Observing

Observing ourselves and our environment was our charge for this week's Explore class at shimelle.com.

We took a look at where we sit, stand and lie down.  I have many sitting spots and I use them a lot!  It makes my resolution to Get Moving more important.  I've kind of let myself off the hook the last few months as I've been walking several times a week for exercise.  But there is still a lot of the day where I am sitting particularly when business is slow.  So the last few days I've made more of an effort to get up and move.

I've become much more aware of how I sit in the last year.  Last summer when I suddenly developed shoulder pain, I had to make some changes.  I soon figured out that typing with my computer on my lap wasn't going to work - either the laptop had to go up and I had to get an external keyboard or the laptop could be in my lap and I would have to have a monitor at eye level.  I did the latter for a couple of weeks until my cordless keyboard came.  It has been a big help.

During the last year, I've fixed myself a 'station' for my laptop and my most comfortable and ergonomic chair.  Also I got another chair for the living room after figuring out how few chairs I had in my house that really supported my back and neck. Now I can see how much I've learned that helped me and also helps me with design clients.

I also did the activity for class where I recorded everything I did for a day and when I did it.  The biggest thing I noticed was that I multi-task. I knew this;  I think all women do this. I just didn't realize how much.  Some of it was the day I picked was particularly busy but I know I do some of these things - like getting up during television commercial breaks to put clothes in the dryer or feed the cat - on regular days.  So there is a little of that 'get moving' going on :-)

There are things though that I just can't do together.  For example, I can't type and have the television on at the same time. I don't like background noise unless it is music and then only when I'm not trying to figure something out.  I tried to have a program on while I typed this blog post and had to switch off the TV so I'm not that kind of multitasker.  No, I'm the kind who will go back and forth between the dinner table and the sink to do dishes while my husband and I are finishing a game of Scrabble.  I just can't sit still and wait on him to take his turn.

I had another observation that will be showing up in my layout for the week, hopefully later today or tomorrow.

For this Play book page, I did a couple of things I don't normally so as we were encouraged to stretch ourselves.  I handwrote on my photos.  It was surprising how many pens worked on the photos.  Also, I took a bunch of sticker sheets and just pulled one sticker off each sheet for the title.  That is a little thing but it is unusual for me as I have to have a whole word from one type of sticker or chipboard.

It has been an interesting class.  I'm already observing a little more of my every day life.

In Color Sampler

The new Stampin' Up! In Color cardstock has been in my possession for at least 2 weeks and gone uncut!  Shameful!  I've been wanting to use the new In Colors on a card.  This week's Splitcoaststampers sketch challenge was PERFECT!  I could never have come up with a better layout for using all 5 of the papers.

Since I've only bought one of the inks so far, I used Versamark to do the tone-on-tone polka dots.  Another challenge was this week's Ways to Use It for altering ribbon.  I stamped some twill tape with lots of small images in colors very close to the In Colors.  Here are the ones I found in my collection that went really well with the In Colors:

Pool Party - Aqua Mist by Papertrey Ink
Calypso Coral - Tangerine Tango  by SU!
Lucky Limeade - Kiwi Kiss by SU!

I used Prussian Blue from Colorbox as my sub for the Island Indigo but it is pretty dark and I did buy the Wisteria color ink so I used it.  It's really nice now that In Colors are around for 2 years rather than just one.

Hope you have a great day and thanks for visiting!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  So Many Scallops, Little Flowers, Cheap Talk by SU!; Polka Dot Basics by PTI
Cardstock:  Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder, Naturals Ivory
Inks as mentioned above

A Great Start

A Great Start is ironically the last two page spread for a vacation from last year!  I'm really taking this scrapbook-in-whatever-order-strikes-me thing very seriously.  Ha, ha!  Some days of our trips I break down into lots of pages and some seem to flow together as this one did.

We had a wonderful first day in Santa Rosa looking at architecture, a gardens, visiting a winery and taking in a wonderful view of the city.  We also went to Jack London's park/museum and finally dinner out with one of our friend's mother, a very charming lady.  It was a really great kickoff to our visit to Northern California.

Project Notes:
Mostly this layout is a collage with papers filling in the blanks.  I did a little stamping using Fifth Avenue Floral to tie everything together.

