Art Interrupted

Triple Love Card

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

FOR THE LOVE OF CARD MAKING

Today's card uses stamps from Purple Onion Designs (hearts), Inkadinkado (script), and The Angel Company (saying). As long as you have similar stamps at home, you don't need to run out and buy these. I mentioned this mostly because I realize that the saying has been part of a staple set of saying stamps that I have had in my collection for years (and years and years). Unfortunately The Angel Company is no longer in business and this stamp is no longer available. Still...it's one of my favorites and I plan on using it for years to come.

For this card, I cut my 8 1/2" x 11" kraft cardstock in half vertically to give me two 4 1/4" x 11" panels. I used one of these and folded it in half to create a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" top-folded card.

Next I cut three 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" white cardstock squares. I stamped each with a script background using Adirondack dye ink pad in Sandal. Then I over-stamped each square witha heart using Brilliance Rocket Red pigment in pad. I tied some red and white twine on each square and mounted them to the card with Pop Dots.

The saying was stamped with black ink and the little heart was punched with a heart punch and red cardstock. I added it with Glossy Accents and then covered the top of it with more Glossy Accents.

Triple Love!

i {heart} u Card

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

FOR THE LOVE OF CARD MAKING

Here's another easy card. Stamp saying with black ink to the center of a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" side-folded white card. Stamp the same saying on red cardstock with a watermark ink pad like Watermark Resist. Cut out the heart and glue it onto the black stamped image on your card. Cover the heart with Glossy Accents to give it an epoxy finish.

Tie some red and white twine from The Twinery onto the fold and there you go....simple, but classy.

The stamp is from Stampin' Up!

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You Light Up My Life Card

2012-01-30T12:09:00.002-05:00

Just like I promised, FOR THE LOVE OF CARD MAKING, will be a daily post starting yesterday and continuing to Valentine's Day. Who's with me?

Here's a simple little ditty for today!

Piece together some scraps of coordinating pattern paper, add some brown ribbon, and mount to a 3 1/2" x 5 1/4" brown cardstock panel. Mount it to the left side of a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" top-folded white card. Fill in the right side with a strip of pattern paper. Stamp chandelier and saying with black ink.

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A Card A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

2012-01-29T16:07:00.002-05:00

A card a day may not really keep the doctor away, but it may uplift the spirits of someone. And that, my dear friend, may go a long way.

I feel very motivated to make some Valentine Day cards this year. A part of me is sad that I don't have 30 cards to make for my son's classroom anymore. He's finally hit that age where cards aren't so cool. The advantage I have this year is that I can make any type of card I want and they can all be different. So, last week I set aside two days to create, create, create. I have 13 cards made and two more in the work with more ideas brewing. I'd like to share with you 14 Days for the Love of Card Making! Are you ready to begin?

Our first day is focused on Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz's Love Struck stamp set. The card above was made with Ranger's Distress Ink Pads using the Wrinkle Free Distress technique on an old book page. The angel was stamped with Archival jet Black and mounted to a black cardstock panel, and then to a white 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" top-folded white card. The saying was embossed with Queen's Gold embossing powder on black cardstock, trimmmed and mounted to card. Rhinestones were added to the top left and bottom right corners.

This card was made using Ranger's coordinating line of Adirondack Ink Pads. Taking a light, bright, and earthtone allows you to create matching shades of color for any card. For this one, I used Shell Pink, Watermelon and Cranberry. The background was stamped with the Love Text from Love Struck using Shell Pink. The hearts were stamped with Watermelon, and the cherub and ticket were stamped with Cranberry. Here I just kept layering pink and white panels ending with a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" side-folded white card.

The last card utilizes the same idea as above. This time I used coordinating colors - Mountain Rose (bright) and Red Pepper (earthtone). I brayered a 4" x 5 1/4" white gloss cardstock panel with Mountain Rose and dried it with a heat tool. The color tends to lighten as it sinks into the paper. Next, I stamped the hearts with Mountain Rose to give a soft stamped effect. Stamp and emboss the saying with Queen's Gold and mount to a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" top-folded white card. Die cut tickets with cream cardstock and stamp love ticket on each one. Mount to card.

And there you go, three cards, one stamp sets, and a whole lot of fun products from Ranger. We're well on our way to some Valentine crafting fun.

Come back tomorrow and see what I've whipped up!

Theme Meme at OTDE

2012-01-25T14:00:00.001-05:00

Wacky Tacky What?

2012-01-25T13:56:00.002-05:00

CHA is almost upon us and I wait with great anticipation what new products will be released. So far, the most exciting new product I've seen during the pre-show announcements is Ranger's new Distress Markers. I can't wait to get a hold of them!

Last show I made a few items for Ranger's booth and this was one of them. The focal product is Adirondack Ink and last year new colors were released. For this tag, I stamped a star with Chrome Yellow ink on gloss white paper, lightly dried it, and brayered the entire tag with Aquamarine. The yellow trim around the picture is white gloss paper brayered with Chrome Yellow and die cut. The black ink, of course, is Jet Black -- a staple ink pad for anyone's stamping needs.

Stayed tune for great new releases....and for some great Valentine Day card ideas coming soon.....real soon!

Journaling & Idea Book

2012-01-20T18:49:00.000-05:00

I've probably owned my Zutter Bind-It-All for at least four years and I still love using that thing. The wire binding is great to make little books, notebook, and albums. I made this clever little book to keep track of writings for Off-The-Deep-End.net. On the right side, I keep a running list of ideas for articles. On the left side, I keep editor/writer notes and sometimes I start writing a post when I don't feel like getting on the computer. For as much as I like to type, some times I just love having a pen in my hand and writing. I've always been a sucker for paper and pen . .. . . . from pretending I was a school teacher when I was a kid to creating things with pretty papers today. And now, a combination of all of it!

Hey! Are You Following Me?

2012-01-09T16:40:00.000-05:00

1. Follow our site.
2. Follow at least 3 other blogs that are linked below.
3. Let the blogs you follow know that you are following them.
4. Let the owners of the blogs know that you let their blogs know that you are following them.
5. TWEET IT ALL OVER THE INTERNETS and hashtag it up using #OTDEHop.
6. LINK UP BELOW – it can be yo blog, yo twitter, yo facebook, yo pinterest, yo’ mama, etc. We’re not picky!

I'm following you! Go to Off-The-Deep-End.Net and find out who I'm following.

Ready for Christmas

2011-12-23T12:26:00.001-05:00

The cards are made and all sent out. The house is decorated and the stockings all hung. Cookies are baked and a little fudge too. Christmas gifts are wrapped, even one for the dog. Now we're just chillin' and waiting for Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Glass Memory Frame Ornament

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

As seen on Off-The-Deep-End.Net, posted December 16: Christmas is getting closer. Have you checked your Advent calendar? My son checks his every day. He loves the Advent calendar I made for him. Although his love and adoration has nothing to do with the fact that I painstakingly cut out a million (okay, not a million, but a whole LOT) little felt pieces and hand-stitched them to 24 little pockets and then stitched the entire thing together. (And for the record, sewing is not my thing.) Instead, it's for what he perceives as his 24-day pass for a little chocolate before or after breakfast.

If you're feeling a little pressed for time and realize you need a few more gifts. You may like this quick and easy ornament.

Start by making your own sheet music. If you like an antique look and you don't have parchment paper, you can make your own.

1.
(1.) Randomly stamp cream cardstock with Adirondack Dye Ink in Sandal using a background stamp. The one I used is part of set from Innovative Stamp Creations called ATC Elements.

2.
(2.) Find sheet music or clipart online, size it to fit several times on 8 1/2" x 11" stamped cardstock, and print.

3.

(3.) Gather your supplies. Here's what you'll need:
2 - 2" x 2" Memory Glass
1- 2" x 2" Silver Memory Frame
Sheet Music (You just made it!)
Holiday Cut-Out
White Rub-Ons

(4.) Next, cut your music paper to fit between the two pieces of 2" x 2" glass. (You can use the glass as your guide.)

Advent Calendars

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's a little late to be sharing how to make an Advent Calendar, unless, of course, you're done with your holiday madness and are just sitting around looking for something to do in preparation for Christmas 2012. Not!

Instead, let me just share with you a calendar I made for my son in 2003 and one I made this year for my nephew. Shortly after I lost my job due to a WFR (that's Work Force Reduction) and decided to be that stay-at-home Mom I had considered three years earlier, I was like white-lightning. I struck hard and fast. The Pottery Barn catalog had caught my eye and in it was this wonderful felt Advent calendar. I was too late to buy it for Christmas 2002, but just as soon as I packed up the holiday I decorations, I headed to Joann Fabrics on a mission. Not to make just one of those calendars, but to make seven of them. (Yes, you read that correctly, count them, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7!!!)

Before my trip to Joann's, I had already drawn my plan. I came up the size of the calendar and each of its pockets. I came up with a list of 24 Christmas motifs and set out to draw each and every one of them. Then I came up with a list of colors of felt I needed and an approximation of the amount. I also factored in the embroidery thread colors and hand-selected the perfect color background felt for my son, Levi, and each of my nieces and nephews that would receive one as a 2003 Christmas gift. I spent hours and hours and hours and hours cutting pieces of felt and stitching each of those pieces, but it was worth.

