It's Monday again already and another word book...

One thing I have discovered since I was laid off from my job last August is that it doesn't matter if you're working full time or looking for a job (which is, in itself, a full time job!), the weekends always fly by and when Monday morning arrives, there is always something I didn't get around to doing on Saturday and Sunday.  I can't help but wonder if I have become so used to that inevitability that I subconsciously adjust my mental speed to ensure that I don't complete everything on my to-do list in those two days.  Or perhaps my brain knows that it needs some down time and therefore prevents me from spending all of my time "off" working on those weekend chores.  Another thing I have learned is that when my creative muse is feeling particularly frisky, I had better go with the flow.  If I don't, I'll undoubtedly miss the opportunity and then, when I really need to get a project finished, or started as the case may be, my muse may not be so cooperative!  The housework will still be there when my creative frenzy ends so why not take advantage of the opportunity when it's presented?  I'm a planner by nature and it would be nice to know what kinds of projects will be needed in the coming months but since that's not always possible, I try to take care of the ones I do know about in advance and then if I'm still going strong, I work on whatever makes me happy at the time.   

My younger sister, Patty, inspired me on many occasions to create what I feel is some of my best work.  She also made me realize that I need to live each moment as though it could be my last because none of us knows when that final moment may arrive.  She lived the last 6 years of her life in a way that was an inspiration to everyone who met her.  She maintained a positive attitude toward life and even in her final days, never questioned that her maker had a reason for making her suffer and she never blamed Him for her illness.  I'm not at all sure that I would be able to follow her example but I know that I would try to do just that.  This photo of her graced the front cover of Texas Health Harris Methodist Foundation's publication called "In Touch" in which she was featured in an article about the Bluebonnet Retreat Adult Cancer Camp, where she was a volunteer camp counselor twice a year.  The camp was extremely important to her and she attended the spring session just over a month before she passed away in May of last year. 

Here's a word book I made for her approximately 4 years after she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.  It was the first one I made and I took the pictures before her photos and some additional embellishments were added.  It's much prettier with them in place but I haven't had a chance when I've been at my brother-in-law's house to take new pictures of it.  I definitely need to do that though <making a mental note to take camera on my next visit>.    

Thanks for dropping by today.  I wish you all a wonderful week full of love and creative energy and I hope you'll visit again very soon.

Happy crafting,

Anniebee

Happy Friday and Another Word Book

Hi, everybody!  Well, I haven't gotten around to taking pictures of my two latest cards so instead of postponing this until I do, I am going to post another word book I did last year for my boss's 3 year old son, Cooper.  He's a very small, shy boy until you get to know him... then you can't get him to be quiet!  He's a real cutie and it was a lot of fun making this book for him.

Thanks for looking.  Today is going to be another busy day but I'll try to get those pictures taken later so I can post them.  I'm really happy with the way they turned out so I want to share them with you.  Have a wonderful day!

Anniebee

Hello and Welcome!

This is my very first post on my very first blog and I would like to welcome all visitors to Anniebee's Craft Room.  As I am brand new to the world of blogging, I am going to start out simple and hope that my entry looks the way I intend it to look.  Soooo... here goes!

Because I have been spending every spare minute cleaning and organizing my garage, I haven't really had much crafting time lately so I'm starting with a project that I created a while back.  It's a word book I made for my niece for her high school graduation last year.  I'm sure most of you have seen albums like this before but just in case, each page is a letter in the name of the recipient.  In this case, the name is "Kirsten", whose nickname is K.C.

.  I started with a baby picture and progressed through her childhood and into her school years and ended with graduation.  The base pages are fairly thick chipboard and covered with patterned scrapbook paper and cardstock and then embellished with die cut designs, frames and embellishments that coordinate with the themes of the pages.  I used Cricut Design Studio to design the shape of the pages; the rectangle part from George and Basic Shapes and the letters from Storybook.  I had to multi-cut several times, even with the deep cut blade and housing, and then finish cutting with a very sharp craft knife.  I used very fine grit sand paper to finish the edges.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this little gem.  I was very happy with how it turned out and Kirsten really loved it.  Your comments are welcomed and if you like what you see, I hope you'll visit me often.  I'd also love it if you'd consider following me.  I plan to post a couple of projects a week until I get into the swing of things.  Thanks so much and have a great week!