Rosemary's Jewels 2- mandala

About 4 years ago, I posted one of my most popular mandalas to date, Rosemary's Jewels.  It was inspired by my very good friend Rosemary. This weekend I decided to revisit the idea. I hope you all like this one as well.

You can print this mandala to color by clicking the images below for a larger version.

Small jpg:

Large transparent png:

Jehanna Friendship Knot- coloring and embroidery

Today is my friend Jehanna's birthday. We've been friends for over a decade and she loves knots a lot. So I drew this friendship knot for her-

It has 12 sides for the journey around the sun she's made since her last birthday.

It has circles that represent friendship, love, sharing, experience and eternity.

The simple line version is for embroidery because she loves to sew.

I hope you all enjoy this. Print, color, embroider it, and if you have a moment, send a good thought to Jehanna to wish her a fantastic birthday!
Click the versions below for larger version to print and color.

Small JPG:

Large transparent PNG:

Embroidery version:

Product Review- My Image Button Maker

As you all know, I'm a big fan of stuff from My Friendship Factory. They started with a friendship bracelet maker that replaced tape on counters or pins on jeans, was truly portable and made it possible to make very complex patterns by keeping the strands separate.

The My Circle of Creativity is kumihimo made easy and is sturdy with lots of storage for flosses, and you can use it to weave lanyards.

My Image Button Maker is the quality and attention to detail that you'd expect from this company. A sturdy plastic box with 2 drawers holds the things you'll need to make either buttons or magnets.

It also comes with photo cards that have 6 designs each that are funny, cute, or messages. But if you want to make you're own design you can go to MyPhotoSizer.com or download the free app on iTunes. Then print your images yourself or take them to a photo center to get them printed.

The top part of the My Image Button Maker is a die cutter to perfectly cut out the image to use on the button. You could use all sorts of images. Pages from magazines, comics or your own images. This example is my daughter's Turnip Girl logo.

 Center the image, push the lever on the right hand side, and the image pops right out. Then you place it face down into one of the covers and decide if you're going to make a pin or a magnet, following the instruction leaflets instructions. Pop it all together with your fingers, and you have a button!

So this is absolutely a hit in my home. My daughter can make instant buttons to celebrate her fandoms or to share with friends. It's easy to use and the sky is the limit for design possibilities. Refill kits are available.

Learn more at My Friendship Factory. Like Choose Friendship on Facebook for ideas, quotes and projects.

The products reviewed in this article were provided to me at no cost for the purposes of review. I received no other compensation, and my review is my honest opinion of the product.

A Loving Thought Printable Quote

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.

-George MacDonald

Just a lovely sentiment that suits this week very well.

Click on the image below for the printable version.

Quick note- QVC is doing a full day of Christmas gift ideas, and at 8pm EST during the the Gifts for Grandkids program with Host Caroline Gracie they will have the My Friendship Bracelet Maker and the My Ribbon Barrette Maker. I've used and liked the My Friendship Bracelet Maker and think it's a great tween gift. 

Berry Picking- Photo post

Last night, a friend called, and asked "Do you want to go pick currants tomorrow evening?"

Who could possibly turn down a chance to go berry picking with a friend? A friend of hers had invited her out to her property to pick berries. I asked TG, and she was super enthused about the idea too.

Some of these photos are a little hazy, because at some point, I smudged my camera lens and didn't notice until getting the photos off my camera. Whoops! Probably smudged it with berry juice. Click on the images for larger versions.

Cat's friend lives out in the Palmer area. About an hour from Anchorage. Since Cat got off work at 6, and Michael had to be at work at 11, that did limit our time a bit. The drive, as always, was incredible. The weather was also very cooperative. We all wore pants and long sleeves to help prevent mosquito bites.

When we got there, Cat's friend, Mary Ann was waiting with her dogs. She was a marvelous hostess, she gave us a tour of the paths around her cabin. There were currants, cranberries, watermelon berries and roses gone to rose hips. The currants and watermelon berries were ready to pick. TG and I were there for currants!

Mary Ann walked us to a spot with a log to sit on, surrounded by bushes just dripping, heavy with berries. TG had made berry buckets the night before with empty milk jugs.

We picked and picked and picked.

Michael, who had just woken up, sat on a bench and took photos, soaking in the incredible view of the river and mountains. 

One of the photos he took.

TG had lots of fun! (after the lens got smudged unfortunately)

When it started getting close to time, we walked around a bit more with Mary Ann. She and TG went up ahead, and Mary Ann was showing her berries.

She got along well with the dogs as well.

Check out this amazing view! From left to right, the silhouettes are TG, Mary Ann, and Cat.

Just for fun, this a tree out there, it's a dead tree, with a great, Halloween reaching shape. Mary Ann decided it needed a face.

Yes. It really is that pretty out there. There are also cranberries ripening, and she invited us back out. A really nice lady, a good time with a friend, and a lovely way to spend an evening!

Friendship Bracelet Box

Since we got the Friendship Bracelet Maker, TG and I have been taking turned making friendship bracelets. Which inspired this quote art. Click for a larger version.

Which inspired this printable box. I hope you enjoy it! Click for a larger version. Print, cut, score, fold, glue!

Friendship Bracelets and My Friendship Bracelet Maker

You know those ideas that you wish you had? My Friendship Bracelet Maker is one of those. If you've ever knotted a friendship bracelet, you remember trying to keep strands separate while you were knotting, putting a safety pin in the knee of your jeans, or using duct tape to tape the top to a table while you were working. I used to make friendship bracelets for extra money and did all those things.
It really does travel well, and you or your favorite tween or teen can use it on a lap, it can be set down when you need to take a break without having to fuss with the threads. I made a couple floss type bracelets, but then decided to try it with my favorite hemp knotting technique. It worked like a dream.

To make the bracelet shown in progress above, you'll need:
.5 mm hemp twine
beads with a hole big enough for 2 strands of the twine. I used Czechoslovakian 5 mm fire polish crystal

Cut two strands of hemp, one 20 inches, and one 2 yards. Fold both strands in half and tie an overhand knot a half inch from the fold. Then string the beads on the two short strands. Those will be your core strands. If you're using the Friendship Bracelet maker, you clamp the loop under the butterfly, then the two core strands wrap around the center peg at the bottom.

Then you'll start tying the knots. I decided for mine to tie 7 knots between each bead. The knots are worked around the center cord like this.

Tie 6 knots which will create 3 "bumps" on each side, slide a bead up the core thread, bring the two working threads around the bead, and tie 7 more knots. Continue until it's long enough to tie around your wrist, ending with a knot section. Knot one working thread and one core thread together, and do the same for the other two threads. Trim evenly. When you're ready to tie it on to a wrist, thread one set of threads through the top loop, and tie in a square knot.

Making these using the Friendship Bracelet Maker works quickly compared to traditional methods because it's so easy to keep all the threads in right alignment, and I found the same was true for regular floss type bracelets. 

The My Friendship Bracelet Maker also has a case built in to hold your floss.

Check out lots of patterns on their Friendship Bracelet Maker's Facebook page.

The Friendship Bracelet Makers are available at Michaels. There are other versions including a smaller Traveler version and a Clipboard version.

A side note- My friend Teri has been considering getting one as a gift for a mutual friend. After seeing this one, she decided it was just perfect. My daughter is eager to teach the friend how to make friendship bracelets. Teri, who also tied a lot of bracelets back in the day agreed this was just brilliant.


I received a complimentary My Friendship Bracelet Maker to review, my reviews are always my personal and honest opinion. You can read more about my review policy here.

Friends

Sorry I haven't posted today! I was busy working on e-book, and planning some modifications to my cut and paste Kindle formatting tutorial. Tomorrow there will be instructions for a friendship bracelet hopefully, and in the near future, printable boxes using something like the art above.

It's been busy, but we got that final inch of snow we needed to break the record for most snow in Anchorage. Today was gorgeous, in the 40s. Alaskans, if you're wondering, frequently take off their jackets when it's that warm, and some wear shorts.

