Thank You for being a Friend!

The Christmas gifts have all been opened & the "oohs & aaahhhs" have faded. The thoughtfulness of wonderful friends & family need to be expressed with a "Thank You".

I had fun today with a new stamp set that I gifted myself with. I know that I will have plenty of opportunity to utilize this set. I am truly blessed with wonderful friends in my life.

Here are 2 examples of the cards that I will be mailing out to terrific people who enhance my life.

Recipe:

Stamp Set: Inkadinkadoo "Thanks for Everything"

Inks: SU Chocolate Chip, SU So Many Markers

Paper: K& Co. "Wild Saffron" & My Minds Eye

Paper Punches: SU Corner Rounder, EK's Decorative Corner Punch, Martha Stewart Edge Punch

Accesories: Wide Orange Ribbon, SU Dimensionals

ssnotime67 New Toys

Well...did everyone survive the big day? Holidays can be especially hard for some people. We have a hard time with the celebrating, since it's hard to celebrate with loss. We did survive & we even can say that we enjoyed the day with family & friends on a much smaller scale.

For Christmas I gifted myself with a few new toys to play around with. Sharon over at "No Time To Stamp" put up a challenge about using your new toys. Here is my sample.

I now have a few more paper punches from Martha Stewart & Stampin' Up. I do love my paper punches (along with anything that goes along with crafting). What's that saying..."She who dies with the most stuff wins"....well me and my dear friend Rhonda at "Alamo Craft Company" here in San Antonio, TX are running neck & neck LOL:0)

I pray that the New Year of 2009 finds you & yours making the best of what life has to offer & if you don't like it, change it.

God Bless!

Christmas Medallion Card

Here's a card I made this morning for a dear friend of mine who lives in North Dakota. She & her husband get to go & have Christmas in Italy with their son & daughter in law. How exciting!

I learned the medallion from a lovely blog that I discovered surfing some of the other lovely paper crafting blogs. You can see the medallion over at

http://stamptalkwithtosh.blogspot.com/ She is quite talented! Go over & check her out.

The recipe for the card is

Paper:

SU Old Olive CS

SU "Holiday Treasures" DP

Stamps:

SU "Curly Lable Punch Bundle"

Punches:

SU Scallop Circle

SU Curly Lable

Martha Stewart Lacey Edge Punch

Assessories:

SU Gold Elastic Chord

SU Dimensionals

SU Many Marvelous Markers

Gelly Roll Sparkles Pen

Card Holder Challenge

Today I completed my very first Challenge. I now have to go & post it to some of the websites that are hosting the challenge. I have never done that, so I hope I can successfully do that.

Here are the pictures of the cards & the folder that I will be entering. All ready to send good wishes to family & friends.

Hand Made Crafts, Made in America

Red, White, & Blue, & GREEN fabric gift bags. Made in America

& Eco-friendly gift bags. Use them over & over.

Hand Made, Made In America, Made with You In Mind.

Aggie Park Christmas Craft Show 2008

Crafting with Buddies

Crafting with a friend is always so much better than just by yourself.

Here I am with my dear buddy Harriet at the Aggie Park Craft Show. We both had a pretty good time. She is quite an inspiration for me. I am glad that I have had her come into my life. Thanks Harriet!

Aggie Park Christmas Craft Show, San Antonio, TX

Well, the craft show that I had been preparing for is now complete. I know that all that participated found good & bad things to say about the show. Every craft show that I have ever
done have those qualities. Thankfully, if you are a serious artisan/crafter, you just take every
thing in stride & learn from them all.
There was a vast array of lovely crafts, hand-made items, novelties, & of course the cursed "Made in China" wares that have damaged the industry of American ingenuity & craftsmanship. I have watched over the last 20 years the scourge of "Making the Easy Buck" seep into the Church bazaars, the Craft consignment shops, & the Craft fairs across the states. Americans have steadily devoured the foreign-factory fops due to the "cheapness". I have watched the American craftsman become more & more discouraged & eventually sell-out & start to push the "China Craft Syndrome" off on their loyal buyers. It is sad indeed!
I have always been one to push "Made In The U.S.A.", "Hand-Did", "Hand-Crafted", & "Made With You In Mind" regime. With being a craft er for most of my life, it is a passion. When I go to Craft fairs & shows, I can pretty much point out that which is made & that which is bought for resale. It still brings my heart great happiness to see those Artisans & Cr afters who have not sold out & have held true to their ways.
I will keep looking for those "One of a kinds" & "Hand-Dids", I pray that Americans keep making them & that Americans keep buying them.

Finding the Time!!

I know that we all have had those days, weeks, months, years...well, where we just don't seem to find the time to do all that we want to do. I have been having one of those months & to be honest, it's all my fault.
I have commited myself to do a craft show with some great friends & I just don't have the umph I used to where crafting is concerned. I know age has a bit to do with it, but finding the joy in the art is slowly taking It's time coming back to me.
I have some items ready & some on the drawing board, but it will be a small offering compared to the past. I have resigned myself to accept this & be happy whatever the out come.
Off I go to craft!

Brand New & creating anew!

This is the first time I have ever done this...creating my own blog! I have been a craftsman/artisan my whole life & here I am trying to get out there & show the world my stuff!
I hope that as I create & explore, I will learn & expand my realm of creativity.
Have patience...here I come!