Crazy Holiday Season

So, it has been a couple of weeks since I have blogged. We have gotten the house decorated for the upcoming festivities with family and friends, done most of our shopping, had a weekend with our nieces and nephews pair these things with my new (and WONDERFUL0 design team position, I have been one busy gal.

So now, I share with you, my dt project from two weeks ago, aptly named “Christmas In Paris”. In this design, I used many items from the Creating With Details online store. Fabulous lace trims, appliques, pearl and bling embellishments. This has been a favorite of mine.

Hope you enjoy! Please, stop by the Creative With Details store for your unique and beautiful items for your crafting needs.

“Christmas in Paris “paper mache top hat by Michelle

There is nothing that gears me up more for the holidays than the sights, the sounds and yes, even the smells of the this wonderful season. So in thinking about these things, I was inspired by the holidays of old. Walking along the snow covered streets and bridges, seeing the decorations of wreaths and of pine trees. The sound of carolers singing a Christmas tune, and the lights. And just imagine the wondrous beauty of the Eiffel Tower, amid a blanket of snow. This was inspiration for my project this week, the paper mache top hat.

I used a paper mache top hat just like the one found in the Creating With Details online store.  http://www.creatingwithdetailsstore.com/#!product/prd1/3264818351/paper-mache-top-hat-9x11%22

Covered with a beautiful 12x12 paper from my personal stash, torn and applied with Mod Podge Matte medium. I added beautiful lace and appliques, and embellishments of pearl, rhinestone, wood, and chipboard.

I hope this brings you to think of Christmas’s of long ago, and inspires you to create something beautiful!   Au Revoir Joyeux Noël!

 

ALL LACES used in this design, are from the Creating With Details online store, as well as the pearl and rhinestone brooch, and red wheat sprays. Lace trim-http://www.creatingwithdetailsstore.com/#!product/prd1/3257161331/embroidered-white-tulle-trim---1yd

Front Applique-http://www.creatingwithdetailsstore.com/#!product/prd1/3263317451/ivory-venise-applique-69-147-029

Top Side Applique- http://www.creatingwithdetailsstore.com/#!product/prd1/3257905321/white-venise-applique---ta5

Acrylic Spray- http://www.creatingwithdetailsstore.com/#!product/prd1/3264755201/red-wheat-acrylic-spray---pack-of-1

Rhinestone/Pearl Brooch- http://www.creatingwithdetailsstore.com/#!product/prd1/3257542661/pearl-brooch-pack-of-1

All other embellishments are from my personal stash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Everyone, I just wanted to pass along a delightful and beautiful project created by my friend Kim Larson Norman for Creating With Details. This fabulous card captures  a winter wonderland of yesterday. And while you are there, please take a moment and view ALL the gorgeous designs by Mai Larsen, Robbin Fischer McCrumb, Angela Holts and myself have created for the season too! And be sure to stop by the Creating With Details online store for all of your crafting needs! God Bless!

 

http://creatingwithdetails.blogspot.com/2014/12/vintage-shabby-christmas-card-by-kim.html

 

Created by Kim Larson Norman for Creating With Details.

Wings of the Soul Altered Canvas

Hello crafty friends. I am so thrilled to have been chosen to be a part of such an incredible design team, and getting to create with such wonderful products found in Mai Larsen’s Creating with Details store. This is my introductory design using some of those products.

I chose to create a mixed media/altered canvas.

 

 

The canvas is a 6x6, 2 inch deep stretched canvas.  Covered in 2 designs of coordinating paper (torn & distressed), using gesso, enhanced with metallic paint, texture spray, and chalk ink. The “angel” is a paper mache` mini dress form (cut in half to make for flat mounting to canvas) covered in script tissue paper.

 

 

 

 

 

Please be sure to stop by the Creating With Details store for your crafting needs. There you will find beautiful lace and lace applique's, pearl, rhinestone, acrylic and resin embellishments, fabric flowers, metal charms and so much more!

 

http://www.creatingwithdetailsstore.com/

 

I used Metal filigrees, lace and lace applique's found in the Creating With Details store in this design.

