One World One Heart -- The Final Year

Today is the first day of One World One Heart...a blog hop designed to bring together bloggers from all over the world. It is a fun and very interesting event!

For information on this event, please go here: The Whimsical Bohemian. A special thank you to Lisa for hosting this wonderful event. This is her fifth and final year.

Since the purpose of this event is to discover other like-minded bloggers, we are supposed to introduce ourselves. :-)

I am a stay-at-home-mom from the good ol' USA, and I homeschool my 3 children. I love crafts of any kind, but especially stamping and other paper crafts. I have been seriously blogging since the last OWOH event. I love blog-hopping, entering card challenges, reading, crocheting, and especially spending time with my family.

Since my family lives on one income (our choice!) I have a craft budget of virtually zero. Sooo...I enter a lot of giveaways. I use the things I win to make cards to give away, or just to give away what I win. I LOVE to give things away!! It makes me very happy to make someone else happy. :-)


One reason I like OWOH is that each blog that enters this event gets to give something away! This year, I have decided to give away one of my hand crocheted hats:

 This hat will fit a baby around 3 months old. The crocheted flower is attached to a pin backing and can be removed.

Since I do not have a small baby to model the hat, I used my dd's bear. :-) Please note: The bear is not included in the giveaway! 

The OWOH event continues through February 17. I will draw a winner and announce the winner's name on my blog. I will also e-mail the winner, so please leave a way to contact you with your comment!

This giveaway is open to all worldwide. I hope that you will host your own giveaway and meet some new bloggy friends!

*smiles*
debbi

For All You Homeschoolers...

I just love to "discover" new blogs! I follow a ga-zillion blogs, and I read my blog dashboard faithfully. I just love to see what everyone is doing, creating, learning! I have learned so much and have seen so much eye candy.

Every once in a while, I come across a new blog (usually by following a link on one of the blogs I already follow) that I am really excited about. TODAY was one of those days!!

Today I found Totally Temberton.

Totally Temberton is a blog that has giveaways of Homeschool products! They also review HS curriculum, blog about HS freebies, and more.

YIPPEE!!

Right now, Totally Temberton is having a giveaway for a one-year subscription to American History for the Ears Ultimate Mega Collection. It is a $99 value!

Head on over to this post to enter, but hurry! This giveaway ends tonight.

For All You Vinyl Lovers...

I am rather new to the "World of Silhouette SD", so I was pleasantly surprised to find out about a company called My Vinyl Designer. It is SO amazing!!

Basically, this is a software that makes Wall Art UBER easy. Sa-weet! They sell collections of already-designed wall art so that you can choose which designs you want and just cut 'em out.

I love my Silhouette more every day.

To top it all off, UCreate is giving away this amazing software!!!! Yep, you heard me...giving it away. One very blessed person (pick me! pick me!) is going to win all this:

LOVE it!

For your chance to win, head on over to UCreate HERE.

Hurry! My name  The winner will be announced February 2.

My First Attempt at Paper Roses

Yesterday, I posted HERE about a great tutorial on how to make paper roses. Well, I tried it!

It was really fun.

I used a light-weight cream cardstock, and LOTS of tiny glue dots. If you watch the tutorial, you'll see where the glue dots come in.


I wanted my roses to be a little more, well, rose-like, so I twisted my paper every now and then to give it more of a petal-like appearance (clear as mud, right?).

Here is the finished project:

I used cream cardstock from JoAnns, and the DP is from a K&Co Specialty Stack. The ink is CTMH Twilight.

I wanted the card to look more Vintage, so I distressed it with SU! Creamy Caramel. I also added just a little piece of cream organdy ribbon on each corner (it just needed a little something!). Then I used Diamond Stickles to outline the frame around the sentiment, which is QKR Stampede. And, of course, I had to spray the roses to make them sparkly!

