Quotation Monday - A Secret Place

Hi all
Before I start I must say thank you so much for all your prayers, thoughts and good wishes for my niece and her baby son.  Baby is still holding his own and mum is much stronger today.  There is a long way to go, I know that, but he is strong it seems and doesn't want to give up.   Bless you all.  

While having a bit of me time this weekend, I found a question about a lovely quote by Louise Driscol on the web.  The person wanted to know what the quotation really meant,  I was so impressed with the reply that I thought I would share it with you today, being that it is Quotation Monday.   Here is the quote:-

'WITHIN your heart keep one still, SECRET place WHERE your dreams may GO'

(By Louise Driscol)

Now the answer, I think it is a clever and wise interpretation:- 

Keep your dreams alive. Never let your heart believe the lie that anything is impossible. Keep it safe within your heart protected from the shattering jading of those who have lost their faith in the possible.
The U.S. Navy Seals are instructed to create in themselves a secret place in their minds where they can retreat when they are being tortured. A peaceful place to dwell in, that only the invited may come. It allows them to endure unimaginable hardship and survive with their minds intact.
Without our hope we are frail and easily destroyed. But protected in our secret place where our dreams reside for another opportunity, we can endure and even find joy. 

(BT Yahoo answers.com)

If you think about it, we all, in one way or another, have a secret place that we can go to;  that place where we shut everyone off and pretend not to have heard when it is getting too much.  But that is the problem, as we get older we use it too often to escape the everyday troubles and we forget to tune it in as a peaceful retreat for our aspirations and our dreams.  Why did we stop doing that?  As young children, even as young adults we would spend blissful times pondering our future, tucking little hopes and dreams into our secret place.  Then one day we find we've lost the key to the door and our hopes and dreams became something we 'used to do'.   Who said that at 'this age' or 'that' you should no longer dream.  Shouldn't we all be allowed to shut our eyes, drift away into our safe peaceful place.  I think we could all do with finding the key again and using that place for revitalising ourselves, to give ourselves a sunny side of hope again.

Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations,

I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty

Believe in them and follow where they lead.

(Louisa May Alcott)

What would you fill your 'secret dream place' with?  What do you think it would take to give you back your sunny dreams again or are you one of the lucky ones who retained a youthful state of hopefulness?
Well that's words from me.  I will be back lunch time with the New Candy and some new creations tomorrow.

Take care everyone.

Hugs Linda xx

Your prayers are needed please.

Hello all,
I am astounded, you have all left such warm and thoughtful comments for me and it has really gotten to me (I am filling up as I type).  I have been on this earth 50years (just gone actually.....biggie isn't it?!)  and never in my life have I known this type of thoughtfulness.  You don't know me, you know only my blog and the bits about my car accident/spinal surgery and yet you take time out of your busy lives to leave me warm wishes for better days.  How kind you all are.  Thank you so very much, I appreciate it more than you will ever know.  My best wishes go out to you all, be well and be happy.  I also know that some of you are unwell or struggling a bit, please take care of yourselves and be strong again soon.

Your Prayers are needed please:-

A sad note now,  my darling niece delivered a tiny little 1lb 6oz baby boy yesterday.  He is the only survivor of her twins.  The baby girl didn't survive and was lost a couple of weeks ago, but the doctors did manage to keep the little boy inside with a cervical stitch.  However my niece didn't manage to go to the needed 26weeks so the little fella is tiny and very frail.  This is not her first loss and I can only imagine the anguish she and her family are feeling.   So if any of you believe in prayer then I ask you please to think of this little boy the next time you stop to pray.  Thank you.

That's all I have for now,

Take care and I will see you back here very soon with the new Candy post.

Big hugs to you all Linda xx

Candy Draw

Well here we are again,
another twenty new followers and so another draw... but this time it's for 3 Winners.

I am so excited I can hardly type..
Ok let's get straight on with it
we have two runners up:-

the first runner-up is ........................................... Sue (Bearhouse)

the second is ......................................................... Mags

and finally, the ultimate winner is.................................................

.............................................................. Melanie

Congratulations to you all.
Please email me (see my profile) with your address and I will get your lovely Starter Kits off to you asap.  Please note if any of the prizes are not claimed by 8pm next Thursday (10th) I will do a redraw.

Well that's it for today.  I am sorry to say, I will not have a card for you tomorrow, I am still unwell so I am going to take a day to just relax and get over the worst of this.  However,  I will post the new Candy as soon as I have decided what it is going to be.
YOU COULD HELP ME...
If any of you would like part of the prize for the next Candy draw to be a Starter kit again,  please let me know in your comment on this post.  I will think of something extra nice to go with it also.  If not, I will come up with something nice instead, I promise.

Bless you all and thank you so much for your continued support.
Big hugs to you all Linda xx

Ps, I have now worked out the cost for a Starter Kit (inc Postage) if anyone is interested in having any.  Those who have already emailed me, don't worry I have replied to all my emails this evening and the prices should be in your mail inbox already!!

