All That Scrap For Me

Fun with Kanban Acrylic Stamps

2012-01-01T23:31:00.003-05:00

Hello blogging friends! I'm excited to write my first blog post for 2012. I wish you all the best in the New Year! I have the wonderful opportunity to be a member of the Design Team for a new local scrapbook store, Whimsy. We've lost so many local stores in Greenville over the last several years that is great to finally see some new stores opening.

As one of my first projects for Whimsy, I worked with the Garden Vistas Autumn Silhouettes acrylic stamps by Kanban to create this card. This stamp set offers a wide variety of images and also comes with 3 coordinating sentiments that are perfect for making quick cards.

The details of this card are pretty simple. Since I'm not teaching this as a class, I can share everything with you. The base of the card and the matt of the stamped image was made using Bitter Chocolate from Bazzill. The designer paper is from a collection by Melissa Francis (Brady). Once I cut the designer paper, I embossed it using a Cuttlebug embossing folder (name unknown). I cut a smaller piece of that same paper to make the small rosette. For the stamped image, I used plain white cardstock and stamped one of the tree stamps in this set with Tim Holtz's Walnut Stain ink. I sponged the edges of the image with this same ink to give it a little umph. I found the little pieces of light pink grosgain ribbon in my stash. For the rosette, I cut a 6 inch piece of paper and scored it at approximately every quarter inch. If you're going to make your own rosette, I suggest using a longer strip of paper as this was quite a challenge to get to lay flat. I finished it off with a little button for the center.

I hope you've enjoyed my little card. Thanks for stopping by today! Happy crafting :).

December 2011 Sketch Blog Challenge

2011-12-17T00:16:00.004-05:00

Hello!! Thanks for stopping by :). Today brings you another project featuring the latest sketch challenge from The Scrapping Stamper. I mixed it up this time around and did a card using her sketch instead of a layout. Since my Christmas cards still are not done, I thought this would be a perfect chance to get one more done. Here is her sketch this month:
Here's my take on her sketch: The details are fairly simple for this card. I used Coredination Paper for the card base (Scarlet) and layered that with Bazzill (Vanilla). The Christmas papers are by My Mind's Eye from the Merry Days of Christmas collection. I think this came out in 2010. I have a ton of it in my stash as I really like this line. The papers really coordinate together nicely. The Merry Christmas sentiment is by Just Rite and is included in the Sparky and Friends set. I love the new Just Rite cling stamps! Nothing beats really nice cling rubber stamps. I used Tim Holtz's Walnut Stain for my ink. His ink has become my "go to" ink lately as it is perfect for so many projects! The pendant was punched out using Stampin Up's Pendant Punch set. Lastly, of course I can't have a project without bling! The little red rhinestones are by Kaisercraft and add just the right amount of sparkle.

That's it! Fairly simple overall. The most challenging part for me was cutting all of the pieces to fit propery on the card front. I hope you'll give this sketch a try on your next project. Be sure to stop pay The Scrapping Stamper's blog and leave her some scrappy love. Have a wonderful weekend! Come back soon :).

Christmas Card Class

2011-11-30T23:09:00.005-05:00

Hello!! I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. I have been so super busy at work and home life but I am determined to bring this thing back to life!! I am very fortunate to have TWO brand new scrapbook stores open up locally in the last few months - Whimsy and Easy As Cat Soup. I am super excited that they BOTH have allowed me to start teaching at their stores. My next class will be at Easy as Cat Soup on December 3, 2011. This will be a Christmas Card Class featuring the three cards below. These cards feature the new Winter Twig line by Little Yellow Bicycle. If you'd like to sign up for the class, you can reach Easy as Cat Soup at (864) 964-2777. The cost is just $18 which includes all supplies (you'll just need to bring your basic tool kit). Hope to see you there!!

Fancy Paper Crafters Winner Announced

2011-09-26T21:30:00.004-04:00

Hello! I recently posted a refer a friend giveaway on Fancy Paper Crafters (http://fancypapercrafters.ning.com/forum/topics/fancy-paper-crafters-giveaway). We were offering up these three fabulous Spellbinders dies:

We gained several new members thanks to your support in getting our name out. If you missed out this round, don't worry as we will be giving more goodies away in the future. Without further ado .... we have a winner!! Congrats goes to Stephanie King!! Stephanie was referred by an existing member Kimberly Hellams. Kimberly will also receive a goodie from me for her support :). Keep your eyes on the message boards for future giveaways (http://fancypapercrafters.ning.com/forum). Happy crafting!

September 2011 Sketch Challenge

2011-09-17T00:57:00.004-04:00

Howdy! I am loving the cooler weather we have been experiencing over the last couple of days. It makes me look forward to all the great fall colors that are forthcoming. My scraproom has been an absolute disaster and I am slowly working my way through it to get things back in order. I've got lots of stuff for sale and just need to find the time to try to sell it all LOL! I did stop for a bit and played with the latest sketch challenge by Shannon White (http://scraplady324.blogspot.com/). I've always wanted to try using crimped paper in a layout and I really enjoyed it! Here is Shannon's sketch this month:

Here is my take on her sketch (in case haven't guess by now, I usually don't vary a lot from a sketch LOL):

No real deviations this time other than removing some of the journaling/title information. I don't usually do "titles" on my pages as I include the information in the journaling section instead. This allows me to be a bit more creative with the layout itself and not so stuck on coming up with a title. Anyway, the details are fairly simple. Paper includes Basic Grey Lemonade Collection (Frosted Berry and Pink Fizz) and some random scraps of vellum I had in my stash. The cardstock is a knock off version of Bazzill. I went to a scrapbooking convention recently where they were selling 5 lbs of paper for $19.99 (do you have any idea how much paper you can get for 5 lbs?! - a lot let me tell ya!). I used my Fiskars Star Burst Squeeze Punches to create the "bursts" under my photos. The bling (I wonder if I will ever again make a layout without bling :)) is from Recollections and Diamond Dew Drops (and the little black dots used for the center of the bursts were also purchased at the convention but I have no idea the vendor name as it isn't on the package). Lastly, I used my Fiskars paper crimper to add dimension to the layout.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a wonderful weekend :). Happy scrapping!

Fancy Paper Crafters Giveaway

2011-09-03T23:41:00.004-04:00

Have you seen these new Spellbinder Nestabilities and Shapeabilities that have been popping up in stores? They offer the most cutting and embossing detail in dies available in the market today. Cut, emboss and stencil all your craft projects with these unique die templates! Want to know how you can WIN all three of these? Check out all the details on the Fancy Paper Crafters Ning website here: http://fancypapercrafters.ning.com/forum/topics/fancy-paper-crafters-giveaway.

July 2011 Sketch Challenge

2011-07-16T02:17:00.004-04:00

Well hello again! Are you all enjoying your summer? I, for one, could do without the heat and humidity of the South! I've enjoyed having a bit of time in my scraproom though to get out from the heat. This month's sketch challenge by Shannon White (http://scraplady324.blogspot.com/) was fun for me to work with. I had these couple of pictures from when my youngest niece was born and I thought they worked out perfectly for this layout. This pushed me outside of my shell a bit as I don't normally do baby layouts since we do not have human children (only fur-babies). Anyway, here is Shannon's sketch this month:

And here is my take on her sketch:

I followed it relatively closely this time around with just a few alterations. I couldn't get my second picture small enough so I just kept it larger and just made a slight variation to suit my needs. Overall, you can certainly "see" the sketch in my layout - which is the point right?! :) The details for this layout are pretty simple. The decorative papers that create the base of the layout and some of the strips behind the photos are by Best Creation and are a part of their relatively new line called Bunny Love. It is intended to be used as Easter paper (hence the name Bunny Love) but I think it works quite nicely for baby layouts given the colors. I snagged that paper at my local scrapbook store, Scrapnesia. The other paper is all by Coredinations (Buttercup, Grassroots, Exotic Orchids and Royal Orchid). On the strips behind the photos, I used a Martha Stewart border punch (it worked really well on this thick paper!). The little bit of bling (you know I love my bling!) is by Zva. The remaining items are just a few various buttons, some pop up dots and computer journaling (Kristen ITC font).

Well, thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to give some love to Shannon White on another fabulous sketch.

Until next time ... Happy crafting!

June 2011 Sketch Challenge

2011-06-18T00:31:00.007-04:00

Hello fellow bloggers! I hope you all are enjoying the start of your summers. It has been crazy hot here in SC which has kept me indoors as much as possible (I hate summer with a passion as I can't stand being hot). It's time for the monthly sketch challenge by Shannon White, The Sketch Lady. This sketch was meant to focus on the "burst" in the background. I have never worked with a burst like this and decided to alter mine to a "flower" to fit my pictures. Here is Shannon's sketch this month:
This layout was included in a scrapbook I made for my oldest niece as a graduation present. She was such an adorable kid (and gorgeous young lady now) and I couldn't resist using these pictures of her and my nephew. It's hard to believe that she's already graduating (where did the time go?!). I kept the layout as simple as I could as I didn't want to overwhelm these cute pictures. Here's what I came up with this month:
The details on this layout are quite simple. The purplish decorative paper is by Sandylion and is part of the Disney Fairies line (Fairy Dust). The pink decorative paper that I used as the base for the whole layout is by Moxxie and is part of their Easter line (Pink/Purple). These papers were purchased at my local scrapbook store Scrapnesia. The cardstock is by Bazzill and is Berry Blush (pink) and Purple Palisades (purple). My scrappy friends will be shocked to see that I actually used stickers but I'm finding that the nicer stickers like these actually help a layout instead of making it look like stickers threw up all over the layout LOL. The phrase stickers are by Me and My Big Ideas and are part of the Forever Celebrate collection. Last but not least are the little pearls in the upper right hand corner. I'm in love with all forms of bling and you will rarely find one of my layouts that doesn't have it. These are the Pearl Stickers by Recollections.

