Scrapbook Czar

Just Rite at the Play Date Cafe

2011-05-10T23:33:00.001-04:00

Hello, friends!

I'm back with a vengeance! I needed a card for Nikki, my 'mentee', who graduates from high school this week....woohoooo girl!!! So I found an awesome sketch on the JustRite blog (JRC-054 Challenge) and killer colors at the Play Date Cafe (PDCC80 Challenge!) Click on the links to the challenges to enter your own creations!

I found a JustRite sentiment that works just fine for a graduate, don't you think? I looovvvved how this card turned out! I hope Nikki likes it. She is a special young lady!

Supplies:

Stamps: JustRite Stampers Wedding Nested Sentiments
Paper: My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose "Mabel", CTMH Cranberry, Goldrush and White Cardstock
Ink: CTMH Cranberry
Dies: Spellbinders Labels Five, Labels Twenty-One
Other: Martha Stewart Border Punch, Making Memories Lace, Prima Flower, CTMH Butterfly and Pearls

Till next time,

Mojo Monday 189 - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2011-05-08T23:49:00.004-04:00

Hello, friends!

I trust you all had a Happy Mother's Day. I am more grateful each year for my wonderful son ;-)

Just a quick post since I'm late creating and posting my card for the Mojo Monday 189 challenge.

If you're interested in the details, e-mail me or comment. I left my sheet in my studio and am in such a rush to meet the deadline!

Needless to say, I used Verve stamps ;-) And yes Julie, the twine is "Caribbean" from The Twinery!!

Take care and thanks for stopping in!

Just Rite Challenge 51: An Act of Kindness

2011-03-30T23:38:00.000-04:00

Hello friends!

Silly me. I finished this card last week and forgot to post it for the challenge! It's down to the wire, so here goes!

I fell in love with this paper and just HAD to make this card. I've seen this ribbon treatment around, and thought it would be perfect for this paper and this particular card. All of the stamps are from JustRite....naturally! The die templates are Spellbinders....naturally! And that pretty little bling circle around the sentiment is Close To My Heart.....naturally!

JustRite's challenge 51 is to make a card for to thank someone who was kind to you, or a project as a random act of kindness to someone. I think I know just who will receive this card from me!

Can you believe there is only one day of March remaining?

Good grief!

Thanks for stopping by and for your sweet comments,

Spellbinders/Flourishes Birthday Pennants Blog Hop!

2011-03-18T02:00:00.000-04:00

Flourishes and Spellbinders(TM) have teamed up for a blog hop to introduce the cutest ever stamp set from Flourishes, made just to coordinate with our awesome-est Nested Pennants dies! Are you ready to take a peek?

This fun set just screams celebration and offers six different pennants and flags all designed to coordinate perfectly with Spellbinders S5-028 Nested Pennants and Spellbinders S5-029 Nested Lacey Pennants. There are also nine sentiments and eight accents in the set that you can use to deck out your pennant shapes in fun and different ways!

Want a little more to coordinate with your cards? How about the new Strips and Stripes background set from Flourishes? This set offers three strips to use together as one background or separate as three different strips that coordinate with the Birthday Pennants set! Since the set was just released last night, I can show it to you now!

Flourishes asked us to join their team for a little show and tell! Make sure to hop on over and see....

Barbara Anders

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Danielle Kennedy

Dawn Burnworth

Julie Koerber

Leslie Miller

Stacy Morgan

Jan Marie Caruso

Heidi Blankenship

Beth Pingry

Margie Higuchi

Holly Simoni

Mona Pendleton

AJ Otto

Latisha Yoast

Deborah Young

Kazan Clark

Terre Fry

I had so much fun with these stamps and die templates that I created two little projects for you today!

I used one of the pennant stamps for the banner, and one of the little flag stamps peeking out from the right side of the photo. The Strips and Stripes are used to create a mat for the photo. Sweet! A little butterfly anchors the journaling tag, which is another nested pennant. You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

Supplies:

Stamps: Flourishes Birthday Pennants, Strips and Stripes

Dies: Spellbinders St-028 Nested Pennants, S4-306 Wonky Rectangles, LF-001 Creative Book Pages, S5-051 Fancy Flights

Paper: CTMH Felicity, CTMH Color-Ready Kraft Borders

Inks: Versafine Vintage Sepia, CTMH Twilight and Bamboo, Copic 0.1 Multiliner (Black)

Other: CTMH Pearls, Michael's Bride Pearl

My second project is an adorable little banner that I will use to anchor a layout featuring my beautiful Mom!

I cut the bottom layer with chipboard (Diet Dr. Pepper box!) and paper. I used a different pennant stamp from the Birthday Pennants set - just love this one! Everything is mounted on foam squares for extra dimension (see below).

Supplies:

Stamps: Flourishes Birthday Pennants, CTMH Bingo Alphabet

Dies: Spellbinders S5-045 Banner Basics Two, S5-028 Nested Pennants, S5-029 Nested Lacey Pennants, S5-026 Labels Twenty

Paper: MME Stella Rose 'Mabel', CTMH Colonial White Cardstock

Inks: CTMH Sunset, Juniper

Other: Webster's Pages Little Whimsies, Prima Pebbles, Xyron 500 Create-a-Sticker, CTMH Juniper Buttons and Sunset Ribbon, The Twinery Caribbean Twine, Foam Squares, Glue Dots

Would you like to win these sets? Just leave a comment here on this post! We'll draw one lucky name for both sets and announce it tomorrow on the Flourishes blog!

Thanks for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

Till later,

Remembering Dad - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2011-02-23T20:10:00.000-05:00

We lost my dad five years ago last week. It seems like it was yesterday, and it seems like a lifetime ago.

I created this layout featuring my favorite photo of him from when he was a baby in the Navy. How handsome, right?

This layout was for a design team contest (I was not selected), but I love the layout, and that's what counts. I hope you enjoy it!

Pretty Little Peacock - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2011-02-04T13:24:00.001-05:00

Hello, friends!!!

Happy Friday! Woohooo! Do you have Super-Bowl-watching plans this weekend? I just spoke with my buddy Butch in St. Louis. It will be his last supper, so to speak, as he is starting the South Beach diet on Monday. We're going to try to encourage each other to lose a little weight. I only wish I just had 25 pounds to lose like he he does! Well, one step at a time, right?

Here's a card I made in December (last year - tee hee!) for the Humble Artists' Group swap that I am in.

I just can't stop using my Spellbinders(TM) Grand Labels Four die templates for cards! See how nicely they nest together? I used the largest for the card base, then the next one for the blue paper. Then I cut the center out of the blue paper, flipped it over to the light brown side and used that inside the card! Don't you love that little peacock? I should have taken a photo of her before I mailed off my cards, but I didn't. I inked her up in green, then added some blue with sponge daubers, plus a few sparkles on her crest and feathers.

I'm itchin' to craft, so I think I'll retreat to my humble studio.

Till later,

A Fussy Valentine -Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2011-02-01T23:04:00.000-05:00

Hello friends!

Confession time. It seems that any time I try to do shabby chic, it turns out more shabby than chic! More of a hot mess! But it doesn't stop me from trying - tee hee!

So I thought I'd try again. I pulled out a bunch of Spellbinders(TM) die templates, some stamps and embellishments, and went to work.

I started with a circle card base from CTMH. Then I background stamped the entire base with a music stamp from House of Three. I used plain white copier paper to make the rose, then splattered it with two colors of misty paint. I really love that Rose Creations set! And I really love the little tassels from Banner Basics Two!

I'm determined to learn to 'do' shabby chic! I have a hard time knowing where to stop - ha! But I think it's good to depart from your style occasionally, don't you?

Be sure to stop by the Spellbinders Blog this Thursday. I made a mini-album using the newest Creative Book Pages that will be featured, complete with instructions!

Fussy Valentine Supplies:

Dies: S5-043 Fleur de Lis Motifs, S4-316 Heart Circles, S5-045 Banner Basics Two, S5-050 Rose Creations
Inks: Tsukineko Versafine (Vintage Sepia), CTMH Blush, Hollyhock
Stamps: CTMH Find Your Style, House of Three Parisian Anthology
Paper: CTMH Colonial White, Hollyhock, Cocoa Cardstock; copier paper
Other: Smooch Spritz (Pink Sprinkles, Shimmerz (Concrete), Glue Dots, Hero Arts Woven Lace Ribbon, CTMH Ricrac, Pearls and Tag

Till then,

A Couple of Layouts - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2011-01-20T22:52:00.000-05:00

Hey, all!

Congrats to the winners of the Spellbinders(TM) "To Die For!!" Blog Frenzy! Oh, you are going to looooove your new toys!

Thanks again for all of your sweet comments. I wish everyone could have won! Someone asked about the cupcakes in my post- yes, they were delish! ha! They were actually store-bought from Walmart, but heavenly nonetheless!

I thought I would share a couple of my Spellbinders' layouts that are ready for public viewing - tee hee! I created these months ago, but needed to wait until they were in the Spellbinders' blog gallery. Click on the link to see the design team's monthly artwork. Projects with even more new die templates will show up after CHA next week!

The first layout uses some awesome double-sided cardstock paper from My Mind's Eye. You can click on the photos to enlarge them. It's a photo of my son and my dad way back when Alan was around two - probably 1990. Alan was reading a book and Gramps was reading the newspaper. Sweet! So I journaled on a little 'book' that I made with Spellbinders' die templates. Why not?

This is the first layout I made with the Grand Nestabilities! What do you think of my 80's perm? tee hee. Good GRIEF!!! And look at Alan's white hair! I was shocked - I'd always dreamed of having a little dark-haired, blue-eyed baby! But his dad has nearly white hair so I guess I did not have the dominate gene!

This time I made a little vellum pocket behind which I tucked a little journaling tag.

Oh!! Here's one more thing to drool over! Head on over to Michelle's blog to get a sneak peek of just a taste of the bling she's designed to fit exactly on your Nestabilities! She'll be debuting it next week at CHA. It looks delectable for sure, and I hear the prices are going to be veeeery reasonable!!!

Talk to you soon,

2011-01-12T22:00:00.002-05:00

Spellbinders Paper Arts

"To Die For!!"

Winter Release

Blog Frenzy

January 10 – 18, 2011

Welcome to day four of the Spellbinders Paper Arts "To Die For!!" Winter Release Blog Frenzy!

Spellbinders™ Paper Arts has been working hard to bring you another selection of the most innovative and beautiful die templates in the world. The To DIE For!! Winter Release Blog Frenzy allows you a sneak peek of the products we’re introducing at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show later this month. The To DIE For!! Winter Release Blog Frenzy is from January 10 - 18, featuring 16 fabulous Designers and prizes To DIE For!!

Win today’s new die templates!
Be eligible to win the Grand Prize by entering each day from each blog!
One entry per person, per blog please, on the designated days!
Each contest is open for 48 hours to enter the contest!
You have until 12:01 a.m. January 15, 2011 Central Standard Time to enter my contest. Be sure to read the Official Rules before entering so that your entry will be valid!

These are the Designers and their contest dates:

January 10

January 11

January 12

January 13

January 14

January 15

January 16

January 17

Daily contest winners are randomly chosen from valid entries, as stated in the Official Rules. The winners will receive an email within 24 hours of the contest’s closing. The winners will have 72 hours to reply to that email to claim prize. If a winner fails to respond within 72 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Entrants that send valid contest entry emails to each of the contests will be automatically considered for the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize has a retail value of over $800, and includes Spellbinders CHA Winter 2011 release die templates revealed in the Spellbinders To DIE For!! Winter Release Blog Frenzy and a Grand Calibur™ die cutting/embossing machine!

Thank you, Spellbinders Paper Arts, for sponsoring this contest!

I’m thrilled to share S4-316 Heart Circles Nestabilities(R) Decorative Elements with you!

The little heart borders on these die templates made them so much fun to play with! I decided to cut/emboss and stencil as many sizes and colors as I reasonably could on one card!

I didn't use the smallest one here, but I did use the largest one twice! Let me show you how! I used S4-316 Heart Circles #4, #3 and #2 (#1 is the smallest) on this project.

See how I was able to cut all of the die templates with one pass of the GC-001 Grand Calibur. Since I used the largest die template twice (with both red and white paper), I sent it through twice.

After I cut and embossed, I then poked out the little extra goodies with my paper piercer. I ended up with some sweet heart confetti - nice!

Next I snipped in-between each of the border hearts on the largest white die template.

I adhered the pink circle to the center and then folded the little hearts toward the inside of the circle, gluing them down with Zip Dry Paper Glue. I added the pink circle for contrast so that the white hearts would stand out.

I used my sponge dauber to stencil red ink through the smaller die template, which instantly gave it a contrasting border! The same ink was used to stamp the sentiment from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

I stacked the die templates, using 3D Foam Squares under for dimension. Can you see all of die templates that I cut and embossed? Then I adhered the stack to red and white cardstock that I cut and embossed with LF-126 Grand Squares.

Finally, I placed the entire element on some printed paper, wrapped it with a bunch of baker's twine, added a pretty pink button and a card base, and called it a success!

SUPPLIES:

Spellbinders: S4-316 Heart Circles, LF-126 Grand Squares,S4-116 Standard Circles Small, GC-001 Grand Calibur (TM)
Stamps: "Seasons of Love - Tags" (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Adhesives: 3D Foam Squares (SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L (TM), E-Z Runner(R) (SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L (TM), Mini Glue Dots - 3/16" (Glue Dots) , Zip Dry Paper Glue (Beacon Adhesives)
Paper: Cherry-O (CTMH)
Ink: Tulip (CTMH)
Accessories: Button, Baker's Twine

Now, here is a precious project that I dreamed up using S4-316 Heart Circles!

Cute, right????!!! While I was folding over the white heart border for the card, I realized that if I stood them up they would make a cute coaster....which I turned into the base for a cupcake liner!

See the little heart base at the bottom of each cupcake liner? Yep, that's S4-316 Heart Circles!

And I pulled out my F-013 Jewel Tones Premium Craft Foil (love it!) to use with the S4-316 Heart Circles to make the little cupcake picks. These were so much fun to play with!

