Hiding Out In My Craft Room

Stamp Club Projects

2011-12-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

Okay - I'm sitting here, not so patiently waiting for 7pm to be here so I can be at the airport picking up my mom! Since it's not even remotely close to that time and we're having 'quiet time' right now, I'm sitting here posting for the 2nd time in 2 days - I know..... it must be a Christmas miracle :)

Anyway, as I've said before (and you're probably sick of hearing), I've been crazy busy sewing and not had a lot of stamping opportunities lately. So - when it was my turn to host our stamp club this month, I was completely at a loss and completely without any mojo - AT. ALL.

If you've received the new mini and the SAB brochure, you'll pretty easily be able to see that I CASED both of the cards from there. The purse is from a tutorial that I purchased online from Becky Roberts. I do have to say that I love the offering in the new Occasions mini and am VERY eager to play with my new goodies a lot more in the next while.

All right, I'm off to do something productive that will hopefully encourage time to move a bit more quickly!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tags

2011-12-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I thought I better show you all a few of the Christmas tags that I made this year before Christmas is over. I've been sewing and stamping like crazy and finally, today, finished all of the projects that I had committed to doing!!!! I'm relaxing tonight, watching the finale of the X-Factor (yes, I am totally and completely addicted ;) and getting a good night's rest because tomorrow is a full day of laundry...... and then my mom arrives to spend Christmas with us!!!!!! I am SO. EXCITED!!!!!!

I have to mention, that as a child (deprived child that I was (yes, that's sarcasm)) we never really did advent calendars, but since I had made a couple this year, I decided to do it with my kids. My son didn't really get into it - he would have if I had put chocolate or candy in the boxes, but I put small toys in...... totally a hit with my daughter - oh well, 1 out of 2 isn't bad. (I'm not opposed to chocolate and candy, AT. ALL.; however, he is the kid who only wants junk food and we have a hard time convincing him that a balanced diet is the way to go......) Anyway, I am so thankful that I did the advent calendar with London because I'm fairly sure that otherwise I would have had NO. IDEA. how quickly Christmas was approaching. Seriously, we have 2 more boxes to open on it - how is that even possible???!!!

It's all good though, like I said, my sewing projects are finished (for now....) London's birthday is two weeks after Christmas so I'm going to enlist my mom's help on a few of the things I want to do for it while she's here!

I guess that's about it for me right now. I did host our Stamp Club this month so I'll be back soon to show you the projects that I did with the ladies for that!

Merry Christmas!

Sewing Again

2011-12-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

My daughter London had her first Christmas concert tonight! I decided to make her dress this year and was so happy that London loved it and was so excited to wear it. (She's so good to me :)

(Excuse the diaper bum - Davis is often at least half naked while we're at home) - The back of the dress and felt flowers I made for London's hair!

The concert was a lot of fun - and now this tired mom is taking herself off to bed because while tomorrow is a new day - it doesn't look like it's going to be any less busy than today :)

Ornament Centerpieces

2011-11-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness - another terrible picture.......... I just wanted to quickly show you the ornament centerpieces that I made for our MOPS (Mother's of PreSchoolers) Christmas dinner last night. They really did turn out quite nicely (not that you can tell from this). Of course, I didn't take a picture at home and only remembered at the last minute at the end of the night to take a picture before the ladies who 'won' them took them home with them. We did an ornament exchange at our dinner which was what gave me the idea to do an ornament themed centerpiece. My husband says that they looked 'Dr. Suess' - which I was okay with, because to me that means fun, bright, & cheerful.

I've promised myself that this day will not end without me hemming my maternity pants....... so that's what I'm off to do. Cross your fingers for me that the laundry and million other things on my to-do list don't consume me before that happens ;)

It Seems Like All I Do Is CASE.......

2011-11-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

Arrgghhh - I need at least 48 hours in my day...... but since that's obviously not going to happpen, I guess I'll be happy to have stamped at all. The top card is almost identical to one that I saw on Renee VanStralen's blog. I love the simplicity of this layout, love the embossed frame, love all of the white space, & love that all put together, I think it's still quite a bold card!

We were in Edmonton for 3 days, getting our Christmas shopping (and regular shopping that can't be done in Fort Mac) done. The kids were fabulous and we got home last night and crashed. This little break into blog land is me procrastinating the unpacking, laundry, and separating & freezing of meat (Costco run)....... I'm also at a hugs loss as to what to get my husband for Christmas this year - Any ideas?

Well, I best get to it - thanks again to Renee for the inspiration!

When I Grow Up, I Want to Watercolour Like Karen Barber

2011-11-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

Hi All! In case you couldn't tell, this card is a CASE of one I saw that was made by the fabulous Karen Barber. I LOVE the details that she puts into her cards and this is an okay immitation of her creative genius!

Yesterday was the Stamping Extravaganza that my friend Melissa and I put on. We had a ton of fun and totally got into the Christmas spirit while we stamped, visited, listened to Christmas music and ate Christmas cookies! Today, I've been taking it easy but the kids and I are heading out to a birthday party soon. Fun, fun, fun!

I guess that's it - I wish that I had more to share..... but I don't ;)
Happy Stamping!

Stationery Boxes

2011-11-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

First of all, a couple of you had wondered where I got the advent calendars that I had in my last post from. I ordered them online from Joann's. They're a Kaisercraft Beyond The Page product. I hope that helps!

Onto today's post :) I had started these boxes at least a month ago with the idea that these would be a slightly belated "Happy Teacher's Day" gift......... and then with everything else that I was doing, they got pushed to the side...... I finally finished them last night and I am soooo pleased! I think I'll wait until Christmas now to hand out teacher's gifts. I already know what I want to do and I'll start right now so I'm not giving Christmas themed gifts for Valentine's Day!

Isn't the Spice Cake dsp just gorgeous!!!??? I don't think you can go wrong using this paper and colour combo. The cards & tags are fairly simple (mostly because I just wanted to finish the darned things) - I CASED a swap I received from Tessa Wise on the 1st card, and CASED myself on the second ;)

I don't have too much more to say about these. If you'd like to make your own, just google Jackie Topa Stationery Boxes - she's got an amazing tutorial for you!

I hope you all have a great weekend, and for those of you lucky enough to experience DST, enjoy your extra hour of sleep!

What I've Been Up To!

2011-10-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

Good Morning One & All!

How are you this bright, sunny, (and COLD) morning? Well, that's what the weather is like here anyway. I know, I know, it's not actually 'cold' yet by northern Alberta standards; but I don't care - I'm cold and don't expect to be warm again until sometime in July.....

Anyway, I'm sure most of you have seen the AWESOME advent calendar that Monika Davis made. I didn't buy the tutorial or class or whatever it was (sorry, I forget) but knew that I HAD. TO. HAVE one of these beautiful projects.

The top calendar is the 1st one I put together (in a couple of hours) and used some of my retired Christmas dsp on it. I donated it to a fundraiser auction and heard that it raised quite a bit of money so that makes me happy :)

The second advent calendar is one I designed for a Stamping Extravaganza that a friend and I are holding in a couple of weeks. I really wanted to paint the whole box like I did for the 1st, but my costs were piling up on this project, so I left it, and in the end I'm still quite happy with how it turned out. I have to be honest; I'm not loving this year's Christmas selection of dsp. I do really like the Simply Scrappin' kit in the Holiday Mini; however, it's a little pricey to buy the whole kit just for the dsp ;) Having said that, I'm still very happy with the end result -so, once again..... shows what I know!

I'm really excited for our upcoming Stamping Extravaganza - besides the advent calendar, I'll be teaching a class featuring the mini album that you see here. I bought the tutorial for this album from the very talented Heather Summers about a million years ago (okay, maybe 2 or 3) and I still love making these little beauties! They are so quick and easy to put together but still pack a big WOW punch - I always get oohs and ahhhs from people when they see it! Plus, I think they make the PERFECT Christmas gift, especially for those relatives that live far away.

This past Friday was the market that I was busily preparing for. I'm happy to report that I did quite well sales wise! I told myself that after this I was going to take it easy and slowly build up my 'stock' to be ready for the spring markets; however, there is another upcoming market on the 19th that I may try to get a table at........ I'm going back and forth on whether it's a smart idea or not...... probably the 'not', but I may do it anyway ;) If you feel like it, you can see what I made at www.facebook.com/practicaldazzle (you could even 'like' my page if you felt so inclined). I have SO. MANY. ideas in my head and a long list of things that I want to make and add to my 'shop' - one day at a time though.

Thanks for your patience and for still stopping by here! I did actually get some stamping done yesterday. Once it's finished I'll be back to share!!!

*I just noticed that it's almost 1pm and have to point out that I did actually begin writing this post this morning, but then the phone rang, then I had to pick up London from school, then I got the kids a snack, then I finished this post. I just needed to point out that I do know the difference between morning and afternoon :)

Birthday Card (With Purple!)

