NOT the most wonderful time of the year?

     Ok, I definately am experiencing a challenging Christmas season. But actually this is not the first Christmas I have felt rather bah humbugish. However, I will make every attempt to stifle my inner Scrooge and get with the tempo of the season. Listening to 24/7 Christmas music on the radio..
                                                             
                                                                   put up my tree...

                                         Made a very cute little ornament with my grandson....

                                              AND I have been into the Christmas card creating!

Hope you are getting into the spirit of Christmas better than me!

Check back in a couple days and I have more creations to share and 

hopefully and merrier tune to sing!

just a little fall fun...

Happy Sunday to you!

Just thought I'd post a few little fun Halloween creations. I'll have to move on to Christmas creations soon, but I am having so much fun with cute spooky stuff and pretty fall leaves. 

Ah well, crafting is usually half a season ahead (or more if you judge by your local crafting stores!)

Aren't those little boxes cute?! I found a sale on a box die ($7!) that had a flip top with the open square. So then I had some leftover clear plastic packaging that I cut to fit the opening and voila! And I love my boxes so I imagine stocking stuffers and work friend birthday gifts and secret pal surprises..... oh yeah.

And here is a spooky little creature...

I used a light core cardstock with an embossing folder and sanded over the embossed image, added a little hello and easy peezy done. My Mom will love this one! 

This last one is a tag in a top open ended card/envelope.

The leaves are heat embossed with different shades of powder I was experitmenting with. Add a little burlap (which seems to be very trendy right now!) and you can write on the back of the tag and that is a unique fall card, don't you think?

Well, get off your computer, put down your phone and go see how beautiful your day is right outside your door!

13.1

     This morning in Umatilla, Fl at 6:45 AM it was 100% humidity and around 70 degrees. And time to do a trial run for my half marathon coming up Nov. 3. So many reasons I didn't feel like pounding the pavement for 13 miles this morning. Achey legs. Sore feet. Too humid. Not in the mood.

     This morning at North Lake Park in Umatilla, Fl I got that run done and in the books. Actually I ran 13.5 just to be sure ;) Yup, the challenge of the mind, body and spirit all came together and whew, I feel so good! In a very achey, soaking wet, tired kind of way. So good! I can do what I don't feel like, what is uncomfortable, what is painful.

     If you want to prove to yourself you can do more than you think you have to set a goal you have never done and KEEP AT IT until it is done. If you just say to yourself you can't, well, you won't. If you have a loyal friend, make your goal accountable to them. Encouragement is an amazing boost.

     There is a quote that says " you are stronger than you think, smarter than you think and braver than you think". But that is something that has to be tested to be believed. Like faith. Just saying you have faith doesn't make it so. Let your faith come under duress. Hang on to your faith, pray through your firestorm believing and as you come out on the other side...growth. Each time you do this your faith becomes stronger, something you can trust.

     Something I learned a long time ago is that if you pray for a stronger faith, trials will come your way. Because that is what builds faith. You don't need faith in a bright sunny day. And even knowing this, I prayed for a strong faith that would not fail when terrible times came. I prayed for a building of my faith because I wanted to be without doubt in the faithfulness of my God. Without doubt in His unfailing love. To be able to trust in His mercy and grace no matter what. And some trying times have come my way. And my God, my Lord, my Abba Father remains my comfort and my strength. He lifts my head and holds my hand. And He will do the same for you.

    

Good job, Janie girl

     That's what I was telling myself this morning. Good job, Janie girl. Running 12 miles can be largely a matter of psyching yourself up or psyching yourself out. Such a mental challenge to keep going when your hip joints ache and your bones in your feet are whining. For me, the biggest obstacle can be just getting out the door in the morning! But hey, I continue to tell myself in many areas of life, just one more time, just one more mile, just one more day, just one more lap.

 Here is a simple card with a great detailed stamp I found at Hobby Lobby. Up close it almost looks digitalized. And yes...Life happens. Love helps.

 Another fabulous Hobby Lobby stamp. Reminds me of PSX stamps.

Had to show you my little man. Reaching into Grandma's overnight bag to see what fun things
 he can find. 

And the prize he found? My curling iron. Look at the fella trying it out! I am constantly amazed at how smart he is. 

Well, you go have a wonderful Saturday. I'm going to downtown Mt Dora to a great book store called 

Barrel of Books and Games.

here is a link to their website.  barrelofbooksandgames.com

Then I'm headed to a craft festival in Eustis. Fun day for me!

Leaves speaking bliss....

     I have some beautiful fall cards to show you. And a couple seasonal poems for your Autumn enjoyment!

 
     I used a technique of stamping the leaves using black embossing ink and then heat embossed using clear embossing powder.  Then I sponged the leaves in various fabulous fall colors. I did 3 pages of leaves, stamping and embossing and then varying the ink sponging and then later I cut them all out.

 Some people think the fussy cutting is too tedious but if you have a bunch prepared ahead it's an easy thing to give your hands something to do while watching TV. The card base itself was made in a similar way. I stamped 4 sheet of cardstock with all the stamps from the Stampin' Up! French Foliage. Then I cut the sheets into 4  pieces of 3 and 3/4 by 5. That will fit on your 4 x 5 1/4 layer of contrasting color then your base is your typical 4 and 1/4 x 11 folded in half. (or 5 and 1/2 x 8 and 1/2 folded in half)

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

fluttering from the Autumn tree.

