Tuesday, December 30, 2014

2014 Year in Review

 Hello friends! Today I am sharing some of my favorite cards from the past year. Some months I had some difficulty choosing between two cards and towards the end of the year *gulp* I didn't have many to choose from!

This year, I did accomplish a major crafting goal before my son turned 3. I finished his baby album! I am a very slow crafter, especially when it comes to scrapbooking. It was really monumental. I had planned to start his school album next. But, if you follow my blog then you will know that I developed my heart issues in the middle of the summer. That forced me to take a good hard look at my health and start making better decisions for me and ultimately for my family. It has been a great change for all of us.

I hope you enjoy your trip down memory lane!







November



December

Thanks for stopping by!


Monday, December 22, 2014

Silent Night, Holy Night

Hello friends! I hope you are all well and not too busy preparing for the Christmas holiday. These past few weeks have been very busy, but I have made the time to take care of myself by exercising and getting plenty of sleep. So unfortunately, my crafty time has taken a hit. This past weekend we had no obligations other than using some movie tickets before they expired. You mean, the hubs and I were "forced" to go on a date. If we must. Lol! I spent the rest of my time wrapping gifts and getting crafty.
 
So today I have a super quick, one layer card to share with you. I used only two stamps: Silent Night, Holy Night and Baby Jesus using Kraft ink and Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. It's perfect for mass production or to crank out a few cards if you have left card making to the last minute. Lol!
 
 
That's all that I have for you today. Take care and have a great week!
 

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Merry Christmas

Hello friends! I hope you are all well and enjoyed your Thanksgiving feast. We certainly enjoyed ours. This last month has been busy for me. I started another per diem job. With two per diem jobs, I am now working full time. My new job has longer hours which means I don't get home until after dinner. That means I have been busy searching/making crock pot meals and frozen meals so my family can start dinner without me or my help. After a month of these new changes, we are slowly developing our new normal. Thanks so much to my in-laws who have been tremendously helpful in this process. Without them, we would not be able to adjust to this change.

Last weekend, Leah and I spent a little time in my craftroom. We managed to finish up our cards today to play along with the DeNami sketch challenge. There has been some technical difficulties with the challenge, so it is extended one more week. I am so excited to have made my first Christmas card for this season. Yay! Unfortunately, I have a long way to go until they are done. I kept it pretty CAS, just like I did for the last card that I made.

  
I inked up Elegant Holly (cling) and fussy cut the images and I used Merry Christmas for my sentiment. I used my Circle Interlock embossing folder on the center panel to add some texture.

 
Leah also made a Christmas card (for me). She used the same sentiment and inked up Hearts Stamp set. For her side panel, she wanted to create a candy cane feeling using score tap and some Ruby Red glitter. She laid down the adhesive, trimmed it up and added her glitter. So proud of her. The only thing I helped her with was cutting out her panels. She adhered everything down.

Here is the awesome sketch. It was so fun to work with.



Well, this is a short post since I've got to get back to meal prep for tomorrow. Have a great week!
 


Saturday, November 1, 2014

Greetings from Batgirl and Spiderman

Hello friends! I am back today to share some pictures from our trick-or-treating festivities. The kids had a great time and so did we as we watched them run from house to house. We live in a very small gated community with only 88 houses. With zero lot lines, that means we can cover a lot of houses in a small amount of time. Since we live on the first street, that also meant the kids could dump their loot back at home before proceeding to the remaining streets. lol.
 
Before the sun set I took a few pictures of Leah and Josh in the front yard. Yes, it is just a few feet between the sidewalk and porch. If you have ever tried photographing little ones that are eager to hit the streets for trick-or-treating, then you know how hard it is to capture them not moving. I managed to get a few.
 
Joshua's costume was store bought. One of these days I will make him his costume. Sigh. I don't think he minded a bit though. When I brought it home from the store he was so excited.
 
 
I mentioned that I made Leah's costume. Again, it was nothing fancy. I found a template for the mask and adjusted it a bit to fit Leah's head. I used the same technique when I made the masks for the kids birthday party this summer. To make her skirt, I used this tutorial. I bought 4 yards of tulle and cut the length that I needed. I pieced together 8 yards and trimmed off the rest that I didn't need.
 
Originally I was just going to tie a simple yellow ribbon around her waist but then I came up with an idea to actually make her utility belt. I simply cut the ribbon to fit her waist, heat sealed the ends and added some Velcro for the closure. Then I trimmed pieces that were about 2 1/2 inches and slipped stitched the ends together to form 4 small loops. I pressed them flat and slipped them onto the ribbon.
 