2011-10-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a birthday card that I put together last week for a birthday party that London was invited to (but Davis and I went too :) If you haven't read on my blog before, you may not know that purple HATES me - but it's true, (almost) every time that I try to incorporate purple in a card or project, it turns out terribly. Anyhow, since apparantly I'm a glutton for punishment, I pull it out every so often to give it another go. I wanted to use purple on this card because I know that the girl's mom likes purple so I figured it would be a safe bet that her daughter liked it as well. I also have to say, that since I haven't been doing a whole lot of stamping (read: next to none) my mojo just isn't flowing right now - BUT; I am happy with how this turned out, so it's all copacetic :)

On another note, I thought I'd give you a bit of a peek at what I have been doing that's keeping me (but not for much longer) from stamping as much as I'd like to.

When we moved this past February, I joined a MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) and have made some great friends and become involved with this group. In a couple of weeks, we're holding a Bazaar that I decided to have a table at and have a try at selling some of my sewn projects since I've had some pretty positive feedback in that area.

I'm going to donate this quilt for the silent auction that they'll be having as part of the event. (Actually, this is one that I made for a friend, but the donated one is basically the same, just with a different backing)\

I've also been working like mad (because they're much more time consuming than I had anticipated) on these adorable bibs! Sorry, the pictures are terrible - but here is a small sampling of what I've made:

I've also been making some aprons like the one I made for my daughter and showed here a while ago. (Using these and different fabrics)

I had wanted to make some hair accessories and other projects as well....... Who knows, I may find the time; but at this point I'm at peace with getting done what I can and being okay with that :)

Card Club Cards!

2011-09-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

Wow! I feel like it's been so long since I've posted, and while I know I've not been posting as often as I would like, I was pleasantly surprised that it's only been just over a week since my last post :) (I know, I'm drastically lowering my standards.....) My husband and I both have laptops - instead of a single household computer (my marriage depends on my not having to share a computer with him - but that's a story for another day). We were keeping our laptops at the kitchen table since we don't have any specific office or desk space, but I was noticing that we were always online whenever we were at the table - specifically meal times, which does not make for quality family time..... at. all. Sooooo, I suggested to my husband that we move our laptops, which he was all for and I'm really enjoying the result - it's just that whole days go by now that I don't even open my computer. It's a good and bad thing - I'm sure I'll find balance somehow, but in the meantime that's my reason (not excuse ;) for my absent self.

Anyway, I was so excited to be a part of a card club this fall along with two other demonstrators. We all take turns demonstrating and this month was my turn to make the cards for club. My friend Melissa and I had just been to the Edmonton regional and she had commented on the gorgeous punch art that we saw on the display boards there, so that's what made me decide to make the ladybug. I know it's been done before, but it's a cute idea; plus now that school's begun I was sure that we could all use a kid-friendly birthday card sometime in the near future!

The second card is very similar to another card that I made fairly recently; I just switched up to a more monotone colour scheme. I wanted to show the ladies the Newsprint dsp because it's one of my very favourite products as well as the decor elements stencils - also very fun!

Finally Home..... Almost!!!

2011-09-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! We got home (to Canada, not Fort McMurray yet) from Disneyland on Thursday night, spent Friday doing some running around and shopping for things we can't get in F.M. and then today was the Edmonton SU Regional!!!! I had so much fun and was so excited that someone who wasn't able to go (sorry for her) sold her ticket to my friend Melissa!!!! I had Melissa to myself all day long and she got to go to her first SU event - lots of fun all around! Jason, the kids, and I, are doing a Costco run tomorrow and then driving the rest of the way home. I will be VERY happy to be in my own bed again :)

This is a card that I made before I left on holidays. I was inspired by a card in the current issue of PaperCrafts magazine and adapted it with my SU stamps and supplies. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out - I hope the recepient likes it as well!

Here we all are at the entrance to DL! Notice my entirely appropriate flip flops...... I did look for some better 'walking' shoes (without resorting to runners) before we left but wasn't able to find any that I liked. I found out the hard way, that my beautiful summer footwear was not built for the huge amount of walking we did while we were away. I totally trashed two pairs of sandals...... Oh well - at least sandal season is pretty much over hear and I won't have to worry about replacing them until next year!

Edit - For the card I used the Baker's Twine to make the circles and sponge daubers with the Classinc ink to colour them once I had make them. For the background I stamped En Francais in Versamark and Inspired by Nature in Sahara Sand that was stamped off once and embossed the whole thing with clear ep.

Good Morning!

2011-09-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Here is a bright and fun card that I put together yesterday! I just love this colour combination of Poppy Parade and Pool Party - it just 'works' for me :) (The Domestic Goddess dsp is crazy wonderful as well!) I already forget the name of the new die that I used; and my catty isn't sitting here at the moment, but you open the flap of the PP circle and there's a little message inside! Too fun, right!?

On another note, my baby (the oldest baby) starts kindergarten tomorrow. I still can't quite wrap my mind around it and it'll probably take the reality of dropping her off tomorrow for it to sink in. Initially, I was excited to have London in school and only Davis at home for a few hours every day. However, I've come to realize that they entertain each other quite a bit while I get things done, like the laundry, and vacuuming, cooking dinner..... you know, all that exciting stuff. We'll see how Davis does without his sister around - I have a feeling we'll have to feel our way into a new routine that works for us all. No worries though, change is good!

I hope that you're all enjoying a nice and sunny Labour Day! I'm off to label school supplies, fold laundry, vacuum the house, hit the grocery store & possibly Wal-Mart if I don't lose steam by then :)

Coming Up For Some Air!

2011-08-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! I gave myself a break from assembling swaps yesterday (WHAT. WAS. I. THINKING?) and played along with this week's challenge over at Create With Connie & Mary. I had fun inking up some of my new stamps from the Holiday Mini - FINALLY!

I'm not sure why my picture turned out so shadow-y - the colours I used were, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Cherry Cobler, River Rock, Always Artichoke, and Early Espresso. Hopefully they look at least a little bit like they're supposed to on your computer screen.......

Well, it's another beautiful day here so I think we'll be heading over to the park soon! It was either that, or the grocery store...... and I'm so not feeling the motivation for that today - maybe later.....

Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Shower Card

2011-08-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for the absence - it's just been a bit crazy around here....... with no sign of things changing anytime soon....... I've been exhausted (there's a reason; I'm pregnant!) and I'm hoping that that will change soon, but who really knows?

Last week my husband sprung on me that he wanted to do another last minute camping trip. Now, I rarely so 'no' to him, but this time I just had to. I was so happy to be home from our last big trip and my house was finally in order again; PLUS, we are heading to Disneyland in about 3 weeks, so I just wanted to enjoy being at home for a bit. It's just so. much. work. to prepare, pack, and load up the trailer - then come home, unload, unpack, and clean again. So I had initially said to him that I'd rather not go out again this time........ and guess what....... HE. BOOKED. IT. ANYWAY! To which I said, "Have fun". I just realized that he has never had the kids by himself for more than a couple of hours at a time - that's right - how could that be? Especially considering our not so distant lifestyle of him being away at work for 18 days then home for only 5.... So I told him to have fun camping and I drove down to Edmonton for 48 solid hours of silence and shopping - it was bliss :) I'm not going to lie - I was a little worried for my kids; but obviously not enough to stick around ;) They had fun and no one was seriously injured so it was all good!

Okay, so that's my very long explanation of why I've been M.IA. lately. This is a card that I made a couple of weeks ago for one of the guys (no idea who) from my husband's work. He had told me that this guy and his wife were expecting twin boys and a bunch of the men from his shift were getting together after work one night to have a......... - is it still called a shower when it's men getting together instead of women? Whatever. So, I did know that he was planning on going - the organizer had requested that the men bring either cash or diapers so I knew Jason would do the cash thing. So the day (actually night) of the shower arrived and my dear husband called me on his way home from work and asked if I had a card that he could use....... Okay - I do have some 'baby' cards; however, none for twins. And if I was having twins (which I'm not - I know for sure) I would not want a card that said 'Welcome Baby'. Maybe it's my OCD or anal retention rearing it's ugly head - but really, you're not welcoming or saying congratulations for one baby - there's TWO..... and the card should reflect that....... I'm just saying.....

Anyhow....... I decided to go with the onesie card since I haven't made one in a long while, and obviously used the adorable lions from the Fox and Friends stamp set.

On another note, I finally started working on my swaps for the Edmonton regional. I punched and cut out close to 300 flowers (for only about 40 cards) to make the card that I showed you previously. I think I'm going to stamp the butterfly as well, but otherwise keep it pretty much the same as what I had posted.

