Saturday, December 31, 2011

Last card of 2012! True Fashion - Birthday Card

It's New Years Eve so this will be the last post and card of the year 2011!

I love the look of Graphic 45 papers but have a hard time cutting them up. The sheet I used for these cards had a set of 12 images that I was able to cut up and use for cards so it was a little easier to allow myself to take the paper to the trimmer.

Supplies Used:
Graphic 45 Fashionista
Various Cardstock
Stampin Up Scallop Circle Punch
Grosgrain Ribbon, Blueberry
Colorbox Cateye Chalk Ink
Janome Sew Mini
Microsoft Word
Hallmark Card Studio








I matched the font from Micrsoft Word to the font in Hallmark Card Studio so the sentiments on the front and inside would match. I can't remember the font right now but I wanted one that would give the flair of the fashion era on the card. I can actually imagine giving this card to anyone of my girlfriends and them loving it!






Since the image was rather large I didn't have a lot of room for embellishing and I thought the circle sentiment went well on the card. I did add two little brads at the bottom and it just set it off just right.








Friday, December 30, 2011

This Should Be Fun!

I am going to Linda's, aka LGuild, house this afternoon after going to visit with my aunt. Linda and I are going to order some ribbon from Ribbons And Bows Oh My because they are having a 20% of total order sale, AND...FREE SHIPPING!! YAY! *okie does the - I love ribbon dance*. The sale only lasts through January 1, 2012. Linda and I have been ordering from RABOM for a few years now and absolutely love their product and customer service. They have a great selection of ribbon in all kinds of styles.

I had to go through my ribbon and see what I needed to order, so that lead me to re-organize my ribbon a bit. Lately I had just been tossing it in the box and not putting it back where it belonged, but now it's all nice and neat...that is until the order comes in and then I will have to start all over again!

I keep my rolled ribbon in the Really Useful Boxes since they stack nicely and I got quite a few when they were on sale. I actually want to see if the rolls of ribbon fit in the shorter ones but haven't gone to purchase one yet to find out. I try to keep my ribbon like I do my cardstock...ROY G BIV, makes it a lot easier to find what I need.

I posted a message to Linda about the sale and she called me bossy! *okie just can't believe the nerve of Linda at times* But she also said she did need to order ribbon. We order together because it is cheaper to order in larger quantities and we can split the 20 yard rolls and save money.

If you guys are needing ribbon go check out RIBBONS AND BOWS OH MY.

Oh and this post is scheduled for after Linda and I order our ribbon. I don't want them to run out before I get my ribbon ordered! *okie grins evilly and rubs hands together feeling so proud of her evil plot*.

Popsicle - Birthday Card

I found this paper at the LSS and feel in love with it. I told Linda, aka LGuild, that we needed some!

Supplies Used:
Cricut Cherry Limeade cart
Cuttlebug Swiss Dot folder
American Crafts Heat Wave patterned paper
Prism Cardstock
Stampin Up Cardstock
Coredinations Cardstock
Stampin Up Ticket Punch
Striped Grosgrain Ribbon - Beach Club
Brads
Colorbox Cateye Chalk Ink


The inside sentiment is from the Stampin Up "Sweet Scoops" stamp set and I was going to link it but can't seem to find it on their website so it might be retired. The stamp set is ice cream cones so I new it would work well with the theme of this card.







I cut the top layer of the popscicle twice and then pop dotted with mounting foam. On the wooden stick I used the ripple stamp from the Sweet Scoops to give the sticks a woodgrain look. The corners of the mat were done with the Stampin Up Ticket Punch, which might be retired as well since I couldn't find it on the website either.

My daughter loved this card when she saw it and said "I WANT ONE!". I told her "It's not your birthday". She didn't get one either! I think it works well for an adult or a child which is hard to do sometimes for me since most of my cards are adult themed...uh and sometimes VERY adult themed!! *okie falls out chair laughin thinking about her Naughty Princess and Naughty Girls cards and just knows that one of these days she is gonna get kicked out of the Cricut community for some of her card ideas*.

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Back in the Saddle - Get Well Card

When at Hobby Lobby sometime ago I found some western theme paper by Paper Studio and knew I wanted to make some cards with it but I wasn't sure what I wanted to make. I was going through my card inserts that I make when at Stamp Club and came across this sentiment so I grabbed my Old West cartridge and got to work!

