Birthday Card, Fall Bookmarks, and More to Come!

First and foremost...drumroll...I have my computer back!  Hooray!!

I mentioned in my last post that I had another card to share and that I wanted it to get to its recipient before I posted it.  Well, surprisingly, that card only took 48 hours to get from Oregon to Arizona!  I made this card for my BFF Kendra, whose birthday is this week.  Happy Birthday, Kendra!

Let me tell you a bit about this card.  First of all, the layout came from a sketch that I got from the MojoMonday blog.  This is such a neat blog!  And ironically, it was Kendra who gave me the link to it a week or two ago when I was lamenting the lack of inspiration for my brother's baby card.  There are so many great ideas there, I know I will be making use of a lot of them in the future!  The floral paper in the background is some Japanese washi paper that I fell in love with awhile back and bought without having any idea what I'd do with it.  So when I needed some inspiration for Kendra's card and I came across it, I knew it was perfect for the occasion.  I like how it came out.  The only thing I'd do differently if I could is the "Happy Birthday" message.  With my computer out of commission, printing something was not an option, so I had to hand-write it myself.  This was lots of fun to make, and it's so much easier when I have a sketch to follow!

Now, on to the fall bookmarks.  I have a couple of new ones to share:

And now that I have a functional computer at home, I was FINALLY able to get some listed in my Etsy shop!  Woohoo- it finally looks like fall in there!

I am also working on some new products that I am excited about.  I have wanted for a long time to expand to include items other than bookmarks in my shop.  I am still working on some decoupaged frames and such- and of course, those darned coasters that I still haven't done anything with.  I think I might try some leaves on those though, now that I am seeing how nicely the bookmarks are turning out.  So that's on the horizon.  In the short term, though, I have a new line that fits in pretty well with the bookmarks already in my shop.  Here's a sneak peek:

Aren't these cool little fridge magnets?  I got this idea when I was browsing through Michael's and saw these strips of self-sticking magnets that are like rolls of tape that you can cut to the length that you want.  I have made a few sets of these, and really like how they came out, so will be working on getting these photographed and listed in the shop as well.  The photos I took this evening didn't turn out very well because there wasn't enough daylight, and the lights in my kitchen are not a good substitute.  I'll share my other designs once I've gotten better photos.

So that's all for now- not bad for an average Monday, at least for me!

Baby Card

I am so excited.  I have a new neice on the way!  Like, really really soon!  She is due sometime in the next couple of weeks, I think.  I can't remember what my brother told me the due date is.  But it's soon, so of course I had to send a present.  And a card!

Ok, I have to say that the colors are not really right in this picture, at least not that I can see.  I'm still using my son's little 9.5 inch laptop, since our home computer is STILL out of commission.  But anyway, I found this adorable paper at Michaels that has the storks bringing little bundles of joy and just loved it, so had to do something with it!  I embossed the green paper with a Cuttlebug embossing folder on my Big Shot, and also cut the card from a Sizzix die that came in the card-making package I got with my Big Shot.  I have been agonizing over making a baby card for my brother for about a week now, and am happy with what I came up with.  Now I can send the present on to Texas, and hope it gets there before the baby does!

I am still collecting leaves and will be making more fall leaf bookmarks in the next few days, and hope to get some listed in my Etsy shop soon!  I also have another card that I will share with you, but not until it gets to its recipient in the mail- don't want to spoil any surprises!

Fall Challenge Card

Well, the bad news is that our new computer is STILL dead- looks like a defective motherboard now.  Worse, they are on backorder, so there is no replacement to be had at this point in time.  So I don't know when I will have my computer back and working. :(  The good, or if not good, at least luke-warm, news is that I did figure out how to get photos onto my son's mini-laptop that we've been using for email and whatnot, so I can take some basic pictures- I just can't edit them.  So I am still unable to do anything with pictures for my Etsy shop....but I can still put them up here!