And that brings you up to date on my life! Thanks for stopping by and know that I am trying really hard to post as often as possible!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-08-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!
I feel like I've been neglecting this blog a wee bit; life is just feeling a little crazy right now. Honestly, I couldn't even point to any specific thing to say, "This is why I'm so busy"....... I'm just not finding the time in my days that I would like to right now. Oh well - whaddya going to do?
Here is another fairly simple card that I put together as an idea for handing out as swaps at the Edmonton regional. Again, making swaps seems more like a pipe dream at the moment than a reality; however, I'm determined to make the time to put them together........ We shall see:)
Thanks for stopping by today - I must run!

Artistic Etchings & More!

2011-08-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

I have to say that I am totally in love with these small embossed frames that are available in the current SU catty! I wanted to put together a card to send to a friend (she's actually my mom's friend - but is so awesome I call her my friend too :) that we saw while we were in Medicine Hat this year. I hope that this card is 'her' - I think it is, but I'm still crossing my fingers that she loves it. I had to pull out some retired dsp to use on this project; it just fit the best (plus I have pretty much a full package left of it to use up) so please don't hate me that this card isn't 100% current SU product........ (smile)

On another note - I got my Holiday Mini goodies in the mail today!!!!!! I can't wait to ink up my new rubbah - too much fun!

Swaps....... maybe....

2011-08-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

So....... I was fortunate enough to check the demonstrator website on just the right morning and register myself for the upcoming Regional in Edmonton! (Unfortunately, my friend didn't get to it right away and it sold out - fast) So now I've got swaps on my mind.

I love to swap! Actually, I think I love the idea of swapping more than the actual swapping. When I think of swapping, I think of exchanging cards with those wonderful demos out there who put some time & thought & effort into their swaps! Ahhhh.... bliss - right? Unfortunately what happens is I end up swapping with a different sort of demo who decided in the ninth hour to put together 200 card fronts and use up her Glorious (gag me) Green, and Yo Yo (you've got to be kidding) Yellow :(

I'm just going to put it out there - that if you're going to be attending the Edmonton Regional next month (YAY!), could you pretty please (and I know you all who are reading this don't need to be told) use current product only. And, yes, I know it's time consuming to put together a bunch of swaps - but the reward is so worth it to receive a nicely put together swap in return:)

Okay, all of that to say..... this was my first attempt at what may or may not be my swap card. I think if I can enlist my husband to help with some of the punching while I assemble it may not be too much to take on.

It's quality time together right ;)

Have A Seat

2011-08-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

As you know, I love sketch challenges! Unfortunately there's not enough time in my day to play along with all of the challenges that I would like to do; however, I did manage to play along with this week's Inkspirations Sketch Challenge :)

I am totally and completely loving the new Domestic Goddess dsp, which honestly surprised me a bit as my last year's fave was the Love Letter dsp and they're so completely different. Ah well, change is a good thing - yes? YES!

Since I received many compliments on my last card, I decided to keep it fairly simple this time as well. While I still think that the 'vintage-y', 'lots of tiny details' look is still my favourite, I do also really enjoy a clean and crisp look as well. Clean and crisp is also usually quicker for me to put together which works quite well when I'm trying to stamp while my kids are awake. They play so wonderfully together, it brings a tear to this mother's eye ;) But...... they only amuse themselves for so long before they come looking for my attention - which is okay too since I love being their mom!

And on that note - it's time to figure out what I'm going to make the little munchkins for dinner tonight. Thanks for stopping by!

Field Flowers

2011-08-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I'm home at last! Actually, we got home on Wednesday night; and I am proud to say that less than 24 hours later, I was completely unpacked and had all of the laundry washed, dried, folded, and put away! Yes - I was exhausted (smile), but I knew that I couldn't move onto the 'fun' things before I got all of that done - plus, I just cannot function with mess surrounding me (OCD, I know...... but since I'm the one who cleans and makes everything the way I like it, I figure I'm a little entitled ;)

Anyway, I've been rolling the idea of holding a Card Buffet class around in my head, and with that in mind, have been trying to put together some cards that I could use for that event. Today was the perfect time to work on it, since I haven't been able to stamp for the last few weeks and a 'simple' card was just the thing to ease myself back into 'the groove'!

I really enjoyed working with the new Field Flowers set, and even though, as I look at it, I'm itching to add some collage background stamping - I do like how the card turned out ;)

I guess that's about it for now - thanks for stopping by!

Frame It!

2011-07-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! This is going to be a quick post and dash, we're leaving again on another roadtrip and I've got a million and one things to do before we leave. However, even with my daily life demands, I still made some time to whip this up! ('cause I just gotta stamp!)

This is another card featuring the new Frame It set as well as the new Hostess set, Tagtastic! I love the soft 'feeling' of this card and the mostly monochromatic scheme with just a touch of colour just really worked for me today!

Okay, that's it for me today, I have to run..... Thanks for stopping by!

FINALLY! My Stampin' Up Order Arrived

2011-07-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Like many eager demonstrators in Canada, I was not so patiently waiting for my first shipment of goodies from the new catalogue. I actually placed my Sale-A-Bration redemption order on July 1st as well as my demo order; and guess what, the non-expidited order (the one I didn't pay an extra $25 in shipping charges for) arrived on Tuesday at my house - AN HOUR BEFORE my expidited order...... arrrggghhhh......

Oh well, it's here now and while I haven't had a ton of time to sit down and stamp in the last couple of days, I was able to put this card together. I just LOVE this new Frames (can't remember the exact name right now) stamp set! Check out the new denim ribbon as well - it's pretty fabulous!!!!

On another note, today is my 10 year wedding anniversary!!! I was actually able to line up a babysitter so that we can celebrate with an acutal date! (I'm praying, crossing my fingers, and knocking on wood, that she's a really, really, great babysitter.....)

Are you all following the Convention updates on FB? I was lucky enough to go last year and even though I couldn't make it this year, I have already started planning to be there next year - it's SO MUCH FUN!!!

I guess that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Card Patterns Sketch

2011-07-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

Why oh why do I insist on trying to work with purple? I've said it before and I'll say it again, Purple HATES me. BUT, I really really love the new dsp Pocketfull of Posies and wanted to work with it a bit - I swear every time I pull out my purple cs and ink pads I think, "This time will be different....." Anyway, it's a rainy, gloomy day today and I couldn't get a really decent shot of this card so you'll just have to trust me that it's actually quite pretty. That's right, you heard me; I am actually quite happy with how it turned out!!!!! FINALLY!!!!

I also wanted to play along with this month's SoShelli challenge which was to use something new from the new catalogue; and since my wonderful fabulous stupendous new goodies aren't arriving until tomorrow - it made it pretty easy to decide on what to use on this card :) I haven't done one of her challenges before, but this one was pretty broad and obviously not hard to do - who out there isn't using their new stamps and accessories????

Well, I don't think I'll be temping fate by pulling out the Elegant Eggplant again any time soon. Just give my my Crumb Cake, Pool Party, and Island Indigo, and I'm a happy girl ;)

Mojo Monday 198

2011-07-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I love how this card turned out! I spent a bit of time on this one - the linnen thread stitching itself took a bit of patience. Although, since I used my new faves Pool Party and Island Indigo, I don't think I could hate this card if I tried :)

Well, this is my second post today and my kids are getting a little antsy for my attention (I'm not complaining - I'm quite aware that soon enough they won't want too much to do with me) So thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the cards today!

Playing Along With Create With Connie and Mary

2011-07-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy playing along with the challenges from Create with Connie & Mary, and this week was no exception. This was a fun sketch challenge to work with although I finished this too late to link it up on their site - oh well.
First of all, I have to backtrack a bit and tell you what I did the other day..... I went through my stamps to separate my current sets from my retired sets. I know that I should ONLY work with current sets, but I tend not to get rid of my retired sets right away because there are some that I really really love and could never bear to part with. Also, I think initially, when I began stamping, my stash wasn't that big so it was easy to just keep track in my mind what was current and what wasn't. Honestly, I didn't even look at the retiring stamps list this year (the retiring accessories was depressing enough for me)..... ANYWAY, all of that to say, that I was honestly suprised (maybe I shouldn't have been -who knows?) when I went from six drawers of stamp sets (I use old dressers to store my stamps) down to TWO!!!! Who the heck decided to retire all of my stamps?????
So my new challenge to myself is to try and only use current sets - my new goodies should be here by Friday so that should ease my pain substantially :) I guess I should go through and separate my current and retired ribbons next.......
Okay, so back to the card - Trendy Trees is a cute set I've had since it came out and is thankfully still current! I stamped the leaves of the trees in Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, and Peach Parfait - but then it started feeling a little to 'fall-ish' to me so I added layers of Rose Red into the card to make it more 'summer-y' again. In addition to the Trendy Trees, I used the new stamps Good Grid and Best Friends Forever - since my FAVOURITE image from Friends 24-7 is now retired :( and I love how the accent of tying the bitty button to the bitty safety pin turned out!!! I'll definetly be using that again.

