Card Tutorial - 6 cards: 1 paper

Supplies:

• Heidi Grace 12x12 Paper – Frost Blvd / Patch (1 sheet)
• 8.5x11 Cardstock – White (2 sheets - halved and folded)
• 8.5x11 Cardstock – Powder Blue (1 sheet – halved and folded)
• 4x4 Cardstock – White (1 sheet)
• 6 rhinestones
• Snowflake Brad
• 3 feet sheer white organdy ribbon
• Snowflake (Christine Adolph) and sentiment stamps
• Embossing Powder – silver
• Diamond / Icicle Stickles
• Fiskars decorate edge punch

Here is a reference guide to give you an idea of where the parts for each card will come from. The exact dimensions and cutting instructions are found below for the individual cards.



Card 1:

1. Holding the paper with the title strip at the top, cut a 5¼ x 4 rectangle out of the bottom right corner, careful not to cut into the larger flocked snowflake on the striped panel.

2. Stamp and emboss sentiment and snowflakes onto the rectangle.

3. Tie ends of organdy ribbon together and cut to approximately 6 inches, with the knot off center. Adhere to rectangle, folding ends under.

4. Adhere rectangle to white card front.

5. Apply Stickles around the edge of the card.

Card 2:

1. Holding the paper the same orientation as for Card 1, cut a 2¼ x 4 rectangle immediately left of the larger flocked snowflake on the striped panel. Be careful not to cut into the snowflake or the flocked swirl above.

2. Tie ends of organdy ribbon together and cut to approximately 5 inches, with the knot off center. Adhere to long side of the rectangle, folding ends under.

3. Adhere rectangle to the top of a blue card front.

4. Edge punch the 4x4 white cardstock panel.

5. Stamp snowflake and emboss sentiment on bottom left corner.

6. Adhere to the bottom card front.

7. From patterned paper, cut a small snowflake from near the upper swirl.

8. Use a pop dot to adhere the snowflake along the punched cardstock edge.

9. Adhere a rhinestone to the center of the snowflake.

10. Apply Stickles around the edge of the card and to the snowflake.

Card 3:

1. Closely trim lower swirl from patterned paper, careful not to cut through excess paper as it will be used for other cards.

2. Adhere swirl to front of white card.

3. Stamp and emboss snowflakes and sentiment.

4. Apply Stickles along the top edge of the swirl, as if it is snow on a branch.

Card 4:

1. Cut out the largest felted snowflake from the patterned paper. Be careful not to cut into the other felted snowflakes.

2. Fasten snowflake brad to the center of the snowflake.

3. Adhere a rhinestone to the center of the brad.

4. Emboss sentiment in the bottom right corner of a white card.

5. Adhere snowflake to the card.

6. Apply Stickles to the edge of the card.

Card 5:

1. Closely trim upper swirl from the patterned paper. Cut the end of the swirl apart from the rest where it joins the middle swirl.

2. Adhere swirls to the front of a blue card, one from each side.

3. Emboss sentiment in the bottom left corner.

4. Trim three partial snowflakes from the patterned paper and use pop dots to adhere them to the front of the card.

5. Apply Stickles to the edge of the card.

Card 6:

1. Adhere a length of organdy ribbon along the bottom inside edge of a white card.

2. Cut a ½ x 5½ strip from the bottom left corner of the patterned paper.

3. Tie a length of the remaining organdy ribbon around the end of the paper strip and adhere the strip to the top edge of the card face, about 1/8 inch from the fold.

4. Cut a wave along the bottom edge of the card front, so that the organdy ribbon shows through to the front.

5. Emboss snowflake and sentiment.

6. Add a rhinestone to the center of the snowflake.

7. Trim several whole snowflakes from the remaining patterned paper and adhere them along the bottom front edge of the card, following the wave.

8. Adhere 3 rhinestones to the bottom ribbon so they are seen from the front of the card.

9. Apply Stickles along the paper strip at the top of the card and in the centers of the paper snowflakes.

Holiday Self Portrait

A Christmas Gift

My grandparents live in a nursing home in Kansas. I haven't seen them in a year. The last time I saw them, they met my daughter (who was then 5 months old) for the first time. She is their first and only great grandchild. I won't be seeing them this year for Christmas and I know they are sad that they will not be seeing Ellie. So my Christmas gift to them is a DVD with pictures and videos of Ellie. I spent practically the whole day at Taylor's house making it and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I hope they enjoy it.

While we were waiting for the DVD to finish burning, I had the thought that maybe the disc was just the right size to put in the back pocket of one of my paper bag albums. I got home and tried it, and sure enough it was. A few stamps and photos later I came up with this! A DVD holder, mini album, and card in one!! The front stamps are a Rhonna Farrer flourish and Christine Adolph image (December 25). The sentiment on the pull out card comes from the Snowflake Serenade set by PaperTrey Ink. This is the first time I've used it and it did not disappoint! So, without further ado, here is the gift for my grandparents (please excuse the Christmas light glare on the photos):

Class Cards

So these 6 cards I made for a class I'm teaching at Keepsakes. The idea is to make 6 cards from a single sheet of patterned paper (plus cardstock and embellishments). I *really* like how these turned out. I used a shimmery, flocked sheet from the new Frost Boulevard collection (Heidi Grace), some stamps and silver embossing powder, a few rhinestones, some ribbon, a LOT of stickles, and... voila! Six cards... perfectly suited for winter or Christmas! What do you think?

I've taught this class once already, and my second class is on Wednesday night. I usually enjoy the second class better because I make a few tiny adjustments based on the first go round. I will make a couple adjustments this time around, too (to help the class flow a little better - it was fine before but took a little longer than I expected), so I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes!

From the Archives...

A few random cards from the archives... I made these back when we lived in Iowa (so approx. 5 or so years ago) and have long since given them away, but for some reason these three I still like. I wouldn't make them today if I had the choice - I'm pretty sure I would choose something in a completely different style - but there's a sort of nostalgia about them. They're from my pre-patterned paper days. So here you go... a peek into my past.

Thanksgiving 2007

Simplicity. It's a beautiful thing. Because I chose simplicity over perfection this year, I looked like this:

happy, calm, collected, and relaxed instead of like this:

which I look like most years. In case you can't tell, this is the "get out of my kitchen before I stab you with this little paring knife" look. I'm often a little more than on edge when I'm preparing a nice meal and trying to get it all on the table, hot and perfectly presented. Especially when there are extra people in my kitchen. I often want to wield a threatening paring knife and menacing scowl at those who step foot in my kitchen uninvited on a day like today, but I'm too nice. So I swallow the menacing scowl and rename it stress.

But not today. No, today I relaxed. Dinner was 5 minutes late. And I forgot to add the cranberries and almonds to the stuffing. And I smiled. It did help, though, that I didn't have extra bodies in the kitchen. It also helped that I'm learning how to make things ahead of time so that I have less to do the day of. I'm also learning how to ignore those who mock me for setting out the dishes the night before. But because I planned ahead and relaxed today, the paring knife stayed in my hand in not in them. So they should be thankful. They should also be thankful that they got to eat pies like these:

and sit at a table like this:


Yes, simplicity is a good way to go. I'll have to try it again next year.

Katakeimai

Mmmm... SO FULL. I had to leave the table and go lay on the couch I was so full. Here's the sad part... I didn't even get any pretzel salad, didn't have seconds, and had to feed the rest of my stuffing to Ellie. Darn that moderate eating for the last few months! Maybe in a couple hours I can eat some pie.

Good news: I can eat the yumminess all week long. Mmmmm. Leftovers.

Thanksgiving Menu... UPDATED

Last year I had everything planned out for a big family Thanksgiving dinner. This year, though it's just Me, Leif, Ellie, and Leif's brother Eric. We are not having ham, and only having a turkey breast instead of the whole bird, so the prep isn't as intensive, but I'm realizing that there are still a lot of things to do! Those things are complicated by the fact that I have a 16 month old little helper who thinks it's fun to dance in front of the "mirror" (aka - the oven door!) and get in my way. So I might be planning the meal prep around naptime! Here's hoping she takes a nap this afternoon (she already took one this morning) or we'll be having store bought pie crusts! Let's see what the week holds: (updates are in CAPS)

Monday:
roast turkey and freeze - CHECK
make pie crusts - CHECK
crush pretzels - CHECK
make homemade cranberry sauce - CHECK

Tuesday:
make pies (pumpkin and pecan-less pecan for Leif!) - CHECK
make bread - CHECK
make up guest beds - CHECK

Wednesday:
make yambake - CHECK
make strawberry pretzel salad - CHECK
cut veggies for the relish tray - CHECK (Done Monday)
thaw turkey - CHECK

Thursday:
make stuffing
make green beans
make mashed potatoes
make gravy
heat turkey and yambake and bread
EAT!

MENU:
turkey (china platter - CHECK)
relish tray and dip (divided glass dishes - CHECK)
cranberry sauce (corelle dish - CHECK)
bread (glass plate - CHECK)
green beans almondine (medium corelle bowl - CHECK)
yambake (glass dish - CHECK)
stuffing (medium corelle bowl - CHECK)
strawberry pretzel salad (baking dish - CHECK)
mashed potatoes (large corelle bowl - CHECK)
gravy (gravy boat - CHECK)
pumpkin pie (pie tin - CHECK)
pecanless pecan pie (pie tin - CHECK)

Whew!! I've got the turkey in the roaster, but I should probably get started on some of the rest of this!! Leif was hoping to go to the Museum of the Rockies one of these days, too, as well as a couple other places, so I need to make the best of my time. Hopefully we'll be able to get out and take some fun family pictures in the beautiful snow that is piling up outside, too. I need to get a family shot so Christmas cards can go out in the mail next week!! Because after that... I head to Texas for two weeks and then Christmas is upon us! If ever I wished for better time management skills, it is now. Want proof that my time management skills are severely lacking? I'm sitting here typing this right now instead of making pie crusts. And there you have it.

Okay... off I go!

Unmounting Stampin' Up! Stamps...

The unmounting project is coming along nicely, though it did interfere a little with my concentration on Thanksgiving prep earlier today!! As has been suggested by several people, I followed this method of unmounting my Stampin' Up! stamps. For most of my wood mounted stamps, the red rubber peels right off the foam mount with no problem. Stampin' Up! stamps are stuck on there pretty well, though. I suppose it's a sign of quality, but when you're unmounting them it's a sign of impending frustration. I don't know yet how I feel about keeping the foam mount attached to the red rubber, but I don't suppose it will be much of a problem, and I'm doing it for now. I'm down to the last few that need to be unmounted, and then I can work on getting them all stickified with Tack It, sorted, filed, and put away!

As an added note, when I ran out of Tack It I went to Joanns to get more. Wouldn't you know, they didn't have it. So I got the Zig 2-Way glue instead, as I've heard it can be used for the same thing. While I appreciate it's application better (chisel tip pen style applicator), it just doesn't have the same "oomph" when it comes to the temporary hold. So I'll put that glue in my bag to take to crops and whatnot, but I think I'm an official Aileene's dedicatee.

I did... have you?

Here's why.

Want to get me something handmade for Christmas and don't know what?? (insert cheesy grin here) Try these:

• Coffee Corset
• Allison Kreft Pendants like this or this. (She's the designer for Hambly - if you read this blog you know how much I love Hambly for scrapbooking - how cool to be able to WEAR the designs as well!)
• Designer labels like these or these or these...
  

Looking for handmade Christmas cards or stocking stuffers for others? Check out what I have listed in my etsy shop too!

