It's Over Now We Rest!

I am sure I like many find it a bit of a comfort and at the same time a bit of a let down that Christmas is over.

What even some of my close friends and family do not know about me is that I love to write rhyming poetry.

I do write and have written ones that do not rhyme but my most favorite are the ones that make you think and ponder upon something said that is....
Oh, quite familiar something you might hear coming from that cat with a hat and funny feet, the one that has stories about every thing you can think!
Who is he?
What is his name?
Well if you don't know you might not like what I write.
 If you don't like! I'll make you a deal.
You can shut your eyes tight!
Oh, yes I am for real!
I would never make you read something you did not like.
But if you are ready, hold on tight for a rhyming we go to a place many know!

A Christmas Sigh:

We have put it behind us.
The holiday that started with one small babe
That for some has become a day they would trade.
Mary and Joseph traveled far and in GOD did trust.
To bring the greatest gift to all of us!
CHRISTmas what does it mean now?
It used to be something for which all bowed
Has it become something we dread?
Or does it come from a list in your head?
Is this what christmas has become?
We will no longer worry which gift is right for whom.
Or which one would like bottle of sweet perfume.
The tree stands bare, with no presents under there.
The time to finish it was close with not much to spare.
The holiday tables were gracious.
Gathering with family in places so spacious.
The children are happy.
Santa came and made it snappy.
They got what they wanted most
And now for the adults its time for a post
Very long Christmas nap!
No need to disturb with a tap.
Your toys you have to keep you busy
If I don't get a nap I shall become quite dizzy!
It's over,
It's done,
The clean up has begun,
Put things away for next years day
With hopes that we celebrate in a whole different way!

This year has really made me stop and think about some of the things we all rush around and do for Christmas. I have made a promise to myself that I will not do to myself what I did this year and run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to finish things at the last minute. Most of those being things I was making for people.
I have decided what I am making already for several people and I am going to do them, get them finished so when it comes that time of year I can sit back and enjoy putting up my tree and everything else I enjoy about Christmas!
I think for me it was stressful and hard because I didn't leave enough time to do something I love dearly, cooking! I have all the ingredients for several things I wanted to make and did not allow the time to do them. Some might not understand this but for me it is very important to be able to get my holiday cooking done. Without it I feel "my" Christmas was incomplete. Another thing that blocks what it really means? Maybe but it if is what makes me happy and it takes away my joy of Christmas, I view it not as something that takes the place of but adds to what Christmas means to me! I will change what I can change and what I can't GOD will help me through. I miss you Daddy! Christmas is not the same without you!
Thanks for reading.

Those Hours You Never Get Back!

Those hours you never get back!!! Ahhhh...if only we could list those with our days.

Woke up early this morning with the world full of good intentions.
HA you know the saying about those though!

I thought I would take a few moments to write a short blog since I didn't leave you anything yesterday.
I was wrapping presents all day. And no I am NOT done! I barely made a dent!

But anyway, I sat down, cup of coffee in hand and clicked on the Internet only to find that things had gone array! I could bring up one page but then not the second!

Well I am working on only barely a six month old computer! So whatever was wrong was a gonna be fixed toot sweet! Considering what I paid and how many pages I was used to having up at a time to do what I normally do.

Well after an eight page long chat (I know this because I printed it out) with HP I thought the problem was fixed! Well guess what, there the bugger goes again! Oh, I couldn't get that ID # typed into a new chat window fast enough! After about another hour, a new browser and what seemed like a person on the other end that had better things to do I can now pull up multiple pages at one time and not have them all appear in a different window instead of along the same tab!

So now that I have left you with that to ponder and have wasted 3 hours of my day I suppose I should get up and WOW it is 10:25 am more like time for lunch instead of time for breakfast!

Oh well, I am starving so I am going to find sustenance and get on with the tasks at hand.

Oh, and I have batteries for my camera again so I can take pictures of what I do today and show you all what I am making while I am working! Aren't you just so excited you could jump for joy? Don't answer that because I am not sure I can handle the honest answer after the morning I have had. lol

More later.....

Blue Jean Jesus: A Jesus For Today's World

I have a picture of this quilt on a post I made a WHILE back but I never really told too much about it. I have more pictures of it now and thought I would give you all a better idea of what was going on and where it came from.
It came as a result of a gift that was given to me by my cousin Lacey while she was attending college. She was in a theatrical group at the time and a Jesus like my quilt was part of that "show".

