Fabulous Finds Friday — A book!

This is a little off my usual Friday Finds, but I just had to tell you about a novel written by my colleague Jennie Nash (here’s the disclaimer… Jennie and I both teach writing at UCLA Extension. She is an extrodinary writing teacher.)

Jennie has just published her latest book, “The Threadbare Heart,” a novel about love and marriage, heartbreak and healing. (And if you are patient enough to scroll down, there’s even a card that fits this theme perfectly!)

The story revolves around the long-term marriage of Lily and Tom and the joys and tribulations entwined like tiny threads that are so easily unraveled, but that can also be mended. Author Hope Edelman calls “The Threadbare Heart” a “quietly profound novel about the many jagged, heart-wrenching transcendent ways one person can love another.” (And any textile junkie will love the fabric references.)

Here’s a picture of Jennie:

After finishing Jennie’s book,  I immediately thought of a card I made a few years ago for a sewing company to show off the company products:

(stamps all Hero Arts; sentiment computer generated)

And this one, which uses a purchased rose that I embellished with beads and an embroidered stem:

The sentiment (old Hooks, Lines & Inkers) is stamped and gold embossed. The background is a piece of fabric glued to a card front, then edged with gold marker. Very different from what I do these days.

You can read an excerpt from Jennie’s book at www.jennienash.com.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fabulous Friday… but nothing to share

On the downside, there will be no posting today. On the upside….I’m in New York for a writer’s conference! I had some time to kill in the morning so I decided to take a walk and came across a cute discount clothing store called Daffy’s. So my Fabulous Find for this Friday is a darling jacket that I will wear Saturday night to dinner! In the afternoon,  my fellow writing buddy Kathy and I will head to The Daily Show. We are giddy as schoolgirls because we heart Jon Stewart! Then it’s a busy weekend of workshops, eating, meeting with editors, eating, networking and – that’s right — more eating.

I’ll be back next week.

Here’s Kathy modeling my new jacket. How come she looks cuter in it than I do?

And a close-up of the detail:

And another look:

Thanks for coming by!

Hello cards

Sometimes when I pull out some paper to make cards, I just go ahead and use it all up. I’d just as soon use all of it rather than put it away again! I do this for three reasons: 1)  it’s easier to make several cards at a time, and then I have extras; 2) I’d rather use it than put it away; 3) I never seem to find the smaller pieces if they get put back in my stash.

Here are some quick cards I made when I found this pretty beaded trim:

Unfortunately, I don’t remember where I got the paper. But the beaded ribbon is by Blumenthal Lansing; the flourish leaf is by Wordsworth; the Hi and the tiny flower (very faint) are by Hero Arts.

Here are two variations:

All the stamp credits are the same.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fabulous Finds Friday — Earth Day Crafts

It’s almost Earth Day, so to celebrate I thought I’d share a new book that has lots of earth-friendly projects. The book, “Grow Your Own Tree Hugger,” by Wendy Rosenoff, is aimed at children, so the projects are not very sophisticated. However, some of the projects offer great ideas for crafty recycling, which is fun for everyone.

Sections in the book include food projects, crafts and even projects suitable for a school science fair. The food section, for instance, includes recipes for healthy treats, instructions for building a solar oven using a box and aluminum foil and making organic bath powder.

Crafts, all suitable for children of any level, include an air freshener made of cinammon sticks, a tie-dye t-shirt using natural dyes, a tote bag made from a bath towel and flowers created from plastic bags.

There is also a section with projects suitable for a science fair, such as making an eco-friendly cleaning solution, using ladybugs instead of insectisides in the garden and that science-fair staple: making a volcano using baking soda and vinegar. 

The book also has “chat points” that provide a jumping off place for discussions about the environment.

(“Grow Your Own Tree Hugger: 101 Activities to Teach Your Child How to Live Green,” by Wendy Rosenoff, provided by Krause Publications. www.krausebooks.com $19.99, ISBN 13: 978-1-4402-0367-1)

Happy Earth Day! And I’ll be back soon with a card.