Class Project #2

This cute binder clip photo holder only took about 5 minutes to make - gotta love that! I went a little out of my comfort zone and used some colors that I don't normally reach for. I cut the main piece of patterned paper to 2 x 3 1/8. I stamped the sentiment from the "It's All Good" SU set in pumpkin ink. Then I punched it out with my 1 inch punch, added a border with my 1 3/8 circle punch and then sandwiched some mellow moss ribbon between two bayou blue scallops.

Don't you think this would be a wonderful gift for a teacher or someone starting a new job?

Class Project #1

I had time to take pictures of all the projects we'll be doing in my class this Sunday and thought I'd share my favorite one with you first. This is the egg box from Papertrey. I found some adorable double sided paper at my local scrapbook store by Imaginisce. It's from the "For Peep's Sake" collection. Since the images on the front are all circles, I used a 1 inch punch on 15 of them and attached them with dimensionals around the box. I used the back side of the paper directly on the box, but left a 1/4 inch border so some of the white box would show.

I loved Lauren Meader's idea of using the disposable piping bags as carrots. I went to the Jelly Belly store yesterday and bought 3 pounds of cantaloupe jelly beans......yummmy! We'll be using these to fill the piping bags and then tying the tops with 1/4 inch certainly celery SU ribbon. I get to eat all of the leftover jelly beans from my class right?!

I used the scallop punch, which I just LOVE for a little interest at the top of the box. I poked holes around the border with my paper piercer and outlined them with a white gel pen. The bottom of the box is wrapped in 5/8 inch certainly celery SU ribbon.

This was such a quick and easy project to do, but it looks like it took hours! Don't you just love those?

Playing with my Prismacolors

I've been really busy the last two days prepping for my class this weekend. I'm really excited about the projects and can't wait to show them to you. Hopefully I'll get a chance to take some pictures of them tomorrow.

In between prepping for class and loads of laundry, I managed to sit down and play with my new Prismacolor pencils. Thanks to all of you who left me tips on my blog and SCS!

So...do any of you have a stamp that you just HAD to have, but then you got it home and it just wasn't workin' for ya? This image by Inkadinkado has been so difficult for me to use. I've tried coloring it in with watercolor pencils, Copics and re-inkers and a aquapainter. Nothing seemed to come out that was worth keeping. I thought this stamp would be the perfect test for my new Prismacolors. The only scrap of paper that I had on hand at the time was watercolor paper, but I still was able to get an idea of what these babies can do!

Get Well from the teachers

The school secretary just had surgery and I thought this would be a cute card for all of the teachers to sign for her. 5 x 7 is a little larger than I usually make, but figured it would have to fit alot of get well wishes and I wanted to make sure there was enough room for everyone to sign. Just used scraps on this and some cute alphabet ribbon that I got at the local scrapbook store.

Water bottles

March is fast approaching and I'm starting to get ready for my next class. I whipped these up last night in about 45 minutes. I got my daughter the SU "All in the Family" and "Family Accessories" sets for Christmas. She hated them. Can you imagine?? Well..they've been sitting here in my workshop unopened since December. I finally decided to bust them open and get them mounted a few days ago. I'm so glad that I did! These guys are just TOO cute!

This project was a great way to use up tons of scraps. The main piece is 2 1/4 x 8 1/2 of thick cardstock. I scored the long side at 2 1/4 to make a square on the top and folded it over. Then I used my 1 3/8 circle punch to make a hole for it to fit over the lid. After that, I just kind of played around and here are the finished products. I still have a few more to make, but thought I'd share what I have so far.

Something for the family...

So here's my little guy at his first Taekwondo belt test yesterday. He's been working SO hard for the last month and really looking forward to this. I see many Taekwondo scrapbook pages in my future. Check back later today for some items I've been working on for my March class!

ENABLER ALERT! And your input please...

Hey gals!

While I was browsing through the Sunday paper, I saw an ad from Aaron Brothers. All of their Prismacolor art pencils were 50% off! I've been wanting these for a long time, and decided to go ahead and get a small set to play with. I got this beautiful set of 24 for only $15!! I can't wait to get these babies sharpened up and onto paper.

I've never used these before, but I've already got odorless mineral spirits and a blending stump. Does anyone out there have any tips for me? I've seen SO many beautiful samples and I'd love to hear how you use these.

