Another Xmas layout

Okay I got new camera for Christmas. It won't import the pictures into iPhoto so I guess I am going to have to learn a new photo editing program. In the mean time I could not crop this picture.

I used a Kerry Bradford story board for the pictures as well as some Kerry Bradford cut files for the silhouette… My daughter woke up on Christmas morning with the horrible upper respiratory infection I shared with her… So she is not feeling her best in any of the many Christmas pictures I took that day. I still have 5 more single layouts to do of Christmas pictures. LOL…

Happy New Years! I'm off to work on my One Word Journal cover now.

Working on Layouts

I've been busy on my days off during the holidays visiting with friends and family but also taking some me time to just be… I'm catching up on some of the 12X12 layouts I want to insert in my project life album.  This is  one is from Thanksgiving.

I used cricut elegant edges for the mat and pagoda for the flower. The title was cut on my silhouette. I don't remember the font….I always admire people who create these elaborate scrapbook pages but find mine always come back to LOTS of pictures with minimal embellishment… You should see the number of pictures I took at Christmas and the storyboards I created in Kerri Bradford's templates to get all the pictures in. I just feel the need to document it all!!!!

I've been doing a lot of personal reflecting and I signed up for Ali Edwards One Word class for 2014. I will be creating my cover page in the next day or so and will share. I also have 3 Christmas layouts done with 3 more to go.. Like I said I took lots of pictures. 

craftroom reorganization

I feel my space is not working for me. I am moving my machines around and making more table space to work today. Hopefully this will inspire me actually get my project life caught up and I can do the two page Thanksgiving spread that I have the pictures printed for but haven't found the time to scrap. Then it will be all about the Christmas pictures.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from this absent blogger. I hope to be posting more in the new year!

SNOW DAY!!!

Let the cookie baking begin!!!

More MCT gift card holders

Tis the season to be super busy. We had a wonderful thanksgiving here. The house is fully decorated for Christmas and I am down to just a couple gift cards needing to be purchased and I am all done with Christmas shopping. I am working on the year 2013 in my moms Christmas gift scrapbook so that will be done within the week. I had several requests from friends and family to make them some gift card holders... I made way more that a dozen of these for people last week. All different holiday patterned paper from my stash. I used the MCT gift card holder die, teeny tags greetings die for people to write who the card was for, medium stitched scalloped bow die and the gift cards sentiments for the merry Christmas embossed with green inkadinkadoo embossing powder.

I can't wait to finish my moms book and get back to working on my own project life that is now behind. Hopefully I will get November in there before December is up. LOL!

Papertrey ink gift card holders

I like to use papertrey ink gift card holders when I am giving cash. Just seems like it tucks in more securely. I prefer MCT for actual gift cards.

I'm not really sure what company all the embellishments are from. I know some are K&Company.

Another embossed tree card

This was my original idea for that tree stamp. I have to tell you I like the more simple ones I posted yesterday much better. Less can definitely be better.

simple embossed xmas card

This card is super simple. I used an old stampin up stamp that was from my dear friend Linda. I used versamark ink and inkadinkado white embossing powder on heavy Papertrey ink card stock to try and prevent warping when the powder was heated.

I am hope that Santa brings me a new camera this year so maybe I can take better pictures. 

plugging alone

I'm up to my daughters graduation the spring of 2011 in my moms Christmas book... I NEED to get it done cause I have so many Christmas ideas and this project along with Christmas gifts is taking over my whole craft space. Hopefully by this weekend it will be done.. I have a system now and have tons of embellishments ready to roll to knock this out...

super fast wedding card

This card was super simple and done in 5 minutes. I happen to like wedding cards that are simple but elegant. I used my cricut to cut the bride and groom from the wildcard cartridge. The black paper was paper trey ink and the white embossed paper is from an old DCWV embossed white paper stack.

I haven't been posting much because I am plugging away on my mothers Christmas gift project life album. I think I posted before that I had made her a grandparents album when I very first started scrapping in 2007. This album will be from 2007 to the present. I find that I get on a roll do a few pages then need to walk away from it for a while, then go back... I am finished through 2009 and will be starting 2010 tonight.

Happy Veterans Day

I want to thank all the veterans out there to their service to our country.... I haven't crafted. I was away Wednesday night to Friday night at NJEA in Atlantic City. My son came home Friday night for a visit so it has been family time. My crafts will be there when he leaves:-)

Another gift card holder

MCT gift card holder, stitched scalloped circle and All around holidays. The paper is all from PTI.

