Paper Bag Album...from long ago

I was wanting to post something crafty even though I haven't been too crafty the last few days. I got to looking through my pictures and I found a paper bag album I never posted on my blog so I figured this was an excellent time to do so!

I made this paper bag album for a birthday swap I participated in a few years ago. I had a lot of fun making it for my partner in the swap Dina. I believe I used mostly patterned cardstock from a DCWV Spring Stack that my friend Softbrn had sent me.

Paperbag albums are simple to make and there are quite a few tutorials out there on the big world wide web if you would like to make one of your own! I used a hole punch on this one and then just tied ribbon. This was before I had a wonderful Crop-i-dile that would punch holes or a bind it all that does the fabulous spirals! Oh man I still remember how sore my hand was from using that regular hole punch!

The great thing about the albums is that you can be as simple or elaborate as you want. I made a pocket and put a tag in the front and then a slide out on the inside. I think I probably had a total of 6 cartridges when I made this album. Luckily Beyond Birthdays was one of them! LOL







I had fun decorating the cupcake on this page. I used some mulberry paper for the cupcake wrapper. I glued the edge down and then pleated the rest to match the cut from the Cricut. I just kept adding adhesive along the way to keep it down. The icing was made with some type of plaster stuff in a little tub. I actually can't remember exactly but I remember thinking I was quite clever in using a star tip to make it look more realistic *okie often thinks she is such a genius and knows one day others will recognize this as well....one day...one day*

Pockets make a paper bag album more interesting for sure as you can either add more photo mats or have more to decorate for your theme. Anytime I make a little album to give I always add white cardstock as a template for a photo. I think it just makes it easier for someone to be able to cut their photo to size. Notice on the left side how I decorated, I was trying to make it look like a gift. I used a small metal heart charm for an embellishment.



So the stamped image in the little metal tag isn't that interesting but remember this is from long ago and way before I had access to the stamp collection that I now have *okie thinks it is interesting to see some of her own earlier paper crafting work, even if she does cringe sometimes*. I know a lot of people think of the Making Memories tag maker as a useless tool but I still like mine and am always watching for the rims to be on clearance somewhere! I am getting low on mine so I am rationing them out very carefully at this point!

The little confetti's on the left hand side are actually hard plastic and I thought they looked great with the hat cut from Beyond Birthdays. As you can see on the hat I had a love of Stickles even back then! *okie swears she is still going to wear Stickles as eye shadow one of these days*. I am not sure where those brads on the right hand side came from but I really like those! *okie cracks up laughin*




The back page is kinda corny, yes I can admit this. But remember it is earlier work, almost 2 1/2 years ago! I mean seriously........'THE END"? Who the hell writes that on the back of a paper bag album?? *okie dramatically rolls her eyes at her own corniness*

I was so proud of this little album when I made it and I remember worrying that it wouldn't be good enough for Dina. She said she loved it but she is a sweetie and I don't think she would have said it was ugly even if she truly hated it! She actually made me two, one for me and one for my daughter. However my daughter took both of them! *okie thinks her daughter might be a little greedy*

Speaking of my daughter...she is doing great! She says she is going to class tomorrow and she was able to work on some of her assignments this evening. I told her not to over do it tomorrow and I am sure I will be calling her through out the day to make sure she isn't over extending herself! I want to again tell all of you thank you for your prayers and well wishes. It is so nice to know there are so many people all over the world who express such genuine concern.

Just a little update on my daughter

Shiane rested most of the day...by rested I mean slept LOL. There was no delayed reaction to the anesthesia which is great! She said she is feeling better but is tired. I had to explain that having surgery will do that to you. I spent the day walking around the house and thanking God for watching out for my daughter and providing excellent medical care.

Due to the events of the last few days I hadn't gotten to do my paperwork and my supervisor had sent an email asking about my notes and I told her I would get them done. When I went to do them guess what.....the internet went out! Thirty minutes on the phone with tech support didn't solve any problems so a service call was scheduled for this morning. Being the determined person I am I unplugged my wireless router and my modem, carried them to different phone jacks and outlets. After being attacked by about 24,000 dust bunnies in the process I prevailed and I got the dang thang *okie still so loves saying dang thang* working! By 9:30 I had my notes done and I was itching to get so crafting done. Sadly...it is too close to bed time! I did play around with some things though and have some cards ready to be made hopefully later today!

