So Happy Together!

I love my weekends... but I don't like how they go so fast!  I swear... wasn't it just Friday?  Well, I guess the countdown to the coming weekend officially starts NOW! lol!  It was a nice two days of relaxation though and I did get some things accomplished.  I even got to create for a bit which really makes me happy!  I took the bull by the horns and I did it... I completed my submissions for the Bella Blvd. 2013-2014 Design Team.  I still have to hit the send button, but I actually went through with it and I'm really liking everything that I created for the call.  Now I just need to hope that the judging panel will like them (my cards) AND me too!  Yes, I am applying for a Card Designer position.  Not too sure about my luck there seeing as they are looking for only 2-4 people to fill those Card Maker spots.  Makes me nervous!  Anyway... I was thrilled to be in my scrappy happy creating environment again and I realized that I need to start carving out more of my creative time.  It's far better than all the other mundane day to day stuff that should be pushed to the back burner more often.  Ohh, and did I mention... my vacation starts in 11 days! 
Wa-Hoooo!!! Oh, I can hardly contain the excitement!   

 

So tonight before I go, I wanted to share a card that I recently had up on the Curtsey Boutique blog.

This one is a card that can be used as a simple little Anniversay or Wedding card.  All the sweet cork heart and butterfly shaped stickers can be found in the Curtsey Boutique Etsy shop, as well as the painted mini clothespin and the torn fabric strips.  The embossed panel behind the sentiment tag is kraft masking tape (Curtsey Boutique) that I layered onto a piece of cardstock.  I embossed the panel with an Anna Griffin Cuttlebug folder, inked the surface with some chalk ink and then cut out around the embossed edging.
 

 

 

 

 The enamel dots, tag and patterned paper are all by My Mind's Eye and the embossed Tillie Dots cardstock is Core'dinations.  Don't you LOVE that navy and aqua color combo?  I believe it's becoming a quick favorite of mine!  Good night everyone!  Have yourselves a wonderful week... enjoy!

Some Oldies, But Goodies!

Hello, and Happy Sunday to one and all!  Not all too excited that tomorrow is already Monday, but it is what it is, and I may as well enjoy the rest of this day off!

 

So today, I thought I would break out some oldies (well not too old, just not too recent either) that have previously been published to share with you all.  I know that not everyone subscribes to the magazines and may not have the opportunity to flip through them on a monthly basis either, so I wanted to show some of the things I've created which you all may not have seen before. 

 

These are all from last years Summer issues of Cricut magazine.  The following "Best Wishes" tag and envelope card from the May 2012 issue really turned out beautifully I thought. 

 

This is the envelope, which  I wanted to be just as fancy as the inside tag.  I cut both the envelope and the tag using the Cricut Damask cartridge.  You will see in the next photo that I cut out a tag with an intricate damask design.  But, I then used a portion of the leftover intricate pieces as a mask for the outside of the envelope.  This was sprayed with a teal Glimmer Mist.  I really like using negatives from Cricut cuts as masks for my projects... definitely a favorite technique!  

 

 

The patterned papers that I used for this are from Glitz Design and all that gorgeous ribbon and trim is May Arts! The black crinkled silk ribbon adds just the right amount of elegance!   

 

Here's a look as well at the reverse side of the tag...

 

This last card features some My Mind's Eye papers and I must say, I loved the way this card turned out so much that I'm not sure I can even give this friendship card to anyone.  I think I may just frame it and keep it for myself!

 

 

This card was published in the July 2012 issue and the cuts for this card came from the Give A Hoot Cricut cartridge.  I'll tell ya, the combination of the yummy plaid paper with the Core'dinations Vintage cardstock just makes me squeal, lol! 

 

Here's another close-up of the detail...

 

 

Remember you can always click on the photos to view them larger!  This card really packs the layers and texture that I love :)

 

Okay... I guess that it all I have to show you today.  I also want to tell you to head on over to the May Arts blog this week.  Tomorrow, Monday, July 15th will be the kick off to them sharing all the Design Team finalists' projects.  I'm so excited... and eager to see if I'll be one of the new May Arts Prima Ribbonistas!  The announcement and revealing of the new DT will be made on July 29th!!  I am so nervous, so please keep your fingers crossed for me... THANKS! 