Supplies Used:
Cricut Old West cartridge
Cricut Marker
Paper Studio Patterned paper
Coredinations Cardstock
Stampin Up Cardstock
Cri-Kit gel pen
Signo UM 153 white gel pen
Colorbox Cateye Chalk Ink
Brads
Mounting Foam






One of the great things about Stamp Club is that Carol, the lady who runs Stamp Club, brings a ton of stamps to each meeting and there are always some great sentiment stamps. A lot of the time Linda, aka LGuild, and I will take a bunch of card inserts with us and just stamp off a bunch of sentiments so we can have them for later use. I think this makes a great get well card for any cowboy or wanna be cowboy!



I don't like all the brown for the fence and the saddle and I think now I would have went with some greys for the fence so there could have been more contrast, but oh well...what's done is done! I did use mounting foam on the saddle for some added dimension. A little light sanding on the saddle gave it a worn look.


I used the Cricut markers on the fence and then used a Cri-Kit gel pen for the stitching on the saddle. While a lot of times I do this by hand I am trying to use the gel pens more often because it doesn't seem to take near as long and I don't get hand cramps that way!

My friend Nancy saw this card and said she was going to have to tell her boyfriend to get sick so she could give him one of these *okie cracks up laughin*. That girl is a nut!!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Dumpster Diving - SCORE!!

I was sitting at the carwash taking a break, like I usually do, talking to my friend Carmen, aka ScrapperDelighted on the phone and told her "there is a shelf across the street by the dumpster at the vet's place". She asked if I was gonna go check it out and I told her "OF COURSE!".

I drove across the highway and the little shelf was in decent shape, needed to have the screws tightened up but otherwise okay.

I noticed some hanging plastic file folders that I thought would be nice to store scraps of paper in and told Carmen "I think I will get some of those". They had K-9 Advantix labels on the front so I figured they were suppose to be given to dog or cat owners if they bought the product. There were some that were a hunter green and some a smoky blue...I liked the smoky blue but got some of each.

I went on to this place where I see clients and when I came home I was trying out one of the file 8.5 x 11 paper perfectly and my scrap paper was fitting nice. I liked that they were able to sit up on their own with paper in them. I called my friend Linda, aka LGuild, and told her about them and asked if she might want some. I flipped one over and on the back it said STAPLES. I decided to look them up and they retail for $6.29 each. Linda told me "YOUR MISSION IS TO GO BACK AND GET THE REST OF THEM".

I hollered at Lucy and asked if she wanted to go on a mission and she ran to the front door. I drove back across town hoping the trash truck hadn't run over there yet. We pulled up at the vet, Lucy looking a little nervous because it is where she goes to the vet, and sure enough there the trash sat. I pulled in the back and started gathering up the boxes of the file folders, some boxes still not opened.

When I came back home I counted the total of file folders I got, from the first time and then my mission and I had a total of 245 plastic hanging file folders!! I did the math and with the retail price and tax I got $1,679.45 worth of file folders!!

Here is a picture of one of the file folders with my white "stamping" cardstock in it. I am not sure how much it holds, but it is quite a bit of cardstock in there.

Let's hear three cheers for dumpster diving!

HIP HIP HOORAY!
HIP HIP HOORAY!
HIP HIP HOORAY!

Butterfly Punch - All Occasion Card

I have had this stamp set for quite sometime and I think I might have used it before. I got the matching Stampin Up punch since I had the stamp set but haven't used it...at least I don't think I have.

Supplies Used:
Stampin Up Butterfly Prints stamp set
Stampin Up Butterfly Punch
Stampin Up Mellow Moss Cardstock
Cuttlebug
Cuttlebug Script folder
Cuttlebug Textile folder
K & Co. Life's Journey pattern paper
Liquid Walnut Ink Stain
Spring Moss Grosgrain Ribbon
Copper Wire
Copper Brads







The sentiment for the card came with the butterfly stamp set, don't ya love easy? I think this makes a good all occasion card. On the inside paper I used the liquid walnut stain to go around the edges for an aged look. The stuff is really easy to use. I got it at a LSS a few years back and still have quite a bit left in the bottle.






The copper wire for the butterfly body and antenna is actually from some phone wire that my friend Linda, aka LGuild, gave me. I stripped off the plastic coating so I could just use the copper wire *okie grins at yet another one of her ingenious ideas*. I also used the walnut stain on the butterflies after stamping and punching them so they could have an aged look and the white cardstock wasn't so stark looking on the card.

This is a pretty simple card and I like the over all look of it.


