Finally!

I haven't been feeling very creative lately.  With three volunteer positions that feel more like an (unpaid) full time job, I rarely have the energy to to pull out my supplies.  Last weekend, I decided to set aside my chore to do list, took a hiatus from my volunteer work and got crafty with two of my very creative friends.

On Friday, my friend, Donna, invited me over to craft.  I took along my Later Sk8r paper pack and the For Always Card WOTG kit.  Donna is so creative and I always come home inspired and ready to make more (visit her blog here).  She made a beautiful card using the March stamp of the month, Floral Happiness and let me make one while I was there.  The card is stunning in Sunset.  She also made one using Gypsy.

 

 

I shared a card with her that I put together at the Boston Croppers crop last month using the Chantilly papers.  The card was a big hit at the crop.  The lighting in the picture doesn't do it justice.

 

 

 

I managed to put together one card fromthe For Always Card WOTG.  The ribbon included in the kit seemed too thin for the design, so I substituted Slate Satin Polka-Dot Ribbon instead.  I planned to change up the colors too, but decided to stick with the kit suggestion for now.  I like the exclusive stamp set that comes with the kit.  This card can be used for any Woo Hoo moment in life.

 

 

 

When we received our new idea book papers, Donna showed me a card she made using the Later Sk8r paper pack and the Born to Ride stamp set.  I had that card in mind when I packed my supplies for the day.  I changed mine up a little bit, but the design and idea is hers.  I love how she stamped the inside too and kept mine the same.

 

 

 

All of the creating didn't end on Friday when I had to head home.  On Sunday, my friend, Lisa, and I finally found a chance to Skype-scrap.  We haven't had a chance to scrap together since she moved across the country last September.  We scrapped together for over 3.5 hours and had so much fun!  Her new scrap room is beautiful!  I shared my Chantilly card with her and then made her design a card on the spot.  Nothing like a little pressure to turn out an amazing design!  We used the Later Sk8r papers and the Wheel of Life stamp set.  We cut the gears using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, sanded a little to distress, inked the edges (I ink everything), and added a few embellishments.

 

I added Green & Blue Epoxy Bubbles and gears from the Later Sk8r Assortment on my card.  I originally planned to use a chipboard spinner, but it was too heavy for the card.  I stamped and cut out my spinner instead.  Here's a little detail shot:

 

 

I'm going to tuck this card into a little care package for my daughter.  Check out Lisa's card here and get a little peek at her amazing craft space too).

 

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post.  I hope it was worth the wait!





 







Happy New Year

Wait... what???  Where did the time go?  Shortly after my last post, I dropped my daughter off at college, caved in to a friend's pleas to be the PTSA Treasurer, became the finance secretary at church, tried not to fall into a depressive abyss when a dear friend moved across the country, and caught that awful cold that put me out of commission for two weeks (and then a thrid week to recoup).  I managed to create the layouts for my monthly class and put together a couple cute projects.  The pictures aren't loaded onto my computer yer, but I promise to post them very soon.

The Fun Has Arrived

New papers, and stamp sets, and embellishments... oh my! The Autumn/Winter 2012 Idea Book is a paper crafters dream! You can view the idea book online here. If you'd like your very own copy (and I know you will), send me a message and I'll get one to you

Later this month I will have a display set up at the county fair.  When a patron donates to Operation Smile, they can make this cute 3 x 3 card.

I used the Dakota paper pack, Artiste Cricut Cartridge, and the coordinating Kudos stamp set included in the Artiste bundle.  To add a bit of extra flair, I embossed the Pacifica cardstock with my Cuttlebug.



I cut the band, circles, and the star using Artiste.

I will have a few more projects to post in the next few days.  Thanks for stopping by.

Graduation Day

We've been busy around here with final exams and end of the school year activities.  Tomorrow we will be celebrating Kayleigh's graduation from high school, and, of course, I waited until the last minute to make her card.  I sat down in my scrap room yesterday without a clear picture in my mind of what I wanted to create, so I turned to my favorite blogs for inspiration.  As soon as I saw this card (thank you Connie!), I knew exactly what I would make.  When I finished the card, I realized that it fits this week's Heart 2 Heart challenge too.  The challenge is to use ribbon on your project.

Kayleigh loves plaid (she chose navy blue plaid bedding for her dorm room), so I knew I would use the Victory Papers for her card.  She also loved the camo print in the pack, which I used it to make the medallion.

To give the card a touch of femininity, I replaced the buttons with pearls and used an outdoor denim organdy ribbon. The color ready cork numbers add another layer of texture.

Since the card base is dark, I finished off the inside with a piece of the ledger paper.  I can hardly wait to see her open it.  Being an artist, I know she will appreciate every detail.

Footloose Beach Layout

I worked on this layout on and off for a couple weeks in between all of the end of the school year activities.  My oldest daughter, just 10 months old in the layout, is graduating from high school this year.  They grow up so fast.  The left page is missing the large photo (a cropped 8x10) because somehow I lost the original photo that I was going to have enlarged.  We are creating a simple version (no seaside wooden shapes) of this layout in the June Asbury Scrapbooking class on the 16th.  We chose to make the layout featured on page 40 of the spring/summer idea book using stamped embellishments in place of the Complements Dimensional Elements.  I incorporated elements featured in the artwork on pages 41 and 42 as well. While the Footloose papers are perfect for water and beach themed photos, they are neutral enough to use for other occasions too.

A Bowwow

I love this little dog.

My very talented friend, Lisa, designed a 3x3 card using the A Bowwow stamp set and let me make one too. I made the card front with Lisa and designed a larger card around it using papers from the Cruisin' Paper Pack.  It doesn't show well in the picture, but the collar has a bit of Glitz glitter glue on it and then liquid glass to make it shine.  His nose and tongue also have a dab of liquid glass.  I added a small border of cranberry cardstock and popped it up off the card.

I used retired black textured cardstock for the base. The back of the carstock is grey which allowed me to write inside the card without adding extra paper.

Sending Warm Wishes

The Heart 2 Heart Challenge this week is to make something for Mom. While poking around the Scrapbook & Cards website, I stumbled upon the Create Today Video Series.  I watched the Just Because Card video and immediately thought of the Beautiful Friendship stamp set.  Wasting no time, I pulled out the Lucy paper packet and cut the pieces for my card.  It's the perfect card for Mom.  She'll just receive it a little late.

The card came together fairly quickly and, I must admit, the tag turned out stunning.  I curved the sentiment from the A Garden stamp set around the floral shape, popped up the layers, added a bit of ribbon for softness, and opaque pearls to dress it up.  These pictures really don't do it justice.