All about me design team project

Over at Creative Cafe the new design team showed off work that would represent what their personal style was this week. My entry is a Christmas gift for my boyfriend that shows off his family. I am all about family and really great friendships!!

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love my trees!! So this kaiserkraft tree kit was the perfect project for me to do!

I used four different colors of markers to achieve the tree bark look on the outside piece, followed with modpodge decopauge finish. I picked all my photos out and decopauged them and on the back piece the camoflauge paper. To the front I used gold glitter to highlight the scrolls, followed by tiny silk leaves that came from a ribbon. The entire piece was allowed to dry and then I put it together to show you the results!!

Thanks for looking and hope you like it!!
Betty Jo

Family Tree outside of the page

Here is a family tree that I have made to give as a Christmas gift. It is from Kaisercraft, with my own spin on the project. There is a camoflauge background that goes behind this but the picture didnt show it off too well. Let me know what you

think!!

Easy birdhouse accordian card

Here is an accordian card that I made this evening for a colleage at work.  I started by creating my accordian with white cardstock in between the front and back forms.  Then I cut and attached the stripe paper to the front and back.  After cutting the top and bottom trims, I attached those with foam spots.  I attached the "door", then the chipboard bird, and finished it off with a vellum Happy Birthday.......

I had to make an accordian card because there are about 30 of us with various disabilities at work to sign it.  Everyone wants to leave a small note for the recipient along with the signature.  Its simple to add a small accordian to a card pattern by figuring out the maximum height and width you can go, then cutting a strip the height of the accordian and scoring along lines at the width measurements.

Thanks for letting me share!

Welcome!!

Welcome Friends!!

I am a ten-year survivor of domestic violence and have three-years in recovery from the relationship and mental illness.  Throughout the journey I have taught myself papercrafts as a manner of healthy therapy for the raw nerves sometimes involved.   My current project is an 8 x 8 album about TREES, and the ways that they have inspired me along this healing journey.

Below is the story of the TROUBLE TREE, written by an anonymous person:

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied." I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again."

He paused. "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."


I have used this Trouble Tree many times, many ways, such as a person who prays the Serenity Prayer.  My life-long love of these "kings of nature" that are given to us by our Higher Power has been both an inspiration and a teacher.  One should be patient, one should bend with the winds, one should have good roots.  Every year we should have new growth, but we should never deny our old growth. 

I hope you enjoy my posts!!
Betty Jo