truluvcreations

Graduation

2020-05-14T13:52:00.001-07:00

It's graduation season! This time of year makes me think back to my husband finishing up nursing school. It was a stressful 2 years and we were both so excited for him to be done!!

While it was a couple of years ago, I thought it would be fun to share what I created for him to commemorate his special day, and celebrate his huge accomplishment!

Of course, I had to make him a card, so I decided to make him INTO a card...

There he is with his white scrubs, stethoscopes, and his favorite color blue.

My mom and I had planned a surprise party so I wanted to do something special for that. I decided to create a chalkboard about the nursing program and some of what he had experienced.

I would ask him random questions (like how many preceptor hours he had to do) and then secretly writing down the answers so I would have accurate information to work with.

It took some time to make, especially while trying to keep it a secret! It was so fun to display at his party. Everyone loved it!

We also decorated with vintage medicine bottles and containers of various candies marked as hallucinogens, mood stabilizers, and stimulants. How silly!

Sadly, this year graduates won't experience commencement ceremonies and parties but that should not take away from their accomplishments! Be proud of yourself for what you have achieved! And if there's a special grad in your life, please give them your love and support. They deserve it!!

Wedding Portraits 2 of 14

2020-01-18T22:51:00.001-08:00

This is one of my husband's favorite of our wedding pictures. There are actually 2 others similar to this and he couldn't decide which one to get so we have all 3.

We are really big on astrology and astronomy so I was really drawn to this paper. I wanted to incorporate it with the vintage and natural theme of our pictures and I am really happy with the result!

pet sympathy cards

2020-01-12T16:38:00.001-08:00

These are the absolute worst cards to have to make. A coworker lost her little dog not long before Christmas so I made her a card to hopefully make her feel better.

After posting it online a friend of mine saw it and, sadly, she knew someone who needed one, too.

I got one made up as quickly as I could and in the mail for her to give. I hate that people need these but I hope they offer at least some comfort.

Theodore

2020-01-07T21:22:00.001-08:00

So excited for this new Sizzix/Tim Holtz Colorize release! This adorable little bear showed up on my doorstep today and I cannot wait for this weekend so I can spend some time with him! I can see it now... Black bears, brown bears, white bears...Oh my! I cannot wait. Stay tuned!

Wedding Portraits 1 of 14

2018-08-03T22:18:00.002-07:00

Wedding days are full of so much commotion and ours was no exception. We wanted beautiful, romantic wedding photos but there just wasn't enough time on our special day to capture the images we had hoped for. We decided that for our first anniversary (traditional theme being paper) we would get wedding portraits done. This was so much fun because we got to not only dress up like it was our wedding day again but we were able to take the time we wanted and needed to get the pictures just right. I spent a lot of time planning and designing the layouts for each of the 14 photos. I cannot wait until they are all done because I know this scrapbook will be beautiful!

superbowl XLIX -- go hawks!

2015-02-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

i have to be honest -- i am not a football fan BUT my husband is a HUGE seahawks fan and his excitement and dedication to the team is so contagious. we got into the spirit this year for the superbowl and have had a lot of fun so far.

first thing I did was make my hunny a goody bag of green and blue skittles...

next, my mom made some bandanas for our pets so we made sure to get those on and represent to the other critters in the neighborhood!

then i made some cookies for our superbowl party -- only green and blue m&m's allowed!

finally, sunday morning my husband wanted facepaint for the big day so we got to work on that...

oh, and i got into it a little too and did green and blue eyeshadow...

it has been fun so far preparing for the game and now we are ready! john is wearing his seahawks sweater, shirt, and socks, we've got snacks on the table and a comfy spot in front of the TV. now just have to wait for the game to start.

GO HAWKS!!!

happy halloween, husband!

2014-11-02T19:16:00.001-08:00

this is my first Halloween with a husband! we both like the walking dead and have a few zombie jokes so I really wanted to make him a zombie card this year. I couldn't decide if I wanted to draw one or print one or what -- then I decided to try to make one with my paper doll cricut cart. here is what I came up with...

I made the eyes and mouth myself as there weren't a lot of creepy zombie options in the cartridge. then I used red stickles for the blood. the front says "bwaaaains" and the inside says "is zombie for 'I love you".

I also made him a treat bag like I did for many of our family members. of course his was the biggest!

