S N O W . . .

         It seems like I would be over having to write about snow, but we are still getting snow EVERY day! It falls like fine mountain snow and really piles up. Because my car is a convertible, and rear wheel drive, I have not driven it in months. As you can see by the photo of my car at the end of this post, it will be a while before it is dug out or driven in good weather!

          This past week, I was tagged in Face Book by my friend and fellow quilter, Elaine, as part of the artist’s challenge. It was a good experience and a good exercise in looking back at some of the projects I have worked on in the past. I have been less inclined to sew and quilt lately, but seeing some of my work, and the all of the work other artists posted has given me some drive to get back to it! And the weather is giving me the perfect reason to stay indoors. I have been sharing my sewing room with the visiting nurses who have been stopping by a few times a week to check on me. I set them up in there because there is a lot of table space and good lighting. I realized today, though, that it has kept me from sewing because there are boxes and things all over the place that they have been using. I moved it all to my big cutting table so now I can reclaim my machine table as my own. J Stay tuned to see if I really do accomplish some sewing in the next week or two! If I don’t sew at the machine, there is plenty of hand sewing and even some hand quilting that needs to be done. I don’t want to even begin to count my  UFO’s . . .  because  it might be somewhere in the range of twenty unfinished objects, and in all stages of undoneness. But . . sometimes it is just more fun to begin a new project! Not that I need to defend myself;  . . . but . . . , in my own defense, I have been trying hard to work on projects that are right in front of me, or within reach in the stash closet. That is not so easy for me, because they are sometimes not the project I would choose. But, being a grown up requires grown up behavior . . . even when it comes to sewing, quilting, and paper crafting! I often recall something that Pastor Rick Warren said about having extra things, like clothes and household goods. He said it is sinful to have things that we are not using that could be used by someone else. My husband I have tried to pass things on to others and when we heard that, it made it even more important for us to move things out that we no longer wanted or used. I need to mindful of the craft supplies that I have. I managed to pack up a grocery bag of yarn and paper craft things one day and donated it to 4-H for their summer camp arts and crafts projects. I can do much more of that! I just need to find the places that need my extras.  

          Enough of my rambling . . . I want you to be able to read thru this without falling asleep! I have my usual gallery of things I made this past week to show you. There is not a lot because I have been in a bit of a creative rut. In part, it is due to the fact that I love to make Valentines Day cards, but don’t really have a lot of people to send them to! So, I made some and stashed them away for next year. Here are a few of the things I made this past week:

I made this Valentine using the birdcage die that I am so fond of . . .

 . . . and an envelope to match . . . 

I made this card for someone I have been thinking about . . . 

(The roses did not photograph well . . I made them with the same paper as the card front!)

 . . . and an envelope box to go with it . . .

I stamped the envelope box interior with fleur des lis to match the card. 

 

I am a bit behind this year in getting a jar altered to hold our 2015 goals .

I fussy cut the paper from a DCWV's Coral Couture stack.

I like how it turned out.

I think I could have used a smaller jar, though.

If we ever filled this jar with our goals, it would take more than one year to accomplish them!

Here is a close up of the lid

 I have never done something like this before and like the effect.  

Oh, and here is another card I made. I was attempting to do something a little more masculine.

I am not sure about this one. It looks like I have gone a little country-western!

 

That is about it for what has been happening at Studio Emmy the past week or so. Since we have so much snow, it has been OK with me to be inside.  Just look at my car . . . yes . . . there IS a car under there!



Stay warm where ever you are . . .

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

Emmy

 

Are you ready for some football?

It is Super Bowl Sunday . . . and that means we get to eat lots of snacks! I get lured in every year at this time by the chip and dip sales at the grocery store. My husband, who has had to do all the shopping while I have been recuperating from surgery, was lured in too. When he came home with the groceries yesterday, there were lots of snacks in the bags!  I love having snacks when I watch a game. And this game will be no exception; although, I am not particularly interested in either team, I will be rooting for the Seahawks. I just don’t like the Patriots. Period. I didn’t like them before the Deflategate story and I don’t think I will ever like them!

I was surprised this week with Happy Mail from my online craft group, Craft That Divas on Facebook. Some of the ladies in  the group made get well cards for me.  They were gathered up and sent to me in one big envelope by the group leader, Mrs Tiffany. My jaw dropped when I saw what was inside the parcel! Everyone put so much work into the cards they made for me. Thank you my crafty Diva friends!

I made a video when I opened the parcel. You can see it here:

http://youtu.be/wwNIGayYEGA

Perhaps you can see the cards better in photos, so here they are! Aren’t they just beautiful? What a gift each of these cards is.

Made by Cindy G.

Made by Amy K. 

Made by Mrs. Tiffany 

Made by Jen R. 

Made by Debi B. 

It is a slider card! 

Made by Kim W. 

 

I have managed to keep busy in my studio this week in between a few other things. I still can’t do any lifting, pushing, pulling. Generally, I just have to take it easy. However, I think if I take it any easier, somebody is gonna put me in a hole and throw dirt on me! I am getting a little antsy, but that must be a sign that I am starting to feel better! And I have been getting my appetite back. In fact, some days I feel like I am a bottomless pit! My husband is so good about getting all the foods that I love when he goes shopping. He is a real gem and takes excellent care of me. 

