the creative closet by cindy lawrence

Oh Happy Day!

Hello Stampers!

How are you all today?  Can you believe it's the last day of 2009???  It seems like just yesterday that we were dealing with Y2K, and now it's a full ten years later!

When I think of how quickly ten years flies by, it makes me really think about making the most of every moment we have.  I am feeling ready to make the absolute most of 2010!  While I don't have control over every circumstance that comes my way, I DO have control over my attitude about those circumstances.  So, that's where my focus is going to be...on my attitude and the One in whom I place my trust, come what may. :)  For now, I will simply say, "Oh Happy Day"! 

I love this sweet puppy dog from Our Craft Lounge!  Some days I still feel like doing cartwheels; but I learned my lesson a couple of years ago when I did one and spent the next several days limping around with a pulled muscle.  Maybe once I'm in better shape I can do a cartwheel again! {grin}

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Pat the Good Dog

Paper: Classic White, Chocolate Chip, Wild Things DP (Imaginesce)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Bashful Blue, Copic Markers

Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Word Window Punch, Label Punch, Cloud Stencil, Silver Rhinestones (dyed with B4 Copic marker), Blue Polka Dotted Ribbon, Linen Thread, Chocolate Button (PTI), Dimensionals

That's all, folks!  Enjoy this final day of 2009!  See you in 2010! :))

~Cindy

This has got to STOP!

Hello Stampers~

Do you see that girl up there on the card?  Well, that's been ME for a while now, and let me tell you, this has got to STOP!!!  ...and so it will...

Beginning on the 1st I am going to finally get real about getting back into shape!  I'm starting with the Wii Fit Plus and a food plan based on Jillian Michael's book, Master Your Metabolism. 

How many of you are in the same boat?  Are you ready to start the new year with a real plan?  I would LOVE to hear what you're doing, or what you've already done that has worked for you...especially if you're in the "over-40" club. ;) 

I'll keep you posted on my progress, which will, in turn, help keep me on track.  In fact, if you don't hear any updates from me for a bit, feel free to leave me a comment saying "WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR GETTING IN SHAPE PLAN, CINDY???"  Accountability is a must, and I welcome it! :)

Here's the recipe for my card:

Stamps: PMSaBella (Stamping Bella), All Holidays (SU- words)

Paper: Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy, Spring Fling DP from The Paper Loft, Watercolor Paper

Ink: Black Staz-On, Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom, Barely Banana, More Mustard, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Elegant Eggplant

Accessories: Circle Nestabilities, Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, H2O Water Brush, Primas, Goldenberry Dew Drops, White Embossing Powder, Piercing Tools, Dimensionals, SU Fancy Grosgrain Ribbon

Have a fantastic Wednesday, friends!  I'll be back tomorrow with a brand-new sample for you!

Hugs~
Cindy

I Chews U!

Hello Stampers!

Happy Monday after to you!  I hope you all enjoyed a FABULOUS Christmas with your families.  Ours was truly magical! :)  My mom & dad drove up from Virginia and stayed with us for a few days.  Our oldest son, Steve, spent the night on Christmas Eve, and was up even before the younger kiddos, although they weren't far behind him!

Even without the gifts under the tree, Christmas couldn't have been any more perfect at the Lawrence house!  :)

Now that we are moving on from making Christmas cards for a while, I thought I'd share the Valentine card I made for my hubby last year.  This is one of my favorite V-Day cards I've ever made!  LOVE this sweet set from Our Craft Lounge!!!

