Christie's Creations

FOR SALE!

2011-12-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

I'm cleaning out & have lots of great items for sale. Take a look & contact me if you're interested.

Seen here: white craft table that I'm asking $120 for (includes 2 shelves that sit on top of the table, table center piece, 8 cubes). Does NOT include anything on the shelves or tables, or the white bookcase shown in the picture below. The only part that isn't in excellent condition is the lower right hand file cabinet looking cube (right). Everything else is in great condition.

Cleaning Out!

2011-12-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

I have posted several sets of pictures of items from my craft room. Parooze and let me know if anything interests you. I can take paypal (would just need your email address to generate an invoice) or money orders. Shipping isn't included in the prices. If you are local, I'd be glad to work out a pick up location that's convenient.

Thanks for looking!

Christie

FOR SALE!

2011-11-25T11:15:00.006-05:00

Stampin' Up! tag punch set (many never used) $10

More FOR SALE!

2011-11-25T11:11:00.005-05:00

S. Up! Christmas Set $8

S. Up! flowers / dragonfly Set $8

S. Up! Scallop Punch Stamps $8

FOR SALE!

2011-11-25T10:58:00.008-05:00

Stamp Sets for Sale:

Stampin' Up Tulip $20

Stampin' Up Daisy $20

S. Up! Whimsical Sayings $8

S. Up! Numbers & ABC $25 for both

S. Up! Greetings $10

One More

2008-12-17T22:18:00.002-05:00

Can you say "Over achiever?" I have made not one, but THREE cards for this Christmas season! I'm not even sure how I've had the time, but each time I needed some cards, I decided to create yet another design. I love the colors on this one. I started with Riding Hood Red and layered Simply Scrapping "I Wish" designer paper on it before using Kiwi Kiss and more Riding Hood Red to offset my stamped images. The flower stamp is from an old set called "Happiest of Holidays" and the Merry Christmas is from the more recent set, "Holidays & Wishes".

With this holiday season upon us, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. Relax....rest....and enjoy!!

This one's for Sheldon

2008-11-24T21:19:00.004-05:00

I was told by Sheldon that I needed to " get going" on the cards - she needed ideas! So, this one is for her! I wanted to make my Christmas cards this year, but knew I couldn't do all button cards for my list....so, this is my alternate card. I used Kraft and Red Riding Hood paper - my new favorite color! - and some DP that I got at a local scrapbook store. I used one of my Sell-a-bration sets from last year and my scallop punch for the snowflake, and Season of Joy for the tree. This really was an easy card to assemble, and now I can say that I made ALL my C-mas cards this year! My sister and I have decided that we'll make our cards every other year....we love the Lang cards too, so we do those on alternate years, and it gives us a break.
I know I've kinda skipped over Thanksgiving, but for anyone who keeps up with my little blog....Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays

2008-11-04T18:30:00.003-05:00

I love this time of the year. I love the fall....I love Halloween...Thanksgiving...and definitely Christmas! I have been having fun looking for ideas to make for the holidays and have come across some really cute things. This is an idea I cased from Lauren Meader from My Time, My Creations, My Stampendence (check out her great blog!). I followed her excellent online tutorial to make the cup holder and then just did my own take on the rest. This was a very fun and easy project to make, and I can't wait to see my sister's reaction b/c this one is for her! She made me the cutest Halloween gift....from Martha Stewart....a coffin with candy inside! It was soooo stinkin' cute. So, when I told her I had found a great idea for C-mas, she said, "Is it coffin good?" LOL.....we decided that was going to be our new saying, "coffin good". So I hope this does the trick!

It's "Coffin Good"

2008-11-04T06:52:00.000-05:00

Well, the verdict is in -- the hot cocoa holder was coffin good! You'll have to read below to get that!! :-) But here is the infamous coffin that my sister made for me for Halloween (it WAS filled with candy.....). Isn't this just the most adorable thing ever?? I loved it! She got her idea from Martha Stewart, so you if you want to try & make these, check out her site. I just love these things!!!

Christmas Card

2008-11-02T09:08:00.003-05:00

Here's my Christmas cards!! I sat down yesterday to figure out what I was going to do because I knew I'd need to get going on them. I got the idea to use the buttons on the tree from splitcoaststampers, and then I just created my own design. I used Riding Hood Red for my background and Old Olive to mount the images on. I used Seasons of Friendship and Many Merry Messages from S. Up! along with the coordinating colors. The snowflakes are stamped in Going Gray (which worked out surprising well I thought!). The designer paper is Figgy Pudding / Forest by Basic Grey (I love their stuff!!). The only potential issue I see is that w/ the added weight of the buttons, this card may cost me more to send....which wouldn't be a new thing for me....I've been known to make the square cards & forget about the added postage until they were all done! Guess it's just a small price to pay for a homemade card, right? :-) Now I just need to start mass producing....which means I need to get all my supplies stocked up. I'm off to church & then to shop!

Season of Friendship

2008-10-01T18:54:00.002-05:00

This is one of the new sets from the mini catalog called Season of Friendship. I love that I can create a tree for any season. Seeing as it's fall, I had to make one with all my favorite colors (Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, & More Mustard). Can't wait to play with it some more!! Can't wait to order more from the mini catalog!! :-)
Happy Stamping!

Beate's Weekend Challenge

2008-09-28T09:04:00.005-05:00

It's been for-ever since I've participated in one of these, but I figured since I was playing hookie from all things school this weekend (not really, but more so than usual!), that I'd try Beate's sketch. I chose to make a Halloween card with the layout.

A Flower for All Seasons

2008-09-27T15:37:00.006-05:00

This is my new favorite set - a new one in this fall's catalog called "A Flower for All Seasons." It has the cutest images and they make great 4x4 cards. It's been so long since I've had time to work in my craft room, but today I decided to ditch my school work, and make some cards. It's fun to get back into it...I just wish I had more time. I used the new "In Colors" for these cards; I love the vibrant blue - it's so pretty! These two stamps are my favorites of the 4, but I'm sure I'll get use of all of them as the seasons go by. I also used my new scallop punch, which I just love!

I made a full set tonight - here are all 4 cards. I just love them!

Fall Card

2008-09-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

This is a 5x5 card using Really Rust as the base and Always Artichoke as the layering colors. I cased this card layout from splitcoast, but put my own spin on it. It's a fun, easy card to do!

Weekend Creations

2008-08-31T17:47:00.007-05:00

Happy Labor Day! I am excited to have tomorrow off, and have really enjoyed getting some of my scrapbook paper out this weekend to make some clipboards for some friends at school. These are just the easiest to do, and just about anyone loves to get them as gifts. I made 4 for my teammates, and then created one for myself for fall....actually Halloween! I just love how it turned out! I had gotten all this Martha Stewart paper last year in TN, and hadn't used it yet. It just worked out perfectly for a fall clipboard. Now I just have to wait a little bit until I can use it!!

A Little Creativity Left

2008-08-17T23:25:00.004-05:00

I got these cute little clipboards from Stampin' Up! - I used my Great Rewards points & got them free, so I figured I'd try to see what I could come up with for them. I wanted a little clipboard at school, and knew I needed to get it done today b/c after this, I'll be either swamped with stuff, or too tired!! :-)

The clipboards are only 9" x 4.5" - perfect for those long list notepads. I had gotten some paper when I was home this summer (from my favorite store - JoAnn's!) called "Cloud 9 Designs". I hadn't heard of it before, but I loved the colors they had. So I measured the clipboard with a blank sheet of paper, to make a pattern for the top (to be sure my paper covered up around the clip). Then I went to town on cutting! Clipboards are very easy, but a little tricky to be sure that you get all the paper cut the same and that there are no bulges. Instead of using glue on this, I used Art Accentz's Terrifically Tacky Tape (the red stuff). It holds like superglue! Then I just added 2 coordinating stickers and it was done! Took me about 20 minutes to do. I didn't know how much ribbon to put on the top - it's so small, I didn't want to overdo it. I think this looks ok....right? :-)

At any rate, tomorrow is our last in service day before the kids come. I'm ready & excited about starting a new year in a new grade level. I'm nervous too - always am at the beginning of a new year, but once the kids get there and I get going....it's old hat.

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!! Have a great week!

My Classroom

2008-08-14T15:41:00.009-05:00

I'm just about done decorating my room for this year. I have had soooo much fun with it. I moved to a new grade level & a new classroom, so that gave me the opportunity to re-invent myself a bit. Here's what I've done!!

Our theme this year is gardens and so I decided to do my own flower garden outside my room. My sister helped me sooo much last night cutting out all the laminating I had (including these flowers). I will hang student work on the flowers througout the year (or as long as this display lasts). I thought this turned out really cute!

