Breaktime (holiday) is over...

I declare the 2008 Christmas holiday over, for me at least. If you are not ready to stop celebrating, party on! I haven't made a blog post for a while but I have been catching up on commenting on my blog group's posts. A new year is coming with 365 days to celebrate life. That is awesome, isn't it? Before a new page turns, I want to share the cards I made for this Christmas. Time seem to slip away so I kept them really simple, using Stampin Up!'s Season of Joy and Short and Sweet stamp sets and the Holiday Treasures paper. Thanks for looking!

No Mojo Friday...

at least not for cards, sorry! I even have some new product to use. I think I am coming down with a cold or sinus things so I am dragging a little. I did finish another Christmas scrapbook page. I used Kim Hill's Contemporary Christmas, Worn and Torn Papers 1, and some postage stamp frames from Lindsay Jane Designs. Some photos from my past holiday photo folders. Thanks for looking!

Decorate the tree...

That is the plan for tomorrow! I need to get it finished. I decided to put up a smaller tree again this year since it is just for us and we aren't having guests. We are taking it easy this holiday season.

I made this hybrid card for my granddaughter. The ornaments will be in a little zip bag inside the card so she can decorate the tree. I put sticky foam dots on the back of the ornaments. Some of the products I used are Delightful Doodles Version 5 by Jan Hosford at Scrapbookgraphics for the tree template. For the background papers I used the Funky Junky Home For The Holidays kit from Scrapartist by Raychel Young, Kate Hadfield, and Michelle Godin at Scrapartist.
You can't tell from the photo but all the ornaments have Stickles bling on them!

More Christmas...

Scrapping these Christmas photos is starting to make it feel like the holidays! The next couple of weeks are going to fly by as they always do. I haven't made much progress on my Christmas cards and I haven't baked anything yet. It is time to make
"The List". Not Santa's list but the dreaded list of things to do before Dec. 24.
There are probably a few on you that have already finished shopping and planning all the holiday menus. Or you may be blog-hopping (like me) instead of getting ready for the big day. Today I'm sharing a storyboard style layout featuring some photos of my holiday decorations. Then I am going to address some Christmas cards...maybe.



The digital storyboards are by Kim Hill available at Scrapbook-Elements. The wordart is also available there. Thanks for looking!

Time to make my calendar...

Last year I had a Shutterfly calendar printed using some of last years scrapbook layouts. I enjoyed that calendar so much I decided to make another one this year. This year it will be much easier because of Jan Hosford's Time Saving Calendar Topper Template for sale at Scrapbookgraphics. All I have to do is drop the layouts I've already made into the template and add what I want to the sidebar. No re-making the layouts to fit Shutterfly's horizontal orientation. This is gonna be sooo easy this year. Here is my page for December 2009.

Taking a break...

from working on re-doing my file drawers. I can't seem to find anything so I am purging my files and re-organizing everything. I really needed to do this! Especially with any of the Stampin Up records. So I've been cleaning and shredding and filing a good part of the day. I thought I would take a break and post a little photo of a cute Holiday Purse Planner I made. Just a little something to keep track of everything I have to do for the upcoming Christmas holidays. I think it makes a cute little stocking stuffer too!

Thanksgiving countdown...

One more day until Thanksgiving. I think tomorrow will be crazy for so many of you planning big family dinners. I hope you will stop at least once to take a deep breath and give thanks for all your blessings. It is so easy to get so caught up in the preparations for the holidays that we forget what we are actually celebrating. So, be good to yourself and take that moment and savor it. I'll be counting my blessings and you all will be among those blessings. Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving.
Hugs, Cathy

Sharing a hybrid card...

I was recently delighted to be asked to join the Creative Team of Jan Hosford at Scrapbook Graphics. Jan has created a lot of wonderful templates that are perfect for use in hybrid projects. I made this petal card invitation using her Card and Envelope Templates available at SBG. The papers and elements I used are from Kim Hill's colorful Carnival kit at CG Essentials. That gorgeous striped ribbon is from Stampin Up. Thanks for looking!

Back from a short "Blog-a-way"

That's like a Get-a-way only you don't leave town, you just stay away from your blog. Sometimes blogging moves down on the priority list, you know what I mean? I did something Tuesday evening that I really enjoyed. I was the "Craft Lady" at a meeting of my sister's Neighborhood Ladies' Group. Once in a while they have a craft night and my sister asked me to come up with a couple of easy crafts for about 20 people that we could complete in a hour or so. I chose a decorated mini journal, and a giant paper clip book mark. I pre-cut and stamped a lot of it so everything would go together easily and I was afraid it might be too simple, but they seem to love it. One lady said "Spoon-fed crafts, I love it!" Too funny, but wait, might be a great name for a business. Here is a picture of the bookmark.

