Word Art Wednesday BIG Giveaways & Blog Hop!

Hello stamping friends! Today is a really big day over at Word Art Wednesday. It's our Annual Christmas Blog Hop! We're so glad you've joined us because there are lots of great prizes up for grabs, and you have extra time this round. We'll be adding an extra week so you have until January 6th to play along!

But before we begin, let me share with you my design for this round. I've taken the Word Art Wednesday Bible Verse and created 6 different bookmarks that you can print out and stick in/on a gift, or mail in a Christmas Card. I've tried to make 2 masculine, 2 Christmas, 1 Generic and 1 Feminine. Here's how mine look after I printed them out at FedEx. I chose 100# Matte paper and it cost right around $3.00 to print two sheets.

The free printables for all of these are below. You can also use a hole punch at the top and attach a
ribbon. I hope to mail mine so I'm leaving them flat. They make great little gifts! 

Now, here's what two people can win just by commenting on my blog:

PRIZE #1: Pink & Main "Fall Postage Stamps" Stamp Set & Coordinating Dies

These are brand new are are oh so cute! The coordinating dies also fit Pink & Main's
Christmas Postage Stamp Set too, AND they may have others coming soon! 

PRIZE #2: Picket Fence Stamp Set & Simon Says Stamp Stamp

How cute are these!? The'll be perfect for the upcoming spring season!

THE ONLY PLACE YOU CAN WIN THESE PRIZES IS HERE ON MY BLOG SO BE SURE TO COMMENT BELOW! TWO WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN AND THE BLOG DIRECTOR WILL DECIDE WHO GETS WHICH SET.

Additional note: You don't have to make a card to win the two prizes here. You only need to leave a comment!

Also, we will only be able to send the prizes to the United States due to the cost of shippping. Please let us know 8n the comments if you aren’t in the US. Sorry for any inconvenience!

And then be sure to hop on over to the other Design Team Member's blogs, and you'll be able to win some really cool prizes there too! Yay! AND There are also TWO $25.00 Unity Stamp gift cards up for grabs by entering the Word Art Wednesday Challenge. We look forward to seeing what you'll create and share with us.

Oh my goodness, it's like it's Christmas or something! Here's the Blog Hop Lineup.

First we'll start with our guest designer, Kathy:

Kathy Schweinfurth, Guest Designerr

Karen Letchworth

Natalie Houston

Christine Miller

Barb Finnical (You are here)

Pamela Duncan

Wanda Cullen

And as usual, our Bible Verse Designer has come up with a perfect verse, and if you'd like to use it for your own project, that would be wonderful. Here it is:

And here are the free bookmark printables. I'm so sorry that I have to stack them one on top of another, but I don't know how to make 3 photos side by side. Feel free to use them as printables, or send them out digitally. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment and best wishes for winning the prizes! And most of all, have a very Merry Christmas!

Stitchy Stars Ornaments

Quilt blocks are one of my favorite things to cross stitch because they’re so easy. And when done individually, they’re super easy to have one in my purse so that I can stitch anytime I’m waiting unexpectedly.

I fell in love with these cute quilt blocks from Lori Holt. The pattern book is called Stitchy Stars and it’s available HERE. I’m sure it’s available other places as well, but I really like shopping at 123stitch.com. Their shipping is only $3.49 no matter what size order you have, and their prices are really reasonable, especially for their DMC floss.

After making several of these tiny quilt blocks, and adapting some of them from the original sticky star pattern, I turned them into little Christmas ornaments. With their cream colored background, they will look great on a Christmas tree. And if you don’t stuff them, but rather just mount them on a piece of salt with a piece of ribbon, you can easily mail them without any additional postage.

The way I finished mine was to simply cut the 8 o’clock a little bit bigger and then fry three rows on each side and then sew them onto the felt. 

Once you start making stitch quilt blocks, it’s really easy to leave the original pattern and come up with your own Designs and colors. It’s a whole lot of fun, And I love having something in my purse at all times to be able to stitch. It’s a win-win!

Thanks so much for stopping by my little blog, and have a wonderful day!

Hot Cocoa Cross Stitch Freebie

One of my favorite things is finding a really cute cross stitch freebie that can be made in just a few days. This pattern, from the Tiny Modernist, was something that I stumbled upon on Pinterest. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. And then, over at The Colorful Options Challenge blog, I noticed that this would fit perfectly. I made this piece without challenge in mind. 