For the buckle, I cut my oval and used the same technique for the mask. I used the small bat template that came with the mask and topstitched that on. Then I simply added Velcro again to attach it to the belt.
 
And yes, my girl is sporting flip flops. I ran out of time to figure out the footwear for her costume. Maybe next year I won't wait until the last minute. lol.
 
 
 
 
 
Leah once again made a sign for our candy bowl to let folks know that we weren't home, but to help themselves. She also decorated our pumpkins from the patch and added a speech bubble to it that read, "Take your candy and get out". Not quite the friendliest note, so I am glad she made up another one with some manners.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Because Leah is almost 4 years older than Josh, he was always one step behind. Poor boy. He very kindly told our neighbors when they opened the door, "No peanuts please." Mostly everybody had some peanut/nut free candy for our little guy.
 
 
 
 
 
I love this banner that says trick. One neighbor did not have any candy even though the young boy opened the door. We reminded Leah to ask him for a trick. The poor little guy couldn't think of anything on the spot. It sure made us all chuckle. I am sure he didn't think that anyone would actually ask him for some tricks.
 
 
This next picture showcases our best dressed house in the neighborhood. This family goes all out every year. I didn't capture the whole house, but you can see the chains and spiders in the windows. They have ghosts and ghouls hanging on the porch, bloody hand prints on their columns, lots of tombstones, webs and skeletons. Yes, the word "DEAD" is written in "blood" on the sidewalk with some splatters. And of course scary music playing in the background. It really is the haunted house of the neighborhood.
 
 
And lastly, you can see the loot. Leah's pumpkin is hiding most of hers, but she actually collected more than Josh and you can see just how much he managed to get. Quite a few people gave them full sized candy bars and one gentleman gave them each $5!!!
 
 
I hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween. Have a great weekend!

Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween!


Hello friends and Happy Halloween! Do you have any fun trick-or-treating plans? My kiddos will be dawning some super hero costumes this year. It seems like the super hero theme from their birthday party this summer has not let up. I have high hopes that I will be able to put a post together to share our festivities from this evening at some point this weekend. Fingers crossed.
 
I have also been rather busy this past week as I start a new job. I will continue to work at my old job as well since both jobs are per diem. There will be lots of adjustments in our family routine but it is all good. I am still learning more about fitness and finding new recipes to feed my family. Thank you pinterest for helping me! I have had a lot more energy (not that I was feeling run down before) and my heart is doing really well. I am so thankful for that. I have a follow up with my cardiologist in December. I think she will be pleased to know what I have been doing to improve my health.
 
This year I made Leah her costume again. It was nothing fancy, but I can't wait to share this weekend. I also made little mummy treats for the kids to give to their classmates and teachers. I wrapped mini chocolate bars with crepe paper, glued on some googley eyes and tied on a tag onto 38 bars! I would've normally enlisted Leah's help in the assembly, but this week was super busy so I worked on them late at night. Since I had today off, I squeaked in some time to finally create a card. Love this sketch from CAS(E) this sketch!

 


 
The CAS girl in me kept the panels white. I think I had that stamped orange striped paper for two years! So glad to use it on this card. I made those stripes using Three Line Border from DeNami Design. I love that stamp!!! The sentiment is also from DeNami. The sequins are from a bulk bag that I picked up from Michaels a while back. If you look closely, the raised panels were impressed with my PTI Linen/canvas impression plate.
 
That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!


Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Happy Birthday, One stamp

 Hello friends in blogland! I am popping in today with a clean and simple birthday card. I am linking it up to a few challenges.
 
 
 
This week's CAS(E) this Sketch!  and Virginia's View: Clean and Simple and Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes.


To create my card, I used some leftover patterned paper I have been itching to use up. To create my border I used my Pretty Pink Posh stitched borders die. And the sentiment is from Altenew: Faux Veneers. The final touch on this card is some Pretty Pink Posh sequins.
 

 
Those of you that follow my blog may be wondering why there have been huge gaps between posts. You may recall that in the middle of the summer, I started having some cardiac issues. Well, after all of the tests were completed, my doctor put me on some medication and recommended exercise. Well, given that I haven't done that in almost 20 years, I have had to do some research and ease my way into it. The events that took place this summer have been a real eye opener. I have taken my health for granted. Thanks to some inspiration from my sweet friend Paulina, I have been making huge changes to the way I eat, feed my family, exercise and simply take care of myself. It has been a huge change, all for the better.
 
So, do not fear dear friends. My craftroom is not neglected. It's just not a busy as it usually is. Halloween is around the corner, so Leah and I will be busy making treats for her classmates and Josh's classmates. And I still have hope that I will be able to make Leah her costume this year.
 
