Ahhh….
Ok, I need to go shower. I usually come home super late on Wednesday night card night. Plus, I don’t want to stink up the ladies {::SMILES}.
Have a great evening and oh… the house isn’t so bad. We lost two small siding, we have plants in pots that were all over the place, and a tree was crooked. Oh, my veggie garden… well, some looked sad but I hope they’d perk up again in a few days. Laters!
For reals. I can’t get enough of a blog, it’s Melissa Goodsell’s blog. I have her listed under my favorite blogs and in my Google Reader. It’s so exciting when I get something new from her and it’s something related to what she’s doing in her so creative life. She is amazing. She’s like my Martha Stewart, ha! Well, if you have a minute, check her out. From her site, she has a lot of links to her favorite blogs and goodness, some of those ladies are so insanely talented too. I’ve been digiscrapping because I haven’t been really motivated in even attempting to start a traditional layout. It’s actually what I love to do the most, so relaxing to me. But the last few days I’ve been coming across some awesome sites and they have been quite inspiring. One of my favorite is Christine’s blog. I found her through another blog, long story, but you should check her out and her flickr page. AWESOME! So I think I’m getting warmer. The next chance I have to go to a scrapbook store to crop I will!
I like too many things, I am getting more addicted to crafting! After I am done posting my latest digi pages I’m going into felt/sewing mode so that I can get ready for Emma’s birthday (and school starts again on Monday). I am borrowing some idea from Mel and going to Joann’s to buy some zigzag cut, oh what is it called, scissors. I know that at least one little friend is coming so yes, we’re having a party! Hope the weather stays decent though, no major snow storm.
So here are my latest LO. I did these to complete two challenges. The SCS scrapbook and the MFT “pink” challenge. I’ve been liking these challenges because it’s motivating me to do better. Let me start with the credits. Actually this layout is going to be pretty easy. I used MFT papers and the rest are Gina Huff’s design from Weeds and Wildflowers. The big alphas, the A, E, and Y. The were of different color, background, and texture - see here. What I did was I outlined the letters (so that the little marching ants are going around the letter only), plopped the pattern paper I wanted on top of it, made sure that the pattern paper layer is selected and made a copy of it. I pasted this on top of my layout and I have this different pattern alphas. I’ll do a video of this later… after I get my two courses up online and ready to go for Monday. Yes, yes, can’t forget my day jobs. Oh, I also distorted and warped the bottom of the E so that it’ll curve and made the head of the e smaller.
Here’s the journaling:
Running text: Mommy, look at my silly faces, come take some pictures, please
Left: This was what you said that day and I couldn’t help but grab my camera and started shooting. We love this smiley picture of yours because it’s just so you. We love the shocked look, just too pretty for words.
Right: Emma. you have the cutest, silliest, most expressive facial expression sometimes. So adorable and we love them so much. You have so many of them that it was just so hard to pick the best for the scrapbook but out of all your little looks, we think that these are the “bestest” of them all. Love you little girl and we’ll never get tired of those little different little expressions.
I also used a lot of my pen tool to out line the area I want to add text into or one and voila. I have text in a not so perfectly rectangle area and on my first page and also the “express” I have text following a funky line. This is the same concept as that text in circle video that I made a few weeks ago. But, if you’re not familiar with this technique it can be confusing. So I owe you a few videos.
So that’s it and probably after this I won’t be posting as much. I’d love to but we’ll see. If I do, it’ll most likely be crafty birthday stuff. I am though excited about my French class. It’s been awhile and it’ll be nice getting into it again. Maybe we’ll go to France on our next overseas vacation — well if the economy is ok that is.
I did the per the SCS MFTSC11 sketch. This was fun. My first sketch! I also received my Nestabilities today. So quick from cutathome.com. You should check them out and sign up to be in their VIP club. You get 40% off every month!
So here’s my card, used the Hot Stuff MFT stamps that I got for Christmas, the Cuttlebug stuff that I got for Christmas, and the Nesties that I got for me {::SMILES}. There’s really no special technique that I did. Just a lot of layerings. Actually it was kind of interesting how this came about. Initially I had a black card, the white embossed background, and the ribbon. Of course it ain’t right lookin’. So I just left it. Then when I was doing the sketch, I got clever. I grabbed this plain old card and used the sketch to jazz it up. Here’s what it turned out to be. I like it a lot better. Enjoy!
We had a great New Year celebration and I’m just getting tired. We had dinner and we did some baking. Made some fruit tarts. A Barefoot Contessa Strawberry Tarts that became a kiwi, blueberry, and blackberry tart. I’ll post some pictures if my friend emails me a copy. They’re not as nice as the picture on Foodnetwork but the taste was pretty good. The instructions were a bit confusing so we kind of improvised. Despite the little snags here and there, we had a great time and the dessert was something worth trying again.