Christmas Gift card holder

Another idea from TeriBeri....She used the build a banner I used MCT stitched party dies and the gift card holder die.

Christmas tags

I got the idea to make these from TeriBeri. I kind of did it assembly line so it took me two days to make a dozen but I cut the tag base for many more. I set up the cuddle bug in front of the TV last night and cut out all the tag bases, floret die strips, stitched circle dies and the hole tabs. Today after church I assembled all the florets, stamped the sentiment on the stitched circles and put it all together.

I used MCT tag dies, stitched round tab, arrow and tag ties, All around holidays, and scalloped stitched rosette dies. The card case was a super heavy glitter paper I found at Joannes yesterday. As you can see I saved all the scraps from cutting the dies to make the centers. The pattern papers are old pattern paper from my stash.. I will say that I have been having a hard time getting the stitched circle from the die without ruining it.. not sure if my plates need to be changed or what. I found that only if I used super thick card stock could I poke the die out without putting a hole or mark in the circle. I've had this die since it came out so I'm not sure why I had such a time of it yesterday and today.

Saturday night

I'm switching between the Flyer's and the world series... I tried to get my project life up to date tonight. I planned out my pages and picked up my photos but some of the prints are in the wrong orientation... oops. I recreated them in a smaller format. I will send to Walgreen's tomorrow and pick up after church. In the mean time I made a few of these super simple cards. I have been loving simplicity lately... I used MCT stitched party dies to create this with paper from my scrap bin. The sentiment it stampin up Heard from the heart set.

Nursing a sore ankle tonight... really how many times can one person fall in their own yard in little dips in the yard?  All I was trying to do was put up a Halloween blow up and finish the final fall yard clean up by cutting down an ornamental grass with the hedge trimmer.

another scalloped stitched rosette

Well yesterday while watching the Eagles implode...sigh... I played around with my new MCT products. I made lots of rosettes and stitched bows...This card I used the scalloped stitched die that I inked the edges and also sprayed with sea glass glimmer mist. The pattern paper and embellishments were My minds eye The sweetest thing collection. The cake in the back is from the yummy cricut imagine cartridge.

I got home today and had MORE happy mail!!! My All around holidays that was back ordered has already arrived!

Xmas card

Okay I got the inspiration for this card from a teriberi instagram picture... My design is a little different but the use of scalloped layers and using MCT's rosette in this manner is definitely from Terri.

I used My Minds Eye signature Christmas, MCT scalloped stitched rosette die, MCT gift card sentiments, MCT Just simply live banner die, Martha Stewart border punch and snowflake button and papertrey in craft card stock with matching ribbon.

One of my good friend's favorite color is teal... This card will be for her.

purse gift holder

I think the purse gift holders from  SVG cuts are just adorable. They are big enough to hold little gifts. This was made to hold a handmade scarf I knitted for my friends birthday on Monday...

The paper is from an old DCWV beach themed pack. I added some gem stone brads to the handles and the front.

Columbus Day

I've been a manic all day. Up early, went for mamo and then blood work, got my moms prescriptions, did the grocery shopping, took the canopy off the deck for winter, put the deck chairs in the basement for winter, made my last pot of butternut squash soup of the season (I have a freezer full of organic soups for the winter), prepped crock pot for tomorrow, put away my shorts and got out my sweaters and turtlenecks and still sat down to make this card after dinner. First I am definitely feeling better on my new diet and 2nd I should always work a 4 day week! LOL!

On this card I used the papertrey ink hexagon die and coordinating stamps. The little heart stamp is by Judith. Inks were momento and papertrey ink. The happy birthday stamp is from MCT gift card sentiments and the banner die is from MCT Just Simply Live.

Back to work tomorrow. I think I'm out every night this week for meetings.. Ughhhh

super simple

I've been busy and on nights I'm home I crash.. A few medical issues that make me tired. I will be having some tests over the next few weeks to get to the bottom of it. I made some significant diet changes mid week last week and I am already starting to feel better and have more energy. I got the rest of my flower beds cleaned out today for winter. So depressing to pull everything out and look at them empty. I got caught up on my project life tonight... Going great. I love using the download sheets by Marcy Penner to journal and pencil in where each photo will go. I decided on my moms Christmas gift today.. I had made her a grandparents book that ended in 2007. Well I'm making a book from 2007 to 2013. I sent all my pictures off to be printed tonight. Last time I did a 8 X 8 album. I think I might do a small pocket album this time... We shall see when the pictures get here. Really at her age she needs nothing and this will mean more to her than a big expensive gift!!!

