CHA reveals...

Hey everyone! Today is the first day of the Winter 2011 CHA show in Los Angeles, CA. We already have some reveals and peeks up on the Scrap-Mart Blog so head on over and check them out. We'll have more for you as today progresses and even more tomorrow. So fun!

Birthday Girl

The more I see the Loralie Art Stamps, the more I like them. They are so fun and fresh and you can do so much with them. My first Loralie stamp is Birthday Girl and here's the card I created with her...

I wanted to keep my card playful! After stamping the Birthday Girl image, I colored her skin, eyes and hair with my Copic markers but decided to paper piece the clothes and hat. For her shoes, I colored them with my Smooch inks to give them a nice metallic look. I also paper pieced the center of the cake and if you look closely you can see that it was embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder then covered with white Smooch ink so it looks pearlized. After she was all finished I cut the image out with my Spellbinders Labels Ten then smudged chalk all around her in the background.

The top half of the card was embossed with the Cuttlebug Birthday Embossing Folder and I used patterned paper and flag banners from the Sassafras Lass Nerdy Bird collection to embellish (and paper piece her clothing). The present is also a stamp from the set that was colored with Copics and white Smooch ink (ribbon/bow). A piece of pink floss tied into a bow and a sentiment sticker finished off my card.

Join me tomorrow to see another Loralie card used in conjunction with my new Spellbinders Pennants! See you then!

Happy Dance...

Remember I was telling you that I have been busy creating samples for CHA? And, unfortunately I cannot share those projects with you just yet. But what I can share with you is this...

I was at Scrap-Mart on Monday and we received a BIG FAT shipment of Spellbinders Grand Calibur machines in!! Sooo, I FINALLY was able to snag one for myself. :) And, as if that wasn't enough fun for one day I was also able to get my hands on some of the dies just released by Spellbinders. I have the S5-028 Pennants, S5-029 Lacey Pennants, S5-044 Banner Basics One and S4-316 Circle Hearts. Hooray!! I am beyond excited and believe it or not I have already been cutting. Since these puppies have been released I CAN share my projects with them. But, you'll have to stay tuned to see them. Unfortunately the dies are not shipping to consumers YET but the ARE available HERE for pre-order from Scrap-Mart.com. Trust me when I say this....Get your pre-orders in NOW. Don't wait or you'll be waiting much longer than the first ship date 'cause this release is *HOT* and will sell out FAST!

Stop by tomorrow to see a fun birthday card I created with my new Loralie stamp.

JustRite Friday Challenge 046: Scoring

Hello and happy Tuesday! I hope your week is off to a great start! I decided to participate in this week's JustRite challenge as it has been a long time since I last joined in.

This week's challenge is to use scoring on your project, other than just scoring your basic card. Jenn gave me some of those adorable mailboxes from the Target dollar spot. I was thrilled because I have not been able to catch them at my Target. I decided to alter them for the teacher Valentine's for my youngest three. Shelby's teacher told me at Christmas that she looks forward to my boxes and goodies since she knows they will be homemade. And, since she has only boys at home and is a girly girl at heart, I altered the only pink one I had for her.

I used the scoring challenge in three different areas. After covering the mailbox with paper, I cut three scallop circles using my Scallop Circle Nestabilities. One of them was adhered to the backside of the flag on the mailbox. The other two were scored (every other scallop) then snipped and folded into 1/2 circle fans then glued together. Then, I stamped and cut my sentiment using JustRite's Loving Thoughts 1 5/8" Centers and cut it using my Circle Nesties. The stamped border is from JustRite's 1 5/8" Round Just a Note set. After adhering the sentiment to the flag I tied a double bow around the flag with my crinkled ribbons.

Here's a picture of the front...

After adhering the background paper to the front, I cut a 1 1/2" strip of paper then scored it with alternating increments of 1" and 1/2", folded it and adhered it, tucking a piece of twine behind it then tying it off in a bow over the front. The sentiment on the front was also stamped from JustRite's Loving Thoughts 1 5/8" Centers then cut out with my new Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Tickets. I added a second ticket behind it cut from patterned paper then sprinkled a few tiny die cut hearts around it.

