She knew she could conquer the world

These She Art girls are becoming more and more addicting. This one I made for a young girl for her birthday. I am super proud of the boots!! I also like her hair-- the last couple of girls I have made have had huge hair and this time I wanted to keep it under control!!

Happy Friday to you all
and Happy Easter!!

The 19th hole

This is another of my art project boxes. This box is a recycled cigar box and I chose only to decorate the top. (to me the sides looked fine as they were)

Book Review: Libertine's Kiss

“Abandoned by his cavalier father at a young age, William de Veres grew up knowing precious little happiness. But William has put the past firmly behind him and as a military hero and noted rake, he rises fast in the ranks of the hedonistic Restoration court. Though not before he is forced to seek shelter from a charming young Puritan woman-
The civil wars have cost the once-high-spirited Elizabeth Walters her best friend and her father, leaving her unprotected and alone. She flees an unwanted marriage, seeking safe haven, but what she finds is something she never expected. When her kindness and her beauty bring her to the attention of William, and then the king, she will have a choice to make. After all, can a notorious libertine really be capable of love?”

What a great story!!! I enjoyed this book extremely!! 
Childhood friends Lizzy and William are sepatrated at the age of about 12, they were neighbors, but their fathers fought on oppisite sides of a war. In adulthood William wounded and running from an army of soldiers persuing him- hides out in Lizzys house for a night. Lizzy instantly knows who he is, but William doesn't recognize her. She tends his wound and he leaves- saying that if she ever needs something he will be forever in her debt.
Lizzy's house and land are taken from her for helping William ( a crimal) and she is forced to move to London. When the new king takes the thrown Lizzy goes to the castle to ask for her lands back- William happens to be the new kings good friend he finally reconizes her as his childhood friend and the woman who saved his live. He helps Lizzy form a plan to get her house and land back.

Both Lizzy and William had hard lives in between the times they knew each other-- William releases his anger by writing poems and is know as the court poet--
The book is full of great poem, and I enjoyed how William was able to come up with a poem right on the spot.
This book is loosely based on a real poet and the author tells about him at the end of the book-

Highly recommended!!

3x3 sweeties

 I am always needing these little 3x3 cards. This set is a special stamp set CTMH provides just for hosting a party-- After I made the cards I created a cute bag to keep them in or give them as a gift using one of the new paper pouches. (of course they are white and so is my table, but I think you can tell)

So Thankful for...

It is hard to believe it is the last week in March.... 3 months into 2013 already!!!
After a wonderful Birthday at the start of the month I had to make some Thank you cards for all the great gifts I received. After making the For Always card kit, I was {In LOVE} with the smokey plum color paired with the black and white so that's what I went with for my cards. I used the great tea pot stamp set for my cards and a sentiment from the A friend like You.
This pattern came from the Make It from your Heart book- the pattern is so easy and I had all my cards done in no time!!

Puns are Fun!

These 2 cards were cut with the Artiste Cartridge-The card on the left is a fold up card and the flap at the top is held close with some tiny velcro dots. I used some liquid glass on the lenses of the glasses, although it is hard to tell in the photo. I finished it off with a new black and sliver sparkly button!!  The card on the right is a swing card-one of my favorites from the card that the cartridge will cut! I kept with the silver theme for this card and added some silver glitter tape!  I used the great stamp set Puns of Praise.

Book Review: Her Highness the Traitor

As Henry VIII draws his last breath, two very different women, Jane Dudley, Viscountess of Lisle, and Frances Grey, Marchioness of Dorset, face the prospect of a boy king, Edward VI.

For Jane Dudley, basking in the affection of her large family, the coming of a new king means another move upward for her ambitious, able husband, John. For Frances Grey, increasingly alienated from her husband and her brilliant but arrogant daughter Lady Jane Grey, it means that she—and  Lady Jane—are one step closer to the throne of England.