For Wendy

2011-07-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I couldn't get to posting this sooner - I swear the work involved in returning from a holiday almost makes me think twice about taking a holiday in the first place ;) Anyway, you had asked how I did my ruffled ribbon down the front of one of my last cards and I had REALLY hoped to put together another card to show you on - maybe a video tutorial....... but that isn't going to happen anytime soon so hopefully these four crummy pictures will get the job done!

First I fray the end of my ribbon (I love to use SU's seam binding for this)

Then 'pick' at one of the threads until you've pulled apart from the rest and gather your ribbon as much or as little as you'd like.

I know it's difficult to see because I so wisely used linnen thread on Crumb Cake cs; however, I laid down a piece of linnen thread and then wrapped the seam binding around the cs over top of the linnen thread.

Last, but not least, tie a knot or a bow with your linnen thread and stick down the ends of the seam binding where you want them placed with a glue dot or bit of snail adhesive.

Voila! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

Okay, I'm off to pay a little attention to my wonderful kids! Here's a couple of pictures from our week at the lake.

London showing off her "wonderful" rock

Davis concentrating on wrecking the sandcastles his sister had built

Raining Flowers

2011-07-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Okay - since I've written the last few posts all back to back in one sitting I've run out of witty (debatable, I know) things to say. These cards were made using the Raining Flowers stamp set.

I hesitate to say, again, how much I would not have chosen this set on my own, lest I begin to sound (gasp) negative. I've said before, how much the "negativeness" (I'm aware that that is barely a word) in general and on Stampin' Connection in particular really bothers me. I'm mean really - who says that a Colour Renovation has "shaken your foundation"? It's paper and ink people - let's have some perspective and get a grip....... Okay, *yikes* I believe that is all I will say about that. (deep breath) (smile)

I have to say that I've been quite honoured to be asked to make these display board samples and do realize how lucky I am to be asked, get a sneak peek and some new product, and recieve free samples as a part of that! And while I was initially less than thrilled when I saw the stamp sets that I was sent - I was really pleased with the experience of how my perception of each set changed when I forced myself to work with them and create something that I was happy with! I learned a valuable lesson from that experience - it's always nice when we challenge ourselve and it ends up being a positive experience!

Okay, that's enough from me today. I hope that you enjoyed the cards and hopefully I'm home by now, unpacked and ready to get stamping again! Bye for now!

Andrea

Easy Events

2011-07-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!
Here are a few more cards that I made for the display boards - this time using the Easy Events stamp set. I must admit that again, this is NOT a set I would have chosen to purchase for myself. And again, I'm actually quite happy with how these turned out - just re-enforcing what I know (or don't know as it happens!)

I think that as this posts, we'll be starting to pack up and head home. I hope that you're all enjoying a warm and sunny summer (and the new Stampin' Up catalogue!!!!!) I have one more stamp set / group of cards to show you that I'll post tomorrow!

Andrea

Best Friends Forever

2011-07-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!
As you read this, I am camping (hopefully in the sunshine) - but I just wanted to share with you a couple of the cards that I made for this year's display boards at Convention. Unfortunately, it just wasn't in the cards for me to attend this year (but I'm already planning on it for next year!)

It was a bit of a challenge for me to put these together as we're really limited in what we're able to use on the cards. I am happy with how they turned out though - so I guess it was a 'good' growing experience to know that I don't have to use 5 different stamp sets on each card I make :) These cards were made using the new Best Friends Forever stamp set, which honestly, is not one I would have picked out myself AT. ALL., but I've already used it for other projects since making these cards - so it just goes to show - what do I know? (And I can rhyme at the same time....) Yes, I agree, that's enough ;)

Okay, I've got some more to show you so stop by again tomorrow!

Andrea

A Couple More Cards For You

2011-06-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

Good Rainy Morning to You! As I write this, I should be getting EVERYTHING ready to load up our trailer for a week of camping. Unfortunately, the weather is gross - and since Jason has crashed for a couple of hours (he's been working nights) I'm just taking the whole 'getting ready' thing easy. It's not like I'm in any hurry to get out and enjoy the great wet outdoors.

So instead of packing up toys, clothes, and food, I thought I'd show you the last two cards that I made a while back for the "Husband's Survival Kits" that I donated to the school fundraiser. I stamped the insides of these as well (like I did for the rest) but didn't take pictures - oh well......

Are you all excited for July 1? I know it's Canada Day and that's exciting stuff and all that - BUT - the really exciting thing is that it's the first day you can order any and all of the wonderful new goodies from the upcoming Stampin' Up catalogue!!!!! Theoretically I'll be camping; however, I'm sure that if there's no Wifi where we're at I'll find a way to get myself somewhere that I can put my order in!!!! (hee hee hee)

Well I guess I've procrastinated enough for now..... Thanks for taking a look and see you all later!

Andrea

On A Roll!

2011-06-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Wow! I actually did it - two cards in one day...... I'm sure that that will turn into two cards in one week; oh well, it was fun!

As you can see, for this card I used the Inkspirations sketch challenge, the Notably Ornate stamp set and the NEW Pool Party, and Lucky Limeade colours!!!!! (Can you believe there's not an ounce of Crumb Cake anywhere on this card.....? I know... gasp!)

I don't know how the picture got so wonky (well, I do know - I took a wonky picture) - besides that, I wanted to point out the tiny edge of crochet lace peeking out from the Limeade panel; it's hard to see in the picture, but I think it adds that tiny bit of extra 'something' to the card. The linnen thread stands out more 'in person' as well.

Anyway, now I'm ignoring my kids during dinner to post this and that's not too good :s

See ya later!

A Mix Of Old and New

2011-06-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

My husband is on his "short change" today - which means he's got 24 hours off inbetween working day shifts and night shifts. I snuck down to the basement with the pretense of doing laundry (which I'm at 3 loads and counting (sheets today)) and 'forgot' to come back upstairs... hee hee hee

Actually, I did tell him that I was going to stamp for a bit..... he would have figured it out anyway - it's not like I stand in front of the washing machine and wait for it to do it's thing :)

I chose to play around with this week's sketch challenge from the Card Patterns blog and had a lot of fun putting this one together. In browsing through the new catalogue, the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set caught my eye. I used to use this set ALL. THE. TIME. when it first came out and haven't touched it in ages. Since it's still a current set, I decided to dust it off and paired it with the brand new Good Grid, and Best Friends Forever. I hope you like it!

My wonderful husband has now taken the kids with him to run a few errands and I'm enjoying blissful silence in my house. Unfortunately, I must go and continue with my laundry wench duties (hee hee), but I think I'll 'forget' to come back upstairs again :)

Bye for now!

The Good - The Bad - and The Hysterical

2011-06-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

Good Morning BlogLand Friends!

I finally did a little stamping the past couple of days! Unfortunately this is all I have to show for it.... The first two cards were terrible :( Okay, maybe not terribe per se; however, they weren't anything I'd be willing to send to someone - so into the trash they went.
I often hear people say that they 'just aren't creative', or that they could never do 'that'. My response is that creativity is like any other muscle in your body - you need to work it out regularly for it to be strong and work well and effectively. Just like you would do regular cardio workouts to build up endurance, you need to practice your craft regularly for it to 'flow'..... so to speak!
Anyway, all of that to say, the last couple of days were evidence that I had taken a little break. It's all good though because I'm really happy with how this card turned out. I used a new set from the upcoming Stampin' Up catalogue and one of the fabulous new In Colours - Island Indigo. I must admit that Taken With Teal was one of the old colours that I was sad to see leave; however, Island Indigo is FA.BU.LOUS.... Love it, love it, love it!
This is my version of a faux barnboard. First I scored my cs, then I stamped the Woodgrain background stamp in Early Espresso onto the Crumb Cake cs. Then I painted the whole thing with my Frost White shimmer paint - then, I sponged Whisper White, Early Espresso, and Soft Suede onto the whole thing.

Okay - here's the 'bad'. I patiently waited until this morning to take a picture of my new card so that I could photograph it in the beautiful morning sunshine, and then stinkin' Blogger wouldn't upload my picture. I finally switched to the old post editor which so far seems to be working - but I'm technically challenged and it wasn't a solution that came quickly or easily to me.....

In the meantime, both of my kids have (what I thought was) small head colds. Apparantly they are feeling more under the weather than I realized. All of the sudden this morning, while I was trying to get this posted, I had two hysterically crying children in my arms....... Luckily that doesn't happen often, but I always feel like it's a bit of an out of body experience when it does. It's like - "whoa, what's going on here, how did this happen, this is my life?" Anyway, I cuddled them and we were able to ride it out - all before 8am.... sheesh They are playing happily now and seem to have forgotten the whole episode - I, however, am still a wee bit shell shocked :s

Well, I guess it's time to get on with my day - thanks for stopping by!

Andrea

Hello Again!

