KathyCan and sometimes does...

Birthday Girl

2012-02-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

Lily's 6th birthday card, thanks to inspiration of my sweet friend Wendy (Mrs. B)--a gatefold card with a Sassy Cheryl digistamp (sooo cute) perfect for a birthday party girl. Colored with Prismacolors and embossed with Cbug. DP BG Indie Bloom, SRM sticker, Magnolia die, some ric rac. We took everyone miniature golfing on Saturday for her birthday treat. Happy Birthday dear Lily!

When We were 6

2012-02-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

Do you remember being 6? My memories are pretty dim, except that I went from being a pampered "only" child to an all powerful...but loving...big sister. My granddaughter Lily turns six next week and I'm certain she will have some enduring memories of this age, one being the loss of her Great Grandma. They had a very special bond. Lily has struggled a bit with how to "stay in touch" with her. I had a vague thought about doing some type of generational mini album, with no real thought of how to make it interesting for a 6 year old and well...the project just sort of took off on its own. I only went 4 generations because this was a tiny album and I didn't put dates...just kept it simple.

DP is Basic Grey Indie Bloom, and I think a very simple child friendly design was the way to go. Had to show the back cover...I won this pack of paper and LOVE it (I didn't think I would).

I'm working my way out of a bit of a funk but I'm hangin' in there. Thanks for all the kind emails and comments re the loss of my Mom. Means a lot.

Hugs,

Kathy

Cruise Portfolio Album Gift

2011-12-29T14:35:00.000-08:00

So, I've been busy the past month making Christmas gifts and I thought I'd share. (warning: heavy graphics ahead) Kathy Orta of PaperPhenomenon is an incredibly gifted designer or paper engineer and offers tutorials for some amazingly beautiful and creative projects. She calls this an "Occasion Folio" and I ended up making 4 of them so far (3 Christmas themed and this one for my sweet mom-in-law of the cruise we took her on last year). The Christmas albums were given ready for recipients to add their own Christmas photos, but I finished this one for her.

This project is completely made of chipboard, paper, lots of scoretape, some magnets, a bit of ribbon and a new (to me) great product called Rub 'n Buff which is a tube of waxy gold numminess that dries quickly and leaves a beautiful gilt finish (see edges). It also comes in other colors and I will definitely be using it on future projects.

Anyhoo, I had so much fun creating these albums and the family members who received them seemed genuinely impressed. Each of the center landscape pockets hold mats for additional photos and there are pockets inside the covers for tucking memorabilia or larger photos.

I'll share another one of Kathy's designs I made as a gift soon. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and area ready for a great New Year!

Kathy

xoxoxo

Tribute

2011-12-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

High school photo of my mom at about 16 years old.

It is a month ago today that my mother passed away and I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting while adjusting to the loss of a dear parent.

As I’ve mentioned before, in May 2010 we brought my mom here from California to our home in Arizona to care for her. We had fun preparing one of our sunny guest bedrooms for her and making it homey with lots of family photos and comforting possessions. Our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations last year were wonderful despite her growing weakness, and she loved being here enjoying family, particularly frequent visits with Lily and Rowan, the great grandchildren. The hospice angels who became part of our family made it possible for us to avoid hospital visits and to keep her at home despite her serious decline in recent months. For that I will be forever grateful.

My mother was fiercely independent and incredibly active. I have memories of her baking bread and cookies weekly and usually sharing a loaf or a batch with a neighbor or friend. She was incredibly generous, kind and loving and I will probably never know all the many lives she touched. Family and faith were everything to her. She lived her life with grace and courage, complaining little and with continual gratitude. Every day as I took her meals to her or helped her change clothes, she thanked me over and over again telling me how much she appreciated the sacrifices and hard work it took to care for her. Honestly, it was a labor of love and an opportunity to give back to a mother who gave so much to her own family and to my little girl self who needed her.

Now I catch myself listening for her call or planning her lunch tray and I wonder how long it will take to really adjust to her not needing me any longer. My faith assures me she is reunited with her dear Stan-- my wonderful Dad, and her parents and brother and sisters who have all gone ahead and there is true rejoicing on the other side. How I would love to sneak a peek.

Verlene Baker

July 3, 1925 - November 5, 2011

Baby you're a star

2011-11-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

For weeks I had been trying to come up with an idea for Allison's birthday card. Then one night I had a light bulb moment...I did a google search for vintage astrology images and found this beauty. My halloween stash contained a sheet of sparkly black cardstock and my dear friend Wendy had sent me some die cuts of this fabulous corner design (it's supposed to be snowflake flurries, but to me it looked like stars) and my easel card went together very quickly. I punched a few tiny pin point holes and added some random bling. The image is fussy cut and shaped to give it dimension with silicone (which doesn't show very well in the photo).

Happy Birthday Allison!

lily can read...

2011-10-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

My sweet granddaughter Lily Anne who started kindergarten last month has always loved books and being read to. Suddenly, she is reading and writing simple sentences. We're a family of avid readers so of course everyone is quite excited for her! When I saw Tammy's beautiful "free" digi of a child reading and her ADFD challenge " Use your noodle and add some doodles" I thought I'd play even though I'm bad...I mean really BAD at doodling. I think the sweet image makes up for it though.

Hope you and yours are all happy and productive. I've been postponing grocery shopping for at least 4 days now and have no choice if we are to eat tonight....so off I go now that the important stuff is done.
Hugs,
Kathy

Basic Grey Little Black Dress dp & brad; Prismacolor, & Copics & piecing, nesties label and flower dies, EK edge border, Just Rite alpha stamps, ribbon and buttons from stash.

A Day for Daisies - doodling
Anything Goes Challenge - use lettering (in the book)
Make it Monday - Anything goes
Simon Says - Be inspired by a nursery rhyme
Creative Craft Challenges - Fancy edges
Moxie Fab World - Tuesday Trigger (inspired to use autumn colors)
By the Cute and Girly - Anything goes

a little Christmas...

2011-10-23T02:47:00.000-07:00

So the postman delivered this pretty Teresa Collins dp ("Christmas Home") which I have now decided is my current favorite Christmas paper so far for 2011. Of course I'm fickle and may have a new fave tomorrow. Mo's little sparrow urchin, colored up with my poor Prismacolor efforts, a pretty silken bow, some bling and a computer generated sentiment. I thought the kraft base played nicely with the image and paper. Nothing fancy...nothing popped but it pleases my eye. Got to use one of the new Spica pens that I recently won to add some sparkle to the snowflakes...subtle but very pretty.

April and the grandbabies visited today and we got a preview of their Halloween costumes. Lily will be a lovely purple butterfly fairy (adorable) and Rowan a pirate. He wasn't in the mood to model it for us, but we did get some lovely kisses and hugs which more than sufficed. Lifted everyone's spirits considerably. Hope you are all enjoying your weekends too.

