Christmas Eve 2010

Christmas Greetings!  Today is Christmas Eve 2010.  It is amazing that this day has arrived at our doorstep so quickly this year.  I've always loved the holidays until 5 years ago when our eldest son was killed in Iraq with 30 other men.  I have come a long way since that terrible moment in time, but there are still the hurdles of special occasions & the dreaded holidays.  This year, I have had a particularly difficult time prepping for the celebration of "Our Savior's" birth.  I started listening to Christmas music early in the season (Octoberish), yet, the path to being excited about the holiday has been ever elusive. 
There have been the gift giving exchanges & the Christmas cards signed, sealed, & delivered, but with little fanfare.  The Christmas baking was at a minimal with only a few selected recipes created to indulge in & share.  I just never found that "Christmas Spirit" this year.  I'm not giving up yet...it's only Christmas Eve.  LOL
Don't let your Christmas be bogged down with worry, doubt, & saddness.  There is still time to find the joy, the love, & "The Spirit".  I'm still looking!
Christmas wishes to you & yours!

Christmas time is Here!

     Believe in the moment, believe in the wonder of the season, believe in the miracle of His birth.
Merry Christmas to one & all.  May your holiday gatherings be filled with love, tolerance, & joy.
   
I found this wonderful blog & want to share it with you.  If you are a Cricut user & love all the cool things you can do with it, check this out...
http://svgcuts.com/blog/?=7798

Upcycling Halloween Treats

Up-cycled Halloween Treats

  What do you do with those left over paper towel & toilet paper roll tubes?  Well, you up-cycle them to make a new & fun treat to share with friends & family.
My husband works for the US Government & his job is with protecting the environment, reusing, & training the Air Force on how to best do this.  In our home before this job, we always were conscience of what our waste can do to the planet.  Now with my Sweetie's job, we try to make it an effort to reuse, recycle, & make do with what we have on hand.  One of the huge draw backs with making "Green Crafts" is the storage of the recycling items until you find a use for them. LOL  It is amazing how few bags actually go into our garbage can for weekly pick up.  Almost everything either goes to the recycling center or washed, dried & stored in my studio for future craft projects.  Try to get a mental picture of that will you. The pile is growing each day.  I think I have to get in there & start to break down & send a bunch of my "Saved" goodies to the recycling center.  The pile groweth, but I'm just not fast enough to use them all within a reasonable time frame.
Make recycling a part of your daily existence.

Spooky Halloween Creations

Smiling Jack  Retro Pillow

   Halloween is just around the corner (in the Crafting World).  It is one of my most favorite times of the year.  There are so many happy memories for me surrounding this fun holiday.  I know that many folks do not celebrate Halloween due to it's "Demonic" undertones.  For me this holiday brings back fun & happy memories of my Mother always having her special way of getting all five us, my brother, sisters, & myself dressed in home-made costumes,  creating our feast of the traditional "Chili Dogs" for our Trick or Treat dinner, & out the door for our frolicing Trick- or-Treating fun to beg & preform for our bags full of yummy candies.  What fun & what fond memories!  I wouldn't change a thing about those ghoulishly fun nights with my sisters & me running from house to house.  So, when this time of year approaches I dig up those precious memories that spur me into fun & festive creating to share & sell to my customers.
  This year so far, I have had a few inspiring creations that have made their way up to the shop at Alamo Craft Company.  Look for more to come!

Hexing Helga
Hand-made Paper Mache Headed Doll

Skeleton Sacks

Kyle's & Amanda's Wedding August 2010

     A beautiful day, a wonderful time with family, a joining of 2 happy people. 
I know, I am not what you would call a constant of anything, especially of keeping up with my very own blog.  There are so many excuses I could give in my defense, but in reality, it's all about being able to be consistent.
   Aren't these two just too sweet for words?  They both looked so great & I pray they stay happy within each other's embraces & in each other's lives.  Marriage is a great thing, but it takes some work as most of us know.  I hope they keep each other the main priority in each other's lives. 
  So world...let me introduce you to Kyle & Amanda Rairdan.  I'm a little late, but here they are!
  Love you two....keep smiling!