I do have my online Cricut class tonight so not sure I will get the cards done or not. Either way something will be ready to post tomorrow!

Thank you everyone for your prayers, thoughts and comments of concern. It really amazes me how wonderful people are that I have never met. And it amazes more that there are people who have met me in person and are still nice to me! *okie thinks maybe she needs to quit being so mean to folks...and then cracks up laughing*

So to everyone THANK YOU and may your life be as blessed as mine!

Sometimes crafting isn't that important...

My daughter hadn't been feeling well for a few days and Sunday night she decided to go to the ER. She didn't get out of there until almost 3am and they told her to come back before 8am on Monday. She called me a little before 8am on Monday and she was crying. They told her she had to have emergency surgery for a ruptured ovarian cyst and she was scared. With the convenience of cell phones I was next to her side in about 5 minutes of getting off the phone with her.

I was able to sit in the ER with her until they took her to surgery and somehow I saw my daughter be that little girl she use to be that always felt that Mom could make anything feel better. Even though I was crying inside because I knew she was scared and in pain I soon had her laughing and smiling about different things. At one point she said "so what happens if I don't want to have surgery?". In my best nonchalant voice I told her "well you have two choices...Surgery or Death. So if I were you I would be saying 'I'll take the surgery please'". She start giggling and said "GAH MOM! You don't have to put it that way". I told her "but those are your choices...you choose". And of course she said, with a smile on her face "I'll take the surgery please".

I am quite relieved to report that the surgery went well and she rested comfortably at home during the evening and night.

Due to the stress of the day I didn't get anything done to post and I may not have anything tomorrow depending on how today goes. But when it comes down to it...Sometimes crafting isn't that important!

Come see my Craft Room!

I finally got a video done of my craft room! I was trying to hurry thinking I had 10 minutes but found out afterward I had 15 minutes I could have used! LOL Oh well I still went 11 minutes!

I don't think I covered everything well but at least you guys can see where I spend the majority of my time when I am at home!

I worked all day....

On doing some re-organizing of my craft room! I think I have it all done now, at least or a little while. I even made a video of my craftroom! I am working on the video right now and will post it first thing in the morning!!!

Christmas Ornament...again no ink!

So maybe I am getting lazy instead of trying something out of my box...but I didn't ink on this card either! Naw it wasn't laziness. Because I want to tear this one apart too! *okie wonders if she needs to hide all her inks so she won't be tempted*.

I think with using the white it gives the card a more elegant look so I am actually okay with it.

The patterned paper is from the challenge from stamp club. The white paper is Georgia Pacific cardstock. I posted on facebook a few days about that I want to be like that cardstock because I swear it has lost 40lbs! Has anyone else noticed the cardstock being thinner? I know Enfys of Going Buggy said she feels like it is too!


I used a Cuttlebug folder on the top half of a piece of cardstock and then I cut a small scrap of Mica and put it on one of the ornaments on the folder and ran it through the Cuttlebug. Once it was done I just used my Cutterbee Scissors to cut it out and then pop dotted it on top of the white. I think you can see the edge of the white one under the green one. It really wasn't hard to cut out and didn't take too long.









The stripe strip is cut at 2 x 4 inches. I used a Stampin Up punch to punch out the area for the sentiment. Since the paper was double sided I just flipped the punch out over and then popped it back in the hole. I was going to leave the area white but I liked the color there. The sentiment is a rub-on. I think I got these rub-ons at Hobby Lobby after Christmas one year for 75% off. If I remember correctly that made them dirt cheap! *okie figures she is dirt cheap, but then wonders if that makes her a dirty girl...wonders if she should call one of her ex-boyfriends and ask if she is a dirty girl...wonders if her readers are reading her mind again and decides to shut off her thoughts*. The rub-on was a straight line but I just cut them apart and stacked to make them fit.

Okay I am off to work on my Cricut handbook and overlay storage so ya'll don't be bothering me today! HA HA HA I really am working on that though. I finally found something that will work for me. I will be sure to post it when I am done.

