Crafty Wednesday – something for the new neighbours

I will have to make this a quick post, today, as I get to visit with Daughter & Grandson this afternoon and this evening I will be attending the Awards Ceremony for the Winnipeg Free Press Writing Contest winners. I was one of the judges for the short story contest, reading 15 shorts by Senior High students and 21 in the Middle Grade category. It will be nice to meet all the talented contestants.

I will only be featuring one card, today, one I created for our new neighbours. When we moved into the neighbourhood 33 years ago, the established neighbours made us feel welcome, so I wanted to pass along the tradition and be welcoming to the new homeowners. The previous neighbours, who moved in three years after we did, moved away at the end of April. It was very sad to see them go as we have been friends all this time. We’ve watched each other’s children grow from babies & toddlers to grown-ups & parents. Now, that he has retired, they wanted a place in the country, near water, so he could go fishing and she could commune with nature. They have always loved camping, so this seems like the perfect place for them. As much as I will miss them, I wish them all the best in their new home.

Now, onto the crafting!

I recently won this Close To My Heart stamp set, called ‘Around The Block’. I thought it would be perfect for the new neighbours’ card. Unfortunately, the card I had in mind was one that opened from the middle of the card. I had planned to have a house on each side, but the house frame that came with the set was a little too wide for the flaps, as were the roof pieces. After two attempts, I finally gave up and made a landscape-oriented card. Instead of using the narrow house frame, I placed the 2 roof stamp pieces on the card where I wanted them to be and, with a pencil, drew straight lines down from the eaves. I then traced the lines with a thin-tipped permanent marker. These lines became the walls, giving a similar effect to what the stamp would have made. I stamped the rooflines onto orange textured card stock and cut them out.

Each ‘house’ was stamped with the different door and window stamps from the ‘Around The Block’ set and black ink. The second story window is one I drew freehand to match the decor of the rest of the house. Once the house features were inked, I coloured them in using my shiny paints and a fine brush. The stamp set also comes with two different types of brick patterns, so I stamped the house on the left with ‘brick red’ ink and the bricks on the right were done in a sandstone colour. I had a little trouble with the bricks on the right hand side, stamping beyond the wall outline so in order to hide my mistakes, I thought I would cut out leafy pieces with my bird & leaf punch set from Stampin’ Up. I used Sticky Dots to attach them to the sides of the houses.

In order to add a little texture to the ‘garden’, I strung flower beads onto green embroidery thread, knotting each bead so that if the thread broke, all the beads would not slide off it. I pierced the card so I could push the string through to the inside of the card, where I tied a slip knot. Since the new neighbours have a little girl, I thought she might like to use the beads as a bracelet.

I stamped the clouds onto white card stock with pale blue ink, cut them out and placed them along the top of the card. I finally attached each roof with pop-up squares. I stamped the sentiment onto white card stock, cut it out with my paper cutter and ticket-corner punch, attaching it to the centre of the card with pop-up squares, too.

I am quite happy with the result and hope the new neighbours like it. Now, I just have to find the time to do some baking to take over to them, along with the card!

YA in the Classroom

I figured it was about time I posted a writing-related post. I know it’s been far too long!

Today’s post was inspired by one of the panels I hosted a few weeks ago, at the C4 Lit Fest, which was entitled YA in the Classroom. As an educator and a writer of Young Adult fiction, it seemed a pretty good fit for me to talk about this subject. A lot of the matterial is geared for local educators, but I hope it will help out teachers in other locations, as well.

Some of the points I brought up to encourage teachers to use YA in the classroom were:

- kids relate better to stories involving kids their own age

- the subject matter is likely to be more relevant to students than literature aimed at adults

- if the kids like what they’re reading, it will encourage further reading, stimulate their imaginations and they are more likely to want to write like their favourite author

- Manitoba has so many wonderful local YA authors, whose work can be more meaningful to students than something written in the United States or England because the language & spellings are more familiar, there are more recognizable settings and there can be historical or geographical references that support other curriculum studies

- using YA written by local authors helps support the literary community in their own province, the authors are more available for school visits, and school literary visits excite the students & encourage them to write, too.

YA over the past 30 years, as I mentioned in a previous post, has literally exploded onto bookstore shelves, especially in Manitoba. Publishers are now seeing this as a unique opportunity to reach a new audience. It is a resource of which teachers should make full use. There is such a variety of books to choose from; contemporary, comical, romance, speculative fiction, and graphic novels. Each one has its own unique stories and perspectives that a teacher can use within the class, depending on the needs of his/her students and the subject matter the teacher is trying to teach.

- Speculative Fiction – encourages critical thinking with the ‘what if?’ scenarios To learn more, read interviews and book reviews on this subject, check out http://speculatingcanada.wordpress.com. It’s a great website that explores all kinds of Canadian fantasy, Sci-fi, dystopian/Steam Punk/alternative history stories, Monsters (vampires, werewolves, etc), all the types of stories that are popular with young people, today.

Here’s a quote from Speculating Canada by Jerome Stueart, who states one of the most important reason for using YA and in particular, speculative fiction, in the classroom: “I would put MORE speculative literature in the classroom starting with Kim Stanley Robinson’s climate change series, Science in the Capital—or his Three Californias. I would teach kids to imagine their own futures—what will they be doing 20 years from now, and what will society be like?  What do they WANT society to be like?  And where do they see the forces in control trying to lead us?  Kids can be taught to think speculatively and use it wisely.”

This is just one of the ways YA can be used in a classroom.

- Historical Fiction – can be taught alongside the history curriculum in a much more enjoyable way than simply stating/memorizing facts & dates. It brings history to life.

Locks system on the Red River created because of the the difficulty boats had traversing the rapids

- Romance – can initiate discussions about relationships, good and bad

- Contemporary topics (cutting, suicide, friend’s death, etc) – help students realize they are not alone with some of those subjects and opens discussions about how they can cope with similar situations

- Comical – Who doesn’t like humour at some point in their life? It can lighten the mood in a class and provide a pleasurable experience, encouraging students to read more.

- Graphic Novels – encourages poor readers to read in an easier format. It can also be used as a teaching tool for art lessons, bringing out the use of colour, perspective, movement, textures

These are only a few examples of how YA can be used in a classroom. It’s up to the teachers to research the numerous titles out there, read the blurbs on the backs of the books, listen to their students to see what the current reading trends are and follow book blogs like Chapter by Chapter to discover what’s available. Find out what books people are talking about to see if they would work in their class.

I’m not saying one has to spend a fortune on book sets so each student gets a copy to study, although I’m sure each author hopes they will! It can be enough to have a copy of the books available in the class, allowing numerous choices for students to read during silent reading time, use for reading programs, or book reports. The teacher could also read the book, chapter by chapter, to their class and have discussions after each chapter to make sure that the students:

1) understand and difficult vocabulary appropriately

2) comprehend the main concepts in the story

3) discuss pros and cons about the subject matter as well as their own opinions

4) make a connection between the story & other areas of curriculum study

5) meet the book’s author, if possible (contact local writer’s guild or art council to see if there is a program that will fund author visits)

6) visit places mentioned in the story, if it has a local setting

All of the above deals with using YA fiction in a classroom, but doesn’t touch on the subject of the writer getting their work into the schools. These days, a writer needs to be involved in their own PR. So, how does a YA writer make themselves known to teachers?

- Send an email or letter to the local school divisions. Introduce yourself and your published work, telling them why you think your book(s) would be appropriate for use in the classroom. Ask them to pass the information to their teachers and librarians, letting them know you would be willing to talk to students about writing or do a reading.

- Find out when library conventions are being held and ask if you could participate and flog your book(s). You may not sell any at that time, but it gets your face and books out there, so when the librarians get their grant money and are wondering what books to buy, your name and book title will pop into their minds (with any luck!)

- Look into grant programs in your area and put your name on the list of people interested in participating. Sometimes, these grants can provide you with more income than the royalties on your book(s)!

