How I Spent Last Weekend or What I did at CKC

I signed up for 5 classes but after taking one look at the vendor faire, I knew I needed to take another class- I had too much shopping time for too few vendors.  The Charlotte faire isn't nearly the size of the Valley Forge faire, the only other CKC I'd attended.  It was a GOOD faire and I was more than able to spend WAY too much money, just not BIG so it didn't require the time to browse that I'd allowed.  There were a LOT of premade/laser cut LO vendors and a LOT of vendors selling precut ribbons.  I was bummed not to see Dollar Scrapbooking or another vendor from VF (don't remember name) that sold pop dots and other goodies for $1.

I don't have pix of everything but what I do have is:
Make and Takes

Studio Calico's Misting and More.  Loved this class!  Some great techniques and a great chance to use SC's Mister Huey mists.  The BOGO coupon from this class was great.  I walked away from the booth with 2 sampler sets and 2 individual bottles of spray.  Also, I won a set of stamps as a Door Prize (DP)  (there were 2 or 3) and EVERYONE in class was given a full set of stamps (I think it was SC's last show and they were getting rid of some stuff.)

Lickety Split's Gifts Galore for Food II

I wasn't sure what to expect or if I'd like the class because I don't care for premade/laser cut LOs and that's what LS specializes in.  In the end, GREAT class and I'd take the class III they're developing for next year.  These weren't rocket science projects and easily found online but honestly, I don't think I would have ever made any of them if I hadn't taken the class and now, I think I'll be making quite a few.  They also gave us the makes to create a birthday countdown calendar that goes on a muffin tin (to be made at home).  The only thing we needed to supply was the tin.  I put it all together last night- very cute.  I don't have a picture of it but the nice thing is that it can be easily bagged up and saved flat for another year while the tin can be used for another calendar (I think I'll make a Halloween one.)  There were quite a few DP's including a LOT of extra bags of M&M's purchased for class.

Technique Tuesday's In Bloom.  Again, this wasn't rocket science and I've actually made several of these flowers myself but several were new, there were some tweaks that were nice to learn, and it makes for a nice little guide.  Everyone got a coupon for the booth for a small set of stamps with a $10 purchase.  Quite a few NICE DP's in this class.

These are some flowers I've made on my own prior to this class.  Again, not sure I NEEDED this class but I'm pretty happy with the output.

Technique Tuesday Explosion Box (still working on that one).  This was the class I picked up and I'm really glad I did.  I'd considered it but passed initially.  I love the box- the big problem's going to be finding photos for it.  The only problem I ran into was that the outer "page" of the box seemed a bit too big and I had to do quite a bit of trimming last night to get it to fit into the lid.  "" for coupons and DP's.

CK Material Girl layouts (I'm working on the first, I probably won't do the 2nd as instructed as I didn't care for it).  Overall, I like the first though not as much as I thought I would.  The sticky fabric was kinda neat to work with- I may look into getting some.  A few DP's but I don't remember what.  No coupons.

Prima Marketing's Get Your Grunge On.  The album is nice but probably nothing I couldn't have done on my own.  However, I hadn't worked with a chipboard album before and there was a FABU tape that Prima puts out that we used for binding some page edges.  While the class was pricey, the kit was HUGE.  I probably won't use near the number of flowers included on the album because while the pages ARE boyish, I just don't think putting too many flowers in it is.  Overall, good class with a killer kit of goodies (including a fab reusable wood/plexi box full of chipboard letters.)  No doorprizes or coupons but the kit was intended to make up for the lack of DP's.

I also went to the Friday night crop.  I hadn't gone last year so didn't know what to expect.  I've heard mixed reviews of the goodie bag everyone gets- I thought it was great!  I had no problems with the amount of space we each had to work in and the lighting was good in my world.  There were lots of vendors that set up for either the whole evening or just 20min or so.  Sorry I missed the cool shirts at Quick Quotes, thrilled I was the first person to discover Technique Tuesday setting up and I was able to grab first choice of their grab bags.  There was one game played based on a TV show... "what can you do in a minute" or something like that... sorry, not a big game/reality show watcher.  A LOT of REALLY nice DP's and what floored me was that EVERYONE got a DP!  NICE!

Sesame Place layout

Sorry but this is going to be quick.  I got back from CKC yesterday evening and I'm just trying to get things put away/rearranged/cleaned up/blah/blah/blah.