And, last but not least I added a mini gatefold card and belly band to tuck inside with some candies. To create the card, I die cut the largest Nesting Ticket then scored at 1 1/2" from both sides. The belly band was 1 1/2" wide and 6 1/2" long and scored at 1 1/2" and 4 1/2" and adhered together on the back. Simply slip the belly band off and open the card to reveal a handwritten note, which I'll let my daughter write. :)

So that's it. There's my entry for this week's challenge. JustRite has changed their challenges up a bit and they are doing them bi-weekly now so you have almost two weeks to complete your project. They'll issue a new challenge this Friday, January 21st so be sure to check it out HERE on their blog.

Loralie Designs

Hello everyone and Happy Monday! I am finally feeling better after that darned root canal. :) Today, I'm going to share with you some of the great Loralie samples we had in our booth in Grapevine last weekend. I know first hand that even though you may like the image on the front of the package, when you get it home you may have a terrible time creating with it. It's happened to me before. When I am shopping, especially at conventions, I always try to take photos of their samples (where allowed) so that I can refer back to them when I'm ready to work with what I purchased.

Anyway, here's some of the inspiration we had to offer...

This card was made using the Sassy Stamper stamp. If you are like me, this would be a GREAT one to have in your stash. It would be great for all your crafty friends' birthdays and such...a gift card for their favorite craft store tucked inside. Perfect! This image is great for either coloring OR paper piecing!

This one was one of my favorites! Susan was actually wearing this on her apron as a pin. They stamped and colored the flower multiple times then layered them together with dimensional adhesives. Next, they sandwiched the flower between two pieces of black tulle, sprinkled in a few sequin and machine stitched around the flower and trimmed off the excess. Isn't if adorable?! Imagine this flower only instead of adding the tulle, cover it with Crystal Lacquer and put it in your hair. Or better yet, make two and add them to your favorite flip flops!! How awesome is that?!

This is great, don't you think?! That butterfly is one of the brand new stamps that is part of Loralie's 2011 Winter CHA release! Love it! And you can see, this really woulnd't take all that long to make either. Stamp, color and cut your butterfly then cut out your sentiment using your favorite die cut tool. Easy peasy! This little butterfly sold out F.A.S.T. but we should have it back in stock online really soon.

These images are really out of my comfort zone, however, I am determined to show that they can be used for conventional cards as well. Eva has a great sample on the Scrap-Mart blog today as well.

Busy, busy, busy preparing for CHA...

I know I was supposed to be back earlier this week with some fun Loralie stuff from the stamp show. But, while I was working the show I had some T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E. tooth pain. I mean the kind that makes your mouth water and you want to pull your own teeth! Yeah. So, I endured the pain to finish the show then headed straight to the dentist Monday morning. He says, tooth's too far gone you need a root canal. I recevied an antiobiotic and some pain pills and was scheduled for 2/17. What? 2/17? That's a LONG time away! Thankfully, they called Tuesday and got me in first thing Wednesday morning. So, now I'm healing and my tooth itches, for lack of a better description. I guess itching is better than unbearable, sharp wrenching pains. Right?! hahaha I go back in a week or so for my permanent crown. Then I'll schedule a regular check up to catch any other potential damning decay. Sigh. It's my own fault, I know. Let's just say LESSON LEARNED!! I hear you loud and clear Mom, yes, you DID tell me so.

Okay, enough of that. ;) Now on to CHA! It is really just right around the corner, can you believe it? I have been fortunate enough to see some of what our fabulous favorite retailers are bringing to the table and let me just say W.O.W.! I am EAGERLY awaiting a box from Lifestyle Crafts stuffed with their CHA release and hopefully a Letterpress Combo kit too. Then I can get to work on samples for the CHA release.

Then there's Loralie Designs! They released their images already and they are oh so cute! Just darling. I am seeing Loralie in a whole other light now. I brought home two stamp sets from Grapevine and am in the midst of a few projects now. I will be able to share those next week.

