Margaret Mary~       and Simply Neutrals Tuesday!
Hi friends!  So happy you stopped by today. We are enjoying warmer weather this week!  WHEW! : ) LOL
 Let me tell you just a little bit about Margaret,  the Great-Aunt of my late husband. 
 She was born in Philadelphia in 1926; the middle of 3 sisters~  She will be 90 years old in April!
And is currently living in North Carolina; though Cleveland OH was her home for most of her life.
Her parents were born in the USA, but her grandparents were from  Czechoslovakia. 
I have photo's of some of her family, including Alan's grandmother Catherine,  (Margaret's older sister : )
 and I hope to do more scrapbooking with those photo's sometime this year~

I just couldn't help myself when I saw her sweet face, the baby doll!,  and her shoe's and 'scrunchy' sox!  I just had to do something right away.

 

Look, Margaret even has a little bracelet on her right arm.  Such a darling pose.  PS - she always went by "Margaret" and not Marge or Margie~
She is sitting in a big dark chair, in front of a window.  I like her hair all dressed in ringlets too~  I apologize, when I copied the photo, the reprint pulled the violet hue's: ( 

The chipboard used here is from Blue Fern Studio's --->  http://bluefernstudios.com/

and I believe the large piece is called "Organic Vine Corner."

 

I painted the chipboard with Gesso, then added Tim Holtz:

*Crackle medium,

*White Liquid Pearls

*Walnut Stain distress ink

(found here)--->  http://shop.rangerink.com/

 

I love her sox & shoes : )

I dusted the project with silver German Glitter glass, Diamond Glitter glass, and scattered some pearls, beads and a few gems~
I used some beautiful vintage lace from Liz! http://lululizinlalaland.blogspot.com/
(thank you so much Liz!) and some other lace, seam binding, linen, canvas and cotton fabric I had in my basket~ 
 I hope to create a wall hanging with this - by adding it to some sturdy black board & adding a ribbon hanger; or perhaps make a true 12 X 12 lay out with it; to be framed.  I  am just not sure yet~

 

I am entering this post in Wen's Simply Neutrals Tuesday!   Her bi-monthly showcase of all things neutral!  Please stop in her blog to see the latest link-ups there~  Fabric projects, paper, photo's...
 http://appleapricot.blogspot.com/ 
I sure hope you know what an encouragement you are to me!! Thanks ever-so-much for the visit today~  May God bless you,  Karen

The REMAINS of a day . . .

Hi there!  And welcome to my blog today~
We had a bad snow storm on Monday and Tuesday; February 1st & 2nd in Colorado Springs, CO USA~
I finally got out and around to take some photo's; but these are from Friday Feb 5th.
And here it is, Feb 11th! and I'm just now posting~ *sigh*  Lots of the snow has melted; but really, a majority of it  is still here - probably till spring~

I apologize for the signs and wires in some of the pic's!  but I could not find a place to park where they could be avoided.    God has blessed us - as inconvenient as I know it was for so many - but we needed the moisture so badly!  I am grateful for the 'melt' and the water that is now soaking into our land.  We are semi-arid and always welcome snow or rain.

We often have beautiful blue skies like this!  Isn't it so pretty!?

 

(in the photo above) - We are looking west.   I work about a mile west from here; down in that valley~

 

Above, can you see the snow-covered road traversing horizontally across the mountain!?

Below is our beautiful Pikes Peak mountain -The Rocky Mountain range runs vertically through (basically)  the western half Colorado.  We have 52 mountain peaks that are over 14,000 feet!
Many people make it a mission in life to climb them all~  WHEW!  (no, I haven't ; ) but some of my family, including my father, have climbed a good many of them.

 I thank you for taking a peek in today!!!    I hope you enjoyed these photos of our beautiful part of the country~  Blessings to you for a wonderful week!   ~Karen

Sharing some Valentine's cheer!

