Cindy's Creations

Little Paris gal

2012-01-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I posted anything but I love this card that I made for a card swap and decided to take a minute to put on my site. She's a new stamp I bought and I love her Parisian look. This paper pad has great colors as I love stripes with brick red and navy. Interesting colors for a gal card but I love the end result. The flower didn't match so I used my copic to color it for a perfect match!

This sentiment is from the limited edition "thank you" set sent at the end of the year by PTI. It included a larger saying as well as this one. I don't recall where I saw this card layout but had saved it for future reference and thought it went well with this paper combo and stand set. It's hard to find masculine themes but I always like to have one handy!

Gift card

2011-12-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick gift card box I decorated for a friend coming home with our son for the holiday. Love these GC boxes from Taylored Expressions as they come with the insert and have so many possibilities. The reindeer from this Paper Smooches "Santa Paws" set make me laugh!

A few gifts

2011-12-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

Wow - been so long since I posted! Here are a few things I have given to the recipients so now I can show them!

This apron is for my manicurist who I've known her entire adult life! She wears aprons each day to keep the acrylic dust from her clothes so I always help her collection grow...

While I was at it, I decided to make this one for my crafty friend's birthday as she's always baking amazing things ... plus it kept with the theme of the black cake plate I got her for Christmas ...

and her "I Love Lucy-ish" card!

TE Blast from the Past Blog Hop

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to see all the creations for this month's Blast from the Past blog hop! This month's theme is Thankful and this great sketch by Sankari ...

When I got out all of my TE stamp sets, I realized that I only had one that actually said Thank You on it - eeks - how can that be?! Soooo ... because I am thankful to be married to an amazing man, I thought this stamp would work well with the sketch and the sentiment from "Kitchy Kitchen" fit it so well ...

With my only set that had a "Thank You" in it (the "From the Heart Funnies" set), I decided on a sewing theme using the "Sew Happy" set as well. Since I had just opened up my latest TE order, I had sitting on my desk the "little black dress" paper pad which I love! How can a girl not zero right in on that cheetah print! So one thing led to another and pretty soon it was combined with hot pink and a little bling ...

(No matter where I took the picture, the ribbon looked red but in real life it matches the sparkly paper dress form!) The flowers were made with the new Loopy Flower die just cut to different lengths to create different size flowers.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of the hop.

Cindy

A fuzzy cupcake!

2011-11-14T08:00:00.001-08:00

My last gift idea was a fuzzy, cozy pair of socks wrapped up as a cupcake! How cute is this? I've seen this idea on several blogs and had purchased the cupcake containers from Taylored Expressions a while back so decided to give it a try. Took a couple attempts to get the sock to look like icing but, with the help of a rubber band to hold the bottom, I think I succeeded! I found a template to make the cupcake liner, tied a little ribbon, added a label, and it's ready to give to my friend who loves cupcakes AND cozy socks!!

Gift card holder

2011-11-13T08:00:00.001-08:00

A cute idea for those you may be giving gift cards to this holiday can be found here - http://addinkandstamp.blogspot.com/2010/12/snowman-gift-card-holder.html. This would be something easily mass produced as you could have all your circles cut and then assemble quickly. I made mine to fit into a legal sized envelope and will use to send a December birthday gift card!

Holiday gift idea

2011-11-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

Now that my friend's and I have had our monthly Craft Night, I can share the few things that I made. Our theme was to bring a gift idea ... so here's my first one.

I can't tell you how much I love this idea! I saw it on the link below and just modified for the holidays. Hurry as Bath and Body Works has these little soaps five for $5! Her directions are awesome and something easy to mass produce for teachers, friends, etc. (The only change I made to her tutorial was for the oval where the soap slips in - I used my oval nestie and it worked out perfectly.)

http://pinkbuckaroodesigns.blogspot.com/2010/08/halloween-soap-holder-tutorial.html

I'll post another idea tomorrow!

Thanks for looking,
Cindy

New things coming!

2011-11-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry there's been no post for a bit. My 92-year-old MIL (who lives with us) fell and shattered her pelvis and things have been a little unsettled as a result. I've been working on Christmas gift projects which I hope to post tomorrow as well as some Thanksgiving cards I'll post soon. Also made a card for the TE November blog hop that happens next Wednesday so have been doing a few things you'll see soon!

TESC149 Challenge

2011-10-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here is this week's sketch from Taylored Expressions ...

I admit that generally I steer clear of anything with banners with maybe the occasional exception of a small one with a sentiment on it! For some reason I just don't do well with them ... but I thought I'd give it a try. I have this new reindeer stamp that has been waiting for a little attention so thought it would be pretty embossed in red with a twinkly little nose! Well ... sadly she was a little bigger than my sketch really needed so after a few different "tries" I cut her out, popped her up, and added the snowflake!

