Christmas....let's lay it out straight.

It has been awhile since I was this excited about Christmas! I have several craft shows coming up and so I've been working hard trying to figure out the best looks in a range of prices.
I have four official looks for ornaments this year. I'll post one picture for each look. You can view more photos at www.newcreationblocks.com.

I also have a few different decor sets available (also photographed on my site) but I'll make this blog simply about ornaments! I think they are so cute, I wish I could sell ornaments all year long. You will probably see me come up with an idea to do so! lol.

Let me know if you have questions about anything. These ornaments shown here are $8 each or six ornaments for $40.00. These ornaments will not break or shatter. They will be something to treasure and pass down from generation to generation!

I'm super excited about decorating my tree this year. I won't have to dig out the hooks and almost have a heart attack when my cat starts swiping at the balls. My two year old won't break these...the list goes on and on. :)

My Grandma loved me!

I just read my brother's blog and it so inspired me to write my own. My grandma was an amazing woman of God. She was not my dad's birth mother, but she was the only mother he really knew. His birth mother (Ruby) died when he was five. Eva, was one of his dad's old love interests before he met Ruby. Ruby died of cancer and when she did, Elmer went to find Eva to propose and request her help in raising his four children. It is such a love story....one I'm still learning. From what I have heard, Elmer wasn't too romantic about it and Eva had a lot to consider...taking on all those four unruly and sad children. She took it all on though, and with amazing grace as my dad has remembered. She was one lovely lady!

Eva and Elmer lived very long lives together. They ate good breakfasts, took long walks and read their bible every day. The thing that saddened me the most when they died, was the feeling that the prayer covering for me would be no more. My revelation left me little at that time, not enough to understand how much greater my support had become and "cloud of witnesses" would be in heaven. Thank you Lord for my heritage, my inheritance, and for your tangibility revealed in the lives of my grandparents! What an earthly treasure stored up for me.

Here is a poem she had copied into her Bible and a photo of her when she was turning 100. She went home when she was one hundred years old. The photo of the young woman is my Grandma Ruby who died when my dad was five. She too was an amazing woman, who I so want to learn more about, and when I do...you shall hear about it as well!

Prices!

Unfortunately, I have to raise my prices a little. The ink cartridges are too expensive. I'm trying to be creative on how I'm going to do it. Here is what I'm thinking...would love feedback.
The traditional blocks can remain at $5/block if they are just prints, patterns and a stamped letter. If someone wants character blocks or photos on their blocks, then I have to raise the price to $6.00 a block.
The 4"x4" blocks I raised the price to $29.00. It's all that printing that is adding up!
Of course we could demand lower cartridge prices and then all be happy. lol.

One thing is really great though. I am learning how to run a business effectively. I am getting busier now and am able to calculate my costs, and time so much better. I really feel like God is helping me get organized and ready for Christmas too. I'm super excited about Christmas!!
I've been working on some ornaments. I'm also doing a craft show November 7th and I'm trying to get ahead with some blocks to sell there!

Thanks for praying you guys. My family and good friends who advertise for me, you are so special to me. I appreciate it so very much. You just can't know. I'll take care of you! :)

Here are some blocks and block ornaments I've been working on. Please visit the website or facebook for additional photos.

The News!

I remember in 11th grade we had to watch the news for two weeks straight for homework. I thought, "who on earth wants to watch the news?" Somewhere between then and now I started watching it, quoting it, and anticipating it even. Somehow we get older, all of us. Going for walks seems nice and watching birds becomes interesting. When did it happen? I saw some girls look at me, the same way I looked at mom's with kids when I was young. It got me thinking and then it got me laughing. What a crazy thing.

So much going on in the news lately and I have started to wonder what is the point of watching it. Isn't that grand! It's a new thing I figured out how to do in my life. I just don't watch it, I turn it off.

Granted it has backfired some. I found out a week too late about the junker car cash offer the government was handing out. We have a junker, that might have worked for us, oh well.
Someone else seemed truly shocked that I didn't know swine flu had made it to my county. lol Hey my kids don't have it and so no harm done.

