Full Moon, Flowers and Love Potion 31...

From the first day of January 2014 to the last, was one long "full moon"...one crazy mini drama after another. Throw in a extra mega drama and that's how the New Year started. I don't know if that is the way the next eleven months are going to go, or if  things can only get better.

All of a sudden it's time for Valentines Day. I had great plans for Valentines cards and tags...I managed to get two tags done...

I get to spend next week in the flower shop designing flowers for the big day. The week will be one big blur by the time we get to Friday. A florist job it to make other peoples holiday special. This is where I remind you all to CALL YOU LOCAL FLORIST for your floral needs.

My sweetheart has already giving me my Valentines gift...a large container of Baskin Robbins "Love Potion 31" ice cream...it's mental health survival food for the holiday.

The man knows the way to my heart!

The most wonderful time of the year?!?!

Ti's the season for being extremely busy...and NO I'm not ready! And YES I have been busy, decorating for Christmas...which didn't get done, making divinity, shipping packages, making and sending cards, decorating the tree, wrapping gifts and shopping for stocking stuffers, working at Scrapbook Barn, free lancing as holiday help at the flower shop and teaching classes. I haven't had a day off in weeks. I have promised myself I will start earlier next year.

I have been teaching an Heirloom Tag Class at Scrapbook Barn...these are the tags for Christmas...

The angel tag is a re-mix of a Christmas card I made a few years ago...

The lady on this tag reminds me of a Poinsettia...

Of course I had to get some Tim Holtz onto the tags...the red glitter paper reindeer is from his die cuts...

All the tags are made using distress ink.

Flowers, Thrift Store and Mother's Day

I have spent the last three day's designing flowers at a local florist for Mother's Day...
11 hours Thursday...
12 hours Friday...
and today...only 9 1/2 hours.
I know you are asking..."didn't she tell us way back in January that she was getting out of the floral business?" You're right... I did...I'm now what is officially called "holiday help". So I pull out the tool bag...sharpen my knife...and design.

I did finally come up with a glimmer of an idea for a Mother's Day card.
Scrapbook Barn got the new line of "October Afternoon" double sided patterned paper. It's called "Thrift Shop". The designs look like something you would find on a visit to a secondhand store. I used "Needs Paint" and "Complete Set" The vintage look went well with the old advertisement for aprons that I found on Flickr. I used the new Tim Holtz "Bundled Sage" distress ink...
some Ric-Rac and ruffled ribbon and some Prima flowers.

Have a wonder for Mother's Day!

BUSY...BUSY...BUSY

I'm sure I have annoyed many friends and family members lately...they say they check my blog every day to see if I have posted something new and wonderful..only to find the same thing as the day before. I'm not trying to disappoint them...but I just don't have that exciting of a life to blog about!For the most part, when I blog about the garden, flowers or the cat...it is a sure bet I can't come up with anything more interesting. Please refer back to the posts about how busy I have been...you think I make this stuff up?!?! I haven't had time for exciting or interesting. This past weekend I taught back to back classes at Scrapbook Barn...the Heritage Workshop and a new class, Beginning Scrapbooking...these classes don't just plan themselves! These I want to make interesting and exciting. To make it more of an adventure...my wonderful Canon printer stopped printing the color "BLACK"...I didn't know printers did that! As far as making Mother's Day cards...I don't have a glimmer of an idea...I may have to go buy some. And speaking of Mother's Day...and we were...I've been asked to design at a Flower shop for the holiday. Like I said...BUSY!

Oh by the way...When you order flowers for your mom for Mother's Day...don't order them on the internet...please call a local florist !

Just in time...

Easter cards were made and in the mail...it came down to the last possible moment, but I got it done. I didn't make as many cards this year...because I started them so late.
I used the Karen Foster Easter paper...if you saw the paper you know how cool it was. The image of the girl in the Easter Bonnet is from Suzee Que (Flickr) and I think the chicks are from Dover.

I got a phone call earlier in the week asking me if I could come and help design at a flower shop for the Easter holiday...so I have been playing with flowers.

Have a wonderful Easter!

A Short Busy Month

Yes, yes, I know I haven't blogged in over a week...and I have heard the complaints! For a short month February was very busy. I did some holiday designing for a local flower shop. Valentines is such a big flower holiday, shops call in "holiday help". I had never worked with the other designers...but we all knew some of the same people...so that was fun. As soon as Valentines was over I brought out the box marked "tax stuff"...must get all that organized...not fun.
Mom stopped by and spent the night on her way back from Tucson to Flagstaff...and all that snow! The grand kids spent the night...that's always an adventure. And Tucson Sister (and my niece) came up for an afternoon.
The exciting part of the whole month was starting my new job at Scrapbook Barn.

All the ladies there have been great help breaking in the "newbie"...
Each day has been different from the other...which makes it fun and interesting. I started just after CHA, so I get to see...and put out, all the wonderful new scrapbook products...I want it all!
I will start teaching my Heritage Scrapbooking Class in March. The first class will be Friday the 12th of March 4:30 to 6:30. This is the class with all the information you need to get your ancestors out of the shoe box and into a Heritage Album. You can call Scrapbook Barn to sign up. Friday the 26th of March 4:30 to 6:30 is the Heritage Scrapbook Workshop. Bring the project you are working on ...learn a technique, and receive some coaching to help move your project along.
March is already looking like it will be another busy month.

Ch-Ch-Ch-CHANGES

The news stations reported this week that 20,000 people lost their jobs in January...I was one of the 20,000. I received a phone call from my boss at the flower shop where I design on the 3rd of January...he said he was closing the shop. That was it...a flower shop that had been in operation for 52 years was dead. Which meant I had to go looking for a job! Over the last year and a half I have seen other florist in the area lock their doors and walk away. Whether it's the economy, grocery stores, or the Internet , the floral industry is dying a slow death. There are a lot of designers looking for a job and I had joined their ranks. I sat down at the computer and punched up my resume, made copies and headed out to find a job I knew probably didn't exist.
As long as I was making a change what did I really want to do?
On the first of February I started at The Scrapbook Barn...not only do I get to work there...I get to teach too...and that's what I really want to do!

P.S. Please support your local florist! Stop looking on the internet...pick up the phone and call them!

Mother's Day WEEK

Happy Mother's Day!
No I'm not lost...I have spent the last week in the flower shop designing floral arrangements for the holiday. It's not as crazy as Valentines Day, but it runs a close second. Hope all you Moms had a great day!

PS: Thanks to Suzzee Que on Flickr for the great image I used on my Mother's Day cards.

Valentines Day prep

I got called in to working extra days this week at the flower shop. The preparation to get ready for Valentines Day is nuts. If you every want to see organized chaos, visit the workroom of a flower shop the week of Valentines, just stay against the wall or you will get run over.

I have been making Valentines Cards...yup, lots of pink! I am about finished with those and in the meantime I'll post some of my past Valentine cards until the "big unveiling" of this years. But remember just like the Christmas cards...they do improve over the years. This is one of the first Valentines Day cards that I made. I used a vintage Valentine post card, scanned and printed. The darker red background had the look of a handmade paper that had been covered with lacquer.

The 7 Gypsies are still in the sack waiting for me to come and play.