Welcome little Ali!



One of my co-workers was blessed with a beautiful little girl on July 30th, so I created this little card for her.  (Her older brother got the proud big brother card I made.)  Anyone who has been to my house knows I'm partial to giraffes - okay my husband would say that I'm ADDICTED and OBSESSED with them and so this cute stamp from Paper Smooches totally called to me!!

I have been on a big kick to try and use up some of my scraps.  And after doing a quick inventory, I know I have way too many!!  I have been trying to not cut into a new piece of pattern paper or card stock and use up the supplies that I have. 

I haven't been crafting a whole lot besides working on baby thank you cards and even that has been fairly slow going.  I have been bitten by the nesting bug and WOW - my house thanks it!!  I have cleaned and organized all but 2-3 rooms in the house - the master bathroom (I have done spot cleaning - just haven't pulled out all the stops and scrubbed it down), my craft room (mainly because I don't know where to start - part of me wants to sell a bunch of what I have and start over, this time being a lot more reasonable and smart about what I am purchasing) and the spare bedroom downstairs (which really doesn't need cleaning).  In the above picture, I'm 38 weeks and I felt AMAZING that day.  I was trying to see the bright side of life - as it would have been the first day back to work for me if I wasn't expecting.  I have been so fortunate to have felt really good this whole pregnancy - just in the last week, I have started feeling miserable.  I have another doctor's appt tomorrow and I'm really hoping she will give me an induction date, as I'm over my due date.  We know the baby is a healthy weight and I really don't want to give birth to a million pound sucker.

 

 

Proud Big Brother

 

 

One of my co-workers gave birth to her lovely little lady on July 30th and I kinda gathered from listening to Shauna that Zack was definitely loving being the big brother.  And Zack loves trains, so I thought it was perfect that I had an extra copy of 'The Polar Express', which is all about trains!!  I think he was more excited about the present then the card - LOL - but I'm sure I'm one of the few people who has a HUGE love for cards!!  Especially hand crafted cards!!

 

I have a few more cards to share, as I have been doing a little crafting ... in between preparing for my own little bundle to arrive!

 

I decided to make my own thank you cards and I came up with a really simple yet awesome design and I ended up going with a neutral colour scheme - kraft, light yellow and light green.  Can't wait to share those with you!



Happy 90th!!

My in-laws have been invited to a 90th birthday party for a lady who used to live in town and wanted me to whip up a card for her.  I had a couple different images in my mind but I haven't used this oldie for a while and given Grace's sense of humor, I knew it would be a bit.  Once again, I reached only to my scrap pile and found these papers.  I also absolutely love my cuttlebug, so I ran the blue and green pieces through 2 different folders. 

Now I just have to get working on my baby thank you cards.  I have come up with a pretty simple (yet beautiful in my opinion) that should be easy enough to mass produce.  Fingers crossed anyways.

And I'm still working on cleaning up my craft room, wit th ultimate goal being to paint it and make it beautiful!!  And to never get as cluttered as it is!!

Fingers crossed I can get my stamps sorted through!  I'm going to be selling a bunch of them because the more I look at my stash, the more I realise I have a whole bunch that I haven't even inked up yet!!

Happy Birthday Merrick!

So after being completely consumed with Pinterest, I should have more then enough card ideas to last me a long, long time!!  And I have come to realise that I also over think cards way too much and end up investing way too much time in them.  There are some stunning and beautiful cards that don't appear to be super labour intensive. 

This card had to be popped in the mail, so I didn't add all sorts of bells and whistles to it, as that just adds to the postage (BOOO!!) - shouldn't they just be happy that some people still snail mail??

I have a few cards that I need to make in the next few days - a wedding card for my cousin's wedding which is tomorrow that I'm going to have to miss unfortunately and then my best friend's birthday which is Monday.  I had the flu on Monday and am still not feeling great.  I have lost a lot of weight because of the flu (making my pregnancy weight gain just over 10lbs, which isn't a lot) and so the doctor is a little concerned.  She has me scheduled for an ultrasound on Monday and I'm to take things easy and rest a lot, as this little one could make an appearance any time now.

