Decorating with Sea Glass

We LOVE to collect sea glass! Whenever we head to the beach, we're always on the lookout.

We found this glass bottle ages ago and thought it to be perfect home for our treasures. It's topped with a leaded-glass-look cross. Since we don't live on the coast, hunting for sea glass is not a daily or weekly opportunity for us. Still, we are frequently in California, often when it's too cold to really swim, so walking and playing in the sand allows us the time to find the rocky places where sea glass likes to rest.

Not too long ago we were blessed to find ourselves on the west coast of Italy. Walking along the sea from Rapallo to Portofino past many rocky beaches, we couldn't resist to stop for sea glass. In a matter of minutes we had found more and larger pieces than in the previous five years of gathering on our west coast! [I don't know if that is the case always or it was due to heavy rains that had churned up the coast prior to our arrival.] Regardless, the kids especially were giddy with excitement at the overabundance of treasure at our fingertips! We laughed as we tossed the "tiny" specimens back – only selecting the grandest for keepsakes – but how those "tiny" pieces might have been considered precious and large back in CA.  :-)

Our original collection being enjoyed in my daughter's bedroom.

Enjoying Summer Roses

Bringing some of God's beautiful creations indoors:

Wall Art Canvases & Photo Frames

Black and white photos floating in framed glass ...

... are paired with my own red DaySpring art canvases.

Fall Roses on Display

The cool air of September is making my rose bushes bloom magnificently! We had to steal a vaseful from the hidden sides to bring indoors to enjoy.

A shallow rustic candle vase is transformed with a bit of brown and pink satin ribbon. Mmmmmm - they smell fabulous!

Free Printable: Apothecary Bottle Label

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."  ~ Proverb 17:22

Beautiful vintage art of blue hydrangeas accents an uplifting Bible verse. I printed this on glossy label paper, cut out with a scalloped edge scissors and adhered to an aqua colored glass apothecary bottle.

Feel free to download and print this art for your own use. Enjoy!

download apothecary label

Summer Fun - Around the World

My kids and I just began a summer travel adventure around the WORLD!! All from the comfort and convenience of our living room! :-) When we recently sat down to read the latest issue of Focus on the Family's Clubhouse Jr. we discovered this neat summer idea already put together for us!

You can go to Thriving Family and get your own map, passport and travel guide to print out to do this with your own kids. (We also discovered that MY subscription to Thriving Family actually contains the fold-out map ... which I'd probably have noticed had I been up-to-date on my own reading.)

Anyhoo, the idea is you read about different countries all around the world, a biblical application, activity idea and prayer for the people of that region. Then the kids can put the applicable stamp in their passport book. We printed out the travel guide and made each child their own passport. I printed the custom stamps on label paper, so they can really stick them in their booklet. 

The kids first find the country and put their "plane" on it, then we read the very short "guide." Look up the Bible verse and do an activity. Then we find an actual travel video on YouTube so they can get a great idea of what the country is really like. Then we say a little prayer for the people in that country. (Also, since we started late, we're doing one country a day, instead of how they have it spread over two.) Visit the Thriving Family website to check it out and take your kids on a worldwide mission trip!

Welcoming Card for House Guests

Had to share the lovely card my daughter made for her grandparents on their recent visit:

set on the side table in the guestroom along with two treats sacrificed from her leftover Easter stash. :-) What a sweetie!

Fall Decorating with [re] Purpose!

Time to move indoors for fall! I took these metal cross tablecloth weights from our patio table ...

 and re-purposed the cross in decorating a deep eggplant-colored candle!

Note:
DaySpring online is offering one of my most popular art canvases at 30% off this month! 3 days left to get this large best-selling wall canvas at a great price!!

Fall Scripture Cards - FREE Printable!

I have been so lax in my blogging I thought I'd make a little treat for you all to celebrate FALL!! A new season always brings a freshness to our lives and homes, and with it a little excitement ... although I must admit I'm totally a summer girl [yes, I know, I married a "Winters!" How did that happen?!]

