Kristen's Paper Crafts

Update

2010-01-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

Wow I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I blogged, I'm ready to get back in the swing of things now that I've finished moving.

I spent a year looking for a paralegal job in the Central Valley and though I was close to finding a job and even got a verbal offer that was rescinded, I decided to relocate back to the Bay Area. I have a better chance of finding a paralegal job here even though there are more people looking for a job.

With the holidays, laptop issues, packing and other situations to deal with, December 2009 flew right by. On January 9th, 2010 I arrived at my friend Jerrold's in SF with Luna (my 8 month old cat) and my van packed with stuff. I think most of the stuff in my van was for Luna :o) Jerrold is letting me stay with him rent free for 6 weeks so I have a home base to work from. It's very sweet of him to do this for me, he is a great friend.

I got a new phone and computer within the last week, they both decided to go dead on me at the same time. There were 2 days last week where I didn't have a phone or computer and I must say I felt very isolated because I didn't have an immediate way to connect with anyone.

With each passing week there seems to be more jobs here which is a sign to me that I made the right decision to move back here.

I hope to be getting back to my crafting within the next month or two so stay tuned...

Snow in Coarsegold

2009-12-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

I'm dog sitting for some friends here in Coarsegold and on December 7th it snowed!! I was like a kid outside taking pictures, my hands were freezing but I was having so much fun I didn't think about how cold it really was. We got a total of about 2" in a few hours.

It was like a winter wonderland and so beautiful. Here are a few of the pictures I took of the snow.

The picture below is of the center of the patio table. It's iron lattice work and I like the pattern so I took a picture. I think there is a card in this design somewhere.

The dog below named Luna loved playing in the snow :o)

The snow on the chicken wire was another pattern I liked.

One of the many great things about living in Coarsegold is that when it snows it's usually only a few times a year, if that, and only a few inches at a time.

More Christmas Cards!

2009-11-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some more Christmas cards I made and I must say I really had alot of fun making them. The first two cards are using the same elements and shows how it changes the look of the card by putting the elements on an angle. I embossed the red mittens though it may be hard to see in these pictures.

Actually I used the ice blue brads on this second card and not on the first card.

As you can tell I was really into using my embossing inks. I like the simplicity of this white embossed tree card. I was a bit disappointed that the white embossing ink isn't more pronounced, maybe it's because I used clear instead of white powder to emboss with?

To make the white flower on the lower right hand side of the tree, I stamped the tree in red ink on white cs and cut it out. I applied it with a glue dot since it had to adhere to the white embossed ink. I used white half pearl for the center of the flower and the smaller half pearls around each ticket punched corner. To put the bow at the tree trunk I used an x-acto knife to cut two slits, one on either side so the white ribbon slides right through to tie it. I did practice this before I did it on this card, I wanted to make sure it would work like I thought.

I like cards that are simple to make, you can make quite a few in a short amount of time. I love this mitten background paper, it's so colorful.

This is one of my favorite cards from this batch I made and it's very easy too. Using olive green ink I used the French Script stamp on vanilla cs and then stamped the tree using mahogany ink. I put a clear brad at the top of the tree and inked the edges with the mahogany ink.
I've had the mitten stamp for a year or so and have always wanted to use embossing ink and powder for a card. I used the small and large tag punches and a silver eyelet at the top of the tag punch so I could put ribbon through it.

Here is a closer picture of the mitten tags, hopefully you can see the embossing better.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Organization of My Craft Space

2009-11-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

I just realized that in my August 19th post titled My Craft Space - Before and After, I said I would post pictures once I got all my craft products put away and organized.

I finished organizing everything a few weeks ago and what really got me started was organizing my card stock into basic colors. I used to spend so much time looking through my cs for colors it was getting frustrating for me. Now I can find the colors I want very easily.

This is my general work space with the craft table and all my inks, ribbons, pens, buttons, etc. are on my craft table. I really like the way it turned out and think I used the space wisely.

Here is a close up of the area with Tim Holtz Distress Inks, powders and crackle paint. I got the little pails you can see on the right hand side at Target for $1.00. I have the green Jingle Bell gift bag visible to remind myself to make a few this year instead of buying them. It adds another personal touch to gifts and is really quite simple once you look at how it's constructed.

When I was looking through all my craft stuff and deciding what I wanted to keep and give away, I came across a label maker. I went to town using it as you'll see in the pictures below.

The square pink apple container is also from Target for $1.00 and I used it for my embossing powders. The small pails and square containers are great for pens, embellishments and other small craft things you want to keep within reach. And the price is right!

The only thing I bought was the 3 drawer cart which holds my ribbons, punches and craft accessories. Of course I labeled the drawers, that label maker was fun to use, who knew.

All the stamps I've kept here with me in the cottage are stored in plastic bins. The rest are in storage. This is the first time ever I've organized my craft space and it makes me wonder why I never did it before. I've done it now and am very very happy with it :o)

Now it's time to continue stamping holiday cards.

Owl Christmas Cards

2009-11-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

I've started making Christmas cards now so I wanted to share the first few I've made. My Aunt Carol has always loved owls so I wanted to start off making my Christmas cards for her. I got this Christmas Owls stamp set from My Favorite Things http://www.mftstamps.com/ in their Bubble Bin, which are products at a discount. Not only do I love the main owl stamp but the two sentiments are cute too, Owl be home for Christmas and Hope your holidays are a hoot!

I stamped the owls and ornaments with black ink and hand painted the owls, hats and ornaments in various color combinations. Since I hand painted these cards I decided to use a sealer so the colors don't fade over time. I used Krylon Workable Fixatif which is good when using paints, pencil, pastels, charcoal, etc.

For the first card I used blue, red and white cs. I stamped the blue cs with a snowflake using Versamark. This product is what gives the background of the card a watermark feel. I have a small star punch which I decided to use around the sentiment of the card. I think it ties together nicely with the star ornaments.

With all the white parts of the owl hats on these cards I used a 2 Way Glue Pen. To the parts I wanted sparkly I used the glue pen, then sprinkled the glitter on top and tapped it off. You say see the glitter hats better on this close up picture.

For this next card I used red yellow, blue and white cs. I used a frame punch on the four corners of the yellow cs. I also used the photo corner punch on the red and yellow cs. The red photo corner is at the bottom right of the white owl cs and the yellow one is at the bottom right of the sentiment. I must admit that when I first saw this punch in various classes I took I didn't think it would be one that I would use. But I like using it because it gives just a hint of a different color where ever it's used.

Here is the third card I made using pink (one of my favorite colors), grass green and white cs. I used a crimper to get the ripple effect on the pink cs. These are non-traditional Christmas colors but I like the color combinations.

I'll be making more cards in the next day or two and will be trying new techniques too so stop by again soon.

Pat Me on the Back

2009-11-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

I was looking at other peoples crafting projects on their blogs and have seen some with slideshows of their craft projects. I like that feature because it shows the various cards and other projects I've made over the last year or two. Since I've only been blogging since February of this year the slideshow gives visitors a chance to see more projects I've made, other than what I've blogged about.

I attempted and succeed (Yeah!!) to add a slideshow of my cards to my blog. I was getting a bit frustrated in the beginning because the width of the slideshow widget was too wide for my blog column so I needed to figure out how to get the appropriate size. With a little research and alot of patience I found the information I needed and voila, I did it!!

I am not a techee so it tends to take me a little longer to figure things out but I did, so pat me on the back!!

Itty Bitty Accordion Card

2009-10-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

When I have extra time in Fresno I enjoy going to Borders to browse the craft magazines to see what's new and get ideas. A few months ago I picked up the Stampers' Sampler Take Ten, Summer 2009 magazine and saw a feature about Itty Bitty Accordion cards and have wanted to make one ever since. My girlfriend Divina's 40th birthday is in November and so I decided to take on the challenge and make one for her. I'll definitely be making more of them!

I am pretty happy with the finished product pictured below and learned alot during the whole process.

Since the article didn't give any instructions, besides the various sizes of the panels of the cards shown, I had to figure out how to configure and attach the panels to make the accordion and how to close the accordion to make the card presentable.

I knew I wanted the word "birthday" inside so I needed 8 panels for the letters, 1 panel for the front and 1 panel at the back of the card to write a birthday sentiment. I needed a total of 10 panels and the size I chose for each panel is 2 3/4" (Now I know why they didn't include instructions, this is proving very difficult to explain!). I made a total of 3 segments, scored at 2 3/4" and bent the appropriate way to form the accordion.

Since it was my first time making this card I found it helpful to draw out my concept of the panels. I am a visual person and it helped me formulate what I wanted my card to look like. I then started decorating the 8 panels using the french script stamp, green embossing ink, clear powder and the embossing heat tool. Embossing is what gives the french words the shine you can see. I put a post it on the first and last panels to remind myself not to emboss them, I'll be decorating them later.

Each "birthday" letter was stamped in Rose Red, alternating Pretty in Pink and Rose Red solid cs. I then used the french swirl and postmarks stamps with green ink and stamped around the letter. I attached the solid cs to the patterned paper. I used the ticket corner punch on both the the solid and pattered paper before adhering them together.

The picture the below is a close-up of the end of the card with the last panel left blank for the birthday sentiment.

Here are the 3 segments after I decorated them (the picture quality isn't too great).

