Oh My…Clear It Out Challenge

I’m so embarrassed … I completely missed telling you about the new challenge that’s happening over on the Clear It Out Challenge Blog.  I guess better late than never, right?!Many of us are gearing up to start our Christmas cards, have you started? Maybe this challenge will help you. (Don't celebrate Christmas? It's ok, keep reading.)

Theme: The GIFT Challenge (Focus on the word gift. Your project may have a gift on it,  or maybe you'd like to showcase a gift you have, be creative!)
Stash: Anything goes (let us know what you've used

Below is what I came up with.  My gifts can be found in the paper (Recollections Bright & Jolly) and the image (Melonheadz Illustrations).  The cute little fella is colored with copics #R29, #YG61/63/67 & #E000/00/11.  I made the red string by taking some twine and coloring it with my red copic marker (R29).  I love this trick when I’m in a bind and can’t find the color I need.  I used some snowflake brads by Recollections and a die cut (sorry, can’t remember the name of the company that made it) from my stash.  The sentiment was created with my HP printer on white cardstock (CK Alis Hand font) and colored in with copic marker #BG000 (another great tip when you don’t have just the right color cardstock on hand)

Isn’t the inside just the cutest …

 

Our sponsor this week is the talented Nikki from Melonheadz Illustrations.

The winner this week will win a $15 gift certificate to her etsy shop

If you haven't seen her work, or perhaps would like to snag a freebie to use in your creation, head on over to her blog, you'll love it!!

Need Opinions...

I'm thinking about selling my cricut and getting a silhouette. I've heard a lot of good things about it but I'm wondering about what you guys think. Do you own one? Would you like to weigh in on the pro's/con's of the machine or give me your thoughts on the cricut vs silhouette?

Something A Little Different Today...

I love to read.  It's one of my favorite past-times aside from card making.  That's why today I decided to post something a little different.  I've composed a list of my top ten favorite books that I've either read in the past year or have on my must read list.  Take a look (click on the book for more information):

Autumn Thoughts

Tomorrow it’s October 1st.  The crispness in the air, the dew on the morning grass, the change of colors in the leaves on the trees…and those that have already fallen to the ground…are all signs that Autumn is definitely here.  I’ve composed a top ten list of my favorite things about Autumn.  Is yours on the list?

10.  Cooler Weather; not a huge fan of the hot stuff.

9.  Change Of Color; in the trees, in the grass, even in the sky...the perfect autumn color palate.

8.  Crunchy Leaves; so much fun to jump in.

7.  Apples And Apple Foods; apple cider, apple pie, apple sauce, apple butter, caramel apples. Shoot, now I'm hungry, lol.

6.  New Falls Clothes; every girl loves new clothes.  My favourites are the fashionable scarves, jackets and boots.

5.  Warm Treats; snuggling under a blanket with some hot tea and a good book on a cool day.

4.  New Fall TV Shows; Once Upon a Time, and Revenge just to name two ... woot woot.

3.  Fall Activities; apple & pumpkin picking, corn mazes, hayrides, corn roasts, fall festivals, carving pumpkins and roasting pumpkin seeds.

2.  New Beginnings;  I don't know if it's because I work in the educational field and a new school year begins, but don't you just get the feeling that new and exciting things are bound to happen in Fall?

And the #1 favourite thing about Autumn -- Thanksgiving; I love a holiday that calls on us to give thanks for our blessings.  And the smell of the turkey cooking all day is pretty good, too.

And with thanks in mind for the many blessings in my life, I made this card.  Enjoy.

Crafter’s Of Faith Autumn Blog Hop

It’s time again for the Crafters of Faith Blog Hop. Crafters of Faith is a group of Christian bloggers that met and bonded on SplitCoast Stampers, to craft, fellowship, make friendships and more!! I am so blessed to have you stop by and celebrate the beauty of AUTUMN with us!  If you are just visiting and would like to hop with us, welcome! If you hopping along already, you should have arrived from Liz D’s blog.

This month, our hostess is Carol S! She gave us a wonderful Harvest challenge and here is what she asked us to create:

"I love FALL, the colors and the smells! I would like to propose that we make a card with fall colors, it should include fruits and vegetables to remind us of the harvest. When my kids were small, I canned peaches and pears, made pickles and such. So much fun to open those jars in the dead of winter! I am looking so forward to the fall festival of Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles). To Biblical historians, this is the actual time of Christ's Birth and many people believe this will also be the season of HIS return. Blessings All"

 
To celebrate in this glorious season upon us, here is the card I created for you!



