I am still alive!

Wow, it has been so long since I have posted. Sorry about the long delay guys! It has been a busy and trying couple of weeks. But I am back and had a good crafting weekend!

I went to a community yard sale here in the valley and was able to visit the Paper Creations Magazine booth where they were selling older idea books, magazines and scrapbook kits for really cheap. They had books from Creating Keepsakes and also Simple Scrapbooks. And the kits that I got were 2 of the ones that Lisa Bearnson sold on QVC over the last couple years.

So here is what I have been up to. Lets start with part of my moms Mother's Day present. Ssshh! It's a secret. Well, kinda. She told me she wanted something that said FAMILY.

So I did this similar as the other picture frames. I pained the frame cream, stamped on it with Stazon ink and the Autumn Leaves stamps. The paper in the background is Me and My Big Ideas. I covered the chipboard letters with brown cardstock and adheared on top of the patterned paper. I added Stickles, even though it is hard to tell, on the stamps on teh frame, and on the little tag showing here.

So now I will have t make me one for my living room in different colors to match.

It's late and I will have to post my other projects tomorrow. I have 8 more things to post so stay tuned this week!!!

It Doesn't Get Much Easier Than This

I seem to be on a simplictic run lately. Not sure how this came to me, but I am really liking the results. I really hope the Doodle This and Doodle That sets are in the upcoming catalogs. I think they are my favorite sets right now. I also have been using the Warm Words set a lot lately. This set contains words that can get a sentiment across without being specific. These cards could be used for a birthday, bridal shower, or even just because.

The result is an extemely fast 4x4 card.
So the supplies for these are few but here you go:

1. Doodle This
2. Warm Words
3. Very Vanilla card stock
4. Timber Brown Stazon
5. Cranberry Crisp classic
6. Pale Plum classic
7. Tempting Turquoise classic
8. Barely Banana classic
9. Certainly Celery classic
10. Crystal Stickles by Ranger
11. Brown and cream ribbon
12. Aqua Painter

Hope you guys like these.

Happy Stamping Everyone!

Cards for Dee

I have been making cards for my upline 3 people above me. She asked me to do this since she has so much going on right now with work and home. And in return for this I am getting paid to make the projects for her. Up until this month, I have been making her the projects that I have been doing for my own class. But since I am not doing cards this month for my own workshop, these cards were made just for hers.

I can't get enough of this Bundle of Joy Giraffe! I just think it is adorable. I was going to do the same card for her as I did for my swaps, but I didn't have enough of the Petals and Paisley's DS paper. So this is what I came up with instead. And I like it better than the other one!!!!

Like I have been saying, I am addicted to stickles. Anything I can use it on, I try! Stampin' Up!really should carry this product. It is really easy to use and adds just such a fun effect. I used it on the spots of the giraffe and on the center of the green flower on the round tab. Again, a plain looking card for me, so I knew stickles were a must! And the Chocolate Chip cs instead of the Close to Cocoa on the other card, finishes this one off better.

I really do hope this set continues in the catalog. I am just not a fan of any of the baby sets currently offered. They are terribly dated. Normally I turn to other brands when it comes to anything baby.

This next card was completely random that I ended up using this set. I was actually going to use the Best Barcodes set, another set from the mini catalog, but I just couldn't get anything to work. I was cleaning up a bit in between cards, when I pulled out Good Things Grow and decided to just go for it with this flower stamp in the set and just decided to go with it! And I really like how the card turned out!!!

Again, this was a plain card for me, even though the Print Pattern background makes it a lot more busy. But I couldn't just leave it be once it was finished. I know you can't tell from this picture, but I used Crystal Effects on the flowers. Also another trick that isn't realized in this photo is how I matted the Cranberry Crisp squares. I stamped the square on Very Vanilla cs, punched it out with the 1 3/8" square punch, and then mounted it on a 1 1/2" square of Very Vanilla cs. This creates the effect that it is just one piece with the Vanilla border around it. The reason why I did this is because I can't stamp straight for the life of me! LOL! And I knew with the border being so thin, it would have been impossible. And I remembered from when this set was released in the Spring Mini of 2006 that it was made to fit the square punch. I am sure someone out there has figured out this trick before me, but I was pretty proud of my self :).

Here is a list of supplies for each card.

Welcome Bundle of Joy:

1. Bundle of Joy
2. Seeing Spots
3. Warm Words
4. Chocolate Chip classic
5. Barely Banana classic
6. Apricot Appeal classic
7. Certainly Celery classic
8. Timber Brown Stazon
9. Chocolate Chip card stock
10. Certainly Celery card stock
11. Barely Banana card stock
12. Very Vanilla card stock
13. Aqua Painter
14. Chocolate grosgrain
15. Slit punch
16. 1/18" hole punch
17. Round Tab punch
18. Ticket Corner punch
19. Diamond Stickles by Ranger

Growing Wonderful:

1. Good Things Grow
2. Print Pattern
3. Warm Words
4. Cranberry Crisp classic
5. Chocolate Chip classic
6. Cranberry Crisp card stock
7. So Saffron card stock
8. Chocolate Chip card stock
9. Very Vanilla card stock
10. Word Window punch
11. 1 3/8" Square punch
12. Antique Brass Hodge Podge square clip and brad
13. Caramel gingham
14. Cranberry Crisp stitched grosgrain
15. Vanilla grosgrain
16. Crystal Effects

Happy Stamping Everyone!

April Workshop Picture Frames

And finally, the moment you have all been waiting for! Just kidding, but really, here are the choices for the frame class 4/22. I will be sending out the email tomorrow for you to get all the details. So think about which one you are wanting to make. For this class, I will need to know a little in advance. So I will include that info in the email.

Hope you guys like them and as always,

Happy Stamping Everyone!

April Workshop - Boy Frame

Here is the boy frame for the April Workshop on 4/22 this month at my house. It's using the Unfrogetable set and the Playhouse patterned paper. Check back in the next couple days to see the girl version that will also be a choice for this class. The girl frame will be similar to the Au Chocolate and Doodle This frame I posted earlier. And it will be more adaptable to use for yourself instead of a child, if you don't want to. I will send out the official class email soon! Can't wait to show you the other frame too!

Happy Stamping Everyone!

P.S. The picture in the frame is of my nephew, Trae. He turns 5 in July. Isn't he so cute!!!

Addicted to Stickles!!!!

I can't get enough of Stickles! I know it is probably hard to see in these pictures, but I used them all over this page. I also can't get enough of the Build a Flower set designed by Rhona Farrer for Autumn Leaves! You can come up with endless combinations of flowers. I really am loving using clear stamps. It just makes stamping so much easier. Especially when there are multiple steps involved. Stampin' Up! may never switch, but I wish they would.

Here is what the journaling says:

While our house was being built, we lived in Grandma Khouang's basement. For the first couple months we were there it was so hot that the dogs just wanted to sleep all the time.

Here is a list of supplies:

• Paper: We R Memory Keepers Urban Window Collection On The Dot Series {I love this paper because it is reversable}
• Chipboard letter: Basic Grey [Un]dressed Monograms
• Stamps: Autumn Leaves Build-a-Flower by Rhonna Farrer; Stampin' Up!'s Big Deal Alphabet
• Accessories: Platinum Stickles by Ranger

Happy Stamping Everyone!

New Favorite Scrapbooking Wesite

For those of you who scrapbook, you know how difficult it is to come up with layouts sometimes that you actually like. You want to use the pretty paper you just got, but sometimes matching the paper and photos just doesn't work, or you can't find the right layout to fit more than one photo, or you just get lost from the beginning! {I use the word you loosely, because these are all things I try to deal with!!!}.

But if you are like me, I have great news!!!! Earlier this week I was Checking out Amber Packer's Blog, Blooming Memories . She posted this week about the coolest website! It's Called Page Maps and it is made by Becky Fleck. http://www.pagemaps.com/ is the website. I am telling you it is awesome! {Yes, I am a child of the 80's!} The next day at work, I got an email from my friend Amber Lafata telling me how much she loved it too.

Check out these examples and then I am telling you, check out her site! She does sketches and then shows examples of how you can use her sketches to make your own pages {sort of like another Becky I am sure you all know but these are more fun}.

Hope you enjoy her site!

Another Scrapbook page for the scrapbook page frame

I haven't made the frame yet though. So far, I just have the page done. I can't sew though, so unlike my other one, this one lacks stitching. On the completed one, Amber Lafata is who sewed it for me. Besides being an awesome scrapbooker, she also is an incredible sewer!!! I have a link to her blog down below. She will be getting it updated soon, so don't forget to check it out!