Next I decorated the front panel, first stamping the background with green ink and the french swirl and postmark stamps. The 4 and 0, exclamation point, crown and hearts are all Tim Holtz Grungeboard products "painted" with his Distress Crackle Paints. I added the silver heart charm to the crown attaching it with a silver jump ring. I closed the itty bitty accordion card using a clip and to make it more feminine I tied white and rose red ribbons on the clip.

Here is what it looks like laid out as the accordion card. Unfortunately I don't have a nice mantel or bookshelf to display it on but I worked with what I had using my craft table. It turned out pretty good for my first try!

Thanks for taking a look. It's great to be crafting and blogging again!

Addition to my family

2009-10-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

I adopted a kitten on September 26th, her name is Luna and she was 4 months old. She is a domestic short hair and is white almost all over her body except for the splash of gray on top of her head. Her eyes are the most beautiful golden color, one of the things that attracted her to me when I first saw her at Pet Smart.

This is my first time owning a cat, we grew up with dogs because my dad is allergic to cats. After being around my friends cats the last few years I've grown to like them and see that they do have personalities of their own and can be affectionate like dogs, just in a different way.

One of her favorite games is for me to roll the ball into the paper bag and I say "get the ball". Instead of just going in the bag and getting the ball she walks around it and paws the sides and back of the bag before she jumps in to get the ball. It makes me laugh every time she does it!!

Since I moved out to the country to a cottage, this is the perfect environment for Luna to have birdie TV. All she has to do is look out the various windows and she sees many types of birds flying about. One of her favorite spots to look for birds in the morning is the bathroom window because she can get so close to them. In the afternoon the same window provides a great sunny place to take a nap, as seen in the picture below.

A great closeup of those gorgeous golden eyes.

Of course sleeping is a big part of her day too, she is a cat after all!

I can't believe I've only had Luna one month, it seems like I've had her for a few months at least. She is a sweetheart (most of the time!) and I am so glad that I adopted her.

I'm back...

2009-10-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't quite been myself these past few months. I've been going through some personal stuff and wasn't doing things I enjoyed such as reading, blogging, crafting, etc. I've come through the experiences with a better understanding of myself and am ready, once again, to start participating and enjoying life.

Today I actually started to make a mini accordion card for a girlfriends 40th birthday. I saw a few examples of one in a magazine a few months ago and have wanted to make one ever since. It's my first time making this type of card so it took a while for me to get started. I'll share my experience and pictures when I'm finished with the project, probably sometime in the next few days.

It feels good to be back.

Card Making with Rose, Part 1

2009-08-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Rose wanted to learn how to make stair step cards so I went to her house last Saturday to teach her. I brought a few stamp sets, punches, cs (including dsp) and ribbon for her to use.

Rose and her husband Larry had their own advertising business when they lived in the bay area years ago so I knew she would be very creative in card making.

Here are the components she used making her first card. She stamped and used partial punched pieces and parts of the stamped images. I had never seen this done before and I really like the idea.

Another great idea Rose had was to decorate the back side of the card as shown in the second photo below. Since the card is decorated in the back, no matter which angle you're looking at it from you always see the art work.

Rose stamped the top note die and added the one heart flower. I love the cards simplicity and cs color combination. It was great for me to observe Rose's creativity and to see what she did with it.

Go to Part 2 to see the second stair step card Rose made.

Card Making with Rose, Part 2

2009-08-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

For the second stair step card Rose stamped the flower branches along the front and back of the second and third steps. She also cut dsp and used the lace border punch and then scored it so it undulated the steps. This is one of my favorite techniques that Rose did, she is great at thinking outside the box.

Roses stamping Buddy :o)

As with the first card Rose stamped the back sides of this stair step card too. I love fleur de lis.

On the front of the first step she used one petal of the 5 petal punch to make the indentations, attached dsp and stamped Thank You on the dsp. I love the way this card flows, the components all come together at the last step. Great job Rose!

Here is how it looks coming out of the envelope.

Here are the 2 stair step cards Rose made, I love both of them!!

Rose wants me to teach her more card techniques so stay tuned for pictures in the future.

My Craft Space - Before and After

2009-08-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

I moved to a cottage in Coarsegold in July and figured I'd had enough weight lifting looking through boxes and bins for craft stuff. I was making cards on the small living room table and it was driving me crazy. Here is a before picture of how my craft area looked...

and drum roll please...here is how it looks now :o)

Today I'm starting to look through my 4 boxes of craft stuff, sorting it and deciding how I want to store it in this space. To get extra storage space, I stacked two wine boxes horizontally I got from Mel. I put them on an end table which also has a shelf on the bottom for me to use. The smaller wine box on the left hand side of the craft table has small shelves to put "things" on, small containers of buttons, brads, etc. which will be easy to reach.

I am a visual person so the more I can see the more ideas I get and my creative juices start flowing.

I love this pink lipped flying fish I got from Shadzz in Redwood City years ago. When you drop it onto a hard surface it's makes the sound of a child laughing and you can't help but laugh :o) It was a savior when I went to trial in Boston years ago, laughing is good medicine. Plus it's just so colorful!

Panning around to the right this shows a framed picture which was a gift I received from Larry last year. The picture and Larry's saying "Maturity is nature's reward for making an effort" has a special meaning to me and reminds me how the hard work I've done on myself over the years has paid off.

Below the picture is a blue bin on wheels which has some of the first stamps I bought when I started making cards. I'm going to look through these stamps to see which ones I haven't used and will give them away to my crafting girlfriends. The 3 drawer wicker chest is great for storage of my craft stuff and printer paper and inks.

This final picture shows the desk where I sit at my computer. It's right below a window that looks out to the countryside. If the window is open I can hear various birds and critters in the trees and bushes scurrying about. Nice sounds of the country.

Once I get my craft stuff sorted and put away I'll take a few more pictures to share.

Bay Area Trip July 2009

2009-08-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

When I went to the bay area I was having such a great time visiting with everyone I didn't take as many pictures as usual. I decided to group what pictures I did take into 3 collages.

The first collage I titled "Papa's Garden in Belvedere". Their backyard looks out onto the Belvedere lagoon where people canoe, sail and swim. My dad loves to garden and when they moved here a few years ago he created a few different gardening areas in their backyard. I love the flower in the middle, it looks like a star burst. The flags hanging off the porch in the backyard are Norwegian and Danish, part of his ancestry.

We lived in Belvedere up on the island 1970 to 1975, when I was 12 to 17 years old. Those 5 years were the longest time we stayed in one place, we moved around alot. This area holds alot of good memories for me, it's where alot of "firsts" happened, first kiss, first love, learned to drive, first serious boyfriend, etc. So when I visit my parents I often think about the time we lived here and smile.

Kris Werner, a friend from my freshman year at Redwood HS found me on Facebook. When I go to the bay area at the end of this month we're going to get together and reminisce, though her memory is alot better than mine. She's going to bring Redwood HS yearbooks, mine got lost in the many moves. Talk about a blast from the past!

This collage I call "People and Places in the Bay Area". I visited a few times with Darcy and 3 month old Ruby in Redwood City, what a precious gift she is. When I visited with Melanie in the East Bay we went to Caspers Hot Dogs http://www.caspershotdogs.com/ . I'd heard of them from a friend here in Coarsegold so I had to go. We went to the one in Hayward and I'm eating a Kraut dog, it was really good! My last visit was with Jerrold, we met at his place in SF and went out to our favorite Italian restaurant we found about a year ago. It's called Paradise Pizza & Pasta http://paradisepizzaandpasta.com/ and they have THE best pizza!!

My last collage is titled "Canine's and Feline's of the Bay Area". Friends and family are a big part of my life but so are friends dogs and cats. The yellow lab is Buffy and I've known her since she a puppy, we go way back. Every time I visit Gerri and Dennis in MP she starts wagging her tail when she sees me. It's amazing to me that she remembers me and my voice, even when it's been over a year since I last saw her.

The top picture is of Jerrold and his precious Tess, he got her from the pound when she was 11 months old and she's now almost 11 years old. Tess has moved with Jerrold alot over the last decade and she's been a great companion to him.

Mila is the black dog and Brian and Divina got him from the pound too. Her prize possession is the tennis ball which she is either playing with by herself or waiting for me to get off the computer so I can throw the ball for her. The picture of Mila in the upper right hand corner is when she's spotted a reflection of light on the ceiling or the wall. She's so funny, she stops dead in her tracks to looks to see where the light is moving and then she'll run after it. It's too funny for words!!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and narrative. I'll be going to San Jose at the end of the month to pet/house sit for 10 days. I plan on taking alot more pictures and blogging as I go, at least that's the plan!

Pictures of Ruby

2009-07-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

I'm in the bay area visiting friends and family until August 1st when I return home to Coarsegold.

My first visit was with Darcy and her 3 month old Ruby. I've seen pictures of Ruby but this is the first time I've seen her in person She sure is a charmer and a cutie too! I thought I'd take more pictures of Ruby but I was so mesmerized observing mother and daughter that I didn't even think of taking pictures. It sure is a special bond between a mother and a child and I'm happy I was able to visit with the two girls for an extensive amount of time over 2 days. It was great catching up with Darcy and seeing her little angel Ruby, her smile lights up the room!

I snapped the picture below just as Ruby was getting ready to sneeze, it's kinda cute and good timing on my part.

This next picture of her is how she looks after she's been fed, very content and just looking around.

