Onesie Card Tutorial

Isn't this card adorable? Our local SU! demo group met last week and this was the project demo'd by Ally, one of our newest demonstrators. The card is super easy and would make a great baby shower invite, gift card or announcement. I used Barely Banana and Whisper White cardstock, retired SU! DP paper and the Announcements retired SU! set, as well as the 1 3/8" circle punch and scallop punch. Trying to use up my retired stuff! Of course, everyone got a good laugh at my expense when I pulled out my stamp set and mounted one of the stamps right there in class. It was a set I just "had to have" and then never used it! Okay, so I'm a supply hoarder but who isn't?! I've attached the link to a tutorial by Lauren Meader, who created this sweet card:

http://laurenm.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2008/02/05/create-your-own-onesie-card-tutorial-and-important-note-please-read/

Happy card making!

Altered Tin II

As promised, here is my latest project! I bought more Tchibo biscuit tins for a Mystery Sistah swap on Splitcoaststampers and created this design for my August gift. The color combination is unusual but it's always fun to go outside your "comfort zone" to see what comes of putting different colors together.
The paper is from the same K & Company paper pack I used from the last tin I completed and I managed to buy the last of the matching fabric brads at the Heidelberg Arts & Crafts Center. The flowers are a combination of two types of Prima flowers and a set from Oriental Trading Company. The burlap ribbon
is a common staple used in German decorations. I used the SU! Priceless stamp set for the tag and Sage Shadow, Close To Cocoa, So Saffron and Very Vanilla cardstock, as well as SU! twill tape for the edge of the lid. The butterfly was cut from the same paper used to line the inside of the tin and accented with Stickles Bronze glitter glue for a little added bling.

For those of you checking this out over the weekend of August 30-31st, leave a comment on this project and I will randomly select a winner for a special gift. This is just a little RAK (random act of kindness) for all the folks who've taken the time to visit my blog, which has received over 500 hits! I'll be posting more over the weekend and hope you enjoy the latest project.

Tool of the Week: The Scor-Pal!

This is my latest favorite toy: The Scor-Pal! I purchased one of these beauties a few months ago as part of a bulk order I put together for demonstrators overseas so we could receive free shipping and free goodies. When you live overseas, free shipping to an APO sends people running to a company's website! This wonderful tool makes scoring cards and projects happen at the speed of light. (Well, maybe not that fast but pretty darn close!) The Scor-Pal also embosses and makes some really cool projects! You can also see the Scor-Pal bag, which is perfect if you travel with your craft projects alot, the Scor-Mat that features a self-healing mat on one side and a work surface on the other, a extra Scor-Tool, and the wonderful double-sided Scor-Tape. The Scor-Mat fits perfectly in the groove of your Scor-Pal so it can stay out and not detract from your work surface.




This pull out album is available, with directions, on the Scor-Pal website gallery: www.scor-pal.com These would make great gifts (my family is probably asking themselves why they haven't received one yet!)

For those APO folks out there, I'll be doing another bulk order in September so check out the website and e-mail me if you want to get this amazing tool with free shipping and more! Cost of the Scor-Pal is $39.95, the bag is $16.00 and the mat is $15.00. Place a bulk order with six people, you get a free Scor-Tool along with free shipping and with 12 you receive the aforementioned plus an extra roll of Scor-Tape. I don't make any money from doing this...I just love to share the tools I love with others so that they can improve their crafting experience and it's always nice to pass on a good bargain to someone else!

Cuttlebug For Sale!

Now that Stampin'Up! has released their partnership with Sizzix Die Cut machines, my gracious husband has agreed to let me purchase the new diecut machine as long as I sell my Cuttlebug. I'm ashamed to say I only used my Cuttlebug once (I have the Cricut Expressions so that's what I tend to use) so it's in almost pristine condition. Average cost for a Cuttlebug is $89.99 but I'm selling mine for only $65.00! It comes with four mini embossing folders and one diecut, as well as all the layering mats. Let me know if you're interested and it's yours!

August Stamp Club Project

This is one of two projects for this month's August Stamp Club. Beate Johns of Splitcoaststampers featured the Joy Fold card for this week's tutorial and I fell in love with it. I tried to showcase some of the new Stampin'Up! products coming out on the 11th. (Available on Monday...eek!) The card features two new SU! stamp sets: Dreams Du Jour and Fresh Cuts, as well as Designer Paper from the new Bella Rose DP set. I snuck in the retiring Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi In Color ink and paper as a fond farewell to two of my favorite In Color inks.


















For a step-by-step tutorial of this project, visit http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/

Stationery Box

This is my last posting for today, I promise! I made this for a class a few weeks ago and have gotten so many rave comments on it, I just had to post it for all the world to see. If you want to see other styles of this same project, visit http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ for more ideas. The base of the box is made from Bazzill Basics Bling line of pearlescent textured cardstock. The lid is paper from K&Company and the Sage Shadow cardstock and stamps are Stampin'Up!

Isn't this gorgeous? The project is not as difficult to make as you'd think by looking at it. There's a tutorial by Jackie Topa that I can e-mail to you if you're interested in step-by-step instructions (I'm still figuring out how to link files to my blog. I'm so technically challenged!) or you can Google "Stationery Box" and find numerous links to this project. The monogram stamps are from Papertrey Ink, scallop punches from Marvy Uchida and EK Success, and the adhesive pearls are from K&Company.

Holiday Park

Here we are having family time at Holiday Park! The park is more on the scale of Knott's Berry Farm, with one or two "thrilling" rides, and the rest more on the family scale or Jordan's level. Here's our two hooligans enjoying a moment together at the beginning of the day.

Say cheese!

Joe and Alex went on this very fast, lots of twisties and turnies kind of ride together while Jordan and I enjoyed a moment sipping on a Blue Raspberry Slushie. Can you say blue tongue?

Joe was given permission by his command to take a day off to spend with his family. I think he's asking himself why he took the day off if he was going to be subjected to such humiliation!

We rode this water ride three times and each time, Alex kept changing seats to avoid getting wet and still managed to sit where she got the most water. You can't really see it here but most of her left leg is soaked! Thankfully I had control of the camera for the day or Joe would have taken a picture of my seriously wet hindquarters.

The Netherlands

The command gave permission for family members to accompany their spouses to the unit's quarterly conference in The Netherlands. Thanks to a good friend who kept our kids, I was given the opportunity to go with Joe for a week. This is the view from our hotel window in Sittard, The Netherlands. One Thursday a month this entire square is filled with vendors selling local fabric, fish, fruits and vegetables, and more. Joe was terribly excited to find out that the market was open the week we were there. Guess who went shopping?

I'm a happy camper, relaxing in our hotel room.

This beautiful cathedral was right next to our hotel. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go inside and look around.

Throughout the marketplace in Sittard were numerous very unusual statues. Joe loved this one, which shows a rather saucy little boy sticking his tongue out while bent over.

We had a terrific time on our trip, although it was probably more fun for me since I was able to hook up with some of the command group ladies and do some shopping while Joe sat in the conference each day. One of the wives even took me to a Scrapbooking store! The country was beautiful and the Dutch are extremely friendly to Americans. Maybe I can talk Joe into getting stationed there after we're done in Germany!

Waterfall Technique

Two posts in one day...it's a miracle! Here's the latest project from my August Paper Junkies Club held at the Ramstein Arts & Crafts Center: a Waterfall card, so named for the "waterfall" effect when pulling the tab to reveal multiple images. Many of you recognize this technique, as it has been around for years, but this is actually my first Waterfall Technique card! One advantage of teaching is forcing myself to expand my creative abilities so that I can challenge the wonderful crafters who take my classes. This project was CASE'd from Linda Heller off of Stamping School. Owls/birds are very popular in crafting this year and I couldn't resist buying this very affordable mini clear stamp set from Hero Arts. The Garden Green, Very Vanilla, and Close To Cocoa cardstock and inks/markers are from Stampin'Up! Enjoy!

Meet George

For about five years now, there has been a fifth member of our family that no one has known about. He's very friendly, low maintenance, and first joined our family when someone left him at our house while living in Hawaii. Meet George. George has been the source of practical jokes between Joe and I all these years. He's been in the shower, inside Joe's shaving kit, hidden in my underwear drawer, and inside Joe's running shoes. George lurks in mysterious places until found, causing the finder to laugh and then plot where to hide George next.


Here's a recent photo of Joe, snuggled up with George after discovering him inside his pillow.

George has also gotten quite creative in the last year, thinking outside the box to find new hiding spots such as inside the coffee pot where the filter sits, Joe's coffee cup full of coffee, the box of waffles in the freezer, and in a bag of sugar. He is also a world traveler, having been snuck into suitcases going to Portugal, Poland, London, Hawaii, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and even an occasional ladies retreat. As I type, George is staring at me, waiting to find an exotic new locale. Hmmmm, where to hide George this time?