paper & cookies

Elle's Love Story

2012-01-28T08:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday...couldn't get here soon enough. It was a crazy week - and today we've got a lot on the plate, but at least tomorrow is free and clear. Planning some serious crafty time and a very long overdue visit to the Scrappers Cove. It snowed just enough last weekend to prevent me from getting up there. Most of the staff is at CHA this weekend shopping for new product. I guess I'll go in and help clear out some of the 'old'. (Funny how fast stuff gets 'old' in this hobby!) Anyway - can't wait until the CHA snapshots start flowing onto the blogs and Facebook pages of my crafty pals. And also getting excited that CHA summer will be here before you know it and I'll be heading to Chicago again.

Today I get to share one of the layouts I made with the Elle's Studio 'A Love Story' kit. By far one of my most favorite kits ever! So here's my page...If you've seen the kit (photo below) it's got lots of red, pink & turquoise, but it's also got a few masculine colors as well. That worked out great in this case with this photo I had of my son & father-in-law:

The ink I used to stamp the doily is a Stampin' Up grey. I'm loving all the grey showing up in the paper lines and used the pops of red to keep it from getting dull.

Aren't these little sewn flowers gorgeous? I used every single one and I'm feeling like I need a dozen more!! The Elle's tags have faux stitching - I added a little more:

Here's another view of the flower and the journaling:

And here's the kit if you haven't seen it yet.

This is a limited edition and will be gone when it's gone. Seriously versatile and seriously fun. Love this kit to pieces. (no pun intended!) For more inspiration, stop by the blog and check out more pages made from this kit - you can tell that everyone on the Elle's design team loved working with it!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Some more Elle's...

2012-01-25T07:32:00.000-05:00

Happy to report I survived the neverending Tuesday - too many appointments and obligations to list...just so happy it's finally Wednesday!

Today I've got the rest of my Elle's Studio gallery projects for this month. For this page I cut up a whole bunch of Pennants. Love those Pennants!

Here are the close ups:

I discovered the hard way that the best way to store twine is on a round clothespin or spool. That way it comes off the roll with a nice twist:

I also made these cards - lots of fresh Elle's with the help of some SRM too...

For this card, I stitched down the printed stitch line on the tag then trimmed out the hearts with an xacto blade - then I bent them up for dimension:

Here I used a little Pebbles, Inc, heart button to highlight the 14th:

Have you seen this? The Elle's Studio 'It's Love Story" kit. It's available now in the shop. I was lucky enough to get to work with one of these and it was so much fun. Once my projects go up on the Elle's blog I'll share them here. There were so many fun pieces of the kit, including those little handmade flowers (the colors are beautiful), the exclusive tags and that great exclusive doily stamp.

Get it while you can :)

Elle's Studio Gallery

2012-01-23T07:38:00.001-05:00

I'm really having a hard time believing my work is up in that gallery with those talented ladies. Have you seen this month's inspiration gallery at Elle's Studio? Wow, is all I have to say (and boy, do I feel lucky!) Thought I'd share my projects starting with this page:

I've scrapbooked this photo before but had to give the page away to my LSS for display. I needed to make one for me. A while back I mentioned I was liking the recent Close To My Heart offerings and ordered up a bunch of items - I put some of that to use for this project. I cut those numbers from one of the patterned papers. The little stars are canvas stickers. I popped them up with some dimensional adhesive. Here are some close ups:

The red chevron pattern is at the bottom of an Elle's Studio journal card (my favorite part about these tags are all the little details - they definitley add an extra layer of interest to a project)

Here's a part of the corner border at top left:

If you haven't already stopped by the Elle's Studio gallery you should. Such a great source of inspiration especially if you love Elle's tags like I do!

Another busy week on the way - will be back tomorrow with another project from the Elle's Gallery.
Have a great day!

Sunday At The Studio

2012-01-22T08:37:00.000-05:00

A new challenge at The Studio this week and this was a fun one. Julie challenged us to make a page inspired by a letter (Sesame Street style - as in 'this page is brought to you by the letter 'insert letter'). I had a few ideas for this layout and had a hard time settling on just one. (I might have to make a few more!) Here's what I put together:

I used a lot of my Brooklyn Flea kit from Studio Calico with a few other items thrown in. The base paper is from the Classic Calico line, the thickers (American Crafts) are from the Handmade kit, also a few Elle's tags throw in for good measure. Here are the close ups:

Definitely feeling the circles lately! So, want to play along with this fun challenge? Link up over at The Studio after you check out great design team inspiration. You could win this month's prize!

Today I'm headed to the city with the little girl for our annual trip to Lincoln Center for the ballet.
See you tomorrow with my Elle's gallery layouts.

In the spirit of sneak peeks...

2012-01-20T07:47:00.001-05:00

Are you loving all the CHA sneaks? I have to admit, I haven't had a ton of web surfing time this week so I've got lots of catch up to do over the weekend. What's caught your eye? I'm anxious to check out the new Studio Calico (loving the stamps I've seen so far) and the new American Crafts & October Afternoon. I've been loving the new Pebbles, Inc. lines and can't wait to work with those. Have you seen the sneak peek of the new Elle's Studio kit? I've been lucky enough to get an advance copy and I'm in the process of using every single scrap. I haven't killed a kit in ages! Elle & Jenni did an amazing job putting this one together. Here's a sneak peek of "A Love Story."

In the spirit of sneak peeks and Elle's Studio...I've got a couple of my own...from my projects for the Elle's Studio Inspiration Gallery this month (my first official!) The background paper on this page is Studio Calico & those buttons are Pebbles, Inc.:

I know I mentioned a while back I had rediscovered Close To My Heart and picked up a few items from the Fall catalog - well, I finally got to use some of the items I picked up on this layout...those big numbers are cut from one of the papers:

Stay tuned to Elle's - the new gallery will go up on the 22nd. Can't wait to see what everyone made this month. I'm having such a great time working on this team!

Noteworthy this week - I started school last night and was happy to see a familiar face in class. So relieved I'm not the only 'grown up' although the youngsters seem pretty serious (or at least more serious than I was at that age). Got a huge box of happy from SRM stickers this week and can't wait until tomorrow to dive in. A storage solution recon mission to Ikea might be in order! This weekend is the 6th anniversary of my favorite LSS The Scrappers Cove. Happy Anniversary Sue, Chris & Pat - you are doing an amazing job!! I love those gals and will definitely be paying them a visit tomorrow. Ikea and the Scrappers Cove on the same day - it sounds like a perfect day!

Happy Friday all!

Some happy news today...

2012-01-16T07:17:00.001-05:00

Happy to share today that I've been invited to join the SRM Stickers design team!

I've always loved SRM stickers but ever since I met Susan (owner of SRM) at CHA last summer, I knew I wanted to try out for this team. She's so cheerful and kind and very committed to her company & customers. I'm so excited to work with her this year. In honor of the big announcement day I whipped up this little Valentine's Day card - it's got a little of everything (Pebbles, Inc, Elle's Studio & SRM):

Here's the close up - the largest cloud is popped up with dimensional adhesive. I cut the word 'love' out of a few different sticker sentiments:

I'm extra happy that my pal Jan is also on the team - looking forward to sharing this fun year with her and the rest of the talented team members. You can see the full roster over at the SRM blog today - where there also happens to be a great giveaway going on - so stop on by and enter to win!

The First 12

2012-01-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

...the first 12 photos I took for the Ella Publishing Take Twelve Photo Challenge. And it was hard. (I don't know how you Project Lifers do it!) I kept forgetting to take pictures so I had to fill in the next day (shhh, don't tell anyone). Next month I vow to be more prepared and mindful. So, here are my first 12 photos. Let me caution you that the 12th was Thursday - which was a pretty boring day in my world. Work, carpools and pouring rain.

....in the first first batch - typical breakfast of choice, carpooling (fyi: I took that photo after I dropped off the kids at school :), work...

...in the second batch - a perplexing sign on my side of the highway, refueling Jersey style (ie: stay in the car/do not touch gas pump), a quick stop at the pharmacy where Valentine's Day is in full effect & my little 'bucket filler' of the month!

...the third batch: calendar review, some happy mail (snail style), busy night dinner choice and an overdue library book.

Yesterday I was happy to see the crafty mojo return in time to wrap up my first official Elle's Studio projects for the month. Looking forward to sharing those with you later in the week. Elle's got some really fun stuff in store for next month. Can't wait to share that too.

Back tomorrow with some good crafty news (it's been a great month!).
Thanks for stopping by!

Pebbles, Inc Double Week

2012-01-13T07:58:00.000-05:00

Are you noticing lots of summer themed pages on this blog? I guess because it's the dead of winter here in the US, I'm focused on one thing - getting to the Summer! Or at the very least, Spring!

This week was double page layout week over at Pebbles, Inc. I don't make them very often but when I do I feel so accomplished - like I've documented an entire story. For this page I used all of my favorite photos from an evening we spent at the beach last June. They have these free concerts on Wednesday nights and it's so nice just to sit there and have dinner and listen to some music...anyway, here's my page:

Here are a few close ups...I mixed a few different lines to make the border. I wanted to use wavy lines to connect the pages somehow, but didn't want to be too literal. I limited the waves and let them span the break in the pages. I trimmed that scallop-y Fresh Goods paper because I thought it looked nautical & wavy, too. For the most part, the colors in the border are pulled from the sand chair in one of the photos. Here's a title detail:

This little envelope, which you can only see the scalloped top of, holds all the extra little wallet sized photos that aren't on the page. The little clothespin helps to grab them...

I used a lot of Fresh Goods on this page, but also some Floral Lane and Happy Go Lucky. All of those Pebbles lines are so versatile. I can't wait to see what they have in store at CHA this month! For a full list of my supplies, and to see some more amazing double page layouts, stop by the blog today and keep an eye out for those Winter release sneaks!

I guess I can confess here that my first day of Ella's Take Twelve did not go as planned. I will re-organize and get my photos taken today & vow next month to take them all on the 12th!

Elle's Studio Sketch Thursday

2012-01-11T08:02:00.043-05:00

My first official appearance on the Elle's Studio blog is today. Along with Kimberly I worked on this week's sketch challenge which is presented every Thursday by Waleska. (You can see the sketch based on one of Keshet's pages right here.) I made 2 pages - the first one - wasn't sure if I liked it...this is attempt #2:

My page is made mostly with materials from the Studio Calico Glee Club kit from a few months ago. I added the white cardstock, the Amy Tan washi tape & the October Afternoon Flower Sack shapes from another kit's add on. I turned the sketch to use a vertical photo but wound up using 3 small horizontals.

Here are my close ups. On this one you can see the blue striped border of the Winter Large Journaling Card I used and a small pennant from Handmade Layers Birthday set. Also, the white tag that the title is from Little Snippets:

Here I layered 2 smaller tags on top of that big journaling card mentioned above. I typed my journaling onto strips because I know me - writing in a wide open space like that was bound to be a great big mess:

I swore off butterflies a few months ago - and here's one now with a small date tag:

My favorite things about these tags is how they add the illusion of stitching & dimension without the bulk. You can check out the sketch and Kimberly's page on the Elle's Studio blog today.If you link up an inspired project you could win a gift certificate to shope Elle's!

fyi...Here are all the Elle's items I used on this page:

Winter Large Journaling Tags

Everyday Tiny Tag Set

Daily Tidbits

Handmade Layers Birthday Penants

Lil' Snippets Days of the Week (Red)

It's the 12th - are you taking your pictures for Ella's Take Twelve? It is pouring here so that means it will be the point & shoot for my January 12 photos. I'll share my dozen over the weekend.

The Photo Shoot

2012-01-10T07:47:00.001-05:00

I got it into my head on Sunday morning that I needed a new head shot. There's nothing more stressful to me than having my picture taken and since the DH is traveling, it was either going to be a tripod/remote operation, or my kids were going to have to assist. I didn't have the patiece to do the set up so I enlisted my 8 year old girl. Of course, once the girl is involved with the 'big camera' the little boy wants to participate too. I remember my dad letting me use his big Nikon when I was very young and figured we couldn't do much harm. I used them as models to set the settings then handed over the camera. The lighting on Sunday was perfect, it was a pretty good hair day (lol) so the results were surprisingly good....here are my two faves, as shot by Marilyn & Christopher:

I probably should photoshop out all the background junk but not bad for grade schoolers!

Two more days until the 12th and I'm getting ready to start the Ella Publishing Take Twelve Photo Challenge. Also, if you haven't seen, the new Ella Publishing Friends have been announced. It sure was a great year working with Angie & Wendy - those gals are in for a great time.

Back later this week with a page I made for the Elle's Studio sketch challenge and a double I made for Pebbles, Inc. Hope you are having a great week!

Sunday At The Studio

2012-01-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

scroll to the next post to see the winner of the Ella Publishing Take 12 Challenge Giveaway...
Last week - it was a long week but it was a really good week - chock full of potential for the new year. It was the week Christmas got put away and everyone went back to school and work - after school activities started up again. I'm even going back to school; in 2 weeks I'll start a digital drawing certificate program at a local college. When I was in college, way back in the early 90s, we didn't use computers to draw. We drew by hand with tools that now look like antiques to me. Since then AutoCad and other digital graphics programs have become essential for interior designers. My self-taught AutoCad skills are pretty lame so it's high time I get back in a classroom and learn it once and for all. So here I go. I get to learn a bunch of cool 3d stuff & graphics programs, too - so I'm excited.

Today I've got my page for this week's challenge at The Studio. Julie asked us to make a page with 5 photos or more. Not a problem when you print em' small! I made this page that will start the fall/Halloween section of my album:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: MME; stickers: Echo Park

It never fails - when I leave something to the last minute and have to get it done fast the crafty mojo is nowhere to be found. Such was the case yesterday morning. When that happens, I'll go back to my completed albums and use one of my more successful projects as a sketch. How about you - what do you do when this happens?

The Studio Challenges design team did not seem to have this problem and you can check out their inspiring work right here. Link up your project and you could win this months prize!

Winner, Winner!

2012-01-08T08:35:00.000-05:00

Today I get to annouce the winner of my Ella Publishing Take 12 Photo Challenge giveaway - just a few more days before we start. I'm very excited for this project and haven't decided what camera I'm going to use, as the 12th this month is a Thursday - a really busy working Thursday. Have a feeling it will be the point & shoot or the iPhone - we'll see...so here's my winner:

Congratulations commenter #4!

5littlechickens said...

Never taken a photo challenge, but this looks like a fun one! I love the 12th idea!

Send me an email at valfm66@yahoo.com and I'll send you the download info!

Thanks everyone for playing along!

Still time to win...

2012-01-06T07:45:00.001-05:00

I've decided to keep the Take Twelve Photo Challenge giveaway open until Saturday night. Will pick the lucky winner on Sunday morning so please stop back then to see if you've won!

Just to get you in the mood - Angie Lucas has a great post up on the Ella Publishing blog to get you motivated & ready for the 12th.

To be entered to win,
comment on yesterdays post!

Good luck!

Ella's Take Twelve Giveaway!

2012-01-05T07:45:00.001-05:00

Today I've got something fun! My friends at Ella Publishing asked if I wouldn't mind helping them give away one of these:

...it's the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit!

