A project I made for the Graphic 45 Blog…Instructions on how to make this ornament will be posted HERE soon.
Also…keep an eye out on the Graphic 45 blog this month & next…they will be featuring projects from all of us on their design team. Today’s project is by Heather Mellstrome, check it out HERE.
This weekend is packed full of projects & fun.
I’ve been working on these little charms for a swap I’m doing:
Here’s a close up (I threw in a sharpie pen to give you an idea of how small these charms are…they’re about the size of a nickle).
I’m also taking this class today at Paradise Scrapbook Boutique:
To top it all off, I get to see this with my friend Laura tonight:
YAY! What a fantastic Saturday!
It’s late at night. All is dark. The house is quiet. The only sounds are my fingers across the keyboard and my husband’s gentle breathing on the bed next to me.
A candle burns on my desk. Warmth fills my heart. I am so thankful for the peace I feel…my children tucked safely in their beds, a roof safe over my head, warm blankets wrapped around me and my husband, tender and sweet lying next to me.
Late at night, when everything slows down and comes to a halt, and the world seems silenced after a busy day; it’s my time to whisper my prayer of gratitude for all that I have, all the blessings in this life that have been graciously bestowed upon me.
So often when the hours are busy and seem to go by faster, I feel the stress of my day to day tasks. I start to feel that my share of the family’s load is difficult to bear.
At night when the house is quite, time seems to stand still. It is in this place that I reflect on my day. In the quite I am reminded of just how blessed I am. I am happy to spend another day doing busy work, driving to and fro, cooking, cleaning, working, and playing…I am thankful for all of it. I am also thankful for my trials for they have made me stronger.
I have had my fair share of trials and I feel blessed to be at a place in my life without many hardships. Not that I am waiting for the hammer to fall, quite the opposite, I am overjoyed to be living the life I am.
When asked by a dear friend how I was doing. I replied, “Wonderful, actually!”
My sweet friend then said, “Well, someone has to feel good enough to bake a cake for the friend in need.”
So true. There is always someone in everyone’s life, a friend who is in need of a loving gesture. Maybe there is a reason for this: while some are going through trials, others are there with a lesser load to bear, so that they may help carry their friend’s burden.
I have experienced both sides. I have had trials in my life that seemed unbearable and then reaped the blessing of friends and family all who have been willing to help during those trials. On the other hand, my burden has also been light and I have been able and willing to lend a helping hand to others in need of it. It’s amazing the feeling I get from helping others. It’s a happiness that there are no words for. I truly love to feel helpful.
For now, I am enjoying the lighter load and am so grateful for the opportunity to help others.
Tonight, in the quiet of my home, safe and sound; lying down in my comfortable bed. I feel grateful.
I feel very, very grateful.
I’m teaching this Winter Magic Layout tonight at Paradise Scrapbook Boutique.
I love the full size embossed snowflake (from creative imaginations), I had a hard time covering it, even though it’s only slightly covered. I made sure it spanned across both pages.
We don’t get a lot of snow in this area, that is why the title is “Magic” instead of “Snow” (or something similar). Thanks for the suggestion Karen.
Off to cut, paint and glitter chipboard letters…
My. very. favorite. song.
I’ll tell you why…
The first time I heard this song, I was very young. Judy Garland sang it…who didn’t want to be Dorthy in The Wizard of OZ? I sure did. I still want to wear her ruby slippers.
I developed a deeper love for this song during the weeks after Izabelle’s birth.
When my daughter Izabelle was born, she was way too early. She was due on December 19th, 2000, instead she reluctantly greeted this world on September 22nd, 3 months early.
I had an emergency C-Section. The doctors had to deliver the baby or I would die. If they didn’t, we would both die.
Izabelle was a tiny 2 pounds 6 ounces. Very small, but she was a fighter.
My husband’s hands held her gently. She was so tiny, look at her fingers. Amazing.
Izabelle stayed in the hospital for 2 months. I stayed for 2 weeks. It was so hard to leave her. How do you leave a hospital without your baby?
I came back every 3 hours for her feedings, even though she was too small to breast feed, I would pump milk and they would tube feed her.
Every night I would have such a hard time leaving her. A nurse suggested that I tape record my voice, talking to her and singing. I did.
The first song Izabelle ever heard was Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Sung to her from me, full of love.
Even after she left the hospital I sang to her every night.
To this day she will ask me to sing to her at bedtime.
Even though I know the answer, I always ask, “What would you like me to sing?” and she always replies, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.
