Candy cane elves.....

Yesterdays class with Kirsteen Gill was so much fun.  We made these cute candy cane elves that are made with SU punches and candy canes.  Such a clever idea and not hard to make at all.
I attached a hanger so they could hang on the Christmas tree or on a banner would be cute as well.  

I think of that movie with the elf when I see these M & M filled legs with just the pants and shoes.  Believe it or not the short pants and booties were made using the Top Note die from Stampin'Up.  The hanger makes his suspenders and the Silver Glimmer paper the shiny buttons on his pants and booties.  Red bows add a special touch to his booties as well.

I am so glad Kirsteen offered this class as we all had a great time visiting and making these cute holiday ornaments.  These would make such a cute give away to our little friends in the neighborhood or for a treat for the school Christmas party.  Enjoy.......

Craft Project Central sketch challenge #17

This is the card I made for the sketch challenge over at http://craftprojectcentral.com/  I used an Early Espresso base.  The Very Vanilla strip is embossed using the Northern Flurry embossing folder then edged with the Scallop Trim border in Cherry Cobbler.  The snowflakes are punched with the new Champagne Glimmer paper in the Holiday Mini and attached to the front with pop dots.  I used the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set for the greeting and embossed it with Pewter embossing powder.  I layered it on Cherry Cobbler and attached it to the left side.  Thanks for taking a peek!
                                                                 
                                                                                  

Technique class.....

This Friday evening I'm having my very first technique class.  When I saw this card on CPC I knew I just had to make it.  What an absolute fun card to put together.  The Faux Fossil Technique was so much fun to do and I know the ladies will love it also. 

I used Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso and a smidgeon of Crumb Cake.  The Oak leaves are cut with the Autumn Accents Bigz Die using VV card stock.  The Fossil Technique is done on the leaves, everything is inked with Early Espresso and layered on the card base.  I dyed White Taffeta Ribbon Always Artichoke to match  and added a Naturals Designer Button.  The stamp sets are Everything Eleanor and Kindness Matters. 

I can't wait to teach this class.

Christmas card class.....

These are the three cards we made in my Christmas Card class a few weeks ago.  The first is a case from Sage Kimble.  I just love this card.  I used white embossing powder and Whisper White, Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler card stock then tied a knot using the Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon.  The Cherry Cobbler layer is embossed using the Lacy Brocade embossing folder.  The layers make this card so elegant. 

The card in the middle is a case also but I don't know from what blog.  I love the simplicity of the card.  I used Very Vanilla and Crumb Cake card stock.  I layered the stamped image (Traditional Touches) under a layer of Crumb Cake embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, using the Framelit Die to frame the image.  Tied a knot using Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon and the card was finished.  I did pop dot the embossed layer to add dimension. Easy peasy!

The last card was a case from the Holiday Mini.  Instead of using a frame, I just changed up the card stock and made it into a card.  The embossed tree on velum gives it an airy look.  I used Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Very Vanilla card stock.  The Lacy Brocade embossing folder gives the card it's texture and the Champagne Glimmer paper adds the sparkle.  Love it!

Note cards......

This is one of the note cards we made in my class last month.  We did a bundle of six for the class.  I wish I could take full credit for the design but unfortunately I can't.  This is yet another project from CPC.  All the ladies loved this class and have plans on making several sets for holiday gift giving.    I

I used Midnight Muse for the card base.  The liner is Very Vanilla with a Finishing Touches Edgelit border.   The DSP is the Natural Composition Specialty paper.  I used the Tasteful Trims die to make the scallop on the left, adding small pearls to each scallop for texture.  The oval is VV and stamped with Crumb Cake and Midnight Muse using the Everything Eleanor and the Broadshreet Alphabet stamps sets.   The Crumb Cake layer is embossed using the Holiday Frame Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and the knot is Stitched Satin Ribbon in Midnight Muse.  Although this project uses a lot of SU products, it was a fun and easy card to make.  Thanks for taking a peek!

