Emma's Paper Patch

i am here

2009-02-23T08:14:00.003-06:00

She gets up while still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

proverbs 31:15

hello friends. i am sorry for taking a break from blogging without letting you know. if you remember a couple of posts ago, i was struggling how to organize my life. i thought it was my right to be creating everyday all day long. i looked at it as that was my full time job. boy was i wrong. God showed me how wrong i was. you see, as a stay at home mom, i figured that i would always have time to do laundry, bills, mom things. this is embarrassing but i haven't cooked for my family for eight years. not daily anyway. more like once a month. i remember studying proverbs 31 a couple of years ago, but it didn't settle on my heart until a couple of months ago. the first of the year actually.

with the help of God, and a couple of wonderful blogs, i have started to find my way. my husband was teasing me that he was had more home cooked meals in the last two months than he has in the last 8 years. but he has really enjoyed everything i have made.

God has a lot of work yet to do in my life, but i am thankful for the desire He has given me.

in the next few posts i will share with you some of our favorite recipes and the blogs that have helped me in have the desire that God has meant for me to have.

take care and God bless
alissa

the simple woman's day book

2008-12-15T17:11:00.006-06:00

i found this wonderful blog this last weekend and noticed that she did a day journal every monday, so i thought i would give it a try. you can find more information here.

FOR TODAY December 15, 2008
Outside my window...the sun is starting to set. i see a little snow and it is cold!

I am thinking...that i need to make a dr. appointment. i have had face, cheek and head pain for a week.

I am thankful for...our warm home and clothing for this cold weather.

From the kitchen...going to warm up taco soup and fresh bread in a little bit for supper.

I am wearing...jeans, turtle neck, vest and a light weight jacket.

I am creating...an album for a girl that is getting married in our church.

I am going...to start purging our home of unnecessary items to make our life and home more simple.

I am reading...'having a real relationship with God' and 'the five love languages' for the two bible study groups i am part of.

I am hoping...for nice weather during the Christmas season so families can get together.

I am hearing...channel 32 'the message' on my xm radio, the dishwasher going, traffic going by our house.

Around the house...emma is on the computer, our boxer, jasmine is sleeping at my feet, dishes are done, and mail needs to be gone through.

One of my favorite things...having to not go anywhere when it is this cold.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
make Christmas goodies, awanas, church Christmas program, women's bible study, couples bible study, laundry, wrap Christmas presents.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

i am missing the nice weather, so i thought i would post a picture i took this summer.

i hope everyone is having a wonderful evening and God bless
alissa

it's beginning to look like christmas

2008-12-09T19:03:00.005-06:00

we finally put up our tree a couple of days ago. with just a hectic schedule, we just weren't able to put it up as soon as emma thought we needed too! of course i was inspired by her to make our tree topper, so our tree was topperless (i don't think that is a word but you get the idea) for a couple of days. i was finally able to get it finished tonight. I really like it! kinda looks like a huge flower. i am thinking about making a few of these to make a garland to hang on the wall. how cute would that be. my hubby will just shake his head and ask if they are necessary. Yep! they are!

i know i have neglected my store just as i got it started. just for your information, do not try to do something big like that just before Christmas...

i think i have to rethink my schedule. i don't want to neglect anything...you know, things like family, home, blog and etsy. i an going to try to blog one day a week, update ella & ruby's one day a week, and spend the rest of the time with family, friends, cleaning and crafting. if i don't do this i think i will start to feel overwhelmed. if anyone has advice an how to juggle your life, i am all ears!

hope everyone a wonderful week and i will see you next week.
God bless
alissa

local old fashioned christmas

2008-12-02T18:09:00.003-06:00

if you are from custer county you might want to check this out. i will be set up at the community center for a home based business/craft fair. hope to see you there!

