Tag It!

I just love making gift tags, especially at Christmas time.  Here's a few that I have been working on for this season:

I used the Holiday Home stamp set and coordinating dies to create these cute houses.  The houses are colored with Copic markers and boy did it feel good to get some coloring done!  I have not taken the time to color in a while and I have really missed it.  The background papers are some Basic Grey and Stampin' Up papers that I have laying around.  It is absolutely sinful how much designer paper I have in this room and it is about time I started using some of it up.  These didn't take much, but I have plans to make lots more!  I stamped on the designer paper with some of the accent stamps from this terrific stamp set.  If you don't have it yet, better get it ordered.  The Holiday Catalog from SU is only good through January 5, 2015 and there is no guarantee that it will be available after that.  You can click below or on the icon in the side bar to go to my Stampin' Up! website and pick one of these darlings up!

Holiday Home Photopolymer Bundle

$31.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Project Give Thanks

Project Give Thanks is the brainchild of the talented and ever thoughtful Stampin' Up! demonstrator Sonja Knaisch.  Sonja is a breast cancer survivor and wanted to find a way to help others suffering from cancer.  She devised a plan while undergoing her own experiences with chemo therapy.  She thought that it would be great if, while sitting having poison slowly dripped into your veins, you could have something fun and productive to do.  Project Give Thanks was born!  Groups of crafters and card makers get together and make greeting cards which are then put in baskets and placed in cancer treatment centers.  The patients can pick out the cards they want and make them out to send to their friends, family and care givers.  We concentrate on thank you cards, but make cards for all occasions as well.

Sonja has many heart warming stories (I warn you that you may need a tissue while reading) on the Project Give Thanks blog.  She has lots of pix of the gals at work and of the cards that we make.  Please stop by and visit and leave her some well deserved love!

I thought that I would share some pix of the gals that I have been working with and some of the cards we have made.  These gals come together once a month at the First Baptist Church of Longmont to make cards to donate to a cancer treatment center in Longmont. 

Here's a couple of the cards we made this month:

These girls, some of whom have never stamped before, are amazing.  We make an average  of 30-40 cards each time we meet (sometimes even more).  These fine ladies give freely of their time and talent to make sure that the patients at the treatment center have something lovely to take away from their time there.

Please take a minute to stop by the Project Give Thanks blog to find out more about this very worthwhile project and please leave some love in a comment for Sonja!

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Creative Blog Hop

Happy Monday everyone!  We here on the front range of Colorado are hunkering down waiting for a blast of winter to arrive.  We have had such a mild fall that we really are due for a bit of cold and snow.  We've had it too good for too long LOL!

My sweet and talented friend Sonja has tagged me in a creative blog hop.  Sonja is a true gem and I am so very happy and grateful that she has come into my life.  We met at a stamp camp and hit it off right away.  She is an Independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator too!  Her upline lives far away and she really wanted to connect with some of us local gals and we were more than happy to oblige.  She is now a valued member of our local downline community and it is truly a joy to have her with us.   You can see Sonja's post for this Creative Blog Hop HERE.  Be sure to visit and leave her some love!

Sonja, a breast cancer survivor, is the heart (and brains) behind Project Give Thanks.  This worthy project creates cards to be donated to cancer treatment facilities in our local communities.  We have formed several groups working on this project and I will have a post devoted to describing our activities coming up soon.  All of it is due to the inspiration we have all had from Sonja.

Here are the Creative Blog Hop questions and my answers ...

What am I working on now?
I currently participate in two local stamp camps each month and both have been growing and growing.  At our Sassy Chic camp this month we had 75 participants and at Stamp Camp North we had 52.  These camps challenge me to come up with a project for the campers to create that can be done quickly, but it also must be something that will have them leave my table saying "Wow - look what I made!"  

I am also part of a couple of downline groups that meet monthly (or we try to) and so I am always looking to plan projects that I would be proud to share with fellow demonstrators and when I am doing a make and take project for these gals I always want to make something that will show them something new.  These activities keep me on my toes and keep my creative juices flowing!

Besides my paper crafting hobby (habit?) I also enjoy making high fire functional porcelain pottery, weaving, sewing, jewelry making and most needle crafts (knitting, crocheting, embroidery).  I keep pretty busy during the fall, winter and spring with these activities and during the summer, my hubby of 30 years and I like to live on our sailboat - Belmira - a 36 foot Allied Princess ketch.  Right now she is on the coast of Massachusetts, but next spring we will be sailing her south to Florida and then plan to spend several months during the winter living aboard and sailing the islands in the warmer waters off the Florida coast.

