Sunday, March 22, 2009

My Big, Fat, Creative Weekend - Part Three

Yes, I do still do layouts! I made a bit of progress on Jack's Baby album, which is encouraging considering he's turning 5 this coming Friday! I also worked on putting pictures in some of the layouts we've done at our CTMH hostess club. I really like the one from our vow renewal ceremony. It was something very different for me and I think it turned out pretty well!




My Big, Fat, Creative Weekend - Part Two

Here is our little work area for the weekend and where we spent three days, laughing really loud, getting a lot of work done, and having a great time!

This is my buddy Nancy!

This is Betty...she's "un-sewing" at the moment.

And here's Jodi hard at work making a duffle bag for her niece that I want really bad!!!!

Here's Nancy and a finished quilt! I'm so impressed!

My Big, Fat, Creative Weekend - Part One

These are two of the cards that I made this weekend at the retreat. The first is a CASE of a card I saw Kristina Werner make in a video on her blog. I wanted to try my hand at embossing again, and make use of my new embossing buddy! The stamp set is this month's Stamp of the Month from CTMH and I didn't think I needed it, but I'm glad I've got it now!



This is a card I made for the CPS sketch for this week, but alas, I got home too late today to make the dedline for submission. This was a new card size for me, but I like the way it turned out. Think I'll send it to my godchildren for Easter. The paper is from the Whimsy DCWV stack, American Crafts ribbon, A Muse stamps, Threading Water punch and Copics for coloring.

Mojo Monday 78 - Dream Big!




I think I'll squeek this entry in this week, just under the wire! I made this card on the Thursday night of this weekend's retreat. All papers and stamps are from CTMH and the ribbon is something I found in my ribbon basket. Wish I could give it proper credit! Used my Cuttlebug to emboss the green cardstock. I also got to play with my brand new Copic markers! Woo-hoo! I'm not very good yet, but I sure am having a blast playing with them. I'm hoping to find a class in Anchorage.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Back to work means NO FUN!

Well it's been a crazy week since finishing spring break and I have had ZERO time to play at my table. That's about to change! I'm packing up all my favorite toys and heading to a three day retreat, so I'm hoping to have loads of fun new things to share by the end of the weekend. It is going to be a bit strange... did I mention this is a quilting retreat??? I'll be the only paper crafter, but I'm sure I'll have a blast! I'll be there with 3 friends who I'm sure will ooh and ahh appropriately over everything I make! They may even help me with some tips on how to use my sewing machine! See you soon!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Color Challenge



Well, it's time for another color challenge over at Kristina Werner's blog. I am so glad I've found her blog and have learned so much just in the few days that I've been working on her challenges and watching her tutorials. Looking at the work that everyone submits is both intimidating and stimulating! I hope that I will just keep getting better and better at this after all of this inspiration.

Anyway, the card colors this week are totally monochromatic and I wasn't sure at all what to do, but then an idea popped into my head and I got started. I've been wanting to work on heat embossing and get better at it. Lot's of practice today! I had to stamp and emboss the image four times before I got one I was mostly happy with and then I took it to the sewing machine. Well, while sewing the white and gray layer together, the bobbin ran out of thread. Doh!

I don't even really know how to use this sewing machine yet, so I had to haul out the manual and figure out how to wind a bobbin, thread the machine, and get the bobbin thread to make it's appearance in the right spot. Got it all figured out and went back to embossing!

So, this very simple little card, with it's three simple little colors, actually took hours to do! But it was all worth it as a learning experience. Hope you like it!


Stamps, ink and embossing powder from CTMH
Ribbon from American Craft
Assorted cardstocks and thread

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Happy Birthday! Mojo Monday 77




Here is this week's sketch for Mojo Monday and I love it! I have a friend's birthday coming up and new exactly what I wanted to do. I dug into my stash and found some awesome Dream Streets paper that had just the colors I was looking for... I really wanted to work with black today. My darling friend Nancy showed me how to work my sewing machine, but we didn't go over how to put in a bobbin, so I was stuck with black thread for now. But I really didn't care, I just wanted to sew on a card and have it come out looking good! I don't think I did too bad for my first shot at sewing on a card and I like the way the colors came together.



Absolutely everything comes from my stash, which really isn't that hard for me to do, as I've been buying like a lunatic for the last six months or so. So.... what do you think?

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Just for Fun!

After I finished the challenges I wanted to work on this morning, I looked at my scraps and decided to put a card together for my goddaughter Taylyn, who's going to be 9 in just a few days. Yikes! She's growing up too fast! Here she is at the beach last summer with Max. Isn't she beautiful?



Anyway, I thought she'd like a rather girly, blingy, ribbony card and I was itching to practice my MCPT with this House Mouse stamp I've never even inked. It also works for the Cuttlebug Spot Challenge too!

Now I think it's time for me to step away from the table and go spend some time with the boys! Even the biggest one!

Color Inspiration #44 AND CPS 105


Wow! I'm having so much fun making cards and getting amazing ideas from all of the blogs I have subscribed to in the last two weeks. I could spend 24/7 on my laptop just going from blog to blog looking at all of the amazing talent out there. I guess I'm not really alone in my madness after all.

Well, today's card comes from the color challenge at Kristina Werner's blog, who I found from the Year in Cards class at Two Peas in a Bucket. I love her style! And for the inspiration to lay it out, I found Card Positioning Systems, another place where I'm going to get ideas when my own brain won't function.

I did the very best I could to match the colors from the color challenge just by using my stash. If you've been in my room, you'll know that I've got drawers, and drawers, and drawers of cardstock. As much as I'm dying to try some of the Stampin' Up! paper, I'm going to try and hold off on buying anymore until I really need it. I also had this beautiful Basic Grey paper from the Bittersweet collection that I haven't had the heart to cut up yet and it seemed to work just perfectly with the colors. I'm not terribly thrilled with the center stamp, or my work on the bow, but I do like the sentiment and needed a card of this type anyway.

So, here it is! If you've stopped by, please leave a comment. Feedback is really valued here and I'd love suggestions from more experienced cardmakers. I'm beginning to get some mojo working and love to learn new things!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

February Year In Cards



When I finished the Mojo challenge this morning, I decided I wasn't done. So I got to work on the February Year In Cards class I've been following at Two Peas in a Bucket. I made a Thank You card and a Gate Fold card using the new Green Stack from DCWV. I LOVE these papers! And I got to try out hand stitching on the gate fold card, which was fun, especially considering that I've been fighting with that blankety-blank Pixie sewing machine I just *had* to have! Oh well... you live and learn, right?

I wonder if I'm every going to go back to scrapping layouts? It's been a while and I'm so into cards right now. They're so much quicker and just as satisfying. I am vowing to work on the boys books at the retreat I'm going to in two weeks. It's going to be a bit strange... I'm going with Nancy and Jodi to a quilter's retreat, but I will be scrapbooking! I wanted to go with them so much, even though I don't sew, so Nancy asked Sylvia (the sponsor) and she said I was more than welcome to attend! Yippeeee! Three whole days to work on the boys books. I'm going to have to seriously spend some time getting supplies pulled out and ready to go. I also have to go get pictures printed... so much to do!

I can't wait for Spring Break to start. One more day in the classroom and then freedom for a whole week! I'm going to start it off by going to my CTMH Hostess Club with Nancy, which is always a hoot! Can't wait to see what Heather has planned for us this month, and I'm going to buy that ink and marker organizer this time. Hope it comes in time for the retreat!

Oh yeah... we got two more feet of snow today. Oy! Spring will never get here! But, I guess it's a good thing. We're taking the snow machines up to Willow this weekend to watch the restart of the Iditarod. I'll take pictures to post when we get back.

Congratulations! For Mojo Monday 76


Well, I just love this card and the new sketch from Mojo Monday this week. I can not even come close to taking full credit for this card. I have been on the most massive blog hop in the last few weeks. There are so many amazing artists out there that I have been getting ideas from. I stumbled upon Cards by Kerri after looking at the other entries on the Mojo Monday blog and her card totally inspired me! So I pulled the baby paper I have and got to work on this card. (Thanks to my oldest son for having a little tummy virus, I'm actually able to get this card done during the week instead of on Saturday!) I'm also thrilled that I've been able to start using up my stash! I have so much paper and cardstock that it's almost shameful. I keep buying, and buying, and buying... now it's time to start creating! So, thank you Kerri for your inspiration and here is my card for this week! Now... off to make some more for the February Year In Cards challenge over at Two Peas!
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