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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Downloading Cricut Handbooks to Kindle Fire

I got my Kindle Fire last month and I love that thing! One of the features I love the most is that I can download the Cricut handbooks to it and use it to flip through, making it so much easier than dragging out my handbooks individually. There has been a lot of folks getting the Kindle Fire for Christmas and there were questions on how to download and view the handbooks so I thought I would do a quick video on how to download them and view them.

Pinwheel - Birthday Card

I found this paper the same day I found the Carousel paper that I used for the Carousel Card, it's actually from the same line, and loved the look of the pinwheels. I wasn't sure what sentiment to use but found something after browsing the internet that I thought worked for the card theme.

Supplies Used:
Various carstock
3bugsinarug Ashtyn paper
Recollections Animal Print paper
Martha Stewart Border Punch
Stampin Up Ribbon
Stampin Up Punches
EK Success Punches
GeoBreeze Domed Clear Circles
Signo UM 153 white gel pen
Colorbox Cateye Chalk Ink
Microsoft Word
Hallmark Card Studio





You might not be able to read the sentiment on the front unless you click the picture, it reads:
"Be Wildly Enthusiastic About Little Things"
The inside reads "Play with leaves
Skip down the street
Run against the wind!
It keeps you young!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY"





The domed clear circles measure 1" across and I was able to apply the circle over the sentiment and then punch it out with an EK Success 1" circle punch. I also used a EK Success 1 1/4" circle punch and then the Stampin Up 1 3/8" circle punch and the Scallop Circle punch.

I think this card is very playful looking with the pinwheels and then the use of the zebra stripe paper.




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Monday, December 26, 2011

Altered Frame - Naomi's Christmas Gift

I had someone snap a picture of Naomi and I at her Christmas Party, which you might have seen on a post the other day, because I wanted to make a frame for her with our picture in it. I took the frame to her on Christmas Eve. She looked at me with a frown and said "but I didn't get you anything!" I told her "I have all I want from you, your love and friendship". She said "well that is all I need too!" and I told her "oh shut up and open the dang gift!". She really liked it once she got it open *okie makes a mental note to not use so much tape next time* and talked about what a great picture it was of the both of us and how the frame matched her room. I know she was really pleased with it.

Supplies Used:
Memory Frame
Mirabelle Pattern Paper Stack
Prima Flowers
Candi embellishments
Basic Grey Brads
Glitter brads
Colorbox Cat Eye Chalk Ink






I went through my stash of Prima flowers and just found ones that complimented with the paper I used. I added various brads for the flower centers and then I pop dotted each of the flowers, layering the mounting foam on them to get them to pop out more.







Here is a close up look of the Candi embellishments. I got these in the summer when I attend CKC in Houston. I had seen them before and thought they looked interesting but this is the first time I used them. I used the glue gun to attach them since I wanted to make sure they wouldn't fall off.

I am not sure how I would attach these on a card or layout since they are domed and my trusty Scotch glue probably won't work. I guess I will figure it out when I try to use them.









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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas Door - Card

I made this card especially for a person so I actually only made one *okie hears the gasps*. Well it was a last minute thing and I needed it done in a hurry so I didn't have time to mess around with cutting out  more than one. I did however save the file in Design Studio and might make some for next year since I was pleased with how it turned out. It is bigger than an A2 card, it is classified as an A6 card, which measures 4.5 x 6.25 inches.

Supplies Used:
Cricut Christmas cartridge
Cricut Brown Marker
Cuttlebug Large Dot folder
Various cardstock
Stampin Up Photo Corner Punch
Glossy Accents
Signo UM 153 white gel pen
Brad
Mounting Foam








I used Glossy Accents in the window pane area to give it a more realistic look and I think it really added to the look of the window above the door.

On the wreath I added some marks on the top leaves with a Stampin Up marker and then dotted white dots for berries using the gel pen. I used another Stampin Up marker to go over the lines of the ribbon on the wreath.



I used mounting foam to pop dot the photo corners and the door. I also pop dotted the wreath on the door and then the step in front of the door.

I used a brad to make the door knob because I thought it looked better than the plain Cricut cut.











I used Microsoft Word to do the sentiment for the inside of the card and went with two different fonts. I am not sure I really like the sentiment but it's there now so it will have to do!







I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas day!






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My Annual Christmas Story

Back in 2008, on Christmas day matter of fact, I posted this story about my daughter. Every year since then I have re-posted the story to share how a child can truly indeed understand the true spirit of Christmas.



When my daughter turned 8 years old she had gotten birthday money from relatives, she had a total of about $40. We went to Wal-Mart so she could spend her birthday money. I had decided we would go to McDonalds to get a bite to eat first. There was an Angel Tree in front of the McDonalds there in Walmart.

