*DaYDReaMs*
Originally uploaded by sPaRK*YouR*iMaGiNaTioN

I LOVE this! My friend, Debrina created this for a swap. She is just coming out with her CD of images. She has lots of vintage images and she is extremely talented. Check out her blog at Whinsical World of Fairies.

Design by Nora

Design by Nora is an excellent place to find cool handmade jewelry, paper goods and handbags! Nora is extremely talented (I had the pleasure to interview Nora awhile back and was so pleased to showcase her talent) and I am sure you will find something in Nora's shop that will be sure to delight!

Be sure to read my interview with Nora. What a treat!

Kevin Pollak's morning cup of soy latte

Just thought this was a cool cup AND I love Kevin Pollak (remember him in A Few Good Men, among many others?)

by your design - Spoonflower

Thanks to my friend, Anna of misosouper I found out about a new site called Spoonflower. There you can create your own custom fabric. It is just the coolest thing! You need to create an account before you can upload your designs on Spoonflower but it is easy. They require your email address, name and username. You will receive a confirmation email and then you click a link to accept. Once you do that you will be taken to the site and asked to create a password. That is all there is to it.



They run a weekly contest showing about 5 or 6 fabric patterns designed by their users and then you vote for your fave.

Some recent designs on Spoonflower:

Here is how it works. You upload your design and they will put it on fabric for you. You are not obligated to purchase any fabric - you can keep a portfolio of your designs and purchase when you are ready. Once you have uploaded your design, you will be able to see your fabric with a repeat. The cost per yard (42" x 36") is $18.00. You can order an 8" x 8" swatch for $5.00. They are currently in Beta so you cannot purchase other folks designs but they say that will change once they are out of Beta.

A pretty teacup design on Spoonflower

Don't miss Spoonflower!

Serendipity Sampler

Hope Fairy Altered Tin

*HoPe* FaiRy aLTeReD TiN aRt ViNTaGe PaPeR DoLL CoLLaGe
Originally uploaded by sPaRK*YouR*iMaGiNaTioN

This altered tin from spark your imagination is so whimsical. Make sure to visit "spark your imagination" on flickr for lots of charming altered items.

A Labor Day Treat

I will never forget the Labor Day weekend when I was a teenager. We lived in Maryland and my dad came into my room and told me that we could go on a trip anywhere in the United States. My brothers and I just had to choose a destination and we would be off. Our grandparents lived in Florida and since we weren't really familiar with any other places to go, we chose Ft. Lauderdale. In several hours we were on a plane and off to Florida. It was so exciting!

We left Saturday morning and came home on Monday. In 1969 this just wasn't done. When we got off the plane we were greeted by a warm sultry day with just a bit of a breeze. We got to our hotel room and then off to the beach. That night we ate at a lovely restaurant and afterwards we went dancing. I met a young man from Michigan and we took a long walk on the beach. The sand was still warm and the beach was dotted with palm trees. It was like another world.

We spent the balance of the time sunbathing and just playing in the surf. Monday morning we were back in Maryland. A few weeks later I received the most beautiful letter from that young man in Michigan and years later I made a scrapbook for my dad and listed this as one of the best and most memorable times of my growing up.

Glimpsing a Crafter's Studio ~ Blog Carnival

This is my house in Littlestown, PA where I have
my studio. It's a beautiful setting that overlooks acres of farmland out the back. My studio is in the kitchen which faces the back so, as I am creating, I can look out on that gorgeous landscape.

I am fortunate that I have many cabinets in my kitchen so that is where I keep my paints, pencils, stamps, inks, and all the rest of my supplies.

Here is a section of my kitchen where you can see I have been baking but I also use all available space to make my handmade cards, as well as my painted pots, decoupage and collages.

The cabinets below and above this countertop house paint brushes, pieces of wallpaper, brayers, scissors and lots more.

I have an island in the middle of my kitchen where I do most of my creating. Luckily, the island has electrical outlets so that I can easily plug in my heat gun for embossing or my quilting iron when I am working with beeswax.


Here is a picture of my island where I do most of my creating. It is a great space since the top is granite so I can easily clean up anything that lands on it (and believe me that is alot!!!)

Also you can see part of the window (on the far right) and the sliding glass door where I can look out and see the beautiful farmland.

My studio is very conducive to creating and I love standing there stamping and coloring and painting.

Finally I want to show you the landscape that I see every day which in itself is inspiring!

I hope you have enjoyed having a peek at my studio! Remember to do something creative every day!

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