That's it for now folks! Be sure to stop on by Shannon White's blog and leave her some scrappy love. Happy scrapping!!

May 2011 Sketch Challenge

2011-05-20T16:37:00.005-04:00

Hello blogland! Wow! Life sure has been crazy busy for me lately. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. It's time once again for the monthly sketch challenge issued by The Scrapping Stamper. Shannon White designs her own sketches each month and sends them out to her sketch team to see what we can come up with. Here is the sketch for this month:

I love love love double page layouts. This one was a bit of challenge for me as I don't typically have any lap over between my pages (meaning, there's not normally anything like pictures or circles that cross between the middle part of the layout). However, now that I challenged myself to give this a try, I discovered that I really like the way it turned out. So, without further ado, here's my take on her sketch:

Want the details behind this layout? I used my favorite circle cutter by Creative Memories. The decorative paper is part of the Show Choir line by Moxxie (purchased at a LSS - Scrapnesia). For the cardstock, I used Cranberry and Melon by American Crafts and French Vanilla by Bazzill. The flowers are also from Bazzill - I love fabric flowers! The bling is from Zva Creative (Number CR-01CB-118). For my flower centers, I used Robin's Nest Dew Drops - Dark Vanilla and various buttons from my stash. I used the Broadway font in Word for my journaling.

Well, that wraps up this month's challenge. Be sure to check out Shannon's blog and leave her from scrappy love :). Until next time ... Happy scrapping!!

Fancy Paper Crafters - April Fun

2011-04-02T22:56:00.003-04:00

The swaps and challenges for the month of April have been posted over at Fancy Paper Crafters. You can check out the swaps here: http://fancypapercrafters.ning.com/forum/topics/april-2011-swaps and the challenges here: http://fancypapercrafters.ning.com/forum/topics/april-2011-challenge. We've got lots of fun stuff going on so be sure to check it out today!!

March Sketch Challenge

2011-03-19T00:14:00.004-04:00

Well, it's that time of month again ... time for the monthly sketch challenge issued by The Scrapping Stamper. Shannon White designs her own sketches each month and sends them out to her sketch team to see what we can come up with. Here is the sketch for this month:

This one was so much fun to play with and was super easy to follow. Sometimes I use sketches that are just too busy and have way too much stuff going on that it makes it very difficult to decipher. I end up getting frustrated and tossing out the whole project and starting over. Here's my take on her sketch this month:

Want the details behind this layout? It's pretty simple ... I used Bazzill Chocolate Chip as my base and part of the picture mat. I used Coredination cardstock for the yellow and the orangish part of the picture mat. The title was from an old stack of stickers (my scrappy friends will be shocked that I actually used a sticker but I just thought this one fit so perfectly for this layout!). The bling at the top of the photo is by Bazzill as well and the bling paw print is by The Paper Studio. Last but not least is the patterned paper which is part of new BasicGrey Max & Whiskers collection that I purchased at Scrapnesia. This has quickly become my new favorite line of paper for the billion dog photos I have.

So, that's about all for this time around. Shannon also created a super cute blog badge but I can't figure out how to get it on my blog LOL. I just can't seem to learn blogger very well no matter how many tutorials I read :).

Hope you enjoy my layout! Happy scrapping :)!!

Thinking of You Card

2011-02-21T22:38:00.004-05:00

I'm posting again already :) ... I'm quite proud of myself LOL. This little card was special ordered by a friend of mine. I take a lot of pride in my work and hope that I have earned a new customer. In case you didn't know, I have my own company, Fancy Paper Company in which I create specialized cards, invitations, scrapbooks, etc. This card is also serving another purpose ... Katie Cotton, owner of Paper Makeup Stamps, has set up a new Facebook business page for Paper Makeup Stamps. She's got a little contest going on to feature her stamps. Whichever card receives the most "likes" under the Feb Fan Favorite Contest will receive a $20 gift certificate! I've submitted my card and would very much appreciate you "liking" my card. Please click HERE to vote and "like" my card ... voting will end March 6.

So, the details of my card are pretty simple. I found this general sketch on the Split Coast Stampers website. The brown card base is paper from Papertrey Ink. I love the smooth cardstock that they offer as it is perfect for cards! The olive cardstock is by Core'dinations but I cannot recall which specific color I used as it was from my stash. The orange cardstock was from Bazzill. I used one of the new embossing folders from Tim Holtz/Sizzix that I purchased at AC Moore on the olive cardstock. I used a Martha Stewart border punch on the orange cardstock. I am really loving the border punches lately! The decorative paper was also from my stash but I think it is by October Afternoon. The stamps are from Paper Makeup Stamps. I used the Mudslide color for the ink by ColorBox (the newest archival dye ink). I really love this ink as it stamps a lot like StazOn but doesn't require the specialized cleaner.

Well, that about does it. I hope you like it! Have a crafty day!

Sketch Challenge

2011-02-18T23:59:00.001-05:00

Hey y'all! Wow I am so falling behind on my goal to post more on my blog this year! Here's a little post for the monthly Sketch Challenge being put on by Shannon White over at http://scraplady324.blogspot.com/. She creates her own unique sketches and provides them to a group of her fellow scrappers. This was the sketch for the month of February:

This month, I took the traditional approach to scrapbooking and made a 12 x 12 layout. Since we do not have any human children (yet!), I of course had to scrap my furry baby girl, Freckles. I had lots of fun with this sketch. She loves chasing lasers and these are a few pictures I was able to snap quickly before she ran off after it. Be sure to check out Shannon's blog so you can see all the samples using this fabulous sketch!

Happy scrapping!! :)

Sketch Challenge

2011-01-15T00:59:00.004-05:00

Shannon White over at http://scraplady324.blogspot.com/ is hosting a Sketch Blog Challenge each month. She creates her own unique sketches and provides them to a group of her fellow scrappers. This was the sketch for the month of January:

I decided to do this sketch using digital scrapbooking since I'm just getting into it. I had so much fun!! I can't wait for next month's challenge :). Make sure you check out Shannon's blog HERE.

First Digi Scrap Project

2011-01-01T01:38:00.003-05:00

So, one of my goals for 2011 is to learn how to digitally scrapbook. I don't think that I will go total digi as I've got too much money invested in my current supplies. Also, I like to "touch" and work with actual product and just don't get this doing digital stuff. Anyway, this first layout was done using completely free stuff I found on the internet. I have no idea where it came from as I downloaded it a while ago. This is a super simple layout since it's only my first try. Anyway, just thought this was a fun way to ring in the New Year. Freckles (dog below) and I send you all a big Happy New Year wish!!

Paper Makeup Stamps December Fan Blog Hop

2010-12-07T07:00:00.005-05:00

Hello! Thanks for stopping by my little spot of craftiness. I’m very excited to be a part of the December Fan Club Blog Hop for Paper Makeup Stamps. If you’ve been hopping along today, then you probably got here from Simonne Clay’s blog SemSee’s Sparkly Scribblings. If you haven’t stopped by her place yet, be sure to do so as her creations are amazing!! If you’ve gotten lost along the way, just take a peek at the listing below to get back on track.

Without further ado, here’s my little creation for Paper Makeup Stamps …

This was so much fun to create! The sentiment is of course by Paper Makeup Stamps and is the May the Spirit of Christmas Wordart. I absolutely love this sentiment! This will surely be one of my “go to” stamps this year for my Christmas cards.

Other details of this card … I used the Stampin’ Up Snowfall Printed Window Sheets for the base of my card. For my layers of cardstock, I used Bazzill Dotted Swiss Cardstock. I’ve been turning to this cardstock a lot lately as it has polka-dots which is a current favorite of mine. Spellbinders Labels Seventeen were used to make the layers of the card. The snowflake crystal is by Mark Richards. I used B00 to airbrush over the sentiment to make the “whiteness” of the cardstock tone down a bit and blend better with the card.

Paper Makeup Stamps is offering some stamp goodies to one lucky commenter so be sure to leave a comment below and on the other blogs by December 14!! Thanks so much for poppin’ in!! Your next stop is Stephanie Zito’s blog Dream Create Inspire.

Happy hoppin’!!

Lovely Fall

2010-11-10T23:12:00.005-05:00

I absolutely love this time of year. I really like seeing the color changes in the leaves. So, naturally I was drawn to this canvas class with the gorgeous fall colors. This class was offered by the only remaining scrapbook store in Greenville, SC - Scrapnesia. The fabulous Katie Cotton, owner of Paper Makeup Stamps taught this class. She is an absolute master at airbrushing with the Copic markers and I was really happy to learn how to do this project from her.
Now, of course I can't tell you exactly how we made this as this was a class I had to pay for and that wouldn't be fair to Scrapnesia or Katie. The leaves were cut using the Cricut. She made a stamp out of the Cricut stamping material which allowed the stamped image to match exactly to our diecut leaves. The stamped sentiment is from Paper Makeup Stamps. The flourish bling is Say it in Crystals by Prima. We used the YR family of Copics to make this canvas wall hanging.