So I had some time tonight and I tried a super simple card to try and regain my card mojo...
The card base is papertrey ink, pattern paper an old Debbie Mumm Harvest and Holiday paper pack, American crafts Halloween washi tape from Target, hero arts stamp, archival brilliance coffee bean ink, embossing powder, nestablilites, and an old stampin up stamp that is my friends... I stamped a bunch I have on hand and when the mood strikes I color one. Colored with copics and stickles added.

okay totally weird.. I had to delete my original photo. Retake a picture of the card and then it uploaded. It kept rejecting the original. That one had better lighting.

One last thing... My Creative Time has a new release... Love, love, love her stuff. I think you can still get 20% if you order now. Not sure. I placed my order on the 10th. Can't wait for those rosettes and bows to arrive.

wow

I finally try to upload a card and it won't let me!!! Try again tomorrow.

mia

please forgive me...

Work, work, more work.. nothing new the beginning of school.. Union obligations shot up to 110% since school started... still have farm pick up every Monday. Ends next week. That means on the nights I am home I am cooking so not to waste those yummy organic veggies. I have to report my freezer is stocked with soups for the winter... escarole, potato leek and butternut squash to name just a few... yummy! I also have embraced project life... not weekly but monthly.. I  have struggled this past month with how to do it.. I think I am getting the idea... take pictures.. using the planning sheets to determine print size and go from there. I only have one project life collection so far so I am loving MCT 3X4 and 4X6 stitched dies to help me supplement more papers into the layout as well as MCT just simply live, stitched folder dies, journal it, type calendar. I think once I get a few layouts under my belt I will feel okay about sharing pictures of it.  Cards will come as I get time. I promise.. crafting is my stress reliever and I need to find my crafting time...

On another note.. 2 years ago today I lost one of my best friends to a drunk driver.. I love you and miss you every day Linda.. You introduced me to paper crafting.

More Halloween

I can not get enough of MCT stitched ghost dies and her fright night stamps... Sometimes simple is better.. I used versa mark and black embossing powder on the bats and boo.. The pattern paper is from the same old many years old Halloween pattern paper stack.. The inside of the card says You've been Booed! So fun!

On another note... If you are a follower of Teriberi.... she talked about how she uses magnetic sheets to hold her small die pieces.. I have to say that I have used magnetic sheets for years for my dies.. It holds my nestabilites together to store in the package... Any how.. I did not cut apart my eyes from the ghost die.. they were just to small for me.. I am afraid I will lose them. I cut the eyes by just turning the die on the edge of the paper for the black.. oh and bye the way the mouth on these ghost are extra eyes I cut out turned on the edge..

It's our 2nd week of school and it is hectic.. tomorrow is back to school night.. It amazes me as a blogger how different the country is in terms of when kids start school.. Even here in NJ.. I started the day after labor day.. the children the next day.... Philly and counties north of here started this Monday. Way to late. Really once the time change goes into affect in the spring you start to lose kids. Once spring sports start here... Forget about it... The kids come to school exhausted... Hello our school is prek and k.. if you have them out till dark then try to do homework and maybe feed them dinner they are not ready for the next day.. Kinda like December when they have them out xmas shopping till 10 at night.

Finally got some crafting time!!!

Yesterday I got some happy mail. I got my order from MCT with the new release items I purchased. I got Fright Night stamp set, stitched party dies and stitched spooky ghost dies. The card you see here is a take on one of Emma's designs so this is NOT my design, the design is hers (she is so talented) I used signo gel pen on the eyes and a sakura gelly roll clear star for the spider web line going down to the spider. Pop dots on the spooky....(gluing the spooky is a little tedious with the centers of the p and o's needing to be put in and they are pretty small)  I did make some slight variations. I used all the items I purchased to make 6 of this card but each one is a slightly different color combo. The pattern paper is from a several years old creative memories Halloween 8X8 pack. 

baby boy shower

My daughter has a shower for a baby boy at work on September 10th... She asked for a larger card (the onesie) for everyone to sign for the group gift and another for the sweater set she had my mom make for the baby.

Both are cuts from the silhouette store. The pattern paper is from an old DCWV baby stack several years old.

B-day card

I cut the pieces to make 4 of these days ago... Just getting around to finishing it up. The die cut and stamp are from MCT.

mailbox treats

I put these treats in all the school employees mailboxes. Everyone has been in and setting up their classrooms at school. Tomorrow is pre-k and kindergarten orientation for the students to visit the school, meet teachers, climb on a bus and just get acclimated a little for the start of school next week on September 4th... (the Tuesday after labor day is meetings all day for teachers.. torture me now please... I'm starting my 27th year in this district and my 36th year of teaching I think I can give the talk).. Just let me at the kiddies... still love my job despite all the teacher bashing in recent years.

The little die cuts and stamps were from Pink by Design Stamps.

Christmas tags

I made a dozen of these tags... I'm trying to go through my cricut carts and play with them more. I have so many that I have barely touched. This santa is from CC2. The to/from stamp is MCT. I added some gold glimmer mist to the tag base.

SVG Luxury Handbags

I have been looking at this file of handbags for a while.. My daughter and her best friend are big handbag girls.. every color, make and model they have it. I got a gift of a few Alex and Ani bracelets for my daughters friend as a gift as she starts her first grown up job and a school psychologist/behaviorist. This handbag was the perfect holder for the gift.

gonna be away for a few days

Headed to the shore today for an absolutely picture perfect day on the beach. Leaving tomorrow for a short mission trip with my church to work on low income housing repairs from hurricane Sandy..... They seem to put all the major immediate rebuilding efforts into the tourist areas first. So probably no new crafty post until probably next weekend.

Stormy morning

Lots of severe thunder storms with torrential rain here this morning. I spent the morning glued to the TV like a junkie watching the same forecast with lightening strikes over and over again like it was going to change. Thankful I'm a teacher and not back to work yet so I did not have to travel in any of it or unload buses with little pre-k and kindergarten students.

Today's card I made multiples of is another Xmas card from a stamp I bought at least 3 years ago at a scrapbook convention over in Valley Forge PA. I never used it and it doesn't have a name on it. I colored with copics so I could use stickles. The sew easy floss is from WR

memory keepers from a big crab bag full of it with assorted colors at a one of these scarp events but I think this one was from Lancaster convention center. All papers from my stash.

Non traditional Christmas colors

My daughter left Friday for a trip to Mexico with 6 of her former college friends. When she finally departed with all her chaos of packing I sat around and just had a glass of wine and colored some Christmas stamps. I used copics so they wouldn't bleed with stickles but didn't do any blending. This afternoon I started mounting them up into cards. All the paper was from my stash. The pattern paper is from one of my very first Christmas packs back when I started scrappin in 2007. The stamp was from a scrapbook convention 2 or 3 years ago... It doesn't have a name on it. 

MCT Designer Challenge

Wow, I have not been motivated to do a challenge in a year or more… This morning I had an hour to kill and I thought I like working with just black and white.

I used an old stampin up stamp for the center. One of layers is MCT's stitched journal die. The sentiment and die cut frame are from MCT's just simply live. Everything was rounded with the 1/4 inch side of the corner chomper. All the papers were from my stash. The inside sentiment from stampin up says... "Sending loving thoughts your way...Hope tomorrow's a better day!"

Another crafting with Katie inspiration card

I used a hero arts stamp and colored with my copics. I used stickles on the flames and a gelly roll clear star pen on the candles. The happy birthday stamp is MCT gift card sentiments and the border punch is from ek success. Papers and ribbon are papertrey ink.

Kristina Werner inspiration

I got the layout idea for this card from a Kristina Werner video but I used completely different stamp sets. The thank you on mine was stampin up and the hexagons are PTI from rosie posie... I used regular memento ink except for the center of the hexagon. I used dew drop brilliance pearlscent sky blue.

pinterest inspired Christmas Cards

These are not original designs. I got the idea from some talented person on Pinterest. The one on pinterest was red. I did a couple of those then tried it in green. The ribbon and stamp is PTI.  I just created a file on my cameo that had various sized circles then cut it in assorted paper from my stash that is so easy to work with now that it is all organized. the card is 41/4 by 41/4.

