Lisa E Design Blog

70 Years

2012-02-02T07:38:00.002-05:00

Can you imagine being married for 70 years? It is an incredible accomplishment. Yesterday was my aunt and uncle's anniversary.

They married in 1942 less than 2 months after Pearl Harbor when Fred was about to go off to war. When he returned they started a dairy farm. He helped Thelma with the morning milking and then went to his regular job as a brick mason to return to help with the evening milking. She ran the farm and household all day and raised two sons. Today, they still live in the same house together.

We went to see them and take them their card. They were in good spirits and I took their photo along with a promise not to share it. Thelma didn't have her hair done and she was in work clothes. Yes, she still works around the house and yard though now from a wheelchair. She showed us some hydrangea's she was rooting to plant in the spring.

We adore them and hope they will be able to continue to live together at home for a long time.

The card is made from October Afternoon papers cut into hexagons by the Cricut. I thought their vintage look was appropriate. There was even a little cow paper. Sewing around these reminded me why my one hexagon quilt never got very far. There are a lot of stops and starts.

One of the Two Peas challenges this week is to use hexagons on a project. They are apparently a popular design element in the new collections.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: DSP: October Afternoon Farm Fresh, Thrift Shop, Fly a Kite 6x6 paper pads
Twine: My Mind's Eye
Stickers: Thickers by American Crafts

the Great Escape

2012-02-01T06:03:00.010-05:00

Squirrels are so cute. I know they are rats with fuzzy tails but I still think they are cute...until they get into the drain pipe or run down the chimney or eat all my bird seed!

Last summer my husband heard a noise in the gutter. He had me listen and at first nothing but soon, I heard it too so we set about to rescue whatever was down there. We put a tie down strap down the gutter and left it overnight. The sound was gone the next morning and then we began to see this little squirrel in our yard. I wonder if he is the same one now eatting up all my birdseed?

The layout is based on a sketch of Shimelle's from a past class at Two Peas in a Bucket. This week 2P's is doing all kinds of challenges to celebrate the new CHA releases. This one is called: #6 Pick a Sketch. See the entire list of challenges here. Challenges are open through Sunday Feb 5.

I'd had that die cut from Crate Paper's Lemongrass collection forever knowing someday I'd have some squirrel story to tell.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: DSP: background is Winter Park from Echo Park; other papers are Memoir collection from Studio Calico Several of these are from ArtfulDelight.com's January kit.
Chipboard: Sunrise Thickers by American Crafts and the orange is from Basic Grey
Word stickers: Authentique

From Scrapbooker to Cardmaker: Using Embellishments

2012-01-31T08:08:00.001-05:00

I was about to start talking about stamping on cards for those who are scrapbookers and may or not be stampers, but then realized I'd only really emphasized using pattern paper for making cards in this video series. There are a lot of other scrapbooking supplies and tools you can use on your cards.

This video shows three cards I made using various scrapbooking supplies and tools: Chipboard, Rub-ons, the Cricut, buttons and twine. I also shared this box which is like the card above and features a lot of printed chipboard elements - sliders or buckles or whatever they are called that just hadn't found a home. Now they have!

Watch at YouTube

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: Chipboard: K& Company

DSP on blue card: Marrakesh collection by Basic Grey

Butterflies: My Mind's Eye

Green polka dot ribbon: American Crafts

Rhinestones: Hobby Lobby jewelry section

Pearls: Pretties Kit by Stampin' Up!

Single Heart Card

2012-01-28T19:18:00.001-05:00

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. It was very warm here today for January and I got in a nice walk after a quick trip up to the apple house to get some Golden Delicious apples. It was probably my last trip for the season as the bins were getting low. They keep apples in cold storage for several months after picking. The last ones we had were wonderful. I got a few extra to keep in the refrigerator in hopes of keeping the season going.

My card today is my parent's Valentine. From Rainy's blog I found out about the Sisters in Christ challenge to use one significant heart on a card. Check out her blog for her fabulous submissions.

For my card, I repeated a word stamp on the background and embossed in gold on dark chocolate cardstock. The flap is stamped with a woodblock stamp. My heart is painted with homemade shimmer paint using some close to cocoa ink and gold Perfect Pearls powder. After painting, I pressed a clean, clear flourish stamp onto the heart to leave an tone-on-tone look.

I have trouble photographing these multi-fold cards but I think you get the effect. Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: Stamps: love background from Stampin' Up! (this is a wheel and I don't know the name of it); Woodgrain from Hero Arts
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate from Papertrey Ink
Red glittery ribbon: My Mind's Eye
Stick Pin: Pretties Kit from Stampin' Up!
Twine: DMC

Beat the Winter blues

2012-01-27T07:42:00.001-05:00

with pretty new spring papers and embellishments!

CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) is having their semi-annual show starting this weekend so the paper crafting community is unveiling there new lines. Here are a few of the blogs I've visited that have giveaways going...

Head over to Bella Blvd's blog for chances to win product from their new line. There are several posts with giveaways that end Sat, Jan 28.

American Crafts still has one giveaway open for a few days. Looks like they are going to challenge Copics in the marker world.

Pink Paislee is revealing their collection a day at a time with giveaways. I don't know how long the giveaways go on but probably not long.

Also, it is Sale-a-bration time at Stampin' Up! For every $50 you spend you get to pick something from the special SAB catalog. I've been super frugal all month so I could do a SU! order stocking up on paper and ink and getting some free stuff. This year they have a few items from the regular catalog as SAB choices but they are not doing the 'any stamp set under $14' thing so you must pick from the SAB catalog. There are lots of choices.

It sure isn't that I need any pretty paper but I do love to look :-)

Whee! Whee!

2012-01-25T19:20:00.001-05:00

Whee! Whee, Whee, Whee, Whee!!! That was the call around our house last January whenever the Geico commercial with the little piggy came on the TV or Hulu. My husband loved to make the sound and wave his arms prompting Jasper, our cat, to run from the room. Jasper hated the little piggy and his imitator.

Now there is a new commercial with the little piggy going Whee, Whee, Whee down a zip-line. Lenny has only seen it once and it hasn't made it to Hulu yet. If it does, I'm sure there will be more fun or frustration depending on whether your perspective is human or feline.

This month's Scrapbooker's Anonymous challenge is to use masking and either paint, mist or ink. The Cricut cut out 5 Whee words for me and I adhered them to some plain white cardstock using removable adhesive. Then I sponged Brocade Blue ink from Stampin' Up! over them and misted them with a homemade mist from some Ranger Tumbled Glass ink.

I have a new blinkie on my sidebar as I was one of Scrapbooker's Anonymous picks from last month which tickled me. You still have a few more days to submit a layout with masking and misting/ink/painting. You could win their prize or get a fav pick. It's a good chance to work with those mists we've all been collecting.

The little flags were inspired by a Jen Gallager layout at Two Peas. I made my own flags with toothpicks and designer paper.

What I loved most about doing this layout was getting to do fun things like the flags and the pinwheel. Without children to scrap most of the time, I don't get to do as much fun stuff. I should remember that I have a 'senior child' and a somewhat silly cat. Who needs kids?

Thanks for visiting! (I hope you can comment. I've heard there are problems on my and some other blogs but I can't find anything about it or a fix.)

Ingredients: Stamps: Favorite Memories by Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday

Font: Bauhaus

Designer Paper: Stampin' Up; Winter wonder by Bella Blvd

Trim: Daffodil Delight pom pom and silver brads by Stampin' Up!

Bookplate: Fancy Pants

From Scrapbooker to Cardmaker: Using Large Print DSP

2012-01-24T08:55:00.000-05:00

Some pretty designer series paper (DSP) can be impossible to resist buying and then impossible to use. For me, it is often a pretty floral. I'm finding myself more and more a "B" side scrapper - using the small companion prints as the main papers on my pages. So what am I to do with the larger prints in my stash or that come in collection kits? I can often cut them up in ways that work on pages or on cards.

The card above is made from papers from a Stampin' Up! collection kit. One of the papers featured a large floral print that was just too busy to work on any of my pages or on a card without a lot of trimming. It wasn't just the large print but the number of colors and color contrast - gorgeous but difficult.

The basket weave background is also included in the video. It is a great way to use up some scraps. The sentiment is a rub-on making this a true - no stamping card.

Watch at YouTube

One thing I forgot to mention in the video: If you are cutting out a design that doesn't have a distinct background like this paper does, you can cut out the design close, mat it on regular cardstock and then trim that it. It is double work but gives a nice effect. It is how I did the design on this card made from Basic Grey DSP:

There will probably be two or three more videos in this series over the next few weeks. Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: DSP: Greenhouse Gala by Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip by SU!

Gift Page

2012-01-22T08:53:00.001-05:00

Last year I shared the mini album I did for my Mother for Christmas. I was really excited to give this to her. I hadn't dropped a single hint because around her you can't. She loves to wheedle out information on gifts. :-) I wrapped the gift in a Belk box.

So on Christmas morning, she started opening the gift wondering what was in that Belk's box. (Belk is a department store in the South - it is my Mother's 2nd church.) She was very surprised and was immediately absorbed in looking at the old photos - some of which she hadn't seen in decades. Later on she called me to thank me again for her gifts and most especially her album. My Mother doesn't always get that excited about my crafts so having her love her album was a gift to me, too.

I used the photography and staging tips from Nichol's video I mentioned yesterday to set up the photo above. We had a dreary day here yesterday so I wasn't sure how it would take, but I'm pretty pleased. The green pitcher in the background was my Dad's Mother's.

The page is partially for this week's Glitter Girl challenge at Two Peas. I cheated a bit. We were supposed to browse the Two Peas Gallery and scraplift individual ideas for pages. I ended up using Glitter Girl's signature ideas on my page. There are butterflies and lots of misting including some dots of most applied directly from the bottle insert. I also took a paintbrush and went around the edges of the papers and photos with some Angel's Glimmer Mist. Loved the effect. One one of her recent pages, she painted a background for the title. So thank you, Glitter Girl, for all your inspiration!

The flourish is cut on the Cricut with SCAL and that green paint added just the right touch of color to the edges. My Mother is the Queen of Bling so while this may not look much like Christmas, it looks like her - neutral colors with lots of zing.

Thanks for visiting today! Be sure and stop by Tuesday as I have another Scrapbooker to Cardmaker video planned.

Ingredients: Many of the items are from Artfuldelight's January kit including MME Everyday Fun rhinstones and butterflies; Studio Calico Wallpaper DSP

Cardstock: Soft Suede by Stampin' Up!

Gemstone letters: Kaiser

Ribbon: Enchanted Cottage in Wintson-Salem

Stick pin: Pretties Kit from Stampin' Up!

Mists: Buttermilk by Maya Road, by Angel's

letter stickers: Mia by Crate Paper

button: Tim Holtz

Nichol's Photography Tips

2012-01-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

Nichol Magourik did a great webinar this week hosted by Lain Ehmann on taking photos for your blog. It is available through today via Lain's site. Here is the link to the entire webinar if you would like to learn new ways to make your blog photos even better: Nichol's webinar on taking Project Photos

The presentation starts at 8 minutes into the Webinar and lasts about 13 minutes. She answers questions after the presentation. It helps to let this buffer.

What I like best about her technique is that you don't need anything special and you can do this with a regular camera. I'm going to try her technique for my next scrapbook project photo.

Back to Basics and Comments

2012-01-20T07:04:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I just make things too hard. I've used a lot of stamping techniques with this popular stamp from Stampin' Up! but I still wanted to try something new. I played with Versamark, pastels and some other things without success. Then I realized, I'd never just used markers. So simple and yet an effective way to satisfy a card making craving.

Also, I've found out recently that comments on Blogger may have a problem. I have checked and resaved my settings and I hope that fixes the problem. I'll keep an eye out for more info on this issue. If have trouble and would like to reach me, please send an e-mail. Thanks.

Hope you have a fun Friday!

Ingredients: Stamps: Upsy Daisy by Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Melon Mambo
DSP: K&Company

From Scrapbooker to Cardmaker Series

2012-01-17T10:28:00.000-05:00

Did you make a crafting resolution to 'shop your stash' or get more out of what you have on hand?

Do you scrapbook and want to start making cards?

Do you think stamping is the only way to make great cards?

Do you have some designer paper that just never quite worked on your scrapbook pages?

If you have a 'yes' to any of those, I have some new videos for you.

Over Thanksgiving, my friend Karen, a scrapbooker, asked me to show her how I made some cards. I enjoyed sharing the card making process. Since she lives several hours away now, we can't get together and make cards. So I offered to find her some card making videos on-line. Well, there are tons of videos including those for beginners. What I couldn't quite find was a video designed specifically for papercrafters like scrapbookers who have tons of stuff already but just don't make cards.

Once the ideas got rolling, I thought of several cards and videos I could make. Today I have two videos for you - the beginning one for anyone who scrapbooks but hasn't yet started making cards. It contains some ways to maximize the cuts on your 12x12 cardstock since that is typically what most scrapbookers have on hand. (That is in the last couple of minutes.)

Watch at YouTube

The second video is the 6 Circle card above using scraps of designer paper, punches and some leftover chipboard stickers. The papers on this card were originally intended to be used for scrapbooking but hardly ever fit my photos. They make colorful, fun cards. No stamping needed.

Watch at YouTube

I know most of you are already card makers. If you have friends who would like to start making cards in addition to their pages, please pass along a link to this post. We can always use more people making and sending pretty cards, can't we?

Thanks and have a wonderful day!

Ingredients: DSP: Material Girl Collection from Cosmo Cricket
Cardstock: Harvest Gold by PTI
Twine: Doodlebug

If you look closer...

2012-01-15T11:28:00.000-05:00

Last Monday's Memory Keeper's Monday challenge was to create a page about ourselves to kick off the new year. Typically I do this anyway but I'm happy for the challenge as this was a year I really wanted to put behind me. Scrapping about it helped me gather my memories and take the good from them.

We were encouraged to make the page reflect our personality and style. My friends and family would certainly see that in my page. It uses lots of coordinated patterned paper (Sweet Threads by Basic Grey, my favorite collection of 2011) with a fabric theme no less. There is machine stitching, pretty ribbon and some handmade embellishments in a color scheme often found in my wardrobe. I love flowers.

But, if you look closer, you will see that it isn't all pretty paper and flowers here. There are little words tucked into the embellishments. Words like 'unsure, worried, vulnerable, nervous and adrift' certainly don't go with the sunny image of brightly colored flowers. They aren't the emotions I showed to the outside world either, at least I don't think I did.

Yet there they were all year long. For over a year I've been dealing with some stress related problems, primarily TMJ Syndrome. I've long been a 'clencher' meaning I clench and grind my teeth at night. I've worn a bite guard a long time with no real issues. Occasionally I'd have a little trouble and would get an adjustment to my guard or even a new one and things would go back to normal in a matter of days. I didn't give it much thought. That is until the summer of 2010. Since then the ear aches (soreness around the outside of the ear) and other symptoms have been in my head one way or another every day.

For some of us, the situation can be very minor for years or forever. For others, it can be a daily battle, even debilitating condition. I'm trying not to get to that extreme. Things have improved considerably. To get there I've tried several treatments that have worked and some that haven't. I work with an orthodontist so I'm not going it alone. I've spent a lot of money out of pocket. I've logged my pain and activities daily, bought a new mattress and countless pillows, changed my eatting habits including both food and the time of day I eat certain foods. It can be exhausting to adjust your daily routine so much.

"Frustrated" is probably the key word to sum up dealing with a disease that insurance companies rarely pay to treat and there is no branch of medicine dedicated to. I do not think those two things are a coincidence. What doctor would want to specialize in something that insurance doesn't often pay for?

While it is no picnic not knowing what will hurt if anything or how much from day to day, TMJ Snydrom is not life threatening. I've made numerous changes to my diet yet I won't die if I eat the wrong thing like a young women I met this week who had suddenly developed a severe peanut allergy and wonders what else she might eat that would land her again in the hospital. There are a lot worse things to have so I'm grateful for my general good health.