So here's hoping I can get some crafting moments in later tonight - I'm just doing some baking since I managed to get a little bit of energy and I wanted to make something special for Jeff, as he has been so good with me being sick and everything lately.

I am just going to whip up a blueberry/strawberry pie and then 3 different kinds of cookies to have in the freezer for once the baby is born and we have some company.

So friends - I'm back!!

So friends - I haven't vanished from the face of the earth or given up crafting.  I didn't even really take a break.  I just never seemed to take pictures of what I was making and I kind of lost my desire to blog.  But hopefully I'm back!  I know I'm refreshed!!  And so much has happened since my last post!!

I'm a married woman now who is also expecting her first baby - in a little under 7 weeks and so I have been nesting like crazy.  Seriously - I'm a cleaning machine!!  Which is great for my craft room, as I have neglected it for way too long ... and in cleaning it, I have come to realise that I just have WAY too much stuff.  So I'm slowly working at selling it and getting it organized.  And one of my goals is to not use a brand new sheet of paper until I work through some of my scraps!  And when I say some, I mean the massive mountains I have! 

The above card is already in the mail - popped it in there this afternoon.  One of my best friends just let the cat out of the bag officially that she is expecting again, which is something that I had been expecting for a while.  I'm so happy for her and her husband and her little guy!!  They don't know if it's a boy or a girl, so I went with both blue and pink on the card.  And I did finish the inside but it wasn't anything crazy!  Just another way I can use all the scraps I have left.  And I need to get better at throwing them out when they are too small or something I know I won't use again.  Like seriously - I am a paper hoarder and it has to stop!!

Stay tuned - I have more cards photographed and I'm definitely working on getting my mojo back!!

Winner, winner chicken dinner!!

So - I'm pretty excited! I received an email from Christine at www.allthatscraps.com , letting me know that I was the Day 3 Preview winner, meaning I'm going to be getting FOR FREE, the August Swiss Pixies stamps that were released! They are so adorable and will fit in wonderfully with my attempt to become better at colouring images!

Getting old bites!!

I made this card the other night for an 85th birthday celebration. The image is from Hambo stamps and I had completely forgotten I had it. I recently bought Stampin' Up markers and have found a new love for colouring images. I'm not sure if you noticed before but I was WAY more of a sentiment girl because I felt I was lacking the materials and skills to properly colour! So this is by no means perfect but I really like how it turned out!! I would also like to thump myself over the head for not jumping on the embossing bandwagon LONG LONG ago!!

ESS #138 - challenge! I'm back!!

So - I didn't vanish off the face of the earth - I had kinda lost my mojo! But I'm happy to say, it's coming back!! I've got a lot of great ideas going through my head - now to just get them done!! I'm also SUPER happy to get back to doing challenges ... and taking pictures of cards. I have done a bunch of other cards (and will hopefully post them on here later!!) but I haven't taken pictures of the ones I have already sent to their new homes!!

This card is going in the mail in the next day or two - definitely one of those better late then never - Hunter's birthday was in May ... sorry little guy!!

Thanks!

The lady that I created wedding invitations for, inquired about a few special thank you cards for some people that have gone above and beyond, helping her prepare for her wedding. This is one of a few that I did and I love, love, love how it turned out! very simple but something that could easily stay out on display for a while!!

Graduation

So - I thought I had posted this to this blog earlier but I somehow managed to post it to my old card blog - not the one that I have been using most often! So here it is again! I get a fairly vintage feel from this card and I really like how it turned out!

Thanks!

I whipped this card up for Tracy's newest challenge: http://eatsleepstamp.typepad.com/tracyc/2011/04/sketchy-thursday-128.html It turned out better then I imagined and I'm just really happy with the colour combinations. As most of you know, I'm more of a sentiment stamper and thanks to my other new love, embossing, I love how it made the sentiment stand out even more.

