TP roll Challenge!

Opps, I had these all packaged for mailing and forgot to take pictures! I know I'd always be wondering what those looked like? How did I do that? These are my six little pages made from toilet paper rolls. Yes! TP rolls. These six are going to the swap, and I'll get different ones back. Lots of fun! My next project with these will be a little TP Prayer book.

I love little pockets and tags, giving lots of room to write little messages (or prayers). Each one has at least three opportunities.

Wrapped and ready to send....

The Work of Angels!

Several weeks ago my friend Joice invited me to have a journey with some angels. They were at her house for five days, then, five days later, came to visit me. That was only last Wednesday. Wow... have they been doing some work!

First of all, appropriately, I was at our timeshare last Tuesday through Friday, at ANGEL'S CAMP(!),  in a concentrated effort to work on our store's cookbook. I invited the angels in on Wednesday, and sure enough, by Friday I had my goal of 100 pages and 130 recipes typed and formatted! (Thank you, thank you!) Then, when I got home Friday afternoon, I see they've been working hard with my wonderful husband, putting in new (recycled) windows in my bedroom!

Wow... what a difference! I now have a wonderful writing alcove! This used to be the closet, and we took off the doors and kept my huge Armoire in there. Now, it's a lovely place, illuminated and full of light. My writing desk fits perfect. You can see my "Mother Mary" painting in the middle of the windows, but it's hard to make out the Bali woodcarving we found at a yard sale yesterday for just $15! There's lots of stuff still in piles, waiting for their new home/placement in my room.

Ok... here's a closeup, please don't notice the piles of stuff. But isn't the woodcarving perfect?

 So, here's where Bill moved the Armoire. It closes off a window, but it allows the most room, and for my bed to be centered on the door, a perfect view of the morning light in the Redwoods. I'm toying with the idea of putting in another window, right there where you see blank wall. Then again, it's a wall I could be hanging some art on!

 We hung wonderful sheers behind my bed, still lets in lots of light. Here's another blank piece of wall I could hang art on.

 Aarg... here are piles of items needing to come back into the room.... or do they? You can see, I still haven't finished my Sacred Madonna painting. When she's finished, she might look cool on that piece of empty wall, where I'm thinking window. What do you think?

So, these wonderful angels have been creating much magic! And I am so grateful. Ok, so I know the room looks like a gypsy lives here.... but I LOVE all the color!

Another wonderful awareness came this week. (Thank you again, Angels.) A friend called to talk about relationship issues and I shared a lot about why Bill and I get along so great, almost 20 years now. Here are three JEWELS:
1. Give up being right.
2. Stop trying to figure out the "why?" of anything.
3. Don't try to fix things. ("Fixing" things often keeps you embroiled in the problem. Focus on what you do want, give that the "fixing" energy!)
We've been pretty happy these last few years, and I'm thinking these simple items are at the crux of living peacefully and joyfully! It's working for us!

So, I'm grateful for the angels and all their miracles. I hope you'll invite them into your life and home!
Namaste!

Can't resist showing you this!  My "Baby" isn't a baby anymore!

Fun tags

Well... browsing Etsy yesterday, I found some lovely tags that would be perfect to sell in my store (Boulder Creek Antiques and Art).  But why spend $4 when I could make them myself! So, SIX hours later.... here is what I came up with. It was fun, and I think worth the effort. I still have a lot to learn in Photoshop. Actually, I'm printing them on heavy card stock, backing them with cardstock lined paper, rounding the corners, inking the edges, and using a sweet ribbon to finish them off.

Chunky Prayer Book - SOLD!

Saturday Update.....
HOORAY! I put this in my shop two days ago and a gentleman bought it as a surprise for his wife today!  I LOVE when my artwork sells!  Thank you God!

Well, this is what I've been working on all week. I love the way it turned out. I'm posting lots of pictures and will try to describe each.

This is the cover. I love the saying: Good Morning, this is God..... I made bunches of little 1x1" stamps... thought these looked good here.

 I had to make another "Holy Rose" for the cover since the regular ones are too big. This one uses only a few Bible die cuts, the regular one uses 10, and it's really full and pretty. ALSO.... haven't got ribbons in every color you'd like? I just slipped this organza cream colored ribbon over my blue ink pad.

 Page 2...I made a place to tuck a little journal card... used vintage Bible paper that I glued together to make a more study card-stock paper. Note the vintage gimp trim at the bottom. I have rolls and rolls of this, in lots of colors. Probably should sell it on Etsy.

 The backs of some of the tags tucked in, perfect for little prayers or thankfulness notes.

 Can you guess what I made this card holder out of? Yet... coffee sleeve.Ran it through the embosser. (Sorry for blurry pictures... morning coffee jitters!)

 I kinda like the circular journal cards. A little whimsey.

 I found some new fonts on http://kevinandamanda.com/fonts/fontsforpeas/  I LOVE this one! Made up pages of phrases in fabulous fonts to use where ever.

 I made a collage sheet of these bird cages with different birds, and cages. Still have a few to go before I'll list the collage sheet on Etsy. So much fun! and they are perfect for tags.

 I like designing my own papers... here you see one of the rulers from my ruler sheet, plus the black Deco roses.

 I spent most of yesterday morning making tags with positive affirmations on them... including a few Unity prayers and the Serenity prayer. The back side of these little tags are free for journaling.

 More positive messages....

 Here's the back of one of the affirmation prayer cards. These are two cardstock weight papers, glued together... makes a nice, sturdy little card. Oh... and the little strings are vintage (really old!) embroidery threads!

 I love the swirl papers.... made them using a free Photoshop brush from Brusheezy. http://www.brusheezy.com/Patterns/1403-Different-Pattern. When I design my papers, I make several layers underneath, all in coordinating colors. This is a vintage button. The layout is on more of the Bible pages made strong.

 Just a fun little layout... plus cute little easy-peesy flowers.

 I'm so happy with these tags! Want to make lots more. Maybe 31? one for each day of the month? A great inspiration... or maybe make into a 31 page mini journal? Oh man, I get more ideas than I can keep up with!

 Another style of my "Holy Roses"... made with the heavy Bible pages.

 This multi-layered band goes all the way around the page.... great for tucking. The Holy Rose stops it from sliding off the page.

 And here is the back side where I can slide a larger tag easy-peezy.

 Mystele (http://www.mystele.com/) taught me to USE EVERYTHING! Now I have a bin full of packaging materials... this tag is a shiny piece of cardstock (from something I've forgotten). I embossed it, stained it, and glued journal lines on the back. It really has a nice feel to it. I highly recommend starting a bin and tossing in all kinds of packaging materials.

 This blue-striped paper is actually vintage wallpaper that I fooled around with on Photoshop... I have it now in several colors.

 There are over 30 tags for journaling in this book.

 The roses on this paper were from a stained glass window. I isolated my favorite rose, then copied and arranged it to make a little pocket. I made a polka-dot paper in several colors.

 Love is a great answer!

 And finally, the back cover... nice and sturdy... no pockets or stuff to get roughed up. Oh, and I even signed it. People keep telling me it's important to sign my work.

 Top view....

 Lastly, as I finished taking these pictures this morning I happened to look out my window.....
Good Morning God!