And I added some bling to the pattern paper.

I'm a bit behind on the Explore class not having done anything yet with today's prompt. I need to move some frame files over from my old computer.  And I've been anxious to try out the new Stampin' Up! colors I've had for at least 2 weeks now.  I never have anything that long I don't use!  It's just been one of those busy week yet I don't seem to have gotten much crafty done and it is already Wednesday night???  I have been working on a new business website and helping my husband with a couple of things.  Today I got to visit a friend in from out of town and that was a treat.

Oh well, the weekend will be here soon enough for crafty pleasures.

Thanks for visiting!


Ingredients:  Stamps:  Fifth Avenue Floral from Stampin' Up!
Ink:  Basic Grey by SU!
Ribbon:  Webster's Pages
Brad:  Fancy Pants Road Show
DSP:  Sweet Threads by Basic Grey
Cricut Cartridge:  Storybook

Holiday Card Series - Trees

Paper, ribbon or fabric piece some trees for a holiday card.  The tall card was one I made a few years ago.  One place to get inspiration for your holiday cards is to revamp an old idea.  For this one, I used discontinued fabric samples for the body of my tree.  For these latest versions, ribbon and paper make up the tree along with some brads and rhinestones for ornaments.

Watch at  YouTube




This is the 4th of the 4 videos I had planned for the Holiday Card series.  Did I get you thinking about holiday cards?  I've been making some and have a box ready to go to Operation Write Home and just a few for my own stash.  I'm anxiously awaiting new Christmas stamps to make the rest of mine.  It was refreshing to work on some wintery themed projects during these very hot days.

Thanks for watching!

Ingredients for paper card:  Cardstock: More Mustard
Ink:  So Saffron
Stamps:  Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Rhinestones:  Bazzill

Books on a Shelf

Last year we were under a tornado warning. According to the local television station it was coming right for us.  So in the 5 minutes I had to gather my most cherished possessions, I pocketed my grandfather's pocket watch, grabbed two quilts - one my grandmother made and one Lenny's mother made - and piled on as many scrapbooks as I could carry and headed to the basement.

Fortunately, the tornado never came.  Afterward, I wandered around my house wondering if there were any other things I'd have rather preserved.  Of course, if I'd had more time, there are more family heirlooms, a few accessories I'm particularly fond of, and some photos.  Though most of the photos have been scanned and backed up to a disk and stored in the safety deposit box - one of the many valuable things to come out of throwing my parents a 50th Anniversary party was scanning all those photos.  And I have photos of many of my scrapbook pages backed up too.

What was surprising was how quickly I went from the Tier 1 - stuff I would spend that 5 minutes or less gathering and the Tier 2 - just a few more minutes  to the Tier 3+ things I like, would save if I had a few hours, but just really aren't that irreplaceable.

My scrapbooks are more than just books on a shelf.  Every scrapbooker knows that but I bet lots of other people don't.  I didn't give a thought to gathering clothes even though I was running around that night in my bathrobe.  You can buy clothes.  You can buy new furniture.  You can't buy a photo of the hot air balloon ride that landed in the lake and the accompanying story.  These memories are precious.  A tornado isn't going to wipe out my memories.  Yet, the little nudge these books give our memories is truly priceless.

So this week when Shimelle asked us to Explore what was most perfect - things we wouldn't change, I thought first of people and then these books.

Once upon a time I gave a minutes thought to redoing some of my older scrapbooks - the ones made before I knew there was this wonderful hobby with all the accouterments to make fancy pages rather than just a photo and some journaling. But I quickly discarded the idea.  Not only would I never have time, the process I used to make those early (1990's) scrapbooks was what I had at the time.  I was creative with my computer and the 'embellishments' I could find.  I did themes to the books even when all I had to print on was an old dot matrix printer.  But even that is a memory - my first home computer and printer.

So the books are perfect just like they are.  I might take an old photo and scrap it to relive a memory sometime but I won't replace the original page.

Now for this page...

Here are my 9 circle embellishments.  I cut the background paper in strips in one corner, distressed the edges, and wove in some scraps of grid paper to create a subtle grid.

Adding the little word stickers in place of the typed words took a little trial and error but it was fun and spread around some of the color.

