Birthday!

Today is my lunch date with my little lunch buddy and she had a birthday this week.....7 years old.  Such a fun age.  I love to listen to her babble on about all the drama and fun that is her 1st grad life.  I completely biffed on her card however.....I thought I had this seriously adorable little girl birthday card until about 2 hours before I had to leave for lunch......then I realized (after much mad and panicky scrambling) that I did NOT have the card and in fact had given it to a friend who was in much the same situation a few months ago that I found myself in today.  So, really super fast and quick I made up a birthday card.  And it shows how fast I put it together.  Thank goodness my little lunch buddy is 7 and pretty agreeable because this card is not so great hahaha!  I wish I had embossed the blue panel....I feel like there is too much blue space and that a little texture would break that up.  Oh well!  Next time!

The image is a little Whippersnapper Design and one that I turn to quite often for birthday cards.  I love to color up the packages and also to pop them up on dots.  The dies are Spellbinders. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Be well,

Sheila

Fun with paper....

I am absolutely craving some "me" time!  I always get this way when the holidays are finished and everyone has gone back to school.  I find that I need a bit of quiet and crafting in order to get centered again.  I was able to make two cards this past week and I cannot tell you how great it felt to be putzing around with inks and papers again.  Heavens!--one card even has some copic coloring on it.....something I haven't had the time to do in ages!

A friend of mine recently had surgery and so a get well card was made for her.  I love this particular Whippersnapper image and sentiment.

And here is the inside.....I thought that I would include an shot of it as the sentiment is so darn cute!

My second card is for a friend who is starting out on a new "path" in life...a different direction that she was not expecting and not prepared for but is really making the best out of.  I admire her fighting spirit and her ability to make positive goals out of the circumstances that life has handed her.  I wanted to give her a note of encouragement...as she is setting new and different goals to achieve her new and different dreams.  And, I admire that in her....well, in anyone really. (EDITED:  I see now in the photo below that there is a rebel bit of bling hitching a ride on one of my pearls.....please know that this errant gem was plucked before postage and safely returned to it's package for proper placement on another card!!!)

I did want to say that I completely understand if some of you think I am a terrible person!!!!  It has been next to impossible lately to get into my own crafting zone much less being able to visit and comment on all the beautiful pieces of work that my friends are crafting.  I do plan to visit and comment more....in the meantime I am THAT PERSON who is creeping on the blogs without having the time to comment!

Take care and,

Be well,

Sheila

Hey There!

Wow....life has been good.  Life has been full and ultimately life has been crazy.  Crazy and busy and full of family, activities and everything else that would take me away from crafting for such a long period of time.  And I have missed crafting!  I have missed visiting blogs and  I have so many people to respond to with letters and cards than I have fingers and toes to count them on! To all of you who have sent me cards, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!  I really appreciate it more than you can ever know!  I will very soon be responding to you and your lovely wishes with some of my own.  I find it amazing how turned upside down my home gets during the holidays or really whenever my all children come home.  Since my crafting takes me away from them....physically "removes" me from the rest of the family it ends up being an activity that I don't spend too (any?) time doing while they are here.  Also, my main computer is in my oldest daughter's old bedroom and while she is home I like to stay out of that room to respect her privacy so.....while I do have an Ipad I don't tend to do too much surfing or commenting.  Yesterday, however, I did have time to get to some crafting and I have to say it was so much fun and so rejuvenating to get back to playing.  I had a few thank you cards to whip up and I wanted to work some of my old scraps into the mix.  I also wanted to try to work some die cutting into the cards....to make the "edges" decorative.  That is a technique that has always eluded me.  I never end up being able to successfully edge out a card and make it look nice and finished.  But I am pleased with these four cards.  I think that is because I was feeling under the weather (the flu has hit HARD in my area) and I had to cancel all my day plans and just sit home.  That gave me the time and the no pressure window to experiment with my dies and papers....something that I haven't had time to do before.  And these cards, after I figured out how to die cut and assemble, really didn't take too long to make.  And the process was sooooo enjoyable.  What a great way to use scraps of paper or even "break into" those lovely papers that we all tend to hoard.  I also found these particular gem stones at JoAnn's.  They come in a larger sheet and are very "low" meaning that they don't stand out from your paper as much as other gems.  Even though they do have dimension it is definitely less and so much nicer for mailing!  Here is a pic of the gems....they come in lots of colors.