Inspiring ideas, shortcuts, and printables for the 2012 Take Twelve Project.

Here's a little sampling of what's included with the project kit:

The goal of the 2012 Take Twelve Project is to take 12 photos on the 12th day of each month for a full 12 months—and scrapbook them! You can join in the fun any month of the year, but we hope you'll join in starting January 12. Get the scoop at ellapublishing.com/taketwelve.

Here's one of the page sketches by Donna Jannuzzi:

Love the concept for this mini - me, I haven't decided if I'm going to do a mini or full sized book yet....

Learn more about the history of the Take Twelve project and see the FAQ section.

So, the challenge today - if you choose to accept it - is to leave a comment here telling me what other photo challenges you have participated in, if any, for a chance to win this fantastic prize. I'll draw a random winner on Friday morning so be sure to comment by midnight. You'll have plenty of time to get your camera ready for the 12th!

Mix & Match at Pebbles, Inc.

2012-01-03T07:50:00.000-05:00

This week at Pebbles, Inc. I got to participate in 'Mix & Match Monday' on the blog; combine several lines to make a project. I hit my stash of scrap and made these cards:

The lines combined are New Addition 2011 (for the blue base), Fresh Goods, Floral Lane and a little Welcome Christmas, too...

You can find a complete list of my supplies on the blog. Next week I'll have a 2-page layout on the Pebbles, Inc. blog. I haven't made a 2 page layout since last winter. It feels so strange to have that much space and that many photos. Will share that next week.

Yesterday I nearly finished my December Daily. I've got one empty page with no photo and no idea what happened so I'll have to get creative. Otherwise, all there is to do is Dec. 25 then it's officialy complete. Considering I've never finished a DD before the following summer, I'm feeling pretty accomplished. I also took down all the Christmas decorations and put them away yesterday. It was a very productive day.

Now, back to the routine....hope you all have a great day!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T11:08:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

Ahh, January 2, 2012 - I've been waiting for this day since the day after Thanksgiving. I had such a hard time getting in the festive spirit this year. I'm so glad it's finally here and I can start putting away all the holiday stuff. We cooked our last big holiday dinner yesterday for 12 and all that clean up is done. Good friends, good food - we wrapped up the season with a feast. I will be officially glad when all the leftovers are gone -which includes all the new cookies and candy that arrived yesterday. Tomorrow it's back to the routine - which will be difficult at first but I'm looking forward to the structure.

Are you committing to any new year scrapbooking projects? While I love the idea of Project Life, I'm not convinced I could commit to it in 2012. This is going to be a busy year and since I barely can keep up with a December Daily, I just don't think it's in the cards for me. I love the idea of Ella's Take 12 Challenge.

I'm going to try this because I think I can handle it. I also love the idea of having a complete album at the end of the year. One layout a month is do-able for me. Here are the details if you want to check it out.

I've got a few cards on the Pebbles, Inc. blog today that I will share here tomorrow and I'll close with a couple of simple Valentine's I made a few weeks ago (also with Pebbles,Inc.- With Love line).

...love these cute die cut kraft tags and those masking tape stickers!

...that's an Amy Tan shape for Silhouette. I love Valentine's Day and couldn't help but notice while in the mall 2 days ago that all the stores are stocked with heart-shaped candy boxes. Bring it on! Once we get past January, it's a hop, skip and a jump to spring!

Hope you all have a great day!

Pebbles, Inc. Sketch

2011-12-30T07:56:00.000-05:00

This week at Pebbles, Inc. I got to work with a great sketch by Becky Fleck. I stuck pretty close to the actual sketch, which you can check out on right here on the Pebbles, Inc. blog. Here's my page:

After the page was finished and photographed, I noticed the unplanned bonus that occurred; the kraft letters appear to be cut out from the white ledger to reveal background. I love when something like that happens which is why as I'm working on a page, I'm usually taking photos of it with my iPhone. I'm not sure why but seeing the page in progress, once step removed, helps me to see details I might not notice otherwise - like big holes in the layout, un-balance or wierd patterns formed by the elements. Anyway, I wish it had actually occurred to me to do the cut outs instead of the stickers - it would have been a cool effect. Next time...Here's a close up of the kraft letter illustion:

And 2 more details:

For a full list of all the Pebbles, Inc. goodies used on this page, stop on by the blog. I mixed a few lines here - which is one of many great things about Pebbles paper lines - they are easily mixed.

Hope you had a great week. I'm currently in denial of impending required NYE celebrations....

Some Simple Tags

2011-12-29T08:22:00.003-05:00

After a little hiatus, I dove back into my December Daily yesterday. I'm determined to finish this one even though I've got a few gaps where I forgot to take a photo or write any notes. I will share some photos over the weekend but will refrain from torturing you with each and every page - since they are not all show-stoppers. I know you've looked at a lot of December Dailies by now!

I also made a few gift tags yesterday. Have a few events coming up for people who expect craftiness from me so I couldn't disappoint. Didn't have the luxury of time so I kept them on the simple side. For this birthday gift tag, I used some SRM stickers - love that big formal font:

materials: patterned paper: Studio Calico; stickers: SRM, tape: American Crafts; string: Pink Paislee

Here's another that will head out on New Years Eve. I picked up these cute maple veneer tags at Paper Source in Princeton last week. (I could have spent the entire day and an entire paycheck in that store - It's a good thing I live an hour away from that place!) I learned that yes, you can heat emboss onto wood veneer:

materials: veneer tag: Paper Source; sticker: SRM; snowflake stamp: Studio Calico; string: Martha Stewart; embossing powder: Stampin Up' staple: Tim Holtz; ribbon: October Afternoon

And one last one - for a little 'thank you' gift. Again, loving that big formal script font on the sticker:

materials: veneer tag: Paper Source; sticker SRM: ribbon, heart button: Pebbles, Inc.; pin: Tim Holtz

Tomorrow I'll have a Pebbles, Inc page to share then it's time to get ready for the last weekend of the holiday season. Even though I detest NYE, we always wind up going out every year to my in-laws, then usually have people over on New Years Day. Ugh, NYE, blech!

Any other NYE haters out there? I know I can't be the only one...

Ready for the New Year!

2011-12-26T12:52:00.001-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. We certainly did. I love that my kids want to wear pajamas all day and play with toys. I love that they can!

I don't know about you but I've been looking forward to this day for many weeks; the day after Christmas. The shopping is done, the rushing around is done and we are on the verge of the most 'organizationaly-friendly' time of the year. Lots of purging and putting things back where they belong. I can even manage to get my husband interested in getting things organized. (Maybe I can even convice him to rent us a small dumpster...a girl can dream, right?)Then, there's nothing like that post holiday trip to Ikea for the necessary storage systems. I love it. (this year I've got another Expedit on the list, as well as a new desk chair.)

In the scrapbooking and cardmaking world I say goodbye to my term as an Ella Friend -it's been so much fun working with Ella Publishing over the past year and getting to know the rest of the friends - the high point being when we got to meet up at CHA last summer. I won't ever forget that fun trip. Whoever you new Ella friends are - you are going to have a great time! Giving up one 'Ell' for another...I get to say hello to a new team:

Elle's Studio! Yipee! I'm so thrilled to be on this team and a little nervous, since there are some pretty amazing designers on the list. You can check out the list of talented designers right here. Elle's got some amazing things in store this year and I'm excited to be a part of her team.

Got this shiny new planner as a Christmas gift - can't wait to sit down and fill in all the important info -

I know digital calendars are probably more popular right now but I need to write stuff down on a paper calendar to actually remember to do them. I will never be able to give them up. Definitely another favorite past time for the new year. Love a fresh calendar!

Tomorrow I have my first appointment at a local college where I plan to start courses this winter. Need to return to obtain some necessary and long overdue work-related digital drawing skills. Excited to go back to being a student but a little worried about being the 'old' student. Hopefully, there will be some other 'returning' students there with me!

How about you - are you happy we are on the other side of the 25th?

Midight Rooster Projects

2011-12-24T07:31:00.000-05:00

I've got my last 2 Midnight Rooster projects today. I used the December Papermint Mocha kit to the point where all I have left is a small envelope of scrap. I love when that happens! This kit had everything I liked, vintage papers, graphic papers, paper with type on it, small letter stickers, kraft, fabric, tags....without further ado, here they are:

This card features a cool little handmade embellishment supplied by Tobi - a little scalloped banner. I was feeling a little Christmasy so I made it into a wreath shape:

I stapled on some Studio Calico butterflies and curved the sentiment banner for some dimension:

I can't thank Tobi enough for letting me guest design with one of her gorgeous kits! If you are feeling the need for a little holiday treat, stop by her shop and pick one up. You will not be disappointed!

Now, it's back to baking for me. The new oven went in on Thursday night and has been very busy ever since. It's going to be a small cookie bakefest this year, but it will do. If you are celebrating, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Pebbles, Inc. Christmas Cards

2011-12-22T19:39:00.000-05:00

All week Pebbles, Inc. is sharing some fun holiday cards on the blog. Today I've got my quick and easy holiday contribution:

I knew I wanted the type to be the focal point on these cards and loved how the kraft letter stickers mixed with the red cursive ones - so I kept the remainder of embellishment to a minimum. The striped patterned paper served as a background to smooth white cardstock. I love using diagonal stripes like this because they look the same on all 4 sides of the card. (Did you ever do this with a regular stripe and it only works on the sides? That's why diagonals are best.) Here are some close ups...for this card I used a rub on in place of the red font - I used the felt embellishments on all 3 cards:

the silver stitching adds a little bling and a nice frame to the graphic elements:

Here's the one that started it all - was dying to use that felt holly:

For a list of my supplies, all Pebbles, Inc. from the Welcome Christmas collection, except the white cardstock - stop by the blog. Great card making inspiration there!

So, are you ready for the big day? For us, the Eve is when we entertain so I'm starting to get a little nervous. With a brand new oven in place, I'm ready for the cooking to begin. Luckily, I'm done with work now until next week. There is much to do - I hope you are all enjoying the season!

More Midnight Rooster Projects

2011-12-20T07:58:00.000-05:00

Did I mention I killed that Midnight Rooster kit? I know it was my job this month to kill it but it was really easy to do! Here are 2 more of my projects - the mini album:

This is small - a little larger than a wallet sized photo. I made it from a trading card page protector sheet - cut into 3 strips and sew together to make an accordian album:

The album documents a day out with co-workers last year, on our annual holiday outing. Last year happened to be a trip to Clinton, NJ - one of the most charming places in New Jersey. Back in the day I actually worked in Clinton and took all that charm for granted. I'm glad I got to go back as a tourist! At Christmas, it's like stepping into a Currier and Ives image.

here's the back:

I mentioned yesterday that Tobi includes some adorable handmade embellishments - here's a little item I made with a felt & fabric item that was in the kit:

It's a little wallet to hold straight pins - it's tiny, about 3" x 2" wide:

I'll be back tomorrow with my last 2 projects and on Thursday I'll have some Pebbles, Inc. cards to share.

Still no oven. Repair guy is coming today and hopefully will tell us it's an easy fix. Otherwise our Christmas Eve feast will be a pizza party this year!

Midnight Rooster 'Paper' mint Mocha

2011-12-18T22:03:00.002-05:00

'I'm happy today to share some of the projects I made for Midnight Rooster. What a great time I had working with this month's kit 'Paper' mint Mocha - now available for purchase. I really love these kits and was so excited & honored I got to be a part of the reveal. Besides a great mix of paper and embellishments, Tobi includes some adorable handmade embellishments - this month they came packaged in glassine envelopes that were zig zag stitched closed. I love details like that!
Here's a photo from when I opened up the kit - you can see the embellishment envelope:

You can also see those Pink Paislee Mistable trims...one of my all time favorite supplies ever! Check out the full kit contents at the Midnight Rooster Shop. Here are 2 of the layouts I made:

One of the handmade embellishments is the tag - it has a strip of fabric stitched onto the lower edge. There was also a piece of fabric included with this kit, as well. I used it to make that little flower on the tag. (I added the button from my stash.)

For this page, I used the Pink Paislee Wood Shop letters - first I misted them with red ink (Mister Huey, Schoolhouse), then went over them with some Jenni Bowlin ink (Cough Syrup). I stacked them up for dimension onto another one of those cute handmade tags:

Here's the close up - I like that the letters vary in color slightly:

To make those circles in the background I used a circle die to cut a few of the papers. I cut them apart, mixed them up, then pieced them back together. I'll post the rest of the projects later in the week - you can also check out the Midnight Rooster Flickr group to see the rest of them and the work of the design team, as well. Thanks so much to Tobi and the design team for letting me play along with them this month!

So..I was really bummed yesterday when I went to preheat my oven for "Bakefest 2011" only to discover it was broken. I'm trying to grasp the reality that this might be the first Christmas I haven't baked cookies since 1993. It's not an easy thing to get my head around. Hopefully the oven will get fixed in time to make one or two batches.
Hope you had a great weekend!

Sunday At The Studio

2011-12-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

What a difference a week makes. As of today, I'm 90% done with my shopping, which is such a relief. Today I dive into the cookie baking. I'm even managing to keep up with my December Daily, which I'll share more of this week. Finally, it feels like Christmas to me!

This week at The Studio, Jules gave us another holiday challenge: make a page about our favorite gift, given or received. I knew I'd make a page about the little blue box...

That box contained my engagement ring and came with a proposal. I call it the 'gift that changed everything' because it did. We were married and expecting our first child by the following Christmas.

I used the December Studio Calico kit & an add-on, along with some October Afternoon items I picked up to go with it. I stamped the 'let love grow' onto the backside of one of those wood tags by MME. The stamp is Studio Calico. Love that typewriter font.

Kept it simple since it's getting a little hectic around here. I hope you'll stop by the Studio Challenges and check out what the design team did. It was a fun challenge and the gallery reflects that! There's an awesome prize up for grabs this month so I hope you'll play along with us!

Time to preheat the oven - hope you have a great day!

A few more sneaks...

2011-12-14T07:40:00.000-05:00

A few more Midnight Rooster sneaks today - I will reveal my full projects in a few days when the December kit is revealed. Can't wait! In the meantime.....

All I have left of this kit is a handful of scraps. It was that good!

How horrible is it that I have not yet taken our holiday card photo? Forget the ordering of the cards...the photo doesn't even exist yet. How about that I've barely dented the Christmas lists for my kids? Did I mention I'm having a hard time with the holiday this year? Maybe I know subconsciously that this is probably the last Christmas my daughter will fully believe in Santa and I'm just not dealing with it that well.
Ok, don't want to be a holiday downer....somehow I still seem to be making progress on The December Daily. I hope you are in better shape than I am but if you need or want to commiserate - feel free to comment away!

Guest Designing for Midnight Rooster

2011-12-13T07:56:00.001-05:00

When I got the email from Tobi to be the guest designer for Midnight Rooster I was extremely excited. If you are not familiar - Midnight Rooster is a kit club and Tobi sure knows how to mix the product each month. She also includes some great little exclusive handmade embellishments. The kits are gorgeous!

