Happy Valentine's Week!  If all goes well, I'll be in Las Vegas with my family and extended family for the International 7s Rugby Tournament this weekend.  Really I'm going for the rugby, not the gambling.  Ok, so if you know me at all, you know I'm going for the gambling.  I really really love to gamble, well play games of any kind.  So Vegas is like a big playground for me.  I don't know how I married a man that doesn't like to gamble at all.  I guess it's self preservation, more gambling money for me.  Anyhow, this is one of the tags I made for Valentine's Day.  We're having a big event over at Scrapbook News and Review Magazine featuring a new tutorial for a valentine tag each day of the month up until the 14th.  My tutorial for this tag is on day 4.  Here's where you can see all of the tutorials including this one.  If you register on the site (free), then you'll get an email each day with the tags.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Here's a little trash to treasure project I made with more of those fun Graphic 45 Domestic Goddess papers.  This check file is vintage, but was still new in the package at the thrift store where I found it.  It was originally a cancelled check file, but who gets those anymore?  I covered it with some modge podge and all the pretty papers and transformed it into a receipt file. I figure that when I get to the next year's receipts I can probably toss them and add the new ones.  I keep this in my in a basket in the kitchen that gets all the mail and stray papers around the house.  I try to go through it once a week to file everything and this makes the receipts easy to manage.  Here's the link to the class I did for SNR Magazine for this project:  http://www.scrapbooknewsandreview.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=369&func=view&catid=165&id=22362 (why can't I get the link thing to work on blogger?...it's driving me batty)

I'm feeling better today and even got together with the stamping girls this morning for some inky fun.  Thanks so much for all the get well wishes.  I'm determined to make 2010 a healthy creative year.

I made this tag with a Lost Coast Designs stamp for SNR Magazine recently. I have to say that company has some amazing stamps. This one is heat embossed on a distress ink background. I used a metal piece by Stampin Up for the body. I'll get back to Tim's tags soon. I'm just halfway through them.

We finally decorated the tree today and I wrote out a few holiday cards last night. We even have a couple of presents wrapped under the tree. I think I'm slowly getting in the swing of the season here. I'm going to the doc tomorrow because 10 days is just too long to be sick. I'm hoping they can give me something to kick this thing out of me because I'd rather be baking cookies than coughing. Seriously. I hope you're having a beautiful start to the holiday season.

Mom is home and doing great after her surgery. Thank you so much for all the well wishes and kind comments. I had a little stamping time today now that I'm back home. You can see the cards I made here and my adventures in coloring with Copics here.

These next cards are all made with Darkroom Door stamps. Oh, how I love this company. Such gorgeous images and the owner is an amazing photographer. Stop by Rachel's blog here to see all of her beautiful artwork and stamps that she makes down under. I have a long wish list for her stamps. These butterflies that I worked with stamp so beautifully. I can't stop using them and they arrived on cling mount for easy storage.







I hope you had a lovely beginning to the holiday season yesterday. Thanks for stopping by today.

I made these cutie little paper fruit pieces using punches and Basic Grey Papers. I love the designs and weight of Basic Grey. The pear is made with a large scallop heart punch by Fiskars and the pumpkin is made with a large oval scallop punch by EK Success. Each punched shape is edged with distress ink, folded in half, and then glued to the next one. I got the idea for these from this blog tutorial and amended it to suit my needs and supplies. These were a part of an event we had over at SNR using Basic Grey products. They sit on the lazy susan where I keep fruit in the kitchen.

I've been lucky lately on the work front and have worked the last 4 school days subbing at the high school. High school is a whole different ballgame than middle school where I normally work. I survived, but I'm looking forward to hanging here, going to yoga, and getting some things done around the house. I'm hosting our early Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday and I have a small craft show at my friend's house on Sunday afternoon. It'll be an action packed few days. Guess I'd better hop in the shower and get moving. Yoga starts at 11:00. Thanks for stopping by.

Holiday Inspiration

If you need a little inspiration to jump start your holiday projects, stop by Scrapbook News and Review for our holiday sampler. New classes posted each hour for the next 7 hours along with lots of inspiration, games, and prizes. I'm teaching two classes today.


This is a little peek at my 2:00 class sponsored by Graphic 45 that might help you contain a popular gift.


Here's a peek at my 3:00 class sponsored by Stewart Superior Ink. It would make a wonderful hostess gift over the holidays.