God bless
alissa

hello. my name is alissa. nice to meet you

2008-11-19T06:56:00.009-06:00

boy! how does time fly when your busy...i can't believe it has been two months since i last posted. we have been trying to harvest. we are usually done by now, but with the rain, snow and the break downs, we have only started. ron and i celebrated our 8th anniversary last week, emma has a case of chicken pox this week , and i had a craft fair 2 weeks ago. plus, if you look to your right, i have finally got my etsy store started. i have changed my name to something i felt suit what i wanted. ella, was my grandmother and ruby, was ron's grandmother. it took a lot longer to set up then i thought. with the craft fair and my etsy store, 'worked' everyday, sometimes until 10:30 at night to get enough made. here are some pictures of my show.

i appricate everyone who visits, and i look foward to meeting and getting to know you.

i hope everyone has a great day and God bless
alissa

fabulous finds....at least in my opinion

2008-09-18T08:45:00.009-05:00

well, where as the time gone! i had planned posting a few days ago, but our internet connection was quite slow. don't know what happened but it seems to be fixed now. i came down with a whopper of a cold yesterday so here i am on the couch, passing the time blogging and visiting friends. colds always slow me way down, so i doubt i get much done other than what i am doing now :).

i wanted to shared with you some of the things i found this summer. i found a bag full of these packages of crepe paper at goodwill for a dollar! as you can see some of them weren't even open. i have never worked with this stuff and i have to say that i like it better then the streamers i use.

i also found this book of music at goodwill for $5. i had planned on tearing it up to use on my projects but i say the copyright date...now it has a home on our piano.

...the picture is bleary but i think it says 1880...

the next couple of items comes with a story. my hubby and i went to an auction this summer that had quite a bit of stuff that i needed (or wanted) to get. on the auction bill it had said there was old postcards. well, when we got there i started to search for what i was looking for. the auction had started before i had located the postcards. 30 minutes later, they held up a shoebox full of postcards. no one was bidding so as they came down to $5, i decided that i could handle that price if there was nothing that i could use. i got the box and when i saw what was on top, i was disappointed. lots of newer ones...til i went there about 40% then the good stuff was there. i have already filed away the postcards that i got out of the box. about 30 of them. but these little cards i thought i would share. they have bible verses on them...and as you can see they are pretty small.

these autograph albums were in the shoebox too. the dates range from 1903-1911.
one of my favorites pages says,'when you are at parties and don't get home til late, remember it is bedtime and don't swing on the gate.' lol!

at lastly my favorite find of the summer. my daughter, i and my husband found these bird eggs along our driveway from june thru august. my hubby even found a whole one for my collection.

i hope everyone has a great day and god bless
alissa

time for creating

2008-09-13T08:54:00.006-05:00

i want to say i am sorry for not posting all summer. i appreciate everyone that comes to visit and i feel like i have let you down. i am still try to get back to our routine since school has started. i have had time to create some things and thought i would share them with you.

here are a couple of plaques that i made to sale at an up and coming craft fair. they both have vintage wallpaper and postcards.

here are some banners.

this banner was made for a friend for her newly remodeled home. hi penny!

here are some charms that are waiting to be soldered. most are made from vintage wallpaper...the problem is that i think they are pretty just setting in the bowl the way they are, i don't want to do anything with them!

i did manage to get three soldered and made into necklaces. i had made on for myself, so emma thought that she needed one, and one for a friend of hers that celebrated a birthday. sorry for the poor quality of the photo. i am still trying to figure out my digi camera.

i still have some things to share with you but i will wait for another post.
everyone have a great weekend and god bless.
alissa

emma's birthday furniture

2008-09-04T19:13:00.006-05:00

Emma has been wanting a 'big girl' room for quite awhile. She has had a hard time cleaning her room because of all the stuff and no place to put it. So earlier this summer we purged out everything that she didn't want. then, I started watching out for some pieces that I could customize for her. These were the pieces i found.

This first piece I found at the sidewalk sale at a near by town. It came from an antique store and I was able to get it for $15. I thought that was a steal, despite the water spots and damage to the wood on top.

this piece I was able to get for $10 at my favorite place to shop. Though there wasn't much to it, i thought it would make a nice shelving unit for all of Emma's crafting supplies.

