Pages

Thursday, December 15, 2011

No Stamp Christmas Cards

I'm back today with a couple of quick and easy Christmas cards that I put together the other night. 

I made large rosette out of some My Mind's Eye paper and sponged the edges with gold pigment ink.  The pearl clusters are from Michaels and the cute Santa sticker is from K & Co.
 
For this card, I used the leftover piece to make a smaller rosette and added some ribbon and bells.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Christmas paper, PTI kraft and ripe avocado cardstock, Recollections pearl clusters, K & Co stickers, blue ribbon, jingle bells, Brilliance galaxy gold ink

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A Glittery Tutorial

Hi!  I'm here today with a tutorial on how to make glittered ornaments.  I apologize for the terrible pictures in advance, I didn't realize they were turning out so bad until today! :(  The materials you'll need for this project are clear glass ornaments (not the iridescent type), fine glitter, and Pledge Tile and Vinyl floor cleaner, yup you read that right, lol.  You'll also need something to protect your surface with and a towel to clean up spills.

Step 1:  Carefully remove the top part of the ornament taking care not to crack it.
Step 2:  Squirt a liberal amount of Pledge into the ornament and very lightly swirl it around making sure you coat the entire inside.  Don't shake it, this will cause bubbles that will mess with the finished results.
 Step 3:  Pour the excess fluid back into the bottle and let it drain slightly.  If there are any bubble lightly tap the ornament or pop them with a q-tip.

Step 4:  Fill the ornament about 1/3 of the way with glitter and shake until all the sides are coated.

Step 5:  Pour out the excess glitter, carefully replace the cap back on the ornament and admire your handy work.

That's all there is to it.  Easy peasy, right?  I hope you enjoy making your own glittered ornaments!  If you have any questions, post them in the comments section and I'll try to answer them quickly.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christmas Time

Wow, why does it always seem like Christmas just sneaks up on me?  This year's no different, I'm rushing around trying to get everything done before the 25th, but this year, thanks to Pinterest, I at least had an idea of how I wanted to decorate the house.

I decided to go with bronze, chocolate, and gold this year.  We also bought a new Christmas tree and we went with a slim line tree.  I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but it's just the right size for the front window.  Since there was a huge gap of wall next to the tree, I decided to add a decorated teardrop garland to fill in the space.

For the mantle and throughout the house, I continued the same color pattern and incorporated lots of mercury glass onto the mantle decor.  The mercury glass Christmas tree was my favorite find this year.  I found it at Hobby Lobby and it was the only one I ever saw there.  I'm so glad I picked it up!

I kept the coffee table rather simple and uncluttered since the table is at the same height as my dog's tails and they always seem to knock off whatever's on it.  I used candle sticks to make the candles seem like they're different sizes and filled the tray in with leftover picks and ornaments from my other projects.  It was a quick and simple centerpiece.

Today's Aldo's birthday so I'm rather busy making his birthday dinner but I've got a couple of cards and other Christmas goodies to post later on this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Courage

Happy Thursday everyone!  I'm back today with a quick and easy one layer card.


I made this card using the Grunge Me and Fancy Flourishes stamp sets from Papertrey Ink.  I stamped each of the images using various brown toned Distress Inks and embellished a few of the images with different colored pearls and rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty.  The sentiment, stamped in Rich Cocoa ink, is from Blue Skies by Verve.

Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Silhouette Cameo

My new Silhouette Cameo came in on Thursday and I immediately put it to good use making crafty stuff for the house.  The first thing I made was a vinyl "welcome" sign for my front door.  So, my front door that used to look like this:

Now looks like this today:

I'm so pleased with the way the machine works and the way the sign came out.  If only I could learn how to attach things in a straight line, sigh.  Aldo was very quick to point out how crooked the lettering was, but it really doesn't bother me all that much, yet. :)  I have a feeling I'll be using this machine a whole lot more than my Cricut.  While my Cricut sat unused on a shelf, this new Cameo is sitting right on my desk within easy reach and readily attached to my computer.

