Sad Days (And More Catch Up)

Wow.  The scrapbooking world has sure changed a lot in the past few years.  I've seen many manufacturers quit, many stores close and many magazines cease to print...but somehow I thought Creating Keepsakes would somehow make it through this.  But alas...I was wrong.

In case you missed it, you can find the announcement here.  Paper Crafts too is ceasing to print publications.  But there is slightly good news if you like digital magazines, because the two (Creating Keepsakes and Paper Crafts) will combine into a smaller monthly DIGITAL ONLY magazine.  I'm not into digital magazines and I am very sadden by this news.  Creating Keepsakes has always had a special place in my heart.  It was the first magazine I was published in.  And I will miss it.  But this industry has just changed so much.  As a designer too...it just seems impossible to make money in this industry anymore.  Oh well.

I'm in this weird place where I seem to be moving backwards while the rest of the world moves forward.  I long for simpler times (less time in front of a screen and more time outdoors).  I honestly could just throw out my computer, get rid of my phone, and cancel the cable.  I haven't...mostly for my family, but man...I am starting to just hate technology.  And the rest of the world continues on in a more and more technical savvy way.  And the scrapbooking and paper crafting world is moving on as the world is.  And I just may stay behind.  :)  I'm not really part of the online communities anymore anyways.  All I have is my blog and a couple galleries (which I am even worse at updating then my blog!)  So I am disappointed with the direction this industry is taking...I guess is my point.  I've kind of rambled.  :)

What do you guys think?  Better for the environment = better for the industry?  Or are you saddened by this kind of stuff as I am?

Anyways....

I do have a few more things to catch the blog up with.

First up, in case you missed it, I had a layout and card on the Fancy Pants Designs blog...here are some sneaks:

You can find the post and the projects here.

And then I also posted the second chapter to Worshipping With All Your He{art} here.  I do hope you check it out and let me know what you think.  :)

Here are some projects I did and featured in this post...

To read more about the canvases above go to the article here.  

Ok...well I will be back soon.

Have a fabulous day!!!

The Fruit of the Spirit and Worshipping With All Your He{art}

* In case you missed it...I did announce a winner for the last sketch, you can find that here.

Hi everybody!  Just wanted to share a project...well two projects that I did with you.

A while back, I was working on a group study called Worshipping With All Your He{art}.  I decided to go ahead and share that online and I posted the first chapter here.  I would love for you to check it out!

And this is a canvas I made that is part of this chapter and currently hanging over our fireplace.

I am actually really pleased with how it turned out.  And I really had fun making it.

Here are some close up's:

 

Well thanks for popping in!  I hope you have a fantastic day!!!!

Just Be.

So I thought I would pop in and share another canvas I made.  I was working on it the same time as the one I posted yesterday.  But this one I really like.  :)  

The funny thing is, my husband and son don't like it much.  They like the one I posted yesterday way more.  It just proves that art is subjective.  People have different tastes and opinions.  And that is ok!!  :)

Well I will be back on Monday with a new layout.  Yes, a layout.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Choose Love Now

Hi everyone!  I have something new to share with you.  It's a canvas I made.

To be honest, I am not completely happy with this one.  But I am setting it aside and calling it finished. I just want to start something new.  :)

And I am sharing some quick digital art with you too...go ahead and grab it and use as you like.  :)

Click on either of the images to view larger and then right click to save.  :) If that doesn't work, just let me know.  I can always email them to you if you request it.

And I would LOVE to see what you create using these, so please do share!!!  :)

Thanks for stopping in today!!!!

Love 101

Today I am sharing a canvas that I made using the new Love Note collection from Fancy Pants Designs.  I think I am going to use it as a gift for Christmas.

This is one of my favorite quotes.  It's simple, yet really an amazing, life-changing concept.  I have it up on my own wall.

I cut a bunch of triangles from patterned paper and adhered them to my canvas.  Then I added white paint and white gesso to dull the papers and create a border and platform for my quote.  I love the messy stacked hearts.  The whole thing is a bit messy, which is quite fitting since love is too.

Here are some close up's of my canvas:

Thanks so much for stopping in today!!!

Have a FANTASTIC day!!