Vintage birthday card

2011-10-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

For my birthday a friend gave me a heart-shaped box full of vintage embellishments. I loved looking at the box full of beautiful things sitting on my shelf. When I knew I'd be seeing a gal tomorrow who loves fashion, jewels, etc. I allowed myself to actually use an item from my little box! I've had this pink embossed paper for quite some time and it went so beautifully with the color scheme (the pinks all really match well in real life!) and would add just the right vintage-type feel I knew she'd love. Can't wait to give it to her!

Tasty snack

2011-10-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today while I was gone I received a text from my husband saying "your dogs said the greeting cards were a delicious snack". I replied that he shouldn't joke with me about that only to get his response that he wasn't joking! Apparently a basket I have in my office with finished cards in it had fallen over so the dogs felt if it was on the floor then they were entitled to it! Fortunately they were scattered everywhere and only one was beyond repair and another one salvagable. Here is the ruined one ...

and Buddy bringing it to me ... how can you get too mad at that incredibly cute face?

Miss you!

2011-10-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

I needed a card for my daughter to give her 17 year old brother who loves his guitar and rock n' roll ... so what better than to enter in this week's TCP challenge and use the SFYTT sketch!

This guitar paper is so cool in real life - sparkles, guitars are embossed and glossy - love it!

TE Blast from the Past Blog Hop!

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to be part of Taylored Expressions' Blast from the Past Blog Hop. This month's theme is Trick or Sweet. I've had my projects finished for a couple weeks now and am excited to finally be able to share them! Enjoy!

The sketch design is by Sankari Wegman, one of the members of TE's Baker's Dozen Design Team. I had a great halloween paper pad with very unusual choices in it as well as some Scrabble tiles from a themed game one of my kids never played with. So ... together they created a very halloween-y card!

During one of my frequent trips to Michael's, I found this set of little jars - perfect for "thinking of you" type gifts. So ... here is what I came up with ...

... Eat at Your Own Risk ... yes, a little creepy! I couldn't resist using the "drippy" punch to go along with the gorey eyes. Finding small "eyeballs" was the biggest challenge as not too many would fit in the jar otherwise! (These are actually bubblegum rather than the chocolate ones.)

... Witch's Pot ... aren't these candy corns unusual?! Since they seemed "girly" to me, I had to create a witch-themed jar. The bubbles are glazed although they don't show up too well and the hat ... well ... it just had to have feathers on it!

... and lastly ... some Spooky Treats ...

Enjoy the hop!

Mojo Monday & City Crafters Challenges

2011-10-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today I am posting a Thanksgiving card using the Mojo Monday sketch and the City Crafters' inspiration picture ...

Week 79 - Harvest Festival

The stamped sentiment is from JustRite Stamps and paper, twill ribbon, buttons, and rhinestones from Papertrey Inc. It's hard to see in this picture but the sentiment and leaf are "popped" for dimension.

SSSC139 Challenge

2011-10-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

This week I am using the new TE nativity set - isn't it darling? I love the donkey!

Here is the sketch for this week ...

Christmas Tree cards

2011-10-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

A special holiday edition of a craft magazine I'd ordered came so I got inspired to play with a couple new stamp sets and die cuts that I'd ordered. It also works well with the Christmas Card Challenge this week ...

This card is more elegant in person than the picture shows but this JustRite stamp set ("O Christmas Tree") is definitely one I'll use many times in the weeks to come. The background is embossed with the Cuttlebug "Allegro" music folder.

Then I noticed some scraps from a Christmas paper pad I'd used last year so put them together and cut out a tree from a new triangle die set I just got from Spellbinders. Not as cute as I had in my head but can't always be successful!

Holiday gift idea

2011-10-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

During the Southern Cal Shop Hop, my friends and I stopped into a fabulous quilt shop - Fat Quarters in Vista - where we could have spent the whole day! I saw this candle wrap made of felt (by Bareroots) and thought it would make pretty gifts for Christmas. It was a little more time consuming than I expected so honestly don't know how many I will end up making!

A few Halloween cards

2011-10-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

Now that most of the cards have been received, I can post them. When I saw this card on Laurie's blog (http://www.justgivemestamps.typepad.com/), I knew I had to make it! I ordered the stamp set (from Waltzing Mouse) and with my Halloween paper pad, twine and buttons set to work. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the inside as it was great too. I love the end results!

Been working on some holiday gift ideas so will be back to post those after I get some pictures taken ...

Thanks for looking,

Cindy

Up, Up and Away!

2011-10-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

< This project earned me "Spotlight Artist" recognition on the City Crafter Challenge Blog - thank you! >

While chatting with a friend yesterday, she mentioned that for her mom's birthday they were giving her a hot air balloon ride. Somehow we got onto the subject of presentation and I said I'd make her a balloon to go with the gift certificate.

