Let Your Heart SOAR!

I may have failed miserably at my 30 day challenge of things I love, but I DID finally complete this collage! And...I must say I LOVE it! My life has been quite stressful this past month, so this was my escape. I got lost in a sea of *delightfulness* and tuned out all that "other" ugly stuff. You should have seen the mess I made! In my world, one cannot be creative without making a huge mess. It also forced me to organize my studio, which is spread out between my office and guest bedroom. I dug through plastic storage containers and boxes and the stuff I found that I forgot I had make me scream with joy! BEAUTIFUL fabrics and books and patterns to inspire and cure whatever might ail you! Now, if I can just calm myself from the circuit overload I'm feeling and move on to the next project, I'll have it made!

The idea for this collage came from my previous post about the layered heart. It just reminded me of a kite and I envisioned a smaller version being flown by a paper doll! This paper doll is an original, not a copy, from the 50's or 60's I'm guessing. She even has an old piece of cellophane tape around her wrist, which looks like an ace bandage! I pretty much covered it up with her kite string, though.

Isn't she the sweetest thing?

She's flying her *heart* kite and letting it *soar*

The sun is vintage flocked wallpaper and half a doily I spray painted.

I found these letters in my stash and wired them together with rusty wire. 

There are so many fun elements to this; paper, fabric, ribbon, lace and all sorts of little doodads!

I had so much fun with these little houses. Just snipped paper in various sizes. The windows are plaid ribbon!

Even added a little *doodle* here and there!

Oh, that tiny ric rac!

The finished project!

I hope you let your heart SOAR!

Layers of the Heart

Just want to wish all you love bugs a Happy Valentine's Day! I will be attempting red velvet brownies here in awhile. I was supposed to make them yesterday for hubby to take to work today, but my yesterday was not a good day. I was in my office until 7pm, so nothing creative got done. I hate when that happens!

This morning I did finish my layered paper heart. For some reason it reminds me of a kite. I would like to fly a heart shaped kite. Hmmmm....I'm having a light bulb moment!

The tissue ruffle is made from an old pattern!

Love the touch of  *BLING*

Layers of Paper Embellished with Various Ribbons and a Dash of German Glass Glitter!

Anyhoo...enjoy your day with your loved ones. Eat a cookie or some chocolate and do whatever brings a smile to your face! I'm thinking those red velvet brownies are gonna do it for ME! *Twinkle*Twinkle

Sweetness in a Jar

I've never tried baking in canning jars until now.  Let me just say...FUN!!!

This is a recipe I found online @ http://ourbestbites.com/ and it should have been baked in 4oz, wide mouth, half pint jars, for ease of eating, but I figured anyone would be willing to "dig" for this sweet treat!

Ok...let's get started, shall we?

Basic Ingredients

Mixing Cocoa and Flour

Melted Butter and Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Added to Flour/Cocoa and Mixed

Poured into 8oz Half Pint Jars

Into the Oven They Go

Meanwhile...Pepperment Ganache

To DIE For!!

A Layer of Ganache After the Brownie Cupcake has Baked and Cooled

Frosted with THE BEST Whipped Cream Frosting I Have Ever Made!

Not Too Sweet, as Not to Take Away from the Ganache and Brownie

Now, I did not have the proper piping tip, so it's not as pretty as it could have been, but...who REALLY cares, right?

Ok...so the pic isn't great, but I could hardly contain myself waiting to inhale that bite...

Oh, YEAH!

Labeled and Lidded

for

My Sweet Little Friend, Anya (6yrs old)

Some Velvet Torn Strips, Ribbon, Tinsel, Bells, Sprigs of Greenery and Berries

And

Ready for Gift Giving!

Try it. You'll LOVE it!

Merry Christmas!

Stitched With Love...

Back in 1990, I stitched this intricate cross stitch (of which I need glasses to read now) for my now deceased mother-in-law. I wanted to do something for her with all the grandkids names and birthdays on it. I was fairly certain at the time there would be no more, so I was safe to proceed.




This is done on aida cloth and I don't remember the count, but it's the tiniest before you reach linen. I would love to do something on linen, but I know I'd go blind and no pair of readers could help out of that mess. It's a creamy background with beautiful shades of pink, green, blue, lavender, and yellow. The 10 grandkids are in chronological...youngest to oldest from left to right. I guess you can tell that by the dates, but not sure they show up in the pics. I signed it down in the corner...how the heck did I manage that?

I love the wooden frame, but back then I wasn't as creative as I am now. I have evolved, as some may of us have. It's a natural progression. I took the finished piece and just stretch it over a piece of matboard and some stuffing. Glued it on and then glued it to the mat opening. The problem was it didn't quite fit, but I knew mom would love it unconditionally. And she did.



In 1995, she passed away from lung cancer and so the stitchery was given back to me. I greatly appreciated it since I had put so much love and time into it. Somehow it got lost in a box somewhere with other treasures(I know...hard to believe)and I just came upon it a few weeks ago. It warmed my heart to see it, but that gap around the the mat and the stitchery made me NUTS! I couldn't believe I could do that being the perfectionist I am...or thought I was. So, I dug through my big glass candy jar of ribbon and found this luscious pale green ribbon with just the right curl to it. Out came the got glue gun and "viola" problem fixed. I must say, I am very happy with the results.







My only decision is where shall I display it now?

Collective Hearts

Three days til Valentine's Day. Never really been a fan of the actual day in the past. Not crazy about the Kay's Jeweler's heart necklances or the insanity at the card counter in Target. I think it goes back to the day, many moons ago, when it fell on the same Sunday as the Daytona 500. My husband could not be torn away from that race, so I took our kids and went to a movie...huffin and puffin the whole way!




Well...guess what? It's that year all over again! lol I've grown up a lot since then and I'm over it. Now, I just enjoy the beauty of the celebration. Miss the days of sharing valentine's with kids at school and those nasty tasting candy hearts hoping I'd get the "love" heart from the cute boy who sat two rows over. It seems those days are gone forever, unfortunately, but I have found a new sense of creativity and so I share my Collective Hearts with you.




I actually made this a few years ago. This year I've had some health issues, so was not up to par. As I look at this collage, I chuckle at how far I've come since then in my crafting/artistic approach. The new techniques I've learned. But, it's always fun to look back, so we can appreciate the creative path we're on.




I made this collage from wool felt. It is all hand stitched. You really can't read the words, "Be Mine", very well. I was going to go back and do something to make it stand out, but just never did. I added bits of old hankies, lace pieces, and doilies. I love the french knots I did in the center of the flowers. There are silk ribbon flowers and even a cheesy looking fake cameo that I picked up somewhere that I could not resist! The buttons are from my grandmother's old button jar that my sister got, but she shared some with me. It's just filled with little doo dads I've picked up and pinned on. If you look closely, you'll see hearts scattered to and fro and within the hankies and lace. I left enough space so that I can add more along the way.



However you choose to spend your Valentine's Day, I hope you enjoy every minute of it. I will be hearing the roar of the engines in the background while I get lost in something I love to do...maybe eating brownies!