Hugs,
Kathy

Kraft cs; TC dp; Image Mo Manning; EK border punch; CB corner diecut; Magnolia flourish and snowflake diecuts; SB circle and oval diecuts; sentiment computer generated; bling by BG, Spica glitter pen; silk ribbon from my stash

Just Because

2011-10-21T02:54:00.000-07:00

My blog has been neglected of late, but there's been a good reason. For the past 18 months, I've been caring for my mom here in our home. Her health has not been good since a bad fall about 5 years ago, but it is now rapidly declining to the point she can no longer walk or even sit up by herself. I'm determined to keep her here and care for her for whatever time she has left. She is frequently a bit confused (we call it foggy) and it is hard to watch her slowly fading away. Some of our conversations are just crazy, like when she asked me yesterday how many other patients I'm currently taking care of or tries to convince me I met my father before she did. Yet, she still finds joy in simple things (our little dog particularly delights her) and of course visits with family and the hospice angels. She has her frustrations at not being able to do for herself but I remind her of all she has done her entire life for so many and that it is her turn to allow others to do for her. It's a blessing to have her here but it is difficult...exhausting...frustrating... and sometimes I doubt my ability and strength to keep going. I'm taking it one day at a time, and so far we're okay. Perhaps I'll share a little more about her life in future posts...she really is an amazing lady.

This is just a quickie card I made for my beautiful daughters (with a Starbucks gift card tucked inside) "just because" I love them so and they like those coffee concoction thingies. Hope you are all having a productive, happy week.

Hugs,
Kathy

Another Graphic45 Birthday Card

2011-09-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

I've had this paper for a LONG time and had hardly used any until recently and now I can't seem to keep my hands off of it.....sooooo pretty! Anyway, here's yet another birthday card.

CS: Bazzill, DP: Graphic45 Once Upon a Springtime, Kaisercraft pearls, Rubons: Autumn Leaves, Sentiment: Just Rite, Liquid Pearls, MS Lace Border Punch, May Arts ribbon, Color Box inks

Shopping our Stash - No coloring allowed

xoxo

Kathy

It's Your Day

2011-09-23T00:44:00.000-07:00

Birthdays and surprises are traditional just about everywhere, but not usually combined in a greeting card, right.....unless, of course, it's a wiper card. Very easy to make with a few extra folds, a bit more adhesive and you can find an excellent tutorial by Beate Johns at Splitcoaststampers here.

As the card opens, up pops something extra...

a little surprise...

My lighting washed out the left side of my image but you get the drift.

I really enjoyed creating this wiper card and plan on doing more of them.

Happy Friday, my friends. It's almost the weekend!

xoxoxo

Kathy

CS: Bazill, DP: Graphic45 Once Upon a Springtime, Nestie: scalloped circle die,

digistamp: Bits of Ivory "A Good Book" at Cuddly Buddly Crafts paper pieced and colored with Prismacolors and OMS, Marianne: flourish and flower dies, Kaisercraft: pearls, SU dimensionals, suede ribbon: my stash, rubons: Autumn Leaves, sentiment: SRM.

CCEE Stampers - Add a bird

Craft Ribbons Challenge - Anything goes

Forever Friends Challenge - Sketch and an animal

Paper Crafting Journey - Hidden messages

Craft Sentiments - Happy Birthday

Pollycraft - Pearls and Swirls

Stamps R Us Challenge - Happy Birthday

Nettie G's Digital Gems - Anything goes

Make it Monday - Always anything goes

little red wagon - repeat a stamped image (kitten)

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Creature comforts

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Dies to die for

Sweet Stop Sketches - Sketch

Pink Ink - Sketch

Quickie Birthday Card

2011-09-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

Quickie card based on a sketch from I don't remember where. I've seen several cards in blogland based on it, so in no way do I take credit for its simple but elegant design. It was just perfect to try out my new Nestablings (LOVE them!). They don't photograph very well on this busy paper but look great in person. The Nestabling were surprisingly easy to use. I got a set of the pearls and black jewels...so pretty!

And if the non cardmaker recipient asks me if I placed each one of those tiny pearls by hand, I think I'll just smile mysteriously and say "aren't you worth it?"

BG Lemonade 6x6 DP, Spellbinder Nestie Large Scalloped Circle, Label Dies, Nestabling, MS butterfly punch, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist (Snow Queen), Kaisercraft Pearls on butterfly, pink gems from stash.

Hope you're all having a restful, crafty weekend!

xoxoxo

Kathy

Good Luck

2011-09-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

A Day for Daisies is offering some free digistamps and this sweet little pixie was perfect paired with Graphic 45's gorgeous "Once Upon a Springtime." I love it when a project comes together so quickly! There's some paper piecing on her dress, cap, flowers and shoes and I popped her voluptuous wings. Tammy's images have that vintage feel...I love that they're simple but not cartoony. She has some really adorable animal and holiday images in her Etsy shop just now, and even though I normally wouldn't pay $4 for a digistamp, there's a darling Santa's list image that I'm predicting I will end up buying. What can I say...I'm weak.

Good Luck Pixie digistamp by A Day for Daisies; Bazzill CS; Graphic 45 Once Upon a Springtime; Spellbinder Oval, Magnolia Doohickey flourish die, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, EK edge punch, MS butterfly punch, Prismacolor pencil/gamsol, Kaisercraft pearls, Liquid pearls, ribbon, SU dimensional.

Happy Tuesday, my friends!
Kathy xoxo

Challenges entered are
Little Red Wagon - Use a Die cut
Stamp Something - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Pearls
Make it Monday - Anything Goes
Everybody Art Challenge - Flowers
Pile it On - Layers
Catch the Bug - Let's Get Punchy
Daisy Doodles - Embossing
Ladybug Crafts - Flowers
My Mums Craft Shop - Lots of Layers
Papertake Weekly - Things with Wings
The Pink Elephant Challenge - Vintage
Craft Challenge - Children
Bee-Crafty - Beautiful borders/Frantastic Frames
Jellypark Challenges - Pass it On
Cupcake Inspirations - photo inspiration
Shopping our Stash (SOS) - vintage or shabby

Free Broom Rides

2011-09-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

Mo Manning's images just inspire me! Hocus is based on Bette Midler's character in Hocus Pocus. I'm afraid I went a little overboard on this card (confessing girl gone wild here). I knew I had some black flowers somewhere and I'd just bought some silicone for better control of dimension, so I paper pieced and gave that a try on her hair, shawl and skirts, dug out my beads and jewels and EK scalloped edge punch which all would probably have been fine, right? I also have been wanting to do some ribbon pleating so I tossed that in the mix. I'm afraid it's all a bit much but I'm invested here, I tell ya. Anyway, here she is. For some reason, this image looks washed out, but the colors are more true if you click on the pic.

Bazzill CS, Graphic44 Halloween in Wonderland, MME Spider Web, Prismacolor/gamsol, Marvy scallop punch, Mo Manning digistamp, Doodlebug jewel, beads, computer generated sentiment, black grosgrain ribbon.

Have a terrific weekend, dear friends.

Kathy

xoxo

The Crazy Challenge - Spots and/or Stripes

Ribbon Carousel Challenge - Anything Goes

Lexi's Creations - Autumn

My Mum's Craft Shop - Lots of Layers

Stamp n' Doodle - Anything Goes

And for those of you who read all the way to the bottom of my post, here's a treat. My sweet little Maltese, Moppet on our bed. Yep, she's a princess. xoxo

HAPPY DANCE!

