Tinkering with Ink; Engineering Creativity

Cracked Glass Technique or How to Use Your Freezer for Stamping Projects

2011-06-01T20:22:00.001-04:00

This is my first attempt at trying the cracked glass technique. You stamp an image, stamp over the entire panel with VersaMark ink, and then heat emboss with clear embossing powder or Ultra Think Embossing Enamel. Then while it's still hot, you add a few more layers of UTEE. After it cools, you should be able to "crack" the UTEE and make it look like cracked glass.

Except that it's about 95% humidity today. So my embossed panel was kind of limp and bent instead of cracking. So like any good woman, I took matters into my own hands and stuck it in the freezer to make it harder. LOL~ Strange as it sounds, it worked. Except that I was a bit overly zealous with my cracking and it looked more like shattered glass. But this project is nothing if not extremely forgiving. I just reheated the UTEE and it all melted right back together. Back into the freezer and a slight more controlled cracking and I could live with the results.

You can see the cracks a little better in this picture. I swiped some orange ink over the cracks and rubbed it in to highlight them a bit. And that's all there was to it. Easy peasy, really.

PTI Wildflower Garden stamps, Mint Motif background stamps on the cracked panel. SU Daffodil Delight cardstock. Memento inks.

Look at that! It's not even last minute this time. Okay, off to water my flowers; it was almost 100 degrees here today.

Nothing like the last minute....

2011-05-22T21:05:00.000-04:00

So every Monday there is a new Make it Monday. Of course, I seldom get around to actually MAKING anything and when I do it's always last minute. Like today. It's Sunday. I have less than 12 hours to actually "make it" for this contest. LOL~

I knew that I had to use a reinker in a different way. And the lovely Jenn showed us how to use Perfect Pearls and a reinker in a miny mister to make our own glimmer sprays. Score! I have all of those things already. LOVE when I find a new way to use things I already have. It's so much easier on the wallet. Thanks for that Jenn!!

I pull out an old miny mister that already has the white Perfect Pearl in it with water. So I add some reinker and spray away. I thought I was a smart cookie because I actually remembered to put my non-stick thingie down before spraying. Yeah. Still made an enormous mess and accidently "misted" pieces of another project. Well, okay then. Every Copic colored flower needs a green shimmery background, right? ;-) After a few swipes with a Mr Clean Magic Eraser (truly magic!), I'm back in business.

I decide to cut a frame from my glimmered cardstock with a new set of Nestabilities. It takes two passes to cut (turned 90 degrees on the second pass) and one to emboss since it's so detailed. Still have no idea what to do with it. Now I pull out the stamp sets that I assembled yesterday. One of them is the new PTI anniversary set. It didn't really "grab" me when it was debuted. Bummer since I got five of them, LOL~ But it's growning on me. I decide to use it on this challenge. I stamped the stems in Memento Cottage Ivy. I add some flowers in Pearlescent Coral and Hibiscus Burst.

Now for the crowning touch.....I added three resin flowers that I made using molds from Etsy, Ice Resin (thank you Betsy Veldman for the suggestion) and PTI reinker. I think I threw some Stampin Up Dazzling Diamonds glitter into this batch too.

Well, there you have it. A last minute, seat-of-my-pants creation. It's really hard to see the shimmer in the background as my lights at night stink and I was too lazy to drag out the 5D Mark II to take awesome pics. Sorry!

Happy stamping and I hope to be back soon with some Waltzing Mouse creations!!!

Tea and Crumpets

2011-05-19T22:19:00.002-04:00

I think I should have been born British. I *love* tea, tea pots, tea kettles, tea cups, and even the thought of sitting down to a meal call "tea." So when I saw this adorable little baggie to hold some of my favorite beverage I had to make one. The fact that it's in honor of the 2 year success of one of my favorite stamp designers is just like icing on the tea cake.

I started with a Stampin Up! patterned paper appropriately enough called Tea and Crumpets. I have no idea what a crumpet is, but it sounds cool. I used the WM tea pot stamp and embossed it with copper powder which I think looks like a copper kettle. I used my Copic airbrush to color a white PTI doily cut out to match. A few more stamps from the same WM tea set, SU trim, and a SU antique brass brad finish off my creation. Isn't it cute? The ever talented Claire designed the template and generously GAVE it away for free.

Happy Anniversay WM and congrats to Claire on her continued success!!!

ETA OMGoodness!!! Thanks so much for all your lovely comments and thanks to Claire for such a great prize. She is such a sweet and wonderful person. Here's to many more years of business success for her and Waltzing Mouse Stamps.

She lives!!!

2011-05-11T10:24:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! Yes, I'm back to update my SORELY neglected blog. I've finally taken a break from scrapbooking to make some cards. I bought the $5 grab bag from the Stampin Up! clearance rack (I think they are still available) and it came with lots of bits and pieces of carstock (pre-cut), cards and envelopes, ribbons, buttons, and designer patterned paper. So I put on my creative hat and decided to see what I could come up with, trying to maximize the number of cards I produced.

This first set was fun. My son is 8 and has been invited to MANY, many birthday parties this year. So I decided to make up some cards that are good for young boys. Some of the Crumb Cake cards came with the grab bag and I just cut and scored some additional paper from my stash to make up the extra. The More Mustard, Real Red, Old Olive, and Confetti cardstock pieces came as is in the grab bag. I used a chevron stamp from Waltzing Mouse on the Old Olive paper, an Impression Obsession Cover a Card background stamp on the Real Red, and another grid background stamp from Waltzing Mouse Stamps on the More Mustard. The guitar and video game stamps are from Papertrey Ink and are only $5 sets. Love them! With matching SU inks, I think they are adorable! BTW, I stamped in Versamark first and had no trouble with SU ink on clear stamps. ;) I got 4 of the guitar cards and 3 of each of the video game cards. 10 cards and counting.

This may have been my most frugal use of patterned paper, EVER! The Stampin Up grab bag came with ONE 8.5x11 sheet of this paper with the stars, polka dots and blue grid. I wish I had taken a picture before I cut it up, but alas, hindsight is 20/20 and I didn't. I cut some matching cardstock in Old Olive, More Mustard and Bashful Blue to make the card bases. Then I added the patterned paper with the dotted circles from my stash. I pulled out the coordinating stamp set that I got free during Saleabration last year and some Old Olive ribbon from the SU clearance rack. I used SU stars and circle punches for all but the largest star. That is a Sizzix die that I used in my SU Big Shot. I totally CASE'd these designs from the SU catalog. LOL~ I got 4 of EACH of these cards so now I'm at 22 cards.

These were interesting. The Rose Red card bases, the Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla pieces, and the Tempting Turquoise ribbon came with the grab bag. This is not a color combination that I would normally pick, but I decided to step out of my box and try it. I added the pink trim from this year's Saleabration Ice Cream Parlor kit and the SU sentiment stamps. The background on the sentiment panel is from a Hero Arts background stamp. The die cut flower is a Marth Stewart punch and the rhinestone is from SU colored with Copic markers. I got 5 of each of these. So 27 cards now.

Again, the card bases, cardstock pieces and ribbon came with the grab bag. The polka dot trim is from the same SAB Ice Cream Parlor kit as the last card. Again, I used a SU set with matching SU inks (Certainly Celery and Tempting Turquoise). The Pink Pirouette butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch, but would look just as nice with a butterfly from the SU butterfly Sizzlet. I was just too lazy to get it out and use it that day. I also made 5 of these cards. 32 cards now.

The grab bag came with a sheet of cardstock stickers that I used on these cards and the next two as well. When I ran out of those, I pulled out the coordinating stamp set (To You and Yours) and stamped some images on cardstock and punched them out with my 1.75" circle punch. I added the strips of patterned paper from my stash. The Crumb Cake cardbases came with the grab bag. I think I cut the Mellow Moss ones from the cardstock that was in the grab bag. Simple, but perfect for mass mailing cards like Christmas cards. I got three of each, so I'm at 38 thus far.

More of the same. I got 3 of each of these cards as well. So that brings my total to 44 cards from a $5 grab bag. Not bad, if I do say so myself. All the cardstock, ribbon and patterned paper that I used from didn't add more than $2 to the cost of my cards. So for about $7 in Stampin Up product, I got 44 beautiful cards. I've already used on of the star b-day cards (my son had a party about 30 minutes after I finished them, LOL) and one of the guitar cards for a guy at work.

Well, I hope this marathon post makes up just a bit for my long dry spell. With spring here, I think I'll be creating more and hopefully posting more too. If you want try your hand at a grab bag creation, contact your local Stampin UP demo for information on how to get a grab bag. If you don't have a demo, there is a demo locator on stampinup.com Have a great day!!!

Muse, where are you???

2011-02-25T13:25:00.000-05:00

My muse, my inspiration has been in hibernation this winter. It's been gray and overcast and downright yucky here this year. I don't function well without plenty of sunshine, so my creativity has been about nil lately.

But sometimes things work in very odd ways. This is what was sitting on my scraproom counter today.

I've been scrapping my caribbean cruise pictures, so I have tons of blue/aqua embellishments laying around. And my 11 yo is a Junior Scout. I have 47 boxes of cookies in my pantry, LOL.

So I decided to take this color palate and run with it.

And this is what happened.

I was playing around with different sandwiches in my Big Shot using Embossing Plates and these were the results. Not bad, I think. Misting the cardstock with alcohol seems to really give a much better result and deeper impression.

Anyway, I hope this spring like color palate means the rebirth of my muse. I need to make about a jillion masculine birthday cards for my office, so I really need to get a move on.