                                                     Emily Bronte`

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace,

as I have seen in an Autumnal face. 

                                                                      John Donne

Thanks for taking a look. Hope you are enjoying a lovely, cool fall day.

Being authentic in an age of disguise

    Everywhere I look I see a different me. Nothing so glaring as hypocrisy or lies, but more like a chameleon whose shades shift from one hue to the next along with the environment. Does anyone else do this? Is it noticeable?

                                                                        me

     Probably most people vary in their outward personality depending on work, school, close friends vs acquaintances, and then family. How about within the family? Do you ever find yourself agreeing with someone on something as you recall at the same time in your mind that in fact you agreed on the opposite with a different person not so long ago? I do this. It's embarrassing to admit.
                              

holiday loving me with my surf city love

     There are people I know who are very very good at being authentic. It's those "what you see is what you get" people. For better or worse, they don't go along to get along as the saying goes. They've determined somewhere along the way who they are and they are comfortable with themselves. More than that, confident that there is no other way they should be.

momma me with 2 of my loves

     Then there are those who I take much of what they say in the spirit of waiting to see what tomorrow brings. Like the sand at the edge of the sea, shifting and waffling with the change of the tide. These people have minds and hearts that are open to change. They listen for the sound of truth but are not confined to a specific version or vision.

     Being authentic is difficult for me in a time where there are many outside influences vying for my attention, my money and my commitment, my me. This is an age of disguise, of misinformation and manipulation and contradictions. My desire is to be a combination of the two profiles above. A confident open minded woman with a tender heart. Like my daughter.

silly me with 2 more of my loves

     Through the help of God, a good counselor, some good books (Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend www.cloudtownsend.com  and The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman www.fivelovelanguages.com and loving family and friends I am discovering who the authentic Jane is. And part of who I am is still a chameleon. I like to see things from different perspectives. If you notice that I become less agreeable to everything you say, well, be proud of me. And as I firm up my hopes and dreams, beliefs and boundaries, I intend to give those around me the freedom to do the same.

 fun scary me with my momma lou

   

and here is the love of my life that is teaching me the newest aspect of me, Grandma me.

  Love is found in freedom. Freedom to shift and freedom to stand firm. Freedom to be flexible and open-minded and freedom to draw the line. It's a tricky process. And it's a happy cultivation.

rainy days and mondays

     Another day of getting called off from work. #$%^$ that's about how I feel about that.

     On the other hand...I am ever so ever so ever so ever ever ever so grateful that the loss of income does not bring me fear. Just makes it hard to get ahead and plan. Ahhh well.

     It also allows me more time to create! So here is todays bit of art. Love the Nature's Walk 

set by Stampin' Up!

     And I finally got around to uploading pix of some of my card creations of the last week. Enjoy!

 I seem to be liking my little baby pearls lately.

A photo does not do justice to this last card. The coloring is so soft and pretty, the expresso brown layer is embossed and this is an oversized card about 5X7 maybe.

Hope you are finding a peaceful way of redeeming your day. Monday's are hard to do that with sometimes, aren't they? 

And one final little note for your monday pondering;

Some people change when they see the light.

Some people have to feel the heat.

Just a thought I borrowed from some unknown but wise source. 

Thanks for stopping by.

questioning my beliefs

     Introspection can be a crooked trail with snaggy thorns and jagged stones that slow you down and trip you up, pull you towards slimy memories and painful broken promises. But that is the treacherous path I'm choosing currently. Discovery is sharp sometimes, piercing even. And I am finding that some of the beliefs I have held onto are faulty. Some are firmly grounded and some just need to be buried along with the people who hammered them into my psyche while I was a child. Digging through the mud and the grime is my chore and a hopeful excavation.

And along the road I will continue to create and smile and encourage others towards the same. So here is a few of my latest cards.

 Hope your day is peaceful.

just can't stop asking...

Why?

Why? Why? Why?

That is the theme of my mind.

and I'm tired of it. 

but I can't stop.

I want to know why

life is so tough even though I try so hard

there are so many really hungry people when there is so much wasted opulence

people can't get healthcare in so so many countries

and americans bitch about the healthcare we have

sadness is everywhere I look

people scare me and frustrate me and don't see me

the mirror is so harsh

 beauty and normalcy have such a narrow space

and so many don't fit in between the margins of that space

I can't find the happiness I thought was out here somewhere

really really nice, kind and generous people are minimized

truth is undervalued and made flexible

honesty is painful

integrity has become expendable

and why oh why oh why

do I have more questions now then ever before?

I have alot more questions than that. 

And they don't all start with why. 

I used to think I had some answers.

I only have one. 

Jesus.

I'm counting on Him having the rest of the answers. 

Jesus.

stepping out

     Well, a new location and lack of stamping friends is causing me to drop from the ranks of Stampin' Up! demonstrators. I will miss the connection as I miss the friendships, fellowship and teaching and coaching others to create. I've always been my own best customer but I can't really justify being my only customer!