Quick post tonight or should I say morning?

I've stayed up way too late tonight. We had our small group over and my friend Sandy stayed after and we talked until almost midnight. Of course I could have gone right to bed soon after but I had to check emails and whatnot. I have another layout to share with you and then I'll get myself off to bed. My younger sister is coming tomorrow to spend a couple of days and we are going to make some cards or do some crafts. I also have a new Stampin Up package sitting on my dining room table so after I get a few errands done in the morning it will be play time! It is also my sister's birthday today. Happy Birthday, Chris! Okay, so here is the layout. I hope you can see the journaling because I am too tired to type it out tonight. I will tell you I use Tracy Blankenship's Templates With Attitude Trios 1 and Kim Hill's Royally Grunged papers.

Big City Small Town



Okay, so I can't see the journaling so you probably can't either. I hate it
when I can't read the writing on a layout in a gallery so this is what it says:

There is nothing like the hustle bustle of a big city.
It has a vibrancy that makes you feel alive. The noises, the
smells, and the traffic all add to that energy. What makes
this city so different from other cities is the people.
The smiles, the hellos, and the easy way they ask about who
you are and where you’re from. This big city just has a
small town feel. Pittsburgh, PA

Off to bed, good night all.

Peace, what the world needs now........

Sharing a scrapbook page today. I've been looking through a lot of our Christmas photos and scrapping a few pages with a holiday theme. White doves always make me think of peace and hope. Our world could sure use a little of that.



Paper and digital bling are by Kim Hill at CG Essentials.

Black and blue all over...

no not me, but my card for the first SCS's Blog Group challenge sure is. I had my doubts when I started but I am really happy with the results. It is a little difficult to see the Dew Drops on the card but I think I know now why everyone loves those little clear dots. They do look like dew drops. Well anyway, here is a picture of the card. Now I am off to check out the other ladies' blogs to see what they came up with. Thanks for visiting my blog and all the nice comments. It sure is more fun to blog if you have a few readers!

Getting in the mood...

for Christmas that is. I scrapped some old pics of my daughter's visits with Santa. These photos are from the 70's. She never liked doing the Santa thing much, but she has always loved Christmas and still does. I used Kim Hill's Contemporary Christmas kit and Crumpled Edges element pack available at CG Essentials

Carol Loves Santa Not!



I like this kit so much that I had to make a card too. This is a hybrid card. I design it in Photoshop Elements, them deconstruct the card. Then the digital elements and background paper are printed, cut up and mounted on real cardstock. I used Demensions to pop up the layers for interest. Hybrid cards are so much fun to make. Here is the holiday card.

Thank you Erin...

One of my SCS blog group ladies gave me a Kreative Blogger award.
Thank you so much, Erin. Erin's blog always has gorgeous cards, so check out her blog here.

My first workshop went well...

I actually had fun. I think everyone had a good time! They all completed three cards and I taught them the "faux stitching" technique. These are the three cards I chose to demonstrate. I think I've posted the first two before. The Christmas card is new.



I included recipes or instruction sheets to take home too. Those were a big hit. I wanted my ladies to be able to make the cards again at home so I am planning to use them again.

Recipe for the Christmas card. See the supplies list here at my SCS gallery



Here is a bigger picture of the Christmas card.



I also want to thank all the SCS Blogger group girls for visiting and leaving such nice comments. Check out the SCS blog list on the right margin to visit some really creative blogs!

I finished my demo board...

I am so glad to be finished with it. It folds up and is easily transported to workshops and I attached the cards with that putty that looks like Play Doh. That way I can change the cards without a lot of trouble. The cards I am using for make and takes are not on this board. This is just to show the attendee some more card ideas. I said I would post a photo so here it is:



I also want to share another little 3x3 card with you. This one is on the demo board and uses one of my favorite SU products. The Curly Label Punch Bundle which has 4 stamps and the punch.

I think I'm hooked...

on little 3x3 inch cards. When I first saw one of them at a workshop. I thought what could you used that little card for, except for a gift enclosure? Once you start making them, you don't really care, they are just fun to make. I thought you might like to see one of mine.



All supplies from Stampin Up. Thanks for looking!

