A Bookmark of Love

I have met some of the sweetest people on Facebook.

I met Franca Marzi when I left a message on her Piccole Passioni page. Not knowing if she spoke English or not, I left a message for her, anyway. 😉😊😋

It was the start of a loving friendship.

I got this awesome Gift from Franca in the mail, all the way from Italy.

I cannot wait to use this stencil. 

I also got one of her mixed media bookmarks.

It made me go get the tags I had ordered in December with hopes of creating some tags.

Franca's Gift has inspired me to share this process with you.

These tags were purchased from my favorite Amazon Prime. Search AVERY 11005 and it should come up.

They can be picked up at office supply places, also. 

Or find something similar at your local craft shop.

Gather some supplies
DecoArt Stencils
Punchinello
Dry Wall Tape

I can't say this enough--use what you have! Crash your stash!!😁😂🤣

White Gelly Role Pen
Extra Soft Charcoal Pencil
Dictionary Page
Alphabet stamps

Of course, DecoArt Americana Paints
Use your favorite colors!

I began by painting both sides of my tags with Black Gesso because I could not find the white Gesso. I did find an empty bottle.😕

I brushed on some pink, some blue, some green, some pink, some blue some pink...lol

I just started adding stencils with different colors. There was no method to my madness. I just had fun.

For the middle tag, I drew a heart and then painted a very thin coat of pink around the heart. I wanted the stenciled work to show, but also wanted to emphasize the heart.

I finished everything by outlining it with my extra soft charcoal pencil.

Be sure to SPRAY the tags if you use charcoal or a brush-on varnish will smear it, and it won't be pretty.

I did this set using my fingers to add the paint.  It made me feel like a true mixed media artist! Lol😉

I painted my dictionary page with red and pink and then cut out my hearts.
I glued them on with DecoArt Decoupage Matte. I love that stuff!

I covered all my tags with 2 coats of Decoupage on both sides before I did my charcoal work.

After the charcoal work, I sprayed them with Matte Varnish.

I will add ribbon and they can be either bookmarks or tags

Do not forget to finish your backs!

For more tag ideas, visit an earlier post to refresh your idea memory! 😁😂🤣😃

Click here to magically appear! 😁

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world.

I am simply 

blessed to create~charlotte♡

Happy Valentines Day

Each year, Mother would find her "file" of her Valentine wish and would spend hours making enough copies to give/mail to all of her friends and to her Sunday School class. It didn't matter she had given the same thing to them before. It mattered to her that she told others 1. That SHE loved them, and 2. That God loved them.

Mother LOVED. She forgave. Her heart broke when "Christians" said the ugliest things to her, but she really did "turn the other cheek" and continued to love them anyway. She wasn't perfect. She struggled, but NEVER did she abandon her faith.

Mother ended most every phone call with I LOVE YOU. Never did a day go by, when she had her mind, that she didn't say, I LOVE YOU to me. As the spoiled brat that I am, I would get so angry with her telling me that, because I said it meant nothing since she told EVERYBODY the same thing. HOW in the world do I get forgiveness for being such a selfish, self-centered brat!

Well, she gave me the answer to HOW to get forgiveness. She lived the answer.

Mother spoke to Cumberland Presbyterian women and men in many churches throughout the States and in several churches in Columbia,  South America, and a few churches in Japan and to One in China. Her message was simple. Her message was LOVE.

So, Today, I share the VALENTINE that she sent. Tears flow as I miss Mother and Daddy so much. I  know where they are and I am trying to live my life to make sure that one day, when the time is right, I too, will live with them again--what a glorious day that will be. But for now, I have more living to do, the best I can do.

Mother also shared verse 17. She said it was just as important and was a scripture of Great Hope. So I also share verse 17:
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

So, KNOW that whatever you have done or have thought, it doesn't matter.  ALL you have to do is to to ask forgiveness, then from that moment on, live like a child of God, AND when you fail, no worries, just ask forgiveness and try again. NOTHING you have done is unforgivable. You ARE LOVED. Maybe your earthly father (or mother) sucked at being a parent to you, but you HAVE a Heavenly Father who will NEVER abandon you. He will lead you through every obstacle in your journey and He wants ONLY the best for you, AND He will love you unconditionally!

Forgive YOURSELF...I am working to forgive myself...I send you LOVE and I wish for you to recongnize all the BLESSINGS sent to You by THE ONE who loves you so much that He created YOU...~charlotte♡

Treats for my Sweet...Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Some people JUST don't understand...

He is PITIFUL licking that empty bowl TRYING to get my attention...PITIFUL!

I was in the baby food aisle at Walmart...I was searching HIGH and LOW for the PERFECT treat for Charcoal...

A lady ASKED me IF I knew if they STILL made some kind of contraption that pushed the baby food UP because the SPOON just was NOT working!

I laughed and said, I don't know anything about babies...I'm buying this for my puppy...sigh...

She laughed BUT I don't think she REALLY understood, but in all fairness, neither did I!!  ROFL...

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour and 2/3 cup Rolled Oats

I was laughing with my friend tonight AS she was making a PIE to put on her blog...I was making Dog treats to GO on my blog and I said, YOU KNOW, Charcoal is coming out PRETTY good because of my blogging and I pointed out that HER husband was pretty lucky too...

You see, I MADE Mindy BLOG two days ago and I THINK I have started the CREATIVE juices flowing!  She is having fun trying to get her blog back up and in shape...HECK, it has ONLY been four years since she made the FIRST attempt!  

She needs some FOLLOWERS, so Go FOLLOWER her blog at
The Woodshop in WV  One follower is DEAD and 2 more are inactive and for the life of me I don't know why but, she took down her google plus...sigh...BUT I KNOW she has FOLLOW by email...LOL...oh Min Min!  Why ya gotta be so difficult!! 