And here are pic's of  the cards.....I hope you enjoy!  All dies are from Spellbinders and the "thanks" sentiment is from Hero Arts Live and Laugh CL520 clear sheet. I can't remember what brand the "Thank you for" is.....sorry I don't have the wrapper anymore.  The inside of those cards say "everything" though.

As I mentioned above these are all Spellbinder dies.  And some are newer and some are from years ago.  I am not a big New Year's Resolution type person but this year I did make a a quiet promise to myself to really LEARN how to use the different products that I have.  In the beginning of my crafting I often bought supplies based upon someone else's fabulous creation.....but never took into mind that that particular person might have been crafting years longer than me....or had more time to learn various skills and techniques.  So I would use the product and my creation would look like doo-doo.  And then I would put that product away and it would collect dust.  End of story.  Until now.  So, the 'fleur d' lis" die above was one of the very first that I ever got.  And, I could never figure out how to use it.  I love the pattern and am so glad that I had a day to really work with it and understand how to make edge cuts that translate into cards.  I know it sounds simple to probably most of you but I actually have to watch video tutorials to figure that stuff out.  Which takes time.  Which I usually don't have. So, for all of you out there that have LOTS of stuff that has never been used.....take some time to shop your shelves for that product that you always wanted to use but weren't sure how to....take some time learn how to use it so you are a better crafter AND are able to get your money out of your supplies!  And, thank you all for stopping by.....and I hope that each and everyone of you had a wonderful holiday season.  I cannot believe that we are into 2013 already....remember when the turn of the century was such a big deal and here it is already 13 years later!  Wow.

Be well,
Sheila

Silver and Gold...

Yep.  Kinda hung up on the song and the colors lately.  I am loving the deep discounts and coupon action I am finding recently (well, in the month of December) both online and in  brick and mortar stores.  It allows me to make some purchases that would not otherwise find their way into my cart due to them being to seasonal.  I like to stretch my crafting products but sometimes it is nice to get items that are solely and completely for a particular holiday or season.  And sometimes some products, like dies, are too difficult to find very deeply discounted during the season.  But this year I found several and today I used a Tim Holtz die that would have never ever have found it's way into my basket had it not been very deeply cut in price.  I mean, it is gorgeous and all but reindeer are really pretty limited to Christmas and the Christmas season!  I love the graceful lines of this die however and when JoAnn's had it sooooo cheap that I would be a FOOL to pass by the savings.....(hehehehe) I decided to add it to my cart .  Sticking with my current silver/gold obsession, I made two cards for today.  Both are a little over the top....and actually I am not sure that I really care for either too much!  I think I need to straighten and clean my craft room in order to unearth some other papers and colors!  But, crafting is an experiment right? And with that in mind I decided to experiment with "excess".  Enjoy!

At JoAnn's, and I am sure other stores....they have wedding sections and in those sections they have pearls.....so much cheaper than the pearls that are in the craft/scrapbook section of the store.  This particular bit of pearls is from an entire sheet of pearls that can be wrapped around a candle or other item.  I like it because it is on a slightly glittered background and all the pearls are obviously in perfect little rows that can be cut and adhered as I want.  Also, they can be individually cut and used also.  I find this to be MUCH cheaper than buy the pearls from the various craft companies.  Here are the pearls....basically 792 pearls for $10 before coupon....

http://www.joann.com/david-tutera-4-mm-self-adhesive-pearls-792pk/zprd_10664860a/

And they also have "gems" in the wedding dept....

http://www.joann.com/david-tutera-self-stick-oval-rhinestones-98-pk/zprd_11312717a/

as well as other sizes and shapes.  I find that these all color up beautifully with copics if you want to customize your pearls and gems.  And if you are anything like me and enjoy  embellishing with  bling this is really a huge cost savings! 

Here is my second card.  I was able to find some foil paper on deep discount too and here I cut and glittered both silver and gold foil after first die cutting it.  I wanted to try a shaped card.....especially working with  a partial die cut.  Not too sure if I like it or not.....although, I will say it does look TONS better in real life than it does in this photo.  We are under a blizzard watch so lighting is a bit off I think.

Well, the blizzard is supposed to hit starting tonight and through tomorrow....anywhere from 6-16 inches.....seems like quite a safe spread for the weather man to make!  Anyways, I need to make several errand runs.  My husband is supposed to come home tomorrow night from China and we both have a sinking feeling that his return might be delayed.  Friday we were planning to pick our daughter up from college together and Saturday we have my husband's family's Christmas about three hours away so I need him to be home!  Thank you for stopping by and take care!

Be well,
Sheila

Moxie Fab....

I just love the current Tuesday Trigger Inspiration picture for Moxie Fab Challenge. It's called Shimmer and Shine and it is just gorgeous!  I love the combination of gold, silver, crisp white and a bit of sparkle.  Here is the picture we were to work with this week.

Isn't it just wonderful?  I had this idea in my head from the minute I saw the inspiration photo and the problem was just trying to find time to sit down and create it!  I used Spellbinder's dies for the shapes of the card as well as a Spellbinder embossing folder.  Then I created the wreath and flowers from two different Martha Stewart punches.  The wreath is lightly brushed with Delicata Gold ink and then both the wreath and the flowers are glittered with "Glamour Dust"  I wish the shine and sparkle photographed better.....in real life the card is really so pretty....

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope that you all are having a wonderful week....Remember! It is "hump" day and that means the weekend cannot be too far off!

Be well,

Sheila

Blue Christmas.....

Fast and glittery....this card was fun and just really easy-peasy to make.  I happened to have been sent 3 triangle shaped dies a few years ago from Spellbinders.  They were a thank you for an order and they were not in any sort of packaging or anything....and I have never used them.  I mean really, unless you're Telly from Sesame Street whatever are you going to use triangles for?  Except for the day that you look at the triangles and think....aha!!!  CHRISTMAS TREES!  So, with a bit of scrap patterned paper, stickles and an embossing folder here is my Blue Christmas!

For the tree trunks I used some scrap kraft paper....I crimped it then lightly distressed it with brown ink. Thank you for stopping by!  If you are like me it is a very busy time of year for you!  I hope you get everything done today that you need to get done!

Be well,
Sheila

Inspiration....

comes when you least expect it.  I was playing around with the Spellbinders Holiday Tree die recently and was trying to think of different ways to use it.  It is a big die....app 4 1/4  by 4 1/2 inches.  So, although it is a beautiful and intricate die I kept thinking very basic layouts with it.  Until I saw this card online at this site.....wow.     http://downunderdirectinspiration.blogspot.com/2012/09/holiday-tree-2012-cards.html    I never would have thought to go this direction with this die....and I just love the result!  How clever to use the die in a pair as a large, extended flourish.  I then went to work making a suitable center for this lovely flourish and, of course, came up with my favorite poinsettia die.  This time I decided to go with a selection of patterned papers and then distress them for a somewhat vintage look and I think that it worked out alright.  I probably will play with this idea a bit more before the end of the season!  The picture isn't that good....for some reason no matter what  picture or angle I took of this card it didn't turn out right!  Anyways, the site I listed above, down under direct has really beautiful cards and you all should def check it out if you love working with die cuts the way I do.  I think this idea with the Christmas tree is just genius and and could also see using a beautiful Christmas tree stamp that way also!

Thank you for visiting today!

Be well,
Sheila