Monday, October 19, 2009

Who Wants to Win a Mega Chipboard Rak??

If you'd like a chance to win a Mega Chipboard RAK then you definately want to check out Tam's blog at http://tamscrazyworld.blogspot.com/. She's one creative lady!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

How Would You Like a Pair of Fiskars Pink Scissors?

How would you like to be the proud owner of a pair of this pair of Fiskars Pink Scissors? Watch the Fiskateer Message Board today at noon PT for more details.

Pink Shoes…Pink Scissors…It’s ALL ABOUT PINK!!

Don’t you just LOVE this Pink Shoe?? When I saw this Pink shoe, I knew I just HAD to have it. It makes a rather unique tape dispenser don’t you think. I also love these Pink Fiskars Scissors that were made to help the Fight Against Breast Cancer.

More Punches…

When I saw these adorable Fiskateer Limited Edition Squeeze Punches, I knew that I had to have them. After a search on eBay I found a seller who happened to have all 4 in stock. Great price & super fast shipping and I had them in my hands. I’m hooked on these fun punches…

Finally A New Post

I can't believe how much time has gone by since I've last posted to my blog. The renovations have been going slower than I expected. But then it's been hard for me to keep the pace with all my health issues. I'm just now getting over a Bacterial Infection that has kept me down for almost 2 weeks.

On Thanksgiving Day, my 93 year old Aunt passed away. She was my mother's sister & she'll be greatly missed. She was a wonderful lady.

Now that I'm starting to feel better & can once again get into my studio, hopefully some Mojo will find me there. After all this time away from crafting I'm having a very difficult time getting back into it.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Studio Nightmare

In my last post I mentioned a challenge that Angela (Lead Fiskateer) had posted where she wanted us to post pictures of our "messy" studio. Kelly Jo (Lead Fiskateer) had recently redone her studio so now it's all nice & organized. Angela's challenge was called "Kelly Jo Rivalry" and this was her challenge "Like any good family, sometimes the sister who love each other are going to be a little competitive. Kelly Jo has unknowingly slighted me- she posted that video of her very pretty and VERY organized and clean craft room. I can't compete. Mine is a disaster. Completely and totally. I give up. Untidy Fiskateers unite- post a photo of YOUR craft disaster in the gallery and come back to this thread and leave a comment with a link to your gallery posting. The messier, the better. Take that Kelly Jo and your lovely craft space!"

Well, I don't think that studio's come any messier than mine at the moment. Since I am currently in the process of renovating my apartment, my studio ended up being used to store some of my bedroom furniture while the upstairs was being drywalled & painted. I hated to have to do that but it was so much easier to store the heavier pieces in there than to try & haul them downstairs. So for 6 weeks my studio was off limits....I couldn't even get in the door as it was so full.

This week I've been working hard on getting my upstairs back in order & have finally moved my bedroom furniture out of my studio. Even though I haven't yet had a chance to create anything, it feels good to be able to walk into my studio again.

Here's a picture that I took showing just how full my studio was.The door could only be opened part way and right in front of it was my tv for my bedroom. It's not the greatest picture but it does show just how full my studio is.Thanks for looking & have a great day!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Fiskateer Online Crop August 28th & 29th

I’ve mentioned in the past how much I enjoy participating in the Fiskateer Online Crops. This weekend (August 28th and 29th) there is another Fiskateer Online Crop with 38 challenges to celebrate Angela (Lead Fiskateer) turning 38.

I’m participating as much as I can without crafting as I currently can’t get into my studio. I’ve been doing some MAJOR renovations on my apartment since the beginning of June and since my apartment is so small I ended up having to store some of my bedroom furniture & other items in my studio. I’ve slowly been digging my way in and am hoping today that I can get my son or my brother to help me move the bigger pieces of furniture out so that I can get back into my studio. I haven’t been able to get into my studio since mid July and am definitely having some withdrawal issue. MAJOR WITHDRAWAL.

It’s been bad yesterday & this morning as I really want to participate in this Online Crop and am so frustrated that I can’t yet get into my studio. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can get into it later today.

Challenge #30 is called “Rebecca Rivalry”. Rebecca has recently reorganized & cleaned up her scraproom and since Angela claims that her’s is a disaster, she wants us all to show Rebecca our messy spaces. I’ve taken a photo of my studio showing it now. Unfortunately I had already moved a few items out as previously you could barely even open the door. I wonder if anyone can beat my space. Lol I’ll post a picture of it here as soon as I download my pictures. Take that Kelly Jo!!

Be sure to stop by the Fiskateer message board/blog and join us on this fabulous fun crop. You won’t be sorry!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Update & Scrapping Withdrawal

It’s been nearly a moth since I last posted here. I apologize for the lack of posts but I’ve been busy renovating my apartment and am not able to get into my studio at this time. Unfortunately due to a lack of space I had to use my studio to store some of my bedroom furniture in when we moved everything from my bedroom, the upstairs hallway & the stairs landing.

I’m in the middle of a huge renovation project & just finished drywalling the upstairs hallway, my bedroom & stairway. I’ve been sleeping downstairs in the livingroom for 2 weeks now and have been living in chaos since the end of May. I tossed my couch & loveseat to the curb during our town’s Spring Clean Up. There was a delay in getting started with the drywalling but once he started, it didn’t take long to finish it.

Everything from upstairs had to come down. I can’t even get into my studio as it’s packed with bedroom furniture. Hopefully the painting will be done this weekend, then I can have the carpet laid next week & have my new boxspring & mattress delivered.