I painted the front door last Saturday using some left over paint from another project.  I was expecting it to be a more burgundy red, but was pleasantly surprised by the pretty, deep orange it reflects in the sun.  I think it works with the brick.  Now the only think left to do is paint the wood trim white and add some Thanksgiving decor to our tiny entryway.

I have a couple of cards that I made this week, I'll try to take pictures and post them later on in the week.

Have a great weekend!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Miss You A Latte

Happy Tuesday everyone!!  I have a card to share with ya'll today :)  I made it this weekend for MFT's weekly sketch.

I finally broke down and ordered MFT's Miss You A Latte stamp set.  It's been on my wish list since it came out, but I wasn't sure I'd use it much.  I broke out my new My Mind's Eye paper pads, some silk ribbon that's been on my desk for a while and dusted off my sadly neglected copics.

I'd meant to post this on Saturday but there was a pet emergency in our house.  Let's just say that I didn't know that such a tiny cut on a dog's ear could bleed so much!!  Every time we thought it was slowing down, Snicks would shake his head and splatter blood EVERYWHERE!!  It was such a mess!  We finally got his ear bandaged up and we have now determined what our next home improvement project will be: repainting the bathroom.  Poor puppy, luckily, he's doing much better now. :)

Thanks for stopping by!! 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Supplies for Sale

Happy Tuesday everyone!!  I have updated my Sale page at the top with new stamps from MFT and Prickley Pear.  Be sure to check it out!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Fall Mantle

Two posts in one week!  I'm on a roll, lol.  I forgot how time consuming photo editing and blogging can be, but I'm glad to be getting in the swing again.  My crafty skills are also rusty from their summer vacation, the fall banner I made today took me way longer than usual.  That's okay, though, I totally enjoyed making this project.  Ready to see what I made?

I was inspired by the banner that Nichole Heady made last year for her mantle.  To make the individual banners, I cut a terracotta tile banner, embossed it with my Seeing Spots CB folder, sponged it with Tea Dye Distress ink and layered it over a larger banner in dark chocolate.  I used MFT's large scallop die to die cut strips of summer sunrise cardstock which I embossed with my Polka Dot CB folder and sponged with Antique Linen Distress ink.  The rosettes were made using Martha Stewart paper.  The fall leaves were die cut with a nestie and secured with a large dimensional.  The glittered letters are Thickers from American Crafts.  To finish off the banner, I attached it to some orange ribbon and added brown buttons in between the banners.  I'm so happy with the way it turned out!

Since our living room is decorated in oranges, browns, and reds, decorating for fall is so easy in this room!  I just switched the greenery for a fall one, added a few gourds and nuts, threw in my new banner, and presto! my mantle is ready for the new season.  That's my type of decorating! Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

Well, hello there.  It's been forever since I've posted on here.  Between making over my office, taking on additional work, and preparing for our vacation, blogging and papercrafting in general fell off the wayside.  But, everything seems to be returning to normal and I'm hoping I'll have more time to play in my new room (I'll post pictures soon!)

I had some time this afternoon to participate in Papertrey's monthly blog hop.  Here's what I came up with:

You can visit Nichole's blog to review the details for the challenge and play along.  For this card, I used two PTI sets that have been sitting unused on my desk for a while, Boy Basics: Rock On and Grunge Me.  I kept the card rather simple and used repeating patterns in bright colors.  The guitars were die cut using the coordinating Rock On die.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

I'm still here!

I know, I know, it's been forever since I posted on here.  It's just that I really haven't done anything crafty in quite a while.  But, I've cleaned off my desk and I've done a little bit of reorganizing, so I'm hoping that will help me get my mojo back.  Meanwhile, here's a card I made a couple of weeks ago that I never got around to posting here.

Aldo and I are in the process of SLOWLY redecorating our room and we've gone with a corral and grey color palette.  I had pulled out some of my copics to help up decide on shades and those colors were the inspiration for this card.  I embossed a piece of Smoky Shadow cardstock with my Seeing Spots cuttlebug folder, stamped a piece of Berry Sorbet with my Newsprint stamp in Vintage Cream, layered some velvet ribbon and bling over the layers and added my butterflies from Blue Skies last. 

