Playing w/ Colored Pencils and Twinkling H2Os

I took two classes yesterday at Stamp Antonio Arts. Angela Finet, Instructor was here from Washington D.C.. Angela is on the design team for Memory Box and she owns her own shop "A Happy Stamper". I had a lot of fun. It was relaxing and I learned a few things too. This is my second time to use Twinkling H2Os "Twinks" in projects recently. They are so vibrant the pigment is so rich it just draws your attention. They really shimmer at certain angles and when cards shimmer that usually makes a girl smile.

Glad you stopped by for peek at what I've been up too. There is more to show, but tiredness and overcome me. Goodnight!

New Techniques using Smooch

I recently took a class to create/make a pendant and bracelet with clear acrylic pieces. I've made a bracelet before with clear acrylic pieces and so I thought it would be interesting to get another persons take on the subject. Here is the little girl that will eventually be made into a pendant. The process: Peal the paper off one side, preferably the rougher side. We used Dye Ink and stamped an image onto the acrylic piece. The only problem I found here was that the Ink tended to run a bit. Once you've stamped your image, you can color them in with Smooch. As you can see with my little girl pendant and the bracelet - I should have put more coats of for these is to stamp the acrylic piece on the rough side, because you can barely see a hint of the color I applied. Once that is done you cure it with a heat gun to set the ink and wet smooch.

You can see more color in the bracelet pieces. The stamp I used was the smalled set of head stamps. Mostly ladies from a the past with hats, etc. Because of the running of the Dye Ink, some are hard to make out and one looks like a man and I said to everyone "He's my Mr. Darcy."

Although the colors are very faint, the pieces turned out very elegant and vintage.

Below are a couple photos of the instructures sample pieces. See the color, I must have miss something.

I'm not sure this is my thing, but I enjoy learning new techniques and trying new products like Smooch. I've had some for a while, but never really used it before now.

Alright friends, it is time for this sleepy girl to catch some zzzzz's.

Happy Weekend ALL!!!

Back to Work

Tomorrow I rejoin the daily work community. I'm a little nervous after being gone for so long, but mostly I'm just ready to get back to a somewhat normal routine. I'm feeling good, still get a little drained toward the end of a day, but every day that seems to get better.

We had some visitors this week from Colorado...the Wagners. They are in Texas for Spring Break and it was wonderful to see them. The kids are getting so big. Laura is very tall and beautiful and Alex is getting tall too and just as bubbly as usual. Isabel and I got to spend a day together just the girls and it was a really good day. Isabel also brought me some treats, the bag and pin cushion you see above. I stole the photos from her blog, but I know she won't mind. She is so creative and thoughtful. Gifts and a friendship that I will cherish for life. Bluebonnets are special; they remind me of Isabel and the times we've spent together. Below is another picture that Isabel has on her blog from their travels around Texas - they went up to Blue Bell creamery and stopped to take pictures with the bluebonnets.

David and I have been plotting and planning for a trip to Oklahoma for a nephew's wedding in June. It is always fun getting together with the Leyendecker family. We also have a neice's wedding this year in October. We will be busy going here and there this year.

God gives us vacations to equip us for the same job we left behind. Have a great week!

Rest, Relax and Recouperate

This picture was taken at the Seton Home gala on March 5th. Since moving to San Antonio, I've supported the Seton Home. This year we were invited by a good friend to attend the gala. It was a fun evening and both David and I enjoyed it very much.

I had to have a surgical procedure on March 7th and since then I've been home recouperating. I won't go into boring details, but I'm alright and I'm doing better each day and regaining my strength. I'll go back to work in another weeks time. Life events bring some interesting twists and turns and this just happened to be one of them.

This weekend I was supposed to be on a scrapbook retreat with my friend Mechiel from Houston, but when the surgery came up those plans changed. At first I was very very sad about not being able to go, since I'd been looking forward to it, prepared and planned to have my projects ready for the weekend. After a while, I accepted it for what it was...so now I will look forward to the next retreat...

In the midst of my resting at home, I completed my 3rd 12-week committment to a healthier life. I am amazed and let me say it again amazed that I've lost 89.5 lbs since July 22, 2010. My goal is to get to a healthy BMI. I've still got a way to go, but I'm taking a step back out of the hard core program that I've been on to begin to acclimate myself to a more normal lifestyle of eating. Excersize will be key, so it will be coming to the forfront. I've got to do the same thing with excersize that I did when I chose to go down this path. Make a decision and do it. It seems easy when you say it, but it isn't as easy as it sounds. I'll be praying for help in this area since I'm not sure I believe that I will excersize. I know I need to, and I want to continue my efforts in becoming healthier, but will I actually do it. In the beginning when I started this effort, I said for nearly two months...I'll believe it when I loose 30 lbs. So I guess it is something like that. I need to believe it about myself. Hey, I think I just counseled myself. Pretty funny!

Well I think that is all for now...Happy Spring!

Fleur de Lisa Class @ Stamp Antonio

I've been writing a lot lately about how much stress I've been allowing myself to be under with work lately. Well, what is something I love to do and relaxing all at the same time? Doing something crafty, of course! So, I signed up for a class at Stamp Antonio called Fleur de Lisa. A lovely lady, named Lisa teaches a class using the techniques illustrated in The Paper Garden and Paper Bouquet books by Susan Tierney-Cockburn. I was very interested in learning this technique prior to meeting David and well if you know me, you know what happened to that and if you don't...the long long story short is I fell in LOVE. I was thrilled to be able to attend this class and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. There were some incredibly wonderful ladies in class and a really great teacher. Here are the two projects we created: The flower building is an amazing process. I've already signed up for next month's class.

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day!

Pretty Cards for Beautiful Ladies!

The month of January brings two beautiful ladies birthdays. My sister-in-law Cheryl and my mother-in-law Annabelle. I decided to give them some handmade gift cards packed up for them.

Below are three cards I made using some of the wonderful papers I received in my kit from Jenni Bowlin's Merchantile. I love their soft vitage look.

Here is a gift back and card I created with some of my monthly SEI club kits. It is lots of fun to give a gift back and card that also become part of the gift.

I hope you like some of my latest creations. Have a great week!

Peace and Joy to all! June

Monday Monday...

Today was a really nice day. I had the great fortune to visit with two very dear and loved friends on the phone. I can't describe very well how those conversations truly fed my soul. Since my move to San Antonio in 2007, I have not developed any friendships like I had back in Houston. I did find my life long friend, partner, love of my life, prince charming and husband. There are times though that I dearly miss some very special friends. The Lord has moved our lives forward in different directions, yet when we hear eachothers voice on the other end of the phone it is as if we just had lunch the other day.



I am so thankful for relationships that can stand the tests of time and distance. What an incredible gift!



Thank you Isabel and Marie!



Monday Monday...have you ever really payed attention to the lyrics of the song by the Moma's & The Papa's? The tune is a nice folk tune, but when I read the words they seem to go from a place of hope and opportunities to a place of that is empty and sad. Makes me wonder if this has anything to do with why people often blame Monday's for what ever happens wrong to them?



Thanks to two lovely friends my Monday was good and I hope yours was too!