Prayers for Boston

This is one of the hardest posts I'll ever write. We, the EmCards/ LES Arts team, Lex, myself and Suzie, join with the nation, with the world in praying for all those affected by the events in Boston, Massachusetts yesterday, Monday, April 15, 2013.

Yesterday started out as any other Patriots Day holiday in the city, the population swelled by visitors from across the country and indeed across the world. All there to take in the holiday atmosphere and to support the thousands running the 117th Boston Marathon.

Then, four hours and nine minutes after the start of the race, as runners achieved what was for some, a life's dream of completing the race, the tone of the day changed. Panic, terror, but also an overwhelming sense of humanity. Medical and security personnel who had been there to aid runners, raced themselves to help those in need. As did countless spectators and runners, many of whom carried on running to hospitals to donate blood to help save lives.

Our reaction, along with the rest of the peaceful, law-abiding world, was one of shock, sadness, disbelief and yes, anger at what was unfolding before us. All three of us are parents, who's children are a similar age to eight year old Martin Richard who lost his life yesterday. Our hearts bleed for his family and all others affected; the injured, those fighting for life, ALL those there, their families and friends.

There are countless rumors circulating at this time about many aspects of what happened yesterday. Until they are confirmed as facts, as the investigation moves forward, nothing is certain. Except this...

The tragedy in Boston would have been far worse, had it not been for all the medical and other personnel on duty, for the human response. Many more lives could and would have been lost. To all present yesterday at that moment and who have offered help to the city and state since, we say THANK YOU!

Boston is STRONG, the American spirit is STRONG. We will NOT let this act weaken us. Our thoughts, prayers and hearts are with Boston and will remain with them. God bless

Lex, Em and Suzie
The EmCards/ LES Arts team

Special demo

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you're all having a great week! I'm scheduling this post for publication because today is a very special day. My Gram has always taken an interest in my cards and she really loved the two that she was given for Easter last weekend...

I attempted to talk her through the creative process, including how the dies work with the Big Shot, which she's seen previously. We agreed that when I see her this week, I'll show her the dies, an embossing folder and the various sandwiches needed to create them.

Those of you who know me well will not be surprised that I've decided to take this further. I've designed TWO cards and cut and embossed the pieces already. I'm making the cards with her today and they will then go into her card box, so she can keep the cards that she will have helped to make. I'll show you the cards next week.

Hugs,

Important news

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by today! If you celebrate it, I hope you had a blessed Easter!

I know I've not been posting to this blog as often as I perhaps should and for that, I apologize. Those of you who know me, may know that writing and photography are important parts of who I am. I've been trying to juggle these with the paper craft and it's been really tough.

For this reason, I've made the tough decision to "officially" reduce the frequency of posts here to this blog. I'll instead be posting some of my writing, as well as my photography, over on our LES Arts blog. That site in itself has been neglected as I've tried to find the balance.

As of right now, I'm aiming to post to both blogs a couple of times a week. I really hope you understand how difficult this decision has been for me. Please, please join the other site or subscribe to the posts by email, so that you don't miss anything.

Hugs,

My creative journey

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by, it's great to see you! The EmCards DT are on spring break this week, so I'm not in the studio. I've wanted to bring you a couple of different posts for awhile, so this week is the perfect opportunity.

Today, I'll take you back in time, some thirty years. I promise I'll bring you back though! Honest! Ready? Let's go...

One of my earliest creative memories is of being in what must have been second grade. I can't remember exactly what we were being taught, but I guess it was possibly birds and or the sky. We were asked to draw a bird and I chose to copy one from a book. I was really pleased with the result, as was my teacher, Mr Colley, so much so that he put the piece up on the classroom wall. The first time that had ever happened for me! I might be able to find it for you and if I can, I'll show you.

Not long after that, in the same class, we were learning about China and screen printing. I drew a large pagoda and then the pieces were cut out. This was used as a template to print the design onto red fabric. Again it was hung on the classroom wall. I couldn't believe it!

Next, my creative journey moved on to cross stitch, in fifth grade. By this point we had moved into an old timber framed bar. The other kids in the class made regular alphabet samplers. I had to be different! I took a photo of the bar into school and together with the tutor, it was converted into a design that I then stitched. Once it was complete, it was framed and hung in the bar!

Through high school, my interest in art waned, somewhat considerably. I didn't consider myself to be any sort of artist, though I did continue to do cross stitch from kits. After school, life got in the way of anything more creative than photography, which I love.

Then in my thirties, as the arthritis in my hands got worse, I struggled with cross stitch. Sadly, I had to stop, but I needed another hobby. It was then that I found card making.

You might think that is it, that we're now back to the present. But no, not yet, almost, but not yet. I was lucky enough to win a giveaway through the Papercraft Inspirations magazine. My prize? A small set of watercolor pencils. I was a little scared to pick them up, to paint with them. But that's what I did. For the first time in more than twenty years, I painted!

I wanted to create a multi-layered sunrise background for a multi-media card and I was and am, very happy with the way it turned out. So much so, that I did a second one, a sunset, for the inside of the card...

I'm hoping to get to painting more soon. There, I promised I'd bring you back to the present :)

Much love,

Snow!

Hey everyone,

This wasn't the post I had planned today, but that one can wait lol. This is what I woke to in my front yard this morning. It's still snowing too, but not sure how long it will last.

Have a great weekend and I'll see y'all on Monday.

Much love

Easter box lids

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, I made the boxes for the Easter book cards I showed you last week. To decorate the boxes, I've used elements from the same kits that I used to make the cards. Here's the first two lids and I'll show you the other two next week, with the day itself getting ever closer!

Tomorrow's post will be a little different than my usual, so please stop by.

Much love,

Easter egg holder

Hi everyone,

If you stopped by yesterday, you'll remember that I gave you this teaser of the project I'd been working on...

The wait is now over. Thanks for your patience! I can now reveal that the pic above shows the back panels for Easter egg holders. I know, the girl's one isn't the one in the pic above, but I made seven of them yesterday (three girls' and four boys') and Paige's was the one I grabbed for this photo...

I got the inspiration for them from France Martin's blog Stamp and Scrap with Frenchie. France didn't make these exactly, she made cupcake holders. Her post includes a full written tutorial and a video. Please do take a look! The only change I made between hers and mine are that I used a 6"x10.5" piece of card for the base, so that it would be 1.5" deep. I scored that piece of card on the long side at 1.5, 4.5, 6 and 9 inches on the long side and 1.5 and 4.5 inches on the short side. I also used a circle die instead of a punch to create the hole, but use whatever you've got!

I used curved pinking shears to cut the edge of the pink/ yellow panels, which before cutting measure 3x1" (they are on the two sides of the base also). This is my first attempt at making/ using bunting and I'm really happy with it! To make it, I cut a strip of card that was 2 inches wide and scored this in the middle at 1 inch. The strip was then cut into half inch pieces, folded on the score line then attached to a short piece of twine with wet glue. I completed the bunting with silver alphabet stickers and punched bunnies, that are also around the base. Finally I cut a triangle from each of the flags. The ends of the twine are hidden between the layers of the back panel.

I'm VERY pleased with the finished look and the only reason they took so long yesterday was because of the quantity and intricacy of the bunting.

Easter's approaching fast, but if you're stuck for a way to present chocolate eggs, why not give this a try?

Much love,