Supplies:

Spellbinders: S4-316 Heart Circles, F-013 Jewel Tones Premium Craft Foil (Deep Red), GC-001 Grand Calibur(TM)
Stamps: "Seasons of Love - Tags" (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Adhesives: 3D Foam Squares - Black (SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L(TM), Mini Glue Dots - 3/16" (Glue Dots), White Fast-Grab Glue
Ink: Tulip (CTMH)
Paper: Cherry-O (CTMH)
Accessories: #80218 Printed Grosgrain Ribbon (Creative Impressions), Sweethearts(R) Candy Hearts, Cupcakes

As a reminder, this is the Spellbinders product I introduced:

Heart Circles
SKU# S4-316
MSRP $24.99
Measurements:
1: 1″

2: 1¾″

3: 2¾″

4: 4⅛″

Click here for the Spellbinders Paper Arts To DIE For!! Winter Release Event rules..

TO ENTER MY CONTEST: (Contest is open for entries from 12:01 a.m. January 13, 2011 to 12:01 a.m. January 15, 2011 Central Standard Time).

1) Send your email entry to: Reveal8@spellbinders.us (either click the link or type the address into your email program)

2) The subject must be S4-316 Heart Circles.

3) Send!

I love your comments! Unfortunately your comment does not count towards a contest entry, so be sure to enter...and then leave a comment!

If you have any questions, please e-mail ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us.

Thank you for visiting and good luck!!

To DIE For!!!

2011-01-10T01:11:00.001-05:00

Today's the first day of Spellbinders(TM) Paper Arts "To Die For!" Winter Release Blog Frenzy! Today's featured designers are Debbie Olsen and Donna Salazar.

Make sure you follow the rules to enter for your chance to win! I'll see you Thursday morning with my projects to die for!

Free Spellbinders? You heard it here!

2011-01-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

I want to let you in on a GRAND announcement!

Mark you calendar for January 10-18: when I will be participating in Spellbinders(TM) Paper Arts "To Die For!!" Winter Release Blog Frenzy! WooHOOO!!! You will seriously DIE when you see this new release - it is absolutely the best ever!

You will not believe the awesome die templates in this release! It's my favorite so far - and you can win them all! Join me and 15 other designers starting January 10 for a sneak peek and your chance to enter the contest to win! I cannot wait to show you the projects I have been working on!

If I sound just a tad excited, it's because I truly am! Oh, I can't wait for you to see! My post is the 13th, but the hop starts here Monday morning. Make sure you enter every day for your chance to win!

Good luck, friends!

Good Grief; where have I been? Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-12-21T21:27:00.000-05:00

Good grief indeed!

You would not believe the internet issues I have had. I've been trying to recruit physicians from home but my DSL service is a joke. Then my e-mail started sending out random spam, so I changed all my passwords. Including my Blogger one.....which I couldn't remember....tee hee! My whole life has been a comedy of errors.

Anyway, here are a few of my Spellbinders(TM) Christmas projects that have been posted on the Spellbinders' blog, so I can show them to you now!

First is a log cabin that I made using several different Spellbinders die templates. The details are here on the blog. There are additional photos and I believe a supply list as well. It was a lot of fun to make! The scalloped die template would make a great gingerbread house roof, wouldn't it?

I found these awesome papier maiche stars at Oriental Trading Company last year, so I decided to cover it and decorate it this year (finally - ha!) I used the Nested Hearts die templates as well as Labels Fifteen peeking out from the back. The paper is retired from Close To My Heart, but any vintage paper would do nicely. Or take it in another direction by using bright and cheery colors. By the way, you can find my rose tutorial here.

My third project features a viola made from Labels Fourteen. And real wood paper - how cool is that! I colored it with Copic Markers and used Doodle Parts to finish the viola handle and vents. The 2010 Snowflake die template is covered with glitter. What a mess I made!

Now, I usually give you all of the SKU numbers, but I am anxious to get this posted. And I am a bit lazy tonight too. Ha. Suffice it to say that you can find all of them here.

I was in Gainesville last weekend to celebrate my son graduating (go GATORS)! He earned two Bachelor's degrees - one in Physics and one in Astronomy. He is so awesome!

Well, I'll be back soon with a couple of more Christmas projects - can you believe it is seriously almost here?

Till then,

Bookend Cozy Instructions- Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-11-20T09:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome back, y'all! If you didn't get a chance yesterday, please scroll down to my last post and leave a comment for a chance to win a Grand Calibur and other wonderful prizes!

Yesterday I promised that I would post instructions for the Bookend Cozy that I created for the Spellbinders' Holiday Hoppin' Blog Hop. Well, here they are!

I decided that since my sweet mom gave me her old bookends to use, I would cover one for her sewing room. I will probably go back and 'tweak' it a little....it should have buttons and seam binding on it, right? ha. But I wanted to get this finished in time to post for you.

First I cut out all of the elements for my project. I had purchased an old sewing pattern, so that seemed perfect to use as my background paper! It was creased and brown, but I like it that way (vintage, right? ha!).

Of course it needed stability, so I began with a piece of soft gray cardstock with the largest of the LF-190 Grand Labels Four die templates. As you can see, I also cut a portion of the larger template with plain cream cardstock to use as the back of the cozy (sleeve). Use the next size (second to largest) die template

to cut the pattern instruction paper. Then use the smallest die template to cut the actual pattern. Now, the pattern paper is extremely thin, so I ran a piece of the grey cardstock through my Xyron 5" sticker maker and slapped the pattern onto it before I cut it. See how nicely it cut?

I used another die template from S4-298 Antiquities - the crown! - and another piece of F-013 Premium Craft Foil -purple! - just for fun. I may or may not leave it on the project once I fuss with some buttons.

Now begin your assembly. Score your large template so that it will 'sit' on your bookend, yet still cover it. I scored mine three inches from the bottom, but yours may vary depending upon your bookend.

Attach the top portion of your patterned paper piece with adhesive (I used a tape runner). Now, apply adhesive to the bottom piece, but make sure it is standing at a 90 degree angle (straight up) before you smooth it down. If you adhere it totally flat, it will wrinkle and buckle when you fold it.

Place this on top of your back cover piece and draw a line along the bottom. Cut along the line; now your back cover piece will exactly fit onto the back of the front piece (clear as mud? ha).

This part is crucial - put your adhesive ONLY AROUND THE EDGES - top and sides only - so that your cozy will slip over the top of the booked! You can see in the photo how I have placed the tape just around the edges. Now, I suggest that you use a strong red-line tape.

Decide where you want to place your smallest pattern piece and score it accordingly. Adhere it like you did the paper (top first, fold, then adhere the bottom).

Embellish! I added a pretty bow as well as the crown topped with a white pearl. I may go back and remove the crown and add a few buttons. We shall see!

Here's how the back looks after I've slipped the cozy over the bookend.

My original idea was to put a photo in the center - think of all of the possibilities! Kitchen Bookend Cozies for Grandma with photos of her baking cookies with her grandbabies. Who couldn't use bookends for their cookbooks? 'Nuff said.

I hope this was instructional for you. Most of all, thank you so much for all of the sweet, precious comments on yesterday's post. It's so rewarding to feel that you have inspired someone to create! I hope you become a follower of my blog (see the column to the right) and let me share more ideas with you!

Now, send me photos of your cozies so I can share them! Oh, I can't wait to see what you create!

Enjoy,

Spellbinders' Holiday Hoppin' Blog Hop!!!!

2010-11-19T09:00:00.008-05:00

Welcome to the second day of the Spellbinders™ Paper Arts Holiday Hoppin’ Blog Hop! Spellbinders, along with cross promotional partners, are showcasing their newest products just in time for your Holiday crafting and gift giving. Lots of creative ideas are in store, as well as prizes galore!

Each participating company has generously donated towards the prize package listed on the Spellbinders Blog. A total of two identical prize packages, one for each day, November 18 and 19 will be given away!

To enter, just leave a comment on a participating blog! Comments in the first 48 hours of the post are eligible. One commenter each day will be randomly selected as the winner. Winners will be announced on November 22, on the Spellbinders Blog!

Be sure to see all of yesterday’s Holiday Hoppin’ blogs for inspiring projects and another chance to win!
Visit (and comment on) all of today’s Holiday Hoppin’ blogs:

Mona Pendleton

Gina Hanson

Deborah Young - you are here!

Becca Feeken

Julie Overby

Kimberly Crawford

AJ Otto

Margie Higuchi

Beth Pingry

Jennifer Holmes

Kerry Urbatch

Shona Erlenborn

Tammy Inman

Jessica Turner

Brenda Hurd

Julie Koerber

Rae Barthel

Rachel O’Crowley

Kellie Fortin

Kristen Cohen

Joy Dickson

Candy Rosenberg

Laura Craigie

Stephanie Hester

Leesa Crutcher

Nina Brackett

Today I am using Spellbinders LF-190 Grand Labels Four die template set to create a couple of quick, easily-reproducible projects for you! This set of six GRAND die templates ranges from 5-1/4" to 9-3/8" long!

I used the fifth die template (from the inside - second to largest) to make a card that fits exactly in an A2 envelope. It's my new take on a gable card that has the opening down the center front of the card. It was quick and easy to cut with my new Grand Calibur! Since the plates are so large, you can easily cut all of your die templates at one time! Bundle up a set up these and you have a unique gift that will be appreciated.

The keyhole die template was cut from the new Spellbinders premium craft foil - this color is Gunmetal. Since the Spellbinders' die templates have decorative openings, I stenciled the metal with black ink to highlight the intricacies of the beautiful Antiquities die template. I threaded the ribbon through the holes on either side of the keyhole to tie the card shut.

Open it to see the full Grand Labels Four die template! If your die template is 8" long, score your card 2" (one-fourth of the length) from each end and you instantly have your card base!

What do you buy that guy that has everything? I kept the embellishments to a minimum on my next project so it can be used in the workplace or a men's office. It's a bookend cozy! That's right - I took an old metal bookend and made a little removable cover with my Grand Labels Four die templates! This time I used the largest, second largest, plus the smallest die templates in the set, so you can see the size progression. I love having the choice of six sizes - there's always a size to fit my project! At just around $8.00 per die template, you can't beat the value!

This closeup shows why I love Spellbinders over other die templates (besides the value, the great designs, the embossing....ha!). See the vintage shadow that is inked just inside the embossed border? Spellbinders' open-faced templates allow you to stencil the 'face' of your project with inks, chalks....your favorite medium. I used another die template in the Antiquities set - the Fleur di Lis (yum!) cut from the Copper craft foil this time.

Here's a more feminine version of the Bookend Cozy. It's so simple - come back tomorrow for complete instructions.

Supplies:

Blessings Card:
Spellbinders Products: LF-190 Grand Labels Four; F-012 Premium Craft Foils (Gunmetal); S4-298 Antiquities; S4-290 Labels 14; Grand Calibur
Papers and Stamps: Donna Salazar's Grandma's Garden (D3-9585 English Roses) Designer Paper; Gina K (Lovely Labels) Stamps
Inks and Supplies: Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink, CTMH Black Ink and Adhesive Pearls, Creative Impressions Crepe Ribbon, White Lace, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Black 3D Foam Squares

Fleur-di-lis Bookend Cozy:
Spellbinders Products: LF-190 Grand Labels Four; F-012 Premium Craft Foils (Bronze); S4-298 Antiquities; Grand Calibur
Papers: Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante; WorldWin Cardstock (Malt, Black)
Inks and Supplies: CTMH Desert Sand Ink, Liquid Glass; Sheet Music; Adhesive

Ladies' Bookend Cozy:

Spellbinders Products: LF-190 Grand Labels Four; F-012 Premium Craft Foils (Copper); S4-299 Fallen Angel; Grand Calibur
Papers: Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante; WorldWin Cardstock (Maroon-back of cozy)
Inks and Supplies: CTMH Lagoon Ink, Liquid Glass; Adhesive

Now it's time for you to leave a comment on my blog to be eligible to win the Spellbinders Holiday Hoppin’ Prize Package! One winner will be chosen from all the comments on all the blogs participating today. Comments made in the first 48 hours of this post will be eligible to win. Winner’s names will be published on the Spellbinders Blog on November 22 (Monday), and they will have 48 hours to reply to Spellbinders to claim the prizes.

Thanks for hopping with us. Good luck!

JustRite Challenge 043 - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-11-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

I was inspired by Pink Paislee's latest line by House of Three, "Parisian Anthology"......yummy blues, greys, whites....all those muted colors I just love!

The current Just Rite 043 challenge is to create either a sympathy or friendship card. I decided to use a sentiment from JustRite's "Seeds of Kindness" stamp set along with some of my favorite Nestabilities(R).

What, no bows or flowers? ha! I thought the ruffled ribbon could stand on its own. Isn't it lovely? It's part of the Parisian Anthology collection. And I sewed!!

Stamps: Seeds of Kindness (JustRite)
Paper, Note, Ruffled Ribbon: Parisian Anthology (Pink Paislee)
Dies: S4-114 Standard Circles LG, S4-249 Big Scalloped Circles LG, S4-293 Lacey Circles (Spellbinders)
Cardstock: Silver Linen Core, White (WorldWin)
Other: Lagoon Ink, Lagoon Ribbon, Pearls (CTMH)

Well, I've decided to try to recruit physicians from home. Who knows if I'll be as successful as I was working at a "real" job, but I have to try! Let me know if your company needs a new physician, or if you know of a physician who wants to relocate. Now how's that for a start? tee hee

I just received some stamps from a new (to me) company, "Layers of Colors". They are compatibility with some of my favorite Nestabilities, so I'll try to get back to the studio this week and have something new for you! I appreciate your sweet comments; they are precious to me!

Till then,

Round Friendship Card - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-11-08T15:22:00.000-05:00

Good morning, friends! It has been chilly this week in Florida, and we are loving it!!! My two kitties fight for the 'best' spot by the open sliders - the one with sun streaming in at just the right angle with that burst of a cool breeze. Spoiled rotten!

I'm determined to take more time to create in my studio. I so love doing it! This weekend I made a round card using the Play Date Cafe's Challenge #54 colors. And it's round! Which fits in with the Card of the Week Challenge! woohoooo! ha.

I used mostly Close To My Heart supplies for this one with a little Hero Arts crocheted lace thrown in. I like how it turned out!

Do you cut your own round card bases? This is the first I've used from my new CTMH cards - comes with matching square envelopes. Gotta love that!

I'll be back in a couple of days with an altered item that I created for the Spellbinders(TM) gallery.

Till then,

Mojo Monday 163 - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-11-03T17:05:00.000-04:00

Hello, friends! Did you vote yesterday? I trust that the answer is a resounding "YES"!

Believe it or not, I created a card today for the Mojo Monday 163 challenge!