Earlier this week, I visited Archiver's while I was in Austin and I found tons of inspiration for my scrapbook for the cruise we took 2 years ago.  Yes, I'm that far behind. :)  I purchased a kraft 8.5 x 11 binder from Hampton Arts.  It's meant to be one of those everyday life journal/scrapbook type things, but I like the size and I like that the binder itself can be customized.  I took plenty of pictures, bought lots of paper and embellishments, and I am now ready to start scrapbooking our trip.  I already did one page, yay me!  And, I'll post it on here as soon as I remember to photograph it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Maple Leaf

Happy Sunday, ya'll!!  As I'm writing this post, I'm sitting here watching the Mavericks beat the Heat for the championship.  Go Mavs!!!!  So happy they won!!

Okay, onto the crafty stuff.  I found this beautiful photo on Pinterest that inspired me to create today's card.

I pulled out my maple leaf die, my distress inks and sponges and got to work.  First I die cut the largest maple leaf out of cream cardstock, stamped my image from The Craft's Meow in black, and sponged the card using Antique Linen, Barn Door, Weathered Wood, and Black Soot.  I used a gold paint pen on the edges and added Pumpkin glitter on the dandelion.  I finished off the card with some gold ribbon, a dark orange button, and some orange rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty.

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Long time no see...

Is this blog still working???  It's been forever since I've been on!!  Between taking on a part time job and several home improvement projects we've been working on, my scrapping time has gone down to zero :(  Even my office table has been repurposed for the home improvement projects, so I'll be occupying the dining room table until I can get it back.

Well, I didn't have time to scrap yesterday, but I did have time to cook.  I tried out a new recipe and we loved it.  In fact, we loved it so much that I had to share it here.  I made several modifications, but the original recipe can be found here: Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry.  I completely forgot to take a picture of it last night, but here's the picture from the website:

Here's the recipe with the modifications I made:  Coconut Chicken Curry
Ingredients
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves
1 green bell pepper, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 poblano pepper, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 can light coconut milk
1 small can tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. coconut curry powder
1 tbsp. garam masala
1 dried red pepper (if you want a bit more heat)
cilantro, for garnish

In a saucepan, lightly saute the onion, garlic, and peppers over medium-high heat.  Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and lightly toast the curry powder, garam masala, and salt until the spices become fragrant.  Be careful not to over cook them or they will burn.  Place the veggies, coconut milk, tomato paste, and spices in a food processor or blender and puree until semi-smooth.  Heat a saucepan large enough to hold the chicken and sauce to medium-high heat.  Lightly spray with cooking oil and brown the chicken.  Pour the sauce over the chicken, add the red pepper, and turn down the heat.  Allow to simmer for about 1 hour, or until chicken has cooked and sauce has thickened slightly.  Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro.

Next time I make this, I think I will make the sauce ahead of time and marinate the chicken in it overnight before cooking it.  This would make a wonderful make ahead recipe for busy nights.

If you try this recipe out, please let me know how you like it!  Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Double Warp

Howdy, folks!  I'm back today with another beautiful image from Prickley Pear's new release.  I absolutely LOVE all the new beautiful vintage images that were released, I've got several of them on my wish list.

For this card, I combined my focal image with lots of PTI backgrounds.  There's lots of details, so I hope I remember them all...

I stamped the card base with PTI's Newsprint stamps in pink ink and then sponged the edges with distress ink to age it.  I stamped a piece of kraft cardstock with the largest dots from PTI's Polka Dot Basics II using pink acrylic paint, then I swiped the edges with white and pink acrylic paint for a shabby chic feel.  On a simply chartreuse Mat Stack 4 die cut, I embossed the dress form and then stamped Text Style print over it with distress ink.  For my bow, I double looped crinkly ivory ribbon, added a twine bow using a piece of twine that I colored with a copic and a pink ribbon rosette topped off with a bright green epoxy brad.  The two Maya Road stick pins were colored with a copic marker to coordinate with the rest of the card colors.