Stamp Camp samples

Hope you're all having a wonderful week. Just thought I'd do a really quick post to show some cards I made a couple of weeks ago at my first demonstrator only SU Stamp Camp. We used several of the new Sale-A-Bration sets, but these were the ones that I liked best.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!.....and a challenge too

Look what I found on my doorstep yesterday!! It's my Stampin Up starter kit! Of course, all my new stamps were cut and mounted within an hour so I could start playing right away. The sets that I chose to include in my kit were:

• Pun Fun


• Fabulous Flowers


• Boatloads of Love


• It's All Good


• Much Appreciated


• Sandy Shells Wheel (to go with my Crab & Company set that I absolutely adore)

I also wanted to post my take on Amy's challenge for this week. Interesting layout - I really liked it! All of the paper is by My Mind's Eye, and the stamp is from SU's Hip Hip Hooray. The sentiment is by Inkadinkado. I colored in with copics and would any of my cards be complete without Stickles? I think not. I was also happy that I got to use the yummy new ribbon I picked up from the Michael's $1 bin! Hope you all like it!

Beate's Sketch Challenge

I am totally wiped out today. I was up until 1am with 5 giggling children at a slumber party last night. My kids were SO excited because they got to have their first official "midnight snack".

So, this is what I came up with for Beate's sketch challenge. I really don't like it very much, but I played with it over the weekend and added some sponging and paper piercing and that seemed to make it a little less hideous! Ever have one of those cards that just doesn't work for you and everytime to try to make it better, it just keeps getting worse and worse?

I used all SU cardstock and the retired set called "Right at Home". The background piece came from a little stash of handmade paper that I won from the local stamp store.

That's it for now. I need a little nap to recover from last night!

Trains and Stickles and Pink oh my!

We're going to a pink princess birthday party tomorrow with pink decorations, pink cake, pink craft projects, pink pink pink everything. Instead of going with the expected princess card, I decided to challenge myself and use the Circus Train set I got before it retired from the last SU catty. So far I've only used it for boy birthdays, but I figured with pink copics and Stickles on hand, anything was possible. I made a small pocket with the striped paper so I could hide the rest of the train behind it. All you have to do is pull the tab that says "wish" and the rest of the train comes right out. Oh, and don't forget about the lovely cork numbers that I talked about a few days ago. I managed to use TWO of them on this card!! Yeah for me! Cyber high-5!

Such a productive day!!

Don't you just love it when you plan to get something done and the creative juices are flowing?!

I finished my Hawaii album last night! Technically it was 3 o'clock this morning, but hey, it's done!! Thought I'd share a few of my favorite pages.

I also finished my card for Beate's weekend sketch, but I really don't like it. I'm still fiddling with it and will post it tomorrow....maybe.

Aloha

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! I stayed up late and did some scrapbooking, which I haven't done since Christmas. I'm working on a album for the last trip we took to Oahu.

The kids are out of school until next Tuesday, so I'm going to try to get as much done as I can.

We love you Mrs. VanLiew!

My son has the best teacher in the whole world! She is such a wonderful lady and has become a great friend to me as well. I have so much respect for her and for the enthusiasm that she brings into the class EVERY day. Frankly, I don't know how she does it all and can still have time to raise her own three kids, who are all amazing by the way.

I always try to give her something special on the holidays to make her feel appreciated and this Valentine's Day will be no different. Since I had one cute little mailbox left over from my workshop, I decided I could put a little something in it for her. I wanted to be a little more original than cookies or candy, and truth be told, I don't think teachers REALLY like to get that stuff all the time.

She and I did Weight Watchers together for several months last year and recently tried to start up again to loose those 10 pounds that just won't disappear! Oh, it's so frustrating and so hard to get motivated. And can you even imagine trying to do it with a room full of 20 kids who have snack time, birthday cupcakes and any other excuse for sugar?!

I thought it would be a cute idea to go through my Weight Watchers cookbooks and pull out the most decadent dessert recipes and make little recipe cards to fit in the mailbox. I typed them up on the computer because my handwriting is hideous and mounted them on thick cardstock that measured 3 1/4 x 4 3/4. I made a title card that says, "Sinful desserts......that are 5 points or less" and tied it all together with ribbon. I can't wait to give it to her tomorrow.

Beate's Challenge

Well....better late than never right? Here's my card for Beate's weekend sketch challenge. For some reason this layout was really tough for me to get started on. Adding the ribbon definately helped get me going. After staring at the sketch for a few days, I decided to use it to make a card for my friend's son who is turning two in a couple of weeks.