However, before I say more, I have to confess that this was very difficult to stitch for two reasons. First of all, the pattern is in black-and-white with different symbols rather than colors. In order to make it a little bit easier to stitch, I did do some screenshots and used my markup feature on my iPad to create the snowflake as a starting point. You can see that picture below.

The other thing that made this quite difficult to stitch was that it is on black fabric. For those of you who have not used black fabric, it is difficult to find the holes, especially when you’re going in the back of the piece. I did use my iPad as a light in the back, which did illuminate the holes, but the problem with that is that once your hand goes over the hole in the back, the light no longer shines through. You have to hold your needle in just the right way in order to make that technique effective.

This is the mood board for the 
Colorful Options Challenge. You 
can use this or simply use a rainbow of colors!

But before you get discouraged, I want to say that other than those two things, this is a really easy and fun piece to stitch. It can certainly be stitched on a white or medium colored fabric as well. The only thing you may need to do would be to backstitch the whipped cream at the top so that stands out more if you use a light colored fabric. And if you use the markup technique, it makes it a lot easier.

If you’re looking for some really cute cross stitch patterns, be sure to check out the Tiny Modernist’s Freebie Page HERE. 

And for the link to this specific pattern you can click HERE.

This was very easy to frame as well. One thing that I do for my smaller pieces is to lay my desktop monitor down on the desk, and then place my work on top of it. It makes placing the cross stitched piece very easy if you don’t have a light box. Here’s a picture of that below.

When stitched on 14 count Ada, the finished piece fits perfectly in a 6“ x 6“ frame. I just happen to have a set of four different 8“ x 8“ frames that I bought from Amazon. They came with 6“ x 6“ mats, so this worked out perfectly.

These are the frames I bought HERE.

The map board that I use also came from Amazon and I’ve been pretty happy with it. It’s a large pack, but it’s nice to always have it on hand when I finish a project. You can find that HERE. It’s really been a lifesaver having these whenever I need them.

Thanks so much for stopping by and feel free to drop me a comment. I’d love to know what you were ex experience is on stitching on dark color fabrics. Maybe I won’t feel so bad!

Word Art Wednesday Divinity Designs Giveaway!

Wow, here we are in December already! I hope each of you are in the holiday spirit and having a great time planning with friends and family.

Over at Word Art Wednesday, our sponsor is Divinity Designs this time around. If you enter a card and play along with us, you're in the running to possibly win a $25.00 gift certificate to this wonderful company! There are so many great things to choose from, and this is a great opportunity to get yourself a little something for Christmas.

What I'm using for this card is their Sewing Dies Collection. At just $5.95, this is one set you'll definitely want to have, especially if, like me, you know someone who likes to sew.

My card is made for a friend, Phyllis, who recently made me three lovely Christmas Pillowcases. My heart is melting. I used to love sewing, but would never think to make something like these. I plan on using them this Christmas Eve! And as a little thank you, I created this card just for her.

My complete supply list is:

• Divinity Designs Sewing Set Dies
• Stampin' Up! Baked Brown Sugar Card Stock
• White Card Stock
• SU! Bubble Bath Card Stock
• SU! Petal Pink Card Stock
• SU! Blushing Bride Card Stock
• Lawn Fawn Ballet Slippers Card Stock
• Papertrey Lovely Lady Card Stock
• SU! Flirty Flamingo Card Stock
• Papertrey Hibiscus Burst Card Stock
• SU! Berry Burst Card Stock
• SU! Rose Red Card Stock
• SU! Melon Mamba Card Stock
• Metallic Silver Card Stock
• DMC Pink Floss
• Computer Generated Sentiment

We also have a wonderful Bible Verse that you're welcome to use as well. This is so perfect for Christmas!

You never have to use the verse, or any products from our sponsor in order to play along. So hop on over to Word Art Wednesday and join in the fun! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Gathering Moments Cards

I had a lot of fun using Stampin’ Up!’s Gathering Moments Dies for the first time. Because I enjoy cross stitching, these guys were perfect for me. The set contains two large leaves that can be used separately Or you can insert a smaller die and make little holes where the veins of the leaf would be. I did the ladder, and then used DMC embroidery floss to sew the veins on the leaves. It didn’t take long at all to do this, and I made all five cards in just a few hours. It was a lot of fun and I’m really glad I got this set. 

