karen's escape

Psalm 32:8 WORDart

2010-03-09T07:07:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy this last week and a half. I have had no time at all to create new WORDart or make any cards so I am reposting the card that I made for my son’s graduation last year along with the WORDart that I created for it.

I love this scripture! I love knowing that even though I am constantly facing new challenges that God is there to instruct me and teach me and that I can count on Him to guide me with HIS eye. I cannot see what lies ahead of me, but He can. Lately I have been feeling so overwhelmed with life and all of the decisions and uncertainty that it can bring. I want to be in control so that I can make all of those decisions based on what I feel is best for me, but that is not always possible and probably not the best solution. What a relief to know that I can trust in Him even when I am feeling helpless and He does know what is best for me.

If you would like to use this WORDart, you can download it HERE.

The original card and supply list is posted here.

Have a blessed day!

Philippians 1:3 WORDart

2010-03-02T07:17:00.000-05:00

I am so thankful for the friends that God has placed in my life. So many times when I have been down, I have had a friend drop me an email or give me a call and it would brighten my day. It always means so much. I don’t think there is anything more meaningful than to have a friend tell you they are praying for you and feel their love and encouragement. I want to be a friend like that.

The card ~

I changed the color of the WORDart to pink for a girly card but it would also make a great masculine card done in a rustic color. I stamped the image from Vintage Labels in Hibiscus Burst ink under the WORDart and cut it out with long rectangle nestibilities and matted it onto Raspberry Fizz cardstock cut with scalloped long rectangle nestibilities. I layered Raspberry Fizz cardstock that I punched with a border punch with some paper from Raspberry Fizz Mix and In Bloom and tied some Raspberry Fizz satin polka dot ribbon around it. That’s a lot of Raspberry Fizz! I added some adhesive gems from Martha Stewart to finish it off.

The WORDart can be downloaded HERE.

I only ask that if you use it, please share the link back to this post so others know it is available to them.

Image	WORDart by Karen
Stamps	Vintage Labels (PTI)
Ink	Hibiscus Burst
Paper	Raspberry Fizz, Raspberry Fizz Mix, In Bloom, White (Papertrey)
Embellishments	satin polka dot raspberry fizz ribbon (PTI), adhesive gems (Martha Stewart)
Tools	classic and scalloped long rectangles, Upper Crest border punch (Fiskars)

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today. Have a blessed day!

Design Divas Challenge Card

2010-02-25T07:55:00.001-05:00

This is the card I made for the Design Divas challenge. This month we had a sketch challenge hosted by Annie. Her sketches are always fun. I used Wild Asparagus paper by My Mind’s Eye and Rustic Cream cardstock. The image is from Everyday Button Bits and I used an assortment of buttons from Spring Rain, Scarlet Jewel and Ripe Avocado. I used my handy dandy glue pen to color in the dots on the patterned paper and added glitter. It really added that extra touch it needed. I also traced the stems with a clear stardust pen, which you cannot see in the picture, but it looks lovely in person.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 31:24 WORDart

2010-02-23T07:14:00.003-05:00

I love this verse! It speaks so much encouragement to me. When I am studying my Bible, I like to have my dictionary right beside me so I can look up words. I find that even when I think I know what a word means, reading the definition in the dictionary can make me look at it in a whole new way. I want to share with you the definitions of the following words:

courage - the strength of mind that makes one able to meet danger and difficulties with firmness

strengthen - to make, grow, or become stronger

hope - to desire especially with expectation that the wish will be granted

Wow! That tells me that I can face life’s difficulties head on and He will make me to become stronger, but I need to have a desire for Him and an expectation that He will see me through whatever the situation is that I am facing. He promised us He would never leave us or forsake us. I need to trust in that promise and know that He knows what is best for me and what will make me stronger.

You can find this WORDart file HERE or HERE.

The file is in black and white in both png and jpg. There are instructions on how to change the color in my right sidebar under the logo. If you chose to use this file, please link back to this post so others know it is available to them also. I would love to see what you create with it if you would like to leave a link to your creation in my comments, I would love that.

The card recipe

Digital Image	Wordart by Karen
Paper	PTI Plum Pudding, pp Vibrant by ATD
Embellishments	Summer Sunrise button, twine, satin plum pudding ribbon (PTI)
Tools	EK Success border punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, classic and scalloped long rectangle nestibilities

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a blessed day!

a wedding card and gift

2010-02-20T07:03:00.000-05:00

We attended a winter themed wedding, so I made this winter themed card. I used the snowflakes Cuttlebug folder and added some adhesive gems to it. I matted it onto Spring Rain cardstock and then tied some satin and organdy ribbon around it. I then adhered it all onto the white card base.

For the gift, I once again used my Cricut to make my favorite personalized gifts. I love making these.

Have a wonderful weekend!

You’re so sweet

2010-02-18T07:22:00.000-05:00

I pulled out my Everyday Button Bits to make this card. I stamped the leaves with New Leaf ink and cut the image with a square nestie die. I adhered it to pure poppy cardstock cut with a scalloped square nestie die. Some pure poppy buttons tied with some green embroidery floss finished it off. I cut some strips of bitty dot and bitty box paper and distressd it with my Heidi Swapp edge distresser and adhered it to a strip of pure poppy cardstock I had cut with a fiskars border punch. I then stamped some faux stitches using Stamped Stitches and the sentiment from Everyday Button Bits. I tried to keep it simple since I was giving it to my eldest son, didn’t want it to look too “girly”.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps	Everyday Button Bits (PTI), Stamped Stitches (HOTP)
Ink	Palette Noir, New Leaf (PTI)
Paper	White, Pure Poppy, Bitty Box Basics, Bitty Dot Basics (Papertrey)
Embellishments	embroidery floss, pure poppy buttons
Tools	Fiskars border punch, Heidi Swapp edge distresser, classic and scalloped square nestibilities

Isaiah 41:10 WORDart

2010-02-16T07:05:00.001-05:00

What do you say to someone who just lost their youngest child in a tragic car accident? The only source of comfort I had to give was a promise from the Word of God. “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” What a beautiful scripture! How comforting to know that even through such a devastating time that the God who created the universe is with me, to strengthen me, to help me, to uphold me. When we don’t have the strength within ourselves, God is an everlasting source of strength. He is always there for us.

You can download this WORDart HERE. It is a zip file that includes both a jpg and png file. Please link back to here if you use it to let others know it is available to them as well.

For my card, I used a labels 4 die to cut the WORDart then I distressed it with Antique Linen distress ink and a sponge. The paper is from K & Co. Ancestry line with some Papertrey Ocean Tides mixed in. I cut a swirl using a Cuttlebug die and tucked it under my focal point using the Quickie Glue pen by Sakura to adhere it. I love using that to adhere my small pieces. It works great!

Image	WORDart by Karen
Paper	K & Co Ancestry, PTI Ocean Tides, Curous Poison Ivory
Ink	Antique Linen distress ink
Other	butterfly punch (MS), Labels 4 die, Cuttlebug die, Ocean Tides grosgrain ribbon, Vintage cream button, twine (PTI), adhesive pearls

A Tribute to Shane

This past week was a tough one for our family. We had to say goodbye to a wonderful young man. He was a great friend to my son and a part of our family. His mom told me he called me “his other mom”. How special is that? Shane died when he slid on some ice at a stop sign and a dump truck took his life. Shane was such a special guy. He had such a big heart and so much love for everyone. It is so hard to believe he will never again walk through my door, share another meal with our family, or make my kids laugh the way only he could. I will always remember his great smile and the wonderful way he had of making you feel special. It really makes me realize how special life is and I don’t want to take that for granted. I want to reach out to others the way Shane did, to hug like Shane hugged. There was no holding back with him, when he hugged you, you knew you had been hugged. As his mom says, “He gave the best hugs.” I will miss him so much.

