First Day of Kindergarten

Last week was "back to school time" for kids everywhere, and Moms and Grandmas are making the adjustment to a different schedule. My niece, Tammy, put her 4th and last child, Alyssa, on the school bus headed for Kindergarten. The first day, they took the bus ride together and returned home together an hour later. But the second day, Alyssa left on the bus and Tammy stayed home. Tammy has always been very close to her children and it was tough for her to see the last one depart for school. I decided to try and cheer her up by inviting her to lunch yesterday. We went to Red Robin---a pretty cheery place, I thought---and had some of their amazing food. I took along this decorated lunch box and matching card for her to give Alyssa, and filled the lunch box with some Halloween craft kits as well as packages of candy corn and of course, M&M's. Tammy and I spent the afternoon shopping and having a great time! I hope it made her feel better about saying goodbye to Alyssa, or at least took her mind off of it for a while.

Wedding Corsages

I met a very nice young couple in the store on Saturday, preparing for their wedding. They were looking for corsages and I helped them pick out silk roses, baby's breath, and ribbon. The bride-to-be wanted to make them but didn't know how, so I offered to help. I had a day off today and spent the afternoon making the six corsages they needed. It took me back to six years ago, when I was making wedding flowers for my daughter.

It's been a week filled with variety so far, from school shopping with my grandkids yesterday, to teaching a jewelry making class last night, and arranging flowers today. Fun !!

Blogger's Block !

Did you ever hear of Blogger's Block? I've heard of writer's block and artist's block, when writers and artists just can't seem to produce what they normally do. I went on a weekend trip in mid-August, and it's been a real challenge to get back into the routine ever since!
I've been working extra hours at the store and teaching classes, but I have completed a few projects and just haven't been posting them on the blog.
So, here's to a fresh start for the new month of September!
Keep checking in . . . . :o)

Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker's Soul

Did you ever spend weeks looking for something and then find it??? Well, today I did!!! I have been working on 6x6 scrapbooks for the "scrapbook crew" at Aurora House. The four of us started, in the Spring, sorting through notebooks full of press releases, newspaper articles, photos, and programs from events, to create an Aurora House scrapbook. Aurora House, for those who don't know about it, is a 2-bedroom home that has been built on Union Street in Spencerport where end of life care is provided. Patients as well as their families will be welcomed to a home-like environment to spend the last days with their loved ones in a peaceful setting. Fundraising started more than 3 years ago for this project. Many businesses and volunteers donated materials and time to make this a reality and the grand opening just took place in July. It was felt that a scrapbook depicting the story of Aurora House would be an important addition, and so our "scrapbook crew" was formed. Linda, Rosemarie, Fran and I met 12 times to work on it and were so proud when the book was finished. Pictures were taken, which I decided to make into mini-scrapbooks. I had purchased a book entitled, Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker's Soul at Ollie's, which contains scrapbooking-related quotes to add to these mini-scrapbooks. The book had been misplaced, and I was thrilled to find it today!! Now I can complete the books and give them to my new friends.

Hats Off To My Granddaughters!!

Now, do I have cute granddaughters or what??? We had a special day recently at Marketplace Mall. My daughter brought all the kids in from York and we met in Henrietta. We had lunch at the mall and then shopped together for a while. The girls and I went into the Icing store and they immediately put on hats and posed for this picture. We had lots of laughs and lots of fun that day and now I have pictures to capture my memories of that day!

A Little Painting Project

I bought these particle board letters at AC Moore after my niece, Jessica, found some sparkly foam letters that were similar to these. There was only one "L" in the foam letters and I decided that these particle board letters would be much more long lasting to decorate Lily's room. The colors are pink, purple and turquoise, although the photo makes the colors look different. I painted the letters with metallic Folk Art paint and then went over the top with DecoArt Craft Twinkles crystal glitter paint just because glitter is important for little girls----and big ones, too!

The Most Incredible Day

Hi! I'm very excited about my new blog heading/background, whatever it's called. I had the MOST INCREDIBLE DAY yesterday! My niece, Tammy, had a birthday on June 18th and we have been trying to get together for lunch ever since. She has a wildly busy schedule, with kids, grandkids, appointments, etc. etc. . . . Anyway, YESTERDAY it happened! We went to a place called LaTeaDa, located on Park Ave. and Alexander St. Tammy drove in from Livonia with her 2 daughters and 1 granddaughter, and WE HAD A BALL! LaTeaDa is decorated as a Victorian tea room, complete with fancy hats to wear, floral topiaries, ribbons, roses, a dress-up room for little girls, and the most WONDERFUL FOOD! After lunch, the waitress brought out a tray of cupcakes that was just breathtaking! We took tons of pictures and had a great time! This is the birthday card I made for Tammy and I printed a verse inside about nieces. Our day together couldn't have been more perfect.