The above art was posted Don't Eat the Paste Quotes on FB if you'd like to share it.

Friendship pins and ice sculptures

First- I posted instructions for these cute little square stitch pins at Beadwork at BellaOnline. You can find the article *here*.

 The rest of the photos can be clicked for larger versions.

Ice ice ice! Recently I was sent a game to review. It's a very complicated and interesting game, so I asked a friend for help with the review. We decided to meet at a friendly locally owned coffee shop that has a big enough table for playing. When we got downtown, I stopped to take some photos of a few of the ice sculptures in town square.

I only took photos of a few sculptures. Because it was COLD! The other reason is that like a lot of places, our town square has a fountain, lots of trees, steps, path, a paved area for shows and other events. During the summer there is occasionally roller derby there. As well as lots of fairs and other things. In the winter? That paved area, with it's small curb all around is an ice rink. Not figuratively. Literally. There are skating nights there. TG crossed it to look at the rest of the sculptures happily. I looked at it, and decided that I wanted to stay on my feet.
The peacock above has a puntastic name.

I told my friend Sam, who occasionally writes on Tuesday Afternoon (not a craft blog!) that I was going to take some close up photos for all of you.

He said, and I agreed, the peacock should have more colored lights!

It was an ice sculpture that inspired yesterday's triple trinity knot.

See that bit of ice on the left hand side? It was part of the same sculpture and set perpendicular to the knot.

I love mandalas!

The close up shows the tool work.
Also on that side, were a pair of Mickey and Minnie sculptures, with holes in the faces for photographs. I tried to talk him into posing, and he said he was absolutely NOT going to put his face in the ice. At that point, TG rejoined us, and did so happily.

My husband, quite sensibly, was in the coffee shop, happily enjoying a nice hot mocha while we were looking at ice and freezing. The game play was fun. We didn't finish a game but had the chance to at least start learning the rules.
Today it's below 0 here in Anchorage. Hopefully you are all staying warm!

Rest now Kim, thank you for everything

My friend passed away this morning after a very long week, it's because her fellow classmates at the Career Academy moved so fast that we've all had the time to say goodbye to her, and I'm incredibly grateful to all of them for that.

Not that's easy to say goodbye, it's never easy.

Kim and I met in 1994, and she just knew we were going to be best friends. I was pretty baffled by why she was being so friendly and persistent. But she was right.

We've done a lot of very foolish things together, people do when they are growing. We've shared tears and laughter, we've grown together and I know that I'm a better person for having known her.

She took life in great big bites. Where I tend to live too much in my head, planning out projects and reading, she was out there grabbing life in both hands, trying new things, going places, and charming people where ever she went. That combination of sincerity and enthusiasm that too many people outgrow. She was the kindest, most patient, and caring person I've ever met. If she could help, she did. Every time.

She's been my biggest cheerleader through those years. Encouraging me to draw my cartoons when I was doing that, to paint, to learn. She was constantly learning. Always new things she wanted to know, taking classes on a regular basis.

It's really hard to imagine not being able to pick up the phone to call her, to not leave and get voice mails that just say "I was thinking of you. I love you. Call." and knowing that we would talk soon about everything going on in our lives.

Love should, if it's real, help you to become a better you. Help you reach heights in goodness, love and understanding that you might not be able to reach on your own. You reach them for love, or because love lifts you to them.

After a week on life support, her husband made the very hard decision to take her off. She went on breathing for sometime after that. She was surrounded by people who loved her. I said goodbye that day then came back the next day after I had the tears under control to read to her for a bit. She always knew we would be friends until the end. The end came much sooner than anyone could have expected.

For that last week, she had her husband, family and friends around her constantly. She's touched so many lives deeply.

Please, say a prayer or send a good wish for her husband and friends. This is a very hard time for him, for all of us.

I'm beyond grateful for her friendship through the years. It's been a blessing and an honor to have been in her life.

Rest now Kim, thank you for everything. You'll be in my heart always until we meet again.