After some trial and error, here is how it turned out. My crafty friend had a paper lantern which I painted then hot glued narrow ribbon onto, cut a circle to cover the largest end of the lantern and punched small holes where I wanted my skewers to go. (There were other ideas tried but this turned out to be the most stable and successful method!) I trimmed the skewers to the length I needed and hot glued them into the basket (which I'd already decorated). Then, pointy end up, put them through the circle to the height I wanted and they stay! I think she'll be pleased.

I entered this into a 3D challenge at City Crafter (http://www.citycrafter.blogspot.com/) ...

The card I made to match ...

Halloween Window

2011-10-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

As much as I loved the Fall themed window, I had to change it for Halloween as I have some cute things to put out. So it was time for a new banner and to get out the cute spider placemat! The banner embellies are from K&Company - love their stuff!

SSSC137 Challenge

2011-10-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

When I learned that a friend was expecting a baby boy in March, I thought this would be a great layout to work with the stamp set. With the exception of the cream cardstock, all the paper and stamps are from Taylored Expressions. I think the mommy and color combo are great!

Congrats to Jen!

2011-09-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

Congrats to my incredibly crafty friend, Jen, for winning "Chic of the Week" at the JUGS Challenge - check out her amazing entry and the winning announcement at http://justusgirlschallenge.blogspot.com/2011/09/chic-of-week-103.html. Her blog has some truly amazing creations on it so take a peek at her latest posts - http://www.cubbyholecreationsbyjen.blogspot.com/.

SSSC136 Challenge

2011-09-27T08:02:00.001-07:00

For this challenge I thought the forest paper from Basic Grey's "eerie paper pad" went so well with the gal from the Waltzing Mouse stamp set. Doesn't she look as if she's creeping through the woods and the bats hanging from the limbs ... eerie!

TESC146 Challenge

2011-09-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

I've had this stamp set "Close to Nature" from Stampin' Up for quite a while and thought it went so well with PTI's paper pad. This sketch made it a perfect match!

SSSC135 Challenge

2011-09-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

Aren't these Halloween PTI dies the cutest? The paper is a pad they had last year and of course had to use my cobweb embossing folder for the background on the circle. I used some white ink to make the webbed image show up a little better and made the bats wings 3D. The fangs on the pumpkin make me smile!

Birthday purse

2011-09-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Some weeks the mojo is just off and this is definitely one of them! Despite the enormous mess I make for every project I embark on lately, the end results don't thrill me. Fortunately the recipients love them nonetheless! The stamp set and clear "purse" are from Taylored Expressions (the tag is attached to the handle). There is a gift card and small bottle of lotion from Bath & Body Works inside. Hope she likes it!

Enjoy the journey

2011-09-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who is planning a trip to Europe so I wanted to make a card telling them how excited I am for this exciting adventure. This isn't the outcome I had in mind but it will be appreciated. I thought it was cool to find the old text with Europe on it to use with the Eiffel Tower stamp!

Fall is here!

2011-09-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time to change the school-themed window display to Fall - one of my most favorite times of the year and one I miss from living on the East Coast. The leaves changing were one of my favorite times and something you don't see much in California although we do have two trees in our yard that change with the seasons...and get leaves in the pool...!

This time rather than a banner I went with some Mason jars filled with mini pods, wrapped in plaid ribbon and floral embellishments, and letters/leaves on skewers! I like the results! (Click on the pictures for a better view as the details don't show up so great.)

I saw this basket and thought it would work well with some ribbon and leaves too! Not sure what I'll put in it yet - maybe some scented pinecones.

I love having my little acorns and pinecones out ...

SFYTT Challenge

2011-09-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here is my card for the September SFYTT Challenge. The bird is 3-D and ribbon some of the tea-dyed seam binding I did a while ago. I like this layout and will definitely use again!

Vintage wedding card

2011-08-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

A friend asked if I would make a vintage wedding card for a special gal and sent me the photo. Below is the card I made for her. My personal favorites are the paper "roses" and the inked edges making the card look old.

TESC 144 Challenge

2011-08-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

Here is another card for the TESC 144 Challenge. This is some new paper I got a couple weeks ago and I thought the new PTI mum die went perfectly with the flowered paper. (The mum paper and sentiment paper are PTI as are the sentiments.) I had to move my flower around a bit so it doesn't match the sketch challenge perfectly .. oops!

TESC 144 Challenge

2011-08-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

This is a very loose interpretation of the sketch but I was inspired by it so am going with it! The items on the card were ones we received as part of the recent Southern California Shop Hop giveaways. I loved the items but have laid them out differently than the example at the store to more closer match the sketch. The "net" and vintage tags with paperclip are probably my favorites! It's larger than a card so plan to display on a stand as it makes me smile!

TESC 143 Challenge

2011-08-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

Even though I wasn't able to finish this in time for the challenge, I figured I'd post it anyway! This is a birthday card for a friend who loves hedgehogs as much as I do. Aren't the colors sweet?!