I have to say that I adored working with both of these sponsor's products. I fell in love with Graphic 45 papers at CHA in January. Their double sided papers and punch outs are amazing. I love the vintage feel of these and they go so well with all my vintage embellishments that I treasure hunt for and hoard. The Stewart Superior ink is new to me, but it was love at first stamp. So much shimmery goodness in the colors I played with. These are the folks who make Palette inkpads. Good stuff. I hope you'll have time to stop by to play.

fashion

Supplies: Cardstock: Stampin Up; Patterned Paper: Basic Grey; Flowers: Prima; Crystals: Prima; Stamp: Paper Bag Studios; Ink: Ranger.


Supplies: Carstock: Stampin Up; Patterned Paper: Basic Grey; Ribbon Flower: Offray; Ticket: Advantus; Stamp: Peddlers Pack; Ink: Tsukineko; Embossing Powder: Stampin Up; Gel Pen: Inkssentials; Tools: Paper Piercer, Heat Gun; Other: Tulle, Lace.

These were in a fashion article of the Aug/Sept issue of SNR. I really love how these cards tie into sewing and girly things. There's just something about shoes and gloves that remind me of childhood. Maybe it was those fancy little Easter outfits with matching hats and gloves and new shoes. I know it's almost Christmas, but we had new outfits and shoes for that, too. My mom and my aunt sewed all of our little dresses and we all matched. So much fun.

It seems like there's lots happening around here these days. If you just stopped in for the cards, skip this part, if not then here's the quick rundown.
-My hubby is back home now after spending a week with his family and attending the public memorial service for his mom. By all accounts it was a beautiful celebration of her life.
-My father in law is about to embark on his grand adventure in this new chapter in his life. He'll be here for Christmas after traveling around the country in his new home on wheels.
-My son found his bliss last week as he helped build, paint, and decorate the haunted house put on by the Arts Foundation. Of course the best part was that he got to work in it for 4 nights as the Predator and scare the heck out of all who entered. I can personally attest to how incredibly scary the house was, I was hoarse from screaming after walking through it. The scary clowns sent me over the edge.
-I won a huge pumpkin at the little coffee shop by my parents house when I correctly guessed the weight of 81 pounds. You should have heard that phone call to hubby asking him to pick it up on the way home.
-I taught wood shop last week for 2 days, which was my first full days of teaching this year. It's good to get back in the swing.
-I'm busy working away like an elf for the holiday sampler event at the magazine on Saturday. So many pretty holiday goodies that will be available for all to see. Be sure to stop in on Saturday afternoon and evening to see it all.
-Oh, and I almost forgot about the snow people. My cousin was here for a couple of days for a creative extravaganza. We made 34 new bottle snow people, dozens of stamped dominos, and several button charm bracelets. I'll take some photos to share with you as soon as I'm done with all this elf labor. Here's the link to the snow people we made last year.
-Here's the plan for this week. Hubby's home today and we're installing a new vanity/sink in the bathroom. Taking the kiddo to the dentist on Wednesday to see if the pain in the back of his mouth is wisdom teeth. Going to see the surgeon tomorrow with my mom to find out what they are going to do for her. Teaching a fun distress class on Saturday in Escondido. Oh, and yoga, there's definitely yoga in there. I think I need it! I hope you're having a great week. Thanks for stopping by today.

blog hop with candy

Wonderful Friend Supplies-Cardstock: Stampin Up; Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye; Flower: Making Memories; Gems: Mrs. Grossman's, K & Co; Stamps: Our Craft Lounge; Ink: Ranger; Mask: Advantus; Edge Distresser: Tonic; Other: Linen Thread.
I really enjoyed using OCL cling mount rubber stamps to make this card. First I put a mask down over patterned paper and applied broken china distress ink with a blending tool. I removed the mask and stamped the flowers with the same broken china ink. I love layering inks this way for a subtle look. I stamped the sentiment, the same flowers on the paper flower, and added color to the distressed edges with tea dye distress ink. The flower is folded in half over a loop of linen thread. I like to add a hint of bling to brighten up a distressed card. These gems do the trick.

Welcome to the Scrapbook News and Review/Our Craft Lounge Spotlight Blog Hop. It's a hop to the blogs of SNR staff members who produced art for the Our Craft Lounge article that first appeared in the giant Aug/Sept double issue. Today's your chance to take a peek inside this great digital magazine. Each blog on the hop will give you a look at projects from inside the magazine.