This week I made some cards and I also made a tag as part of the Craft That Divas monthly tag challenge. Here is a photo of my Happy New Year themed tag for January. I challenged myself to use something I had in my stash, but had not used yet. . . the corrugated cardboard. I like how it turned out.

Happy New Year Tag

made as a challenge in Craft That Divas Group

 

Now for the cards . . .

I made the masculine card I mentioned a couple weeks ago.

 It is for our UPS man. He is so good about how he handles our parcels.

I found the velour-like paper that I bought last summer in anticipation of getting this chair die. I was so frustrated that I could not find it . . . but then one early morning while I was looking for something else that I could not find, this pink paper was right in front of me! It looks so much like upholstery fabric!

 

I made an envelope box for the chair card. 

I really like this bird cage die and decided to use it again on a card.

This time, it is a Valentine’s Day card.

 

Again, I made a box envelope to go with it. 

Oh, and while I was digging around that early morning, I also found a pile of some papers that I had stashed after making a mini album. I had forgotten all about these papers! I decided to put them on my table and make myself use them for my next project. I need to do that more often. I get more creative sometimes if I am limited in my resources. Does that even make sense?! It works . . so that is the important part, right?



 

 

I made a thank you card for our good neighbors who live across the street with the found papers. They have shoveled our sidewalk for us all winter long. It is so nice to look out our front door on a snowy day and find the walk cleared already!

 

I need to keep at the card making and I hope to get back into production mode for some mini albums and covered boxes. It has been a long time since I worked on any and I really enjoy making them! I was looking at some of my old YouTube videos this past week and it inspired me to get back to making them. They make a nice gift and I have had several orders over the past few  years for weddings, birthdays, Christmas, and so forth. I have some beautiful new papers that I am just dying to use! 

Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon dying seam binding for my projects. I used Spectrum Noir alcohol ink markers, dye inks (ink pads), and Tim Holtz Distress Stain Liquid. I like the results very much and I need to keep up with making these every so often because I like to use them in my projects. They add so much!

Hand-dyed seam binding . . . Eye Candy for Crafters.

 The results! Yummy.

 

We are headed into another rather cold spell.

 

I am happy to stay home in my studio where it is warm and there are plenty of creative opportunities. In fact, one of my crafty facebook friends suggested that we Skype sometime soon when we are crafting. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Since I am pretty much a solo crafter, this will be very different for me.

It is time for the football game . . . let the snacking begin! I will be posting again soon. As always, your comments are welcome.

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

Emmy



Like a Prayer . . .

This week has been a tough one for me and for many of my friends and colleagues. The woman who was my mentor when I began my real estate career was hospitalized two weeks ago and while she was in the hospital, they discovered that she had a terminal illness. My friend came home earlier this week under hospice care. I knew I would not be able to visit her, but wanted to make something special for her. Since I have been making greeting cards a lot lately, I decided to make her the prettiest card I could. It turned out to be a very spiritual experience. While I was making the card and the box to put it in, it felt like I was saying a prayer with my hands.  It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before and was a very touching and memorable experience. I could not get to the post office because I have been housebound while I am recovering from surgery. I planned to mail the card today. However, we learned late yesterday that my friend passed away yesterday afternoon. I will keep the card as a memory of my friend and think of her when I see it or hold it in my hands.  

Here is a photo of the card and the coordinating envelope box that I made.

The passing of my friend reminded me of the importance of living each day to the fullest. When my cousin passed away a few years ago, my husband and I adopted a phrase from the movie Titanic. Make it Count. In memory of those who have gone before us and as a gift to God, I try to live each day with appreciation of the gifts I have been given. I know they are just that . . . gifts . . . and I should not take them for granted. I should share them with others. That is why I don’t feel guilty when I spend time in my studio playing and trying new things that I can share with others. Our time here on earth is precious. Make it count!

In loving memory of Cathy A. Waggoner

 

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

                                                                                                      Emmy



Mid-month Musings

Staying indoors during the cold weather suits me just fine. We had a couple of nights that dipped down to 8 below zero with wind chills to minus 20. That is too cold! We have quite a bit of snow on the ground and I love how it lights up my studio. I have been trying to work in my studio and have made a couple things this week. Recovering from surgery, I find that I am not completely on my game, so I cut and paste and then find I did something upside down or backward and need to start over again. I have learned to accept my mistakes, let them go and start over. Heaven knows that I have enough stash that a mistake here and there and paper and embellishments won't be missed a bit when they need to be tossed out! In fact, since I have not been able to run in and out of Michaels, JoAnns, or Hobby Lobby to shop, I have had to look deep into my stash for things to use. And guess what? There is a lot of stuff that I had forgotten I even had!



I need to get my chipboard and wooden embellishments out and make a masculine card tonight. I am always challenged when making a card for a guy. I don't know why. I found some nice examples on Pinterest to use as a reference. Perhaps this will be the year that I actually go to my stash first to make things instead of going shopping. It will be one of the positive outcomes from this time of recovery!