Until my sister mentioned to me last year how she would like Remington to have his own Advent calendar for Christmas. Now Remington is actually my grand-nephew, so a hand-stitched Advent Calendar wasn't on my radar. I was white-lightning in 2003. In 2011 I'm more like that hurricane lingering out over the ocean that decides not to come inland. For months I have been struggling what to make this kid and then I saw the perfect item. Kaiser Craft! Kaiser Craft has this great Advent Calendar and it's right up my alley, because I can use what I love...pretty holiday papers!!!

And I got to use my new Cricut Expression to make the little house. Too cool, right?

Don't look Remington! It's coming to you soon. I hope.

License Plate & Bottlecap Ornaments

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

As seen published on Off-The-Deep-End.Net, December 7, 2011: Through the years I have been told that I am very organized and that I have a great attention to detail. Two qualities I have been quite proud to possess. The truth is that if it was not for lists, I would never stand a chance at being organized. But, lately, there seems to be a trend taking place. I lose my lists. I write a reminder to myself on a little scrap of paper only to throw it away. I write a note on a full sheet of paper, only for it to get lost in a stack of mail, school papers, and other stuff.

To help me get back on track, I made myself a nice collection of big and small notebooks to keep my notes organized. I have a special book just for Off The Deep End. And yet, I received notice from my OTDE editor reminding me I have a post on Wednesday. Say what? Where's my note? I know I wrote it down. On a scrap of paper. Maybe in my special OTDE notebook. Where is that pretty little book anyway?

Today's ornament is reprised from an ornament a made a couple years ago for a blog I participated in called Ornament Thursday.

That's me! At age 11 months.

It's always fun to take something made for one purpose and use it for different one. We're going to do that a couple times with this ornament.

To start, let's prep the bottlecap. We're going to use a flatten bottlecap. You may be able to find flatten bottlecaps in your craft store, but more than likely you will find the regular ones. They are easy to flatten and can be done various ways. Some people use their die cutting machines, but I'm going to show you the old school way. This way, if you don't have a craft room full of nifty tools, you still can flatten your bottlecap with things you have around the house.

Please note: the bottlecaps from soda and beer are made of a stronger metal than those sold in craft stores. This make them very difficult to flatten and look nice.

When you flatten them, you take the fluted edges and make them curl back down on itself. This gives you a flatter surface and a pretty edge.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5.

1. Here is a regular bottlecap, a flatten bottlecap, and a flatten bottlecap with the seal removed.

2. To flatten your bottlecap, lay it ridge side down (how it looks on a bottle) on a hard, flat, smooth surface like a sidewalk or cement floor. Place a block of wood on top of it and hammer it.

3. Take a heat tool and heat the seal enough to soften it and remove it with a needle tool. (Be careful, metal will be hot.)

4. If you do not have a heat tool, you can boil some water, place your bottlecap in the sink, pour the water over it, and immediately remove the seal with a needle tool or something similar. This will make the metal hot too, so be careful.

5. Last, use a nail and hammer a hole into the edge.

6. 7.

8. 9.

6. Get a 1" circle punch and print a photo to 1" x 1". You could also use a full size photo with distance images or a piece of clip art.

7. Flip your punch over, and place the photo in it so you can see how the image will look before you punch it.

8. Now you have your flatten bottlecap, a 1" circle punched picture, and extra large round epoxy stickers. Glue the photo into the bottlecap and place the epoxy sticker on top of it.

9. Gather your supplies and arrange them. The license plate is a metal sticker by Karen Foster Designs made for scrapbooking.

10. Take some light weight wire and wire everything together. There's no plan, just have fun wrapping the wire around everything. Just make sure you twist the ends together when you're done. Trim off any excess wire. You may want to tape your ends to the back of the ornament to avoid any scrapes.

How many repurposed items did you find? Do you know what the pretty little sunbursts charms really are?

Simple, but elegant Revisited

2011-12-14T15:07:00.000-05:00

When I posted last time, I had every intention to post a Christmas version of that card the following day. I am thankful I didn't tell you that in the post. What I knew would be true when I started this blog in 2006 still holds true today -- my art is always interrupted, hence Art-Interrupted.

Twelve days have passed since that post and I am almost embarrassed to tell you how fast I made this card. Five minutes. Yes, five minutes. Using the same techniques as the flower, I used Adirondack Dye Ink Pads in Willow and Lettuce and inked the trees. I spritzed it with a misting of water and stamped. This time I cheated and instead of cutting out my own letters/saying, I used a sticker by Dazzle. I trimmed the image, lightly inked the edges with black ink, mounted it to a dry embossed white panel, and then onto a white card. Done!

2011-12-02T19:42:00.001-05:00

Simple, but elegant!

This card was one I created for Ranger for the 2011 CHA summer show. The flower is a stamp from Purple Onion Designs. It was inked with Adirondack ink pads, spritzed it with water, and stamped onto a 3 3/4" x 5" white cardstock. "Thanks" was cut out of Metal Foil Tape using a die (Olivia's Alphabet) from Provo Craft. Tie a ribbon onto panel and mount it to a 4" x 5.25" pink cardstock panel, and then mount onto a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" side-folded white card. Simple, right?

Alcohol Ink & Metallic Mixative Glass Ornament

2011-11-30T17:23:00.000-05:00

The second in my series of five Christmas Ornaments is a glass ornament.

There are two things you need to know about me (at least for now). The first is that I love You Tube. Whenever I want to see how something is done, I search You Tube. It’s how my husband and I learned how to drywall, and it’s how I learned how to use my new Cricut Expression machine. My husband loves to look up music videos and I love to look up craft projects.

The second thing you need to know is that I am impatient. What I don’t love is that some of the crafting videos are so long. Maybe it’s because I’m part of a must-have-it-now society. Or maybe it’s because I have some crafting experience and I just don’t want the beginner’s version. Or maybe it’s because some people just talk way too much. But, more than likely, it’s simply because I’m impatient. So, this is my attempt to keep it short and sweet, down and dirty, and to-the-point. Let’s see how it works.
This is my second, in a series of five, Christmas ornament how- tos. For this post, I will show you how to decorate a glass ornament to make it shimmer and shine. You will need the following supplies: a glass ornament (any shape or size), Adirondack Alcohol Inks, Alcohol Ink Applicator , Adirondack Metallic Mixative, Perfect Pearls, and Ribbon.

After your ornament is dry, replace the cap and add a pretty ribbon. And here you go, the end result.

By the way, I like to talk. Those people with the very long craft videos could very well be me.

Did you get enough information to make this ornament? If you find that my short video didn’t supply you with enough information, leave me a comment and I'll give the details you need.

After I made this ornament, I was shopping and found Hot Off The Press's Dazzle Silver Snowflakes. They are so pretty! I put one on my ornament.

What do you think?

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More Pretty Paper

2011-11-29T20:06:00.001-05:00

Yes. I bought more paper. Seriously. I don't know what to say. It's pretty too. The price was right. 50% off.

For the record, I really don't have an addiction to paper. Really! I don't. Just yesterday I was at three scrapbook stores and did not buy any pattern paper. I wanted to. I really wanted to, but I told myself I didn't need any more. So there you go.

(Did anyone notice I said "pattern paper"?)

Christmas Ornament Series

2011-11-14T16:34:00.015-05:00

Are you ready for Christmas? It's right around the corner. Why not start by making some Christmas ornaments? Starting today, I will post five ornament tutorials before Christmas. The post dates will coincide with my new endeavor as a creative writer with Off-The-Deep-End.

The first ornament is going to be a Micro-Mini Clipboard Ornament. With a few simple adjustments, this ornament can be changed for any occasion. It can be incorporated into your home décor or used as a gift tag.

You’ll want to start by gathering up a few supplies – micro mini clipboard (made by Nicole Craft; I found mine in the wood department at A.C. Moore), adhesive, Tim Holtz paper stack with clip art (or any clip art or a photo), scissors, acrylic paint or ink pad, and embellishments.

Cut out a piece of clip art or a photo to fit your clipboard board. A slightly larger image works best. You can trim it once it’s glued to your clipboard.

Glue your image to your clipboard and use acrylic paint or an ink pad to ink your edges. It gives your ornament more depth and a finished look. Here I am using Ranger's Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Espresso.

Add some Stickles (another Ranger product found at your local scrapbook or big box craft store) for some bling.

Here I am using my Big Shot and Sizzix/Tim Holtz's Rosette Die. If you don't have a die cutting machine, no worries. I will share with you an “old school” technique to make this same adorable adornment.

Up-cycling is a great way to make embellishments for your craft projects. I bought this pin at a yard sale this summer for $1. Watch how many uses I got out of it.

Notice the big bling on the rosette? It’s part of the up-cycled pin. I tore the pin apart and found that it had three layers to it. I used all three layers on my ornaments.

More clipboard ornaments.

Now, for your OLD SCHOOL TECHNIQUE.

Cut a strip of pattern paper to 1” x 9.25”. Fold it accordion style (you remember, back and forth, and back and forth) at .25”. Once you are done, glue the two ends together, to create a cylinder. On a flat surface, press down, to flatten into the rosette shape. To hold it together, glue a paper circle to both the front and the back. Snip the folds in an inverted “v” shape and there you have it – an old school rosette.

