Happy Birthday to WMS

Another quick post as life has been off this week. With that said, I'm also going to be double dipping as this is for WMS and YMH. Claire over at WMS is celebrating her 2nd birthday of her on-line stamp store. To celebrate, she is hosting a Tea Party and to help her celebrate I made a little teabag using one of her FREE templates. Of course I had to use two of your amazing stamps to help embellish the bag (Holiday Label No 14 and Bitty Banners). These were the perfect frame for my Prima sugar coated flower and the paper came from a Tattered Angels kit that I got from YMH. What really helped me add the depth to the project was Helmar's Scrapdots. This bad boy adhesive is what gave the depth to the flower and stamped ribbon. I distressed the edges a little and then sponged with some light brown ink and then to help the flower flow with the bag I edged the white of the bag in glitter as well as the stamped ribbon. It's simple but it's cute.

Nothing like a last minute entry, lol. At least I am able to say Happy Birthday and may there be many more to an amazing stamping company.

OLW 2011

I know we're in the start of February, but I only just got my January page finished for my One Little Word class I'm in over at Big Picture Classes. I've been enjoying reading about Ali Edwards and her use of One Little Words (OLW) in her life. In fact, I applied it to my life two years ago with "grow" and tried last year but honestly forgot about my word. This year I've been needing something different and really like the concept of OLW so I am trying again. January has been a struggle for me in trying to find some "balance", but I feel it. This was the page we were to create for January. I used some of my leftover Live with Prima kit I got from YMH. One of the great things about these kits is the amount of extra goodies you have after finishing the project.

The patterned paper is a mix of Prima's Heartstrings, Love Letter, and miss pretty. Even the butterflies were punched from scraps of those papers and then highlighted with some distress ink.

One the middle card in the top row I covered the patterned paper with the packaging that some of the flowers came on in the LWP kit and the stamped frame on the second row is from Prima's Fontology. I do feel that my word need to be a little heavier though.

The bottom row was created using the corner Heartstrings as I really liked how the paper looked there and by having the lines reach all the way to the other card gave it some balance I thought. I am really like how simple the layout is too. If you haven't checked out LWP kits over at YMH you must. In fact, Kristina just put up the latest LWP kit that was taught last night.

Balance Prima style

I am back. It's still upsetting to think that I will never be able to see my uncle again in person when I visit my family there, but I know I will see him the stories we share and the memories I have. We didn't have a service but a celebration of his life. It was amazing to see the police being represented from the surrounding communities as he was a police officer for many years before going to Boeing. He was an Eagle Scout, retired Air Froce and police officer, father, son, uncle, brother and so much more. He and I were the only red heads in the family and for many years when I was much younger people would think I was his daughter. Thank you for ya'lls prayers and thoughts while I was gone.

I wanted to share this project that was posted over at Your Memories Here. My OLW for 2011 is "balance" and I thought it would be nice to have a pretty reminder. The frame was created from a wooden frame that got the edges painted with black paint and the front covered in some yummy Prima paper fround at YMH. The letters were some random chipboard alphas I had that I painted in turquoise and then added a layer of Glossy Accent to make them shiny. I added a black "mat" that was dry brushed with white on the inside to distinquish it from the picture and the black strip was crinkled and then dry brushed with white paint to give it some texture. To balance the word I added several Prima flowers (LOVE these flowers). I used Lilliput Roses - Lemon, Lilliput Roses - Turquoise, Mini Rose - Bright Turquoise, and Mini Rose - Sunrise Yellow. Since the mini flowers come on wire steams I used those steams to add some texture to the flowers and act like leaves. After the flowers were glued down I discovered an opening that looked off in the bunch so I added some Prima half pearls in a creamy yellow to act as filler. LOVED how quick and esay this all came together and now I have a beautiful reminder sitting on my classroom desk as a gentle reminder of my 2011 OLW.

My DH took the picture of me standing againt a black cloth I use for photographing my white projects. I decided I wanted to represent a scale. In PSE I softened the picture and worked each layer to give it a B/W effect while having my turquiose shirt pop just a tad. Then I added the words of what I am trying to find a balance in/with this year. I have this same photo printed, with the definition and a scripture verse added, to my bathroom mirror as a reminder each morning and evening.