Today I've got a little sneak peak of some projects I made with the gorgeous, soon to be revealed, December kit:

I spy some Crate, Pink Paislee and Studio Calico here!

You can check out some more sneaks on the Midnight Rooster blog this week!
Hope you had a good weekend. They go by so fast. I did accomplish a few of the items on my list but not nearly as many as I hoped. How about you - all ready for the season?

Winner and losers

2011-12-11T09:36:00.002-05:00

Sorry I’m a little late posting my Ella Publishing blog hop winner – without any further delay, the winner of a $10 Ella Publishing gift card, which can be used to download any title from the Ella library is…

Commenter # 17, goldenblind221 a.k.a. Jacelyn. Congratulations!! Email me at valfm66@yahoo.com and I will send you a download code!

And now for a loser of sorts – a card rejected from a recent publication call. (happy to say at least 1 of the cards I made for the call did make the cut - which totally made my day). I used some Pebbles, Inc. Fresh Goods for this project and used a format similar to a pieced flower card I made about a year ago:

Love how the patterns in this line mix together. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

Today is crazy. I absolutely, positively need to finish my holiday decorating and put the boxes away! I also need to take the photo for our Christmas card (I always leave this to the very list minute). Also guess I should start doing some shopping - trying not to freak out about how far behind I am. Oh, and the cookie baking...can't forget about that either! Do you have all kinds of crazy to-do lists going too?

Stop by tomorrow when I start sneaking some projects I made for a really fun guest designing gig!

Some more December Daily

2011-12-09T07:43:00.001-05:00

Feels like everyone is doing a December Daily this year. I'm seeing so much fantastic inspiration all over the web. I've been working on mine and managing somehow to keep up. Thought I'd share a few more layouts with you - from days 2-7. Here we go...Day 2 - is petty straighforward. Trying to stick with one photo per day so it doesn't feel so overwhelming...

Day 3 & 4 - a few things going on here:

On day 3 I used the journaling sheet to make a little sleeve to hold a photo and the program from a puppet show we attended:

On day 4 I stitched down a small photo sleeve to add a detail shot of my kids decorating the tree:

Day 4 is continued here as we had an unexpected visit to Santa which needed documenting (this is why I never number the pages first). Day 5 was a Monday with not much going on so I snapped this photo (at right) of Chris in the morning as soon as he found our magic elf:

Here's day 6 and 7 - craft day at school so I took a photo of Christopher's handiwork. 7th was quiet so I used the page to document our favorite holiday movies:

Happily, my Studio Calico box arrived on Wednesday with a bunch of Crate holiday product so I've been adding that in with my Elle's kit, along with some SRM stickers and Martha Stewart paper tape. Those notebook pages are Jenni Bowlin Studio and the Polaroid stamp is Studio Calico.

Still a little time to enter to win a copy of the new Ella Publishing eBook 31 Thank Yous - just add your comment on my post from Monday. I'm going to pick my winner tonight! Good luck.
TGIF!

The December Daily, So Far

2011-12-06T07:42:00.003-05:00

Plugging away on the December Daily. I try to make it super simple but it just seems to take on a mind of it's own. I'll let the photo's do the talking...finally wrapped up the cover:

The book is 6 x 6 and relies heavily on my Elle's Studio Tis' The Season kit. I picked up some pre-cut squares of chipboard to make the front and back covers. Here's the opening layout. I took a tip from Ella Friend and all-around amazing scrapbooker Jenni Hufford and started with a little of November. Mainly because my daughter had a cookie-baking Brownie meeting on November 30th that resulted in this adorable illustrated cookie bag. I didn't have an actual page for it so I folded it up and tucked it into the strings from the front cover. I paperclipped the label and date right onto the bag. The "Christmas 2011" die cut is from my Elle's Studio kit and is sewn onto a clear transparency (Hambly).

Before I even start - my proposed 'format' is already broken here on Day 1! See - it's got a mind of it's own! I wanted to include a chunk of the box from my kid's advent calendar, couldn't figure out how to put it on my pre-made pages - so I had to make it into a page of its own. I added the journaling on a note pad sheet, formatted the same way as my base pages:

Here are my base pages. I only made about 10 of these because I know what happened on Day 1 is bound to happen again. No point in wasting pages. These are reinforced where the holes will be punched with some paper tape (Tim Holtz) and silver stitching (I use a lot of silver thread at Christmas!). One side is printed, the other typically a solid (ivory or kraft). Again, the papers are all from my Elle's Studio kit.

I'll post so more pages tomorrow!

I was up late last night making cards for a Paper Crafts call. Thank goodness Utah is in a time zone 3 hours behind NJ because the crafty mojo did not kick in until I had already left for work yesterday morning. I even took the photos in the dark - and they weren't that bad. Hopefully the editors at the magazine will agree.

Oh - there's still time to win the Ella Publishing eBook - just leave a comment on my post from yesterday - you have until Thursday night!

Ella Friends Holiday Card Blog Hop

2011-12-05T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hello! If you've arrived from Jennifer's blog, thanks for joining in on our blog hop...
As you may already know, in celebration of the release of Ella Publishing's newest eBook 31 Thank You Cards, and keeping in mind the holidays are upon us, the Ella Friends are hosting a holiday card blog hop!

If you've lost your way, here is the hopping order:

Brenda
Monika
Donna
Francine
Jenni
Jennifer
Valerie (you are here!)
Keshet
Mary Jo
Diana

The very talented Brenda Johnston organized us and challenged us to make a holiday cards inspired by this new book. Just in time for your holiday card making - I'm sure this hop will get the creative juices flowing! Here's mine (one of many inspired by this book) inspired by a card on page 16 by Kristina Werner - the prompt: 'make an eye-catching accent cluster'

The 'accent cluster' is my go-to technique, usually surrounded or contained in some kind of shape - in this case a stamped image of a Polaroid-style frame. Here's a close up:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper, stickers: American Crafts; stamp: Studio Calico; ink: Jenni Bowlin Studio

If you have the card making phobia, or are just stuck in a crafty rut, this book can help! Leave a comment here telling me how many handmade cards you plan to send this year for the holidays and you will be entered to win your own copy of this handy & informative eBook! (I'll draw a random winner on Friday!)

Next stop is fellow Jersey girl Keshet. Love her fun & colorful style!

I'm so grateful we had a few extra months to enjoy being part of this great team. I can't wait to hear who the new Ella Friends are. Whoever you are, you are in for one fun year working with talented people!
Okay, now go hop!

Sunday At The Studio

2011-12-04T07:28:00.000-05:00

This month at The Studio, our talented team member Jules is setting the challenges. This week she asked us to use papers from a holiday line to make an everyday page. Luckily, most holiday lines have lots of brown and green patterns. Here's what I put together with some SEI Christmas papers...

I mixed in some American Crafts and October Afternoon to make it less Christmasy..here's a close up:

materials: patterned paper: SEI; tape, people sticker: American Crafts; 'adventure' card, buttons, tab sticker, label: October Afternoon; Poloroid stamp, journal card: Studio Calico; ink: Jenni Bowlin; letter stickers: Webster's Pages

I hope you will play along with us this month. Our sponor, The Scrapbook Garden, has provided a great Authentique prize pack for our winner. So stop by and get inspired and link up your page (it's a great way to use up holiday paper stash!)

Spent a good chunk of my day yesterday getting my December Daily together. I'll share my progress with you this week. We are trimming the tree today but I'll be back tomorrow with my final Ella Friends blog hop. Hope you will come and check us out!

Getting in the Mood!

2011-12-03T09:11:00.000-05:00

It certainly is beginning to look like Christmas around here. Thought I'd share a few holiday photos I took this week. Part of my conscious effort to take at least one photo each day for my December Daily, which I started putting together last night using my Elle's Studio kit. Here's a peek at my cover - still very much a work in progress - love those chunky glitter Thickers!:

Stopped by my favorite garden center in Rumson on Thursday and took these pictures....
Don't these look yummy? Too bad they are glass ornaments - would love to do a little display like this:

Little elf clothes on a clothesline - this could be fun to re-create on a cake, no? Kind of like a banner. Use real candy canes and make the clothes out of fondant? Inspiration is everywhere!

Speaking of elves, our little guy has been up to no good around here:

Wish I could take responsibility for this idea, because it was a HUGE hit, but it was something I found on Pinterest. My kids were actually a little worried that the elf was going to get banished from the house for writing on something that wasn't paper with a permanent marker. (this is a big no-no in our house) They were so concerned they took all our Sharpies and put them away in my desk so the elf wouldn't write on anything else.

Today we are going to start the Christmas tree and finish the rest of the house decorating. We also have to go see a Nutcracker puppet show this morning for scouts. That should be cute. Yep, definitely starting to feel like Christmas here.

One more thing...have you seen the re-designed Pebbles, Inc. blog? It's looking gorgeous and there's a giveaway up to win some of the awesome new With Love line. It's a really cute Valentine line and it's got those awesome sticky notes and masking tape stickers, too. Stop by and leave a comment to win!

Happy Saturday everyone!

The Album Project

2011-12-02T09:18:00.001-05:00

It's good to be back!
Do you put your finished projects in albums right away? Do you have a system?

I'm one of those people that lets the projects pile up to crazy heights before I put them in books. I never used to be that way. When I first started scrapbooking I would only work chronologically, filling in 2 separate albums as I went; one for my daughter and one for my son, one for each year. Here's a glimpse...(circa 2005-06)

Although I did manage to record a lot of information and have 3 years of completed books for each of them, I started to get really bored with the process. Did I also mention that all of the layouts were 2 page layouts?

I didn't start making single pages until about 3 years ago. Anyway...once I broke out of that 2-page/chronological rut and started scrapbooking whatever I felt like, things got a little out of hand.

Well, last week I couldn't take it anymore. I spent a chunk of the long weekend coming up with a system and putting it into effect. I filled up 8 new American Crafts d-ring album binders - and now need to pick up about 4 more and I'll feel like I'm in a good place. I broke them down into the following categories: Winter/Spring, Fall/Halloween, Summer, About Me, Dancing/Recitals, Christmas, School & Home/Places in NJ. I'm sure I will add as I go along. The Summer & Fall books are already at capacity and will need to be broken down by a range of years so I can start fresh books. As far as I can tell so far, this system is going to work. The cool thing about a project like this is I am now able to see where the information gaps are. I also learned that despite not liking to scrap about myself, or make pages featuring me, I do it a lot more than I thought I did! Exhibit A: The 'About Me' book...

Looks like Volume II is going to get added to the collection. Another huge problem for me is the management of the 'stuff': the ticket stubs, school certificates, recital programs, etc. I am saver - I save every little scrap and piece of ephemera. With this system, I just put the items in page protectors and call it a day.

It's so satisfying to get these items out of the basket I've been saving them in, and into a book, where they belong. Ahh, life is good! Next up, the photos. Backing them up, printing them, etc. I've started to back them up online but I'm far from in control of that situation.

Moving along...I'm working on a few other projects, too, but nothing I can share at the moment. I did get this little baby in the mail and I'm dying to work with it:

The Elle's Studio Christmas kit. Isn't that stamp adorable! Not sure what I'm going to make with it yet but I'll figure it out. I'm resisting December Daily with all my might this year but I have a feeling this is going to push me over the edge. It's that adorable.

Also be on the lookout for my final Ella Publishing Friend blog hop on Monday. Looking forward to that. Can't wait to hear who the lucky new Ella Friends are!

Now I'm looking forward to some time off to get crafty - hope you had a great week!

Christmas Ella List It!

2011-11-22T07:58:00.000-05:00

Just in time for your holiday scrapbooking, Ella Publishing's Christmas Edition of List It! is available now.

I had so much fun working on this one (and so grateful to Ella for being patient with me through my photo woes)!

How cool would it be to incorporate these List It! journaling cards into a December daily album? I know I always have those days where not much happens, I forget to take a picture, or I have no idea what to write. One of these list prompts could easily fill in the gaps. For example, the one I used ("My Must See Holiday Movie List") would make a great addition to a DD. Here's a full shot of the page I made - which gets to share the cover with a page by the awesome Wendy Smedley:

and here's a close up:

materials: patterned paper, felt stickers, buttons, dimensional sticker, envelope, tinsel ribbon, sticky note: Pebbles, Inc.; number strips: Creative Imaginations; 'makes me happy' flag: K & Co.

So, by now I'm sure you've seen that Ella Publishing is searching for a new team of friends. Working along with Angie, Wendy and my Ella Friends has been an amazing experience. I'm so sad to leave but have enjoyed my extended term immensely. Here's a link with all the details - if you are interested in being an Ella Friend, don't hesitate. This is a great opportunity!

Sunday At The Studio

2011-11-20T16:56:00.000-05:00

For this week's challenge at The Studio, Tessa asked us to make a page about something we are thankful for, but not something big, like family, friends, health, etc. Rather, something small, maybe even superficial. I have a big list of those but here is what a chose to highlight:

ahh, Laura Mercier - my small indulgence. You are not inexpensive, but you are worth it!

Here is my page, which is mostly made from items from the Studio Calico Glee Club kit:

here's the close up:

materials: patterned paper: Sassafras Lass; letters, stickers: American Crafts; border stickers, Polaroid stamp: Studio Calico; small letters: MME; flowers: Basic Grey

So I hope you will stop by The Studio and play along. As always, the design team has a lovely collection of projects to share for you inspiration - and there is a great prize up for grabs!

Still working on Thanksgiving prep, also the start of my scrapbook album organization project (more on that later this week) but taking a break now for the Homestead race.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-19T08:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks everyone for sharing your comments here on my blog. Looks like lots of people are going to do some form of a December Daily this year. Making those projects for the Pebbles, Inc. blog definitley put me in the holiday mood! The winner of my little Pebbles, Inc. giveaway is:

That's Ryann Salamon! Congrats Ryann - contact me with your address and I'll mail out your goodies!

I'll leave you with a little peek of a project I worked on this week for Ella, using some more of that awesome Pebbles, Inc. 'Welcome Christmas' line. Love those Silhouette shapes, (and Patrick Stewart) too!

Have a lovely day everyone - lot's of Thankgiving prep to start around here. 18 people coming for dinner - that's a record for us but I'm really looking forward to it!

Pebbles + Silhouette II

2011-11-16T07:37:00.001-05:00

So, do you have a Silhouette? They seem to be on everyone's must-have list right now. So many cool ways to get the shapes than there were when I first got mine back in 08'. I have the original and have always been very happy with it. Still works like a charm. I don't use it everyday but enough to justify it's place on my desk.

I've got one more Pebbles, Inc. + Silhouette page to share today. For someone who is dreading the approach of Christmas and the holiday season, I sure have been busting out the holiday themed projects! On this page, I used the Welcome Christmas line:

Here are the details - which give a better look at the Silhouette shapes I used. Here's the 'home' sentiment - I used the negative shape and backed it, along with a poinsettia shape:

Here are those cute little trees - with white button 'snow'

There's still time to win the Pebbles, Inc. goodies from yesterday. Leave a comment on that post for your chance to win.

It's Wednesday - thank goodness we are going over the hump! Hope you have a great day!

Pebbles + Silhouette + Giveaway

2011-11-15T07:56:00.002-05:00

Got to play with some Silhouette shapes for Pebbles, Inc. for my November DT projects. Pebbles, Inc. has a brand new batch of downloadable shapes for the Silhouette and they coordinate with the current paper lines: Fresh Goods, Welcome Christmas, Floral Lane and the 2 New Addition lines. Here's one of the projects I put together with some Welcome Christmas gift tags. I cut the tags to about 3 x 5 and made them into this mini which I'm hoping will serve as my 'abridged' December Daily this year:

I backed each of the die cut tags with a patterned paper from the line..Also cut the little trees and the kraft labels (those are a Fresh Goods shape)...each of the tag pages & backs are big enough to hold a small photo and some brief journaling:

I added in some Smash journaling sheets and altered them with some Girls Paperie word stickers...

I used some Pebbles masking tape stickers along with some little heart shaped paper clips from the new soon-to-be released With Love line...

I made some of the tag-sized pages into envelopes to hold small pieces of ephemera like tickets, receipts, etc...and threw in a little tinsel ribbon too...

So that's my tag mini. I know it's only about 10 pages - hardly a December Daily, but I know me and my history with the December Daily. I've been lucky to complete 10 out of the 25 so I feel like I've got a good chance of completion with this little album. Are you doing a DD this year? Did you buy a kit or are you winging it with your stash? Leave me a comment and I'll draw a random winner for these cool Pebbles products on Friday:

These are 2 of my current faves - the Welcome Christmas ribbon assortment and the Fresh Goods sticky notes...both used on the album above.
All week is Silhouette week on the Pebbles, Inc. Blog - stop by and check out those cool shapes in action!

A Sunday Layout

2011-11-13T11:26:00.000-05:00

Hello - thanks so much for sticking with me! I'm so glad it's the weekend!

Happy to say that I finally cracked open the box with my Studio Calico kit from last month (Field Guide). I have seriously got to start using these kits - they are piling up like crazy and I'm losing track of their contents with my current storage system. Behold, the storage system:

I really need to print out the contents lists and attach them to the bags. This box (that I got at Home Goods) only fits about 11 bags. When I get to 11- I take apart the oldest one (or the one that I've used up the most) and add it to the 'stash'. On the positive side, I've hardly purchased any scrapbooking supplies since July. Simply because I haven't had time. So at least the kits bring fresh goods into the house each month.

Ok, so here's my page - which features a photo of me at the Dover 500 last month with my fave driver Mark Martin :)

How sad is it that it's not the real Mark Martin, but a giant image of him on the side of a truck? When I saw this large tractor trailer I wondered what it would be like to be driving along the turnpike and seeing this thing roll by. I'm sure I'd be scrambling for my camera at 80 mph. Anywho...I was going for a whole circular wheel/race track thing here - I broke out my CM circle cutter to remove a curved strip of the gray paper:

On a side note, Mark Martin has a fan appreciation day at his car dealership every April. I keep ~~threatening~~ telling my husband that we are going to go. Then I could get a photo of me with the actual M.M. before he retires. I'm not a die hard NASCAR fan, but definitely a Martin fan and the idea of a road trip from NJ to Arkansas sounds kind of fun, no? Looks like Batesville, AK is close to Memphis, so we could swing by Elvis' place while we are there.

The weather is gorgeous here today but I'm committed to staying in and catching up on some projects so I'm not scrambling at the end of the week. Also have 2 large elm-tree's worth of leaves on my front yard that need to be dealt with. Busy day ahead - hope yours is a good one!

Sunday At The Studio

2011-11-06T07:45:00.000-05:00

Good to be back making pages for The Studio Challenges! I missed the last challenge because I was away so I was happy to get back in the game. The super talented Tessa is setting the challenges this month and for this week she asked us to give up the die cutting machines and add some hand-cut shapes to our pages. shudder - you know how I love my machines....here's what I made:

I used last month's Studio Calico kit (untouched until yesterday) to make this page. My hand-cut shapes are the title and the little banner that I made from a strip of scrap. Here's the close up:

Tessa is also supplying the prize for this month's winner, which is an assortment of her gorgeous handmade embellishments from her shop Precocious Paper. Simply link up your projects in the comment section of this Studio post and you are in the running. As always, The Studio team put together an amazing gallery for your inspiration! So I hope you'll stop by.

Working on some Pebbles projects today and hopefully a few others as well. Hope you have a great day on tap - these last few weekends before the holiday turmoil sets in are so precious to me. I'm seriously dreading the holiday pressure this year. How about you - ready, not ready?

31 Thank You Cards

2011-11-03T07:50:00.000-04:00

not here....here:

Got my copy of this last week - 31 Thank You Cards, the newest Ella Publishing eBook - and have been thoroughly enjoying it.

I'm taking lots of inspiration from Kimber, Heather & Krstina, the authors of this book. Each of the 31 entries focus on a different approach or technique to making the card. Here's a tag I made inspired by several of the prompts:

materials: tag: Jillibean Soup; tape, transparency: Hambly; stickers: SRM, Girls Paperie; string: Pink Paislee; pin: Maya Road; ribbon: American Crafts

I made those circles by sticking strips of washi tape onto a piece of clear transparency then stitching the bands. Then I ran the little sheets through the Big Shot with some circle dies. You can read more about how I made this tag over at the Ella Publishing Blog.

Oh, and have you seen this? The official call is up for the 2012 Ella Friends. It's been so great working alongside the Ella Publishing team and getting to know my Ella Friends - you will love this - apply!!!

We were spared...

2011-10-30T15:47:00.000-04:00

the 'Halloween snowstorm' thank goodness! All over our state and up in Connecticut, trees are down and power is out - oh, and there's the foot of snow, too. I am so glad we dodged that bullet. Another good thing about living near the ocean. I am definitely not ready for snow!

It's finally feels like Halloween to me (nothing like waiting til' last minute.) I've been feeling very disconnected from it this year, and disconnected from Fall in general. It was such a chore for me to get out the decorations and set up our spooky houses. I did it mainly because I knew my kids would have been disappointed if I hadn't. Here's a little pictorial review of what's going on here Halloween-wise today.

Halloween cupcakes are being iced:

Here's one of Christopher's creations:

Some misc. decor:

That big pumpkin is about to be carved into a jack-o-lantern, the one in the foreground (created by my daughter) reminds me of that guy from Boardwalk Empire (the one with half a face) yes, no?:

Love white pumpkins (and white, in general) these are faux:

Now I need to wrap up a few things here and head out to a 'trunk or treat' at a local church. Hope you have a Happy Halloween!

Dear Pebbles,....

2011-10-27T07:24:00.001-04:00

Today I get to share some cards I made for the Pebbles, Inc. blog this week. Inspired by the Dimensional Butterflies, I wanted to make a some clean, graphic cards. I used the Fresh Goods line for these:

I used my Big Shot and some circle dies to cut the circles and large flat butterflies:

I used the dimensionals and some white wood grain cardstock to add some texture:

Also got to use the new Fresh Goods sticky notes - I love those things!!

For a complete list of the Pebbles products I used on these cards, stop by the blog. You can also check out Lynn's amazing cards while you are there too. She also took some inspiration from the dimensional butterflies in a very cool way.

Hope you are having a great week! Have you seen my friend Jan's post over on the Ella blog? It's still Card Making Month at Ella so be sure to stop by!

Sunday in NJ

2011-10-24T07:35:00.001-04:00

How could it already be Monday again?

Didn't I just say yesterday I would be avoiding the pumpkin patch at all costs? I fully planned to stay home and do crafty stuff and finish up the Halloween decor. Well, I did half of that. The Halloween decorating is done...thanks to a trip to an 'off the beaten path' pumpkin patch. It was too gorgeous outside yesterday to be inside so we went out for a little ride. Our mission: to try to find a farm stand off the 'Fall tourist corridor.' You don't have to drive very far around here to be in rural/farmy areas so we were successful...

Note the lack cars & people:

That's our guy in the foreground, 2nd from the left:

This place we found had a small corn field we could walk around in. (Note to self: corn leaves are sharp and prickly!) Children of the corn, anyone?

Someone got crafty with these pumpkins - I was impressed by the detail on some of these. Loved all the color:

I know New Jersey gets a bad rap. With all the obnoxious NJ-based reality shows and the perception that it's very urban & industrial, but it really isn't. It's a great place to live. To the North & East: New York City. To the East & South: the Atlantic Ocean & miles of gorgeous shoreline. To the West: rural farm country. Despite the guidos and the big hairs, I can't imagine living anywhere else.

In my effort to become a 'night scrapper' I will be back at the desk tonight.
Hope you all have a good week!

From the reject pile...

2011-10-23T12:03:00.001-04:00

Have a card to share today. I think I made this for a call for cards showcasing the resist technique a few months ago. I've have had a kind of love/hate relationship with this one. I don't think I even submitted it. It's been sitting on my desk and some days I look at it and love it. Some days I look at it and say 'blech'. I love the concept of a simple embossed white image contrasted on a field of spray ink - and made about a dozen attempts to nail it, this however was as close as I got. Today I'm liking it again so here it is...

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; stamp, spray ink: Studio Calico; embossing powder: Stampin Up; sentiment: Pink Paislee

When I make cards that use any kind of fancy technique, I usually keep them very simple. I've found less is more in this case. First I stamped and heat embossed the butterfly with white powder. Then I sprayed the Mister Huey (Atmosphere & White to be exact). I dab or wipe off the ink that lands on top of the stamped image. The embossed are resists the ink (usually, I've learned). A trick to making this work is to let the heated image cool thoroughly first. Otherwise, the ink might soak into the embossed area, too.

It's a gorgeous Fall day here in the Northeast. I would head to a pumpkin patch if I thought we'd stand a chance of getting a parking spot. I'm sure today is the equivalent of the last shopping day before Christmas at all the local farm stands so I will take a pass. I'm feeling so far behind in the crafty department. Product keeps piling up and my mojo didn't get the message that our vacation is over. Think I'll visit some challenge blogs and play along. Hopefully get something done today - do you have any faves?
I will post my results in the days to come.
Hope you are having a great weekend!

Fall in NJ w/Pebbles

2011-10-21T07:36:00.000-04:00

Have you been checking out the fall projects on the Pebbles, Inc. blog this week? Yesterday my page was featured....in case you missed it:

I mixed Floral Lane & Fresh Goods lines for this one. My favorite part of this page is the little flowers. I hand cut them from the Floral Lane paper and stacked them to make them dimensional. Here's the close up:

For a complete list of the Pebbles products I used, check out this blog post. One more day to get through and then 2 days off. I can't wait!! Hope you have a great weekend lined up!

Rainy Wednesday

2011-10-19T07:42:00.000-04:00

It's pouring here today. I'm only happy about that because it means no baseball game for my son tonight.

We're still trying to get into the groove post-vacation. We got home late Sunday night then it was right back to school and work for all of us on Monday a.m. I am counting down the days until Saturday - when I can finally settle in and do some Halloween decorating and most importantly, something crafty! Thought I'd share one last American Crafts 'Nightfall' page. I like this one but didn't use it for 2 reasons: 1) it was extremely humid in the Northeast when I made this. Despite non-stop air conditioning, I could not prevent it from getting very lumpy. Because it is 3 layers sewn together, it just wouldn't flatten out when the weather dried out. 2) I couldn't seem to take a decent photo of it. So, here it is....lumps and bad lighting and all....

and here's a close up...the detail shot is a little more vibrant for some reason and the lumps not so obvious:

I'm so glad I've got leftovers from my box of AC goodies, because I've got more plans for this line. Especially since a new crop of fall/Halloween photos is imminent! Yesterday the costumes arrived in the mail. Can't believe Halloween is so close! How about you - are you ready?

Thanks for stopping by!

Some American Crafts Cards...

2011-10-14T12:32:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much for all your comments on the American Crafts guest spot! You made a good thing even better! Today I'm blogging from my iPhone, which is a little tricky - but I wanted to share these cards I made with Nightfall. The set was on the AC blog. The other was a 'back up' card. Hope you are having a great week. We are in Florida enjoying a little Disney time. Be back soon and on a regular blogging schedule!

Guest Designing at American Crafts!

2011-10-12T10:10:00.000-04:00

Oh, boy.

It's been hard not to talk about this. When I got invited to guest design at American Crafts I was immediately hit with feelings of extreme joy and complete nausea at the same time. Besides the whole awesomeness of designing for my all time favorite manufacturer, ever, they sent me one of my all time favorite lines to work with: Nightfall. (You might remember me gushing about this line back in August when I got back from CHA - well, cracking open that box of Nightfall goodies was pretty great.)

So, here's a little sampling of the projects you can find over on the American Crafts blog today. I'll post the rest here in the days to come, plus the 'spares' that I made. First up - the 'about me' page - appropriate for a Halloween line because it's the scariest page of all to make, if you ask me. For this page I used that fantastic blackboard paper (Fall Moon - Chalkboard Finish) . I painted my title on with white paint to look like chalk. Then imagined the paper was a magnet board and attached my elements in a haphazard way. Since making a page about me is not my favorite thing to do, I decided to focus on just one day - the task seemed less daunting to me this way. I journaled in list format.

Here's a close up of the little envelope I made to hold the receipts and misc. ephemera from the day:

Next up, the mini album....here I've included several of the detail shots you might not see over on the American Crafts blog...my favorite part, that little crow sticking out of the top:

I made this album from one of those Real Simple business card holders from Target.

I used the card sleeves like little page protectors and filled it up with wallet-sized photos from last Fall. I had a lot of fun making this cute, simple album. The Nightfall line has a plethora of flat elements, like Remarks stickers and the Chalk Labels, that worked perfectly for this project

So stop back tomorrow to see some more...and be sure to stop by the American Crafts blog. It's 'Nightfall Week' so there are tons of amazing projects up there. You can also check out the rest of my projects and see the complete product list of what I used for them.

....and many thanks to American Crafts for letting me play with their gorgeous product!

Embellished Photo Cards at Ella Publishing

2011-10-11T09:43:00.002-04:00

It’s no surprise that I love to make cards. It’s also pretty obvious that I love to take pictures. Even better is when I can merge the 2 hobbies, like I did today on the Ella Publishing Blog. It’s Cardmaking Month at Ella and I’m so glad I got to play along.

In celebration of the release of their new eBook (at the end of the month) 31 Thank You Cards, Ella is sharing all kinds of card-related blog posts, eZine articles, giveaways.

