Rest in Peace

Andrew William Carns
February 19, 1982 - September 21, 2010



"Some overrated folks will state that earth is really swell,
But if you are particular, the sky's the place to dwell.
My life below was one of woe, but now I'm in the sky,
To spend my days and glady gaze at earth from up on high."

John R. Neill
"The Runaway in Oz"

This was a post I debated hard over whether or not to actually write. But as it's been a few months now, and this last weekend was Drew's birthday, I think that I should. So, here goes...

Drew was my husband's brother. He was one of the groomsmen at our wedding. He was always sweet and kind; caring very much of other people. Drew would never miss a birthday or Christmas present for our girls. And oh, how he loved our girls. I'll never forget how excited he was to present Emma, our oldest, with her first pair of Nike's, complete with little red swooshes and hearts. Drew loved his shoes, or as he called them, "kicks." Drew also worked at "Ben Bridge Jewelers" and was the youngest associate they had ever hired at that location. My husband even tells me he always had the "hottest" girlfriends, too.

Unfortunately, Drew had a host of medical problems and a few bad hands dealt to him over the years. I won't go into detail, but in short, Drew ended his own life. It's extremely upsetting to realize that someone you love and care for, walked down that dark road to that pitting point of despair. I understand that he felt that as though he was a burden on his family and this was his only option. I can't imagine what my husband and his mother must go through emotionally, and all I can do is be here for them. If anything, I wish I could have been there for Drew when he needed it the most.

If you, or someone you know, suffer from severe depression or is contemplating suicide, please get help. It is never the only option. You can call 1-800-784-2433 or 1-800-273-TALK.

Thanks guys... we'll be back to regular programming shortly.

Valentine's Day Wreath aka "The True Purpose of a 'Twilight' book"

So the other day I saw this fabulous wreath made by Fiskars designer, Lisa Storm. I have to say, when I saw it, I had to make it... like, right then. I frantically searched my bookshelves for a book I didn't mind destroying. But I couldn't find one I was willing to part with. And then it bit, errr... hit me... I had a copy of "Twilight," I purchased at the begging of a friend that said I MUST READ this book. Well, needless to say I was so fed up with Bella's frickin' sullen attitude by the end of the first chapter and her complaining how snowflakes look more like Q-tips instead of the snowflakes she sees in the movies... I gave up on it. (p.s. Get some Paxil, Bella.) So out came the paperback novel came and it was about to be destroyed. I think this just might be the most useful thing a "Twilight" novel has ever accomplished.




Also the original wreath was a little too "clean" for my liking... Heck, I've got kids. Things don't stay pretty and white for long around here. Well, of COURSE I had to break out the Tim Holtz products... I used the "Brackets" on the edge sizzix die for each book page. Also, I was able to run 40+ pages of book through my Vagabond at a time. Can we say, "Tim(e) Saver?" Yes, yes we can. It took me about 15 minutes to die-cut all of my edges instead of having to do each page at a time with a border punch. I inked the edges with Barn Door, Vintage Photo and Spun Sugar Distress inks. LOVE. I also made some mini-roses with the "tattered florals" die and glued those to the inner-portion of the wreath.



After I assembled the whole wreath and got it to where I was happy (p.s. as Lisa mentions in the original article, adding more pages is quite addictive, I had a very difficult time stopping myself!) I splooged a bit of Rock Candy distress stickles on my craft mat and painted it onto the inner-roses and some of the outer edges of the papers throughout the wreath. This just gave it a little bit of extra glimmer and vintage shimmer here and there. And, hey, doesn't "Edward" sparkle??? BaHahahahahahaaa!!!



Isn't it fun? I just had so much fun making this... other than when I ran out of low-temp hot glue sticks and kept burning my fingers. Whoops. And then I actually glued my finger down to the craft mat... super oops. All's well in love and crafts... Happy Love Day folks! I'll be back round soon!