The first Aug. challenge over at Better Living Through Scrapbooking: Was there an event or moment you found yourself wishing to capture but without a camera on hand? Make a layout or project that conveys the point without a photo. Find a way to replace the picture with something that represents the subject in some way.
Use at least 2 of the following:
1. Hand-stitch on your project
2. Include at least 3 red items
3. Stamp on your project
4. Use a non-patterned (solid colored) paper for the main background of the layout

We went to Sesame Place last year and one of the many "blechs" of the day was that I couldn't find my camera before we left so no photos.  This challenge was the perfect time to finally scrap what I had from that day and put it all behind me.   :)

Obviously I used solid papers and I found tape wasn't keeping the map pocket together well enough so stitching it was the perfect solution.

Bubbling Halloween card

Ingredients:

Stamps: Unity's Love Potion #9. 
Paper: G45's Halloween in Wonderland, the strips of a paper that I can't identify.  :) 
Misc: Cuttlebug spiderweb folder, Copics, Dimensional glaze, Stickles
I created the bottom sentiment in Word to match the DSP. 

Challenges:
Crafter's Cafe Unity/Ippity challenge #4: Color challenge
A La Card Monkey: Challenge 70: Halloween/sketch

2009 Halloween Layout

Well, I just did something that if you'd told me a month, or even a few days ago I'd be doing, I would have laughed at you.  I used 5 different patterned papers on a layout.  Ok, ok.  So they were from the same DCWV stack but still!  You have to understand that I didn't TRULY buy any patterned papers with the intent of REALLY using them until last year.  Sure, I'd bought some and used bits and pieces here and there but I've only recently decided to REALLY use them.  I went to Joann's last week to get the new DCWV autumn stack but decided in the end that though I need more Halloween paper like I need a hole in the head, I liked and would likely use the Ghosts & Goblins stack the most.  Guess I was right on THAT one.

This was one of my baggies of photos I wanted to scrap (I've gone through a lot of my photos and separated different events into sandwich baggies of photos- then I can just grab a pack and go or I can easily flip through all events looking for 1 that has x number of photos if I find a layout I like) and the DCWV August Stack-a-holic Template Challenge sketch works really well for them... or at least I think it does.  I thought it worked so well that for once, I didn't really even tweak the sketch.  Ok, well, maybe a smidge but less than usual!

Everything is from the Ghosts & Goblins stack except the green paper (not sure whose it is honestly), and the letters (Halloween rub on- October Afternoon, Number stickers- Piggy Tales)

New craft board with giveaway

I just saw this over at Scrapcat Cards by Linda...
There is a new group over at a place called Crafters Cafe. They would like to invite you all to come check it out, say hi, and would love for you to join them.  Even better, someone wins this candy!

Udderly Tickled Pink card

I really need to get a gift in the mail to a friend's daughter for her 4th bday but first I needed a card. 

This one is real simple and unfortunately cropped a bit odd- the base card is white.  The inside says, "Udderly tickled pink" and then I wrote "it's your birthday."  I penned in bowties on the cows just because I thought they needed a bit of "pop".

Ingredients:
SU papers, stamps and watercolor crayons.  Staedtler watercolor pencils

I'm entering it over at Sweet Stampin' Challenge's Down on the Farm challenge and Southern Girls Challenge #25: Black & White with a Pop.

Who's it going to be layout

I set up the easel outside the other day for Boy to go to town and he went to town, city and metropolis. Once we ran out of drying line for paper art, he moved onto body art (I'm a big fan of the leaves he used to complete the look).

I spattered the Jackson Pollock side, background and title, with acrylic paints. I used metallic crayons on the Kat Von D background paper (they have a really nice shimmer that don't show up well on camera) and watercolor crayoned the name. I then smudged the crayon onto the title background paper for a bit more finish.

I was entering this in the CK Summer Camp Arts & Crafts challenge but just realized that submissions had to be made within 24hrs of the challenge post.  Oh well.

Ingredients:
Papers: Stampin' Up & misc
Cricut cartridges: Happy Hauntings, A Word Party
Sizzix die: Naturally Serif
Coloring supplies: Metallic crayons: Crayola, Watercolor Crayons: Stampin' Up, Acrylic paints

Reminder of 2 monthly challenges/giveaways going on

Life in the Craft Lane is giving these away this month:

and Better Living Through Scrapbooking has their first Aug. challenge up.  Check 'em out!!

