More Thrift Store Finds and an upcoming class (I'm taking)

I'm sure my blog is feeling neglected.  This is the first time I've turned on my computer all weekend!  I went to the thrift store yesterday and have some new finds to share.  I have really enjoyed going and can't wait for garage sales to start!

I just love these little hankies.  I'm not sure what I'll do with them - any ideas?

I'm signed up for the e-course The Art of Wild Abandoment Workshop that is co-taught by Junelle Jacobson from Yes and Amen and Christy Tomlinson.  Her website is here.

When I saw this journal I knew I'd use it for this class.  The pages are perfect and waiting for creativity.  

I'll use the jouranl for the class.

The box, well, I have plans for it too.  I saw Neil altering a box and decided that I'd give it a try.  Check out Neil's project here.   I've seen the wooden boxes for sale at Hobby Lobby and thought I'd try it one day, but when I saw this gem at the thrift store (for $1) I decided to buy it. 

I also found this cute little cup.  I was drawn to the colors.  Of course, if you saw my house you'd wonder what colors I WASN'T drawn to!!!

I hope you have a great day.  Wherever you are and whatever you do, don't forget to take time to breathe!

My First Ever Blog Award!!! Woo Hoo

I just received my very first EVER Blog Award from Lavinia at Lavinias Paper Emporium .  Thank you so much for this award!!! Everyone please go over and check out her blog.  This award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers, in the hopes that it will bring many new friends/followers.

The idea of the Leibster award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers.  So, in the spirit of good fun I am passing this award on to five other bloggers.  Please stop by and visit them.

 

The Rules are:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

2. Reveal your five picks for the award and let them know.

3. Post the award on your blog.

4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the blogshare-other bloggers.

5. Finally and the best rule of all..........have fun and spread the love!

The blogs I've chosen are listed below.  They inspire me in so many ways.    Click on over to their sites and take a look!

  Joan at God's Little People

 Elizabeth at The Silver Scrapper's Craft Space 

Rebekah at  iStampScrap&Craft

Margo at  Legacy of a Single Girl

Glenda at MagPie's Corner

Again, thanks Lavinia for this award.  What an honor!!!

Kay

 

WOYWW 138

Time flys when you're crafting!

It's Wednesday so that means only one thing.  
It's What's On You Workdesk Wednesday.
Visit Julia over at Stamping Ground

You'll see things that will amaze, inspire and fill you with envy!

My workdesk is a bit empty today.  Tomorrow is the first night that a newly formed photography group meets.  I  chose 5 photos that represent what I like to photograph. 

Woodpecker, lion, cow, flower, abstract architecture, light hitting table

A secret knitting project

Thanks for stopping by.  No matter where you are, what you do, make time for those things (and people) that you enjoy!

Don't You Love Textiles?

Here are some more photos from Santa Fe.  I just loved all the mexican tile work on some tables and chairs so I just started snapping away.  

There's an old theatre in Santa Fe called The Lensic.  This is the top of the building.  I just loved the dragon motif.  This is the year of the Dragon.

This cafe was closed so I peeked into the window and this is what I saw.  I just love the white, red and black.  I bet that lamp looks so cool when it's on.

Thanks for visiting my little blog!  I'm having so much fun with this.

WOYWW 137

Here we are - Wednesday again!  That means only one thing - it's WOYWW.  This is a blog hop hosted by Julia at Stamping Ground.  Click here to see all the participants.  It's such a fun way to get inspired and take a peek into other's crafting space.

My desk is a bit boring today.   I started organizing my 12 x 12 paper as you can see.  Maybe I shouldn't have done this, but I separated all the pages and didn't keep them in the sets in which they were sold.  I'm trying to separate them by color - that's a little bit harder than what I thought.  There's also some more 2 x 2 canvases waiting for some paint.

The Cuttlebug is in the background.  I did try using shims to use the butterfly die and it worked!  Thanks Shaz in Oz for suggesting this and Di for telling silly me exactly what a shim is!  I am still lovin' the embossing folders.  Yep, life is good with my Cuttlebug!

I finished a wreath over the weekend (see last post for pics) and knitted a few more rows on a project I have going. 

Here's a picture I took after a snowfall over the weekend.

I hope you all have a craft-filled week!

Heart Wreath

It's snowing here today.  That means I'll have to stay inside and play!  I might venture out to take some photos later.  Everything looks so fresh with new snow on it.

