Handmade Valentines....

I made some more Valentine's cards that I wanted to share....

I created this one for my husband and I to give my mother-in-law...

This one, I made for my husband!

I made this for my sweet momma!!

A Teacher's joy...

My mother-in-law has been going through a very tough time in her life.  I know that time is what a lot of people need to heal, but I also believe in escapes...happy escapes.  Crafting has definitely been an amazing escape for me this past year, with all I have had going on.  When all there seems to be is struggle and darkness in our lives, a little light from somewhere is all we need sometimes.  

A few weeks ago, I was happy to hear from my mother-in-law, that she was wanting to have a get together at her home for some very special friends that have been there for her in these tough months.  Most, if not all of them, are retired teachers.  My mother-in-law is a retired kindergarten and first grade teacher and she has a true passion for education.  As soon as I heard her say that she wanted her and I to MAKE the invitations...I immediately thought....ABC PRIMER!! 

For those of you who have never heard of ABC Primer...it's a line of Graphic 45, also known as my absolute favorite scrapbooking paper ever!  I love Graphic 45!  They have the most amazing designs and products.  ABC Primer is vintage schoolhouse paper and my mother-in-law absolutely fell in love with it.  I had the 8X8 paper pad and the 12X12 papers, along with both sets of chipboard tags.  It took us 4 nights of crafting and creating to get 19 cards done...but we sure had a blast doing it! 

Here they are!

 

 

Valentine Card and Stick Pin Swap!

After participating in the Valentine tag and stick pin swap....I was absolutely hooked!  I decided to join another YouTube swap that OneHappyCraftyChick hosted on her channel.  Only this time, we only had 1 partner and we were to make a Valentine's card and 5 stick pins.  My partner hopped on the task early and sent me a gorgeous card and absolutely beautiful stick pins.  I was a little discouraged to make her my creation after seeing what amazing things she made me.  However, I think mine came out pretty good!  It's only the second time I've made stick pins and the first Valentine card I've made.  I am still really into the vintage look, so I went with that!  Here's a picture of my creation!

If you look closely, my stick pins are scattered throughout the card.  I had so much fun creating this card. :)

A Crafty Birthday!

My brother and I share a birthday.  We were born on February 4th, 2 years apart.  After years and years of celebrating my birthday with my brother, I have discovered that having a part of the day, just for me, is a fabulous idea.  For the past 2 years, my mom and sisters have planned a "girls" day for my birthday.  Last year, we had brunch at the country club.  It was so much fun.  We ordered Shirley Temples and ate delicious food and chocolate cake!  They invited my step Grandma, my Aunt and my mother-in-law and they all spoiled me with cheery gifts.

This year, I wanted to keep the new tradition of  "girls day" going.  We kept it smaller, but oh what fun we had!  My mom and two sisters came over to my house for a mini crop!  My mom made jalapeno corn muffins and my sister Bri brought avocado chicken salad and chips!  We crafted, snacked and chatted the afternoon away!  It was so much fun and made my birthday simply perfect.  They also totally spoiled me with crafty gifts.  My sister Ginger hit it out of the park with the brand new....Cricut she bought me!!!  I was so ecstatic to receive such a wonderful gift!! 

Here are a few pictures of my blissful day!

Here they are....my crafty girls!

Yay!  My Cricut!

I had a avisitor to help me open my present....

Brady and daddy (my brother-in-law, Kevin) left the girls to head out to their "boys only" lunch.  Brady says..."no girls allowed!"