Here’s a little sample of what you will find over at Ella today – some Halloween/Fall themed embellished photo cards:

I hope you will stop by and check them out – and let me know what you think. I know the idea of photos on cards scares people but hopefully I’ll inspire you to give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sunday at The Studio (on Tuesday)

2011-10-04T07:45:00.001-04:00

Some people hate Mondays. Monday doesn't bother me because it feels like a hopeful/fresh start kind of day. Tuesday on the other hand - ugh. My least favorite day of the week. I started hating Tuesday back in my college days. I must have had a dreaded class on Tuesdays or something like that. It's a good thing it's followed by Wednesday. I have an all new respect for the 'hump' of the work week! Anywho....Here we are on Tuesday and I've got my page for The Studio...a little bit late. Our challenge this week, from the amazing Anna, was to use a color palette of grey, yellow and pink. Here's what I did:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Authentique, small die cut sentiments; tag: Creative Imaginations; letters: American Crafts; stickers: Crate; buttons: Pebbles; butterfly die: Stampin' Up

I love the mix of grey and yellow. As soon as I saw those Authentique papers at my lss I had to have them. Would never have occurred to me to mix in the pink. It all worked great with that old photo of Marilyn. You can check out the color challenge and find some more inspiration on The Studio Challenges blog. If that doesn't inspire you to play along, check out the swell vintage-inspired prize pack for this month from Anna's Make and Create Shop. Hope you'll play along!

Now, for the rest of the week - I'll have a card post up on the Ella Publishing Blog on Wednesday - they are featuring cardmaking all month long!

Stop by the Ella blog this month to enjoy card-related blog posts, eZine articles, giveaways, and a brand new ebook, 31 Thank You Cards, coming at the end of the month!

I hope you have a great day - thanks for stopping by!

Just checking in...

2011-09-27T07:24:00.000-04:00

I'm overdue for a huge update and I've been working on lots of fun crafty things, unfortunately, none I can share just yet. (Just to give you an idea of what's on tap: a guest designing project or two in early October, a new Polka Dot Door blog hop, a lot more Pebbles projects and a new Studio Challenge.) So there's lots to come, just bear with me :)

While at the desk yesterday, I took this snapshot of some potential project material:

Picked up a ton of old thread at an estate sale a long time ago but had to toss the actual thread because it was too brittle. The spools, though, that was the prize. Cute, huh? Took the picture with my iPhone. Sometimes the camera in that phone amazes. me. Anyway...now this photo is my iPhone wallpaper.

I will be back soon!

Back To School with Pebbles, Inc.

2011-09-21T21:33:00.003-04:00

Feeling pretty lucky these past few weeks, for a lot of reasons. One of them being how great it is to work with Pebbles product. I'll try not to get too annoying with the gushing...This week I've got a page up on the blog - our assignment was to make a school-related project. Even though Pebbles doesn't have a specific school themed line, it wasn't difficult to put something together. I pulled papers from 3 lines for this one:

I took those photos of Chris last June on his graduation day. Boy the summer whizzed by. I'm sure before I know it I'll be taking photos of him in a cap & gown graduating from high school. Anywho...I cut apart a few of the papers to make the little banners and scallop borders. Below is a list of all of the items I used.

The design team made some great projects and they are all up on the blog this week, so stop by and check them out :)

Pebbles supplies used:

Floral Lane You’re Sweet (751121)
Floral Lane Just Because (751116)
Fresh Goods Window Display (751189)
Fresh Good Signage (751186)
Fresh Goods Come Again (751191)
Fresh Goods Dimensional Phrases & Icon Stickers (732076)
Fresh Goods Embossed Masking Tape Stickers (732078)
Fresh Goods Mini ABC Stickers (732079)
Fresh Goods Yellow Satin Ribbon (58515)
Welcome Christmas Toothpick Flags (747146)
New Addition Boy Brown ABC Stickers (732064)
New Addition Boy It’s A Boy (751152)
White Candy Dots (744270)
Navy Candy Dots
Other supplies used:
Date Stamp (Office Supply)
Ink (Staz On)

Not too late to sign up for Ella Publishing's Boot Camp - which started on Monday. I've been catching up on the training videos. I can even watch them on my iPhone which makes for a nice diversion on my lunch break at work.

So glad to be over the hump of this week. I missed a whole day thanks to a severe cold but seem to have gotten past it. Looking forward to some crafty time once the week winds down. How about you? Does it feel like Fall in your neck of the woods yet? I'm ready for the chilly air!

Sunday at The Studio Challenges

2011-09-17T23:11:00.000-04:00

Having fun setting the challenges at The Studio this month. Each month one of the DT members takes a turn. September is mine all mine. Today I took inspiration from Ella Publishing and challenged everyone to make a page that somehow incorporated a list. Here's what I made:

You know I love lists as a journaling alternative. I made this challenge even easier by using a sketch from my Ella Friend Donna Jannuzzi (more on that in a few) and I used my current Studio Calico kit. I'm not a fast scrapbooker but this one came together in about an hour and 45. That is really fast for me. Here's a close up.

materials: patterned paper, cardstock: American Crafts, embossing powder; stickers: American Crafts, Studio Calico; letters: American Crafts, MME; journaling spot, stamps: Studio Calico; ink: Stampin' Up, Versamark

The stamps that came in this month's kit and add-on are some of my faves. Love that little banner and it's so easy to trim out. You'll be seeing a lot of this guy in the weeks to come!
I hope you will be playing along. We've got a $20 Ella gift certificate for the lucky winner this month. The team did an amazing job with the challenge so check them out and link up your projects on this post at The Studio Challenges. I'd love to see your list pages!

Now, about my Ella Friend Donna Jannuzzi...she has been hosting a great series on the Ella Blog called Stretch Your Sketches. I decided to play along with her again and used this sketch for my page today:

Since this is the final post in her series, she's got an amazing Lawn Fawn giveaway. You won't want to miss it and Donna's sketches are so great to work with. Link up at this post on the Ella blog and you could win all that stamping booty!

Thanks for stopping by today. Have several projects in the works which I won't be able to share until October. Will have my gallery of rejected cards this week at some point along with a new Pebbles DT page. Hope you are all having a great weekend. Now go work on your Studio projects and link up! :)

Ella Publishing News

2011-09-16T07:14:00.000-04:00

So much going on at the Ella Publishing Co. right now I thought I'd do a little update post.

I was so happy when Angie & Wendy let us know that the Ella Friends would have an extended term until the new year. I just love being part of this great company. So much to share...let's get started...

Last month Ella hosted Digital Month and I thought I'd play along using the new List It series. I chose to work with the List It: Everyday Life Edition. This is one of my all-time fave go-to sources for inspiration. I love the prompts from the lists included - all printable and formatted in these cool journaling blocks. For my page, I printed the block onto vellum (had to dig deep down in the stash for that!) Here's my page:

I used my Studio Calico Boardwalk kit for this page. Here's a close up of the journaling block:

In the process of working with this handy tool, and contemplating where I'd add the list, or if I'd type it or hand write it, I realized I could just number the photos and let them be the list. Doesn't get easier than that. You can check out the post featuring this layout right here on the Ella Blog.

Have you signed up for Ella's Boot Camp yet? I'm all ready to roll and have you checked out the amazing giveaways that are up for grabs? I wish I could win them - what a huge, great collection of prizes up for grabs for a few lucky Boot Campers. Boot Camp recruits will not only get the chance to enjoy 6 days of inspiration, they'll also enjoy exclusive deals & discounts including a 50 percent coupon from Ella, 20 percent savings at Studio Calico and 10 percent savings at Ormolu and more!

Oh, and if you sign up by the 19th, you can use the coupon code YESMAAM for $3 off.

And last but not least...there's a new eBook out: From Paper to Digi .

Whether you're a digital or traditional scrapbooker, this eBook is full of inspirational designs you'll want to borrow for your own paper or digital scrapbooking. When you download the eBook, you get a free digital page template and a bonus pack of digital paper designed by Crystal Wilkerson, author of this book.

A lot going on over there, huh? And in case you missed it a few posts back, Ella Publishing is also providing the prize this month for The Studio Challenges. You could win a $20 gift certificate just for playing along. (You have until the last day of September to upload a project and a new challenge goes up on Sunday.) Hope to see you there!

Have a great day everyone!

Pebbles Project Number One :)

2011-09-15T12:58:00.000-04:00

Still pinching myself over here. Yesterday was my intro on the Pebbles, Inc. blog - next to last in a string of team bios and projects. Hope you got to meet the rest of the team over the past 2 weeks & check out their great projects. Today I get to share my page with you and gush about how much I love the Fresh Goods line, which I think was made just for me ;) It's got a vintage feel but with a graphic twist. Check out that groovy woodgrain - I need to replenish my supply of this particular paper asap! (fyi: it's the b-side of 'Come Again')

So many of my photos worked with these papers that I had a hard time deciding what to use. I chose these because I only took them a few weeks ago (they really are 'Fresh Memories'). I made that flower out of some American Crafts chocolate ric rac, with the assistance of a Gluber. Here's a close up:

I cut those blue flowers from the 'Come Again' paper. And do you see those strips that look like tape? Those are the coolest stickers ever - they look like dimensional masking tape. I stamped a date onto one of them with some Staz On.

Here's a list of the Pebbles supplies I used for this page:

Fresh Goods Come Again (751191)
Fresh Goods Flower Basket (751183)
Fresh Goods Local Market (751190)
Fresh Goods Dimensional Phrases & Icon Stickers ( 732076)
Fresh Goods Embossed Masking Tape Stickers (732078)
Fresh Goods Mini ABC Stickers (732079)
Fresh Goods Toothpick Flags (747153)
Fresh Goods Chipboard Buttons (747152)
Fresh Goods Fabric Brads (744277)
Fresh Goods Chips (744118)
Other supplies used: Cardstock (American Crafts); date stamp (Office Supply); ink (StazOn); flower base (Cosmo Cricket)

Thanks for stopping by today! So glad it's almost Friday - how about you?

Birthday Celebration at Paper Crafts Connection

2011-09-08T06:51:00.000-04:00

I was so happy to have my card included in the birthday celebration for Kim Kesti over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog. Happy Birthday, Kim! Thought I'd share one of the cards I made around the same time as the card featured over at PCC today:

For this card I used Distress Ink with water resist stamping. (the lines on the blue tag were done with that technique - love that Broken China Distress Ink!) I also did a a little heat embossing for the word "wish". The butterflies are also stamped - first colored with Distress Ink and the blending tool, then stamped with the same color:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Studio Calico; stamps: Unity; ink: Ranger; embossing powder: American Crafts; "1" Maya Road; die: Stampin' Up

Hope you are having a good week. Week 1 of back-to-school almost under out belts.

Haven't looked this forward to a day off in a long time. Don't even get me started on the rain - which has been almost non-stop since Tuesday. I think the weekend looks brighter. Have a great day!

Sunday At The Studio

2011-09-03T22:39:00.001-04:00

Hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend!

It's the start of a new month at The Studio (with I great new prize!) and Sunday means a fresh challenge. This week we were challenged to make a 'back to school' page ...

I used a Studio Calico kit for this page (Paper Moon) and I was inspired to use the strips of pattern in the background from several pages I saw in the Studio Calico gallery, including this one. My journaling is inside the Smash envelope. Here's the close up:

materials: patterned paper: Sassafras Lass, Crate, October Afternoon, Studio Calico; stickers, button: Crate; letters: October Afternoon; envelope: K & Co.; wood veneer, spray ink, stamp: Studio Calico; string: WeRMemory Keepers

The prize this month at The Studio Challenges is a $20 gift certificate for Ella Publishing. Lot's of awesome eBooks to be had so why not play along? Have you stopped by Ella Publishing lately?

It's almost time for Boot Camp. I'm signed up and ready to go. You can check out the details of this 6 day series of 18 inspiring videos by 4 expert instructors right here. It starts on September 19 and runs through the 24th.

Feeling a little stressed about the upcoming week. School starts for us on Tuesday and I haven't quite worked out the logistics yet. I'm sure it will all work itself out. Busy crafty month ahead, too...there will be lots to share in the weeks to come.

Thanks for stopping by - hope you'll play along at The Studio Challenges!

It's September

2011-09-01T08:03:00.000-04:00

Wow, that summer sure whizzed right by.
I know it's still officially summer, and it sure feels like summer, but once September comes, it's time to face the grim reality. Luckily my favorite season is followed by my second favorite season...it makes it much less painful.

Quick share today of another Studio Calico Boardwalk page. This scrapbooking stuff on an angle is starting to become a habit of mine:

I used a chunk of an old road map for this page - it's even a chunk of map in the area of the road trip in question. Here's a close up:

So sad about the road maps - rapidly becoming a thing of the past. I have a vast collection from my traveling days. I can't bear to part with them. I love to look at them. Isn't amazing how intricate they are? Yes, I'm rambling on...it's pretty safe to say I love maps. So glad they are a trending pattern in scrapbooking.

Two more days to Saturday - my new favortie day of the week - particularly when it's at the beginning of a long weekend! Have a great day all!

September Mini

2011-08-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

While fooling around at the desk over the weekend I whipped up this simple little mini. My plan, in an effort to jumpstart the creativity, is a little image-a-day September daily. I know September is going to be nuts. Adjusting to the new school schedule, all the after school activities and the full-time work schedule is not going to be easy. I figure this little project will force me to take a photo each day and write a little blurb - think creative thoughts maybe?

It's tiny, only 2 1/2 " x 4"and simple. (I made the cover out of the packaging from a Pink Paislee product.)

Room for a wallet sized photo (trimmed down) and a brief bit of journaling. That's all. No pressure. The little cards (numbered 1-30) are Pink Paislee Daily Junque, as is the pointing hand.

materials: cards, sticker: Pink Paislee; label sticker, stamp: Studio Calico; number stickers: Sassafras Lass; ink: Staz On

I'm not sure if that is the final binding - I guess I will see how thick it gets once the photos are attached. I'm thinking my December daily this year is going to be similar, tiny format, too! How about you? Making a December daily this year?

After the storm...

2011-08-29T13:32:00.000-04:00

Well, we made it through the storm and were very lucky. Houses all around us have not had power since Saturday night. Aside from a few brief outages, we've had power the whole time. We're still pumping water out of our crawl space and are grateful that is the worst of it. My heart goes out to all those who fared much worse.

Spent a little of my hurricane time at the desk - lots of purging and organizing. Yesterday I made a scrapbook page though, just because. It's been a while since I've really gotten to make anything so I wanted to get back in the groove before I start digging into my Pebbles DT work. Also feeling the need to start using up Studio Calico kits...so here's what I made:

Used Studio Calico Boardwalk for this one. I really love that kit. I made that flower with those Pink Paislee mistable trims and a Gluber. I used Heirloom Blue Mister Huey to color the trim after I made the flower. Here's a close up:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: MME, Simple Stories, Basic Grey, Authentique; journal spot: American Crafts; trim: Pink Paislee; letters: Sassafras Lass; brads: Basic Grey; string: MME; tape: K & Co.; flower base: Cosmo Cricket; spray ink: Studio Calico; transparency: Hambly; die cutter: Big Shot

Has anyone seen this yet :

That's the Close To My Heart Fall catalog. (sorry it's such a teeny photo -that's all I was able to grab off their site) Way back in my early days of scrapbooking I used to sell CTMH. I really couldn't devote the necessary time to it and honestly, lost interest in the products - so my little biz folded. One of my beefs with them was that their papers were too thin. Well, now they print their papers on cardstock. While I was perusing the catalog I noticed that the patterns & colors are more on trend and many of the products seem to have undergone a design overhaul. New designers must be on board because even the stamps look different. I couldn't help but do a little shopping from that catalog. I'll let you know what I think when the box arrives.