Did you notice the three places I used the pin? The ever-so-blingy center is on the first mini clipboard, the second layer with stems and rectangle crystals are behind the flower of the birthday clipboard, and the last layer is a bow and it's directly above. I just added a big crystal to the center bow. It was a lot of bling for just $1.

Off-The-Deep-End

2011-11-13T15:28:00.004-05:00

Recently I was asked if I like to be a contributing writer of a newly established website, called Off-The-Deep-End. Mind you, this came on the heels of one of the editors reading my recent post about my pretty paper addition. It could mean something....but....who cares? It's going to be fun. I'm all for "jumping in"! It's this great quality that I have that drives my husband crazy. I always try to find the positive and I believe it's to balance us as a couple. I jump in and he thinks about it, and thinks about, and thinks about. See . . . balance. It all works out in the end. And I expect nothing less of my new endeavor.

Tomorrow is launch day, and Tuesday, November 15, I have the first contributing writer post. Wish me luck. Come visit us (just click on the image above). Show your support. And please, share with your friends. Thanks!

It's All Perspective

2011-11-07T15:30:00.006-05:00

It really is all about how you perceive things. That's why given the any situation, one person can walk away finding the good, and the other one walks away feeling defeated.

This tag was quite simple to make. I stamped the leaves with Ranger's new Archival color, Monarch Orange and colored with them with Adirdonack Dimensional Pearls (which I am sad to say are no longer being manufactured). I used a waterbrush to pick up some of the Dimensional Pearls to paint with and the results are a pretty pearlescent wash. I used the same paint to edge the tag, and then stamped the saying with Archival Jet Black. The ribbon is some found lace.

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It's Official: Pretty Paper Addiction

2011-11-04T16:02:00.005-05:00

Hi, I'm Kriss, and I am addicted to pretty papers.

A couple months ago, I was going through my papers and I decided I did not need any more paper for a LONG time. And then I saw this paper stack and I had to have it.

Then Joann Fabrics was having 50% off their paper stacks and as I stood there debating whether or not to buy this stack of papers, I vowed I would go home and make some mini albums as gifts.
And I did, I made mini Halloween albums for my Mom, my mother-in-law, my daughter and me. Maybe it wasn't so bad that I bought this paper stack.

But, still, I don't need any more paper!

And then I was at Michaels, and look at this stack. It's so pretty, so very, very pretty and on sale too. I couldn't resist. This is when I thought I may have a problem. But, no, I can resist pretty papers....and I DON'T need any more of it.

And just last week, I was back at Michaels. Two of these Tim Holtz paper stacks were on the clearance shelf. Yes, the clearance shelf. Now how could I resist, and obviously I couldn't, because I have a paper addiction.

It's official. I am addicted to pretty papers.

World Card Making Day

2011-10-01T19:58:00.003-05:00

Some of my favorite products were used to make this card -- Ranger's Distress Inks and Prima Flowers. And who doesn't love these great kid quotes from Inkadinkado.

$.97 x 3 = 9

2011-09-26T20:24:00.001-05:00

Creative accounting? Not really. I was in Walmart the other day looking around in the craft section and I came across Studio G products. Each product pack cost 97 cents. I got a pack of (6) 12" x 12" pattern paper, a pack of chipboard stickers, and a pack of embossed brads. I was curious. How good could 97 cents paper look? Do the chipboard stickers stick? Surprisingly it was all pretty nice.

Three 97-cent packs of papercrafting products made 9 items -- three 4"x6" notebooks and six 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" cards. I used just about everything in those three packs, even the 12" x 12" chipboard to make the notebooks. The only additional product I used was two packs of 4" x 6" index cards (on sale for 66 cents each), two sheets of white cardstock, O'wires for the books, two black brads, a little ribbon, Candi paper dots, and Pop-Dots.

Now, that's crafting on a budget, right?

Coorindating Desk Set

2011-09-07T07:16:00.006-05:00

Kaiser Craft's Beyond the Page and Ranger make a great team.

Here I have taken three of the Beyond the Page products that Kaiser Craft offers and decorated each of them using Ranger products. My focus was to use the beautiful Broken China blue that is part of the Tim Holtz Distress color palette. I used both Ranger's Distress Ink Pad and Distress Crackle Paint in Broken China and backed and highlighted each piece with black or white.

For a complete list of products and instructions, see the October issue of Scrap 'N Stamp Arts magazine.

Pittsburgh Steelers Autograph Album

2011-08-02T13:05:00.003-05:00

The NFL ended their strike and the players are at training camp. My husband and I want to surprise our son by taking him to Steeler's training camp, so in anticipation of that trip, I made an autograph album for him.

The letters are black cardstock cut out three times each and glued together with Glossy Accents. Once try, I sanded the edges and glued them to the front of a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" book I bounded together with my Bind-It-All. Next, I covered each letter with a layer of Glossy Accents.

The corners and wide strip were made by applying adhesive Foil Sheets to a heavy weight cardstock. Using Pitch Black Alcohol Ink, I inked the entire silver surface and dried it with a Heatit Tool. Next I ran it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder. Using a Jet Black Archival Ink Pad, I gently rubbed ink across the embossed areas, and rubbed it off with soft cloth to expose the silver foil.

The tag was made by printing the information onto gold cardstock and punching it out with a Sizzix/Stampin' Up tag punch. I inked the edges and added to the front of my autograph book.

I can't wait to see the look on my son's face when we go to camp and he gets this autograph album. I sure hope there are players around to sign it!

Long Time, No Post

2011-07-29T18:14:00.006-05:00

My blog has taken a back-seat to one to many things, and I miss it! Thanks to a little Ranger-mojo, I'm back to post. As I start to type, I wonder, "Why haven't I had the time to post in so long?" And then my thoughts are interrupted by thunder, loud thunder....growing closer....and I snap out of it because I realize there are clothes hanging on the line, my water is boiling in the teapot to make ice tea, I have a watermelon rind that has to make it to the outside garbage before the rain, and I have all my paint brushes and roller outside drying from painting a bedroom today....

.....this is why I haven't posted to my blog for so long.

Back to my Ranger-mojo. I did some projects for Ranger for CHA and yesterday one of them showed up on their blog. (Thanks to their dedicated staff who regularly post!) Go check it out -- it's called Red Raiders. (Thanks to my friend Denise's daughter Taylor for providing me with an excellent photograph....and new inspiration!) My focal product was Black and White Enamels.

So, in keeping with the focal product, here is a tag I made:

I used Black Enamel on black cardstock and by free-hand drew a sun and some flowers. Then I painted them with Perfect Pearls.

Until next time....

My First You Tube Video

2011-02-13T08:00:00.003-05:00

Last year I spent too much time "thinking" about projects or redoing them that not too much got accomplished. So this year I want to keep moving forward, keep it simple, and get some things done! I made my first "how to" video. It's not perfect, but it accomplished what I wanted it to. It will show you an easy way to create flat, kraft treat bags without spending too much time or too much money.

I wanted these cute little krafts bags, like these shown on Hobby Lobby's website. The price wasn't bad, $2.99 for 25. I needed 30, so I would have had to buy two packs. What kills me is shipping -- it would have doubled my cost. I figured I'd just go out and buy them. How hard could it be? We have a Michaels, an A.C.Moore, and a Joann Fabrics. Well, none of them had them nor did the grocery stores, the party store, or The Christmas Tree Store. Bummer!

So, off to the Dollar Tree Store I went and I bought a pack of 40 lunch bags and created my own. I started off with a template, but it was much simpler than that. Check it out....

Valentine Treat Bags

Third Valentine Day Card

2011-02-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

Halloween Stamp #2 = Valentine Day Card #3

That says it all! Even Hazel and Blackie need a little lovin'!
For a complete materials list and instructions, visit A Sprinkling of Samples & Techniques.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2 Halloween Stamps + 1 Winter Stamp = 3 Valentine Day Cards

2011-02-11T08:59:00.005-05:00

Halloween Stamp #1 = Valentine Day Card #1

You may remember that last year I was on Eat Cake Graphics (ECG) design team. It was a lot of fun to use their stamps. Originally I was attracted by their cute dog stamps , but I quickly realized there was a whole lot more to be attracted to!

I was very happy when Holly, owner of ECG, asked me to be a guest designer, and with Valentine's Day around the corner, I knew I wanted to create some cards. The challenge for me was to create cards using non-Valentine Day stamps. With a little imagination, I transformed two Halloween stamps and one Winter stamp into three Valentine Day stamps.

Now that you've seen the card, here's the image and saying stamps:

Now, for my second card.

Winter Stamp #1 = Valentine Day Card #2

I have the snow-falling stamp that goes along with this little girl catching snowflakes, but instead of using it, I just doodled some hearts and dots using a Ranger Inkssentials White Pen. I guess she could either be catching kisses or or blowing kisses. Either way it works out to be a great stamp for Valentine's Day. (The Happy Valentine Day stamp is from Purple Onion Designs and was embossed with Seafoam embossing powder, also a Ranger product.)

Do you want the full instructions on how I did this? Just go to A Sprinkling of Samples and Techniques, the officially blog of Eat Cake Graphics. And if you want the stamps, go to the Eat Cake Graphics website.

If you want to see the third card, you're going to have to come back tomorrow!

