Sunday At The Studio...and a winner!

Time for our second card challenge at The Studio and this week we've got a fun sketch. Here's my card for this week:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Jillibean Soup, Stampin Up; flower: Jillibean Soup; stamps, ink, embossing powder, tag punch, button: Stampin' Up; sticker: SRM; jute: Studio Calico

The cards that the design team made with this sketch are seriously gorgeous. You can check them out here, along with the sketch. There's a great prize this month so why not give it a try?

Did you ever have an idea for a card or project where you knew it was either going to be a raging, style-changing success, or pure crap? Well, I've seen both sides of that scenario, but had the honor of wasting at least 5 hours this week creating a pure disaster for this week's Tuesday Trigger. (Needless to say, I won't be participating this week.) If I work up the nerve, I'll share it with you ;) I just don't want to post it because I know some readers scan the photos without reading the copy and might think I'm offering it up as a serious example of my work.

Ok, onto the winner of the Ella's Creative Ideas for Events & Holidays. drumroll.....

#2...that's Steph C!! Hoory for Steph! Drop me an email and I'll send you the code! (Stay tuned for another Ella giveaway coming up this week!)

Happy Sunday, all!

In Stitches at Ella Publishing & a giveaway!

Starting yesterday, and continuing on until Saturday, you can read my post about stitching on your projects at the Ella Publishing Blog.

I was joined by Ella friends Brenda Johnston and Jennifer Larson, who shared some amazing examples of hand and faux stitching, and you can check out the series right here.

So, in honor of an Ella Publishing kind of day, let's have a giveaway! Post a comment today about your stitching habits and I'll draw a random winner on Sunday for Creative Ideas for Events & Holidays!

This fantastic eBook will help you spice up your event & holiday pages with 12 unique scrapbooking challenges and dozens of fresh ideas!
So leave a comment to win - and have a great Friday!!

tcb Tuesday?

I keep missing that self-imposed Tuesday deadline. At least Thursday starts with a "t."
Busy at the day job this week and thanking the Lord above that the creative juices started to flow again late last week. It's the worst feeling when you need to be creative at work and the ideas just don't come. I was in an all out panic but feeling a little more at ease now.
Helping me get over the hump was this awesome delivery, called the 'mojo buster' by my pal Jan:

Isn't she awesome? Some of these dictionary pages are like illustrated encyclopedia. They are so cool. Particularly digging the one with the furniture styles. I'm going to use that one on a layout about my day job. And look at that pretty card! Thank you Jan - so lucky to have met you!!

Also bolstering the confidence was this lovely post by my blogging pal Joanne:

A former Jersey girl, Joanne wrote the kindest blog post featuring my work. She's amazing and her blog "the Hellhole Diaries" (how can you not want to check out a blog with a name like that?) is great. I love her sense of humor. I love reading her stories. I love her 'grateful' lists.
Here's what I'm grateful for: meeting amazing people like Joanne & Jan through this hobby and blog. I feel very blessed!! Check both of them out, you will not be sorry!

Got the heads-up from my Ella friend Monika that this was in circulation:

I got the call for this page last summer for publication in the Spring of '11. It seemed so far off at the time and to be honest, I forgot all about it. To see that page (which I made in about 20 minutes for an American Crafts challenge in '09!) printed that big is very surreal.

here's the layout:

If I could ever figure out when Scrapbooks, Etc. had their pub calls, I'd send them more stuff. They are elusive so I feel a little amazed that one of my pages actually made it in. Thanks Scrapbooks, Etc!

So, today I'm feeling the craftiness. Must get up to the desk and strike while the iron is hot. Also clinging desperately to my new eating plan, courtesy of Weight Watchers. Doing it online this time and finding the new points plan a bit challenging & confusing (I'm a Weight Watchers vet). Although, the iPhone app has been extremely helpful, still at the stage where I'm wondering what the heck to eat. I just whipped up a batch of butterscotch haystacks and praying they are still less than 1 point each. Any other Weight Watchers out there?