2011-06-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! Well - it's been a busy little while lately and I'll quickly catch you up. As some of you know, my step-father passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on May 25th. Jason, I, and the kids drove back to BC to be with my mom and the rest of our family and friends. We were away for 2 weeks, and because the trip wasn't planned, it took at least another week to get settled and organized again once we were home.

One of nicer things about our trip (besides catching up with our friends) was that I got to go to my old Stamp Club meeting (that my dear friend Christina took over for me when we moved)! It was so awesome to see 'my ladies' again and Christina designed these fabulous cards for us to make. Jason is actually away for the weekend for a 'Rescue Competition' (like a firefighter's thing I'm told)..... but when he gets home we'll have some wonderful cards for him!

I'm really excited about a lot of things in the new Stampin' Up catalogue and am excited to get my Stampin' groove back on. In the meantime, I'll show you what I've been up to - it's my new hobby....

SEWING! I'm learning as I go (these projects are anything but perfect), but it's been fun to switch gears a bit from stamping and I think it'll be fun to switch back as well!

Where Has The Time Gone?

2011-05-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted anything here. Frankly, like many of you I'm sure, life is just a little busy right now. In addition to that - because I firmly believe that we make time for what we want to in our lives - I'm just not sure that I'm going to continue with this blog. It takes a lot of time and effort to post my creations; and as I think about it, I'm just not sure what I get out of doing so. Please don't get me wrong, I love to share my ideas and am so thankful to those of you who stop by and take the time to look here..... I guess if I had to list my priorities right now - I'm not sure my blog would make the cut.

Add to that, the ever increasing list of Stampin' Up's rules and regulations - it exhausts me to read (what little I do) the opinions on our demonstrator community The Stampin' Connection. My immediate reaction is to just say 'forget it' and walk away. I love creating and I'm okay with doing it for myself.

All of that to say, I'm not going to shut it down immediately, because let's face it, going with our initial reactions to things is often not wise (smile). I've been lucky enough to be asked to create some samples for the display boards for Convention this year so that's what I'm working on right now. When I'm allowed to show them, I'll post those here - and go from there.

Thank you again -SO MUCH! - to those of you who have taken time out of your day to stop by and take a look! And an extra special THANK YOU to those of you who left comments - they totally made my day, every time, and were so encouraging to me!

Anniversary Card

2011-04-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Weekend to Everyone! I hope that you are all enjoying a relaxing Good Friday - my mom is here for a visit and we are all enjoying having her here and her company!

While this card was fairly simple, it was not quick to put together. Though, I'm pleased with the result so it was well worth the time :) I love the Define Your Life (I think that's the correct name) stamp set. I could easily and happily use it on just about every project I put together - but for variety's sake, I don't........

Okay, I'm off to do some more visiting. Make sure to check back (not too soon) for the final two cards of my Husband's Survival Kit!

I CASED Myself Again!

2011-04-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

I made a card with this same layout for one of my stamp clubs ages ago - but it's still remains one of my favourites! So I switched up the colours and the stamp sets, added some more embellishments and stamping to the inside, and voila - one more card for the fundraiser!

Sorry to post and dash, but it's been quite busy around here and I need to run :)

So Sorry

2011-04-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Here's card #2 for the Husband's Survival Kits that I am putting together. I actually CASED myself on this one using a card I made ages ago - but added the new stamp from the Have A Seat set!

I have to say, that in a few months, my husband and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and it's only been in the last year (if that) that he's even started saying 'sorry', never mind giving me a card for the occasion...... so some wife out there is going to be luckier than I am in that department ;)

Okay, now I feel badly - I don't mean to make Jason sound terrible - because he's really, actually, the very best...... he's more into acts of service than words of affirmation (or words of apology as it may be).

ANYWAY - back to the card - I'm totally diggin' stamping the card insides and I can't believe how long it's been since I inked my my Medallion stamp. I won't let that be happening again :) Okay, 2 designs down, only 4 more to go!

Sweet Sunday Sketch

2011-04-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

I was asked to donate some cards for a fundraiser that the Christian School here is having next month. So I've been working on some ideas that I've had for that (all that means, is - I've been tired at the end of the day and procrastinating going down to my craft room and doing any actual work) (smile)

Anyway, I finally put this card together as one of a set that I'll be doing. I saw the idea some time ago and, even though it never ended up happening, thought it would be a fun project or even class to do. The idea is called "Husband's Six Pack Survival Kit" In it are six cards - one each for, birthday, anniversary, mother's day, valentine's day, 'sorry', and 'just because'.

It's also been a while since I've decorated the inside of my cards and wanted to get back into that. I love the finished result of this card and can only hope that the other five come together as nicely :)

Proud Peacock

2011-04-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

This week was another sketch challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary. This turned out to be a pretty simple card - but I really liked how it turned out! I used the new Proud Peacock set from the upcoming Summer Mini.

My "Golden Girls" Card!

2011-04-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

For this week's Card Patterns sketch challenge, I wanted to play around with some more of my new SU goodies! I pulled out the new set, Happy Greetings, and the whole time I was putting this together, I kept humming the tune from the Golden Girls (for those of you who are old enough to remember the show) -

Thank you for being a friend
Travel down the road, and back again
Your heart is true
Your a pal and a confidant

Every time I look at this stamp - this song starts playing in my head (the card is currently 'face down' on the table as I write this :)

ANYWAY, as you can see, I also used the new The Open Sea stamp set - and THE MOST FUN part of this card (for me anyway) is the bottom edge that I created with the new Blossom Bouquet triple layer punch!

I hope that you all have a fabulous Monday - it's only 7:45am here, but so far so good!

Mojo Monday 185

2011-04-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

WHOO HOO!!!! I got a box of goodies from Stampin' Up yesterday and was so excited to use them right away! I decided to ink up my new rubber for a card using this Mojo Monday sketch. Of course, a lot of the detail is lost in the photo - I used the Bella Toile background set, inked with Versamark, embossed with Irridescent Ice, and gently sponged with Crumb Cake on the back layer. It's subtle, but interesting and oh. so. pretty :) I could go on - but I won't...... I think you can see (at least mostly) for yourself what's going on here.

I've still been busy making flash cards for London, so hopefully, I'll be back soon with more new stuff to show you!

Easter Blossoms - Again!

2011-04-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

So - I loved how my last card turned out so much that I had to use the same set again! (Same colour scheme as well). I don't typically use this many embellishments on one card because it usually is difficult to keep it balanced - but I think, in this case, it worked out well!

Mojo Monday 184

2011-04-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, yesterday was a loooonngg day for me and I was so grateful when I got the chance to spend some quiet time to myself stamping and making this card! Honestly, I wasn't too sure about this sketch when I first saw it - it was the 'ribbon' and bow at the top that were throwing me off. I know that you don't have to follow a sketch to 'to the letter', but sometimes I like to challenge myself to not change it up at all. Anyway, my trusty linnen thread saved the day - so all's well that ends well!

Happy Together Birds!

2011-03-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

I made these cards last week for the Card Patterns sketch challenge but didn't get a chance to post them in time to link up with the challenge. I've started teaching my daughter to read, so most of my crafting time has been taken up with making flash cards for her. It's been fun, but time consuming :) Anyway, I didn't put sentiments on the front of these cards so that I can use them for whatever occasion arises. I think that either one would be perfect for a 'hello', 'birthday', or even something else!

Fun Flowers Die

2011-03-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Like my Letterpress plates, the Fun Flowers die sat on the shelf for a while before I finally pulled it out and used it on a project. It was soooo worth the wait though - I absolutely LOVE how this card turned out! First of all, I challenged myself not to use the Springtime Vintage, Sweet Stitches, or First Edition dsp - even with the many wonderful choices left, that wasn't as easy as it sounds (smile). Anyway, as usual, it's difficult to tell from the photo, but I Smootch Spritzed just about everything on this card with the Gold Glow, Vanilla Shimmer, and Log Cabin - and it is fabulous! I also used the Smootch Accent Ink on the edges of the flower petals.

Bugs 'N Kisses

2011-03-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

Okay - here is a set that definitely had some dust on it. I don't typically enjoy the layouts that have diagonal lines across them - don't ask me why - they just don't seem to work out for me. I was really diggin' the bright colours in the last few kid's cards that I had made though, and wanted to try another one - so voila! I actually like how it turned out. I guess there's always got to be the exception that proves the rule :)

Clean & Simple Sketch Challenge

2011-03-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Okay - I know I'm getting redundant - but I really love how this card turned out as well! I guess I pretty much am happy with most of the things I post on my blog (the things that don't turn out don't typically get posted) Anyway, this was a great sketch this week and as soon as I saw it I knew that I wanted to dust off my Boho Blossoms punch and put it to work. I don't think it shows up well in the picture, but I went over the Very Vanilla and Whisper White layers with the Very Vintage wheel and Versamark ink. It's subtle (obviously) but adds a nice touch to the card!

Monkey Mojo Monday!

