paper crane ornament

Joy . . . Love . . . Peace . . . Believe . . . Christmas

Ornament Night . . .

I think everyone had a great time . . . and everyone took home some fun ornaments.  I think we may be doing this again next week.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!

Ready to play . . .

Starting a new holiday tradition . . . making ornaments with all the kids.

Ornaments, paint, glue, jewels, button, googly eyes, markers, glitter of course . . . and whatever else I can pull out of my craft room.  It should be a fun night!

Family Journals . . .

I have been thinking about starting these journals for quite some time.  I just kept putting it off, but finally got a start on them.  I am writing in a journal for all my kids and grandkids . .  and Richard.  Eventually I will get around to personalizing the covers . . . but for right now I am just writing.  Just filling them with memories . . . thoughts . . . photos . . . and whatever else comes to my mind.  It has been fun so far,  I have decided not to really have any kind of plan with them other than just writing what comes to mind . . . and what I want to share with them.  This would probably be much easier and faster if I did it on the computer, but I want them to be handwritten.  

old books . . .

I was given a bunch of old books recently.  It was a good day to pull them out, cut them apart, and have some fun.  I am going to fold some more tonight and I want to make the trees different sizes and maybe add some glitter to them.  There is something about folding paper that I enjoy . . . and I love how these look displayed with other items.  I have some leftover pages I am going to use for paper cranes and maybe some envelopes and ornaments.   

Let the FUN begin!

Life has been busy and maybe even a little complicated lately . . . only in the sense that other things have taken me away from doing the things that I like to do and at times I get pulled in directions that I really don't like going.  That seems to get me a little out of balance . . . but I guess life can do that.  So this week . . . I have made the effort to get back to "being Clare".  That is always a good thing.  Even better . . . Thanksgiving Break . . . a whole week off from work!  

Let the fun begin!

Shabby Charlotte Doll . . . Olive

A new little Shabby Charlotte doll . . . to celebrate Autumn!

Olive is a special little doll with an amazing spirit.  She likes to stay busy and finds joy in everything she does.  She loves to be outside . . . she likes a good cup of coffee, homemade cookies and jumping into a big pile of autumn leaves. 

She loves to walk and she picks up little bits of nature wherever she goes, such as acorns, seeds, and dried flowers . . . they remind her that beauty is all around us, to find joy in the simple things, and to take a lesson from nature - it does not hurry, yet everything gets accomplished.