It's a beautiful day here in New Jersey - hurricanes always seem to leave gorgeous weather behind - and I've been given the day off due to lack of electricity in our office. Will head outside with the kiddies today - maybe do a little back to school shopping. That's just around the corner now!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-08-27T09:03:00.000-04:00

Oh boy - in the 'natural disaster' craziness of the week I forgot to post my giveaway winner...so without further ado...

Congrats commenter #1 - Margrethe! Send me an email with your address and I will ship your prize!

We are almost all prepped for the storm - headed to ShopRite at 6 a.m. this morning and was really happy to see the bread guys restocking the completely empty shelves. No water. No batteries. But I got plenty of other stuff just in case we get stuck. Hoping we are spared a power outage and trees falling on or around our house, oh, and a great big flood in our crawl space.

Despite the weather, I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Earthquakes and Hurricanes...oh my

2011-08-26T21:02:00.001-04:00

What a week here in the Northeast. I was sitting with my co-workers at 2 pm on Tuesday afternoon - just about to eat lunch - when the table started shaking, then rolling and the chandelier over us started swinging. It was the weirdest feeling ever. We knew right away we were having an earthquake. The rolling was so strong that I was actually a little sea sick for the rest of the day (mind you, it doesn't take much to make me sea sick) Now we are preparing for Hurricane Irene which is due here sometime on Sunday.

So unpredictable, but so far all paths are pointing to a hit for New Jersey. I haven't been in a major hurricane since I was in grade school. I live closer to the bay and ocean now - areas only a few blocks away have mandatory evacuations so I'm getting a little concerned. We've got one more day to figure out it we stay or go. Today we prepped the backyard and put away all the pool stuff - not before enjoying a beautiful, warm sunny afternoon. I have a feeling we won't be seeing the sun around here again until Monday.

Now I thought I'd share a little project from my daughter. The back story: I feel so guilty leaving them home while I go to work. It won't be so bad once school starts but right now I feel like I've ruined what's left of their summer. In an effort to keep them both busy the other day (which happened to be Tuesday, aka 'Earthquake Day'), I set them up at the kitchen table with a great big stack of assorted (purged) scrapbooking supplies, adhesive, a digital camera and a quick tutorial on how to print photos right from the SD card. I asked them to make me a a scrapbook about what they did all day. And they did! Well, she did. He's just not into crafts...and that's ok. But my girl ran with it. Here are a few of the pages she put together. I was quite impressed with her crafty ingenuity!

Here's page 1 - she bound here 'book' with a metal ring through punched holes. She actually took a photo of the computer screen showing her virtual fairy on Pixie Hollow online - then paired it up with a photo of herself:

This is my favorite - she took this candid photo of my hubby working in his office and even journaled - I love the everything about this:

Here the clever crafty girl ran out of "Y"s, so she made one out of a lowercase "L" and a small "V":

What really amazes me is how both of them mastered the photography/printing process so quickly. I'm so glad I asked them to do this!

I will definitely have some crafty time on my hands this weekend and will post more in the next few days. Now I need to get to sleep, as it's been a crazy long week and I've got to get up at 6 tomorrow to go food shopping! It's awful but I still need bread and milk.

Stay safe East Coast people!

Sunday At The Studio (and a little giveaway!)

2011-08-21T07:42:00.000-04:00

I love a challenge from The Studio - this week Amanda challenged us to make a layout about something we are looking forward to. This time of year, with summer about to end, I'm always looking forward to Halloween - the weather is great, it's fun to decorate and there almost no pressure. Love everything about it! So, here's my page:

Dug into the Studio Calico Boardwalk kit for this. Also used a little of the Tide Pool add on and a few extras from my stash. Didn't think I was going to but I love that kit & add on. This layout is kind of a first for me. I don't usually ever tip things at an angle. Here's a detail - you can see that mistable muslin trim from Pink Paislee. I need a lot more of that stuff:

materials: patterned cardstock: Authentique, Sassafras, Crate; trim: Pink Paislee; letters, spray ink: Studio Calico; brads, fabric shapes: Basic Grey; journal spots: American Crafts; small letters: EK Success; words: Girls Paperie

I hope you will stop by The Studio Challenges and play along. You could win a great kit from Scrap Rat. The team did an amazing job this week if you are in need of inspiration!

I remember when I was in my 20's wondering what it would be like when I was double that age. Well, now I know. To celebrate this day - my birthday somewhere in the 40s - I thought I'd giveaway some items I've accidentally purchased twice or received doubles of. There's some Pink Paislee metal name plates, a Sew Easy head, some great 7 Gysies chip alphas, some Tattered Angels, a little Maya Mist and a Lemon Drop Jenni Bowlin ink (one of my faves :). So, just leave a comment - tell me what you are looking forward to - and you will be in the running! I'll pick a random winner on Wednesday!

Thanks for stopping by!

a big thanks!

2011-08-20T11:46:00.000-04:00

...to everyone who left comments and sent emails about the Pebbles DT. I love hearing from you and really appreciate your encouragement & kind words! I'm very excited about getting started on my DT projects.

Today I've got a couple of cards that I made last week - used some new Studio Calico Memoir, some cool new Jillibean stamps for Unity & my butterfly die:

Did a little water resist on the card above - also covered the butterflies with Distress Ink then stamped over with the same color. Like the subtle effect. Some more water resist on the butterfly below, along with some white heat embossing:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Studio Calico; ink: Ranger (Distress & Perfect Medium); embossing powder, butterfly die: Stampin' Up; stamps: Unity for Jillibean Soup; string: Martha Stewart; button: Crate

I hate that summer is coming to a close but I the Fall weather & Halloween...plus our Disney trip is approaching. (Disney at Halloween is the best!) Can't wait for that. Be back tomorrow with a fun 'Val's Birthday' giveaway (yep, tomorrow is the big day!) and my page for The Studio challenge. See you then...enjoy the day!

FYI Challenge #12

2011-08-18T07:13:00.000-04:00

A bittersweet post today with my last card for the FYI Challenge Blog as a member of the DT. I'm so glad Steph started that blog. It has really taken off and I know it's because of her interesting inspiration photo selections. I've really learned to stretch the way I see inspiration from her and definitely plan to play along in the weeks to come. Here's my project for this week's photo, a little tag in an envelope that is the perfect size for a gift card:

I was inspired by the color of the fall foliage in the photo (which you can view on the FYI blog). I used an ink color similar to the color palette in the photo to stamp the big elements on the envelope and to cover the tag. I used a water stamping technique to stamp these little leaves onto some Ranger Distress Ink:

materials: tag/envelope: Melissa Frances; stamps: Stampin Up; ink: Ranger; stickers: SRM; string: Divine Twine

Last week we had a record number of participants at FYI - hope you will join us this week. And I can't finish off this post without gushing about the design team's work. What a talented group of ladies - stop by and check them out - and link up your own project while you're at it!

Hope you are all having a good week. Be back soon, as I've been unusually crafty despite the hectic schedule :)

Monday Check In

2011-08-15T22:14:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday, all - end of Monday, that is....
Monday has a whole new meaning to me now - and honestly, I don't think I mind. I definitely function more efficiently if I'm on a schedule. I spent the weekend running errands and was grateful yesterday when it poured all day. No guilt about staying in & catching up. My DH even took the kids to the movies so I could have some 'alone' time - hes' the best. Can't share much in the craft dept today....so I thought I'd do a little summer fun recap...

When I found out I was going back to work full time, I tried to squeeze in as many 'summer fun' activities as I could with the kids. Here are a few of my fave photos from our adventures...

We headed into the city last week - with the intention of going to the American Museum of Natural History. Unfortunately, there was a train derailment which made our train about 2 hours late. Despite my efforts to take connecting trains to lower Manhattan, we still got in too late to head to the museum. Instead, we headed to Times Square - had some lunch and did a little shopping, just in time for some torrential downpours. Got this picture as it started to drizzle:

The Times Square Toys R' Us has a giant Ferris wheel inside:

M & C were all over the Star Wars department...these are not the droids you're looking for - oh wait, these aren't even droids at all...

and Marilyn loved this giant size Calico Critters display (one of the bunnies is reading a subway map):

The week before, we took our annual road trip to Knoebels in Elysburg, PA. A 3 1/2 hour ride but well worth it. We go early and come home late. Here's we are en route:

Marilyn on the Italian trapeze:

One of my fave photos - waiting on line for the Whipper. (check out that dude's ponytail & the enormous back tatoo on his lady - crazy good people-watching at Knoebels!)

This old opera house is on the way into Elysburg - I always want to stop and take photos of it. It's just a great old building. Love that they have (had) opera in Elysburg, PA!

The week before this we spent a day on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant. I think I spent about $40 earning one of these smurfs. So grateful she actually got one! My kids could play these crane games all day long:

Sadly, Chris was not as successful and was not too happy about it!

I've got about 300 more summer fun photos but I'll spare you - promise I'll be back with some craftiness very soon. Hope you are enjoying these last few weeks of summer vacation!

Pebbles, Inc!

2011-08-15T18:47:00.001-04:00

I can hardly believe I get to write this post...I've been asked to join the Pebbles, Inc. Design Team!

I had convinced myself at the end of last week that it just wasn't meant to be - that surely all the calls had gone out. Tried to bury myself in work so I wouldn't think about it. Then there it was...the email invite. I think I made a very quiet squeal and couldn't do much more since I was reading the email at work. (If you've been reading, you know I started a new job last week. It was only day 3 when I saw the email on my phone.) Not sure my new colleagues would have understood my sudden burst of excitement - and I didn't want to have to explain the whole thing - so I had to keep it on the down-low. Inside however, I was jumping up and down like one of those people who has just been chosen to be the next contestant on the Price is Right.

I am so excited and honored to be a part of this team. What an amazing group of women I get to work alongside! And the product line...I have loved Pebbles, Inc. for a long time. I love the graphic patterns and fun color combos. I can't wait to get started! You can check out the announcement on the Pebbles, Inc. blog and I can assure you, there will be lots of Pebbles projects to share in the weeks to come ;)

Almost Friday....

2011-08-11T07:52:00.001-04:00

Just checking in with a quick post - I'm still here! This working full time biz definitely throws a kink into afternoon craftiness. I've got ideas piling up though and as soon as I get used to the schedule, I'll get back to the desk in the evenings. Looking forward to this weekend, Sunday in particular, which is supposed to be rainy here in the northeast - then I won't feel guilty about being inside at the desk all day!

So I'll leave you with these photos - not sure if I shared these cards, which I made for Anam's second edition of her Sketches4Cards app - there was a new baby theme:

As you can see - I broke out the SRM Stickers and embossing folders for these cards and kept them fairly simple.
Thanks for stopping everyone - have a great day!

Sunday At The Studio

2011-08-07T07:33:00.003-04:00

I am so excited to be on the new layout team for The Studio. We changed format a bit back in the Winter and I was on the card team. It was fun but I really missed the layout challenges. So glad Amanda decided to go back to the original format of bi-weekly layout challenges (with a card thrown in here and there :) and that she included me on the team. So, on to this week's challenge...

She challenged us to make a layout inspired by books - whether it be a title, a passage, a book cover design...anything inspired by a book. Recently I snagged a circa. 1974 set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books at a yard sale with the intention of saving them for my daughter. I started reading them again and remembered how much I loved them when I was a kid. They were the first 'real' books I read - thick books with chapters and only a handful of illustrations. I knew right away my page would be about them.

Compared to my last layout, not a ton of dimension on this page. Most of my material came from the Paper Lanterns add-on to the Lawn Party kit from Studio Calico. I fussy cut my most favorite Crate paper ever and made that my background. I used a pure white base because I thought my photo printed too yellow and I needed to tone it down. It's an 8 1/2 x 11 page because I ran out of 12 x 12 white cardstock. (Sometimes it's really handy when necessity dictates some of the design choices :) Here's a close up:

materials: cardstock: Wausau; patterned paper: Crate, Simple Stories, Studio Calico; letters: Girls Paperie; tag: We R Memory Keepers; veneer circle: Studio Calico; chipboard:, blue sticker Crate; house: Maya Road; 'remember this' tag: Scrap Rat; metal tag: Tim Holtz; buttons: MME

I hope you'll play along with us. Always love seeing what everyone links up! There is a great prize up for grabs - a gift certificate to Scrap Rat Kits - good for anything in the shop. If you are in need of more inspiration, The Studio design team does not fail to provide. Check out their amazing work right here.

Thanks for stopping by - have a great day!

Polkadot Door Bloghop for August

2011-08-05T02:00:00.001-04:00

So excited to be part of the 4th Polkadot Door Designs blog hop for August!

If you are here from Dee Dee's blog - welcome! If you're hopping and lost your way you can scroll down for the blog list. This month's photo is loaded with some great elements and if you play along at Polkadot Door (where you could also win some great prizes!) you can use all of them, or just one or two to create your inspired project. Here's is our inspiration for the month:

For my project I used the sentiment, the colors and the frames as my main inspiration. The colors in that photo are so pretty - when I saw all those frames I was definitely feeling a layout. I plan to put this one in one of those shadowbox frames, since it's too dimensional to be put into an album.

I tried to duplicate the look of the hanging paper flowers and ornaments. I downloaded and cut that cute cursive font in my title with my Silhouette. Here's a close up:

materials: patterned paper: Studio Calico, Sassafras Lass; frames: Studio Calico; silhouette: Maya Road; daisy die: Stampin' Up; circle dies: Spellbinders: flower centers: Prima, EK Success; cursive font: Lollihop by Silhouette

Great prized to be won on this blog hop! If you take the challenge and link up your project, you could win the prize provided by the Pork Chop Show. They will be providing 3 sets of wooden cut-out embellishments.
Blog hoppers could win a prize by Live the Chaos, who is giving away a gift certificate to their shop and mini stamp.
Duetica is providing a HUGE give-away for the featured designer. The prize consists of their innovative software for creative fonts and fonts valued at $38.

Next stop on the hop is Trina. Here's the list to help you find your way:

Diana
Smitha
Mazlina
Angi
Elizabeta
Libeeti
Nicole
Dee Dee
Valerie (you are here!)
Trina
Sabrina
Polkadot Door Design

Be sure to vote for your favorite designer at the end! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

FYI Challenge #11

2011-08-04T07:44:00.000-04:00

I haven't been the best blogger over the past couple of weeks. Between travel and changes at work, it's been a little hectic. I need to get back on a schedule with the craftiness. I'm hoping the job I'm about to start will knock me out of my crafty rut and make me more efficient. I heard a quote somewhere "if you want to get something done, ask a busy person to do it' - I find this to be so true. The more I do, the more I can do. I don't think the next few weeks will be easy, but bear with me - I will find the balance!

Ok, today I've got FYI Challenge #11 - my second to last contribution as a DT member, as my term ends with the next challenge. (To check out this weeks inspiration image, stop by the blog post here.)