This last picture shows one of her favorite things to do. She LOVES to put a few fingers in her mouth at a time and even tries to put her whole fist in too.

I'm going to visit Darcy and Ruby next week for a few hours, I'm really looking forward to it. Also, Darcy took a few pictures of me holding Ruby so when I receive them I'll post them here.

Crankbunny Etsy Site

2009-07-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

My friend Rose sent me an email with a link to Crankbunny's Etsy site (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5049568) and I want to share it with you all. This woman is very creative and sells pop-up cards, paper puppets and other things. Check out the link above.

My favorite pop-up cards are Let Them Eat Cake (the whole thing is just so clever)

and Red Blooming. The color of the flower is so vibrant, I could see it on a desk or table on display.

I want to see what she comes up with in the future so I've added Crankbunny's blog to my Craft Links on my blog.

My favorite thing about blogging is sharing websites, pictures, thoughts, etc. with everyone, it's alot of fun!!

The Shires are Here!

2009-07-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

I went out to water the lawn this morning I heard the shires out in the field so I ran inside to get my camera of course. Ellen and Patrick board horses here on their land and the shires were brought here over the weekend when I wasn't here.

As you can see there are two adults and one baby shire.

I don't know why horses face opposite each other like this, maybe it's to keep each other cool while fanning each others faces with their tails? Don't think so but let me know if you know.

They are really BIG, alot bigger than horses. The adult tan and creme shire let me pet his nose for a while then backed off. The chestnut colored shire wasn't interested in being petted at all, not this time anyway.

The baby shire really liked it when I pet his nose, especially with both hands. He's a sweetie but needs a little bit of a comb on his hair up front, it was all matted and had weeds in it. Only a human female like me would think like that!

They are beautiful animals and it's nice to have them a stones throw from the cottage.

I've Moved Cards

2009-07-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

I made five of these moving cards and am sending them only to a few people, even though I sent out an e-mail with my new mailing address information. I've never used this stamp set before and I really like it. I enjoyed using my paint brushes, water and the different ink colors on the chair stamp and the items on and surrounding the chair. Below is a picture of all the components I used. I got the idea of using the housing rental want ads from another moving card I saw, it's such a clever idea I had to use it.

Below is a close-up of the stamp using three different ink colors which I then matched with the corresponding cs. Since I couldn't find an I've Moved stamp (they all said We've Moved) I printed them from the computer. I used regular printing paper but you can also put cs through the printer. I used the large and small tag punches and an eyelet and you have your tags. They're very quick and easy to make.

Here is the card assembled. I like the blue card the best but then I'm partial to blue.

Bogart and Mace

2009-07-10T23:30:00.000-07:00

I finally found the cable that connects to my camera and uploaded the pictures from pet sitting last week.

Mace the cat didn't do this the first time I pet sat but this time, whenever I was on the computer he would try and jump up on the desk where the computer was all the while talking to me so I understood what he wanted. To deter him from doing this I put some pillows on a chair and placed it next to my chair. He always laid on the chair when I was at the computer and even a few times when I wasn't. He'd sit on the chair and look out the sliding glass door or in most cases sleep like he's doing in this picture. I think he liked it there. For some reason I love it when cats curl up like this.

Here is a picture of Bogart the dog waiting for me to pet him. He is such a sweetie and so lovable and just loves it when I rub his tummy. He's fed twice a day and the first night I forgot he needed to be fed in the evening, but he had his way of reminding me. Around 5:00pm he would get all hyper and excited and kept running back and forth into rooms until I realized why. He's one smart cookie, especially when it comes to feeding time!!

I wasn't able to upload the video I took of my place. I've had problems uploading quite a few times and I need to check the Blogger Help section before I try it again. Also, I need to read the directions for the camera on how to take a movie, it was going in and out of focus and that's not fun to look at.

Finished Moving

2009-07-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I posted here on my blog, it seems like a month ago! I forgot how taxing and draining moving can be, both physically and emotionally, but I got it done. Yeah!

I did some pet sitting last week and this past Sunday I finally spent the first night in my cottage. It's been a rough few days but I'm making progress and am getting things organized here at home.

I took some pictures of Mace and Bogart, the pets I did sitting for last week. And this morning I took a video of the chaos in my cottage, for a before and after look at it. Now all I have to do is find the cable that connects the camera to my computer, that may take a day or two but I'll upload everything when I find it.

As William Langland wrote in 1377 "Patience is a virtue".

Pictures

2009-06-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

I've been sorting and packing boxes for my move and have come across some pictures I want to share now that I'm blogging.

This is a picture taken about 1958/1959 of me in my papa's arms in Endicott, New York, which is where I was born. The color of the leaves are so beautiful and with my dad smiling it's a great picture. In August 2005 I took a trip with my parents to visit the home we lived in when I was born, which is where this picture was taken. We visited alot of other places relevant to my mom and dads upbringing but I'll share those pictures at a later date.

The picture below is dated July 1961 and I'm 2 1/2 years old. I thought we lived in Los Angeles 1960 - 1969 but I don't remember living in any brick houses in LA. It could be in Alabama when my dad was still in the military, it's where Scott, my younger brother was born. In any event I really like the picture, aren't I cute and so innocent looking?!!

This picture is of my mom holding three chickens. It doesn't have a date though I think it was taken on the farm in New Bremen, Ohio, maybe on a trip home from when she was attending Ohio State University. My mom has many stories about living on the farm though she doesn't like to talk about most of them.

That's all I have to share for now, more to come later.

Card Technique Class

2009-06-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Ellen held the first of many card techniques classes to come. It was last Saturday evening and we learned four different techniques.

The first is Reverse Masking which is the center circle part of the card. Also, Ellen had punched some flowers out that we adhered to the cs with dimentional's. I love it because it's very easy to do and I love pink at the moment, it's very girly.

The next technique is Bleach Stamping which is seen on the dark brown cs below. This technique can be done with just about any stamp set but works best with non-solid stamps, ones that have outlines as you can see below.

The third technique is Brayered Rose using the Manhattan Flower die. For this technique the raised portion of the flower is faced DOWN onto the work surface and the rubber brayer is used to apply the different colored inks. The possibilities are endless with this technique because you can use whatever ink combinations you like. I am definitely going to make more of these in the near future, they are very and pretty and very easy to make.

The last technique is Faux Silk using tissue paper with StazOn ink. We also used the Aqua Painter to fill in the butterfly and leaves with various colors of ink. I like to use a paint brush to color in stamped images because it doesn't bleed as you can see in the image below. Of course this partially happened because we're using tissue paper instead of regular weight cs. This is also my first time using the Aqua Painter so with more practice I'm sure I'd be able to control the ink bleeding. It's all a matter of preference and what you're most comfortable using.

We all have a small binder where we put these 6" x 6" card sample techniques and directions so we can refer to them in the future. It's a great idea and I hope to incorporate more techniques in my cards.

It was a fun class with the gals and I'm looking forward to the next technique class. That's all folks!

Masculine Cards

2009-06-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some masculine looking cards I made with a great stamp set from Stampin' Up called Sense of Time. The set includes the clock,clock gears and two great sayings which I'll use inside the cards. I used Tim Holtz products which I like because it brings a different level of creativity to my projects and really challenges me to think outside the box. He is so creative and his products bring a vintage look to cards, tags and other craft projects. He has alot of YouTube video's where he talks about how to use his products and techniques to use too.

For these cards I used Distress Embossing Ink (which is clear) with the 2 Distress Embossing Powders (I'd like to get more!). Since I'd never used the Embossing Powders before, I used a small stamp for the first few tries until I got the hang of it. The neat thing about using the Distress Embossing Powders is that it gives a texture of fine sand paper to your project. It's fun to play with. I also experimented with various Distress Inks to see which color combinations I liked.

I made this card for my dad for Fathers Day. I challenged myself to use colors that weren't too dark and yet keep it masculine. For the clock face I used the Distress Embossing Ink and the Walnut Stain Embossing Powder. The edge and clock face I used Vintage Phot Distress Ink. For the second hand I used an antique brass brad in the center. The Love key is a Tim Holtz product which added a nice antique embellishment to the card. The brown button is tied with neutral twine. I really like how it turned out and I think my dad will like it to.

For this masculine birthday card I used the same procedure for the clock mentioned above. I used a silver brad for the second hand center and at the four corners of the card. I used the Weathered background stamp which helped give it an aged look. I stacked a brown and creme colored button together and adhered it with a glue dot. For the Best Wishes sentiment I used the Distress Embossing Ink with Fire Brick Embossing Powder. I really like how this card turned out, everything came together nicely.

Here is another birthday card I made using the blue instead of the brown on the Fathers Day card. It brings a totally different look to the card. This blue ribbon I wanted to use had two white stripes in the middle. I didn't like how it looked with the rest of the card so I put the narrow brown ribbon ontop of it and tied it into a knot. I think the blue and brown of the ribbon ties the whole card together.

Happy card making everyone!

The Simple Things

2009-06-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

I usually don't blog about my personal life but this is important enough that I want to share it. The pics below of the lavender I bought at the Clovis Farmers Market Friday night are a symbol of where I'm at in my life, though I didn't realize it until this morning.

When I lived in the bay area, before I moved to Clovis, I had flowers in a vase at my place practically every week. I'd buy them at the grocery store, farmers market and other places, how can one not be happy when they see flowers?