I hope to have something for ya'll Friday, but since I just got back and my youngest is not sleeping well at night I can not promise just yet.

Your Memories Here DT Post

I've got a simple flower card for ya'll today as my mojo took an early vacation. You can get all these goodies or something really close to them at Your Memories Here. I really loved how quickly this card came together. More deets are found at the YMH blog.

Challenges used:
Frosted Design: Distressed
Taylored Expressions: sketch
Off the Wall:

SCIC:

Gold and Brown plus a little orange

Here's my card for todays YMH post. Once I get some more time I plan on doing some altered projects, but it looks like it's going to have to wait until at least November. I used some of my new Tattered Angles products: HayRide Glimmer Glam, Peach Delight and Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist, and the bird is from the Nature Glimmer Chips collection. The paper is from SEI's Windsor collection. I love how the paper have the metallic gold look to it. A simple post for a simple card :)


Challenges used:

Stamp Simply - use some sort of metal feel to the project

Creative Inspiration - sketch

SCS HYCC - card inspired by someplace you walk (the bird because of hearing them while I walk to and from and card, gold for my school's colors and orange for the few trees that are starting to turn colors that I see around my home).

Crazy 4 Challenges - Fall/Autumn inspired

Autumn Inspired

So my week was rough at work and while I have been dealing with that my DH's uncle passed away and we have his funeral tiday. He had been fighting cancer for a year and is now at peace and home with our Father. I thought about taking today off, but DH said that I really shouldn't since this is my stress release and he thinks I needed. I kept the cards rather simple as I couldn't focus as much. The designer paper I used on both cards can be bought at Your Memories Here. Lots of Glimmer Mist was used on the cards (and can be bought at YMH). I used some Tattered Angles Glimmer Mist to cover the chipbard pieces that the butterflies are sitting on as well as on the blue embossed cardstock to give it a subtle sparkle. I colored the butterflies with my copics and cut them out. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder foudn at YMH for the blue cardstock to add some texture and then lightly sponged along the side with white ink. I wish I had more to say but I'm drained honestly.

Challenges used:

clean & simple - sketch

Crafty Calendar - Autumn Birthdays

My Partner in Crafting Crime - clean & simple

Lollipop Crafts - Glitter, Sparkle, and Shine

CCEE - sketch

Flutter by Wed - sparkle with a butterfly, angel, or fairy

Tuesday Taggers - here comes Autumn

My Time to Craft - looks like Autumn

Stampin' for the Weekend - Autumn inspiration

Papertrey Ink September Blog Hop

Things at work haven't slowed down, so I am having to spend an entire Saturday away from my family so that I can grade stacks of papers, write lesson plans, and complete several on-line work related activities. I'm not really happy about it, but it needs to get done now because I'm at the end of a grading period. Things just seem really off this year and I am not sure why. I've started praying a lot to God about if I really am doing what He wants me to do: teach. One of my problems is knowing how my Heavenly Father speaks to me, so I am also second guessing about whether or not what I am hearing is really from Him. DH and I being in debt isn't helping the problem either, nor is the fact that my oldest is in Pre-K, and I can't be room mom or go on field trips with his class or help out at his school. I am suppose to help teach a 2nd grade Sunday School class, but with everything hitting me I just don't think I have it in me to help out this Sunday so of course I feel guilty about that. To top it all off, I can feel myself starting to slip into my depression so I am trying to fight that at the same time. Blah! Nothing like a little chocolate to make you feel better right, lol.



Ok, enough about me and my issues. I know ya'll are really here to see my goods for the PTI blog hop and my YMH post. I decided to put together a cute little gift set (at least I think that's what you can call it). The challenge for the hop is to show off some skills that I am inspired by from other stampers. There are so many to choose from for me, but the latest inspiration I got was from PTI's own Lisa of Poppy Paperie. Her latest card with the Flutterby Friend's stamp set was just too cute. I loved how she combined the two greenary images and the placement of those littel butterflies. I decided to create a card with them but put my own twist of it. The other inspiration I get is from all of the wonderful copic colorers out there. I'm just a beginner, but I love to play with them and I have seen several recently where the images are stamped on colored cardstock and then colored. What a great twist for coloring and the results are really neat.

