Merry Christmas...

...in April?  Yep! I wanted to play along at Christmas Card Challenges this week.  The challenge is using a sketch.

I decided to use this sketch in a landscape format.

This really is Christmas paper.  It is from Lily Bee's Christmas Town collection.  Rosettes are just so much fun to make, and it made a great embellishment for this card.  I fussy cut a snowflake from the paper and put a CTMH black button brad through the middle.  I love the simplicity and non-traditional colors.

Way Beyond Excited!!

I got an e-mail a little while ago that two of my home decor projects were picked up for publication!  They will be in the Paper Crafts Holiday Cards & More issue that will be on sale in September.  WOWZERS!!  I am so excited truly having put a lot of thought into the design elements on these two pieces.  I'll be excited to share them with you in the fall!!

Fun in My Craft Room

I turned on Netflix today and watched a couple of movies while I was working on some swaps.  The first swap is a handmade flower swap, and I needed to make 23.  Here's what I came up with.

I die-cut (Tattered Florals) my flowers from old paperback pages.  Every once in awhile, I head the flea market to look for aged books or lace. I can usually find old paperbacks for a nickel, and one book makes a lot of flowers!  I inked them up with distress ink - vintage photo and faded jeans.  To realy bring out the color, I painted them with clear rock candy distress paint.  Once they were dry, I built them and added a button, a little waxy flax, and a vintage pin.  This is my favorite Tim Holtz die, and I use it very often!

Next was to make 12 embellished die cuts for Mother's Day or Spring. 

I have been wanting to work with the Slice Vintage Findings crown, and this was the perfect time.  I made an element that can go on a Mother's Day layout or card.  This is about 2-1/2 x 4 inches, and it's so much prettier in real life.  I sacrificed my last two pieces of this beautiful patterned sorbet paper from the CTMH Perfect Day Level 2 kit - LOL!!  I try so hard not to hoard save papers understanding that there will always be new and better.  This was really easy to put together adding CTMH pearls, flower, and sorbet ribbon.

Hope you've had a great day!

Don't Forget the Sunscreen

As I promised, I'm back with some artwork.  I found a sketch over at The Scrappiest, and it looked daunting to me.  For that very reason, I challenged myself to create with it!

Shane was just 14 months old in these photos.  That little baby belly - so cute!!  Other than the orange twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon, I used all Bo Bunny Sunkissed for this layout.  I so like when I have all the matching "stuff" for a layout.  It makes it all so quick!  I took a little extra time using my Imaginisce de-stresser to rough up all the edges.  I also used a craft knife to cut around the bicycle a little so that I could tuck the circle underneath just a bit.  If you need to see anything a little better, just click on the photo to enlarge.

22

I'll be back later today with some artwork, but for right now I have to take the time to wish my kiddo a very happy 22nd birthday!  As you may know from following me, he is about right smack dab in the middle of school.  Before we know it, he'll be a fully licensed hair stylist!

We are so proud of him.  Not only did he win the salon fair at school (picture above), but he was selected as one of five students to attend a "trend" seminar in May.  It is fully paid for, and he'll be learning some great things!  He is definitely going to fall into the "trendy" category when all is said and done.  I am so proud to be able to say that he is already building a good repeat client list in the school salon.  Not only do I think that has something to do with his styling, but also his personality.

So happy birthday, kiddo!  You deserve the best of days!!

Grads

I really the like the sketches over at The Scrappiest this month.  Liz creates great inspiration points.

These are a couple of pictures from Jerry's graduation.  That's his twin brother in the picture with him.

As long as their was still some Bo Bunny on my desk, I went ahead and used that.  The colors matched perfectly with their graduation gowns, I think.  All the elements used are from the Learning Curve collection.

Mash-Up

Now if you are a fan of Glee, you probably thought of their mash-up episodes when you read that. (I love Glee!)  But instead of bringing you a song, I am bringing you a card for a new challenge blog called The Friday Mash-Up.  I just had to play because the name itself is so much fun! 