My daughter asked what it was and I explained to her that it was for children whose parents couldn't afford to buy them Christmas gifts. I told her let's go eat and she continued to look at the names on the tree.

She grabbed my hand and said "Mom look, this little girl only wants some clothes and a barbie doll". I think she thought it impossible that a child would want mostly clothes.

I looked and noticed the only toy on there was a Barbie, I think the child's age was about 5.

My daughter looked up at me with pleading eyes and said "Moma would it be okay if I spent my birthday money on this angel?"

I couldn't speak as a piercing warmth shot through my heart. I was fighting tears, as I am now remembering this moment. My daughter and said "I won't Moma if you are gonna be upset". I told her "hang on a minute" while I continued to fight back the tears and choked to find the words I wanted to say. I knew I would just bust out crying if I said much more. After a few moments and a couple of deep breaths I composed myself I told her "baby if you want to spend your birthday money on this little angel then I will match you dollar for dollar".

We went to eat and my daughter kept looking over the list of items from the angel she had pulled off the tree. After we got done she was so excited to go and buy for this little girl. I did as I promised and matched dollar for dollar, plus another $20 because daughter thought the little girl needed some things to go with her barbie doll that she picked out for the little girl. My daughter even said "you don't have to buy me anymore gifts Mom, just spend it on her. Santa will bring me stuff anyway".

We got the shopping done and took it to Customer Service where my daughter informed the lady to "make sure it is wrapped pretty". My daughter spent every last dime of her birthday money that day on someone else.

I can honestly say that on that day I had never been more proud of my child and still am to this day for her unselfish act of giving up her birthday money to make sure some little girl got her Christmas wishes.


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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Party with Naomi

Over the years you guys have heard so much about Naomi, the lady who use to live next door to me but more importantly a very special and dear friend, so I thought I would share a few pictures so you can see who Naomi is and also that she has a wonderful and loving family.

Thursday evening was the party where my friend Naomi is residing now and she had invited me to come. All her family were going to be there and do some singing for the residents. Of course I have a difficult time telling Naomi "no I ain't gonna come" so I got dressed up and went to the party and I am so glad I did!

Naomi's sister, brother and nephews do a lot of singing in their churches and sometimes for occasions like weddings and such. Her great niece did a dance to Jingle Bell Rock and her great nephew did a dance to Do You Know Blitzen, the kids did a fabulous job and I couldn't believe now they just got up there and danced and sang in front of all those people! Of course their grandma, Naomi's sister Janice, does a lot of work with them as she is a music teacher where they attend elementary school.

Here is a picture of Naomi's sister Janice and Janice's oldest son Justin. He has a wonderful deep voice that reverberates throughout a room and just makes one feel the music and song.



Janice forgot her camera and I told her not to worry that I would get plenty of pictures, which I think I got about 40 good ones of everyone. She wanted a picture of all of them together so we went into the library to get a family picture. Naomi's brother John and already left by this time but we did manage to get Naomi, her mom, Janice and her husband, children and grandchildren for the picture.




Oh Janice's husband James played Santa Claus for the party and Janice couldn't resist sneaking a kiss from Santa! It was funny to see the two little ones be scared of Santa, even when they showed them "it's just Pops!". Neither of the two would go to him and would shy away. I think Janice is going to have to do a little more work on the youngest two before they are going to be ready for the stage like their older brother and sister!









I feel so lucky that Naomi's family understand what a special friend Naomi is to me and they are wonderful to always include me in conversations and even invite me to family functions. I am invited for dinner tomorrow night at Janice's house. Okay, I might have really invited myself since James is the most awesome cook! But they didn't seem to mind when I asked what time dinner starts *okie giggles*. A few years back my daughter was gone to Texas for Christmas and Naomi wasn't feeling like getting out of the house and Janice was afraid Naomi wouldn't go out to Janice's for dinner so Janice called me. Janice told me "Sister (that is what they call Naomi) says she is feeling sick and doesn't want to come out to the house for dinner. I know Shiane is gone and I think if you tell her you will bring her out she will come. But you will have to stay so she will come out here." I told Janice I would talk to Naomi about it. I called Naomi and she asked, in her sickly voice I might add, if Janice had called me and I told her yes and Naomi said "well what do you think". I told her "if you want to go I will take you and since you aren't feeling well I will stay and can bring you home at anytime you are ready". Naomi, let me tell you, is one sly little dog! Her voice immediately perked up and she began to tell me what time she would be ready to go. What I didn't realize is that Naomi didn't want me to spend Christmas by myself so I think her and Janice cooked up the whole plot!

