Lucky

Thinking of some of my angels while driving through Rainbow, CA

Triste Times Two

 Mismo Mujeres

 

"You are my favorite Hello and my hardest Goodbye..."

Truer words could not be found for the way my heart feels at having to depart from mi abuelita's casa this morning. We were all up early in anticipation of this being our last desayuno together. The poor dear even slept in her clothes and shoes so that she would be able to race her walker out to say goodbye should she oversleep! And truth be told, I pretty much wanted to crawl into bed and hold her all night long. But I think it's better to be invited lol. And if she did ask, I didn't understand it! 

What was easy to understand, was her sadness. My great aunt Allejandra stayed longer than usual to see me off and be of comfort to her, because it was so obvious that she was struggling with the pain of being left alone again. Together we have shared so many poignent moments this week. I told her, (in spanish, can you believe it?!) "We have had already enough tears, and we will have more laughs together, for all I have to do is think of you and I will smile." That she needs to live a long time -as if turning 98 next week is not enough- so that I can bring my daughters and "husband" to meet and entertain and be of help to her as well. That she will always be alive, for she and I are cut from the same natural fibers. I have lived all of these years within her heart, and ahora, es tiempre por mi corazon to crezcan, and make enough room for her to live the rest of my life within mine. And that I will be much better about phoning her, now that I really understand her "schedule." Then, being me, needing to see her smile even as tears streamed down our three triste faces, "Por favor, vaya con mi en mi bolsa- tu es mucho delgado, se que se ajuste a!" And I got the smile I needed to be able to tear myself away...

Why do we let life get in the way of our true heart's desires... it is such an American way to be. Putting aside our concern for each other. Having excuses like, oh they don't really need to see or hear me to know how much I love them, or, they can take care if themselves and would ask for help if need be. Not that the latter isn't true, but it is so much better to be with one another in person, verdad? Hitting "Like" on facebook is only one way to interact with one another and not a very great one at that. Don't get me wrong, facebook allows me to connect with my cousins in a way that my childhood definately did not. I love being able to see my friends and family growing, posts about what they are doing and places they go etc. It is a way for me to feel that I know them...

But wouldn't getting together for even a few moments over the telephone be even better? Wouldn't it be more incredible to accompany my cousins and let our children share more than we did? You know, when I was younger, the greeting cards I made throughout the year would be promptly mailed off or hand delivered. As I have sold more and more cards each month in stores, it has become apparent that I no longer actually send the cards, I make them with the person in mind and then decide that if it doesn't sell before the next seasonal greetings are appropriate, I'll send it then. Isn't that terrible!? The good news is that, as with any recovery process, the first step has been taken with my publicly admitting, "My name is Anna, and I have a problem sending out my greeting cards." Now I can be made accountable, if by no one but myself at least. 

I had to tell my father how happy I was with the time I have spent here these last 8 days. That these trips to see my grandmother have helped my Spanish vocabulary grow immensely. All the years of schooling have not been able to stick, but just 6 days in her kitchen and two with my cousins, and I can say so much and understand even more. I can hardly imagine a better way to learn than in my family's company! Of course, Google translate has my thanks as well because it was so much easier this visit to find the actual words I needed to express myself. 

 Salud!

But even more important, these two visits, last year and this, have helped my heart to grow. I would not say I am a grinch, but I do know the lovely, slightly uncomfortable feeling of a daily expansion within my chest. The awareness of time passed without correspondence only leaves room for improvement in the future. As my cousin Martha recently wrote, "Yes, there were flashbacks...and many tears..." during her visit to Tenamaxtlan and with our family in Tala last year. I am hoping that when I visit again- and I will, I know- I will be happier with my efforts upon reflection. My daughters and family deserve the best of my love; all that I have to give and can help to inspire within the rest of my family and acquaintances lies within my abuelita-inspired, love-filled heart.

I did not say goodbye, but instead that I will see her in my dreams each night- en mis bueno suenos!  

Mommin' Ain't Always Easy...

One of my very supportive, extremely crafty friends recently ordered a card for one of her friends, and, I'll be honest, I do love me a special order. There is something very scary and yet liberating in being asked to interpret another's love into send-ible form. My prompts were, mom of two, and a new born, who is faithful... not much to build on, but that just left the door open for my own vision.

