Sometimes, out of the blue.............

something happens that touches you deeply that you didn't expect.  Today was like that.  Mel & I decided to go to Chili's for lunch.  Nothing majorly odd or special about that.  Sat in our booth.  Had some conversation both serious and silly.  Still pretty well within the normal range.

And then the 3 of them walked in.  

He had a bright pink reusable shopping bag with something very square in it.  With Christmas just passed, I figured it was a final holiday gift.  I was curious what the little girl was getting and if she'd like it.  He started to slide the bag down.  I expected to see bright paper and maybe some ribbons.

It was dark.  

A wooden box.  

And I heard him tell her he'd made it.  It had taken him two weeks. 

ahaaaa.  A jewelery box for his granddaughter.

But it wasn't.

it was so much more

He lovingly pulled items out to show her.  Explaining about each one to her.

 A bronze shoe.  A small bible.  Several other mementos.

And photos.

Photos of the original owners of these small treasures that were priceless but had no real value.

He told her about each item.  About the person, many obviously this little girl had never, would never meet, that had contributed them to this treasure box.  And their connection to her.

She listened attentively. 

And lovingly helped him return each item to it's place in the treasure box.

I feel so very privileged to have witnessed the sharing of someone's history with them.  To hear what I could, and have Mel tell me what he saw and heard since he was facing them.  To know that Mel was as affected by the experience as I was.

And I choose to believe the small smile I exchanged with this grandfather as we left was an acknowledgment of how special and precious the moment was.  

Christmas cards 2010

Posting about the next set of cards for the Copic Club reminded me that I hadn't posted the Christmas cards I created for us and for some of my favorite people this year.  So I'm correcting that now.  :)

Several months ago while in Crop Girls I saw amazing cards created by Stacey Stevenson that used clear card bases.  And I knew immediately that I wanted clear card bases for our cards this years.  You'd think that after that it would be easy but no such luck.  I finally decided to forgo patterned paper and stamp my design.  Add a gorgeous Spellbinders Lacey Square and viola!  There were a couple variations on the theme with the stamped design changing between these 2 and one that featured the more traditional wreath from Papertrey Ink's Wreath For All Seasons.  Mel & I shared stamping duties on this which was kinda cool.  When you opened it up there was a family photo that said The Koenigs 2010.

I was also fortunate enough to be asked to create Christmas cards for my little sister, her hubby and their dog pound.  Those were pretty interesting as the only directions she gave me were no red & green and it needed to include the dogs.  I let it all percolate a little bit and this is what I came up with.   Check out what she did with the pictures inside.  Pretty cool!

 

I also created cards for my ex-step mom - long story.  She and her 2nd husband are some of the most amazing people I know.  I'm so lucky to have them in my life.  She had a great photo of the two of them sailing on the Margaret Todd on a vacation in Bar Harbor this past year.  She knew that was the photo they'd be using for their cards this year.  With a sailing theme & her chosen text in mind, this is what I came up with for them. The knots on the front are love knots.  These 2 are still as in love as when they first got together almost 30 years ago.  That's pretty cool. 

Baby, it's cold outside and a few other things

Ok. Ok. Ok.  I get it.  This is revenge for all of my glee and gloating about the great weather in AZ over the holiday last week.  After an amazing Christmas day at the football game...........................>
It's nothing but grey (perhaps a C3 in Copic speak) and cold and rainy today.  Definitely a day to go back to bed and pull the covers over your head!  You can have your yucky weather back.  And I won't gloat so much about wearing shorts and flip flops on Dec 25.  At least until next year.  :)

I'm very happy to have gotten my cards for The Copic Club at The Creative Quest done and in the store early.  Here are pics of them.  All the details can be found on the Class Projects page.

Our Christmas cards this year were created on 6x6 transparent cards - a big hit with the family.  I had some of the card bases left and used one for this.   The colors are fairly light and the scanner isn't helping them stand out much but hopefully you can get the idea.  I'll post the Christmas cards I did this year in a bit.  (Might have been a good idea to do that BEFORE the holiday huh??!)

This one was pretty fun too.  I got some awesome canvas from SAS a while back to create a banner with (that project is still percolating but it should come to life soon).  I used some of it to stamp and color on.  The Prima Fairy Flora collection was perfect to pair it with!