This is how that look now in her room. I still need to work on the glazing technique for furniture, but i guess she didn't think it was too bad.

You can't see it in this photo, but I put some pink and cream toile paper in the back and I used vintage trim on the edges of the shelves. The cabinet above was a old medicine cabinet with the mirror missing. I used vintage wallpaper, music sheets and some scrapbooking paper for a collage look. It is the home for her Precious Moments figurines that my MIL gives her every year for her birthday.

She was excited to see 'pretty, big girl furniture' when see came home form school on her birthday.

Well, I have plenty more to share with you. Since school started 2 1/2 weeks ago I have finally been able to get some crafting done. Let me tell you it feels so good to get back to it. I have sure missed being creative. I will share those projects with you in a few days....plus a few of my favorite fun finds of the summer. Until then have a great evening and God bless.
Alissa

my baby is seven

2008-08-29T07:13:00.003-05:00

Happy birthday peanut!!

p.s. I am so sorry for not posting much. It has been so busy around here. Now that school has started, our life will start to slow down. I have a lot to share, so I hope to be back next week. Have a great weekend.
God bless
Alissa

what i have been doing and what i have seen

2008-07-10T18:12:00.012-05:00

As you can see I have been busy traveling and not crafting! I hope everyone is having a great summer....I know that I am.
God bless and have a great week
Alissa

a short post

2008-05-24T11:52:00.003-05:00

I am so sorry I haven't been posting is awhile. Spring is always busy at our house hold. My hubby started planting his crops a few weeks ago between the rains. When it rains though, we try to get as much family time as we can. Emma and I won't be seeing him much when we finally dry out 'til November when harvest is over. We have been visiting family and friends and just doing a little light traveling to do some family things. We are leaving in a little bit to go on a ride, then off the Ron's grandpa's birthday party. I am sure we will be doing other things for the Memorial weekend so I an not sure when I will be able to post again. I do have a lot to share, but family calls. I will try again to come and see everyone next week and to share what we have been doing. I hope everyone will have a great weekend.
God bless.
Alissa

a sneak peak and a sign

2008-04-29T11:33:00.005-05:00

Apparently, spring is not a good time for me to blog! I can't believe that a whole week has gone by and I didn't post. Oops!
We have been having typical Nebraska weather the last week. Wednesday our county had tornadoes, golf ball size hail, rain and thunderstorms. Luckily, all we had was rain. Thursday highs of almost 80. Emma came home form school and immediately changed into shorts and a tank top. We ran outside that afternoon enjoying the warmer weather. Then, Friday morning we woke up to snow and slush! They say if you don't like Nebraska weather, wait 24 hours! This week is going to be no different. Highs in the 70's tomorrow, but a chance of snow Friday. I just wish mother nature would quit playing games on us.

Anyway, I was part of Heather's spring journal swap from Speckled Egg. This is my sneak peek of the one I sent to Kristin at My Polka-Dotted World. I hope she likes it. I saw sneak peek of the one she sent me and I think she got the short end of the deal...

I finally was able to get the top of the cigar box that tore off finished. This is the first thing like this I have made. Not quite sure what to think...i might have to change it again.

I hope that everyone has a great week, if I don't see you until then. God bless.
Alissa

a women's salad buffet

2008-04-21T19:11:00.007-05:00

This was our table.

We had our salad buffet last night. It was wonderful to get together with friends and eat wonderful salads! One of the best things to do is to walk around and look at the other table decorations. One had a disco theme, complete with wigs and clothes. What a hoot!! Another had a western picnic, with denim and rope. The reason I don't have pictures of those is that I didn't notice my camera battery was going fast. So you will have to use your imagination. Sorry!

Here is my daughter, Emma. I told her she had to wear her party hat all night. She was a good sport. She was even picked to draw the winning tickets for the door prizes that were given away, plus the quilt they had for a raffle. She did have fun!

