3/6 Workshop

The ladies and I had a great time together last weekend. It was mostly their first time and they did a great job stamping! Everyone made a card and gift bag using the bird punch, circle scallop, 1 3/8 circle punch, modern label punch, the top note die and big shot machine. Thanks for being a great hostess, Susana! I look forward to getting together with you all again :)

Fabric Flower Workshop

These Flower Pins are so much fun to make! The ladies had fun and were amazed at how easy these were. We used the Big Shot, Flower Folds Die, Felt Fabric, Rhinestone brads and/or buttons for the center and added a pin for the backing, all held together with a glue gun.

I'm also taking custom orders for these Pins. They are great for birthdays, mother's day, women's group, etc. I'm currently working on a 100 of these for a women's conference. Contact me for more details.

Valentine Card

Here's the Valentines card I made for my hubby. I used the Tote-ally Tess and Well Scripted Stamp Sets. I punched out the side of the card with the Scallop Trim Border (which you can still earn this for free with a $50 purchase through March 31, 2010). I finished it off with the Oraganza Ribbon.

10 Keys to Leading Creative People

This is a very good article by Tony Morgan that I think you would enjoy!

Here are some reminders for leading creative people:

1. Tell them what to do, but not how to do it. You can hold them accountable for the results, but don't force them to embrace a certain process.
2. If you want their input, you'll need to ask. If you stop asking, they'll stop contributing.
3. If you ask, you better consider their input. If you're not really going to use their input, it's better not to even ask.
4. Know that they'll be emotionally attached to what they create. So, if you decide not to use their creation, you'll have to process that appropriately and not abruptly.
5. You need to give them a deadline, but it better be reasonable. Creative people need room to dream and let their ideas percolate.
6. Don't try to motivate them with money, but they do want your praise. They'll react when the extrinsic rewards are taken away, but they're really intrinsically motivated.
7. They'll get easily bored if they find themselves stuck in the routine. They need the freedom to take on new challenges and opportunities and hate to get stuck in maintenance mode.
8. They deliver new ideas, but they dread the details. To bring the best out of them, you need to protect them from the bureaucratic structure and administrative tasks.
9. They need a creative and participative environment. Creative people need the fuel that other creative people generate.
10. You need to provide boundaries, but they need to experience freedom. Boundaries force people to get creative. That's when the best ideas are generated. But if creative people ever feel restrained, at best they'll start to sulk and at worst they'll join another team.

Is it true of you??? I know it is of me, haha!

Fabric Flowers

We'll be making these at my workshop this coming Sunday. I saw a broch like this at a team meeting and just fell in love with the idea that we can easily create this with our Big Shot Flower Folds Sizzix die! So I've been so flower happy as you can tell. Here are the flowers that I've created so far...and my mom was my very first recipient. She LOVED them!

Contact me if you'd like to join me for the workshop.

Mama's little helper

Here's Matthias working hard on his treats. He said that his hands hurt from writing his name. Poor guy, maybe I should buy him a personalized name stamp,but I think his writing is priceless though, hmmm...what should I do?

Valentine Candy Treats

With my mom, husband and son's help, we made these Valentine candy gifts for Matthais' Class and MOMS Club friends. Matthias signed all of the tags. Love them! It was nice and easy. I've ordered a lump sum of these 1x8 clear bags to save money, of course, but I've got lots left available for sale. They come in a bag of 100 for $5. Contact me if you want any. Happy Stamping!

Products used: Circle Scallop Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, I {Heart} Heart Stamps(Clear Mount), Bone folder, Classic Real Red Stamp Pad, Clear Block D, Snail Adhesive, Sponge Daubers (for Distressing), candies and 1x8 clear bags.

Here's a close up of the candy treats.