Can it have been that long ago?

Checking "drafts" after months of just trying to "keep up" with life's activities, I noticed this reflection of 2010.  I cannot believe I am about to close another calendar, yet realize the recorded chapter continued to flow onto new monthly pages, filling each day with a variety of changes and challenges.
So, dear readers, as I sit at my desk on November 18, 2011, reflecting the past 16 precious months, I chose to dig this post from its hiding place as a launching pad for the new chapter in our lives.

December 31, 2010...Taking down the calendar always makes me stop and reflect on the year and the places each month took my heart. 2010 was memorable, and worth a moment to recall the highlights.

road to the house from pool

It started with a rough winter with more snow than I remembered ever falling in my yard, and I longed for Spring. Then, the birds and blossoms grabbed my attention as I cleaned up the yard and prepared for a beautiful landscape job! Well...that never happened. A trip to see family and welcome the newest little one filled our minds with plans for length, flights, gifts to take, and so on.

the new addition 

Finally, that day arrived and the plane lifted off the ground with our excited hearts wondering if we would arrive before our third grand daughter made her appearance. How thrilled we were to see her preciously held in my daughter's arms at the front door of their home when we arrived 37 hours later! We spent 2 wonderful weeks vacationing with the family, and then, Don left me there to return to work in America.

card made when leaving island

I loved all my time in Indonesia and have wonderful memories of many activities and play with grand daughters occupying my days while Don and I were separated by the oceans. Finally, after putting everything in storage and closing the tropical home, the whole family returned to the states with me, and we enjoyed 2 more months together in our cozy home!

mountains surrounding Knoxville, TN

In October, we had an unforgettable  rare weekend trip to Knoxville visiting my younger daughter. Sight-seeing, shopping, and a drive left us remembering breath-taking scenes made by the surrounding mountains with southern hospitality filling our tummies.

My dad shares Thanksgiving with us

My elderly dad returned from the east coast where he was visiting while I was away.
The eight of us looked forward to Thanksgiving when our younger daughter and her husband would join us. How fun it was to be together for the first time in 3 years! The weekend passed all to quickly and everyone packed suitcases and departed for the holidays with other family members. Don and I enjoyed a quiet Christmas with my Dad,
and now...at the end of this week, we'll begin 2011.

Thank you card of kindness

A fresh new calendar decorates the wall, and for a few moments, no scribbles for appointments on it yet. We're counting our blessings for the path God led us on in 2010, and for all the opportunities we had with friends and family. Thank you for all who visited, called, wrote, or even hung out with us for a day or two! Thank you for stopping by my blog and commenting on some of my creativity and for being online friends.
A new calendar, a new adventure, and fresh new opportunity to serve the Lord with gladness and know His love. Have a wonderful start for the brand new year, and may you see God's hand of blessing on you and your family's lives. Love, Debi

Two little boys welcome baby sister...

What type of card do you send to two little boys so you can congratulate them on becoming big brothers? How do you welcome a 'princess' into the world, with all the pink and frills...yet, allow your card to be appreciated by her big brothers?
Well...this is what I did:

I used two images to match the little guys and added trucks and machines to draw their attention













and then, on the inside....I welcomed the precious princess!
They really loved this card and thought I had drawn pictures of them and their little sister!
I loved their reactions to my card and their little giggles pleased me as they looked at it over and over again!

They love that little sister!

BIG "give away"!

They told me to BLOG this site to enter this "give away", so I just copied and pasted the information from my friend's note, and hope she doesn't mind. This way, you can participate also, just by clicking below. I found the information from:http://itseamstobesew.blogspot.com

and she sent me to: http://brownpaper--packages.blogspot.com/Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!

Have fun clicking on the different blogs and visiting other happy crafters!

Brown Paper Packages is having a GIGANTIC GIVEAWAY!!!
I have copied her post below...she did such a wonderful job describing the Silhouette machine - but you have to head on over to her site to enter!
Brown Paper Packages
Don't waste anytime!
The giveaway will be open from December 26th-midnight EST January 1st. The winner will be chosen via random. org, and announced on January 2nd. Due to shipping customs, Silhouette can only ship to U.S. addresses. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

 From The Brown Paper Packages site:

I adore vinyl. I just do. I love to be organized and have labels for everything. Vinyl is perfect for so many projects, and the Silhouette makes it easy.


Love paper crafts? How fun to be able to make your own cards for birthdays, thank yous, and thinking of yous? Or, add a special touch to birthday parties and holidays.


Want to add your own personal touch to fabric, like t-shirts for your kids, throw pillows, and more? I definitely have a few of these on my list of projects! I also love the glass etching possibilities.


The Silhouette can do all of this, and more! Can you believe it? I KNOW!!!!Silhouette is giving one of YOU a Silhouette of your very own, valued at $299.

This giveaway includes:

The Silhouette SD machine
Software for Windows XP/Vista or Mac
Power cable and USB cable
2 cutting mats (1 for thick media and one for thin media)
1 cutting blade
1 $10 gift certificate to the Silhouette download store

Thanks to SILHOUETTE, and best wishes to the winner of such a wonderful way to create beautiful cut outs and make others happy! Debi

The year at a glance...

Taking down the calendar always makes me stop and reflect on the year and where each month took us. 2010 was memorable, and worth a moment to recall the highlights.

road to the house from pool

It started with a rough winter with more snow than I remembered ever falling in my yard, and I longed for Spring. Then, the birds and blossoms grabbed my attention as I cleaned up the yard and prepared for a beautiful landscape! Well...that never happened! A trip to see family to welcome the newest little one filled our minds with plans for length, flights, gifts to take, and so on.

the new addition 

Finally, that day arrived and the plane lifted off the ground with our excited hearts wondering if we would arrive before our third grand daughter made her appearance. How thrilled we were to see her preciously held in my daughter's arms at the front door of their home when we arrived 37 hours later! We spent 2 wonderful weeks vacationing with the family, and then, Don left me to return to work in America.
I loved all my time in Indonesia and have wonderful memories of many activities and play with the grand daughters occupying my days, while Don and I were separated by the oceans. Finally, after putting everything in storage, closing the tropical home, saying sad goodbyes to very close friends, the whole family returned to the states with me, and we enjoyed 2 more months together in our cozy home!

mountains surrounding Knoxville, TN

In October, we had an unforgettable rare weekend trip to Knoxville to visit my younger daughter. Sight-seeing, shopping, and a drive left us remembering breath-taking scenes made by the surrounding mountains with southern hospitality filling our tummies.

My dad shares Thanksgiving with us

My elderly dad returned from the east coast where he was visiting while I was away.
The eight of us looked forward to Thanksgiving when our younger daughter and her husband would join us. How fun it was to be all together for the first time in 3 years! The weekend passed absolutely too quickly. Then, our kids packed their suitcases and departed for the holidays with other family members while Don and I enjoyed a quiet Christmas with my Dad.
Now...at the end of this week, we'll begin 2011. Can you believe it?!

Thank you card of kindness

A fresh new calendar decorates the wall, and for a few moments, no scribbles for appointments have messed its pages. We're counting our blessings for the path God led us on in 2010, and for all the opportunities we had with friends and family.
Thank you for all who visited, called, wrote, or even hung out with us for a day or two! Thank you for stopping by my blog and commenting on some of my creativity and for being online friends.
A new calendar, a new adventure, and fresh new opportunity to serve the Lord with gladness and know His love. Have a wonderful start for the brand new year, and may you see God's hand of blessing on you and your family's lives. Love, Debi

From my dear friend

It arrived safely!

Can you believe it?!
I received the most awesome card from my friend in the south eastern hemisphere! I didn't even know mail could arrive safely from there, yet there sat her package at my front door! She had painstakingly assembled the most special "Happy Anniversary" card for my dear husband and me, then carefully packaged it to travel from her island to my home! What a treasure! Both the friendship and the card will be dearly held in my heart and memory.
Thank you, Dewi...for all the time, effort, planning, and special touches you added to this card before you sent it on its way with a message of love!
Dewi put my card up on her blog so that all could admire it - so please, visit her blog and take a look...
http://simplydewimystory.blogspot.com/2010/09/loving-couple.html?showComment=1283783960651_AIe9_BFbwf3mJmJ5T2HGXXwJmT4nN6J4zYPEVhOTjC9cH

Full House

Memories of my trip to one of the beautiful tropical islands of Indonesia linger as I begin to settle in at home once again. I am so glad to be back with my Don, yet I allow my mind to return to the nostalgic scenes of wicker furniture, beach towels slung over the drying rack, and ivory linen curtains draped over windows, gently swaying in the soft breeze coming off the southern ocean. I recall the drives through busy streets, the noise of roosters at dawn, and even the laughter of uniformed children playing in the alleys on their way home from various schools. It was so easy to fall in love with the beautiful people I met along the way, and the variety of tasty dishes linger deliciously in my mind.
With my family returning with me, sad goodbyes were tender moments as friends hugged, and quiet tears surfaced while we pulled away and headed for the airport. Those difficult moments were overcome by listing hellos waiting to greet us on the other side of the globe, and once we boarded the plane, each buckled down for the long journey to the good ole' USA. The flights were lengthy, yet pleasantly full of conversation and play with my grand daughters, aided by some friendly flight attendants adding some congenial conversation. 


So, at the end of a wonderful summer, reality sighs at the sight of school buses, jackets, browning of leaves and the closing of the neighborhood pool. For me, home has become the sounds of laughter and play with 2 little girls, cuddling a newborn while watching for her smiles, meeting needs of an elderly dad, and a larger pile of family laundry and ironing!