Once that's done I can start emptying out my studio and reclaim my space. I hope to totally empty it and also have it painted too. I have purchased several new pieces of furniture for my studio and hope to be able to organize it so that the space works for me.

After the upstairs is done & I can get the furniture, clothes moved back upstairs we start the kitchen & livingroom. It'll be over 3 months start to finish before I have a nice comfortable couch to sit on in my livingroom. I've spent a month sitting on lawnchairs and then moved them out to make room for my bed to be in the livingroom. Since my livingroom is very small, there isn't room for my bed & a comfy chair. Right now I'm using a lawnchair at my computer. Oh the joys of renovating!! Arghhhh!!!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Digital Scrapbooking First Attempts

I’ve signed up for a free class by Jessica Sprague on Photo Editing: Frame-ups and Special Effects! The class began on July 6th.

Last fall I took her free “Stories in Hand” class. I was totally amazed & impressed at the amount of work that Jessica put into this class. It was a totally awesome experience & I’d highly recommend it to anyone if it comes up again.

Anyways, I have been wanting to learn how to do digital scrapbooking for sometime now. I purchased Photoshop Elements 3.0 a few years ago & have tried to figure it out on my own without much luck. I like the way Jessica does her classes, she uses screen shots and walks you through everything step by step. She makes it all seem so easy.

The past few days I’ve been playing around with the free classes on her site and have managed to do my first digital layout. With Jessica’s step by step guidance it was actually pretty easy. On this layout, the page is already set up & she shows you how to add a photo and the journaling to it. She also shows you other little tricks for Photoshop Elements or Photoshop. This layout can now be printed to an 8x8 or if your lucky to own a 12x12 format printer you could print it to that size too. I love how this turned out & how easy it was.

Month End Update

I’m a little bit late in posting this. This is my updated list of projects/cards that I completed in June. I’m actually surprised that I did as much as I did considering my house is in shambles awaiting the renovations to begin.

June 2009 Completed Projects
Cards Created – 13
Layouts Completed – 2
Mini Albums Completed – 0
3D Projects Completed – 0
Punch Art – 2

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Interested in Winning a Huge Prize Package?

Anyone interested in winning a huge prize package of Paper Crafting goodness? Check out Lisa Faldulto's blog for an awesome blog prize. She has some amazing creations on her blog that will definately inspire you. You'll have to hurry as the draw is July 3rd. You can find her blog here: http://lisafalduto.blogspot.com/

Monday, June 22, 2009

Got Sketch 104 Sketch 3

After not scrapping in months it felt good to be back at it again. I always find that the sketches by Janna Wilson & Valerie Salmon in their Got Sketch classes are so awesome. They definitely motivate me to scrap. The sketches in GS104 are just as awesome as the previous class sketches.

This layout is based on a sketch by Valerie Salmon and I think it works perfect with this adorable pictures of my great niece Dakota. She was certainly the Diva at her 3rd birthday party last weekend & I got some awesome pictures.Dakota loves lipstick & chapstick. Give her a tube of chapstick & she has to continue to apply it until its all gone leaving a messy face & gross lips. Lol Unfortunately she was given some as a present & couldn’t wait to get into it. That’s what she’s holding in her hand.

This sketch also worked in perfect with Kelly Jo's blog challenge as I was able to use my Fiskars circle Squeeze Punches and the scallops from my USX on this layout.

Have a great day & thanks for looking!

Got Sketch 104 Sketch 2

Recently I signed up for another Got Sketch online class by Janna Wilson & Valerie Salmon. This one is Got Sketch 104. I have taken all of their classes to date & even though I am in the middle of renovations, I hated the thoughts of missing out on their newest class.

Recently there has been a bit of a snag in my renovation plans. The guy who was doing the drywalling for me can’t start now until the 15th of July. (He was supposed to start 2 weeks ago.) Normally I’m a very patient person when it comes to stuff like this but since my house has been in chaos since the end of May, I really can’t wait another 3 weeks for the renovations to begin. I don’t have any livingroom furniture now as it went out to the dump at the end of May..so did my computer chair. Now I’m sitting on lawn chairs in my livingroom. Fortunately he was able to give me the name of a guy who does drywalling & I am waiting for him to come to give me a price on the job.

I spent 2 days packing up my closet & all my books. The clothes had to come downstairs in garbage bags & then I figured I could put the books in my closet as it won’t be drywalled. With my health issues, all this lifting, folding & packing has been bothering my shoulders & arms.

On Sunday I figured that I needed some “me” time and started in on the sketches from last weeks class. I haven’t scrapped in months and since Kelly Jo (one of the Lead Fiskateers) issued a challenge on the Fiskateers blog I figured it was a good time to start scrapping again.The sketch that this layout is based on is by Janna Wilson. I chose to use these adorable pictures of my 2 year old great nephew Andrew at his cousin Dakota’s 3rd birthday party last weekend. Every time he saw my camera he said cheese…I thought that it was funny as he was eating those cheesies & didn’t want to put the bag down. This sketch is perfect for showing off all the cute pictures I got of him.

This sketch also worked in perfect with Kelly Jo's challenge as I was able to use my Fiskars One Way & Star Squeeze Punches on this layout.

It's not too late to join in all the fun of the Got Sketch 104 class. Just click on my "blinkie" and it will take you there.

Have a great day & thanks for looking!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Penny Black & Friends Challenge “Celebrations”

This weeks Penny Black & Friends Challenge is “Celebrations”. It's also the Penny Black Challenge's First Birthday. It can be can be any celebrations ~ birthday, engagement, anniversary, new baby, new job, etc..the list is endless. As always....you can make a card...altered art...bag..notebook etc the only rule being that you use at least one Penny Black or sentiment.

Being in the middle of renovations I decided once again to make a card since I am in a “time crunch”. I used my Penny Black “Party Dog” image and colored him with my Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol and added Glossy Accents to the nose & candles. I then mounted it on Stampin Up Chocolate Chip Cardstock and used a pattern paper from my stash. I used the Birthday stamp from the Stampin Up Wow Flowers set and mounted it on several layers. I’m quite happy with how this turned out.Thanks for looking & have a great day.

House Mouse Challenge #42

This week the House Mouse Challenge is Neopolitan and we’re to use Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla as our inspiration. I decided to use my House Mouse “Birthday Cupcake” image and stamped it on Stampin Up Very Vanilla Cardstock. I colored it with my Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol and added Glossy Accents to the tongue, noses & candles. I then mounted it on Stampin Up Chocolate Chip Cardstock and mounted it again on Heidi Grace Pinkish Cardstock. The striped paper is also Heidi Grace. I used the Birthday stamp from the Stampin Up Wow Flowers set and mounted it on several layers. I’m quite happy with how this turned out.Thanks for looking & have a great day.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Going once, Going Twice….Sold!

On Saturday (June 13th) my mother & I went to an auction sale. I’ve only been to 2 previous auction sales and that was probably about 15+ years ago. Saturday’s auction sale was a special one. My aunt (mom’s sister) is 93 and since she hasn’t been able to live on her own anymore is in a retirement home. She’s been living in it for about 2 years now and has finally decided to give up her home and contents. We went for moral support.

It was a long day. We arrived about 8:45 am in order to get a parking place nearby. Since her home is out in the country I knew that the road would fill up fast. The sale started at 10:30 am and didn’t end until 2:30 pm. Everything was sold including the house. It was an excellent day and my aunt was amazing. She held up so well. She arrived about 10 am and stayed for the entire sale. She was still there when we left around 4 pm.

I bid on and won a book called “Joshua Doan” written by Gladys Francis Lewis, published in 1956. It’s out of print and very rare and hard to find. This book used to belong to my grandfather and was a gift from a cousin of his in 1964. The reason this book means so much to me is that its about my Great Great Grandfather’s brother Joshua Doan who was hung in 1839 in London, Ontario during the McKenzie Rebellion. Lucky for me that there weren’t any other Doan descendants at the auction and the book only sold for $4. The first time I saw this book it sold for $50 and that was about 10 years ago. This book for me is a real treasure & I am so thrilled to finally own it.

I also bid on & won my aunt’s silverware set. It’s a boxed set and is a service for 12. I have always wanted a really nice silverware set and am so glad that I won hers. She was telling me that she had saved up stamps from a local grocery store to get the silverware and then had to start over again to get the box. (years ago you were given stamps with your grocery purchased and could use them to buy items out of a catalogue) Also tucked inside the box was a Pickle Fork that was a wedding present from one of her mother’s relatives. (My aunt & uncle were married for almost 60 years when he passed away.) I love that this silverware set has a story and a history. I think that she was thrilled that I won her silverware and that it’ll remain in the family.

Since I am basically the family historian, my aunt gave me several old family photos as well as a portrait of my grandmother, her brother & their parents in the original frame. I am so thrilled that she thought of me and gifted these wonderful treasures to me. Saturday was definitely my LUCKY DAY!!

I can honestly say that bidding is definitely addictive and after this auction, I can definitely see myself going to more. lol

Have a great day!

Back to Class!

With all that I have going on in my life right now, taking a class is the last thing I have time for. But when it comes to Janna Wilson and Valerie Salmon’s Got Sketch classes, I can’t say no! I’ve taken ALL of their Got Sketch classes and when this one came up I knew that I couldn’t miss it.

So in the middle of having my apartment renovated, I’m going to be taking a class. Lol Starting next week my bedroom, the upstairs hallway and the stairway is going to be drywalled & painted. This week I have to move everything downstairs into my livingroom. Fortunately it will only take the guy about 1½ days to drywall the upstairs and the remainder of the first week he’ll be sanding. After he’s done, the painters come in and it will probably take them a day or two to paint upstairs. After the upstairs is done then we can move the stuff out of the livingroom & back upstairs and then they can start painting the kitchen & livingroom. It will probably take a month or so to finish everything and then I can start shopping for new furniture and have it moved in. Right now my livingroom furniture & computer chair consists of lawn chairs.

So since most of the work I have to do is this week (moving everything downstairs), I’m hoping that while the workers are here I’ll be able to squeeze in a layout or two since there won’t be anything else for me to do until they are done. lol

The nice thing about Janna & Val’s classes are that you can work at your own pace and even if you don’t get the sketches done during the class, they are yours to keep. At the end of the class they always give you a set of sketches to go cards to save for future reference. I have all my “sketches to go” on a frame that I altered to hold them. This was a project in one of their earlier classes that I took. (I’ll have to take a picture of it and post it later.)

If you have never taken one of Janna & Val’s classes you should check it out here http://gotcrafts.typepad.com/classes/got-sketch-104.html You WON’T be disappointed!

Hope to see you in class.

Happy Birthday Fiskars Crop Challenge

My little great nephew Andrew turned 2 a couple of weeks ago & since I’m behind on my card making & will see him today at his cousin Dakota’s 3rd Birthday party, I thought that I’d create his card and enter it in for Kelly Jo’s (one of the Lead Fiskateers) Birthday Card Crop Challenge. There are lots of circles on this card – scallop circles for all the faces, circles for the eyes & nose on the Sesame St. Characters so it definitely has the criteria for the challenge. (I previously made 2 birthday cards for the challenge & neglected to have circles on them).

