When I was a child, my dad sang with a Barbershop Chorus. I’ll never forget when he had a Barbershop Quartet surprise me at my High School Graduation party! He made me feel pretty special. 30 years later (uh-oh! I just dated myself pretty hard!) my dad did it again! …
Mom Taught Me…A tribute to our first creative encouragers
“My mom started my love of crafting by teaching my how to sew when I was eight. I made a pair of pants in 2nd grade…I remember they were the most beautiful light green color and had a super fun draw string waist! We were always sewing something and I …
The “Petey” Experience
Alana has had a very strong interest in animals for quite a number of years…probably beginning when she was a toddler! Over the past couple of years, she’s grown especially fond of birds and it amazes me how much she knows about them. She found Phoenix Landing in the beautiful mountains of …
Today was harder than I thought…
Bright and early this morning, the littlest Pooler children headed down the street to grab the big yellow bus. It’s their first day at a brand new middle school. Many people have been asking me why we start school so early! Well, here goes… Our new school is a year round school …
December in review
December has been a quiet month, but a busy and crazy one all at the same time. Huh!?? That sounds like a weird thing to say… It started with a trip to the beach. Actually, it was still November. Friends of ours have a beach house, so we took off …
Birthday Shaker Card…for Eva
Birthday Shaker Card…for Eva What kid doesn’t like a shaker card? Heck! What ADULT doesn’t like a shaker card? None that I know of! This shaker tag was super easy to make and is adorable with the iridescent sequins, stars and beads. View the video to see how it was …
This pup is OURS! *long post for dog lovers*
Kenly’s birthday was yesterday! He turned 7. When he was a puppy, a trainer told us to get another dog when he turns 7. At 7, dogs start getting “older” and bringing a new puppy into the house keeps them young and sprite. Then when the new puppy is around …
Cluster of Balloons
Hello there my friends! A quick card for today…no video….I just wanted to share this fun cluster of balloons card I made a few weeks ago with Whimsy Stamps and Dies. I made a video for StampNation (click here to view it) and in the video, I gave a sneak …
Second Generation Stamping Video Tutorial
Second Generation Stamping, or Stamping-off is really easy…just stamp multiple times before re-inking your stamp. It’s a great way to stretch your ink pads and get more mileage out of this great tool. Second Generation Stamping View the video tutorial to see how this quick card came together! (click the …
who is tired of SNOW!!??
It was just a couple of days ago that I posted about snow and here I am again…LOOK at what happened last night! We woke up to a winter wonderland with heavy, wet snow that…sigh…took out some power lines. I’m sure you know what that means…no power. So the Poolers …
School is closed in Raleigh, NC!
As I look out my craft room window, the snow is coming down in huge, beautiful flakes for the second time in one week! Since I live in Raleigh, NC this is a bit on the unusual side. I’m no stranger to the snow, though, since I was born and …
Christmas Traditions
Earlier this month, Alana asked me about our holiday traditions. As we listed them off, I thought two things: yikes! We don’t have “enough” traditions! We need to make more, but we don’t have time! (I’m a bit freaked out that our family is going to change in a big …
Sunflower Patch along the Neuse River Trail
The end of May through mid-July were so busy for us that I couldn’t see straight. Our summer has now slowed down and I’m coming close to being able to balance working AND spending time with the kiddos before my Bigs head back to school in two weeks. Here’s one …
recitals, graduations, dances, oh MY!
I told Randall this weekend that I think the two weeks that we are in the middle of right now are the busiest of the year. It all started on May 30 with Alana’s 5th grade graduation. Which actually cracks me up. When I was a kid we graduated from …