I am a grandma to 6 and these lovelies also keep me pretty busy - 3 girls and 3 boys ranging in age from 3 to 10 and I love them all dearly.  Of course, I think that they are the most brilliant and creative children on the planet and one of my major goals in life is to encourage them in everything they do.

How does my work differ from others in my genre?
I'm not sure my work is terribly different from other paper crafters out there.  I'm relatively new to it having only been paper crafting for about 7 years, but I am always learning new techniques and experimenting with new equipment and new materials.  It is a constant learning experience and I just try to make the most of it!  I have watched myself grow more experienced, but I don't think I will ever be able to say I've learned it all.  There are so very many talented and creative people out there that inspire me on a daily basis and they keep the wheels turning in my head and lead me forward in my crafting adventures.

Why do I create what I do?
For many years I did not see myself as a particularly creative person.  I come from a long line of artists and teachers, but I had not found that spark, that creative energy that would lead me to believe that I too was a creative person.  Then I discovered clay.  I have been a potter since 1987 and I cannot begin to describe how much it changed my life.  I finally found something that made me feel truly creative.  Once I got going, it was hard to stop.  I love working with clay, but now I also know the joys of working with fiber and paper too!

I was trained as a teacher and paper crafting has reopened that love in my life.  I love having classes and teaching others to explore and grow confident in their own creative abilities.  Paper crafting has opened that door once again for me and I truly love it.

How does my creative process work?
Wow - where do I start?  I get inspired by the world around me, by nature, by people, by situations.  I am a geek (25+ years in the IT field) and as a result much of my inspiration for my creative adventures comes from the web.  I am pretty addicted to blogs and to Pinterest too.  But much of my creative inspiration comes from the other people I work with, other women mostly, but there's lots of creative men out there too.  The ladies in my classes inspire me constantly!  I may be the teacher, but I learn as much from them as they do from me.

I love to work with both virtual and physical materials.  It is such a neat thing to work on the computer and create projects and not have to use up any of my supplies!  Stampin' Up! has great digital software in My Digital Studio and there is also sooooooo much stuff available everywhere on the web.  I love creating virtual and hybrid projects as well as creating my own digital sentiments.

Tag - you're it ... !

Meet Cathy Hansen ...

One of the most talented ladies I know is part of the Front Range Stampers group that I belong to.  That is how I met her and I am so grateful to call her my friend.  Cathy Hansen is a wonderfully creative and giving person.  I learn from her every time I spend time with her.  Cathy's blog - Cathy's Craft Room - is full of creative inspiration and I encourage you to pay her a visit and check it out for yourself.  Cathy is my go to source for information and resources and I couldn't manage without her!  She and I share a complete and absolute love for all things crafty and we both have overflowing craft rooms to prove it!  Look for Cathy's post next Monday as she joins us in this Creative Blog Hop.

As usual, I have tons to share and will really try to get some pictures posted of all the fun things that have been happening.  With the advent of colder weather (and now that I don't have to go out in it to go to work anymore) I hope to spend lots of crafty time around the house.  With DH home now and involved in his own creative projects, the house is abuzz (and covered with sawdust) as we embark on our lives together as retired senior citizens (insert big chuckle here).  I am still amazed that I am so much busier now than I was when I had a full time job!

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Happy November?

What the heck happened to August, September and October?  Time has just been flying by here in the old craft cave since I returned home from this summer's sailing adventures.  We were so busy this year that I didn't get much time to post while out on the water.  Suffice it to say - it was great fun and we are getting ready for our big move next spring down to warmer climes and doing some winter sailing off the coast of Florida instead of summer sailing off the coast of Massachusetts.  Retirement has been great so far, but so very busy that I really and truly do not know how I ever managed to hold down a full time job!  The photo above was taken from my front porch of the gorgeous light coming through the trees.  The sky looked really dark and stormy and then the sun broke through and lit up all the neighborhood trees and it was magical!

Saturday was our annual Christmas Luncheon at Sassy Chic Stamp Camp in Longmont, Colorado.  We had a ball!  Here's a couple of pix from the camp:

Juli getting ready.

Our newest camper!

Hard at work ...

We really had a fantastic time.  There were a total of 74 campers (64 actual attendees and 10 gals that couldn't make it but got the cards anyway).  They all received their 2015 coupon books and there was fantastic food and plentiful door prizes.  All and all a wonderful day for everyone.

I will be meeting with the gals in Longmont to make cards for Project Give Thanks tomorrow morning and am looking forward so much to getting together and creating with them.  I will try to post some photos of our creations later this week.

This coming Saturday is Stamp Camp North at the Elks Lodge in Westminster, Colorado. I will post my card for that event later this week as well.  Here's the information about that camp and if you have any questions, just shoot me an email (link on the sidebar).

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Happy Halloween!