Anyhoo, I put together a little page of themed tags with fall/harvest/thanksgiving Bible verses as a free printable!

(Click to Download the "Fall Scripture Cards" PDF)

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

I Peter 1:2

He provides ... and fills your hearts with joy.

Acts 14:17

To every thing there is a season.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Let the whole earth be filled with His glory.

Psalm 72:19

In everything give thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

The works of the LORD are great.

Psalm 111:2

Tie them as tags around a gift. Paste them to the front of a handmade greeting card. Tuck them into your bathroom mirror. Glue them onto magnets. Laminate them as bookmarks. Print two sets and play Concentration with your kids. :-)

I hope you find a use for them! Enjoy!!!

Memory Keeping with Online & Traditional Photo Books

How many of you are making photo books online? I started with a little book of our summer adventures in 2008 and just thought it came out so well I've been creating them ever since. The hardcover could withstand the kids looking at it over and over again and I could order another two copies so that when – someday never – they leave home they can each have a set:

At the time, I researched the competing companies – Kodak, Snapfish and a couple others – and went with Shutterfly. As a graphic designer I'm pretty picky about how the finished book will look. I didn't want tacky, busy, clip-art backgrounds distracting from the images of my two little angels. :-) I also didn't want a too-slick, portfolio-looking black and white style. Shutterfly's process allowed me to customize just enough – fonts, background textures, etc.

I begin by sorting through kajillions of photos stored on my computer and uploading the best several hundred. Then, using a storyboard, I drag pictures by occasion onto pages  – 3 to 10 a page. Then the program will generate a layout for you. You can still change the layout to something of your own choosing, as well as crop each photo, delete, add, rearrange pages, add captions, etc. Pale blues, greens and neutrals, all in textures fill my backgrounds and I use the 8x8 hardcover format.

Last week the kids started school, and getting a book created of our 2011 adventures was high on my project list. Two years ago a friend suggested I try to fit one whole year into each book, so it doesn't get out of hand and in the long run will be more organized, make more sense and not require a moving truck for our adult children to transport. :-) For 2010 I managed it, but prior to that had 2-3 books covering each year. Oh, fellow moms, isn't it SOOOO hard to not include EVERY adorable photo of our darlings?!

To capture the sweet memories of my kids "First Year" I had already created a traditional scrapbook-like photo album for each. I found these two cute quilted-fabric-covered books at a Hobby Lobby I believe:

With these books comes that more hand-made creation. I hand-wrote on every page and felt like I fulfilled my mommy duty. :-) Even though I'm obviously an artsy-craftsy gal, I'm not excited about big scrapbooks for some reason. Too labor intensive perhaps. BUT, for my Baby's First Year, I did it!

Hopefully I'll get my 2011 photo book designed just perfectly very soon! I'd love to hear about your experiences with memory-keeping photo books! Which company do you like best?

Hostess Gifts and Giveaway News For Next Week!

We just returned from a two week vacation  – visiting friends and family in Wisconsin and Minnesota. It was SO refreshing to chat with long-time friends, while enjoying the casualness that is classic midwest summer. The kids had such a good time and bonded quickly with little ones they hadn't seen in a year, or some even longer. Happy kids make for happy travels!

With this trip came a fair share of house hopping - staying with good friends and being blessed by their warm hospitality. In some situations a hotel is the best choice, but it's such a treat to stay with dear, dear friends. It's a memorable night when the kids are all tucked in and the adults linger over heart-to-heart conversations.

Due to packing light, I wasn't able to carry hostess gifts with me on the plane. When visiting in the summer I'm sometimes able to thank the hosts with a fresh flower bouquet from the local farmer's market – which I was able to do in Minneapolis:

We selected a few souvenir gifts for the children from the airport or our local gift shop that reflect something about our life in the southwest. We take others out for dinner to say "thank you." And for all, I'll be getting out a proper Thank You card in the snail mail ... soon! :-) When I have a moment to go through the trip photos I'll design a card using one that perfectly captures the joy of our travels!

What about you? Do you have any go-to hostess gift ideas you use when traveling?

