What's Important

My friend sent me this in an email this last week, a good one for the New Year's(but the photo is of a hand model my dad got me for Christmas, with a ribbon I tied around the pinkie to help me remember the prayer):

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Have a VERY BLESSED New Year!
Pinkie-ly yours,
Melanie

Update: It's a been a whole WEEK since I took "the clean desk" photo, and after stamping up a storm EVERY day, it is still clean!! (although I am sad to report in spite if all this newfound orderliness I have managed to lose a cap to my one and only Copic Ciao(a flesh tone, WHERE IS IT????) That is at least 6 days longer than my previous record (not counting any stamping hiatuses when I hadn't been nearby to make a mess) I think I should CELEBRATE this by treating myself to a new set of Nestabilities! ;-)

Dance Like No One's Watching...

This is a photo I took of my son Jonathan at age 4 outside The Magic House in St. Louis. They had this amazing sculpture in the garden and in a rare moment Jonathan cooperated beautifully for one of my artsy "concept" shots by joining hands with the children and throwing a leg up in the air. I think it really brought them to life, I was so excited to get it! I love photography, but I've never taken any classes, just me and my digital, having fun...
I have it above my desk, and it always makes me smile, for many reasons :)

It's a Big World...

My husband Paul is finally well after 4 days I've being sick, but Jonathan, my 5year-old is running fever. This plus a "top secret project" I am working on (more about that later) has prevented me from posting anything, sorry!

Here's a quickie close-up of one the things near my desk I promised to share: "Texas Wildflowers". I found this at Pecan Street Festival last year in Austin and got to meet the photographer Lori Honeycutt. All her photos contain tiny people taking on "larger than life" objects. This concept completely charmed me, and reminded me of childhood stories like "The Borrowers". It was hard to choose a favorite, but this was one I bought because of the gorgeous colors, I'm a flower freak!, and I loved the idea of this little person working to preserve and perfect the beauty of this bloom. I thought it was appropriate for my creative space. Check out more fun photos by Lori Honeycutt at http://www.bigworldphoto.com/

Whoa, there's a DESK under there!

And I'd started thinking it was just a big pile of scrap paper! Getting ready for the new year, I resolved yesterday to get my desk clean (and make room for the new supplies I plan to order with Christmas money-hee hee!). Sorry, I just couldn't bear to take a "before" pic! Lately I'd been spending more time looking for my stamp supplies under the mess than actually getting any stamping done, and too many times when I've had a few moments to steal away and make a card, I'd turn right back around when I saw what a disaster my space was! Hopefully trying to post on my blog daily will keep me in the habit of clearing it daily. It really IS a nice space(courtesy of DH) Unfortunately, organization is not one of my gifts, completely against my nature actually, so I will need your help and support in this Herculean task! Please hold me to this! Who's with me? Keep checking back! ;)

Tomorrow, a little about the things that I love/inspire me on and around my desk(yes, I rediscovered them! Yesterday! LOL!)

Merry Christmas, love and blessings,
Melanie

PS I would have posted pics of "Christmas at the Muenchingers", but we all have runny noses(and DH has a fever), so you don't want to see 'em! I'll just say, we were all very blessed, and fun was had by all!

Merry Kissmas!

A quick card made from a House Mouse stamped image my friend Donna Baker gave me to try out my hand at Copics (hers) a few months back. (Coloring it, as I remember, was NOT quick, but since I found it today under the pile of scrap papers while cleaning my desk it was too cute not to just stick it on a card to post!) The Copics are great, but I need practice. I think, for now, I'm too lazy and cheap a stamper to get into them, but if anyone wants to send me some Copics I'm willing to give them another try! ;) I added the greeting here in Photoshop.

Have a WONDERFUL holiday, thanks for checking in! I'll do my best to get something on here each day the next week, but if not, I can promise LOTS of exciting stuff after the first of the year(rubbing hands together gleefully) Can't wait!!

Party Time-Go Wild!

First card with my new "A Little Bird Told Me" set. One look at in the preview brochure and I knew it was for me! I decided to stick with the same sketch since there were so many different small elements I wanted to incorporate, and this gave me an opportunity to spotlight them all. I switched to a different SCS color challenge from a few weeks back, Certainly Celery, Old Olive and Summer Sun. Again, I love it! The balloon is from the retired "Birthday Best" set, covered in Crystal Effects, and is popped up on a dimensional. I gave the birdie at the bottom some new legs so it would like he was running along spreading the news, isn't that fun?! Then I hung the hat on his tail :) Be on the look out here for lots more birdie adventures!

Thanks for looking, have a great day!

My first post!

I've been a little apprehensive about how to get started with my blog and haven't been stamping the past couple weeks, but I finally found time to sit down and try Splitcoast's sketch and color challenges I've been avoiding for no good reason. I plan to do them every week, and need to caught up on the old. I know I would be a much better card maker stretching myself this way, so no time like the present, that's one new year's resolution I'm making a week and half early, you heard it here, please hold me to it! (I like the idea of combining the two challenges to make sure it gets done...) This is for Sketch Challenge 155 and Color Challenge 145.

These colors are SO pretty together, I've been reaching for Garden Green more in the last 6 months than I had in 4 years now that I'm trying to find a substitute for Wild Wasabi(which I don't have)! The Stem Silhouettes and Papertrey's Spiral Bouquet work so well together, I think this is my new favorite "thank you" stamp! I tried to keep this card clean and simple, having a WWND? moment!*(What Would Nichole Do?)

* Now I don't *know* that this card is really something Nichole would do, just a guess, my version of what I think she thinks a card should be!