Memories for Keeps ..."Willie Bear"

  Here is a a creation that I was commissioned to help with.  A dear friend's sister wanted a personal keepsake to give to her daughter for her upcoming birthday.  This cute bear has a shirt made from the shirt of a departed loved one.  the importance of this shirt was one that there needed to be a pocket to hold this man's eye glasses & that the shirt be made to resemble one that he wore on most days due to his job.  I will say that I was quite pleased with how it came out & was very happy that with all that I tried, I was blessed with very few problems & an end result that I was proud of.  Some things just seem to fall into place and this project felt very right almost from the onset.  Now, I just pray that the young woman who receives "Willie Bear" will have wonderful memories envelope her each time she embraces this cute teddy bear.  I hope that she will find peace within it's meaning.  What a fun & thoughtful gift her mother commissioned.  Something to think about for future gifts of sympathy & thoughtfulness.

USO Thank our Troops treats

San Antonio, TX Downtown USO  Dawn, Renee, Me (Kim), & Annette
Today, we got together to make 200 treats to honor our wonderful troops for the upcoming 4th of July weekend.  There were 6 wonderful ladies who gave their talents & great efforts to create 200 of  Renee's design that thank our troops.  Inside each little bag there are candies & tied with beautiful red ribbon & a small plastic soldier with a tag to "Thank" each one that will be able to pick one up at the down town USO & the airport USO.  Let's face it, without those beautiful men & women who don the USA uniform, be it Airman, Soldier, Marine, Sailor, or Coast Guardman, we would not be at liberty to live the free lives that we live.  So, "Thank Our Troops"; it takes such a short time, but it means the world to them. 
Thank you Martha, Sarah, Sherri, Dawn, Renee, & Annette....the treats came out wonderful & I hope to hear some of the great stories that come about due to the treats.

Paper Creations Workshop June 2010 @ Alamo Craft Company

Pat & Harriet

Donna & Oliver

Bianca & Rhonda

Saturday, we had a wonderful time with a room full of women, 4 projects to create, & an air of creativity that was ready to be used.  It was a grande time & all the ladies went home with new ideas for fun creating in their future.  Craft On & keep stamping!

June 26th Paper Creations Workshop

  Here are the creations that our lovely ladies will be making for our Paper Creations Workshop at Alamo Craft Company tomorrow, 26th June.  I think that they will have a great time.  Only time will tell.
  All of the stamps & papers are current Stampin' Up! products.  I tried to incorporate a lot of the new Stampin' Up! upcoming  new catalog, available 1 July 2010. 

July 4th Treat Box & Uncle Sam

Our turn out for this MakeIt Take It was not as busy as last week's, but there were still some folks that enjoyed the fun & the treat boxes made.  Harriet Smith & Rhonda Christensen provided some of the customers at Alamo Craft Company with a hand made treat box that they made due to the customers not
having the time to sit & create one themselves. 
It always makes me smile when you see the light in someone's eyes as they complete a craft they made with their own hands.  We are all so capable of creating many things.  Our biggest hurdle to clear is our own inability to believe we can.  Create something today & make yourself & someone else Happy!

Make It Take Its Father's Day Gift Card Apron

Here is Renee Whitehead, a dear friend & an amazing crafter of paper.  She is my Stampin' Up!  up link & what fun it is to get to play with our stamps & paper together.

Yesterday at Alamo Craft Company where Renee & I both have a booth & hold classes for interested students, we hosted our first Stampin' Up! "Make It Take It" for young & old alike.  We had a good time & it was sweet to see young ones take the time to make their very own Father's Day Gift Card Apron card.  There were some very talented young people.  It was truly endearing to see them all work hard to make something just for their Father.

We , Renee, Rhonda, & myself will be hosting another "Make It Take It" next Thursday, June 24th at Alamo Craft Company.  We will be making a small trinket for 4th of July.  It should be fun too.  Anything that is red, white, & blue is always inspiring for me.

Bottle Cap Pincushions from Crafter's Circle

Here is a picture of the most recent class we had at Alamo Craft Company's "Crafter's Circle" for the month of June.  We had a lovely time with 6 ladies in attendance.  We had a lot of laughs & giggles & even a few complaints of not liking the project very much.  But all in all, it was a good time.