I also whipped up a few other cards that I'm hoping to post in the next day or two. Happy Saturday everyone!

Happy Momma's Day

This is the first time ever that I have combined 2 challenges - how I envy people who can mix together several challenges. I had already made my mother's day cards but decided to wanted to make a special one for my momma and here is the result. I used scrap papers that are sitting in my big ol' basket of goodness. I am working so hard to attempt to at least put a dent in that supply of paper!! The ribbon is from Michael's - found in a $1 bin, as well as the stamp (which I think was $1.50 at Michael's). The sentiment is from Verve Stamps.

Challenges:
http://handstampedsentiments.blogspot.com/2011/04/hss-mothers-day-theme-65.html
and
http://eatsleepstamp.typepad.com/tracyc/2011/04/sketchy-thursday-127.html

Happy Stampin'!!

merci beaucoup!

Jeff's grandma bought all the grandkids pottery for Christmas instead of mailing out her usual cheque. She was out to visit in March and as I am the only one who ever send a thank you card, I wanted to whip up something fun, especially since all my Christmas stuff is tucked away at the moment. I love how simple this card was to create and it's a great way to use up scraps of paper. The paper is from Basic Grey, the stamp is from Verve, and the ribbon is from a clearance bin at Michael's I think. I embossed the sentiment (cause I'm totally love that these days!) and TA DA!! There you have it.

As soon as I get my camera charged up, I think I'm going to take some pictures of my crafting room. It's such a disaster and a work in progress at the moment ... maybe being held accountable by showing it getting cleaner and more organized will help keep me motivated!!

Happy Easter everyone!!

Sweet New Baby

I've always been a fan of using photos on cards, to make them that little bit more special. And lately, I've been going with non-traditional paper and colours for baby cards, to make the cards stand out a little bit more. I love how this one turned out!!

Happy Easter week-end everyone!! (Do you actually think I might get an Easter card made before the bunny arrives on Sunday? LOL)

Hand Stamped Sentiments Graduation Challenge

http://handstampedsentiments.blogspot.com/

I have been attempting to create a stash of cards for all sorts of different events and when I stumbled across this graduation one, at Hand Stamped Sentiments, I really struggled, as I really don't have any great graduation stamps. I'm also not really great at writing down what supplies I've used - I think mainly because I'm a grab and go type of crafter and I never seem to have a notepad handy to jot the details down. This is one of 2 graduation cards I made, using these colours. Dark blue is our school colour and so I was trying to whip up something using that as a focus, with the 'mango' ink thrown in to add a little pop. I will definitely continue to whip up some more cards - graduation (or as the school calls it - Prom) is May 14th.

Wonderful Mother

I was asked by a teacher friend to see if I could create a card for her kids to make for Mother's Day. Of course I jumped at the offer but have been super nervous since. My friend works at a Hutterite Colony, so I wanted to do something tasteful yet really fun and different for the kids (I think there are 14 of them from Kindergarten to Grade 8) but I also wanted to respect their traditions etc and not get too crazy. I really like how it all turned out and it was really easy to do. I think the kids will have a great time, which is what it's all about and it will be easy to create something similar for a Father's Day card as well. And I'm excited because I now have a design for all the Mother's Day cards I am going to be creating - for my mom, Jeff's mom, both grandma's and of course my bestie Stacey! And I think I might also whip up one for a close friend of ours - she is expecting her 1st bambino mid-June and we found out she was admitted yesterday to the hospital - needing to be on bed rest. So something like that would cheer her up ... I'm also hoping to ship up a Journal Jar for her - if she is going to be forced to hang out in the hospital for the next while, she will need something more to do then stare at the tiny TV screen and worry about what's going on. I've been there, done that, read the handbook when Stacey was hospitalized and well, it gets old, pretty darn fast!!

Happy 60th!

