My Creations

So, in the last Relief Society Broadcast, President Uchtdorf gave a talk called "Happiness, Your Heritage". If you haven't read it, go read it. If you have read it, go read it again. =) I was going to quote some of my favorite parts of the talk, but I would have had to post the whole thing and that was just too long. Anyway, I was very, very inspired by this talk. I loved how he taught us that God wants us to be happy and then gave us ways to go about being happy. The one that really hit me was The Work of Creation. I appreciated how he stated that mothers participate in the work of creation by not only providing physical bodies for our children, but also teaching and nurturing them. But, he also emphasized that creating things doesn't have to mean providing physical bodies; he says, "Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter." Isn't that beautiful? So, I feel like I have been given permission to be creative and to make time for creativity, which is why I titled my blog the way I did.

I hope what I am trying to say makes sense. If not, well, sorry. I hope that you will at least enjoy the pictures of some of my creations over the past few months. =)

Very first of all, I helped make this:

Owyn Suzann Cardell. She's happy, she's funny, she's loving, she's curious, she's mine and I love her so, so, so much. (My mom took the picture. I think it captures her perfectly.)

I made this for Owyn. I got a sewing machine for Christmas and this was the first thing I made with it. (I know, I need more sewing machine practice, but I still had fun!)

I was really proud of the zipper. It opens to a pocket. I haven't decided what to put in the pocket yet. By the way, this fella is bigger than Owyn so she doesn't play with him a whole lot yet. Someday maybe she'll appreciate him.

Next, I made these for Luanne's Christmas present. They are happy rocks. I've been making these for a while. The idea behind them is that it is so easy to be overwhelmed or burdened by sadness, but it is just as easy to be overwhelmed (or burdened) with happiness. It all depends on what we look for.

Luanne, look closely and tell me which ones didn't make the trip. I'll replace them for you.

This one was Michael's Christmas present. It is one of his favorite quotes. I painted the background, created a stencil for the "Keep Moving Forward" that you can barely see in the background, and then cut out each individual letter and Mod Podged them on. It was a lot of work, but I really, really enjoyed it. I know it isn't straight and the process needs some refinement, but I'm still pretty proud of it.

Lastly, I made this menu board at a Relief Society retreat in October. It was just plain black and I thought it was a little too boring. So, since I am trying to decorate my kitchen with Mary Engelbreit art and stuff, I borrowed some of her patterns and designs and painted them on to my menu board. Now it is bright and happy!

Stay tuned, faithful blog followers. I will have more creations to come! If you have any ideas for me, let me know. I'm always up for something new!