Hello crafty friends!

I don’t remember coloring as a kid but now, when I have my Copic markers or colored pencils in hand, I am my happiest. I am nowhere close to being good but I practice and take classes to learn new techniques.  Last year, My Favorite Things store in Eustis hosted a great teacher, Jane Allen who lives in England and is on their design team.  We colored this adorable witch. I love Jane’s technique of adding eyes. This image had dots for eyes originally.

This year, Jane’s class was techniques for coloring animals.  Our animals were adorable. We learned how to add fine details with colored pencils—the bunny hair was done with colored pencils.

Practice pays off eventually. I wish I could color all day but work gets in the way. I will take what I can. Set aside time every day for yourself and be creative. It allows you to clear your head and reduces stress. Nothing is more satisfying than creating with color.

Happiness is craftiness.

A big thank you to Michelle, owner of Everything Scrapbook and Stamps in Palm Beach for hosting Julie Nutting. I am a big fan of hers and participate is a JN card swap every month. It was a thrill to meet her and enjoyed her creations with a new series of mermaids and sea stamps. This new line is so colorful…I just love it. We also used her new water colors. I got to see my dear friend Kristy too!

Here are some of my JN cards.

I hope you have made time to craft!  Happiness is craftiness!

Boy life is a whirlwind lately!  It is all I can do to keep up with the necessities. I am sure you all feel this way at some point but you need to remember to slow down, prioritize (fun things and necessities), and balance your life to avoid burnout. It is easier said than done. For example, I have a hard time leaving work. As a college professor, there is always something to do…I keep thinking if I stay one more hour, I can get it done. Nope!  And guess what, it is still there tomorrow. Students, however, expect immediate feedback. In the old days, we got papers back when we met again, sometimes up to a week.

I am going on another scrapbook cruise with my favorite guy Frank Garcia. We are going to Alaska!  Oh boy!  We are going to have a swap so  am working on my items. I will share pictures soon.  Alaska is a bucket list item so I am super excited. The days at sea, we will be creating. From the sneak peaks, we won’t be disappointed!

I am hopeful to stay above water for a while and share my crafts  in the meantime, happiness is craftiness!

Hello craft friends:

I sure hope the super flu has avoided you!  I few of my friends have been hospitalized with pneumonia and it is a scary thing!  Even if you have been vaccinated with the flu shot, you are not immune!  Take it easy…but please be considerate! I had to go to a clinic last weekend for a non-flu related issue.  The waiting room was full of people coughing and no masks!  I asked for one and was told they were out!  I waited my turn outside.

Today’s card is for a dear friend who has been sick.  I have needed to step up my game and decided to do a upright diamond fold card, which I found on Splitcoaststampers.  If you don’t know about Splitcoast…check it out.  I have found some great tutorials on it.  I made a belly band and secured it with magnets so it could be removed easily. Tilda is from the 2017 Get Well Collection and comes with two nursing hat dies. Shawn carries it in his store, Magnolia-licious.  I used Bo Bunny Butterfly Kisses paper and Stampin Up cardstock for the card base. I used a bling clip to attach a plain sheet on the back page to write a sentiment. She is colored with pencils.

Wishing you a happy Monday and a wonderful week.

Craftiness is happiness!

Hello my crafty friends!

Happy February.  So much is going on for it being right after Christmas!  I am enjoying my crafting but have not had a lot of time to devote to it!  I hope all of you have found extra time for yourself and avoided getting sick!!!

Come on over to Magnolia-licious Challenge Blog and submit your creations for our February challenge!!!  We love to see all you are doing.  Here is my challenge card.  This is Tilda with Spring Heart from the 2013 collection Lost and Found. The clouds, tree, and grass are dies from Lawn Fawn. Colored with colored pencils.

This sweet Tilda is my inspirational card for this month.  I am partial to some of the older Tilda stamps and Shawn has some of these in stock!  I love the 2010 Easter Collection and the 2011 Winner Takes All.  I promise you will fund bunches of stamps and they are on sale!

Finally, I had to wait a little while to share a card from January.  I made it for someone special who follows my blog!  I wanted it to be a little bitty surprise.  This is one of my new favorites.  It is Birthday Tilda from the 2011 You are Special collection. She is colored with Prismacolor pencils. There are glitter highlights that are hard to see on the background cake, and candles. Paper and ephemera are from the It’s a Celebration paper pack by Carta Bella.  Happy birthday again Jodie!

Wishing all of you a wonderful day and a LOVEly month. I am going to celebrate love all month!  Take some time for yourself…it is important!

Craftiness is happiness!