I realize I have been relatively absent lately. Trying to find a job is not much of a mojo generator! But I needed a card for a fellow blogger who lost her husband this weekend after a long illness. So devastating and so very sad. I know I cannot even imagine her sorrow.

I decided to use some elements with a vintage feel. My mom gave me a lot of old sheet music. I would use it in every project if I could! It may get monotonous, but I just love it. The lace is from Hero Arts and the Prima roses were a gift from my friend Mona (thanks dear!). The sentiment is from Verve and the die templates are my beloved Spellbinders(TM).

Well, my son Alan is graduating (B.A.) from the University of Florida in December! He had to pass a French college equivalency exam or take French in the spring and graduate next spring. So he has spent the past month re-teaching himself French, as he had not touched it since high school. He took the exam yesterday and found out this morning that he passed! Not unusual for him to pass an exam, but he was so worried about this one. Now on to the Physics GRE so that he can start graduate school next year. Better him than me, for sure!

I hope to be back soon with something else to share ;-)

Till then,

BOO! Spooky Halloween - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-11-01T02:49:00.000-04:00

Oh good grief! How could I miss posting my Halloween card. Ha!

Well, I was busy finishing up my design team projects for October (yowza!), and it just slipped my mind. Don't you love this stamp? It was one of CTMH's stamps of the month this fall. It's so insanely awesome that I'm hopeful it will come back as a regular.

The skull, the background stamping and the sentiment are all from the same stamp set. The paper is from CTMH's "Hooligans" and the webbed ribbon is from Creative Imaginations.

Now, how about that spooky skull at the bottom? Mwaaah ha ha! It's just one of several Spellbinders(TM) die templates used on this card! Oh, how I am loving my Spellbinders die templates! The skull was cut and embossed on white cardstock, then stenciled with black ink. Spellbinders' die templates have openings just 'dying' for your sponge.....just one of the many wonderful things about these die templates, and one that makes them unique!

Still looking for work....

See you soon!

A Gift For You! Flourishes NEW Release Blog Hop

2010-10-14T00:00:00.001-04:00

Greetings, friends! You're going to love today's brand new stamp release from Flourishes. It's the perfect set to use to add a touch of class and elegance to your Christmas gift packaging!

Today, Flourishes is sneak peaking a brand new set called A Gift for You, and the Spellbinders(TM) design team is joining in the fun!

This set was designed not only to coordinate with some of Flourishes best-selling Christmas stamp sets, but with several Spellbinders die templates!

A Gift For You - drawn by the ever-so-talented Marcella Hawley - offers eight different tag styles and eight different mini sentiments to fit inside! I used just a few of the stamps in the set for my tags. To make sure your tags come out with a regal style and design, this set coordinates with Spellbinders Labels Fourteen, Labels Fifteen, Labels Sixteen, as well as some of the new circular and square shaped designs like Lacey, Eyelet and Beaded Circles and Lacey or Eyelet Squares! The customizable options are endless.

I decided to use muted colors that can either coordinate with 'manly' packages, or complement foil papers such as gold, red or green. Here I used Spellbinders new Labels Fourteen and Labels Seventeen with a couple of the stamps from the set (you can click on the photo to enlarge it). See how just a little bit of bling brings the tag up to the next level? I added a little Liquid Pearls, Stickles and of course, Copic Markers. Imagine using these same stamps with silver ink on black, blue or red cardstock. How elegant that would be!

These stamps also coordinate with other Spellbinders die templates that you have on your list. Here they are cut and embossed with Labels Ten and Labels Seven. Think of the possibilities.....use the die templates to stencil the edges, or the entire interior with a coordinating color!

Supplies:
Stamps: Flourishes (A Gift For You)
Die Templates: Spellbinders (Labels Seven, Ten, Fourteen and Seventeen)
Paper: WorldWin Cardstock (Malt), Graphic 45 (A Proper Gentleman)
Ink: Memento (Rich Cocoa, Cottage Ivy), CTMH (Vineyard Berry)
Markers: Copic Sketch YG98, 99; E29, 39; W3, 5; Y28
Other: Liquid Pearls (Silver Pearl), Stickles (Candy Cane), Wright's Twill Ribbon, Baker's Twine

Would you like to win this set? Of course you would! Simply leave us a comment here on this post! Flourishes will draw a winner and announce this coming Saturday in their Winner's Circle on their blog!

Now check out what the rest of the Spellbinders and Flourishes designers whipped up with this stamp set. You'll love the variety!

· Christine Okken

· Cindy Lawrence

· Danielle Kennedy

· Dawn Burnworth

· Julie Koerber

· Laura Fredrickson

· Leslie Miller

· Stacy Morgan

· Ashley Cannon Newell

· AJ Otto

· Beth Pingry

· Deborah Young - that's me!

· Gina Hanson

· Holly Simoni

· Margie Higuchi

· Judy Hayes

· Julie Overby

· Kazan Clark

· Latisha Yoast

· Mona Pendleton

Take care,

JustRite Christmas Blog Hop!

2010-09-29T10:17:00.001-04:00

Welcome to JustRite Stampers’ newest Wednesday feature, 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hop #4!

Each Wednesday up until Thanksgiving some of your favorite designers will be joining some of the JustRite design team for a series of Christmas blog hops, showcasing JustRite’s entire Christmas Collection of stamps!

This week, it’s the Spellbinders(TM) design team - woohoooo! So mark your calendars for Wednesdays at 9am Central for great Christmas gift, card and project ideas, starting at the JustRite Inspiration blog!

I used JustRite Stampers' new releases Christmas Ornament 3-1/4" and Christmas Nested Sentiments and Verse for my card. It's a big card since I used my new LF-190 Grand Nestablities Labels Four for my card front and my card base!

First I colored my image with Copic Sketch markers. This JustRite set includes four beautiful ornaments that can be used for so many projects! This is a set that you will reach for year after year.

After cutting and embossing my card front with the Grand Nestabilities Labels Four, I folded over the top portion, slipped some ruffled ribbon underneath, and placed a fan/medallion on the top. The sentiment is stamped with JustRite's Christmas Nested Sentiments and Verse.

Supplies:
Stamps: JustRite Stampers' Christmas Ornament 3-1/4", Christmas Nested Sentiments and Verse
Dies: Spellbinders' LF-190 Grand Nestabilities Labels Four, S4-299 Fallen Angel, S4-140 Petite Ovals SM, S4-114 Standard Circles LG, S4-429 Big Scalloped Circles LG, S4-287 Fanciful Holiday
Inks: CTMH Vineyard Berry, Bamboo; Tsukineko Memento Rich Cocoa; Copic Sketch Markers B00, B000, B12, Y28, R59, YG91, YG95, YG99
Paper: CTMH Mistletoe Level II Paper Pack, Heavenly Blue Cardstock; WorldWin Cardstock (Maroon and White)
Other: Webster's Pages Olive Ruffled Ribbon, CTMH Designer Brads Shimmer

Please visit these designers’ blogs to see what fabulous JustRite Christmas inspiration they have for you on the hop today!

JustRite Inspiration Blog

Spellbinders Paper Arts

Becca Feeken

Mona Pendleton

Debbie Olson

Ashley Cannon Newell

Sharon Harnist

Eva Dobilas

Kazan Clark

Beate Johns

Kellie Fortin

Margie Higuchi

Kathy Jones

Regina Hanson

Sankari Wegman

Deborah Young

Angela Barkhouse

Michele Kovack

Terre Fry

Barb Schram

Thanks for stopping by!

JustRite Friday Challenge 036 - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-09-22T22:49:00.000-04:00

Greetings, crafty friends! Here I am doing another JustRite challenge. It's a color challenge that I just couldn't resist. I can't say my mojo is at its highest....this cold has knocked me for a loop and I don't have much energy to create. It hurts my brain! tee hee

Well, the challenge is twofold. 1) Use the colors Dark Red, Ivory and Black (see what I mean? yum!!!), and 2) use an embellishment that you make yourself.

So I pulled out a new (to me) set that I just received from JustRite - "Girl Time". I just love that "Let's Do Lunch" sentiment! I stamped it, colored it and die cut it with my new favorite Spellbinders, backed it with a new Nestabilities release, and made my card with another new Nestabilities (see supply list below).

For my embellishment, I cut nine pieces of black organdy, stabbed them with a tiny brad and poked it through my card. Adhered a darling little blingy rhinestone. Added a few tiny pearls to the flower and the sentiment and it was done! Simply and gorgeous, dahlings!

So I'll try to get back in the studio =. What have you been creating lately? Please share!

Supplies:
JustRite "Girl Time"
Spellbinders S4-293 Lacey Cir cles
Spellbinders S4-114 Standard Circles LG
Spellbinders S5-025 Labels 17
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Copic R59 Cardinal Sketch Marker
CTMH Pearls, Rhinestone Bling, Ribbon, Colonial White and Black Cardstock

Best,

JustRite Friday Challenge #035 - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-09-15T22:54:00.000-04:00

Break out the Glimmer Mist! That's what I did...and it was fun! JustRite's Friday Challenge this week was to make a Christmas tag. I decided I wanted to try using some Glimmer Mist, and the colors that I had were a bit non-traditional. But don't let that stop you! A little glitter, some snowflakes and a beautiful sentiment will pull it all together.

Now, mine didn't come together exactly like I planned, but I certainly wasn't going to trash all of that sparkle - ha! I noticed - too late - that my center snowflake and flower are on the same plane. Ah, well. It could be worse, I guess. I used the awesome stamp set "Christmas Nested Sentiments" and my new clear acrylic JustRite block. LOVED it!!! Spellbinders 2010 Snowflake Pendant, some CTMH paper, ink and pearls, a few Prima flowers, ribbon and call it a tag!

So what colors are you going to try for your Christmas projects? I still love the vintage, muted ivy and cranberry, but you should step outside of your comfort zone sometimes. You might like it...you might not.....but you never know unless you try!

Till later,

Play Date Cafe #46 - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-09-13T17:10:00.001-04:00

My mother called me a rattlebanger today. ???? I have been coughing my fool head off, and told her it was worse when I talked. But that's impossible because 'we' like to talk. Then she said "Mmmmhmmmm, I reckon we're just a bunch of rattlebangers."

HA!

So here's a little card I made for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge. The idea is to make a black and white card with a 'touch' of either pink, gold or copper.

Well, copper is my metal of choice. I love copper. My kitchen countertops are black granite with copper flecks (Galaxy - oooooh!). Copper is beautiful. But alas, no copper embossing powder. So I selected gold. You may ask, "why the pearl?". Well, because I made a boo-boo and needed to cover it, and the pearl is white. tee hee.

Quick and easy!

Products Used:
Paper: CTMH White Daisy, Black, White Daisy Textured Cardstock
Die Templates: Spellbinders(TM) S4-288 Classic Diamonds, S4-290 Labels Fourteen
Stamps: Gina K Lovely Labels 2
Other: Sparkle N Sprinkle Gold Coast EP, Versamark, Michaels Ribbon, Sakura Gold Fine Line Marker, EK Success Border Punch, CTMH Pearl

Take care, all you rattlebangers!

JustRite #034 Challenge - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-09-08T00:39:00.000-04:00

A word of warning - don't sneeze when using glitter! Oh, good grief. Now that I think about it - maybe that's why I've been coughing the last couple of days!

I have been working all week on Spellbinders' projects using glitter and snow. I love the results but what a challenge! So when I saw the JustRite's challenge this week was to use glitter, I had to join in the fun!

Using my new "Whimsical Christmas" stamp set from JustRite, I pulled out my Copics and did some rudimentary coloring on this cute little guy. It was hard to decide which stamp to use! I nested him on S4-293 Lacey Circles (the blue element). The snowflake is cut from S4-286 2010 Snowflake Pendant, covered with glue and glittered. The paper is from K&Co. "Winter Wonderland" from last year. And the sheet music is from my mom ;-)

I'm still looking for a job to pay the bills. In the meantime, it's nice to have more time to play in my studio.

Till later,

JustRite Friday Challenge #033 - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-09-01T19:33:00.000-04:00

I was inspired by all of the beautiful Christmas cards on the JustRite blog and decided to participate in the Friday Challenge #033.

I wasn't required to do a Christmas card, but ho-ho-ho's were running through my head. And since my JustRite Christmas stamps are traveling across the country to my happy studio, I used JustRite's Times New Roman 95 pt. Deluxe Monogram Set. Versatility, indeed!

My sweet mom gave me several old sheet music books, and I can't stop using them (click on the photo for the details). I stamped my monogrammed letters on a piece of the music, then cut them out with Spellbinders(TM) Nestabilities (circles, lacey circles - yum! - and squares).

Don't you love this beautiful new Mistletoe paper from CTMH? This may be my go-to-paper for all of my holiday projects this year!

OOOhhhh, I can't wait for my new JustRite Christmas stamps! I know it's early, but once the spirit moves you....right???

Till later,

Congratulations - Top 500 in the country!

2010-08-31T11:25:00.002-04:00

Spellbinders Paper Arts Named to Prestigious Inc. 500 List

Craft Company Listed as One of America’s Fastest Growing Companies

Peoria, AZ – August 31, 2010 -- Spellbinders™ Paper Arts, LLC, an award-winning inventor, manufacturer and marketer of cutting edge tools for crafters, announced today it has been named to the Inc. 500, a list of the fastest growing private companies in America. With an extraordinary three-year growth rate of 673%, Spellbinders Paper Arts is ranked 446 on this year’s list, No. 5 in the Phoenix Metro area and No. 25 in the Consumer Products & Services category. With over 27 million businesses registered in the United States, the Inc. 500 list represents the top-tier businesses in America today.

"Fast growth at any time is a big achievement; fast growth during the past few years is just short of miraculous," said Inc. editor Jane Berentson. "The Inc. 500 consists of these just-short-of miraculous companies, the ones that through ingenuity and ambition have increased revenue, hired employees, and grown fast in difficult economic times."

Each year, Inc. magazine ranks U.S.-based, privately held companies according to percentage growth. The fastest-growing list is an exclusive ranking of entrepreneurs nationwide – a group Inc. magazine refers to as the most important segment of the U.S. economy.

“It is an honor to be included in this year’s Inc. 500 list and recognized for our entrepreneurial achievements,” said Stacey Caron, Spellbinders’ President. “Our focus has always been on manufacturing innovative, quality products for crafters. This confirmation of our success is the ultimate recognition of our efforts to grow a business that is both rewarding and fulfilling.”

