I just finished a “rush” project and am very happy with how it came out. Not sure why I need a tight deadline to really get my creativity in gear but there you have it… I am curious how other people operate. I would like to say that I have everything all organized in my head and know exactly how I want to make something but most of the time, once I get started, the design just kind of comes out. Anyone else work that way?

Another weekend ahead… tomorrow we are driving off in the RV for an overnight adventure. At this time of year, it’s usually hard to get away, but we found ourselves with nothing planned this weekend so thought we should take advantage of it. The weather is not supposed to be great but we’ll be in our cozy camper listening to the rain pattering on the roof as we enjoy our traditional Scrabble game and then perhaps a DVD. There’s something about being away from home that inspires me to think in a different way. The first summer we had the RV, we camped a lot and I basically planned and wrote Matboard Magic while on the road. So who knows what will come to mind this trip! The funny thing is that I was NOT in favor of buying this RV in the first place. The way my husband got me to the dealer’s was to offer me the choice of working on taxes OR going to look at RV’s and lunch at Burger King. Well, of course you know what I chose… and as they say, the rest is history!

One of the many good things about a house on wheels (besides having our own bathroom) is when an interesting place is spotted, we just pull over. I always have a good book on hand and will read, maybe do a little work or have a nap. Same for my husband… and that bed is pretty comfy! All in all, it was a good investment. Plus it was on sale 🙂 I’ll let you know what I find.

Are you a self-taught crafter or did someone teach you? Check out the link to Fave Crafts and see my answer.

I hope you can stop by Cool2craft on Monday, June 7, where we’ll wrap up the ScoreBoards blog hop and see some of the amazing bow projects that the designers created all using the one die.

Have a great weekend!

This day always gets me choked up. I am so grateful for the freedoms we enjoy, and even sometimes take for granted. I want to thank our military, past and present, for the sacrifices they and their families have made to keep us free.

Special thanks to my son, Chris, and daughter-in-law, Dawn, currently serving in the Army. Today is their seventh anniversary- they have been together for half of that time due to deployments and training. Their daughter Trinity is finally getting to know her dad. Thanks also to my Coast Guard daughter, Jessica, and her brand new fiance, Jason, who just graduated last week from the Coast Guard Academy. We are so proud of you all!

I would also like to thank my husband Hayward for the twenty years he served in the Army. Although it was not always easy on the family, I know that it had a profound effect on myself and our kids for the better and made us grateful for all we have.

Please remember to thank all of our military in whatever way you can, especially by remembering them in your prayers.

‘Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.’

Wow, the last two weeks have just flown by! First of all, the National Stationery Show was a blast! My friend Lorine and I chatted the whole 6 hour drive to NY. We enjoyed a delicious meal at Mom and Vince’s and then caught the train down to our room at the Marriott Marquis. Lorine’s partner Cyndi had set up their Surtex booth and we were ready for the show to begin. On Sunday, I spent most of the day in the Sizzix booth, helping to demo and answer questions. The booth was packed all day. 

Monday started early with a gathering of designers.We all kind of know each other from the Art of Licensing discussion group and it was fun to put a face to some of the names I see regularly on the list. I had several meetings, then spent some more time in the Sizzix booth. From there, we attempted to broadcast on Cool2Craft, a live web TV show, but the internet was not our friend that day 🙁 Many thanks to Tiffany Windsor for putting up with this and holding her Sizzix machine up to try and show people what we were talking about! She is truly amazing. Please visit the sites of the other guests on the show on the show that day:
Tiffany Windsor
Linda Peterson
Joan Fee
Elizabeth Diamond    

We enjoyed a subway ride and walk to dinner with Brandy and Julianna from Sizzix and the waiters and food at Borolo’s were delicious. Tuesday was a blur because we had a full day at the show, packed up the booth, took a train to my mom’s to get the car and then drove all the way home that night arriving at 3 AM.

 On Thursday, we got a call from our daughter telling us that she was engaged! So last weekend we took a drive up to Baltimore to congratulate the happy couple before they set out for CA and MI to pack up and move to their two new Coast Guard assignments.

