Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Black & White + One!

Current Caardvark challenge:
Create a card using black, white, plus one color of your choice.
I originally planned a 5x7 card in my head with more ribbon, brads, and cs, but I couldn't get it to come together IRL. I ended up with an A2 more simplistic card...shocking, huh?
I used a white card base, white cs, and black cs; a scrap of AC dp, AC rub-ons to spell "mom"; BBP bling prima and large jeweled brad; SU! oval punches and dimensionals; and my paper piercer.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Wow! An entire week since my last post?!


Where does the time go? I have not been in my craft room much at all. Last Thursday I chaperoned the kindergarten field trip to a strawberry farm in Bluemont, VA. I asked Kathryn if she wanted to go on the trip and she responded,"No, thank you, Mommy." You may recall this is the same farm where she fell in the pumkin patch and we rode the ambulance back to the old hospital in Leesburg where Kathryn received 7 stitches above her left eye.
I said,"What if I go with you?" Kathryn said, "O.K."
We had a GREAT time! After learning about strawberries and riding the tractor pull out to the strawberry field, the children played on the moon bounce, the slides, the swings, and a picnic lunch. Hey, this is no ordinary farm! The weather was gorgeous. Friday I had my hair done. Monday was my day to run the parent table in kindergarten, and today I went to get our car serviced. We are going out of town this weekend. Every couple of months for the past 15 years we go to Richmond, VA for cousins weekend. My husband has the most wonderful cousins! Those boys are all wonderful. They are more like a big group of brothers. (Okay, well some of them ARE brothers; but my husband has no brothers, so they are like brothers to him.) The past 7 or 8 years, it has been more like 1-2 times per year, rather than every couple of months. You know how it is with every cousin having 2-4 children. It is difficult to get together around all the kids' (the second cousins)various schedules. It is always so much fun. I can't wait!



About these cards I posted...do you recall when I was counting the 45 days until my Cosmo Cricket QVC deal arrived? Well it ended up being LESS than 2 weeks! Yep, it showed up on my doorstep 2 days BEFORE Valentine's Day :) I opened it up on Valentine's Day, but I did not use any of the materials until last week. I made these four cards. I did not design them! They were a display picture in the brochure, and I CASEd them.


I need to get back to Mother's Day cards. They are selling as fast as I can make them. We will be gone all weekend, so I'd better get to work!

Friday, April 25, 2008

MandyB, this is for you

I received this comment from Mandy :
hi there - just found your blog through a google search... I live in New Zealand and I am searching for some paper piercing templates.... I mostly want to do straight lines , crosses and other basic stitches on my scrap pages and the search showed your jan 28th blog entry and I saw all your templates... where did you get them from - maybe I could order them if you let me know the web address - thanks in advance for your help and LOVE you pages and cards.... mandyb

Mandy, those templates I used are Bazzill Basics In Stitch'z Templates. Our local scrapbook store sold them, but that store is now closed. Perhaps you could ask your area scrapbook store to place an order? There are also many online stores that carry them, as well as ebay. Good luck and happy shopping!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Scrapdragons contest and Blog candy



Scrapdragons is having a paper piecing contest: "Create a layout featuring your own handmade, layered funkalicious paper piecing!What you need to do is create a paper piecing by hand. We're not talking your classic tear bears or Disney paper piecing, we're talkin hand made, layers, stamping, 3D and funkalicious!How about a hand drawn bird? A really cool stamped image that you layer, stamp, ink, paint and embellish?Have fun and be sure to link your layout in the comments by April 30th. The winner will receive a $20.00 gift certificate to Crop Addict"
Okay, here is my paper piecing at work:
1) The "Christmas" is a die cut that I layered on green dp to coordinate with the photo mats. Then I cut it out with my Xacto knife. That took a loooooong time.
2) I hand drew the comment ballons and used MM rub-ons "better not pout" and "Let it snow!" (Julia's funny expression should probably be, "Bah, humbug!")
3) I embellished the store bought paper piecing stocking, wreath, present, and santa. I used Button-Ups buttons and eyelets to make the stocking, wreath, present, and Santa 3D. I also hand drew with my black marker give santa more depth.
4) I hand drew the list! I am most proud of this. I was terrified of ruining the layout. Then I could not figure out how to get the list in Santa's hand and behind him (I cut a slit in the list with my Xacto knife and slipped his arm through it...see the end of the list curled up behind him on the right side?) I used a MM rub-on for "Dear Santa", then tried to mimic the font in my own handwriting for our names.
Thank you, Scrapdragons, for having this contest. It gave me the push I needed to complete this layout!

Blogoversary candy winner...me! My blog friend, Sarah, had a 3-part blogoversary contest and I was one of the lucky winners! This is my first time winning blog candy. She even sent me one of her beautiful cards :) Check out Sarah's gorgeous cards:http://creationsbysarah.blogspot.com/


Monday, April 21, 2008

Mother's Day Cards




I'm not sure why the top card looks so dark...it is the same papers as the bottom card. Magenta cs (card base) and Daisy D's dps. I paper pierced and faux stitched on both cards.
For the top card I used the Stampin' Up! word window punch 25 times to create the "petals" of the large flower. I used a large Bazzill brad for the center. The "Thanks for the Memories" sentiment is a Basic Grey/K&Co. wood words.
The bottom card is a Boho blossom stamp that I stamped twice and cut out, then used a MM black snap. The "happy mother's day" sentiment is a Basic Grey rub-on.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Birthday card

When I cleaned out my craft room I found this buckle and ribbon. (It is not so dark IRL). I pulled out the same DCWV card, brown Bazzill cs, metal rimmed tag, SU! inks, and American Crafts dp from yesterday's post and created this card.

I enjoyed making these cards, but I need a change. Stay tuned...I'm going to pull out some Daisy D's dps to make some mother's day cards.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Using my new Cuttlebug

Once again, I love going in my craft room. I am so much more inspired when it is cleaned up and I am not working on 4 different projects at once :) I hope to keep it perfectly neat. (Okay, I can hear you laughing.) I cleaned up after making two cards like this one.

I am so excited about my new Cuttlebug, I had to try it out.

Recipe:
base card (DCWV)
brown cs (Bazzill)
blue cs (scrap that I ran through the Cuttlebug)
Metal rimmed tag (Staples)
Scallop circle punch, dimensionals, ink, and Happy Birthday stamp (SU!)

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Using up the stickers from the last post...


Waaaaaaah...I have not been in my craft room since Saturday morning when I created the card from the previous post. I've been missing being in there...it's so happy and inspiring now that I cleaned it up. I've come to the realization that my craft room will always be a work in progress. I knew I only had an hour this morning and wondered if I could make a card in that time frame. I not only made this card in that time frame, but I'm blogging it too! Go me :)
Supplies:
Magenta (card base)
pink ds cs (slab from ACMoore)
Bazzill (orange bling and white primas)
MM (pink prima and white brad and Heidi rub-on font "MOM")

Monday, April 14, 2008

A Mother's Day card made from old stash


I originally purchased the stickers (Creative Imaginations) for a scrapbook page, but ended up doing something else. So they have been in my stash a long time. I saw this card in a 2004 issue of PaperCrafts magazine using these same stickers. I still have a few Making Memories latch cards I'd like to use up, so I started with that. I did the inside of the card first, adhering the strip of rounded squares on a white square. Then I designed the front. I used Making Memories alphabet stickers ("MOM"), Queen & Co. plastic flowers, and DCWV pink brads. Oh...the pink paper is from a slab of My Mind's Eye that the Memories store sold about 5 years ago.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

My Craft Room

I've been doing my spring cleaning, and I saved my craft room for last. This is the view from the hallway. Inside the armoire are magazines, Xyron machines, and coordinating cards and envelopes. All the Cropper Hopper holds my Bazzill cs, Basic Grey, Cosmo Cricket, Daisy D's, etc. My QK Revolution and Cuttlebug (yeah, I broke down and bought this on Monday...thanks to my sweet sister and favorite b-i-l Angela & James! I used the rest of the gift card they gave me for my birthday) are both on the floor.

Behind the door...12x12 non-Bazzill cs and more dps (making Memories, American Crafts, My Mind's Eye, etc.) on the floor in the accordian case.


Okay, so the the closet needs more work...but seriously, I need Oprah's Nate Berkus to truly be organized AND pretty :)
White cart has stamping supplies; on the floor my knitting supplies, Julia & Kathryn's art work albums, and SU! punches w/ coordinating stamps in the 3 stacked blue tins.




Carts with my stamps (black carts/cases) and the white carts hold ink pads, tags, post-it note pads, chipboard, corregated paper, envelopes...




And my new purchase...the Embellishment Center by Making Memories. It's so pretty! I LOVE this. All my Bazzill primas, Bazzill Bling primas, ribbon, organized and displayed.



Monday, April 7, 2008

I C.A.S.E.d Amy Sheffer


I have admired this card my friend, Amy Sheffer (http://pickledpaperdesigns.blogspot.com/), made (pink; pictured right). Actually, I admire all of her cards, but this one made me go buy the stamp set (SU! "Heartfelt Thanks"). I called Amy this morning to make sure she didn't mind if I CASEd her card.
I did not have the large rhombus stamp she used, but I had a smaller rhombus background stamp (also SU!). I used polka dot ribbon (Michael's) and a small what flower brad (Queen & Co.) I also did not have two-tone pink cs like Amy's (I find the contrast striking, don't you?) I did have this green cs "citrus" from ACMoore that I have never been able to match, so I paired it with another green cs (also from ACMoore). The "happy birthday" sentiment is also SU!.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Home Depot...my 2nd favorite craft supply store :)

Back in the day before the crop-a-dile and silent setter, I set my eyelets with a hammer. I kept borrowing dh's, and he said, "go get your own hammer." So off I went to the Depot. I purchased the least expensive hammer I could find; a tool tote (perfect for holding all of my dye ink pads!); some grey tubing (styrofoam like material) from the plumbing section that is perfect for painting circles; tumbled tiles to make coasters; shelf liner (paint with gold pigment ink and add to your card...very cool) or use a small piece to protect the embellies on the front of your card before sending through snail mail; and I snatched up some free samples of tiles, paint chips, and wall paper.

DH liked my hammer better than his. Can you believe it? I'm not sharing it with him...LOL! I often forget all the supplies I have, so I find it helpful to open every drawer from time to time. Yesterday I saw this dress stamp from Great Impressions that I bought over 4 years ago to make a card like this. I saw my wall paper samples and chose one for the dress and to put behind the quote (Holly Pond Hill, Uptown Designs). I went through my card drawer and found this one by Simply Stamped Sentiments. They package a card, envelope, and the layered cs (black linen, gold metallic, and ivory) all in one. Perfect! I stamped on the ivory layer, cut it down, then layered as pictures (using dimensionals for the quote.) Then I added the 4 tiny brown gems in the corners and the black sateen ribbon at the waist. I love it when I use up some stash :)



Thursday, April 3, 2008

Yesterday was Autism Awareness Day

I did not blog about it it yesterday because I get so angry with the stories and statements finding no link between autism and vaccines.

#1 Thimerisol (and other proven neurotoxins) is still in many vaccines. Moms, ask to read the label before the nurse vaccinates your child. (See FDA documentation) The CDC left it up to each state to use up vaccines containing thimerisol (these shots have a six year shelf life...you do the math).
#2 (See documentation by Barbara Loe Fisher; her blog is: http://vaccineawakening.blogspot.com/2008/03/promoting-vaccination-fear-hate_25.html) Studies proving the "safety" of drugs/vaccines are so fundamentally flawed, a middle school science teacher would fail them. Ms. Fisher worked for the government overseeing these studies for 4 years. She said every time a child died or became mentally retarded resulting in the study is always written off as a coincidence.
#3 There is a person who sees the same autism specialist my children see. This child received booster vaccines at the age of 14 years old (no, that is not a typo. 14 years old, not 14 months old.) He slowly regressed and was eventually misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. He eventually was diagnosed with Autism at age 19, and is now improving due to many of the same treatments I use for my girls.

Thank goodness there are plenty of doctors with their eyes open. If interested, read below:

By Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.