I'm in such a good place right now that for the first time since I moved to Clovis, I instinctively bought the lavender. Not only do I smile when I see it, the fragrance is wonderful and very soothing. I can honestly say that this is the happiest I've been in my life and it's a choice I've made, to be happy. To me, now, it's the simple things in life that make me happy, such as a vase of flowers, visiting and talking to friends and family, crafting, volunteering and playing with dogs & cats.

In order to be able to make the choice of happiness for myself, I've been traveling down a long road these past years. I've gone through alot of hurt and pain in dealing with issues and along the way had the support of good friends and counseling to see me through. Obviously it's not pleasant dealing with the pain and hurt but it's part of the journey to be able to get to the place where I can make the choice to be happy. I can honestly say it's well worth the journey!!

I strongly believe that happiness comes from within, it's not the material things that makes one happy, such as the big house, a car, flat screen tv's, etc.

I've been thinking alot about a conversation I had with Larry and it went something like this "so how are you doing Kristen?" I said with a big grin on my face "I'm doing great, I'm really happy with my life right now". He said "that's amazing considering you don't have a job, you're not in a relationship, I'm moving to a very small studio, etc." It took me a second to understand what he was saying and then he said "You've made a choice to be happy" and it brought tears to my eyes.

Life is grand and I hope you all are enjoying the simple things in your life.

Coarsegold Heritage Museum Event

2009-06-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Rose and I shared a vendor table at the Coarsegold Heritage Museum event this past Saturday. It's a fundraiser for the museum and they have a band and barbecue and people bring lawn chairs. During the last few years they've added vendors to the event.

Larry, Roses husband, made this great sign explaining the art of felting. It attracted alot of attention and alot of people came over to read it and then looked at our table.

Here is a pic of Rose with her felted bracelets, necklaces and pin cushions on display. She got quite a few compliments on her unique designs and alot of people took her business card.

Here is a close-up of some of Rose's felting items.

Following is a pic of my half of the table with my various cards in the two baskets and a few boxes and cards on display. I learned quite a few things being a vendor for the first time and will definitely do things differently next time. It was a great learning experience.

Along the side of the school house they hung handmade quilts. They are really beautiful and the picture doesn't do them justice.

All in all it was a great time had by all!

My Paper Wallet Pictures

2009-06-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

A friend wanted to see pictures of the paper wallet I made at class Tuesday night so here they are :o) The wallet is made with Chocolate Chip textured cs.

To give the outside of the wallet a crocodile look we did the following:
- used VersaMark
- covered it with Clear Embossing powder
- embossed
- used a bone folder to make the curvy, uneven lines

The picture below shows the inside of the wallet. On the left you can put two standard size gift cards, coupons, etc. in the slots. On the right hand side a "window" is made to put a sentiment or picture. This "window" measures 3 1/4" x 1 3/4". There is also room for money, just like a regular wallet.

It's a neat project!

A Few More Patriotic Cards

2009-06-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

I made two more patriotic cards today I want to share. I used the photo corner punch on Real Red cs to offset the white stars and blue background on the flag. It adds just a touch of color so the flag stands out on the Brilliant Blue cs background. I used dimensional's on the flag to give it some depth. For the first time I used the Hero Arts Alphabet set that was given to me for Christmas. I really like the font and size of the letters, it's kind of playful. I also used dimensional's on the USA sentiment.

For this second card I used the weathered background stamp with black ink on Real Red cs. The top note is Brilliant Blue cs and I placed it vertically on the card. I used VersaMark on the star stamp from the Hero Arts Alphabet Letters set (a second set of letters given to me for Christmas) on Brilliant Blue cs. I Attached red and white ribbon around the top note, adhering it with silver brads. I attached the two patriotic sentiment stamps to the top note using dimensional's.

I really like the weathered stamp as a background and have other patriotic cards I want to use it for. Don't know if I'll get to it in the next few days, at some point I need to stop making cards and organize and price them for the craft booth in Coarsegold on Saturday.

This all has been very fun and I look forward to posting cards on a more regular basis. I think I found my crafting groove :o)

His & Hers Paper Wallets

2009-06-03T17:46:00.001-07:00

At our craft class last night one of the projects was to make a mans paper wallet. It's a great gift for graduations, Father's Day, birthdays or just about any occasion.On the left hand side of the wallet there are 2 slots for gift cards, coupons, or whatever you want to put in there and the right hand side has a "window" where a sentiment, picture, etc. can be inserted. Also, there is a slot for money, just like a regular wallet.

If you'd like to purchase the tutorial for both the men and woman's wallets, it's only $10 for the 18 page tutorial which includes color pictures. Here is the link http://pattystamps.com/pattys_stamping_spot/2009/05/fabulous-wallets-tutorial-available.html

For the second project of the evening, the rest of the class made Father's Day cards which I did not participate in. I stayed and gabbed with the girls while they made their cards. That's never happened to me in a craft class before but I think that I was tired and a little burnt out on making cards. In hind sight it would have been a good idea to make a few FD cards for the craft booth this weekend but I just wasn't in the mood. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy making cards but I've never made as many cards in such a short time. It has motivated me to open up shop in Etsy, I'll let you know when that happens, probably some time in the next few weeks.

(Something weird is going on with my blog font, tried to fix it but to no avail).

Service Memories Website

2009-06-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy sharing websites I like with you all so here is another one.

I get the Service Memories monthly newsletter which is filled with new products as well as techniques, and other great tid bits of information to use for various projects. You can search for products by branch of service which includes all the armed forces, firefighters, law enforcement, etc.; and they have rubber stamps too. They have great products such as: die cuts; various embellishments; paper for the Revolutionary War up to Iraqi Freedom; etc.

Here is their website, you should take a look http://www.servicememories.com/

Also, I added their blog to my blog list.

Happy Birthday Card

2009-06-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

I made five of these cards Monday night and they're very easy to make. The ice cream scoops are made by using the scallop punch and you just choose which "flavors" you want. On the pink scoop I used the piercing tool and on the chocolate scoop I used faux pearl rhinestone stickers from Michael's. For the ice cream cone I painted it freehand making the diamond shapes.

The card looks crooked but it's just the way I took the picture.

Patriotic Cards

2009-06-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

I made four patriotic cards, three using the Top Note die and the Big Shot (thank you again Ellen). This is my first time using it with my own projects, I've used it many times in craft class. I can see why everyone likes it so much. Below is a picture of the Top Note die.

Here is the first card I made with the die cut. I cut White, Real Red and Brilliant Blue cs into
4 1/4" x 11" strips to run through the Big Shot. As the cs base for the flag I used white, you can also use red or blue. With the red die cut I positioned it length wise and cut 3/8" strips and adhered every other one to the white cs base to get the red stripes. I then made the blue corner by cutting the blue die cut into four pieces. I used my star punch on white cs and put a red jewel brad in the center. I put the red ribbon top to bottom on the side and a card was born, not bad for the first one.

This next card was easy to make and uses the same cs colors as above, White, Real Red and Brilliant Blue. Instead of using the top note die itself I used the leftover part, which looks like a window after being run through the Big Shot. Following is a picture of what that looks like after I put the die through twice with one strip of cs.

Ever since I saw the frame (what I call it) I knew it could be used on some card project instead of throwing it away. It has endless possibilities with all kinds of stamps to frame. For the card below I used dimensional's on the flag stamp and blue eyelets on the right hand side of the card.

With this next card I used red as the base cs and white 3/8" strips as the flag stripes. I did this because I wanted to see if it made a difference using white or red as the cs base and to me it doesn't make a difference. I used a different star punch for this flag and added a USA paper clip for decoration. The background of the card is So Saffron cs using the Textured plate and the Big Shot. I adhered the red white and blue ribbon using the red star eyelets. I like the Saffron cs with the flag colors, don't know why but I just do :o)

This last card is my favorite of these four cards I made. I like old, rustic pictures, stamps, etc. and this one of the American flag is great. I inked the stamp with blue then red, breathed on it to give it moisture and then stamped it on white cs. I tore all four edges of the white cs to help give it a worn look. A few months ago I saw this red ribbon at Pocket Full of Treasures and got it because I knew I'd use it at some point. It gives texture and color to the card that I like. The sentiment was stamped on white cs using blue ink and framed in red. I used dimentional's on both the flag and the sentiment.

For some reason this flag stamp is difficult to get a usable image from. I had to use my rubber brayer a few times to get this image. It was well worth it to me. I've decided I'm going to make another one of these cards so I can keep this one.

Cards Using Daisie Flower Die

2009-05-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

I've started making cards again, last night I made 3 cards. For the first two I used Ellen's Big Shot and Daisie die. The Daisie die is seen in the picture below.

The picture below shows the various cs and DS paper after the die has been run through the Big Shot.

Here are the two cards I made using the Daisie die. I used buttons for the flower center and the eyelet border punch to give both cards a feminine touch. I also used my butterfly punch and made a three dimensional butterfly for each card. I usually include a sentiment on the front of my cards but I decided not to because I like the simplicity of it. I think the butterfly and flower is enough, otherwise it may look too cramped.

The third card I made used the Manhattan Flower die mentioned in my May 5, 2009 post. I cut out the flowers and adhered it to Apricot cs. I stamped the Best Wishes sentiment in Regal Rose on white cs and used the scallop oval punch. I tied white ribbon (I got at Michael's) around the card and voila, another card.

