Stampin' With Karen

I've Moved!

2014-03-08T21:08:00.003-06:00

I have started blogging again but am trying a different site. I may come back to Blogger, but in the meantime, you can find me here. Thanks!

Quick Birthday Card

2011-09-19T16:00:00.005-05:00

Since I was bitten by the crafting bug, I decided to ink up another stamp from the Happiest Birthday Wishes hostess set. I dug through my scrap box and found the card base and paper for the card. The base measures 3.5" x 5" so it's slightly smaller than most of the cards I make. I stamped the image using Pear Pizazz and punched it out using the 1 3/4 circle punch and then layered it with the piece from the 2 3/8 scallop circle punch from SU!. Since I didn't really do anything extraordinary with this design, this card was made in about three minutes. So much for blaming 'time' for my lack of cardmaking!

Let me leave you with this simple card made by Madeline for her kindergarten teacher. I got a new set of chipboard from SU! with my last order and I had taken this butterfly out of the package the other day thinking I would make a magnet for her teacher. I know butterflies have a special significance for her and so I had it sitting on my table with the intention of completing this project. Well, Madeline saw it and before I even knew she had taken it, she presented me with this card and said, "Mom, I colored this butterfly and made a card for my teacher. I made a purple card because I know she likes purple!" Well, I could hardly be upset with her for 'stealing' my butterfly! I think her teacher will like Madeline's card even better than whatever I would have made. :-)

What?! A Blog post after 2 years???

2011-09-18T19:50:00.004-05:00

Well, what miracles have occurred to get me posting after a two-year hiatus? A friendly challenge! Yesterday, Mama Kate set off a series of events with a simple post on Facebook about a new scrapbook store opening in the old Friend'z location. JoLynn saw the post, I saw the post...and soon, we were both at the store reuniting with other crafters who were there scoping out the scene. JoLynn mentioned to the new owner and employees that Kate was responsible for the mad rush! Well, it was kinda funny running into JoLynn and as we perused the items and started collecting purchases, we lamented about the fact that we hardly ever make the time to craft! So, a challenge was issued. We had to make something using some of the products we purchased and post our cards before this weekend ended! Here's the first card I made featuring a glitter paper by American Crafts. This paper is a DREAM--I absolutely love the texture...it's very fine and smooth. The glitter doesn't flake off when you cut the paper...it's fabulous. The pattern reminded me of Thirty-One gifts 'Paparazzi Dot' which is what led me to the idea of a monogram card. I kept it simple with just a vinyl Thicker...also by American Crafts. I love this glitter paper and will definitely be collecting more. Madeline loved it as well and used a piece to make a card for me. Isn't she the most precious little peanut in the world? She drew a peace sign on one side because of course NO art project of hers is complete without one. You see me over there on the right with the fabulous eyelashes...the two little girls are her and our next door neighbor Kenzie.

One of the other items I picked up at the new store was a set of printed fabric Thickers from American Crafts. I used the number 5 on this quick and easy birthday card. I had some Sale-a-Bration paper/sticker die-cuts left from this past year so I decided to put those to use. The sentiment is from the new hostess set Happiest Birthday Wishes from Stampin' Up!

Be sure to pop on over to JoLynn's blog to see what she crafted this weekend!

Let's see if another two years goes by before I post again...
Happy stamping,
Karen

Sayin' a Prayer!