The stamp is from the Circus Train set, which just retired from the SU catalog. I never wanted it until I knew it was being retired - funny how the mind works. Okay...back to the card . I really like to use primary colors for kids birthday cards, but instead of plain yellow, I went with a mustard this time. I colored the image in with my Copics and added some blue stickles and photo corners to finish it off. I used a cork number sticker from a huge set of them that I bought at the scrapbook expo a few years ago because I "had" to have them. Gosh.....three years later and I finally used one! I'm thinkin' that EVERY kid who gets a birthday card from me this year will have a lovely cork number on it :-)

Well, that's it for now. I've got to go get myself ready for the big season premiere of Big Brother tonight!! I'm a total sucker for reality television. It's pretty much the only thing I watch anymore. Big Brother, Survivor, American Idol...I just can't get enough!

What a weekend!

I'm thrilled to say that my Valentine workshop was a smashing success! Between the two days, I had a great turnout and everyone LOVED the projects. I've decided to host a different themed workshop on the first Sunday of each month.

March is fast approaching and I'm already full of super cute ideas for my next get-together! I can't wait to get my hot little hands on the new "just hatched boxes" from Papertrey. They will be released on the 15th and I'll be placing my order at 12:01am so I can get enough of them for my March workshop! I may have to order some extras to have on hand for Father's Day, because I think these boxes would be PERFECT for holding personalized golf balls. Can't you just picture them sitting in a bed of faux grass?!

Taylor's Cupcake Challenge

This is my take on Taylor's sketch this weekend. The main image is from Stampendous and the sentiment is by a-muse , which fit perfectly in the 1 3/8" circle punch. Chocolate Chip cardstock is by SU and the patterned paper is "Stella Ruby" by Basic Gray. It seems like every time I reach for pretty paper these days, it's Basic Gray. I used my copics to color, did some paper piercing around the border and added some Stickles for the finishing touch.

What's a crafty insomniac to do?

Well, it's almost 6am and the sun will be rising soon. What's a girl to do when she can't sleep, but doesn't feel like making a card? She makes "card candy" of course!

I've finally got that bug that's been going around and everytime I try to lay down to sleep, the snot just runs back up into my head. My son fell asleep in front of the toilet after an episode of projectile vomit. Ahh....don't you just love this time of year?!

Okay....on to a less disgusting subject.

My sister-in-law bought the Sizzlet Sweet Set at the Scrapbook Expo this past November and I've been dying to borrow it from her! I must say, that I'm very happy with the end results, but getting there took FOREVER! I only made about 30 pieces or so, and it took five hours! None of the lines actually cut through the paper. They just make a mark on it, so I had to do alot of cutting with scissors and layering of my own. This was the perfect project for a gal who can't sleep and needed something to keep her occupied. I am very happy with the end results, but I will only be giving these to people who will really appreciate them!

Drum roll please......

And the winner of my first blog candy giveaway is.....

Keiko!!!
"Oh boy! sorry for the coffee crisis!What a cute mail box!!I always enjoy your cards and ideas!!Keep it up!"

Congratulations Keiko (love that name). Send me an e-mail with your home address and I'll get those babies out to you asap!

Is it summer yet?

The weather out here has been cold and rainy for the past couple of weeks and we've had two really big storms. I'm talking about the kind of storms that knock down EVERY fence in the neighborhood. The last few days have been just beautiful and have gotten me to start thinking about Spring and Summer. I can't wait to start going on picnics again, getting the kids signed up for swimming lessons, barbecues in the backyard with friends and our annual trip to Disneyland.


Since I was feeling "summery", I decided to use some Rubbernecker stamps that I got at an Expo a couple of years ago. I absolutely HAD to have them, but have never inked them up until now. I used clear microbeads on the ice cubes, Diamond Glaze on the glass and lemon slice and I paper pieced the cocktail umbrella.


Speaking of stamps that I had to have, have you all seen the latest release from My Favorite Things? It's called Twisted Sentiments and it's hilarous. I have so many images that these could work with!
Don't forget to enter my blog candy mailbox giveaway! I'll be choosing a winner tomorrow night after my workshop - good luck!
Cheers!

Cat Butt Love

I love this stamp from Stampola! No, it's not for everyone, but I definately have a few friends who share my sick sense of humor (insert evil grin here).

