My first Etsy item

Just listed my first Etsy item. I just love these little hand sanitizer toppers. It seems like this Batty for You stamp set from Stampin Up' was made for this product from Bath and Body Works. We'll see if they sell.

Batty for You Nugget Box

I used Stampin Ups Batty for You stamp set and a tutorial from Split Coast Stampers to make this little Hershey's nugget box. I used textured black card-stock and some old Halloween DS paper. The ribbon is just something I had in my stash that matched. I used the SU decorative label punch and layered it on top.

Witches Hat Treat Holder

This is a case from the very talented Sharon White. I just joined her virtual club which I think is a great idea for sharing tutorials. I used the petal cone, scallop, and circle dies. There is a little pull out at the bottom that conceals a hole to get the candy out. I used some old Halloween SU DS paper and greeting to complete this project.

Petal Cone Bat treat holder

I used the SU petal cone die and top not dies for the Big Shot to make this treat holder. It is my version of one I saw on Shelli Gardiners blog on the Stampin Connection. I embossed the wings and added a little smooch spitz for some sparkle.

Fall Rosette Wreath

I  made this wreath with my new Simply Scored scoring tool from Stampin Up. I used some Really Rust, Close to Cocoa and Old Olive cardstock as well as the DS paper SU sold last year to coordinate with the  Day of Gratitude stamp set. I embellished with the Day of Gratitude stamp set, antique brads and oversize Spice Cake buttons available in the upcoming SU mini. I used hot glue to make all the rosettes. I have tried making them before and nothing else holds as well.

Cover Page and Page 2/3 for my Cape Cod album

This is my cover page for the album I am keeping of our family vacations to the Cape. This photo was taken at Duck Harbor in Wellfleet at Sunset by a neighbor of my MIL. I used a sheet of Coordinations cardstock for the background and cut the circle with a piece of patterned paper from CTMH. I stamped the word family in glue with a Stampin Up alphabet set and put some Stampin Up glitter over it. The chipboard words and embellishments are Karen Foster that I received as a gift. I cut the large wave from the Graphically Speaking cartridge and the smaller ones are from Life's A Beach. They are Stampin Ups new color Pool Party. I used TH inks for distressing and embellished the waves with these Bead Dazzler things that look really pretty in the bottle but don't stick to the glue very well.

 This is my page two/three. I really showed of the new Stampin Up In Colors on this page. I used Pool Party, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade and Calypso Coral for the flags. I used some really pretty patterned papers from BoBunny. I only had scraps left so I punched and cut out interesting pieces  to accent my page. The background is two sheets of DCWV cardstock that I sanded around the edges. The Cape Cod title is from Stampin Up chipboard that I colored Calypso Coral and sprayed with Smooch Spritz for some sparkle. I used the Birthday Bash cartridge to cut the flags and hemp twine to string them. The ribbons and brads are from my stash.

ISO directions for large folded circle/sun type frame

OK so that title probably didn't clear things up. I saw a layout awhile back on someones blog that was a one page sketch and featured a large circle frame that had points that were folded back. It looked sorta like a sun although I am not sure if it really was a sun. I spent hours searching for it this monring and can't find it anywhere. I hate it when I don't save an idea that I love for future reference! If anyone remembers a layout like this and can refer me to the source I would be incredibly grateful.

Ginger bread Page elements

As I mentioned before my sister has been bugging me for content and I don't have much to add. Thought I'd throw up these page elements I have just finished even though they are far from a completed layout. I don't normally work like this but I had an idea in my head and wanted to get it together. My Mom said she has some gingerbread or Christmas cookie paper in her store so I need to stop in to Paper Crafters Unlimited before I can make the page. I also haven't received the photos yet that I want to use with these. I took advantage of Snapfish's recent sale of 200 prints for $2 and have lots of photos on the way. I used Stretch Your Imagination cartridge to cut these with my Gypsy and Cricut. I used Diamond Dust to make the gumdrops and letters look like they are candies. I used Glossy Accents and a white gel pen to decorate the candy canes.