 

 

Used From my personal stash:

Americana Metallic Paint in Espresso

Polymer clay shabby rose (from handmade mold)

 

 

 

 

Thank you everyone for stopping by and taking a look!

Be sure to check the Creating With Details blog each week to see other fabulous projects

by the Creating with Details Design Team!

 

 

Such an exciting time!

I am so thrilled to announce that I have been added to the
2014-2015 Design Team at Creating With Details.

Creating With Details is a FABULOUS online store founded by the marvelous Mai Larsen. There you can find a vast array of beautiful laces, ribbon, bling, metal embellishments and so much more.

I am so excited to be designing along side such a team of brilliant crafters and designers, Angela Holt, Kim Larson Norman, Robbin Fischer-McCrumb, Madge Gillen & Jeanne C Rodriguez.


Be sure to check out the Creating With Details online store, and stop by the Creating With Details blog, so you can see all the beautiful designs by the talented team of ladies!

                                                   https://www.creatingwithdetails.com/

 

                                                  http://creatingwithdetails.blogspot.com/

Get It Right..............

Have you ever, truly given your everything? Poured your heart and your love into a matter or a project, only to find out much to late, it wasn't good enough? Haven't felt heartbreak like this since I left high school.
 I was never the prettiest, the most popular, nor even belong to the in crowd. When you watch the dreams for your life, drift away, day after day, year after year, you just hit a point of complete emptiness.
I am there. Empty. Broken. Wounded to a point that I am not sure I can rebound from. I had heard this song on  the television show Glee once. The lyrics haunt me tonight......

GET IT RIGHT

What have I done?
I wish I could run,
Away from this ship going under
Just trying to help
Hurt everyone else
Now I feel the weight of the world is on my shoulders

What can you do when your good isn't good enough
And all that you touch tumbles down?
Cause my best intentions
Keep making a mess of things,
I just wanna fix it somehow
But how many times will it take?
Oh, how many times will it take for me to get it right, to get it right?

Can I start again, with my fate shaken?
Cause I can't go back and undo this
I just have to stay and face mistakes,
But if I get stronger and wiser, I'll get through this

What can you do when you're good isn't good enough?
And all that you touch tumbles down?
Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things,
I just wanna fix it somehow
But how many times will it take?
Oh, how many times will it take for me to get it right?

So I throw up my fists, throw a punch in the air,
And accept the truth that sometimes life isn't fair!
Yeah, I'll send down a wish and I'll send up a prayer
And then finally someone will see how much I care

What can you do when you're good isn't good enough?
And all that you touch tumbles down?
Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things,
I just wanna fix it somehow
But how many times will it take?
Oh, how many times will it take for me to get it right?

"I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face"

In the infamous words of Professor Henry Higgins,
(My Fair Lady), I have grown accustomed to the most classic and beautiful woman in the history of Hollywood. Audrey Hepburn.

I love it when life's stresses, can bring about a creative side. This is my version of "Finnabair/Christy Tomlinson meets My Fair Lady.


                          "I've grown accustomed to her face"

 

 

A 6x6 deep stretched canvas, using various patterned craft papers, Lindy's Stamp Gang spray in Cotton Candy, gel crayons, and various mixed media items.

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone  have a blessed and crafty day!!!!!

 

 

A Time of Reflection and Renewal

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come

Isn't it strange, that events in this life, can literally feel like a punch in the gut. And sometimes these events, can seem hopeless, often leaving one full of despair. And one of the hardest things to do, is to stand on the sidelines, waiting for a move of epic proportions, that will turn life around.

Trusting in the unseen, is one of the very hardest things to do. For me personally, when it comes to my life, I really tend to try to hold on to control too tightly, often times feeling defeated, when those moments have long passed.

Yesterday is gone, just a memory now. Today is a day to move forward. Today is a day of renewal.

 God removes the stains of our troubles and sorrows of yesterday. Each new day given, is a gift. And it is with expectancy, we face each new day. We move forward in a new found hope, and a new found freedom.

 Today, do not let the shackles of yesterday, leave you stuck in a place of uncertainty, or of complacency. For those who have believed, no longer shall you be weighed down, no longer shall you be bound by hurts, by sickness, by poverty.