Everything PTI, except the scalloped apron punch which is Fiskars. I can't find my PTI scallops dies!!! Now I'm on a hunt.....

Later gators!

Top 10 of 2010

2010-12-29T14:53:00.001-05:00

Wow, this year has gone by fast. Lots of life changes and lots of things have stayed the same. I'm going to try and list my 10 favorite cards I've made this year, but to be honest, I'm not sure I've made all that many more than 10. <blush> Life has been very busy for me.

#10

I love fall and the pop of blue made me so proud. I reached outside my comfort zone to do that. Please excuse the bad picture but this card was too cute for me to not make my top 10.

#9

I mass produced these for my DH to give to his staff this year. Simple, but elegant (I thought) and non-denominational for an office setting.

#8

Have you ever seen skates so tiny??? Both of my girls started ice skating lessons this year and that was the inspiration for this card. My Canadian step-father will be in heaven to get it. :-)

#7

Totally outside my comfort zone again, but I'm trying to expand my horizons. This was part of my 14 days of Valentine's cards for hubby this year. I think I'll do it again next year; he really enjoyed them and still has them all in his card to pull out and look at again and again.

#6a

Who doesn't love spring? Particularly after the winter we had last year. Snow measured in feet rather than inches is rare for around here. The colors just make me happy.

#6b

I love purple and so does my mom. I'm trying to accept that I'm a rather simple stamper and I think this is one of my better examples of how simple is enough.

#5

This was for a card swap. I hardly ever use light pink, so it was a challenge and I think I did okay, if I do say so myself. I have such fun with Copics. I almost feel talented when I use them.

#4

My 4 yo picked this one out to send to my niece who was having a tough go of it. Lost her job when she was 5 months pregnant and her DH is a full-time student. She called and said that it made her cry happy tears. She delivered a healthy, beautiful 8 pound 8.5 oz baby girl on Dec 27!

#3

Again for hubby's Valentine's Day month. This was the first of the series and a bit girlie, but he loved it anyway. LOL~

#2

A lot of firsts for me in this card. My first square card, my first time stamping on ribbon and the first time that I've seen a piece of patterned paper and known exactly what I was going to do with it. I usually buy pretty paper and there it sits. This got used right away!

#1

I saw this stamp in a catalog and knew I had to have it. Holly is one of my favorite holiday symbols and I knew it would be just perfect for my cards this year. I don't think I did it justice with my coloring skills, but hey, I tried! I also mixed THREE patterned papers which is a rare day for me. I usually can't get even one to work out in a way I like.

Thanks for taking a stroll down memory lane with me. I'm going to try to keep my blog updated more regularly, but life does have a way of getting away from me.

Happy New Year everyone!
PS Evidently I cannot count today, so I have a Top 11 with 6a and 6b. LOLOL~

Waltzing my way towards Christmas

2010-11-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe how fast October went this year. Poof! and it was gone. Now it's the race towards Christmas and all the associated madness. But I took a few hours to myself to attend a crop last night. I couldn't wait to bust out these adorable poinsettia stamps from Waltzing Mouse. They are so beautiful and detailed that they can stand alone and don't need much embellishing. I just stamped them in VersaMark on cream cardstock and embossed in gold. A few snips with the scissors and they were ready to mount on this tag. I don't have time to hand make all my tags so this one is for my most special sweetie, my patient, supportive, loving husband. He's all my Christmas wishes and more come true.

Gina K ivory cardstock, DSP from DCWV Christmas stack, red ribbon from the Offray Ribbon Outlet, button and twine from PTI, poinsettia stamp from Waltzing Mouse Stamps, sentiment stamp from Inkadinkado, Garden Green cardstock, white craft ink, and circle punch from Stampin UP!, Stampendous gold detailed embossing powder, and red glitter glue from Viva Decor.

Thanks for looking and let the mad shopping dash begin! (I ordered my first two Christmas gifts on Thursday!!!)

People that have touched my life

2010-09-25T20:41:00.001-04:00

This blog hop is all about those who have inspired you. Well, this card is what I call a two-fer. It's really about two very special people in my life. First is my friend Ellie. I've had the honor to get to know Ellie as a friend the past few months. I can't believe how blessed I've been to have her in my life. She has shared her faith, her life, and her talent. The inspiration for this layout came from a sketches website that she shared with me when my mojo was missing. I've never used a sketch site before because I felt like it was somehow "cheating." But it's not; it's inspiring. My mojo is not back yet as this card was 3 days in the making. But it's peeking out here and there. Due to Ellie, I'm sure it'll be back in no time. THANKS HON!!!!

The second person is my husband. This is obviously an anniversary card. Tomorrow I celebrate being married to my best friend. It's also a double anniversary as we got engaged and married on the same date, just in different years. A two-fer. ;-)

My husband is also an inspiration to me. He has so many good qualities that I try to emulate. He has made me want to be a better person than I am for both him and for me. The verse from Corinthians is just perfect for us. I can't imagine my life without him.

Well, enough of my sap for today. Scarlet Jewel, Enchanted Evening, and Vintage Cream cardstocks from PTI. Orange textured cardstock from Club Scrap. Wood "paper" from Michaels. Enchanted Evening, Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, and Orangiere Inks from PTI. Stamps on front of card from SU, Corinthians verse from Our Daily Bread. Other inside Sentiment from GinaK. Twine and button from PTI. Punch from SU.

Thanks for looking!

The Password to Larkspur Lane

2010-08-29T07:00:00.001-04:00

As a child I DEVOURED the Nancy Drew mystery stories. She was so glamorous with her pumps (had no idea what those were at the time, but they sure sounded chic) and convertable and handsome Ned. Her adventures were quite a mental escape for a small-town girl like me. The Password to Larkspur Lane sounded so pretty. I didn't know what larkspurs were back then.

So when PTI released the July flower of the month as larkspurs, I thought "Aha! I finally know what those flowers look like!" Yes, I lead a pretty boring life as this was a momentous occasion. LOL~

I think this still needs something, but since I was not sure what, I just left it. Sometimes less is more, KWIM? At least it is in my world. PTI cardstock, stamps and twill tape. Gina K light purple and white cardstock. Oval nesties and Copic markers.

Until next time......

Generic, ambigious, non-descript

2010-08-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

This started out as a sympathy card. But I always try to make more than one of each design. So I went with a generic "thinking of you" on this version that could be sympathy, could be encouragement, could be just about anything, LOL~

I'm not very good at using patterned paper but this seemed easy enough. I used Bazzill peach cardstock, SU River Rock cardstock, random patterned paper and London Fog gray cardstock by Gina K. The sentiment is a SU punch, the large die cut is one of the Spellbinders Labels.

It's definitely not my usual "style" but I like it. Have a super, awesome day!

Back to School

2010-08-25T18:06:00.000-04:00

We are going back to school on Sept 7th. And we've had a rocky start to the year already. They tried to put my son in a combined first and second grade class with a very inexperienced, subpar teacher. So I had to push and assert my parental rights to get him put back in the class he was originally assigned to. His teacher has picked up 4 additional students already, so I think she needs a special thank you on the first day and this is for her.

Paper bags was a tough challenge for me. I'm really not even a fan of kraft paper <gasp!>. I decided to morph my bag into well, a bag, LOL. But a smaller bag, and one that displays the homemade treats as much as carries them.

I made tags using the jar set and mounted them on the notebook page. I embossed the page using the letters background, but you can't see it here. The jars are full of blueberry and sweet pepper jelly, thus the blue and green. The "handle" of the sack is just ribbon that I braided in primary school colors. It's just Offray ribbon from their outlet. At $1.25 per roll, I could sacrifice as much as I wanted. The thought of using that much PTI ribbon made me cringe. :-)

The blueberry jam jar already had a decorative seal and ring, so it didn't need any embellishing. But the sweet pepper jelly was a bit plain so I added a label to the lid (although after a second look, it appears to be more of an apple than a pepper, LOL Oh well!) and some Havest Gold PTI satin ribbon.

I hope our teacher likes it and knows how much we appreciate her! I could never be a teacher. I don't have nearly enough patience. ;-) Happy blog hopping everyone.

Thinking out of my A2 box

2010-08-25T07:00:00.002-04:00

It seems like I always make A2 sized cards. I think it's because it's simple, doesn't require much thought or waste and I have those size envelopes in spades.

But I decided to get out of my comfort zone and make a 4.25x4.25 card instead. I love the Vintage Picnic set and all the different combos of baskets and fillers. Although I am very lazy and wish there was a die cut for the baskets. I cut it out and popped it up on dimensisons to give the card some depth. The white background with the flower filler was cut with Nesties.

Sometimes it's nice to just drop someone a note to let them know that you are thinking of them. I think this will work nicely for that.

PTI cardstock, patterned paper, and stamps. SU punch. Nesties Labels 1???? I can never remember all the details, LOL~

Thinking of all my wonderful blog friends.... :-)

Large Families

2010-08-23T07:00:00.004-04:00

I have a big family. 7 kids, 5 grandkids, a bazillion aunts, uncles, counsin, nieces, nephew, etc. So LOTS of birthdays. Thus I am always on the look-out for birthday sets. I'm not sure that this set was intended to be a birthday set, but I used it that way. And kind of like how it turned out.

I've been on a Versamark tone-on-tone stamped background kick. I think it adds a nice touch without being overwhelming.

PTI stamps, cardstock and ink. SU Top Note die cut.

Have a good day and thanks for sticking with me through feast and famine here on my blog. :-)

Springtime

2010-08-21T07:00:00.002-04:00

Daffodils always remind me of spring. I have a yard full of them that just seem to shout "Winter is over for another year!!!" They are just bright and cheerful and I love them.