Handbook for Life

2011-02-07T10:27:00.004-05:00

A friend forwarded this to me and I think it's worth sharing:

2011 HANDBOOK FOR LIFE

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and less food that's manufactured.
4. Live with the 3 E's: Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play a little - it brings balance to your life
7. Read more books than you did in 2010.
8. Sit in silence at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep at least 7 - 8 hours a day.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile!

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't allow negative thoughts on things you can't control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present.
13. Don't overdo. Set your limitations and keep those limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste precious energy on gossip.
16. Daydream a little while awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget past issues. Don't remind your partner of mistakes. It only ruins your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Hate brings misery on the one who hates. Loving your enemies frees a divine principle.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil your present or future.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Life is a school and we are here to learn. Problems are simply the curriculum. The lessons you learn last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Social:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive.
28. Spend some time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make someone smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will; so stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD can heal anything.
35. However good or bad a situation is it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your innermost is always happy. So, be happy!

Maya Roads Posted Their Newest Catalog

2011-01-26T14:45:00.002-05:00

Maya Roads' entire catalog of new products is posted on their blog today. Lots of pretty things to look at....here are just a few:

Last Day, Maya Roads Previews

2011-01-25T16:02:00.002-05:00

Here's Maya Roads Blog.

Here's my favorite product of the day:

Here's my favorite project from the other day:

And, here's my favorite project for today: I LOVE IT!

Maya Roads, Day 4 CHA Preview

2011-01-24T17:10:00.004-05:00

Maya Road's Day 4 of CHA preview of products.

Here's my favorite of the day:

Maya Road, Day 3 CHA Preview

2011-01-21T19:58:00.004-05:00

Here are my favorites from today' preview of CHA releases for Maya Roads. You can check out more of their goodies on their Maya Roads Blog.

Eccentric Witness Describes Robbery Attempt

2011-01-21T11:31:00.004-05:00

I must admit, I'm not the greatest of getting You Tube videos into my blog. I'm sure there is a way to have both videos on one posting because I saw them posted on Dyan's Art and Soul Blog, a Senior Designer for Ranger. You have to watch the first one, the real news report, to appreciate the second one, the "song" (posted in the post below.) If you have 5 minutes and could use a laugh, this should do it.

iTunes Version - Backin Up Song

2011-01-21T11:31:00.003-05:00

Maya Roads, Day 2 CHA Preview

2011-01-20T13:51:00.003-05:00

Go check them out -- Maya Roads Blog. This is my favorite today! Banner chipboard pieces and matching stamps. Perfect!

Go check them out -- Maya Roads Blog.

Maya Roads, Day 1 Previews

2011-01-19T18:43:00.001-05:00

Check out Maya Road's blog. New things are on their way for CHA and they are sharing previews on their blog.

Eat Cake Graphics Recap

2011-01-19T11:10:00.008-05:00

I just placed an order with Eat Cake Graphics and I cannot wait to get it. There are so many cute stamps to pick from! Last year I was on their design team and this year I will be a guest designer. I'm ready to pull out the stamps I have and get started, but I really want to wait for the new ones. I'm trying to find a way to get my ECG-fix so I'm going to post all the items I already made for them.

To see more, please go to ECG's blog called A Sprinkling of Techniques and Samples.

Welcome 2011

2011-01-06T09:43:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

For 2011 I would like to regroup and rebuild my crafting adventures, and at the same time simplify. In 2010 I spent a lot of time helping others with their crafting projects and I love doing that! But at the same time I realize I have left some of my personal goals slip by me. I want to find the balance. And maybe it's not balance, maybe its more about me being more organized and making the most my time. I know I'm famous for having a zillion projects going on at the same time and admittedly I thrive on that, but the hard truth is I'm not accomplishing everything. Yikes...did I actually admit to that?

And for as much as I don't want to go back in time, I have nothing to show you without creating a new project for myself. With that I offer you some of the picture frames I made for Christmas 2010 gifts. All frames are 13" x 13" with an 8" x 8" opening.

Stick with me. I want to continue my blog posts on a regular basis, but not necessarily a daily one. When I figure that out, I'll let you know. In the meantime, enjoy 2011. May you be filled with blessings, joy, love, and happiness.

Dog Gone It

2010-10-21T09:19:00.004-05:00

Just a few more cute images from Eat Cake Graphics:

Webster is tilting his head.
And I think he saying it's okay to get on out of bed and do something. It's a lot more fun!

Alexander plays fetch!
Now that's a lot more fun.

Unselfishness.
And at the end of all that fun, isn't it nice to share with your furry companion?

Alcohol Ink Class at A. C. Moore

2010-10-19T20:21:00.003-05:00

This Friday, October 22 from 10 to 12 noon at the Downingtown, PA location.

If it weren't for the brave...

2010-10-06T08:38:00.005-05:00

...there'd be no land of the free.

Over the summer our family had a chance to visit a couple historical places in the area. So when I needed to create a project for Eat Cake Graphics, I knew it had to be an album made with "For the Brave."

Levi's 4th grade class's field trip in May was to the Hopewell Furnace, a national historical site in Chester County, PA. And in June we visited Gettysburg National Military Park with my sister and her family. A couple of years ago we stopped in Gettysburg after a trip to DC for a brief visit. Other than that it has been years since I toured the area. Although much hasn't changed on the battlefield driving tour, the addition of the new museum and visitor center is incredible. There is so much to see and do in the museum -- we spent hours in it before we started the driving tour and I'd be willing to go back to see it again.

For full instructions on how to create the above album, please visit A Sprinkling of Samples and Techniques, the Eat Cake Graphic's blog.

Beginner's Jewelry Class at A.C.Moore

2010-10-04T11:00:00.002-05:00

I have a beginner's jewelry class scheduled for the A.C. Moore in Downingtown, PA this Friday. Students will make a necklace and matching earrings.

Let's Try It Again

2010-10-01T08:42:00.003-05:00

After a long hiatus and two blog design changes, I'm back. I quite enjoyed the summer months with my son and living without plans. The funny thing is . . . it turned out to be a very busy summer. In a good way! We spent time enjoying each other, family, and friends.

Now that school is back in session and we're in the full swing of homework and volunteering, I'm ready to get back into my crafting swing! I miss it!

Here are a few of the cards I created for Eat Cake Graphics. To find full descriptions of supplies and instructions, please visit their blog, A Sprinkling of Samples and Techniques. Just click on my name in the left-hand column and you'll see all my work for them.

Stamp y Digital Camera

2010-07-19T15:41:00.003-05:00

WOW! Incredible! Check out this digital camera that stamps pictures. Amazing. You have to go to Yanko Designs to see more -- here's the link -- http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/06/29/digital-picture-now-comes-stamped/.

Ranger's July Homepage

2010-07-01T10:08:00.004-05:00

Go check out Ranger's new homepage for July . . . Ranger. You will find a birthday tag I made using Ranger's Big 'N Juicy Rainbow Pad with step-by-step instructions. If you're looking for the great Birthday Noteblock stamp, go to Purple Onion Designs.

Family Nuts

2010-06-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

Family is nuts? Oh...no, no, no. It's actually about tracing my family tree and a great saying stamp from Eat Cake Graphics -- "Today's Mighty Oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground."

Since I'm also in need of yet another notebook to take notes or make lists, I came up with a journal and notebook using stamps from Eat Cake Graphics. Here they are:

For more details on supplies and a complete list of instructions, please go to A Sprinkling of Samples & Techniques.

Embrace Nature

2010-06-17T08:00:00.002-05:00

Jewelry and Card
Made with Abundance Rubber Stamp by Eat Cake Graphics

Pin
2"x 2" Silver Memory Frame & Glass from Ranger

Card
Square and Scallop Square Dies, Nestabilities by Spellbinders

For the complete "HOW-TO", go to A Sprinkling of Samples & Techniques.

A Little Change Will Do You Good

2010-06-16T11:37:00.003-05:00

Notice the blog chance? How couldn't you? It's brighter and bolder and it has pink in it! Maybe it's time for a change.

I know I'm ready for a change, after two months of volunteering at my son's school and feeling like I had a full-time job, I am now ready to get back to what I love . . . crafting.

So let's get started:

This is one of my April projects for Eat Cake Graphics. To see the full supply and instruction list, please go to A Sprinkling of Samples & Techniques.

Best Wishes for a Happy Mother’s Day

2010-05-09T10:39:00.004-05:00

Best Wishes Card

4 ¼" x 5 ½" Card

Eat Cake Graphic Stamps

7065-G Scroll with Leaves

7064-I Tall Scrollies

Other Supplies:

Inkssentials™ Watermark Resist Ink, Ranger Industries

Embossing Powder, Clear, Ranger Industries

Perfect Pearls, Ranger Industries

Non-Stick Craft Sheet, Ranger Industries

Archival™ Ink Stamp Pad - Jet Black, Ranger Industries

Niji Waterbrush, Yasutomo

Vintage Label and Best Wishes Stamps, Stampin' Up

Punch, Curly Label, Stampin' Up

Black and Pink Cardstock

Bright Green Ribbon

Instructions:

Randomly stamp Scroll with Leaves and Tall Scrollies with Watermark Resist Ink on 4" x 5 ¼" black cardstock and emboss with Clear Embossing Powder.
Create shimmery paints with Perfect Pearls. Pick up a small amount of Perfect Pearls with a paint brush and place them on a Non-Stick Craft Sheet. Add water and mix together to create paint. A little water creates an opaque paint, whereas more water makes a translucent one. (Dried paints can be reconstituted with a little water.
Paint around embossed images with various colors. Finish by splattering paint on panel.
Stamp vintage label and greeting with black ink on pink cardstock. Punch out label with Curly Label Punch.
Wrap green ribbon around stamped black panel and attach to 4 ¼" x 5 ½" top-folded pink card. Add vintage label.