This is my last night though to be up late doing arts and crafts. After tonight, it’s back to work and tomorrow, or I guess later today, I’d be cleaning so I wouldn’t be able to do anymore crafty stuff until later this weekend unless I get really lucky.
Before I start blabbing about my projects, I just want to say… I ordered some rectangle Nestabilities rectangle set. Whoohoo!!!! Lowest price and the shipping is reasonable too. Plus they sent me a 40% coupon for signing up as a VIP member. Can’t wait to get them. Hopefully everybody will be back at work tomorrow. I’ll definitely post earlier than this weekend if I get them in before then!
So, back to my projects… the first project I did was this card. I’ve had this card embossed the same time I embossed my other two cards (few days ago post) but just never got around to doing anything with it. I still have two sets of MFT stamps that I haven’t used and this is one of them, the How Sweet It Is set. I used the SU markers and water color pencil to color thing. I really like using the pencils better than the markers. It seems so much easier to control and blend. I’m so curious what the Copic markers can do. I found an Ebay store that sells the Ciao for $35. I might get one set and try them out.
Then I did a two page layout as part of my SCS 2008 scrapbook challenge. Now I just have 2 more to go to meet my goals and maybe a few more just to get the extra points if I have time. My budget is $35 for the 4 layouts and I’ve spent $5 and change. I’ve also only used a handful of what I purchased and downloaded for free so I don’t think I need to buy anymore unless I see something that’s a big must.
I’m not too happy with this left page. Seems like something is missing. I think I did peak at the last page and I need a few weeks break from scrapping. I’m like this with scrapbooking. I go in short spurts and that’s why I am either so slow or I just don’t do it as often as I want to. That’s why I’m hoping the challenges will help me since I seem to do better when I create something for a challenge.
Here are the material info for this layout:
Paper: Suzanne Walker Mint Mojito. This paper was bright green but I changed the color through the Hue/Saturation process and came up with this.
Photo corner and brad: I did it. If you want a copy, let me know. I’d save and post for you to download but it’s super late and I’m about ready to go to bed right now.
WordArt:
Tag: DSP
Font: Scrapvillage Kathleen and Cochin
All other elements from Weeds and Wild Flowers by Gina Huff — LOVE their stuff!
For the photo corner and brad, one day I’ll do a tutorial on that. It was really easy to do. For those familiar with Photoshop here’s the quick run down, create the photo corner shape, pick a color, give it some dust and texture, play with the settings, blend it, and once the corner is done, use the circle tool and make a copy, paste it on top of the photo corner, change it’s colors and blending options and you got some brads.
Goodnight! It’s 5:31 a.m.
Guess what I got for Christmas? a CUTTLEBUG!!!! Whoohoo!!! I also received some My Favorite Things stamps, my first, so quite excited about that. I didn’t get any templates though. My husband didn’t know what a bug is and didn’t know the many accessories (were on my list but he chose to get me other stuff) that you need to make it actually produce something. So today, I finally got to Joann’s and got a few embossing background templates.
This evening I got to play with my new toys and also the shipment of SU preview that came in a week before Christmas. Here’s what I came up with:
For this card I used the Stylized Cuttlebug embossing template for the background. This is the first time, or second time after the test one, that I used the bug and it came out so nice. I was very careful when I aligned and sandwiched the template that the paper. Then my daughter, she’s 3, helped me turn it. Pretty tough little girl. She loved it and I’m thinking of getting her a CuttleKid. I think she’d be so thrilled since she LOVES to do arts and crafts with mom.
For the pattern paper, I used Stampin’ Up! Apple Cider, Chocolate Chip, and the 2007-08 in-color cardstock. The ribbon is the pomegrate color and the string is hemp.
Then for my second project, I used my MFT, Meet Me at the Cafe, stamps and the Spots and Dots embossing background. I LOVE this set. I have two others that I’ll play with sometimes this week, I hope, and I’ll share when I do get something decent to show you.
This embossed blue cardstock is actually the test page that I did, or Emma did for me. She said I helped hold it and she turned it. I trimmed it and voila. For the colors, I used my watercolor pencils and blending pen. I’m not very good at coloring but I tried really hard and I think it’s not that bad looking. I kind of like it myself, ha!
Besides going to Joann’s, I also went to Target today and from their $1 bin bought 21 little mailboxes. I’ll be using them in my January workshop and also as gifts. I’ll be decorating these tins like so and like so and so and so. Ok, you get the picture. Aren’t they so cute???? Want to join? I only have 10 tins/spots! 
Well, that’s it. I’m going to shop for some Nestabilities and also an ATG gun. Also I’m thinking of getting Emma a CuttleKid for her birthday and going to eyeball the Bind-it-All and Scor-Pal. I can’t keep up! Too many toys!!!
Hope you enjoy!