distractions!

Well, I got up early to work on Christmas cards today and for some strange reason, everyone else decided to get up too! So much for my "quiet" time :(
Daemyan wanted to chat, Dayla wanted to use my die cut machine, Peanut wanted to play ball, Buddy wanted to chase the cats, Goergie wanted to look out the window even though I tried to explain to him that it was dark out and too early to look at birds. ***sigh***
So after getting up and down a gazillion times, I finally settled into my chair, ready to create, and Daniel comes in and says, "mom, get the camera!". ***double sigh***  I have been trying to capture George and mama cat in their favorite activity, bird/squirrel watching.

 

I wanted to get a picture of George in position, but turning to look and me, and well, no luck. When he hears his name, he walks over to me expecting a head rub. Cute cat......
OK, back to Christmas cards, will go to church tonight.

Sibling Christmas 2010

I  ***heart*** this picture!!!
It was one of  MANY, and believe me when I say MANY attempts to get some good shots Saturday night at out annual Sibling Christmas Dinner.
It's definitely not a bad thing, but we were laughing soooooooooo hard we could barely breathe as we attempted to try to get a shot that we all liked, as we were being very critical of our... (ah hem)... "mature"
faces and bodies! :)
But.............artistically, I like this one better!

I love the relaxed and cozy feel of the three of us as well as the reflection of the Christmas tree in the mirror, and believe me, it was not an easy "feel" to achieve! We were exceptionally goofy as it was almost midnight
and, well, we were delirious! (except Sylvia, little night owl, who came to life when we were all draggin' our buns!)
We had a blast and I will post more pics as I get them edited!

The Three Stooges

This was taken on Thanksgiving, so I'm a *little* late posting it! Dayla was in Texas visiting her other grandparents, so unfortunately, no Thanksgiving picture with miss Dayla :(

Goofy Leona!

I didn't take too many pictures this year. I hadn't been feeling 100%, and then ended up with a 24 hour flu bug that put me in bed the whole next day. :(  
I haven't been too creative lately, hopefully this next week will be more productive. The house needs some decorations and Christmas cards need to be made and sent out! At least I have some of my shopping done.
Christmas has always been a mixed bag for me. I know the true meaning, yet, I still struggle every year with the whole season. I have to constantly focus on gratitude or I go down the drain emotionally. I think it's some sort of melancholy gene. Maybe this year will be different?

Sunday Greetings

My favorite thing to do on Sunday morning is to get up and sit in my bed with my laptop and peruse my favorite blogs for creative inspiration. On a good day, I can get a least an hour in until my bedroom is raided by kids, grand kids, dogs, cats, ringing phones etc. etc., until I finally have to get up and ready for church! Maybe it's God's way of making sure I get to church! Anyway, I found this adorable little turkey on the Cosmo Cricket site that I wished I would have seen prior to Thanksgiving so I could have tried to make him!

Then, while checking out Jennifer McGuire Ink, another favorite blog, I clicked on a link she had posted and came across this beautiful card! I wish I could claim for my own, but I can't. :-{    However, I am going to try and make something similar!

I love everything about his card in it's simple elegance, yet slightly edgy with the Kraft paper, stitching and distressing that we don't usually associate with elegance. Of course, then you add the bling on the little flourished tree and it is total eye candy, or as Cath would say, moxie fab!

more snow pics!

Well, this is the result of our first snowfall of the season! Boy did it get cold last night! Brrrrrrrr.
School was canceled today so I was feeling too lazy to get out of my jammies to take more outdoor pictures.
I just cracked the sliding glass door and took a few quick shots and closed the door as quickly as I could!
When Dan went out to feed the horses, he said the barn thermometer read 21degrees.It dipped down into the teens last night and made me sad for all the folks living on the streets :(  Thank goodness the Salvation Army vans are out finding people and handing out blankets, coats and mittens. God bless 'em, it's certainly not a job I would want to do.
So, I guess I will just stay in today and enjoy the snow from the warmth of my home and be thankful!

snow!

Our first snowfall of the season!
This is the only way I like snow. When it is falling, and before the slush!
These were taken when I went out to feed the horses about a half hour after the snow started. We have about an inch now. My family in the midwest would be thinking"woopti-doo", but for us, in this part of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, it is a big deal!

My favorite blog for eye candy!

I

I absolutely love Moxie Fab World! 

This blog makes my mouth water at all the beautiful creative inspirations that are out there! 

This arrangement is from Martha, of course, but I know someone who could make this even better, (you know who you are!).

Anyway, Cath Edvalson, creative director for Paper Crafts Magazine, has what she calls  "Tuesday Trigger" where she challenges paper crafters to create something using that color palate or something about the photo that inspires them. I love all the "triggers", but this one jumped out at me! First, I am a Martha fan and like most of what she does! Second, I love earth tones and fall colors. 3rd, I love the color yellow , and this combo with the orange is luscious! Then you add the candles and glassware, more on my list of "favorite things," and I have something I can be inspired by!!!

Hopefully, I'll have made something beautiful  in the next few days!

Halloween 2010

Netiri Dayla ,Princess Leona, Dragon James & Ninja Daemyan

These are my babies all dressed up for Trick or Treat. Aren't they cute???

Dragon James and Daemyan

Netiri Dayla

Princess Leona

OK, I'm biased, but I can't think of 4 cuter Trick or Treaters!!!

New addition!

Peanut,  (one of my weeny dogs) always feels a need to get into the action!