Snowflake card for SFYTT challenge

2011-07-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

I really like this sketch challenge and it worked well with the snowflakes I wanted to use. While I was headed to traditional Christmas colors, I came across this "Cappella" paper pad and went non-traditional. Give this sketch a try - http://www.iheart2stamp.com/.

MOJO200 Challenge & Summer Camp Week 4 Color Challenge

2011-07-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

I decided to combine challenges this week. I love the color combo this week! Although initially it reminded me of oceans and vacation, I came across this sweet combo of paper and the verse fit so well into the MOJO layout this week, that I had to use it! I'm working on another project using the same colors so we'll see if that gets done in time to submit.

Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge

2011-07-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

I was just recently introduced to the PS line of stamps (http://www.papersmoochesstamps.com/) and love their whimsical look as it's so different from anything else I have. I am entering their challenge with some cards I made for this month's Craft Night!

This card used the "Santa Paws" and "Birthday Buddies" sets.

Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge

2011-07-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

This card used the "Vegtastic" set.

A little vintage

2011-07-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Another cute stamp line that I'm adding to is Lawn Fawn. This typewriter and the saying is from "Just My Type" and "Just My Type Too" sets. Makes for a unique thank you card! Love the first one with the paper of typewriter keys; second card is same layout with a softer look.

A friend gave me some embellishments of which this photo card was one. Using a layout from one of my recent craft magazines, used an antique book page and "aged" buttons to create a vintage look.

Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge

2011-07-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

What's Cooking?

2011-07-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't this pink mixer and the measuring spoons fun? This card was one I submitted for a KI Design Team Challenge for Taylored Expressions using some paper I just ordered from her and one of her stamp sets. The set below uses one of her card boxes (love those boxes) and a new 6x6 pad of paper I just got - "Circa 1934"

Summer Card Camp - Week 3

2011-07-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

I really like this color combination and was given an embellishment pack with this "Dream" piece. The picture doesn't seem to show how well it blends nor can you tell the top portion has been embossed with the Cuttlebug Polka Dots folder which adds dimension! Love the subtle touches of red too!

Summer Card Camp - Week 3

2011-07-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

When I saw this color challenge I knew I had to enter this card! I made it a while ago but it's too perfect not to include. Now I'm off to make another one as I love all these colors together!

TESC142 Challenge

2011-07-11T10:09:00.001-07:00

Summer Card Camp Challenge

2011-07-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to tell you that this card was chosen as one of this week's Student Spotlight cards!

Using the color challenge for this week's camp, I created a New Home card for a dear friend.

A few more

2011-07-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

Here are the last two cards I made for the last craft night. Have some ideas in mind so need to find time to try them this week!

Craft Night is tomorrow!

2011-06-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Our theme this month was Thank You cards. There were so many inspiring cards with the latest PTI release so you'll see a few ideas taken from there!

This card was from a new PTI stamp and die set and was so fast to create - just a little striped paper, a little stamping, and you're done! Love the simplicity of it.

Another great idea from Betsy Veldman was to take words from different stamp sets and create a collage of sorts with them. I highly recommend doing several sets at once as it's rather labor intensive to look through all your stamp sets, find different sizes and styles, then decide how an arrangement will work! I do love the finished product though.

This layout was one a crafty friend used on a card but I changed the orientation and decided to do a black/white card with a splash of color. (When I master the Copics, perhaps I'll make it again with color!)

Another new set was this flower one so, since I love poppies, decided this would be a great tag with the bold orange color. I think I need a card with this set now!

And lastly, these beautiful birds were from a botanical pad which matched perfectly with the teal background paper from PTI. A simple ribbon and few pearls make for an elegant card which can be used for anything.

On Wednesday I'll post a few more I've made but need to save them for tomorrow night!

Anniversary card

2011-06-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 24th anniversary last week so, given Mark's affection for his beloved turtle, here is what I made him ...

Smiles

2011-06-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this little flower from Paper Smooches just make you happy? I made this for a friend who has gone through a hard time this past month and needs a little cheering up. I think this card will bring a smile to her face!

Birthday and Father's Day

2011-06-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

My nephew turns 16 Sunday so I made a card from us (with the car) and one for my sister to give him (with the subway art phrases).

When I gave my friend her "skull" card, she asked if I could make a Father's Day card for her husband with a picture of his WWII plane on it - yes, he owns and flies this plane! Is that cool or what?!

Unique Thank You Card

2011-06-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

In a 2008 "Gifts from the Heart" magazine I came across a skull purse that I knew I had to make into a card for a girlfriend who loves skulls. It was somewhat labor intensive but the end result was worth it and I know she'll love it as it's ridiculously cute!

More for Craft Night

2011-05-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

May's Craft Night theme for cards is Birthday and for my tags I chose some for guys. Have a few more to make but not sure yet what they will be!

Woof Woof!

2011-05-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight's card uses some great kraft and black polka-dot paper and a cute dog set I bought yesterday!