I think my favorite card from the set is this one on the top right. I’m going to be sending to my son for Thanksgiving. He’s way out in Colorado, way too far for me here in Florida. I think I’ll include some cookies and let him know how thankful I am for him! 

Creative Worship Giveaway at Word Art Wednesday!

Today's card is made using a wonderful sentiment from the "God is For You" Stamp Set from Creative Worship Stamps. This is a lovely set that includes six encouraging sayings and pairs perfectly with any stamps you may have on hand.

I'm using this set because over at Word Art Wednesday this round, we have a great giveaway from Creative Worship  Stamps. A random winner will be drawn for a great prize to their website where you can get this or many other wonderful Christian stamps! We also have a lovely scripture below, that you can use as well. It's absolutely perfect for a last-minute Thanksgiving card! However it's never necessary to use it, and our theme is always "anything goes."

Here's my complete supply list:

• Creative Worship God Is For You Stamp Set
  
• Stampin' Up! Petal Potpourri (flowers)
• SU! To A Wild Rose (middle of flowers)
• SU! Gently Falling (leaves)
• SU! Berry Burst Ink & Card Stock
• SU! Fresh Freesia Ink & Card Stock
• SU! Bubble Bath Ink & Card Stock
• SU! Soft Suede Ink & Card Stock
• SU! Pear Pizzazz Ink
• Misc. Wood Grain Patterned Paper
• Pink Taffeta Stickles

We would love it if you joined us this round over at Word Art Wednesday! And thanks so much for stopping by my little blog today!

6 x 6 Inspiration

Today’s two cards were made by starting with a 6 x 6 sheet of paper. It had a wreath on it, but I felt that it would be too big for a card by itself. So I cut the wreath in half and used half of a wreath on each of these two cards.

I then grabbed my sweet birthday wishes, stamps and dies from Pink and Main make the sentiments.

One is a birthday card that doesn’t look too Christmasy, but the other one with the red ribbon looked too Christmasy so I decided to make that a holiday card. I already had the word sweet die cut on there, so I grabbed another stamp set and used the wording from that to make the Christmas card.

The ombre circle on the left card is there because after mounting the paper, I noticed that the perforated line was still visible. I thought it looked tacky and I needed to cover it up.

And the enamel stars on the right hand card are there because, after mounting the wreath paper there, I noticed a smudge of ink. I needed to cover that up, and the stars worked perfectly. I think it looks like they are attached to the wreath.

It’s always fun when we make mistakes and the finished product ends up looking better than we had it intended if the mistakes hadn’t been there!

I’m grateful to have such a wonderful supply of Stampin’ Up!  up card stock. For this I used Shaded Spruce and Blushing Bride. It seems like no matter what color patterned paper I have on hand, they always have a color to match.

It feels really good to take just a few scraps of things and make really sweet cards. Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope this was an inspiration to you!

In Memory of the Penny

Yesterday,  November 12, 2025 was a very special day for me. First of all, it was our 31st wedding anniversary! It's really hard to believe how quickly time has flown by. 

And, the last penny was minted in Philadelphia yesterday too. Wow do I feel old! 

Pennies were much a part of my childhood. I remember penny candy. It was at the bottom of the candy aisle in places like 7-11. The little bins filled with Bazooka gum and Tootsie Rolls were such a treat after school. You felt like a queen buying handfuls of sweets in such great variety.

Another memory of pennies is sorting through them looking for wheat pennies. I think at the time they were worth 2 cents, and we felt rich if we had a handful of them, even if we never turned them in anywhere.

I also remember playing an ice-breaker game with pennies at a church small group. A bunch of pennies were placed on the table and we each grabbed one. We checked the year that was stamped on it and told what we were doing that year. I suppose you could do it with any coin, but Pennie’s just seem special.

And how about those old machines that were frequently seen at tourist attractions, the ones where, for a quarter and a penny have your penny pressed into an oval disc that portrayed an image of the place? So fun!

