~ Happy New Year ~

I used tiny matchboxes to make these New Year's Fortunes for our holiday party. I was a little nervous about how they'd go over, but they were a hit! Tonight, like many, I'm thinking about what my resolutions should be. More time for crafting would be nice to carve out for myself! Wishing you a wonderful New Year!

~ Happy Holidays ~

I wanted to make this 'holiday journal' of sorts for a friend for the holidays.
Slightly derailed by a stomach virus...

...but still happy to give something I made myself to someone who would value it.




I used clippings from an old magazine...

...that still ring true to me today.

Determined to make a crafting resolution for 2009.

Have a wonderful holiday...

...with family and friends...

... wherever you are!
Thank you for reading this year!

Thinking of...you?

Sometimes a conversation I've had with a friend will stick with me, as this one has from Thursday/and a little bit of Friday. As a counselor, I am so honored to be the recipient of people's thoughts and feelings, sometimes feelings they have never shared before with another person. Occasionally, I can't help but be part friend, part counselor. These conversations are gifts to me. I was thinking about one such friend, and was inspired to make this today. Being short on time at this time of year, it was a treasure in many ways to myself, as well as (hopefully) my friend. Here's the poem on the back, from a vintage prayer card ~ Something we might all remember:

He Maketh No Mistake

My Father's way may twist and turn,

My heart may throb and ache,

But in my soul I'm glad I know,

He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,

My hopes may fade away,

But still I'll trust my Lord to lead

For He doth know the way.

Tho' night be dark and it may seem

That day will never break;

I'll pin my faith, my all in Him,

He maketh no mistake.

There's so much now I cannot see,

My eyesight's far too dim;

But come what may, I'll simply trust

And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift

And plain it all He'll make.

Through all the way, tho' dark to me,

He made not one mistake.

-A.M. Overton

The One Where She Blogs About a Cause

Well, you know I don't usually add Youtube videos to my blog, but I couldn't resist this one. Inspiring women and causes is one way I find joy for my journey. After browsing through my latest issue of World Pulse, I stopped by these rockin' mamas at Mothers Acting Up. One thing I like about them: joyful, not militant. They know they can, I mean we can, and will make a difference. This led me to find Girl Effect.

Don't feel you have to glom on to my causes, sisters.

Go find one you love, and bring out the joy.

~ Sunday ~

Of course, I left my post at the Antique Show and Sale to browse around abit, and found more of what I don't need...Nany Drew Books and other vintage mysteries. I even bought a few of the Cherry Ames nurse series - man, that girl could really get around!

I love the picture on the old 'Dana Girl 'covers.

And of course, who can resist a mysterious telephone call?

Still trying to figure out what exactly to do with this couple. They look nothing like me, or my family, I should note. But seeing them in the shop over the summer....well, I couldn't resist. I love her bouquet! Any of youflower buffs know what kind of flowers those are??

As I have said before, when I am determined to find some inspiration I always do, and usually in the strangest places. In church this morning, I pulled a program from a funeral yesterday. It was beautifully done, with a sweet note from the family inside. This picture was on the back. The woman is the one whose life was being remembered. The large sign in the back denotes a ski school, and the caption at the botton says, "See you at the top". I love it!

Have a great week and a wonderful holiday.

Rest and be thankful.

Empowered By So Many

Today, feeling empowered by so many great women. When I first signed up to work the Daughters of the American Revolution Antique Show and Sale, I admit I was feeling a bit over-zealous. It was weeks away, and right up my alley, right? But in the harsh reality of a long week at work, and the bustle of the upcoming holidays, I was a little daunted this morning. But what a great surprise! With my daughter in tow, we dutifully arrived to pitch in in whatever way we could. Now, I'll admit I did NOT don the pantyhose and stockings that I knew these other women would. And I was not wearing a brooch. And I was not 10,000 years old. But what a hoot! Admittedly, I broke the one semi-promise I made to my husband about not coming home with more 'stuff'. But what could be better than spending and afternoon in a gorgeous old home surrounded by antiques, tea cups, and feisty, and dare- I -say fascinating women. And to boot, I found another vintage charm bracelet, a great old locket, and lots of other treasures. Refreshing for the soul.

It reminds me of an idea of Sarah Ban Breathnach's (did I mention this already?) She suggests, "...creating an imaginery council with a group of 'Invisible Counselors,' composed of the people you admire most. At night before you go to sleep, close your eyes and conduct success strategy sessions in which you seek the advice of your heroines.'

How awe-some that these people are often right before our eyes.

~ Wednesday ~

It's Wednesday, and I have been busy, busy, busy! I'm sure you have been, too. I made my mind up to consciously seek some inspiration this week, and not get too bogged down with the hustle and bustle. Of course, it's always there if you look. I even got a mini amount of crafting in! The key? Here's the hint: tiny matchbooks. More later!

~ Election Day~

Let us all take a moment to remember all the women

who fought so diligently

that we may have our right to vote today.

"Today, I shall behave as though this day

is the one by which I shall be remembered."-R.A. Tweski

Did you vote?

~ Sunday ~

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.



It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home...
...a stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today

and creates a vision for tomorrow."

~Melody Beattie

~ Happy Halloween! ~

Working on a special Halloween card today ~ not entirely finished, but thought I'd share it with you anyway... some old photos just beg to be used for projects like these, don't you think? Wait 'til you see the baby I have in mind for another card...spooooky!!