My room had carpet in it, but they re-did the floor this summer and I love how fresh & clean it feels. This has been a work in progress, but it's getting there.

That contraption you see is called a promethean board, and it's an interactive board that has proven to be a wonderful teaching tool. In fact, I don't use my white board at all anymore. It's all done with an electronic pen now! Pretty cool!!

We are strongly encouraged to create our own displays, which is very time consuming. But this is what I came up with for my Scientific Process.

Wednesday

2008-08-13T01:35:00.002-05:00

I've been busy at school for the last week, and have really enjoyed getting ready for a new year. I think taking the whole summer off from all things school really helped me to be more ready to go back. The kids start back next Tuesday, but we have in-service days up until then. I'm going to take some pictures of my room today to post....it's where my mind has been creatively lately! But Fall is coming!!! It has cooled down a bit here, and I'm hoping that trend just continues through September. I'm excited about the months ahead & know that I'll get back to my craft room eventually! I've been checking up on blogs and have been getting inspired by some of the things I've seen. I'll have to live vicariously through other bloggers for now! :-)
Check back for photos later today!! Have a great week!

Monday News

2008-08-04T17:45:00.002-05:00

I don't want to leave things on a sad note - seeing Shelby there just makes me want to cry all over again! My sister is doing well. She's adjusting to life without her puppy, and although there are times when it hits her (like when we had to go pick up her ashes at the vet on Saturday!), the pain of the loss will get easier to deal with in time.

School is around the corner and my room (as of today) was still not finished. That just means I'll have to work extra hard the rest of the week to get things set up. Next week we have In-service and then the kids come back Aug. 19th. I'm ready for a new year, primarily b/c I took the whole summer off! I feel rested & rejuvenated, and I am very thankful for that. So far I have 20 kids - what a nice change from 25+! I'm sure those numbers will fluctuate, but at least I'm starting out smaller than I have in the past.

I haven't had much time to devote to stamping lately, but I'm sure as the fall gets closer, I'll get back into the swing of things. I hope you'll check back periodically to see what's going on. I keep up with so many of your blogs, and love to get updates. I'll try to do the same for you.

Enjoy whats left of the summer!

Tribute to a Wonderful Puppy

2008-07-31T09:14:00.004-05:00

For those who have been reading my blog for a while, you will remember my sister's dog, Shelby Lou. Last year Shelby got very sick and we weren't sure she would make it. She did make it & although she had a rough year at times, she was still the same "human puppy" that she always was - stubborn, loveable, playful, and spoiled! We often laughed at how she would give us "the eyes" and that meant any number of things, but it always cracked us up. Shelby has been part of the family for the last 10 years, but today Shelby had to be put down. The week before we left for vacation, she began to get weak and she wasn't eating. While we were on vacation, things only deteriorated and when Mel went to pick her up this morning, she had a feeling that she would probably not be bringing her home. She had gotten several calls last week saying that she wasn't eating and that parts of her seemed to be shutting down. It tore my sister up to be so far away from her during this time, but we both knew she was in the best care. I spoke to Mel this morning after she went to sit with Shelby for the last time and she said that she knew this decision was coming, but it's never easy to have to do it. The next few days will be very difficult for Mel. Please pray for her. She will miss her puppy, her friend, and companion a great deal. We all will.

Going Home to NY

2008-07-21T23:11:00.002-05:00

Well, it's that time of the year (finally!). My sister and I will be heading back to NY for a week. I have a dual purpose this time - my 20th high school reunion is this weekend, so I am going to be at that part of the time. A friend & I organize these get-togethers and it's not that hard really - we graduated from a small Christian School (only 19 in our graduating class). It's been fun to get information back on everyone along w/ pictures!! So many of us have changed over the years. I started a blog for our class, so now everyone can stay in touch a little better. Between that & facebook, we are well connected!
I will be back next Wednesday and then school stuff will start to get hectic again. Not sure how much card creating I'll be doing right off, but I'm sure I'll post from time to time. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer!

Challenge #3

2008-07-16T19:24:00.003-05:00

Here's challenge #3. I love this picture (again from Pine Cone Hill). The colors remind me of spring / summer - light & airy. See what you can come up with for this challenge & post a link to your card. I'll pick a winner next Monday & will come up w/ some blog candy for the winner!

Head over to Rhonda's blog to see what she has created for this challenge. My card creation is listed in the post under this, so check that out also. Have fun - I can't wait to see what you come up with!!

Pun-Fun

2008-07-16T19:18:00.003-05:00

I just got this set as a freebie for my Sale-a-bration rewards. I had been eyeing it for quite some time, and decided since it was free....

I made this card for the latest challenge I'll be posting next. The colors are Bold Brights with a bit of Wild Wasabi and random designer paper sprinkled in.

This card is inspired by a card I saw on Splitcoaststampers. I like the blues and reds. I don't often use the Bold Brights, but for this it just seemed to work. This Pun-Fun set is alot of fun to use too. You could easily create a whole card set with it for all occasions.

That's all from my craft room tonight. Thank you all for your comments on our Encouraging Expressions site. We're hoping it will take off and that we'll get some orders soon. It's just a fun venture for us, so I guess if it doesn't go anywhere, we can still encourage others with what we've created! If you haven't checked it out, be sure to stop by and tell me what you think!

Is it Fall yet?

2008-07-12T18:34:00.012-05:00

I admit to loving the Fall, and today was just too hot to deal with much of anything else, so I decided to create a little bit of Fall in my craft room!! I love how these cards turned out. They're simple, yet have enough to them to not look too simple (I think). For these cards I pulled out some Earth Elements plus Stampin' Up! designer paper (from last year) and went to town using my True Friend and Give Thanks sets. I liked the first one so much, that I did 2 more! I figured as long as I was on a roll, why not!

This next card is a slight re-creation of one I did last year. These little stamps are actually the clear stamps, and my sister and I got a set for both fall and winter. They're cute to use & require no coloring (a huge bonus for me!).
And finally....I'm on another pet mission. Chloee, my neighbor's cat, got out last night. We have called, done drive by's, put up posters....and called some more! This cat is no where to be found. We're hoping she comes out tonight when it gets cooler, but there is just so many places she could be. We have alot of wooded areas near us, and some poor kitty's (we think) have been lost to some coyotes that have been spotted in the wooded area near us. We're just hoping Chloee finds her way home soon!!

Update (Sunday AM): Chloee has been found!! This morning my friend / neighbor went out at 6am to call for her, and she was 2 door down under a grill cover! She is unharmed and acts as though nothing had happened (typical cat). I'm just happy she's back.

I need your opinions!!

2008-07-09T14:06:00.004-05:00

A friend and I have decided to go into card making for a little side business. I created a website for our cards and although it's not quite done, I would love some input. Everything from....ideas to add spice to it, to if you think our prices are competitive, layout, card selection....anything you can think of. I want to hear it all! Is the message clear? Is it easy to navigate? Do you get what we're trying to do? Sometimes when you have a vision, you can see it clearly, but conveying it isn't always as easy. Please be honest & don't worry about hurting my feelings....I'm askin' for it! Leave a comment or email me about it. And....thank you for your help on this! I need some input!!! :-)

Our Website: Encouraging Expressions

PS - We're open for business too, so if you see something you'd like to order, who am I to turn you down!! :-)

My new purse!

2008-07-08T13:52:00.003-05:00

I am lovin' the new Vera patterns! I'm a sucker for the browns & blacks b/c it's what I wear the most of. I had just told my sister that I thought I might be done with the Vera's for a while because I always get a pattern that matches so little that I have, that I feel I don't get the most use out of it. Then I saw this one!! It's the Caffe Latte Tote and I am lovin' it!! I love the colors and this is the first time I've had a tote - I usually pick shorter handled purses, but so far, this is workin' out just fine.

In other news....I have been working on a website for some friends & I to sell cards on!! It's not quite done yet, but we're getting there. Our goal is to provide others with cards so they can encourage one another. We'll have about 15 designs / cards for people to choose from to start and then will add for seasonal cards also. I'm not sure what the response will be, but it's worth a try.

And...I've been working on some home improvements that I hope to have pictures of soon. I've been painting my front door (red!!) and have been working on the "front yard" (which is about 5 ft. by 3 ft). My neighbor and I are doing some things together, and it's been fun to make some improvements on the place. The weather really hasn't been cooperating - it's been insanely hot & humid (bad for paint to dry in). Even today I was hoping to get one more coat on the door, but I'm not sure.

At any rate, I may not be posting cards alot right now, but things have been busy - just the way I like it! And I'm enjoying the summer - what more can ya ask for. Hope you're all enjoying your time as well.

2008-07-04T22:23:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I started to create a card this morning, but it got put on the back burner when my sister called and wanted to go shopping!! We were out for a while, and then I came home to finish painting my front door (step 1: primer - an ugly grey color!). Hopefully tomorrow we'll get the REAL color put on (poppy red). Don't worry - pictures to follow! Home improvement seems to be the thing this summer. Gotta do it when ya can! Have a wonderful weekend!!

A little distracted!

2008-07-02T12:24:00.004-05:00

I had never been on facebook before this week, but that's where I have been each evening!! I cannot believe the number of people you can find on there! I have found kids I taught when I was just out of college (who are now either married, or well into their careers!), friends from back home, and friends from this area. It's truly amazing to reconnect with so many people & it's fun to see what they've been up to. If you haven't tried it, you should! It's addicting!!

I've also been helping a friend of mine move, and getting a new bedroom set for myself, cleaning the house, and just hanging out w/ friends. I'm afraid card making has taken a back seat this summer! Oh well - there's still time.

Here's my new bed!!! It's soooo high! I love it!

Thank you to all those who participated in the last little challenge I posted. The winner of the blog candy from that one is Trisha of Easily Amused, Hard to Offend. Congratulations Trisha - I know you said you weren't an avid card maker, but I'm glad you participated. It's fun!! Send me your info & I'll get that sent out to you.

I hope everyone enjoys their week. I'm off to Gaffney to shop tomorrow!
More later.....
C

Ramblings from too early in the morning!

2008-06-27T04:46:00.004-05:00

Do you feel as though you are continually trying to create something NEW and exciting with each card? I do! And I get tired of thinking sometimes!! :-) I have a friend who makes a card and then duplicates it several times. She gives many of her cards away, and has told me that once she comes up with a card design, she figures she'd just make a bunch. I need to take a page from her book. I have a bunch of cards that I've made to post and they all sit on my desk in a basket waiting for....what?? I'm not sure! I do use them from time to time, but more often I will create a whole new card based on the person & the occasion as it comes up. I love the fact that I can individualize cards, and I won't ever stop doing that, BUT I think there's something to be said for working smarter! Find a design you like, and go with it! Revisit some of your past cards and make them again - only this time, make LOTS of them!! That's my revelation for 6am. I've been up since 4, and I'm heading back to bed here soon to see if I can't catch another couple of hours of sleep! I'm on vacation - what on earth am I doing up so early??!!

Challenge #2 with more BLOG CANDY!!

2008-06-25T08:14:00.008-05:00

If you're looking for something to inspire you, try this out! I love the colors in this picture - another one from Pine Cone Hill. I will work on a card to post this afternoon, but I can't wait to see what YOU create!

BLOG CANDY: 2 sheets of stickers, ribbon, and circle stick-ons that all coordinate! All you have to do is post your comment & a link to your card. I'll pick a winner next Monday, June 30th! Happy Creating!!

Ok, this is the card that Rhonda created for the challenge - she's ahead of me! I didn't have time today (Thursday) to do anything b/c I was out lying on mattresses! I desperately needed a new mattress and desperately wanted a bedframe, so....I went shopping today! I ended up getting both, and they will be delivered next Wednesday - I can't wait! But....hopefully tomorrow I will sit down & make a card for my own challenge!! Ugg! :-)

In the meantime, check out Rhonda's Blog - she is very talented!

My card creation: I used Chocolate Chip as my background, and added Certainly Celery and some DP on top. I used the set, Seeing Spots, to stamp the circles on the Certainly Celery before attaching it, and then used my scallop punches to create the double circle layer. I used Really Rust for the flower. I love these colors!! I'm going to have to think more about using them together b/c they work well together.

A True Friend

2008-06-22T19:34:00.003-05:00

I haven't done much by way of card creating this week - have been busy dog sitting. But I picked up this new paper (K & Company's K-ology), and I just loved the colors. I used Chocolate Chip as my base card and layered 2 of the coordinating papers from K&C onto that. I used my True Friend (old faithful) stamp set with my Creative Memories Oval cutting system + my Uchida oval scallop punch. The ribbon is just some gingham I had lying around, but I think it adds to the card. I think I'll make several of these to use as a packet for something! :-)
I need to head over to Beate's blog to see what the weekend challenge was - I'm a little behind.

Congratulations to Rhonda who won the first challenge sketch and the blog candy!! I've been getting to know Rhonda a little bit, and she is very talented. Check out her blog!

I'll post another challenge this week, so check back! Enjoy your week!

Are you ready for this?

2008-06-16T08:45:00.004-05:00

I asked a friend of mine, Karen, to join the little design team I started, and this is what she came up with for the first design challenge - scrapbook pages done in (almost) all fabric!!! There is a little Basic Grey in there - can you tell where though?

Here's what she used: Fabrics are Braemore and misc. Photos are printed on June Tailor inkjet iron on sheets.

I'm sure Karen would love to hear what you have to say about her pages, so please leave her a comment here (as she doesn't have a blog - yet!) and I'll be sure she sees them!

I am truly amazed Karen - these are FANTASTIC!

Beate's Weekend Challenge

2008-06-13T13:41:00.004-05:00

I love doing challenges. It gives me something specific to work on, and I don't get as side-tracked! Here's what I came up with for Beate's weekend challenge.

What did I use?
Ruby Red, Buckaroo Blue, Fancy Designer Paper (Holly Jolly), True Friend stamp set.

So, how is it that I am just now figuring out that Junkitz is no longer going to be? I am devistated! I'm in love w/ my Junkitz paper and I have been searching high & low for any shred of remaining paper to scoop up. I have news for ya - there isn't much left!! I emailed a friend in Charlotte to have her check out her AC Moore store and to grab whatever was left. I've been using my little Salsa Junk Padz like crazy lately, and thought, "Oh, I probably need to grab another one when I'm out." HA! There are no more!! And....the internet is no help either. I've been all over it looking for these fun papers. I'm in a bit of a panic mode here folks! But....I do realize that there are soooo many other adorable papers out there that I haven't even found yet. I'm sure I'll find other papers that I love just as much - eventually. I did go out to a cute little store called Creative Chaos yesterday, and bought a few new things. The Fancy Holly Jolly paper was one of them. I love this little store because it's locally owned and these ladies have got the 4-1-1 on what scrappers like. Their store is full of wonderful things. If you live in the Greenville area, check them out (they're actually in Powdersville, but it's worth the drive!).

Challenge #1 with BLOG CANDY!!

2008-06-12T21:19:00.000-05:00

I have decided to host some challenges this summer. I found some really neat "inspirational" pictures that I want to use, so I hope you'll have fun creating some neat cards or scrapbook pages using these pictures as your inspiration. Here's our first one. It's a bedroom set that I found when I was par-oozing Pine Cone Hill's website. Their bedding is beautiful, and since there is no way I could ever have all the bed sets I love on there, why not use the pictures to create some cards (much less expensive!).

I'd love to get a small design team together for these challenges. I'm not in the "big league" with Beate, Charmaine, or Cambria...but I love to stamp and I know there are several of you out there who are like me. If you're interested in being part of a design team, email me and we'll join forces to create out own "big league"! :-)

Here's your challenge. Leave me a comment, posting your picture on your blog or send the link to view it. I've got some blogcandy that I'll give away to the random winner. Let's make next Monday the deadline. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

For this card I used Old Olive as a base (5 3/8" square card), and layered Sweet Pea Paper (Noah) on top. I liked the stripes and it looked like the bed skirt in the picture. The stamp set I used is One of a Kind (by Stampin' Up!) and then I used some of my brass pieces on the ribbon (which is slightly crooked - I hate when that happens!). So, that's what I came up with - I can't wait to see what YOU come up with! Here's the blog candy....have fun!!

Card Pack

2008-06-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

I decided to make up a pack of cards for when I'm asked for some (how optimistic of me!). I used some of my favorite summer colors (Bold Brights and Junkitz). The stamp set I went with is Just Celebrate. I just pulled out a bunch of Bold Brights and went to town! I'm making cards for a friend of mine (we're exchanging talents - she sews!), so if she likes these, they may be part of that package. I'm just glad I finally got some creative juices flowing! Now that I've started I can't wait to put together another pack.

Thank You Note

2008-06-03T15:34:00.004-05:00

I cased this card from one I saw on splitcoast. I loved the layout and just added my own colors to it. It's an easy card to make! Start with a square card (I use the Card Kreator templates, but you could just as easily make the 5 1/2" square yourself). The base card is in Ruby Red, and I layered Cutie Pie paper (from S. Up!), using one of the strips from the paper as a middle section to cover up the meeting point of the two papers. Then I used my Creative Memories Ovals and my Uchida Punch to create the layers for the Stampendous Bees. The layers are So Saffron, Ruby Red, and Whisper White. I also added the Photo Corners Punch on the bottom and used Wonderful Words for the sentiment.

Coming to an End

2008-06-02T21:00:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe that the school year is over! We only have tomorrow & Wednesday (half days) and then I get to clean and pack up my room to move to another one! This year I have had 3 wonderful ladies who have been a tremendous help to me. One was my Room Mom, and two others were moms who enjoyed being involved by coming in to make copies, help with class parties, etc. I wanted to make them something as a thank you gift, and I found this great (and easy!) tutorial on splitcoast by Jenn Diercks. The little bag is just adorable, and I used one of my stand-by card favorites for the cards I inserted inside. Each bag holds 4 cards, so I color coordinated with the bags and I think they came out really cute! I hope the Moms like them too!

Back from Florida

2008-05-31T20:49:00.004-05:00

We got back from our 5th grade trip to Florida this morning - I'm pooped! We did a whirlwind tour of all the Disney parks in 3 days (traveling through the night on a bus!). My feet have blisters and my back aches, but the kids had a good time. Only 3 more half days to go! I can't wait to have more time to dedicate to card creations after this week. I'll upload my Florida pictures onto my Flickr account if you'd like to check them out. I have to admit that I took alot of pictures the first day & slacked off the 2nd and 3rd, so you'll see alot more from Animal Kingdom than any others! Oh well....

Biltmore Estate

2008-05-25T18:03:00.009-05:00

Today our family went to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. I went once before, at Christmas time, but this time we went to see the beautiful gardens. This picture above is my favorite from the day. I made it my screensaver and it looks even better BIGger! Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm getting a good shot or not, but after seeing how the pictures turned out today, I'd say I did okay. You'll have to check out my Flickr account for all of them. This one below is of my sister, mom, and dad on a walk-way looking back on the house.
This week will be busy with the end of school, our 5th grade trip to Florida (for 3 days!) and getting my room packed up so I can move to a new classroom with a new grade! I'm excited about finishing up the year; I look forward to starting fresh in August. I have enjoyed this year, but will be thankful for summer vacation to regroup, refresh, and rest! My mom keeps asking me what I'm going to do with myself this summer and I keep thinking to myself, "As little as possible!" I do know that with summer comes the creative juices, so my blog will probably be overloaded with things I'll be trying out. I'm also planning a trip back home (to NY) at the end of July. It's my 20 year high school reunion! I can't believe I'm that old!! I graduated from a small Christian school, and many of us have stayed close over the years, so getting together won't be as traumatic as some reunions are. Ever since we had our 10 year reunion, several of us have gotten together 1-2 times a year. We're just hoping that this year we will see some of the people who have moved away or that we haven't seen in all of those 20 years! That's a look into my summer....what do you have planned?

Have a great Memorial Day!

Beate's Weekend Challenge #48

2008-05-16T20:58:00.002-05:00

Here's my card creation for this weekend's challenge. I stayed in tonight, so I thought I'd spend some time in my craft room. I really like these colors. I started out with Cranberry Crisp and then layered designer paper that I had from my JoAnn Fabric's trip a while back + some Basic Grey. The stamp set is from many moons ago (Stampin' Up! of course). It was a hostess set, but it's so "French" and I really like it.

Enjoy your weekend!!

Simplify

2008-05-15T10:28:00.012-05:00

I found the cutest calendar at Wal-mart the other week. It has the blues and browns that I'm so attracted to, but the cover was all brown (see below) and it just didn't do the calendar justice! :-) So....I covered it! I had tossed around leaving the brown and just putting embellishments on it, but it's the type of cover that nothing sticks to very long. I consulted a friend of mine, and she said, "Oh, I'd cover it!" and so....here it is! I took the book to Hobby Lobby last night & spent far too long looking at all the paper (both in bulk & in the packages) to match the colors (pic below). I finally found 3 sheets of paper that I fell in love with. Two of them were stuck in a pack that had been put back on the shelves in a pile (apparently someone chose them all and then changed their minds). I grabbed a blue & brown sheet from that pile, and then kept searching for the striped look I wanted. I finally found it in a package of Basic Grey that happened to be on sale! So....here's what I used & you can see the finished product below!

Bohemia Brown / Blue Stripes, Daisy D Nursery Blue, Basic Grey Blush / Boyfriend, Creative Imaginations stickers, and Mini Marks Rub-Ons. The "Simplify" came from Uppercase Living.

Friendship Card

2008-05-11T17:27:00.005-05:00

I made this card for Beate's Weekend Challenge. I chose to begin with Purely Pomegrante, one of my favorite Stampin' Up! "In Colors". I layered Berry Bliss on top (another of my favorite designer papers!), and then took Close to Cocoa and Pretty in Pink to add my layers. I tore the edges with one of those funky rulers. You can do this just as easily by tearing the paper yourself. I used my Uchida punches to create the frame for a stamped image from "Just Celebrate" and I added the friendship saying from "Friendship Blooms". I like simple cards. It reminds me that I can create one fairly quickly to share with others...and that I should do this more often for others!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful Mother's Day, and a restful weekend. The weather here is gorgeous (a bit windy, but about 70 degrees, so I am lovin' it!). My parents were in town this weekend, so I enjoyed some family time with them before they left for NY. It'll be the end of July when I next see them, when we take our trip up to the lake for a week. I can't wait! Until then....we have just a couple of weeks of school left, and I am looking forward to cleaning my room and moving down to a new classroom. I'll be teaching 4th grade next year (have been teaching 5th grade). I'm looking forward to the change. Have a great week!

Blurred Edges

2008-05-06T18:53:00.004-05:00

I have been trying to figure out how to blur the edges of my photos in Photoshop, and found a great tutorial by googling it. I know you can't tell as well with a white background, but trust me, I finally figured it out! A friend of mine emailed me to tell me I could do it in Shutterfly, and I tried it (it looks great too), but I was hoping to be able to do it all in one program. I wouldn't have known that this technique in photoshop was called "feather" - who would have guessed that?? In my attempt to learn more, I looked online at our local library site and reserved a few books on Photoshop - I'm hoping they'll give me some insight as to all it can do. I'm still playing, and thinking it will probably be worth the $$, but I just want to be sure. I also reserved a book that was suggested by Ali Edwards on her blog, which today has a wonderful post on what she uses for her photography, layout, editing. She suggested the book, Seeing Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography. I'm hoping it gives me some useful tips in taking pictures. If you've never visited Ali's blog, head over there. A good friend of mine told me about her blog just a couple of weeks ago, and I'm hooked!

Flower Festival

2008-05-04T10:54:00.012-05:00

Each year my sister and I head over to a small Farmer's Market where they have a beautiful selection of flowers. Even though I usually buy the majority of my flowers at Lowe's (I figure if I kill them, then I haven't spent an arm & a leg for them!), I love to go to the festival to see what they have. I usually end up with a hanging basket, and that was true for this year too. My sister and I were even able to find a great Mother's Day present! Here are some pictures of our little outing.

Flower Patch

2008-05-04T07:39:00.007-05:00

I've made these cards before, but I changed up the colors and made them all "Thank You" notes to finish up the set for my friend. I really like how they turned out. This stamp set if a clear set that I bought some time back, and I wasn't sure I'd like working with the clear stamps - but I do! I love that you can take bits & pieces and put them together to create a very unique look. I used the standard 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card for these. I used Purely Pomegrante for 3 of them, and Wild Wasabi for the other two. I layered some of my Stampin' Up! designer paper on top, and then another layer of the base color, using my corner punch to add more definition. Then I took Whisper White and stamped my images, put it all together, and this is the result!
It's been a quiet weekend, and for that I am very thankful. Today my sister and I are going to a flower festival that we go to every year. I can't wait! I'll take some pictures and post them later! It's suppose to be gorgeous out today, so I plan to enjoy as much sunshine as possible! I hope you get to too!

Thank You Notes

2008-05-03T18:41:00.003-05:00

I'm getting the hang of this. I made these cards this afternoon for a friend. I took one of my card templates that I had used before, and made it more spring / summer! I like how these turned out. I also had fun playing w/ Photoshop to create my inkmark - it's still a work in progress, but at least I'm getting the hang of it!

For these cards, I started with Rose Red (cut to 8 3/4" x 4 1/2"). I scored the card at 3 1/4" from one end and folded. This creates the 3/4 fold look. I then layered Stampin' Up! designer paper (Cutie Pie) on the inside and outside. I used my Creative Memories oval set for the "straight" ovals on the outside, and my Uchida scalloped oval punch for the inside one. I stamped the flower from Stampin' Up!'s True Friend set, taking the ink pad and inking up the stamp to get the dual colors. I also used the "Thank U" from that same set with Ruby Red ink, scraping the sides to get that rustic effect. Then I took some So Saffron and created the inside sheet (mine were 2 1/2" x 3 3/4") and I used the corner rounder on this also (see image below). Finally, I took my Horizontal Slot Punch and tied coordinating ribbon to finish them off. I think they turned out cute! I hope my friend likes them!! I made 5 of these, and still need to make 5 more, but thought I'd look for another design to use. Hmmm....that may be a tomorrow task - along with laundry & cleaning!