I covered it with glow in the dark spider web. I cut the rings off the bat rings and glued them to the front of the bag. he loved his card and treat bag!

hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween!

happy halloween!

2014-10-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Boo!!! it is Halloween once again! this year I made cute little treat bags from my cricut and filled them with candy (as my niece kaylie said -- the good stuff)
i made 3 different sizes in different shades of orange. each has a different Halloween image stamped on the front and they all are covered in glow in the dark spider webs! i hooked plastic bat rings around the handle and hung nametags from there. this was a fun project that took hardly any time at all.

hope you enjoy! have a safe and happy Halloween!

made with love (and paper) project #31

2014-07-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

hello there crafty friends and followers. I have once again made it upstairs from my studio to post some of the things I have been making. this project was created for my design team *made with love (and paper)*
project #31
when: july, 2014
theme: fun folds
requirements: create any kind of project and incorporate some fun/different folding techniques.

not long ago I was taking some personal time to waste on pinterest and I came across an adorable gift box. unlike many projects I pin or mark in magazines I did not immediately forget about this one so the next day I got to work on creating.

this was a trial run so I did not use any pretty papers, which I plan on doing next time around. the best part of this oven, to me and my fiancé, is the burners. it was pretty hilarious that I have had these swirl brads for years and every time I want to add them to a card or scrapbook page I comment on how they look too much like stovetop burners. HA!

so this was my 30th birthday gift to me - spending time making something pretty and keeping it just for myself.

click here for the tutorial and to give the creator of this gift box a huge compliment - amazing!

some recent cards...

2014-07-06T20:44:00.001-07:00

wow.....my last post was in may! well I didn't even share my father's day cards so I better get them posted now! plus the other few I have completed in the last month. it has been so hectic but what's new?!?

vintage typewriter: this is the card that I gave my fiancé from all our furry babies. his favorite color is blue so that was my inspiration. I also saw a card in an old paper-crafting mag that had a typewriter with a word bubble and really liked that idea.

vintage truck: this card was for my fiancé's stepdad. I don't often use blue in my creations -- must have been inspired! all the father's day cards this year had a significant amount of blue in them!

this card was for my stepdad. the inside said "'t' is for terry...and thank you."

I gave my dad a small journal and wrote in the inside cover so I did not make a card for him this year.

we were invited to a graduation party this year and although we were unable to attend I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try a fun new folding card I had never made before. the school colors are purple and gold so I wanted to incorporate those. here is the link for the tutorial on how to make this super cute card.

hedgehog birthday: for my stepdad

angel birthday: for my friend and design team member, krista

elephant birthday: for my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Janie

tim holtz 12 tags of 2014 -- may

2014-05-04T22:19:00.002-07:00

it has been a couple of months since I have participated in the 12 tags of 2014. as I was going through my stash of goodies I was really drawn to things with bright, cheery colors. I decided to do something along the lines of spring / summer. things that make me happy. here is what I came up with:

I used picked raspberry, salty ocean, and squeezed lemonade distress paints for the background. then I used those same colors in ink for the edges of all the collage pieces. most of the pieces are stickers. the deer and the cupcake are the puffy stickers which I love! both of those images make me smile! :) hope you enjoy. thanks for looking!
check out tim's 2014 may tag here

emma's first year

2014-04-05T21:08:00.001-07:00

one of my soon-to-be sisters-in-law is a soon-to-be mommy and today was her baby shower. unfortunately, we do not live close enough for me to go but we sent her gifts (of course!) and one was a handmade album for Emma's first year. there are 12 pages that each hold a 4x6 photo and feature a different animal from the create a critter cart. there are also pockets on the inside of the front and back cover, as well as slide outs between the pages with more pockets and little journaling cards. this was so fun to make and I hope Emma, and her parents, love it!!!

I put little sticky tabs so it is easier to add photos. just peel of the blue pieces and stick them on! :)

the pieces that overlap the photo mattes are not glued down so the pictures can slide right behind them.

here are all the pullouts with pockets. some of the journaling cards say things like "the things I love" and "remember when..." for the last page so they can reflect on the first year of Emma's life!

The End.

birthday cards!!!

2014-03-25T21:34:00.002-07:00

every time I make a card / project I take a picture of it with the intention of posting it for all to see. So far this year I have made quite a few birthday cards and have yet to post any so here they all are:

for my fiancé's mom. the inside says: "another year wiser".

for my fiancé's stepdad. really like this bird embossing folder!

for our nephew conner -- love that monkey background paper -- they have boomboxes :)

this was for my aunt -- made a fry box instead of a card and filled with dove chocolates and a starbucks giftcard.

this card was for my sisters bday. I love that stamp so much so I used it again for my friend (and maid of honor!) Amanda who's birthday was just a couple of weeks later.

this card was for my dad. the inside says: "when we were all a little younger...and TV was free".

birthday card for friend and coworker. has a pocket on the inside to tuck giftcards in to.

birthday card for friend and design team member desiree. I used my distress ink pads with a paintbrush tip to color in the stamp. so fun and whimsical!!

happy valentine's day!

2014-02-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

this is our first and only year as an engaged couple so every little holiday and event is exciting! but planning a wedding takes a lot of time and money so we decided to not give gifts this valentine's day. WELL ~~ I saw the CUTEST thing on pinterest the other night and I KNEW I had all the supplies needed so my sweetheart got a little gift after all! <3

i painted the heart red and then used fine red glitter to cover. i also covered some areas in red stickles then glued it to the chalkboard which i painted white and then teal and sanded. i used my distress paint dabber with alphabet stamps for the "i love you because..." so now we can just fill in whatever we want with chalk. like this:

and wouldn't you know -- he did a little something for me too! flowers and a card. happy valentine's day!

this was my inspiration:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/74590937552685668/

what does the fox say?

2013-12-21T19:17:00.001-08:00

so, have you heard this song? have you seen the video? after I heard it for the first time I had to share with my fiancé, and he had to share with my mom. now, it is a fun joke between us all resulting in many a text between my mom and I asking one another "what does the fox say?" which we follow up by answering in a slue of jumbled (and unreadable) letters....and now, a birthday card (happy 60th birthday, mom!) based on the whole things because, hey, why not?

and HERE is a link to the video, just in case you haven't seen it -- or you have gone a whole day without having it in your head. thanks for looking!

happy halloween!

2013-10-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

oh, I love Halloween! I love crafting for this holiday, too. I made a few things this year as gifts and it was really fun! so, first, for my October made with love (and paper) design team project I made pumpkins from strips of paper.

I made 8 of these and filled them with candy. 6 were sent to our nieces and nephews, plus one for my aunt and one for my fiancé!

along with the pumpkins for our nieces and nephews went these Halloween notecards. they were simple to make and turned out so cute!

finally I made 2 Halloween cards - one for my mom and one for my fiancé. they were really fun to make and I think I might use this layout for our Christmas cards this year! hope you had a happy Halloween!

weekend!

2013-10-27T20:52:00.002-07:00

this weekend could not have come fast enough! it was much needed after a very long work week. plus my hunny and I actually got a day off together!!! AND we had a couple of fuzzy guests - my mom's dog and my kitty that has lived with my mom for the past 11 years!! it was really nice to have him around. I get to see him often but we haven't spent time like this together. he is so sweet!

because we have 2 cats of our own we had meegs stay in my craft studio to keep from any wild cat fights. my cats love to help me craft and meegs was no exception. he was a major help!

although I didn't create a whole lot I did make a couple of little things. one was a cute little tag for a jar of candy I have on my desk:

this stamp is so cute -- you just write in whatever you want on the top line!

hope you all had a lovely weekend like I did!

12 tags of 2013 ~ October

2013-10-25T19:50:00.002-07:00

oh it feels good to craft again! it feels good to have the time to craft and to use my creativity!!! I have missed the last couple of months of 12 tags and I really wanted to create this Halloween project. tim offered some great inspiration this month. check out his tag here.

this was the first time I got to use distress paints! I used them along with distress stains that way I could use more colors (I don't have very many of either product). I liked the way the background came out. I used the cindy loo cricut cartridge for the frame and some chunky purple glitter. the moon, bat, and cat are cut from the paper doll dress up cricut cartridge. I used a silver pen and sharpie to highlight some areas on the cuts and then also some stickles for the kitty eyes and other little accents here and there. thanks for looking -- hope you like!

nieces and nephews birthday cards

2013-10-20T19:08:00.001-07:00

these are the cards I made for my nieces and nephews birthdays this year. they were fun to make and I hope they loved them!

for cameron:

for brycen:

for kaylie:

for aubrey:

nieces & nephews birthday gifts

2013-10-20T18:48:00.001-07:00

in my endless attempt to catch up on posting projects I am now sharing my nieces and nephews birthday gifts from last year (sigh). they are all within a few years of each other so each year I try to give them all something similar (these gifts also have to be mailed so I keep size in mind as well).
for 2012 I decided to decorate a container - up-cycled from crystal light containers - for each of them and fill it with goodies (markers, erasers, money, stickers, etc).
I chose papers and embellishments based on what I thought each kid would like and also a cricut cut then a got to work putting it all together...
for cameron:

for brycen:

for kaylie:

for aubrey:

thanks for stopping by and taking a look!

