A New Project Tutorial at Ellen's

I loved creating this project, it was super fast and easy, and looks great! If you are interested in how it was put together head over to The CLASSroom and check it out! And tomorrow is her anniversary so be sure to drop by and say hello!

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Missing Tyler Tons!

Just missing this guy so much right now. I thought it would be nice to share a layout about how what it looked like as he packed to be away from home for two years.
I am so grateful that he is a strong and independent person, we have raised our children to think for themselves and to be adventurous. We are really proud of all that he is and has become while away serving his mission in Brazil.
As Thanksgiving is coming upon us, it reminds me how truly blessed I am by my family. This is Tyler's favorite holiday. He is a foodie, he loves to help and create his own dishes as well, so we will be noticing his absence even more.
LOVE you so much T!

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Finished Chloe's Blanket

She is so happy to have a new blanket to snuggle up in as winter comes upon us! We went to the store and picked out the yarn together, and then I spent a good chunk of time every evening last week crocheting row upon row of love. It is a soft and very warm blanket for how light it is, and the colors are beautiful, the combination she selected is very soothing and subtle. We are going to go get some more yarn tonight so she can learn how to crochet, she wants to make a blanket as a Christmas gift for her boyfriend. Very excited that she wants to try this hobby, and I hope that she finds it as enjoyable as I do.
It is wonderful to have things to share with your teen daughters, and this will be a nice way for us to spend time together. I might even have to learn a few more stitches ;o)

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Bye Jaye...

One of my dearest friends is moving to Idaho on Tuesday, sadness...

I have known Jaye since I moved to Utah, we have been playing tennis together for years, and we have watched each other mature as players, but also as friends. I know I will be seeing her now and then, so it isn't tragic, but it will be hard having someone who is so integral to my life's schedule not be around on a day to day basis. Just the week before, another very dear friend moved to SoCal with her cute husband and darling little son, and it was harder because if I do see her it will be a very rare day. At least with Jaye, she will be back and forth because of her family that is still here, and she promised to make opportunities to spend time with her tennis girls.

To honor her, we had a wonderful luncheon, after some time on the court. I made a little tag book as a "card" so that everyone would have their own little page to write her a note and share a memory or two.
We also gave her some guitar music to remember us by, and I made a little folder that she could keep it in that would remind her of how much we love and appreciate her.

Having your friends make life changes is hard, they move on and get new lives, but they leave holes in our hearts when they are gone. I hope that these two dear girls remember how much they are appreciated and also take the time to enjoy the wonderful new adventures they are bound to have with the new fantastic friends that they are bound to make! These girls are so great that people would be nuts not to swoop them up the second they meet them! Anyway, it reminds me to really treasure the people who are your true friends and who are always there for you when you need them!

Take a second to hug your dearies, and don't forget to get a picture with them too. Life moves so fast, make sure to catch a little of it with your camera! I have tried, and yet I still wish I had done it more.

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A Misting and Masking Tutorial

This card was so fun to make, and I have written a tutorial for making a shimmery, glimmery mist from Ranger products, and also using little snowflakes from a Martha Stewart craft punch as a mask. Super fun! I hope you take a minute to head over to The CLASSroom to check it out!

Happy Wednesday!
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Winner of the Domestic Love set is...

Thanks for all of you who left comments, I love reading the wonderful things that you have said!

Congrats to:

Jan Larson!

This is such a fun set of stamps. The sentiments are funny and I love the font you used! All your samples are beautiful!

Jan please email me your address so that I can get these sent out to you!

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Domestic Love Stamp Set Give-Away

I spent a little creative time this afternoon playing with my new stamp set this afternoon! Designing this plate was so fun, I really wanted it to be playfully quirky but also inspiring and useful.

I pulled out a bunch of my delicious October Afternoon paper and had a lot of fun making these! They are all sized at 3" wide by 6" tall, a great card size in my opinion. I think this group of cards would make a fantastic little gift. Who can't use a little encouragement?

I would like to give one of these away, leave me a comment just to say hi by midnight on Monday night and I will randomly select someone to send it to!

Good luck!

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Don't Stop Believing

A quick post so that it is a little fresher in here!

First, I want to thank everyone who left such sweet and supportive comments, I really appreciate you my friends!

Second, I wanted to share this layout of Chloe. She is such a hard worker with incredible dreams, and I want her to remember how important it is to believe in herself and her dreams when things get tough. It didn't photo very well, but you get the idea. Tons of shimmer mist, silver paint dabbers, glittered alphas and Zva Creative bling. It is so pretty IRL!

