Cre8ive Haven

Digital art: Veterans' Day

2014-11-11T20:20:00.001-06:00

On a day like today I remind myself of the many men and women who have made the selfless sacrifice of defending our country. One of these men was my Uncle John who served in the Navy. The fact he served our country made my grandfather very proud. I thank him and all of those who have served in our armed forces.

Texas road trip: Enjoying November

2014-11-01T22:17:00.001-05:00

Today was a wonderful morning spent enjoying a nature walk in the cool weather that comes with November. There is a special quality to the light as it comes through the trees, and a resonance to the crunch of the gravel underfoot.

Handmade card: Texas tea time

2014-10-26T19:22:00.001-05:00

Texas tea time may seem like a weird concept to grasp, but this card 's recipient truly embodies that term. She loves everything British (history, culture, and yes....TEA) while always staying true to her Texas roots. When my sister entrusted me with creating a retirement card for her, I knew what I wanted it to look like. Her retirement party now over I can now post this knowing she deemed the card "PERFECT". So enjoy and thank you for visiting my blog.

Handmade card: Love every moment

2014-10-20T17:52:00.001-05:00

As I have mentioned before, I love challenging occasion for cards. In this case a friend wanted a special card for her fiancé for, in her own words, putting up with her. Her fiancé loves riding his motorcycle in his free time, but yet he has a soft cuddly side watching movies with her. I handed this card to her this morning and look forward to hearing what his reaction was to receiving it.

Digital art: 1st birthday

2014-10-16T20:06:00.001-05:00

Our little pug princess, Oki Louise, celebrated her first birthday today. Complete with pug friends and family, we sang happy birthday (in Spanish and English).... Who said pugs can't be bilingual!?

Handmade card: Urban traveler's birthday

2014-10-14T21:14:00.001-05:00

Friday I found out I had just a few days to create a super special card for a friend. She loves to travel to exciting destinations and vivid colors. She has an incredible sense of style and I wanted to ensure that came across in her birthday card. Since her birthday was yesterday, she took the day off so she could enjoy her day (away from the craziness that is our job).

First thing this morning I answered my phone at work to hear my friend excitedly thanking me for her card. She explained it captured her spirit to a "T" and she would be encasing it in a frame so she can enjoy it every day. Ms Winn totally made an otherwise dull Tuesday, terrific!

Handmade card: Stand up and Dance

2014-10-02T19:05:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things is when someone gives me total creative freedom. In this card I was told "she likes PURPLE". Thank you Ms Jackson for giving me the freedom to create a beautiful birthday card for a beautiful lady.

Handmade card: A Marine hero!

2014-09-30T23:11:00.001-05:00

As promised this is the complete view of a commissioned card for a coworker's daughter. She safely returned home from Afghanistan recently, and with a promotion to Sergeant to boot. I was honored to be able to give back to one of our women in uniform, proud Marine and beloved daughter. Her mother was so impressed with the card!

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Sneak Peek: A Hero

2014-09-25T05:19:00.001-05:00

In my line of work I come across many challenges, and this one is no exception. The mission was creating a shabby chic card for a heroic daughter of a co-worker who had just returned from deployment. Stay tuned to this blog for the whole card and envelope.

Donations: PDCA Nationals auctions

2014-09-04T14:41:00.001-05:00

This year it was my pleasure to donate 20 of my handmade cards to the Pug Dog Club of America's auctions. I knew anyone attending this annual convention would enjoy a varied collection of pug cards.

I look forward to seeing the look on the winning bidder's face. Stay tuned for more pictures.

Handmade card: Voyage to wellness

2014-08-19T20:46:00.001-05:00

I welcomed the challenge of creating a get well card for a dear friend with relish. She had undergone a complete knee replacement and was going through a painful stage in her recovery. She is an avid world traveler and adventurer. I wanted to make sure she received it before I posted it. Thankfully she loved the card. I trust you (my bloggers) will feel the same way.

Handmade card: Momma Gloria's birthday card

2014-08-10T21:08:00.001-05:00

In my last post I referenced a crystal inspiration card. This is the complete picture now that the recipient (Momma Gloria) has received it. I treasure the reaction to my heirloom creations and I was told she purchased a frame to proudly display the card and envelope. She was stunned that someone had created such an ornate card.

Sneak peek: crystalline inspiration

2014-08-03T13:10:00.001-05:00

In this wondrous creative process, I sometimes get flashes of inspiration in the unlikeliest sections of the craft store. This sneak peek is evidence of that. The one certainty I had was that it had to be colorful with a stained glass design. I believe this is my vision come to life.

Digital art: Time passes

2014-07-29T04:15:00.001-05:00

A year ago this month I was bestowed the incredible honor of being this little lady's God-momma. It is one of my proudest titles in life. She is now almost 15 months old and flourishing like a beautiful flower. If I had only one wish it would be to have her close enough to visit but that is not fair to her mommy, daddy and extended family in her home state. I love creating these digital pages to share and boast on my God-baby.

Enjoy!