Have a good evening and God bless
Alissa

one big post

2008-04-16T19:17:00.008-05:00

Talk about a hectic week! I feel like I have done a lot of running around without really doing anything. Here is what I did:
Friday - decorate for a salad buffet for our church
Saturday - Emma and I rearranged our living room, then off to the salad buffet
Sunday - out of town for a flea market...turned out to be kind-of a bummer
Monday - work at my paying job
Tuesday - meeting about insurance, and had our last stamping club meeting until August...complete with a dinner.
Wednesday - spoke at a Christians Women's club about my hobby.
whew!!
Well, I tried to have a 'work' day like I told you I was going to do. However there must have been other plans for me that I didn't know about, because everything I did went wrong. Sewing machine wouldn't work, glue was getting stuck on things that it shouldn't, kept dropping dinner on the floor (don't ask), and so on. You ever have one of those days? The last straw was when I was making this box.

It was going ok, until I started covering the inside and then I shut the lid...RIP...yeap the lid came off. So I sat there not knowing whether to cry or scream. When life hands you lemons...make lemonade. I decide it wasn't worth the stress, so I decide to make a wall plaque out of the lid and a shadow box of sorts from the bottom. However neither are finished at this moment.

Here are my new business cards, that I came up with today. I hope that they are easy to read.

This is the project that we made at our stamping club...wanted to do something simple, quick, and something to inspire us in our craft rooms. One lady said that hers should say 'help'. Cracked me up!

Here are a few finds at our hospital auxiliary sale. The set of 5 plates were my favorite. But of course, the vintage hats are well loved to.

Well, I better head off to check my favorite blogs that I have missed this last week.
Hope everyone has a wonderful evening and God bless.
Alissa

our spring storm

2008-04-10T19:34:00.003-05:00

Well, we always get one last blast of winter this time of year...so I guess this is it. It rained all night last night, then freezing rain and now snow on top. School was canceled today at 11:00, and they called it off for tomorrow. We lost electricity once for a couple hours, so hubby got the generator ready if it happens again...which is likely. They are saying we could see up to 13 inches of snow. We already have 7-8. I am thinking tomorrow will be a wonderful day to unplug and 'work'. Notice I said work...hubby calls it playing! Just doesn't understand! LOL! If you are also getting some nasty weather take care, but have fun with it! My daughter has already took advantage of the snow.
Have a wonderful weekend and God bless.
Alissa

some time to create

2008-04-08T17:09:00.008-05:00

Hello! Hope all is well with everyone. I went to a crop last weekend that my SIL puts on twice a year. I believe that she had around 60+ people. Her crops always seem to bring a pretty good crowd. I went as a vendor for Stampin Up!, but I was able to get a few pages done. I decide to work on a 6x9 pet album. I didn't get a whole lot done, because I think I talked too much! It was so great to see my friends again. And can you believe that I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures of the crop...These are the few pages I was able to get done.

I also got some altered bottles done for the spring salad luncheon that I told you about on 2.21.08. The wonderful wallpaper came from Karla's Cottage and the enamel flowers that are on the side of the large bottle come from Sleeping Dog's Studio.

I am trying to spring clean my studio. Anyone else doing this? I am having trouble getting rid of things, cause I think that just maybe I will be able to use it 'sometime'. However, I am tired of the clutter not only there but in the rest of my house. I just want a nice, comfortable, clean and clutter free home. The bad thing is though, I am a pack rat. I like to bring things home from antique stores and flea markets with projects in mind. I would love to open a store so I could sell my finished 'junk', that way I could still go on the shopping trips i love so much. Then my house wouldn't look like a flea market itself. I just received 'Junk Beautiful' by Sue Whitney 7 Ki Nassauer. I absolutely fell in love with everything in there. That is the kind of thing I would like to do...plus my paper crafts. Well all I can say that if it is supposed to be, than it will happen. If anyone has help for a pack rat, I would really like to here it...so would my husband!
Have a wonderful night and God bless.
Alissa

it was no joke

2008-04-01T06:28:00.003-05:00

Today marks the one year anniversary on the fire that took our whole south side of the square.

