Chia's Papercrafting

Catalyst 78 - Live Free

2009-09-10T09:49:00.003-04:00

Catalyst 78:

What’s something you want to accomplish before you die?

This was easy. I already had a list growing in my mind of things I wanted to accomplish in this life. Top of my list, become a wife and mother. I think I was built that way. I never cared too much for casual dating. I was always the type to have a serious committed relationship and, for as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to have a family. Now that I have the relationship, I can't wait to get married and have children. Just waiting...

Added several things to my list. Unfortunately only one of them has been done and that's buying my own car. I had a Corolla as my first car, but it was given to me by my parents. My first REAL car is my CR-V which I bought with my own money. I love it! Definitely proud of accomplishing this goal. Maybe a year from now I can revisit this catalyst and see how much of my list has changed and been completed.

Counting down...

2009-09-01T18:24:00.004-04:00

Just two more days until Buffalo! I can't believe the trip will be this Thursday. We reserved these spots about two months ago and it just seemed so far away that it would never happen. It really has been nice being on "vacation" while waiting to go on this trip.

So yes...I am officially in limbo right now just waiting until my start date on the 14th. Taking two weeks off before starting the new job was definitely the right thing to do. I'm not too happy about being unpaid for a week, but knowing that it'll be several months, if not a year before I get another vacation this long, I figured I might as well take advantage of this. Spent my first two days of official vacation just laying around the house, scrapbooking, and basically chilling. It feels different waking up early in the morning at the same time, but knowing that I don't have to be anywhere at all. Can't remember the last time I was able to do this.

Plans for tomorrow...get a haircut to trim those flyaway ends and attempt to add a little body to my limp hair. Have to look nice for the pictures right? Maybe do a little shopping for the trip...have lunch with Nestor...and get a headstart on packing. Probably have to do a small load of laundry, too. *sigh* But no rush. I have ALL day to do it!

Catalyst 28 - Good Times

2009-08-30T15:26:00.005-04:00

Catalyst 28:

What’s a negative behavior or habit you have overcome?

The sketch for this layout is based on a page maps challenge sketch. As for the catalyst, oh if I could only list all my negative behaviors and habits. Since I had already done one for my past bad behavior of smoking (smoke-free for over two years now!), I wanted to highlight one of my other more prominent habits.

I...am...a...pessimist.

I can preach over and over again about looking for the silver lining in everything, but when it comes to myself, I tend to gravitate towards the worst possible scenario. Maybe it's because I've dealt with enough disappointment in my life. I really don't know. I don't think I was always this way. But now...I have to actively remind myself to think a little brighter. I have had good times in my life and I need to remember those. And when things get a little rough, I need to just take it one day at a time.

Supplies:
Patterned Paper - Sabrina (Making Memories)
Stamps - Technique Tuesday (Ali Edwards)
Other - Tim Holtz fluorish mask, Tattered Rose Distress Ink, Making Memories brads & stickers, American Crafts ribbon, MME title, Little Yellow Bicycle epoxy sticker, Designer Digitals journaling spot (Ali Edwards), House of 3 journaling spots, Papertrey Ink button, Colorbok chipboard

Catalyst 75 - Welcome to Our Life

2009-08-19T19:26:00.002-04:00

Catalyst 75:

What’s the hardest decision you ever made?

Liked this one. Hardest one was moving in together with my boyfriend. Worries on each side, but is he worth it? It felt good journaling about it on the layout.

On another note, I had a great time working with the new Boyfriend line from Cosmo Cricket. Such fun patterns! Everything came together perfectly and I really think part of it was due to how the patterns just work so well together. I added a few wooden tiles I found at Starlit Studio. Aren't they cute? Also added a few eyelets from my old stash. It was so good to finally be able to use them somehow. I remember when I started this obsession of mine, one of the first things I did was buy a million eyelets in different colors and then it sort of stood by the side forgotten until now. I loved using them to hold the tied twine together. Added a few charms along the side just because I felt like it. =) Gotta have a little whimsy sometimes.

Supplies:
Cosmo Cricket - The Boyfriend Papercrafting Kit
PTI Cardstock
Fancy Pants journaling card
K&Company diecut title
wooden tiles, chandelier drop (from Starlit Studio)
Making Memories - love notes looking glass stickers, eyelets
American Crafts - slick writer pen, ribbon
Ranger glossy accents

OLW #57 Sweet Memories

2009-07-31T20:43:00.004-04:00

OLW #57 word: SWEET

Okay...to be honest I was having a hard time trying to find something to do about "sweet". I could have gone the easy way and done sweet foods, like ice cream, since it is summer. But...it didn't really speak to me to make my last layout about sweet. Then, I was looking through some recent photos and this one of Squirt caught my eye. She looks so darn cute and SWEET looking up the way she is. And looking at the photo even more, it just brought to mind all those sweet memories she's given me over the years. Even though I have a younger girl cat now, my little adopted step-kitty, Squirt will still be my baby girl. I was the one who chose her out of all those kitties up for adoption that day. She clung to me with her little claws and started purring like mad and I was hooked. I know, pretty lame, but it's true. She's always been my cat. And now, she's Nestor's cat, too, but she's still partial to me. We like to talk to one another when I'm in the kitchen, me asking her questions and her answering right back. She also loves to massage my neck as she sniffs my shampooed hair. I prefer this immensely over her licking my hair like she does to Nestor. She's also a real lap cat and, if she spots me on the couch, she just has to jump on my right leg and settle down. Never the left leg, always the right. All those sweet little things add up to a bunch of sweet memories.

Page Maps challenge - Apron Strings

2009-07-31T14:09:00.003-04:00

This layout was based on the sketch from the Page Maps blog for the Apron Strings contest. The theme for this challenge was "summer". Perfect! I love this picture I got of Nestor on our last weekend getaway. It was getting pretty hot in New Hope, PA, so I caved and bought him a cone since he was so great and allowed me to browse to my heart's content inside this book store without any AC. Isn't ice cream the perfect sign of summer? I know of a place across the bridge that only sells soft serve ice cream during the summer months. Nothing totally spectacular, but it is a sign of warmer weather.

I love these patterned papers by MME in their line, Magnolia. Really spoke "summer" to me. Just cool and fun colors.

Supplies:

Papers:
My Minds Eye - Magnolia collection
Basic Grey Offbeat

Stamps:
CHF Photo Op

Embellishments:
MME die cuts/transparency
KI Softies frame
wooden heart
Ali Edwards designer digitals - chipboard tags
Blue Moon charms
7gypsies 97% complete stickers - Together Ensemble

Other:
ZING embossing powder - butter
shimmerz paints
Anna Griffin journaling tag
Martha Stewart baker's twine

OLW #56 - Why

2009-07-21T13:46:00.003-04:00

The word is: WHY.

I probably could have done a whole BOOK on this. I love to ask questions. But, I was inspired by Ronda's layout and I thought...why do I scrap? I love to scrapbook. This has become my absolute favorite hobby...but why do I do it?

My journaling is written in random places throughout the layout. I have so many different reasons. I do it to record moments. All moments. Special ones. Everyday ones. I don't want to forget them. I scrap as a sort of therapy, to work things out in my mind and have it come out on paper. I scrap to lose myself in it, in the art. Or at least, my version of what I call ART. It has become my escape. It has become my record.

weekend getaway

2009-07-16T12:29:00.002-04:00

I'm going on a trip! Gotta love those. Gives you a chance to recharge a bit before heading back to the daily drum that's called work. This time around, we're going to beautiful Philadelphia! Absolutely loved that city. I first went with the bestest of friends two years ago. Really was my first vacation planned out by yours truly. I had a blast. Now, it's time to see it with the love of my life and I'm really excited. This is his first time going there and, like usual, we're all about the food inherent to that place. Definitely going to hit on some cheesesteaks and these amazing pretzels we found out about watching Food Network. It really does show that we love food if our satellite box is forever on Food Network. And, of course, need to see the usual historic sites like Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. He wants to see the steps from the Rocky movie and luckily, the statue is right next to it. I found out that they have an American Helicopter Museum and that's my pick for the trip. I'm all into touching things and I can't wait to sit in one of the cockpits. Definitely need to take a bunch of pictures which will most likely evolve itself into a mini album of some sort. Cannot wait! We leave sometime Saturday and return sometime Tuesday afternoon. I'm still debating on whether or not I want to stroll on into work for a half day. We'll see how tired I am when we get home.

this is my bliss

2009-07-15T17:43:00.003-04:00

I ADORE this picture. Squirt and Nestor are just chilling on the couch last weekend and I happened to have the camera with me. She's looking right at me for once and Nestor glances over when I say his name. Beautiful. Love this. Perfect moment. I love little moments like this that are captured on digital film.