Another Giveaway!

Okay... so this one isn't mine. It's from the Erika Designs blog and one of the rules to play is that you have to pass on the word! So check it out, and consider this word passed!

Tutorial: Unmounting Stamps

I love the beautiful designs of my wood mounted stamps. And I love the cute seasonal designs in the Michael's $1 stamp bin. But I DO NOT like the wooden blocks. They get in the way, are bulky to store, and make it difficult for me to stamp precise images. I have quite a few unmounted sets (mostly from Purple Onion Designs) and lots of acrylic sets, and I love how compactly they store and how easy they are to transport. I've kept them in a binder and it has been great. BUT I still have 400+ wood mounted stamps that take up an entire 6 foot bookshelf in my craft room. And you know, I love those stamps. But I don't reach for them nearly as often, so they sit and collect dust. And I forget they are there, hiding in plain view. So I am making a change. A big change. I am unmounting all of my wooden stamps and creating one storage solution for ALL of my rubber and acrylic stamps. It's gonna be good....

So while I'm in the midst of this ginormous project, I though I would give you guys a little tutorial on how to do the same, in case you want to be like me. =D I'm just now realizing how long this project is going to take me, so if you've only just begun to stamp then now is the time you should begin! I have 17 years of accumulated stamping paraphernalia that I need to deal with. But I'm doing it and it will be great. So here goes.... This is how it's done:

Step 1:

Separate the rubber image from the wood and foam portion of the stamp. Some stamps will separate cleanly. Others will leave a little foam on the rubber. Still others (as seems to be the case with the Stampin' Up! stamps I am working on) will leave the rubber sticky. Try to get as much of the foam and adhesive off the back of the stamp as possible, but don't kill yourself over it. The main goal is to get the back of the stamp as flat as possible so you get a clean image when you stamp. Be sure to trim the extra rubber off as closely to the image as possible so that you can see exactly where the image is when you stamp.

Wood blocks and foam mounts
(This is the pile I am going to get rid of. This is what I have been wasting my precious storage space on!! Ah... the freedom...)

Rubber Images
(This is what I am keeping. Seriously - I can't believe how many images are here taking up such a little bit of space!)

Step 2:

Apply a thin, even coat of Aleene's Tack It Over & Over (or other pressure sensitive temporary adhesive) to the back of each unmounted stamp. This is the same process you would use if you were preparing purchased unmounted stamps for use with an acrylic block. The adhesive doesn't have to cover every bit of the stamp, but it should be applied with even pressure so that you don't end up with one end higher than the other, or a center that won't stamp evenly.

(Tack It can be purchased at Joanns or Michaels, or anywhere else that Aleene's products are sold.)

Tack It applied
(Stamps here are set out to dry and you can see that the adhesive has already started to set on the first couple of stamps. Tack It sets clear.)

Step 3:

Let the Tack It dry/set over night. When it is ready to use, it will be clear. If you try to use the stamps before the Tack It has set, you will end up with a gross, sticky mess and will probably ruin your acrylic block and have to start the Tack It process over again for that stamp. Trust me. It's not fun.

Dried / Set Tack It
(You can see that the Tack It is clear now, instead of white. It dries kind of shiny and should stick to your finger if you push your finger onto it. If it doesn't, you may not have applied enough. Try it on the block to see if it sticks.)

Step 4:

Apply the stamp to an acrylic block and stamp away! Because the block is clear you should be able to see exactly where you're stamping. It makes for straight letters/words and easier placement.

Stamp mounted on acrylic block

Have fun!! I'll post another little tutorial on how to store these babies once I get the second phase of the project under way. First, though, I've got to get some more Tack It... I seem to have used all of mine up!

Whew!

Isn't this the most glorious stamp set ever??? (umm... I just realized it's sort of a clear image and doesn't show up very well on my blog, so click the picture and you'll get to see it clearer...) It's from PaperTrey Ink and soon it will be MINE! They released it last month and I fell in love with it thanks to Thinking Inking and this card:


Debbie Olson does the most beautiful work I have seen and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this set. I checked out PaperTrey Ink that night, but didn't have my credit card on me, so I decided to wait until the morning to order it. Imagine the sad, sinking feeling in my heart when I logged on first thing in the morning, credit card in hand, and the set was SOLD OUT! It has been a month now and I have been checking every couple days to see if it was available. Well, as they promised, it became available again yesterday. And you can bet your sweet bippy I bought that thing at like 11:00 last night!! It's on it's way to my house soon and I am SO excited. Pretty sure this beautiful set will come in handy when I do next year's Christmas cards.

(By the way, I just checked and the set is still available if you want to get one of your own. Click on the stamp set picture and it will take you to the right page.)

Okay... back to doing useful things and not drooling over my soon-to-be new stamp set. I need to clean up the house and get my little girl cleaned up. Cottage cheese all over. Fun. Well, have a good day and do something creative!!

What a great weekend!!

It was wonderful to spend the weekend scrapbooking!! After finishing 3 layouts on Friday night, I pulled out my SPS kits for Saturday. I love those kits!! I burned through another 10 layouts in no time. I did several more today, though I spent a lot of time on them and added a lot of fun details. One I absolutely LOVE and think I may try to get published. We'll see. All in all I completed 17 layouts (including two 2-pagers) and finished (yes, finally!!) my pregnancy album. Yes, it was a great weekend. Here's the updated list:

2005

• Crystal Flowers

2006

• DONE! That frown
• DONE! First Plane Ride
• Meeting Uncle Robert
• Tummy Time
• Fall Leaf Pictures
• Good morning Sunshine!
• Little Angel
• Mirror Mirror on the Wall
• Mobile Watcher
• Ellie in the Air at the Concert in Big Sky
• Smirk
• DONE! Screaming Foot at the Camera (Mad Little Girl)
  
