Smile Therapy

So last week was a tough one in kindergarten! The excitement of being back to school (yes, they were excited to be be at school!) had worn off and we were back to business as usual. The kids were stir crazy from no outdoor recess-- no outdoor anything thanks to the rain-- and kids were moving their behavior clips faster than you could blink. I took the opportunity to share with them something I heard about on the radio years ago (and if you hear about it on the radio, it's definitely true, right? AND it has been confirmed by the internet! DOUBLY true! lol.). I told them about Smile Therapy. Yep-- Smile Therapy-- the very act of smiling itself makes you feel better. :) So, sometimes, on the way to school, sitting alone in my car, I will just randomly smile. For no good reason other than to just feel better. Try it! It really works. I'm not kidding-- look it up... it's true-- it's on the internet. lol.


And speaking of smiles, this paper from Close to My Heart, called Flirty, really makes me smile. I love the bright colors. The layout is from this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

Here's the sketch:

Thanks for taking a look! Don't forget to take a little time-- or a lot of time-- to smile today!

Materials (all CTMH):

Paper:  Flirty patterned paper, Colonial White cardstock and, Flirty Raspberry cardstock

Stamps: Flirty Workshop on the Go stamp set

Ink: Chocolate Exclusive Inks

Other: Clear Sparkle Gems, Flirty Chipboard Complements 

You Warm My Heart

It has been so cold and rainy here in Northwest Georgia, that when the sun peeked out on Friday I couldn't  believe it! My students could hardly remember what to do during outdoor recess (they figured it out!). Despite all of the recent gloominess outside, there have been a number of friends and family members that have definitely warmed my heart and made me feel loved. We all need those people in our lives, don't we? Here's a card for one of those special people.


I used the Mojo Monday sketch (Argh!  Linked it twice to Mojo Monday-- sooo sorry!!) for the design of this card, and the Heart2Heart "Cocoa" challenge for the color inspiration.

Materials (all Close to My Heart):

Patterned paper-- You and Me, Elemental (both retired)

Cardstock-- Cocoa, Colonial White, Smoothie

Ink-- CTMH Cocoa Exclusive Inks

Stamps-- A Sip

In Love with Avonlea

Tonight I am sharing a few cards I put together using the Avonlea card kit and some additional Avonlea patterned papers. I am totally in love with the colors and patterns of Avonlea. I think they are so beautiful and sophisticated. The sentiments in the stamp set are perfect for so many occasions and are just timeless. I really enjoyed creating these-- I hope you will like them too.

Whooo's Your Valentine

Here are a couple of creations inspired by the CTMH Whooo's Your Valentine kit. The plaid is retired CTMH paper called Roxy and the card and treat tube have roses created with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. I love valentines, roses, pink, hearts and owls (owl stamps come with the kit!!), so this package is right up my alley! I plan to fill this treat tube with Hershey's kisses. :)

Here's some information about the Whooo's Your Valentine kit. You have to see this video if you haven't yet-- there is some seriously crafty goodness going on here!

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing one of your own-- only available through January 31. :)

Bits and Pieces

Well, friends, it has been a loooong time since I have posted here. So much has happened-- surgery, pneumonia (here's to good health in the New Year!), Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and a million other things!  Needless to say, my crafting time has suffered. Well, I am getting back in the swing and it makes me feel so good to create something pretty for someone else to enjoy. It really is a worthwhile form of therapy. :)

January is a great time for new beginnings! It's also a great time for Thank You notes! I never seem to have enough of those. I took a few minutes and went through my scraps and bits and pieces of paper and embellishments and decided to put together a couple of thank you cards. Hope you enjoy them.

The rose image is a CTMH Complements sticker from the Roxy collection.

All materials except ribbon are from Close to My Heart.