2011-09-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

I WON!!!! My sweet friend Wendy phoned this weekend to tell me that I had WON the huge Birthday Blog candy prize from LaLa Land Crafts! If that's not a reason for a happy dance I don't know what is! Seriously, this is what Irina of La La Land is sending to me.

Set of 12 Copic Markers in NEW 2011 colors
Spica Glitter Pens (set B)
Pack of X-Press It Blending Cardstock
New Scor-pal
Pack of ¼” Scor-Tape
3 sets of 12x12 Basic Grey Collections paper packs
$20 gift certificate to the La-La Land Crafts Store

Check out Irina's blog and on line store. She has fun challenges and lovely prizes and her stamps are adorable. So being in a party mood, I decided to enter Mo Manning's current sketch challenge with this sweet image called Abby Celebrating . Color Abby AND me happy! This color combination is a bit of a stretch for me, but I think it worked out okay.

CS: Bazzill, DP is a freebie digi kit from Digital Design Essentials called Smitten. Image is Mo Manning, colored with Prismacolor pencils using the gamsol technique. Her skirt is partly paper pieced and I used my favorite Magnolia Doohickey flouirsh with a couple of Nesties for the mat and the ticket shape. Ribbon is from my stash with Prima flowers, a cute Pixie Dust brad and an SRM sentiment sticker.

CHALLENGES ENTERED

Mo's Challenge Blog - Sketch

Make it Monday - Anything goes

Pile it On - Anything with a B (bow & balloons)

Stamp Challenges - September Digi Day Challenge (digi paper & digi image)

Creative Card Crew - Anything goes

Catch the Bug - Anything goes

Card Makin' Mamas Challenge Blog - Go Digi (digi paper & digi image)

Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog - For a girl

By the Cute and Girly Challenges - All Things Bright and Beautiful

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - Monochromatic

Delicious Doodles Challenges - Fresh Start

Ellephantastic Challenges - Here Come the Girls

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything goes

Cardmadfairy's Digi Challenge - Add Flowers

Have a happy day, dear friends and thanks for dropping by!

Kathy

xoxo

Celebrate!

2011-09-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

Omigoodness, do you know ANYONE who doesn't just LOVE Mo Manning's incredible artwork? This particular digi (Baby Fairy Puddle in the Spring) just gives me the giggles, so I sat down to try to do her justice with my very amateur Prismacolor/gamsol skills. I wasn't going for any particular color combo, so when she was finished I searched for some paper and embellies and found my digi set of Echo Park Summer Days was perfect. I love how you can enlarge or shrink the pattern of digi papers and only print out exactly the size you need for a card. I rather like how it all turned out and I have someone who loves frogs in mind whose birthday is almost here. I think she'll like it!

Image: Mo Manning Baby Fairy Puddle; C/S: Bazzill; PP Echo Park Summer Days; Magnolia Doohickey Flourish Diecuts, Prima flowers, BG rhinestones; patterned tape, Icicle Stickles, Nestie Labels 2; silk ribbon; SRM sentiment sticker

I'm entering her in Flutter by Wednesday's current challenge which just happened to be a perfect fit.
Thanks for looking and leaving a comment. I always try to reciprocate!

Also entered at Make it Monday.

xoxoxo
Kathy

That 'ol black magic...

2011-08-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking something's missing (probably flowers or a bow) but I think I'm done.

I wanted to try this "Black Magic" technique as seen on Karen Barber's blog and it was easier than I thought it would be. In a nutshell, using white ink, you stamp your image on black (or any dark) cardstock and then use your Prismacolors or Copics to color over the white ink. Karen's special touch is to add the white accents which really makes the colors POP. I believe she uses a gel pen, but I've had better luck with Sharpie's extra fine tip poster paint pens for white embellishing.

I'm entering this card in Sketch Saturday's challenge and Make it Monday's challenge this week.

Have a terrific weeks, dear friends!

xoxo

Kathy

Bazzill CS, BG Olivia PP, image is from a BG stamp set called "Wild Flowers", May Arts black grosgrain ribbon, Kaisercraft black pearls, Magnolia Doohickey Flourish dies, Prismacolor pencils, Sharpie extra fine poster paint pen

La-La Land Crafts Birthday Celebration & Blog Candy!

2011-08-27T02:34:00.000-07:00

This Blog Candy contains the following:
~ Set of 12 Copic Markers in NEW 2011 colors
~ Spica Glitter Pens (set B)
~ Pack of X-Press It Blending Cardstock
~ New Scor-pal
~ Pack of ¼” Scor-Tape
~ 3 sets of 12x12 Basic Grey Collections paper packs
~ $20 gift certificate to the La-La Land Crafts Store
Wow! Check it out here!
xoxo
Kathy

Love Ewe

2011-08-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

Had to play with some new Nesties that came today and a Unity stamp set that I've had forever and not used....kinda cute though. I also had to try the reverse emboss technique using silicone glue for the dimension. Just sayin' it's going to take some practice. Pretty messy. Not perfect, but I see the promise in getting the hang of it. Anyway, here's to all my friends....love ewe!

Sticky in August

2011-08-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

So, my sweet friend Wendy and I were skype-crafting together on Sunday working with

Mo Manning's adorable "Sticky" digi. We used to spend hours scrapbooking together when we both lived in California--I'm talkin' serious marathons, my friends, but somehow I ended up in Arizona...so now we skype and it's almost as fun as being together in person. Wendy's fantastic with her Copics and I'm mediocre with my Prisma color pencils and gamsol. Here's my Christmas in August card. I remembered I had some Liquid Applique in white, so I did up Sticky's hat and fuzzy belt ends (what do you call those things anyway).

Here's a close up of the liquid applique stuff--kinda like paint, kinda like glue, but when you hit it with your heat gun, wow!

I really need to get some better paper for stamping--this cheap Staples c/s doesn't give very good results. Well, that's my excuse anyway. :)

Merry August!

Hugs,

Kathy

Sharing

2011-08-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

Had to share this photo of Rowan with his birthday card. He opened it up, took one look and exclaimed "triceratops!" Not bad for 3 years old. This is why I love making cards.

Ouch!

2011-07-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

My dear daughter was involved in an auto accident last week and miraculously walked away with a few scratches and bruises. Her car? Yikes...totalled. The entire family is convinced there were some mighty powerful angels on her side that day. Anyway, I did up a quickie get well card using a vintage paper doll image, some ribbon, a MS punch and some BG scraps. The expression on the doll was perfect!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Dino-mite Birthday Card!

2011-07-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

Our little grandson Rowan turns 3 on Monday + he really really really loves dinosaurs. Found this perfect image on a free internet coloring page site, and printed and pieced him up. His collar, head and rear leg are puffed out and popped for dimension. An SRM sticker, some ricrac, a paper doily, my trusty dymo label maker, doohickey leaf die cuts and some seriously old scraps of paper and done. This card will be for Great Grandma to give him. I'm still working on mine. Have a terrific day!

xoxo
Kathy

Welcoming Baby Eli

2011-07-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

So we have a new little nephew named Eli Albert and am sending this card with a package of new baby duds. I wanted to try playing around with dimension coupled with paper piecing stamped images. This cute teddy bear digi was printed out twice on some Echo Park pp. I cut him an extra head, forearm and leg and slowly and carefully embossed their backs to give those pieces a puffy look. You are actually stretching the paper, so you have to take care. I attached them over the entire stamped image with layered foam tape to give him a "stuffed" look. He's very cute but it's difficult for the camera to really show his dimensionality. Anyway, a paper doily, some baker's twine, some old Heidi Swapp chipboard letters, and more October Afternoon Ducks in a Row patterned paper and good to go. If you click on him for larger view, you can see the puffiness a bit better. Have a great day!

"Teddy" digital stamp courtesy of Faith of Designed2Delight and was a freebie last year. I LOVE him!

Ribbon Rose card

2011-07-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

I'm loving this ribbon rose technique! Here's my Mom's birthday card this year.
And how about that beautiful Magnolia doohickey die scroll which came in the mail just in time to add a perfect crowning touch.

Watch out for flying cupcakes!

2011-06-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Mo Manning's artwork is soooo adorable I bought a few of her digistamps. Her images just beg for bright cheerful colors so BG Lemonade collection seemed a perfect fit. Prisma colors, Martha's Punch around the Page, some Kaisercraft pearls and gingham ribbon made this an easy peasy card. Have a terrific weekend!

Remembering Dad

2011-06-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day, Dad. We miss you.

By way of explanation...and a card

2011-05-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

My poor blog has turned into the equivalent of a deserted ghost town and it makes me sad.

I am alive. I'm weary, but still here. I do get an occasional moment here and there to make a birthday card so there's hope. My scrapbooks? Let's just be honest....dusty, very dusty.
Not to bore with too many details, but my long tall Texan hubbie has undergone three hip surgeries in the past 8 months (two replacements and one complication), at-home IV treatments three times a day for six weeks, all while he's still working from home as a consultant (thank heavens). He's doing very well now and walking without aid. Well... bit of a wobble. Picture a 6'1" duck. Okay, let's call it a swagger. Purely for macho sake.

That together with caring for my dear 85 year old mom here at home with the help of hospice angels just about takes every single bit of energy left in this old lady but it's a blessing to have her here with us. Here's a photo of her at about sixteen. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Love you so!

Hope to catch up on some of your blogs in coming weeks. I miss seeing all of your incredible work. xoxoxo

Allison's Birthday

2010-12-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

So my baby had her birthday last week and I had her card planned out for months (ever since Graphic45 came out with their Halloween in Wonderland paper. Since she was a little girl, Allison has loved Lewis Carroll's books (Disney version, not so much) and every year I try to get her a little something Alice-related. This year I knew I was going to use that Graphic45 paper...so perfect! I knew it had to be a special card so I created my first, but not last, "pop up stage card" following Kim Score's very helpful tutorial found here. Lots of fussy cutting and score-taping, but it was so worth the look on her face when she opened it up.

April made the cake and I helped decorate it with the checkerboard theme to go along with the card and here is the birthday girl with niece Lily and nephew Rowan ready for caaaake!

City Crafter Challenge

2010-11-17T09:10:00.000-08:00

The challenge this week over at City Crafter Challenge Bog is a card or project featuring "Little Children" and the sponsor is my very talented daughter Allison's CircusBoard Graphics. Be sure to go check out the gorgeous work the DT and GD created with her Child's Garden kit. I really love the soft subtle colors and charming vintage images of this set and figured I deserved to have some fun too!

This sweet little gardener is fussy cut and popped on a mat embossed with Cuttlebug's Gracie's Frame and softly inked to bring out the beautiful detail. I used some BG Nook and Pantry pp, some Webster Page's trim which was included in the Pixe Dust Paperie October kit (gorgeous!) and finished it up with a line of marching pearls and a simple stamped sentiment. One of the really cool things about this kit is the unusual color palette--isn't it different and oh so pretty!

On a personal note, dear hubby had to have hip surgery two weeks ago and instead of finding a severely arthritic hip which they were going to replace, the surgeon found a massive infection in his hip joint capsule sooooo...as a result...and with some training...we're giving him three 2-hour IV infusions a day at home of a very serious antibiotic (two weeks down and four to go) and he gets to keep his original hip as a door prize. Luckily he works from home and is comfortable sitting, so we're trying to get back to normal. We have some terrific home care nurses who check in from time to time to make sure we're not making too many mistakes and then combined with 85 year old Grandma living here with hospice staff in and out, we feel a bit like we're living in a a bizarre medical reality TV show. Never a dull moment.

Anyway, here's to a terrific Wednesday and happy creating!

Hugs,

Fabulous Fifteen

2010-10-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have such a hard time coming up with ideas for teenagers. Maybe it's just been too long since I was one. Anyway, I found this disco cutie image on the web awhile ago and loved the colors and the energy and thought it might work for this card. The fabulous sentiment was a Michael's $1 bin find and I inked and clear embossed the chipboard 15. I thought all the circles in the pp definitely called for a disco ball treatment so a little bling and done. Thanks for looking!

Great Grandma and Grandpa Kunz

2010-10-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

This precious photo of my great grandma and grandpa was taken on their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Annie and her little sister Mary immigrated to the United States from their beloved Switzerland when they were both young girls, working menial jobs at very low wages until they earned enough money to send for the rest of their family. She married William Kunz who had also immigrated from Switzerland with his family and between them had ten children, their oldest being my grandfather. They were beloved parents and grandparents. Annie was known for her natural long dark hair which she would allow her grandchildren to braid for her and her wonderful cooking. She died before I was born, but I have a photo of a 3 year old me sitting on Grandpa William J's lap when he was very old. I'm very proud of my Swiss heritage and the sacrifices my ancestors made to make a new home in a new country.

The beautiful digital paper and embellishments come from the Art Nouveau collection found here at Circus Board. I absolutely love it. I'm entering this layout in the following challenges:

City Crafter Vintage Challenge - vintage inspired

Simon Says 3 types of embellishments (ribbon, butterfly, pearl blossom) , 2 patterned paper

Thanks for visiting!

This 'n That

2010-10-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Those acrylic sheets were still sitting on my scrap table from my last card project and I thought I'd make some of these cute little treat boxes using one of my daughter's new Halloween penant sets. The purple Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland pattern paper was such a perfect match and in about 15 minutes look what was born. Don't you love that little ghoulie guy with the bat wings (click for larger image)? Susie McCormick offers a great tutorial for these little acrylic treat boxes at Splitcoast Stampers here. There's an entire gallery there in many themes (Valentines, Christmas, etc.) One even holds two golf balls with a "Fore You" tag. Anyway, check it out and also check out Allison's Etsy offerings at Circus Board.

I've entered this in a couple of challenges:

2 Sisters Halloween Challenge. There are some awesome goodies there so check it out!

Fairy Fun Fridays. Tickets and Tags Challenge

Stamp Something Halloween Somethings Challenge.

After putting together some vintage graphic image sets for her Etsy shop, Allison then decided to try her hand at designing paper and her very first set is pretty amazing (I'm trying to be objective here, friends, but it really is). I did a simple quick little layout using her "Child's Garden Set" which features lovely subtle turquoise and peachy tans and the result is a very soft sweet little page featuring my dear granddaughter Lily in her new gardening hat and gloves. She's even included an embellishment set all inspired by this very old children's book illustration (click on image to really see the details but pardon my funky stitching). The files print crisply and color true and just to share, she's sequestered away in her room working on a few more sets as I post this. Goooo Allison!!!

