Crafty Happiness

     Being creative (gettin' crafty) really is how I get to my "happy" place. Art is truly therapy for me. Lately, I have felt the need for lots of therapy! I love to create just about anything, but, in my creative heart, first and foremost, I am a scrapbooker. Long ago, I grew beyond the idea that a scrapbook had to be a leather bound album filled with 12x12 pages. I think just about anything that tells a story can be a scrapbook. I really enjoy scrapbook art that can be displayed in your home or given as a gift. This is a project that I recently completed that I am totally in love with! Check it!

     Stunning, right?! The best part of this project? It is a Work Shop on the Go from Close To My Heart! The Scroll Album Kit http://heatherrunion.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=6868&CatalogID=1733comes with all of the embellishments needed to complete this project. All you need to add, besides your pictures, of course, is adhesive and Chocolate ink. The thing I love about this project, is that it is a no brainer! It comes with a full set of fully photo illustrated instructions to guide you from start to finish. I am really considering doing several of these for Christmas and Birthday gifts this year.
     Think you might be interested in this project? Check out my website at http://heatherrunion.ctmh.com . The kit is item number G1042 and retails for $35.95 plus tax and shipping. If you are local to me and need some help completing this kit, give me a jingle, I would love to "meet up" and assist you in completing this masterpiece! What the heck, find a couple of friends who want to get in on this crafty fun, and we'll make it a PARTY!
    All this talk about creating is making me feel inspired. To the craft room I go!

Thinkin' about "THINGS"

     You know, lately, I have been thinking a lot about "things."  The more I think about my obsession with "things," (yes, I said obsession), the more afraid and ashamed I become.  I am not just talking about material "things." I am talking about work "things," home "things," family "things," money "things," time "things,"...a whole lot of "things."
     I have to be entirely honest, I have a pretty great life. Really, I do. I know it.  I have a great family, beautiful home, supportive friends, co-workers I adore, and more blessings than any one person really should have. Still, I often find myself unhappy worrying about "things." Many of these "things" I can change, some I cannot. But, I find myself mired down by fears, real and imagined, that prevent me from taking action. Am I lazy? I don't believe I am, but why can't I simply get over or work through all these "things?"
     I think that fear... well... sucks!  I want to be brave, not just sometimes, or when it's easy, but brave all the time. I just feel like there are so many "things" going on in my life right now, that I have forgotten how to be brave. Shucks, I am even afraid when I go to the dentist anymore. (Sorry Doctor Boyd, you are a wonderful dentist. It's me, not you.)
     I think the only way I can work through all this stress and fear about "things," is for me to become brave again. I mean, honestly, what do I really have to lose? My family? My friends?  I don't think so. I feel like "things" are pushing me to make some major changes in my life. It is true that no one is promised a tomorrow, so I better get brave quickly and take care of some "things."
     I often pray about "things." The Serenity Prayer is one of my favorites.

     Maybe, just maybe, I can start to work through some of these "things." Do me a favor, please. Say a prayer for me. I'll take all the help I can get with "things." It's a work in progress...

The "BIG 40"

     This past weekend, I made my annual pilgrimage to Fredericksburg, VA and a magical little store filled with more scrappy happiness than one girl can hope for. Scrapdoodles is a fantastic shop filled with all things scrappy, and then some! Paper, stickers, stamps, inks, paints, glitters, albums, ribbons...all to be found in abundance at Scrapdoodles. It is kind of like Disneyland for all things scrappy.  For the past few years, Scrapdoodles has hosted a weekend full of artistic bliss (and artistic education) taught by the one and only Donna Downey of Donna Downey Studios near Charlotte, NC.  I first met Donna at a scrapbooking event in Northern Virginia in 2008. I left her classes feeling personally artistically transformed.  Sounds profound, right? It truly was. It was a defining moment in my artistic journey. It was the first time that I had stepped outside of my creative "box", and it felt FANTASTIC! I was an instant fan! Since then, our paths have crossed several times, and I have come to appreciate the warmness and whimsy that Donna brings to creating and teachng others how to expand their creative palette as well.
     Donna taught a full slate of classes on Friday through Sunday at Scrapdoodles. I was able to join in on the artistic fun on Saturday and Sunday (...Thank you, Timmy. Happy wife. Happy Life.) I felt particularly inspired after Saturday's class, The Big 40. Donna describes this class as her favorite top 40 tips, tricks, and techniques for building better art journals and mixed media backgrounds. I call this class, Finally Learn How to Use Many of the Art Supplies You Have Been Accumulating/Hoarding. It was so much fun and so expanding. Check these techniques out. On the left we have  UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel) acrylic paint resist and on the right UTEE Distress Stain resist.

Complicated...no. Did it make me giggle out loud and cover my mouth in delight?...YES! If you think that's awesome, then you should have seen my reaction to using masking tape to add texture to a background.

One word...AMAZEBALLS! I love learning to look at things a different way, and using those supplies that have been hiding out in my scrap room. It feeds directly into my evolving philosophy of consuming, not collecting, my products. Oh, the joy!
     Just let me sum up by telling you that these creative adventures are the things that keep me bright and sunny for the rest of the week...sometimes the month. I love a good creative "high." Here is a link to Donna's website. Check out one of her creative events. They are well worth your time and money.
http://www.donnadowney.com/