Thursday, December 23, 2010

Teacher Christmas Gifts


Hello there!
Popping in to share the gifts that my boys will be
handing out to their teachers for Christmas this year.
There are five teachers betwen the three of them,
since my younger two have both a teacher
and a teacher's aid at all times.
Each of them will be receiving a set of
 6 handmade notecards and envelopes
that look like this guy.


I used lots of Lawn Fawn on these gifts.
Five stamp sets, if I kept track correctly.
I'd never actually made more than one of a
card before, but aside from being time-consuming
it wasn't too bad. I just did everything
assembly-line style. It took me a LOT of hours
this week to do, but I'm really happy with the result
and I think they will be too.

Here's how I packaged them up:


For the tags, I bought some library cards
and sleeves, and stamped those with their names.


And the card slides out to display
a message from the boys.
Clever, no?
I was quite pleased with myself. ;o)


Before I go, I wanted to mention two things.
First, I will be taking a short break from blogging
over the holidays to spend time with family,
and do a little traveling -- more on that later.

Second, when I return, I have a big surprise!
I was recently asked to become part of
something really fun and exciting, and that
I hope you're going to love.
I know I am!
I'm dying to tell you all about it,
but I can't just yet. Soon -- I promise.

Until then, Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year!


Supplies:
cardstock: Georgia Pacific
paper: Core'dinations, Cosmo Cricket
stamps: Lawn Fawn "Just My Type," "My Silly Valentine," "Frosties," "Bows & Holly," and Jessie's ABCs
ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, London Fog, Ranger Distress in Fired Brick and Tumbled Glass
copics: C01, C03, C05, R22, R24, R27, R59, G01, G03, G05, G07

Friday, December 17, 2010

All Hearts Come Home for Christmas


Are you ladies all ready for Christmas?
I'm not! I still have a ton to do -- I haven't even finished up
my Christmas cards! I'm hoping to do that today though,
and get them to the post office tomorrow morning.
Any tips for mailing handmade cards?

Well, last weekend I had the opportunity to do
something really exciting -- I took a Copic class!
Our local scrapbooking store had visiting instructor
 Tammy Hershberger come in for one day and teach
 three classes, one after another. I scored a spot in the
10AM class before I went to work and had a great time.
It was a beginner's class, so most of what we covered I had
already learned from my obsessive watching of
youtube Copic marker videos or just by trial and error over
the last six months since I fell in love with this technique,
but it was still really interesting and totally worthwhile.
Plus, I got to color with some new shades, so that was nice!
This is one of the three images I colored there.



Reds, I find to be very difficult to get the shading right,
so I was glad she chose these colors for us. I really love those
colors we used on the tree and her scarf, mittens and stockings.
YG93, YG95, YG97, and YG99. I immediately
put them on my wish list when I got home late that night.

Tammy was sweet enough to give us the cardstock and
green Basic Grey paper so that we could make a card,
but I chose to just focus on coloring while I was there,
and assembled the card at home the next day.
Of course, I had to toss a few of my own supplies
into the mix, including flower soft for the fur and snow.
 Check out this post at Tammy's blog, where you can see
the original plan for the card, as well as the
other two projects we did in class.
You'll notice my sentiment is different too.
You didn't think I could color in that sweet image and
then leave without a set to play with at home, did you?
Ah, you ladies know me too well!


Well, I'm off to brave this winter weather and hopefully
get the last chunk of my gift list taken care of.
Then back to my table later tonight to get inky!
Have a great weekend, everybody!


Supplies:
cardstock: I think, Bazzill
paper: Basic Grey "Jovial", My Mind's Eye
stamp: Pure Innocence
ink: Tsukineko Momento Tuxedo Black
copics: E00, E11, R20, E15, E18, E25, R35, R46, R59, YG93, YG95, YG97, YG99, YR23, C03, C05, C07
embellishments: flower soft, ribbon from stash, gems from stash

Friday, December 10, 2010

Sing Noel (a compromise) and a wintery scene


First off, thank you so much for your sweet comments this week.
I swear, I have the best readers out there!
Thank you guys so much for always being there to reassure me
when I start to doubt myself or my sense of creativity.
It truly means a lot.