Playing Around with Photoshop

2008-05-03T07:36:00.005-05:00

I haven't bought this yet, but I downloaded the trial so I could figure out if it's worth the $$ for me. I wanted to try & create an inkmark for my photos + be able to do different borders (at least for starters!). It's not a hard program to use, but I'm sure there's so much more I could do if I knew how. I'd hope that the actual program would come with a book, although I'd probably do better just playing around! Here's what I did this morning.

The questions I have about Photoshop are (in case anyone has any insight....I'd love to hear from you!):

1. Do you have to constantly toggle back & forth between Edit & Create in order to make the image as you want it?

2. I'm having trouble figuring out how to get the image to be opaque without a background on there. When I do a background it makes the image too large, and then I have to a cut/paste deal. It just seems that there should be an easier way.

3. I'm getting the whole layering thing, but again - it just seems like alot of back & forth. I use Publisher for EVERYthing at school & at home (even w/ pics at times). I'm just wondering why I'd spend $80 on a program that is more laborous? They do have some neat designs to work with, but is it $80 worth?

4. I want to use a border around my photos to give the edges that white space that softens the pictures up. I tried using borders, but it's not coming out like I want.

Any pointers out there? Any great sites dedicated to Photoshop Newbies like me?

Fresh & Fun

2008-05-02T14:34:00.002-05:00

This is actually Beate's blog name, and now I know why. Changing my blog to a cleaner, less cluttered, fresh look is FUN! I've been looking at several new sites lately, and have noticed that more and more blogs are going to the "clean" look. I like it! Maybe it's my need for less clutter in my life right now, or the need to clean. Either way, I like the new look, and I need change on a regular basis. So, for all those out there who like things to stay the same....sorry! It's a season of change for me, and this is just way I can show that.
I was asked by a good friend at school to make some thank you notes, so I'll be working on those this weekend, along with Beate's latest sketch challenge (which looks like a lot of fun to do!). Check back for my weekend creations!!

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge

2008-04-26T17:18:00.003-05:00

This is the card I made for Beate's weekend challenge. It's very simple, and has only 1 stamp! I used Chocolate Chip as my base square card, and layered some designer paper that my sister got me at Target on top of that. I used some flowers that I had lying around, layering them on top of a Sizzix cut flower (chocolate chip). Add the ribbon and stamped saying, and here's what you get!

Dream....Cherish....

2008-04-19T17:46:00.005-05:00

Here's my weekend creation. I've not done much today, but I did par ooze several altered book galleries and decided that what I could come up with was probably just as good as any! :-) I just love the DP, which is again, Daisy D. I have the 6x6 pad of these colors, and I think I may need to invest in the 12x12 next. My sister gave me some adorable embellishments for my birthday, so I used one of those along with some of my Creative Memory stickers to create the tags. This composition book is a smaller one than the traditional ones (I got this one at Target).

Aren't these cute??

2008-04-13T20:57:00.003-05:00

I made the cutest gift card holders today! I got this idea from Splitcoaststampers, Stampalicious to be exact. Tara has the best tutorial on her blog, so be sure to check it out. I had to make 10 gift card holders + 15 more thank you cards for the PTA at our school, so I decided to finish up that project today, and I just love how they turned out! I was able to use the same color scheme as the thank you notes, so they all match. This is definitely a pattern I'll use over & over again; they were very easy to do!

Remembering

2008-04-13T06:45:00.004-05:00

My Uncle Noon, a great uncle, recently passed away. I have so many fond memories of him. He was a collector; his basement was full of things he had collected over the years. One of the things he collected was bells (all shapes & sizes!). I remember that he once wanted to get a bell from a church that was near my grandparent's house. He was ready to climb up into that belfry and get it too! Another of his passions was photography. He was never without his camera. When my sister and I were young, they would come to visit and Uncle Noon would make us pose for his pictures, which always seemed to take for-ever! But I have some great pictures from those days. He would also throw money into the pool for us to retrieve - not just coins - he was known to throw dollar bills in too! He was truly a unique person, and he will be missed. He lived to be 92 I believe. What a life!

Just B Cuz

2008-04-12T17:32:00.003-05:00

I love this stamp set from Stampin' Up! You can do so much with it, and create so many fun sayings. It's called "Just B" and although it's a bit expensive, I have found many uses for it (making it worth the $$ in my book!). This card was fun to make! I am always looking for a slightly different layout than the cards I've done before, but this one was inspired by one I did a while back. It was easy to put these colors together since they all came together in my Daisy D paper pack! This card is really all about paper layering. I used different punches from S. Up! to add dimension, and I also used my Creative Memories Ovals for the "B". The colors used are: Ruby Red, So Saffron, and Chocolate Chip. Hope you're all enjoying your weekends! It's beautiful here in Greer, SC. I have the windows open and there is a breeze blowing through the house. Some would say it's too cool, but coming from up North, I think it's just right!

Thanks So Much

2008-04-10T18:48:00.000-05:00

I was looking through my card collection yesterday and noticed that I was short on Thank You notes, so I decided to spend a little time working on a few so I'd have them when I needed them. I really like this card because I was able to use my favorite colors (Earth Elements) along with some beautiful Daisy D's designer paper. I started with a Really Rust square card and layered Chocolate Chip on most of the front. Then I took the Daisy D paper and put the ribbon around it before attaching it to the Chocolate Chip layer. The "Thanks So Much" is stamped in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla, and I used another of my new Uchida punches (scalloped rectangle), which I think looks really nice.
I decided to use this card as my card sketch for Beate's challenge also - it fit perfectly with her sketch posted as this weekend's challenge!

Beate's Weekend Challenge

2008-04-05T15:20:00.003-05:00

This is my card for Beate's sketch challenge. I started with Wild Wasabi and layered some Cutie Pie on top. Then I just played around with some of the other designs in the Cutie Pie pack to see what might look good with this card. I figured it needed something not so busy, so I used So Saffron and Wild Wasabi as my second square and put the scalloped circles on top. A simple card, but colorful.

Cosmo Crickett Curtains - Done!

2008-04-05T13:52:00.004-05:00

Here they are - finally done! I finished them this morning. I have three windows in my craft room, so this is the complete view now. I posted the slide show again below. Only thing left - the walls, and I have some ideas on things to put up. Check back!

Craft Room - Full View

2008-04-05T13:47:00.005-05:00

Sunday's Ramblings

2008-03-30T16:15:00.002-05:00

This is my last day of Spring Break :-( I thoroughly enjoyed this last week. I was able to do some traveling, some shopping, and was able to spend time with good friends. Today I spent working on my curtains. I got one panel done and wanted to get it up so I could post some pictures, but I also have to put up the hardware for the curtains. These aren't your standard "hammer a nail in & you're done" rods, so I'm afraid I gave up for the afternoon. Don't worry, I won't want to look at them on my floor for too long - they'll make it up soon! I think they turned out really great (I still have to do the other 2, but curtain 1 looks good!). I love the colors and think it's just what the room needs.
I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. Here's to a great week!!
C

Another Sketch Challenge

2008-03-29T10:14:00.002-05:00

This one is for Beate's weekend challenge. More later!!

Cosmo Cricket Fabric

2008-03-28T18:05:00.002-05:00

Guess what I found??? Fabric that matches Cosmo Cricket's paper!!! Can you believe it? Who knew this existed. I met a friend up at Gastonia, NC, today and we went to Mary Jo's Cloth Store where there was TONS of fantastic fabrics to rummage through. I had a pattern I was all set on to get for the curtains in my craft room, and then my friend pointed out this entire section of "Cosmo Cricket" fabric - I'm not kidding - they had about 15 bolts of various patterns - including the circle one you see here and several shades of the flower fabric I got. It was only $5.95/yard, so I got enough for all my windows! How cool is that?? So....now I have a new project....sewing! I'll post pictures when I'm done!

Knitted Hats

2008-03-28T17:00:00.001-05:00

My friend Marcia has been knitting hats for another friend of mine who is setting up a photography business. She had wanted some hats for children, so Marcia has been helping me with these. I can knit, but Marcia can just pick things up so much more quickly than I can! These are two of the hats she's done so far. You can check out Marcia's website & blog from the links below. If you're in the Matthews, NC area, you may wish to take sewing lessons from her. She's made alot of things for me over the years, and I'm always impressed with the talent she has. Check out her website HERE / her blog HERE.