And last, I have a new stamp set that was released yesterday! I have made a few things with this set, but they are in for publication so I need to get to work making more. But please go visit Lisa Silver's blog, she created a card that I just love! I promise I will get one done too, hers is so inspiring, I feel like stamping right now and it is almost midnight. It will have to wait until tomorrow though, just so tired!

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful week. We are here, the weather is the perfect jeans and sweater temperature, my fav!

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How is it Hanging?

I had a Monday filled with interesting and fun emails today! The morning started bright and early with an email that had pictures attached from Tyler and how he spent his Halloween in Brazil. They ate the insides out of a few watermelons, carved some fun faces on them and put in candles. We really missed him, I am sure it was a time when he missed us very much as well. I love getting these notes from him, for one minute it feels like he isn't half a world away.

The Zva Creative Design Team was announced, and I am thrilled to be included amongst that talented group of artists. I will be getting all of their information onto my sidebar, I hope you take a few minutes to go visit them, I think you will be impressed as well!

I was also sent an email today letting me know that I was a winner in the "Love" category of the World Card Making Day contest that Paper Crafts sponsored. I wish I could show you that card, so cute! But instead I am sharing the other card that I sent in. This card just makes me so happy when I look at it. It is totally wacky, but it makes me smile!

And I was invited to participate in the Ranger CHA 2010 Designer Challenge. That is going to be so much fun! Looking forward to getting the details on that, but I love making a mess, and this will be a great way to get a good one going!

A few things in my life have been pretty challenging, and without going into sticky details let's just say that I have a heart that hurts from it all. So I feel very blessed that my Heavenly Father has given me some wonderful opportunities to balance it out on the other side. I do believe that it really helps you appreciate the wonderful things that happen when you have the hard knocks too. So often it seems that things are so easy for others, but it is because we usually only see the surface. Everyone has tough times to endure, so if you are going through something similar, try to find the bright spots and really focus and appreciate those instead. It really makes me feel better when I do that, hope it works for you too!

Attitude of Gratitude going on here...

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In the Fall Swing of Things!

It is a beautiful crisp fall day today. Leaves have fallen all around, the sky is the perfect blue to compliment the oranges and browns of the ground and a warm cup of herbal tea is warming my hands and soul.

Don't you love this time of year? Where the earth trades her energetic green frock of foliage for the lovely oranges, rusts and browns for the season of abundance and gratitude. Just as every season departs and another arrives it seems to be just the right time for a change. So grateful to live in an area where that is punctuated by the appearance of the earth.

Welcome November I am ready for you!

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Happy Halloween!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a very Happy Halloween!

I took a picture of the really cute magnetic blackboard project that P Kelly Smith had thought of for our September meeting. I made all of my elements magnetic so that I could change them out for different seasons, they are great for showing how darling the October cards are! I will find some fun elements for the Thanksgiving season and use those until it is time for Christmas then those will go on, and so on...

So what are your plans for the day? I will be taking Carter down to Roxanne's so that the boys can carve some pumpkins, goof off, and then go trick or treating. I miss the days when my kids all spent the evening together, and we had a big pot of chili on the stove. It is hard watching them go different directions, but part of letting them go too. It will be interesting to hear from Tyler what he did in Brazil, as well.

Be safe, have fun and enjoy the candy!
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I Figured Out How...

I figured how to keep my room clean and do a little playing. How about a little digi project? Keeps me busy, I can do a little scrapping while I chat on the phone and check up on my facebook friends. The kit is one that is called DSP Storybook Dreams NY and is free over at Wacom Pen Scrappers! Fun that is free and not messy, sign me up!

Also working on some new products for the Every Thing Creative Etsy store. I should have them ready to put in the shop soon, and that is another way for me to keep things tidier.

But I have to admit the glitter and glue are calling, and there are a few ideas for projects kicking around that I am going to have to let out of the attic sooner or later.

And I am so excited for Halloween too! And did you know it is pomegranate season? That is a holiday in and of itself around here! How do you feel about pomegranates? Too messy? Delish and work the work and mess? Great if someone else does the work?

Next week is the release of one of my last stamp sets from CHF, I really love this set, so I can't wait for it to come out. That is the best reason to get the room messy right there!

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A Clean Scrap Studio!

Two big events today, I have a spotless studio, and I had on make-up and did my hair!









Crazy days!










I had a photographer in my house, and I thought it would be nice if things were cleaned up a little including me, so there you have it. I guess all it takes for me to get my act together is the possibility of public humiliation and voila' I can get my act pulled together.


It looks really nice, and I am really wanting to get a little crafty, but so don't want to mess it up, what a dilemma!

Usually the center table is filled with paper, adhesives, baskets, punches and other odds and ends.

I like it looking that way, really loved and lived in, but the Davester, not so much. So I will try to walk a fine line for the next couple of months through the holidays and see if I can keep it a little more presentable. If you are a gambling person, this would be a great time to start a pool on how long this will last.

And the little seat cover is really much cuter IRL, but it photographed dark. It is just a shade darker than the walls and really adds a nice touch.

I also have room for a couple of other crafty chicks to hang out, any takers?

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Gnome Sweet Gnome

I just wanted to quickly share a layout that I love. Called "Gnome Sweet Gnome", it is about Carter, his Halloween costume and how he came up with the idea.The layout is a little older, but with Halloween upon us I thought it would be so fun to share!

This was my favorite costume that he has ever worn because he came up with the idea himself and did most of the figuring out how to do it with what we had in our closets. I did have to make the hat and beard, but that was the easy part!

I am thinking I might need to borrow this idea for my costume this year since he and the sisters have decided to all be zombies together.

Hope you are having fun with your kids and enjoying the holiday prep! I love to celebrate Halloween because it is the one holiday where it is all about the kids!

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I Love Ruffles!

I have always been a BIG fan of ruffles, and I am not referring to those potato chips that are great for dips! Ruffles on dresses, blouses, skirts, shoes, sweaters, and anywhere else you can think to put one! One of my favorite things to add to a layout, card or sewing project is a ruffled ribbon, so cute!

So when Cath over at Moxie Fab did a post about ruffles as a trend and issued a new design challenge, I was all over that!

First I started with the idea that it would be fun to try to do a Christmas card and that a ruffled ribbon would look great as a tree! So I used my sewing machine to stitch the ribbon onto the darling, glittery, polka-dotted background and gathered it as I stitched along. A chip star with some Ranger Distress Crackle paint on it and a stamped sentiment from the "Night Before Christmas" set that Julia designed for the Rummage Bin. Easy and so fun!

So how do you feel about ruffles?

;o)
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Lucky #2 You are the Winner!

Congrats to Diane McVey! She won the Royal Birthday stamp set by leaving comment #2!

Your stamp set is awesome! What I love about my birthday, is that it means if I have one~~I'm not dead!

So true Diane, thanks for the perspective of appreciating what I have and for reminding me to live in the moment!

I shared a tutorial over at Everything Creative for coloring with Alcohol inks, jump over and check out how I made this project...

The girls and I went and got our hair done today, they look amazing! They got "Adult" hair cuts and it is so fun to see them looking so beautiful and grown up, but that brings a little melancholy with it as well. Anyway they are as wonderful on the inside as they are on the outside, and that makes a mom super happy!

LOVE YA GIRLS!

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A Royal Birthday and a Stamp Give Away!

It is always so exciting to see one of my stamp sets get released! This one was inspired by my birthday, and thinking of ways to lighten up how I was feeling about turning another year older. This set is called "Royal Birthday" and it has so many fun components that make it useful for many other "Royal" occasions as well!

Both of these images were stamped with Ranger's Big and Bossy in Black and then heat embossed with black detail embossing powder, I LOVE that look!

And speaking of Royalty, check out Paper Crafts Connection today, they have a blog post about Stamping Royalty. I was one of the gals who won a spot this year, and am very honored to be included with these talented stampers!

So to celebrate I am giving away "A Royal Birthday" set to one random winner! Leave me a comment by Friday at Midnight, about what you love/hate about your birthday. I will randomly select someone and send them this stamp set!

You Rule!
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So Much to Share so Little Time!

It has been a sharing kind of week!
I did a tutorial in The CLASSroom that is super fun, take a second to check that out! This layout was one of the projects that I shared how to make.





Also today is a new In Touch newsletter from Ellen, I wrote a sewing tutorial that has some really useful information and also shows how to make two fun projects!




And if that isn't too much information for you to digest, pop over to the Everything Creative blog and catch a tutorial on paper piecing with printables! This darling gift bag is one of the projects I share how to make.

Other than that, not much going on here. Laurel has had the week off from her classes at the U. So we have been relaxing and hanging out, so nice!

I do have to admit that I am completely addicted to the new Fox show called Glee, check it out on Hulu! So cleverly written, the performances are amazing and it is just darn funny!