Family fun

So my sister has been nagging me to update my blog. Problem is I haven't been crafting much. For many reasons. A big one being that the humidity in my basement makes my paper wimpy and therefor very difficult to cut on the Cricut. I managed to finish this layout with a lot of cursing at the paper and the cricut. Fortunately with the help of Stickles you can' really see all the places where the paper is torn. I made these cuts with the Life's a Beach cartridge. I used a sketch and would like to give credit to the artist but I can't remember where I found it. If you recognize it leave me a comment and I'll give credit where it's due.

 

Udderly Exhauseted

I made this card for my neighbor with the Cooking with Cricut Cow Challenge in mind. I cut the barn from Create A Critter and added doors that opened. I used an old retired Stampin Up stamp set called Farm Friends on the inside. The cow says Udderly Exhausted and on the left the Bee says Hope you're buzzing around soon. I put in my neighbors mailbox yesterday. The poor thing in recovering from double bypass surgery.

Seal Cruise digital page

This one will eventually have a page 2. Also created with MDS. I used the flag punch, Write Stuff II, and Sunshine DSP that I downloaded last night.

Storm King Hike digital layout

I got busy with MDS this week. I spent about $20 on digital downloads and got A LOT of content. Lots of bang for the buck there! Without further ado.

S'mores

I have finished another LO! Woo-Hoo! I am really starting to clear through the stack of prints I have at home. I used some fun BoBunny camping papers that I picked up in my Moms scrapbook store Paper Crafters Unlimited. I used Everyday Paper Dolls to create the s'mores, lantern, and signs, ZooBalloo for the title, and Create-A-Critter for the camp fire.. I once again distressed with my TH Antique Linen and Vintage Photo inks and used a black marker to outline some of the die cuts. The base card-stock is my favorite retired SU color, Really Rust. The LO was a modification of a sketch but I can't remember where I got it from. I also thought it was worth noting that I am really enjoying using my Scrap n' Easel. It is great to use the magnets to put things on my page and see how I like them before adhering them down. As a bonus things don't get lost in the mess I make while scrapping.

Sandbox Layout

Trying to get back to scrapping my own photos here. Finished another 2 page layout last night from last weeks Let's Scrap sketch. I used some Stampin Up designer paper that's been in my stash for some time. I cut the title from Life's a Beach on Crumb Cake card-stock. I distressed the letters first with Antique Linen TH distress ink and then with Vintage Photo. I ran the letters through my Xyron and stuck them to my splat mat. I then took a black SU marker (the felt tip side) and traced around the outside of the letters on the mat. I was careful to try to keep the marker angled away from the paper because it seemed to bleed into the card-stock if I leaned to close. I really like the effect. It makes the title really pop. I did the same thing to the sand pail that I also cut from Life's a Beach. I had just enough of that orange rick rack you see towards the bottom so I figured that was meant to be. I used a Bazzill In Stitches Guide to poke holes for my stitched border along the bottom. I thought briefly about making more die cuts ( I had in mind a sun and some clouds) but finally decided on a less is more approach. It still took me  plenty of time, and for only three photos! I'll never understand how people do one photo pages!

Strawberry Jam

We picked oodles of the best tasting strawberries yesterday. We went to  Thompson Finch an organic farm in upstate NY. Today I made some fabulous freezer jam sweetend with Agave. It is soooo good. I had two pieces of toast and jam and I don't normally eat bread. It was just that irresistable. I love the ease of freezer jam and minimal mess however I do miss the prettiness of the Ball jar. So I came up with a quick little wrapper to put around my plastic Ball jar. One more use for my soon to be retired SU Tart and Tangy stamp set.

June Scrap Class

I was inspired this month by this beautiful card I saw made by Sharon on the Stampin Up! demonstrator site. Although the card isn't there you can see lots of other examples of her very creative cards and projects on her blog http://createdbyu.blogspot.com/.
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I turned her card into a 8x 8 layout. I used the Trendy Trees stamp set and the butterflies sizzlit die. I used very vanilla, wild wasabi, bashful blue, marina mist, and daffodil delight inks and card stock. I also gave it some texture with one of my texture plates, embellished with pearls, ribbon and hand stitched the suns' rays. This layout was slightly more involved than some of our previous ones but everyone loved the finished product.