Bookmark Challenge

Good morning all and welcome at long last to the Challenge Post.
I have done it (I think....,  there are still bits I don't understand but I think I have the gist of it), so at the end of this post we should be able to see the Linkz tool which will allow you to enter your details including the link to your blog where the picture of your Bookmark(s) will be.
For all of you that do not have blogs, enter your name etc, but leave the URL bit blank.  Then email me the picture of your entry and I will enter it for you.
One thing to remember, if any of you have Pinterest accounts you can put your entry onto one of your boards and use the URL for that entry on the Linkz tool if you want to.


Here we go then, scissors at the ready:-

1. The challenge will run from today until Midnight on the 24th May, giving everyone 3 weeks to get their entried logged in or emailed to me.   
2. The entry must be either a Corner or a Ribbon bookmark.  You may enter one of each style if you wish, up to a maximum of two entries.    Here is the LINK to the tutorial for the Corner bookmark incase anyone doesn't know measurements etc.  But remember you can do it larger if you want.  My bookmark started with a square of 5.25inches.
3. Requirements are:- Pink, Black (or grey) and white  and include a bow or ribbon within your design  (If you are doing the Ribbon Bookmark then the ribbon attachment can count as this one if you wish)
4. It would be nice to see some stamping, but this is not a criteria of the challenge.
5. The winner will be chosen by random, as I do not like to sit as judge and jury.  Now I suppose I should let you know what you could win.....   

The Prize:-   12 sheets of 12"x12" MME Lost and Found 'Union Square' and 'Market Street' papers PLUS 4sheets of 12"x12" Kraft card in various designs (Plain, ledger etc)

(If I have forgotten anything important, please don't be afraid to let me know.  I am really green at this, so any help is most welcome).
Well that's it folks (as Daffy would say), I do hope you are able to take part as I cannot wait to see what wonderful bookmarks you will create, but please have some fun doing it.
Take care and have a good day.  I should be back tomorrow with  something new for you (back willing).  Hugs and best wishes Linda xx

Challenge news and BIG apologies.

Hi everyone,
I am sorry if I have seemed a bit vacant and distant for couple of days, I have been struggling a little, but I am ok now.   I am going to spend the whole evening getting all my jobs done for the blog: all the emails, requests and Starter bags made up.  Also, and very importantly I also have fab news, I have received the necessary email to activate the Linky tool, this means that we can go ahead with the challenge......AT LAST I hear you say, and I agree with you.  At least now that I have activated the account, any future challenges will be quicker to set up (once I have learned what to do!.... Oh dear did I speak to soon then.......Nah, I can do it you'll see......(big grin)..lol!!.
Well I am going to be a very busy chicky tonight, but hopefully by the morning you will all be able to see the Challenge details.  Have any of you made bookmarks ahead of time?  If you have please let me know in your comment as I will not make any special requirements for the challenge.  If not, then maybe we can have a couple of inclusions eg: a colour combo or maybe we could make them all shabby chic or something else as nice.
All the lovely people that have requested Starter packs for my Decorative Pins, I am making some up as we speak and will get them weighed tomorrow morning for shipping costs (including international) and I will contact you all personally with the details.   Again please forgive my tardiness,  I have not forgotten about you for one minute I promise;  my back is a curse in more ways than one  (sleep deprivation this time).
Lastly and very importantly:  A very BIG WELCOME to the latest followers and thank you for all your lovely comments. 
I feel truly blessed; I am making new friends all the time and receiving the most wonderful support and understanding (how kind you all are).  We know so little about each other and yet I feel such great warmth, I will never forget this, it has astounded me.  I will do my best to repay your kindnesses as often as I am able.

Well have a good evening and try to pop by tomorrow, we should have a challenge up and running!!!
Nite nite all.  Hugs Linda xx

Showcase & My Quotation of the Week

Good morning
I don't know about you but I am really getting fed up of hearing about drought and yet seeing nothing but rain.  Do you think we will have had enough water soon for the 'drought' condition to be over.  Mind you that's a silly thought really isn't it, because it's not like we have a tap to turn off the rain or can shout loud enough to say 'Ok, thats enough, you can turn it off now!'  lol...!
As I was not able to post my quotation on Monday this week, I have decided to do it today before my Showcase and with my moan about the rain, I think it very appropriate.  It is

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness

has never danced in the rain!  

(Author unknown)

Last week I was lucky enough to Showcase the lovely creations of Christine Harrop, one of my lovely followers. Well, this week again, I have been given permission to show some of the lovely cards created by another follower and her name is Sue (Bearhouse). The first card I would like you to see is one that Sue entered into the Joanna Sheen challenge and that is where I first came to know of Sue and her lovely cards. You can imagine how nice it was when she later became a follower of my blog. Thank you Sue. Here is that aforementioned card. It is gorgeous and I love it.

When Sue leaves a comment for me on the posts here, the picture of a cute little black kitty cat is always displayed and not one of Sue herself. Well the cutey is called Milton and he was adopted by Sue and her family from the Cats Protection League, along with another cat called Claude. I think this card is probably made with one of the little moggies in mind, don't you think?!

Ok, well onto the next cards I would like to show you, two absolutely gorgeous Christmas cards. Now don't shout through the screen at me.........., please!! I know it was only Christmas a few months ago and most of us are all still recovering from the expense, but we all know that alot of crafters start their next year's batch of cards as soon as they have cleared away the decorations. So you see, these two cards are not so out of place really. The truth of the matter is, Sue is really good at colouring and I just wanted to show you how good while making my blog look good ...LOL!!!! At least someone on here now has the natural aptitude with a colouring medium. OOOO, that hurt..... am I supposed to abuse my own talents, I thought that job was yours!! ha ha ha.

Here they are:-

Here two more of Sue's cards.  I think you can see that she loves diversity and is as good at masculine cards as she is the feminine and Christmas ones.

To finish off today, I would like you to see two cards created by Sue's daughter Emily.  I am not sure exactly what age Emily is, but I believe she is about 12.  Her cards are lovely and I think she is going to follow her mum for talent don't you agree?

Thank you to both Sue and Emily for allowing me to share their wonderful creations.  I hope that everyone has enjoyed my Showcase this week and if anyone else has something they would like me to show please contact me via email (see my profile alongside my picture).
I hope the weather stays dry with you today, if not I hope you get to 'dance in the rain'.   Enjoy yourselves
Thank you for stopping by again today.  Regards always Linda xx

Colour Blocking

Good morning everyone,
First may I apologise for the missing challenge.  I managed to find out about the Linky tool that is needed for the entries and I immediately applied to use it; however, it said I had to wait for an email with which to activate the account.  I am still waiting!  As I know nothing about this tool and I have been so busy getting my son back to university, I haven't been able to find out any further info.  So, as soon as I am able later today,  I will do web search for some help.  Until that is sorted of course,  I cannot go ahead with the challenge details here. however you can carry on creating your lovely bookmarks in readiness.
Bookmark entries:-  You can enter up to two designs for the challenge, but only if your designs are different styles  eg: Corner and Ribbon wrap.  Anyone entering two identical styles will have the last one they entered disqualified from the challenge.  That makes it fair for everyone who enters.
Who can enter:- Anyone
    Bloggers, link your entry to your blog please using the Linky tool as soon as it is available.
    Non-bloggers, email me the pictures with any details you want included and I will add it to the challenge for you.
As soon as I have the Linky info, I will write up the challenge here and we will get underway.
I hope you will forgive my naivete, I really should have looked this up before mentioning a challenge instead of keeping everyone waiting.  I am truly sorry.

Ok, lets get on to todays card.  I have recently been looking at some of the clothes on the catwalk etc (via the web) and notice that Colour Blocking is still really big and it gave me the basic idea for todays card.  I was quite surprised as it really inspired me and it also allowed me to use some of the decoupage I had cut out months ago and had left just sitting about in a box.  So here it is, very different for me and therefore, a bit of a challenge at first, but I really like it now it's finished.  What do you think?

 The background layers are embossed using the new M-Bossabilities folders from Spellbinders (No EL-005).  The embossed falling flowers seemed to be the perfect backdrop for the little Geisha girl.  Also I added some diecut swirls over more embossing using the inside of the M-Bossabilities folder.  These double sided embossing folders are just lovely, they are easier to store (less of them) plus they are of a larger size too making it easier to emboss bigger areas.
Here is a close-up of the embossing and swirls and another of the little flower spray:

The flowers I added to the side, were from Wild Orchid Crafts, however, I didn't have any orange roses, so I used some plain white ones and coloured them with promarkers.  I used Soft Peach and Orange for the roses and Gold (yellow) for the stamen with Turquoise added to the stems to make them a bluer shade of green to coordinate with the backing card.
I did try adding a little bit of purple to the mix, to bring in the colour of the Geishas hair, but it became too overpowering for me.  I do like colour blocking but sometimes the mix of deep and vibrant shades can be a little too strong for me.
Well, I am now being called by my 3year old grandson, so I had better go now before he decides to come and jump all over me and I end up losing all my hard work to his inquisitive fingers! 
However, before I go I would like to welcome all the new followers and also thank you all so much for the wonderful comments you have left for me recently; I have been blown away by the response to my New Candy.  I am so thrilled that you think it a good idea. 
Thank you again for your patience with me concerning the challenge, we will get it sorted asap I promise.  Have a good day whatever you are doing.  I hope you will be back soon to see what I have for you next time.
Big hugs and best wishes Linda xx

Sue (Bearhouse) please can I have your permission to show some of your cards?  You can email me at lindascreativeharmony@gmail.com, or just put your reply in a comment below. Thanks Linda x