Saturday, January 1, 2011

HAPPY New Year - 2011 is Gonna Rock!!

It has been quite a while since I posted and I've kinda missed it. I completed so many fun projects over the holidays (I will post some pictures of these projects at the end of this post), but I was also super busy, plus I ended up getting pneumonia the week before Christmas. YUCK! I'm finally feeling better and hope the recovery continues.

I've been thinking a lot about my crafting and what are the blessings it gives me. First, I love to be creative. There's nothing better than sitting down with raw materials and coming out with something beautiful. It is so relaxing and rewarding. Second, it gives me some "me" time. If you have children, you know that is a precious gift. For years I didn't spend much time with myself. I was always chasing kids and running the household...so much so, that I worried what I would do with myself when my children didn't need me for every aspect of their lives. That's where crafting fills the void. It's given me something to occupy my time, plus, my children are catching the crafting bug. So, I'm not losing the connection with my children as I feared, but building new bonds that will lead us into the adult years.

So, since crafting has given me so many blessings, how can I give back? I've decided to set a few goals for this year. I didn't want to have too many or I won't follow them. So, I decided on three goals.

1. Make time. Don't make excuses to not go to my craft room. It needs me as much as I need it.
2. Become more organized. Unlike most creative people, I can't work in a messy area.
3. Be free, creative, and enjoy what I'm doing.

So, with these three goals in mind, I made my first project of 2011.

When we moved to our new house (prepare yourself for the gasp), we "lost" every bit of my crafting supplies, including my sewing machine. We know where they were when we moved, but when I went to find them, they were not anywhere in our new house. My husband felt so bad, so for Christmas he bought me a new Singer all on his own. I was so surprised. Of course, I had to make something immediately.

Since this will be my first "real" sewing project in about 10 years, I wasn't sure what to pick. I finally decided on a purse. The pattern is Juliet by Me and My Sister Designs. I just love their patterns. They are so fun and versatile. I found this cherry material and I couldn't resist. My favorite colors are red and black.







I love it and now my daughter wants one with neon skulls. That's gonna be fun.

So, I think I'm off to a good start with meeting my goals. Now my wish for all of you, I hope that 2011 brings you joy and happiness...and much crafting!!!


Here's a few pictures of the projects I worked on over the holidays.





Materials
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Friendship Jars and Holiday Fillers
Paper: Papertrey Ink cardstock, Cloud 9 patterned Paper
Die Cutting: Nestabilities Tags
Embossing: Cuttlebug - Swiss Dots
Ink: Stampin' Up - Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake; Momento; Copic Markers


These cards use the same Papertrey Ink stamps sets, Big and Bold Wishes, but they have different looks.

The first one uses Cloud 9 glittered paper for the background and the stamped image is embossed using Stampendous embossing power. I think the color choice gives this is more of a masculine look.


This one uses My Mind's Eye glittered paper and Papertrey Ink cardstock. I used Stampin' Up ink in Crumb Cake and die cut the image using Nestibilites. I think the pearls give it a delicate femine look.





Thanks for stopping by,
Dana

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