12 x 12 layout What A Mess

It has been awhile since I have had a 12x12 layout to post. I made this one from a Let's Scrap sketch. I had just the right amount of photos in the right sizes to make this sketch work. I used scraps of a variety of papers. The diecuts are from a package I found in a clearance bin some time ago and knew they'd eventually work for something. I used some retired SU chipboard alphas and covered them with more scraps of paper for the title. Can you believe the Cricut was not used for this layout? I can't. What you can't see in this picture is what the layout is about. These two naughty boys covered themselves in a very pricey jar of hand cream when Mommy wasn't watching properly.

All in the Family Frame

I got my Father's Day present finished! Actually my hubby has already seen it. I was so happy with the way it came out that I decided to do a class with it. I'm really hoping to start a project night. On project night we'll make something other than a card or scrap-book page. I have so many great ideas to share. This will be my first one on June 3rd. I used Stampin Up sets Trendy Trees and All in the Family and a retired Alphabet set. The Stamp-A-Majig was a must for putting this together perfectly. I used Wild Wasabi, Not Quite Navy, Chocolate Chip, and Daffodil Delight inks.

Garden Stake

Look how cute this little garden stake came out. I made it with my big shot, the top note die, StaysOn ink, a retired SU alphabet set, and an embossing folder. I used a sheet of step flashing (for roofing) that I got at home depot and picked up the stake there too. I had these butterfly brads on hand so I stuck those on. I ordered a butterfly sizzlit die that should be coming on Monday and I plan to make more projects like these when the come. The raw materials cost me less than $2! I think this is going to be an upcoming class at my house.

Vinyl Magnets

Wow did this photo come out terrible or what? Actually the project itself is only so-so. My mom owns a paper crafting store in upset NY. She's having her 1 year anniversary sale this weekend. She asked me to do a make and take demo using vinyl and magnets. I made these guys with Create A Critter and gave them some Peachy Keen faces. I am not in love with them. She ordered a bunch of colors of vinyl so maybe with some brighter colors they might come out better. She's happy with them so this is what I'll be demonstrating.

Feb and May Scrap-book club layouts

Since I started my group in March we had to make up the months of Jan and Feb for a complete years scrap-book. Here are the pages we did this month.

This page was made using the Nature Walk Set from the recently expired Stampin Up mini catalog. I used a blender pen and SU inks on one page and an Aqua painter and SU inks on the other. The result? Exactly the same as far as I'm concerned. I did use StaysOn ink to stamp the images so they didn't bleed.

I used a sentiment from a retired Stampin Up set called Touch of Nature. The girls were really pleased with it.

Stampin Up swap cards

This was a quick and simple card for my monthly swap. I was swamped with projects this month so they are a little late but better late than never. I used the Celebrations designer series paper, Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set, and Pacific Point, Pear Pizzaz, and Whisper White card-stock. I embellished with dazzling diamonds.

This next card was a quick and easy card for a shoebox swap at a recent meeting. I used the petal cone die to make the card and  texture plates to embellish it. I made a cherry with the Tart and Tangy stamp set and put crystal effects on it. The sentiment is from Something Sweet.

Stampin Up swap cards

This was a quick and simple card for my monthly swap. I was swamped with projects this month so they are a little late but better late than never. I used the Celebrations designer series paper, Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set, and Pacific Point, Pear Pizzaz, and Whisper White card-stock. I embellished with dazzling diamonds.

Magnetic Paper Dolls

I am so excited to post these. This is a project that I have been working on for awhile to give my niece Madison for her 2nd birthday. They are all moving to England so they asked that we didn't buy gifts but I thought this was the perfect size to slip in her suitcase. She can play with them while she travels and put them on the fridge when she gets there.

