Spring Fever

I have it bad. ;) These are the goodies for my friends coming over for NSD. Sorry I did not give a tip or technique yesterday. But, I think you can find lots of ideas in these photos. I distressed, inked, painted, used rub-ons, die-cut and added a bit of flower arranging to the mix. :) The big flowers are clip-ons attached to wooden skewers. Fun, huh?? There are wildflower seed packs inside the cards and a small acrylic stamp set behind. I will have other fun stuff for us. But, I don't want to give all my secrets away too soon. ;) ps: I am no good at keeping this kind of stuff secret. hahaha!!

Where did the time go?

This weekend flew by. I did accomplish quite a bit. Whew! ;) I have some really fun goodies heading my way this week. I can hardly wait to play with my new 'toys'. I am also preparing to have a few friends (6, including me) over for National Scrapbook Day on saturday. It will be nice to be around the house hangin' out and close to the food and craft room. :) I am making some goodies for everyone, having a few games to play and good eats. There are also a few online 'crops' I will be checking in on and playing along with. What are your plans for NSD?

I will have some fun projects that will hopefully put you in the summertime/spring mood. I need all the help I can get in that arena. We had over 18 inches of snow friday!!!!! :O No kidding!!

Playing along...

with another challenge by Taylor. No cupcake on the card today, but I got my cupcake fix earlier today with the bag posted below. :) This one was fun and the colors remind me of July 4th, sweet summertime and long hot summer nights.
Recipe~ Cardstock: Stampin' Up!; Pattern Paper: Daisy D; Ink: Stampin' Up!, Ribbon: Seam Binding; Stamps: Papertrey & Close To My Heart; Hardware: We R Memory Keepers (set with Crop-a-dile); Punch: Martha Stewart & Paper Distresser: Close To My Heart.

Soft Spring Pallette

It is snowing like crazy as I am typing this. The thermometer says 31.8. Bleh!! We had above average temperatures just two days ago (60+). Definately springtime in Alaska. :) It is supposed to warm up and melt off tomorrow or sunday (fingers crossed). Sorry for the crummy photos, but there is no sunshine. :( I had to fake it with photohop. As soon as the sun comes out I will reshoot the photos. :)

Anyway, my thoughts are for spring, as I am sure you can tell with these projects. The first is a cupcake party bag. It is a white lunch sack, cut in half and decorated with a paper cupcake. I need to write up instructions for this one so I don't forget how I did it. ;)

This is another Martha Stewart box (& butterfly punches) that I covered in a spring theme. The flower is made from punches and dies. I used the top of an unopened water bottle to 'bend' the petals the way I wanted. This may be a monday technique. hmmm...

The last two are little thank you tags that can be attached to a card or bag.

Another card

I just did another paperbag card. I like this color combo and sentiment.

Mixing it up a bit

As many of my friends know, I have a hard time doing any one thing for very long. So, to keep my creativity at a maximum I mix up what I work on all the time. Sometimes it is painting, sewing, stitching, papercrafts, baking, knitting, gardening, beading, etc. I have so many interests and they all seem to go together in one way or another. I love that!! :) Today I thought I would share a few items I have made that are not paper or stamping related. Do you enjoy other hobbies? Leave me a comment and tell me what they are. It is so fun to learn and share.

This bag was inspired by Nichole at Papertrey. Here are the instructions on her blog (just scroll down). I just supersized it. ps: I am really bad about following instructions. I always change them up a bit. ;)

I needed a padded case for my laptop last week for traveling. So I made this quick little laptop case. I found the heavy canvas fabric in the clearance bin and sewed old placemats in between the fabric for 'cushioning'. It worked great. :)
Two bracelets I have made.

Finally, another cozie I made on the plane home monday night. ;) It was a great way to use up 6+ hours on a plane. ;)

Paper Bag Card

I am trying to get back in the groove of crafting after my time away. Thanks to a challenge from Melissa at Lilybean's Paperie I tried this paperbag card. It is my own design and perfect for today's card idea. I decorated the inside also. All of the supplies are just scraps and bits. My mom bought a punch that I was messing with and it worked perfect for this card.

I just spent 5 days with my aunt and uncle in Illinois. This will make a perfect thank you card for them. My aunt is an avid gardener and loves shabby chic. We went antique shopping together and stumbled upon the most adorable shop. I bought some items for my new scraproom and will share them when the room is complete. :) I am sure I will be ordering more from the store and having it shipped to me. We spent about 3 hours in the same store. WOW!!

Thank you.

Thank you to all of you who have posted such sweet comments, support & prayers. I will be flying to Illinois tonight and will not be home until monday evening. I am taking my laptop in hopes of posting while I am away, but not sure how there connections are out in the country. ;) I will be back on track next week and have a lot to share with you.

My grandfather's and Judy' services are both on friday. I am sad that I will not be home to attend Judy's services and say my final goodbyes. But, she would understand. Thank you all again.


This is a photo of my grandpa fishing here in Alaska. I bet he is fishin' or golfin' right now. :)

Sad Heart

It has been an emotional and sad few days. I have lost two very dear and special people in my life to lung cancer. Although they never met each other they would have enjoyed each others company. Funny, ornery, ready to have a good time and a deep love of their friends and family.

My grandpa, Del. He was 88. He was such an amazing man. Husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Proudly served his country as a marine. Golf and fishing were truly his passions. We are all so blessed to have been together this past summer and spend time together. Words cannot describe the loss our entire family is going to feel by his absence. 04-12-08

My dear friend Judy. We met when she came into my salon looking to have pedicure after a charity walk, that was over 10 years ago. Her grandchildren are the same age as my son. She introduced me to scrapbooking. We had so much in common and knew so much about each other, our families and all that goes with it. I will miss her deeply. 04-10-08

Hungry Cubs?

This might help. :) I found this Teddy Graham Trail Mix yesterday and knew Marissa would like everything in it. It has honey grahams in the shape of bees, chocolate teddy bears, mini pretzels and yogurt covered raisins. They do offer different varieties. I thought it would make a cute snack pack to make a long trip in the car or rv extra special. Or, a cute camp themed party goodie. You could print their name on the tag.

Recipe~ Cellophane bag: Stampin' Up!; Cardstock: Stampin' Up! (Very Vanilla); Transparency Sheet: Office Max; Ink: Stampin' Up! (Wild Wasabi), Close To My Heart (Garden Green) & Stazon (Timber Brown); Stamps: Stampin' Up!; Ribbon: May Arts (Brwon Leaf) & JoAnns (Brown/Cream Gingham); Punches: Stampin' Up! (Large Tag Punch) & We R Memory Keepers (Crop-A-Dile).

Party Tag

Can you just see this attached to an adorable matching gift bag? Me too! Maybe I will make one for later this week. ;)

Recipe~ Cardstock: K & Co. & My Minds Eye; Stamp: Hero Arts; Markers: Copic; Ink: Stampin' Up!; Gliiter: Ranger Stickles; Eyelets: Stampin' Up! (set with a Crop-a-dile); Misc.: Ribbons, thread & pop dots.

Birds of a feather...

Just like the Hitchcock thriller birds are everywhere. All sizes, shapes and type of birds. Everything from detailed images to silhouettes, felt to chipboard. Owls are especially HOT right now.

A side story, living in Alaska we do not hear owls in the city very often (not like I did living in the country in Illinois). Early in the morning yesterday we were awakened by an owl hoot-hooting outside our bedroom. Very Cool! I saw him last summer sitting in a tree by our house, he is huge. We think he was diplaced by alot of the refurbishing of trails in the state park by our house.

Recipe: Card Base: Stampin' Up! Small Scalloped Notecards; Printed and Plain Cardstock: SEI; Stamp: Stampin' Up!, Markers: Copic; Ink: Stampin' Up!; Misc.: ribbon, safety pin & pop dots.

Back to the basics

Angie at Chic n Scratch put together an amazing little tutorial for those who find measuring on their cutters a challenge. She does an excellent job of show and tell. :) Check out her Stampin' Academy.

I have been soooo busy today cleaning and doing laundry I am sorry I do not have more to share. I promise to be 'really' good the rest of the week. :)

A Challenge to Inspire

Wasn't that yesterday's post? Okay, this is a different challenge. This challenge came from Taylor's blog for anyone who wants to play. I love Taylor's friday cupcake challenges, although I have never joined in the fun. She is the entire reason I now seem to need every stamp set that includes a cupcake. ;) Check out her new online store and surf around a bit on her blog to see her amazing work.


Recipe: Patterned Paper: K & Co.; Cardstock: Stampin' Up!; Stamps: Image- Close To My Heart & Sentiment- Hero Arts; Ink & Markers: Stampin' Up!; Misc. supplies: ribbon, thread & pop-dots.

Busy Bee

That's me! I have been trying new techniques, new tutorials, new products, etc. So, without further delay here are the fruits of my labor. :)

These thank you cards are for my grandmother. I have 20 done and 30 to go. Nichole at Papertrey issued a challenge to use black and white only on a project. This is actually blacka and off-white, but I think it turned out nicely.

Angie at Chic n Scratch made a tutorial for this cute bag idea. I made my own size and spin on it, but I love the 'idea'. I also love these cupcakes stamps by Hero Arts.

I gave some love to my new Riley stamps this week also. I am having a lot of fun with my Copic markers, but I need to buy more colors. ;)

Splitcoast Stampers had a Tutorial for making this cute little flip card. Perfect for holding a gift card or attaching to a gift bag.

Finally, another little cozie that I designed and made this week. I have many designs drawn out or cut out and in baggies waiting to be sewn. I love mushrooms and the little door and ricrac really added such a whimsical touch to the scene.

My challenge for you today is to try a tutorial or project you have been meaning to do. It is a great kickstart to your creativity. Enjoy!!

Fun-tainers

Every April one of the local private schools holds an auction as a fundraiser. Last year was the first year that I participated in making a few things for the LeBear Boutique, a store at the auction. You can purchase many fabulous items in the boutique as well as bid in the silent auction. This year we (Becky, Vicki, Ellie & me) gathered at my house to knock out a few items that will be for sale. I still have a pail and a few boxes to finish up, but here are the items that were completed at our grown-up playdate.

Pink Kisses Pail: Vicki Cagley, Ellie Herrera & Me

Dog Bones Bucket: Becky Priddy

Bright Burst Jar: Vicki Cagley

Swedish Fishing Bucket: Me

Friends: Vicki Cagley

Lemonade Mix: Becky Priddy

Magical: Vicki Cagley