It is the Stampin' Up Card swap time....

On the topic of sketches, each month we are given a sketch and color scheme by our friend and local consultant Julie. This month there were 3 squares and then a sentiment on card front and the colors where brown, pink and green. This month I managed to get all 3 colors in on one card . Here are the results. We are supposed to make 5 cards but since only 4 fit on the Cricut mat I did 4. Normally I come home with 1 or 2 extra so I am not worried.

I designed the card fronts to have the 3 squares cut out on my Gypsy. This is the first time I have ever done it and think it is great! I did the one iris paper folding card and decided that I must have been crazy as I was not working off a template. I love coloring these images and they are from a SU set I borrowed from a friend.


I am enjoying working from sketches very much. You can get the general idea so feel free to cardlift it :D Until next time.....

Hi ho, it's Kermit the Frog here....

okay, not really but I feel like a toad. We are experiencing a very weird weather pattern. One minute it is raining cats and dogs and then the sun shines. Hmmmm.....


I have been busy making loads of projects for special features that I cannot share but also made items that I can share. I have also decided that I will start a guest designer feature to share some wonderful blogs with you. It seems that my papercrafting world is expanding greatly. :)


First, I had a visitor in my craft cave yesterday. My son David decided to stop in from a video game break to say hi! I just had to snap this picture of him as it amazes me how quick he is changing. He is 13 1/2 going on 20 .

If you look towards the bottom of this pic you will see the project I was working on. I have a large cup holding my colored pencils, a desk organizer for my gel pens and tools but needed something for my Copic markers. I was at M's and found this for 99 cents (which was further reduced by 25% as I had a coupon):

Now I am all for the color red but it did not fit in with the other items. Soooooo, I took a Cricut cut from Simply Charmed. I had some paper that I got who knows where and decided to cover the red. Of course, why would I measure, and I still had some red showing. So ribbon to the rescue! Covers all manners of boo boos. Everything here was from scraps including the ribbon. Here was the end result.

Is this going to win any beauty contests, nope. But the funny part is I won't even be using the lid. On the off chance I will be I just had to cover it. I thought about doing this and covering the lid with a corresponding fabric and tie a ribbon around it. There is another gift idea for you all. Since the holiday season will be here before you know it, we all need to get busy.


Now onto a bit of exciting news. I am a member of Pencil Lines CT. I did my first layout for their sketch challenge and I am hooked!!!! Please click the link above to go to their fabulous blog and play along. Here is a picture of the layout that I submitted:

I think we have spent more time at the movies than anything else. Not pictured here is Transformers and Captain America because I ran out of space .


Well all, I will have more items to share with you a bit later as I am scheduling posts to go live on the appointed time. I am participating in quite a few hops that you can see on the right side of my blog. I hope you will come out and hop along with us. Until later....

Upcoming events....

Evening all (well it is almost morning already). I was busy this evening working on a layout for Pencil Lines. I will let you know when it posts. I had so much fun with it. Please check out the blog and come play along with us.


Tomorrow I need to work on two digital stamping projects that will also be for a new company that I am working with. More details to follow as well.


I have a few hops that are coming up soon. The newest one that I want to announce is Memories in Tyme's All About Fall blog hop. 

This will take place on September 15th. I have my projects done already as I am trying to get ahead of myself :) If you check the right side of my page, you will see the other hops that I am participating in. I plan on participating as much as possible because creating keeps me sane.


Also, don't for get that Her Craftiness (aka Lynne) and I are co-hosting a blog hop for my birthday on September 3rd. There will be a fantastic line up and I got all my supplies to work on my project. I cannot wait to start working on it.

I hope that this post finds you all well and feeling very creative. Until next time....

Welcome to the Back to School Blog Hop

Welcome to the Back To School Blog Hop!!

We're so happy you could join us for this super-fun hop showcasing cards, layouts and projects for Back To School!!  You'll find an array of ideas throughout the hop -- From teacher gifts to lunchbox notes, we hope you'll enjoy each and every project along the way!!  

Class is just about to start, so let's get hopping!!  If you've hopped over from Rhonda's fantabulous blog, then you are in the right place!!  If you've just popped in to visit my blog and you'd like to join our School-Time FUN, then please CLICK HERE to start at the beginning with Lynda's blog!!  Several stops along the way will be offering some nifty prizes, so please be sure to keep an eye out for that!!

For the hop today, I've created a two fold project. First I created a box to hold the cards that I made for this hop. If you want to make one of your own, you can view my video HERE. I just love the boxes because you can use this as a gift for a special friend. Why not include monogram note cards in their favorite colors? Here is a picture of the box....

And here is the picture of the cards I made....

And here are the close ups....