Hi there!  Surprised to see me?  I think I'm finally ready to get back to the business of life.  I'm home, the Captain is also home and we are both getting back to living the retired life!  It's all good!

I have lots and lots to share both creatively and from my new perspective on life as a retired person!

First up - tomorrow is the annual Sassy Chic Christmas Luncheon and it is going to be spectacular!  Here is the card the gals will be making at my table:

There is much adjusting going on around here - we didn't really have time to figure out the whole retirement thing before the Captain left for the ship, so we're working on how our days will go as we go along.  Lots of projects, lots of things that need attention from one or both of us.  I really am hoping to get back into the clay studio soon - Christmas is coming after all.  I also want to get the sewing machine out and pull out some of that stored yarn that is screaming at me to make something with it.  I'm also taking a water color painting class - something I have wanted to do since my (very long ago) college days.  I guess what my aunties and uncles have told me is really true - I am busier now that I am retired than I was when I was working!  Love it, love it, love it!

Please hang in there with me as I move through this adjustment period to the latest phase of my life.  Lots of crises going on with our 5 sons that impact us as well as all of our darling grandchildren.  New faces, old faces, new relationships - am loving it and hating it at the same time.  New and unexpected health issues as I get older as well, nothing death defying but definitely things to pay attention to.  

I really do appreciate all of you for your support of this crazy blog.  My Blogoversary is coming up soon (in spite of what the counter says).  On December 31 we will be 7 years old!  Doesn't seem possible that I have been at this that long but ...

As always, comments are so very welcome and I am so grateful to all of you for being there!

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

The Uncertain Sailor

I’ve decided that in this our fifth year of sailing the New England coast, I would finally dedicate a portion of my blog to our sailing adventures.

Five years ago my husband retired and before doing that decided that he wanted to sail from May through October.  Moving Belmira, our beautiful O’Day 290 from Colorado to Massachusetts was not feasible so he traveled east and bought our current vessel – a 36 foot Allied Princess ketch that we also named Belmira.  She needed a lot of work, but was the ocean going craft he felt we needed to be able to retire on.  He started a blog to track his adventures and you can read about these at Sailing Belmira (there's a link in the sidebar too).  Before I retired on April 1 of this year, I would join him for 3-4 weeks each summer and share in this adventure. 

Here's a picture of our home away from home:

I probably need to tell you a bit about my husband.  He turned 70 years old this year.  He does not do anything half way.  He is/has been a stained glass artist, a watercolor artist, a woodworker, a gardener and he gave each endeavor his all while he was doing it.  He is and has always been a musician (plays guitar, mandolin and is currently learning the fiddle).  He also likes to go fast – cars, boats, bicycles, and running.  He really enjoys doing yoga too (the extreme high temperature kind of course).

Now that I have retired, I can be with him more during the summer months while he’s living aboard our sailboat.  He has very grand plans for our times on the high seas and I have to be honest here, I’m not sure that I am cut out for this.  Unlike him, I do not like adrenaline rushes, I do not like going fast – I think my body is allergic to G-forces.  This makes me what I am calling an “uncertain sailor” – at best.

I do love certain things about living aboard a sailboat.  Most of the time I sleep much better and it is really good to just disconnect from everything for a while.  I’ve been here for nearly a week and we have been preparing to head downriver from the boat yard and hit the real water.  The boat has been undergoing major upgrades this year and was pretty much a workshop for the first two months he has been out here.  It looks great and has some new and wonderful improvements (with more to come before the season is over).  The entire deck was repainted and re-finished, the new bimini and dodger that were delivered at the close of last season are installed and gorgeous.  The radar mount that he built over the winter has been installed and works like a charm (now I just have to learn how to interpret what I see on it).  The refrigerator that he installed last season is working great as is the new deck hardware that brings all the lines back to the cockpit for easy access while sailing.  He’s working hard at setting up some of the new (to us) sails that will hopefully make moving across the water more efficient and easier.

I have decided to track my progress as I try to learn how to love this aspect of our life.  There will be a label here for these posts and I will tag each post accordingly so that you can skip these if you are only here for reports and pix of my other adventures.  You can click on the Uncertain Sailor label in the labels list to read just the posts that pertain to this.

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Excuses, Excuses

I  have more than a few - adjusting to retired life, being busier than ever, DH off and living on Belmira, long gone child home with his dog and two cats, three youngest all going through life changes, craft cave being totally remodeled, and me too!

Blogging will most likely be sporadic for the near future ... but I'm here, I'm alive and I am adjusting to all the changes life is throwing at me.