I won a stamp set from There She Goes Clear Stamps, and instead of choosing my own, I had them pick one out and surprise me.  I received it in the mail today, and I loved it!  So I opened it up and made a card for this challenge.

Isn't this a great card for someone who is going through a difficult time?  I think that's one of the nicest reasons to send a card.  There's nothing like a handmade card to make someone just a little happier.

Other items used:  Websters Pages pp; CTMH white daisy cs, white daisy button, black waxy flax, and bitty sparkles; May Arts black wrinkled ribbon

Picture Perfect

I found this picture of Shane tucked in a box.  I think I must have put it there some time ago in order to scrap it, but amongst all my pictures it was forgotten.  I used a very versatile sketch from Lasting Memories Challenges.

And how could I forget this?!  You be the judge ~

What a stinkin' cutie!  Shane was just 2 years old in this photo.  Thank goodness for being able to enlarge the photo to see the newspaper date!  Doesn't he look quite serious about whatever he is reading?  He really copied Jerry a lot when he was little, and my guess is that he was trying to be just like Daddy.

Items used:  Crate Toy Box papers and Restoration chipboard and stickers; Bo Bunny Mama-Razzi title strip; Really Reasonable Ribbon baker's twine; CTMH Picture Perfect stamp set

Happy Easter

I wish you many rich blessings on this Easter Sunday!

It's also time for a new challenge at The Studio.  This week we have a sketch for you:

Isn't this a great sketch for scraps?  I love it!

This is Imaginisce's It's Your Day paper.  I fussy cut the panda and cake from paper.  The buttons are CTMH and the twine is Pink Paislee.  Head on over to The Studio to see what the other DT members came up with!

I am making Easter dinner in the late afternoon.  We don't often have time to sit down as a family, so that is a huge blessing for me.  Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Graduation Layout

My sister gave me these graduation photos of my nephew who also happens to be my godchild.  He's such a great kid with such a big heart.  I wanted to create a really special layout of his pictures.

I had two sketches sitting on my desk that were so similar so I put them into one layout.   Both are such versatile sketches, so I was happy to have just the photos to use.

Sassy Lil Sketches April 7th Sketch

Sketchy Thursday April 21st Sketch

Item used: Bo Bunny Learning Curve paper and stickers; Really Reasonable Ribbon twine; CMTH button 

Blast Off!

This is my second post for the day.  Be sure to scroll down to see the Sassy Lil Card Sketches reveal!

Such a great picture at For Your Inspiration this week!  To play along, all you need to do is let the photo inspire you!  Here's the photo:

I was inspired by the moon and choose to create a party plate:

I used Bo Bunny's new Blast Off collection. I found some acrylic plates at Target for 14 cents (yes, that's what I said!). I cut the paper and adhered it to the bottom of the plate using Martha Stewart decoupage. I put a layer of decoupage on the top of the paper, too, in order to seal it a bit. Starbust and Skittles seemed the perfect candy to go with the moon!

Now what can you create using this photo as inspiration?  I hope you have the chance to play along for your chance ot become "The Lovely Lotus" !!

Live Life

Time for a new sketch at Sassy Lil Card Sketches!  Do you play along with us?  The card sketches are posted on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of the month.  You have until the 5th of the following month to link them up on the blog.  If you do one sketch, you get one entry.  If you do all four you get four entries.  So much fun, and I am really partial because I think Cherie's are some of the best sketches around!  On to this week's sketch:

I created a very simple card with a male birthday in mind.  I am also trying really hard to keep the majority of my card suitable for a 44-cent stamp.  Wowie, some of my creations have ended up being parcels!  Isn't that crazy?!  But it won't stop me from mailing cards ;)

I used CTMH Lucky and the matching stamp set.  LOVE this paper!  The "buttons" are the matching stickers, and I've woven waxy flax through them.

Now hop over to the Sassy Lil Card Sketch blog to see the rest of the design team work!  I hope you find the time to play along!!  We have two sponsors this month (two winners!!) that have fabulous prizes:

CK Weekly Challenges

If you go over to the Club CK Blog, you will see that there are many challenges to participate in both ont he blog and in the forums.  I so enjoy a good challenge, you know!   The weekly scrapbook and card challenges are Page Maps sketches, and I couldn't resist.