Whew, lots to remember!  Thanks for stopping by!


Paper: white, kraft, simply chartreuse - PTI
Ink: Rosebud - Memento; Tattered Rose, Antique Linen, Crushed Olive - Distress, Versamark
Stamps: Double Warp - PPRS; Newsprint, Polka Dot Basics II, Signature Series: Dress Form, Text Style - PTI
Accessories: acrylic paint, clear embossing powder, Mat Stack 4 die - PTI; pink ribbon - Hobby Lobby, epoxy brad, hat pins - Maya Road, copic marker, twine - May Arts

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Prickley Pear Rubber Release

PPRS has a fun new red rubber release in store for you, packed with vintage images & images that are great for fathers day or just for him. Be sure to visit the whole PPRS design team today team for great card ideas as we all have something to show off today. Be sure to leave comments on each blog, as three random winners will be chosen to to receive awesome rubber stamps from this release party! Winners will be chosen and announced Monday the 23rd!

Ready to see what I've got for you today?  Here it is!

I used the same layout from last week's CASE study card just because I love it so much! I used several new toys for this card, the doily die, the stamp, and the ribbons are all new to me and I was just itching use them on a card.

To make the raspberry rosette, I folded the ribbon in half, stitched it along the edges and pulled it tight.  I then slipped the rhinestone brad in the center.  I used the doily die from Dies Direct to make a doily using PTI's raspberry fizz cardstock and then I misted it with beige color mist.

Don't forget to leave a comment on all the blogs for a chance to win some rubber!  Thanks for stopping by!



Paper: Bo Bunny; DCWV - Luxury Stack; PTI - raspberry fizz; Neenah - cream cardstock
Stamps: PPRS - Geranium Flower Seeds
Ink: Memento - Rosebud; Distress - Antique Linen, Tea Dye
Accessories: Dies Direct - doily die; scrunched seam binding; The Paper Studio - crochet trim, brads; Prima - paper flowers; May Arts - ribbon

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Another Case Study

Hi guys, I'm back with another Case Study card today.  This month's featured guest is Sarah Martina Parker.  I love her cards and have followed her for a while now.  I made the card a few days ago and completely forgot to post it! 

I chose to keep the layout and the shabby chic feeling of the card and several of the elements Sarah used in her card, but I changed the color scheme.  I used some paper from Cosmo Cricket for the background and added stitching to the middle panel.  I used a library card, like the CASE card.  I stamped mine out using PTI's library card stamp and then rounded out the edges.  The cute fairy with the dandelion is from The Craft's Meow and I absolutely love her!  I stamped her in red on cream cardstock and added a touch of sponging with Antique Linen.  The metal brads are from Hobby Lobby and the crochet rosette was made out of a scrap piece of trim.  Lots of elements went into this card, but I like it.

Prickley Pear will be releasing new rubber stamps on May 21, be sure to stop for the release!


Paper: cardbase - Neenah cream cardstock; Cosmo Cricket - Circa 1934, Social Club
Stamps: Butterfly Kisses - The Craft's Meow; Library Card - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black - Memento; Red Barn, Antique Linen, Tea Dye - Distress
Accessories: wrinkled seam binding; pearls - Pizzazz Aplenty; brads, crochet trim - The Paper Studio; burlap string - May Arts

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Blue Flowers


Hi! I'm back with a card that's quickly becoming one of my favorites.  I stamped some cream cardstock with black script, then stamped two flowers from Prickley Pear's hibiscus stamp set.  I colored the flowers with copics and then sponged around the flowers with distress inks.  I distressed the edges with my scissors, tore the bottom of the paper off, and then sponged it again with distress inks.  The patterned paper underneath is from Graphic 45.  I finished the card off with black saddle stitch ribbon and pearls.