I made cards for two special special people and made little boxes for them because they are embellished and would not fit in a regular envelope. I really had fun making the boxes and found them easy to do once I got the hang of it! I used my Martha Stewart scoreboard. I have to admit that I need to have more patience with the learning curve when it comes to learning new things! I just want to sit down and make something and have it come out right the first time. Thank goodness that I have lots of scrapbook paper that I am not real fond of that is left over from some projects. You know how there is always one or two sheets of paper that just don't appeal to you? I use them for practice.

Below are the box envelopes and cards I mentioned.  I know I will be making more because I really like how they turned out.  :-)

Thank you for stopping by. Leave a comment below if you wish. :-)  

I will be back next week. Until then may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Emmy

Welcome 2015!

The new year's beginning has been rather uneventful ... especially compared to the final month of 2014. I had major surgery in December with an 8 day stay in the hospital and then an emergency admission due to complications on Christmas Eve for a 3 day stay. So the start of 2015 is a breeze so far. I have home care/visiting nurses checking in on me regularly and a husband who is the best caregiver I could ever ask for. ♡

While I have been housebound,  I managed to finish knitting a wool cable knit scarf. I love it and wish I could go out to wear it...but when it is frigid cold like it is today,  I will just need to wait. I won't be going anywhere soon! When I do get out, I plan to wear it with my brown suede trench coat. :-)

I made a gate fold card. I used vellum on the inside that is tucked into decorative photo corners. A sentiment can be written on the vellum with an extra fine point Sharpie. I got my inspiration for the card from...where else ... Pinterest.  :-)

It is bitterly cold and snowy here today. I have been staying close to the fireplace. There isn't a better place in the world to be on a day like this ... and spending it with the one person I love more than anything or anyone  in the entire world... my husband.  ♡

I am grateful for so much. Good doctors and nurses The nursing assistants who shepherded me through my days and nights while in the hospital. Family, friends and colleagues who have reached out to us with cards,  phone calls and offers of help.  Thank you one and all.  It means a lot.

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

Mid-December Crafting

I made some cards a few weeks ago and thought I would share them here. 

Photo above: 

I was so excited to receive my Sizzix Die and Embossing folder set.  It cuts the shape and you can then emboss it with the look of a comfortable overstuffed chair. I inked the raised up part to help define the chair. Wouldn't you just love to sink into this chair next to a roaring fire with a good wintertime book? Of course....when I went to find the really special paper I bought this summer in anticipation of one day owning this die and folder, it was no where to be found! I know I will find it. The question is when? It looks like plush velvet, but it is paper!

Because I am posting from my smart phone, I dare not try to move things around to look better. I can't really be at my desk just yet, where I can maneuver around the computer screen, because I am recuperating from surgery.  Since I will need to spend several months in the recovery mode, winter in Western New York will be a good time for that...as long as I can stay inside and watch it snow from inside my cozy house!

I have been bitten by the hexi bug. I will do a little show and tell in my next post.  They are easy to make. I am grabbing all different fabrics from my stash and I don't even know yet what I will make with them! 

Photos below:

Gatefold Christmas Card

Birthday Card Front and Interior

Gatefold Card with a Belly Band to keep it closed

That is it for now...I will try to post weekly because I plan to be very productive during my recuperation and get lots of unfinished projects done! Stay tuned . . .   :-)

I am grateful for the good weather we had for my trip to and from the hospital. Here in WNY, we can get lots of snow overnight.  In fact, on the day after my surgery,  there was a foot of new-fallen snow on the ground! Luckily it melted before I was discharged 7 days later, so I got a ride back home in our Mustang...which was easy for me to get in and out of. My husband has been a gem attending to my every need and is my number one cheerleader. Your prayers, cards and good wishes have meant a lot. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ♡

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

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Happy Birthday Divas!

 

Just a quick post today! I am in an online group called Craft That Divas on Facebook. The group just celebrated it's first year and we were given a challenge to make a Diva-worthy cake. Below is a photo of the cake I made. I used DCWV The French Country Stack to make the cake slices, which are actually little boxes. I also made the flowers from the same paper.

There is a little story that I need to tell you about the flowers. I have never made paper roses before and I never intended to make them for this project; but when I went to my local Michaels store to buy some ready-made flowers, there were none to be found! I asked where they had been moved to and I was told they were taken off the shelves to make room for the Christmas merchandise! It was my only chance to get them, so I had to come up with a plan . . . and that was to make them. I started with the 10 large ones, and it just needed more . . . so I then made 20 small roses to fill in and make it look better. It still needed more! I ended up making 30 small roses in addition to the 10 large ones. I certainly know how to make paper roses now!

I made a video which you can see on my YouTube Channel.

Click on the link below if you would like to watch the video.

http://youtu.be/IA-8ZR8K9DY



 I used my grandmother's cake plate for display. I never make real cakes, so I am happy that I can put this paper cake on it!

Thanks for stopping by . . . and until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Emmy