2009-03-24T19:41:00.003-05:00

It should come as no surprise that I didn't have time to make anything for the Stamping Royalty Contest. However, I did go through my box of cards and pick three that fit one of the categories (adding color with markers) and sent them in--so I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed and have promised to make a better effort to pay attention to when the contest is happening next year. I mean--do you REMEMBER JoLynn's prize package from last year? A girl HAS to give this contest a shot, right? While I would have loved to just make some new cards, I honestly forgot until it was too late! My hometown celebrated this past weekend with our high school basketball team making it to the state championship in basketball. All of my responsibilities/projects went out the window as I took Maddie to her first basketball game. While they didn't win, they did place 2nd in state which is a first for good ol' Waukegan. In the finals, Waukegan played Whitney Young which is where Michael Jordan's son attends school and plays so he was there at the game which was unfortunate in a way because the focus was not on the kids in that game--it was on him. Even when Whitney Young won, the media flocked to Michael Jordan for his response. I get it, the guy's amazing, but really--couldn't it have just been about the guys playing? It's high school basketball for Pete's sake! Since the championship game was past Maddie's bedtime, she didn't go with me for that game and I went by myself. Lo and behold, I had a seat next to two great guys from my own high school days--it was a great reunion! So ya, stamping was on the backburner! Not to mention, I thought YESTERDAY was the 23rd--UGH! I didn't realize until going through blogs tonight that I was actually off by one day. Oh well--what's a girl to do?

Now, if you are in Illinois and are interested in saving money while you grocery shop each week, you MUST check out JILL CATALDO. She's my new role model! She's been featured in the Sun Times and on ABC news in Chicago many a time--she's a 'Super Couponer' who uses coupons with sale prices to get great prices. I am always trying to save money, but I haven't been good about utilizing coupons until now. She does all of the legwork for you so all you have to do is follow her tips! I just discovered her yesterday and I am HOOKED! I mean, did you know you could have your grocery store savings card store coupons that you find online??? Like, your Preferred Card from Jewel or your Kroger's Savings Card? YES--there are these coupon sites and you plug in your number and then select the coupons you want. Then, when you go to the grocery store and scan your card--it recognizes the coupons that you selected! I had NO IDEA! So, if you're interested in learning more, definitely check out her blog. She has links to those coupon sites I mentioned and so much more. You will be amazed--I guarantee it!

Check out these sites!

2009-03-19T08:41:00.002-05:00

Moxie Fab World: Lots of giveaways and freebies this week for stampers!

When perusing that blog, I found that this year's Stamping Royalty contest is closing SOON! If you'd like to enter, you must have your entries postmarked no later than MARCH 23rd! YIKES! Wish I would have noticed this a month or two ago before I packed most of stamping stuff away. I have some supplies so I might try and make a card or two--if I can bring myself to make a mess in my CLEAN house right now ;-) OR maybe I'll look for cards that fit the categories in my stash! For those interested, here are the contest categories:

Stamp Kissing
Build a Scene
Creating Patterned Paper with Stamps
Adding Color with Markers
Adding Color with Dye or Ink Sprays

Click here to see the CK page about this contest

2. The Paper Crafts blog also has lots of contests/giveaways so check them out as well!

Publications: Round 2

2009-03-12T23:49:00.007-05:00

I could not find the photograph of this card on my computer believe it or not! I ended up photographing the layout since I no longer have the actual card. Once the publishers sent me the card back along with my complimentary issues of the magazine, I sent a copy of the publication along with the actual card to my grandpa in Florida so that he could put them with my grandmother's ashes. When I bought this stamp, I was actually pregnant and I envisioned making some lovely handmade gift for the baby's grandmothers. Of course, that never happened and it wasn't until I saw the call for grandparent projects for this September issue that I knew this stamp would be used for a project honoring my grandma. September is a difficult month. Obviously, Grandparents' Day is in September and that in itself is tough. My grandmother was born in September and she also passed away in September...so in general, September has always been a month where I find myself mourning her loss rather than just thinking of her or remembering her as I do throughout the rest of the year. I don't mean to get so personal with this post, but this was a personal project so I can't help myself! So just because, I'm going to end with some happy thoughts about my grandma because now I'm sitting here all teary-eyed...

