Christmas Cards 2011

Monkey in a Tree

Riley is a such a brat.  When I brought home several bags, he sniffed the PetSmart bag.  I put it on the counter.  He knew where it was and whined.  I moved it to the spare room.  He still knew where it was and whined even more.  Kevin finally said for me to give it to him as the whining was driving him nuts.  So, Riley got his stocking stuffer early....a cute little green monkey with a Santa hat.  A few days later, I put the monkey in the tree just to see what Jack would do.  Well, you'll see who the bigger brat STILL is...  LOLLLLLLL!  Towards the end of the video you can see just a portion of the many dog toys that litter our floor.  Toys, bones and old socks.  These dogs are crazy.

Monkey Smiles

Sometimes life is just too serious.  We all need a little laugh now and then.  Yes, these are MINE.  LOL

Celebrating Beth

I will be giving this card to my friend Beth for her birthday. My other friend Joy had given me a punched strip of paper that I was able to cut in half and incorporate on two identical cards. Thanks, Joy! I added some embossing with one of my fav Cuttlebug folders, a stamped sentiment and my fav little leaf die from Stampin' Up!.

A closer look at all the details.  Thanks for stopping by!

Fleur-de-lis

My friend Christie lives in Tennessee. She turns 40 on Monday and I so wish I could be there to help her usher in this milestone. She loves the fleur-de-lis and I found one on the Cricut Accent Essentials cartridge. I was TICKLED! I think she'll "get it" when she opens the envelope....I remembered she likes the fleur-de-lis. :)

I used two different Cuttebug embossing folders...one for the frame shape on the card front and another on the bottom layer of the fleur-de-lis. I really hope she likes it. Happy 40th, CC!

Kathy's Cozies

I love to watch scrapbooking/craft room/stamping videos on You Tube. One day I found a video about Kathy's Cozies. I found her blog, looked at samples in her gallery and decided I "needed" some for my craft area. You can see her blog at http://www.kathyscozies.blogspot.com . She was super fantastic to work with & kept up great communication via Facebook and e-mail. I received my cozies today and I can't say enough about the SUPERIOR quality of what she makes.

The gorgeous "after" look. Love it! I got cozies for my Gypsy, Cricut Expression and Cuttlebug.

This pattern is way cuter than the green color of the Cuttlebug. I love the little feature on the side where you can tie the ribbon to keep the cozy extra snug.

This is the front of my Gypsy cozy. I have a silicone cover on my Gypsy and the entire thing fits in this cozy perfectly. Kathy has paid great attention to detail with creating patterns for various things. You can get cozies in various colors and fabrics and for many many different machines. Please check out her blog for more details. That is where I found this fabric. I knew I wanted black and white. I simply told her I wanted the hot pink accents and she took care of the rest. You can customize your cozies which allows them to be so personal. Love them!

I have the whole "matchy matchy" thing going on. I am in love with black and white damask (as you can tell). Look how stinkin' adorable my Gypsy looks in its silicone cover and then tucked in the cozy. Not sure if you can tell, but she puts a cute ribbon loop and button at the top of this size cozy.

My camera is on crack sometimes. I turned off the flash and got this "magenta" tone. Anyway...I want you to see Kathy's signature detail...a HEART sew in every cozy she makes. Isn't that neat?!

I had two curious pups who needed to SNIFF my new goodies. I can't even imagine what dogs can smell on things. It must be sensory overload. LOL

My new scrapbook totes are from Thirty One gifts. I got this one free with my recent catalog party in November. See...I'm all matchy matchy with the black and white. It's the little things...

...and many more

I made four identical card tonight using some supplies I got at Hobby Lobby. They recently had a 1/2 off sale on all of their Paper Studio products.

I love this birthday stack. The pages have glitter!!! There are 20 different designs in this stack and they coordinate with the box of cards I got there, too. The colors aren't EXACT, but they match well enough to look good together. I had originally picked out two brown card bases and two purple card bases. My idea kept building and I am much happier with this final design. I ran the brown through the Cuttlebug using my SU! Top Note die. I cut down the purple layer and put everything on a Crumb Cake cardstock base. With the asymetrical look, I wanted to add something on the right hand side. Thus, the large eyelet and Crumb Cake ribbon. Ta Da!

Just wanted to share a funny. Often, this is where I find Riley in the morning. He comes downstairs with me and while I am getting ready he finds a soft, warm spot to go back to sleep. I don't blame him. I am so not a morning person either, little buddy.