• Mommom and Poppy's Last Morning
• Labor
• Why we chose cloth diapers
• First hospital pictures
• Burrito Baby
• Helping Mommy Unpack in TX
• Reading with Poppy
• Playing with Mommom in TX
• Ellie's first ride in a small plane
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace
• DONE! It was a Merry Christmas Indeed
• First Solid Food
• Naughty or Nice
• Contractions!
• TX Christmas
• Ellie with Grandmas
• So this is love
• The world awaits
• Great Minds Think Alike
• Bar 3 BBQ with Dave and Tam
• DONE! Teaching Latin
  

2007

• Trick or Treating
• Ellie's Fairy Costume (maybe a mini album for these pictures?)
• DONE! You are my dream come true
  
• Car Accident*
• Climbing to turn off the light
• Fall Family Pictures (maybe a mini album?)
• DONE! Conversation with Ellie about playing in my purse (titled: "you said")
  
• Hat love
• Mistress Mary
• DONE! Leaves
• Cheesy Grin (Say cheese?)
• Peas
• Rocky Creek Farm*
• Apple Eating
• Ellie's First Trip to Yellowstone*
• Grand Prismatic Spring*
• Words (for various months)*
• DONE! Reading to Ellie (Reading with Daddy)
• READ (scraplift with Ellie in rocking chair)*
• Ellie needs cookies
• Grotto Falls in the Fall
• Hyalite Reservoir in the Fog*
• Little Monster*
• Ellie with Grammee and Grandad*
  
• Uncle Rob and Ellie*
• Run Run Run!
• DONE! Montana Girl (Montana Beauty)
  
• Ellie BELLY!
• Nicknames
• DONE! Ellie and Grandad
• Early September
• Class Reunion*
• The Tweaksters
• DONE! Dance (She's got music in her soul?)
• Hiking with Ellie (Lava Lake pictures)*
• MSU Duck Pond*
• Turkey Leg!!*
• Papa-razzi*
• My Shadow (poem)*
• Blue Angels*
• Ellie's Kitty*
• Need for Speed (ski boat pictures)*
• Angler (I love MT)*
• Dara's Wedding*
• Cliff Lake*
• Kayak Ride*
• Ellie and Mommom*
• 12 month stats*
• 15 month stats*
• The look.*
• Let Her Eat Cake!*
• Birthday Suit*
• 1st Birthday*
• Birthday Party*
• 4th of July*
• Ousel Falls*
• Patriot Baby*
• 1st Trip to the Zoo*
• Bedhead!*
• Playing the Piano with Lily*
• Palisade Falls*
• Fairy Slipper Orchid*
• Little Mover
• 9 month stats(*?)
• Sandpoint with LU folk*
• Li'l Friends Outfit
• Drooling Machine
• Smiley Girl on Maroon Pillows
• Musical Table Love
• Piano Player
• KhKhKh
• Christmas Coats*
• Push Ups*
• My Valentine*
• Cry Baby*
• Stolen Keys*
• How was your breakfast?*
• Sandpoint with the Claridges*
• DONE! Walker in TX (i *heart* walkers)
  
• Salpingectomy/The Unexpected
• Ellie and Mommom at Easter
• Dopey McDopester
• DONE! TV Addict
• In the Yard
• Lily
• Broken Plant
• Peek-a-Boo!
• Vanity
• Wii!
• Curiosity
• I know I'm cute!
• Play with me Daddy
• Pulling Up
• DONE! Mommy and Ellie at the Gallatin River
• DONE! My Pumpkin
• DONE! Ellie and Daddy at the Gallatin River

Projects

• Ellie's baby book*
• Fall Family Picture Mini Album (I think)
• Finish Weight Loss Album from this summer
• Ellie's Friends Mini Album
• DONE! Pregnancy Album

As for things I wanted to do this weekend, I was able to check of at least *some* of the items:

• use my sweet pea scraps kits (CHECK)
  
• use the metal tab alphabet i've had for forever
• use my hs mask alphabet on a layout
• use my purple onion wild stem stamp
• do the sewn scrunched ribbon thing
• use ribbon flowers (CHECK)
  
• use hambly (CHECK)
  
• use purple onion music stamps on ellie piano layout
• use purple onion ledger stamp (CHECK)
  
• paint on a layout
• alter chipboard (CHECK)
  
• use my cutter bee perforaters (CHECK)
  

And the winner is.....

Kate!!!

I chose the winner by a random using the random integer generator. So congratulations, Kate! Send me your mailing address and I'll get your prize package in the mail!!

Well, I might need a new strategy for this weekend. I got 3 layout done tonight and I like them! But... I didn't do any of the things I said I wanted to do. I did scraplift from my 2ps bos for two of them, though!

So... tomorrow I will play with a kit or two. In the meantime, here is the updated list:

2005

• Crystal Flowers

2006

• That frown
• DONE! First Plane Ride
• Meeting Uncle Robert
• Tummy Time
• Fall Leaf Pictures
• Good morning Sunshine!
• Little Angel
• Mirror Mirror on the Wall
• Mobile Watcher
• Ellie in the Air at the Concert in Big Sky
• Smirk
• DONE! Screaming Foot at the Camera (Mad Little Girl)
  
• Mommom and Poppy's Last Morning
• Labor
• Why we chose cloth diapers
• First hospital pictures
• Burrito Baby
• Helping Mommy Unpack in TX
• Reading with Poppy
• Playing with Mommom in TX
• Ellie's first ride in a small plane
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace
• DONE! It was a Merry Christmas Indeed
• First Solid Food
• Naughty or Nice
• Contractions!
• TX Christmas
• Ellie with Grandmas
• So this is love
• The world awaits
• Great Minds Think Alike
• Bar 3 BBQ with Dave and Tam
  

