reflecting

some days i think i could handle a few more weeks of summer holidays and non-schedules.

then there is a day where the kids are tired or grumpy.... and i am counting down the days to send them packing! ha!

parenthood is definitely a roller coaster. a roller coaster you could never understand until you are in the middle of the ride!!

at times i lose my breath seeing how quickly our kids are growing up. part of me wants to hold on to them and keep them young. i came across the quote:

        "Scraped knees are easier to fix than broken hearts."

so true.

then i get myself together and remind myself of the benefits of healthy, growing kids. despite the sad, angry, painful, bitter moments that accompany life...it will be those times that help them grow to be happy, patient, thankful and sweet. watching your kids hurt is much harder on me than when i hurt for myself. likewise, watching them succeed and meet joy is far more exhilarating than experiencing my own joys.

sigh.

this year BOTH of them will be considered ELEMENTARY kids.

breathe Roxanne...

i thought time was moving quickly before. i think we are about to take off at light speed now!!


one of our neighbours brought home a baby girl (barely over 6 pounds) 2 weeks ago. so exciting! i can't wait until she is all colicky and they need a break from holding her. isn't that terrible of me?! those dreams were floating in my mind one day as we were on an errand. it got interrupted by a voice from the backseat:

Aidan: "mom, when she is my age, will i be a teenager?"
Me: "no."
...at which point i quickly did the math and realized he was correct! gasp!! what?!
Me: "actually you are right. but don't you ever bring it up again!"
Aidan: no comment...but i knew he was grinning. kid can't wait to be a teenager.

i mentioned this to my 'brand-new-parents' neighbours. {not the part about hoping she is colicky.} although i should have after they made this comment:

"he will be old enough to babysit her too. that will be handy."

and i left. they were keeping a tight grip on that baby anyway...it would have been more awkward if i had ripped it from their arms at that point!

back to scrapbooking....



last years' family photo. taken by me. with the help of a tripod and a remote. i have a feeling this years' will be more candid. the kids always surprise me with interesting poses.

i had put the photo onto so many Christmas cards, that i don't think it had been scrapbooked before. i had extras. regardless, i love the quote.

happy family. most of the time, anyway! wink.

Pat posted a link to handmade paper flowers on the Urban Scrapbook blog a month ago. this is one of the tutorials. they are time consuming. but still worth it. i made a few of them now. a friend made a few for a guestbook album she was creating for her brother and sister-in-law. i told her she had to share the photos. she used the new BoBunny EtCetera papers. oh. my. goodness. loveliness!!

wonder of wonders i managed to complete the layout for my September class in a day. yes. history was made. after tomorrows' class it will be hanging in the store. i will do my best to post all the photos on Friday. for now, here is a little sneak peak......

this layout will be perfect for anything to do with fall or thanksgiving. anything. i am hoping we have a long and slow fall. i want more pictures of the golds, reds, oranges and coppers that we enjoyed last year.

one day i would love to be in Eastern Canada to witness the fall display of colours. i've heard it is stunning.

getting ready for back to school

already?!

it feels like summer just started.

it has been a good summer for all of us. we would all agree that it definitely improved once the summer weather kicked in. wearing jeans, socks and warm shirts was not our definition of summer. Aidan commented that the rain and cold was "not in the spirit of summer"! he cracks me up!!


a few weeks ago i was in the mood to try something new. of course i had just returned from Urban Scrapbook and was very inspired to try out the new products flying in and off the shelves. Jan had done a stunning layout (overnight!) with the new Pink Paislee Mistables.

i had Kiara's preschool photo from last year that had not been scrapbooked...so i thought it would be a great starting point. the purple in her shirt was the part that prevented me from putting it on a layout previously. purples are tough! i don't usually buy that colour paper to begin with. i love the natural colours more.

i grabbed a sheet of the new Tim Holtz Kraft Resist. thinking i would play off the browns. my safe zone. well. it did not work out well. i may chuck the sheet. for now i'm holding on to it....thinking i could use if for BEHIND other nice paper. sigh. it happens.

my confidence slightly shattered....i glanced at the beautiful Pink Paislee...and questioned if it was a good idea for me to try it today. i decided i had nothing to lose except the paper. again i started with brown inks. talk about blah! a little search through my mists....found a good purple from Shimmerz. then i had my "aha!" moment. i grabbed my LuminArt shimmering paint pots. once i had some purple paints it just fell into place. between those latter 2 products, the colours and design started to work for me.