2011-03-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love all of the animals in the Fox & Friends stamp set? These birthday cards were fun to put together using this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge. I absolutely llloooooovvvvee the Real Red/Melon Mambo/Daffodil Delight colour combination! And the dsp's (who's name escapes me at the moment and I'm too lazy to go downstairs and look in my catty) graphic-ness (yes..... I know..... that's not a word) is TO. MUCH. FUN! Gotta love it!

Tres Chic Sweet Sunday Sketch

2011-03-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun with this week's SSSC - as you can see, I made the same card with two different colour palettes. I thought that I would love the card using the Love Letter dsp more; however, I think I'm a bit more fond of the other. Still love them both though! And since they're my cards and not my kids I can play favourites:)

A Cute Little Box

2011-03-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Here is another project that I made using those templates that I've had forever. I LOVE this paper from Stampin' Up and will be so sad when it retires. This box came together fairly easily and quickly for me - and I was happy with it...... until I stuck the button on the handle. I was going to do a few along the handle, but didn't like even the first one; unfortunately, the mini glue dot that I used to adhere it was going to rip off the dsp, and I REALLY didn't feel like starting over - so..... the button stays.

Clean & Simple Sketch Challenge

2011-03-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

I had a couple of different ideas for this week's Clean & Simple sketch challenge. I pulled out this set because I haven't used it in forever - yes I know it's retired - but I still love it and so try to use it from time to time :) I coloured in the images with my blender pens and colours that coordinated with the dsp - but then found it too bright. So I went over them with the moonlight Smootch to mute the colours a bit. I think it looks better IRL and the shimmer adds a bit of interest :)

Cardmaking Kick!

2011-03-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

I've been finding lots of time (and inspiration) to play around and stamp some cards lately. Here are two that I made recently. I love how they both turned out - I hope my mojo doesn't go anywhere 'cause this is fun!

Mojo 182

2011-03-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch to come up with this baby card. The mom's group that I've joined here in Fort McMurray was asked to help out a couple that recently moved here from Korea. They'd only been here a few weeks when they learned that she was pregnant. If they don't get their citizenship soon, the wife will have to go back to Korea to have the baby as it would cost too much for them to have it here. Anyway, we're all pitching in with gifts and whatever we can to help this couple out. Since they don't know the sex of the baby I decided to go a little 'non-traditional' with the card

Cute Little Purse

2011-03-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

I've had several Lauren Meader tutorials just sitting and waiting to be made for a while now - so I finally decided to make one. Of course, it's a lousy picture again - but I finished it just in time to fill it (with chocolate, of course) and give it as a gift to someone who's really gone out of her way to welcome me here!

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge

2011-03-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Now, that I've moved, I'm trying to keep up my letter writing - and, of course, I can't send a letter without a handmade card. I expect that most of my cards from now on will be "thinking of you", "friend", "miss you", and "just because" themed. :)

Happy Saturday!

2011-03-12T13:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Again!

Even though it's Saturday afternoon, and I'm at home with my kids the same as I would be any other day of the week - it's still more relaxing just knowing that it's the weekend! Here are another couple of cards that I put together recently. I used an old Mojo Monday Sketch and Card Patterns Sketch respectively for the cards - plus, I got the idea for the birthday card from the fabulously awesome Carrie Gaskin! You can check out her card here.

I hope that you're all having a wonderfully relaxing weekend!

FINALLY! Something New!!!

2011-03-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I can't believe it - I've finally stamped again! We're moved and (mostly) unpacked - I was very discouraged as we've downsized and I wasn't very optimistic about having a space of my own to stamp in. But, we were able to make it happen! (don't go imagining any awesome craft spaces - I have a dark corner in our unfinished basement) At this point, I really don't care - I was missing my creative outlet, especially after our loooonnnnngg move, and am actually giving myself a little pat on the back for this card. It's the first thing that I've made in 2 months - I thought for sure, that there'd be at least one try in the garbage before I had anything worth showing. I'm going to quit while I'm ahead though (smile) and see what tomorrow brings!

It's Done...... (sniff sniff)

2011-01-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

I finally finished the gargantuan task of packing up my craft room and didn't realize until I was packing, just how much "stash" I have accumulated since becoming a SU demonstrator....... All that's left for now are the projects that I've prepared for my last club meeting next week. I hope that I didn't forget anythings, 'cause if I did, we're all hooped!

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by to take a look, and especially to those of you who leave me such nice comments - I treasure them!

See you again in the spring!

Andrea

Valentines Build-A-Blossom

2011-01-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

I got the idea for this card from my fellow Artisan winner, Elizabeth Price , (you can click on her name to visit her blog). She made THE. MOST. FABULOUS. CARD. - and of course, I had to case it! I loved her idea of using the pearls AND the glass glitter on the flower; and even though I've owned all of the letterpress plates since the summer, this was the first time I've made something with one that I was happy with! It's a little difficult to see in the picture, but there's a 'heart' bitty button with some linnen thread tied through it as well, that I think is a cute little extra detail! Thanks for the inspiration Elizabeth!

Clearly For You

2011-01-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

This was actually the first card (of the two I've posted today) that I made. I loved the colour/paper combination so much, that I used it twice!

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 100

2011-01-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

I had fun playing with this week's SSSC100 and some new goodies from the Occasions Mini Catalogue and Sale-A-Bration Catalogue! I actually made two very similar looking cards, simply because I'm addicted to the newsprint background on EVERYTHING! You can't tell from the photo, but I Smootch Spritzed the card as well and it looks Fabulous!

Change of Address

2011-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

Yes, i'm stalling........ I REALLY don't want to pack - so I thought that instead of packing, I could make some change of address cards! I pulled out a number of different sets to put this together. Last year's SAB Good Neighbour, Artistic Etchings, and this year's SAB Bliss. Who am I kidding though, everyone got hand made Christmas cards this year; I think it'll be okay if I send out a mass email with our new address, bite the bullet and show some progress in the packing department. Uggghhh, not fun :(

Filled with Love

2011-01-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

Wow! I actually did some stamping yesterday! I absoultely HAD to clean up my craft room since the last time (few times) I was in there, I had my daughter with me and she had dumped out some buttons (among other things) all over the floor to play with. And, of course, for the sake of keeping her occupied so I could finish whatever I was doing, I let her. (stupid) ANYWAY, with my craft room looking all spiffy and organized once more, I just couldn't resist creating something - and who wouldn't be inspired by this scrumptious cupcake picture? I paired it with this week's card patterns sketch and voila!

January Club Projects

2011-01-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

I finally got my butt in gear and took photos of this month's club projects. Unfortunately, it's pouring buckets of rain outside so I didn't have the best lighting for my pictures. Oh well....... As you can see, I used stamps from the new mini catalogue - FUN!

London's 4th Birthday Party

2011-01-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

I wish that I had a closer picture of my buckets - I'll try to crop one later. I used the tutorial from Shelly Bohan's blog to make 26 gerbera daisies and added my own home made (and gorgeous, if I do say so myself) magic wands to the arrangements.

Butterflies, using SU's Beautiful Butterflies die and attached with some retired pink and purple ribbon

Over 45 tissue paper flowers hung from the ceiling (and my little prince waving the magic wand (I bought them at Target and then added some crystals and pearls to them - this is the 'before' version)

My little princess with some glitter glue - her favourite!

London waiting for her friends to arrive - we had princess costumes everyone (under 5) to wear!

I can not believe how long it's been since I posted. As with most of you, I'm sure that Christmas was a busy time - hopefully full of family and friends! Along with Christmas, Jason and I were trying to finalize the purchase of our new home in Fort McMurray, where we'll be moving next month. It's never a simple process it seems; and was complicated by many people being on holidays and their substitutes not really knowing what was going on :( We did finally get everything completed and we're good to go. Then, my baby turned 4 last weekend! This is the first year that I've done her party at our house AND invited only her friends (instead of all of our friend's kids) It was a TON of work, but so much fun! Now the decorations are down and it's time for me to start packing. Unfortunately, my stamp room will probably be one of the first things packed, since I won't have much time to stamp between now and when we move anyway :( Please be patient with me and check back every so often, you never know, I just may be able to squeeze some 'me' time in! For sure I'll be back by spring - once we're set up in our new place.

Lots of Smootch for Valentines!

2010-12-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Boxing Day! Are you going out to brave the crowds today? I'm not - we get together with Jason's side of the family on Boxing Day every year, so that's where we're headed in a little while. I thought I'd share this card with you that I made a while ago. It's be so crazy, and fun, around my house that I haven't had an extra moment to spare to get any stamping done :( And now that Christmas is over, I need to start preparing for my daughter's birthay party which always comes around more quickly than I expect!