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Bubs the Beaver

Paper: Sahara Sand, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Watercolor, Infuse Designer Paper from Basic Grey

Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir Black Riding Hood Red, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Tim Holtz Grungeboard, Sponges, Marble Bella Dots, H2O Brush, Strano Striped Ribbon, Linen Thread, Branches Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Hope your Monday back-to-reality is a great one!  I am working today; but have reduced hours for the rest of the week, so I can spend some time with my kiddos. :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs~
Cindy

Gimme Some Sugar! :)

Hello Stampers~

I hope you are all enjoying the last-minute Christmas preparations as much as I am!  Although I still have a bazillion things to do, I've decided to adopt the "whistle while you work" attitude.  It would be so easy to be stressed out; but, really...what good would it do me?!  Oh, and lest you think me a Pollyanna...I am not always so good at remaining calm in stressful situations; but as I get older I am learning to just do the best I can & let God take care of the details.  It's incredibly freeing!  (Gosh, why didn't I think of that before now?!!)

So...on that note, I don't have a card sample for you today.  I have been spending my evenings wrapping gifts and baking cookies with the kiddos.  Last night, Abbi and I made the yummy sugar cookies pictured above for her class party.  Well, we made those and about four dozen more because Mom thought it would be a good idea to double the recipe.  (What was I thinking?!)  I usually make regular icing for my sugar cookies; but this year we went with an egg yolk glaze and piped icing instead.  We both LOVE how they turned out...so bright and festive!

I probably won't get any more stamping in between now and Christmas...but you never know!  Stranger things have been known to happen! ;)

I am working a 1/2 day today and then hitting the stores for some last-minute stocking stuffers.  I have never been this late with my shopping, but this full-time job stuff has really put a cramp in my style. {grin}  The good news is, I told my boss that I want to cut my hours back to more of a part-time schedule after the New Year, and she said no problem...yippee! :)

Have a very blessed Wednesday, my friends! 

Hugs~
Cindy

The Calendar is DONE!

Hello Stampers!

Are you feeling it too?  Too much to do and not enough time?!  I can't believe Christmas is this Friday!  We made a decision over the weekend to skip sending Christmas cards this year.  I know, I know...I have over 40 of them made; but I just don't know when I can write in them, address them and get them into the mail.  Soooo, we hope all of our friends and family will forgive us, and know that we wish each and every one of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  Next year, I will have LOTS of cards to send out...and maybe I can even get an early start with addressing them! {{grin}}

We had a glorious reunion with Ben this weekend.  Although he experienced some airport delays and his luggage didn't make it home until Sunday afternoon, we are sooo thankful he came home when he did!  A blizzard blew in the very next evening, canceling over 5000 flights up and down the east coast.  So many people are still stranded, and scrambling to find a way home for Christmas.  My heart goes out to them!

I finally finished my calendar gift yesterday afternoon...yippee! :)  Today I have the rest of the year to share with you.  In case you've forgotten, or didn't see the previous months, the calendar template and images are from Flourishes.  The flowers come in three separate Year of Flowers stamp sets...a MUST have if you are a flower lover!

Here they are...

August is morning glories:

September is asters:

October is mums:

November is cyclamen:

December is amaryllis:

What a wonderful project this was to create!  I had so much fun coloring in these flowers!  Now, I just need to figure out how I'm going to put it all together.  My original plan was to use my Bind-it-all; but it is quite thick with all of those cardstock layers.  So, now I'm thinking of using an easel.  What do you all think?  Would it be lame to have the pages freestanding on an easel?  Or do you have another idea you'd like to share???  Nothing like figuring this out at the last minute, huh?! ;)

The other advantage to not binding the pages is that they could easily be turned into pretty floral cards after the months have passed.  All they would need to do is pop off the colored cardstock at the top and attach it to a card base.  I am thinking of including 12 white card bases and envelopes with the gift.  That will make it a DOUBLE gift! 

I hope you have a fantastic Monday!  I have more to do than is humanly possible; but I'm going to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and hope that everything falls into place.

Thanks for stopping by today!

BIG hugs~
Cindy

Flourishes Friday Focus!

Hello Stampers!

It's time for Flourishes Friday Focus!  This week's Focus is on clean and classy cards with lots of white space.  Leading the charge is the fabulous Stacy, who is the queen of white space!  Check out her designs and challenge info over on the Flourishes Newsletter.