Spellbinders embraces Web 2.0 marketing methods. They have assembled a team of the best designers in the industry to share their expertise online through a variety of web communities.

About Spellbinders Paper Arts
Spellbinders™ entered the craft and hobby market in 2003 with the introduction of the Wizard® Universal Craft Tool and a unique, patented collection of dies unlike any introduced before - or since. Always on the cutting edge in introducing innovative tools to the market, the Grand Calibur™ and Presto Punch™ are the company's latest offerings for crafters. Spellbinders product lines include more than 250 patented and patent-pending products, allowing crafters, hobbyists, artists and teachers to create one-of-a-kind, beautiful paper art projects. Visit http://spellbinderspaperarts.com/ or e-mail info@spellbinders.us for more information.

Play Date Cafe - Shocking! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-08-30T17:53:00.001-04:00

Hey, y'all!

Are you feeling crafty? Well, I've been working on design team assignments for the past several days, but now that I'm finished (woohoo!) I decided it was time to take on another challenge. I scrolled down to the challenges I have posted in the left column and stopped at Play Date Cafe. I wanted to see what my friends Julie, Steph and Mona had created. To my horror, Steph's term is ending. Boo hooo!!!! Luckily, I can see her amazing work on other design team blogs.

Now look at these colors. Navy Blue. Bright Pink. And Mustard!!! Oh, good grief. That is certainly a challenge, right??? But a fun one!

I found a cute little tag from Crafty Secrets that had blue and pink teacups with yellowish-mustardy tea in them. Perfect! All I needed to do was cut out a little white crown and color it mustard with my Copics. Easy, right??? So I spy this little "scrap" of white cardstock that is the perfect size to cut out the crown! Zip it through my Wizard and turn it over - oh no!! I cut my cute little baby teacups! Friends, I was mortified!!! There went my card, right out the window.

Or not. Goodbye, fair teacups! Well, I had already cut out the shocking pink frame, the wings and the sentiment tag. What to do? Luckily, the same Crafty Secret sheet had this precious little birdie who fit the bill (tee hee - bill - HA!)! So I plucked him up, stuck him to the back of the frame and proceeded to color the wings and crown. Mind you, I had no mustard cardstock and haven't missed it. ha. So I pulled out a Copic marker (Honey) which is about as close to mustard as I could find.

This definitely knocked me outside of my crafting box. I would have never used these bright colors without the challenge....but I kind of like it!

So did you play this week? Share!

Peace out,

Handmade Paper - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-08-26T17:01:00.002-04:00

The sun is finally peeking out a bit here in coastal Florida. We've had the summer rains and thunderstorms for a few days now and it's nice to be the sunshine state again!

I've been puttering around in my studio, trying to purge (yeah...right!!) and make use of things that were tucked away waiting for the right moment. Well, my BFF Rindy gave me some fabulous handmade paper that she brought back from a trip a few years (yes, YEARS) ago. And when I rediscovered it I squealed with delight! Because now was the perfect time to cut into it and marry it with the new colors and peacock images in CTMH's new Autumn Idea Book (coming out September 1!).

Just look at that paper! Isn't it insanely beautiful??? The gold really shimmers and shines. I just love it! It's a light and airy tissue texture and I have plenty left - tee hee!

I didn't want a bright gold cardstock, so I used a Copic marker to make my own muted gold cardstock from white. The stamped label is one of Claire's fabulous Waltzingmouse stamps that coordinates with Spellbinders(TM)' S4-229 Labels Five die template - still my favorite!

That awesome huge glittery brad, the peacock feather stamp and the new 'blue' ink colors are all in the new Idea Book. I hope you enjoy!

p.s. For all you "international" Spellbinders™ lovers....you may be interested to know that the Spellbinders International Guest Blogger - Fall 2010 Contest is on! Please click here for complete details! wooHOOO!

What's your routine? Plus a Grammy's Love - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-08-18T22:54:00.000-04:00

How do you handle a disruption in your routine? I've always been a creature of habit - fairly comfortable with knowing what I would be doing each evening after work.....each weekend. So having some free time off while I'm job-searching changed things up.

Last week, for example, I had a surge of mojo and created some art nearly every day. Then this weekend I had a dog-sitting job (my first) with a wonderful little guy named Corky. I stayed at Corky's house and didn't take any craft supplies with me (can you believe it???). Then Alan has been home from college for a couple of days, and we fell into our Alan-home-from-college-routine of sitting together with our computers, watching our taped shows that I save for these days and eating takeout. Watching typical guy shows, but they really are pretty good - Deadliest Catch, Whale Wars, Swords and a new one - Scrappers. So all of my chick shows have stacked up in a tidy row waiting for Alan to leave.

So now he's home at his other home in Gainesville, and I'll be back to the studio tomorrow - yippee! And back to looking for a job, trying to find affordable health insurance...you get the idea.

Here's one of my Spellbinders(TM) layouts that you can find in the Spellbinders' blog gallery. This is my mom (isn't she cute!) and my baby's first college graduation from BCC. I used some lace that my mom gave me from her old scraps, as well as sheet music she gave me (for the fan and the flowers). Click on the image to enlarge it. These are my two most favorite people in the world!

So how do you handle a routine disruption? Do you still manage to slip in a little craftiness, or do you dive completely into the disruption and start anew when things settle down?

JustRite and SFYTT Challenges combined Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-08-12T01:08:00.001-04:00

Gene Simmons got his head stuck in a squirrel head. Oh, good grief. I am dying here watching the show that I recorded form last night. Need I say more?

So, have you joined in any of these challenges that I have listed in the left column? I combined two of them yet again - JustRite's Friday Challenge #030 and Jen's SFYTT (Sketch For You To Try).

The JustRite challenge invites you to use this photo as your inspiration. I used the colors and 'feel' of the pillow in the upper left corner of the photo as my inspiration, then used Jen's sketch as my template.

I used a stamp from JustRite's Joyful Hearts set and some of my Spellbinders(TM) Nestabilities: S5-022 Labels Ten, S4-112 Classic Ovals Small and a brand new release, S4-293 Lacey Circles. The paper is from MME's "Quite Contrary" line, mounted on CTMH's Hollyhock cardstock with a touch of Sweet Leaf thrown in.

Now, I realize that most of you have been using these tiny little Prima flowers for a while, but this is my first! My friend Mona slipped a package of them in my luggage when I stayed with her in Phoenix in April. Now, how sweet was that? She is an angel here on earth!

Thanks for stopping by and for putting up with me during my transition to whatever my new career might be. Your comments and thoughts mean so much!

Till later,

JUGS - Just Us GirlS Challenge - Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-08-10T20:16:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all!

Have you tried my friend Lisa Kind's JUGS challenges? It's pretty cool 'cause they host a different type of challenge each week - sketch, color, templates....you get the idea.

This week it's a sketch challenge and I used it to vent a little about my unfortunate incarceration - subtly, of course!

The awesome little tag from the paper pack (CTMH's Notebook) afforded me the opportunity to circle the exact date of my layoff...and then at the bottom is my editorial comment - 'f-r-e-e-d-o-m'. tee hee

I sliced up some Prima flowers I've had for eons. This quick card took maybe 15 minutes to make, which is a record for me!

I'm having a blast doing these challenges....and lovin' the return of my mojo! New Spellinders(TM) die templates are on the way.....ah, life is great!

Peace out,

Embellish Magazine Challenge Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-08-09T23:24:00.001-04:00

My friend Ashley Cannon Newell publishes an awesome on-line magazine, Embellish along with her hubby Mac.

This week she had a challenge with colors that looked interesting....and the best part was, you had to use a birdie! Well, that's right up my alley! So I heeded the call.

It took every bit of restraint I had not to use my Spellbinders S4-297 Nested Crown die template again. So instead I used S4-303 Crown Ovals. Both of these are brand new sets available now on the Spellbinders website. The paper is an old K&Co stack, and it really is bright pink and neon green - I just had a fit photographing this one!

The birdie is a CTMH stamp set (A Tweet)....I stamped him on the back of the paper and cut him out because I wanted him facing the opposite direction.

Make sure you check out Ashley's magazine and join in the challenge!

Peace out,

Mojo Monday meets Play Date Cafe Scrapbooking in Melbourne,Florida

2010-08-08T00:28:00.001-04:00

Oh, it's good to be back!

Thank you for all of the encouragement during my morosity (new word?). I hope the mojo has returned -- I made four cards today! wooHOOO!!! I decided to sit down in my studio and just create for fun -- no design team projects (although they are fun!!!) -- no restrictions; just create.

So I started with a card for my BFF Rindy, which you'll see in a couple of days. Then a card for my BFF Tami. These gals really were my lifeline a couple of weeks ago during my unfortunate incarceration (my layoff - ha).

Then I moved on to a couple of challenge cards. Now, this is the first time I've ever made a card that actually fits two challenges! I used Julee's Mojo Monday 150 sketch. Wow, this sketch rocked! I always forget about my corner rounder, so this was a fun reminder that it's in my stash.

I also fulfilled the Play Date Cafe's Challenge 41, which is a color challenge. What great inspiration there!

I was so excited to get to play with Spellbinders'(TM) brand new release S4-297 Nested Crown(R) die templates. Yum!!!! The darker portions are actually inked through the holes in the die template - that's what's so great and unique about Spellbinders die templates! Click on the photo to get a closer look.

So how's your mojo? If you are stuck like I was, try making something just for fun - no restrictions. Or try one of the sketch challenges - I've linked several here in the left column of my blog. Let me know how it works out!

Till next time,

Have you missed me? Slowly coming back.............

2010-08-06T17:53:00.001-04:00

I know I have been a bad blogging friend. Let me tell you why, dear followers. I lost my job two weeks ago. I've never lost a job. How do you deal with it? How do you deal with the plummeting self-esteem? The embarrassment and humiliation. Yes, I know that 'my job was eliminated'. They loved me, I was a wonderful employee, it was nothing personal. After 16 years, though, I am crushed. And that's all I can say because I signed a release.

So. This is why I have not blogged, but more importantly why I have not created. I just haven't had the heart. When I should be using my craft to pick myself back up and put on those big-girl panties!

I ventured into the studio last night and started reorganizing. Well, it was never really organized so I can't say that I reorganized...just shifted some things around. The mojo is not back, but I sensed a rumbling. I'll try again tonight.

In the meantime.....anyone offer cheap health insurance?

Smiles,

Want to create your own die cuts up to 9" long? Oh my!!!!

2010-07-27T20:34:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, Spellbinders(TM) today introduced the Grand Calibur(TM), the big daddy of die cut machines! There's nothing like it anywhere!

It will cut and emboss up to 8.25" wide - that's right, you can run an 8.5" x 11" sheet of cardstock through without cutting it! So load up a bunch of our classic die templates on one big sheet....or use the NEW Grand die templates!

Here are the dimensions for the new templates:

Grand Labels One
From 4 1/4” to 6 3/4”

Grand Labels Four
From 5 1/4” to 9 1/4”
Grand Ovals
From 4 1/4” to 7 1/2”

Grand Scalloped Ovals
From 4 3/4” to 8 1/4”

Grand Squares
From 4” to 7”

Grand Scalloped Squares
From 4 1/2” to 7”

Grand Circles
From 4 1/4” to 7 1/4”

Grand Scalloped Circles
From 4 3/4” to 7 1/4”

They're all available for purchase on the Spellbinders website! Click on the image and you'll see the exact dimension of all the die templates in the collection, just below the description.

Let me know what you think!

BIG Spellbinders(TM) news from CHA!!!

2010-07-27T11:37:00.001-04:00

You're gonna love this news!

Spellbinders™ is premiering our newest edition to the lineup - the raspberry beauty, Grand Calibur! It cuts....it embosses....paper up to 8.5" x 11"!

And there's more! New BIG GRAND die templates up to 8.25" wide! wooHOOO!! CHA attendees can check it out at the Spellbinders' booth #1423!

Here it is, girlfriends!!!

Use the new Grand dies, or fill up your page with your classic die templates and cut a bunch with just one pass through the machine! See all the new die templates on the Spellbinders blog!

I'll be posting the dimensions of the new die templates a bit later this evening.

WooHOOO!!!

Need Adhesive? Uh......who doesn't????

2010-07-22T21:08:00.002-04:00

I'd like to share this announcement from Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L. Log on and sign up to find out what's "the shape to come"!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT.…

Get ready to bring your craft to a whole new level! If you want to know what the big news is BEFORE anyone else… be sure you’ve signed up at theshapetocome.com !

If you register your email address before July 25th, you’ll get a special pre-show announcement one day before the CHA Trade Show opens!! One lucky person that signs up between now and July 25th will be chosen at random to win $50 (msrp) of SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L™ products (winner announced on their blog August 2nd)!

I LOVE their EZ Runner and foam squares. Good luck!!

Rose Tutorial and Blog Candy Winner!

2010-07-22T00:31:00.000-04:00

This really is my Wednesday evening post - I started at 10pm but had to edit all of my photos. I'm sooooo slow!!!

Well, several people have asked about the rose on my sister's birthday card. Well, I found the tutorial that I followed here. It's an awesome tutorial and easy to follow.

Here's how I made mine - I just changed up the way that I cut the rose bases. I used Spellbinders(TM) Nestabilities(R) Dahlia and Standard Circles LG (see how I scribbled it on my deskpad so I'd remember? tee hee).

Cut three 4" squares of designer paper. Mine is double-sided, just slightly darker on one side. Place your die templates on your mat as shown - you'll see why you need the circle in a minute.

Now, there's no need to emboss the paper, so I went ahead and cut all three papers at once to save time.

Save one of the 'leftover' circles - we'll use it later as our rose base. Cut the three 'flowers' as follows (my picture's not exactly right, so 'do as I say, not as I do' - ha!

1. Cut one piece so that you have a section with six petals and a section with two petals.
2. Cut the second piece so that you have five petals and a section with three petals.
3. Cut the last piece so that you have a piece with four petals, one petal, and a throw-away piece with three petals.

Sponge the outer (petal) edges with a coordinating ink.

Using a toothpick, skewer, or piercing tool (I call mine my 'poker' - I'm just sayin'......), curve all of the petal edges under.

Here's how it looks on one side - you can see the other side of the petal directly underneath my hand. Now, using the largest section, wrap it around so that the first petal 'covers' the last petal; glue with a strong adhesive. See the piece just below, next to my watermark, for an actual photo. Now, if we had not cut that circle piece out, the flower would have been super tall, right? It will still be three dimensional, but not insanely so - ha!