I'm grateful for a lot of things including all the lessons of the last year which brings me to the second page of this spread - what I learned:

Here is the list:

Everyone has problems.

“Nothing is forever.” – a phrase that can bring fear … or hope.

Compassion for people in chronic pain.

Understanding.

To trust my instincts. That means sometimes I have to back up or back out.

To take my time when making big decisions.

Nature heals and exercise really does make things better.

The benefits of physical therapy.

A way to do Yoga that works with my body.

My husband is an even more amazing man than I ever imagined.

To “do it anyway.”

Walking into a messy kitchen or finding clothes left on the floor aren’t the worst things in the world.

My best friend is ‘the best.’

To let go of people who aren’t supportive.

My parents and I can each have our own problems and still be there for each other.

What it means to ‘take it one day at a time.’

New definitions of ‘a good day.’

Ways to eat healthy, be satisfied and not be harmful.

The effects of acupuncture.

A greater understanding of the availability and application alternative medicine.

To let go of the money I may or may not have ‘wasted.’

Some of the benefits and the difficulties of medical insurance and our medical processes.

It is my body.

Tomorrow is another chance.

There were good things in 2011. I strengthened two close friendships. My relationship with my husband is even better than ever. I let go of some anger and relationships that weren't working for me but against me. I gained a couple of wonderful new clients. I spent more time crafting. I gained blog readers and met so many more people through message boards and reading your blogs, too.

I wasn't sure I wanted to share all this. However, I've gained encouragement from reading other blogs where the blogger shared their personal pain and gains about an illness or other struggle. I don't plan to talk about my situation often. Crafting is a good escape from whatever is going on and I'd like to keep it that way - mostly.

Thanks for listening! Gaining readers and finding new blogs to follow is high on my list of good things that came out of 2011.

Masked Valentine Card Video

2012-01-12T09:21:00.001-05:00

Here's an easy and inexpensive card. These would be great if you need multiples for Valentine's Day. I've used the Whoo Loves You stamp set from Hero Arts which is still available. You could also substitute lots of other Valentine's sets. A pretty option would be one of those silhouette stamps like the ones with a little girl on a tree swing.

watch at YouTube

I'm playing around with my intro and credits. I added a little music. Feedback is always appreciated as I'd like to make the videos the most helpful possible. Thanks for watching!

Ingredients: Stamps: Whoo Loves You by Hampton Arts; All Holidays (greeting) by Stampin' Up!: Woodgrain by Hero Arts
Cardstock: Crumb Cake by SU!
Twine: Martha Stewart

Birthday Balloons

2012-01-11T06:59:00.001-05:00

Here's are the cute birdies of "A little birdie" set, one of my favorite oldies. The balloons were cut on the Cricut using SCAL and painted with some homemade shimmer paint using Crystal Effects, Ranger's Perfect Pearls and ink.

Lots of little birdies are visiting my feeder this winter along with a pesky squirrel we have been trying to run off. He's a clever little thing and last week he even brought along a friend! I know he is out there because Jasper goes crazy running to the window, tail flapping a 100 mph. He's a good alert cat but ineffective when it comes to chasing the squirrel away. He runs in the opposite direction of the squirrel.

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: Cardstock: Pacific Point
Stamps: A Little Birdie from Stampin' Up!; Polka Dot basics from Papertrey Ink
Watercolor crayons, markers and Crushed Curry ribbon also from SU!
Twine: Doodlebug

2012 Free On-line Classes

2012-01-10T13:42:00.000-05:00

It's a new year and many of my favorite instructors have free video based classes going again this year. Here's a weekly rundown of things I've seen so far:

Monday's - Memory Keeping Mondays (love that title!) at Two Peas in a Bucket. This class is taught by a different Garden Girl each week.

Over on Kristina Werner's blog, she continues Make A Card Monday each week with inventive cards.

Wednesday's - Nichol Magourik has her Scrap it Weekly series on her blog this year. She takes you through a layout from product selection to the final embellishments. (This is similar to her From Start to Finish series she did at 2P's last year.)

The Adventures of Glitter Girl is new at Two Peas in a Bucket. The mysterious Glitter Girl and her even more mysterious male narrator tackle a different problem each week. Last week she shared tons of ideas on how to scrap memorabilia.

Friday's - Kristina Werner has Friday Focus which is typically a series of videos on a different topic per series. Right now she is doing Valentine cards for 6 weeks.

Also, Two Peas in a Bucket does a card instruction video each Friday as well called Finally Friday. I'll update this post with a link when I find one. I usually just see it on their YouTube channel.

I'm not sure there is a schedule for these, but they are great anytime. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty has 1 Minute to Wow videos which are short, terrific tips for cardmakers.

So many wonderful regular videos.

Speaking of video, I've recorded several things I want to share. I just haven't had a chance to edit them yet. So keep an eye our here on my blog for a Valentine's Day card, a tip using embossing powder, a scrapbook sketch and pages, and a couple of scrapping tips videos.

Thanks for visiting! Happy learning.

the Installer

2012-01-09T07:29:00.000-05:00

My husband, the pinball repairman, is also everyone's installer whether it is window treatments (for me) or a new DVD player for my Dad. Here is the journaling for this layout:

The installer...

of all electronic devices in tight space with no light.

The reader of the instructions for the new DVD player his wife swore her father would never use.

The trainer of those who are technologically challenged.

The coach to bring the technologically challenged into the 20^th century at least.

The repeater of instructions – over and over and over again.

The responder to all questions.

The interpreter of ‘this button in the middle.’

The on-call tech for late night television emergencies when his mother-in-law sits on the remote and turns off the satellite.

The most patient one of all.

In other words… the son-in-law.

My husband finds his in-law's challenges with learning how to use their DVD player humorous. I'm so glad he is so patient with them.

The layout is based on Artfuldelight's sketch of the month. You can find it here. There are still a couple of weeks to get in a layout for a chance to win one of LeeAnn's wonderful monthly kits.

I used several papers from the Artfuldelight January kit on my page. The gold and white paper from Studio Calico was a bit bright so I distressed it heavily with Antique Linen from Ranger - a wonderful ink to turn anything vintage and basically anything with a white background to a cream color.

The little yellow triangle embellishment has a particular significance that my husband will recognize. When we setup the DVD player, my parents had to manually change an option on their television to switch modes. This was my Mother's job- we call her 'Vanna.' I think you can change it on the remote but for some reason, Lenny thought it would just be easier for them to press the button the TV. The problem is you can't see the button on the TV! So we took a piece a sticky note and taped it to the TV in the spot they were supposed to press. It is now the 'little yellow button.'

The 'don't forget' embellishment was in the kit. It was perfect bit of irony as everyone including us is always forgetting exactly what button you push to do what thing.

I love the background paper for this layout from My Mind's Eye. It is kraft but with faint yellow stars so it doesn't look so flat.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Ingredients: DSP: Kraft Funday collection from My Mind's Eye;Cupboard and Book Jacket from Studio Calico; ledger paper from October Afternoon
Brad: Stampin' Up!
Sticker: Kraft Funday Happy Days stickers by MME

Savor = Smile

2012-01-08T09:03:00.000-05:00

Slowly I'm remembering to 'savor' moments as this is my word of the year. Each time I do, I find myself smiling such as last night when I was killing time waiting on the debate to come on. (My husband refers to the Presidential election as his soap opera.) I found myself staring at the garland still on the mantle and smiling at how pretty it was. The night before I'd smiled at the night sky and the full or nearly full moon and how the light played on the clouds. Or when I stop to think about people I love, I smile.

This morning I smiled at the sunrise and then remembered to find the camera and catch a photo. I'm liking this 'savor' thing a lot.

Hope you savor your Sunday traditions.

Misty card for Mother-to-be

2012-01-06T07:07:00.000-05:00

My cousin's daughter is expecting a baby boy in a few weeks. Before she is head over heels in baby boy blue clothes and toys, I thought she might like a girly card in her favorite pink and brown combo.

I remember when the Mother-to-be was the Baby-to-be. I was in college and my crafts were knitting and crocheting. I knitted her Christening gown and made a little slip to go underneath. She and her younger sister wore the gown and it is now preserved. Since this baby is a boy, I don't think the gown will get used this time around. I think her shower is to be after the baby arrives so I'll have to figure out a gift. What sort of papercraft could I do for a baby boy? I've been out of the baby gift business for awhile - just at that stage where none of my friends were having babies anymore and too young for grandchildren.

For the card, I used some products new to me and so I'm submitting it to Scrap our Stash's January challenge. I learned about this from Sue's blog. My new products are Studio Calico's mask and Cameo Mister Huey mist which were in Artfuldelight's January kit found here. The butterfly stickers were also from the kit. I may be the last papercrafter in the world to use bloomers but they are new to me. I got them on sale over Thanksgiving weekend.

In addition to misting the background using the mask, I did a bit more misting with some Baja breeze and Perfect Pearls mixture I'd made up awhile back. The little butterflies look misted but they are actually stamped with white ink using a background stamp that looks like paint splatter. I also sponged a little Melon Mambo ink on the edges of the background and the large butterfly. That butterfly is cut on the Cricut and then embossed and inked.

It was a fun card to do.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: Cardstock: Naturals Ivory from Stampin' Up!
Mist: Mister Huey Cameo from Studio Calico
Inks: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay from Stampin' Up!; Tumbled Glass from Ranger
Trims: Webster's Pages
Ribbon: Chocolate Chip Taffeta from Stampin' Up!

Happy Hearts

2012-01-04T07:06:00.008-05:00

Monday night I took down one of the Christmas garlands and just put the boxes in the attic. I'm thinking about adding another New Year's resolution to cut my grocery store trips down to once a week. I'm just not sure I'm that committed, but I'd really like to be!

And here is a Valentine's Day card already. Oh well, I get bored easy and have to move things along.

Actually, I made this in December when I tired of Christmas cards. This is an easy one. You don't need any stamps, just a heart punch or a die cutter with a heart shape. All the twine is from one of those Doodlebug variety packs.

Hope you have a great day! Thanks for visiting.

Ingredients: Twine: Doodlebug
Cardstock: Naturals Ivory from Stampin' Up!
DSP: October Afternoon Farm Fresh and Cherry Hill

Tuesday's Tip: Printing small photos

2012-01-03T08:23:00.001-05:00

Leaping Lemurs! We had such fun seeing the Lemurs at Duke University's primate center in April. With all the layers of cages (most necessary) it is tough to get good photos. More about the layout below, let's first talk about the photos...

Most of my layouts stretch the page. I have a lot of trouble leaving white space. One of the reason is that I use so many 4x6 or sometimes larger photos. Many times though I just don't need a photo that big. I've found that it is typically less expensive to print my photos at home and certainly at a photo processor in 4x6 format. Here is how I print 2, 3 or even 4 small photos on one 4x6. I'm using Photoshop Elements version 9 but the idea can be applied to other versions of Photoshop or other photo processing software:

watch at YouTube
(I apologize for the camera shake. This was my first effort at videotaping something from the computer and I'm going to have to work on the method.)

For the layout, almost all the product is from Artfuldelight.com's January Kit. What a bargain! I got so much great stuff in this kit. These kraft background papers are perfect for the theme here as is circle garland all from My Mind's Eye. I liked getting the kit because it gave me a chance to try product I might not normally purchase.

One thing I do typically purchase that was included was the raw chipboard from American Crafts. Most of my undressed chipboard is from Basic Grey. I was delighted to see American Crafts add this to their Thickers and in a cool font of both upper and lower case. It can really handle the finishes, too. First I misted this a beautiful color that came out too pink, so then I inked at least 3 coats to get a color I liked. Then I tried some white paint around the edges and got too much so back to the ink. Yeah, this stuff can really hold up to experimentation.

Oh and if you live in the Raleigh/Durham area or are visiting, call ahead to Duke University to schedule a tour of the Lemurs. We just lucked out on an opening. They are usually booked out a couple of weeks. It takes about 2 hours and is a really different experience.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: From Artfuldelight kit: MME Happy Kraft papers, American Crafts Thickers, MME Happy Fun Days Garland and Stickers
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red from Stampin' Up!
small letter stickers: Jillibean Soup
Black Thickers: Marquis from American Crafts

Savor 2012

2012-01-01T19:08:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! How did you ring in the year? I spent part of my day taking a walk as it is the last semi-warm day we are expecting for awhile. It was gorgeous out. My husband cleaned out the garage on New Years Eve to get a head start on his resolution to be more organized. I didn't even have to ask! It looks fantastic. We lead exciting lives around here, I tell you.

As for my resolution, this year it is a word. Until a few days ago, I'd missed the idea of having a single word as your motto, mantra or whatever for a year. I like this concept as it is so simple and easy to apply to many situations. The word that first came to mind when I read a post about this was 'savor.' I often live much of my life thinking about what has already happened or worrying about what is going to happen or what I need to get done. Not nearly enough of my life is lived in the moment. So in 2012, I vow to savor more of my life. When my husband is rubbing my feet, I will not think about what I am planning to cook for lunch the next day. You know I'm bad off if I can't concentrate on a foot rub. :-0

Last year, my resolution was to "get moving." I did increase my exercise level though in a completely different way than I envisioned and not as consistently as I'd hoped so I was semi-successful.

'Savor' fits in with some ideas I have for crafting this year as well. Here are two of my crafting objectives:

At least twice a month, re-use an old Technique, Tool or Product, or Training Resource. Some of the training resources I have are materials from classes I've taken in the past and old scrapbooking magazines. So I'll be 'savoring' my existing resources while still using new products as well.
Create at least 2 videos per month for the blog and YouTube. I'm delighted with the number of subscribers I've picked up via YouTube. I have 38 and probably had less than 10 a year ago. That doesn't sound like that many but I have to admit I haven't put much effort into it so far. Imagine how many wonderful people I can connect with if I do a little more video sharing. All of my videos have been cardmaking and technique so far. I'd like to do some on scrapbooking.

For my bookmark, I used some older product and a training resource. In one of Shimelle's classes last year, she had us take scrap paper and organize it into packets for page kits so you could just grab an appropriate one, some photos and start scrapping. I did the organizing but never really used these for scrapbooks. They are great though for cards and small projects. The word Savor is cut on the Cricut with the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge using the end cap feature. I glued different designer paper behind each letter using spray adhesive. Since bookmarks get a lot of handling, I like spray adhesive or Tombow Mono glue because they really hold up.

Thanks for visiting today! I look forward to visiting your blogs in 2012 also!

2011 by the Numbers (and favorite projects)

2011-12-31T08:57:00.000-05:00

For the last few years I've been keeping track of my personal spending. How much do I spend on clothes, crafts, car maintenance, etc. I did this years ago and it was enlightening and a little frightening to see what I spent in certain categories. It is amazing how much I used to spend on pantyhose in the early 1990's! So glad that one has gone away for a lot of reasons.

So for the last few years, I know how much was spent total on papercrafts - this falls into the slightly frightening category :-) In 2011 I took it a step further and tried to break things down a bit. A few dollars didn't get accounted for but I got a pretty good picture of things. I broke things down into photo processing, cardstock, designer paper, embellishments, inks, stamps, adhesive, albums and miscellaneous. Just like the first time I tracked all my expenses and got a few surprises.

I really thought I was spending more on keeping up my wide format printer. It is still a bit more expense than desired but not too bad. Also, I use it more and more as my regular printer anyway. I average about $8 a month on adhesive which is a much better than expected because it always seemed I was buying adhesive.

The bad surprise was how much went into cardstock and envelopes - 25% of the total. Cardstock is about the least exciting thing to buy in papercrafts next to adhesive so this is something to review. Fortunately I have a good stock built up. Also, I didn't put much money into education. I took advantage of a lot of free training via Two Peas classes and YouTube. I got so much out of these classes. Next year I think I'll invest more of my budget in some other classes as well.

In college, I took enough accounting classes to qualify for an accounting major so I guess this is where my obsession with numbers comes from. So, onto more numbers...