200th post just around the corner - complete with rockin' giveaway so stay tuned!!
Happy Thursday all :)

The Paper Variety

Finally, after a week of non-stop work, I had a little crafty time today. Added to that time was the 2 hours I normally spend sitting in my daughter's dancing school. (We played hooky today.) So I got busy and made some cards. I noticed a great sketch on Jan and Patti's blogs and really wanted to give it a try - so I did!
It's for a site called The Paper Variety - a weekly challenge blog. Here's their sketch:

and here's what I made today:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill, patterned paper: Jillibean Soup, Stampin Up; sticker: SRM; flower: Making Memories; string: Martha Stewart

My photo skills have been a little weak lately. It's hard to capture the stitching even after a multitude of photoshop adjustments. Doesn't help that I used white thread. The enamel flower is ancient Making Memories. (Somehow, those metal embellishments have survived at least 6 major purges - I knew they'd come in handy some day!) For the sentiment I used a sticker. I just recently won a new release giveaway from SRM Stickers and I've been having a ton of fun using my newly acquired sticker stash. I'm quickly becoming addicted to those babies.

Thanks for stopping by again!

Twisted Sketch #47

Twisted Sketches day for me today. Anam's twist for this week is 'distress.' The fact that I was feeling rather distressed while I made this card doesn't count - I had to distress something tangible. So, I distressed the flowers by smashing them and spritzing them with some mocha Glimmer Mist. I also used some Basic Grey Curio, which is kind-of distressed looking.

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper, journal block: Basic Grey; sewing pattern flowers, stamp, jute: Studio Calico; sticker: SRM; ink: Stampin' Up; spray ink: Tattered Angels

Here is my first effort. I actually made it, took it apart, and put in back together in this configuration. I distressed the punched circle flowers a bit. (I'm not a huge distresser - a stresser, yes, a distresser, not so much) I like it, very circle-y - but I thought the other one was better:

Stop by the Twisted Sketches blog today to see the sketch and play along! The design team has lots of inspiration to help you get started!

Lots to do this weekend. Look for me on Ella this week with a couple of my Ella Friends. (Have you picked up the new eBook yet? One of my faves, ever!) Also volunteered to make a scrapbook for my cousin. The book will honor a NYC Firefighter killed in the line of duty and will be entered into some kind of competition. No pressure there. (!!!) In the midst of writing my blog post for Ella and starting that scrapbook, I need to prep for a client presentation at the day job, and most importantly, I need to watch this:

I'm by no means a 'super-fan' - and living in NJ I'm not exactly surrounded by racing fans. But I do have a special place in my heart for this driver:

Mark Martin. #5. Love him! He's a nice guy, he's been racing forever and he deserves a win at the 500. Here's the only visible evidence of my appreciation of Mark Martin:

(well, this plus my Mark Martin keychain) Proudly displaying the #5 on the back of my ride. This might be Mark's last year racing full time.  I hope it's a winning one for him! Any other fans out there?

Have a great weekend everyone!

TCB...late Thursday edition

I'm a few days late for my TCB post. Trust me, I would much rather have been making stuff and blogging. Work has been a little rough this week and next week looks like it will be more of the same. (Losing the crafty mojo tends to trickle down when designing stuff is your day job, too. The pressure of a waiting client does nothing to bring it back, in fact, it has just the opposite effect...anyway) Just happy to squeeze in a little time today to finish up a couple of projects and get my Twisted Sketches card done. So much more to work on. Hopefully, this weekend will include some crafty time!
So, hot off the crafty desk, this layout:

I used this sketch for this page. Here's a close up: 

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Crate for Studio Calico, Studio Calico, MME; stamps: Studio Calico, Creative Cafe; stickers: Crate for Studio Calico; letters: Cosmo Cricket: pen: Pilot; ink: Versamark; embossing powder: American Crafts

Here's one more page, using the same sketch. Didn't realize until after I took the photo that my 'n' moved. Dang it. (Re-shoot pending :)

Here's a close up: 

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Crate for Studio Calico, Studio Calico, MME, Basic Grey; stamps: Studio Calico, Creative Cafe, Scrap Rat; stickers: Crate for Studio Calico; letters: American Crafts: pen: Pilot; ink: Versamark; embossing powder: American Crafts; page pebbles: Close To My Heart

That rainbow paper was so intimidating to me at first but it's turned out to be one of my all time faves. I used it on my Studio card from last Sunday, as well. I have a few spare sheets, so there's more to come. For this page, I cut into the rainbow to tuck my photo in. Then I layered up the patterns and sewed them down. It's a nutty page but I like it.