This is another of the PTI's Year of the Flower sets. I made these cards for my family for Easter this year. SU So Saffron and Green cardstock and punch, random patterned paper, Copic Markers, PTI stamps.

Simple but it works for me. Cutting out the daffodils was a royal pain (particularly since I made 6 other these), but I think it makes a nice presentation.

Thanks for looking!

Dads

2010-08-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

I've spent my entire life as Daddy's Girl. My dad was not always an easy man to live with. We inherit so much from our parents and he got his dad's temper. Which he passed on to me. It seems to be diminishing through the generations and that's a good thing.

But I digress. My dad is special to me. So I want to make his birthday a special occasion. I really struggle with masculine cards, so I was pretty pleased that this came together so well.

The PTI On the Road set seems very appropriate for my father. He loves cars. Really, really loves them. Some of my most vivid childhood memories take place at car lots/car dealers. He's even been known in recent years (now that all of us are grown and gone) to go out to a yard sale (another of his loves) and come home with a Mercedes Benz, LOL~ I can't wait until my daughter is 16 and goes for her annual weeklong summer visit and comes home with a car. I only wish I was kidding.

Anyway, the green brown combo appealed to me.. The double yellow stripe on the side is my attempt to make it look like the car is indeed "on the road." Sometimes I think it looks okay; other times I think it looks like it's just hanging out there in space. Either way, I hope dad will like it.

Have a great day!

SU at GASC

2010-08-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

A friend and I attended the crop at the GASC in Chantilly. It was not nearly as crowded as I remember last time. But the chairs were every bit as uncomfortable as I remembered, LOL~ The good news is that I now have a super, awesome, new stamping buddy. An honest to goodness, real-life, local stamping afficionado.

This patterned paper is from Basic Grey. I really liked the pretty, bright, cheery colors.

The embossing folder, cardstock, and punches are from SU. The stamp is from PTI.

Take Two

2010-08-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Designing a card takes a lot of work for me as I am not naturally creative. So when I find something that works, I make more than one with slight modifications.

This card was made for my secretary's birthday. She appreciates my work so much that it's a real joy to create for her.

The stamps are PTI, the ribbon and word window punch are SU.

This second variation is a thank you card. I never seem to have enough of these.

The stamps are from PTI, the large image is from the Graduation set and the circle images are from the free set that PTI gives away if you buy 12 sets in one year. Free is always good!

Have a wonderful day~

Memories

2010-08-13T07:00:00.002-04:00

When I was small, we lived with my grandparents while my dad finished school. So for the first two years of my life, I was not only the only grandchild, I had Grandma's attention 24/7. Then for the next four years, I spent almost every Saturday with her going to the "beauty salon." To say that she was a huge part of my life would be an understandment.

Grandma loved to garden. She had green thumb that I've never seen the likes of since. Anything would grow for her. One year, she planted Lily of the Valley all along the walkway since they are my birthmonth flower. Shortly thereafter when I was 6, Grandma died of a massive stroke caused by high blood pressure. I miss her every day. But for years, every spring the Lily of the Valley would bloom and make me feel like she was still there with me in a very small way. I've tried to grow them myself, but they never took.

So when I saw this stamp set from PTI's Year of the Flower series, I knew it had to be mine. I paired it with SU's new Daffodil Delight cardstock and PTI's New Leaf cardstock. The ribbon is SU's Crushed Curry from last year's In Colors. It actually goes very well with the new Daffodil Delight.

This card makes me smile. It cheers me up. Hope it makes you smile too.

The pressure of a swap

2010-08-11T07:16:00.002-04:00

I made this card for a card swap on the PTI forums. My forum friend's favorite PTI color is Sweet Blush. For some reason, I have a truly difficult time using that color. Particularly as a main color.

So after many false starts, many failed attempts, this is what I came up with. I sweated and fretted about it. But thankfully, she liked it. Whew! This is why I don't do many swaps. I'm afraid that I'll do substandard work and let down my fellow swapers. Too much pressure for something that is supposed to be fun and a stress relief for me, LOL~

All PTI materials. Cardstock, ribbon, ink, stamps, ric rak die cut, texture plate, etc. Oh, and Copic markers.

Thanks for looking and have a great day~

Mary-posa

2010-08-09T07:05:00.000-04:00

Butterflies are a favorite in our house. My youngest flits and flutters around just like a butterfly. Never staying in one place very long, and always very graceful (unlike her mother). Her name is Mary, so a logical extension is that we call her Mary-posa, meaning butterfly in Spanish. All my kids speak Spanish.

So when we saw that Mariposa DCWV stack at JoAnn's, we had to have it. This butterfly paper came from that stack.

This paper has a wonderful glittery shimmer which appeals greatly to my 4 year old. What little girl doesn't like glitter, right?

The ribbon is white satin dyed with PTI Chamomille ink. The butterflies are stamped from the PTI butterfly set and colored with Copic Markers. The cardstock is SU's new Cajun Craze and Marina Mist. The border punch is also from SU. The die cut is from Spellbinders Fancy Labels.

Hope your day is as delightful as a watching butterflies.

Paris

2010-08-07T07:00:00.003-04:00

This card is for my sister for her first anniversay. She went to Paris on her honeymoon, so I thought it was very fitting for her.

Someday, I'll make it there. Someday, I'll get to go on a vacation that doesn't consist of Disney World, a construction project, visiting family, or Las Vegas. Don't get me wrong, I love doing all those things. But someday, I want to take a grown-up, romantic vacation with just Hubby and me going somewhere I've never been before. For now, this is as close as I've ever been to Paris, LOL~

A new attitude

2010-08-05T07:00:00.006-04:00

It would seem that I need a new attitude. Something upbeat.... positive.... grateful. I have been given many blessings and with those come a few crosses to bear as well. I need to focus on the good and uplifting aspects of my life and allow the rest to slide off like water off a duck's back.

This card seems to embody that thought. The sky really is the limit when you have the right attitude. I can see that quite clearly now, but how do I focus on that when the bumps come along? If you have any sage wisdom to offer about keeping things in perspective, I'd love to hear it. I let so many things affect me on a personal level that I should just let go and keep in source of the angst in mind.

Anyway, I loved this PTI set and had to have it. Then I saw the patterned paper and immediately thought of this application even though I think those are supposed to be waves, tee hee! Of course, it took a month or so to actually get around to executing this grand (in my mind) idea, LOL~ but here it is. The ink kind of ran a bit on the ribbon (used Momento ink) so if you have any advice on a better ink to use, that would be most welcome. Balloons were colored with Copic markers and hand cut as I forgot I had the matching die. Ooops!

Have a great and uplifting day!

Life happens.....

2010-08-03T10:23:00.000-04:00

My life seems to be filled to the brim and speeding by faster than a freight train. Each day is full of work, kids, activities, household projects, and on very rare occasions, crafting.

It seems that the more I do, the more I have to do. I've spent the past 8 months working my guts out trying to pick up the slack at work for vacant positions. I thought I was doing a good job. I was TOLD that I was doing a good job by my boss. But yesterday, he blew up that one thing is not moving fast enough for him. Suddenly, all I've done is not enough. As much as I try to remain professional, that hurt. A lot. Maybe I'm wrong, but when you give it your all (and then some) and am told that that is not enough, it stings. I'm really not sure where this will end up. I've put up with this kind of thing for 3 years now and I'm tired of it. I love what I do, but maybe it's time for a different path for me. We shall see.

But enough doom and gloom. I thought this card was very appropriate. Life is more than just that moment yesterday. I'm trying very hard to remember that today. This card uses SU's new color Cherry Pie with another new color Blushing Bride. I honestly can't remember the name of the stamp set, but it's by SU too and in the Summer Mini catalogue. It's super simple, but that's about all I have time and energy for these days, LOL~

Thanks for looking (and listening to me vent). Have a great day!

Shimmer and flowers

2010-04-25T18:59:00.000-04:00

The challenge was to use tissue paper on a card. This is what I ended up with after three false starts, LOL. First I decided to try a painting technique that I've seen before where you wad up tissue paper and daub it on wet paint leaving behind a nifty distressed pattern look. So I dabbed bronze pigment ink on a piece of cardstock and tried it. Nothing happened. Strike one.

So then I tried it with brown acrylic paint. But the paint dried too quickly to get any sort of design. Strike two.

Next up was embossing plates. I embossed some cardstock with the woodgrain plate and then painted it with brown acrylic paint and brayered the tissue on top of the paint. A kindergartener could have done better. Strike three, but I wasn't out yet.

Thus the nothing new, but tried and true, tissue paper flowers. I used two different scalloped punches to give a bit of a different look. I also sprayed each flower with a mixture of bronze Perfect Pearl and hairspray to give it a bit of shimmer. Hard to see in the picture.

So there you have it, my attempt at recycling nothing into something. I'm in need of birthday cards in my basket, so I'll keep it, but not my favorite. I don't do well under pressure, LOL.

Thanks for looking and more later.

Mother's Day Continued

2010-04-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

I'm blessed to have two moms in my life. My stepmom is a wonderful person whom I love dearly. She makes my dad so happy and for that I'm eternally grateful. She's also just a phenominal grandmother and a very good friend. So this card is for her. She's an avid gardner so I went with the dahlia stamps and matching dies. Colored with copics and rhinestone accents in the center.

And since glitter was good on my last card, I thought we'd try it again. Never too much Dazzling Diamonds, right?

Bazzill pink cardstock, PTI white cardstock, stamps and dies, and SU ink and glitter. Nestabilities for the scalloped oval.

