Hello crafty friends! 

As you may know, 2018 was the year of big changes for me. After 25 plus years I hung my coat up as a direct sales demonstrator and coach.  It's been very difficult to say the least. My identity was shaken a bit. I am still by no means healed from the disappointment (daily I work hard on finding myself again). For me the hardest blow was losing a team of coaches who became like family to me.  At one point we had a team of over 400 coaches, when the company closed I had 240 or so coaches still on our team.  The company I was with spiraled over a course of nearly two years.  While I knew teams and sales were shrinking, I was not prepared for the HUGE announcement that they would no longer continue on as direct sales company.  I held one of the highest titles, walked the stage for several accomplishments (not on my own successes, but the success of our team) and earned incentive trips. I never ONCE took for granted how truly I was blessed to be on one of the most loving and caring teams there was. Team Pen Pals shined. Fast forward to today and here I sit in my studio reflecting on what's next for me. 

Because I was in direct sales for so long and always loyal to the company I lost track of all the wonderful products out there. Who knew the advancements that took place?  I must admit I have admired a company Altenew for a very long time,  but felt if I stared too long I would feel guilty for cheating on my company. Ha. Altenew has everything I love-- all things flowers and all things to color. While I have enjoyed trying other products and techniques, I always fall back on where my heart truly lays, COLORING. Today, while browsing Altenew's website I stumbled across a program that allows you to become a certified educator.  Yes, I applied and hope to be accepted.  My education as a Copic Instructor and my many experiences on design teams would allow me to fit right in.  Please say a little prayer for me that I am accepted.  Anyhow, 

2019 looks to be promising for me and my craft.  

Blessings, Joy & Peace,

​Christine 

Hey Friends! 

Happy August to all of you... it was so much fun being able to take this photo outdoors.  It's absolutely beautiful in Minnesota right now. The colors are already changing some. 

​This year, the farmer planted corn behind our house so I used it as a background for this gorgeous card! So fun!! I absolutely love to take a piece of plain White cardstock to create something magical. This card looks hard, but it's very simple indeed. Let me walk through it step by step.  
​

First, you will need the following pieces of cardstock (I am including the measurements)

• White Panel: 3 7/8 x 5 1/8 and a scrap for the butterflies
• Yellow Mat panel: 4 x 5 1/4
• Blue Mat Panel 4 1/4 x 11 (scored in half at 5 1/2) 

Step One: Stamp a background image onto the piece of 3 7/8 x 5 1/8  White cardstock (I used a grid stamp). It's okay to not stamp it perfectly, it creates a fun collage when there is a variation in color. ​

Step Three:  I stamped the butterflies. I did not stamp the bottom right hard so I was able to continue with imperfection.  For me, a well completed collage background, should be imperfect. ​

So there you have it, see how easy it is to make your OWN backgrounds?  I love creating collage cards.  I am Grateful, Blessed and Thankful .

Happy Creating,