I'm Here!

I really am here!  I know I've been quiet, and I am sorry.  I have really missed blogging, but once again, I will use the same old standby of "Life has simply gotten in the way".  Funny, but I hate when that happens... when I can't seem to find a simple block of time to do what I'd rather be doing in life.  Instead, lately it seems it's been all about the mundane... 8 hours of work (stressful at times), piles of laundry, grocery shopping, and other miscellaneous household chores... you catch my drift! I've been slacking hard in ALL areas that I really want to be doing and improving upon.  I really am craving more creative time for ME! I can't even tell you the last time a sat down and scrapbooked a layout.  So sad... I think about it a lot though.  I'd also like to be trying to improve upon myself... to become a more healthy and fit me.  That's proven to be more difficult than anything these days.  But, I am not giving up on either of these areas.  Summer is here and I am going to make these some very important goals and priorities in the weeks ahead.  I can't give up :) 

About the scrapping, and well crafting as a whole, well... one of my absolute favorite things was to be a designer for Core'dinations Cardstock.  Sadly, my time with them has come to an end as I did not make the new team selections a few weeks back.  I was pretty disappointed and I guess I could say that it kind of also had a little bit to do with why I just dropped off the blog radar for a spell.  But I have realized that all good things must come to an end at some point, and no matter what, I loved every minute of my time with such a fabulous and respectable company.  Sooo no regrets, and back to business as usual! Besides, I still have quite a fabulous stash of Core at my disposal and it's always going to be a favorite ;) 

While I'm here, I also thought I'd share a few more projects that I've designed recently for the Curtsey Boutique!  If you haven't yet checked out CarrieAnne DeLoach's  Etsy shop, the Curtsey Boutique, you must.  It is totally full of the sweetest items to craft with.  First up is this card that I designed using some felt doilies and a printed fabric bow (currently not available) all from the shop. 

 

 

 

Other Products Used

Cricut Expression and Kate's ABCs cartridge.

Cardstock: Core'dinations, Teresa Collins Core Amour collection.

Sand It Gadget: Core'dinations.

Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye.

Bling embellishments: Queen & Co.

Rub-on alphas: American Crafts.

Green stickers: Prima.

Ink: SEI.

Marker: Sharpie.

 

And next up... another card.  This one is perfect for all those Graduations being celebrated this month! 

 

For this card design I used one of my favorite embellishments from Curtsey Boutique... the gorgeous gray tulle fabric and felt shabby chic butterfly!  The blue butterfly stickpin (currently not available), the white seam binding and the graph print starburst sticker are also all from the shop. 

I also used an embossed dot coin envelope which I adhered on the inside card flap.  This is the perfect size for inserted a gift card or folded check/money to give to the Graduate!

 

Other supplies-

Cardstock and Sand It Gadget: Core'dinations.

Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye.

Foam tape adhesive: Imaginisce.

Ink: Sei.

Cricut Expression and Fontopia cartridge: Provo Craft.

 

I do have some other design team projects for Curtsey Boutique but I guess I will show them later... that way I can come back a blog again soon!  Anyway, I am excited to be back and I do hope I can make it be a more regular thing.  I do miss hearing from everyone so I promise to be better about visiting you all as well :)  Hope you have an enjoyable weekend... or what's left of it!  Enjoy :)

Fun Announcement!

Hi all!  I have such a fun announcement to blurt out today, AND a fun share! 

I am excited that I have been added to the  Design Team of a fabulous little Etsy shop and creative blog... The Curtsey Boutique (Shop and Blog)!  If you are a fan of sweet, vintage and shabby-chic, you really need to check out what all the Curtsey Boutique has in store.  I believe you will fall in love with all the cute hand-crafted elements!  Today the shop's blog featured my very first project and tutorial and I would love for you all to check it out and comment (there and here) to let me know how I did for my very first go of it!  ;)  HERE is the blog post!  I'm not going to go into depth here with the tutorial since it can be seen on the Curtsey blog, but I will share the picture here of the finished card.  Since St. Patty's day is coming up, I went with that theme.  I paired my green up with some lovely "SPRING" yellow!  Anything to set that spring mood of course! ;) 
 