She made a smaller version of that Jesus for my Grandmother for Christmas that year and everyone had a total fit over it and asked her to make them one. Including me!
So the next year to all of our surprise we got them for Christmas! I cried much as writing the story makes me do now. I am not sure if she will ever know how much that small gift meant to me and I keep it where I can see it daily and can think of her each time! She has married and moved to Tennessee now and it is all the more important to have something close to me to remind me of her. Now all I have to do is get at least one piece of Ashly's work!

The next year I had her name for Christmas and since she was still in college I thought I would make a blue jean version that she could hang on her wall. Imade it on a 16"x20" canvas. It was a lot of work but turned out better than I had hoped it would. I hope she really liked it.

From there I started thinking larger and decided I wanted to make that same design into an art quilt.

Hence Blue Jean Jesus: A Jesus For The World Today's World.

I had already made two blue jean quilts one Queen sized and the other a King. We weighed the King size and I was wrestling 10lbs worth of fabric under the sewing machine each time I sewed a new row of stitching. That project spanned two Christmases for my Sister and BROTHER-in-law and then the next Christmas they asked would I make one for his parents. So I had plenty of scraps to choose from to begin. Not only that but I had jeans donated to me as well from a lady my BROTHER-in-law had coming in his place of business that was a missionary to Mexico. They had gotten a bunch of blue jeans they couldn't use for whatever reason and she knew he was looking for more because of the project I was working on so she brought them to him! It was great because then I even had some different shades mixed in! And although I have not shared a lot of it on here those who are close to me know that I am a big recycler or anything I can make into anything else! So this kind of re-purposing was right up my alley!

Story aside now that I have rambled forever! I will tell you how I started the quilt.

I started with a HUGE piece of poster paper I acquired from somewhere and began to draw.
After that I started cutting away the parts I would not need to leave only the parts I would need in the darker part of the blue jean.

This is the image I drew and cut out from poster paper to transfer to my pieced blue jean that was darker in color. This is what layers over the lighter on the back.

Before I post another picture let me tell you how you need to construct your sheet or full piece of fabric from scraps. Selecg colors darker than what you will use for the background of the face, as close to the same tone as you can. It will make a difference in how it looks in the finished project.

Before you begin cutting these pieces from the blue jeans I recommend you buy a cheaper pair or scissors like the $1.99 pairs you can normally find at Hobby Lobby because when you get done with this project you will be lucky if they cut paper!
Another hint is get the heaviest needles you can. There are jean needles but for this you may find you will have to use what they call duct needles or leather needles. The heavier duty the better as long as your machine can handle them.
Also you need to get the orange/brown thread used in blue jean sewing. It will cost more and there is less on a spool but after sewing as much as I have on jean material I count this as a valuable hint that no one ever gave me!
Trust me you will be better off! I promise! You know this is what I always say so it must be true!

Sew them together to form a sheet of blue jean fabric. Follow the natural placement of how the fabric is wanting to go together, in other words do not force seams. You will have puckers and have to go back and take them out. If you have a ruler and a marker you can avoid this happening by drawing straight lines along the edges of all your pieces before sewing them together.
Another step but worth the hassle in the long run.
After everything is sewn make sure all seams are ironed flat on the back and then turn over on the front and press well with a heavy starch. You can follow this same method for constructing the sheet for the lighter colored jean material.

Now you are ready to get started with the drawing of the face onto the back side of your sheet of fabric. 

Whichever way you decide for you Jesus to go remember when you turn it over on the back to flip the image over to trace it or it will not face in the direction you had intended.

After the image is transferred you can begin cutting the image from the fabric.

This image will then be placed over the lighter sheet of jean.

By trial and error I can help you out a little. I tried to adhere the darker to the lighter with fusible web. This is too hard! It doesn't want to stick simply because you are dealing with too thick of materials for the heat to transfer either one together well.
I recommend you pin and pin GOOD! If you have enough pins in something it is not going anywhere.
I have so many friends that tell me "I don't even own pins!" I ask them how do they possibly ever sew anything straight?

Adopt the mantra "Pins are your friends!"