I think I'll give her periennials with the card so she can think of us every spring when they come up.

More later, friends!

Mother's Day is fast approaching

2010-04-15T10:23:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day is the one holiday that always seems to get away from me. I'm not sure if it's because all the kids' spring activities are starting up and I'm just getting into the groove with them. Or it's because I sudddenly have a ton more things to do around the house, more specifically in the yard. But I'd say more often than not, I'm scrambling to get cards made and sent.

But not this year! I was determined to get ahead of the curve and by gosh, I've done it! This is for my mom who love purple. Simple, but effective I think. Taking a note from Nichole's book I added a strip of ScorTape and dusted it with glitter. Subtle but bling-y. Toss in a few pearls and rhinestones and voila! A card fit for any mom.

PTI stamps and ink. Bazzill bling cardstock and SU Top Note die and glitter.

I even bought stamps today so I'm going to address this and clip it to my calendar so I'm sure to mail it. :-)

It's raining babies

2010-04-14T16:55:00.000-04:00

My good friend is having baby number 3 next month. Her shower is this weekend. In fact it's a joint shower for THREE ladies having babies in my church ministry. Sarah *thinks* she's having a girl, but it's not certain so I went with a neutral aqua color for her card. It's kind of plain looking, so if you have any suggestions to spiffy it up, I'd love to hear them.

I used the polka dot impressions plate on the umbrella and hand cut it, then popped it up on dimensionals. I'm going to use Inside Out: Baby *if* it gets here in time for the inside sentiment.

PTI stamps, impression plate, scalloped border die, and Aqua Mist cardstock. Stampin Up polka dot ribbon, white satin/organdy ribbon, and Bermuda Bay ink. Nestabilities label die.

More posts schedule for the next few days so stay tuned!

A new size for me

2010-04-07T18:00:00.001-04:00

I saw someone use this SU die like this on a blog. I wish I could remember who or where to give them credit. But all I can do is say that the idea is not mine, although the colors are. I added the flower with glass seed beads and Crystal Effects because I thought it needed a bit more color and butterflies like flowers, right? I also broke out of my A2 rut and tried something a little different. 4x4 cards. But now I have no envelopes, LOL. Better order some so that I can actually use these.

SU Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, and Pink Pirouette cardstock. Unknown aqua cardstock from my stash. SU Lattice Die and Beautiful Wings Embosslit. Kaiser rhinestones.

Hasta tarde, chicos.

Crafts for the Crafty

2010-04-06T20:32:00.000-04:00

I loved this set from the minute I saw the previews! I love sending my creations to other crafty people who will appreciate them. I found out this past weekend that both my sister and sister-in-law keep ALL of the cards that I send them. That made me feel REALLY good. And I'll be sure to send both of them more cards now, LOL~

I couldn't pass up the jars of buttons all lined up in a row just like I have them in my studio. I covered the jars with Crystal Effects to give them a glass-like look. And the border punch on the bottom was a happy accident. I had scored the card on the wrong line on my Scor-Pal. So I chopped a bit off the back and added the border to the front to even it all up. I love when bad things turn out good.

PTI supplies; SU border punch from SAB and SU Crystal Effects. Kaiser rhinestones.

More later, peeps!

2010-03-31T15:00:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long time between updates. Life is just crazy busy right now. This card is just a little something I whipped up playing with a new technique I learned at a Copics class. You color on the stamp with your Copic markers and then mist with blending solution and stamp. Kinda reminds me of a watercolored look a bit.

Anyway, mostly SU materials, cardstock, ribbon, stamps, etc. And some new Nesties that I ordered. Abstract rectangles I think they are called. I apologize for the bad picture. I was just too lazy to drag out the DSLR today, LOL. I obviously need a new P&S.

More later, amigos!

Is is spring yet?

2010-03-25T18:46:00.000-04:00

This winter has been a tough one. Record breaking snow falls, bitter cold for weeks, $400 electric bills, etc. But it finally feels like spring might show up after all. It was 74 degrees today and the sun was shining. My daffodils are bustin' out all over and the tulips are sprouting too. Redbuds are budding and my eyes are itching. All good signs of better weather to come.

So I couldn't wait to dig into bright, cheerful colors. And what better to signify spring than flowers? Lily of the Valley have nothing to do with this card, but they are my favorite flower, so I decided to use them to set the stage for my blog hop entry.

All supplies are PTI.

Cardstock: Stamper Select white, Lemon Tart, Hibiscus Burst, Hawaiian Shore, Vellum

Ink: New Leaf and Hibiscus Burst

Ribbon: Lemon Tart Dots

Buttons: Lemon Tart and Hibiscus Burst

Dies: Beautiful Blooms II and Picnic Plaid Embossing Plate

Felt: Hawaiian Shores

I feel like spring has sprung. At least until tomorrow when they claim we have a chance of snow showers, LOL.

Later gators! I'm off to make dinner and arrange a playdate.

Inspiration

2010-02-25T17:37:00.000-05:00

I am not a very creative person. I am very analytical and linear in my thought processes. I guess that's part of what makes me a successful engineer. Not a good idea to "wing it" when you are building a bridge, LOL. But those same qualities often lead to a loss of creative energy. So that's why I love to blog hop. I get so many good ideas and fantastic presentations. And since I see so many of them, they all meld together in my mind and combine to form ideas somewhat like what I saw but not exactly the same.

So it is with this card. I got the idea to use the word stamps as a background from Dawn's card here. http://dawnmcvey.typepad.com/these_are_a_few_of_my_fav/2009/12/say-it-with-style-day-3.html Fortunately for her and unfortunately for us, the image is out for publication. However, you can see bits and pieces of how she did it on the link. She used pinks and reds for Valentine's Day, however, I used a more generic Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blush to make a birthday card.

I think I'll repeat this technique with blues and greens and a less "frilly" nestability for a good masculine birthday card. Thanks Dawn for all the color, technique and inky ideas!!!!!!

And thanks to everyone for looking!

V-day Card #14: A Colorful Finish

2010-02-06T16:37:00.000-05:00

So this is how I started my last card of my Valentine's Day project. Just like the card that Nichole did with some Scarlet Jewel added for contrast. I was making a play off the "Love" birds theme.

I even found this adorable button that has stripes on it that mimic the trees in the stamp. And it's a very nice winter theme. Very much appropriate given that today my backyard looks like this.

But it just didn't seem right to finish off my project. Not enough of "us" in it for it to be meaningful, KWIM?

Hubby and I used to work together which meant that we carpooled together too. Sunrise and sunset became very special times for us. Even after hubster got a new job and we no longer rode to work together, we made a deal that we would always think of each other at sunrise and sunset. And we could know that the other was always thinking of us. My sweet man even calls me on his way to work when there is a beautiful sunrise. In fact, he called me on Thursday. (Worry not, his car is Bluetooth enabled and his Blackberry links to it, so he's calling hands-free) So this is what I came up with. I think it captures us perfectly. And I *LOVE* the color combo. I would never in a million years have put them together, but nature did on Thursday and who was I to argue? LOL~

Thank you for joining me on this amazing journey. It has stretched my creativity in ways I could not have dreamed of. It's not as easy as it seems to come up with 14 cards that you think are worthy of your soul mate. And hubby is loving it. He's been so sweet and romantic all week. You reap what you sow and I really need to put something back into my marriage. This was just the ticket. I can't wait to give him this card on the 14th. Right now I need to go dig out from under the 30" of snow that we've gotten since yesterday afternoon.

Later y'all.

V-day Card #13: Sweet Confetti

2010-01-31T18:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I originally planned to fill the cup with red M&Ms. I had a 2 pound bag of them from Christmas and I was going to cull out the red ones to use here. However, the mysterious and sneaky creature named Not Me appears to have made off with my bag. Hmmmm......3 children and a chocoholic husband......I wonder which one or ones made off with the goods.

So my valentine isn't as sweet as I wanted it to be. Confetti is cute but not very good to eat, LOL. This is a take off from Becky's challenge only slightly modified in proportions. I might add a strip of red glitter right above the border punch. What do you think?

Stampin Up Sweet Treats stamp stamp set and treat cup, SU Real Red cardstock and ink, SU Pink Pirouette cardstock, SU Black cardstock, SU Modern Window punch, Martha Stewart scalloped heart border punch, random hearts confetti plus some MS tiny heart confetti, Bazzill pink brads, PTI fresh snow ink, and random red satin ribbon from the Offray ribbon outlet.

Only one more to go. I need to make #14 uber special. Any ideas you'd like to share???

Thanks for looking. I love to read all your comments; they make my day.

V-day Card #12: CASE'd

2010-01-31T07:00:00.001-05:00

Day #12 of my Valentines and my creativity is running low. So I decided to do what any good card maker would......CASE a card from someone much more talented than me. :-) In this case, this came from Becky's challenge on her blog. I changed the color from Melon Berry to Raspberry Fizz and then rest is exactly the same. Surprise, surprise, I really like how it turned out.

I tried it with the pail and shovel from this set, but it was smaller than the puppy and it looked lost on the heart. I also tried a scalloped heart punch I have but it was too big. I guess the image that Becky chose is like Baby Bear.....just right.

PTI Kraft, Vintage Cream and Raspberry Fizz cardstock, Raspberry Fizz saddle stitched ribbon and button, EK Success heart punch, Momento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers, and Stampin Up Dimensionals.

In the home stretch now. Only 2 more to go.

V-day Card #11: Embossed Simplicity

2010-01-30T13:39:00.001-05:00

I've been itching to use this embossed frame since I bought it last year. And the Scarlet Jewel/Sweet Blush/Smokey Shadow combo has been calling my name.

