Archives for February 2013

Valentine Home Decor Project

L-O-V-E wooden decor

L-O-V-E wooden decor

I bought these wooden hearts a while back with the intention of decorating them for my craft room.

I used the beautiful True Love paper from Basic Grey and some foam letters and flowers.  Love the final look.

On my desk before I decided where to put them.

On my desk before I decided where to put them.

I had some satin butterflies I bought months ago and finally got to use one. So cute.

I love this butterfly.

I love this butterfly.

 

 

Chinese New Year – New products alert!

New card up in the shop celebrating Chinese New Year also known as Spring Festival.

New card up in the shop celebrating Chinese New Year also known as Spring Festival.

I managed to upload my latest cards for sale at Belinda’s Crafts, some Chinese New Years cards.

One of my goals with Belinda’s Crafts is to not only provide multicultural products but to have the opportunity to share cultural histories and traditions with my customers in such a way that they become inspired to broaden their life with the richness of diversity.

So when the opportunities themselves, I will include little historical tidbits here to tickle your senses and push you to deepen your appreciation of the vast world of cultures living on our planet.

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally ran from Chinese New Year’s Day itself, the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the “Lunar New Year“.

The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors.

– Wikipedia

Spring Festival Card.

Spring Festival Card.

I used some really cool Graphic 45 paper to create the hanging lanterns and a Kanji character stamp that represents happiness.

I believe this card can be used for various purposes throughout the year.

I hope you enjoy the sneek peek and visit my shop to see the other card available for sale.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

Samples

So many samples

I may be aging myself but I remember the time when I used to go to Filene’s and Macy’s with my mom and when she bought perfume, I used to get so happy because she would give me some of the many samples that they would give her.

Fast forward to now and I went and bought some perfume at Macy’s and the sales clerk handed me what looked like one of those perfume samples you get in your magazines.  I was so disappointed.

Then I recently purchased some perfume for my sister at Nordstrom’s and I felt like a little girl again when I got home and went through all of my samples. Real samples in bottles. Some pretty good size I might add.

Belinda’s Book Nook – Susannah’s Garden by Debbie Macomber

susannahs_garden

Susannah’s Garden

Welcome to my book nook. Today’s selection is a fiction by Debbie Macomber.

When Susannah Nelson turned eighteen, she said goodbye to her boyfriend, Jake—and never saw him again. She never saw her brother, Doug, again, either. He died unexpectedly that same year.

Now, at fifty, Susannah finds herself regretting the paths not taken. Long married, a mother and a teacher, she should be happy. But she feels there’s something missing in her life. Not only that, she’s balancing the demands of an aging mother and a temperamental twenty-year-old daughter.

Her mother, Vivian, a recent widow, is having difficulty coping and living alone, so Susannah goes home to Colville, Washington. In returning to her parents’ house, her girlhood friends and the garden she’s always loved, she also returns to the payst—and the choices she made back then. What she discovers is that things are not always as they once seemed. Some paths are dead ends. But some gardens remain beautiful….

I have read several of Debbie Macomber books (Blossom Street Series) and truly enjoyed them and couldn’t put them down. I felt so drawn to the characters. I did not feel the same about Susannah’s Garden. I did enjoy the book but I didn’t connect with the characters the way I did with her other books.  What I liked about the book is how it explored our curiosity with the paths we choose in life. I like that it touched on family dynamics throughout the story. The twists in the story were also a pleasant surprise.  Overall an easy read but if you have not read any of Debbie Macomber books this is not the one to start with rather I highly recommended the Blossom Street series which has very rich characters.

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