My grandma used to love to record my sister and me singing...I remember singing Lionel Richie songs into her little tape recorder!!
I loved her camera and all of the pictures she would take. I can't believe I once asked her if I could have that camera when she died! I think I was about 9 or 10--old enough to know better, don't you think?
My grandma loved playing BINGO and my sister and I used to love to fling her BINGO chips all across the room.
Kim and I used to enjoy posing with our grandma's wigs on for photographs...even my brother posed for a pic once!
Some of my fondest times spent with her were just at the kitchen table playing Scrabble when I was older and visiting in FL. She would let me cheat and use the dictionary because I could never beat her anyway. How she had the patience to play with me and/or Kim for that matter, I will never know :-)
My grandmother and I used to write letters back and forth...I wish I would have kept more of them.

My grandparents have always been such a cherished part of my life. You might remember my grandpa from some entries last year--I feel so blessed that he is still here and that Maddie has been able to spend time with him. My grandpa is always giving my sister and me advice about life, finances, even softball and bowling over the years--he just seems to know a little about almost everything. Of course, the best thing about grandpa is that he loves food and a good chocolate as much as I do and so we always indulge in special treats when we're together. Which...come to think of it, I'm sure Maddie and I are due for another trip sometime soon ;-)

Oh Happy Day!

2009-03-09T15:01:00.002-05:00

It has been a busy week and the house is well on its way to being sold (hopefully!) My studio is officially GONE with only some supplies remaining in what is now Madeline's new playroom. We converted it so that we could stage a dining room upstairs and the whole place is starting to look like a before/after on some HGTV television show! It's been tiring, back-breaking work--okay, not really back-breaking but I did throw out my back while lifting and moving all of these boxes! UGH! Since I got a lot of work done this weekend, I thought I would reward myself with some downtime which includes updating by blog with a PROJECT--imagine that!

This past fall, I took an online scrapbooking class with my guru, Cathy Zielske over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. Many of you know I fell in love with her and her style a few years ago with the purchase of her book Clean and Simple Scrapbooking (which is now 1/2 off!!). I then bought the sequel as soon as it hit the shelves (now more than 1/2 off!!) When I learned that she was teaching an online class, I knew I had to enroll. While I was unable to keep up with the assigments due to some hoopla in my life, I have printed everything out and am working on the layouts when I can.
Now, unfortunately, I did this layout so long ago that I can't even remember what the 'lesson' was for it! Hmmm...wonder if I packed that binder...

I used some pics from one of Maddie's first stamping projects--a birthday card for her aunt or Emo (Korean) as Maddie calls her. Maddie got to pick out the ink pads and the stamps all by herself and then I just let her do whatever she wanted. You can see that she actually did choose a birthday stamp...as well as that little 'Thank Ewe' punny stamp. She had a great time inking up her stamp--though sometimes on the wrong side while making her card. It was a fun project and the type of experience I enjoy documenting.

The layout for this page was designed by Cathy Zielske. All of the sketches we had to work with were amazing and I would say getting those was worth the cost of the class in itself!

Well, I will be back with some other layouts later...and I will have to find my class materials so I can share what the lessons/objectives were that I was trying to work on while creating these pages. Thanks for stopping by!

For those who know Ann, be sure to stop by her blog for an exciting announcement!!

Paper Rack, Anyone?

2009-03-07T13:42:00.005-06:00

EDITED on Sunday: The paper rack has been adopted! Thanks!

This paper rack is looking for a new home. It has served me well the past three or four years. This rack was originally a stationery rack and it held papers and envelopes for invitations...mainly 5" x 7" papers. I used it to hold envelopes, cardstock I had cut down for card bases and 6 x 6 or smaller paper packs. There is a storage drawer on the bottom which held all of my extra specialty envelopes.

If you live in Central, IL and could pick this up, it's yours! Thanks!

Pardon the Interruption

2009-02-27T21:56:00.002-06:00

I am excited to announce that Steve and I have decided to build a house! AH! I've been packing up my studio for a few days because we need to get it cleared out before we list our house next week. Unfortunately, it seems that as soon as I got my crafting groove back, I am being forced out of it. The good news is that I will have a new and improved space in the new house! I have been taking some pictures of projects that I want to share in the next couple of weeks and once I get the house ready to show, I'll have some time to share them.