I used MME Stella & Rose Hattie for this layout.  Couldn't you just pick up that little and hug him like crazy?!  Oh, Shane has always had the most wonderful smile!  He was 4-1/2 in this picture, and next week he will be 22.  Oh my how time flies!  I used the Slice Just Chillin' card for the diecuts and letters.

This card was made with my scraps from Fancy Pants Beach Bum.  I used Martha's double loop punch for the kraft borders.  The other day when I made this card with butterflies, I stamped extra ones so that I'd have them for other projects.  I love the way all the colors tie together on this card.

Have you been crafting today?  I have to tell you - we got snow again this morning.  This is what it looked like when I woke up ~

But thankfully, it melted quickly and this is what it looked like at dinner time ~

We are still not up to average temperatures, but at least they say Easter weekend will be nice.  I hope so!  We truly have had enough snow!

I received an e-mail today about Making Memories Slice Trade-In.  I have one of the very first Slice's, so mine is old, loud, and I have to adjust the blade for different types of paper.  The trade-in is $74.99 plus shipping for the Slice Elite.  I know - that's a great deal!  But here's my dilemma.  I use that little machine almost every day.  I'd have to send a part from my existing machine and wait for the new machine to come.  This could take a couple of weeks.  Wow - I might have Slice withdrawl!  So I have to think on that a bit.  My machine works great, and I am not bothered by the adjusting.  I've learned just where to turn the blade for different papers.  I hate to pass up a new and improved machine that is inexpensive, but I'm also pretty frugal.  If something works, I just don't replace it.  Well, I'm glad I had this little talk with you - maybe I'll be able to decide now!  LOL!!

Off to look at some more little boy Shane pictures and try to remember where all the years have gone!

Sending You a Little Happy

This is great sentiment stamp from the Unity May 2010 kit of the month.  It could be used for any happy occasion or even a thinking of you card.  I love when I find a verstile stamp!  I made this card for the All Things Unity challenge using the sketch that was provided.

I used the Simple Stories Life Documented paper to create my card.

Simple Stories is a part of Memory Works, and the kits can be purchased at Archiver's, through many online stores, or through a consultant.  They are also going to be co-branding with Unity soon to have matching stamps.  Gotta love that!!  The little spoke-like images are from the April 2010 kit of the month.

CK One-Hour Layout

I really like the CK one-hour challenges.  It gives me the opportunity to get a layout done without over thinking it.  Do you do that - over think your layouts?  I hope I'm not the only one!  So the challenge this week was to use pastels.  Well, if you know my work, you know that I don't work in pastel.  So this was really a challenge - even to find the paper!!  But I found three sheets of Stella and Rose Gertie in my paper (forgot I even bought it), and I think it worked great for this vintage photo of Jerry's mom and uncle.  The thing that took me the longest was cutting letters with my Slice!

Worker Bee

This is my third post for the day, so be sure to scroll down to see what I've been up to! 

I haven't played over at Sketches in Thyme for awhile, but I saw their sketch for the week and loved it.  It leaves a ton of room for inspiration!

I had these cute pictures of Shane from when he was a little over a year old learning how to "mow the lawn" with his bubble mower. 

I've used Fancy Pants Beach Bum and Slice diecuts.  The clouds and sun come from Fall/Back to School, the bee and letters from Big Kids, and the banner from Parties.  The baker's twin is Pink Paislee.

I think I might be done in my craft room today.  I say I think because I have had bunches of ideas running through my head.  Of course, it's easier to create when the mojo is calling!  You all know how that is!  But it's getting time to think on dinner and empty the dishwasher.  And I've got some loads of laundry waiting.  Domestic chores sure do get in the way of playing - LOL!!

Love is Spoken Here

This is an Easter card that will be going out in the mail this week.  Lent and especially Holy Week mean so much to me.  When I think about all that Jesus did so that we might be free, well, that speaks love to me.  I used the sketch from CPS:

All items for this card are CTMH:

I have re-connected with vellum lately.  I just love the look that it lends to paper crafting.  I stamped the butterflies on vellum and it makes them look so bright and airy.