2007

• Trick or Treating
• Ellie's Fairy Costume (maybe a mini album for these pictures?)
• Car Accident*
• Climbing to turn off the light
• Fall Family Pictures (maybe a mini album?)
• Conversation with Ellie about playing in my purse
• Hat love
• Mistress Mary
• Leaves
• Cheesy Grin (Say cheese?)
• Peas
• Rocky Creek Farm*
• Apple Eating
• Ellie's First Trip to Yellowstone*
• Grand Prismatic Spring*
• Words (for various months)*
• Reading to Ellie (Bedtime routine?)
• READ (scraplift with Ellie in rocking chair)*
• Ellie needs cookies
• Grotto Falls in the Fall
• Hyalite Reservoir in the Fog*
• Little Monster*
• Ellie with Grammee and Grandad*
  
• Uncle Rob and Ellie*
• Run Run Run!
• Montana Girl
• Ellie BELLY!
• Nicknames
• Ellie and Grandad
• Early September*
• Class Reunion*
• The Tweaksters*
• Dance (She's got music in her soul?)*
• Hiking with Ellie (Lava Lake pictures)*
• MSU Duck Pond*
• Turkey Leg!!*
• Papa-razzi*
• My Shadow (poem)*
• Blue Angels*
• Ellie's Kitty*
• Need for Speed (ski boat pictures)*
• Angler (I love MT)*
• Dara's Wedding*
• Cliff Lake*
• Kayak Ride*
• Ellie and Mommom*
• 12 month stats*
• 15 month stats*
• The look.*
• Let Her Eat Cake!*
• Birthday Suit*
• 1st Birthday*
• Birthday Party*
• 4th of July*
• Ousel Falls*
• Patriot Baby*
• 1st Trip to the Zoo*
• Bedhead!*
• Playing the Piano with Lily*
• Palisade Falls*
• Fairy Slipper Orchid*
• Little Mover
• 9 month stats(*?)
• Sandpoint with LU folk*
• Li'l Friends Outfit
• Drooling Machine
• Smiley Girl on Maroon Pillows
• Musical Table Love
• Piano Player
• KhKhKh
• Christmas Coats*
• Push Ups*
• My Valentine*
• Cry Baby*
• Stolen Keys*
• How was your breakfast?*
• Sandpoint with the Claridges*
• Walker in TX
• Salpingectomy/The Unexpected
• Ellie and Mommom at Easter
• Dopey McDopester
• TV Addict
• In the Yard
• Lily
• Broken Plant
• Peek-a-Boo!
• Vanity
• Wii!
• Curiosity
• I know I'm cute!
• Play with me Daddy
• Pulling Up

Projects

• Ellie's baby book*
• Fall Family Picture Mini Album (I think)
• Finish Weight Loss Album from this summer
• Ellie's Friends Mini Album
  

* I still need to print pictures for these.

this weekend i want to...

• use my sweet pea scraps kits
• use the metal tab alphabet i've had for forever
• use my hs mask alphabet on a layout
• use my purple onion wild stem stamp
• do the sewn scrunched ribbon thing
• use ribbon flowers
• use hambly
• use purple onion music stamps on ellie piano layout
• use purple onion ledger stamp
• paint on a layout
• alter chipboard
• use my cutter bee perforaters
  

I've also saved a bunch of layouts from my 2ps bos so I can scraplift to my heart's content as I try to work through the layouts I need to finish. So... once I get my photos from Costco (today or tomorrow as I get into town) I'll have everything I need to get to work!

Now... to clean up the craft room so it'll be suitable for my friends to join me this weekend....

I know why my list is so long....

... I've been trying to figure out why my list is so long. It's not like I haven't scrapbooked in the last year - in fact, I've got a pretty big pile of pages ready to go into albums once I'm ready. But last night Leif informed me that since we got our camera at the beginning of August (?) we've already taken 11,000 pictures.

ELEVEN THOUSAND PICTURES!!??

In 3 months?? No wonder my LO list is so long!

Don't forget - there's still time to enter the drawing!! I'll be picking a winner on Sunday night...

Makin' a list...

... and checkin' it twice...

I've started thinking about the layouts that I need to get done this weekend. Wow! Talk about overwhelming!! Right now I'm uploading oodles of pictures to Costco so I'll actually have pictures to work with. Now that Ellie's 15 months old, I really should get her 1st year stuff done, but even that I'm way behind on. It will take a whole weekend just to compile my to-do list!!

Boy am I glad I have a blog, though! Basically that is my layout planner. I know which photos I want to use and more or less what journaling to go with them, plus I know when those things happened. So blogging is my scrapbooking lifesaver! Right before Ellie was born I made a ginormous list and worked through that to get caught up in the weeks leading up to her birth. That was a while ago. Time to start up the list again...

(in no particular order - and I'll be adding to it as I remember new pages that need to be done)

2005

• Crystal Flowers

2006

• That frown
• First Plane Ride
• Meeting Uncle Robert
• Tummy Time
• Fall Leaf Pictures
• Good morning Sunshine!
• Little Angel
• Mirror Mirror on the Wall
• Mobile Watcher
• Ellie in the Air at the Concert in Big Sky
• Smirk
• Screaming Foot at the Camera (I'll have to come up with a better title than this!)
• Mommom and Poppy's Last Morning
• Labor
• Why we chose cloth diapers
• First hospital pictures
• Burrito Baby
• Helping Mommy Unpack in TX
• Reading with Poppy
• Playing with Mommom in TX
• Ellie's first ride in a small plane
• Sleeping in Heavenly Peace
• It was a Merry Christmas Indeed
• First Solid Food
• Naughty or Nice
• Contractions!
• TX Christmas
• Ellie with Grandmas
• So this is love
• The world awaits
• Great Minds Think Alike
• Bar 3 BBQ with Dave and Tam
  