Here are some resources both teachers and writers may find helpful:

Association of Manitoba Book Publishers (AMBP) gives a list of members here: http://www.bookpublishers.mb.ca/index.php/member-publishers/

Manitoba Writers’ Guild Public Readings Grant Program:
http://www.mbwriter.mb.ca/public-readings-grant-programsubventions-de-lectures-publiques/

Canadian Library Association’s list of Book Award Winners:
http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Book_of_the_Year_for_Children_Award&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=2501

Manitoba Arts Council’s Artist in the Schools Program:
http://artscouncil.mb.ca/arts-education/artists-in-the-schools/

The Writers’ Union of Canada National Public Readings:
http://www.writersunion.ca/content/national-public-readings

Do you have a great YA book you think would be the perfect addition to any classroom?

Please mention it in the Comments section so teachers browsing through here might find it. Hope this has been informative to all you teachers out there who want to reach their students in a unique and satisfying way. :)

Crafty Wednesday – a Mother’s Day tutorial

Since Mother’s Day is coming up, I thought I’d show you how to make a very special card, like the one I made at the Creative Gathering a few weeks ago. It is a beautiful fold-out card that isn’t too hard to do as long as you know how to use a cutter and scorer. Here is the one I made at the Gathering:

closed

‘Double Z-fold card’ open
*Notice the sleeve (on the lower right)
that held the card closed)

Materials List

2 sheets of same-coloured card stock (8-1/2″ x 11″) for base
1 sheet contrasting card stock for sleeve
1 sheets of patterned paper (12″ x 12″) coordinating with card stock base
Paper cutter
Scoring tool
Border punch
Ruler
Pencil
Scissors
Glue runner
Sookwang (or strong, double sided adhesive tape)
Pop-up dots or 3D squares
Embellishments, like small flowers and curly-cues
3″ x 2″ coordinating label

I cut my label using this die-cutter set (‘Decorative Labels, set #4′) from Sizzix for the base, cut out the center from contrasting card stock, and used my 1-1/2″ scalloped oval punch for the centre. I sponged a bit of red ink around the edges of the cream-coloured card stock and stamped ‘for you’ onto the scalloped oval using the same red ink.

 

 

 

Directions

1. For the card base, cut 2 rectangles that are 10″ x 6″ and one strip that is 1/2″ x 3-7/8″. From the contrasting card stock, cut a 9″ x 2″ strip, two strips that are 1/2″ x 5-7/8″, and a 2″ x 3″ rectangle*
*Note: this 2″ x 3″ rectangle is the background for the journaling strip. If you don’t have appropriate stamps or don’t want to write out the sentiment by hand, you could print out a sentiment from your word processor onto cream-coloured card stock and then cut it 1/4″ to 1/2″ smaller than the background colour.

2. On each of the 2 large rectangles, score three lines 2″, 4″ & 6″ from the narrow end & fold accordion style so that the last outside sections meet at the centre of the card. Don’t worry if they don’t meet up exactly. On the 9″ x 2″ strip, make score lines 2-1/4″ from each end.

Directions: follow bottom row of numbers for folds (top numbers are for a larger card)

 

3. On each of the 2 large rectangles, draw a diagonal line starting 1/4″ from first fold down to the outer edge, measuring 2-1/4″ up from the bottom. Using a paper cutter, cut along the diagonal line.

4. With the border punch, clip the diagonal edges of the large rectangles starting at the first fold at the top. Also, punch out the top & bottom edges of the 9″ x 2″ strip and one of the long edges on both the 1/2″ x 5-7/8″ strips and the 1/2″ x 3-7/8″ strip. Trim as necessary.

5. Out of the patterned paper, cut 4 strips that are 1-7/8″ x 5-1/2″, 4 strips that are 1-7/8″ x 4-1/4″ & 4 strips that are 1-7/8″ x 3″ and two* rectangles measuring 5-7/8″ x 3-7/8″.
*Note: If you only have enough paper for one rectangle, you don’t really need to put the patterned paper on the back of the card.

6. Cut off each 1-7/8″ strip’s corner (from top corner down 1-1/4″ to edge), making sure that you have the diagonals of two strips that are opposite to the other pair, as shown above.

7. To begin card assembly, place the wide sections of card base together, making sure that the fold is not blocked by the overlapping segment, and stick securely with Sookwang.