If you have time to take a look at some of her creations, we would so appreciate any feedback and to hear what you think or if you have any suggestions. Have a wonderful weekend, my friends and thanks for visiting.

P.S. She also designed my blog header and has promised to redo my blog wallpaper. Yayyy!

A Very Jello Birthday

2010-10-11T01:29:00.001-07:00

Fun little acrylic card for a special October birthday girl. I won a bunch of Sheetload Shortcuts acrylic products awhile ago (they've since gone out of business) and I always forget to use them, which is what happens when you have so much stuff you forget what you've got. Don't laugh, I'll bet you know EXACTLY what I mean. Anyway, I absolutely LOVE this cute vintage Jello ad image and built my card around it.

Paper is Bazil CS and MME Alphabet Soup Girl. A little cuttlebug embossing on the background paper, some birthday ribbon, MS edge punching, some turquoise Thickers and Kaisercraft pearls with an SRM sentiment sticker inside and it all went together easily. Sorry about the glare--it's hard to get a good photo of acrylic cards. Thanks for looking!

Be Still My Heart

2010-10-06T10:23:00.001-07:00

Stepping outside my comfort level here but this image inspired me to try to create a collage-y altered-y tag using one of Allison's Fairy Tale Graphic images. I just dug out my old walnut ink spritzer, threw some odds and ends from my stash together and stitched a little of this pretty new American Craft rose ribbon onto a piece of lace. I kind of like it.

Christmas Greetings

2010-10-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

Happy World Card Making Day!

I'm having a lot of fun with my daughter Allison's graphic files. She's so talented in Photoshop and just opened an Etsy shop called Circus Board Graphics offering some of her collection of great images. Here's a quick little Christmas card using one of her images which I'm entering in some current challenges. She's got some great Halloween, Christmas, World Travel and Fairy Tale files up so far. Take a look at her goodies here.

Bah Humbug's challenge was Christmas Across the Miles
City Crafter's Challenge was flowers and frills
Tuesday Throwdown was using punches
Daring Cardmakers was to create a Christmas card.
Charisma Cardz Challenge was to create a Christmas card.
Creative Inspirations - Challenge 80 Christmas in September

I Predict Tricks

2010-09-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Quick little Halloween card made using one of my daughter's new Halloween graphic files. She really has some great images and will be offering them up in her new Etsy shop soon. I guess I'm now officially a one woman Design Team! Basic Gray Flourish stamps, some assorted feathers and a Sharon Ann timeless collection jewel brad, Dymo labels, MME striped paper, some jump ring earrings and a little ribbon. Fun image to work with. Here is the link to her Etsy shop if you want to check it out.

Hello

2010-09-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

I've been having a ball all week working on a mini album of our first cruise last December (practice run for a larger one to do of our 7 day Alaska cruise earlier this month), but these great photos my daughter April took of her dog meeting our new little Chihua pup in August have been screaaaaaming for me to scrap them, so I did. I just converted the photos into b&w and kept it simple with some BG Boxer pp and shiny black Thickers. The chipboard flourish was inked black and clear embossed to match. My lss carries every color of the rainbow in embossing powder EXCEPT clear and here's my philosophy--who the heck needs all those colors if you already have lots of colors of ink pads? Clear works great PLUS if I mess up and there are any stray bits of powder, they're clear and don't really show. Anyway, here's Griffin meets Nimby and a sneak peek of my cruise mini album.

Page 3 of the cruise mini...

Have a terrific day!

Fabulous 50

2010-09-23T18:38:00.001-07:00

My dear sis-in-law turns the big FIVE OH next week and she deserves to be reminded how fabulous she is. Used Cricut ACY cartridge for the matted shape, some wonderful new organza black ribbon and MME Market Street Princess pp (love it!). Forget where I got the swirly pearls. I've had the large numeral rubber stamps forever and picked up the "fabulous" stamp at Michael's in the dollar bin this week. Happy 50th Mary!

I should add that the beautiful "glass" butterfly is the creation of a talented etsy seller. See her transparency creations here.

Sweet Cheeks

2010-09-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

These cute bikini cards aren't new, but I'd never attempted one. Have to say it's one of the easiest cards to make but so clever and fun. I'm sending this along to my wonderful mom-in-law who left a piece of (ahem) lingerie behind when packing to return home to Texas after our cruise. I'm returning said piece to her with this card (inside says "missing something?' and below that "Note to self: Don't leave home without them.") Click here to see an entire gallery of these cute cards.

Cruising Time

2010-08-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

We're off tomorrow to Seattle to begin our 7 day Alaska cruise, so won't be around to blog for awhile. For years we've heard friends say this was their very favorite cruise destination, so we're very excited! Hopefully I'll get some of my own pics but here's a preview of hopefully what we'll be seeing. Have a terrific week, dear friends and I'll catch up on your beautiful creations upon my return. xoxo

P.S. I told my hubby about scrapbooking cruises and he said he absolutely would NOT go on one! Dang. :-D

Another Birthday...

2010-08-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

We knew when we brought my Mom out to live with us, it would be a blessing to our entire family. Little Lily loves her Great Grandma so much and she is such good therapy for Mom. Allison snapped this sweet photo of them cuddling yesterday and I had to share being as I just finished Lily's 4th birthday layout. Can't you just feel the love? :-)

Her birthday was in February, so I'm a bit late but I had a lot of fun with this one. The larger circle collage element lifts for hidden journalling and I love the look of paper ruffles so I gave it a try. Thanks for looking!

Bazzil, BG Olivia, AC Dear lizzy ribbon, chipboard letters painted with MM acrylic paint & then Glossy Accents, stickles, Prima butterflies, Color Box creamy brown ink, machine stitching, MS edge punch for ruffles, Sharpie white marker and the little bird and paper used for the ruffle are from BG Two Scoops accents.

Meet Miss Olivia

2010-08-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

I suddenly realized how far behind I am in scrapbooking important events this year. Finished up a 2 page layout of last Christmas (I told you I'm behind!) and am currently working on Lily's fourth birthday pages using this beautiful Basic Gray line. Sooooo pretty! I'm stitching, painting, glossy accent'ing and taking my time. Maybe I'll finish it and post it tomorrow. Until then, feast your eyes on this pretty paper and happy papercrafting!

Sedona Mini Album

2010-08-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

This is a little mini album I made for Rowan's second birthday using photos of a recent trip to Sedona and Flagstaff (my daughter sweetly shares all of her photos with me). I used some of the last precious scraps of Cosmo Cricket's Wanted Collection (LOVE it!) For the cover I googled some silhouette images of a coyote and a saguaro cactus and set them against a giant cuttlebugged moon. I liked the look of the woodgrain embossing (Cuttlebug again). Glued some hemp twine for a border to emphasize the album shape and some BG chipboard mini alphas for the title. A few rubons and ta da! Photos are clickable for larger view. Thanks for looking and have a terrific weekend!

Challenging!