Happy 5th Birthday, Vince !

I made this card for my nephew Randy's son, Vince. They invited me to his birthday party last Sunday, but I had to work and couldn't attend the party. What a disappointment !! I'm hoping to visit them soon to drop off his card and gift. They are also expecting a new baby very soon, so I might just be taking along a card and gift for the new baby as well !!

Lemonade Stand

Can you say "HOT"???!!! This is getting ridiculous !!

I wanted to make a summer themed card and found this DCWV citrus paper. The lemonade stand stamp is from an old Stampin' Up set. I love the smiles on the kids' faces! Enjoy the card and try to stay cool, wherever that may be.

Happy 4th of July !!

Since I worked today, I had to wait until tonight to post a message on the blog. Did you notice the really colorful 4th of July template I found to change the look of my blog? Speaking of colorful, I'm really looking forward to seeing fireworks tonight. When my kids were young, I would always take them to see fireworks and I enjoyed it just as much myself! Kind of like card embellishments, they embellish the night sky with beautiful colors, sparkle and glitter, and then after a few seconds, disappear. I made this card, starting with a creamy caramel cardstock base, cutting the 8.5 x 11 paper lengthwise to make use of the patriotic words. I tied some shiny red elastic cord around the fold of the card. I used brush markers in red and blue to color the fireworks stamp and added adhesive rhinestones to the centers. The blue backing paper is DCWV blue metallic textured paper. A simple card, but it gets the point across, I think. Now go and enjoy some fireworks---it's almost dark !!

A New Car Key Ring!

The BIG NEWS this week is Emily's new car---a shiny, dark blue metallic Honda Civic ! She is thrilled to finally have a reliable vehicle and I am relieved for her. I wish her the best of luck with it. I happened to see these dark blue glass pendants in the store yesterday and put them together with silver barrel spacers, blue glass chips and e-beads in a metallic blue/purple mix to make this key ring to match Emily's new car. She is out to lunch with my son right now, but when she comes back, there's a little gift bag waiting for her. I hope she likes it !

One More Try

Thank you for having patience with me as I try to match up images with written text on my blog posts! This is the patriotic necklace I was describing.

A Patriotic Necklace

As we quickly approach the 4th of July weekend, I am BURIED in projects! Birthday, anniversary and baby cards, congratulations cards for my grandchildren, who finished out the school year with awards, and on and on and on . . .
I did make an 8x8 scrapbook for a girl at work who celebrated her 30th birthday last week by going on a wine tour with her husband and several other couples. I wrapped it with purple paper and a beautiful purple bow (her favorite color) and she was so excited to receive it last night at work.
Today, my son's girlfriend is picking up a brand new Honda Civic. She is over-the-top with excitement, since this will be her first "brand new" car, after years of driving "beaters". I'm thinking of a "Congratulations on your New Car" card for her.
So, my post for today is a necklace I made using red, white and blue beads as well as a flip flop charm. As I get my cards completed, I will share each one, but in the meantime, enjoy my patriotic necklace!

The Need to Bead . . .

I told the girls at work the other day that I was feeling "the need to bead". I find jewelry making so relaxing and enjoyable. It just releases the tension from my body. I had a day off today and met my friend, Sue, for lunch. We had a great time catching up on each other's lives and decided we don't get together nearly often enough ! Afterwards, I made some necklaces and thought you might like to see them. Have a great week, and be sure to call a friend and make plans to get together !

Reflections about Father's Day

I've had a busy couple of weeks, but didn't want to let Father's Day go by without posting something. My daughter and son took their father out to dinner Saturday night while I babysat the grandchildren. They returned here afterwards for dessert and we had a fun time, taking pictures and being silly together. Cards and gifts were given to my husband and son-in-law, but I think they felt that being together was the best gift of all. Father's Day wishes were even extended to my son, Kevin, from his dog, Audi. We all look forward to the day that Kevin will join the ranks of fatherhood.

Father's Day is also a day to reflect on the fathers in our lives who remain with us only in memory. I have a favorite quote that I would like to include as part of this post in memory of my father, stepfather and father-in-law:

He has achieved success who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
Who has gained the respect of intelligent men
And the love of little children,
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has left the world better than he found it;
Who has always looked for the best in others
And given the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.

---Bessie Anderson Stanley

Introducing Khloe Lynn !

I attended a baby shower on Sunday for my nephew, Randy and Gina's baby, due on July 25th. While there, I was able to see his brother, Jerry and Laura's new baby daughter, named Khloe Lynn. She is 3 months old already, but they live in the Niagara Falls area and this was the first time I was able to see her. I offered to hold her so her mom could get some food at the shower, and I really didn't want to give her back. I even suggested that I could take her home as a door prize, but that was just not acceptable to her parents. Oh well . . .

I decorated this letter "K" for Khloe's room by covering the letter with scrapbook paper and adding ribbons, buttons, and punched out flowers. It's a fun little gift to make and give for girls or boys of all ages !

About those Silly Bandz . . .

Well, somehow I managed to delete the text part of my Silly Bandz post, so I'll try it again.
This seems to be the latest craze with kids of all ages!! The store where I work gets truckloads of them and can't seem to keep them in stock. Parents and grandparents shop for them during the day and then we hang onto our hats as droves of kids come in search of them after school in the afternoons! They are rubber bands, in many categories of shapes, which the kids wear on their wrists as bracelets (this makes it impossible to see the shapes, by the way). As soon as they take them off, they snap back to their original shape. Kids trade them and play with them, and teachers take them away. It reminds me of the Cabbage Patch Kids craze and the Beanie Babies craze and makes me ask myself, "Why didn't you invent them???"

Have you heard about Silly Bandz???

It's A Boy !!

No, I didn't give birth, but our niece, Amanda, did. Amanda and her husband, Kevin, live in Missouri, much too far away from me . . . but that's just how it is. They have a beautiful family, starting with Rebekah, age 2, Noah, age 1, and their new baby boy, Elijah, just born on May 17th. I made this card to send along with a gift for the new baby. I just love to use the DCWV Nana's Nursery matstacks. This is from the Baby Boy stack and of course, the Baby Girl stack is just as adorable. The animal print paper comes in two sizes, so I was able to use the smaller one for the background and then punch out individual animals from the larger one. I mounted the animals on 1-1/4" scalloped circles and used dimensional dots to adhere them. A few simple pearls completed the card---not too frilly for a baby boy, but just enough, I think. I hope you like the card and thanks for stopping by !

Memorial Day

My son, Kevin, joined the Army in April of 2006. He served until August of 2009, including a year in Iraq. Memorial Day had always represented a day off of work or a family picnic . . . until Kevin became a soldier. When his unit returned from Iraq, his father and I drove to El Paso, Texas to welcome them back. It was the most magical and magnificent experience to see their plane land and watch the soldiers march to the building while the band played. It was a combination of relief that they returned safely and pride that they had served our country, to protect the freedoms that we tend to take for granted. I can't imagine the devastation felt by families whose sons and daughters give their lives and can never be hugged to welcome them back. So, Memorial Day definitely has a new meaning for me now and I hope it does for you as well.

A Second Try

Hi ! As you noticed, the photo of my cards did not appear on my last post. I received a message that something was "corrupt" or from an "unrecognized source". Whatever !! Being limited in my knowledge of new technology, I decided to use the old "try it again" approach. So, here goes . . . . .
Well, the same thing happened again, so bear with me and I'll try something different later today. Today is my day to demonstrate making the cards at the store, from 3:00-5:00. Stop by if you're in the area and see the cards in person !!

A Happy Day at Work !

Did you ever have a day at work that you really and truly enjoyed?? One of those days where you say, "Wow, this is the best job ever!" or "You mean I can do this and get paid too???"

Well, today was that day for me. One of my responsibilities is to prepare for Saturday demos or make & takes at the store. A couple of times a week, I will get a large bag of craft goodies with instructions on what to make with them as samples for the Saturday demo. This time I received a bag with the new Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Sizzix Die, a 4x6 DCWV mat stack (La Creme), a box of DCWV Solid Brights cards and envelopes, a bag of assorted buttons in red, grey, black and cream, and 3 Clearsnap Smooch Spritz sprayers (try to say that 5 times fast!) in gingersnap, deep turquoise and white. It was my "job" to make cards with layered die cut flowers, using buttons for the centers and spraying color onto some of them with the Smooch Spritz. For the next couple of hours, I was "lost in paradise" and before I knew it, I had completed 6 cards! Enjoy the cards and I hope that sometime soon you will have a really happy day at work!