Kelly Jo’s Challenge required us to “Create ANY birthday related project (scrapbook page, 2 cards or altered item) with circles somewhere on it. The circles are to tie in Fiskars 360th birthday.”

The first card that I created was CASED from a Sesame Street card that I saw on SCS. (I don’t have the original creators name). I did do some changes on my card such as the eyebrows on Oscar and I added a tag to the bottom of the card. I love being able to take my punches and turn them into a cute card.I’m not sure if this looks like “Hello Kitty” (it’s supposed to be) or “Good bye Kitty” but anyways it’s my second card in Kelly Jo’s Birthday Card Crop Challenge. This time I remembered the circles. Another cute punch card that I CASED from SCS. Again I do not have the original creators name.I managed to get my challenge cards posted and headed off to my great niece Dakota’s 3rd birthday. What a great day! Family, friends, sunshine, warm weather, an outdoor pool & park and lots of room for the young ones to run around & play. I got lots of great pictures to scrap too!

I also got to see my two new great nephew’s Gavin (born May 2nd) and his cousin Dallas born six weeks later on June 8th. (Little Dallas was only 6 days old and at his big sister’s birthday. Mind you he slept through the whole party.) I also gave my sister the “Thank You” cards that I made for her & she loved them.

I just have to share a picture of my two new adorable great nephews. I love all of my great nephews & nieces and am so blessed to be able to share in their lives.

This first picture is Gavin who was born on May 2nd.Now for a peek at little Dallas who was born June 8th and is only 6 days old in this picture.Can you tell that they are cousins? Hopefully being only 6 weeks apart in age these two will grow up to be great friends. I'm sure that the two of them are going to keep us busy running after them.

Have a great day and thanks for looking!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Birthday Cards

I made a couple of birthday cards yesterday for Kelly Jo's (One of the Lead Fiskateers) Happy Birthday Fiskars Crop challenge only to realize when I went to post them that I forgot that they had to have circles on them.

The criteria for this challenge was "Create ANY birthday related project (scrapbook page, 2 cards or altered item) with circles somewhere on it. The circles are to tie in Fiskars 360th birthday."

Oh well, guess I'll have to start over again. Here's the cards that I created for this challenge before realizing that they needed to have "circles" on them.

The first card uses a light purple CB Swiss Dots embossing folder. I then used the Stampendous "Agapanthus Cluster". I love this stamp. I colored the stamp with markers & misted it with water and then stamped the image. I also added glitter glue to the center of each flower. The sentiment is from the Stampin Up set "Wow Flowers" punched out with the large oval & then mounted on the new Scalloped Oval punch.The next card I used Close to Cocoa cardstock and some pattern paper from my stash. I stamped the image from the Stampin Up set "Golden Oldies", colored it with Copics & added Glossy Accents to her birthday hat & glasses. I also used my new Fiskars Effervescence Border Punch and ribbon from Walmart.I'll just add these to the stash of cards that I've set aside for my mother. I know that she'll enjoy sending them out.

Oh well, it's back to the drawing board for me. I have to think "circles". That's the problem when you have your PC downstairs & scraproom upstairs, you miss out on the details. I knew I should have taken my challenge list upstairs with me. lol

Hope you all have a great weekend. I'm off to an auction sale this morning and then tomorrow it's a birthday party for my 3 year old great niece Dakota. TFL!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Penny Black Challenge Blooming Gorgeous Week 52

This week (week 52) the Penny Black Challenge is Blooming Gorgeous. They are pretty open as to what you create as long as it has a Penny Black image or sentiment on it. I chose the Penny Black "Swine & Roses" stamp and colored it with my Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol. I also added Flower Soft to the bouquet that the pig is holding.
Thanks for looking & have a great weekend.

House Mouse Challenge #41 Red, White & Blue

This weeks House Mouse Monday's Challenge #41 is Red, White & Blue. Although I am Canadian, when I read that the challenge was Red, White & Blue I automatically thought Patriotic. In Canada our colors are Red & White so adding in the blue was a little difficult for me. After digging through my pattern paper, I found this red, white & blue paper that was perfect for the challenge. Adding a House Mouse image was the next trick and I thought that the baseball player mouse would be perfect. I used my Martha Stewart border punch for the stars, my Marvy Scallop Punch and added Glossy Accents to his hat to give added dimension. I'm happy with how it turned out.
Thanks for looking & have a great weekend.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

He’s Here….

He’s finally here…little Dallas Benjamin Richard made his entrance into the world on Monday, June 8th at 12:20 a.m. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 15 1/2 oz and was 21 inches long. Both mommy & baby are doing fine. Dallas is the son of my niece Chantale & her husband Ben and little brother to Chloe & Dakota. Yes Dakota you’re tall enough!

It was so funny last week my niece & I were discussing Dakota (she’ll be 3 on June 14th) about her being a Big Sister and she said “I can’t be a Big Sister, I’m not tall enough.” I didn’t know that they had height requirements on being a big sister. lol

Another little one to love & spoil. My oldest niece Natasha (Chantale’s sister) gave birth to a boy Gavin Richard Keith on May 2nd. He’s their 4th child. Natasha & her husband Greg have 3 boys and a girl. Gavin & Dallas will hopefully grow up being great friends as well as cousins since they are just a little over a month apart in age. Another niece Shaundra and her husband Chris had a baby girl on May 29th. Soon these little one's will be the subjects of my layouts. lol

Congratulations Chantale & Ben!! Also congrats to Natasha & Greg plus Shaundra & Chris.

A Fiskateer Share

Previously I mentioned that during a chat in the Fiskateers Chat Room, I was challenged by Lyn D – Lead Ambassador for Australia to create a card with doodles. I noticed this morning that she had posted my challenge card as well as Tamara’s on the Fiskars Anz Blog. This is a great blog with lots of “eye-candy”, inspirations and ideas. You’ll definitely want to add this to your list of blogs to visit. Thanks again Lyn for a fun challenge! You can see my card as well as the blog post here:
http://fiskarscraft.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/06/a-reader-share.html#comments

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Punch Happy!!

There here!! Yesterday’s Happy Mail brought my new Limited Edition Fiskars Summer Squeeze Punches. I really hesitated on whether or not I needed them but when I saw that one of my favorite eBay sellers had the entire set….I knew that I HAD to buy them. What can I say….I’m addicted to punches.
Unfortunately living in Canada we don’t have the luxury of having Hobby Lobby, JoAnn’s, etc to stalk for these new punches. The nearest Michael’s is an hours commute (one way) so scouting it isn’t possible nor do they even carry these new Limited Edition punches.

My addiction to these Limited Edition Squeeze Punches started last summer when Fiskars had a contest to help name these punches. I was one of 12 who picked the name “Scaredy Cat” for the cat punch. Those who’s winning names were chosen also won the punch that they named. So far I have 2 out of the 4 Halloween Punches (Scaredy Cat & You’re So Corny) and only 1 of the Christmas punches (A Total Flake). But I did manage to find the entire Spring and now the Summer collection of these awesome punches.

The summer line of Fiskars Limited Edition Squeeze Punches consists of “Makin Waves”, “Soleil”, “All Scream” and “Getting Antsy”. Check out Fiskars Crafts (http://www.fiskarscrafts.com/ ) for some great ideas on using these punches.

I can’t wait to play….The ants go marching 2 by 2 hurrah, hurrah….

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Challenge Cards

The other morning I happened to end up in the chatroom with Tamara & Lyn D (Lead Ambassador Australia). We had a great chat talking about various things, among them how Lyn’s enjoying doodling on cards. Lyn issued Tamara & I a challenge to create a card with doodling on it & email it to her. Well, I’m not a doodler at all but I accepted her challenge anyways. Here’s my card for Lyn’s Doodle Challenge for Tamara & I. I used the High Hopes Love Bandit stamp, colored him with Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol. I then cut him out & popped him up on dimensionals. I then doodled the black lines around the edge of the card, drew in the hearts & colored them with Soffle Pens. I then hand wrote the title on the card. Thanks for making me get out of my comfort zone & to make me think out of the box Lyn. It was a fun challenge. Here's my "Doodle Card". You can find Lyn here http://fiskarscraft.typepad.com/my_weblog/ or at her personal blog http://www.lynd.typepad.com/.

The next challenge that I decided to do was the House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge. I found this blog a few weeks ago and since I have acquired quite the collection of House Mouse stamps, I’ve decided to put them to good use by doing these weekly challenges. For this weeks challenge #40, it’s Wedding/Anniversary’s. Well since I don’t have any wedding or anniversary House Mouse stamps I decided to use the “Lovely Confetti” image. I colored it with my Copics and punched it out with my Marvy punch and layered it on a Marvy Scalloped Circle. I then added Glossy Accents to the hearts. Then I added a circle stamp, popped it up and layered it with my SU scallop circle. The verse is an old stamp that I have and it’s punched out & layered on a Marvy scalloped rectangle. Check out all the other great challenge cards here http://housemouse-challenge.blogspot.com/.The third challenge that I did was for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge that I’ve recently stumbled across. You can visit the blog here http://pennybfriendssaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/. This weeks challenge #51 is a sketch. I love the sketch that Domi came up with. I used my Penny Black Love Notes dog image, colored it with my Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol and cut it out with my Nestabilities. The pattern paper is from a DCWV Mat Pack. I finished it off with Prima flowers & added a brad in the center of each of the flowers. The sentiment is from Inky Antics.Thanks for looking & enjoy your day!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Stampsmith Photostamp Cards

Today I decided to make some cards using my Stampsmith Photostamp images. I love these images & Estelle (owner of Stampsmith) is just the nicest person to deal with. I have bought several of different stamp plates from her & love them all. She does ship to Canada too! You can see her stamps at http://www.stampsmith.net/. She has so many beautiful photo stamps to choose from.

I purchased these two Marilyn Monroe images from her some time ago & finally got around to inking them up & making cards with them.

The first card “Marilyn with Flying Dress” was stamped with Ancient Page ink. The pattern paper is from a mat pack, I used my Martha Stewart Apron Lace border punch, black ribbon, a prima and an added pink rhinestone brad from Dollarama.The second card uses the image “Marilyn Sitting” was stamped with Ancient Page ink. The pattern paper is from a mat pack, I used my Sizzix for the scroll, an EK Success Photo Corner punch, the glitter flower is Heidi Grace & I added a ¼” circle with my Fiskars punch and a brad in the center. I love how they turned out.Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Baby Update

I had posted earlier on my blog that my three nieces were expecting and all due in May. Well, I’m thrilled to announce that this month we’ve added two new members to our family. Baby Gavin was born on May 2nd to my niece Natasha and her husband Greg. Then on Friday night (May 29th) my niece Shaundra and her husband Chris welcomed their new daughter to the world. I’m not sure on the spelling for their new daughters name so I’ll have to find that out.