  This card was made using:
* Recollections Graceful Paper Stack
* Fiskars Scalloped Border Punch
* Quikutz Die - Nesting Flowers

 And colored with  Copics:
* YG03/61/63/67
* R22/24
* E31/35/37/95
* V12/15/17
* Y11/15

And Bic Mark Its:
* Rambunctious Red
* Adobe Orange

From here, continuing hopping to Darlene's blog to see what Autumn splendor she has waiting for you!

We also have a special little giveaway for one lucky hopper today and you can find that on Kelly's blog - the last stop on the hop

Thank you for stopping by today! In this glorious season of Fall, and the wonders of the earth changing to gorgeous colors .... in a time of gratitude and thanksgiving ... we wish many blessings for you!

To God who gives our daily bread
A thankful song we raise,
And pray that he who sends us food
May fill our hearts with praise.
Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)

Hey Heyyyy, it’s my birthdaayyy

Haha, I started this post last night and then I got distracted and forgot to post it so I’m putting it on the blog now. Let’s see how many of you read past the title and realize that my birthday was actually yesterday.

My family took out for dinner to East Side Mario’s for my birthday last night.  I love that place.  Their salad is the best and I had the seafood linguine as my entre.   It was soooo good.   The only time I get to have seafood is when I eat out because my family doesn’t like it so I really enjoyed it.

I was surprised by my girls with a new camera .. really surprised!! .. but I couldn’t take the picture of the card below because I had to charge it first.  This card was one that I made just because.  I don’t have anyone in mind for it yet but since I haven’t posted in a few days I thought I’d share it with you now.

Clear It Out Challenge Card

This weeks challenge was to make a project with an image of a child(ren) on it using any stash you had on hand.

Our awesome sponsor for this challenge is the uber cool and oh sooooo super sweet Melissa Jenkins of Meljen’s Designs.

Meljen's Designs is a lovely stamp company owned and illustrated by Melissa Jenkins. She illustrates whimsical rubber and digital images inspired by her kids and family.

Meljens' is offering 4 digital images to one lucky winner!

Here’s a look at the front and inside of my card.  The sentiments were both made by me.  They were this week’s featured freebie and you can get them HERE.  I used autumn colors because it’s beginning to look like fall around here.  The image was created by Melissa Jenkins (Meljen’s Designs) and you can find her here HERE.  She’s colored with copics (R81/83/85, E0000/00/11/35, YG63/65/67 & B4/6/8). 

 

Hope to see you at the Clear It Out Challenge Blog where you can join us for this challenge.

Quick Note ..

I just want to let you know that the Friday Freebie will posted later than usual tomorrow.  I have a busy day so it will not get uploaded until the evening at the earliest.  But PLEASE check back tomorrow night or Saturday morning for your freebie.

Thanks!

Wednesday Wonders…

Wednesday … hump day.   Have you ever wondered why it’s called that? Some may not know that the reason Wednesday is referred to as hump day is because it’s the middle of the work week .. 2 days down, 2 to go .. meaning that one has made it "over the hump" towards the weekend.  Makes sense, right?

Just for fun I’ve compiled 10 things that make me go “hmmmmmmm” in the night.  Maybe you can come up with some answers.

1. Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
2. Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?
3. Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?
4. If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?
5. Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?
6. Why isn't "palindrome" spelled the same way backwards as it is forwards?
7. Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called cargo?
8. Why does your nose run and your feet smell?
9. What was the best thing before sliced bread?
10. Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Makes you kind of wonder, doesn’t it.  So now that I have you thinking, allow me to share with you a card that has absolutely nothing to do with this topic, lol. The background paper was made by stamping one individual flower multiple times over the entire piece of cardstock.  The sentiment and flower stamp are from the Stampin’ Up retired stamp set “Simple Friendship”.

Enjoy…

Giveaway Alert!

Check it out!  Kadie, at 'In My Minds Eye Creations" is having a giveaway!  Starting now through Sept 30th, you have a chance to win a CUTTLEBUG!

There will also be a second prize up for grabs that will include a SEW EASY tool, pad and 2 applicators, 500 sheets of 6x6 paper, SU ink pad and a few other choice stamps and embellishments!

