Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Just Married

I don't even remember where I found this sketch, but I used it to make a wedding card. I saved the sketch and then drew it on a piece of scratch paper when I went to work at my desk. I didn't quite draw it accurately... therefore, my curve angles upwards a little more than it should. I also flipped the sketch because when I used my cuttlebug for the red cardstock, I had it in backwards. Oops.


I don't know anyone getting married, so I kept the colors pretty neutral, but I can't wait to use this stamp to make a card where I can match the color of the car to the couple's car or use their wedding colors or something. Fun!


I stamped the image twice in Memories black ink. I colored one image in copics and then colored just the "Just Married" part and cut it out. I used pop dots to adhere the sign to the car.


I added the red square brads because I was undecided on whether or not I wanted to add a sentiment vertically or not. I might still go back and add Mr & Mrs So-and-So when I give it away, but I might just leave it, too.

Stamps: Just Married Car by Stampabilities
Paper: Autumn Leaves Foof-a-la Red, Black and Cream
Tools: cropadile, cuttlebug with swirls folder
Embellishments: square brads from JoAnn's

Monday, April 28, 2008

Make A Wish!

I had seen this fun idea on other crafting blogs of using the safety pin to attach the sentiment to ribbon and decided to give it a try.


I used my Copic markers to match the image to the paper and attempted to make the shadow look right around the candles. Yeah, gotta work on that technique.


A friend called today to see if she could borrow some birthday stamps for a card for her nephew and I was telling her about the few I have. Then she asked if I happened to have a boy birthday card laying around that she could just buy. I said I didn't know if this was boyish enough, but she could look at it if she wanted. Luckily, I had just taken the pictures so I can "keep" it in my mind.
Stamps: Bold Birthday Candles by Hero Arts
Paper: K&Company
Tools: Stampin' Up! Photo Corner punch, SU Word Window punch
Embellishments: safety pin, red grosgrain ribbon

Thursday, April 24, 2008

MIL Card

This is a card I made for my neighbor who wanted a card for her mother-in-law's birthday. She gave me free reign, except that she wanted turquoise and green.



Stamps: Autumn Leaves
Paper: K&Company
Tools: Stampin' Up! ticket corner punch
Embellishments: rhinestone brad by Making Memories

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Craft Room--Before/After

It. is. finished.

Slade, the boys and I made our trip to IKEA Friday. We had a blast (a few pictures to come later), but the most important thing is that I got the furniture I wanted to organize my craft room!

Let me start with the before pictures. They're a little scary. You can see why I really, really wanted to get to IKEA and get something to help with organizing!

Here's what you would see when you first looked in the guest/scrap room.


If you were brave enough to venture further in, this is what you would have seen.


I did move some rickety bookshelves and my storage carts out (and I vacumed) before taking these pictures. I meant to take the pictures first, but I forgot until I was halfway through.


Here's the stuff that was in the clean corner of the craft room.


And this. This is what my "crafting corner" of the livingroom sometimes... *ahem*... often looks like. Like a crafting monster threw up, I know.


I knew I wanted the Expedit shelving system because I had seen it on a few other crafting blogs and it looked perfect for helping me to have my junk (I mean, stuff) right at my fingertips to insure that I would use it. However, I had read on many blogs and different threads that this was a very difficult shelving unit to put together. I heard phrases like "this definitely takes two", "you'll need a rubber mallet", "the instructions that come with the bookshelf are worthless", "you'll be sweating profusely by the time you finally get finished" and such. Yikes!

When we got home from Dallas around 9:30 Friday night, I knew Slade wouldn't want to start on the bookshelf until the next day. So, being the determined person that I am, I decided to put it together by myself. I had desire and determination... but no rubber mallet. But, I figured I could at least get it started. Slade had headed to bed around 10 and I determined to do as much as I could by myself.

Less than an hour later, I had that shelf completed. I didn't even curse once. I did kick the shelf a time or two, but it wasn't out of anger, it was in place of using the rubber mallet that I didn't have. However, after I finished the shelf, I had the sickening, sinking thought: "What if we can't get it maneuvered through the doorways and into the guest room?!?!" I decided to try to lift the 6 x 6 foot, heavy as all get out, bookshelf by myself and see if it would make it. I got it about 2 feet off the ground and decided that I didn't want Slade to find me squished underneath it the next morning, so I headed to bed, too.

The next morning, Slade lifted the shelf with not even a grunt (I'm telling you, it really was heavy, even if he didn't let it show) and we used furniture sliders similar to these (but cheaper from Lowe's) to get the shelf into the guest room.
The boys thought it was fun to go through the openings when it was in the hallway. The bookshelves on the left are the old, rickety ones.


I thought this was a cute picture... until I noticed Russ' teeth. I asked what he was doing and he said, "Did you know I could make just my two front teeth show?" Well, no, I didn't, but now I do, don't I?


I thought this was a fun shot of all my boys.


Okay, here are the after shots:

When you first look in the room


This is a dresser that my neighbor, Allison, saved from death on the side of the road and she and her husband, Brad, sanded, stained and then stenciled it. (The stencil work doesn't show in the picture) They wanted to sell it when they had their youngest, Cooper, and we snatched it up. I love it! It's very sturdy.

It holds my Cuttlebug stuff on top and random stuff in the drawers. The thing hanging from the drawer pulls is a beautiful set of picture frames (they're backwards, so you can't see how pretty they are) that I plan to hang in the livingroom... someday.


A little further to the left is the reorganized TV cabinet that some friends gave to me a few months ago. My paper rack fit perfectly on top!


Then, keep going to the left, and you see the main reason I wanted to go to IKEA. I love, love it! I was going to get a white one, but with white walls, I decided this darker one would be better. I still want to get some baskets (strangely enough, IKEA didn't have the ones I wanted) to replace some of the plastic bags/containers I have in there for now.


Then, my desk area. I don't have any leg room, do I? Oops. But, I can wheel my big machine out of the way when I sit and work.


Some of the shelves, in no particular order.






Whew.

It feels so good to have everything organized. I did discover that I have too much paper! I need to use some up or get rid of it. But, other than that, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I really only have stuff I use. Yay!

So, anyone wanna come over and craft?!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Happy Birthday, Ally-bug!

My niece, Allyson's 2-year birthday party was this past weekend and I made this card for her. I wanted to use a "girly bug" because we all call her Ally-bug. We started out calling my other niece, Julia, "Julia-bug" and it just fit for Ally, too.


I picked out my papers first and then I used my $1 dragonfly stamp from Michael's that I am loving! The papers were bright and cheery, like Allyson's personality, and the dragonfly is my favorite "girly bug". I stamped the image with Memories Dye Inkpad in Black and colored it with copics. Then I used my Creative Memories large circles punch for the image and the green circle. I used my Stampin' Up! scallop punch for the scallop. I typed the sentiment on my computer.


Ally's party was every princess' dream and everyone had a blast! Happy Birthday, sweet bug.