New Year, New Cards

These are some cards I made recently. I love how they turned out! Although I must say, they looked much better in person. I was in a hurry to take pictures of them, and the last card was a bit blurry. And you can't see the glitter very well... and I'm going to stop complaining now!

Letters to Great Grandma

I spent this past weekend at my Grandma's house helping her clean her garage before her big move happens in a week and a half. Christy went too, and although she couldn't lift anything too heavy because of her pregnant state (it's a BOY!!!), she had more energy than I would have thought for someone who is 5 months pregnant. We also loaded up some heavy flowerpots and a birdbath that would have cost a lot to move when you are paying by the pound. and dropped them off at my aunt and uncle's house, close to where Grandma will be moving.

While we were working in the garage at Grandma's, we had the privilege of sorting through an old trunk that belonged to my Great-Grandma Hobbs. In it were pictures of families I am related to but will never get the opportunity to meet in this lifetime, and some pictures of family members I know well, most of them taken when they were children and young adults.

It was fun to see Grandma, Mom, Aunt Susan and Uncle Marty as babies, young people, teens, and young adults. Since I didn't get to know them until they were all adults, it is hard to imagine them being so young, so seeing those pictures was priceless! Grandma will keep most of them, obviously, but I got to bring a few home with me.

Also in the trunk were letters and cards from Great Grandma's grandchildren and great-grandchildren (yes, some from me). Most were thank you cards from birthdays and Christmas. Here is just a sample of the progression of my writing skillz.

I was 6 when I wrote this beauty:

Dear Grandma
we went tothe
fire Department
today.
ihave a loose tooth.
i am having a Birtday
Pretty Soon.

Love
Carody
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also from when I was 6:

Dear Grandma
Thank (backwards "k") youfor the
gloves and the
BarBie yougave me
and the nigtgown
i Love you.

Love
Carody
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was so much more eloquent when I was 7 years old. Here is a sample:

Dear Grandma Hobbs.
I realy likedthe
letter you gaveme.
did you know that
my tooth came out?

I like you a
hole bunch !

LoveCarody
---------------------------------------
And this is from when I was 8 yrs. old:

Dear Grandma Hobbs,
Thank you for
the $5 bill and thank
youfor the card.
It was very
nice of you.

Love
Caro
dy
-----------------------------------------
And then I turned 9 and became VERY grown up. I wrote in my best cursive, and all of the letters slanted to the right at the perfect angle.

Dear Grandma Hobbs,
Thank you for the money. I
liked it very much. (read: I spent it the day after I got it in the mail.) I had a
wonderful birthday. I hope I
will see you sometime.








Love,
Carody
------------------------------------------------
Then I reverted back to straight up-and-down printing for my Christmas thank-you letter.

Dear Grandma Hobbs,

Thank you for the pajamas, they fit
really well. And I've used the soaps alot.
I hope you had a nice Christmas.
Happy New Year!

Love
Carody (this had a heart around it)
--------------------------------------------------
Then I turned 10, and my Grandma complimented me on my cursive, and I swore I would never write in anything but cursive ever again.

Dear Grandma,
I love you. I had a wonderful birthday.
Thank you for the $5.00. I am having
fun at school. I hope I can see you soon.


Love,
Carody
-------------------------------------
The summer when I was 10, we (Christy and I) stayed for a week at Great Grandma's house in a teeny tiny town. She had barns, an outhouse, a garden, a forbidden well, and lots of little places in her yard where my sister and I could hide out and play those rhythmic hand-slapping rhyming games. We also took a lot of walks on the old train tracks that went through the town. This is what I wrote after that experience. Also in cursive, on pink Hello Kitty paper.

Dear Grandma,
Thank you for let-
ting us stay at
your house. We
has lots of fun.
Eating ice cream
and smushing
it was fun.
I had fun
when we went
to the stores too.
Thank you for
buying clothes
for us. We liked
them.

Love,
Carody
-------------------
Then I turned 11. I was very hung up on being proper in my letter-writing, but I didn't put a lot of thought into what I wrote. Here goes! Yes, still in cursive. I even underlined it all.

Carody _____
my address
the rest of my address
April 14 1991

Dear Grandma,
Thank you for the
$5.00. I had a great
birthday. I hope I
can see you soon!
Sorry it's late!

Love,
Carody ____ _____
----------------------------------
After my 11-year-old Christmas. My handwriting looks constipated, but it is still in cursive. I also printed this "card" (piece of paper folded into fourths) from our Atari. I was SO mature.

Dear Grandma Hobbs,
Thank you for the
picture book and the
pajamas. I've worn
the pajamas almost
every night. The
picture book is neat.
I had a great Christmas.

Love,
Carody
---------------------------
When I turned 12, apparently I decided I had had enough of the cursive for a while. My printing was sloppy and pointed in all different directions.

Dear Grandma Hobbs,
(I do remember that when I wrote this letter, I was very annoyed because I ran out of ink after writing "Dear Grandma Hobbs," and had to change pens, and the pen I switched to had a different shade of blue ink than the first line of my letter. Ugh. A pen-lover's nightmare.)

Thankyousoverymuch for the
pajamas & the cross-stitching set.
They are wonderful! The pajamas
fit perfectly. I'm sure I'll start
on the cross-stitching set soon.
Have a very Merry Christmas &
a Happy New Year! I am
having a great school year, &
I hope it continues that
way. I love you very much!

Love,
Carody _____
(sometimes I signed my last name, sometimes I didn't)
--------------------------------------------------------
When I was 13, I enjoyed using "big" words, like "appreciate," and "sometime" (is that a word? I think not). Still writing in print, but very, very neat print.

Dear Great-Grandma Hobbs,

Thank you for the card and the $5.00. I really
appreciate them. I hope you are feeling well.
Maybe we'll get to see you sometime soon.
I had a wonderful birthday!

Love,
Carody
-------------------------------------------------
For some reason, there aren't any letters from when I was 14. Maybe I was rebelling? Poor Great Grandma! But look at this one from when I was 15. I wrote for me and for Wesley, who was 6.

Dear Grandma Hobbs,

This is from Carody and Wesley. We
hope you have a wonderful Labor Day.
We hope we can see you soon. We also
hope (we were very hopeful) you can use this bookmark. It
is a little early, but Wesley couldn't
wait. He says this is enough writing.
He drew a picture for you.

There was a picture of an apple that I drew, and then a very elaborate picture of what I can only assume is Great Grandma. He drew her with big curly hair, a big smile, and some more hair on the side of her face (huh?). The only reason I know this is because I carefully labeled everything. I remember that Wesley was very precise in his drawings, and always wanted everyone to know exactly what everything was in his pictures. He always drew people with their "arms and hands stuck together" and with their "legs and feet stuck together." I wonder what the psychological assessment of his pictures would determine about his personality.
---------------------------------------------------------

When I was 16, I wrote this letter with a green marker on construction paper. Must have been Wesley's idea! I had gone back to my wonderful cursive handwriting, with just the slightest bit of tilt to the right.

Thank you for letting us join
you for lunch and supper. We
really enjoyed it. "Thank you
for the book," says Wesley. I
say thank you for the note
pad. I can really use it
Hope we can see you again
soon. We love you!
Love,
Carody & Wesley
--------------------------------------

Thank you for joining me on this trip down memory lane!

Samantha

Here it is! I was reminded by Jaymee that I had yet to post the card I had promised, and I finally got it finished today during naptime. I love the color combination, the flower, the twisted wire, the birthday saying, everything! This is one of my favorite cards yet. It took some time to complete (have you ever tied wire into a knot? not easy!), but it was worth the wait!

It says "May every part of your BIRTHDAY have happy in it!"

I used dimensionals on the back of the flower and also on the blue layer of the flower to give it height. I just love my dimensionals! I used 42 on these 6 cards alone. :-)

Here are the card stats. I had stopped posting the ingredients I used to make my cards because it requires keeping track of the brand names of every single piece of patterned paper I use, but I will go back to listing them, just in case someone wants to copy my ideas. I also like to give credit to the paper companies I use the most. I think they deserve some of the credit, don't you?

Samantha Ingredients:

Cardstock: SU Cameo Coral (card), SU Old Olive (layer), SU Tempting Turquoise (circle)

Patterned Paper: Love, Elsie: Roxie Telephone (fabric with adhesive backing)

Accessories: pink buttons from Archiver's, black wire from Archiver's, SU Scallop Circle punch, SU 1 3/8" Circle punch, dimensionals, tiny glue dots (for the button back)

I call this card Samantha. Yes, I have begun naming my cards. I think it's fun. Kind of like those stores (can anyone say Pottery Barn?) that name their collections of bedding and furniture. Yeah. That.

New Book, New Card

Is anyone looking for some good reading material? These are books by Peggy Chrusciaki (remember Angela and Clayton, who I have mentioned on here a few times? Peggy is Angela's mom). I am about halfway through the first book, and can I just say, they are AMAZING!? I am totally engrossed in the story now, and I can't wait for nap time so that I can read more! It is the story of Ellis Spencer, whose parents and sister are killed in a natural gas explosion at their home while Ellis is away at college, and Simon Garrett, who is an extremely ambitious med student coming from a family with many issues, who feels he needs to prove something to the world. Um, yeah. Is it nap time yet?