Mother's Day

2011-05-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Now that she has received it, I can post the card I made for my Mom (didn't realize how out-of-focus it was)! While visiting, I had my sister secretly go through some old photos of she and I with our Mom so she could bring them to me when she visited a couple of weeks ago. I scanned them and had them printed to use on the card. She loved it and it brought back so many memories for all of us of the days of matching dress/coat sets, gloves, Easter bonnets ... so sweet!

April's Craft Night

2011-04-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it's been a month since I posted anything. Despite being gone part of the time since, I have been making things! This month's card theme was "anything" that could be used for just a quick note, thank you, thinking of you, etc. The challenge was using twine. One gal suggested crochet flower embellishments so that's what I did. They are hard to see in the picture but are definitely cuter in real life! Tonight I'm going to try some crochet leaves as I found a pattern on-line.

March Craft Night

2011-03-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

I won't have time before I leave to photograph and add the other great creations from this month's Craft Night but will add when I come home. This month's "challenge" item was a sheet of cork and I chose to die cut flower note cards from them. The cork is fabulous and very easy to work with.

The theme for cards was Christmas as well as Christmas tags. I saw this, and the snowman, card in one of my monthly publications. They were too labor intensive to make many of but I think the collage one would be a great way to use scraps.

My favorite tag ...

Because we have been creating tags each month, I thought a tin box would be a good spot to keep them ...

The tags I made on craft paper and had inside the box ...

February's Craft Night

2011-03-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

It was another amazing craft night with lots of fun chatting and great creations! We have decided to have tags be a regular each month since those are always handy, a card, and a challenge (which you can use for either tags, cards, or something random!).

The challenge this month was to use a packet of butterflies and birds and the creations were amazing and so different. Loved them all! Mine were incredibly easy to make but I thought the end result was very elegant. This is made with an embossing folder, mounted on coordinating color, and bird/butterfly image placed on. Would make a beautiful gift set I think!

More great cards from the other gals ...

The tags this month could be any theme so I chose a variety (I admit - I get bored with mass production!).

These tags were presented with coordinating wrapping paper!

Next month the challenge is thin pieces of cork "paper" and Christmas tags/cards. Since I have no shortage of holiday stamps and paper, this should be easy!

Some thank you cards

2011-03-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

I am so behind on getting thank you's written for my birthday goodies but I had to come up with something cute didn't I?! The one friend is an Angry Bird addict with me so when I saw this stamp set from Paper Smooches I *had* to get it for hers! Also have had the sewing stamp sets from Taylored Expressions for a while and decided to play with them. Love the results. Now off to crop the pictures to post from our February Craft Night - wait til you see those great goodies ...

An Oscar Party Thank You Card

2011-02-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

A friend needed a thank you for someone hosting an Oscar party tomorrow night so I told her I'd come up with something. After browsing some sites, here is what I came up with. Love the flocked paper and flowers plus the bling on the dress!

A French birthday

2011-02-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Monday is a friend's birthday and we laugh all the time about "loving a theme"! She loves Paris, French food, etc. so when I saw this container and notepad I knew it was for her. Then of course had to find a special bottle of French wine to make the ensemble complete! The tower in my stamp set was small so enlarged it via my scanner and it was perfect.

Craft Night Creations

2011-02-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

Once a month a couple friends and I get together and bring cards we've created based on a theme. This allows us to build our stash and always have a card handy! January's theme was "birthday" and the variety was amazing.

"Miss J's" were quite involved but we expected nothing less from her as her talents are amazing. The cupcake card bottom is 3D and the vellum envelope made for a unique presentation (notice I haven't stamped the birthday sentiment yet - oops!). The "gift card" card was her creation and incredibly clever. Can't wait to make more of these and, of course, the matching envelope finished it off.

"Miss K's" cards used one of the PTI sets that I look at and debate about each time I order from them. I love hot air balloons and was excited to see her card. The largest balloon is 3D and I love how she made the clouds part of the background rather than separate. As I was assemblying the last couple, I decided to see how white behind the cloud cutouts would be and I liked t that way too. Then I had a button laying there so why not use that too! May have to get this set ... Her second card was clever and used small squares to create this pinwheel effect. As you start assemblying you don't think it's going to come out right, but it does! Very pretty end result.

My cards were to be masculine and general. I'm not the best at doing guy cards but was happy with the end result. I had the library card and folder set from PTI and found an example using both. I made their kits with different coordinating paper sets so each card was different with some guys and some gals. Love the butterfly cutout! Now I need to get mine finished!

Next month's theme includes a "layered accents" challenge plus tags ... off to get inspired!

Valentine's cards

2011-02-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

When I saw this stamp set and die on The Cat's Pajamas website, I had to get it! It was probably one of the most labor intensive cards I've made in a long time but love the end result.

Calendar books

2011-01-31T21:55:00.000-08:00

Wow - it's been SOOOO long since I posted on this site but I have been making things! Need to get some of them posted!