I was asked to create a 60th birthday card for a friends mother. I really struggled with ideas for this one, I think mainly because I tend to use photos for personalized, specially requested birthday cards. Wendy didn't have a photo that she wanted to use, so I was left to come up with a colour combo and a special way to highlight the fact it's her mom's 60th birthday. I really like how it turned out!

Happy birthday Papa Pajunen

My best friend's partner Evan celebrated his birthday yesterday. I had originally started in on a card for him early last week but it turned into a pretty pink deal, which isn't his style. Having twin girls, I'm sure he already sees pink enough as it is :) I whipped this card up late last night, along with the card I previously posted (and I finished up the pink girlie girl card). I'm still working on my embossing techniques, so the background is a little rough around the edges. I have a couple cards to finish up this afternoon some time ... and I need to get starting on the box of birthday cards that I've had someone request.

Eat Sleep Stamp Sketch #126

So it's late and I should be in bed but I wanted to take pictures and post this before I forgot. I've been kinda down in the dumps lately and frustrated with my (lack of work) situation and just in general, some people letting me down - I guess not really letting me down, more just not understanding how some people operate - and thank goodness for my best friend Stacey. She is such an amazing person and I only wish I end up being even half as good of a mom as she is, when my time eventually comes. She loves monkey's and since I thought I should attempt to colour - I can't get better if I don't try, right - I thought I would stick an image along with the sentiment. All the paper used was in my scrap bin - which still keep growing and I really need to better organize. Anyways, nighty night night to all!

First time - embossing!

So, I'm not entirely happy with how this card turned out but being my first time that I have ever embossed, I'm okay with it. I just recently purchased the supplies required for embossing and I will be adding to my collection very soon - because I am addicted!! I needed to whip up a quick THANK YOU card, as I received some lovely gifts from the school staff when I was done on the 4th. I didn't want to purchase a card and nothing I had really was working for me. I had the majority of this card sitting in pieces on my desk and this morning added the sentiment and ribbon ... and the stitching - which I LOVE!! Hard to believe I didn't pull out the needle and thread long, long ago. I have a few cards that I've been requested to make, a 60th birthday card, 2 anniversary cards for 2 couples very near and dear to my heart and a box of 20-ish birthday cards. A little nervous about the last order but really looking forward to it as it really allows me to be creative. Being off work, I had anticipated being bored out of my mind because I like to be busy but it has been anything but that. I've been called in to work several times on a casual basis and I'm going for election training, as I'm woring our federal election at the end of the month. Anyways, more on that later - need to get my supper ready :)

Eat Sleep Stamp Sketch #125

First off, thanks to Tracy for helping me get my MOJO back. It's not entirely there but I'm working on it. I whipped up this card last Saturday, for a bridal shower I was going to that afternoon. The bride had made a comment about how much she loves my cards and I am the one who did her invitations, so I wanted to make something special for her. These are essentially her colours, so I thought it was fitting. This was also my first time ever stitching on a card ... and I'm in LOVE. It didnt' turn out exactly how I planned but I like the look of it and I can only get better from here, right? http://eatsleepstamp.typepad.com/tracyc/2011/04/sketchy-thursday-125.html Check Tracy out - you know you want to!!

Eat Sleep Stamp Sketch #124

So I have been meaning to play along with the great sketches that Tracy at

http://eatsleepstamp.typepad.com/tracyc/ has been posting but even with having Wednesday's off, I never seemed to get a card created. Now that I am unemployed I made it my mission to at least attempt this week and not only attempt, but also photograph it as well. As a side note: it's not that I haven't been crafting cards, I just send them before I take a picture!! Anyways, I have been drawn to shiny things for ages and I've always wondered how I can incorporate that into a card. I've actually got an idea for an 8.5 x 11 framed project but that's for another day. I had a can of Coke sitting on my desk and I decided to slice it open and see if it would work if I ran it through my Cuttlebug. And YAY! it did work! I tried it a couple different times and know this will definitely be a technique I will be using more. I just need to find a more efficient way to trim the aluminum. I really love how this card turned out and lately I've been on a baby card kick that doesn't use the 'normal' baby colours! If I had a thicker ribbon, I probably would have used that but I love how my bow turned out. Normally, I really struggle but for some reason, it clicked tonight.