Stamps by Penny Black

Hi ! I have a collection of stamps by Penny Black, which I just love. Her artwork seems to capture the greatest expressions on the faces of animals. This giraffe stamp is one of Penny Black's creations. The picture is a little too dark, but I made this card for my niece, who loves oranges and browns. I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored it in with markers, matching the giraffe to the colors in the background paper. My flower embellishment is a brown felt flower, topped by a paper punched flower and finally a yellow sparkly flower on top. Glue Dots are the greatest invention for attaching dimensional objects to cards or scrapbook pages. I hope you like this giraffe as much as I do !

Be nice to your cashier !!

A large part of my job at the store involves customer contact. Although crafters are usually happy people . . . . we all know that anyone can have a bad day now and then. Well, I recently witnessed a co-worker getting "blasted" by an angry customer, to the point that other customers in my checkout line suddenly became quiet and listened to see what was going to happen next. My co-worker had sort of a blank look on her face, as if she was standing in the path of a speeding train, while this was happening. She was truly shaken after the angry customer left, but I was amazed that she was able to keep her composure during this episode. I decided to make this card for her, remembering that I had this "excited chicken" stamp. The inside sentiment reads, "Don't let those nasty birds ruffle your feathers!"

So . . . if you should stop at a store today, try to think of something nice to say to your cashier. You never know what she might have experienced with the customer before you!

Pretty Pearls

Hi ! Since I named this blog Inks, Buttons & Beads, I thought it was about time to show off some bead projects. These are woven pearl bracelets, made with 6mm and 8mm pearls, and monofilament. It's fun to make these, and to experiment with different colors of pearls together. They are also very comfortable to wear, with only the smooth pearls against your wrist. It just so happens that I teach a class in making these at A.C. Moore in Ridgemont Plaza. The calendar is available each month online at acmoore.com or pick one up at the store. Be sure to stop in and say hello !

Hope You Like Sweets !!

Hi and thanks for stopping by. I love sweets, don't you? And I love to collect stamps and papers with cupcakes, ice cream cones, candy, you get the idea. I made this card for my son and his girlfriend, Emily. They are such a fun couple. Emily loves the color purple, and loves sweets, so I thought this card would be just right !

Happy Mother's Day !!

Happy Mother's Day !! I had to work today, but as I was driving out Elmgrove Road, the traffic stopped in all 4 lanes to allow a family of ducks to cross the road. It was our own personal Mother's Day parade, I decided, as 3 mother ducks proudly strutted across the road followed by their trail of offspring.
My own mother died almost 1-1/2 years ago, but I had a chance to reflect for a few minutes on motherhood in general---and how it has been my one favorite occupation. Motherhood has its proud and exciting moments and it can have its devastating moments, but I can't imagine anything more worthwhile.
So, whether you are a mother to children or to ducks, puppies or kittens, consider yourself loved---especially today.
Check back tomorrow for a craft creation that I think you will like !

Hang in There !

I made this card for my daughter, Jill. She works as a nurse and had recent shoulder surgery. With an active life and a family to take care of, she was feeling very frustrated at not being able to do the things she would normally be doing after her surgery. I felt that this brightly colored paper and Whipper Snapper turtle stamp would at least make her smile as she tried to follow the doctor's orders in her recovery. The paper actually has some glossy areas and sparkles that don't show up in the photo, but make it extra special against the chocolate brown background.

Welcome to Bonnie's Blog !!

Welcome to my very first post---on my very first blog!! How exciting!!
Let me explain how I came up with the Inks, Buttons & Beads name. I have always enjoyed a variety of crafts, and I needed a name for my blog that represented the crafts that I enjoy most. The Inks part of it stands for papercrafting---cardmaking, scrapbooking and sometimes a framed quote or shadow box type of item. The Buttons part of the name stands for button embellishments that I add to cards as well as fabric creations. And Beads, of course, represent my jewelrymaking projects.
With a little help from friends, I plan to photograph my projects and tell the story behind each one. I hope you will join me as I craft my way to oblivion---and write a comment now and then to let me know your thoughts.