i then created a "purple" layout. i was even able to make the purple match her shirt perfectly.



and that is the advantage to those plain boring sheets. you can customize them to whatever colour your inks and paints can dream up!

inks can be blended to create a new colour. a bit tricky, but it can be done. water helps.

paints can also be blended to create a new colour. or add more water to lighten the tone.

treat Glimmer Mists, Shimmerz, LuminArtes, etc like paint. shake and pour a small puddle on your non-stick mat or into a paint pallet. add water to lighten.

then grab a few cheap paintbrushes and play around. keep a paper towel handy too. even a scrap sheet of paper to test your colours. sometimes the colours will lighten or darken as they dry.....so get out your heat tool to speed it up.



i took a risk and was curious. i embossed a corner of the paper with my Texture Fades and vagabond. it really creases because it is so heavy. but....afterwards i added more ink. the embossing cracked some of the thick glossy areas....and allowed the ink to seep in. something different.



the mislabels chipboard letters are amazing!! see the sparkle? thank you LuminArte!! i used water and dabbed with the paper towel to keep the ink from being a solid colour on each letter. then i inked with dry ink to get the brown.


school is not in and this papermama learned a few lessons. i hope they will inspire you to try adding custom colours to your pages. it is amazing what a nice colour combination or great paper can do to take a difficult photo into something you enjoy looking at. when you just play around with inks and colours you learn more than you expected. sometimes you make mistakes. sometimes you surprise yourself. don't give up.

just making lemonade..

i can sometimes get pretty disorganized and lose track of time. however, that is not MY comfort zone! in fact it really agitates me. i prefer life when it goes "according to plan". i would suspect that makes 99% of us! of all the "unplanned" things that could happen, this one was mild. but extremely frustrating!

i have a great system for preparing for my classes. works like clockwork. most of the time. ha!

this month i had some HUGE computer issues and have been without my iMac for nearly two weeks. painful!

the big problem is that it decided to do this at the busiest part of my month. i had a class to prepare to teach and another to design. and NO access to my photos. it also meant no updates on my blog either. i like to have pictures in my posts.

not. my. plan. i'm sure you can relate.


so. here we go.


this next class has taught me a lot. i'm really glad i had a chance to play around and do some experimenting.

here is one of my "testing" layouts.....



it is not the next class layout. however most of the techniques used here will be taught in my next class.

this is the first time in a very, very, very long time that i made a layout without using patterned paper. (i don't include dictionary paper as patterned!)

that truck is OLD! and that little boy is my sweet Aidan at 2 1/2 years old. i think i shared that photo before. when the truck was sold a few years ago, it was still running. it was built back when things worked well for longer than 5 years.



i used some of the techniques and inspiration i learned at our local retailers craft show for this layout. often i think i hold back and try to be safe. this time i was braver. those metal tags had been in my drawer for awhile...but they were bright white. i much prefer this appearance over the white.


i don't have photos of the actual class layout. not even a sneak peak! i will soon. i think it will be a challenge to teach, but it will also be a lot of fun at the same time. i am very excited to share the techniques and see what the class comes up with. i am always blown away by their work. there are always a few people who "make a mistake" and end up with a really cool alteration on their layouts. alterations that leave me wishing i had thought of that in the first place!! not all the alterations are due to mistakes, either. i have amazing students.


as i was without my usual files...i have been browsing some new blogs and websites. not new sites, just new to me. it has been very fun and inspiring. now that my desk is almost cleared off i may finish the project i started for Kiara. i'm in the middle of working on a fairy box for her bedroom decor. i was totally inspired by one that Laura Denison made. i don't have the adorable additions she had for hers....but i think mine will still turn out okay. as long as Miss Kiara likes it....all will be well!


one more thing. if you have seen "Spring", can you tell it that we are missing its presence here. although if "Spring" is not willing to visit or stay....."Summer" is more than welcome to hang out for a very long visit. "Winter" has overstayed, has been far to dominant and we're ready for it to pack its bags. thank you.

ticket to ride

i finally pulled out the Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology papers this week. so so so fun!!!

i decided to match them with the newest Bo Bunny. Gabrielle.

and i couldn't help but laugh at myself. until just over a year ago i had not ever bought a single Bo Bunny anything. now it seems like every other layout is Bo Bunny. you will not hear a single complaint from me about it!