Used a bunch of new goodies here. Broke some more into My Minds Eye Bloom & Grow paper pad. Such fun cute colors that totally work with the "guy". A bunch of Fancy Pants rub-ons that I got from Peachy Cheap. And that mask...really loving paint right now. It adds that little extra hand touch to everything. Favorite touch...that cute little owl. He's from a Unity KOTM, can't remember which right now. He's so cute! I embossed him with Chestnut ZING powder and colored him with Bic Mark its. I was a bit skeptical when I saw how much ZING embossing powder is, but that stuff is amazing! It gives consistent results, perfectly covered and poofy. And the colors do stay true to themselves.

best friends always

2009-07-12T11:49:00.005-04:00

I did this layout for the Design X challenge #52 - Friends. I wasn't actually planning on doing this challenge, but I was going through an old box of pictures and I came across these and I couldn't help but smile. This is my absolute bestest friend in the whole wide world and it seems fitting that we both share the name, Christine. Can you believe that I've been best friends with her since 1998?!?!?!? That's over a decade ago! Time really does fly. And from the first moment we met, we totally hit it off and it's been like that ever since. Everyone goes through their rough spots, and I know she and I had our own share, but we always came back together in the end. I love her so much. I cannot wait to be a part of another major event in her life, her wedding to my own very good friend, Scott.

I said Shahrush

2009-07-05T12:50:00.003-04:00

This layout was inspired by a sketch on the Page Maps blog. Shahrush has become the go to word for us when we want to tell the other to be quiet, but in a non-offensive way. It started out as me trying to tell Nestor to "shut up", but I don't like to say it in that way. So, as the words were coming out, I sort of stuttered over it and it came out as "shahrush". Oh did he laugh on that. Now it's become a standing joke between us. Also loving this picture. He was doing something behind the camera and I'm pretty sure I was actually saying shahrush when he took this.

Layout - Wednesday

2009-07-04T14:28:00.002-04:00

This little series is inspired by Ali Edward's "A Week in The Life" series. I'm doing it a little differently, just trying out a few things depending on how many pictures I take in the day. I might expand this to include the entire month since it began on July 1st. I love the challenge of taking everyday photos of our lives and having some sort of project to work for makes it a little easier to remember to take pictures. Even Nestor is starting to get into the whole photo-taking mood.

Supplies:

Papers:
7gypsies
DCWV (Latte)
Making Memories (Travel Collection)
Basic Grey (Offbeat)

Stamps:
Cats Life Press (gotta love the EVERYDAY)
PTI (Background Basics: Text Style)
CHF (Ornamental Beauty)
Unity (12 months of goodness journal box, April '09 KOTM)

Other:
grungeboard elements, journaling ticket, salvage stickers (Tim Holtz)
7gypsies 97% complete Memories stickers
Fancy Pants Elegance rub-ons
PTI white buttons
CTMH sparkles
cream acrylic paint
hemp twine
white embossing powder
cream crochet thread
white gel pen

Layout - J is for Journey (My Life)

2009-07-02T09:19:00.002-04:00

Catalyst 68:

Did your life turn out how you imagined?

This one was a little difficult. With all the things that have been happening at work these past couple of weeks, with my being in new job limbo for the past 2 and a half months, things just don't seem to be turning out right at all. I wake up and it's like everything comes crashing down on me with a tsunami effect. I'm just so tired now. I'm tired of things coming back at me and being my fault, of all the blame being set on my shoulders. I'm so worn down and burnt out.

But then I thought a little bit more. A few years ago, I was engaged to a man I didn't really love and luckily, I learned that before I made the biggest mistake. I was just starting out on my own, finally moved out of my parents' house and got my own apartment. Just started a new job. Flash forward to the present...I'm not in the job I want to be in for the rest of my life. I'm in a situation at work where I feel like I don't know a thing anymore, that everything I'm doing is wrong. And I'm in new job limbo where I keep getting told that they still want to hire me, but there's still that chance that it won't happen. And at this point, I won't be surprised anymore if that's the next call I get. That's how bad things just happen lately. But, despite all that, I'm in the most amazing and loving relationship with a man who loves me more than anything. And even if I don't have that job, or that house, or anything else I thought I'd have at 25, I still have him and really...that's my greatest wish come true.

Welcome Sign

2009-06-27T15:28:00.003-04:00

Love love LOVE this! I was browsing around in House of 3 and came upon this page. I loved Heidi's Welcome Sign and I knew I had to make one for my own home. Loved the colors and everything about it. Rather than buying the Welcome Banner kit, I chose to buy the Monogram Kit so I would have the freedom to make additional signs around the house.

I printed out all the letters I needed onto transparencies, using only the smaller letters. I backed them with patterned papers and cardstock, attaching them to the transparency with glue dots and scor-tape. For the most part, the adhesive is transparent. For the background, I just cut some light yellow cardstock to size and adhered it to the paper backing already in the frame.

Layout - Nestor's Obsession

2009-06-27T07:41:00.003-04:00

This was a lot of fun to do. Nestor had broken his SECOND Rock Band drum set. That's what happens when he beats away at it every single day. To save money we have to spend money. He ended up buying a real electric drum set which is compatible to Rock Band, but has the capability to be converted to real electric drum use. I just thought it was hilarious how his obsession just keeps growing and growing.

Technical details on the layout...this was the first time I used a mask by Tim Holtz. I've had it for a while now but this was the first time using it. I laid it on the layout and brushed some white acrylic paint over it with a dry foam brush. Loved the look it created, not too perfect but beautifully messy. I also loved the addition of the silver embossed stars. The result was nice and shiny.

Supplies:

Paper:
7gypsies
Making Memories (Sabrina Collection)
Hambly Journaling transparency

Stamps:
Rock Star Anya (The Greeting Farm)
Star Prints (PTI)

Embellishments:
7gypsies 97% complete stickers
Colorbok alpha stickers
Joanns Label

Other:
white acrylic paint
staples
shimmerz paints
silver embossing powder

Layout - good mornings

2009-06-19T09:33:00.003-04:00

I created this layout for the One Little Word challenge. The word chosen was "good". For a second, I was a little stumped since I do have so much good in my life. But this was easy after more thinking. Good mornings. That's one of our way of saying "I Love Yous", adding the "s" of course to make it our own. Without fail, it still brings a smile to my face when he says that to me every single day.

Random Thoughts

2009-06-09T08:56:00.003-04:00

Here's a totally random un-scrappy related thought.

I love seeing small acts of kindness. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I really saw someone do something for someone else that isn't usually automatic. Oh, there's the holding the door open for someone coming in behind you, letting someone else get in front of you in a line. It's not that I take those actions for granted, but it's something that's not surprising.

This morning on my way to work, I was rushing a bit wanting to get to my desk a little earlier than usual and get started with my day. I slowed down for a runner wanting to cross the road. I had noticed how the car in front of me just sped on through even though they saw her waiting there. Since I was already slowed down, I noticed this man standing on the side of the road asking people to stop. I had no idea what he wanted, but I stopped right there in the middle of the road anway.