The building was built in 1891 and was home to 6 businesses. Thirteen fire departments came to give help. My baby brother is a volunteer fireman for our local fire department. Emma was so concerned about him, that we took her downtown the next day, to see if she could catch a glimpse of him. She was smiling from ear to ear when he saw her and came over to say hi. She didn't care that he was dirty, she gave him a big bear hug. We are so proud o him! Thank you Michael, for what you do!!Thanks to God, there were no one hurt while trying to save the building.
Today the furniture store has rebuilt and is now open for business.
Life does go on. Please remember to pray for the firemen.
Have a wonderful day and God bless.
Alissa

hope is....

2008-03-28T09:57:00.002-05:00

This is a frame that I created last week that was to go to a magazine to be considered for publication but, alas, it didn't make it. I had felt too hurried and wasn't quite pleased with the outcome. With Easter, the funeral of a family friend and other life lessons, it didn't get mailed. Which is alright with me. It has found a good home sitting on our side table, next to the rocking chair. I have other works in mind so maybe I will try again. Maybe I won't... I did have fun trying. And as I tell my daughter, that is a important lesson to learn...to have fun trying.
Have a wonderful day and God bless.
Alissa

for the birds

2008-03-27T06:53:00.004-05:00

Here is my birdhouse that I altered for Karla's Cottage 'Bling your Birdhouse Party". I ended up going towards the natural side with a little bling. This was the first time I have ever altered something like this...it did take some different thinking on my part, but I am pleased with the results. The red strips say "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.' -Gandhi. I would be willing to trade or sale is anyone is interested. I look forward to seeing every one's creations!

Have a wonderful day and God bless.
Alissa

fun with bellatoria

2008-03-25T20:21:00.007-05:00

Edit to add: I forget that Barbara had given me this award last week! With such a hectic weekend I completely forgot about it. Thank you so much Barbara...I was totally surprised! I want to give this award to all of you, who have made blogging this last month such a joy. Thank you friends.

As I posted earlier I was part of Bellatoria Queen's Tea Swap. Look what I got from Hope at Paper Relics!! I love all the little fun items that I get to play with!! Thank you so much Hope!!

This project is one of Bellatoria. It was a plain wooden tray that I altered. It was to be a silver tray but I didn't have one. So here is my version. I really enjoyed this so I am planning to make more.

This is what I sent to Hope for the swap...

I hope that you all had a wonderful time with your family for Easter. We did but we were all tired from running around from Good Friday til today...That is why I wasn't able to post. Life got in the way...So I hope to keep up with all my blogging friends!
Have a good evening and God bless.
Alissa

ready for easter

2008-03-20T13:14:00.003-05:00

a few Easter images to share..

I love the Easter season! Everything is fresh and new, and of course for the promise we have in Jesus Christ, our savior. I feel so blessed in many ways. Thank you for your support and comments. I truly appreciate them all!

Have a blessed Easter weekend and God Bless.
Alissa

a hodgepodge of posts

2008-03-17T19:54:00.010-05:00

I was tagged by Barbara. So here are seven random facts about me.
1. I believe that chocolate is a health food. Dark is the best.
2. I love to travel. My favorite vacation was our honeymoon to The Grand Canyon
and Sedona. My favorite place to go back to however is the Black Hills in
South Dakota.
3. I lost my engagement ring a month before our wedding in a grain cart full of
soybeans. Ron lost his in the 15 inches of snow we had on our wedding day.
However, both were found!
4. I minored in art in collage. My favorite classes were watercolor and
photography. My least favorite was glass blowing.
5. I hate to be late for anything. However, I am the world worst procrastinator
6. I have a weakness of buying home decor magazines and books.
7. I am 33 years old and have been married to Ron for 7.5 years. He is my best
friend and my soul mate.

Ok, if you want to play, I tag:
Sarah - Vintage Lily
Vicki - This Art Makes Me Happy
Karin - Creative Chaos
Hope - Paper Relics
Karla - Karla's Cottage
Laurie - Charming Designs

This is what we woke up to this morning. 5 inches of snow...so they canceled school. I love to see snow. It makes the world around us look so fresh and clean.
We were suppose to get 4 more inches today and freezing rain, but luckily we didn't. The temperatures stayed above freezing so about half the snow turned to slush.

I was able to make another paper cone. This is part of an order that I had from a local retailer. Remind me not to do that much cutting again! Those flowers took too much time....

I can't believe that I forgot to add this to yesterdays post. My favorite find so far. There are over 90 items in this scrapbook. Most of them are calling cards, with a few images. I love all the detail they put in such little items. Plus it is fun looking at all the names. Sounding so rich and regal.

Lastly a sneak peek for my swap. Don't look Hope!! I am so nervous...my first swap. Hopefully it is all right.

Thank you all for visiting, I sure have loved getting to know each one of you. Good night and God Bless.
Alissa

my fleas

2008-03-16T10:59:00.006-05:00

My favorite advertisement at Old Market, Omaha.

Whenever I mention to my hubby, that I am going to a flea market, he always comes back with why would I want fleas...this is why. Some of the ribbon is new from Archiver's, but everything else was found at antique markets.

I just love these silver (or pewter?) napkin rings that I was lucky enough to find. They are surprisingly heavy for such little things....but I thought they would make dinner time more fun. Don't you agree? Emma loves it when we set 'fancy glasses and plates' for dinner so I am positive that she will love them as much as I do. Now to find pretty napkins to put in the rings. LOL! More vintage shopping for me!
I was really hoping to find more vintage flocked wallpaper, bark cloth and such but no luck. Of course there are many more stores that I didn't get a chance to visit...but I will be back.
Do you love going to antique stores like me? If so, what items catch your eye...what is it that you collect? I would love to know.
Hope you have a great evening and God bless
Alissa

baby books

2008-03-13T18:42:00.006-05:00

Well, I am back to posting...sort of. My computer is going to be out for the next month getting a new hard drive put in. I found a disk of projects that I had saved and thought that I would share a few.

In the last 4 months a couple of my friends had babies. I had made them brag books for their never ending photos! LOL! Or at least I think they take pictures of their bundles of joy!

Stamps used are from Stampin Up, paper is from Cosmo Cricket, letter dies are form Quickutz.

I am part of a swap for Tersea McFayden Bellatoria. The theme is The Queen's Tea. All items have to be tea or for a queen related. I have been hard at work making a few items for my partner Hope from Paper Relics. I hope that she enjoys what I made for her. Maybe in a few days I will post a sneak peek.

I found out that I will be able to get my photos off of my digi camera at my mom's. I hope to get there tomorrow and get them saved to a disk. That way I can share some new things with you...until then have a good night and God bless.

howdy y'all

2008-03-09T21:09:00.004-05:00

Well I am back but I have to say that I cannot share pictures right now. My laptop went down.... hard drive needs fixed or replace! I have no way of getting my pics loaded on my old computer. So any way.....

I did get some fun stuff while I was gone that I can't wait to show you. I tried to spend all day Friday (until my dr. appt) done in Old Market. I tried, really I tried, but a nasty cold front come through late Thursday night and it was terrible cold. I just was not having any fun walking around downtown. I don't think it got above 18 degrees, with a below 0 wind chill, or so it felt like! So can you blame me?!? I did manage to find and old bingo game and and old lotto game in one store that I am excited to use but that was all I could handle. So my hubby and I decided to warm up by eating at Spaghetti Works. YUM!!