This can also been seen on A Sprinkling of Samples and Techniques.

Life and Art

2010-05-07T09:07:00.004-05:00

They say life imitates art. Well, what about life interrupting art. It seems of late I've had a lot of that going on. I can say I'm very thankful to be on a design team right now. It forces me to take some time out my busy schedule and do something that I love.

Since I'm still waiting for Eat Cake Graphics to post some of my recent projects, I'm going to give you a list of my recent interruptions:

*An elementary school Talent Show. Imagine this, 60 children ages 5 to 11 with talents to share, a stage, a microphone, and lots and lots of energy. And the energy seems to multiple as the children start acting out their talents in anticipation of getting on stage to actually practice it. Now...let's throw in the fact that we don't actually have a stage to use this year (growing pains...big, big growing pains), a faulty CD player, and a crackling microphone. It all makes for an interesting rehearsal, and we get to do this again next week, and then have two shows.

*Trying to add more exercise into my life. It has a way of chopping into my day. Instead of being dressed and ready for the day at 7 a.m., it's more like 10 a.m.

*Soccer.

*Cub Scouts.

*Volunteering to help at miscellaneous school functions.

Awh, the list could go on. And I'm sure if you taken a few minutes to read this you're thinking, "You should see my list!" "And I'm sitting here reading some else's list! I gotta go!" Who could blame you. I'd be thinking the same thing if the tables were turned.

Artist Printer Tray Calendar

2010-04-27T14:17:00.007-05:00

Leave it to 7 Gypsies to come up with the coolest products. This is their Artist Printer Tray. Each compartment is the perfect size for an ATC. So when I purchased two of them, I planned on using one of them for just that purpose.

The other one was suppose to be a gift for Mom filled with photos of all her grandchildren. Well, as creative projects sometimes go, this one turned into a calendar. I lightly used double-sided tape to hold each calendar in place, so that when December 31 passes us by, I can just pluck out the calendars and replace them with photographs. Now Mom can have a pretty calendar for 2010 and a pretty picture box for 2011. Of course when I gave it to her and explained this, she said, "Oh, I don't want to take these pretty calendars out." Hah! Now, I'll have to think of a good plan to recycle the calendars for her to keep.

If you're wondering, the pretty papers are BasicGrey and the great calendar stamp set is from Purple Onion Designs. If you notices, there's an Eat Cake Graphics stamps on July's calendar. I purchased this before I was on their design team. Speaking of...I sent my May projects in and they should be posted on the website, A Sprinkling of Samples and Techniques soon. Once they are, I will post them here too. In the meantime, check out the other great projects the team has been working on. There's a really cute card today, "Sometimes You're the Fire Hydrant," by Pam.

The Bill & Kriss Book Club

2010-04-22T08:03:00.014-05:00

For years I thought it would be fun to be part of a book club. Or maybe, it just seemed like the right thing to do. But the thought of being held accountable to read a specific book, in a specific amount of time, and the fear of not liking the book selection has always kept me at arms-length from ever joining a book club. And with all that said, the appealing part of the book club is being held accountable to read books.

Almost 20 years ago I made a New Year's resolution to read at least four books a year. It's not like I didn't read. When I worked, I read trade publications and newspapers to keep up with my job. And I have always been a great reader of magazines. Craft ones, of course, home decorating, home improvements, and Readers' Digest.

My grandmother use to buy me a subscription to Readers' Digest each year and I would read it cover to cover. I love short stories. That's probably what appeals to me in all my magazines. Lots of short stories where I can pick which ones I want to read. And if I don't like a particular article, I can stop reading. A magazine article isn't like a book. If you don't like an article, oh well, you don't have much time invested in it and you just move unto the next one.

Lately I've noticed a shift and I have that real feel of "hunger for reading." I have already read my four books so far this year ("Eat, Pray and Love," "Shadow Divers," "Of Mice and Men," and "False Glory") and I'm anxious to figure out what I want to read next.

I also came to the conclusion that I am in a book club! The Bill & Kriss Book Club.

Some where around the end of 2004 or the beginning of 2005, Bill and I read an article in the USA Today about the release of a new book entitled "Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon." I ordered it from the library and we both read it...and of course, we both talked about it. It was a fascinating story.

Since then we have read numerous books together. Sometimes reading them at the same time; sometimes one of us completes the book before the other one starts it. Last year, Bill was reading "Terry Bradshaw: It's Only A Game" while I was reading "Andy Russell: A Steeler Odyssey." After we were done, we switched books.

Here are some of the book from "The Bill & Kriss Book Club":

"Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon" by Charles Slack

"Chuck Norris: Black Belt Patriotism" by Chuck Norris

"Terry Bradshaw: It's Only A Game" by Terry Bradshaw

"Andy Russell: A Steeler Odyssey" by Andy Russell

"Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice" by Maureen McCormick

"Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II" by Robert Kurson

"False Glory: The Steve Courson Story" by Steve Courson

There are times when we don't want to read the same book. Obviously Bill had no desire to read "Eat, Pray and Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert and I had no desire to read "Ted, White and Blue" by Ted Nugent. I started to read it, but it was wrote the same way he talks. All hyped up and radical . . . I put it down after a few pages. Bill finished it, but didn't enjoy it.

A couple other books that I remember reading and really enjoying are:

"Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America" by Erik Larson

"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

And Bill enjoyed "Bus: My Life In and Out of A Helmet" by Jerome Bettis.

There's a theme going on in our book club . . . lots of autobiographies and all non-fiction with a heavy does of Steelers. I can't explain it, but our book club works for us. I can't believe it taken me so long to realize I'm actually in a book club. A very small book club, but still it's a book club and I'm greatly enjoying it!

What Are The Odds?

2010-04-06T13:10:00.003-05:00

While in church on Sunday, my nose was itchy. I said to my husband, "Someone must be talking about me." Later in the day, it was still itchy, and I said, "I sure hope it's something good, not bad." Now, I know. They're saying, "What an Idiot! She got poison ivy on her nose." Yes, it's true, I have poison ivy on my nose. What are the odds?

On a less itchy note, check out Ranger's website. One of the new projects on the homepage for April is my "It's All About Today" Glossy Accent card.

Renew-Reuse-Recycle Idea

2010-04-01T06:10:00.004-05:00

What's that great little rack holding all my Mini Misters?

It's a lipstick organizer!

I was cleaning my bathroom cabinets and came across two lipstick organizers and in my moment of "let's simplify", I threw one away. Well, it didn't take me but a minute to realize I could find another use for it. I retrieved it from the garbage, washed it up, and now it's my Mini Mister Organizer! Sweet, huh?

More Jewelry

2010-03-31T10:43:00.004-05:00

This time it's for the Quarter Auction that will be held at my son's elementary school next week.

This necklace and bracelet set will be one of the auction items. I'm on the fence whether or not to duplicate it. I love the colors, the pretty blue stones with gray crystals, pearls and silver, but I'm not sure that I want another exactly the same. Maybe one with a few simple little changes.

I'm sure you've already seen items similar to this on my blog. At one point I had a store on Etsy to sell these little glass framed pieces of art. This one is also for the Quarter Auction and will be used for a door prizes.

Doesn't this Quarter Auction sound like fun? I've never been to one before and I'm looking forward to a girls night out!

Upcoming Jewelry Making Class

2010-03-26T15:37:00.002-05:00

A.C. Moore, Downingtown, PA
Saturday, April 24
9:30-11:30 a.m.
Cost: $20 plus supplies

When you sign up, you will receive a supply list of items to bring with you to class.

Sign of Spring – Easter Bunny

2010-03-24T10:42:00.009-05:00

A sure sign of spring is the arrival of the Easter Bunny and for the past nine years, he's been hopping on over to our house. In honor of his annual visit, I made a mini album with Levi and Flopsy Bunny (from Eat Cake Graphics). From Levi's look of wonderment at two months of age, to sitting in his basket the next year, and to searching for eggs and eating candy every year since, it's all here.

Eat Cake Graphic Stamps

5050-F Flopsy Bunny's Got an Egg

7064-I Tall Scrollie

Other Supplies:

Archival™ Ink Stamp Pad - Jet Black, Ranger Industries

Inkssentials™Glossy Accents, Ranger Industries

Watercolor Pencils, Prismacolor

Blender Pen, Marvy-Uchida

Saying Stamp, The Angel Company

Year Stamps, Making Memories

Lacy Days of Summer, Border Punch, Fiskars

Pattern Paper, My Mind's Eye

Yellow. Green and White Cardstock

Two 4" x 6" Chipboard

Instructions:

Stamp Flopsy Bunny six times with Jet Black Archival Ink on white cardstock. Color with watercolor pencils and blend with Blender Pen. Cut all of them out. Cover the eggs with one to two layers of Glossy Accents.
Cover front and back covers with pattern paper. Attach 24" x 5.5" accordion-folded white cardstock to the inside of covers.
Cut one yellow and four green panels to 3.75" X 5.25". Stamp various places on panels with black ink and Tall Scrollies. Attach yellow panel to front cover and green panels to inside pages of album.
Decorate front cover and page in album with border punched embellishments.
Attach Flopsy Bunnies to front cover and throughout album pages.
Add pictures and stamp with years.