Thanks for visiting today!  If you are taking the class, I look forward to seeing your creations, too.

Ingredients:  DSP:  For the Record by Bella Blvd for background, various Stampin' Up! and American Crafts Campy Trail scraps for embellishments
Thickers:  Blackberry Puffy by American Crafts
Font:  Blackjack for title
Stickers:  Jillibean Soup; On Holiday from the Girl's Paperie

Summery Thank You

Thank you to all who visit!  I love reading your comments.

For this card I used my favorite October Afternoon papers and cut them with the Straight from the Nest Cricut cartridge for the banner.  The letters are stamped and punched with a half inch circle punch.

"u" are fairly easy to sacrifice out of chipboard as many fonts have the "u" and the "n" the same, only upside down, so there are lots of them.

The stamps were part of my goodie box from Two Peas for being the one drawn during a challenge recently. Thanks to Jamie for sending such great papers, stamps and embellishments!

Over the weekend I'll be working on our Explore class assignment which for me will probably be a 12x12 layout.  We are pulling together all our thoughts and photos from the week to create one project. It should be fun and probably revealing.  I'm looking forward to it.  For now, though, a busy day is ahead with work and family stuff.

Thanks again for your visit today!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Clouds Snag 'em by Imaginese, alpha by American Crafts
DSP:  October Afternoon
Ink:  Prussian Blue by Colorbox
Cardstock:  Naturals Ivory by SU!

Layered Circles

Two projects to share today!  First off a layout that has been laying around my craft table in various states of completion for a week.  I didn't know if I could make bright red, yellow and orange work but I'm tickled with the finished product.

The truth is my husband is really the old softie of the two of us. 

On the first warm day of spring, I opened the door of the sunroom to dozens and dozens of lady bugs!  They had been hibernating or maybe they just moved in.  I don't know but I wanted them out.  When the ceiling fan didn't move them around, I wanted to fog the room. My husband wanted to save them and moved them out one bug at a time.  They were trying to escape out of the skylight but couldn't figure out how to get out so he gave them a hand - or a broom, actually.  

I realize after yesterday's post about bats you are going to think my house is overrun with critters but it isn't, really.  It's just life in the country.  And if you ever see my cat with a spider web stuck to his whiskers, he got that outside somewhere. Truly.

The chipboard is painted and then stamped and embossed with Versamark and clear embossing powder using Hero Arts wood grain stamp.

For the chipboard letters, I painted them and then sprayed with clear acrylic.  Next time though I think that should be done outside and not in my upstairs craft space.  Ugh!

And these layered circles fit right in with today's assignment in the Explore class.  We are working with maps and shapes.  I don't want to reveal too much in case you decide to take the class later on.  Of course, maps make sense for a class called Explore although it isn't about travel.  And I think the quote I found for this page does really fit the class:

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." - George Moore

We are exploring the world around us.  I love to travel and put a lot of effort into my travel pages but more of life happens at home.

Hope you have a good, adventurous day!

Ingredients for deBugged page:  DSP:  Campy Trails by American Crafts; Happy Go Lucky by Pebbles; Sweet Summertime and A Walk in the Park by Echo Park; various solid DSP's by Stampin' Up!; cloud paper by American Crafts
Stamps:  Big Flowers and Scallops by Stampin' Up!
Ink:  More Mustard, Bashful Blue, Riding Hood Red
Undressed chipboard:  Basic Grey and Stampin' Up (circle and bars)
Stickers Pink Paislee and October Afternoon

Today's Adventure

Today we had an adventure.  In our Explore class, we are supposed to reflect on our past adventures and I haven't had time because I've been helping Lenny install a bat box and take 3 showers in one day!

It is ironic because one of the reasons I'm taking this class is I feel my life has become so hum drum, spending too much time dwelling on a lack of work and the aches and pains that ironically started 1 year ago tomorrow.  For that was the day I got out of bed and didn't feel quite right and I haven't been able to fully turn back the clock yet.  Anyway, today I had little time to fuss over aches and pains and fortunately they left me alone.