To get in the creative zone, I thought about how, the busier we are, the less time we take to appreciate what fills our life. I thought about how doing something alone, happens so very few times for busy new moms, and when it does, it's for something we never dreamed would be so enjoyable- a shower lol. About how sometimes when we feel overwhelmed, doing so much for other people, a little piece of happy mail comes to show us that someone we love, loves us too. I thought about what a beautiful feeling it is to hold your newborn in your arms... I thought about the vibrancy of the sunrise and how somehow, seeing that beauty can make all the difference when a new mom is up at the crack of dawn for another round of on-demand feeding.
So yes, I did channel my own personal feelings into the card, and of course it's no surprise that I love the way it turned out :-) But, actually , YOU may be surprised to know, I was! First, let me tell you how it was made, and then why I was surprised.
I started with a piece of watercolor paper and, after painting it with water, I floated some sky-like colors over the top and some green on the bottom. Then I went over that with some grey, imagining already the "path" of motherhood. Once all that was dry, out came the stamps, and I even did some masking to create some flower clusters in the grass. One on each side helped to ground the card front and frame my sentiment, and I actually thought far enough ahead of time to plan that out, lol. Then, I used watercolor pencils dipped in water to fill in the images. Last, my silver pen went over the spokes and other metal bits and really brought the bike to life. Of course, a busy mom would not have time to ride it, so it just sits there, kickstand down, and maybe she and her children are nearby putting those flowers in the basket... Hey, I love me a good story behind my makings! It's all part of the creative process for me.
So, why, after all this effort, and storytelling, and the musings of my heart being put into my project, was I surprised to enjoy the finished product? Because for some reason, this much effort usually results in a feeling of disappointment at the turn out. Especially, it seems, when my project involves stamping. I cannot tell you how many times I've labored over a card front, only to later lament how many I could have made- and liked!
This feeling of satisfaction was so foreign, I even offered to make a different card before giving it over to my friend for review... how's that for a selling point, haha. "I don't really think this is too good, but give me $7 for it, please, and then allow me to make ad give you another card that I'm sure you'll like better, for free." Wow. I can just see the repeat sales coming in! Is it any wonder my creative side rules over my business side?
So, will I be making more cards just like this? Not likely, despite my love of the way it turned out~ 'cause, I just don't tend to make anything the same way twice. Will I still take custom orders? Absolutely! Because like I said, I adore the challenge of making for strangers based on their friend's observations. Just imagine how your friends descriptions of you would differ from what you would write about yourself... But, dear reader, will I perhaps be a little more loving to my labored over creations in the future? That, is to be determined...however, my magic eight ball says, "Chances are Good."
Thanks for reading, and please, comment below; what are three character traits you adore about your current bestie? I'll be looking forward to attempting to make something in that description's honor, and posting it here... til then, thank a mom who looks a bit frazzled, and maybe even make something nice for her to show your sympathy <3

Friendly Lessons in Key Center

An Alpha Artist Attacks An Alphabet

 With my lovely assistants in tow, we returned to the Red Barn to teach some more paper crafting fun to the teens who came in. We brought along plenty of TWAA's colored cardstock, already cut to standard card size, as well as a heap of coordinating envelopes. This time, I had made the examples for class with more time to spare- at least a few hours more anyway :-)
With those samples on the table, there was an atmosphere of excitement as I described how to assemble each card with the majority of the kids. Just like adults, there were a couple who were more inclined to take creativity into their own hands- this was highly encouraged by their teacher! And just like classes I've taught to adults; when given a choice about whether to do the card everyone else was working on or venturing solo on a card they'd rather start with, there were a few takers for that too. Hey, maker's gotta make!
Even within the standard format of the design, there was plenty of room for personalization. A few of the tips shown here: if your stamp doesn't work perfectly at first, consider markering over those imperfect impressions to form an alphabet style all your own! Even if you don't have a friend in mind, make the card anyway, and by the time you're done, you may have made a friend to give your card too :-)  Personalize your card with a special sentiment inside- smiley faces share your excitement! Even if you don't consider yourself an artist, you can always surprise yourself (and your teacher)!  Embellish to your heart's content. And this was a favorite tip that I rarely implement: Take your time. Don't feel obligated to create yours the same way you've been shown, or how everyone else does theirs. Okay, that last one I don't have any trouble with at all lol.


Now, To Find A Friend to Befriend

Partay Harday Everyday- Doi!

 

 



Do I look like an Artist?! (YES!)

Take Pride In Your Creativity and Shine!