I was talking to my youngest niece Chantale this afternoon and she and her husband Ben are still waiting….not too patiently I might add for the overdue arrival of their first son. By the sounds of things she should be going in any day now.

How lucky am I to have 3 new babies to love and spoil. This takes my Great Niece count up to 6 and my Great Nephew count is currently at 8 and holding for this newest babies arrival.

Month End Update

Wow…it’s so hard to believe that it’s already the first of June. Another month has passed us by and I’ve completed my updates. I’m actually surprised that I’ve created as many cards as I have this past month. But then 12 of them are Thank You cards for my sister and plus a few birthday cards thrown it too. Here’s my month end update:

May 2009 Completed Projects
Cards Created – 45
Layouts Completed – 0
Mini Albums Completed – 0
3D Projects Completed – 2
Punch Art – 0

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Sunday's Card Making Frenzy

One of the good thing about spending hours coloring images is that you have lots of precolored images to make cards with. This morning I decided to make a few more cards using those images.

The first 2 cards that I made were using the High Hopes Bradens stamp & sentiment. I colored two images with Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol and cut one out & popped it up on dimensionals. I inked up the edges & mounted it on Stampin Up Chocolate Chip. I used a pattern paper that I picked up a few months ago & can’t remember the name of it. I also added a button to finish it off.I used the same paper to create the next card using the Craft Lounge “Pat the Good Dog” stamp. I stamped the head twice, colored it with Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol & popped it up on dimensionals. I took a small piece of the back of the paper and used my new Fiskars “Upper Crest” border punch on it. The sentiment is also from the same stamp set.I found this Basic Grey patterned paper that matched my Whippersnapper Lion perfectly and knew that I had to use it to make a card. Once again he was colored with Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol. I also used my new Fiskars “Upper Crest” border punch and finished it off with a ribbon. I added Glossy Accents to the crown, nose & his toe nails.The next card I used the Inky Antics “Doris” stamp, colored it with Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol. I added “Stickles” to the red dots on her dress and her headband. I also used “Shimmerz” on her dress and purse. Then added some “Glossy Accents” to her shoes and bracelets. The pattern paper is one that was sitting in my scrap pile. I added rhinestone brads to the center of the flowers. The sentiment is also from Inky Antics.I had a few scraps leftover from the last card that I made using the High Hopes “Danni Dress Up” image. Again it was colored with my Copic Markers. I also used “Shimmerz” on her dress and “Flocking” on her boa. I love the soft feel of it now. I added some rhinestones to the border which was punched using the Martha Stewart “Doily Lace” border punch. I also added a rhinestone to the flower on her hat. I love how this card turned out.The last card that I made was using a Stampsmith “Wizard of Oz” stamp that I stamped and mounted on SU cardstock. The pattern paper & stamp is from Heidi Grace. I also used the new Fiskars “Effervescence” border punch. I love the Stampsmith photo stamps and really do have to start using them more often.Thanks for looking & have a great day!

Friday, May 29, 2009

New Cards

Awhile ago, I had stamped out a bunch of images to practice coloring with my Copic Markers & my Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol. The real technique to coloring is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. I still have a long ways to go with my coloring skills but I am happy enough with what I’ve accomplished so far that I don’t mind posting the finished results. Now that I have all these images colored, I’m finally getting around to making some cards with them. (Coloring is so addictive!!)

This first card was made using a House Mouse image & sentiment colored with Copic Markers & a Cuttlebug background.This second card was made using a High Hopes “Danni Dress Up”, I colored her with copics, added flocking to her boa, I also added Shimmerz to her dress & for some added bling I added a rhinestone brad to her hat. I also used my Martha Stewart “Doily Lace” border punch & some Designer Paper from an old mat pack. I love the Shimmerz & it makes her dress is so sparkly.This next card was made using the Whippersnapper Lion image colored with Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol. I used Glossy Accents on the crown, nose & toe nails. I also used my new Fiskars “Upper Crest” Border Punch & my new Fiskars “All-A-Flutter” Squeeze Punch. The Designer Paper is from an old mat pack.This last card was made using a High Hopes image colored with Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol. I also used my new Fiskars “Upper Crest” Border Punch & my new Fiskars “All-A-Flutter” Squeeze Punch. The Designer Paper is from an old mat pack.Thanks for looking & have a great day!

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge #39

Recently I discovered the House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge Blog at http://housemouse-challenge.blogspot.com/ and since I have started to acquire quite the collection of House Mouse stamps, I thought that it would be fun to play along. You’ve got to check out all the great cards & join in.

This weeks Challenge #39 is Birthdays. Make a card or project for a birthday boy or girl, or an invitation to a birthday party, anything birthday themed!

This is the perfect challenge since I have two House Mouse birthday stamps. I chose to use the “Dreaming of Jelly Beans” image for this weeks challenge. I colored the image with my Copic Markers & used my Nestabilities. I also used my new Fiskars Effervescense Border Punch, pattern paper from an old mat pack & ribbon from Dollarama.Thanks for looking & have a great day!

Rebecca’s “I’m in the Mood” Challenge

Recently Rebecca (one of the Lead Fiskateers) posted “I’m in the Mood” for a little challenge! I am such a slacker when it comes to birthday cards, but I need to get myself in gear! I'm going to make five birthday cards to have on hand just in case. Who wants to join me?

The rules were to make five birthday cards-they can be different or all the same, but they must be new for this challenge. Use one of your favorite Fiskars tools to make them. Post a picture in your Fiskateer gallery and leave a link on her blog post by 5 pm EST on Thursday, May 28th.

No sweat…yeah right. I always seem to leave my Birthday cards until the last minute. I have had so many family birthday’s this month and am behind on them all. I figured that I’d squeeze in some birthday cards

The first two cards that I made for Rebecca’s challenge were using this adorable dog & birthday cake stamp by Penny Black. I kept this one quite simple and figure that it would make a perfect masculine card. The next card is for my Great Niece Dakota who loves Dora and is celebrating her 3rd birthday next month. I found a Dora coloring page image online and downloaded it. I colored it with my Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol. I used some sparkly pattern paper from a DCWV mat pack as well as some Dollarama ribbon, a foam letter from Dollarama and a Stampin Up sentiment. Dora is popped up with Dimensionals.The last card I did for the challenge is also one for the House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge. I made 2 cards & I chose to use the “Dreaming of Jelly Beans” image for this weeks challenge. I colored the image with my Copic Markers & used my Nestabilities. I also used my new Fiskars Effervescense Border Punch, pattern paper from an old mat pack & ribbon from Dollarama.For the tool requirement in this challenge, I used my Fiskar cutter and scissors on all the cards & new Effervescense border punch on the House Mouse cards.

Thanks for looking & have a great day!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Plurging…

They tell me that plurging is good for the health. I’m not sure yet but I’ll let you know when it’s all over & done with.

Every 3 years our town has a “Spring Clean Up” where you can take all your bulky items & toss them to the curb. Well….this is our year! We spent all day Sunday cleaning out the garage & our cabin and tossing stuff to the curb. Then Sunday night my son & his friend tossed out my computer chair, couch & loveseat. It’s a good thing I tossed it on Sunday night as our street was cleaned up a day early. Next week the renovations will begin on my apartment.

I’m having my bedroom & upper hallway drywalled & painted. After that’s done we’ll move down into the kitchen and paint and install a laminate floor. Then the livingroom also has to be painted and a laminate floor installed too.

My apartment is so small that it’s really hard to work on around all the furniture. Now that my livingroom is almost empty, it’s the perfect time to renovate. Everything from upstairs has to come down into the livingroom, including my bed this week. I’m hoping to have the work start on Monday but will know for sure either today or tomorrow as the guy doing the work has a previous job that is supposed to start next week & take him about 2 weeks to complete. Sure it would be nice to have that extra time but then it would mean that it would be the middle of July before I can start buying new furniture & have my home back in order.

There is nothing worse than living in a house while it’s being renovated. We did that with our first home that we bought during my marriage. I so hated having everything in shambles all the time. Now I am a lot older & have health issues so it’s a lot harder to deal with the stress and having things in shambles. I already miss not having a couch to sit on as these patio chairs just don’t cut it for comfort.

So needless to say my posting will be rather sporadic over the next month or so as it’s going to be hard to craft while my apartment is being renovated. It’s hard to craft when they are working upstairs next to my studio. I’m hoping that after they are finished with the upstairs that I can empty my studio into the hallway & have it repainted then I can totally reorganize it before putting everything back in it. That’s going to be a huge undertaking packing everything up & reorganizing it.

Well, have a great week & wish me luck that I survive the stress of renovating.

More Thank You Cards for my Sister

I’ve been trying to find time to finish up my sister’s Thank You cards with all that has been going on this week. Yesterday I managed to find a little bit of time to work on finishing them up. I thought that I was done but I realized that I still have 2 more to make and then do the inserts for them. Arghhh!!

For these first two cards I used one of the free stamps that I got from Inkadinkado for sending in 3 cards. I really like this image and thought that it’d be perfect with Flower Soft. I used my Stampin Up Markers to stamp the image and then added the Flower Soft. The edges were inked up & then mounted on Stampin Up Pink Pirouette cardstock. The pattern paper is from one of Stampin Ups Pattern Packs Hostess Level 1. I also used my new Fiskars “Upper Crest” border punch, the CB Polka Dot embossing plate, the Large Stampin Up Oval Punch & the new SU Scalloped Oval Punch. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado. I finished it off with Pink Pirouette ribbon.The second card was done using one of my favorite Stampendous stamps once again coloring it with my Stampin Up Markers and then added glitter. The edges were inked up & then mounted on Stampin Up Pink Pirouette cardstock. The pattern paper is from one of Stampin Ups Pattern Packs Hostess Level 1. I also used my new Fiskars “Apron Lace” border punch, the CB Polka Dot embossing plate, the Large Stampin Up Oval Punch & the new SU Scalloped Oval Punch. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado.Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Off to the Beach

I've had this Inkadinkado stamp for awhile now and finally got around to making a card with it. I just love the little boy & girl images. I colored it with my Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol and used an old mat pack. TFS!

Cool Stampin Up Cards

A few weeks ago I got together with my upline and a few other ladies in our group and taught them how to make paperbag albums.

Ellen (my upline) also taught us how to make a cute little candy treat holder using the new Stampin Up Sizzix Beautiful Butterflies die #114507. I wasn’t sure whether or not to order this die but after seeing it up close, I’ve added it to my list. It is so pretty with the Urban Garden Designer Paper #112042 that is currently on sale until the end of May. (Buy 3 get 1 Free)Then we made the cutest “Swing Card” using the new “Great Friend” stamp set #113792 & the Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper. It’s in the Occasions Mini Catalogue that runs from April 1 – June 30th.We also made a “Quilt Card” using the Stampin Up Sizzix Top Note die, the 1 ¼” square punch, oval punch and the new scalloped oval punch. I love the looks of this card.If your interested in any of these cards or products you can contact me. TFS!