A Fun Canvas

Hi everyone!  Today I wanted to share a home decor/canvas project that I made with you all.  I used the fun Time For Spring collection from Fancy Pants Designs for my project.  And really this collection is great for anytime...not just spring, so don't let the name fool you.  :)

I started with 6 pieces of paper, cut into almost squares (one side is slightly longer than the other simply because of the size of my canvas).  The pieces do not fit perfectly but that is ok because I know I am going to cover the edges with paint.  I adhered the papers to my canvas.

I took white paint and covered the edges and brushed over the papers, over the middle of the canvas.  Ideally, I wanted some of the patterns to show through a little.  

I hand-cut three large leaf shapes from 3 different patterned papers.  I arranged those and a strip of green paper to make a flower.  I also added the words "practice gentleness" to my canvas, overlapping the stem on my flower.  

For a final me step, I added a bit of stitching around the papers in my flower.

And my final project ended up looking like this:

Well there you have it, a simple but fun canvas to hang on your walls.  Thanks for stopping by the blog today! 

Update and a Project

I'll tell you one thing....I am so sick of laying on the couch!  I'm still in a lot of pain, and sleeping a lot.  I am just so ready for this to be over with.  I don't do well with doing nothing. 

Still a lot going on though.  Eryn turned 3!!!  Although sometimes she seems older than she is, so it's kinda hard to believe that she's only 3!  

My sweet Austin has been having trouble at school.  There's a bully situation we are dealing with.  But I am feeling pretty good about the school's efforts to deal with it.  And they are supposed  to be meeting with the parents of this kid today...the whole thing is frustrating and heart-breaking.  I just don't get it, and there seems to be so much of it (bullying) going on these days.  It's sad how many people have stories they can share.   

Not all is bad though....I'm getting lots of good cuddle time from the kids.  I think they are worried about me.  Austin and Eryn especially.  Hayden kind of lives in his own little world. 

I've discovered Viggle and have been accumulating bunches and bunches of points since I don't have much else to do.  I am saving my points and trying to collect enough for a Kindle.  If you haven't heard of Viggle before, you essentially get points for checking into tv programs.  I have the app on my phone and just check in when something new comes on. 

Well I do have a project to share today as well.  It's a canvas that I created to hang on the wall.  I showed the step by step process on the Fancy Pants blog, so check that out here. 

The papers and stickers are all from Fancy Pants, from their Winterland collection.  Here is a close up:

Well thanks for popping in again today!!!!  I'll be back soon!

Have a fantastic (LEAP YEAR) day!!

Psalm 121

Psalm 121 holds a special place in my heart. It has brought me a lot of comfort this year. Me and the kids have worked on memorizing it. We thought it would be fun to each make a canvas to hang in our rooms to remind us of the verses and their importance. So today I am sharing our canvases with you. :)

Austin's:

Austin said he made a concert scene, and imagined the verses as a song. Apparently it was a big production with fire and fireworks. :)

Hayden's:

Hayden choose to go a bit more simple and created some hills and a sun.

And now we come to mine:

I fancied myself a painter.

Then I fancied myself a paper crafter.

Then I fancied myself a sewer. (I'd say seamstress but that makes me think of sewing clothes...not sure what the real technical term would be for one who sews).

And I guess, in a way, I fancied myself an artist. :)

Here are some close up's:

The paper I used came from Crate Paper and My Mind's Eye. And there are no real techniques or anything on the background...I just had fun painting it.

So that was our little fun project for the weekend. Last night we actually made some magnets, but I will share those with you soon. :)

Have an AWESOME day!!!

A BUNCH of MLS

I have a ton of My Little Shoebox stuff to share with you. Most of it was made for CHA and I was just waiting to share it with you til after it was shared on the MLS blog. As you know, I am no longer designing for MLS, but I do want to give a big shout out to all the fabulous designers who just made the team! I can't wait to see what you all do with their stuff. I will always love MLS. :)

So, since I have so much...I am just sharing the projects without all the close up's....

These use the City By The Bay line:

These use the Farmers Market line:

These use the Sew Cute line:

Ok...there you have it. That was a lot.

I worked on some new stuff yesterday. :) And the day before I made a new layout too. Can't wait to share my new stuff with you all!

Have a wonderful day!