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Gradient is Radiant Swirling Snowflakes

I was so inspired by this Moxie Fab post a few weeks ago, I knew I had to find some time to play along! The article in Paper Crafts was amazing and the card that my sweet friend Celeste made completely blew my socks off! (it is the one Halloween "Boo" card with the glitter background, so stunning!) I had also designed this Backgrounder for Cornish Heritage Farms called "Swirling Snowflakes" and it is releasing this week, a perfect place to start my card from!
I just heat embossed my smooth cardstock with Ranger clear detail embossing powder and then used my Adirondack Dimensional Pearls to get the gradient look. Super fast and easy! This is a card I could make quite a few of in short order so it is on my list as possibles for holiday cards this year.

Thanks for stopping by for a peek! And hope you have a fantastic week!

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Welcome Friday!

Wow, this week has flown by for me, was it that way for you too? Not sure where it went to, but it really is gone.

In the last few weeks I was so busy that I had projects up to my ears, but things have slowed down a little bit. Not sure if I really said it out loud, and sometimes I think I am Captain Obvious when I am really not, so just to put it out there in lights, I have joined Ellen Hutson's remarkable team of inspiring artists. I am thrilled to have this opportunity and look forward to sharing my information with the hope that it inspires and educates. I have some fun ideas that I am working on, so I hope that you keep an eye on what is going on in The CLASSroom as well as sign up for the newsletter In Touch. Of course the other artists share their delightful ideas there so it is an absolute fount of knowledge!

I also put up a tutorial at the Every Thing Creative blog last night about printing and creating with our printables onto transparencies. Very cool, hope you take a second to check it out.

So with that it is welcome to Friday! I am looking forward to a quiet fall weekend with the family and enjoying the crisp weather with a little crocheting, time with the kids and some crafting when they get sick of me hanging all over them ;o)

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A Few New Halloween Projects

I love Halloween, pretty sure I have mentioned it before, and it is probably pretty obvious from all of the projects that I have been sharing. Well, here are two more, and I won't be stopping there! If you love this delightful holiday the way I do, keep stopping by, if not I am sorry, and I promise to share other types of things along the way as well.

The first is a mini-candy bar wrapper that is a product in the Every Thing Creative shop. Print out onto fabulous holiday paper, trim and wrap. Super easy and so cute!
I decorated an empty Maya Road tin, covered the inside bottom with the same piece of Pink Paislee paper that I printed some of the wrappers on. The other paper is Sassafrass, loved the color of orange on it!
To make the flower shown, cover a large American Craft brad in chunky Doodlebug glitter and let dry. While you have that going, cut some paper strips that are about 3 1/2" long. When the brad is dry, loop the strips in half (don't fold) and put onto brad alternating sides of brad until you have a full flower shape. Again, super easy! Cut some leaf shapes and very thin strips of paper wrapped around a pencil will give you the tendrils.

The next is a card from the Jack-O-Lantern in a Wagon image that is printed onto Making Memories new Halloween line, love that text sheet (had to cut it out of the center of a big scalloped circle). Ran it through the printer and then colored the pumpkin in with my Prismacolors. I wish you could see the glitter that is on the alpha stickers and the scalloped border, but you will just have to trust me that they are festive!

It really feels like fall here today, so crisp and breezy. The leaves are on their way to their color change and then the big drop to the ground, beautiful!

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Are you sick of me posting everyday yet?

So yesterday's World Card Making Day was a huge hit in my opinion! I made a few cards, spent some time with a friend and we even made it to our local scrapbooking store (shout out to Heartland!) that had a sale going, it was a wonderful day!

I don't have the pics edited of what I made yesterday, so I thought I would share a couple that I had made previously. The first uses Kim's "Christmas Critters" and it is an easy card to make! I love this kind of project because you can use up a lot of scraps from other projects. The paper strip is Making Memories, the holly is Pink Paislee and the moose is Crate Paper. I just look at the colors I want to use and then go through my scrap box to find what works. I have a gift bag that matches too, just forgot to put it in the picture, oops!

There are a couple of projects over at FiskarCrafts that I would love for you to go check out, May Flaum sent me a really cool 3 in 1 corner punch to play with, and there are a few other very inspiring designers that are sharing their ideas as well, good stuff!

This last week also brought the demise of my beloved HP 9650 wide format printer. It was very untimely, but having purchased this important piece of my crafting studio back in 2005, not surprising. Dave did some research for me online and we found a great replacement in a HP B8850 wide format that was 50% off at OfficeMax (run don't walk at that price it won't be around much longer) I don't care if it isn't the latest and greatest version, I just need it to print what I ask it to, in the colors I ask for, and in the size I need...
Nope I am not picky!
So with that new friend to hang out with, I am off to design more printables for the Everything Creative shop and then print and play!!

