You're Tie-rific!

I seen a post somewhere, I think FB, of a cook origami man's shirt.  By golly, I haven't done that in years! So, I searched out the directions and they were super easy and I even remembered them!  First thing, don't use card stock... you can't get good creases and the folding cracks.  Second thing, you don't need double sided pattern paper.  Now that the tips are out of the way here's the cards....

I did use a couple embossing folders on the colored backgrounds, a Sizzix Tim Holtz and the Cuttlebug Diamond Grid.  I sanded the Diamond Grid for a bit more pop.

I cut a 3/8" brown strip (same as bottom layer) into a tie shape, added a small piece for the knot and a itty bitty gem for a tie tack for this shirt. I used pop dots to adhere the shirt to the card but it really isn't necessary, in fact, it was a waste of dots.  I did adhere the shirt front to the shirt base to keep it in place.

I tried to make a bolo tie for this shirt.  It was a bugger but the effect is good.  I should have left the ends a big longer but 1 had a tight bend in it and I had to cut that off.  I used 3/16" glue dots but they don't want to stay put. I adhered the shirt to the same dark layer then cut around it before adhering to the card.  I think that really makes the shirt stand out.  What do you think?  The text on both shirts is computer generated.  These will be great for Father's Day or a man's birthday.

WOYWW - 4th Year Anniversary!

Today the blog hop that gives you the opportunity to view work desks all around the world turns 4!!!!  What an accomplishment!!!  I've been taking part the last few months and I have been so inspired by the desks, organizational features, and projects.  Today is no different.  I will be hopping around this afternoon while the laundry is being done.  So, without further ado I'll show you my desk:

My desk hasn't been real busy this week as I've been gone.  I took my dad to the dentist in Nogales, Mexico yesterday then we went into Tucson, AZ to check out where the doctor is that I'll be taking him to next Tuesday for outpatient surgery.  While in Tucson I did manage to get to the mall to buy some new Croc sandals....

I wanted some "dressy" ones for church and these fit the bill.  Oh, what's that on my right sandal?  Just the cutest little ladybug...  (I noticed I don't have my feet in all the way but I couldn't wait to show you!)

I should have put lotion on my feet before taking my pictures!  Oh my!  But anyway.  I hope to be crafting this afternoon.  I'll be taking mom to Curves shortly then going to purchase a new battery backup/surge protector for my computer.  It died while I was gone yesterday. It did a valiant job and I will disassemble it to use it's bits and pieces on future cards.

So now, please leave a comment if you want then hop on over to Julia's blog, the Stamping Ground, to continue on the blog hop.  I do not have Word Verification enabled at this time as the pornographic comments have slacked off considerably but I still get LOTS of spam. Bummer. 

Happy Memorial Day!

This weekend we are urged to remember those who died for our freedom.  Our nation has gone through turmoil from it's beginning to now.  We've had the Revolutionary War, the War Between the States, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Viet Nam "war", and now the wars in the middle east.  Many have died not only for us but for countries that needed help.  But I also urge you to remember you loved ones, friends, and many others who died.  I miss my grandparents much and am thankful for their guidance and love when I was young.  In memory of our military I made these 2 cards:

I seen a card on Pinterest that inspired this one.  Well, the only things similar at this point is the large heart and the 3 stripes.  I embossed my card base with a wood grain texture plate and used pattern paper pack from Pebbles called "Let Freedom Ring".  I did NO stamping so don't faint!

I found a little pack of heart shaped buttons somewhere and I love this little red one.  I did have to cut off the shank and sand down the roughness but it works well.  I colored the little hearts in the upper corners with a Copic marker to match the blue in the card.  I also used Fiskars Treading Water border punch at the bottom of the card front.

This is a classic layout and I see it frequently.  Again, no stamping.

This is a dimensional banner, 1 of 3 in a pack, also from Pebbles to coordinate with the paper.  I did add the white layer under it to make it stand out a bit more.  I purchased the paper pack and banners from Memory Works last summer. 

So as you have barbeques or spend time with family or friends, or whatever you do, please take time to say a prayer for our nation.  Thank you.

