Beautiful Blogger Award

Thank you so much Lynn for this wonderful award. It truely means so much to me!! Lynn creates beautiful scrapbook pages, just amazing details. Check out her charming touch at
http://beautifuldelightsblog.blogspot.com/ .

To pass on this award to your favorite blogs just:

1) Add a link and note of thanks to the person giving the award (which I would have done anyways)

2) Pass the award on to 15 bloggers whose blogs you have recently discovered that you love.

3) Share 7 things about yourself.

These are a handful of my favorite blogs to visit:

A Path To Spirit

Kids Napping? I'm Scrapping!

Charming Designs

Kissed by an Angel

Girls to Grow

Moms the Word

If I Could Set My Soul Free

Healing Expressions

Ilkas Attic

The Vintage Moth (free images)

Art From the Heart


1. I love finding blogger friends to trade how-to's and inspiration. I have never been one to share alot of my personal life but this is an opportunity to open up a bit. It has been a pleasure getting to know many of you!! I enjoy so many blogs, what I have listed are my absolute favorites plus some new friends I just found.

2. I traded: doing my friend's scrapbook for a really nice sewing machine. Not a bad deal. I have also been working on making more embellishments to put on my Etsy, like my clay faux seals and glass-like tags .

3. I am an ex-Harley rider as well as my hubby....best times of our lives!

4. My girls are 8 and 6. My 8yr old was diagnosed Type 1 diabetic at 5 1/2yrs old. That is why my clay wings on my sidebar were such a big deal for me. It is made with an insulin cartridge inside for the Bottle of Hope Challenge.

5. I am an Exercise Specialist and worked with Physical Therapists full-time until we decided it was time to be home with the babes. I am now one of the volunteer coordinators for the school events.

6. I have been involved with MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) and a Christian book group/Bible study for about 6yrs. I grew up Catholic but for now, I claim to be "Christian".

7. Phew, one more...My hubby and I have been married for..what year is this...16yrs this summer!! And he was my one and only blind date. Although we only had the one date, we hooked up again years later. Funny!!

Here is my thought of the day taken from an interesting e-mail I recieved on forgiveness:

"The Greek word for “forgiveness” means “to send away.” I love that analogy. When my ruminations begin to boil over with a never-ending litany of wrongs suffered I purposely, consciously, “send away” the revenge my natural heart craves. And it’s a blessed relief.
Someone said that to bear a grudge is to drink poison hoping to kill someone else."

Timeless

This is a "photo shoot" that was very spontaneous. Out of the cedar chest came the dress I wore as the flower girl to my Aunt's wedding. My 4yr old couldn't wait to play dress up with it. We had the best time together and from it came the most treasured pictures, wrinkled tulle, ribbons and all.

So with this lay-out I created a wonderful envelope to hold the story of this most treasured time and timeless dress.

This lay-out includes ribbon, flowers, white leaves and tulle (behind the matted picture) from the veil and dress. Don't you just love the fuzzy pink slippers with this dress??

It couldn't stop there. I put these precious little gloves with parts of the veil in a shadow box with a picture of me in the wedding and a picture, I won't say how many yrs later, of my 4yr.old in the same dress. The cedar chest preserved everything so beautifully with no hint of yellowing.

Just some wall art in our bedroom with some wonderful old oval buttons and big mother-of-pearl buttons. I covered the canvas with material that matches our quilt and edged it with lace.

The buttons are hot glued on (which I didn't think would hold long but it's been on our wall a couple years now).

Craft Links

Here are a few sites you may find interesting.

I have been making homemade candles with my friend so when I saw this I had to share it:

Sheet Music Candle Wraps
http://www.thecountrychiccottage.net/2010/01/sheet-music-candle-wraps.html

This is a link to Ginger's blog. I have been enjoying her fun facts, quotes, recipes and links to crafts and tutorials. http://lovestodream.blogspot.com/

This is Jenny who has a free lesson on how to make no sew TuTu's for little girls. She is having a contest to win $100 to the mom who sends her the most people over to see her free video.
http://www.misstutu.com/mom-blogger-contest.html

This is the actual link for a 15 minute "how-to video"..have fun seeing your little ones in those cute tutus.
http://howtomakeatutu.blogspot.com/

Gothic Arches Challenge

Oh Goodness, I have to apologize for a booboo I just made.
I went to a blog and found an "egg" art challenge. So I clicked the link, found my egg collage card and posted it within the challenge. When I started surfing the others I realized it was a gothic arches challenge with eggs...http://gothicarches.blogspot.com/ And I can't take my link off the list, oops. Sorry!
So if any of you are interested, check out the link.

Blog Party

Check out the
Ultimate Blog Party
I'm a little late but it's Friday night. A great time for a blog party!!
I still hope to visit many of the blogs, catch some How-To's and hopefully I will be an inspiration to others with my ideas, creations and How-To's. Just see my labels at the bottom of this page.

I'll introduce myself here as well, I have two little girls, 8 and 6. Just adorable. I live in the wonderful Pine Tree State, the southern part of Maine where the coast is just fresh and beautiful.
I'm an Exercise Specialist but I have been home and involved with volunteer work at the school the last 3 yrs.
I can't wait to check out all those blogs on the blog party list.
Let's check out each others Etsy's too!! How exciting!
Have fun!

What I Wish For You

Faith....Love.....Hope...

Easter Minibook, Page & Candlemaking

"Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:12-15

How we need Jesus to minister humility to us!! Show me those who need their feet washed today, and help me follow through. prayer from Beth Moore

This marbled shiny paper was made at one of my local scrapbooking stores. This wonderful mini-book and scrapbook page below was 2 of the several projects I did at Murdock's a couple years ago. They have since closed but the owner, Kelly seems to be doing very well. She is one of the designers for the JustRite Stampers team and has many project ideas. Here is her Blog . I love the effect of the paper crafting we did with these folds but I don't think I could remember now how we did it!! But there was a template to follow.

I had the chance to work with my neighbor and friend who has always enjoyed making candles. I have never attemped such a project but that didn't stop her. I decided to use papertowel rolls so I could have tall thin candles but 3 different heights. Charming but do I dare try to burn them...I didn't use the starin that is suggested!! I need to add some of that ArtGlitter to the outside.
She filled egg shells with wax for Easter eggs. I will have to get some pictures of her results next week.




The I collected as many large white pinetree cones as I could from my yard. Dipping the pinecones is fun but the temperature of the wax needs to be just right. Too hot and it doesn't stick at all. Then when it cools too much, it sticks too much and creates "bunches" of wax build-up. So you need to heat the wax back up. I do love the results.



Tie thin twine around the cone from bottom to top for short cones. These long cones I really only had to tie it around the top 1/4. Leave enough to hold onto for the dipping. It will take several dips but when the temp. is just right, it leaves wonderful coverage and color.
I made enough to make firestarter gift baskets for next fall and Christmas.