2007

• Trick or Treating
• Ellie's Fairy Costume (maybe a mini album for these pictures?)
• Car Accident*
• Climbing to turn off the light
• Fall Family Pictures (maybe a mini album?)
• Conversation with Ellie about playing in my purse
• Hat love
• Mistress Mary
• Leaves
• Cheesy Grin (Say cheese?)
• Peas
• Rocky Creek Farm*
• Apple Eating*
• Ellie's First Trip to Yellowstone*
• Grand Prismatic Spring*
• Words (for various months)*
• Reading to Ellie (Bedtime routine?)
• READ (scraplift with Ellie in rocking chair)*
• Ellie needs cookies
• Grotto Falls in the Fall
• Hyalite Reservoir in the Fog*
• Little Monster*
• Ellie with Grammee and Grandad*
  
• Uncle Rob and Ellie*
• Run Run Run!
• Montana Girl
• Ellie BELLY!
• Nicknames
• Ellie and Grandad
• Early September*
• Class Reunion*
• The Tweaksters*
• Dance (She's got music in her soul?)*
• Hiking with Ellie (Lava Lake pictures)*
• MSU Duck Pond*
• Turkey Leg!!*
• Papa-razzi*
• My Shadow (poem)*
• Blue Angels*
• Ellie's Kitty*
• Need for Speed (ski boat pictures)*
• Angler (I love MT)*
• Dara's Wedding
• Cliff Lake*
• Kayak Ride*
• Ellie and Mommom*
• 12 month stats*
• 15 month stats*
• The look.*
• Let Her Eat Cake!*
• Birthday Suit*
• 1st Birthday*
• Birthday Party*
• 4th of July*
• Ousel Falls*
• Patriot Baby*
• 1st Trip to the Zoo*
• Bedhead!*
• Playing the Piano with Lily*
• Palisade Falls*
• Fairy Slipper Orchid*
• Little Mover*
• 9 month stats(*?)
• Sandpoint with LU folk
• Li'l Friends Outfit
• Drooling Machine
• Smiley Girl on Maroon Pillows
• Musical Table Love
• Piano Player
• KhKhKh
• Christmas Coats
• Push Ups
• My Valentine
• Cry Baby
• Stolen Keys
• How was your breakfast?
• Sandpoint with the Claridges
• Walker in TX
• Salpingectomy/The Unexpected
• Ellie and Mommom at Easter
• Dopey McDopester
• TV Addict
• In the Yard
• Lily
• Broken Plant
• Peek-a-Boo!
• Vanity
• Wii!
• Curiosity
• I know I'm cute!
• Play with me Daddy
• Pulling Up

Projects

• Ellie's baby book*
• Fall Family Picture Mini Album (I think)
• Finish Weight Loss Album from this summer
• Ellie's Friends Mini Album
  

* I still need to print pictures for these.

Okay... I'm going to stop here for today. I think I have plenty to work on! Ack!! This takes me back to the last set of pictures I printed (mostly) and some of the last layouts I did. The rest I need to do by looking at which pictures I've already scrapped and work on filling in the holes so I can get Ellie's 1st year book done! Okay... now to print some pictures!

It's time for a....

***GIVEAWAY!!***

Andrea inspired me with her recent goodies, so I've been collecting items for a giveaway of my own. It was going to be a celebratory "I made the SPS DT!" or "My craft show was a hit!" giveaway, but since neither of those really turned out that way, it's going to be an "I'm having a weekend long scrap retreat and am going to get lots and lots of layouts done!" giveaway.

So here's how it works... I want you to post your favorite holiday tradition (Christmas or other) and in turn I will pick one lucky commenter to win the scrappy goods! I will pick the name on Sunday night, November 11th - at the end of my great scrapbook getaway.

So... get posting already!!

Fairy Wings!!

Ellie is a fairy for Halloween this year. She's all pink and tulle with pink sparkly wings!! Thanks to some inspiration from Martha I made the little fairy wings you see above. I made mine a little differently than the ones Martha did, but they work pretty well, especially for Ellie! They are made from 18 gauge wire and an old pair of tights Ellie ripped the toe out of. I'm sure I could have fixed the toe, but this was way better! The best part is that the waistband of the tights is what secures the wings to Ellie's shoulders. No sewing or cutting involved! Add a little glitter paint design and *voila!* you have a cheap pair of fairy wings perfect for Halloween!

Craft Fair

Well, the craft fair did NOT go like I expected. First off, it started with a car accident. You can read more about that here, but basically, it was a bad way to start off the morning. The accident happened about 8 miles from the craft show and rendered my car inoperable. My FIL drove out to get us and we transferred almost all of the craft items to his car and went the rest of the way to the show.


I debated about even going, since the two things I had to leave behind in the Prius were my 6 foot table and my 6 foot hinged screen display (that I'd spent so much time plotting and building and arranging for the show!). That left me with a 4 foot table and a card table, which I had been planning on using as workspace for things that needed to be personalized on the spot. But I decided that we were so close, I might as well head over and see if I could still make it work.

Now, I had talked to a couple people who have attended this craft fair in previous years and they led me to believe that this was a decent sized craft fair. It was described to me as "a really good one." So that's what I was prepared for. I had a 10x10 canopy (like a tent with no sides), and the set up for 12 feet of table space, plus a hinged display screen (at least before the accident). I had it all planned out for a table on two sides of the tent with the screen at the joining corner and a small round table in front of the screen for a (hopefully) seamless display that would rival those I'd seen at Sweet Pea or other outdoor craft fairs I'd attended. Everything was color coordinated maroon and black, from the screen to the table cloths to the baskets and display easels. And we'd planned to arrive early so I could stake out a good spot and have time to set up.

