Give them a Valentine Centerpiece!

Celebrating Home has a wonderful item called a Gratitude Tree... I just love this idea! It is made to tie little thoughts of gratitude to as a home dec piece.

Why not turn it into a living Valentine this year!? Rummage through your craft drawers and pull out any scraps of different pink and red papers, cut out paper hearts of various sizes and write the names of those who you hold dear! Then tie them to your Gratitude Tree! What a beautiful expression of love this Valentine's Day for all to see! Now, let's see who can get the most hearts on their tree!! Let me know!

Mary's Baptism

May the Lord give his angel charge over you, to guide you in all your ways.

Psalm 91:11

On Sunday, my precious granddaughter Mary was baptized at our church. It was a sweet, sweet gathering as we all made promises to love and support her throughout her faith journey. Mary was baptized with water my son Mac bottled from his trip to the Holy Land where he was baptized in the Jordan River. Afterwards, we had a little celebration together at the studio, what a beautiful day it was!

Beautiful Mary with her beautiful momma, Megan.

Megan's Family!

Megan and Mac cutting the fabulous cake from Ella Art.

Mary always lights up when she sees her Uncle Sam! So precious.

Mia and Grandpa :)

Grandchildren are one of God's greatest gifts - may we always remember and cherish the time we have together!

My signing at Jo-Anns!

Below are a few pictures from my signing at the new Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store in Charlotte, NC. It was a very special day of meeting, greeting, sketching, and chatting. I had a blast!

Very rarely do I have the chance to do art demonstrations during signings. It was fun to share some of my newest paintings in the early stages of sketching and base paint. My hands like to stay busy so I was in my element!

Meeting so many artistic and crafty people was such an inspiration!

My studio also came out for the signing. Here I am with Mary Beth and Joan. Mary Beth's granddaughter Keenan even stopped by to say hello!

And what would we do without Denise!?? Thank you for helping to arrange this wonderful day!

Stephanie made a great video montage of the day :)

Thank you to everyone at Jo-Anns and thank you to all of you who stopped by to say hello!

DIY: Taking Scrapbook Paper Beyond the Book!

Do you remember this post?? Well, I thought it was about time to share some other uses for scrapbooking paper. There are so many fun ways to use it (even if you aren't a "scrapbooker".) Below are some super cute DIY projects to try! Click on the names to see the tutorials.

Jewelry Rack /Organizer

Coasters

Tin Can Vases

Storage Drawers - this one is for organizing nail polish!

Mousepad

Have you crafted anything lately with scrapbooking papers? I would love to see what you have done! And if you are looking for some fabulous papers to use :) my latest K & Company collection Botanical is now available online. Happy Scrapping!

Scarves are the Thing! Here's how to tie them!

Source: Uploaded by user via Neva on Pinterest

National Popcorn Day!

Did you know that today is National Popcorn Day!?? This fact was brought to my attention by my friends over at Celebrating Home. In honor of this special day I thought I would share a fun popcorn recipe!

Popcorn Cake

12 cups popped corn (unsalted)

1 12-oz package peanuts, no paper skins

6 tablespoons butter

1 10.5-oz bag marshmallows

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 12-oz package mini candy-coated chocolate pieces

Generously butter a tube (Bundt) pan and set aside. Place the popcorn and peanuts in a very large bowl. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and marshmallows together, stirring constantly so the mixture doesn't burn. Add the vanilla and salt and stir to blend. Immediately pour the mixture over the popcorn. Butter your hands and mix with your hands quickly. Add the mini chocolate pieces and finish mixing, still using your hands. press firmly into the prepared cake pan and let stand for at least 1 hour.

This recipe is from our new Harvest House book called Sweet Comforts of Home.

Enjoy!!

photo credits: 1. http://lindathompson.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

2. http://www.waymorehomemade.com/2009/11/popcorn-cake-my-familys-tradition.html

3. http://harvesthousepublishers.com/book/sweet-comforts-of-home-2012/

Atlanta Gift Show 2012

Yesterday I returned from yet another fabulous show in Atlanta. The show was full of reunions with artist and client friends, meetings to see our latest collection samples, product signings... and best of all, there were design inspirations everywhere!! Scroll down for a quick recap of our trip (and to sneak a peek at some brand new items!!)

C. R. Gibson launched their Brand's New Day campaign, featuring our new line of casual entertaining items. video here! I was thrilled to be a part of their grand opening - signings are always a great way to meet new friends.

One of new collections with Keller Charles -

Another signing - Lang calendars this time!

Our latest dinnerware designs with Certified International were found in the Dugan Bliss showroom. Here Jeannie and I are with Vern Bliss himself!

Parisienne Fruit -

Merlot Sunset -

Winter Fun -

I am so excited about our new Christian inspiration line with Wilton Armetale! There are beautiful serving dishes, bread trays, and crosses.

Our meetings with Ne'qwa are always wonderful. We get to visit with our sweet friend Trieste who inspires us with her design vision. She is also one of the amazing painters of the beautiful Ne'qwa ornaments. Below is a picture of Trieste, myself, and Jeannie along with some photos of our new ornament designs.

Lastly I will leave you with a fun clip. This flash parade came RIGHT by us - you never know what will happen at the gift show!

6 Easy Ways to Update Your Home in 2012!

Updating your home's style can be done in just a few simple steps! Below are six easy ways to freshen up your space this year!

1 - Cut the Clutter. You may think this is an obvious fix. But it is important to remember as new home decor items are brought into your home. Make a new rule that for every new item that comes in, an old one must move out...

2- Get a Bright Idea! Improving your room's lighting can make all the difference. Make sure you are using about 100 watts per 50 sq. feet. Also, try to have several types of lighting placed around the room. This will shed a new light on your space!


3- Bigger by design. If you have a room that feels small, paint it the same color as the adjoining room. This will make the space flow better from one room to the other.


4- The New Neutrals. For a fresh update of an older room, try going beyond just beige with warm tans, honeys, and soft blue-greens.

5- Vary Wall Hangings. Instead of hanging your paintings and pictures in the center of your walls, display them creatively. This way they will make a statement and show off your space.


6- 3 is NOT a Crowd! When grouping your accessories, stick to odd numbers (especially 3's!). Vary them in height, scale, and textures to keep your grouping interesting.

Wishing you all a fresh start in 2012!

photo credits: 1. http://widbox.com/benefits-of-decluttering 2.http://jameshurt.com/for-sellers/15-secrets-of-home-staging/ 3. http://feelgoodhomedesignblog.com/2011/05/ 4. http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/house-pictures/palm-beach-design-decorating-0411 5. http://jameshurt.com/for-sellers/15-secrets-of-home-staging/ 6. http://northernvarealestate.net/

Christmas 2011

I just downloaded my pictures from the holidays and wanted to share a few! We had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by family and friends.

Jacob, Erin, and Al looking bright-eyed on Christmas morning.

Erin finishing up her quilt for Mary on Christmas Eve.

Megan showing Mary her new quilt. I am so proud of Erin's talent!!

Al and I gave Mary her first Jeep!

Cousins! Mary was all smiles sitting with Rachel and Sarah.

Getting some sugar from her Aunt Carol and cousin Suzanne.

Toni and George brought Erin's favorite - fried turkey! Her face says it all :)

Sweet Mary on our trip to Brays after Christmas.

Mary with her daddy, Mac.

Mary with her Uncle Sam.

She has this guy wrapped around her finger...

Can you guess who the star of our holiday was!??

I hope you all have a blessed 2012! Happy New Year!!