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Butterflies


As you may have noticed, I'm a bit obsessed with butterflies lately and the obsession doesn't seem to be letting up :)  I decided to use the classing yellow, white and blue palette for this card.  The butterflies were die cut out of vellum and stamped with blue dye ink.  I let them air dry overnight before pinning them together with a Maya Road pearl pin.  I tried to keep a subtle polka dot theme in the cardstock, stamping, and ribbon for a unifying look.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

You're A Treasure


I made this card quite a while back and completely forgot to post is here.  I used a Viva La Verve sketch for this card.  The background was stamped using Versamark on Ripe Avocado cardstock.  The library card is a stamp from Papertrey Ink.  I stamped it on Simply Chartreuse cardstock using Fresh Snow ink.  The metal flower is from Hobby Lobby with an epoxy brad on it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Prickley Pear Release Day 2

Welcome back to the second day of Prickley Pear's new releases.  Today we're featuring a new butterfly set that coordinates with the previously released butterfly die.  This set coordinates perfectly with the first butterfly set that was released earlier last year.
For today's card I went for a softer vintagey look.  The background papers are from Basic Grey's Capella line.  For the library card, I created my own on the computer and printed it out on cardstock; I rounded the corners and distressed the edges for a very aged look.  I stamped my butterfly onto the die cut using green distress ink and then sponged the edges with tea dye.  I adhered it to the double bow using Aleene's tacky glue for a good hold.  The sentiment is also from the new stamp set, you can see the all the clear sets here.  I added several embellishments to the card: two pearl stick pins from Maya Road, a small pearl flourish, a metal flower brad, and a crochet flower with a brad.

Be sure to stop by the Prickley Pear blog for more details on the new sets.  Thanks!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Prickley Pear Release

Welcome to the first day of the Prickley Pear's new clear stamp and die release.  We've got several sets to show you over the next several days so be sure to stop by Prickley Pear's blog to see who's featuring the new sets.  Ready for some eye candy?  Okay, here goes:

Today we're featuring the previously released scalloped circle die and the new coordinating stamp set.  I opted to keep the card rather clean and simple this time around.  I die cut the scalloped circle, stamped it with one of the coordinating borders and centers and added a few rhinestones for dimension.  The sentiment is also from the same set.

Be sure to check out the other design team members' blogs for more previews.  Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Oh Baby


Hola amigos!  I've got another card to share today.  I'm just in love with MFT's a la mode girls.  I colored this cutie a while back and she has been waiting for me to use her in a card.  I used Shabby Shutters distress ink to stamp the damask design onto Ripe Avocado paper.  The tiny paper clip is from Stampin Up and it's been waiting for me to use it in a card as well.

Have a great weekend!

Friday, April 29, 2011

A Fabulous Day


Happy Friday!!  I'm so happy to finally be able to post again!  Our internet has been down for weeks and it's been driving me crazy!  Anyways, here's a card that's been waiting a while to be seen by the world. :)

Not much to tell about this card.  The butterflies were die cut out of felt and book print using PTI's  Signature Series Butterfly die.  And, that's about it. Easy peasy, right.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, April 18, 2011

A Prickley Pear Giveaway

Prickley Pear is giving away a prize package to one of their followers.  All you have to do is head on over to the Prickley Pear blog and sign up to follow the blog.  On Sunday one random winner will be chosen to receive a prize.  How easy is that!  So head on over there and sign up. :)

Monday, April 11, 2011

Pink Fairy

Howdy, peeps!  I'm back today with a card I made for iCopic's design team call.


Joline's wings were stamped onto vellum paper, colored with copics and lightly sprayed with glimmer mist before attaching them to the circle panel.  Joline was colored with copics, fussy cut, and attached onto the circle panel for added dimension.  The patterned papers are from SEI and MME.  I added a few crystal swirls and individual gems to add some shine.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Flowers on Vellum

Hi guys, I'm back today with a Prickley Pear card for you.

To make this card, I stamped the image with Staz On ink on vellum and colored the image from behind with copics.  Be sure to use darker colors to get a more vibrant look.  This card came together very quickly since I used a premade card base and used some paper from my scrap pile.  A few rhinestones, some twine, and a button finish off this card.

