Believe

I was playing with the stamp set that came with the "Believe Workshop on the Go" by CTMH.
I was inspired by a card that I saw on "the queens scene" blog.

Christmas Love

Every year, it never fails, Bill lets me know that I need to make more cards. Somebody new just sent us a card and we must reciprocate.  My job is to make them and his is to send them. And, every year I am exhausted from making them and my craft rooms remains a mess. I am sure you know the feeling. Tonight when I was informed that I need more cards, lots more, I whipped out these cards in no time flat. I used one of my favorite stamps from CTMH called "Christmas Love" and the "Believe" paper pack. To add a little whimsy, I attached little bells, that I picked up at the craft store, with bakers twine. To give my cards a little sparkle I added Glitz Silver Glitter Gel around the banner and Candy Cane Stickles to the holly berries. I hope you are having fun with your cards.

Three of my favorite cards

I have been busy making Christmas cards and before I send these ones off, I thought that I has better take a picture. These are 3 of my favorites. The stamps are from LaLa Land Crafts. I have had so much fun coloring these images. There is so much time that goes into coloring and making a card, that it becomes more than just a card but a gift. I love making homemade cards. It brings me so much joy.

Glory To God

I have been working on my Christmas Cards over the past few weeks and one of my challenges has been with this stamp set from Close to My Heart called "Glory to God." I love this set and have been trying to come up with a way of really making it stand. Finally, after much thought I am happy with the result. I used my Cricut and the Art Philosophy cartridge to cut out the ornament. I stamped the wise men and city with pigment ink and embossed them with gold embossing powder. The paper that I used is called "Sonoma," also from CTMH.

La-La Land Crafts for Kids

Lexi is entering a contest at La-La Land Crafts for Kids and this is the card she made. She used Autumn Marci. http://lalalandcrafts4kids.blogspot.com/

Baby Girl Diaper Cake

My Daughter, Jennifer, is having a baby in February and yesterday was her baby shower. For her gift, I made her this diaper cake. They are really not that  difficult to make. This cake has 3 tiers and is made using about 72 new born diapers. Each diaper is rolled inward so that the design on the diaper shows, and is secured with a tiny rubber band, the kind that you find in the hair section of your store. For the center, I used a paper towel roll that had about 1/4 roll of paper towels on it. It made for a nice firm base. Once all of the diapers are rolled, take a large rubber band and put it around the paper towel roll and start inserting diapers within the rubber band until they are all around the roll. This is your first layer. Add a second rubber band around the diapers and make your second layer. Take a third large rubber band and put it around the second layer of diapers and repeat. You should have 3 layers of diapers around the bottom of the paper towel roll. You will see the exposed paper towel roll above the diapers. Next, you will make your second tier. You do the same as you did on the bottom. This time you will have two layers and they will sit right on top of the bottom layer. Lastly is your third tier. This has one layer of diapers. Once you have your cake assembled, take a long piece of ribbon and wrap it around each of the tiers covering the rubber bands. Staple the ends together. To cover the staple, make a big bow out of ribbon. Hold the bow up against the staple and taking a smaller ribbon wrap it around the stapled ribbon and bow and tie it tightly to hold the bow in place. 

 Now you can start decorating your cake. I took small pieces of ribbon and tied rattles and toys to the diapers. Some things like lotions and baby wash got stuck in between the large rubber band and diaper. You can add lots of gifts to this cake. I rolled up baby washcloths and put them in place of some of the diapers. Other things to add are little gift sets of onesies or little outfits, hair clips, foot rattles, secrity blankets, booties, pacifiers, little brush and comb sets. On the top, I added a musical stuffed animal. To secure the stuffed animal, I took a dowel and put it between the large rubber band and paper towel holder. I tied a big bow around the stuffed animal and the dowel to secure.

 This cake is so simple that even a seven year old can make one. Here is Lexi's cake that she made. She made hers using two layers.  For her center, she used a baby bottle. On the top, she placed a large plastic cat that plays music and rolls around on the floor. To attach, she took a large piece of ribbon and wrapped it around the bottom of the cake and over the cat and tied a big bow. Her cake is wrapped in tule and secured with a rubber band and ribbon.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!
Today, I am dressed as "Tiny Tim" from "A Christmas Carol." Since I have been hobbling around on crutches for sometime now, the costume was a perfect fit. I will end with "and God Bless Everyone."

