It's all about Hannah Grace!

It has been a busy couple of weeks around this craft room (and spreading to the dining room table) while my 11 yr. old Grand daughter, Hannah Grace tries to keep up with orders of her newly launched business, Hannah Grace Creations!     Hannah recently received a cricut expression compliments of yours truly.  This girl can create anything on a cricut and her little one was just not doing the trick!  She used my big one every chance she got, so I knew it was a good investment!

Boy, was I right!  She immediately began making things for teachers and classmates--for FREE and had orders coming from everywhere.  I finally told her she should start charging a little bit so she could at least buy more supplies (and stop using all of Grandma's stash!)   and so she started her business--Hannah Grace Creations!

 

                                                                                  

She started off with simple die cuts, holly and reindeer.  She called to tell me and I told her if she brought them out, we could bling them up some and I would show her how to package them to sell.    The rest is history.  People started asking about cards and "how could they use their holly?"   and so the idea of gift bags came up.

Hannah is quite a designer in her own right and very talented!  She belongs to several "TAG" programs as in Talented and Gifted and generally works at a high school to college level in school.  She is probably not  your average 11 year old and is very able to develop her visions and carry them out with very little help.  (and of course she has certain creative genes I'm sure--hehe).  She flew with the idea of designing cards and bags and tags.  This card is one she designed (There are more of this design above).  She has a great eye for colors and right off the bat, had to learn to stamp and heat emboss!  Now she insists that all her stamped images are "heat embossed" because "it just looks better!  Oh, she is soooooo me!  I have to heat emboss anything I stamp, too!  She already has Copic Markers and coloring down to color any images she does.

 
 
                    
She has spent many hours designing all her own tags, cards and bags.  Once she designs them, she cuts out all the pieces and then brings them to the "glue" line as we have named it to be glued together by her sister, mom or me.  And may I add, we DON'T DARE change anything without her input.

And go figure--where does Hannah Go for details after she thinks of a possible design???   Well, Pinterest, of course!!  I didn't teach her that one, I think her sister did!

Some of her reindeer cards (I did
find this one somewhere on line and she really liked it)

The snowman was another easy
one for her to develop.  She was delighted to discover Martha
Stewart's "fringe" scissors to cut the ends of their scarves. LOL

Once she had the santa bags (in large and small
sizes down, her little brain began racing and she came up with an elf bag!
 

And this one was totally designed by Hannah and cut out on her cricut.  It sold right away!  She cut it out and measured and re-measured several times on scrap paper before getting just like she wanted it!  Oh, she has also discovered distress inking and has had some pretty awesome outcomes--the moon here, snowman noses, tags, you name it --she'll ink it.   My craft room will never be the same, and Hannah--she also has a part of a room as her craft area--.  I can see it growing by leaps and bounds!                   She has crossed her $100.00 in earnings mark and we're finding it hard to keep her stash built up!   She has spent many hours over this holiday building up inventory  and she went out selling, too!  She was able to get a small boutique in our near by city to carry her creations!  I think the "glue station" is going to have to pick up the pace!  She's developing Valentine items!

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                   

And last night another milestone for Hannah  (I told you this was all about Hannah).  Her 4-H club had their "Christmas party/Induction of officers" meeting. and Hannah was inducted in as Club Historian!  (Gee, I wonder how that happened!)

That's her on the left lighting her
candle and saying her oath.  (That she shall scrapbook the
happenings of the 4-H Club).    and her business--well, that can
be used as one of her 4-H projects this year.  She is keeping
records all the way, so it will be a huge learning experience!

So this has been pretty much our
life thru this holiday--Yes we had
the traditional turkey dinner, thanks to my daughter, yesterday!

 And a quick update on our little rascal, Dakota.  He has settled in (to the house, pretty much).   He still has "time-out" once in awhile for "Christmas tree climbing"!  But over all, he really minds very well and has taken over our lives (with toys and litter boxes, etc.), as well as our hearts!  Yes, even my husband has caved.
 HAPPY CRAFTING TO ALL!  TIME TO FINISH UP THOSE CHRISTMAS CRAFTS!

