Christmas Card exchange at 2peas

Here's the card I made for a christmas card exchange on http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/ I cut the wreath and the word joy from Joy of the seasons cartridge. I used some distress inks to tone down the manilla cardstock and used a fiskars texture plate to get the brick background.

Happy Birthday Loretta

I made this following a tutorial from http://jackietopa.typepad.com/ I believe it was from her june posts. I think it's also posted on splitcoaststampers too. I changed it up a bit by making the card section hold address cards and the little address book holds important dates like birthdays anniversaries etc. Since I know Loretta makes her own cards and wouldn't need extra. There are some tags and a post-it pad to jot down to-do lists.

An I'm sorry gift for Loretta

 



A while back I went to have a "play date" with my good stamping buddy Loretta (her blinkie/link is on the left) and she was so kind to let me use her new, and I mean really new big shot pro. The one that cuts 12" and wouldn't you know I tried to cut on my own and despite the wonderful instructions, I destroyed one of the shims that came with the machine. I felt so bad and Loretta being wonderful as usual said "Ah, forgetaboutit". My heart just couldn't. So I made this card and cupcake that held a secret $$ to cover the cost of replacing the shim. The cupcake is from Fabulously Artsy tutorial on youtube.com. It was pretty easy to do, but I replaced the crumpled cardtock with flowers and ribbon. 

Scrapbook.com Beaded Stick Pin Swap

I hope that the gals over on scrapbook.com like the pins I've made. This was my 1st time doing anything like this. I am learning to bead slowly but surely. There is a mix of glass beads and plastic beads on 3" pearl head pins. (Love the pins, I use them alot in floral arrangements since they are long enough to thread into the flower stems.) so...The theme was "spring" and I thought what better color combo than teal, white, and purple. I cut the baskets with the doodle charms cartridge and added a strip of foamcore board inbetween to keep our USPS workers safe. :-)

crafty mama has hit a milestone..

http://itsnotalwaysblackandwhite.blogspot.com/

Go on over and join the celebration..of course for those interested there are party prizes. but she has some really great inspiration too.

Altered Letter Goody Prize

Surprise project from Kathy's Birthday crop 12/4..rules were to use a impressibilities (sp?), flower, button, and ribbon/trim. This was a tough-y for me. I'm usually not a flowers and ribbon type of crafter but this was So much fun.thanks for a great time



My Copy Craft xmas has begun

I'm still tweaking the tree but I like the direction we are going. I didn't use the CDs like the original, instead I backed it with black cardstock. I also substituted out the twine for a tan/khaki colored yarn and from a distance you can't really tell it's not the same. I like it. only a tad bit of twine on hand and it's like 4-5 bucks a ball) I cut the word peace from Joy of the Season cartridge (thanks Kathy). My version also has more ornaments than the original because they were ones I got at the $1 tree last year plus a few others. It got the nod of approval from the kiddos and the hubby.

The tension rod "curtain" is a big hit for me. I love how it looks from the kitchen when you come in the front door. So festive. I don't know why I had been framing the opening all these years. I just need to get a bow for the other side so it looks finished either view. I will add some candles or something on the counter space below it.

More Copy Crafts and some other projects to come.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Of course we have our tree up and I had started to put the ornaments on just to test the 'waters'. With 2 puppies and 2 toddlers, keeping anything on the tree of value is beyond possible. So I started to put up some handmade ornaments only to find that they love playing with little reindeer and every paper candy cane is for pretend snack-time.  Then I stumbled on this tree at The DIY Show-off:

Just beautiful and easy to recreate. I have printed the clock faces but I won't be using CDs as this tree is only a "stand-in" design for this year. Next year we will be back to our usual Christmas glory.

Oh, and I found this cutey for our kitchen pass through:

Christmas window decor

Time to retire the feather boa wreath that hangs on my basement door; On to the next beautiful thing, a Coffee Filter Wreath . I already picked up the coffee filters for this one ($1.28 for 200 at Wally-World) styrofoam I have on hand.

Coffee Filter Wreath Tutorial

or maybe this

Glamorous Holiday Wreath with Tutorial

Gotta make one of these for my stairs:

Christmas Magic Home tour

Love her table too but not with Toddlers around

Isn't this Chic:

Different-kind-of-christmas-wreath tutorial but I have other plans for my door.

So far that's the vision dancing in my head..

