A Little About Me!

First of all, I'm an ordinary person who has been richly blessed with a genetic crafting gene. Exodus 35:31 and Proverbs 24:3-4 are two of my favorite scriptures.

For most of my life, I've been involved in the creative arts - ceramics, creative writing, singing in both church and school choirs (even cutting a record with my school mates in ninth grade), and needlework. I've taught craft classes to children at church and to homeschoolers. I have sewn some costumes and made props for our church dramas.

I was a volunteer page in a small town library for two years and was honored by the library system at a special tea presenting a new craft book to our library with a inscribed frontpiece nameplate with my name and the amount of hours (1000+) I put in there. 

I began scrapbooking approximately thirteen years ago when my sister sold Creative Memories, and was introduced to rubber stamping about the same time. I've had several things published that I've written or created. Poetry has been published in literary & youth magazines, a church history article in a genealogy publication, crafting articles online at OldFashionedLiving.com and cards published in Scrap & Stamp Arts, Just Cards!, Just Invitations!, Just Weddings!, and Just Holidays! magazines. For three years, I compiled an e-newsletter for educators at church, a resource list for my homeschooling support group, and most recently, a hometown arts & crafts resource list.

I was a moderator in the homeschooling sub-forum in the Parlor forum at the defunct Old Fashioned Living website, and currently, I'm a member at Splitcoast Stampers where I have a thread in the forum called "Need a Poem?", was a member of Club Posh's forum. I'm also a member of other websites -- check those out on the "follow me" tab. 

In October of 2009, I accepted a position with the Stamp A Mania/Posh Rubber Stamp Design Team and served seven months with them until the recession hit. Unfortunately, several years later Mark Stansell's health declined and he passed away during treatment for cancer.

I was active in two ATC clubs on and off for over a year until both stamp/scrapbook stores closed its doors. Since the coronavirus shutdown (2020-2021) made in-person crafting impossible, occasionally my friends and I craft together via video chat app.  Several years ago I was introduced to Stephanie Ackerman's Documented Faith by a friend and have learned how to doodle during one of her classes, however, Stephanie has closed her Documented Faith ministry as of this year (2021). I am continuing to doodle though and am trying my hand at art journaling. It is much like card making, except in larger scale. 

I met my husband on a blind date and married my dear knight one year later. We've been married for 36 years now and have one son.  Health-wise, I have A.D.D., pigmentary glaucoma (am an advocate for the Glaucoma Research Foundation ONLY!), asthma, sleep apnea, wore a brace on my right leg for drop foot (now am wearing a built-up shoe which feels as stiff as a brace) and some doctors thought, because of an enlarged heart, I might have pulmonary hypertension, but that has been disregarded (I still have the enlarged heart and water retention, so the search continues for a diagnoses), but I don't let any of it slow me down. If ya have dreams, you gotta put feet on them! ❤

One of the most enjoyable extracurricular activities I participated in in high school and college was the publication of the campus literary magazine. I wanted to carry that over in our son's homeschool, so we combined two activities into one in our homeschool support group = a literary magazine and yearbook. 

In the samples below, I combined scans of the front covers of each of the publications my poetry were published in along with one poem. (click on photos to enlarge for viewing).

Our homeschool support group published a poem that I wrote about schooling our ADD son. His mama was ADD too, so I went to school twice!💗

I filled out a survey and Christine M. Field selected certain portions of my answers to use in her book she was writing called Homeschooling the Challenging Child. I received a complimentary copy for participating after it was published in 2005 by Broadman & Holman . Woo hoo! She quotes me 4 times! Christine was interviewed about the book on YouTube -- click here to watch! 

Boy, was I surprised when I received this complimentary copy of Pearl Dexter's book called "Scones, Shortbread, and More." I sent her a royal scone recipe which she included in her book. 

My first craft magazine - YaY!