Spring Break Continues....

2008-03-27T16:52:00.003-05:00

I'm lovin' this new size card! And I think a regular envelope will work - it won't be as pretty as the card-sized envelope, but I'll keep workin' on that. For this card I used Vintage Violet and some DP I got yesterday, and then used Wild Wasabi and Pumpkin Pie (unlikely color choices). I again used the ticket punch and tearing technique to add dimension.
Yesterday I took my trip to Atlanta and had a blast at JoAnn's and Archivers! It was a beautiful day for a trip, so I enjoyed the time down and back. I also stopped at the Cheesecake Factory & got a piece of peanut butter cheesecake - to die for! I wish we had some of these stores closer to home, but it's also fun to take a trip once in a while. Atlanta has alot to offer. Hope you're all enjoying your week. I'm trying to make the most of my last couple of days. Tomorrow I'm off to meet a friend from Charlotte so we can go fabric shopping. I need curtains for my craft room!! More later!

Spring Break - Day #2

2008-03-25T16:33:00.006-05:00

Day #2 has been very relaxing, as was day 1. Today I did have to the dentist to get my permanent crowns put on, but thankfully I was only in there about 30 minutes, and did not need to be numbed up! It takes me weeks to get over Novocain! After doing a little shopping, I came home & decided to play a little. For this card I used Rose Red cardstock, and created a 6 1/4" x 3 1/2" card. I like this new "mini" card. Only foreseeable problem is finding an envelope to fit! I'll have to think on that one. I tag punched the sides of Stampin' Up! paper, Cutie Pie, and layered that on the Rose Red. From there I used Bashful Blue and So Saffron to create a center band. I used my tearing ruler for the So Saffron, and I scraped all the sides in the matching color for a little dimension. I used both my mega and giga scallop punch and the Friendship Blooms stamp set for the images.
Tomorrow I'm planning a day trip to Atlanta, so I may have some pictures to share. I'm going to Archivers!!! And JoAnn's!!! We don't have either around here, so I have to get my fix when I can. I haven't been to a JoAnn's since I moved (almost 3 yrs ago!). Talk about withdrawl! One of my girlfriends and I look back to our time in NY, and realize how good we had it - several JoAnn's, Michael's, and AC Moore's to choose from. Here in Greenville, there is only 1 AC's and 2 Michael's. Ya know how when one store doesn't have it, you rely on the other store(s) to have it? That's not an option down here!! :-) I know...a bit dramatic considering we're talking about craft stores.
Oh, I almost forgot, George Clooney & Renee Zellweger are going to be in Greenville on Thursday to promote their new movie, Leatherheads, which was filmed here. I might try to go down & catch a glimpse. The whole time they were here, they were literally 5 min. from my house & I never once went sight seeing! What's wrong with me?! Hopefully I'll get a glimpse...and maybe some pics!!
Enjoy your day!
C

Spring Break - Day #1

2008-03-24T18:02:00.002-05:00

What a wonderful feeling to know I can sleep as long as I want...do whatever I want (or don't want!)....stay in my PJ's all day if I feel led....whatever! I have one blissful week away from the reality known as my job, and I plan to thoroughly enjoy it!

Today I bummed around the house until about 3:00, and then I went out to run a few errands and to meet my sister for dinner (and to exchange our Easter baskets!). She really liked hers and as usual, she did a great job on mine (lots of Reese's PB eggs!!). She also got me a cute pencil holder and paper holder that is at Target - the one w/ the daisies on it. We've both looked at them for a while - envying them. She splurged for me!! I love getting things for my sister. Our tastes are so similar that it's like buying for myself. And it's always fun to see the smile on her face when I've found something she really likes.

So now I'm home and wondering if I feel led to make something or just veg. I'm thinking veg....but I'll be back to create more later I'm sure.

Midnight Creation

2008-03-24T03:34:00.003-05:00

Apparently I took a longer nap yesterday than I had needed because I have been up since 3:15AM...and it's now 4:30! Oh well, at least I have something fun to do when I can't sleep. For this card I started with my ultimate favorite square card in Blue Bayou, and layered some Daisy D paper on top. Then I layered So Saffron and Ruby Red, using my corner punch (still bummed they discontinued that from S. Up!). The stamp is from One of a Kind set and I just watercolored it after using my Earth Elements watercolor crayons (I love these!). I figure I could put whatever saying I wanted inside, so I left it blank for now. You never know what kind of card you'll need! Enjoy.

Sketch Challenge

2008-03-23T17:11:00.005-05:00

This is the card I made for Beate's challenge this week. I love the colors - this DP is from Creative Memories (called Earthy). I used Really Rust for the base square card, then cut out a circle from the DP and used my sunflower stamp (colored and blended). The ribbon just happened to match perfectly, and the hardware is just an added touch.

Altered Book with Card

2008-03-23T09:59:00.004-05:00

I made this altered notebook for my sister as part of her Easter basket. I love these colors. I found this DP at Hobby Lobby and I think I'm going to have to go back for more! The scallopped circle is made from a new technique I found on splitcoaststampers. You take your Stampin' Up! scallop punch and punch out a circle - then put it back in to punch again. Check out the link for directions. It's super easy & a neat design! Then I decided to make her a card with the rest of the paper I had left over. I really like how these turned out!

Daisies

2008-03-22T14:16:00.002-05:00

I bought a bunch of gerber daisies this week b/c they were on sale at AC Moore's. I had wanted to make those flower pens with them, but got 2 done and wasn't crazy about the way they were turning out. So...I did the next best thing...I used them to spice up my craft room! I looked all over my house for a vase that was tall, and all I could find was a pringles can!! So I did the only thing a girl could do - I dumped the pringles, cleaned out the can, and covered it for my new vase! I think it turned out quite nicely.

New & Improved Craft Room!

2008-03-22T13:07:00.009-05:00

I am SO excited - I finally rearranged my craft room and I LOVE it! When I moved in almost 2 years ago, I set things up and was "ok" with it, but I always felt that I needed to change it. I finally figured out what would work & look good for this space, and I'm so excited that I finally did it! Take a look....

Baby Gifts

2008-03-22T06:44:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine is having a little boy in the next couple of months, so I decided to send her a little gift. I love making these baby blankets - they're easy to do, and make wonderful gifts. I love these bright colors. I usually do a soft pink or blue, but these colors are just so fun! I also made a card to go in her package. Just something cute & fun. You can tell I'm on Spring Break - my creativity is flowing!! I have a whole week of this, so I hope to have several projects to show you throughout the week. I'm planning some day trips, so I may have some photographs to share too! Should be a fun week! Happy Easter!!

I Finally Did It!

2008-02-26T18:39:00.008-05:00

I knew I couldn't let those bee cards get the best of me! I went to Hobby Lobby this afternoon after I told our PTA president that I would do the cards for her. I knew I needed some designer paper to add to the yellow card. It's not that I don't like yellow, I just had a hard time with just the plain colors I guess. So, I'm very proud of these because this is my own design - no page map help; no splitcoaststampers help - all me! Whoo Hoo! (It's rare!) I'm great at copying - not so good at doing my own thing. But after a really rough day, I came home, put on Josh Groban, and started to work on these. I got 10 done!! I started with YoYo Yellow and layered some Paper Studio DP on top - using the white dots as a separator. I tossed around using ribbon, but it just didn't flow. Then I stamped my Stampendous bee on one of my scallop punches and added a yellow scalloped circle under it. I did simple coloring on the bees to stick w/ our school colors, and I like how the flower looks like a daisy. Then I used my Corner Punch (the small one) to help outline the "Thank You" a little more. I really like how they turned out.

Beate's Weekend Challenge

2008-02-23T22:28:00.004-05:00

Here's another of Beate's Challenge Cards. I love being given a sketch to work from - it takes some of the guess work out of what I should create! This is actually Wild Wasabi, although the picture makes it look a bit less green. I used Chocolate Chip and So Saffron accents, along with my watercolor pencils and my new set, "One of a Kind" for this challenge.

Be Happy

2008-02-22T21:49:00.005-05:00

I just love this new set!! I just got my order from Stampin' Up! the other day, and in it was a set I had anticipated getting - "Just B". It's adorable!! So, I sat down & looked at what I could do with it, and this is what I came up with. I started with Ruby Red cardstock, cut in a 5 1/2" square card. Then I layered So Saffron with inked flowers on top before adding some designer paper from Palette O'Prints (from a while back). Then I just did some more layers, using the tag punch to give it some dimension; added some eyelets and some ribbon....and it was done! I am definitely going to enjoy this set.