I wonder... Am I the only one who takes longer to make a SIMPLE card than I do to make one of my usual multi-layered, mega-embellished cards???  Why is that?!  I think too much...that's what my problem is. ;)

I used a large Nestabilities die for the card base, and added a smaller layer on top for the focal image.  To get a little contrast between the layers, I sponged on some pale blue ink around the edges.  The tea pots are from the Christmas Tea stamp set...looove them!

Here's the recipe:

Stamps:  Christmas Tea

Papers:  Classic White, Sultry Designer Paper (Basic Grey)

Inks:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Sky, Copic Markers

Accessories:  Label Punch, Long Nestabilities, Sponge Dauber, Pearls (dyed bright pink with Copic marker), Pink Satin Ribbon, Button, Dimensionals

Check out the beautiful samples from the rest of the design team:

• Christine Okken
• Julie Koerber
• Latisha Yoast
• Laura Fredrickson
• Leslie Miller
• Stacy Morgan

Have a FANTASTIC Friday, my friends!  Mine can NOT go fast enough!  We're off to the airport late tonight to pick up Ben...yaaaahhoooooo!!!  So happy to get to have him home again!  He told me yesterday that he's been packed for days....awww, does a heart good to hear that! {insert big cheesy grin on my face}

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs~
Cindy

Hearts Come Home

Hello Stampers!

First, I want to thank you for the many supportive e-mails and blog posts regarding yesterday's post!  I honestly did NOT mean to stir the pot again; but that's what happens when you type up a quick blog post at midnight...not a lot of thought gets put into what you're writing.  I do want to clarify something since a couple of you seemed confused by my babblings.  ;)

It is true that I am on my way out the door with SU.  So sorry if what I said confused you!  What you don't know is that I have hung onto my demo status to help my upline (since I am a high level demo in her downline) AND because I was really looking forward to seeing that article in print, which is why it hit me so hard when I was left out of it.  Silly?  Perhaps; but those were my reasons for hanging on.  As for the article, it really comes down to the common courtesy of a phone call.  That would be the professional way to handle it, whatever their decision.   ...and THAT, my friends, is all I'm going to say about that!  What I REALLY wanted to share with you yesterday, was my PROJECT...which I was (and still am) really excited about!

I do have an SU sample to share with you today.  It's one I made during my stint on the SCS Dirty Dozen.  I love coloring in this door!  It just makes me happy! :)

Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Home for Christmas

Paper: Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy, Whisper Designer Paper by Corina Nielsen for Prima, Watercolor Paper

Ink: Staz-On Black, Handsome Hunter, Wild Wasabi, Going Gray, Basic Gray, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Bravo Burgundy, Summer Sun, Baja Breeze

Accessories: Vintage Cuttlebug Corner Die, Crystal Effects, White Liquid Applique, White Gel Pen, ribbons, primas, hardware, Dimensionals, Blender Pen, Piercing Tools

I hope you are able to find some joy and peace in all the busy-ness of this holiday season!  Sometimes we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle, that we forget what it's all about. 

Here's a special song by one of my favorite groups to lift your spirits and give you inspiration today:

God bless!

See y'all tomorrow! :)

Hugs~
Cindy

Garden From the Heart

Hello Stampers!

The samples I have to share with you today bring me both joy and sadness.  The joy comes simply in the fact that I am just thrilled with how they turned out!  The sadness comes from the fact that I designed them for a Stampin' Up Artisan Award article that came out in December's Stampin' Success Magazine, and they were omitted from the magazine.  Actually..."I" was omitted.  You see, SU decided to leave me out of the article because they assumed that I had officially resigned from the company.  I find that fascinating on so many levels...seems it would be simple to find out the truth of the matter...maybe by picking up the phone and CALLING ME.  I would have been so grateful for the teensiest heads-up that this might happen.  I was sooo looking forward to seeing the article in print...such a disappointment.