On an ill-fated attempt to go to the pumpkin patch last weekend (on word: downpour) we passed this fellow. Made the hubby back up and turn around so I could get a photo. How funny is that!?

Happy Halloween!

~ Wednesday ~

"Do not cringe and make yourself small if you are called the black sheep ... the lone wolf. Those with slow seeing say a nonconformist is a blight on society. But it has been proven over the centuries that being different means standing at the edge, means one is practically guaranteed to make an original contribution, a useful and stunning contribution, to her culture.

When seeking guidance, don't ever listen to the tiny-hearted. Be kind to them, heap them with blessing, cajole them, but do not follow their advice. If you have ever been called defiant, incorrigible, forward, cunning, insurgent, unruly, rebellious, you're on the right track...

If you have never been called these things, there is still time."

~Clarissa Pinkola Estes

~ Saturday ~

What Kind of Mistress He would Have
by Robert Herrick

Be the mistress of my choice,
Clean in manners, clear in voice;
Be she witty, more than wise,
Pure enough, though not precise;
Be she showing in her dress,
Like a civil wilderness,
That the curious may detect
Order in a sweet neglect;
Be she rolling in her eye,
Tempting all the passers by;
And each ringlet of her hair,
An enchantment, or a snare,
For to catch the lookers on;
But herself held fast by none.
Let her Lucrece all day be,
Thais in the night, to me.
Be she such, as neither will
Famish me, nor overfill.

Hope you have a good Saturday. Nothing too inspiring on the books today; we're heading into the season of what seems to be too much to do in too little time. Needing a little shot in the arm recently of more joy for my journey. I'm hoping to find it in some small way today. I hope you do, too.

~ Sunday ~

A day

in which I don't wish to find anything.

I should gather it up

And keep it safe.

~Petra von Morstein

~ Thursday ~

"Maybe this is why we read, and why in moments of darkness

we return to books:

to find words for what we already know."
~Alberto Manguel

~ Ed ~

Ed was in love with a cocktail waitress,

but Ed's family, and his friends, didn't approve. So he broke it off.

He married a respectable woman

who played the piano. She played well enough

to have been a professional.

Ed's wife left him...

Years later, at a family gathering

Ed got drunk and made a fool of himself.

He said, "I should have married Doreen."

"Well," they said, "why didn't you?"

~ Louis Simpson

~ Saturday ~

I have been neglecting my crafting, and my blog lately. Have you ever been so busy, but when you sit down to retell what you've been busy doing, it's a lot of .... nothing? Not nothing. Our kitchen is finally coming back together, school is picking up, we're busy with activities, but pretty much just run-of-the-mill things. And yet that's how time slips by un-noticed. Lately I was lecturing a friend about how she can't do her writing and crafting in 'left over' time; that she has to carve it out and stick to it. Yet, I do the same thing! You may also. It reminds me of why friends are so important. To keep us balanced and centered.

And so perhaps you will understand today and my somewhat funky feeling of not knowing which way is up or down.

The Wordsworth Effect

Is when you return to a place

and it's not nearly as amazing

as you once thought it was,

or when you remember how you felt

about something (or someone) but you know

you'll never feel that way again.

It's when you notice someone has turned

down the volume, and you realize

it was you; when you have the

suspicion that you've met the enemy

and you are it, or when you get

your best ideas from your sister's journal.

Is also-to be fair-the thing that enables

you to walk for miles and miles chanting to

yourself in iambic pentameter

and to travel through Europe with

only a clean shirt, a change of

underwear, a notebook and a pen.

And yes: is when you stretch out

on your couch and summon up ten thousand

daffodils, all dancing in the breeze.

-Joyce Sutphen

~ Some Weekend Crafting of the Tiny Type ~

~ She's Got the Whole World...~

Friday night...whew! Boy, was I wiped. The storm was coming through, and I had a major barometric pressure headache. I drug myself to the gym. Luckily, hubby had a great idea - taking the kids and I out to the Paper Moon Cafe. Located downtown in a funky section of town with lots of college kids, it never fails. Here are our menus, made from old books. What could be better...?The kids played a game of 'guess the Pez character'.
I can't even begin to show you all the things crammed in this small restaurant. People were starting to think I was a little weird, what with my camera and all! But I couldn't let you down...

A good time was had by all...

~ Sunday ~

A friend of mine request a paperweight with a vintage beach theme. Paperweights can be tricky because the space is soooo small (for me, anyway). I am not entirely happy with how it turned out, but it does make me smile!

I made this image to put on a tag for a friend of mine; it was attached to her "Back to School' gift. We teachers have to work hard to keep morale high, and Mrs. Batman (real name) does just that for me!

I got the idea for this simple card - made from a tag -from Somerset. I tried it, and it really worked great, plus it was an excuse to buy a bone folder! You can't really tell, but I glued down half of the butterfly, and folded him so that his wing stands up like he's flying. I am not the queen of rubber stamping - I always think it's so much harder than it looks! I saw that it was "Be Kind to Writers Month", and as Juli is an aspiring writer, I thought it deserved to be recognized! (Hence the butterfly made of words!

Speaking of things to try, have you ever been here? This catalogue of blogs is a great place to poke around when you're feeling a little bored, or wanting to spice things up a bit on your blog 'travel log'!

Have a great week!