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NEWS: stay tuned next week when I show you what treasures arrived on my doorstep and announce a big GIVEAWAY!!

Decorate Glass Vases with Cross, Wire & Beads

Simple pewter cross charms give amber glass vases a custom look:

String the cross charm on silver wire, looping both ends through, then wrapping smoothly around the neck of any colored glass vase:

Add assorted sizes and colors of glass beads – contrasting or complimentary. Curl the ends around the end of a thin paint brush to get smooth, decorative ends to complete the look. I think they look nice with or without flowers. 

Happy May Day!

Have a wonderful May!!!!

Breakfast Surprise for my Sweeties

Quick little pick-me-up surprise for my sweetie pies in the morning:

Sometimes school day mornings can be rushed. OK, MOST school day mornings ARE rushed. They eat breakfast while I finish packing lunches, then wrangle shoes while brushing teeth and fix hair while zipping backpacks. Before I know it they're walking into the building – just as I fully awake and realize I'm going to miss them all day! I want to run after them and fit in one more squeezer hug!

So, last night I planned ahead. My kids love to smell and notice the daily crop of blossoms on our assorted rose bushes. I snipped one of the nicest blooms to set by their breakfast setting today. I quickly cut a sun out of bright yellow paper and added in colored pen "U. R. My Sunshine." A fun swirly paper clip holds it to a leaf.

Oh, I can't wait for summer vacation! How about you?

Embellish a Flower Pot with an Uplifting Verse for Spring

The flowers and fruit trees are so beautiful right now! The warm spring air is such a treat. I'm enjoying having all the doors and windows open with no bugs or too much heat. Today I'm posting a simple idea from my book. An idea for embellishing a flower pot with an uplifting verse:

I printed a scripture "You will be like a well-watered garden," from Isaiah 58:11, on a nice smooth white paper. Trimmed it into an oval using decorative edge scissors. Glued it to the crackle ceramic pot. Then decorated it just a touch with a small strand of pearl beads:

Add an encouraging word to a little potted flowering plant to gift to someone who's in the hospital or home ill. You can hand write or paint a favorite phrase or scripture. But this shows you even black and white can make a simple statement. Depending on your style, this would be cute all glittered up or even give your child a small oval to draw or write something on. Have a great week!

Kids Christmas Craft Party - Dipped Pretzels and Alphabet Block Ornaments

I hosted my 2nd Annual Kids Christmas Craft Party yesterday! It was so much fun! There were about a dozen moms and 25 kids, ages 3-9. They painted, beaded, freeze danced and pretty much ran wild for 2 hours. :-) I simplified things a bit from last year and organized just three craft areas. The main project was alphabet block ornaments using their kids' school pics:

I made my samples up a few days earlier to practice and the ladies did SO good making their own and I totally forgot to take pictures!! We used both the big ones from Circo and the smaller classic wood alphabet blocks. I had loads of paints - acrylic and glitter; decoupage, glitter glue, sprinkle glitter, cut out paper squares and they all chose their own colors and which sides of the blocks to cover or let show:

Cut your child's picture the size of one panel and glue/decoupage on first. Then frame it in glitter glue and decorate the remaining sides as you please. I kept one side showing with their initial. Then papered or painted the remaining sides and wrote on their age one one and "2011" on the other. Screw a cup or eye hook into the top, add a ribbon and it's ready to gift or hang on your Christmas tree!

The second craft was assorted wood ornaments to paint and glitter - wreaths, angels, candy canes and bells. The third station was at the kitchen island making beaded candy cane ornaments. I had little colored bags to write their names on and tuck their finished projects in to take home. Drink bottles were available with their names on for ease of keeping track:

And every guest left with a chocolate and/or almond bark dipped pretzel rod:

with a Merry Christmas note from the kids:

Notes: Use a cooling rack as a drying rack since all things glitter take a LONG time to dry. Have some paper plates for the ladies to carry the still wet projects home on.

Tips on Hosting a Book Swap

get ready for  

    summer with a BOOK SWAP!

Uh, ok. Summer is over, but we had our book swap in June and I still haven't told you about it. Well, fall is another great time for you to have a book swap! The kids are back in school and as the weather cools you'll want some great reads to snuggle in with, right?!

you’re invited to a book swap luncheon

enjoy munching and chatting while you trade your “awesome reads!”  

when: saturday, june 25th, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

where: so & so’s house / address

bring: a lunch item to share and 3 books you think someone else might enjoy. (books to pass on OR just loan out) 

ps: this is a social, so come even if you don’t like to read!  :-)

pps: you won’t want to be late - swapping starts at 11:15! 

rsvp: 

Our event was small but fun. I made the above invites and my friend hosted the swap. Asking everyone to bring something makes it much easier on the hostess, especially those of us with small kids where just cleaning up all the toys is quite a feat!

When each lady arrives hand her a number. This is her "picking" order. After everyone arrives, is introduced, gets a drink, finds a seat, etc. get started. Our hostess asked us each to give a short description of our 3 books. Since we had about a dozen ladies, we were able to fit this step in. It helps to hear someone say why they loved a certain book and to know whether it might suit your tastes or not. If anyone wishes a book to find its way back to her, say so now and have her be sure her name and address is inside. Also, have notepaper handy so she can get the name of who took what.

Then set all the books on tables – these can be on the other side of a great room or in the next room depending on your space. A bit apart from the gab fest that starts next, but I suppose you could pile them all in the middle of the floor should you choose. :-) Gal #1 gets to go look the books over and pick her first one. Then lady #2, etc. until each person has one. Then start over letting #1 choose a second book and on and on until they're gone! Everyone who brought 3 should go home with 3.

Meanwhile, the munching and chatting continues. That's it. An evening swap or genre swap - you can vary it any way you like. But you see there's not that much to it and it's a great way to recycle your books and hear about what others are enjoying. We had quite a varied book selection and I think everyone found something to go home with that interested them. I'm not big on fiction, so one of the first I chose was The Power of Patience by M. J. Ryan. Something I need and am still enjoying and (I hope) learning from!

Recently I was excited to win a copy – via SITS – of Secret Daughter, a first novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. I'm looking forward to reading it very soon for a twitter discussion with the author in a couple weeks. If I read fiction, there has to be some element of education or growth in it for me. Reading is a luxury in my life these days, but I think this book might take me to India and explore mother daughter relationships - there's a photo on the cover of a little girl my daughter's age. :-) 

So, have YOU hosted or attended a book swap? How did it go? Please share your tips in the comments! Thank you!!

Welcome SITS Ladies!

Yay!! Today I am honored to be featured at SITS (The Secret is in the Sauce. A fabulous community of bloggers supporting bloggers.) Thank you, SITStas!

What a treat to have many new faces visiting today! I love a house full of fun gals popping into all my crafting corners peaking at projects new and old. You'll find ideas for wall decor, home accents, birthday parties, neighbor gifts, flower displays, delicious recipes and oodles more.

I am an inspirational artist, author and product designer. I've also been a graphic designer, art director and photo stylist. My career/work has adapted over the years - always artsy and always interesting! It's been a blessing to find an outlet to combine my faith with my art. I love to incorporate uplifting messages in my projects here on my blog, too, since that makes it a double joy!

I really appreciate you coming by!! Have fun exploring!!!

After just moving my blog from "blogspot" to my own domain, I've noticed blogger search is slow in re-finding all my posts, so if there's something you can't find, please drop me a note. Here are a few links to help you find out about some of the pics featured on the SITS post:

Tutorial - How To Add a Verse to a Cabinet

           

 Baby Pop Art Tutorial         Add Scripture to a Wall Mirror 

Paint a Surfboard for Little Boy Bedroom 

         

 Girls 4 Year Pink and Purple Birthday Party                Girls Jewel Birthday Party

Sharing Fruit Tree Harvest with Friends

         

 Christmas Decorating with Greens      30th Birthday Party Crispy Rice Treat 

   

Casual Stenciled Bucket Flower Centerpiece