Heartfelt Gratitude - ATC

My very good Friend Angie sent me some goodies last week: A Tim Holz mask (Flourish) and a Tim Holz distress ink pad (peeled paint). I was very excited because I don't have anything by Tim Holz and I had read so many good things about his line of craft goodies. Angie was so very thoughtful to share those goodies with me that I thought I needed to make something to show my gratitude using those very items. This ATC is the result. The background paper is a Christmas paper that I have had for a while. I don't know who makes it but it is so pretty and the color of the green peeled paint ink pad works perfectly with it. I brushed on the peeled paint ink over the flourish mask on the background paper as well as on the border piece. The words are from my stash of words that I have started collecting thanks to Angie who has a major stash of words for her art. This ATC will be on the way to Angie as soon as I brave going to the Post Office to buy some stamps!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Today is a beautiful day in North Carolina. The sun is shining and the outside temperature is nice a comfortable. I am showing off a Zinnia that has bloomed in my not so flourishing flower garden. It is such a bright flower!

I am enjoying the day at home with my wonderful Hubby and Daughter. We had a Thanksgiving lunch of ham, potato salad, lettuce/tomato salad and pinto beans. I didn't cook a turkey. I thought that might be too much for just us 3. LOL.

We are having a relaxing day watching football. I am just so thankful that I have my family and even though we can't go home for the Holiday, I know that my family is able to enjoy the day with other family members and that they are all safe and healthy. I am also very thankful for my friends who are always there for me with a smile, encouraging email or just to say "hi, how are ya?". Thank you all for being a part of my life!

I am so thankful for my daughter who never ceases to amaze me with her vision of the world and who is always quick to laugh and put a smile on my face. She is the best daughter ever!

And of course I am thankful for my wonderful Hubby who is an awesome Marine (and he looks so handsome in his blues) and who is very understanding an supportive of my love of paper.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!!

Marine Corps Ball - 234th Birthday Ball

We went to Wilmington last night to the USMC Birthday Ball. We had a lot of fun. It was really a lot of fun watching those Marines dance. Marines really know how to have fun on the dance floor. :)

I did get some pics, not very many though. There was some neat art in our hotel room and our hotel room view was nice too. Even though the weather was overcast, rainy and windy.

Here is the cake...

This was an origami shadow box that was in our hotel room...

Another piece of art from our room...

This was the view from our hotel room window. That is the USS North Carolina across the river...

I am really glad we got the chance to go this year. It is always nice to get together with other Marines and their spouses and enjoy a birthday party with dinner and dancing.

Happy Birthday Marines!

Today is the United States Marine Corps Birthday. Jason and I have been a part of the Marine Corps for 16.5 years! Every year there is a big birthday party and we are going to ours on Thursday night. Should be a fun time. We get to get all dressed up and have dinner (with birthday cake!) and dancing.

I put together this set of paper in Crimson and Gold (USMC colors) and posted it on my Etsy shop. Happy Birthday Marines! Semper Fi!

Tags!!!!

I discovered a really nifty way to make different shapes of handmade papers and as I make them, I put them aside until I have a bunch of the same shape, then I list them in my Etsy shop. I have a whole bunch of tag shapes so I thought I'd just share those with you here...

I can see all kinds of possibilities for these tags. Use them on gifts! (of course!) They can be written on with a ball point pen so they could easily be added to a gift. Another great thing would be to use them on a greeting card or a mixed media piece of art. These tags take rubber stamping and glueing very well. In fact, I am thinking of making up more of these to use on Christmas cards this year!

I sound like a salesman huh? LOL! I just can't help it, I think they are so neat and I just love making them and I will never be able to use them all myself. :)

Mini Composition Books

I love those little composition books and at the beginning of the school year I was able to get a few for CHEAP! These two mini composition books are covered with my handmade paper and are embellished with flowers that were given to me by my friend Penny. The words were hand written on bond paper and torn around the edges or cut with decorative scissors. Then I inked the edges up a little. I think they are really cute.