Also, don't you guys forget to go enter the giveaway Enfys is doing over at Going Buggy! If you don't know already she is giving away a full set of 148 ProMarkers!!

Well guess what!

I don't have anything to post today. And it is Linda, aka LGuild's fault! See I told ya'll yesterday she keeps me arguing enough during stamp club so I can't get anything done! *okie thinks Linda might be the most evil of her friends*

Actually I did make the cutest card using a stamped scarecrow and my ProMarkers but there was a lady there that wanted the card to send to her grandbaby...so I gave it to her *okie thinks she needs to stop being so damned nice to people*. I didn't have my camera with me so I didn't get to take a picture of it. I did stamp some extra's off so maybe I can get another one colored this weekend and get it posted.

I spent a lot of time talking about the ProMarkers. There were a few ladies interested in them and wanted to know where to get them. Several watched as Linda and I colored with them. Yeah you heard me right, Linda colored with MY MARKERS!! The nerve of her! *okie cracks up*

Linda said she loves the markers and they are easy enough that even she can use them, I think she mentioned something about "they are idiot proof" *okie wonders if she should say the idiot part is right, but then decides to keep that thought to herself*. She is going to order markers from Carpediem Store and I sent her a list of about 24 more colors that I am wanting so we can order together and save on shipping! Right now the singles are on sale for $1.49 each. Shipping is a little high but since we are ordering together and quite a few it actually isn't bad.

If you live in southern California I believe you might even be able to go to their store. It is located at 3820 Valley Blvd Unit I, Walnut CA 91789.

OOHH and speaking of ProMarkers! Don't forget to go and enter the giveaway that Enfys is doing on Going Buggy! She is giving away a full set of ProMarkers...that is 148 markers!!

Cuttlebug Snowflake

Yep it's another Christmas card today! This time I used the Cuttlebug Cut and Emboss Snowflake. I love this snowflake!

Do you recognize the quilt looking paper? It is the same paper I used on the stocking card from a few days ago. This will be another one I take to stamp club tonight for the challenge. Linda, aka LGuild, told me she doesn't like the paper and couldn't figure out what to do with it. Wait until she sees this card!! *okie laughs evilly* The red strip is the back side of the quilt print.

The sentiment is a Studio G stamp...at least I think it is. Of course it is unmounted so I can't go check the block and see.

And I bet you can guess that I pop dotted the matted snowflake. I tried not to, but some how that dang mounting foam ended up on the back of that mat and on the card while I wasn't looking! *okie wonders if her supplies have it out for her sometimes*

Here on the close-up you can see where I used a white Signo 153-UM pen to dot points on the snowflake. Sometimes just a few dots can really add a lot!

Oh and look at the lime green paper, I used my Stamp Up background stamp and Versamark ink to give the green a little interest.

I embossed the 1" red strip with a Cuttlebug snowflake border folder and then just added some faux stitching with the white gel pen.

This one was a simple card and was fast to make so I might have to make a few more depending on how many Christmas cards I need this year!

Well tonight is stamp club so not sure what I will have to post from there. Sometimes I don't get anything done because Linda, aka LGuild, is always arguing with me. I think she does it on purpose so she can get more done than I do!

NO INKING! Christmas Wreath

I wanted to see if I could do it. I wasn't sure I would be able to go through with it. But I did it. Or maybe I should say I didn't do it *okie thinks for a minute and decides she has managed to confuse herself once again*. I DIDN'T INK! I DIDN'T DOODLE! After years of compulsive inking I managed to make a clean line card.

I got the layout idea from the gallery at Splitcoast Stampers. I needed to use the striped paper because it is another sheet from the stamp club challenge and I will have to take it with me on Thursday night when Linda, aka LGuild, and I go to stamp club.

I cut a piece of white cardstock at 4 x 5.25 inches and then slide the top part of the cardstock into the bottom part of the Season's Greetings A2 Cuttlebug folder. I left approximately a 2 inch gap and then slid the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder at the bottom piece of the cardstock and then ran it through the Cuttlebug.

I cut the striped paper at 2 x 4 inches and then placed it on the blank part of the white mat I had embossed. And then just lined up the half piece of shadow frame with the top of the striped paper and then pop dotted my matted wreath on top of that.

