Happy New Year!!!!!

I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year and that you have nothing but joy this coming year!

Marta

The Countdown Begins!!!

We are just hours away from the begining of "A Year in the Life" and I can't wait!!!! I have made the first entry into our A Year in the Life tab here on my blog. I hope you will take a moment to check it out. And if your are signed up for this year long project I hope you will check back often and use it as a great refence and ancouragement to stick with it to the end.

On another note - I am trying to get my Christmas photos edited so that I can share some with you all. But I got a wild hair on Christmas night and gutted my studio! It has taken me until 7pm last night to get it back together so I have not even started editing. And today I started packing the Year in the Life Kits so I probably won't get to it until early next week. But we did have a magical holiday and I am so truly blessed to have been able to spend it with my family. I am especially blessed to have 2 little ones to share my Christmas with - there is nothing like a child to show you how to really enjoy Christmas! I hope you and your families were well and happy over the holiday weekend.

Toodles

Lady Bugs!!!

This week I have been wasting time and totally enjoying myself at my sewing machine! Mind you there are LOTS of things that are more pressing that I SHOULD be doing, but oh well. . .
I callmy newest granddaughter Lady Bug and so I have been busily making her some new lady bug treats.

Isn't she the sweetest little lady bug you've ever seen?

So here is what I have made so far. . .

a couple of bibs and a burp cloth. . .

a tummy-time pillow with rings to hold her toys close at hand

Here it is without the toys attached

Here is a little "lovey" "Taggy" "sensory blanket" everyone calls them something different

I even made the ladybug that is attached in the center. The lining is that great minky stuff in bright red!

This is her quilt but I made it right after she was born.

Bryanna liked all of the goodies so much and since they are all staying at MY house I ended up making her a quilt and a tummy time pillow to match her nursery. I forgeot to take pictures of them before I sent them on their way.

So I am officially done sewing now until after Christmas. But I wanted to share what I have been up to.

Now it's time to clean up and start getting all of my Christmas stuff done!!!

If I don't get back before next week -

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!!!!!

Success!

That is what I feel tonight was!

I had my first "A Year in the Life" open house at the Creative Quest. It is a busy time of the year for everyone and parking was a nightmare in dowtown Glendale tonight, but yet 10 brave woman showed up for my presentation! I have been so excited about this project for months and have kept it under wraps for the most part until now. And now I am excited about the way my "baby" was received and can't wait for January when we can all get started on this journey together!

I wanted to share this simple collage I did for my Year in the Life album. One of the sections is called "The People that Touch My Life" so I took pictures of all of my family holding my little "Life" sign (that I shared the other day). I captured only their hands and the "Life" to symbolize that they touch my life.

If you live in the Valley and want to know more about my "A Year in the Life" project you are welcome to joing me on Sunday from 1-3pm at the Creative Quest or you can email me with questions.

I hope you all have a great weekend and feel like whatever you did today was a SUCCESS!!!

Toodles

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!!

Tomorrow is my "baby's" 22nd birthday! Where has the time gone? Happy birthday my Love - I love you more and more each day. I am so very proud of you!

This will be the first time EVER that I have not spent Lizzy's birthday with her. I am not even sure how to process that? She is now living in the dorms and has finals so she will be tied up. I probably won't even be able to catch her on the phone between her work and school schedules. So we celebrated her big day yesterday. The whole family was here for dinner and cake (and football too). It was a fun evening and she was able to blow out all of her candles in one breath even with a baby in her arms. It seems like just last week she was a baby in my arms.

Have a great

Tuesday,

Pearl Harbor Day,

LIZZY's BIRTHDAY!!!

Toodles

Life's Little Ups & Downs

There is a purpose to these pictures (besides just being cute) If you are attending the "Year in the Life" open house next weekend you will get the whole scoop! Until then just enjoy how cute the pictures are.

Have a great weekend Friends

Toodles

I am SO Excited!

In 10 days I will be introducing my newest project. A project that I have been planning for months! A project that will take a WHOLE year to complete!! A project that I can’t wait to get started on!!! This project has been a big secret for months and only two people have gotten to see what it’s all about. I am hoping that many of you will join me on this memorable & creative endeavor.