It measures approximately 8x8 in size and took about an hour and a half to make. This would make a fabulous gift for someone. In the class sample, Katie had a photo on hers. You can see it on Fancy Paper Crafters. I'm sure it is on her blog as well but I can't locate it right this moment. I would highly recommend you check out her blog as she has some really awesome projects posted.

Technique Series: Embossing Folders

2010-08-14T16:30:00.003-04:00

So, one of my very favorite things right now are the embossing folders by Cuttlebug, Sizzix and QuicKutz. They are wonderful at adding just a bit of pizzaz while keeping it quick and easy. So, I thought it would be neat to play with an embossing folder at one of my card classes I teach at a local scrapbook store, Scrapnesia.

I have tons of these little folders and it was hard choosing the perfect one for this project. I've been using these little fleur de lises on several other projects so I decided to stick with this theme. The original intent with this project was going to be to use paint on the embossed piece of paper and then use my sanding block and alcohol inks to antique the piece of paper. However, I learned a very valuable lesson on my first attempt. Kaisercraft Acrylic Paint and Ranger Alcohol Inks do not play nice together!! My tube of paint was pink and my ink was brown. After I painted and sanded the embossed paper, I went to apply the ink with the ink applicator and wherever the ink touched the paint, it turned gray! Not only did it turn out gray and not brown ... it smelled of rotten eggs!! Eeek!! So, of course, I had to figure out something to do as I'm sure Scrapnesia would not appreciate if I made her store smell like rotten eggs.

So, I decided to obtain an antiqued look a different way. After embossing the paper, I used my chalk ink colors (sorry but I cannot recall the exact name) gray and golden to bring out the embossed patterned. Then, to finish it off, I used the True Friends are Hard to Find wordart sentiment stamp by Paper Makeup Stamps, some very simple ribbon and a little flower hidden behind the bow.

Easy enough right? I hope you've enjoyed this technique. Happy crafting!!

Technique Series: Shaving Cream Fun

2010-07-30T19:05:00.006-04:00

Hey y'all! So, I'm not sure if you guys know this, but I teach a monthly Technique Card Class at a local scrapbook store, Scrapnesia. I've been teaching there for over 2 years and absolutely love it! One of my favorite websites to scraplift techniques is Split Coast Stampers. They have an enormous resource section and offer lots of valuable information.

So, I thought I would share some of the fun techniques I've learned on my blog. Maybe this will help me keep up with this blog more often ;).

As some of you know, I'm not a fan of messy projects LOL ... this is one reason why I don't use things like glitter or paint on hardly anything. I'm trying to break out of this box a bit more. So, this technique features the use of shaving cream to make pretty designs. Here's my card (totally meant to color the image before I posted this but oh well lol):

This was so super easy to do! First, for an easy and disposable work surface for the shaving cream mixture, I went to the meat department at a local Bi-lo and they gave me a stack of unused meat trays. This way, when I'm done, I can just toss it away and not have to worry about staining anything. If you are rinsing your dish in a sink, soak your dish in the water first to dilute the ink. Some inks will stain so be careful.

So, how did I do it? First, find your favorite Dye Ink re-inkers to match the color scheme for your project (I also tried alcohol ink re-inkers and they did not work). Spray some foam shaving cream (not the gel kind) on to the meat tray. Take your re-inkers and place several droplets of the ink on the shaving cream. Using too many colors may make your color come out brown so I would suggest sticking with around 3 colors. Once you've got the ink dropped in to the cream, using a wooden skewer (or other similiar tool), mix the droplets of ink in to the cream. I made vertical lines and then horizontal lines to mix mine (too much mixing will make one solid color so gingerly mix it).

Once you've got it mixed, take your white cardstock (I used Bazzill White) and lay it on top of the cream. Press your cardstock in to the shaving cream to make sure the card front is completely covered. Pull the cardstock out of the shaving cream. Take a paper towel and wipe away the shaving cream in a swirling motion. Once the cardstock dries (won't take long), you're ready to use it!

Easy peezy right? I hope you've enjoyed this mini tutorial. Happy crafting!!

Fun Stuff for July

2010-07-06T22:08:00.002-04:00

One day I'll be able to keep up with a blog ;). I don't know where the time goes! I am so busy running Fancy Paper Crafters which is where a lot of my time is spent. But, I really do enjoy it despite the slow participation. I have recently posted the Swaps and Challenges for July. We have some really awesome swaps going on this month - Handmade Card using sewing, ATC Swap with a "Dog Days of Summer" theme and a Cricut Vinyl Swap.

We also have a very exciting giveaway this month. Melissa, owner of Pretty Little Studio, is giving away a $50.00 gift certificate to her online store. I am very grateful for Melissa's generosity!! To be entered for a chance at winning this giveaway, just participate in a swap or a challenge during the month. It's just that easy!!

Well, I'm off to play in my scrap room. Happy crafting!!

Carpender Baby Shower

2010-06-20T22:21:00.004-04:00

Wow! Long time no post. I seriously need to get better about blogging. It has been a very busy weekend. Some friends of ours are expecting their first baby July 19 and thought I would share a couple of photos. Excuse the graininess of the photos as these were taken with my phone. Not sure if you can see the card she's holding but I made that :). Her colors are brown, pink and white so I used those colors in the card. I forgot to take a picture of it before I sealed the envelope (don't ya hate it when that happens?!).

They were opening gifts and Nick (the daddy to be in this picture) had to "guess" what each gift was before they opened it. If he was wrong, he had to put a grape in his mouth and couldn't chew it up until all the gifts were opened. Surprisingly he only had 2 grapes in his mouth at the end of gift opening!!

Aren't they just adorable?! I swear it looks like she's got a basketball stuck to the front of her. Their shower was held at Paris Mountain State Park. It was very hot but we had a great time. They got some really cute stuff. One of the cutest things was a pink camoflaged onesie. Nick is big into shooting/hunting and his brother (Jason) gave them the gift of the onesie. It was precious!

RAKin' Good Time

2010-05-02T23:25:00.004-04:00

Hello blogland!! It's been forever since I've last blogged .... life has gotten in the way yet again. One of the things that is keeping me the busiest is the ning group I created for crafty folks - Fancy Paper Crafters. I never realized how much time went into being the organizer of a social site until I made the leap and did it myself. Even though it does take up a large amount of my spare time, I absolutely love the fact that I have a place to go to share my craftiness without feeling that I'm not good enough.

So, I made another leap today and decided to create a Facebook Group to go along with the ning group. Just trying to get our name out there to get more people involved. To entice folks to join (either group), I'm offering up this RAK. You will be entered for joining either group (join both and get TWO entries!).

This is a Flocking Powder Collection by Inkadinkado that offers 12 different colors. You can read all about it either on the Fancy Paper Crafters Facebook Group or the Fancy Paper Crafter Ning Group.

Happy crafting!

Stamping Bella Club at Funkie Munkie Scraps

2010-03-17T21:53:00.004-04:00

Oh my!! It's been way too long since I've last blogged. Why is that life always seems to get in the way?!?! I am a member of the Stamping Bella Club offered by Funkie Munkie Scraps. It's an awesome club all about the Stamping Bella line of stamps and embellishments. We meet monthly and have done some really fabulous projects. This month's project was in celebration of Saint Patrick's Day.The little bucket was from My Time Made Easy ... it's actually meant to be a baby buggy (just shows you how truly versatile these templates can be!!). The shamrock is from Paper Dolls Cricut Cartridge. I look forward to see what Katie can come up with for next month's project ... she's a great teacher!!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!! Happy crafting!! :)

Fun with Warm Gray Copics

2010-02-12T21:47:00.006-05:00

Okay, so I learned this technique through the fabulous Copic Munkie Club at Funkie Munkie Scraps. It's working with the Warm Gray color family of Copic Markers. I can't tell ya exactly how I did it (it's a club secret but you can learn too if you join!!) but I can tell you that it is sooooo much easier than you would think! I was really nervous about this at first because some of the markers used are REALLY dark but in looking at the sample provided by Katie in the club class, I kept the "faith" and persisted on.

So I did this card for a sketch challenge for The Greeting Farm blog. I had never made a black and white type card and wanted to give it a try. The sketch required the use of a stamp from The Greeting Farm. This gal is from the Rain, Snow, Shine collection. I used several of the markers in the Warm Gray family to color her. The sentiment is from Stamping Bella as well as the glittered dots (Bella Dots Glitter Coal). All of the cardstock is from Bazzill. I placed a white sheet on the inside of the card so that I could write in it when I wanted to send this to someone. I like how it turned out overall. I'll keep practicing with this technique for sure. At the most recent club meeting, we worked with the Cool Grays so that may be my next project!!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Crafting!

PMS Makeup 4 the Weekend #15

2010-02-09T18:48:00.007-05:00

Paper Makeup Stamps hosts an awesome challenge each week called "Makeup 4 the Weekend". This week's challenge was to use lots of pink and lots of bling. So, with that in mind, here's what I came up with:
I made this card for a coworker of mine that had surgery recently. It was a pretty major surgery that is going to keep her out of the office for 6 weeks so I'm sure she's going to need some cheering up. She is always oohing and aahing over handmade things so I wanted to do something special for her.