A little Help in the Craft Room is (almost) Always Welcome

Dakota, a little kitty I am trying to make into a house kitty,  has been helping me out in my craft room.   When I say I'm trying to make him a house kitty,  Dakota is having No trouble being a house kitty, the girls, Ella and Lily have no trouble having a little brother in the house and I have no problem with him inside.  Daddy is the one who says no cats in the house--but knowing he is easily persuaded, (who can resist a cute kitty), I have no doubt it's just a matter of time and he will be a full time house kitty!  I have had many cats inside in my life.  He is litter trained, since he and his sister have been kept in our huge, now heated garage since they were little.  It has been a continuing saga since they were very little and one night, I heard Dakota screaming outside. We live on a farm and have many farm cats and visiting cats and kittens--well--you know the ferral cat story.  Most are very wild, but come each day at feeding times.  Kittens rarely make it with all the coons and coyotes and huge male cats around.  But Dakota and his sister Delia were adorable with big blue eyes and I was actually able to catch and tame them down.  Back to my story.  When I heard Dakota scream out, (I was home alone, Danny was OOT)., I jumped up, flipped outside lights on and ran to the door.  Delia was right there and ran and hid, but I noticed Dakota drop from a near by tree--he ran right to me--and 2 coons jumped from the same tree and ran off.   Apparently, they had grabbed him by his back leg and ran up the tree with him.  I scared them and they dropped him.  Hence, I kept them in the garage at night from then on.  His little back leg suffered some damage, and he still limps on it, but is not in any pain and can now climb and run like a normal cat.   Recently, during the day when they were outside, Delia disappeared.  No clue what happened, but now Dakota is an orphan and the cold really makes him limp more, so He stays in the garage at night (heated) and when I'm home in the house.

He's a fast learner and no doubt will make a great keeper of the scrapbooking supplies!  He is fascinated with  my Big Shot.  Loves to twirl the handle.

He makes sure the project is ready to cut---

That was until he spotted the ink and blending tool.  All kinds of possibilities here!

Then there was the washi tape!  Who can resist a good roll of washi tape!

It rolls all over.  You can bat it everywhere-all over mommy's table!

It's hard watching a roll of washi tape AND working with the Big Shot!

Got a good grip on it now.  Maybe I could put the washi tape on or under the Big Shot.

Darn stuff just keeps getting away from me!

Then there's little jars of Silks (paint).  It matches the blender!  and it Rolls around the table, too!

And don't forget those tiny scraps.  Endless hours of batting fun.  I don't know how mommy gets anything done with so many fun things and ME to play with.   I'm sure I will have to help her some more.  Endless kitty possibilities!  Endless!



HAVE A CRAFTY DAY,  NO MATTER WHO YOU'RE CRAFTING WITH!

Finally! I'm back in Business---I HOPE!

It's been quite a while--wayyyyyy to long and 600++ viruses (in my computer, not my body), but I think I may actually be able to blog again!    I'm not even going to try to catch you up on all the stuff I have worked on.  Just going to start at the present and catch you up on that. (and I cannot get the underline thing to go off, so forgive all the underlining!
 

 

I have been working on classes for next January, Feb and March (yes, 2014!)  That's the way the SBing industry works, you know.  One of the classes I will be doing is a Prima Doll Tag class with the idea of teaching my students more ways to use and embellish their doll stamps.  I will include, some painting, embossing (heat and dry), using real laces, making clothes out of other papers, using sequins, glitter and masking.

 and on this doll we will alter her look to include a clothes make-over, giving her pants, a turtleneck , a coat look, and eventually, boots!       By the time she gets to her tag she will be able to handle snow and cold weather!     Speaking of cold weather there was none of that in the Northern Banks of  North Carolina where Danny and I spent a week the last week of October ---                                                                                   

As you can see, the ocean was beautiful and the weather was warm .  We spent the week with my two Brothers and their wives and had a fantastic time!

 The prettiest times were the sunrise every morning if you were up in time.  Couldn't resist posting several pictures on various mornings.  (Be glad I'm not posting all 900+ vacations pics)

 

Sunrise over the ocean!

We visited a light house!  I really wanted to see a black and white one, but it was too far away.

 We went to the northern end of the islands and took a tour to see the still wild mustangs.  That's another story altogether.

The ocean changed daily, by the end of the week, the waves were much higher and forceful.  The shore birds didn't seem to mind, tho.  During our week, we saw dolphins off shore several mornings and one day we saw whales not far of shore.  I guess it was their migrating season.  Awesome!

But back to real life and those classes I'm working on--this little guy is a double sided mobile (and bigger than he appears), that we will make in our January Scrappin' Kidz Class!  He should be able to usher in January in fine fashion.           I also have a little organizational book in the works--the kind you keep track of all your important SBing supplies like paint and ink colors, dies, etc.--whatever you collect, so when you go shopping you don't have to double guess yourself and end up buying doubles.  I have a section in mine for washi tape!  Things like that can get out of hand esp. if you are buying two of each!


Well, this went fairly well (not a thousand pop-ups interfering with my posting, anyway).  Hopefully, I can get organized and get back in the groove.

I'm a  huge animal person and so I thought I would leave you with one final thought---it is not too early to start spreading the word that puppies/kittens/pets are forever pets!  Please be an advocate for sincerely thought out adoptions--remember pets have feelings too and how hard it must be if they are not wanted as a member of the family!

Have a crafty week!