Then the young king falls deathly ill. Determined to keep England under Protestant rule, he concocts an audacious scheme that subverts his own father’s will. Suddenly, Jane Dudley and Frances Grey are reluctantly bound together in a common cause—one that will test their loyalties, their strength, and their faith, and that will change their lives beyond measure.

 I had the hardest time finishing this book, it took me more than a month to read it. I was so intrigued by the story, but in the end it just kept jumping for person to person (all mothers, I finally figured out by about 30%) and I stayed confused. I am glad I finished it, it's a part of history I was completely unaware of.

Lady Jane, I half wish the book would have been at least partially told from her point of view. The view points we do get tell us nothing of _her_. She's that person who now days we would call "book smart" but she lacks any common sense. Plus, she seemed to have very little human compassion. A person like that shouldn't rule, and I think King Edward could have figured that out very easily. I also disliked that the minute they named her Queen, she an instant big head. I was sad to see that she was finally beheaded after so long of time. I don't think she deserved to die, although I do understand why Queen Mary felt like she had to do it.

For all of that, you would think I disliked the book. That's not entirely the case. It filled in the gaps that I have between Monarchs. I think it shows the state of the country and how it might have been effected when Mary came in the crown. It also reminded me how easily people lost their heads in this day. Plus, it's historical fiction and I'm not disappointed that I read it.

I never really got why Lady Jane was the traitor?

A true blue heart

By now I am sure you have figured out I am head over hills in love with the For Always Workshop on the go stamp set. For this card I wanted to focus on the heart image in the set. It sure pops on that black and white paper from the For Always kit. I also used on of the resin flowers from the For Always embellishment set.

Happiness muslin bag

 One of the new items in the CTMH catalog this time around was these great muslin bags-- The possibilities are endless--Think of all the goodies you could put inside and match the outside with stamps!! For this one I chose to use the March Stamp of the Month!  The flowers and leaves are 2 step stamping so I stamped the base (or the solid image) first and then I stamped over it with the detail image. The trick to these bags is to leave your stamps on the bag for a few extras seconds so the ink has time to soak in. Also it is helpful to put a piece of scratch paper inside so the ink doesn't soak through to the other side of the bag.

 

Each month you can enjoy a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5—that’s over 70% off retail! When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.

Winner, winner chicken dinner!!

A great big Thank you to all of those who entered my Rolodex give away and for all the great Birthday wishes!!! I had 32 comments on my blog and 19 facebook shares!! RandomNumber.org pick #18

Lindsey K. said...

Happy Birthday, Aaron! My contacts are in my cellphone, but I _hate_ using the phone for addresses, birthdays, and calendar events. Hate it. My husband doesn't understand my intense aversion to it! :)

March 8, 2013 at 10:16 PM

Yeah Lindsey!! I will be contacting you and sending your prize!!

 Now how about a project? At first this card almost ended in the trash, but the more I got to messing with it the more I started to like it. I cut the card on the Artiste Cartridge--the top flap folds down and in the beginning I think that was my major issue with it- I couldn't get it to stay closed. My solution was to tie on some bakers twine. For the stamps I used the wonderful journaling spot from the For Always workshop on the go. I really like how only a portion of the image shows on the cut out.

Beautiful young people

 I must confess, I think my favorite color with the black and white paper of  For Always is the honey yellow!! I used the great rose stamp from the For Always Workshop on the Go!!  I also used those darling little pins from the For Always Embellishment collection.

Time is running out to enter in the Rolodex give-away. TONIGHT IS YOUR VERY LAST CHANCE TO ENTER!!!!! Click here to enter.

Birthday Gift Card Holder-

This card was cut on the Artiste Cartridge and when unfolded it has a special slot for a gift card! How fun! I used the chevron pattern paper from the For Always collection for the base. I then embellished with the dotted zip strip and some black glitter ribbon!

Don't forget to enter my give away for the Rolodex- You could be the lucky winner!! All of the info is found here. Click to enter 
.

