Emma Squared Designs

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

One little word...

I like Ali Edwards.
There are several reasons.
1-Her initals are the same as the first two in my name: A & E
2-We both spell Ali the same.
3-She is super crafty and does inspiraring work!
Ali does a "thing" every year (since 2007, I think) called "One Little Word" where she choses one word to live by in the coming year. You can check out her website by clicking here. I decided to find my own little word that I can use as my 2012 theme. Well, actually, it turns out that I am using a phrase instead...I couldn't settle on just one word so I chose three: HEALTHY, WEALTHY, AND WISE.

Healthy: I have never been good at eating right or exercising when I should. Because of that, I am facing the posibility of developing diabeties, having surgery, and making some major life changes that would have been avoided had I lifed a "healthy" life from the start.
I decided to check out the official definition of "Healthy" and found on Merriam Webster's online dictionary that healthy means: enjoying health and vigor of body, mind, or spirit. I guess that means if it comes down to ONLY one work, healthy would do the trick.

Wealthy: I didn't grow up in a wealthy family. We were even "well to do" and certainly no where close to "living within our means" but I grew up in a happy, loving, caring, christian family and I wouldn't change that for anything. Since I have been on my own (on and off since I went to college in 1996) I have learned how to build my debt and destroy my credit. It got so bad in the last six months that I even thought (for a very brief moment) that I might have to file for bankrupsy. But thank the LORD in Heaven that I finanlly reached out for help and He pointed me in the right direction! No bankrupsy and no more NSF fees! (NSF, for those of you lucky enough to not experience this, stands for Non-Sufficent Fund.) So now that I am learning how to make a budget and stick with it, I am learning that I make plenty of money to life off of and my financial stress level has decreased significantly! That doesn't mean that I have succeeded with "wealthy" but I am learning to control and manage the money GOD has allowed me to earn. It is God's money first anyway so I need to treat it like it is on loan to me.
Sticking with the Merriam Webster's online dictionary theme, I found the definition for wealthy here: having weath: very affluent, characterized by abundance. So even "weathly" could the word of the year because I could have a wealth of health, a wealth of money, and a wealth of wisdom.

Wise: I don't expect to be the next Albert Einstein this year so that is not the kind of wisdom I am hoping to gain. I am thinking for of spiritual wisdom. I searched on Bible Gateway for a verse or passage relating to the word "wise" and came up with Proverbs 1:1-7. (emphasis added is mine)
                           The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
                            for gaining wisdom and instruction;
                            for understanding words of insight;
                            for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
                            doing what is right and just and fair;
                            for giving prudence to those who are simple,
                            knowledge and descretion to the young-
                            let the wise listen and add to their learning,
                            and let the discerning get guidence -
                            for understanding proverbs and parables,
                            the sayings and riddles of the wise.
                            The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
                            but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
There were many other verses that came up for wise but when I read that, I knew that was what I wanted to focus on in 2012.
For the official dictionary definition, wise is: a characterized by wisdom: marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capcity for sound judgment. This word can also relate to health and wealth.

So each word is interchangable and each word is independant of each other. That leaves me with a decision. Do I stick with "Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise" or go with "Heathly", "Weathly", or "Wise". Decision time!

Emma #1

Friday, December 2, 2011

Gramma's Treasures

My Gramma, Charlotte Smith, about 1990. 
Now these "treasures" may not seem to be very "treasured" by most but they are to me. I think my sister would agree. From the time I could remember, my Gramma was key figure in all my memories. She was such a precious person and I miss her tremenously. When she passed away in 2003, much of her stuff was put in storage in the family garage. Slowly we have been going through her things and organizing them. Though I am not a seamstress or really that good at sewing, I appreciate the "treasures" in this box. Gramma had lots of other stuff in her box as well. It is amazing what fits into a small shoe box. 
Gramma used shoe boxes to hold everything from shoes to letters and...sewing materials. 





Though this looks like a bunch of mid-evil torture devices,
I am pretty sure these pieces are for the sewing machine.
Have you ever seen such a SMALL drill bit?1 1/2 inches!

So there you have it. A box of my Gramma's Treasures. Not as precious as she was but certainly a part of her past that has made me a little of who I am today. I love my Gramma even though I can't see her. She is healed now, perfect in every way...in Heaven. 

***Funny story about the very small drill bite - My Grandpa Smith always asked Gramma to carry tools in her purse for him. Even after Grandpa passed away in 1985, Gramma carried tools for Dad. So it really doesn't surprise me that I found a very tiny drill bite amount Gramma's sewing stuff. :)

Thanks for stopping by!
Emma #1


Saturday, November 26, 2011

So Thankful

I like to peruse the internet for craft ideas and freebies. I have found a great website to go to for free downloads: www.creativityprompt.com. There are lots of great ideas for mini albums and especially things to use for all seasons. For example, there was a PDF download for "So Thankful" journal cards that I used to create this:
This is the "Thanksgiving 2011 So Thankful" book. This one is for my sister and I made another one for my cousin. Amanda, my sister, had thanksgiving with just her family this year and I intended to get this to her...but did I? No, of course I didn't! The one for my cousin, Jenni, was so she could remember her first Thanksgiving as a married woman. Maybe I can get it to her by next Thanksgiving...for her 2nd holiday as a married woman. :)

On the cover and the books I did a lot of stitching with my sewing machine. I have never stitched on paper before so it was a pretty cool experiment. The velcro tabs used to close the cover of the book were sown by hand. Totally worth it!

Now for the inside: 

I made this front cover using free download digital scrapbook kits from Two Peas in a Bucket digital store. (www.twopeasinabucket.com)

These are the pages I made using the Creativity Prompt "So Thankful" journaling cards. They turned out pretty nice!

