After the Snovember storm . . .

After the snowstorm that hit our area, we are dug out and back to a bit of normalcy. We had several feet of snow fall in a very short time. There were travel bans and that was A-OK with me because I was not going to venture out anyway! Most of the snow has melted and the creek behind our house will overflow its' banks in a day or so; but fortunately we are at a high enough elevation that it never rises up to our house. My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones during the storm, as well as those people who had structural damage to their homes, businesses and farm buildings.

The bright snow lights our rooms up and so it was great for doing my paper crafts and sewing during the storm. We never lost power, thank God! It probably would have been as great for house cleaning, but I opted to only do the basics . . . with the exception of polishing the banister and wood paneling BEFORE we put up any Christmas decorations! Every year we say that we will decorate early. I think it will happen this year! We will stay home for Thanksgiving and then haul out the decorations so we can have it all done in a few days. We shall see!

Below are photos of the projects I worked on during the storm.

This is a 5x7 paper crafted corset that I made as a birthday gift for my friend Tiffany. She has a lot that were sent to her from her YouTube subbies and she is going to hang them on a ribbon spanning one of the walls in her studio. I can't wait to see the photos!

I made this little card to try out a new-to-me style of card. It is called an aperture card. This is only 4"x4" and would make a sweet note card. This was part of a challenge in the Facebook group that I am in, "Craft That Divas".

After I re-read the instructions for the challenge, I saw that it was supposed to be a Christmas card! So, I made this one too! It kind of looks like Santa Claus's belt buckle! 

I eagerly awaited the arrival of my new window die, but it was delayed by the storm. Luckily the UPS driver arrived when my husband was shoveling snow and he handed it to him over the snow banks! This is the first card I made with it that same night. I am in love with this die and all the possibilities it presents! 

 I decided to make another window card that was a bit more whimsical. I tried several different ways to make snow at the bottom of the card and gave up on all of them. Then it occured to me that one of my eyelet punches might work. After all, this is fun and fantasy . . . not realism! It did the trick! I am obsessed with making these cards!

On our first outing after the storm, we did some necessary errands (which of course included a stop at Michaels and JoAnns), we took a ride out in the country. This photo was taken on one of my favorite roads that we travel home on. When I see the fish scale clouds, I always think of my father. He taught me what the various clouds formations were called and what they meant, as far as predicting the weather. He was a farmer, so this was important to him. He would call this a mackerel sky and said it meant rain was coming.

Across the road, there were mare's tails in the sky, (the three wispy clouds in the middle of the picture), which mean there is wind up there blowing the clouds apart.

We drove east and found there was very little snow past Stafford. This photo was taken where they have been picking field corn. This field is part of the farm I grew up on. The farm equipment my father used was half this size and probably a quarter of the cost.  

Looking east down Britt Road, you can see the little barn and house where I grew up. My husband grew up in the city and he is amazed at all the open space I had to roam as a child. You HAD to roam if you wanted to see civilization! :-) I love memories of my childhood, especially fall.  

During the storm, I worked on a black and white quilt block that has a gazillion pieces. To make the 8-inch block on the left, you need to make 4 4-inch block components . . . each with 16 small pieces. It is paper pieced, and that is something I enjoy . . . even if it takes  f o r e v e r ! 

I am working on a very special paper crafting project and I wanted to use some of the roses that are sold in the $2 bin at Michaels. However, when I went there, they had taken them off the shelves in order to put up their Christmas displays. Groan. I came home and watched some YouTube videos on how to make paper roses and these are what I have made so far.  I only need to have 10 of the large ones and 30 of the small ones. Talk about labor intensive! However, I am liking the results.  I came up with the little circle cut into a star for the bottom of the flower and think it is pretty clever, if I do say so myself. Necessity IS the mother of invention!

I think that is about it for what has been happening here. I have some work to do (real estate . . . you know, . . . the $ that allows me to buy all my stash) . . . and then some crafting! 

I am very grateful that we got through the storm with out any ill effects. I did not sleep for two nights as I listened for our 168 year old house to groan under the weight of the snow. No sleep, but no creaks, cracks or groans, either!

And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Emmy

It is the middle of November already!

November Greetings!
Since my last post ...several months ago on August 22nd,  I have been out of the loop due to illness. As my health allows, I will be here as often as possible to share what I have been up to. Being homebound has had its advantages because it allowed me the uninterrupted time in my studio to work on papercrafting and sewing projects. I may end up finishing some of my UFOs (unfinished objects)! I was able to complete three of my quilts in time for the quilt show that my guild held in October. I should have several more quilts ready for the next show in two years!
Last Friday night the facebook group that I am a member of, Craft That Divas, got together in cyberspace to make explosion boxes. Here are some photos of the one I made. I used some double-sided MME papers that I had in my stash: "Grateful" & "Cherish" & "Adore" The box has tags to write on, 4 little cards to journal on and 5 places where photos can be inserted in photo corners.

We are going to have our first snow storm of the season. This is how it looks out my upstairs window. We have many days that we are under the lake effect clouds. It looks like we live in a black and white world! :-) This is one of the reasons I love to use my pretty fabric and papers in the winter. It brightens my days! ByThursday morning, it may be sunny and beautiful and provide some wonderful photo ops!

 

This is why I like to bring the potted geraniums inside in the winter! These are in my studio window and brighten the room!

It seems that every time I do a blog post, something has changed in the format.  I have made some edits here and there and tried to tweak this post. :-)

Mostly I want to say I am happy to be back. I am grateful for my husband who loves me and supports me in my creative efforts. and happy to have good medical care.

And . . . until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Emmy 

 

Late Summer . . . and how I spent some of my summer vacation . . .



Late summer sights and sounds are all around us.

This is a corn field on a road near our house.

I love to see it in all seasons.

  

I had company when I was having

my morning coffee on the porch a few days ago.

We said our prayers together. :-)

Pretty clouds to the east . . .from our deck. 

I made a paper stars wreath in a Friday Night Mini Challenge

in an online craft group that I used to be in.  My crafty friend Tiffany and I 

hosted the event on Friday nights and had fun coming up with ideas like this. 

This is the first in series of my Pretty Lady ATC's (Artist Trading Cards).

Artists swap these with each other!

I sent this to another artist in a swap that we did in an online group. 

A card that I made to thank a client for an order she placed with me. 

Some pretty packaging for a swap I coordinated in an online group.

These are chipboard diecuts that crafters use for cards, mini albums, tags and so forth.

It was fun sending them and getting different ones in return.

 

These are some sample tags I made to show to the client who made a special order.

They can be used on gifts, in mini albums, or embellished and hung on the wall,

a door knob, or on a Christmas tree. :-)

This is a little skinny mini. . . made from one 12 x 12 sheet of scrapbooking paper,

folded to create an accordion-style binding. The pages are embellished and it is tied

with a ribbon. I love this little corset and the wings made from metal leaves!  

These make nice little gifts and you can tuck special notes, coupons, or gift cards inside. :-) 

This was one of the Friday Night Mini Challenge projects I coordinated for the 

on line group that I used to be in. 

I made a little video tutorial for the group to follow as they made theirs.

With the strip cut off of the 12x12 sheet, we made mini mini albums!

Now, these are just the right size for a gift card!

You can see the video tutorial that I made here:

http://youtu.be/GKLcYzBYLpY

And the video of the project that I made can be seen here:

http://youtu.be/pPbWaQ_UWQc

Card I made for someone  . . . just because . . .  

I have been making this style of card for my real estate clients when they close on their new home.

I put their house number in the little frame and use little brass brads to attach it to the card front. 

I made this tag during a Friday Night Mini Challenge that my friend Tiffany and I coordinated.

The challenge was to take 3 uglies from your stash: 

Ugly paper (The big floral), Ugly Embellishment (The "E"), and Ugly Trim (The strippy little whateveritis trim that I had in my stash),  and make something beautiful!

I guess I was channeling my Woodstock girl (altho I didn't go to Woodstock!) . . and I tried to make this look like a blouse in crazy fabric with trim, tucked into a pair of hip-rider jeans. . . . a long necklace and a belt with a big buckle. . . . I actually liked it when I finished it!

Another Friday Night Mini Challenge that my friend Tiffany came up

with is this little "purse" and "shoes". I made mine out of chipboard. It was a lot of fun. I gave the shoes to a friend who has a daughter who turned 21 and is an absolute shoe lover. (Who isn't?) :-)

Oh, here is another ATC . . . "Forever Young".

I made this one for my friend Tiffany.

I made some stick pins for my friend Tiffany.

I saved some acrylic packaging from something and used it to package them up.

The backing is scrapbook paper and the edging is washi tape.  

  

Hmmm . . . I guess that is it for now! I have some other things I am working on, but they can't be shown just yet, because they are gifts that have not yet been given!

I got this done way before I expected to . . . my plan was for Monday, but here it is . . . on Friday . . . three days ahead of my own deadline! :-)

I am grateful for the time I have to pursue my art and the support I get from my husband . . . who is my biggest fan and my constant "show and tell" victim. The only TV show I know I cannot interrupt for an opinion is Buffalo Bills football . . . .other than that, he welcomes me (maybe!) when I rush in to show him something I just made!

Here is to a great weekend!

And until we meet again, may God hold  you in the hollow of His hand.

GREETING CARDS !!!

It has been a long time . . . yet again . . . since I posted here on my blog! For some reason, I just get busy and think . . . oh, I will do that later . . . and as we all know, sometimes later does not come!  So, my new plan, and one I think I can accomplish with ease, is to work on my blog on a daily basis and upload it weekly. I realize I do more in a week than I realize and when I finally sit down to write a post, it covers way tooooooo long a period of time! So, from here on out, it will be more current!

I have been making cards. I am enjoying it and below are some of the cards I made this past couple of weeks. :-)

This card is special to me because I made it for my sister's birthday.

My friend Tiffany is from the south and she suggested that I add a wreath to the door.

 She said it is a custom to put a wreath on the door in all seasons.

I took her suggestion, and I really like how it came out!

Thanks Tiffany . . . and Happy Birthday, Louise!

This is the first card I attempted with a screen door.

I was very lucky to find the paper I used for it in a six-inch paper stack that I had on hand.  

This is how the front of the card looks when the screen door swings open! 

The greeting is on the inside of the card. 

This card has a swinging screen door, too.

I think it needs a wreath, for sure!

 

I switched gears a bit and made some baby cards.

I love shaker cards . . . and I love sequins. . . so this is a perfect match for my card.

Look closely. I found some really cute shapes to put inside  . . . a baby carriage, a teddy bear,

a rattle, little feet, a baby bottle, . . .and a few other cute little things.

I cut the letters out with one of my dies.

Another shaker card.

I punched some butterfly shapes with one of my little punches and added the sequins.

I cut the letters out with one of my dies and I glittered them up!

Lovers always need cards to send to their sweetheart.

I cut some star shapes with one of my punches and added sequins. 

We all know someone who just can't have enough shoes!

This card says it all!  

I added glitter to the shoe but it does not show up well in the photo!

I embossed the background paper and I dyed the letters with some of my alcohol pens

 to get the right shade of blue to go with the paper.

Back to some more baby cards!

I used a stamp to get the banner shape.

 I glittered it up and layered it and added little stars at the

ends that I punched with one of my little punches.

I cut the letters out with one of my dies. 

I kept this one a bit more simple and added just the pretty silver and teal sequins to the window. 

 Another baby card . . . and this one has some little sparkles of tiny glitter added to the window.

USA!  USA!  USA!

A card that would be nice to send to someone in the service. 

I am continuing to make cards every day. I like to get into my studio in the morning to work on them and then again in the evening. In between making cards, I am working diligently on my quilts that I have entered in the Museum Quilt Guild quilt show that will be held in October. I attended our August meeting yesterday and enjoyed seeing many of my quilting friends and the enthusiasm for the show and for each other's work was contagious. I came home with a feeling of exhilaration! I have A LOT of finishing work to do on my entries . . . all SEVEN of them! You may see a glimpse of them here from time to time.

In the meanwhile, mark your calendars for the show.

Find details here:

http://www.museumquiltguild.blogspot.com/

That is it for now . . . It is a lovely day here in Western New York and we are heading out to enjoy a ride in the country. It is hard to believe that August is more than half over! The days and nights are getting cooler and we are already seeing some fall colors in the foliage.

Until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Emmy

 

 

  

June 2014 . . . what I have been up to for the past couple months . . .

Hello! This POSTED before I was finished! Please come back to see the edits and the descriptions of my photos!






I know I really should take the time and make it a habit to sit down at the computer and write my blog, but it so often feels like I don't have much to show or tell. However, when I wait two months, it is way too much to show and tell! So, I hope this is the last time I have such a big gap between posts!
I tend to have mostly pictures here. . . and maybe if I blogged more often, I could add a story here and there about happenings here in my little world!








Spring has come back to Alexander and the bushes are so full this year. My weigela bush (also called a beauty bush) is gorgeous . .



 

I am a member of The Craft Hole, a crafting group on Facebook.

We held our first Friday Night Mini Challenge this past week.

The theme was to make a tag that referenced My Favorite Things.

Some of mine are hand-dyed seam binding, stamps and sentiments/words, my watercolor pencils, flat-back pearls, glitter, ribbons, trim, lace, vellum, and yarn.

I dyed these corsage pin heads with my new Spectrum Noir alcohol ink pens.

I love how they turned out. 

 

 I have been making stick pins! They were popular in the 1980's when I made them to wear on my winter hats and coats. They are seeing a resurgence in crafting. I use them in my mini albums, on cards and tags . . . and I think I will be wearing some of them, too! I can make these at night while watching TV with my hubby.  :-)

We showed property last Saturday morning and afterward, we drove to East Aurora, New York.

On the way, we saw a lot of windmills on the hills in Sheldon. 

We had lunch at The Roycroft Inn under the covered porch. It was a memorable meal and a wonderful time together. Afterward, I did a little shopping at The Copper Shop on The Roycroft Campus.

We had lunch at The Roycroft Inn under the covered porch. It was a memorable meal and we had a wonderful time together. This is one of our favorite places. Afterward, I did a little shopping at The Copper Shop on The Roycroft Campus.

 

Coming home one evening recently, there was a spectacular sunset.

I loved the image of the farm equipment parked on this  hill at the end of the day.

 

I have been making greeting cards and matching tags.

 

Here is another card and tag.

I am going to be selling them at a local shop nearby.

 

As a swap in The Craft Hole, we altered Altoid Tins.

I made this one for my partner and love how it came out!

 

I put these little cards inside the tin and tied them up with a silk ribbon.

 

Here is a photo of the interior.

Here is a photo of the interior with the cards inside.

 

And here is a photo of the little altered tin and the bundle of cards.

 

I love my new shelves!

I never seem to have enough shelf space for all of my craft stuff in my studio!

 

I made these as part of a swap in The Craft Hole.

These are some of the things I made to use on an altered clip board.

 

I altered a micro mini clipboard (on the left) and a mini clipboard (on the right).

 

In April, I was part of a tag swap in The Craft Hole.

I made this tag for my swap partner, Anessa.

I love how it turned out!

 

I made this for my swap partner Tiffany.

She is a girly girl and loves hats.

 

I made this tag for my swap partner Kathy.

She loves purple.

I had a lot of fun making the shaker card with little rain drops and mini umbrellas inside.

 

I made this tag as a thank you for a friend who helped me with a presentation at the quilt guild.

This is the back of the tag.

 

This is the front of the tag.

She is a gardener, so I had to use this paper!

 

Another friend who helped me with the presentation received this tag.

This paper made me think of her because she is a musician.

 

This is the back of the tag.

 

I altered this box as part of a challenge in The Craft Hole.

It is the shape of a pizza box, but about 7 inches square.

I deconstructed it, decorated it and put it back together.

  

This is the interior of the box.

 

This tag was made for one of the women who helped me with my quilt guild presentation.

This is the back of the tag.

 

This is the front of the tag. Her first name is Beth and I altered this metal tag to make it look a little steampunky to go with the paper.

What I have learned . . . 

I can upload my photos for my blog directly from my phone! This is a real time saver and it means I can blog more often . . . because I ALWAYS need to put photos in my blog!

I can get lots more done in my studio if I get in there and stay in there WITHOUT my phone, Kindle, or laptop! I am soooo drawn to my techie gadgets! My hubby (also my real estate partner) takes over and covers the phones and emails for me, so I have NO EXCUSE for not getting into the studio and making some things! My quilt guild is having a show this fall and I intend to have some of my quilts hanging in the show. That means I better get back to my sewing machine!

I love my life and have no big wants or needs . . . and that is a wonderful feeling. I have the love and acceptance of my husband and family.

What I need . . . .

I need to keep on cleaning out closets, cleaning off shelves and cleaning out my stash and moving things out of here . . . donating, selling, or tossing things out. It is hard for me to do this because I seem to have a relationship with everything I own. . . even if it was not mine to begin with.  I somehow became the owner or steward of many things . . . and it is time to only have in my house things that are useful or things I believe to be beautiful (paraphrased from William Morris).

Until we meet again . . . may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.