Flower in a Light Bulb

We now have a Hobby Lobby in Tucson, AZ and a couple days before it's Grand Opening I checked it out.  I love the store and am praying that God will bless the owners above and beyond for sticking to their beliefs and convictions.  Anyway, I walked around and ended up in the glass aisle.  Hmmm.... a light bulb.  No, literally, a light bulb!  With a screw off top and a flat bottom!  Wanna see what I did with it?

Ta Da!!  I had some blue and white decorative card stock from a Stampington & Co. magazine and brought out my Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die. Oh, and the leave die from the Spellbinders Sunflower set.  I filled the bulb with little styrafoam balls.

Here I wanted to show you the flower a bit closer.  I die cut 2 of each of the 4 flowers in the die with 2 colors that I had on the free sheet.  I added a blue sequin and a blue gem.

I used foam mounting tape (like pop dots) between each flower for dimension and swiped the leaves with a medium green ink.  I taped a florist wire to the back of the flower and leaves and now I have a pretty blue flower sitting on my desk.

I borrowed a Fiskars Fuse Butterfly from the AZ Scrapbooking store to see if I can get it to work in my Big Shot.  If you have had any experience with this please leave me a comment what you did to make it work.  There's virtually NO YouTubes out there using the Big Shot and these "dies".  Thanks!

Wednesday Workdesk and some cool glasses

Another Wednesday.  But you don't get to see my workdesk as it's CLEAN!!!!  Yesterday I assembled 4 card kits and then cleaned off my desk!  Oh my gosh! I'm in shock!  But, I do have a bookshelf that's a disaster!  And I'm almost done cleaning and organizing it!

My poor Big Shot is on the floor!  There's no room for it on the shelf.  But, an hour later...

Ta Da!!  It's a tight fit but I have my Big Shot and Wizard plates, my case of dies, and my 2" sticker maker are all on the top shelf.  I do have a box of magazines that I'm going through then will take them to the local thrift store.  I still need to clean the top of my large paper trimmer.  It's about 1/2 done.  What a relief!  In a few minutes I'll be hopping over to Julia's blog, the Stamping Ground, to check out the many fabulous blogs of desks from all over the world.  But this past week I found something I've been searching for....

How do you like my new sunglasses!!!  Aren't they wild?  They are larger than I expected but I just love them!  I ordered them from Fab online. The service was fabulous and fast!  There's only 1 problem with these glasses.... I wished I'd ordered a couple more pair for friends!

So don't forget to leave me a comment (that is, if you want) and hop over to the Stamping Ground for some fun inspiration and cool desks! Now I did notice that when I did some more visiting on Saturday, the 25th I got the wrong link #.  I'm #118, not #119 as I wrote on a couple blogs... sorry about that.

Getting It Shaped

I've been cleaning and sorta organizing my craft/computer room recently but decided to take a break and make a card so I'd have today's post.  (You'll have to check back Wednesday to see the cleaning and organizing.)  I'm still learning my Big Shot machine and am enjoying playing with it.

I have a mess of scrap paper left over from cancelled classes so need to use it up.  This used most of one small piece.  I used the Spellbinder Labels One which is, I think, my favorite.... at least recently.

Here's a side view.

 And a close up.  The corners are a die from Cheery Lynn Designs and they just shouted out for the bling.  In actuality this card was rather fast to make. Now I need to look at my Technique Junkies "Shape It" CD for more inspiration! 

Tile Art By Donna Long

This past Christmas my dad gave my husband a wonderful tile painted by a local friend.  He had her put our name on it and we have it hanging next to our front door.

We love the tile and I just wanted to give a shout out for her.  Donna Long is her name and her web site is called Tile Art By Donna Long.  Give it a look!  The colors are more vibrant than my photo shows.

And now I'll show you another card sample I made for the local scrapbook store to promote the Pebbles Basic paper pack.