Anyway, back to the card! I used some of the fabulous new Valentine's stamps and dsp to put this together. Then I Smootch spritzed the whole thing with two different Smootches! So much sparkle and fun!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-20T14:13:00.000-08:00

No, this isn't a Christmas card; I have to say that I am completely done with those..... I was out shopping today for decorations for my, soon to be, 4 year old's birthday party. I'm sure that I was the only person buying pink and purple accessories (and they were a little difficult to find) in the sea of red, white, and green! I'm wishing that I could've got the kids pictures taken with Santa before school let out; however, Jason wasn't home and I didn't want him to miss out. We'll see if it happens this year - neither they, nor I, need a picture with Santa badly enough to brave the LONG line ups :)

I hope that you're enjoying your Christmas season, and just maybe, you can use this card as an inspiration for something in the new year!

Happy Birthday!

2010-12-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

My husband, Jason, got home yesterday and is home now until the new year. We're enjoying a VERY chillaxing Saturday afternoon! It's these kind of days that are the epitomy of the 'Christmas season' for me. Anyway, I thought I'd sneak in a quick post, as you can see, this is another card that I made with one of the upcoming Sale-A-Bration sets! I've done something similar before with a different punch and really liked how it turned out - so I knew when I saw this set that I would be trying it again. Okay, I'm off to enjoy some Christmas baking and hang out with my family! Merry Christmas!

Invitations

2010-12-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

My daughter, London, turns 4 in January. Even though it's still 3 weeks away, I wanted to get the invitaitons ready now so I don't have to worry about it being undone during all of our Christmas celebrations. London wasn't too into 'princess' stuff until we went to Disneyland this past fall. Now she loves all things 'princess', so I think that we'll go with that theme this year!

Box of Tags

2010-12-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

I love these kinds of projects. They're fun to make and I think that they make great gifts! As you can see, this is another project that I made using new items from the Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Mini Catalogues.

Hope you're enjoying the Christmas season - I'm off to do some of that myself!

Espresso Bliss

2010-12-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post and dash today. Another card made for Leadership - this time I used the Bliss stamp set!

Clean and Simple Sweet Summer

2010-12-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Good Afternoon Everyone!

I can barely believe it's only 1pm today. It already feels like I've done a full day's worth of activities (basically, I'm ready to put the kids to bed) We still have a birthday party to attend as well........ I know we'll have fun though; so what's a little tiredness in the whole scheme of things - par for the course, I'd say.

Anyway, here's another sample card that I made last month. I used the Sweet Summer and the Thanks For Caring sets and my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to place everything where I wanted it!

Oh Sew Suite Fabric Project

2010-12-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!
For those of you that don't already know - my family and I are moving in the new year (February is the plan) so things have been a little crazy around here. My husband has been working out of town for the past two years (he's been gone 18 days and home 6) and since he seems to be liking it where he is, we've decided to move our whole family there to be all together again!
It's been a little different because I've left the house choosing process completely up to Jason, which if your husband is anything like mine, you know that all they care about is the size of the garage and the size of the yard; whereas I would like a nice big kitchen and decent sized rooms....... (I trust him, I trust him, I trust him, I trus........ - you get the idea)
Anyway, we put an offer in on a place last night, so now the fun work of finalizing our financing, inspections, and renting out our current house begins!
ALL of that to say, I have not been stamping for the past few days. But I do have another one of my Leadership projects to show you! This is one of the 3D projects that I made. My mom gave me the idea - we were talking one day and she mentioned that her Nana always had a button box where she saved all of her extra buttons. When I saw this fabric from the Oh Sew Suite collection, I knew that this would be the perfect project to make! You can't see it too well in the photos, but I tufted the top of the box, putting buttons and stitches in the middle of the printed buttons on the fabric. The "B" stands for 'Button Box'. (original, I know)
Hope you all have a great weekend - I'm off to get my daughter ready for school, then check as many things off of my list as possible!

Cupcake Stamps and Punches

2010-12-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! First of all, I have to admit that it is bothering me - more than a bit - that the bow in the picture is covering up part of the sentiment; however, not quite enough to go and take another picture (smile).

As you can see, I paired the new stamp, Create A Cupcake with it's co-ordinating punch, Build a Cupcake, with this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge. I'm having a lot of fun using my dies to come up with different shapes, rather than rectangles and circles, to use for the sketch challenges. (hint, hint SU, we need more dies) (smile again :)

I used the Illuminate top coat (which is still wet in the pic) to 'dot' sprinkles onto my cupcake, and an antique brad, and vintage trinkets to accessorize my card!

New Punches!

2010-12-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it - I've got a punch addiction...... any time SU comes out with a new punch, I don't think twice; it goes straight onto my wish list! For today's card I used the new Build a Blossom stamp set and co-ordinating Blossom Petals punch; and as you can see, I based the card on this week's sketch from the Card Patterns blog. Even though it's difficult to see in the picture, I used the shimmery white cs to stamp the flower petals on and for the top 'square' layer - I haven't used that particular cs in a while and was pleased with how the shimmer showed up through the stamped images.

Another fave of mine is the seam binding ribbon. I have to admit to being very sad when SU discontinued the kraft taffeta last year - but MY OH MY! the new Crumb Cake seam binding is so yummy and delicious, it more than makes up for the long gone taffeta! (Yes, I know that I used the Baja Breeze seam binding on this card and not the Crumb Cake - I was just saying........) It's all fabulous!

New Beveled Windowpanes from Stampin' Up!

2010-12-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a card that I made using this week's sketch challenge from the Clean & Simple sketch challenge blog. As you can see, I'm still enjoying playing around with my new stamps and accesories from the upcoming Occasions mini catalogue. For this card I used the Clearly For You stamp set, and the new beveled windowpanes. The image under the windowpane is stamped in Blushing Bride and is easier to see IRL than in the photo. Also, you can't really tell from the picture that I spritzed Smootch Spritz over the Early Espresso layer of the card to add a bit of interest.

FINALLY - Been Playing With My New Goodies!

2010-12-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

I've been busy this past week with getting my club projects together and doing my Christmas baking. I knew I wanted to bake some extra this year to give out as gifts but didn't realize quite how many cookies I had baked until I had to stop because I had run out of storage containers. How many did I make you ask?.... Over 600 cookies, is your answer - that's right 50 dozen - and I am DONE.... (for now :)

I had a looooonnng night with a sick kid last night and am bushed today; luckily stamping doesn't take too much energy. Not like doing the laundry, or washing the floors...... hee hee hee

For my cards today, I played around with this week's sketch challenge from over at Create with Connie and Mary, and based both cards on the same sketch.

Hope you enjoy them! And now I must be off - the laundry refuses to be ignored any longer :)

More Punch Bunch!

2010-12-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

Here's another card that I made with the upcoming Punch Bunch stamp set. I paired it with the Love Letter dsp - you can't go wrong (or make anything look 'bad') with that lovely stuff! The flowers are pop-dotted up for a little extra dimension.

Hope you're all enjoying a wonderful weekend! My daughter was supposed to sing in the kids' Christmas play at church tomorrow, but, of course, her 'cold' turned worse today and by the time she went to bed, was experiencing some chills and fever - so I think we'll be staying home tomorrow.

On the bright side, I'm hoping to get a chance to play with my NEW STAMPS! That's right - I got them already! I just LOVE that we Canadians have the expidited shipping option now! WHOO HOO!!! Although, who am I kidding, sick kid = no time to stamp.....

SAB - Punch Bunch

2010-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love all of the cute little owls that Stampin' Up has come out with lately! These little darlings are from the set Punch Bunch in the upcoming Sale-A-Bration catty. I have no idea who the first person was that cut the 1 1/4" ribbon in half, but I LOVE them - it's a much better size for cards and I use it WAY more often now :)

BRIGHT Sweet Summer

2010-12-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

Here's another card that I made for the Leadership display boards. One of the 'rules' that we had was that we needed to use this pom pom trim on a certain number of our projects. I think the trim is cute, but it's Melon Mambo, so the projects that it ended up on being hmmmmm.... shall we say, brightly coloured. Not a bad thing necessarily; however, my mojo was leaning towards Crumb Cake and softer colours (surprise surprise) so it took me a while to get my head into the game in terms of making something 'nice' with the trim.
It's hard to see in the picture, but the 1st, 2nd, and 4th flowers (from the left) are cut out an popped up.

Okay, I'm off to get ready for my stamp club tonight - I can't wait, we always have so much fun!

Sale-A-Bration! Sweet Summer

2010-12-01T04:58:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!
This year I was lucky enough to be asked to make some samples for the Leadership display boards and so over the next while, I'm going to show you what I came up with.

As you can see, I used the stamp Sweet Summer from the upcoming Sale-A-Bration mini to put together this scrapbook page. Now, I have a terrible confession to make.......Stampin' Up owns every single recent scrapbook page that I've made. That's right, if my kids want to see scrapbooked pages of themselves, they're going to have to head to Utah and ask politely :)

Anyway, I pulled the colours for my page from the colours in my daughter's rain coat and used a PageMaps sketch to put it all together.