So today I stamped a label and adhered it to a Dollar Tree jar. It's my goal to fill it with pennies just for the memories. I only have four in there, but the oldest one is from 1974. It's been in circulation for over 50 years! I love to think of all the places it's been and the things it's paid for. And when my small jar is full, that will be it. The memories, even if unknown, will be in a sort of resting place. As with everything, life changes, but I'm glad to have a little memorial to something that I was blessed to have a part of in my life.

Wonderfall Beautiful Day!

Today’s card is one that I’ve made from one of my favorite stamping sets. It doesn’t come with dies, but I really enjoy fussy cutting, especially these easy pieces.

I really love autumn cards because they’re great for guys or girls. In fact, I think that I may send this one to one of the guys at the angel card project.

Making the matching envelope was fun too. The trick for me is to remember to stamp on the envelope before I put away all of my stamps and inks, which is frequently a challenge!

Here’s my complete supply list:

• Stampin’ Up! Wonderfall Stamp Set
• Stampin' Up! Beautiful Autumn (sentiment)
• Memento Inks
• Misc. Patterned Paper
• SU! Crumb Cake Card Stock
• Nuvo Pearl Drops

I hope you have a few falling leaves wherever you are, and may you have a beautiful day!

Word Power Birthday Cards

Today's card is a pastel-bright card that I'm entering over at Word Power Challenge for November 2025. 

I'm working on going through all my supplies and analyzing each stamp set to see if I want to still hang on to it. Perhaps like many of us, I buy a stamp set and think I like it but then really don't. Or maybe it has just run it's course in my crafty life. So I make a card with it one last time then decide to keep or donate.

This set was what I grabbed first, and I'm happy to say it passed the test. It's an oldie but one that is so versatile for birthday cards. I actually made two of these since I had enough gold paper with sticker paper on the back to make two "celebrate" sentiments.

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Amazing You Stamp Set
• SU! Celebrate You Dies
• SU! Flirty Flamingo Card Stock & Ink
• SU! Faceted Gem Dots
• White Card Stock (Michaels)
• First Edition Let's Celebrate Patterned Paper
• Anna Griffin Gold & Cream Paper
• Paper-Papers Glitter Card Stock
• Misc. Gold Ribbon
• Dollar Store White Butterflies
• Gold Stickles (on the butterflies)

These cards are both 5 x 7 to give lots of room for all the fun stuff. I'm really glad to have made them and am excited about keeping both the stamps and dies. They're great for masculine cards too, which is always a challenge.

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to check out Word Power's Challenge Blog. So fun!

Seth Apter Inspired November Pillow

This time over at Word Art Wednesday we have a wonderful giveaway from Seth Apter! He's an amazing designer with so many products from wonderful card making supplies to spectacular fabrics. I was inspired to create this pillow because of this fabric.

Sewing was my first hobby in life. When I was 10 years old I used what little fabric I could find, and my grandmother's sewing machine, to make little things. I loved the idea of taking virtually nothing and turning it into something pretty. By the time I was 15, I had a job at Cloth World and was using patterns to sew real clothes.

One of the few photos I have from my early sewing days. I'm on
the left in a dress I made when working at Cloth World.

Today I don't sew as much, but when I went to Seth Apter's website, I was so intrigued by the wonderful array of fabrics that he designs. I chose one that inspired me this fall, then found a cross stitch pattern to go along with it.

I then chose the colors of DMC floss based on the colors of the fabric. Here they are: 

It's really easy to order any of his fabrics at his online store, but I am fortunate to live near Whim-So-Doodle, a quilting store in St. Petersburg that carries his whole line. Both places sell his fabric at really reasonable prices. And what I love about it is that it's so soft and tightly woven. Such good quality! It took just 1/2 a yard to complete this project.

LEFT: Whim-So-Doodle carries dozens of Seth's fabrics. RIGHT: Getting the fabric cut
with a view of so many of their amazing, bright fabrics. Their shop in incredible!

The Box & Fox pattern I chose for the cross stitch was on sale for just $1.80 for a digital download in their Etsy shop. I love using those because I can really make the pattern quite large on my iPad. You can find it HERE, although the price may be different. 

If you do look at this pattern, you'll notice that in addition to using different colors of thread, I also kept each image to just one or two colors. Her pattern has several colors in each leaf, but because I was in a hurry to finish this project I didn't have time for that!

