Learning to celebrate the little things.

Well here I am, back again after a long hiatus from blogging. I do apologize for disappearing. Sometimes life just gets away from us, and before we know it, 6 months has gone by and we can't even say where the time has gone! 

So much has happened since my last post in February, too much to touch upon in just one post. However the main things are; we moved to a 2 bedroom apartment (about 10 mins. from our old place), where I now have a craft room (yeeaaaayyyyy!!) and the other is that I was recently laid off from my job (not so good). Losing your job is always tough and now so much more personal for me, but with the way the economy has been, it's really no big surprise. Sometimes you clearly just have to take the good with the bad, try to see the brighter side of things and realize that perhaps your situation may be a blessing in disguise. Maybe it's an opportunity to do something greater, to be happier, to pursue what it is you truly want to do. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and there's always experiences that we can learn from and then move on. 

Which leads me to the point of this post- no matter what happens, and no matter how bad things may seem, we always need to remember to celebrate the little things. It's the little things that make up our lives, and tell our stories. Life wouldn't exist otherwise. They are the things that make you- YOU and me- ME! So regardless of your next obstacle or challenge, never forget to celebrate the little things along the way. And here's my interpretation of that;

 

I came across this color palette on Pinterest via Piradee Talvanna from the Photo Card Boutique (and pinned it to my color palette inspiration board). So I thought it was perfect for creating a card about celebrating the little things in life. These colors are so happy and fun!

I recently joined Pinterest within the last few months and I think it was one of the best things I could have done! It's basically a website where you can store an endless amount of virtual inspiration or "pin" boards. You can "pin" any image that can be found on the web to your boards according to theme or category. It's awesome! The best part about it is, all of your inspiration can be found in one place and is easily accessible! Definitely check it out if you haven't!

On the right is my hand sketch of the card (which was inspired from a LO by Piradee Talvanna in the September issue of Creating Keepsakes entitled; Fall) . I've realized that planning out my projects ahead of time, definitely helps to cut down on time and makes the final product look more cohesive.

And here is the final product! This card is 5x7 and most of the products used came from the Studio Calico Lawn Party kit. I love it's vintage feel! I used a lot of layering and dimension to add interest. I also like how adding the ruffle gives a more finished look and the yarn with butterflies create movement.

Butterflies symbolize change and celebration, which is why I thought they were perfect for this card. With every change, no matter how big or small, we should celebrate.

Happy Greetings!

Today's card is a happy greeting, meant to put a smile on your face! I used the Pink Paislee  Queen Bee collection. I love the colors!! I don't know what it is about olive green, gold, ivory & yellow, but when they are combined, they make me happy! It's funny because if you know me, you know that I often wear a lot of olive green and browns-earthy tones. So naturally this card is one of my favorites!

I created a pearl edge to separate the border sticker from the background paper & made the die cut paper for the title be the center to draw your attention. The center was distressed with sand paper to help the stamped title be more visible. I hope this card helps to brighten your day! :-)

Parisian Love

Since February is the month for love, I thought I would share this love inspired card I created using the Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology collection.

The wording on the kraft paper was scanned from the fancy filigree pattern paper and placed in the middle of the card front. I also added a few extra Parisian clip art images to the top & bottom of the card, provided by the Graphics Fairy.

 The embroidery floss and ivory floral button, act as a faux closure to the front of the card.

This card was a lot of fun to make, and I absolutely LOVE this collection! Enjoy!

A Lovely Weekend

This collage captures our lovely Valentine's Day weekend! We had a great time together and with family. It all came to an end Monday night with a dozen pink roses, wings & beer and red velvet cake to top it off! It was perfect and I loved every minute of it! I'm so thankful for such a loving husband and wonderful family! Now we're looking forward to our Bed & Breakfast getaway this weekend in NH, it's going to be a blast!! I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day too! xoxo

Valentine's Day wishes for you and yours!

Image courtesy of;  Graphics Fairy

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day, filled with love and happiness! Enjoy!

Crafting Spaces

Where do you craft? Do you have a room all to yourself? Or maybe a quiet little corner in your house? I would have to claim the latter. Unfortunately I don't have a whole room to myself yet, but I'm definitely planning for that in the near future!

There are SO MANY possibilities out there and you can practically turn ANY area into a crafting space, you just have to be creative! (How ironic! *wink*) One of my biggest fascinations on this topic of a crafting space, is the "Craft Closet"....and some of you may be saying, "how can that be?" I'm here to tell you, "Oh, it can!" This may be the most practical type of space for most people, since most of us aren't lucky enough to dedicated a whole room to our most treasured hobbies/work and all you really need is a closet, we all have those...don't we?!? Well, with a little determination, creativity and organization, you can turn just about ANY closet into a craft oasis! Now, there's tons of books and videos etc, out there that provide great tips on transforming areas in your home into an office or a creative space, so all you need to do is....go for it! It's never too late and once you create a space of your own, for what you love to do, it makes what you love to do that much more exciting & enjoyable! Trust me, I don't have the greatest space, but I do at least have a corner, or should I say a side of the living room that I can call my own. Get started this weekend, you won't be sorry!