Starting in January I will begin a hybrid scrapbooking project at The Creative Quest called "A Year in the Life" that will give you the opportunity to document all of the big and little moments that make up one year of your life. Don’t let the word “scrapbooking” scare you away; this is NOT going to be your typical 12x12 scrapbook full of embellishments and do-dads and pretty little things glued to a page. Don’t think your life is not exciting enough to do this, it is. Even if you have never scrapbooked before you can do this project.

The Creative Quest will play host to our quarterly get-togethers and even though it is a year long project, it will not be a huge commitment of your time away from home. We will get together in January, April, July and October, with one last get-together in January of 2012.

I have set up a special tab here on my blog just for this project so that you can follow along with me, keep up to date on where we are on the project and to get some tips and ideas as we go along. Another one of the reasons I am doing this on my blog is so that I won’t get too “busy” to actually work on the project. You will make me accountable.


On Friday, December 10th from 6-8pm and also on Sunday, December 12th from 1-3pm The Creative Quest and I will be hosting an open house to share all of the details of this exciting new project. Of course there won’t be a finished sample for you to see since I will be working along side you all year. But there will be lots to see and touch. I will share all of the details, outline and costs. You will get to see all of the products we will be using (and here’s a little surprise – NO Graphic 45 paper in this one!).

So, I hope you will join me on either Friday night or Sunday afternoon for some cookies, coffee, and creativity!

Toodles

I am So Very THANKFUL. . . .

***WARNING: VERY LONG POST - PICTURE HEAVY!***

I have been thinking all week about how blessed and thankful I am for my life and the people in it. And so tonight I decided to share with you all some snipets from my life and the people that make me so thankful!!

Oct 29th - Family dinner night for our 26th wedding anniversary - My youngest Daughter (Lizzy) & my oldest Granddaughter (Monkey).

I am so thankful for these two girls of course, and for the rest of my family, and for my dear, sweet husband that still loves me after all of these years! But I am also so thankful for all of the laughter that fills my home when we are all together!!!! I am blessed

Oct 30th - Trick-or-Treating On Halloween Night with My oldest Daughter (Bryanna) & Granddaughters (Monkey & Bug)

I don't celebrate Halloween and never took my own girls trick-or-treating. But now I'm an Amma (Grandma) and I am not about to miss out on any part of my granddaughters' lives. So, since they go trick-or-treating, I do too! I am so thankful to get to share all of these moments with my girls! I am so thankful that they live right down the street so I can be there so easily!

I am blessed!

Nov 5 - My 47th Birthday

This was not an "exciting" birthday, but it was a full day. I took Bug to the Dr for shots, played with her and Monkey. I got a new sidewalk poured, and since it was my birthday Gary let me put the girls' footprints in the fresh cement (something he really hates!). I taught Lizzy how to bake pies and cooked dinner for my whole family that evening. I am so thankful for healthy grandbabies, a beautiful home, a Husband that is willing to "give in a little", time with family and food on my table! I am blessed!

Nov 6th - My friends, Judie and Ann on our way up North

Judie and I share the same birthday and Ann's is 12 days later. So the three of us headed up north to Prescott and Jerome for the day. Fall is my favorite season and I adore all of the colors of Fall - sadly we don't get any color in the valley, but a short drive got me some color and crisp air. It also got me a meal at the Palace Saloon on Whiskey Row (my 1st time). I am so thankful for GOOD friends and time out with the girls as well as a husband that totally gets I need some girl-time. I am so thankful that God sent beautiful colors to fill my world and excite my spirit! I am blessed!

Nov 9th - Monkey & Bug

Just a tuesday afternoon with my little girls. I am so thankful that I get to have such a BIG role in their lives. I am blessed!

Nov 10th - Monkey Paints

I started Monkey painting at an early age and she loves it! Usually she "dabs" her paint on today was the 1st time she actually made "strokes" while she pained. I try not to "teach" her how to be creative, I just let her do what she wants to do. So I was so excited to see she discovered strokes on her own and advanced into the stage of development. I am so thankful that she likes to do the things I like. And that I get a front row seat to her ever-changing development and abilities!

I am blessed!

Nov 11th - Waffles with Monkey

Just another morning together making waffles for breakfast. She loves to cook with me and loves my heart-shaped waffle iron. I was never paitient enough when my girls were little to let them help me cook - I wish I had been. I am so thankful for our mornings together and that smile and the way she calls me "Amma". I am also thankful that I have learned paitience and found the joy in slowing down and helping little hands learn and have fun! I am blessed!