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I need to remind you to MAKE some gifts for those you LOVE...SO Here is the recipe:

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2/3 cups Rolled Oats
2 4 oz. jars of Baby Food (your choice of flavors)

Mix together...it will be REALLY stiff...I just mashed it out on a plate and didn't worry so much about them being even, but TRY to get them similar in thickness so the thin ones won't burn.  Cut out with a cookie cutter OR just cut them into strips with a knife or pizza cutter...Bake for 35 minutes at 350...

The first batch I made was TOO stiff and couldn't absorb all the flour, so I just added another 2 ounce jar of Chicken and all was well!

I looked at the ingredients for Oats and they are ALL ROLLED oats and YES, it is the SAME for the QUICK ones and for the Old Fashioned ones, SO I just used the Quick ones that I had in my pantry!  If you have old fashioned oats, then use those.

I used Sweet Potatoes and Chicken for my first batch (the heart shapes) and I used Apple/Blueberry for the second batch  (flowers)...Charcoal LOVES them all...NOW, to be fair, I think 
Charcoal just loves FOOD!!

Charcoal's TREAT will be the BAG with one or two in there...the BOY LOVES to CHEW!!

I hope you have a WONDERFUL time getting ready for those you love...YEP, it is a COMMERCIAL holiday, but isn't EVERY holiday??  And to be fair, I think the world could USE MORE DAYS to CELEBRATE LOVE instead of bashing those you supposedly love...Blessings to YOU...~charlotte♥

ALL Because Two People Fell in Love...Friday, February 14, 2014

It was 63 years ago today that Daddy gave Mother her diamond ring...I shared in my Facebook post that I'm NOT sure what the truth is, BUT Mother MIGHT have asked herself to marry my Daddy....

Mother's story WAS that she and daddy were having a milkshake, and mother, who ALWAYS was telling me about a dream she had, told Daddy that she DREAMED that they got married.  Daddy said, WELL, why don't we...AND that is ALL I know...

I LOVE this picture of Daddy...HE had hair!!  HOW funny is THAT...Daddy was NOT a romantic, but he SUPPOSEDLY dated several women during his life.  He was 28 and Mother was 19 when they got married...AGAIN, according to Mother, Daddy told her ONCE that he loved her and that he would let her KNOW IF he changed his mind...I can neither PROVE or DISPROVE this fact either...LOL...

My parents were NOT mushy lovie-dovie people and it makes me smile when I see a picture like this...This was made in 1959 when they had been married for 8 years...

This is how I remember my parents...They were happy people...THEY were LOVED and THEY LOVED...They were respected and RESPECTED...THEY LOVED us with EVERY ounce of their being and they WORKED on being married and on keeping my family safe and secure...

They married on July 18, 1951...

Below is the Valentine's Day Card that my Daddy sent to Mother in 1951...It was the only card in this bag of pictures that I have been going through...I don't think that was a coincidence...I thought you would get a snicker out of seeing it...CARDS have CERTAINLY changed since 1951...

Daddy sent Mother a MUSHY card one year, and Mother laughed...It really did hurt my Daddy's feelings and he said he would NEVER send her another card...WELL, he did, BUT NEVER was it a MUSHY card...

I've said SO MANY times, that I don't know WHY I was chosen to be placed in such a loving family...I have been blessed BEYOND words...ALL of my life is BECAUSE Two people fell in love...Blessings to YOU...~charlotte♥

Katie Cow...Monday, February 10, 2014

I thought I would share another pattern with you...AND maybe you would like to see how I developed this design

First I decided on what surface I would use.  I then drew the surface on my piece of paper and I sketched my design.  The surface I used was 3.75 x 6.25 inches.

I used Americana Paints...USE what you have...adjust it to fit YOUR color palette AND if you do NOT have the color I used, Use what you HAVE because...OK...EVERYBODY with me NOW (Karalee...) IT IS JUST PAINT!!




I started by Painting my background with French Vanilla.  I sanded it and added another coat of the French Vanilla.
The heart is Antique Mauve
The sleeves and tennis shoes are Green Tea
The skirt is Hauser Light Green
The face, hands and legs are Flesh Tone
The socks are white.
 It will take at least two coats of paint.

I shaded all of the Flesh tone with Raw Sienna...AND also used this to shade around the girl and the surface.  I shaded the white socks with Raw Sienna.

The Greens were all shaded with Light Avocado.  I added stripes to the sleeves with this also. Add lines and a bow to the tennis shoes.

Next the heart was shaded with Tuscan Red, with some stripes of this being added to the sleeve.

I added cheeks with Antique Mauve.  The heart was dry brushed with Petal Pink and then white.  The skirt was dry brushed with Green Tea.  The shoes were lightly dry brushed with Light Avocado.

I finished with the details of the mouth, nose and eyes with thinned black.  The hair was done with a liner and thinned Raw Sienna...I LOVE to make wispy hair!  Add some Raw Umber and some French Vanilla to get some texture for the hair.  Add white dots to the top of each cheek and the eyes.  The flowers on the heart are red circles of Tuscan Red.  When this dries, add a swirl with French Vanilla.  YOU is painted with white... XO was painted using Antique Mauve and Petal Pink...THAT IS IT...

I think I will call her Katie Cow...

You may copy and paste this pattern and use these directions to PAINT...BUT please, show RESPECT for me and my design by NOT claiming it as YOUR OWN!  I am more than happy to share this with you...PLEASE don't show me I was wrong to trust you...If you do paint this, SHARE it with me so I can see it!

Have a GREAT good week...Happy Painting and Blessings to YOU...~charlotte♥

Click  HERE  to find WHERE you can order the surface that I used to paint this design.