Hope you are having a fabulous Sunday!
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Happy World Card Making Day!!!

Cards are being made around the world today, and that is such a good thing! That means that people all over the world will be receiving one or more handmade cards! Cards that say I love you, thanks, I am thinking of you, Merry Christmas, congratulations and many other sentiments will be handed over to someone that will see a unique piece of art that was made just for them!

Wow, I LOVE this hobby and I LOVE that we have a day to celebrate how fantastic that feeling is to give and receive these wonderful gifts!

Over at Everything Creative we are giving away a printable that you can use to create a unique project to share with someone you appreciate, go visit and leave a comment on the blog, we would love to share with you!

Ellen Hutson is sharing wonderful project ideas all day long in the CLASSroom, be sure to stop by and be inspired! This is the project I created for today's technique tutorial and you can learn how to do this project yourself if you go visit.

And I am going to visit my local scrapbook store to buy a few new pieces of paper, and also spend some time crafting my Holiday cards, looking forward to having that done early this year!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

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Are You Ready For a Par-Tay?

Who? Crafty, fun loving cardmakers

What? Celebrating a hobby that we all love

When? Saturday October 3rd, 2009

Where? Around this inspiring Moxie Fab World

Why? Because we all love a party

It is such a large, inspiring, card making world, that inspiration for your next project can be found literally every where at any time. Tomorrow, October 3rd, is a special day that celebrates that big place with a celebration called World Card Making Day and you are cordially invited to participate!
There are many ways to celebrate. Start by making a card, and then if you would like, upload it to the gallery at the WCMD website. This will make you eligible to win a prize on both the Paper Crafts Connection blog and the Moxie Fab World blog.
Interested in being published in the March/April 2010 issue of Paper Crafts? There is a WCMD contest where you can send in your cards in the following categories: birthday, Christmas/season's greetings, hello/thinking of you, love and thank you. The prize package for the winners of that is incredible, so it is totally worth sending in a few cards for that!
Looking for more inspiration and a great discount? Check out the WCMD Blog Tour, there are 25 more projects that were created for this celebration, and there is a discount code for 25% off of an online purchase

Leave a comment here today to have a chance at blog candy that includes product from: American Crafts, Cosmo Cricket, Sassafras Lass, Jillibean Soup, and Pink Paislee. This package has a retail value in US dollars of over $150. The specific prizes will be shown on the Moxie Fab World blog. You can increase your chances of winning this Moxie Fab prize by leaving a comment on each blog of the U.S. tour! All comments will close on October 4th at midnight, and all winners will be announced on Tuesday the 6th, and comments from all over the world will be honored.

After being inspired by the "It's All Green To Me" Challenge, and a hot drink cuff from a favorite beverage that had been enjoyed with a dear friend, this card came to be.

Want to make a card similar to this one?
Here is what you will need:
A hot drink cuff cut into a few triangles, paint them with Picket Fence white crackle paint from Ranger, then glue a few random red buttons on them. The background paper is from Lilly Bee and was trimmed around the edges with pinking shears. Stamp a sentiment from the "Wintergreen Holiday ATC set" from Cornish Heritage Farms with Distress ink and then sprinkle some Frayed Burlap distress embossing powder and heat. The stars are from Making Memories and used to be purple, but I put some glue on them and then used a little Doodlebug red glitter to get them to this gorgeous color. Put it all together with a little adhesive and then ruffle a silk ribbon to the bottom by gathering it as you are stitching.


So would you like more ways to be inspired? I will be celebrating this special day tomorrow in my craft studio, and would love to have you come back to visit and see what I will be sharing!

Enjoy your tour of the U.S. today!

B-

Scaredy Cat!

Oh how I wish you could see the sparkle on this guy the way I can, so cute! It was made with one of the new Everything Creative Printables called "Scaredy Cat" and printed onto Pink Paislee's new Halloween line called Twilight Collection, so fun! After I printed it, I uesd my glue pen to "color" over the black areas of the cat and then sprinkled on Art Glitter Vintage Glass in Onyx over the top. A little glitter goodness goes a long way to making me happy!

It was the perfect project for today as our sweet black cat had to deal with a bath today and had this look on her face when she was taken into the bathroom. She complained for a bit while the girls were working on her, but now she is strutting her hot kitty stuff! She is actually black again, she was getting really manky looking from the dander and shedding that occurs this time of year. Now she is glam and ready for her big holiday!

And can you believe it is Thursday already? Crazy! The Moxie Fab world tour stopped in Canada today, and Julia was featured! Go visit and leave a comment to possibly win some seriously Moxie Fab goodies!

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