Enjoy!

More Christmas

2010-11-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's another card that I put together yesterday afternoon. I love this Jolly Holiday dsp and realized that I haven't used it too much lately. I don't typically put big bows on my cards, but I do like how this one turned out, so I guess there's always the exception that proves the rule!

Card Patterns Sketch 92

2010-11-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

Good Afternoon Everyone! Wow, I can't believe that it's been a whole week since I've posted anything. I'm happy to say that I finished all of the display board projects that I've been working on and they're mailed off to Utah. My husband has been home this week (I take him to the airport in a few hours) and we've been "busy relaxing" and so I've barely seen my craft room this past week :(

I did manage to sneak back in for a bit today and managed to whip this card up from this week's Card Patterns sketch. I did initally have an oval on my card - the same as the sketch; however, it just wasn't working for me and so I decided to use the scallop note card die. I'm happy with how this turned out - now I need to address and send out my Christmas cards before Christmas is over!

A Litte Break From Christmas Cards

2010-11-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

I do this to myself every year...... I begin my Christmas projects soooooo early and then right about now (if I even make it this far) I get sick of Christmas stuff. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not sick of Christmas itself - I'm just ready to move on to something else 'stamping' wise.

So today, to 'cleanse my pallette' a bit, I whipped this little cutie up!

I'll try not to be too long before I post again. No promises though, since I haven't quite finished my Leadership display board projects - but I'll do my best :)

Christmas Gifts

2010-11-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

Good Afternoon Everyone! Today, I wanted to show you one of the projects that we will be making at my upcoming "Teacher's Gifts" class. This is a yummy cookies mix; the tag opens up with the baking instructions inside :) Don't you love how the fabric and dsp coordinate so fabulously?
Now, even though the class name says that the gifts are for teachers - we will be making some VERY COOL projects that I think would be appropriate for just about anyone. You could gift them to your hostesses this season, co-workers, neighbours, and friends!
You can email me at almunro@shaw.ca if you'd like more details about the class.

Welcome Christmas - Stamp-A-Stack #4

2010-11-12T17:53:00.000-08:00

This is the final card that we made at my Stamp-A-Stack last weekend. I just LOVE this image from the new Welcome Christmas stamp set. I've been using it a lot and am still not tired of it :) The paper is from the Deck The Halls dsp and the ribbon is Riding Hood Red (retired).

Snowman - Stamp-A-Stack #3

2010-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's appropriate to say "Happy Rememberance Day", but hopefully you know what I mean and take it that way (smile)
I got almost no sleep last night for no good reason, so am trying not to be as grumpy as I feel and am feeling a little sorry for my kids since they're the ones who will most likely suffer (as much as they suffer) because of it.

ANYWAY, today's card is the third from the recent Stamp-A-Stack that I held. I know, I know, I used a retired hostess set (bad me). However, I knew that the ladies coming to this event were primarily interested in making the Christmas cards and not in purchasing any product so felt 'safe' using something that wasn't current. (btw, I was right)

Tree Trimmings - Stamp-A-Stack #2

2010-11-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this wasn't the quickest of cards to put together. However it didn't take too long; and I loved how it turned out so much that I just had to include it in the cards that we made at my Stamp-A-Stack last weekend.

I've gone through a TON of the Deck The Halls dsp - it's so gorgeous, I just can't get enough!

Anyway, I'm still working on the display board projects for Leadership (can't wait to show you!) and another upcoming class that I have, so I better dash. Happy Wednesday :)

Serene Snowflakes - Stamp-A-Stack

2010-11-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! As promised, here is the first of four cards that we made at the Stamp-A-Stack I did this past Saturday. I LOVE doing traditional or vintage looking cards, but every once in a while, I like to switch it up and use colours that I think are less traditional. I used Blushing Bride and Very Vanilla for this card - it was quick and simple and, I think, turned out beautifully!

Club Project #2

2010-11-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Time Change Sunday Everyone!
This is the second project that my club made last week. I CASED this idea from Andrea Walford's blog last year and just switched up the stamp sets to use current ones. I love that it's a mix of traditional ideas and (what I think are) non-traditional colours.

I hope you're all enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon. I had a great morning with the kids, some productive stamp time while my son napped, and now we're just waiting for him to wake up :)

Visit back here soon, I'll be posting the cards that we made at the Stamp-A-Stack I held yesterday!

Greenhouse Gala Butterfly

2010-11-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

I CASED the idea for this card from the Moxie Fab World blog. I believe there was a challenge to use scallops which is where I found this idea.

For this card, I cut strips of scallops with my Tasteful Trim die, then adhered them to some cs and ran that through my Big Shot again, this time with my Butterflies die. I LOVE how simple this is, but it looks AMAZING!!!! (imho :) This was another quick and simple card that I put together for the cards that I sell at a local florist.

I have a Stamp-A-Stack later today, so I'll be back to show you the cards that we made for that.

Artistic Etchings Club Card

2010-11-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! It's a dreary rainy day here today - it's making me want to curl up with a book and something sweet to eat. Unfortunately neither of those are in the cards for me today (no pun intended..... really..... AT ALL)

Anyway, I had my monthly club meeting last night and this is one of the cards that we made. I realized that even though I love the Artistic Etchings stamp set, I hadn't used it in club yet. I paired it with some Love Letter dsp and the black lace trim from the Holiday mini. I'm happy with how it turned out - cute I think!

Okay, I'm off to prepare for a stamp-a-stack that I'm holding tomorrow and then more secret project work!

Trendy Trees

2010-11-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another quick and simple card that I put together the other day. For this card I pulled out my Trendy Trees set. These poor stamps haven't seen too much use lately so I wanted to rectify that situation! I paired the stamp with some retired dsp and voila!!!! tres magnifique :)

Hello Again

2010-11-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone! As promised, I'm back to show you a fairly quick and simple card that I put together. I love the look of punched or die cut images placed on a background of the same colour; I think that it adds a lot of interest without making the card/project too busy or overwhelming.

For this card I used the Hello Again stamp set and the retired Razzleberry Lemonade dsp. I hope you like it!

Final Selection

2010-11-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

I am SO sorry for being such a lazy poster! I have actually been a busy little bee, crafting away the hours of the day (or more accurately, night) but, somehow, haven't been doing too well at posting all of my fab creations :(

Anyway, you may recall an earlier posting where I showed you two designs that I had made for a client who wanted me to design her some wedding invitations. She wasn't really clear on what she wanted - and I do remember this from my hairdressing days - generally people who don't know what they want, are pretty clear on what they don't want. Anyways, we were able to work together to get a clearer picture of her requirements and came up with this. The snowflake is so pretty and 'fits' since they are getting married on New Year's Eve.

Okay, I must keep moving, but I promise to be back soon. I have some fun and simple cards that I've put together that I'll show you in the next few days!

Newsprint Love Letter

2010-10-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

When I first saw the new catty in June, I was SO EXCITED over the awesome selection of dsp that we have this year! The Newsprint and Love Letter have got to be my favourite (but who could resist the Play Date or Jolly Holiday or......) Another new fave - the Glass Glitter! I love the 'chunkiness' of this glitter, and MAJOR bonus - it's not nearly as messy to work with as traditional glitter!

Sweet Sunday Enjoy!

2010-10-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

I just love the sketches over at Karen Giron's blog, and this week's sketch challenge was no exception. I decided to pull out my Enjoy Every Moment stamp set and used the Peach Parfait and Pear Pizazz with a little Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight, and Night of Navy for my colour pallette.

I really want to have more to say about this card - I just don't. The kids and I just got back from a fun morning at a new indoor playground in town. We all had a blast, unfortunately wearing out the kids almost always involves wearing me out as well! I wish I could nap like my 1 year old, but alas, I must stay awake (like my 3 year old). Wish me luck (and energy) for the rest of my day......

Baroque

2010-10-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here's another quick and simple card that I put together a few days ago. I haven't used my Baroque background stamp in AGES (mostly because it's retired and I'm still working my way through my new sets!) But it worked perfectly for this card - although, as you can see, I had difficulty getting a nice clean image. I decided that the "aged/worn" look worked for the card and just left it :)

More Stamp-A-Stack

2010-10-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here's another simple card that we made at my stamp-a-stack last week. I love this wheel and the Santa is so cute and jolly!

Just Playing Around!

2010-10-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hi All! I made some time just for myself today. No club projects, no wedding invitations.... just me (for a whole hour :) Anyway, I've had these jewels from the holiday mini for a while and have done nothing with them. I know - it's a travesty. So I knew, starting out, that I wanted to incorporate the jewels, and I picked the Love Letter dsp (YUMMY) to pair with them.

Okay, I'm off to pick up my daughter from pre-school. We've been making paper dolls together lately; and while I know that she's having lots of fun, the truth is, I'm having more!!! :)