Now you know a little more about my Naomi and her wonderful family!

Oh and to end the post...

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ME AND NAOMI!


Friday, December 23, 2011

Today is December 23, 2011

That means I am 46 years old today. It's all a downhill slide from here, right? I don't mean this as a negative, but rather downhill as coast and enjoy the ride.

As I sit here and think about my 46 years on this earth I think to myself about how I haven't accomplished anything great in my life...I am not the president, pope or an Indian chief. But then I have to think about everything in my life that has happened and how just being on this earth and being a happy person is quite an accomplishment and how blessed I am in my life. I have suffered much pain and sorrow in my life but it has also lead me to recognize true blessings that God has provided for me.

I was placed in foster care when I was a year and half old where I stayed for 4 years until I was adopted. Now some folks might see that as tragic. I see that as being blessed to have not only 1 but 3 families that love me! My foster home was a wonderful one and I have nothing but happy memories. One reason I never have had hard feelings about being in foster care and being adopted is that once I was adopted my mom told me "your mother didn't give you up because she didn't love you. She gave you up because she knew she couldn't care for you and she loved you enough to let go and let someone that could take care of you have you". When you think about it this way, well...isn't that the greatest sacrifice of love a parent can make? While it is hard to lose people in our lives I have learned that without feeling pain and sorrow we can never truly recognize sheer happiness and joy that others can bring into our lives.

When I was young I thought being successful as a woman meant you got married young, had kids and raised your family. Well I blew that completely out of the water! For years I thought I was never successful since I hadn't been married. Most women in my family were married before they were 25, okay usually before the age of 20, so by the time I was 30 I just knew I was a failure. By my mid 30's I knew that I was beyond the age that would produce a successful marriage. Once I was able to get passed the idea that a relationship determined the success of my life I was able to focus on basing my success on my accomplishments. By the time I was 30 I had obtained my Associates of Science, Bachelor's of Arts and Master's of Science degrees. I had a child who was the age of 5 and raised her completely on my own. It took me until I was in my 40's to recognize this and stop depending on the idea of some man on which to base my life success. So to all the men in my life that I have loved, here's to you *okie raises her coffee cup in tribute*, without you I would never know what the feeling of being in love is like. Some people only get to know once in there life what it is like to love, I have been blessed with knowing this feeling many times. And, lucky enough to experience the true "I would die for you" love 3 times in my life. The awesome thing is...I don't know if I will ever get married, but I still believe in love and believe it can happen again.

At the age of 46 I am blessed with not having one best friend but a number of BEST FRIENDS! Can I choose one and say that is my favorite? Of course not! Each one of these people hold a special place in my heart and have come from different experiences in my life. I have those that I have known from my college days, those that came within the last few years and those that fall in between. I can't imagine my life without my wonderful best friends. But not only do I have best friends I also have sooooo many friends! I am amazed sometimes when I think about the number of friends God has decided to bestow upon me!

I can't think about my blessings in my life without of course mentioning my daughter...who is also a curse at times, but aren't all kids? *okie figures if anyone thinks "no" then they are just lying to themselves*. It was having her and knowing I had to care for her that drove me to going as far with my education as I did. It was having her that motivated me to be a better person and let go of a lot of bitterness I had, but that is a whole notha' story! It is having her now that teaches me that no matter what I do, say or think I can NOT control another human being thinks, believes or chooses to do *but oh how okie wishes she could*. I wanted to raise her to be strong and independent so I never would have to worry if she could take care of herself, but I forgot to teach her "mom is always right". But I hold out hope that one day she will pick up on that on her own!

So while I might not have experienced what some people might consider HUGE success in my life I feel like I have the best success of all...LOVE AND HAPPINESS! So with that...I don't wish myself a Happy Birthday but instead...HAVE A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!



Thursday, December 22, 2011

Life is like a Carousel - Card

First off let me tell you that one thing a person needs to do is double check spell check when using Microsoft Word! This cute little carousel card almost turned out to be a dirty meaning carousal card!

Linda and I saw this paper at the scrapbook store and I just couldn't resist picking up a few pieces to use on some cards. I wasn't sure at the time what I would do but couldn't wait to try it out!