As for the pillow itself, I upcycled a pillow that I had on my couch. It was one that I got for free in a bedspread set. I didn't really care for it, but kept it anyway and I'm glad I did. It was perfect for this project.

Before and after for the small pillow. Definitely an improvement!

The finishing touch is the buttons, which came from my vintage button jar. They're genuine mother-of-pearl that have been sitting for most likely decades. I love using things like that because, although they are inanimate objects, they've finally come full circle and I'd like to think that they're happy to finally be on display!

My beloved vintage button jar, and the buttons I used for this project.

So that's it for my pillow post. I loved exploring the world of Seth Apter, and we're super grateful to him for sponsoring our challenge this time around. However, our challenges are always "anything goes" and we'd love to have you come over and play along with us!

If you're looking for some inspiration, here if the featured Bible verse that you're welcome to use. I absolutely love the fonts that this one is written in!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!

Thankful for Phyllis

Today’s card was made for three different challenges, but also for a wonderful woman named Phyllis. She is a sweet woman from my church who frequently brings me craft supplies that she no longer needs. She’s an amazing quilter, and always an inspiration to me. Today she brought me a nice little assortment of things that I will certainly use in my crafting. So when I saw these three challenges, I thought it would be a perfect time to make her a card that says “thankful for you” and these three challenges helped me do just that. 

First, over at The Paper Players Challenge #PP762 LeAnne has a theme of "Thankful For You." Then over at Rock, Paper, Scissors Challenge #10 you just have to use paper and scissors and at Color Hues Challenge #121 you can only use Orange and Brown with neutrals being allowed as well. 

Here are my paper and scissors!

Here's my supply list:

Stampin' Up! Gathering Moments Stamp Set

SU! Early Espresso Card Stock & Ink

SU! Pumpkin Pie Ink

SU! Tangerine Tango Ink

SU! Sahara Sand Ink

Memento Rich Cocoa Ink

Memento Potters Clay Ink

Misc. Patterned Paper (Double Sided)

Speckletone True White Card Stock

And lastly I'd like to send out a big thanks to everyone who works so hard putting together all these challenges! It's always fun to play along. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Thankful Cross Stitch

Here’s one of my latest cross stitch finishes for this year. I. found the pattern HERE on Etsy. I fell in love with it because of all the different colors of fall that were in it. It also looked fairly easy to stitch. It was, but I did make one mistake when stitching the leaves of the tree. I had to do some pulling out of stitches, but was able to easily get back on track. When I started to first stitch this, it didn’t seem like there was as much variation in the leaves as I thought there would be. They all seem to be almost the same, or at least similar in color. But after I finished and stood back and looked at it, I could see the differences.

To frame the piece, I found a used picture that I found at the Salvation Army that I was able to pick up for just a couple dollars. I threw the picture and glass out, cleaned up the frame, and it fit perfectly. I really like being able to upcycle things. It’s so easy for old frames to be just thrown away, when they really have a lot of life left in them. When shopping for used frames, I don’t look just for empty frames, but for framed pieces of art as well.

Once I found a frame and took out the artwork, I was able to lay the frame over top of my stitching to see how it would fit. To make it seem more complete, I marked off the stitches and then added a brown border. I think this looks good especially on frames that are a little bit too big for the stitching. I’m really happy with how this project turned out!

This was how the original frame looked on the left, and on the right after it was all cleaned up.

Quick Fall Cross Stitch Freebie

I’m taking down the Halloween decorations today and getting ready for a dinner party tomorrow night. While going through my autumn storage bin, I came across this cross stitch piece that I finished last year, but never stuffed. 

It was a freebie that I found on Pinterest. You can find the pattern HERE. It was super quick to stitch up, and you can really use any colors that you want.

I finished it into a pillow by using calico fabric that I purchased at Joann's. I really miss them so much!I took this piece in there and searched for a fabric that would be just the right colors. I won’t be able to do that as easily anymore.

The little bit of trim came from Hobby Lobby. I like to stock up on little things like that know knowing that they’ll come in handy someday. 

Even though I wasn't crazy about this piece last year, I really like it. Sometimes I'm just way too hard on myself. After all crafting is all about having fun!

Time Out Challenges #300

Today's card is a really fun one! One that I certainly would have never made without the help of Time Out Challenges #300 in which they want you to make an autumn card with an international flair! 

I don't have a lot of stamps that would fit this bill, but I do have Italian heritage in my family. My grandparents on my mom's side were both born in Italy and came here through Ellis Island in the 20's or 30's. 

I never learned much Italian, but it was the first thing I thought of when I saw this challenge. I wondered if they celebrate Trick or Treat in Italy, and sure enough, they do! I got all of my information from THIS YOU TUBE VIDEO. It was really fun to watch it and to be exposed to something a little different.

I took a screenshot of "Trick or Treat" in Italian and created this card. I didn't have much room for anything extra, as the words took up so much room. But I like that the paper still shows through.

Here's my very short but complete supply list:

• Stampin' Up! Tangerine Tango Card Stock 
• SU! Daffodil Delight Card Stock
• SU! Little Letters Dies 
• Recollections Patterned Paper

I think I'll drop this off at my mom's house this Friday. Hopefully she'll appreciate it! Her Italian is quite good! 

Lastly, I just had to include a picture of my "Nonna." She is the little girl in this picture with her mother. They lived on a farm in the Trieste area of Italy where they raised chickens. And from what I understand, the clothes that they have on most likely belonged to the photographer, as people back then usually wouldn't have had such fancy things.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Tiny Town Halloween Cross Stitch

Here's a sweet little stitch project that I actually finished last Halloween. It's from a popular series called "Tiny Town" by Heart & Hand Needleworks. The pattern actually has a few more houses, but I was stitching this in Wisconsin with my then 6 month old grandpuppy, Maggie, nearby. She thinks anything bright is a toy. I think I must have gotten tired of trying to keep the floss away from her, as I gave up stitching midway. I think I added the last tree before finishing the buildings, making it shorter than the original pattern.

I threw it in my suitcase and headed for home. When I went to frame it this summer I found a perfect match in size for the frame on Amazon. It all worked out so well. 

As for the cloth, I used 14 count Tarnished Aida from Fabric Flair. I thought it turned out well for a spooky looking background.

I bought both from 123stitch.com and here are the links to both:

TINY TOWN HALLOWEEN CROSS STITCH PATTERN

14 COUNT TARNISHED AIDA

I love shopping at 123stitch because their prices are the same as any store, and the shipping is always $3.49. I love that! I've priced some things at Amazon and it's actually the same price or cheaper to pay their low shipping and get it from them.

As for my props, the ghosts are actually measuring cups that I bought at T Maxx. They often have the cutest holiday decor, but you have to shop early. The pumpkins are resin and I got them at an antique store. And if you're ever looking for a riser to display your items, this is simply a bamboo spice rack that I bought at Walmart.

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my little cross stitch finish today!

Stamp Simply Giveaway with Word Art Wednesday

Today over at Word Art Wednesday there's a brand new challenge, a new Bible verse, and a chance to win a $25.00 prize from Stamp Simply! You don't have to use the Bible verse to play along, and the theme is always "anything goes," so be sure to hop over and upload a family friendly card and join us!

My card is made using Stamp Simply's Birthday Sentiments. It's a great set that includes many different birthday greetings, including a belated one, which is always great to have on hand!

Here's my complete supply list:

• Stamp Simply Birthday Sentiments Stamp Set
  
• Paige Evans Patterned Papers
• Stampin' Up! Berry Burst Card Stock
• SU! Gorgeous Grape Ink
• SU! Highland Heather Ink
• SU! Vellum Card Stock
• SU! Embossing Folder
• Platnum Planet Brillance Ink
• Papertrey Lovely Lady Card Stock
• Big Box Store Light Blue Card Stock
• Offray Ribbon

This was a really fun card to make, and I have just the friend that I'll be sending it to in early November. The card started out as a 5 x 7, but then I realized I had some clear envelopes that are just a tad bigger than that, so I added the light blue back panel. I've already got the envelope stamped. You can see it below. I think she'll like getting this in her mailbox!

The butterfly is tilted as if he's flying away! Well that's all for today. I'm so glad you stopped bu, and please check out our fun new challenge over at Word Art Wednesday! We love seeing not only everything that you create, but hearing about your lives as well!