I'll be making cards every day this week through Friday so I'll be posting my projects daily. Tomorrow I'll post patriotic cards.

House and Pet Sitting

2009-05-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

I just got through house/pet sitting for 5 days for Cid and her family while they took a trip to Washington State. Their dog Bogart and their cat Mace were alot of fun. I've actually never met a cat so friendly. Of course I took some pictures of them, though my camera was acting up.

Here is Bogart, he likes to nap and sleep under the bed and he always thinks its feeding time no matter what time of the day or night it is. He likes to eat so much I found him eating the cat food a few times :o) Also, he has a dog door in one of the kids bedroom so he can go outside at any time. In the morning before it got too warm I would outside to water the potted plants and Bogart would go out the sliding door with me. On every occasion he would go back in the house and be at the sliding door again wanting to come outside again. I thought that was so funny, guess it was a treat to go out the sliding door. He's a cutie and very loving and affectionate dog.

Mace the cat and I became friends instantly. He would sit on my lap while I was on the couch watching TV. He'd sit facing me and would kneed my stomach with his two front paws and be purring away. Mace is a talker too, a few times each day he's look at me and meow and I thought he wanted to be let out into the garage to use the litter box, but I think he just wanted to "talk". I would meow back (of course) and we "talked" for a minute or so each time. His meow is high and squeaky like a squeaky toy, it's sooooo cute!! Mace would drink water out of Bogart's bowl so they shared their food and water with each other. He'd also sleep on the bed with me at night. Awww!

The more I'm around my friends cats the more they grow on me ~ I grew up with dogs but might have to get myself a cat sometime soon.

Declan, one of the sons, has two geckos in his room and I had to make sure it had water along with the frogs too. The display is real cool because you can take away the faux rock on the outside (held by magnets) to see the gecko's inside. I think that's a real neat display case, how cool is that? I think it's cool.

I have two more pet sitting gigs and another few more possible house/pet sitting jobs. Who knows, maybe I'll start a business. In my life of being unemployed anything is possible, as long as I'm open to it.

Additional Websites for my Blog

2009-05-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ever since I saw the London Vintage Map on the Cornish Heritage Farm website about a month ago I've been thinking about making a shadow box with it. The theme of my shadow box would be Queen Elizabeth I (Tudor times) because she is someone I admire for many reasons, but I'll address that later in a different blog entry.

Since I had the theme for my shadow box I set out to look on the web for additional stamps and embellishments to add to it. I found 3 new websites that I love and want to share them with you. All three website have been added to my blog list.

First is Alpha Stamps (http://www.alphastamps.com/stamps.html). They have vintage Christmas, Children, Theatre, etc. stamps, papers and embellishments. I found two that I really like, thee crowns for my shadow box and I love moons and stars.

The second is Beeswax Rubber Stamps (http://www.beeswaxrubberstamps.com/catalog.htm). They have approximately 35 different categories of stamps, including Fairies and Angels, Cowboys and Indians, Asian, Desert Southwest, Egyptian, etc. A few of my favorites are: an actual stamp image of Queen Elizabeth I (a very accurate depiction of her), Excalibur (great detail) and a Crusader.

The third website is Rubber Trouble (http://rubbertrouble.com/catalog.php). They have approximately 42 categories of stamps including, Mythology, Celtic, Lettering & Calligraphy, Antique & Vintage, etc. A few of my favorites are: a Gargoyle (how cool is that!), Heraldic Shield stamp set where you build your own shield (I can think of many projects where I'd use this and it's only $19.99!) and Ancient Roman map (when I see Germania it always reminds me of the movie Gladiator!).

Even if you're not interested in these types of stamps you should check out these websites. I'm sure you'd find something you like with all the categories of stamps, papers and embellishments. They're all very unique which is one reason why I like them

I'm sure I'll find more websites and when I do I'll continue to share them. Happy crafting...

Easter in May?

2009-05-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

During my visit with Rose and Larry at Coarsegold I was walking in their backyard as I always do, to see what's blooming and what's new. I saw these eggs outside and they look so colorful and remind me of Easter eggs so of course I took a picture. Rose does alot of felting and is making pin cushions out of these eggs. They're solid and the various yarns have been felted and shaped into eggs. She put them outside so they dry all the way through before she cuts them in half to make them into pin cushions. What a great idea, huh? She's made all kind of felted things like handbags, hot pad's, etc. and is making new felted items like pin cushions, jewelry, etc.

Following are more pics of their back and front yards in all it's blooming beauty!

Here is a picture of my favorite non-blooming plant in their backyard, Feathered Mexican Grass. It's beautiful when it sways in the wind, very soothing.

I took a mini movie of it but I'm having trouble uploading to my blog. I'll try later...

Apple Cake

2009-05-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

I went to visit my good friends Rose and Larry in Coarsegold last weekend and stayed for dinner. Dessert was Apple Cake which I've never had before and was really looking forward to,
just look at the pictures!! It was very moist on top and the cake was delicious, it has sour cream in it.

I bet it would be great warmed up and with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

It was very good so I wanted to share the pictures I took and the recipe http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/print?id=328763 .

Enjoy :o)

Stationary Note Box and Cards

2009-05-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of what we made in Tuesday nights craft class with the gals. We made a stationary box and a few cards to put in it. We used Parisian Breeze DSP and various inks, punches, embellishments, stamp sets and ribbon at our disposal.

As you can see from the picture below the stationary box is made in two pieces and then fitted together to form the box to put cards into.

Picasa 3 Collage Feature

2009-05-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here is another neat feature of Picasa 3, you can make collages from your pictures. I made one below of a few of my favorite craft projects, mostly cards but it also includes a few mini boxes and bookmarks I made. It was difficult to make a decision which ones I wanted to put on the collage though I could make a few craft collages. I had no idea I've made as many cards and things until I looked at all my pictures.

It was fun to create this collage and there a few additional features I want to experiment with such as a choice of different borders for the pictures, background color and effects. I'll share more Picasa 3 features as I figure them out.

If you have questions about any of the cards leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Mother's Day Card

2009-05-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the Mother's Day card I sent my mom today, I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. I like the color combination and the simplicity of it, that's my mom. It's the first card I've made using the glossy cs with the Manhattan Flower die. What I like about this card is that I challenged myself to use cs colors I've never crafted with before. Plus I found Regal Rose ribbon (say that fast 3 times!) I didn't realize I had, that's always a nice surprise.

Here is a list of the SU supplies:
Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red and Apricot Appeal
Cs: glossy white, Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose and White
Other: Manhattan Flower Die, Mother's Day Stamp, Background Texture Plate, Regal Rose Ribbon, Ticket Corner Punch and Dimensional's

As you can see from yesterday's post I have a few more cards to make with these roses but I need to get back to making baby announcements for Darcy and Gary. Their daughter Ruby was born about 2 weeks ago but I still want to get the announcements finished within the next week.

Craft Business Cards

2009-05-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get some business cards made for the June 6th Art, Dinner and Music in the Meadow fund raising event sponsored by the Coarsegold Historic Museum. I will be sharing a booth with my girlfriend Rose and want to have business cards to hand out to potential customers, one never knows who will be there.

Since this is my first time ordering craft business cards I decided to ask my two crafty experienced stamping buddies for suggestions and websites. They mentioned the Colorful Images website (http://www.colorfulimages.com/) and Vista Printing website (http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/welcomeback.aspx). They both have great cards but I went with Vista Printing because they have a great sale now where you get 250 business cards for $3.99!! It costs more to ship them than the cards themselves.

It was a hard decision but I finally chose a design, color and font for my business cards, see below.

The reason I chose this one is because it's whimsical and open to interpretation, like crafting is to me. Initially I started out with different flower designs and then this morning I looked through the other business cards I bookmarked and really liked this one so I formatted it and ordered it. Just as easy as 1 2 3...

Roses for Mothers Day Card

2009-05-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

I just finished inking these three different roses for my mother's day card. This is the first time I've done this technique and it's amazing how unique each one is, I really enjoyed experimenting with the different colors.

With glossy card stock I used the Manhattan Flower die run through the Big Shot. I used foam make-up wedges to apply the different inks. At first I applied only two colors to each rose but then added a third color and it really makes the roses pop!

The pic below left uses Perfect Plum, Pale Plum and Regal Rose inks.
The pic below right uses Regal Rose, Rose Red and Apricot Appeal inks.

The pic below uses So Saffron, Ruby Red and Cameo Coral inks.

I plan on cutting the outline of the roses and putting them on cs. Once I get the Mother's Day card complete I'll post a pic before I send it. Can't wait to make more of these using different color combinations.

Jazzing up my blog

2009-05-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

I'll be redesigning my blog over the next few days or so, so bear with me it may look different one day to the next. My favorite colors now are pink or blue and chocolate so we'll see what I come up with. One thing I don't want to do is turn off visitors to my blog with the colors I choose. I also plan on adding a design to my blog header and side columns. I have to do a little research on where to find designs or maybe I'll be more creative and make some of my own.

I'm going to have fun redesigning my blog...

Craft Class Projects

2009-05-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

We had another craft class last night with Ellen and did some fun projects I wanted to share. The first one was decorating a colorful pail purchased by Ellen at the Dollar Store. The colors we got to choose from were yellow, pink and blue and surprisingly I didn't pick the pink one, Cid got it after letting me choose between the pink or blue. I chose blue because it reminds me of the ocean.