I used one of my newest stamps from PMS, The Heart Fairy. This is another stamp created for charity - The American Heart Association. I stamped the fairy on Neenah paper and colored the fairy using Copic Markers (E00, E21, RV21, RV23, RV25, RV29, BG000, BG02, E25, E27, E29, E49 and C1). I also used the clear Spica pen to give the wings and the heart a little bit of shine (can't easily see this in the picture). I inked around the white cardstock to tune it down a little bit and blend better with the pinks. The bling is Swarovski Rhinestones and is actually 2 shades of pink and also clear. I used a Sizzix texture plate to create the embellished dots on the background paper. The paper that I used for this card is from Papertrey Ink. This is one of my very favorite paper lines as it's excellent smooth cardstock. It's very difficult for me to find smooth cardstock that is high quality and is available in the 8 1/2 x 11 size for my card making.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Crafting!! :)

PMS Challenge

2010-02-04T00:03:00.004-05:00

A dear friend of mine, Katie Cotton, owns a fabulous stamp company called Paper Makeup Stamps. She and her team design gorgeous fairies, cute monsters and beautiful word art. PMS just celebrated their first year anniversary and is partying all month long. As part of the celebration, Katie is issuing various challenges during the month. This is for an opportunity to win a $25 gift certificate. How cool is that? All I had to do was use one of my favorite fairy stamps.

This little card was made for one of my best friends as she is going through a bit of a difficult time right now. She's a new mom and could use a little pick me up. This fairy is called A Fairy for Kayleigh. PMS has created several stamps in order to help raise funds for certain families or charities. You can read about about little Kayleigh's story here. It is quite touching and really makes you think about the little ones that struggle to survive.

Anyway, just a little bit of details today about how I created this card. I'm still developing my skills on using the Copic markers which is why some of the blending kind of didn't work out. But, it's all part of being handmade right?! LOL

Paper: Bazzill, My Mind's Eye - Lucky Me - Hello World, Neenah / Pearls: Kaiser Craft - Off White / Misc Flower Ribbon / Copic Markers - E00 & E21, E27 & E29 & E47, RV21 & RV23 & RV25, B000 & B01

Thanks for stopping by. Happy crafting!!

Dad's 60th Birthday

2010-01-17T22:41:00.005-05:00

We went down to Myrtle Beach for the long weekend and to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. It's hard to believe my dad is 60 already!! We don't often get to celebrate my parents' birthdays with them so this was even more special of a time. My mom turns 60 this year as well (in June) so we decided to get them a really nice combination gift as a suprise. So, I made him this special card just before we headed out the door to go to their house. This was a super easy card but still pretty nice if I say so myself :).

I used only scraps on this little card (woo-hoo!). Because of this, I have no idea what brand the patterned paper is. The brown cardstock base is smooth cardstock from Papertrey Ink - she has really nice paper that is perfect for cards!! The rest of the paper is a mix of Core'dination Cardstock and Bazzill Cardstock. The birthday stamp is by Impression Obsession - it's actually a small set of sports stamps with just a few phrases. The ribbon is your basic grosgrain ribbon. The little bling is from AC Moore and comes with 42 pieces in total. I actually found these in the beading department. They are the Hot Fix Crystallized Swarovski Rhinestones and work perfectly with just a dab of glue. I have found that these little guys give off more sparkle than anything else I've found. So, when I'm looking for some realistic looking "bling", I turn to these. Be careful though, they're slippery little boogers!! LOL. To finish it off, I added a dimensional sticker by Soft Spoken (bought at Hobby Lobby). He's a golfer and the gift was golf related to it meshed with the theme. For the inside of the card, I simply printed off a description of the gift in a pretty font. I then cut it down to fit inside the card and taped it right inside.

I'm still working on developing my skills in making "manly" type cards. It's pretty challenging for me as I have LOTS of girly stuff and not much boyish stuff. My Dad really loves getting my handmade cards as he's amazed that one can actually make things like that. They were both really suprised at our gift. He was also very happy to get to eat at Captain D's for lunch - this is his favorite place but Mom hates it so he doesn't get it but once a year - ha ha!!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy crafting!!

Design Team Call

2010-01-10T00:56:00.003-05:00

WANTED:
Talented Designers for Scrapnesia's Design Team. Team Members are provided with materials and supplies along with the opportunity to earn discounts and more. Provide a minimum of THREE scrapbook layouts, TWO cards, and a 3-D item along with recipe of products and techniques used. Include stamping in at least one sample. Include blog or gallery links and tell us why you would be a GREAT asset to our TEAM.

Contest Rules:
1. Submit THREE scrapbook layouts (layouts can be 12x12, 8x8, 8.x5x11, or 6x6). At least one of the layouts needs to be a double-page layout.
2. Submit TWO cards.
3. Submit ONE 3-D item (anything other than a normal card or page ... can be a mini-album, altered tin, clipboard, pop-up card, frame, etc.)
4. Include recipe of products and techniques used for all projects and include your name on the back of each item.
5. At least ONE sample must include stamping.
6. Write a short paragraph telling us about you and why you would make a GREAT asset to our TEAM.
7. All projects are due at Scrapnesia on or before 5:00 pm Saturday, February 13, 2010.
8. Winners will be announced at the Anniversary Celebration February 26-28.

What is expected of Design Team Members?
1. You will be a Design Team Member for a term of 1 year
2. Each Design Team Member will be responsible for:
-- Stopping by the store to pick up product to use to make samples for the store and returning samples to the store in a timely manner.
-- Host a crop at the store every other month which means be the Design Team Member on staff to help customers at the crop with their pages.
-- Post your layouts to the Layout Gallery online and bring to the store to display in the store. Include a recipe of all products used. These items will be displayed in the store until all the products used in the layout are sold out.
-- Check and comment on the Message Board online at least once a week.
-- Help with Make and Takes, Demos or other needs at the store on our Anniversary, on National Scrapbook Day and other special events.
-- Attend Design Team Member meetings.
-- If you cannot fulfill an assigned duty (for example: crop hosting), you need to make arrangements to trade with another design team member.
3. It would also be nice to have Design Team Members to teach classes or demo products at the store it at all possible. Teachers are compensated for their classes.

Design Team Member Benefits:
1. You will receive store products (FREE!) to complete your assigned projects. Basic tools are not provided (adhesive, trimmers, etc.).
2. After all products are sold out and your layout is no longer needed, your creation is yours to keep!
3. Entry into CHA with discounted pricing. Travel and lodging is on your own.
4. Special Design Team Member crops.
5. Discount on all product purchased at Scrapnesia for your personal use.
6. Input on new orders for store product.
7. The fame and recognition of being a Scrapnesia Design Team Member!!

Card Tin

2009-12-27T21:52:00.005-05:00

Howdy blog land! Now that the Christmas festivities are over, I'm back to blogging (hopefully regularly). I taught this as a class at Scrapnesia during December and had lots of fun!! Inside this little tin are 6 basic dividers that are used to separate my cards. One tip on the dividers - make sure they are not bulky at all so that they take up as little space as possible!! This was so super simple to make and is an excellent gift idea!!

So, the details are pretty simple. Paper is from Core'dination (red solid paper) and My Mind's Eye Bloom and Grow Collection (flowered and striped paper). The CARDS word was cut using the Cricut and Ashyln's Alphabet font. This has become one of my favorite fonts!! Then, I also used some bling to accent the word. For the top (which I failed to take a picture of! LOL), I used the reverse side of the flowered paper which was striped (the same paper matting the word). I then added some ribbon around the handle. To hide all my white spaces around the hinge and handle, I added a little bit of Distressed Stickles just to give it some pizazz. I did not finish this off with Modge Podge as I'm not really a fan of what it does to the overall look of my projects.

That's it! It was quite easy and I'm sure I will be doing this again. Happy crafting!!

December Swaps and Challenges

2009-12-03T23:04:00.004-05:00

Whew!! Finally got the December swaps and challenges post at Fancy Paper Crafters. It's quite a challenge coming up with the ideas each month!! Hope you can participate!!

Happy crafting!!

My Little Family

2009-11-23T21:20:00.008-05:00

I'm sitting here trying to think of something to blog about and realized I haven't posted anything recently about my little family. For now, it's just me and my husband Dan. We celebrated our 8th anniversary on November 17, 2009. There is a good possibility that we will try for kids next year but we'll see. This is one of my very favorite photos of Freckles (our youngest Cocker Spaniel at almost 8 years old). She is definitely HIS dog and follows him around everywhere. If I'm home without him, she's wondering around the house looking for him!! We have had her since she was 6 months old and she is definitely a handful. She is a "chewer" and we have to be very careful about leaving stuff around the house that she can get her paws on. She's also addicted to playing with her tennis ball - from playing fetch to chewing all the fuzz off the ball LOL. It's so funny to see how she hides her tennis balls all over the house - just when you think you have them all gathered into her "toy basket", she comes strutting through the room with another one!!

Then, there is my darling Patches. We have had her since she was 8-10 weeks old. She is almost 11 years old. I think Patches is probably more my dog than Dan's but he would probably say differently. She is absolutely the best lap-dog one could ever own. She is a lover, not a fighter. She can be found laying around the house at all hours of the day. She is also very well known for "leaning" against things - whether it be your leg, your pillow or the table leg!! When someone comes to the door, Freckles is generally the one that is barking her head off while Patches is bouncing around wanting to get petted by whomever may be at the door. She has never cared to play with much of anything and would prefer a good rub down rather than having to waste the energy on playing.

Well, that's my little family. We're happy and grateful for everything the Lord has provided to us. I would love to get a third dog but Dan isn't interested. It's probably for the best since we plan on having kids soon. :)

Until next time ....