Now, the sections with two and one petal are going to be at the very center of the flower, so instead you will roll them up vertically (photo above) after you've rolled the edge under.

Stack the layers together as shown above. Pretty, right? Smear that circle (that you saved from step one) with adhesive. I used Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue in the purple bottle. It really is goopy and holds your project together rather quickly so you don't have to sit there and hold it forever.

Place your layers on the circle, press to adhere, and voila!!!! A lovely, glorious rose!!

Go ahead and try some for yourself. You can see the size that a 4" square will make. Try smaller ones, make some leaves and you're set! Link yours here so we can all admire them!

Now, for the blog candy! I promised blog candy on Monday's post. And I finally took a photo! Here's what's included:

A full-sized acrylic stamp set, "Holiday Warmth"
A tiny stamp set in its own cute little package!
The most awesome bone folder you'll ever use
Rhinestone frames
White flowers
Shimmery adhesive-backed pearls
A large roll of black/white floral grosgrain ribbon
One of my favorite cards :-)

And the winner is.......................

JessicaK!!!! Thanks to everyone who left a comment. You're awesome!

Jessica....e-mail me so I can get your goodies in the mail!

I'll be back this weekend with a 'twist' on my Spellbinders Blog Frenzy project.

Thanks again,

Embossed Ornament Tutorial and some blog candy!

2010-07-19T09:00:00.005-04:00

Happy Monday! First and foremost, I want to thank you so much for all of your sweet comments this weekend. I truly hope that you try and make your own flower. Of course, I had a 'brainstorm' (as my mom would say - tee hee) last night as to how to change it up a little bit. I'll work on that this week and try to have a new tutorial for you next weekend.

In the meantime, here are the directions for making the ornament:

This simple but elegant holiday ornament was made with S4-288 Classic Diamonds Die Templates and I2-1009 Flourish Impressabilities. Here are some of the products that you will need to create this project:

Use your favorite cardstock color - just think of the possibilities! I used CTMH Blush cardstock for the base and WorldWin Papers' Mirror-Cast Gold Metallic Foil for the smaller diamonds.

Cut/emboss eight cardstock diamonds with S4-288 Classic Diamonds #5 (remember, the smallest die template is #1, increasing in number as they get larger). Cut/emboss eight foil cardstock diamonds with die template #4, embossing with the I2-1009 Impressabilities. The above picture shows how to make your sandwich: Place your white master plate on the bottom, followed by the Impressabilities, followed by the Classic Diamonds die template (cutting side up), followed by the foil cardstock (face down), followed by the embossing mat, followed by the second white master plate. Doesn't that embossed diamond look gorgeous?

Center the foil/embossed diamond over the blush cardstock diamond, adhering with your favorite adhesive. Repeat with all eight diamonds. Score down the center as shown above, fold and crease well with your bone folder.

Use a strong glue to adhere the back of the diamonds together..

I used these cute little spiral clips to help hold the seams tightly together while the glue dried.

Before you glue the last set of diamonds together to complete the ornament, insert a long strand of ribbon with which to hang the ornament.

It's easy enough to duplicate, even mass-produce. Try using different Impressabilities for different looks! Add pearls at the top and bottom, ribbon, tinsel...you get the idea!

Here's one I made with red cardstock. I cut/embossed the smaller diamonds with white cardstock, using the same Flourishes Impressabilities. With the Impressabilities still in place, I sponged red ink through the openings in the template.

Now. I promised blog candy! See that awesome bone folder in the first photo? It's up for grabs, along with a surprise goody bag of acrylic stamps, ribbon and other high-quality embellishments! Why is it a surprise? Because I haven't taken a photo - tee hee!

So this candy is available to anyone who follows my blog! Just leave me a comment saying that you are a follower (sign up now - over on the right colunmn) or have been a follower for a while....and you're in the drawing!!!

I'll announce the winner here Wednesday night. Sound good?

Thanks again for giving me your time. You guys rock!!!

Spellbinders(TM) Big Event!! Blog Frenzy July 13-20, 2010

2010-07-16T22:00:00.006-04:00

My contest is now closed. Be sure to enter today's contest if it's still open!

Welcome to the fifth day of the Spellbinders(TM) Paper Arts BIG Event!

The BIG Event is Spellbinders Paper Arts’ way of introducing some really exciting new products! This season’s BIG Event is from July 13-20, incorporating 16 fabulous Designers, and you could win BIG!

• Win today’s new die templates!
• Be eligible to win the Grand Prize by entering each day from each blog!
• You may enter once from each blog on the designated days!
• Each contest is open for 48 hours to enter the contest!
• You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time July 18, 2010 to enter my contest. Be sure to read the Official Rules before entering so that your entry will be valid!

These are the Designers and their contest dates:

July 13
• Julie Overby
• Debbie Olson

July 14
• Judy Hayes
• Latisha Yoast

July 15
• A. J. Otto
• Kimberly Crawford

July 16
• Becca Feeken
• Linda Duke

July 17
• Sherry Cheever
• Deb Young -that would be me!!!

July 18
• Gina Hanson
• Ashley Cannon Newell

July 19
• Mona Pendleton
• Heidi Blankenship

July 20
• Kerilee Sereika
• Kazan Clark

Daily contest winners are randomly chosen from valid entries, as stated in the Official Rules. The winners will receive an email within 24 hours of the contest’s closing. The winners will have 72 hours to reply to that email to claim prize. If a winner fails to respond within 72 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Entrants that send valid contest entry emails to each of the contests will be automatically considered for the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize has a retail value of over $700, and includes Spellbinders CHA Summer 2010 release die templates, Spellbinders CHA Summer 2010 release punch templates and a Presto Punch™ machine!

Thank you, Spellbinders Paper Arts, for sponsoring this contest!

I’m thrilled to share S4-288 Classic Diamonds Nestabilities(R) with you!

Yes, those are S4-288 Classic Diamonds Nestabilities cut and folded into petals on the lid! Here's how I used S4-288 Classic Diamonds Nestabilities to make the flower:

Cut ten diamond frames from double-sided paper by nesting S4-288 Classic Diamond #4 and #5 (with #1 being the smallest size in the set) to make the frame.

Score each diamond frame about 1/4 inch from the center. I've indicated my score lines with arrows.

Fold on the score lines as shown below. Now you can see why I decided to use double-sided paper :-).

Pull the two short ends together so that the long sides form a double loop - this is where a picture is worth a thousand words!

Pinch those short sides together and adhere the 'pinched' end with adhesive.

Here's how my ten petals looked before I adhered them to each other.

Now here's where I had to really get creative! First I tried adhering the bases (those short sides) directly together, but I discovered that the petals were too full; I needed something to 'shim' those pinched bases. After a few trials and errors and a couple of Aleve (tee hee), I spied a makeup sponge on my desk. I snipped nine small pieces of sponge and glued one between each petal's pinched end. This photo shows how it looked before I glued the final one sponge/petal. And it worked!

Using S4-249 Big Scalloped Circles LG Nestabilities #7, cut a large scalloped circle to cover the top of the lid. Adhere your pretty petal next. Make a scalloped circle sandwich using S4-269 Big Scalloped Circles LG #2 and #3. Stamp the element with a pretty image and use it to cover the open center of the petal.

Use coordinating paper to cover your box. Cut/emboss a label with S4-288 Classic Diamonds Nestabilities #3 and #4, stamp with a sentiment, and adhere. I used a Copic marker to color the pearls to match the paper.

You could use more than ten petals or less, depending upon the size of the die template. Try it and let me know how yours turns out!

Supplies:

Spellbinders products: S4-288 Classic Diamonds Nestabilities, S4-249 Big Scalloped Circles LG Nestabilities, Wizard Die Cutting Machine
Paper: Kaisercraft Rosa, Nadia and Sofia; CTMH Blush Cardstock
Stamps: Waltzingmouse 'Seasons of Love Tags'
Inks: Copic R37 Marker (Carmine); CTMH Vineyard Berry and Blush Ink
Other: Beacon Zip Dry Glue; Scrapbook Adhesives EZ Runner; CTMH Bonding Memories Glue; White Pearls; Papier Mache Box

Here's another project I made using the S4-288 Classic Diamonds Nestabilities die templates:

Visit my blog again Monday and I'll show you step-by-step directions to make this beauty......and I'm giving away some blog candy along with it!

This is the Spellbinders product I introduced:

SKU/Product Name: S4-288 Classic Diamonds
MSRP: $24.99
Dimensions:
1: 1x1 3/8”
2: 1 1/2 x 1 7/8”
3: 2 x 2 3/8”
4: 2 1/2 x 3”
5: 3 x 3 5/8”
6: 3 1/2 x 4 ¼”
7: 4 x 4 7/8”

For the official Spellbinders Paper Arts BIG Event rules, click here.

TO ENTER MY CONTEST: (Contest is open for entries from July 17 to July 18)

1) Send your email entry to Reveal10@Spellbinders.us (either click the link or type the address into your email program).

2) The subject must be Classic Diamonds.

3) Send!

I love your comments! Unfortunately your comment does not count towards a contest entry, so be sure to enter and then leave a comment!

If you have any questions, please e-mail ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us.

Thank you for visiting my blog and good luck!!

Forever Friends Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-07-14T01:33:00.000-04:00

Oh, how nice to have a couple of days at home to create. So I pulled out this 6x6 paper pad from Webster's Pages that I've been dreaming about for a couple of months now.

Each page is adorned with precious birdies, trees, flowers or other natural elements....in these wonderfully muted colors. I'm in paper heaven!

Add a few Nestabilities(R) die templates, coordinating ribbon and fun embellishments and call it a card!

Recipe:

Paper: Webster's Pages, DCWV, CTMH
Ribbon: Webster's Pages
Ink: CTMH
Dies: S4189 Labels Three, S4-190 Labels Four
Stamps and embellishments: CTMH (new releases available September 1)

Make sure you stop in Friday as it's my Spellbinders(TM) Design Team BIG Frenzy release day! In the meantime, check out the other designers....and make sure you enter to win one, a few, or all of the new releases!

Well, it seems that my free background service is in the midst of changing servers, so my purrty green and gold background is in blog purgatory. I hope it's fixed in time for my Frenzy post!

Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I always appreciate hearing from you.

Take care,

Want to win? Today's the Spellbinders(TM) Big Event! Scrabooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-07-13T11:46:00.000-04:00

Whew! It's finally here!

Check out the Spellbinders' blog for the full schedule for the BIG Event Blog Frenzy! Two ladies will reveal the new summer release die templates to you today...then check back each day for more fun! Be sure to enter to win some, or ALL of the goodies!!! My reveal is on the 17th...but don't wait....start by checking out Julie's blog today!

Here's the whole schedule:

July 13

• Julie Overby

• Debbie Olson

July 14

• Judy Hayes

• Latisha Yoast

July 15

• A. J. Otto

• Kimberly Crawford

July 16

• Becca Feeken

• Linda Duke

July 17

• Sherry Cheever

• Deb Young

July 18

• Gina Hanson

• Ashley Cannon Newell

July 19

• Mona Pendleton

• Heidi Blankenship

July 20

• Kerilee Sereika

• Kazan Clark

Where in the world is Deb Young? CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, FL

2010-07-09T12:47:00.001-04:00

Hey y'all! It's the third day of the Close To My Heart convention here in HOT Washington, DC! I have a new bag (woohooo!!!), new INKS, new papers, stamps and a new friend! Doesn't Pat look cute as a Flamingo Girl? I'm just sayin'......

Here's the rest of the silly flock. Deb Tuggle made our shirts - woohoo!! I know the thousand other people must think we are nuts, but we are the only ones that have an easy time finding each other in the crowd!

The Gaylord National Harbor is awesome. As usual, CTMH went out of their way with this convention. Look at this - part of the staff did a great rendition of Beyonce's Single Ladies video - complete with bling! And Jeanette donned "The Donald's" hairpiece and took care of some business.

A few lucky ladies even got their own CTMH-engraved Snuggy! Good grief! Maybe they weren't so lucky - tee hee!

Well, I'm almost late for create-n-take class.....thanks for stopping by!

Nothin' but Blue Skies! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-07-05T17:13:00.000-04:00

Happy 5th of July! Did you have a nice holiday weekend? Was it a blast? tee hee.....ha! blast!!! I woke up early Saturday (set the alarm clock!), came into the family room....and there was my BABY sleeping on the sofa! Yep, Alan came home around 4:30 in the morning. woohoooo!!!! He wasn't sure whether or not he would make it, and I was hoping he would, but it was still a surprise. We spent much of Saturday with Grammy, watching soccer. Then yesterday we watched a bunch of tv shows that I had saved for us to watch together - Deadliest Catch and Whale Wars. It rained all day anyway, so it worked out great!

So here's my June HAS (Humble Artists' Group card). If the ink in the thumbnail looks shiny, it's because it is! I wet embossed all of the stamped images with clear detail embossing powder.

This is a great stamp set with all of its cute little rainbow elements, clouds and sentiments. All of the products are Close To My Heart.

I'm cutting this short as I need to pack for convention! Yes, I'm off to DC tomorrow to CTMH's annual consultant convention. The last one was in Orlando, so it was easy for us to attend.

We will spend most of the time in the hotel, but it's the new Gaylord, so I think I will make that sacrifice! I hope to come back with fun new goodies to share with you.

I'll have some Spellbinders lusciousness to share with you soon. In the meantime, check out our new Designer artwork in the Spellbinders gallery.

Thanks for stopping by!

Do you submit? Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-06-26T12:59:00.001-04:00

Greeting, friends! Saturday.....wooHOOO!!! What are you up to today? Crafting? tee hee. I got up early (for me- ha), filled up the gas tank in Tommy laSolstice, picked up a few groceries and came home to start crafting. I still have several projects to finish, but I wanted to jump on here and post another 'loser' card!

Now, another benefit of being on the Spellbinders(TM) DT is that we are required to submit to a publication each month. Since this is something new to me, I've been forwarding my submissions to PaperCrafts, one of my favorite papercrafting magazines!

But I am obviously not their style - ha! I actually sent three cards this time, and this one is the most simple. To me, their cards are extremely clean and simple, so I had hope for this one! But alas...no e-mails for me.

But I'm okay with that! I spoke with my friend Gina last night and she suggested I try other publications. I can do that!

