She's Making Lists......

.......and more importantly, CHECKING off on the lists!!

Order invites for Newest Kiddo's graduation party:  CHECK

Individual Senior Boys Baseball collages put together and ordered:  CHECK

Coach's and Team Baseball collages put together and ordered:  CHECK

Teacher appreciation gift card (yes, I admit that that I caved to the convenience of a gift card. Survival is what we are aiming for in the month of May!):  CHECK

Cute presentation Teacher's Mug to give gift card:   CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!!  

Thank heavens for those paper crafter's who are willing to share their talents and templates online.  It is those saintly souls who make harried mom's like me not look quite so lame in in our gift giving.

Traci Cornelius has a wonderful video that demonstrates how to make this cute little mug. Since she did such a fabulous job, I skipped the step by step photos. This is truly easy  peasy to make!! You can find her video here.  

It actually took me longer to figure out what papers I wanted to use then the making of the mug itself.  The gift card peeking out the top will give you an idea as to the size of the mug.  It's tiny, but CUTE! 

I made the mug and handle out of Gina K's pure luxury 120# card stock as I wanted the cup to be more sturdy. You will notice in the last picture that the handle started pulling off the mug due to the stiffness of the paper.  I had used Scor-tape originally to adhere the handle, but had to resort to TenSecond Studios Humungo Killer tape to get the job done correctly.  The decorative papers are from Graphic 45's An ABC Primer line.  

Using up hoarded paper stash:  CHECK

I'm off to try and accomplish more check marks off my list before an afternoon of watching the Oldest and Newest Kiddo's baseball game.  To all you wonderful and under appreciated Teachers:  a HUGE THANK YOU!!

And to all you mom's (harried or cool, calm and got it together) HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

'Till next time......................

Ode to the 1920's.....and the '80's?!!

Windows are open. Cherry trees are blooming.  Short sleeves are becoming the norm.

Somehow it is hard to fathom that most of the country is blanketed in snow when it would seem spring has sprung here!!  While I looove the warm temperatures, we are so going to regret not getting any moisture this winter once all this new growth starts to brown and burn!!

I really didn't pop in today to gloat  talk about the weather we are having.  I actually made a card.

Twice, in ONE month.  

Miracles never cease!!

Oldest Kiddo once again needs a birthday card for a classmate's celebration later this evening. Once again, it would seem the card request is for a young lady.

I'm beginning to think that only girls at this age have birthday parties.  It would appear to me that the guys just pound on each other, give a fist pump and figure that meeting at Del Taco is a good enough celebration.

Or, maybe, it is because 17 year old boys can not be bothered to "plan"  events.  Events would require thinking beyond what their next meal/snack is going to be. And possibly moving from the sprawled position on the couch.  

I digress.

 I usually try to make birthday cards for the young ladies a bit more CAS (clean and simple) and not overtly girly, so that the Kiddo doesn't cringe in giving the card.  Now, "A" is a young lady who likes the drama. Not drama as in "roll your eyes AGAIN" drama. But as in, the theatrical presentation of everyday life.  One can count on "A" to not be afraid to step out on the stage and PERFORM! LOL!

Case in point.  Tonight's birthday theme is the 1920's.  Everyone is to dress from the '20's and be prepared for a dinner/mystery party.

"A's" catch?  She has assigned each guest a role to play.  BUT! The guest isn't suppose to dress up as that role. They are to dress up representing the 1920's.

Example:  Oldest Kiddo is to pretend for the evening that he is an '80's hairband rock star.

Yeah.  Not sure how that is suppose to work, but I'm not 17 any more so I expect I'm not suppose to figure it out!!

So, I had the idea to step out of my little CAS girly box and be a bit more dramatic in the presentation.

I must have succeeded. I got a "Whoa!  Now THAT's cool!" reaction from the Kiddo himself.

This card is a collection of hoarded supplies.  I've challenged myself to use up my vast supplies versus buying new stuff that I no longer have the space to store. While it pains me to cut into papers I just love to look at and use embellishments that other's might not appreciate, it is beyond ridiculous that I fight using it.  Plus, if I actually use the stuff I already have, that means I can buy NEW stuff, right?!!  

This paper pack, from Graphic 45's Curtain Call, is probably one of my all time favorite lines from this company.  I am so sad to be down to only a few scraps.  I actually combined it with a couple of hoarded sheets of Bo Bunny paper for the background and flower. I have had this paper stashed away for so long that I no longer recall the paper line as it would seem I had trimmed off that information at some point in time. I even dug out an old antique brad from my SU days and used my treasured film strip ribbon.  

The feathers?  Another hoarded craft supply from who knows what kiddo project!!

