When Life Came & Smacked Me in the Head

I finally forced myself to re-enter the danger zone that is aka my craft room.  This is just one of the many piles of stuff that needed to be sorted.  (Just wait until you see what I have planned for that Hannah Montana box.  Ultra-cool project coming...)






It wasn't all bad, though.  I finally created a Sizzix die-cut station.



And I created a paper sewing station, too.  (Just wait until you see what you can do when you combine a sewing machine with paper.  You'll be addicted immediately.)  Isn't this mini sewing machine adorable?



I finally got to the bottom of the pile.  Then this hit me in the face:



At the bottom of the pile(s) I saw the words "February 2011" glaring at me.  Yes, it has been that long since my desk was clean.  I haven't been in the eWillow.com craft room since February.  February 2011 is a month and year that will always haunt me.  My gut ached and all of the emotion of that month came rushing back to me.  February 10, 2011 to be exact.  That's the day my husband went for his first routine colonoscopy.  That's the day he was diagnosed with colon cancer.  That's the day life smacked me in the head.  That's the day when all of the plans for eWillow.com were put on the back-burner.  That's the day when all of our priorities aligned.  eWillow.com has taken a back-seat.  Doubling it's size and debuting it's web-based show will happen, but not right now.  Those things can wait.
I am slowly climbing back from being knocked down at the knees. My husband is undergoing chemo and will start radiation soon.  Our oldest daughter starts college at her dream school in two months.  Our baby will enter her sophomore year of high school with a perfect GPA.  As one of the characters in one of my favorite movies said, "Life finds a way..."  It certainly does.  And it has.  We were all smacked in the head, hit in the gut, and knocked down at the knees.  But we have gotten up, dusted ourselves off, and committed to fight.
And we will win.

Make a McDonald's Apple Pie Box as a Gift Box: Template & Tutorial

Mother's Day is next weekend!  I still haven't recovered from Christmas. 

I thought a McDonald's baked apple pie box was the perfect size to hold a piece of jewelry, a candy bar, or those fun little coupons that elementary school kids make for their moms for Mother's Day.

After I enjoyed a pie, ;) I deconstructed the box to make a template.  You can get the template HERE.

After you cut and score the template, you should end up with this:



Next, close the box.  You can use sticky strip along the narrow pieces to help the box stay together.  You'll definitely want to add sticky strip if you are using the box to hold something heavy, like say, a diamond necklace.  ;)



Now that the box is made, you can embellish it any way you want to.  I decided to use this great flower pin that my friend Kim made.  Isn't it cool? It's made from empty aluminum lemonade can.  Kim used the Sizzix machine and die to make the flowers, and held them together with a brad.



Now take a look at the back.  Kim added a pin.  Nifty, huh?  The lucky recipient of this gift box can remove the pin and wear it on Mother's Day.



To complete the box, just add some ribbon, attach the pin, and you're done. 





How easy was that?!  Remember, you can get the template HERE.  You can purchase sticky strip HERE.

Have fun!

Make a Window Banner

I made this banner at the Stampin' Up! regional meeting in Orlando.  I knew immediately that I was going to hang it in my office.  It's great because it isn't very big.  You can make one, too.  You can spell out your child's name and hang it in his or her room, or make one that says whatever inspires you.



I hung it on the wood blinds on the window in my office that overlooks the pool.  I remember when our kids were little, I insisted that I have a window in my office so that I could watch my girls and their friends from my desk while they were swimming.  Now my girls hardly ever go swimming...they are too busy being teenagers.  It kills me!