Viola Mahr

joy ... and more joy

 
 Rich red and warm yellows, greens ... such cosy colors for the days ahead. I have a couple of cards to share tonight before bed ... 

I found this soft, luxurious crocheted trim in my mother's box (again!) ... little things piled together onto the palette of kraft cardstock - and a happy, warm card is created!

 
Crinkled paper flowers ... and velvet leaves. Makes me happy.

And I've got to say it again, that trim is so beautiful! Watch for more of it in the coming days :)

Another card for you ... 
 

... grosgrain ribbon, fussy-cut flowers, more pretty trim, and a mini, mini tag.

 
 See the little pile of tags in the corner? That's something I will share in the store soon ... coming in bundles of tea-stained tags, 25 or 50 each, for your own crafting craves. I'd love for you to share my craze for them :) 

Be warm, happy, and joyful, dear friends!

OH! and before I forget...... the happy one who wins the set of holiday tags...... is..........

Number seven.

Yes, it's you, Jo! :) And I DID use a random number thingy!

Aren't you joy-full?! :)

Jump for joy, dear! and pop me an email at [email protected] and off your tags will go!

Hugs, and good night.

Vio..

 
 

 
 


 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

packed and ready - taggies in a bag

... just dropping in quickly to say that for those of you who have ordered these tag sets (inside or outside etsy) they're finished, packed, and ready to go :) ... still have a few more which I'll be slowly listing in the store as those that are already there go; just want to say thank you for your happy responses to them. What started out as a challenge blog-hop became something I can share with all of you! :) ...

 
Tags ... large ones covered with yummy little things ... stashed into a special paperbag with pretty doilies tucked in between. The whole package will be carefully enclosed in a padded envelope for it's journey to you ... Wish you joy using them for your holiday gifts!

 
And... before I go, I decided to give away a set of these tags ... leave a comment letting me know what type of tags or creating-sets you would like to see next time ... and I will share the winner sometime next week ...

Have a happy week, friends! 

Viola 

 

CandleLight Warmth

I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Today was filled with sun ... and tonight, candle-light ... something about candles convey the warmth of relationships, love, and family. Sometimes it extends into inexpressibility, but Elizabeth Browning's poem said it all ...

 
I so wish I could have lit the candles for the photos, but wisdom prevented me from doing it. I don't think the final recipient of these lights would have appreciated it anyway :) ....... a little lace, fussy-cut flowers, pearls, buttons, twine, and ribbon made a simple pillar candle really shine. Can't wait to see what it'll look like when it's a-light! :)



Let me live blessed Lord in the light of Thy Word, let my life be a light on a hill
Leading souls astray to the straight narrow way, help me do some good deed while I live
Let my life be a light shining out through the night, may I help struggling ones to the fold
Spreading cheer everywhere to the sad and alone, let my life be a light to some soul...

 
Give me wisdom and power every day every hour, let me drink from the fountain above
Guide my footsteps aright through the dark stormy night, give me peace, give me joy, give me love
Let my life be a light shining out through the night, may I help struggling ones to the fold
Spreading cheer everywhere to the sad and alone, let my life be a light to some soul...

 
Give me souls for my hire let my life be on fire, shining out to the world as a guide
Help me rescue someone seeking out with no hope, that in heaven we shall ever abide
Let my life be a light shining out through the night, may I help struggling ones to the fold
Spreading cheer everywhere to the sad and alone, let my life be a light to some soul.

- J R Varner

 
More ribbon, lace trim, buttons, twine, a mini-tag, chipboard butterfly all glittered up, and little vintage flowers. I love these warm, happy colors ... the red cherry buttons are so adorable. I had the most fun in the world doing these candles. And something makes me want to share them, so they may appear in the etsy store before long. I'm thinking of doing a give-away with them. Whoever would like that, raise your hand...

Thank you ... as always, for letting me ramble about my projects :) ...

Good night, friends!

Viola

 

 

 

 

happy things ...