Here are the pockets I made for the So Thankful book for my co-workers. Everyone said they liked them. I hope they used them. I put a lot of effort into these little suckers!  :)


 Maybe for Christmas I will do something similar. So, thanks Creativity Prompt for your inspiration and I encourage all of you to checkout the website.

Emma 1


A new mini album

I have been working on stuff...I promise.
Today I finished another mini album that is a culmination of several different ideas. I am calling it the "Corrugated-faux-Corrugated cardboard mini album". "Why is the name so long?" you ask. Well, here is the simple answer: I used both corrugated cardboard and created a corrugated flower without corrugated cardboard. Simple, right?
YUP!
I used Mod Podge to seal the color. It give it a nice finish.


The inside pages are made out of transparencies folded to have two small outside pockets and one large inside pocket.

For these smaller pages, I used 8.5" x5.5" page protectors, cut in half. I then used my sewing machine to make some smaller, odd shaped pockets too. 
  

I haven't used the mini album for anything yet but I am sure I will come up with something.
To bind it all together, I used my Cinch binder. I really like the Cinch; it is easy to use.

Thanks for stopping by. I have two other posts I have been working on that I need to post here. 
More from Emma 1 later!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Old stuff

I am working on a photo album (mini, that is) for my Israel trip that I took in July 2011. Because it is taking me a long time to finish that, I don't have time to make other things to post. So I decided to add a few projects I have done in the past. Here you go.

Candy apple card: I got the pattern last fall from http://confessionsofaribbonaddict.blogspot.com/

"Sending a hug" card: I made this card myself. I got the idea from somewhere and came up with the pattern one night. Also, made a stamp set that is "Sending you a ____ hug!" and you can fill out the blank with any number of stamp options I cam up with too. This one is a fun card to make.  

Baby cards: I came up with these from various ideas, some mine but some from other websites that I have used as inspiration.


You are looking at a Turkey Tower...made for Thanksgiving 2010. All the turkeys are small boxes that I filled with candy. It took forever to make the turkey boxes but they were well received...totally worth the effort. 

Now back to my Israel scrapbook!

Thanks for stopping by. 
Ali
Emma #1

Monday, October 10, 2011

Do over?

Hi everyone,
I know that a couple fo posts ago, I said I would put stuff on here for sale but haven't yet. There is one reason for that: I haven't cleaned yet! I can't sell stuff if I don't know what I have to sell! But when I do have stuff to sell, I will post it.

Now onto new business: The Coupon Holder redo...
If I were to do this again, there are a few things I would change:
1)thinner envelopes - the envelopes I used were thinker metalic-like paper and it does add stability to the pockets but I think it is a little too stable. When I put the coupons in, it was hard to open the pockets.

2)Less Paper - I lined many of the envelopes front and back with high quality thick cardstock paper. When I did that, it made the pages stiff...again, difficult to open the pockets.

3)List Pocket - I made a shopping list pad that I put on my fridge but now that I think of it, it would be great to have made a place in the coupon holder to tuck that list in when i go shopping.

Oh well, you life and you learn. Right?

So next time I make a coupon holder (maybe for someones Christmas present...) I will make it better than the first on.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ali
Emma #1

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Coupon holder

Hi everyone,
I finished the coupon holder I created using at least three different craft blogs I have come across.
First, I learned how to make book covers, which I used the technique to make the external part of the coupon holder, from www.clubscrapcommunity.com.
Then, from Laura Denison, www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com, I learned how to use envelopes to make mini albums.
Finally, from http://tina46klix.blogspot.com/, I learned how to make a book using the accordion fold. That was actually the project that inspired the coupon holder.


The outside paper is just a plan white watercolor paper.
The stamp is from Versailles paper collection I bought from Club Scrap. 
The inside envelopes are from Recollections Number 10 pack. 
The paper inside is also from Club Scrap. 
I used a variety of adhesives including glue sticks, tacky tape, and book binding glue. 


 It was easy at first to make but the more detailed I got, the harder it was to make. I think if I were to make this again, I would not cover the envelopes with paper. it does add stability but I am not sure it needs to be all that stable. The cover is make out of thicker cardboard and the paper I used to cover the cardboard is thick watercolor paper.

I used two Ranger Distressed Inks on the cover. The are Vintage Photo and Forest Moss. 


The tabs are cut using the Fiskars 1" and 1 1/2" circle punches. I covered the front with a clear shelf liner so I can write what I want on each tab and erase as needed. I used the Xyron sticker maker to adhere the circles and the backing onto the envelopes. 



So, now that I have made this really cool coupon holder, I should start collecting and USING coupons, right???
Thanks for stopping by!

Ali
Head designer
Emma Squared Designs

Friday, September 30, 2011

Update on Me

Hi Everyone,
I am going to go through my crafting stuff this weekend and sell things. I will post pictures and prices on this website so you can tell me if you want to guy anything.
Thanks!!!!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Who are you?

It's fun to start new things.
I am great at starting new things.
The problem is when I need to complete those things.
Or if it a "life change" thing, keeping up with it for LIFE!

This is a new thing.
This is where I am going to begin.
Actually, it's my second time beginning.
So it's like a second start.

My name is Alichar Emma.
I have a niece named Grace Emma.
I make cards and mini scrapbooks.
Grace makes up stories, dances, and draws.

Together we are Emma Squared Designs.
Emma Squared Designs is new.
Emma Squared Designs is in the beginning stages of existance.
Emma Squared Designs is a new born baby.

With that said, there will be plenty more to come.
For now, I will write on here the things that we have come up with.
Until I am able to make some money doing what I love to do.
So please bear with me while I get new thing up and running.