I used my Bow Easy to make the bow.  I love how elegant and neat my bows are when using it.  I did purchase mine a couple years ago so, no, I'm not a paid advertiser, just a happy customer.  The sentiment is from a Hero Arts stamp set.  I think so far this is my favorite sample (other than the one I'll be making into kits).

Pebbles Basic paper packs

I've been making some samples for the AZ Scrapbooking store to promote the Pebbles Basic paper pack.  This is actually card stock that has 18 designs with 36 papers in the pack.  When folded you have a pattern on front and back and white inside.  Here's a couple ideas I came up with....

Actually this card is for me.  I have a friend back in eastern Wyoming whose daughter is graduating and I'll be mailing this card today.  I used stamps from The Angel Company, some Spellbinder dies, and my Big Shot (I'm getting better with it).

Here's a close up of the focal point. I think Cindy's daughter will like this.

You've seen this card before but I'll be making kits using this layout.  I will be changing the sentiment and colors and maybe using colored flowers instead of buttons if I can't find some that coordinate.  Kits will go for $3.00 or $4.00 each.  I've gotten a bit of interest in these and will figure out some other single card kits soon.  If you are interested in a kit I will mail and charge you through Pay Pal.  I just need to work out the details.

I have a class scheduled for next Wednesday but looks like it'll cancel.  I do have 1 kit to make that a gal wants.  My classes are changing to Thursday afternoons starting June.  Hopefully that will help.  There's a large Farmer's Market near the store on Wednesdays and we're believing that is a lot of the problem.  Keep your fingers crossed that the day change will work!

I'm still having a bit of problem with spam comments but at least they have diminished a bit.  At least I've had no porno ones lately!

WOYWW and a Crafty Mom

It's Wednesday!  Hump Day!  Middle of the week!  Oh, time to show you my desk and the opportunity to see many others desks from all around the world!  This is all possible through Julia at the Stamping Ground!  Anyway, my desk is in pretty good shape, really!  Almost neat!  Last Friday's post shows it absolutely clean!

There are some things I've recently purchased that take the main stage.  Bagettes (clear bags) on the left on top of my paper trimmer and envelopes on top of my scrap paper - gotta get them in their proper locations.  Oh, there are some new stamps between these 2 items that I want to play with.  Oh, the Bagettes are also on top my Big Shot platform as I've been using it a bit lately.  I really need to clean out my small bookcase so I'll have a place for the Big Shot instead of sitting on the floor.

Last week I "rediscovered" my scrap drawers.  All that was in them (except for the metallic paper) was put in 2 LARGE ziplock bags and taken to the local scrapbook store and from there they went into Mexico to a school for children to use.  I figured that since I haven't been in them for over a year I didn't need that paper.  Then, what scraps were on my desk got sorted and put in them.  I'm now reaching for the drawers and getting some use out of them. I have another bucket on my desk that holds the paper and scraps for upcoming classes (I have one scheduled May 22 called All Tie-d Up) so now I can get to my Cricut.  I recently purchased a cartridge called Southwest that I want to play with soon.


I promised I'd show you the card I made my Mom for Mother's Day.  I got the focal image from a blog on Pinterest but now I can't find it.  Bummer.

I think I got a bit carried away with the flowers and large rhinestones but I had to dress it up.  I used some scraps and embossed them with 2 different Cuttlebug folders.  I also used a flower punch, a leaf punch, and a 1/2" circle punch.

Here's a bit of a close up of the flowers. This card just wouldn't stop but I really like the end result!!!  Mom got a good laugh from this and I did have a nice sentiment inside.

So now click HERE to go to Julia's blog and, with coffee in hand (or tea or water or whatever) enjoy viewing desks from all over the world!

A Mooooo-ving Birthday Card and a Truck

Our youngest child, Matt, turns 30 this next week.  He loves to go 4 wheel driving and is currently building from scratch a 4 wheel drive dune buggy truck.  It's got some cool custom work on it.  He posts pics on FaceBook and I'm just in awe!  He is amazing! 

This card was quite simple and it's a layout I find fast and easy.  The truck stamp is from a Hero Arts set and I used a Spellbinder label die for the focal point.  Simple yet masculine, good card for my folks to give.  But wait until you see mine!  Ready??

