Month: September 2019

Cricut Crafty

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Last fall I bit the bullet and bought a Cricut Maker. For those of you who may not be in the crafty world, a Cricut is a digital cutting machine that will create designs from everything from paper to vinyl. It’s been a fun addition to my crafting addiction.

I thought I would share my latest project…A label for my vegetable oil bottle. Let me start by sharing the story. I LOVE the square bottles that olive oil comes in from Aldi. I emptied one some time back and started using it for my vegetable/canola oil. But, no one in my family knew what was in that bottle because it didn’t have a label. Now, enter the Cricut machine! I decided to make a vinyl adhesive label for the bottle. Instant Love!

It’s really a simple design using two fonts available from the Cricut Access Subscription… Haley and Folk Art Festival.

I typed in “OIL” sized it to about 1.25 inches tall. Then I typed Vegetable in the script font and sized it to fit the length left on the bottle. Weld everything together and cut it out! Weed away all the excess vinyl and use transfer tape to remove it from the backing paper. Then place it on your CLEAN bottle and you are done!

Now, what to label next???

Book Cover Reveal – The Silver Lode

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One of the joys I receive by working with Mantle Rock Publishing is the continuing relationships I have with the authors. I always love getting to create second and third covers for books in their series. This one is a delight as well, because the author is just delightful!

I created Suzanne Bratcher’s first cover for The Copper Box a few year ago. First covers can be intemidating because you are just building a releationship with an author who is asking you to put a face on their “baby.” I remember it took us a few rounds to get just the perfect cover.

I’ve since had the privilege of meeting Suzanne in person at a couple of retreats. She is just the sweetest! So when it came to creating the cover for her second book, it was truly a joy. Luckily the photo of the mine shaft came up early in my search and it captured the mood.

Next, it was on to find the perfect guy. This guy was a little challenging because he fell in the late 30’s age group. In case you haven’t perused the stock photography sites, guys are either young, muscle-bound 20 somethings or middle aged with graying temples. That late 30’s group is hard to find. Her book is a romantic suspense and would have loved a more somber facial expression. We ended up going with the semi-smile because well, who wouldn’t wants to read his story?

Here is the blurb for The Silver Lode which will be available for ebook preorder on Amazon soon.

Beneath the ghost town that clings to Cleopatra Hill, a maze of abandoned mine tunnels conceals a vein of silver ore mixed with pure gold. Seventy years ago, the discovery of that silver lode caused a murder. Are more coming?

Historian Paul Russell is about to lose his job and the woman he loves, he doesn’t have time to search for the legendary silver lode. But when a student drops a seventy-year-old cold case on his desk, a murder connected to the silver lode, the mystery offers Paul the perfect opportunity to work with Marty Greenlaw and win her back.

As Paul and Marty search for the silver lode, suspicious deaths begin to happen. When Paul’s son disappears, the stakes become personal.