In the meantime, I have to design my dream studio. If you've seen rooms that are FABULOUS, share the links with me--I'd love to see them!

Publications: Round 1

2009-02-16T16:45:00.008-06:00

I am one of those people who is constantly looking for validation. For example, when I make a new project or do something I think is fabulous (or not), I need to show it to EVERYONE right away and get feedback. I believe this is mainly why I loved participating in the challenges on Splitcoast :-) Having said this, I CANNOT believe that I never shared my published cards on my blog. HELLO!? SO unlike me not to be bombarding you all with these looking for pats on the back and such! Without further ado, let me introduce 'Modern Mom'--my first publication which was included in Cards Magazine, August '08.

This was an invitation that I came up with for a woman named Andrea who hired me to make baby shower invites. I had made a few samples and they were pretty traditional and then I was inspired to make something a little different and 'Modern Mom' was born. I took a look at Michelle's online registries and it allowed me to see a little bit of her personality. There were these onesies she had registered for and they were pink, olive, and brown and then these sheets that had a funky circular print which together made me think of this American Crafts paper I had. I decided to try making something a little different using the paper, but it didn't look 'baby' enough so I added the Mom image from the stamp set Swell News and paper-pieced the dress which made the card look more suitable or obvious for a baby shower. I shared it with Andrea and she loved it as soon as she saw it. She thought the design would be perfect for Michelle and I loved it so much I decided to submit it to be published. Which leads me to my pep talk...if you've ever made a card that you just LOVE, submit it somewhere! You just never know what a publisher will be interested in and if you really love something, chances are someone else will love it as well. Now, having said that...persistance is sometimes necessary because even GREAT cards don't get picked up all of the time!

I made a simple 'thank you' card to coordinate with the invites and this card was published as well. So, another word of advice--if you submit an invite to be published you may as well make a coordinating 'thank you'. I also made a registry card which I didn't photograph and I included it with the two cards and the publishers ended up using it as well so you just never know! On both cards, the mom image was stamped with Adirondack ink and colored in with Copics. I colored a LOT of these images in the course of completing Andrea's order and let me tell you the whole process made me love and appreciate having my Copics that much more.

Okay, so those were the items that were published. I also want to share some coordinating projects if you're able to stick around for a few more minutes ;-)

Here's a little nugget box that I made using the same paper as a possible favor idea. The monogram was made using stamps from PTI. It's so faint that you probably won't be able to see it, but on either side of the 'Z' are the words 'baby' and 'girl' in a soft pink. Another possible favor was this little package (sour cream container) made again with the AC paper and same monogram as the nugget box.

Thanks for hanging in there with me for such a long post! I have some scrapbooking layouts to share so hopefully I can get those photographed and posted sometime soon.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Stamp-a-Stack Cards Continued

2009-02-15T15:50:00.004-06:00

Happy Sunday, everyone! I don't know about all of you, but I am enjoying the weekend and am sad to see it wrapping up and coming to an end. I have some time before I have to head to Zumba and Strong (another class at the gym that I am a huge fan of these days) so I figured I should share these last two cards before I forget!

You know how much I love Chocolate Chip--it is my favorite neutral to work with on most occassions. I paired it with the Bashful Blue here and really wanted to use a Kraft cardstock base but I didn't have enough so I went with Sahara Sand instead. I think it looks okay, but I think I would have preferred the Kraft. Maybe next time. This layout is one I've used many times though I typically center that focal panel. I saw this card on the Clean and Simple blog and you can easily see how I pretty much CASEd it in making this card and why I think I would have preferred the Kraft--I think it looks great on the card that Natasha made. I'll have to edit this post later because of course, I cannot for the life of me remember the stamp set I used!

Botanical Blooms was the first Sale-a-Bration set that I chose because I loved the sample shown in the SAB flyer. Which speaking of SAB flyers, I use the term 'flyer' loosely because I really have just looked at the PDF online. It seems that SU's mini catalogs are taking FOREVER to arrive in the mail and it's driving me nuts! Okay, complaining session is over...back to the card. I used a couple of the outline images from the set and considered coloring them in but then I kinda just liked them plain so I left them alone. The sentiment is from a Level 1 hostess set which is new this spring.

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip DSP

For those of you who would like to take advantage of Sale-a-Bration, remember that you can always place an order online at anytime or my next order is going in March 1st. Free stamps or accessories are always fun!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T15:31:00.002-06:00

Here is another card that we made at the Stamp-a-Stack the other night. I CASEd this card from THIS ONE which I saw on Splitcoast. I used the cherries on the pink instead of stars and eliminated the circle only because I didn't want to cut out all of those circles for stamp camp (yes, a wee bit short on time ;). Speaking of being short on time, I just need to digress for a moment to thank Suzie and Michelle who both came a little early on Tuesday to help sort all of the items into the baggies for everyone who attended. Oh, and Suzie even baked some cookies for us (which I think I took out of the oven a little early--oops!) Instead of taking my duties as your demo/dealer seriously and working all morning, I put my cha-cha heels on and went to Zumba! Like I mentioned, I'm very fond of Zumba and can't seem to stay away from the classes. So, again...thanks to Michelle and Suzie for their help in getting everything set up for the class. Now, back to the card. Just Jawing was a new set in the fall which I fell in love with right away even though I didn't really know that I'd ever get much use out of the set. I think the skull and crossbones image is great for teenage girls--very trendy. Maddie fell in love with the card when I was looking at it on SC and pointed at it and said, "Make it!" So, even 2.5 year olds love skulls. Actually, I think she really just loved the glitter. I used Stampin' Up!'s chunky glitter and Crystal Effects for the bow and I believe that was definitely Maddie's favorite part of making her card.

Maddie and Steve are out on a Valentine's Day date and I'm going to go finish the mess I started upstairs. I decided to clean out our pantry and some cabinets--it's amazing the stuff I had buried in there that I uncovered. Does a person really need 12 cans of diced tomatoes sitting around for no apparent reason? Well, they are the fire roasted ones and so tasty...perhaps I should make some Chicken Chili.

Stamps: Just Jawing
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Pink Pirouette (used to stamp the bow before adding the glitter)
Accessories: Crystal Effects, Chunky Glitter, Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain Ribbon

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkk! Again.

2009-02-13T14:33:00.006-06:00

Well, it's been a long time, hasn't it? I am thinking I may have about three readers left and I'm sure you're all thrilled to see a post from me ;-) After a long hiatus, I had a Stamp-a-Stack last night and let me tell you--it felt good to make some cards and be in such good company. Before I share some of the projects from last night, I'm going to give you a brief synopsis of my life the past few months since I'm always good for off-task behavior.

I have become addicted to Zumba. If you enjoy dancing and are in the search for a fun workout, you should definitely check it out. Here is a link to one of my favorite routines...I'm thinking I will be able to wear an outfit like hers sometime soon...HA!

Steve and I are considering building a home...we've been house hunting for two years and it's occurred to us that building may be the best way to go seeing we're pretty particular about what we want. Unfortunately, it's the most expensive way to go so we're not rushing into anything. I am excited about the possibility though...and may have to book like 50 workshops in the next few months in order to help finance my new studio.

My parents are going through a divorce after being married for 35 years and the whole experience has taught me to appreciate the relationship I have with my husband that much more.

Madeline continues to be the highlight of my life. She amazes me everyday and I will say the time I have been away from stamping/blogging has given me a lot more time to focus on her everyday! Okay, and go to Zumba. She has become obsessed with Tinkerbell and I am sure I have single-handedly stimulated the economy with my Tinkerbell purchases in the past few months. Now, for those who haven't seen it already on Facebook, here's a video for you to enjoy...my little peanut 'reading' one of her favorite books.

I suppose that's enough digression for one day. On to the projects...

Fifth Avenue Floral has got to be my favorite set in the new catalog. Upon first glance in the sampler, it didn't catch my eye to be honest. I loved the sample that was displayed in the new catty with the set and then knew I had to have it. This card was a quick one inspired by that sample. I can see myself using this set to make my own background paper in the future. The sentiment is from a retired set called Fancy Flexible Phrases.

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Chocolate Chip Twill, Curly Label Punch

Don't you hate when you buy a stamp set and you KNOW it was really because of ONE stamp that you wanted? Yes, that's what happened here with Party Hearty. I just loved these little party hats and while there are plenty of other cute images in the set, I can honestly say I just wanted these hats! I picked the set up when it was on sale a few months ago so it's all good. This card has a pretty basic layout...one of my favorites. A little DSP, a little ribbon...good to go!

Stamps: Party Hearty (SU!) and sentiment from Papertrey Ink

Paper: PTI White Cardstock, Maine Blueberry DSP by SU!

Ink: Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Old Olive

Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon

I have a few other cards from last night to share, but Maddie is up from her nap and we are going to go the the Children's Museum and make a couple of deliveries SO, I'll be back with more crafty goodness later!

Shifting Priorities and a Sale

2009-01-05T15:24:00.003-06:00

I know I've been away for a long time and slowly but surely I'm trying to find my way back to my stamping life. I've had some things going on which have caused me to put my stamping on the backburner...not to mention the holidays just being busy as always. Sometimes things happen and we're pulled in so many directions and something has got to give--for me, it was the stamping. After a few months of reflection, I've decided that I need to downsize my business because I don't see that I can keep going at the rate I was going in light of everything else going on these days. I believe I must be one of the most fortunate demos out there because most of my customers are friends first and they've been amazingly supportive. I know some of you are reading this and I hope you know how grateful I am to have a family away from home with all of you. You've given me shoulders to cry on, hands to hold and even help with ridiculous projects (FILING)....I am blessed that is for sure. SO, I'm not sure what will happen with the blog...I may just post when I have a project to share...we'll see. Maybe I'll have time to get back into the challenges--I miss those and the people who participated. It was a nice little virtual community I was in for a minute there and I'd like to get back into it at some point!

Well, having said all of that...I have some stuff I'm selling and JoLynn has a BUNCH of stuff so check us out at http://karenstamps.shutterfly.com/

2008-12-25T22:55:00.001-06:00

Quick Card

2008-10-13T14:32:00.008-05:00

We had a gorgeous weekend here in Central Illinois and I was out with Maddie or by myself shopping for most of the weekend. No crafting going on around here! I just wanted to share this card that I made for World Cardmaking Day last weekend using some old favorites. Bali Breeze is a retired DSP that I thought would work well for this fun card since it has such great colors in it. I used a stamp from a little set called, It's All Good which I purchased with the last catalog. Sometimes I get so caught up in new purchases that I need to force myself to dig through my stash for stamps that are sorely neglected. I like that this stamp can be used with our new Scallop Square Punch for a cute focal point. It's always good to discover how old and new can work together :-)

Scallop Circle Card

2008-10-10T19:11:00.002-05:00

Here's the other card I completed for the color challenge on Tuesday. I had a workshop last night and this was one of the make and takes. The Scallop Circle Die is a great investment if you enjoy making cards this shape--I've gotten a lot of use out of mine and am thinking about getting the smaller scallops as well. The best thing about this particular card is that it will still fit in a standard envelope so you don't have to worry about extra postage--yeah!

*Note: Since SU! doesn't sell markers to coordinate with the new in colors (GRRR), I used a dampened Qtip to clean off words that I wanted to color in with a different color on the sentiment.

