Calendars for 2010

I'm still in Texas!  Ashley had a little housewarming party tonight and a few of her friends came over.  We grilled chicken outside on her new BBQ grill that we gave her for Christmas.  Tomorrow we'll be finding a place to watch the Steelers ... hopefully WIN!  We will be leaving here on Monday headed home and will hopefully take a slower route back to NC!  We are thinking about going up to Dallas and seeing some of our friends before hauling a*s*s back to NC.  Just have to get home by the weekend to celebrate Christmas with my family there.

I've made several calendars this year for family and friends.  Sonny made a calendar stand for them.  Here are a couple of the January calendars that I gave to Melinda and Katrina.

Today's Class

I taught another class today at my local stamp store.  It was another box and set of 4 cards.  I got the directions from Andrea Walford (you can find her blog in my sidebar).  Here is a picture of the project that we made using various stamps and papers sold at my LSS.

Here is the project that I made using Stampin' Up paper and the Fifth Avenue stamp set:

Handmade Clipboard

This is a clipboard that I made last week.  I bought the kit at a scrapbooking store in San Antonio when I was there.  They had made up the kit from the class they taught.  It has a small cork board (that I trimmed with brown velvet ribbon), and a pocket at the bottom for some chipboard tags.  What do you think?

Enjoy the Journey

Hope your weekend was great.  I had a good one.  Saturday I did my class at Stamper’s Alley and afterwards, my friend Judy and I went to lunch together.  Aren’t friends great?! 

As I’m typing this, I’m waiting on my daughter to arrive.  She turned over her condo keys to the realtor yesterday and left her place in DC for the last time.  We were sure hoping she’d get a contract before she left (like maybe from the couple who have been back to see it 4-5 times!!) but it didn’t happen.   All she can do is wait.  In the meantime, she’ll be staying with friends or in a hotel for a while.  If it drags on too long, she’ll have to rent a place in San Antonio.  The Army will store her stuff for 90 days. 

I’m excited to share this book with you that I made for Ashley.  The title is Enjoy the Journey and I thought it would be ideal for her Kenya pictures and journals of her trip.  I bought the kit at CK Convention last week from The Button Farm and I really like the way it turned out.  Their instructions are the best!!  Plus, I added a few touches of my own – buttons, brads, etc.  And, I kept some of the pages plain so Ashley could embellish as she wants.  Each page is an envelope so you can insert pictures, memorabilia, journaling, etc.

This is the front of the book:

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Here are a few of the pages:

Live & Laugh

I love those words …. live & laugh! That’s what life is about, isn’t it? We all need to heed those words and not sweat the small stuff! I had such fun today finishing up a couple of the projects from the CK classes. Who knows, at this rate, I may even finish the projects from last year??!! The acrylic album I am sharing with you today is from the Button Farm. The directions that came with the kit were about the best I’ve ever seen – so easy to follow. Check out the kits and don’t be afraid to order one of them – you will be able to put it together in no time! Now I just have to find some pictures for this one OR you may be seeing this album later as a GIVEAWAY!! I have never done any blog candy but I am thinking about doing some giveaways when I return from my trip in early September. I have been getting some really nice e-mails from some of you about my blog and it really has made my day! Thank you so much for your comments & keep them coming!! At least I know there is someone out there reading my blog.

Remember - you can click on the pictures to see the whole thing.

This is the front of the book.

Page 2 & 3 – notice how each page mirrors the one before it so you can’t see the back of the images through the acrylic.

Isn’t this paper great? It’s by Basic Grey. The page with the 4 squares is actually a transparency that was added to made an additional page for the book.

A square was cut out of the page on the right for a picture.

That lettering on the page on the right is actually on the next page – you can just see it through the acrylic.

Another transparency added page -

THE END! What do you think?

Inspired by Nature

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a white frame at the Dollar Store (at least I think that’s where it came from!)  Anyway, I wanted to do something different with it.  So after many different attempts, this is what I came up with:

I used brown StazOn ink to color it and then I used Ritzy Ditzy Glitz in Bronze & Copper and sprayed it.  Then I used my heat gun to set it.  I have had this Ritzy Ditzy spray for several years.  I saw a demonstration at a convention somewhere and just had to have it.  But after I got home with it, I didn’t know what to do with it.  I have it in Bronze, Gold, Copper and Silver.  If you have any ideas for it, I’d love to hear about them!! 

The picture is the flowers from Inspired by Nature.  I sponged a little bit of blue on the top of the cream card and sponged green and Creamy Caramel on the middle and bottom of the card.  I stamped the “weeds” in Close to Cocoa craft ink and stamped the flowers in Baja Breeze.  I first put my stamp in Versa Mark; then the Baja Breeze so I could emboss it.  Then I framed the picture with the Parisian Breeze DSP (retired). 

I’m really happy with how it turned out!  I think I’ll be using this for a donation.  My Newcomers group is having a fashion show in October and we will be soliciting donations for prizes.  Would you like to win this?

I just have to share a conversation between my grandson and his mom (that she posted on her blog recently).  It just cracked me up!!

Jayce: I haf ew go poddy.
Mom: You do?
Jayce: Yes.  I haf ew go poddy.  A’cause my menis (he can make the “P” sound only selectively) is gettin’ on my nuhrve.

Shopping Organizer

When I visited Enchanted Cottage in May, I saw the cutest little organizer that they had on display.  It was made out of a small tin container.  Here is a picture of it:

So, I bought a couple of the tins and decided to try to make one myself.  I finally finished both of them and have mailed them to my niece and my nephew’s girlfriend to thank them for their hospitality while I was in Austin last month.  I hope they can use them.  I thought they turned out real cute.  I may have to find a tin and make one for myself!!

Red and Black Frame

I found my "mojo" today and had fun making a couple of frames. I had plans to go to our neighborhood pool and "veggin" while tanning and reading my book, but got carried away instead in my craft room.

About a month ago, I shared this baby book with you that I had made for a friend who had a baby girl in early April. Well, today I finally finished the "name frame" I wanted to give them too. It turned out pretty cute, I think. Now I just need to get it in the mail! I bought the frame at the Dollar Store and the animals are cut from the Designer Paper I used in the baby book. I used a retired SU alphabet set for the letters and stamped them in Regal Rose Craft Ink and embossed them. (click on picture to see full image)

After I finished that, I made another picture frame for our Newcomers Bingo Auction next week. I had seen a similar one on Splitcoast a while back in blues and browns and had been wanting to create one. The squares are punched with my 1 1/4" Square Punch from Red, Black. various Designer Papers and some are embossed in white on red and black with the Baroque Motif stamp. I used a variety of ribbon, stamps, Daisy Die (Sizzix), Dew Drops, buttons, prima flowers, brads, and Hodgepodge Hardware. I adhered a piece of white cardstock to the glass and adhered the squares on top of the cardstock. I couldn't put the glass on top because of the raised items. I used Red Line Tape to adhere the squares to the white paper.

Top Note Box Instructions

Several of you have asked about instructions for the Top Note Box (seen HERE).  I made eleven of them for the Quarterly Die Cut Swap and they seemed to have been a big hit.  I am sorry - I thought that I had already posted the instructions.  Anyway, here's the pattern (thanks to Kerin at stampsppaperglitter.com)
Cut out the dark gray areas, score on the dotted lines and cut on the solid lines. Once you've got it cut and scored, you'll be able to see the shape of the box come together...you don't have to use anything super strong for adhesive to hold the sides together if you're going to wrap it in ribbon. You can round the corners if you want it to fit a little better in the box.   When you're done making your box, just close up the box, put sticky strip on the top and bottom, and adhere it onto the Top Note shapes you made!
Now you make one and send me a picture & I'll post it on my blog.

Stampin' Up Quarterly

What a great time we had in Kernersville this weekend at the Stampin' Up Quarterly.  Luckily, Marianne was feeling better on Friday and was able to go.  I picked her up at Mom's after I did my stint at the Retirement Center.  We stopped along the way at the Enchanted Cottage Stamp store. WOW is all I can say!  It is overwhelming because it is so big and has so much stuff in in.  Unfortunately, we had a little trouble finding the store and by the time we got there, we only had about 20 minutes before they closed.  It is definitely a place you need more than 20 minutes - maybe a whole day to see everything. 

We checked into our hotel and went across the street and had a yummy dinner - country style steak, mashed potatoes, baked apples ..... really good!  Then it was on the the quarterly.  We got set up and got started with our Friday night project.  Janie Murphy was in charge of this one and she did a great job.  We each had half of a Simply Scrappin' kit and made 11 cards and a magazine holder for the cards from the kit and even had a few pieces left over to take home with us.  I was impressed.  I have never done much with the Simply Scrappin' kits (page 162-165) but that will change.  The cards are so cute and were so quick and easy to put together.  We made the 11 cards and holder in about 2 hours!!  We were back at our motel by 9:30 which never happens at Quarterly!  We used the Sunshine Garden kit to make these cards:

Busy, Busy, Busy

I've been busy since I got back .... getting unpacked; doing laundry; and getting ready for NC Stampin' Up Demo's Quarterly meeting this weekend in Kernersville.  My sister, Marianne, is supposed to go with me but she called me about 3 this afternoon and she's SICK!!  How could she get sick at a time like this????  We're crossing our fingers that she'll feel better tomorrow and be able to "road trip" with me.  She's been working hard on her swaps and has paid her $$$ so I know she doesn't want to miss it.

Also tomorrow, I am going to the retirement home in Mooresville to do a card project with the group.  My friend, Judy, is going too and has made a card and a bookmark for them to make.  I did a card today using the Big Shot that they will just have to put together.  Here's my samples:

 

I'm taking a few items to the Quarterly for "show and tell."  Here is a Milk Carton that I made using the Parisian DSP.  I just love how it turned out.  That paper is the best and is on sale through Sunday.

More Top Note Boxes

I've been making a lot of these boxes for a 3D swap I am going to at the end of the month.  I've got 7 made so far and I am waiting for my order of Designer Paper to get here to make a few more.  A friend wanted to put a picture of a couple of them on my blog so she could make some also.  So, Margaret, these are for you!!

This one uses some of my favorite DSP (Sweet Slumber).  This paper is the same weight as cardstock.  The Sizzix die is the Daisy Flower (p. 200) and Little Leaves.  I used the Build-A-Brad in the center.

This box uses Candy Cane DSP (p. 159) and the Sizzix Flower Layer die (p. 199).  I used a red brad in the center.

   This box uses the Candy Cane paper again.  I also used Sizzix Decorative Strip Flowers die (p. 198) and the Beautiful Butterflies die (p. 196).  There is a pearl from the Pretties kit in the center.

Now - go make some of your own and send me a picture of them.  I'll post them on my blog for all to see!!