 



 

 

The best classes I've taught have been the one's where I get to learn something too, and in this class I was fortunate to be invited to learn more about a student's home life. Our final cards were dedicated to the idea of Grandparent's Day, and M____ here lit up at the idea of a personalized, handmade thank you for his grandparents, who had just gifted him a new pair of desperately needed tennis shoes. At first, I just made the usual non-committal, non-intrusive responses that most adults give, but something about his sweet voice and the enthusiasm of his heartfelt appreciation gave me reason to pause cleaning the table and sit down to give him my full attention. How often does that happen, huh? Our sharing resulted in a nice reminder to me how important an adults attention can be; whether it is an off hand remark to our children meant to "inspire" them (sometimes the opposite is the result), or how just a simple, I Believe In Your Potential from an advisor can influence an already bright kid to continue reaching for the stars... heavy stuff for an afternoon of fun!
The next time we go back for crafting with teens at Key Center's Red Barn for Youth, we'll have our scissors and patterned papers in tow, and maybe even our gardening gloves- you never know what chef Susan's going to pluck from the garden for our taste buds to relish! If you're interested in donating your time or funding to this community treasure trove of young minds, check out their website, http://www.redbarnkp.org/

It's April Card Share Time!

You can read all about and see all the details for the cards featured in the video link above in this post. I've been making away; aside from this collection and the bonus projects, I created about 20 more cards last week. Between store sales, custom orders, fundraising cards, preparing for the retreats I'm teaching at, and these videos, I barely had time to squeeze in this beautiful layout... but that's just the type of challenge I enjoy!


 Be sure to subscribe to my CraftWithAnna YouTube channel. You'll see all my videos show up on your watch list as they are published. Can I get a whoop whoop!

I'll post more pictures of this layout and some close ups of those gorgeous clusters tomorrow. Sign up to follow my blog and I will send you an email when I post. As always, I thank you for stopping by and watching!



P.S. Leave a comment below regarding your favorite card... there's no prize, I just love the feedback lol.

New Video Post Today!

April Fool's!

Lol, I had to do something fun today for all my friends:-) Can you believe it? A week on board a beautiful ship with the sea before us and a crop room featuring a stunning window view? Through my daily newletters, you'll explore your unique scrap style, stretch your story with intriguing journaling and  photo prompts, and even learn some tips for organizing your stash once you get back home. And, can you say, Scrap Exchange?! Not to mention the indulgences offered by the cruise ship itself... all you can eat around the clock, beverage packages for every lifestyle, and entertainment galore. For more insight on exursion-ing around Cozumel, click on the travel tab above.

Growing up in my family, this a day we all looked forward to. Some of my favorite pranks were the annual "phone call from the east coast." This was an easy one, and involved calling my dad in from the back 'forty to answer a call from his parents... of course there was no one on the line when he got to it! haha. Another instance I still chuckle over was the sound he made at 5 o'clock in the morning as he took that first sip of coffee... flavored heavily with a big spoonful of sugar (except it was salt!)
The best part of April Fool's is the surprise element. On the radio this morning NPR reported that surprise is even one of the elements that increases our emotional memorization of the moment. Our brain tells us, here's something important to remember! I'm going to stretch here a bit, and go so far as to say that April first is a lesser known day that calls for scrapbooking. Or card making. Something creative having to do with celebrating anyway.

Later this week you will see what's inside that delightful April 2015 Embellishkits.com card making kit featuring My Mind's Eye's Jubilee collection of Wild Berry themed papers and embellishments. Click subscribe on any of my YouTube videos and you'll get my latest shows waiting for your viewing in your queue. I've already found a home for many of my left over scraps amongst the pictures from my recent family reunion trip to Tenamaxtlan, Mexico!

Now lets go get 'em, whoever they are... hey, we're building memories people!

Cookie inside

Surprised by my coworkers thoughtfulness? Not really

When I got to work on Saturday there were a few nice intros to my upcoming birthday. First off a beautiful card and rolling tote from my best friend, then a lovely scarf in my favorite colors from a coworker. But the grand finale was by far fastest to disappear and lingers the longest; fresh baked peanut butter cookies brought to my window from a master baker's assistant! Of course with all the leftover "dough" that two dozen delights brought to my hips, (a pleasant enough way to round out the year), a card was in order!

I used a few different cookie shaped stickers from Creative Memories, decorated the outside of the envelope to coordinate with the card, and even came up with a few little poems to express my thanks.

Happy New Year friends!

Letters to Santa

 This week's Christmas festivities included a visit to Santa! While shopping at Michael's the day after Thanksgiving, Rainier started talking about writing her letter to Santa, a task she has learned about through the reading of the Berenstein Bears series. Explaining to little sister that, "we don't put a lot of things on our list, because Santa doesn't have a lot of time to read."

!!!

I don't remember reading that part but of course I thought it was a darling statement. There were many things in the store desired, but we also talked a lot about how useful certain items are, decided that we would carry an item around until we found if there was something we'd rather have. Great advice- if only I could follow it myself!  (I've tried going in without a basket, but that just results in arms overloaded with precariously balanced what nots. Inevitablely the pile collapses to the floor just as it's my turn to pay.)