In 1976, children received 10 vaccines before attending school. Today they will receive over 36 injections. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Disease Control assured parents that it was safe to not only give these vaccines, but that they could be given at one time with complete safety.
Is this true? Or are we being lied to on a grand scale?
The medical establishment has created a set of terms, which they use constantly to boost their egos and firm up their authority as the unique holders of medical wisdom -- the mantra is “evidence-based medicine”, as if everything outside their anointing touch is bogus and suspect.
A careful examination of many of the accepted treatments reveals that most have little or no scientific “evidence-based” data to support it. One often repeated study found that almost 80 percent of medical practice had no scientific backing.
I find it interesting that there exist an incredible double standard when it comes to our evidence versus theirs. The proponents of vaccination safety can just say they are safe, without any supporting evidence what-so-ever, and it is to be accepted without question.
Yet, let me, or anyone else, suggest that excessive vaccination can increase the risk of not only autism, but also schizophrenia and neurodegenerative diseases, and they will scream like banshees – Where is the evidence? Where is the evidence?
When we produce study after study, they always proclaim them to be insufficient evidence or unacceptable studies.
More often than not, they just completely ignore the evidence. This is despite the fact that we produce dozens or even hundreds of studies that not only demonstrate the link clinically and scientifically, but also clearly show the mechanism by which the damage is being done -- even on a molecular level. These include cell culture studies, mixed cell cultures, organotypic tissue studies, in vivo animal studies using multiple species and even human studies. To the defenders of vaccine safety -- our evidence is never sufficient and, if we face reality -- never will be.
The Autism Disaster: Is it Man Made?
In the early 1980s, the incidence of autism was 1 in 10,000 births. By 2005, the incidence had leaped to 1 in 250 births, and today it is 1 in 150 births and still climbing.
One of the strongest links to this terrible set of disorders was a drastic change in the vaccine programs of the United States and many other countries, which included a dramatic increase in the number of vaccines being given at a very early age. No other explanation has been forthcoming from the medical elite.
In this paper I shall present evidence, some of which has not been adequately discussed, that provides a connection between excessive vaccination and neurodevelopmental disorders.
I urge you to read Dr. Blaylock’s full-length article, The Danger of Excessive Vaccination During Brain Development: The Case for a Link to Autism Spectrum Disorders, a Mercola.com exclusive, for an in-depth understanding of how childhood vaccinations can damage your child’s brain, resulting in autism.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

No, You Are Not Seeing Double




Okay, so yesterday I started out wanting to break out these virginal dps I only bought 1 1/2 years ago (sigh) and make some cards. I found exactly 3 square cards by Magenta (about 7 years old!) that I decided to use up. I love my faux stitching using a paper piercer and white gel pen, so I started there. And then the phone kept ringing off the hook. Usually no one calls at all, except the ***one*** day I have a chance to play in my craft room for about an hour. By the time I was finally off the phone, I managed yesterday's card (previous post). Today I had another hour to play (okay, so I should have been scheduling some appointments, but I was frustrated after yesterday's incessant phone ringing, so I'm procrastinating on that...) I still had these papers out on my table and I was still excited about using them.
I saw that blog friend Sarah is celebrating her blogoversary today (http://creationsbysarah.blogspot.com/). I "met" Sarah from participating in some of the {Caardvarks} challenges (http://caardvarks.blogspot.com/). So I made the bottom card based on the sketch she has posted on her blog. (The sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp. )
That still did not satisfy my desire to make cards (it seems like forever since I had a chance to make cards just because I want to). I have a punch from SU! that coordinates with this paper (yep, it was virginal too!) I punched 6 flowers with it, paired them up, and used a MM brad in the center of each. Then I came across this adhesive vellum envelope (made by "Sticks"). There were 2 left in the package. I used the larger one, cut a scrap of white cs, and stamped the sentiment using "Always Artichoke" SU! ink. Ahhhhh, now that feels good...

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Celebrating Mother on this day


My first Mother's Day card for 2008. I am happy with my stash usage...the last large white prima, an acetate (which I have a whole booklet of and I've now used 2, or maybe this is the third?), and this odd color cs that is usually hard to match :)
Supplies:
Magenta cs (base card)
K & Co. acetate
Bazzill prima
Making Memories snap and mini brads
Stampin' Up! oval punch, gel pen, dimensionals, and dps