Lots of FUN!!!

  I have had a wonderful week with lots of creative time and now I'm stopping by to update my blog a bit and share some of my latest projects.

  My first couple of projects are a few of the cards I finished up after being in Card Club last week.  These are some of my favorites and they are all Christmas cards, which are some of my favorite cards to make.  I have quite a few more started, and looking forward to working on those later this afternoon.

   This first card is super cute and I even bought the kit to make more.  It's also my first time very using any kind of Shrink Material and this particular kits if from Darcie and is called "Deck the Halls".   The best part is that the kit comes with a CD that have lots of other cute images and you print them directly onto the Shrink Plastic, which you then heat and "shrink" with your heat gun!!   It was quite a laugh with some of us, as it was or first time and this plastic really does shrink quickly, so be prepared to practice and ENJOY!!

  The cute little snowman is what I created with the shrink material and he, along with his little hat, nose and scarf, all actually separate pieces that you melt and then adhere together.  I also love these new "Scalloped Edge" cards, with are from Bazzill.   I bought the cream set and a set in red too and you'll see them more in my Christmas cards for this year.  My sentiment is a digi sentiment that I punched and layered onto a larger circle and my "snow" pieces is actually glittered cardstock.   A fun and cute card.

   My next card was also once we made in class and another that I love.  We started with the Die Cut Gingerbread boys, which we distressed and then added some really cool "Aged Gold" embossing powder, which is by Stampendous.  It's a super thick style and adds a nice think layer to your project.  For this case, we also added little bits of glass bling, while the powder was melting to give it that extra sparkle.  Another great tip we learned for this particular "thick" powder is to embossed from "underneath" so that it doesn't blow off all over your room.

   To finish off my little card, I tied on a cute little string bow and added Green Googly eyes.  I used a white Gel pen to add a cute smile and added him to my card with foam tape.  This is also another digi sentiment, that I punched and edged with distress inks.  I think this is an adorable card and an idea I'll use again.  I also bought some of this awesome Glass Embossing Powder, to add to my stash.

   I've also been back to my LSS "Absolutely Everything" twice since Card Club and started out with a new Zentangle Class, which I took on Saturday.  I had taken one a long time ago, and never followed up, but this time I really want to learn how to "tangle" better and truly enjoyed have "Stephanie" teach the class.  I'll be heading back later this month for her next class and especially want to learn how to use it with Lettering.  If you've seen my Zentangle Pin board at Pinterest, you'll see why I love it so much.  The designs are amazing!!

   On Tuesday, I was back again to be a part of a brand new "Silhouette Group" that is now forming at the store.  We all saw Kate do some demos with her machine and came up with some ideas of what we want to do for our next class.  We'll be meeting monthly and starting at the new meeting, everyone will bring along their Cameo's/Laptops and work on a new lesson or topic we all want to learn.  Then we'll complete a project or come up with some kind of fun challenge that we want to do.   I am thrilled and love my Cameo, and will now have new people to create with and learn from.   We also changed the class date and time and it will be in the day, which is so much better for me.  I can hardly wait to go back on the 15th.

   In the meantime, I signed up for a new online class "Silhouette:  Oh the Places You'll Go",  with Kerri Bradford and I am totally loving it.  I just started on the weekend and I'm still on Lesson One, but can tell already it'll be perfect teach me more think and also be good to ideas to use in our group.   If you are local and want to join the Cameo Group at AE, please let me know or call Kate at the store for more details.  If you would like to find out more about the online classes that Kerri teaches, you can find links on her blog HERE!!   I have already completed her beginner class and plan to take them all, one at a time.

   I am also finally started to find time to get back to joining in and playing in some of my favorite challenges.  My last card today is a card I created for this week's Color Combo Challenge over at The Outlawz Challenge Group.  As soon as I saw this week's color swatch, I knew I had to play!   It has two gorgeous shades of purple, which hooked me immediately.

   Gorgeous colors, don't you agree!   I started my card by pulling out a piece of Lavender Cardstock -- one of my favorite colors and this fabulous thick cardstock that is from Bazzill.  I bought a few sheets to try (also from AE), and love it.  Once I had that picked out, I matched up some more matching pieces from my scrap bin and then picked out the "Newspaper Tulip" stamp from Hero Arts as the stamp I wanted to use.   At first I thought I would color with my Copics, but then decided to use my Ranger Distress Markers and color directly to the Stamp.  I did that with matching colors and stamped the image directly to some of the Ranger Speciality Paper, a wonderful paper that is amazing.  Love it!!   I let it dry a bit and used a Nestie Die to cut out my image.  I put everything together, added a sentiment the three little white pearls and my card was done.  I'm also planning to share it over at the Hero Arts Flick Group!

  And now I'm off to work on more challenge!  My next one I want to join in on is the new "White Out" Challenge over at A Blog Named Hero and after that I want to come up with a fun new card for Hero's latest challenge too!  YIPPEE!!

  Oh and one more new piece of exciting new....we are adding a new addition to our family!!   And no one i pregnant, we are adopting a wonderful male dachshund dog, Scout who belongs to my wonderful new daughter in-law, Meghan and her family.   Now that Brian and Meghan are preparing to move to California, they know that making the trip with both of Meg's dogs will be very hard, so I offered and hoped, they would give me the chance to adopt him.   I'm super happy and excited that I will have him and had been thinking of getting a dog for a long time.  Scout is perfect for me and my family and he's coming over tomorrow to move in!!   I'm also going to share him, with Meg's family, especially her brother Sean, who really wanted to have him, but could not have him while he's in school -- he attends Penn State.  I have promised he'll be well taken care off and Sean can come and visit or take him over to their family home, when he's home on vacation.   Everyone seems pleased with the idea and I hope Scout will be very happy with us.  I'll be sharing lots of pictures soon, this is one of my son, Brian walking Scout earlier this summer!! ...isn't he cute!!   Actually  I think they both are very handsome, but I'm already very partial to Brian!!

 

It's Super Sunday....

.....and not in the Football sense, but for me it's a Super Sunday of creating!!   I also had a really fun day of craft and shopping yesterday and even took part in the Hero Arts Scramble too!

     My craft weekend started when I headed to my LSS "Absolutely Everything" to take a new Zentangle class and also to take part in the 20% off  "Bag Lady" sale, which was fabulous!  I LOVE sales and also try to do much best to buy almost everything on sale or with some type of coupon or promo.   I ended up coming home with some new Christmas Stamps, a new Zentangle book and and some little things I needed in my stash - re-inkers, some black Micro Pens and more goodies for the 40% table too!!

   I had a late lunch with Brian and Meghan and headed home in time to be ready for the latest Hero Arts Scramble, which is held bi-weekly over at the Flickr Group.  That reminds me, I'll be hosting my very first challenge during the week of October 22 and hope lots of my friends will join the fun -- stay tuned for more details.   Our challenge yesterday was hosted by Cecelia and she shared a fun Inspiration image and our theme was Christmas.  We also were given a combination of colors to use on our cards - Black, White, Silver, Kraft and a touch of color.   This is a copy of the image that Cecilia shared for inspiration.  You can see her gorgeous cards and all the Scramble cards, HERE in this thread!!

Inspiration Photo

My First Card

My second card 

This one turned out to be my favorite

  I totally enjoy taking part in these 90 Minute Scrambles, they are always fun and a great way to practice coming up with fun card ideas and working quickly.

  And speaking of fun and fabulous inspiration -- I am now a very happy and impressed graduate from the KickStart Class that was held over at the Online Card Classroom.   It's the latest class that Jennifer and Kristina have offered in their fabulous classroom and it turned out to be one of my all time favorites.   I did not have as much chance to play along each day, but I truly LOVED everything we learned and I know it will help me with my Mojo and also with new ideas for organizing my goodies and also my card inspiration.   I have taken every class these amazing designers have offered and loved them all!!   My all time favorite is the A Cut Above Class, which was an amazing two part class -- Die Cuts and also a second class all about using my Silhouette Cameo!!   If you are the type who loves classes, I think you be very happy with any class they offer!  I know I will be looking forward to the next one and hope it's something all new and exciting!!

  And while on the subject of fabulous classes, I just started another new class which will continue to teach me even more about my wonderful Silhouette Cameo.  It's the second in a series of classes taught by Kerri Bradford over at Jessica Sprague's Classroom.  I took the first class when I first bought my Cameo and I find the more I use it, the more I want to learn.  When I realized (after shopping at Kerri's store), that she had even more new classes, I could not wait to join.   I have completed only one Lesson, (each lesson has multiple videos/tasks), and I really love it.  I'm so excited about the new tips and hints I have already learned in only that one lesson.  Every thing is new and it's a more advanced class.  It would not be something you would want to start with, but once you do know you machine well, I think it's a great follow up.  You can find more details over at Jessica's Classroom Here!!   I'm also planning to take the other two new classes that follow this one!   Yippee!!   

   Today, I'm back to taking part in some of my favorite challenges and one group I visit often is The Outlawz  Challenges, which is a really fun challenge group that is owned and created by my friend, Colleen Holmes.   I have been a member since the day the group opened and was originally a member of the Greeting Card Design Team.  While, I no longer have the energy or stamina a part of any Design Teams, I still LOVE challenges and I look at them as a fun way to create and practice my cardmaking and also to meet new craft friends.  I traveled down to Baltimore in May and met several members of this fun group for a Gal's Getaway weekend and we have a blast!   If you love challenges, be sure to come on over and join the fun in this free online group.  There is a new challenge offered each day of the week and they all fun for a full week.   

  My first card is for the Paper a la Mode Challenge which offers a new challenge every Saturday.  This's week's DT hostess is my friend, Sharon who is the very first craft I ever met online.  I've know her longer than anyone else and I truly adore her as a friend.  She also traveled to Baltimore for the same event and we spend the weekend together, it was awesome and I also loved meeting her family, after knowing them for the past five years!!   Sharon is also an amazing designer and was a mentor to me when I first started crafting back in 2007.   She's taught me a lot and I great admire her wonderful and artistic skills!    Sharon's idea and challenge this week to to create a project where you create your own background -- either a stamped background or an embossed background.   Please go HERE to see the creations she and the other gals shared!  AWESOME!!

  This my card which I created using Distress Inks and Dry Embossing.   I created my background by stamps some of my favorite Distress colors directly to my craft mat.  I then put my card base into the inks and misted it with water and then used my heat gun to dry it.  Once it was totally dry, I picked out a new embossing folder Venus Crest from Couture Creations, that I picked up yesterday at my LSS for 40% off!!  Love it.   This is a nice large folder and easily cover the full card.   (one I bought yesterday on sale) and embossed the card front in my Cuttlebug.   I then picked out a matching card and some matching seam binding that I had bought last week on Etsy.  I tied that one and then inked up two die cut hearts to match and popped them up on foam tape and finished it off with a cute little button, also from the same Etsy Store - Mossy Made!!!  I really love how the colors turned out and this is my favorite card today!!

   

  In addition to the Outlawz Challenge, I am also submitting my card to the current "Anything Goes" challenge being hosted over at "Through The Craftroom Door" - the fun craft magazine newly owned by Colleen Holmes.   

  And my last card, as of now -- hoping to make one of two more -- was inspired and created for the new CAS Challenge, also hosted at The Outlawz.  This week, another craft friend (Pryn) is the hostess for this week and she made it very easy on all of us, as the them is "Anything Goes" -- all you need to do is be sure that you create a CAS card!   Mine was very fun and easy to make (one thing I love about CAS) and it started with a little 'tree' die cut I cut with my Cameo.  I had cut a full sheet of images the other day and put a bunch aside for new cards.  I thought this tree and a simple "moon" would make a fun fall like card and that's exactly what have to share and it was all so easy!!   

  And that I think it is for now!   My next stop is heading over to Operation Write Home's - Stars and Stamps blog to download this week's sketch!  It's another challenge I try to plan in every week and I'm excited to get back to it!  :)  PS:  This challenge is OPEN as each of the challenges I played in today!  I hope I have inspired YOU to play along!!!

Woohoo!! Happy to be back!!

   After a whirlwind of activities leading up the wedding and then the wedding itself, I have not had much time in my craftroom, but I am so happy to be back.   Although I did create a few things for the wedding, I feel like it has been ages, since I have had time to play in any challenges or to simply sit down and make some fun new cards.

   Today, I am thrilled to have spent almost the entire day working on some new Fall cards and also spent quite a bit of time catching up in the awesome KickStart Class that I'm currently taking.  If you know me well, then you'll know that I totally LOVE the classes that Jennifer McGuire & Kristina Werner offer in their wonderful "Online Card Classroom", and this is the latest class, which is awesome -- as Always!!

   This class is teaching us all kinds of fun and unique ways to create and it's also full of wonderful tips and hints from many of the most well-known designers.  Each day we have new videos, PDF files and wonderful projects shared by the designers.   The class also has fabulous Guest Designers who also share their own hints and tips on how they brainstorm and come up with their own ways to start new projects.   I can't begin to tell you how much I have learned from all these amazing artists and how much I love being part of the class.   Today's guest designer, just happened to be Tim Holtz, who we all  know and love.   I have been lucky enough to have met Tim in person and taken a workshop with him at my LSS, as well as the wonderful Creative Chemistry 101 class he taught a few months ago!    I also have a fantastic local store called "Absolutely Everything" where there are always ongoing classes.   It's also where I first started to realize how much I really love Jennifer's style after being in a workshop she taught, last April.   Yesterday, I was there for the Monthly Card Club.   Our focus in yesterday's class was on Holiday and Christmas Cards, which are a favorite.  We also tried some fabulous new products and came home with a huge packet of card and new ideas.   I love AE and know I'm so lucky to be near such an amazing store!    I'll be back there again next week for more shopping and a brand new Silhouette Cameo Demo/Workshop!  I'll also share the cards we started in class yesterday, in the next couple of days, so stay tuned!!

   One of the things that I learned from Tim and from the many techniques classes,  I've taken at my LSS, is  that a great way to remember a technique is to create a "Tag" and to write down the instructions on the back of each tag for future reference.   I started my first set it tags in one that class I took with Tim, but have added several more over the past couple of years.  Today, I thought I would share my tags, as that was a topic Tim and Jennifer both shared in KickStart Class.   It's another fun way to come up with an idea for a card/project when you feel stuck or feel you have lost your Mojo!    I have two large rings now full of tags and I continue to add, whenever I take new classes or add new ideas.   The majority of my tags were creating taking techniques classes at "Absolutely Everything".  I also have several that I created while taking Tim's Creative Chemistry Class too!    

    Today, I worked on three new cards and all were inspired by a variety of ideas and wonderful tips and hints that I've learned while taking  KickStart Class.   I also made this very first card for a new challenge (The Cameo Spotlight) and did this using my wonderful Cameo, which I totally LOVE!   I wanted to make to Fall-themed cards and this was my first one, where I used the "Triangle" theme and incorporated it into this fun little Flower card.  I thought that each of the outside petals reminds me of a little triangle!   

     After having good results in cutting out the pieces for that card, I had lots of left over petals and decided to try making a second flower card, but one that had extra layers!   This one definitely reminds me of a sunflower.

  And this is the third card I finished up today and again, this one was done in Fall-themed colors.  It also features a really fun background that was created with Distress Inks and Perfect Pearls Mist.  I created this card with one of my favorite Hero Arts Background Stamps (Lotus Background) and started by taking Distress Inks and putting the ink directly from the pad onto the stamp in a random pattern.  Once I had the stamp covered, I misted it with a mixture of Perfect Pearls/Water and then stamped it directly onto Watercolor Paper.   I then heat set it and cut it down to A2 size for my card front.   Often, when I am in the mood to get very inky, I will stamp out several of these backgrounds in a variety of colors and keep them for future use.  

   You can also cut them up in different sizes and use one background for two different project, or even use them for die cut.   In this case, I simply cut it to fit on top of one of my Hero Hues cards in a little green shade.  I then used scraps to cut thin borders to break up the card a bit and used some left over die cuts for my focal point.  A fun -- and easy card to make.

  It's been so FUN to be back at my art desk and tomorrow, I plan to work on even more cards.  I have some fun new ideas to share from the class I took on Tuesday and also have all kinds of great tips and hints from KickStart.  If you are like me and often struggle to start something new, this is a class you will live.  It also is full of wonderful ideas for organizing your projects, shopping from you stash and even more tips and hints on storage ideas!   It's another class I have totally LOVE and I'm excited that it was just in time for me to use the ideas while I'm still working on re-organizing my craft room.   I've really enjoyed how each of the designers has shared their rooms with us and different ways they each start a project.  I have already ordered more binders and I'm gong to start a Rolodex of color combos, based on a idea Maile Belles shared, back on Day 2!   WOOHOO!   

Wonderful Wedding!!

   Yesterday, will go down as being one of the happiest days of my life.   I am so honored and proud of my son, Brian - and thrilled that I now have an amazing new daughter, Meghan as part of my family.

    We had a fantastic night on Friday with with the Sunset Cruise and although Saturday started out very misty and damp, the timing was perfect and by the time the Wedding began, the skies were clear and that gorgeous shade of blue.   The bay was calm and the temperatures were perfect for being at the beach.

    I have a few pictures to share that were taken with my camera, keep in mind that I'm not the best photographer!  Hopefully, in time, I'll have some more from the reception -- which was a BLAST!

   UPDATE:  It's now Tuesday and this Mom is still wiped out!   Hoping to be back in my craft room and creating again very soon!   I had such a Wonderful Weekend and loved every minute of the Wedding.  Brian and Meghan are both awesome and I'm one happy, yet very tired --- Mom!!   Be back soon!!!!

Four days and counting....

....before we all gather to watch Brian & Meghan say their vows and start their new life together as a married couple.  Woohoo!!

    I could not be happier and more excited!  Every day is flying by and I feel like I'll never be ready, but I know it will all be wonderful.   At this point, I do have all my craft projects done and have already brought everything over Colleen & Rob's home (Meg's parents).  I also think their home is going to a wonderful setting as it's such a lovely home and has has wonderful nautical theme.   Brian has always called it the "Beach House" and know I understand why.

    I have a couple updated pics to show you how my final favor bags were put together, along with a picture of the finish wedding book, which we will use as a guest type memory book!!

    This is the "beach" themed part of the favor bag.  The little bottles, each have a tiny message and have also now been filled with sand.

   The second part is a treat "candy" bag which contains Hershey Kisses, Salt Water Taffy and the little "wrapped" Hershey Nuggets.

     I added the "beach" little organza bag to the candy bag, and then tied a Thank You tag on each one.  I created this tags using my Cameo and the "Print and Cut" feature which was a huge help in this project.  Love Love Love my Cameo.

     And this is how I finished off their book -- I left it all very natural in colors and it will be put out with the favors in a little grouping with candles, sea shells and some larger starfish, that I forget to photography before I took them over to the house.  Oops!

   I decided against making a card box, since it was not working out as I had planned.  However, I have a great little area that this will all be placed and their will easily be space for a card basket, if needed.    I just do not have time now to work on it any longer and I'm a little wiped out.

   Today, is a cloudy day and we have a big rain storm (front) that's going to come through tonight and last for the next day or so and I know it's coming, because my body is super sore.  Luckily, today is pretty much a free day, so I'm especially excited to head over to the Kick Start Class and maybe even make a card to two.  I'm a little bummed that I don't have the time to spend in class, like I normally do -- but once I get through the weekend, I know I will be a much better student for Week 2!!  

   Tomorrow, I'm having my nails and hair done, my hair is kind of a trial to see if I want to wear it very straight, (flat ironed) or more like normal style, blown out with the ends kind of curled under.  I have another appointment Saturday morning which will be when I choose which style I want.  I'm also having a Spa Pedicure on Thursday and will meet Hubby after to go and buy all the food things I need to make for Saturday.  Nothing overly difficult and thankfully Acacia is going to help me out on Saturday morning too!   We will make a large veggie platter and dip, a large fruit platter and dip, plus a large garden salad.   We ordered most of the food, but we are all making some sides too!    

   The weather is looking wonderful for the weekend -- and it sounds like it will be perfect for both the Sunset Cruise and also for their Beach Ceremony.   I'm so happy that this rain storm is coming now (we do need rain)...but it's also making me very happy to know it will all be over by Thursday and the forecast for the weekend is looking fabulous -- Thank you God!