I'm still doing my monthly 12 Months of Christmas classes and here's the card we're doing this month:

Here's the card for June:

Here's the card for May:

I head for Belmira on the 22nd of July and will be living aboard until Sept. 8.  I am taking my yarn projects (knitting and crocheting) and my watercolors (my class in the spring was awesome and I  hope to continue to grow with my painting while sailing).  The watercolor class is through The Women's Connection here in central Colorado and I cannot say enough about how wonderful it is to meet up with creative women once a week as we explore our creative selves and our connection to each other!

I also have several friends going through life altering health issues.  This is so difficult for them, but also for those who love them.  You don't know what to do, how to respond, how to comfort.  Until you face this yourself, you just don't know what they are facing as each day dawns.  Difficult for everyone involved I guess.

I will miss the Stampin' Up! convention this year, but look forward to hearing all the wonderful details from my demo buddies who actually made it.  I did several stamp camps and some wonderful fun things with my creative buddies, but have fallen really behind in taking photos of the astounding creativity.  Hopefully I will do better when I get home in September!

Enough, enough I guess.  I will share my journey as I can and I hope that is ... enough ...!

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Not dead yet ...

Hello everyone!  I am still alive and kicking.  Still creating, just not blogging about it.  Retirement is wonderful and who would have guessed it could suck up the time so fully ... not me to be sure!

Mr. Mojo did finally return and one of these days I will get back to documenting what I'm about.  Thanks for hanging in and being so patient.  Blogging was so much a part of me for the last few years and I do miss it, but ... life does tend to get in the way sometimes.

DH is on the boat and getting his "ducks in a row" to get it in the water.  I'll be joining him sometime in July and probably be living aboard till sometime in September.  This whole retirement thing has made it possible to spend more than the "allotted vacation" time with him on his journey.  Whether it will prove to be my journey as well remains to be seen.  I do love life on the water, just not sure I want it to take up a full quarter of my time as he does.  The clay and the yarn and the paper all still call loudly to me.

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Lots of Doings at Stampin' Up!

Well, it's that time of year again at Stampin' Up!  Time for the list of retired products and time for some amazing specials.  Click the icons below to get all the details.

If you have any questions about either of these, please feel free to shoot me an email (link in the sidebar) or leave me a comment and I will get back to you!

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Easter 2014

Here's some photos from this year's Easter celebration:

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Monday Freebie - March 17, 2014

Here's my mostly irregular Monday Freebie for you:

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Hectic times, but happy times.  11 more work days till retirement - but really, I'm not counting!

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Upcoming Events (besides my retirement that is)

Can you tell I'm excited about retiring?  11 more work days - but who's counting right?  Anyway, there are three fun events coming up that I am involved in.  If you live in Colorado and want to spend a few creative hours with some really great people, check these out:

March 20, 2014 - 12 Months of Christmas

Here is this month's project:

April 5, 2014 - Sassy Chic presents Anything BUT a Card!

April 12, 2014 - Stamp Camp North is having a Paper Picnic!

If you want more information on any of these fun activities, just leave me a comment or shoot me an email (address in the sidebar).

My youngest grandson has his first tap dance recital on Thursday night and I'll be posting some pictures of that fun evening later today or tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Stamp Camp North - March 8, 2014

Here's my card for this weekend's Stamp Camp North:

If you are interested and want more information about this camp:

If you still have any questions, please feel free to email me (address in the sidebar) and I will answer any questions you might have.

I am processing photos from last weekend's Sassy Chic Stamp Camp.  The theme was "masculine cards" and I don't think the campers were disappointed in the projects we had to offer.  Lots of brave folks came out in the snow and cold to stamp with us and we had a wonderful time.  Hope to have some pix of these great projects to share with you tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Monday Freebie - March 3, 2014

WOW has the last month or so been busy.  Good busy, but crazy busy.  Here's a freebie for you from a super talented photographer and blogger named Kerri Farley.  Her blog is A Little Piece of Me and she takes some absolutely gorgeous pictures.  I encourage you to pay her a visit and check it out.  She kindly gave me permission to quote her here:

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Last weekend was a super fun Sassy Chic Stamp Camp.  I'll try to get some pictures taken of the fun "guy" cards that we all made.  This weekend is Stamp Camp North at the Westminster Elk Lodge in Westminster, CO.  Here's the info on that:

Also, this month's 12 Months of Christmas card class is coming up on March 20.  Here's the details on that:

Lots of fun things to do if you live in the Denver/Boulder/Longmont area of Colorado.  If you want any more info on these activities, just shoot me an email (address in the sidebar).

I am in countdown mode (19 more work days) till retirement, so things are pretty crazy at work too as I try to get things in order for my replacement.  It's hard when you've been in a job for over 20 years to even begin, but I'll manage!

Thanks for visiting! 

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.