Extra Long Weekend...

My girls both have an extra long weekend having had Thursday and Friday off so teachers in our area can attend a teacher's convention. It's so nice when they get time off school - sleeping in, having friends over, and just plain enjoying each other. What will we do? I don't know - for once there's no plan other than just to be together and I'm loving it.

My Victoria does have a school project she's asked me to help with though. She's making some magnets and she's asked me to make some book marks to sell at school next week. The theme she wanted to create with is places around the world. Of course Paris had to be among them as she's particularly fond of it and she would love to go on a trip there one day - actually all of us in our family would.

The money earned from sales goes to an organization called Water School; they are working towards providing clean water for families in Uganda. I'm really proud of her efforts in trying to make a difference in people's lives that are so deserving of clean water - the most basic but essential need for survival.

So in the spirit of giving, here's one of the book marks I made for her... hope you can tuck it in your favorite book and do some reading this weekend. ;o)

One of those days...

Yes, it's been one of those days. But in the good sense! I just joined a new wonderful group of talented people on Etsy... Inspiration Avenue Etsy Team. It's no wonder they decided on that name because they are truly lovely people full of inspiration. I'm very pleased to be a new member and so look forward to the growth and opportunities that lie ahead! ;o)

My day got even better when a dear friend from my past called me. So nice to reconnect with people that shared your life once upon a time, and catch up on all that's happened over the years. 1-4-3-2 (Top secret code, hehe)

Hope you have some news or unexpected surprises of the wonderful kind in your lives this week and always! ;o) ~♥~

Art from Mother Nature...

As I drove my Victoria to school on Friday morning, I was awe struck at the beauty that had been created while we all slept. Everything was coated in a glorious thick blanket of frost and it truly sparkled like diamonds. Living in Alberta, frost and snow are of course a regular occurrence during our winter season, but there was something different about this one. It was one of those times that I wish I had my camera at my side.

The trees that line the road to school were like a scene out of a story filled with ice castles and magic; even the ugly orange construction fence in the school parking lot had transformed in to a beautiful white sparkling piece of art. When I got home, I grabbed Victoria's camera and went for a walk in my neighborhood to capture some of nature's art, but the sun had been up for awhile by then and it was all starting to melt. Sigh... I managed to get a few shots that I can use in backgrounds for my digital collage, but the camera just couldn't capture the beauty that my eye was taking in. Ok - maybe it's not the camera - it's the person behind it! ;o) Victoria would have done a much better job! Anyway, thought I would share a couple with you.

This past week has found me busy with the business end of things, this coming week will be full of creativity, well... that's the plan anyway. We all know how that works; life gets in the way of the best of intentions sometimes. ;o)

Thank You...

Just wanted to do a quick post today to say a big Thank You to all who visited me here from the 'Birds of a Feather' Valentine Blog Party and left your sweet words.

Through my travels here in Bloggieland, I have visited soooo many beautiful blogs that are; inspiring, creative, insightful, giving, fun, - well - the list could go on. I'm grateful to have found you all and I look forward to meeting many more!

Also, Thank You to all of you lovelies that have chosen to follow my blog - it means a lot to me that you're visiting here! I love your sweet words too! ;o)

♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥

Birds of a feather...

Happy Valentines Day everyone! I hope you're all having a sweet day! ;o)

As for me? Well, I've been up since 5:30 this morning getting my daughter Stephanie off to work. She's my sweet one that would sleep for 14 hours straight if nobody woke her! Needless to say, I make it a point to get up with her so she's on time, besides I drive her there too. It's all good; as I mentioned in earlier posts, she works at Starbucks - free coffee for me - Yay!

So when I returned home, I didn't go back to bed as I found this lovely little blog party that's happening today. Well, I found it late last night, so I didn't have anything prepared! No time to create with my hands - too time consuming. But, I happily sat at my computer for the morning and created digitally. Here it is!

I know Valentines Day is traditionally about romance and the one you love, but today I decided to create about the other one's I love too - my daughters; especially since the suggested theme is 'Birds of a Feather'.

The 3 birdies represents me, Victoria and Stephanie. We truly are Birds of a Feather! Their crowns are pink for sweetness and innocence of age. My crown is a different color as age and experience has weathered it's appearance somewhat. We're sitting by our nest that represents our home; all 3 of we girls LOVE to spend time at home and never wander far for long. The rest of the page surrounds us with femininity and Victoriana; each of us are girly-girls at heart. Finally, the saying that surrounds us is:

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." ~ Henry Van Dyke

I came across this quote when I first started blogging and surfing around. It really spoke to me because in a world where there is so much competition and so little self esteem, raising 2 daughters to be themselves and be proud of who they are, has always been my main mantra in nurturing their life journey. That quote said it so sweetly to me.

What fun I had creating this! Thank you to all who took the time to come and have a peek! I'll be visiting you as well.

Have a wonderful weekend! ;o)

Look what I found...

Late night surfing Friday night and look what I found! I think I have inspiration for creation this weekend! Go check it out! ;o)

You don't have to be a member to participate and it looks like a wonderful opportunity to meet new friends that share common interests! What could be better than that?

Sigh... I'm really loving this blogging world! ;o)

What are you going to do this weekend? I hope it's a great one for you all!

Bling for my car...

Ok, it's not exactly bling I guess, but I like it just the same. I have wanted a little something to hang off my rear view mirror and haven't quite found anything that strikes my fancy. So I decided to make something myself.

I created it the same way I did the key tags (look for the key tag post for directions). I used images and snipits from my collage elements sheets - find them here and here - they're available in my Etsy Shop. I also used a filligree stamping and a yummy fleur des lis charm and swarovski dangle. Add some ribbon to hang with and voila!

