Matters of the Heart

Have you ever done anything that tugs at your heart strings?

Or, do you wake up in the morning with so much feeling of love pumping through your veins, routed in and out of your heart, and spreading through the rest of your body?

This happens to me often.... on most days, I think!

And then my brain gets involved with all this love ...and I become emotional.

I will give myself a bit of slack for being so emotional.  I am in a period of mourning... I'm grieving and feeling very vulnerable.

I lost my father George (84) on August 3. It was sudden, the day he died was sudden, but he had been fighting  Pulmonary Fibrosis for a few years (is one of a family of related diseases called interstitial lung diseases that can result in lung scarring. As the lung tissue becomes scarred, it interferes with a person's ability to breathe.) along with Pneumonia (Pneumonia is a lung infection that can make you very sick. You may cough, run a fever, and have a hard time breathing.). He had been in the hospital for over a month.

It was difficult for all of the family, because other than trying to make him comfortable, there was nothing we could do.

It is somewhat similar to my artistic analogy... bare with me!

..... his heart couldn't  pump the healing through his veins, the air had great difficulty spreading through his lungs... it was too much of a struggle for the rest of his body...  his mind was clear and it kept spinning through  all the things he needed to do before his final day.

Thinking too much, matters of the heart versus matters of the brain. Gut feeling versus mathematical logic stimulation.  Mind over matter.  I can't help it, as a self diagnosed introvert, my brain is wired this way... to think, think, think and think.

Sometimes, I just need to go with the flow.  What does my heart say?  Forget that silly 'off wired ' serotonin brain.  Create and make art through the heart.  Push it through.  Breathe it through... it is a struggle, but keep trying.... slow the mind and work out from the heart.

My dad was my rock and I will miss him greatly!   He was my cheerleader and encouraged me to create, and he was the bond that kept me solid to the ground.. He did a great job!  He was a wonderful dad.  And I am very lucky to have good memories of our relationship.

So, with matters of the heart....act on instinct and intuition. Work harder from the heart.  Keep that muscle going. Make it stronger than the day before.  Share your heart...

Be relentlessly passionate and Spread Shine.... and I intend to do that with my whole heart!

Wilson's Tail

Father's Day is coming soon and I got a special request to make any kind of card that was in my creative mind, except it needed to include Wilson, the labradoodle.  A fishing or a golf idea came to mind instantly!

 The sentiment on the front is a play on words for the family name, and of course the dogs tail!!  I was so excited about the card that my hands were literally shaking when doodling, punching and coloring and adhering.

This card is an easel card.  When laid upon the table and opened, it can be propped up. The bobbin is a perfect easel stopper and it matches to where the fishing line come down from the doggies tail! I used a circle punch the same size in both red and white cardstock and cut the red with a slight curve to give it more depth.  Then used pop dots to raise up the stopper.  See how I could get excited, everything fit into place? 

Inside: Bobbin by wishing you a Happy Father's Day.

I incorporated a lot of different styles and techniques on this card.  Still, obviously homemade and personalized... something fresh and fun!

Don't regret the past, just learn from it! pinterest

Kick-Off

What is the next card Holiday approaching?

It's the Official beginning of Summer!

There could be a multitude of reasons to send some FuN MaiL... If you are patriotic you may want to send out some stars and stripes for Memorial Day weekend.  Although graduation is not a holiday, it is a season to be celebrated in any young person's life.  And what I'm highlighting today, Father's Day.  Celebrating that male presence in our life or our children's lives.

I learned this card technique more than 7 years ago while attending some sort of stamp class.  There have been so many learning sessions, how could I keep them all straight. I had to improvise a bit.  The technique was to stamp the image on label page, color in and then place the labels slightly separated on the background paper.... I couldn't find the labels... but I made due!

These cards are part of a series in the COTM (Card of the Month) club.  Along with a card that matches the up-coming holiday or season, each recipient also receives two matching tags.

I was so excited a few weeks ago on an excursion to GW (Goodwill) I found an old Accounting Tablet in FULL perfect  condition for $0.99!  Score....lots of eclectic cards and albums are using ephemera which is:  vintage papers including greeting cards, antique photographs, postage stamps, illustrations, matchbooks, postcards, medical papers, labels, ledgers, diagrams, paper dolls, and maps. 

As I've been saying... mainly to myself.... what's old is new again!!!  I love to re-purpose craft items.  I think it helps me to

Brighten Someone's Day!!!!

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Blood, Sweat & Butterflies

A little behind in posting today.  The high school was having a blood drive and I signed up to be one of Sissy's donors.  It's been since November that I last gave.  Where does the time fly.  It was excellent seeing a ton of high schoolers donate.... some of the girls were light weights.... well, hopefully, some day... they will want to continue trying to donate blood.

Recently went to Stamp Camp and made 6 different projects.  The first above is a cute little bag with some die cut flowers on the front.... adhered with hot glue.  The bag is teeny tiny, but just right to fit the next three cards inside.  A cute little gift... and maybe add a gift card!

 Simple layouts for the next few cards.  The patterned paper makes these cards simply... SU!