A New American Idol

Did you watch last nights American Idol Finale? Talk about an awesome show! The amazing talent that they had lined up….Keith Urban & Kris doing a song, Lil Rounds & Queen Latifa, Queen, Kiss, Lionel Ritchie, Carlos Santana, Fergie & the Black Eyed Peas, Rod Stewart, and Michael Sarver, Megan Joy, and Steve Martin doing bluegrass! Who knew?? Although I must admit I’m not crazy on Megan’s vocals.

It almost felt like a 70’s revival hearing all my favorite 70’s groups – Queen, Kiss (in full costume & makeup), Lionel Richie, Rod Stewart and the amazing guitar talents of Carlos Santa. He is amazing! It was an awesome show!!

I loved the Golden Idol that went to “Bikini Girl” and had to laugh when she was upstaged by Kara’s singing. The look on her face was priceless and how she tried to outsing Kara. She didn’t look too impressed by Kara’s singing or Kara taking the limelight away from her. But then she should be happy that Kara’s singing drowned her out. Too funny! Then of course Tatiana Del Toro ’s little skit even though it was staged. Then of course who doesn’t love Nick "Norman Gentle" Mitchell??

The look on Kris’s face when it was announced that he was the new American Idol was priceless. He was shocked!! I really think he expected Adam to win the title. He even commented that Adam deserves this. Both of these young men are extremely talented and will both go far in their careers. In my opinion they are both rising stars. Congrats to Kris!

So now that American Idol is over what am I going to watch on Tuesday and Wednesday nights??

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

House Mouse Challenge Sketch #38

I love this weeks sketch on the House Mouse Challenge blog at http://housemouse-challenge.blogspot.com/. Last week was the first time I participated in their challenges & when I saw this Monday's challenge, I knew I had to play again. I liked the sketch so much that I did 2 cards.

The first card is your standard 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card. I used Stampin Up cardstock and the pattern paper was from an old mat pack. I also used my Martha Stewart Heart border punch and my Marvy scalloped punch. I also added Glossy Accents to the hearts & noses on the House Mouse image.The second card is done the same as the first card only this card measures 5 1/2" x 51/2".TFL! Have a great day!

Adam or Kris??

Who do you pick to be the next American Idol? I think both of these young men are extremely talented and both are very deserving of the title. I had pegged Adam as the winner right from the start. He has an amazing voice and can really hit those high notes. I sometimes think he’s a bit too theatrical and his singing also comes off as screaming sometimes. But boy can he sing Queen songs.

Lately Kris has really come into his own and gained confidence in his abilities. He is also a very talented singer and I can also see him as the next American Idol.

I wish them both luck and as I said, either of them would make a great American Idol. Whether they win or not, both of them are rising stars.

I know I'll be watching tonights season finale. Will you??

Shawn and Mark…

Did you watch last nights finale? I was so thrilled to see that Shawn & Mark Ballas won. I think the expression on Mark’s face was hilarious. He was so stunned & shocked when they announced the winner.

It’s funny how Apolo when giving Shawn a pep talk told her that there has been no Olympian in the finals that hasn’t won the title. Talk about having insight. lol (Kristie Yamaguchi and Apolo Anton Ohno both won on previous seasons.)

Gilles Marini is definitely a talented dancer as is Melissa Rycroft. I was holding out for Mark & Shawn as I thought that it would be nice for someone other than Cheryl to win the title. I’m so glad it was Mark as he is one of my favorite dancers. (Mark also won with Kristie Yamaguchi two seasons ago.)

On a sad note, I heard that Julianne Hough won’t be returning next season as she is going to be concentrating on her musical career. She is another of my favorite dancers but supposedly she’ll be returning to DWTS in early 2010.

So now what will I watch on Monday & Tuesday nights???

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

More Thank You Cards

I’m almost finished the Thank You cards for my sister who recently had surgery. I am trying to make her about 12 assorted Thank You cards for her to give out to friends/family members who brought in meals for them while she is recuperating. I haven’t told her yet that I’m making these cards for her & thought that I’d surprise her with them.

These first few Magnolia cards were created with the images that I purchased at Scrapfest. I colored them with my Copic Markers and used an old mat pack also. The same mat pack was used on all the Magnolia images. This is one of my favorite mat packs, it’s huge and has such a great selection of pattern papers. I love the Magnolia images and there are so many different ways that you can color these.I added a “Thank You” verse to a couple of the cards that I created previously. The first one is the Stampendous Pansy image that I colored with my Prismacolor Pencils & Gamsol. I stamped the “thanks for being you” verse and punched it out using my Stampin Up oval punch and the new Stampin Up Scalloped oval.The butterfly image is one of the free images that I got from Inkadinkado during their gallery promotion where for each card you sent in using one of their images, they sent you a free stamp. (Maximum 3 cards). For this card I also stamped the “thanks for being you” verse and punched it out using my Stampin Up oval punch and the new Stampin Up Scalloped oval. The doodles are all glittered and it is so pretty up close. Since I’m almost done making the Thank You cards, I took a break to play with this new Stampin Up image from the Occasions Mini Catalogue. It’s from the set “Golden Oldies”. I thought that it would be perfect to add to my mother’s cards for her to send out to her friends. I know she’ll love it.I’m still enjoying coloring & playing with my House Mouse images. I’ve been anxious to play with this image and love the little House Mouse “flowers”. For this image I cut the image out & created a flower pot card. I wish I could take credit for the idea but I can't. I saw a card done this way on a blog awhile back. I couldn’t resist this image when I saw it & thought that it would be perfect for spring cards.

Thanks for looking & have a great day!!