I really like this cow stamp.  An E.M.T. here in our town gave me a sack of stamps and this one landed on my shelf immediately!  It's by Stamp Rosa which closed years ago. The Mooooo is stamped from an alphabet set called Simple Bet by The Angel Company and the happy birthday is from a Lawn Fawn set.  I sponged the sky and I gotta show you a close up of the grass.

I have a grass die I purchased from A|Muse Studio and I think it really added to the card. The grass is some striped scraps I had.  Isn't this hilarious?  Inside I hand wrote "Hope you have a howling great birthday."   I should have added "udderly" in my text but I spaced that. I also noticed that my handwriting is a bit slanted, should have used my computer.  Oh well, it's very personal.

Polka Dots and Butterflies....

I've been getting so much inspiration on Pinterest lately.  Really has my mojo going crazy!  I'll show you 2 cards today that I made this week...

I almost CASE'd this card from one on a blog called Polka Dots and Paper.  The difference... color, text, and text location.  This is a great card for using scraps. I may make some kits of this card with different texts and colors for different occasions.  I may even change buttons to flowers...  Who knows.

The card that inspired this actually was a lot different except for the fact that it used an embossing folder.  I actually like the inspiration card better so, until I can get one that more closely resembles it the blog name will wail.  I used a stamp set by Red Rubber Designs called Happily Grateful, a text by Hero Arts, and a Cuttlebug embossing folder.  I think I would have gotten more of my desired result if I had used my Wizard as I can get better embossing with it.

Here it is a bit closer.  Not quite what I wanted but I like it.  My purple ribbon didn't match very good but my lighter purple looked even worse.  I feel good that I got ALL my Mother's Day cards in the mail.  I'll show you the one I made my mom in my next post.  It's a real hoot, and no, it's not owls.  And  did you realize that I posted 2 days in a row??  Thanks to Pinterest for all the inspiration (and, of course, blogs that I follow!).

Mother's Day and Sunflowers

When I was digging out the dies for the pink card in my previous post I seen my sunflower die that I've had for ages but haven't played with much.  And I had the perfect stamp for a card inside so I brought the 2 together...

(The text is from a set from Red Rubber Designs.)  I love how this turned out and I think our granddaughter will like it. I swiped ink on the die cuts after embossing  for a bit of pop.  I did make a boo boo, at least to me.  Can you figure it out?  Maybe this next picture will help.

I got my 2 bottom layers switched!!! I didn't even notice it until I glued on the top layer!  Geez.  Oh well, I know my granddaughter won't notice but it bugs me.  Since the glue had set up like it should and I had the flower center already on, well, too late!  But now I'll show you the inside.  I bet you'll think the stamp inside is perfect, too!

I knew I had this stamp and it took awhile to find the set it was in but I prevailed!  And since I couldn't get 3 leaves on the cover the third was great inside!  Oh, I did faintly stamp sunflowers on the card cover base before adding the die cuts.  I'm learning how to use my Big Shot.  It's actually a bit easier to use than my Wizard but I do have a bunch of the deep Sizzix dies and the Wizard uses those very easily.  I haven't figure out how to use them in the Big Shot and I probably won't even try.   As to sunflowers, we're thinking of taking out a patch of Aloe Vera plants that are looking really bad and fixing the spot to grow sunflowers.  I miss the bright plants and I think the birds will love them (along with the lizards, spiders, and whatever when they get growing). I hope to get this done for next year.

But, before I close I want to show you my desk while it's clean.  I gave 2 BIG bags of paper scraps to the scrapbook store for a gal to take to Mexico to children there.  I found a couple drawers of scraps from before we moved to AZ and figured, I didn't miss them to give them away.  Then I emptied a basket of scraps into 8 small drawers by color, put my in sue scraps in the basket and again "found" my Cricut.  I wanted to play with it as I just purchased a new cartridge called Southwest.   Are you ready?

For me this is almost immaculate! I still need to do something with the stuff behind my lamp but it's coming along!!