Lilies birthday card ...

Here's a birthday card I made with the Lilies stamp set from Stacy Stamps using white embossing powder and Gelatos.  I can't seem to stop making cards with Gelatos ... I guess it didn't help that my 1st Funshop at work was making a card with Gelatos.  I had to of course make some additional cards as samples for the funshop ... as if I did not have enough :)

Anyway, here's the birthday card I made for Mei Mei ...

I decided to use the small stamp from the set on the inside of the card, so that it would match the outside of the card.

Merry Christmas!!

Hi everyone,

Just popping in to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2015!!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing day with family and friends ... and of course enjoying lots of treats (whether it's food or crafty things) :)

Enjoy your day!!

Birthday card for mom ...

Here's a card I made for my mom's birthday.  I decided to use one of the Asian style stamps the I bought a while ago ... Lanterns stamp by Impression Obsessions, Inc.

Here's a close up of the lanterns.  I don't know if you can see the stickles I added on the rope holding the lanterns up and on the 1st and 2nd lanterns ... I find the stickles gives the card a bit of a shine and that extra something :)

I decided to stamp a lantern from the Far East stamp set by Hot Off the Press in the inside of the card, so it would match better.  I love it when I have another matching stamp that allows me to do this!

Oh and in that same stamp set, I found this cute little lantern that I just had to use on the back of the card!  I really should get my stamp made ... I've been thinking about it for some time now ... for more than 3 years!  Yeah, I'm not an impulsive shopper ;)

Care Package #3

It's been a while since I've did a care package for Tiffany.  Last month, I wanted to go to Toronto to visit my grandparents during Thanksgiving weekend.  Since my Aunt A was going to meet up with us there, it was perfect ... she could play courier for my care package :)  Thanks Aunt A for ensuring Tiffany received the package safely!!

Anyway, I've accumulated some things over time ... as usual, this post is more to remind myself what was in the care package, so I don't end up giving her the same thing ;)  If it's duplicate paper, it's not an issue as you can't have too much paper!  Recently, I had learned that Tiffany got a Sizzix BigKick ... that is so cool ... hubbie looked at me like I was some kind of nut when I told him about it.  I guess he did not understand why I was so thrilled.  Well at least Tiffany gets me ... which is why I love putting these care packages for her ... I think she's like me when I get a new craft tool, embellishment or just new paper :) [really BIG smile] ... not to mention she's such a sweetie!!

Since Tiffany now has a BigKick, I could not resist buying this embossing folder during a sale I went to.  BTW, I'm truly my mom's daughter ... I love sales!  I rarely buy things at full price as I know everything goes on special at one point in time :)

At the same sale, I also bought some packs of Lawn Fawn paper (12"x12" and 6"x6").  The 12"x12" came with 6 buttons ... very cute.  Tiffany makes and sends out Christmas cards, so I thought she could use this to make some quick ones.  Anyway, I put the 12"x12" paper in this plastic folder that I got at the 1st scrapbook convention they had in Montreal ... a really long time ago!  I thought I may be able to find some paper in Toronto and put them in there, but unfortunately, I didn't do any shopping before Aunt A headed home.

I included some 8.5"x11" paper for Tiffany to try (110 lb Neenah Solar White cardstock, Stardream Red Lacquer cardstock, Stardream Metallic Bronze text paper, and Stardream Antique Gold text paper).  I thought some would work for Christmas cards ... and probably other cards for that matter :)

Also, included the stamps and stamp sets that I picked up during some sales at various stores.  I actually picked up the stamp at the bottom right for myself, but I had already bought it.  This rarely happens that I buy duplicates, but it happened in this case as I would pick it up and put it back ... I think I almost bought it on 3 different occasions before actually getting it.  I remember saying do I really need another flower stamp ... actually, I don't "need" anything ... just want it :)  Anyway instead of returning it, I immediately thought of Tiffany ... it's great having another fellow crafter in the family :)  It's just too bad she doesn't live closer :(

I went through my rub-ons as I knew I did not give her any previously ... only because I checked my previous posts :)  I got this to embellish cards that are made with dark cardstock.  I love the way white looks on dark cardstock!

Since Tiffany makes cards, of course having envelopes would be really handy!  I have accumulated so many over the years!  I gave her some different color and size envelopes, but I did stop myself as she would end up with a box full if I didn't :)

Lastly, some more cardstock I picked up ... yup, from another sale ... 2 packs of solid cardstock and one of pattern paper.  I love the pattern paper pack ... it has an Asian theme.  It's meant to be used on your scrapbook, but I find they make great cards ... not to mention it is also quick and easy cards!

So that's it ... hope this was not too boring!  I just need to record this somehow, so I don't get or put the same things for the next care package :)

Simon Says Stamp Balloons Dies ...

Using this balloons die set by Simon Says Stamp, I made a birthday card for hubbie.  You can use the largest balloon die to make a card in the shape of a balloon ... how cool is that!?  The approximate size of the balloons from largest to smallest are 4.25"x5.5", 3.5"x4.65", 3"x3.2", 1.7"x2.2", and 1.9"x1.55".

Here's a picture of the card.  I used a bit of multimedia on the baker's twine and wrapped it around a paint brush end ... once it was dried, it maintained the shape.  I also used 3 other dies for the card ... Papertrey Ink's Hearts Die Cover Plate and One Liners Happy Die and Little B's Handwritten die set.  For some reason, it makes me feel better when I use a bunch of things ... I guess I'm trying to use everything I've bought at least once :)

The idea of this card is from Shari Carroll ... I saw this on the Simon Says Stamp blog and loved it so much I had to give it a try.  I was limited with the colours as I only have 3 different baker's twine.  Since I did not want it to look like a Christmas card, I added grey to the red and white :)

I don't know if you could see that the hearts have several layers to add a bit of dimensions (me trying to take pics at different angles to pick this up at the same time as taking a close up of the balloon ... I tried ... lol).  The peace of white cardstock is tape down with some foam tape ... again giving dimension to the card.

I decided not to waste the partial die cut of the balloon and use it on the envelope ... a matching envelope :)  The splatter you see on the left of the envelope is me adding a mist of pearlized water ... it looks better in real life ... honest!

A short break from crafting ...

It's been a while since I've done this ... I enjoy baking/cooking but definitely not as much as crafting ... just want to make that clear :)  I took a break yesterday morning to bake some cookies ... something to do with that extra hour we got this weekend :)  Hubbie's been having a chocolate craving, so I told him that I would make some Cocoa Fudge Cookies.  I got the recipe from one of the Cooking Light magazines I bought a while back.  I bought the magazine for this recipe :)

I do add a personal touch ... chocolate chips ... don't worry, it's dark chocolate, so it's better for you :)  However, that's not the reason ... we both prefer dark chocolate ;)

In order to control the amount of chocolate chips, I put 6 in each cookie before putting it in the oven.  I think I need to figure out a better way of doing this ... they look too carefully placed!  However, hubbie did not care ... he said they all go in the same place in the end.  I think the pic of a single cookie looks better :)

Stencils ...

In July, I did a little shopping at one of my local scrapbooking stores.  It's been a while since I've done that.  I was in the store for over 2 hours!  Don't get me wrong ... I'm not saying I haven't bought any craft stuff; I have ... it's just been on-line :)

One of the many things, I bought on this shopping spree are stencils.  It's been quite popular recently with the popularity of mix media ... you can use inks, sprays, embossing paste, texture paste .... the possibilities are endless.  I decided to give it a try with distress inks.  I was also trying to figure out if I could come up with a stencil "funshop".  Yup, I restarted my "funshops" at work ... it was pretty crazy at work, and I was having difficulty disconnecting ... hubbie would say I have difficulty to stop working!  With the week being so intense that by the time the weekend comes along, I'm too drained to do anything ... definitely not a good thing!  Anyway, I figure I need another focus at work ... "funshops" at lunch time!

Anyway, I took out the Memory Box Ornate stencil, some distress inks, and blending tool ... and away I went.  BTW, this was in September ... as I mentioned, I've drafted a few posts but didn't get around to adding the pics.

It was pretty easy to apply ink and fun ... at the end, I spritz it with some "pearlized" water to give it some glimmer ... basically, a mixture of perfect pearls and water in a mini mister.  I haven't figured out what to do with this yet, but I like the way this turned out.

As I was playing with the Memory Box stencil, I was wondering if I had enough stencils for a funshop.  I would not be able to have more than 7 people for the funshop ... hmmm ... then it came to me ... I could die cut some cover plates and use them as a stencil.  I tried it with the Quatrefoil cover plate from Papertrey Ink.  Initially, I die cut it with Strathmore Bristol paper, but the ink did not go on as easily as a stencil ... at least that's what it seemed like.  I tried a transparency, but what I had was not thick enough.
 

Finally, I tried Neenah Solar White cardstock ... the ink did not go on as easily either, but it was acceptable.  In the end, I had 2 pieces with colour ... I thought ... hey, 2 cards for the price of 1 (sort of speak).  Here are the 2 cards ...

Here are a few close ups ... not sure you could see that the shine on the coloured part of the paper.

 

 

Hello ... remember me?

Hey there!  It's been quite a while since my last post ... about 3 months!!  I did not mean to go without posting something for so long ... really ... I've had several posts draft up but had not had a chance to add the pics.  Anyway, I just thought I would just post something quick to say that I'll try to post something shortly :)

I've been on vacation the last 3 weeks and have been playing a bit in The Paper Room ... and most of all trying to relax and rest.  I could use another week :)  However, it's been great not to think about work ... well for the most part!  I did find myself thinking about work a bit from time to time but am happy to say that it did not last long :)

Can you believe it's already November 1st!!!  What happen to the time!?  Hubbie and I have been in denial, and we only turned on the heat today ... we've finally admitted that it was time :)

Anyway, hope you're having a nice weekend!  I'll be back soon with a craft post.

Papertrey Ink Onesie ...

It's been a while since I bought the onesie die from Papertrey Ink, and I've made several cards with it but only as an embellishment.  Recently, a friend asked me to make a baby card for someone at work who is having a baby girl ... and since there is only 2 people that would be signing the card, I knew what I was going to do.  I've been wanting to make a card in the shape of the onesie ... well, I finally did it :)

Here's the card ... what do you think?  It took me a while as I ended up die cutting the onesie a few times, so that the card would be sturdier.  I love that it stands on it's own ... yeah, it doesn't take much to make me happy :)

Here's a side and back view of the card ...

I had so much fun making the card ... I decided to make a tag for the bag as well.  The tag in this case was just something quick and simple!  I love this tag die from Paper Smooches ... it's the stitched border that made me buy the die ... it gives the tag that extra something :)  The cute little bear is from Papertrey Ink stamp set "Baby Button Bits".

Ahhhh!!! I can't stop ...

When I say I can't stop, I'm not kidding!!  I spent a couple of weekends making notebooks :)  Here are some others that I made ... all together I've made 30!!  The best part is that I was able to use a bunch of scraps that I had left from cards I made ... how cool is that!?

Here's a close up and more neatly stacked :)

 

So far, I've kept it easy and simple and embossed the cover ... however, I'd like to decorate it another way, so I see more notebook making in the future ;)

Anniversary card ...

It been at least a couple of years since I've wanted to buy some of the Simon Says Stamp products. Well, I finally took the plung last month!  Yup, I finally placed an order ... actually, I've placed 2, but the 2nd one was on Ranger products ... they were having a sale :)

So, I use the Small Love You and Floating Hearts craft dies from Simon Says Stamps on the anniversary card that I made for hubbie.  The Small Love You die is Kristina Werner's handwriting ... just love her handwriting and her ... she's so talented!!  She also designed the Floating Hearts die.

Well, here's the card ... FYI, the You Mean the World to Me die is from My Favorite Things.

I wanted to do something in the inside of the card, so I thought it would be nice to use the Floating Hearts die somehow.  It suddenly came to me to cut enough out, so it became a frame; and I would be able to write a message in the middle :)

I even used a few of the remaining pieces to decorate the envelope, which I made with the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board.  I just love that envelope punch board ... it makes it so easy to make a matching envelope for cards :)

Notebooks ...

After seeing a "Make It Monday" video on Nichole Heady's website (http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/) showing how to make notebooks, I decided to give it a try :)  Here's my first notebook ... I decided to make it simple and just emboss the cover.



I selected 3 shades of pink and cut the paper to 2 3/4"x4 1/4" and stamp "just a little note." on each page using a different frame for each shade of pink.

My first "customer" was my mom :)  Sight unseen, she asked for one as she wanted to keep one in her purse, so she had something to take down a number or make a note.  I gave her this one ...  



Here's a picture of the back and the pages ... I left the pages blank for this one.

However, after talking to her, I learned she preferred a smaller one, so I decided to make one half the size (2 1/8"x2 3/4") of the 1st one I made for her.  She found the smaller one really cute ... me too!

I must admit this brings back old memories ... I remember making little notebooks when I was younger except they were not as nice ... just a bunch of cut paper held together by staples.  At one point, I said to my mom "I really like paper." ... her response "I know ... ever since you were little."  I guess some things just don't change :)