And while you're psyching yourself up and getting ready to take the plunge...take a look at a couple cool closet crafting spaces (and a craft cabinet) that I found out there! I don't know about you, but looking at these little spaces makes me want to create something FABULOUS!!!

image credit: Our little nest

image credit: homegoods

image credit: shoponline2011.com 

Enjoy and while your at it, tell me about your space! Also, if you'd like to have your creative space featured here, email me at- wahkunamaelyn{at}msn{dot}com. Tell me what your favorite part of your craft space is and what you would change about it (if anything) if given the chance. I'm really excited, so hurry, don't be shy, show me!! :-)

Love is a friendship...

Supplies- cardstock; bazzill, patterned paper; sassafras & basic grey, rhinestone flourishes; prima, mini metal brads; making memories, distress ink; ranger/tim holtz, lace trim, thread & cameo embellishment; other 

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! Today I wanted to share my newest creation. This is a love card that I made using some papers from my Studio Calico Metropolitan kit and some of my own supply stash. It's girly and cute with a hint of vintage. I also did something a little different by off setting the title to overlap off of the side. It adds a bit of interest, you know!?! *wink*

Steps;

1. Make card from cardstock
2. Print sentiment on contrast colored cardstock and cut to tag shape, ink edges. Then cut another tag out of the same cardstock used to create card, but 1/8" lager and use this one as the tag border. Attach with 2 mini metal brads on either end and add rhinestone flourishes. (put aside)
3. Cut patterned paper 1/8" smaller than size of card and distress edges.
4. Fold down top right corner and secure with a mini metal brad.
5. Cut strip of a coordinating patterned paper to adhere to bottom edge & stitch a piece of lace trim on top edge. (lace trim is distressed with ink)
6. Sew 2 rows of wavy lines around both pieces of patterned papers to add interest and adhere to card.
7. Create a bow with the lace trim and sew a cameo embellishment to bottom center, adhere to card.
8. Attach tag/sentiment to card using foam squares to add dimension.

Finished size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"

A diamond in the rough...

 Living in a bustling city like New York definitely has it's pros, like the fact that you can always order-in no matter how late (or early) it is. The nearest "Bodega" or (corner store as we call it), is never further than your nearest corner, for all of those household emergencies, at any hour. But most importantly the best shopping & inspiration you'll find around. I love to wonder the streets of NYC in search of a new gem, a place that is bursting with culture and history. A place like Tinsel Trading Company! This store is one of THEE places to visit for vintage trims, treasures and notions! It's unbelievable and the story behind it is even better. Check out the book dedicated to the finds from this lovely place and if you're ever in the area (37th St. between 5th & 6th ave.) stop in for endless inspiration and lots of new possibilities! It's a crafter's oasis!

I've heard that this shop is one of Martha Stewart's favorite places...and I can totally understand why. I'm so very thankful that my job is literally down the street and around the corner. If I'm in the mood for an inspiring lunch break, I just walk on over and I'm in paradise! :-)

(Images; vintage spools of thread-www.suchprettythings.typepad.com; outside image of shop-www.knityoursocksoff.blogspot.com; flowers-www.colettepatterns.com; book-french general  )

Family Bonding

kraft cardstock; bazzil, patterned paper; studio calico & making memories, border stickers; crate paper, clear stamps; studio calico & glitz design, paper flowers; prima, rhinestones/brads; making memories, paper lace ribbon; basic grey

Happy Monday!! Today is officially the first day back to the grind this year! Hopefully you all were able to have a relaxing yet wonderful Holiday season with your families.

Today I'd like to share my first LO of 2011. I worked on it Saturday night after a fun day out with the hubby and sister in-law in NYC.

This LO is of my mom and I, we went to the NJ Scrapbooking Expo together back in May 2008. This was my mom's first introduction to the scrapbooking industry and she LOVED IT! We both bought so many cools things and she discovered a new hobby! Little did we know that this "new hobby" of hers wouldn't really take off until this past November, when I introduced her to the December Daily project by Ali Edwards. Since then, she's been full speed ahead! Every week she's picking up some new supplies, becoming a scrapping addict like me!! I'm loving it, while I was visiting my family for a few days over the holidays, I helped her pick out some new organizing systems and we set them up together for her new crafting space in my old room. It was great bonding time and now I will also have a space to use when I'm there...perfect!

On this LO I used the Napa Valley kit from Studio Calico and the inspiration sketch came from one of Becky Fleck's  Nov. sketches (see below);

I loved using this kit, the papers are so colorful and coordinate so well! The stitching and layered border embellishments are my favorite part...

Bringing in 2011!

Happy New Year to all!

It's about that time again, we're out with the old and in with the new! I hope you all enjoyed your NYE festivities! We kept it low key this year, but enjoyed ours very much. There were dinner reservations at 9:30pm, the food and service was excellent and we were home by 11:15pm. We turned on Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve celebration and watched the ball drop in the comfort of our own home with a bottle of beer and a glass of wine. It was simple, yet fun and we enjoyed every minute of it!

So now it's on to a new year, new possibilities and new goals ahead. I have many things I'd like to accomplish this year, but I'm going for a simpler/smarter approach. I want to do what I say and not just say what I want to do (as I have in years past). This will be the year of talking the talk, walking the walk and putting the money where your mouth is (so to speak). I have a few important resolutions, but I will keep them to myself and with each passing day of 2011, I hope to prove to myself, silently, that all things are possible and will be achieved.

I'm wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! Live, Laugh & Love often but most importantly, cherish the moments that matter most, the small ones, the everyday ones!

That's all for now, enjoy the rest of your weekend...be back soon. ;-)