I love you because

These 2 small cards are made using the For Always Scrapbook Workshop on the Go. I really like the little journaling spot from this stamp set with the "I love you because". I went a step further and stamped the rose image in 2nd generation ink.

Lucy Trailer Update

 Right now I am in sewing mode- I am making seat cushions an throw pillows for all the benches. I still have a ways to go, but thought I would update you on the trailer. (these photos are from my cell phone, so they are not the best)

 I also added some yellow ties to the curtains of all the smaller window.

I also added new lighting, including a chandelier that I made from a colander.

Happiness is...

 This month the Stamp of the month has these wonderful roses. They are great because they are 2 step stamps, meaning you stamp the base and then the detail over the top. This stamp is perfect for 1st and 2nd genaration stamping. I used Lagoon ink for the rose and slate for the leaves.
I finished it off by ripping a strip of fabric from the For Always Textiles and tying it on the card.

Rolodex give away!!

 

Today is my 37th Birthday!! What better way to celebrate than giving away something? I hadn't made a Rolodex in a long time and I a brand new one in my stash and decided to decorate it with the For Always paper pack. Since I have one for myself I will give this one away!  (You can see a few more here.)

2 ways to win-

1. Leave a comment on this post- tell me if you use an address book or Rolodex or if you have moved to modern times-Do you keep EVERYTHING in your cellphone? (I recently had a lot of spam on my blog so I had to add the security features to the comments, bummer I know)

2. Like my Facebook page and share MY post about the give away. (In order to track it you will need to share my post) 

Give Away ends at midnight March 15th. I will post a winner the following Monday!

 

found in the journey round card

 Let's keep it going with the Stamp of the Month-- but this time how about a red rose? After I stamped this rose I used some red glitter glue to highlight parts of the flower.

Each month you can enjoy a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5—that’s over 70% off retail! When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.

3 little pin cushions

I had out my sewing machine to work on some pillows and cushions for the Lucy Trailer ( I will be giving you an update soon) and decided to sew up a few little pin cushions using the For Always Textiles. I think they are SEW sweet!! I used a few new products along with some older retired items from my stash- I don't know what I will do with them, but for now I am enjoying them sitting on my desk.

Zipper Ribbon

So one of the 1st things I was drawn to in the new Catalog was this great pink zipper ribbon. How cool is that? I love the eyelet type ribbon with the hard lines of the zipper. For this card I stamped 3 flowers and added some new black buttons to the center. I created a ruffle using the For Always Textiles and finished it off with the zipper ribbon.

Chevron wood frame

Happy Monday to you all! This project was so fun and quick to make! In addition to that it was cheap! I purchased the wooden frame at Micheal's for $1. I used some dark grey paint I had here at the house to paint it and then decorated it up. I used the new For Always paper pack. I added lots of emelishements and glitter tape to dress it up. I finished it off with the

Yellow Rose of Texas

 The yellow Rose of Texas is a popular song- and it has some pretty interesting history to go along with it! The song goes back to the battle of San Jacinto and the help of a freed black woman who was captured by the Mexican Army. The legend says she seduced the Mexican president and convinced him to lower his guard which lead to the Texas victory- There more to the story and many other versions too. If you want to more it's a great story to look up.

 So for this card I used the For Always paper pack- can you say FOR AWESOME!!! The colors in the packs pattern paper are Black, White and Slate. It has been so much fun creating projects and adding all sorts of colors with the pattern paper. 
To start with I used the March stamp of the Month to make this yellow rose. I used Honey to stamp the rose. The base of the stamp in in 2nd generation and then I stamped the detail in 1st generation. 

  Each month you can enjoy a new D-size stamp set, available for one month only, for just $5—that’s over 70% off retail! When you place an order of $50 or more in Close To My Heart products, you qualify for this special Stamp of the Month pricing.

 

I wanted to say I have a great month of projects planned for you including an awesome give away later in the month- Please be sure to watch everyday for more great projects!