Archives for October 2017

Cute Cuts: A Little Halloween Lantern

This file had to be mine. I saw it in the Silhouette Design Store and loved the detail that the artist put into the design. Not to mention that it only required two pieces of paper. Now if that isn’t enough the price was 99cents…Sold. I added the crystal brad to the top to attach the handle.

It is slightly bigger than the grooved part of my display shelf but it sits on top just fine.  So I added it to the seasonal display in my craft room. I am surprised the boys haven’t touched it but grateful.

I set it next to some Halloween decor I snagged in the dollar section of Target. I don’t like to put up scary stuff just cute things and mostly autumn decor that way I don’t have to go change it for a bit.

I hope you all are inspired to use the cut files/products you have. I am liking this new series on my blog because I know that when I bought these files, I liked them for a reason and I intended on working my way through them all. So thanks for taking the journey with me.

Have a crafty day!

Belinda

Happy Monday!

Good morning! I hope you are well today. I am feeling a bit sluggish. I believe it’s because I stayed up watching football. I ended up pulling out my colored pencils and coloring book during the Patriot’s game to alleviate some of the stress. I am going to try to complete coloring a page a week so that I can actually finish a coloring book!

I have included a few photos from my fall fairy garden. I first bought one for my father-in-law a few years ago so I decided to buy one for myself about a year ago. Three of the plants lasted from last year (I tend to neglect my garden between seasons) so I just added the flowers to the landscape. I would like to make a walkway for the little pumpkin house. But that’s it because I can go overboard.  I have it on my deck right now but as it gets frosty out, I will bring it in for the winter.

Last week was very productive at work and with my genealogy research. I am still at what I call the beginning stages and continue to find inspiration and learn new information from the wealth of Youtube channels dedicated to family history research. My sister is even getting the bug and called me last week to tell me she is sending me a document she found at our family home regarding one of my uncles. Finding Your Roots with Dr. Henry Louis Gates has begun a new season and I just love watching them help people discover more about their family history.

On the health side of things, I hurt my knee working out last week and so I have been trying creative ways to keep my fitness program on track. Injuries seem to occur easier the older I become — grrrr. Today is my Meatless Monday and I am proud to say that I have been able to keep this up for several months now.

Yesterday it was fun watching Apollo and Leao working on some sort of circuit/computer set that Apollo had received on his last birthday. They get all into it and I love seeing them working together. I wish I had things like that when I was growing up. Very cool.

Well, I must go, I have a short work day today because I have to bring Nick to the dentist so off I go.

Have a blessed day my friends!

Belinda

 

 

What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday – #436

Well hello, my crafty peeps!! I’m back again with my desk that had some creeping clutter so I had to remove a few things so you could focus!!

Today before I begin work,  I am going to have mini colored pencils playtime.  I am finding that little blocks of time making it easier for me to do things I enjoy. Let’s see on my desk you can see my Copic Hexchart that is always there unless I go crafting with my girlfriends. Next to it are some Fall-die cuts I cut out on my Silhouette to use in my planner. Below that is a pretty little 6×6 pad of paper that I picked up for $2 last week when I went I go crafting with my girlfriends. It is called Vintage Wallpaper. The elephant case holds more colored pencils. I love elephants and this case had to be mine when I saw it at my local TJMaxx. I have a bowl of washi tape and on the lower right is my lovely Kindle. I carry it with me pretty much everywhere.I thought I would share a few pages from this amazing coloring book that I bought about a month ago. The pictures are large and has a mixture of detailed and large areas to color so that I won’t go totally insate!!
I still need to get inspiration to color in coloring books so I usually try to find real pictures of the subjects (in this case Egypt) to come up with color combos.
The cover is stunning and when I saw it in Barnes and Noble, I knew it had to be mine. I plan on slowly working my way through this one. I love that each page is only one-sided and the paper is very thick. You could color and then display them.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with WOYWW (What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday),  head on over to Julia’s Stamping Ground and you will find desks from all around the world for What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Well back to work I go. I will visit many over the next few days. Have a blessed day and make time for creating!