The DP was cut using my Silhouette. I downloaded a free pattern called the Scalloped Thank You Card by tiredlady47. It is from the Yahoo Silhouette Users group, and unfortunately I cannot provide a link because you need to be member to download files. (Here is a link to the Group, in case you would like to join. I found this file in New Files.) I adjusted the file to get the cut you see here.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Stampin' Sisters in Christ -- Vintage (ends Jan 29)
Top Tip Tuesday -- Fabulous Flowers (ends Jan 31)
Crafty Cardmakers -- Floral (ends Feb 7)
Mark's Finest Papers -- Sympathy (ends Jan 28)

I hope you are able to find time to craft today!

*smiles*
debbi

Paper Tea Cups and a Very Cute "Chip"

Recently, my ds had the privilege of playing "Chip" in the local High School production of Beauty and the Beast.

I wanted to do something to thank the Directors and the Pianist.  And, of course, I just had to use the Silhouette, lol.

This is what I made:

This was a pattern that I downloaded from Silhouette America. I used plain white cardstock, because I wanted these cups to match my ds' costume. And of course I had to add the chip. :-)

And the finished cups:

 

I made chocolate covered pretzels and filled the cups. 

Isn't this the cutest tea cup you've ever seen?? :-):

Okay, maybe I'm a little biased, lol.

*smiles*

debbi

Paper Roses--GREAT tutorial!!

Good Morning! I came across this GREAT tutorial this morning, so I thought I would share.

In this video, Tracey Mason shows how to make roses from cardstock or designer paper. They look much easier than I expected, and Tracey shares some wonderful tips.

I tried to just embed the video, but since I'm lame, lol, I couldn't figure it out. And my kids are still sleeping...

So, you get a link instead: http://tmasonstudio.blogspot.com/2010/09/everything-is-coming-up-paper-roses.html

Enjoy! It's a great tutorial, and I can't wait to try some. I am half-way through a card that really needs some of these pretty roses...I'll post it as soon as I finish.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. We are having someone come to (hopefully) fix our dryer this afternoon. My laundry pile is mountain-like at the moment...oh, joy.

*smiles*
debbi

My First Attempt at Glass Etching

I have discovered a new love. 

Yep. I love glass etching! It's easy. It's inexpensive. It produces awesome results. And, did I mention that it's easy and inexpensive??

So, here it is. My great reveal, lol.

What I used:

Dollar Store candle holder. 
About $.05 worth of contact paper.
Free download from Silhouette America.
About $.02 worth of glass etching cream (applied with a sponge brush).
And, of course, my Silhouette SD (my other new love)


What I learned:

I followed directions that I found on YouTube.
This is UPER easy. I was amazed at how easy this is!!
It produces awesome results in a very short amount of time (whole project took me 15-20 minutes!)
LEAVE THE ETCHING CREAM ON FOR AT LEAST 5-10 MINUTES, even though the jar says one minute will do.

What I want to try next:

A monogrammed glass tray for a wedding gift.
Adding my name to my Pyrex 9X13 (for when I take it to potlucks)

I am working on a tea cup project (long story) which I hope to share real soon, so check back!

*smiles*
debbi

Wordless Wednesday

Stick 'em Up!

Oh How Fun!

If you read my "I Totally Forgot!" post, you might remember me mentioning Cami over at You Seriously Made That?

Well, Cami just reached 100 followers!! Yay, Cami!!


To celebrate, Cami is giving away an adorable crocheted baby hat and headband to each of three followers!!
Her hats are so cute. This one is my personal favorite:

If you want a chance to win one of her cute hats, you can enter at her blog here.

And don't forget to read my first post today...you might win a Silhouette SD!!!

*smiles*
debbi

Another Silhouette Giveaway!

Now, if you follow my blog at all, you KNOW that I already have a Silhouette SD.  It is awesomeness,  people!

Well, just because I love you so much, and just because I really think every single paper crafter needs a Silhouette, I am going to let you in on this giveaway:

Keeping It Simple is giving away a Silhouette SD!!!