I'm back in the saddle again!

Obviously, it's been a while.  First there was the recovery from those 8 days on the road which led straight into our parents coming and visiting for a long weekend to having Boy at home with me for a week while recovering from the visit.  Needless to say, little crafting has been done since mid-July.  BUT... I'm getting back to it... 5pgs!  Yay!!

Let's see.  What's to be said?  ...   Ummmm.... not much.  :) 

I'm entering this in the My Mind's Eye #26 Layout challenge- the first page is from a sketch they provided and the print paper, journal card, and all embellishments are theirs. Hopefully it's enough. It's supposed to be 80% their product. The blue papers aren't theirs (Core-dinations) but I'm not sure if they go 80% surface area or 80% number of items. Oh well. It is what it is.

I made a decision not to fuzz faces here.  I hope I don't offend anyone but I've included no names so...  I used the invite as the title and subtitle- I thought the banner she created made a nice title replacement and banners are just all the rage- why recreate the wheel?  KISS and all that good stuff.  :)  The invite is actually slipped into a pocket I made with the photo strip below it.  That keeps the deets of the party (address, date, etc.) bit more "secluded" but available if desired. 

I'm entering this in the Simply Betty #3 challenge- make a pocket and Scrappin' Chics use a banner/pennant challenge (hope I'm not cheating with the direction I went in with it!)

I like this one though it's a bit plain. The photos took so much room that I didn't want to interfere with them (all 3 of these pages/spreads have that going for them- LOTS of photos!) The thing that bugs me is that my paper keeps warping when I use mist like I did on this page. I flattened it between books but as you can see from the bottom edge, not so great.

I'm entering it in Whimsical Wednesday's Sense of Humor challenge.  I love the smile Boy has as a pirate (he enjoyed that one) and the photos of him as an alien are funny- I'd love to know what he was thinking in that first one. 

Do Over layout

This one went right outside my comfort zone and box.  It has pink on it.  It has flowers on it.  It's about me.  What the !#*% is THAT all about?!  :)

So.  The first July challenge over at Better Living Through Scrapbooking is

“When I Grow Up”

Make a layout or project about what you want to do – what’s your dream job or what career goal are you working toward? If you’re already doing that job, show why you love it.

I could write a novel about all of the jobs I've considered, planned on, and/or worked towards.  Did I mention the long list of ones I've done?  I worked all of that into this because I think where I'm coming from is as important as where I'm going sometimes... or maybe not and that's just one of those hangups I need to get over... I'll get back to you.

Ingredients:
Paper: Pink, Kraft, Vellum: Stampin' Up
Stamps: Botanicals. Antique Background: Stampin' Up
Ink: Pretty in Pink: Stampin' Up, Versa Mark
Misc: Chipboard letters: Heidi Grace, Flowers: Marcella K, Embossing folder

Challenges:
Better Living Through Scrapbooking: July #1
1. Use one of the following combinations as your main color scheme: -Pink and brown, -Blue and white, -Yellow and green, -Red and black
2. Use paper lace on your project. (Buy it or try making it yourself with a paper punch or die cutter)
3. Use rhinestones (gems, bling, whatever you want to call ‘em)  They're in some of the flowers
4. Include a fabric flower on your project.

Apron Strings: Old with the Old, In with the New #13
Today's challenge is use your oldest kit with the scariest (to you) embellishment in it and combine it with a new embellishment or paper that has no "scare factor."

GAB #24: Use something you have never or rarely use.  Pink.  Flowers.  Those flowers in particular (my aunt gave them to me 3yrs ago at Christmas I believe.)  Chipboard letters.  This layout SCREAMS of things I don't usually use.  :)

Well, that's a funny thing.  The scariest was the flowers- I don't do flowers.  I just don't.  At least not on layouts since I typically just do ones for my son.  The newer, no scare one was SUPPOSED to be the chipboard letters.  However, they were dull.  I stamped on them.  It didn't show.  I inked them.  They were the wrong color.  I embossed them.  It didn't show.  I ran them through 2 more times.  The ink almost vanished.  I sanded them for contrast.  They started to fall apart.  I stopped there though they're still rather dull.  Now I think chipboard letters are scary.  *sigh*

Well, we did it

1787 miles.  Through 6 states.  6 major stops in 3 of those states.  8 days.  A few major meltdowns but nothing more than what was expected from a 3yr old.  Home at 1:18am yesterday.  All laundry is clean, most everything is put away.  Good to visit.  Good to be home.