I'm off to the city tomorrow and pretty thankful for that. I've had a sinus issue since last Thursday and I've tried practically every sinus medication around. I found a few Equate (Walmart) brand sinus meds and took one of the pills and WOW - I can breathe and my ears didn't hurt or feel like they were going to rupture. So I need to stock up on them as I'm sure this was partly brought on by all the snow melting - I really curse the snow mold!!

Enjoy!!

Let's get it started in here ...

So I have been doing a little bit of crafting here and there but nothing overly earth shattering and it seems that when I do actually create a new card, I'm in such a hurry to mail it that I don't take a picture to post. So - since I have been officially laid off and the 4th is my last day at work, I'm hoping to get a few things done in my craft room ... and in my life in general! I am hoping to start building up a supply of cards and what not to have ready for the Easter Market, along with my Scentsy stuff, and I want to create a much more functional crafting space. I have papers spread out everywhere and I have literally junk everywhere - papers and tools and whatnot. I've started using a bit different system for organizing and it's working, it's just a HUGE work in progress. I'm also paring down what supplies I have, as I know I have way too much ... and it's hard to justify purchasing new supplies when I have oodles downstairs that haven't been touched!! On a happy note, I'm breaking into the world of embossing ... I've got a heat gun and embossing powder on it's way! Definitely nervous about that!!

Remember me?

So I really haven't been to great blogging and I do apologize. It's not as though I actually haven't crafted because I have. I have been awful though because I haven't been taking pictures of any of the cards I have created. I whipped up 60 plus thank you cards for my best friend Stacey as well as close to 150 wedding invitations. But did I take pictures of any of those? Not a chance! I did manage to rearrange and organize to some degree my craft room. I hope to, at one point, get a video or at least take pictures of the room. I'm really proud of how it has turned out as I had no crafting room when we lived in our other house.

One thing I am really excited about is this new software that I have been working with at school. It's called Dragon Speak and what Dragon Speak allows me to do is put on a set of headphones that have a microphone and I can speak my thoughts without having to type them. I am actually using the software right now to do this blog post and while it's not perfect, as I am having to do some minor corrections, Dragon Speak is still learning my voice and the way I speak. I have long since known that I am very verbal person in the sense that I sometimes get really random thoughts cruising through my head and I can have a hard time getting them all down on paper. What I love about this is even though I just installed it on my computer a few hours ago, it has been surprisingly accurate. I can only imagine how much fun I'm going to have with the software and how easy it's going to make my life. I had newsletter to prepare and e-mail out tonight and it took me all of maybe 5 min. to get the entire newsletter typed and sent. I have long since been a person who likes to write stories that I can only imagine how much more I will accomplish when I can take my handwritten rough copies and read them aloud and have it typed for me. I definitely recommend this software to anyone who thinks they would use it. I never thought I would actually enjoy it as much as I have been.

So here is to hopefully having a bit more time to blog and to craft. Now if only the farm books and the rest of the accounting stuff would miraculously finish on its own!!! Cheers to a great night and hopefully will be talking soon!

Remember me??

Okay - so I haven't vanished completely off the face of the earth ... and I actually have been a crafting mad man! But have I taken any pictures of those cards ... not a 1!! I've made like 30-40 different cards over the last month, as I was working on holiday cards, along with a bunch of baby thank you cards and I forgot to take pictures before I got rid of them!!

I am happy to report though, that I do have my mojo back! Which is a great thing!! I got a TV/DVD combo for my craft room for Christmas and that seems to have helped a lot!

Hopefully I can hop back on here later with a new creation!

Happy new year!!