Digital art: School's In Session

2014-07-28T05:11:00.001-05:00

We were graced with finding a female pug puppy in February. Oki has enriched our lives, and that of our first pug Yoshi. They are at times playmates and at times boyfriend-girlfriend. We laugh at how easily she learns some of his bad habits and vice versa. This was one such teaching session in our backyard.

Handmade envelope: a completed melody

2014-07-27T18:03:00.001-05:00

I enjoy challenges, especially when they are not planned. For this envelope i needed more than one 12"x12" sheet of paper. The vintage look I wanted came through perfectly.

Handmade card: The King sang it BEST

2014-07-24T20:34:00.001-05:00

As a child I remember my grandmother watching Elvis Presley movies. At the time of course I had no idea what I was watching or hearing, but looking back now I am extremely thankful. The card below is an anniversary card for our Chaplain's wife. Once he told me of their favorite Elvis song I was transported back to those musicals where he went from action to a dance number. Most of those movies were full of vivid colors, textures, and people having fun. That is what I hope you see in this card.

Sneak Peek: Magical Journey

2014-07-24T19:59:00.001-05:00

In today's sneak peek I want to share a topic I feel very strongly about. Love is a very sacred pact between two people. This is just a small detail prior to unveiling a bigger picture. This blog, like myself, is in a process of constant evolution and growth. Please accept my invitation to take this magical journey!

Enjoy & Share!

Yoshi card: Dream bigger

2013-10-08T21:06:00.001-05:00

In learning about show pugs I have come to the conclusion that you can always achieve your dreams if you dream bigger than the expected. Showing black pugs has been an adventure and one that I have enjoyed immensely. Enjoy!

Handmade card: the SWEETEST roses

2013-10-07T05:42:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend I decided to play with some of my favorite paper line, My Mind's Eye "The Sweetest Thing". Throughout the week I will share some more cards. Enjoy!

Yoshi card: best is yet to come

2013-09-15T15:52:00.001-05:00

I waited until Kathi received this card before I blogged it. This was one of those personal creative explosions I have from time to time, LOL! The vines are meant to represent Yoshi's family tree since Kathi is the breeder who created our Grand Champion Brindun's Johnny One Note. She sent us all an email as soon as she got our card. I decided to create and send it early since I had my wisdom teeth extracted on Thursday .....I had no pain until this morning, and now I have an ice pack on my face. Oh well, at least I have one more day to recover before I return to work.

Enough about my pity party....here is the card in all its glory ! Thank you for visiting my blog. Please feel free to send me a message with any questions or requests.

Photo credit: Glenda Harlin

Handmade card: Conguero birthday

2013-08-30T21:34:00.001-05:00

Today was my co-worker's birthday. He is a talented conga player who counts Ray Barretto and Tito Puente as his idols. I had quite a bit of fun creating a unique personalized birthday card. He had admired one of my previous cards, that was a sympathy card though. He mentioned how beautiful it was and how he could not afford a card that detailed. I made it a point to ask him specific questions about his passion, playing the congas. That information helped me to create this card. Enjoy!!!

Yoshi card: double birthdays

2013-08-19T19:29:00.001-05:00

Today marks the birthday of two very members of my family, my brother-in-law and our close friend. I had a tough time outdoing my last creations for them. My brother-in-law loved his, and now I'm just waiting to hear back from our friend. You be the judge...

This is Marie's card above! I went for vintage themed and colorful.

For my brother-in-law's card I used one of his favorite Yoshi photos. The paisley resembles one of his dress shirts, and the saying "Eat,Sleep,Play,Repeat" defines Yoshi's favorite things to do.

Art Journal: Zink Happiness

2013-08-11T18:26:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday I was watching Lisa Bearnson on HSN as she featured this amazing little ZINK (zero ink) printer. I am usually good at resisting buying brand new tools, but I did cave after learning all of the features. I received my purchase on Wednesday and could hardly wait to start playing with it. Here are some examples.

Handmade card: Taken 2 soon

2013-08-10T16:05:00.001-05:00

To be totally truthful sympathy cards are my biggest weakness when it comes to creating a quick card. The one I just finished was for the family of someone I work with since his daughter tragically passed away.

I knew I wanted the card to be feminine and have butterflies, so off I went head first into my stash. I pulled out a new butterfly stencil, started coloring it in with inks, then step back....YUCK, I said that is not what I wanted at all....think! Think! think! Took out another stencil with frilly lace cut outs ....tap, tap with dark watered down Faber Castell gelatos, step back!..... Oh NO not again. I refused to start over with a new card blank though. I took a dark brown, almost Kraft colored gelato while resting the paper on a paper towel. I got that a-ha moment feeling inside.

Added a little bit of water to spread the ink, then dabbed it with the paper towel. This helped just enough of the background to come through. In the end it looks like a walk through a garden with a full moon illuminating the feathery hydrangea I added. These flowers are from a favorite floral sticker line by PSX studio. The butterflies are from the same line, you know I had to get butterflies in there somehow, LOL!

Finishing it up had to include pearls (on the flowers and the title). To me pearls signify femininity and all things delicate. Some canvas ribbon from my latest Michaels trip, and I called it a night.

The funeral is being held today and I had a close friend from work deliver it for me. I hope my friend, Warden Moran, and his family will think it a fitting tribute during this difficult time.