Once I get the frame done for this one, I will repost it.

I am in love with this Au Chocolate paper! I have so many ideas to use it for and not enough paper!!! Guess I will order more!

Oh, and side note...

This picture is my favorite picture from our wedding day.

Happy Stamping Everyone!

Welcome Bundle Of Joy

This was the card I made for my Stampin' Up monthly meeting swap. It got canceled though, so I will save it still or next month. For me, this is a really plain card so I added diamond Stickles to make it a little shiny. I love the 4x4 format too. It's easy to use and so adaptable!

For the card on the right side, I had run out of the green and yellow ds paper, so I used the green polka dot from the same series. The problem was, I had also run out of ribbon. So the ribbon didn't go with the card, and it throughs off the whole color scheme. But what do you do, I ran out of supplies, so this was the best I could do in the moment. Time to order more stuff!

Here is a list of supplies:

1. Bundle of Joy
2. Warm Words
3. Certainly Celery card stock
4. Barely Banana card stock
5. Close to Cocoa card stock
6. Very Vanilla card stock
7. Barely Banana classic
8. Apricot Appeal classic
9. Certainly Celery classic
10. Close to Cocoa classic
11. Timber Brown Stazon
12. Aqua Painter
13. Ticket Corner punch
14. Word Window punch
15. Soft Subtles Certainly Celery brad
16. grosgrain

This card took about an hr to complete 14. This was even as I was watching T.V. {pretty good for me}.

Don't forget, let me know what you think! I am dying to hear from you fellow bloggers out there! Thanks to those who have responded so far and for everyone coming to visit!

Happy Stamping Everyone!

Retired Set - Flowers of the Month

Last week I was asked to do a favor for my downline, Tina. (Love her!) She was asked to come up with some ideas for some retired sets of one of her customers. One set, was definitely not one of my favorites. It had sketches of cats and cat stuff. I think one was some yarn. I tried and tried and tried to work with it, but I just couldn't. Nothing wrong with it so much but just not my style. I have been saying over and over again that I am trying new things, and that style not being one of my favorite, I thought would be just what I needed. But truth be told, as much as I love cats, these stamps scared me. :o) To each his own though!

The other sets I was given, still not my favorite, but I was able to think outside the box though. And although this wouldn't have been sets that I would have picked out on my own, it was good practice to do something I wasn't used to.

So no kitties here today, but check out what I did with Flowers of the Month and the Matching Happy Birthday frames. And please, please, please, I know you guys are out there, tell me what you think, even if it's not your favorite!!!!

Here is a list of supplies:

1. Cranberry Crisp cardstock
2. Close to Cocoa cardstock
3. Very Vanilla cardstock
4. Marigold Morning cardstock
5. Buckaroo Blue cardstock
6. True Thyme cardstock
7. Very Vanilla cardstock
8. Transparency sheets
9. Vintage brads
10. Crystal Effects
11. Basic Brown classic ink
12. White Stazon ink (if I would have had brown Stazon I would have used that instead)
13. Print Pattern background stamp
14. Ticket Corner Punch
15. Cranberry Crisp classic
16. Vintage Violet classic
17. True Thyme classic
18. Marigold Morning classic
19. Vanilla grosgrain
20. True Thyme stitched grosgrain
21. Cranberry Crisp stitched grosgrain
22. Vintage Violet stitched grosgrain
23. Stapler
24. Flowers of the Month retired set
25. Happy Birthday Frame retired set (coordinates with the above set)
    

Happy stamping everyone!

Completed Frames with Pictures

Here are the frames that I posted last week, finally completed. I added on pictures to each, and I decided to do sepia tone. This first one is a picture of Thong and I on our honey moon in San Diego in 2004. I can't remember for sure but I think Thong took the picture of us. That's what happens when you go on vacation with just 2 people. You either have to ask strangers to take the pictures, take them of each other or try to take them of yourself while holding it out. Needless to say, I think it is one of my favorite pictures of us.

Since I used a 4x6 photo on this, it was too small. I tried to make up for this by putting an Au Chocolate patterned paper on a side I hadn't used on the rest of the frame but I am not crazy about it. Should have just used a solid piece or a pattern other than polka-dots. Love the frame though. After all my frustration, I do love it!!!

On My 12x12 scrapbook page frame, this picture is from our engagement photos at Antelope Island at the Great Salt Lake. Out of all the pictures taken that day, it is my favorite. It was one that the photographer happened to take when we were trying to figure out what to do, where to stand. Those are usually the best pictures anyway!
I added on Basic Grey rub-ons just over the left hand corner and a small one on the bottom right side.

Happy Stamping Everyone!

Thanks So Much Build a flower Card

I love this build a flower set designed by Katie Pertiet for Autumn Leaves. And having them clear makes them so easy to work with. As much as I love Stamin' Up! Images, I do love the convenience of seeing through the stamps as you are working.


I can't get enough of scallops! I put them on as many things as possible! I love being able to use the round tab punch from Stampin' Up! to do this. I do wish though that they had more than one size.

So the reason for this card is a gift. I have 3 friends that are pregnant right now. I am going to give them a big set of Thank you cards so they can use them to give out themselves. I figured since new moms are short on time, the last thing they want to worry about is trying to make them themselves. These are for my friend Kim. I will put together a decorated tin to give them in and keep them stored. I am shooting for 50 total, but may only end up with about 30 or so. Once I get the matching tin finished, I will post that too.

Here is a list of supplies:

1. Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Regal Rose cardstock from Stampin' Up!
2. Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Marigold Morning classic inks from Stampin' Up!
3. 3/4" circle punch
4. Build-A-Flower acrylic stamps from Autumn Leaves
5. Swirls acrylic stamps from Autumn Leaves
6. Frosted Lace Stickles from Ranger
7. Round Tab punch from Stampin' Up!
8. Brown Bazzill Basics flowers
9. Antique Brass Hodge Podge Hardware Brad from Stampin' Up!
10. Sincere Salutations stamp set
11. Turquoise grosgrain ribbon from Stampin' Up!
12. Brown polka-dot ribbon from Offray

Happy Stamping Everyone!

This Moment

"Could you just die!" This was a phrase commonly heard when I was growing up. When you come from a small town like I did, everything was always new and exciting (sometimes even if it really wasn't). But When I look at this Pheobe line of paper from Basic Grey, I really could! I really could just die!!! It's so fun and colorful without being too cutesy.

I also have found a new stamp line that I am loving. It's the new acrylic stamps from Autumn Leaves. One of the sets available is a build-a-flower set by Katie Pertiet. You get all kinds of petals, stems, leaves and things to make your own flowers. I also love the swirls set designed by Rhonna Farrer that they offer! It's full of whimsy.

My other latest addiction {since my addictions are constantly changing} is sparkles! I found them in a bottle! Frosted Lace Stickles by Ranger is perfect just for that! You get the glitter without getting the mess. I know they have been around for a while, but I am trying to start to expand my horizons, so to speak, and try new things. It is probably hard to tell in the picture but I used them all over. On the swirls and on the flowers. I can't forget about the Bazzill Basics scallop paper and the Karen Foster nickel loopy brads. The scallop paper is just a corner of it so it is on the bottom and side of where the photo is. And the loopy brads create a fun photo corner by having a place to tie ribbon through!

So the general idea for this layout isn't one of my own. It was All My Memories {my favorite scrapbook store!!!!} make and take of the week. It was a little different but it's the same general idea.

I haven't scrapbooked for a while but I am starting to get back into the swing of things. Like most people I suffer from scrappers block a lot. And doing cards and other things has helped with that since you don't have to worry about photo placement. Just one less thing to think about. But I do want to make sure I can scrapbook as much as possible. So I am making it a goal to do at least 3 pages a month. That should get me back in the swing of things.

Here's a list of supplies:

1. Pheobe Basic Grey paper
2. Bazzill Basic scallop paper
3. Karen Foster loopy brads
4. Deja Views Rub-Ons
5. Build-A-Flower stamps by Katie Pertiet from Autumn Leaves
6. Swirls v: I stamps by Rhonna Farrer from Autumn Leaves
7. Old Olive, Regal Rose, Marigold Morning, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise Stampin' Up! classic stamp pads
8. Frosted Lace Stickles by Ranger
9. Copper Brads from Stampin' Up!
10. Stampin' Up! cream gingham, All My Memories brown grosgrain with white flowers, Offray brown polka-dot and turquoise organdy ribbons

To make the half circle of copper brads around the bottom right hand corner, I used the All My Memories circle template to place the holes. This is a new product from them and comes with all different shapes and a paper piercer.

Happy Stamping Everyone!