Don't forget to sign up for Prickley Pear's Round up.  Every week we search your blogs and galleries and highlight a few cards.  Each month one random winner with get some Prickley Pear goodies.  So what are you waitin for...

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Hello Friend

Howdy, I'm back again with a card for this week's MFT sketch challenge. 

This card was super easy to make,  I kept the same color scheme from the CASE Study card I and just pulled paper from my scrap pile.  I happened to have this cute a la mode girl colored and waiting for me so it was just a matter of cutting and embellishing.  Yay for simple cards!!  The sentiment is from PTI's Embellishments stamp set.

Two posts in one day, not bad, huh.

Case Study

Hi guys, long time no blog, huh.  I'm back today with a card for this week's Case Study challenge.  This week's inspiration card kept running through my mind when I sat down to craft yesterday and I happened to have some butterflies colored in the inspiration colors so I just went with it.

I tried to keep as true to the card as possible without directly copying the sketch.  The orange paper is from pink paislee.  For the bottom scalloped panel, cut a piece of Hawaiian Shores cardstock, stamped my sentiment in brown ink and added two score lines on either side of the sentiment before punching the border with a Martha Stewart punch.  Some felt ric rac, an orange button, and brown twine completed this panel.  The white panel is stamped in brown with PTI's Fancy Flourishes.  I stamped the largest butterfly from Blue Skies, colored them with copics, cut them out and attached them with glue dots.  Some brown bling on the butterflies and on the bottom scallop finished off the card.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Show Us Your Prickley Pear

The folks at Prickley Pear are gearing up for some fun new events on the company blog.  Our design team is gearing up and getting ready to show off a bunch of fun new ideas, challenges, and inspiration.  But first, we want to see how YOU use your Prickley Pear stamps.  Leave us a link to your blog or gallery in the comment section of this post and each week, we will highlight a few of the items we find.  At the end of the month, we will randomly choose a winner from the highlights to win some rubbery goodness.  So, leave us your link and get creative with your stamps, you never know when the PPRS fairy will stop by your blog.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Time to Celebrate


Hey guys, I'm back with a card I made just for the fun of it.  I colored several  a la mode girls while I was watching a movie with the hubby and this one was just calling to me, lol.  I believe the sketch is a Mojo Monday one, but I can't remember now...  The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket.

Thanks for stopping by~!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Happy Birthday Gabby


We celebrated my friend Gabby's birthday last weekend and this was the card I gave her with her gift.  Since the colors were so strong, I tried to keep the layout simple.  I took inspiration from several PTI designers in making this card.  First I stamped some Hawaiian Shores cardstock with images from Delightful Doilies in white ink and Versamark, I rounded the top corners and sponged the edges with more white ink.  Then, I die cut the number from Smokey Shadow cardstock and embossed them with my Seeing Spots embossing folder.  I stamped the sentiment from Big Birthday Wishes onto vellum and embossed two lines on the vellum before attaching it to the card.  To attach it, I hid the adhesive under the sentiment.  A few strategically placed gemstones finished off the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Playing Catch Up

Hi guys, I've got another card that I made a while ago and didn't get a chance to post here.

I made this card using MFT's weekly sketch, I believe this one is sketch #9.  I started out with Simply Chartreuse and Kraft cardstock and layered it with some beautiful medallion patterned paper from SEI that I've been hoarding for quite a while. :)  I embossed a strip of Ripe Avocado with my Seeing Spots embossing folder and added a Kraft Open Scallop border strip.  To layer my image, I used a Tag Sale 4 die cut.  I wanted to make my sentiment pop up in the middle, so I layered two of Jody's AMAZING dimensionals.  Some green twine and a few buttons finished off my card.  Oops, I almost forgot, the image is from My Favorite Things.  I colored her with copics, of course.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Birchbox Rocks


We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog reading to rave about how AWESOME Birchbox is!!  What is Birchbox, you say?  Well, let me tell you about it.  Birchbox is a monthly subscription that sends you 4-5 deluxe high end beauty samples based on your personalized profile.  I was first introduced to this wonderful service when I read Hannah Craner's blog post, here.  I immediately went to their website and signed up.  Yes, I am that easily convinced, lol.  I love their attention to detail!  Everything is nicely wrapped up in pink tissue and tucked into the cute little box above.  That box is then wrapped up in a hot pink box and shipped to you every month.