I don't have any of the trees from PTI, but I do have a really cute one from YMH that I thought would go perfect with this little outdoor theme I've created. To give it a little rustic look I used the cracked glass technique after I sponged the edges. It turned out perfect! I also decided to add some brown half pearls from YMH to the butterflies bodies to give them a little something extra. The lace and designer paper also came from YMH.

The butterfly is popped up on thicker foam while the tree image is on the thinner foam to fit over the lace.

I just loved the background I created on the card and the effect of the cracked glass with the image that I decided to create a little corner bookmark that I've been seeing lately. I used the same stamps from Flutterby Friend and the same cute little tree image so that it could be paired with the card. I added some faux stitching around the bookmark and used a border punch (not sure from who). This is my first time in making one of these, and I discovered that they were fairly use to make. I so see more of these in my future for my book loving friends.

These projects also fit several challenges:
Crafty Catz - stiching (on the bookmark)
Stamp Something - fall colors
Charisma Cards - anything goes
Creative Inspirations - 2 or more stamped images
Flutterby Challenges - all winged things
CARDvarks - CAS card
Copic Creations - shading on or around images (I did my shading on the images)
Unscripted Challenges - sketch (for the card)

Shabby Fall

Here's another shabby card for ya'll. I'm really likeing this style, and it works so well with the autumn/fall season that is upon us. It so fun trying out new styles and techniques. The flower I created for my card is a bigger version of the flower you can find at my post here. I really love that it was made from a paperbag and that it was so easy to make. The paper took the glimmer mist so well too. I use Tattered Angels Golden Terracotta and Tiger Lily (you can find many colors at Your Memories Here). I only wish the pictures could do the glimmer justice. The paper used came from YMH as well, and I really like how it lends itself to not only autumn/fall season but the shabby chic style too. The lace ribbon I used for the leaves and the edge of the DP strip and the three half perals is from YMH and can be found under Prima (and who doesn't love them some Prima right, lol). For the center of my flowers I used a clear epoxy circle thingy that I stuck on top of a 1/2" circle I punched out of some DP. Just a little something extra to a already cute flower.
As for the state of my craftroom...well, it still looks like a tornado has hit it. In fact, it might even be worse off as my DS played in there this week. Oh well, maybe this will be the week I start cleaning it...


Challenges used:
Lord Have Mercy: sketch
Stampin' Sisters in Christ - use stiching somewhere (real or not)
A Spoon Full of Sugar - use autumn colors
Creative Card Crew - Autumn/fall inspired
Paper Sundaes - min 3 embellies (lace/ribbon, half pearls, brad, and the flower I made
Saturday Crafter - anything goes

Fresh Brewed Challenges - DARE (distress, autumn, ribbon, embellies)

Sabby Blue Bird

I am so glad to be in my craft room right now (even though it looks like a tornado has hit it). Beginning of a new school year is always hetic and challengeing and this year is no exception. A has really been enjoying his Pre-K school and teacher (still find it funny that his teacher lives on our street), but he is a boy of few words. I don't get much from him in the way of words, but his face lights up when we talk about it. One of the biggest change for us is the getting up early part as it makes for a long day. Everyone has been coming home tired and after the boys go to bed DH and I have just been hanging out in our room watching tv/playing on the laptops. I really want to change some of that as I do miss my books and my craft room has been feeling neglated. I also miss talking to my DH and not just being in the room with him yet do different things. Don't get me wrong, it nice just being around him but it feels as though that's all we do - no real conversation. It's time to get my body and mind into gear and start acting on the changes I want to see. My problem is finding the time to do it all and so this is something I really should be praying about and listening to His answer.

Anyways, let's get down to business: the project ya'll are here to see. LOL. It's my day at Your Memories Here and I've created a cute little card for ya'll. I thought I would try my hand at the whole Shabby Chic style again. YMH has this beautiful shimmery paper called Lovebirds by SEI that has birdcages, birds, and keys on one side while the back side is a solid copper color (both sides shimmer). I paired up the paper with some cream lace found at YMH and some Maya Road chipboard cut outs that I've had for awhile but haven't really used. The base of the card is PTI's vanilla c/s with their Background Basics: Text Style stamped in Antique Linen Distress Ink and sponged on the edges with PTI's Tea Duo ink set. I then dry rubbed some Adirondack's Pearl paint to give it a little something extra when light hit. Next I punched the scallop boarder from some coral cardstock as a base for the cream lace. I raised the SEI paper on pop dots so the lace would cause any bumps underneath it.