We have bats.  They are in our chimney.  We don't want bats in our chimney; however we love, love having the bats around.  Why?  They eat mosquitos - apparently they feast on them as this is the first summer ever that I can pick flowers or even water my plants on the front porch without covering myself from head to toe. Last summer I couldn't even walk onto the porch barefoot without getting a bite on my foot.  So I'm delighted the little chirpy critters are gobbling up the mosquitos. Still I don't want them in my chimney forever.

The process as we understand it for evicting them is to make them a new home, put the home up in July so they can get used to it as they fly around and then run them out of the chimney come November when their young are ready to leave the nest.  Promptly we should cover the top of the chimney so they won't return.

So Saturday we began Phase 1 of this project by constructing the bat house - or Bat Palace as Lenny proclaimed it.  It was really simple, taking only about an hour to put together.  I then painted it black - black so it will keep the bats warm.  With the paint dry, we set out today to put up the house.  Lenny wanted to put it in this particular tree that he plans to kill and use as basically a pole for the bat house, ah Palace.  So he mowed around the tree and then cut off limbs.  My job was mostly to fetch and carry and to hold the ladder.  After a few sways and screams, he fussed that no one ever taught me how to hold a ladder.  Well, duh?  Why doesn't he teach me?  And really, is all that shaky ladder coming from my improperly anchoring it or that he outweighs me by nearly double?

Anyway, we went through two ladders, utilized a pulley system and a variety of screws but the bat house is up.  Oh and if you were wondering about the showers, I had dressed myself in my traditional working outdoor in summer gear of pants, long sleeve shirt and socks over the top of my pants to keep from being bitten - I figure even the bats can't eat everything.  It was miserably hot and when we were almost done I spotted it - poison ivy! I'd scanned the area earlier and didn't see a spot right under the tree!  Fortunately, it is my only allergy but the stuff just loves me.  So I've showered with dish detergent, put the clothes in a garbage bag and set my shoes aside not to be worn for a few days until I see whether today was a lucky as well as adventuresome day.

Now I'm not sure if figuring out how to lift a heavy handmade box up about 14 feet onto a tree and anchor it there constitutes an adventure for most people but it was definitely not an every day thing.  Thank goodness.

Holiday Card Series - Holly Leaves

Welcome back to thoughts of cool winter days!  I could use a shot of arctic air about now; I've got my fan going in my air conditioned craft room at 8:30 in the a.m.!

For today's winter themed card, I've included several things on the video:

• creating your own holly leaves from punches (if you don't have paper cutting system like the Cricut.)
• customizing an embossing powder color
• working with heavily distressed paper on cards so it doesn't look too cut up.
• Finally, what NOT to do when putting on Perfect Pearls - do what I say, not what I do :-)

Next week will be the last of these holiday card videos for now.  Just a little something to get us ahead of the holiday rush or start the Christmas creative process.

Watch at  YouTube



Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients:  DSP: My Minds Eye
Cardstock:  Spring Rain by Papertrey Ink; Crumb Cake by SU!
Ink:  Vintage Photo and Soft Suede by SU!

Explore Class Playbook

Today is the first day of Shimelle's new class Explore!  One of our first activities was to create a 'play book' for recording our adventure.  I had the idea for a mini album while we were at Hilton Head.  I'd even ordered the extra kraft paper for it from Papertrey Ink.  My intention was to use it for Lenny's visit with his grandson later this summer.  But I can always buy more kraft paper, right?  So here is how I made the book:

1. The front cover is cut out of some scrap chipboard - I think it came with a pack of designer paper.  Dimensions:  6" x 8 3/4".  I rounded the corners with the Corner Chomper and added grommets.
2. For the pages, I folded an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of kraft cardstock so that it is 5 1/2 x 8 1/2".  I sealed up one side and hole punched the long edge in three places to match the cover.  I did NOT use grommets on these pages though you could if you wanted it extra sturdy.  (I do plan to for the grandson's mini albums.)  One edge is left unsealed so I can tuck in photos or extra journaling on tags.

Then it is just decorating.  For my cover, I painted most of the front and then spritzed with Angel's mist.  I glued on all the other stuff.  The bird is cut with the Cricut - I thought a bird was a good symbol for exploring.  I've left the label sticker blank planning to fill that in when the class is done and I know better what I have in this album.  I've had those chipboard letters forever and have no idea who made them.