I've noticed on various boards that many people track how many layouts and cards they make, particularly layouts. I estimated in 2010 by going back through my albums and counting. This year I kept a log and here are the results:

81 Layouts (12x12")
36 Mini album pages
337 Total cards of which
170 cards went to Operation Write Home
50 or so of the cards went to my Mother and my aunt to send for Christmas and other events
and 3 Notebook covers were made.

The number of items made is about the same as last year but I spent a tad less money - a nice surprise. So my head is now satisfied that I made lots of stuff with at least part of that stuff I bought. As for my heart...

I had fun, I preserved a lot of memories, and I hope I touched a lot of people with greeting cards.

To me this is Priceless!

Here's wishing us all a productive and fun 2012! Happy New Year!

NC Apples

2011-12-30T08:37:00.001-05:00

Today's layout uses the December Two Peas class Stretch Your Sketch layout. This is my last project from this 2011 classes. The 4 monthly classes have been so inspiring. You can still find all of them at Twopeasinabucket.com under Classes & Events. I hear that more classes are on the way for 2012. Can't wait to see what they have for us next year.

I moved the photos a bit from the sketch and substituted ribbon for a scalloped border. Also, the bottom part of the sketch contained a series of round embellishments where I used flags with word stickers. So just some minor changes and the sketch worked nicely for these photos of apple shopping.

To create the apple, I cut the image on my Cricut and then inked with various Stampin' Up inks on sponges. It took about 4 tries to get an apple I thought was 'authentic' enough. My picky nature on apples comes naturally.

I live in the "apple county" of North Carolina. On the northern end of our county we have many orchards and they operate apple houses where they sell their apples, of course, in the fall as well as other fruits during most of the year. It is a treat to get such fresh apples. My husband's favorite variety is Fuji. I've had some jaw issues this year so I've switched to the softer golden delicious. They are always perfect for cooking anyway.

We took visiting friends to the apple houses in November. They used to live here so it was a challenge to find an activity that would be new to them. Surprisingly they had never been to a local apple house. It was such a beautiful fall day and the orchards are in one of the prettiest parts of our area.

The layout looked a little bare in the upper left corner so I used some Ali Edwards stamps as I've learned to do in Nichol Magourik's classes. They do create a finishing touch.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: Stamps: Favorite memories by Technique Tuesday
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Old Olive by SU!
Cardstock: brown from Crate Paper; prints and letter stickers from October Afteroon
Brads and chipboard by Basic Grey

Papercrafting Sales

2011-12-29T09:06:00.000-05:00

Along with almost all the other retailers, papercrafting sources are also discounting this time of year. A few days ago, I saw an announcement on Stampin' Pretty's blog that Stampin' Up! had added a bunch of stuff to their clearance rack. Once I saw what they added, I placed an order that day! It came in this week and I'm delighted with the items. Here are a few of them:

This paper called Presto Patterns has a texture - sort of like embossing but flatter - that appears when you add ink or spritzes or pastels. I experimented and like the effect of pastels and inks best. It is a great use for those pastels that tend to stay in the drawer. This photos certainly doesn't do them justice.

The item that really sold me on ordering was the upgrade kit for the Watercolor Wonder crayons. I had all the old colors but just didn't want to spend $40 in the catalog last year to buy the upgrade kit. It is now $12 so I'm really happy I waited! The clearance rack sales stay on as long as they have product.

Also, over at Two Peas in a Bucket there is an extra 10% off sale items and a free shipping promotion through Dec 31. So far I've resisted this one having already shopped their Thanksgiving sale.

Visit Nichol Magourik's blog for a code to discount Ella Publishing E-books through Dec 31. These e-books are about the same price as a regular scrapbooking magazine (less with the discount) and you get really tailored content + a bunch of inspiring layouts.

Thanks for visiting! Happy after Christmas Shopping!

2011 Tips

2011-12-27T06:57:00.006-05:00

"Imagine" what wonderful new things await us in the new year. I'm already thinking of what I want to make and what direction I want to take my blog. As usual, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. It is still 2011 and a chance to look at what I've learned this year.

A Two Peas customer posted this question on their message board:

"What is the best tip you learned in 2011?"

Many of us contributed responses. (Here's the thread: Tips thread at Twopeasinabucket.com) One of my favorite responses to this thread was the reminder that you can learn just about anything on YouTube. I watched one of those helpful videos a few days ago. It was on making your own shimmer paint using Crystal Effects or Glossy Accents + ink from a reinker + Perfect Pearls (or another pearl powder). I experimented and created the flowers on the card above and the hearts on this card...

My paint didn't have as much shimmer as the example but it has a great sheen. It looks like frosted nail polish.

Watch Roxycar11's video at: Shimmer Paint

In the video she uses black paper for her base. I figured out why when I experimented. You get more shimmer painting on a dark background.

So what is your favorite tip from 2011?

On a personal note, we spent a very quiet Christmas at home. My husband who wanted to 'skip Christmas' ended up skipping it in bed. He had a terrible sore throat and some other cold symptoms so he has been taking it easy and I've been his nurse. I'm a terrible nurse so I'm expecting him to perk up any day now :-) He just ran himself silly in December visiting family and then trying to catch up in about 3 days when he got home. Fortunately, he is feeling better.

Thanks for visiting!

Peace on Earth

2011-12-23T20:35:00.001-05:00

A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

While it is snowing on the little bird in my card, we are not expecting snow here. In fact, I walked today in near 60 degree sunshine with only a light hoodie needed for warmth. Hard to believe last year, we were on the eve of my first white Christmas.

Hope you are safe and with those you love this holiday season.

Card Ingredients: Stamps: Four the Holidays (greeting) by Stampin' Up!; Bird by Martha Stewart
Cardstock: Going Gray and Bordering Blue
Watercolors: Watercolor Wonder markers from Stampin' Up!
Pearls: Pretties Kit by SU!

Jazzing up Die Cuts

2011-12-21T10:06:00.000-05:00

My husband got home Monday night from his trip to be with his daughter when she had her baby and to visit the rest of his family. So yesterday, we had a nice outing together and a catch-up day.

My tip this week is on jazzing up die cuts. Die cuts often work well on their own but they can really shine with a few extra layers. Here is what I started with from Crate Paper's Peppermint collection...

To clean them up a bit, I first trimmed off those bits of paper that stick to the edges and went around the edges with a marker in a companion color. That alone really makes them stand off the page.

Next I finished the tops of my ornaments with embossing powder. To add embossing powder only to a portion of your die cut, use a Versamark pen to coat the area you want to emboss.

To jazz them up a bit more, I used some strips of glitter paper on one of the round ones.

To add dimension, I punched part of the design of one of the die cuts out, backed the die cut with a piece of cardstock and then used dimensionals to pop up the punched portion.

Finally, a little stamping and some Ranger glossy accents. For the stamping, I took a stitches stamp from Hot off the Press and curved it a bit on my block so it would fit the ornament.

And here are the finished die cuts. Lots more pop!

This layout is also photo-less as I have no Christmas photos at all from my childhood. I do have lots of happy memories. Nobody gets ahead of my Mother for a good holiday bargain...

Journaling:

If I could have one Christmas photo from the

‘70’s and ‘80’s, it would be of my Mother on top of the racks at Eckerd’s drugstore in Charlotte’s Eastland Mall while she pulled the sale ornaments off the display trees. Every year we went to Charlotte on the day after Christmas to snatch up decorations at 50% off. Nobody discounted before the holiday. And nobody can raid a sale bin and find the best stuff like my mother.

My Mother decorated her home for Christmas each year I was growing up. I remember assembling their first artificial tree one color coded branch at a time. The tree was set up in the enclosed unheated breezeway. On warmer days I would go into that room to admire the tree and wonder about the presents. I spent hours each year dog earring the Sears Wishbook. On Christmas morning, Daddy would build a fire and I would get to see what Santa brought, but no earlier than 7:00 a.m.

After remodeling the house, Mother set up our tree in the living room. She decorated the gorgeous tree with fancier ornaments bought at the holiday sales. I wrapped everyone’s presents including the ones to me after she had taped them shut in boxes.

Since I moved out, not a bow or ornament has been put on her mantle or in the living room. All the decorating takes place at my house. It was her idea to do a garland on my stairs and she got me started even donating some of those sale ornaments from years past as well as more she snagged from sales in Florida when they made their annual trips there after Christmas. I’ve added many ornaments from local stores, too. I typically do a real tree, but now the garland is my favorite holiday decoration.

Thanks for visiting today! I plan to post again before Christmas but if you are taking a break or if I inadvertently do, I hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!

Ingredients: Crate Paper Peppermint Collection Kit
Embossing Powder - Silver from American Crafts
Thickers: Fancy from American Crafts
Letter Stickers: Oliver from Basic Grey

Shoe Sale

2011-12-19T07:43:00.000-05:00

What's better than SHOE shopping?

Buying on SALE!

Remember Imelda Marcos, wife of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. She is famous for a collection of 2700 pairs of shoes! My husband loves shoes so we refer to him as "Imelda." Now he doesn't have that many pairs of shoes, not really so many shoes at all, but he does love to shoe shop. And if there is a big sale, even better! On this day, he got two pairs of sandals at 80% off plus an additional $5 if he signed up for text messages from the seller. Neither of us text, but he did it anyway to get his extra savings. Nothing beats new shoes, like new shoes on sale.

For the page, I used October Afternoon's Campfire 8x8 paper pad and some OA stickers from various collections. The denim trim with grommets came from Walmart years ago. The little yellow pom pom trim is on clearance now at Stampin' Up! I love that trim so much I put the other colors on order, too.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Welcome baby!

2011-12-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

We welcome a new baby into the family! Lenny's daughter had a son on Sunday. Baby Emmett is named after his father. Mother and baby will be home from the hospital soon and are doing fine. Everyone is very busy so I haven't pestered them for photos. Hopefully, I'll have one to post in a few days of the proud Grampa holding his grandson. BTW, I am "Miss Lisa" to Jaime's children so I think I'll stick with that this time around, too.

For my card, I used the Cricut and the Accent Essentials cartridge to cut the wheels, tires, handle and undercarriage of the baby carriage. I cut the body of the carriage by hand and used the scallop punch for the cover. Scallop scissors helped out with the trim. All the paper and the stamp are Stampin' Up!

It was a fun card to make, I don't get to do many baby cards. Thanks for stopping by today.

TIPsy Tuesday - Making Matching Fabric

2011-12-13T09:26:00.000-05:00

Keep a little plain muslin fabric on hand to make easy matching embellishments for your pages or cards.

Despite having a ton of discontinued fabric sample books in my basement, I knew it was unlikely I had any fabric to match the light blue/green on this page. That color is still popular in fabrics and really isn't discontinued yet. It was just easier to make my own for a quick embellishment anyway than sift through all those books.

I used a ruler and a Baja Breeze marker to draw crosshatch lines on a piece of muslin. Then I spritzed the muslin with a little extra color. For the flower I used some mist made with Baja ink. For the leaf, I used Peeled Paint from Ranger. I had both of these left from other projects.

Then I just cut out a flower image and a leaf image. I distressed the edges with a little more ink.

Using your markers and ink on fabric gives you even more mileage out of your ink purchases.

For the rest of this layout, I was determined to stay away from the edges. I'm always running my layouts all the way to the edge of the paper. I wanted to try a cleaner style.

The subjects of this layout are my aunt and uncle who are 88 and 96 years old, respectively. They are 'more than neighbors' to us as they are family and a wonderful source of inspiration.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: DSP: October Afternoon Thrift Shop and various 8x8 Paper Pads
Twine: Doodlebug
Thickers from American Crafts
Sticker: October Afternoon Farmhouse

Making Cards Page

2011-12-12T07:21:00.001-05:00

There are tons of posts and projects related to scrapbooking holiday activities. I think most of them are called "December Dailies." At first I didn't think I would want to do something like this because I just wouldn't have enough activities and wouldn't have the discipline to get it done. I admire everyone who is doing these. Now, every time I do something holiday related this year I think that is something that could be scrapbooked in a daily album. There is still that discipline thing; maybe next year.

For now, I'm just doing a page or two on favorite activities. I did one last year on holiday decorating and here is one on making Christmas cards. I started doing them for myself a few years ago and then I made some for my Mother to give and for my aunt to give. I also make a lot of Operation Write Home holiday cards and we've done a couple of Christmas themed card classes in the past couple of years.

For this page, I spent a lot of time on the background. I wanted to capture the images I'd used on the cards without overwhelming the photo. Several of the squares of Crate Paper's Peppermint collection are stamped with gray or black images I used on cards this year. Then I placed them on the diagonal and zig zagged over the whole thing.

The page is for Scrapbooker's Anonymous challenge in December to use a holiday theme, glitter and tags. I'm not a big glitter fan but did have these Thickers and of course the page is holiday themed. For the tags, once I got started it was hard to stop. I think there are 6 - several from the stickers and die cuts with the collection kit.

The page also has label stickers as instructed in the final Products You Love class at Two Peas. Through the 2P's classes, I've really seen how versatile label stickers can be. These are part of the collection kit but I also bought quite a few October Afternoon label stickers in my last order.

Have you made Christmas cards yet? I mailed mine late last week. I haven't received many cards yet. Oh, that is another thing I could put in a December Daily is a photo of the cards we receive.

Thanks for visiting today!

Scent to drive for

2011-12-11T17:59:00.000-05:00

At the end of the gentle yoga class I take, the instructor does a very brief scalp massage as part of the relaxation portion (everyone's favorite) of the class. My regular instructor is on vacation. When her substitute got to me on Friday, she had the most amazing scent on her hands. After class, I immediately asked about it and she showed me a bottle of Tranquility massage oil from O My Soap. She told me she got it at a local farmer's market.

It was as if that oil was catnip and I were a cat! I could not get the smell out of my head - literally for about 2 hours and then for the rest of the day. I had to find it. You see, it smelled just like my favorite Caswell Massey lotion that was discontinued a few years ago. It is like hyacinths.

So Saturday morning I woke up thinking "farmer's market." Those are usually on Saturdays so I started my quest. The market is closed for the winter but in my search I found the Oh My Soap people at a local craft fair where they did not have any of the Tranquility oil. Boo! But she gave me the number of their business and I went over there. After a bit of waiting, I finally had a bottle of this marvelous stuff in my hands! I also picked up some Peony soap which smells wonderful, too.

Of course, I'm delighted to find this smell but also to promote this local business. Oh My Soap has been in business for 10 years and they make all their products in our area. Here is their website: O My Soap. It is a shame you can't smell stuff on the Internet. Maybe that will be the next product - a computer that lets you smell.

Now I just need my masseuse but he is busy delivering a baby. Well, not literally, but shortly I'll have info on the latest addition to the family...

Giveway winner and weekend

2011-12-10T08:54:00.001-05:00

Good morning! The random.org generated winner of the Stampin' Up! set is #5 Tracy! Thanks for your comments.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I've got a holiday layout in progress but it will have to wait awhile because Mother and I are going to a local craft/gift show this morning. I found out about a wonderful locally made product yesterday that I just have to have and today it is at this show! I'll share more when I get my hands (and more importantly my nose) on this. That's a teaser, isn't it?

We are also on baby watch. My youngest step-daughter who lives in Little Rock is expecting a baby boy any day. Tonight is a full moon and she has already been to the hospital once on a false alarm. So the cell phone will be on today for sure.

15 pounds of fear

2011-12-07T17:44:00.001-05:00

We are having a thunderstorm in December! It is even hailing! I was working on some cards and thought I heard someone at the door. There wasn't anyone there and I'd just gotten back upstairs and was listening to the rain beat on the skylight in my upstairs bathroom when I remembered. Jasper! My kitty was in the sunroom where there are 11 windows and 3 skylights! Well, he was dry but he raced in the house as soon as I opened the door and headed straight for the basement. He is 15 lbs of fear when it comes to storms!

Here's a warm card. I made a few of these for Operation Write Home using Splitcoaststamper's card sketch this week.

On the inside it says "A very big heart."

Have you entered my giveaway of a Stampin' Up! Hostess Set? Click here to enter. You have until Friday night.

