Christmas Cards and Mary Musings

This is one of the Christmas cards we are sending out this year. Of course time is running out but I wouldn't give up a single thing we're doing. I hope you're enjoying what you have chosen to take on during the season.

 The card is made with a Tattered Angels background on Staples brand matte "Photo Supreme" paper. I sprayed the three colors: Sunflower, Candy Apple and Meadow onto the photo paper and heat dried it. Then I stamped the image which is from Hero Arts and reminds me so much of our view from the kitchen sink (aww, such a blessing). I embossed the image with Detail White embossing powder by Stampendous, stamped my sentiment from Papertrey Ink and wah la. This card is heavily inspired by Angela at Penny Black stamps. The original, along with several more beautiful samples, can be seen at scrapbook stores that carry Penny Black stamps.

The card above is made with a Stampendous stamp which is stamped in Versafine Onyx Black onto white cardstock. I then used Wild Honey, Black Soot, Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks and applied them with an applicator. The Wild Honey was applied with a sponge using a mask over the black. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink and to finish it off, I sprayed over the oval with Gold Tattered Angels.

Finally I want to share the manger scene at our house. It is nothing special, something I picked up at Costco years ago. But every year I put it out and of course I hope it reminds me and my family of the first Christmas when Christ was born.  This year I've been thinking about Mary. For a moment just put yourself there at the first Christmas.

I'm sure Joseph was in a near panic when he couldn't find a place for his wife to lay down and give birth to their baby. Not just any baby, but the one they knew to be the Savior of the world. The one to save His people from their sins.  What would that even mean to Mary?  How would this child, kicking in her womb, possibly accomplish what people had been waiting for all these years? What faith she must have had.

Mary was put into hiding during her pregnancy so as not to bring shame to her and Joseph and the union so blessed by God.  But did people in their lives wonder that she was pregnant and so soon after marriage. How hurtful to have others whispering behind her back. Who was the Father? Is it Joseph? I thought Mary was such a nice girl. Mary was a humble woman.

Mary must have been in tremendous discomfort on that donkey. Was she experiencing the normal pains of being ready to deliver? What a strong woman Mary was!

How could she even grasp the length and breadth of what God was calling her to do?  Imagine the questions we would have bombarded the angel with if we were given the same news! What a willing woman Mary was. Willing to do all that God asked of her. No complaints, no down grading her abilities, no suggesting someone else could do the job better. Mary was capable and willing to do this most important job.

Surely Mary would have the same wonders most pregnant mothers have; What will the baby look like? Will he have curly hair, blue eyes, the questions must have been many? What will my life be like being the mother of the Savior, Jesus? Where will this small baby take me and my husband in order to fulfill the prophecy? What joy she experienced when at last, according to the scripture, she gave birth to Jesus in an animal shelter, wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in the manger. Mary was a peaceful, joyful, fulfilled woman. And then the rest of her life began.

God sure picked a good mother for the Savior of the world! Humble, faithful, strong, peaceful, joyful, willing and capable.  Glory to God in the highest.

Blessings,
Lorelei
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Join Me in a Novel Challenge

Hi there!

I have been a member of Goodreads for a couple years now and enjoy reading in the evenings. Goodreads is  a site that allows members to sign in and record the books they've read and get ideas for books they might want to read next. I have enjoyed Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series lately and I love Janet Evanovich too. So the Novel Challenges site sparked my interest. There are several types of challenges that you can join and even earn prizes. I am going to join the "Finish a Series" challenge, the "European Reading" challenge which is like taking a tour of Europe (I signed up for 2 books) and the "Southern Literature" challenge ( I am going to read 2 books for this challenge). The challenges begin in January 2012 and end in December 2012 so you have a little while to check the sites out and sign up for a challenge or two!   Please consider joining me and share your reviews of the books you read. Sounds like fun, don't you think? Of course I will still share my love of cards and scrapbooking if this isn't your cup of tea. (Boy that sounds good while  reading in a comfy chair on a rainy day, doesn't it?) Reading is yet another interest of mine that I want to share with you. :-)

See you next time. Blessings on your day,
Lorelei

Ornaments and Tags and Cards Oh My!

I am having a Christmas Ornament and Tags class and a Simple But Sweet Christmas card class at Anna Bearden's house on Saturday, December 3rd. The tags and ornaments will be at 10 am and the cards will be at 1:00 pm.

I hope you'll join us for the fun!

The ornament above is a two sided, 5 point star. It also closes into a small 1 1/2 square. You really need to see this in person to appreciate how cute the design is.