For more design team projects with Eat Cake Designs, please visit A Sprinkling of Samples & Techniques.

Chocolate for Breakfast!
Does it get any better?

We Celebrate Life Together

2010-03-21T18:23:00.002-05:00

Another Eat Cake Graphics Project. This time it's a 5.25" x 5.25" card.

Eat Cake Graphic Stamps

1158-J Paddling in the Canoe

2049-G Kitty on Rocks

Other Supplies:

Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pads, Broken China, Faded Jeans and Weathered Wood, Ranger Industries

Archival™ Ink Stamp Pad - Jet Black, Ranger Industries

Oval and Scallop Oval Dies, Nestabilities by Spellbinders

Tiny Bubbles, Embossing Folder , Provo Craft

Cuttlebug, Die Cutting Machine, Provo Craft

Saying Stamp, The Angel Company

Watercolor Pencils, Faber-Castell

Blender Pen, Marvy-Uchida

White, Black and Manila Cardstock

Instructions:

Use Wrinkle Free Distress technique to ink 2.25" x 5.25" manila paper. Stamp Paddling in the Canoe with Jet Black Archival Ink. Mount to 2.5" X 5.25" black cardstock and adhere to 5.25" x 5.25" white card.
Stamp Paddling in the Canoe and Kitty on Rocks with black ink on white cardstock. Color with watercolor pencils and blend with blender pen.
Cut out Paddling in the Canoe, cut away the water's ripples, and adhere to top of stamped image on card.
Use oval die to cut out Kitty on Rocks, mount to a die-cut scallop oval, and mount to card.
Stamp saying with black ink.

Make corners with black cardstock and run through embossing folder; attach to top left and bottom right corners.

Thinking of You Tag

2010-03-19T15:58:00.003-05:00

Another Eat Cake Graphics project. This time it's a tag.

I simply love this stamp. The saying is so true and wonderful. Isn't this a great stamp to make a card for any kid or adult in your life -- an affirmation of the importance they play in this big world.

If you'd like to know how I created this one, please visit A Sprinkling of Samples & Techniques. A full supply and instruction list is available there.

A Sprinkling of Samples & Techniques

2010-03-18T08:56:00.005-05:00

That's the name of Eat Cake Graphics blog and the place where you can find my design team work along with eight other design team members. Yesterday, A Sprinkling of Samples & Techniques posted my first project. It is Kitty Domino Necklace:

If you think kitty and the butterfly above her head is cute, wait until you see the entire stamp!

Below you will find a complete supply list, instructions, and links to help you create your own.

Eat Cake Graphic Stamps
1135-M Abundance

Other Supplies
Adirondack Alcohol Inks, Stream, Stonewashed and Meadow, Ranger Industries
Archival Ink Stamp Pad, Jet Black, Ranger Industries
Domino
Various jewelry finds, seeds beads, beads, and silver chain.

Instructions:
1. Drill small hole through domino.
2. Use Alcohol Ink Agate technique (also known as Polished Stone) to ink domino. Once dry, stamp with Abundance using Jet Black Archival Ink.
3. Insert large jump ring and use as focal point of necklaces.

For other great design team projects, please visit A Sprinkling of Samples & Techniques. If you like chocolate, you'll be in for a treat. The project before and after mine both incorporate it . . . just in time for Easter.

Top O' Mornin' To You

2010-03-17T08:54:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Yearbook, Taxes, Jewelry & ATC Swaps

2010-03-15T13:05:00.003-05:00

These are just a few of the things that are keeping me busy these days!

Here's a quick peek of some of the jewelry I've been working on for our school's quarter auction.

More to come . . .

Eat Cake Graphics & Snow

2010-02-25T08:24:00.005-05:00

You may be asking yourself, "What's that adorable little fairy doing on Kriss' blog?" Well . . . let me tell you! I've been asked to be on Eat Cake Graphics design team. I am DELIGHTED! You may remember about a month ago (January 20th to be exact) I posted a couple cards I made using their stamps. Eat Cake Graphics' stamps are whimsical, fun, and so darn cute.

ECG Stamps - Billy and Sparky at Window, Stuart and Puppy Scooter Fly, and Sarah Pulls Nicky and Otto. Background Papers - Wrinkle Free Distress Technique (Broken China and Weathered Wood), and Broken China Distress Ink brayered onto white gloss cardstock and snowflakes embossed with white embossing powder. Other - Hello stamp from Purple Onion Design, Friend stamp from Innovative Stamp Creations, Cloud Nine epoxy stickers, and Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink.

Are you now wondering what snow has to do with Eat Cake Graphics?

My small, but soon to grow, ECG stamp collection primarily revolves around winter and considering we are at the beginning of yet another nor'easter here in eastern Pennsylvania it seems perfectly fitting to combine the two.

Eat Cake Graphics Ely Builds Snowman stamp combined with papers from BasicGrey, Spellbinders' circle and scallop dies, and saying stamp from Purple Onion Designs.

Eat Cake Graphics has a website and a blog, so make sure you check out both! You will be in "awh" of the creativity of Holly, the company's owner. Stamps are only a small part of what she does. If you want to find out more, you're going to have to go to her website and blog!

My Mom's 70th Birthday Card

2010-02-17T09:39:00.005-05:00

February is a big birthday month around here. It starts off on the 1st with my brother-in-law's birthday. Mine is the 3rd, Mom's is the 15th, and Levi's is the 16th.

My sisters and I hosted a surprise 70th birthday party for Mom. Unfortunately the snow kept me from attending...which was a huge bummer. But the good news is that is was a BIG surprise to my Mom.

For Mom's birthday card, I started off with a 26" x 6.25" paper from Marco's Paper and folded it into an accordion style.

Next I took pages from an old book and ripped the edges to end up with eight 3.75" x 6" panels. Using the Wrinkle Free Distress technique ink all the panels.

SIDE NOTE:
I cannot believe I don't have a tutorial on my blog for this technique. It's one of my all-time favorites. We're have to fix that! But not today. In the meantime, you can view a great You Tube video by Tim Holtz on techniques using Distress Inks. If you're like me and want to get right to it, go to 1:54 minutes into the video and you'll be at the beginning of Wrinkle Free Distress.

Also, I have to tell you, I got my 12 new Distress Ink pads last week and they are fabulous. I used Victorian Velvet (a beautiful pink), Wild Honey, and Tumbled Glass along with some of my old favorites like Broken China and Peeled Paint.

Image taken from Simon Says Stamp! Check out their website. They have the complete set bundled and ready for purchase.

Once every thing was nice and dry, I attached my panels to my card.

I cut the letters out with my new Sizzix's Big Shot and Lime Light Alphabet dies using black cardstock, and attached them with Glossy Accents.

All the pictures were converted to black and white, sized to 2.25" x 2.25", printed on HP Advanced Photo Paper, trimmed, and mounted to black cardstock panels. The bottoms of the black cardstock panels were punched with Fiskars Effervescence Border Punch and then attached to the card.

Using a Dymo label maker, I made "titles" that have described my Mom through the years . . . like Wife, Mother, Pet Lover.

For the front I cut out a heart from pink felt, added a felt flower (from Art Girlz . . . which I'm sad to say is no longer in business), a pretty covered button brad (K & Company), and an elegant beaded stick pink (Making Memories).

ONE MORE SIDE NOTE:
I just have to say my Mom is a YOUNG 70! Right before her birthday she signed up for Facebook. How hip is that for a 70-year old?

My Baby Turns 10 Today

2010-02-16T08:16:00.006-05:00

My Mom always told me that times goes faster when you have children. She's right! I have no idea where 10 years went.

Happy Birthday, Levi!

For my baby shower, my Mom bought me this big stuffed moose for Levi. Every month until he was a year old I took a picture of him with it. For his first birthday I made little accordion albums with each month's pictures for me, my Mom and my Mother Inlaw.

Month 4 is my favorite picture.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T06:38:00.004-05:00

Today is the day. I hope you made your someone special a pretty little Valentine.

For my son's class I made treat boxes/cards thanks to my new Sizzix Big Shot and Bigz XL Shaker Box Die.

First, I die cut all of my boxes and I used the part that was cut out for the window for the front of my card. I stamped all of the panels with a tic-tac-toe stamp from Stampin' Up and inked all the edges with Archival Jet Black (Ranger). The bingo chip was added with Glossy Accents (Ranger).

For the inside of the box, add a transparency panel for the window and stamp a Valentine sentiment. A punched heart and stamping "to" and "from" completes the inside of the card.

Decorate the front of the boxes and add the recipient's name.