The Flowers strip die was used with the Big Shot and attached to the pail with snail (that's fun to say) and then we used the Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the center of a few flowers on each side. I've never used the Crop-A-Dile on metal, it was surprisingly easy. We inserted rhinestone brads into the holes, I chose red and blue. To finish it off we added different colored ribbon to the pail handle. This is how my pail looks now but sometime this month I'll be doing some additional decorating with rub-ons and some other girly beachy decorations to be determined.

Our second project was making an initial tag to put on a purse, as a luggage tag or however we want to use it. We used two different sizes of scallop chipboard and decorated the front and backs with Pink Flamingo DSP. The initials were made with the Naturally Serif strip dies, blue in my case. I had a blue theme in my projects. We did additional decorating on the two scallops, using different flowers Ellen made using punches and the die cuts in alot of different colors. We then used the Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the two scallop chipboard pieces for the ring to hold everything together. I chose a goldish ring color and added ribbon and voila, the project was complete.

Most of the initial tags I've seen have the small scallop infront of the large one like this...

but I didn't want to cover up my initial and the all the beautiful colors so I put the small scallop on the back of the large one with the decorative side facing out, see the right hand pic below. One of the greatest things I've learned about crafting is there is no right and wrong, it's all a matter of personal preference and I like that.

The third and last project was a card making a dress silhouette using the Scallop Circle die cut. The pattern of DSP I chose is from the Rockabilly Speciality set which I love, it's such fun paper. The pic below is of the card and the cardboard scallop circle die cut with the outline of of the dress drawn on it. I will cut out the dress and use it as a template for future cards.

The dress is actually one piece of DSP with Kiwi Kiss ribbon tied around the waist and a flower punch with a red rhinestone brad for a corsage. The sentiment is from the Oval All set, stamped in Riding Hood Red ink and punched out with the Small Oval punch. I then used the Scallop Oval punch on Riding Hood Red cs for the background of the sentiment. The background is from the Urban Garden DSP.

I placed the dress at an angle mainly to allow a space for the sentiment on the front of the card. Plus I don't always like the focal design to be horizontal and vertical, it's good to mix it up every now and again.

Effects Feature on Picasa 3 - Take 2

2009-05-02T13:34:00.001-07:00

It's been bugging me that the pics didn't show up when I posted on April 28th so I've been researching and trying different things. They're really cool pics and I really want to share them. I'm hoping this time it will work so let's s find out :o)

The first row going top to bottom are: the original pic; Sepia effect which is a certain color tone; and the saturation effect which is a real fun one to play around with.

The second row going top to bottom are: Focal B&W effect where you choose where on the picture you want the patch of color applied (upper left hand corner here) to a copy of the black and white pic, neat affect; the tint effect; and the graduated tint (feather and shade)effect, another neat one.

When I preview this post all the pics are there so I'm hoping you can see them too...

Cornish Heritage Farms

2009-05-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

I've been getting the Cornish Heritage Farms newsletter for about six months now and wanted to share their blog with you all incase you don't know about them. I've added their blog to my Blog List too.

What I like about them is the wide variety of stamps they offer, everything from farm/country living (of course), Elvis, nature, sayings, gardening, background stamps, etc. They also have craft supplies too.

My personal favorite stamp is of a vintage map of London England that looks to be around Elizabethan times. It's very detailed with streets, buildings such as abbey's and courts has the Thames river running through it too. I love it because it's so unique and because I love English history during Elizabeth I rein. She was an amazing woman that reined during very difficult times and is someone I admire very deeply. My first impulse was to get the stamp just because (we've all been there) but didn't because I have no occasion to use it, that I can think of at the moment. It's a 6" x 6" stamp so it's pretty big, hmmmm...

Here is a picture of it:

CHF website: http://www.cornishheritagefarms.com/intro.php

CHF Blog: http://becreative.cornishheritagefarms.com/

Effects Feature on Picasa 3

2009-04-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite features (so far) of Picasa 3 is the Effects tab where you can apply 12 different effects to your pictures, creating different color tones, shading, etc. You probably can't see it on these photo's because they're too small but you also have the capability to add text to pictures and you can position it any way you want, on a diagonal, vertical, etc. On my 6 photo's below, in the lower right hand corner, I labeled each pic with the effect I applied.

The first row going left to right are: the original pic; Sepia effect which is a certain color tone; and the saturation effect which is a real fun one to play around with.

The second row going left to right are: Focal B&W effect where you choose where on the picture you want the patch of color applied to a copy of the black and white pic, neat affect; the tint effect; and the graduated tint (feather and shade)effect, another neat affect.

I am having fun fun fun with this...

Picasa 3

2009-04-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

So in my quest to figure out why my blog pics are posting differently, I was looking through Blogger Help and came across a new program I hadn't heard of called Picasa 3. It's a FREE Google photo/video program that is so much better and more versatile than Microsoft's Office Picture program.

Picasa 3 also has a Blogger button to upload pics directly onto my blog, how cool is that!!

I downloaded Picasa 3 and it prompted me to transfer my pictures and now I have alot of different editing tools to work with as well as the capability to make slide shows with captions, album titles, etc. Maybe the Microsoft program had those applications but in Picasa 3 it's accessible and right in-front of you to use.

I'm going to play around with it and see what creative things I can come up with. I'm excited and will post something on my blog soon.

Blogging Issues

2009-04-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

So I don't know if Blogger changed certain features but things haven't been the same for me for the past few weeks. When drafting a post, the actual picture doesn't download like it used to, I get a code instead. I can't link websites anymore and now the clock I added last night doesn't show up.

I added the orange clock which is a fun one but not the one I wanted on my blog.

I'm a little frustrated right now but this too shall pass.

Blog Clock

2009-04-25T22:16:00.001-07:00

I saw that my friend Melanie had a clock on her blog so I did a Google search for free blog clocks and found this great website I wanted to share with everyone. I can't get the link to work here, the website is called Free Flash Clocks Blog, check them out.

I added the blue clock to my blog and I love it. Blue is a very soothing color.

San Jose Sharks Game Tonight

2009-04-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight is a VERY critical game for the San Jose Sharks. They finished #1 in the Western Division and #2 overall (30 teams). They are down 0 - 2 games to the Anaheim Ducks (#8 in the Western Division)in this first round of NHL playoffs. They have the best home record overall and yet lost both games. The next two games will be played in Anaheim.

If they don't win tonight the odds are pretty high they won't even make it to the second round. They have the talent to make it to the next round but I think they lack the confidence. The SJ Sharks veteran players who have been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs are not pulling their weight as they should be, the younger players are scoring the goals and making the hits.

I'm rooting for them all the way!! Let's Go Sharks!!

Read Fresno Mentoring Journal

2009-04-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

At the ReadFresno mentor training we also received a mentoring journal and the mentee's get the same journal as well. Our commitment as a volunteer is a minimum of 1 hour a week for one year so the journal is divided into 4 quarters. As you can see on the picture below for the 1st quarter, it's a pocket so you can put just about anything in there as a keepsake, even our collages folded up.

The pages within each quarter are basically the same, here are a few examples. The orange page is titled My Friendship Comic Strip which has boxes to write and draw in an it's another place to put keepsakes like ticket stubs, etc. The blue page is title Initial Impressions and is a place to express yourself about the mentee/mentor.

The orange page below is for the Weekly Activity Entry with My Friend and let's you rank the level of fun had for that particular activity. It also has questions to answer about the activity and plenty of room to write about it.

The journal also makes suggestions on various activities to do together and ReadFresno also get's ticket donations to various events. There are also empty pages in each section and our trainers said we can switch journals with the mentee and write in each others. I think that's a cool idea and it's a great keepsake, especially for the mentee.

One of the great things about this program is that the parents of the mentee's are the ones who request their children to be in the program. This will create less animosity between the parents and us as the volunteer mentors. I am very excited about being a part of this program!! The children are our future...

My ReadFresno Mentor Collage

2009-04-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

I volunteer at a non-profit organization called ReadFresno (http://www.readfresno.org/) and I went to training last week for their Mentor Program. It was a very informative training and one of the things they had us do is make a collage about ourselves to share with our mentee and our mentee's will be doing the same thing. They had magazines for us to look through at the training so I started mine there and brought it home to finish. When we have our first meeting at the end of the month we will use our collages as an ice breaker to start conversation and get to know each other. I think it's a great idea.

The piece of paper we had to work with is 14" x 11" and initially I wanted to cover the whole piece of paper but decided against it, I want to be able to see the pictures and read it. The collage was alot of fun to make.

Cards Made at Class

2009-04-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

Ellen had a card making class last night and it was alot of fun, we had 4 different projects!! My favorite project is the stair step card below. The first is the card closed, as it would come out of the envelope. The second picture is of the card open, there are hidden decorative pieces that can only be seen when it's opened up. This card has endless possibilities and I can't wait to make more.

The second project is the daisy card using the die cuts and layering the different size petals. We used a yellow corduroy button, love those buttons it's a nice way to add texture to a card.

The third project is using the Manhattan Flower Texture Die with blue and peach cs. Use cs weight vellum, put it between the embossing folder, run it through the Big Shot and you get a raised image. Using small scissors cut away the top right side of the vellum where there is no flower. Use Dotto 1/4" to 1/2" from the left side to adhere the vellum to the cs. Cover the Dotto with ribbon. Stamp the sentiment on contrasting cs and cut it out with the scallop punch. Adhere the sentiment to the upper right hand corner.

