Crafted by Grace

Make 'n' Take @ Fall Scrap & Stamp Retreat It's easy!  1. Grab a plain white lunch bag or gift bag. 2. Choose three stamps from a matching color palette. 3. Random Stamp! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - How to Create a Natural Pattern with Random Stamping: 1. Choose three stamps of various sizes & three matching inks. 2. Space the first image evenly across your page. 3. Be sure to stamp off the edges.           Picture a roll of gift wrap.  The images keep going beyond the paper on all sides.  Your     hand-made design should as well. 4. Ink up your second image, and stamp evenly in the spaces.      You can do this the same way you drop cookies on a baking sheet.  Just leave some room in between stamped images. 5. Stamp the last (smallest) image to fill in the blanks.  Done! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...

This year at our Fall Scrap & Stamp Retreat, we held en Event Calendar swap!  (It's like a cookie exchange.)  Each participant signed up for two months, and created their own 3x3 artwork square, times twelve.  When all are complete, each crafter will go home with TWO sets of 12 months, enough to create two beautiful gifts for family or friends. I love the Event Calendar because it is not dated.  It can be used from year to year so family birthdays and special days are not forgotten.  This makes a very thoughtful Christmas present at an excellent price and small time investment.  Contact me if you would like to be in on the next  swap!

Fall Retreat Fun! Scrap & Stamp at Penn York Camp

Go ahead! DO IT! Clean out your purse, for crying out loud - who knows WHAT you are carrying around in there!!

The mice will play!  With my husband and eldest away tonight on a Scouts canoe trip, I decided to help the little mice play with me ... scrapbooking!  I am amazed at what their little imaginations can so quickly come up with.  This is the gift of innocence.  Creativity abounds!  Unfortunately it is not matched with equal amounts of hand-eye coordination OR wisdom yet ... which results in: spinning office chairs, tape runners occasionally running along the desktops, and glitter where it absolutely should NOT be.  But that's where I come in.  I simply use every ounce of patience I have to keep my helpful "nice words" flowing instead of the glue.  Well anyway ... Here's what my Nathan saw when I opened the first page of the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge booklet ... A COMPASS!  Really?  I thought it was a flower on a tag.  What do I know.  Look what we made! We couldn't resist adding a belt to match ....