      On the bright side, in the past I have considered that focusing on one catalog and company may have been stifling my creativity in some ways. Possibly. So... I will be stepping further out into some other styles and product lines along with continuing Stampin' Up! products. After all, SU really does have excellent quality paper and stamps.

      So, that said. Here are a couple samples of some Tim Holtz products. If you like grunge and steam punk he has a whole line of inks, stamps, paper and more at   www.timholtz.com  

and the inside...

and another...

Hmmm. New stuff, same style. Gonna have to fiddle around with this more!

Sounds kinda like my life. 

How about you? Still fiddling with the same style but wishing for new, different or just a change?

Well, let's keep at it. No telling what direction we may go!

just another monday thought and creation

     Some days I don't think I have an original or creative thought in me. This is one of those days. So I shall share a thought of someone much more profound. 

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again

and expecting different results."

Albert Einstein

Have a happy week.

Monday Monday

     What is it about music that brings you back to a certain time or place or experience or emotion? Just typing in Monday Monday did that for me. Back many many years to a young, dreamy me sitting on my bed looking out a window on a rainy, dark morning and wishing for more.

     Well, that wasn't at all what I was thinking this Monday! Out my window this morning it is warm and sunny and there is a gorgeous fella in a t-shirt climbing ladders and washing windows at my brothers house...happy Monday!

     And I have a couple new creations to share. Too hot outside so I might as well stamp inside!

This pretty bird is from the Stampin' Up! hostess set Simply Sketched. Love this set!

These birdies are from the Stampin' Up! set called Wetlands. SU can make an artist out of all of us! 

And if you like these stamps or want to see more choices and ideas you can go here:

www.janebuchanan.stampinup.net

Have a great Monday and I hope you see beauty out your window today, also!

Smiling anyway!

     You know how you know you better just stay away from people because you can't drag up a smile to put on your face? So, I sat my cranky self in front of the computer.

      I messed around with this blog to come up with a fresh look and in spite of my mood it looks kind of cheery to me. How'd that happen? Not sure the fonts and colors are the best for reading. We'll see.

       Here's a little quote to put a smile on your face.

     "Doing service is like wetting your pants. Everyone can see what you've done but only you can feel the warmth." I don't know the author but it made me smile.

       I've been digging through some of my old stamps I love. So I made this to make my mom smile.

And here's a cheery little flower!

And here's someone who can always make me smile! 

Hope you find a reason to smile today, too.

Explosion box tutorial on you tube

     Hi!

     I've been searching youtube videos on the explosion box to find my favorite one...the one I used for instructions on the explosion box scrapbook I posted a few days ago. So, for a quick link and so I won't ever have to search again either ;0 here is the link!

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYCUdE_Rtcc

     There are actually 3 videos where this lady takes you through start to finish with lots of tips and ideas by the end of the 3rd one but this link is for the measurements for cutting and scoring your cardstock. The other 2 video links you can find along side the video. OK?

     NOW I am going to go start a new explosion box scrapbook. See ya!

If only. If only?

      If only life were simple and decisions were easy and choices were between good and better. You know?And by the way, isn't the phrase "if only" kind of weird? We don't really want our choices to be few or our decisions made for us or to not have options in our life. If only? Ah well. I'm just plugging along, hoping my choices and decisions turn out right in the end. Grateful for grace and believing for redemption.

    Well, that bit of philosophizing done, how about checking out a couple new card creations?

This is using the stamp set from Stampin' Up! called By the Tide, and their new in colors including coastal cabana, crisp cantaloupe and pistachio pudding. 

The new in colors speak oceans and seas to me. 

 

 

This little pretty is made using SU's Simply Fabulous stamp set with the Simply sent card kit. I backed it with Tangerine Tango. Easy, fast and beautiful. If I do say so myself :)

Well, if life doesn't make sense and your stress feels too much...create something pretty. Right?

www.janebuchanan.stampinup.net

That's where you can go to check out the Stampin' Up! catalog with all the great products used to make these cards! 

Go create something.

Name that flic...

     Here's a quote from one of my favorite movies. "Whatever else anything is it ought to begin by being personal."

     So, what's the movie?

     While you think I'll show you a couple new little pretties.

     Have you thought of it yet? OK, here's another quote. "oh yeah, right, a snap... to find the one single person in the world that fills your heart with joy."

     And here is another cute creation. There are some very wonderful one of a kind you just gotta try but you'd never know how awesome it is til you see it products in the last 2/3 of the new Stampin' Up! catalog. This is a gift box made of very sturdy kraft cardstock and it comes with thick acetate sleeves, all prescored and ready to put together and match up with the cute tag kit. The price is very reasonable and  the size is just right for gifts.

     Figure that movie out yet? OK, one more quote. "Is there someone else?" "No, but there is a dream of someone else."
      Well, if you haven't guessed yet, this is the quote that will give it away. "Don't cry shopgirl, don't cry."
    Yeah, I have probably watched You've Got Mail  about 89 times. Something about it I just love.

     So, what's the movie you watch over and over again and never get tired of? You know there is one!