Supplies Used:
Cricut Expression
Cricut Carousel cart
Cuttlebug
Cuttlebug Spots and Dots folder
Various carstock
3bugsinarug Ashtyn paper
K&Co. pattern paper
Signo UM 153 white gel pen
Colorbox Cateye Chalk Ink
Cri-Kit gel pens
Microsoft Word
Hallmark Card Studio

The card actually measures 6.25 x 4.5




As you can see by the inside sentiment that reads
"Sometimes you're up
and sometimes you're down,
and sometimes you
just go round and round!
Just remember to enjoy the ride!"
this card could have been a naughty little card if I had not caught that MS word changed Carousel to Carousal!


The ticket was a little difficult to cut since the lettering was so small that I decided to use the Cri-Kit gel pens to do the "ADMIT ONE" and the colored in with a marker. I had to use Design Studio to hide contour on the parts I didn't want drawn and then I went back after changing the blade housing and cut the rest of the ticket.

I still have some of this paper and not sure what else I might do with it but I think the brightness and cheeriness of it would be good for a pick me up card or even a child's birthday, used with the right sentiment of course!!

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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Ghiradelli Christmas Boxes

A few years ago I came across the cutest little box on Splitcoast Stampers that was made for the little Ghiradelli Choclate squares. I loved the box but didn't want to do all the measuring so I made a cut file for the box. At that time I also didn't have the punches I do now so I made the little scallop squares in the .cut file as well so I could cut them out.

This year I decided to make some of the boxes to give to some of my favorite dealers, poker dealers that is, Linda told me I should verify what type of dealer I was talking about so no one would get the wrong idea *okie thinks Linda is so bossy sometimes*.

Supplies Used:
Cricut Expression
Cricut Plantin Schoolbook cart
Cricut Design Studio
GHIRADELLI BOX .CUT FILE
Various Cardstock and paper
Stampin Up Scallop Square punch
Stampin Up 1" Square Punch
Martha Stewart Holly Leaf punch
Hot Fix gems



For complete instructions, with pictures, please click HERE.The .cut file is set to cut 3 boxes at a time.


As you can see the little sqaures of chocolate fit wonderfully in the box. If you have the flat ones then 4 squares will fit but if you have the filled chocolate squares only 3 will fit.

To close the box the flap just slides behind the scallop square that is applied with mounting foam.




I used the Martha Stewart Holly Punch to punch out holly leaves in two different colors of green. I used a green marker for the line down the center of the leaves. The berries are hot fix rhinestones.







These make great little party favors and one of the things I like about them is that they are great for any occasion. Decorating with themed paper can make them usable for any holiday or event.

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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Shadow Box Layout

I thought I better get to posting the Shadow Box Layout that Linda, aka LGuild, and I worked on over the weekend since I had talked about it several times. The flowers are from Flower Shoppe and the frame around the picture is from Art Philosophy.

Supplies Used:
Shadow Box - Michaels
Cricut Flower Shoppe cart
Cricut Art Philosophy cart
Various Pattern paper
Various cardstock
Kaiser Pearls
Color Box Cat Eye Chalk Ink
Pearl Brads
Chipboard Shapes
Small Tatted Doilies
Velour Scallop Ribbon
Braiding Trim
Perfect Layers trim set





The shadow box Linda found was suppose to be for a t-shirt display box, however it worked perfectly for the layout she was wanting to do. She sent me a picture of a layout she found that she liked and thought would work with the picture. She brought the sentiment she wanted to be included.

In order to get the layout centered we measured in and then marked with a pen the 12x12 centered area and then just used the ATG gun to apply the tape and then place the layout accordingly.



I totally cheated and used the Design Studio file I had from the MEMORIES frame that I had done for the flowers. They seemed to work well for the layout and the number of flowers worked as well. This way we didn't have to figure out sizes and such.




I did add pearl brads for the flower centers, trying to use different pearls for each flower type.



Linda thought of the idea for the pearls on the flourishes. She did help some by pushing the load and unload button on the Cricut. She also glued the cardstock to the chipboard shapes. 





We had a great time working on the layout even though it seemed to take all day. That might have been because we took multiple breaks and of course we had to go to lunch and the scrapbook store! Linda was kind enough to buy my lunch, saying it was my pay and that I was earning about $2 a hour! HA HA HA

Monday, December 19, 2011

Cleaning up the craft desk....

My friend Linda came down Saturday and we worked on a shadow box layout that she is wanting to give as a gift for Christmas, I will post about it tomorrow, but while she was here we discussed how I have to clean up my craft table when I finish a project. I am lucky that it only takes me probably less than a minute and a half to have everything clear and back in it's place.  I literally have both hands going at once putting things away so I can get it off the desk faster.