I also created this card for the Heart 2 Heart Bunny Blog Hop.  Be sure to follow this link to see all the other amazing creations!!

Joy

It's time for me to start making Christmas cards once a week so that I have them done by the time I need them.  Christmas Card Challenges is anything goes this week, and Christmas Inspirations is looking for a round card.  Well, that led me right to the sketch at Stamp TV:

Here's what I came up with using Bo Bunny Noel:

That lace is so pretty, and I found it at a flea market.  Every once in a while I go to an antique store or flea market to see what kind of treasures I can find.  Lace and buttons are usually a for sure find.  The stamp is Penny Black, the pearls are Recollection, and the buttons are CTMH.

Shane's First Easter

I still have more Easter photos to scrap, so it was no problem for me to play along with the Easter layout challenge at Lasting Memories.  I have said it before, but I am so glad that I am not a chronological scrapper.  I love pulling out these photos that are 21 years old!  Funny thing is that it feels like it was yesterday.

I used Crate's Restoration for this page.  The addition items are CTMH grosgrain and Imaginisce .i-rock gems.  Gosh, this page was just so much fun to build, and I am really happy with the way it turned out.  Shane told me after he saw it that he is happy that I "don't put too much" on my pages.  He likes that he sees the picture first and foremost.  Well, because eventually these memory books will be his to share with his children, that was music to my ears!

Little Gift

I must be in the mood for creating little gifts today.  I put this little one together to give as a hostess gift for when we go visiting.

I made the box with Graphix acetate.  It works really nicely when you want to show what is in the container.  Other than that, I used all CTMH products.  This is going in the Moxie Fab Food Wrap Challenge.  I had a hard time deciding to enter it in that one because it would have worked for the Little Gifts Challenge, too, at Moxie Fab.  Well, that will just give me the opportunity to make another little gift!!

I'm off to run some errands now.  Hope your Saturday is going well!!

A Little Basket for You

I saw the instuctions for making this basket on Stamp TV, and I thought it was the cutest little thing! 

I think this would be a really fun way to hand deliver an Easter gift!  I make my own paper shreds from scraps that aren't really useful for anything else.  Perfect way to recycle paper and that way they always match the project.  All supllies for this project are from CTMH.  I cut the ovals using nestabilities, and I cut the dimensional butterfly using my Spring Slice design card.

I can actually enter this into quite a few challenges (yippee! - that's pretty good for me!):

• Totally Papercrafts - spring time
• Tellen's Place - Easter
• Frosted Designs - handmade embllishment
• Our Creative Corner - 3D Easter project
• Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - Easter

Soar Like Never Before

I have been wanting to participate in the In My Beautiful Balloon Challenge in the Moxie Fab World, and I couldn't believe that Regina at The Cutting Cafe read my mind!  She created two new sets of printable stamps that were perfect for this challenge!  Cherie released a new sketch today at Sassy Lil Card Sketches, so it all just fell together perfectly for me this morning.

Truly this card took me about 15 minutes to create.  That is the beauty of having a great sketch (be sure to go HERE so you can see the monthly prizes) and fabulous printable stamps!  I used Up in the Sky Wishes (over 120 images for $8.99) and Cloud Background (10 backgrounds for $2.25).  What a great graduation card this would be!  Or if you made just the card front, it would be a great page element.

Other items used: Recollections white cs, Really Reasonable Ribbon twine, and Nestabilities Scalloped and Plain Circles

Spoiled Rotten

I told you in my earlier post today that Practical Scrappers is featuring Bella Blvd and having a giveaway.  It will be going on tomorrow (Thursday) as well so be sure to stop by.  The collections featured tomorrow are Family Dynamix and Tail Waggers & Cat Naps.  I used Tail Waggers & Cat Naps in this layout.