Fill boxes with treats and you're ready to go. Unless of course you've been snowed in for days and now your biggest concern is that no one eats all the goodies before they make it to school.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Card #4

2010-02-12T07:05:00.003-05:00

This card starts with pattern paper to create the 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" side-folded card. Next it was layered with what looks like paper dollies. These were made using one of Fiskars' circle border punches and white cardstock. The next layer is a coordinating pattern paper with the left edge punched with Fiskars' Threading Water Border Punch and stamped with a Valentine sentiment. More pattern paper, a large flower bloom folded in half, a punched circle and heart, and a rhinestone brad put the finishing touch on this Valentine.

Valentine's Day Card #3

2010-02-11T15:01:00.007-05:00

Here's another really simple card to make for Valentine's Day.

1. Take a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" top-folded white card and border punch the bottom of the front panel with Lacy Days of Summer Border Punch (Fiskars).

2. Cut pattern paper to 2" x 5 1/2" and attach it to the inside bottom of your card. Cut another piece of pattern paper to 5 1/4" x 3" and attach it to the front of the card.

3. Make corners from black cardstock and attach to the top corners of the card. Next die cut x and o (Sizzix) from black cardstock and hearts (Cuttlebug) from red cardstock. Run the red hearts through an embossing folder (Swiss Dots, Cuttlebug). Attach hearts and xo to front of card.

4. Stamp sentiment to the inside.

Our Valentine Day Cards Have Been Interrupted . . .

2010-02-10T15:04:00.003-05:00

. . . To Bring You . . . SNOW . . .

We've lived in southeastern PA for 10 years and this is the most snow we've ever had here. It's beautiful, but it's also a lot of work. We're thankful that we're all home, safe & sound, and warm.

Valentine's Day Card #2

2010-02-09T08:49:00.003-05:00

Supplies: Archival Jet Black Ink (Ranger); XOXO Stamp (Purple Onion Designs) and i(heart)u Stamp (Stampin' Up); Little Heart and Tiny Flower Punches (Unknown), Oopsie Daisy and Effervescense Border Punches (Fiskars) and Tag Punch (Stampin' Up); Red and Light Green Cardstock (Unknown); Pattern Paper, Sticky Ribbon, and Sticker (Fiskars); Notebook Paper (Found); Clear Rhinestone (Darices).

Directions:
1. Cut red cardstock to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and 4 1/4" x 6 1/2".

2. Border punch one edge of the 4 1/4" x 6 1/2" red cardstock.

3. Place the 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" panel on top of the longer panel (with the border punched edge), lining up the straight edge on the bottom. Fold the punched edge over top of the 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" panel and adhere to it. Add ribbon, tiny punched black flower, and rhinestone.

4. Stanp greeting on lined notebook paper. Punch three little hearts and adhere to bottom. Trim to size. Punch tag from light green cardstock, fold in half, stamp with XOXO, and attach to side of notebook paper.

5. Cut pattern paper 3 1/4" x 5 1/2", tear off bottom edge. Adhere notebook paper to top of pattern paper and attach to card.

6. Punch out Oopsie Daisy with black cardstock, add sticker center, and attach to card.

Valentine's Day Card #1

2010-02-08T09:32:00.004-05:00

Valentine's Day is fast approaching . . . do you have cards for your special someones? Maybe this quick and easy one will get you started.

Punch six coordinating papers with a circle punch, ink the edges, and glue to the front of a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" top-folded card. Next, punch two hearts and attach them to two of the circles along with a button (you can glue it down too). Lastly, stamp a greeting, trim it, edge it with some ink, and attach it to your card.

There you go . . . one card done!

CHA Witner 2010, Watermark Resist, Ranger's Booth

2010-02-05T10:16:00.005-05:00

This is the last of my CHA projects for Ranger. I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Watermark Resist:
This card is three layers of resist using coordinating colors of Adirondack dye ink pads. The base is a white gloss cardstock card, stamped with a floral design using Watermark Resist ink and then brayered with Salmon ink. The next layer is Mountain Rose with the lower right corner stamped with a greeting in Archival Jet Black ink. The last layer is Red Pepper.

For this card I used a stencil and laid it down on top of my dark blue cardstock and then pressed the Watermark Resist pad into the open areas. I carefully lifted off the stencil and heat set the ink. Next I stamped the weeds and greeting with Adriondack Acrylic Paint Dabber, Sandal, stitched the edges and mounted it to a cream card.

CHA Winter 2010, Stickles, Ranger's Booth

2010-02-04T13:09:00.002-05:00

Distress Stickles:Picket Fence -- I stamped the flowers with Adirondack Snow Cap Pigment Ink and then covered them with Picket Fence Stickles.

Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Broken China, Worn Lipstick & Picket Fence -- I accented the pattern paper and covered the die cut ampersand with Stickles.

Tomorrow: Watermark Resist, the last of the CHA projects.

More Perfect Pearls, Three Techniques

2010-02-03T06:00:00.007-05:00

1 Perfect Pearl (Pewter)+ 3 Perfect Pearl Techniques
= 1 Perfectly Fine Layout

I think I told you yesterday that one of the techniques would be painting. It's not. It's faux hammered metal. You'll like it...trust me!

First is DUSTING -- I took two four inch squares of black cardstock and stamped each with a grungy background stamp (Stampers Anonymous, Tim Holtz collection, called, what else, "Ultimate Grunge") and Watermark Resist. I added Pewter Perfect Pearls rather generously with a paint brush (comes with the kit) and then lightly brushed off the excess . . . in a motion like you would use with a broom to sweep off the deck. I added these to opposing corners of an eight inch square white cardstock page.

Next is UTEE & PERFECT PEARLS. I mixed a small amount of Pewter Perfect Pearls into a small cup of black UTEE. I covered my letters and the corner piece with Watermark Resist and poured on the mixture. Careful, not to knock off the heap of UTEE/PP, I moved the letters and corner to my non-stick craft sheet and began heating it with a Heatit Tool. You need to hold the heat tool at least 12" away until the UTEE starts to melt and then you can gradually bring the heat tool closer and closer to the surface until all the UTEE is melted. (Check my blog, I have a tutorial on how to do this...with pictures.) It creates this wonderful faux metal look. I glued these to may page with Glossy Accents. (Technique from Robin Beam.)

Last is FAUX HAMMERED METAL. This is such a cool technique. I started with five pieces of black cardstock and cut out frames using two dies from Spellbinder's Mega Rectangle set. I glued all the layers together, let them dry, and lightly sanded the edges. Cover the frame with Watermark Resist ink and apply Pewter Perfect Pearls, spritz with either water or Inkssentials Ink Refresher and then pound with the end of a paint brush (or Tim Holtz's texturing hammer) until the entire surface has a hammered look. (Technique from Tim Holtz.)

Tomorrow: Stickles

CHA Winter 2010, Perfect Pearls, Ranger

2010-02-02T08:07:00.004-05:00

If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times, I love Perfect Pearls. And the funny thing is that I really didn't care for them when I first got them. The whole dusting thing seemed so overrated. And quite frankly, mine never came out so great either. So, the original pack I bought sat around for a looong time. . . until I learned how to use them the right way.

They're not that hard, you just need to be a little bit more generous than I was when using them to dust. (It helps knowing that you can save the excess and put it back in your jar.) But, the thing that completely turned my head about Perfect Pearls was realizing you could paint with them. Oh, and let me say, they are just beautiful. I hope my pictures today can do them some justice. Here's what I made:

Peel Offs or Class A Stickers and Perfect Pearls painted.

Owls embossed with clear embossing powder on black cardstock and painted with Perfect Pearls. The "Bless Your Heart" card above was done the same way.

I guess it's pretty obvious I love to paint with these. Tomorrow I'll show you a layout I made with Perfect Pearls that uses the dusting, painting, and embossing techniques.

Did you know Ranger has a new color palette of Perfect Pearls? It's called Cafe, go check it out.

Tomorrow: Perfect Pearls, 3 Techniques.

CHA Winter 2010, Glitz, Ranger's Booth

2010-02-01T14:54:00.004-05:00

CHA may be over, but the fun is just starting. New products will be hitting the stores' shelves for weeks to come. I already have an order placed for all 12 of the new Distress Ink pads and I'm going to have to be patient. (Awh...patience....I could always use more of that!) It's going to be another two weeks, maybe more, before they ship.

In the meantime, here is my one and only Glitz Stickles item I had at the show last week.

This is mini book. The background was stamped with Pearl Acrylic Paint Dabber in a harlequin pattern and once it was dried, ink from a Adriondack Bottle pad was rubbed onto it with a Cut 'n Dry foam. The white square and the heart were cut from Grungeboard and the square was covered with Pearl paint and the heart with Mermaid Glitz Stickles.

Have you ever wondered about the different kinds of Stickles Ranger makes? Did you realize they make four different kinds? Here they are listed with their difference:

Stickles - glitter glue; also called decorative glue. Stickles is a non-settling, sparkly, acid-free glitter glue.

Ice Stickles - Also a glitter glue, but with bigger chunks of glitter and made in "icy" colors.

Distress Stickles - Also called Designer Series Stickles by Tim Holtz. This one is a combination of glitter sizes in a matte finish and they complement the other Distress products (Distress Ink Pads, Distress Crackle Paint).

Glitz Stickles - Also called Designer Series Stickles by Suze Weinberg. And true to Suze's line of products this Stickles series is bright and extra sparkly.