Beate's Challenge

2008-02-18T14:48:00.004-05:00

This was a fun card to create. I used Beate's weekend sketch challenge and really enjoyed using some of my favorite colors. I started by laying out some designer paper that I like, and went from there. I ended up using Really Rust for my base and layering the designer paper + So Saffron, Purely Pomegranate, and Very Vanilla on top. Her sketch called for some embellishments on the left side, so I used coordinating buttons. I just happen to have ribbon that matched, so I added that as well. This set is from an old Hostess Set I have - still one of my fav's.

Grateful Bees

2008-02-18T14:02:00.002-05:00

We have off for President's Day today, and since I'm still not feeling 100%, I decided to lay low for one more day before the week began. I was asked to come up with some card creations for thank you notes for the PTA at school. There's something about HAVING to work on certain colors that blocks all my creativity. This is the 2nd attempt at this card. I'm still not sold, but it's better than it was. I just don't like stark white cards, yet black & yellow are hard to use together (for me apparently!). Plus, I don't have any cutsie background paper that matches, so I'm limited. I'm heading back over to make more of the more "fun" cards - tulips or friends....here I come!

My New Banner!!

2008-02-18T03:04:00.003-05:00

Don't you just LOVE IT?!! I downloaded a bunch of digital scrapbook papers & played around until I came up with this. I absolutely love it - it's what I have been wanting, and just didn't have time to think about how to get it! Ok, it is 3am....clearly I should be in bed, but this ridiculous sinus infection is now settling in my chest, so I'm hacking instead of sleeping! At least I'm making good use of my time, right? UGG! Well, I'll try to go back to bed now that I have a cutsie banner!! Night - Night!

PS - I re-did my guestbook too - only I lost all my guests! Ooops! So.....will you sign my guestbook so I'm not so lonely down there? :-) Thanks!

One Last Creation....

2008-02-17T23:06:00.002-05:00

...before I head off to bed (where I should have been an hour ago!). I cased this card from Michelle's gallery (aka: sf9erfan) on splitcoaststampers. Check out her stuff - it's amazing!! I've got her gallery tagged as one of my fav's for a reason - she has some beautiful card creations. Here's my take on one of them....Enjoy!

Celebrate

2008-02-17T16:42:00.000-05:00

With Easter coming early this year, I thought I'd get a jump start on some of my cards. I love my Tulip set from Stampin' Up! I've had it for-ever, and am so sad that they no longer carry it. I will never sell this one - it's an oldie, but a goodie! I was looking on splitcoaststampers and saw this color combo (or what I think was this color combo). So I cased it! I used Pumpkin Pie as my base, layered some Always Artichoke with some tulip images done in the same ink pad, then used Purely Pomegranate and Very Vanilla. I used the same ink pads, but also used So Saffron for the yellow flowers. I like how it turned out. The colors are so different than what I'd normally use, but I think that's what drew me to it initially. You can't tell, but I did try to antique the pumpkin pie w/ the ink pad a bit. I think I need to go a little heavier on that so it stands out next time. A simple, yet always elegant look - lovin' the tulips!

Wish

2008-02-17T16:41:00.002-05:00

I haven't felt like doing much of anything this weekend, yet I've gotten more done than I thought I would. I'm warding off a sinus infection with meds & OJ....and some creative time! For this card I used Old Olive and some of my palette o'prints colors, which I soooo wish they sold in 12x12 sheets like they had the 6x6 sheets. I've used the paper sparingly since I got it, but I keep hoping they'll do another mix of paper like this again. At any rate, here is it - I'm heading out for more kleenex! Maybe another creation later.

Bored!

2008-02-17T08:38:00.003-05:00

Well, I've been trying out new designs / colors for my blog. I'm not sure I'm sold on this color, but for now it'll do. The blog templates frustrate me b/c they leave you so little room in the middle, and when I go to change the HTML, I just get more frustrated b/c who on earth can read that stuff!! I'd love to be able to know what all those little widget thing-e-ma-jigs are, but I'm not quite that literate I guess! So, bare with me. I'm not sure why I got bored w/ the blue, but I feel like I needed a change. Any suggestions??

Too Much of a Good Thing

2008-02-14T19:28:00.004-05:00

Today I received the best gift from my Secret Pal at school! She got me chocolate covered pretzles (yum!) and 2 books for my classroom library from the book fair. The kids could not wait to get ahold of those books, and were ready to race to them the second they hit the shelf! It was neat to see them so anxious to READ!!
So, as a thank you, I made this card for her. I started with Wild Wasabi and did another "out of my comfort zone" mix of colors. I antiqued them w/ a file and did some layering until I ended up with this. The set I used is a Level 3 set with Stampin' Up! called Time Well Spent, and I just love it! I used my watercolor pencils and crayons on the image with my blender pen. Enjoy!

Creative Disaster!

2008-02-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

I have been having trouble lately in the creative department. I sit down to create, and nothing comes to me. I was asked to work on some thank you cards for our school, and our school colors are yellow & black with bees. I love my Stampendous bees, but do you think I could figure out a cute card for this? Clearly I couldn't! I'm not sure what is going on with me, but this is just sad! :-) Well, at least I posted something....right? Again....so sad! I hope you're having a better creative weekend than I have had. I know I just need to be patient and enjoy what I'm doing. Right now I have too much on my mind, and I think that's why it's just not flowing. I envy all those women whose blogs are so amazing. They seem to just effortlessly create some fantastic cards & projects. I know what this card needs....some color instead of the bland base card! I just didn't want to do it black b/c you can't write notes on black. Guess I could just place some white paper inside for notes.....it's back to the drawing board on this one! Have a GREAT week!

Cool Site!!

2008-02-01T02:24:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine sent me this link to check out. It has some wonderful card sketches as well as scrapbook page sketches. Check it out by clicking on the image. Enjoy!!

Snow Day in South Carolina!

2008-01-17T15:48:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? We got snow!! And it's still around this afternoon!! Some of the kids in the neighborhood made a snowman that I just had to get a picture of. It's from my cellphone camera, so it's not great, but you can get the idea. I have also been using my NEW Sale-a-bration sets to create some cards! What a fun snow day!!

How did I make these cards?
I started with Vintage Violet cardstock (retired now from S. Up!) for the top image and Wild Wasabi for the 2nd card, and layered some Junkitz paper on top of each. I used a 2/3 to 1/3 ratio and left just a little of the base card showing through in between the papers. Before I layered the Junkitz designer paper, I put my ribbon onto the base of the card so it would stay put. Then I wrapped the ribbon around & tied it off before taking a medium scallop punch (in your base card color) + a circle of coordinating paper (same as the right hand side of the card) + the Stampin' Up! scallop punch for the last of the circular layers. The stamp is one of the Sale-a-bration sets called, "So Many Scallops" and it works perfectly w/ the scallop punch. Just stamp your image & punch it out! I did use pop up dots for the last scalloped image to give it a bit more dimension. Very easy!!

Baby Card

2008-01-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

We've had so many baby showers at school this year that I can hardly keep up with them! I decided to work on a few cards on our snow day, and came up with this one. You can't tell so much, but I did chalk the image with light blue. All the rest is simple layering & coloring! I love the new scallop stamps from Sale-a-Bration. I used the Little One for the inside of this card - sooo cute!!

Beautiful Thank You Note

2008-01-02T16:19:00.000-05:00

My sister has outdone herself again! This is the card she sent me as a thank you for Christmas. She told me was working on some cards that I'd like, and she was right. This is adorable! You can't see the background too much, but she used True Thyme as her base card, and then layered the beautiful Apple Cider paper onto it before using two scalloped punches and a circle to stamp her image on (using the True Friend stamp set, which is my favorite right now!). She even took it to another level by punching individual holes into the larger scalloped circle (and I asked...she didn't use a hole punch - she used the tools to hammer out each one -- how patient is she!!). Thanks Mel for the wonderfully inspiring card! I can't wait to case your card!!

Good Things

2007-12-23T12:21:00.001-05:00

Stampin' Up! gave its demonstrators a new Level 3 set called "Time Well Spent" as a thank you gift. I have wanted to use it, but have been too much into Christmas to do anything with it, so I sat down this afternoon and decided to see what I could do with it. The card on the left is made with the large flower from that set, as well as one of my favorite saying, "Too much of a good thing is a good thing!" I used my large scalloped punch and stamped a smaller flower image on the other circles with the same color. Then I watercolored the flower and sponged Old Olive onto the sides. I like the 3 circle look. The other card is made with one of my favorite current sets, "True Friend". I used some designer paper I had along with More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Ruby Red (all my favorite colors!). Very simple, but I like that about it. Well, with any luck, there will many more things to post over my mini vacation!