Signing off for a few days

Well, tomorrow's the day.  The day when we start what's going to be more than 1550 miles on the road.  Some people call it a vacation.  I'll let you know what I call it when we get back.  The question is to how well Boy handles being on the road that long.  My hope is that since we'll change places every few days and every stop will bring new people/kids he likes and hasn't seen in close to a year, if not more, and there will be a few 4th bday celebrations for him along the way, it'll stay fresh for him.  Fingers crossed!!

Nikki Sivils giveaway!

Check it out- she's giving away her new CHA lines before they're released!!

Parade Page

7/8 Update: I did add another strand of twine to each twirl and I definitely like it more:

What can I say- getting my papers picked ahead of time is DEFINITELY working for me.  This page is pretty simple but that tends to be my style.  I'd like to go more decorative but when I'm working, I just can't come up with loads that I want to pile one.  However, on this one, I think I'm going to add more twine to the swirls- they're a bit too thin this way.  I realized once I had everything done and made that one of my pleated paper circles had a decorative edge, the other straight but at this point, they can just be that way.  They were a PAIN to make- the paper was only 1/2" wide and the pleats were on the 1/8th" so they were small to work with.

Ingredients:
Paper: Cardstock: Stampin Up & Michaels  DSP: October Afternoon
Misc: Twine: Whisker Graphics, Rubons: October Afternoon, Stickers: Thickers

Challenges:

• Whisker Graphics from Facebook- use any WG product
• Apron Strings: Out with Old, In with New Day #3: Use old scraps with some new products.  The only paper that's "new" is the 12x12.  All of the photo mats are from my scrap folders and some of the papers have to be at least 5-6yrs old.  Yeah.  I know.  On the other hand, the twine was from a FB prize I won from Whisker Graphics- it arrived in the mail yesterday.  That's pretty new.  :)
• Practical Scrappers: July Sketch: I got pretty loose with this but it was definitely my launch point.

Land of Make Believe pages

Check me out!  3 pages in less than 24hrs!  Whoo HOO!  :)  I think I found something to get me a bit in a groove.  I have a lot of photos bagged up in Ziplocs by event.  I usually find a sketch, find the bag that will work with it (those 2 sometimes reverse), then find papers and accents for them and THEN scrap it then and there.  This time, I picked out 2 bags (events) of photos the other evening, picked out the papers and accents and the specific photos I wanted to use (I print out a bunch that I think are good but generally don't use all of them) and then set both stacks aside.  Last night when I found a sketch for the Halloween page and went to scrap it, it went pretty darn fast and today's definitely did.  Splitting the material search and the sketch/crop/put-together into 2 separate events seemed to help.  I was kinda trying it out before I go to CKC later this summer since I want to take a few pages for the evening scrap.  However, I'll definitely be doing some more of this to see if it keeps working for me. 

So.  Onto the spread.  Sorry for the crummy shots- too stormy here to get anything good today.

 

Ingredients:
Paper: Cardstock: Stampin' Up, DSP: BoBunny
Accents: BoBunny, Gauche Alchemy (Punchinella aka Sequin waste)

Challenge:
Apron Strings: July 1: Out with Old, In with New.  Use your old summery stuff (I've had the BoBunny paper and accents hanging around for quite a while now waiting for the perfect summer use) and your newest metallic.  That 2nd part was hard because I don't use a lot of metallics.  I was going to sprinkle the suns with glitter and stumbled on something I got the other day from a Better Living Through Scrapbooking prize: Gauche Alchemy's Punchinella.  It's sequin waste and when a hole is trimmed out of a large orange piece, it makes a nifty sun.

