a slice of crafting

Being back at work is made a bit easier when there are fun distractions – like an evening making little books and crafting with my daughters.  We made a big mess, started some projects, finished some projects, and enjoyed being together.

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SOLC #27 – a slice of creativity

I am continually disappointed when I go out to look for greeting cards.  The messages are sappy or silly.  The prices are crazy.  The quality is declining.  So I end up making my own cards.  I am on the deacon board at church and have a group of people that I check in with, offering help and support and bit of cheer.  I decided that I would make my own Easter cards this year.  I found this wonderful box of blank cards and used my printer to create a message on the inside.  I have a Happy Easter stamp for the front and a small flower stamp for the envelope.  Today I just need to get the addresses on and drop them at the post office.  I am so happy with the way they turned out that I am going to look for another box of cards and print up a few different messages inside so I won’t need to go through the time-consuming, frustrating process of card hunting for a few months.

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28 days of wonder #18

As soon as I saw the challenge pattern, I began to think of the Parable of the mustard seed.  It was a simple tree shape with some leaves – any additions were up to the quiltmaker.  I began stitching and before I knew it, the tree was filled with leaves and birds coming and going.  The flowers sprang up below the tree, the perfect place for a rest along the journey. 

The Parable of the Mustard Seed – Mark 4:30-34

 ³⁰Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. ³²Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”

 ³³With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. ³⁴He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

***tree and leaf pattern by Sue Spargo***

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Day 20 – photo-play

I was cleaning off my desk and I found a page of stickers from a moleskin.  At some point, each moleskin notebook came with a postcard or a set of stickers.  These are very bright colors – purple, green, and orange but I wondered if it would make a fun photo-play project – and I needed to waste some time. 

Now, I think I need to do what the stickers say and get some writing done.

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summer break

My summer has officially begun and it was a good first weekend.  I came to the realization this week that I probably won’t really be wrecking my journal in the same way as many others.  I am tending more toward the kind of activities in Keri’s book, How to be an explorer of the world.  I had this book out of the library recently I think this is the direction I need to head.  But I am going to keep using my copy of WTJ because I am attached to this book.

I picked up The Decorated Page by Gwen Diehnat the library this week and I am going to try some of her ideas in my WTJ – painting and drawing on pages, using the space to write instead of wreak.  Writing is my passion at the moment and the pages in this journal have pointed me toward some wonderful writing ideas. 

Also got in some stitching this weekend and reading and sitting and walking and listening and thinking.  It was a very good beginning to my summer break.

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Slice of Life – rollover minutes

You know that commercial about rollover minutes?  We are that family.  We use most of our minutes to talk with one another and have actually lost some of our rollover minutes because they expire.

My morning minutes feel like that sometimes.  I am an early riser but I have gotten into the habit of frittering away those extra minutes.  Today I decided to put them to a creative use.  

Sometime over the last few months I found this cool tutorial for a journal cover. I saved it because I knew one day I would want to make one.

Then I was given that beautiful journal for Mother’s Day and it is one I want to carry around in my purse but I was afraid that the cover would get banged about so I clicked on that tutorial and went to work last night while waiting for the season finale of “24″. Somehow my cover ended up about 1/8″ too small. Arrgghh!

Well this morning, even though I should be getting ready for work, I decided to try it again. It is a simple enough task once you have the formula and voila! I was able to crank out a second cover that fits!

I have said this before but I need to remind myself that those 20-30 minutes that I tend to fritter away in the morning could be put to creative use, reading, writing, even sewing, and I bet I would leave the house with a much better perspective on the day. 

 

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