Hello friends and welcome to you today~

Just a quick post to share a few Valentine tags I made for my family.
I wish so much I could stay and really 'chat!' but *sigh* work is calling my name.  So I will leave you with these photo's and wishes for a wonderful week ahead!  I think we will be warming up a bit here in Colorado; so I am happily looking forward to that!  ~Karen

Using a black (small size) Graphic 45 Tag with metal eyelet. Also using Graphic 45 papers.
Here is their website:  http://www.g45papers.com/products/time-to-flourish-category

I love round and full bows; I know - I've mentioned that before ; ) !!
My inspiration for bows often comes from these 2 great ladies:
http://iralamija.blogspot.com/  Beatrize Jennings (who is currently on the Frank Garcia design team)
and
 http://cherrysjubileehome.blogspot.com/  Cherry, who is on several design teams as well.
Both encourage and inspire me with their retro/shabby-chic styles and use of ribbon in their designs~

Don't you like a bit of twine?  And the bow is layered; with thin and wide ribbon and twill tape. 

 

Below  I'm using Graphic 45's "Raining Cats and Dogs" paper collection!

Such a sweet retro-vintage look .

 

The tag  is a large  base (black) from Graphic 45. 

I created a pocket on the bottom; to insert a gift card  or a few tags & photo's.

A bit of Washi tape along the side.

And finally another large tag with some papers from Graphic 45's "A Time To Flourish" collection.  This is February paper.  I 'fussy-cut' the 'pocket' and inserted a couple of tags inside~

THANKS Ever-So-Much for peeking in today.  Hugs to you and may God bless you this week!
Karen

Delight in the Lord . . .

 

Hello and welcome today! 

I have been 'stuck inside' my home for 3 days! - waiting out the big snow storm~

I shoveled 2 times on Monday; and then - -just gave up!  It snowed so much,  it blanketed us with 18 inches.

I finally made it to work today and was able to find some blogging time~

This is a card I made for my sister; she is going to a Ladies Retreat soon, and I wanted to tuck this into her suitcase : )

 

The papers are from (click >)  Liz, from a generous give-away I was so blessed to receive a while back! 

They are all vintage paper layers. And the laces are also from Liz; purchased through her latest auction in December~

 The center 'frame' is a chipboard piece; and so is that sweet little bird in the party hat!  Isn't he so cute?   : ) He looks delighted~  The Chipboard is from My Mind's Eye brand.

 (I added tiny bits of Washi tape to the chip)  I stamped the postage; using a pale blue ink from:

http://timholtz.com/    (weathered wood)

 

I will be entering this in Wen's Simply Neutrals Tuesday link up party!

 

http://appleapricot.blogspot.com/2016/02/simply-neutrals-16.html

 

I hope you will HOP right over (^) to see the neutral links she has in store! 

 Always beautiful and inspiring~ 

 

  

 

 

Dear friends, I am wondering, second guessing  my decision to stop my internet @ my home.

I miss it much more than I thought I would; and I am finding my spare time @ work does not feel sufficient to do my blog, AND my dear blog friends,  justice!  I so want to take my time; visiting and enjoying blogland - while taking careful pains to make sure my own blog is something enjoyable and uplifting.

Hmmm; I am wondering now if I did the right thing . . .

I will give myself a little more time, prayer  and re-evaluate! 

 

I am so thankful to you for stopping in today~  Your visits' are so much appreciated!

 

Take time to enjoy the weather! : )  I keep telling myself I need to carry my camera with me at all times.  The snow covered mountains were so beautiful on the way into work - I wanted to show you what I saw~  Perhaps tomorrow I will have time to stop and click ; )

Hugs to you,  Karen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Covering books with scrapbook paper~



Hi there! and welcome to my blog~ How is your week going thus far?  I hope you are not buried in snow! : l  My heart and prayers go out to you in the eastern part of the US~
   We are having  mild winter weather in Colorado USA right now.  Cold and dry.  So typical this time of  year. *sigh* 
I  would welcome rain OR snow!  We really need the moisture here~

Please let me  share with you a project I undertook last year. 

 I love to read.  And not just on my Kindle : )  Although I do love that too~ I like the feel of a real book in my hands.  I like  bookmarks! and how a book sitting on the table reminds me to read. 

Well, I have a bookcase in my bedroom which was very - - unsightly! 

 With books of all shapes, sizes and colors - it just bugged me.   I had seen several articles and 'Pins' about covering books - so I decided to try my own idea!

 

I had this pretty scrapbook paper  pack of 12"X12"  from My Minds Eye brand  (In Bloom) collection, and I decided to cover a few dozen books with it~
Works so well - with just a few steps~
 I'm not a very good "teacher!"  but let me try to explain what I did.  (Perhaps I should have taken pictures along the way! (:z  hello, Karen?) But I was on a mission! and didn't think to share this until it was done~











1) I measured the height of the book and cut the paper to fit exactly.
2) I measured all around the width of the book, adding about 2 inches to each side (width-wise) for 'fold over.'
 If the paper wasn't 'wide' enough to wrap around the book, I zig-zag stitched strips of coordinating paper to extend the width.  Click on the photo below and I think you can enlarge the photo. *note - I did not overlap the papers; I 'butted' them up against each other and zig-zag stitched them together~

3) I then 'wrapped' the paper around the book and mark where the folds should be. *I used a scoreboard for crisp 'fold' lines; but you could just draw a pencil line on the inside of the paper and make your folds 'around' the book.











4) I used Washi tape (it has a light 'tack' and is removable) to adhere the covers to the inside of the book as you can see below. **These are 'every day' books! I wouldn't do this with rare or special ones: )










4) I opted to add strips of white cardstock to the spine with title and author.
I just printed the info on white cardstock and cut them out with wavy scissors : ]



They look so pretty on my bookshelf!  Much better than that unappealing eclectic mix~ It brings a sense of 'cohesion' to my bookcase.
If you have any Questions, please feel free to ask.  I know my directions are probably lacking.

This was an easy project, really. Took about 6 or so minutes per book,  once I got the technique down : )  I ended up covering about 25 books in 2 evenings~
I used:
1 12X12 scrapbook paper pack
1 Lg roll of Washi tape
 Scissors
 Paper trimmer
 12X12 scoreboard and bone folder
*To attach the labels on the spine I used an adhesive runner.
*I did reinforce the stitched seams on the inside (backside that doesn't show) with a strip of Washi as well. 

** Remember, these are 'everyday' books!!!  Though Washi tape is removable, I would not do this for rare or antique books of course.

Thanks for peeking in!  I hope you have a blessed rest of the week~
Karen

GENUINE

 

 

 

Greetings to you today!  How are things?  I hope all is well~  I am making my way through these winter days as best I can.  I know even this quiet time of year has  so much   to offer~ & slowing down right now feels awfully nice.

 

I have only recently heard about people attributing a "word" to themselves for the year; and do the best they can to follow it,  'live up' to it; or, emulate it - as the year goes by.  Well, I was making this card, and,  while it was to be a 'thank you' card, I wanted the recipients to know how much I 'genuinely' meant it!

  And then I looked at it.    Genuine thanks.

Genuine.

This simple card is going to some close family (my husbands side) and I showcased a picture of their grandfather, whom everyone called "Poppy."  And as I looked,  I realized

                         Poppy was the most genuine person, I think I have every known~ 

His life emulated that word.  He lived in a 'genuine' state and was one of the kindest and gentlest people.  Ever~  He was - -  himself.

 

So I got to thinking about that word and said - - "maybe I should do a word this year.  Am I one of those people who  could  do that?    Can I choose a word and live by it!?!  Hmmm."  I'd like to 'be genuine.'  I'd like to 'be myself' and be real.  Be who I am; even while I  S E A R C H  for who I am : )

I'm on a journey guided and directed by God, surly He would want me to be  genuine ?!

So . . I will   'Be Genuine.'   Oh Ohhh  I broke the rules already! That's 2 words. Hmmm.  : )

 

Are you genuine?  Am I !? : o  I hope so. Or, hope to be as I journey on.  As many of you can relate, I think I've often been afraid to be - - genuine.  Am I good enough?  Will I be ridiculed or rejected?

Am I too - - self-protective to be genuine and real? (yikes)

Let me just say to those of you who would quip back - "I don't worry; I am who I am . . . (la la la)" Well I say

BRAVO! : )  I wish I was as brave as you.  But only if you are genuine.  : ) LOL

 

Oh,   I'm probably somewhere in the middle,  but I'm on my way.   I'm probably still too consumed in my grief process (losing my husband about 15 mo's ago) to make commitments to living out a 'word' or living by a word (though I see nothing 'wrong' with it! and  a lot of things 'right' about it:) I still want to keep those words close to my heart and maybe even on my fridge!  (hey, I like to stay close to the fridge ; )

 

BE GENUINE.

 

THANK YOU! for listening and looking in today~  I appreciate you so very much!

 

***For the card I used Kraft cardstock for the base, several layers of white textured stock (Bazzill), black photo corners, a strip of black seam binding and a large black star shaped button.  and a titch of B&W twine.  I did a bit of white pen 'stitching' on the button, just for fun~***

                                         Love & Prayers to you!  Karen

 

 I am linking up with Wen @    AppleApricot     for her bi-weekly Simply Neutrals Tuesday!
I sincerely hope you will stop in and see the beautiful  'neutral inspired' contributions!  Something for everyone there~

 XOXO  Karen                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A few eclectic Thank You's ~(and a *note to you)

Hello to you dear friends and visitors!  I have been out of town for several days and was not able to peruse Blogland very well on my Kindle!! *sigh*  So I hope to get caught up with you very soon.

** I need to let you know something!!  I will no longer have internet @ home after today : l
It was a difficult decision, but for several reasons, I am giving it up~
I will still be able to visit and post; but only @ work during the week; on breaks or after work if I stay late.  I will be 'slower' to visit and give my thanks to you!  But please know I appreciate all of you so much - and will have to be inconvenienced for a while. **
The weather here is fairly mild and very dry.  Most of our snow is in the mountains.  I just came from Ohio, where the weather was Much Colder! : ) Or, perhaps it just seemed that way because of the humidity~
I so appreciate your visit!  And I hope for you a very blessed day~  Karen


Here are just a few different cards I made as "thank you's'.  An eclectic mix! but so typical of me!!
I always seem to go in several different directions when paper crafting.  I hope perhaps they will amuse or inspire you~
This little fairy girl is an un-mounted stamp from Lost Coast Stampers.  Purchased at a local craft store in Loveland, CO called "Artsy's"
She could be as sweet or 'sassy' as you want!! If you know what I mean! : ) Just looking at her expression~  I used some Ranger Stickles glitter on her wings and hemline.
The punch along the side is Wildflowers by Martha Stewart.  The paper is Kaisercraft.






I really like the 'feminine/country' look of flowers and checks : ) It's cheery; don't you think?
The flowered papers are from Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/iralamijashop.





Below is a paper bag envelope and a tag card.  The vintage tag /paper  is a gift from http://lululizinlalaland.blogspot.com/!  Thanks Liz, I am having fun! : )
The personal message is on the back of the tag.



The beautiful butterfly stamp is from Stempelglede  in Norway.
I colored the envelope with simple colored pencils~





I guess that's all for now!  Thanks for the visit and have a great week! Blessings,  ~Karen

Estes Park, Colorado  (USA)

I had a beautiful day here, in the mountain town of Estes Park. 

The trouble with me is, as much as I WANT to be a good photographer *smile*

I can't seem to remember to have my camera ready!  And I left town (after a nice visit and lunch

 with Alan's uncle & aunt)  and realized I took  zero photo's!  (Good grief girl : l )

So I stopped; just outside the edge of town near the lake, and snapped a few.

(I wanted you to see the quaint city, but another time )

 

These novice photo's do not do the grandeur of this place justice; but you can get a glimpse anyway~

"NO BOATS" : ) is a good idea on a frozen lake! LOL

Below is a peek at some of the mountain residences, and the highway that will take me home.

When I saw this frozen waterfall (below)  about 20 miles out of town, I knew I had to stop.  It instantly brought to mind a song by contemporary Christian music artist, Nicole Nordeman.
It's called "Every Season" (you can find it on youtube if you're interested.)
She sings of each season; Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring -  and how she sees God in the present beauty of the moments in time.  Here is what she had to say about Winter~

. . . And everything in time, and under Heaven

Finally falls asleep

Wrapped in blankets white, all creation

Shivers underneath

And I notice You when branches crack

And in my breath  on frosted glass

Even now in 'death', You open doors for life to enter

You  are Winter~

There IS great purpose in Winter~  And in this season of  ' stopping to rest a little while'  and collect my thoughts and bearings, I too want to see all the beauty and learn all I can with God's direction. 
He is the only One worth following *smile*, and I want to know more!
Wishing you all much blessings and love~
Karen

AND  THE  WINNER  IS . . .
Well,   it  was  me!!
Hello and welcome to any and all who may visit.  I  hope your Christmas was a blessed one!
I enjoyed being with family and friends here in Colorado Springs~  All was an unhurried, relaxing, fun!,  and truly  peaceful weekend~  I really needed that too : )  Things have been emotionally difficult and I'm grateful for the respite.

 Well, a few weeks back I entered a give-away on Liz's blog  http://lululizinlalaland.blogspot.com/
 and I actually Won!  One of 3 great giveaway prizes!  She is a very generous and kind person : ) and shared with me some of her beautiful laces, vintage papers and sequins & buttons!  Liz is an artist and a collector of fabrics, laces, antiques and vintage finds in both France and Great Brittan.  (as far as I know!: ) 
I ask you to visit her blog (see the link just above here) and you will find here unique Etsy shoppe~

Here is my wonderful surprise, received in early December.

 So beautifully wrapped and adorned with this gorgeous embossed and decorated tag (personalized on the back.)  Tied with a gorgeous velvet ribbon!  It was . . . luscious~
Just look at the details on this tag!
I wish you could hold it and see each beautiful facet~ Inks, embossing, texture,  intricate laces and unique 'diamond' stars.  And of course the lovely image of Mary and the Christ child.

 The ephemera papers are vintage and authentic.  One is dated 1896!  I want to frame that one!

 Gorgeousness! The sequins are like nothing I've seen here in the USA.     * I wish I would have thought out my photo's a little better : j  as I would have spread the laces out so you could really see the details.

 I couldn't help but jump in and start working!!  Liz, I was so excited to create something and I plan on more cards; etc. soon~ 

 

 

 

BELOW  is my first "Thank You" card to reciprocate a special Christmas gift from my loving brother and his gracious wife.
All the different papers I've used here were from Liz's gift package.   A wonderful eclectic mix! 

I AM ENTERING MY TAG CARD IN WEN'S
SIMPLY  NEUTRALS  TUESDAY LINK UP!
 AT her  ApplesApricot blog:  http://appleapricot.blogspot.com/
I  invite you to visit the wonderful display of neutral projects posted there: )

Well, here is my tag card.

I like 'round' bows! People, I'm not sure why! : ) LOL  But I guess I 'blame' blogger friend Beatriz Jennings!http://iralamija.blogspot.com/ As she 'taught' me how to tie one : ) *smile*
Bea, you got me started and I can't help myself! 

I added a small rusty bell, and you can see one of Liz's beautiful MOP (mother of pearl) buttons and those exquisite sequins.  I wish you could all hold a few in your hand!  They are extra special.

Good grief! There's my 'round bow' again! ~~~~
Told ya'  - I can't help myself. 

Dear friends and visitors,  thank you for peeking in today!  I hope you know it means a lot to me.  
 ~And I wish you a wonderful 2016~
God's love and peace to you all.  Karen