I've done my first assignment which was to answer a few questions and take a self-portrait.  The portrait was a lot harder than it should have been because I didn't read the directions.  I was up early to take a walk before the heat and I wanted to see what today's prompt was in case I wanted to photograph something at the park. I scanned the prompt saw the self-portrait and thought "great, I'll do this as soon as I get back from my walk."  I got the camera out to be ready but not the tripod or a mirror.  When I got home after stopping at the hardware store along the way, I'd already lost that post-exercise glow (which never lasts long on me because I don't exercise that hard.)  After fiddling with my portrait for awhile on the front porch retrieving a mirror and a tripod part way through, I finally got one that worked. THEN I read the instructions!  Oh well, I took a much easier and cooler shot in the house.

So tomorrow I shall read the prompt all the way through before starting.  That is my lesson for today!

Thanks for visiting!  Also tomorrow there will be a video in my holiday card series. I shot it on Saturday!  So proud of myself for getting it done early.  Hope you'll stop back by.

Essential Element

There are sooo many ways my husband is essential in my life.  His help in my work is just one of them.  He jokes and calls himself an 'unpaid migrant worker.'  Of course, now that he is retired and no longer travels for his own business, he only migrates between his workshop and mine.

For the layout, I used a bunch of Basic Grey product in little bits to build the patterns like you might build a window treatment.  I don't think I'd ever get to use this many fabrics on one treatment though.  Ha!  I'm submitting this for the Two Peas Products Every Which Way challenge this month that calls for Rub-ons. These are my least used embellishment.  Fortunately, I had these stored with the paper even though they are two different collections.  The rub-ons were great here for connecting some of my elements together.

I printed the journaling and the outline of the title.  The title is WordArt that is just a black outline of letters. Then I used colored pencils to do a graduated fill in.

Most of these buttons are the 'extra's from clothes.  I finally raided my button box one day and I know most of these clothes I don't own anymore.

I think I'll get back to some holiday cards this weekend to add to the Operation Write Home box.  Do you have any crafty plans?

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients:  All Basic Grey - Marrakesh collection paper and stickers, Boxer rub-ons, Basics Collection ledger paper.

Border Stamp Card

A couple of weeks ago when I went for my annual eye exam - which I protest because my vision prescription hasn't changed in nearly 30 years and I only do this to get a prescription for contacts - I forgot to take along a book.  The large ophthalmology practice I go to is infamous for their wait times; everyone complains about them.  (In their defense, they have gotten a bit better and they provide every possible eye service very professionally.)  You are in and out of rooms several times, being without reading material just won't work.  So I went by Barnes and Noble at the last minute and bought, what else, a craft magazine.  I'd never seen this one before as it is published in the UK.

There are tons of great stamping ideas.  I picked the simpliest one to illustrate on this card.  The idea is get more mileage out of your border stamps.  Mine often fall to the bottom of my stamp bins forgotten.  The feature of this CASEd card is to cut around the edge of the stamped border and have some of the colored pattern paper on the inside of the card peeking through.

So I'm glad I forgot my book.  I got a great magazine and a prescription for contacts - with the same vision as the last 28 years!

All paper and stamps are from Stampin' Up!  The flower is a petal from a silk hydrangea.

What's left on my desk

Here's a card made with project leftovers from two different scrapbook pages and stamps and stuff in the top of my bins.

Hope you are having a great day!  Stay cool.

Ingredients:  DSP:  Pear Pizzazz from Stampin' Up!; Fancy Pants Daily Grind; October Afternoon (yellow); orange from Echo Park
Button:  Papertrey Ink
Stamps:  Perspectives Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday
Cardstock:  Naturals White from SU!

Holiday Card Series - Wreath on Door

Do you have a leaf punch?  I bet you do.  It may be way back in your punch drawer or basket.  Mine are at least 10 years old and have been used and used!

This week, I'm using my leaf punch and some scrap designer paper to create a holiday card.  I've also used a wood grain stamp or you could use wood grain designer paper.











Have a look at  YouTube


Thanks for watching!