Home from the park where my family had a happy little picnic together ... I spent the afternoon mixing up meatloaf, mashed potatoes, toast, and vegetable medley with my sister. Our little spot in the outdoors was so much fun ... I even sat on the swings with my "little" brother! :) Family time is the best!

Before I head to bed, I have some little things to share with you ...

 Paper. Scissors. Glue... twine, felt, trim, stamps, ink, flowers, crystals, and so much more!

I'm so lovin' a new die I got: a film-strip! check it out ...

 
... each section is individually cut, and then pieced together in a row! Love it :)

..........

and, it's a short post tonight as it's WAY late ...

but before I go, I want to share a little tag I made for a gift-bag holding some goodies for my friend.

 

Quick and simple ... the flowers were trimmed from some scraps of patterned paper, and a tag, pearls, ink, and a sweet little stamp finishes the job.

 friend. Yup, that's what you all are too! Thank you for visiting today, dears!

hugs,
Viola

it's snowing!

No, wait, that's not true! But I wish wish wish it were ...... the heavy tropical rains the last few days aren't enough for me! let it snow!

 
If only I could make a wish, I'd wish for snow! And if only wishing wishes came true! :)

 
I've been happily messing around today with some BasicGrey and FancyPants patterned papers ... since I found some beautiful, shabby, sparkly snowflakes to play with, I've been so absorbed at my craft table ... add to them some wide grosgrain ribbon, twine, a vintage mother-of-pearl button, trim, mini-tags, and PTI stamps, and you've got some really fun, sweet things going on!

 
I'm so loving those large, shiny flakes. Love how they fill up the front and let you do the little details all around.

More ..................

I'm not quite sure where those vintage mother-of-pearl buttons came from, but of this I'm certain: they're FABulous! I love them ...

More PTI ... More BasicGrey ... crystals, ribbon, and other yummy little things ...

I made a grand discovery! With my new, baby BigShot, I decided to run some felt (and not even PTI felt, but some really, really polyester-y felt!) through with my scallop die. It cut!!! Perfectly! Can you see it?

 
Here's to some warm, cozy wishes this holiday season, my dear friends. Take time to sit back, enjoy your families, embrace happiness, and make a wish ... for snow :) ...

If you'd like to share my craziness for the big and beautiful snowflakes, check out the etsy store. I've got a few to share with you. 

Night ...

Viola 

 

timeless...

A few little note-cards to share today ....

 
 
 Warm, cosy, little note-cards - three of them - that fit into a set ... something about a little set of handmade cards really, really makes me happy! :)

 
The BasicGrey Marjolaine collection is so sweet and soft, yet simple enough for guys.

And I found these little die-cut clocks somewhere amid the rubble I cleared from my drawers.

The PaperTrey Ink notebook page die, shabbied and a little torn at the top... stamps, little crystals, and twine ... little things I enjoy.

... and of course, meaningful sentiments. Timeless words.

 

..........

And now for a few pictures of some fun things I picked up this week.

Fun little crystal jars for colorful buttons ...

... a cute tray for cards ... and a rusty, dusty little basket for twine ...

and not forgetting the old-fashioned bamboo mat below them :)

.........

Before I go, just thought to let you know a quickie on the etsy store ... what's coming soon ...

 

tiny, tiny clothespins for your rustic, handmade projects ...

 

... and lightweight parcel tags in three sizes.

Thank you for visiting today, friends! It's a great joy to share these things with you!

 

Hugs,

Viola

hi there, sweet friend

 

How's your week going? Mine is happy :) and I've got a bunch of stuff to share today .........

BasicGrey's new Curio collection has gotten me! I love the vintage beauty of it!

 

...... and felt!! Still in love with hand-cutting leaves from the soft clouds of fabric.

 
 

I'm still the same twill-bow-crazy, manila-tag-lovin' girl I was last week. And the week before. And the week before that. Yum!

 
 

Hi there to all of you who's reading :) Say hi back so I'll know you dropped by! :)

...............

