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

Little Witches

It's a BOO...TIFUL day and soon the goblins and little witches will be roaming the streets chanting their warnings for all to hear as they go house to house ringing doorbells and knocking on doors.

When you hear the words "Trick or Treat" remember to have the candies ready to give and don't be afraid of these creatures. They are adorable and just having fun being kids.

I have two cards to share with everyone and I hope you like them. They are part of my Little Witches series and I think the images are adorable.

On this card I created a hidden message using the bat shown on the front right. The hidden message can also hold a gift card behind the fence (can't see slots) and then slid back in place hidden from site.

The image is a really old Magnolia stamp and I have no clue the name of the stamp. The paper is an old DCWV paper pack that it was in my stash. Other items used include dies from Tim Holtz, Frantic Stamper, and Cherry Lynn Designs. Embellishments are Recollections flowers and Offray ribbon. I used Copic Markers to color my image.

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

The Crafty Addicts - #53Anything Goes/Spook it Up (11/5) (111)
The Paper Shelter - #359 Halloween (11/29) (29)
Crafty Creations - #377 Anything Goes (11/12) (95)
Moving Along With Time - #83 Halloween (11/6) (21)
Crafting With An Attitude - #44 Anything Goes (11/28) (245)

My second card is another one from the Little Witches series.

For this card I used an image from Mo's Digital Pencil titled "Little Witch" and colored her using Copic markers.  The cardstock and paper is from Paper Studio and the flowers are by Prima.

I used a Die-namics die to cut out the cats, and the Tim Holtz Bat Fence die. This was a super easy card to create using only paper and a bit of coloring. 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Creative Moments - #155 Anything Goes (11/6) (47)
Crafty Gals Corner - #177 Halloween Colors (11/5) (48)
Craft Rocket Challenges - #53 Autumn/Halloween (11/27) (203)
Crafty Catz - #435 Anything Goes/Twist (10/31) (30)
Colour Crazy Craft - #43 Colouring Challenge (11/5) (19)

Thanks for Stopping By

Remember to Be Safe, Stay Healthy and Create Beauty

Sending Hugs From Texas

~Lesia

The Arrival of Autumn

First things first...

Congratulations to Joyce! 

You are the winner of my Craft Spinner Giveaway. Please contact memascrafts2@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Has anyone noticed that the leaves on the trees are slowly changing into an array of vibrant earth tones, swaying on the trees as if to sing a song.  

I do love this time of the year although my allergies do rise. Living in Texas I don't get to see much of the beauty of Autumn, but a trip to North Carolina (home) erases all the pollution and noise of the city and rewards me with clean crisp air, tree-lined roads that curve in and out.  

Autumn announces its arrival with cleaner air or at least it seems to be cleaner. I love the cool mornings without the humidity and the evenings are perfect for a cup of tea. This is the time of year when you let the outside air inside and if I were home (in N.C.) I would wash my linen and hang it out to dry rather than use a dryer. Nothing better than falling asleep on fresh cool sheets. 

Yep this is the time of year when I really start to miss home, but fortunately I can visit for a week or two. here and there.

To celebrate this season I do have a simple card to share and I promise this post will be a short one.

I used My Mind's Eye designer paper and Bazzil card-stock to create this card. The image is a really old digital image I purchased a long time ago so I am not sure where I got it.

I used Copic markers to color the image, and Recollections/Prima floral embellishments.  I used Spellbinder dies and Martha Stewart punches to create the waved edge, the stitched oval and the scalloped oval.  Lastly, I added ribbon, eyelets and a sentiment to finish this card at 5.5 x 5.5.

I'd like to enter these challenges:
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Fall Is In The Air (10/6) (62)
Crafty Gals Corner - #175 Anything Fall Goes (10/8) (101)
Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes (10/25) (30)
DLART - #235 Fall Colors (10/24) (4)
Cute Card Thursday - #550 Anything Goes (10/9) (25)
Crafting With Attitude - #44 Anything Goes (10/27) (10)
Craft Rocket Challenges - #53 Autumn/Halloween (10/25) (15)
As You Like It Challenge - Favorite Season and Why (10/9) (47)

Well that's all I have for tonight, short as promised.  Thanks for stopping by.

Sending Hugs From Texas

~Lesia

Be Safe, Stay Healthy and Craft Happy