Red Victorian Retreat....

What a wonderful weekend!

All the ladies were awesome and so very talented.  I made many new friends and memories.  We had such a good time together.  I laughed until my cheeks hurt.

I can't wait to go again next year.....

Christmas album....

I also worked on a mini Christmas album while at the Red
Victorian retreat.  Again I used the Graphic 45 paper stack
called Christmas Emporium.  No need for a lot of embellishments with this paper, it is just too beautiful to cover up!

This album was designed by Terri Burnette, a designer and instructor at Scrappn' Savvy in Spring, Texas.  I used her album design and just changed up the paper, creating a totally different album.   If you ever get a chance to take one of Terri's classes, you won't be disappointed.  She is one talented and patient teacher. 

This album has only six pages.  The cover is made from chip board and the pages from card stock.  The slider page was the most difficult to make but the pocket and flap pages went together very quickly.

This was such a quick and easy album to make and will make a nice Christmas gift for someone special.  I just love the album design.

I hope you enjoy my Christmas album project......

Crayola boxes......

I made these two crayola box school albums at the Red Victorian retreat in Galveston this past weekend.

The box is made from card stock and covered with Graphic 45 patterned paper called An ABC Primer.  

There are six individual boxes inside that hold an accordion album, grades 1st through 6th with
enough spots for school photos, journaling, and other important grade level information.

I think it would be great to also use one spot for a handwriting sample. 

This was such a fun project and went rather quickly.  What do you think of my school albums?

Christmas luminary

This luminary is from Craft Project Central from about a year ago. It uses brushed silver card stock, white vellum, the petal cone Bigz die and Snowflake Soiree stamp set from SU. 

The snowflakes are stamped randomly on vellum using Stazon ink and then embossed with pewter embossing powder.  I used the silver glitter paper to cut the snowflakes and scalloped edges of the lantern.  I attached ribbon on the top for hanging. 

The back opens and closes with a small paper hinge that tucks under several snowflakes.  It uses a small tea lite.
The luminary is about seven inches high.

A great rainy day project.

Baby Album

I made this baby album for my friend, she is going to be a grandma for the first time.  I used the Graphic 45 paper line called Little Darlings, very vintage and beautiful.  The pattern is one by Laura Denisen and was such a fun project.

The pages have the look of a bunting which houses the baby tag.  The tags are large enough to hold 4x6 photos on one side and journaling on the other.  This album has several interactive pages.  I especially like the hands that open for peek a boo.  I hope you enjoy looking at this cute album.

Card challenge...

 Elizabeth, my up line with SU is sponsoring a card challenge using the colors, Island Indigo, Early Espresso, and Old Olive.  The colors are a challenge but I think the end result turned out rather nice. 

I used Island Indigo as my card base.  The Early Espresso was embossed using the new Lacy Brocade embossing folder. It is a bold design and really stands out.   Whisper White borders the Old Olive layer.  I used white embossing powder on the image from the Serene Silhouettes stamp set and tied it with an Old Olive ribbon. 

What do y'all think of my card?  

Scraptabulous Crop...

It's been a while since my last post, life sort of does that now and then.  On top of a busy several weeks, we have all been a little under the weather.  It is that time  for the achy, sneezing, running nose, sore throats and all over not feeling well time of year.  With two young boys living in our home,  we started a little earlier than usual.

We had our October Scraptabulous Crop last Saturday.  There were fourteen of us so all types of paper crafts were going on.  We did a double scrapbook layout with everyone using the same design but with different papers.  It was amazing to see how different they all turned out just by changing up the patterns and colors.  Ashley showed us how to do a waterfall for a 12"x12" layout.  Lilana did a really cute page for Halloween using this technique .  Cece also used it on one of her pages for her daughters wedding album, looked very elegant and holds a ton of photos.

We served sandwiches and chips for lunch and Casey made special Halloween cupcakes with the best frosting.  They were very festive with the orange frosting.  The cupcake was good also!  Kim made angel food cake with a big bowl of strawberries and whipped cream.  Everything tasted so good!  We had our usual baked potatoes for dinner but added a new topping of broccoli and cheese.  So tasty but we all had a good laugh over the smell of the broccoli.  It seemed to linger in the room for a very long time.

Claudia went home a happy camper after winning the door prize drawing of a gift certificate from Hobby Lobby.  I'm sure she was up bright and early Monday morning to spend her prize replenishing her stash.  Maxine and Cyndi were busy making custom order embellishments.  They have quite an inventory and are so super talented.  You must take a look around  their website.  You will be amazed with all the designs they have and at a very affordable price.  Check out www.bumblebeescraps.com
when you have some free time to spare.  You will be there awhile!  Ashley also set up a table with her new line of Scentsy products.   The Frankie warmer for Halloween is really cute.  We had a sniffing good time smelling all the new fall scents a long with some of our old favorites. 

  Hope everyone enjoyed the cool front that came in Saturday evening, it was so refreshing to have lower temps for a few days.   The humidity is back now but it was wonderful while it lasted.

Until next time, stay safe!

 I found this cute bat treat box tutorial on Papers Crafters Library.  It is made with a small oval paper mache box using Graphic 45 Halloween paper, Happy Haunting.  It was designed by Jim The Gentleman Crafter.  If you haven't visited his blog yet, take some time to do so.  He is on the design team for Graphic 45 and does some unusual and unique projects.  

This was such an easy project and is completely finished on the inside.  It took me maybe twenty minutes to make and is the cutest little box.  I filled it with candy eyeballs as a little surprise for my grandson James.  He loves all things Halloween and the creepier the better.  Enjoy!

 Halloween cards from the card class last evening.  We had dinner at Rudy's on the Katy Freeway and after catching up (it's been several months since we were all together) swapped our cards.  There were seven of  us in attendance.  All the cards were so cute. 

Our next swap will be anything Fall.  This should be a fun swap with all the neat stamp sets out there.    Enjoy the cards......

While surfing the Internet this morning, I came upon these cute treat boxes made by Julie Cluff.  They are made using the Petite Purse Bigz die from Stampin'Up.  They were fairly easy to make and took no time at all.  The bat was somewhat more detailed than Frankie.  I used googly eyes on the bat.  Wouldn't these be a cute treat for a teacher to give her students for Halloween?
Enjoy your day!

Haunted House.....

I spent another fun day paper crafting.  I'm really getting into the Halloween mode.  I made this cute haunted house for my grandson James.  He just loves it!  The house is about 7" tall and 9" wide.
There are three openings in the back to hold tea lights.  I used DCWV Halloween paper and inked all seams with black ink. 

The acorn box was a relatively easy project.  I cut the base of the box and lid in craft paper, inked all seams with distress ink, then added K & Company fall patterned paper for the decorative strips on the outside of the box.  It was a very fast project.  It measures about 5" and will hold a ton of treats. 

Both of these projects were svg files from Svgcuts.com.  I just love Mary's projects and most come with a how too tutorial.  She walks you through all the not so easy parts.

I hope you enjoy my new projects.  Until next time, happy crafting!

September already.....

 I can't believe it is September already and our grandchildren are back in school.  The summer seemed to go by much to fast and now we are getting ready for a new season.  Fall is such a fun season of the year especially when the weather turns just a shade cooler than the norm.  There are so many neat projects out there for Fall.  I love this time of year.

I made James this cute three tier box for Halloween.  It is his favorite holiday, he just loves all the decorations.  I used Graphic 45 paper and several svg files from www.Svgcuts.com.  They have the neatest files.

I also made a luminary out of paper and vellum.  I think I will be making more of these to put here and there around the house for Halloween.  It uses one of those little lite candles.  What an easy project.  This file was from creat8ivecutz.com or.scrapchick.com.  