8. Attach strips to corresponding sections of the card, making sure that the top diagonal does not obscure the lacy pattern of the border. If the segment is a fraction too long, it can always be trimmed. Either glue runner or Sookwang can be used to attach the strips. If there is a segment on which you will be attaching a heavy embellishment, I’d recommend the stronger adhesive of the Sookwang, otherwise the glue runner should be sufficient.

Inside with pattern strips attached

9. To the centre segment, add the 1/2″ lacy strips that you punched out earlier. Place the two contrasting colours along each side and the base colour along the top. Affix the sentiment background in the centre.

The lacy borders can face either direction,
depending on your taste

10. Take your 9″ x 2″ strip and wrap loosely around your folded card and attach ends together, making sure the sleeve slides easily over the card. Center the label and affix to the sleeve.

11. Add embellishments to the middle segments of the card and onto the label, as you desire. If you use fabric or paper flowers with a wire stem, instead of cutting the wire short, wrap it around a thin paintbrush handle for a vine-like appearance.

Note the curled wire to the lower left of the flower

Here is the inside of the completed card, including the sentiment, which I printed from my computer. Unfortunately, ink smudged the edges a bit so I had to trim the sentiment a little more than I like.

 

I also cut out the curly embellishments for the top and bottom of the sentiment with my Cuttlebug, using the ‘Vintage’ mini die cutter set.

I hope all you mothers out there have a wonderful Mother’s Day – and all you children, if you still have a mom in your life, show her you appreciate everything she does for you. Take her out for a meal or cook for her. Pamper her or make her something pretty, like this card!

Another of my installments for ‘Write A Story With Me’

Hi, Everyone! 

I got so busy editing a friend’s manuscript, I completely forgot about ‘Write A Story With Me‘ over at Jennifer M Eaton’s site. (Bad me!) My installment came out, yesterday. If you’d like to check it out, click on the link above (the blue ‘Write A Story With Me’). Jennifer has links to all the previous episodes for those who would like to start back at the beginning or catch up on segments you may have missed.

For those who are new to this blog, let me explain what’s going on. ‘Write A Story With Me’ is the brainchild of Jennifer M. Eaton. She is a talented writer and an awesome mom among many other things. On her blog, she talks about writing. She gives excellent book reviews, along with some cute ones by her middle son. She has the most unique author interviews on the web, I think, with the help of The Little Blue Lady from Mars. She recently had stories published in two anthologies. If you’d like to read my interview of her character, click here. If you’d like to read my review of her story, Last Winter Red from the Make Believe anthology, click here.

 This image from Wikimedia Commons makes me think of The Gleaming Tree

Last year, on her blog anniversary, she suggested trying to write a story with all those in the blogging world who were interested. We’ve had 42 installments, so far. We’ve been through the list of authors about three times, now. There have been the occasional bit that doesn’t quite fit, but for the most part, we have a pretty cohesive story, I think. Jennifer started us off by introducing Marci and The Gleaming Tree and a fairy named Jenelle, for whom Marci plucked a leaf from the sacred tree. That act is strictly forbidden and has caused no end of trouble for Marci and her family, as well as the fairy world. It could mean a war between the humans and the fairies. To learn more, please visit Jennifer’s blog.

If you think you have a story idea after reading what’s been written so far, why not join us? Sign up on her site and Jennifer will send you all the story bits leading up to yours. She gives you plenty of time to come up with your part before it ends up on her site. Come on! Join the Party! It’s the ultimate Flash Fiction Challenge to come up with a segment that’s only 250 words long and fits in with the story that’s been written so far, but it is a lot of fun!

I can’t wait to read what’s going to happen next!

I’ve become a foodie!

Since I haven’t had the chance to think up interview questions for those who showed an interest because of one thing or another (including the fact I feel a little brain-dead, these days), I thought I would tell you about a new feature my friend Linda and I have been considering. She actually got around to posting hers,  so thought I should do my part. You can read what she had to say about our outing here.

Last year, Linda introduced me to her Tai Chi instructor and now I try to join her every other Friday morning for a lesson. It’s been a wonderful experience, helping me loosen up some very tight muscles and help my balance, which has been getting poorer as I age. After an hour of Tai Chi, we have really worked up an appetite, so we head for a local restaurant. We’ve been trying the cuisine at a variety of places and discussed writing a blog post about our experiences. The last few times, we forgot to take pictures of our meal before digging into the delicious food, but last Friday, we remembered.