Halloween Page

Obviously I don't scrap chronologically.  :) 

Ingredients:
Papers: Black: Michaels, Halloween print: Target, Black DSP: The Paper Loft, Orange/White: Stampin' Up
Stamp: Stampin' Up
Ink: Vintage Linen & Walnut Stain: Ranger
Misc: Accents: K&Co., Glitter: Joann's

Challenges:
Craft Your Passion: Challenge 65: Anything Goes
Desert Island Crafters: #11: Use 3 from the list of 10 "ingredients
    4: Distress Tool (Loosely- I used distress ink on the title and the journalling), 6: Crystals (I scattered olive green crystals here and there on the page) 7: Halloween Paper, 10: Pop Dots (all of the accent items are pop-dotted)
Sketchy Thursday: 6/30:  I used the 2nd page as my sketch... loosely.

BLTS Challenge 2- Then and Now

First, just a reminder that Better Living Through Scrapbooking June challenges end tomorrow.  I see a few people jumped in this month but since they're from "anonymous", I'm not sure if it's any of you.  If it is, go and comment on the challenge posts because there's no way to know whose entries those are!  That would be bad when it comes to prize-drawing time!

Second.  Second challenge.  This didn't go quite as I planned but when I was part-way into it, I realized that I just couldn't comfortably get where I thought I was going.  Originally, I was going to do a 2013 column with wants/expectations but that didn't feel right.  However, that's why the title is just "Then" because it was going to be past-then #1, past-then #2, and the then of the future.  Instead it's more of a "now" without being in the title. 

Challenge:
Make a project showing you and a longtime friend, a family member, or a significant other and how you’ve changed together over the years.  Obviously, this is pretty much just me.  I honestly wasn't coming up with anyone else that I wanted to feature for this and I'm trying to exorcise some of my own demons this year and putting them to paper may help a bit so I stuck to myself on this one.


Use at least 2 of the following:
1. Include a playing card or game piece. (Scrabble tiles)
2. Make frames for the pictures on your project (out of paper, ribbon, etc)
3. Include at least 3 brads
4. Include a clock or watch (can be an embellishment, a sticker, paper, etc).  I thought I had a large clock stamp somewhere but I can't lay my hands on it.  I have some embellishments that would be nice but I LOVE the White Rabbit image and even without the pocket watch out, he's an indicator of time, always checking it, always in a rush.

Crayola Factory Layout

This is the first page of a 2pg spread... I'll get to the 2nd page tomorrow hopefully.  Sorry for the sun-glare on some of the photos- if it's not middle of the night and no light, it's middle of the blazing day.  *sigh*

Ingredients:
Paper: Prints: October Afternoon, Cardstock: Stampin' Up
Misc: Dicuts: October Afternoon, Large Chipboard C: Heidi Grace Designs, Other letters: Piggy Tales, Dimensional Glaze: Stampin; Up, White glaze pen

Challenges:
Sketches in Thyme: June Open Challenge
Apron Strings: My blues are more aqua and royal/navy but it's as close as I could come.

October Afternoon:

Meet Me on Monday

1. What is your favorite food?
Back to the wall, one favorite... Thai Red Curry.  It could be shrimp, chicken, beef, tofu, mussels... I don't care.

2. What color scheme is your bedroom?
We bought a house with 40+ cans of paint in the garage.  Yeah.  No kidding.  Luckily, the previous owner had GREAT taste in decorating.  Our room is a taupey-brown with a white ceiling so we added a brown and turquoise theme through curtains and bedspread.

3. Do you carry a donor card?
Yep- it's on my driver's license.

4. In your opinion, is the glass half empty or half full?
I'm more pessimistic than I'd like.  Most of the time I think it's shattered on the floor.

5. Vanilla or Chocolate?
Funny thing is, I don't like plain chocolate.  I worked at M&M Mars for 10+ years and when I worked at the office where the actual M&M's plant was, I HATED the smell.  I also was one of the original 13 Dove Chocolate at Home (Dove Chocolate Discoveries now) home consultants (should have stayed with that one, no?  Imagine the downline!), part of the reason I got out was I HATED the smell of melting chocolate.  That said, I will chew your arm off to get to a piece of chocolate covered fruit.  I love chocolate cake, rocky road ice cream, brownies... seriously dislike chocolate ice cream, can't stand chocolate chip cookies...  I wish I understood it.

Life in the Craft Lane site

You guys should check this one out.  Julie McGuffee has a site called "Life in the Craft Lane."  It's tied in with a webring- Designer Crafts Connection.  The participants have a range of creative passions from papercrafting to jewelry-making to altered art and mixed media and much of their work is just amazing! 