Belinda

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books With Fall/Autumn Covers/Themes

I love everything about fall..the crisp morning air, the smell of fireplaces burning, the beauty of the foliage colors but one of my favorite things I love about fall is curling up in a soft blanket with my tea and a book.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week, they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. This week focus on fall covers. So this top ten sounded like it was meant for me. I walked around my bookshelves and picked out old and newer books that either the cover made me get the Autumn feels or the story had scenes set in the fall.

The following are the ten books I selected:

Of the above books, I have read only one of them but let me tell you why I think they fit lovely into this category.

Let’s start with Susanna Kearsley’s The Rose Garden. I have been a fan of this author since I read, Marianna. The story sucked me in and I was sold. Then I went on to read Winter Sea and Shadowy Horses. Although I haven’t read this book yet, I feel the colors in the cover and roses make me think of fall. I also think the way that Ms. Kearsley blends history, time-travel and usually a touch of romance just oozes the autumn feels for me.

Maisie Dobbs book 1 has been on my TBR for years. I am not ashamed in saying that although I probably should be but at the recommendation of a book club member, I began the hunt for her books. I have never bought a new edition of any of her books and find it so much fun looking for them at used bookstores. This edition has the most amazing covers. This is a detective story set during WWI with a female (Maisie) sleuth. Need I say more. I mean fall is an amazing time for mysteries so I just know that this is a good choice for this category.

On that note, Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)  is another detective mystery with Detective Cormoran Strike. This is a first in a series. There are three books out and Rowling is working on the 4th now. So I can put on my thinking hat and solve a case while the beautiful leaves gently fall outside.

I picked The Folded Earth simply because of the beautiful fall colored cover.  However, it is a book by an author (Anuradha Roy) that I have been so eager to read. It is a tale of a woman making a new life in the foothills of the Himalaya. What better time for “armchair travel” via books than in the fall and winter months.

Rainy Day Sisters by Kate Hewitt was an ARC I read for a publisher in 2015 and I adored this book. It was a sweet women’s fiction with a little romance. It was first in a three book series. I didn’t know the other two books came out already until now so I will have to pick them up to see what happened to the characters. It’s a fast read and one of those starting over books that I think are perfect for the fall or even the new year.

On the second group photographed above I have 5 more books with yup only 1 that I read. Are we seeing a pattern here? Never mind that let’s move on.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi  – This cover is what made me think autumn. I think it is safe to say that I can now read this book. When it was first published it had so much buzz, I couldn’t even crack open the book. I just don’t like to be influenced by other’s reviews so I wanted distance to form my own opinion.

The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack – I read her debut novel (The Memory Painter) last year and loved it so much, that I emailed her to tell her as soon as I finished the book. She even emailed me back and I got the fangirl giggles. This book’s cover made me think of fall but the story of an antique appraiser who deciphers a text that she believes was written in Cleopatra’s time and how it plunges her into a dangerous mystery. Well if that isn’t one for a cup of tea and blanket I don’t know what is and I can’t wait to find out. I really appreciated the amount of research that Womack embarked on to create her first book and I expect nothing less for this one.

When Autumn Leaves by Amy S. Foster – Well if the color of the cover and the word Autumn in the title isn’t enough then a story of magic and witchcraft should seal the deal. I have not read this but don’t you think October would be a fantastic time to crack this one open?

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George – A book about bookstores and books seems perfect for the fall and I think this one should fit the category. I have not read it but I know it has received mixed reviews. However, I must decide for myself so I will let you know when I finally give it a go.

Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan – I read this book in 2015 and it is the third book in a trilogy. The first book is entitled, Unspoken and it is a lovely story of a girl with an imaginary friend she talks to in her head and one day, she discovers that this boy is real. It is really a fun fantasy story and the trilogy would make for a wonderful fall read.

Well there you have it, ten books I think would be wonderful choices for enjoying during the fall. Let me know if you have read any of these books.

Happy reading!

Belinda

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