It is a rainy Saturday..

but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I like a rainy weekend once in a while. It is a great reason to hunker down at home and read or watch movies. I don't feel guilty for just hanging out. Hey, it's raining out, right? Today I am finishing my demo board. Just two more cards to make for it and I'll take some pictures and post it. I'm going to put a pot of chicken soup on to cook and then back to work on the board. In the meantime, here is a scrapbook page I finished yesterday. Thanks for visiting!

Butterfly Dreams



Photo taken by my sister, Carol. Thanks for sharing it, Carol! The kit, Oooh LaLa is by Kim Hill at CG Essentials.

Fall is really here...

Today was cool and windy with leaves falling and blowing all over the yard. I love this time of year! I seem to have more energy and I can never get enough of the gorgeous Fall colors! Even when I am inside, I still can enjoy the beautiful colors. When we moved into this house about 17 years ago we only put window treatments on the front of the house and bedrooms. My main floor is one story up and backs to our woods, so privacy has never been an issue. It has given me a front row seat to the changes of seasons and been a source of relaxation and enjoyment. Here is my view from my breakfast nook table. If is is Autumn in your part of the world, I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.

Staying focused...

Is it a problem for you? It sure is for me! There are just so many things I want to do and so many things I need to do. And... the wants never seem to jive with the shoulds! Yesterday they did, and I completed a couple of things I wanted and needed to do. I finished up my card demo board and designed some business cards for myself. I will post a picture of my demo board when I finish all the cards that go on it for display. In the meantime, here is the business card. Look familar? I use the digital designs I made for my blog header and a little mini kit for digital scrapbooking. Can you tell I love pink and black and polka dots?

IMAGE REMOVED
I had to go back to the drawing board for my business card. I was unaware that using the Stampin Up logo on business cards is not allowed unless purchased from their provider. I want to thank Debbi who very sweetly let me know that. Thanks Debbi!

You gotta do what you gotta do...

If it was up to me, I probably would be scrapping or making cards most of every day. I love losing myself in the process of creating and I enjoy the finished product too. Crafting also has been a great distraction from all the bad news about the economy and all the troublesome things that are a part of living life in 2008. Once in a while I have to take care of real life business, so today I went to the store for some groceries, to the bank, and to WalMart for some office supplies. By the time I got home it was time to cook dinner. I do what I must. But my craft room was calls out to me and my muse beckons so I did finish and post a couple of layouts. What can I say? I have no will power.





I used Kim Hill's Fall Splendor and Blane's Room kits on these pages. For full credits click here to go to my gallery.

Sigh, the end of a busy weekend...

I must be slipping. We had a dinner and birthday celebration for my sweet sister-in-law, Pilar last night and I forgot to bring my camera. My sister Carol cooked a fabulous dinner, we played bingo with "White Elephant" prizes and celebrated Pilar's birthday with cake and ice cream. It was just the siblings and their spouses along with our niece Raychel. We got so silly playing bingo and just acted like fools. I think we overdosed on the M & M's we were using for the bingo markers! Since I didn't have the camera, I don't have pics to post but here is a card I made for a workshop planned for Nov. 1. I used the Green Tea Designer paper and the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set from Stampin Up. Thanks for looking.

It can't be friday already...

I haven't even unpacked from our trip yet. Well technically I have if dumping everything out of my suitcases onto the bed counts. I guess not, huh? Well since it is going to be a really busy weekend, I thought I would get a quick post done and a little blog hopping first. Here is my last scrapbook layout. I used Tracy Blankenship Templates with Attitudes and a Kim Hill's Autumn Splendor kit.

I'm back from Vegas

A little older, a little poorer...
Actually we had a great time, saw some wonderful shows and enjoyed all the sunshine. I have lots to post but I need to catch up on some things first. Hello to all my new blog buddies from the Splitcoast Stampers Blog group! Thanks for all the nice comments. I'll be making the rounds in the next couple of days. I can't wait to check out all your great blogs!
I have a digital layout to post tonight, then I'm off to bed. This was my layout for a challenge at CG Essentials. A layout for Zoe's mom, Laura. Baby and photo by Laura. Isn't she adorable? I used the Just So Tweet kit by Kim Hill made to match the little outfit Zoe is wearing. The number art is from a template by Kristin Tilley. Font is Minya Nouvelle. Thanks for looking.

That girl is sick!

I know that's what some people think. My husband and I are going to Las Vegas for a week, leaving on Saturday and I am obsessing about whether or not I can fit my watercolors, some stamped images and Aquapainters in my carry-on so I can work on some cards. With everything there is to do in Vegas, I am still planning my downtime. Yep, I'll admit that is a little strange. I guess I am afraid I'll go into craft-withdrawal. Despite having a million things to do, I managed to get a little watercolored card done in between sessions of packing, and preparing for our trip.