Once a month there's a giveaway that involves going around the ring, essentially a blog hop, and looking for a particular image, just picking out a project you like... each month the scavenger hunt is different.  This past month I was the winner and the prize was 2 awesome scrapbooking reference books.  Julie, the "ringleader" (sorry, I couldn't help myself) said she'd throw in a few page kits.  Ok.  I was picturing something that could make 2 or 3 pages, NOT 4 full Lisa Bearnson page kits that make 6 pages each PLUS a pack of extra goodies PLUS page protectors! 

The July giveaway is promised to be spectacular and I wouldn't doubt it.  I HIGHLY recommend checking it out!

CAS Birthday Card

Crafty Steals is celebrating their 2nd bday and posting a few challenges along the way.  One today was around a sketch that I thought would be perfect for a stamp I've been wanting to use and a bday card I need to make for a friend.

Ingredients:
Stamp: Verve (I bought the set for this one stamp... though the whole set is great thankfully!)
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Pink Passion: SU
Paper: Whisper White, Pink Passion: SU,   Print...?

Crafty Steals Challenge:

Layered Poinsettia Card

Deets:
The poinsettia was stamped/embossed/colored/cut four times from kraft paper and each of the layers was popdotted to the next.

Ingredients:
Stamp: Poinsettia: Holly Berry House, Sentiment (Four the Holidays): SU
Ink: Gold: Encore:
Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla: SU,   DP: Little Yellow Bicycle & Making Memories
Misc: Jeweled Gold EP: Stampendous, Copics, Dew Drops: Robin's Nest

Challenges:
Winter Wonderland: Christmas Flowers
iCopic: #35: Anything but White
The Emerald Faerie: #3: Petals
Veronica's: Part of CropStop Summer Hop: Make it pop/3D (Ok.  It's not summery at all but it pops!)
Pear Tree Designs: #54:

BLTS Challenge 1- What I do after a bad day

The first challenge this month at Better Living Through Scrapbooking was to scrap what we do to de-stress or what we do after a bad day. I wish my habits were a bit more positive... another thing to work on. I'll get to that eventually... maybe.

We also need to do at least 2 of the following:
1. Use a sketch for your layout. (below)
2. Stamp without ink. Use paint, glue for flocking or glittering, etc. (mist... still ink but a bit different than an ink pad for stamping. I wasn't wild about the result so I went back with a black pen to do more coloring)
3. Include a bird in your layout in some way, whether a picture, stamp, sticker, etc
4. Use an item you have laying around on your project. Anything at all, as long as it’s not specifically made for scrapbooking.

Ingredients:
Paper: Print: My Mind's Eye, Greens: SU, Journalling tag: October Afternoon
Stamps: Letters: Studio G, Crow: SU
Coloring: Basic Black: SU, Mist (to color crow): Log Cabin Smooch Spritz: Clearsnap

Challenges:
BLTS June Challenge #1
Sketchy Sunday: TG023

Better Living Through Scrapbooking- June Challenge #2

The 2nd challenge of the month was posted yesterday- Then and Now.  I highly recommend checking it out.  So far, no one has entered either challenge yet this month so your chance of winning is pretty darn good.

"Creative Girl" tag

I picked the Creative Girl stamp up for a few bucks the other week at the Unity sale.  I didn't know what I was going to do with it but I HAD to have it.  There's a lot more I've got to find to do with it (I'm seeing some cards in its future) but when I saw My Unity Place was having a tag challenge, I thought it would be perfect.

I actually used a panel I saw online as my starting point but I knew I wanted to use a lot of blue (I'm still there after the ornaments card last week.)  There are actually 5 copies of the stamp on this tag. 

1. her dress

2. her body/hair (the red heart is a separate layer)

3. the embossed silver swirl background

4. the edge sentiment (the red heart is a separate layer again)

5. the 1st blue background which I distressed the edge of

The last layer was embossed and the embossed areas were tapped with TH's Denim and Walnut Stain.  I didn't care for those- they didn't pop enough, so I went back and tapped them again with silver ink.  Better.  Much better.