i started with this - architectural arch

hand cut the butterflies from this paper.



it is really hard to tell, but i used a number of different inks on the background paper. i was completely amazed at how perfectly the ink blending tool worked for this project.

sure, i love the tool for edging. but i hadn't really tried it on a large paper area. this is where the non-stick mat is very helpful too. i would love to have an extra large size mat....but then i wonder about cleaning it. right now i just take it to my sink when it gets too dirty. {soap and water is the quickest and best clean}



it was totally worth the time it took to cut out the butterflies. i loved being able to work them around my layout, instead of making my layout work around them.



i did not think through my title very well. in the end i decided to keep it super tiny! and used the word on the ticket strip.

i had a lot of fun adding in little accents here and there.

my favourite part is actually very hidden. i used a plastic forest green buckle from the Making Memories Christmas product. i tried to dull the green by adding some alcohol inks. i tried caramel and butterscotch. didn't change it as i hoped. then i tried stonewashed (blue). still not what i was going for. on a whim i tried the copper mixative. still not what i had intended...but i loved the appearance of it.

as you can probably guess, i had a lot of fun putting the elements together.

i have finally gotten the ink off of my hands too!


i've been "the" parent for a few days. i am sooo tired by the end of the day! i'm hoping for another easy supper tonight and then more messing around in my craft room. i have some flower techniques i'm working on. fun fun fun!!

as well i am just so crazy excited for the weekend....squeal!!!! {yes, don't remind me it is still over 3 days until the weekend!}

i've been happy to have had my mind taken off the extra long winter weather we've been having. i should stop by the Muttart Conservatory with (or without) the kids one day. i took them there just once a few years ago....and wondered why we didn't go regularly. during the week it is fairly quiet and it is definitely like a mini-vacation. not to mention a fun place to capture photos of flowers and plants. without mittens and other heavy winter gear.

count your blessings

i am pausing to catch my breath!

the calendar has been crazy this month. again.

just trying to catch the "glass balls" and letting the "rubber balls" bounce has been quite the challenge.

i lost a couple of days last week, so my work has gotten behind. i think i got too busy and my body had to shout "enough"! i'm still not feeling 100% but at least i am healthier. there are lots of those around me who caught the bugs as well. it seems like they came earlier this year, along with the winter-like weather.

in the afternoon i had to myself i relaxed and put together the following layout.




the paper is the new SEI moonshine. i am addicted to the newest handmade crushed paper flowers. actually the technique with caramel apple glimmer mist looks lovely with the colours in the paper.







i die cut the leaves from banana leaf paper. Urban Scrapbook has many colours to choose from. i started with the cream. then i used a paintbrush to add colour with the new LuminArte Twinkling H2O watercolour paint.

Pat and Jan created the most amazing fall leaf album a few weeks ago. many new techniques in it, and lots of inspiration. i had not used the Tim Holtz tissue tape yet. i loved how Jan used it on the last page of the album, and thought it might work nicely on this page. i love that it is transparent enough to allow some of the colour beneath it to come through.



why not add some filmstrip ribbon and tickets?! they are just fun.


i am busy working on the next class layout and should be ready to share that soon!!! yay! as well as the layout for the design team at Urban. the kit is absolutely amazing next month. seriously.

wish me the best and i hope you stay in prime health!!

finally

it has been crazy busy in our house this past month.

this layout was done back in the middle of July. but i forgot to take a photo of it!




i used the new Chalkboard Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels. charcoal. not 100% happy with the spray nozzle. but i've had this problem with the odd bottle of mist by any of the companies. art is not exactly picture perfect all the time either. so it is all good!

i love this photo of the kids. they were so giddy from a nice day and high on sugar from the ice cream truck! perhaps i should add that as my journaling? yes. i always get caught up in the enjoyment of creating that i forget to add some writing.



all of the paper is from Studio Calico. the flower is American Crafts. the butterfly is old Sassafrass Lass. the button is Making Memories. the arrow is Maya Road and the brad holding it is Basic Grey...from the ambrosia line.



i'm really liking ruffles.


i was so shocked and excited to win one of Echo Parks' contests a while back. eventually Canada Post delivered my winnings of the ENTIRE 'Walk in the Park' line.

before the busyness of last week began i took some time to create one layout. i need to use some photos from the summer on these papers. they are bright and fun!



and i did journal here. but i hid it! sometimes i prefer to do that if i like the layout as it is.

it still feels like something is missing on this one. can't put my finger on it.



i had some lovely butterfly die cuts. i placed them under the cardstock and sanded the edges. easy and i do like how it turned out.



like i haven't made enough pinwheels already....