Ingredients:  Stamps:  Woodgrain by Hero Arts; Four the Holidays by Stampin' Up!
Cardstock:  Crumb Cake
Ink:  Close to Cocoa; Vintage photo by Ranger
Brad:  Antique Brads by Stampin' Up!

Happy Pie Day

Lenny loves rhubarb pie. With multiple recipes in Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts cookbook I got for my birthday, I've been doing a little baking.  His birthday "pie" was rhubarb and raspberry.  He's been experimenting with tame raspberries and blackberries to see what varieties he likes. I just had to take a photo of the mixture before baking because I loved the red, green and almost black colors mixed together. I used that photo as the basis for the layout color scheme.  What a treat to use all those October Afternoon papers I love so much!  Do you have papers you love but have trouble fitting them into your layouts?  That is me with October Afternoon.


The layout is from Shimelle's sketch of the week over at her blog:

Sketch of the Week

Shimelle also has a new class called "Explore" that I'm seriously thinking of taking.  The timing is good and I think I need a kick start in my own life right now - need to look at things from a different perspective.  Sounds like the class may offer that opportunity.  I'm always better when I have a project to be accountable.

On Tuesday, I'll have another Holiday Card project.  Happy days!

Ingredients for the layout, not the pie :-)  DSP:  October Afternoon 6x6 paper pads for Fly a Kite,Farm Fresh, and Thrift Shop, Fly a Kite Ice Cream
My Mind's Eye So Sophie red petite floral paper
Chipboard:  Basic Grey undressed for "pie" and American Crafts Nutmeg for "day"
Ribbon and slide:  Stampin' Up!  

The Red Door

Over the 4th, I continued my seemingly endless painting project by painting my husband's workshop door red. He is doing all the mulching and weeding this year so a little painting is the easy job.  The color is called "sealed with a kiss" from Sherwin Williams and it is actually a bit darker in person.  That was his one request - he wanted a red door.  I don't know why, but he loves it.

See the little window off to the side. It is the building's only window and I've wanted for years to add shutters and a window box.   Now wouldn't black shutters and a red window box look great?   My hubby won't hear of it, even when my Mother tried to persuade him and he usually sides with her.  "It's not a dollhouse!"  Oh well, the red door does look spiffy.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Cute Christmas again

As I'm starting Christmas cards early this year, I want to use up some of the things I had leftover from 2010.  Though I fell in love with these items in last year's SU! mini catalog, this Cute Christmas stamp set and the coordinating paper is, well, a little too cute for me.  I used it for some of my cards last year but it doesn't really work for the cards I make for my Mother and my aunt.  It still makes attractive cards that I know will be perfect for others. So these are headed for the Operation Write Home box.  I love the colors in this collection - Baja, Blushing Bride, and Real Red.  I've added some Ocean Tides from Papertrey Ink.

One of the challenges I had with this set was only one greeting and it says "Have a Cute Christmas."  So for this card I used a tag stamp and tucked it behind the colored image.

The layout is for this week's Splitcoaststampers card sketch challenge.

I'm nearly out of Martha Stewart red and white baker's twine - Yikes! I need to see if it is still available.  It is the best size I've found.

Thanks for visiting!

Of Course I can...

It was such a generous offer.  Our California friends loaned us a car for our drive north so we didn't need to rent one.  And not just any car!  A convertible sports car!  My husband loves small convertibles.  He has owned a few before we got together.  That was - hum - many years and many pounds ago.  So we wondered - we, being everyone but him - how he would manage with such a small car.  He had no doubts and easily folded himself into the tiny car.  I used to drive a sports car and I have to admit my joints are a bit creakier getting in and out now.  It was a fun vacation option!

For the pages, I did Nichol Majourik's challenge this month in her Scrapbook Stamping class.  We are to stamp our own designer paper.  I used Circles and Dots from Inkadinkado and colors that matched my photos. No hunting through my stash for just the right paper.  

Since all my white stamping cardstock is 8 1/2 x 11 and I really needed to fill a 12" page, I cut the paper    into three 3 1/2 x 8 1/2" strips and then cut one strip again to fill the page.  The "seams" became pockets for some extra photos.  Lots of machine stitching tied all this together - literally.