I was inspired by the mirrored reflection and the color with pops of white (in the clouds in the photo). Here's the close up:

materials: patterned paper, spray ink: Studio Calico; sentiment: Pink Paislee; stamps: Scrap Rat (medallion), Stampin' Up (circle); ink: Versamark; embossing: American Crafts, Stampin Up; pin: K & Co.; string: Divine Twine

For this tag, I used a new technique I learned at CKC last week in Nicole Samuels Studio Calico class. It's a resist technique - that I have not quite mastered yet. I stamped the flowery circle with Versamark, heat embossed with white powder then sprayed some Mister Huey and wiped off the excess. The white embossing resists the ink so you get this high contrast image. Of course, learning this new trick prompted me to purchase 12 new Misters (but I had a buy one/get one free coupon - so it was really only like buying 6 :)

Besides amazing and challenging (really challenging) inspiration photos, FYI boasts an amazing design team. I am so impressed with their work - you can check out what they did with this weeks inspiration on the FYI blog. We'd love it if you would play along!

Bittersweet end of summer sign (#1 is a series): the arrival of the new Ikea catalog.

This is one of my fave 'by the pool' reads - check out this clever spine detail (and it's accurate, too!)

Back tomorrow with the Polkadot Door Designs Blog hop for August.
Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday At The Studio

2011-07-31T20:32:00.001-04:00

So happy to start a new term on The Studio Challenges design team. Amanda announced the new and returning team members today and also that we will be going back to the original format of weekly layout challenges. There's no challenge for this Sunday as we make the transition but instead she shared a fave layout of each of the team members. If you lift one of the layouts and link it up to this post, you could win a gift certificate to The Scrap Rat Shop! If you haven't checked out the cool mix of vintage and new items, and the fantastic monthly kits in that shop, you should.

So, I'll leave you today with a layout I made last week. This one features my daughter at her dance recital in June. With the exception of the chipboard letters and the pink tape, this is all Pebbles, Inc.

Here's a close up of the flowers. I wove some strips of the patterned papers then ran the little panels through my Big Shot. I stacked the cut circles, smashed them a little for dimension then added a button to finish them off:

The weather has been gorgeous and sunny here. We've been dodging big storms in our town lately and I can't remember the last time we had a rainy day. I could use one so I don't feel guilty about staying in and doing 'inside' stuff. Hate wasting a good summer day! This weekend I purged the stash. I have eliminated a huge stack of paper, along with a truckload of other stuff. Need to get a garage sale on my calendar asap! Getting ready to start a new job so I'm feeling the need to get everything all squared away here at home. Time is going to be scarce in the weeks to come. But that is a good thing...

Thanks for stopping by.

A Saturday Layout

2011-07-30T09:24:00.001-04:00

Back again this morning with a quick layout. I love these pictures of my son on our way to Disney. He loves to fly and always scams his sister out of the window seat. He usually doesn't last a half an hour into the flight before he falls asleep.

This page features more Pebbles (Happy Go Lucky), along with some Silhouette die cutting. The die cut shapes are all downloads from the Silhouette store. (Have I discussed how much I love die cutting lately? Oh yeah, I have :) The clouds are Echo Park, the airplane is American Crafts and the purple shape is from a Pebbles frame set. All the shapes were cut onto Pebbles cardstocks.

So, do you know about the photo uploading trick for Blogger? Have you noticed how crappy photos look on Blogger lately? Mine have been extremely murky. Well, the secret is to upload them to a photo sharing site first, then link them into your posts. So far, it's working like a charm and the pictures look so much better. In addition, it forces me to keep my Flickr gallery updated. That's a good thing because I'm always neglecting the Flickr.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Friday

2011-07-29T19:30:00.000-04:00

It has been one long and crazy week. I was going to do one more round of CHA photos but honestly, I think there are plenty of CHA photos our there already so I won't torture you with anymore. Maybe next week I'll post some of my fave CHA projects. I'm feeling creatively drained and not sure if was from the overload of craftiness I viewed at the show. I saw such amazing creations there, I actually felt intimidated when I finally sat down at my desk again.

I decided to start off again small - with this card (which is actually pretty large by my usual card making standards...anywho) I used all Pebbles on this project, along with one of the new Amy Tan for American Crafts Silhouette shapes.

I cut the stitched heart from this Pebbles paper, added the pink stitching then filled it with some coordinating chipboard shapes. I added in a few white candy dots, cut the sentiment from another Pebbles pattern then called it a day.

On Thursday I got to travel with my crafty pals Keshet & Rebecca to CKC Valley Forge. We took a couple of Studio Calico classes and shopped til' we dropped. I don't recall being as exhausted last time I went to that show but I crashed when I finally got home. I unloaded the goods this morning and enjoyed seeing all the stuff I bought. Most notably, a truckload of brand new, 'fresh from CHA' Studio Calico.

There were great coupons in the class kits so I made a major addition to my Mister Huey stash. Love these new collection kits:

Also grabbed these cool antique wood spools in the Melissa Frances booth.

I need about 5 more of these. Kicking myself for not getting them while I was there! I want to fill a big glass cylinder with them for my living room. Guess I'll have to go in search of some more.

Looking forward to an easy weekend. Hope you have a good one!

CHA Post #2...

2011-07-24T22:28:00.002-04:00

I warned you there would be more. Between my phone camera and my regular camera I must have taken about 300 pictures. Let's get right to the goods....starting with some Jenni Bowlin eye candy (that booth was loaded with cool vintage packaging & cute displays - I was in heaven!)

aren't those bingo place cards cute, and those wooden spool labels? Here are some great doily flowers, they look like quilled paper and they are really low profile (like a flat plastic button):

This is a peek at Pebbles Fresh Goods line - oh, yes...fresh & very good:

I should have taken way more pictures in the Pink Paislee booth. Here's a little sampling of Vintage Vogue:

Love the paper 2nd from left - looks like a word search:

These were in the Stamper's Anonymous booth - tin pin heaven. These have a great variety of design from graphic to vintage to numbers:

I like these numbered pins especially:

I had the awesome pleasure of meeting Susan McShirley, owner of SRM Stickers. She's so kind and friendly. I got to see the fancy font stickers up close. I love them even more now:

This photo doesn't look like much but it's kraft colored Tissue Stock from Canvas Home Basics. It's quite excellent - all kinds of possibilities with this fun, crinkly stuff!

Similar to this product is Tim Holtz's printed tissue from the Ranger booth. It's on a roll in a package like waxed paper. I'm a sucker for a cute & clever package:

Here's one of my fave lines; October Afternoon's Farmhouse - love this grid paper:

...some of the embellishments - digging the color palette of this line:

...cute little paper flag kit:

Here's the new Studio Calico Warm Calico line - it's neutral and I really like it because it could easily work with or in place of kraft:

want all of these masks:

these are little post-it like journaling notes - want them in every color:

these are the ones that go with the Memoir line:

and last but not least today - two of my favorite papers of all time from Jillibean Soup's Homemade 6 Bean Soup:

I love this quilting grid paper:

These stickers are also new from Jillibean. They now make their stickers matte which will cut down on the glare and smear factors:

Ok, I think I better break here. The trends I noticed: farm themed product, chalkboard, quilting themes, maps & grids. The colors: purple & turquoise, sometimes together. Also pleased to see lots of 6 x 6 pads for nearly every new line I saw. Good news for the cardmakers out there!

Back tomorrow for the final installment of the CHA recap.

CHA Update #1 of ?...

2011-07-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

Heat index for today is 108. Since my scrap space is in the highest part of our house, where the air conditioning could be jet engine propelled and still not cool the space, I've decided to honker down in one of the cooler, lower areas of the house and do my post-CHA blogging. Lots to share so grab a cool drink and find a comfy spot to sit for a while.

Eye candy at the MME booth

Let me start by saying that attending CHA is a little surreal. You recognize people constantly because you read their blogs. You know what their kids look like and where they went on vacation...but you don't really know them. It's almost a relief once you get to talk to them and know them in person. Then it doesn't feel so strange. Anyway - that aspect of going to CHA is pretty darn cool. Then there's the whole product thing...

I know this was the 'little show' and people don't give it as much credit as the super show, but it was just fine for me. I saw so much great product and projects. As my friend Jenny said, it's like a giant idea book. (She's got a great CHA post right here.) So, let's get to some of my fave CHA finds....(apologizing in advance that my photos are not particularly gorgeous...)

This tool is such a no-brainer/'why-didn't-I-think-of-that-tool'. I can't wait to pick these up:

By We R Memory Keepers, this is the Sew Stamper. It is the same concept as using the 'metal quilting wheel dipped in paint' technique to do faux stitching, except the heads are little wheeled rubber stamps in a variety of stitch patterns. Genius. The cool thing is the heads snap right onto the Sew Easy handle if you've already got that. I love thoughtful design!

Amy Tan's line for American Crafts. I'm not even sure where to start with this one. It's fun and fresh and has some great little details - like paper clips twisted into little cameras. Can't wait to own it!

Love this Thicker fonts for the line:

here you can see the washi tapes and some of the embellishments:

Still in the American Crafts booth - the new Halloween line is gorgeous. The colors are cool (love the use of the light blue) and those black chalk-board style accent shapes - cool - look at that black cloud! And how about that little masked fox in the Remarks package?!

Here's the light blue - it's kind of grayed out. Love it:

Love that this Halloween Thicker font could work on any kind of page, not just Halloween:

Here's the new Silhouette Cameo - cuts paper 12" wide now. Looks like there's an upgrade in my future.

isn't this a cute chalkboard wall calendar? Cut with a Silhouette onto chalkboard wall vinyl.

I fell in love with these cute little Dimensions embroidery kits in the EK Success booth. This particular set has illustrations from Claudine Hellmuth. They can be transferred numerous times. Love the simple line drawings and contemplating how they could be worked into paper projects.

Onto the Fancy Pants booth. Now, I've never but a gigantic fan of this line but I think that is about to change. I love these tissue paper circles. They've done a set for almost every one of their new releases (these are for the Halloween line).

Here's a great back to school line. I am in love with that graphic pencil paper, buttons and tissue circles:

In the KI booth I found these cute clear stamp sets - love this font:

I'll be back tomorrow with some more photos - and hopefully the temperature will drop enough for me to be able to sit at my desk and make something! Lots of ideas in my head.

The "b" card

2011-07-22T08:49:00.000-04:00

Would just like to thank all my friends who voted for me for round 2 of Gallery Idol. Alas, it was not meant to be. I didn't make it to round 3 but that is ok. I got to meet some great people (a prize in itself), win some awesome stuff and be part of this great group. Looking forward now to being a voter! Round 3 cards will be up on Monday and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the top 10 come up with.

Today I thought I'd share the "b" card for the die cut challenge from round 2. I made this card with one of Amy Tan's new die cuts for American Crafts/Silhouette. It's a cute clothespin. I put them all together to make a sun:

I thought the SRM sticker sentiment worked well with the simple, graphic image. I cut the shape from Creative Imaginations wood veneer paper. (I knew that would come in handy some day.) Here's a close up:

materials: cardstock: American Crafts; patterned paper: Girls Paperie; wood veneer paper: Creative Imaginations; sticker: SRM; die cut image: Amy Tan for Silhouette; buttons: misc.

I really like this card and I'm in love with the Amy Tan shapes for the Silhouette. (I'll gush some more about Amy when I compile my post-CHA update later today. Her new line is really great.)

Today the heat index in New Jersey will be 107 degrees. That might even be too hot to go out and swim, but we'll give it a try. Stay cool - and thanks again for your Gallery Idol support, friends!

A little behind & FYI Challenge #10

2011-07-21T18:11:00.000-04:00

Landed back in NJ a few hours ago from my trip to CHA and boy is it hot here! Very nice to be home, heat or no heat. I will put together a post with all my CHA pictures by the weekend. There was so much to see - and this was the 'small' show.

I apologize for the delay of my FYI challenge post. Challenge #10 is up on the blog. Here's what I made with Steph's pretty challenge photo for this week:

materials: cardstock: Canvas & Co.; patterned paper: 7 Gypsies; flowers: Jillibean Soup; sticker: SRM

I was definitely inspired by the color and repetition in the challenge photo. To see the inspo photo and the inspiring & beautiful work of the design team, just stop by right here. We'd love it if you played along!

A quick thanks to everyone that voted for me in Gallery Idol Round 2. They will announce the Top 10 tomorrow. Hopefully I will be one of them, if not, that will be fine. It's been so great being part of this group and getting to know the very talented Gallery Idol top 20!

Hope where you are you are cool and comfortable.

See you tomorrow!

From CHA

2011-07-20T09:59:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to check in from Chicago at CHA with some photos I took at the show. I'm having a great time and getting to meet people in person who I've only know online. It's been a really amazing experience. Seeing all the gorgeous new releases is also pretty darn cool!

First people I met, my pals from Paper Crafts Magazine, Susan Opel & Cath Edvalson. They are the nicest people, ever :)

A little surprise at the Northridge Media booth :) (I also have a dorky photo of me standing in front of this, but I will spare you...)

Some pretty stuff, this was at Pink Paislee (loved ever single thing in that booth!)

a pretty creation at Jillibean Soup - one of my fave stops at the show:

Some more pretty from October Afternoon (and there was a lot of pretty in that booth)

Me and Ella Friends Jenny Larson & Keshet Starr at the October Afternoon booth:

Another highlight of the day - getting to meet Susan McShirley of SRM Stickers. Truly one of the sweetest people I have ever met - we posted this photo on Facebook:

And the day was topped off by a great dinner with my favorite Jersey girls, Sue and Pat from Scrapper's Cove. Without them, I don't think I'd be here in Chicago for this show. They've supported my crafty efforts for a long time. So grateful to know them! Here's the enormous, incredibly delicious Strawberry Shortcake we shared for dessert and came nowhere near finishing:

So I will take more pictures today and hopefully post my faves tonight. I have a feeling that will be a really long post!

Before I go, have you voted for Gallery Idol yet?

I'd love to make it to the next round and will need your votes to get there. If you haven't already, stop by right here and view the entries. I'm seriously impressed with the talent in this group of cardmakers!

Have a great day - if you are anywhere in the U.S. - stay cool!

Gallery Idol Round 2 - time to vote!

2011-07-18T14:00:00.001-04:00

It's that time again - time to share my card for Round 2 of Gallery Idol.

Still pretty amazed to be part of this group of talented cardmakers. This week's challenge was to use die cuts in a creative way. I made 2 cards with the assistance of my trusty Silhouette, which saw more action in one day that it has seen the entire 3 years I've owned it. (Thank you Silhouette for not flaming out on me when I needed you most!) Here is the card I submitted today.

and here's a close up:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Girls Paperie, American Crafts, Sassafras Lass; string: Divine Twine; floss: DMC; paint: Plaid; die cutter: Silhouette

How did I use die cuts on this card? Here's step one...I cut the bird shape, a recent Silhouette store download, then used it to trace the shape onto my card. I traced with paint and while I was at it, added some paint to the card edges too. After the paint dried, I outlined a more defined shape with a light grey marker, then I machine sewed over that line twice:

Then I cut the little flowers (lots of them), another Silhouette store download. I cut this shape, which included 4 different flower shapes, at around 1.25" so they would be tiny enough to fit into the bird shape.

I filled up the shape with a variety of the flowers (they were cut onto 3 different patterns) then added a handful of french knots for texture. What really drove the design home was that quote, which I found online. It's by Aesop (of fable fame) from The Jay and the Peacock. I like that the moral speaks to the value of being good on the inside - that the superficial exterior stuff isn't what makes a person.

