. I was in Panera Bread with the cashier laughing knowingly at me as she slipped the bagel safely into a bag and placed it securely in my hand. I walked triumphantly out the door.

Hope of Spring

Christmas has come and gone and Spring is beckoning, although you wouldn't know it by the weather we have been having. Nevertheless it is nice to know that there is light at the end of this long, snowy tunnel. I love the promise of spring every year, even when there are no visible signs in nature. The anticipation is glorious and then soon the snow melts and the crocuses and the little green blades of grass poke up through the soil as the sun warms the earth. Overhead the canopy of trees sport their delicate little buds where in due time leaves of all shapes and sizes unfurl, waving in the warm breeze. I just love it!!! The earth is awakening from it's long winter's nap and so am I so it's time to pull out old projects that need to be finished and start on new ones. Following are an assortment of photographs that i hope you will enjoy as this will give you a little glimpse into my life.

Greetings Friends!

Wow...I can't believe i am finally doing this. It has been a long time coming. Mind you, the creative part has not been the problem, but the technical. I am still learning as I go along and perhaps, well not perhaps, but hopefully, I will become more proficient as I go along. It is my goal to just share with you the beauty I find in the things that I create or the things that I see and want to capture with my camera. I hope to bring "old" friends along with me on this journey and of course, also make some new friends as well. I will also outwardly express my inward thoughts and hopefully I will be able to share something of worth to edify my readers from time to time. Some of the things that I will be posting initially may not be new to "old" friends but I will share them anyway.