I made some calendar books for a couple friends who I get together with each month. Our theme for January was birthday cards so this was perfect. All products are from Papertrey Ink with the exception of the flower stamp. The inside has a pocket page for each month. Love it! Tomorrow I'll take some pictures of the cards we made that night.

Boxed card sets

2010-12-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite ideas on Taylored Expressions website during their "12 Days of Christmas" series were the boxed card sets. I decided it was the perfect gift for my co-workers. They all have the same "template" but with different color schemes! Here are the finished products ...

A Homemade Christmas

2010-12-05T16:42:00.001-08:00

There are several gifts I need each year outside of family so decided to be creative and have them be homemade. It's taken me a while to finish them up and this weekend most of them got completed and are ready to go. Here we go ...

A very crafty friend and I decided to make cupcake-themed aprons and include tubes of sprinkles. Several -okay six! - sets later I am finished. Of course the outside wrapping had to keep in theme so the tag has a felt cupcake too!

The gal who has done my nails for the past 17 years loves anything with a peace sign on it and always wears an apron over her clothes. When I saw this fabric I knew I had to use for her! This one was much more involved so there would not have been six of these!

The school Mark has been working at does a Secret Santa Exchange. There were to be five days of $1 items and a final day (their party) with a $10-15 gift. Here are the items I started with (I substituted the gift tags with a bag of cookies) and how they look now...

The baking dish had the three cookie cutters arranged inside so chose the gingerbread man to use as the theme - love the tag!

She likes quilting so chose a magazine for her ...

The flower CD case you saw in the "group" picture is actually a calendar that stands up on your desk and displays each month. Here it is ...

I found this darling box at Michael's so put some cute sticky note pads inside. I had a stamp with a snowman that went so well so colored it to match the box. When it looked a little plain, added some sparkles for the snowflakes! Love the non-traditional colors...

My least favorite is the cookies (the decoration, not the cookies!) but that's okay...

And the final gift is a gift card to Michael's inside a tin with a gift card insert. The berry leaves are actually 3-D with red rhinestones although it doesn't show up very well ...

Now if he can just get them all to school intact!

I have more things to share but will have to wait until after the holidays as they are going to family members who actually read this blog! Don't want to ruin the surprise ...

Holiday card

2010-11-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

I made a couple improvements today so here is the final product:

Before...

Despite thinking it needs something for "snow" inside the globe, I'll post my first holiday card anyhow! Perhaps some dots of glitter as snowflakes...

Vintage Birthday Card for TESC132

2010-11-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Vintage is definitely a style out of my comfort zone! Maybe that's why it took me an hour to make this one...but I know my brother will love it! The inside says "Vintage never goes out of style - Happy 40th Birthday!"

I WON!

2010-11-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs and stores that I go to see what is new at every day had a surprise when I visited today...

We also appreciate that so many of you helped spread the word about our 12 Days of A Handcrafted Christmas by posting our blog badge on your personal blog. We went searching and chose the following two winners who posted the blog badge: Cindy O'Donnell & Karen. We'll be contacting you soon and mailing off a surprise package!

I'm SO EXCITED! I love her products and it was her "12 Days of Christmas" ideas that inspired Jen and I to make them as gifts this year. THANK YOU Taylor!

It's Halloween...enjoy every bite!

2010-10-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

When I saw Lynn Put's card using this stamp set, I loved the skeleton as it made me laugh every time I saw it. So...finally I found it as it wasn't available in Stampin' Up's catalog. Although the picture of my version didn't come out clearly (and I already sealed the envelope), you get the idea! At the last minute I remembered all these Halloween brads I had so the bats were perfect!

Reverse embossed card

2010-10-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

In my new Paper Crafts magazine there was a reverse embossed card which I thought so was simple and elegant so decided to try it for a Thank You card I needed. Defnitely a technique I'll use again.

Baby card

2010-10-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

Mark wrote and asked me to make a baby card for the gal he is sub'g for who had her daughter on Sunday....and 60 kids needed to be able to sign it! So for probably a year I had an example for a baby card that I loved so created one for her (can't remember what blog I found it so can't give credit where it's due - sorry!). I love it and made the inside 'fold out' for lots of well wishes!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-09-26T09:19:00.001-07:00

I couldn't think of a more perfect theme for my mom's birthday card than sewing. She is the one who taught me this great craft which has been invaluable throughout my life. Happy birthday Mom!

Happy 53rd Anniversary to my parents!

2010-08-31T19:52:00.000-07:00

Lots of birthdays!

2010-08-03T11:24:00.001-07:00

Seems there have been lots of birthdays lately with ages ranging from 12 to 97!

The "groovy" card I made for Kelleigh's 12th birthday...

and for Grandma's 91st birthday...

and the card for her friend's 97th birthday...

And I still have two more to make!

Birthday gift basket

2010-07-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

A very sweet friend of mine is turning 30 on Wednesday so to celebrate her day I put together a gift basket for her. She loves tea and flowers so that's the theme I went with...love a theme! A bright teacup determined the colors, three unusual packages of tea, a bright frame for her new kitchen, cozy socks to wear as she enjoys her tea, and some orange flowered notecards to write friends as she relaxes! When I saw Lynn Put's card on her blog using the teacup and flowers, I knew it was a perfect fit. I even parted with some flower-shaped buttons for her card! Love the finished product and I know she will too.

Buttons, buttons, buttons!

2010-07-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Okay...I LOVE buttons! Maybe it's because I've sewn all my life or the colors or the variety...who knows but I do love them. So much that sometimes I don't want to use them! I have all the colors from PaperTrey Ink and recently bought their square tubes which a crafty friend has hers in. I was going to label them with the color's name but them decided to glue a button on the lid for even quicker reference. Love the way they look and they add color to my shelf in their little cubby home! Couldn't you look at them all day...

Birthday card

2010-07-05T14:10:00.001-07:00

Grandma placed an "order" for a birthday card for a friend so it gave me an excuse to try the new felt from PTI that I got last week! I love the cream and sage colors together with gray - unusual but so pretty together. I think she'll like it!

New York Girl!

2010-06-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

My BFF's daughter is in New York for many weeks doing a dance camp. Her dream is to dance on Broadway and I have no doubt she will someday. I've been meaning to make her a card and came across these diecuts which were perfect (sometimes it pays to procrastinate!). No Broadway-bound girl can go without a little bling next to the words! Inside is a miniature version of a Broadway playbill and a subway map which were too cute not to include somewhere! I think she'll like it as, after all, who doesn't love getting mail when you're away from home?

Insights from a Stamper's Spouse

2010-06-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of the funniest, and truest, things I've ever read from a blog I follow daily - Taylor of Taylored Expressions. Her husband wrote this as the spouse of a wife obsessed with stamping. Mom - take note of #6!!

Things I’ve Learned as a Stamper's Spouse

By Jon Van Bruggen

My wife is a stamper. By stamper, I mean a paper-crafting, blog-hopping, creativity-oozing stamper. She’s not a crafter and she’s definitely not a scrapbooker. She’s a stamper.

Perhaps you’re also an involuntary member of this unique and growing collection of people I like to simply call Spouses of Stampers… or SSs.

By having been an SS for the past few years I’ve learned a thing or two about the stamping sub-culture. And even though I’m armed with this knowledge, the various quirks and expectations of stampers are still hard to manage at times. Perhaps you’re an SS and you think you’re the only one experiencing these things. Know that you’re not alone! We’re in this together! And so, for all of the SSs out there, I submit to you the top 10 things I’ve learned as an SS:

#10 – Delete “scrapbooker” from your vocabulary and then empty your recycle bin. Remember...she's a stamper!

#9 - The outside of a greeting card is one hundred times more meaningful to a recipient than the words written on the inside. Or at least the outside of the card takes one hundred times longer to complete.

#8 - Organza and Grosgrain have nothing to do with anything organic or wheat-based. They’re ribbons.

#7 - When your wife says “I just want to change one thing about this card,” you better cancel your dinner reservations because you’re not going anywhere for a very long time.

#6 - What looks like the aftermath of a tornado is really just a uniquely organized stamp room.

#5 – Never, ever, ever say “Don’t you already have paper like that?” Trust me. It’s not the same paper.

#4 - Redeeming the weekly 40% off coupon at Michaels trumps having milk in the refrigerator and clean socks to wear. Seriously, are your personal health and hygiene that important? I didn’t think so.

#3 - The primary purpose of making cards is not to send them to others. It's to create space for that new die-cut machine.

#2 - Much like the sun, you can’t turn off your wife’s creativity. As an SS, just give in already and prepare for many more dinner conversations about the latest blog-hop or stamp-a-thon.

#1 - Memorize this: “Wow honey! That’s really cute!!!” It’s pure gold if you can muster the enthusiasm to go with it. Use it as often as you can, especially when you’re in a jam. You won’t be disappointed.

Time for a little organizing!

2010-06-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

After months of piles, everything is in it's place thanks to some new colorful and cheery bins from Target! Stamps are labeled, new "cubbies" hold my Copics, a second cubbie awaits storage tubes for my PTI buttons, ribbons are sorted by type/brand, laces and trims are together, and my desk is clean! Woo hoo! Now I'm ready to craft! Psst...when the cabinet area is organized I'll show you that too but that's all I can do for one night!

Get well soon card for SSSC 72 challenge

2010-06-06T16:32:00.001-07:00

This card is for a friend who had unexpected heart surgery but is doing great. Inside it says "hope you're fully "re-covered" soon!". The layout from this week's SSSC challenge worked well for it but, after I mailed it, realized I had some wide hot-pink rick-rack that would have been perfect to go where the striped strip is. Oh well...next time!

Summertime!

