Monday, June 29, 2009

The Summer Stamp Star Design Challenge is on!


The gallery is open for uploads for the entire week. So color your little heart out on a few projects, and then pick your favorite to share!!!
I love to participate in challenges as well, and since I am not eligible to play in this one, I found one that Annabelle O'Malley had given over at InspireMe, the Webster's Pages community. The day had already been a blur of card making, so I thought why not make one for that challenge while I was at it? Trust me, after finishing 8 cards all with varying stamping techniques, I was ready for a quick card! The paper did all the heavy lifting, I just put some of that gorgeous Distress Crackle paint on the Maya Road bird and when it dried another light layer of Distress Stickles over the wing. A quick fussy cut on the leaves and some foam squares for some dimension and it was done! Thanks for the challenge Annabelle!
So my point is use the challenges as inspiration, then watch how fast it all comes together! Taking the question out of what to do next helps so much!!
Enjoy your week!!!
B-

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Card Creations 7 is da BOMB!!


I just got my copy in the mail today, and I have already thumbed through it a few times! It is organized in such a useful way, and there is loads of great inspiration and fun projects that are just flat out eye candy! The card that I had picked up for that didn't have any stamping, but I loved it just the same! It was such a goofy little card that I almost didn't submit it, but boy am I glad that I did! Growing up we had s'mores all the time, we camped alot as a family and every summer at girls camp they would have them there as a treat too! So when I saw this on the cut strip sheet, I knew it was a card that I would love to give and get! Isn't it funny the things that get you inspired?
So what inspires you?
And PLEASE don't forget to come and play in the Summer Stamp Star Design Challenge that CHF is hosting! I promise it will be loads of fun and very inspiring!
Hope you have a chance to nibble on a s'more or two this summer!
B-

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

It is a Wimbledon Wednesday!


I have been a little under the weather, a bit of a head cold has been plaguing me. A lot of sneezing, snurching and blowing has occured. The pile of tissues has been growing, LOL! But it has been easy convalescing because the Wimbledon tennis tournament is going strong and has been fantastic to watch.

I thought I would share another little paper piecing project. I used Kim's Little Guy set to stamp the cute frog prince with "Soot" Distress Ranger ink on My Mind's Eye paper, trimmed out and stamped again on one of MME's cute frames backed with a water colored piece of paper and the base of the card is stamped with the AlphaNumber backgrounder in "Lettuce" Ranger Adirondack ink.

Just a few more days until the Summer Stamp Star Design Challenge starts, I am so excited about this whole contest!! I hope that a few of you can find some time to play along!!
B-

Sunday, June 21, 2009

CHF Creative Chicks Blog Hop!



Hope everyone had a super weekend and spoiled their daddy guys! We had the family over and my husband cooked up a storm. I offered to do it all, but he wanted to take care of it. Seriously, how lucky am I? We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon, and because Dave is a great cook, we all ate ourselves silly!!! The burgers were fab, but I think the winning dish was the marinated pork loin that was grilled to perfection and then topped with a cantaloupe salsa, delish!! Thanks babe!!!

I bet most of you didn't come to visit to hear me talk about food though ;o)

It is a bloggy hop with all of the Cornish Heritage Farms Creative Chicks, and these girls are on fiyah! We all picked one of the Summer Stamp Star Design Challenges and gave it a go. That way if someone who might be on the fence about playing along with us needs a little inspiration or a kick in the pants, we got it for ya! I chose the paper piecing challenge. All of these techniques are so fun in my opinion, but the extra dimension that you get from piecing really floats my boat! I used stamps from the "Pretty Birds" and "Summer Trees" that are both in the Kim Hughes Collection. Various patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye, October Afternoon, and Fancy Pants. The ink I used for the whole project was Ranger's Distress Ink in "Walnut Stain". I used my little Fiskars scissors for most of the cut work, but an exacto worked best for the fence details (and was quicker).

The other girls you are sure to be inspired by are:

Julia Stainton
Lisa Strahl
Lisa Silver
Jennifer Roach
Sherrie Siemens
Kristine Reynolds
Joanne Allison

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Monday!!!

B-

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Scrappy Saturday Stuff!


Spent the evening with Kim last night scrapping and yapping, always a great time! We are missing Tyler, but hearing from him very consistently, very grateful that he is a wonderful writer! I had made this layout a few weeks ago, but it took me a bit to get the journaling written in, typical for me, LOL! I have piles of layouts waiting for a little story or a few little embellishments to be added before I consider them done, a little embarrassing to admit actually...

;o)

I made a few fun cards last night, but they need a few finishing touches before I can share them. The CHF Challenge Chicks are doing a blog hop on Monday, so I am working on that project as well! Will be very fun and have loads of inspiration for the Summer Stamp Star Design Challenge I think. CHF is also having a great sale right now, 10% off of everything in the store, such a rarity to have a sale, and there are so many must haves, good thing to check out if you have time!

A little rainy here today, so I am going to try to get some of those projects out of the pile and into the finished category, that will be a very good thing!