Nov 20th - My Sister Terrie's Handmade purse

After many years of being astranged, my big sister and I have found our way back to each other! We spent 4 hours on the phone together this night and 2 more hours on the phone the next day! And 2 days later I got an email with some photos of the vintage style, handmade purses she is making. I now have a way to contact her and she is coming for a visit!!! I am so thankful for a relationship being healed, technology that helps us connect, planes that bring our loved ones home and for a heart that no longer hurts! I am thankful for my Sister! I am blessed!

Nov 23 - My Little girls with Santa

Monkey was sooo excited to go see Santa this day and was all prepared to tell him what she wanted for Christmas. But once she was face to face with the bearded man she changed her mind. After some tears, walking away, the bribe of some candy, and standing in line once again, she was ready to at least talk to him and get her picture taken with Santa and her sister.

This is my Monkey and my Bug in the same dress on their first visits to see santa - 3 years apart. Bryanna is not tanner now, I just learned how to use my camera. I am so thankful for the magic this time of year, both through the make-believe parts and the real reason for the season - Christ's birth! I am thankful for the way my Little girls make me feel such intense joy just by looking at them! I am thankful that Bryanna lets me be here for all of these "moments". And i am thankful for the knowledge I continue to gain about my camera. I am also very thankful for my favorite toy. . . my camera! I am blessed!

Nov 25th - Thanksgiving Day - Lizzy & Richard

Everyone was sick this year and so we had to postpone Thanksgiving until Saturday. But later that night, Lizzy & Richard stopped by to pick up her new laptop. This is her Christmas present and birthday present from us, her sister and her 2 Grandmothers. Hers died this past week adn finals start on Monday and she really needed a new laptop NOW! I am thankful that in these hard times we had the money to do this for her! I am thankful that she is so diligent about her schooling! I am thankful that they came over! I am thankful that although Bryanna, Gary & Monkey were all sick, that it was only a temporary bug and that my family all has their health!

I am blessed!

Nov 27th - Our "Thanksgiving Day"

The day started off with my two favorite guys (hubby & SIL) going off to golf together

Then we had dinner together as a family - Monkey of course had to oad her fingers up with black olives.

Four generations of my family all at the table together!!!

A quick visit with the neighbors. Monkey just loves playing with their son Charlie.

After pie Monkey decorated the window in "her own way" with a varity of window clings with a little help from her "Yo" - that would be her Aunt Lizzy.

Now it was time to decorate the tree - and the first thing to go on the tree each year is my Mom's 50 year old angel. I take a picture of her doing this every year.

Now it's everyones turn to add some decorations to the tree (wow, I am actually in the picture)

Bryanna made a little boo-boo and broke Mom's whole box of glass Dwarfs (Snow White). I think we were able to salvage one. It's funny though because I didn't think Lizzy new how to use a broom, let alone know where to find it!!!!

Bug has passed out on Mom's lap but we managed to get a (smiling) picture of her holding the one salvaged dwarf. I am so thankful for more than enough food - not just for the holidays but everyday! I am thankful that everyone was feeling better (even if Gary did get a bad case of allergies at the golf course that knocked him out) I am thankful for traditions and memories of days and holidays gone by. I am thankful for a house big enough to put up a big Christmas tree and a table big enough for everyone to sit together (for now anyways)! I am thankful for neighbors and good friends! I am thankful that my Hubby & my SIL get along so well! I am thankful for a husband that is so kind and so generous that HE insisted my Mother come live with us! I am thankful for my Mom and for her health and for how young she is at 75! I am thankful that we were all together and that we spent most of the day lughing and having fun! I am thankful for a country that has a national holiday set aside just being thankful! I am thankful for all of these things and soooooo much more!!!

I really am blessed!

New Class Sample

(you can click on the picture for a more detailed view)

What does this have to do with being thankful??? It reminds me how thankful I am that God intrusted with some amount of creativity. And it reminds me of how thankful I am to the gals at the Creative Quest for seeing something in me and allowing me to share my passion for creating with their customers and friends. I am thankful for all of the beautiful women I have met and friends I have made while teaching there. I am thankful for the peace I feel when I sit at my desk with paper, ink and glue at the ready!