A Birthday card for Lexi

Tomorrow, my little granddaughter Lexi will be seven years old. Where has the time gone? I remember when her mother was that age and it seemed like yesterday. Lexi loves kitties and because of that I made her a card with a kitty. I even let her look at the Digi images at Pink Cat studio and pick out her favorites. She was leaning heavily towards this one and I liked it too, so I ordered it. I also ordered the other ones she liked so that she could color them. I love Digi images because you can have them instantly and they are less expensive. I didn't even have to color this image, it came that way. I was given the option of plain or colored when I ordered. I wasn't sure what they meant by that, so I ordered colored. Well, that's what they meant. Lol. To give it a special touch and make it "mine," I printed a second image and cut out the wagon, balloon, hats and flowers and gave them a 3d look. I used buttons for the balloons. And, proudly, I say this is the cutest card I have ever made.

Silver Fairy

My card uses an image from Wee Stamps called Silver Fairy. She is for a friend of mine who collects fairies. I used CTMH's Wonderland paper and love the blue and brown combination. I am going to use this paper to make my Christmas cards.

My Latest Purchase

Look at what I have Pre-Ordered. This case will hold 380 Sketch Markers!!! I love the little cups that make it so easy to organize by color family.

Traveling Angels

This morning in church, our friends Nancy and Bruce were visiting from the Mid-West. Nancy reminded me that when they were here last February we were talking about ski accidents. How ironic it was that I was in a ski accident a few weeks later. I shared a story with Nancy about my accident, that I haven't told too many people, because I didn't think they would understand. When I broke my leg that day, I was alone on the hill, as Bill had skiied on ahead.  I screamed for help and two people showed up, who happened to be ICU Nurses, who were skiing that day. When they told me that they were ICU nurses, I knew that God had sent them to me and I wondered if they were angels in human form. I later learned what at a blessing it was that they showed up. They had made a comment that I couldn't be moved. I later learned the reason why I couldn't be moved...the broken jagged bones in my leg could have sliced the major artery running along side, thus ending my life. What a blessing it was that Bill had skiied ahead of me...he may have moved me out of the way... While in the hospital, I couldn't stop thinking about the nurses who helped me on the hill. I kept asking God if they were angels. Did he intervene to prevent  something bad from happening, like paralyisis or death. I couldn't stop thinking about it and have thanked him for allowing my leg to break instead. This little story has played over again and again in my head.

Traveling Angels

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.
The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room.
Instead, the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.
As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.
When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night, the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.
After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest.
When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears.
Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole source of income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel,
“How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him!” She accused, “The second family had little, but was willing to share everything…and you let the cow die!”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied.
“When I stayed in the basement of that mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and was unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it.
Then last night, as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Like I said, things aren’t always what they seem.”

Halloween Layouts

I am having a nice, quiet and relaxing day playing with CTMH's Mischief paper pack, Compliments Rub-ons and Felt Shapes. Every year we take Lexi to the "Ghost House" and I am thinking of how perfect my pictures will be for these layouts.

Togethah Forevah

Today I am going to a bridal shower for a young woman who I have known since she was a little girl. She grew up with Jennifer and is like a second daughter to me. I used an image from Stamping Bella called Togethah Forevah for my card

Marci in Fall

I am enjoying this beautiful Fall day here in California. The weather is pleasantly warm but has that crisp feel to it. Even though I am wearing shorts and a tee shirt, I am reminded of the time that I went to visit my sister-in-law in Massachusetts. It had always been one of my dreams to visit the New England states and see the Fall foliage. What a gorgeous treat it was for me. The weather was much cooler, but we bundled up warm and drove from state to state to see the spectacular show of colors. My little Marci from LaLa Land stamps is dressed in her warm coat and hat while she enjoys the Fall show. I added gold Stickles to her buttons and hat to tie in with the glittery leaves. The paper is Dreamin' from Close to my Heart.

Another Halloween Marci card

I am having so much fun with cute little Halloween Marci. I used the Branch Tree die cut from Tim Holtz and added spooky eyes to make it stand out. The pumpkin patch paper is Midnight Dreary from Moxxie.

Halloween Marci

I was inspired by Irina's post over at Everything Paper Crafts. She mentioned about not having time to make Halloween cards and wanting to, but the time passes by. I have the same problem. For some reason, I love to collect Halloween stamps and paper, but don't end up using them. What's with that? As a start, I cased this card from Irina and changed it up a bit. Irina is the designer of this stamp from La La Land Crafts. The paper is from Basic Grey and the fence is cut from the Cricut Cartridge "Happy Hauntings." the bats are from a Martha Stewart punch. I am going to send this card to my darling niece Emma for Halloween.

