Simply Sunday "Postive Thoughts"

Good afternoon my friends,

***If you are looking for my Lasting Memories post, please scroll down***

I hope you are enjoying your Sunday.  As you are reading this I should be half way to our vacation destination, so with no internet access I will not be able to know if my posts have posted or moderate any comments, but I so look forward to reading all of them when I get home.  Our Simply Sunday at Getting Cricky today is to use the "Positive Thoughts" stamp set.  Every time I create something using Kristal's stamps I say to myself that this is my favorite set...I guess I don't have a favorite because they are all so awesome.  Now this set is Sold Out, but I am sure she will be restocking them soon.  Also, when you purchase this stamp set, remember that Kristal also donates $1 to Storefront Shelter (Homeless shelter for children and youth).  

I really needed some inspiration the other day so I went blog hopping and came across this super cute card at Pause Dream Enjoy, she even has a cool video to go with it.  I really wanted to try this technique and this is what I came up with.

I cut the flowers with my E-Craft and layered 3 of them
on top of each other and added a flat pearl for the center.
I also inked around all the edges.

The flap tucks behind the flower flap

I added my sentiment to the inside flap.

Isn't that just so cute?

I also inked the inside paper to give it an aged look.

Now, I could have layered more papers and dressed it up a bit more, but sometimes simple is nicer.  This was very easy to make and love the look.  Now create a card, layout or anything you want with a "Positive Thought" and then head on over to Getting Cricky and link up your project.


Did you hear???

Kristal's  NEWEST Stamp PREORDERS--for a limited time, you can get them at a discount and reserve yours before they sell out!!! 

Coffee & Tea Mix & Match  

Sympathetic Sayings (Larger set)

Winged Things: Mix & Match

(Bonus frame & images)

Lasting Memories #49 "Christmas in July"

Good morning fellow scrapbookers and guests,

Today is another Lasting Memories post and it's all about Christmas.  Seems like I've been doing a few Christmas posts lately...hahaha, guess that's why it's Christmas in July.

Here is a layout I did with the last Christmas family picture before my DD moved, boy am I behind on scrapbooking older stuff.  Now she and her family are back and I will have a new Christmas family pictures this year with grandchild.  So excited about seeing Miss Bella's face at Christmas time this year.  Last year she was too little to really understand Christmas so I am looking forward to that.

Austyn's shirt was sooo white and stood out too much in the picture,
so I used rubons and placed the sentiment right on the photo.
I like the way that turned out.

I hope you liked my layout, it was cricutless, but I have so many cutsie Christmas embellishments that I need to use up.  I have an entire box of miscellaneous tags, ribbons, stamps, etc.  I kinda like shopping my stash right now.

I hope I've inspired you to shop your stash and create a Christmas layout.  Then head on over to Lasting Memories and link up your Christmas layouts.  If you are anything like me, you probably have some older pictures you need to scrap anyway.

You are Loved (Shaker)

Good morning ... are you ready to shake again?


Today I am showing you one more card I made with the inspiration from Erika (a Getting Cricky DT-Sister) over at Crafty Sprouts.  If you missed the card I made the other day you can go here and view it.  I am also entering this card in her challenge.

Of course I used the Getting Cricky Food for Thought and Amazing You stamp sets.  I love how I can mix and match these sets.  Also, remember, for every stamp set you purchase, Kristal donates $1 to a charity.  That's another thing I love about these stamps.  I know my money is going to a worthy cause...

The SVG file is from Scrapping Table and her Love's Shaping collection.  It was a doily pattern and I just added the middle and made a Heart cut out for the shaker.  Pretty cool, huh?  I didn't have enough of these red beads, so I also added some white sequins and I think it turned out pretty decent.  The paper is from the The Paper Studio the So-So Sweet with glitter pack.  I love this paper and have used it for a lot of my cards.  The paper for the doily was a bit distressed and I really distressed the edges more with a nail file, added a ribbon out of my stash and there it is.  I hope you enjoy and head on over to Crafty Sprouts and enter her Shaker challenge.

One more day until vacation starts.  Right now we should be in MN somewhere and getting ready to hit the road for our family canoe trip.

Paper Secrets 11

Good morning,


here's my layout I did for the challenge over at PaperSecrets.  Each week we are given an assignment for a layout. I really don't care if I win the contest, it's just helping me to do more layouts that I should have done a long time ago (or some new ones in this case). If you participate and follow the guidelines you advance to the next week. We started with 27 and 11 moved onto this week.  I will keep updating you as I go along. Who knows, I might not be able to participate one week and then I am out, but until then, I am scrapping my butt off, (they used a different word, but my blog is family friendly...hehehe
Here is the sketch:

Here is what I did:

This is what I needed to use for the challenge and 

what is in red is is what I used.

hand or machine stitiching
mist Flower
flowers/leaves
bling Flower center
fabric/felt
border punch
journaling embellishment
altered or raw chipboard
stamped image(s) tree
ribbon/lace

I also used up some pictures that didn't turn out to cut out the "The House" with my E-craft and it cut like butter.  Another super simple layout, but I love it.


I also wanted to remind you that Lisa over at A Mermaid's Crafts is giving away this:

for her 500 follower giveaway.  She will leave this open until August 6th and choose a winner August 7th...so hurry on over there and check out her awesome creations.  She is one creative lady.

This coming week I will be on vacation in Northern Minnesota on our family canoeing trip so I have preposted most of my stuff.  Keep your fingers crossed that they all go up without a hitch.  I will not be able to moderate comments as of Sunday evening as I will have no internet access, but look forward to reading what you all think of my projects when I get back.  My email will probably be locked out too...hehehehe.  Thanks so much for supporting my blog...see you in 10 days.

Adams Acres giveaway

Just a quick note...remember those cute dinosaur cards I made awhile back?  

 

and 

There are 5 different dinosaurs in the file and Charity at Adams Acres is giving three sets away, so head on over there and see what you need to do to win them.  Super simple ...

Seasons Greetings (Shaker)

Good morning ... are you ready to shake again?

As I know it's not Christmas or snowing yet I wanted to show you a card I made with the inspiration from Erika (a Getting Cricky DT-Sister) over at Crafty Sprouts.  If you missed the card I made the other day you can go here and view it.  I am also entering this card in her challenge and tomorrow I will have one more.

I created a window scene so to say.  Imagine sitting in front of your bay window and looking out.  This is what you might see...

I cut the snowman, the trees and the snowflakes with my E-craft.  The window I also cut after I welded 1 square and 2 rectangles together.  I added the seasons greetings ribbon from my stash and the snowflake background paper.  I added some white sequins to fill it up and gave the snowman a Peachykeen face from the Dolly Dumpling set.  I also added some puffy paint to the trees. Unlike the fish I made the other day, I added two layers of the foam tape because the snowman and the trees were a bit more dimensional also.  This really gave it a 3d affect.  My son already has claimed this to be his christmas card.  LOL

Candy Jewelry

I am doing another post for the day, can you believe it?  I'm supposed to be getting ready to go camping for a week and here I am crafting...priorities right?


Well, since I am going to be seeing my niece in a few days, (she's 5) and I always bring her a treat or small gift of some kind, I thought I'd make her this after getting inspired by another design team member Amy...her post will be up tomorrow or Friday, so make sure you check out what she made.  Hers involve different candy food...LOL

I got these candies at the Dollar Tree.  You can make 4 sets out of bag...wish I had more little girls around and Miss Bella is just a little too little for these yet.


I used my scraps for the tags and flowers that have been cut for ages and laying around, added some bling for the center of the flower and of course a Getting Cricky Fashionable Friends stamp set.  


I am also entering this into the challenge over at Squirly Girl Creations...a design team sister.  Here are the rules:

1. You must use K Andrew Designs Art Stamps (yeah, easy, hard part is choosing which set)

2. You may only use your scraps! (on your honor, please don't cheat) (too many of these so that easier yet)

3. Link up to Mr. Linky mentioning my blog and this challenge in your post (did that)

4. Become a follower of mine (already am)

5. I'd love it if you would grab my blinkie and add it to your blog and like Squirly Girl Creations on FB as well :) (these are not required but would be super nice) (well duh)

So I hope I've inspired you to use your scraps and join in over at Rebecca's blog.  

