A New Year begins tomorrow. I look at the beautiful new journal my daughter gave me for Christmas, fresh pages ready for this next year of my life. New calendars, a new year to begin filling in. Resolutions, intentions, we are drawn to looking at our life on this last day of the old year and make promises to ourselves to live next year better.

To have wants and desires, goals and dreams is part of our nature, to strive and grow. We are on a journey in life, one of constant movement and change. Some changes we hardly notice, some shake our whole world but change remains constant like the waves. Through it all we have the choice in how we navigate our journey through whatever comes.

This I believe that life is simply a love story, the core of our being continues because of love. Who we love and how we love defines us. When we love deep, true and strong we anchor our life. It allows us to soar with our dreams knowing we matter in this life. To love your life allows you to do your best work, that work you are here to do. We all make a difference, our energy fills the air around us and travels far. It is a powerful force. As dear friend, the amazing Ms. Margot Potter says" Love trumps everything!"

This I believe that we do not walk alone, that Joy is always with us. With love, faith, compassion, kindness and gratitude we share our best selves with the world each day. We are enough just as we are, we are a gift in this life.

Create and be creative, inspire and be inspired, love and be loved. Share your gifts, talents, your essence with the world. Lead your best life in this new year and know you are perfect just as you are. To a new year, welcome!

To the past year of my life thank you for the love that has filled each day, to the special relationship that has brought me great joy. To my daughters who are the light of my life and have taught me more about life than they will ever know. To dear family and friends who are a constant reminder of the abundance of goodness, joy, love and laughter in this life!

Most importantly take the time to say I love you, to tell those in your life how special they are. These moments you choose will be remembered forever.

To all of you who take the time to visit each day, a heart felt thank you! Fran & Freda appreciate their loyal followers on Fowl Friday! ( I had to bribe them for today!) May this new year be filled with a luscious life for all! Remember to Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

Handmade gifts are always special. A gift created with love, time and caring hands. The gift is filled with a loving energy between both the giver and the receiver. This year I made a quilt for my youngest and pillows, wall hanging for my oldest daughter. Other gifts they received were also handmade by the most wonderful artists. Both girls are so appreciative and it was a cherished morning Christmas Day opening gifts, laughing and loving!

My youngest daughter Kate had been wanting a quilt. I love to sew and have designed baby quilting fabrics but I am not really a quilter. I wanted to make it bright, fresh and use colors she likes. She also loves plaid so that had to be incorporated. I chose a bold graphic print first, when cut into squares it gave alot of pattern variation and created my color palette. All of the other fabrics chosen complimented this main fabric. I used Fairfield's Natur-fil quilt batt, a bamboo quilt batt which is so very soft. I laid it out on the floor and quilted it by machine. The pattern is a simple patchwork "around the world" pattern. She was thrilled with it and spent the rest of the holidays with the quilt wrapped around her. While she was here I transferred some of her favorite quotes to the back of the quilt. I sent her off back to school with a piece of home, of love to surround her every day! Follow the Joy! Debra

The holiday weekend was a very special one with both of my darling daughters here. The annual gingerbread house creation is always so much fun. The themes are unusual and would not be my choice but the laughter, creativity, candy and time together is priceless. So this year a tribute to a show they both watch "Teen Mom" and the house a Teen Mom Spa & DayCare.

A path of candy lego blocks and soothers with a brown sugar sandbox!

Partners in crime!

Okay, the front of house I "helped" with, got a little messy! Just a fun time had by all! Follow the Joy always! Debra, CEO!

photo courtesy of Create & Decorate

Preparations are almost all ready around here which is hard to believe! My first Christmas with my daughters living away and coming home. The oldest arrives today. Kate has been busy baking and enjoying just hanging out with me! It is such fun to have her here! Here she is in my little kitchen making cookie dough truffles for gifts!