2010-08-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Don't get a chance to enter many challenges lately, but having my sweet 85 year old Mom living with us now has got me to thinking about how special this Christmas will be with her here to enjoy the family and great grandkids and was inspired to submit something. Here's my take on Christmas tags and mini cards for Caardvarks and Through the Window for Bah Humbug. The sponsor of Caardvark's challenge is JustRite Stamps who produces the most wonderful, quality stamps ever! The circled sentiment has been clear embossed and looks wet but didn't scan very well. Anyway, thanks for looking. Image is clickable for larger view.

Caardvarks Christmas Tag/Mini Card Challenge

Bah Humbug Through the Window Challenge

Stamped sentiment JustRite Christmas Stamp Ensemble; Cuttlebug's Grace's frame embossing folder (LOVE it!) ; PP: Graphic45 LeRomantique & Cosmo Cricket Wanted Collection; Bazzill CS; Snowflake punch; Offray ribbon; Color Box Dark Moss ink & Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distressed Ink, Kaiser pearls, Clear embossing powder and vintage print.

Who's Two?

2010-08-05T12:44:00.001-07:00

ROWAN is!

New Cuttlebug Folder!

2010-08-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Mailbox happiness! The new Cuttlebug folder I ordered came and omigoodness, I LOVE it! It's called Grace's frame and I used it two ways on this personalized wedding card. So pretty, dontcha think? Paper is Graphic45 Le Romantique and was the perfect paper for this elegant frame.

Two Wonderful

2010-07-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

Sweet little grandson Rowan will be celebrating his big TWO in a week.
Here is Grandma's birthday card. I like the inside almost as much as the cover. Happy Birthday dear little man.

Flutterby Birthday

2010-07-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

I love Peet Roeven's work and one of her creations inspired this birthday card I made for my Mom's 85th birthday earlier this month. Paper is BG, butterfly images are stamped and embossed. Thanks for looking and have a terrific week!

Cards, cards, cards

2010-07-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

A few cards I've made recently. My very talented niece Kelly who's attending BYU-Idaho turned 19 last month and I had been wanting to use this cute cherry paper. I've got a few more to post but I need to get good photos. Thanks for visiting.

Sometimes life gets complicated...

2010-07-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

or why I have been missing in action for the past two plus months. In early May, my dear mother, who has been in a convalescent hospital for several years following a bad fall, finally agreed to let us bring her to live with us here in Arizona. It was not easy for her (she's lived in California for over sixty years) but she was brave and it has been wonderful having her here. I've still been creating here and there, but blogging was not a priority. Now that she's settled in, I'm hoping to have more time to visit your blogs and share a little on mine. We celebrated Mom's 85th birthday Saturday and here she is with her great granddaughter Lily and Nimbus, our new pup. Thanks for visiting, dear friends and readers.

Welcome Baby Colt

2010-04-19T14:36:00.001-07:00

A childhood friend just became a grandma so I had to sit down and make her a little card. I love this Squigglefly digistamp of the bathtub baby which I colored using Prismacolor/gamsol technique, used my MS loop punch for the mat, some Cloud9 Design raindrops, sentiment is from SRM Stickers's Baby set, some ribbon and a button, a little crystal glaze for the puddle and it's done.

Doggie Thanks

2010-04-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

So our neighbors phoned to offer us a sweet little 7 week old Chihuahua puppy and we accepted. She is unbelievably tiny and waaaay cute! We've named her Nimbus (she's the color of a cloud) and call her Nimby. Here's the little thank you card I'm sending.

PP is MME Quite Contrary, scalloped mat is from Cricut ACY fussed with in DS to create a square, sentiment is Justrite stamp nd c/s is Bazzill.

Happy Birthday Steve!

2010-04-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my hubby's birthday this weekend. Here's his card. Inside says "Your childhood is calling....it's long distance."

Graphic45 paper, Liquid Pearls, Bazzill cs and a vintage phone photo I found on the net. Sentiment is computer printed.

Visiting Winter

2010-04-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

In spite of some frustrating camera problems, dd April managed to capture some memorable photos of their drive up to Flagstaff to introduce Lily and Rowan to the wonders of snow. Credit for the the title is 3-1/2 year old Lily's. She very seriously informed me they were going to visit winter and it was far far away.

I Like your Style

2010-04-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

Just discovered a terrific new (to me) blog featuring the work of some incredibly talented artists from the UK, NZ and Australia who have dubbed themselves "Daring Cardmakers." Here's my take on their weekly challenge: If the Shoe Fits. (card is clickable for larger view)

Vintage shoe ad from my stash, Graphic45 pp, MS edge punch, button & twine. Rock from my backyard.

So Cute!

2010-04-09T01:25:00.000-07:00

RECIPE:
1 adorable 4 year old + 1 ruffly new birthday dress + 1 fluffy white puppy. Stir gently and add a sunny February afternoon = super CUTENESS! Lily and Moppet in Grandma's garden.

PP, Basic Gray, MME Quite Contrary, Prima flowers, adhesive pearls, MS border punch, leaves from Dollar Store. Cricut ACY & SB. Layout inspired by Nanne on Cricut.com

My daughter's newest endeavor...

2010-04-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

....Just had to share some photos of my daughter April's beautiful hand beaded lanyards which she's selling now on Etsy. I promise you'll be blown away and I'm not just saying that because I'm proud. But I am. The bamboo tile centerpieces are hand placed, collaged and glazed. So gorgeous! I'll quote my other very talented daughter, Allison (who created my awesome blog banner by the way) on a Facebook post:

"DOES YOUR JOB REQUIRE YOU TO WEAR A BADGE LIKE A TAGGED ANIMAL?! April (my sis) has the most amazing beaded lanyards up for sale on Etsy - Take a look! (And admire the beautiful banner I made for her site. :P ) ttp://www.etsy.com/shop/IStandConnected

Easter Easel Cards (say that fast....)

2010-04-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

I love CostPlus! These sweet little felt baskets were just begging to be filled, and then there's all that wonderful imported chocolate one aisle over.

Easel cards are cuttlebugged and feature digi-stamp images from Pink Cat Studio. MS Edge punches, BG chipboard letters, some stickles.

Easter Blessings

2010-03-31T12:15:00.001-07:00

Quick card being mailed off to my Mom in California. She blesses our family in so many ways.

Paper is MME Quite Contrary, sentiment is JustRite stamps, digistamp is from PCS colored with Prismacolor & gamsol and scalloped mat is Cricut A Child's Year.

Monkeying around

2010-03-29T18:27:00.001-07:00

at the Phoenix Zoo...
.
I made this 6"x12" Zoo album for Lily's 4th birthday using Teresa Collins scalloped covers (they were white, so I painted them a nice jungle green) and used the bind-it-all. Teresa has thoughtfully included 6"x12" page protectors to her line which makes creating albums for little ones with oft-sticky fingers much more practical.
.
This is the cover. I'll post a few of the pages.

2010-03-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Pardon the glare from the plastic page protectors. Just a few of the pages from Lily's Zoo album.

Depressed? I think not...

2010-03-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Cambridge Caprice glassware mfd 1943-1949 in moonlight blue color

Other than books, pretty paper and scrapbook supplies, I'm not much of a collector. That being said, there is an exception--my glass. I fell in love with this particular line of depression glass over thirty years ago and when I happen upon a rare piece, can't help myself. It's been all packed away since our move to Arizona so it was time to pull a few pieces out and display them. I'd almost forgotten how beautiful they are, so I'm sharing! :)

P.S I would REALLY love the pitcher for my collection but here's where the depression sets in...they cost over $500 IF you can find one. Hahah...pretty though, isn't it?