Here's another of the ornaments we'll be making using the Creative Memories Cricut Cartridge "Reminisce." I added some bling so it'll sparkle on the tree, it really is fun and easy to make.

Here's a super cute tag for gifts. It would make any present that much more special to give.

Lastly, I'll share one of the Simple But Sweet cards we'll be making from the Creative Memories "Noel" abc and sticker packs. The cards will practically make themselves. Please call Anna or send her an email and we'll see you on the 3rd.

I pray that all of my dear friends and family have a blessed Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family and friends and the feasting.

Hugs and blessings,

Lorelei

Cards to Share!

 First I have to say that the week totally got away from me and when I come to this sharing place with you I see that the whole month has gotten away!

The card above is made with a Lockhart stamp. I love this image! I'm sure by now you know how much I love fall! I used Prisma pencils and odorless Tupenoid to ger the rich color in the pumpkin and vines. The sentiment is was also Lockhart. The background paper is Graphic 45. 

 

This card was made as a sympathy card, but could also be used as an anniversary card. I used what I learned in Jennifer McGuire's Summer Boot camp and stamped the Hero Arts Lotus image with a Ranger Paint Dauber in Pearl. After letting that dry, I went in with Tattered Rose Distress Ink using an applicator and them followed up with Antique Linen Distress Ink. The image is from Stampin' Up and is bundled in a symapathy kit.

Today is Day 2 of my friend Mel and I making Christmas Cards together. We are having such fun sharing inpiration and giggles.

Blessings on your day,

Lorelei



You're the Best!!

A not-so-Halloween card that I sent to Chris and Nathan. I am not a real Halloweeny person so I used the opportunity to encourage them in the paths they've chosen. I also have to confess that being a Fall girl, I must embrace any and all things Fall!!

The papers are from Creative Imaginations, the border punch is Fiskars, the twine is Doodlebug and the stamp is a Hero Arts freebie.

You are my besties too! I hope you enjoy your Halloween, especially if you're still dressing your kids for the big day and taking them out trick or treating. If you're staying home, maybe something pumkin, like cookies or quick bread,  or my favorite: Candy Corn, peanuts and M&Ms!!

Enjoy the Fall!

Lorelei



Spark and Echo are coming to Grants Pass!!

In promotion of their debut album to be released this Fall (produced by Jay Foote-Welcome Wagon), Spark and Echo the Band will be touring the West Coast from November 2-26. We are thrilled to host them in a Grants Pass addition to their tour at Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church on November 9th at 7:00 pm. Our church is located at 230 Buysman Way, Grants Pass, 541-479-7929.
Hear duo Jonathon Roberts and Emily Clare Zempel play original art songs and piano rock featuring beautiful vocal harmonies, baritone ukulele, clarinet, and Emily’s trusty steed, Boris the Bassoon.
A free will offering will be taken to help Spark and Echo with the expenses of their entertainment. Please consider joining us for this very special event.

Open House at Anna's

There is going to be an Open House at Anna Bearden's house on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 10 am to 4 pm. I'll be teaching a card class and there's going to be lots of other GREAT things going on. There will be cropping of course, and Holly's goat soap and lotions, Pampered Chef, jewelry, candles, and more!!

Please come and kick off the Holiday season with some fabulous inspiration!!

Here are some of the cards for the class.

The theme of the cards is encouragement and they can be used for many different events, birthday, travel blessings, thinking of you and even a Christmas card!! More (Christmas cards to follow in another class. So stay tuned!)

We'd love to see you and I think you'll have a fabulous time!

Blessings to all,

Lorelei

It's been a long time since you've seen any layouts!

This is a layout that I made for Got Sketch Express 2 with Valerie Salmon. It's an online class where Valerie provides a sketch and some samples.  With my pictures and papers, I created this layout which is somewhat similar to the sketch. The patterned paper is BoBunny. The pictures are my Uncle Wilse's 80th birthday. The fish at the bottom is his pet catfish that lives in his pond. Uncle Wilse feeds him every day! (It reminds me of that Betty White movie.)

These two layouts I created while taking a class with Big Pictures classses (Bigpictureclasses.com) with May Flaum and Nic Howard. This is also an online class using sketches and samples that are provided by these two super talented women. This class has videos and techniques so I learn new stuff. I even sewed on these two pages!!  I used Stella Rose papers by My Minds Eye on the above layout and Creative Memories on the layout below to capture our memories of a tour we were blessed to take with Brady Adams. Brady is a real active man in making our community a better place to live by inspiring artists to make fun art pieces that are placed around our town.  