Have a FAB weekend!
B-

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Winner of ATC Botanical Bliss set!

Congrats to Susan W. (otherwise known as anonymous #28...) You have won!!! Please email me so I can get that on its way to you!

This is what the "ATC Botanical Bliss" set looks like in its entirety! I just love all of the elements in this, and see myself trying to sneak them into lots of little hidden places on a project!

We just got a few months more of this line into production before I left for our trip, and can I just say that I am just as excited (or more if that is even possible!) about them. Anyway, when the time comes to share, you can bet that I will be shouting from the rooftop about those as well!

Dave and I had a very relaxing time on our trip. We did spend a substantial amount of time on planes, but it was well worth it for the time that we had in the ocean! The resort we stayed at was called Couples San Souci (here is a picture I took a picture from one of the outdoor restaurant areas) and it was incredible. So quiet and the grounds were visually stunning. We really got spoiled there, and now that we are home we don't want to lift a finger for ourselves, LOL! Laurel had her 18th birthday (Happy Birthday!!!) while we were gone and we were very sad that we had to schedule over her to enjoy time on our anniversary, but we brought her home some lovely little birthday things to make up for it (I hope it works!)
Glad to be home rested and renewed!
B-

Friday, June 12, 2009

Another Sneaky Peeky!


The release date for this line is getting closer, so it seemed another little looky was in order!
The new product line is called All Things Considered or ATC for short, and the set that I designed for it is called Botanical Bliss. The medallion and the dragonfly are from that. And the text used for the base is a new Scrapblock that Julia designed called Vintage Text, I love it and have already used it on so many things!
The flower was colored with Ranger Dimensional Pearls that were applied with a water brush, performs similarly to an acrylic, but has that gorgeous sparkle to it when you tip it side to side. Ranger Archival in Olive was used for the stamping so that it could withstand the moisture. That ink is so great for details, it picks up every little thing, LOVE IT!!! And the paper is from the Basic Grey Eva collection in the 6 x 6 pack, great scale for cards!
Dave and I will still be traveling on the release date, so I won't get to post again for a while.

Leave me a comment letting me know what you think, you have until next Thursday, and I will randomly pick someone to send a set out to! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

B-

Thursday, June 11, 2009

CHF Summer Stamp Star Design Challenge!




This month has been filled with loads of things that have been fun to work on! Next week is the launch of All Things Considered, some new Thomas Kinkade papers are in the works, and I have been dreaming up a new contest that I am so excited to finally get to share with the crafty world!!!
The Summer Stamp Star Design Challenge is a contest that lets stampers play along with one or all of the challenges to compete for a weekly spot on the blog and a gift certificate for some new stamps, or the ultimate prize of a month's worth of new stamps before the release dates and a month as a Guest Design Team member for September! I hope that all of you will find time to play!
(please click on the image to open it full size, blogger doesn't like it at full size for the post...) ;o)
Have fun!!
B-

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Scrawny Johnny...

I have the coolest Grandpa! He is my only one with us right now, but I am pretty sure that the others are keeping an eye on things down here. John Baggs is one of those guys that has always lead by example. He can chat with the best of them, but while he is visiting, he is always moving, always. He never would just sit back in the evening and watch tv, nope those hands had things they could still be doing. And I have quite a few of those reminders in my life, one of the most obvious day in and out is the covered dry cleaner hangers that he re-purposed by wrapping a couple of them together with yarn. Seriously the best hangers ever. He also dried pounds and pounds of fruit and would spend the evenings prepping them to get to the dryer. His garden always abounded with fruit, vegetables and herbs that he would deliver to neighbors who would use them or that he might have noticed a need in his quiet way. He spent hours providing service to his neighbors in many ways, and the only way my mom could ever get he and Grandma to come visit us in Oregon would be to find some large home improvement project that she "had" to have help with. His nickname from years in the armed service was Scrawny Johnny. All the guys loved him because he could out work and out play all of them and he was usually the shortest and thinnest of the bunch. He can eat his weight anyday of the week and not gain an ounce, I obviously did not inherit that trait, LOL! He never judged anyone, and he didn't take any guff from anyone. Tough with a heart of gold.
I wish that I could have spent more time with him growing up, but even though it was just a few golden days ever summer, the moments are precious. I think much of who I am and why has come from this wonderful guy and the fantastic family that he and his beloved wife brought up. He has three boys and four daughters. Those daughters are thick as thieves, they don't have to find trouble, it is pre-programmed in all of their cell phones. They are the shine in his eyes, and they adore and spoil him rotten, as it should be. They are family and when they all get together the husbands have nick-named it a Bagg-a-thon. It really does go for hours and hours with no end in sight, but the food is always delish and when it does eventually end you have a side ache from laughing so hard and enjoying their delightful company. So for those of you who know me too well, this probably explains alot about how I tick. I have a problem holding still, and please don't ever tell me that I can't do something, that is the quickest way to ensure that I promptly do it (just like my mom, LOL!)
I can't just sit and watch tv, I feel like I could be getting something done, so I crochet. Nothing fancy, just row after row of the same stitch. The colors sometimes change as the projects get finished and started, but the simplicity of my effort is always consistent. Do the best you can, with what you have, everyday.
And I have him to thank him for that gift.

B-




Tuesday, June 09, 2009

A little sneak peek!


Oh, I am so excited!! Lisa and I have been working on this art line for many months, and the time for it to debut is almost here!!! So I just wanted to share a little sneak of a few of the pieces from it on a card I made. Inspired by the fortune in my cookie from a dinner Kim and I had from Panda Express, this little card would give any friend that extra little boost of confidence don't you think! I know it would for me...
And the papers from Cosmo Cricket's Ever After collection were such a fun combo, timeless and elegant. It reminds me that sometimes we are not on the schedule we want to be on, but on the schedule that the Lord has for us, and who is to say what soon is then?


B-

Sunday, June 07, 2009

She's Graduated!



Well the start of Summer officially arrived for us on Friday when Carter was picked up from his last day of school at noon. The night before was the big hurrah for Laurel as our family attended her commencement exercises on the University of Utah campus in the Huntsman Center. Fitting as that is where she will begin her journey as an adult this fall as a student there. We are very proud of her growth in the last few years and know that she is on the path to experiencing more at that great institution.

After such an exciting evening on Thursday and a short day on Friday, I managed to get a little work done. I feel very blessed to work with such a wonderful team of people and Richard and Liz are the best kind of people to work for. Saturday was my cousin's wedding shower and then an afternoon with Kim crafting, or as she says "scrappin' and yappin'"

hehehe!

We hear from Tyler in an email once a week, it is very expensive for him to send that as he has to go to an internet cafe type of business and pay by the minute so we encourage him to type fast and save his money for his meals. We send him a letter every week from all of us, but he is only able to get his mail about every 6 weeks right now because of where he is located in a town called Sinop that is 8-9 hours north of Cuiaba. Every day the weather is between 30-35 celcius and he walks about 20 miles a day. he has to buy filtered water, and is eating an apple a day as his evening snack. He is so healthy now, wonder how long that will last when he gets home and has all the temptations of fast and junk food in front of him again, LOL!

Chloe is so impressive, she almost pulled off a 4.0 at AMES and just missed by getting a B+ in her Algebra II class. She is attending a Bio-Tech camp on a full scholarship this summer, and is working on her internship plans for next year with the hopes of having it with a medical clinic. She really wants to get into medical school to possibly become an anthesiaologist. She is such a commited student and hard worker that I have no doubt that she will be able to achieve her dreams.
Carter is learning the value of preparing himself for the future and has some great summer experiences scheduled as well. Boy Scout camp is a week long adventure, and he also gets to attend youth conference for the first time, he is really excited about all of it.

The last week has been a little tough on me as I am having reality shoved into my face that my little sweet family is really ready to start on their own paths, and I am not ready for that, gets me really teary and choked up. I know that Dave and I have spent everyday doing the very best with what resources we have had available to develop the talents of these wonderful people we have in our lives. We have had to leave a lot in the Lord's hands and we have had to let a lot of differences pass between us. But as I see our family coming into another chapter, I am happy for their successes and hope that we can help them when and where they may need it. Change isn't necessarily hard, just different, and I am going to try to meet it with enthusiasm and enery if I can.

B-

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

I love fast cars!!!


I love fast cars, from the sleek exotics to the big American muscle, the faster the better! I think one of those things that I would have tried to do if I could go back in time (not that I would because re-doing high school is one of my worst nightmares) but trying to figure out how to get into racing cars would be the coolest thing! Just a few days ago I was at Kim's and we passed one of those old restored Camaros with hot rod red paint and white racing stripes, I have to admit that I gawked and then gushed! Poor Kim having to listen to my crazy talk! My husband wants to strangle me every time I dream of someday buying some slick little exotic that would surely get me into constant trouble with the local law. Probably a good thing we can't afford one, LOL! So in the mean time I am living vicariously through my GM stamps! This Camaro collage just makes me happy to look at, and I love that it is a beach setting, seriously old school cool!!
This image releases today, and I used Ranger Archival Sepia and Rust Antiquities embossing powder for the title. Design tip is to paper piece the car and then for dimension use an embossing pen to fill in the title sprinkle the embossing powder and then heat. It really is a quick card, and with Father's Day just around the corner it will be a tough call on who to give this to, I know all the dads in my life would love to get it!
As for me, pretty sure the real deal isn't in my future anytime soon so I am just going to have to be content busting around town in my huge Yukon XL. I drive it like I stole it, and with just over 200,000 miles on it, you know it has seen some serious road tripping and car pooling days! It is a member of our family and would be sad to know that I was coveting a different style of ride. But it has a BIG block eight, so plenty of get up and go for what I need...

;o)

B-

p.s. It has an engine safety mechanism that governs the engine when it gets to 100 mph. Don't ask how I know, just do...