The sad thing....I had more luck at Goodwill and at my local thrift stores then I did in the city...but that is NOT to say that I wouldn't go back! My mom and some friends are already makin' plans to do a two day spree in Lincoln and Omaha later on this spring...when it isn't so cold!

On a fun note, I joined Teresa McFadyen Belltoria E-Zine yesterday and can't wait to see what she has in store for us. I did her Winter Bella in January and got loads of inspiration. You should go check her blog out. Great stuff!

Hopefully I will get my computer back tomorrow and be able to show you some stuff. Until then have a wonderful night and God Bless.

more cones and a get-a-way

2008-03-04T15:47:00.004-06:00

Today I had the whole house to myself. It was nice to have it quiet, so I thought today would make a great crafting day. I was able to get two more paper cones done. I sure like to glitter paper mache eggs. You can see them on top of my cones. I recently found a site that sold glass glitter and it has become my favorite thing to embellish with. There are such gorgeous colors and I particularly like the sterling silver glitter that tarnishes after time. *sigh* I love tarnished silver, don't you!

I will be gone for a few days. I have a doctors appointment in Omaha Friday, so my husband and I are going to make it a small get-a-way for the two of us. I am trying to talk him into taking me to Old Market, which is full of antique shops. I am hoping that i can find loads of vintage goodies to use for my paper crafts and maybe a few just for our home. I will try to remember my camera and try to take a few pics of my favorite stores. Everyone have a great weekend and God bless.
Alissa

more journals and a thank you

2008-03-02T13:19:00.003-06:00

I finally had time to create in the last few days. YEA!! I did get a lot done, so I thought I would share with you a few of the journals I got done for a client. She wanted them in spring colors...... and now I have spring fever really bad. It was on the 70's yesterday but now back to the 30's. Yuck!

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who came to visit me in the last two weeks.
I have meet some wonderful people and thank everyone for their wonderful comments. It has made me feel welcome. So just maybe I will continue this blog. It has been kinda fun. See ya around!
Have a wonderful Sunday and God bless!
Alissa

'I am Free'

2008-02-27T06:47:00.005-06:00

I have not created anything in a few days...aaagghhhhh. Trying to get taxes finished is just taking up too much of my time. But I am glad to get them done. I wanted to share with you some framed art work that I made for my daughter a couple of months ago. She has watched me for over a year now, making things for craft fairs, special orders and such, and she kept asking me when I was going to make something for her room. Talk about feeling guilty. I had not made her one single thing.
Well I decided that I better and I wanted it to have a lot of meaning behind it. Her favorite song is 'I am Free' by Newsboys. it is so wonderful seeing her so excited about a song for Jesus Christ, and she dances and sings at the top of her lungs every time it comes on. You can hear it by clicking on my playlist down at the bottom of my page.
Anyway, i used that song as inspiration. Each piece has a bit of that song as well as old music for a hymnal that I found in an antique store. The music sheets are songs that she liked as a young child. 'Jesus loves me', 'What a friend we have in Jesus', and 'Jesus loves the little children'.

Stamps used are Stampin Up and the paper is from Basic Grey.
Thanks for looking and God bless.
Alissa

a penny for your thoughts

2008-02-25T20:49:00.004-06:00

Do you keep a journal? I love the idea of keeping one. I have tried to journal every so often in the last 20 years. However I can't seem to keep up with it.....so I want to know what the secret is. While I don't currently keep a journal (who knows, maybe I will try one again), I lOVE to make them. I just use the comp books that you can buy anywhere and add paper, ribbon, ephemera, and I recently started added some soldered glass charms that I started to learn how to do. I always cover the insides with paper, too. My favorite to use is vintage music sheets. Another favorite is vintage flocked wallpaper. I just love the texture.....Here are a couple of my favorites.

This one uses the flocked wallpaper. I found a roll that is about 6 inches in diameter by 20 inches long....for $5.00!! What a steal!