All the other news I get is from facebook, you know little opinions and snippets. All in all, I'm liking not watching the news. The best part of not watching the news is thinking that my old high school self would think I'm pretty cool right now! lol

Ok, here are some new blocks I did recently. The wedding block is $30.
The case filled with blocks is $60
The blocks by themselves are $5/piece. If you add photos to the blocks they are an additional $2 a block.

Divine Inheritance!!!

My new non-profit organization that I will be working to raise money for is Divine Inheritance. From Sept 1st-Dec. 31st, fifteen percent of every block sold will be given to Divine Inheritance. Of course, you can donate directly to them on their site and I encourage you to do that! I am so moved by what Divine Inheritance is doing for children in Burma, I have no words. All you have to do is google images of "child soldiers in Burma" and the images that appear will certainly wreck you with compassion and a love and desire to see justice for these kids. Thank you God for giving people the heart to go in and rescue them. Keep them safe. Please pray for this organization that the Lord will send them all they need and more, to continue to do what they do there. Below, is some information I grabbed from their site. Please go read and learn more at; www.divineinheritance.com

ABOUT CHILD SOLDIERS

Today there are over 100,000 child soldiers in Southeast Asia

According to The Asian Wall Street Journal one third of the 300,000 child soldiers in the world live in Southeast Asia. Yet, "live" is a relative term. Due to political and ethnic instability, conflict is widespread and children and their families suffer. Boys and girls as young as 6 years old are forced into local ethnic armies where they are trained as soldiers for guerrilla warfare. Their purpose: to serve and defend the drug lords of the area at the cost of losing their parents, families, homes and even their own lives.

Divine Inheritance exists to rescue these precious children

We take orphans out of hopeless situations and care for them. We labor in restricted access regions of Southeast Asia, where children are truly at risk, so we do not publish the specific locations of these children in order to protect them. We give them shelter, food, clothing, education, spiritual care and love.

We train these children to become leaders in their society. Some of them will work on tea plantations, others as teachers or government leaders. Regardless of their future positions, we train them to enjoy walking in God’s ways. In every aspect of life they learn to carry a spirit of excellence and to create positive impact on the regions they live in.

Lisa's Blocks!

Making blocks for my best friend while talking to my best friend was just fun. There were no order forms. It was like in the olden days but with a telephone. I'd get to the next step and say, "Lis, what color do you want this? or "Which font?" LOL.
I've decided that's the way to do it from now on with people who I know.
I like these blocks because they are the first 2"x 2" blocks I've done with photos. The photos are all Sepia in color and that always look nice with the brown I use. Black and White look nice too. Color looks nice too....heck, it all looks good. Anyway, they spell out JORDAN with my new font!

I'm heading to a couple stores tomorrow. One store here in Spring Hill Tn said I could put some example blocks in, with my card. The other store, I'll be asking them if I can display some. Wish me luck!

Kindergarten!

My little girl is going to Kindergarten. I've been a mess all week and I really thought I wouldn't be this way. It doesn't help that she is having difficulty adjusting...but we are only a few days in. She said to me, while crying in that pitiful dramatic way little girls do, "mamaaaaa, I want to be homeschooled." When I asked her what she didn't like about school, she said "I don't like to wear shoes all day, I don't like a nap, I don't like to listen and be quiet, and I don't like to wait in the car line." Well....she has given it a lot of thought eh? Like I said, we are only three days in!

Any way, I tried to show her how proud I was of her by making some blocks! It helped...for a day. Today we rewarded her for going to school with ice-cream. That took way less time. haaha Thank you Sonic! I don't remember getting rewarded for going to school....Mom???? help???

So, here is my first, "First day of Kindergarten" block! I reccommend anyone who needs a quick fix...buy one! lol. On the front is a photo (backpack and all) On the side is a note from us. On the other side is her name, date, and school name. $30.00
The traditional name blocks are an additional $20.00

It's time for me to go to bed now.....and pray for a little less drama in the morning!
Hope you enjoy the video of my crazy girls! Love them!!!