Christmas in July

I made a dozen of these last week.. I was a tad disappointed in the crispness of the cutting lines.. I did double cut on the silhouette but it was papertrey in card stock and that is so super thick..oh well it is what it is. It took me 2 evenings around my daughters sleep schedule to get them done... I find I am crafting less because I can't use my machines when she is sleeping. Often by the time she leaves for work and I have the kitchen cleaned up from dinner I have lost my craft inspiration!!! Oh well we will find a compromise. I worked on my happy book tonight at caught it up to 7/20... I printed the pictures from then till now to try to finish them up real soon...

I turned in all the curriculum mapping work I have been working on today. I am completely free for the next 3 weeks till I go on my mission trip... My son is on vacation next week and will be staying at my MIL's beach house where my ex now lives. I might go to lbi for the day to be with him.. Don't think I can stay over with him there though... too creepy!!!

Another Rosie Posie

I don't really get why the Rosie Posie stamp set has all those hexagon shapes on one side then flowers on the other. Doesn't make sense to me... I keep thinking that I made a card really similar to this before but if my memory serves me well it was a sympathy so this is a little different...

Rosie Posie

Last week on one of the blistering 90 plus humid days I played around for a few hours with the Rosie Posie Paper Trey ink stamp set. I stamped all kinds of color combos of the hexagons. Note to self in the future don't bother trying to stamp diagonal down the paper it ends up just looking crooked. These are just 2 of many I made. The hexagon punch is creative memories.

Another get well

We have been slowly cleaning out my dear friend Linda's crafting supplies she stored at church. Really hard to believe even after all this time she is gone. I found this old  stampin up stamp set in her things. It really was just so her and every time I will use it I will think of her.

Get Well Card

My daughter went in my card stash the other day and yelled, "Mom, there's no get well cards in here except ugly ones!" She was right! This card was inspired from pinterest and really simple... I made multiples. The get well stamp scale is a little off. It should be bigger but it's what I had. My other one was to big. It looks less off in person. The get well soon is MCT and the flower stamp is from create a garden 2 from rubbernecker. The border punch was stampin up. I'm finding that I stamp more during the day if my daughter is sleeping for work because its something I can do that is quiet. We live in a 4 bedroom 1950's rancher and the spare bedroom is my craft room and the sound just travels. My cricut and cameo bother her when she is sleeping. The joys of living with someone who works night shift.

organizing paper

Last week I spent an entire afternoon and most of an evening sorting and purging my 12 X 12 scrapbook paper. The top rack now contains all my colored paper sorted by color. The bottom is almost all of my pattern paper. I have a couple of seasonal stacks for Christmas and the fall that won't fit. The pattern paper is organized two ways. One container is all seasonal. (Easter, valentines, etc...) The rest is all in color families. Next on my agenda is organizing embellishments. Oh and I am not allowed to buy anymore paper cause this is just my 12 X 12... I have tons of small stacks for card making.

blogging break

I took a long blogging break...First it was the busy time at the end of school, then I went to Atlanta for 9 days, now things are finally settling down. I have been crafting. My happy book and scrapbooks are up to date. My Atlanta trip book is almost complete. I am waiting for some supplies I ordered to finish it. I have made the decision to combine my happy book and my  regular scrapbook into one format. using project life pocket pages and adding my full page scrap pages when it's a big event. I have about 4 more smash pages and then I will switch over. Mine will not be weekly. I will just add things as I go. I am not worried that I am not starting January 1 or mid year. I will start when I start. LOL!

This is a card I made before I went to Atlanta so my daughter would have it on her birthday. I got home the day after this year but we celebrated big anyway!!!

Another beach themed card

summer is coming!

My friend asked for a Summer card. Life's a beach cricut cart was my go to place for inspiration.

last of my friends stamped images

Another borrowed stamp image 2

The same papers and embellishments as my post from yesterday!!!

another borrowed stamped image

I got a small 6X6 pack of this My Minds Eye paper with some of the coordinating embellishments on Saturday at Michael's and I just love the colors.

A friends stamps

I haven't crafted with my Thursday night crew in forever...wait I haven't crafted in forever but the last time we did I stamped a bunch of images from my friend Karen's stamp stash. I finally got to color some this past week and yesterday I put some together into simple note cards. I purposefully wanted these cards simple, with minimal embelishments.

Another knitted set

My daughter picked out this set for my mom to knit for her co-worker. The shower is taking place as I type this.