A little over eight years and I have not stopped thanking my Father in Heaven for the miracle called Izabelle.
I remember little of being an 8 year old but one memory I do hold dear involves a Cherry Tree.
This particular Cherry Tree was in my Grandma Wolfe’s font yard. While climbing the branches, my cousins and I would fill a huge bowl with the reddest, plumpest, juiciest cherries.
I loved to lay down on the grass in the sunshine, I would close my eyes and feel the warmth on my face. I remember the sound of the wind through the trees. I would eat cherries until my stomach hurt.
My cousins and I always picked cherries for Grandma and Grandpa. I remember Grandma’s face when we would bring her the huge bowl, she was always so pleased when we placed it in her hands…Grandma’s eyes would shine with love, she would touch my face and kiss my cheek; her hands were wrinkled but her skin was so soft.
To this day, I still love cherries. I love to lay down in the sunshine and I love to feel the sun’s warmth on my face. I love the sound of the wind in the trees and when I close my eyes, I feel peace.
I now wonder if the peace I feel today is in part a remnant of the 8 year old child, lying in the grass with no real worries, feeling only the joy of childhood. I’d like to think so.
I’m taking a little “Pretty Paper” break this weekend and posting about my other favorite thing, COOKIES.
Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’ve baked the “Original Recipe” on the back of the Toll House Morsel bag for years now. So much in fact, that I like to switch it up a bit.
About 7 years ago I started adding “Skor Bits” to the recipe. It made REALLY TASTY toffee cookies. Then after a few years of making the Skor Bits cookies, I could no longer find the Skor Bits in any grocery store so I switched to the Heath Bar English Toffee Bits (Just as good, I just prefer Skor over Heath). But I didn’t stop there; Still using the Toll House recipe I added the huge Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips, White Chocolate Melties and Heath Bar English Toffee Bits (I know sacrilege, so sorry Toll House).
Now that’s a cookie you can sink your teeth into. Definitely NOT a low-cal cookie, but oh, it’s gooooood!
Stay tuned, over the next couple months, if you’re lucky, I might just share my Grandma Crabtree’s Rice Krispie Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe and My Mom’s Soft Frosted Sugar Cookie recipe.
It’s FALL people! Time to start baking & crafting!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Love, Christie
Blocked? Sometimes when I need inspiration I look back on some of my older projects. I like to re-use ideas when I feel stumped.
I love tags. I’ve used them quite a bit. I used several tags together to form a word. I’ve done it before, liked how it looked, so why not do it again? Am I right?
Do you ever re-use old ideas? I would love to hear about it…
After cutting kits for my upcoming Blessed Class, I had quite a bit of left over paper and & leaves (thanks for the leftovers Karen). The paper was mostly 4 inches across or less, so I decided to make some little mini notebooks.
To make these little books come together I used things I had lying around. I buy white cardstock by the ream so I had plenty to cut into pages for the inside of the notebook. I used Chipboard for the back and front covers (these I covered with the leftover paper). Then I used my Bind-it-All to “bind it all” (haha) together. After the notebook was bound I added the leaves and embellishments. Simple, right?
If you don’t have a Bind-it-all, this project would be just as easy using a punch and individual rings.
With the Holidays coming up this would be a fun gift for a good friend, a happy hostess or sweet family member.
This idea is and oldie but goodie.
My daughter Izabelle was going to a birthday party but was not sure what kind of gift to buy her friend. We decided to get her a gift card to Toys R Us…and then we decided to give her cash (kids like cash, right?) so she could spend it where ever and on whatever she likes.
Personally, I love receiving gift cards/cash myself but I hate to give them. I’m one of those people (if you haven’t already noticed) who likes to give handmade gifts and goodies.
So, in came the personalized Gift Tin.
I had a few of these lying around:
I bought the Gift Tins at Micheal’s Craft Store for $1 each.
For Avery’s Tin, I simply removed the lid, painted it (Making Memories Paint) and then let it dry.
Once the paint was dry, I cut paper to cover the top (Imaginisce -Fairest of Them All paper) and corner punched the edges. I decorated the paper with Letter Stickers (Mustard Moon Cardstock Stickers), flowers and pink rhinestones (Heidi Swapp bling).
I glued the paper to the top of the tin using Mod Podge, then covered the entire lid with Mod Podge (love that Mod Podge).
Once the Tin cover was dry, Izabelle and I decorated a little envelope and stuck in the cash. Now Avery not only has some money to spend but she also has something fun to put her little treasures in.
Here’s a look at the details:
