Valentine Sneak Peek

I'm sharing just a little taste of my soon to be completed "Valentine Variety" Clip Art Kit. I will also be making another paper bag journal, but this time using art from this kit...and thanks to your encouragement, I will be doing a full tutorial on the whole Valentine paper pag journal project! Thanks for your patience as I pull this all together..it should be ready very, very soon...in plenty of time for making your own for Valentine's gifts!

Hope your week has been great so far! Keep thinking warm, sunny thoughts!

The Experiment: Paper Bag Journal

Assignment: Handmade birthday present for 14 year old artsy granddaughter

Budget: Practically non-existent

Materials: paper lunch sacks, twine, tea-dyed index cards and notebook paper, scrapbook paper, bits and pieces of trims, scrapbook sticker set my Mom had (thanks Mom), decorative edge scissors (thanks again Mom), and glue.

Result: My first shot at a funky altered art/scrapbook paper bag journal.

Here's a look a the page details and inserts:

I like the way it turned out, and more importantly it was well received by my granddaughter, so, mission accomplished. One of the best things about making this project was the freedom I felt as I jumped in. I decided up front that there would be no rules, that I would just cut and glue and put things together in a pleasing way and have fun as I went - and I did. I learned a lot too, and I decided that I want to make more of these cute little journals, but with materials and colors that are a little more to my colorful cottage-y vintage taste.

To that end, I am working on a Valentine's digital clipart kit that will include cute background papers, sticker-doodles, various other elements, and printable labels, tag and inserts. The kit will be perfect for creating these paper bag journals plus a host of other Valentine crafts and layouts. I'll let you know just as soon as the new kit is ready..SOON I promise!

I have lots of other ideas for new printable kits, plus new ways to use the existing kits I have, and I can't wait to share those with you here too!

  I encourage you to jump in to a creative project that you've put off maybe because of fear of failure or lack of skill - hands on learning is the most effective and it can be really fun if you let yourself off the perfectionism hook and just dive in for the sheer fun of it! You may just be amazed at what you can create and at how much fun you can have doing it!!

Transformation

Please bear with me today as Just Bee 'n Me is undergoing a much needed transformation!

Thanks so much for your patience!

Edited to add: OK, the updates that I initially planned are up and in place - I'd love to hear your feedback!

Warm thoughts...

...for a COLD day...

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A cup or two to warm you,

Precious hands to hold...

Bunny slippers on your feet

for when your toes are cold...

Lots of layers over you

when outside you must go...

And God's Love deep within your heart

warming others that you know.

May His Love warm you through and through today,

melting every cold thought and healing every hidden hurt...

A Beachy Chrsitmas

I hesitate to even bring up anything Christmas-y at this point in January, but I would be remiss if I didn't share at least a couple of photos of our 4 day family Christmas excursion to Crystal Beach, Texas.

After hurricane Ike destroyed the entire Bolivar Peninsula in 2008, our family temporarily dropped our custom of renting a beach house for Christmas, but this year, the area has made a real comeback, and although there are still many, many scars from the devastating storm, die hard beach folk have rebuilt a substantial number of homes...and every one of them is brand new and beautiful. Here was our place...wowza, it was really nice...

They had it decorated cute for Christmas...love these beachy ornaments...

...on this faux palm tree...complete with little white lights...

We had ONE and only one day where it was decent enough weather to actually walk on the beach...and that was Christmas Day...it was COLD, but sunny and the wind was not as blustery as it proved to be the rest of the time...

The North wind kept the surf at a flat calm that day...love sparkly diamond-like water..it's one of my favorite things...

 The rest of the time however, the wind was out of the South at about 30 mph and the surf was terribly rough...and even though it was South wind, it was still quite cold, so, we stayed inside...which was actually a blessing, because we really had a chance to reconnect with one another, which is why we do this in the first place. We played LO Ts of games...Chicken Foot dominoes, Boggle, Catch Phrase, and so many more. Plus, everyone in my family LOVES to cook, so we split up the cooking duties and produced an awesome array of yummy dishes...everything from Turkey Taco Soup to Jalapeno Shrimp Pasta to Scrambled Eggs and Ham Quesadillas...and my yearly specialty...Biscuits with Sausage Gravy.


I am so blessed to have my sweet family. We love each other very much and even though we live fairly close to one another (all within an hour or so drive), our busy lives keep us apart more than we like, so we cherish this opportunity for intense time together...
OK, that's it for me for anything related to Christmas 2010, New Year's Day, etc...I'm done and beyond ready to jump into all the year 2011 has to offer! And with a strong wind at my back, a loving husband and family for support, and my incredible God in the lead, there's no telling what adventures await!

Hugs & Blessings friends!

Congratulations Calendar Winners!!!

I am SO excited to announce the winners of my New Year Calendar giveaway:

Elfie Morgan

and

Donna Van Wie!!

Congratulations!!

Thank you to everyone who signed up for this giveaway here and on my new Just Bee 'n Me Facebook page - y'all are the BEST!!

Elfie and Donna - just write me at bschultea *at* yahoo.com

and send me your address and I'll ship you your choice of calendars ("My Cup Runneth Over" or "Whimsy & Wisdom") PLUS notecards and several other goodies from my stash...

Thanks again one and all! 

This is going to be a glorious New Year as the Lord works in each and every one of us to bring forth His best in each of our lives! Hang on...it's gonna be a great, wild ride!!

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"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."

Ephesians 3:20-21 (The Message)