I cut everything at 5". I used my Cricut to cut the magnet, vellum and fabric used to make these dolls. I followed the cutting recommendations in the Above Rubies Studio cutting guide for cutting each of the materials and everything cut well. I will say that I recommend attaching the vellum to the magnet before cutting because it is nearly impossible to apply sticky vinyl to sticky magnet perfectly. I stamped some faces on the dolls with my PK stamps in StayzOn. All the clothes were cut from fabric treated with Stiffy fabric, and then adhered to the magnet. The fabric came from a variety of clothing I had in the house that no longer fit me. I embellished a little bit with bows and my iRock but not too much knowing that a small child will probably rip that stuff off right away. I emptied one of my Stampin Up Hodepodge Hardware sets into another so I could use the tin to put all the dolls and clothes in. They fit perfectly. Just can't wait to give it to her!

Looking for tips for attending CHA in July

Hello there fellow crafters,
I am looking for some handy tips from those of you lucky enough to attended CHA in the past. I will be going this July just for Tuesday and would appreciate any advice you have for getting the most out of the show that I can in the short time I have to spend. I appreciate any help you can give. Thanks!

So many crafts so little time.

Wow I have barely had time to check email lately let alone blog. I seriously have a couple hundred email messages to delete. Between the two holidays last week, a death in the family, the nicer weather calling me outside, a new kitty, and the intense gym routine I've been putting myself through I've barely had time to breathe. Today we have to be at the dentist at 10 so I have little time sitting here at the breakfast table. I am going to post the items I've recently finished in the order of completion. I'll apologize now for the lack of photo editing.

I made several of these recycled strawberry Easter baskets. I weaved paper strips through the slats of the baskets and added some spring Cricut cuts. The white bunny face was the easiest and my favorite cut. Simple but cute especially with the addition of PK eyes.

This is one of two baskets I made for my kids. I made it from a recycled Herr's pretzel rods container. I made the same design on both sides of the bucket. I adhered the background of a blue patterned paper and several patterns of green cut to look like hills with mod podge. I cut the eggs from Doodlecharms and the bunny and basket from Create a Critter. I don't remember where the sun came from but I gave him a PK face. I poked holes in the plastic and tied on a ribbon handle. I used lots of scraps in the completion of both of these recycled projects.

My niece is turning 2 on May 9th and my sister asked me to make some treat bags. She wants to have a nature theme and asked me to make something with a bird and a nest. My mom calls my niece chickie girl so this is what I came up with. The nest and chick are from Create a Critter and the hat and balloon are from Simply Charmed. The box itself is from Tags, Bag, Boxes, and More. I used some patterned scraps for the chick and hat and gave the chick a PK face. I added some green easter grass to the nest and some Stickles and white gel pen to embellish the hat and balloon. I plan to make a dozen of these and colors will vary.

Lots more in the works. I completed a simple card for a shoebox swap this weekend, I am working on an adorable gift for my nieces birthday, I have to complete another card for my May swaps (yikes those need to be out Saturday) and I have my monthly scrapbook coming next Wed. Busy Busy Busy. Glad for the rainy day for sure.

Gone Fishing Layout

This layout was created for the  Let's Scrap sketch for 4-6-11. I really like this layout for many reasons.

The first was that when I saw the sketch I immediately thought of these photos and when I went and dug them out to crop them they worked perfectly. I also knew I wanted to use the fishing pole and fish cuts from Simply Charmed to embellish these. The second reason is that all the supplies were supplies I had on hand that just worked perfectly. The patterned papers are from a stack from Me & My Big Ideas that I bought awhile back just because they were good prints for boys. The prints matched perfectly with SU card-stock that I had too! Also you might be able to see the silver star/circle SU brads that I used match the orange patterned paper perfectly. The paper with the bugs inspired me to cut more bugs (and a worm) with my Create A Critter cartridge. The Gone Fishing title was cut with the All Mixed Up alphabet cartridge. My last reason for loving this layout is that my husband really complimented me on it. He said it had to be in my top 10 ever created.