The circle that the wreath is on is from George and the curvy frame and shadow are from Straight From The Nest. I only cut two of the maroon and then cut in them in half. This saved paper and since I was only using half it just made more sense.

I used the Cuttlebug Wreath cut and emboss set. For the bow I just cut some pieces slightly larger than the bow and cut then embossed, this way I didn't waste my marvelous mica paper!

I didn't think I could do it, but I did it and ya know what...I REALLY LIKE IT! So what do ya'll think of my clean line card?

Holiday Cheer...Giveaway link too!

Do any of you guys remember the stamp company Inque Boutique? I loved their stamps but sadly they went out of business about two years ago. The stamps used in today's card is from that Company. I love the whimsical looking stocking!

I was able to use ProMarkers to match the color of the stocking with the patterned paper at the top of the card. I used Lime Green, Pear Green, Marsh Green, Poppy and a gray of some sort to do the shading with the Poppy. I used the blender pen some and not sure I liked the look it gave but over all I still like the stocking!

The patterned paper at the top was some I got at Stamp Club and is part of this month's challenge. I used the Stampin Up scallop border punch on it and then also on some kraft cardstock. I curled the scallops up a little.

The burgundy paper is from Fancy Pants Holly Jolly collection. I believe it came out Christmas before last.

I really wanted to show you were I used flocking on the white dots but not sure it shows up well in the picture. It might show better if you click the picture and make it bigger.

You can see the shading a little better in this picure. It really is easy to make something look good with the ProMarkers. I am sure if I was a better artist it would really rock but since I am not...well heck I still think it looks prety darn good!

I didn't have any room for the sentiment on the front since I didn't want to block any of the whimsical stocking. The stamps used on the inside of the card were part of the set and I like how adding the extra images with the sentiment made the inside look.

So what are you guys thinking about the ProMarkers? Do you think you would like some of your very own? Well guess what! Enfys from Going Buggy is having the most awesome giveway! She will be giving away a full set, yes you heard me...A FULL SET OF 148 PROMARKERS on her blog! So pop on over to GOING BUGGY and enter to win!

Relax..It's your day

The ProMarkers are great for my headless ladies! Okay they are actually My Favorite Things stamps but I have always called them headless ladies. I am enjoying these stamps again since getting the ProMarkers and can't wait to make more cards with my other sets I have.

The patterned papers are Cosmo Cricket and the text paper is Little Yellow Bicycle. The card base is Stampin Up!. I added some Tim Holtz distress ink on the papers to give it an aged look. That and I wanted to play with the ink since I bought it a few weeks ago and haven't used it.

I stamped the image on white paper and colored it, then stamped on the orange floral paper and then cut out the one I colored and pasted it on the floral one. This gives the look of wallpaper to the image.

The flower is a Prima and I just added a ribbon loop behind the flower and then a button for the center. the little sentiment at the top was stamped on the same floral paper as the image. I rounded the end and added two brads to attach it to the card and then crinkled it a little just for some added interest *okie thinks she is stating the obvious here and then wonders if anyone ever even reads all this stuff*.

I made my lady have tan skin. Why you ask? BECAUSE I AM BROWN! So that was a good enough reason for me! *okie cracks up laughin* I used putty and tan in the ProMarkers. I shaded with the tan and it shows up ever so slightly. You might have to click the picture to see.

I stamped and colored another bath tub and then cut it out and pop dotted it on top of the other one. The bathtub was done with the Ivory and then shadowed with Ice Gray 1. The rug was done with Lime Green, Pear Green and Marsh Green. I used Pear Green and Marsh Green for the mirror frame. The mirror was with two different shades of gray and I can't remember which ones right now.

I added some glossy dimensions to the bubbles and the wine glass. You guys know how I love my glossy dimensions! Cutting the little bubbles that are on the wallpaper were a bit of a pain so on the other cards I just used a white gel pen to fill them in and then dot lightly with the Powder Blue marker. It worked out just fine.

I did stamp some extra bubbles and a bottle with the inside sentiment and gave them a little color also. I think it added a nice touch to the inside of the card.

So what do you think of today's card?? Be sure to come back tomorrow and see the Christmas card I will be posting!

Card Kits aren't too bad!