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: Stamps: Happy Heart Day
DSP: My Mind's Eye 6x6 Everyday Flair
Ribbon: Leafy American Crafts Dear Lizzy
Cardstock: Hawaiian Shores by Papertrey Ink

TIPsy Tuesday - Making Felt Embellishments

2011-12-06T10:16:00.001-05:00

Felt shapes are very popular in scrapbooking embellishments. You can do your own with your die cutter or punches and a needle and thread.

Here is how I did the little mitten:

I cut the mitten with the Cricut (using SCAL software but you could cut any image using a cartridge)

Then I took the negative space and used that as a pattern to draw my mitten on felt. I flipped the pattern and the felt over drawing and cutting from the back side.

I cut it out with scissors and whip stitched around the edges.

It's easy to cut out your own felt shapes just use your die cutter to make a pattern for you. I found the negative image to make the best pattern. It is easier to trace inside an image rather than around the edge.

Thanks for visiting. Have you entered my giveaway? Scroll down to yesterday's post to leave a comment or click here.

Ingredients: Stamps: Cute Christmas from Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Real Red
Twine: Martha Stewart

Giving Thanks and Giveaway

2011-12-05T09:34:00.000-05:00

Here are 7 of the 11 photos on one layout! Yipee! That is what we are up to on Shimelle's 4x6 photo love class. I missed last month but am back with my Thanksgiving layout. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I like to cook but am not a fan of fixing the traditional Thanksgiving meal so this is a layout about this year's meal which was successful without a turkey. I made a few other changes - minor ones that no one would really notice - that made the day go a lot easier on me. So the layout was a good chance to get those ideas down for next year.

And now there are 11. To squeeze in 11 photos, Shimelle has class participants to add a 6x12 page protector filled with 4 photos and two journaling areas. I didn't have one of these so I took her suggestion and stitched up my own using a regular page protector. In future, I think I would buy these types of protectors. It was a tedious sewing job to mark and sew the plastic sleeve. I didn't get some of the pockets cut straight either so I'll probably replace this with the real thing eventually but that will be a cinch.

Otherwise, it was a very fast layout for so many photos. I've used mostly My Mind's Eye papers from a couple of collections but also mixed in some other companies and raided my stash for a few old embellishments that were gathering dust. I also used the Boho blossoms punch that hasn't been out my punch drawer in awhile. This is a three flower punch from Stampin' Up! It is tough to punch through cardstock so fortunately my hubby did the actual work for me.

And now for the Giveaway! It is the season of giving and I have a little gift for one randomly drawn commenter - this stamp set from Stampin' Up!

Just leave a comment on this post by Friday night, December 9 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. I'll post the winner on Saturday. (If you do not have a Google account, leave a comment under Anonymous with your e-mail address, blog address or your firstname + last initial if I know you personally.)

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: DSP: My Mind's Eye So Sophie Open Your Heart, Little Lady and Life is Beautiful 6x6 pad;Petite Prints Bon bon Daisy Doodlebug ; Studio Calico Star from Classic Calico
Stamps: One of a Kind by Stampin' Up!
Ink: Rich Razzleberry; Vintage Photo by Ranger
Thickers: Regards and Fantastic by American Crafts
Stickers: October Afternoon

2011-12-03T14:39:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to get my Christmas cards for myself done this weekend. This one was a class card this week. I won this designer paper as blog candy last January. I'd saved this "We wish you a Merry Christmas" paper all year because I knew how much the ladies loved music paper.

Also, I got a Two Peas order in today with an American Craft album and a lot of random designer paper. I've always used Creative Memories albums because I like that you don't have to use page protectors; however, lately it seems no matter how much I glue I use things do come off my pages over time so I thought I'd try a different approach for an album.

Lately, I'm really into pulling together papers from lots of different collections so I went through the Two Peas store searching for paper in certain colors and bought things that had those pretty tone-on-tone small prints - often the 'b' side of the papers. There is a layout coming together in my craft space that has at least three different manufacturer's papers. So hopefully I'll soon have something other than holiday cards to post :-)

Well, better get the dishes done and get back to those cards! Hope you enjoy your weekend.

More Wise Men

2011-11-30T07:43:00.000-05:00

Here are the last of my Mother's cards. I did 10 of these using Stampendous Cling Wise Men stamp. It takes a full hour to color each one! Fortunately I can do this and watch television. I put them on a larger card so the Wise Men wouldn't be so crowded. The background cards came in a set with matching envelopes. Since they were a plain white, I sponged on Not Quite Navy from Stampin' Up! and Ranger's Dusty Concord over a gold embossed image to dress them up. The ribbon is some organza from Hobby Lobby's fabric section.

In my video this week, I mentioned those little gold gems. I was sad to see that Hobby Lobby didn't have any on their racks or a place holder for them that I can tell. I'm going to have to find another source as I'm practically addicted to them for holiday cards.

Thanks for visiting!

Ornament cards video

2011-11-29T11:22:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving weekend! I cooked, we ate, I decorated for Christmas and made lots of cards. These are part of my Mother's cards for this year. I did a similar card a few weeks ago using fabric and ribbon for the ornament. This time I used papers and cut many of the ornaments with a circle cutter. The video shows the entire process.

Watch at YouTube

I'm trying to wrap up my cards this week. As always, doing Christmas cards is fun and creative. It is time though to get on to other projects.

Thanks for visiting today! Stay tuned for a giveaway coming up in the next few days...

Ingredients: Stamps: Magic of Christmas by Hero Arts: Four the Holidays by SU!
DSP: My Mind's Eye Life is Beautiful; Cosmo Cricket Christmas paper from last year
Ribbon: Making Memories
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi and gold from Stampin' Up!

Saturday Shopping

2011-11-26T15:57:00.001-05:00

It's small business Saturday. Here's where I've been shopping so far.

I finally went to a local butcher that everyone raves about and bought several items. The products look so fresh!

Also I visited our local quilt shop and picked up a few fat quarters. For those who aren't quilters, that is a cut of fabric approximately 18" x 22" which is still a quarter of a yard but often gives you more usable cuts for your project. I don't have anything in mind to do right now, just adding to my stash - which I know is something you can all relate to :-)

Then I stopped by a produce market to get a few things. The owner used to be my neighbor and I was going there often but I'll admit I've slipped and just picked up things at the grocery the last few months.

Yesterday, I also supported a couple of small businesses with an on-line order at Two Peas. They are having a sale though there seems to be a problem and not everything is coming up on sale. I went ahead and ordered because the October Afternoon stickers always sell out and I wanted to grab them while I could. The sale goes through Monday and Monday they have a special free shipping offer on orders $35 and up, too.

After getting my hair cut, I went to a consignment store and found a great pair of shoes that don't look the slightest bit worn. I truly hate shoe shopping so it was a treat to get a nice pair for a good price and not worry that I've invested a fortune in shoes that may or may not be kind to my picky feet.

So I've gone to some regular stops, places I hadn't been in a couple of years and one truly new-to-me store - all independently owned small businesses. I hope this Small Business Saturday really catches.

Have you shopped this holiday weekend?

Another Christmas Card

2011-11-25T21:09:00.000-05:00

Here we go with another Christmas card. I'm working this weekend to get my Mother's cards done and a few more of mine. Although I started months ago, the time to get them done has slipped up on me!

Hope you are having a fun holiday weekend!

Christmas Card class card

2011-11-23T07:32:00.001-05:00

Our next card class is for holiday cards. We used this stamp set last time and it will be the only repeat. Last time we embossed the image. This time I CASEd the technique from the Stampin' Up! catalog - at least it is what I think they did. I inked the image in a gold color - River Rock to match my background cardstock - then I sponged on a bit of dark brown ink around the edges and stamped. We will have to clean the stamp between stampings but it is a very fast card to put together.

I snagged this ribbon at the Mighty Dollar store earlier in the year. The rest are all SU! papers. I'm doing better with my cling stamps thanks to some advice I got on Splitcoaststampers. Press the acrylic block onto the cling stamp and hold for a few seconds to get good adhesion. It really works.

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: Stamps: Come to Bethlehem by Stampin' Up!
Ink: River Rock and Ranger's Vintage Photo
Paper: Not Quite Navy, River Rock, Ruby Red, Gold and Bravo Burgandy

TIPsy Tuesday - Take photos early

2011-11-22T07:30:00.001-05:00

Last year we spent a week visiting our friends in California. Because of their work schedules and other traveling we did, we were not all four together all the time. There were though opportunities to get a group photo but I missed them all and came home without a photo of all of us together.

So this month, when they came to visit us, I made sure we did a group photo on their first day. Self timers are a wonderful thing. So my tip for today is to get your group photos done early in your holiday visiting. It is easy to get busy or to have someone leave early and miss that chance. We did an entire holiday party at my house one year where I left my camera sitting on the mantle the whole night and didn't remember to take one photo!

The layout is for the Products You Love class at Two Peas. This month Shannon has us using chipboard. I used to paint raw chipboard for almost every layout. Lately I've been forgetting about it and that is the point of the class to get out those favorite products and perhaps use them in new ways.

Well I tried to use this in a new way. I started by tracing the chipboard on designer paper, cutting it out, and gluing onto the top. I planned to sand the edges and add some paint over the sanded area. I have done this before, I think, but it must have been a simpler image. Sadly, I didn't do a very good job of trimming. No matter I thought, I'll be sanding. Then when that didn't look so hot, I started painting. The paint didn't cover all my mistakes so for some reason I thought a layer of glossy accents would help. That only made things worse.

One of the great things about chipboard is that if you mess up the top layer, just peel it off and start over which is what I did. On the second try, I painted, stamped and distressed for a much better - and faster - effect.

Since the background paper was so busy, I just did some stitching and added a little ribbon for the remaining embellishment. The date is made up of stickers in a Fancy Pants book plate I sponged with Staz-on brown ink to tone down the color.

Thanks for visiting. Hope you have a happy holiday with family and friends - don't forget those photos!

Ingredients: Stamps: Circles and Dots by Inkadinkado
Chipboard: Oriental Trading
DSP: Indian Summer from Basic Grey
Bookplate: Fancy Pants Delight
Stickers: Jillibean Soup

Small Business Saturday

2011-11-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

Shopping on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving - has been a national tradition for decades. For most people that means the mall, major electronics stores or discount stores like Walmart and Target. Whether you love it or hate it, it is a huge shopping day for national retailers.

A couple of years ago American Express began promoting Small Business Saturday. The idea - shop at a small business on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

I hope you will join me in making a purchase at small business in your area or if you want to spend the day at home - an on-line small business.

This doesn't have to just be holiday shopping. Remember there are countless small businesses that don't sell sweaters and electronics. Here are some ideas for local shopping on Saturday, November 26:

Skip the nationally advertised chain restaurant and try a locally owned coffee shop or restaurant.
Place an order with a home-sales specialist - Stampin' Up!, Pampered Chef or whatever you favor.
Get the oil changed in your car at a local garage.
Purchase something handmade on Etsy.com
Bypass the "million dollar corner lot" national pharmacy and drive down the street to your locally owned pharmacy to pick up a few things for your medicine cabinet. Tranfer a prescription to your local pharmacy. You'll be relieved to speak to the same pharmacist every time when you have questions.
Go appliance or furniture shopping for yourself at a small local store. I always try to buy things that might need to be repaired someday at a locally owned store. The service is so much better and the deal is just as good.
Treat yourself to a crafting kit from one of the many small on-line businesses such as artfuldelight.com
Sign up for an on-line crafting class from one of the many bloggers who offer such classes like shimelle.com or jennifermcquireink.com
Stop by your salon and have a manicure or pick up some styling products for yourself or as stocking stuffers.
Grab a couple of paperbacks at your used book store or regular book store if you are lucky enough to still have one.
Visit your local florist and purchase a plant or flower for someone a bit under the weather.
Drop off or pick up your dry cleaning.
Attend a drop-in Yoga or other exercise class (which is what I have planned this Saturday - got to work off that big dinner :-).
Don't forget E-bay. You may get a deal and you'll support dealers who make their living doing this or people like you and me who just want to make a few dollars for their own holiday shopping.

Shopping local has tons of advantages. One I notice that applies to this busy holiday weekend is location. Most of the small local businesses are no where near the big retailers so traffic should be lighter and that makes for a much better holiday weekend.

Happy shopping and thanks for supporting my fellow small businesses.

Thankful Thank You Card

2011-11-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

I'm working on building up my low "thank you" stash. This card uses a My Mind's Eye 6x6 paper pad - a great option for pretty prints that get too large for cards in regular 12x12 size.

There is a lot of gold embossing on that one designer paper. It's hard to see the sentiment in the photo but it says "Thanks So Much."

I'd like to start a new tradition on my blog. Whenever I post a "Thank You" card, I want to take a moment for gratitude. So today, I am thankful for my friend Jean who introduced me to Stampin' Up! and really got me going on card making. Making cards is such a wonderful way to get a creative boost.

Thanks to Jean and thank you for visiting today! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Ingredients: My Mind's Eye A Beautiful Life 6x6 paper pad
Stamps: MME Gertie; sentiment by Stampin' Up!
Embossing Powder and paper: Gold by Stampin' Up!
Ribbon: Lavendar Moon by Papertrey Ink

Challenges Thank You Card

2011-11-16T19:13:00.000-05:00

To build up my Thank You stash, I did a few of these using this week's Splitcoaststampers color and sketch challenges. The colors to use were Lucky Limeade, Baja Breeze and Calypso Coral. I've barely touched my in-color paper so these were great colors to use and they sure cheered up a rainy day. We've had a much needed 2+ inches of rain today.

I don't have the ink that match these In Colors so I subbed some close colors. A Thank You card in the month of Thanksgiving makes me think of what I'm thankful for today. I'm thankful for our nourishing rain and that all my loved ones are safe, warm and dry at home.

And thank you for visiting!

Ingredients: Stamps: Cheep Talk and Spring Solitude by Stampin' Up!; Hearts and Stars by Autumn Leaves
Ink: Old Olive, Baja Breeze and Soft Suede; Warm Red by Colorbox
DSP: Campfire by October Afternoon

TIPsy Tuesday - Making Tags

2011-11-15T08:14:00.000-05:00

I never buy ready made tags. I always want different sizes and colors for my projects. There are lots of options for cutting these with the Cricut but usually I just reach for a few punches. Here is a quick 2 minute video on how I do tags using punches.

Watch at YouTube

The tools used are: We R Memory Keepers Crop-a-dile (you can use any hole punch), 1/2" circle punch and We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Thanks for watching and visiting today!

Daddy

2011-11-14T07:26:00.000-05:00

Is this just a custom in the South or does it happen in other places? Southern girls often call their father's "Daddy" forever. My Mother went from "Mama" to "Mother" somewhere in my teens. It was my idea and it never occurred to teenage me to ask what she wanted to be called. But I know lots of women both younger and older than I am who still call their fathers "Daddy" not Dad.

Anyway, even today I have few photos of just Daddy and me. This one was taken this summer beside my Mother's beautiful day lily patch.

For the layout, I had all these little hexagon shapes leftover from a honeycomb cut I did with my Cricut last week. I spritzed them with green ink (Peeled Paint from Ranger and water in a mister). Then I stamped some of them with swirls and dots in various colors. I lightly glued them in rows and then stitched in place. I've seen hearts and circles stitched down like this before.

Now if you are thinking that this giant photo corner might be there for a reason, you would be right. First I accidentally dipped the corner of the page in an open ink pad on my table. Oops! I sanded off all the ink with an emory board (a trick I learned from my stamping friend Betsy) but that left the paper a bit distressed. So I thought I'd spritz it with a little Buttermilk glaze from Maya Road. It wasn't coming out so good so I dabbed some and basically made a mess. The photo corner is my camouflage.

As many crafter say, mistakes are just a good reason for more embellishment.

Thanks for visiting today! Tomorrow I have a tip on creating tags.