The good news is that I LOVE this project, and I had enough foresight to snap a few pictures before I sent the package off.

I am not going to give you a full supply list for this; but you can find everything through SU...except for maybe the chocolate. ;)

Here's a separate shot of the treat box:

and a close-up of the card...

The temps here in NH continue to plummet into oblivion...hitting single digits by Friday.  Have I mentioned that I really do NOT like to be cold?!  You know what I do like, though???  I like the fact that my Ben will be home from college for six weeks beginning on Saturday!  I can NOT WAIT to see him again!!!  It's been almost four months since we've seen him...waaaay too long!  It will be a joyful reunion for sure. :)

Hope your day is positive and productive!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs~

Cindy

The Flower Fest Continues...

Hello Stampers~

Here I am with more calendar pages to share with you.  I have to say that it's been a real pleasure to be working with these gorgeous flowers when the temps here in New Hampshire have been so frigid!

Today I have May, June, & July to show you.  I had intended to share August with you as well; but I didn't quite get it finished on time.  I'm going to take a little break from the calendar pages for the next couple of days.  I have some other projects I want to share with you.  I'll share the rest of the calendar with you on Saturday.  That should give me time to get it finished.

Okay, here's May:

May's flower is the iris.  We have lots of irises on our property, several shades of pretty purples and some lovely pure white ones as well.  I chose amethyst as my main color, and added some touches of lilac to the petals.

On to June:

This page is going to be a favorite of my mom's, I just know it.  It is so her!  I pulled out my pink crocheted ribbon for this one, and colored the flowers using pink pirouette and regal rose. 

Before I go on to July, I wanted to note that the first six months of pages are all soft and easy on the eyes; but the last six months all pop with richer shades that match the flower varieties represented.

Here's July:

July's flower is the tiger lily.  These flowers are such a stunning display of God's creativity, aren't they?!  I used Tangerine Tango & Pumpkin Pie on my flowers, and dyed the satin ribbon and pearls to match.

That's all from me today, folks!  Hope you have a very blessed day today. :)

Hugs~
Cindy

Flowers, flowers, and more flowers!

Hello Stampers!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Mine was glorious...relaxing and productive all at the same time. :)    I am still plugging away on the calendar for my mom.  Actually, I decided to make two of them; so it's taking me a bit longer.

Since it's such a time-consuming project, I thought I'd share a few pages at a time with you over the course of this week.  I hope you won't find that too boring!

You've already seen January (see Saturday's post).  So, I'll start with February:

February's flower is the primrose.  I chose Baja Breeze and Rich Razzleberry as my main color palette for this page.  The designer paper is from Basic Grey's Euphoria pack.  My image was stamped in black Staz-On ink and watercolored with re-inkers on European Watercolor Paper.

Marching on:

March's flower is the pansy.  I'm not so sure that pink pansies exist in nature; but I am lovin' it on paper.  My paper is Certainly Celery & the flower image is done in pink pirouette and regal rose.  The designer paper is from Basic Grey's Porcelain pack.  I do so love a soft pink and green color palette...yumm! 

Now, on to April:

April's flower is the daffodil.  I decided to go with a white center for my flowers and shades of So Saffron and More Mustard for the outer petals.  I think daffodils are one of the happiest flowers...so sunshiny and cheerful! :)

Okay, that's all I'm going to show you today.  Tomorrow I'll have four more months to share.  I do want to tell you that while I did have many of the ribbon and pearl colors on hand, whenever I didn't have a color I simply dyed it with a Copic marker.  Marvelous invention, aren't they?! 

Finally, you should know that nearly all of the supplies I used for my pages can be purchased from Flourishes.  The gorgeous images are from their brand-new Year of Flowers stamp set series, and the calendar pages are downloadable from Flourishes as well!  Hop on over there and check 'em out!

Here's a peek at the first set in the series, which covers January through April.  Gorgeous, isn't it?!!!

Have a FABULOUS Monday, friends!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs~
Cindy