2010-06-06T11:14:00.001-07:00

Ever since I saw this card on Niki Estes' site I knew I had to make one like it and it was a great way to put my new box of laces to use! Everything but the lace is from Papertrey Ink...love that company!

2010-06-05T11:51:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Kelleigh took a jewelry-making class. I picked up a few things while she was in class to make a bracelet and had enough to make a pendant and earrings too. She is busy now creating more things!

Teen birthday card

2010-06-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

I ordered this stamp not too long ago and thought it would be good for a teenage guy's birthday card. I find it hard to create something masculine but think this worked great!

It's a Wedding!

2010-06-03T13:47:00.001-07:00

As some of you know I have been working on wedding invitations, RSVPs, thanks you, favors, etc. for a dear friend's wedding. Finally I am going to post some pictures! The oval bride and groom on the invitation is 3-D and we decided to spruce up the bride favor with some pearls, ribbon, and net "train". The bride and groom favors will also serve as place cards. Of course no package is complete without coordinating thank you cards! Hopefully you can click on the picture for a better view!

Father's Day

2010-05-31T13:40:00.001-07:00

Hopefully my Dad won't look at this site as here's the card I made him for Father's Day. Notice the "screw" brad - isn't it great?! The "Dad" part is raised with pop-up dots although it's hard to tell.

Grad card

2010-05-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

My nephew is graduating from high school as well as college (yes, he gets his high school diploma and AA degree at the same time) so I made this for him. He will be attending Florida State in the Fall. The inside has a pocket where you can put a gift card, check, etc. Love the color combo!

Future Golden Bears

2010-05-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Mark has nine students who will be attending UC Berkeley in the Fall and he wanted to give them a fun little "list" of popular things to do in Berkeley. I think he enjoys reliving his college days through his students!

The lighting isn't the greatest but here's the group of them. Instead of using a button on the ribbon I cut out a picture of Cal's mascot, Oski, and glue-dotted that on instead.

Here's the finished product...

Click on the picture so you can read some of the suggestions as the Extra Credit is amusing!

Mother's Day card

2010-05-06T17:20:00.001-07:00

Hang in There!

2010-05-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

I needed an encouragement card for a friend and came across one on Debbie Olson's site, "Thinking Inking", which was perfect! Using hers as my inspiration, I was pleased with the outcome and the chance to play with my Copic markers. I finished the hundred wedding invitations and related pieces so will post those soon too and, after Mom gets her Mother's Day card, I'll post that as well!

Birthday card

2010-03-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

Since my sister will have opened her package by the time this is posted, I am safe that she won't see it here first! Her birthday is Wednesday so hope she likes it.

Poppy Seed Challenge #1

2010-03-03T20:21:00.001-08:00

2010-03-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist making a thank you card using another of the hedgehog stamps as they are just so sweet! It's simple but I know the recipient will love it.

In memory of Shadow

2010-02-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

Today I had to say goodbye to my sweet dog Shadow. He joined our family ten years ago and will be very missed. Our fabulous vet and his staff did everything they could to save him but it wasn't meant to be. I made this card to thank them and know they will appreciate something as personal as his picture on the card as they had grown to love him over the last few weeks too.

Another SSSC #57 Challenge!

2010-02-22T12:49:00.001-08:00

For some reason I remembered this paper through the night and decided I'd do another card with this challenge! If my father-in-law were still with us, he could have shown me a "real" nautical knot to do!

SSSC #57 Challenge

2010-02-21T20:12:00.001-08:00

I love this layout and it was perfect for a masculine birthday card that I needed for March. Even though it's for a guy, I couldn't resist using the matching rhinestones on the birthday circle!

Sketch For You To Try Challenge

2010-02-21T15:49:00.000-08:00

While this was not the end result I had envisioned, it's okay! I had originally planned to have buttons in the center of the flowers but it was way too busy so I left them off. The 3-D ladybug doesn't mind!

Compose-a-Card-Challenge #4

2010-02-16T09:28:00.001-08:00

I love this color combination. Anything with black is always a favorite as it makes such an elegant card. The Chinese coins and 3-D pagoda add to the theme. I have a friend who loves Asian decor so she may find this in her mailbox soon!

Birthday card

2010-02-15T10:23:00.000-08:00

My girlfriend turned 50 yesterday and today is her party. Since we are both in denial about the Big 5-0, this picture seemed appropriate! She also loves Paris and speaks fluent French so the Eiffel Tower and wording on the left side had to be included!

This week's SFYTT Challenge

2010-02-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

This week's challenge ended up with an image I had already created as I was practicing with my new Copic markers. It's a little big for the card layout but that's okay!

Sketch For You To Try Challenge

2010-02-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

For February 6th SFYTT challenge I chose to use some little flowers I had crocheted as they coordinated well with the PTI Simple Valentine papers and buttons. Even the button on the red flower resembled a heart! Notice how the flower edge punch kept the flower theme going *grin* !