DT submission for Let's Scrap

This layout is from a sketch for a DT submission on Let's Scrap. The patterned paper I used is SU from Sale-A-Bration a few years ago. I used SU card-stock in whisper white, so saffron, wild wasabi, and bashful blue. I used the cricut cartridge Stretch your Imagination to cut the title, Simply Charmed for the flowers, and Create-A-Critter for the banner. I used PK stamps to give the flowers their adorable faces. Bloom was stamped with SU rough type alphabet that was in a mini last year. The sentiment Happiness Always is from a new greeting set from SU that will be in the upcoming summer mini. I won it at regionals (yeah)! I embellished the page with fabric flowers, hot rocks (i-rock), and wild wasabi ribbon (from  when wild wasabi came out the first time!). You may be able to see the wild wasabi strip that I stamped with a wheel that had pansies on it. I used versamark on the wheel and clear embossing powder. It turned out really cool but you may not be able to see it in the photo. I would love, love, love to be chosen for their design team. It would help me to complete lots of pages over the next few months and I would love a chance to share my work and encourage others. It would be such a great time for me to commit to a design team now. Not sure how much time I will have for scrapping in the future since I will be going to nursing school in the fall. Going to cross some fingers and toes and hope I'm chosen.

Page 2 Earth Day

As promised here's page 2. Not too bad for a first layout. Now to submit it to Let's Scrap.

You know you have a problem when....

You're up all night with visions of scrapbook layouts in your head. I couldn't fall asleep last night because I had so many great ideas in my head. I should have gotten up and sketched them or wrote them down. I came home from my MDS class bursting with excitement to try out all the new things I learned. I have my first ever digital layout to share with you. It is page 1 of a two page layout I am going to submit to Let's Scrap this week so it coordinates with their sketch. I also learned to blur the adorable faces of my kiddos using Photoshop Elements! So no more silly white circles over their faces.  Of course I didn't go easy on myself just cause it was my first layout. There's lots of layering and using punches to masks parts of stamps I didn't want. That whole tree was made from the stamp of one branch that I flipped, stretched, turned, and covered with punches. The second page of this layout will follow later.

Bear with me while I attempt to change the look of my blog.

I learned some cool new tricks for using the My Digital Studio software from SU tonight from my friend Jessica. I came home and tried them out and created a cute little header for my blog. Well as you can see it's too big. I swear I did everything just as she said and I went back and checked the dimensions and it is the 2"x7" I intended. I am going to leave it for now and try to figure out where I went wrong later.

April SU swaps

I had a hard time figuring out what I was going to do for swaps this month. The reason? Believe it or not I had difficulty finding enough paper. I know some of you are gasping and wondering how could that be. Especially those of you that have seen my stash. But to qualify it has to be enough paper to make 13 of the same card and it has to be current SU. So that's where I ran into trouble especially the current part. So the only card-stock I had on hand in enough to make 13 cards was the In-Color Poppy Parade. Fortunately I had lots of scraps of the Pawsitively Prints designer paper to match. I am sure you have all seen versions of this punch bunny card so I won't bore you with the details, but I wanted to just point out his tail. Can you see it? I used an SU pearl and I love it! Also aside from the card base I used all scraps in  the making of this card so I'm happy I was able to use up some of what I had. OK back to the grind 3 done 10 more to go.

P.S. I am going to toot my own horn here but looking at this photo I am pleased to see that my skills at photographing my work have vastly improved.

Tag using Creative Memories Cheerful Seasons cartridge

My friend Tanya asked me to do a Cricut class at her crop today and feature one of the Creative Memories exclusive Cricut cartridges. I looked over Cheerful Seasons and right away thought this bird and birdhouse were perfect for spring. I cut the birdhouse and layers at 4.5". The bird believe it or not was cut at just 1.5" I used a package of SU designer paper that I think was a Sale-A-Bration freebie probably two years ago! I used my iRock to adhere the birds eye and centers to the fabric flowers. The sentiment is from the SU Bold Blossom stamp set that is in the current mini catalog. I stamped it with VersaMark and white embossing powder and then embossed with a little So Saffron ink. The group of ladies who made it today did a great job. I think they'll find it very east to add to a card, use as a gift tag or put on a scrapbook page.