I made a heart wreath using a very subtle paisley print fabric.  I made flowers out of burlap (which were tricky but I love how they look), muslin and cotton.  I'm very happy with how it came out.  I just need to put a hanger on the back and it's done.  

This photo doesn't do it justice - but you get the idea

Close up of the flowers at the top of the wreath

I had to use the coffee cup to prop it up - don't those flowers look so nice

And finally, this is what I saw out of my window.  What do you see?

I see a boy leading some camels!

Thanks for stopping by!

California Dreamin'

Here's another post of my September vacation.  I saw so many beautiful plants and blooms in every port.  I wanted to post these beautiful blooms now for those that are having low temperatures and snow!!

Santa Barbara

Pink blossoms at Wild Animal Park in San Diego

Santa Barbara

Initials carved into a cactus

San Diego

Paper flowers in Santa Barbara

Orchids in San Francisco

San Francisco

Dahlias in San Francisco

I just loved all the colors and blooms.  Everything is buried in snow in my backyard!

WOYWW 136

Another Wednesday.  This could only mean one thing.  It's time for WOYWW!!  This is a blog hop hosted by Julia at Stamping Ground.  Crafters open up their work desks for the world to see.  If you want to get inspired then hop your way through the links.  You will definitely see all sorts of creatives in their element!
I did it.  I got the Cuttlebug out of the box!  I watched some videos on You Tube and they were very helpful.  Although I couldn't get one of my dies to go through -- the Tim Holtz mini butterfly set.  I did get the Tim Holtz Heart Wings die to work though.  I like the embossing folders and had fun with them.  I may try using the dies on something thicker than regular card stock; maybe those things you put around your cup of coffee?  A lot of experimentation is in my future!
This is my dining table, er, I mean my craft desk.  It has spilled over onto the chairs too!

Oh, I spotted a rabbit in my backyard!

It's been back to work for me this week so I cheated.  I took these photos on Sunday - not much has changed since then though.

Take Care of Your Emotional Well Being

I have this typed out on a little piece of paper and keep it in my cubicle at work.   I was cleaning up my area and took it down - read it - and thought - I should be reading this every week!! 

 This will help me blossom - my word for 2012.

Pay attention to what you think and feel.  Identifying and understanding the sources of stress in our lives is a first step toward coping.

Eat well, get enough rest, and be physically active.  These wellness strategies can help us feel calm and more resilient.  Exercise and regular movement in particular can help us release the pain of anger, grief, fear or depression.

Stay connected to people you care about; develop and nurture your relationships.  Consider joining a support or common-interest group; reach out to neighbors; volunteer. 

Cultivate peace of mind and relaxation.  Some of us find meaning and comfort in meditation, prayer, or participation in a religious community.  Others relax through activities such as singing, painting, reading or gardening.  Engage in activities that foster your gratitude, appreciation and compassion. 

Work for social/political change.  When the stressors in our lives are too big and powerful to tackle on our own, working with friends, neighbors, or colleagues to change the conditions that make our lives difficult can give us a sense of purpose and help us see our individual concerns within a larger societal context. 

My wish for each and every one of you is to have the best 2012 possible!

Around Santa Fe, New Mexico

A friend and I played tourist in Santa Fe and ventured out with our cameras.  I didn't know Santa Fe is a big tourist destination for Christmas.   Here's a few photos from my day.

We had a great day.   Here's wishing for a magical 2012!!

WOYWW 135

A new year full of possibilities.  

Full of ideas.  

Full of various items on my desk!

This is a blog hop hosted by Julia at Stamping Ground.  Crafters open up their work desks for the world to see.  If you want to get inspired then hop your way through the links.  You will definitely see all sorts of creatives in their element!
First, a confession.  I didn't take my Cuttlebug out of the box.......  how could that be?  I finished my wreath and am happy with how it turned out.  The wreath was one of the projects from the  12 Artsy Ornaments  e-course that I participated in.   The paisley material made the flowers look very soft.  I'm still having a struggle with making the little buds but I'm getting the hang of it.

I also made some more of the heart shaped paper ornaments.  I cut various sizes of hearts and enjoyed painting them using watercolors.  My technique definitely improved from the first one that I made.  The friends that received their 2 x 2 canvas ornaments enjoyed them.  And no, I didn't confess to Stephanie that at first I misspelled her name! hee hee

No workdesk photo this week - really, nothing has changed....