Getting Cricky hijack #6 Something old, something new & Winner

Did ya hear?  The Getting Cricky Design Team has HIJACKED the Getting Cricky Blog while Kristal is away!!  I'm so happy to be able to share something old and something new with you today...


As most of you know, I've been following Kristal's blog pretty much as long as she has been blogging.  I found her by accident shortly after she started blogging and was hooked, I mean - hook, line and sinker.  She has the best tutorials, videos, giveaways and most of all INSPIRATION!!!  There are days I have been down and out and I go back and reread previous posts that she has written just to lift my heart a bit.  It seems as if she is talking directly to me and makes me wonder how she can know exactly what I am going through.  Then I look at my "problem" and remember that I am not the only one who has a rough time.  We all have our "days" and think "my life so so bad", but someone else is going through something today too.  They are thinking the same thing...so pick yourself up and change what you are so unhappy about and turn that frown upside down.  You are the only one that can change your attitude.  Sure others help, but it's up to you to pull up those boot strings and make it a better day...Remember "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"!  Sometimes we just need to simplify our lives...to much baggage and to much drama.  I am starting to see that now in a brighter light.  Unemployed means a lot of time on my hands to think (and yes, job search), but I've come to realize that I have everything I need right here at home!!!  I have a great husband, that supports my crafting lifestyle, even if he doesn't understand it.  I have a great daughter and son in law who are expecting their 2nd child.  I have two sons who help out at home and love that mom can hang out with them and watch tv or just sit and chat.  I have a beautiful granddaughter that I absolutely adore and a craft room full of "stuff".  What more can I ask for?  Sure...I can't go out an buy those really good specials at Michaels or the newest toy right now because the extra money isn't there, but I can shop my stash and revisit oldies but goodies.  Sometimes we tend to forget what's right here at home...so here is what I found for you today.


If you all remember Kristal used to sell her SVG files online.  She has made some of the cutest files and oh how I have bought my share...LOL  I could own stock in her company...hahaha.  Well, when she came out with her stamp sets, not only did I buy them, but I love them, just like I did her files.  I was looking to make a card the other day and I was looking at her "Food for Thought" stamp set (that's how I get my inspiration) and I remember I had purchased this "Orange You Sweet" file of hers.  So I dug way deep into my computer of files upon files and found it and came up with this:

I added some fake flowers and attached some bling
for the centers as embellishments 

Of course I used the "Food for Thought" stamp set and
stamped directly onto the ribbon.  I love doing this
to add a bit more to plain ribbon

The E-craft also draws so this was pretty cool.
The drawback to that is that the E-Craft only
has black pens, but it worked for this.

See what you can make if you just stop and reflect on the past a little?  I feel very good about my card and am excited to be able to combine something old and something new.  Now, I don't know if Kristal is still selling any of her files, but I am sure if you emailed her she can answer any of your questions.


NOW, onto the winner for the Operation Owl Thank You blog hop for Kristal...you ladies were amazing.  Thank you to everyone that participated and to those of you that have donated stuff for the grand prize...Also to those of you that added cards to the linky.  I will be getting the package for Kristal together this Friday as I am leaving on vacation then.  If cards come in while I am on vacation, Kristal will get a bonus package...LOL
so, without further ado...the winner for the Operation Owl Thank You blog hop is..........................................

OmaGloria said...

Very cute card Brenda. I made a little something for Kristal. I was just getting ready to send it to her when I heard the news that she was moving. Can I send it to you and can you get it to her?

Precious Hugs

July 23, 2011 6:25 PM 

Oma Gloria, please email me your addy to dt . coor @ gmail . com with winner in the subject line so I can get your package out to you before I leave for vacation.  Thanks all for playing along and have a safe rest of the week.

Fishing You Were Here (Shaker)

Good morning ... are you ready to shake?

