Thinking of you

Hello, everybody! Here is a card I made using a sketch from Card Positioning Systems. I've never really used card sketches, but have been eyeballing their sketches for awhile now. After seeing all the great sketches and what the fabulous designers do with them, I decided to take a shot at it. For this card, I used last week's sketch (number 172, which you can see here). I changed a couple of the elements up a little bit, but I think it still works for the sketch. This card measures 9 inches tall x 4 inches wide, and fits in a standard business size (A10) envelope.

Here's a close-up of the Versamark background. If you've never used Versamark, you should! LOL...it's a watermark ink, so it just makes a very subtle background, but it adds some visual interest without adding a distracting color. It's also very slow-drying, so it's great to use with embossing powders.

And here's a close-up of the cute little "hi" stamp. Oh yeah...by the way...this stamp is the one I used with the Versamark for the yellow background. I love how the word "hi" didn't show up using the Versamark and made my little stamp that much more versatile. YAY!!! :)

Here are the deets (details...yes, I know I'm a nerd...lol) : cardstocks are Bazzill, patterned paper is The Girls' Paperie, stamps are KI Memories, inks are Versamark (for creating the background on the yellow cardstock) and Staz-On Timber Brown, the dark blue strip was cut at the bottom using Nestabilities Labels 9 and embossed with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots, notebook border punch (sorry, don't know the real name) is EK Success, ribbon is Bazzill, hemp cord is Darice, corner rounder is We-R-Memory Keepers Corner Chomper, and the brown pen for the little accent dots is American Crafts.

Thanks for looking!

{azaleas} photo mosaic layout

Here is another photo mosaic layout (as promised). I used these great pictures my mom took when my parents visited our relatives in Oklahoma this past April. I just love these pictures of the beautiful azaleas in bloom and all the lush greenery. I used Bazzill cardstock in Kraft and Raven. For the title, I used white chipboard Thickers by American Crafts, but glitzed them up a bit with some Frosted Lace Stickles glitter glue by Ranger.
Here is a close-up. I don't know if you can see the glitter all that well, but it sure does look pretty in real life :)

Thanks for looking! And again, you can click on any picture to enlarge it.

The great outdoors

Hello, everybody! I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything in the last couple of months. Things have been kinda crazy around here, but I've recently completed a few projects and will be posting them in the next few days. Thanks for being patient with me. Hopefully you'll enjoy these projects. I've been on a photo mosaic kick, and it's really helped me get some pictures down on paper. This first one is called "The great outdoors" and I used some pictures I took here in southern Arizona. I used Bazzill cardstock for the base, the black squares, and the title. The title was cut using the Cricut Expression and the "Opposites Attract" cartridge. Thanks for looking!

"Delightful little things" shadowbox

Okay, so I've never done a project quite like this one before, but I must say, I am quite pleased with how it turned out. And guess what...I actually put MY pictures in it, and I'm KEEPING it!!! That's huge for me, since most of what I make I give to other people. I don't even have a scrapbook of my own pictures, but I've made plenty for others. Anyway, here is a shadowbox that I made into a piece of "scrapbook-related home decor." The box itself has an overall size of 11" x 14", and is divided into 12 compartments. It came with glass, but I removed it. Here is a little peek...


The inspiration for my title came from one of the stamps I used on it. The set is from Technique Tuesday, and it is just fantastic. So many stamps are geared towards card-making, but this set is awesome for scrapbooking. And I got SO MUCH use out of it. Here is my inspiration: "Memories are delightful little things"

And here is my finished product, minus pictures. ***I will be teaching this project as a class at my LSS, Pages In Progress, on Saturday, March 13, 2010. Space is very limited (10 seats), so if you're in Tucson or the surrounding areas and want to take this class, please contact the store. Cost is $45, and it includes the shadowbox. Everything will come pre-cut, stamped, punched, embossed, etc. All you need to do is assemble and add your pictures.*** Sorry for the shameless plug... anyway, here is the shadowbox completely decorated, minus pictures. (You can click on the picture to enlarge it and see more detail)

Here are my pictures of my beautiful boys. The actual shadowbox is not shown in the next two pictures.

Thanks for looking! And again, if you are in southern Arizona and would like to take this class, please contact Pages In Progress. Reserve your seat early! :)

My new rubber stamp shelf...I'm in love!!!!

For awhile now, I've been looking for a new way to store all my rubber stamps so that they are easily accessible and don't take up a lot of wall space. I think I've done it, and I can proudly say I did it ALL BY MYSELF!!! Here is a picture of the finished product, followed by a step-by-step picture tutorial for anybody else who might like to try it. Click on any picture to make it larger. Thanks for looking!

