News To Share

Hello everyone. I realize I haven't been around posting for a bit but it is because I have been working on trying to start an online store.  A place where I can sale the things that I create.  I am hoping that there are people that don't craft that will enjoy having these unique treasures in their homes.

I will be selling my handcrafted cards, custom designed T-shirts, designer coasters (all handmade), my decorative message socks and coffee mugs that can be personalized just for you.

Anyway to celebrate my grand opening (not sure when) I will be giving away a box of my goodies along with a couple of gift cards just to celebrate this new adventure I am about to take.  It may only last a week or two weeks and that is sad to think about but I guess I will be okay with it.  I hope you guys will stop by when it does open.

I will continue to participate in challenges and I will always end my days with creating something to share.  Another reason/excuse for not blogging is I have been preparing for an upcoming craft show/farmers market and haven't had time to do much else.

Well that is finally over and here a couple of photos from the event.  The weather wasn't very conducive to an outside show...it drizzled and rained most of the time and the wind made it impossible to keep things properly displayed. But being the soldier that I am I stayed until enough was enough.  Perhaps the weather will be friendly for the next show (I sure hope so).

Just to say how strong the wind was, my blue tablecloth would cover the entire front of my table and actually touch the ground, but on these photos the tablecloths appear to be wrapped around the table and they were by the wind.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon.

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Be Safe, Stay Healthy and Craft Happy

Pretty in Pink

Spring is such a beautiful time of year, especially when it is right after the cold, dreary winter storms and such. April brings forth all the soft wonderful colors Mother Nature has to offer just in time for Easter and Mother's Day. When I think of Easter or Mother's Day, I imagine the soft pastel colors such as pinks, blues, greens and yellow. Today I'd like to share a card that represents these colors for Mother's Day.

To create the card and box I used paper from Prima's Rose Quartz collection and flowers from both Wild Orchid and Recollections. I created the focal point by adding patterned paper adhered to a white matte that I embossed using a Dove Craft folder, and then cut a central piece with a Spellbinders die. I used words generated from my computer as the greeting and lots of pop dots to add a bit of depth. The final card size is 5x7.

On the inside I followed the theme of the front of the card and left the oval blank for a personal message.  The hardest part of this card was trying to figure out how to arrange the flowers without interfering with the greeting or the intricate details of the die.

I find with flowers it is much easier to use a box especially for mailing to ensure everything remains in tact. The box is decorated using the remaining paper and a bit of lace and stickers.

That's all I have for you today. I hope this has inspired you to get started on your Mother's Day cards so when it arrives you can sit back and relax.

As always thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Be Safe, Stay Healthy, Create Happy!

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

The Paper Players - PP:435 Tic Tac Toe (4/5)
Crafty Friends Challenge - #106 Use Spring Colors (4/3)
A Gem of A Challenge - Anything Goes
Polkadoodles Crafting - Anything Goes

Early Start On Mother's Day

I prefer getting a head start on my orders and projects so I often create deadlines, just so I not have to work under pressure anymore. I spent most of last year doing just that, working under pressure. I seem to produce more when there is some stress. Perhaps its because when you're under pressure you tend to stay more focused at the task at hand.  This year I've decided to work smarter and keep stress at an all time low. This is the plan but of course some of your "best laid plans" can fall short.

For Mother's Day this year, I am officially giving myself a head start with my greeting cards. I haven't made a card for a couple of months, because I was busy learning new things and moving in a total different direction. Just hoping my mojo and creativity will kick in and make this effort worthwhile.

Because it's for Mother's Day, I can add all the frills and flowers that will fit...so some of what I share may be a bit over the top for me. 

So here is the first of many that I would like to share.

The card is 5x7 and uses Graphic45 Time to Flourish collection. I used a Spellbinders die to create my focal point adding a few Recollections flowers and pearls.

The box was altered to match the card using the same paper collection. I added a space for the recipients name and adorned it with green pearls.

That's all I have for this post and now its back to the work table to complete a few more cards one at a time.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie - #113 Cookie Challenge (04/04)
Cute Card Thursday - #575 Feminine (04/04)
Daring Cardmakers - A Special Lady (04/05)
Cut It Up - #170 Flowers (04/03)

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Be safe, Stay Healthy and Craft Happy

In With The Old

Well I have finally found my way back to my blog with something to share. Sometimes I lose my mojo because my thoughts get focused on my medical problems and its hard to be creative when you can barely breathe or you tire so quickly all you want to do is sleep. My saving grace is knowing that this too will pass if I just keep fighting and believing.  Lately though I've been trying my hand at anything related to crafting to include sewing. Anyway I am rambling so moving on with the purpose of this post.