The weekly challenge this week at PBS Swappers is to make a card with a gift card pocket or holder of some kind.  Well, I cheated a little bit.  I kind of used that same concept, but applied it to a bookmark, rather than a gift card.  It's something I've been wanting to try for some time anyway, and since I have a brand spaking new bookmark to show off, what a great opportunity to give it a try!

I had a lot of fun picking colors and paper for this card!  You'll recognize the bookmark from my last post, and as you can see, I used the one with the copper border.  These leaves have such a great mix of colors, from green to a goldy-brown to the deep red, and I tried to bring them all out in this card.  The design is pretty simple- just strips of paper adhered horizontally to the card base.  I made my own picture corners with matching paper to hold the bookmark to the card  It held up ok for the picture, but later the corners kept coming loose.  I guess my double-sided tape is not strong enough to hold them down when the bookmark is in them, so I will have to find a stronger adhesive for future projects of this kind.  The letters that spell out "FALL" are just alphabet stickers in metallic gold, which I stuck to rectangles I cut out of off-white card stock with rounded corners, and backed with coordinating borders that I made out of the same paper as on the card.

I will be working on some more fall leaf bookmarks this weekend, and am excited to do so because I have collected and pressed/dried some more leaves, different kinds than the ones above, and can't wait to create with them!  The leaves are starting to change color really quickly now, so opportunities for new material are multiplying daily!  I'm especially on the lookout for yellow and oranges, since what I have so far are in the red/burgandy family.  Hmmm, might be that a trip to the park is on the agenda for the weekend!

Something Special in the Works!

Well, the bad news first.  Still no computer at home.  It looks like a problem with the video card, so a new one is on order and I'm hoping it will be fixed early next week.  So I am posting this from my work computer- shhhhhh, don't tell on me!  Well, I AM entitled to breaks.  So today, I am foregoing my morning cup of green tea in favor of sharing something special with you.

First, let me refer you to this post- my very first post on this blog.  This is where I shared what inspired me first to begin making my bookmarks.  It was  not quite a year ago now.   In some ways I can't believe it has been that long, and in others, it seems like forever ago!  Anyway, this has been a special week for me because I finally was able to see my original vision become concrete.

I am so excited to use my own dried, pressed fall leaves!  I have been scoping out trees in my neighborhood and near my office and watching for them to start turning colors and falling so that I can start collecting them for my crafting projects.  These particular leaves came from a tree in my neighborhood, and I have to come clean here.  I couldn't wait for them to fall off of the tree.  I've been looking at that tree several times a week, every time I take the dog out for a walk, and the leaves keep getting more and more vividly colored- but the darned things are hanging on for dear life!  So, apologies to whoever my neighbor is who owns this tree, but yes, I took them right off the tree.  Honest, there were lots left.  You wouldn't even know any were gone.  I don't think they'll miss them.  I still feel just a little guilty.

Anyway, I really like how these came out.  I dried and pressed these with my MicroFleur, which I just love because it is so fast and easy.  I was able to make three bookmarks with what I collected the other night.  I love how the leaves are not quite done changing colors- there are still tinges of green on them, which you can see in the close up.  I look forward to trying some with some nice vivid reds, oranges and yellows, which will probably take another few weeks to find.  And I'll try not to steal them.  Once they're on the sidewalk, they're fair game, right?

Here's one of the other ones.  This one uses a copper metallic border instead of the red:

I'm not sure which I like better.  Both look good with the gold on the inner border.  Unfortunately I only have a little bit of that copper paper left and don't know where to find more of it.  But, hey- no better excuse to go shopping for more paper, and I'm not complaining about that!

I plan to get at least one of these listed in my Etsy shop whenever I have a functional computer at home, which I hope will be soon.  In the meantime, I'm still looking for leaves so that I can build up my inventory.  Stay tuned for more additions!

Sigh...MORE Computer Problems

Well, we have DEFINITELY had more than our share of computer issues lately!  After all those virus problems a couple of months ago, we finally got a new computer at home.  We've had it for close to a month now, and it had been working just great...then it suddenly started spontaneously rebooting itself.  My husband has taken it up to his cousin, the computer whiz, to have it looked at, so once again, I am without a computer at home for who knows how long. :(  Well, maybe now I'll have more time for crafting, since I won't be on the internet!  The bad part is that I won't be able to do anything with photos, either for this blog or for my Etsy shop, until we get the computer back.

And what terrible timing that is too, because all of a sudden, activity seems to be picking up on my  Etsy shop!  I'm not sure what's going on, but whatever it is, I'm grateful for it!  I got THREE orders last Friday, and have had my shop items included in two treasuries since Saturday!  I am itching to make some new stuff and get some new listings up, but alas, that will have to wait.

In the meantime, I wanted to share the card front that I made for the first swap I participated in on the PBS  Swappers Paper Crafts Yahoo group.  This swap was for congratulations card fronts.  Since I am new to card making, I was not really sure where to start for this one.  I went to Craft Warehouse to get some supplies and inspiration, and really only had one thing in mind: to make a card that could be given to either a man or a woman.  Since most of the crafting I do is pretty feminine, this was my way of challenging myself and trying to get out of my box, so to speak.  I had some red and off-white houndstooth paper at home that I thought might be nice, so with that in mind, I looked for coordinating papers.  This is the final product:

I fell in love with the tan paisley-patterned paper that serves as the background for this, and thought that the pattern is large enough that it was not necessarily feminine.  As you can see, I did find a way to use that houndstooth paper, as well as some of the red handmade paper, which I tore on the edges to distress it and make it more interesting.  The "Congratulations" text came from a stamp that I picked up from the $1 bin at Michaels.  While it might not be my favorite card that I've ever made, I do like all the different textures used on this one.

I am going to try to get back into the weekly challenges on the PBS Swappers group, starting with this week's challenge to make a card with polka dots- how fun!!  I have several papers with polka dots, plus a polka dot embossing folder that I can use with my Big Shot, so it will be neat to figure out what to do this time!  Hopefully by the time the challenge is over I will have my computer back and can post a picture!

Big Shot Fun!

Well, slowly but surely, I am getting back into crafting a bit.  I still have very little time, but I've managed to do a couple of things in the last couple of weeks.  Just wanted to do a quick share, since it's been a busy day, and tomorrow is Monday (oh no!), and it's almost 8:30pm, and I still have a whole bunch of things to do before bed!

First is the Christmas card I did for the Christmas card swap with my PBS paper crafting swap group.  I wanted to do something with poinsettias, and I found some really cool papers a few weeks ago that I wanted to use.  I got a Sizzix die that I really liked and that I thought would work for poinsettias, and OH, it is SO much easier than making those poinsettias that I was doing before!  This is not a traditional holiday color palette that I used here, but I like that- I kind of wanted to do something a little different.

 I used the striped paper on the bottom as the color inspiration for this, and I think it works really well.  The poinsettias were cut out using my Sizzix Big Shot and the Sizzix Originals Flower Layers #2 dies.  I used the same die to cut out the leaves in green, and cut in half and adhered underneath.  The paper I used for the leaves was a sort of crepe, crinkled texture, that I think gives a lot of dimension.  Now, the poinsettias didn't look quite right, because they were so flat.  If you remember the poinsettias I did a couple of months ago, I used the same embossing technique with an embossing tool on these to give them some veining as I did on those previous ones, and it looks much better than it did with just the flat paper.

Next up is a special project- invitations to my sweet daughter's birthday party!  She will be 10 this coming Wednesday, the 15th, and honestly, I have no idea where the time has gone!  We are having her party next weekend, and thought it would be fun to make the invitations ourselves.  I used another couple Sizzix dies that I got from the wonderful world of the Sizzix clearance center, and Meredith and I are both very happy with the results.

We had a lot of fun with this!  We didn't have a lot of time, or I probably would have tried some additional embellishments.  I love the cupcake though- so cute!

That's all for now- hopefully when things settle down a bit, I can do a bit more creating.  I need to get back to my bookmarks!

