Kids Do Grow Up!

Good morning!

It is the last day of March, 2008. The 31st! Oh my! Three months down so far! This is going to be a quick year.

This little Cosmic Blob/PSP mom feels like she has NO TIME. Encouragement: Kids do grow up! And very quickly.

It had been a month since Taylor came to stay overnight, but she did this Saturday. She arrived early on Saturday, and we took her roller skating. The last time we took her, she hated it. But having gone on Friday night, and having a marvelous time, she was excited to go again. As my husband loves roller skating himself, it was the perfect decision for Saturday afternoon.

Taylor did wonderful skating. At first, she was a little slow to start, but just having been the night before, she picked it up faster and faster. Halfway through our afternoon, she was skating. Not fast, but upright and with a little more speed. It was amazing.

Kids do grow up ... and she is well on her way.

The rest of the weekend was quiet.

Danny and Jillian came back, after church this week, to get her. They stayed for lunch and spent the afternoon. We talked about their wedding plans, his job, his goal-setting, Jillian's business that she's been trying to build, and many other things. It was an enjoyable afternoon.

And so now it's Monday, and back to the weekly grind. Ah well. Time has to pass just so kids do grow up!

Have a great Monday ... and I'll see you in April!

Easter Sunday 2008

Good morning, all!

And a very good morning it is.

I have lots for today. Three creations! One was for yesterday, actually.

This first one was originally for today -- some time later in the day, after I knew that my daughter knew she was getting engaged.

Danny had called me on Monday night, and asked for my blessing. He said he would propose Easter Sunday.

Hence ... this creation.

But. Saturday evening came. Jillian and Taylor had spent a few hours with me yesterday afternoon, and then went to Danny's. I guess he was too excited to wait till Sunday. Actually, he just felt with the 3 of them being together alone, it was the best time. He was right!

Shortly after he proposed, my daughter texted each family member. Both she and her daughter received rings. They are beautiful.

I called her right away. She told me all about it.

Taylor is delighted, but had questions. "What if you get a divorce? What if you 'call-off' the wedding?"

Both Danny and Jillian had previous marriages. Jillian was engaged to someone last year, and she and her fiance decided to cancel their wedding.

Divorce and cancellations loom large in a young child's eyes. She wants to be a family with her mom and Danny! She adores him, and the feeling is likewise! Thank you, God!

Both assured her that they'd taken great care in choosing each other, taking couple classes together, and talking to their pastor about their plans. They said they were both committed to each other, and her, and making it all work. It was just what she wanted/needed to hear. That is one happy little girl now.

And so are our families. We knew Danny and Jillian were planning to marry -- eventually. We knew it was a good match. They are devoted to each other, and Taylor.

This has been a very happy Easter for me! So this morning, I did this little creation -- to wish you all a very Happy Easter!

The worm and carrot were created in Cosmic Blobs. The flowers are kalei'd, of course. I love the colors!

My car is home now, too! The cost was less than I imagined it would be, but still a hefty sum of money! But, it's working well now. Not only were the repairs done that needed to be done, but I had a lot of recalls on my model, and all that work as well as the labor on them, were free to me. Honda EAST! You ROCK! Thank you. (They also give a free car wash with every service call! You, my little red Honda ... you look marvelous!)

I did a lot of sculpey's this weekend. I made a little frame for myself, a curved frame with flowers and lady bugs and little blocks that spelled TAY for Taylor. It went in her Easter basket, and she thought it was so pretty. I made two robot mini sculpey's. They are adorable!

I made a heart for Danny and Jillian. The left side is blue, and the right is pink. The blue swirls into the pink and the pink into the blue at the bottom point with a rhinestone set in it's center. Blue for guys, pink for gals -- representing two hearts becoming 1. I put a magnet on the back, and it's all set for their refrigerator. My daughter liked it.

I made another little magnet for my fridge. Just something pretty.

This morning, I made a little frog. Turned out okay, but not my favorite.

Hoping you all have a marvelous Easter Sunday. I did!

See you soon!

A Troll Named Bethesda!

Good morning!

It is Thursday morning, and I've taken today off, as well as tomorrow, to have a four-day weekend.

I started this little troll yesterday, and finished her up this morning. Unusual, but cute! I named her Bethesda, as I like naming my creations.

Her face, hands, and feet were made in Cosmic Blobs. Her dress and accessories were kaleis. Bethesda is now a tube, so she can be used in other creations.

This was a very fun project, and I'm delighted with how she turned out!

I am taking a few days off due to my car. Also, it will just feel good to relax a few days.

Last week, my little Honda started making a grinding or popping noise, whenever I turn left or right. I heard it mostly when turning left and around the passenger-side front wheel. Very disconcerting.

I dropped it off at my Honda dealer last night, and today it will be worked on. I hate to see the cost of this operation, but I need that little car. Since I would be car-less today, I thought it would be a spectacular time to fit in a little "r & r", and so, here I am.

Hope you all have a great Thursday: only one more day to go till the weekend for you!

See you soon!

St Paddy's Day 2008

Good morning!

Oh my! St. Paddy's Day came on Monday, and went already.

I had done these little creations to post, and then forgot to post them. Oh well. Here they are for future years.

At work, someone was nice enough to put a shamrock on my desk, so I wouldn't get "pinched" for not wearing any green. I had never heard that tradition before, but gladly put it on ... just in case!

We had a celebration for the day, featuring green. It was St. Paddy's Day "Create a Salad". People brought in salad greens, and anything that would go in a salad. Green onions, green peppers, yellow-green banana peppers, and also other colorful foods that go in salads. Many brought dressings. It was truly a wonderful celebration, and I enjoyed it more than most we have, as I love salad!