My second post for the day...wow!

Today I am showing you a card I made with the inspiration from Erika (a Getting Cricky DT-Sister) over at Crafty Sprouts.  Erika has the best videos and tutorials on how to make cards recently and so super easy too.  She is also hosting a challenge every two weeks, so hop on over there and see what you should enter to win.  This time around she is all about shaker cards and I am entering this card over there.  I've done one in years past and completely forgot about them until Erika refreshed my memory and this is what I came up with.  Thanks Erika!!!

 and the best part...I also turned it into an action wobble.  I wish I had time to do a video, but maybe when I come back from vacation I might.

Of course I used the Getting Cricky Summer Splashtasic stamp sets.  Also, remember, for every stamp set you purchase, Kristal donates $1 to a charity and this set benefits the Autism Research Institute.  That's another thing I love about these stamps.  I know my money is going to a worthy cause...

The SVG file is from Adams Acres as I am a designer over there also and you can get the file here.  This is her fishy file and I just made it into a shaker card.  Pretty cool, huh?  I added some green sequins to the shaker and a google eye to the fish.  I also added some white sequins and clear beads to the center for bubbles.  I distressed the edges with ink, added a ribbon out of my stash and there it is.  I hope you enjoy and head on over to Crafty Sprouts and enter her Shaker challenge.

Paperclay Book

Good morning friends

Today I want to share a project that I am extremely proud of.  As most of you know, I am also a designer over at Creative Paperclay.  I love working with it for embellishments for my scrapbooking and cardmaking, but recently I experimented a little with it for something brand new to me...bookmaking.  So, now I am not going to start a business in making books , but I might make a few gifts.  This was extremely easy and so much fun to make.

Here are my step by step instructions, kinda picture heavy.

First I rolled out my paperclay and layed my cuddlebug folder
right on top of it and cut around it with my craft knife.
This will be the size of my book.

Then I layed the cuddlebug folder (open) ontop of
the paperclay and gently pressed it into the clay.
Don't press too hard or it will distort the clay.
I let the paperclay dry for about 6 hours so that it was still pliable.

Then I inserted it into my zutter machine and punched the holes.
That worked so slick.  I then painted the cover and back
with some white acrylic paint.

After the white paint was completely dry, I added a green wash
over the top.  I mixed some green paint with alot of water.

I did that to both the front and back cover.

Then I did the same thing with a blue paint and water mix.

Using a paper towel I "dried" off some of the color to give
it more of an antique look.  The pictures really don't do it justice.

Then I cut all my pages 1/4 inch smaller than my book and
put them in my zutter to punch the holes.

They are all punched.

See how perfectly they are aligned.
Pretty proud of myself.

Now I had to bind it together.  Make sure that you
follow the instructions when binding.  You MUST
rotate your back cover over your front cover.
Do not just place the back cover ontop.

Standing tall

And it's finished.  Now it may not be perfect,
paperclay does shrink and warp a bit, but I love it.
I wish you could feel the way it feels.
 It has a leathery feel and look to it.

Isn't it just gorgeous?  Well, I think so anyway.  Every year we go on a trip to Northern Minnesota, near the Canadian border and I take a journal with me so I can keep a detailed diary of our trip and then I make a scrapbook with it.  This will be my journal this year.  It will fit nicely in my day pack and will be handy to keep my every thought in, wait I might need to make a bigger one...just kidding.  I hope you liked my Creative Paperclay project today and I will see you again in about 2 weeks for another project.  I hope I've inspired you to create your own journal using some Creative Paperclay.  You can purchase Creative Paperclay here or you can even get it at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.

Christmas in July Blog Hop

Good morning and welcome to the "Christmas in July" Blog Hop hosted by Jazzy from Jazzy's Cards. If you are coming from Libby then you are in the right place, but if you are just checking on my blog and stumbled across this, go start at the beginning. This is Jazzy's first time hosting a hop, and I know she would appreciate the love.

The theme for the hop was something Christmas related that included the colors green and red. This is what I came up with...