I have had this discussion with several people about if they have to clean their area after a project before starting a new one. I think I actually know more that don't than who do! I just can't stand to have stray pieces of paper on my desk unless of course they are for the project I am working on. I have to put up all my tools...scissors, pens, tweezerbees, rulers, etc, even if I know I am going to use them again in a few minutes on the next project.

I think maybe it just gives me a feeling of a fresh start on something and clearing my desk not only clears the last project off the desk but also out of my mind so I can focus on the new project *okie really wonders if she over analyzes things sometimes*, really just giving me a clean slate to start anew.

So do you have to clean off your work area before starting a new project???

Friday, December 16, 2011

Dancing Christmas Tree - Card

I call this the Dancing Christmas Tree because that is what my friend Carmen said it looked like. I made 18 of these cards and I am lucky I got that many done. I was just really stuck this year on what to do for Christmas cards. They aren't elaborate but they will have to do!

Supplies Used:
Cricut Paper Trimmings cartridge
GCD Studios Winter Wonderland pattern paper
DCWV Metallic Cardstock
Stampin Up Scallop Circle Punch
3/8" Grosgrain ribbon
Signo UM 153 White gel pen
Janome Sew Mini
Hot Fix Gems









I really love this tree! I thought it was going to be a pain to cut with all the little intricate designs in the middle but it cut wonderfully. When I received the Paper Trimmings cartridge I knew I wanted to use something from it for my Christmas cards. This cartridge was the latest the Cricut Circle members received as part of the membership. 

Adding the hot fix gems and the white dots really made the tree stand out on the card. I did ink the edges of the tree with a dark green but you can't really tell in the picture. The tree is cut from the back of the striped paper, I really love double sided paper sometimes!!






The "Seasons Greetings" is an embossed seal sticker I got from Staples several years ago. I think I paid about a quarter a package for them. I hadn't used them until now and I thought they made a great sentiment for the front of this card. I think it probably measures about 1 1/4"since I used the 1 3/8" circle punch on some dark green cardstock to help border the embossed seal.


Like I said, these cards aren't as elaborate or cute as I have done in the past but for this year...they will just have to do!

Linda is coming tomorrow to have me help her alter a frame and work on some dry erase boards that she is wanting to give as gifts. I am sure that will be causing a trip to the scrapbook store, darn the luck! HA HA HA Later today I plan on working on some of the Ghiradelli boxes. I want to give those to my poker dealers as a little gift. I will be taking pictures of those to post.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Christmas Shopping....

should not be so difficult!

I have a friend that I would like to get a Christmas gift for but what the heck to get him I just don't know! Seriously the man probably has everything he wants or needs. I asked him and he said "oh just whatever cologne you like"....REALLY?? I really don't think he wants a bottle of Mary Kay Belara! I am not use to shopping for a man. I realize this now *okie smacks herself on the forehead for not thinking about this a few weeks ago instead of waiting 10 days before Christmas*. He did say something about some cologne and I looked it up and found it on eBay. Believe me when I say he won't be getting it. There is no way in hell I would ever pay $1,200 for a set of vintage cologne!

So now the dilemma is what to give this person! A tie? The man probably has over 100. A shirt? Nope, doesn't need any of those. A pair of pants...he mainly wears suits. Not getting him jewelry *okie gets a little freaked out by men who wear too much jewelry*, he doesn't have time to go to sporting events and not that there would really be any good ones to go to around here, don't know what size shoes he wears and not gonna ask, not getting anything for his vehicle...it's fully loaded, and tools are out of the question! *okie cracks up even thinking about him using a drill or router* So I am just stuck!

I now realize why I have a lot of female friends rather than male friends. Females are so much more easier to shop for and please! I never even had to ask any of my female friends what they would like for Christmas...I usually always know what they would like and if all else fails I can just make them something.

Ya know come to think of it, that Old Spice guy on TV is kinda sexy and since Dos Equis beer makes a man the most interesting man in the world I am thinking a bottle of beer and some Old Spice and calling it good! *okie walks off huffin and cussin about avoiding male friends in the future*

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Recipe Books

I posted about the recipe books a few weeks ago and how I was working on them and determined to get them done for the party. I was able to get all 4 completed and used them as prizes. My friend Carmen knew I had been working on them and when she found out that she was going to be able to make it to the party she said "I don't care if I win anything else, I just want a recipe book!"