Quite a lot going on over at Ella Publishing. My Ella friends Francine, Monika and Lee have a great post up on the blog with some easy hybrid tips. All things I plan to try! Also, a brand new e-book is out:

Written by Wendy Smedley and Aby Garvey, How To Scrapbook Your Personal Heritage is loaded with fun challenges that will help you capture your memories from "childhood & beyond." I have so many photos from when my brother's and I were kids. One of my Dad's Aunt's even scrapbooked and I've inherited those old books and photos as well - so I've been waiting for a book like this!

Have to mention the Paper Crafts 'Designer Blog Roll'. This was such a surprise. To be on that list with all of those amazing designers is truly an honor. Ok, so back on Saturday with a couple of cards - see you then!

Sunday At The Studio ....with cards!

I've been waiting anxiously for the first official Studio Card Team post and today's the day. I'm excited to be staying on for another term as team coordinator for this talented group of ladies. So without further ado - let's get to the first challenge!

Today is the 13th, so Amanda challenged us to use 13 of something on our cards. I'm not hugely superstitious but I do tend to avoid things in 13's. So I thought I'd make my 13 kind of vague. Armed with a fresh Studio Calico kit, and inspired by the work of Nicole Harper at Studio Calico, (this page in particular), I got to work.

My 13: the color bands of the rainbow patterned paper. There are 13 all together (one is white so make sure you count that one!) I cut the paper apart so that 13 bands were visible, then split a few of them up on top of a grid patterned base. I stitched each band down (ala Nicole), stamped the clouds and the sentiment and called it a day. Here's a close up of the stitching and clouds:

materials: patterned paper: Crate for Studio Calico (rainbow); Scenic Route (grid); stamps: Studio Calico; ink: Jenni Bowlin; pin: Tim Holtz; string: Martha Stewart

So, I hope you'll stop by and check out the work of the talented Studio Card Team, and maybe join in on the fun. There's a great prize up for grabs this month and I'd love to see my card making peeps in the mix!

Sketches4Cards

Anam Stubbington, founder of the Twisted Sketches blog and all around amazing papercrafter just released her Sketches4Cards app for iPhones, iPads & iPod Touch.

My iPhone arrived in just a nic of time! I downloaded this app yesterday. (I also downloaded Sketches2Scrapbooks, the scrapbook layout version of this app) and all I can say is what a handy little tool this is! The app includes 116 sketches and sample cards.

One of the new features for the Sketches4Cards release is the way you can search by theme of the card - love, baby, new home, hello, boy etc so your options are wide open for both product and event.

I was lucky enough to be included among the card designers featured on the app. Here's the card I made:

You can check out all the amazing (and handy) sketches in the app. There is a free version with 12 sketches, and  the full version (104 sketches, + the 12 free ones) can be purchased at iTunes for 4.99.

If I can tear myself away from my iPhone, I've got a crafty day ahead. I've got a layout in the works on my desk that I am loving. I hope I don't mess it up. (That new Studio Calico is one of my all time faves.) Also need to head to the Scrapper's Cove to pick up some new manuf. samples to make store displays. (fun!) Also...trying to figure out how to do some custom shapes in the new Silhouette software. Not exactly cracking the code here! Hope you have a fun day ahead!

The Counterfeit Kit

Remember my 'counterfeit kit'?

Well, even though I was completely lacking creative mojo this week I managed to finish a page that I started on Sunday:

here's a close up: 

I made the page pebbles into bingo chips that hold some of the elements. I've owned these page pebbles since 2007. I am thrilled that I finally used them. Even the cardstock base is old. That black and white polka dot is old 7 Gypsies. The red flowers were cut out of a Making Memories Valentine paper from 06, I think! I can't sing the praises of this 'stash shopping' concept enough. The gals at Counterfeit Kit Challenge are really onto something.

I've got more photos printed and will hopefully create another page or 2 before it's all said and done. Either way, I'm happy. I used materials that have been sitting in my stash for ages. I used color combinations that I would never have used and I like the way they look. All good :)

TCB Tuesday

My name is Valerie and I'm addicted to Pinterest.

