Judith has been writing from the moment she learned how to put letters on paper.  In grade school she wrote and directed plays, created comic books, and teamed up with her friend to write short stories.  After 20+ years of other work, projects, and activities, she decided to add 'author' and began writing a cozy mystery series called The Die-cut Cozy Mysteries.  There are currently three books published, one more in this series being written, and several more exciting stories in the works.

The Die-cut Cozy Mysteries

Scored for Life (Book 1)
Glue to See You (Book 2)
Mysterious Papercuts (Book 3)
The Crafty Elves of Christmas (Book 4)

Upcoming books:

There’s a Chicken in my Bedroom
When a couple from Nebraska move to the Central Oregon Coast and purchase an old school house to renovate into a home, there’s going to be a few hilarious moments of patience, endurance, and much needed collaboration before this school house becomes livable. [This book is a collaboration with my husband, as he and I spent years renovating our mid-1970’s home. We even had a person in the neighborhood ask when we tore down the old house and built the new one. It was a noticeable remodel, but not without many hiccups!]

The Staged-for-Death Cozy Mystery series: (coming soon)
Murder in the Master Suite (Book 1)

Greeting Cards - Greeting cards are one of the first passions involving paper.  I love creating different types of cards.  One type in particular is made from discarded old grade school readers.  I love the aged paper, the simplicity of the characters, and the memories of time gone by.  The cards are basic and not over-done.  A simple message on the cover of the card comes from the words in the old books.  I try not to waste any of the paper.  I save the scraps for other projects.

Treat boxes - I could make treat boxes all day long!  I first learned how to make boxes from Linda Parker (Paper Craft With Crafty), a woman in the UK who was on YouTube for a bit, but at the time of the COVID epidemic, she disappeared.  Linda Parker was one of very few paper crafters I followed.  She taught me the techniques of making boxes and I soon ventured into my own designs.  You can still find her boxes on You Tube and Pinterest.  She was brilliant with color and design. 

Notepads, notebooks, and clipboards - Another paper crafter I follow is the Posh Paper Lady (on YouTube).  As Linda Parker taught me how to make boxes, the Posh Paper Lady taught me how to create beautiful notebooks, notepads, and currently clipboards.  Again, I learn the basic skills and then venture out and create all kinds of projects. 

Time capsules - Well, this is a project that I came up with out of the necessity to create a unique birthday gift for a one-year-old girl.  I love designing and for some reason, this project seemed perfect for this little one year old.  This box turned out to be an actual work of art.  The purpose was to have a handmade box, decoupaged with special papers, and have an insert in the cover of the box with the child’s name and a message as to when the time capsule should be opened.  The box is sealed, but a slit on the side allows for cards, letters, money, etc. to be inserted during the years reaching up to age 21, when the box is opened on the birthday of the now adult.  I have made many boxes throughout the years and only through word-of-mouth. I think if I advertised the boxes, I would be inundated with requests, which would be great if that’s all I did, but sadly I have too many interests and life is busy.  Getting back to the first box I made for a little girl, her grandmother passed from a brain tumor some months after the party, but not before she was able to leave a letter in the box.  If only we found letters to us from our grandparents or great-grandparents sharing the wisdom that comes with age.

Quilting - I started out my first project, like I do all projects I have never attempted before, by just jumping in and doing whatever it takes to achieve my goal.  My first quilt was queen-sized, with the blocks having 25 pieces each.  This project was a quilt for a wedding, so I had a few months to work on it.  And…work on it I did, there was a lot of ripping out and re-sewing.  In the end, the quilt turned out really cute and nicely made.  I took the pieced design to a long-arm quilter to have the layers (front pieced material, batting, and backing) quilted together.  I sewed the trim around the edges. 

           Purses-Actually, purses and tote bags is what the title should say.  I do not know why, but I love purses and tote bags.  I use tote bags all the time.  In fact, you may see me carrying a bag around with crafting projects inside.  If I have any down time, I craft.  I will explain the many volunteer projects I do later in my interests, which include why I carry crafting with me many times I am out and about.  I saw a purse design that I loved, but it did not have all I wanted, so I made a design inspired by the one I saw originally.  It has evolved over the years, and now my next upgrade to that design will be to add leather straps.  Not the overly thick straps, but thinner, softer, straps.  That is on the back burner for now though.

Art has been in my blood since my childhood.  I once wanted to be a cartoonist, but realized how difficult it would be to break into the world of cartooning at that time.  Now it is easier to get your work out there and be appreciated, but back in my late teens, it was not so easy.  I did a comic strip for a short time, many cartoons for friends, and used some of my characters in various projects.  I have a few I want to do something with, but have not gotten that far.  I like to paint, draw, and do anything that sparks my interest at the time.  I will share more in my blogs.

Murals - In the past, I have done some really neat murals.  One was in my daughter’s bedroom.  She wanted a Harry Potter-like dorm room.  See my blog for photos.  I think it turned out cute.  My sister helped decorate the room.

Another mural I really like, and still have the original drawings, was a four-panel work beginning with a cartoon character of my sister and her cat sitting in a lounge chair on the beach.   The next panel shows a little girl playing in the sand-her daughter.  The third panel is of a woman spilling a drink over her husband’s head, as he watches a bikini-clad woman walking past.  The fourth panel is of a man buried in the sand and a crab creeping up to him.  This mural ended up on a wall within my sister’s swimming pool area.  She had just gone through a messy divorce and the mural seemed funny to me.  She once applied to an online dating site that asked for her photo.  She offered up a photo of her next to the cartoon character on her swimming pool wall.  They refused the photo, as they said they could not tell which one was her!  See my blog for photos.

Jewelry making is addicting.  I have to warn you, if you want to start making jewelry, expect to be amazed at what you can create.  It is so gratifying to make beautiful trinkets.  See photos in my blog.

Some of the places I have volunteer either currently or in the past

Edwards Center, Inc.

This is a place where adults with developmental disabilities are helped to reach their highest potential through training, education, employment, housing and social opportunities in a safe environment.  My sister, Donna, had Down Syndrome and lived in one of the group homes incorporated into Edwards Center, Inc.  Jean Edwards founded Edwards Center, Inc. fifty years ago and is still involved in everyday decisions.  She was there for our family when my sister passed.  It has been nine years since Donna left this earth, and my other sister and I continue to volunteer with Edwards Center, Inc.  I currently teach crafting classes to a group of very talented individuals at the Edwards Community Center in Aloha.   

 Hillsboro Elks Lodge #1862

Although my husband has been a member for the last seven years, I became a member only a couple of years ago, because I wanted to be able to head up events and get involved with other volunteer opportunities at the Elks.  If you are unfamiliar with the Elks, it is a charitable organization and very involved in the community.  Yes, it does have a great bar and wonderful food, but it is really all about the members who come together and help each other out in the quest to fundraise and inform the public of various charities through fun events.  This year, I happened to be involved as the coordinator for the Hillsboro Elks Holiday Bazaar, which occured on November 9^th, 2024.  Coordinating a large event takes months of planning and a team of talented people.  I was fortunate to work with some of the best on this event.  The Holiday Bazaar was open to the public and had photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as a Hot Chocolate Bar and gift-wrapping station.  In the past, I have volunteered with Rock’n Rooms (helping with raffle baskets) and various children’s events (of which I only did treat boxes). 

In the Past…I have also volunteered in my daughter’s grade school as a Parent-Teacher Organization President, school bazaar coordinator for two years, and taught art history classes as a parent volunteer. 

 Another area of volunteering, which I encourage anyone to try at least once, is Meals on Wheels.  I spent quite a few years driving hot meals to homes of people unable to get out or make their own meals for various reasons.  It started out as a community service project for my daughter to earn hours for school.  After she was finished, I continued for years after. 

I love Disney…need I say more?  I collect Disney artwork, I visit Disneyland twice a year, and I even worked for Disney.  Now my husband, who went to Disneyland for the first time when he was 40, loves Disney too.