In the meantime, I really like this little loser card. I used the AWESOME Fancy Tags Shapeabilities(R) die template (love my Fancy Tags!), Classic Ovals Large and Big Scalloped Ovals Large. Yum! My New JustRite stamps and some awesome CTMH cardstock rounds it all out.

So, what's your style? What types of cards have you submitted successfully for publication? Are you ready to dip your toes in the publication pool? Go for it!

Happy weekend!

Creating with Spellbinders Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Floria

2010-06-23T18:23:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all! Good grief; life's been crazy here in Melbourne, Florida! Lots of interesting things at work, and lots of crafting going on in my studio!

This is the first time I've ever created projects for CHA - the Craft & Hobby Association big event. So I've been working diligently on those...as well as new Spellbinders(TM) projects (yippee!) and other cool things I'll be able to show you one of these days.

In the meantime, here's my first card posted on the Spellbinders' blog. It was actually featured yesterday and again today, so check it out. A bit of a departure from my style, but I'm lovin' that Fair Isle Pendant die template, aren't you?

I hope some of my work gets picked up so that I can share it....well, I guess if it doesn't get picked up, I'll be able to share it even sooner! HA!!!

Now let's go create!

JustRite BlogHop sponsored by Spellbinders(TM) CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-06-13T21:30:00.003-04:00

Hey y'all! Here I am with a sore throat after coughing my fool head off last week. Good grief! At least I have a desk job, right?

Anyway, I've cooked up a little recipe box to play along with JustRite Stampers' Blog Hop sponsored this week by Spellbinders! The challenge is to share a summer recipe project using JustRite stamps, and then share the recipe!

I used two JustRite stamp sets to create this recipe box with inserts - Joyful Hearts, Borders and Centers on the front label, and the Special Occasions Uppercase font set on the inserts. The front label is probably my favorite part! I embossed the sentiment with Sparkle 'n Sprinkle Cherry Cosmic Opaque Embossing Powder, then cut the sentiment with Spellbinders S4-110 Classic Ovals Large die template, matted with S4-251 Big Scalloped Ovals Large, and mounted on S4-235 Fancy Tags (yum!). All the papers are CTMH's Cherry-O line.

I cut, embossed and stenciled a little scalloped edge on the card inserts with S4-244 Fair Isle borders. The cute little cherry elements are CTMH's Cherry-O Opaque Pearl Stickers. A few buttons, a little ribbon and Stickles and it's complete!

Now for the recipe. Summers are hot here in Florida, so we really enjoy our cold beverages! Here's an awesome recipe for Strawberry Lemonade. Why don't you give it a try and let me know how it turns out?

Strawberry Lemonade

1 quart fresh strawberris, washed and hulled
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup superfine sugar
3-1/4 cups club soda, chilled

Place strawberries in blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Combine lemon juice and sugar in a pitcher and stir until sugar dissolves. Add strawberry puree, stirring well. Stir in club soda just before serving. Serve over ice. 70 calories per 1 cup serving.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by,

As I promised...............................Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-06-04T23:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday again, y'all! I promised I would share my sister's birthday card, so here you go. This really was a pretty quick card to make once I made the rose. Don't you love it?

I'll have to search for the link for you - there's a YouTube video - paper roses (not Marie Osmond - good grief!) that outlines the steps. This first attempt I thought I would have to scrap, but I really think it's gorgeous! You can click on either of the images to get a closer look.

The paper is from a K&Company paper pad that I've had for a couple of years, I think. I really loved this sheet with the big green flowers, tiny blue leaves and brownish background. So I fussy cut a piece and popped it up on foam tape on a solid green mat, which in turn was matted with more of the pink.

The paper that I used for the rose is actually a piece from CTMH's "Bella" paper pack. No ink involved!

Can you believe that I used neither Nestabilities(TM) nor ribbon? Will wonders never cease.

Speaking of Nestabilities....I've added a new feature to my blog that should be extremely helpful for all of your Spellbinders Die Template collectors. Click on the Wizard (die cutting machine) in the right-hand column and you'll be rewarded with an inventory list of all current Spellbinders die templates! Print it out, fill it out and make it a little easier to keep track of those Spellbinders products. Now if only the rest of our lives could be so organized!

So what do you think? Do you find this list helpful to you? Do you want me to find the link to the rose tutorial?

Toodles.....

Half Price CTMH Special Today CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-06-04T12:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday - woooHOOO!!!

Today's Jackpot special is a surprise goodie box - $40 gets you $80 worth of goodies!!! Check out my website for details.

I'll be back with a picture of a card I made for my sister's birthday - it's so purrrty!

Hit the Jackpot!!! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-06-01T14:23:00.001-04:00

Remember the clearance sale and goodie boxes last year? Well, it's back but it's better!

For the month of June, CTMH will have daily deals. Goodie boxes loaded with loot at 50% off. Hit the jackpot and you'll win free products! Check out my CTMH website for a new deal every day!

Goodie box days will feature a surprise variety of new and retiring products, all at 50% off or more! Jackpot days will offer five different products at a discount. One of those will be the mystery jackpot item of the day! If you order the jackpot item, you'll get FREE CTMH items shipped to you FREE! How do you know if your scored? The jackpot item will be revealed the next day, so you'll know if you have an extra item coming your way! Or just purchase all five items and you know you'll hit the jackpot!!!

These special offers include discounted shipping/handling and are only available through my CTMH website.

Check back daily for the special of the day!

Today’s special offer is a choice of five different Level 1 Kits at 30% off...that's just $7 each! Plus, if you hit the jackpot and order the correct one, you will also get a FREE tube of Heavenly Blue ribbon rounds and a FREE tube of Hollyhock ribbon rounds (pictured above)! Or order all five Level 1 Kits and you know you'll hit the jackpot!

If I've confused you, check out the details on my website. Enjoy!!!
.

June Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-05-31T21:00:00.005-04:00

Greetings! Welcome to our Close To My Heart June Stamp of the Month blog hop! Did you get here from Jen's blog? If not, no worries....just follow the link at the bottom of this post and you'll eventually come back here, full circle!

CTMH's Stamp of the Month for June, "Wonderful Friend", is perfect for Father's Day. But it's also perfect for any number of masculine cards!

I used five of the stamps from "Wonderful Friend" on this card. The image of the watch is stamped in Cocoa ink and clear embossed (shiny IRL!). The watch 'background' is stamped in Bamboo ink with the argyle stamp. There's also a houndstooth stamp (awesome!) that I stamped in bamboo behind the sentiment, which is stamped on cs cut with Nestabilities(TM) Labels Three. Finally, I used Cocoa ink to stamp the front of the card base (behind the script paper/mat from "Passages") with a fleur-di-lis men's tie image. There are a total of nine images in June's Stamp of the Month, which you can purchase or earn it free with other purchases!

Now hop on over to the delightful Wendy's blog to check out her creation!

Memorial Day Photos Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-05-31T16:27:00.000-04:00

Alan took these photos when he visited the beaches of Normandy a couple of years ago. He backpacked through Europe and his love of history dictated that he visit this place of our fallen soldiers. The first photo is the actual beach where our American soldiers landed.

My dad served in the Korean War. Alan's other Grandpa did as well, and Alan's dad retired from the Navy. I learned the ways of the military well. How about you? Do you have special memories today?

Another Take on Caboodle CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-05-22T22:53:00.000-04:00

Hello, friends! Thanks for coming back after my two week hiatus. There's no good reason for it...but it's surely the longest period I have let lapse without blogging!

I've just been in a funk. No desire to create, blog or do much of anything, to be perfectly honest. We're all worried about our jobs at work, and I guess I lean towards hibernation when I'm stressed. So why didn't I hibernate in my studio and knock out some projects? Who knows. Just wasn't in the mood.

But my sister told me yesterday that I need to get out of my funk, so I'll start by sharing this card that I made for the Humble Artists' Swap (HAS) that was due in April. I really like it! We had lots of requirements for this card - seven or eight layers in one place, embossing (I did dry and with powder), ribbon, scallops, a specific number of embellishments....it's really fun to meet the challenge! Every product is from Close To My Heart except for the sentiment mat, which is cut with my favorite Nestabilities(TM) Labels Five die template, cut in half.

If you have any questions about how I made the various elements in the card, ask away and I'll answer here. Because I'm too lazy to get up and get the names of the stamps that I used! Good grief.

I hope you're enjoying your summer. I have a new air conditioner and my pool is warm, leaving me no excuses for not exercising. How have you been? Any great plans for the summer?

Lovingly,

Miracle Butterfly is JustRite Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-05-08T22:16:00.000-04:00

Happy weekend, y'all! The weekend just flies by, doesn't it? Sometimes I think I wish my life away waiting for the weekend.

Today I had a wonderful day scrapbooking with my friends. With my BEST friend Rindy, my other best friend Theresa who just moved home from Charleston (wooHOOO!), my other best friend Amelia and a new best friend Donna. Now, Rindy got on my case tonight because I have so many 'best' friends. Well, what's a girl to do???? So she gets all caps and red. 'Cause she really is my best friend.

Here's a card I made with CTMH's National Scrapbooking Month special, the "Miracle" kit. Aren't the colors peaceful? The kit includes papers and instructions to make scrapbook layouts. See the little butterfly? She is one of many chipboard shapes included in the kit, and she is an "irresistible". She started out white and all I did was sponge her with Sweet Leaf ink. See where the design "resists" the ink and stays white? Awesome, right????

The sentiment is from JustRite, and it's the first time I've used their awesome stamps. I used my Nestibilities(TM) to mount the stamp, as well as the nice mat behind the image. Don't you love that you can stencil the image while it's still in the die template, leaving the nice bright white border? Yum, yum!

So are you looking for a Miracle (ha)? Check it out on my CTMH website....order it and have it delivered directly to your front door!

Will you be spending Mother's Day with your sweet babies? I will be spending the day with my sisters and my Mom. I feel lucky to still have my Mom with me. She is so cute. Her little church group had a "Safari" today. It was a dinner at the church for the seniors, and she wore a shirt with giraffes on it with binoculars and a straw hat. Cute! I told her to take a photo, and if she did I will be posting it for sure!

Enjoy your day and thank you again for stopping by!

Paper Roses for Mother's Day Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-05-05T20:39:00.002-04:00

Hey y'all! Can you believe I have my Mother's Day card ready this early? A record, for sure!

My primary inspiration for this card was the paper rose you see above. Jeanette made it sound so easy- which it was! - but mine will never be as beautiful as hers!

This card has a lot going on, so I didn't use patterned paper and kept the colors simple. You can see that there are three key elements - the roses, the sentiment panel and the cameo tag. You usually can't go wrong if you feature three elements rather than two or four.

There is a tiny big of patterned paper - "Lush" from Pink Paislee". I cut leaf shapes from a small piece and scored veins in the leaves. The sentiment mat and the tag are cut and embossed with my awesome Nestabilities(TM) die templates - as well as a tiny mat behind the cameo! I stenciled the Fancy Tag die template with Blush ink and dabbed a bit on top of the smaller rose. The Blush cardstock is scored and sanded to show the white core. Simple but a nice backdrop to anchor all the craziness! And no ribbon - can you believe that?

I hope you will be able to spend Mother's Day with your dear mother, as I will. I hope that my son will be able to come home from college - I've never had a Mother's Day without my baby!

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Spellbinders Gals Photo and Mojo Monday 136 Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-05-02T20:29:00.000-04:00

Hey, y'all! I have a couple of fun things to share with you today.

Here's a cute card that I made for the Mojo Monday 136 Sketch Challenge. Can you believe that I used this bright, funky paper????? I am trying to step outside of my 'zone'. This is the second time I have used orange! wooHOO!

The paper, ribbon and sunglasses 'sticker' are from Cosmo Cricket's "The Boyfriend Collection". Awesome, right? Now how perfect is the Nestibilities(TM) Small Pinking Circle die template behind that sticker - makes it look like the sun, right???? The great thing about Spellbinders(TM) die templates (well, one of the great things) is that after cutting and embossing, you just leave the paper in the die template and sponge away (yes, ORANGE ink!!!).

Now here's proof that I really was in Phoenix with the awesome Spellbinders 2010 Design Team:

Yep, that's us! I am the big one (HA!), second step behind my new BFF Mona. Behind me, my new BFF's Julie, Gina, Judy and Ashley (hey y'all!). Standing in the front my new BFF's Latisha, A.J., Kimberly and Kazan (yo girlfriends!!!). We had a BLAST!!! Can you believe that they let me be a part of this amazing group? (p.s. We were all wearing black on purpose - for our headshots. tee hee).

Beth made a gorgeous layout that's posted on the Spellbinders' blog. Go check it out and read about entering our National Scrapbooking Day contest!!

Thank you for lasting through my ramblings and for all your sweet comments.

Till later,

May Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-30T21:01:00.004-04:00

Greetings, y'all! Welcome to Close To My Heart's May "Stamp of the Month" Blog Hop! Did you get here from Shirley's blog? If not, just keep hoppin' and you'll come on back around!

The name of the May Stamp of the Month is Cherish the Moment, and it features eight different label/tag elements that are quite versatile! I used the "Celebration" tag on my retreat bags. I think this is my favorite stamp in the set!

This time I used a paper packet that's brand new - Cherry-O! Oh, my, it's awesome! I truly thought it was going to be a bit too 'cutesy' for me - but I love it!

I kept the layout very simple so as to showcase the stamp and the Cherry-O paper. This card is for a dear friend who gifted me a gorgeous bonsai tree for my new office. I'll try to remember to take a photo (don't hold your breath - ha!).

Contact your CTMH independent consultant to purchase this stamp set only in May, or get it free with purchase! If you don't have a consultant, you can purchase it now on my site. Now hop on over to my friend Misty's blog - tag, she's it!!!!

Look at all this loot! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-24T22:35:00.004-04:00

Hey y'all! I am up to my earlobes in paper, die templates, ribbon, glue dots......you name it! As if I needed any more excitement in my life.....the new Summer Idea Book from Close To My Heart releases a week from today! Here's a little peek at a card I made today with one of the new papers, Cherry-o. I'll post the whole thing after the book goes live.

So back to all those goodies that are cluttering up my house....here's the proof:

Now. I know that's a tiny photo. But it's all I have. (Edit: Margie sent me a larger photo - woohoo! Thanks, doll!) Margie took this photo of her Spellbinders(TM) loot spread out on her bed at the hotel. It does not include an entire box (ten inches high) of cardstock, a Copic airbrush system with markers and the Wizard die cutting and embossing machine.

Spellbinders was rolling out the product every 15 minutes! This is Ashley having what she called an "Oprah moment". ha! Isn't she clever? Sorry for the fuzzy photo - she couldn't be still! tee hee! That's Judy in the background.....they are both Spellbinders Design Team members!

Can you believe it? I had an extra carry-on and half of my big (BIG) suitcase empty when I arrived, and I still had two boxes shipped home! So I've been playing with my goodies all weekend instead of doing laundry or cleaning house. Fun, fun, fun!

One of the products that I received from Spellbinders was the Impressablities(TM). These are cool metal 'screens' that, when run through the Wizard or your other compatible machine, embosses your cardstock. The super cool part is that you can use them for stenciling as well! Check out StampTV this weekend
over at the Gina K. Designs blog for a tutorial.

So get ready for a few more sneak peeks.....you're gonna love it all!

Treat Bags! Yum, yum, yum...........Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-21T11:30:00.000-04:00

Can you find the chocolate in this photo? It's in the little glasine bag - and I didn't eat it! ha.

Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. My last nine posts, including this one, were pre-scheduled and posted a couple of weeks ago. I am actually on my way back from the Spellbinders(TM) 2010 Design Team retreat in Peoria, Arizona!!!! I know by this time my brain must be exploding with all kinds of smart stuff - ha!!! And my luggage will be full of all kinds of Spellbinders(TM) goodness. Oh, what fun!

We were all told to bring each other a little gift that reflected our hometown.

Well, Melbourne, Florida is the hometown of Ocean Potion sunscreen products. The little decorated jar is clear zinc oxide for your face, lips, nose...you get the idea. And we are also the home of Grimaldi handmade chocolate, specializing in chocolate-covered potato chips. That's what's in the little bag! Also all wrapped up in the gift bag is one of CTMH's brand new clear acrylic cards with a clear plastic envelope!! Scalloped and square - oh my! I hope the girls liked them. Will tell you tomorrow and spill all the beans!!!

Thanks for sticking with me! OH!!!! I just remembered that yesterday was my one-year blogaversary!!!! Did we make it to 25,000 hits? I still need to hunt up some blog candy. Give me a day or two to unpack and I'll see what I can find!

Peace out,

My family - I was once a teenager! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-20T15:27:00.009-04:00

I nearly lifted this layout directly from a fellow CTMH consultant, Lisa Stenz. She is amazing! Hers was so beautiful that I couldn't see much sense in changing it. Of course, it's MY family photo - tee hee! I think that we all coordinate well with the paper except for my mom and Jeannie.

I am the huge one on the left. I have always been the biggest! Sigh. Some things will never change, I suppose.

Until later,

Passages - CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-19T15:22:00.008-04:00

Okay, I just couldn't wait any longer. I am in love with this new paper - Passages - that will be introduced in CTMH's Summer Idea Book on May 1. The sentiment and little 'stitch' stamp are from a set available if you purchase the Workshop on the Go - which you will be able to do May 1. The flower is from a kit that my sweet mom gave me for Christmas, and the cork button (YES! Cork Button!!!) is from the Queen Bee line from Pink Paislee.

Clean and simple! From me! Go figure.

Smiles,

Rock Star! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-18T14:10:00.029-04:00

How about this cute little rockin' girl? I paper pieced her clothes using another pattern from "Rock Star", the same paper on the card base. Did I show you the acrylic album I designed with this paper?

Here's a layout of Alan on graduation day. Doesn't he look happy? My handsome young man. Love him so much! His next graduation will be this winter from University of Florida. Who knows how many more he will go through before reaching his goals. He studies so hard!

Here's one more card with the same paper. Now, all of those little swirly circles on the top layer are actually stamps! I love how easy it is to match and coordinate the inks with the papers....so nice! And those little circles....don't they remind you of a Spirograph?

Okay, am I showing my age now, or are Spirographs still around? Surely one of the greatest toys ever invented. Good grief....we went through reams of paper playing with that thing. Who would have known that just a few (ahem) years later (ha ha), I would be playing with acrylic stamps that mimicked those same spirally images? Fun, fun, fun!

Did you enjoy your weekend? Silly question......I wish my life away waiting for my weekends!

Peace out,

CPS161 - Caboodle CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-16T16:01:00.015-04:00

Silly me. I made this card for the Our Creative Corner challenge last week and forgot to post it on the challenge post. tee hee. And I was so excited about using my Tiny Tabs!

This was really quick to come together since I used a sketch. The sentiment is from Verve, but everything else is Close To My Heart. Even the ribbon is from a Colonial White Ribbon Round, but it's retired. I still have some if you'd like....I'll share what I have left! The paper (Caboodle) and the metal tabs (love them) are brand new so you can purchase them from me. You can actually lift off the epoxy circles from the tabs and use them alone, decorating the tabs to coordinate with another project. How cool is that!!

Cute Baby Layout CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-14T15:50:00.000-04:00

Do you ever look at something in a catalog and think "Ehhh...maybe not so much.". Well, that's what I thought when I first saw the Caboodle paper packet in the CTMH Idea Book. Then I ordered it and saw it IRL - va va va VOOM! Love it and use it...can't stop using it!

I lifted this layout but it was worth coping, don't you think. I wish I had a better photo, 'cause it looks better IRL also.....ha!

The filigree charms are sponged with white pigment ink which is then rubbed off, leaving the charms with a subdued, vintage look.

The little chipboard hearts come on a whole page, different sizes...some funky like these and some curvy, traditional Valentine hearts. They're covered with some of the paper - easy peasy!

Of course, my favorite part of the layout is my baby! Alan. I am the luckiest mom in the world. My 22-yo baby. I loved that little outfit sooo much.....so soft and sweet. He was the cutest baby I have ever seen! So adorable. Can't wait for this college semester to be over. I miss him!

SFYTT Sympathy Card CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-13T15:40:00.001-04:00

I decided to give my mom a second option for her sympathy card. Unfortunately, she needs it now as her friend's dear daughter has passed away.

I used Jen's SFYTT sketch this time. It certainly makes things go quicker when you have a sketch, although most of the time I like to play around with my supplies. Lately, though, I've been on a mission to use up some supplies as well as post more often, so I've found the sketches are often a nice jumping-off point.

CTMH's wonderful Veranda paper packet includes all of these paper patterns. What appears to be cocoa cardstock (for the mats) is actually the reverse side of the paper upon which the image is stamped.

Now. I left my cuttlebug and folders at my friend Amelia's house a couple of weeks ago. Which is why I have not used any of my loving Spellbinders dies lately. Expect that to be remedied soon! The reason I bring this up is to tell you my little trick for the sentiment panel. Without my Spellbinders dies, I was at a loss for what to do. So I pulled out a sentiment panel that is part of the Queen Bee kit, flipped it over and used the outer edge as a template on my Veranda paper! Cut it out, then taped it to the cocoa side and trimmed out a little mat that way. I thought the Verve sentiment might be comforting, and the CTMH flower and charm finish it off simply.

Enjoy your evening!

Hey, girlfriend! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-12T15:26:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post today! While I had those vintage Crafty Secrets panels out yesterday, I used this one to make a card for the Splitcoaststampers Ways to Use It challenge. All you had to do was use a diagonal element on your card. How easy is that with the Topstitch paper, which is already on the diagonal?

I used a scallop punch, several layers, a pretty flower and button. I couldn't find my chocolate waxy flax to thread the button, so I threaded it with a skinny little strip of chocolate cardstock.

Off to do a bit of cleaning (groan.........)

Men are such animals!!! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

I was perusing the blogs (blurfing - blog surfing - don't you love that? tee hee) and found a challenge that was right up my alley - use a bow on your card. Well, hellOOOOO!!! A bow implies ribbon.....and goodness knows I have enough ribbon to tie up central Florida!

Now what does the title of my post have to do with a bow? No.....nothing about a man all tied up.....get your mind out of the gutter! "Men are such animals....Yes dear, but some make good pets!" It's the sentiment on this cute little panel that I used on the card. Funny, huh? It's from one of those pages of vintage images from Crafty Secrets. I love them!!

I ended up with this card in such a roundabout way. It started with the bow concept. I knew that I wanted to make a fluffy bow with May Arts' silk ribbon, but I only had green (no - not what I wanted) and this buttercup yellow. Then I thought vintage...oh, those Crafty Secrets panels! So I pulled them out and found this one - the gal's apron matched the ribbon, and I thought the sentiment was a hoot! And pink is vintage, right? So then I thought pink - let's look at the new CTMH Topstitch paper packet. The vanilla cream flowers go nicely with the ribbon! I used grey wool cardstock and ink for matting and stamping. Seriously, it took less than 15 minutes, which is miraculous for me. I stuck a Pretty Pin in the bow and called it done! Can't wait to mail it to a friend!

Thanks again, y'all, for visiting my blog. Do you like my new header and sidebars??? My friend Amelia paid her friend Tamera to do the logo (header). Then I paid Tamera to do the sidebar headers, signature and a watermark. So now I'll be able to add the watermark when I get Photoshop Elements.

Phew! So if you're still here, leave me a comment about the new look. Anything I should change?

Back to work tomorrow (boohoo)....

Mojo Monday 133 and another Sympathy Card Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-10T19:36:00.001-04:00

I can't stop using this Queen Bee paper! Thanks, Amy. tee hee.

Well, my sweet mom is going to need a sympathy card really soon, so I decided to make one at a time. I hate to tempt fate and make three like I did the last time.

Today I used the Mojo Monday sketch. I wish you could see this card IRO (in real life) - my photo skills just don't do it justice. The black cardstock is CTMH, and all the rest is the Queen Bee line from Pink Paislee. The Verve sentiment is stamped on a 'flip note', which is one of several little die cut papers tucked into a little pad. Of course, they all coordinate perfectly with the Queen bee line; some even have little flourishes, crowns (heart!) and sentiments on them.

Remember that trip to JoAnn's last week? The key that I purchased and used on the Veranda card? Well, that's when I bought the fleur de lis embellishment that I used on this card. LOOOOOOVE it!!!! There are about nine of them (gold, silver, copper colored) in the package....I'd better get more...ha!

What are you up to this weekend? Creating just a little bit, I hope. Me....watching my Dodger boys beat the Marlins, I hope!

Peace out,

Happy Spring! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-08T18:17:00.003-04:00

Happy Spring, indeed! We are already burning up here in Florida. ha....remember all that complaining about the cold weather? I knew it would come around to bite me in the behind!

It's obvious I'm working on jazzing up my blog and that I need to resize some things...tee hee....bear with me, as I thing the final product will be delightful! I am excited!!

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you a card that I did for the JUGS challenge. My friend Lisa from Artful Inkables DT is on the design team, as is my soon-to-be-friend Mona from Spellbinders DT. They have a different 'type' of challenge each week - this week it's a sketch challenge.

The paper is all from CTMH's "Topstitch" paper packet. Cute, right? It's reversible so you can use pink or blue for a baby album. I love that! I also love the little stamp set - it has several umbrella options, as well as little duckies to paper piece! How precious!

Let me get back to 'fixin' my blog.......later, friends!

SFYTT with Veranda and a big ol key! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-06T20:20:00.001-04:00

So I've been trying to do more of these sketch challenges. This weekend I made this card for Jen's SFYTT (sketch for you to try).

As I mentioned, the paper is from CTMH's luscious Veranda collection. You've seen me use it many times....just a few days ago in the Chipboard Mother's Day Album. The sentiment is from last year's Heart of Winter promotion, and the flourish is from this year's Heart of Winter promotion!

For the three little heart elements on the sketch, I used two pewter brads and one of CTMH's filigree charms (LOVE them!!!).

Now. About that big ol' key. My good friend Amelia decided that I needed more scrapbook supplies, so she called me with the 'heads up' that JoAnns had some rockin' cool vintage elements - from Jolee's, no less!!!! So I mosied on over there (Friday post, remember???) and picked up a package of four different keys and a whole bunch of fleur de lis, which I am sure will show up very soon on a project or two- tee hee. So what do you think? Purty?

Did I tell y'all how awesome you are??? I believe I might actually make it to 25K hits before my first blogaversary on April 21! You guys ROCK!!!! You can bet I'll be digging out some blog candy to post this weekend. Thanks for your loyalty! It's much appreciated, though I may not mention it often enough.

Cheers!

Spellbinders(TM) International Guest Blogger Call! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-06T09:20:00.004-04:00

Good morning, all! Or good evening, good night, ciao to our international Spellbinders users....it's your time to shine!

We are excited to announce the Spellbinders International Guest Blogger Contest. wooHOOO! Spellbinders is looking for one fabulous International Guest Blogger to appear on the Spellbinders Paper Arts Blog during the month of June! This contest is for Spellbinders Paper Arts enthusiasts currently living outside of the United States. We will select one International Guest Blogger to create four projects with instructions, for publication on the Spellbinders Paper Arts Blog.

How cool is that! This is a fab opportunity for our international fans, who were not eligible for the DT call, to showcase their talents!

The contest is open to submissions from April 6, 2010, until 11:59 MST, April 20, 2010. The Winner will be announced on April 29, 2010, and completed blog posts with images are due by May 24, 2010.

Contest details and prizes are posted on the Spellbinders Paper Arts Blog.

Good luck to all!

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-05T20:19:00.003-04:00

I hope you like this Queen Bee paper...if not, you might want to stay off my blog for a while - ha!

This time I used a few other supplies as well. The sketch is from a Splitcoast Stampers' challenge last Wednesday - SC274. The little label that holds the sentiment - "nothing is so beautiful as spring" - is just one of a couple of dozen that coordinate with the paper line. I bought some other goodies that 'go' with it, so I'm in Queen Bee heaven!

I really like the yellow, black, grey and white. ou can see that I used three of the patterns here on the card, all matted with CTMH black cardstock and mounted on a white daisy card base.

And look at how sweet the CTMH felt flower and filigree charm are! Of course, the yellow coordinates better in real life. Thankfully, we will be getting some photo tips at our Spellbinders retreat, so I hope to be stepping up my photo skills.

I hope you had a wonderful Easter. Were you hangin' with your PEEPS? ha ha ha............. I know, I know.....but I just couldn't resist! tee hee

I'll be back tomorrow with a special announcement....plus a card using CTMH's gorgeous Veranda papers!

