Drum roll please! It is week #5 of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop with Karen Burniston's Gift Card Holder. This was for me the most challenging as I am not primarily a paper designer so I decided to not to use it in a card. I love winter and snowflakes so I decided to create a Snowflake gift of Joy. The diecur piece fit perfectly over the snowflake. Plus any excuse to use a button or two or three..

I painted the cardstock diecut adding glitter while wet. Embellished with buttons, ribbon and more glitter. The Gift Card Holder, 3D Pop-Up, Bigz XL Die #656740 by Karen Burniston is used with Big Shot or Big Shot Pro.

Hop along on the magic button at the right and see what 60 very talented designers create with this die! Always follow the Joy! Debra

inspiration [??nsp??re???n] n

1. stimulation or arousal of the mind, feelings, etc., to special or unusual activity or creativity

2. the state or quality of being so stimulated or aroused

3. someone or something that causes this state

4. an idea or action resulting from such a state

 

Where do you find inspiration? Why do we need inspiration? To be inspired is to feel really alive, to see something which excites the senses and then want to create from the feeling. I vividly remember being in downtown Houston several years ago when they shot fireworks off the tops of the buildings, they cascaded down reflected in all the glass, it was amazing the explosion of vibrant color. A year later there was a gorgeous quilt inspired by the fireworks hanging at the Quilt Market tradeshow in Houston. The quilter had stood beside me that evening and remarked "this will be my next quilt, Fireworks!"

 

Nature is always a source of inspiration, I had been wanting to add my writing to beautiful photographs of my own. Visiting the lovely Luther Burbank Gardens in California with a friend who leant me her great camera I was able to take some photos of the beauty found there. Each one touched me and the words easily came to go with the photo. Follow the Joy! Debra, CEO!

 

 

 

While visiting Santa Rosa, California recently I so enjoyed seeing light poles wearing bright knit sweaters in gorgeous stripe designs. What a fun idea! Living where there is now a few inches of snow on the ground just about everything here should be wearing a sweater! How fun it would be to see all the poles in bright knits for the winter. Of course some could possibly go missing if in the midst of blizzard like conditions, they would make a great scarf!  It made me smile as the poles looked a little sassy below the officious sign they were "forced" to carry! Follow the JOY! Debra

Finally Fowl Friday with Fran & Freda. We have been "preempted" the last few weeks because of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop! Not wanting to disappoint our fans Debra is letting us blog today. Actually she is still asleep being early morning and we took action as in "borrowing" her laptop for a short time!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving for our American friends and a very sad day for us of the feathery persuasion. Today is aptly known as Black Friday, for humans a gluttony of shopping after the gluttony of yesterday. For the Fowl among us it is Black Friday where we mourn the loss of so many of our turkey peeps. We will always fondly remember those gobbles heard in the early morning, the handsome feathers and buff bods! Freda has always had a thing for a "Tom".

So to our dear turks no longer among us, you sacrificed so others could enjoy. Rest well and know your legacy lives on in the leftovers of today! Sniff. Follow the Fowl!

It is week four of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop featuring the talented designer Eileen Hull's picture frame die, 3D Pro Scoreboards Die #656835. 

Since the snow is swirling everything I make lately is winter themed. I used fabrics, ribbon and wool felt to make a winter wall hanging. It is a very versatile die with several pieces so it will be exciting to see what the rest of this wildly creative group comes up with! Happy Thanksgiving! Debra, CEO!

Sometimes Canada Post overlooks mail. Once found they send a nice letter of apology along with the late delivery. I had been looking for copies of the special edition magazine Quilt Featival featuring my Xotic Felt Owls. It was a nice surprise when I returned last week to have the magazine with CP letter in my mailbox. It was even a bigger surprise to see the little guys on the cover enjoying an outing on a rocky ledge. The design was inspired by the "see, hear and speak no evil monkeys".

(photo courtesy of Interweave Press)

Tomorrow is another round of the Sizzix Blog Hop. Wishing all of my American friends a Happy Thanksgiving filled with the warmth of family and friends! Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

I came home from a trip away right into a large local craft show with hundreds of talented artists and crafters. It was my first time at this local show so it was fresh and exciting for me plus I got to hang out all weekend with creative people and one of my best friends, artist Carole Forbes stayed with me. I was immersed in creative enthusiasm, it was wonderful!

At the show I met a talented young jewelry designer and her Mom. Her business "Heart & Soul by LeGoff" They also concocted the cutest tutus which displayed on the wall like a frothy fairytale. THeir exuberant energy was a delight and the tutus disappeared like magic!

A young jewelry designer from Moncton, Christine Poirier, "Tierra" had exquisite pendants, bracelets and earrings. Her unique style reflected her warm personality and energy. It was so refreshing to be among the young talent found at the show and watch their interaction with those who attended. Their pride and passion in following their artistry was inspiring and it created a charming atmosphere. For me missing my daughters at home it was a true gift to spend time with these young women. There is a generation of exciting, confident creative women on their way and we are the women who have launched them. The rest they have made all theirs! Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

It is week 3 of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop with the talented Brenda Pinnick's Flower Beauty Bloom die #655455. Brenda kindly sent samples cut from some of her wonderful fabrics. Since I just got back from a week away and off to a big four day event tomorrow I was happy to be able to whip up something fun quickly! I love boots and shoes, got these great purple boots, thinking I would make a "bootonniere"! Considering my schedule lately "These Boots were definitely made for...!" Check out the sixty talented designers in the hop, the projects are amazing!!!

I have been visiting sunny Petaluma CA the home of two of my favorite places Alvarado Street Bakery and Mrs. Grossman's Sticker Company. Last year I went on tours of both places, met Mrs. Grossman herself and wrote an article on their eco friendly manufacturing processes for Homearts magazine.

The company is located on the the banks of a park wetlands with large glass windows open to a beautiful view. When we arrived one of the employees was heading in with her dog. The place is bright, friendly and welcoming with tours given and a store on site. There is a big sale going on this week so I did stock up on some items. It is such a delight to visit and reconnect with the people I interviewed last year. It was a wonderful time spent in a lovely place that creates whimsical, fun, bright stickers and products. It all began with a heart sticker, one woman's vision at a kitchen table. Thank you Andrea Grossman!

Travels take us many places and often beyond our destination. We see our world each day but when we travel it is a new world to be viewed with first time delight. I have found since moving that I am more aware of my surroundings. I think that taking a day on a regular basis to visit your life and environment can be both useful and inspiring. Maybe there are changes you want, things that are annoying or not a good fit anymore, visit your life for a day and see what it brings.

I am travelling to the ocean where I find my heart, my home, the waves call to me in a way that nothing else does. I do believe it comes from the summer my Mom pregnant with me swam in the ocean and lived on the beach, for her the happiest summer of her life, in love and glowing. I am so very fortunate to spend this birthday weekend at the ocean. Everything is possible when you have love in your life. Love & be loved, all I believe and know is "Life is simply a love story." Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!