Next: Perfect Pearls

CHA Winter 2010, Embossing Powders, Ranger's Booth

2010-01-29T06:00:00.002-05:00

Today is Embossing Powders. specifically Adirondack Embossing Powders.

Sometimes an idea actually transpires into exactly what you want! This was one of those ideas. I placed a stencil onto a piece of cardstock and used a Watermark Resist pad to dab all over it. I gently removed the stencil and covered the cardstock with Terra Cotta embossing powder and heat set it. I used Adirondack Inks in Butterscotch and Terra Cotta to rub into the open areas. The sayings on the side were embossed with Butterscotch Embossing Powder.

This card was simply made by brayering ink onto white cardstock and then embossing it with the coordinating color of embossing powder. The stamp set I used is from The Stamping Studio.

I found this picture online today. It's a display board from the show for Ranger Booth. My cards are in the top left corner and lower right corner. There's another card on this display that's mine. Can you guess which one? Keep tuned...I'll tell you in a future post.

Tomorrow: Glitz Stickles

CHA Winter 2010, Big & Juicy, Ranger's Booth

2010-01-28T10:00:00.004-05:00

Today is Big & Juicy Rainbow Ink Pads. Do you know Ranger had these? Sometimes even I forget about them and it's a shame. They offer a lot of fun for stamping. Here are just a few of the things I did with them...

This is a 2-7/8" x 7-3/4" tag and I used the Happy Birthday Big & Juicy Ink Pad (how appropriate!) with this great Happy Birthday stamp from Purple Onion Designs. I brayered the ink onto white gloss cardstock and stamped with with Jet Black Archival Ink.

For this 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card, I stamped the background image with the Spice Big & Juicy Pad and embossed a dragonfly on top of each one. Next, I stippled a little extra ink to the background, mounted it on layers of coordinating cardstock, and added the greeting.

Tomorrow: Embossing Powders

CHA Winter 2010 - Archival Inks, Ranger's Booth

2010-01-26T20:58:00.004-05:00

I promised Archival Ink projects today, so here they are....

This is a 6" x 6" layout of my son playing soccer. The base is pattern paper stamped with Library Green ink and a background stamp from Stampers Anonymous. The photo has Levi's name stamped on it with Jet Black ink. The title is also Jet Black and the various circles are stamped with Library Green, Cobalt and Jet Black.

Aren't these great stamps? They are from Oxford Impressions, the School Days set. I stamped the photo stamps with Coffee, Russet and Sepia (in that order, left to right) and the title was made by brayering Russet ink onto gloss white cardstock and stamped with Jet Black ink.

Tomorrow: Big & Juicy

CHA Winter 2010 - Accents, Ranger's Booth

2010-01-25T08:44:00.004-05:00

CHA is here! It officially started yesterday. Now, I can show you the art I created for the Ranger booth.

Let's start from the beginning: Accents

Glossy Accents -- It covers the circles of each stem.

Crackle Accents -- I love this! I painted the chipboard letters with Espresso Acrylic Paint Dabbers and heavily coated it with Crackle Accents. The flowers in the lower right corner are stamped with the same paint.

Look at that crackle! Fabulous, right?

Product Update: Ranger has discontinued the Matte and Sepia Accents, but added something new called Enamel Accents. I liked the Matte and Sepia Accents, but in truth, it was Glossy and Crackle that I used the most. Glossy, well, what can I say, I love it. It's so versatile. I use it all the time. And with Crackle, you can get the coolest looks. I still can't get over how nice it crackled on this layout. Great texture.

Come back tomorrow -- the featured product will be Archival Inks.

2010-01-22T20:55:00.002-05:00

The Bind-It-All is one of those tools I can't imagine not having in my craft room. I always find a good use for it. And it always comes in handy when I want to make a quick gift like this one for my Mom.
The journal book is made with paper, stickers, sticky ribbon, and alphabet letters from Fiskars. The pen is covered with a coordinating paper and clear microbeads from Penny Wise Art. I used note book paper, trimmed down, for the inside.

I used the left-over notebook paper to create another notebook. This one is perfect for "to-do" lists. I thought the saying (a stamp from Inkadinkado) was so appropriate. My Mom had a stroke this summer and when life threw her a curve ball, she swung. She had a really hard go of it during her hospital stay, but she has worked hard with all her therapys and she's doing great. And we're very grateful.

Winter & Spring

2010-01-20T19:26:00.003-05:00

Does your stamping/crafting seem to flow from one style to another? Mine definitely has changed over the years.

When I started stamping, I mostly stamped an image with black waterproof ink and colored it with either LePlume markers or watercolor pencils. And my stamp style was definitely cutesy.

My style evolved and I gravitated to the artsy stamps and inks and paints. I was reminded of just how much I love to use acrylic paint and paint brushes from my years of decorative woodcraft painting. Several weeks ago I had an urge to have something new and cutesy to play with and I searched and searched....and searched and searched the internet for days. And then it came to me, an ad I remembered seeing months ago for Eat Cake Graphics. Oh, they have the cutest stamps.

Here are two samples -- a winter card, below and a spring one, above.

Recently Published Work

2010-01-19T11:26:00.005-05:00

As stamping magazines seem to keep getting fewer and fewer, we're lucky to still have Vamp Stamp News. A magazine dedicated to stamping. It's not a huge magazine, but it is a magazine full off good techniques and information without pages and pages of advertisements. Don't get me wrong, I like the ads - - how else would we find out about all the great new products. But often, once you take all those pretty ads away, you're not left with a whole lot.

In VSN's December issue I had a card on the back cover (upper right corner). For the background, I stamped a holiday script with Distress Ink, Fired Brick, on cream cardstock and rubbed the ink with Cut 'N Dry foam. The corners and bottom are black cardstock. The corners were run through an embossing folder and the raised areas were inked with
Watermark Resist and embossed with Gold Embossing Pearls. The saying at the bottom (Purple Onion Designs) was embossed with the same gold. The ornament is a chipboard die cut from Cosmo Cricket and I painted it with Acrylic Paint Dabbers and covered with with Stickles. The opening was covered with a transparency on the backside and a wood Fleur de lis, painted with gold (Acrylic Paint Dabber) and highlighed with Stickles was added. All products from Ranger.

VSN, January 2010. This card was created with Ranger products and stamps from Innovative Stamp Creations.

Just Cards, Winter 2010. The card in the lower right corner is mine. It was also created with products from Ranger and stamp from Innovative Stamp Creations. The background was brayered with three layers of yellow inks (Adirondack Inks - Lemonade, Sunshine Yellow and Butterscotch). The image was stamped on a transparency and used as an overlay. The side was edged with decorative scissors from Fiskars.

CHA Previews Are A Plenty

2010-01-18T16:10:00.002-05:00

Unlike past shows, where you wait and wait for opening day so you get get a preview of the newest paper crafting products, the previews prior to this year's winter show are plentiful. I've already seen an abundance of great new products.

Now, I'm not one to jump on the band wagon right away, especially for tools. It use to be that I would impulsively buy all the new products and the next thing I knew I had a bunch of stuff I didn't use all the time...or never. I've come to really appreciated a good tool; a well-made, quality, durable tool. A few companies come to mind and when they say they have something new, I'm interested. Zutter is one of those companies. And I must admit, I'm very interested in this:

I was all ready to go to A.C.Moore (sorry, ACM!) and buy a mat board cutter. For quite some time now, I've wanted something more durable to cut chipboard. The e-mail said it cuts chipboard, foam board, and stacks of cardstock with ease. This sounds like the ticket. I'm mostly curious about the length and the cutting mechanism. I can't wait to learn more and find out the price.

Basket Bingo Necklaces

2010-01-17T16:29:00.002-05:00

In the fall, I made these necklaces for our school's basket bingo. They are made with Ranger's 1" Memory Glass and Frames. The front glass is embossed with part of a bingo card stamp and the paper between the glass was created using the Wrinkle Free Distress technique. Some of the necklaces have ball chains, others were beaded, and some have silver chains. I added beading to the bottom and made sure to add a basket charm to each one of them.

Hopefully the wearer of these little gems will be lucky in their bingo ventures!

CHA is Right Around the Corner

2010-01-16T00:03:00.002-05:00

I've needed a little jump-start for my blog for 2010. I've been trying so hard to stay focused on things I need to accomplish around the house and my volunteer commitments that I simply put my blog on the back burner. But, now that CHA is right around the corner, I need to get back on track. I have lots of things to share once the show starts on the 24th.

Not to mention, I've been making jewelry!!! I'm going to tell you right now . . . I enjoy my paper crafting more! Sure, the beads are beautiful and I love opening all the compartments of my kajillion plastic boxes just to look at them and touch them. But . . . the actual process . . . is tedious. I'm suppose to be making jewelry for a quarter auction at school, yet I'm not sure how I'm going to part with these little gems after all the HOURS I've put into them.

Stay tuned. I have lots to show you...including the jewelry.

Yummy Cupcakes & Scrumptious Cake

2009-12-29T10:06:00.002-05:00

Alpha Stamps, Day 4, giveaway is filled with yummy treats. Take a look -- Alpha Stamps Blog.

Since I love my stamps so much, here is a peek of one of them from today's giveaway.