 I always like to go to stamp camp because it just reminds me of different ways to use things and supplies that I have.

Sometimes simple cards are cute and classy.

Always nice to have a masculine cards on hand.  I think guys like to get cards.... don't they?... but what if they don't sail, or play golf or work with a hammer?  It's okay to send women flowers and butterflies and cute little animals... hand crafted male cards are a tough subject.

Here's the last project... too, too cute.  Tiny little wine bottle (SU! demo said they come in a four pack) freshly cut twigs from her backyard, add a glue gun and some cute punched flowers and butterflies with bling and an instant table piece with charm!  Also added a bit of raffia around the bottle neck.

Yay, warm weather is back on the trend.... next week might be planting season!!!

Tiny Presents

I'm always SEARCHING for clever ideas ...(Pinterest is still so inspiring)  This gift card holder is even better when it is created with fun and interesting PP (patterned paper)  Both tiny presents are cute, but the one on the right (I think) just seems a bit more whimsical.  My style.  They measure approx. 3" w x 4" h when completed.  The top slides off and keeps the gift card secure inside the 'box' part of the gift.  Add some scrunchy ribbon to the top (lid part of the gift)  and the packaged gift card holder is complete... maybe a fancy tag zipping off the side would be perfect finishing accent! To you -----> from Me  It could actually be put in some FuN MaiL.... (don't want to pay extra postage) sans the ribbon... hmmm will have to come up with something for that!

I'm LEARNING something new... thinking outside the 'box' and creating pages of mixed media in my new ART Journal.  I did a quick video below in the next post to let you see what it's all about.  I don't mind being messy, but I realize in this first week of journaling that my art before has been quite precise, clean and small.... mostly on cards.  I'm not ready for big canvas art... but have moved my way up to a 11" x 14" piece of blank paper.... and that is a lot of space to fill up!

Snowy, icy, icky day.... finals for Sissy.... her first time driving in this 'stuff'.  Makes for a nervous ma ma. 

I am working on my SELF.... it's time to get moving in

What's Perfect to You?

I still feel them buzzing around my head! Silly us... I think we need to go Geocaching after the first frost, look what we went headfirst into ( I mean we walked to this beautiful picture spot, but on our way disturbing hundreds of nice little buzzing bzzzzzzzz) .... breeding pools of mosquito madness! We did find two more 'cache' this past weekend on our journey across McHenry County.

Not perfect! Yikes! When I went back in my office I found a pretty button and twine embellishment laying on the floor. Looks like this picture is missing something!

I CASed this card from Homegrown Hospitality I think being perfect or the word perfect is overrated... it doesn't describe to me what it means. Doing things to the best to 'my ability'. Never doing a project or leading my life just partial.

I'm reading all the time and came across this:

Give up trying to be perfect- The real world doesn't reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.

(I'll quote the author on another post)

The card isn't picture perfect, but it still looks cute!

Thoughts and prayers going out to all of my kids grandparents as they overcome their health "stuff". On to a happy and speedy recovery♥

Paint Bucket Mini

Tiny cuteness... it's amazing what you can learn on the Internet. I would never have known that Home Depot created these interestingly cute gift card holders until I went to a favorite blog Ustream video, and she was showing how to make a tiny, tiny scrap book that fits inside the paint bucket. A male scrapbook, which is rare.

The other cool part was using paint chips to create the pages. They are approximately 2-1/2" by 3". I just used materials on hand to create the closure or the ball chain. Added a washer and pop can pull tab. Another interesting thing I could have used was a paint stir stick as front and back covers. This would be a great gift completed for Father's Day... add tiny pictures and there are spaces for adding journaling fun family events!

The tiny plastic gift card holder was not FREE, that cost $2.99 and they had other gift holders like a grill, a tool box and a carpenters level. This just goes to show that crafters can create something out of anything.... card makers have been using FREE paint chips for years as background papers and for matching color combination contests. Maybe another time I will highlight a toilet paper tube mini scrap book.... awesomely cute. Re-cycle ... re Use.

Top of the Rock

We did a lot that first day in NYC.  We even went to the top of the Rock.  When did it change?  I mean I thought it was always called Rockefeller Center, I know they have to change the marketing ideas.  We walked all the way around the center, where they skate in the winter time, where the Christmas (or is it the Holiday) tree is lit, where the Today show films, SNL etc.... Lots of people, lots of flags, lots of tourists, and lots of police!!!  I will probably have to check DH's pics to see if we got any night time views.  The city of lights, the city that never sleeps....We went to the top at 10:20pm.  It was strange, lines of people waiting to go in, but then there were others just walking into the building.  We didn't want to cut and seem rude... but found out it was a tour group waiting for their time to go up! DH and I both have a very different perspective of the city now that we actually now what the New York newscasters are talking about!!

And if that was the top of the Rock, then the top dog of your family would be Pops, here is a male-ish card for father's day. A slider card, You are Special.  This was the card I sent out to 3 of my peeps who are part of the COTM (card of the month club)  I felt the deep colors and the star were more masculine!!

Today is the beginning of finals for high school.  The kids are still home, waiting for their scheduled exams.  Summer is about to begin!