Back From a Break

Hello all!  Not sure how many of you actually READ this blog, but I am sorry for my absence!  My finger is much better, but I have been VERY busy lately with preparing and dealing with the start of school for my two kids.  The oldest (14) is a freshman in high school and is in the marching band, so had band camp for the last two weeks of summer.  Marching band, I am learning, requires a LOT of commitment, not only from the students, but also from the parents!  Honestly, I had no idea...I never did such things in high school myself.  I was too busy obsessing over Duran Duran and trying to keep my hair as big as possible!

Anyway, I have not been doing much in the way of crafting in these last weeks.  My lovely new Big Shot has mostly sat in the living room, lonely, with only the occasional experimental use.  I did check out the Sizzix website and went NUTS over their clearance center- oh what a happy place that is!!  I ordered some lovely items and hope to use them in the near future.  But not til things settle down a bit.  Right now, I'm lucky I have time to sleep, let alone craft!

I have not even been able to keep up with the wonderful Yahoo paper crafts group that I belong to- I have not participated in a weekly challenge in a few weeks because of lack of time.  However, I did join a Christmas card swap, so have done a little work on my design for a Christmas card for that.  I am hoping to get my cards done this weekend and mailed out, since the deadline is next week.  I am not usually one to wait until the last minute, but as hectic as things have been, I must forgive myself this time!


The leaves are are beginning to change colors here in the Northwest, and I am getting excited, because that means FALL LEAVES!  I cannot wait to try some bookmarks with some beautiful fall-colored leaves!  I have already scoped out some trees in my neighborhood and near work so that I can score some of those leaves that I envisioned last fall in a bookmark.  Stay tuned to see the results of that, because I am determined to make it a reality!

Well, that's all for now- I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things soon.  Will definitely post pictures of my Christmas cards- I think they will be nice, though not in traditional Christmas colors.

Ouuuccchhhh!

Looks like I'll be taking a short crafting hiatus.  Why?

If you're the type of person who likes to know the details, no matter how gory, here's what happened (otherwise, just skip this paragraph): I was making dinner.  My husband was out of town and I thought it would be nice for the kids and I to have a nice sit-down Sunday dinner.  I made spagetti and meatballs, steamed green beans, and heated up some sourdough bread.  Then, I thought, we should have salad too!  Ohhh, what a bad idea.  I was slicing the green onions, in a bit of a hurry to get dinner on the table, and apparently overestimated my knife skills.  Just because I have watched Tyler Florence do it a thousand times does not make ME an expert.  Obviously.  See the above photo for proof.  There is now a crater where the inner half of the tip of my left index finger used to be.  I knew it was bad as soon as it happened.  Why?  Well, because I've done this before.  Yep, 7 or 8 years ago I took off the tip of my right thumb with a cheap mandoline.  That time, I tried to stop the bleeding on my own, to no avail, so this time I figured I shouldn't prolong the trip to the ER.  Being that my husband is out of town, I called a friend who was wonderful enough to drop what he was doing and take me in, and his wonderful wife in the meantime picked up my highly traumatized kids and took them back to her house.  Thank goodness the ER is pretty quiet on Sunday evenings!  Two hours, one cauterization and one tetanus shot later, I was back home with a balloon-sized bandage, popping ibuprofen like nobody's business.

If you're not into gory details, then let's leave it at "I cut my finger".

Actually, the pain is not that bad...yet.  The tetanus shot hurts a lot worse right now, but I know that will change in the next couple of days. Since I've, you know, done this before.  And apparently didn't learn the first time.  Anyway, I don't think I"ll be doing much in the way of crafting for at least a few days.  Even when you're right handed, you still use your left hand for a whole lotta stuff, and you never reaaly know how much until something like this.  For example, it has taken me about 20 minutes to type this- so frustrating!  What I'm really bummed about though, is that last week, after drooling over it on Overstock.com for a couple of months, I finally broke down and ordered myself a Sizzix Big Shot, and it should be here any day now.  Not that I will get to play with it for awhile now though. :(

Well, enough wallowing.  Let me show you what I did yesterday before my injury.  I took my own advice and stopped thinking about those coasters.  I figure the right design will come to me eventually.  I decided to do another picture frame, and got a good start on it, though it is not finished.

I decoupaged this with a soft mossy green tissue paper.  I'm starting to rethink the whole idea of the tissue base though.  The first one I did, with the gold tissue and the pansies, was a lot easier than this, apparently because of the metallic properties of that tissue.  I only needed one layer of the gold, while on this one, I put on three layers and could still stand to do more.  I'm thinking I won't though- I kind of like the uneven look with some of the wood tone showing through (hard to see in this photo).  Paint just might be a better choice for these projects, so I am going to look into that and give it a try.  Just as soon as I have the use of my left index finger again.  I still need to decoupage the flowers onto this one, and think I am going to go with the blue butterfly delphinium- I think they will be a nice contrast against the soft green.

I'm afraid that I am going to have to sit out the weekly challenge for the Yahoo paper craft group, which is too bad because it looked to be a fun one this time- making a set of something.  I'd thought about doing a card and bookmark set, but don't think my finger can handle it just yet.  So I hope that Sherry has something fun planned for next week, when I hope that a regular Band-Aid will suffice my poor injury!

Half is Better Than None

Here it is Sunday evening, and I only accomplished one of my two crafting goals for the weekend.  There always seems to be other stuff that gets in my way: people want to eat, the dog needs to be walked, arguments have to be refereed, or upmteen other reasons for someone to say "Moooommmmm" every 3.5 minutes.  Saturday I took my son out shopping for school clothes, so that took a good chunk of time.  Although it's not as bad as it could have been...this is the child who hates shopping and just wants to get it done as quickly as possible, so we were done in 3 hours or so.  Then there were other errands to run, dinner to cook, and what do you know, Saturday is gone!

Well, rather than beat myself up for what I didn't/couldn't do, I'm just going to be happy about what I did get done.  I did not get my photo bookmark listing up on my Etsy site, but I did have a very productive afternoon making bookmarks today, and I am really happy with my results.  I am going to say again how much I LOVELOVELOVE my new(ish) laminator!  It is so fast and does such a great job and is a huge time-saver compared to my old laminator!  One trip through the machine is all any bookmark needs, rather than the 7 or 8 it took my old one.  I busted out about a dozen bookmarks in all, so I am on my way to being stocked up for the holidays!  I haven't had time yet to photograph all of them, and some are duplicates anyway, but I have a few to share today.

First is a new design for the blue butterfly delphiniums, which I just love.  They remind me of irises, which are my favorite flowers.  You might recall the photo bookmark I did for my friend Kendra with the teal handmade paper and the blue butterfly delphiniums- well, I liked that color combination so much that I wanted to do more with it.  I love the results!

I really like the teal, lime and blue together- reminds me of my favorite dishes, which I have used for inspiration more than once!  I think the blue of the flowers really pops when bordered by the lime green and teal.  Love it!  This one, by the way, is already listed in my Etsy shop.

This is one I have done before, but very few people have ever seen, because I have yet to list it in my shop.  I played around with this design last winter when I first started experimenting with my bookmarks.  I just love these sparkly snowflakes!

And finally, I have a design similar to this next one in my shop already, at least with similar colors, but on this one, I used the purple handmade paper as the base instead of regular card stock.

I love the fuschias- they all look so unique and different from one another!

I will be getting these listed in the next couple of days, and will be working on taking photos of the others.  I made a couple of new versions of the purple and gold washi paper bookmark that I am excited to share.  The neat thing about that washi paper is that there are so many different colors on there to work with, so I used some different colored borders to highlight the various floral shades in the paper.

Don't forget to check out Sherry's giveaway over at her blog Scrapping With Sherry!  The deadline to enter is midnight on Monday, August 9th!

Plugging a Special Promotion

Just wanted to pass on a great opportunity to win a FANTASTIC stash of crafting supplies!  The lovely Sherry of ScrappingwithSherry is doing a great giveaway on her blog.  Seriously, my jaw dropped when I saw what she was giving away!  Make sure to hightail it over there and check it out, and enter to win!