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Monday, September 29, 2014

U Rock! Happy Birthday

Hello friends! I know that it has been a while since I have posted. But no fear. I have a card to share for the current CAS(E) this Sketch! challenge.
 
 
A friend of mine celebrated her 30th birthday this past weekend. Although I wanted to make her a card that actually had 30th on it, I opted to leave it out. Niki is a member of the rock band my husband plays in, ELEVATORS. She plays lead guitar and performs vocals. I really wanted to ink up PTI's Boy Basics: Rock On for her. And I inked up the back of one of my stamps from Altenew, Label Love to create the rainbow background. The sentiments are also from Label Love.
 
 
 
I have to say that she had a pretty rockin' birthday this past Saturday. She and the band had their EP release show and it was awesome. There was a great turnout and we all had a great time. Their EP Live to Find Out will be available tomorrow on iTunes if you would like to show your support.
 
Thanks for stopping by!
 
 

Monday, September 15, 2014

Happy Birthday

Happy Monday! Lucky for me, I had today off from work. That meant doing something I haven't done in nearly 2 decades...I went running! Actually, there was more walking than running, but that is the plan when you start a workout routine. I certainly did not want to overdo it, since I don't want be too sore tomorrow. So excited about this new adventure in my life.
 
 Onto today's card. It plays along with the current CAS(E) this Sketch! and CAS on Sunday challenge: to make a celebration card using sequins.
 
 
 
 For my card I inked up Tiny Tags II by PTI. I used some Buttercup twine from The Twinery to hang them using glue dots. The die cut tag behind them is Tag Sale #5, also from PTI. My sentiment is from CAS-ual Fridays, Casual Elegance. And lastly, I sprinkled some Pretty Pink Posh sequins to finish off the card.
 
 
That is all for me today. Work beckons me the rest of the week and now my new workout routine does too. I still hope to find some time to get crafty. Halloween is around the corner and I've got some costumes and treats to make.
 
Thanks for stopping by!


Thursday, September 11, 2014

Happy Birthday, Andy!

Hello friends! I hope you are all doing well. Today I have a card to share with you that I created for my hubby. Today is his birthday. That's right, 9/11. Today is a day of remembrance of what took place 13 years ago, but it is also a day to celebrate. I have been planning on making him his card for quite some time. However, my crafty mojo went on vacation somewhere and hasn't returned. Since I have been on my new medication, it has made me tired. So by the time my day is done, I head to bed instead of my craftroom.



For my card, I used the colors from the current colourQ challenge as inspiration. I did my best to match them. I used PTI's Boy Basics: Rock On for the guitar and the sentiment and stars are from Altenew Faux Veneers. The patterned papers are from gina k designs, CAS-ual Fridays paper pack and aMuse Studio. Since I incorporated these patterned papers, I am also linking up to Virginia's View Challenge.



 
My husband, Andy, has played bass guitar in our church band for over 10 years and he also plays in a rock band, ELEVATORS. They are gearing up for the first EP release which will be available on iTunes 9/30/14. Their album is called Live To Find Out. The record is available for presale on Amazon if you want to hear a preview. Unfortunately my link does not work so you will have to do a search to find them.



Happy Birthday, Andy!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Catching up

Hello friends! I hope you are all doing well. We enjoyed a relaxing Labor Day weekend: cooking on the grill and enjoying the pool.

With back to school, I know lots of people are creating for the Fall. I, however, am playing catch up on some projects that I never got around to working on from last February. You may recall that I shared Joshua's Valentine's album this past summer on this post. After the kiddos big super hero party, which was 3 weeks ago, I spent some time helping a friend create some projects for her wedding. So this past weekend I spent some time playing catch up.
 
I repeated some of the designs from the first album. I hate to lack in the creativity department, but the truth is, I really want to finish up these little projects so I can begin working on some other bigger projects. I used products from DeNami Design, PaperTrey Ink, and Altenew. I also used my Silhouette Cameo for the title. Yes, I stamped the hearts upside down or glued the "S" on upside down. Either way, I am okay with it. The ring clips are temporary just to hold the project together. I have a bunch of sliver ones that won't open, grrrr.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Every year I make these albums, I have the kids help make some of the embellishments for the album. Then, of course, I snap some photos of them being crafty. He scribbled lightly with the colored pencils. Leah punched out the hearts and painted them. He did glue everything on including placing the washi tape. Here is some of his artwork and hand prints which I always do for these albums as well.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pause in crafting because he was mesmerized by what ever was playing on my phone at the time. I love that face!
 
Well, that is all for me today. I hope you have a great rest of the week! Thanks for stopping by!