Brenda Baker Productions

One of my favorite books of all time is "Go, Dog, Go!" Today, I'm tweaking that fabulous title to read, "Go, Blog, Go!" Because...it's a Blog Party! I won't even ask you if you like my hat. I'm just so happy to be invited to the party. This Blog Party is hosted by Karen Valentine, creator of the "My Desert Cottage" blog . Every July, Karen urges women to blog about the spaces in which they create their art. Links for the blog hop will be available at www.mydesertcottage.com on Saturday, July 14. Now I'm not a professional artist, but I love to spend my free time paper crafting. Who wants to cook, clean and do laundry when you can stay in your comfies and scrapbook or make cards? I think Twyla Tharp had it exactly right when she said, "Art is the only way to run away without leaving home." And what better way for me to kick off my "staycation" from my day job than to share with you my favorite place to be. I ho...

It's the fourth of July, and we're FINALLY seeing some sunshine in Seattle! July also means I can start relaxing into summer a bit, too. School is out, grades are published, my daughter's ballet intensive is nearly here...and my vacation days are drawing near. I know it's a little weird, but I do prefer stay-cations because I love being "home" and--as the blog header suggests--I find a lot of joy in being creative and making messes. Although I haven't taken any vacation days yet, I got out my craft stuff the other night and got to work. I needed to make a few birthday cards for my July "babies" and I wanted to make something to give to my sister on the fourth of July. Now, my sister is the Queen (capital Q, for sure) of crafting so I had my work cut out for me. I didn't just want to make a card--so I came up with this instead... I made a trip to Trader Joe's last night and picked up a four-pack of their yummy root beer, covered...

Let me just say that I love working with high schoolers. Sure, it tests my patience sometimes but the good days are so good! I feel so fortunate to work with students who are so talented, well-rounded and fun-loving. They inspire me. But sometimes, if I don't understand what they're saying, I have to look it up in this book: When it comes to graduation gift-giving, it's hard to do something special that doesn't cost a lot. I have 19 seniors to acknowledge this year, so even a tiny little trinket quickly adds up! But knowing these kids, trinkets aren't necessary to tell them how wonderful I think they are. So, I did the one thing I know well. I made each of them an individualized card--personalized with their name and filled with lots of love and adoration. Here they are for you to enjoy, too! (I'm just going to order them alphabetically--by first names--so no one thinks I favor one over the other!) Arielle is my gorgeous, blooming show-tunes-singing gi...