I'm going to go finish another card that uses more treasured supplies.  I just might need therapy after this weekend to get through this painful trial of letting go! 

'Till next time................

Steampunk Time

Wow!  Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments you have all left in regards to the retirement of the 

E-Team.  Knowing that you all found inspiration in what we all shared is humbling and inspiring to keep on creating!  There is still time to leave a comment and be considered for the chance to win the generous blog prize of some yummy Ten Second Studio metal and molds!  Comments can be left here until Sunday!

While I won't be a design team member anymore, I'm not going anywhere! I'll still be around sharing bits and pieces of what grabs my creative fancy!  

Today, that fancy would be a card.  I was asked by the front office gals to make the office birthday card for one of the assistant therapists.  *L has a bit of an eclectic side to her, so I went with Graphic45 and a Steampunk theme. 

Because one can never go wrong with Steampunk when thinking eclectic, in my humble opinion.  

Card details:  Base is Gina K's Pure Luxury Ivory in 5 1/2" square.  Graphic45's Steampunk Debutante Collection for all the design paper elements.  I used Tim Holtz's Idea-ology Timeworks mask with Distress Ink in Antique Linen to sponge the large clock on the background.  I adhered scrap portions of the butterfly border to Wendy Vecchi's Blackout modeling film, cut them out and heated to shape.  The body's of the butterflies were then attached to the border using some Glossy Accents. Sponging with Distress Vintage Photo ink was done along the edges of butterfly border and the background border.  The butterfly border was then adhered with dimensionals to give more of a "framed" look.

I stamped Unity's Itty Bitty Time Flies onto a scrap piece of the Graphic45 paper and covered with Glossy Accents.  Due to an impatient glitch on my part, I had to apply another layer of the glossy accents to try and smooth out my "oops".  It's not perfect, but I did not have time to do it over, so it is what it is!!  

The wings were die cut from TenSecond Studios Rock Star Black metal using Tim Holtz's Alterations die Heart Wings.  I then embossed the wings with an embossing folder (sorry, I don't have the name on the folder...it is a Cuttlebug folder) and sanded off the raised portion, exposing the aluminum.  The Time was adhered using a double layer of dimensionals.  

Lousy picture, but it does show the dimension of the butterflies!  I like the fact that these butterflies will NOT get smooshed!!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!  I got to take a nice long walk/hike (we did a bit off trail!) this morning with friends and now I need to the disaster zone that was once my kitchen!!  

'Till then....enjoy some creativity!

 

Jazzy Birthday

I had just picked up the Oldest Kiddo early from school on Wednesday, as he did not have to take his last final. He had maintained a high enough grade again this last quarter for that extra little perk from that particular teacher. Yes, that is a mother bragging!  As he was loading up all the "junk" from his now clean locker, I heard that lovely "DING", indicating that I had a text message.

From work.

It would seem that the front office gal and I had forgotten that the office was going to be celebrating the new gal's  birthday on Thursday.

Did I mention that we were the ones who were in charge of getting the present and card?!!

Now, being the Queen of Procrastination, I normally would have gone home and hemmed and hawed over a layout all evening and then jammed to get something put together right before I had to walk out the door to the lunch.  BUT!  No such luxury this time!  I had to book it home and bust out a card so that I could drop it by the office, before it closed for the day, as my Thursday is booked with the job of accompanying four boys to Disneyland for the day.  

It was about then that Mojo took one look at my panicked face and RAN.

Sigh.  So, now I'm having to produce a card, in a very short amount of time, for a person I've only worked with a couple of times, with NO MOJO.

Thank goodness for the world wide web!!  I pulled out some Graphic45 papers and went to their DT gallery to get some ideas.  This card from Gloria Stengel was my inspiration.  Here is my version of her incredible card.

 

click on photo for larger view

Card Basics:  Base is 5 1/2" square of Pure Luxury Ivory.  All the design paper is from Graphic 45's Curtain Call.  Spellbinder's Lacey Squares was used behind the main image and  Peony dies  were used for the flower.  Accessories:  Distress Antique Linen was sponged on the Lacey square and the Louis Armstrong "announcement" and Pearl Glimmer Mist on the flower.  The bling was from my "left over" stash.

I really have no idea if this is the new gal's  "style", but I rather like how it turned out despite no Mojo and thinking time! Thank you Gloria Stengel!  

One more day to get through before summer vacation begins!  YES!!

'Till next time....................... remember that there is inspiration everywhere, just make sure you give credit, where credit is due!!

From the Desk of......

