Be Inspired

Good morning girls! I hope ya'll are having a wonderful day! I certainly am! I have a little bit of spending money and decided that I was going to pick up a set or two from Flourishes. I've been admiring their line for well over a year now. And God has just blessed me, let me tell ya! They have a weekly challenge and my sweet DT sister Linda pointed out that my Sugar Creek Hollow card fit their challenge. And I was the random winner this week. So I think I'll be able to get 3 sets -- or maybe just 2 and something else. Either way, I've already started shopping and trying to make up my mind (which we'll talk more about on Friday)!
Thank you so much Flourishes!!

ON a side note, I'm getting distracted by the TV; Food Network is showing Chopped and they were given Black Eyed Peas. Now, I'm a southern girl so I like Black Eyed Peas. I have fond memories of my grandmother cooking them for New Years and they tasted sooo good. The men in my household were less than thrilled. Didn't help that they didn't taste as good as my grandmother's!

The designers at Cuttlebug Challenge were asked to create something with pictures this week. My little man brought home a picture paperweight as a Mothers Day gift that he made in Sunday School. I decided to  gussy it up a bit, as one might say here in Texas!

I just punched a border, embossed it and adhered it with Red Liner Tape. A bit of ribbon and flower to add a little pretty without being too girly. I wanted to add some magnets to the back so I could hang it on my fridge but I can't find my good magnets. But I'll do that soon.

Oh how I love this boy! He has a hard time staying still for a picture and I just see him, captured here mid-sentence for all time.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I really appreciate each of you that do and your sweet comments too! Take a moment to visit the Cuttlebug Challenge blog and see what the other girls have come up with today! They are the BEST and every week just amaze me!

A New Creation

I wanted to take a moment and share my Cuttlebug project from last week with you. The Cuttlebug Challenge blog is much more than just a challenge blog - it's a teaching and inspiration blog too!

We were challenged to create a wall hanging and as I was thinking about what to create, the verse from 2 Corinthians 5:17 came to mind: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" And I thought of butterflies, who undergo a complete transformation in their lifetime. And how God is transforming me every day. Our family is certainly facing some trials right now and it's easy to get discouraged. But then I remember that He is guiding my path and I should trust Him. So I made a simple wall plaque to remind me that though I face failures, they are not the end of the world. That I am a new creation in Christ.

What do you think of that lime green swirl? It's some packing tape I picked up in the dollar section at Michaels. Very cool stuff. I adhered it to some white cardstock since my base was embossed. I love that shade of green paired with that deep red!

Thanks for stopping by!

CHA Winter 2010 Projects: Gifts from the Kitchen & Fourth of July

I just saw this sitting in my post lineup - in draft mode, I didn't even realize it hadn't posted!

I'm so excited to finally get to share the projects that I created for the Provo Craft booth at CHA this past weekend. Thank you so much Provo Craft for the chance to work with you! Thank you also to Maggie for all the help you give us and for representing the entire team at CHA! I would also like to send out a sincere thank you to Provo Craft for the chance to work with the new folders, Coredinations for their sponsorship and providing cardstock and to Adornit for the great patterned papers you sent to design with as well!

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Maggie asked me to create projects in two themes: Fourth of July and Gifts from the Kitchen.  I'm going to start with my Gifts from the Kitchen sets.

When she asked me to create some items to fit this theme I knew right away what I wanted to do! My first project is for Firecrackers! My mom made this at Christmas this year and they have been an instant hit with the family! My husband is a big fan and we've made several batches since the holidays. They are very easy and a great snack!

I really wanted the firecrackers to show through and so I found this box that they could stack nicely and neatly in (I hope they traveled well) and then just made a simple band to wrap around the middle. I embossed some red Coredinations paper using one of the new Asian folders debuting at CHA. I opted not to sand on this project and just let the design remain very crisp. The sentiment was generated on my computer and punched out; there are so many you could use with this recipe - "You're on Fire!" "You're Hot!" - you get the idea! The firecrackers were sooo simple! I just took some metallic pipe cleaners, cut them down and rolled them up in some of that Adornit patterned paper.

Supply List: Asian embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), patterned paper (Adornit), punch & ribbon (Stampin' Up!), glue dots, red sticky tape, pipe cleaners, box - I found at the comic book store.

Firecrackers Recipe:
1 box of unsalted saltine crackers (we prefer the generic over the name brand for this)
1 1/2 c. of canola oil
3 Tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes
1 packet Ranch Dressing mix

In a large sealable tub, place all the crackers. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients well. Pour over crackers. Seal and turn tub gently to coat crackers. Turn the tub every 15 minutes for an hour or so. Open tub and let air dry for a bit.

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My second Gift from the Kitchen was to make Teriyaki Walnuts. I packaged them in a box using a template from My Time Made Easy. I used two of the new Asian folders on this project and love how simple yet "wow" it looks! Since my box base was white, I sanded the Coredinations cardstock on this project to bring in some white on the decor as well. The box is kept closed with some velcro circles.

And then here's the back of the box; I think it's a nice touch to finish it all the way around.

Supply List: Asian embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), patterned paper (Adornit), punch & ribbon (Stampin' Up!), red sticky tape, sanding block, velcro closure

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My final Gift from the Kitchen is a thank you gift for someone who's just been a great friend. There are tons of "gifts in a jar" recipes out there that are easy to put together. This is for Confetti Bean Soup. You are supposed to layer the beans which looks really nice. But I knew that they would get all mixed up in route to CHA so I just mixed them to begin with. I think it works since it's "confetti".

I kept the jar itself pretty simple - just an embossed circle to cover the top, some ribbon and a really neat tag. The embossing just looks so sharp in this little slide frame.

The card is more in-depth. I used another new Asian folder for the main embossing, again on Coredinations cardstock. Instead of sanding, I distressed by lightly inking the paper with some black ink and distressing the edges. The little sentiment panel uses a graphic from Crafty Secrets. The inside of the card features the instructions on a pull out card.

Supply List: Asian embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), stickers (Making Memories), Crafty Secrets, frame & glass slides (Ranger), black ink, edge distresser (Heidi Swapp),

ribbon (Stampin' Up!), brads,

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Okay, now let's shift gears and jump ahead about 6 months. Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays; I'm so proud to be an American - thankful too - and the patriotism that swells at that time of year just makes me happy!

The first project I'm going to share is a decorated insulated mug. I wanted to create a mug appropriate for a military wife - they sacrifice so much as well for our country. I'm incredibly grateful and thankful for the journey they take to support their husband as they do battle on my behalf.

That being said, this project gave me such grief. I  was literally like "Good Grief" (charlie brown).

What I have to share is the 3rd version of this project that I did.

I used some star printed paper on the bottom, embossed with the stars embossing folder and then brushed with white craft ink. The top had a blue patterned paper and then I cut up bits to create some sentiments.

Supply List: Stars embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), patterned paper (Adornit), red sticky tape, insulated coffee mug

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My next project is a jewelry piece that I created with another frame and glass slides from Ranger.

I embossed Coredinations paper, and then trimmed out the Statue of Liberty image from the Adornit paper. Computer generated sentiment. I layered that all on one glass slide and inserted in the frame. Then I covered it with some crackle medium --- which makes it very difficult to see the embossing in the photo now. While it was still wet I sprinkled in some glitter flakes I had to mimic fireworks!

This is the first project I've made with these materials and it was a lot of fun! Very easy and I can't wait to get some more frames!

Supply List: Asian embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), patterned paper (Adornit), frame & glass slides & crackle medium (Ranger), glitter flakes, chain

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I picked up a wooden star box at Michaels. I thought it would be a wonderful little keepsake box for dog tags. The box was painted and then patterned paper cut to fit the top. I embossed it using just the swirls from the Koi embossing folder. You'll have to look close to see it as it flattened out quite a bit when I was adhering the paper to the top.

I also cut out some other icons and words from the Adornit paper to decorate the box - including a sentiment on the inside.

Supply List: embossing folder (Provo Craft), patterned paper (Adornit), acrylic paint, glue, dimensionals

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My final project is my favorite that I created: a decorated canvas. The shipping tags were embossed with the stars folder and trimmed in length a bit to fit the canvas. I looooove how those manila tags look embossed - it might be my new favorite thing to emboss!

I had some chipboard letters in my stash that I peeled the paper off of and recovered with the Adornit papers. I sponged some ink around the edges to distress them a little bit. For the fourth tag, I cut out a star and embossed it with the swiss dots folder. I sanded them as I really wanted them to stand out. Using a sentiment trimmed from the paper and button and twine I decorated the star for a little fancy ending!

Supply List: embossing folders (Provo Craft), patterned paper (Adornit), cardstock (Coredinations), manila shipping tags, dimensionals, button, thread, paint, sanding block, canvas

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If you've read this far - THANK YOU! There was a lot to share and I am so appreciative that you take the time to visit - please leave a comment letting me know what you think! Which project is your favorite?

Festival of Lights - Video Blog Hop

Good morning everyone! I hope you are enjoying the Festival of Lights? It has certainly been an event full of inspiration!

I am excited to be part of the first video blog hop by Cuttlebug Challenge! If you arrived here after seeing Betty's video at Cutting Above - you are on the right track! If not, start at Christmas with the Cricut.

Last year I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to change the color scheme on my Christmas tree to whites and clears. Maybe creams too but I haven't completely decided on that inclusion yet. As much as I would love to just go on an ornament free-for-all and buy to my heart's content, that's not really practical. There has been a lot of talk this year about handmade being the perfect gift --- well I think handmade is also the perfect decoration!

With just a few simple supplies, my faithful green Cuttlebug and embossing folders I can have a tree full of ornaments this year.

I am so excited to be participating in the video blog hop today! My neice helped me film and edit my video - any glitches are my fault - everything that looks great is all due to her!! Thanks J!

Those are some close-up shots of the ornaments I've created so far! I can't decide if I like the cardinal or the tapestry one the best so far! I'd love to know which one you like the best!
I did a snowflake one as well - looked really great. I added some stickles and some glitter to it because I figured glitter made everything better. But I did not care for the look at all ---- I prefer just the crisp white on the clear.

Before I send you on your way, we were asked to share our favorite tutorial at the Cuttlebug Challenge.  ACK!! If you know me well at all you know that picking just one favorite is so hard! Ten favorites - a little more doable. So I've been thinking about the ones that I really enjoyed and narrowed it down to two. Terrie's Purse Set is PHEnomenal! She's got serious talent!! And I also really loved Meda's Birthday Organizer. Her work is always so polished and very, very elegant looking. Be sure to scroll down to see it - you'll see how professional her projects always are!!

Now, there are TWO prizes being given away today!! Yea!!
Prize 1 is at Christmas with the Cricut - it said {dinosaur} in parantheses --- I bet that means something to you Cricut fans!!
Prize 2 is at Cuttlebug Challenge - this one is {winter wonderland} --- which sounds divine -- and I'm thinking I heard chatter that it's a very new release? yes? maybe?

Now I want to send you over to one of the newest designers at Cuttlebug Challenge - Tammy Skinner!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a beautiful day!!

Cuttlebug Be Inspired Challenge 35: Father's Day Card/Gift

Hi! So good to see you again! If this is your first visit today, be sure to scroll down and see my Flutter By card for this week.

This week at Cuttlebug Challenge the theme was Father's Day. This is an extra-special Father's Day for my brother-in-law: it's his birthday AND his FIRST Father's Day.

One of the new sets being released by 2RedBananas this month is an adorable baby set designed by Jami Bova. I created a quasi-card to send to my BIL. What's a quasi-card? It's part card, part layout, part home decor.

I stamped the large star from the set in Creamy Caramel on my Kraft base (5.5 x 10). The pictures were cropped and sized and then mounted on white mats. All my white pieces have been embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder.