We decided to check out a little place called the Bonfire Bistro. It’s located at 1433 Corydon here in Winnipeg. They are open for lunch between 11:30-2:30 and close for a couple of hours in the afternoon to prepare for the dinner crowd. The reason for its name is the small wood-burning fireplace where they cook their pizzas. The portions were generous, delicious and reasonably priced.

Their specialty is pizza, but unfortunately I had planned to make pizza for dinner that night so passed. I will have to return and try it at a later date because I found myself drooling over Linda’s Daily Special – a meat pizza and salad combo:

Doesn’t that look appetizing?

I decided to have the Garden Salad with several types of lettuce, sweet currents and pecans. The dressing was a balsamic vinaigrette and it came with a side of crostini. This was just a half salad and I found it filling. The ladies at the table next to us ordered the regular size and shared.

After chatting for quite some time, we were tempted to try something from their dessert menu. Linda chose the Pear and Apple Crisp. She says the caramel topping tasted more like butterscotch.

I chose the chocolate creme brule, which was pretty decadent. The top was crunchy burned sugar with a thick chocolate mousse base. I loved it.

Have you tried any new restaurants lately? I’d love to hear about it.

Crafty Wednesday

Well, looking out the window this morning, I see winter has reasserted itself with another layer of the white stuff covering everything. Hope it’s warmer wherever you are. Okay, enough complaining and on to the cards!

Let’s start with this masculine card. The base is brown card stock, cut to 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ & folded in half. I used a piece of lined paper and one of the stars print paper, both from Bo Bunny, cut to 2-1/2″ x 3-3/4″ each and taped their backs together with plain cellophane tape. On the lined paper, I stamped “Happy Birthday” and “You’re a star” in brown ink. With the same brown ink, I stamped 2 stars using stamps from Close To My Heart‘s ‘Typeset’ Workshop on the Go set, one on orange card stock, the other on yellow and carefully cut them out. I popped them up off the card using 3D squares. Before attaching the two pieces of patterned paper to the card base, I cut a piece of yellow ribbon 4-1/2″ long. With a piercing tool, I made five holes near the centre of the ribbon and attached small star-shaped brads. Then I attached the ribbon to the seam of the two papers, wrapping the ends around the edge and fastening them securely with Sookwang double-sided tape. The last step was to centre the star/lined paper onto the card base, attaching it all with Sookwang.

This masculine card also has a brown card stock base (8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″, folded in half), as well as a piece of cream-coloured card stock (5″ x 3-3/4″) and paper with a brown and green swirly pattern (4-3/4″ x 3-1/2″). On a separate piece of cream card stock, I stamped “Happy Birthday” and a clock face and hands (from a stamp set by Recollections) using my Versa Mark sticky pad and sprinkling black embossing powder over the image, shaking off the excess. I used my heat tool to set the powder and then cut out both the sentiment and clock face images with my 2″ circle punch. I carefully cut around the clock hands and attached them to the clock face with a small black brad. I used a glue runner to attach the sentiment on the left and pop-up (3D) squares to attach the clock. I centered the patterned paper to the cream card stock and fastened it securely with double-sided tape. Then, I cut a 5-1/2″ long piece of green/brown polka dot ribbon, wrapped it around the patterned & cream-coloured card stock and attached it with Sookwang. Finally, I attached the whole piece onto the card base with Sookwang.

The last card for today is one of my favourites, to date. It has a red card stock base (same as above), a piece of orange paper cut to 5″ x 3-3/4″ and a sheet of diamond-patterned paper cut to 4-1/2″ x 3-1/4″. In the centre of the patterned paper, I cut out a frame that was 2″ x 1-1/2″. I then cut a piece of cream-coloured card stock that was 2-1/2″ x 1″ as a base for the dragon, which was cross-stitched on plastic canvass by my talented friend, who has so generously cross-stitched numerous card designs for me. I attached the dragon to a sheet of Sookwang and carefully cut around it. Peeling off the backing, I attached it to the small rectangle of cream card stock. Centering the orange paper to the base card, I attached it with glue runner, then attached the patterned paper to the centre of the orange paper, also with glue runner. I centered the cream card stock with the dragon design and attached it with more Sookwang – but I wasn’t done, yet!