Pillow Cases for the Troops

                                                                                                                                                                                               

Pillowcases for our wonderful Troops!  Made with love at  Alamo Craft Co.   Here I am preping for another pillowcase

On Tuesday, 2 March a handful of wonderful ladies got together to cut, sew, & lovingly make pillowcases to send for our dedicated men & women who graciously serve our great country.    Delores Garza smiles over her creations

                     

Harriet Smith &

Rhonda Christensen       prepare another wild & wonderful pillowcase.

We had a wonderful time & some of us  are still making more pillowcases for our troops.  Harriet's grandson, Keith, is with the Special Forces for the Army, &  Rhonda's son, Zan, is a Capt. in the USMC.  All of us are proud of our sons & grandsons.  We need to keep thanking them & supporting them.  God Bless them all.  Now some of them will have a lovingly hand-made pillowcase to rest their heads.  We pray that they all find peace in slumber as they lie upon these pillowcases. 

Paper Creations Workshop February 2010

     Here are the projects that we will be "Creating" for the February 2010 editon of our "Paper Creations Workshop" at Alamo Craft Company.  It should be a whole lot of fun & I'm looking forward to the input from all of the talented ladies that  attend the workshop.  Look for the updates....    

Tiny Tee Pincushions

It's that time again for our monthly Crafter's Circle gathering at Alamo Craft Company.  This month's projects are "Tiny Tee Pincushions".  There are four to choose from, so the possiblities of fun on that day & in the future for those who attend are limitless.
The class is next Tuesday, 16th February & our theme for the day & for the Pot Luck afterwards is "Mardi Gras", being it's "Fat Tuesday" that day.  I'm looking forward to seeing if any of the ladies show up in fun costume to celebrate that day.
"Laissiez Le Bon Temps Rouler"...Let the good times roll!

First "Paper Creations Workshop" 30th Jan. 2010

  Well, here I am, almost ready for my first "Paper Creations Workshop" & the kits are done & I am going over the last items on my list.  I know that I will forget something.  Isn't that how things normally go???
  Here are what the ladies will be doing in our first workshop....

     The class is full & I just hope that everyone has a grand time & walks away feeling as if they learned something new & that they had a fantabulous time.
    Wish me luck!!

Made it through!

LCpl Rhonald "Dain" Rairdan & LCpl Mirad Ragamov  

KIA 26 January 2005  Iraq

Well, our son's 5th Anniversary came & has past & here I am living to say "I made it through!". Of course, the true reason for making it through such a hard time is through the love of my husband, son, & all of my caring friends & family. I still become emotional, but it is less & less as time passes. I still become "Verklempt", when I recall Dain's laugh or his silly antics that were a constant in our lives.
I think of all the men that died that day with our son.  29 other men lost their lives.  29 other families know our sorrow in their own right.  I  think of them often.  They are from all different walks of life & all over the face of the country.  One thing bonds us all...our sons & husbands fought together & died together.  I pray that they all are finding their way in their recovery.
LIfe still goes on & time marches forward & so shall we.  Making a difference in someone's life...I'm trying to live by that. 
I miss you Pooh Bear!

My Guys

My Guys!

Where would I be in this world with out having the love of these men?  Thank you God for blessing me with them in my life. 

Dain's 5th Year Anniversary -- Forever Missed!

It truly can be daunting to wake up one day & just know that for the past 5 years, you have been coasting & just mucking through this wonderful world we have been blessed with. Time to cram all the "used tos" & "bad habits" away in a trunk to be locked up & disposed of.

Our lives can be changed irreversibly in a "blink of an eye" & it takes such a long time for us to be brought back to reality. After the death of my beloved eldest son, our whole family has been struggling to regain a foot hold on this Earthly plain. In just 4 days, we will be honoring our son Dain on his 5th anniversary of his death. It seems like yesterday/it seems like a hundred years ago...the hurt is still so fresh & raw. That is not entirely true, the pain has numbed a bit, but the sadness will always be present.

I told myself that on Dain's 5th Anniversary, I was going to emerge from my blackness & self pity & start to devour each day for "Me". I need to take better care of "Me", I need to strive to find the "Joy" in each & every day that God grants me. After 5 years of self abuse & neglect, I look in the mirror & see the ravages that depression can have on one's body & soul. I have 4 more days until Dain's anniversary, so all this prep work must come into play. Time to start visually seeing myself becoming well once again.

I will be using my blog to keep tabs on myself as well as keep my creative journey moving right along. It will be interesting to see how my travels have gone in the future. One can only wait to see.