All you have to do to get entered to win is:

* Be a follower of her blog
* Leave a comment on her giveaway post
* Spread the word about the giveaway in a post or on your side bar

Even if you already have a Cuttlebug, please feel free to enter! You may have a friend that you could bless with this gift or one of the other prizes. :)

Two winners will be chosen with the help of random.org on the morning of October 1st. 

A Little Bit ‘O’ Christmas…

This weekend I decided to pull out my Christmas stash and make a couple of cards.   Every year I make cards for my family and friends at Christmas.  I make approximately 60 cards so I thought I should get a jump start on it so that I can have them all done by mid November.  I usually make about 6 different cards – 10 cards of each type.

The two cards were made with paper from the Recollections Sugar Plum paper pack.  I love the papers in this pack.  The little red envelope on card #1 was made by me and there is an image with steps at the end of this post so you can see how I did it. 

 

  The first photo is the outside of the card and the second photo is the inside of the card.  The sentiment is from the Cornish Heritage Farms - Heart Warmers stamp set.

 

 

 

 

 

This photo shows the inside of the card.  I used some of the paper from the front of the card and stamped some white cardstock with an Inkadinkado sentiment from the Warm Holiday Wishes set.

 

 

 

 

  Here is a photo of the outside of card #2.  This is a tri-fold card.  The sentiment (Cornish Heritage Farms - Heart Warmers stamp set) holds the card together by tucking it under the little green snowflake to the right of it.  The bow was made with several pieces of twine tied together to make several loops.

 

 

 

 

 

This is what the inside of card #2 looks like.  I used the Spellbinders Beaded Squares (Part Number S4-315).  and some of the Recollections paper that I used on the front.  Once again, I used the Inkadinkado sentiment from the Warm Holiday Wishes set.

 

 

 

STEPS FOR WATERFALL ENVELOPE:

Start with a 4x6-inch piece of paper and follow the steps below…

I finished it off by adding a brad to hold the flaps down.   This makes card #38 through 57 of the 100 cards in 100 days challenge. (10 of card #1 and 10 of card #2).

Crafters Of Faith: Monochromatic Card

Today's card is one I made for the Crafters of Faith blogging group ~ a group of Christian bloggers that met and bonded on Split Coast Stampers to craft, fellowship, make friendships and more!

This month, our hostess was Liz W.  She celebrated a birthday this month and told us that her birthstone is a peridot – her favourite shade of green.  Her challenge for us was to use our own birthstone color and make a monochromatic card.  A monochromatic card is one that uses tones of one color.
 
Since my birthday is in September and my birthstone is a blue sapphire, this is what I ended up with…although the brick looks white in this picture, it is actually a very light blue…

    

This card was fun to make, although it was a little time consuming.  I started by stamping an image of a tree onto a piece of light blue cardstock.  I coloured it in with various shades of blue copics (B93, B95, B97).  I cut it into 1/4-inches wide strips, then cut those strips into 1-inch blocks offsetting them by 1/4-inch.  I had to be very careful not to get the pieces mixed up.  Before adhering the pieces to my base layer I sponged the edges with some blue ink.  Then it was time for me to put the puzzle back together again by adhering each piece onto a piece of medium blue shimmery metallic cardstock.  I left off a few pieces to add some interest.  I adhered that to another piece of light blue cardstock, added the sentiment at the bottom, and adhered all of that to my dark blue card base.

I’m still plugging along with my 100 cards in 100 days challenge and this makes card #37 of the challenge.

Why not take some time and check out what the other girls in the group have made…

• Sharon  (You are here)
• Kelly
• Patti
• Carolina
• Liz W
• Liz D
• Carol
• MaryRose

Thanks for stopping by.

Busy Busy Busy!!!

Just popping in to post real quick so that you know I’m still alive.  It’s a week before the kids come back to school and we have much to get ready in preparation for their return.  I can’t believe how fast the summer break went.  Now that the new school year is set to begin I’m actually kind of excited at the prospect of seeing the students walking the halls again.  It’s been quiet without them.  Oh, I know I’m going to regret saying that and in about 2 weeks time I’ll be wishing for just one quiet moment in my day but it’s the nature of the job … and it’s a job that I love!!

On another note entirely, have a look at card #36 of the 100 cards in 100 days challenge.

Remember to enjoy the moments!