I have been making lots of cards too. So I'll be sharing those real soon. Until we meet again may God richly bless you,

Lorelei

Organization - That is the Key!! (or a key anyway)

I have been involved in the long process of organizing my studio. This organizational project has been ongoing and may not be done yet. I may never be done. You see, I'm always looking for ways to make distractions minimal. I will accomplish this goal if I have everything close at hand. Close isn't actually a very difficult prospect as the area I have to work is very small at 9 x 11! I have 4 bookshelves that are a huge help to me and I actually scrapbook on a small 4' plastic table! (I'm looking to change that soon.) So I want to share some parts of the process that are working very well for me.

This is not an original idea. I found this idea somewhere, on a blog or in a magazine. It is  the BEST way to store punches. This is a shoe organizer that I hung on the inside of the closet door. I can see EVERY punch I have instantly! "But I don't have that many punches," you say. Think about the possibility of this working for inks, stamps, embellishments!! I think it is a fabulous storage device.

Next I wanted to share my organization on the shelves. I wanted to have the studio be an ultra enjoyable place where I would want to spend LOTS of time. My husband and I love to travel so that theme seemed like the easiest to go with. There are lots of items that support the travel theme at Ross, Fred Meyer, Craft Warehouse, all around!! So in the hat box is my Cuttle Bug dies and embossing folders, the Paris suitcase holds all of my flowers and related ephermera. The shelf above that is for displaying mini albums I've made and the shelf above that is for my inks and applicators. My inks fit VERY nicely in another suitcase box I picked up at Michaels.

When I look around the studio, I love that my tools, papers and embellishments are nice and tucked away and look tidy. This has helped my productivity and my sense of creativity. I have freedom to be make cards and pages because there is no time wasted looking for what I need. 

I hope this has inspired you to:

1. Set aside a space to create (when the boys little I used a space in the living room!)

2. Pick a theme to work with so that you can have a decorative space as well as functional.

3. Work with your space and arrange your supplies so that you can be your most efficient self.

4. Put things away when you finishe using them. This accomplishes two very obvious outcomes; First you can find what you are looking and second your space looks inviting for you to come back to.

You will be more creative when the space you create in is inviting.

Hugs,

Lorelei

Fall is Coming

Isn't it funny how excited we are to have fall weather? I would love it if this, my hands down favorite season, lasted much longer. Fall is everything I love! The food, the colors, pumpkins, leaves and acorns, the clothes and the crafty feeling I get when the weather is cooler.

 I have a fun fall card to share today that I made following the Hero Arts video of the week found  on their blog here. I used BoBunny paper for the text and the leaves were stamped with a Hero Arts stamp in Barn Door, Wild Honey and Scattered Straw Distress Inks. I sprayed the images with a mist of water and heat them with my heat tool.  I touched the outside edges of the leaves with Vintage Photo Distress Ink after cutting them out and painted them with Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy, from Ranger. They almost look real, don't they?

This card is made from Jennifer Maguire Inspiration. The image is a Hero Arts stamp (hmmm, I'm seeing a pattern here) on watercolor paper and heat embossed in white embossing powder. The next step is to put Distress Ink directly onto the paper in two colors (I used Broken China and Wild Honey) and then spraying Glimmer Mist in Marshmallow heavily over the inking. This causes a beautiful, shimmery, water color effect. I am going to make more cards like this because it very easy and has such a lovely look.

I hope your having a crafty day and are enjoying the beautiful fall weather!

Hugs, Lorelei

Getting All Inked UP

Guess what? I'm a Fall girl. SHOCKER!!

 I love fall food, fall desserts (ooops back to food again), fall clothes, fall leaves, fall cards.... I could go on. Oh I forgot to say I just LOVE fall weather!! It's starting to be cooler in the evenings and mornings and I just love that.

I'm also just loving the Inspiration Showcase class I'm taking. Yesterday we worked on dry embossing techniques. I'll be sharing what I made with this technique soon. I have lots of embossing envelopes for my Cuttlebug but haven't used them much. After yesterday, Lookout world! I am loving the inking over (and under) dry embossing.

The card above is my favorite from the class so far. Nicole Magourik made a card similar to this and of course, being the Fall girl that I am, I just had to try my hand at my version of the card.

What do you think? You can make this card too. Here's how:

Stamp a big swirl (used Hero Arts Bold Flourish) or full card size stamp over book text with Versamark and heat emboss that with white embossing powder. Then ink up your piece with Tumbled Glass and Scattered Straw Distress Ranger Inks (did I mention that I love these inks?). Finish the edges off with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and spray Tattered Angels Marshmallow or similar mica based spray over the whole piece to get a little sparkle.

The flower is made by stamping the same flower 3 times with Versamark ink and embossing with white embossing powder and then cutting the flowers out and crumpling them up and layering them on top of each other.  An old Marvy punch I have was perfect for the leaves. I used a clear embossing pen by Ranger to draw the leaf lines and then embossed that with white embossing powder. Put it all together over a bow made of cord and add some rhinestones and pearls and wahlah!!

If you haven't already, get your Ranger Distress Inks out and play with them. The backgrounds you can make to enhance your cards will made you smile. Jennifer Maguire says she buys very little colored cardstock because she can always change white cardstock into the perfect color for her project!

I'm loving life, hope you are too.

Lorelei 

  

Inspiration Showcase

Seriously, who is your favorite cardmaker?  Of course it's Jennifer Maguire! Who else has the energy and  talent she does?  I love Nicole Magourik and Kristina Werner and others but Jennifer has the style that most often matches my tastes.  Her latest on-line class called Inspiration Showcase is packed full of inspirational goodness and beautiful card ideas and I'm only on Day Two!! The card above is a sympathy card I made for my husband's brother's in-laws. The technique here is stamping with paint and then applying ink to the the card and going back over it with a baby wipe to get the paint to show through. I love the softness of the imperfections of the stamped image. I also love using my favorite inks: Ranger Distress Inks. My new favorite color is Wild Honey!! What not green??? Not this time.

This card uses the same background technique as the card above but I added the panel on top with foam tape. On the panel I used Distress Inks over a white embossed image from Magenta.  The white embossing also resists the Distress Inks. This card is the beginning of my Thanksgiving stash for those members of our church who can no longer join us on Sunday.

Inspiration Showcase is the best class ever. It is so packed with wonderful, fun techniques all while using my favorite products. What more could a girl who has a passion for cardmaking ask for?

I hope you'll stay tuned, I know I'll have more to share with you shortly. I hope you're having a blessed week and can find the time to do what you love most!

Lorelei

Beautiful

Hey there. I have been busy lately with family matters. Sometimes our time is not our own and that's been happening these past few weeks. If you look at my facebook you'll see some of what is going on with our family.

The card above was super fun to make. I used one of my favorite products, Ranger Acohol Inks in lettuce, orange sunset, sunshine yellow and red pepper. I put just one drop at a time of the color I was working with onto glossy card stock and then used the canned air (for computers) and blew the color to make a flower-ike shape. I worked with the various colors of ink until I thought it looked finished.

The card is beautiful and I can't wait to make more.

I hope you'll try this technique because you get a work of art with not much time and effort. Ahhh, that is so gratifying. What a great idea for (dare I say it?) Christmas gifts for your girls.

Love,
Lorelei

What's Up??

Isn't this just the cutest little elephant ever?  She is a Penny Black stamp I bought recently and I'm having a great time making a fun card every now and then. The little bird on the top of her ear is chirping "What's Up?"  He could also say "Happy Birthday" or "Great Job" or almost anything really as this card can be used as a kids card or a fun card for an adult friend.

 This card was made with one of my favorite paper collections ever: Stella Rose by My Minds Eye. The collection has the colors that I love and it's a little girly but not too much so.

We went to the dunes this weekend and this was a sunset we caught on Saturday night. The weather was so lovely. I went to Memories of Time in Coos Bay while I was there. I really love the store, but sadly it too is closing. I've been known to shop on-line now and then, but nothing beats being able to see the paper in real life. 

I thank you for taking a look at the blog today and welcome you to come back and check in often.

Love,

Lorelei

Summer Card Camp, Week 3

Yesterday I mentioned that I'm taking an online card class. It's called Summer Card Camp 2011. My favorite card maker, Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner, are teaching the class and I'm finally able to submit a card this week! The color pallette was the important consideration in the card I made Day 1 of week 3 and I hope you can tell what the colors were.

For this card I used a Hero Arts stamp called "Sillhouette in Grass." The sentiment was a Stampin' Up stamp which was gold embossed. I stamped with Wild Honey Distress Ink by Ranger and sprayed the stamp with Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels. I used a bit of Gold Stickles on the wheat. I had some corrigated cardboard so I sprayed that with Terra Cotta Ranger Wash and then a little Gold Glimmer Mist over the top. I really, really love Ranger Distress Inks!! They are so versatile.

