Paper is Calling...

Good Morning,

We are almost at the end of July. How did that happen?!

Our days have been spent running around the state, riding our motorcycles, walking to the river, splashing in the lake, and taking advantage of every spare moment we have.

Summer at it's best!

I have neglected my blog. Ignored my paper collection. Avoided pencil and paper.

They are starting to call to me. Playing has been a nice break, but I am ready to spend some time being creative.

I did scrapbook...a little:

 Love Bugs on Etsy

And I made a card:

And a new design for the shop:

I have ideas for a few new designs...but I'm not sure how long I will hold still. The lake is calling. I'm sure that by this fall, I will be ready to settle down and spend some time creating. Maybe when the hubby goes MIA for archery season :)

Hope you all are enjoying the month of July as well. Let's hit the pause button...I really want it to last a little longer!

Always,

Rhoda

Sewing Machines...

I have a love/hate relationship with my sewing machine.

Love:
I can stitch paper like no ones business.
Shabby Chic journals that I make using a sewing machine make me smile.
Straight lines and a few little stitches are easy enough.

Hate:
Untangling the string.
Starting a project and then the bobbin runs out. Never fails.
Thinking I am doing wonderful, and the string isn't even through the needle.
That ball of junk that wads up under my project.
Anything that isn't a straight line ;)

There must be something inherent about a sewing machine though...because even before I knew how to use one, I was drawn to them. I really loved the old pedal one that was in a spare bedroom in my grandmother's house.

Sometimes I walk by mine, and feel it pulling to me. Saying "please come and stitch something".

These new images in my shop are for any of you who feel the same way (or love your sewing machine even more than I could possibly imagine) :)

I set this listing up using the new "Etsy Downloads". Let me know what you think...I'm hoping it makes transactions even smoother than they are now.

Have a great weekend!

Rhoda

Happy New Year...

Welcome to 2013.

We are slowly working our way back into our routine. The break was wonderful. Short but wonderful. Now we go for the long haul until a break in February. *sigh*

There was a flurry of family, a little bit of travel, a few days of just being home (my favorite), a few visits to the movies, and more. Not much happened on the creative front, but I have started to work a little bit into the evenings and then this past weekend.

There are few new things in the shop (see the previous post about stickers! fun!).

These cute sets and a layout are now listed in the shop as well. A great way to start your scrapbook pages or to add some pizazz to a card or project.

And...since it's Tuesday, it's time for a freebie :)

Click "here" to download these sledding friends:

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and a great start to the New Year.

Always,

Rhoda

A Pile of Stickers

It was another one of those "I wonder if it will work moments".
Can I cut out the silhouette of my clip art from sticker paper, then print the image onto it?

Well...yes I can:

They make me smile when I see them :) and I need to decide which other clip art to play with next! These will be perfect for journals, cards, smash books and more.

Have a great weekend...
Rhoda

Thanks!

Thanks

for time to be together,

turkey, talk,

and tangy weather.

H for harvest stored away,

home, and hearth, and holiday

A for Autumn's frosty art,

and abundance in the heart

N for neighbors, and November

nice things, new things to remember

K for kitchen, kettles' croon,

kith and kin expected soon.

S for sizzles, sights, and sounds

and something special.

I used this poem to make an album years ago. Every now and then I see the photo while I am digging around in my files and think that I would like to use the poem again.

I finally did!

The labels are all designed, printed, and cut by me. The board shape is something that I made in Illustrator and then cut with my Silhouette. Super simple and I just love the way it turned out:

It's fall themed, but I think the idea of gratitude for all that we have can be carried over into any season :)

Have a thankful Thursday!

Rhoda

Homecoming...

This has been a crazy week. So glad that it's Friday!

Still smoke filled. We all sound like we smoke a pack a day when we wake up in the mornings...and our voices get all scratchy by the middle of the day.

Our outdoor activities have all been postponed or canceled. The Homecoming game will now be away in a different town because their air quality is better.

We have never had a year that was this smokey for this long!

This weekend I worked up another mini album. I have another brewing in my mind, just need a weekend to play :)

I really enjoyed working with this paper. It was a great color combination and just really worked into an album nicely. If you want to see more, it's listed here.

I'm still itching to do another Halloween album...might have to make that my main project this weekend...along with some cards.

Hope you have a great weekend. I'm off to do the Friday Happy Dance :)

Skipping Seasons...

I'm not sure where my brain went this weekend, but it sure wasn't in the direction of fall.

Blossoms. Pinks and greens.

There was nothing fall about any of my choices. Maybe I am in denial about this seasons change. I thought I was looking forward to it...now I am just looking forward to clean air. Rain. Snow. I don't care. Let's just get it cleaned up!