I've been thinking this week about how out of character
it was for me to spout off about having one particular style.
Not that there's a thing wrong with that AT ALL.
But anyone who knows me, knows that I have always prided
myself on my noncomformity. I am not typical.
I don't like to be "typical." I like to keep you guessing. ;o)
I like to mix, and mesh, and blend.
I like to be UNIQUE.

So I thought, if I can mix and mesh and blend styles
with wardrobe and accessories, why not with papercrafting?
I set out to do just that.


I got in my cute critters, my glitter, my funky font,
but I combined it with vintage-style papers, distress inks,
twine, and a lace border punch.
I'm happy with the result.

I also wanted to share with you girls
the little scene I now look upon when I sit down to craft,
and I apologize in advance for my dirty window! ACK!
I swear, I didn't realize it was that bad until I saw the photo.
Amazing what your flash will pick up.


Wish I could take credit for it, but I actually got the idea
from the amazing Lisa Spangler. I had to modify mine slightly,
 as my window ledge is tiny. Cost me around $15 to do
($9+ was just the deer -- found on Etsy
 if you had those already it'd be super inexpensive),
but it's something that I'll be able to keep and enjoy for years
and years to come. Plus, it makes me happy to look at.

Wishing you all a very crafty day!


Card supplies:
cardstock: Bazzill
paper: Making Memories, My Mind's Eye
stamps: Lawn Fawn "Fly Free", memory box
ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Ranger distress Vintage Photo
punch: Martha Stewart
embellishments: K&Company alpha stickers, Darice ribbon, American Crafts button, Martha Stewart baker's twine

Window Display supplies:
small pine trees, deer or other critter figurines, votive candles and holders, sea salt

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

We Three Kings - Let's Talk Style


Good Morning, ladies!
How are you on this wintery day?
Brrr! It's cold out there! But at least it didn't snow more
last night.There's still plenty on the ground from yesterday.
And oh, geez. My van just got plowed in by two snow plows!
Guess I'm going to need to leave for work earlier than I thought.

Well, before I go, let me share this card with you.




I'm not sure about this one. It's definitely my least favorite of the
Christmas cards I've made so far. I don't know what about it
exactly I don't like, I just know it's not really my "style."
After nearly a year of cardmaking, I'm beginning to see that
I definitely do have a style. And while I can truly appreciate the
beauty of shabby vintage, or clean and graphic,
or classy and elegant, and maybe even try my hand at them
from time to time, what really gets me excited and chomping
at the bit to get to my craft table, are fun and cute cards.
Whimsical creatures, punny sayings, -- that's me.

What do you think? Do you have a particular style,
or do you hop from one to the next, creatively?


Supplies:
cardstock: Hollo's Papercraft
paper: My Mind's Eye Noel Specialty Paper Pack
stamp: Inkadinkado
ink: Ranger Distress in Antique Linen and Tea Dye, Versamark
embossing powder: Zing Metalic Gold

Monday, December 6, 2010

Joy


Boy, it sure is snowing up a storm here!
It's been coming down all day, and I'm certainly glad
that I'm not out there in it. The wind comes up in white gusts
that completely block out the view from my window.
Brrr!

Let's stay nice and warm inside and look at a card, shall we?
This one is very different from my usual whimsical style,
but I kinda like it anyway. What do you think?


Supplies:
cardstock: Hollo's Papercraft
paper: Making Memories Noel 8x8 specialty paper pack
stamp: Unity itty bitty
ink: Ranger Distress in Antique Linen and Tea Dye, Colobox Fluid Chalk in Warm Red
ribbon: Darice

Friday, December 3, 2010

Season's Tweetings


Hey all!
Keeping this one super short and sweet today. Why?
I have the day off, hubby's at school, the kids are at school,
and you know the old saying about when the cat's away, don'tcha?
But in my case, the mommy will play --with her cardmaking supplies!
I hope to bang out a couple more Christmas cards
 before the gang returns.