My Mind's Eye just arrived at the store. it is the first time i've seen glittered paper priced the same is plain ol' cardstock. and it is totally lovely. Pat from Urban made the most amazing birthday card from this paper. she also gave a sneak peak of an upcoming card class using the paper from this recent line. no doubt it will be popular! the paper and accompanying products are flying off the shelves.





i loved how Pat used the word happy....and i had this Riff Raff word in my stash for ages. i used some Judikins chocolate embossing powder to cover it. it actually matches the brown glitter on some of the other papers i picked up. love!



i also shamelessly and gratefully scrap lifted Jody and Pat's filmstrip ribbon idea. not sure who started it, but they both have projects displayed with it like this. thanks girls!! i love how it looks and can't wait to use it like this on a few more projects!!


a long time company, Sassafrass Lass, has not produced anything new and different until now. their Indie Girl line has the best design ideas from their past lines, but new colours and products. i have ALWAYS loved their decorative name label trim. not plain boring white...but always matches the paper pattern.

and....we got to use some of it in our recent Urban Design Team assignment. woot!woot!



i used A LOT of ink on this layout. so much that my fingers were coated in it. even had to wash my hands several times.

i have finally found the right printer paper i like for photos and started to print my own. after picking up my photo numerous times with inky-fingers....at the very end i got a spot on the crisp white border of my photo. the border that i thought added to the whole layout. the more i rubbed at the spot....the worse it got. small miracle that i had not adhered the photo yet. i got out my Ranger Rock Candy paint and painted over the border. i figured it couldn't get worse. and if it didn't work...i would just reprint.

as "luck" would have it...i added even more ink. on purpose!!

in the end i think it worked to my benefit. Divine inspiration perhaps?!

i can't wait to see what the other girls do. every month it is so amazing to see how unique we each are in our designs. they have always inspired me, and the have not let me down yet!

regal

when we visited the Calgary Zoo last year we saw several peacocks strutting around. i recall the same bird walking around the zoo in Kamloops too. both times, their beautiful plumes were closed and trailing behind them.

in Calgary they have a pen where there are more peacocks. perhaps these are more aggressive and they are "locked" in here? or maybe they just prefer to be in an area where they have more space from people? not sure. i was so happy to see a few of the birds with their beautiful feathers splayed apart for viewing.

Bo Bunny came out with a line of papers titled 'Peacock'. after several weeks of it being on the shelves...i remembered this photo! perfect colours.



stunning
lavish
extravagant




of course i had to add more micro beads!








i was in to visit Urban Scrapbook yesterday. they are in the calm before the storm! LOTS of brand new product lines are due to ship soon. this is always exciting when the first lines arrive. everyone has their monthly DT layouts on display. i love to see the new kits and think about how i will use it. but i love it even more to see what the other girls do with it. same products....yet the ideas and techniques are always so unique! just wait until you see the next kit. wow.

i picked up some Twinkling H2O paints. i only had a few minutes to play with them on scrap papers last night. their colours are amazing. just think of them as watercolour paints that shimmer. oh yeah! this is not just for scrapbookers!!! there is so much paint in each of the little pots that i think i will even share with my kiddos.

the same company also has some glimmer spray....definitely intense shimmer. even dauber paints!!

i also got to see a sneak of some of the new MyMind'sEye. oh. my. love. love. it is definitely something you have to see in person...looks amazing on their web page....but incredible to touch in person!

i am soooo blessed and lucky to be able to work with these girls. work is more like play. not just with the staff, but with the customers too. how fun to meet the regular customers and get to know them better. exciting to meet brand new customers who are interested in the hobby and are filled with questions.

which reminds me....the store was featured in the last issue of Canadian Scrapbooker. which probably has been on the shelves since May. ooops! i could have taken my own photos....but i'll share the ones Heather put on her blog back in May....again, yikes! how could i have missed sharing?! and i'm sure the next issue is due to hit the shelves any day. check and see which of the local girls get their work published in this one.

vacation memory

i decided that the next monthly layout class will be centred around something summery. as i strolled along the aisles i looked for the paper that would "grab" me. be wary of shopping in scrapbook stores. the paper and all the other goodies don't have boundaries!! ha!

as i searched i came up with a lovely blue. then it all came together. beach and travel was the theme that the paper spoke of.

Pat suggested that sand dollars and seashells would be a nice touch. or did the seashell suggestion come from me? i love brainstorming with her!

when i went to my files to look for photos that would work i made a very sad discovery. i had NO beach photos. in fact i had not taken the kids to a beach for 2 years. when i think of the last 2 years and all the busy-ness that was going on, it makes complete sense. however....SO SAD!!




this is not my class layout. but pretty similar. just testing out stuff on my own stash before i started on the REAL layout!

journaling reads (i know i even added journaling! how novel of me): "...the closest we came to a beach that summer....Bow Falls and Lake Minnewanka....we will be sure to change that in 2010!"

the patterned papers are from October Afternoon. i think the Thrift Shop collection has been my favourite one of the year. little bits of it are showing up on lots of my layouts these days!



the sand dollar is a die cut from Urban Scrapbook.

the mustard yellow flower is Prima. it is sold flat looking. it has been in my stash for a few years now. i added some glimmer mist, scrunched it up and then set it with my heat gun. i definitely prefer it all fluffy!

the little brown flower began as a white "innoscence" Prima flower. glimmer mist and alcohol ink changed it in a major way.

the butterflies. well. they just belonged. i really love butterflies on summery layouts. they are so hot right now. i used some liquid pearls for their bodies. doubled them up....gluing the bottom butterfly on the paper completely. then gluing only the centre of the top butterfly. i've seen that effect on several layout right now. love it, which is why i did it here!



thank goodness for foam pop dots!



and the microbeads came back again. this time i pre-tinted them. it was a mixture of sprayed with glimmer mist and some were inked with alcohol inks. then i mixed them together. lay them on some paper towel...then mist. or drop with the inks. as they dry, they stick together. once they are all dry they will separate again. i picked up some little plastic containers that hold them securely. i shake the container and that separates them all completely. it is a time consuming process, but worth the effect you can achieve. you can see the variance in colour intensities  of the beads. love that!



i am pretty sure i saw a layout or project that included a pearl inside a shell. could have been an advertisement too. diamond glaze kept the pearl in place without making the glue majorly visible.

pages for the family album

not sure what it was this week, but i can't believe i managed to create some personal layouts! in July.

i took a few weeks break from my craft room. enjoyed the few days of sunshine and heat.

or maybe it was the mischief i got myself into with some backyard gnomes?

it even could have been the amount of crafting i had been doing in a rush at the end of last month as school ended.

it might even be that i'm trying to settle into myself. even when the pages made aren't exactly how i pictured them.

no complaints, whatever it is.





i took this at the Calgary Zoo last summer. i can't remember the exhibit, but it was a cute little wooden hut. i love Aidan peeking out between the wooden slats.

i decided to try the Tim Holtz paper pack again.

i'm happier with the results this time.



i used portions of the patterned paper. i am beginning to accept that i am a particular patterned paper girl. is that possible?! 9 out 10 times, i'll go for the solid-ish background. is that my comfort zone? or is it just me?

i cut out the letters and folded them so that a few stood out. actually i was happy with that result. it made them look more real.

i also pulled out an old piece of grungeboard die cut. have had those for forever! i inked the brown letters with some alcohol inks.

i came across a new paper technique from Jennifer Maguire. i was watching you-tube videos one night and came across it. thankful i remembered that one too!



a last minute thought....punch out a few bottle-caps....cover with diamond glaze. the best choice near me at the time was my stickles glitter glue for the edges. then i added some alcohol inks to the glaze. sometimes my choices are determined by what is within my reach and eyesight!


i have viewed several layouts recently at 2peas that have more of a colour-on-colour design. i really wanted to give it a try myself.



the white bracket pieces are old die cuts from Jenni Bowlin that i have had for forever.



i edged the die cuts and photo in a Ranger acrylic pearl dauber. it was fun.



these little acrylic flower punches i have had sitting in a baggie for years too. i punched them out for a large acrylic sheet at Urban. so easy. i still have some of these left! i thought they matched the blossoms in the photo. nice to have some hoarded leftovers?!



