Take Time to Create

I found this while sifting through a box of random scrapbooking supplies.

So true. So necessary.

Now if only life would simmer down so I could diligently follow this advice.

Hope you are finding some time to create. It is so very good for the soul, wouldn't you agree?

Shop Update

I am so very proud of my little Etsy shop. It is stocked, more so than it has ever been, and looking at all the cards waiting to go out into the world and make someone smile, makes me so incredibly happy.

I sincerely invite you to stop by.

If you are looking to send Christmas cards, I have some of those listed.

Is someone special having a birthday? 

And what better way to show your gratitude than with a handmade thank you card.

Thank you so much for taking a look.

Maybe Next Time, Ripple....

My ripple blanket and I have parted ways.

I have not given up completely on the notion of a beautiful ripple blanket on my couch, I have just given up for now.

You see, I was rippling along, confident that things were all well and fine, until suddenly it all went wrong. Nothing was matching up, my work was all wavy, and for the life of me I could not see where I had gone wrong. I pulled out several rows, hushed my family so I could count and recount my stitches, and then in a somewhat humiliating fit of frustration, threw the whole thing into the bottom of my project basket...where it has remained for the last week.

I just do not have it in me right now to fight with this pattern, to count and recount umpteen times trying to get it right. Maybe someday, but not now.

What I need now is a simple project, one that requires minimal, if any, counting, one that I can work on while watching a movie, answering homework questions, at the coffee shop...

Life is busy right now and to be honest I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. I need a crochet project that is simple and satisfying; I do not want to crochet for an hour only to rip the whole thing apart because nothing is matching up. Crochet is supposed to be fun and relaxing, not wrought with frustration, anxiety, and bad words.

So to that end, I have started a v-stitch blanket - a beloved pattern of mine that is both simple and relaxing. I have made several of these blankets and they are perfect for working on amid distractions, easy to pick up and put down as needed.

This is what surrounded me after work last night - a cup of tea, a candle and my blanket. After a hectic work day, and before the nighttime routine of dinner, making lunches, and bedtime began, it was incredibly calming to sit and make v-stitch after v-stitch while chatting with the girls and listening to them play...

A v-stitch blanket suits me just fine for now. As for a ripple, maybe next time.

Today, Tomorrow

Last week I showed you two layouts from the spring (see here and here), and this week I have a winter layout to show you. I am trying to get caught up on my scrapbooking and am working on layouts as inspiration strikes rather than in chronological order.

Like last week, I played along with a sketch challenge over at The Memory Nest.

Here is the sketch:

And here is my layout:

There was a twist to this challenge as well - to use a mixed media element - which was both confusing and frustrating for me. At first I was not exactly sure what that meant, and a quick Google search brought up some lovely layouts that used a ton of supplies (paint, mists) that I do not have and was not really keen on buying. So I decided to do some heat embossing on my page, but for some reason when I used the heat gun, my paper got completely warped/wavy (has this happened to anyone else???) and I needed to make a dash to the store to get another sheet of gray cardstock.

So I abandoned the mixed media thing and stuck with what I know and love....clean and simple....while following this very fun sketch.

I did use a doily on my page as well as some gumdrops....

I love how I was able to use small amounts of patterned paper on this page. Because of this, I was able to use scrap papers from creating this layout for this one. This is why I can not throw any scraps out....you never know when they will come in handy, the perfect thing for another project.

And even though I was not successful at including a mixed media element on my page, I was very excited to see what the other members of the Design Team did. Head over to The Memory Nest for some beautiful inspiration.

Three Things

Three things that have made me smile this week.

We had a new front door installed in the summer (I was so happy to get rid of the old, ugly one) and one of my favorite things is looking out the new window and seeing the leaves on the tree in the front yard. They are a beautiful orange right now, and when the sun shines on them, it is just stunning.

Making a lasagna for dinner on Monday...and having leftovers in the fridge for the rest of the week which freed up some time for crafting.

Crochet. My ripple blanket has been slow going, but I have to agree with the consensus that the ripple pattern is a soothing one to crochet. There have been some tense moments lately, some stressful days, but as I sit and ripple, I can feel the tension just slid away. Oh, the therapeutic power of crochet.

Hope you have had a wonderful week and have had many reasons to smile.

A Perfect Day

Happy Wednesday! The middle of the week already, how great is that?

I am very happy to show you another layout today.

This is a very simple layout with minimal embellishments, but I love it. I especially love the photographs which were taken at a local garden (I wrote about our visit to the garden here).

While I was creating, I second guessed the simplicity of this page, worried that perhaps it was missing something, but anything extra that I tried to add just looked off, so I stuck with simple....

I put this layout together at the same time as I was completing this one. Using the same papers and embellishments (Summer Bliss by Echo Park) I had both pages laid out on my table and just moved between them, adding tidbits to each page as I was inspired, until they were both done.

I love this cluster of patterned paper and descriptive words in the corner.

Did you notice that there is no title on this page? This is something that I have noticed in scrapbooking lately...many layouts out and around do not have a dominating title, in fact they don't even have a title at all. I love this as an option when creating a layout. Add a title or not, it is really okay either way. Kind of a reminder that there is no strict recipe for a scrapbook layout....just do what you love.

As always, thanks for stopping by and happy crafting.

Discover Spring

I am back again today with another sketch challenge from The Memory Nest.

Here is the sketch:

And here is my layout:

Notice how my picture is straight, rather than at an angle like the sketch? Well, I tried to follow the sketch and keep my picture angled, but the perfectionist in me just could not let that happen. I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't...what can I say, straight is how I roll (to the point that I remeasure everything on a layout several times to make sure that it is absolutely straight, call me crazy).

I love all the layers behind the picture - such a great place to use many patterned papers and embellishments.

All supplies for this page were from the Summer Bliss line by Echo Park.

Great letter stickers for the title. I love how they pop against the Kraft background.

So there you have it, a spring layout in the fall....or I guess you could say almost winter since we got a light dusting of snow here this weekend.

Of course if you are inspired by this sketch, get scrapping and then head over to The Memory Nest and link up your creation.

Have a happy Monday and happy scrapping!