Quick note:
Notice how the last three cards have all used the same
 sheet of background paper -- just different parts of the design?
Also I used the same stamp on this card as the one before,
but I only borrowed the little birdie this time.
I'm trying to do more of that. Use up what's already out
while the inspiration still lingers. In fact, I want to get a
box/tray for the corner of my desk for paper scraps that
need to get more use before I file the rest away.
This comes from both a severe lack of storage space
and a desire to be more economical with my supplies.
Do you guys ever craft that way?

Well, without further ado:
today's card.


Supplies:
cardstock: Bazzill kraft
paper: My Mind's Eye Wonderful Winter collection
stamp: Hampton Arts
ink: Momento Tuxedo Black
copics: R24, R27, R59
embellishments: Martha Stewart baker's twine, Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type alpha stickers, diamond stickles, white gel pen
noteworthy tool: Ranger paper edge distresser

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Season's Greetings Snowman

Another day, another Christmas card. :o)
I hope you all will enjoy this little guy.
I stamped the snowman, colored him with copics,
then masked him off with Inkadinkado masking paper.
Then I distressed the background with
Tumbled Glass distress ink from Ranger.
I love this color. It's perfect for a winter sky.

Just a head's up: Laurie over at Hiding In My Craft Room 
is hosting a giveaway. All you have to do to enter is
submit a holiday card. I'm sure you've got one
of those all ready to go, don't ya?
Happy holiday crafting!



Supplies:
cardstock: Bazzill kraft
patterned paper: My Mind's Eye Wonderful Winter collection
stamp: Hampton Arts, Hero Arts sentiment
ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Tumbled Glass
copics: YR04, YR09, G24, E57, R24, R27, R59
embellishments: Martha Stewart Baker's Twine

Monday, November 29, 2010

Hero Arts Winking Reindeer & Autumn Cheesecake


Happy Cyber Monday, everybody!
Did you survive the Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend?
I did, but just barely! I worked more hours in the last four days
than I normally do in an entire week.
I'm beat.

But, I had the day off today, so I'm feeling a little more rested now.
Friday evening I had a lovely (but too short)
visit with my cousin Ashley and her husband Jason
and she and I got to talk crafty stuff, which was so nice.
I need more crafty friends!

Anyway, how about a card?


I wish I could take credit for this nifty technique,
but I scraplifted it from Lisa Spangler's blog,
with only a slight modification.
I thought the yarn scarf might not stay put through the mail,
so on mine, I paper pierced two holes on either side of
the reindeer's neck and threaded some baker's twine through.
The deer has a really great shimmer in real life thanks to the
perfect pearls, but it doesn't showup in the photo, unfortunately.

I also wanted to share a quick pic of the
Autumn Cheesecake I made for Thanksgiving.
It's covered with apple slices tossed in cinnamon
and sugar plus finely chopped pecans.
YUM!


Supplies:
cardstock: Bazzill
patterned paper: My Mind's Eye Wonderful Winter collection
stamp: Hero Arts Winking Reindeer, snowflakes, sentiment
ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Spun Sugar Distress Ink
watercolor pencils: Reeves 24 piece set
embellishments: Martha Stewart baker's twine, perfect pearls mixed with water

Monday, November 22, 2010

Lawn Fawn Reindeer Happy Winter



Hello there!
Happy Monday, everyone.
I love Mondays. I really do.
It's probably the first time in my entire life
that that's the case, but there you have it.
It's because Mondays are my day off!
And day off translates to day to craft
if I can help it!

I made three more Christmas cards today,
but I didn't get a chance to photograph them
before the sun went down, so I'll
have to save those for later this week.
In the meantime, here's the third of the
Critters in the Snow series I started last week.