So this is what happened on a snowy Saturday afternoon when I combined the two. I thought that the frame with the bling was ornate enough to carry the front without much else.

PTI cardstocks, Simple Valentine stamp set, embossed frame by Sizzix, and Kaiser rhinestones.

Taking a note from much more accomplished designers, I also decided to decorate the inside of the card. The embossed frame cuts out this heart in the center of the frame. I wanted a sentiment in the middle on the front, but waste not, want not so I used it on the inside.

On a side note, we are expecting about 6 inches of snow here in DC today. We were only supposed to get a dusting, but the forecast changed overnight and now we are getting dumped on. It's been snowing since about 9 am here with no signs of stopping; we have 3"+ already. Winter has been harder here than it has been in years. The kids are loving it and it reminds me of home (near Pittsburgh, PA). I think we're off to go sledding. Ciao!!!

V-day Card #10: Stars

2010-01-27T22:07:00.000-05:00

So I was not feeling overly crafty tonight, but hubby decided to watch the State of the Union speech on TV and I didn't last more than a few minutes. Even though I live in the Washington DC metro area, I'm not big on politics.

So I headed to my studio and this is what happened. I was trying for a more masculine color scheme. I recently saw a blog post using Ocean Tides and decided to pull it out as my base. I bought the Unity September store kit of the month a while back at my LSS, so I pulled it out to give it some inky love. I've been on a bit of a border punch kick so I grabbed one of those too. I added the bling at the end because it just sort of seemed blah and needed something. I don't know if they helped or hurt, LOL. For better or worse, just like us, it is what it is.

PTI Ocean Tides cardstock, saddle stitched ribbon and ink; Vintage Cream cardstock; Bitty Stars patterned paper in Dark Chocolate; Scarlet Jewel ink and Star Prints stamp set. Unity phrase stamp, Kaiser rhinestones, Martha Stewart stars border punch.

Only 4 more to go!!! I think I might actually get this done. :-)

V-day Card #9: Ribbon

2010-01-25T19:36:00.000-05:00

Day #9 of my Project Romance the Hubby. Today is the traditional red and white color scheme. It reminded me of the red cellophane wrapped candy filled hearts that DH loves to buy for me. Of course, he immediately eats all the chocolate covered nuts or anything with nuts to "help me out." LOL~ Gotta love a man that ranks chocolate almost as high as you.

PTI Pure Poppy cardstock, dotted ribbon and ink; PTI Fresh Snow ink and Stamper's Select cardstock. PTI Sweet Blush Pigment ink. EK Success medium heart punch, Marth Stewart lacy heart border punch. Dazzling Diamonds glitter and Momento Tuxedo Black ink.

Thanks for looking!

V-day Card #8: Sweet

2010-01-22T22:23:00.000-05:00

I know, I know....kinda of girlie for a man. Oh well, he gets what he gets, LOL. I really love the combo of Sweet Blush and Berry Sorbet. Add in the Dark Chocolate and I felt it added just enough of a manly touch to make this not out of the realm of possibilities for a guy card.

The cupcake is a subtle nod to the fact that I *LOVE* cake but I love my wonderful hubby more than cake. That's a big deal in this house. :-)

PTI Berry Sorbet cardstock, ink and ribbon; Sweet Blush cardstock; Dark Chocolate ink and ribbon. Tiny Treats: Valentine and Background Basics: Hearts stamp sets. Prima flowers; SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter, rhinestone brads and Dimensionals. Circles cut with Circle Nestabilities and Petite Circle Nestabilities.

Hopefully more tomorrow, but life is crazy busy right now.

V-day Card #7: Bling

2010-01-19T07:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had a great idea that doesn't turn out so great when you move from concept to execution? Well, this is one of those for me. It looked so cute in my head. The reality is a little less polished than I might have hoped for. But I'm not perfect, so I figure that my cards don't have to be either for my sweetie to love them. He loves me with all my imperfections, right?

Stampin Up Regal Rose carstock, SU Rose red craft ink and ribbon, VersaMark ink, 5/8" white satin ribbon and white satin flowers from the Offray Ribbon outlet, PTI Enchanted Evening cardstock and Kaiser rhinestones.

Halfway done!

V-day Card #6: Retro

2010-01-18T07:00:00.002-05:00

I found these cute heart string beads at my LSS. They looked like those red hot heart candies that I loved as a child. I think I'll leave a pillowbox of those for DH along with this card. Red hots for my hubby who's a major hottie himself. Somehow, that seems like a good idea to me. ;-)

Stampin Up Rose Red cardstock, SU patterned paper from the Saleabration paper pack, SU Pretty in Pink cardstock, SU Taken with Teal cardstock, SU Whisper White ink, SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Making Memories white "I" rub-on, white ribbon from the Offray Ribbon outlet, head string beads from my LSS.

Thanks for looking! Hasta tarde!

V-day Card #5: Vintage

2010-01-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

I totally stole the idea to use these labels to make a vintage-y background from Dawn McVey. In fact I ordered this set just to be able to do this. I really love it!

My man has been on a travel kick lately. He's been bugging the living daylights out of me to go on a cruise, to take a religious tour of the middle east and Israel, to jet off to the Caribbean. Me, I'm a home-body. I'm much happier sleeping in my own bed, cooking in my own kitchen and having all the comforts of home just a few steps away.

We're compromising, so I thought this sort of looked like the old-style travel stickers that you used to see on luggage. Maybe we'll try a short cruise this year and save the longer, further-away adventures for when the kids are a bit older.

PTI Vintage Cream cardstock, Scarlet Jewel CS and button, rustic white twine, heart punches and stampset. Stampin Up Pretty in Pink cardstock and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Embellished heart punch by Martha Stewart.

Thanks for joining me on my Valentine's Day card journey. Later, y'all

Valentine's Day Project: Day #4

2010-01-16T15:46:00.000-05:00

Okay, not exactly a traditional Valentine. No valentine colors, no hearts, no cupids, no glitter, no nuthin'. But I think it conveys the message that I'm trying to send to my honey with this project. I appreciate the fact that he is there for me through thick and thin, all the time.

And I couldn't resist the couch. We playfully bicker over who gets the recliner every night after dinner. It's generally first come, first served, but if either of us have had a bad or long day, we defer to the other. So for Christmas this year, hubby bought me a new brown leather sofa and matching recliner. The best part is that the soft itself has a recliner on either end. So we both get to kick back in comfort and yet at the same time sit next to each other so that we can hold hands. Awwww......isn't that just too sweet?

SU Chocolate Chip and Always Artichoke cardstock, SU Soft Suede polka dot ribbon, SU patterned paper from the hostess Level one paper pack, SU wide oval and scalloped oval punches. PTI On My Couch stamp set, Vintage Cream cardstock, and Dark Chocolate ink. Corner Chomper and random rub-on from my stash.

More tomorrow.....

V-day Card #3: Checkerboard

2010-01-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

I totally stole this idea from the scraps challenge on the PTI DT blogs. I don't *love* how this turned out, but when you have 15 Valentine's to make, you have to expect that some will wow you more than others, LOL. This one kind of makes me dizzy, but hubby has much better balance than me so hopefully it's all good.

SU Real Red and Pink Pirouette cardstock, SU scalloped square punch, PTI Pure Poppy twill tape, Sweet Blush buttons, Hibiscus Burst Pigment Ink, Simple Valentine PP and stamp set.

V-day Card #2: SWAK

2010-01-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

I saw this "lips" stamp at a large chain craft store and I knew I had to have it. Simple and playful is the look I was going for. My husband and I are always giving each other little "pecks" for no reason at all. My son who is 7 is convinced that boys and girls kissing is how you make babies, so it totally grosses him out. He is emphatic that he does NOT want more little brothers and sisters. After 7 kids, I have to say that I agree with him, LOL. I think this card captures the essence of my marriage. Kinda sweet, lots of goofy, but after 17 years still totally, head-over-heels, make googlie eyes at each other in love.

Neenah white cardstock, Versamark ink, Zing poppy embossing powder, SU gold cardstock, Making Memories white rub-ons, SU Dimensionals, and black satin ribbon from the Offray Ribbon Outlet. I cut the heart out with my Cricut Expression using the Sweethearts cartridge.

Card #3 up tomorrow and hopefully more in the days after as I'm going to a crop tonight and have my bag all packed with Valentine's Day stamps and embellishments.

Christmas gifts....

2010-01-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

I decided to give hand-made gifts this year to many of the people that you want to give a little something to, but don't want to spend a lot of money. Coaches, piano teacher, bus driver, etc. This little set is something I made for my daughter's piano teacher. She has a 5 month old baby, so I thought making lists would be right up her alley.

A set of note cards with a treble clef, a note pad and an RSVP pen lined with matching paper. I have no idea who made the patterned paper as it was from my ginormous stash (trying to use what I have). The cardstock and ribbon is Scarlet Jewel from PTI. The stamp (retired) on the card is from Stampin Up! and the stamp on the notepad is from PTI's Take Note.

Love is in the air....

2010-01-09T07:00:00.006-05:00

I just got ALL the Christmas decorations put away. I *love* Christmas; it's one of my favorite times of year. Green and red and holly and candy canes, and....and....and..... LOL~ There are wreaths on the front doors, the french doors, over the sofa, etc. There is garland draped from the staircase railings with HUGE bows on each newel post. Table cloths, candles, flower arrangements, holiday china, holiday everyday dishes, etc. Be careful if you ever come to my house, if you stand still too long, you'll find yourself draped with garland and ribbons, LOL!

But......that's all done for the season. And now it's time to move on to Valentine's Day. I have the best husband in the world. Really. There is nothing he won't do for me. And even after all these years, I love him with all my heart, soul, and being. He's one of the only truly selfless people I've ever met. And he deserves so much better than what I usually give him. I'm a bit (okay, a LOT) of a grump when I get stressed and all these kids will definitely stress me out. So this year, I'm aiming to leave him a Valentine's Day card and small surprise on the seat of his car every day from Feb 1 to Feb 14. Which means that I need 15 cards for him. Yikes! I'd better get it in gear~ So this is the first of them.

Hibiscus Burst cardstock, ink, and ribbon; Sweet Blush cardstock; Raspberry Fizz ink and rhinestones. Martha Stewart heart and border punch. PTI Heart Prints stamp set.

Later gators!

This one's for Ted

2010-01-08T11:26:00.000-05:00

My most humble apologies. I can't believe I haven't updated in over 2 months. I'm going to claim holiday immunity and leave it at that.

But my good friend Ted was asking about star lovers so I thought I'd post these two quick and easy cards just for him.

This is a card that I made for a male birthday. I struggle making cards that are not too frou-frou. The red, white and blue theme as well as the complete absence of flowers seemed to be the best I could do, LOL.

Stampin Up Pacific Point and Real Read cardstock and ink. SU Pacific Point ribbon and SU word window punch. PTI Star Prints stamp set.

I was in charge of a large fund-raiser event at work this year (and the last 16 years, LOL). People donate food and time and I wanted a little something to say Thank You! I whipped up 30 of these little beauties in only about 20 minutes. The theme was Be a Star in Someone's Life, so I thought this worked really well. The campaign colors were red and blue, so I echoed those in my design.

Neenah white cardstock, SU Brilliant Blue and Real Red inks, PTI Fancy Flourishes, Star Prints and Giga Guidelines stamp sets.

Well, that's all for today. Hopefully, I'll have a new post for you in a day or so. We got snow last night, although nothing like the 25 inches we got before Christmas, so I'm staying home to play in my studio today. I need to get out all my Valentine's Day sets for inspiration.

Later folks!

Trick or Treat!

2009-10-31T17:43:00.004-04:00

We are known as a "good house" LOL~ Every year we give out full-sized candy bars to our trick-or-treaters and as the number of kids coming by has dwindled (many have grown up and are off to college in the neighborhood) we give MULTIPLE full-sized candy bars to each kid. Last year, they were calling each other on cell phones to alert friends to make sure to come by our house, LOL. What a hoot! Our neighborhood houses are not super close and we live on a hill, so it's a bit of work for each house you hit; best to make it worth your while, KWIM?

I keep telling DH that we should just stop buying so many (we haven't have double digit guests in about 5 years) but he won't hear of it. So this is what you get. 50 candy bars, plus a bag of "filler" just in case. Right, like we're going to need that. LOL~

Anyway, he's out at the village center trick-or-treating with the kids all dressed up as my own personal vampire, and his middle name is even Edward (swoon). I'm sneaking in a pic and a post while I'm waiting for my first TOT'er to arrive.

Happy hauntings to you all and don't OD on the sugar. ;-)

Well, knock me down and take all my candy. We've had about 40 trick-or-treaters so far and it's only 7:30. AND it's raining. Go figure. LOL~

Grand total: 50 to 60 TOT'ers and gave out about 80% of my candy. What a great Halloween!

Sweet Treats

2009-10-25T19:02:00.001-04:00

I found this ribbon last year on clearance and couldn't pass it up. Then when I found a stamp set that highlighted a gingerbread man that I knew matched the ribbon, I was sold. Who can resist such a cute, happy image? Who hasn't been read (or read to their kids) The Gingerbread Man over and over again? Although I have never actually *made* gingerbread men cookies, I love them just the same.

PTI Pure Poppy and Vintage Cream cardstocks, Vintage White twine, Pure Poppy buttons, Holiday Button Bits stamps, Chai and New Leaf inks. SU Creamy Caramel cardstock. Martha Stewart patterned paper. Rhinestones from my stash.

Have a sweet day!

The CASE of a Lisa Johnson original

2009-10-25T18:00:00.002-04:00

I completely CASE'd this card from Lisa Johnson. I fell in love with the polka dots and holly is one of my favorite holiday images.

The piles of supplies are because I plan to make 24 of these. I didn't have enough to make 25 which really bugged me until I realized that 24 was just as good. LOL~

PTI supplies. Super old, reclaimed from my daughter's stash "cloud" shaped scissors.

Thanks for looking!

Tea Time

2009-10-11T16:15:00.000-04:00

More in the continuing trend of Christmas gifts. My sister-in-law loves tea and coffee. She and my brother do not have children yet, so they are able to indulge themselves in many ways and their house is decorated in a way that would make Martha Stewart very proud. I envy them for this as I live in what I call "juvenile warzone" LOL. Her kitchen is a coffee and tea themed wonder.

In any case exotic tea and coffee are her "thing" so I though this set of four matching note cards would be very appropriate for her. I made these at a crop I attending on Friday and I didn't have all my stash with me. Thus they are a little more simple than I usually like, but I think she'll still get a kick out of them. I love how the pattern on the teapot matches the pattern in the paper. All supplies are PTI.

Thanks for looking!

Indian Dreams

2009-10-05T00:09:00.001-04:00

I am a homebody. Nothing makes me happier than being in my own home. Maybe it's because I've always had to pack so many kids with me when I go, but travel does not hold the appeal for me that it does for my husband, LOL.

But India is always somewhere that I've wanted to go. It has a very mysterious draw for me. I've always dreamed of visiting that beautiful county, but as of yet have not made it. So for now, I only have Indian "Dreams".

Fortunately for me, my friend went for a month last year and brought me back this beautiful sari. So I took my inspiration for the color scheme and theme for my card from this silk creation.

SU Taken with Teal cardstock and ink, SU medallion stamp, SU Razzle Dazzle stamp. PTI sentiment and rhinestones.

Thanks for looking!

Recycled Christmas

2009-09-25T18:00:00.004-04:00

The intent of this card was to use as many things as I could that started out as packaging. So I went to work and let the creative juices flow. I had a few false attemps with plastic, StazOn ink and embossing (don't try it, trust me), but I didn't give up and this is the end result.

The tree is embossed on plastic that was originally the package that a stamp set arrived in. The silver paper was a scrap from a wedding album that I did for my sister. The polka dot paper was the wrapper band that came around a stamp set. The white cardstock was a thank you card that came with my order. The only things new from my stash are the Pure Poppy cardstock base and the Pure Poppy twill ribbon. Kinda neat, huh? I'm not sure I'd want to do this every day, for every card, but it was nice to see how much I could recycle into a nifty Christmas card.

Signature Christmas stamp set from PTI, SU scalloped oval punch, Fire rhinestone brad from SU as well.

Thanks for looking!

Fruity

2009-09-23T17:36:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to come up with a companion card to the Strawberry Gingham cards that I've made. Each note card set gets 2 designs, 4 of each. So I thought I'd stick with the "fruit" them and diversify a little.

This card is my first attempt. I'm kinda so-so about it. So please be honest. What could I change to make it better? I want to keep it fairly simple as I have a bunch of these to make, LOL.

SU Mambo Melon and Rich Razzleberry cardstock, Mambo Melon polka dot ribbon, SU large and scalloped oval punches, SU Whisper White cardstock. Fruitful stamp set by PTI for fruit, sentiment by Flourishes.

Thanks for looking and constructive criticism always welcome!

Happy Rosh Hashanna!

2009-09-18T09:17:00.000-04:00

Well technically, I guess I'm a bit early as the holiday doesn't start until sundown. But I wanted to offer my felicitations to all my Jewish friends.

I made this card for my secretary. She is the sweetest lady who drives everyone crazy trying to do a good job. I don't think that she understands that perfection is the enemy of excellence. But her heart is as big as Texas and is definitely in the right place. I've taken her under my wing even though she's 20 years older than me.

The smallest things seem to mean the world to her. I've made two or three cards for her and each has sat on her desk for over a month. Then she takes them home and puts them in an album. As a newbie cardmaker, that's some of the highest praise I'll ever receive.

I made this card for her to celebrate Rosh Hashanna. She is the only Jewish person in our office, so most of the guys (sweet, but can't remember their own anniversaries let alone Jewish holidays that move every year, LOL) don't acknowledge her important days. I love learning more about judiasm and she's always willing to share without making me feel dumb for not knowing in the first place.

The card is made from SU Ivory, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip and Riding Hood Red cardstocks. The punch is SU, the patterned paper is unknown from my LSS. The stamps are from PTI.

Thanks for looking! Mazel Tov!

O Holy Night

2009-09-12T20:05:00.002-04:00

I'm not one to send generic "holiday" cards for the most part. I celebrate Christmas and so that's what I send, religious connotations and all. I do make Hanukkah cards for my Jewish friends and Rosh Hashana which is their big card-sending holiday.

But if you are on my Christmas card list, you are getting a Christian card, LOL.

So this is 6 dozen cards now. Everything on the card is SU except the gold paper which is unknown from my stash and the sentiment which is from PTI.

Now I just need to get moving on my holiday gifts. I make note card sets for all the women in the family, and that's beginning to be a big number. About a dozen ladies these days. And I only have 3 sets done thus far. Uh oh. Better get cranking on those. I try to personalize them somehow, either with a monogram or a theme that is something they like. My sister-in-law LOVES coffee of all types, so her's usually have a coffee theme. Maybe tea this year, though. My mom is gardening. My sister will be Paris this year, as that's where she honeymooned.