Well, hope you enjoy my projects and get a chance to check out the sites I've mentioned.  If you have a cutting machine and the Sure Cuts Alot program, you too can make these adorable projects plus much, much more.

Entering challenges are very new to me but the cat box stack was too cute not to share.  The  challenge I entered was so fun.  The rules were to make anything using an svg file from any source.  Easy peasy!  Go  to http://creativecuttingchallenge.,blogspot.com to get in on this fantastic challenge.  Happy crafting...

Scrapp 'n Savvy

 I spent a couple days this week at Scrapp'n Savvy taking classes. 

Monday's class was this darling suitcase/beach mini album with Terri.  This is a work in progress as I haven't finished the inside of the suitcase yet. 

We got down right dirty as the outside of the suitcase was painted and then distressed using Tim Holtz distress inks.  It is suppose to look like an old weathered case and after we finished with all the distressing, it actually does look like old leather case that's been hanging out in the attic for years. 

The outside of the case will be decorated with postcards and travel stickers.  The inside will have a shelf with netting, shells and postcards on the left side and an embellished mini album on the right side. 

The project is made using two art canvases and was designed and put together by Terri.  She has done an amazing job with this project and I am so glad I took her class.  The possibilities are endless using this suitcase design.  I love it!  I will post the finished inside when I am totally finished.




 I must confess I am not a huge fan of glimmer mists or any misting product for that matter.  It is just way to messy for my liking.  I surprised myself when I agreed to take this class but am so glad I did.  Stayce DeWid did an excellent job changing my mind about the glimmer mists.

 This event was from 9:00am until 4:00pm.  It was filled with  techniques that I never imagined you could do with mists.  We made a sample book of eleven techniques including plain misting, puddling, positive and negative masking, embossing, color blending, and a faux texture .  My favorite technique is puddling and can't wait to use it on a project. 

We had a great lunch of a mashed potato bar and salad made by Karri and Millie.

After our lunch we made a canvas album using all the techniques we learned in the morning class.  The results were fantastic on this surface.  One of the great advantages to this class was all the paper towels saturated with the glimmer mists that was left after the class. Once dry it is great material to make all those decorative flowers you see everywhere.  I saved all of it and will definitely make some flowers for a scrap page or card.  Until next time........

August Crop

We had thirteen ladies attending our Scraptabulous Crop this month.  Most were brand new to our crop so we were  happy to have them join us.  There was a lot of sharing, chatter  and laughter throughout the event.  A lot of pages, mini albums and cards were made.

Maxine (her other half really) made our lunch for this crop.  The red beans and rice were delicious.  A big thank you to Matt and Maxine for feeding us well.  Kim supplied us with two wonderful cakes.  A lemon cake and an absolutely delicious German Chocolate bundt cake (this cake was gone by the end of the crop).  Thanks so much Kim for keeping us sweet throughout the day.

We had a few visitors to stop by and say hello.  It is always fun to have our friends stop by, maybe next time they can join us.

We have quite a few vendors attending our crops so Casey and I have decided to make up a flyer featuring all the contact information.  We have Thirty-One, Scentsy, Stampin'Up and our very own, on site vendor, Bumble Bee Scraps.  If anyone has something they want to share on our flyer, please let us know. 

Since the 1st Saturday of September falls on Labor Day weekend, there was discussion about changing the date to the 2nd Saturday for September.  We also discussed keeping the attendance down to fifteen people, this is the perfect number for the space provided.  We will keep everyone posted on any changes.

The crop was quite a success and everyone seems to enjoy their time with us.  Kim was the lucky winner of the Archiver's gift card drawing.  She left a happy camper!  

Until next time, have a wonderful week and stay safe!

Scraptabulous Crop-August 2012

Hi Everyone,
It's that time of the month again to get together and play with paper.  We have so many new ladies joining us this Saturday at the Hampton Inn.  There will be fourteen of us sharing our projects and ideas.  I have a lot of card ideas from convention that I will be sharing with all of you also.  Can't wait to see you and spend time with you tomorrow at the crop.  Until then, be safe and enjoy your Friday!