I used the Cinch and 1 1/4" wires to bind the books. If you are on the fence about whether to get a Bind It All or a Cinch I would highly recommend the Cinch. It is very simple to use and is pretty much dummy proof *okie wonders if she should share why she says almost and then decides she doesn't want her readers to know she once again messed something up due to watching TV while trying to craft*. Another recommendation I have is Undu...it really is a scrappers best friend *okie laughs at her having to 'undu' pages because of the Cinch mishap*. The pages of the book are 6x6 inches.

Some of the pages have been posted before but I am posting all of them now in sequential order so you can see how it looked completed. You can click on the pictures to see them bigger if you would like to see more details.

Back when I started the books there wasn't a lot of "cooking" themed paper available, but 3 years later there are some wonderful lines and gorgeous fun papers to use for such projects. There also wasn't any food themed Cricut cuts, so some of the cuts you see are ones I designed myself when I started the books. For the cover I used CM Traveler, Graphically Speaking and From My Kitchen. The patterned paper is TPC Studios - So Delish.




I know I could have added more recipes by forgoing on the index and divider pages but to be honest I wanted to keep the book true to the title, "favorite recipes". Since I don't like to cook I really don't have a lot of favorites. This is the index page where the list of recipes are and also the title page for the appetizer section. The word "index" is from Feeling Groovy. I feel in love with that cart as soon as I saw it. I just love the funkiness of the font. On the opposite page I used From My Kitchen and Block Party.



These pages are two of the ones I completed 3 years ago, like I said earlier, back then there wasn't the huge selection of cuts that are available now. I used Cutting Up for the title on Bacon Crisp, the pig's head is from Animal Kingdom and I pop dotted the snot for a little dimension. The chicken head is from Animal Kingdome as well. I used some little black brads for the eyes of the chicken. I wanted some dimension in the book so tried to add where I could but without making it too thick.



I honestly don't remember what cart the spoon came from, but I believe I added the little handle top myself. These pages were some I did 3 years ago as well. On the 7 layer Salad the title is from Printing Press, one of my favorite fonts! The salad bowl is one I made and I used Mulberry paper for the lettuce and some skittles to look like little tomatoes. I believe they are more red looking in person than they are in the photo.



 
I had finished the Steak Marinade page years ago so the steak is an original design of mine that I made. I wanted to use a steak for obvious reasons and of course back then there were very few food cuts available. For those that don't know, I use to make a lot of original cut files using George and Basic Shapes. On the Main Dish I used Feeling Groovy on the title and the place setting is from From My Kitchen. I just did a hand cut for the placemat.




 The chicken is from Animal Kingdom. I did some doodling on the chicken because without it the poor little chicken just blended to the background paper too much. The crockpot is an original cut file I made and the title on that page is from Base Camp. Way back when, there was a person who was doing a recipe page for a swap and needed a crockpot so I did share the file and I think I did several different sizes.




I used Cursive 101 for the title on Pepper Steak. Now we have several font cartridges that weld well together that are cursive type but back then this was the cartridge to have since most others were more of a print font. The bell pepper is an original cut file I made. The little pig is from Animal Kingdom and I used the Cricut markers to help outline the little pig so he stood out a little more.





The potatoes are just ovals from George and Basic Shapes. I inked to give them some more detail so they would just look like ovals and then I used stylus to add some little "eyes", which might be hard to see in the photo. The carrot is an original cut file I made. On the Sweet Shop I used Pop Up Neighborhood, which is a Circle Exclusive cartridge. That cart has gotten bad reviews because of the lack of instructions for making the pop up cards but I love it for the variety of cuts, such as this little bakery and doubt I ever use it for making a card. 



The "Better Than Sex Dessert" recipe was a little lengthy and I didn't have much room for embellishing. I also wondered how I would embellish according to title since that is what I tried to do on most of the recipes. I thought the ribbon and little flower worked fine in this case. The title on the other page is from Alphalicious. I did like the background paper for the dessert recipes, at least back then. I am glad that now days we have a lot more variety of cooking themed papers.




The scallop circle and circles are Stampin Up punches. The little stamp is from Stampin Up as well.  That page went together really quickly, thank goodness because I remember getting tired of making recipe pages and started trying to find the easy way out on some of these. The pecan pie title is from Old West.






I think the cake on the Pig Pickin Cake is from Sweet Treats but I can't be sure and to tell ya the truth, I am too lazy to go look it up. I wanted to make sure the winners of the recipe books remembered where the book came from and when so I wrote a little poem and signed my name. I also added the year at the bottom.




All 4 of the receipents of the recipe books were thrilled with their prize and while it took a long time to finish these I know it was worth getting the projects done.