How to Make a Vision Board

 This past January I had the idea of making some Vision Boards to help keep me on track of my goals for 2017.  I invited some friends over for a Vision Board night and we had so much fun encouraging each other and working on our boards.

I had so much to "say" in the form of magazine photos and words that I ended up making two Vision Boards to include everything!  One is for mostly for my home and family life and the other reflects my creative and crafty side.  :)

To keep them from getting ruined, I bought some frames at Michaels to hang them on the wall in my craft room and keep me inspired.

To plan my Vision Board Night, I bought a foam poster board for each person and some glue sticks.  Then I cleared off several tables for us to work on.  Everyone brought magazines to share that we used for cutting photos and words from.  I also had some scrapbook papers for the background.

Here we are pouring over magazine photos and ripping out pages.  We shared our goals with each other so we could help one other find the pictures of what we liked.  It was fun because we would find cute ads and then ask each other things like, "Who wants to be thin in 30 days?" 

 Once we gathered enough photos from the magazines, we placed them onto the boards and started gluing them down.

Everyone finished their board in a little over 2 hours.   They were so much fun to work on together and to share our goals with one another.

Some of the girls had more photos and some, like my friend Julie, had more words.  It just depended on what people were looking for.  There aren't really any rules.  And if you don't have any goals, it's still fun to cut out photos of things that you like from the magazine, sort of like an "All About Me" page.

Each person's board was so creative.  And so much like them.  At the end of the night, we were all proud of our work! 

Would you like to make a Vision Board?  They are really very easy.  And you could even invite some friends over to work on it with you.  It doesn't have to be January for you to set goals.  :)

 And guess what, I've found that I have actually been accomplishing some of my goals for this year already!

Let me know if you make one and how it comes out. 

Winter Outside, Spring Inside

This morning I started out wanting to make a spring Easter-looking table runner.  Ironically, I have another day off from work due to the Blizzard of 2017.  It's snowy and the wind is howling but I'm warm inside making spring items and taking out the Easter decorations!

 Last week while I was in Joann's just buying a spool of thread, I couldn't help walking by the new Easter fabrics.  They were so spring-looking with their beautiful pastel colors.  I noticed the sign that said they were on sale, so I stopped to talk a closer look at them.  Hmm, what could I make?

Just then one of the girls who work there said that all fabric was an additional 20% that day.  I guess that was all that I needed to hear and started putting fabrics into my cart!

Once I got home, I wasn't sure what I wanted to make with them.  So I looked on Pinterest, and saw this angled table runner.  I didn't have a patterns, so I took out some paper and worked a little with the angles to make a template.

I quickly cut out some of the fabric and "whipped" this up this morning.  I just love how it came out. I added a quick Easter decoration, and already the house is looking pretty spring-like!  Now I need to make more of them for the remaining tables and counters in my house.  Too bad it's back to work tomorrow! 

What To Do With Strips of Fabric

A friend of mine recently had some surgery and I wanted to make a little something for her.  While I was getting my steps in and doing my daily walking at Hobby Lobby, I noticed this really bright and cheery fabric that was on sale.  Of course, I had to get some! 

The first thing that I did was to cut it into strips.  Then I had the idea to make a couple of cosmetic-type zippered bags with it.  There's no sense in just making one, so I made three of them.  I lined them with felt and it was just the right thickness to make them sturdy without being too stiff.  I just happened to have zippers to match on hand, so I used those.

I was going to sew small tabs on the sides of them, but was sort of in a hurry and decided against it.  Now I wish that I had taken the time to do it.  I think tabs make the zippered bags look more finished.

Then with some of the remaining strips, I sewed this hexagon centerpiece.  Can you see the flamingos in the fabric?  I just love them!  I think it came out so cute.  So cute, that I went back to Hobby Lobby and purchased more flamingo fabric!  I'll take that out and use it on another day.  :)  Stay posted.

Staying Warm During the Blizzard and Finishing Up Projects!

Okay, so I'm not really one for blizzards, especially in March!  Today is my second day off from work and I am enjoying having time to finish up some of my projects. 

I started this throw a couple of years ago and although I used to do a lot of crocheting, I don't do much anymore due to some problems with my hands. 

Over the years I've made a number of afghans using the ripple stitch, however this time I used 2 strands of yarn throughout, rotating the colors to give this throw a variegated look.  I saw this idea in a book from Vanna White and thought that I'd give it a try.

In this photo you can see it better.  Each time that I changed a color, I crocheted in the back loop only to create a raised line to give the pattern some interest.  The edges were a bit curly so I crocheted a few rows around the entire blanket and that made them lay flatter.  The outcome: a beautifully warm and oh, so soft throw to put on when I sit to watch tv in my family room!

Here's my view while I'm finishing it up!  Don't you just love finishing up old projects?  What sort of things are you completing that have been sitting around for a while?

Succulents are Everywhere!

When I first looked at the new Occasions catalog that Stampin Up puts out in January, my eye was immediately drawn to the Succulent Garden page!  I've seen succulents in the stores, and they are everywhere!  To think that I could make some myself was very exciting to me.  (This may not seem too exciting for you, but for a crafter, it's like paper-crafting heaven!)

Here I am using the Succulent Frame dies that I cut out with my Big Shot.  I have to admit, making them is a bit time consuming.  But the reward is worth it! 

My friend, Kathy, making succulents with me, was loving it just as much as I was. 

I picked up this frame, it's about 10" square, at one of the craft stores last week.  I think I was at Hobby Lobby but I'm not sure.  I just knew that this is what the succulents would look good in.  Another friend, Cindy, suggested that I put the lace in it and I finished it off using an image from the Layering Love stamp set.

I just love how it came out!  Now to just find something else to put succulents onto!  :)

Avant Garden Card Set

Today I had the day off from work due to the Blizzard that we are having here in upstate New York!  I've wanted to work with this Avant Garden set for a while and I was so glad to have a couple of hours to play around with it!

I started out making the Card Holder using the Envelope Punch board and a 9" square sheet of designer paper.  I chose the Carried Away paper in the Sale-a-Bration catalog.  I added a thin band of designer paper in gray and then tied a ribbon around it.  Using the sayings in the stamp set, I made a circle flower and added a saying next to it.  This is so cute, it can be given as a gift! 

Then I added a couple of pretty cards that matched using Watermelon Wonder and Peekaboo Peach cardstocks.   I got the idea from stampinbj.com.

I also used the Delicate Details from Sale-a-Bration to add a line on the edge of the cards and give it some visual interest.  I love how these came out and the bright and happy colors that I used.  It brought some cheer to this bleak, snowy day.  :)

Hope You're Feeling Special Today

This week I made some projects using one of last year's stamp sets that I never got to use, A Nice Cuppa.  

I started with this cute tea pot card and took out the saying,"I hope you're feeling Special today... because that's just what you are!"  I made this card last year at a fellow SU demonstrator friend's house.  I modified it just a bit to coordinate with the Succulent Garden designer paper colors.

Next, I made a square tea cup card to match that says, "You are totally awesome.  And I am totally grateful."  I was feeling quite positive and I wanted to use some sayings that would make the recipient feel loved.

The tea-bag holder made with the envelope punch board was a quick and easy envelope that you can put in a tea bag, a small gift or a note to someone.   It says, "You are Tea-riffic."  Cute, huh?  I got my ideas from Belinda Blom and Pootles.com.  

Then I finished it all up with a large clothespin that I made into a magnet for the fridge that says, "It's a good day."  When I was all done with the projects, I couldn't even decide which one that I liked best. 

I guess I just liked them all.  :)