I would love to give a gift card for blog candy but I joined the ranks of the unemployed 3 months ago. So my blog candy will be one of the cards I made and some embellishments. To win the blog candy, please do the following:

1. Become a follower of my blog

2. Leave a comment about your favorite school memory

Mine was being a library aide with my best friend Laurie and our friend Fran. Since I loved to read (still do), the library has always been a special place for me. I still go but you can also find me browsing in a bookstore with my favorite hot drink (Chai Tea Latte or Passion Fruit Lemonade Iced Tea). 

Well, enough of my trip down memory lane. Thanks for hopping by and your next stop will be the uber talented (and all around sweetheart) Lynne. I hope you enjoy hopping along with us.

Here's a list of the entire hop, in case you get lost along the way or want to revisit anyone:

1. Lynda -  http://memoriesintyme.blogspot.com/

2. Anita~http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com

23 Jen--http://www.memorieswithjen.blogspot.com/

4. Bobbi Jo http://sweetsassydiva.com

5. Barbara Rosner - http://barbaras-crafty-corner.blogspot.com/

6. Amy - http://www.lovetocrop.com

7. Lori - Lori -  http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com

8. Dana-- http://danascraftycorner.blogspot.com

9. Gina - http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/

10. Margie -http://mysweettater.blogspot.com/

11. Crafty -  http://craftyhomemade.blogspot.com/

12. Rhonda - http://scraphappenswithrhonda.blogspot.com/

13. Susan - http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/ <-- U R HERE

14. Lynne - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com <-- NEXT STOP

15. Rhonda - http://craftingwithblue.blogspot.com/

There is a Place for Everything and Everything has it's Place.....

Well, sort of. This past weekend I spent more time trying to organize my Craft Cave after seeing the amazing studio that my friend Cardmonkey has. This is definitely a work in progress and my friend Lynne can attest it looks better . I am stuck as I need to find cheap inexpensive 12 x 12 paper holders as I am not happy with the way my paper is organized. The goal is to spend less time searching for THAT special paper and more time creating. So here are some pics of my organization efforts:

And since Daddy locked poor Tina out of the studio side, she kept Mommy company (she is only mine at night when we watch TV in bed). Look she is smiling :)

She is a kooky dog but we love her. Well, back to my project to one of the blog hops coming up. It is for:

Don't forget to save the dates for these hops too:

Until next time....

My Theme Song Challenge....

My friend Lynne of Her Craftiness posted a challenge and asked for our participation. I was a bit reluctant and let me tell you why. Once I had a friend tell me, "You are like a clown. You put on a brave face and never let anyone see you are hurting." Well, that was true. At times I still do that. I would rather carry the burden myself and not burden anyone else as they have their own problems. Well, people are placed in your life to stretch and help you grow as a person. So I sat and thought about what my theme song would be. Survivor was already taken so I chose Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful". I had self esteem issues as a kid and was very shy. I was bullied in elementary school being called Rover, Four eyes, Fatso, etc. In high school I adopted this bravado as a means of self preservation. As an adult humor helped deflect lots of uncomfortable situations. 


Now you may think I am having a pity party walking down memory lane. Absolutely not! Everything that I have been through in life has made me the person I am today. And you know what? After 30+ years, I LOVE me. I am beautiful inside and out. On the tag, I chose to put these lyrics:

"I am beautiful no matter what they say,

words can't bring me down.

I am beautiful in every single way..."

I have never put so much thought into a layout and am so glad that I did. If there is anything that I want to come of this challenge, it would be that people educate themselves and their children on the dangers of bullying. Verbal abuse stays with you forever and it's very hard to recover from. So think about the next time you call someone a dummy, fat, ugly, weirdo, stupid, or freak. Everyone deserves to be respected and I hope that this helps just one person. Here is my layout....

Want to know something funny? I don't even look like these pics. I have lost more weight and have cut my hair short. Go figure . 


I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the the mats of the smaller pictures. The puzzle letters were cut using my Don Juan Cricut Cartridge. The tag was cut with my Tags, Bags Boxes and More cartridge. The flowers were made with Stampin' Up's new flower layer punch. The butterfly and pearl brads were a gift from a friend. The stick on pearls are Stampin Up as well. Papers are Baby Girl/Decor Stripe from Heidi Grace Designs, Pink Medallions from GCD Studios and Stampin Up and white cardstock from my scrap boxes.


Until next time....

A RAK and blog candy win.....

I wanted to share some wonderful things that the mailman brought me recently. I have come to make a dear friend from my last blog hop and have come to discover we have a lot in common. I commented on a post on her blog and she shared some of the goodies with me. I also had run out of ink in my white gel pens and she sent those too :) Thank you Lynne for your generosity and friendship. Here is a pic:

 I was also a winner of blog candy from Lezlye of Ink and Paper Creations. The post office lost the original package so she was so sweet and sent a replacement. This has my favorite winter things Christmas and SNOWMEN!!!! I collect snowpeople and this made my day. I even have ideas for some great Christmas cards. Here is the pic of my prize:

Both of these ladies have brightened my dreary rainy day. Thank you both :) Until next time....