Other than the bit of twine and a couple of chipboard shapes, this is all Bella Blvd.  Fun, fun papers!  This is Miss Chanel and Miss Sassy taking a break next to each other in Shane's ugly chair.  They fight and chase and "yell" at each other, but they sure do love each other!  Oh by the way, we call Shane's chair ugly because they fabric really is!  It's a spinning chair and one of the most comfortable chairs any of us has sat in.  It's been around for 10 years now and the fabric shows little sign of wear even though Shane parks himself in it whenever he is home.  Just goes to show, beauty is not always on the outside! ;)

This is one of Becy Fleck's Page Maps sketches.  You can find it HERE.  Do you have Page Maps and/or Page Maps 2?  I love these books of sketches!  I think my very favorite thing is that they have cards of all the sketches, so you can easy take them to a crop.  What a great idea! 

Okay, done talking and back to crafting! 

So Grateful

Have you been over to Practical Scrappers?  Today and tomorrow we are featuring Bella Blvd, and there is a giveaway!  You've just got to go over and see some of the amazing artwork that is featured! (**Side note - be sure to read the right sidebar at PS because there are continual calls.  I would love to see your artwork featured!**)  I've created a quick card using Bella Blvd's Mr. Boy and a Unity sentiment.

This card is for Stephen's Thank You Card Project.  Please go over and read all the information as this is an amazing thing that this 10 year-old is doing!  His mission is to send a thank you card to every single actively deployed person in the US military.  What a fabulous idea!  Cards hould be A2, no glitter, signed, and if possible, with envelopes.  Be sure to check out the wonderful sponsors for this effort.

Happy Easter

I have not been able to share any Cutting Cafe projects lately because I have had some computer/printer problems.  But I was so glad to have everything resolved yesterday so that I could put this card together for you!

This digi paper is so vibrant and beautiful!  I've used colored paper from the Jelly Bean Background set.  The Happy Easter sentiment is from Easter Set 2.  Are you curious about the flower?  Julie Comstock of Cosmo Cricket did a wonderful video on making this.  You can check it out here.  Not only is the box flower fun, but she is a pleasure to watch!

I've used the vellum to mute the background paper a bit.  Sometimes it's nice to have full background paper, but if it wasn't muted, well then, everything else can be lost on the card.  I'll enter this in the There She Goes Clear Stamps vellum challenge, too!

ABC

When I went to my mother-in-law's house to look at some pictures a few months back, I found these pictures that she had taken of Shane.  I am so glad to have the copies!!  I used THIS SKETCH from The Scrappiest for this layout:

Oh, those little tiny hands!  Picasso said that every child is an artist, and that is so true!  Shane loved to write, draw, and scribble from the time he could hold a writing utensil.  We are very lucky that he was not a child that wrote on walls, but rather colored and drew and then colored and drew some more.  I think that has helped him today to be the creative person that he is.

I don't very often combine challenges (cuz I just can't think that way!!), but this layout does fit Lasting Memories journaling challenge and Really Reasonable Ribbon's die cut/punch and ribbon challenge.  I also want to let you know that Practical Scrappers will be featuring Bella Blvd inspiration this week on Wednesday and Thursday.  If you want to see more yumminess from BB, be sure to pop over one of those days!

Items used:  Bella Blvd Mr. Boy; Bazzill Admiral CS; Slice Design Cards - Big Kids and Basics 1; Really REasonable Ribbon twine; Fancy Pants clip; CTMH gems and white tag

It's the Little Things

Time for a new reveal at The Studio!  The challenge is to use a recycled or found item on your card.  Take a look at mine and see if you spot the recycled item before reading what it is.

These are such pretty colors together, and I so love that beautiful black organdy.  The heart is a mistable chipboard from Tattered Angels.  I colored it with Smokey Plum ink from CTMH.  The sentiment is a rub-on from SU, and the scallops are a kraft color-ready border from CTMH.  The recycled part of my card is a paper bag.  Do you see how easy that is to use if you've run out of kraft?  I ran it through my cuttlebug using the hooundstooth folder.

What items do you have in your home that you can create a card with?  Be sure to enter the finished product over at The Studio!