During a purge in my garage while looking for a pot I knew I had, I found this photo frame along with a few others and I decided that I would keep at least two or three because they were in pretty good shape and had a bit of character.  So today I spent time in my craft room dusting off these frames, adding glaze, and even a bit of painting. I managed to finish one of them and decided to share with you.

And I decided that there would be no photo in this frame...nope...this frame would hold a message. I used my Cricut Maker to cut out the words in vinyl and then add them to a backdrop to fit the frame.

I added a bouquet of flowers in the corner to represent the blooming of new life that comes in the Spring. The hearts while symbolizing the words also came in handy to cover a few spots that I couldn't get rid of :). I love how this one turned out and am excited to start on the other two.

I know this post was rather short (bet you're glad) but I hope I have inspired you or made you smile.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

As always thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Be safe, stay healthy and craft happy!

World of T-shirts

I recently posted that I had ventured outside card-making and found myself in whole new world of fun and creativity. I now find that I spend more time in my garage then in my craft-room these days.  I keep my heat press in the garage because it does heat up quite quickly.

I am so excited and can hardly contain myself so I figured I would share and ask if there were any others out there are into creating things that require some type of vinyl. I'd like to chat and get some ideas.

For now I am going to share what I've been into.

Item TS-0012   $15

This little T-shirt is purple with clear rhinestones that says it all. I love the words and adding the rhinestones turns this T-shirt into an eye catcher.

For every person out there that has retired and is glad to be retired, this particular t-shirt is definitely for you. I smile every time I read it.

Lastly is the t-shirt for the woman that is proud of herself and what she has accomplished.  This one has different colored rhinestones making this t-shirt pop a little more than an ordinary t-shirt.

Trying to come with images and words (funny or not) isn't always easy but think with a Cricut Maker and some vinyl you can take any thing you see, do a little redesign and turn it into a t-shirt that can be worn.

Well, my friends I just wanted to share with you all but I don't want to bore you any longer, but beware I will post again in the near future.

Thanks for stopping by and chatting with me.

Sending hugs from Texas

Be blessed, Stay healthy and Create Happy

~Lesia

Cricut Maker Addiction

WARNING!!  POST IS LONGER THAN NORMAL.

OMGoodness!  It has been forever since my last blog post and I am surprised that I found time to even post today. So what has been going on with me...well first of all life has consistently interfered with things I wanted to do and forced me to deal with it.  But some good has happened over the holidays.

I started a low-carb diet and lost almost 20 lbs in 8 weeks (yeah) but gained 6 over the holidays and just recently started to lose it again. I joined the YMCA and am part of their Silver Sneakers program which has led to meeting new folks that are closer to my age.

Most exciting is my new Cricut Maker!!! This machine has expanded my horizons and the possibilities are endless.  Not only can I create cards of all types, I can do home decor, apparel and it will even cut wood. This machine is the best thing and I am so addicted to vinyl and iron-on these days that I sleep, eat, and dream of vinyl.

I've also been introduced to etching and doing photo transfers to wood, ceramic and canvas. When it comes to crafting and DIY I am all over the place and loving every minute, although it has taken control of my life and time. There have been days where I forget to do simple things like check the mail and sometimes even remember to eat.

Let me share a few things I have created with you. Mind you this is only a sample of what I have designed.

Hopefully you can see the word "Gratitude" that I have decorated this little jar with. Those are Q-tips inside and for some reason I thought they would make it easier to see the design.

Next we have my customized pillow. A neat idea was to purchase some Christmas pillows once they went on sale at 80% off and then simply cover them with one that I designed myself. This way I have a beautiful pillow throughout the year and at the end of the year I remove the cover to display my safely protected Christmas pillows around my home.

Lastly, I want to share a black T-shirt I picked up at Joann's and designed it for my grandson's basketball team. Wasn't sure how to do this but I got it right and had such fun figuring it all out. 

Creating, cutting and adding your designs to all types of substrates just creates a world of imagination and possibility. There is that sense of pride as well when you get it right and you know it (smile).

To build on my newly found talent I decided that a  "Heat Press" was necessary if I planned to continue to grow and expand my creativity. 

Just another machine to learn but I look forward to it and I'll post more as I go along but if I forget please check out my Facebook page to see more of my creations.

Thank you for stopping by. 

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia