I want blog candy....

I needed to post a link to Digital Doodling in order to enter for their blog candy.... I have been a fan as I adore digital stamps. However, this was not an easy task. I got "Mr. Linky" to work on her blog and linked to mine....I know how to get the properties for her image to link but, that is where it ended for me. Google help was no help....Blogger help was no help....so, I called my daughter and after a few moments and crashes she got it going for me. Sheesh, I had better with this stuff!

See the link to blog candy on my sidebar!

Cat

Gosh....

I am surprised to see how long it has been since I have posted anything. I am still here....it's just, just, just...it's just Christmas cards and gifts and decorating that is getting in the way. I have been so busy I did not stop to take pictures of my cards. Me bad! I will have to re-create them and then post the pictures.

So...if I don't get a chance to post again before Christmas I wish you and all yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Cat

Took me long enough....

Before I go any further....I really, really need to express my gratitude to Sharon Johnson of No Time To Stamp for the inspiration and ideas she imparts on her blog. If it wasn't for her I would still be purchasing cards and staring at all my toys with no idea what to do with them!

Weddings, weddings, weddings....I made invites for a friend's daughter and now I am making my niece-in-laws and of course, my daughter is getting married in March so I am making hers.

My friend's daughter asked what could I do...I told her to "Google" what she wanted and I would see if I could make them. She came back with a picture and, after a lot of searching, I made a template and she really liked them. I know I posted pics quite awhile ago...but, here is the whole collection:

The Invitation and Thank You card....the paper is from Europe, black velvet strips and red "burnished velvet" hearts. The invitation wording is printed on vellum with a photo of the bride and groom underneath.

The gift card....my Scor-pal, Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder, cutting die for the envelope and on the inside of the card, sheer ribbon from Michaels and my Nestabilities. All of my sentiments and inside verses are printed on my laser printer.

The attendants cards...the Flower Girl is clip art from the internet. I colored her hair black with my Copics as the flower girl was Asian....I went over the hair garland, waist ribbon, flowers, shoes and sporadically on the dress with my Sakura Spica pens to add some glam! The Maid of Honor and Bridesmaid dresses are coloured with my H2O's, outlined with a gel glitter pen from a 96-set I scored at Costco and I glued Swarovski crystals where needed.

The Ring Bearer (hence the bear) was another clip art from the internet. I glammed his bow tie and the heart with Sakura Spica and I made two wire rings which I attached to the heart to form a ring pillow. I also inverted the scoring to differentiate from the girls cards. The Best Man and Groomsman cards were stickers I purchased from Michaels and they were so rich looking I didn't have to do anything to them.

Then it was off to Kelowna for my sister's 25th wedding anniversary.....Scor-Pal again, a picture from her wedding album, mirrored cardstock for the sentiment, Cuttlebug and Nestabilities, the Bow-Easy, sheer silver ribbon and a wonderful brad to wrap around the knot.

For my daughter's Save The Date cards it is back to the internet for inspiration and then off to Michaels for papers. She had a friend take pictures and I put them together to appear to be from a photobooth...a magnetic strip on the back side and presto...one fridge magnet to remind people of the upcoming wedding!

I have a couple more cards to post including a birth announcement for our brand new grandson but, that can wait for another day!

I wish everyone happy crafting and I have told everyone I will not be crafting during the month of November....I need to get my Christmas cards done!

Cat

Time flies....

Just a note to say I have not forgotten my blog.....BUT, there have been wedding invitations to make, birth announcements for my brand new grandson to make, wedding invitation templates to make up for my daughter and niece-in-law. I have not had the time or energy to post anything.

I do have pictures to add and I do have stuff to say but, it will have to wait for another week. I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving (for the Canada viewers).

Cat

Abby....

Have you ever looked into someone's eyes and seen no fear....I mean...eyes that say they are past fear...past hope?

That is what I saw when I first held Abby in my arms. Abby is a spaniel/terrier(?) cross. She is around one year old and we just adopted her. We heard about her from my niece-in-law. We were sitting around the table at my sister's house and talking about a show we saw on Animal Planet about a lady in Las Vegas who was hoarding dogs. The dogs had to be taken away from her and the pleas for help went out. Her local rescue group answered the call and was at the local pet store earlier in the day with six dogs. I was shown their website and I fell in love!

Abby is a miracle...actually, if it wasn't for the fast thinking of the rescue group, Abby would not be here. They went down to Las Vegas to pick up six dogs. One of the dogs was unable to travel and they saw Abby and included her in the mix. You see, Abby was at a "kill shelter" where they can only keep them for three days.

Abby was a stray...she has had a litter of puppies...no one knows where she came from, how she came to be lost and where the puppies are. She was picked up on Saturday...Tuesday the rescue group showed up to get the dogs and Wednesday Abby was slated for euthanasia. She most definitely has a guardian angel.

She was so matted she had to be shaved and her fur is growing in patchy...she had an ear infection and she clawed her face so bad she is on antibiotics and has a cone to keep her from scratching (but, she is healing nicely). She has been spayed so no more puppy mill problems for her!

We went back to my sister's on the weekend to visit Abby at the shelter. I got to hold her and we even got to take her back to my sister's house for a few hours. You need to understand this...my sister does not like dog hair...she is allergic to animals. Abby got to ride in her fancy truck...she took one look at Abby and started calling herself "Auntie" and telling me "You just have to take her, she is your dog, you can't leave her behind". That's the power this dog has over people!

Abby carries a "stuffy" around like a baby so you can imagine she misses her puppies. It is difficult with the cone but she picks the "stuffy" up and rests it on the cone and walks around with it. She sits, walks on a leash, is incredibly gentle with children and even plays fetch.

I can hardly wait until Sunday when she arrives at our home and can finally grow into the beautiful dog she is meant to be...we call her our "Vegas Showgirl"!

I wish everyone a sunny day and that you may have wonderful ideas.

Cat

Finally....

Talk about being busy!! Also, the heat wave here was brutal...I mean, it was 105 degrees last Tuesday. This was enough to send us to the Okanagan for the weekend to sit in my sister's pool for three days.

Before I left I attended my friend's daughter's bridal shower. This is the card I made for her (another Sharon Johnson "No Time To Stamp" inspiration). This is a 6x6 card and the ribbon is black satin with pearl embellishments. The dress is a Peel Off sticker on Be Creative Tape. I used Martha Stewart Crystal Glitter on the dress and I glued crystals on the necklace:

Also, as Jen and Rob bought their first home I made this one for them too. A "Home Tweet Home" stamp by Impression Obsession, some Copic coloring, Cuttlebug embossing folder and voila! Don't look too closely...when I blew this up I saw some places where I colored out of the lines...that's what I get for doing this at 4:00 in the morning and in a hurry! Thank heavens it was a small picture and went unnoticed!

And...then it was her mother's birthday so...I had to make her a card also. This is another Peel Off Sticker and I followed the pattern from Elizabeth Craft Designs and painted the butterfly with a mix of Sakura Metallic and Stardust pens. The dark spots were done with a Quickie glue pen and Microfine glitter. I used the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder on the bottom half and the ribbon was a "find" at Michael's:

Well, I am off to make some more wedding invitation templates and cards. A friend has been diagnosed with cancer and just had surgery. I think she could use a pick-me-up card!

I hope the weather is better where you are and the forest fires are aways away from your homes!

Cat

Update on my dad....

Some doctors should have their licenses revoked!!! Not a thing wrong with him...his idiot GP can't read cat scans correctly and he scared my father (not to mention the rest of us) almost to death. It took the tests being sent to a specialist here in Vancouver (who can read these) to tell us there is nothing wrong this him.

I have been working on cards for a bridal shower and birthday. I will post pictures of them as soon as I can.

I have also been busy buying, buying, buying! I am now the proud owner of 148 Copic Sketch markers! I am addicted!!! I love them to pieces and I just enjoy so much sitting down and coloring with them.

I also took a Stampscapes course on Wednesday...for those who feel the urge to "Google" what this is - proceed at your own risk! Man, I thought Copic was additive. I can't wait for the second class on using this technique with Thomas Kincaid stamps!

I hope everyone is having a great summer.

Cat

More cards....

It has been really hectic around here. I ended up working a full week as our receptionist was on holidays...not used to that one!

MSN messages have been flying back and forth between my sister and I as our father is pretty ill and has major heart issues. We are just waiting word on the arrangements to have him air-ambulanced from his home to here for surgery. I am really glad I spent the time to make him a card for Father's Day. I spotted a website on origami shirts for Father's Day cards and I just had to try it out.

I had so much fun I also made one for our receptionist for her father...

During my usual day spent at Be Creative hanging out with Heraldine and the crew doing "Make 'N Take" for Father's Day, we were proudly informed that her son Kyle graduated from BCIT in the field of Robotics...Of course, Kyle modeled his grad hat for us and we oohhed and ahhed over the grad pictures. He was so wonderful to me (the Copic-challenged person I am) I thought I would make him a "congratulations on your graduation" card.

I spotted this idea somewhere and I had filed it away for future reference. As I was scanning my computer for card ideas I came across this one and thought it would make a perfect graduation card for him.

I tried to find houndstooth paper but was unable to and I figured "what the heck, do a Google search". I found a nice .jpeg of houndstooth, saved it to my computer and made my own digital paper. I seem to be doing that a lot lately as what I see in my head is not sold in stores!!! A simple gate-fold (love that Scor-pal) with black Bazill base and a strip of houndstooth on one flap. A very classy card!

I hope everyone is having a great summer.....

Cat

Spring is here....

I drive by this house every day on my way home from work and I have admired and admired her wisteria plant. This year I finally stopped and took some pictures. If I can find this stamp I am ready to Copic it.

I just love how this looks. There is a wisteria tree with yellow flowers on it that I may stop and "snap" one day.

I hope the weather is sunny and warm wherever you are.

Cat

Emily's card...

Can you believe it? To mail a card from Canada to Australia cost $4.10! The post office says because the card didn't fit through their little template slot it had to go a different method. Apparently the bow I put on the card is too thick for their slot.

She asked if I wanted to open the envelope and remove the bow I put on it.... Hello? Are you nuts? No, I do not want to remove the bow. Sheesh. Anyway, it is on it's way to Australia.

I took the second Copic class on Saturday. I came home so energized I went right to my little stamped pieces that I tried to Copic on and fixed them right up. I am so pleased with them. When I am finished I will post a couple of them.

Finally, sunshine today instead of the crappy rain I had driving to work this morning. I hope the sun is shining wherever you are.

Cat

On a sunny day...

Gorgeous weather, nephew and fiance on their way here for the weekend to see the man who is supposed to be his groomsman. He was injured in a MVA and is paralized....not good.

I belong to the Wishblade user group (I own a Silhouette) and a poster by the name of Michelle has a niece Emily who, at 17 is a very active young lady. She has been hospitalized with a serious problem and could be facing major brain surgery. Michelle has asked the other users to send Emily a "get well" card and this is the one I am sending to her:

I got my Bow Easy and it sure was easy to make the bow. Thanks to Kyle Wingfield I managed to get the mouse "Copic'd" and just the way I wanted it to look and I used my Scor-pal to mark the grid-look.

I spotted this card at Be Creative and even though I do not have the pastels that were used I did it anyway. I think this will make a great anniversary card to the "Tweetest" couple I know:

I used Glaze pens for the birds and watered down Marvy Markers for the background. It was a lot of fun and a different technique for me to use.

I sat through Heraldine's demo today on the Big Shot (even though I have the Cuttlebug) and I learned a few things I want to try with my Nestabilities.

Have a great day
Cat

Rats....

I didn't win the Copic contest at The Pen Addict but, congratulations to Yogi from Calgary, Alberta who was the lucky winner.

Maybe next time....

Cat

My Entry Into The Big May Copic Giveaway

I was this close....I am serious! I was this close to throwing out all the Copic markers I have purchased. Man, I was up passed midnight last night struggling with bleeding colors. It didn't matter what paper I used or ink (embossed or archival) my colors still bled. In my head I went over everything I learned in my Copic Lesson and I swear, I was doing what I was supposed to.

I dug out the binder where I have every single Copic Posting (took three printer cartridges) from Marianne Walker (I Like Markers blog) and I read and read. I was doing exactly what she said to do. I was doing exactly what Debi said to do - nope, not even close to the same result.

I quit! I give up! I HATE MARKERS!......I packed up my markers and my little bits of test papers and I marched over to Be Creative to natter at Heraldine. If it didn't matter what paper or ink....then the problem was with me. What was I doing wrong?

Of course, in my hour of need, Heraldine had left the building (so had Elvis but he would have been no help anyway). Iris was there...but even better! Kyle Wingfield, the Copic Guru, was there! Okay, okay. In my best attempt to duplicate what I have learned I was over-saturating the paper. I mean, doesn't Marianne say to "Saturate, saturate, saturate"? I think Debi said the same thing too!

I took what Kyle told me, went home, dug out my paper, markers and digital stamp and started anew. This time I went slowly and carefully and lo and behold I have a picture that only bled a tiny, tiny bit. Not bad for my second attempt.

So, why am I pulling out what little hair I have left out? Why am I stressing myself out so much? Why am I snapping at a poor defenseless DH who has broken his wrist? All because Marianne Walker posted a link on her blog to "The Pen Addict"...and like a puppy I followed the link and got caught!!! Her friend has a blog and I got caught here like a fish on a line!!!

There is a contest to win a Copic package.....all I have to do is to do three things:
1) Prove I will put these Copic markers to good use by showing I have a blog ---can do!
2) Create an original artwork ---yeah right, who is he kidding (see above)?
3) Write a blog post why I want these Copic markers ---again, can do!

Hey, two out of three aren't bad!

This is my blog, here is my artwork:

My reason why I think I should win? After the day I have had I deserve them! AND, if I can do this card using Bics, Sharpies and Copics (because that is all I have and the rest of my Copics have not come in)...think what I could do if the whole picture was done with Copics!!!

The card is a "get well" card for a friend who has ALS (man this disease sucks royally). I did not want a traditional, sappy card. I wanted something simple and tasteful for him and Dustin Pike (see here) came through again for me with a perfect digital stamp. This simply states inside "Hang in there! We are thinking of you".

I hope I win. I hope everyone had a better day than I did. Hey, it can only got up, right?

Cat

Just because...

Sitting here in the quiet waiting for a sick hubby to wake up and thought I would jot down a few thoughts.

I took my birthday money (it was on Wednesday) and shopped for Copic markers and Copic paper. I then printed my colour chart on the Copic paper and started to mark in all my colours. I was really surprised to see I had almost 36 markers!

This is my first Copic/Bic/Sharpie project:

The stamp is "Flower Bear" and is a digital stamp from Dustin Pike and his website is here. I just love his whimsical stamps.

I now have a full sheet of my stamps printed out and I am looking forward to coloring them in!

Hope everyone has a great day.

Cat

You know....

When I started this blog I didn't think anyone would be interested in what I had to say. I am amazed that over 1,500 have read this blog and I am grateful for that.

My old drafting lamp that I have had for over 25 years finally packed it in - man was that investment of $140.00 worth every penny. So....now I need to replace it. The Ott-lite is way overpriced in Canada (as is a lot of other products) and even with the 40% at Michael's, it was out of my price range.

Hubby (who can be very useful at times) suggested I look at the Save-on Foods rewards...I have been eying this lamp for years and I went in on Sunday and ordered it...a whole 39,000 points (which I have a lot of) for the DayLight Table Lamp. When I got home from work there was a message on the answering machine that my lamp was in. Wonderful! I have two cards to make this evening and the new lamp will come in handy. Mind you, the old lamp still worked----just buzzed like an under-oiled saw!!!

I didn't really want a table lamp as I am space-constricted and I wanted a clamp-on like the old one. I sat down on the kitchen floor with a feeling of Christmas/birthday (my birthday is on Wednesday so this was fun) and unpacked the lamp (even came with a magnifying glass attachment). I went to my work station and sadly packed up the old one. As I was placing the new lamp I noticed that it had to be inserted into the base...hmmmm...will it fit in the old lamp clamp? YIPPEE!!! It fits!

Man, it was like going from night to day (no pun intended DayLight). My old lamp was 13 watt and the new one is 18 watt. I sat there working on cards until 1:30 in the morning and my eyes did not hurt. I was not overheated from the lamp...It was wonderful.

So, cards....When I was making the engagement card for my friend's daughter I screwed up one and I hung on to it. I clipped the corners wrong and so when I found out my nephew just became engaged I dug it out> put flowers in each corner with crystal centers and presto...good as new.

We are heading up the the Okanagan as my niece is celebrating her 16th birthday...man it seemed like yesterday that my brother phoned to say she was born! I sure love the card that Sharon did on her blog "No Time To Stamp" and the layout seems to be my favorite at the moment.

Sheesh editing the rotation of photos - I am just now starting to get the hang of it. Just wish I had the option directly in the "composition" area of the blog.....

Anyway, to whoever reads this...have a wonderful weekend.

Cat

There are times...

You know, there are times when being a Canadian really sucks!

I have been all over the internet surfing for paper compatible with Copic markers. Quite a number of blogs recommend Georgia Pacific - I have one sheet left from a very old package. Staples used to carry it but no more. Apparently Georgia Pacific is no longer in Canada. I suppose I could order it off the internet but we all know how much the shipping is going to be - I think not!

Back to the internet - ok, Prism Papers is also preferred. Again, no one locally sells it - I mean I thought Vancouver was a major city!!! I could get it back east but the shipping....

Back to surfing the internet - ok, Neenah Paper. Wonderful, there is a local supplier> give them a call> talk to sales> "oh, you only deal with wholesalers not retail. What's that? Staples can order it for me?" - off to Staples - "what, they are not one of your suppliers?" This is ridiculous.....

I have one more place to try tomorrow. I do not want to spend a fortune on my hobbies. I know there are alternatives out there but I really resent the price being asked for some products. Right now it ranks up there with the price of gas!

My rant/vent for the day. I feel a bit better - I would feel a lot better if I could find reasonably priced paper tomorrow!

Go Canucks Go!!!!

Hope everyone has a great day and the sun shines in your neck of the woods.

Cat

No! I refuse to feel guilty anymore...

I can't afford to buy a lot of stamps and nor do I have the storage room for them. I find some stamps outrageous in price, so....I used to feel guilty----no, actually I felt as if I was doing something to be looked down on by "stampers". I admit it, I use clip art! Now I find there is actually a name for it - Digital Stamps!!!

I was making cards using my graphics programs long before I even knew about the "stamping world". I was also making digital scrapbook pages long before I knew that was what I was doing.

This all came about when I spotted a card I just had to make on No Time To Stamp. Trying to track down the supplies used was next to impossible - then I found out how I had to get the stamp, how long it would take to get this stamp and how much it was going to cost me! Hello, this is Wednesday and I need this card for a week Monday morning! I was hoping to work on this card over the weekend. I am used to instant gratification!

I contacted every stamp store around here looking for a damask stamp - nope - that was last year's stamp. Pardon me! Michaels had an Inkdinkadoo stamp set that seemed like it would work and so did Clipper Street. Be Creative had a pretty one that might work too. Now I had to track down pink ink. Good luck with that one! We have a couple of stamp/scrapbooking stores open until midnight around here and, with the picture of Sharon's card off I went. I found pink ink in Langley (and of course other stuff) and I hurried home with my parcels ready to start early in the morning stamping the damask stamps with the pink ink I found AND hoping I would end up with the same effect as Sharon got. Nope, not even close.

Now I know I am not the greatest stamper (two gibbled wrists and lack of talent and knowledge - did I mention I was a "paint-by-numbers" person and I was creatively challenged?) BUT, how hard was it to take a stamp pad> dab, dab, dab on to the stamp> take said stamp and place it directly onto paper> lift carefully> examine image...I mean, I don't think I am an idiot but this is a question I have avoided asking my friends....So, why was the image partially inked? Ok, let's try the other ink pad...same result...third ink pad..same result. Give me a break here! Three different ink pad, three different stamps and the same result - really crappy images!

Let's go shopping and let's come home with pink embossing powder - do you know what cheese is like when it is over melted - you know, that greasy, yucky look? That's what I was getting. I know I am not over heating because I was getting the same result with not one ink, not two inks but, all three inks! This is Momento, VersaMagic and Brilliance we are talking about. Ok, lets try different paper...same result. I felt a bit better when my friend Deb said I probably got a bad batch of stamps and/or ink pads. Another thought was that the stamps were the clear ones and I have never, ever had a problem with red rubber. Have I mentioned that Murphy is my guardian angel? No matter, I QUIT! Do you hear me, I QUIT! I don't need this card anyway, but I sure am interested in bringing out the rum!

Monday - I have slept on the problem. I remember what Marta said about her cards and how she mixes actual stamps etc. with digital images and boy, are her cards gorgeous! I decided to come from this at another angle. At lunch I contact my BFF, "Google". Up comes the internet> "Google" damask> search images (I am really good at finding exactly what image I need for projects)> up comes close to a million images and there, right in front of me, is an almost identical damask> enlarge it as big as it will go> check for watermarks - none> check to make sure it is free clip art - yep> right-mouse-click "Save as" "Damask" to my Desktop> close internet> right-mouse-click on "Damask"> "Send to mail recipient"...done!

Now I can hardly wait, my heart is pounding, my palms are sweaty and I find myself watching the clock...this is a long day. I get home, get supper on, clean the kitchen up, scratch the cat and have our usual conversation ('Jinks is a real talker, not DH) and finally, I get to the computer> open email program> open email from myself> right-mouse-click on the image and save to my Desktop. Ready to get creative here....rats....damask is black - card is pink.

I want pretty, soft, luscious pink like Sharon's card (at this point notice I have not started swearing at Sharon yet?). Now what do I do? Hold it...I have graphics programs, remember? Open up Print Shop> create new document> insert "Damask" clip art> "Effects" drop-down box> select "Color object"> locate pink and presto, the damask is pink. "Effects" drop-down box select "Tint" and now the damask is pretty, soft pink. I did it!!!

Ok, now to size the picture...get the ruler from the bulletin board...get the picture of Sharon's card...now what? How do I figure out the image size? Wait a second, Sharon mentioned her ribbon was 1-1/2"...this is easy! Take ruler and the ribbon size in the picture is 1" ergo 1" equals 1-1/2". I said I was creatively challenged not brain dead! So, I want my graphic to be resized to 3" with the aspect ratio selected (this means that if I resize the height the width will automatically resize at the same time)> print. Awesome, awesome, awesome - I am a happy camper!

What this all means to me is that I can, and will, meld computer graphics with stamps etc. and not feel guilty anymore. I am done with it. I love how the card looks, others have posted they liked the card, even Sharon said she liked the card!

So, with my BFF "Google" I have been doing some cyber-surfing "digital stamps" and I have found another world. I found a few digital artists who are selling their work as digital stamps and there is one in particular I have fallen in love with - Dustin Pike (http://dustinpike.blogspot.com/). His work is whimsical, darling and so, so much fun! I purchased all of his bear collection today and I can hardly wait to start "Copicing" them! Imagine eight digital images for the price of one rubber stamp!

I will no longer feel guilty because I am using digital stamps. Never fear, there is great satisfaction in dabbing ink on a rubber stamp (as long as the stamp and ink work)> placing the stamp on paper> lifting the stamp and seeing a perfect image....If I see a beautiful rubber stamp I will buy it...If I see a beautiful digital stamp I will buy it.

Now, I am facing a brain freeze creating a grad card for my niece...that is for another day!

Hope everyone is having a more creative time of it than I have lately. Happy stamping!

Cat

Hallelujah.....

Apparently some viewers have been unable to post comments, sheesh and I have no brain to pick about this either. I went over my settings and changed some options (why is there no live guru to help with this?) and presto I now get comments. I do have the option selected to approve or disapprove them - this way I get no spam showing up. We all love spam don't we?

Also, thanks to Mel of Mel Stampz I how have my pictures of the inside of cards displaying properly. I guess cyber waves somehow changed the format of my pictures from landscape to portrait when they transferred over....glitch, gotta love that word!

Anyway, things are doing good and I can hardly wait until tomorrow. I have four more Cuttlebug embossing folders arriving on my doorstep. I am making a graduation card for my niece and I need the Congratulations folder....

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day...the weather is gorgeous here and the day got better and better.

Cat

New cards added...

Finally got my camera downloaded to the computer and I have uploaded pictures of cards I just made.

I was spending my usual Friday at Be Creative (for Bob's cookies and the coffee) and Heraldine mentioned the Artist Trading Card day would be happening and was I interested in that. I had never heard of it so, I went home and "Googled". Not much information was available and after a bit of research I think this is an area that I don't know if I am interested in. I guess I need to do more research. I do, however like making the little cards and I will be making more as gift cards. Here are three that I have made so far:

It seems sad news is all around me lately. Our daughter-in-law's mother passed away. It is really tough on her as she is pregnant right now and really misses her mom. We can't be there physically for her, but we have been keeping in contact giving her daily "cyber" hugs. I came across this picture of a teddy bear crying and I just had to put it together in a card for her: I QUIT! I have tried and tried but I can't figure out how to get the inside of the card to show landscape and not portrait!!!

Then my boss's friend lost his wife. His daughter is also a friend of our receptionist - of course, I offered to make a card for her. I had just seen a card on "No Time To Stamp" http://notimetostamp.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2009/04/15/cas-monochromatic-sketch/ and it inspired me to create this one:

Have I said "I love my Cuttlebug"? Well, I really, really, really love my Cuttlebug. I am having so much fun with it!

Okay, I have a friend whose daughter is getting married and I, of course offer to make her wedding invitations. She says "what do I want?". I tell her to "Google" the internet, find a picture of what she wants and I will see if I can make it. So off she goes and lo and behold she returns with a picture of what she wants. Alrighty now!!! How do I make this heart? I try foil - crap and looks like crap too! I buy red satin - nope don't work. What do I do now?

Hold on, what is my favorite technique right now - Burnished Velvet? What excuse do I need to use this technique - NONE! So off to Google we go for heart clip art. We find what we need (with a bit of tweeking by a graphics program) and it works.

Uhmmm, lady you have two gibbled wrists...and you are going to create 40 - 60 hearts and cut them out by hand? I know I posted earlier "I love my Silhouette, I love my Silhouette" so I do not need to go into that story again. Here is the finished product:



Well, that is enough for today. I still haven't eaten supper! I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

I like markers....

I took my first Copic class at the end of March. Copic pens were something I wasn't too sure I wanted to get into. I am "creatively challenged"---oh, don't get me wrong---I am creative but I am just a copycat. I call myself a "paint-by-numbers" person!

I came across the video from After Hours Stamper about using Bic and Sharpies like Copic. I thought I would give it a shot and so I loaded up on all the colours Bic and Sharpie put out. I took the first class and practiced later on my first Artist Trading Card (which I will post later) - and another topic.

I love it so much I just spent the past two days copying and printing every lesson from the blog I Like Markers by Marianne Walker (the queen of Copic). I went through three ink cartriges in my printer, a ream of paper and a very sore wrist (which is gibbled to begin with) and if I ever do "copy paste" again it will be too soon!

BUT I have all the lessons and I am looking so forward to reading and using what I will learn. She even does a lesson showing my very first stamp - Stamps Happen Lavender Flower Fairy (this one is going to be on the cover of my Swatch Book). She also does a lesson on fur and, it so happens, I just picked up that stamp too (Craft Lounge crafy clear stamps the bear and the adorable elephant)!

I even got to spend the day with Els van de burgt who is a designer for Peel-off stickers. She was doing a demo at Be Creative in Pitt Meadows. Els showed us how to use Sakura Metallic and Stardust pens...thanks to Els and Heraldine I had an absolute blast! Now I know what to do with all those Peel-off's I have been hording!

I have lots to create and more pics to post but that will have to be for another day. Hope everyone had a great Easter and the bunny left tons of goodies.

Cat

Really, I am still here...

Feeling tons better. Antibiotics got my white cell count back to normal. Heart and kidney ultrasounds came back normal. All I have to do now is to have a test once a month, for three months, to see if the bacteria has left my system.

I have been working on the wedding invitations for my friend's daughter. I can finally post a picture of it as Jen has seen the final version and given her full approval. I am also in the process of making an engagement card for her (which I will also post the picture when I am done).

Had a great weekend with my brother and sister-in-law who came from the Okanagan to see the "Humdinger" RV show in Chilliwack. We spent the day going through every camper, trailer, 5-wheel and RV they had there. Man, were there a lot and was I bushed at the end of the day. Home for a hockey game and food and more company. Slept the whole night for the first time since I got sick!!!! Up early and out for brunch and after some hugs they were off to go back home.

The sun is shining, hubby got in a quick run on the motorcycle, I balanced our check book and it was a super day. Back to work tomorrow - crap!

Oh well, hope everyone had as wonderful a weekend as I did.

Cathy

Still here....

It all started with hubby's brother developing lung cancer at the tender age of 48. When he was transferred to hospice care we decided to take a trip to visit him. It was a wonderful visit with two other brothers surprising us being there. The four brothers joked and visited and it was a wonderful day. We were half-way home when we received the call on our cell phone. Patrick had taken a turn for the worse. We continued home and it sadly, became a death watch. Patrick passed away in the small hours of Wednesday morning and the service would be the following Saturday.

Not to be outdone - while visiting Patrick I picked up some bacteria that caused a bad case of the flu and went straight to my bladder and then on to my kidneys. By the time we arrived on my sister's door step Friday I was severley dehydrated and pretty sick. While hubby attended the funeral I was at a local doctor's office. My sister was correct - severe dehydration, kidney infection and after blood samples I was put on antibiotics.

Nope - I don't do things in half measures! The bacteria I picked up was not known for going to the kidneys but to heart valves! Wonderful...lovely news. So, after two weeks of trying different antibiotics I am finally responding...though still really weak and tire easily. Now I have to wait for the ultrasounds on my kidneys and my heart to see if there is any damage...

I have looked at a couple of books - but still no strength to do much else. I have wedding invitations that need to get made so, hopefully, I will feel better soon.

Hope everyone else is having better days than I am.....I refuse to give up. I will be back card making soon.

New card....

Sheesh...all I wanted to do was to add the Christmas 2008 card I made. What a smozzle! Finally, it posted okay into the slideshow. This card was a lot of fun to make - lots of double-sided tape. With all the layers it was a heavy card. Canada Post gave me a Christmas present and delivered it with only a basic stamp on it!

Anyway, hope everyone is having a great day
Cat

My first Cuttlebug card...

Finally broke out the Cuttlebug (other than playing around), got serious and made an actual card. With Valentine's around the corner, a party to go to that night, I thought I would make a few cards for the friends that will be there.

If I could change anything, it would be to punch little holes in each of the white scallops to make it appear more like lace. Oh well, at least they are done. I do like the effect of the Textile Embossing folder on the heart.

Hope you have a great day...

Cat

Silhouette, silhouette, silhouette....

I think they had a song with lyrics similar to this!!

Anyway, hubby went and picked up my Silhouette for me today. I got home from work, took care of the banking stuff and then began to play. I made my first cut and boy, is the machine a bit noisy. It also came with a downloadable card so I could buy some templates etc.

I am making wedding invitations for a friend and I have to cut out 60 hearts to "burnish velvet" on them. I was not looking forward to that at all. The Silhouette even has a heart template almost identical to what I am going to use - with a bit of modification - voila! I will have the perfect heart template and the machine will cut 60 for me.

I have a few more chores to clean up and then I can finally get around to posting this year's Christmas cards!

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Craft room area

My new Silhouette has arrived - small glitch. The post office in Point Roberts is not open on Saturday so I have to wait until Monday to pick it up. Wahh! I want to play!

Oh well, at least I finally finished my craft area. Some crafters are lucky to have a separate room - I have the dining area. Mind you, I don't mind being close to the hubbub of the family and not isolated. I spend a lot of time either on the computer or at my craft table and I like being close to everyone at the same time.

Wall #1 -

Wall #2

Wall #3

Happy crafting and I hope everyone has a great day!

Cathy

Scrapbook Paper Shelf is finally finished...

I am so excited....so excited...

I just bought a Silhouette Digital Craft Cutter! I never heard of the machine until Saturday and I went home to "Google" what this machine was....I just had to have one!

Thanks to an MVA my wrists are shot and I have lost most of my fine-motor skills...so, cutting little things is very difficult - no longer! I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait - hold it, do I sound excited? I should never have opened the fortune cookie Saturday night - it said I should buy a new product....

Prices ranged from the ridiculous in Canada ($446.00) to very reasonable (even with the exchange rate) in the US ($181.00). This was right in my budget and shipping was free to the parcel drop box just across the border (love living so close).

Now I have to wait for a week or two to get it....but, I do get to play with all the Cuttlebug stuff that came today from Crop Shop, and my newly organized papers, and my Nestabilities...

I hope everyone is having a great day!

Cat

Scrapbook room...

I have finished my paper storage system and I am in the middle of re-organizing my craft area (aka unused dining area). I have been taking photos and I will get them posted as soon as I have finished.

I picked up another member of the "Nestabilites" - this time the large and small label set. I can't wait to finally be able to play with them.

Have a great day!

Scrapbook paper storage....