It's using Francois the deer from Lawn Fawn.
Love him so much!

You'll notice I'm using more of the same papers
from this card series.
Normally, I have a tendency to want to use
as many different designs and supplies
as I can. I end up with way too many
half sheets and quarter sheets of patterned paper
which clutters up my desk.
In effort to quell some of that, I'm forcing myself
to reuse what's already out as much as possible
rather than cut into a fresh sheet of paper.
So far, it's going pretty good.
See you soon!



Supplies:
cardstock: Bazzill
patterned paper: My Mind's Eye
stamps: Lawn Fawn Critters In The Snow, Frosties
ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tumbled Glass distress ink by Ranger
copics: E27, E25, E55, E53, E51
embellishments: Martha Stewart baker's twine, jingle bell, ribbon from stash, Sakura Galaxy gel pen

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Amazing Lawn Fawn card and a giveaway

Me again!
I came across another giveaway while
visiting my favorites list of blogs tonight --
this one by a blogger that I just discovered
recently. Danielle of Neat & Tangled posted this
totally BRILLIANT Lawn Fawn card on her blog
that caught the attention of Kelly Marie Alvarez
who thank goodness posted it on Facebook
so that we all could marvel at it.

Crazily enough, Danielle is brand-new to
papercrafting, and this is one of the first cards
she ever made! It's unbelievable, isn't it?
I mean, this girl has got some rockin' talent.
I took one look at that card, and had to send her a pm
to find out if she has a blog. She does, and it's hilarious.
Do yourself a favor, and stick around for a while when
you go check out the amazing card.

While you're there, don't forget to stop by this
post and enter to win the great giveaway she's hosting.
You can come back and thank me later. ;o)

Blog Giveaway at I Heart Art

Hey everyone!
I just wanted to stop in real quick and let you
all know about an amazing giveaway by Tiffany
over at the I Heart Art blog.

You may know Tiffany as one of the
members of the Lawn Fawn design team.
As she moves cross country, she's having
a bevy of guest hosts and all kinds of fun
stuff happening every day.
Be sure to pop over there and have a look-see!

I'll be back tomorrow with another Christmas card!
See you then!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Lawn Fawn Penguins Merry Christmas


Hi again!
I'm back today with more Lawn Fawn cuteness.
I absolutely adore this Critters In the Snow
stamp set -- I can't seem to get enough of it!
It's a good thing this set is so versatile
for creating wintery scenes.
You definitely haven't seen the last of it from me!
Take a look.


Aren't these penguins so sweet?
And I love that little igloo!
Makes these critters seem right at home,
doesn't it? I can't wait to use it with
the polar bear! I lined it with a Sakura
galaxy silver gel pen for some shimmer.
Hope you like it!



Supplies:
cardstock: Bazzill
paper: Basic Grey "Jovial" collection, My Mind's Eye "Winter Wonderland" collection
stamps: Lawn Fawn "Critters in the Snow," The Paper Company
ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
copics: C3. C5, C7, YR04, YR09
embellishments: Sakura Galaxy gel pen, Martha Stewart baker's twine




Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Lawn Fawn Let it Snow

Trying something new today.
I've noticed a lot of blogs simply show the
card with a list of supplies underneath.
Wondering if that makes it easier for people
to navigate without the usual play-by-play.
Let me know which way you prefer, okay?

So, brief description: today's card features
Lawn Fawn's adorable seal from
Critters in the Snow. I thought it might be
fun and whimsical to draw him in a little
tongue for catching snowflakes. :o)
I did the resist background using clear
embossing powder and distress inks.
The sentiment shows up clearer in person.
Hope you like!



Supply list:
cardstock: bazzill, georgia pacific
patterned paper: My Mind's Eye
stamps: Lawn Fawn Critters in the Snow, Frosties
ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Tumbled Glass
copics: C01, C03, C05, R24, colorless blender, muti-liner .05
embellishments: stickles, clear embossing powder, holiday twine

Monday, November 15, 2010

Elzybells Reindeer Peace On Earth


Hi there!
Long time no see, huh? Sorry about that.
Life has been so crazy busy, and I've had zero
time to craft -- that is, until today!
I had today off, so I decided to start my
Christmas cards. I put on some Christmas tunes,
parked my butt in the chair and set to work.


Aren't those the sweetest little reindeer ever?
They're from Elzybells. I'm so sad that I didn't
discover this wonderful company sooner -- as they
closed their doors at the end of September.

I colored them in with Copics, then added a little
glossy accents to the pudding frosting and their noses
and hoofs. Hooves? Whichever. Then I masked them
off with Inkadinkado masking paper, added another strip
to cover the bottom area for snow, then distressed the
sky with Tumbled Glass distress ink by Ranger.


I stamped my sentiment by The Paper Studio,
then used stickles to make my snow line and
snowflakes in the sky. I rounded the corners using
the We R Memory Keepers 1/4" corner chomper.

To assemble my card, I used green Bazzill
cardstock topped with two prints from the
Basic Grey Jovial 6x6 pad. So pretty!
I covered the seam with a bit of yarn from
the packaging of my last Lawn Fawn order
and popped my focal piece off with dimensionals.


I'll be entering this in the Wee Memories Challenge #31.
Go here to check out the other talented artists
and enter a card of your own!

I hope you enjoyed my first Christmas card!
I plan to be back tomorrow with some
Lawn Fawn Critters In The Snow cuteness.

Have a great night!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

In the Spotlight

Hey everybody!
So sorry I've been MIA lately.
I've got this whole nasty broncial thing going on,
plus I've been picking up a bunch of extra hours at work.
In other words, I'm completely exhausted, sick,
and drained of every possible smidgen of creativity.

Luckily, I have the day off tomorrow,
so I'm hoping to just rest and recouperate in the
morning, and then maybe test the crafty waters
in the early afternoon, before I head out to pick up
the boys from school.

In the meantime, I've been making the rounds
of all the blogs I follow, and I've found some
wonderful inspiration that I'd love to share with you.
Take a look at this handiwork:



As a writer, I love all things writing-related,
especially vintage typewriters. So this adorable
card from Jen Cuthbertson at I'm Crafty Blog grabs
right ahold of my heart strings and tugs hard!

How about this little cutie from the adorable
Ruby 2 Shoes. She brilliantly combined
the Lawn Fawn pup with Basic Grey's
Max & Whiskers paper. Such a fun blog.
Check her out if you get a chance!


Love what you're seeing so far? Me too.
How about this adorably sweet baby bloom card
from Krista at  Crafty Little Pigtails.
Love that blurred coloring around the image!
Such a great effect.


Wanna see more?
How about some Christmas cards.
It's just six weeks away, you know!
Ack! I haven't even started mine yet.

Well if you're still floundering around for some
holiday inspiration, take a gander at this piece
of lovliness, featuring Lili of the Valley stamps,
by Niki Estes of My Paper Creations.



And last, but definitely not least,
can you imagine anything more fun than this
card by Kadie at In My Mind's Eye?
So pretty and sweet. Love it.



I hope you'll bookmark all of these
fabulously talented ladies blogs and visit them
in the near future.

As for me, I'm about to hack up a lung.
Better run.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Be back soon with a card or two.
Smooches!





Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Mr. Kitty and the Blustery Day


Hello, ladies!
I want to start off by saying that I had every intention
of starting off this first week of November
with a Christmas card.
But try as I did, for some reason I just wasn't feeling it.

We're stocking Christmas merchandise at work,
they even started playing Christmas music yesterday,
but I just haven't quite caught the Christmas spirit.
Maybe it's because it hasn't snowed yet?
It's not unusual around here for the first snowfall to take
place in October. But we've been lucky this year, I guess.
Once it comes, it's usually here to stay through April.

Anyway, since it's been cold and windy
and there's a lot of leaf-shedding going on
this is the card I felt inspired to make.


I had planned on using my favorite Lawn Fawn stamp,
Mr. Winter Bunny, but sensing my mood and the chilly weather,
 he graciously lent his scarf to Mr. Kitty instead. ;o)
In fact, I used three different Lawn Fawn sets for this card.
Critters in the 'Burbs, Winter Bunny, and Harold's ABCs.
If I had Harvest Season as well, I would have used that
to stamp the leaves. but since I didn't, I decided to fussy cut
them out of a sheet of Bella Blvd patterned paper.

I also used the same sheet to paper piece the top of my tree.
I colored the trunk, Mr. Kitty, and the scarf with Copics.


To assemble the card, I started with a cream Bazzill cardbase,
and layered over that a sheet of paper that came in a pack
from the dollar bins at target. I just loved the fall
argyle pattern. I used to have a sock obsession, and
argyle socks were my favorite. :o)

For my scene, I used a scrap of cloud paper from
American crafts, and a little strip of green tapestry
print from Cosmo Cricket's Travelin' Man collection.
I cut it into fringe for grass, then popped it up with
dimensional adhesive to give me room to slip my tree
and Mr. Kitty behind. I stamped my sentiment in
Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink in Chestnut Roan.



I wanted my leaves to look as realistic as possible,
so I bent up their edges a little. To give them just the
right amount of height and motion, I rolled a mini glue dot
between my fingers and attached each one to the card with
that, arranging some of them under the tree, some
caught in the grass, and a few floating on the
blustery breeze alongside Mr. Kitty's scarf.

As a final touch, I did a little dash and dot doodling
across the top and bottom of the card.



I'm really happy with how this one turned out!
It took a little longer than usual to make, but I
feel like it was worth it.

I hope you like it, too!



Monday, November 1, 2010

Blog Candy Winner!

Hey, Ladies!
I just wanted to pop in real quick and
announce the winner of my
"I Still Do" Blog Candy Giveaway!

I did the whole Random Number Generator thing
but I couldn't figure out how to copy
the result over here (if anyone knows,
please let me know for future use)
but anyway, the winning number was
lucky #11
Heather Innusa!

Congratulations Heather!
Please contact me at
within 7 days to claim your prize.

Thank you so much to all of you who
played along! I wish I could give out
something to each one of you
just for being so sweet.

Hopefully I'll be able to do another
giveaway before too long.

Have a great night, everybody!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

I Still Do Blog Candy Giveaway

Hey there, Girlies!
How are you all tonight?
How about something that might
 make it even better?

Say, maybe some Blog Candy?


In honor of my husband's and my
10th wedding anniversary
later this month, I thought I'd
pass along some of my happiness
in the form of some wedding-themed
blog candy.

Here's what's up for grabs:
1 wedding stamp set by Doodlebug Designs
1 love stamp set by Art Warehouse
1 set of glittery prima roses
1 pack of Mrs. Grossman's laser cut stickers
(these would be fun to use as a mask)
1 pack of varigated adhesive-backed pearls
and 2 yards of Offray lace

Because this is a reader-appreciation giveaway,
you MUST be a follower of this blog
to enter this giveaway.
You MAY become a follower
to enter, but please do so only if you enjoy
yourself here and would like to stick around.
(I am a pretty fun person,
if I do say so myself!) ;o)

So here's how you can enter:
1. be a follower of this blog
2. pass the word. Copy the candy pic
and post it on your own blog
with a link back here.
Sidebar is fine.
3. leave me a comment telling
me something you still love about
your husband/boyfriend/
significant other/best friend/
whatever.

Share the love, people. :o)

And that's it!
Please leave one separate comment
for each step you've done.
That means if you've done all three,
you've left me three comments,
and therefore have three chances to win.

Good luck!
Contest ends at 11:59 PM
October 31st, 2010.

(This post will remain on top
until the contest is closed.
Please scroll down for new posts.)

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