A card for Lisa

Ok, this is the last co-worker card for October. I decided to make it a different size. I think it was 8 1/2" by 3 1/2" finished size. I got the patterned paper at Hobby Lobby and used yet another EK Success edge punch.

Thanks for stopping by!

A card for Katie

Another card for a co-worker's birthday in October. I usually make the cards that are passed around at work and signed by everyone. Katie loves to sew and loves buttons, so I made sure to add some faux stitching to this one.

I used some epoxy buttons and a pre-made sentiment. I also love the EK Success edge punch.

A card for Terra

I made this card for my co-worker Terra. She turned 30 last month. Such a pup! Believe it or not, she loves hunting and camo. I found this fun patterned paper at Hobby Lobby. I made the tag with her name using the Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge (end caps feature). She loved it! :)

I told her I had to add some flowers to give it a bit of a girly touch.

Grandma's 90th B-day

ha ha I just realized I didn't crop this picture. Oh well. This is the card I made for my Grandma's 90th B-day. I am IN LOVE with the little sticker titles from Doodlebug. I got them at Archivers and they have several sayings (happy birthday, thinking of you, for you, etc.) Just peel and stick! I got the patterned papers from my scrap stash, added a layered flower, bling and some ribbon at the bottom. I love these colors.

Random Shmandom

I love our new sheets from Target. They remind me of patterned scrapbook paper! :)

This week I followed through with a small organizing detail in my craft room. Several of my SU! ink pads had no name on the end. I remedied that by printing labels and punching them out using the word window punch. Perfect fit! Gotta love NO MORE NAKED INK PADS. ha

One small detail. After I printed the names, I realized the others were all CAPS. So, yes...I went back upstairs and reprinted the names in CAPS so they're all matching. I know. Anal.Retentive.

I have been absent from blog land for far too long. I have LOTS of catching up to do. I have TONS to share with you. I'll try to get caught up at least some over the next week. Thanks for stopping by!

The Soapy Heart

I just had to share this. I am so tired tonight and REALLY didn't want to fix supper. Instead, I thought I SHOULD do the right thing and have a warm meal for hubby when he comes home. I looked for something easy. (bacon cheddar scrambled eggs, toast, and yogurt with banana)...breakfast! After the pan cooled, I filled it with hot soapy water. I walked by the sink later and saw this. I see a HEART. You know, the only thought that crossed my mind was that GOD put it there for ME. It was as if he was telling me He loved ME for deciding to do the right (and loving) thing for Kevin by cooking supper tonight. So, my message is....just when you don't feel like doing what is loving or right...DO IT! This soapy heart has blessed me more than you'll know. But, GOD knew I needed it. ♥

2011 Ashland County Fair Entries

The first page I entered is a fun, glittery summer page. Abdul, Brooke and I went swimming at a park in Monroe Falls last July. I loved the huge sun die-cut that I found at Archivers.

Here's a closer look at the glittery photo mat, stickers and bling. If you look closely, you can see the tiny circles that make up the page background all all glittery, too. Gotta love glitter!

I used my glitter pen to add some shimmer to the swirl design on the sun die-cut.

The second page is so special to me. I captured memories from when we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary last October.

A closer look at the details on the right hand side of the page. I love the ribbon trim and different buttons. I inked the edges of various layers to add depth.

I cut out the hearts using my Cricut, inked the edges and layered them using dimensional adhesive. Instead of leaving the heart "floating" on the page, I "anchored" them by stitching with some baker's twine.

I had some of this lettered paper and was able to place everything so that the word FOREVER showed. I circled it to add emphasis to the meaning of my layout.

This last page is made using one of my recent fav pics of Kevin. We visited his Grandma's this summer and I captured this as he and I were walking to the field near her house. I love how the light is captured, the movement of his walk, etc. I distressed different parts of the page to mimic the old feel of the farm land.

Crinkled, inked, stitched and a bit imperfect....all the details needed to make this page come alive. Also, the title says HOME ISN'T ALWAYS WHERE YOU LIVE, IT'S WHERE YOU FEEL ALIVE. Perfect for summing up how hubby feels about this farm in West Virginia.

I love these woodgrain chipboard letters from K & Company. I anchored the brackets using some manly screwhead brads.

More stitching. Instead of my usual "X" I decided to keep them parallel for a different look. There's another one of those tickets like I used on our anniversary layout. I have one for each month of the year so I'm sure you'll see more of them in future layouts.