Convention with LNS

Hi all
 It has been a very busy July for me.  Tom and I left for Nebraska early July to spend some time with his Mother.  We had several days together before I headed out to the SU convention in Salt Lake City. 

Convention was just as exciting as I knew it would be.  We roomed at the Radisson across from the Salt Lake Palace convention center.    All the LNS events were held a few floors down from us so we were close to the excitement. 

I am posting the swap cards from the LNS card swap.  This is just one of those swaps, it was a 10 +1 full card swap.  There were six or seven groups, a different stamp set out of the current catalog for every card.  The cards are displayed on my new card tree from Memento Mall, love it!  I won  $25.00 worth of SU product for my card.  I was so pleased, not by the prize but that Sherrill  liked my card!  I used the Cottage Window stamp set.

I had a wonderful time at convention this year and met so many new friends.  I love being a part of the Late Night Stampers, what a great group of very talented ladies.  Hoping next year, SU's 25th Anniversary, you will be able to join us for all the fun and excitement of convention.  Until later......

Happy 4th.......

It's been awhile, things have been rather busy around here these past several weeks.  Getting ready for the Stampin'Up convention takes a lot of planning and work.

  I opted to do organized swaps at convention this year so I wouldn't have the mad dash to get all the swapping done before the sessions and classes.  It was much easier I think but making so many cards of one design was really a drag.  I finished about a week ago so feel less stress than I did last year.

  I finished the gifts for my roomies also.  Made mini albums in a box.  I am quite pleased how they turned out.  This was one way to get rid of all the retired designer papers.   I also did note cards for housekeeping, one for everyday with a little token of my appreciation.    They are rather simple but having someone make my bed everyday for a week is such a rare treat and well worth it.

We also celebrated Jeffrey's second birthday.  The pool party was off to a bad start when the weather wouldn't co-operate.  A little extra time to open and play with all our new toys and before we knew it the sun was out, bathing suits put on and big splashes as they all bounced into the pool.  They had such a great time showing off their swimming and diving skills.  It turned out to be a fantastic birthday party afterall!

 I've taken several classes at Scrapp n Savvy since my last post.  The Cricut class was full of helpful information.  I can't believe how simple it really is to use all the features on the Cricut.  I've been using it much more since the class.  The Sampler the end of June was a wonderful album from Creative Escape some years ago.  The album is to journal all the good things in your life by doing it one sentence a day.  Then of course, the Lickety Slip album pages, two a month for a year.  The pages are just beautiful, the interactive pages are so unique and hold so many photos.  I also signed up to take two more album classes in the next quarter.  The Beach Album is made to look and open like a suitcase.  The Mini Madness album is small but packed full of techniques.  Then there is the Sampler again the end of September and two more months doing pages for the Lickety Slip album.  Busy, busy but so much fun!

We spent a very quiet fourth of July this year.  I finished a few long overdue projects and Tom watched cowboy movies on the tv.  Retirement is great but I'm afraid not very exciting at the present time, not today anyway but then again, tomorrow is yet another day.  Hope y'all had a great day celebrating our nation's birthday.
Until next time, stay safe and be happy!

Hey Everyone,
 It's been awhile. We had our granddaughters spend a week with us so we have been extremely busy. Our grandsons were here part of the time so it was super noisy but oh! so much fun. Pap and I are finally recouping from their visit, just not as young and spry as we once were.

 I've attended a few crops since my last post. Trying hard to get all the swap cards completed for convention. I must say, I've made a big dent in these projects. Feels great to be on top of my game this time round.

 I had a couple hours last evening and decided to enter the challenge on my dear friend Ashley's blog. The challenge is to make and share a scrapbook page, I love to scrapbook but it has been way too long since I've actually made one. This is my entry for the challenge, hope you like it.  Check out Ashley's blog at Welch Creations to see all the challenge entries.