This is the new birthday card I made a couple of days ago. I'm working on another card that has stunning colors, and some really fun patterned "fabric paper"... bet you are on the edge of your seat, and just can't wait to see it! ;)

And yes, that is Starbucks coffee you see in the background. I love me some Starbucks! My favorite is the White Chocolate Mocha, nonfat, no whip. I also like the Mocha Frappuccino, on really hot days.

I hope to get that other card finished today, but I'm not promising anything, because, well, you know, I have two good books waiting for me to read them. They're calling to me...

New Cards!!

I have updated my card website, www.thekidwellfamily.net, with the new cards I have been creating lately. I added a Christmas section, because I have been working on some new Christmas cards. I can't wait for the new Stampin' Up! catalog to come out in August!! There will be new colors and TONS of new stamp sets for me to drool over and make cards with! Tee Hee! SOOO exciting!! Also, I just ordered a TON of new stamp sets from the Retiring Sets list, and I'll be receiving those soon. Yeehaw!!! I can't wait to go play in my stamp room. :)

New Creations

Inside the Christmas Card it says :

"Jolly surprises, a tree shining bright -

Mistletoe kisses, a home filled with light.

Hearts that are merry, a time of good cheer -

Wishing all this and a Happy New Year!"

The snowflakes are sparkly, and so is the little scarf on the penguin. Adorable, no?

"Your Birthday Is Easy To Remember"

"so sorry i'm late... did i at least get the month right?

happy belated birthday!"

Cards

Just some cards I have been working on... they both say "Happy Birthday" inside. :)

Christmas in... May?

Just some Christmas cards I have been working on... because you can never start too early!

Address Book

No, I could not think of a more original title for this post. But the book looks good, no? I picked out 22 of my favorite papers and made this beauty. I finally got to use all of those girly papers I have been buying because they appeal to me! I look at my address book at least once a day, so I wanted to make it fun for me. I usually settle on something in the store, but this time I really wanted to go all out and make something that I will love forever that I can change the pages in if need be. I have had many of these papers for a few years, and have loved them from the moment I bought them, so I know I won't outgrow them.

I know, I'm silly, but I just love paper!

Now Featuring....

I'm expanding my card business to include... beer bottles! Okay, just kidding. I actually just made 12 of these, and I figured I'd see if anyone likes them enough to buy one! They'll be $5 each. They're actually root beer bottles, but when they are decorated, they make a great vase for a single flower. Aren't they cute? Don't you just want to buy one? ;)

A New Venture

I have been slacking on my blog lately, I know!! I have been working on something that is very exciting for me, and Mike has been such a big help and an encouragement to me through the whole process. He has even stayed up really late a few nights working on this new venture of mine. So what is it, you might say? Well, I'm so glad you asked. :-)

Mike and I have been working on building a website so that I can sell my cards. I love to make cards, but have never really had a good way to get "the word" out to people about what I have available. Now I have a place to post pictures of my cards, and give the prices, and even talk about what products I used to create the cards. I'm so excited to be doing this! I have sold a few cards here and there, but now I feel like I have a chance to really get "into" my hobby.

I have been working on Mother's Day cards lately. Here are pictures of some of them. I also have blank cards, baby/kids cards, and birthday cards. There is not a huge selection yet, but I'm working on that. I usually make a couple of new cards every night after the boys go to bed.

So here they are! And you can go to www.thekidwellfamily.net/ if you want to see some more.

Last Night's Fun

So I got these three pages done last night. Or the night before? I don't remember. It's all kind of a blur... aren't I cute?

Ambition

Just some thoughts I had today about finding purpose and direction in life.  Sometimes my "Creations" are just thoughts I have found the time to write down.  :)

You can't do everything AND be successful at everything you do at the same time. But you can "do one thing well" -- the motto of many entrepreneurs -- and everything else seems to find its own place while you are doing that. Not that your life will be perfect just because you are doing something you love to do, far from it. So many things will come up to make you think you aren't doing a good enough job, and that you need to change, and you will try (and fail!) to seek approval from outside sources to find fulfillment in what you are doing.

But joy comes in discipline, even though it seems that, as you go about your day-to-day existence, you are going to wither up and die and no one will have noticed all of your efforts here on earth. This is what Satan tells you so that you will be less effective in the world. He truly tries to keep you down by telling you this hogwash that you aren't "good enough" or "smart enough" or "working hard enough" to make any kind of difference. And that's just not true!!

The people who have made the biggest differences in the world (good AND bad) are those individuals who focused on one thing they loved doing and did it to the best of their ability, no matter what anyone told them. Some people even died thinking that no one was ever going to know what they had done to change the world, and only after they were gone did people see the contributions they had made. But they still kept at it while they were here, because they believed in it. Thomas Edison was told by his school that he wasn't smart enough to graduate. Michael Jordan was told by his high school basketball coach that he'd never amount to anything. There are so many people who have been criticized for doing something they believed in... and they overcame that criticism because they believed in what they were doing enough to keep doing it, day after day.

I'm not saying that a "positive self-image" is what's going to make you succeed. I'm not a big proponent of "self-esteem", "self-image", or any of those "self-" words, because life is about so much more than just focusing on ourselves. It's about discipline in the little things. Things that don't seem to matter to anyone, and it seems as if you are just busying yourself for no reason in particular, and that nothing and no one will ever be affected by anything you do. But you have to realize that even if one life (could be your husband's, your children's, your friends and/or relatives, or just random people you happen to meet) is affected positively by your daily "existence", then your life is absolutely worth living, and living to its fullest! Even in the tiny daily things you do.

So take heart, ladies!! Most days it seems we haven't accomplished a single thing, but God knows. He knows every struggle, every load of laundry that you squeezed into your day, every dish you washed and placed back into the cupboard for the 10th time this week, every prayer you said that seemed to hit the ceiling and reverberate throughout the room without really going anywhere, and every loving word you said to your husband whether you think he deserved it or not. Your Father knows the longings you have to make a difference in the world and to be recognized for the things you do in your lifetime.

I Thessalonians 4:11-12 says "This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we commanded you before. As a result, people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others to meet your financial needs."

This is a far cry from what many women are shouting from the rooftops today. "Well behaved women rarely make history" is a favorite quote of some well-meaning women who just want to be acknowledged for their contributions to society. Well, I am going to go against the flow here, but I would have to say that I would rather make the Lamb's Book of Life than the history books any day!

Get-It-Together

Yesterday was so great! I had a Fall Get-It-Together (kind of a get-organized-before-Christmas-comes thing) at my house. It was a lot of fun, and we got so much done!! I made some cards for some new "card customers" of mine (the ones in the picture), a friend got 3 scrapbook pages done (she only has 997 more to go! yay!), another friend made her Halloween cards (SO cute, I need pictures of them!!), and my aunt and cousin worked on some pretty Christmas bookmarks (I think they even finished them!) and will come back to make some cards later. It was a blast, and we all felt like we had accomplished a lot at the end of the day. It's fun to share supplies and ideas and creativity with other people, and there was a lot of that going on!

Griffin asked one of my friends if he could have one of her booglie eyes, and she found a good spot for it. We all got a good laugh out of that one! He kept asking her for more because that one had almost lost its "sticky", and he finally (after much begging, "pleeeeease???"ing, and maybe one episode of puppy dog eyes) wrangled another one out of her. The resulting picture was worth it.

Mike was a darling and watched the boys while we girls had our fun, and kept them out of our hair for the most part. It's impossible to tell little boys to completely stay away from their Mommy while she is still in the house, so I still got my snuggles in here and there.

I can't wait to do that again. I used to have monthly scrapbooking get-togethers, but those stopped when Sammy was born. It was hard for me to carry all of my supplies up room the basement after having my 2nd C-Section in 2 years. I can't wait until we have the basement fixed up so that we can have people just come down there! There really isn't much to it, but it's going to cost a little bit to get it done. More chairs (I'm not hauling my heavy dining room chairs down there, I'll get a hernia), more lights (it's a basement, it needs light), less kitty stink (Cleo couldn't figure out where the litter box was, it must have been too small), and less clutter (all of my scrapbooking and card-making supplies are spilling over from my office to the floor outside the room). Really, it shouldn't be that hard, it just takes time.

Mike and I were in the nursery this morning. We had to combine the Under 1's class with the 1 year old class, but once we got the music going and the criers stopped crying, it went great! We are finding out just how much work it takes to keep a church nursery going (especially a church that meets in a school). Every week, we have to have people to move the desks in 3 classrooms, set up all of the nursery supplies for each room, watch the children during church, and take down the rooms and set the desks back up after church. It sounds exhausting, and it would be without as many people helping as we have. We don't have quite enough volunteers just yet, but we're working on it! Everyone is very busy, so it's tough to mesh everyone's schedules together and come up with a volunteer schedule that works for everyone, but it's getting done, and everyone has been very cooperative and generous with their time.