Everyday I seem to discover something new about this amazing web site. I'm not sure when I will have exhausted all of the wonders of Pinterest, but until I do, and I have some free time, that is where you can find me!! Truly, last week I didn't even know what it was. Now I can't stop talking about it. (If you need an invite, let me know, I'm happy to enable :)

My name is Valerie and I'm addicted to these:

A few years ago, my husband and I were on a road trip somewhere and we were enjoying some Hershey's Kisses and little Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. I remember commenting at the time, "I wish they'd make these things unwrapped." He laughed at me and my laziness. Well, Hershey's must have been tuned in, because they have recently released 2 unwrapped versions of these things. First it was mini Kisses for baking, and now these Reeses Minis. I know, you say, "oh they are just like the Reeses Miniature Peanut Butter cups, how great can they be," Well, trust me, I'm an expert in this field and they are great. The chocolate to peanut butter ratio is different and the size and shape is smaller, making for a different Reeses experience. Give them a try, you won't be sorry.

Moving onto more crafty things...did you hear that The Studio has changed it's format a bit?

Now we're doing card challenges every other week. Stay tuned this Sunday for the first card challenge. I hope my crafty card peeps will join in. The sponsor this month is Masterful Scrapbooking Design. (MSD is
owned by Debbie Hodge and is a part of her Get It Scrapped! website, where she has provided online classes for memory keepers for three years.) This is a great prize and Debbie's seminars are packed with useful info. Would love to see a card maker take home the prize this month!! Amanda has also started a Studio Forum where you can come and chat and upload projects. Stop by and say hello. It's a nice, friendly community.

My blog pal and Twisted Sister Steph is about to launch her new challenge blog.

You can check out the basics here and keep an eye out on March 1 for the launch. She's got some gorgeous photo prompts for all kinds of crafters. Can't wait to see what everyone submits. Also, she's got a pretty sweet prize up for grabs right now. Check it out.

Off to work now but my iPhone is due to arrive today. I'm actually having a little anxiety now that it is going to be a reality. All the talk of Verizon getting the phone, the waiting. Now, today's the day! I know by this time next week I'll be wondering how I survived so long without it. So, what are the must have apps? Feel free to share :)

I'm nearing my 300th post - be on the lookout for a giveaway next week some time! Thanks for stopping by for my rambling TCB Tuesday! Enjoy the day!

All the Stuff

I've been lamenting lately over what to do with the ridiculous amount of supplies I have in my stash. So much paper and 'stuff' - I hate to keep purging it out. (I've done at least 3 major purges in the last year & a half.) Why do I keep buying all this stuff?
Ever since I joined the Studio Calico kit club, I find myself with little patience for searching through the reams of patterned paper and accessories. I find the 'putting together of the supplies' overwhelming & time consuming. I realized this when I did the "8 Is Enough" challenge last week for Ella. (I actually pulled most of those supplies from Studio Calico kits and the 'new stuff' crate on my desk.) Bringing me to my next realization: I like to work with the fresh stuff. For years I saved and hoarded the new items. Now I can't get the packages open fast enough. I've always kept a 'new stuff' pile nearby to my work space. Here's the current state of affairs in the  'new stuff' crate:

This is all the latest and greatest & the stuff I need to see to use - within arms reach of my chair. Underneath is all the extraneous paper I buy & the 2 latest Studio Calico kits. Fresh is the key word here. Once the misc. paper is more than 2 months old, I file it away into almost certain obscurity. (and speaking of fresh, these hideous paneled walls in our attic space are about to get a fresh coat of paint. When they do, I'll do my full crafty space photo post...)

So, last week while doing my usual web-trolling, I came upon a blog called "Counterfeit Kit." I had never heard of it but the name was intriguing - so I clicked. What a great idea these gals have. Here's the dilly-o: they post a picture of a current kit club kit. You then go through your stash and try to make a similar "counterfeit"  kit with stuff you already have in your stash. Then you make stuff with it and they post a couple of challenges, too. Then the next month, it starts over with a new kit.  Clever, no? I gave it a go this month - as it seemed like a great way to start using up the surplus! Here's my kit:

A little heavy on the red & black but that's ok, because I've got photos that will work with this combo. Here's the inspiration kit (from a club called Scraps of Darkness):

I think I did ok. I dug deep for some of these papers, and I know for a fact those page pebbles are from '07 and the bling '08. I went a little easy on the flowers as I tend not to use them, and I didn't make my kit as dark as the original. Have you ever tried this? If so, how did it go? I'll post some layouts from my 'kit' in a few days.

Oh, and yes, it is time for a new challenge at The Studio. Things have changed a bit over at The Studio. Stop by and check out the premier post by the new layout team. Next Sunday it will be the new card team's turn. So this week I get a little break. That's right, card challenges at The Studio, too.