The stamps I use are mainly from Stampin Up. I just love their style. I also used the Angel Company scrabble tiles stamps. The letter are Quickutz, and my current favorite embellishment is glass glitter. The silver glitter is sterling silver so it will tarnish after time...lending another vintage touch that I love.
Thanks for looking and God bless.
Alissa

new treasures

2008-02-23T18:16:00.004-06:00

I went out of town yesterday....I was in the mood to do a little thrift shop browsing. I went to Goodwill, and a couple of thrift shops. I found all of this for under $40. The biggest splurge was the silver bowl and lid that I found at Goodwill for $8. I don't need it nor do I know what to do with it, but I thought it was pretty. The vintage music books was a great find (in my mind anyway). They are large enough to alter some cigar boxes that I have. I found about 10 packages of seam binding for 75 cents for all of it. The candle sconces are an ugly faux gold but I loved the flourish design. I will probably end up painting them either antique cream or a distressed robin egg blue. Which do you think? The little metal accents aren't antique but I thought that I could paint and distress them for my books.

close up of the little metal accents. I love the little wings. The design on them are so delicate.

I was hoping to have time today to make something new. Had it all planned out. Until a lady I go to church with called and said that her granddaughters were staying with her and wanted to know if Emma would want to go to the park with them. Of course we went. It was so nice today that I even enjoyed the time outside.....for 2.5 hours. Needless to say that after that and grocery shopping...i better make the trip to town a productive one...we didn't get home until almost supper. Maybe i will have time tomorrow to create something to show you. Until then have a great evening and God Bless.
Alissa

a day of creating

2008-02-21T18:19:00.007-06:00

This is what happens when I am not on the computer or watch tv on my lunch break.

and these

These are table decorations for a salad luncheon that is put on by my mom's church. My mom and a friend are hosting 2 tables. The hostesses are responsible for the table settings, decorations and inviting guests. It is always a fun time. Great food, fun entertainment, and a wonderful time talking to friends. I will post photos of the table after the lunch.

because I was busy creating I had no time for these...

I have gotten these the last two days and haven't had time to look through them yet, so I am going to curl up on the sofa tonight and surround myself with reading material.
Everyone have a good evening and God Bless.

love is in the air...........and a challenge

2008-02-18T17:57:00.007-06:00

yes, i realize that valentine's day was last week, but our whole family was sick with bronchitis all last week, so we missed it. our valentine's celebration is a bit delayed.
we are also celebrating because we have a wedding in the future. my brother is getting married april 2009! congrats jay and linda!! there was a bridal fair yeaterday in their home town that we went to for ideas. they had several vendors and a style show. it was fun to see all the different dresses. i was really looking at the flower girl dresses, since emma is going to be their flower girl. i have to say that it is going to be hard to pick just one dress, because there are so many cute ones.

now for the challenge. i was reading rebecca sower's blog and she is posting a challenge for everyone to 'unplug' for one day or two evenings if you work. unplug the tv, phone, and computer so you will not have distractions and to be able to focus on your creativity. my day to unplug is thursday, and i am not sure i can do without my computer. i am looking foward to at least trying so i can focus on some things that i would like to make. so this is my challenge to you. to 'unplug'. then lets all of us come here to share what you made. can't wait to see what we can do.

Welcome! Glad to meet you.

2008-02-16T13:37:00.000-06:00

Hello to all my family and friends. I have decide to start a blog, though I am not sure why! First, I wanted to share with all of you, who I am. My name is Alissa, and I am a paper craft artist. Sounds like it is the first step to admitting a problem!
I am a farmers wife and a mother to a beautiful daughter, Emma. I started scrapbooking about 6 years ago and have moved to paper crafting. I am inspired by vintage items and love to go to flea markets and antique shops. My background is architectural drafting, interior design and art. I love to create things for my home and for sale at local craft fairs, as well as a few local retailers. I am thinking about starting a etsy store and will let all of you know when I do.
I thought I would leave you with my very first picture. It is framed art that I made a couple months ago that says it all. Thank you for visiting and I hope you will enjoy coming back.