So...you know the drill. Time to vote. Here is the link to the gallery and voting place. I would love to move onto the next round and will need to make the top 10 to do that. Therefore, I need your votes.
Oh, how grateful I am that I will be traveling this week and distracted by CHA - last week felt so long waiting and wondering if I was going to make it through. I'll definitely share the 'b' card later in the week.

Want to give a special shout out to my pal Jan who helped me decide which card to submit this week. She's an amazing cardmaker - you can see her gorgeous creations here on her blog. Thank you Jan!

Sunday At The Studio

2011-07-17T07:34:00.000-04:00

Time for another card challenge at The Studio. This week Amanda gave us a nice easy summer challenge, and it's a good thing because I've been in 'Gallery Idol card making immersion' for the past 2 days. Happy to say I've got 2 cards - now I just need to decide. Ok, more about that tomorrow...onto The Studio challenge. This week we were challenged to use chipboard on a card - whew! I can do that...

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper, journal label: October Afternoon; chipboard, letters: Cosmo Cricket

Felt so good to make this card. I didn't have to over think it, or second guess it, or wonder if it was clever enough. Cheerful and simple. Just what I needed. If you make any chipboard creations, link them up at The Studio. We'd love to see them! Need some more inspiration? Check out the design team's work right here.

Much to do today. Need to photograph and upload my Gallery Idol Round 2 card. (But first I need to run them past a friend to make sure I pick the right one.) I'm heading to CHA tomorrow and have not packed a single thing. Worse than that, I have not given a single thought to what I will wear. Getting the stuff in the bag is one thing, figuring out what will go in the bag - that's a whole other story. Time to make a list, I think.

I'll be back tomorrow with my Gallery Idol Round 2 card and some more shameless begging for votes. Have a great day!

Thank You!

2011-07-15T07:51:00.001-04:00

Thank you to everyone that voted for me in Gallery Idol!

I'm happy (well, more like really happy) to say I made it into the top 15 and will be moving onto the next round. The theme for the next card is creative die cutting - a subject you know I'm somewhat fond of. Now, to come up with something new and brilliant!

One of the perks of this contest is getting know the other 19 card makers - which makes results day a little bittersweet. Just want to wish Emily Branch, Cathy Fongjoyo, Jo Kill, Kristii Lockart and Vanessa Menhorn good luck in their crafty endeavors. It was so great to be in this group with you!

Today we are off to a local zoo - maybe inspiration will strike me there?
Have a great day!!

Only a few more hours...

2011-07-14T08:09:00.000-04:00

to vote!

Voting for Round 1 of Gallery Idol ends at noon MST today. You can go right to the voting page here. (My card is #8 in the gallery). I'd love to get through to the next round and if I get enough votes to keep me in the top 15 I will.

Here's a cool thing I discovered yesterday - my little Gallery Idol card that I made for Round 1 voting is on the Cardmaking Gallery homepage at 2 Peas as the featured project. I was so excited when I saw this I took a few screen shots and saved them for posterity. Hopefully it helps me get some votes !

That card is now on it's way to my crafty pal Amy. She liked it so much she asked to have it and I was happy to send it to her. So nice to know it's going someplace where it will be loved :)

It's a gorgeous day here in the Northeast. Windows are open and there is a nice breeze. Looking forward to being out in the sunshine today - hope you have a great day, too!

the "B" card & Bite Sized Scrapbooking

2011-07-13T07:09:00.000-04:00

If you've been reading my blog you know I've been competing in Gallery Idol 2011. Round 1 cards are up for voting right here, and you can see the card I submitted right here - but today I'd like to share the "B" card; the second choice, the one I chose not to submit. This was actually the first card I made:

here's a detail of the butterfly element:

materials: patterned papers: Girls Paperie; buttons: Crate; coffee filter: Fancy Pants; sentiment: K & Co.

The round 1 challenge was to make a card with a handmade embellishment. On this card I wove the paper then cut it into the butterfly shape. Trust me when I tell you that butterfly element was positioned on about a dozen other card bases before it landed here and got stuck down.

Why I didn't use this card instead of the first choice? Here are a few of my reasons:
1) after I made it, and agonized over it's position, I realized the butterfly employed the same weaving technique I used on the card that made the top 20 (I didn't want to be the 'one trick pony')
2) my daughter didn't like it (she's only 7 but she's got a really good eye)
3) while I like the simple elements and white space, I thought viewers might think it looked unfinished.

It's so hard to know what to submit for Gallery Idol. In the open call, it's the magazine editors that make the selection of the top 20. Once you get to the voting part, you've got to appeal to a completely different audience - some of which does not include cardmakers. I went with 'the pretty card' because I thought it would have better 'curb appeal' in the gallery. Not sure I made the right call or even made the right kinds of cards. Just know if I do move forward, I need to step it up!

I was honored to be asked by Kim Byrns to contribute one of my layouts as inspiration for her Bite-sized Scrapbooking system.

Are you familiar with this extremely cool program? You can read all about it right here on her website, but this is how it works: "Bite-sized Scrapbooking is an email-based service that will help you create one layout per week—a nice steady pace of scrapbooking that you can do without stress or burning out." You'll be productive, you will use up your stash and most of all, you will enjoy the process. It's a brilliant concept and Kim's website is loaded with all the details - you can see sample emails and check out the Flickr gallery, too. Thanks so much for inviting me Kim!!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Die Cut Projects

2011-07-12T07:00:00.002-04:00

Did you vote yet? You can check out my Gallery Idol card for Round 1 right here, and you can vote here. You have until Friday to pick your fave. If I get enough votes I get to move onto to Round 2.

Wrote a little blog post for Ella Publishing on my new favorite tool: my die cutter. You know how I've been feeling the Big Shot love these last few months...well, I decided to put it in writing. I only scratched the surface of what this versatile tool can do. Here are the projects I made:

For this layout I used nearly every embossing folder I had to emboss the grey cardstock, then I used some nesting circle dies to cut different sized circles. Makes a cool textural background, no? Definitely want to try this on a card:

Images Removed for Publication

Here's a mini album cover. I embossed some Stampin' Up wood veneer. Love that you can emboss really thick stuff with that machine:

materials: wood veneer: Stampin' Up; letters: Pink Paislee; pin: October Afternoon; butterfly: Making Memories; twine: Divine Twine; embossing folder: Lifestyle Crafts

Here's one more fall page I didn't use in the post. This one used the negative cuts leftover from a large circle border I have:

materials: patterned paper: Making Memories, Studio Calico, Sasafrass Lass; letters: American Crafts; envelope: Making Memories; stickers: Sasafrass Lass, 7 Gypsies; ticket, tape: Pink Paislee; die: Lifestyle Crafts

So a week from today I'll be in Chicago for CHA. Never been to a CHA before but have always wanted to check it out. I was hoping to go to the big winter show but I hear this one is a little more manageable. Besides the fact it's only 2 hours away by plane, as opposed to 8 to the west coast. I don't feel as guilty going to Chicago for some reason. And speaking of Chicago, I really miss that place! I used to travel there twice a year for a previous job - I haven't been there since 1996. Can't wait to see it again and plan to take at least one afternoon to head into the city, see the sights and eat some pizza!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Gallery Idol Round 1

2011-07-11T14:05:00.001-04:00

Time for Round 1 of Paper Crafts Gallery Idol 2011! Ready to vote?

I think I got a little case of Gallery Idol amnesia over the last year. I forgot how stressful it is to make a card for a spot in this competition. And I'm competing against a pretty talented bunch, as I'm sure you've seen by now. I've gotten to know them over the past few days, which is one of the huge perks of this contest, and they are as friendly as they are talented.
This week's challenge was to make a card with handmade embellishments. I had a couple of ideas. I made a handful of duds before I got to 2 cards. Here's the one I submitted for voting (I'll share the second one later in the week):

I fell in love with that background paper as soon as I laid eyes on it and knew I wanted to use it for something special, so I let it steer this project. I was going for vintage, but with a cleaner, graphic style. I was thinking a'less fussy take on the shabby chic style. I liked the idea of mixing grey in with the vintage floral so I used that label sticker to anchor the sentiment. The butterfly, which was die cut from an old sewing pattern and it's packaging adds a little more grey. I layered both the translucent sheets of the pattern (which were conveniently polka dotted) and the sheets of type from the packaging, then I added some stitching and white paint for some more texture. The nice thing about the layers on the butterfly is they add dimension without a bunch of bulk. Here's a close up:

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Girls Paperie; sticker: Studio Calico; sentiment, twine: Pink Paislee

I have to thank my pal & local Stampin' Up consultant Pam for having this die on hand when it occurred to me late Saturday afternoon that I had to have it for my project. Thanks so much, Pam!

So, now the part about the voting. That's how I'll move onto the next round, by the number of votes I collect. As long as I get enough to keep me in the top 15, then I'm good to go onto the next challenge. You can view the rest of the entries for this week's challenge and place your vote right here, on the Paper Crafts Blog. I would love to have your vote, but you really should vote for your favorite. If that happens to be my card, great! You can vote all week, and ask your friends to vote, too. On Friday they will announce the Top 15.

Gallery Idol!

2011-07-08T07:34:00.000-04:00

Found out a few minutes ago that I made the Gallery Idol Top 20. I'm seriously shocked. Excited, but shocked. This year's gallery was pretty unbelievable. I'm feeling a little uneasy being in that top 20 with all those amazing card makers - and I'm feeling a lot sad to not see my friends names up there - when I was certain they were going to make it. I submitted about 5 cards, this was the one that got picked:

I wrote about how I made this card in this blog post from a few weeks ago. And now it's onto the first challenge - use a 'do-it-yourself' embellishment. I think I already know where I am going with this one. I'm sure I will obsess over it for the next 3 days, though, and turn my desk into a crafty war zone.

Congratulations to my fellow cardmakers - and thanks so much Paper Crafts!

For Your Inspiration Challenge #9

2011-07-07T07:33:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone - hope you are all having a great week. We are falling into our summer routine and I'm at the point now where I don't even remember the old routine. I'm starting to see ads for backpacks and lunch boxes and when I was in Target the other day, I couldn't help but notice they were clearing out the summer fun aisles and replacing them with the back-to-school aisles. Before you know it - those aisles will be the Halloween aisles.....then Christm....gasp! Oh, it's all going too fast for me!

It's first Thursday of the month so that means Steph has a new challenge photo for us at FYI. Here's the card I made for this challenge:

This one turned out to be very masculine. I used my Big Shot to cut the circle border then wove 2 strips of the same patterned paper through the holes.

materials: cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Basic Grey; sticker: SRM; jute: Close To My Heart; die cutter: Big Shot; die: Quickcutz

You can see the inspiration photo here, at the FYI blog, and also see the work of the design team - who never fail to inspire me. When I look at these challenge photos I like to see the color and the shapes, as opposed to the actual imagery. Have a look and tell me what you see!

Stetch Your Sketches @ Ella Publishing

2011-07-04T21:40:00.000-04:00

Hope you all had a Happy 4th of July! It's hot and humid here so we hung by the pool and kept it low key.

Have you been playing along with Donna's "Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series" at Ella Publishing?

Every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month through September Donna is posting a brand new sketch and layouts, plus sharing some of her favorite tips and tricks for getting the most from your sketches. Each week she invites one of the Ella Friends to stretch the sketch and create another layout based on that same sketch - this week it's me! You can join in the fun by making your own layouts based on the sketches and be eligible to win some great prizes each month.

I've been working with Donna's layout sketches since I first saw them on the Ella blog. (She's also got a fantastic eBook of sketches- that you can find right here.) The clean, simple style of her pages has definitely inspired me over the last 2 years. So, let's get to the sketch:

Not only are Donna's sketches great for sparking a layout idea - they are great for making cards...which is what I did:

I actually made 2 cards. This is the one I sent in for the blog. I did not deviate far from the sketch because I really love a grid design. I liked the ideas of using circles within the linear design so I added the flower and the circle cut from patterned paper in place of 2 of the squares. I left the other 2 squares solid and fairly monotone to reinforce the grid design. Here's a close up - still feeling the Gluber love...

materials: cardstock: Bazzill, American Crafts; patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket; flower: Punky Sprouts, Cosmo Cricket; stamps: Studio Calico ('summer'), Close To My Heart ('enjoy'); ink: Jenni Bowlin; string: Divine Twine

Ok, here's the first card I made. A little more true to the sketch but you can see the circle thing was in my head and not fully developed into what I did above.

The card is navy & orange - one of my all time favorite color combos (but the navy looks black here). Here's a close up - the circles are from Stampin' Up - I heat embossed them with orange Zing.

materials: cardstock: American Crafts; patterned paper: Bo Bunny; stamps: circles: Stampin Up; 'enjoy' Close To My Heart; 'summer' Studio Calico; ink: Jenni Bowlin, Versamark; embossing powder: American Crafts; embossing folder, tag punch: Stampin Up

Donna's page with the sketch is gorgeous. You can check out her post and the sweet prize that is up for grabs over at the Ella Publishing blog. (Included in the prize winnings is the same stamp set I used on my cards - the Addy Sentiments from Studio Calico). Thanks Donna for letting me play along!

Sunday At The Studio

2011-07-02T20:42:00.000-04:00

July? Feels like it just started to warm up and now it's already July? Why does the summer have to fly by while the winter seems to drag on?

Time for another Sunday challenge from The Studio. This week's challenge is a timely one: make an invitation. I made this invite that could be used for any summertime gathering:

Since invitations get made in quantities, I wanted to make something that could be easily reproduced. For this reason I chose to use materials that are inexhaustible - like stamps and a die cut from a digital cutter. I used my Silhouette to cut that sun. The frame and journal areas are stamps and the sentiment was printed from my computer. Here's a close up:

materials: cardstock: Stampin' Up, Bazzill; patterned paper: Echo Park; stamps (Polaroid frame) Studio Calico, (journal lines) Close To My Heart; ink: Versamark, Close To My Heart; embossing powder: American Crafts; twine: Divine Twine; die cutter (for sun) Silhouette; felt buttons: Joanne

All the parts could be easily made and put together assembly-line style. I love the idea of handmade invitations and wish there were some more places to find inspiration to make them. Oh - besides the gallery at The Studio today, that is. The team did a great job with this challenge. Stop by and check it out. I'd love to see your handmade invites, too - so link them up!

Speaking of parties, we had my son's birthday party last week. I was stumped for a favor. Usually I'd make some party themed cookies and bag them up but it was exceptionally humid last week. The cookies would never have stayed together. I thought I'd do something with a Hershey Bar (Christopher's fave) when a friend suggested I make a smore's kit. So I did - they were a huge hit. Here's what they looked like:

You can almost see the graham crackers peeking out from behind the candy bar. Those are gigantic roaster marshmallows I found at The Christmas Tree Shop. I can't tell you how easy and economical these were to make. The feeling of satisfaction when I didn't waste a pile of my hard-earned money on a bunch of junky plastic goody bag toys was priceless!

Thanks for stopping by today - hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend!