Lil Bit Of Me

Clean and Simple One Word Thank You Card

2011-12-29T21:41:00.002-06:00

Hello my crafty friends! Wow, it has been a long time since I last posted. It was a busy holiday season for me. Finally starting to unwind though and looking forward to some serious crafting time in the coming new year.

I am entering my card for this post into two challenges:
Less Is More Challenge Blog - the challenge is "one word" on the front of your card.
I have been following the Less Is More challenge blog pretty much since the start of the blog but this is my first time to enter one of their challenges. I have plans to enter many more in the coming new year. If you haven't checked out Less Is More, you should. The talent and inspiration is amazing. Every Saturday I look forward to a cup of coffee and checking out the new challenge for the week. I am always amazed at the beautiful cards that are posted for the examples. Then I enjoy going back during the week several times to see all the wonderful cards that are posted for the current challenge. I hope you will take some time to check them out. Here is a link to Less Is More and you can also find a link to them on my right sidebar.

I am also entering this card into the weekly member challenge over at CardMakers on the Card Swaps forum. This week the challenge is hosted by Golda and she asked us to make a clean and simple thank you card. You can find the challenge HERE. While you are there checking out the challenge, check out the info about the upcoming crop in February. The theme is "Winter Warm Up". There will be loads of challenges, fun , inspiration, games and prizes. Oh and did I mention that the crop is being sponsored by Elmers and Spellbinders? You won't want to miss the blog hop that also will be going on during the crop. It's over a month away but time flies by fast so be sure to mark the date on your calendar, February 8 - 11th.

The details on my card:
For the exception of the flower which is cut out and pop dotted, there are no layers, just the card base. The blue flower image is Fresh Bloom by Stampendous. I colored it with Prismacolor colored pencils and used some gold Stickles on the stamen. The spray of swirls and flowers are a clear stamp by Heidi Grace and stamped with Memories Ink. The flowers are colored with Prismacolor color pencils and a yellow Basic Grey rhinestone glued in the middle of each. "Thanks" is computer generated and cardstock is by Bazzill.

I hope everyone had a happy and wonderful Christmas. Wishing you all the best for the New Year and may it be a crafty one!

Thanks for stopping by!

Bare Trees Christmas Card

2011-11-27T17:02:00.004-06:00

The current weekly challenge over at Card Swaps on the CardMakers site is being hosted by Ana and she asked that we add glitter to our creations.

I am also entering this into this week's challenge over at Paper Sundaes Challenge Blog. The challenge is Winter Wonderland.

I was inspired to dig out my brass stencils and rediscover them when I made my card in my last post for the Autumn Blessings blog hop. So for this challenge I pulled out one of my all time favorite brass stencils by Dreamweavers designed by Lynelle Harlow. Her brass stencils are my favorite. This one is called Bare Trees.

I started by dry embossing the image then I stenciled it using Colorbox pigment inks. I then added glitter to the snow part of my image which succeeded in me getting glitter everywhere....my face, hands and clothing. It was even in my hair! The cardinal is a clip art image I found online and printed out.

Stores have their decorations up and the sales have begun. Many people have put up their Christmas trees this weekend. My son commutes to the city (Chicago) for school and he came home the other day and told me that Michigan Ave, was all lit up and looking festive. He said as he walked down the street to the train , the song Silver Bells was playing and people were ice skating at Millennium Park. The magic of the season has begun!

Now to get all my Christmas cards made...addressed and mailed!

Autumn Blessings Blog Hop

2011-11-16T05:00:00.001-06:00

Welcome!

You are on the Autumn Blessings Blog Hop. You should have reached here from Angelina's blog. If not you will want to go back and start at the beginning with Lora's blog. You won't want to miss any of the creations that all the talented hosts of each stop has created for the blog hop. The hop goes along with the Autumn Blessings Crop over at CardSwaps. The crop is from November 16 - 19th. You have until November 22 to post your creations to the challenge threads and be entered into the drawings for prizes. Continue along the hop and at the end you will find a link to the crop at CardSwaps where I hope you will join us for fun, inspiration and prizes!

The theme for our blog hop is, "I have been blessed". While I have been blessed with many things in my life, I wanted to focus this post on certain family members in my life. Which is also the theme for my card. I have many family members who have served in the military. Great grandfathers, grandfather, my father, uncles, cousins, stepchildren and step grand children. All who have sacrificed to honor and protect our country. I have one particular cousin whom I am very close to that has made the military his life long career. In doing so he has had to make some sacrifices which include leaving his family every time he is deployed. Just recently he was deployed to Iraq shortly after the birth of his daughter resulting in him missing her first year of life and her first birthday. He is home this year for Thanksgiving and will be spending it with his family for which I am grateful.

I wanted to make a card to send to my cousin to let him know how grateful I am for all he does for our country and to let him know how blessed I am to have him in my family. So my project for this hop is a thank you card I made for him. I kept it clean and simple keeping in mind that it is going to a guy....so no flowers, pearls and other girlie embellishments. I knew I wanted an eagle on my card but alas I had no rubber stamp of an eagle. I started to search online for a digi image when I thought of something even better! An original piece of art drawn by my stepson. I was so pleased to use his drawing for my card. He also served in the military for 6 years. I then took two different brass stencils to stencil the stars around the eagle and to dry emboss on the card base. The ink I used is by Colorbox and I used a Krylon Gold Leafing pen for the fine thin line of gold. My sentiment on the inside of the card is computer generated. Using some of the same paper I used on the inside of the card I lined my envelope to coordinate with my card.

I feel blessed to live in this country. I am very grateful to all the men and women in our military who protect, serve and defend our country. Thank you to each and everyone of them.

Your next stop along the hop is Tina. You won't want to miss her post or the rest of the hop! So hop along and should you get lost, here is a list of the entire hop in order. When you are through hoping be sure to join us for the online crop over at CardSwaps on the CardMaker site!

Lora
Meredith
Judy L
Golda
Ana
Tracie
Angelina
SusieQ (you are here)
Tina
Teresa
Ivanka
Jane

Moos!

2011-11-14T22:16:00.004-06:00

Hello my crafty friends! It's been a couple of weeks since I posted last. Also behind on posting my weekly recipe pages :( With the holidays fast approaching it may be awhile before I get caught up and back to posting on a regular basis.

Today though I would like to share some "Moos" with you. What's a moo you ask? A moo is a piece of art that measures 1 1/8" x 2 3/4"...half the size of a business card. Just like the ATCs, they were made popular by artists who would create small pieces of art and then supply their contact info on the back to give out to people. I'm currently hosting a swap for moos over on the Card Swaps forum on the CardMakers Magazine site. The first one above is a clothesline with clothing folded origami style. Below are balloons I punched out and then added glitter to them.This next one is a Christmas ornament. I used metallic cardstock in green and red for this one but it was very hard to get a good picture without a glare.

Next up is a moo made from clear acetate. Also very hard to get a good picture of. This one is reversible with the same design on front and back.

The last one is a flower that I colored with markers directly to the rubber stamp then stamped and did some distressing.

Want to try making your own moos? Check out this fun blog for inspiration HERE. It was once an active challenge blog for moos but no longer is active. The site is still up for you to view the moos and get tons of inspiration.

I'll be back on Wednesday with a post as one of the stops on the Autumn Blessings Blog Hop for Card Swaps / CardMaker Magazine site. The online crop also starts that day. Hope you will join in for fun and inspiration. You can check out the details HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

"What's Mom Cooking?"

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's apple season so for this posting of "What's Mom Cooking?" I'm sharing my fried apple recipe with you. If you have ever been to a Cracker Barrel Restaurant then chances are you might have tried their delicious fried apples. If so you might think this recipe tastes just like theirs.....or pretty close to it! I grew up with fried apples being served as a side dish and still enjoy them today as much as I did as a kid. However they are just as good for desert with a scoop of ice cream or for breakfast over pancakes or waffles.

Here is the recipe for easier copying and printing:

Fried Apples

Serve 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups apple cider
4 large Golden Delicious apples peeled, 1/2" wedges
1/2 cup apple cider
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons sugar

PREPARATION:

Combine first measure of apple cider and apples in a medium skillet. Simmer gently and turn apples often with spatula until fork tender but not mushy. Remove with a slotted spoon to oven dish. In blender puree 1/2 c apple cider, cornstarch, cinnamon and sugar. Blend a few seconds until smooth. Stir into hot juice in skillet and cook, stirring constantly on med-high until it bubbles and becomes thickened and smooth. Turn heat off. Pour over apples.

Serve warm as side dish or dessert. Refrigerate to use in a few days or freeze.

Variation: Sometimes I will use Granny Smith Apples in place of the Golden Delicious Apples. When doing so I double the amount of apples as the Granny Smith run smaller.

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Pig Tent Topper Card

2011-10-14T21:00:00.002-05:00

Hello! I am entering this card into two challenges.
Charisma Cardz Challenges - the challenge is stitching , real or faux. I hand stitched the card and the matching envelope.

CardMaker's Card Swaps Forum Weekly Challenge - Hosted this week by Deirdre who challenged us to make a matching envelope to go with our card.

The image I used is by Stampabilities and is called "Precious Pig". I colored the image with Prismacolor color pencils. Designer paper is by Basic Grey and the cardstock by Bazzill. I challenged myself to go one step further and make a style of card that I have never tried before. I chose to try the tent topper card. Super simple and a fun style to do. I will most certainly be making more cards with this style in the future. If you would like to try the tent topper card you can find instructions HERE courtesy of SCS. Their tutorials are awesome!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

"What's Mom Cooking?"

2011-10-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week for "What's Mom Cooking' the recipe is Pineapple Upside Down Biscuits. This is a more recent family favorite and is a recipe courtesy of Paula Deen , restaurateur and author of several cookbooks. This recipe is like a quick mini version of pineapple upside down cake...yummy!

Here is the recipe for easier copying and printing.

Pineapple Upside Down Biscuits

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
10 maraschino cherries
1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease 10 cups of a muffin tin . Strain the can of crushed pineapple, save juice for later. Combine the pineapple , sugar, and butter, and mix well. Divide the pineapple mixture among the muffin cups. Place a cherry in the center of each muffin cup, making sure cherry hits bottom of cup. Place 1 biscuit in each cup on top of sugar and pineapple mixture. Spoon 1 teaspoon reserved pineapple juice over each biscuit. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool for 2 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate to release the biscuits . Serve warm.

Super simple, quick and easy! Hope you will give this recipe a try.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Sparkly Glittery House Mouse Christmas

2011-10-08T17:20:00.002-05:00

Back with another post for today. I am entering this card into four challenges:

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge Blog - Christmas Sparkle - I have glitter on each of the bows on the heads of the mice. The green , red and gold cardstock is metallic and the bows / ribbon are also metallic. Had a difficult time getting a good photo to show all the sparkle so please believe me...the card sparkles in real life! :)

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Sparkle and Bling with an option to use a Stampalibility stamp. I did use one...House Mouse

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge Blog - Anything Goes as long as it sparkles - I have that going on!

CardMakers Card Swap Forum Weekly Challenge - hosted by Golda this week - Golda challenged us to make a Christmas card using something you wouldn't usually see on a Christmas card - hopefully I have that covered with using mice! :)

Images are House Mouse by Stampabilities. As shown below they are one image but I stamped each mouse separately and then colored with Prismacolor color pencils. Cardstock and ribbon are from my stash and not sure of the maker.

Hope everyone is a having a happy and crafty weekend!

Rolled Ribbon Flower

2011-10-08T16:34:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, October 1st, was World Card Making Day. Most online paper crafting sites were hosting some kind of event in honor of WCMD including CardMakers Card Swaps forum. There were several challenges and games as well as prizes to be won. I was only able to participate in one challenge due to a family emergency but there are a couple of others I hope to do when I have time.

The challenge I was able to do was hosted by Ana and her challenge was to make a card using a rolled ribbon flower. Very fun challenge and a fun and easy flower to make. I know I will be making many more in the future! Click HERE for a tutorial on how to make rolled ribbon flowers by Ana. Click HERE and HERE to see two videos that show how to make this same flower using fabric strips in place of the ribbon.

Hope you get a chance to check out these tutorials and try making these flowers. Also hope you were able to make a card for WCMD and send a card to someone special in your life or someone who needed a smile in their mailbox.

Thanks for stopping by!

"What's Mom Cooking"?

2011-10-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

Time for another recipe page. This week my recipe is called 7Up Salad. This recipe has been in my family for years. Originally my mother was given this recipe by another church member years ago before I was even born. The original recipe called for shredded cheese to be sprinkled on top. We have eliminated that step years ago as everyone seem to like it better without it. Although this is a cool and refreshing dish for the summer months, we have enjoyed it year around in our house.

Here is the recipe for easy copying and printing:

7up Salad

Ingredients:
2 (3oz) boxes of lime Jello gelatin
2 cups boiling water
2 cups 7-Up soda
1 large can crushed pineapple well drained, reserve juice
1 cup miniature marshmallows
2 bananas sliced
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup pineapple juice (reserved)
1 egg beaten
1 8oz container Cool Whip

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add 7 - Up and cool until partially set. Add crushed pineapple, miniature marshmallows and bananas. Place mixture in 13" x 9" pan and refrigerate.

Topping:
Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium pot. Add pineapple juice and beaten egg. Mix well and cook over medium low heat till thickened. Cool to room temperature. Mix Cool Whip into cooled topping mixture and mix well. Spread over top of jello mixture. Keep refrigerated.

I use a glass 13" x 9" pan which shows the colors of the jello and pineapple making for a pretty display.

Hope you will consider trying my recipe and wishing you all a great week!

Autumn Tilda - 3 Challenges

2011-09-27T11:21:00.002-05:00

I received this image from someone as a gift for a swap I hosted. Isn't she cute with the Fall leaves swirling around her! I am entering her into the following challenges:
Just Magnolia and Hangler and Stangler Challenge Blog - Fall or school theme
Paper Sundaes Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge Blog - A sketch which you can see below

Cardstock used is by Bazzill and Core'dinations. Designer paper is by Basic Grey. Image is Tilda by Magnolia Stamps and is colored with Prismacolor color pencils.

Thanks for stopping by!

"What's Mom Cooking"?

2011-09-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday and that means it is time for another "What's Mom Cooking"? I'm still working my way through recipe cards that I made for swaps in the past. Today's recipe was for a Christmas cookie recipe swap. As far back as I can remember my mother made these every year for Christmas. We had a week in December that was dedicated to making all kinds of cookies for the holiday and this was always one of my favorites. When I was little my job was to do the rolling in powdered sugar part and to try not to eat them all while doing so!

My recipe page was made using designer paper from DCWV and cardstock by Wassau. Below is the recipe for easier copying and printing should you like to try it!

Honey Pecan Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 to 3/4 tsp grated orange rind
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Powdered sugar

Cream butter and honey till smooth. Stir in salt, grated orange rind,vanilla and flour. Mix until well blended with mixer. Stir in pecans. Shape dough into one inch balls and place about one inch apart on buttered baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees until cookies are a pale golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cookies stand on sheet till cool enough to handle. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar to coat all over. Set cookies on rack to cool completely.

These look so pretty on a plate or in a Christmas tin and are nice to give as gifts too!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you consider trying my recipe!

Happy Birthday Gruffie!

2011-09-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

This must be a super Sunday because I'm posting twice today!

I am entering this card into the following two challenges:

House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge: The challenge is to make a birthday card with the option of adding flowers. I chose not to use that option as I just couldn't seem to get flowers to looking right for me on this card. House Mouse and Friends is celebrating their 3rd year as a challenge blog with not only this challenge but also with prizes and a blog hop! You can check out all the fun HERE.

CardMakers CardSwaps Forum Weekly Challenge: The current weekly challenge is being hosted by Linda Jo and she challenged us to make a multi panel card using a pattern by Dawn's Stamping Studio. You can check out the challenge and other participant's creations HERE. To view the how to tutorial and video to make this multi panel card, click HERE.

The image used is a Gruffie by Stampabilities called Party Preparations. I colored it with Prismacolor color pencils. Designer paper is the Lime Rickey collection by Basic Grey. Cardstock is DCWV. Sentiment is by Studio G clear stamps. Below is a side view of how the card is folded.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous week!

"What's Mom Cooking?"

2011-09-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday and time for another family favorite recipe! This week the recipe is baked french toast. Very rich, sweet and delicious. It also brings many happy memories to mind as we usually make this for breakfast on holidays and special occasions. It's super simple to make and can be made ahead of time as well. If your schedule is busy you can pop it in the refrigerator the night before or the freezer a few days ahead and it will be ready to pop in the oven for baking on the day you want to serve it.

Our favorite way is to make it the night before and let it sit in the refrigerator over night. For the last ten years my son has been helping me with preparing the french toast. As I'm making the egg and cream mixture he gets the pan ready with the brown sugar mixture. We then cut the bread, dip in the egg mixture. place on the brown sugar glaze and then my son sprinkles the cinnamon on top. I enjoy moments like this, cooking and sharing with my son. I know one day he will be making it with his kids.

My recipe card was simple and quick to make. My son drew the shape of a piece of bread for me. I printed the recipe directly on to it and inked the edges before applying it to the designer paper which is by DCWV.

Below is the recipe for easy copying and printing:

Baked French Toast

Ingredients:

· 2 cups light brown sugar

· 1 stick butter or margarine

· 4 tablespoons flavoring of choice: vanilla, hazelnut or almond

· 4 eggs

· 1 ¾ cups Half & Half or milk

· 1 loaf Italian or French bread cut into 1 inch thick slices

· Cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Place brown sugar into 13x8 inch baking dish. Melt butter or margarine in microwave. Blend brown sugar, melted butter and 2 tablespoons flavoring until it makes a glaze in the bottom of the baking dish.

Whisk eggs, milk and remaining flavoring in a bowl until well blended. Dip each bread slice into egg mixture, soaking both sides.Set bread slices on top of brown sugar mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon to taste. (at this point you can refrigerate or freeze till ready to bake). Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Flip each slice of bread over so glazed side is up. Serve hot. Serves 6.

We usually enjoy the french toast with some warm maple syrup drizzled on top. One year though I had my entire family over for Christmas brunch and I made a couple big trays of baked french toast to pop in the oven when my family arrived. While it was baking we got some bacon, sausage, eggs and hash browns going. When all was ready to serve I had warm maple syrup, warm apple, blueberries and cherry fruit compote as choices to have on top of the french toast. The cherries and apples were a big hit with all the kids!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will give my recipe a try. I will be back next Sunday with another family favorite!

Digital Scrapbooking Giveaway!

2011-09-12T00:39:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to give a quick post to let my crafty friends know about a digital scrapbooking software giveaway that Teresa is offering on her blog. For details you can check HERE. Pictured above is one of the Designer Packs that is offered. I just finished browsing through all of them and although I liked many...this is one of my favorites. I haven't done digital scrapbooking but with design packages like this, I just might have to look into it!

Be sure to check out Teresa's blog "Tickell Expressions" for details on a chance to win My Memories Digital Scrapbooking software.

"What's Mom Cooking?"

2011-09-11T15:55:00.003-05:00

Recently I did some major closet cleaning and while doing so I ran across a big black 3 ring binder that was full of recipes from my mother. When I was a kid she would clip and collect recipes from newspapers, friends and family. She had a box full of favorite recipes. One really cold and snowy winter she handed me the big box of recipes and this big 3 ring binder and asked me to sort and organize all her recipes. So I did and that 3 ring binder became a treasured source of favorite recipes for years. Now my mom is gone and those pages are becoming yellow and brittle. On some the ink is fading but it is still as valuable to me now as it was back when I organized the book for my mom.

This got me to thinking that I really need to record and put together favorite recipes of mine for my kids. I have attempted this project before but never have got too far with it but this time I am making it my Fall / Winter project. It is my plan to also incorporate this into my paper crafting by making 6 x 6 pages displaying my recipes. I thought I would share my recipes and pages with you...my crafty friends! So every Sunday I will post "What's Mom Cooking?".

I'm going to start with some recipes that I already have made into pages from swaps that I participated in and made an extra copy for myself. This first recipe is simple, quick and easy to make. When my son left for the East coast two years ago for college he had me teach him how to make some of my dishes. This was one he asked for first. He told me that on Thursday night a big group of his friends would get together and cook dinner and have family night to help with being away from home and missing their families. He quite often made this recipe for the dessert.

Above is the picture of my recipe page and here is the recipe for easier reading:

Hawaiian Cobbler

The cake that looks and taste like a cobbler.

Ingredients:

> 1 can (21 ounce) cherry pie filling

> 1 can (20 ounce) crushed pineapple in juice – do not drain

> 1 box yellow cake mix

> 1 stick butter or margarine cut into pieces

> 1 stick butter or margarine, melted

> 1 cup flaked coconut

> 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Using a 9 x 13 pan, dump the ingredients into pan and spread or smooth in this order; cherry pie filling, undrained pineapple, dry cake mix. Arrange pieces of butter on top, evenly. Pour ½ cup melted butter over the top evenly. Top with the flaked coconut and chopped pecans. DO NOT MIX! Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Serve warm or cold. Great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

This recipe is also known as Dump Cake and I have seen it made with different variations such as substituting the fruit with peaches or apples. I plan on trying it with mix berries one day too! This has been a family favorite for years and I hope you will give it a try too. Would love to hear if you have any other variations of this recipe as well.

Another family favorite is coming up next week for "What's Mom Cooking?" Baked French Toast!

Simple, Quick and Easy!

2011-09-07T00:13:00.003-05:00

Hello my crafty blogging friends! These are just some quick and simple cards that I have made for some recent challenges. They worked up fast and quick and won't require a bank loan for postage to mail them! Mailing those cards with all the lumpy embellies can be quite expensive at times!

This first card (above) was made for two challenges. The first for a challenge on CardMakers Card Swaps forum requiring us to use newsprint on our card. The second challenge was hosted on ISC and the challenge was to use the color golden yellow on your card.

The next three cards were made for three different challenges for the recent online crop, "Summers End" on the CardMakers Card Swap forum. The first card was for a challenge that required you to follow a sketch.

This next card was for a challenge that asked you to make a card showing something you would see on a beach.

My last card was for a challenge that was to make a card using all white. I love all white cards. They can be so elegant looking.

If you would like to see all the challenges that were in the crop and everyone's creations, you can check them out HERE. The next crop will be coming up in November but if you can't wait till then....there will be a mini one on October 1st for World Cardmaking Day! Hope you will check it out and join in on the fun.

Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Tilda - 2 Challenges

2011-08-30T22:54:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile since I have joined in on any of the weekly blog challenges. So this was a nice treat to take a break and make a card for a couple of the current challenges. I am entering this card into the following challenges:

The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge Blog - Sketch (shown below)
Paper Sundaes - Magnolia Image

When I saw the sketch over at the Sweet Stop challenge blog the first thing that popped in my head was this cute Tilda Halloween image. I don't really get into Halloween much but I like this image and had fun coloring it with Prismacolor color pencils. Cardstock is by Bazzill and DP is Die Cuts With A View.

Here is the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by!

A Card With A Drawer

2011-08-15T21:22:00.005-05:00

It was another fun crop over at the Card Swaps forum on the CardMaker's site. As usual I did not get to complete near as many of the challenges that I would have liked to but it is a busy month this month here in this household. Not too much time for card making going on. I did host one of the challenges though and thought I would share it with all my blogging friends.

My challenge was to create a 3x3 card that has its own drawer attached. Perfect for holding little treasures for gift giving!

Here are the simple instructions for making one of your own:

Supplies Needed:

12 x 12 piece of cardstock for the base and drawer

scoring tool of some sort

a strong adhesive

paper trimmer

Printed paper, additional cardstock (optional), and embellishments of your choice to decorate your card / drawer.

Instructions:

From your 12x12 piece of cardstock cut one piece at 3" x 12" (base) and another piece at 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" for the drawer.

Score the 3" x 12" piece at: 3", 4 1/4", 7 1/4", 8 1/2" and 11 1/2". The 0.5 piece at the end is the part of the base where you will apply a strong adhesive when assembling your card / drawer.

Score the 5 1/4" square piece at 1 1/8" on each side. Please note: Scoring at 1 1/8" will give you a tight fit with your drawer. If you like a looser fitting drawer you can score this piece at 1 3/16" on each side and your drawer will still fit but will be a tad looser. Following the picture below, cut on the solid lines on your drawer piece. Be sure to only cut up to the score line. This creates your tabs for folding in to create your box.

I find the tabs are easier to fold in if you cut a small triangle piece out on all four of your tabs on your drawer as pictured below.

To Assemble:

Now you are ready to assemble your card / drawer. I like to decorate mine first before I assemble it as pictured below but you can do it any way you like. Fold along all your score lines and use a bone folder to get a sharp crease. For the base you will apply adhesive to the 0.5" tab at the end. You will bring that tab around and adhere to the 3" score line from the other end. You can see by the picture below just where the tab should be glued. That's all there is to creating the card base! For the drawer you will use a strong adhesive on the four tabs. Fold them in creating your drawer. Your card with a drawer is now ready to decorate if you did not do so before assembling.

You can decorate your card / drawer however you like. I have a place inside the card to write a short note. I used ribbon to make a simple drawer pull. Handmade my flower, added a stick pin and tag to decorate the top and it is ready to put some treasures in to give to someone!

This is such a simple and easy project to make! I think you would be surprised at how easy and quick it makes up. I hope you will give it a try. I also would like to note that although I wrote these instructions, I am not the creator of the original design. I originally found it on another site but unfortunately that posting has since been deleted and I can no longer share that link with you.

The next crop will be in November. Watch my posts for the date as we get closer to November and I hope you will join us for fun and inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer's End Blog Hop, CardMaker's Card Swaps Crop

2011-08-10T05:00:00.003-05:00

WELCOME!

You are on the CardSwaps Summer's End Blog Hop!

The theme of our crop and blog hop is Summer's End. We have hostesses that are going to help you spell out SUMMER'S END in products, techniques, embellishments, or anyway they can. You should have arrived from Ana's blog where I know she inspired you with her awesome creation featuring the letter "E". I'm next with the letter "R". I started out with coloring an image of a "R"abbit eating "R"ed apples. Used some "R"ed cardstock followed with some "R"ed plaid "R"ibbon and "R"ed brads for embellishments and I had a card with lots of "R"s going on!

When I think of Summer ending and Fall beginning I always think of picking apples, apple pies and apple dumplings. I thought this image was perfect for this memory and I hope it inspired you to start thinking of making your projects for the Fall season. Need some more inspiration? Then hop along to the next letter "S" which is Tina's blog. I know she has something special to help inspire you. When you are done hopping along I hope you will join us over at the forum for more fun, games, challenges, and.... PRIZES!! The crop is going on from August 10-13, 2011 and you have until 11:59PM CST on August 16, 2011 to get your projects uploaded.

In case you get lost along the way, here is a list of all the blog hop hostesses. Golda at the end of the hop will guide you with the link to the forum for the crop! Hope to see you there and don't forget to leave some love for our blog hop hostesses by leaving them a comment.

S-Lora
U-Jane
M- Ashley
M- Meredith
E- Ana
R- SusieQ (you are here)
S- Tina
E- Angelina
N- Jeanette
D- Golda

Thanks for hopping by and see you at the crop!

Sketch Challenge, House Mouse & Little Indy!

2011-07-20T20:23:00.002-05:00

It's my turn this week to host the sketch challenge over at Card Swaps on the CardMaker site. Above is the card I made using my sketch. The image is a House Mouse image by Stampabilities. Designer paper is by Basic Grey and the cardstock is Bazzill and Die Cuts With A View. Image is colored with Prismacolor colored pencils. Want to join in on the sketch challenge and all the other fun activities over at CardMakers? You can find it HERE. There is another fun card crop coming up in August on the CardMaker site. Hope you will consider checking it out and join us for lots of fun and inspiration!

Below is the sketch I designed for the sketch challenge:

Also wanted to share with all my crafty blogging friends my news of our newest family member. Meet Indiana Jones who we are already calling "Indy"

We have been actively looking for another dog for the last month. We finally felt the need to fill the empty space left from losing our beloved Scout last November. Indy is nothing like what we were looking for. We were thinking a bigger dog...maybe another Aussie like our Scout was. ...but then we saw the picture below on the internet. Everything just started clicking and we knew we found our new fur baby! Isn't he adorable? He has been with us since Sunday and I am already smitten and in love with the little guy!

So now that our search is over maybe I will find more time to start crafting again. Indy has already found his favorite spot in my craft room to hang out with me!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone is staying cool with this massive heat wave we are having across the states!

Ribbon Weaving

2011-06-29T00:44:00.003-05:00

Last weekend was challenge weekend over at ISC. One of the challenges was a ribbon weaving challenge. You had two types of ribbon weaving you could pick from. I wanted to try both but my first card was actually entered into the pink and gray challenge. I cut the top layer with a heart shape "window" using my Spellbinders heart die. I then placed that onto my next layer in the position I wanted and traced the heart with a pencil. I then removed the top layer and wove my ribbon directly onto the second layer making sure I was weaving over the traced pencil heart shape. Here is a tutorial on how to weave the ribbon...HERE. In the tutorial a separate piece of cardstock is used to weave the ribbon but by doing it the way I did, I was able to cut down on some bulk. Notice the stick pin? That was made by Terrie who was one of the participants in a stick pin swap that I recently hosted on the CardMakers site.

This next type of ribbon weaving looked a bit tricky but once I got started I found it was super simple and fun to do. You can view a tutorial HERE. Once I had my ribbon woven I brought the ends together creating the circle to make a wreath for my card.

Once I had my card done I realized that I had actually weaved leather strips this way as a kid. One summer at camp during arts and crafts time we made leather belts weaving a long strip of leather. That was a long time ago!

It was fun trying something new. I hope you will give it a try too!
Thanks for stopping by!

Stick Pin Holders

2011-06-15T23:01:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post to show the holders I made for my stick pins for the stick pin swap I hosted over on the Card Swaps forum of CardMakers site. I was in two groups. For my first group I made a matchbook style pictured above. For the second group I did a card candy style. My stick pins are in a origami butterfly which is mounted on an embossed piece of cardstock. I then inserted them into a cello bag and added a topper.

I had a blast making these!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Stick Pin Shoe Holder

2011-06-11T22:02:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share the surprise I found in my mailbox a couple of days ago! A crafting friend of mine in AZ made this adorable shoe stick pin holder....and yes she made the stick pins. Isn't this just too stinkin cute? The creator of this adorable shoe is Judy G who goes by "craft nut" over on the Card Swaps forum at the CardMakers site. She is so talented and makes the cutest things. I was tickled pink when I received this and was doing the happy dance.

Thank you Judy for thinking of me and making this for me. Also a big thank you to my son for taking the awesome picture of this adorable shoe for me!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Stick Pins

2011-06-03T23:23:00.004-05:00

I love stick pins! Although they have been popular for awhile with the card makers and scrapbookers, I just recently discovered them. I am currently hosting a swap for stick pins over at the Card Swaps forum on the CardMaker's site. I am having so much fun with this swap and because of it I have learned a lot about making stick pins. So I thought I would share what I have learned.

First let me apologize for the really lousy pictures. No matter what I did I couldn't get a good picture. My son thinks it is my camera and he is trying to fix it for me. Hopefully he will find the problem and then maybe I can get some better pictures to replace these. If you click on the pictures it will enlarge the picture to give you a bigger and better detail view of the stick pins.

Pictured below is all you need to start making your stick pins. The top row of pins show the different ones I found on the market. There are the head pins which come in silver, gold, bronze and other colors. They can be found in the jewelry section of Hobby Lobby or Michaels and most hobby stores. The advantage of these pins are they don't have a pearl on the end like the corsage pins letting you start the pin with whatever you want. They also don't have a sharp point. This can make it harder for pushing the pin through a bow but it can be done with a bit of effort. You also don't have to worry about the recipient of your card getting stuck with the stick pin.

The other type of pin that can be used is the corsage pin. They come with a round pearl, teardrop shape pearl or a clear diamond shape head. Corsage pins can be found in either the floral section or wedding section of most hobby stores including Walmart. Corsage pins have a sharp tip for those who are looking to stick their pins in bows and want to be able to glide it easily. The sharp tip can be snipped off after it is inserted for safety if you like. Also in jewelry making sections of most hobby stores you can purchase rubber tips to slide on to the tip if so desired. Most of your corsage pins that have the pearl head come in white. I did find some in Walmart with a platinum and champagne color pearl. If you would like the pearl to be another color other than white, you do have some options. You ca color the pearls with alcohol inks, Copic markers, Bic markers, Sharpies or Lumiere paints. In the second row of pins in the picture below I show three that I colored. The first one in black using a Sharpie. The second in red using alcohol inks and the last one in lavender using Lumiere paints.

Once you pick what type of pin you want to work with you will need some beads. You can purchase beads in the jewelry section of any hobby store. Even Walmart carries beads. Another option is to use beads from old necklaces or bracelets that you no longer wear or have broken. Shopping at Goodwill and discount places can also bring some great inexpensive and fun finds of beads. I took some old necklaces from family members and used the beads to create some of my pins. I also purchased some.

Now that you have some beads picked out you will need some adhesive. You want to use a glue that dries clear and has a great hold. I researched the internet to see what everyone was using to glue theirs. I found that the majority like Glossy Accents, Diamond Glaze, Bead All, E6000 or Beacon's 3 in 1 glue. I experimented with them all and found the E6000 and Beacon 3 in 1 to be my two favorites. Both are fast grabbing and not runny. The E6000 I use a toothpick to apply and the Beacon's glue I applied directly with the tip. I do not recommend using Super Glue as it can cause your clear beads to become cloudy. I also found the beads did not hold well with Super Glue. I usually make my pin and make sure it is what I want. Then holding the pin with all the beads on I start adding glue and slide each bead up as I apply glue. You want to make sure you add enough to hold the bead but not too much that you have big globs of glue sticking out between each bead. I apply a little dab...slide a bead up...apply a little dab....slide the next bead up etc. till I have glued the last bead. In the first picture the pin on the bottom left has the last bead not glued yet. Wanted to show you what I mean. I will add a bit of glue then slide it up and the pin will be done.I then stick the pin in some styrofoam to dry overnight. If your not using a fast grabbing glue then you will want to have your pin hanging upside down to dry so the beads do not slide down before the glue is dried.

Easy Peasey...isn't it? But don't limit yourself to just beads. As you can see with my stick pins, I added charms, chain and even bows that I had from my sewing days. I'm working on some butterfly stick pins that I am making using the Martha Stewart monarch butterfly punch. I have seen some with flowers on them too. Wouldn't a stick pin with bows or flowers look cute on a Tilda / Magnolia card? Stick pins look great stuck in a bow or coming out of a flower on cards and scrapbook pages. Below I show an example of one that I posted last month using the stick pin coming out from the flower. You can see the whole card in my post for the Sunny Days Card Crop Rainbow Blog Hop.

For the swap I am hosting I also required the participants to make holders for their stick pins. I will post my holders soon to share with you all and hopefully my camera will be fixed by then and I can post some better pictures of my stick pins. It's hard to see the correct color and details in my pictures now so I hope that can be improved. I should have my butterfly ones done by then too to share with you.

I hope my post encourages you to try making your own stick pins. I will warn you though....they are addictive! I've become a stick pin maniac!

Thanks for stopping by!

Using WORD Text Boxes to create your sentiments

2011-06-01T21:16:00.002-05:00

As promised this post shows how to use WORD text boxes to create your sentiments for your cards. I do have a more in depth version that includes pictures but Blogger limits the amount of pictures I can upload per post and I had too many for the tutorial. Also the pictures weren't loading properly....they were looking mighty tiny. So below is a short version. If anyone would like the longer more in depth with pictures....just leave me a comment with your email address and I will be happy to email it to you. Just let me know if you would like it as a WORD document or a PDF file.

Here is the short version. Please note that basic knowledge of how to use WORD is required.

How to use WORD 2007 to create your sentiments

1. Click on the "Insert" tab to your top left

2. Click on the "Text Box" tab to your top right and insert the amount of simple text boxes you want for your sentiment.

3. Now divide your sentiment into the separate components and type into the text boxes.

4. Change your words into the fonts and size of fonts that you want. I almost always use at least more than one font on this part. I also will put an emphasis on some words by making them much larger than the other words.

5. Once you have your sentiment the way you want with fonts and size you will then click on the text boxes highlighting them. While highlighted right click...click on "Format Text Box". In the window that pops up you will see a "Transparency" toggle. Slide that all the way to your right for 100% and then click OK. Do this to all your text boxes. This will make all your text boxes transparent so that we can now move them around and overlap with no problems. At this point we will leave the black lines around the boxes for easy movement.

6. Now move the text boxes around to the positions that you would like them. You can move the boxes by highlighting them. I love this part and sometimes spend a lot of time playing around with this stage to get the sentiment the way I want it. Sometimes after getting it into position I might even decide I want to change the font or size. Once I'm done with this stage I sometimes will print a test run to make sure it is going to look the way I want. Now that your done with this stage move on to the next step.

7. Press and hold down your shift key. While holding down your shift key, highlight each and every text box. Once you have highlighted each text box (keep that shift key down) right click and then click on "Format Text Box". A window will pop up showing the line color (below where you toggled the transparency toggle) and a down arrow next to line color. Click on that arrow which will pop open another window showing you all the colors available. Click on "No Color" below the color choices then click OK. This step just made all your text box lines go away. Don't let go of that shift key just yet though! Holding that shift key move on to the next step.

8. Right click again and click on "Grouping" then click on "Group". Now you can take your finger off that shift key. By grouping the text boxes you are now able to move the sentiment around your page to wherever you want it as one unit. Pretty cool huh?

Hope this quick tutorial helped you with using text boxes and I hope you have as much fun as I have been having with creating sentiments for my cards using Word text boxes!

I will be posting my stick pin results in my next post...soon!

My Cards for the Card Crop Challenges

2011-05-24T22:51:00.003-05:00

Whew! That was a fun week of challenges and a fun blog hop as well over at Card Swaps on the CardMakers Magazine site. If you have never participated in one...you should! The next one will be in August. There are challenges, games and prizes too! This time around there were 12 challenges in total. I was only able to find time to complete 5 of them. My first card (above), the challenge was to create a card with an ice cream image. My image is by Tina Wenke / Stampavie. I colored it with Prismacolor color pencils.

My second card is a joint effort of mine and my son's. The challenge was to use a frog image and some depth on your card. I only had one frog image that I wasn't too crazy about and almost didn't do the challenge. My son offered to come to the rescue and draw and cut out a frog for me. Isn't he cute? I went with an Asian theme and heat embossed Japanese handwriting on the background. Both the leaf and the frog are pop dotted for the depth part of the challenge.

This next card was for a challenge to create cards using images of something you would see at the beach. I chose to use this seagull image by PSX. I stamped it on Kraft color paper and colored only certain parts with white Prismacolor color pencil. It's a simple card but I think it is my favorite of the 5.

For this challenge we were to create a kite for our card. I drew and cut out the kite shape on a thin piece of cardboard then covered it with designer paper by Basic Grey. Pop dotted it and added a tail with tied ribbons and I had my kite!

Last but not least...the challenge was to create an outdoor scene using a tree. Well I didn't quite create a scene but I did use a tree! I discovered I own only this tree image except for a couple of Christmas tree images so I was pretty stuck on this too. I'm hoping I will be forgiven by the host of the challenge for not creating a scene and my tree is accepted! :) I colored the image with Prismacolor color pencils.

I have had some request to post a tutorial on how to use WORD text boxes which I hope to have posted very soon. Also coming up soon I will be posting my discoveries on making stick pins and just how I make mine. So stay tuned...

Thanks for stopping by!

Over The Rainbow Blog Hop / Sunny Days Card Crop

2011-05-18T05:00:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the Sunny Days Card Crop "Over The Rainbow Blog Hop"! I hope you enjoy hopping through all the colors of the rainbow by visiting some very creative hostesses. You should have arrived here from Lora's blog. If not you should go back as you won't want to miss her fabulous card. She starts the hop with a card using all the colors of the rainbow with scraps from her scrap drawer! To start at the beginning with Lora go HERE.

So that means my color is the first color of the rainbow...RED! I was actually pretty excited about the color red as I like it very much and use it often in my Asian inspired cards. Then I found out we were also to make our card monochromatic. Really??? Seriously??? It was like someone slammed the brakes on when I read that. I am so not good at monochromatic. I always freak at this technique and have a tendency to run from it as you may have read in some of my past posts. Also I couldn't think of a thing for red using the monochromatic theme without it looking like Christmas or Valentines Day. So I searched my stamps and found nothing I could color that didn't involve me using other colors too. So that took yet another level of my comfort zone away as I usually love to stamp and color images for my cards. So I changed my line of thinking and decided to try using two new things that I have been playing around with lately but still try to keep a theme of sunny days. Here is what I came up with:

S

I recently discovered how to use WORD text boxes to create my sentiments for my cards and have been having loads of fun with that. So using a quote from Lady Bird Johnson I created the sentiment. Also I recently discovered stick pins and making my own. They are soooo much fun and addictive. I will be posting another post about stick pins very soon. I decided it would be fun to create one for my card using beads I had on hand and a head pin. The head pins do not have a pointy end on them like corsage pins do. Since I was sticking the pin coming out from the flower I did not need the sharp point so the head pin worked perfect for my stick pin. My cardstock is by Bazzill and I snuck the one cream piece in for matting which we were allowed to do. The top piece of cardstock has an oval cut out using a Spellbinders die creating a frame allowing me to only have to use just the one piece of cream cardstock . The flowers are by Prima and originally were white till I colored them using alcohol inks. We were told that our card should scream our color and I do believe mine screams red. Hopefully the monochromatic police won't be knocking at my door!

We aren't doing prizes on the blog hop today but I do hope you will consider leaving me a comment and let me know if my card inspired you. There are prizes though over at the Sunny Days Card Crop. There will be challenges, games and prizes for the next four days. Also there will be a spot in the forum for you to post any creations you may have made that might have been inspired from the blog hop. To find the Sunny Days Card Crop go HERE. However don't leave the hop yet. The last stop on the hop will also include a link to the card crop.

Next up is the talented and creative Golda. She recently started her blog not too long ago and I am glad she did as she has a lot to share with everyone. So hop on over to her and don't forget to leave her some love!

In case you lose your way, here is a full list of blogs on the hop:

Lora

Susan H -- You are here

Ashley <-- she will lead you to the pot of gold...

treasures galore... challenges, games, fun, prizes... Please join us....guaranteed to be loads of FUN!

CardSwap Sketch Challenge

2011-05-10T23:42:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone! I'm the host of this week's sketch challenge over at CardSwaps on the CardMakers site. I usually am attracted to sketches that have lots of layers and places to put all kinds of embellies. I like simple sketches but find that I rarely use them. I am also guilty of buying those larger image stamps and then rarely using the stamp because it takes up the whole card. Sound familiar?

So I challenged myself to design a very simple sketch that would showcase a larger image. Below is the sketch. For the card I used Bazzill cardstock. The image is by Hero Arts and is colored with Prismacolor color pencils.

You can find the sketch challenge HERE. Hope you consider joining us this week for the challenge. All are welcome! While your checking out the challenge be sure to check out the info on the upcoming card crop also at CardSwaps on the CardMakers site. There will be four days of challenges, games, prizes and a blog hop! Yours truly will be one of the stops on the blog hop. I'm planning a fun card to hopefully help get your mojo juices flowing. Be sure to join in on the fun! I have a blinkie on the top right to help remind you of the dates when your visiting me. It's next week so clear your calendars!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T11:52:00.002-05:00

I'm sliding in at last minute here with a card for the current House Mouse and Friends Challenge Blog. The challenge is Easter and you can find it HERE. I chose to make a joy fold card for this cute image. If you have never made a joy fold card you should try it. It adds a fun spin to the traditional top or side fold card. You can find the directions HERE courtesy of Splitcoast Stampers. Below are some additional pictures to show you how the card opens.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Designer Paper: We R Memory Keepers
Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, SU slot punch
Ink: Colorbox Pigment Ink and Memories Black Ink
Techniques: Image colored with Prismacolor Color Pencils. Jellybeans also have a clear glaze added to them with the Sakura Glaze Pens for added extra shine.

Wishing you all a Happy and Blessed Easter!

Summer Tilda and a Childhood Memory

2011-04-13T23:40:00.002-05:00

Hello my crafty blogging friends! I am entering this card into the Paper Sundae Challenge Blog which this week the challenge is "childhood memories". My image is actually two Magnolia stamps that I masked together to create the scene. The background is Magnolia's "fence and summer background" from the Summer and Sea collection. Tilda who is perched on the fence is "Jam Tilda" from the Yummy for Your Tummy collection. I decided to make an easel card but chose to keep it pretty simple with no designer papers and very few embellsihments. I wanted to keep the image as the main focus. Cardstock is by Bazzill and the border punch is by Martha Stewart. I colored the image with Prismacolor color pencils. I also used my Spellbinders Nestabilities for cutting the ovals and fancy tag shape.

You can find the Paper Sundae Challenge HERE. My mother was born and raised on a farm In Kentucky and my father was from Southeast Missouri. I grew up in a suburb of Chicago but I spent many a summer in Kentucky and Missouri visiting my relatives who had farms. One of my favorite memories was visiting my great grandmother who had a farm in Lutesville Missouri. I often would sit on the fence and watch the baby pigs. One summer I got a bit daring and actually climbed over the fence to try and go pet the baby pigs. I found out real fast that mama pig was not going to have any part of that. She chased me all the way back to the fence where luckily my older brother appeared in time to pull me over the fence before mama pig got a hold of me! I learned pretty fast that the fence was there for a reason.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone is having a great week!

Bugs and Kisses

2011-04-04T22:50:00.002-05:00

Hello my crafty blogging friends! It has been a month since I last posted and almost a month since I have made a card. One of my brothers passed away the beginning of March since I last posted. The last month has been an emotional roller coaster since his death. His death was unexpected and quite a shock. He was also the care giver for another brother of mine who is very ill with MS. My crafting time came to a halt with all that has been going on the past month with taking care of my brother's final arrangements and caring for the other brother who is very sick. Slowly things are starting to fall back into place though and I hope to find time to start crafting again and make the rounds of visiting you all and seeing what you have been crafting since I last visited with everyone.

This card was made for a swap that I hosted on the Card Swap forum of the CardMaker site. The theme was "Black and White With a Splash of One Color". 18 very talented ladies signed up for my swap! The swap due date was the same week my brother passed away so I am just now getting around to sharing with you the card I made for the swap. I love the color red with black and white and what better to use for red than a ladybug! I had fun with this swap and really enjoyed seeing all the cards everyone made.

Hoping to be back this week with another card as I really need some "me" time to do some crafting. Hope all of you are doing well. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to tell those you care for that you love them. Life is very short.....I will miss my brother very much.

Tag Your It and a Favorite Thing

2011-03-03T23:45:00.003-06:00

Over at Inspire Swap Chat there is a game going on called Tag Your It. Someone posts a tag they have made and the first person to post after them will receive the tag as well as they now offer a tag to the next person that posts. I have jumped in 4 times to play. Here are three of the tags I have made. The first is a Happy Hopper girly tag. The tag below was made using the ornament punch from SU. Cutting off the tip makes it look like a vase!

This last tag was made using a brass stencil from Dreamweavers and then embossed with copper embossing paste.

Then as promised I am posting a picture of another one of my favorite things. It's the clear Stardust Gel Pen. I LOVE this pen for when I like to add a bit of sparkle or glitter. I used it on the bubbles of the first tag. I also used it on the balloons of the Happy Hopper birthday card I made 2 or 3 posts ago. I keep this pen close by as I often use it to add just that bit of sparkle. It also comes in many colors but I like the clear one as I usually use it over colors on images that I have colored. If you haven't tried one of these pens...you should! I promise you will love it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges from Beat the Blues Crop

2011-02-22T21:52:00.002-06:00

Thought I would share some of the creations I made from the Beat the Blues crop at CardMakers last week. There were many fun challenges and just not enough time for me to complete them all but I sure loved making the ones I did have time for. Also got loads of ideas and inspiration from all the other creations that were posted. The card above was to follow a sketch...always a favorite challenge of mine to do.

The picture below was for a challenge that required us to make a corner bookmark and a card to place it on. I think I would like to go back and try this challenge again and make some more of these now that I have more time and no deadline to meet .

The next one was to wrap a candy bar. This was a lot of fun and quick to make. When you untie the ribbon and pull up on the ribbon the candy bar comes out. With some adjustments and changes in size, this would also be a great idea for giving packets of hot chocolate or some flavored tea bags.

This last one I have chosen to share with you was a challenge that I just freaked about when I saw it. It had my least two favorite things....monochromatic and use the color yellow. I am not a yellow person and I have always been lousy at monochromatic cards. So I pretty much had decided to not do this challenge. Then I decided ...it's called a challenge right? I need to conquer this challenge. Soooo ....a simple card I made and not my best but I was so proud that I did the challenge and conquered using my least favorite color and technique.

Next crop will be in May! Sure hope you will join us. Guaranteed to be loads of fun and tons of inspiration. Thanks for stopping by! Next post I will post another one of my favorite things.

Weekly Sketch Challenge at Card Swaps

2011-02-16T00:54:00.002-06:00

I'm hosting the weekly sketch challenge this week over at Card Swaps on the CardMakers site. Sketch challenges are my favorite type of challenge. I also enjoy making my own sketches. I used a House Mouse stamp for my image....Flower Bed. I colored the sleeping critter with Prismacolor color pencils. Cardstock used is by Bazzill. The border punch is by Martha Stewart and the embossing is from a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I plan on making a few more of these to send out to wish some friends a happy Spring. We are getting a touch of Spring weather this week with temps reaching almost 60! I know it's only February but it sure is nice to get a bit of a teaser of what hopefully is around the corner soon.

Here's the sketch I drew for this challenge from which I created my card.

If you would like to join in on the challenge this week you can find it HERE. All participants will have their name put into my hat for a chance to win a RAK from me.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone is having a great week!

Beat The Blues Crop at CardSwaps on the CardMaker site

2011-02-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

Beat the blues crop is in full swing over at the CardSwap forum on the CardMakers site. Wednesday was the first day of the crop and it will go till this Saturday with challenges and games being posted daily. There are prizes for each challenge, games and a grand prize. You can find further details of the prizes and instructions for participating in the crop HERE. If you looking for some inspiration, friends to share your passion for card making with or just plain fun...check out the crop!

I am hosting one of the challenges today at the crop. Mine is called "Second Hand News." The challenge is to make a card using other printed papers that were originally meant for another purpose in place of designer or printed papers meant for scrapbooking or card making. Some suggestions would be a newspaper. map. sheet music, page from a book, napkin.....there are all kinds of ideas. I chose to use a local paper that I picked up in Chinatown in Chicago. I was inspired by the Chinese characters printed on the newspaper. Above is what I started with and below is the card I made using the newspaper.
I thought at first that I would stamp the panda on plain cardstock but decided to try stamping directly on the newspaper. I really like the end result. I though it almost looks like the panda had been printed on the newspaper by the printers.

I hope you like my challenge and will consider trying it yourself. Hope to see you over at the crop. Challenges end Saturday but you have till 11:59 pm CST on February 15 to complete any or all challenges and post them to be considered for the prize drawings.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tilda Easel Card

2011-02-05T23:03:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone! This is Sweet Tilda by Magnolia. I love this image and thanks to my friend Jenny who was kind enough to send me her! I'm entering her into two challenges.

CardMakers Card Swaps weekly challenge : Easel card
Just Magnolia and Hangler and Stangler challenge blog: anything goes with added option of using ribbon

I colored the image with Prismacolor color pencils. Floral DP is by DCWV and the butterfly DP is by Paper Pizazz. Cardstock is Coordinations Foundations.

It's Super Bowl Sunday! May your favorite team win and if your not into football may you be having a crafty day making lots of beautiful creations. In this house we will be rooting for the Packers....while I work on some cards. Love multitasking. Have a great day everyone and don't forget about the crop coming up this coming Wednesday over at CardMakers!

My Favorite Things and a Spring Card

2011-02-03T23:26:00.003-06:00

I love to visit other blogs to see what other people are creating. Quite often I also learn new techniques or learn of new products etc from visiting blogs. I would like to return the favor and share some of my favorite things from time to time and maybe some of you will learn something new from me. So I will share some of my favorite tools, crafting supplies, sites, techniques etc....some of "My Favorite Things" in my crafting world. I thought for my first favorite thing post I would share with all of you what got me started in making cards....Brass Stencils!

