Memories

Have you ever had one of those moments that you find yourself lost in thought remembering a special moment shared with a cherished person? Lately I have been thinking a lot about moments in my life when I felt completely relaxed and happy. Ironically, the phone rang today and the voice on the other end sounded like an angel whispering in my ear. How can two friends bare the depths of their souls and then cease all communication? It was as though we both new we needed a friend to talk to and fate guided us to reach out. I am still smiling and looking forward to reconnecting!

I decided that I have had this blank Memory Keeper from Close to My Heart sitting around for months collecting dust. When crafting I tend to find my comfort zone and fear stepping outside the circle and trying anything different. After braving my first MOJO Monday, I decided to play with my box. Since my Tickled Pink set has been here for a month also -it was an easy choice to pull it from the shelf and create this simple box! I used all CTMH products - my favorite of course is the bit of bling! Special thanks to my sister Marie (www.IsomCre8tions.blogspot.com) for her encouragement to believe in my creativity!

MOJO86

I've finally put my fears behind me and after much encouragement from my sister Marie, I decided to give the Mojo Monday challenge a try. Here is my very first attempt ...

Check out Dannie's for some great candy ...

Who wouldn't love to win some blog candy? Dannie is giving away an amazing gift of goodies ...
http://danniescreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Play Day

It has been one of those days full of reflection. This morning I received a package in the mail from my sister Marie in Colorado. She has the most generous heart and a gift of insight. I thought of her often as I took the afternoon to relax and spend some time crafting. I often wish she were close enough to be on the receiving end of a hug of appreciation and love for her guidance, encouragement, strength and belief in those who felt they weren't worthy. Sister, you are more special than I could put into words!

My Play Day Projects:
I decided to use some of the piles of paper scraps that I had covering shelves, drawers and more. I made this Matchbox - for some reasons my pictures did not come out very well. I filled the box with some hard candies but there are so many different ways it could be used!











This second project is cuter than the picture portrays - it is a paper box. Again, I am filling with candies. I used the silhouette paper pack from CTMH that was in my package from my sister!














I have always wanted to try a Tic Tac holder. I love these!


I finished my Play Time by making this adorable paper bag/box with six coordinating cards. I saw this made by Dawn Giffith? but when I went back to find the site I couldn't located it (sorry)! The great thing about this project is that you can use one piece of DP 12x12 to make the bag and six simple blank cards!

















Thank you for taking a moment to visit my blog. I welcome your comments! If you enjoyed your stop ... please consider becoming a follower!
Yours in Inspiration
~Samantha

"Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers #28

Hi Sisters!
I'm am so happy to join your group. To tell you a little bit about me ... I am a forty year old mother to five beautiful children: Ryan 20, Sayde 15, Steele 12, Caleb 10 and Kaetlyn 8 (yes, that is how her name is spelled LOL!). My days are spent operating a Registered Childcare Home (celebrating my 10th year), caring for my home and family while trying to finish my Bachelor of Psychology. A few years ago I visited my sister Marie (www.isomecre8tions.blogspot.com) in colorado and fell in love with Scrapbooking. I had never heard of an Archivers or Hobby Lobby store (now I want to move into one!) and through her skillful guidance I began my journey into paper crafting. I tend to play more with altered paper projects and cards more than making pages but am slowly beginning to bring myself around.
One of the challenges I face is that I live in a very small corner of Northern Vermont where there are no crafting or scrapbooking stores. I turn to the Cyber world (and all of you) for inspiration and guidance! Thank you for welcoming me into your family!

Life ...

The pressures of this life seems to be all around me - financial and health concerns, worries about my family, concern about the future of our nation. Some days I can keep it all in perspective and push away the care, but other days I feel as if I am carrying a great big heavy sack on my back.
I am not even sure how I should pray for many of these circumstances. I found that it is best to simply invite You into each situation and ask that You bathe all of them with your presence and Your influence. When my burdens seems heavier than I can carry, I hand them over to You. On my small frame they simply weigh me down but you are great enough to hold them all.
I think of me dear sister and all she has taught me about trusting You. I am beginning to understand that often the greatest way that we come to know You better is through our burdens, so thank You for the privilege of growing to know You. These were some of the little "sandwiches" I made for Teacher Appreciation week at the kids school. We made over forty of them and then made a couple of paper boxes to hold them.
I was so excited to sneak out for some more 'girl time' last night. My friend Deanna introduced me to another CTMH consultant that only lives 25 miles away! She led us in making six layout pages in less two hours! It would take me two weeks on my own! Thank you Jeni Dutil!!

Here is the second two page layout. I didn't realize the paper was overlapping when I put it down for picture taking!!

The final layout is my favorite. We stamped the background - I started out with a piece of white cardstock and did a bit of second generation and random stamping. Then we sanded cardstock frames. I was awed by my finished product! Jen introduced the Bella colors for this layout!


To make the end of me a bit brighter ... my first party was almost $350! How exciting! Here's to a couple of weeks off before semester begins - lots of paper crafting so check back ... and remember to follow my blog!
~Samantha

Nurture

As a mom to five children, a college student, a childcare provider, mentor, wife ... I allow little time for replenishing my energy. Every moment is spent meeting the needs of those around me that I have forgotten that I, too, have needs -physical, emotional and spiritual. I realized that if I do not attend to my own needs at some point or other I will fail at meeting the needs of those I most care about and stray from who I am. I took a few hours to attend an afternoon craft gathering at my friend Deanna's house and was blessed to meet an amazing SU demonstrator (visit her at www.wendystamps.com). Listening to her share her 'journey' with us really inspired me to think about my goals. Not only is she extremely talented, it was obvious that she was true to herself! She inspired us to 'think outside the box' and the two pages below were created under her guidance (I added a little of my own touch).



I am going to use this layout when I find the "just right" picture of my 20 yr old son and I. I was reminded of how much I cherished each and every moment of raising him and though he has begun his journey into adulthood I am blessed by his "I love you's" every day!







This was a fun, colorful page that I couldn't just have a flower or two ...





Have a Sunshine Day!!