Something cheerful and colorful this time of year to celebrate the lovey-dovey holiday in February: Valentines Day.
Using my favorite: mixed media

Nice bright colors
vintage finds:

• printed papers
• game-pieces
  
• sheet-music
• flashcards
• measuring tape

For Valentines Day I decided to focus on the love that exists at home between family members:  the safe haven for kids and adults alike.
Taking titles and phrases from kids songs that center around loving families,
I made three pieces:

• Love at Home
• Love is Spoken Here
• Home is Where the Heart Is
  

It was so fun to select three different types of vintage flashcards: 

• the traditional math flashcard: addition
• the "teaching shapes" flashcard: triangle
• the unusual ACT studying card: vocabulary

Making these pieces was like a happy mini-vacation for me in the middle of the cold-snowy month of January...
Boy has it been super cold around here this year...

So sock-monkey and I are excited....
Here's to a bright and shiny new year: full of promise to be a wonderful and happy.
Especially on Valentines Day!

Well, that's about it for new decoration for Valentines Day around here....
What fun new decor items have you come up with?

Linking to a number of these bloggy friends.... as well as to the Charm of Home, Coastal Charm, Savvy Southern Style, Today’s Creative Blog, Home Stories A 2 Z, The Shabby Nest, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, Between Naps on the Porch

Jody is my inspiration.  She is the Angle Tree Angel here in this community.  She has put herself in charge of making sure that every child here in the Ucon, Idaho area has a gift to open on Christmas.  Jody works endless hours collecting names and information from local school officials and church leaders.  Then she sets up angel trees in the local churches.  All we have to do is pick a tag or two (or more) with the information of the child that we will be buying gifts for.  Often the tags are so humbling:  the child just asks for underwear and socks.  What a good reminder for us to count our many blessings.

Jody then collects the gifts, wraps them, and makes sure every family is well taken care of.  She is also in charge of the deliveries. 
Now, if you thought that this is the only thing going on in her life:  think again.  Jody has a busy family of 5 children, and she works as an LPN as well.  But she makes the time for this important work of the heart. 
Jody is my inspiration.

According to Jody, the greatest blessing is seeing how her own children now view Christmas.  They are so selfless in their desires and spend their time and energy worrying about these sweet children whose names are on the tags.  Their wishlists are just for them...!

Like I said:  Jody is an angel:  the Tree Angel!

I've been wanting to so something special for her,
so I decided to make her a little piece of mixed media art with her as the subject. 
"The Angel Tree Angel"
Hope she likes it.....

Today I thought I's share with you some of the amazing art done by Kris Day.
She is an incredibly talented assemblage artist 
who lives just within a mile or two of my house.

I always love seeing her art.  It is funny and creatively super inspiring!

So I thought you might want to see some of her art too: 
that's why I posted quite a few photo's of her current show: 
running now through Dec 22, 2012 in downtown Pocatello, Idaho.

See this assemblage "phone" on the front of the flyer?  She is so kind and lets me "store it" for her at my house sometimes.  It's so funny and a great conversation started.  She calls this piece" Let's Talk"  and it represents communication of all sorts....

All her pieces are unique and made from all kinds of items used in an unusual way.

Her art pieces resemble clocks, guitars, ships, etc, etc. 
Each assemblage piece takes her about one month to complete.

So if you want to learn more about Kris Day and her art, please visit her website:  KristineDay.com

Hoping you have a great day
{a Kris Day!} 
:)
Crystelle

From THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD comes this quote:

I was asked to teach a class on the subject of families in church, so naturally, after studying the subject for a couple of weeks, my creative juices started flowing....

I got busy and upcycled a cheap-o canvas clearance "painting" I had purchased at Target for just a few dollars and re-painted my family on it.
As you can see, my hubby has gray hair....
And our oldest daughter is just a bit taller than I am, PLUS she has been blessed with voluminous hair....

We are a lucky family of five:  two parents, and three awesome kids....
We have been so blessed. 
They are all three great kids

In my first few sketches I had everyone holding arms around everyone else, but as I made the final product, only mom and dad kept their arms.  The kids felt a little left out, but I explained to them that it is not their responsibility to take care of the family:  that is ours as the parents.  Daddy is largely in charge of providing and protecting, while mommy is the nurturer.  The kids' responsibility is to grow up and become happy and independent, responsible adults.  And along the way we help each other as much as we can....  :)

Anyway, this is my first "large" mixed media attempt and though I am picking it apart in my head all the time, I am kinda happy with all the symbolism behind it...  :)

What mixed media projects have you made?

I link up to a number of these bloggy friends.... as well as to Today’s Creative Blog, Home Stories A 2 Z, Funky Junk Interiors, The Shabby Nest, My Repurposed Life, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, Between Naps on the Porch

This is SUCH a fun after-school snack, I just HAD to share it with you. 
We had a great time being creative together, talking, visiting, and then eating our snack to hold us over till dinner time.

• Easy
• Quick
• Fun
• Tasty
• Filling
• Healthy

My peanut even got creative and 'made' new colors:  orange {one drop each of red & yellow} and purple {one drop each of red & blue}....

I used more 'paint' than my daughter did, and was worried that my toast might be a bit "soggy," but then happily discovered:  it was not:  it was perfect after toasting....!  Yay!



Painted toast!
With a little honey on it....
YUMMY!

I'm thinking:  it would be great to make toast for special occasions: 

• a fall leave in autumn
• a Christmas tree at Christmas time
• a heart for valentines day
• a number on a special birthday...

What other special occasions can you think of?

Linking up with my bloggy friends right here....  :)

I'm from Ucon Idaho
that's where I live. 
We got such a treat this weekend when Elder Packer told us repeatedly in a South East Idaho Regional Satellite Stake Conference to be proud of where you are from.  Don't take a backseat. Be grateful for your heritage and where you are from.  Tell people :  "My name is ......., and I'm from Ucon, Idaho.

Mind you he told EVERYONE in South East Idaho this, so we Uconites were really excited.....

He told the Ucon Story at the beginning of his talk, and brought up Ucon again a few times as his talk continued.

This is roughly how his story went: 

President Kimball was speaking to a young missionary. He asked, “Elder, where are you from?”
“Oh, I’m from Idaho?”
“Where in Idaho?”
“Eastern Idaho.”
“Well, where in Eastern Idaho?”
“Oh, near Idaho Falls.”
“Well, where near Idaho Falls?”
“I’m from a small town northeast of Idaho Falls.”
“Elder, are you from Ucon?”
This missionary was surprised President Kimball would know where Ucon is.
President Kimball said to him, “Elder, let me teach you something. Any time anyone asks you where you are from, say, ‘I’m from Ucon, Idaho!’ If they say, ‘Ucon? I’ve never heard of that,’ then say to them, ‘You’ve never heard of Ucon? It’s as big as Chicago!’”
Not as many people there, but it’s as big as Chicago.

We love you President Packer!!!! (especially here in Ucon....!!!!)

P.S.  This is a true story about Brother Farnsworth from our very own ward.  He told us about it in a talk once.