 

 

The elements I used on here from the Curtsey Boutique include the hand-dyed yellow doilies, the seam binding and the green pearlized heart pin.  The green seam binding was originally white but I sprayed it with some wonderful Fairy Green Glimmer Mist!  You can see I also packed this card with loads of wonderful new Core cardstock too...the fabulous NEW Tim Holtz Shattered collection, as well as some beautiful softer shades of yellow and green from the current Graphic 45 Signature Series in Lights!  My die cuts were cut from Cricut cartridges. I used the Paper Lace cart to cut out a heart shape... I used 3 different hearts pieced together to form a clover design.  Then I also used the Teresa Collin's Sophisticated cart to create the banner to house the sentiment which I stamped on with Vintage Photo Tim Holtz Distress ink. 

 

So there you have it... my first design for Curtsey Boutique!  I'm hoping you liked it and that you'll go check out the shop!  There are tons of beautiful goodies in there to spark your creativity!

And, one more thing before I forget to mention... my favorite company to design for is now hosting an open Design Team call!

 

  Yesss... that's right, Core'dinations is having a new designer call and you do not want to miss out on this fabulous opportunity.  Believe me when I say, this is one design team that I DO NOT WANT TO GIVE UP... like EVER!! So now maybe your chance.  Break out that Core and create in a frenzy!  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the week :)

A card for My Mind's Eye Blog Challenge #33!

Hello there!  I know this is kind of last minute posting this card tonight, even though I actually finished this one up at our girl's scrappy weekend last week!  I meant to get it posted earlier but THIS weekend was kind of a blur... why does it always seem like that? Really!  Anyway since the deadline for this MME blog card challenge is 12 midnight, I think I'm still pretty safe with about an hour to go!  So first, here's the card sketch...

and here is my card creation...

I used a mix of papers and a diecut from the Lime Twist and Lost and Found Two collections along with some Core'dinations Vintage cardstock, and Cricut cutting! 

The sweet heart chains and butterflies were all cut with the Teresa Collins Sophisticated cartridge... totally one of my all time faves! I really do love the soft Shabby Chic inspired designs of these MME papers!  Okay, that's all I really have to show for tonight's post but I will have some more cards and a layout to share that I also made at last weekend's scrappy get-together later in the week!  See ya then!

SOUS Sketch Reveal for March 16th!

Today is Friday, Yay! So excited because the long-awaited scrappy weekend with my friends has finally arrived! I've taken off work for the day, and I couldn't be any happier that I can get away for a few days with the girls! Now let's just see how much craftiness I can actually get accomplished! ;)

Also for today there's a SOUS sketch reveal up, with yet another sweet sketch to create with!  For my page today I broke out some older My Mind's Eye from their Meadow Lark collection to create this layout about my niece.  Such a terrific black and white line! 

Here's the sketch by SOUS's own Sandi Clarkson...

and this is what I did with it...

I also used the Cricut Elegant Edges cartridge for my cuts here and the flowers are Petaloo paper flowers in Marine Blue, designed to specifically match up to Core'dinations cardstock colors!  Fun!  I love the look of the Marine blue paired with the black and white combo!

Okay... sorry to be short and sweet this morning, but I really do have a bit more packing to get back to.  Everytime I tell myself not to pack eveything I own... afterall, I'm not taking a U-Haul of my scraproom!  Always so hard to narrow down though.  Enjoy the weekend you all, and please don't forget to join in on our sketch challenge at Stuck On U Sketches!  Bye!

MME #31 Challenge

It's time for the My Mind's Eye Blog Challenge #31, and I decided to be last minute again, because the date crept up on me!  But I did really love the sketch and had a plan of what photo I wanted to use so I just went with it!

My niece Lera just got engaged on August 28th of this past year, and I had the honor of taking her engagement photos!  This is my first layout with the photos I took... this one with a picture of her new engagement ring! For the MME challenge we were to follow the sketch and use the theme "New" within the page.  So here's the sketch photo followed by my take, "Newly Engaged"...

(Please Click on Photo to view larger).