Hey People!  Are you all ready for the holiday?  I'm a bit closer, but still have a list that is long enough that I might need an extra week to get it all done!  Oh wait...that isn't happening, is it?! 

Thought I'd pop in and share the gift that was made for the Youngest Kiddo's teacher.  She loves personalized gifts and just happened to mentioned how much she loves the vintage look.  Sooo, I put the two together and made a vintage theme box that contains 12 cards/envelopes.

Graphic 45's An ABC Primer  8x8 pad was the PERFECT paper for this project.  I made the box to fit standard 4.25" x 5.5" cards/envies.  I made the box from the cardboard that comes in 12x12 paper packs and adhered the paper with Claudine's matte multi medium.  I cut the ruler from one of the sheets and adhered it to a piece of the scrap cardboard to give it dimension.  I used another sheet of the same image to paper piece some of the books and the top portion of the little girl giving a spankin' and adhered with dimensionals for even more dimension and interest. 

For the personalization, I traced the shape of the paper's image that had ABC on it, and traced it around my personalization that was on the computer on Very Vanilla card stock.  The edges of the box and personalization note were distressed with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.  I used the same ink to also distress my gingham ribbon.  The apple was die cut with Spellbinders Nested Apples from SU's Riding hood Red paper and shaded with a mixture of Distress Brushed Corduroy and Vintage Photo.  The highlights were added with Inkssential's white opaque pen and then the whole apple was coated in Glossy Accents.

Showing more of the dimension and the sides of the box

I made three cards of 4 different styles.  All are on a base of Pure Luxury Ivory (which matches SU's Very Vanilla very nicely, but is much more sturdy, which I like for a card base) and measure 4.25" x 5.5".  All the papers are again from the ABC Primer.  The apple die cuts are a Cuttlebug die and all were shaded with Distress Vintage Photo, highlighted with the Inkssentials white opaque pen and covered in Glossy Accents. 



These cards had some scored lines made with my Scor-Buddy to add a bit more interest

SU's More Mustard was used for the solid strip

All the card were CAS (clean and simple) as I did not want Ms. White to have pay any extra postage for added embellishments! 

Geesh.  I just realized that these are not the best photos! This is what happens when one takes the photos on a rainy day and forgets to check the outcome! The bases look white versus vanilla/ivory.  The colors are a bit washed out too....I'd love to re take the photos, but. uhhh, I don't think that it would be proper to ask Ms. White for her gift back!! haha!  Oh well. 

Ok!  That's it for me today!  I'm going to go check my list again and see if there is something else I can check off before calling it a night!! 

'Till then...................

Want to Scrap?



The E-Team is excited to share in fun blog hop with the Want2Scrap Design team. If you are new to eclectic Paperie or Want2Scrap, here is a little information about these two creative companies. Each offer a unique line of products for all paper crafters.

eclectic Paperie(eP) is an online boutique for all who love paper crafts. There is an eclectic assortment of products, supplies, tools, and materials to assist you in your quest for creative expression. Stretch your basic paper crafting skills beyond simple scrapbooking and cardmaking. Take the next step into artistic expression by "feeding your creativity" at eclectic Paperie. You keep up new product offerings by following eclectic Paperie on Facebook, Twitter, or the eP Blog.

Want2Scrap™ manufacturers rhinestones lines including the Nestabling™ line that coordinates with the newly released Nestaboard™ chipboard line. A variety of Nestabling and Nestaboard shapes correspond with specific Spellbinders™ Nestabilities™ die templates. Want2Scrap also manufacturers their own line chipboard albums and accents, acrylic albums, and multi-layered laser designs and other fine scrap booking products. Want2Scrap brings ease of use and flexibility in their product lines by offering products uniquely tailored to its customers’ needs. Follow Want2Scrap on Facebook and the Want2Scrap Blog!

The E-Team and Want2Scrap Design Team were on a mission to create some fun projects using the Nestabling, Nestaboard with any coordinating Spellbinders dies, too. Come blog hop with the two teams to see what kind of creative juices resulted.

The E-Team

Daisy/eP Blog

Broni

Latrice

Linda D

Micki

Sherry

and

Me!

Linda L is actually on a cruise this week!!  Lucky gal! But stop by and let her know she was missed!

Want2Scrap™ Design Team

•Heidi Blankenship

•Dana Gustafson

•Elise Durenberger

•Karen Taylor

•Linda Duke

•Mimi Leinbach

Twice the number of blog hop participants means twice the fun that includes prizes, too!! Visit each E-Team and Want2Scrap participating member and leave them some feedback about their creations. One comment per person per blog, please. You have until today, Friday, September 30th to Sunday, October 2nd to visit each blog participant. eclectic Paperie and Want2Scrap will each be choosing 3 random winners from the blog hop participants. Three random winners will win an eP $20 gift voucher and three will win a Want2Scrap $20 gift voucher.   Winners be posted on the eclectic Paperie Blog and on the Want2Scrap blog on Tuesday, Oct 4th so make sure you check back to claim your prize.