Thanks for stopping by! I am so excited for the fair this year. I have Monday off of work so I can enjoy the fair Sunday and do whatever I want Monday. I think I'll sleep in. Ahhh....

Lil Sunshine

Yellow! Green! White! Hot pink! Light blue! Orange!....ahh...so many colors, but I think this page is refreshing like an ice cold slushie in the summertime!
My great niece Baylee (Charles' stepdaughter) turned two in June. After her birthday party she blew bubbles outside and I captured this adorable picture. Look at those lips!! So cute! The only thing I have to add is my journaling. However, remember the 5K page from a few days ago? Remember I said I had journaled so much on that one that I don't have to journal for an entire year? Looks like I am living up to that. LOL No, I really will journal. Just wanted to get these pics posted and at that point hadn't done it yet.

I found this yummy orange bling word on clearance for 99 cents! Baylee has red hair, so between finding this and the fun puffy circle stickers I had my color scheme for this page.

I layered the large circle die-cut over the lime green ledger paper, then added some puffy patterned dot stickers in various places. I added some scrumptious hot pink/white twine around the lower part of the page. That helped pull together all the colored accents.

Just a note....I tried SEVERAL times to photograph this page where it would show up clear and crisp. The white overlay essentially comes out looking light blue in natural daylight in my living room. I contemplated taking the layout outside, but said "eh, forget it." So, just imagine these yummy colors in a more vibrant way. *sigh*

Rock & Roll

Last month, my friend Cindy visited us for a few days. We met when I lived in MN and worked at Nordstrom. She and her husband live in Long Island City, NY and she works on Wall Street in NYC. She is a true city girl! She and her co-worker/friend Kristen were traveling to different cites to see U2 in concert. I'm so glad they stopped here on their way from Nashville to Chicago to Montreal. I hadn't seen her in FOUR years!
On July 7th, we went to Cleveland to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This layout shows the few snapshots we took. Photographs aren't allowed inside the Hall of Fame.

I saved my wristband, of course! I found rock 'n roll stickers at Hobby Lobby. The orange grid paper is by Jillibean Soup and was a piece from my stash. Orange and blue are complementary colors so they look snazzy together. Seeing the blue tones from the wristband and my shirt made me want to add that funky orange to complete the look.

I added the glittery Thickers and some fun foam musical notes. Glitter ROCKS!

What a Deal!

This layout is about the FREE car Kevin and I received from his mom. Yes, I said FREE! She decided to get a new Nissan Rogue and gave us her 2002 Nissan Altima...just because. How generous!
When I went to Achivers the last time, I chose the papers I would use. I had originally thought I'd use more of the flowered paper, but once I started planning the page, it was just obnoxious. Sometimes patterns are best in moderation. For the title I used my 3/4" circle punch and chose letters from another patterned paper. I then added a clear dimensional sticker over each one.

In this picture you can see where I added an entire row of clear dimensional circles for an interesting embellishment. Also, I wanted to add a button and then thought "Hmm, how can I stitch it in a different way?" So, I got this. I threaded it through the button holes and then out again and behind the circle in different angles. Neat? Maybe. Different? Yes!

I was tickled when I found this "coupon" in my embellishment stash. It was indeed perfect for this page. Just perfect!

By the way, we LOVE our "new" car. To pay it forward, we will be giving my 2000 Pontiac Sunfire to my brother. It needs several things fixed, but he still wants it. It has been a good car for me, but I am grateful to not be spending a FOURTH summer with no air conditioning. I endured THREE summers and this year I am soaking up the cool air in the Nissan. Ahhh....

Balloonfest 5K

Ok, so yesterday I posted a page I liked and today...well...I'm not too jazzed about this one. I really struggled trying to get all my keepsakes on the page, create a good design and journal about the event. I failed, but oh well. Can't love 'em all. I am grateful to have simply captured the memories of that event. I journaled so much that I shouldn't have to journal for a year. That's right Mom and Connie...a whole year. *giggle*
Remember, when you visit my blog you can click any picture for a closer look. Back when I first started my blog, pictures automatically appeared larger when posted. I haven't changed any settings on my camera and not sure if I changed something unknowingly on the blog, but they seem tiny now. Sorry. (edited to add: duh. double duh. I figured out my "size" issue. I have to choose small, med or large when I post the pic. I hope you all haven't gone blind and now I will fix it in future posts.)

More journaling. Don't faint...