Here is the "naked" shelf, which I purchased from Michael's. The normal price is $49.99 (a little steep, I know), but with all the coupons out there, I know none of us ever buy anything at full price. :)

Here's the label on top of the shelf, to help you identify the correct one:

For my first step, I used a level and a pencil to extend a line even with the top of the first shelf:

I then continued that line around to the side of the shelf, across the back, and around to the other side of the same shelf:

I measured the distance between the top of the first shelf and the top of the entire unit, and figured out the number of tray inserts I could fit in this space. Each tray insert is about 1.25", and I used 1/4" dowels as my supports. Once again using my level and a pencil, I drew horizontal lines showing where each row would be. I flipped my level and made vertical lines representing how far apart the front and rear dowels would be:

I continued the horizontal lines across the back:

I made the same markings on the other side:

I drilled holes for my dowels where the vertical and horizontal lines intersect, except at the level of each existing shelf. Even though there are staple marks showing where each existing shelf is, I still penciled in the word "shelf" to remind myself not to drill holes there:

I used a 1/4" drill bit and drilled holes in the appropriate places:

I used these dowels, also purchased at Michael's. They are 1/4" x 12", and they come 10 to a pack, for $1.99:

I inserted my dowels through one side of the unit into the corresponding hole on the opposite side:

I wanted a "shabby chic" look, so I decided to crackle paint my shelf. I used DecoArt crackle medium and Apple Barrel paint (Satin Cream color), also from Michael's.

Here's the finished crackle:

I used fabric from Hancock's Fabric, along with pom-poms by Offray and a sheet of scalloped Bazzill cardstock to dress up my shelf. The fabric was 18" x 21" and cost $1.99. I bought two pieces, one for each side of my unit. The spool of pom-poms I already had, and I found them on clearance at Walmart for $2.00. The scalloped Bazzill also came from my stash, and I distressed it slightly by dry-brushing the acrylic paint on it.

I pleated the fabric and adhered it the the shelf with my ATG. I also adhered the paper and pom-poms with my ATG:

I loaded my stamps into the trays , divided into themes. The "trays" are actually clear acrylic box frames that I purchased at Michael's and Target. They are 8" x 10". Neither store had the quantity I needed in that size, plus I had a gift card for Target, so I actually got 9 trays for free.:) The cost for these trays are $2.99 at Michael's and $3.19 at Target. I made sure to use one of Michaels' "20% off your entire purchase" coupons. If you do decide to make one of these units, you may be tempted, as I was, to use the 8.5" x 11" frames for your trays. They don't fit in the shelf! On average, I was able to fit about 17 stamps in each tray, depending on the size and arrangement. I chose this particular tray to photograph because it shows a lot of different sized stamps:

I loaded all my trays into my new stamp shelf. I was able to fit 22:
And here's my (almost) finished product. I haven't yet decided how I'm going to label each shelf. I want to do something cuter than using my label maker, I just haven't thought of the right solution. I'm also planning on putting an 8" x 10" piece of paper at the bottom of each tray and stamping each stamp in the proper place. So when a stamp is missing, I know which one it is :

I'd love to hear what you think! Also feel free to ask questions if I left something out. Thanks for looking!

A birthday tip...have your cake and eat it too

Here is a cute little card I made using up some paper scraps I had after making an altered project. I also found in my stash a sheet of vintage birthday stickers by Pebbles Inc., and thought this little sticker was perfect for my card. Kraft paper for the card base is Bazzill, and the patterned papers are from a JoAnn alterable kit. Ribbon is from my stash, the border punch along the bottom is Fiskars Apron Lace, and although it is hard to see in these pics, I used a Martha Stewart punch along the bottom of the pale pink patterned paper.

Another view:

Fiskars Apron Lace border punch:

Pumpkin streusel bread...mmm...

I found these cute little loaf pans at Michael's, and immediately knew I wanted to make pumpkin streusel bread for Halloween gifts. They cost $1.00, are oven- and dishwasher-safe, and Michael's usually carries them in different colors and themes. I also got the clear bags at Michael's, and it just so happened that their credit card machines were down, so everybody in the store got 20% off their entire purchase for paying cash. YAY! Anyway, I used this recipe. And the recipe made enough for 4 of these mini loaves, with plenty of streusel to top each one. I realize there are only 3 loaves in these pics, and you may be wondering about the 4th one...let me just say, it was delicious ;). For the tags, I used a Studio G $1 stamp on patterned paper by DCWV. I used Stickles glitter glue on the word "boo". Ribbons are Making Memories, and I secured the tags to the ribbons with silver brads. I thought they turned out really cute!

Another view:

Orange tag, close up:

Green tag, close up:

Purple tag, close up:

Here is what the cream colored pan looks like:

Here's what the black pan looks like:

A view of all three loaves: