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
Please "Follow me" if you don't already. If you do follow, thanks so much.

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