OUCH! I have got my shelves together. Watch out for those zap-straps! I have cuts on both hands from these things. I finally got smart (after I got two cuts), went to the garage, raided my hubby's tool box and came back with pliers and cutters. I used the pliers to pull the zap-straps tight and then I cut them.

What the instructions didn't say was to do one complete row at a time and make sure all straps are really tight before cutting them off.

As soon as I have the mess (papers, books, tools etc.) cleaned up I will post pictures of my shelf and new crafting area.

I should never have started "Googling" crafting areas. I only wanted information on how to store punches - which led to "how to store stamps", which led to "how to store ink pads", which led to "how to store paper" and it snowballed from there. However, I am really excited with the progress I have so far.

Only one problem - I will be going to all this trouble when it may need to be dismantled in a couple of months if we decide to sell and move!

Oh well, at least I will have a few months of happy crafting before that happens. Hope everyone is having a great day...

Blog Candy!!!

Never heard of it before tonight. Glad I continued surfing until Gray's Anatomy comes on.

Here is the link to the blog candy offered by Lim:

http://lim-thevoicesinmyheadlimblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/hanglar-and-whipper-snapper-blog-candy.html

Scrapbook paper storage solutions...

Man, I have spent two days "googling" for a stacking system to store my paper. Thanks to Michael's "3 for 1" sales I have quite a selection and running out of room. There are no shortage of ideas and products except for two things: 1) The price is outrageous or, 2) The shipping charges to Canada are more than the product.

I came across a blog and, with Emilie's permission, I am posting the blog and putting a link under "My Blog List" to her website. Thanks Emilie, both for the permission and the incredible idea. Trust me, I will be shopping in the next day or two for the wire cubes. However, this is Canada and not everything makes it across the border!

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Make Your Own Paper Storage Rack

Here's a tutorial I posted over at Craft Critique and thought I would share with you fabulous blog readers as well. Let me know what you think!

If you're a scrapbooker you know about 'Scrap Spaces'. You've seen the scrap rooms of the Scrap Celebs. In magazines, online, on blogs...these amazing rooms with custom built-in shelves for each little brad and eyelet. Skylights. Endless work space. Cute little inspirations.

I love seeing these rooms, but they are far from my reality. With two kids and a husband in Masters school, I spent my nights scrapping in a dimly lit, damp and cold, unfinished basement (read: Dungeon) and my scrap storage consisted of whatever I could find on the cheap and make work! Then I stumbled onto this fantastic paper storage solution that improved my organization by leaps and bounds! This is a great solution for anyone....not just the starving college student!

By slightly modifying white wire storage grids you can create a personalized paper storage system which will hold any amount of 12x12 papers in an efficient and very organized way. And it's wicked cheap. I'll go through the steps of making your own here.

What you'll need...
1 box Wire Storage Grids (available at Target and Walmart) cost: $15-20
1 package Zip/Cable Ties (available at any home improvement store) cost: $1-2
1 wire cutter or seriously heavy duty scissors



{Make sure your grids measure at least 12" square so your paper will fit. Mine are 13" square...perfect.}

1. Start by throwing out the weird little white plastic clips that come with the cubes. You won't be needing these.


2. Build a basic cube (leaving one side open as shown above) by attaching the grids together using your zip ties. Make sure the little square nubbies are facing towards the outside of your cube so they don't catch on the paper. (photo below)


3. Next take the remaining white shelves and slide them into your cube and attaching them at 1 inch intervals where the grid already exists. If you need a larger slot for some paper sets just make it a 2 or 3 inch interval instead.


Make sure when you slide a shelf in that the wire grids are on the underside so that you get a slight lip on your paper tray. (photo below)


4. Use your wire clippers to remove excess plastic end from zip ties.


Fill with paper sorting by color, manufacturer or whatever makes you happy! Voila! Isn't it genius?!! I made 3 separate cubes out of 2 boxes of these grids and had some grid pieces leftover. I have even given these cubes as gifts to fellow scrapbookers with rave reviews!

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Customizable to include large and small shelf heights

Cons:

• May be hard to see certain papers since there is no graduation.

At just around $30 for two boxes of these I think they are a steal! And a great solution for organizing a craft area on a budget. I would love to know your thoughts!

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Greetings from a rookie...

My first blog - my first post.

A friend told me that we needed a hobby, so - a few dollars later we started making jewelry. I wish Michael's took Air Miles cards - I would be able to fly anywhere in the world for free!

Debbie is a die-hard "scrapbooker" and she had tried for years to get me into it - I am more into the computer graphics end of things. However, last year I bought a rubber stamp, made my first Christmas card and it took off from there. I now have quite a few stamps, made a number of different cards, took a glitter course and now I am off and running.

Christmas I got a Cuttlebug and two sizes of Xyrons - my hubby says I am a "tool junkie"!

I look forward to learning how to use these and posting some of my efforts.