Hey Everyone! Hope you all had a great Wednesday! It was a good day for me cause I finally accomplished what I set out to do. ( If you're thinking the scrapbook page I posted yesterday, uh uh. I'm still working on it. You can't really rush the creative process. It be awesome if you could though).  I'm talking about making a Halloween card. I think it came out pretty cute for it being my first Halloween card ever! Here are the pics:

 

The card is a standard A2 Size (4 1/4x 51/2). I used black cardstock for the base and purple paper for the layer. I embossed the purple paper using the D'Vine Swirls embossing folder. I absolutely LOVE this folder and I use it alot when I make cards. I added a 1" strip of patterned green paper for added color. The green paper came from a DCWV Timeless Texture stack I got from Joann"s a few months back. But the cutest element on this card is the witch's laundry hanging on the line.

The inside of the card I kept pretty simple. I just repeated the purple and green layers to tie it together.

Here are a few close up pics of the witchy laundry. I got the idea from the Holiday Crafts mag from Better Homes and Gardens.They used this idea to make a decoration for a mantle using felt. I took that concept and I freehanded the clothing, shoes, and hat to fit a card base. The witchy dress used a patterned black cardstock from that same DCWV stack. I added purple embroidery floss and tied it into a bow. The stockings I cut from black cardstock and I cut strips of that green patterned paper for the stripes. The hat is black cardstock as well and has a black satin ribbon for the brim and a yellow buckle for added interest.

 

Now in this pic you can see the AWESOME witchy shoes I designed. Can you see the red sparkly glitter? That's a little homage I paid to my all time favorite movie from childhood, "Wizard Of Oz". I could of just left the shoes black but where's the fun in that. Lastly, I pop dotted all the clothing on green embroidery floss to appear as if it's hanging on the line to dry.

 

I absolutely enjoyed making this card! It was alot of fun for me to try something different. And the result I hope speaks for itself.

 

I will end this post here and I will post the finished scrapbook page sometime this week. Have a great night everyone and Peace! :)

Hey Everyone! Hope you all had an enjoyable Tuesday, despite the drama in Washington. As for me, I'm sorry that I'm posting this late but I've been unusually busy today. I was up late last night watching the final episode of "Breakin Bad" with hubby.  In my opinion, I enjoyed watching the series but the last episode for me anyway lacked oompf! Some of you may disagree but that's my feeling on it. Although it's sad to see this series end, I am pleased to report that my other favorite series, Revenge and Once Upon a Time are back on schedule. Yippee!!!!

Enough about that, an idea struck me yesterday while cleaning out my paper drawer. I will make a scrapbook page and it will be AWESOME!  Maybe that's not exactly how it went.  But anyway, I found some pretty pattern papers in varying shades of blue that I thought would make a perfect scrapbook page or layout. I then found some heavy duty brown cardstock I could use as a base and some green paper to add another element of color. So, with that in mind I set about my task. Now bear in mind that, when I scrapbook I don't draw out what I want my page to look like. I kinda just picture how I want it to look and try to achieve it. Here is a pic of what I've been able to do thus far:

Pay no attention to the mess on the table. Like I said, it's a work in progress.

I used a few techniques like stamping for the blue layer, doodling with a white gel pen and adding 3D stamped butterflies. I also did some doodling on the brown cardstock to add a touch of white to the page.

 

I also added some embroidery floss and tabs in coordinating colors to add interest.

 

 

I added some more butterflies going up the sides of the two photo mats. I used a white gel pen to add polka dots to the wings of the butterflies and sprinkled a few rhinestones for some bling. All that's left to do is add a title and then my page is complete.

 

So far, I feel the page is looking good. I kept the design of the layout pretty simple and by using different techniques, I have a unique one of a kind page that I created myself. 

 

Don't be afraid to change up the way you scrap or craft. Each scrapbook is as unique as the individual who created it. Add a few techniques here and there to make your pages stand out. I hope you enjoyed this page I created.

 

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday and Peace! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! I'm pleased to report that my yard sale was a success! Thanks to my hubby who is a natural born salesman.

I took a day off from crafting to spend my Sunday in my pjs and on Pinterest. This site offers alot of inspiration for crafting. I was browsing around to see what kind of ideas I could get for scrapbooks and cards. I pinned a few ideas that I would like to try sometime this week.