My friend Carmen, aka ScrapperDelighted, sent me a Basic Grey card kit a few months ago. I was rather upset with her for it since I would only be able to make one of each card *okie is so obsessive about making multiples* and told her I would never be able to use it. She told me then I could just look at it! HOW RUDE IS SHE??

Well one night I was wanting to make something to use up my stash and I decided to buck up and do the card kit. I was really pleasantly surprised! I enjoyed making the cards and even though there is only one of each I figured I could use them as my own personal stash or give them to my boss for our stash at the office.

The kit included pretty much everything. I think I did add a few embellies here and there but for the most part it is all from the kit.

Here are the pictures of the cards.

Mini-Album for Chi-Omega

My daughter is pledging Chi-Omega and I thought I would make a little album for her big sis and her twin. And while I was at it I made one for my daughter also. She hasn't given them the little albums yet so I don't know if they like them or not.

The albums are 4x4 inches. I used my bind it all to put them together. The carts I used are Hoot N Holler, Stamping, Graphically Speaking and George.

I made little templates that can be removed and used to cut their pictures and then place in the album. I thought it would make it easier for the girls and in case they are not scrappers they would be less worried about messing something up.

Since their mascot is an owl I did use a few images from Hoot N Holler. I didn't even want this cartridge until my daughter pledged and I found out it is used a lot for her sorority.

I did hand doodling on almost every page. Ya'll know doodling is one of my addictions!

Some Stickles were added to the hand doodled flourish on the first page with the owl. Gotta love the bling of Stickles!



I was going to just put places for pictures on every page but decided on decorating some of the pages. Most of the areas for pictures are at least 2.5".

I used scallop circle punches to frame the owl on this page. The sentiment is with the Word Window and Modern Label punches.






I thought the tag would make an interesting frame for a picture. Tags are always so nice to jazz up a little. I used a flourish stamp to add to the pink polka dot background paper.

The owl is punched from the patterned paper that made me even think of doing this project. Some stickles were added to his wings and tummy.

I used the ticket corner punch on the photo mats.



The colors for the sorority are Cardinal and Straw. The paper that made me even think about this project had those colors and were accented with teal and pink so that is where I came up with the color combo.

I didn't want to over decorate every page so these two pages are rather simple. I did add the we are family since a sorority is much like a family and I thought the girls would appreciate that.



The little owl on the last page is an Inkadinkado stamp and I thought he went great with the sentiment cut from Hoot N Holler.

I wish I knew if the girls liked the albums but since my daughter seems to forget to give them to them I may never know. I told her to bring them back home and I would just sell them on eBay if she was ashamed of the little albums.

Promarkers....I think I'm in love!!

I was recently contacted by Letraset about trying and reviewing their ProMarkers, which are alcohol based permanent markers. I have seen items where the markers were used and have been intrigued but me being the choosy person *okie things choosy sounds so much better than cheap* I am I figured I would stay with my Stampin Up! markers, which are water based. So when I was asked to try a sampling of the ProMarkers I thought I would give it a shot.

I received several markers in these nice little cases which are great for standing up the markers while you work.

First off let me tell you that I only give honest opinions about products on my blog. I beileve you guys have grown to trust me over the years so I am sure not gonna tell ya I like something when I think it is crap. With that said.....I LOVE THE PROMARKERS!!

I was a little intimidated at first but practiced at blending a few colors before starting to color my images. I stamped off several images in hopes of getting at least one good one to use on a project to show you guys. I actually ended up making 4 cards from this sheet.

As I figured out what colors I liked blended I wrote the colors down so I would remember which to use. You can see the bottom right hand image isn't finished. I used it mainly for practice.

The layering of colors did take a little practice, but really not much. I watched several video's and looked at a couple websites to see how others do the coloring process. And to tell ya the truth there isn't a right or wrong way. It all depends on personal preference.


Here is my finished card! I think next time I am going to pick my papers first and then use my ProMarker colors from there because I sure ended up with a strange color combo but it seems to work out okay on the finished product.

The patterned paper is by Luxe, and I also used Prism cardstock, Stampin Up! cardstock and Coredinations White Wash. The image is from My Favorite Things and is the Say Charge set.

Here is a close up of the image where you can see the shadowing better. And you know the best part? I didn't need any special cardstock! I just used the Georgia Pacific cardstock from Walmart and it took the makers wonderfully! Oh I did stamp the image with Memento Ink, I was advised that this ink works best as others might bleed.Make sure you click on the picture so you can see the details better.

I wish I would have listed the colors better so I could tell you which ones I used. I know some of the ones I used were:

Denim Blue, Powder Blue
Tan, Putty, Caramel
Orchid, Lavender
Pear Green, Marsh Green
Oatmeal, Blush, Soft Peach
Dusky Pink, Pale Pink

You can see the chart here: PROMARKER COLOR CHART

here is the inside of the card. I was so excited about it that I even decorated the inside and ya'll know that is something I rarely do! *okie is comfortable with her laziness*.

I am really looking forward to using ProMarkers more in the future and plan on doing a video showing how I use them to color images. I guess that can be my weekend project!

Oh yes...there is one draw back for me on using these markers. They are gonna cost me some more money because now I want all the colors!!! *okie cracks up laughin*

Easy Christmas Card

I recently got the Stampin Up! Lovely Tree stamp set and I have been wanting this set for over a year! I couldn't wait to use it to make something so I thought I would make a quick Christmas card.

The patterned paper is K & Company. I used Versamark to stamp on the red cardstock at the bottom. The tree is stamped on pearl Mica cardstock. The photo corners are EK Success. I used hot fix rhinestones along the bottom of the ribbon and for the star on top of the tree.

If you click on the picture you can see the coloring a little better. I just colored right on top of the stamped image with my Stampin Up markers. Since I used Stazon I wasn't concerned about the markers making the ink bleed.

I added some Frosted Lace Stickles to the branches and along the "ground" to mimic snow. I did pop dot the image off the card...BIG SURPRISE THERE!

While it is simple I think it turned out pretty nice.

I now have 6 Christmas cards made for this year. Only 40 more to go and I should be all set! LOL

Parade of Lights!

Every year on the first Thursday night of December there is a Parade of Lights in downtown Ada to kick off the Christmas Season. There haven't been many years where I have missed the parade. Last year was one year I would loved to have sat out the parade since the weather was bitterly cold. But since my daughter was in the parade that just wasn't possible!

So to make the best of it, with camera in hand we braved the cold and went to the parade!


I chose not to use the traditional colors of Christmas and I think the lighter colors made the pictures stand out more. Oh and do you notice my little Santa Claus Lucy? She loved the parade, or was it the people all standing around? Either way she had a great time!












My favorite part of this layout, besides the pictures of course are the string of lights across the top. I used some wire that my friend Linda, aka LGuild gave me. Her husband helps a friend with telephone repair or something and instead of throwing away a bunch of old wire he gave it to her and she in turned shared with me! RECYCLING IS AWESOME!


Here are some close ups the lights on the string. I used Mica Stardream to cut the title and lights. The title is from Lyrical Letters and the lights are from Christmas Cheer. I did add a few lines on the silver of the lights just for some extra detail.











This is the last of the layouts I did at the Swarm. I think I better get started on some new layout kits for the next Swarm! I have a big one coming up in March in Dallas!!

Kiss the Cook

In my house seeing a man in the kitchen is a rare sight. Okay actually seeing a man in the house is a rare sight...but the kitchen is even more rare! I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of my daughters father cooking supper for us.

This one is a super simple layout but I was able to use From My Kitchen, which I love but rarely seem to use. I also used Don Juan and Indie Art.

After putting the layout together I wish I would have shadowed with either white or light grey for the title. But oh well, what's done is done. I am sure my daughter will just appreciate having some pictures of her father one day and not be worried if mom shadowed the title correctly! But then again with her being MY daughter, she likely will say to herself "I wonder why mom didn't use white or light gray to shadow the words".

I wanted to show a close up of the oven mitt to show you how you can add a little doodling to a cut and make it look so much better! I simply inked the edges, then using a quilting ruler I made faux stitching going on diagonal one way and then the other giving the mitt a quilted look.

You can see where I added faux stitching to other areas as well. The photo corners were done with a Martha Stewart photo corner punch.








I used some metallic paper for the pot so it would have a more realistic look than just using gray paper. I added a little detail with a black marker and white gel pen.

If you do any cooking layouts or recipe books and don't have From my Kitchen, well....ya need to get it! There are some really great cuts on this cart. I think you can probably get it on eBay pretty cheap these days also.


Tomorrow will be my last layout from the Swarm and will be the two page layout I did.

HOT DOG! It's another layout!

This was the second layout I finished at the Swarm on Saturday. I am tellin you folks, if you go to Swarms or Crops doing layout kits is the way to go! I was able to get something finished and it still gave me plenty of time to visit with everyone. I didn't have to think much about what I was doing since it was all cut out for me. I just had to ink, embellish and put together!

My poor dog Lucy always acts like she is so sad when someone is eating and she isn't getting any of what they are having. My daughter's father was over and he was trying to enjoy his hamburger but my dog Lucy and his dog Ace were looking very sad. I just had to snap some pictures of them and him giving into them!

I am sure I probably got the layout design from Pagemaps since that is where I get most of my ideas when I can't think of any myself *okie doesn't think she will mention that is pretty darn often*. The "Hot Dog" is from Paper Pups, The "It's" is from Cutting up, the burger is from Paperdolls for Everyday, and the "time" is from From My Kitchen.


I cut the burger out of mica for the base, then out of green for the lettuce and cut off the part I didn't need. I also cut it from the light brown for the bun and made a few snips to make the top of the bottom of the bun. A little inking around the bun parts must added the right touch.

The little paw brads are some that I had left of a care package that a nice message board member sent me when I got Lucy years ago. Man how time flies! I can't believe I have had her for 2 1/2 years already!

Some fonts do have shadows and some don't, and when they don't just make your own! I added faux stitching to the title. Sometimes this makes your letters just POP a little more.

I added a little faux zig zag stitching to the corners. Sometimes just a little will add a lot.

Notice the little dog bone eyelets? Those are some quicklets from Eyelet Outlet. Quicklets are really easy to use. You just make your hole and put the Quicklet in and then you can just use a ball point pen to twirl around and have the back of the eyelet open out and keep it in place.


Come back tomorrow to see another layout that I got completed!

I Swarmed with some Cricuteers!

Yesterday was the Swarm in Norman Oklahoma. My friend Linda, aka LGuild, and I went up for the day to swarm with some gals from the Cricut message board. I made sure I took my camera and then guess what.......I didn't take one picture! But thanks to Facebook I was able to swipe a few! Linda and I were table mates with Robin and Renee and we had the best time with them! I hope I get them again at the next swarm!

Here is a group picture of us, and then one of me where I was the first to get a layout done. Of course with the aid of layout kits it sure makes it a lot easier.














I was able to get 3 one page layouts done and 1 double page layout done. And here you guys thought I was just a card maker! *okie cracks up laughin*


Here are close up pictures of the layout I am holding in the picture.

I used 2 patterned papers and some white cardstock for the base of the layout. The patterned paper came from the same DCWV Christmas stack that I have been using for a few years now. I tell ya those 180 sheet stacks last a LONG time!

The gem lights are some I got on clearance for $1 and if I could remember where I would tell you! LOL

I generally like to get a lot of pictures on a layout and I think the one I used for this one was able to show the story of my daughter and her dad putting up my Christmas lights. My daughter is a bit of a clown and gave me a Spiderman pose that was just too good not to use!

Here is a close up of the title at the top. I used a font from Lyrical Letters. I love the fonts on that cartridge but they don't have shadows *okie so loves her shadow layers* so I have to make my own by cutting two and then off setting the letters.

You can see a little better in this picture that shows where I ran the white through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder and then punched with a scallop punch. Ink? Of course you see inking! Come on you guys know by now that is a compulsive behavior for me!

I wanted to take a close up of the bling Christmas lights so you could see them well. You guys know I love bling and I remembered I had these bling stickers when I was putting my layout kit together.

You can also see where I used a scallop punch on the green patterned paper and also added a little faux stitching.

Oh yes and a few little doodle dots on the letters, ya know I just can't resist!

What do you mean what about the other layouts? Of course I am going to show them. But not yet. Not yet! *okie cracks up laughin at herself for using a line from one of her favorite movies...Gladiator* I will be showing them over the next few days so be sure to come back if you would like to see them!