Twisted Sketch #45

Twisted Sketches Saturday for me today. Today Anam's twist is "Two." (I'm in a Valentiney/grid mood as you are about to see.) Here's card number one...

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Basic Grey; tape: Pink Paislee; sticker: SRM; hearts, paper flag: Martha Stewart; pin: Tim Holtz; washed seam binding: Scrappers Cove

For this card I relied on the fact that there are 2 hearts, and 2 vertical elements to reinforce the twist. The ribbon fills in for the second horizontal element.

and here's my 'back up' card:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Basic Grey; chipboard: Maya Road; sticker: SRM; grid stamp: Practicing Creativity; twine: Martha Stewart; misc: buttons, paint

Same basic design here, just horizontal. I realize as I look at photos of these cards: vertical grid elements  look like buildings. Will have to store that in the memory bank. Do you ever see things differently once you photograph a project? Sometimes if I'm stuck on a project (card or layout) I'll take a quick photo so I can see it through different eyes. I don't know why, but it works like a charm every time!

You can see Anam's sketch for this week here, and also the work of the fab design team. Lot's of inspiration to be had on Twisted Sketches!!

The Others

Since it was my first month on the Practicing Creativity team, I had to be a bit of an over-achiever. So I made a couple of extra cards with "For The Love of Grids" I'd like to share today.  On this first card, I used the grids along with the Everyday Prints set from November:

I stamped the sentiment frame with white pigment ink then heat embossed with clear powder. I used my last scrap of Bazzill kraft with the white ink to stamp the grid and dots. Here I used it with a sentiment from Look Up! Additions from December:

Image removed for publication

For this one, I cut out alternating squares of the grid and wove some patterned paper through. Again I stamped with the white ink then heat embossed with the clear powder. Here's the set:

It went on sale last night & you can pick one up right here.

So yesterday was a pretty interesting day. Isn't it funny how some days, weeks go by...nothing happens, then all of the sudden, all kinds of things happen in one day. Some amazing things (which I'll be able to reveal in the spring) some bizarre (family related weirdness that I wish would just go away) & some just plain cool stuff (like the new iPhone 4 32 gig that is heading my way next week - point me to the App shop! LOL).

Tomorrow I've got my Twisted Card for this week, and the spare...see you then! Happy Friday!

8 Is Enough - with my Ella Friends

I was so excited (and terrified) to be included in Jenni's "8 Is Enough" challenge at Ella Publishing. The challenge: stretch only 8 products to make as many pages as possible.

I'm so bad at working with limits when it comes to this hobby. But I have to say, this was one of the most liberating experiences ever. I could have made 5 more layouts with this set of 8 products:

I made 3 pages for this challenge (and will continue to make even more - as they are giving my Disney album an awesome sense of continuity - a huge side bonus to supply stretching!) Here's are some detail shots of the 2 layouts that are on the Ella blog.

and here's layout number 3: 

My simple stretching tactics:  select patterns with similar color intensity, use only small amounts of said patterns, cut the paper embellishments apart, use letter stamps, and use the waste where you can. (for instance - the waste from the punched circles on the Dumbo page re-appears on the page above in between the 2 photos - can you see it?)

To read the whole article, see the rest of my layouts and list of supplies, stop by the Ella Publishing blog. Jenni, Keshet & Diana all did an amazing job with this challenge. There's also a chance to win a copy of "8 Is Enough"- so check it out!

For the Love of Grids

I've been working with grids in my papercrafts for forever. In scrapbooking, the grid has always been one of my favorite layout options. So perfect and symmetrical. This stamp set takes my love of the grid to a whole new level. Here's my third card for this month's release from Practicing Creativity:

Here's a close up of the flower area:

The flower is punched out of the grid area. I painted in the word 'birthday' and several of the boxes in the punched flower with watercolor. One of my favorite things about For the Love of Grids is how easily it works with the other Practicing Creatitvity sets I have in my stash. On this one I used  Nature's Wonder  from December:

The rest of the design team set out to combine For the Love of Grids with their faves today, too. So check out their blogs to see their amazing creations.

Karen Baker

Dana Seymour

Courtney Baker (she used the stamp on a layout!)

Also, Courtney would love to know which stamp set you'd love to combine with For the Love of Grids. Leave a comment on her blog for a chance to win the set!

And don't forget that this awesome set goes on sale tonight at midnight.