Which brings me to this important query, " When's the best time to craft?"
I find this question to be tougher to answer as the days go on.
If crafting is your passion, you find a way to use your time wisely to accomplish a project. It could be on a weekday when the kids are in school or on a weekend when you can stay up a little later. No matter what your situation is, you can allot yourself some time to tackle that project you've been putting off.. For me, if I feel like I'm forcing myself to make a card or a scrapbook page and it isn't turning out the way I hoped, I'll just walk away from it. There is nothing wrong with stepping back from a project and giving yourself a few days to rejuvenate. Give those creative juices time to replenish so you can go back to it and have an end result be something you're proud of. Of course, this is always easier said then done.
 This is the philosophy I have adopted for myself and I find it works for me. It's like that saying "Rome wasn't built in a day." and the same is true for crafting. In fact, I'll change it to say " Scrapbooking the first 5 years of my daughter's life wasn't done in a day". Make time for yourself and your interests.

I have been on a such a christmas is almost here kick that I forgot that Halloween is coming up. I would like to do a few Halloween scrapbook pages and post what I come up with. I'm not into doing Halloween cards, cause I've never had to do one before ,but I will try my hand at a few. I hope to share with you the results.

Well, I think I will end this post here for now. I wanted to post a few pics of some scarpbook pages I've done but I think the bad juju from Saturday has followed me into Monday. Sometimes you can't catch a break. Hope your Monday is being kinder to you. Peace!

Hey Everyone! Happy Saturday! And as promised, I was able to make a card with one of my new stamp sets I purchased online.

 This card was made using the Garden Flowers stamp set from Inkadinkado. I kept the color theme pretty simple, just classic white, black and gray. Its a standard A2 size ( 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) card. The card base is white, the background layer is a gray paper I got from a ColorBok stack called "Chateau Noir" and for the gray I went down 1/4" in size from the base. The white layer has been stamped with Staz On Jet Black Ink and the flowers, butterflies, sentiment and border all came from the  Inkadinkado Garden Flowers stamp set. I added some rhinestones from Recollections to the sentiment and butterflies for some extra oompf. And I gave the card some added 3D effect by stamping the butterflies to the card and then stamping on a separate piece of paper, cutting them out and then adhering to the card. Its a simple way to bring added dimension to your projects.

Well, as you can see from the final result, not too bad. I think I will try different color combos to see which ones I like best. But if you wanns try it for yourself, you can never go wrong with classic black and gray. Just add white here and there to keep it from looking too dark. I hope you enjoy this card I made. As I write this, there is actually a yard sale going on outside my home. I feel kinda bad cause I left my hubby to run this sale himself. I wanted to join him but I think I have some bad yard sale juju.  Cause whenever we've had yard sales in the past and I'm outside, we barely sell anything! So I have been silently banned from future yard sales. I don't think I look that scary in the morning but you be the judge.

 

"You will buy these candles and these vintage tea cups, too!"

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Peace!

Hey Everyone! It's finally here and I am so HAPPY, F.R.I.D.A.Y!!! Now I have a chance to stay up late, catch up on shows with the hubby, and craft to my heart's content. I recently got a few new stamp sets that I've been dying to try out but haven't had the time. So I will take the opportunity this weekend to do just that and I will post the results of my labor. Which brings me to this point in regards to crafting of any type, COST. We all know that crafting can be a pretty costly affair. A few weeks ago, I went to a local craft store and was shocked at the prices for some popular items. I went in with a gift card for $25 and walked out with a small bag filled with 7 small things. The first thing hubby said was, " That's all you got?". To which I replied, "Yup, this was all my gift card could afford me" and I walked out feeling robbed, sort of. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt this way after a craft run. The one solution I can offer is the WEB. Ebay has become my new best friend when it comes to buying crafting supplies that I either need or want. I have purchased everything from the new stamp sets I got, to cricut cartridges, premade cards and embellishments. Buying online I feel is the way to go if you want a better deal and make your money go farther. I will do a comparison of two of the stamp sets I bought online to the craft store retail price:

                                                                                     Online                                 Store
Martha Stewart Stamp Around the Page                   $5.00 w/                             $14.99 +
Floral Stamp set                                                       free ship                                  tax

Inkadinkado Garden Flowers Stamp set                   $5.00 w/                              $11.99+
                                                                                  free ship                                 tax

          I think its pretty self explanatory that in the end I saved a ton buying online. And let's be honest stamp sets whether they are the clear acrylic or wood mounted are pricey. They start upwards from $5.99 - $29.99. And those numbers can vary from store to store. Now I will say that I haven't purchased any paper stacks from Ebay but Jo-ann's always has good deals on theirs. They even have checkout coupon codes that you can use on your order to save even more money. A few months back, I purchased 2 DCWV paper stacks (180 sheets per stack) for $9.99 each. I thought I hit the cardstock lottery when I found that deal! The best part is once you order from them, they send you sales flyers with coupons that you can use online or in-store. I think that's pretty awesome! If you really want to get into crafting but are turned off by the cost, just try comparing prices from different sites online and find the one that works with your budget in mind.