Spring at last!

2010-03-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try my hand at some different papercrafting and particularly altering something. Here's a close up of my first attempt. Little birdhouse is from Michael's, nummy paper from My Mind's Eye (Quite Contrary line), Doodlebug paper posies, Perfect Pearls, a little ribbon, a little lace, some Modge Podge and chalk. This is just a closeup of the top. I still need to get a good full photo and maybe I'll post it. This was REALLY fun! I've already bought two more birdhouses to play with.

A Little Bird (dimensional gatefold card)

2010-03-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

April's birthday card. Saw this cool technique and had to give it a try. I printed out a vintage bird image I found on line four times and cut and embossed it using my Nestabilities. Paper is K&Co and the sentiment inside is stamped on a paper doily which I spritzed with walnut ink and circled it with Liquid pearls. I used a photo anchor to keep the card closed.

(photos courtesy of April)

2010-03-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

Just a great shot dd Allison took of our front yard after a rainstorm.

Bubble Bath Baby

2010-03-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

First, let me just say I am a HUGE fan of the incredibly talented and creative Mel McCarthy of http:melstampz.blogspot.com. She generously posts free templates, detailed tutorials and witty commentary on her blog. When I saw the adorable baby card she created using a Squigglefly digi-stamp (available at http://www.squigglefly.com/shop/baby-bathing), I knew I had to give it a try. Mel probably could single handedly keep the embossing powder, gesso and embroidery floss industries in business. Do yourself a favor and check out her blog!

I used Prismacolor pencils rather than Copic markers and did the inket embossing technique on vellum, but I'm pretty happy with the result. The card is on its way in the mail today with a gift for a family member in Texas. Sure would love to be at the shower when she opens it. Thanks to Mel for all the inspiration not to mention the detailed instructions. I had a blast making it!

Cliff's Card

2010-02-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

Blogging for me seems to be feast or famine but post holiday humdrums are finally over and I'm back to share some recent stuff! Here's my brother's birthday card. Thanks to LaurenB for inspiration and turning me on to this great font (Body Hunter)!

BG pp, 7 Gypsy Gaffer Tape, Bazzil dots cs and misc button and twine from stash

Lily turns 4!

2010-02-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

My adorable granddaughter Lily turned 4 on Sunday and we had a lovely celebration. One of her gifts was this sweet little dress and ruffled pant set we found on Etsy (KissingKumquats). So CUTE! Some bunny card is a case of a card I saw on line and forgive me I can't remember whose. If I think of it, I'll edit and give credit where credit is due.

Cliff's Birthday

2010-02-22T22:13:00.001-08:00

So hard to think of a gift sometimes but framed layouts often are the perfect solution, so I scanned a couple of photos, PS'd them into sepia and tried for a fairly masculine layout. I love the quote "Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us we see the past, present and future." Into the mail with crossed fingers that he will like it. The top photo is one of my favorites of my family--Mom, Dad, Don, me and Cliff. Thanks for looking!

Supplies: BG Motifica, MS border punch, wooden letters, bronze brads, Prima heart, Tim Holtz tickets (spritzed with walnut ink to age)

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T22:23:00.000-08:00

From our home to yours.

A is for ADORABLE!

2009-12-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

So, I went and did something very impulsive today, but I have nary a regret. I now am the owner of a beautiful registered little Maltese Terrier puppy (all 5 pounds of her). The breeder has been calling her Lilac, but I may change it. She answers to "pup-pup-pup" spoken in quasi-falsetto/baby talk tones and she is about the sweetest, cutest little pup I've ever seen! My hubby is due back from a business trip to Texas tomorrow night. Will he ever be surprised!

Dylan turns 9!

2009-12-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

I love that hubby shares his grandkids so generously with me, but hate that they're all in Texas and we hardly ever get to see them, unlike my own little Lily and Rowan who live less than an hour away.

I remember holding Dylan when he was only a few days old and thinking he was the most cherubic little thing I'd ever seen. Now he'll be nine and becoming quite the little man. Happy Birthday Dylan!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2009-11-28T21:42:00.000-08:00

(click on image for larger image)

CHRISTMAS! Now that leftovers are a memory and all our thankfulness has been celebrated and honored, it's time to move forward. This embossed image is compliments of Cuttlebug all dressed up with jewels and glitter. This is one of my favorite Cuttlebug folders. It's just so...uhm...Christmasy.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-11-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

So today is my birthday.

Balloons, banners, gifts, cards, grandkids, my beautiful daughters and a husband who hasn't quite got around to wrapping my gift yet. Surprise, surprise. I'm looking forward to a delicious home cooked dinner, not made by my hand and a sugar free cheesecake also not made by me.

Lovely granddaughter Lily could not wait to show me the tiara with flashing lights intended for me which somehow ended up on HER head. Surprise, surprise, yet again.

Sigh. Heaven.

My Birthday Cruise!

2009-11-21T08:46:00.001-08:00

So my husband surprised me with the news a week or so ago that for my birthday, we're taking our first CRUISE! I'm so excited because it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. It's just a short one, which I hope will be a rehearsal for more in the future. We're driving to San Diego on the 30th and will be cruisin' down Mexico way for 4 lovely days of leisure and fun. I definitely see a mini memory album to come.

Another Awesome Prize!

2009-11-20T02:22:00.000-08:00

(click on image for detail)

I couldn't believe it, but I won another goodie last week. The Creative Cuts and More sponsored a blog hop, and I was one of three winners. My prize? This darling little Halloween Mini Accordian album kit designed by Pam Smerker on their design team. It came in the mail yesterday and I just happened to have some adorable Halloween photos of Lily and Rowan so I put this little album together in less than 3 hours! The kit had everything from die cut spooks and pumpkins to gorgeous Doodlebug Halloween jewels. I painted the Creative Imaginations Castle album black and adhered all the perfectly cut layers. Just add photos and voila! Instant album.

Give Thanks

2009-11-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

(click on card to see details)

When I saw Donna's gorgeous Thanksgiving card design on her blog, Popsicle Toes, I just had to set aside my current projects and try one of my own. I wouldn't want to mass produce this card--took a long time with all the inking, embossing and popping, but it's perfect to send to my dear mother who always made sure our Thanksgivings were extra special. Her table was always beautifully set with linens, china and silver and usually a colorful cornucopia centerpiece surrounded by a delicious feast. More importantly, there were always two or three guests who were invited to share this bounty because they had nowhere else to go. She taught us by example that it is truly a blessing to share. Happy Thanksgiving Mom.

Donna generously shares many Cricut DS cut files, including this one. Check out her amazing work here.

Sneak Preview

2009-11-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

So I decided I wanted to do a little memory book of our last home in beautiful Placerville. We had 3 acres of lovely mature oak trees, a 3-stall barn for the horses and a sweet little two story house at the end of a secluded gravel road. Here's one of two pages I completed about the kitchen. The glossy letters are BG microchip alphas which I've inked and embossed for a page title. Loving those little letters! Pardon the quickie webcam photo. Paper is Teresa Collins Haute Cuisine.