OK!! Onto the project!

I started with this empty Brie cheese container that I had saved for altering.





I then pulled out one of my favorite Graphic45 paper lines, Curtain Call, Want2Scrap Nestaboard Stars Five, the coordinating Spellbinders dies and some Idea-ology Film Strip Ribbon.  A combination of Studio matte Multi Medium, Antique Linen Distress Ink and some left over bling that I altered with a black Copic marker and this is what I came up with:

 



But wait! There's more!!  Take off the lid and inside is a little mini album of various pictures of my kiddos, in costume at differnt stages of their young lives, ready to play the leading men in the show!!

 



I covered circles cut from thin cardboard (the 12 x 12 cardboard that comes in paper packs) with more of the Graphic45 Curtain Call and used them as my background for pictures that I edited to a sepia tone in PSE. 



 

 

The "pages" of the mini album where adhered to a piece of black ribbon and covered over on the back with SU's Riding Hood Red card stock with Scor-tape.  I'll write the details of the photos on the back for journaling.  I did add a loop to the top of the ribbon, just in case I decide that I want to hang the collage for show.





A couple of observations:

 

1) The Nestaboard is sturdy, yet light weight.  And I was very impressed that it matched PERFECTLY with the Spellbinder's coordinating dies.

 

2) The Multi Medium held up the best to adhere the Film Strip Ribbon. I tried to use Humungo Sticky Tape, as it adheres metal wonderfully, but the twisting of the ribbon caused it to pull off.  The Multi Medium is still holding strong.

 

3) It would appear that my children stopped posing for pictures at age 3.  I really have no excuse not to get caught up on my scrap booking (I'm only behind about 12 years) as I would only have a total of 6 years to scrap.  sigh.............

 

I'm thinking that this idea would be great gifts for the grandparents for the holidays! 

 

Till next time...............enjoy some creativity!!

Graduation at the Movies

Well, after a week of my computer working without a hiccup, the dang thing is trying to give me heart failure by not wanting to connect again today!  BUT!! HAHA!  I fooled it!!  I just disconnected the thing and waited (somewhat) patiently for a bit and WAHLA!! it is working again!

But as I am not one to test fate, I am going to try and quickly post the last of the graduation cards that I made.  This one is my favorite.  It is TOTALLY nontraditional.  And, if I say so myself, perfect for the young lady for whom it was made.

J just so happens to be the daughter of my work out buddy (when our crazy schedules allow it, that is!).  For the Junior/Senior banquet, the Juniors hosted a Masquerade Ball on the Queen Mary.  In discussing the banquet, J happened to mention that the theme made her want to watch the Phantom of the Opera movie again.  So one evening, all of us "girls" got together and watched the movie.  And I discovered that the glamour of the old movies is not lost on today's youth.  J LOVES old movies. You know, the GOOD ones....starring Audrey Hepburn, Clark Gable, Lauren Bacall, Humphry Bogart.....

ANYWHOOS!!  I decided to make a card that brought out the glamour of the old movies.

(I seriously LOVE how this turned out!)

No stamping on this.  I used Graphic 45's Curtain Call as the focus for all the elements on this card.   Card base is  5 1/2" square piece of Vanilla Pure Luxury.  Graphic 45 Curtain Call Let's Dance and Leading Ladies was used for my background.  I then used my Classic Circle Nestabilities to cut the main images from Curtain Call and The Cinema from the same Curtain Call line.  The main images were mounted on SU's Real Red.  The year was die cut from Cuttlebug's Olivia from Real Red and adhered with Sakura's Quickie Glue Pen.

Probably my favorite element (besides the wonderful paper that is!) is the Film strip ribbon that was wound around and twisted among the main images.  I used Glossy Accents to hold it in place. 

Of course, I forgot to take a picture of the inside.  I used a strip of the fine polka dot paper along the bottom and then typed the sentiment on more vanilla card stock and mounted on Real Red.

Imagination will often carry us to worlds

that never were.

But without it, we go

No Where

Carl Sagan

Did I mention how much I like this untraditional graduation card?!  It's a style that I wouldn't make for everyone.  But I just knew that J would love it (and she did!!)

I'll be back (computer willing) in a day or so with the Thank You cards that I'm in the process of making for the Oldest Kiddo to send out.

'Till then..................try something untraditional in your creativity this week!!