Lynette sent me a link to making these singed flowers. she had made a pile of them and they looked so amazing. not sure where i heard this tip...but i went to a nearby thrift store and bought an old blouse to make my flower. just doing my part to keep some styles out of circulation! i wished i had been lucky enough to find an organza blouse. or even better buttons to use on layouts.

back to the flower. a simple technique. i didn't start any fires. but i did make sure to try this AFTER my kids were in bed. they like to try some of the crafts i do....this one i didn't want them to experiment with!
i was so happy with the result that i wanted to use it right away. i had this photo in my drawer for a long time. it was so nice to be able to use the photo and the flower!!


my time the rest of the week has been experimenting with some techniques for my next class. i got some pages made for the family album in the middle of my experimenting too. i really tried to keep the layout flower free. it is just not possible! but really...can you imagine a summer layout without pretty flowers?! i can't wait to share the layouts. i tried another new technique for flowers that i had been wanting to try for awhile. Pat had sent that link ages ago, and i loved how they looked on her projects. the next item on my list is the Tim Holtz flower die cut. i have yet to see a flower made from it that i did not like!

rainy day = scrappy day

only a scrapbooker understands that comment!


i finished some outstanding projects last week. had to get my supply lists and item list for my upcoming classes. i also worked on some of the instructions. i also agreed to make some flowers for one of my students whom i met the Saturday before. {hi JoAnn!} i worked the late night crop at Urban on Friday too. surrounded by new deliveries and creative people. helping and admiring the girls as they created page after page that night.

by Monday morning i was anxious to make some layouts for the family album. there were some photos i had printed as options for past layouts in the recent months, but had not gotten picked for those projects. so many of my layouts have been really time intense, so it was fun to put something together in less time! i really love to do fussy cutting and add tiny details. however i was ready to do some more simple layouts. they certainly don't go into the "my most favourite" category....but i'm happy enough! it really was more of a need to cut and glue, with the purpose of using photos i liked. ha!!

from 9am to noon, i made 2 layouts. then after supper i made 2 more. for me, that would be a record. i honestly don't think i could get faster than that.



i LOVE October Afternoon paper. it doesn't always love me with the same kind of passion. until i met Thrift Shop. i think it actually likes me?! Pink Paislee and i have the same kind of relationship. i used both of them together. maybe that was the trick?



i used some gesso to lighten the paper and let my journaling pop.



very handy to have it highlight a word i wanted to stand out too.

as i look at the layout....i think i could have gotten away with more of it.

next time!



pinwheels! after Aidan saw this he wanted to know how to make one too. then Kiara also wanted her own. it was a good thing supper was yummy leftovers and just needed to be microwaved. that and soccer being cancelled.

i also have enjoyed adding ink to my photos. you can see it in this photo too.



this was the best title i could think of at the time. i thought it sounded old-fashioned.

i was so happy to learn that the old music paper from October Afternoon can be cut into 6x6 sections without sacrificing any of the paper. very cool. now it actually looks like a page from an old book!!



LOVE the new Maya Road tags. and their newest flowers. and the Bazzill bling button. and the pins. and the keys. okay. every little thing on this page is something i totally love. no doubt it won't surprise you that this was MY most favourite page i created yesterday!



the photo edges were sanded and inked. who needs photoshop?! ha!! no i wouldn't go that far!



i picked up the Tim Holtz pad of paper twice before buying it. on two separate days. it is the only product i have purchased that even made Kris impressed!

i brought out every {almost every} masculine embellishment i could think of. or find. still it is missing something. more paper from the pad? the cards were from Daisy D, but i inked and painted them with rock candy paint. then i dropped ink on them. maybe some tin from 10SecondStudio? or some embossing? to make up for it, i added some journaling. Aidan has a very special relationship with his dad. he may very well follow in some of his Dad's footsteps too.





then i got super duper simple. Basic Grey meet October Afternoon.

and My Mind's Eye. and Making Memories.

this layout surprised me the most. even with the cutting, it was still the fastest layout of the day. usually the simple layouts take the longest for me. maybe it just comes down to practice?



for me, it was hard to just stop here. i kept thinking of adding more.

maybe it's the title that does the trick?


today i am making flowers. and trying new techniques. nothing larger than that. this is the perfect way to spend a rainy day. the kids have been so cooperative too. being stuck indoors, they have re-discovered toys that have been forgotten in recent days. i love win-win days like this!