Sunday was really struggling to let go of a little monster truck she'd snagged from a basket of kids toys. As much as I'd love for her to vroom it all over the house, without knowing where the toy was made, toxicity of the paint etc, she needed to leave it behind! Rainie comforted her by promising to write it in a letter to Santa. A little more than a week later, she still remembered how much her sister wanted that miniature four-wheeling machine, and included it as "truck toy."

Now, some of my readers know that we do a lot of card making in our house. I can't recall a time that we have written a letter as a family... so of course Thursday night she presented Santa with a beautiful card, printed in her mix of caps and lowers, and a cute sticker grouping on the front. She really amazed me with her talent for design balance.

So how many of the Michael's items did Rainier put on her list? Not a single art supply mentioned! The one and only item she wanted was the coral pink dress I did not get her from Kohl's that day. What a surprise! And now I am experiencing that long felt mother's guilt of, do I need to go and get it for her? It's the only item on her list! Or does she learn now that sometimes, we just don't get what we want.

While that is an important lesson, I'm pretty sure this mom will be finding herself in line with a pretty pink dress for a very thoughtful little girl this afternoon :-)

What are your thoughts? Do you remember "the gift that got away?" Ever wish for something so badly you could just not stand to consider that it might not appear under the tree (or on your ring finger!) Leave me a comment and let me know, what's on your wish list this year!

Inspired By...Fall Card Share!

Recently I was listening to a piece on NPR about how depression and art "go" together... hmmm, being an artist who doesn't think of herself as being clinically depressed, I was intrigued enough not to change the channel. In summary, there was a correlation between the surges of creativity or highs, that a depressed person might cycle through, and how being medicated can actually impair a creative (but depressed) person's ability to, well, create! Of course there was a lot more information and examples given, but this is the basic idea that continued swirling in my head.

The idea of the highs and lows of being a creative person got me thinking, reflecting really, and questioning my own spurts of activity. Sure there are times when I don't feel creatively productive, but I was asking myself, do those lows have anything to do with my being stressed, anxious, or even mildly depressed? No. As in, I have no idea!

It is a concept that I've considered before, and even witnessed. I have a dear friend who lost her son in a car accident, and there was a distinct period of mourning (of course), but I remember thinking to myself, "she's going to be as OK as she can be" when I noticed art coming from her craft room once again. It's scary, thinking that a life altering event or even just a bad case of the baby blues could interrupt what has become my therapy, my go to feel good activity! I have also considered, what would I do to lift the funk if I didn't have that outlet? Again, I have no idea yet.

Here is a handful of cards I made a couple of weeks ago.

On the other, more positive side of the craft room, I got a little personal insight it is that I can spend all night up with the kids and tossing and turning myself, get up at 4:AM to participate in a triathlon that is an hour an half's drive away, complete before mentioned tri, lead a five hour crop at Michael's (completing a two page layout) and then come home only to stay up late creating a total of seven cards before finally retiring to bed again. WHEW! It was exhausting just writing that paragraph long sentence!

Part of my seemingly endless motivation comes from the friendships I'm blessed to enjoy. My coworkers daughter will be competing in her own Tri- Iron Man style in AZ soon. Since she is a high school mate of mine I felt it was appropriate to support her efforts with a collage card (#1 Encouragement) reading "Give 100 & 1 % .

My mom is part of Women's Drinking Team -did you know those actually existed? Complete with custom jackets and Octoberfest attending, how fun! "Dancin Donna" can give the Danke! (#2 Octoberfest) card for her next Designated Driver! Using a few cuts from the cricut to dress up the front, Queen & Co. pearls and a bead strung on bakers twine, there was still something else needed to complete my card front. I found the answer in a bottle of Liquid Glass! I also added one small orange gem to the sentiment and included a die cut on the inside of the card which peeks out at the bottom. That die cut was printed with a pumpkin, so I didn't have to do another thing in there :-)

When I first started dating Ray, there were many examples of his past wander lusting interspersed with our futures plannings, and although we have not traveled as extensively as I had imagined, I would still go anywhere in the world with him if asked. I think. See the gold chevron on that card (#3)? and again on the inside of that top encouragement card? It is a new product from the K & Co, Smash line, and it is actually a rub-on. Very easy to use and it adds instant drama- something we are never in short supply of at our house!

Finally, to honor my triathlete Hall-of-Famer friend , I made a card with a .50 stamp picked out of the bargain bin which reads, "The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." Dedicating part of your life to fitness takes commitment, one that some people have a hard time relating too. I admire his enthusiasm for racing, and this card will be a nice thank you for all the "You can do it!"s he's given me over the years.