A Happy Birthday To Hubby

My hubby’s birthday was yesterday.  He turned 55 which means that he’s officially a senior in the USA.  Since we live in Canada and you aren’t a senior here until 65 he’s kind of excited by the fact that he is now eligible for the seniors discount whenever we visit stateside.  He robbed the cradle when he married me so I won’t be eligible for many, many more years .. but I’m ok with that, lol.  Take a look at the card I made him.  Sorry that it’s a little blurry.  My camera wasn’t working properly. 

And if I were still counting … this would make card #35 of the challenge.

It’s Time For Another Clear It Out Challenge…

It’s time once again for another Clear It Out Challenge. This weeks challenge is to create a card based on something that inspires you (photo, person, colour palette, etc) and to include something glittery.  I made my card based on a photo and I gave it to my niece for her birthday on the weekend.  I used glitter and diamond glaze on the balloon to make it pop (no pun intended, lol).  One of my favourite parts of this card is the monkey (created by Bugaboo Stamps) that moves up and down and tips from side to side. I embossed the strip in the middle with my cuttlebug and sponged some Tim Holtz Distress ink on the top to help the embossing stand out.  I wrapped it up (pun intended haha) with some leather string.  Take a look…

 

The inspiration is based on this photo which shows the fabulous fall colors that I love.   It’s my favourite season of the year, too.

 

Our sponsor for this challenge is Bugaboo Stamps.  And because they are so awesome they are giving one lucky winner…

Woot! Woot! I just love Bugaboo Stamps :)

So check out the Clear It Out Challenge Blog, show us your project, add something glittery and don't forget to post a picture of your inspiration :)

This makes card #34 in the 100-in-100 challenge.

Not A Millionaire … Not Even Close

So, my husband went to check a lottery ticket he picked up before going away to NYC and he won ... wait for it ... wait for it … a whopping $128.00, lol. Oh well, better than nothing, right?  I’m surprised he even told me about it, lol.

Two days ago I posted pocket cards that were long and narrow.  I realized today they are actually called Criss-Cross cards.  Today I’m showing you the regular A2 version of these cards.  This makes card #33 in the 100 cards in 100 days challenge.

 

HOW IT’S MADE:

Cut 2 pieces of cardstock to 4 inches by 12 inches.

Score and fold both pieces at 6 inches.

Cut each piece on the diagonal from crease to corner as shown in image below.

Apply adhesive to the top of the left panel (rectangular section only) and adhere the 2 pieces together to make the base of the card.  Make sure adhesive is as close to the edges as possible.

Cut a piece of designer paper to 5-3/4 by 3-3/4 inches and adhere to the rectangular portion of the card.

Apply adhesive to the bottom edge of the left flap.  Fold flap in towards the center of the card and adhere to the base.

Cut 2 more pieces of designer paper to 5-3/4 by 3-3/4 inches.  Cut each of them in half on the diagonal.

             

 

 

 

 

 

Take one of your pieces and adhere to the flap that is folded in.

Apply adhesive to the bottom edge of the right flap.  Fold it towards the center of the card and adhere.  Adhere the other piece of designer paper to the right flap.

Add any embellishments that you like.

INSIDE CARD:

Cut 1 piece of dark solid cardstock and 1 piece of designer paper to 5-3/4 by 3-1/2 inches.

Adhere the designer paper to one side of the dark cardstock.

Cut 1 piece of light solid cardstock to 5-1/2 by 3-1/4 inches.

Adhere the solid light cardstock to the opposite side.

Add a ribbon to the top as a pull and you're done.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

I just found out this morning that my daughter, who is taking a shift for a co-worker today, is doing this because the 28 year old co-worker won $1,000,000 a couple of weeks ago in the lottery.  Can you even imagine that?  I think about all the debts that I could pay off, the tuition payments that I could relieve my girls of, the surgery that my dog would benefit from (more on that later). the trip to Europe that I’d love to take my girls on, and so much more, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m jealous.  It’s been reported that she plans to buy a new house, a new car, and take some fantasy vacations.  What would you do if you won $1,000,000?

Okay, so back to my poor little doggy.  He’s a 12-year-old yellow lab, not so little at approx 80 lbs, and he’s beginning to show signs of arthritis.  Last night and today he is having a hard time getting up and down the stairs and finding it difficult to get up after laying for a prolonged amount of time.  He’s even having trouble squatting to go to the washroom.  It makes me so sad.  Other than that he’s so full of life.  He’s still a big puppy and I don’t want him to be in pain.  I’ve been doing a lot of research online and after speaking to my vet it was recommended to at least start giving him glucosamine once a day which can help to relieve the pain and build the joints back up.  We’re also going to build a ramp so that he can get up and down the stairs more easily.  Sometimes surgery is necessary but I hope it doesn’t come to that because we could never afford it.  Is it silly to ask for prayers for my dog-baby?

