Bunny Basket at Cracker Barrel!

I just got back from a wonderful lunch at Cracker Barrel with my staff! We also got to see our newest dinnerware collection in The Old Country Store. It is a collection for Easter, called Bunny Basket. I so enjoyed painting these sweet little bunnies, I hope you enjoy them too!

Be sure to stop by soon to see the collection for yourself!

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/