Ingredients:

Paper: Home Collection: Deja Views, Brocade Blue, Whisper White: SU, Manilla Folder, Michaels

Stamp: Creative Girl: Suzi Blu/Unity

Coloring: Silver ink: Encore, Brocade Blue, Basic Black inks: SU, Tuxedo Black ink: Momento, Copics

Misc: Lg. eyelet, Elegant Lines embossing folder: SU,  Silver EP: Joanns, Misc ribbons

Challenges:

My Unity Place: Make a tag

Craft Your Passion: #63: Paper Piecing

Southern Girls Challenge: #21: Anything Goes

Non-traditional Christmas card

This has GOT to be one of most edited cards I've ever done.  It started out with nativity scenes, colored with Copics and mounted on scalloped circles on a b/w card.  This is what I ended up with.

Yeah.  A bit different than the start with lots of changes in the middle.  I like it though- not your traditional red and green.  I put a layer of black behind one side of the ornaments to play up the "shadow" even though they're pop-dotted and tie in some more similarity with the black paper layers in the background and on the sentiment.  I also clear-embossed the ornaments with 3 layers of EP to give them a bit of gloss and more depth.

Ingredients:
Stamps: Antique Background, Tree Trimmings, Four the Holidays: Stampin' Up
Paper: Whisper White, Brocade Blue: Stampin' Up  Black: Michaels
Ink: Brocade Blue, Whisper White, Basic Black: Stampin Up
Misc: Clear EP: JoAnn's  Pearls, Silver cord

Challenges:
Winter Wonderland: Swirls & Pearls
Pixie Dust Studios: #78: Let's Cool Down
Top Tip Tuesday: #38: Open Challenge
Sweet Stamps: #19: Embossing
A La Card Monkey: #60

Meet Me on Monday

1. What is your favorite yogurt flavor?
Hmmm... Key Lime? Raspberry? Lots of possibilities there.

2. Ankle or knee socks? and on the same theme, white socks or coloured??
White ankle socks. I'm much too casual for anything else. In the winter with my Sketchers, I will wear nifty cotton, colored, print mid-calf socks for a change of pace.

3. How is the weather right now?
This evening's storm finally broke the mid-90 degree temps we've had for 2-3wks. This week is supposed to be mostly low-80's. Still warm for someone who prefers 40-60 degree days but it's an improvement if only temporary.

4. Are you a fast typer?
I don't know my typing speed but after numerous college papers, a Master's thesis, and many years in documentation, to put it simply, yep.

5. Red or White Wine?
As long as it's not dry, pretty much anything. I used to like dessert wines- that sweet. I've backed off of that but I still like a touch of sweetness. And oaky/woody flavors... ummm... I may as well lick a tree. :)

Quick Graduation Card

I realized this morning that our neighbor's daughter was graduating from high school today.  Oops.  No card, no gift.  While they're not required, with these folks, it would be a nice gesture.  Enter quick grad card.  I actually CASED the basic card from a grad card I saw in Paper Crafts (May/June: Julie Masse's "You Did It!" card.) 

 

Ingredients:

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White: Stampin' Up, Star print: Michaels, Chipboard scrap (for mortarboard)

Stamp: Studio G

Ink: Basic Black: Stampin' Up

Misc: Pearl-Ex Mists (Interference Bronze), WOW brad: Making Memories (?) Pastels: Stampin' Up

Challenges:

Apron Strings: Five for Friday.  Use 1 Sheet cardstock, 1 Sheet patterned paper, 1 Set brads, 1 Set chipboard, 1 Length ribbon.  Obviously I blew this one a bit with the use of a stamp, pastels, mist, and white paper but I stuck as close as I could to the challenge while accomplishing what I needed so I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

Scrapmaster's Paradise: Lime-a-licious Challenge.  Sorry.  No lime, only Olive.

Better Living Through Scrapbooking - 1st June Challenge

I mentioned that I really like the Better Living Through Scrapbooking challenges. I'm struggling a bit over the first one this month but I wanted to share it with you in case you wanted to enter.  I highly recommend it!


What do you reach for after a bad day, a disappointment, or when a project or plan fails? Do you have a favorite comfort food or a preferred activity? Do a project showing what makes you feel better again.


Use at least 2 of the following:

1. Use a sketch for your layout. You must credit the artist that created the sketch in the comments section of this post. If you use an online sketch, include a link.