There is nothing more wonderful in my world than having my two darling daughters here for the holidays, the snow is falling, lights twinkle and music fills the air! I am blessed with love & joy! May your heart & home be too this holiday season! This I believe that Life is simply a love story! Follow the JOY! Debra

Creating decorations for my new place has been fun. I enjoy working with fabric and felt and trims. Using STYROFOAM brand foam shapes I created some larger lightweight ornaments for the tree. When there is not alot of time and you are going for a wow factor larger ornaments are the ideal solution. Since I have a bird theme in my place I wanted to make bird houses for my tree. I cut foam blocks angling the sides. Covered the block with fabric, created a roof with ribbon covered cardstock and then embellished with trims, ribbons and floral accents.

The second ornament I designed was using two small foam cones glued together. Again I covered the shape with fabric adding ribbon, tassels, buttons and trims. They give an elegant look to the eight foot tree in the entrance way.

Today the place smells like lemon and chocolate, my daughter and I baked all day listening to Christmas carols. Tonight we are watching "Elf" which is one of her favorites, she can recite every line which adds to the fun!

May this Holiday season find you enjoying many wonderful moments! Follow the Joy! Debra, CEO!

Having my youngest daughter back home is beyond wonderful! She just turned nineteen and has been away at school. I became and empty nester six months ago when both daughters left. Sold my house and followed my heart to a new place. To have her back makes home once again, the favorite ornaments on the tree, familiar and loved carols playing through the sparkling lights.

My other daughter arrives in a couple days, the place will be filled with laughter and love! The annual themed gingerbread house will be constructed, favorite holiday movies to watch, games and goodies. Christmas morning we spend time oohing and ahhing over each gift, savoring the time spent together, of gifts chosen and created with loving care. These are indeed special times, moments that capture the heart forever. To my darling daughters, my sweet chicks who have left the nest but not my heart, I love you! Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

It is Fowl Friday with Fran & Freda! Well excitement is in the air as well as an overpowering amount of greenery, lights and glittery boxes! Kate arrives home for the Christmas holidays today and Debra is in a flurry of last minute preparations.

WE miss Kate, we do not MISS the dreaded felines. Been a bit lonely without the girls around so today will be so fun. Kate is in pastry school so there are also many many treats on the way. We know she would not forget her favorite fowl!!! Chocolate chicken feed brandy truffles, yippee!

So what have we been up to, well we have a decorating style as well so we have been decking some halls and trimming the tree too! Freda is slightly afraid of heights so the 7 foot tree has been a bit daunting. However I just blindfold her going up the ladder and then give her something above her to focus on. If that doesn't work I just add a wee bit of wine to her water. That always works!!! Follow the Fowl! Fran & Freda!!!

This is week seven, the final week of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop! The featured die Treat Bag Toppers, Bigz XL Scoreboards Die #656774 is designed by the talented Eileen Hull. More exciting news from the talented triple trio!

 

I love this time of year! Preparing for the holidays and my darling daughters arrivals! Last minute gifts underway. My favorite design work is using STYROFOAM brand foam products and felt.

I created this cute scene for a quick centerpiece, perfect for the Fave Crafts monthly blog hop this month! It is also featured in the Homearts newsletter the Creative Buzz. Full instructions are on the website. Ho! ho! Ho! Enjoy the season! Tomorrow the Sizzix Triple Play blog hop continues. Follow the JOY!!! Debra, CEO!

photo courtesy of Homearts

Pantone has announced their color pick for 2011, it is brilliant pink!!! My favorite color!!! Well if you visiting my site then I guess I am stating the obvious.  Joan Beiriger has a great article on her Art Licensing blog about the choice  "Pantone Announces their 2011 Color of the Year."

"Courageous, confident, vital!" I love pink because it is an energetic, sexy color which brightens up everything from cheeks to purses giving a rosy attractive glow. I have two daughters and they were infused in pink as babies! I wore pink to my graduation and pink at my Mom's wedding. When at the Luther Burbank Gardens in Santa Rosa I took some photos of the beautiful pink roses there. They were saucy, confident and reigned over the the other roses in all their glory!!!