Stamp set: Stampin Up Fun and Fast Notes, Green Tea Designer Series paper

Lately....

all I can think about are making cards and lists. I have a Stampin Up catalog upstairs, downstairs and in the craft room. I have little scraps of paper scattered about with sketches of cards on them and lists with the "recipes" of cards I have made. I have a wish list, a supplies list, an on-order list, a retired list and a dormant list. I think I need a list of all my lists. Since blogging was on my "to do" list, without further ado, here is another card!



Stamp set is Flower Fancy. If you like my card and want to make one like it the stamp set is available on my Stampin Up demo site here:
StampPretty

Two cards today...

The first one is one I made for my Stampin Up samples. A favorite image of mine and I love it in this color combo. The set is called A Light Unto My Feet.



I also had fun making a hybrid card with Kim Hill's Spellbound kit available at CGE. A hybrid card is one made with paper and printed out digital papers or elements. Hybrid just has so many possibilities!
I made the pumpkin by cutting ovals of pieces of the digital kit's papers. I printed the colored digital items on Canon matte photo paper. I used Stampin Up's heavy black cs for the base of the card. The front panel and the pumpkin are elevated with foam dots. I thought it would be fun to have the cat's tail sticking out of the card. A white gel pen was used for the white dots. Thanks for looking!

More squirrels....

I can't help it! They are just so cute. Even our squirrels are going to have a scrapbook album. Here is my latest page about the little darlings.



I used Kim Hill's PDQ Template #31, altering it a bit and her wonderful Memory Lane kit available at CGE. The alpha is by Lisa Whitney at ScrapArtist

Don't forget...

on my Stampin Up web site you can browse through the catalog and purchase online. How cool is that? Hop on over and try it out now. Click HERE to go to my page and look for the "shop now" button at the top right. Happy shopping!

I've been neglecting my blog a little

I have had a lot going on so far this month. Starting my Stampin Up business has taken a lot of my energy and most of my thoughts. I want to have really nice samples of cards and a good amount of supplies and tools to demo before I hold my first workshop. I also am making 30 card fronts for a swap at an upline meeting that is the beginning of next week. I have had to reorganize some supply drawers to accommodate business supplies and new stamps :) (okay, so that was more like fun!) Anyway, enough excuses about why I haven't blogged. Here is a double pocket card I made from a tutorial at SCS.



You can find the full credits for this card in my SCS gallery.

Back from a little vacation

I was away a few days with my sister in Delaware. She has a brand new house and we were brainstorming for decorating ideas and just enjoying the weather at the shore now that the crowds are gone. Of course we spent more time at the outlets than the beach. When I got home there was a big Stampin Up box from UPS on my front porch. I spent last night and part of today mounting my new stamps. It is always fun to get new goodies! Here is a card I made with the Inspired By Nature stamps. Full credits here. Thanks for looking!

As the month comes to an end

my guest spot on ScrapArtist's CT ends. I really enjoyed working with the talented designers there. Here is my last layout for this month. I used Laurie Anderson's Rhinestone Cowgirl kit to make this page. Full credits in my DST gallery. Thanks for looking!

I love my Copic markers.....

I do, I really do! They just blend so well. I made this card for a friend of mine that is having a lot of back pain because of a fracture. I hope it brightens her day just a little. I stamped the image twice and cut out and colored one of them. Then I used some glue dots to elevate the image just a little bit. I angled the card so the photo would show the layers.
Card stock and images are by Stampin Up. Thanks for looking!

Look what I found

While blog hopping I found this terrific site and she is having a drawing for blog candy. Some wonderful Magnolia stamps! Check out her great blog and follow the rules to enter the drawing.
Here is the link to the blog: Kreativ Kristin

Yay, I finally got in...

I finally got approved for the SU Demos forum at Splitcoaststampers and I am loving all the information sharing and resources. What a generous bunch of ladies! So much to read and even downloads of terrific forms and tools. Love it! Of course to celebrate here is a card! Very simple colored image and a little embossing. Thanks for looking!

Time passes slowly

when you are waiting for something. I applied to SCS to be a member of the demos only forum and I haven't heard anything for over a week. They are supposed to contact me and get some information and then there is another wait time before you get in. I am trying to be patient but I haven't even received the first email yet. I'm sure they are way backed up because of all the new sign-ups but it is so hard to wait. There are lots of tips and insider information in the forum and I NEED to get in there! Okay, I feel better now so I'll share a scrapbook page or two:

This one is Olivia last Christmas. I used one of Tracy Blankenship's Templates with Attitude from the Feel the Magic Collab at FPD



This one is my sister Chris smelling a gorgeous flower at Brookside Gardens. My other sister Carol took the photo. I think the photo is so pretty.



Full credits can be seen for both pages here in my DST gallery

It is on it's way...

I just got an email and my Stampin Up starter kit has been shipped! I can't wait to start making some samples for my workshops. I have almost no current stamp sets so I have to wait for the new ones before I can start. I never realized how many of my stamp sets are retired or hostess sets. Even though I will use them forever, and have some favorites I would never part with, I don't want to demo cards that my guests can't duplicate. So I wait! In the meantime here is a birthday card using Birthday Whimsy, one of 2008's Sale-a-bration sets. This one is for my brother-in-law Dave. Happy Birthday Dave!

To do or not to do?

Have you ever had a "to do" list that was so long that you didn't know where to start? That is where I am this week, well, pretty much every week. So it is easy not to deal with it and so the list just gets bigger. I tried joining "Fly Lady" to get things under control but the heaps of email reminders just made me feel more overwhelmed. The system really seems to work for some but not for me. I have decided to take the to-do list and split it up into small lists and try that. I'll let you know how that is going. In the meantime, I have a project to share. A hybrid birthday book for keeping track of birthdays. I used Cori Gammon's Indian Summer kit. You can find the kit at ScrapArtist. Thanks for looking!

Changes coming

I know it's been a while but I have been really busy setting up things for my latest project. I have signed up as a Stampin Up demonstrator! I am really excited and can't wait to get everything in place for my first workshop. I'll be back with a new card or scrapbook page soon!

ATC freebie to print

A quick post to share some digital ATC's I made using "Altered Art In A Box" kit and "My Life Wordart" all by Aja Abney. I also used the "Life is Art" kit is by Aja Abney and Michelle Godin, along with the ATC Frames Brushes by Nancie Rowe Janitz all at ScrapArtist.com If you would like to download and print them you can get them here. If you do, I'd love it if you would leave a comment.

Wild animal

Well, not really but I used an image of a giraffe and some wild animal print paper for the sketch challenge this week. I colored the giraffe a little with some Copic markers, then stamped some grassy stuff at the feet with the Watercolor Mini's set. I faux stitched the paper, a technique that I am using a lot lately. Here is my card. Full credits here

A day without cards is like

a day without sunshine. Two cards using Soft Sky cardstock which is retired now. I just love this pretty blue color and I am so glad I bought an extra package. I also got the ink pad and a reinker.


credits and a bigger picture here

SIGN UP SPECIAL
I found out yesterday about a sign up special for Stampin Up. This is what I've been waiting for. Now all I have to do is hold on until after Aug 11, when the special starts. Yep, I am finally going to do it!

Guest Goddess

That is what they call you at ScrapArtist when you are a guest on their Creative Team. Lucky me, I get to work with this awesome team for the month of August with any of the wonderful designs in the store that catch my eye. That is a lot of goodies to choose from! Here are my first two layouts for my guest spot. If you would like to see the full credits for either of the layouts, check out my ScrapArtist gallery here.

Sleeping Angel made with Micheline Martin's Greyson kit


Friends Forever made with the Circle of Friends kit by Lili
and Kate Hadfield

A few days off and now I'm back

I took a couple of days away and got a few non-crafty things done. That's not as much fun but necessary once in a while. I got a fun little surprise in the mail a couple days ago. A fellow card-maker sent me the cutest card and some terrific stamped images to color. Isn't this just so cute? Thanks so much to Darcy (aka Daquiri35) from Splitcoaststampers!

My pencils have a home

My collection of Prismacolor pencils is growing. I have tried a few ways to store them but since I like them to be right at hand the original tins, as cool as they are, weren't working for me anymore. I have tried storing them in a big glass container. That was handy but not efficient because they were all mixed up and it took too long to find just the right color. I needed to find a way to keep them separated into color families. I finally took an old top loading card box, cut the lid off and fashioned dividers from foam core board. Foam core board is my favorite building material lately. Next I covered the dividers with patterned yellow paper. I decided to decorate the box with Club Scrap paper and used the artwork by Monica Rieffrom from one of my Prismacolor brochures and altered it with a chipboard hat that I inked. Some black and white paper ribbon covered the bare edges at the top. I found a couple of chipboard hearts and pasted those on there too. Lastly I added an art quote. I am really happy with how it turned out and now I can quickly find the colors I need. Pictures, you ask? Of course!
The outside



The inside showing the dividers