I did turn the sketch on it's side so that I could use a horizontal photo. I used some MME embossed Core'dinations cardstock here as my background and then I also combined papers from the older Meadow Lark line with the newer Love Me collection! A variety of Cricut cartridges were used for this too, including, Elegant Edges, Wall Decor and More, Sweethearts and Lyrical Letters. 

I'll share with you some close-up details as well! 

That's all I have to show for this post... like I said... last minute, in the nick of time, lol!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great week ahead!  ;)

Happy New Year... With a Recap of My Top Ten Layouts of 2011!

Happy New Year 2012!  I do hope everyone had a terrific and memorable holiday season!  We had a very nice and low-key  New Year celebration ourselves... did some fun outlet shopping and enjoyed eating a delicious meal at one of our latest favorite restaurants, Texas Roadhouse.  And of course we couldn't help but join in with the countdown to the ball drop in Times Square!  But, I have to say, I am really looking forward to getting back to some normal routines and schedules around here!  And I have missed scrapping and crafting.  Sure, I did squeeze in some bits of time in between all the hustle and bustle, but I am ready to get down to some serious business, lol!  I guess that first means I need to clean up my craft room which is a total wreck!  Here's proof...

Such a disaster!  I can't possibly create til it's back to order.  So this week I will be doing some major organizing and purging. 

  So, does anyone have any scrappy or crafty goals for the year ahead?  I know I was completely blessed in 2011 by reaching some awesome publication goals!  The most awesome aspect as far as the publications was that I had projects featured in every single issue of Northridge's Cricut magazine which debuted this past February.  I'm also excited that I will also have projects featured in all the upcoming 2012 issues thus as well!  And of course the number one crafty thing that excited me for 2011 was that I joined the Core'dinations Cardstock DT.  What a great and rewarding ride that has been.  I must say that I will make it my primary goal to continue on with Core'dinations for a very long time... I love and believe in this company and their products sooo much! Core cardstock has totally improved the look and the way I craft!  And, as far as other fun goals to aim for... I sure wouldn't mind being featured as a cover girl!  I really would be stoked to have a project of mine featured on the cover of a Cricut magazine!  Wow, what a thrill that would be for me :)

 For today I also  want to join the other blogger scrappers who have shared their Top Ten layouts of the past year, 2011 on their blogs!  I wanted to do this the previous year but never did, so I thought I would get it done this time around.  As I was looking back through my files though, I realize that I probably didn't do as many pages this past year as I did cards.  The card making bug had really hit me pretty hard, lol.  Also, various pages which I would have loved to share as favorites have been out for publication too, which is a good thing, but I just can't show here right now. 

Okay, so here goes... my Top Ten Fave pages for 2011 are...

* TIS THE SEASON *

- Using Webster's Pages and featuring Gemstones Core'dinations cardstock.

* EAGER BEAVER GROUNDHOG *

- Nikki Sivils product with a mix of Core'dinations cardstock.

* VALENTINE MANTLE DECOR *

- A hybrid page using Chris Hertel designs and lots of Cricut cuts.

* LOVE INSPIRATIONAL & UNCONDITIONAL *

- My Mind's Eye product with MME and Vintage Core'dinations cardstock.

* OUR WEE PUNKINS' *

- No cardstock, mix of My Mind's Eye collections.

* SUMMER BLOOMS! *

- My Little Shoebox product with Core'dinations Whitewash cardstock.

* LIVING PROOF *

- Basic Grey Out of Print collection with BG Whimsy and Ornate Core'dinations collections.

* ENJOYING TALL TIMBERS *

- Pink Paislee Nantucket collection with Pink Paislee Modern Prints Core'diantions collection.

* TOGETHER *

- Basic Grey Nordic Holiday with BG Ornate Core'dinations cardstock.

* WINTER WONDERLAND*

- Basic Grey Nordic Holiday collection with a mix of Core featuring Glitter Silk and Vintage.

That's it!  Now I just maybe inspired to share my Top Ten cards of 2011... in some other post!  Enjoy the rest of the week... I'm already looking forward to Friday!

Week 3 of Card Sharks!

Hello there, friends!