WOW!!! Did you make it all the way to end of this post??? Thanks for sharing my Thanksgiving with me. I hope you are reminded at this time, and the whole year through, of all you are thankful for!

Toodles and God Bless you all!!!

Just a Quickie. . .

So I taught my Santa's Workshop Curio class today and everything went great! I think everyone had a great time and was happy with their creation. No two were the same and it was really fun to see what everyone came up with.
At one point during the day we got to talking about how I come up with stuff and I was asked if I ever dream a project. The answer to that is a hearty YES! But I told them I also dream recipes and I share how I dreamt the recipe to Girl Scout Cookies years ago (the Thin Mints - my FAV!!!). They taste just like them and they asked if I would give them the recipe. I promised I would post it on my blog tonight so here it is girls - ENJOY!!!!

Marta's "Girl Scout" Cookies
Cookie
1 Stick Butter -
1/4 C Shortening
1 C Sugar -
2 Eggs
1 tsp Peppermint Extract -
2 1/2 C Flour
1/2 C Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder -
1 tsp Salt
Coating
1 Pkg. Chocolate Candy Quick
1 tsp Peppermint Extract

Cream sugar, butter & shortening. Add eggs and peppermint extract. Blend in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder & salt. Roll the dough out on lightly floured tea towel or counter top to about 1/8" thickness. Cut out with 2" round cookie cutters. Place on un-greased cookie sheets & bake in pre-heated 400 degree oven for 6 - 8 min or until light brown.
Melt the chocolate and mix in the peppermint extract. When cookies are cooled, dip them in the melted chocolate and let set up on a wire rack.
Makes approx 4 doz cookies These taste just like Thin Mints

From the heart & kitchen of Marta Gladden

I will check in again soon
Toodles!

Good Morning Bloggers! UPDATED 11/14/10

Most of you know I NEVER blog in the morning - always in the wee hours of the night, but not today! I have a special offer for my Blog friends (this again is something I never do on my blog!). After a full weekend of teaching classes I have found that I have a few extra kits left and wanted to offer them up to all of you that are not able to take my classes in person. Each kits will have all of the supplies (minus, inks, tools, adhesives & stamps) needed to make the project, a CD with full sized color & detailed images of the project and all of the step by step instructions needed to complete the project. It will also include a list of all the supplies, cut sizes, tools and embellishments needed in case you would like to make more of the same project.

So here is what I have available for you. . .

There is only 1 of the Measure of a Woman Shrine kits available

This was a $55 class and I am offering the kit at $25 + postage (US Only)

In this kit you will be building the shrine from scratch, then wall-papering it and embellishing it. It is super fun and I think you will love learning how to build the shrine for different occasions.

You can click on the photo for more detailed images of the shrine.

And there are no more of the Hallowe'en in Wonderland kits available Now

This was a $95 class and I am offering the kit at $50 + postage (US Only)

This was a VERY popular class - I had to teach it twice! You will be altering this book box and then making a mini for inside. It has a great wire and bead binding on it and lotts of interactive parts.

You can click on the photo for more detailed images of this Project.

If you are interested in any of these kits please email me at

Garbonzobeenz1@aol.com and tell me which one(s) you are interested in. Please include your name, mailing address and email address. I will send you a paypal invoice once I receive your request. Your Kit will be mailed out on the first Friday after I receive your payment.

Well, I gotta get back to Monkey and The Bug . . .

Happy Monday!

Toodles

Today Was. . .

Just an Ordinary Day. But it was a day I never want to forget!

