P is for Paper

I am a Paper Whore.

No! It's not a bad thing. At least I don't think so. I collect paper. Paper is so pretty! Paper is good!

Really now, I am an avid scrapbooker. Am I great? No, but I aspire to be. So I had to have tools of the trade. I would get at least 2 of every paper I liked. You have to have a couple to do a two-page layout. Add a couple more for those unpredictable mistakes. On top of that, the stores have those wonderful collection sets with all the mix and match papers to make a scrapbook a coordinated work of art. Now I don't even have to take a shower or fix my hair to get my paper fix. There are hundreds of outlets on the Internet.

After having shelves full of stacks of paper, I am now introduced to digital scrapping. Now I get a digital fix of my favorite papers. Heck, I can even make my own. Now I have external hard drives on my shelf. Takes less space and I never run out of my favorite pattern.

I know I am an addict. But I have yet to hear of a 12 Step program for paper addiction. When there is a program, call me. I'll be at the local craft store!

C is for Catastrophe

We are at C for the A-Z Challenge. There are lots of great topics, but the best one for me today is Catastrophe. We all have done those cutsie projects with toddlers. I am no exception.

I found this great Easter bunny project to do with my 3 1/2 year old grand daughter. Many thanks to It's Always a Party at the parkers for the wonderful idea. But sadly, our execution was lacking.


We decided to make just bunnies and not use cupcakes...wrong! There is no support. If we had just made the faces it might have worked. We were so diligent in putting the bunnies together.
But catastrophe happened when we got to the ears. A 3 1/2 year old wants to put it together. She doesn't care as long as it looks like a bunny. And she did a really go job till they started to fall over. "Mawka, the bunnies are dead!"

We were able to complete a dozen of the bunny creations. Do they look perfect? Maybe not. But when you get to be a part of making a memory with your grand daughter, it doesn't get any more perfect than that!

BuildASign.com Review

I was so exited to be contacted by Melissa at BuildASign BuildASign.com. I was offered a personalized item of my choice to review. Well, since I am organizing a family reunion, I thought this was a no brainer. I ordered the 3' x 5' banner.


And WOW!!! It is perfect.

I love the easy to use design tool. I went to Vinyl Banners and the design tool let me construct my banner with my own logo that I designed for the reunion. Be prepared to adjust your image when you order a large item, such as a banner. Melissa at BuildASign was extremely helpful. She notified me of the need to readjust the pixels on my design in order to view a clear image on my banner.In reality, so many companies don't care after you click that submit button.

The banner is made of a very durable vinyl. It has grommets on both the top and bottom corners for easily securing the banner when using. As a mom, everything goes through the "kid" test. I let the grand kids tug and pull till they are tired. The banner survived better than the kids.

There are so many products available. Whether you are an artist or a dreamer, with the versatile design tool, the designer in you is easy to find. Be sure to check out BuildASign.com. I strongly recommend them for all of your sign printing needs.

Scrap Book Layouts

I LOVE to scrapbook! I have been working on some layouts to put on ETSY.

I hope you enjoy them.

Check out my new crafting blog to see more!

Crafts By A Mother's Touch

Weekend Recovery

I had the busiest weekend imaginable! I had 5 of my 6 grandchildren staying with me. They range from 5 months to 5 years in age.

Can we say CHAOS!!!!

Not really. I love spending time with the little critters. I am just not as young as I use to be. We made valentine cards, decorated cupcakes, played soccer, watched a movie, decorated a valentine choo-choo train (edible of course), read lots of books, took lots of pictures, and somehow managed to get in 3 decent meals a day.

I found a great deal a week ago. Gingerbread train kits that sold for $10.00 at Christmas time, were reduced to 99 cents. So I picked one up for the kids to decorate as a valentine train. The kids don't care what holiday it is supposed to be for...all that matters is that they get to make a mess decorating something . And the magic perk...they get to EAT it!

The finished project!

Malachi and Ethan eating as much as they decorate!

Ireland and Elijah hard at work!

Little ZoZo just waits for her next feeding with lots of smiles for Mawka!

All in all, the weekend wasn't so bad unless you consider lack of sleep a problem, the noise decibel of a freight train irritating, or the constant demands for a drink of water or a drink of milk a problem. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! The privilege of being such a big part in these little lives brings so much more joy than the few inconveniences.

I look back on my family growing up, and realize that there was so much love and enjoyment that my own parents could have received in their own lives if they had given of themselves to their grandchildren. Nothing beats hearing the excited scream when you open the door, "GRANDMA!" or "MAWKA!"

And when all is said and done...there shall be peace!

A New Month

Hi all,
January came and went like the wind. Still trying to adjust to the major loss of my sister. Everyday gets a little better, but then there is always a song lingering, waiting to punch me in the gut. So here goes February...

I have received my new book to review. It is a children's book, so I am waiting to read it to one of the grandkids. It looks like an enjoyable book.

I have already started my Christmas gifts. I found a great deal on unfinished doll furniture for my grand daughters. So I am going to paint and embellish them for the girls. If I get really energetic, I will actually make a dollhouse...yeah right!

This is the dollhouse furniture!

I am organizing a bunch of pictures that I took over the last month. I will post some of them here at a later date. I have purchased an At Home Studio package to enhance my photography interest. My poor grandkids are going to be my test models. We'll see how that turns out!

Wish me luck!! I am kind of embarrassed by the weight I have gained over the last 15 years. So before I hit 50, I want to take some of it off. New year, new me kinda thing. So I am taking baby steps. Start every day with breakfast! I could go for lots of things, but think I will stay with good old fashioned oatmeal. Thank God I love it. And it is good for me. I start something else tomorrow...maybe exercising! :o)

My biggest project to date is organizing our family reunion. I expect it to be a large affair. Everyday I find a new contact. Now comes the time for the nit picky details in order to pull this off. I am so excited to meet all of these new people that I call family and friends.

Hope you all have a great February 2011!