Valentine’s cards

2010-02-13T08:38:00.001-05:00

Here are a few more cards I made for my kiddos for Valentine’s day. I love Valentine’s Day and I love making it special for my family. They have been trying to learn my secrets about what I have planned for that day for a little while now. I love keeping them in suspense. We are celebrating on Monday since we have the day off from school and Sundays are such busy days for us. So, what do you do with your family for Valentine’s? Do you do anything special or have any special traditions?

The image on this card is from The Angel Company. I colored it with Copic markers. The patterned paper is from Sizzix that I have had for a very long time. The sentiment is from Studio G.

The image on this card is from Stampin Up’s Nice & Easy Notes set. I also colored it with Copic markers. The sentiment is also from Studio G. The paper is some that I have had forever and I don’t know the manufacturer. When I first started buying patterned paper I would store it by color and not by manufacturer. Now I have all this paper that I have no idea who made it, but I am having fun using my stash of supplies. I haven’t bought any new craft supplies in 2010, so I am doing really well with my goal. I haven’t even walked into a craft store (if I did it would all be over.) I am not sure how much longer I can hold out though. I am seeing some really great new punches on some blogs. That would definitely be my weakness.

Have a great weekend!

I have a thing for you card

Stamps	girlz & boyz (TAC), sentiment (Studio G Series 29)
Paper	New Leaf, White (PTI), pp (Little Sizzles Rainbow by Sizzix)
Ink	Palette Noir, Pure Poppy
Accessories	ribbon (Offray), button (PTI), red Scrapper’s Floss, heart stickers, mini hearts border punch (MS), classic and scalloped rectangle nestibilities, Copic markers

I love you this much card

Stamps	Nice & Easy Notes (SU), sentiment (Studio G Series 29)
Paper	Pure Poppy, White (PTI), pp from stash
Ink	Palette Noir, Enchanted Evening, Colorbox Chalk creamy brown
Accessories	enchanted evening twill ribbon (PTI), brad, classic and scalloped square nestibilites, Copic markers

More Snow Pics and some cards

2010-02-11T12:12:00.001-05:00

So, it is official. We have broken the record for the most snow in PA in the month of February. I don’t even know how much snow we got…just that it is a lot of snow.

Here are some pictures from my front door. They had to abandon the snow blower and use the shovel to clear the walkway because the snow was higher than the snow blower.

I thought these snow drifts were so pretty. They remind me of dessert pictures I have seen, but instead of sand, it’s snow.

My son, Marcus and our dog, Peanut, standing in the path they were shoveling. You can really see how high the snow is in relation to him.

And, finally, some cards that I found time to make while being snowed in.

This is the card I made for my youngest daughter for Valentines day. The stamp and patterned paper are from The Angel Company. The sentiment is from Verve.

I made this card for one of my sons. The stamp is the same stamp set from The Angel Company. The patterned paper was from my stash of scraps and I think it is DCWV. The sentiment is also from Verve.

Take the time to hug your kids today. My son’s friend was killed in a car accident this past weekend and it has left such a whole in my heart. He felt like part of our family and we will miss him so much.

I Corinthians 13 WORDart

2010-02-09T09:15:00.001-05:00

I have some new WORDart for you. I used I Corinthians 13 to make my husband’s Valentines card. Now, I know that there is no love like God’s love. It is impossible for us as humans to love as God loves. I cannot begin to even comprehend how much He loves me. He gave His life for me. I want to be able to love like He loves, to be so filled with His spirit that others can see His love in me.

That being said, my husband is a wonderful man who I am so truly blessed to be married to. God has blessed me with a man who really loves me, and although we don’t have the “perfect” marriage (meaning we both have faults) it is a great feeling to be loved the way he loves me. I am so thankful for his love.

I have both of these files available HERE if you are interested. I only ask that you link back to my blog if you use it so that others know it is available to them also.

The zipped file includes both a jpg and png of each file. They are in black so you can use it as is or change the color to fit your color scheme. You can find instructions on how to do that in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements here.

I would love to see what you create with my WORDart, feel free to leave a link in my comment section to your creation.

Have a blessed day and remember God loves you!

Images	WORDart by Karen
Paper	Smokey Shadow, Pure Poppy (PTI), No Room for Grey (Retrodiva Designs)
Tools	corner punch (EK Success), classic and scalloped rectangle nestibilities
Other	rhinestones (MS), red Scrapper’s Floss, Brilliance Moonlight White (to sponge edges), foam tape

Snow Pics

2010-02-08T17:33:00.001-05:00

Here are some picture of our snow for all of you southerners who don’t have the pleasure.

Here is my husband snowblowing us out.

And here are the kids at play.

Our Pomeranian, Peanut, LOVES the snow. He will run out the door to play in it every chance he gets. He cries at the door to go back out when we bring him in. It is so cute. Our cockapoo, Picasso, not so much. He hates it.

I hope you enjoyed the pics. They are calling for another storm on Tuesday. I guess we are making up for all the easy winters.

Desktop

2010-02-06T09:24:00.001-05:00

I love “accessorizing” my computer screen and love to make a new desktop every month. This is the one I made for February. My husband asked me to marry him on Valentine’s Day so it is a very special day for us. I used a picture that I scanned of us 20 years ago and a more recent picture. We looked so young back then, and my how the time has flown. The saying I used says, “The heart that loves is always young.” I love that saying. I used a digital kit “No Room for Grey” by Retrodiva {designs}. I love this kit so much that I realized I used it for last February desktop as well. I also used it to make my husband’s Valentine’s card. That is what is so nice about digital kits, you never run out!

Since I never shared my January desktop, I thought I would share it today as well.

Any big plans for the weekend? We are getting blasted with snow. I can’t remember the last time I have seen this much snow. It brings back so many childhood memories of growing up in New Hampshire. My kids are so excited! It is so cute how excited they get over snow. I think it is beautiful, but I don’t want to go out in it. I am content to just look out the window from my warm, cozy house (and maybe take a picture or two).

Have a blessed weekend!

Another Pink card

2010-02-04T14:32:00.001-05:00

I know I make a lot of cards with pink. It just so happens to be my favorite color, in case you couldn’t tell. :)

I made this card using the Guide Lines stamp set and the Guide Lines paper. The images are stamped in Sweet Blush and Pure Poppy. I also stamped over the whole thing with Background Basics:Text Style in Vintage Cream and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I couldn’t capture the effect in a photo, but it really adds a nice shimmer and texture to the card. The card base is Sweet Blush and the the image is matted onto Pure Poppy cardstock. I added some bling and tied around some Sweet Blush satin ribbon with a Pure Poppy button tied with red Scrapper’s floss.

Well, I am off to make some Valentines cards for my hubby and kiddos (and maybe even do some laundry.)

Thanks for stopping by.

Stamps	Guide Lines, Background Basics:Text Style (PTI)
Paper	White, Guide Lines, Sweet Blush, Pure Poppy (PTI)
Ink	Vintage Cream, Sweet Blush, Pure Poppy (PTI)
Other	clear embossing powder, MS rhinestones, Sweet Blush satin ribbon, Pure Poppy button, red Scrapper’s Floss

Psalm 56:3 WORDart

2010-02-02T05:04:00.000-05:00

I am so thankful that I am not alone in the world. That whenever fears come my way, as they do to all of us, I know that if I trust in God He will take care of me. There is nothing that my God cannot make right. I can have complete confidence that He will see me through the darkest night or the scariest situation. He is only a whispered prayer away. I learned this scripture to a song when I was much younger. I remember one time in particular…I was a young mother with two very young kids. My husband was away on business and I had to go out with my children and got home very late. It had been raining like crazy, when I got home, the entrance to our apartment was flooded and I could not get my key to work at all. My youngest was just a baby and was asleep and my daughter was 2, it was a long walk back to my car and I remember feeling so incredibly alone and scared. As I stood there standing in the flooded water trying to get my door open while holding my sleeping baby and trying to calm my two year old, that song came to my mind and I sang it right there. I felt such peace come over me and knew everything was going to be all right. I tried the lock again and it opened with no problem. Sometimes I think God just wants us to recognize our need for Him, to realize that if we trust in Him, He will take care of us.

On to the card, the Design Divas challenge for January was to use stitching on a card. I have seen some beautiful cards with stitching on them, but I am afraid mine will never fit in that category. I just can’t seem to stitch on paper. I will keep trying…practice makes perfect. I used a Curved Rectangle nestibilitie die to cut the image, then distressed it with Walnut Stain distress ink. The paper is from the Cozy digital kit by Retrodiva. The ribbon is some that I had in my stash.

I created the wordart on this card. I really like using scriptures on my cards and noticed a lack of scriptures in the stamping industry. I really enjoy doing this type of stuff, so I thought I would share with whoever wanted to use it. You can find the file HERE. It is a zipped file with both a jpg and png file. The only thing I ask is that you link back to this post and let others know it is available to them as well.

If you want to change the color of the file, here is what you do.

In Photoshop or Photoshop Elements:

1. Open the PNG file.

2. Click on foreground color and change to desired color.

3. Go to Edit>Fill. Choose foreground color. Make sure preserve transparency is checked and mode is set to normal, opacity at 100%. Click OK.

To change a single word:

1. Do steps 1 and 2.

2. Use the polygonal lasso tool to select the word you wish to change.

3. Follow step 3 above.

I know there is a way to do this in Microsoft Word as well, but my Word program was throwing a fit and would not work for me.

I hope that makes sense. This is my first time doing this, so if there are any problems or you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. Have a blessed day!

Image	computer generated wordart
Paper	Cozy digital kit (Retrodiva), PTI white (base)
Ink	Walnut Stain distress ink
Other	curved rectangle nestibilitie die, sewing machine, ribbon

You Blow Me Away

2010-01-30T07:50:00.000-05:00

Another House Mouse stamp I have had forever and not used. I am doing quite well with my New Year’s goal of using my neglected stamps. Of course, it helps when you have no money in the stamping budget, but it really has been fun rediscovering what I already own.

I colored this image with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol. I adhered it to the card with foam tape to give it some dimension. The paper is from My Mind’s Eye Bohemia collection. The cardstock I used is Terracotta Tile. I was so excited by how well it matched the paper. The green strip is Spring Moss and I used an EK Success border punch to punch the border. The sentiment is stamped in Terracotta Tile and the satin ribbon is Enchanted Evening. The little blue bling in the corner is more of my clear cell phone bling colored with a B97 Copic marker.

I hope everyone has a most enjoyable weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

Stamps	HM Air Head, HM Blow Away
Paper	PTI white, Terracotta Tile, Spring Moss, MME Bohemia pp
Ink	Momento Tuxedo Black, PTI Terracotta Tile
Accessories	Spellbinders Classic Circles, Labels One, EK Success Punch, prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, clear cell phone bling, B97, N1 Copic markers, PTI Enchanted Evening satin ribbon

Fall in Chocolate

2010-01-28T07:55:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with this sentiment the moment I read it. It is a studio G stamp that I purchased last year. My card was totally built around this sentiment. I used Dark Chocolate as my base. I stamped the Cooking Background stamp in Versamark and embossed it with clear embossing powder. (The little sparkly flecks you see are some glitter that I somehow managed to get in my clear embossing powder.) The pink layer is Prism cardstock. I used the MS Valentine lace border punch to make the border. The sentiment is stamped in Dark Chocolate. The cupcake image is from The Angel Company. I colored it with Copics and added glitter to the hearts. The ribbon is some I have had forever and I am not sure where I purchased it or who makes it.

On the inside of the card, I used the same pink cardstock. The sentiments are by Craft Affair from the Life is Sweet set and are stamped in Dark Chocolate.

Keeping it short and sweet today. Thanks for stopping by.

Have a blessed day!

Stamps	Cooking Background (Great Impressions), Sweet Thing (TAC), sentiment (Studio G Series 29), Life is Sweet (Craft Affair)
Paper	Dark Chocolate, White (PTI), pink (Prism)
Ink	Versamark, Dark Chocolate
Accessories	clear embossing powder, ribbon (stash), Copics, diamond dust glitter, cell phone bling, MS Valentine Lace border punch, Marvy scalloped circle punch, SU slot punch

Knitted with love

2010-01-26T09:52:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday!

I thought this stamp was adorable and was begging to be colored. I haven’t colored a House Mouse image in a long time. I forgot how much fun they were. I used my Copics. I am still working on improving my Copic skills. I am often very intimidated by them and just reach for my dependable prismacolor pencils. I used shimmer chalks to fill in the background. The paper is from the DCWV Nana’s Nursery Baby Girl collection.

Here is the inside. I used the matching sentiment from House Mouse. I stamped it in New Leaf ink and colored it with Prismacolor pencils. I was afraid the Copic marker would bleed through to the back. I added a little heart sticker to the center of the “o”.

I hope everyone is having a great week so far. My day was crazy yesterday. I had to take my son Malachi to his nephrologist. We received a great report. He is off his meds and still in full remission. We don’t have to see her again for six months. Praise the Lord! He is so awesome!

Have a blessed day!

Praying for you

2010-01-21T13:52:00.001-05:00

I love black and white with a touch of hot pink! I stamped a border from Damask Designs in True Black onto a white card base. The sentiment is also from Damask Designs. The little hot pink rhinestones are actually cell phone bling that I picked up really cheap on a clearance rack. The black satin ribbon is from Offray that I purchased on my last trip to the Offray Ribbon Outlet. Love that place, I think it’s time to go back.

I finally got my Christmas tree down!!! My house is starting to take on it’s pre-Christmas look. It is amazing how much more light I have now that the Christmas tree is not blocking the window. I am hoping to spend this Saturday in my craft room, but I must get my house clean and my laundry done first, so…off I go.

Thanks for stopping by!

Retro Birthday

2010-01-19T09:22:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday!

This is a birthday card I made. I was going for a more masculine look. I used Kraft paper as my base and stamped the image from Basic Backgrounds: Retro three times in Dark Chocolate ink. The star is from Star Prints and is stamped in Enchanted Evening. The sentiment is from Birthday Basics and is stamped in Pure Poppy. I wrapped red baker’s twine (from Martha Stewart) around the card three times and tied it in a knot.

There it is…my simple, almost one-layer masculine birthday card.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a blessed day!

Supplies (all Papertrey unless otherwise noted)

Stamps	BB: Retro, Star Prints, Birthday Basics
Paper	Kraft
Ink	Dk Chocolate, Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy
Accessories	bakers twine (Martha Stewart)

Making cards in my dreams

2010-01-16T07:06:00.000-05:00

Have you ever woke up and could visualize a card you wanted to make? I woke up and it was like I was dreaming. I could totally visualize everything about this card, like I had already made it. It was so real. I decided to get up and just go make it. It was probably the fastest I have ever made a card. I knew the layout, the colors, the stamps, the embellishments, everything. It was weird…and wonderful. I wish every card was like that. It normally takes me hours to make a card, half the battle is what I am going to do.

I started with a card base of Rustic Cream. I stamped the image from In Bloom onto Pure Poppy in Versamark and embossed it with Transcendence embossing powder. I did the same with the leaves on Ripe Avocado. I cut them all out with my detail scissors. I cut my rectangle of Spring Moss and rounded the corners on one side and tied Pure Poppy twill ribbon on the other. I added a strip of In Bloom patterned paper over a strip of Pure Poppy that I had punched with an EK Success punch and adhered them to my card base. I stamped the flourish from Fancy Flourishes over the Spring Moss cardstock and onto the card base as well using Spring Moss ink. Finally, I stamped the sentiment from Vintage Picnic in Ripe Avocado.

For the inside, I added a strip of In Bloom paper and stamped a smaller image from In Bloom in Spring Moss ink in the corner. The sentiment is from Birthday Basics and is stamped in Pure Poppy.

I had a blast making this card. I just wish they could all be this easy.

Have a blessed day and thanks for stopping by.

Stamps	In Bloom, Fancy Flourishes, Birthday Basics, Vintage Picnic
Paper	Rustic Cream, Pure Poppy, Spring Moss, In Bloom
Ink	Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Pure Poppy, Versamark
Accessories	Pure Poppy twill ribbon, transcendence embossing powder
Tools	Corner Chomper, EK Success punch

Christmas Rewind – Framed Monograms

2010-01-14T07:34:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is it. After this post, I am officially finished posting Christmas gifts.

I had so much fun making these. Once again, I used my Cricut. The designs were purchased from www.vinyldesigner.com. I love my Cricut!

I hope I didn’t bore you too much with Christmas gifts. I know people have moved on to Valentine’s day already. I still have my Christmas tree up…can’t seem to find the time to take it down. It’s weird, you know. You can’t find the time to put it up and then you can’t find the time to take it down. Am I the only one? Guess what I’m doing this weekend?!?!

Have a great day. Take time to be thankful!

Christmas Rewind – Personalized Mugs

2010-01-12T07:12:00.000-05:00

What do you give teenagers for Christmas? That was my biggest question. I was at a loss about what to give my nieces and nephew for Christmas. Then I thought of etching mugs with their names and filling them with marshmallows, hot cocoa mixes and candy canes.

This is what they look like filled. I packaged them really cute, but of course, I forgot to take a picture. Here are some up close shots of the mugs. It’s very hard to get a picture of etched glass, but I think I did ok…not perfect, but you get the idea.

I used my Cricut to cut the names out of contact paper and then used etching cream. I left the etching cream on for 30 minutes. I find leaving it on that long worked pretty well for me. They were really excited about them, so I knew my little idea was a success. That’s a really nice feeling.

Thanks for stopping by, have a blessed day!

Christmas Rewind – For the Ladies

2010-01-08T22:50:00.001-05:00

I am really having a tough time getting back into a routine after our Christmas break. I guess I am just feeling a little overwhelmed by all that I have on my plate right now. I am attempting to do the Project 365 challenge. I am doing pretty well with it. I know I am crazy for taking on another project to work on, but I like the idea of being able to look back on the year and see what has happened. It seems like it always goes so fast and I can’t remember any of it.

I have finally found a few minutes to edit some of the pictures I took of Christmas gifts that I made. These are the gifts that I made for my kid’s female Sunday School teachers.

I raided my scrap drawer to make these. That always makes me happy when I can use my scraps.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Rewind – Masculine Gifts

2010-01-05T22:22:00.001-05:00

As promised, I am sharing gifts I made for Christmas. These are some gifts I made for my son’s Sunday School teachers.

This is just a 4 x 6 acrylic frame that you can purchase at Walmart for about $1. I put a piece of scrapbook paper in the frame. I used my ATG gun to adhere a piece of paper on the side that I had matted to cardstock and tied a piece of twine around. The calendar is bound by brads then glued to a piece of cardstock. I used a piece of sticky tape to adhere it to the frame.

My son shares a special bond with this teacher, so I wanted to do something a little more personal. I took a picture of them together, played around with it in Photoshop and printed it. I then put it in the frame and adhered the calendar directly to the frame after binding it with brads and adhering it to cardstock.

There you go…great gifts for under $2 each.

I’ll be back with more gifts soon. I am trying to get back into our school routine. Man is that hard after taking a couple of weeks off. Things are slowly getting back to normal. Yeah!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed day!

Happy Holidays

2009-12-28T06:50:00.000-05:00

Here is one last holiday card. I used an Anna Griffin backgrounder stamped in Platinum Planet onto Papertrey White cardstock. I stamped the sentiment in Palette Bordeaux ink and tied the ribbon around the card. Super easy and oh so elegant.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I really enjoyed the time to cater to my family. I will not be around much this week as I have family coming in to visit. My brother and his family are coming to celebrate the New Year with us. It is a tradition we have kept for several years and one we all look forward to. I will be back after the new year to share some gifts that I made.

If you notice anything different about this post, it is because I am trying out Windows Live Writer. I have heard great things about it and decided to give it a try.

So Happy Holidays to you and may you be truly blessed in this coming year.