I remember as a kid I couldn't wait for Christmas Eve.  In Germany, my family celebrated Christmas Eve with a real tree that the Christchild brought and decorated while we ate sandwiches and soup in the kitchen.  Then the Christchild would ring a bell letting us know we could now enter the livingroom.  The room would be dark except for the tree with it's real candles and beautiful glistening ornaments.  I remember the smell of the fresh pine tree and the baked goods in a basket on the table, usually cookies and small cakes.  Boy do I miss those days...my parents still celebrate Christmas Eve, but we, at home, celebrate Christmas morning.  When we still lived in MN near my parents, we would celebrate Christmas Eve at my mom's house and then we would take the kiddos home and prepare for Christmas morning.  Now, we have changed our tradition a bit since we don't live close to family anymore.  The weather can be so unpredictable in the MN and SD areas that we do not go home for Christmas anymore.  We still have a real tree, but no real candles and we usually get the tree the first Saturday in December and decorate it the next day after church.  Now we usually have a munchy night on Christmas Eve.  Everyone in the family gets to choose up to 3 items they love the best.  Mine is usually shrimp cocktail, brie cheese with crackers and herring.  I know, odd combination, but when you get 4-6 people with up to 3 choices, there is a lot of food.  Most of the time we have mini hotdogs, bbq smokies, meatballs, rye bread with swiss cheese melted ontop, pizza poppers, breaded mushrooms, veggie tray, cookies, my 3 items and then there are some various items that get added or deleted each year.  It just depends on their moods.  (Just writing this is making me hungry)  Every year, since my kiddos were babies, we have bought brand new pajamas for everyone for Christmas eve.  This way everyone has new jamies for pictures on Christmas morning.  We usually change into them, and then we have a new family game to play or new movie to watch.  When that is done, we all help clean up and get ready for bed.  When the kids are in bed or have gone home to their own place, hubby and I finish wrapping any Santa gifts that are still needed and head off to bed ourselves.  Christmas morning we all get up, make coffee, mamossas, and usually monkey bread and then the fun begins.  I love watching the kids' faces when they get to come downstairs and see what Santa brought.  Remember, if you don't believe, you don't receive.  That's the motto in our house...it's getting close to that non-believing for our youngest, but thank goodness we now have grandkids to keep up the tradition!  The rest of the day is usually spent just lounging, playing with any new toys or gadgets and watching Christmas movies all day.  All the left over food (and there is usually a ton yet) from the night before gets brought out again and we just munch all day long.  I hope I haven't bored you with my Christmas tradition, but I just wanted to share what we do.  Leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite tradition is.

Now onto my project; it started like this:

On of our neighbors is selling her house, so she has been
cleaning out any unneeded things.  She knows how much I
love redoing things, so she thought of me.  Isn't that so sweet?
Hubby doesn't understand my obsession of other people's junk,
but wait till you see what I did.  She had two of these and this is
what I made with one of them.

and ended like like this:

This will be great to put some Christmas food on and carry from upstairs to downstairs, or just to have sitting on the coffee table with Christmas cookies and tea for holiday guests.

Here are some more pictures if you are interested.  I used my E-craft to cut the vinyl.  LOVE IT!!!

Not a single miss cut or bad cut.  Other than the fact that I have a lot of cricut carts, I might be using the E-Craft exclusively.  

Thank you so much for checking out my project... now head on over to Darlene but first I hope you remembered to wish everyone a "Merry Christmas" in order to be eligible for Jazzy's Cricut Cartridge Blog Candy.

1. Jazzy - www.JazzysCards.Blogspot.com
2. Amy - http://www.lovetocrop.com/
3. Gina - http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/
4. Theresa - www.thescrapbookingqueen.com
5. Nadia - www.nadiasbeautifulmess.blogspot.com
6. Elizabeth - http://visionsofpaper.blogspot.com/
7. Anita-http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com
8. Libby - www.psastampcamp.blogspot.com
9. Brenda - http://createbyburffrau.blogspot.com/
10. Darlene  Simple Southern Blessings
11. LaKesha at Scrapping Diva