Be Creative

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi All... I'm signing off early for Thanksgiving. We're staying close to home for the holiday. Hope your holiday is just lovely!

I just couldn't let the biggest shopping day of the year pass me by so I have a little sale going on over at my etsy shop Go here . It's not nearly as stocked up as I wanted it to be, but I must say that those Black and White Note card kits are awesome and would make a great little gift for the holidays. Especially if you plan on giving any gift cards. When you buy one kit get another for half off November 26th-30th. Don't pay with paypal right away, i'll send you a revised one with the sale amount. :)

Whatever you choose to do this Thanksgiving I hope it is a beautiful time for you and your families. I'll be back on Monday!

Let the decorating begin

Here is my first holiday decoration for the year. I pulled out an old wreath that looks faded in this picture but is not. Grabbed another sack out of the box and bingo it had red berries and pinecones in it, I hot glued those babies on there. Then I tied some bows with some ribbon that was already out on my table from another project Then I looked through my very organized supplies and for something glittered and found these stars.

Ta-da... very easy... didn't spend a penny, love it! Hung it on a wreath hanger for now till it stops raining tomorrow and then it will go on the door.

I have kind of a tradition to have a different color scheme for decorating each year. Just ask my hubby, i'm sure he can tell you all of them! HAHAH... JK! Anyway all the ornaments and such stay the same pretty much but a few bolts of new ribbon and a few other things in the color scheme and its fresh and fun. In the past few years i've gone willy nilly with the first thing I do and if I like it then that is my color for the year. Last year it was  Silver and Red. This year it will be Brown and white. Sounds kinda boring but I have lots of Red too.

Oh...Tiffany wants to know what I give for teacher gifts? I consider getting to spend 30 hours a week with my kids as my gift to them! HAHAHA (I bet as a teacher you didn't find that funny). No really, as far as gifts go I stick to being really practical. Most years I have known my girls teachers very personally since I spent two years in a row with them. I always give handmade stuff! Every year so far I have given bracelets or a bag full of handmade cards. (I bet you might have a few cards laying around). This year I don't know either of my teachers very well so i'm at a loss... maybe you can give me some hints to what teachers like?

Have a happy day... Be sure to smile at someone!

I'm not ready for Monday

Last week at Sizzix we began the frantic panic for getting ready for CHAW Tradeshow (Craft and Hobby Association Winter). It would all be happy for our team if it was the only thing we had to do. But its not, we still have packaging, make n takes, demos, web stuff, magazine calls, education stuff and fires all over the place. Its hard, hard, hard to create anything under pressure. Funny thing is that somehow it all turns out amazing! Pretty much any minute I have to be creative over the next seven weeks will be dedicated to CHA projects. And unfortunately that means that it will all be top secret till January 26th when I can uleash all the creative goodness that will soon be created. I will be posting every weekday, I don't have plans for what that is so if there is something you want me to blog about PLEASE suggest something in the comments section. I do have some holiday home decorating plans so I will definately post those as I get them done. And I hope to have a few scrapbook pages done for myself. I have a new spot in my craft room that is just for my latest pages (right now its empty).

Today was the first day it has not felt like summer, it was actually cool. Kids played outside almost all day. I worked for a bit in my craft room, I sat on the couch curled up in a blanket and watched old reruns of Will & Grace (I laughed) I could hear my girls laughing outside, it was great. I went for a trail ride late this afternoon. It was the best ride i've had yet since we got Rusty. Hubbys not feeling great, he and the kids are off to bed. I'm off to make some paper goodness for a project that is due tomorrow.

I hope your Monday is wonderful. Heres one of the cards that was in my card kits this month, for those of you that aren't part of my Creative Cards Homeschool or didn't make it to class. For those of you who are sorry for the rerun i'll post something new for you tomorrow. :)

Zip Lining

This was the highlight of our trip to Mexico. Most days were filled with lounging and relaxing but our Zip line day was anything but. I have to warn you that I look absolutely stunning in the white helmet as did everyone else. We started our day with a zodiac ride to Boca de Tomatlan, a secluded beach at the edge of the jungle on the southern shores of Banderas Bay. This is Mindy and her husband Sean who is ignoring me.

    

There we boarded Mercedes 4 wheel drive Unimog vehicles that took us into the rainforest.

 

At the base camp we mounted up on our mules and headed even deeper into the rainforest. This was Randy's favorite part can you tell.