I'm glad the weekend is approaching, hmmmm - what shall I create? Not quite sure, but that's part of the fun of it for me. ;o)

Etsy Cottage Style Birthday Celebration...

If you have a love for Cottage Style or sumptuously feminine things, then go have a visit at Etsy Cottage Style Community. Right now, we are celebrating our 1st Birthday by hosting games and lovely prizes from our members from February 8 - 12.

I donated a prize of winners choice of any 3 digital downloads from my Etsy Shop and had a winner on Sunday. She was pleased with her prize and the extra goodies I through in for good measure! ;o)

That was soooo much fun, I offered that prize again! The games are for members only, so if Cottage Style is your thing, become a member and come play with us!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

I've been tagged...

Yup, I've been tagged, twice actually. I didn't play like a good girl the first time as I'm new to blogging and didn't really understand the tag game. But, I really love the idea because it's so fun reading random, unexpected things about all of you! So I'm going to play, sort of! I don't really have many people in blog world yet that I'm known to, so I'm going to list some random things about myself and link you to the 2 people who tagged me.

I'm supposed to list 7 random things about myself - So here it goes...

1. I love cats, I would probably be a crazy cat lady who had 10 cats if I could - ok - no I wouldn't, lol.

2. Occasionally, I eat candy - not just any candy - the hardcore stuff, like; fun dips, sweet hearts, candy necklaces, black jawbreakers and my favorite frozen drink is pepsi slurpees.

3. I am barely 5 feet tall (ok - short, or vertically challenged as I like to call it).

4. I love to stay at home - a good day for me is staying in my jammies with nowhere to go - my girls and I do this 1 day out of the weekend almost every week if we can.

5. Everywhere I go, I'm approached by people I don't know who love to tell me about their personal lives. I'm not exaggerating; I spend 10 minutes with someone and they share all about their divorces, mothers-in-law, children, jobs - you name it - I hear it. Maybe that's why I like to stay home? No, I'm just kidding - I love talking with people, perhaps they can sense that.

6. I love to play video games with my girls - my favorites are; Play Station 2 - Midnight Club 3 Dub edition (I have some pretty sweet decked out cars on that game) and Wii came into our house at Christmas and I'm loving de Blob.

7. I hate cooking - no, I really hate it! Fortunately everything I make is fairly yummy or I would hate it even more! I wish my girls would take over the whole cooking thing, but I guess I haven't exactly passed on motivation with my attitude about it, have I? Oh well, I'm making lasagna for supper tonight... yummy and pretty easy. ;o)


So now you know a little more about me... how about you? If you've played this tag game on your blog, leave me a message here with your link so I can visit you and have a read. ;o)

Thank you to the ladies that tagged me, I didn't quite play by the rules but it was fun! Now go have a look at their Blogs, I enjoy reading them. ;o)

Diamondaj

Artsnark's Artifacts


Have a wonderful weekend!

Altered Key Tag Project...

Here's a really simple but pretty project idea for you!

The surface of the key tag is a sample piece of laminate that I had left over from choosing counter tops for our kitchen. You can find these at building supply stores - ask a service rep in the kitchen department if they have any discontinued samples you can have. They make excellent surfaces for decoupage, collage, etc. because they're already finished and durable on the one side, and the other side is porous but smooth to accept paint, glue, ink, etc.

The images I used are from my Charmed Butterflies 1 Collage Elements sheet. Find it here.


Here are the supplies you'll need...

1 - Sample piece of laminate (with hole at one end).
1 - Large key ring
1 - Small key ring
1 - 3/16 inch eyelet and eyelet tool
2 - Small finishing beads (optional)
1 - Small craft brush to apply adhesive
Adhesive - I used ModPodge
Background paper and images to fit tag.


Directions...

- Remove any product stickers if any, from the laminate sample (key tag) and lightly sand the unfinished side.

- Trace the key tag on to background paper and cut it out along with the images you've chosen.

- Generously apply a coat of ModPodge to the unfinished side of key tag and to the back of the background paper. Put in place and smooth out air pockets with fingers. Let dry for about 20 minutes.

- Trim away any edges that might be extending past the key tag and poke out the hole from the image side.

- Apply a coat of ModPodge to the back of the images and put in place. Again, smooth out air pockets with fingers. Let dry for about 20 minutes.

- Apply 2 to 3 finishing coats of ModPodge to key tag in all directions - left to right, right to left, etc.; this ensures complete coverage - don't forget the sides to keep paper from lifting. Don't worry if you get glue on the other side of key tag, it can be gently scraped off when dry. Be sure to allow proper dry time in between coats. Let dry over night after final coat.

- Attach the eyelet in the hole of the key tag.

- The small key ring attaches to the eyelet and the large key ring attaches to the smaller one for your keys. Sometimes when attaching the smaller key ring to the eyelet on the key tag, the ring separates a bit. I actually like it when that happens as I then add a small bead at the ends with super glue as a decorative, finishing touch.


There you go - easy-peasy! ;o) If you decide to make one, send me a picture - I'd love to see your key tag!

Happy Creating!

Time flies...

All day today I kept thinking it was Tuesday - somehow I've lost a day! I've been busy creating digitally lately and I really enjoy that. But, it's time to create off the computer; I have such yummy beads and bobbles I bought from Etsy that I'm excited to get in to.

My Victoria took some pictures for me last night, so tomorrow I will post the Key Tags that I made along with project instructions.

Do you celebrate and/or create for Valentines Day? There are some hearts for you further down the page in previous posts... feel free to create with them and this little cutie too!

Happy Tuesday... I mean Wednesday - oh dear, it's so late I better wish you happy Thursday! ;o)