After you have amply pinned all your pieces together, take a deep breath, sit down at the sewing machine and conquer that monster of fear that says "You can't do this and I WIN!". I say, "Stomp that monster like it is under your foot between your pedal and your foot!" And in my case my bare foot. I can't stand to sew with shoes on! I joked and said I was going to call my business Barefoot Sewing: Curl Your Toes Around Some String!!! I thought it was funny anyway!

Now for another picture!!!!

Since I wasn't smart enough to take pictures of this project as I went and I am not about to make another one right now for blog purposes you will have to imagine each piece as it goes together.

This picture is at the stage where the back is sewn to the front and the crown has been cut, sewn and the beads have been glued on. Actually if you get right down to it, everything was done because this is the finished project.

The crown of thorns was cut from random cuttings of a small piece of very light jean I had. All I did to achieve this was take a pair of scissors to it and start hacking away in a wavy pattern. Then I laid them where I wanted them in a haphazardly manner and then ran them back and forth under the sewing machine doing forward and backwards stitches to keep from having to take it in and out. I made long rows of stitches where I could as it made it easier to get more of the strips sewn down so there were less to worry about holding down or getting tangled in directions I didn't want them going in. After I cut all my strings where I had picked up the presser foot and moved to another area and assessed where I needed to stitch more. You can tell there are areas that have no stitching except for where they intersected another piece. You want this so it looks more natural like the actual crown of thorns would have looked. It was rough and jagged. That is how Jesus got all the cuts on his head and why we see him with blood trailing down his face in pictures.

I chose to use glass beads for my blood. I had every intention of sewing them on by hand so they would never come off. But as luck would have it by the time I got to that part of things there were too many layers of jean to put a needle through to sew them on. So I went and found a good fabric glue and used it VERY generously and so far I have had no problem with it staying put! I have taken this to several shows and it has hung on exhibit. So if you do it right with glue I think it should be pretty durable. This is only if it is to be used as a show or art quilt. I can't vouch for it as a usable quilt.

These are all close up looks at how I did the bead work and the crown of thorns.

I faced out the sides with pillow ticking in a red color and around the patch with the actual Jesus on it I have some very dark jean material that it was placed on to stabilize the entire piece of work.

For the backing fabric that I cut big enough to be my binding for the front I chose Augsburg. I stitched from the front to the back around the facial features to give the face more dimension. This is not something you have to do but you do need to find a way to adhere the front to the back since this will not be quilted.

This is the picture you saw in the other blog I included it in. This is how the face looked when it was done.

I hope you have gotten something out of this today and if you have any questions about how any part of this was done please ask and I will be happy to answer your questions!

Also be sure to look for me on Pinterest. @ http://pinterest.com/candielous/

Something was wrong with the HTML so I wasn't able to place a button. Hopefully the link will work instead! If not you can find me by candielous!

Happy Crafting!

Pinterest and Me

There is a wonderful relatively new site for posting great things and saving pictures called Pinterest!

If you are not on Pinterest you need to get there!

That is if you care anything about saving things you find on the Internet you think are cool and would like to go back to again.

Want to know another cool thing?
Well I am going to tell you anyway!

Because Pinterest is so VERY cool they fixed to where you can have people follow what you post!

So if other people are finding cool things you are not you can find what they find!

While I haven't fished around on there enough to post my own pics (to come soon) I use it at least two or three times a week and I am sure as I get used to it being there it will be even more!

If you are a crafty person like me you can get a lot of great ideas for things to make that you haven't thought of yet or many times I see something that will spark me to think of something completely different that I go to work on!

So if you want to look for me on Pinterest you can find me at http://pinterest.com/candielous/ I have a few things on there so far and plan to have many many more.

It is a work in progress. So you can set up an account now and add me and come back to see what new I have added.

I am actually going to go back and try to pin some of the pictures I have already posted so people can pin those to their accounts!

The one thing you need to know about Pinterest is that you have to either know someone on the site already or you have to request an invite from Pinterest. I hear there is a waiting list but I am sure that process doesn't take that long.

It's something you are sure to like! You'll see I promise!

I will take that as a compliment!

For those of you who know me well you know it is a dream of mine to write my own cookbook.

A little history some of who do know me might not know about me.

I won my first and only ribbons in 4-H for two recipes at the age of I believe 10 for coconut macaroons and deviled eggs. The ironic thing about that is my mother won with the same recipe for macaroons at about the same age in 4-H and we never thought about it until years later. The funny thing is neither of us can remember ever using that recipe again after winning each of those awards! I don't even know where it is. However, even though I do not use a recipe for my deviled eggs they are a request when I am going to be bringing food at any of my social gatherings!

That was just a little background on how long I have been cooking. My Mother is a very patient person in the kitchen when it comes to learning! Every question I had she answered, every mistake I made she could tell me why, every time I needed to know how to do something I had never done before I could go to her and she was my answer.

While I still rely on my Mother when I get in a bind or need a question answered I have gotten a more adventurous side in my later years! I will now try something without a recipe just because I know those flavors will compliment each other and will work together.

So many people are so afraid to go out on a limb like this! It constantly amazes me how people ask me, "Well how did you come up with that?" or "How did you know that was going to taste good together?" to which my answer normally is "I didn't know it was going to taste good?" or "I came up with it because I wasn't afraid to try something different?"

My motto is if it doesn't work the way you tried it don't do it that way again! Nine times out of ten even if I don't like the way it turns out everyone else does and it gets eaten but I still change the way I do it the next time! That is all about learning to be a "good cook"

Something else some of you might not know about me was I was able to cook full meals from scratch by the age of 13. When I say from scratch I mean fried chicken, homemade cornbread, peas from freezer to table, buttermilk cakes that would make your hurt yourself or someone else trying to get to another piece, the whole nine yards. This is just a short list.

 I had supper ready every day by the time Mom and Dad came home from work and keep the clothes clean and the house as kept as I could. I was never asked to do this I just did. I also kept my homework done and my grades at  more than a passing level sometimes higher, I wasn't that huge a fan of some aspects of school. The appreciation of school came with later years.

Why did I learn to do this at such a young age other than having a willing teacher? Because I loved to cook and still do! I hope and pray this is a love that never goes away! It is a very strong passion of mine and I hold being known as a "good cook" in very high esteem! While I still have not realized my dream of producing a cookbook Mother started me on my way a couple of years ago for Christmas she made me a binder with pages in it to divide my recipes up and cards for me to record new recipes. So it is still a work in progress and still a dream.

Today however I received what I consider to be a very important compliment!

While I am not professionally trained as a chef and most likely never will be my cousin Justin is. We had our family Christmas today on my Father's side of the family and I chose to carry macaroni and cheese, a cheesecake pecan pie, and brownies (my uncle Lenard's favorite).

Justin's wife Misty is the one who issued the compliment. I didn't hear it but I heard about what she said from two different family members!

She wanted to know who made the mac-n-cheese and asked for whomever it was to give the recipe to Justin so he could make it in the restaurant!

This friends took me a little aback!

I told my aunt Martha that I would have to tell him what I used because there was no way I could tell the amounts with as much as I had made for today. All I could do was tell him how to make it for a crowd!

See I do a great deal of my cooking by taste and memory so when it comes to giving someone a recipe I have to really pay attention the next time I make it and measure things out so I can tell them how to make it properly. This can be really hard for a cook that is a cook by taste or memory. This is also what I run into for recipes to but in the cookbook.

But having her say she thought her husband needed to serve mac-n-cheese just like mine in a restaurant made my day!

Let me see if I can give you a list of ingredients if you need to make mac-n-cheese for about 25 people I guess is what this would serve, maybe less if there isn't as much food as we had today to surround it. lol

Three packages store brand mac-n-cheese with the pouch cheese not powder
I jar of processed cheese
I stick of butter
3" chunk of Velveeta cheese cubed
2 cups sour cream
1 lrg can evaporated milk
little salt
little pepper
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheese for topping
I put in Mrs. Dash Herb and Garlic JUST A DASH
Disposable 4" deep metal pan with lid

Cook the macaroni until it is a little over done

(if it needs to be drained you can or you can turn it off before it is actually done and let it absorb some of that liquid. This is my preferred method.)
Sauce:
Start by melting a stick of butter in a sauce pan that is big enough to hold about 4 cups of liquid or more for stirring room. Once the butter has started to melt you can start adding the Velveeta cheese. Let that start to melt as you begin adding in the pouches of cheese from the mac-n-cheese. Add some of the milk to make it a little more smooth and then add in the cheese from the jar. You may not need the entire jar, I used about half the jar. Let that get well mixed and then add in the seasonings and more milk. If everything is well combined add the sour cream and rest of the milk and stir until all are blended and everything is warm.
Place pasta in a metal pan and evenly distribute over the length of the pan. When the sauce is ready you can poor it over the pasta. Use a fair amount at first, mix and then asses as to whether you will require the entire cheese mixture. I had a little left over. This is good in Mexican casseroles too or Chicken Cheese Spaghetti!
Sprinkle top with grated cheese and cook in a 350 degree oven until the cheese on top has started to melt and the pasta has heated through. About 30 minutes. Do NOT let the edges start to brown because that is cooking too long and the pasta will no longer be as cheesy as you want. Serve hot!

I don't have a picture to go along with this but when all was said and done and there were two different dishes of macaroni present my pan was half empty!

If you happen to have questions about this recipe just post a comment and I will try and answer everything I can. It's Good! and as I always say "You'll See I Promise!"

What I said I would do and a little Christmas too!

In explanation. That last blog was written Monday night. My last post where I said I would be more diligent was Sunday morning. This week has been crazy and I have found it very hard to sit and write in the evenings after sitting in front of a computer for many hours of the day or busily working with other things my job entails. In short the week was tough and I was really tired! lol....

However, I will be off starting today through the New Year's holiday! Woohoo Go me!
I thought what I would do was go back and catch up on some of the things I have been working on and show you pictures of those things.

I have a lot of things to make and finish before Christmas so I will squeeze this in at break times away from the sewing machine or glue gun.

I know you all will understand well at least those of you who are following me for now. Or those who know me in person because many of you know how hard I work and how little I rest!

So....more later. But maybe I can find something to leave you with now just to wet your whistle.

Yep! Found something! Since Christmas is upon us and I have never blogged about this little quilt I made last year I decided I could show you how this one progressed before I go start the day of sewing and whatever else oh yeah cooking for tomorrow begins.

This is a design I came up with myself for a nine block pattern quilt with stripping in between and along the top, bottom and edges. Don't ask me to name it because I don't have a name. lol Well maybe I can name it. I was reading back over before posting and I came up with a name! Dance of the Evergreens!

This is the finished quilt. Well the pieces quit that is. I haven't finished it out and had it quilted yet.

This is what I call applique the easy way! I taught a class on this during a program we held at the public library. It wasn't for this particular pattern but the technique used to create the design.

I am going to add each block so you can see the detail of each one as they go.

This was the most difficult one I tried, It originally had a curl at the top but it wouldn't work when I stitched it so I had to modify the pattern.

I started each block with a paper design. 

Then transferred that paper design to the back of fabric that had ironed on fusible web ironed on. It is easier to draw your pattern on the fabric once it has been ironed because you are drawing on paper.

The trick to remember with transferring your patterns to the back of the fabric/paper is that if a design is supposed to go a certain way you need to revers the pattern or when you turn it over to iron it to the block it will be backwards from the way you intended it to be. Don't worry, I warn you because I have done this before myself. You know what they say about the warning labels on appliances! There is a reason for them! Someone actually caused that warning to be there because they actually did what it warns against. Case in point. So if you do this count yourself lucky if you have extra fabric because it happens. 

This design by far was the hardest to sew and to figure out the placement. 

I had the most fun with this one! I don't know why but it was so fun to me!

This one reminds me of the topiarys you will find beside many doorways.



I loved this one too! It reminds me of a log cabin. My aunt and uncle live in one so it made me think of them when I was making this block. Not to mention if you decide to do this one not only in the reds, pinks and greens like I did you can use scraps! Especially for this design!



This last one was just a little fun design I thought would be easy to stitch and would give a short squatty tree.



Never let it be said that I didn't leave you with something to ponder. I am not leaving you with a pattern. I do realize this is what many would want but that is to come later. First of all I have to learn how to link a pattern from page to page then I have to decide if I am going to give this one away or if I am going to make it into a pattern for sale or let you all have it for nothing. We shall see. More later. I hope you enjoy!

It ' s 10 pm do you know where your icing spatula is.?