It is week 6 of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop! This week's featured die is the Album, Brackets, Bigz XL Die #656053 by Brenda Pinnick used with Big Shot or Big Shot Pro. 
Just hop along with the button on the right to see this die in the hands of sixty talented designers!

 
Although most of my designs are winter inspired this time of year for this die I found the shapes spoke to me more of something romantic and flowery. I adhered papers to the pages, glued flowers and buttons to the frame. I added ribbons and tassels to complete this floral inspired remembrance. I see my grandmother seated at her desk creating something very simiiar to keep cherished momentos among the pages.

A winter wonderland has surprised my world through the night. This snow is official, here to stay and tonight the colored lights and eyes everywhere will sparkle. I love to decorate in harmony with the seasons, a collection of snowmen, snowflake pieces, reindeer sculptures and trees will keep the place cozy and reflect the snowy view outside.

This is a very different holiday season for me, it will be the first one in which my daughters do not live with me but both will come home for the holidays. It is in a new place, a new city but it is still home. They will create their annual themed gingerbread house, play games, cook, watch favourite holiday movies, shop, laugh, hug, talk and cry together. They are amazing wonderful young women pursuing their dreams, warm, funny, kind, smart, responsible, have all the qualities you could possibly want your children to have and they are happy above all else.

I love my girls in a way that is fierce and proud, in awe of who they have become and who I have become because of them. I wait for my daughters to arrive filling the place with surprises, decorating & remembering as I unwrap their stockings, the cherished ornaments to hang.

So as I decorate my new place I have a huge tree, a gift in the sunroom foyer entrance and with my love of birds and several bird cages I decided to use one as a tree top. I am also creating two love birds to sit atop the cage but they are not quite completed. I fastened the cage securely and then decorated around it. Using what you have as part of the Holiday decor is always a fun and easy way to decorate. Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

Sitting on a bench in warm sunshine surrounded by a beautiful garden is a place where spirit dwells. There is a reverence found among the roses, the greenery, the fountain dancing to the melody of the day. The camera captures the moments of this space, the delicate veins, the purity of the shaded hues within each flower, unique, extraordinary in its own way.

We are like each rose, each flower found in the garden gifted with a beauty that is defined by an inner light, hues colored by the holiness of our inner lives. Joy, sorrow, laughter & tears are all expressions of the soul's story found within. So walk among the gardens of life, linger and see what lies within, what lies within thee. Debra, CEO!

It is Fowl Friday with Fran & Freda and it is December!!! Happy Hanukah & Christmas is just around the corner. We are making our list and checking it twice. Freda hates to write but when it comes to her Christmas list that chick can write a novel! So here are a few highlights from her list. She wants to get it in early!

All I want for Christmas, top 5! by Freda Fowl!
1. A Patridge in a pear tree (hear they make a great date! & I love pears!)
2. Two turtle doves (they are known for their excellent maid service!)
3. Three calling birds ( and it is not colley, these are calling birds so I won't strain my voice when needing service!)
4. Four French hens (I love French cuisine & these chicks know how to cook!)
5. Five gold rings (2 wings, 2 legs & 1 neck, deck me out Santa!)

So there you have it Freda's list! It is a good thing Debra loves birds cause this loft will be a flappin' over the holidays! Follow the Fowl! Fran & Freda!

Drum roll please! It is week #5 of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop with Karen Burniston's Gift Card Holder. This was for me the most challenging as I am not primarily a paper designer so I decided to not to use it in a card. I love winter and snowflakes so I decided to create a Snowflake gift of Joy. The diecur piece fit perfectly over the snowflake. Plus any excuse to use a button or two or three..

I painted the cardstock diecut adding glitter while wet. Embellished with buttons, ribbon and more glitter. The Gift Card Holder, 3D Pop-Up, Bigz XL Die #656740 by Karen Burniston is used with Big Shot or Big Shot Pro.

Hop along on the magic button at the right and see what 60 very talented designers create with this die! Always follow the Joy! Debra