The card above was made for challenge day last week on ISC. The challenge was to make a Spring card. Usually I grab my stamps and start stamping and coloring but this time I pulled out my brass stencils and went back to what I fell in love with when I first started making my own cards. My Spring card uses two stencils from Dreamweaver Brass Stencils. The background is the bare tree stencil which I stenciled color using Colorbox pigment inks. After drying the ink I then used Dreamweaver's Spring stencil to paste emboss the word and then sprinkled glitter before the embossing paste dried. The card design is inspired by a project from one of Lynell Harlow's books of projects using the Dreamweaver stencils.

Below is a picture of some brass stencils. Sorry I didn't realize when I was taking the picture that the camera was reflecting onto the stencils. There are many nice brass stencils on the market but I am a big fan of the Dreamweaver line. The brass stencils are designed by the very talented Lynell Harlow. She has a blog that I like to follow for inspiration and ideas. You can find it HERE and you can also purchase stencils HERE.

Below are some cards I made a long time ago but thought I would share them as they also use brass stencils. The first one uses the crane brass stencil. I embossed the cranes, then stenciled them with gold pigment ink and then finished with a touch of glitter on their heads.

The next one uses Dreamweaver's flamingo stencil which I paste embossed and then colored with chalks. Love this stencil!

This last card uses Dreamweaver's Cyprus tree stencil which I used to spray bleach onto the cardstock bleaching out the color. I thought the end result looked like a bonsai tree so I continued on to finish the card with an Asian theme.

I use to play a lot with my brass stencils then I got caught up in the rubber stamp frenzy. I'm thinking it's time to pull those stencils back out and rediscover what all I can do with them....like run them through my die cut machine for easy embossing!

Hope you enjoyed my Spring card and my favorite things post. Also hope you are all keeping warm. Here in the Midwest we are buried in snow from the blizzard we had this week. We are still digging our way out! Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Birthday Card

2011-01-23T15:59:00.003-06:00

Squeaking in a card at last minute for the weekly challenge over at the CardMakers CardSwap forum. The challenge is to make a square card. Ummmm...judging by my blog of mostly square cards.....it was an easy challenge to complete. :) Love square cards! I also completed my crafty resolution this month which is to use a stamp each month for this year that I have bought ages ago but never used. Can you believe I let this adorable stamp sit around and collect dust? The image is a Happy Hopper from the House Mouse Stampabilities line. It's called Balloon Journey. I colored it with Prismacolor colored pencils. I also used the Stardust clear gel pen over the balloons after coloring them to add sparkle. Designer paper is by Basic Grey and cardstock is by Bazzill.

While I have your attention....I would like to let you know about the upcoming crop over at CardMakers in the CardSwap forum. Beat The Blues Crop is February 9th - 12th. Four days of challenges and games to get your mojo juices flowing. Yours truly will be hosting one of the challenges on that Friday. I have picked what I think might be a fun and interesting challenge. So if your looking for some inspiration or maybe you would just like to hang out with others who share your passion of card making / paper crafting...then be sure to check the crop out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Peek A Boo - New Baby Girl

2011-01-14T22:54:00.003-06:00

Wow! It's been a month since I last posted. I needed the break though. I have been spending time with family and friends. My son is home for one more week then he heads back to the East coast for school. Things should be settling down then and I can get into the groove and back into crafting. Meanwhile I found some time today to put together this card for some challenges. I had trouble though getting a good photo to show the true color. I usually take my photos in natural sunlight but we were lacking that today. So I am afraid the pinks are not showing the correct shade of pink and the hair on the poor little girl isn't looking as blond as it does in real life.....sorry guys! I enjoyed making the card though. The image is called Peek A Boo Girl and is by Karen's Doodles. I colores the digital image with Prismacolor color pencils. The cardstock is by Bazzill. The inside sentiment reads : Congratulations on your new baby girl!".

I am entering this card into the following challenges:
Paper Sundaes Challenge Blog : Circles
Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog: Monochromatic
Cupcake Craft Challenges : Something new ( mine is new baby)
Crafty Creations Challenge Blog : New Beginnings ( new baby)
Cute Card Thursday : Monochromatic
Stamp Something : Anything Goes
Card Patterns : Sketch - which you can see below

I will be catching up soon with visiting all my favorite blogs. I am anxious to see what all of you have been creating while I was taking a break. Thanks for stopping by and I wish each and everyone of you a safe, healthy and happy new year. May it also be a crafty one!

Christmas Cards

2010-12-17T23:39:00.003-06:00

I needed a Christmas card that I could make quickly. The sketch for last week's sketch challenge over at Card Swaps on the CardMaker's site was the perfect sketch to make a quick and easy card. I made several of these which also finished up the last of my Christmas cards. All cards are now mailed! One of these years I will start making my cards much earlier and have them ready to mail at the beginning of December....one of these years!

I expect my crafting will be on hold for the next couple of weeks while I do some baking and enjoy the holidays with family and friends. I hope all of you have a very merry Christmas and a safe, happy and healthy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Birthday Clown - 2 Challenges

2010-11-27T16:55:00.003-06:00

So this little cutie has been hanging around in my craft room all week just waiting to be made into a card. I got her colored, designer papers picked out, cardstock and embellishments picked out and then my son came home from school......then Thanksgiving happened....and well....there this cutie sat waiting. Finally found some time to put her together today. Had to do some quick cutting and putting everything together as one of the challenges I am entering this into is ending tonight. So I was working fast. Now my craft room looks like Edward Scissors Hands has been here! Here is the card I made:

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Paper Sundaes Challenge Blog - a sketch - pictured below
A Spoonful of Sugar - Anything Goes

Supplies Used:
Image - KLM Digi Stamps
Printed Paper - Graphic 45
Cardstock - Bazzill
Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder
Image colored with Prismacolor colored pencils

Let's try this again...

2010-11-22T00:00:00.002-06:00

Sorry guys, I should have posted this a couple of days ago but I have been busy with the upcoming holiday this week. The winner chosen by random.org of my prize from the Sugar Crash blog hop has never emailed me with her mailing address. I let random.org do it's magic once again and have a new winner...

Congratulations to Meredith!

Here is what Meredith (Ma) had to say:

"Oh wow, this is such a great project! No more boring plates to load with goodies for me!!! My son and I are *so* going to case this idea!!! Thank you!"

I know the prize is going out this time as I have Meredith's address. I will be mailing this tomorrow.....enjoy and thanks for checking out my project during the Sugar Crash Blog Hop!

A Birthday Card and 2 Challenges

2010-11-15T19:38:00.003-06:00

November is a month jammed pack full of birthdays for me. It's probably my busiest month for making and sending out birthday cards. This one is going to someone special who is turning 21. Her birthday is not actually till December 4th but she currently is spending a semester in Spain studying so this needed to be mailed early to make it over there in time. She has discovered the discos while in Spain and loves to go dancing. So I thought dancing Rosie from Karen's Doodles was perfect for the image. Hope she likes it.

I am also entering this into the following challenges:
Stamp Something - Digi day- using something digital... image, paper etc. My image is digital
Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes!

Supplies Used:
Designer Paper: Making Memories
Cardstock: Bazzill
Image: Rosie Dance by Karen's Doodles - you can find it HERE
Tools Used: Spellbinders Nestabilities, Paper Shapers flower punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder
Technique - Image colored with Prismacolor colored pencils

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges from the Sugar Crash Online Crop

2010-11-14T16:37:00.003-06:00

A week ago was the Sugar Crash online crop over in the CardSwaps forum of CardMakers. You might have read one of my earlier posts as well as participated in the blog hop that was also part of the crop. 10 different challenges were posted for the online crop for everyone to try. I would have loved to have tried them all but only had time to do four of the challenges. The theme for the crop was lots of holiday glitter, bling and glam. It sure was hard trying to get good pictures to show all the bling! The picture above was for a challenge where we were to make two or more gift tags. I used my cute House Mouse stamp and glittered up the ornament as well as I used metallic cardstock for the border.

For the picture below the challenge was to make a suspension card. I used my scraps left over from my project for the blog hop to make my card suspending a snowflake. This is the first time I have tried making a suspension card and I really enjoyed it. I will be trying this technique again.

The next two pictures were for the challenge that required us to make a gift card holder. I used Dawn Griffith's tutorial to make this which you can find HERE.

This last picture is for the challenge that required us to use silver plus one other color. I chose to use white as my other color. This was the hardest picture to take. I used a really shiny metallic silver cardstock and no matter what I did....or what angle I used....I could not get a good picture.

I really enjoyed the online crop and I am looking forward to the next one!

Gift Card Holder

2010-11-13T01:29:00.002-06:00

A quick post to show a gift card holder I made for a swap I am in. The swap called for us to make 5 gift card holders using any design of our choice. I had been wanting to try this design after seeing a tutorial by Gina K. The video tutorial is in two parts. You can find part one HERE and part two HERE.

