Whirlpool of Imagination

What I learned from Jerry Rice

I will admit it, I have become hooked on reality TV. I resisted for the longest time but slowly, each new show seems to suck me in. I did not watch the first Dancing With The Stars but got hooked on the second season. And I wanted Drew Lachey to win - happy that he did. But after spending several weeks watching Jerry Rice compete and go all the way to the finals, I realized that there were several good lessons there to learn:

1) Step out of your comfort zone. You just might astonish yourself (and others) with what you can do when you try something new.

2) Never give up. Even if someone tells you that you are not as good as others, keep working hard. You will not only improve, but you just might inspire others.

3) Its not always the one with the most talent that goes the farthest. Hard work, determination and sheer will can take you farther than even the most talented of your competitors.

4) And finally, play to win but do so with class. One of the greatest quotes (and I know I'll botch it up a bit but here goes) that I think Drew said about Jerry is that you could tell he wanted to win but he didn't want to crush you to do it. Winning is the objective but not at the expense of others. Do it with class.

Still Stuck On Letters

Yes, I'm still working on faux monograms - love the fact that I have so many choices as to which direction I want to go when I start a new letter. Since this is an L (for me), it HAD to be purple. And since its been entirely too long since I worked with my favorite color, here it is.

This time i went with a more basic font for the letter. Its also versamarked a plaid on the actual letter. (Stamp credit: stampin up)

A Random Craft Observation

While creating my monogram cards, I've come to a realization about craft knives. They are awesome - BUT you have to pay attention to them so they will be awesome. For the longest time, I would see people talk about their craft knives and rave about them as a must have tool. I've had mine for ages and would use it occasionally but was never happy with how it worked. There are a couple things I have realized that make them a must have tool:

1) You HAVE to replace the blade when it gets dull. I have had the same blade for ages and wasn't happy with the knife. In a DUH kind of moment, I changed the blade - HUGE difference.

2) The other observation I made a while ago but its worth repeating: GLASS MAT. I originally had a self healing mat that I used with the knife. The blade would catch and snag my paper constantly. I changed over to a glass mat - it slides through like butter.

These are simple things really but sometimes I get so caught up, I forget the simple. Now I can say that my craft knife is a MUST have tool for me.

Starting with A.....

Another big letter monogram card here. There are so many possibilities for these - could go for days creating....

I printed the A on patterned paper and went from there. The harlequin is watermarked stamped.

Odds & Ends

I am still trying to organize my area. It's actually quite daunting. I'm looking at all the stuff and I'm not sure where to even start. My type of organizing drives Mo crazy. I start with all the really small stuff and make that manageable and then move onto the bigger stuff. I'll just keep plugging away. Maybe by the end of the weekend, there will be some semblance of order.

Post it power!! I love making my post it covers. These were one of my biggest sellers at my Christmas craft fairs. I thought with St. Patrick's coming, I'd show one of my Celtic designs. So much fun and I can customize to whatever design wanted. These will be in the newsletter so keep an eye open for them.

Speaking of the newsletter, I'm getting ready to upload everything - I have just one or two more things I'd like to create and then I'll do my monthly struggle to get it just so.

And on a completely unrelated note....I decided that Meg was old enough to start scrapping her own pics and got her her own book and went through my supplies and created her own area. Or have it somewhat created - still working on that organization thing. Well, never tell a 4 year old that you have something new and exciting for them until its ready! She's been so excited and chomping at the bit and I'm not ready for her yet!! Guess I've gotta get on that.

Cleaning Spree

I am a pack rat. I have been crafting for over 15 years and frankly, I'm not sure I've thrown out much in all that time. I find myself becoming overrun with items I will never use, especially papers and stickers and all that little "stuff" I HAD to buy. And with all this stuff, I can no longer organize it all. It is taking over completely. And without some sort of organization, I feel stifled and unsure of what to use or even what I have. So I have decided its time for a purge of supplies. I need to be ruthless and be honest about what I will or will not use. I have decided to start Meghan with her own scrapbook so I can reorganize her space with my leftovers. I went out today and bought some organization items for just her stuff and I'm off to Walmart tomorrow for containers (LOVE plastic containers). My big plan for tonight is to go through my area and weed out everything I will never use. If Meg can use it, it goes in her stash. And if she can't use it, its being bundled up and donated or given away. No more "I'll keep it just in case" or "I might need this down the line". Nope, it I don't have a need for it now, it's gone. I'll let you know how it goes.

Give Me A......

One of my favorite stamping sites is splitcoast stampers. The site was originally started by a Stampin' Up demo for her downline. Over time it has grown into so much more than that. The talent in the galleries is inspiring and the ideas are always forthcoming. Lately, there have been great examples of faux monograms (a way to do the large monograms without having to spend a fortune on the new stamps coming out from stampin' up). I love this idea - it's versatile and the possibilities are endless.

Of course the first letters I do for anything are M and C so here is one with Meghan in mind.

So this month's newsletter will not only have St. Patrick's items but also various forms of monogram cards. I'm working on all my samples this week so look for the newsletter to come out sometime by the end of the week (if all goes well).

All Chalked Up

Okay, it took me a couple of days to get back to work, but I finally redid my chalk layers.

The card itself is pretty simple but I wanted to play around with chalks a bit. I layered the various shades of green chalk and then sealed it with Krylon Fixatif. That worked great to keep the chalk set and not end up all over my hands (as it most definitely has in the past!). The green layer has a versamarked background but its very subtle. Stamp Credit: Judikins

The One That Got All Inky

I have been playing with chalk the last couple of days. I had a card almost finished for tonight and then went and got ink spots ALL over it. Bummer. Allergies have been keeping me up all week so I'm done for tonight. I'll try to redo it tomorrow.

Awash in Green

Now that Valentine's Day has come and gone, I am busy working on my February newsletter. As I look ahead to next month, one theme in the newsletter is St. Patrick's Day and I'm working with a lot of green.

St.Patrick's Day is a big holiday for us and I look forward to it every year. I am still working a lot with the glossy cardstock and creating my own backgrounds and this card is no exception. Stamp credits: My Sentiments Exactly, Purple Onion Design