One more thing...

I also finally figured out why in the world you couldn't click on any of my pictures to make them bigger. So now I've got that fixed. From now on you should be able to click on the pictures to get a larger picture. :)

Card Background with a Magazine

Ok, so this card was one I made a little while ago. The background for this card was made using a magazine page. This one was pulled out of a Pottery Barn Kids Catalog. I just found a page that had lots of red on it and cut it into little strips. (Don't worry about cutting the length of the strips to match the size just yet. Just cut them out and after you arrange them you can trim the edges.) Then I covered a piece of cardstock around the edges with some double sided tape and arranged the strips onto it. (Now trim the edges.) Once I did that, I printed the sentiment out. I used two different browns for the ribbon. To add a little more texture I actually just crumpled up the middle, more narrow, ribbon in my hand and gave it a crinkley texture. (Is crinkley a word?) I attached the ribbon and then the sentiment and voila!

Any catalog will work well, just find one with some colors that you like. The image doesn't really matter because it is cut up so small that it distorts it. Also, try to find one with little or no humans in it. Because we are human, we are drawn to human faces before anything else on the page. If you look close, there are a few eyes on mine, (bottom right, a few strips up) but I really tried to break it up so that you're not drawn directly to that. Enjoy!

Valentines Day

This project that I did for Christian was inspired through the Sprite Stitch Blog which I found through Celia's website. Apparently he's a friend of her husband. Cool blog for those who like gaming and crafting!!!!

I saw this pattern from his blog and decided to make Christian a little dice bag for Valentines day. I actually have never finished a cross stitch until this one! All the other ones I've started have been pretty big and I've lost interest before finishing so this one was just the right size! It took just about 1 hour to do the cross stitch and another hour to sew up the bag, complete with drawstring and lining. Anyway, here it is:

Also here's a simple recipe card for a swap this past week:

And the winner is......

3sweetboys1princess
Congrats! I'll contact you to make arrangements to get the magazine to you! (This was picked by my personal random generator, Christian! We assigned everyone a number based on the order in which you commented, and then he rolled a dice)

Thank you everyone so much for all the supportive comments that you've left me! I'm so excited to get the ball rolling on the stamps! I'm working on the final images now for the stamp sets. And trying to decide how many to release for the first round of releases... And working on the website. And putting together some way fun things to go along with the release! Thank you so much for everything so far!!! I'll keep you posted on the status as things move along. Thanks!!!!!!

Calling all lurkers and regular readers of my blog...

I need your help! After months of research (about 9 months to be exact) I am really close to opening up a new business venture. I have been working with manufacturers and will soon have my own line of clear
Acrylic Stamps
to sell. I have designed all of the art (previews soon) and am now deciding what other things to offer in addition to my stamp line and trying to set my prices.

I am so excited because I've always thought that everyone should have access to great design, regardless of your crafting budget. I will be selling everything at great prices. If I wouldn't buy it at that price, than I'm not going to sell it at that price. There's lots more things that I'll share later, some are still in the works!


So here's where I need your help. Instead of doing a focus group at my house I'm going to host one online. If you don't mind, please post a link from your blogs to here so that I can reach as many people as possible! And, for all those who comment I will enter you in a drawing for a brand new copy of the March 2008 Paper Crafts Card Magazine.
Here's what feedback I need (and please be honest, brutally honest if necessary!! It will help me tremendously!)

Have you used clear stamps before?
What types of projects do you use stamps for? Cards, scrapbooking, paper crafts, home decor, clothing, etc.
Would you like to learn how to use them for things other than cards and scrapbooking?
Would you pay $12 for a stamp set with anywhere from 10-20 images? (So far, all my stamp sets are manufactured on sheets that are 4" x 6" and contain as many images as I can fit on them. If you wouldn't pay $12 per set, how much would you pay?
Are there stamp sets with particular themes that you'd like, but can't seem to find anywhere? (examples include inspiring quotes, multiple baby, borders, backgrounds etc.)
Do you buy crafting supplies online? If so, what?
Any other comments are welcome.

For now I'll be selling stamps and a few supplies that I can't seem to find anywhere locally but that are really great! I've got other awesome items that will be phased in around the holiday timeframe for some great custom crafted gifts for friends and family.

I'll keep everyone posted on the status because I'll be looking for hostesses for crafting parties soon! (Probably in the April/May time frame)

Thank you so much for your help and I look forward to hearing everyone's comments! I'll have the drawing for the card magazine on Saturday, Feb. 23 so leave a comment before then to be considered for the drawing!
Erin

Saw this on wfaa.com this morning:

Fasting seen as tool for health, spirituality

By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA-TV


The history of fasting goes back thousands of years to Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato.
Jesus did it for 40 days for spiritual renewal. Debbie Ragsdale of McKinney does it once a month, for about the same reason. "When we fast, we're supposed to be prayerful about it," explains Ragsdale. "Otherwise we say we're just starving ourselves." Far from starving, a growing number of studies show a periodic fast can do as much for the body as it does for religious beliefs. After years of being told to eat many small meals a day to rev up the metabolism, research shows giving it a one day rest, once a week or once a month -- may also be beneficial. Research shows depriving the body of food -- for 24 hours, drinking only water -- can give the heart arteries and pancreas a rest. "If you're able to fast all day long, except for water, and reduce your insulin secretion," says Baylor University Medical Center Dr. Brian Welch. "There may be some metabolic advantage to that as long as it's not followed by binge eating."
Dr. Welch, a practicing endocrinologist, says there's even evidence partial fasting can extend the lifespan, because eating less sends a message to the brain and cells to use energy more efficiently. Scientists have seen the proof in rat studies and in real life. A study recently presented to the American Heart Association looked at Mormons. The study showed Mormon's hearts are much healthier than the average American's -- and not just because their religion forbids smoking and drinking.
Gordon Wright, a Dallas attorney who also happens to be Mormon, has fasted regularly his whole life.
"The appetites that we typically have and just set them aside and focus on more spiritual things. It allows us to focus on things other than the body and the things that drive us day to day," he said.
And Wright says when the fast is over, he's suprisingly not ravenous or obsessing about food. That's because research also suggests that supressing insulin may also reduce the taste for sugar. Reducing sugar cravings can lead to weight loss over time.
Ragsdale also tries to eat healthy. Once a month, she and friends gather to cook and share a light, healthy lunch, as part of that endeavor. And, she never misses her monthly fast, for body and soul.
"I think it's a matter of you learn some self-control too," Ragsdale says.
Doctors say fasting more than a day at time breaks down muscles, instead of helping the body. And diabetics should talk with their physician before attempting even a one day fast.
E-mail: jstjames@wfaa.com

See the original post and video here.

Garden this year?

Are you planning a garden this year? Big or small?

Every year I try my hand at gardening, so far none have been very successful. The most luck I've had is with tomato plants. Christian insists that we're not farmers so I don't have a garden patch. Everything I've planted has been in containers. Last year my bean plants were three feet tall when the rabbits ate them all in one night! I'm prepared for them this year! I'm ordering garlic clips. So bunnies beware!

Also last year I planted an eggplant plant. Christian loves eggplant so I thought I'd plant one....well it got nice and big, and flowered, and then absolutely nothing happened! I guess it just didn't get pollinated...?

This year I thought I would try beans/peas again. I think Sugar Snap peas will work. I looked into whether soy plants grow here. I guess they do...and on top of that I found someone who would send me free ones! Click here to make a request! (Scroll all the way down to the bottom for the guys email address.) It took less than a week for me to get them! I told him which planting zone I was in (Zone 8) and he sent me ones that should grow here. My mouth is watering already at the thought of fresh edemame!

I also decided that instead of planting flowers in my front bed this year, I'm planting strawberry plants! Hopefully it will work. I like this vendor! You can order anytime and then when it's time to plant them they send them to you. You don't even have to figure out when a good time is! 25 plants is only $7!!

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make sure everything grows this year? I'm really hoping that it will work this year. Christian said that if I can get things to grow this year then next year I can order this:


Fruit Cocktail Tree!!!!!

I've been wanting one for 2 years now....but he doesn't want me to order the tree until I can grow plants.... This tree is awesome! Seems like a science experiment gone wrong, but it sure looks good! It grows the following fruits, all on one tree!

Nectarines

Peaches

Plums

Apricots

You can get the tree here.

Wish me luck! Hopefully I can have a green thumb this year!

Silk for Sale

I thought I'd list it here first, before going to Craigslist. As many of you are aware I occasionally do interior design work for residential clients. This is some dupioni silk that I accidentally ordered the wrong color for my client and unfortunately it's too late to return it. It's a kind of Burnt sienna red color. There's 12 yards of it, which would be enough for a duvet, a few drapery panels, or any number of other things. I'm selling it at my price of $15 per yard. ( Here's what it looks like close up....color may vary slightly...)

Contact me if you're interested or pass this along if you know someone else that's interested.

Also, keep in mind that I have these fabric books that I can order fabric from at a discount of 30%. Let me know if you're working on a project and you're more than welcome to come over and take a look at the fabrics!

A whole new take on quilting

After seeing this image of a quilt it totally changed my perspective on quilting! Not that I ever had a bad impression of quilting, but after seeing this quilt, and others in this girl's gallery. I couldn't help but realize that you can have modern quilts too! If I read the gallery description right these are pictures from a quilting show in China.

Working downtown

...does have some advantages...although lately it seems that the disadvantages outnumber the advantages..but anyway.... I thought I'd share this building with you. It's called Thanksgiving Chapel. It's one of my favorites in downtown and is located in one corner of Thanksgiving Park:





The exterior is nothing fancy, just a concrete/stucco spiral:

But on the inside is a beautiful spiral stained glass called The Glory Window. I visited this little chapel for the first time a year ago, but happened to have a camera today when Christian and I met in the park for lunch. These pictures are looking up standing in the center of the chapel, which is pretty small but the entire ceiling is a stained glass that spirals upward. I love the colors and the way the light shines in. I never would have thought that this could be the interior of a building with such a blah exterior!