It was the sweetest thing! He was asking traffic to stop so he could run into the middle of the road to pick up a little turtle that had found it's way to the middle of traffic. He picked it up and brought it to the grassy area where it could wander safely and let it go there. I don't know about anyone else, but it's stuff like that that makes me happy. What a great start to my dreary Tuesday morning.

Layout - Imagine Everyone Feeling This Happy

2009-06-05T21:00:00.004-04:00

I loved creating this layout around this picture of Squirt. She looked so cute and happy playing with her whirly toy. I wanted to make sure the layout showed the cute and happy side of her.

A ton of new paper and products were used on this. I had a blast playing with some of my new stuff. My super favorite embellishment, that "adore" tag. I loved it! Just the right size and they offered up a bunch of great words to use on layouts.

Supplies:

Paper:
Citrus Paperstack (DCWV)

Stamps:
Friends til the End, Love Songs (PTI)
Birdie Inspiration, Be "Owl" Mine (Unity)

Embellishments:
heart clip, tag (Joann)
house chipboard, border chipboard (Maya Road)
fluorish grungeboard, adore ticket (Tim Holtz)
Bliss bingo card (Jenni Bowlin)
pink button (PTI)
spirit title sticker (creative cafe)
7gypsies time sticker
ribbon, tiny alphas, clear bubble sticker (making memories)
bazzil basics paper trim

Other:
shimmerz paints
white acrylic paint
Li'l Davis huckleberry glitter glaze
staples
hand stitching/crochet thread

Catalyst 62 - Determined or Stubborn

2009-06-03T16:20:00.003-04:00

Catalyst 62:

What’s a personality trait you admire/seek in others? Why?

This one took me a while to choose. I decided to choose one of Nestor's most prominent traits, his determination. Or..depending on how you want to look at it, his stubbornness. He really doesn't like to lose or do poorly on anything. He keeps pushing himself to keep doing whatever it is until he finally succeeds. In this case, it was trying to beat my all platinum medals score on Link's Crossbow Training. To this day, he still hasn't beat me, but it doesn't mean he's given up. I love that.

Supplies:

Paper:
Basic Grey Offbeat Collection
MAMBI Fashion District Collection
Making Memories Travel

Stamps:
Shining Star (CTMH)
Star Prints (PTI)
Background Basics: Text Style (PTI)
Journaling Lines (PTI)

Other:
Maya Road Chipboard Border
7gypsies tag
Offbeat Alpha stickers (Basic Grey)
Alpha Rub-ons (CTMH)
Making Memories Ribbon
Adage Tickets (Tim Holtz)
Lucky Memories Rub-ons (Creative Cafe)
dew drops
shimmerz paints
clear embossing powder
hand stitching / crochet thread
stapler
scor-tape

Layout - Crank

2009-05-30T17:17:00.003-04:00

This was too funny. I took this picture in the Smithsonian cafeteria right after we finally got lunch. He was so cranky from being hungry, from being bombarded with a bunch of school kids on field trips, and all he wanted to do was go back to the room. Typical. Whenever he gets hungry, he gets cranky. And, oddly enough, he has this habit of letting himself get to the point of starving that he's a crank for the rest of the day. Love him anyways.

Supplies:

Paper:
Basic Grey (Offbeat)
7gypsies
Me&My Big Ideas

Stamps:
May KOTM (Unity)
Background Basics: Text Style (PTI)
Background Basics: Spots & Dots (PTI)

Other:
Fancy Pants journaling card
Marvy Uchida heart punch
white brads (CTMH)
7gypsies stickers
Making Memories tiny alpha stickers
Making Memories large brad
American Crafts ribbon
sponge dauber
hand stitching / crochet thread

Layout - Alias

2009-05-27T16:07:00.005-04:00

This is a layout I've been wanting to do for a long time now. Nestor and I have a million nicknames for each other that come and go with time. This is a layout of some of our favorites. Not exactly affectionate sounding, but they're affectionately said every single time.

The number one nickname for now: Meh-mee which somehow had evolved from "baby".

Supplies:

Paper:
Basic Grey (Offbeat Collection), DCWV (Summer Pad)

Stamps:
Unity Stamp Company (Feb KOTM, Be "Owl" Mine)

Embellishments:
Creative Cafe (label stickers), grungeboard (letters), PTI Dark Chocolate buttons, American Crafts ribbon, Basic Grey (number stickers from Offbeat Collection), 7gypsies 97% complete Family stickers (nickname)

Other:
stapler, hand stitching w/crochet thread, shimmerz paints, Marvy heart punch, Fiskars border punch

Layout - Time to Reflect

2009-05-19T19:01:00.006-04:00

I love this picture of Nestor and Squirt. For some reason, she took it on herself to start grooming him while they were laying in bed. She kept at it for quite a few minutes and his hair was sopping wet by the time she was done.

This layout was based on a Sept 2007 Page Maps sketch. I love using sketches as a basis for my layouts.

Supplies:

Paper:
Basic Grey Offbeat Collection
cardstock

Stamps:
Ornamental Beauty (CHF - Rummage Bin)
Time to Stamp (CHF - Rummage Bin)
AlphaNumber Backgrounder (CHF)
Journaling Stamps (PTI)

Misc:
Shimmerz Paint
Crackle Accents, Liquid Pearls (Ranger)
crochet thread/DMC floss (hand stitched details)
adhesive sequin (CTMH)
border punch (Martha Stewart)
tiny alpha stickers (Making Memories)
cat stickers (Reminisce - Cat)

Catalyst 61 - Later...

2009-05-12T16:09:00.004-04:00

Catalyst 61:

Tell us about something that you always put off doing. Why?

Typical me. Just ask my boyfriend. Housecleaning really is not my thing. Oddly enough, I was better at it when I was living on my own. Who would have thought? It all just piles up and up and I really need to push myself to throw it all away. This is something I definitely want to work on.

(bubble gum, sunflower, and choc-o-lat shimmerz paints)

Two Years of Happiness

2009-05-10T18:00:00.008-04:00

It's been two amazing years since I met the man of my dreams and I wanted to make a layout to celebrate. Today is actually the anniversary of the day we met for the first time. I never would have thought that he'd be the man I'd fall in love with and want to spend the rest of my life with, but miracles do happen. I've never been so loved. Cannot wait until our official anniversary of our first date next week.

I adore this layout I did. I love the colors and details I put into it and that black&white photo of our hands together was perfect. I used a Jan 2008 sketch from Page Maps to base my layout on. I really love using sketches because it gives me just enough structure to get my mojo going, but I never feel constricted by it. I like to go a little outside the box sometimes. Anyway, in place of the two additional pictures on the sketch, I chose to pile on the embellishments. I added a strip of die-cut felt I found in Michaels, adhering it to the page using my xyron machine. Adore this machine for those tricky pieces. I then added on a flower I trimmed from a separate piece of patterned paper (DCWV - La Creme), painting the white parts with Key Lime (shimmerz). I also added on a small flower chipboard painted with Coal (shimmerz) and attached a button on top (foof-a-la). I adhered my heart embellishment which I had punched from another piece of patterned paper and handsewn onto red textured cardstock. I distressed the edges with my new edge scraper to give it a little character. I painted on Pixie Dust Blingz (shimmerz) to give it sparkle and added a CTMH rubon. I also adhered an American Crafts metal plate with some foam dimensional underneath so it'd all be even.

The quote is from Fancy Pants and also roughed up a bit along the edges and handsewn onto the layout. The title of the page was done using a bunch of cardstock and letter stickers I had laying around. See those little rectangle letter stickers (Making Memories)? I'm definitely falling in love with them. Final touches were some adhesive ribbons, a border strip done with a lattice punch, and a few rub-ons and hand stitching. My journaling was done on a piece of kraft cardstock stamped with a journal stamp (Unity).