Other project notes:

• The embellishments were cut with the Cricut and the Accent Essentials cartridge.  Some SU! brads I picked up on clearance filled in these 'wheel' looking embellishments.
• To finish the edge of the curved cardstock, I brushed on white acrylic paint.
• The letters are another dollar store find from Making Memories.  

Ingredients:  Not mentioned above are designer papers from My Mind's Eye Little Robots collection and October Afternoon Cherry Hill.
Baker's Twine from Papertrey Ink

Holiday Card Series - Embossed Snowflake

(video below)

Hope you had a great holiday (for those in the US and Canada) weekend!  I spent the 4th alternating between leisurely working on a two page layout and reading a thriller my husband selected at the library. I started reading before he had finished so for a couple of days it was "have you seen the book?" around here.  Ha!

Also, I decided to replace TIPsy Tuesday for this month with another series - holiday cards!  For me, holidays mean Christmas.  I may make a couple of Valentine's or Easter cards but I make a ton of Christmas cards.  I'd make even more if I got an earlier start.  I never seem to meet the Operation Write Home deadline as I'm still getting my act together in the early fall.  So this year, I thought I'd get an early start and share a few of my ideas with you.

For this first week, I've taken an inventory of what I had left from last year.  Poke around your papercrafting storage and see what designer papers you have left and what stamps are geared toward the Christmas season.  (For purposes of this series, I'll use the word Christmas but the cards could usually be used for any winter religious holiday or secular observance of Christmas.  I don't want to use Holiday and get it confused with Halloween or Thanksgiving.)

I found some paper I won as blog candy too late to use for last year's cards.  I also had an unmounted stamp set I had picked from Stampin Up! for Sale-a-bration that was themed around the winter holidays. There are many other things I've used parts and pieces of and we will get to those later on. Also in this series, I want to do some cards using non-Christmas papers and stamps.

So let's get started.  For this card, you need a wintery paper preferably with snowflakes and snowflake stamps.  Coordinate some ribbon and cardstock and you are set.

Hope you enjoy!

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Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Four the Holidays and Serene Snowflakes by Stampin' Up!

DSP:  My Mind's Eye

INk:  Bermuda Bay, Whisper White Craft; Prussian Blue fluid chalk ink

Embossing  Powder: Iridescent Ice by SU!

Ribbon:  from Hobby Lobby

Cardstock:  Aqua Mist by Papertrey Ink

Sunny Sunday

Today is a sunny Sunday and it promises to be just as hot as Easter Sunday was when we visited the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.  I'm glad it is sunny today as I've just added the second coat of red paint to the door to my husband's workshop.  Red was his choice (he wanted it very bright but I got him toned down just a little).  It seems like an appropriate 4th of July project.

Continuing with Shimelle's class for Two Peas using 4x6 photos, this month we are up to 6 photos which was a bit of a challenge for me.  The photos needed to be all portrait and I have discovered I don't take as many of those.  I hadn't printed the photos from one of our garden visits earlier in the year so I cropped a couple of them in portrait orientation and sent them off to Walmart for printing.

I have this thing about appropriate embellishments.  I seldom use flowers or butterflies or whatever unless it relates.  It is one of many hang ups I wish I didn't have, but there you go.  Finally, butterflies fit in for me as I took several shots that day of this one tree that the butterflies loved.  It was my favorite tree, too.

The layout was very simple to put together. I used a bunch of Pear Pizzazz papers from a 6x6 Stampin' Up! paper pad.  The butterflies were cut on the Cricut and embellished with rhinestones.  Loved Shimelle's idea of gluing baker's twine in flourshes around the page.  I also did my journaling in strips as she did on one of her layouts figuring the little tidbits would be enough to jog my memory of the day.  You can see her layout and class on her blog or at Two Peas - 4x6 Photo Love June

Next month will need 7 photos and so on through the year!

Please join me this Tuesday for a special July series on holiday cards.  More details later on...

Hope you are having a great and safe holiday weekend.  Thanks for visiting.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Stitches by Hot off the Press
Ink:  Tattered Rose and Tea Dye by Ranger
DSP:  Garden Gala and Pear Pizzazz by SU!; a little rosy colored paper from Crate Paper
Rhinestones by Kaiser
Baker's Twine by Martha Stewart
Fabric brad from Basic Grey