I came home from the show re-energized and ready to work up some new concepts.This past week was spent getting the final ScoreBoard blog hop done- so sad… Although it was a lot of work to organize, I learned a lot, met some new friends and will miss the fun designer chat that we shared and seeing the great designs that came out every other week.

So that’s what has been happening with me. Stay tuned for an announcement about a fun site launching on June 3! What have you been up to? Hope you can tune in to the newest coolest craft TV show Cool2Craft on Monday, May 31 at noon EST!

I’m going to try and be a better blogger, I promise! Sometimes life gets crazy though- you know how it is…

I have been meaning to do this for a week now… go around my yard and take pictures of what’s in bloom. In that week, a whole new set of flowers has sprung up! Maybe that’s why they call it spring? I am attempting to create a project with these photos but PhotoShop and I were not getting along last night. So much to learn! But here’s a peek at what’s come up this week.

Mother’s Day is tomorrow! Check out the Craft Critique Blog Carnival for lots of great projects to make. HURRY!

Hope you can join us for the next blog hop right here on Wednesday. We are making cake!

Also tune in to Cool2Craft for some great new crafting techniques and ideas on Monday, May 10 at noon EST. Here’s the lineup:
Ann Butler Updating Card Stock
Tiffany Windsor  Aleene’s Forged Foil
Heidi Borchers  Button, Button Bracelets
Lorine Mason  Lorine Mason Re-Purposing Dog Food Bags
Linda Peterson  Linda Peterson Play in Polymer Clay

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Here’s my latest project posted on the Sizzix blog. I am trying to be organized and get my Mother’s Day present done and in the mail ON TIME this year! Instructions to create this using the ScoreBoards Checkbook Cover die- who says you have to make a checkbook with it? My mom is a diehard list maker. She also does a lot of traveling so now she can carry her list supplies in style when she’s on the road.

“The List” was sometimes a sore subject among us six kids when we were ready to go out and play on Saturday mornings. We knew we were not going anywhere until the work was done, but always tried to get out of it/slip outside/have an asthma attack, etc, usually to no avail. Here were some of the predictable jobs that might appear on the list: dust and straighten, vacuum, clean bathrooms or mop the floors. Even when the job was done, it had to be checked to make sure it was done PROPERLY. After having children, I came to the conclusion that list making was a great idea and incorporated the jobs into my mothering style. I found a list I made a while ago called “Summer Rules” which is hysterical now but I was quite irritated when I wrote it and there is a definite edgy tone to the manifesto. I think I had found stacks of clean folded laundry in the dirty clothes hamper and snapped.

Anyway, getting back to the project, I hope you will look beyond the product name and craft outside the box. Imagine what else it could be with a little creative thought.

Our next blog hop is coming up on Wednesday and I can’t wait to see what everyone has done. These designers never cease to amaze me!

I am in need of 2 more people to follow this blog- I have 98 and would love to have 100+. All it means to follow me is that you might check back every once in a while and see what’s new- no pressure. 🙂 I also love to hear comments so don’t be shy- take a second and say hi!

I just returned from a beautiful week in Aruba and here is the view from our room. Unbelievable! The place we stayed at had a lazy river winding through the pool area where we spent many hours. We also snorkeled over a huge wrecked ship. When I put my mask in the water and saw thousands of fish right below me, I could barely catch my breath. So clear, deep, colorful and alive!

Speaking of nature, we have a fox family of eight living next door under our neighbor’s shed. I am able to see them from my garage door and run up and watch them whenever I need entertainment. The six kits are quite a handful. Each day the kits are venturing further away from home. Poor tired Mama just rolls her eyes and herds them back. They have been spotted throughout the yard, running around with chipmunk carcasses clamped between their teeth, having a great old time.

If you would like to check out some very cool recycling Earth Day type projects, visit the Craft Critique Earth Day Carnival. See if you can pick mine out… hint- it involves my favorite beverage 🙂 It makes me happy to see more people jumping on the recycling bandwagon and using their creativity to recreate new projects from old stuff. Hope you did something special to celebrate our beautiful planet today. I went to my favorite thrift store and found some cool materials to create with. Will post when I have figured out what I am doing with them.