Four generations fill my small sweet home now with our bedroom moved into the downstairs craft room, the little family comfortably settled in the upper home, and my elderly Dad, returned from his east coast visit, residing in the first level family room. The buzz around the dinner table tell of the happenings of the day as the dishwasher shows real signs of use, and my weary body begs rest, but we are so blessed! As we fall asleep each night, we pause for a moment to thank our Heavenly Father for His faithfulness and goodness.

A New Grand daughter and Missing Don!

Weary from days of several flights, we finally arrived in SE Asia on June 24th to be greeted with shouts of "Grandma!" and "Grandpa!" as 2 little girls pushed through the crowd and ran toward us! Bouncing & skipping partners led us to the van, all the while chattering and giving detailed stories of their hopes and planned activities! Glancing out the windows we saw familiar sights of a tropical island, yet it was the squeezes and "My grandma!" whispers that cuddled my heart.
The girls had grown so big in the past year, but those hugs were even better than we remembered!
Eventually, one of them announced, "Mommy had our baby sister yesterday!" She was a week early, but in a hurry to join the world and very much welcomed!
When we pulled into the drive, there stood our daughter with our new grand daughter in her arms!
What fun we've had these past 14 days, but now, it is time for my husband to return to work. His plane departed Friday for the 37 hours of travel back to our home in the USA. I stayed behind with the family and will return home in August.
While "Foamie" creating with my grand daughters, my heart prayed for the jet planes that carried my Don further and further away. It is bittersweet. Being with family, but separated from my dear Don. I wanted to tell him how much I love him and miss him and remembered the best method to send a message has always been to "post it".
So.....
I took a white piece of foam and colored the background with markers. Then I added little sticky-backed foam palm trees to add dimension. Finally, I colored this Tilda with copics and placed her in the midst of tropical foam flowers.
With this card posted, I send lots of love to my dear Don who just arrived home safely and also know that this little piece of foam will become a keepsake I'll add to my scrap book memories of this summer spent doing crafts with my grand daughters!

You picked me

Many times we must wait for His timing to give us the gifts we so desire. This is true of a friendship blossoming in my life this year. I knew this lady for several years; our paths crossing occasionally in common interests, but this year, we've found our commonality has developed into a mutual friendship. I praise God for the encouragement Jan has brought to my life "at such a time as this", and hope that in some small way, I am thanking her and the Lord with this little card.

All things beautiful in His Time

Making new friends is like finding silver! I found a treasure in a new friendship! This wonderful friend has been teaching me the patience and art of hand quilting! Just before I left the states for the summer, she gifted me with a birthday card. It was a small touch, but I didn't even know she knew the date of my birthday! I created this little card with hopes of thanking her sweet spirit for all the wonderful little touches she's added to my life.
"He has made all things beautiful in His time" is definitely true and so wonderfully demonstrated even in new friendships. Just as God placed beautiful flowers to show his handiwork, so He plants his sweet children in our lives to point our hearts back to his glory and grace.
I used my new Cricut to cut the lettering, and found felt floral & butterfly ribbon at Michaels to cut apart for the garden, adding pearl ribbon for "baby breath" touches and green punched leaves for filler. The ladybug is a stamp placed against a splash of stripes to show the early dawn in this garden friendship!

With Much Love

Showering much love on a bridal niece caused me to display my hope for her marriage on this card. I followed the color scheme in her upcoming wedding to represent the extremes of personality and show their marriage could be built on a solid force, giving it a good foundation. Nothing describes marriage better than the stark contrast of black and white being brought into unity by the accenting force of red.
In marriage, neither personalities actually change, yet they dance together because they build one life moving with a flexible love which desires each step to support the partnership. My ribbons represent the necessary times of transparency or compromise needed to keep the knot securely tied. Finally, it takes many baskets of love and the conscious distribution of heart to cause unity to grow and flourish to completion. Through marriage, two vastly different scripts are brought to the same page to compose a new story built on the gift of love.

Pink & Bashful Comfort

Finding this soft pastel pink pleasing to my eye with black/white DP, I decided to create a THANK YOU card to a new friend who has gone out of her way to make me feel comfortable in her craft group. The softness of pastel whispered thanks while the popping out of garden flowers brightened memories of a day recently spent with her colorful group. Because the Teddy speaks of the most cuddly unobtrusive dragged along friend, and is usually welcomed by everyone, so I hope this one gave the message of comfort I felt by her kindness, and relayed more than the simple words "thank you" could.

Skootch & Doodle's Village

Skootch & Doodle created a village for the “maggies” and friends. They spent the morning coloring each image with pencils, learning to outline and shade a little bit. Grandma drew a larger village including a church, and some more houses which added to the houses Doodle colored. We glued the village inside a shoebox and put velcro on the characters to move them about as we pleased. They also colored and attached a magnolia tree to the edge of the box to give some dimension.