After the card was dished up, I decided to do a little something special ... with a large manila tag and some distress ink. This is kind of a lazy tutorial, but I thought to share it anyway. That's me - lazy.

 
 

First, you dabble the brush in the distress ink (or any kind of ink, I'm not fussy...) and gently rub it inwards from the edges of the tag. This rubbing technique seems to work only on the manila tags (at least for me), but you feel free to test it on other paper surfaces. Just don't link it up here if it doesn't work.

Then I minced up a few other little ingredients and threw them together ...

 

... and they baked into a perfect pie!! I love it, what about you? :)

 

 

The card and tag were then bundled together with a kraft paperbag and a yard of twine ..... for some goodies .....

 

 

So fun! Thank you for letting me share it with you!

.......

And a quick update on the etsy store: a huge thanks to the wonderful Miss Sarah Martina for being my first customer! :) That brought a big smile to me. I will be adding more of the berry-trinket-pins in a few moments, along with die-cut tags in the dollar goodies section of the store. I hope to fill the place with affordable and sweet embellishments for your crafts. Maybe manila tags will follow :) Feel free to drop me ideas; I will be more than happy to listen! Thank you dears!

 

Have wonderful days ahead!

Viola

 

 

warm, felt fuzzies

 

Discovering the joys of felt ... who knew it could be so fun, sweet, and delicious? Ah, and making Betsy's cabbage rose ... this flower is soo soft and beautiful. I had so much fun with this card, piling the lovelies on!

 

The cherry-crystals turned out kind of sweet don't ya think? :)

Sentiment from a Fiskar's set, scallop die from PaperTrey Ink, and patterned papers from Melissa Frances.

 

... buttons, ribbons, chipboard key, white ink, little stamps ... oh my yummy-ness!

 

I don't have PTI felt (yet) ... so I grabbed a piece that is definitely not as woolly (it doesn't work with dies) and trimmed the leaves with my scissors. A little tea-dye ink warms the tones ...

Oh! Good news! My baby came yesterday. Her name is Big Shot :) no photos to share, but I am having so much fun!

...

More felt fuzzies ...

 

It's pretty hard to cut a perfect circle, especially with felt. Please understand.

 

Lovin' the PTI notebook page die and sentiment stamps! LOVE!

... are there any rules about adding pearls to a masculine card?

 

The card was matted with felt and some unknown patterned paper.

Mr. Owl hopped over from October Afternoon ... along with the ledger lines stamp ...

 

He makes me happy! :)

Have a joyful week, dear friends! and get out that felt and snip away .....

Hugs,
Viola

simple, sweet love

 
 
 

Sunny day to you, sweet friends! I'm back after almost a whole week of crazy-busyness ... music, craft, housekeeping, and a dozen other things. Back to share with you some simple and sweet love.

 
 

 
 

I had these beautiful Melissa Frances papers, and I knew I just had to make a card set out of it. They're too pretty to waste on one card :) ... I was so excited that my LSS re-stocked these papers, as they had run out long, long ago. Well, here's the next card in the set ...

 
 

As I share these photos, let me ramble :) If you remember, in the previous post I talked about how Betsy's challenge had jump-started something inside of me, as I picked over old buttons from my momma's sewing box. That streak of vintage sentiment didn't die off as quickly as I expected it to, and it's still kind of sticking around.

 
 

It's not so much the finding and using of old, vintage embellishments that I'm talking about. It's the thoughts. Today as I sat quietly creating these little cards, I thought carefully about what each one should say. Yes, say, beyond the obvious sentiment. I want them to tell you that they're about cherishing the moments. Love those around you. Forgive.

Take time to hug your family, and say "i love you" ...

 

That's what really, really matters. It's not the papercrafting. It's the meaning. Love.

 
 

I'm not a romantic :) rather, I speak of the kind of love that ties a home together. You and your parents. And husband. And children.

 
 

will you join me today? in loving your own family?

 
 

 
 

"... the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us ..."  - Romans 5:5

Thank you for sharing my thoughts today!
Viola