PPA Challenge - Velvet

2011-11-12T08:41:00.000-05:00

Over at Pals Paper Arts, the challenge this week is to use this photo as inspiration. The girl in the photo has a dress made of various fibers. I selected some ribbons and scraps of velvet from a discontinued fabric sample book. I sewed them together and used as a base for my ornament.

The outline of the ornament is cut on gold Stampin' Up! cardstock on my Cricut using SCAL software. The gold paper is in the accessories section of the SU catalog behind all their regular color groups. It really adds a lot to cards particularly at the holidays. It comes in silver also.

I didn't have a spruce like greenery stamp so I used one from Hero Arts that is meant to go with one of their ornament stamps.

I'm really delighted with how this card came out. I may do some others in this arrangement using paper rather than fabric to reduce the bulk.

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: Stamps: Magic of Christmas by Hero Arts; Come to Bethlehem by Stampin' Up! (greeting)
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Garden Green
Cardstock: Gold, Night of Navy

Favorite Flower

2011-11-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

I love glads. Have you noticed? My aunt used to grow them in the front of her garden along the highway and I loved all the colors that would show up in the altar arrangements at church. Mother would put flowers in the church for my birthday and I always wanted glads. I had them for both my weddings.

Lenny frequently ordered them in bouquets for me, then he started planting them. One year for Valentine's day, he bought us 160 bulbs! The idea was he would plant them for us. Well, real life changed that plan! It was the year of 80 hour work weeks, so I did most of the planting. No matter, they were still beautiful. He doesn't dig them all up every year. He digs up some just in case, we lose a few but not that many as we have nearly 300 bulbs now.

I did this layout for two challenges - Scrapbooker's Anonymous November challenge and 2P's Scrapbook Stamping class for November. For this layout, I cut a mask using my Cricut and SCAL software. I drew a hexagon and copied it over and over again to create a honeycomb pattern. After spritzing with ink, I peeled back the mask. I just didn't care for the look. But I really did like the look of the mask on top of the spritzing - tone-on-tone in both color and texture so I left it put. This is how it would have looked as a pure mask.

For the remainder of the layout, I stamped a bunch of lily flowers from 5th Avenue Floral by Stampin' Up! I think they look just like the glad individual flowers. These are my stamped and paper pieced flowers for the 2P's class.

Scrapbooker's Anonymous challenged us to use 7 different ribbons. The ribbons gave me a break from all that pattern paper and added a little color on the top and right of the layout.

We had our first big frosts week before last so all the blooms are gone off everything for the year. I'll have to enjoy my glads in photos until next summer.

Thanks for visiting today

Ingredients: Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral from Stampin' Up!

Ink: Basic Black

Thickers: Fancy from Dear Lizzy collection and Regards by American Crafts

Brads: Enchanting KI Memories

10 Fall Favorites

2011-11-10T06:43:00.001-05:00

Each month Shimelle hosts 10 things on the 10th. I decided to participate in this month of Thanksgiving with a few things I love about this time of year. Every year fall brings many blessings. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. A wonderful park and great weather for walks. (It has been an absolutely gorgeous week here!)

2. Beautiful fall leaves right in our backyard.

3. Gorgeous days to work outside. (Lenny is listening to a book on tape and working on pinball parts.)

4. Hikes on a local trail.

5. Friends visiting us.

6. A chance to visit a friend in her new town.

7. Quilt shows to attend.

8. Local apples to enjoy. (We live in the 'apple county.')

9. The CMA Awards on television. (P.J.'s and fuzzy slippers required.)

10. The chance to soon start my holiday decorating.

What are your favorite things about fall?

A little break

2011-11-08T08:19:00.000-05:00

Hi! We have company for a few days this week and are thoroughly enjoying our visit. I'll be back later in the week with a layout.

Naughty or Nice?

2011-11-03T13:18:00.000-04:00

Kristina Werner has been doing her holiday card series. One of her first cards used an Inkadinkado stamp with a kitty on it. I looked for it at Archivers a few weeks ago and they didn't have that one but had this cutie instead. It sure fits my Jasper as he is a playful kitty but usually very nice. Yesterday, he brought us a present - a dead field mouse - on the back patio. Yuck! Oh, I mean "good kitty."

I tried to color my kitty like Jasper but my model was most uncooperative as you can see here.

The rest of the colors go with these Crate Paper Peppermint collection papers. I know I'll want to make some more of these when I find more ribbon. This is Basic Grey ribbon and I used every inch I had to make 5 cards.

My Christmas card box is filling up little by little. This year, I'm finding doing anywhere from 4 to 10 cards of one type is doable and interesting.

Hope you have a great day! Thanks for stopping by.

Ingredients: Stamp Ornament Kitty Mini by Inkadinkado
DSP: Peppermint by Crate Paper
Ribbon: Basic Grey
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red by SU!

Fall On-line Quilt Festival

2011-11-02T16:35:00.000-04:00

I almost missed it this fall! The Blogger's Quilt Festival is in full swing over at Amy's Creative Side. Follow this link to see at last count over 500 wonderful quilts. Fall 2011 Quilt Festival

Obviously I'm not contributing this fall but I still love seeing everyone else's pretty and inspiring creations. Quilters from all over the world participate. Projects are basic to advanced, mini to full size. Lots to love for everyone.

TIPsy Tuesday - Curled Cling Stamps

2011-11-01T11:07:00.001-04:00

Today's tip only applies to Stampin' Up! "clear" stamp users. Hopefully you won't even need this at all. However, if you ever get a stamp mounted like I did, it might come in handy.

When you purchase Stampin' Up!'s clear stamps (what everyone else calls cling stamps), you must adhere the label to the stamp. When I did this greeting stamp, I got the label on a little too tight so that the stamp didn't lay down quite flat. Whenever, I would try to adhere the stamp to an acrylic block, it would pop back off. That is a problem once you ink up and try to stamp; the stamp drops off the block messing up your paper!

Now I kept trying to press the stamp onto the block harder. And you know the definition of stupidity - doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Well, finally I tried something different. I couldn't take the label off and redo it, so I used sharp scissors to cut through the label in a couple of places and that helped the stamp to lay flat. Now it doesn't drop off as much - any more than any other cling stamp.

These Christmas cards are for my aunt. I'm doing a mass production of about a dozen cards. She only sends a few. The background is created by applying distress ink and a little classic Not Quite Navy to my craft sheet, spritzing with water and then dipping the paper into the ink. I use a paper towel to remove the excess and let it dry. There is quite a bit of gold embossing to make these special without any fancy embellishments. I wanted to keep the flat so there would be no extra postage.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Finished!

2011-10-31T10:37:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it! My Mother's mini album for Christmas is done! I had it just under half finished when I started back on this weekend and just kept clicking along until it was done. Since I'm not that into mini albums or heritage albums, I had dreaded this project. It moved along nicely though mainly I think because I stuck to the supplies I had out for the most part. I love to rummage through my papers and embellishments for the perfect thing for my pages. This time I kept to the paper kit, some ribbon, buttons and 1 6x6 pad I'd saved for the project.

Here are the pages I haven't shown in previous posts:

My Grandparents and the home where Mother grew up.

Mother as a little girl and with her sisters

Teens and 20's

70's and 80's

This back page is the only one I'm not happy with. I like the photos. My embellishments are sort of all over the place and just don't pull it together, but I've got everything glued down now. I wanted to use more photos of my mother and father together so I did the collage. These are mostly while traveling from the mid-70's through the 80's. And I realized I'd never put mother's name anywhere in the album so this was a chance to use her full name.

The only drawback to having this done is I have to keep it secret until Christmas. If I even as much as hint about anything, she will pester me to death until she founds out what I've made. It has been awhile since I made a gift for her and I know I, too, will want to share it early. I'll just have to bury it in one my upstairs dresser drawers and forget about it. (mentioning the location here so I really don't forget where I've hidden it :-)

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: Crate Paper Prudence collection, Paris and Co. My Mind's Eye 6x6 paper pad
Ribbon: Webster's Pages
Buttons and brass embellishments: Tim Holtz
Rhinestones: Prima (cover) and Kaiser (clear ones)
Cardstock: Ocean Tides by PTI

Stretch the Sketch - Go to Visit layout

2011-10-27T21:35:00.000-04:00

This month's Stretch the Sketch challenge at Two Peas uses a two page sketch. I kept to the sketch with the size and arrangement of photos. I changed what were little tags to circles and inserted part of my title between them. Just as instructor Jen Gallacher did I added some more to the first page. In my case, it is where the journaling is placed. To balance the layout, I added some strips of vertical paper on the far right.

This is the rest of my visit to my friend Karen's house a few weeks ago. Some of the circle embellishments have special meaning. I crocheted the flowers because we talked about crocheting and Karen showed me some of her lovely projects. We visited an antique store so I used some antique looking papers. There is a place setting icon to remind me of the great food at their house. Also I use maps and map themed letter stickers to remind me of traveling around the city. I wish I could be more random with my embellishments but I tend to want to tie them to the subject matter some how.

My favorite is the quote under the photo of roses. It is off some October Afternoon paper and just happened to be the main quote in a tiny strip of paper I had left. "God gave us memories that we might have roses in December."

I have wonderful memories of my visit. I'm grateful for the scrapbooking hobby and all the things I learn from my fellow bloggers that help preserve those memories.

Have a great weekend!

Ingredients: Cardstock: Brocade Blue by Stampin' Up!
Stamp: Ledger by Hero Arts
Ink: Basic Grey by SU!
Build-a-brad: Pewter by SU!
Stick pins by Tim Holtz

Wise Men

2011-10-26T21:26:00.001-04:00

Did I need this Wise Men stamp from Stampendous I spotted at Archivers a few weeks ago? No. I have two other wise men stamps already.

Could I resist the intricate design and keep it out of my shopping basket? Well, apparently, No to that too!

I'm so glad I didn't resist. I loved coloring in this image with a big assortment of Stampin' Up! markers. It is time consuming but so far my favorite Christmas stamp. I'll probably do my Mother's cards out of this one. Have you picked a holiday stamp yet?

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: Stamp: Cling Wisemen by Stampendous
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder and Rich Razzleberry by SU!
Gems: Hobby Lobby jewelry dept.

Tone-on-Tone options for B-siders

2011-10-25T08:42:00.000-04:00

Do you find yourself using a lot of the 'B' sides of pattern paper - those little polka dots, stripes or other small designs that are often just a darker shade over a lighter background in the same color? If so, you probably like the tone-on-tone look and you can easily get this with cardstock and stamps - ones you probably already have.

If you are new to stamping or an occasional stamper, the one type of ink I'd recommend you buy is Versamark or another brand of clear watermark ink. This type of ink will give you more mileage out of your stamps than anything else you can purchase. Take it one step further and get some clear embossing powder and a heat gun. Versamark is the easiest and cheapest way to achieve tone-on-tone affects.

With a tone-on-tone look you can create your own pattern paper. In this sample, I wanted to compare the depth of color I would get in three different ways of doing tone-on-tone.

On the far left is an image inked with Versamark and stamped on the cardstock. That's it. I did let it dry as Versamark is a sticky ink that takes a few minutes to dry. This is the most subtle look.

The center is stamped with the same color ink on the cardstock. In this case I used Brocade Blue ink on Brocade Blue cardstock from Stampin' Up! (My handwritten notes say Bordering blue but it is really Brocade.) This color has been discontinued but the idea works with any color or any brand of cardstock that sells a companion ink. It is also the one that gives you the most variation from color to color. Some colors really pop like this and some are more subtle like the first example. Experiment on the back of your layout as I'm doing here.

The last one on the far right is stamped with Versamark, sprinkled with clear embossing powder and heat set. It gives a glossy finish and some texture in addition to the change in color.

I'm still deciding what I want to do with the layout I'm working on. It is wonderful to have so many options with just a few products.

Thanks for visiting!

Journal Cover

2011-10-24T11:04:00.000-04:00

Covering this journal was one of those projects where I had to really rethink myself. I started out inspired by a video from Kristina at Two Peas. She was using various torn pieces of paper and gluing them to a journal cover and then inking. It was all a very distressed look. I knew I'd want to take some of the randomness out of it to fit my style. So I started with all green and blue/green papers - my favorite colors and peaceful colors. I did my tearing and sort of placing of the pieces before I glued anything - fortunately. It just really wasn't me.

After stepping away from the project for awhile, I knew I could salvage some of the idea and get something that worked with my style but still stretched me a little. I took some of the torn pieces and stamped them with leaves. Then I placed them between strips of neutrals punched with border punches - a much more structured look.

The purpose of this journal is to dig into my thoughts and experiences and try to figure some things out. Yoga was recommended by one of my doctors to help me sleep better. I had a yoga therapy session recently and the therapist identified that I have a lot of fear. I know this, I just don't know where it is coming from. I have lots of theories but I can't fix or change everything at once. I might change something that really isn't the problem and make things worse. Anyway, I need to do some more journaling.

So the cover symbolizing peeling away the layers and hopefully getting some growth (leaves) and some peace (blues/greens). I like to keep my artistic references clean, too. Ha!

Since I was afraid (there we go again!) that I'd screw up the cover, I glued all these pieces to cardstock. Unfortunately all these layers got so thick I couldn't wrap the front of the cover to the back so I just had to trim it and glue it on. It works. The notebook is large so I can print out my computer journaling and add it to the pages and work in either medium as inspiration strikes.

As always with notebook covers, I'd love to add buttons and thicker embellishments. However, I don't because I want to fold the notebook back and really be able to write in it. Don't want anything lumpy in my way.

So now it is just a matter of digging into the gray matter. Paper is so much easier.
Thanks for taking in my rambling tale.

Ingredients: Stamps: Summer Leaves by Stampendous
Ribbon: Stamper's Alley in Mooresville NC
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Old Olive, Mellow Moss, Kiwi Kiss by SU!

C is for Crochet

2011-10-22T08:57:00.000-04:00

One of the challenges at Scrapbooker's Anonymous this month is to use the letter "C" to inspire. I've used lots of Crate Paper Farmhouse collection, fabric covered Chipboard letters, a Crochet theme, and some actual Crocheted embellishment.

The layout uses this month's challenge layout at Artfuldelight.blogspot.com

Journaling reads:

In the 6th grade, I saw my friend Cindy crocheting. I wanted to learn and Mother got Nan Price to come over and give me a lesson. Soon I was going to Nan’s house each week for lessons. I made coat hanger covers, toboggans and soon graduated to full afghans. My favorite pattern was the Park Avenue made in strips and then crocheted together. This was one of the last I did for our house in 1993. I took up quilting and eventually my hands protested the repetitive motion of crocheting. I miss my favorite craft. Time spent with patterns, yarn and needles will always be a wonderful memory. I was definitely…

Hooked on Crochet

I was a crochet fiend for years making almost all my gifts for friends and family during high school and college. I learned to knit, too but my stitches were never as even as crochet.

While I don't regularly crochet anymore, I have found that my hands will tolerate just a bit like the scalloped border here. I keep a neutral color of crochet cotton and then use ink to dye the finished product to suit the page. In this case, I dyed it in Riding Hood Red classic ink from Stampin' Up!

I really miss crocheting particularly now that it is so popular again and there are so many beautiful yarns. It was a great hobby to do in front of the TV. I've been coloring some stamped images instead.

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: DSP: Farmhouse by Crate Paper, Thrift Shop by October Afternoon
Stickers: October Afternoon and Girl's Paperie
Chipboard: Patchwork Thickers by American Crafts

OWH Mailbox Greetings Cards

2011-10-21T00:47:00.000-04:00

Thank you for visiting me! I'm honored to be a Featured Friday Cardmaker on the Operation Write Home Stars and Stripes blog this week. Thanks so much to Dixie - my shipper - and everyone there who do such a fantastic job to be sure our cards are sorted, packed and into the hands of our troops!

Today's cards use one of my favorite stamp sets for making OWH cards. I bought this set from Papertrey Ink (www.papertreyink.com) because I loved the little mailboxes. I use it all the time because of the greetings. There are 18 greetings with the set for all kinds of occasions. The small size makes them hard workers.

