Scenes from the Midsouth Conference in Nashville, Tennessee

The woman on the far right is Kristi Valiant.  She was awarded Honorable Mention for the Illustrator Contest held at the Midsouth Writers Conference.  The thing about Kristi is, not only is she filled with talent and an incredibly hard worker, but you can tell she really enjoys what she's doing.  She is in my SCBWI (The Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators) critique group in Evansville.  Kristi is also the new Regional Advisor for the SCBWI in southern Indiana.  I'm pretty certain I speak for everyone in the critique group when I say, we are proud of her as well as grateful for her sharing her opinions honestly.  She is a very knowledgeable person. 

This picture was taken at the conference as well.  The woman on the left is Christie Atherton, the leader of our Evansville critique group. Like Kristi, she is a person with a lot of talent and working hard at her craft.  Standing with her is a woman from her online critique group.  Yes-- Christie is in two critique groups.  She also writes for the Evansville Courier & Press and goes to school.

I managed to get Laura McGrail (sp?) in a picture too (she's in the blue and white shirt).  She traveled separately from the rest of us--her husband and daughter came along to have fun in Nashville while she attended the conference.  Laura is a School Psychologist in Henderson.  She travels  once a month to meet with us at the Barnes & Noble in Evansville.  She's another talented writer...

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Aimee Blume : (  We roomed together at the Embassy suites where the conference was held.  She is a feature writer for the Evansville Courier, a musician (plays the bag pipes), a chef, a teacher, and writer of fantasy fiction.  I didn't get a picture of her because while everyone was socializing Friday night, she was up in the room working on an article.  I intend to rectify that one of these days soon!  Oh yeah, she also rescues animals!

  Between these women, the book "Writing the Breakout Novel" by Donald Maass, reading in the genre I write, learning from the experts at conferences, and working on grammar and punctuation, I should finish editing my manuscript one of these days and I'll be darn happy about it because when I say finish I mean I'll like it myself.

If the Shoe Fits...

Well sometimes it just feels good to buy a new pair of cute shoes. Would you agree? Perhaps I'm speaking mainly to the ladies here, or not! Something about finding some designer heels or classy boots just puts a smile on your face. Okay, well maybe I'm speaking about myself right now. I do like cute shoes and that's why I started drawing and designing some cute creations for my store with fun shoe designs. Some of the items have cute or trendy sayings on them. Perhaps you'll find something for a girlfriend or mom that loves shoes. Come by for a visit to see more. Designs by Shell

It's the Season for Nature Walks

Fall is the perfect season for nature walks. There is something about the crispness and scent of the outdoors at this time of year that makes you want to be out in nature. Yesterday my husband and I went for a drive about a 1/2 hour from our home to a place we hadn't experienced before. We love walking on trails and seeing new scenery, so we decided that instead of walking our usual places we would try to venture out every weekend and see some new ground. We walked along a river trail were we'd never been before. It's always a great time together, walking and talking and usually sharing our favourite drink. (Starbucks of course!) I always bring my camera to capture some interesting pictures too! So here are a few that I turned into cards and postcards. Hope you enjoy them. To see more of my photography and creative designs stop by my store for the latest! Designs by Shell

Designer Labels

Zazzle recently introduced labels as one of the new items to be designed. Now that we are entering fall and the holidays are coming quickly it's the perfect time to purchase some fresh new labels. These labels can be used for new address', gift tags as well as name tags or special ocassions like weddings and bridal showers. They can all be customized as desired. Here are a few for you to view. Find many more at Designs by Shell

A Cozy House Address Label

Chocolate and Blue Designer Cake

Elegant Blue Wedding Cake

Christmas Ornaments

Penguin Christmas

A Model of the Church and Farm my Dad Grew up on Made by Ordean Synstelien

 Two weeks ago Bruce and I went to Knoxville, Tennessee. We saw the Smokey Mountains, listened to bluegrass music, and visited some of my relatives. My uncle Ordean has a workshop where he spends time making things out of wood and polishing rocks. He really does nice work-- the lid on the baptismal font in the front of the church even lifts off!

The model below if of the Lutheran Church my father's family attended. Note the hymnals-- they donated the 'new blue hymnals' in memory of my dad's brother, Duane, who was hit by a train as a teenager.

            

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

 My uncle, Ordean, made a model of the farm he and my dad grew up on. There weren't very many pictures to go by so he got together with his brothers and sister to remember how things were inside and out.



His work is very detailed.  I really felt like I'd stepped back in time.  Life was a lot different then.  I could see how much more work was involved with everything they did, but that was the way it was--it was ordinary to them. 

This is a model of the house they lived in (above).  The school (below). 


This is a picture of the school they went to.






The restrooms were a little different back in the day.

 

Chocolate and Pink Wedding Designs

Fall is a beautiful season for weddings. I've been selling lots of wedding postage and bridal themed designs lately. This of course inspired me to come up with some more unique wedding creations. I've been designing invitations, business cards, save the date magnets and more using some elegant and stylish design ideas. I love to combine unique color combinations and interesting patterns. Chocolate brown with different shades of pinks and blues are very popular right now. Also trending themes of polka dots and stripes are being seen a lot right now too. Above are a few of my latest designs for you to see. I've also just finished this mini article (lens) on Pink Bridal Shower Invitations and Ideas If you know anyone looking for 'pink' ideas you can direct them here. For more designs visit my store Designs by Shell

The Positive Effect of Flowers

Green Designs






Well it is raining pretty hard right now, but somehow very refreshing. Our lawn is looking so green and fresh. Recently, I was reading about the 'power of flowers'. According to a Rutgers University study it was found that flowers have the power to ease depression, encourage socialness and increase short term memory function. I think we can all attest to times we've received flowers from our spouse's or friends and how that really creates a boost of energy and happiness. So whether we can plant a flower garden, pick wild flowers, buy flowers or just take a walk in the neighborhood and photograph flowers these may all give you a surge of energy and joy, so I hope you'll take part in one of these ideas.
I've been working on some 'green' designs for my store and I'll share a few of them with you here! Enjoy! Designs by Shell

Attitude

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on

(left)Katherine Martin, Donna Feagley
 and Diana Kellogg(right)
Doyne Moreland (background)

(Taken at the LakeRidge Crossing Clubhouse)

the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

Charles R. Swindoll quotes (American Writer and Clergyman, b.1934)

Katherine Martin (center) founded C.J.'s Bus in response to her personal experience surviving a disaster.  This bus goes to disaster sites to help care for young children that have parents busy with what the weather placed before them.  The bus is named after her child C.J. who died in the 2006 tornado that hit Evansville and Newburgh.  The other women in the photograph are from the Altrusa International of Evansville club.  They are presenting Katherine with baby dolls and match box cars for the kids on the bus.

Shopping for Back to School

T-shirts are an item kids can use lots of... a couple of cool ones! One for girls and one for the boys!



Sweatshirts or long sleeved tops are great for those cooler days...



Keds or Slip-on shoes make great indoor shoes for school...




First day of school tomorrow, well at least for many families just not mine! This is the first year that I have no kids going back to high school. Hard to believe, we have reached a new chapter. I didn't have to head out to buy any school supplies or new clothes. Talking to my sister, she still has two in school and is still having to purchase those gym shoes, sweatshirts and jeans with the sturdy knees for her son. So I thought I'd share a few fun items from my store that kids might find cool for going back to school. Something a little different with a bit of a cool factor to it! Kids like to have a few new things to wear and feel good about. Come by my store to see more of my designs! Designs by Shell