I'm going to leave you today with this thought; If you never push yourself to do more, try more, be more, you will never feel the excitement, exhilaration and confidence that comes with success in anything.

Blessings,

Lorelei

Life in the Empty Nest

The party is over and we had so much fun!! We had wonderful tacos provided by Casa Amiga, a giant silly string match (a very Wojcik thing) played Rings, and admired everyone's new tattoos. What? Tattoo you say? Yep, that's what I said, Chris and Stan planned a joint tattoo session and the group grew! This is a pic of all the tattoos!! No I did NOT get one.

 Now Chris is back in Norfolk being a sailor and Nathan is back in Klmath Falls working at the YMCA. We are home alone and you know what? I kinda like it!! Life is simpler and Stan and I can eat better because we like lots of food the kids don't and we need to eat healthier and less!!

So it's back to creating cards and pages which I LOVE to do. I'm taking an online card making class and so I'll be sharing some of those cards with you soon. In the meantime, here are a couple I made recently.

This card is made with a Hero Arts stamp and colored with pencils. I totally copied the card from the Hero Arts blog and I think it came out pretty good.

This card was just too much fun! I colored the butterfly with Ranger Distress Ink and then painted it with Ranger Rock Candy Crackle paint. Isn't gorgeous.

I hope you are having a great week and are feeling richly blessed.

Much love,

Lorelei

Here's our handsome sailor.

Graduating and taking on a job too!!

 

There's a new graduate from Hidden Valley High School. Wow did that go fast!

We are all so proud of him!!

Nathan moved to Klamath Falls the weekend after graduation so he could go to work at the YMCA! He is growing up so fast and taking on the world.

Please keep him in your prayers. It seems like a lot of pressure for a young man, living away from home right after high school.

Chris is coming home on leave in 7 days!!! I am so anxious to have my family together again.

I hope you are enjoying good times with those you love, especially as we celebrate fathers this Sunday. What an important role our fathers play in our ability to be independent, responsible, confident citizens and members of our country and our families.

God bless our dads!!

Love,

Lorelei



It's that time...

I remember like it was yesterday when I put my two boys on the bus, Chris going to 2nd grade and Nathan going to his first day of kindergarten. Chris the older and wiser brother taking his little brother under his wing to show him how it's done. Here we are, after a blink and the older brother is in the Navy making a big life for himself, protecting what's near and dear to us all, and the little bro is graduating from High School.

It has all been so wonderful. All the baseball, football and basketball. All the helping in the classrooms of teachers who are now our dear friends. Meeting those who were in the same place all those years ago and who are now, tonight watching their kindergartners graduate from High School.

I wouldn't change a thing. God has been so good to us. This is the place and time He meant for us to be long before we would ever know it ourselves and all is very good.

Nathan is moving to Klamath Falls on Sunday June 12th. He has a job at the YMCA. Is that perfect for him or what? Chris is coming home on leave June 24th and will be here when family and friends come to celebrate Nathan's graduation on July 2nd. Is that perfect or what? We are a blessed family and we look forward to the day when our boys, who went on the bus together to Jerome Prairie Elementary in Grants Pass, OR, come and visit because they love our company and want to be with mom and dad.

Stan and I are going to be just fine. We love all the same things, well maybe he doesn't love scrapbooking, but I love sports. We both love to travel and camp and enjoy our home. Life will be different but we are exactly where we are want to be. God IS good.

Blessings,
Lorelei

Cards, cards, cards class YEAH!!

Here's a small sample of the  cards that I've made for the card class at Anna Bearden's house on Sat., June 4th. Here's the link annabearden@msn.com if you'd like to join the fun.

The card above would make a great Father's Day card or how about a birthday card for your brother or favorite Son-in Law. (We promise not to tell ;~).

This is probably my favorite card. I love strawberries and these look good enough to eat. There are 10 cards in the class for $20. They are all fun and unique and you'll have a card for all reasons and all seasons!

My next post will share my new favorite new product, Smash Journals by K & Co. Mine will record our adventures as Empty Nesters!

Please pray for Chris.  He has reported for duty to the USS Mahan somewhere out on the open seas!

We are also thankful to Karyn and her daughter, Amanda, for giving Nathan a job at the YMCA in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He is going to attend OIT in the fall and so a job is a VERY good thing. He'll be moving on June 12th. I can already hear the echo!