One last note for today.  I recently purchased the Dots & Dashes alphabet that Quickutz/Lifestyle Crafts put out as a limited edition.  While I do consider myself a Spellbinders girl, they don't do alphabets which I still like to collect.  I don't think I'm likely to use the Dashes half of this set and am offering it up for sale.  Will leave it listed here for a day or two before posting on various boards or Craig's List.  You'll get everything that came in the box, except the Dots alpha, as pictured.  I paid $55.84 for them.  Willing to sell for $30 and will include shipping to you.  You can these in pretty much any manual machine. 

PTI Dec Blog Hop

Nothin' but scraps for this challenge!  Details can be found here.   I really enjoy reusing and recycling "trash" in my creativity so this was a really fun challenge for me.  Especially since I'd gotten some awesome tissue paper in several gifts.  And as usual, when I'm on a roll I can't stop with just one.  Here is a trio of cards created with nothin' but scraps from Christmas day and my desktop.

This was the first one I played with.  Just love the polka dot wrapping paper!  Some tissue scrunched and ruffled for a border and a mat stack die cut (& matted) with a sweet sentiment.

Supplies: Cardstock & ink- TPC Studios, PTI stamps - Love Lives Here, die - Mat Stack 2


This is the second card I created.  I used lots of PTI goodies on it.  And despite the imperfect background stamping I think it's my favorite.

I layered 2 shades of pink tissue paper (courtesy of Victoria's Secret) and mixed in white & die cut 3 different butterflies from the layers.  A little stitching up the middle & some long threads for antenna & the butterfly was done.

Here's more of a side view to see more of the dimension from just layers of simple tissue paper.

Supplies: Cardstock & ink - TPC Studios, PTI supplies: stamps - TT: Valentines, Framed, Love Lives Here, Background Basics: Sheet Music; dies - Love Lives Here butterfly, SS: Butterfly, butterfly, spiral notebook page

And how could I not totally fall in love with this striped tissue paper??  It was stuffed into a beautiful, bright red wine bottle bag with pretty red handles.  That's one of the handles thru the middle.  :)  All that I needed to add was a quick, cute stamped image.  I found that one of the dotted Vintage Labels fits perfectly in the TT: Valentines opening. 

Supplies: PTI Stamps - BB: Sheet Music, TT: Valentines, Mat Stack 2 Collection, Vintage Labels  Cardstock & ink - TPC Studios die - Spellbinders Scalloped Circle

What a weekend!! and it's not even Christmas yet

Sometimes it feels like I'm on full throttle and when I finally get to slow down I almost don't know what to do with myself.  This weekend has been a lot like that.

Thursday was filled with visits to Scrapbook Barn, Stamp Works & Paper Vineyard.  And within 15 minutes of getting home we were inundated with wrestlers.  I'm so happy to be able to have them stay the nights before and during the tournaments again.  And very happy that Bret is helping coach and wrestle with them.  Here's a shot of some of them playing a game with Tricia.  Thankfully they were all ready for sleep early since I had to get them up at 6:15! 

Friday had me visiting Crop Girls and trying out the new Culver's near the house with Mel.  Mel had a gig at Tailgaters so I was on my own until 10:30 when the wrestlers and coaches got here.  Spaghetti for coaches and fruit, yogurt and sandwich stuff for the wrestlers.  Mel was surprised to find us all still up when he got home.  I was delighted to overhear him chatting with one of them.  He usually hangs back from them so it was pretty neat.  I think he actually enjoyed having them this time.  :)

Saturday was spent at The Creative Quest and their Event to Die for.  I got to introduce several ladies to the benefits of the Grand Calibur.  While I was there I did some playing around myself.  Hello Shrinky Dink!!!  That stuff is super cool!  Of course that means some came home with me.  I'm (not so) patiently waiting for my newest PTI order(s) to show up so I can complete my shrinky dink project.  I'll be creating our Christmas ornament this year out of it.  Hoping it turns out.  Saturday was also the last 2SGNO for 2010.  With the holidays on top of us most ladies weren't able to come.  It was a nice chance for Julie and I to chat for awhile before Leann joined us.  Sometimes the best nights are the quiet ones.