The card at the top is a general thinking of you card with an inside greeting of: "Even though we are apart, I am thinking of you."

This card will soon go in a box to OWH as it is winter themed. To create the snow, I stamped a snow outline image from the set, filled it in with a Versamarker and covered in white embossing powerder. I had to layer the embossing powder about three times to get enough coverage. The snowflakes are from an Inkadinkado set and are also embossed.

I'm glad you stopped by today. I do both cards and scrapbooking so you will see some of each on my blog. Since cards are faster, there are usually two or three card posts for every scrapbook layout. I like to participate in challenges and also do my own thing. Every Tuesday I share a tip, sometimes with a video.

Hope you will come back soon!

Ingredients: Stamps: Mailbox Greetings by Papertrey Ink (PTI)
DSP: floral print from Crate Paper Farmhouse Collectiong, brown stripe is Soft Suede by Stampin' Up!
Markers: Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Kraft by PTI; Crushed Curry, Soft Suede and Old Olive by SU!
Ribbon: Soft Suede by SU!
Twine: Enchanted Evening by PTI

More on Mother's Mini

2011-10-19T19:07:00.000-04:00

I'm hopping around on Mother's mini and am almost half way there. Above is the cover page using a Prima jewel I bought at Archivers. That is just about all that brown lace from Webster's pages. I hate to use it all up. They have the most gorgeous trims!

The photo of my Mother was taken when she was 17. I think it is her favorite photo. The pages below will be near the back of the album. The first page of Mother with me was shows photos from the 60's. I went a little more modern with the paper on the later page for the 70's photos. We will fill in the journaling block when I give her the album. I can not place the location of the photo taken of the two of us on a green vinyl couch. Who had a couch like that? I just can't remember but I bet she will. Perhaps it will touch off a memory of an event, too.

There are very few photos of my mother and me together when I was growing up - maybe a half dozen total. It's sad really that no one took pictures. I'm so glad today that people take so many pictures of their children. I just hope these photos get preserved and don't stay forever in phones and cameras. It is one of the best benefits of our scrapbooking hobby - scrapbookers take more photos.

Thanks for visiting!

Be sure to come back on Friday as I'm honored to be a Featured Friday Cardmaker on the Operation Write Home blog. I'll have a couple of cards to share.

Ingredients: Stamps: Lovely Letters by stampin Up! embossed in copper
Prudence collection by Crate Paper; Paris 6x6 pad by My Mind's Eye
Trim: Webster's Pages
Button: Tim Holtz
Mini: Bo Bunny

TIPsy Tuesday - Digi Stamps with Waterbased Markers

2011-10-18T07:45:00.000-04:00

Digital stamps are downloadable images purchased typically one image at a time or sometimes in sets. They offer flexibility in that you can alter the size of the image. They are usually less expensive than traditional stamps.

There is one drawback that I had to overcome before I could use this latest way of stamping. When I downloaded a free image and printed it on my Epson inkjet printer, the black printer ink would run when I colored in the image. (I tried heat setting and giving it some drying time but that didn't work.) I only have water based markers - specifically Stampin' Up! Copic markers are very expensive and I just didn't feel I would do enough coloring to get into collecting them. Still I wanted to have a larger selection of images I could color.

Here is the solution I found:

I purchased this image from Sweet and Sassy Stamps. This technique should work with anyone's jpg image.

I then inserted the image into a blank Word Document. In Word 2010, I clicked on the image once and chose Picture Tools, Format, Color and then the light gray image in Recolor. This turned the black lines a faint gray. You could also recolor the image in Photoshop Elements.

After printing the image, I went over all the lines with a permanent black marker. The smallest tip I had was on a Zig marker which is supposed to be permanent on paper. I found that the ink needed to dry for an hour or so before coloring the rest of the image. Sharpie works and can be colored immediately but I didn't have one with a fine enough tip.

If, like me, you only have waterbased markers and want to give this a try, choose digital images with distinct lines and not too much detail for best results.

Ingredients: Stamp: Winter Friends by Sweet and Sassy Stamps; Four Holidays by SU! for greeting.
Cardstock: Soft Suede and Marina Mist
Twine: Martha Stewart

Recipe for Welcome Guest

2011-10-17T08:45:00.000-04:00

Here's a layout remembering the wonderful weekend I had with friends last weekend. I'm celebrating their new home with a house theme and her husband's great cooking with a recipe theme for the journaling.

Journaling:

Recipe for a Welcome Guest

2 wonderful people

1 loving miniature dachshund

A lovely new-to-them house

Gorgeous sunny temperate weather

Delicious home cooked soft foods

2 movies on DVD
1 best friend

Invite best friend for the Fall break weekend. Prepare and serve delicious cottage pie. Drive friend around to see pretty campus & new office and tour city. Intersperse movies with lively conversation. Tour nearby town on the Inner Banks. Toss in a couple of tasty sweet treats. Finish with an afternoon of furniture shopping. Plan on a repeating recipe for maximum effect.

Nichol Magourik's Scrapbook Stamping class at Two Peas for October is about building a scene from stamps. I used Hero Arts Whimsical Houses stamp set and added a paper pieced sunshine. The papers are Stampin' Up! Nichol's Wednesday video series From Start to Finish inspired the layout and button embellishments.

Their little dog Winnie shown in the photos gets her own little stamped image, too!

I bought lots of word stickers at Archivers but still didn't have the colors and words I needed so I just printed these out and added to the layout.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: Stamps: Whimsical Houses by Hero Arts
DSP: Jersey Shore by Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Bashful Blue
Stickers: Mini Market by October Afternoon
Thickers: Nutmeg by American Crafts

Wonderful Visit

2011-10-14T08:31:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I visited my best friend, Karen, in Greenville, North Carolina. She moved there last year for a new job. We had a wonderful time catching up. I loved seeing their new home. She took me on a tour of East Carolina University and to the lovely town of Washington on the inner banks. Her husband is also a wonderful cook! It was such a relaxing weekend.

On my way home, I made my first stop ever at an Archiver's store! There is only one in our state, in Raleigh. It was just a mile off my route so it would have been a shame to drive on by. Of course, I shot my self-imposed budget in just a half hour. Good thing I'd given myself a time limit, too :-) One of the things I bought is the Whimsical House stamp set from Hero Arts used for this thank you card.

I've also got plans to use this for Nicole Magourik's Scrapbook Stamping class this month. The challenge is to create a scene on your scrapbook page and this set has several houses, the tree, a dog, cat, and a car so there are many things to put together.

Thanks for visiting today! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Ingredients: Stamps: Whimsical House by Hero Arts, Clouds by Imaginence
DSP: Old Olive by SU!; Daily Grind by Fancy Pants
various markers by Stampin' Up!
Twine: Enchanted Evening by PTI

Thanksgiving Card

2011-10-12T20:29:00.001-04:00

A happy belated Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers! I hope you had blessed day with family, friends and of course, food!

This card is made with a retired Stampin' Up! set Thankful Thoughts. I bought this from my SU! demonstrator Jean and just love it. I've done the coloring method shown here and also made the card without coloring in all the images and it looked pretty, too. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo and sent all those to Operation Write Home. It was the same arrangement only I used designer paper where the cardstock is on this one.

Speaking of OWH, I'm delighted to be on of their Featured Friday cardmakers next Friday the 21st. I'll post a link to their blog and have a special card to share that day here on my blog. They do such wonderful work sending cards to our troops who return the cards to their loved ones.

Thanks to you for visiting with me today!

One Halloween Card

2011-10-11T16:19:00.000-04:00

I'm back home after a great weekend with my best friend. More on that later on. Lenny found all his little notes.

This week's Splitcoaststampers color challenge was a good chance for me to make the one and only Halloween card I mail. This goes to Dillon with a little treat inside. Halloween is just not my holiday. It isn't a religious issue; I'm just not into it.

So these stamps are from a set of really cheap ones of all holiays I picked up at AC Moore a couple of years ago. There are some great images in the set but the proportions are all wrong. Nothing works with anything else. There is a witch stamp that I didn't use because the bat is larger than the witch! Actually the bat is larger than the cat, too, but I let that one pass. And if a spider that big crept up on my cat, he would go running for cover and so would I!

Anyway, the colors were purple, turquoise and pumpkin pie. I had this black net ribbon left from another project. I cut the letters on the Cricut using SCAL software.

So what is your favorite holiday? I bet you can guess that mine is Christmas since I've been doing Christmas cards here since July. :-) Thanks for visiting today! (Sorry, I have no real tip today; hope to be back to that next week.)

Little Notes

2011-10-10T06:37:00.001-04:00

When my husband went on business trips, I used to put little notes in his shirt pockets. Now I tuck them into pockets of jeans or polo shirts when he visits his family. This time, I'm the one making a short trip to see friends and he is staying home. So I'm leaving him a few little notes tucked in odd places where I know he will find them. Inside the refrigerator is a sure find spot, the washing machine is not!

Just a little tradition.... Wonder if he has found all his little notes yet?

Relaxing Day

2011-10-07T16:05:00.000-04:00

9 photos uncropped on one page? Yes, you can! Thanks to the pocket and Shimelle's 4x6 photo Love class for September. Click here for the class -- Sept 4x6 Photo Love

I followed her suggestion and used a transparency for the front of the pocket. The top is covered with some gray cardstock that I distressed with a distressing tool. Then I sewed it on. I thought it looked like leather which was kind of cool.

Here are the photos in my pocket, two per side of a 6x9 cardstock.

All of these photos are from Moses Cone Estate in Blowing Rock, NC. Everyone loves to walk around Bass Lake. It is so beautiful and a great easy, relaxing trail. I really needed this break with Lenny doing the driving, going to one of his customers so I really just had to make small talk and didn't have to do anything. We also got in a little shopping.

So if you have lots of photos you want to put on one layout, Shimelle's class is just the ticket. And it is free at Two Peas.

Hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: Cardstock: Bashful Blue by SU!

Transparency: Fancy Pants Road Show collection

DSP: Mia by Crate Paper

Flower accents: Sculptured Flowers by Prima

Take care of yourself

2011-10-05T08:19:00.000-04:00

I wish I could be more like my husband who hardly ever gets stressed about anything. He just enjoys life and seldom complains. I, on the other hand, am the one who plans and agonizes. I tell myself that someone around here has to do that or the place would fall apart. Still, I wish it didn't have to be me all the time. The thing is, it is me because it is my personality.

Yet that personality affects one's health. Learning to relax and manage stress is necessary. I'm trying a lot of things and one little thing I've found are relaxation videos on YouTube. Yes, you can find most anything on YouTube these days.

Here are a couple I like that take just a few minutes to decompress:

Guided Meditation

Simple Relaxation

If you search on "relaxation meditation" you'll get a lot more.

Hope you have a peaceful day!

card ingredients: Stamps: Deco Flowers by Paper Studio and Sweet Little Sentiments by SU!
Cardstock: Raspberry Fizz by Papertrey Ink

TIPsy Tuesday - Starting a Mini Album

2011-10-04T13:37:00.001-04:00

During Shimelle's Explore class this summer, our final assignment involved working on a task that had been put off. I selected a mini album for my Mother. Originally I was going to do a 12x12 Heritage album. I'm ashamed to say that was about 10 years ago. I did 4 pages. Then about 18 months ago I decided on a mini album and purchased a pretty chipboard album and set aside a paper collection. I began adding ribbons and things but that was as far as it got.

During the final week of Explore class, I selected the photos. Having done my parents 50th a few years ago I had lots of photos scanned. The challenge was deciding which to use.

So now I'm making the commitment to get this album done by Christmas. I could knock it out in a few days but I confess, I just don't like to do mini albums. And a heritage version is harder still. Why? I guess it is because I don't know what to journal and there is sort of a reverence to old photos that I just can't seem to get past. Anyway, I'm doing the album with some of my own journaling but with lots of spots for Mother to make some notes. I want this to be a surprise so I can't interview her.

My first two pages are shown above. I dived into the middle with photos that are printed in the right size. To be able do do that, I went back to the way I used to do all my scrapbooking, laying out the pages on blank paper.

For this mini, the album has varying size pages. I measure them and cut scrap paper those size - one piece for each side of chipboard. I numbered the pages and spread them out on the bed. Then I started playing with photos to decide what went where. I've placed them all in a folder so I can just extract the pages I want to work on together. If I do 2 a week, I'll make it without any problem.

This picture of my parents by the car is the only one made on their wedding day. They couldn't afford a photographer.

Do you have a project you want to complete before Christmas? If it is a mini album, how do you work Front to back, jump around, or do you just jump in and see where the creative spirit moves you? I think any approach works as long as it is good for you.

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: Album Bo Bunny
DSP: Crate Paper Prudence Collection; Paris and Co 6x6 MME
Ribbon: Webster's Pages
Brad: Stampin' Up! Antique

Killing Time

2011-10-01T19:13:00.000-04:00

What better way to fill in a little time than by having an ice cream? On a weekend away this spring, we lucked up on a unique opportunity to tour an exhibit of Lemurs at Duke University. The only catch was we had about 3 hours before the tour to fill in a city we knew nothing about. So we had lunch and bummed around finally ending up at Ben and Jerry's. Oh, what hardship!

The layout is based on Shimelle's sketch of the week. She commented that she doesn't have that much purple in her stash. It is so hard to find purple papers! I've found some in Halloween collections. They can be the B-sides which is where this star paper came from.

The double punch border using the slit and 1/2 inch circle punches is featured in this blog post: Slit and Circle punch border

The sprinkles on the felt ice cream are Perfect Pearls and Stickles. The cone is just paper folded every half inch and then trimmed down.

Thanks for visiting today! Hope you are having a crafty weekend.

Ingredients: DSP: A Beautiful Life by My Mind's Eye; Cosmo Cricket Material Girl, Stampin' Up! Sweet Pea

Stickers: October Afternoon

Brads: KI Memories

Font: Blackjack

Cased Ornament Card

2011-09-30T08:05:00.001-04:00

I so shamelessly CASEd this card from Hero Arts site. It is one of Jennifer McGuire's. I changed the papers and colors a little but it is pretty close. The die cut shape is from a Cricut cartridge. I wanted a frame but the next size up was too large so I manually cut a frame from blue cardstock.

I'm batch processing 10 of these for my holiday stash while watching TV. I feel so productive! Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: Stamps: Magic of Christmas (Hero Arts)
DSP: Peppermint Collection from Crate Paper; Material Girl from Cosmo Cricket
Cardstock: Real Red
Markers by Stampin' Up!

Die Cuts Card

2011-09-28T18:00:00.000-04:00

Artfuldelight has been celebrating an anniversary and running a great blog hop. Be sure to check it out. There are still just a couple of days left to enter a project for a great prize. The grand prize is a 6 month subscription to their monthly kits! What a wonderful chance to try for.

Since the prize was kits, I decided to use a kit for my card. The challenge was to fill in three items from her 'tic tac toe' board of options on day 2 of the blog hop - see the details here Artfuldelight blog hop. I did a card, used a border punch and used a button. The other items are all from a Crate Paper kit. I always have a hard time figuring out how to use the die cuts that come with some of the paper packs. It is particularly challenging for me on cards since you only get one of each thing and I almost always make multiples of a card. Anyway I fit in three of the die cuts here, stamping the square with my sentiment.

I did this as a 9"x4" card so it fits into a letter size envelope which is a nice change of pace.

Hope you are having a great week! Thanks for visiting!

A kiss of nature

2011-09-27T08:24:00.000-04:00

There are traditions and then there are traditions! One of ours is to share at least one kiss on our walks. We were just posing for the perfect picture when it turned into of those kisses. My husband immediately said, "I bet this is going in the scrapbook." Of course!

It took me forever to do this page. Partially I was just very busy last week and and also those little hearts turned out to be very time consuming. I lost track of the number of papers I actually used but you can get some idea from this sampler which is my tip for the day.