PMS Challenge - Makeup 4 the Weekend

2009-11-18T23:00:00.005-05:00

So, I had an awesome friend over this past weekend (Tracey) for a little bit of craftiness. We are working on an ETSY shop to try to raise a little bit of dough (check it out - http://www.etsy.com/shop/FancyPaperCompany). I decided to try my hand at one of the challenges issued by Katie Cotton at the Paper Makeup Stamps blog. She's the owner of this ultra-cute stamp line and recently moved her challenges to the weekend. I had the stamped image in my stash (I've ordered the PMS snowmen!!) so I just decided to stick with this image instead of a PMS one since I'm making Christmas cards. Hopefully this won't disqualify me from the challenge?!

Now, for some details. The striped paper is by My Mind's Eye, there's light and dark blue Bazzill, and then (I think) Bo Bunny Snowflake paper. As I said, the image was from my stash of swapped images so I have no idea who it is made by. The little snowflakes are the small Dress It Up! embellishments. I colored the image using Copic Markers and a little bit of Spica Glitter Pen on the "cupcake" base. The little rhinestones on the Snowman's front are by Kaisercraft. I love their bling!!

Anyway, that's it for today I think. I've got some other cards to post but I'm worn out after this day!!

Happy crafting!!

RAK Chance

2009-11-14T22:52:00.003-05:00

Check out this RAK opportunity on Paper Secrets. Looks like some nice stuff!!

Southern Bella Club Meeting at Funkie Munkie Scraps

2009-09-23T22:30:00.009-04:00

I have the pleasure of being a member of the Southern Bella Club at Funkie Munkie Scraps. This club has taught me soooo much so far and it has been quite rewarding. This month's project had 2 cute little milk cartons that fit nicely into the little holder. Now, I can't give away all of the details as that would be unfair to Funkie Munkie Scraps as this is club is not free.

BUT, I can tell you that the wonderful template that was chosen was from Lauren Meador, owner of Papertrey Ink. On her site, you can purchase (very reasonably priced!!) many many cute templates to make adoarable things like this.

The little girl stamp is by Stamping Bella. I love this stamp line. In our previous club meetings, we have only used the Bella images (fancy ladies lol). Well, this time around, we used another style by Stamping Bella which I just LOVED!! It was really nice to see what else this stamp line had to offer. We used the nestabilities oval sets to cut out the ovals for the stamps and words.

I can't wait for next month's club meeting already!! :)

Happy Crafting!!

Gift Card Holder

2009-09-22T22:33:00.007-04:00

Okay, so with this project, I officially went outside of my comfort zone (which by chance is one of my scrappy goals for 2009). I have only altered a handful of items and have just never really felt comfortable in doing so. Then, Evelyn (owner of Scrapnesia), asked if I wanted to teach a class on altering this cute little gift card holder by Creative Imaginations.

So, I said sure, why not? Well, once I got it home, I realized I had absolutely zero time to work on it due to family issues and wasn't really all that excited about stepping "out of my box". So, as the date approached closer and closer to my class, I knew I had to get it together and get creative.

So, without further ado, here's what I came up with for the front:

and here's what I came up with for the inside:

I think it turned out pretty good for someone who's rarely altered anything. The supplies are really very simple: Bazzil Cardstock (Bitter Sweet Chocolate) for the spine, Core'dination ColorCore Paper (Poinsettia and Tank) for the leaves, My Minds Eye - Bella Bella - French Free Market for the outside and My Minds Eye - Penny Lane - Tiny Dancer Jazz Swirling Around Paper for the inside. I then inked all around the edges with Chesnut Roan Chalk Ink. I think I may have liked it better using something brighter than brown but once you start inking in brown, you can't really change :). I then added Robin's Nest Dew Drops and buttons to finish everything off.

What do ya think? Happy crafting!!

September Fun on Fancy Paper Crafters Ning Group

2009-09-01T23:59:00.003-04:00

Hello!! I have just posted the September Challenges and Swaps on the Fancy Paper Crafters Ning Group. Hope you can check it out and participate!! Winners of our challenges receive a prize!

TGF Farmerz Challenge

2009-08-28T16:12:00.007-04:00

I had so much fun participating in the Shrinky Dink challenge issued by the TGF Farmerz Club by Funkie Munkie Scraps. I won by default because no one else entered and can't wait to see what the challenge will be for the next month!!

So, how did I make this cute little card? It's actually relatively simple! I had to play around with the Shrinky Dinks to find the right combination for my coloring and my oven. I used Jet Black Staz On ink and my Prismacolor Watercolor pencils. I do not have regular colored pencils but those may work as well. I used the Home Sweet Home stamp set by The Greeting Farm purchased at the Funkie Munkie. I used Coredination paper for the green cardstock and standard Bazzill cardstock for the orange and lighter green which I purchased at Scrapnesia. I used a standard 8 1/2 x 11 piece of heavy weight white cardstock for the card base (cut in half). I zig-zag stiched around the outerpart of the card using my sewing machine. I wish they made a good quality portable sewing machine that i could take with me to crops!! I bought one of the little ones that you can find in the regular craft stores but hated it as I could not sew straight with the little feet that move the paper along.

Now, as far as shrinking the plastic, you'll have to check out the directions I added to my online group here. :)

Happy Crafting!

Wedding Season

2009-08-20T23:28:00.006-04:00

Wow!! There sure are a lot of people getting married this time of year! My coworker asked me to make her another card and of course, since it's a paying "gig" LOL, I said sure! I was also really excited about getting back into crafting as I've been down and out for a couple of weeks now. So, this little card took just a bit of time to do as I was using some brand new stamps but I LOVE the way it turned out.

The solid paper is by Bazzill and the decorative paper (I think) is by Basic Grey. I was trying to be good and use my scraps instead of cutting up new sheets of paper. Unfortunately, by doing this, I can't guarantee I get the brand name correct. So, my apologies in advance :).

Now, for the ink, I used Cat's Eye Pigment Ink (Burnt Sienna maybe LOL) by Clearsnap. The bride/groom stamp is by Stamptivity out of the UK. Their stamps are wonderful and really great in quality! The circle sentiment is by Just Rite Stamps. The set is the Wedding Stamp Ensemble. Then, for the final little touch, I added just a few baubles which are from the Wedding Cake Bauble Set by Stamping Bella. Robin's Nest makes little dew drops that are very similar so those would work wonderfully as well.

Happy Crafting!!

August Fun!!

2009-08-05T00:47:00.003-04:00

Check out the exciting new swaps and challenges that have been posted on Fancy Paper Crafters for the month of August. You will not want to miss out on all the fun!!

Eazy Peazy Card

2009-07-30T22:10:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine had a couple that had recently gotten married and she asked that I make a card for her. She needed it rather quickly and I knew I needed to get started to right away. I am known for taking FOREVER to make one card so this was definitely a challenge. With the theme being "Just Married", I knew right away that I wanted to use black, white and silver color combos.

So here are the details for this super easy card:
Paper: Bazzill White and Black Coordination
3-D Sticker: Jolees
Ribbon: Sheer Black
Embossing: A2 Embossing folder by Cuttlebug

Very simply, I cut a 2 inch piece of the Bazzill White cardstock and appx 3 inch piece of Black Coordination. I ran both pieces through my original Sizzix machine to emboss the dots onto the cardstock. I then took my sanding block and ran it over the black coordination paper to bring out the core of the paper. I love this effect and have used it on several cards. Then I cut a piece of ribbon and attached it and added the 3-D sticker at the bottom. For the inside, I placed a 5 1/4 x 4 inch piece of black bazzill cardstock and a 5 x 3 3/4 inch piece of smooth white cardstock. This added a little more pizazz than just leaving it plain.

Super easy right? Hope you enjoyed! Until next time ... happy crafting!

June SouthernBella Club

2009-07-28T23:04:00.008-04:00

Howdy! Finally uploaded some of my pictures off of the camera and thought I would post the cute little project we did in the SouthernBella Club offered by Funkie Munkie Scraps. I had so much fun doing this and am convinced now that I *must* have a Zutter Bind-It-All for future projects :). It's a cute little flip book that can actually stand up on it's own!

Blog Candy Alert!!

2009-07-26T20:12:00.003-04:00

Don't miss out on this awesome chance to win some super cute stamps!! Check out the Starving Artist Stamps blog HERE for your chance.

Scrapnesia Rx Club Kit - August

2009-07-19T01:19:00.006-04:00

I am so excited about the August Club kit! If you're not familiar with what this is, hop on over to Fancy Paper Crafters and find out all about it. Cindy and Michelle (Scrapnesia design team members) did a fabulous job at putting this kit together! The August kit contains beautiful papers from 3Bugs in a Rug (Simple Pleasures), 2 bottles of Making Memories Paint (Chocolate and Charteuse), BoBunny Naked Chipboard (already backed with adhesive!!), Karen Foster "Family" rub-on, Poinsettia Dew Drops, large clear dew drops, coordinating cardstock, ribbon, fiber and soooo much more!! Call Scrapnesia today at 288-7771 or visit their website today to reserve your kit. You won't want to miss out on this kit that has a retail value of over $40!!!

Explosion Box Frenzy

2009-06-22T23:33:00.009-04:00

Wowsers! It's been an awful long time since I posted something. Life has been super hectic the last month or so ... does it ever slow down?!?