Anyway, my friend's fiance is selling his house and this will not fit in my friend's house, soooooooo since I fell in love with this beauty at first sight, he agreed to sell it to me! How cool is that??? Reminds me of something I'd find in a French farmhouse.
I've been putting dishes and glasses in it a little at a time, it holds a TON of stuff!!!!

Monday Oct. 18 card class


When I teach a class, I come up with three designs using stamps and supplies we have in the store so that the cards can be re-created easily with supplies that can be purchased that day.

After teaching between  8 to 20 women how to construct the cards I design for class, I find that the next day I can come up with some things I can improve on, or at least do a little bit differently. At home, relaxed and free to use whatever I want, I can come up with revised cards using personal stash that we perhaps no longer carry in the store but that I would still like to use!

Here are a few examples of the re-makes;

These are the class cards;

The third card is pretty much the same and I liked it as is, but I colored some of the apples different colors.
The class "notes and leaves" card was really different because I did not have enough leaf stickers for both classes, so I just used it as a sample card and I really like how it turned out! Same thing with the squirrel. I had plenty of the May Arts ribbon for the class card, but not enough Paper Co. ribbon that I used for the sample. If I did these over, they would be really different again, since I can't seem to make the same card twice! That's what I love about my hobby, there are never ending choices so it's pretty hard to get bored!

Creative "Bug"

Oh  how I love when that happens!!!
Miles invited Syl and I to another fabulous flower arranging class at his shop, Fiori Floral's, new location.
We made a gorgeous fall arrangement with hydrangeas, roses, spider mums, berries, scented geranium leaves, orchids, apples, oak leaves...oh my! Unbelievably gorgeous! My pictures will not do it justice.

 I forgot to bring my camera so I didn't get any shots of the new shop, but it is REALLY nice!
Anyway, this class spurred a bout of creativity in me today to where  I spent the day changing furniture around to make room for a new addition!!!!! Can't wait!!!!!!  I'll post when the big day arrives, and no, I'm not having a baby! ;)

class tomorow...

Guess where I'll be all day! Wonder what I'll come up with? I'll let you know later..............

couple of card classes...

House Mouse, Angel Delights

GI Christmas Globe with Winter Mailbox

And a few cards I designed for the September 20th class. Weird doing Halloween cards already!

Great Impressions Happy Pumpkins

Great Impressions Spider Tree

Great Impressions Three Black Cats

Another month goes by!

Wow, it's been so long since I posted!
I worked on one post for 2 weeks and finally got frustrated and deleted it! I was having issues with positioning my pictures where I wanted them and for some reason, I just couldn't do it. Probably sizing issues, but anyone that knows me knows how I HATE not being able to figure out how to do things that I  really want to do!
Anyway, I'm back and ready to try again :)
August was very very busy with a couple of road trips and school starting for Daemyan. Then all hell broke loose with Buddy being attacked by a big dog, almost a week with no home phone and a broken pipe under the house, still not fixed, in addition to the craziness of the starting of a new school year and Dan starting a new job.
First, the fun stuff! Syl and I went to Hoodsport for a couple days with Daemyan and Noelle to meet up with mom and dad who were camping with the Good Sam's. It was a lot of fun and we had  the most beautiful weather which was a great bonus. We took a different way coming home which took us across the Hood Canal Bridge and onto the ferry to Edmonds and finally Olive Garden for dinner! Great way to end a wonderful getaway!                                                          

Daemyan's picture from van window

mom, Noelle and Daemyan at campground

Daemyan enjoying the jacuzzi

  Daemyan and Noelle at campground

me, Noelle and Daemyan

mom, me and kids

kids playing on the beach

Daemyan's little friend

Daemyan, Noelle, mom and  Syl
  
To  be continued!.....................................................

July card class

I made these cards after my July class and I thought they turned out sooooooo cute!

The ones I made for class were a little bit different and the swimming fish card has turned out to be a customer favorite!

These guys make me smile!

What a Day

Not even sure how to start this post because it was a great AND tragic day at the same time.

Even though it is way past my beauty sleep time, because writing is therapeutic, I really needed to post.

This is the way a family outing starts out. This could have been the same picture snapped by the mom of the 11 year old girl that died at the ice caves today. Same age as Noelle. Just a little older than Daemyan. Wow,

I can barely comprehend (and don't want to) the grief and confusion this family must be feeling. You are trying to do the right thing by taking your kids on a road trip and the unthinkable happens.
We got there right as one of the aid cars was getting there. I was in la la land. Syl was driving, we had an awesome lunch and just wanted to take a nice drive. I wanted to do something with Daemyan. I wanted to stay and Syl and John wanted to leave.
I told Daemyan we were going to the ice caves and that's what I wanted to do.
I did not realize the severity of what had happened.
We started to walk the trail thinking that someone had broken a leg, not ok, but not life threatening. As we kept walking, people were walking back from the sight, very somber, shell shocked,  but only a few shared what was going on. Some EMT's
passed us with a stretcher, in a hurry but not "rushing". I started to get a bad feeling that I was pushing aside. What did they know that we didn't?
 But I had told Daemyan we were going to the  ice caves and I didn't want to let him down. ......like his dad...... like his mom.............

Daemyan was a little snot today. I know he doesn't  understand too much that went on at the ice caves today...........or last night with his dad.......... but I hope that someday he will look upon this day with fondness, even with it's tragedy, as a day he got to go on a road trip with grandma, aunt Sylvia, Noelle, and uncle John.

That's all I've got.