Me at Convention

I received a CD in the mail today from CTMH and it had pictures from convention on it. Here I am in a bright purple boa. LOL. We were in the "Purple Group." No doubt there. We had so much fun, but next year I intend to be free of crutches and totally get into it.

A La La Land Birthday Card

I made this card for a very special friend using Marcie from La La Land stamps and the cupcake from Magnolia stamps.

Pretty Princess

I love these pictures of Lexi at Disneyland and wanted to do a special layout for them. I had bought this paper a couple of years ago and finally got around to using it.

Taylor Swift and Elemental

School Rocks

I just love this stamp set, with the school bus and kids strolling along, from CTMH called School Rocks. I paired it with my favorite paper pack "Typeset" and added a hidden "Journaling Spot" behind one of the pictures.

First Day of School Layout

The cover of the Fall/Winter idea book from CTMH has a layout that I fell in love with the moment I saw it. I chose this layout but added my own touches to it. The paper used is called Typset and is my favorite pack in the catalog. I love the rich cocoa color with juniper and creme brûlée. The banner was cut using the new Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge from CTMH.

Reason, Season and Lifetime

Some people come into your life for a season a reason or a lifetime; and I have made this card for a very special person who has come into my life for a Reason and has been a godsend. She is moving on in life and I wanted to make this special card for her as a going away present. On the inside, I wrote out the portion of the poem that says: Some people come into your life for a Reason, a Season, or a lifetime. When someone is in your life for a Reaon, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are. They are there fo the reason you need them to be.
I specifically asked for her in prayer and God heard me. Thank you God.

On my card I added seed packets because she loves to garden and plans to spend time in her garden upon her retirement. The little girl is Marci from La La Land stamps.

Just playing in the stamp studio

I found this paper from Graphic 45 in my paper stash and decided to see what I could come up with. I am happy to say that I am pleased with it.

Monkey Diaper Cake

I made my first diaper cake for a friend's daughter. Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours on U-tube learning how to make one. I saw the cute little monkey blanket at Target and made that my theme. Attached to the many rolled up diapers are little monkey shoes, monkey blanket and matching receiving blanket, pacifiers, rings toy, lotion, baby wash, shampoo. On the inside are two baby bottles that are used to support the diapers. The cake is sitting on a plastic cake plate and is wrapped in blue tule.

A Tea Party for Ka-tie

Today Jennifer and I took Katie, our dear friend out for a tea party for her birthday. The little tea room called the English Rose was so adorable. It was decorated in pink and green and had all kinds of girly nicknacks to look at. Katie is such a girly girl and she loved it. The little sandwich's and scones were delicious as was the gum drop tea and cinnamon spice tea that we sipped. In the end, the waitress brought Katie a petit four with a candle in it and happy birthday written in icing on the plate. Jennnifer and I gave her a pink Pandora bracelet with pink beads and a silver cupcake. She is a pastry chef at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco and since it was her birthday, the cupcake was perfect.

Convention 2011 Layout

What a fun morning I had today putting this layout together. It brought back such happy memories of the fun that I had at the Close to My Heart Convention. I am already making plans for next years convention in Dallas and I can't wait.

The supplies used in this layout are: Fanfare Level paper pack, Irresistibles Eclectic Die-Cuts, Honey Mini-Medley's and Rhinestone Designer Brads

It's Wicked

Spend $50 and buy the stamp set, Wicked for just $5 and get the Typeface (A size) font set for FREE! That's just wickedly awesome and such a great way to kick off the new catalog. But wait. There's more.

If you go the

www.closetomyheart.com

and look under the Campaigns and Promotions subtitle and click on Stamp of the Month, It has directions and recipes for the ideas present at the back of the catalog. There's also a card included with the stamp set that has a close up picture of the projects. Thank you, CTMH, for making it even faster, simplier, and easy! Love it!
This special is available August 1-31, 2011

More Disneyland Layouts

My birthday happened to fall at the same time as Convention. I love how the Fanfare WOTG and stickers work so well with Disney.

Disneyland Layouts

Last summer I made these layouts using a paper pack that is now retired called Zippidee. I didn't have any Disney pictures at the time and was able to use them for my recent trip to Disneyland. I had quite a few pictures to fit on to these layouts, so I added 4x6 flip flaps to my layouts and was able to fit 5 pictures in one space. Talk about saving time!