Woohoo!! You have until Jan 22 to enter, so hurry over HERE to enter!

I truly hope you win.

*smiles*
debbi

I totally forgot!!

Okay, you can call me a DORK...I totally deserve it!! Waaaayyy back in November (yes, I said I was a dork!), I received this award from my sweet blogger friend Susan P:

I left a quick thank you comment on her post...and then I forgot all about it.

Ask my kids. I forget things. Often. I even bought a new stamp that says, "I lost my mind...I think my kids took it." (hee, hee).

Honestly, my life is just on overload right now. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say we are busy!

Anyhoo...back to the award. There are rules...

1. Thank the person who awarded you. (Thank goodness I didn't forget that!)
2. Share 8 things about yourself.
3. Pay it forward to 8 bloggers that you have recently discovered.
4. Contact those bloggers to let them know about their award.

So, here goes...8 things about me:

1. First and foremost, I am a child of God. I am so thankful to God for sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. He has forgiven me, and because I have accepted His free gift of salvation (no merit of my own) I can spend eternity with Him in heaven.

2. I love giving things away! I enter a lot of giveaways, and I just love to use the things I win to make things for people. It is SOOO much fun to put a smile on someone's face. I also enter giveaways for things that I know somone specific would love. It makes me so happy!

3. I am blessed to be a stay-at-home Mom. LOVE it!

4. I have four big brothers and one big sister. I have always loved being the youngest of six, and YES, I'M SPOILED! lol

5. I am a die-hard procrastinator. I leave things until the last possible moment and work best under pressure.

I also pray every day that God will help me to be more disciplined.

6. I am not an animal lover. I do not dislike animals, I just don't want any. However, we got a puppy this summer, and he has completely stolen my heart!

7. I have never pumped gas. There. I admitted it. (I told you I was spoiled!)

8. I love chocolate. No, I mean I love chocolate. Once, my ds (when he was 2-1/2) tried to bribe me with chocolate.

NOTE: I will be your best friend if you give me chocolate.

The "recently found" blogs I've chosen:

Less is More - Joy makes the most beautiful cards!

The Paper Addict - Catherine is such a sweetheart, and she makes gorgeous cards, too.

karens-kakes-krafts - Karen makes amazing cakes! I had never seen an I-Pod cake before I "met" Karen.

We are THAT Family -- Inspirational. And funny. And creative. Did I mention inspirational?

Sweet Magnolia Rose --  I love her determination! She has had much to overcome, yet she faces things squarely and just does what needs doin'! She is opening her own Craft Studio (and having an awesome giveaway right now to celebrate!).

You Seriously Made That?? -- I found her when I began crocheting again. She has great tutorials on so many different types of crafts!

Yes, Virginia... -- I just discovered Virginia yesterday. Her cards? Amazing!

And, last but not least...It's Me Susan P -- Am I allowed to give it back? I think Susan is such a sweetie, and she is so talented!

Thanks again, Susan! And I'm sorry that it took me so long to post about this!!

*smiles*
debbi

Butterfly Card

I have been sick in bed all week, and I pulled myself up today to make a card. I just couldn't stand sitting still any longer!! I am feeling a little better today, and my energy level is returning somewhat.

I wanted to make a card for three reasons; 1) I am going to go stir crazy if I don't get up and do something, lol! 2) For Sweet Magnolia's Card Challenge (which ends tomorrow), and for Enfy's Party Challenge.

Here is my card:

 I took pics from several angles so you can see the 3D value to it.

 Here's a closeup to show the glimmer mist a little better:

 The cardstock is Rose Red (SU!), the dp is from DCWV Glitter Sweet stack, and the Stickles are Fruit Punch. I also sprayed it with SU! Champagne Shimmer Mist that has been mixed with alcohol to make it sprayable.

I cute out both shapes on my Silhouette SD. The butterfly pattern is a free download I found here. I mirrored the largest butterfly and welded the two shapes together to make it a card.

I am entering this in these challenges:

Sweet Magnolia Rose (Up and Away and Represent a Dream of mine--Butterflies are free to go Up and Away whenever and wherever, plus they remind me of Summer and right now I'm dreaming of warmer weather, lol!)

Going Buggy -- (What else? Something with a bug, hee hee)

Okay, I'm off to bed now. I need a nap...zzzzzz

*smiles*
debbi

Crocheting Again

If you read THIS post, you know that I recently revived an old skill...crocheting. Years ago I enjoyed crocheting baby blankets, but I had never tried anything else before making this headband in December:

Well, it was fun! So I decided to try to make a hat:

 This was my first hat.

I don't have any tiny heads to show off my hats. :-)

Well, one thing led to another...and in about a week I had made all of these (plus a few more that I forgot to take pics of...oops!):

I only know about three basic crochet stitches (really!) and I don't own any patterns, so I raided the library and an on-line site for free crochet patterns.

       This is a little pouch/purse that I made (without a pattern) for my dd's bff.
The blue pocket on the front is to hold her I-Pod.

I have since made hats for each of my children, a hat/scarf set for my mom, and two boy baby hats. You might say I'm hooked, lol.

Happy Thursday!

*smiles*

debbi

Cards

I made this card in December but haven't had a chance to post it until now. I used Sticky Tape (SU!) for the ribbon. I added tiny blue crystals to the upper left and lower right of the card to mirror the blue of the ribbon.

The button is an antique that I salvaged from my Great Aunt's box of buttons. 

This card uses designer paper that has been embossed with the SU! Manhattan Roses EF. I then sanded and sponged ink on the embossed paper to help the embossing to show up a little better.

The CS and sentiments are SU! The buttons are from my button collection.

I will have more cards and projects to show soon. Happy Wednesday to you!

*smiles*
debbi

A Year in Review

I have been trying to get to this post for a while, because I really want to review 2010. I will try not to bore you with too many details, lol, but I would like to have a synopsis of my first year of blogging. So here goes...

January

I began to blog "for real" in January of 2010, and I also entered card challenges for the first time ever! Here is the card I entered for my first challenge:

And this was the first month that I won anything! You can read about what I won here.

February

February was a difficult month in some ways, since it marked the one year anniversary of my dear MIL's passing. While my dh traveled to PA to spend the Anniversary with his Dad and siblings, our children and I marked the anniversary with a special day of Remembering Nanna. Read about it here.

This month I also shared about one of my very favorite things...giving! I LOVE to give presents to people, and I LOVE to make cards. I was blessed enough to be able to combine these two loves for a Missionary Card Project.

I can hardly neglect to mention the One World, One Heart Project! Read all about it HERE. And you can participate in this year's HERE.

March

I tried my hand at some non-card projects this month, such as my Paper Necklace:

and my handmade pillow:

and these cute Chicks:

April


Lots of cards!! Here is one of them:

I copied this from a card I saw somewhere on Splitcoast Stampers Gallery. It is so quick and easy!

May

May is a very busy month around here, and this year was busier than usual. My dh left for a 3-1/2-week long trip to Ireland, and YES I MISSED HIM SO MUCH!! Needless to say, my kiddos and I did our very best to stay busy.

While the "cat" was away, "the mice" did play, LOL! Actually, my parents and big bro came for a 2-week visit (well, my bro only stayed two days, boo-hoo!). We did the usual LOTS of shopping, and we also refinished our laundry room. That included dry-walling, painting and LOTS of cleaning. My dad also built two more bookshelves (I admit it...I am a collector of books) and we turned the room into a beautiful schoolroom for my homeschooled kids. ALL without my dh knowing a thing!! It was a fun surprise. :-)

When my dh returned (God is so good to have kept him and us safe!), we were SOOOOOOO happy!!!! :-) I posted some pics from his trip here.