If you have any good suggestions for "themes", I'd love to hear them.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for looking.

Home Sweet Home

2009-09-07T07:40:00.001-04:00

My sister just got married in June. I love her dearly, even if she did make me wear a yellow dress that reminded me of the scene in Grease (on of favorite movies ever) where Didi Conn has failed dye class and has yellow hair and a yellow dress at a the dance. Her date tells her she looks like a beautiful pineapple. I felt like a pineapple in a juicer as the dress had one of those rouched waists that made it nearly impossible to breathe or eat. :-)

Anyway, I digress. Sis and her new husband also bought a new house in July and moved in middle August. So I made this card for her to celebrate the occasion.

Pumpkin Pie and Handsome Hunter SU cardstock. Stamps and patterned paper are PTI. Colored with Copic markers. Ribbon and punches are from SU.

I really like the way this turned out. I hope my sister enjoys it as well. I'll enclose a gift card to Bed Bath and Beyond to help decorate the new digs.

Thanks for looking!

Strawberries and gingham

2009-09-06T19:38:00.000-04:00

I just got this adorable new set of strawberry stamps a few weeks ago and decided to ink it up. I was at a crop at a local scrapbook store and was the only one stamping, LOL. I'm guessing that they don't get many stampers there because there was much interest in things like Copics, unmounted stamps, etc. And the tables were the long white plastic ones from warehouse stores that are NOT good to stamp on. I thought my stamp was defective the first 4 times I tried to stamp and couldn't get a decent image. So I had to use the countertop that they keep the die cutting machines on to stamp. Oh well, I had fun and met a lot of new people.

Anyway, on to the card. Stamps are from Flourishes, gingham paper is from a stack, Citronella, I believe, ribbon is generic from the Offray outlet, green cardstock and buton are New Leaf from PTI. The Copics pictured are the reds that I used on the strawberries.

I showed this card to DH and got stellar praise from him. He said "Oh, that's so adorable!" instead of his usual "That's cute, dear." I plan to make a few sets of these to give as Christmas gifts to friends and relatives. I couldn't find a good place on the front for a sentiment, but I don't think it really needs it. It seems to stand alone okay to me.

Thanks for looking!

Progress is being made

2009-09-02T12:23:00.002-04:00

One more dozen Christmas cards are done. :-)

I got up early on a Saturday and took a drive to Joan B's stamp and craft sale. She had SO many cute things for sale. My imagination was running wild thinking "If this is what she's selling, how much great stuff is she KEEPING???" LOL~

One of the wonderful finds I made was this Thomas Kinkade stamp. I knew at a glance that it was perfect for some of our Christmas cards. My DH and I love G. Harvey, Thomas Kinkade and other artists like that. There was another lady looking at this stamp, so I waited patiently until she put it down and walked away and then I nabbed it! I felt just a bit guilty, but not enough to let it stop me.

But I feel that my card needs "something". I don't know what that something is, but maybe you do. Please let me know if you have a great idea. I don't want to detract from the beautiful image, but it feels a bit empty. Please excuse the black line at the top right of the image. My camera needs to go in for maintenance; something is wrong with the zoom lens :-(

PTI Scarlet Jewel cardstock; SU Handsome Hunter CS; Kaiser Pearls; random Offray Outlet Ribbon; Sepia Versafine ink; CHF Thomas Kinkade stamp.

Have a great day and thanks for looking!

I have the best husband in the world

2009-08-30T23:53:00.000-04:00

Sorry everyone. No new cards to post today. Why you ask? Well, let me tell you. It's all my husband's fault. :-)

For my birthday, he bought me a Jacuzzi tub. An extra long, extra wide, extra deep one with lots of jets and buttons. And for the past two weeks, he's been installing it. This is a weekend sort of gig as he's insanely busy at work with end-of-year stuff. So this weekend we went to pick out the faucet. He wanted to be artistic and have it come out from the wall. I however wanted it centered at the end of the tub. (We've talked about this engineer thing before, right?) The faucet will be at the end of the tub, BTW. ;-)

We went to Lowes and Home Depot and even went to a place called Ferguson's Plumbing. Did you know that people actually pay over a thousand dollars for a FAUCET???? Needless to say, the engineer in me could not allow that to happen and we ended up with a very nice $250 faucet from Lowes. So no card making on Saturday. But he did take me to my LSS where I nabbed the new SEI Christmas Mint DSP and won the free crop I mentioned yesterday.

Then today, I woke up and decided that I wanted a refrigerator in my studio. Well, in the pantry attached to my studio. Anyway, I have 4 kids at home including a 21 year old son in college. I pack lunches for the two in school. And inevitably the 21 year old eats ALL of the single serving stuff that I buy for lunches. I just can't afford to feed a human garbage disposal like my 21 yo convenience foods, KWIM? So I want someplace out of sight (and thus out of mind) for me to stash goodies that are for lunches, not for general consuption. My super patient, loving husband took me to Lowes (after taking me back-to-school shopping and out for breakfast) and bought me a brand new refrigerator. So again, no card making today. But still a productive day.

I just wanted to give a shout-out to the best husband in the world. He's supportive, encouraging, and good-looking to boot! THANKS HON!!!

4 dozen down, 3 dozen to go and lots of good luck

2009-08-29T18:53:00.003-04:00

I am determined to get ahead of the curve on my holiday cards. Yesterday, I posted that I had about 3 dozen done. Well, my oldest daugheter came of visit and I got inspired to craft. This card is almost totally CASE'd from the Stampin Up! catalog. I added the Stickles on the trees, the Flower Soft as the snow and omitted the ribbon they used. But I loved the design and decided to use it. :-D

I made a dozen. I need about 80 Christmas cards as my husband likes to give one to each of his staff and he's the Director of a Center with about 40 employees. He'll never admit it, but he likes to give them cards that his wife has made. Although last year, I didn't stamp the back with my personalized stamp and no one realized that I made them, LOL.

I decided spur of the moment this morning to stop at my LSS to see if they had the new Basic Grey or SEI Christmas papers. It's their anniversary weekend and I was entered into their hourly drawings. Shortly there after, I got a call that I'd won one. Woo Hoo! I won a free all day crop plus 10% off my purchases. SCORE! I love free stuff. :-)

O Christmas Tree!

2009-08-28T13:22:00.006-04:00

Okay so maybe I'm a little ahead of myself with the Christmas music. But I started making my Christmas cards in January of last year. I was trying to make a dozen each month so that by November, I was ready to just sign, address, and mail.

Nice thought, but once warm weather hit, that sort of went out the window. I have 3 dozen done and just received this new stamp set from Flourishes last week. So I was playing around with ideas. Not my favorite, but okay for those I-haven't-seen-you-in-years-but-I-still-send-a-card-for-old-times-sake people, KWIM?

Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy and Rustic Cream PTI cardstock; Handsome Hunter SU cardstock; Zing dark green, silver, and red embossing powders; Snow White PTI ink; PTI sentiment; rhinestones cut from a Michael's $1 bin rhinestone word; and Offray Ribbon outlet unknown red ribbon.

Only 119 days until Christmas. ;-)

Advice, please?

2009-08-26T07:00:00.006-04:00

Cancer SUCKS! There. I said it. I've lost quite a few people that I love to this sucky disease and more than a few lately.

I have a good friend who was my admin at work. She watched and went through all the ups and downs of chemotherapy with our boss a few years ago when that dear lady was suffering from colon cancer. And my friend and I cried on each other's shoulders when our boss lost her battle with the cancer.

Now I have recently come to find out that my friend is also suffering from cancer, breast cancer. I pray every day that they have found it early enough to treat it successfully. But given the experience with my boss, I've shed many tears about this.

This card is for my friend. And this is where I need help. I have no idea what sentiment to put on the top left corner. Get Well Soon seems inappropriate. Thinking of You doesn't seem like enough. So what to put???? Any advice would be most welcome. No matter how many times cancer touches my life, it still leaves me fumbling for the right thing to say and do.

Enough doom and gloom. I made the card from my FAVORITE PTI color, Berry Sorbet. I think it's so cheerful and bright. The green is PTI Spring Moss cut with the SU Top Note die in my Big Shot. The stamp set is PTI In Bloom and the ribbon is also PTI(Berry Sorbet). I colored the flowers with Copic markers in the Berry Sorbet color palette and the leaves in the Ripe Avocado color palette. The square rhinestone is from Kaiser Craft, just like the rhinestones that PTI is now selling.

Thanks for looking and ladies, PLEASE get your mammograms. God bless!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

2009-08-25T18:34:00.005-04:00

Well, everyone....this is my first blog hop ever, so be kind. :-)

Fall is probably my favorite season of them all. Earthtones are the color palette that I seem to gravitate towards most often. I love to take long Sunday jaunts along Skyline Drive in the Shannendoah National Park and stop at the apple orchards. Then we buy way too many apples to ever eat and end up making apple butter with them.

So the leaves inspired my blog hop card. When I first saw this set, it screamed Perfect Pearls to me. So I used those on the pumpkin and leaves. Then I found the most adorable leaf shaped button in my Ripe Avocado buttons and it was like fate had spoken. I'm not comfortable using much patterned paper so it was a leap of faith for me to do so here. Any suggestions for incorporating it into my crafting would be much appreciated.

Thanks for looking, everyone and happy hopping!