12 tags of 2013 ~ june

2013-06-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

hello there friends! another month gone by and another awesome tag to create! i appreciated the coloring technique used in tim's tag -- coloring is something i love to do and haven't in sooo long! with so many crafts and so little time it's hard to find a chance to enjoy them all so i was thankful for this tag. i had a lot of fun coloring!

i love love love this stamp. i used distress inks to color and ditress stains for the background. i also used a chipboard "dream" sticker and some purple and pink jewels just to give it a little "something".

thanks for looking! you can check out tim's june tag here

happy father's day!

2013-06-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

in my house all the holidays are celebrated with full force and father's day is no exception. with four men in our lives to celebrate it can sometimes be difficult to whip up enough creativity for all of those masculine cards {my BIGGEST challenge}!!

however i do think i did a pretty good job this year if i do say so myself. hope you all enjoy ---

for my dad

for my step-dad

for my boyfriend's step-dad

this weekend was full of activities and it was a lot of fun. but now it is monday evening and after a full day of work i am feeling the effects of all that fun! hope your weekend was great, too! <3

12 tags of 2013 * may

2013-05-31T16:36:00.001-07:00

i am finding myself in my studio more these days which is good although i am not getting as much done as i would like. i don't understand how that happens ?? maybe sitting at my desk and wathcing old movies instead of actually creating has something to do with it!
either way i am glad to get in there more and have the chance to use my imagination and creativity. it truly is a blessed thing! <3

today i am posting my interpretation of tim's holtz's may tag. this is what i came up with:

i LOVE this stampendous f.e. linus stamp! my hunny got him for me for christmas this last year and this was the first time i have used him. he looks like our kitty blaze which is double cool!

for the background i used some distress stains and inks as well as some glitter mist and little dots of glue and glitter. i also embossed some of the stamped images.

the flower is from the tattered florals die - cut from phone book paper and colored with distress stain - i used 3 of the flower sizes and added a jewel to the middle.

hope you like! check out tim's tag here

12 tags of 2013 ~ march & april

2013-04-29T20:18:00.001-07:00

i SWORE i would get each of the 12 tags of 2013 done on time and submitted. alas, that was not to be. BUT before i started april's tag i did complete march's so here i am posting them both!

while tim used the new distress paints for his april tag i had to improvise and stick with stains and inks -- which is fine with me seeing as how i love these products (although the paints would be lovely to own!) i used some clear plastic for the birds wings and i really like my final product.

check out tim's april tag here

i was really excited about the march tag and i am super bummed i did not get to submit it. i used a butterfly punchout instead of a rabbit so it is more "spring" and not as much of an "easter" tag. i loved the tinsel technique tim used and i had fun creating my own. i also really love the grass idea. this is one of my favorite tags!

check out tim's march tag here

i hope you enjoyed my creations! thanks for looking!

tattered floral challenge

2013-03-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

the tattered floral challenge came at a great time for me as i was looking to make a project that would feature a flower ~ and it also gave me a reason {as if i need one} to buy crafting supplies!!!

i love my craft studio but what i have really been needing lately is just some time relaxing on the couch. i got my jammies on, got my blankie and a pepsi, fired up the netflix, and got started on my project.

what i have been making is vases / decorative bottles which are simply glass bottles wrapped with yarn and, in this case, embellished with some tattered florals.

for the flowers i used pages from an old phone book. i used about 4 of each size of flower to make it a little bulkier since phone book paper is pretty thin. then i got busy coloring them with distress stains and inks. i also sprayed them with water here and there and used my heat tool to burn them just a bit. the heat also changed the colors of the ink a little, lightening it in some places. i put all the layers together and used a button and yarn for the center.

thanks for looking! and don't forget to check out tim's post and the tattered florals info here