Love and may you be richly blessed,

Lorelei

There will be flowers!!

Boy I sure love the lovely days!! We got to take advantage of one over the weekend and planted our flowers in the pots, barrels and flower box. I planted my herb barrel with rosemary, thyme and oregano, it looks so tasty. 

Oops!! Wrong picture, it's so close to looking my barrel I got mixed up (ha). Well anyway, we'll have a lovely yard when the Osmocote and Miracle Gro do their thing. We use the slow release Osmocote and then fertilize with Miracle Gro once a week and if the sun participates (hmmm) and the snails go to the neighbor's, we get lovely full pots. But, enough for the commercials.

We've been waiting and waiting for Chris to get his leave and come home to us, but the Navy really needs him right how to clean the barracks and go on watch so we wait some more. Please continue to pray for him and all our service members especially at this time when we remember what they have sacraficed for our freedom.

I am working on creating a travel collage on one wall in my studio.  I've made this printer's tray to be included among the photos and other things that are special to me and our family. The 7 Gypsies tray has a bit of Graphic 45 paper, some Tim Holtz tape on the outside frame and the rest is pictures of us in our travels!! 

I hope you like my new look! I needed a facelift. I'll be sharing some cards I've made, some fun I'm having with organizing and couponing and all the other things that have been keeping me from blogging. Like so many of you, I have too many interests!!! I will never be bored.

Blessings,

Lorelei

Life is somewhat normal again ;-)

I hope you didn't give up on me.  I've been very pre-occupied with Chris in Bootcamp. He is now at his A-school in Virginia, learning to cook and having a great time.

In the mean time, Nathan graduated from High School early and is going to RCC; just like that!! In the fall he wants to go to Oregon Institute of Technology!! That would mean an EMPTY NEST!!!! (What's that I'm hearing in my head? Is that crying and weeping and wait it's worse!!! QUIET!! Oh NO!!)

I guess I'll have to keep myself busy with scrapbooking and cardmaking. Wait, I like that don't I? I might have more time for what I like, WOW, this might not be so bad.  Don't get me wrong I love my kids to the moon and back, but this might turn out OK.

So with all with all this time on my hands (sounds like a song, no, no that was too much time... and we know we don't have that!!) I'm going to need to stay organized. To that end.,.. I made this cute little composition book for keeping notes and lists.  It's fun to look at which it makes it easier to write in and dare I say stay or get organized?

Since my lists were empty (ha, who am I kidding?) I enrolled in the new Club Got Sketch, an on-line class by Valerie Salmon. I post pics of the layouts that I do using inspiration from her great sketches. This is a rafting trip we took as a family (cousins from Minnesota, Texas and Cali) down the Rogue River from Chinook Park to Schroeder Park. We had a fabulous time and this is just page one of a two page spread.

Finally, I wanted to share a cute little card I made after getting some inspiration from Archiver's in Chicago. What a fun store that was. I can't wait to go back, I really think if we did a road trip to shop there for the day, it would be worth it!! This is a Hero Art stamp that has the flowers as the part not covered with ink, the white area is heat embossed and the flowers and birds are then painted with water color!  I also did one in oranges and green; very cute.

I hope you are enjoying what you do, getting a chance to do a lot of it and remembering that there are blessings all around us. You are a blessing to me. Thanks for looking.

XO
Lorelei

Could Valentine's Day be the birth of scrapbooking??

 Did you ever wonder how we came to celebrate Valentine's Day? Since I am a member of the order of the "Women of the Perpetual Question" I looked it up.

One theory of how Valentine's Day came to be goes back to Rome in 270 AD!! The emperor at the time, Claudius II, ruled that soldiers couldn't marry because it made them weak.  He said married men were more emotionally attached to their families. Valentine, a priest of the day, thought this was unjust and he secretly joined lovers in holy matrimony. He was caught before too long and thrown into prison where he fell in love with the jailor's daughter.  It is said that just before his execution he signed a farewell to his love "From your Valentine," a phrase that has lived ever after. He is believed to have been executed on Feburary 14, 270 AD.

By the 18th century, gift giving and exchanging hand-made cards (yay!!) on Valentine's Day became common in England. Cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts were made and given to one's lover. It wasn't until the 1840's that Valentine's cards, intially made by Esther Howlanda Mount Holyoke, were made commercially available. They were made of "scrap." Hmmmm, was this the beginning of scrapbooking?  You certainly know my thoughts on the subject.

Here's to spreading the love today my dear Valentines.

XO,
Lorelei