Catalyst 60 - Confession

2009-05-08T17:54:00.006-04:00

Catalyst 60:

What’s the best vacation you ever had? Where was is to and why is it the best?

The best vacation I have had was taken in Dec. 2007. I went to the Philippines on my own for the first time, minus Nestor. This was the first time I had scheduled an international trip for myself, first time I paid for everything out of my own pocket, first time I really felt like an adult. Well, the moving out to my own place was probably the first time, but it really hit home on this trip. I had so many issues I had to deal with, what with my return ticket home somehow not valid due to some mess-up with the travel agency I ignorantly used. But it was different...even though I was with my family, I was still on my own. I needed this time and space away from my boyfriend and all the memories I acquired on this trip just made me want to share these experiences even more with him when I brought him there. Truly an eye-opening trip, helping me remember again that despite the fights, I still loved him. =)

Now on to the page! This one was a little different. I typically scrap 12x12 pages, but with the new modern album I bought from American Crafts, I now had the chance to try out different sized layouts without completely committing to that size. I like the smaller space when what I really wanted to focus on was journaling. A ton of Unity goodness on this page. I just received in the mail today on of their new kits: i [luv] unity. Definitely love this new kit! A ton of HUGE stamps absolutely perfect for scrapbooking. One of the stamps I used from the kit was this little set of flowers that I paper-pieced with some striped paper. I then painted on angel wings shimmerz to give it a little pop and I used key lime shimmerz on the stems. I loved the effect. To finish my little embellishment off, I put on some CTMH adhesive rhinestones in the flower centers and attached a small bow to the whole bunch. I also used another new stamp I got which is the AlphaNumber Backgrounder Block from CHF. Very cool! I just inked it up on my 6x6 acrylic block and laid my paper down on top of it. Added a bit more interest to the piece of patterned paper behind the whole gig.

Laugh

2009-05-08T15:41:00.006-04:00

How I love a good laugh. This is a layout I've been wanting to make for a while now. This wasn't the first time we had been to the DC Improv, but it was the first time we actually remembered to bring the camera. Even better, a person passing by saw us doing the typical "hold your arm out as far as you can" picture take and he offered to take one for us. I love it!

For this layout, I used a So Sketchy sketch. I really liked the blocking done with it. Probably went a little crazy with the patterned paper but I liked how it turned out.

My favorite technique of all on this page (other than the extensive hand-stitching), is the shimmerz. I loved painting with them on the kraft cardstock.

On the flower itself, all of the color on it is done with shimmerz. It went on so easily and just a little bit on my brush went a long way. I added a few white accents with my gel pen and the big rhinestone in the middle.

Also added shimmerz in other places. The title was chipboard covered with patterned paper and then painted with caramel shimmerz to give it a bit of shine, but also subdue the colors a bit. I liked the vintage-y look to it. The journal block had pink shimmerz painted around the edge and it gave it the shine, but the color was very translucent so you could still see the pattern underneath. Final spot...colored the grungeboard butterfly with coal shimmerz. One thing I did find. The grungeboard seemed to suck up the shimmerz so I had to use a little more than I did on plain cardstock.

Caramel Popcorn

2009-05-02T17:22:00.003-04:00

Another layout for National Scrapbooking Day. I just love the colors in this picture. We were at a Blue Crabs baseball game the other weekend and one of the snacks I bought was this batch of colored caramel popcorn. Beautiful isn't it? The best part was they had fruit flavors, too! I just had to get a picture of them.

This layout is pretty simple, but took quite a bit of time. It was based on a May 2009 sketch from the Page Maps site. A few special details here. Those starbursts were traced onto PTI cardstock using a piece from grungeboard elements. Really love these. I then painted them with some of my shimmerz. I like how it's a subtle shimmer and that it enhances the color of the cardstock. The spiral circle shapes on the gray cardstock were handstitched which literally took ages but I'm pleased with the result. I used a journaling template from HOTP to guide the holes and then used a strand of DMC floss for the stitching. The title is heat embossed with black and also handstitched onto the layout.

Stamps:
Wild&Crazy Bunch (Unity)
Journaling Lines (PTI)
Circle stamp (MSE)

Embellishments:
ribbon, DMC floss, black embossing powder, foof-a-la buttons, crochet thread, shimmerz paints, fiskars edge punch, making memories brads

52 sketches #17

2009-05-02T13:23:00.002-04:00

I made this page for Sketch #17 on 52 sketches 52 weeks. I almost didn't make it in time for the deadline! I've been so busy putting together a mini album for my second year anniversary and I haven't had the time to do anything else for a week and a half.

Anyway, this is one of my favorite pictures of me and my bestest friend, Christine. I think it's so great that we both have the same names. Another thing to bring us close. I've known her since my sophomore year in high school and it was instantaneous friendship. Can't imagine life without her. She's been there for me through absolutely everything and still loves me. Imagine that?!? Living on opposite sides of the country proves no difficulty for our friendship either.

This was actually the first picture I ever scrapped. It's so funny to see how different my style was back then when I had no real style yet and now.

I love this page so much. The pinks and greens are perfect. I used a ton of my stash which is actually pretty unusual. I love buying embellishments, but I kind of have trouble incorporating them in a way I like so that's why I'm really happy with this one. I have a tendency to use a lot of stamped images rather than manufactured embellishments but I pushed myself to use a little more than usual. Also included a TON of handstitching as well. I love the look of it, but I have to be honest...I can do without the lengthy amount of time. Seriously considering buying a sewing machine.

Stamps:
Friends 'til the End, Background Basics: Spots & Dots (PTI)
Floral Frenzy, "girl" stamp (Unity)
Wings (Heidi Swapp)

Embellishments:
Ranger glossy accents, crochet thread, pearl dew drops, hemp cord, PTI cream buttons, pink dew drops, shimmerz, American Crafts metal picture plates, AC ribbon, gold glitter glue

Kim's Blog Candy!

2009-04-25T11:02:00.003-04:00

Here's another amazing blog candy opportunity over at Kim's blog! This one ends on May 2nd. She's celebrating her first year in blog land!

Debbie's Amazing Blog Candy

2009-04-24T12:29:00.002-04:00

Look at this blog candy over at Debbie's site! She's celebrating a year of blogging! Doesn't that candy just look delicious?

Stampavie Challenge #2

2009-04-22T16:38:00.004-04:00

Here we are! It's the Stampavie Challenge #2. The challenge this time is to use the colors pink and brown, with green being optional.

This was a really fun card to make. I inked up the First Kiss image for the first time. Isn't it precious? It was the perfect image for this anniversary card I'm making for my boyfriend. On May 10 two years ago, we met for the very first time and I wanted to remind him of that. I have a special gift I'm planning on making for our actual anniversary which is an exact week later (our first date!).

Anyway, the image was inked using Memories black dye onto some PTI Stamper's Select White. This cardstock is amazing for coloring! Using prismas and gamsol, I colored in the image. To add a little more cuteness to the image, and because he thinks the fuzziness is cute, I added a little Sour Apple Green fun flock to the girl's trims on her outfit. Layered this onto some pink cardstock which was then layered onto the main panel of various patterned papers which I had hand-stitched around the edges. Finished the card off with a ribbon tag propped up with some foam dimensionals and some ribbon from Ellen Hutson, as well as a few pink dew drops.

Luckily, my boyfriend doesn't really check out my blog since I have a tendency to show him everything I make.

Catalyst 57 - Look at that Funny Face

2009-04-14T16:35:00.004-04:00

Catalyst 57:

What makes you laugh?

This is what makes me laugh. My Gucci-baby's funny face. I don't know why, but she just can't help "talking" to us whenever we look at her. Even funnier is how she goes crazy rubbing against anything and everything, trying to get our attention, all the while meowing like crazy. It never fails. She always makes me laugh. I'm so glad we were able to catch her funny face on picture. Ironically enough, we tried to catch her "normal" face but she wasn't cooperating at all. Even so, I love this picture of her. It shows her personality so well.

