Miss me? Seems like I've been working day & night lately -- preparing for, executing & recovering from this past weekend's garage sale. All that stuff from my craft room clean-up had to go somewhere!

As I was sorting through & pricing items, I noticed some of the bottles of glitter I'd finally decided to get rid of. I've never been a big fan of glitter. Hubby & I specifically avoid buying glittery cards for each other. And if well-intentioned family members send such cards our way, we handle them by the corners, carefully, hoping to avoid any glitter "contamination." I have no idea, then, why I had several bottles of glittery stuff in my craft supplies.

Continue reading "Garage Sales & Glitter Giveaway" »

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My local polymer clay guild met Saturday, and new member Nance Ross taught us. Not only did I learn how to make these cute little articulated teddy bears, but I also learned what that means! (Articulated means his little arms & legs are movable, in case the term is new to anyone else.)

After a fun day at the Oklahoma guild on Saturday, hubby & I decided to make a quick trip down the interstate on Sunday to visit the North Texas Polymer Clay Guild. (Well, technically, I visited the guild; he hung out at places offering free wi-fi.) I'd been meaning to visit for a while now. After all, when I helped found our local guild 1 1/2 years ago, I had no idea what was supposed to happen at a guild meeting. I figured it's high time I learned! Plus I'd heard Laura Griffin was teaching this meeting, and I've always admired her style, both in polymer clay and in rubber stamping/paper crafts.

Continue reading "Bears, Beads & Bonding: Fun at Guild" »

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After guiltily reading about so many other crafty bloggers getting organized, I finally gave in and cleaned my room too. For those of you (like Christie) who enjoy seeing others' craft room photos, I've posted before & after pics on my Flickr page. Or you can read on for details (including specs on my new super-duper work surface)!

Continue reading "Crafting a Clean Creating Room" »

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I write 2-3 pages in a journal just about every morning. They're my "morning pages," and I started writing them earlier this year when I read The Artist's Way.

The first few months, I just wrote my morning pages in a standard plastic-covered spiral notebook. Then it dawned on me that I should decorate my journal. So I tossed together my first covered composition book at a stamp club meeting. It wasn't anything fancy, but I was happy with the way it turned out.

I was really surprised, though, at how nice it felt to make something just for me. Writing in my own specially-made journal made me feel more positive. Even just catching a glimpse of the journal as I walked through the room made me feel proud. Giving myself that gift reassured me that I'm worth spending my own time and energy on. I think a lot of us could stand to send ourselves that message more often.

The holidays can be filled with doing things for everybody else. Buy or make gifts for the family. Send cards to friends. Bake goodies for co-workers. Clean the house for company. And while all those things are great and can be very rewarding... it's also important to do some nice things for you. Maybe that means making yourself a journal (if so, stay tuned for info on how I made mine). Or maybe it's making yourself some jewelry you just love. Or even just taking a nap!

Whatever it is, I hope you'll take some time to really enjoy yourself this holiday season!

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