As you can imagine, we spent a good deal of time at the crash site, so we arrived at the craft fair just about 15 minutes before it started. Imagine my surprise, then, when we pulled up and I didn't see anything that really looked craft fair-ish. In fact, all I saw were two card tables with vinyl table cloths on them - one held candles, and the other was empty. I was shocked, and sort of speechless, to say the least. Apparently, there were supposed to be a few other vendors, but they were all driving in together and one of them went into premature labor, so none of them showed up. But still - a craft fair with less than 10 vendors? All told, there were 3 of us. I had paper crafts, another had soy candles and picture frames, and the third had beaded barrettes and Mary Kay. The others each had one card table with items, so I felt crazy for being prepared with as much as I brought! I didn't feel too badly about not having my 6 foot table, though, and I used the card table, round table, and 4 foot table to hold things. I didn't put up the tent, though, since it was nice in the sun, but a chilly in the shade.

Embarrassed though I was to have made such a big deal out of this, only to find it tiny, I still took pictures for you guys. And I set up my stuff by a bunch of hay bales so I could use them for a little display space, too. So... Here's what my set up ended up being:

There are a few things about my display that I do like, and if I ever do a craft show again (which is unlikely, at least for an out of town craft show) I would like to remember. I like the case I used to display my paper bag albums. It's storage and display all in one. It was an old cassette tape holder that my grandpa had - I swiped it from the garbage pile last time I was in Texas. =D


I also liked displaying some irregularly shaped things (tags and smaller cards) in this 2-drawer unit. I picked it up for $1 at the Holiday Festival (another craft / antique show) last year. It usually holds my paints in my craft room, but I like it for this purpose, too.

I'm also a big fan of these baskets I got at the Target $pot. They're in the back, raised up. They aren't as clear in this picture, but they worked really well and looked really good, I thought.

Here's a close up of the card table display. I used some easels ($ store finds!) to hold up cards and an album. The scrapbook pages (in the ziplock bags) on the table were supposed to be hanging from the display screen that got left behind, so I just stacked them on the table for lack of display space.

So... it didn't turn out like I expected on the display front. And it certainly didn't turn out like I expected on the craft fair front! However, I DID sell enough to recoup my costs (except for the crunched car...) and even make some money. And I DID get a lot of compliments on things, even if a lot of people didn't buy stuff. It always feels good to be complimented. All in all, though, I think I'm done with out of town craft fairs. I might look into a booth at the farmer's market next summer, but we'll see. Right now I'm in the process of listing everything on etsy in hopes of still selling some of it. I personally like the stuff, so maybe someone else will, too.

Thanks

... for answering my questions, guys! I traded in all of the change I've been saving ($78 worth!) for bills at the bank, plus the random cash I had in my wallet and came up with...

27 - $1 bills
20 - $5 bills
7 - $10 bills
2 - $20 bills

It's not exactly what was prescribed, but I hope it will do. A majority of the items are priced at $10, so hopefully that will be easy for people. I guess we'll find out tomorrow!

And I will DEFINITELY take pictures of my booth once I get it all set up and ready to go. I've been plotting and planning, so I hope it turns out nicely!!

Quesion...

Okay, for all you people who have done craft fairs (Jaime!!) or garage sales (Dana!!) before, I have a question for you...

How much money for change am I supposed to bring with me? Since I have no way to accept credit cards in person, I can only accept cash or checks. Checks are obviously not a problem as far as exact change goes, but how much cash should I bring with me for change? Everything is priced to the dollar, so I don't have to worry about coins. Help?!

It's all of these little things that are starting to get to me... Ack!

I need to start a list...

Pretty much all my crafting time lately has gone toward getting ready for the craft fair this weekend. I'm getting close to being ready, but I haven't gotten any of my own scrapping done. In months. So once this craft fair is done, I'm scrapping like there's no tomorrow!!

So I need to write a list of pages that I need done. I'm going to hole up in my craft room with list in hand and my 2ps book of scraps open and I'm just going to do one layout after another until I'm all scrapped out. I've got plenty of pictures to deal with from Ellie's first year and I'd love to finish her first year book one of these days. Maybe I'll have to tackle just the 2006 pictures first. I doubt my happy scrap fest will happen until November (I'm having my own little retreat with a couple friends - no kids, just scrapping for 2 days!) but I DO want to pull out my SPS October kit and participate in the challenge this month. So I've got to do that by Oct 30th and will have to get on that RIGHT after the craft fair.

So... I need to write a list. Because I have GOT to get back to scrapping.

Karen Day

Karen Day is my new favorite scrapper.

Scrapdragons Challenge

I'm participating in my first Scrapdragons challenge ever. This challenge is called the...

“Nothing-Like-the-Last-Minute Procrastinator’s Mass-Producible Halloween Card Challenge”

... and goes something like this. Make two or more spooktacular cards using the same ingredients. They can be identical or just similar, but that's the gist. So this is the card I made - three times over. All of the goodies on these cards came from the treat bag I received from Andrea earlier this week. She's got the BEST goody bags ever and all this stuff was just perfect for 3 Halloween cards. Thanks, Andrea!!

I used puffy bat garland, felt bats, black and orange metallic tinsel, and Trick / Treat tickets. They're simple (and shiny, though you can't see from the picture...) and fun and I love 'em!

Cleaning...

I'm working on cleaning up my craft room. We (hopefully) have out of town guests coming in this weekend, and next weekend I have the craft fair. I still have a few projects I need to finish up before the craft fair, and I will be abducting one of my tables and transporting it for the event. Two reasons (three if you count my vanity and desire to give the full home tour this weekend) to have a clean craft room. It's on today's list.

Two Peas Update

Okay. I'm done pouting about the new site design. I've started to relearn my way around. So last night and this morning I...

.... updated my gallery!

In the process I learned that I still have a bunch of layouts to stitch together before I can post them. Erg.

And I want to scrapbook again. I haven't scrapbooked in... wow... um... since early August. I just looked it up. That's embarrassing. I seriously want to scrap.

In about a week and a half I have my craft fair, so once that is done I should be able to get back to scrapping. Real scrapbook pages - not just cards. I've been doing cards like crazy the last few months. It's time for a break. I need paper therapy.

Pumpkin Party!

On Thursday, Taylor and I had a pumpkin party! We pureed pumpkins to freeze and use in pies and soups and bread. Mmmm. Anyone have a marvelous recipe for pumpkin soup? We're thinking of having a pumpkin soup fest next...

How do you like them apples?

Let me tell you about 'them' apples. Glorious. Wonderful. And all but rejected.

You see, last week Ellie and I went to Rocky Creek Farm for a bit. And while we were there, I asked if they had any apples for sale. The girl said she'd check and then came back to say that, yes, they did. For $.50 / lb I could dig through the apple bins outside and pick out whatever I wanted. So, armed with a bag, I headed over to the bins. The apples weren't puny, as most seconds I've seen are. They were nice apples. Some had cosmetic blemishes, but nothing that I could see would affect their flesh. So I picked out some apples.

I picked out 8 lbs of apples, to be exact. They were Jonathan apples, with the exception of one smaller green Jonagold that I decided to add at the last minute. I felt sorry for the little guy.

You see, all of the apples in these bins were going straight to the juicer to be turned into cider. These were the apples who were rejected as firsts, or even seconds. Poor apples.

BUT... when I got home I learned that they were not only decently sized, they were crisp and delicious, too! They were glorious. Even Ellie thought so. So I took my $4 worth of apples and I made a batch of crock pot apple butter for Leif. Then I filled the dehydrator with apple slices for drying. With the apples I had left, I made a homemade apple pie that we ate for dessert last night.

So how do I like them apples? I like them a lot. And now I'm sort of curious to know how the cider at Rocky Creek Farm turned out.

Putting Myself Out There.

Well, since I've gone and fallen out of my box o' comfort by applying for a design team, I decided I might as well go all the way and submit some works for publication. So I did. Eeeek! I figure if I'm gonna be out there, I might as well go all the way. I might be setting myself up for serious disappointment when nothing happens, but if I don't try, then it never will.

So here goes.....

(...J...U...M...P...)

*splash!!*

The plunge has been taken.

*GASP!* and a deep breath...

... I just submitted my application to a design team. I've been meaning to for a while, and wanted to make sure I got it done before the deadline crept in. Now it's finished, which brings a sigh of relief. But now I'm nervous and vulnerable and can feel myself gasping in shock that I just put myself out there like that. I like the safe comfort of my usual not-going-out-on-a-limb world. But I did. And now I have to wait...

Fun Magnets!

I've seen lots of people making cute glass gem magnets on etsy. So I started making some too, just for fun. But then my magnets weren't cooperating with the not-perfectly-circular gems, so I went back to making my ribbon flowers and came up with a whole new idea - Flower Magnets!! So I've been having fun making these cute magnets and packaging them up for etsy and my upcoming craft fair.

And I promise... one of these days I will post something without talking about etsy. I promise.

It's like an addiction.

I.
Love.
Etsy.

First Sale.... and more!

Last night, sometime during craft night, someone decided to buy one of my ribbon flowers on etsy!! I was SO excited!! So I was going to post on MIM about how excited I was to have sold something so quickly after posting items. But, I was tired and decided I'd post my excitement today. But with today came another email saying... someone else had bought 3 more things!!! SO I hurried up and peeled myself off the ceiling, then ran down to the craft room to collect the items, personalize the tins, print out receipts, bundle everything together and head off to the post office.

So now I'm posting to say that I've officially sold and mailed 4 items! Yipppeeee!

Bwaaaa-ha-ha!

Sick, wrong, and completely hilarious.

Updated my ETSY!!

Well, I've been crafting like a madwoman for this craft fair in October, but I decided to put some of the things up on my Etsy, too, in hopes that I might get a little more ambitious about my store. I've just got a few things in there now, but will be adding more over the next few days. Right now I've got some card sets and accordion album tins up. Take a look - what do you think?

ETA: I also added more paper bag albums, accordion album tins, and some ribbon flowers! I've got 25 items in the gallery right now and will be putting more in there once I figure out what will interest people. Let me know if you have ideas!

PaperTrey Ink Cards

Okay... I've been playing with my new stamps and here's what I've come up with....




I've just been having fun. I've done a couple other cards, too, but haven't scanned them in yet.

Oh Yeah...

Have I mentioned how cool it is that out of the 200 (and only 200) scrapbooking stores across the US that were chosen to offer Creative Cafe , ours is one of them? I think that's pretty cool. Now... what to do with Ellie during Happy Hour...

Birthday Stamps!!

My birthday gift from Leif this year is a couple stamp sets from PaperTrey Ink. They arrived today, so I opened them up and played with them, even though my birthday isn't until tomorrow. Yes, I got scolded for playing with my present before my birthday. But really, could YOU resist? My first thought when I opened the box was just how beautifully packaged these stamps sets are. Clean and crisp and clear, just like the stamps. I've never ordered from them before, but have seen them used several times in Debbie Olson's projects. The sets I got are Text Boxed (I made a few cards from this set tonight - I'll have to scan and post those later) and Holiday Treats. The Holiday Treats set is very cool and puts me in the baking mood just so I'll have baked goodies to give away and an excuse to stamp cute gift packaging, LOL! My Inner Martha is clapping her hands in delight already. I can't wait to scraplift cards off the PaperTrey idea gallery, too. This one (of course by Debbie Olson) I want to do right now. Unfortunately, I'm not going to, but I will soon. This one I want to do, too. But it's late, so I'll just be happy knowing that these lovely stamps are in my craft room waiting for me to have another free moment to play.

CRAFT NIGHT!!!

It has been FOREVER (seriously... since June, maybe even earlier?) since I've been to craft night. And tonight it is!! Craft night is here at my house this week and next, so I've got my craft room all spiffied up and even vacuumed. Let the crafting begin!!