Jul 19 2011

Journaling is a BEAUTIFUL thing...

By Mandee

I began journaling at a young age. I have stacks of old journals in a variety of forms...from old notebooks to elaborately adorned pieces of art. I sometimes go back and read them; thankful that I established a habit of writing down the events of the day and how I felt at the time. I realize that every letter, every word, sentence, and paragraph is a time in my life that has led up to the

Posted July 19, 2011 05:00 | read more

Jul 16 2011

Botanical trend...

By Mandee

In previous posts, I've mentioned my love of journaling. I've been journaling for years now, and I'm always looking to inspire others to journal as well. I think it's a wonderful outlet and a way to remember important life experiences. Creating unique journals is a passion of mine, and I'm always looking for new themes. Botanical seems to be the trend now-a-days. It can be found

Posted July 16, 2011 05:00 | read more

Jul 14 2011

A sneak peek...

By Mandee

CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) will be hosting it's conference and trade show on July 19-21st in Rosemont, IL at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It's a perfect time to snatch up the latest and greatest products from your favorite companies before they hit the stores, and to participate in demonstrations and meet and greets. It's a dream for me to attend someday. Most of the

Posted July 14, 2011 22:06 | read more

Jul 10 2011

Moxie: an acquired taste we celebrate

By Mandee

I grew up walking down to Kennebec's for an ice cream or a bag of penny candy...back in the day when a penny was actually worth something and you could walk Main Street without a care in the world. My sister and I knew Frank Anicetti long before he became known as the "Moxie Man", and I remember him as a large dark man with a small smile always playing at the corner of his mouth (until we asked

Posted July 10, 2011 12:40 | read more

Jul 07 2011

I bet you didn't know....

By Mandee

I thought I'd get a little personal with this post and tell you 10 things that maybe you don't know about me. I'm not exactly top blog material, but I thought it would be a fun change and a way for my followers to connect with me ( all 7 of them! LOL). 1. My favorite color is light blue. I also love to wear white shirts, but I can't manage any longer than an hour before I've dribbled coffee

Posted July 07, 2011 12:52 | read more

Jul 05 2011

Almost red, white and blue.

By Mandee

I have a few birthdays in July that I create cards for, and I always try to stay away from being too patriotic, but I love using the standard colors. Of course, you can only do so much when combining red, white and blue; especially when you're trying to do a birthday card. This first card was created for my nephew, Kolby. I was inspired by a card in the new Paper Crafts magazine.I stuck with

Posted July 05, 2011 03:00 | read more

Jul 03 2011

By Mandee

Have a happy and safe 4th with friends and family!M.

Posted July 03, 2011 09:30 | read more

Jun 30 2011

Personal monthly challenge....Here's July!

By Mandee

I'm always creating for someone else. They tell me what they want and what colors to use, and I get to work. I love what I do, but I sometimes feel like I want to create just for the sake of art...and for me. I've decided that I'm going to challenge myself by doing a monthly tag. Small enough not to take up too much time, but it will give me the opportunity to get elbow deep into techniques

Posted June 30, 2011 17:55 | read more

Jun 27 2011

Gift cards...I've got your pretty!

By Mandee

Presents are my favorite part of birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries. That's right. I said it! I love presents! But I love giving them too. Finding the perfect gift for that someone special and seeing that spark of happiness in their eyes as they open it is a serious close second to opening a gift for myself. Meticulously wrapped in pretty paper with ribbon and a huge bow. The

Posted June 27, 2011 19:34 | read more

Jun 22 2011

Play-Time

By Mandee

My idea of relaxing and someone else's may not be the same, but I can always count on something creative coming from my play-time. Whenever I have nothing to do (or rather don't feel like doing anything that resembles responsibility), you'll find me spending time with my girls going to the beach or shopping (we're girls...we LOVE to shop!). But, on the rare occasion that they're not around you

Posted June 22, 2011 21:05 | read more

Jun 21 2011

I'm in heaven!

By Mandee

I hope that everyone had a fantastic Father's Day. I took my Dad to breakfast at one of our local diners and then spent some time hanging at his house. He loved the picture of his grand girls (to hang from the rear view mirror of his car). I also gave him a One Republic CD and a Henley shirt. He asked for both. He has great taste in music.It was a beautiful day in every way. I spent the

Posted June 21, 2011 11:14 | read more

Jun 17 2011

Father's Day

By Mandee

Father's Day is on Sunday, and I've been working on a few items for my Dads (and my husband). I like to create a gift as I think it's a little more personal, and what Dad doesn't like a handmade item from his baby girl (though I hate to admit that I'm far from being a baby girl these days)?It's hard to come up with something original (rather something that I haven't already made), and this idea

Posted June 17, 2011 13:05 | read more