Thanks for stopping by and reading through my musings today! I based many of my card designs above on a flyer for Embellish It!s monthly card kit club. If you're looking to spend a little time crafting with me, check out my process videos link above. I've got a Halloween Card Magic three part series coming out over the next couple of weeks starting TODAY. Happy fall!   

Another Fun Stamping Class



Need some crafting help?



My classes at Michaels are always such fun, and last night was no exception! My friend Becca and I met at the six o'clock start time and got right to work, excising our creative muscles with a trendy Mason Jar stamp. Not being an experienced stamper wasn't at all a problem for her, and hopefully the little tid bits of stamping lore I supplied her with will inspire her at home as well.

Aren't these two cards she created so cute? I love the mason jar stamp she chose, it is so versatile and could be filled with any idea. We chose a few little birdies helping a friend, and some hearts and flowers to fill our stamped jar images. Can you see the subtle hand painted accents added to the jars? It makes them look sooo realistic! Especially the brown swatch painted on the yellow card's jar- it looks like the kraft border is showing through the glass...The baker's twine and ribbon definitely added some textural pizazz to the card fronts, and then we trimmed the bottom edges to show some peekaboo pattern showing from the inside.

The custom, color coordinating envelopes were made with the WeRMemoryKeepers envelope punch board. A unique tool and defiantly a cool addition to your go -to tool supply, once you get the directions down that is! We laughed as we attempted envelope after envelope with mixed results. I have the same kind of fun with my Martha Stewart score-board, so I guess it's just all part of the process, lol. Another bit of patterned paper inside the envelope adds just the right amount of summer time fun and fabulousness to an otherwise plain yellow card cover.

WELL, this is the last day to comment to win in my July contest... go ahead and subscribe to my blog and or YouTube channel, and comment away for an opportunity to win either a custom die cut or scrapbook page made especially for you, by me:-)  

Thanks for reading and good luck!

Need Retail Therapy?

This weekend, the annual Scrapbook Expo is rolling into Puyallup, and I'll be working in the Paper Wizard booth with owner, Eric. He was kind enough to offer me a pass to the vendor fair as well! I've already got my budget of $20 used up with Queen & Co.'s offer of their latest trunk, free with a $15 purchase. I can't wait to treat myself to a fancy multi dimensional die from the Paper Wizard too. Of course, I'll show it off here!
I've been working on getting some Artist's Trading Cards prepared to hand out to new friends I meet. I've done this in the past and it's awesome, because you're meeting all these crafty people, and it's like I just want to make something for everyone of them. But that's somewhat realistic, I mean unrealistic, so instead I hand them a card with artsy stuff all over it and my blog address. It's funny to because sometimes, I go to give them the first card I pull and it's like, oooh not that one for you :-) How about this not so fancy keepsake? lol of course I don't say that outloud!
Speaking of show off, have you caught my latest Card Share video on YouTube?

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All of the cards in this video are available (as mentioned) in the Gig Harbor Copy It Mail It.  It's been a great experience, so far, working with the owners and getting my cards into customer hands. I love hearing- or let's face it, just imagining- stories of someone finding Just the Wright Card. Or Write Card! It's always been the best part of creating cards to me. Picturing the recipient's reaction and hoping it makes their day special.

So at the beginning of the year I told myself that I really need to be in better contact with my friends. So far I haven't done as well as I'd like, but there is always room for improvement, right? Last week I sent two cards out to old school mates, one whose mom I now work with, and one whose mom I see shopping at Michaels frequently. I'm good with the moms I guess (right DF). Embellishing the outside of the envelope is going to be what I call my embellishment of the month for my product challenge I issued (myself) at the beginning of the year as well. Whether it's with stamping, or just doodling on the outside, anything that can snazz it up some will be attempted.

The fabric in the background here and in the movie is actually a placemat that my Aunt Trisha made. One of her quirks was that she only ever made three placemats... since it was only herself, husband, and only son. And since I inherited a few of her sets, I think of this often and laugh. We all have our eccentricities. Like for instance, I aspire to be a YouTube-star-craft-diva-extraordinare go figure!

If you want to send a card you've made yourself, consider attending my next Mason Jar Card class at Michael's July 27th from 2-4 pm. The stamp we're using is so versatile and will go perfectly with whatever paper you bring (or don't bring) to class. Trust me, you'll love what you make.

So when's the last time you had a "happy mail day" and received something other than the usual? How are you doing on your quota of Retail Therapy? Head up to the Scrapbook Expo this weekend and stop by the Paper Wizard booth- I promise I'll have something free for ya!