Supplies:
Printed Paper: Basic Grey "Jovial"
Cardstock: Bazzill
Tools: Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

A Squash Book / Card

2010-11-10T13:37:00.002-06:00

I made this awhile ago for a friend who just moved into a new home. Didn't want to post it till she saw it first. I love surfing You Tube for "how to" videos and in one of my surfing trips I discovered Dawn Griffith's video tutorial for making Squash Books. I thought this would be a cute idea to use in place of the typical card. It was fun and super easy to make but honestly....when it came to taking pictures of it to post....that presented a problem...LOL! When you open the book it unfolds in many different ways or maybe the word exploding would best describe it. There was no really good way for me to photograph it for you to see how it works. The inside is made up of squares and triangles from folding three square sheets of paper. On one of the squares I have an image that I colored and the other three squares say "Congratulations On Your New Home". The entire book is held closed with a belly band that I made from ribbon that I also attached a butterfly charm to. The front and back covers are chipboard coasters that I covered with the designer paper.Below are some pictures of the inside. You can find Dawn's tutorial HERE. You can also get a much better idea what the finished product looks like in her video.

Supplies:
Printed Paper: DCWV
Cardstock: Bazzill
Image: CC Designs Digi image colored with Prismacolor colored pencils
Martha Stewart butterfly punches

Thanks for stopping by!

The WINNER is......

2010-11-07T23:51:00.004-06:00

The winner of my RAK from the Sugar Crash Blog Hop is.......chosen by Random.org...

drum roll please......

MaryB

Mary B. said...

"Susie, you have turned me to a life of crime...I just became a purse snatcher! I have a bunch of white lunch sacks and this will be a perfect way to use them! Thank you so much for sharing the idea, inspiration, talent and fudge making tradition (peanut butter fudge is my favorite too)! Perhaps you can bring some when I am behind bars for purse snatching??!!LOL..Thanks again!"

Should I put a file into that fudge Mary to help you with the great escape? LOL! Please email me your snail mail address at : sehirsch at sbcglobal dot net and I will get your DCWV Winter Mat Pack in the mail to you.

Mary you have till November 14th to respond and claim your prize. If I have not heard from you by then a new winner will be chosen.

Thank you for hopping on the blog hop and hope we all inspired you to get creative!

Sugar Crash Blog Hop and Crop

2010-11-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

WELCOME!

You are on the CardSwaps Sugar Crash Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Christy Croll's blog. The fabulous Christy from Tiddly Inks who is also one of our guest designers on the hop. If you didn't arrive from Christy's Tiddly Inks blog then you need to head back to the beginning which is Lora's blog. You won't want to miss anything.

There are 16 stops along the hop.Why should you hop along to them all? Well because each stop is loaded with inspiration to get your holiday mojo crafting juices flowing. You might also find a free digital image or sketch to pick up along the way as well. Also each host is offering a prize to one random winner who leaves a comment on their blog. So please be sure to leave a comment on each to let the host know you were there. For my prize I am offering the new...

Die Cuts With A View Winter Printed Combo MatStack

To qualify for a chance to win my prize you must leave a comment by 11:59pm CST November 6th. Be sure to check back here on the 7th when the winner will be posted...it could be YOU!

You are also invited to participate in the Sugar Crash Crop at CardSwaps, too. There are 10 challenges to be posted over the next 3 days (November 4-6, 2010) and EVERY challenge will have a winner. What’s the prize, you ask? A paper crafts book from CardMaker Magazine!! PLUS, one lucky crop participant will win a card making kit that makes 50 cards!!!! It’s very cool… you MUST play along. And if that is not enough...there will be games to play daily too! Hope to see you over at the crop which you can find HERE.

Now on to my project that I am showcasing! The theme for the hop and crop is Sugar Crash which means a holiday theme with lots of glitter, glam, shimmery , glitzy things!!! I decided to make a paper bag purse that would hold Christmas goodies such as candy or maybe some packages of hot chocolate. It's a simple quick project to make and would be perfect to give to friends or coworkers filled with home baked cookies or candy!

I totally glitzed my project up with all kinds of shimmer and glitter. Here are the supplies I used:

Printed Paper is by Heidi Grace Designs
Cardstock is Bazzill's Shimmer Gemstones
Image is by Digital Delights, colored with Prismacolor Colored Pencils and I used some Stickles to make the snow shimmer
Snowflake Dies are by Cuttlebug and embellished up with rhinestones.
Other tools used are Spellbinders circle Nestabilities and SU's tag punches
Purse handle is shimmery ribbon by Offray.
I used a white lunch paper bag instead of the brown as I thought it looked nicer for my theme. Check your local party store for other colors!

Side view:

Back view:

Open view:

You can find full instructions and tutorial HERE on how to make your own paper bag purse.

Christmas has always been a favorite time of the year for me. There is something magical about the holiday. One of the things I always enjoyed was making fudge with my mother. We would make several batches and make packages up to give to friends and family. I shared that tradition with my daughter and the past few years my son has joined in on the yearly Christmas fudge making. A favorite in this household is peanut butter fudge. I think the paper bag purses will be perfect for delivering batches of fudge to friends and family this year!

I hope you enjoyed your stop here along the hop and I hope my project inspires you to try it. One last reminder before you hop on:
You have until 11:59PM CST, November 6, 2010, to post your comment on the blogs on the hop (that includes mine, please! Everyone that comments on my blog will be entered in to the drawing for a prize from me. In addition, if you want to participate in the challenges for the Sugar Crash Crop go check it out after the blog hop and upload your completed projects by 11:59PM CST, November 8, 2010. There are prizes to win there, too!

Now on to your next stop which is the fabulous Diana!

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you over at the crop too!

Blog Hop Stops:
Lora
Carolyn King (guest designer)
Meredith
Ashley
Christy Croll (Tiddly Inks - guest designer)
Susie - YOU ARE HERE
Diana
Jane
Traci (guest cardmaker)
Angelina
Tami Mayberry (guest designer)
Irina
Ana
Margaret
Natalie (Chi Chi Memories - guest designer)
Laura

Join In On The Fun!

2010-11-02T14:35:00.002-05:00

A quick post and a shout out to all my crafty and blogging friends. There will be an online crop this week, November 4th thru the 6th over at CardSwaps. There will be daily challenges and games posted. Prizes, compliments of CardMaker magazines will be awarded to random winners of each challenge for those who post their finished project by midnight November 8th. Yes you have two extra days to complete any or all challenges after the crop ends!

If that is not enough to get your mojo going for the holidays then you will want to also take a hop on the Sugar Crash Blog Hop that will also being going on at the same time as the crop....November 4 - 6. Each host on the hop will be showcasing a project of their choosing to help inspire your creativity and get those mojo juices flowing. Yours truly is stop #6 on the hop and I picked a fun and easy project that I hope you will like. Be sure to check out all the stops on the hop and leave a comment. Each host on the blog hop has a prize to be given out to a random winner of those who left a comment.

So lots of inspiration, fun and prizes at the Sugar Crash Crop and Blog Hop! You won't want to miss it. For more information be sure to check the CardSwap site HERE and our fearless leader and organizer of the crop, Lora's blog HERE. On the CardSwap site you will find a schedule of events, list of supplies needed for each challenge and sign up for Bingo as well as any other info you may be looking for. Hope to see you there and along the hop!

A Challenge...A Swap... A Project

2010-10-12T23:35:00.003-05:00

Wow...has it really been a couple of weeks since I posted last? I had that flu bug that has been going around and it sure set me back a bit as well as I have just been busy with life. But I have managed to fit in a bit of crafting time here and there. A couple of weeks ago was World CardMaking Day and over on the CardSwaps forum on the CardMakers site there was a mini crop challenge. One of the challenges was to make a 3"x 3" notecard. Above is the one I made for the challenge. It was quick and easy to make and the best part was I used scraps from my scrap pile to make it. This was one of my favorite challenges from the mini crop. Also being the favorite of some of the other girls as well, one of the site participants chose to host a swap for making 3"x 3" notecards. I couldn't pass that up! So I rummaged through my scraps, used the same design as my challenge notecard...adding a tweak or two, and made 16 more notecards. Here is what I came up with for the swap:

Twelve of the cards are for the swap but four are for myself. Sooooo that meant I needed something to keep my set of notecards in as well as the ones I will receive in the swap. Hence the project part of this post and this is what I came up with....a box to hold my cards:

You can find a tutorial here on SCS that shows how to make this box. It was so simple and so fast to make. I already have ideas in my head about making more to give as gifts.

Hope all of you have managed to avoid that nasty flu bug that is going around. Stay well my crafty friends and be sure to keep an eye on my blog for news about the upcoming "Sugar Crash" Crop Challenge and Blog Hop that will be happening November 4th - 6th over on the CardSwaps forum. Lots of challenges, prizes and loads of fun will be going on. I will be once again one of the blog hop stops and I have a fun project that I will be showcasing.

Thanks for stopping by!