Merry Christmas & Farewell Surprise!

Hosted by the lovely Sherry Bamsey, a fun group of ladies gathered together to surprise Colleen before her move to California. What a wonderful time we had! I was so thrilled to be included in this special occasion. It was so good to see Colleen again and I got a chance to meet some new friends as well. From left to right: Kim Johnson, Sherry Bamsey, Colleen Jew, Jennifer Wyatt, Maija Lapore, Carol Wingert, Kim Hesson & myself.

Thank you Sherry for your generosity today! I had a wonderful time!
Below are a few gifts that were exchanged today. Just wanted to share. :)

Counting Down

I finished up the "Countdown to Christmas" that my future daughter-in-law requested. She wanted it for my son. I had to change a few things up from the last one that I made for the store but I think it turned out great. And most importantly, they both loved it.

Busy getting ready for Christmas around here. Amazingly we got all the decorations, lights, tree, etc up quickly this year. So it has been looking festive for a few weeks now. I am not really fond of the process of decorating for Christmas but I sure love the results! Especially at night with everything lit up.
Even got my Christmas cards out early this year. I think it was important that I get control of a few things this year as everything else has been out of control. As some of you know, my dad has been in hospice care at home for a while now and two weeks ago was sent to the hospice care facility. We didn't expect him to make it. But he rallied and is currently home again with a daytime nurse. So amazing! And a little stressful. But so far, so good.

So here's to letting go of worries, stress and holiday chaos and clinging to the real, true meaning of Christmas...the birth of Christ! May He be the greatest gift you receive this season. Merry Christmas!!

Oh Baby!

So I finally got in gear and painted a little something for a friend's new baby. I have known the baby's grandma since 5th grade! So when her daughter had a daughter and named her after her great grandma I just knew I wanted to do something. And it had to be with her name. I love the way it turned out. Her room is done in pinks, reds and white. So I think it will fit in nicely. I really hope she likes it. I love how the little flowers turned out. The edges are a light yellow with glitter paint all over. It is always fun to make something girly.
Just wanted to share.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Yesterday I taught the Thanksgiving ATC class at Paper Vineyard. The class was small but lots of fun. The ladies finished in record time and walked out with completed projects. Yahoo!!

Next is the Christmas "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" ATC class. It will be held on Dec 5th from 10-2. Looking forward to this one too. Although that means we are that much closer to Christmas. Just so hard to believe. I don't know why I am surprised each year when it creeps up on me. It is the same time each year, right. So I should be prepared. No....I am not. But that is OK. It always comes together. :) I am one step ahead with my Christmas family photos taken and chosen. That is a big step right there. Last year was the first year in probably 24 yrs that I did not send out Christmas cards. We had so many family things going on with my dad and with my son that I just couldn't bring myself to try to explain it all or feel very cheerful. So I am looking forward to this year with lots of gratitude in my heart.

Again this last week has been a crazy one. My middle son called Friday night to tell us that he had been rear ended on the freeway. So thankful that everyone was OK. There were 5 cars involved and he was right in the middle. Just sandwiched in and crunched from both sides. Poor kid. The on ramp at the particular location is under construction and you have about 2 car lengths to merge or you come to a dead stop. That is what happened. The first car stopped, the second car stopped and then my son stopped...followed by the fourth car that hit them all. Then a second accident happened when a 5th car hit them all again. The last two cars are the ones that received the tickets. So my son didn't do anything wrong. That is a relief. But we do feel bad for the poor girl stuck in a very bad situation. The city just needs to close that on ramp until the work is complete. Just too dangerous. Overall we are grateful that no one was hurt. So begins the process of replacing a car that he had for only 2 months!

So...on to another week and I am praying for boring. That's OK, right! :)
Happy Sunday!

Growing Dim

While cruising through some blogs this morning, one struck me! I absolutely loved the words she had shared. They touched my heart. She spoke about worship and why we do it. Why it is good to turn our hearts to Jesus and concentrate on His love. At the start of her blog she said that the reason we worship is "so that the things of this earth would grow strangely dim". Wow...I had never really thought of it that way before. But it is so true. As we put our focus on Him and His truth our world grows dim. Our struggles and minor complaints seem less important in the light of His love.

So today I'm looking for a dimmer view of this earth and a bright and shining view of His promises! It's gonna be a great day!


....turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace

Creativity in Bloom

So...no photo to post as I didn't take my camera. But what a fun time at "Creativity in Bloom" yesterday! I so enjoyed getting to meet some amazing teachers and see the fun projects that the ladies got to create. The event was put on by Sandy & Michelle and they did a wonderful job. Everything looked great and the ladies had a very full day of project after project and lots of good food in between. :) I was so happy that I was asked to help out. I thoroughly enjoyed my day! Thanks Sandy & Michelle

Finished Product

A few photos of the final Thanksgiving ATC class that I have been working on. The class is set for Sat. Nov 7th at Paper Vineyard.

On another note...this weekend I am helping Michelle at "Creativity in Bloom". I am so excited to help out and grab a peek at all the wonderful goodies that the teachers have in store for everyone. I am sure it will be a wonderful day for all the ladies attending. Thanks to Michelle for letting me assist.

Sneak Peek!

Here is a little sneak peek of a project I am working on for Paper Vineyard. It is a continuation of the Halloween ATC class that we did last month. The one coming up is a "Thankful" ATC class....set for Nov 7th. With my favorite fall colors and lots of fun techniques, this should be a fun class! I am looking forward to it. Plans for a "Christmas" ATC class are in the works also. Even though it is still hard for me to believe that Christmas is right around the corner. OK...I can't think of that yet. :)


Anyway...enjoy the sneak peek!!

Saturday's Class & Hawaii 5-0!

What started out to be a slow sign up for the Halloween ATC class certainly spiked at the end. I was a little concerned at first as there are so many small pieces in this project so the kits took quite a while. But we didn't want to leave anyone out. In the end it worked out great! I am so glad the gals enjoyed themselves. It was a wonderful group of women. Oh and special thanks to Charmagne who brought some yummy snack mix for us to share. I tried to slip the cute little pumpkin bowl that she brought it in into my purse but she wouldn't have it. :)
We are definitely going to offer another ATC class....Thanksgiving, Christmas or both.

From class I rushed home to have lunch and change and I was off to a big birthday celebration for a dear friend. It was the scary one....the big 5-0! Her husband planned the party with the help of a few of us girls. Turned out beautiful! He even arranged for Hawaiian Hula dancers from the ASU Hawaiian Club to perform. There were about 15 kids in full Hawaiian dress and they put on a 1/2 hr show. They did a great job! The evening was a lot of fun and I think my friend really did enjoy herself despite the 5-0 thing. :) Her hubby did a great job pulling the party together.

On to another busy week....thanks for stopping by.

Celebrating!!

Happiness

Highly happy people all share happy habits. It’s as simple as that. The happiest people I know share 7 very obvious habits. If you’re looking to expand your general happiness you may consider adopting these habits in your own life.

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
-Abraham Lincoln

1. Be a Part of Something You Believe In – This could be anything. People may take an active role in their local city council, find refuge in religious faith, join a social club supporting causes they believe in, or find passion in their careers. In each case the physiological outcome is the same. They engage themselves in something they strongly believe in. This engagement brings happiness and meaning into their lives.
2. Share Time with Friends and Family – A happy life is a life shared with friends and family. The stronger the personal relationships are and the higher the frequency of interaction, the happier a person will be.
3. Reflect on the Good – Quite often people concentrate too much of their attention on negative outcomes and leave no time to positively reflect on their successes. It’s natural for a person to want to correct undesirable circumstances and focus closely on doing so, but there must be a healthy balance in the allocation of personal awareness. It is important to mindfully reflect on the good while striving diligently to correct the bad. A continuous general awareness of your daily successes can have a noticeably positive affect on your overall emotional happiness.
4. Exploit the Resources You DO Have Access To – The average person is usually astonished when they see a physically handicap person show intense signs of emotional happiness. How could someone in such a restricted physical state be so happy? The answer rests in how they use the resources they do have. Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it.
5. Create Happy Endings Whenever Possible – The power of endings is quite remarkable. The end of any experience has a profound impact on a person’s overall perception of the experience as a whole. Think about reading a fairly well written, thought provoking novel. Now imagine the ending totally sucks. Even if the story was captivating up until the ending, would you still be happy recommending the novel to a friend? People always remember the ending. If the ending is happy, the experience creates happiness. Always tie loose ends, leave things on a good note, and create happy endings in your life whenever possible.
6. Use Personal Strengths to Get Things Done – Everyone possesses unique personal strengths. We all have different talents and skill sets. Emotional happiness comes naturally to those who use their strengths to get things done. The state of completion always creates a sense of achievement. If this achievement is based exclusively on your own personal ability to get the job done, the physiological rewards are priceless.
7. Savor the Natural Joy of Simple Pleasures – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best things in life are free. They come in the form of simple pleasures and they appear right in front of you at various locations and arbitrary times. They are governed by Mother Nature and situational circumstance and captured by mindful awareness. It’s all about taking a moment to notice the orange and pink sunset reflecting off the pond water as you hold hands with someone you love. Noticing these moments and taking part in them regularly will bring unpredictable bursts of happiness into your life.

The above is taken from this blog. I first saw it on Amy Tangerine's blog. To celebrate my birthday today I thought it was fitting to look at "happiness"! After all what better day to be happy than your own birthday. :) Really not a day different from any other but a great chance to look at your own life and be grateful. Grateful for all the family and friends that have come along for the ride. People who come in and out of your life and touch your heart. There is so much ugly news out there these days that sometimes we all need to take a moment to step back and focus on all the good things that are in our lives. Today I'm going to do that. So if you are reading this right now...thanks...thanks for taking a peek into my life and sharing the ride with me. Enjoy your day!!!

Welcoming Halloween

This coming Saturday I will be teaching once again at Paper Vineyard. I am excited about this project. I really like the way it turned out. I am hoping that others will too. :) We are hoping to continue the theme for Thanksgiving and Christmas depending on how well it is received. The store is even giving a discount on the ATC holder if you take all the classes. It is going to be another detail oriented day but well worth the time. I love my job!!

One Year!

Wow...I can hardly believe it has been 1 year since my first post. What a journey it has been. I absolutely love blogging and the friends I have made. Here's to another year of even more creative fun!

Splish Splash

Yesterday at Paper Vineyard we held a free scrapbooking class. Three of us were each given the same photo a week ago and asked to scrap it in any way we liked. The big reveal was yesterday in class. Above is a shot of my layout and also the three of us...Julianne, Vee and myself holding up our individual layouts. It was so fun to see the different results. Each of us went in a different direction and had fun with it. There were lots of techniques used that we each shared with the class. Great idea to do this Adriana! It is one the best parts of scrapbooking....there is no right or wrong way to create a layout, everyone has different ideas and preferences and ALL of it is perfect!

Saturday Class

Saturday is the Vintage Family Banner Class. Fun project that converts to a mini book! Love the way it turned out and really looking forward to the class.


Football season has arrived. Oh joy! I can barely contain my enthusiasm. (did I say that out loud!) My husband is a die-hard fan. He loves everything about it. Even joined a fantasy football league again. Personally I like what one of my favorite blogs had to say about football and the NFL....
She asked if it was possible for the NFL to shorten the games and maybe toss in a few decorating tips at half time. Sounds good to me! :)

Here's to a great Friday...enjoy!

It's a Red Letter Day!

Check it out!
On Donna Downey's blog there is a chance to win a wrapped canvas from "red letter words". These are wonderful pieces of art, many inspired by Bible verses. The artist is giving one away and you get to choose which one. Pretty cool.
Stop by Simply Me and sign up.
Good Luck!

Hoppy Friday!

Look what came along with the rain! Or maybe it was the irrigation. Either way, our yard is full of every form of toad there is...from tadpoles to toads with the tails still attached. They are adorable but too many is not really a good thing either. Always on the look out for the dangerous ones...our neighbor's dog was killed when he decided it would be great fun to play with one. Then there is the joy of fishing them out of the pool. Ugh.
But for now, I will take the frogs/toads if it means we get more rain!







Just had to take another shot with the penny to show how tiny he really is. :)

September Already!

I can hardly believe that it is September already. The summer has flown by. In an effort to bring fall into my life I am updating my blog. Since I doubt the weather here will cooperate anytime soon, I can at least have a sense of cooler weather here. :) Hey...when a girl lives in the desert you do what you have to do!
Enjoy!

Life Lessons

I came across this article written by Regina Brett-Cleveland, Ohio. She republished it for her 90th birthday. We could all use the little reminders that she has packed into this list.
ENJOY!

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd
grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Mixed Media at Paper Vineyard

Today was the mixed media class at Paper Vineyard with Mike Putman. It was awesome! Lesley Fisher was there too getting into the mix and helping us all learn a new technique. This beeswax stuff is addicting. :) There are so many things you can do with it. I had planned on just sitting in on the class and taking photos for the store but Mike had me jump in and make a board. Don't have to ask me twice! Loved it!
We have never hosted a mixed media type class at PV so this was exciting. I think the ladies really liked it and are planning on returning for his Halloween class in Sept and a Winter Wonderland class in Oct. If you were hesitant the first go around then you really should give it a try next time. You won't be disappointed.

And for an FYI...if you sign up to follow PV on Facebook or on the new Blog you will receive a $3 gift certificate!

Thanks again Mike and Lesley for coming to PV. You did an amazing job & we can't wait to have you back!

Heidi Swapp Class at Paper Vineyard!

Yesterday we were lucky enough at Paper Vineyard to have Heidi Swapp teach a class. It was so much fun! The ladies thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the wonderful project. Heidi was gracious, warm, friendly and inspiring! We are looking forward to another class this September. Be sure to check the Paper Vineyard blog for dates.

Thank you Heidi for coming to our store! Can't wait to have you back.

Devine Times

We all had such a good time last night at Devine Memories. It was a get-together hosted by Sandy and Michelle for the past and present Design Team members. It was a bittersweet reunion as the store will be closing soon. It was so good to see everyone again and catch up. Yet it was sad to think that this chapter was coming to a close. Such good friendships were formed here and will continue as everyone moves on to new things. Here's to good times, great friendships, laughter, sharing, potlucks, creating and many more new adventures to come!
Thanks Sandy & Michelle!!!

Surprise!

Surprise!! We pulled it off...yahoo! Big surprise 80th birthday party for Papa. We thought for sure he would find out. But he was surprised all the way around. John's brother from Michigan came out to help with the party. Lots of Papa's friends, neighbors and family were there to wish him a Happy Birthday. The biggest surprise came when his cousins from New Zealand came out of the other room and gave Papa a shock. :) It was great. We all had a great time....lots of food and a fun video that my son put together. Crazy cards and gifts. Just a fun day! So glad it worked. Happy Birthday Papa....we love you!

As Promised

Here is the Family Banner/Mini Book that I mentioned in a previous post. It is a project that I made for Paper Vineyard. I had wanted to create a banner but when I thought about having one myself, I knew it was something that I wouldn't want to hang up forever. So I came up with the idea of making it convert into a mini book. This way you can decorate it for a special occasion, be it birthday, anniversary, graduation...whatever, then when the festivities are over you can connect it together with the rings on the ends and you have a great little mini book that you can save to remember the event. Photos and notes can be added before or after. Both sides are decorated so it hangs nicely and converts well. Works out perfectly. I am very happy with the project and am looking forward to teaching the class. Please visit the website to see the date it will be available and sign up. I would love to have you join me!