Christmas Snowmen

2007-12-21T22:21:00.000-05:00

I created these two cards to use as thank you notes for some gifts I received at school. I love this snowman set (no longer available unfortunately!). I'm off from school for 2 weeks, so I will hopefully get some time to just sit & create before things get crazy again. Merry Christmas everyone!

Just a little Thank You!

2007-12-15T07:46:00.000-05:00

I made this little tag to go on a present I got for my sister for helping me with my Pampered Chef party last week. I used Real Red and just layered some Stampin' Up! paper onto it; used my two scalloped punches and just stamped away! A very simple, but cute attachment to your gifts!

Happy Holidays

2007-12-09T16:10:00.001-05:00

I finally took some time to make some Christmas cards and gift tags. A friend of mine came over yesterday and we worked on our cards. I do enjoy creating things, but there just hasn't been enough time in a day to do all that needs to get done. I hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season, and that you take time to remember the true meaning of Christmas! Merry Christmas!!

It's beginning to feel alot like......

2007-11-12T19:18:00.000-05:00

...dare we say it? Christmas? It seems as though we skip from Halloween right into Christmas, forgetting Thanksgiving altogether! It's a bit disappointing because truly Thanksgiving is one of those holidays when some reflection always does us good...but more about that another time. Right now I am excited because I finally took some time to create something!! It's been for-ever (again) .... but what can I say? Time gets away from me - it's just that time of the year! But here is a card that I semi-cased from one I saw on splitcoaststampers. I love the Stampin' Up! paper for C-mas, and this stamp set from the mini catalog is so versatile! I don't have very many actual C-mas sets, but this one works! I'll tweak this card a time or two, but I do like the basic premise of it. And I just got the corner punch from S. Up! this last time, so I was excited to put it to use. It adds a nice dimension to the cards. Until I am able to come up here & create again.....enjoy your week!!

Fun Game!

2007-10-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

This keeps changing with the seasons. It started out as a Halloween game & has changed with each holiday. It's kinda fun to play - make sure you're sound is up!

One more.....

2007-10-30T15:32:00.000-05:00

...before Halloween is over! I just love this holiday....as well as all the ones coming up! I've enjoyed making some new things this year, and it's always fun to give them away!! This will probably be my last Halloween card for this year - it's the one I made for my sister. I hope you all enjoy Halloween -- don't eat too much candy!!! Look back here soon for some fun fall cards! I hope to make more time to keep up w/ the blog a little better. It's a busy time of the year, so we'll see! I'd love to hear from you, so please sign the guest book below....or leave me a note on one of these posts! Enjoy your week!

More Halloween Fun!

2007-10-22T15:51:00.000-05:00

I just finished making 10 of these adorable cups for some friends of mine. Aren't they cute? I found the idea on 2 different sites: Splitcoaststampers and ChiChi Allen's blog. I used cups that I had left over from parties instead of the little Dixie cups. I like them better - you can fit more candy in them and they're easier to decorate! Just take one cup apart & use it to trace the paper. Test it around your cup to be sure it fits nicely and then just wrap it around using strong adhesive on the two ends. Decorate with two to three circle layers and stamps and add ribbon to the sides (use your Crop-A-Dile tool). You can make these for any occassion - I just love them!!

More Tic-Tacs

2007-10-09T23:13:00.000-05:00

I made another one of these cute tic-tac cases! They're so cute!! What a great little gift!!

Look What I Made!!

2007-10-07T17:43:00.001-05:00

Is this not adorable? It's a tic-tac holder! I found the tutorial on splitcoaststampers, and cased it this afternoon. It was VERY easy to do, and what a great little gift to give! Click HERE to look at the great tutorial that Angie has. I hadn't really checked out her blog before, but she has some really neat things there! Check it out! And then go try one of these tic-tac books - very fun & easy!! Make someone's day!! Have a Tic-Tac Day!

Happy Holloween!

2007-09-30T21:00:00.001-05:00

I don't have a specific stamp set for Halloween, but I have alot of single stamps that I decided to use to create this card. The "eek" is from a tag punch set (S. Up! of course). The Happy Holloween cat is from the current S. Up! catalog's hostess sets (level 1), the "boo" is from my Collage alphabet set (no longer available in the S. Up! catalog - unfortunately!), and the dangling spiders are created from a single stamp that I got a the stamping convention a few weeks ago. I put it altogether on a Basic Black square card, using some of S. Up!'s Halloween paper from a couple of years ago. I punched a tag punch through the front of the card so the "eek" shows through (it's hard to see with this angle). The dangling spiders are embossed using white ink & white embossing powder to help them stand out more. I used my scalloped circle punch around them - it just seemed to fit with the web. I love how the "boo" came out. I don't have too many ABC sets, but this one fit the tone of the card. I just scraped the sides before layering it onto black & then some more DP from S. Up!. I love Halloween -- I'm going to borrow a set from a friend of mine, so I hope to have more fun creations very soon! On a personal note, it has finally cooled down here in SC (into the low 80's!), so we are feeling as though fall might finally be here! I hate to admit this, but I have been listening to Christmas music off and on for the last couple of weeks! I'm a sucker for this time of the year, and music will set the tone for me every time. When I put on some soothing Christmas music, I can sit up here & create for hours! I'll encourage you again -- take some time to enjoy your favorite season. If it's fall, you are in good company!! I live for this time of the year!! Have a great week!

No Homework!!

2007-09-25T18:40:00.001-05:00

I love nights when I leave all my school work AT school! I have had a blast creating 3 cards tonight!! It's been a l-o-n-g time since I just came up here & enjoyed some peace and quiet. Here's the last of the 3 I created tonight (you'll see them in reverse order). I hope you take some time to relax, enjoy, and create!! Have a great week!!

A True Friend....Thank U!

2007-09-25T18:00:00.000-05:00

I just love this set from the Stampin' Up! mini catalog!! It's called "A True Friend" and is so versitile (and not that expensive!). I started to case this card from Beate's creations and ended up doing a little more of my own than hers. Start with Wild Wasabi and layer 2 coordinating papers -- this card is actually an 8-1/2" x 4-1/4" - folded at 3-1/4" (see picture below). It has a name....a "joy fold" card I believe. Anyways...I layered some of my favorite Apple Cider paper onto the cover & inside, and used my fun swirly stamp again to add some dimension to the right hand side of the card. Then I stamped the flower onto Very Vanilla and cut it out with my oval cutting set from Creative Memories. I layered it onto Chocolate Chip, and used my horizontal slot punch (S. Up!) to create the holes where I tied my ribbons. This was actually a "by accident" thing. I meant to only have one ribbon on the top & one on the bottom, but after using the punch, it was too big and open - so I put another ribbon on each one!! I took the "Thank U" stamp & put it on Very Vanilla; antiqued it with my chalks and scraped the sides with Chocolate Chip. For the inside message, I rounded some Very Vanilla. I think it turned out quite nice! It was a fun and easy card to do. Have fun with it!! I'm off to get in one or two more cards before Premier Tuesday starts! :-)

Card Casing!

2007-09-25T17:03:00.001-05:00

I cased this beautiful card from Beate's blog. If you haven't jumped over to visit her site, you are missing out! She inspires me with her amazing creations, tutorials, and designs.
I started this card with Chocolate Chip (4 1/2 square). I took a swirly stamp that I had and used Chocolate Chip ink to create the background. You could also use Versa Mark. Next I stamped the swirl onto the Apple Cider paper, but only toward the edge, and I stamped off once to get a not-so-bold affect toward the bottom. This antiqued look is so simple. I'm still getting the hang of it. I don't like how all my edges turn out sometimes - I can see where I start / finish, but I think it's a work in progress. I took a eye shadow sponge and use it with the Chocolate Chip ink along the edges. I did this on all the paper (except the base card). After putting the Apple Cider on some Very Vanilla that I antiqued, I used All in a Row stamp set to get that criss-cross look (something else I'm still getting the hang of!). Then I used the True Friend stamp set from the current S. Up! mini catalog (which I just love!) and stamped it twice (once in Choc. Chip & once in Really Rust). Then came the "fun" part - cutting! I think I've mentioned before that cutting is my least favorite thing! I used a pop up dot to attach the inner Really Rust flower part to the Chocolate Chip image. Then I used my Crop-A-Dile tool to put the brad in the middle. You can use any small saying stamp set that you have to create a card for any occasion, but I used Hugs & Wishes on this card. I attached some hardware from the Brass kit I have from S. Up! and tied a little ribbon knot - and called it a day! Oh, I also put in 3 eyelets along the sides. It wasn't a hard card - just a little time consuming. I'm heading back to my craft table to make some more. I didn't bring home ANY school work tonight -- whoo hoo!!! I'm going to have some fun tonight!!! :-) Hope you do too!!