How to Make 3 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake | eHow.com

How to Make 3 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake eHow.com

Look at this album..gorgeous. someones getting one in a swap

stand up circle album video tutorial.

Thinking Inking at 2 peas..

If you missed the last series..you don't want to miss this one.

It's that time again..come on..Join the fun

http://twopeasinabucket.com/

 

An Open Adoption

Our lovely lady, Shadow,  had been down in the dumps lately and seemed lonely. The hunt began to find her a sibling. We of course hit the usual spots, humane societies, rescues, animal management groups..no luck. Either they wanted $350 yes dollars and you still have to apply and go through a screening process which includes a home visit or they had pups with multiple applications so you were bound not to be selected. So where did I turn...yup http://www.craigslists.com/ you can find anything on the Craig. There was an ad for a beagle pup that needed a good home due to the owners child (1yr old) having a severe allergy to the family dog.  Poor pup had been abandoned in Indiana and adopted by this loving family and moved to Virginia and only 3 months he was on the hunt for a new family. Luckily we were searching too. Did I mention the only fee they wanted was for Rex to have a good home and be loved. Sold!!! We have somewhat of an open adoption. They are welcome to check up on him and we will email them pictures as we can. Cute right?

Here is the quickie page I emailed to his VA family:

Hope they like it. It was a real 2 minute wonder. I even made my own background paper.

Cricut Cart Storage

Wow..What will the "geniuses" think up next. AMAZING idea but it carries a sale price of $65 bucks. It will go in the maybe in another lifetime file, next to the Clip it up. Hmmm my wheels' are a churning.

I'm OOOOHing and AHHHHing over this room

http://itsmesarah.typepad.com/photos/my_craft_room/index.html

I love the color scheme of this room. 2 of my fave colors. Ditto the corner desk and the window. Looks more and more like The Cave needs a makeover. I like my current storage setup just want it to be pretty and more inspiring.

I have be shown the solution to the "Cave"..

There it is. It's truly wonderful. Her space is so much like mine. I only have 3 "walls" that I can work with. I have wanted to put a pass through from the Cave to the family zone but Tony just couldn't envision it. Now maybe he will see that it will be okay. I can still put up a curtain and even put in a window so it can be shut when I'm creating (or making noise as others call it).  Wonder how much it would cost to do something similiar in my space..hmmm let the planning begin.

Croppin Momma designs room

Wilton Method of Cake Decorating

I LOVE CAKE!! Therefore I naturally love cake decorating. The Wilton Classes are not just about cake, you really do learn techniques that cross into more than just desserts. Imagine meatloaf with gorgeous swirls of mash potato or pancakes with a delicate cloud of butter or even a glass of hot chocolate with a beautiful lace garnish. The Wilton Method of Cake Decorating has opened up a whole new world of artistic expression. Sugar is one of the most forgiving mediums to work in. The only limit is your imagination.

If you want to find out more you should visit your local store and sign up for the Decorating Basics class. Once you do you will be hooked.

The Artistic Stamper: Midsummer Madness & Blog Candy

Head on over..

Project Me: Update #2

Do you see what I see?? Yup 2.8 pounds down. Baby steps, but their steps. I'm proud of me. I'm going to amp it up this week by actually starting P90X. Tony was supposed to start it with me but he's dragging his feet so looks like I'm going to lead by example here. Fingers crossed that I survive.

Pinky is having a good time

You'll find her to be a very genuine person full of charm. Pop over to Much Ado about Nothing and check out what wonderful projects she's doing. Click on the title to go on over.

p.s I've posted her candy in the sidebar.

Blue Moon Sale and Candy

15% off all BG even Sales.

Yummy!!

Project Me update #1

Picture me Pouting.. Then putting on my big-girl panties and sucking up this truth pill.

I'm still not putting in 100% toward my "makeover" if you wanna call it that. I'm maybe at about 40%. I'm not out of the game yet. I've given myself a lashing and reviewed my plan. I've given myself permission to say "So What if baby steps is all I can muster right now. That's okay. I'm making a life change" and old habits truly do die hard. On my next grocery trip I plan to stock my fridge with goodies (and not the sugar filled, moist cake and chocolate ones) If temptation is not there then maybe just maybe I won't bake it or grab it. (this is the song playing in my head right now, a real broken record)

Well. 0 lbs lost 0 inches lost but gained a new perspective. Not bad for this week. Next week here I come..

Happy Birthday Debbie @ Passion For Crafts

Blog Candy Alert. Go on over and check out her amazing blog. Say Happy birthday while your there.

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day this year was really wonderful. Normally they get me some gift basket of body products from Bath & Body Works but this year was different. They had a beautiful bouquet of roses sent with chocolates from ProFlowers.com on Saturday. I figured that was it. I'm happy.

Nope they weren't done. I've been complaining alot about not getting enough time to workout and that I really want to get in shape. (I should say that I'm highly 'allergic' to excercise so I really procrastinate and then complain about not doing what I really should have been doing) So this year they decided to get me...


Now I've never used Wii Fit, I've only played the sports games on the Wii. We got it all set up and started the game..I would not have expected to be an 176.8 lb,Obese 43 year old Mii. Crazy how the game makes you realize how out of shape you truly are. It was embarrassing. Not to say that my family is in any better shape because they aren't. Jordan (12) is a healthy 25 year old, and Tony (30) my hubby is healthy 42 year old. So we combined need to shave off 37 years. So I re-launch, "Project Me" Workout #1 5/9/10, with all honesty..32.54 minutes of pure sweat and fun. I think I'm going to like this. My goal is to lose 22 lbs (the max) in 3 months. Wish me luck.

Life and My Pursuit of Happiness.

I've been working on my word, Serenity, and trying to incorporate it into my everyday life. Last year was kind of chaotic so this year I was going for Peace, Understanding, and Patience. Serenity seemed like a good choice.

I've been searching for a passion to pursue (outside of my professional/current choice). I decided to leave my heart open and leave it to prayer.

Well, I think the answer may have come today. I am in the process of booking a client for a Wedding for fall. I had all but given up on my event planning dreams and started selling my wares off on the internet. Then in a split second one of my sales turned into an rental/planning. I'm trying to fend of self-doubt and trust that this is "It".

My Embossing and Die Cut Binder

This is an ordinary 3-ring zipper binder that I purchased from Kmart but they can be found anywhere. I think it was like $10. It has tons of pockets that I store my plates in.
(thanks Cameron for the helping hand)

The inserts I purchased from Office Depot (above). They were $4.99 each and they are made to store DVD/CDs in a hanging file system. I removed the rod and used the binder holes instead. Each side has 10 slots but I'm only using 8 of them because the top slots make the folder rub the rings when a standard embossing folder is inserted.  I plan to label the tag with the names of each folder.



This page is a standard baseball card protector sheet. I used velcro dots to close the top of each opening so that the 2x2 dies/folders don't fall out.


This one is a standard letter size page protector that I stitched with my sewing machine across the top to close them. Then I stitched down the middle and across the middle to form 4 pockets. I cut slits into each slot about 1/4" from the center stitch line and added velcro dots to close them. Perfect for the 3x3 dies.


This last page is a 4x6 photo refill (from Best Occasions/Walmart) that I just added velcro dots
to close the openings.
(Thanks Shadow for inspecting my brass templates)

My Crop Wagon

This is my Ultimate Crop Tote, otherwise known as the Plano 826 Rolling Workstation, it was also once sold as the Creative Options Rolling Workstation in pretty colors like lime and Teal.


This is what's under her hood. Plenty of space for my most used tools like the trimmer, craft knife, heat gun and etc.
There are also 3 trays for storing other tools like punches, stamps, inks etc.


These are the top 2 trays open, the middle one has a divider in the front.

The 3rd tray is much deeper. Great for larger punches etc.

The bottom of the tote has a deep tilt bin. It easily holds 12x12 items vertically. I'm in love with it.

1200 Free Prints

http://www.artscow.com/?Ref=824918

Passing along a great deal. ArtsCow is offering each new member 1200 free prints (600 4x6 & 600 5x7) spread out per month you get 100 4x6 & 50 5x7. The shipping rates are pretty much standard. Oh, and they give you 3 free 8x8 photo books and much more.

I'm going to be placing an order soon so I will be able to better tell you about the quality and the service

Blog Candy exp 4-22-10

A Virtual Class, for free!

A Virtual Class, for free!

I can't help but be inspired by Teresa Black. Her videos are so much fun and she very talented. I'm going to be following along, I hope you'll join too.

Altered CD Tin Calendars

Is this not the cutest gift item? She is selling them on her site. I've linked the title of this post to her SU! site. I do not know her but she has great projects and tutorials.