I used a lot of random things on this page, getting some use out of my stamp collection. My boyfriend says it was sort of random having the owls and frog, but I just thought their faces were funny, too. Plus I had a blast coloring them!

Rubbernecker Wacky Wednesday #6

2009-04-11T17:19:00.002-04:00

Rubbernecker is doing a Color Challenge for their Wacky Wednesday. The color choices are pink and purple. This was a bit difficult. I absolutely love anything pink, but purple really isn't my thing. Don't know why but it's never appealed to me. However, I don't mind a nice lavender-y color so that's what I tried to go for with my mice. I used the Cupcake Mice stamp for this challenge. Still can't get over how cute they are. Colored it with gamsol and prismas, then I added a few extra touches. I glued on some pink Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions) for the noses and added some white fun flock with the mice's ears, hands, and bellies. I love the fuzzy look. Next, I added some glossy accents to the cherries to make them shine and silver glitter glue to the cupcake icing just for some sparkle. This actually turned out alright! Simple but cute.

Grin & Bear It

2009-04-10T16:13:00.002-04:00

I received Lesley Langdon's blog candy several days ago and it's taken me awhile to post this card that I made with it that very same day. First off, I want to thank her so much for giving me the chance to win my first ever blog candy! I absolutely love this set! I have some camping pictures from last year that would look perfect with these stamps.

I had so much fun making this card. The patterned paper I used was from a new DCWV paper line, The Green Stack. Their cardstock has such fun and cute patterns to play with and they coordinate perfectly together. I stamped the images onto some stray pieces of kraft cardstock I had lying around and I attempted to color them with my prismas and blender pencil. That was an adventure in itself. Can't say I got the hang of it, but I like how it made the colors a little more vivid, hard to see in the picture though.

I can't wait to create more with this set. Isn't that bear so cute?

Growing Dreams

2009-04-09T18:53:00.007-04:00

I made this page for one of the challenges on The Story Matters. The theme was "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

This one was interesting since it's been awhile since I've thought about that. The things I wanted to be as a kid, too funny. They ranged from being a cowgirl to a trash collector. That's how far apart my dreams were. Even now at 25 I still dream about what I really want to be and oddly enough, I still don't know. After working full-time for over 3 years and getting a feel for the industry, I'm still confused. I hope my upcoming job will provide a few answers for me as to which direction I should take.

I can't wait until the next challenge. It was pretty fun getting all insightful. I love challenges like these.

The page itself was pretty fun to make. It's based on a Jan 2009 sketch from Page Maps. I loved using all my pink and girly papers for this and some of my cute new stamps from Unity that are baby themed.

Stamps:
Wild and Crazy Bunch, September KOTM, You + Me = Happy(Unity)
Fresh Alphabet, Bitty Baby Blessings (PTI)

Just Christmas & Birthday Cards - sketch #26

2009-04-08T16:34:00.002-04:00

Yay! My first chance at a Just Christmas and Birthday Card sketch challenge! This one was a bit harder because of all the layers, but I think I really like how it all turned off. Funny thing...I forgot to do the four corners and I tacked on the ribbon at the end but I like it! I used one of my new stamps from The Greeting Farm. Yeah, teacups again. They're just too cute! I colored it using gamsol and my prismas (what else?). To make the teacup look more like glass, I added glossy accents at the end. Final touches were some pearl dew drops, ribbon, and the center image using spellbinders ribbon tags.

Supplies

Stamps:
Cup of Stuff (Greeting Farm)
Everyday Classics - birthday greeting (PTI)

Paper:
DCWV, Me & My Big Ideas, PTI Stamper's Select

Embellishments:
pearl dew drops, foam dimensional, ribbon

Other:
gamsol
prismas
spellbinders ribbon tag dies
coluzzle square

Penny Black Saturday Challenge #43

2009-04-06T19:09:00.003-04:00

Another first for me...the Penny Black Saturday Challenge. I know it sounds a bit cliche by now since it seems like I'm a fan of ALL the stamps in the world, but I really do like their images. They're just so sweet and makes you go "awww" when you see them. I couldn't resist this set when I saw it on their catalog. I was so happy that eclectic paperie started carrying them.

Anyway, the theme for this challenge was Easter. I sort of randomly chose a bunch of patterned papers that had similar colors and, even though their patterns were very different, I like the outcome. The image was stamped on an oval piece cut with nesties and layered onto a scalloped oval also cut with nesties. Used my favorite coloring technique, prismas and gamsol, and I tried to do a bit of shading around the image to ground it. That's still something I'm trying to work on. I really love that cute bunny though. Finished everything off with a few ribbons and buttons and tadah!

Stampavie Challenge #1

2009-04-06T18:49:00.004-04:00

The very first ever Stampavie Sketch Challenge! Their stamps are just so precious and I'm so excited that they're now hosting sketch challenges. The stamp I chose to use for this challenge is the Peek-a-boo stamp. Such an adorable kitty and with four cats of my own, a must-have. I think this was one of my first stamps from them, too.

Anyway, using PTI's Stamper's Select White cut with a spellbinders die, I stamped the image using Memories Black Dye. I've found that's actually the best, for me at least, when I'm coloring using gamsol. It dries instantly, has very crisp detail, and doesn't smear at all. I love how it's a "true" black rather than a grayish tone. I used my prismas to color the kitty and added some glitter glue and glossy accents. I then layered it onto a scalloped rectangle also cut with a spellbinders die.

For the background, I layered a piece of pink cardstock onto some white cardstock. I did use of the my Beyond Basic Borders stamps to do a little detailing on the pink cardstock with white ink. Onto that, I layered a panel of flower patterned paper edged with scalloped brown cardstock. I used my white gel pen to put little dots along the edge of the brown scallops. I then added snippets of ribbon for the corner and the long strip on top. Final touch was mounting the main image on foam strips and adding a few sequins.

I really like how this card turned out. I cannot wait to get my hands on some of Rachelle Anne Miller's new stamps coming out this month. Actually I think they're already out! They're so much fun to color and create with.

Stamps:
- Peek-a-boo (Stampavie), Beyond Basic Borders (PTI)

Inks:
- Black Memories Dye
- Fresh Snow (PTI)

Other:
- ribbon (Making Memories)
- spellbinders nestabilities
- glitter glue (Crayola)
- Glossy Accents (Ranger)
- White gel pen
- scalloped edge punch (Fiskars)

Pink Gem Designs Giveaway

2009-04-03T09:03:00.002-04:00

Pink Gem Designs is doing a giveaway! Check it out!

Page Maps Sketch Challenge

2009-04-02T15:48:00.004-04:00

This page was so much fun to make. I based it off of the sketch on the Page Maps blog for a challenge. I loved the layout, but I was a bit stumped about the theme, "what's on my mind". When I first started envisioning my layout, I knew the papers and embellishments I wanted to use, but not what the topic would be. Then the very best news came around. I received a call from the person I interviewed with that they would be accepting me! If I can only express how I've been dreaming of a job with the government. It's been my sole goal since I graduated college and now, four years later, I'm finally achieving it. After so many false hopes, it's finally the real deal. I just had to use that as my theme. For years I've been dreaming of this and since that interview, that's all that was on my mind.

Don't you love that background paper? I think it's beautiful. It's the La Creme stack by DCWV bought at A.C. Moore, but also readily available online. I got that this past weekend and I really loved how the flowers looked like stitching. I think my favorite final touch on anything is a bit of hand-stitching.

Catalyst 2 - My Special Place

2009-03-31T20:55:00.003-04:00

Catalyst 2:

A place you go to find your center. It can be imaginary or real or anything in between.

This wasn't too hard to figure out. Every morning, I have my ritual and it carries over into the weekends. I have my cup of coffee, thankfully I have Starbucks at home and not Maxwell House like work, and I sit down in front of my computer and check out my daily dose of scrapbooking goodness. That's it. It helps me start my day, sort of get me centered I guess and give me a chance to unwind before everything comes rushing in.

Not sure if I'm liking to much how my layout developed, but I'm okay enough with the results. Could have done with a little more planning though, but I was ready to get this done so I could get started on my 52 sketches 52 weeks challenge. Don't know what it is, but I love how my layouts come out from their sketches. Must be the wonderful inspiration I get from everyone else's entries.

CPS109 - Another Spring card

2009-03-31T20:41:00.002-04:00

It's time for another CPS sketch challenge! This one was a bit hard to figure out for me since I really wanted to use this stamp from Penny Black. After much moving around I finally got it to appeal to me. Don't you love the "wings"? I know...sort of doesn't make sense but I thought it made it look so sweet. I traced the wings using a Maya Road chipboard set and did a little sponging around the edges to let them stand out. Then used some Taylored Expressions Twinkles to highlight the feathers. Also love those! The whole picture sort of reminds of air-gliding. That's where my weird mind takes me.

[Supplies]

stamps: Garden Friends (Penny Black), Beyond Basic Borders (PTI)

paper: DCWV spring stack, Stamper's Select White (PTI)

embellishments: dew drops, Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions), Chipboard Wings Keychain (Maya Road), glitter glue

other: gamsol and prismas, crochet thread

SCS Card Sketch #220

2009-03-25T18:37:00.003-04:00

Isn't this adorable?!?! I used the Splitcoast Stampers Card Sketch #220 as my inspiration. And of course, couldn't resist using another Rubbernecker Stamp, Teacup Mouse. Honestly, I don't know what it is about teacups and cupcakes, but it's almost like I just HAVE to have them most of the time. This one was so much fun to color. My favorite part was adding a touch of pink flock fuzziness to the flowers on the teacup. I thought it was the perfect touch.

CPS108 - Thanks

2009-03-25T17:55:00.003-04:00

How I love Unity Stamps. I'm so glad I signed up for their Kit of the Month club. They have an amazing variety of stamps all in one set and best part, I get them every month! The stamps on this card are from their March KOTM. Isn't that little tent just so cute? I used the Card Positioning Systems Challenge as my inspiration. It worked out perfectly. My favorite accent...the black flocking on the edges of the tent along with the felt flower and button. Too cute.

Spring is Here!

2009-03-24T17:06:00.005-04:00

Spring is here! Or at least in my cards it's here. I just received my new stamp set from Penny Black, courtesy of Eclectic Paperie. Isn't this image just so sweet? I used it in the Mojo Monday 79 sketch challenge as shown below.

These sketch challenges are so fun. To me, they give me just enough structure to get my ideas going, but leave enough open to interpretation that I don't feel boxed in. Too fun.

Catalyst 26 - Lack of Talent

2009-03-23T18:38:00.003-04:00

Catalyst 26:

What’s one talent/ability you wish you had?

Here was another easy catalyst to do. I wish I could sing. I have such a talented family, creatively speaking. Many of my cousins are artists in some sort of form. Many of them can sing. Well, let's be honest. I think ALL of them can sing. Being the only one who can't, it really grates on my nerves. I so wish I could sing without making the cats run away from me in fear. I wish I could sing in more places than just my car and in the shower, and that I had more fans while singing other than my boyfriend who probably just barely tolerates my singing. It's only because he loves me right?

Supplies-

Stamps: Sunflower Mouse (Stamp Oasis), alphabet (CTMH), sentiments, journaling block, numbers (KOTM - Feb/March), Time to Stamp (Rummage Bin), Everyday Classics, Retro Backgrounds, Damask Designs, Guidelines, Shapes by Design (PTI)

Paper: DCWV, cardstock, Stampers Select White (PTI), textured cardstock

Embellishments: buttons (foof-a-la), brads

Other: crochet thread, gamsol and prismas, , HOTP flower template, Scalloped Punch (Martha Stewart), stamping dimensionals

Catalyst 52 - Dream to Learn

2009-03-21T22:57:00.004-04:00

Catalyst 52:

Tell us about something you’ve always wanted to learn.

This one was easy. I've always wanted to learn how to knit. Crazy right? With all the crafts I know how to do, knitting just isn't one of them, but it's one I've been dying to learn. I know there are books out there and easy-to-learn kits, but I just don't think it'd do it for me. When it comes to doing something with my hands, it's a lot easier for me to learn if I'm shown how to do it in person. I have to be able to mess around with it first. That's why I've never even bothered with getting one of those books or kits. I just thought it'd be a waste of time. Maybe one of these days though right?

Seriously though, last post for the night. It's 11:00 and I'm finally feeling tired and I don't think I can wait up any longer. This layout was really fun to play around with though. FYI...the knit bag image was one I just randomly pulled from the internet. Probably stepping on some copyright laws here but it's not like I'm selling the thing.

Supplies-

Stamps: Friendly Forest (Colorbok), Feb/March KOTM (Unity), Garden of Life (PTI), Fresh Alphabet (PTI)

Embellishments: dew drops, brads, sequins

Other: ribbon, pink flock (on the owl's belly), transparent tags (Making Memories), glitter glue

Sending Happy Thoughts

2009-03-21T20:59:00.004-04:00

Well it looks like I'm on a posting roll tonight. This is what happens when I'm left all alone at home. My baby is actually out tonight on his own so I'm in crafting nirvana! Whoohoo!

Anyway, here is my take on Amy's sketch up above:

I just love that stamp! Oh so cute! It's another RubberNecker Stamp Oasis image and it was so much fun to color. I guess I like coloring those cute critters random colors. Makes it more interesting. And those little sequins on their noses are perfect. Thanks muchos to Taylored Expressions for her little package of Tiny Twinkles. They're just the right size.

Supplies-

Stamps: Party Trio (Stamp Oasis), sentiment (March KOTM - Unity)

Other: cuttlebug embossing folder, Taylored Expressions Tiny Twinkles, gamsol and prismas

Catalyst 3 - Best Time

2009-03-21T19:38:00.005-04:00

Here's Catalyst 3:

The best part of your day, today.

This one was easy. My favorite part of the day, hands down, is when my baby comes home. In his words, I'm leech-ish. I prefer to think that I just love him that much and am happiest when he's around. Truly, I do enjoy my personal time doing my crafting, but it's like my day reaches its zenith when he walks through that door.

Gosh I love that smile.

Supplies-

Stamps: Wise Owl (PTI), Time to Stamp (Rummage Bin - CHF), Journaling Lines (PTI), Every Which Way (Penny Black), Friends 'til the End (PTI), Beyond Basic Borders (PTI)

Paper: cardstock, patterned paper (Making Memories, DCWV)

Embellishments: ribbon, buttons (foof-a-la, , Michaels), dew drops, large pebble brad (Making Memories), Journaling Card (K & Company), felt flower (American Crafts)

Other: bazzil basics stitching templates, crochet thread, white gel pen, cuttlebug postage stamp die, cardstock stickers (Heidi Grace)

Catalyst 25 - Thick & Thin

2009-03-21T19:12:00.005-04:00

Here's another attempt at doing catalysts, specifically Catalyst 25. The focus for this catalyst is:

What’s something you fear? (You can interpret this literally like something you’re afraid of or emotionally like something you’re worried might happen or not happen.)

This one was a little hard to journal about. I mean, I have several fears like fear of heights, the dark (too many horror movies), etc. I could have done something about the fear of failure because that is one of my great fears. But...for this catalyst this time around, I chose to do something about the fear of losing those friends closest to me. Being a military brat and moving to a new place every three years was really hard, but most especially when I reached high school and all I wanted was a place to belong. I found that through this special group of friends. We've known each other for close to a decade, we live on opposite ends of the country, but even so...we still try to keep in touch despite the distance. We try and visit each other at least once a year, switching turns. The picture in this layout was from two years ago when they had actually come to stay with me. This has got to be one of my favorites. Unfortunately, Cathy was unable to join us.

For this layout, I used the #4 sketch from 52 sketches 52 weeks as my inspiration.

Supplies-

Stamps: March KOTM (Unity), Friend quote (Inkadinkado), Guidelines (PTI), Love Songs (PTI), Beyond Basic Borders (PTI), Journaling Lines (PTI), Butterfly (think it's Inkadinkado), Time to Stamp (Rummage Bin - CHF)

Paper: cardstock (plain & textured), patterned paper (Me & My Big Ideas)

Inks: Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger), Ripe Avocado (PTI), Ocean Tides (PTI), Brown Bag (CTMH), white pigment (Colorbox)

Embellishments: silver flower brads, buttons (foof-a-la)

Other: crochet thread (for handstitching), gamsol technique with prismas, dew drops, glue dots

Taylored Expressions Challenge #60

2009-03-21T19:03:00.003-04:00

It's time for another Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge! I finally got my first set of her adorable cupcake stamps (Christmas themed of course) and I just love LOVE coloring them in with my prismas! This was really way too much fun. And again, it's so much better when you use high quality cardstock. The one I'm using is from Papertrey Ink which I finally caved in on and I'm glad to say I did! This will definitely be a reoccuring purchase whenever my stash runs out.

Below is the sketch that my card is based on:

Supplies-

Stamps: Season's Sweetings (Taylored Expressions)

Cardstock: textured cardstock, Stamper's Select white (PTI), light blue cardstock

Inks: True Black (PTI)

Embellishments: silver brads, ribbon (Making Memories)

Other: gamsol technique with prismas, oval nestabilities, paper piercer, Scalloped Border Punch (Fiskars)

Wacky Wednesday at RubberNecker

2009-03-20T17:23:00.005-04:00

How I just love this stamp! Too darn cute! I don't know what it is about cupcakes, but with these adorable mice, it was a definite must to have.

I used the sketch from the RubberNecker challenge for this week as my inspiration. Well, I deviated just a bit since the image wasn't exactly small enough for the dimensions of the sketch. I still love how it turned out.

Once again, I used my prismas and gamsol (well really, Mona Lisa Odorless Paint Thinner but same thing) for the coloring of the image. I never knew that using better quality paper actually makes a HUGE difference on how easily the colors move around. Amazing! I used a few scraps of patterned paper for the background. As embellishments, used a few buttons I've had for a while now and blue rhinestones.

Supplies
Stamps: Cupcake Mice (Stamp Oasis)
Paper: cardstock, patterned paper (DCWV)
Embellishments: buttons (CTMH), blue rhinestones
Other: prismas, gamsol, Zig 2-way glue (for attaching the rhinestones)

Catalyst 53 - May 17

2009-03-20T17:08:00.008-04:00

I just found this new website which offers up some pretty amazing insightful questions that you answer creatively. It's called Creative Therapy and this week was Catalyst 53. The challenge, or topic I guess, was to create a piece of art around a memory or occasion that has no photos. Easy enough. A moment that's always been special to me is my first date with my boyfriend. I swear...maybe it was magic, but it only took that first date for me to know he was the one for me. Corny right, but oh so true.

It is so difficult creating a page without a photo to center it around. I chose to center my page more around my piece of journaling which is actually attached on a hinge since there's more on the back. To keep it in place, I attached a small piece of velcro. Don't you love that little image? It's called Squeeze 'til I Squeak by Penny Black. I absolutely love it. It's one of my favorite images from their line so far. I chose to color this with my prisma watercolor pencils and aqua painter.

I also added a couple of other embellishments just to round the page out more, like binder clips. I love how it pulled one of my sub-titles up a bit.

Cannot wait to try out more of those catalyst questions. Actually, I already finished one other so I'll probably get around to posting that soon!

Supplies
stamps: Squeeze 'til I Squeak (Penny Black), alphabet set (MSE), Heart Prints (PTI), Love Songs (PTI)

paper: cardstock, patterned paper (Me & My Big Ideas - beautiful stuff!)

embellishments: binder clips (target), rub-ons (Heidi Grace), ribbon (dollar bin, Ellen Hutson), epoxy sentiments (Heidi Grace), definition sticker (Making Memories), button (foof-a-la), brads (Jo-Anns)

other: chalks, brush for chalks, watercolor prismas, aqua painter, dimensional foam, velcro dots, Labels 1 nestabilities, crochet thread

Holding Feet

2009-03-17T18:18:00.005-04:00

What is it about our feet? Oddly enough, I've never been a "foot" person, but I can't resist playing footsie with my baby. Our greatest joke is how I have such wide feet, especially since I'm several shoe sizes smaller than him and our feet are equally as wide.

I did this page for a 52 sketches challenge. I stumbled on this site on one of my many excursions through the web and it really caught my eye. I love sketch challenges! Even more, it gets me scrapbooking and I admit, sometimes it's really hard to start when I don't have a sketch in mind. This just puts the thinking out of the picture!

This page is a little out of my norm with a bunch more embellishing than I normally do. I've been on a green kind of mood lately, loving all my green patterned papers and this one struck my eye. Layered onto that a circle-shaped darker piece of patterned paper with a similar green in the center of the flowers. I layered onto there several border pieces. I actually used borders I had as templates and cut them out of patterned paper. On the brown wave border, I did a little hand-stitching with green DMC floss and added a few dew drops on the ends. I added some paper ribbon on top with these cute little heart die cuts. I then layered my picture on top of that.

Next, I stamped a big corner scroll flourish image on some tan cardstock and painstakingly cut it out as much as I could without taking it all apart. I added a few buttons randomly on it, tying some string in the holes before adhering with glue dots. As for further embellishments, I stamped some of the big flower images from Friends til the End on PTI cardstock. I just love their colors. Applied some icicle stickles to the centers to make it all nice and glittery. I then stamped a few leaves using Martha Stewart stamps and cut those out. The title is from a pack of chipboard I bought ages ago when I first started scrapbooking. I glued some patterned paper onto that and used my kraft knife to cut them out (TIP: I use a small piece of glass from an old picture frame as my cutting surface. The knife glides like butter on it.). I sponged a bit of brown ink on the edges to help it stand out some more. Added a piece of green curly parentheses on the end and for "feet", used a stash of typewriter cardstock stickers. Finally used them! The heart with wings is another die cut from my first stash with red cardstock glue to the front. Using versamark ink, I stamped an image from my retro backgrounds set. Then I sponged a bit of white ink around the edges. Stamped a saying in black cardstock using white ink and layered that on top. Had a few stragglers from a set of defined stickers and used that as my journaling. Last but now least, along the bottom border of the page, I stamped a few semi-circle images with light brown ink.

Phew! That was a mouthful. I need to figure out a way to spell things out a little more simply. Can't believe how much I put into this page.

Supplies:

Stamps - Friends til the End (PTI), Background Basics: Retro (PTI), Time to Stamp (CHF), leaves (Martha Stewart, corner scroll (Fancy Pants)

Paper - assorted patterned paper (Me & My Big Ideas, DCWV), PTI cardstock, other cardstock from my stash

Embellishments - paper ribbon (K&Company), buttons (foof-a-la), icicle stickles, typewriter key stickers, die-cut parentheses (American Crafts), borders (bazzil), die-cut stash (letters, heart w/wings), dew drops, DMC floss, definition stickers (Making Memories), glue dots, adhesive tape (Tombo)

RubberNecker Stamps

2009-03-16T20:08:00.004-04:00

My package finally arrived! Well...two of them did. I have yet to play with the wonderful goodies I got from Taylored Expressions but those are definitely on my to do list.

I couldn't resist coloring in this stamp from RubberNeckers stamps. This is from their Stamp Oasis line and I got three more of these babies to play with later on.

Anyway...I stamped the image on white cardstock and colored it in with gamsol and prismas. I layered it with some dark green cardstock. I then took a strip of light green cardstock and ran it through my distressed lines cuttlebug embossing folders. I really should get these out more. Moving on...layered those pieces onto some patterned paper from DCWV matted with the same green cardstock. I stamped the "Friend" sentiment from Friends Til The End with Rasberry Fizz ink. Such a pretty shade of pink Layered the sentiment on the same dark green cardstock. Added a few dew drops underneath the sentiment since, to me, it lacked a little something. As a final touch, I used a button from my stash of Foof-a-la buttons. I love these! They have such an eclectic assortment of buttons I can always find something to fit what I want. I layered the button on a felt flower and sewed those pieces together and applied it onto the card with some Tacky Glue.

I love how it turned out! I just love that image and it was so much fun coloring it in.

Supplies-

Stamps: Sunflower Mouse (Stamp Oasis), Friends til the End (PTI)

Inks: black dye ink (Inkadinkado), Rasberry Fizz (PTI)

Paper: Christmas Stack (DCWV), assorted cardstock

Other: dew drops, distressed lines cuttlebug embossing folder, gamsol & primas

AmyR Challenge

2009-03-15T08:23:00.004-04:00

My very first AmyR challenge! I've been reading her blog for quite a while now and *sigh*...I finally caved in and bought myself a Bella stamp. I've been going back and forth on this for awhile now, mainly due to the S&H rate being higher than other places. But I found the dye ink I've been looking for, as well as a few other stamps that were too cute to resist.

Anyway, on to my card. I based it roughly on her sketch minus the two little flowers. Reason being I already had sunflowers as my focal image and adding two more beside it just wasn't working for me. The image was colored using what else...gamsol and prismas. It didn't show up as nicely as I wanted in the picture, but I really like how it turned out. I cut the image out as close as I could and layered it onto two circles cut out with my nestabilities. I then added a dark green strip on my back paper panel, punching along the edge with my fiskars punc. Stamped a little on the panel using Background Basis Retro to make it look a little like plaid. I had a plaid-like ribbon in my stash found from the dollar bin most likely and that completed the panel. Assembled my pieces, added a few dew drops to the focal image, and a sentiment from Garden of Life.
Here's the interior of my card. Pretty simple. Just a panel of white cardstock and I stamped the top and bottom borders (Beyond Basic Borders). The sentiment is from the same set. Finished!

Now all I have to do is wait for all of my orders to come in. I really need to cut back on my ordering next month. I'm scared to even count how many packages I'm expecting next week.

Stamps: Sunflower II (Delta stamps - from A.C. Moore), Garden of Life, Background Basics: Retro, Beyond Basic Borders (PTI)

Other: gamsol technique w/prismas, ribbon, dew drops

Frosty and Sweet

2009-03-13T20:07:00.003-04:00

Just one more card for tonight. Still trying to figure out how to get the colors to show up better with my simple point and shoot camera. Well, here is my first Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge! I don't have any of her stamps yet, but an order is on the way! I can only hope I get it by this weekend, but that's probably wishful thinking since I only just ordered maybe a day ago.

Anyway, these are the only cupcake stamps that I own...for now. I colored that cute penguin with my prismas and gamsol (one of my fave coloring mediums right now) and added a little white fun flock to the penguin's hat since it looked like it should be fuzzy. I used some standard crayola glitter glue to add spark to the sprinkles. The image is layered onto a scalloped square cut with my nestabilities. I poked a few holes on the scallop and also added some hand stitching on the inside of the square. The strip on the bottom uses textured cardstock with a green ribbon layered on top I found from some dollar bin. The scalloped bottom was created with my new fiskars punch! I really love how it lays flat. The circle behind the strip is also created with my nestabilities. I created the little banner the sentiment is on by using the negative of a die cut piece and added a small green brad to the end. Added some more holes to the circle and stitching plus ran my green ink pad along the edge to help separate the pinks. Popped the square on some dimensionals, added some white brads to the corners, and I'm done!

I really loved how this one turned out and how it still looks so cheery despite the non-traditional Christmas colors. I'll get around to making different types of cards, but I wanted to fatten my Christmas stash first and this set of stamps is so fun to play with. I can't wait to get my new ones from Taylored Expressions since they are also holiday themed.

Spring!

2009-03-13T15:18:00.006-04:00

Looking outside the window you wouldn't think it was spring. That's probably because this past week has been one rollercoaster of a weather front. One day it's 70 deg weather and the next we're snowing. I have no idea what to set our thermostat to anymore when I leave in the morning.

Thank goodness it's Friday! I'm so ready to just chill out and relax this weekend. Another very long week at work, but it's over for now.

The card I made was to help bring in happy thoughts of warmer weather and flowers. Just not too warm! I'm totally on a color kick because I'm choosing a bunch of random colors that just scream out, "happy". I used stamps from Unity Stamp Company's February Kit of the Month. This was actually my first time getting it and I do love the bigger sized stamps and how it's a diverse selection of images. Best part is I get it every month! This was also my first time trying a gate fold card and I'm wondering how we're supposed to keep it closed?

I had initially tried coloring in the mushroom with watercolor pencils since it's been so long since I used them, but it just wasn't working for me. The color wasn't spreading the way I wanted it to in such a big space. I'm planning on getting some PTI white cardstock which is way better quality than what I use so that might help. Anyway, used the gamsol technique with my prismacolor pencils to color in the mushroom. The blending stumps made in Taiwan are definitely better than the ones from China. I have both types just to try it out and the ones from Taiwan (got from A.C. Moore) move the colors around a lot easier. I still use both, but mainly reserve the China ones for smaller spaces. I have also discovered that I require a lot more mineral spirits for the China ones to help the color move around a bit more.

And here's the inside of the card. I find that putting something inside, maybe even just a liner, kind of finishes the card up even more. I think that snail is just too cute.

That's all for now!

Stamps: February Kit of the Month (Unity), Beyond Basic Borders (PTI)
Inks: Rasberry Fizz (PTI), Black Dye Ink (Inkadinkado), Aloe Vera (Versamagic Chalk)
Other: Pink Ribbon (American Crafts), prismacolors, gamsol, hand-stitching, circle nestabilities

First Post!

2009-03-11T18:57:00.002-04:00

Okay, since it seems like I'm forever reading everyone else's crafting blogs online, I figured I might as well start my own. This way I can maybe justify all the cards I make with no one to give them to? Yeah right.

Anyway, I'm a scrapbooker at heart, but after seeing all those beautiful cards online, I started getting into the groove of making them myself. It also snowballed once I discovered a few smaller stamping companies that had amazing designs perfect for cardmaking. I was in love.

On to one of my cards!

I made this card for my very wonderful boyfriend today. I was feeling pretty under the weather yesterday and he was so sweet. He would call me to see how I was feeling. Took me out to dinner since I wasn't up to eating what we had leftover in the fridge. Let me nap on him for a few hours when he got home without even complaining. That says a lot considering this is someone who is usually on the go. And at night, he tucked me in so I wouldn't get chilly and kissed me before I fell asleep saying he hoped I felt better in the morning.

So...to thank him I made him this! I just love that owl from the Wise Owl set. One of my new favorite companies is Papertrey Ink. I'm in love with almost every set they've produced and I've bought a ton of them in the few months since I learned about their company. Used a few PTI cardstock colors for the background. Also used the new Damask Designs for that little blue strip. A couple of dew drops underneath the message to add a little more cuteness to it and some pink flock on the owl's belly. I'm slowly trying to use up all the stuff I've been buying. Ovals were made using nestabilities.

So ends my first post. Gotta get dinner ready!

Stamps: Wise Owl, Damask Designs (PTI)

Paper: PTI Cardstock

Inks: Dark Chocolate, True Black (PTI), Versamark

Other: Dew Drops, dimensionals, pink flock, hand stitching on the edges