I searched Goodreads for a quote about dragons and found the one by Ilona Andrews from her book, Fate’s Edge, that reads: “If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons.” I printed it onto cream card stock, cut it out and sponged around the edges with orange ink, Then, I attached it with pop-up squares to the top left-hand corner. Inside, I wrote, “Hope your birthday is filled with dreams of dragons.” I gave it to my son-in-law who is a fan of fantasy stories, especially when they involve dragons. I’m sure most of you fall into that category, too!

Here’s hoping you all have a crafty day and dream of dragons!

A few things which may interest you…

Happy Monday!

Today I don’t have a lot to say, but wanted to pass on a few things I found in my blog wandering, this morning. Firstly, for those of you who have been following the ‘Write A Story With Me’ saga, my next ‘episode’ will be coming up next Monday. If you’re behind or just joining in on the fun, head on over to Jennifer M. Eaton‘s site. She has links to all the contributers where you can start reading our fantasy tale and/or catch up on segments you may have missed.

Secondly, while perusing Tim Kane’s site, I came across his post, ‘Authors Are Software Developers’, about how authors can take advantage of the new technology to sell their work. He has a great idea and you can read all about it here.

Tim also had a post about Patricia Piccinini’s unusual sculptures. In my post, Fairy Tales, Monsters and the Genetic Imagination, I wrote about Patricia’s exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery that I visited with a friend and showed you a few of her imaginative sculptures. Tim talked about some of her other sculptures and gave his impressions of her work, which you can read here.

Well, I guess that’s it for now. Have a great day!

Sunday Interview – Megan Cashman

Happy Sunday, Everyone! I hope, wherever you are, Spring is finally on its way!

Today, I’d like to introduce Megan Cashman. She was the first to respond to my call for writers to interview a few weeks ago. You may remember the snippet she sent me back during Scary October. Without further ado, here’s Megan:

Hi, Megan! Would you please begin by telling us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a freelance journalist from Staten Island, NY. I’ve been writing here and there for years, but last year I decided to finally become a serious author – and I did!

Glad you did!

On your blog you mentioned you are an NA author. Please explain the difference between NA and YA.

YA is when the main character is under the age of 18, usually in high school. NA is when the main character is between the ages of 18 – 26. This is a time period when someone is adjusting to the adult world and discovering themselves as adults and not as children. This would include first real jobs or internships, first real relationships, and everything in between.

Tell us a little about your first novel, The Dark Proposal.

It is the first book in a trilogy. It is about how college graduate Claire McCormick deals with her boyfriend – who reveals he is a bloodthirsty vampire - forcing her to choose to become a vampire herself. The follow-ups will be about what becomes of Claire and the vampires. 

What inspired you to write it?

A couple of things. One was when I used to daydream about a sexy vampire coming into my life, but then I realized vampires are evil so that fantasy wouldn’t be good. Also, I’ve always wondered how vampires deal with modern technology and everything used to track murderers these days. I decided to combine the two stories. 

Do you rely on a beta reader or writer’s group to help you through the editing process?

Both. Writer’s groups are good for interacting with other writers and also to submit work as you produce it. Beta readers I believe are best for when the whole draft is done and you need someone to read the piece in its entirety in order to critique it altogether, not just chapter by chapter.

What was the publishing process like for you?

I chose to self-publish, mainly because I liked the idea of being in control of my product. I did a lot of research on how to go about the process. There are many good resources online, mostly from self-published authors who offer no-nonsense, practical advice.

What do you find so fascinating about vampires?

Their longevity. Immortal, centuries old characters are fun. Their supernatural powers. I also find it fascinating to wonder how they live separate from humans, yet lurk in our shadows. How do they see humans? What do they think of our world? It’s like another dimension, only it isn’t.

Were there any particular vampire myths that you referenced when writing this or did you create your own mythology about the vampires in your story?