Deb

Time is flying by now

2009-08-25T09:49:00.004-04:00

Well, two weeks and the munchkins will be back in school. Since when do tennis shoes for a 6 yo boy cost $50???? Yikes! Thank heavens for coupons and online comparison shopping.

On to more fun pursuits, crafting. I've been busy in my studio but not very productive. It appears that my muse went on vacation in August along with the rest of Washington DC. LOL~ But here is a quick card that I put together as part on my annual notecard sets for all the ladies in my life. The four cards like this one will go to my "other" mother, along with another set of 4 coordinating cards.

Stamp set is Spiral Bouquet by PTI. Green cardstock and ink are SU Old Olive; pink cardstock and ink are SU Real Rose; ivory cardstock is PTI Vintage Cream; buttons are PTI Hibiscus Burst. Background is a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Thanks for looking!

My creative studio....

2009-08-15T15:47:00.009-04:00

Welcome to my studio, my haven, my PERSONAL space. This is one of the main reasons that I started a blog. Every time there is a post about crafting spaces, all the cool kids say "Oh, here is a link to my blog where you can see my space." And I was left trying to dig out pictures. So 5 minutes ago, KWIM?

Now that I'm a cool chick with my own blog, I figured it was time to post my space so that I can point all those important people here when they want to see my digs. So here we go.....

This is my main work space. I love that everything is right where I need it, only a few steps away. But I have enough room that I don't feel crowded or cluttered. The glass top desk, legs and pink chair and boxes are all from Ikea. The white cabinets and countertop are from Home Depot.

The white cubes are from Michaels and ACMoore (Jetmax). They are all labeled and hold everything from rub-ons to embossing powder to spot sized stamp pads to stamp sets in CD cases. If I could only have one kind of storage in my studio, this would be it. So versatile and neat looking.

This is where I do the vast majority of my trimming and stamping. The counter gets lots of natural light and is perfect for matching colors and such. The Making Memories white spinner holds all kinds of tools like Exactos, paper piercers, scissors, spatula, pens, ATG, etc. The Stamp Pad caddy from Stampin UP! holds all my full sized SU ink pads. The large trimmer is a Carl DC220 heavy duty trimmer. It will cut through a stack of 10 sheets of 120 lb cardstock like buttah!

I use Bygel rods and baskets from Ikea to store my punches. It keeps them neat but still in sight so I use them much more than if they were stored away in drawers.

This is an Expedit 4x4 unit and a Billy bookcase, also both from Ikea (seeing a trend here, LOL?) The white boxes on the bookshelf hold all of my Stampin Up! stamp sets as well as loose stamps like House Mouse and such. They are all labeled for quick access, but neatly out of sight. LOVE that!

This is my "die cut center." The counter houses my Big Shot, plus Sizzix towers of dies, my Cricut Expression, and my Klick-N-Kut XL, which is under the cutting plotter cover. The drawers in the cabinets underneath hold Sizzlit alphas, Cricut cartridges and my secret stash of chocolate. What is a studio without chocolate, right? The cabinets hold boxes of ribbon sorted by colors, acrylic paints, Club Scrap kits and other bulky items that need somewhere to go.

My Making Memories Embellishment Centers hold all my "bits and bobs" that crafters need, but get lost in drawers, boxes and such. The glass jars are from Ikea. They hold Papertrey Ink buttons, Prima flowers and anything else that I can think of. Most of my ribbon is sorted in boxes in the cabinets underneath, but my Papertrey Ink and Stampin Up! ribbons are special enough to be kept on the spools in these shelves.

I know that they are skewed in relation to the counter top here. The MM center on the far right will be moved to the far left soon. The gap between the cabinets and the wall will be filled in with a tall "pantry-style" cabinet to store larger items and many shelves of goodies. The problem is that I can't decide exactly what kind of cabinet I want, LOL. I've narrowed it down to three or four and as soon as I pick, I'll order it and slide it right in there.

Many people ask me if my room looks like this all the time or does it get to be a mess. Honestly, it always looks just like this. I didn't clean up to take these pictures; see all the papers and junk in the trash can under the desk? Oh, there may be a few papers on my stamping counter sometimes, but nothing more than that ever. The best thing about my studio is that everything has a place. And when everything has a designated location, it only takes a few minutes to put everything away when I am done with it. I always take 5 minutes when I am finished to put things back in their places. This not only keeps my room neat and tidy, but it also allows me to find things the next time I want to use them. I guess it's the engineer in me; I cannot create in chaos. My mojo runs and hides if I try. LOL~

Well that's about it. Many thanks for looking. I'm off to my studio to relax and create some new things to show you all tomorrow.

TGIF!

2009-08-14T01:23:00.003-04:00

Well everyone, it's Friday and I've almost made it through this REALLY long, exhausting week. My boss is on vacation next week, so that will be a nice break for me as well.

Given my feeling of relief at the thought of this coming weekend, I thought this card would be more than appropriate, LOL.

This stamp is called Spa Day and is by Impression Obsession. Upon seeing this, I immediately knew that this would be my Halloween card. LOL There are so many nights (including last night) when I feel just like this.

I colored my image with Prisma pencils and added a bit of Smooch to the orange and green bits.

The card base is Core'dinations paper embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and sanded a bit to make the purple "pop" a bit more. The orange cardstock is shimmery and is also from the Core'dinations line.

The inside sentiment was just too cute to pass up. The spider web trim was done with the new Martha Stewart holiday border punch. I thought it added a finishing touch and pulled the embossing on the front (which you can also see from inside) together nicely.

Thanks so much for looking. And thanks to my friends for all their support in this endeavor.

Summer fun

2009-08-13T09:34:00.003-04:00

Good day to everyone! The sun is shining and it's almost the weekend. For me, that's all I need to make it a great day! Even a "peachy" day. :-)

Having lived in Atlanta, peachy is one of my favorite words. So when I saw this set from PTI, I knew I had to have it. During the countdown to release blog posts, Nichole showcased this neat technique where you ink the stamp and then just "kiss" the edge with a different color. This was my first attempt, so I know there is room for improvement.

All supplies are from PTI except the border punch (Fiskers) and the sentiment (unknown from my LSS).

I'm also on the hunt for more "peach" sentiments. I'd love "You're a peachy" or "Peachy-keen jellybean" If anyone knows where I can find these, please let me know.

Thanks for looking!

Truly tinkering with inks

2009-08-11T07:00:00.004-04:00

I did a "learn at lunch" at my LSS and they taught a couple of different ways to use the Tim Holtz alcohol inks to make interesting background for cards or layouts. This was my favorite because no two ever look the same. You just dot some ink on a felt pad and "pounce" away at the glossy cardstock until you get the coverage that you want. Pretty cool, huh?

The stamp set is from Stampin Up! and the inks used for the flowers are Close to My Heart. The birthday sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. Thanks for looking!

I'm not ready for back-to-school yet!

2009-08-10T09:00:00.002-04:00

We went shopping this weekend for school supplies. Unbeknownst to me, it was tax free weekend, so the stores were a ZOO! And by today, it looked like a swarm of locust had hit the place. I'm still in search of the elusive item. Every year there is one. This year it happens to be a plastic box to keep index cards in. I've been to 2 Targets and an Office Depot and I can't find one anywhere. Grrr!!!

Anyway, I made this card for one of the teachers. I'll add a small Starbucks giftcard to help make back-to-school a little nicer. Stampin Up! cardstock and punch; PTI stamps and button; colored with Copic markers; Prima flower; grosgrain ribbon from the Offray Ribbon Outlet.

Thanks for looking!

A few new tinkerings from the CHA crop

2009-08-09T19:23:00.003-04:00

I decided very last minute to stay for the charity crop at the CHA Super Show. So I didn't have much to crop with other than what I bought at the show. These two cards were made with new PTI goodies that I picked up that day.

This is the new Enchanted Evening cardstock and button, Hibiscus Burst cardstock, button, saddle stitched ribbon, and ink and In Bloom patterned paper in the Enchanted Evening color. The flower stamps are from the In Bloom set and the sentiment is from the Mega Mixed Messages set.

This card was made from Enchanted Evening and Kraft cardstock from PTI. The stamp set is Scattered Showers, also from PTI. My favorite part is the bitty dots satin ribbon. I *LOVE* ribbon.

Thanks for looking. This blogging thing has really helped me be more creative this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed that it continues. If I craft every day for the next 5 years, I may make a dent in my stash, LOL~

Cricut at CHA

2009-08-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

I only snapped a few pictures at CHA. I was too busy gabbing and buying, LOL.

This is CRICUT during the drawings for Gypsy units, Cricuts (yes plural) and YuDos. They were amazingly generous and even though I didn't win, I was glad for everyone who did.

This is the "golden Cricut" that cruise ticket winners will also get. Very cool!

Provocraft and Papertrek Ink were the highlights of the CHA consumer show for me. But the rest left me thinking "Meh, this is nothing any more special than GASC" So I won't be attending the consumer show again unless they have more vendors and more vendors showcasing NEW stuff. However, DH says Anaheim in winter is cool and is encouraging me to pay the $150 and join CHA (you can do that as a SU demo)and then attend the regular CHA show. We shall see. $150 buys a lot of goodies, LOL.

My first foray into the world of blogging

2009-08-06T14:02:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally did it. I created the most basic of blogs to share my creativity. With whom, I'm not sure, LOL, it remains to be seen if anything I do is interesting to anyone other than my long-suffering DH.

The first I'll share is a card that I made for my niece's wedding. She's special to me; more like a daughter than a niece so I wanted her card to be special and unique. I used the "reinker spread" technique to make the rose and a Cuttlebug folder for the swiss dotted background. Thanks for looking!