Anywho, I have been hearing a lot lately about these things called Explosion Boxes and decided to try my hand at one (thank you Kelly for creating this challenge!!). I made this as an entry to the TGF Farmerz challenge for June. If you haven't checked out this fabulous blog, do it now right here! :) I made the bow on top as well (scraplifted it from Split Coast Stampers - they have an awesome resource section!!). I know the solid cardstock is by Bazzill and I *think* the patterned paper is by SEI but not 100% sure. On the inside, I used an Anya stamp by The Greeting Farm. These stamps are so adorable!! I also used lots of little bitty Prima flowers. I added some mats for some photos that I may want to add later (or possibly journal boxes) and also used some awesome new Lollipop flowers by Prima. I'm not usually a fan of paper flowers but these things feel like fabric and are really fun to work with!! For additional embellishments, I added some of the little butterflys that are available by Robin's Nest. These are the perfect little "bling" just when you need it. Hope you have a wonderful day!! Thanks for stopping by :)

Fancy Paper Crafters

2009-06-09T22:54:00.004-04:00

We have sooooo much fun going on at Fancy Paper Crafters. Be sure to check us out as you don't want to miss out!! Visit Fancy Paper Crafters today :)

So Ya Wanna Swap??

2009-05-05T23:02:00.003-04:00

Check out Fancy Paper Crafters! We've got some FABULOUS swaps posted and would love to have you join in on the fun :). Happy crafting!

New Blogs by Funkie Munkie

2009-04-20T23:03:00.007-04:00

Check out these super cool blogs from Funkie Munkie: Copic Munkie and TGF Farmerz and StampingBella.

I can't wait to see what fun stuff is to come!!

Swaps, Swaps and more Swaps

2009-04-08T21:33:00.003-04:00

If you LOVE to swap and want MORE, check us out over at Fancy Paper Crafters!! We have several different swaps open for about another week and would love to have your participation!! Happy crafting!!

Digi Image

2009-04-08T21:28:00.002-04:00

Check out the FREE digi image offered by Dustin Pike on his blog http://dustinpike.blogspot.com/2009/04/anyone-seen-monkey.html. Super cute!!

The Online Experience

2009-03-31T23:50:00.003-04:00

I am having so much fun with my new online group Fancy Paper Crafters. We are up to 62 members and I am so thankful for all the support from my friends and family in creating this new group. I couldn't do it without them. I was in a different online group for quite some time and have recently had some poor experiences which led me to branch out and create a new group. It's really really difficult to know that you put your heart (and TONS of time) into something, only to have other folks criticize my actions and point fingers (and not to mention the gossip - holy cow - I thought we were adults?!). I just want to scrapbook and be able to talk to other people about papercrafting. Is that asking too much??

Whew, I feel better and thanks for listening :) ... hope to see you around the group! After tax season, I've got some big goals for the rest of the year and can't wait to start working on them!

Happy Crafting :)

Snow!!

2009-03-01T23:21:00.004-05:00

We had so much fun playing in the snow today!! We ran to Target and while we were in there, it started snowing. We came out to our car being completely covered and were very excited as it's been a while since we've seen snow. Although it's hard to see, this is Dan playing in the snow with our dogs, Freckles and Patches. The other picture was taken from the front porch of our house. It stopped snowing for a little while but has recently restarted. I'm hoping my work will be closed tomorrow as I do NOT want to drive in this mess! If you have to go out, please be safe! Maybe we'll get to build a snowman tomorrow before it all melts away! I'm sure my dogs would have fun barking at it!

Little Bit of Blog Candy

2009-02-17T22:31:00.003-05:00

Be entered to win a bit of blog candy by spreading the word about a new group I created called Fancy Paper Crafters. Click HERE (or on the picture above), sign up for the group and your name will be entered into a drawing for some SUPER FUN blog candy! Check out the Forum section of the group for even more chances to WIN! Drawing will take place on Sunday, February 22.

Happy Crafting!

The Online Experience

2009-02-16T13:04:00.004-05:00

Hello! Happy President's Day! I for one, love this day ... I'm off work! Woo-hoo! So, I thought what better way to spend the day than to start my own online social network for paper crafters.

I've been a member of several different groups for a few years now and have finally ventured out on my own. If you're looking for a fun group to join, please go to Fancy Paper Crafters. Once we accumulate some members, we will have challenges, swaps, RAKs and more!

Thanks for checking out my new group! Happy Crafting!

Upcoming Craftiness

2009-02-14T21:02:00.004-05:00

Hey y'all! I've talked to a couple of folks and they've asked where I'm gonna be for any upcoming crafty events. So, in response to that, here's my schedule thus far:

Sunday - February 15 - 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Participating in Stamp Camp @ Funkie Munkie
Monday - February 16 - 7:00 pm - Teaching Scrapbook 101 Class @ Scrapnesia
Wednesday - February 18 - 7:00 pm - Teaching Card Class @ Scrapnesia
Saturday - February 21 - 10:00 am - 12:00 am - All Day Crop @ Scrapbook Creations
Friday - February 27 - 6:00 pm - 2:00 am - Scrapnesia Anniversary Celebration Crop (they're 1 year old and actually have a crop all day but I won't make it until after work!!)
Saturday - February 28 - 11:00 am - 11:00 pm - Scrapnesia - come join in on the fun all day crop and lots of Make N Takes in celebration of their anniversary!!
Friday - March 6 - 6:00 pm - 1:00 am - Crop @ Scrapnesia

More to come I'm sure. Hope you can join in on the fun! Happy Crafting!

Scrapnesia - Design Team Call

2009-02-07T23:13:00.003-05:00

Hello! I've been on the Design Team for a wonderful LSS (Scrapnesia) for almost a year now. It's hard to believe that a year has already passed since Evelyn opened the store. I have had so much fun being on this talented team and look forward to participating in the future. Our team has lost several members for various reasons and Scrapnesia is looking for additional talented designers!! Below is the information for the Design Team Contest:

Wanted:
Talented Designers. Crew Members are provided with materials and supplies along with the opportunity to earn rewards and more. Provide a minimum of THREE Scrapbook layouts, TWO cards, and a 3-D item along with recipe of products and techniques used. Include stamping in at least one sample. Include blog or gallery links & tell us why you would be a GREAT asset to our CREW.

Contest Rules:
- Submit THREE Scrapbook layouts (layouts can be 12"x12", 8"x8", 8.5"x11" or 6"x6". At least one of the layouts needs to be a double-page layout.
- Submit TWO cards.
- Submit ONE 3-D item.
- Include recipe of products and techniques used for all projects and include your name on the back of each item.
- At least ONE sample must include stamping.
- Write a short paragraph telling us about you and why you would make a GREAT asset to our crew.
- All projects are due at Scrapnesia on or before 5:00 pm Saturday, February 28, 2009.
- Winners will be announced on March 20th, 2009.

What is expected of Design Team Members:
- You will be a Design Team Member for a term of one year.
- Each Design Team Member will be responsible for:
- Stopping by the store to pickup product to use to make samples for the store and returning samples to the store in a timely manner.
- Host a crop at the store every other month. (Be the Design Team Member on staff to help customers at the crop with their pages).
- Post your layouts to the Layout Gallery online and bring to the store for display in the store. (Include recipe of all products used). These items will be displayed in the store until all products used in the layout are sold out.
- Check and comment on the Message Board online at least once a week.
- Help with make & takes at the store at our Anniversary, National Scrapbook Day and other special events.
- Be available to help Husbands for "Husband Shopping Day" in December.
- Attend Design Team Member meetings.
- If you can not fulfill an assigned duty (ex. Hosting your scheduled crop), you need to make arrangements to trade with another design team member
- It would also be nice to have Design Team members teach classes, or demo products at the store if at all possible.

Design Team Member Benefits:
- You will receive store products (papers, stickers, embellishments and more) to complete your projects. (Adhesive, trimmers and other basic tools are not supplied)
- After all products used are sold out and your layout is no longer needed at the store, it is yours to keep.
- Entry into CHA (Craft & Hobby Association Trade Show) where you will have the opportunity to receive many free gifts from vendors. Travel, hotel and meals are on your own.(CHA Summer is held in July and CHA Winter is held in January or February. )
- CHA Discounted Membership prices to special educational events at CHA.
- Special Design Team Member & Guest Crop twice a year.
- Discount on all products purchased at Scrapnesia for personal use.
- Input on orders for new products.
- The fame and recognition of being a Scrapnesia Design Team Member!
- The fun we have together!

Paper Makeup Stamps

2009-02-04T21:23:00.004-05:00

A very talented friend of mine ... Katie Cotton ... has started her own stamp company called Paper Makup Stamps. She is a very talented gal and her stamps are oh so cute!! Do a little clickin' and check out her site here or click on the banner!

Valentine's Day Giveaway!

2009-01-20T20:55:00.005-05:00

Visit the SoCalScrap Blog for this super fun Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Randomness for the day...

2009-01-19T20:48:00.007-05:00

I was off work today (thanks to MLK Day!) and decided to post some of my recent projects. This little card was made using acetate and some carefully placed bazzill cardstock. The stamp is from Stamping Bella - Wreathabella. I've really gotten into the acetate cards lately but failed to take pictures of the others before I gave them out! This particular card was made for a Christmas Card Swap on Split Coast Stampers. This group is so much fun and has really offered a lot of wonderful ideas. It was a bit of a challenge to get used to maneuvering around the site but now that I know what I'm doing, it's a breeze! If you're looking for an inspiring group, I highly recommend it. Anywho, the stamp was colored in using Copic Sketch markers. I'm still getting used to using these and it's been quite a challenge. I've been trying to get some "directions" from Katie Cotton's blog. She does some absolutely fabulous things using copics!