Our Craft Lounge Stamps and Scrapbook News and Review is offering prizes for two very lucky winners. One winner will receive 2 sets of OCL stamps and a 3 month subscription to SNR magazine. The grand prize winner will receive 3 OCL stamp sets and a 6 month subscription to the magazine. Visit the blog of every staff member on the hop, take note of the titles of their featured projects, then drop a note to games@scrapbooknewsandreview.com with the list. Be sure to include your full name, the names of all featured projects, and your email address. Winner will be chosen at random. All entries must be received by 10 pm EST Oct 25, 2009.

Next stop on the hop is Erika's blog . If you're joining us in the middle of the hop, you can find the first blog post at the Scrapbook News and Review Blog. The blog hop will conclude on the Scrapbook News and Review main page where you'll have the chance to read the entire Our Crafts lounge article, and enjoy all of the art and ideas included. Thanks for stopping by today.

These are some projects I made for SNR early in the summer for a kit club review of Mosh Posh. This kit reminded me of Grandma's kitchen, so I had to make a recipe book with it. Love the cherries and bright colors in this.

I know today is a somber day of remembrance, but it's also a day to celebrate our resilience. We are still flying the flag and living our lives free from fear eight years after that devastating day. Thank you to each and every person working to protect our freedom.

eye candy

Here are a few things I made for a sponsored event at the magazine earlier this summer. The stamps are from Magenta, one of my favorite companies. Thanks for stopping by. Happy September.

a little bird

Just a fun little card for you. I fell in love with this little bird stamp by Invoke Arts at a stamp convention and it followed me home. You know how that happens, I'm sure. Things just yell out my name and want to jump in my bag when I go to those conventions. The background is alcohol inks and I masked the image to stamp some other things around it. I colored in some detail with spica glitter pens and used a little rub on paste around the edges.

So, in other news, we had our last hurrah of summer yesterday at Disneyland. We closed the park at midnight and rolled in about 1:30 this morning. Oh my, I can't do late night like I used to. I had to sing loudly and tap my hands on the steering wheel to the beat just to stay focused. I'm still hanging out in my pj's. Kyle starts high school tomorrow. Not sure I'm ready, but I know he is and that's what matters. I can't believe my baby towers over me at well over 6' now. It seems like I was holding him in my arms just yesterday. I plan on hugging on him today when nobody is looking. I'll save those tears that are sure to roll until after he leaves tomorrow morning, then I'm going shopping.

a challenge

I'm hosting a little challenge over at SNR Card Universe based on my embossed pearls tutorial. This is another card I made using the technique. On this one, I didn't paint over the embossed design with perfect pearls. Instead I used a bit of rub on paste over the bird and left the grass as it was. I hope you'll try this technique. If you want to be entered in the challenge drawing, please head over to Card Universe to get all the details.

I'm off to work freshman registration at the high school this morning. Should be an interesting day. Thanks for stopping by today.

ATC Attack

Sharing a few of my ATC's that have been in SNR recently. I'm excited to tell you that I'm now heading up the ATC section of the magazine. That means I'm looking for ATC's from readers to include in upcoming issues. Here's the call for the next three issues with all the particulars. I'm looking for some specific colors: black and white; orange; and heavy metal. I'm also looking for these themes: Things that go bump in the night; Falling Leaves; and A Jolly Old Elf. I'd love to include some blogging friends in the articles. You'll receive two free months of the magazine for each published ATC. You even get to keep the ATC. I just need a great photo of it. Please share this call with your creative friends, too. They can be painted, stamped, digital, or any other medium you like to work in. Thanks for stopping by today.

sideshow stamps

Palm Domino Pin Supplies Stamp: Sideshow Stamps: Ink: Ranger, Tsukineko; Embossing Powder: Stampin’ Up; Other: Domino, pinback

Tropical ATC Supplies Cardstock: Stampin’ Up; Stamp: Sideshow Stamps; Ink: Tsukineko, Ranger; Other: Linen thread, bark paper, pop dots


Gift Card Holder Supplies Bag, Tag: Hot off the Press; Ribbon: American Crafts; Ric Rac: Wrights; Stamp: Sideshow Stamps; Ink: Tsukineko, Ranger


I made these for the a review of Sideshow Stamps for SNR. I have to tell you I love this company. The stamps are beautifully pressed and cut. The designs are unique and so much fun. I love their tropical stamps that I used here and those owls are the only owls living in my house besides a very old realistic psx owl. I have this odd aversion to anything extremely trendy. As soon as everyone wants it, I'm no longer interested. These little owls are different than the "everyone is making them trendy owls", at least to me they are.