 God will exceed abundantly, than we ourselves expect. We see what is before us, God see’s beyond that. He uses our troubles, to shape us, to transform us. We have been made, overcomers, by the transformation. With the love that has been given, with the grace and mercies of new promises, we can enter into a new season of our lives, VICTORIOUS, because our battles have already been won!

So if today, you are weighed down by the woes of yesterday, give it over to God. Place it in the hands of the creator of the heavens and the earth. Place it in the hands of the one who created you. Is there really anything too impossible for God? Move forward in the blessed assurance that the Father, wants every good and wonderful thing for His children. And He has got everything under control.

 

Another Project Complete....Timeless

DREAM BIG

I heard a sermon on Sunday, from Pastor Tony Stewart at CityLife Church in Tampa, that has resignated in my spirit since. The following is some excerpts, and my own notes combined from that sermon.
DREAM BIG
B-BELIEVE
I-IN
G-GOD
Many times we question, when we are faced with adversity of any kind, be it financial, sickness, problems in the family dynamics, marriage, whatever the problem, we never take one step alone. And many times when going through, we cannot see the finality in the matter, it is not meant for us to see.
All that is expected of us, to those who believe, is to trust in God, to believe in His word and promises. These trials, they are meant to develop us, to shape us into who God has destined us to be. To see proof,  take a look at Joseph in Genesis 37 is one of favoritism, envy, betrayal and deceit. It's not until 13 years later that it becomes a story of forgiveness, humility, love and restoration. Yet the end of the story of Joseph is a mirror image of the dreams that he had as a youth -- that one day his family would bow before him.
With jealousy as a motive, Joseph's 11 brothers attempted to prevent those dreams from being fulfilled by selling him as a slave to a band of traders. In their minds, to send Joseph into the lowest social class possible guaranteed they would never have to subject themselves to the humiliation of bowing to the brother they envied. But God, the giver of dreams and visions, had already confirmed the outcome.
And the trials Joseph faced from there, Joseph experiences life as a servant, during which he is falsely accused of a crime by Potiphar's wife, followed by several years in prison. Eventually Joseph is made second in command over all of Egypt, which allows him to save his entire family during a time of famine. It's a success story made in heaven, one that offers a message of hope in the midst of trials for those that read it.
God’s covering, brings connection.  God’s connection, brings favor. Always expose yourself to good input. I know, sometimes it is very difficult to do. But think the right thoughts, speak the right way. Celebrate the good in other’s whose dreams are being fulfilled. God will use ANY moment in our lives to bring our dream into fruition. Keep your dream in your spirit, no one nor thing can take the dream from there.
Any trial, pit or downfall, IS NOT our final chapter, “If god be for me, who can be against me?” Do not wrap yourself in the cloak of disappointment, wrap yourself in the cloak of praise, being grateful that God is fulfilling your dream. Hold onto the dream you have for your life.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY......

Talk about crazy. Starting 4 weeks ago, pure chaos engulfed me. My husband suffered and serious leg injury, that required immediate surgery, it was a LONG few weeks of running him to doctor's appointments, aiding him in maintaining his job (thank God it was something I could do) and also running my parents to do grocery shopping, and appointments as their car had brokedown, as did our primary vehicle, we luckily enough had my husband work vehicle to aid. My husband is recovering quite well, 3 more weeks to go in keeping that leg straight, then the physical therapy begins.

It is in those moments, of total disarray, that I began to miss my "routine" life. And I especially missed my creative time. I have however, managed to get a few things in order for swaps, and have created another canvas.

The old adage is, "That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger". I should be Wonder Woman by now, lol.

Live with Grace

My newest creation, inspired by the wonderful art of Kelly Rae Roberts & Christy Tomlinson.
And reflected by the grace given to us each day by the Father above.
In each day, God's grace can be seen by the blessings and the beauty around us each day.



I encourage you to find God's grace in each new day given, and giving him thanks always for such a gift.

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!

Although the weather here in the Ohio Valley, has been much cooler than normal for September, and has been gray and gloomy, I choose to look for the "son".
Doesn't matter the weather, God has given us each new day as a gift, what we do with it, what we make of it, is entirely up to us. So today,  (and everyday) I choose to be glad, finding the joy's of the Lord in everything I see, and in everything I do.

 

 

 

 

 

And on the crafty side of things...off to do the finishing touches on my newest project!

 

To everyone that reads this, BE BLESSED in everything you do! And always, GO WITH GOD!



God makes all things beautiful.

 In reading the following, an opening statement from a devotional this morning, my heart has been stirred. Stirring in the knowledge that I have gained in the recent storm and obstacles my family has been facing, not only for the last 3 months, and seeing the beauty God is working through the struggle.

“Life is full of surprises…Anyone who has experienced life for any length of time is clearly aware of the “suddenlies” that can happen, changing life as he or she knows it forever. Tom Hank’s character in the movie Forest Gump famously quoted “My momma always said ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Indeed, we do not. These surprises can be for the better, bringing joy. Or they can be challenging, a trial that we must face and go through, in order to grow and build character. As a believer in Jesus Christ, we must hold onto our faith and trust, knowing that He has the best plans for our life”.

Wow. Powerful. Just these words, gave me a different view of how I had been dealing with, and seeing the troubling situations. We truly never know what each day has in store.

 In our times of struggle, we can so easily be bombarded with what is going on, instead of seeing what God is doing, where God is taking us too. Many times, we trust in what our eyes can see, instead of trusting in the unseen, which God is working on, that which He is making beautiful. We can look and see the beauty of God around us, and very well fail to recognize that we are seeing some of God’s greatest work. The sky of blue, the beautiful color and fragrance of the flower, the green grass, and we can feel and hear Him in the gentle breeze on our face, and the rustling leaves of the trees.

 Today, I recognized that God can make all things beautiful. Regardless of what we see before us. Our storm is just a passing moment in life. In my own life, just in the last few days I have seen beauty arise from a troubled past. I have seen not only my own hope restored, but the hope of one who had thought everything was lost.

 So today, regardless of what you are facing, remember, that God gives us beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3 KJV) To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. What we see as desolation, God see’s an opportunity.

 

I do not own the rights to the photo. Photo found on Pinterest.

 

A Crafty Year

Just wanted to share a few more projects that I have created over the course of this year. No more am I timid about taking chances on creative mediums that I have never tried.....won't know the how I will like it unless I try, right?

My altered bottle designs.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                              





 

 

                                                                                                                                                          

Some Canvas art;

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                             

Okay, so there is a handful of the designs I created since last fall. Keep an eye out, more to come in the upcoming days!





Creative Break

Been busy in the crafting corner this week. Very excited with the results and very excited to share.


First, my project entry for the September Challenge with Laurie D Moore's 2014 Challenge, Unused items over at Facebook. An altered dress form (of sorts).


My idea; "Day at the Races". My source of inspiration; My Fair Lady and the beautiful
Audrey Hepburn of course!

 



 

Next, my projects for the partner swap of Altered Mousetraps, over at Girls, Giggles, Glitter & Glue on Facebook, hosted by the lovely Cynthia Bryant.

And, my very first handmade paper flowers, also a swap over at Girls, Giggles, Glitter & Glue.

A week of firsts for me, with all three projects. Not to shabby for first time efforts!

 

What A Long and Winding Road

It has been far too long. Two and half years to be exact. What a long and winding road. So many life changes, some great, some terrible. Along the way, I have fallen, got back up more times than I like to count, and yet somehow, I have begun to find strength in my faith
(although the last few weeks have been a real test of my faith).
And also along that road, I have met many, m any beautiful, loving, kind, encouraging and talented women along the way, and have built many friendships.
I have also been blessed to test my talents in crafting. I have l learned many new skills, and found my creative "chi".
So, this is my new start to blogging. Here I am going to share some of my own crafts and designs, but it is not all about the crafting, I hope that I can encourage and inspire from this blog. I know that I am not the only one that has been traveling this road, nor will I be the last. So if I can share my perils, and the wisdom I gained in teachings and learning many times the hard way, I hope it will bless others. So, here I go, another new adventure!