Bunco last night. We have officially gone back into school mode. It's only once a month. My joke is that I pay $10 a month to have friends. I don't win. This is my 3rd year of playing. I've never even been the biggest loser. My score is always really happy being dead center, or one behind something that pays. Oh well. They are good friends for $10 :)

Here's my "Not so Fall" gift to you today:

Fun Blossoms: Digital Stamp

Fun Blossoms: Clip Art and Cutting Files

Click HERE to download.

You can download them both, or just the one that you will use the most :) Your choice. The link will take you to the page you just click the buttons.

Hope you all have a fantastic week!

A Monster Ate My Book:

Happy Sunday.

I made a few little things over the past week, and started a bigger project yesterday. Hoping to finish that up and also get a chance to color and make a few cards today.

But I'm reading a good book. And I'm right at the last few chapters. So I probably won't be productive until that's finished. It's the only thing I can think about this morning.

The only reason this blog is getting an update is that I am waiting for my coffee to brew...then I will be snuggled in a corner until I finish that book :)

Here are the little things I made this week:

These are super fun Monster bookmarks. I created a lesson with them and my Jr. High Art class made them on Monday. My High School kids that saw them all wanted them too...so I was handing out my sample and having to make a new one all day :) My daughter saw the sample too and wanted one, so I came home and made a pile of "pieces". She and Hayden went to my craft room and made a few of their own. They are adorable when they are chewing on the corner of your book!! There is one on my laptop corner at school too. Makes a person giggle :)

And the cupcake wraps were a request. When Kyla made cupcakes I though we should test them out:

Coffee is done brewing. I'm off to finish that book!

Have a great day :)

R U ...

Are you chicken?

Heck no!

Well...maybe.

Depends on what it is. Scary movies. I'm a big ol' chicken. Heights on an old mountain logging road. Please don't ask me to look down the slope. My children feeling pain. Just thinking about it sends shivers through my skin.

Halloween ghouls and goblins (in cartoon form)...not so scary. Some of my favorite images actually :)

I created this card using scraps from some of my Halloween projects:

I created an SVG file of the chicken so I can cut it in any size I wish. This image just makes me smile. Can't help it. I look at it and I just get a silly grin on my face. Probably because I can just see this chicken hauling butt for the hen house with images of ghouls and goblins trailing behind.

Hope you enjoy it as well :)

Rhoda

Maybe I Want to Be...

While we were walking home from school the other day, Hayden asked me "What do you think you will come back as someday after you die?".

Hmmm. Curious that we are already thinking about our existence after death at the age of 9. Must be about the age that mortality starts to register in their conscience. So our conversation went something like this:

Me: Well, I have always wanted to be an otter. I think that is what I would choose.

Hayden: Oh. I want to be a tiger or a panther. But I don't want to live where they hunt tigers.

Me: Yeah. That wouldn't be good. I suppose you could always live where there aren't any hunters. You might be safe that way. Or you could be a panther and live in the jungle.

Hayden: I could do that. I promise not to try to eat you Mom. Maybe you could try to remember that it's me as a tiger and remind me so I don't eat you!

Me. That would work. I'll just point at a different otter and tell you to eat them, since I don't know who they used to be.

Silly conversation. But it was fun to be goofy and talk about it while we walked home. He also thinks he will be a super cute tiger cub. I asked what would happen if he wasn't a cute cub and his mom kicked him out of the den. He said he would just go get squished or something so that he could come back as a cute one.

There's a thought process for you!

It's Tuesday. Ready for a treat? I am going to go back to offering them here on my blog. Easier for you and for me, both :)

A sweet digital stamp: Daisy and Duck

Perfect for card making, coloring, scrapbooking, and more!

And for you machine cutters:

Some fun frames to cut out, decorate, and use for tags or cards.

Be sure and post a finished project if you get a chance on my Facebook page. It's a great way to be entered for a chance to win more free stuff!

Happy Tuesday!

Rhoda

A Little Boo...

Good morning!

I have never really been a morning person, but for some reason this summer I started waking up between 5:30 and 6:00. Coffee calls to me. And then I discovered that it is so peaceful to hang out in my studio, drink my coffee, check my email, and the family just keeps on snoozing.

School has started, but I am trying to still wake up at the same time. Even 10 minutes to myself with my coffee seems to set a great tone for my day :)

A few posts ago, I gave a sneak peek at my "Boo To You" mini album. Figured I would post the entire album this morning.

Lots of photos...here goes:

This is probably one of my favorite creations so far. I'm not sure if I would ever have enough Halloween photos of my kids to fill it (maybe if I put in a couple from each year for their elementary years)...but I still love the way it feels and looks. Makes me smile :)

Have a great Thursday!

Rhoda