Mom was gone all day and so it was just the girls and I all day today. I woke up to a very cool and wet morning - ahhh, so refreshing this time of year. The rain quickly gave way to sun, but the cool temps and the breezes continued throughout the day. We did all of he typical things, bottles, diapers, snacks, and the Disney channel. My Bug was a little fussy today so Monkey was left to entertain herself (with the Disney channel, toys and books) while I tended to her sister. Finally, my Bug drifted off to sleep and then Monkey asked to take her nap. As I tucked her into her big girl bed she gave me the regular daily assignments. . .turn off the light, shut the door all the way. After I turned off the lights and was turning to go out the door, she called me back to her. "I need to say my prayers Amma" she told me. My heart melted! This is a new thing, she has just recently started to go to Sunday School and without prompting has been asking her Mom to pray with her at night before she goes to sleep. But this was the first time she has ever asked me to do it with her. I am ashamed to say that I never think of it when I put her down for a nap. My mind is usually fixed on the things I need to do while she sleeps. So, with my heart so full, I kneeled there next to my 3 year old granddaughter's bed while she folded her hands, closed her eyes and said the simplest prayer "my mommy, my daddy, amma, grandpa, nana, stud, rifle". She was asking God's blessing on us. Then she looked at me and said "you Amma", she wanted me to pray with her and so I did and she sweetly repeated every word I said. After saying Amen, we had to do the little poem with the hand gestures, here's the church, here's the steeple. . . .you know the one. I taught her that a long time ago and she loves to do it. Now it was time for one more kiss and once more to be reminded to shut the door all the way and off to sleep she went. I never want to forget that 3 minutes I spent kneeling on the floor. I have always believed in the power of prayer and have spent a lot of time in my life on my knees praying, but I don't think any of those times were as sweet, as innocent, as powerful as that 3 minutes were to me today! How I would love to have a photo of the two of us in there today.

But here are a couple of sweet photos from the day. . .

This is my bug in her vibrating, musical chair holding onto a rattle and giving me some giggles


After the girls woke up from their naps, Monkey wanted to see her sister and I thought it would be funny to lift her into the crib with my Bug. She looked up at me and said "we're cute Amma, take our picture" who could ignore such a request?
What a great day!!!

Tuesday I wrote about how close Christmas was and how us crafters are needing to get busy with our homemade gifts. Last night I took my own advice and got busy on my stocking stuffers for Christmas Eve at Gary's Mom's house. There are 30+ of us when we are all together and although we draw names for gifts we do put something small in everyone's stockings. That's A LOT of little gifts to come up with. People put all kinds of things in there - nothing big. Someone usually puts a disposable razor in them, some lip balm, lotion, candy and so on. I usually try to make something (surprise, surprise). Something that can easily be duplicated several times (like I did snowman poop bags one year). This year I am taking care of the girls' stockings and making Gary take care of the boys.
So here is what I made for this year. . .


They are homemade facial puffs. I cut out and sewed 55 of these little cuties yesterday. Today I got them bagged up in pairs while the girls napped. I will make a little tag to attach with them soon on my computer (and maybe a little stamping).

In case you were interested I took pictures along the way to show you how to make them if you want to give it a try.

I used a 3" cork coaster that I had lying around as my pattern to cut out my circles. Each little facial puff needs the following:
1 circle of cotton fabric (I used muslin and and broadcloth left over from a quilt)
1 circle of cotton terry fabric
3 circles of cotton flannel
4" of twill

Sandwich the flannel in between the terry and the cotton fabrics


Lay the twill on top of the cotton fabric and sew a 1/2" seam all the way around your sandwhich twice. The twill be a nice handle to hold your facial puff.

Once you have them all sewn up, you cut from the edge up to (but not through) the seam every 1/4 inch. It should look all fringey like the photo above.

After you have all of them fringed, throw them all into the washing machine and then into the dryer (warning: you will have LOTS of lint in your machine if you do a bunch of these). When they are all dry you will need to give them all a little bit of a "hair-cut" to get all of the frayed strings off of them (easy to do while you watch tv)

After their hair-cuts they will look like this and be ready to be used.

They are really soft and cute and are great for eye make-up removal, face cleansers, applying bronzers to you skin, anything really. And they are reusable, just toss them in the wash like you would a wash cloth! Super cool, inexpensive, useful, eco-friendly gift! Give them a try - make them any size or shape you want. If you are a powder user, trade the cotton fabric for a satin, the terry layer for another flannel and the twill for satin ribbon and you will have a beautiful powder puff to put your face powder on with. I always think of my Grandma Peterson when I think of a powder puff. I bought her body powder with a beautiful puff every year for Chistmas when I was a little girl. I wonder if anyone uses those big dishes of fragrant body powder anymore?

Well, I better get ready for bed - teaching tomorrow. I am teaching my "Measure of a Woman" class tomorrow. I wish I had some satin fabric in the house. I would make some of those powder puffs as my door prize for class. It would have fit in perfectly! Oh well. Have a great weekend friends!

Toodles