Wanna see what I got in this month's box?

I recieved an 8oz (EIGHT!!) sample of bath salts, a full size organic lip balm (which I already tried and LOVE!!), a sample of Cargo's Lash Activator mascara, two packets of intense foot cream, and a sample of an Italian toothpaste.  Not bad, huh.  The lip balm alone is worth $12, not to mention all the other goodies.  It's a super economic way to try out great stuff without the commitment.   

Birchbox day will now be known as Happy Day in my household.  Lol.  Even if you don't subscribe, check out their website for lots of great tips and how-to's.

We now return to our regular blog posts.  Have a nice day!! :)

Viva La Verve!


I made this card a few weeks ago and then forgot all about it!  It took forever to make, so you would think that I would be eager to post it here, lol.  It features several different elements so let's see if I can remember them all.  I started out using some Graphic 45 paper for the background, then I added the Ripe Avocado accent strip stamped with a flourish from Fancy Flourishes.  I added a crystal swirl that I colored with a copic marker for a more muted feel.  I took some white satin ribbon, sprayed it with my Glimmer Mist, crumpled it up and let it dry before adding it to the card.  Then, I die cut a Tag Sale 4 die out of Dark Chocolate cardstock and sponged the edges with white ink, layered it with the medium Delightful Doilies die cut stamped with one of the images from the Delightful Doilies stamp set, then I layered that with a Dark Chocolate scalloped circle stamped with same image but with white ink instead.  On top of all those layers, I added a designer grommet that I aged a bit with some metallic acrylic paint.  To make my butterfly, I die cut several layers of book print, crumpled them up, then lightly coated them with a few coats of Tattered Angels Glam and let them dry.  I die cut another butterfly out of Ripe Avocado cardstock, brushed it with brown metallic aryclic paint and then wiped some of it off with a moist paper towel while still wet.  This gave it a wonderful distressed look!  I layered them all together and added a crystal strip to the middle.

Whew, that was quite a mouthful!  I hope it makes sense. :)

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Hey Chickie

Happy Saturday, ya'll!!  I'm back today with a little somethin' from Prickley Pear.  Their latest release has some great images for Spring and Easter. 

This little candy bar wrapper came together so quickly!  I stamped some yellow paper with the large and small nest flowers from this set.  Then I went back and filled in the gaps with the tiny nest from this set.  I stamped my chickies on some more yellow cardstock and shaded them in with my copics.  To keep the wrapper closed I added some velcro dots to the inside of the flap.  And that's it, easy peasy!

These little wrappers can be easily made assembly line style and you'll have them done in no time. :)  Thanks for stopping by!!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Resurrection Joy

Whew, where has the time gone?  It feels like forever since I've blogged and even longer since I've played in my scrap room.  I finally got a card done by taking a few minutes here and there and I have to admit, it's taken me a while to get my creative mojo flowing lately.  Well, hopefully that's behind me and I can get down to papercrafting again.  So, ready to see my card?

I made this card using some new Prickley Pear stamps that came in the mail last week.  To begin with, I attempted to make a subtle background on harvest gold card stock with versamark ink, but it ended up being too subtle :\  I decided to use some more of my Webster's Pages stash since it coordinated so well with my yellow and blue color scheme.  The oval frame and the sentiment are from Prickley Pear's new stamp release.  I framed the sentiment and frame with more harvest gold cardstock and matted it onto an enchanted evening Mat Stack 4 die cut.  A crystal flourish and a pearl swirl finish out the card.

Quick tip: To make sure your patterned paper completely spans your card, cut your piece wider than your card.  Attach it to your card front, flip it over and trim the excess with a sharp craft knife.

One more picture before I go:

This silly one is lounging here with me while I attempt to get my room back in order.  At least he's taking a nap instead of trying to root through my trashcan. :)

Thanks for stopping by!