Raige Creations

A simple question, without a simple answer. Or is there? There are many studies on happiness , theories on how to be happy , web pages dedicated to telling you how to find happiness , discussions about why we are NOT happy. We have complicated something that really isn't that complicated.  It really can be simple. Over at the Zibbet Community , a great thread asks  Is Everybody Happy ? Here we, quite simply, name 3 things that were positive about our day.  That's it. Just 3 things. It is said we will love how it makes us feel. Some days it is hard to find 3 things that made us happy during the day. But if you really think about it, I bet you realize you do not spend every part of every day unhappy. There are little things that bring you out of the grump, the negativity, the unhappy.  You may have to dig deep to find them, but they are there. In fact, I have found that often if I am having a bad day, I can take that negative and turn it around to a p...

  53 days until Christmas .  Only  49 days until Hanukkah , and just  51 until Kwanzaa.  That still may seem like a lot. Or it may seem like not enough time ! Depending on how you shop for the holidays, it is either plenty of time or not near enough . What is a great way to get a gift, a quick gift , a gift for someone you don't quite know what to get?  A GIFT CARD, or MONEY . What is a wonderful, personal, and thoughtful way to present a gift that is often considered impersonal, and not very thoughtful ? Gift Card Holder made with Two Bucks Cash by The Purple Rat A very unique, handmade gift card holder. Like the one above, by The Purple Rat . Using money for money. Brilliant ! Judy, from Portable Graffiti , presented us Zibbeters a challenge back in the beginning of October to create wonderful, creative, and thoughtful gift card holders that she could feature in the Fantastic Five for all of us ....er those... last minute shoppers .  I ...

A Zibbet Community thread was started at the beginning of October, called Easy Challenge For the Fantastic Five .  A call for a challenge always intrigues me, and apparently other too. I wandered over and saw that Judy, of Portable Graffiti Graphics and the author of The Fantastic Five , was asking us to come up with handmade gift card holders  to showcase for last minute shoppers in December. This thread has sparked the imagination of many Zibbeters, and had me thinking all month about an idea for a gift card holder.  Finally , Friday morning had me try out a pattern I found for a tiny Christmas Stocking. I needed to make SOME kind of Christmas things for the local gift shop, so I tried it out. After it was done, I realized it fit my business card perfectly so I popped it in there for the photo shoot. As I was taking pictures of it, I thought DUH me, the gift card holder for the challenge ! Mini Stocking Gift Card Holder OR Tree Ornament Small Gift...

I may be making a bigger deal out of this than necessary.  (I may just be searching for NaBloWriMo content.) But after blabbing to my whole world that my son passed his drivers test, I got the best email from my sister, Sandy. Cross Stitch Pattern by All Stitches She sent me a list of some advice she remembered our Dad dispensed as he was teaching her to drive.   I had forgotten some of these, which were also used on me. But once I read them, the memories came back, and I realize how much I miss my dad. (he passed away in 2000 after living 83 wonderful years) Here is the short list of driving advice from my Dad:  1) When you make turns, try not to "throw" the passengers in the car. 2) Try to use your brakes as little as possible . 3) Always try to anticipate what the other driver is going to do. 4) "...Uh, Sand, can you step on it a little bit more? At this (slow) speed, it'll take ALL DAY to get there!" 5) (waiting to make a left...

I have been making Toekini's every chance I get lately. This means that everytime the sun is out and I have Toekini's that need pictures taken, I call on my one and only model and partner in Toekini picture taking - my daughter.  She has braved 30 degree weather outside, on cold stone, with no shoes or socks on to model the Toekini's, sometimes 5 pairs at a time.  Silver Trio Toekini's Other times, she has been the one outside with me modeling the Toekini's, braving the cold wind and taking the time to plan each shot, and get the best close up shots. She takes better close-ups than me! Ariel's Blue Bling Toekini So, when I decided to check out Portable Graffiti 's shop, after seeing her on the forums pluggin her mirrors, I thought that would be the perfect thank you for my daughter. She is 14, so always wondering how her hair looks, how her makeup looks, or needs to check her contacts, and other things like that. She didn't have a small mirror to...

I am honored that Leta, from Leta Marie Designs , has awarded me with the Stylish blogger Award. It is good to know my hard work is appreciated and that other enjoy my musings. This gives me the opportunity to award the blogs I enjoy with the same award. It is asked that you do this: 1. Copy the award above and place on your blog. 2. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award (Place their button on your blog or add their site link to your blog) 3. Share 7 things about yourself. 4. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers. 5. Contact these Bloggers and tell them about the award 7 Things about myself 1. I am married to my best friend 2. My best friend is an artist and sculptor 3. I am a monther of 3 wonderfully creative kids 4. I love to see the end product of a difficult project 5. I am a columnist at IndieSmiles.com 6. I have 3 shops - Artfire , Zibbet , Etsy 7. I have lost 9 pounds in one year (with many ups and downs in between) The 15 Bloggers I would ...