Till then,

Deb

Spring-y Duck-y card Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-03T20:45:00.000-04:00

So here's the second card I made with my FREE loot from Emma's Paperie that I showed you Thursday night. Yum! This time I used the Mojo Monday 132 sketch - the square version - and it came together in a snap!

I love the Crafty Secrets cardstock images, and this little ducky/chicky is one of several that I ordered from Emma's. Don't you just love her? The felt coaster is a dollar bin find from Michaels. I purchased four different colors and will figure out something to do with them - I have an idea for a layout.

I have lots of ideas - just need to put them down on paper - literally! Oh, to be able to do this for a living - what a dream that is! Until then, I'll keep squeezing in some projects on the weekends......I know most of y'all are feeling my pain and are in the same boat!

BTW, my first year blog anniversary is April 21!!!! wooHOOO!!! I was hoping to reach 25,000 hits by then, but I don't think it's going to happen. So I'll try to post often if you would stop by just as often - maybe together we can make it happen! Would the promise of BLOG CANDY entice you??? hmmmmm....let me dig through my stuff and see what I can find! Mwaahhh ha haaa!!!!

Tee hee!

Deb

Queen Bee! Love it!!!!! Scrabooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-02T19:25:00.001-04:00

TGIF - wooHOOO!!! My boss let me come home early today. Happy dance! I stopped at JoAnn's and bought stuff I 'needed' - seriously, I did! tee hee. Then went to another place I cannot reveal to buy something I cannot reveal for the Spellbinders(TM) DT retreat. Will reveal at a later date (mwahh ha haaaa!!!). Then I came home and played with my new Queen Bee goodies that I told you about last night!

Here's the first card I made today with my Queen Bee collection. The sketch is from Jen's SFYTT. I used a felt 'crown' from CTMH, and a little 'throne' that I picked up in the jewelry dept. at JoAnn's today. See, I told you I needed to go to JoAnn's! I wanted to do some sewing on my card - and you can see what a horrible job I did. I have this little Pixie craft machine (or something like that) by Singer that I picked up for less than $30 at Wally World last year. Since it came threaded with yellow thread, I was able to sew on this card. You would think I had never sewn, right? Not! I even made a little denim jacket for Alan when he was a tiny critter. Home ec classes and all. By the way, did we really learn any economics in home ec, or just sewing and cooking? I hope it's different nowadays than it was back in the stone ages. tee hee.

Will be back tomorrow with my Mojo Monday sketch card using some of that freebie loot I showed you yesterday. Yes, I'm trying to entertain you with daily cards in the hopes that you'll visit often and boost my counter up to 25K before my first blogaversary. Enjoy!

Peace out,

Deb

Happy Easter! Well, almost....ha! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-04-01T18:54:00.000-04:00

So, did you play any April Fools tricks on anyone today? My friend Annette sent out her newsletter stating that she broke her arm yesterday.....then she admitted it was a gag further down in the text. Naughty girl! tee hee. Maybe next year I'll come up with something good. Until then....

I am so excited! I had been seeing the "Queen Bee" paper line from Pink Paislee here and there, and of course I just had to have it. Hey, it has crowns in it! ha. So I went over to Emma's Paperie and lo and behold....I bought the Queen Bee line and more! My package arrived last night and look at how pretty everything is! All wrapped up in sunny yellow tissue. With jelly beans!!!!

And with a $50 purchase, you get a free project kit. Well, you know I spen $50....need you even ask? tee hee. So here's a photo of my FREE project kit! 6x6 double-sided papers, alpha stickers, little clear stamps (a birdy!!!), two ribbons, flowers, glitter and buttons! wooHOOO!

I was so inspired that I went straight to my studio and created this adorable Easter card!!!! Can you believe it? Yum, yum, yum! All of these papers are from the free loot,except I added the white card base and a little yellow and blue from CTMH. Plus "Easter" from March's SOTM, and a little bit o' Stickles.

You know, I believe this is the first Easter card I've ever made. Good grief! I need to get with the program!

Tomorrow I'll post yet another card I made with my freebies, this time using the Mojo Monday 132 sketch.

In the meantime....there's still a little time to sneak in an April Fools' Day prank! Leave a comment and let us know what you did!

Deb

April SOTM Blog Hop! CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-03-31T21:00:00.002-04:00

Hey there! Welcome to Close To My Heart's April "Stamp of the Month" Blog Hop! Did you get here from Lori's blog? If not, just keep hoppin' and you'll come around to it full circle.

For those of you that live in the frozen tundra, you will love this stamp set, as it's a peek into spring! When I saw this window scene, I just knew I had to make a little awning to shade the view!

The name of the April Stamp of the Month is "Flower Pot", and there are lots of little flower pots, window boxes, and different species of flowers to color! Fun, fun, fun! I used Topstitch papers and CTMH markers for the card.

This set also makes perfect little note cards. I used CTMH glitter rub-ons on the second card - obviously, I chose the red glitter sheet, although these rub-ons allow you to choose silver or gold as well!

Contact your CTMH independent consultant to purchase this stamp set only in April, or get it free with purchase! If you don't have a consultant, you can get it now on my site. Now hop on over (like a little Easter bunny!) to my friend Katy's blog for more flowery goodness!

Deb

Veranda Chipboard Album CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-03-27T20:43:00.003-04:00

Happy weekend! Where have I been? Well, sorta down in the dumps. Unfortunately, I had to use all three of those sympathy cards (from my last post) in one week.

I was expecting to use one, and the second was a possibility but I was hoping not, but the third......so sad. The 18-yo son of a workmate was killed in a one-car accident, just a block or two from home. So now his dad has to drive by the site every day. It's unimaginable and so so sad. It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

So my mojo has been down in the dumps. I just haven't had the desire to start anything new, but give me time....I'll get to it!

In the meantime, I'm thinking about following my friend Kathi's lead by doing a little blog maintenance. My friend Amelia is having a new blog headers designed for me as a birthday gift - how awesome is that! So I'm looking forward to a clean, fresh look!

So I thought I would share my "most favorite" project thus far. I created this album for my mom for Mother's Day this year from CTMH's Veranda paper pack, our chipboard album and a few accessories (remember those filigree charms I love? They're in there!). This is also one of the projects that I e-mailed to Spellbinders when I applied to the Design Team.

These are the inside pages - you can click on the images to enlarge them. I believe I used four different stamp sets, but you could certainly improvise (but why would you want to? wink).

Thanks for stopping by and listening to my ramblings. Be sure to stop by Thursday for our April Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - it will be a little taste of spring!

Deb

Three challenges, one theme, one paper and a broken booby! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-03-16T21:39:00.002-04:00

I finally plopped down in my studio last night and created three simple sympathy cards from one paper pack - DCWV's La Creme - one of my favorites that isn't CTMH. To make it even simpler, I searched my bookmarked sites for three sketch challenges. The result is three cards in less than an hour and a half - probably a record for me...ha!

First I used Jen's SFYTT (Sketch For You To Try).

RECIPE:

Paper: DCWV La Creme, CTMH Black Cardstock
Stamp: Flourishes
Ink: Versafine Black
Accessories: CTMH FLower, DCWV La Creme Flower

Next I used Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch this week - Mojo130. I probably should have put something behind the pearl (in the center of the flower)....may go back and do that.

RECIPE:

Paper: DCWV La Creme, CTMH Black Cardstock
Stamp: Verve
Ink: Versafine Black
Accessories: CTMH Flower, CDWV La Creme Paisley
Tools: Fiskars Scallop Punch

Notice a theme here? I'm using the same supplies, just mixing them up a bit.

Then I had to search a little more and came up with a sketch from a site that is new to me - SkippingStonesDesign.

I really love the sketch, and I just changed it up a tiny bit by placing my ribbon horizontally rather than vertically. This was not a design choice, but necessitated by my poor stamping at the bottom of the panel! You can probably see where I messed up my leaves (covered by the bow and charm) if you click on the image.

RECIPE:

Paper; DCWV La Creme, CTMH Black Cardstock
Stamps: Verve
Ink: Versafine Black
Accessories: CTMH Ribbon, Dollar Store Charm
Tools: Fiskars Scallop Punch

Now. About the broken booby. I am a klutz and always in a hurry, not watching where I am going...you get the idea. So I fell, good and hard! Bruised knees, forearms, trunk, ego......and for the first time, bruised booby! Yep, it is so big (the bruise - tee hee) that it looks like someone threw a cantaloupe a my chest at 50 mph. Oh, the agony! Oh, the pain! Oh, the humiliation!!! The worst part is that I can't show anyone, so you have to take my word for it!!!

Good grief.

Deb

Too pooped to post! Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-03-14T21:54:00.001-04:00

Oh, Lord. I cannot begin to tell you what my amazing son did for me yesterday. A grueling end to an equally grueling week!

I have been packing and trashing 16 years worth of 'stuff' from my office preparing for Thursday's move. Note to self: No need to show up at 7am again on Friday......since the movers packed up my office at 4:30 Thursday. Second note to self: No need to drive to the new office Thursday evening and wait a coupla more hours for your 'stuff' to arrive, as the raging storms and tornado warnings should have indicated you'd have to wait till Friday anyway.

So yes, I showed up at 7am again on Friday, as did the movers, so my stuff was there! Of course they had come and gone so there was no one to help me move my furniture into place until the IT guys showed up. Sigh. Will I ever learn????

So my baby came home Friday night, left Saturday night. All I needed was for him to bring home my sofa, as my new office is about 1/3 the size of my old one (probably less). So here's what he did, in about six hours (with just a tiny bit of help from me):

Removed old toilet and threw it in the back of Hughie's truck.
Went to Home Depot for part missing from box containing new toilet.
Installed new toilet (push button flush for water saving - who knew flushing could be such fun!!!).
Hauled old sofa to Hughie's truck.
Tossed old toilet and old sofa into the landfill.
Went to mattress store and purchased new mattress (soft, YUM!).
Hauled new mattress to master bathroom.
Hauled old mattress to back of Hughie's truck.
Tossed old mattress in mattress store's dumpster.
Hauled new sofa and two scrapbooking tables from my office into the back of Hughie's truck.
Wrestled new sofa into the family room.
Placed two scrapbooking tables into garage.
Moved new mattress from master bathroom to bed.

Incredible, right????? Then we did a Wendy's drive-thru, went to spend a couple of hours with Grammy (my mom), where Alan took a nap while Grammy and I watched the Magic.

At midnight he drove back to Gainesville - three hours on the road.

Is he amazing or what? All I wanted was the sofa moved, and I would have been fine even without that. God love my baby!

So I have been too tired to create, much less post.

Maybe I'll get the hop back in my step in a couple of days!

Deb

HAGS? HAS? tee heee CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-03-08T21:12:00.001-05:00

Hey y'all! My back is aching. I am packing my office to move. We received boxes today and must be ready when we leave work Wednesday. Needless to say....since I have been working here for nearly 16 years, I have a TON of stuff to toss. So I have been tossing and shredding and boxing. Ugh. So I was even happier than usual to be home this evening!

Here's a quick post. I was invited by my friend Nancy to join CTMH's Humble Artists' Swap. Now, Nancy's e-mail (correct me if I am wrong, Nancy) said "Humble Artists' Group Swap". So of course I called it the HAGS swap. LOL!!!! It's the HAS swap......not HAGS!!! But I will forever think of it as HAGS. Mwah ha haaaa!

I said this was going to be quick - but here I go - blah blah blah! I took a snapshot of the card here before I sent it off to the other four ladies in my swap group. Well....Nancy received hers about three weeks late. Turns out my card was traveling the country, making snow angels along her merry way! Actually traveling the continent, as I am in Florida and Nancy is in Canada! My card arrived wet and crumpled with all the stamping washed out. Good grief! Thankfully I snapped this photo.

I mailed my next ~~HAGS~~ HAS swap card last week - we'll see how it fares! Will post it towards the end of April - but let me just say that I loooove it!!!

Thank you for sticking with me and all of my ramblings. And thank you for your sweet comments....I just love my cyber friends!!!

Deb

My last Artful Inkables post Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-03-07T00:02:00.002-05:00

The new Artful Inkables Design Team takes over on March 15, so this will be my last 'official' post. Congratulations to the ladies on the new team, and farewell to the rest of us! I so appreciate Kristin's confidence in me. This was my first design team stint, and it was so much fun! I hope the rest of you throw your hat in the ring and give it a try....there are a lot of DT calls out there!

I used the super-cute stamp set, Any Birdy Home? yet again....I can't seem to put it down. The curvy paper is from CTMH's special "Felicity", as is the paper used to paper-piece the bird house. I used my second-favorite Nestabilities, Labels Four. Labels Five is currently my favorite, but I suspect that will change when I pick up some of the newer die templates.

I kept my nasty coloring to a minimum - ha. But good news - there is hope! I am going to be able to take a Copic certification course in April after the Spellbinders(TM) Design Team retreat. How cool is that! Lord knows I need it. Just something else to get my stomach tied up in knots - tee hee!

Are you still freezing? We are. Good grief! We have had a high of 60 here in Florida far too many days lately. Even the kitties are sleeping with their noses buried in their little paws. Brrrrr!

I'll be back to show you the card I created for the Humble Artists' swap, and a story about its journey as a snow angel.

Smiles,

Deb

Mojo Monday Friendship card - Black, White and Grey CTMH Scrapbooking in Melbourne, Florida

2010-03-03T17:18:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I discover that the sketches that appear to be challenging....turn out to be the easiest and quickest for me!

Yesterday's Think Ink Tuesday Challenge took me about 20 minutes (as opposed to my usual hour or longer) to whip out.

The same goes for this Mojo Monday sketch! Those little rectangular elements threatened to stump me...but victory is mine! mwaahhhaaaaahaaaaaaaaaa!!

I used nearly all CTMH textured cardstock for this lovely sketch. The black cardstock is actually grey on the backside, so I only used a piece of textured black and some regular white daisy.

I really love this new stamp set - One of a Kind. There are several botanical leaves, flowers and stems. Perfect for tiny 3x3 cards-I'm working on some of those right now. I used my small and large circle Nestabilities die templates - I'll be using a lot more of those now that I'm on the Spellbinders(TM) Design Team! woooHHOO!! And I snuck in another one of those super-cute prima gems at the end of the white strip punched with a Martha punch. No ribbon - no buttons - no flowers - that's pretty clean and simple for me!

Update on the pizza story - Alan said it was not so good. He tried making a second batch of dough and it was a little better. I forsee a bread-making lesson when he's home for spring break!

Happy hump day!

Deb