The banch got a coat of Walnut Stain Distress Crackle Paint and then once dried I rubbed in some of the Pearl paint. My sweet little blue bird was base painted with a coral pink and then covered with Broken China Distress Crackle Paint. I love how the pink just peeks through the cracks. As a bonus, I put the paint on thick is some parts and thin in others so that I could get a variation of crack sizes. LOVE this stuff! For the eye I used a light blue rhinestone from Prima that also came from YMH.

I had lots of fun with this card and it came together surprisingly fast (got love using the heat gun on the paints to quicken their drying time, lol). I think that maybe, just maybe, I'm getting the hang of this Shabby Chic thing :)

Challenges used:

clean and simple - scketch (I flipped the sketch)

A spoon full of sugar - animals

My Time to Craft - jeweled (the eye for my bird)

Fab 'n' Funky - anything goes

Fresh Brewed - use brown

If the shoe fits - color challenge

Now for a bit of crafting honesty. Besides work overload, there is another reason why I haven't been crafting as much. The room has gotten so messy that I really just can't stand to be in here for more than a few minutes at a time. It overwhelms me to the point where I don't even want to clean. I get so caught up in creating and getting the ideas from head to paper that I don't clean up after myself. This is something I really need to adjust as it stiffles my mojo and makes it hard not only in finding things but in getting around too. Here are pictures to prove this (guess I really do need to clean). I'm not the only one with this problem right? How do ya'll keep your space clean?

Wake-up Call

Shocking I know, but I have completed a 12 x 12 scrapbook page. It has been so long since I have scrapped, but I really do miss it. I love the thought of leaving more that just pictures for my family but also the stories behind them: good, bad, ugly, and silly. More about the layout in a moment. My layout is for the Sketchy Thrusdays challenge and Your Memories Here is hosting. You will love the prize that is being offered.

Isn't that prize just yummy looking! Be sure you play along with Sketchy Thursday Challenges so you can have a chance at winning the goodie prize.

I have been wanting to scrap this moment for awhile now and thought it would look great with this sketch. My boys love to wake each other up and it's always a time of wonderful laughter. I managed to capture them on film one day doing what they do best during a wake-up call: loving and laughing with each other.



I used a background technique I learned about from My Tattered Angels using bleach and Glimmer Mists (of which you can get over at YMH). Such a fun and messy technique but be sure to wear old clothes when doing this. I used a multi-liner pin to draw the lined border and of course the circles where punched from some scrap designer paper from YMH that I had left over from some of my projects I've done recently (one of which I'm still holding out on ya'll until next week).

Bind-it-all card? Oh Yeah!

I really like how this card turned out as it was so out of my norm. I took two cupholders from Starbucks and covered them in paper from Your Memories Here. Once covered I sanded the edges to give them a cleaned up distressed look (weird, I know). I then punched the holes in them to bind them. I however wasn't paying attention to where I was punching and punched on the wrong side on one, so I improved the mistake by dressing it up with ribbon to make a pretty bow on the back-side. I added some red sticky tape inside each cupholder along the bottom so that a giftcard could be tucked inside to make the card a cute little gift package too. The inside will have some white c/s added so that a message can be written to the person getting the card/gift. I then punched out the happy birthday message that can be found on one side of some double-sided paper called All Kinds of Happy found at YMH and mounted it on a big white flower (after I added streaks of pink to it). I found some random chipboard number and letter to make the "to you" part of the message. I painted them with some pink and pearl paint. Binding the two pieces together came next and I used a 1/2" Owire (Bind-it-all supplies can be found at YMH) since it I was making a card and didn't and didn't need anything bigger. After I was done with all of that it started looking like a cupcake to me. With that in mind I set out to make the card a cupcake one (as a bonus it will hide the giftcard that was peeking out of the second holder). I cut some white cardstock so that it would fit inside and resemble the top of a cupcake. Then I took the same ribbon I made the bow from and thought it would make for some nice frosting. I covered the top with red sticky tape and then just laid the ribbon down while playing with it trying to ruffle it and fall into a shape I liked. This was so much fun to make and I can't wait until I find the perfect person to get this.