Notice how different the card looks using the blue versus peach cs.

The fourth project is a Note Card Box which holds the mini cards and envelopes. These note cards measure 2 3/4" by 2 3/4" and come with matching envelopes. I stamped butterflies or ladybugs in red ink on my cards along with a sentiment in black ink and tied black and white checkered ribbon around each note.

Hope you enjoy looking at these projects as much as I enjoyed making them!!

NHL Playoffs - Go Sharks!!

2009-04-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

I have been a ice hockey fan of the San Jose Sharks since their inception. I learned about the game of ice hockey from my dad who grew up in Buffalo, New York, skating on ice ponds and learning how to play ice hockey with the neighborhood kids. He continued to play ice hockey through college and still skates at the tender age of 78. There are still some rules that I don't understand but I really enjoy the intensity and physical demands of the game and the players too. It's a grrrreat, exciting game to watch.

When you go to a game at "The Tank" in San Jose the picture below is what you see the Sharks players skate onto the rink through, it's an open sharks jaw. In this picture my favorite player of all time, number 12 Patrick Marleau, is skating through the sharks jaw.

The NHL playoffs begin today and the SJ Sharks first playoff game is tomorrow and I can't wait!! They have the team and the record to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals and I hope they'll do it. I am behind them all the way, a true teal fan!!

The Big Shot and Texturz Plates

2009-04-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

I was visiting Ellen at her consignment shop in Clovis and we played around with her Big Shot and the set of three double-sided texturz plates from SU. Here is Ellen’s pink Big Shot which I love of coarse because I’m still on my pink color craze.

The texturz plates create a similar design as dry embossing. I prefer using the Big Shot and texturz plates because there are fewer tools to use than with dry embossing. The different designs are great for all kinds of projects such as bookmarks, cards, mini-boxes and fun to use with punches too!

Here are pictures of the 2 different sides of the three texturz plates…

And this is how they look after the plates are put through the Big Shot…

The one example missing in the above picture is the small dots, which can be seen in my baby announcement blog post below. Pretty cool!!

Baby Announcements for Ruby

2009-04-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here are the two baby announcements I made for Darcy and Gary to choose for Ruby’s birth announcement. I really like the way both of them turned out, they’re very girlie. They liked both of them but picked the one with the feet :o)

I took a picture of the components laid out before I assembled each card. I thought it would be helpful to see how it looked.

Baby Carriage Card Ingredients:

Stamp: baby carriage from Fun & Fast Notes set

Ink: pretty in pink

CS: pretty in pink, whisper white & tea party ds paper

Punches: eyelet, ticket corner & horizontal slot

Accessories: dimensionals, pink duo beads, safety pin, white brads, dress up ribbon, big shot, small polka dot texture plate (dry embossed), pretty in pink ribbon, R cuttlebug die plate

A thank you to Ellen for letting me use her big shot and cuttlebug “R” tag die plate.

Baby Feet Card Ingredients:

Stamp: baby feet & baby word from I’m Here set

Ink: pretty in pink & chocolate chip

CS: pretty in pink, chocolate chip & whisper white

Punches: eyelet & ticket corner

Accessories: dimensionals, white brads, pretty in pink ribbon & white lace ribbon

Big Hat Days in Clovis

2009-04-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

For the first time in the three years I've lived in Clovis, I finally went to the Big Hat Days with my girlfriend Debbie. It's held every year around this time and is one of the largest craft shows in Central California. It's a two-day free event that includes 400 arts and crafts booths, family carnival, music and international food. The weekend event draws over 140,000 people and is held in Old Town Clovis.

I loved the vibrant colors of the tie dye booth so I took out my camera and started taking pictures. Now that I'm blogging I take my camera with me everywhere, you never know when an opportunity might present itself.

It was a beautiful day outside, the sun shining and a slight breeze. Debbie and I shared a warm pretzel with parmasian cheese, it was yummy. The kids seemed to be enjoying the various rides in the carnival.

This is a first for me, your eyes are not deceiving themselves that IS a dog not a child, in the "dog carriage"? I love the pink, that's still my favorite color.

It was a fun day had by all...next up on my To Do list for Clovis is the Rodeo at the end of April. And the Farmers Market too when that starts up.

Baby Announcements

2009-03-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'll be making baby announcements for Darcy and Gary as a gift for their baby girl Ruby who is due mid-March. I made the baby announcement below for my other friends and really had alot of fun making it.

This card is 6 1/2" x 5" of Sahara Sand cs. There is a 2 1/2" strip of Brocade Blue cs. I cut a 2" strip of dot paper and tore the upper and lower edges. I attached the two strips of paper together and tied 1/4" bluebird grosgrain ribbon around the two strips. The baby hand stamp is from the SU set I'm Here. It's stamped on white cs and I sponged around all four sides. It's attached to a square piece of brocade blue cs. I took a small safety pin and alternated white and blue beads and to attach it to the square I taped it to the back of the brocade blue cs. I used dimensional's to attach it to the Sahara Sand cs. M-A-R-C-O is randomly stamped in the lower right hand side of the Sahara Sand card stock.

The inside of the announcement measures 5 3/4" x 4". I used a corner stamp to add a little decoration and printed the birth information on vellum paper on my printer.

I can't wait to do the baby announcements for Darcy and Gary since it will be for a girl. I spoke with Darcy about color combination's she likes and I have some design ideas so it should be fun.

English Mastiff's...BIG Dogs

2009-03-17T19:46:00.001-07:00

I went to Ellen's consignment shop in downtown Clovis today to meet her sister Sharon before she went back home to Benicia. She was in town to visit with her sister Ellen. Here is a picture of the two sisters, Ellen is on the right and Sharon is on the left, great picture!Sharon brought her two English Mastiff's with her and they had alot of fun visiting Ellen and her husband Patrick in Coarsegold. The tan dog is Louie who is 180 pounds and the black one is Ella who weighs 150 pounds. They're both 5 years old and big teddy bears, not what I thought when I first meet them. Being the fearless dog lover I am, I went out to the car to visit them and Louie was barking a pretty ferocious bark. When Sharon came out to the car and they realized I was ok they were wagging their tales and lapping up the attention. It's their size that is intimidating which is hard to see in these photo's.
As you can imagine it was difficult to get both Louie and Ella to sit still enough for Bill to take a few pictures. I think they did pretty good...can't wait to see them and Sharon again!!

Pictures from a day in the country

2009-03-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Coarsegold to visit some friends, on a beautiful sunny day. When I arrived at their house and got out of the car I saw a cat tail hanging off of a chair in the cat "compound". I knew it was Duncan lounging in the sun. Here are a few pictures...
Isn't he a cutie? He has a little brother named Buddy who is a little more feisty and likes to nap in the closet. They're both beautiful Abyssinian cats and alot of fun to be around.

I took a walk around my friends property and snapped a few pictures of wildflowers in bloom...

It's so beautiful and peaceful up in Coarsegold, I love to visit my friends there.

Wish Upon A Hero Website

2009-03-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

On one of those rare occasions I watched ABC News with Charlie Gibson last night, I caught their Person of the Week segment. They featured an organization called Wish Upon A Hero and I was so impressed with their idea I wanted to share it.

"Everyone can help anyone" is their motto. As stated on their website "Wish Upon A Hero is a unique venue for any individual, organization, or company looking to make a difference in someone’s life, or the lives of countless people. Heroes come in all ages and from all walks of life. All of us, from our nation’s most powerful corporations to individual philanthropists, and those with limited financial means, can be someone’s hero."

This is a one of a kind service designed to connect those in need with people that can truly change their lives. You can be the one to grant a wish and/or the one to make a wish.

Giving to others is one of life's biggest rewards.

Check out their link on my blog.

2 More Mini Box's

2009-03-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here are two more mini box's I made for friends. I like to stamp the boxes versus using cs, I feel more creative that way and I can use ribbon too!

Instructions for Mini Box's

2009-03-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures and instructions of how to make the mini boxes. I got the idea from SplitCoastStampers website (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/ghirardellibox). I followed their instructions for the most part but did a few things a little different, which I'll write about here.

You'll notice a difference in the shade of the green cs from the beginning to the end of the pictures. This is because the first set of pictures were taken during the day and the darker ones at night.

With the 4 1/4" x 8" piece of cs positioned short side at the top, score at 1" and 3 1/4". Turn cs length wise and score at 2", 3", 5" and 6" and it will look like the first picture on the left below. The instructions talk about using a ScorPal but of course you can scor the cs in any way. Next, cut off the outer strips to 3" on one end of the cs, creating the box flap. Use a bone folder to make additional creases along the score lines, as seen in the second picture below. The third picture shows the cuts made at the 1" score lines on both sides.

The next step is to add strips of double sided tape to the box flaps as shown below. I used double sided Mounting Tape instead of Scor-Tape as mentioned in the instructions, because it's what I had on hand. Flip the cs over and add ds tape to the 1" tabs as shown in the second picture below. If you're going to stamp the cs, instead of wrapping the box in cs, you should do the stamping now. Make sure to stamp all over the box including the flaps too. The third picture below shows the inward fold of the 1" tabs and the ds tape on the 2" strips.

You're getting close to the end so hang in there. These mini boxes really don't take that long to make, it just seems like it because of the length of the instructions. Once you get the hang of it make a few at a time so you always have some to use for various occasions.

I got off track, let's continue...remove the ds tape liner from the 2" strips and bring the sides together on the outside to form the box. Press firmly along the inside to reinforce the taped tabs. Cut 1" off the box flap. The instructions leave the box flap square, I cut the two sides at an angle as shown below in the second picture, then it's not so boxy! Make a closure for the front of the box. I used the square scallop punch with green cs and I cut out a few shamrocks I stamped with green ink on white cs. As shown in the third picture below, flip the closure over and attach 2 dimensionals near the bottom. I then cut a small strip of Velcro and attach it near the the top of the closure. The Velcro will secure the box flap to the box so the inside contents (candy in my case) don't fall out, it's a little extra security.

I attached Ric Rac with glue dots to the box and here is the finished product.

Don't know how many instructions I'll be posting, I feel like I'm too wordy. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I would appreciate any feedback, positive or negative. Thanks.

St. Patrick's Day Mini Box

2009-03-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the St. Patrick's Day mini box I made for Aunt Carol to send with the card I made her, shown in my previous post.

I got three of these Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares into the box, I think it's so cute. Of course anything small is cute to me!

I took a ton of pictures while I made the box so tomorrow I'll post pics and details of how I made it.

St. Patrick's Day card

2009-03-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

I just finished making this St. Patrick's Day card for my Aunt Carol who lives in Texas. The holiday has alot of meaning for her since she lived in Ireland for many years.

This card came together for me using supplies from various sources. My favorite store to get paper and ribbon is Pocketful of Treasures (http://www.pocketfuloftreasures.com) here in Clovis, only 2 blocks from me!! They have a great selection of ribbon and ds paper and the staff is always friendly and helpful.

I got the stripped background paper and silver brads at PFOT. The heart stamp is from SU and part of a set called Polka Dot Punches. My stamping buddy Ellen (who BTW has a great consignment shop http://www.allofmeconsignments.com/) used the heart stamp with green ink on white cs. She then used the Full Heart punch to make the hearts. Ellen stamped and punched a total of 9 hearts for me, what a stamping buddy :o) To make the stem for the clover I used the "extra" hearts to cut them out. I cut a total of two hearts until I got a stem I liked, it was well worth it.

This is the first time I used this sentiment and it won't be the last, I really like it. I used one of the SU clips and the white Dress Up Ribbon. I was set to get ribbon at PFOT and took one last look at my ribbon stash and saw the DUR. I took a close up picture of the ribbon to show the texture which is more like cotton. It's very lacy looking and it adds another Irish dimension to the card. It actually reminds me of lace curtains we had when we lived in Europe during my teenage years. I'll definitely be getting more of this SU ribbon.

I don't always decorate the inside of cards but decided to with this one because my Aunt is very special to me. It's simple but I like it that way. To make the background I used the crimper on light green cs. I then used the Celtic border stamp with light green ink on white cs. I was very nervous using this stamp because I had to stamp all four corners separately, hoping that they would all line up. They did and next time I'll feel more confident.

There were alot of firsts for me on this project and I really enjoyed using stamps and accessories for the first time. I tend to hoard them instead of use them which defeats the purpose of having them in the first place. So the making of this card was a step in the right direction...

Blast from the past

2009-03-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

So I finally finished looking through 3 boxes (about 50 years) worth of pictures and got them whittled down to one box of pictures. I had alot of fun looking at places I've been and people I've known over the years. I'll be sharing some of the pics from time to time here on my blog.

My first paralegal job was with the Sedgwick Detert law firm in San Francisco. It was also my first job working in a "big" city so I was excited and having alot of fun!! These 3 pictures were taken at a friends house before we all went to the Sedgwick Christmas party in SF. I call this picture Jerrold's Herem.

This second picture is of us three gals, me, Sally and Melissa. I was trying to act sexy but Sally had the pose down perfectly...

I love this picture with Sally doing the Saturday Night Fever pose in her gold metallic dress. This is a classic picture...

Fun fun fun...hope you enjoyed them!!

Mini Boxes

2009-02-28T18:49:00.001-08:00

I love these mini boxes, anything small is cute I think! They are really easy to make so give it a try. I saw them on the SplitCoastStampers website, here are the instructions (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/ghirardellibox). I used the Scor-Pal to make the creases and Mounting Double Sided Tape to attached the sides together.

On this particular mini box I crimped a strip of pink stripped paper and attached the ends together on the front of the box, under the flap. Using black ink I stamped the True Blue Friends sentiment on pink cs and used the scallop square to punch it out. To attach the sentiment I put two dimensional's at the bottom of the scalloped square. To keep the box closed I cut a small square of velcro and attached it to the flap, you can see the velcro on the second picture. I attached the heart charm with a glue dot for a Valentine's Day gift.

Inside the mini box you can put 3 or 4 Ghirardelli square chocolates, 6 Hersey's Bliss squares, m&m's or anything else that will fit. The box can be decorated using decorative paper, ribbon or stamping on the cs before you assemble the box. I'm going to make a few mini boxes for St. Patrick's Day for my Aunt in Texas so I'll post them before I send them.

Ice Cream Cone Card

2009-02-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

It sure is a beautiful day for an ice cream cone here in Clovis, it was a balmy high of 67 today. I was inspired to make this card when I saw Cindy Walton's card in the Sept. 2008 Stampers' Sampler Take Ten magazine.

I used the scallop punch to make the ice cream scoops: the pink one I used the piercing tool; the middle scoop is patterned paper; and the chocolate scoop has pearl rhinestone stickers I found at Michael's (had 3 different sizes in the packet). For the cone I painted the diagonal lines in chocolate ink with a small paint brush. I crimped the lime green background and attached it to the chocolate cs. I tied the pink ribbon around the background cs and added the white lace ribbon for the two bow look.

The Happy Birthday sentiment was stamped in chocolate ink on pink cs and attached to chocolate cs. I used dimensionals on the sentiment and bottom part of the ice cream cone. The great thing about making this card is the ice cream scoops can be any "flavor"you want. Enjoy!

Glad We're Friends Card

2009-02-24T23:59:00.000-08:00

I gave this card to a girlfriend for Valentine's Day though it's another card that can be used for any occasion.

I stamped VersaMark on the French Script background stamp on red cs. I then stamped the sentiment with black ink on red cs and used the Curly Label punch. I also used the CL punch on white cs and put it behind the sentiment to off set the sentiment.

For the heart tag I tore white and red cs in graduated layers and used the Ticket corner punch at the two top corners of the tag.

I used red craft ink and stamped the heart on vellum and embossed the image. I used the small slot punch at the top of the tag and inserted two different ribbons. To hold the ribbons together I came up with the idea of using a brad. I also decided to attach the tag at an angle instead of straight up and down.

I had alot of fun embossing and want to do it more often. I remember when I first started making cards how afraid I was of embossing and after a few hits and misses I just love doing it, it's such a unique technique and it's shiny ~ who can resist that, not me!

Handmade Bookmarks

2009-02-21T16:14:00.001-08:00

Here are two bookmarks I made. I love making bookmarks because you can make them for any occasion or just because plus they're quick to make. They're great presents for friends and family that read...who doesn't read? My bookmarks are typically 1 3/4" x 5 1/2" with square or rounded corners. The vanilla squares are crimped and I used a 1 1/4" square punch for the 3 squares. I then took a pink ink pad and randomly inked the raised ridges of the vanilla crimped squares.

The pink hearts on the left bookmark are embossed (though you can't tell in this picture) and I cut them out and used glue dots to stick them to the crimped vanilla squares. The hearts on the right bookmark are various size heart punches that I used glue dots to stick the hearts together as well as to the crimped vanilla background. I also use eyelets at the top of bookmarks to add ribbon, another decorative part of bookmarks.

Heart Card

2009-02-21T13:52:00.000-08:00

I am into pink and chocolate as a paper combination and made this card for my parents for Valentine's Day. The card can be made for just about any occasion, Anniversary, Birthday, Girlfriends, etc. by swapping out the sentiment. I had alot of fun making it and it's really easy.

To make the card I used red cs. I then cut the squares in chocolate and pink and used my corner photo punch on the cs to give the card a little character (so it wasn't so boxy). I used my friend Ellen's different heart punches with various colors of cs and kept the chocolate/pink color combination for this card.

For the sentiment I stamped "love"in red on the pink cs and cut the chocolate background. I used the corner photo punch on both colors of cs again. I then took the pad of red ink at an angle and inked the edge of the sentiment all the way around on the pink cs.

This is one of those cards where I started off with a particular design in mind but ended up with something totally different ~ I love it when that happens. Hope you like it!!

Hooking Up

2009-02-16T19:06:00.000-08:00

A friend recommended I post a profile on Linkedin www.linkedin.com Apparently it's a popular website to find friends and also for job opportunities. I finally did my profile and added a link to my blog too. This blog thing is alot of fun!!

I've been a total couch potato today but I got alot done. Next is getting my Etsy site up and running.

My First Blog Entry

2009-02-16T10:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog and thank you for visiting. I want to give a shout out to Melanie, thank you for your encouragement and support with starting my blog. In the future I will be sharing pictures and descriptions of my various craft projects as well as other events of my life in Clovis.