I'm going to make a much bigger effort about sharing the items I'm making for the magazine. We have a no show for 30 days policy and I guess after that I just get lazy. It seems that the majority of my creative efforts are going toward the magazine, the videos, and teaching classes. If I don't start sharing these, things will get pretty dull around here. Thanks for stopping by.

faux art glass embellishment tutorial

Here's a new one for you. Some of my videos are basic techniques that have been around for a while. As far as I know, this one is all my own. I took a stroll through the cake decorating section and was inspired by the tiny cookie cutters. I had to laugh at myself working with this hot stuff right in the middle of summer. I'd love to know if you try this one and how you use the embellishment.

collections and a winner

Be still my heart; I've found many fellow button collecting blog friends. I thank each and every one of you who shared your beautiful stories about button jars and tins and stringing buttons and your grandma's collections of buttons and your button treasure hunting expeditions. There are so many memories tied to buttons. I was amazed at the other wonderful things everyone collects. Here's a quick list I made of the things collected, while browsing through all of your beautiful comments.

bells, beanie babies, buttons, button pins, currency, Dopey, dust, elephants, humming birds, jewelry, old love letters, paper, penguins, pretty rocks, ribbon, rubber stamps, seashells, tea cups and teapots, vintage junk

I must admit that I also collect dust, pretty rocks, rubber stamps, and vintage junk. This blog hop was so much fun for me. I really enjoyed visiting everyone's blog and reading all the kind comments left for me. Thank you to everyone who played along in the hop. I hope you found as much inspiration as I did. We had a wonderful holiday weekend filled with bbq, fireworks, games, and some rockin' 80's live music.

Congratulations to Beth on winning the one month subscription to SNR. We're getting her all set up to access the magazine. The newest issue was published on Sunday, chock full of amazing ideas and inspiration. Don't forget, we've got a big event coming up on Saturday with classes on wonderful techniques and projects.

wear your colors proudly

Congratulations, you made it to the last blog on the SNR Card Universe Blog Hop! If you came from Karolyn's blog, you're on the right track. If you didn't you may want to hop to SNR Card Universe, and start at the beginning. The last place to hop is back to SNR.


Since you made it all the way to the end I wanted to offer something different. I have lots of crafty interests and weird collections here that seem to make their way into my creative realm. So, for the 4th, I got out the button jars. Oh, yes I have more than one. I'm addicted to old buttons. I made a new button charm bracelet to share with you today. If you look closely, you'll see that there are a few non-buttons in the mix. I included an old bingo marker, a couple of silver charms, and a fragment. I had to drill a hole in the bingo marker and I finally got out my Fiskars hand drill for the job. Oh my goodness, why did I wait to use this handy little tool. It worked beautifully and cut so smoothly. I didn't even have to sand away any rough edges. The word charm says courage on one side and hope on the other. I salvaged it from a piece of jewelry that I took apart to use in new pieces. There's something lyrical about those words and how they came to be remade into this piece. I'll be wearing it to the fireworks display over the lake tonight.

Leave a comment here to be entered in a random drawing for a one month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review. I'd love to hear about your collections, especially if you have an affinity for buttons.

If you have more time, there's a bigger prize you can play for. All participating SNR staff members have part of a phrase posted on their blog today. Find each staffer’s blog along the hop, jot down their portion of the phrase, unscramble the wording, then send an email to games@scrapbooknewsandreview.com with the full phrase. My word is ASK. One hopper will win a full one year subscription to Scrapbook News and Review. You have until monday night to get your answer emailed. I hope you had fun on the hop and found lots of inspiration.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Enjoy the BBQ and fireworks wherever you are. The last place to hop is back to SNR.

new video tutorial

cuttlebug distress

Stop by Scrapbook News and Review this afternoon for some spring fling fun. We will have a new class up each hour. I'm hosting the first class, Embossing Distress, shown above. There will be a Spring Fling Crop area in the forum at 10am PDT that will be there all day. Hope to see some friends stopping by. It's free, you just have to register with a user name and password to post.

new resource

SNR Card Universe is a free site just for card makers. There are tutorials, sketches, videos, blog links, and more. We just launched it this week. I hope you'll stop by and check it out. This is a part of the larger Scrapbook News and Review online magazine. We also have regular calls for all types of artwork, so check those out if you'd like to be published.  I hope you'll stop by for a visit.