When you want to mix a lot of papers together, punch a small image from the papers to see what matches and what stands out as a misfit. I think there were only two (a light one and the stripe) from this selection I dropped. I was surprised to see so many work out. This technique expanded my design and also saved time as I was cutting most of the larger hearts on the Cricut. (I only have a very small and a very large heart punch.)

After cutting, I inked the edges and then sewed the little X's on them with embroidery thread which is where most of the time went.

After it was all done, I realized I'd gotten the photos in the wrong order! oh well...

How I did the tree (if you have a Cricut and SCAL):

In Powerpoint, I found a clipart image of a tree. There were some other elements in the image.
I ungrouped the image - you have to do Ungroup twice to get an image into enough pieces.
Then I deleted everything but the tree.
Next I took the image to Photoshop Elements and removed the white background.
Saved as a JPG.
In SCAL, I did a Trace Image and imported the JPG.

Anyway, it was a fun layout to do. Thanks for visiting today! And have you kissed our special someone today?

Ingredients: Way too many pattern papers to name! The background is Little Yellow Bicycle and the solid rust is Basic Grey Marrakesh. Some die cuts from Making Memories J'Adore collection.

Eschew the Chew

2011-09-26T07:26:00.002-04:00

Hi! I'm on my soap box again today. I promise to be brief and not do this often.

Today, ABC premieres The Chew in place of All My Children. If you aren't interested in this show, I hope you will join me in being sure your television is off during this time slot (for me that is 1:00 pm Eastern). The only daytime we watch is General Hospital anyway, but I especially want ABC to know that I have no interest in this new show.

Why? Sometime before the 2012 fall season begins, ABC Daytime will decide whether to keep the new show The Chew and another show coming out called The Revolution (weight loss) or to keep General Hospital. They have three hours of programming and will only have 2 hours of time available. Katie Couric is already taking one of the current hours. Obviously, I want them to keep General Hospital.

The Chew is supposed to be a food based talk show. From the previews, it looks like the content is part recycled from things anyone who cooks already knows to completely inapplicable advise. For example, Daphne Oz (the doctor's daughter) suggests getting fish tacos from your neighborhood Korean BBQ truck. As I told my husband, the day a Korean BBQ truck rolls through our neighborhood is the day I'll watch the forced smiles of the hosts of The Chew.

If you do watch The Chew and don't care for it, please send ABC an e-mail telling them so. All of us long time daytime drama fans thank you!

Thanks for listening!

Tomorrow I'll be back with a scrapbook page and a tip!

Quilt Festival

2011-09-25T08:22:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my thoughtful husband suggested an outing to a local quilt festival. The Wilkes County (North Carolina) Quilter's Guild featured these among the many beautiful quilts on display. This

one was my favorite.

This bed size quilt uses Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

I loved how the quilters worked the printed designs of their fabrics into their blocks and shapes:

There were so many talented quilters sharing their work! I'm glad we got to see them.

Thanks for visiting today!

Cupcakes

2011-09-22T13:09:00.000-04:00

Ah, the sweet things in life! Personally, I'm a regular cake kind of person - I like a larger serving :-) Cupcakes are cute though particularly for cards.

Busy week around here this week. Hope you have a 'sweet' day. Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: Cupcakes stamps by Hampton Arts
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel, orchid Opulence by SU!

TIPsy Tuesday - Covering a Notebook

2011-09-20T09:47:00.000-04:00

It is time again for another notebook. I've filled up my last one with lists and scribbles. So here is my latest cover. The video is about doing the base cover. You can apply this to virtually any spiral bound notebook without having to have a special punch or binding too. You just need a regular hole punch, a good liquid glue and a good tape adhesive. I'm using Creative Memories tape adhesive and Mono Tombow glue.

Watch at YouTube

The rest of the cover can be any pretties you like. I do try to keep mine flat so I'll be able to write in the notebook without any lumps in the way. I wish I could doll it up with buttons and other embellishments but this is more functional.

Thanks for watching!

Ingredients: DSP: Farmhouse Collection from Crate Paper
Stamps: God's Beauty, Define Your Life and Sanded by Stampin' Up!; Stella Rose by My Mind's Eye (doilies)
Sticker: October Afternoon
Twine: Lime Twist by MME; lace by Making Memories

Coloring in front of the TV

2011-09-17T16:48:00.000-04:00

Here I am again using the Loads of Love stamp. I do love this little truck. Lately, I've been looking for things I can color when watching the news in the evening. The world must be a boring place if the lead story is a debate between Dr. Oz and another reporter about apple juice - seriously, the lead story one day this week! Anyway with mesmerizing content like that having a little something to do while watching helps.

I'm going to have to look for more stamps that I can color. I tried the digi route however when I print them, the ink smears when coloring. I don't plan to invest in Copics so I'm using my Stampin' Up! markers. Anyone know of paper you can print digital images on and then color with water based markers?

I did get this wonderful set used on the top card second hand and I love it for Thanksgiving or other fall cards.

Speaking of television, the fall TV season starts this week and I'm pleased as the days are getting shorter and the nights a bit boring. I usually watch only one show a night or maybe two half hour comedies but they do break up the evening. Here are the returning shows I'm looking forward to:

Sunday - The Good Wife which is no doubt the best drama on television. I hope it does great in the new time slot. There is a catch up episode on-line though it doesn't cover nearly all that happened and doesn't really talk much about the one character that everyone does talk about - Kalinda. All the characters are interesting and have tons of depth to keep this one going a long time.

Desperate Housewives are doing their final season and I'll probably catch it via the Internet on Tuesdays when there is nothing on in Primetime yet again.

Monday - Mike and Molly. I was very surprised to like this show. It is more about their relationship than their weight though of course that does spark lots of jokes. It is the supporting cast that often makes or breaks a sitcom and this is no exception. The sister is hilarious!

Tuesday - as I said, nothing here except perhaps the new show Unforgettable but it doesn't come on until 10.

Wednesday - Modern Family! What else? TV's best sitcom. My favorite of all time is Frasier and this one just might top it.

Thursday - Big Bang Theory - my husband's favorite sitcom. I thought the addition of the girlfriends was a mistake but I was so wrong. Bernadette, Amy and Pria added much needed friction and material to keep the character's growing.

Friday - dead as usual. We typically watch PBS.

Saturday - ditto.

What are your TV picks for this fall?

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: Stamps: All Stampin' Up! Loads of Love, Thankful Thoughts, All Holidays for greeting
Cardstock: Crumb Cake and Daffodil Delight
DSP: Everyday Flair 6x6 Paper Pad by My Mind's Eye

New Tradition

2011-09-14T08:05:00.000-04:00

Today's layout started from Shimelle's new Starting Point's series that runs each weekend. On Saturday, there is a partial layout. In this case it was the background paper, 4 - 5 1/2" squares and one strip through the center. Then on Sunday she posts a complete page built from the starting point. You can use the starting layout however you wish.

I used 4 squares from a coordinating 6x6 pad from My Mind's Eye. They have a bunch of these out now. As far as I can tell, these papers are only available in the small pads. Pity, as there are some great prints. My center strip is also from a striped paper in that pad. It is seamed but covered by the photos.

I know the one photo of my husband defies all the photography rules about shooting a subject with is back to the sun, but moving him would have defeated the point. Plus I love how the light fell. Shimelle also has a new series on camera lessons. I need to take it to see what other rules I can break! :-) I wish I took better photos but I just don't have the patience for those perfect shots.

Anyway, it reminds me of a relaxing evening in early summer. Even though I'm ready for cooler weather, I'm nostalgic for this night too. It is part of the beauty of living where we get to experience all the seasons.

Thanks for visiting today. Off to my regular workroom to finish some draperies.

Ingredients: DSP: Paris by My Mind's Eye
Chipboard: Stampin' Up! Stickers: Crate Paper
Thickers: American Crafts

Come to Bethlehem

2011-09-13T08:01:00.006-04:00

Is it just me or is it really hard to find religious stamps and stamp sets for Christmas? That doesn't make sense to me. While I enjoy the secular parts of the holiday, I prefer religious or at least less cutesy sets for making cards for my Mother and my aunt to give.

One of the cards we did for card class last week is this one using a new-to-me stamp set from Stampin' Up! This is the Come to Bethlehem stamp set and is one of their cling stamps - they call 'clear.' I cut the star to be separate from the rest of the stamp as I knew I would want to do it in different colors and placements.

One tiny tip for the day: To save ribbon, fold one end over the other and tie together with some twine. Then cover the tied area if you like. I left one end hanging out from under the oval area. It saves just a bit of ribbon over tying the ends together but it was just enough to make this ribbon go the distance.

Thanks for your visit today!

Ingredients: Stamps: Come to Bethlehem from Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: gold, Elegant Eggplant, Concord Crush from SU!; Enchanted evening from Papertrey Ink
Ribbon and gem: Hobby Lobby

A little something to do

2011-09-11T14:41:00.000-04:00

A comment I've heard many times when comparing September 11, 2001 to December 7, 1941 is that our citizens haven't had to make the sacrifices today that were made when we went all-in for WWII. That is true for the most part. The largest burden has gone to the small percentage of our population who have chosen to serve in the military and their families. Most of us go on about our daily lives and don't think about attacks and freedom. How could we and really go on?

But I think we have as a country changed. We are more vigilant. I missed the Virginia earthquake as in I was in the mountains and for some reason didn't feel a thing. But for those who did, some thought of an attack, particularly those in Washington.

One of the saddest things to come out of 9/11 beyond the loss of life is the way we view other people. 9/11 created a new prejudice. I don't want to look at people of a different race or ethnicity negatively or in fear. In November 2000, I was flying to the Northeast for a business trip. Beside me was a man from Pakistan, nicely but casually dressed. He struck up a conversation by asking about our election. I had to admit that our democracy had yet to decide who our next president would be. (I was a bit embarrassed and that is probably why I remembered the conversation months later.) We talked about his trip to visit a friend and the places he had already traveled. It was a pleasant exchange. Would I have this same kind of relaxed conversation today? I'd like to think that I could look beyond the nationality of a person but we have been conditioned to be wary. He might be afraid to talk to me, too.

We are also paying the price of war literally in our country's debt. It is impacting our economy and thus all of us. I don't know if we are fighting the right fight in the right places but I'm not in a position to know. I know we have to protect our country, our freedom.

So today, I'm doing my small thing. I'm making some Operation Write Home cards. These happen to be holiday cards. They will go to those deployed overseas to be sent back to family at home. I love making these cards but I wish I didn't have to. I wish the soldiers, airman and marines could all come home and we could all live in peace.

Card Ingredients: Stamps: Magic of Christmas by Hero Arts; Four the Holidays by Stampin' Up! for greeting
Ink: Glorious Green, various SU markers
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Real Red

Last CA Page

2011-09-08T07:43:00.001-04:00

This is really it. The last of our California pages. I know I've said that before. This time I have them all in the album and this one just fills in a space. I'd planned to use these photos in my album sometime but I'm glad they are fitting in here. This was one of my favorite hikes. We were looking for a particular trail, got to the end of the road without finding it. When we turned around, we took the first trail that looked good and found this one. It was really stunning walking between the redwoods and over the footbridge in Redwood National Park last September.

The page is pretty simple. The opposite page in the album has the woodgrain paper around the edge so I put some in the middle for this page. Then I punched a bunch of circle elements. I stamped a few trees and that is about it. The journaling is printed on kraft and I used some $1 store chipboard for the title.

I'm really trying to get this travel album wrapped up. It's been awhile since I shared a complete album with my husband. There are some more Hilton Head pages - maybe just one. We go there every year but I still love to capture the memories.

Thanks for visiting today!

Leaf Lover

2011-09-07T08:03:00.004-04:00

I love leaves! Can you tell? It seems to be all I've posted the last few days!!! It is after Labor Day so for me, it is time to think about Fall. We had gorgeous blue skies Tuesday after the last of T.S. Lee blew through giving us about 2 inches of rain. Leaves swirling on a blue sky was the idea behind the card above.

I actually stamped and embossed these leaves in white for the first card and decided I didn't like the white swirls so much. So I had these left over and put them on this basket weave card.

The first card's leaves were done with copper embossing. The backgrounds of both are lots of distress inks and some Stampin' Up! Classic Ink.

Thanks for visiting today! Hope you are having a great week.

Ingredients: Stamps: Flourishes 2 by Autumn Leaves; Mailbox Greetings by PTI; Baroque Motifs for large flourish by Stampin' Up!

TIPsy Tuesday - Selecting Holiday Paper

2011-09-06T08:57:00.001-04:00

I love Christmas and as such it is hard to resist pretty holiday paper collections. However, my selection from last year proved hard to use up as it was definitely holiday/winter themed. When picking holiday paper this year, I looked for papers where at least one side was very general. You have to look closely at the small prints to be sure they aren't secretly harboring snowflakes or stockings or some other small wintery print.

Here is the Peppermint collection from Crate Paper. Almost all of these papers have some distressing on them. Everything except the die cuts can be used for non-holiday projects. I've used the die cuts to create a holiday scene card above. I added some punched garland using one of the papers in the kit, brads and glossy accents. The pink paper on the bottom half of the card is from another Crate Paper collection.

(Watch at Youtube)

Thanks for visiting and happy holiday paper shopping!

friends always

2011-09-03T17:12:00.000-04:00

My husband and his long time friend thought I was stopping to tie my shoe when we were hiking together last year. I was really falling behind to snap a photo of them. They have been friends for a very long time. Even so during this long walk, Lenny told her some stories of his time in college and a cute trick his Mother played on him that she had never heard. I enjoyed hearing them again, too. I just realized, I haven't added the date to this page. I'll do that.

Today's layout is for two challenges - Scrapbooker's Anonymous for using chipboard and a sketch of the week. Layout is based on the weekly sketch from Shimelle.com. I turned the sketch on its side and used a larger photo (5x7). The journaling is hidden behind the photo.

There is lots of sparkly here as I used quite a bit of homemade mist made from Ranger's Vintage Photo ink, water and gold Perfect Pearls powder. The leaves were first painted and then stamped with Staz-on so the ink wouldn't run when I misted them. The leaves at the top are green, then they go to fall colors with the brown at the bottom to represent a lifetime friendship.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: DSP: Campy Trails collection by American Crafts

Chipboard: Stampin' Up!

Paint: Anita's

Ink: Vintage Photo

Chipboard letters: Audrey by Maya Road

Thankful for dirt

2011-09-01T16:50:00.003-04:00

dirt? Yes, that's right, dirt. I'm thankful that our local park has an unpaved trail for walking. We've had a ton of rain this year and often it has come down in buckets washing the trail, but it doesn't get muddy. A certain amount happens every year and every year, they work on the trail. Each time, I'm a little antsy. I'm worried they are going to pave it. A couple of years ago I was having a conversation with the town manager on something entirely different and I asked about paving the trail. He said, "Oh we don't have the money for that." My immediate response was "Oh, good!" Well, I didn't mean I'm glad they don't have money. I wish the economy were wonderful and they were rolling in funds to do great projects (or lowering our taxes) - just not paving the walking trail.

It is amazing the difference walking on an unpaved trail makes to one's feet, knees and hips. I met another walker with the same opinion only this week. She was switching to the town trail from her community one which is asphalt for that very reason. This is the only unpaved public trail in the county. I've had another opportunity this year to put in my two cents that unpaved is better - even if it is more maintenance. This year, they widened the trail, smoothed it up nicely and planted some grass along the side. It is perfect and I'm very grateful to have such a pretty place to walk!

My card today is for Splitcoaststamper's Ways to Use it challenge. We were to use paint. When I think of paint, I automatically get into my chipboard. In this case I used some leaves and the portion of the chipboard they were punched from. I tried a couple of things before just painting over all of it and using a little distress ink to spritz a background. I stamped the flourishes from an Autumn Leaves set.

And since I used chipboard, this is also going over to Scrapbooks Anonymous site as the theme this month is chipboard!

You'll think I've gone totally nuts over leaves in the coming days as I have some cards designed for my next card class also with leaves. I love leaves and that is what I think of when fall gets close.

Thanks for your visit!

Ingredients: Chipboard - Stampin' Up!
DSP: Basic Grey
Stamp: Kind and Caring Thoughts by Stampin' Up!

TIPsy Tuesday - Rouched ribbon

2011-08-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

Here's an easy way to gather up ribbon on a card using the mat pack.

Punch two holes at each spot for gathering the ribbon.

Then sew over the ribbon twice with matching embroidery floss or twine. It is fine to pierce the edge of the ribbon just to anchor it in place. Put extra ribbon in between each hole for the 'rouching' as you go along.

The Stampin' Up! catalog inspired me to use this stamp from the Baroque Motifs set. The Stamp-a-mah-jig aided in lining things up. Each image is embossed using Bordering Blue Craft Ink and clear embossing powder. The top image is embossed in copper on transparency film. I cut it out and attached with a brad and a little chipboard as a spacer.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Hugs and Wishes by Stampi' Up!
Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze
Ribbon: Hobby Lobby
Brads: Paper Shapers

true R&R

2011-08-28T17:28:00.001-04:00

I love this photo our friend Howard snapped of us on the first day of our California trip last September. This is the title page to many pages from the trip which was true rest and relaxation.

The page is my entry in August's Scrapbook Stamping class at Two Peas. The lesson is on emboss resist so I did the title stamped in white and inked over it with various dye inks. I've finally found out why my previous efforts at emboss resist were less than perfect. I was apparently using the wrong paper. At least I think that was the problem. This time I used some glossy photo paper and it worked great. Always before my embossed image would pick up color that just would not wipe off. That didn't happen this time. It went so well, I did several cards this weekend that I'll post later on.

For the embellishments, I used several stickers from the Marrakesh collection - an old collection from Basic Grey. I had used some of these papers in the first few pages of this vacation. The flower is part of one I'd made and never used so it was just lying around my worktable. I knew there was a good reason not to clean up. :-)

Thanks for visiting today! If you haven't checked out Nichol's class at Two Peas, she will have a new installment on September 1st. Scrapbook-stamping-with-nichol-magouirk. She has the most clever ways to incorporate stamping into your pages.

Ingredients: Cardstock: Certainly Celery by SU!
DSP: Greenhouse Gala by SU!; ledger is from Fancy Pants; other papers are from Marrakesh by Basic Grey
Stickers: Basic Grey
Canvas Tag and lace: Making Memories
Brads: Antique by Stampin' Up!
Stamps: Autumn Leaves

Ribbon Retail Therapy

2011-08-27T12:04:00.000-04:00

On our way home from a doctor's appointment on Thursday, we stopped at Stamper's Alley in Mooresville, NC. They are one of my favorite places to shop for ribbon. Here are some of the pretties I picked up. With all the lovely choices, I was happiest to find that tiny black and white gingham. I had a roll of it from Stampin' Up! that I'd just used up. It really is just the right touch for so many cards.

There are a lot of nice textures here, too so I look forward to putting them to use.

Do you have any crafty plans this weekend? I hope you are not in the path of Hurricane Irene. She has made her first landfall a little weaker than expected but this is still a huge storm. We are getting a little breeze today and we are an 8 hour drive from the Outer Banks.

I've got so many projects started; I'm not sure what to work on. One night this week, I put all my travel pages from a couple of trips into one album and really figured out what I need to finish - two, I think, for California and one for this year's Hilton Head so those will probably be next. I have the photos printed.

For the Explore class, I worked on prepping some photos for a project for my Mother. I'd like to add a few more photos to my upload before having them printed so that is another weekend possibility.

And yesterday, I knocked some interlocking wire shelves that hold all my cardstock off their base so I'd better do something about those too.

For now, I'd better go feed my husband. He's an amazingly patient man but he does get hungry.

Hope you are dry and safe.

Stitched Background Bookmark

2011-08-25T13:29:00.001-04:00

This summer, I've taken light summer reading very seriously. Heavy stuff has not been on my reading list at all. I couldn't even take John Grisham's The Confession and I normally love his books.

No this summer, I've needed pleasant distractions with just enough conflict not to make them syrupy. Here are a few of the books I've enjoyed:

Nancy Thayer's Heat Wave - Just finished this new book. I just discovered Thayer earlier this year and while I don't think this is her best effort, it is very enjoyable. Summer House and Beachcombers were better. Many of her books are set on Nantucket and are just the ticket for summer reading.

The Vineyard by Barbara Delinsky - I loved this book. It is about 10 years old and of course my copy came from the library. At first the story seems centered around the female Vineyard owner and what she had to do to keep her family together during the Depression, the War years and beyond. But it is really more about the young assistant she hires and her dyslexic daughter. I learned a lot about dyslexia while enjoying the pleasant story.

The Guy Not Taken is short story collection by Jennifer Weiner. Normally I'm not a fan of short stories as I really like to get to know my characters more. These are quite good and one is a prequel to a novel she wrote.

Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle by Ann Ross. If you've never tried the Miss Julia books you must start at the beginning. This one is the most recent and as the name implies, babies arrive along with a mystery for Miss Julia to solve and of course, the necessity of preserving her precious reputation and even more precious family. Miss Julia is wonderful Southern character. This is also set in the winter time if you prefer to read your books in the right seasonal setting.

Fannie Flagg's I Still Dream About You. Another wonderful Southern writer, Fannie Flagg sets her latest novel in Birmingham. It is timely, funny and inspiring despite its - ah - subject - and I'll just leave it at that.

What have you read this summer?

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: DSP: 365 Degrees from Pink Paislee, Stamp: Stitched background stamp by Stampin' Up!
Markers: Stampin' Up!
Ribbon: Making Memories

On my soapbox...

2011-08-24T16:59:00.000-04:00

Here I am on my soap box today or should I say my "daytime drama" box.

I posted a few months ago that I am a fan of General Hospital. If you've ever watched General Hospital and stopped, now is definitely the time to return!!! GH has a new writer and he is bringing the program back to its roots. The Quatermaine family is being rebuilt and given key storylines. One huge issue for fans has been Jason's leaving his family behind after an accident and joining the mob. Jason is having brain surgery and it is expected he will awaken with memories of both of his past lives. This Friday and Monday are to be great episodes in this story.

If you don't watch the show, I know that last part sounds ridiculous. But really, are daytime drama plots any more far fetched than primetime shows? And what daytime dramas bring are continuous stories with characters we can get to know. They educate as well as entertain. Also their actors for the large part don't make the headlines with outlandish and often illegal behavior of some of the primetime and movie stars. They work hard and provide good entertainment.

I make the plea for viewing General Hospital for two reasons. 1) If you like a good story, this is a great show. The acting is exceptional. There are no reruns. You can watch via TV or on the Internet at ABC.com which keeps episodes available for one week at a time and YouTube has them on and on.

2) General Hospital and all soaps need viewers. ABC has cancelled One Life to Live and All My Children and are replacing them with cheaper lifestyle shows. The first will be a food show called "The Chew." Honestly, is there anything appetizing about that name??? By next Fall when Katie Couric joins ABC for another daytime talk show (eye rolling), one show will have to go. Will it be General Hospital or one of the two new lifestyle shows? I think GH will be far superior to the others but we need a lot more viewers to keep a nearly 40 year old program on the air.

ABC has sold the rights to their two cancelled daytime dramas to broadcast them on-line. I hope this is successful; however, the best chance for GH is to get viewers and prove to the network that viewers enjoy a good story far more than an out of touch lifestyle show and yet another gab fest.

Ok, off my soapbox. I promise to be back with a crafty project soon. Thanks for listening!

Warm Wishes

2011-08-23T16:56:00.000-04:00

I'm tipless today but I do have a card to share. I accompanied my husband on a pinball repair up in the mountains which didn't take very long. We did some shopping, took a hike, and enjoyed a gorgeous day. Apparently I missed the earthquake! I don't know if it was felt this far away or not. Anyway, hope you are having a lovely day!

Ingredients: Stamps: Playful Petals and Stitched by Stampin' Up!
Vanilla Hodgepodge hardware by SU!
various markers and ranger inks for the background on watercolor paper.

Dahlias

2011-08-22T11:19:00.001-04:00

Wow! Look at those dahlias

When I showed my husband this layout, he said, "We've got to start growing dahlias again." We used to but got tired of digging them up every year. We had so many other things to tend to. Seeing these last year at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in Fort Bragg, California made us want to plant some again. But of course, we got busy this summer and didn't. So a good thing about scrapbooking is it reminds you of all those good intentions! :-)

Journaling:

Walking along the path beside greenery and mostly spent flowers from summer blooms, we were stunned and amazed to emerge in the dahlia garden with its blast of vivid colors. We used to plant dahlias and vowed to again after seeing all the varieties from tiny, compact blooms, to spidery shapes and mop heads that needed support to keep upright. The colors seemed even brighter on the foggy, chilly Sunday.

The layout is based on this month's Stretch Your Sketch at Two Peas in a Bucket. I had already printed a lot of photos from the trip so I just punched out circles of the flowers and added them to a grid I cut with the Cricut and SCAL software.

I also used the Cricut to cut a border using the Storybook Cartridge. I added some punched flowers as accents with just a touch of Stickles. The background is green paint as I didn't have any other green paper quite the color of the paper on top.

I had so many photos I did this other simple page to complete a double page spread:

I'm almost done with scrapbooking this vacation. I've said that before but really - about 2 more pages...

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients: DSP: Green by Echo Park ; yellow from October Afternoon Thrift Shop; Soft Suede and Greenhouse Gala by Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: So Saffron by SU!
Brads: Basic Grey
Twine: Martha Stewart
Cricut Cartridge: Storybook
Stickers: Wow by Crate Paper Mia collection; kraft from Jillibean Soup

Red, White and Aqua

2011-08-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

You must think I turned a few too many calendar pages at once. Last month I was doing Christmas cards and this looks a lot like a Valentine. It is a Valentine set but I think it could be a thank you or love card. Don't worry, one step outside and I know it is still a very humid summer.

I chose this stamp to go with my polka dot background and the color scheme of Red, White and Aqua for another of Shimelle's challenges. For the background, I stamped the polka dots with regular classic Real Red ink and then went over a few of them with Versamark and some Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I used Ranger's Glossy Accents on a few more dots to give the background a little punch.

I told my friends at card class this week that I've got to go to the fabric store and stock up on some ric rack. I'm out of just about every color. This was the last of the red.

Tomorrow is the last day for most of these challenges and a chance at the prizes so check them out. Shimelle Scrapbook Challenges
Hope you are having a great weekend!

Ingredients: Stamps: Polka Dot basics by PTI; Happy Heart Day by SU!
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Soft Sky, Blush by Stampin' Up!

Early 90's - Two Challenges

2011-08-19T08:08:00.001-04:00

Shimelle's challenges from last weekend's on-line crop are continuing through this weekend. One that I thought would be a good exercise for me is the "half page" challenge. You are to leave about half the page free of content. I used my free area to showcase this beautiful paper from the Sweet Threads collection by Basic Grey. Since I typically strain the edges of any page with as many photos, embellishments and pretty papers as I can squeeze on, I thought this would be tough. It wasn't really that hard, actually. Though you can see that I did fill my row of journaling cards and photo to the edges and beyond. :-)

The journaling cards are for another challenge from Scrapbooker's Anonymous. I don't buy journaling cards and only have them when they come with a collection pack. This page really stretches my stash too as there is product here from seven manufacturers!

The photo is as the title implies nearly 20 years old! I scanned it and printed on matte paper with a beige background to give it that old look and match my journaling cards. It was obviously taken on a weekend as I had on no makeup that I can tell. That awful plaid shirt came from a garage sale, I think. My Mother bought it for me as she used to regularly contribute to my closet when I was just starting out from college. I had a good job but was putting everything extra into saving for a house. Looking at old photos can bring up all kinds of things like that.

It was a wonderful time in my life. My now husband and I were just starting to get to know one another, spending every free minute together. While I thought my job was demanding, and it was, it was a great experience for me. I worked with a wonderful bunch of people and often socialized with them as well. We had a small, happy home.

Would I want to turn back the clock? If I could live it over again in the same time, I'd say yes. If I was in my late 20's today, no, I don't think so. It is going to be harder for many people in that age group to get and keep good jobs and get ahead. Another funny thing old photos make you think about.

What about you? Would you want to start again today 20 years younger?

Anyway, thanks for visiting and reading my rambling.

Ingredients: Journaling Cards: Road Show and Delight by Fancy Pants, Mia by Crate Paper
Brads: Stampin' Up! Antique and Enchanting by KI Memories
Ribbons: Trendsetter by Webster's Pages
DSP: Sweet Threads by Basic Grey; Mia Crate Paper

Easy Card Recipe

2011-08-17T07:41:00.000-04:00

I wasn't feeling too hot Monday and I needed something really simple to make me feel accomplished but without any stress. I worked up this very easy card. It is inspired by the Grid Challenge at Shimelle.com. I think you could CASE this easily with a lot of different stamps - especially those small stamps that are sometimes hard to use.

Recipe:

Tool: 1" circle punch
Paper: 4 Designer papers in small tone-on-tone patterns.
2 solid cardstocks
Twine
4 small stamps and 1 greeting stamp

Cut the DSP into 8 - 1 1/4" squares. I used 2 squares of each color.
Stamp images in white cardstock and punch.
Stamp greeting
Arrange squares on a piece of solid cardstock - 5 1/2" wide by 2 5/8" high.
Add circles with foam squares
Assemble adding twine.

I did a few of these for my OWH box and they lifted my spirits. Creative pursuits always do that.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients: Stamps: Season of Friendship by Stampin' Up!
DSP: Sweet Pea by SU!
Cardstock: Choc Chip and Baja Breeze
Twine: Martha Stewart

Going to the Doctor

2011-08-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

"Going to the Doctor" may be an odd title for photos of a lady looking at quilts in a museum. When I take my aunt to doctor's appointments about 60 miles away 3 times a year, we make a day of it. Usually she wants to shop as she doesn't get out that much, but sometimes we do something very different. On this day, we went to a quilt exhibit.

Journaling reads:

“What would you like to do after we finish at the doctor?” I always ask Thelma before we make our trek to Charlotte. At least three times a year, I take my aunt to the orthopedist. It started when she had a bad result from a knee replacement and I knew of a doctor, via one of my clients, who did replacements of replacements. Now I take her for her shoulders. We usually stop somewhere on the way home for shopping or sightseeing. Near Christmas in 2009, she didn’t have anything in particular she wanted to do, but I did.

The Mint Museum downtown had a quilt exhibit I wanted to see and I thought she would enjoy it, too. Thankfully a kind stranger pulled her wheelchair up on the sidewalk and after that it was an easy afternoon viewing beautiful old quilts. We were both amazed at the details and workmanship. In the permanent exhibit, I spotted an Electrolux vacuum that looked just like the one Thelma has been using non-stop for decades so I had to get a photo of the treasures together.

Our drive back and forth is filled with conversation about what is going on within our lives, gossip and general discussion about how things used to be. Every once in a while, I remember that when I was young, it was Thelma who used to take me places with her. I’m glad I can return the favor.

___

My aunt is such an inspiration. Her medical history is horrendous and she just keeps going. Every time we go out, she says she really should be at home working and she means working - canning, gardening, cleaning. She's slow but she doesn't let that wheelchair stop her.

I took her to the doctor again last week and we shopped at Wal-mart on the way home. She gets in the electric wheelchair and away she goes!

Project Notes:

Taking a lesson from our Explore class, I cut up some photos I'd made of the quilts and used those for embellishments.

Most of the paper and embellishments were from Fancy Pant's Road Show collection. I remember when I ordered this from PeachyCheap and couldn't wait for the post man to bring me the package. However, while the papers and embellishments are beautiful, I've had an awful time making them fit my photos. So after this layout, I'm splitting the collection up and putting the remaining paper in drawers by color, the ribbon in my jars and the buttons with all my other buttons. I think it will get more use that way.

This layout is another of the "going retro" ones for Shimelle.com. Her challenges are good through next weekend and there are lots of good ones to check out.

Thanks for visiting today!