2. Stamp without ink. Use paint, glue for flocking or glittering, etc.

3. Include a bird in your layout in some way, whether a picture, stamp, sticker, etc

4. Use an item you have laying around on your project. Anything at all, as long as it’s not specifically made for scrapbooking (price tags from clothes, junk mail, etc).
Be sure to upload your project to the mini-gallery by May 31, 2011 to be eligible for this month’s prize. Happy Scrapping!

Happy Summer card

Flirty Anya was another stamp I picked up last week during my shopping spree (but wait!  there's more!)  I generally don't go girly (somehow I think you've heard that before) but I thought she was cute without being cloying and it doesn't hurt to have a girly stamp or three.  When I saw there were some summer challenges, I thought she'd be perfect.  As for the sketch, I took it rather literally for a change though I did have to move the sun- I realized I colored her highlights on the wrong side for the sketch to work as it was.  Oops.  The little things you don't think of right off the bat sometimes.

Deets: The light blue paper in the back was misted with the Interfernce Blue PearlEx mist I made.  The sun and crab have Crystal Effects on them and are pop-dotted (the crab is actually attached to the background on one side to make him look more like he's crawling along.)  Anya is paper pieced- the dress, flower and hair were all cut from different papers.

I actually did 2 of this card- 1 to keep and 1 to send to a friend whose teaching year is almost done.  I kinda prefer the Anya's placement on the 2nd- she isn't in the water quite as much.

Ingredients:
Stamps: Flirty Anya: The Greeting Farm   Everyday Flexible Phrases, On the Beach: Stampin' Up
Inks: Tuxedo Black: Momento
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Yoyo Yellow, Pink floral (hostess pad): Stampin' Up  Others: Michaels   Coloring: Copics, PearlEx mist (Interference Blue)
Other: Crystal Effects: SU  Sandpaper, Word Window punch: Stampin Up, Memory Makers tearing strips

Challenges:
Pear Tree Designs: #52: Summer Delights
The Corrosive Challenge Blog: #119: Summer Colors
Sarah Hurley Challenge Blog: #42: Summer
Sweet Stampin' Challenge: Playing in the Summer Sun
create: Summer cards with waves
Kraftin' Kimmie: #81: Cut it Out 
Playing in Paradise: #18: Paper Piecing
Card Patterns: Sketch #118

Rockin' Father's Day Card

This is the card for my husband for Father's Day.  I've been wanting to get a Kenny K stamp for a while now and finally did last week.  The inside of the card says "You rock my world."

The piece behind the pop-dotted Rock Chick is chipboard that was in a package I received to keep things flat.  It was a great weight, in perfect condition, and I knew I'd used it for something.  :)  I embossed it and spritzed it with mists.  The horizontal piece is the same minus the embossing.

Ingredients:
Paper: Kraft: SU, Print...? Chipboard: leftover packaging
Coloring: Black Momento, Copics, Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, Bronze Mist (made w/ PearlEx)
Misc: Diamond Plate embossing folder: Cuttlebug, Brown bling: Creative Charms, Brown Sharpie

Challenges:
Desert Island Crafts Challenge: #9: Use at least 3 of 10:

   1. Use glimmer Mist or similar
   3. Something recycled (chipboard)
   5. Chipboard
   8. Glitter or Bling (the button is actually glittery too)
iCopic Lover: #33: Brown hair
Craft Your Passion: #61: Anything Goes
Crop Stop: #22: Sketch + extra embossing challenge

Meet Me On Monday

Java's changing it up a bit and doing 4 questions now...

1. What is was the last piece of candy that you ate?
I actually just had a few jumbo jelly beans left from our Easter basket.  Yep, that's right.  My parents still load up my childhood Easter basket every year.  Let's not talk about Christmas stockings!

2. Do you "read" in the bathroom?
When else would I have a chance to look through PaperCrafts and Creating Keepsakes?!  :)  Seriously.  In a house with a 3yr old, you grab whatever private moment you have to call your own.  (Java mentioned that this is apparently National Bathroom Reading Month.  Why?  Would someone please tell me why?)

3. I can't stand when someone _________?
does something rude/stupid on the road and doesn't wave to acknowledge that someone else did them a favor of not rear-ending/t-boning them!  Is it really that hard to say, "Thanks, my bad."?

4. Do you do daily, weekly or monthly grocery shopping?
It's supposed to be weekly but it tends to be a few days in the week by the time I hit all of the appropriate stores having great sales and/or getting the things I forgot/didn't know I needed the first/second time around.