As the last few hours of the weekend wind to a close, I wanted to post about my card creations that I've done for this, the third week of Card Sharks challenges at The Nook!  Gotta tell ya that even though I'm not in the lead, I've still been having so much fun pushing myself with these creative challenges.  Plus, I've also had my first card that I made for Card Sharks requested for publication with Cricut magazine, so I can not be anything but happy about that!

So onto the latest challenges...

The first is "POKER FLUSH", which involves any 5 cards of the same suit... so we are to create a card using 5 embellishments of the same kind.  A variation of color or shape is allowed, but it should be easy to identify 5 embellies of the same suit!   I went with 5 trees to design a Christmas card. 

I used a tin Christmas tree ornament (in the center) that I bought after Christmas last year and I sanded it a bit and repainted with some Suade It Krylon spray and then spritzed on some Glimmer Mist.  Then I cut the two bird topped trees using the Give A Hoot Cricut cart and the other two trees using the Designer's Calendar cart.  Cardstock is Core'dinations Essentials, TH Kraft Core and BG Ornate collection (Chocolate Box).  The patterned paper is all from the BG Nordic Holiday collection.  I also embellished the tree cuts with Diamond Dust glass glitter, Sugar Coating glitter and glass micro-beads. And I almost forgot... I cut a strip of green Tim Holtz Kraft Core and punched it through my Dymo label maker for the "Oh Christmas Tree" banner.

 

I also happened to see that there is a diecut challenge going on over at Stuck On U Sketches right now using Christmas trees!  How perfect!

The second challenge is the game of "Crazy 8's".  Simple enough we had to use various elements to total a formula of 8 items and no more than 8. 

I used (1) Authentic patterned paper, (1) Authentic Diecut, (1) Webster's Pages Stickpin, (2) Velvet Maya Road ribbon flowers, and (3) Prima leaves.

And for the BONUS challenge, we needed to create a Love themed/Valentine's card. 

Here I used all Core cardstock and My Mind's Eye Lime Twist collection (with a bit more of the Stella and Rose wood-grain and speckled blue pattern from the Pretty Please line). Isn't that the cutest little nest of love birds?  Found this on the Sweethearts Cricut cart!  To create the  nest filler I cut up some jute string and glued the fibers to the top inside of the nest.  The stamp edge frame was cut using the Elegant Edges cart.

 

That's it!  Hopefully I'll be able to continue on and won't be eliminated from week 4!  Have a great week, friends! 

More Cards For Week 2 of Card Sharks!

Good day!  Just finished up my last of the challenges for the week at the Nook, so I have two more cards to show you all for now! 

Here we go... Challenge #1 for week 2... BRIDGE!  This one will takes focus on the word "bridge" and the challenge is to create a card using an element that is wood theme or nails (items used to build a bridge).   

(Please click on item to view larger)

I knew right a way what I wanted to do for this, lol!  "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel has long been a favorite song of mine and I have been wanting to use the song lyrics somehow on a card or scrap page, so with BRIDGE being a focus here I thought it to be perfect timing! Of course I also added a piece of woodgrain patterned paper from MME (Stella Rose) into the mix for the boat diecut!  Some older "The Merry Days of Christmas" in Pajama Plaid, was used for the card base here and I cut out cloud shapes from some MME Lime Twist pp.  All these sweet Cricut cuts on the card came from the Give A Hoot cart! I also used a mix of Core Essentials, Vintage Core and some Jillian Spotted Core cardstock.

Next up is my card for the BINGO challenge! 

Easy peasy... just had to use some form of a grid on the card design! So I designed a grid by scoring the backside of a piece of Tim Holtz Kraft Core cardstock and sanding the front to reveal the embossing.  I also used some kraft colored Core from the Graphic 45 Signature Series and some Core Essentials in a light red.  I cut the "I" the heart and the "U" with the Designer's Calendar cart and the heart border from a scrap of "vintage" Tres Jolie MME pp using the TC Sophisticated cart.  Added some wood buttons from M's dollar spot with some Papertrey Ink twine to complete the look!

And one more item before I wrap this post up for the night...

not sure if ya'll have come across this huge giveaway or not on Birgit Koopsen's blog, but you may like to have a chance, and celebrate with Birgit for her upcoming Birthday in the process! ;)

Good Night and enjoy the rest of the holiday week festivities!  Happy Thanksgiving blessings to all!