Crafting, not Baking

Last Thursday I flew into Austin to teach my 3-D Floral Classes at ScrappilyEverAfter in Temple, Texas over the weekend and had such fun; introducing my techniques to new crafters and adding new flowers to inspire women who had taken classes from me before.  It was like coming home!  Creating 3-D flowers is something I have been doing since 1997 and as some of you know, have written two books filled with inspirations.

The project that the ladies are working on above was a 6-hour workshop I created to make this wreath.  The class was called Kelly's Garden Wreath and the inspiration came from Kelly's love of flowers and especially gardening.

When I flew to Kentucky in April, before Kelly passed away, I worked on her flower beds she had lovingly planted so when she came home from the hospital the beautiful display of color would be awaiting her.  Kelly passed away at her home on May 14th, but with the help of Hospice she did see her garden, which made her smile.  I wanted to capture this memory in flowers and hold it dear.

On Friday, November 12, when I was teaching, my dear friend Cheryl Fihn, owner of ScrappilyEverAfter and The Punch Bunch, surprised me with a cake for my birthday that was shared by all my students.  So, even though I was away from home for my birthday, I was among friends.  Thank you all for a great weekend that has lifted my spirits and inspired me to create more Paper Gardens.

Back to baking on Tuesday and get ready for some holiday fun.  Enjoy!