This little card was one of the Christmas Cards I sent out this year. I had so much fun with this and loved using my new stamp from Stampabilities - Decorated Dog House. Sorry for the poor image quality but I took this picture using my cell phone. My Christmas cards were late this year so I had to get it in the mail the same day LOL.

I'll post some more stuff later. I don't have pictures of the projects I did this weekend while I was at Scrapbook Creations but I will soon.

I have a ton of swaps going on right now between Split Coast Stampers and Fiskateers and have plenty of work to do! I am also an assistant organizer on Greenville Scrappers and Stampers but we have been having a lot of trouble keeping the group active. There are a lot of things going on with that group that I have some issues with and am trying to promote a new group I started on Yahoo! Groups called Carolina Scrappers. I am hoping to get this group up and running very soon and would love to have tons of members!

Until next time .... happy crafting!

Count Down

2008-12-31T20:13:00.003-05:00

With just a little under 4 hours left in 2008, thought I'd take just a little bit of time to post the final blog of the year. I haven't had the time to devote to daily blogging and won't even begin to promise that in 2009. I'm hopeful for what 2009 has to offer and look forward to the possibilities. These are some of my New Years resolutions:

- Develop a healthy lifestyle (will not say the same old "lose weight" or "follow a diet")
- Decrease my "hobby" spending. With potential baby plans (depending on how the first resolution goes), we will need to have fundage for daycare.
- Turn over the proverbial "new leaf" at work - better attitude, new organization, delegate and lose the "do it myself" attitude.

I'm sure there will be more to come as I think about it. Not sure how I'm going to accomplish the above but I'm sure I'll figure it out somehow.

Hope you all have a very Happy New Year!!

ABCs - All About Me

2008-12-21T20:07:00.003-05:00

Totally stole this from another blog (he also stole from another blog LOL). Thought this was neat and wanted to do it too.

A: Attached or Single ... Attached
B: Best Friend ... Amy Witherspoon / Tracey Haynes / Jodi Bryson / Carol Gilbert (one never really only has ONE best friend but these are the few that I know would love me no matter what!)
C: Cake or Pie ... Cake!
D. Day of Choice ... Saturday
E. Essential Item ... For everyday life, Chapstick (Blistex is the best for me!)
F: Favorite Color ... Single color - Blue / Color combos - Brown/Pink, Brown/Teal
G: Gummy bears or worms ... Worms - more bang for the buck :)
H: Home town ... Simpsonville, S.C.
I: Favorite Indulgence ... Scrapbooking Supplies
J: Jan. or July ... Jan - I HATE SUMMER!
K: Kids ... One day!
L: Lemon in your tea ... Nope
M: Marriage Date ... 11/17/01
N: Number or siblings ... 1
O: Oranges or Apples ... Oranges - love clementines!
P: Phobias ... BIG TIME - Spiders! (as well as ALL OTHER crawly things)
Q: Quotes ... not a fan of quotes :)
R: Reasons to smile ... My husband, my dogs, my friends and my hobbies :)
S: Season of choice ... Winter!!
T: Think of 5 people who may do this ... Tracey, Amy, Jodi, Carol, ??
U: Unusual Fact ... Seriously addicted to scrapbooking.
V: Vegetable ... Squash, zuccini, mushrooms.
W: Worst Habit ... Buying things even though I know I shouldn't ... hopefully I can STOP this next year!
X: Excited about ... Family coming into town next week!
Y: Your Favorite Food ... Hubby's chicken tacos.
Z: Zoo or ZZZZZ's ... ZZZZZ's for sure - I LOVE my sleep!

Recent Craftiness

2008-12-03T22:15:00.008-05:00

Howdy! I know it's been a long time since I've posted but at least I'm back for today. Work is keeping me super busy as I'm short staffed. Anyhoo, I thought it would be nice to post some of my recent crafty projects. I'm a member of the Greenville Scrappers and Stampers Sisterhood and have recently started an "Inchie" swap. We've had a lot of trouble getting folks to participate in anything which is very unfortunate since there are some wonderfully talented people in this group of almost 90 folks. Here are some inchie examples that I created. These are very basic but at least gave the group some ideas. I can't wait to see what everyone else creates!

The other thing that I've completed lately is a cardholder for my mother in law. We celebrated a special occasion in her life recently and this was my little gift to her. I scrap-lifted this idea from Split Coast Stampers and made my own version. It was quite a little challenge but my MIL loved it. It ended up holding 5 handmade cards with envelopes. The biggest challenge was getting the thick felt to move through my sewing machine. I started out stitching it by hand and realized very quickly that THAT was not going to happen! I don't have the patience needed for that LOL. When I gave it to her, she was amazed that it was all handmade. She even said that she would NEVER give away the cards that were inside because she wanted to be able to look at them whenever she wanted. She's so crazy (but very sweet to say such nice things).

Well, I'm off to work on some more crafty stuff. My latest project is from Scrapnesia for the Design Team. They have this wonderful thing called the Scrapnesia Rx Club Kit. It's a subscription to a monthly scrapbooking kit (it's cheaper when you buy longer terms but you can purchase month to month if you like). The kit generally contains: stamps, all sorts of paper, coordinating stickers, embellishments etc and ALWAYS has a retail price of over $40 but you pay much less than that when you subscribe. The kit for November is by October Afternoon and uses a bunch of warm fall colors. The theme is Home Sweet Home and I'm super excited to get started making things. Stop by the store sometime and tell Evelyn (the owner) that I sent ya :)

Happy Crafting!

Journey Ahead

2008-11-11T23:53:00.004-05:00

Whew! What a crazy whirlwind the last week has been. My first stresser was finding out that one of my fav scrapbook stores (Scrapnesia) is in danger of shutting their doors. This economy is killing them and one of their partners has decided to sell her half of the store. They are having trouble finding a buyer with the way things are in the world.

My second stresser has been work - I've had one of the gals that works for me turn in her notice (her last day is 11/21) and I've had some difficulty with some of my other staff that I'm not sure how it's going to iron out just yet. I am looking to hire an Accounting Assistant and get the pleasure of sorting through the ton of resumes I've started to receive. The worst part is, I'm going out of town on business tomorrow and won't be back until Friday evening so I won't get to start the resume sorting until Monday and then interviewing starting soon thereafter. Argh!!

My third stresser is losing weight. Those of you that know me, know that this has always been a big struggle for me. I went to the OB/GYN today for my annual and my doctor literally said "What the hell?! Where are the babies?!" Then proceeded to tell me to get off my ass - gotta love it! We talked last time about me getting pregnant in the upcoming year but only if I hit a certain weight range. Well, I was headed in the right direction but hit a variety of road blocks. Hey, at least I'm down a half-pound from this time last year ;). So, thus my new journey begins. My goal is to be able to stop the BC pills no later than April 12, 2009. Hopefully this means we will be pregnant by July (doc says it'll probably take 3 months coming off the pill) and then we'd have a baby by the following April 2010. I have a REALLY GREAT support system within my friends and am going to have to work on my hubby. It's not that he's not supportive, but rather it's tough getting him to put forth the effort to cook healthy as he cooks pretty much all the time. I am definitely going to have to step up and start to help cook around here - if you have any good, healthy recipes to share, please bring'em on! We're both picky eaters (he is way worse than I am) but I'm willing to try just about any food .... for example, I've never actually eaten bell peppers but heard they're great to snack on.

Alas, it's time for me to go to bed. I am working on some really cute crafty stuff thanks to a swap on Split Coast Stampers. It's the 3x3 card swap with matching holder. I'll be working more on it this coming weekend and will post pictures then. Good night!

Camping

2008-11-03T23:09:00.009-05:00

For those of you that know me, know that I would NEVER actually choose to go camping on purpose. However, I know my husband really enjoys it and thought I would step out of my comfort zone and make an attempt to learn about one of his passions. So, on the morning of November 1, I set out for my first camping trip (1 night only!). We went with some of our friends, Nick and Kristin. The deal is that I would go if Kristin went and we've been trying to find the perfect weekend for a year now (hmmm, intentional ya think? LOL). We were supposed to be up in Charlotte (going to Lake Wylie at the State Park) at 12:30 but had to go to the grocery store and buy food and get the truck packed up. Nick and Kristin were getting firewood ready and were also running behind. We ended up getting at the campsite at around 5:30 (this meant that I would actually only be "in nature" for roughly 18 hours LOL). After unloading everything at our two campsites, the first order of business was setting up the tent. Nick got his tent up quite quickly and came over to our campsite to get the firewood chopped up. Things are going pretty well so far and I was actually kind of excited about it. I hadn't run across loads of creepy crawly spiders just yet. Well, we got the tent set up and the fire was blazing and Kristin and I set out to find the bath houses. They turned out to be very clean surprisingly and each little room contained it's own toilet, sink and shower. Both of us were thankful for that! When we got back to the campsite, we set our chairs up around the campfire as it was getting chilly. The temp wasn't supposed to get below 45 but we all brought heavy duty sleeping bags and a blanket. I was pretty comfy around the fire so far. Dan and Nick made steaks on the grill and some type of sliced up potatos in the dutch oven. They were super yummy! Next up, why s'mores of course!! I have never had them before and they were awesome!! Almost makes me want to buy a fire pit for my backyard just to make them again LOL. I was really starting to get cold and couldn't get warm. At around midnight, we all decided to call it a night and go to sleep.

