When life gives you.....

lemons, chocolate, snowflakes - you fill in the blank. No lemons here this weekend, but definitely chocolate and snowflakes. So we had chocolate chip cookies (isn't that what you do with chocolate?). As for the snowflakes, enjoyed watching them gently swirl to the ground or cover our car as we drove but steered clear of snowmen and snowball fights.

Yesterday we attended the funeral of our dear friend's mother. It is always sobering to attend these, but also enlightening to learn about the person and their family. I also find that funerals start me thinking about where I'm at in life and evaluating if I'm doing the things I want to do as well as the important things I should be doing. And so this weekend has been a bit of an internal inspection. I don't know that I have everything figured out, but definitely have some new plans. I'm also grateful for the reminder that this life does not end at death and that some day I'll be reunited with loved ones.

Tomorrow I begin a new adventure - an online class called She Art Workshop. I'm so looking forward to this creative experience and rediscovering the artist inside.

Last, in this randomness of random posts, I love taking pictures and I also enjoy inspiring quotes. A few months ago I combined these two loves by adding favorite quotes to photos I'd taken and use them as wallpaper and screen savers on my computer. This one speaks to me today as a focus for the week. Hope you enjoy it!

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Snow Hounds

This morning we woke up to 8 inches of snow. Not a big deal, unless you are a Basset Hound who needs to go out and do their business. You see, it's okay to romp and play in snow that comes up to your chin, but squatting, that's a whole different expectation.

So, I grabbed the shovel, cleared the deck, the stairs, the dog ramp, a path to the grass, and two grass patches (so no squatting in snow was required). Feeling pretty proud of myself and out comes Mabel. What does she do? Walks over to the snow covered sidewalk (only about 2 inches of snow there because of the blowing factor) and squats and piddles. NICE! Good thing I cleared those grass patches!

But I know she'll use it later so it's all good. But it is funny to see the hounds romping in the snow with only their heads and tails visible until they "rabbit" hop through the mounds. So cute!

On my way home, I discovered another snow hound of sorts - actually a beagle. We have a neighbor that creates snow sculptures on a regular basis when there's a ready snow supply. He is amazing! Tonight's sculpture is Snoopy and Woodstock. The lighting was still pretty good, so I snapped a picture.

Enjoy!

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Scrappin' with Flaps

So the sneak peek I gave of the project the other day was for a layout that uses a decorative paper (the kind with the cool borders) cut in half to create a flap. I used My Mind's Eye paper, which I love because it all coordinates - no need to worry if the colors look good together or not ;) I also used the i-rock tool from Imaginisce for a little embellishing and ribbon and brads from Crate Paper.

So here's the link to the segment that aired on Good Things Utah today: Cuttin' Up and Gettin' Decorative with Flaps

The inspiration for this project came from the 15 Things that Define Me class that Creating Keepsakes is sponsoring at CK Scrapbook Conventions this year. And here are a few more pictures showing the details of the finished layout. Enjoy!

 

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Creative day

LOVE having a day off work, but even better is when it is a creative day! And today was a creative day. Started with some scrapbooking and then moved on to beading. I fixed a bracelet for K and figured while I had my beads out, might as well make something new for me too.

Most of my jewelry is purple (big surprise there!) so today I made a brown bracelet and a green one. For the brown one, I looked through one of the idea books I have. The design I picked was originally pink so I grabbed a variety of brown beads instead. It has four wire strands that come together in random places throughout the bracelet and help the beads to look like they are floating. I love the way it turned out and I can't wait to wear it.

The second bracelet was a bit of a cheat as the silver balls were already on a chain. All I did was put each green bead on a head pin with two clear seed beads and then hook those to the chain. I haven't made many this way and I'm not the best at making the loop, but this project definitely gave me good practice. It will be nice to have a bracelet to go with my green clothes since I don't really have anything right now.

I love starting my week with such a creative punch to it. Wish I could do this more often - maybe I should rephrase that. I need to make time for this more often :) Here's a picture of the two bracelets.

Happy Monday!

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Sneak Peek

This coming Wednesday (the 23rd) I'm doing a segment for Good Things Utah. I don't want to totally give it away, so here's a photo that shows a portion of the project. I had so much fun playing with my new i-rock tool (thanks Lori) and loved the papers I chose from My Mind's Eye.

I'll post a link to the segment after it airs on Wednesday. Until then, enjoy!

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Trying new things

I signed up for an online class that I'm really excited about. It is totally out of my normal style, but I LOVE the projects that Christy Tomlinson creates and she's the one teaching the class. The class is called The She Art Workshop. It explores a variety of mediums - paint, canvas, pen, paper, etc. I think it will be a fun creative expression and a way to try something new.

Can't wait for it to start, but I'm glad I have a little more time to gather my supplies. Yippee for learning!

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Exciting Friday Nights

I remember the days when Friday nights meant doing something - movie, a dance, dinner with friends. Now, well, now Friday night is just like any other work night - dinner, watch TV, and bed. Could I do something else on Friday night? Sure, if I wasn't worn out from the week :)

So when did I get this old? Maybe when I turned 40? Maybe I was born this way? Who knows, but Friday nights sure aren't filled with lights and excitement, but I think I'm okay with that.

This way I'm with good friends and the hounds. And life is good - that's what's important. So here's to relaxing nights at home.

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Valentine Rose Cupcakes

Wednesday was a Good Things Utah day and this time I didn't do a paper crafted or scrapbooked item. Instead, I showed using fondant to make rolled roses to decorate cupcakes.

Here's the link: Rolled Rose Cupcakes

Fondant tends to intimidate people, but I like to think of it as playdough for grown-ups. These roses are very simple. Pick your fondant color, roll out the fondant, cut strips that are four to six inches long, and then start rolling. Use a little water along one edge to help the fondant stick to itself. Voila! Roses.

I prefer to use Wilton's fondant rather than make my own, since I don't usually eat it. If you can't find the color you want in packaged fondant, you can mix two colors together or add color to white fondant. If you are adding food color to fondant, make sure you use gloves so your hands don't stain.

These roses are perfect for Valentines Day, but they also work well for Mother's Day, a garden party, bridal shower, or any occasion where flowers appear.

Have fun playing!

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Things I've Learned from my Dogs

There is much to be learned from these delightful, four-legged friends. Here are a few things I've recently re-learned from the hounds:

1. Always greet people excitedly. When you do, they tend to return the excitement.
2. If you really, really, really want something, look pathetic, don't take your eyes off them, and then moan once in awhile for good measure.
3. On a cold day, when someone gets up from where they are sitting, hurry and move to that spot - its sure to be warm.
4. Sleep as much as you can.

I think dogs have it the right idea - keep things simple and enjoy things to the fullest in the moment.

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