I'm in a card swap club that meets once a month and these are the little beauties that I'll be swapping tonight. The blue paper is from the Bazzill Bling line and I ran it through my Sizzix with the Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing folder. The flower and heart die cuts were done with my Cricut machine, but needed a little something. I stamped the flower with the flower image from the "Doodle This" set from Stampin Up and inked the edges of the heart with Rose Red. The kitties were colored with my Copics and then I added Liquid Applique to the girl's legs. The cross stitch stamp was brought back to me by a friend who went to Japan.

This was a really fun card to make - hope the gals like it!

Don't forget to enter my first blog candy giveaway by leaving a comment in the previous post! I'll be randomly choosing a winner on Friday night!

Mini mailbox, coffee woes and BLOG CANDY!

Well...I was supposed to get a bunch of scrapbooking and card making done yesterday, but sometimes things just don't go as planned. On the way to meet my girlfriends, I stopped at Starbucks and got some Venti drinks for us. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, the cup carrier fell out of my hand and the entire contents of a Venti Mocha exploded all over the driver side of the beige interior of my husbands Mercedes! EEEEEEK! Luckily there was a gas station on the corner and I pulled in and grabbed every paper towel they had. I spent about ten minutes collecting ice cubes and sopping up chocolate coffee out of the driver side door, seat, carpet, seatbelt, armrest, my shoes and my clothing. I remembered that there was a car detail place about a mile away and headed over, all the while praying that they were open on Sunday mornings. Yeah! They were open, I pulled in, explained my dilemma and they got to work. I went into the waiting room to see if they had a bathroom for me to use, so I could wash all of the dried up coffee off of my arms, shoes, watch, etc. I got some strange looks from everyone on my way to the restroom. Hmmmm....maybe I had splashed some coffee on my face?? When I got inside, I looked in the mirror....no coffee on my face. I washed up for a few minutes and on my way out of the bathroom, I looked in the mirror to make sure there wasn't anything on my back. O MY GOSH!!! Now I know why everyone was staring at me. I had a GINORMOUS wet chocolate colored coffee stain on my tushy!! It looked SO gross! I can only imagine what those people were thinking!

Needless to say, I was two hours late for my crop date with the girls and not feeling very motivated. We mostly just socialized and worked on small miscellaneous projects.

I managed to finish my sample mini mailbox for my workshop this weekend. Isn't the patterned paper totally yummy?! It's from the Sweetheart Collection by Cloud 9 Design. The paper is embossed and sparkly in person. For the rest of the box, I used a bunch of different SU stamps and misc ribbons that I've been hoarding.

Thanks for reading this very long post and listening to my sad coffee tale. If you've made it this far, you deserve a little something! How about 3 mini mailboxes for my first blog candy giveaway!! One pink, one white and one red! Leave a comment on this post and tell me about one of your embarassing experiences and I'll randomly choose a winner on Friday!

Happy Cupcake Day

I saw a challenge on Taylored Expressions last night and decided to play along. We were challenged to make a card using SU's real red, pixie pink, tempting tuquoise and chocolate chip. Now this is definately not a color combo that I would have come up with myself, but I LOVE it. I figured I'd make a birthday card since the colors were so cheerful and bright. And the best part? I only used scraps for this! I hope I'm not the only one out there who gets major satisfaction when I can open up my scrap bins and make something that I actually like! The stamp is "cupcake mouse" from Whipper Snapper Designs and he is definately one of my favorite images.

I finished the last project for my workshop last night, which was one of the mini mailboxes from Target, and it came out pretty cute. A couple of my friends and I are going to crop til we drop tomorrow, and if I'm as productive as I'm hoping, then I'll have some scrapbook pages to share with you as well as my mini mailbox on Monday.

Valentine project #2

I'm so proud of myself! I made the second project for my Valentine workshop in less than an hour! I knew I wanted to make a nugget box, but didn't have any ideas on how I wanted it to look or what color scheme I was going to use. I looked through all of my patterned papers and chose "Eternity" from the Blush collection by Basicgrey. I matched it up with the SU chocolate chip cardstock and some pink ribbon from JoAnn's $1 spot. I used the caterpillar and and sentiment from SU's Bugs and Kisses set, which is another favorite of mine. After the box was put together, I found some coordinating scraps and used the triple flower punch, popped one up on dimensionals and added a button in the middle. I stamped the ladybug in More Mustard and the heart in Cameo Coral and then punched it out with my 1" circle punch, sponged the edges and attached it to the nugget in the middle of the box.

I'm really happy with how it came out and how quick it was to put together. Two projects down and one to go!