Wow, I think I surprised myself a little there, I'm no Warren Buffet, but if there is a deal to be had, I'm there. Before I forget, Here is another christmas card I made.

 

I will post the tools I used to make this Ornamnet Card this weekend. But in the meantime, send me your comments, I would really love to hear from you and feel free to post any holiday projects that you have been working on. Well I will end this post here and wish everyoine a Happy T.G.I.F and a crafty weekend! Peace!

Eureka!

Hey Everyone! I am relieved to report that my camera was found yesterday, unfortunately, I will not disclose where it was found to save myself the embarrassment. I had a busy night uploading my crafty pics like crazy. Today, I decided to post some pics of christmas tags I have made. These tags were inspired by an awesome magazine I picked up last week, Holiday Crafts from Bettter Homes and Gardens. This mag was chock full of crafty ideas from halloween to christmas. Here are the ones I made:

The snowman and christmas tree tags were inspired by the mag but I tweaked the designs according to the tools I had available on hand.

The santa and christmas tree tags did not come from the mag. I designed these myself and even used patterned paper that I also made.

The snowman and christmas ornaments were inspired by the mag but again I tweaked the designs to make them my own.

 

Later on, I will post the pics of the tags I used for inspiration. These tags took no time at all maybe, 20-30 mins at best. I was able to do these while the kids were at school. I wanted to make these to use for presents this year but instead of hiding them from my children, I displayed them proudly. All I need is for my 5 year old to think I work for Santa cause he used my tags for her gifts. For you parents out there, you know that for a child nothing is more sacred than Santa himself. To get back on topic, I want to mention that you can find inspiration for crafts from just about anywhere. I know that seems to be a recurring theme with crafters but it's a FACT. Take for example, the snowman and christmas ornaments tags, just a few changes made them more my style. For the snowman tag I used premade tags that were smaller than the ones they used in the mag. I chamged the background paper, used a different ribbon and embossed the snowman. The key is to work with what you have. That's something to remember the next time you find something that inspires you and you want to recreate. It can be as simple as changing the paper, changing the size, adding different embellishments, using different stamps, color theme, etc. There really is no end to the different possibilities and results you can achieve by adopting this philosophy: PUT A LITTLE OF YOURSELF INTO WHAT YOU MAKE. In the end, it'll give you such a feeling of accomplishment and joy when someone sees your work and is surprised that you were able to make something so beautiful. That's the feeling I get everytime I craft. Wow! I think I almost shed a tear writing all that not sure if its cause my hand is cramping up from typing so much or just the sentiment behind it. All jokes aside though, I meanevery word of it. I will leave it off here but just remember that inside us all there is a crafter waiting to be unleashed. Have a great Thursday and Peace!

 



Hey Everyone! I was going to post this yesterday but by the time I could get to it, it was too late. Between the house, hubby and kids, it seems like the time just breezed by. I am still on the hunt for my camera unfortunately, I feel like my memory was erased ala Total Recall style cause I can not remember where I put it. I feel like the older I get, the more brain cells I lose. Well enough about my gradual memory loss, I did find some pics of christmas cards I've been making. Here is the first one I did...

It's pretty simple. The card base is 4 1/4 x5 1/2 , standard A2 size. The blue background layer measures 4 x 5 1/4 and its embossed using the D'Vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder. The white layer is 2 1/2 x 5 1/4. I tore the paper diagonally to give me 2 pieces and used a blue ink pad to highlight the torn edges. I then used a VersaMark pad to cover the 2 "snow" layers and sprinkled it with Stampin Up Glassy Glaze and used my heat tool to set it. It left the paper with a shiny, textured look to mimic snow on the ground. I then glued the first white layer directly to the blue background and then I used pop-dots to adhere the second layer to the first for a 3-D effect. I used an EK Success small snowflake punch to add some snowflakes to the background and the large snowflake on the front was cut out using the Cricut and the December 25th Teresa Collins catridge. It measures 2" and was also attached using pop-dots. The Let It Snow sentiment I printed off my computer and added it to a 2" white banner. The inside of the card has a blue background that measures 4 x 5 1/4 and a white layer that measures 3 3/4 x 5 and I also punched 2 more snowflakes in blue and added it to the front.

PHEW!!! I don't think I have ever typed this much in my life. I hope that you enjoy this card and like I said it's pretty simple. I will post some more cards later and I will give you the products I used to. Only 2 more days till the weekend and hopefully I will have more time to post. Happy Hump Day everyone and Peace!!!!!!!!!!!