Grandma was very happy when Skootch colored in the lines, although she was a little confused at blue faces! With lots of giggles and funny stories, they decided that blue faces were the little kids who had just finished finger painting at pre-school! Grandma could picture that mess and happily accepted the colored pencil look of little girls' imaginations!

Happy Anniversary 2

Another attempt with Copic coloring and enhancements on an anniversary card. The wall behind the couple brought in the blue of his suit, but I wanted the greeting to pop off the page, so I used the yellow and green to set it off from everything else on the card. The floral arrangement brought in the dainty hews of silks.


I made this card for my Marine brother and his wonderful wife of 30 years! The gift behind the card is in honor of his Marine service. More images of this project can be seen on my textile blog:
www.debi-peacebypiece.blogspot.com

Happy Anniversary

My sweet sister and hubby recently celebrated 31 years of marriage, giving me a another opportunity to create a "maggie" card.
This wedding couple is from Magnolia-licious Store and colored,or rather I should say, "I experimented with Copic sketch markers as I tried to decipher tones of whites and blacks used in wedding attire, yet keep the design archival soft and subtle. I learned that I like the softer shades of colors, almost a hint of color, rather that a solid burst.
Then I found storage containers full of enhancements of days long past on the shelves of my garage. I enjoyed putting it all together in browns and dusty rose.
Placing the words of a Bible verse inside gave me inspiration to say perfectly what I believe about their togetherness. I hope it made her smile and encouraged her to know that observing their marriage is a joy.

New & creative child play while thanking a friend...

Before leaving on a jet plane, I made "maggie" cards for my friends. This first card is my first attempt to color with Copic sketch markers. It was made for my new online friend. I met Peggy through "Magnolia-licious" yahoo group. We've become great friends and share bits and pieces of our daily routines and craft ideas. She encouraged me to stretch my creativity into new mediums of cut & color, add enhancements, and she even gave good advice on using Copics.
She's one very busy lady, and I wanted this card to remind her to enjoy her summer by taking special moments to enjoy her beautiful flower beds. I also sent this to her with love and appreciation for all her encouraging words and friendship.
For enhancements, I used felt flowered ribbon, separating the flowers to make the garden and adding paper leaves from Martha Stewards leaf punch, and black pom-poms for their centers. A touch of pearl made by another ribbon from Michaels.
As I made this card, my intention was to find creative and cheaper enhancements for my grand daughters to use when I taught them to design cards this summer. These ribbons were found in Michaels $BIN and can be used generously by little fingers.

Our Dolls

I want to use my "maggies" in many of my dabbling paper hobbies. Here I added one to a scrap book page to emphasize the doll my grand daughters sent home with me. They actually sent 2 home. One was for me to send to their aunt here in the states. We love to play paper dolls, and Tilda will be one of our favorites this summer. My doll is dressed as I colored Tilda and she sits on my guest bed waiting for the girls to come play.

My first "Maggies" make good paper dolls!

My colored pencils and I spent a rainy afternoon coloring the different poses of "Tilda". These came in my first order. I love imagining the times of play we'll have with these paper dolls when I visit my grand daughters this summer. We'll be using colored pencils overseas, so I used them here. Besides, I only have a few COPICS, and not enough to complete a Tilda. I wanted to post these photos so that our girls could see what I'll bring when I come to visit. We will have such fun, especially when some Edwins join us in our play!

Attempted Pencil Drawing of Daisies

Posting another doodle of my daisies. I drew these as I tried to think of a design to paint on a china plate. I want a bouquet of daisies with blue ribbon to wind through it. Here I am focused on the dark shadows behind the petals to emphasize the shapes of each petal. I love drawing flowers, but probably need to be taught the real techniques of doing them right. O well.

Connect with a Ribbon

I begin with one shape and then fill the page by connecting each shape with ribbons winding through holes placed in the shapes. Adding a splash of color catches the eye to the smallest button hole. This is the front of a "hello" greeting card sent to an elderly friend living miles away.

My Favorite Spring Flower

Just doodling with a pencil as I enjoy the signs of Spring around my own little palace. These flowers grace the edge of our driveway in an array of royal colors reminding me of my Creator's care. My scrapbooks are filled with drawings of my Iris decor in little "rock" gardens since my pre-teen years. I really love the varieties and grace of the IRIS.

My First "Maggies"!

I just received my first order of several "Tilda" poses and my Magnolia-Ink Fairy Tale! I love this adorable little person. She is a new hobby of coloring and shading for me! What fun! I can't wait to visit my grand daughters and make Tilda and Edwin paper dolls for our play. Because I am new with this little doll, I spend many hours reading other members blogs. I sure enjoy all the creations of magnolia-licious stamps, flowers, and embellishments!
Someday, I might have a project to post, too. Debi