June, July, August and September

I took a few months off from blogging...not intentionally, really...during the summer months. We were UPER busy this summer! We traveled A LOT. We went to or through 14 different states, including WI, NE, SD, CO, GA, OH, IL, IO, NC, MN, WY,  KY, IN and MI. Whew! Highlights of the summer included:

*Camping in South Dakota--our first tent camping ever! We visited Mount Rushmore, Custer National Park, and went to the Flying W Ranch for horseback riding and a Dinner Show.

*Spending a week in CO with some dear friends. We have all decided that we would like to live there someday!

*A Week of Camp in GA where my dh spoke several times to the teens we had traveled with. We were able to connect with some friends that had moved and meet many new friends. Aside from the intense heat, it was a really great week!

*A week at Fine Arts Camp in WI. Now, Fine Arts Camp is not the type of camp that we typically work at, but since my dh and 3 children were all involved with the major Production at the College where my dh works, they were able to "re-enact" their roles during the FA Camp.

*Two weeks of Volleyball Camp, which my dh worked at. I had the wonderful privilege of babysitting for 3 darling children one of those weeks. It was really fun, but boy was I tired!

 *My dh performed a wedding for two of his former students in the UP of MI. DH and I went without the kids! It was a quick weekend, but we had some great moments just the two of us...along with about 14 hours together in the car, lol.

October
 
If you know much about my dh, you know that he runs Marathons. Every October he runs a full Marathon (26.2 miles) in upper WI. This year was no different.

What was different this October, was that my oldest dd began running! No, she has not run a marathon (yet), but she did run her very first race...a 1-mile run. DH ran "with" her--his race was a 5K. You can read about it here.

November

What a fun and busy month!! We had three rounds of company stay with us this month--a Missionary that my dh had worked with on his trip to Ireland, my dear FIL, and my dh's bro and SIL and their two daughters. LOVE it!

We also hosted our first Homeschool Celebration to celebrate what we've learned this trimester about the Colonists and Early American History. We called it our Thanksgiving Feast.

Thanksgiving Day is always a very relaxed time for our family, since we have always included any college students that need a place to go (The college where my dh works shuts down for the holiday. Most of the students go home or to a friend's house, but there are always a few that don't have anywhere to go.). The men always end up watching football and eating...and watching football...and eating...

This year I spent a good bit of my day entering giveaways, lol. There were 20+ blogs that were giving away this:

AND I WON!!!! You can read my reaction here. (And, Yes, I'm still excited!!!!)

December

I renewed an old skill this month...crocheting. I followed instructions I found on-line to make this headband:

I also made this box to put it in:

After all our traveling this summer, we decided to stay put for Christmas break. While it was difficult to not see most of our family at Christmas, we really enjoyed the lack of stress and exhaustion. :-)

Instead of rushing through the decorating "for the kids", we leisurely decorated the tree and put out the decorations:

Instead of ripping through our gifts to each other so that we could leave early the next morning to drive 15 hours to open gifts with family, we opened stockings on Christmas Eve and our gifts on Christmas morning in our house (a first for my youngest 2 kiddos!!).

And instead of driving another 15 hours to arrive home (exhausted! and very late), only to get up the next morning to face mounds of dirty laundry, decorations to take down and put away, heaps of mail, and a new Semester looming...we relaxed a lot and enjoyed some wonderful time together as a family. Love that!

Instead of flying through Christmas only to breathe a sigh of relief at the end of the holidays, we were able to take time to really celebrate the Reason for the Season--Jesus Christ. What a difference it made in our holiday!

I think we ended up the year 2010 rather nicely, and we have much to be thankful for. God has blessed us so much!! 

I trust that you had a wonderful 2010, as well. I have lots of blogging planned for 2011, including cards...more crocheting...giveaways...and of course family!!

Happy New Year!

*smiles*
debbi