Sunday started with some coloring.  I had an idea that combined Kraftin' Kimmie's Raychel and PTI's TT: Christmas.  And this time I actually made a card out of my colored image.  After all is said and done, I'm fairly pleased with it.  I airbrushed G24 around the image since I knew it was going to be a Christmas card.  After mounting it on this BasicGrey paper I wish I would have airbrushed the BG10 around it that I used to shadow around her.  That just means I'll have to color another one!  Aawww, to bad huh??!  A few other details to note: I die cut the image with my largest Spellbinders Label 8 die.  I wanted the sentiment to center in the side peak which would have cut off the end of her hair.  Since it's more interesting and dynamic when a part of the image "breaks the plane" I carefully cut around that portion of the image and slid the die over it.  That kept it intact but cut and embossed the label shape.  I added the sentiment by printing it on regular paper and moving it around and reprinting until I got it spaced how I wanted it.  Then I sent the sheet with the colored image thru.  Super easy!  A little stitching and a red twill bow with a tiny gold safety pin and it was done. I wonder if Mel will remember it if I give it to him?  :p

It's all mine!

Don't you love it when you unexpectedly make a fabulous find?  Driving home from class yesterday morning I had one of those hold everything kind of moments.  Doing nothing more than being happy about class and thinking about all the stuff to do to prep for the UFC party that evening, I saw it. 

And drove past it.  

And then got an idea.  

And made an illegal u-turn at the next light.  Waiting for the light to turn green just about killed me.  Because now that I wanted it, surely someone else was going to want it too and get there before me! 

Pull over at the bus stop, so what if there really wasn't anywhere to pull over? 
Just got as close to the curb as I could and put on the hazard lights. 
Run around the car to pick it up and start shoving.  And I do mean shoving!! to get it into the back seat. 

Slam the door I take off for home.  Huge smile plastered all over my face.  I'm sure the motorists and pedestrians I passed must have thought I was simple, suspicious or just plain weird.  But I couldn't help it.  I was just so darn HAPPY! 

The cause of such joy?

This beautiful, bright red, small sized shopping cart will be PERFECT for holding everything for current big projects.  I'll be able to pull it all close to me or push it out of the way depending on what I'm doing.  Not only that, but it'll be so much nicer to bring things back and forth between the extra bedroom and office.  And it works like a charm, I've already tried it out.  :) 

And if you noticed the Fancy Pants box in the basket, that's my next big project to begin working on.  I'm so very, very excited about it.  It'll be personal, it'll be creative and it'll be an amazing class and experience for everyone that participates.

The UFC party was fantastic.  Lots of food, lots of awesome people, good fights and the main attraction went all 5 rounds.  Much better than the 21 seconds at the last UFC party.

Today is about party food leftovers, football & Christmas card production.  Looks like I'm on my own for that.  *sigh*  But it's ok.  I just look over at my little red cart and smile.  Now to find a name for her..........

December Copic Club at Quest

I was delighted when I saw this new stamp set from Our Craft Lounge called Sending Love.  You'll be among the first to see and color this set on Saturday morning!  Our technique is watercoloring with your markers.  Very cool and I'm pretty sure you can only do it with Copics because of their unique properties.

Full details listed in the Class Projects tab. 

First attempt........

Got home from the Holiday Boutique this afternoon about 1.  Mel was so awesome and had lunch waiting.  I was starving and BLT's minus the T with mustard was perfect.  Then an attempt to nap.  Up, cleared the desk (didn't put anything away - that would take waaaay to much time!  I just shifted it to the side.) and coloring.  Just wanting to relax after the last few weeks and ahead of classes the next two days.  So I got a glass of cold white wine, put on my oh so soft! new red scarf - picked up at the boutique today - and stamped some images to color.  This is my first attempt at monochromatic coloring.  I'm actually kind of pleased with the results.  I can see where I can improve but for a first time, it ain't as bad as it could have been.

 

This is one of my favorite images from The Greeting Farm - Cheeky Rockabilly.  I'm happier with the gray monochromatic coloring.  I have more Earth colors but the E colors don't follow the same kind of rules as the rest of the colors so they can be a little trickier to blend.  I can see some areas that I'd like to try some different shades in on the left image.   I may actually have to see about die cutting these and creating a card with them.  What do you think?