Been a busy week, out for meetings on creative things but no time to actually create. Ready to dive in to all the new products that are arriving. They will have to wait a couple days. Another meeting today and reports to do!

The city of Fredericton has such a lovely historic downtown area where the past comes alive each summer with the Changing of the Guard, the Calithumpians in period costume giving tours of the Garrison district along with re-enactments of different historic events.

Part of the old Barracks has been converted into Artisan shops for the summer by the city. I am excited to be part of one of the shops this summer along with seven other local artisans, potters, jewellers, artists, needlework, textiles, photographers, woodworkers all comprise the ten shops. We share working and only work one day a week at most so it is an easy venture.

People from all over the world visit here so as an "official Fredericton Ambassador" I will get to promote this beautiful city.  Life is full of possibilities and adventure this summer here and away! Follow the Joy always! Debra, CEO!

Putting plans together for the Summer CHA Conference and Tradeshow. CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) This past year the Canadian Craft and Hobby Association has now joined CHA. At the summer show several talented Canadian designers will be participating in a Summer Look and Learn Event. 

We will create a design with products donated by four companies. This project with instructions will be available to retailers to use in their stores. They will get to preview the project at the "Be Inspired" event and take home a kit to recreate the project to teach and promote at their store.

The participating companies are DecoArts, Tsukineko, Canvas Corp and Harmonie. Product is arriving and now the tough decision as to what to combine in the project. It will be fun "playing " with everything as I decide! Debra, CEO!

Mother's Day, my second one without my Mom and my first without my darling daughters living at home. In between life has been full of change. We never know what life may bring but what we do know for sure love is constant.

Our Moms bring us into this life and nurture us. We continue the journey learning and loving along the way. My beloved daughters are born of my heart and two wonderful young women made it possible for them to become the loves of my life. I have always believed that life is simply a love story for where would we be without love.

In my world I have many amazing women and as I watch their journeys as mothers and daughters I am humbled by their brilliance, their generosity of spirit as they manage their lives with the deepest of love.

May this weekend be one of expressions of love, of proofs of love where you speak, give, share from your heart. Happy Mother's Day! Debra, CEO!

It is the first Monday of the Month and the Designer Crafts Connection is a hopping! The theme for this month is Mother's Day. One of our members is in the hospital and this month's project is dedicated to two designers Lisa Rojas and Veronica (Ronnie) Goff. They are always smiling, talented women with a big hearts, mothers, friends and two of the most wonderful warm people you will ever meet! Here's to you lovely ladies and to your speedy recovery!

My project for Mother's Day was inspired by a giftbox I received for Easter. I created a "Love Bug" gift jar for Mom which could be filled with any of "Mom's" special treats from candies to love notes.

I used one of my very favorite techniques needle felting with Wool Wisps from National Nonwovens and STYROFOAM brand foam to create the bug head.

Recycling a jar and left over pieces of scrapbook papers to decorate it with.

Ribbons, buttons, ricrac and flowers complete the "Love Bug!" Sending lots of love your way Lisa and Ronnie! Don't forget to check out the forty plus talented designers in the connection, just click on the button in the right sidebar! Happy Hopping!  Debra, CEO!

Finally Fowl Friday once again! Debra is busy getting ready for Kate's graduation and is leaving us in charge. Well kind of considering the list says things like, "No partying especially with roosters from Hatch.com" (Freda is devastated, a little red wine may help!) "No bathing in the kitchen sink." "No eating chocolate on the white couch!" (although the chicken feet marks make an interesting pattern, but apparently not appreciated as they are on the now underside of the cushion!)

Basically we are going to have a very quiet boring weekend perhaps a little sunning on the deck in the hot pink and kiwi green lawn chairs might be allowed! We are also hoping for some treats from the graduation considering it is Pastry Arts! Kate has made some very yummy treats! Follow the crumb trail! Fran & Freda!

Spring is fickle here, one day flipflops, the next snow is falling once again! Such was the saga of the Easter weekend. It began with snow and worries of my daughter driving from another province and ended in warm sunshine with us hoisting lawn chairs up over the railing on my second floor deck!

I have been busy sewing summery accessories with bird themes, birds are found on everything and I have a growing collection of them in my place. I decided to applique a pillow with so soft birds created from Xotic bamboo felt by National Nonwovens.

The fabric birdhouse compliments the pillow and will make a nice accent for a table next to the chair. Now if it will just stop raining this week.....Debra, CEO!

I like Mondays! So here is to a Marvellous Monday full of sunshine and surprise, new creative endeavours! Spring seems to have officially arrived and hopefully the snow is finally gone!

Beginning with May the Designer Crafts Connection will post the first Monday of every month, so next Monday there will be a collection of wonderful Mother's Day projects.

This past week I was introduced to Pinterest, where you can "pin" images that interest or inspire you from the web to "boards", ownership and origin is acknowledged, pins are repinned and followed by others. There are different categories and you can create your own style boards. There are many beautiful ones and a great resource for inspiration. The pinmarklet goes in the tool bar and "pinning" is simple. Follow the JOY! Debra

This week we (Donna Mulholland (Chief Creative Officer at Creativity Matters) and myself held a creative evening, a sample of Jill Badonski's Modern Day Muses program. Donna and I were the only members in the teleclass from the East Coast to receive Muse Faciliatator training. We were a little nervous about how our "A Musedom Evening" would be received.

We held it at our studio and ten amazing women showed up! We greeted them with a dubbing with the Musedom magic wand and a scroll designating their Muse for the evening.

After our brief intro everyone got to create themselves a "no name" tag as their muse and then share their creation. The tags were colorful, feathery, glittered and dazzling in their uniqueness.

Our next playful activity was making art to music, a sort of version of musical paper where the group circled the table dancing to music and just made marks, scribbled with pastels on the page in front of them. It was such fun as the songs changed so did their movement and expression.

The Modern Day Muses provide playful tools for unblocking and inspiring creativity through fun tools, exercises and the "Muses" who embody characteristics to enhance and encourage creativity. We are planning some upcoming Creativity Workshops. We were very grateful to our group who were our "guinea pigs". They were awesome! Follow the JOY always! Debra

I have had the pleasure of working with STYROFOAM brand foam products for over ten years now and even more delightful pleasure of working with Sharon Currier during these years. Her new blog Crafts 'n Coffee features all kind of great projects you can create easily with foam.

This week there is a give away, cute chicks which will make a whimsical spring centerpiece. This design was featured in Crafts 'n Things magazine, I really enjoy designing birds, chicks, bunnies, any kind of fuzzy creature really! So grab your coffee and enjoy Crafts 'n Coffee! Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

Drum roll or egg roll please! It is the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop! This month's theme is Easter Crafts. Just click on the button to hop along and see all the other Easter treats! Julie McGuffee has a give away when you find the Scrapbook Memories logo as you hop along. Full details on her blog!

My Easter design is a Canadian Easter bunny, there is still a chill in the air so a sweater please but the snow is gone so tootsies are laid bare and sport sandals, flipflops or Berks! I have recycled an angorah sweater and used my favorite STYROFOAM brand foam and wool from National Nonwovens.

Sweater, Wool Wisps, Clover Pen Tool

Cut off 8" of sleeve for body.