     

At last we arrived at our first zip line. In total we did 10 zip lines which were about 1000 ft. long and 250 ft. high and two rappels one down a waterfall and one free rappel off a platform. Basically you are harnessed up like you would be for rock climbing they hook you onto the zip line and you go zipping down the line to the platform on the other side. Oh, brakes... thats your very own hand, thank goodness for some very thick gloves!

     

 

 

Then we stopped for Tequila tasting. Not my thing but, hubby said it was delicious.

Then we kicked back on the beach waiting for our zodiac to return us to the buffet!

It was really a great day and I would love to do it again! Maybe if we head back to Canada again this next summer Kylah will weigh enough to do it with us this time! If you ever get the chance don't say no!

If you want a better idea of how fast you go you can watch this video link. This is not our group but is the tour company we were with. watch video here

Mexico

As I told you yesterday we are back from our cruise. A week with my hubby and really good friends. We just had a wonderful time, there aren't alot of details to tell except that everything we did together was a total blast. Anything from relaxing poolside, watching the whales and dolphins off the boat, partaking in the buffet, exploring by open air taxi with our private guide carlos, zip lining, going to the beach, watching the amazing sunsets, or boating... anything... it was all perfect. Here's a couple of pics I'll have more on the zip lining tomorrow.

       

 

   

I'm back!

Hello everyone!!!! I'm back, i'm coming to you live today! This is not a prerecorded message. We had an absolutely AWESOME trip! I am so relaxed and so refreshed. I did not scrap, craft, glue, cut or glitter anything for 9 days! And my creative brain almost popped with all the ideas that have been backing up! Today i'm going to let some of it loose!

We got a little bumpy start to our return, as we jumped in the car to head home we immediately heard there was a fire in Corona. My cell phone rang and it was my mom telling me that they were evacuating their home in Yorba Linda, which borders Corona. About 5 minutes after I got home my mom and dad arrived with my two kids, my dog, and their two cats. We bunked up all cozy for a couple of days and I fondly remembered my days of a full buffet for every meal and my favorite person, Mike, who came and made my bed twice a day and left me chocolates. We watched the news and could see her house on TV while the houses all around hers burned. We were so sad for everyone and nervous for their house. But I was so loving being home with my girls and just hugged on them till they couldn't stand it anymore. Last night my mom was able to return home, it was dark. The fire burned through their backyard and down the side of their house. They have a lot of landscaping damage and some white furniture that may be ruined, but by the grace of God there doesn't seem to be any structural damage. We'll be praying for all the families that lost so much.

Today i'm going to edit pictures from my trip and pick up my mail. I'll post more about my trip tomorrow ~ Have a blessed day!

Card Love Day Four

Here's a sneak peek of a card we'll be doing in my Creative Cards Class next Tuesday November 18th 6:30-8:30pm

Please call Timeless Treasures at 949-888-7151 to sign up if you'd like to join us.

If you're not in the area to take my classes please click on the link in the top right corner "Creative Cards Homeschool" to find out how you can be part of my monthly class and join us in the love of card making.

"Thank You" for reading my blog today! Tune in tomorrow for one way i'll be promoting a handmade Christmas.

Card Love Day Three

"The Simplest of Things". Missing little girlies makes you very tuned in to the Simple things that bring you Joy and pure bliss. For me its little things like finding notes on my table that just has a heart drawn on it with a little "Luv U" written inside, or when a soft little hand slips inside mine to be held, or when someone almost as tall as me comes and sits in my lap. At those times its pure bliss and nothing else matters!

Card Love Day Two

 I had these leaves left over from a topiary I did. It came out beautiful, unfortunately I can not show you that till it comes out next fall! Anyway these leaves sat on my work table for weeks and they found a new home on this card. I also Love this old polka dot Rusty Pickle paper, for as long as I've had it, it could be considered "vintage"! And wow what an amazing sentiment to print on paper "Thankful Hearts"! I know I have one, and as you're reading this you can bet that my Thankful Heart is missing two little people terribly! Come Saturday, my Thankful Heart will be even bigger! Be sure to come check out more "Simple things" tomorrow!

Card Love Day One

I spent a little time making some cards last week. Not for a class, not for a magazine, not for a trade show, or ad, or anything. Just because I wanted to. During my recent cleaning frenzy I have assembled quite a large container of left over parts from different projects. I've been dying to challenge myself to use only scrap pieces to make a few things and over the next few days you'll see the results.

Here's the first card "Celebrate"! For me its celebrating that I can quickly find some little gems that were not discarded and have found a new life in this card. Wow, that sounds a little deep for a card!

  See Ya Tomorrow!