P.S. I decided to use a cool Jolie's toaster sticker I've had in my stash for-evah for the journaling pull. It's shiny chrome which doesn't scan well, but I think I like it better. What d'ya think?

Lucky me!

2009-11-03T23:24:00.000-08:00

I just learned I am a lucky winner of one of Teresa Collins very cool Friendship Accordian album kits. I actually won just by commenting on her blog and was one of 3 lucky winners. I just LOVE her Friendship paper line--that cool aqua color and black and white. So classy and fun. Anyway, when I make up the kit, I'll post it so you all can ooooh and aaaaah over it.

Rowan is One!

2009-11-03T16:07:00.001-08:00

(Click on image to see details)

Pretty easy to catch up on Rowan's birthday layouts (he's only had one!) What a little sweetie he is. I am loving having a boy-type grandbaby.

Lily's Third Birthday Layout

2009-11-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

(click to see details)

Finally finished and am now caught up with Lily birthdays (she's only had 3!) LOL

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T16:23:00.000-07:00

Wishing you all a spooooky treat-filled evening!

I LOVED making this project so much, I actually made two of them. This design was created as an 8" hanging decoration by Donna at Custom Crops and it uses A Child's Year and Plantain Cricut cartridges. The witch is cut 3X and popped, the stars are folded for dimension and popped and I embossed the top layer in shiny black. Lovely vintage feel , don'tcha think? (Click photo for larger view)

Boo 2009 Style

2009-10-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Made cards for Rowan and Lily (inspired by some I saw at Splitcoast Stampers. I used the shield cut on SB Cricut cartridge. Simple but cute. The third one is all stamping and cuttlebug. I love the little bat stamps that came in 3 sizes. Reminds me of all the bats that live under the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin. The first time I stayed at the Four Seasons in Austin on a business trip, one of the locals insisted I come down to sit on the river side patio at sunset to watch the nightly scene of thousands (millions maybe) of the little black critters swoop out from their daytime resting place to begin their nightly hunt. Spoooooooky!

Jennifer's Birthday card

2009-10-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Three birthdays in October--lots of fun cardmaking. Graphic45 paper really was the inspiration with the threading water border punch, Prima flowers and marching Liquid Pearls. The ribbon is a beautiful suede-type that was the perfect color. Simple but I like it.

Happy 14th Birthday!

2009-10-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

Please click on card for larger view of details.

Paige turned 14 this month, so here's what I came up with for her card. She's growing up so fast and I thought something a little more sophisticated this year would be better but still fun and glitzy! This is a graduated tri-fold card with more than a little sparkle and shine for a very special teenager. Lots of orange stickling and some fun felt embellies and buttons.

Fit for a Princess

2009-10-12T18:16:00.002-07:00

Meleea is six years old next week and the sweetest little princess you'd ever want to meet. She deserved a very special card, so here's her Birthday castle. It's a zig zag fold card (tricky to photograph) but it's covered with bling and texture. It was one of the most fun cards I've created in a long while. The template for this card was very generously shared by Deneen at her blog A Path of Paper. Check out her beautiful work.

Queen of our Hearts

2009-10-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

My mom-in-law is a treasure but birthday gifting for her is a challenge. She has 7 living children who over the years have bestowed upon her every conceivably imaginable gift. Hers is a game-loving family and the poker games at her dining room table are beyond memorable which is a long prelude to the idea for my gift this year. I'm sending her off a framed layout which I hope will tickle her fancy. So, Happy Birthday Mama Jean. We love you so!

Make a Wish

2009-09-28T11:22:00.001-07:00

So a very special lady in the family is having a birthday this week. I wanted to use some of my precious Graphic 45 paper for my greeting and this is the card I came up with. Here's to birthday wishes all coming true!

Pink 'n Bling with Caardvarks

2009-08-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I finish a card, I'll do a duplicate for future cardgiving which I did with this card except added a black prima. Couldn't decide which one to post, so here they both are. Very simple design but pleasing to my eye.

Anyway....Caardvarks current challenge is to create a card using black, white and pink, so I'm tossing my hat (well, card) into the mix. Birthday card for my dear friend, the very lovely Mrs. B, designer extraordinaire, teacher, and all around beautiful person who got me hooked...errr...introduced me to scrapbooking back in 2002.

Sentiment-- embossed, panels--popped, bazzill--cuttlebugged in swiss dots.

2009-08-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Birthday Rowan!

2009-08-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

KWerner Color Challenge

2009-07-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Nature and Nurture

2009-07-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Layout I finished recently of April and the grandkids on Mother's Day. I was experimenting with some new techniques, including Scrapperlicious' extreme punch distressing on lower left hand corner of the photo. I also used some Perfect Pearls to gild a little Prima bird. I pulled out some old Heidi S. masks and added a little subtle shading.

I also looped some thin ribbon for the floral acccent and I'm liking how it all turned out. You can click on photos for larger view. :)

Tiny handprints for Great Grandma

2009-07-07T03:24:00.000-07:00

April's plaques for the little ones to send Great Grandma on her 84th birthday. Little wood tags are for Lily and Rowan! Adorable!

I hear they're already hanging on Great Grandma's wall.

Lily and Rowan because I love looking at them...

2009-07-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

Lily is almost 3-1/2.

Rowan will be 1 in August.

Grandbabies are life's desert.

Countdown to CHA with the Stars Folder

2009-06-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Wooohooo! New embossing folders for my sweet Cuttlebug. I adore my Cuttlebug and use it all the time. Even little Lily, my precious 3 year old granddaughter, loves it. She begs me to let her turn the handle when I'm creating.

Sorry...just excited about NEW folders. A girl can never have too many, right. Please go on about your business. :)

The next 50 goes fast...

2009-06-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

My brother Don turns 51 on July 2nd, so I sat down to make him a very cheerful card. It's hard for me to do "cheerful" without any ribbon or flowers or glitter, so I just went dotty on him. I used DT cartridge and welded his name to a rectangle shape. Three letters--easy peasy. Folded it over and with a few buttons and embellishments it was done. Happy Birthday Don!

Okay...quick someone take me to Vegas...

2009-06-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

...cause every one of my lucky stars must be aligned for maximum luck potential. I just found out my card was one of two winners on BBTB's ShortCuts Contest. I've won a $20 gift certificate at ShortCuts online store. Check them out--amazing stuff there! Now...excuse me. I need to quick run out and buy a lottery ticket.

I won something!

2009-06-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

Omigoodness!!! I just found out I won Paper Askew Studio's ginormous blogcandy giveaway! Thank you so much Pam for entrusting me with your giant pile o'goodies. I promise they will have a loving home! Just look at the loot!

BBTB Contest

2009-06-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

So Regina and the gals over at Bitten by the Bug have a new challenge/contest this month. I haven't ever participated in a BBTB challenge but sure have enjoyed looking at all the gorgeous entries by the Design Team and extremely talented paper artists. I first became aware of Regina's beautiful work in Hallmark Scrapbook's gallery and she continues to amaze.

Anyway, I thought I'd give this one a try, so here's my humble entry. Photos are clickable for more detail and pardon my poor photos. The challenge was to use this sketch by Shortcuts and a Cricut cartridge floral cut.