I’m trying to make some headway on the 100 cards in 100 days challenge as time is quickly running out.  I have just over a month to complete this challenge and I don’t like giving up.  So I spent some time making some cards and I’m showcasing 3 of them today.  Two of these cards are double fold pocket cards.  The other one is just a variation of it.  These make cards #30, 31, & 32 for the challenge.

            

 

Clear It Out Mid Challenge Card

The challenge on the Clear It Out Blog this week is to make a “manly” card using 2 or more patterned papers.  So with that in mind, and with inspiration from my DH, I came up with this card.  My stash includes paper from  the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Stash DESTINATIONS and a digital stamp from Dude Time Doodles (colored with copics B93, B95, B97, E0000, E13, E95, W-0).  The round digital sentiment is one that I made and it will be available for FREE on Friday so make sure to drop by and pick it up.  I used pop dots to adhere the ‘dude’ and sentiment, and bent the edges of the sentiment up a little to add some depth.  A little faux stitching was added to finish it off.

 

And here’s a look at the inside …

 

Our sponsor this time is Dude Time Doodles. The randomly chosen winner will receive a $10 gift certificate to spend at the Dude Time Doodles store.  So pop on over to Clear It Out and check out what the DT has made and we'll help you clear out your stash.

This makes card #29 of the 100 cards in 100 days challenge.

Monkey See, Monkey Do…

Yesterday was a lazy day for me because I was exhausted after our NYC trip.  In my list of tips I forgot to mention that you should be prepared to walk a lot if you ever visit NYC.  We did soooooooo much walking.  I found out I had muscles I never knew existed, lol. 

Before I went away we celebrated my nephew’s birthday.  Here is the card I made for him…

I am disappointed that I used copics to frame the window with but I was in a hurry to get it done so I grabbed the first thing I saw … my copics.  In retrospect I would probably frame it with some cardstock or designer paper.   I am happy with the little monkey – a digital stamp by Bugaboo – which I colored with my copics.  I used a glitter pen on the balloon but next time I would use actual glitter since you can see the strokes of the pen.  Those strokes don’t show up as much in real life as they do for the camera, however.  Caption says “It’s your birthday … go bananas.”

This makes card #28 in the 100 cards in 100 days challenge.  I’m warning you in advance that I’m doubtful I will complete this challenge (which ends on September 18th for me….siggghhhhhh).

Honey, I'm Home

I don't believe I actually ever mentioned that I was going to be away. Did ya notice, lol. I spent the last 4 days with my family in New York City. We have never been there before so this was definitely a new experience. If you have never been to NYC before I have a few words of advice.

First, do NOT try driving in NYC traffic. It's crazy!! Luckily we had booked a room in New Jersey just outside of NYC and we used the hotel shuttle to get back and forth but even that was a crazy experience. I cannot believe how those people maneuver through the traffic. Take my word for it and do NOT drive in NYC, lol.

Second, downtown NYC and Time Square after 6pm are crazy insane! Wall to wall people all over the place! Insane but exciting all at the same time. Just make sure you breathe slowly through your nose, walk fast, and keep your eyes straight ahead and you'll be fine, lol.

 And finally, using a hop-on-hop-off pass is a great way to get around the city and learn a few things as you go...the FIRST time you visit NYC. Next time, however, I would definitely learn how to use the subway system because it would save a ton of time. The hop-on-hop-off pass is a bus that tours around the city making stops along the way. Since it doesn't take a direct route from point A to point B it takes much longer to get to where you want to go.

So, that's my advice and I'm sticking to it. Hope it comes in handy someday.

Something old … something new…

If you are looking for another way to use your designer paper scraps take a look at what my daughter did…

This was an old wooden dresser that my daughter had in her room.  She wanted something different but instead of spending money on a new dresser she decided to take some of my designer paper and decoupage it onto the drawer fronts of her old dresser.    Then she painted the rest of the dresser with paint that was left over from painting the inside of her closet, distressed it a little with some sandpaper and purchased some new handles for the drawers.  Brilliant idea, isn’t it?