I was strongly influenced by YA author Christopher Pike’s take on vampires in his The Last Vampire series. I read the books in junior high and really got into them. I liked the idea of a vampire being able to venture into sunlight on occasion – which is how Bram Stoker also portrayed Dracula, by the way. Pike also had his vampire to be able to consume human food and drink, only she didn’t really need it. I did the same for my vampires; they do it for necessity to hide their vampireness from humans. But I keep the pale skin, the ability to read minds, the ability to move around in mere seconds (think True Blood), and of course the fangs are there. Furthermore, I have a part in my book that explains who were the first vampires and how they came about.

Is there anything else you’d like to add before we say goodbye?

I have plenty of story ideas in mind – fantasy, historical fiction, even fiction about everyday life in our world. This trilogy is not going to my last work.

We look forward to your future works.

Are there any social media sites you’d like to share with my readers?

Twitter: @MeganCashman
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MeganCashmanBooks
Blog: megancashmanbooks.wordpress.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009AL4RKE
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/276775

Thanks you for taking the time to talk to us, Megan. Good luck with your writing.

Chapter By Chapter

Hi, folks!

Just want to steer you over to Chapter By Chapter, a pair of book bloggers who have a book giveaway, including MY books. There’s only about 34 hours left for the Rafflecopter giveaway so head over here to enter! (Sorry, I just learned about it a few minutes ago)

They’ve also re-capped their adventures at the C4 Lit Fest with lots of pictures. So, please head over there!

Crafty Wednesday – some scrappy examples

Hello, Crafty People!

Before we get started, I’d like to WELCOME all my new followers!

Don’t worry, you don’t have to be crafty to check out some of the things I do here on Wednesdays. Mostly it’s cards, but on occasion, I do display scrapbook pages I have done. It’s all done for fun, so I hope you enjoy what I have to show you.

Let’s start with the card above. It’s colourful and pink but uses up some of those paper scraps you might have been saving. I started with a base of pink card stock (5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″, folded in half). The banners were made with 1″ strips cut various lengths and I snipped the ‘V’ into the one end, and lined them up rather helter-skelter, attaching them with a glue-runner. I tore a white piece of card stock approximately 1-1/2″ wide and stamped the right hand side with ‘Happy Birthday’ (from a Recollections clear stamp set) in purple ink. Before attaching it to the card, I tied a piece of purple and white ribbon into a bow around the card stock strip. I use Sookwang double-sided adhesive tape to adhere the strip across the banners.

This second card uses much the same process, except I put it on blue card stock to show you that it can also be appropriate for a boy or a man on you birthday card list. I had some fuzzy ribbon that I adhered to the top of the card to hide the edges of the banners. A while ago I picked up a package of self-adhesive foam birthday shapes, including balloons, so I used three of them, tied white embroidery cotton to them and stuck them on the card. I created a label that was cut and embossed using my Cuttlebug and the Fanciful Labels cut & emboss folder. While still in the folder, I lifted the film covering it and sponged navy ink over the exposed areas. The sentiment (Curvy Verses from Stampin’ Up) was then stamped onto the label. I used 3-D sticky squares to affix the label to the card.

For this masculine card, I started with brown card stock this time (same dimensions as above) for the base of the card. I cut three small squares out of white card stock using my Stampin’ Up Postage Stamp punch. The binoculars, plane, and sentiment were stamped in brown ink. The picture designs were from Stampin’ Up‘s Plane and Simple stamp set. The ‘Happy Birthday’ is also from Stampin’ Up, but it’s a single one I got at some point, probably from a bargain bin, somewhere.

While this card did not use scrap strips, I was able to use some left-over brown card stock, which I cut into squares that were just a bit larger than the stamped squares, about 1/4″ more on all sides.  The contrasting strip behind the squares was cut from a wallpaper sample page. I used a turquoise and brown ribbon to embellish the other half of the card.

And there you have it! Three simple cards using paper scraps you probably had lying around the house. Feel free to use these photos like a Sketch Challenge and design your own cards. If you don’t know what a Sketch Challenge is (or forget), click on the link to bring you back to my post where I talk about the Sketch Challenges I took part in at the Fall Creative Gathering last October, where you don’t have to use the same colours at all or the same stamps or ribbon. Be creative! These are just examples of what you crafty folk can try at home, if you are so inclined.

Even if you don’t make your own cards or scrapbook at all, I hope you liked this post.