Two squares were embellished as accents. The top square used the same star and one of the sentiments from the set was stamped inside. I wanted to capture that feeling of how as a parent you add a whole new facet to your personality when you have a baby join your family....and so added to the sentiment in my own handwriting.

The buggy is just one of the larger images from this set. Since it's for my BIL, I wanted to keep it fairly clean and simple. I left room over to the right so we could add a personal message before we send this off. The sketch is an older one from (sketches by tamara).

And to make sure that this card could be enjoyed for a long time, I constructed an easel from some chipboard and adhered it to the back. I hope that my BIL will enjoy it and display it on his desk at work or somewhere in their home as a reminder of those first days.

Be sure to stop by the Cuttlebug Challenge and see the rest of the cards and projects by the team as well. Several team members are moving on and I know it would mean a lot to them if you stopped and wished them well. They are alumni now and will still be stopping by from time to time! There are some exciting events coming up in the next few weeks at the Cuttlebug Challenge too so be sure to check in frequently --- the best bet is to add it to your Reader or subscribe so you won't miss anything!

Stop by the 2RedBananas blog as well and the rest of the Banana Bunch too. TODAY is the day that the June releases are available in the store. Lots of cute stamps this month. And be sure to check out the Smooch ink and the ribbon too! There is still time to join in on the challenge at CPS and the 2RB blog!

Welcome

How is your Monday shaping up? My little man is finally well, Spring Break is over and so he is back at Mother's Day Out today. I am enjoying a few blissful hours of quiet!


Pink Papery Studios has a new line coming out called About Town. In addition to the house pictured here there are store fronts of all kinds too!

Amy wanted us to use bright colors in our project. Since this is a digi-stamp, I was able to scale my house really big - it's about 5 x 7. I colored in the image using my Stampin Up Markers and really wanted a saturated look. I think this is very Mary Engebreit in style! The door, roof, and windows were all cut out and popped up on dimensionals. The Welcome was cut with my Cuttlebug.

Have a great day today!! Tomorrow is Twinkling Tuesday and you won't want to miss this week's sketch!!

Cuttlebug Be Inspired Challenge 19: Emboss Acetate BONUS

Hi girls!! Can you believe it's Wednesday already? I was really excited about our challenge this week over at The Cuttlebug Challenge blog. Embossing acetate has been on my "want to try" list. I wanted to make something that could be a gift/decor item and am totally in love with what I came up with!
I combined my Cuttlebug Challenge with this weeks Flutter By challenge where we were to use blues and purples in our card.

I cut my acetate down to fit in my folder and then ran it through using the Leafy Branch folder. I used a Baja Breeze scrap stamped with some text in Baja Breeze and some purple patterned paper from a DCWV mat stack to punch out some butterflies. I bent up the wings and placed them on my plaque using glue dots and accenting with pearls. The bottom trim was created with my Stampin Up scallop punch and then accented with pearls as well.

Here's a shot of it hanging on my wall:


I punched two holes in the top with my CropADile and set some eyelets in for reinforcement. The ribbon is actually some vintage seam binding I picked up at an estate sale.

Be sure to visit The Cuttlebug Challenge blog to see the rest of the design team cards and then visit them to leave them some love. We'd love to have you participate as well, so use the Mr Linky widget on the blog to let us know where to view your card!

And don't forget about the rest of the FlutterBy girls either! Their links are over in my sidebar and I know they'd be thrilled to have you stop by for a visit!!

{heart} YOU banner

Hi girls! How are you?? I've missed ya'll the last few days. I know I've been MIA - not only here but in visiting you too. Hope to rectify that in the next few days. But oh, have I been busy!! Most of what I've been working on I can't share yet. However, one of my projects has been posted.
Here's a little peak:

This is part of the garland/banner that I created for the Cuttlebug Challenge LUV BUG Event. What a weekend: fun, prizes and the most A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. projects and inspirations ever! My mind is spinning!! I do hope you'll take a little trip over there and see it! I just love looking at it every time I head down my hallway! I'd love to know what you think!

I will have my card up for Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday tomorrow - although probably in the afternoon so be sure to stop back by!!