For The Love of Cards!!

I used to hate making cards. Well, let me rephrase that.....I enjoyed making them, but I couldn't bear the thought of someone tossing it in the trash once the day was past and gone. But recently, a love for card making was ignited within me!! A friend of mine ordered a set of cards and I decided to lay aside my personal feelings towards card making and give it a go. Well, needless to say, I loved every minute that I spent working on them!! I used paper from the same line (American Crafts Everyday) to make the set of eight and I am so pleased with the way that they turned out. So, now I am on a card making rampage!! I simply make them and put them in a box so that when that perfect occasion comes up, I will be ready.....with card in hand!! 

Thanks for looking!!

Whose List Are You On?

When my eldest daughter was born, my husband and I decided to use a picture of her for our Christmas card. And for three years, the cards were a hit. 



First, we did a cute Santa pic....

Then, I was inspired by that beloved holiday classic, Rudolph....

And last, but not least, (and my personal fave)....the Grinch....

After that year, and to the disappointment of our family and friends, we decided to take a break and we weren't inspired for a few years. But this year I had an idea that I knew my youngest daughter could pull off. 

Now, you have to understand, usually when we want to take a picture of Kimee, it takes a looooooooooooong time to get that perfect shot. She squirms, makes the silliest faces and has this fascination with coming right up to the lens (typical toddler!). Needless to say, my husband always gets the shot, after about 50 clicks!! But this time, THIS time, Kimee surprised us all! We got this shot after only about FIVE tries!!! And she nailed it.....wouldn't you agree??

Here is my layout..........

The caption on the inside of the card is:

We hope you're on the "nice" list!

I already have a plan for next year's card....I'm thinking that the girls will do something together.....but you'll just have to wait another year to see my vision come to life ;)

Thanks for looking!!

  

Has It Been ONE WHOLE MONTH??

I can't believe that it has been almost a month since I updated my blog!!! That is awful!! What is worse is that I have not even created anything during that time! Each day is so crazy that many of my free moments are usually spent sleeping! Does that ever happen to you?? I mean LIFE getting in the way of LIFE?? Think about the things that mean the most to you (God, family, friends, hobbies) those thing that add all of the memories that truly come together to make each day more meaningful and purposeful. Do they get pushed aside for the secondary, the mundane, but necessary daily routines that somehow unite to form those busy, stressful, and "to-do" packed days called LIFE? Believe me, sometimes I can become so focused on the latter that I begin to allow all of those "other" things that, while important, are not what I really want to define my days, my calendar, or ME. I need to stop and RE-prioritize to ensure that what I love most is actually what I do most. This doesn't always work out....and I admit that I am very blessed to have a career that I LOVE, but I think we all need to stop every once in a while and check to make sure that life is not dragging through time leaving us dizzy and disoriented. We all have to travel through life, so I guess we should choose the scenic route whenever we can.

So, speaking of what I love most.......here is a page that I created a while back :)

For My Daughter...

Some may think that it not the best thing in the world having a mother for a teacher. Fortunately for me, my girls really seem to love it. Everyday when they come home form school, they go upstairs for what well affectionately call "Brown Academy". That is my time to work with them to build their academic skills. We have a lot of fun too! The girls even call me "Mrs. Brown" !! 

Anywhooo......I wanted to make something for my youngest to encourage her to learn to print her name. So, I used one of my my  blank CD jackets and transform it into a mini writing book.

I decided to hand write the alphabet on the inside cover so that she can have it to refer to when she is practicing her printing.

The little blue booklet is what she will use to practice her printing. This entire project was created with my guest DT kit that I received from Kreatorville Krafts.

I had so much fun creating this and I hope that my daughter will have even more fun using it!!