Stamps: A Little Birdie Told Me, Full of Life
Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Hawaii Papaya
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive

Prework Layout

2008-10-09T11:59:00.003-05:00

I finally got my prework layout done for that online class I've been yakkin' about this past week. Cathy Zielske provided this basic layout and asked us to make a page that represented us as scrapbookers. Some things you might not be able to read say, 'documenting family', 'clean & simple' and 'collector'. The arrows represent the fact that I'm always pulled in different directions and never actually scrapbook as much as I would like to. All of the DSPs are from Stampin' Up!--I used a couple of prints from the Bella Rose collection and the Chocolate Chip is from the patterns pack. I love that we have a Chocolate Chip collection in this catalog--one can never have enough Chocolate Chip paper, right?

CC187: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip

2008-10-07T08:33:00.003-05:00

Good morning! I have had a productive morning since I got up so early to go work out this morning. Maddie woke up when I left so I gave her some milk and tucked her back into bed and she is still asleep! So, I made two cards for today's color challenge :-) I am saving one to share since I'm considering using it for a make and take for an upcoming workshop. So, let's talk about this card. You will notice right away that I used my favorite Sizzix Die--Top Note. I tried something a little different which I've seen on Splitcoast and that was to make a patchwork of papers and then cut them out. I started with a sheet of cardstock measuring 4" x 5" that I ran through the Xyron. I then cut 1" squares out of a variety of papers from the Hawaiian Papaya Collection and stuck them onto the white cardstock in no particular order. Once I had all of the squares adhered, I ran that piece through the Big Shot with the Top Note Die. Now, I don't know how often I'd do that since the adhesive could muck up the die...I might hand trim the piece if I felt like there was a problem with the adhesive on the die. I ended up cutting that piece in half because I thought the patchwork was a little busy for the sentiment I was using. One of the new accessories I used on this card is a little Filigree brad. These silver flowers are SO cute and I absolutely love them! They're easy to miss in the catalog so you'll have to check them out--there are a few different styles of designer brads shown on page 184 and they're all so fun! Sorry, you'll probably need all of them so just consider this a warning :-)

Symmetrical Layout

2008-10-07T06:00:00.002-05:00

Here's my layout for the second sketch I mentioned in yesterday's post. I have trouble embellishing because I like the clean look of the photos by themselves. There is a project gallery for everyone taking the class so I'm going to spend some time looking at how others embellish effectively. Adding 'stuff' to my pages is something that does not come easy to me...I am really good at buying embellishments, just not using them. I broke down and used my own handwriting for the layout--not that thrilled with the look, but I'm going to leave it. I think I may change the background paper to either a print or a different color...the Kraft isnt' working for me here...or maybe the journaling panel should be switched out to a different color...what would you suggest?

A Few Things...

2008-10-06T14:01:00.005-05:00

Well, I hope you're comfortable because this is going to be a long post! I am a little behind and have a few different things to share. First up is this little treat bag which we made at both the Big Shot class and the World Cardmaking Day event. The bag topper was made very easily by using the Top Note Die and some ribbon. The sentiment is from one of the new Halloween sets called Tasty Sweets and I just fell in love with it as soon as I saw it in the catalog. While I kept my coloring to a minimum with two colors, Ashley kicked hers up a notch by adding the Old Olive and Elegant Eggplant. I love the additional colors and so I had to take a photo of hers so that I could share it as well!

Now, I realize that everyone has to be sick of seeing these pictures, but I just had to share my first layout for an online class that I am taking with one of my scrapbooking heroes--Cathy Zielske. My love affair began with Cathy many years ago when I discovered her Clean and Simple book when I was working at Pocketful of Memories. I was immediately drawn to her designs and began following her blog not too long ago. When I read that she was going to be offering a class, I knew I had to participate. If you are interested in online scrapbooking classes, you'll want to check out Big Picture Scrapbooking--there's a wide variety of classes to choose from! Registration for this particular class is still open until October 8th in case you're interested. For our first assignment, Cathy gave us a couple of sketches so that we could practice designing layouts that are balanced and symmetrical. I still have the symmetrical layout to complete so I'll share that when it's finished. For Cathy's sketch, we needed an enlarged photo measuring 11" x 7.5" and then three smaller photos which are 2.5" squares. I really like the larger print and am so happy about the sketches--it's an easy way to get started with any layout if you ask me.
Now, saving the best for last...
Did you know that PaperCrafts actually sends crowns to the winners of its Stamping Royalty contest? I thought that it was just hysterical and BEGGED JoLynn to bring hers over. She agreed even though it's been beaten up by her kids who have enjoyed it far more than she could have imagined :-0. Now, you know what this means, don't you? Yes, JoLynn's publication debut has arrived and her card can be seen in the November/December issue of PaperCrafts magazine! Some stores may already have this issue arriving even though it's only the beginning of October--you know how it goes with publications. Here's a pic of the cover so you can find it easily :-) Congratulations, JoLynn!

World Cardmaking Day!

2008-10-04T12:09:00.002-05:00

Splitcoast has some challenges to get you motivated so check them out if are looking for some inspiration--click here!

My World Cardmaking Day is about to start so I gotta run--I'll be back with pics of one of the make and takes you haven't seen yet at some point. Now, go make some cards!

Pretend Professional

2008-10-03T08:42:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share this panel of pics I made and recently had printed. I've been pretending to be a professional photographer for a while now and so it's only fitting that I really start making better prints. This print in particular is a 5 x 10 that I had mounted on a matboard and sprayed with a coating so it doesn't have to be framed. It's my husband's bday to day which explains the quick post having nothing to do with crafts. The peanut is planning his party and she wants to make cupcakes and party hats, and then she also wants to have a pinata so I have to go find one of those. Looks like we're going to have a busy day!

Big Shot Class: Two Projects

2008-10-02T16:32:00.007-05:00

Oh, look--it's my favorite Sizzix die! I LOVE the Top Note Die and the fact that it's one of Stampin' Up!'s exclusive dies makes it even better :-) This card was kept pretty simple. I used some DSP called Ski Slope which is now available from the Holiday Mini--it's a collection of holiday papers in Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip and Old Olive. I really like the patterns and the colors in the collection. If you like this card, you will most likely LOVE this card that I found in the Splitcoast gallery. I thought I would CASE it, but I just didn't have enough of the wide satin ribbon for everyone to make it--bummer! I thought this card was cute anyway though so it worked for me. wer
This little pouch was another project we completed at the class the other night and it was done in a flash using the Pillow Box die. Now, I'll be honest...when I first bought this die, I was really hoping a gift card would fit inside, but it doesn't. Some ideas to fill it would include cash or some small candies. This die would be great if you needed a small favor box for a shower or party you were hosting.

I still have a treat bag I want to share with you so I'll do that soon! Thanks for stopping by!

Big Shot Class: Scallop Circle Card

2008-10-01T09:07:00.003-05:00

The Scallop Circle Sizzie Die is on of my favorites simply because it's so easy to make these scallop circle cards! I started with a 4.75" x 9.5" piece of cardstock folded in half to make a 4.75" square. By placing the crease of the cardstock just short of the edge of the die, making hinged cards is so simple with the Big Shot. I haven't tried this with the Cuttlebug, but I imagine the bug could cut through the two pieces of cardstock as well making this possible with that machine. I used an image from Pocket Silhouettes for the focal image and a small sentiment from Cornish Heritage Farms and kept the card fairly simple. I used my Creative Memories Circle Cutting System to cut the smaller circles and my Marvy Uchida Mega Scallop Circle Punch for the smaller scalloped circle. The Brocade Blue Grosgrain has been sitting in my ribbon stash for so long unopened, I almost forgot I had it! I was SO happy when I found it because it was the perfect finishing touch for the card--see, collecting has its advantages! I'll be posting other projects as I can find time throughout the day and tomorrow so thank you for your patience on that :-)