We are homeless!!!

Actually, that should be HURRAY we finally sold the house.  Now we have to start shopping for a new one.  It has been a long 6-1/2 months trying to sell this place.  But, it is bitter sweet....we move to where we want to be and our daughter and two grandchildren move away from there at the same time.  Oh well....we will be an hour closer to their new place so...I guess it is not that bad.

Is this really crafting????

Just wondering….I mean…I know die cutting, stamping (hand or digital) etc. count as crafting a card but, what about using photographs?  I guess some could say that this does not make a hand made card (crafted) but, I totally disagree. 
So…I think these are awesome and I loved working with the photograph I found on the internet because it was exactly what I was looking for for these cards!

 
The colors are so rich and perfectly compliment each other.  I even found a sentiment that suited the image perfectly.  I love them!
I follow Gina K. Designs and her Stamp TV blog.  When she showed a video of “soot stamping” I had to run out and buy a candle and stamps.  This is soooo much fun and you really, really have to try it….just Google “soot stamping”…it has been out there for quite awhile.

 
Granddaughter is too young this year (only 6 months) but, the two grandsons are just at the right age (3 and 2).  This card is so much fun to make.  I mounted the ghost on a wobble spring and they are going to just love them!

 
I saw this pumpkin on Pinterest and I just had to make one.  Crap…my Tim Holtz rosette dies are packed!  What do you mean I have to do them from scratch?  Out comes the score board and after making six of them…my hands were really sore from creasing.  I needed to add some shading and Distress Inks are perfect for this.  I love, love, love them…and…the neighbor had a vine hanging on our side of the fence that was perfect for sitting one on for photos!

IMHO…crafting is crafting is crafting…no matter what your source materials are.  As long as you put it together yourself with love…it is crafting!
Happy Hallowe’en!!!

More Babies…

I Finally, I know she is 6-months old but…I finally got “Congratulations on your birth” for my granddaughter.  Blame it on my craft supplies being packed…blame it on constantly keeping this house staged….
I was sitting having my usual “coffee and cookies” at Be Creative with the coffee club girls and Barb brought in her acetate bow-fronted cards and I fell in love.  I mean…this is totally cased from her card…she even emailed me pics to help me…what are friends for!
I just love this Marianne Creatables Baby set and I was saving it for just this occasion.  I broke open my stash of pink velvet, placed double-sided Be Creative tape on the velvet and the die cut  out like butter.  It only cut through the velvet and the glue…leaving the backing intact and turned the die-cuts into stickers….wicked!

The bow-front card is one of the free templates when you subscribe to Card Making World.  This website is full of so much information and free templates one can spend days there.  Anyway, this card is almost 1” thick and it required a box…thankfully, the template was with the card instructions.

Once you get the hang of it…it is really quite easy to make them and they look incredible!

 
I wanted to have an actual card and not the acetate standing by itself so, I added a piece to the back.  I carried the chain Elizabeth Craft Designs peel-off to the inside and it was perfect to cover where the card stock was added.

You just have to try this one!

VUNDABAR!!!!

I hate…hate…hate creating blog entries in Blogger.  Pictures don’t load properly and I can never get them to format correctly for me. 

I got fed up and did some Googling and found out about Window Live Writer.  I just used it to create my blog entry and pictures went where I wanted them, I could resize them…one button and it posts automatically…wicked!  Now I just need to figure out font defaults and I am a happy camper.

Birthdays and babies…

Finally got a moment to make some cards.  My daughter had her birthday and she loves butterflies.  I saw this card and just had to make it.

While I was working on it I noticed I had duplicate embossing folders and I was missing one.  I contacted Provocraft and they did not send me the missing folder....they sent me a brand new set!  How's that for service!!!
It's baby time around here and I love, love making baby gifts.  When I spotted the die from Marianne Creatables I just knew I had to have it!  Our real estate agent is in the process of having another baby girl and this card is perfect for them.

My massage therapist is having her first child and I wanted to make some things special for her. 
Tissue box!
 

 

I read on Becca Freeken’s blog (Amazing Paper Grace) and how she altered a picture frame…I had to attempt it my way…I am lousy at stamping but, I am wonderful at creating digital sentiments!

Then the baby blocks I love creating for babies…. 

Of course, I had to make a card too!

   
I love, love, love this card!  I guess it is on to Hallowe’en and Christmas cards next.
Have a great day!

I did it....

Okay, first of all...I guess there is a silver lining to not selling our house as soon as we thought....we haven't been home to pack anyway.  We have been off camping as much as we can (I know DS..you don't think traveling in a 34 foot motor home is camping)!

 I did it...I made some cards...can you believe it?  I actually found time and supplies to whip up a couple of cards.  During my blog surfing I save pictures of cards I like in order to case them if I get a chance or need an idea or two.  This time I had three ideas (okay cases!!!).

 I saw this card and I just had to buy the stamp and color it up for a friend of ours.

This one was for one of our daughter-in-law's (we have two darlings) birthday.  We managed to drive up for the night so we could spend the day and evening with her, our son and grandson.  I'm In Haven has some really awesome cards and with this one I packed my punches but, I did find some flower embellishments I could use.  Okay...not colors I liked then, I remembered I could change the colors with Copic markers...presto!  I am learning to decorate the inside of my cards and I still have a few border punches not packed.  I really, really can't afford all the sentiment stamps out there and I do like creating or trying to duplicate them with free fonts and my graphic programs.  I prefer digital as the images are crisp and clean.

Our two grandsons have birthdays two weeks apart...one is turning three and the other is turning 2.
I spotted this on Deneen's website and immediately went to Mo's Digital Pencil and purchased the little guy image...he is called "Sumpins Wrong"...isn't he delightful!  I couldn't wait to color him up and make my first step card for the grandson who is turning 3.

I was having problems with the dresser and after pulling my hair out for a couple of hours I had an "AHA" moment...Tim Holtz Picket Fence dauber!  I masked off the area for the dresser and created the aged look and again on the pieces used for the drawers.  The drawer knobs are pop dots but, as I find the cover is glossy on the underside and won't stick permanently, I punched some circles and placed them on top of the sticky pads.  The dresser leg shape is a Nestability

labels die.

The inside is computer generated right to the hand prints from the internet.










The youngest grandson is turning 2 and...a huge fan of tractors. I spotted this one and it was perfect...she even had links to the coloring pages website.

Our other daughter-in-law is having a birthday at the end of the month and I had this card saved for just such an occasion.  As I was mailing it I had to alter the size of the card a bit and made it a 5.75 x 5.75 square.  I had some white scraps with black velvet swirls on them and it was perfect for the butterfly (Cheery Lynn die), again with the digital sentiment.  I "googled" butterfly images until I found one that was
swirly like the front.





















You know...Blogger is not my favorite program at the moment...it is a real, real pain in the butt to insert photos and have them appear where I want in my blog posting.

Have a great day!

OMG....I have been pinned!

I am sitting here in Kelowna, B.C. at an RV Lifestyles seminar....currently in a class on blogging.  I thought I could pick up some pointers.  Surfing...blurfing...googled my blog name and found out I have been pinned on Pinterest.  Does that mean I have arrived???

I am blown away that my little corner of the world is interesting to others.  I am humbled!

Cat

Oh "crap"....

One word in my dictionary recently....Diverticulitis.  Not my favorite word by far!  Oh let's see...not only is it a "crappy" (literally, folks) illness but, some say I can't eat my favorite foods...peas, beans, popcorn, corn, nuts, coconuts, cucumbers.  I mean, come on...what kind of life is it without strawberries or bbq'd corn on the cob?

Three rounds of double-dosing antibiotics and I am finally getting to the end of it...it only has taken three weeks and a couple more left to recover.  I am flat on my butt, can't even find energy to make a card.  All at the same time trying to keep the house tidy and staged for selling.  Mind you...not really a bad thing as I don't even have the energy to make a mess!

That takes us to today and another word in my dictionary...Retirement!  Yahoo!  I am done!  I figure by the time I have the energy to return to work I will be out of a job anyway....phased out....no bells ringing...no fireworks...no fanfare...just a hug and thanks for 21 years of service.  Oh well...too tired to care!  No more alarm clocks...no more making lunches...no more driving in rush hour traffic.  Oh yeah...no more car accidents!
Plenty of time for crafts!

Oh yeah, they are packed and at the bottom of the storage locker.  I still have my Copic markers, glitter, peel-offs, some punches and my Gazelle to play with.  I now have the time to finally get the new motherboard installed and play with "print 'n cuts".

I am taking online Copic classes with Suzanne Dean (Scrapbitz) and I started my class last year figuring I had plenty of time to get it done...yep.  What do they say about best intentions?  Life has a way of getting in the way....weddings, babies...life.  Once I get feeling better I will get started on it again...lots of money tied up in these markers...I really need to learn how to use them.

Off back to lie down and try to pick up the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy!

Have a great day!

My God....

I can't believe it...20 followers and over 23,000 views.  I am touched that people are interested in my hobby and/or my life.

I really hate this part...the wait...the expectation of the house selling.  I feel like the dreaded "stage mom" pushing my child into people's faces.  It is only a house but, for 14 years it has been my home.  The other day I sat down and counted and I have been in this house longer than any other in my whole life.

I really hate this part...I tried to work on a wedding gift for our nephew and....crap....my stuff is packed!  So, I am off to my LSS tomorrow to beg and hopefully Heroldine will bail me out and cut a couple of dies cuts for me....sheesh!

I am currently sitting in a very tidy, quiet home.  Hubby, dog and cat have gone ahead to the campsite.  I drive up tomorrow and then I sit my sick butt (I am sick...not my butt) in my gravity chair and soak up the sunshine!

The light at the end of the tunnel....

It has been a long process....painting, cleaning, packing, storing boxes to get this house ready for selling.  We are in the last bits of staging with photos happening on Saturday and the "For Sale" sign going up on Monday.

It didn't help that our pregnant daughter decided to give birth early.  Her one and only saving grace was....after four grandson's we really, really wanted a girl and...we got one.  She is an adorable tiny button and to quote her 20-month old brother....cute! 

I really miss crafting!  I have been taking some classes to dabble but, no way to really put things into practice. 

When we took the last load of boxes to the storage locker my youngest son started to laugh because now my crafting supplies were buried at the bottom of the pile. There are times that children suck and I can understand why some species eat their young!

Hello.....

Time is going too fast...I can't believe February is almost over! Grandson #1 is 2-1/2 (no second child so far...one can only hope), grandson #2 is 18 months old and our daughter is pregnant again....due May 2nd. Maybe this will give our oldest a prod to produce another grandchild!!!

House renos are still on the go. We have almost finished painting and baseboarding. Quite a few boxes were getting in the way so we rented a storage locker until the final move. We were hoping to have everything ready by the end of March but, it doesn't look like that is going to happen. We can only give it a "college try".

Haven't done any real crafting since Christmas...just a lot of collecting. I am hoping after all the renos are done I will have the time to actually sit down and create something. Issue is...most of my stuff has been packed away. I did keep out my Copics, glitter, peel-offs, Prismacolors and a few stamps so I can putz.

Sore throat and I am off to doctors. We are leaving for Las Vegas on Monday so that gives me six days to get better!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.