I hope you enjoyed your St Paddy's Day!

See you shortly!

A Six-Flower Sunday

Good morning,

The sun is shining. The weather is improving. It is warmer out this morning. Therefore, I declare that today ... is a six-flower Sunday! (That means it is pretty kalei-rific!)

And for a six-flower Sunday, we have six -- count 'em -- six kalei'd flowers.

All these flowers were made from just one item, yet they are each very different. Different designs, different colors, different centers. Each is unique in their own right.

And so it is with kaleis.

Hoping you a wonderful and relaxing day.

See you soon.

Versatile Kaleis

Good morning for a third time!

This picture says it all! The versatile kalei.

FUN!

Enjoy!

See you soon!

Good morning again!

What a wonderful Saturday! Lots of time to play this morning.

Here are the second set of simple kaleis. Yes. The border is still in this one.

But notice how simple each accessory is. And stacked one on another, they can create some pretty terrific looking flowers.

Working in an art program that lets you create layers is also fantastic with kaleis. You can take a separate layer and create new colors out of your kaleis. The flower then takes on a whole new look.


Here are some kalei'd creations using the stack method and colorizing.

I especially like the one in the yellow box. Very colorful.

Creating with kaleis is so versatile, too. You can eliminate any part of it that you don't want, or just colorize a portion of it.

KALEIS ARE SO VERSATILE, AND LET YOU CREATE SUCH UNIQUENESS.

I hope you enjoyed these posts today. I enjoyed making them, and you may freely use them, if you wish.

See you in a minute!

Good morning!

This morning, I went "hog-wild" with kaleis!

Ever wondered what you can do with kaleis? Well this first example was made with kaleis from the packs in this Saturday edition of HomeSpun Graphics as well as the next post.

Here just some basic kaleis that I started. One is a nice border that could be used for stationary or a card.

The others are individual kaleis.

The nice thing about kaleis is that you can place one on top of another to get some pretty terrific looking flowers.

Only a lack of imagination or experimenting can keep you from finding a combination you really like.

When I look at a kalei, I see fun!!! You will find a third post today featuring this idea.

And now ... onto my second post!


KALEIS CAN MAKE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS!

Isn't this pretty?

Enjoy.

See you in a minute!

Ever Wanted to Pick Up FREE graphics?

Good afternoon ... and it's still Sunday!

The sun is now shining in Columbus! My husband got out and shoveled our driveway and sidewalk. Even though it is a short driveway, shoveling 1 foot + snow is quite a lot. He came in every so often to rest.

The wild cats that I feed are basking on that warm driveway after 2 days of frozen, blizzardy weather.

Today, I started a new FREE website where my graphics can be picked . So if you ever wanted to pick up FREE graphics ... just click on the picture.

While graphics are created by me, they are free to use in any manner you wish, commercially or hobby-wise. You may not claim them as your own, but you can put them in any creation and that creation belongs to you.

Webbly.com offers free websites. It has taken a little getting used to; but what the heck! It's free!

Enjoy today! See you soon!

Pre-Spring Tribute

Good morning,

With all the snow outside this morning, which is more than a foot, you might wonder whether spring will ever arrive!

While it's not officially here until March 20th, I did this pre-spring tribute to get you through the next 11 days.

These pre-spring flowers are kaleis. And speaking of kalei'd flowers, there is a website I found this morning that is kinda cool.

If you want to try your hand at making some pretty flowers, or just look at some that others made, try: www.zefrank.com/flowers.

This month is full of surprises. Besides the first day of spring, Easter Sunday is 3/23, and St. Patrick's Day is on 3/17.

The snow in Columbus lays like a thick quilt on the bed of our yards and driveways. Today will be a day of digging out, so we can get to work tomorrow. This whole next week, the temps are supposed to rise, and tease us with spring temperatures.

Have a really great day! See you soon!

Need a To DO Note?

Good morning!

This is Saturday, March 8, 2008, and Columbus is having its biggest snow fall all year, and for many, many years.

I'm sure many of you in the surrounding area are experiencing pretty much the same thing.

Today's creation is a TO DO Note! Like it? Grab it free!

I can't believe this snow.

My company shut down 1 hour earlier yesterday. I was glad to get out of there. The trip home was slippery and slow.

My husband arrived shortly after I got home, and we quickly headed to the grocery store closest to us to stock up. Everybody was thinking the same thing, as they predicted additional snowfall for Saturday. And looking out my window, they were right. We are supposed to get 8 to 12 inches; maybe 15. It is beautiful, and it looks like we have 1 foot already!

So today is a good day to "hole up" in our warm house. We bought plenty of kerosene to help heat the house, and it is so nice inside.

This morning, I made a little pot of coffee (4-cup size), and put a sugar-free chocolate mint in the bottom before brewing. Ummmm, good!

Hope you are having a wonderful day! Enjoy the TO DO note. See you soon!

March 2008 Calendar and Kalei's

Good morning,

I love making calendars. So being as today is March 1st, I thought I'd celebrate with this March 2008 Calendar and Kalei's.

March 1st: Is spring almost here? I sure hope so. I have had more than enough of winter and snow this year. While Columbus hasn't had many DEEP snow falls, we have more days covering the ground with snow than we have had in many, many years.

I am surprised by all this snow.

Some schools here have used all their allotted snow days. One school in our area is having school today. What a bummer for students!

Hoping you have a great Saturday!

See you soon!