So, my hubby and I decided that the best way for us to sleep is to unzip both sleeping bags and lay one on top of the air mattress (yes, I had an air mattress!) and then cover up with the other sleeping bag with a blanket on top. We brought our own pillows but failed to think about bringing something for the doggies to sleep on. So, we're laying there, I'm freezing my ass off at this point - my teeth were jattering and my insides were litterally shivering. However, my hubby said he was just fine and didn't understand why I was so cold (usually I'm hot and he's cold!). Our poor dogs were shivering too so we decided to put them under the blankets with us. After laying there for two hours or so, we both decided that was not working out and kicked them off the bed. We gave them our blanket to sleep on so they wouldn't have to sleep on the hard ground. So, we thought surely we'd be able to get some sleep now! Um, no ... so, after a few more hours of restlessness, we decided to get up and walk to the bathroom as we both had to go. The sun wasn't even up yet! When we returned, Dan got the fire going again because I was so cold. At this point, I'm thinking about all the sicknesses I'm going to get after being so freakin' cold for so long and wondering when this is all going to end. I knew Nick and Kristin wouldn't be up for several more hours so I decided to take time to read my book, Twilight, by the fire. One good thing came of this trip, I was at least able to finished my book!

So, once Nick and Kristin woke up, we took turns going to the bath house and monitoring the fire. After we finished, I started packing stuff up. Kristin enjoyed the fire (one of their chairs broke and we were testing it's "flamability" LOL)! Dan started making breakfast - bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches! The doggies were very hopeful that he would drop a morsel for them LOL! They really seemed to enjoy being in nature and had a good time.

After breakfast, it was time to pack up - yeah!!!! I was really looking forward to getting home. We had a bit of a drive back to the house and got on the road quickly. Once home, I realized I had numerous loads of laundry to do and couldn't collapse just yet. After about my 5th load, and my hubby's nice long nap (lucky him!), we grabbed dinner and called it a night. I went to bed super early (around 8:30) and fell asleep rather quickly. We talked about what could make this experience better and decided that we needed to get seperate mattresses, use our own sleeping bags and go when it's a little bit warmer. I'm still undecided as to whether or not there will really be a next time. Maybe Kristin's schedule and my schedule won't be able to coincide for a while ;)...

Halloween

2008-11-03T22:16:00.010-05:00

We had so much fun Halloween night handing out candy goodie bags to the neighborhood kids, trick or treating and hanging out with friends and family. Dan's parents, his brother (Dave) and his girlfriend (Amanda) and then the Haynes family were all able to come over this year for Halloween night. Tracy, Tracey, Mallory, Julia and me went trick or treating after dinner. Mallory looked so cute in her costume as Sharpay from the High School Musical (can't you tell she LOVES to have her picture taken?). Julia was adorable (as always) in her Alice in Wonderland costume and loves her daddy oh so much! I was so happy that they both got to come over and trick or treat - it was a close call for Mallory since she is so sick. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as they work to get her out of the hospital from being dehydrated so bad. She is such a wonderful little girl and has quite a bit of stress going on in her life right now. One day, if all things go well, she will have all things that she deserves.

Anyhoo, after about 45 minutes of trick or treating, the neighbors were calling it a night and the girls were cold. When we got back to the house, they both were pooped and fell asleep rather quickly. This gave me and Tracey a bit of time to gab as gals and kind of get caught up on each others lives LOL. Tracey has learned how to knit and I'm jealous! She is making some of the most beautful scarves, the most recent being one for Ms. Mallory. I can't wait to learn how to do this and look forward to seeing what other cute stuff she creates!

Pitiful Puppy

2008-10-29T22:49:00.006-04:00

For those of you that are dog owners, you'll appreciate this little story of mine. Before we went on vacation, our young Freckles was having to wear a doggie diaper. Well, it rubbed a little bitty spot on her hip a bit raw. We didn't think much of it as she would only be in the diaper a short time. Well, when she was finished with the torture of having to wear the diaper, we noticed that she started biting at the spot on her hip. Since it was the weekend, our vet wasn't open so I called them on Monday to schedule an appointment. The vet examined her and confirmed that it was a "hot spot" and gave her a shot of steroids and put her on a 10-day antibiotic. Well, because of the fact that she wouldn't leave the spot alone, the vet had to put a little cone on her head. Needless to say, she is not a happy camper as you can tell from these pictures. Am I terrible "Mommy" laughing at my poor puppy girl as she bonks her face on the back of the couch cushion when she jumps up on the couch? I think she's getting me back for laughing when she walks past my legs and catches the thin plastic edge of the cone on my shins - OUCH! The vet says she has to wear it until the spot is well enough so she'll leave it alone. We tried to let her have a little freedom tonight but caught her biting herself and had to put it back on. Our other dog, Patches, is always getting picked on as she's a lover, not a fighter. I think she's silently laughing at Freckles LOL.

Anyhoo, other than that, things are pretty quite on the homefront. We are ready for the hoards of Trick-Or-Treaters that come to our neighborhood Halloween night. I got our 80 goodie bags ready to go and Dan is working on carving the little pumpkins we bought. I don't think we'll be buying those in the future as they've really been a lot of trouble - Dan says it's like carving a rock! We're going to a scary movie halloween party tomorrow night at one of his co-worker's house. That is always a fun little event!

I'm off to read my book, Twilight. I can't wait for the movie to come out but I gotta hurry up and finish the book :)!

Pumpkin Carving Fun!

2008-10-28T17:37:00.005-04:00

We all had so much fun carving our pumpkins for Halloween! Here's a picture of our handywork (it's a little blurry has my hubby was experimenting with the night feature of our camera but it's the best I got - ha ha). From left to right, Scarey Face - Brett's, Winking - Amy's, Headless Horseman - Angie's, Witch - Tracy, Bat on Pumpkin - Tracey's, Angry Face - Dan's. It was so nice to get to hang out with friends that we don't get to see on a regular basis.

Getting Ready for Pumpkin Carving Party

2008-10-25T00:12:00.003-04:00

So, I got out of my business meeting in Columbia today at 2:00 - a whole 2 hours early!! I was psyched as I really wanted to get back home. I've got so much stuff to do to get ready for tomorrow evening. We're having friends over to carve pumpkins ... I'm so excited!! So, when I got home, I cleaned the entire upstairs with the exception of the scrap room ... I even dusted which I HATE to do! So, I just finished the upstairs and start to head downstairs when Dan comes home.

We went and got our pumpkins for tomorrow night and then went to Copper River Grill for dinner. However, they had a 60 minute wait and there was no way I waiting that long for that restaurant! So, we ended up going to the Peddler and waited for about 5 minutes - woo hoo!

Anyway, once we got home, we both started working on getting the downstairs cleaned up. We're almost through but are taking a break to watch some stuff on Tivo so I decided to blog. One of the funniest shows on TV has got to be The Office! Anyhoo, I'll post some of the pictures from tomorrow night's events later on this weekend. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the rain already and it's only been a day! Until next time ...

First Post!

2008-10-22T21:18:00.001-04:00

Hello! I finally jumped on the blogging band wagon. I'll do my very best at blogging frequently but I'm not making any promises ;).

I stay very busy working as the Chief Financial Officer for Greenville Heritage Federal Credit Union (GHFCU). In case you don't know what the difference between a Credit Union and a "BANK" (that's a four-letter word in my industry LOL) is, then where have you been?? ha ha ... In all seriousness, the three most important differences between the two are: 1) Credit Unions are member-owned meaning that you actually own a piece of the organization when you join - why does this matter? because you're likely to be seen as a person rather than as a "cost center"! 2) Credit Unions are not-for-profit - why is this important? allowing for better interest rates (both on the deposit AND loan areas), credit unions typically have fewer and smaller fees, and any profits that are made are distributed to the members in the form of dividends; banks in turn, charge outrageous fees/interest in order to boost profits and pay those stunning executive salaries! and 3) banks HATE credit unions and have been out to get us since 1934 when credit unions were first established. Anyhoo, my responsibilities at the Credit Union vary from Human Resources to IT so it always keeps me on my toes!

Okay, enough about work, let me tell you about the rest of my life. I'm married (his name is Dan) and we have two sweet female cocker spaniels. Patches is 9 years old and Freckles is just about 7 years old. As of this post, we've been married for almost 7 years (anniversary is 11/17). Since we currently don't have children, the doggies are the light of our lives and we can't imagine life without them. As far as kids go, we're looking at sometime in 2009 but we aren't set on that just yet.

Dan currently works for Resurgent Capital as a Senior Systems Integration Analyst. Sounds fancy right? Yeah, I have no idea exactly what it means LOL. His hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music (collectively we own over 3,000 CDs), reading and most recently collecting rock n roll postcards. What do I like to do for fun? Oh my! Where do I start?! My first and foremost favorite hobby is scrapbooking. I also make cards, quill, cross stitch, and quilt. Wonder what my next venture will be?

So, what else do you need to know about me? My two biggest challenges in life right now are losing weight and decreasing our debt. Both are extremely difficult for me but are necessary in order for us to be able to have a family one day. I have a strong support base within my family and friends and am very thankful for that.

Well, I think that about does it for my first post .... can't give away all my secrets at once ;). It's late and I'm traveling for work tomorrow to the big city of Columbia, SC. Until next time ...