When just a little while ago you were up to your elbows in batter for cupcakes and cakes, you now search drawers and cabinets for the one tool to finish the job! Your kitchen is a mess, the stove top now needs a good cleaning but the cakes and cupcakes are all done and cool and screaming for their ICING!
Yes I could use a piping bag and tip for the cupcakes and I shall but to make quick easy work of the cakes I need my spatula!
As I search thoughts of how someone has hidden the object I seek begin to surface. Not only that but the tune to a very popular Christian based cartoon with vegetable characters begins to play! The tune was a little different. It went a little something like this;
Oh where is my spatula? Oh where is my spatula? Oh where Oh where Oh where Oh whereeeeee is my SPATULA? Characters exit stage right.
Before I had a chance to launch into the next tune of loss from a long running and also very popular TV show taking place primarily in a corn field where someone is lost and a loved one is search in, I found the spatula!
Antics over and all songs sung the cakes are iced and ready for the eager hands of the best group of kids I know! Boy Scout Troop 27 of The Louisiana Purchase Council!
The things we aunts, moms, dads  and other volunteers do for the youth of America! However, time spent molding these young men is never wasted!
Time has proven that Boy Scouts of America produces leaders! If you are curious just look into the backgrounds of some of our Nations presidents! Well since some of you never will I decided I will give you that background myself. This information comes straight from the website I list below. To list a few I will begin with the names of presidents you are sure to recognize then a bit about Roosevelt and how he basically brought the Boy Scouts of America into the White House if you will. The list of presidents you will recognize who were scouts; George W Bush, William H Clinton, George H W Bush, Ronald Reagan, James E Carter, Gerald R Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Truman and last but certainly not least we have Roosevelt. Here is a little commentary on what he did with his time as a scout leader.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945


President Roosevelt was the first to enter the White House with a record as an active Scout leader. He was president of the Greater New York Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In 1934, hundreds of thousands of Scouts assembled to hear President Roosevelt’s broadcast appealing for help for the needy. They responded by collecting nearly two million articles of clothing, household furnishings, and other items for disadvantaged families. When FDR died in 1945, he had a 24-year record of service in Scouting.

“As one who has been interested in Scouting over many years, it has been most heartening to have so many evidences of the practical values of Scout training. We must remember that next to active military service itself, there is no higher opportunity for serving our country than helping youth to carry on in their efforts to make themselves physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight, and prepared to help their country to the full in time of war, as well as in time of peace. We must make sure that those volunteer agencies, which are supplementing the church, the home, and the school by providing programs that will help equip the present generation to cope with life problems in the difficult days ahead, are maintained to their maximum capacity and effectiveness.”

I am proud to take even a small part in Scouts and also proud to say that our family boasts five generations of Scouts under the same pack number 27! I don't know of many families who can say they have a history in Scouts with the same number going back that far! Not only do we have that history but my sister married into a family that her husband is now a second generation Cub Master and has now moved to Scouts as his boys have gotten older and is now an assistant Scout leader. Not only does he play an active role there but my sister does as well. They are there rain or shine and so are their two boys who will soon be 12 and 13. We all hope they both stick with it long enough to make it through to Eagle Scout level as this is such a prestigious honor held by only those who take it seriously and who know its importance!
While I may not play as much of an active role as my sister and BROTHER-in-law...I do have a shirt with al the proper patches (the required uniform) and am a registered member of the Boy Scouts of American. I make sure I keep my status up to date and do whatever I need to do to assure that if I am needed I can be called upon at any moment to show up and help wherever I can.

I encourage you if you have boys to get them involved with this organization! There are so MANY great values they learn that I couldn't begin to explain how it could profoundly change their lives and mold who they become. Never was a smarter parent that becomes an active part in their child's life! God gave your those children trusting you would take care of them! It is your job to trust he knew what he was doing trusting you and also trust him to guide you in the way that you should go in all that you do with your family and your lives.  *steps down from soap box*

If you want to take part in Scouts or have your boys take part contact your local troupe for more information. Or go to www.scouting.org.

If there isn't a troop in your area maybe that is where you are being called to serve? There are young boys out there everywhere who need positive role models to follow! Many youth in America come from broken homes and have no comparison or a male figure. You could possible become that guide in this very important way!

A New Look!

Well now that I have spent the better part of an hour and a half giving my page a new look I think I shall start my day and finish the project I started yesterday. Homeade Christmas cards to send to friends and family. I am crazy about owls! So when I found a cute little owl stamp with a santa hat I knew that would be my Christmas card this year. I printed them on left over card stock cards from another project and will use the envelopes from that project as well. Sealing them on the back with a sticker. I'm off to take pictures and finish the project. More later today! :)

These are all the things you will need to get started.
Some things pictured are things that didnt work out in the long run. I will get to those as we go along.
White cardstock cards (whatever size according to your envelopes)
White envelopes
A black ink pad
Acrylic clear stamp pads
Clear acrylic stamps
Scratch paper or cards
Glitter (I used Martha Stewart glitter and glue)
Fine tipped glue

Before you begin make sure you have all your supplies around you and have plenty of room to work. This will be important once you begin and start the assembly line process for making your cards.

This give you and example of how important it is to have scratch paper or extra cards around so you can practice and see how things will look before you put the stamp down on the cards that will be the finished product.

If you have all your supplies about you it is easier to stamp in a assembly line fashion and with fewer mistakes as you go. You will probably be surprised how much quicker the work will go if you do all of one thing to each card you will print instead of trying to place each element on the card at one time. I have found that I tend to get less bored with the process and make less mistakes when I place all of one element and then go back and start with the next. Not to mention you are cleaning your work space as you go. How you say? Well, when you have placed all of one particular element on your card you are done with that tool and can put it away in it's proper place for use another time. Therefore, you are adding more space to your work area as you go! You'll see I promise!

Always make sure to place your stamp on the pad evenly and to press all spots to get even ink coverage over all the stamp. With acrylic clear stamps it is easier because you can see through the stamp and many times can tell how much ink is already on the stamp before you even lift from the pad.

Place the stamp where you want it to go. In this case in the upper left corner. Don't press until you are sure you have your fingers in the proper places to get an even stamp.

Next you will go with the owl and use the same method as with the above stamp

After stamping all of my cards I decided my color elements would come from colored pencils. This is a finished card after I added the colors I wanted.

Now for what not to do and where the Martha Stewart glitters came in. While I love her glitters and in my book they are about the best ones on the market the lines in this stamp were just too close to use even her fine tip glue and have a clear image. I had in my mind just how I wanted this to look but when I tried it you see what I got! So I will stick to using these wonderful glitters with larger projects. If you will notice on the right hand side of the glittered card there is another don't. I started out with a copper colored stamp and while it was very pretty and nice and sparkly you couldn't see the image clearly enough to make out what it was. That is why I moved to a black stamp. Brown would have worked nicely as well.

The only other element I added to these cards is on the back of the card I stamped handmade by yours truly. I took a trip to Micheals today and found a perfect little stamp that said just that! I bought it for only $1.00 and know it will be used for many things to come. To finish the cards I will sign them with a red felt pen, address them, place a sticker on the back to seal and send them off to family and friends!
I hope you have gotten something from this little example of a little handmade goodie from Candielou!
See Y'all next time I promise!

It's Been A Long Time

Perhaps you could say this is a New Year's resolution before the New Year comes?
I don't know? What I do know is that I should have been writing all along. I come
in contact with too many people each day that want to know, "Do you have a blog?"
or "Do you have an Etsy store?" or "Do you have any of your patterns online where
we can do the kinds of things you do?".
Well currently the answer would be a flat out NO to one of those I don't have patterns
online so all you guys can do the kinds of things I do.
Yes I DO have an Etsy store however,
I currently have nothing for sell there.
YES I do have a blog, candielou-randcomrantsincreativity.blogspot.com.
Now the question will come...
"When are you going to sell things in your Etsy store?"
Well that takes way more time than most people realize!
You have to take the pictures,
write the descriptions and put all of the required things online. And since I am so close to
the end of 2011 now I figure why not start fresh in 2012 so I won't have to worry about
things for taxes in 2011.
So in short look for things in 2012!
Patterns online for things that I make?
Well I am not sure about that one....
From time to time you may see things here but since those are mostly original designs
they are things that I could also have on my Etsy store. I will have to give that one some
thought.
And the blog well of course that is where the New Year's resolution comes in
before the New Year starts. I am going to try and be better about writing and posting
pics for 2012 so you guys won't have to ask so many questions and I can direct you to
where I am and what I am doing.
All I ask is that you be a little understanding of my 40 hour a week and sometimes more
work week and not hold my feet to the fire if I go a few days without writing!
I went through and updated my picture and added a little more about myself to my profile.
So now that I have given you my plans let me see if I can give you what I am working on today.
Hope you like what I have to offer!
More later.....