And there's Boss Kuts. Phyllis is sending me the digital images of the actual dies they'll be releasing and I am thrilled that I will be making some of their CHA booth samples! Hooray! How fun! So, I apologize, AGAIN, for being M.I.A. but I promise, it's worth the wait!

On another note, I'm cleaning and clearing my stash out and will probably have a 'garage sale' of sorts here on my blog. Look for it in a week or so! I have some BIG things and some little things AND I will probably be doing a giveaway or two while it's going on too.

I will be back with some crafty goodness next week! Have a fabulous weekend!

Secret ingredient...

When I was a kid, my Grandmother was the BEST cook I knew. She made amazing, downhome, Southern meals like chicken and brown gravy with rice. She had a mad chile and no meal was complete without cornbread. Yum! For those of you who don't know, I was born and raised in South Texas...San Antonio area.

My Dad was the next best cook...he took after his mom. ;) Dad's best included Chicken and Dumplings, weenies and red gravy with rice and the most amazing cornbread dressing, served usually only on holidays. I remember helping Dad roll out the dumplings and cut them into strips. And my favorite thing to do when he made the dressing was to crumble to cornbread. I loved helping my dad in the kitchen. But the ONE thing my dad was best at was gravy. It didn't matter what kind...although I preferred his cream gravy, especially when combined with mom's homemade biscuits. Mmmmmm!

Unfortunatley, in my early adult years, I didn't channel my father or my grandmother when it came to my cooking. Thankfully, over time practice and determination have helped improve my cooking skills. I LOVE to browse cookbooks and online galleries for recipes and try something new. I also really enjoy trying to re-create my favorite restaurant meals. Gravy was something I REALLY wanted to learn how to make but I struggled with it immensely. Until the last year or so. I FINALLY got down the process and now, I make gravy often. Brown, chicken, and yummy country cream gravy.

Meatloaf is something my mom made for us alot growing up. I was never one of those kids who disliked meatloaf, or broccoli or brussel sprouts for that matter. I ate just about anything. My mom always made it with tomato sauce in the meatloaf and on top. It was good and sometimes I make it like that but I prefer mine with brown gravy. That's Seth's favorite way too. The other night I made a meatloaf and for the most part, I made it just like I always do...2 lbs ground beef, 2 eggs, a 1/2 cup or so Italian bread crumbs, a 1/4 cup or so of water then some salt, pepper, seasoning salt and garlic salt to taste. This time, though, I added in ONE more ingredient. Cumin. Yep, ground cumin powder. I LOVE the smoky flavor and the smell of cumin. Honestly, it reminds me of my grandmother. I remember that smell in her home when I was a kid. Of course, then I had no idea what it was but now, I can't get enough of it. It may sound like an odd spice to add to a meatloaf but let me tell you it was the BEST! It is now my secret meatloaf ingredient. Okay, not so secret since I told you but secret to me. :) And, I have another secret too. When you make your brown gravy, after you've added your liquid and you have the desired consistency, add in a tblsp or so of Kitchen Bouquet. It's a dark smoky liquid that can be found on the aisle usually with barbeque sauce at the store. It darkens the color of the gravy but also adds a bit of flavor as well. It also goes into my pinto beans. ;) So, there you have it. Two secrets from my kitchen to yours.

Glittery snowflakes...

In December, just before Christmas I volunteered in Cody's classroom and he and all his friends make glittered stockings. I had a box of packing peanuts that were in a package from my mom so they glued those to the top and glittered the bottom. It was lots of fun and the kids had a blast. The only problem was that once Shelby found out, she was jealous and wanted Mommy to come teach her friends a craft project too. So, I spoke with her teacher and we decided on glittery snowflakes. Mrs. Selcer had her bulletin board all ready with it's border and big snowman...just waiting for snowflakes.

The kids had a great time and let me tell you, they were sparkly!!! hehehe Here are a few pics...

Rylee


Hannah


and my Shelby


One of the girls was wiping her hands on the table and floor trying to pick up glitter and rub it on herself. hahaha Check her sparkly self out...



And, one little girl became quite clingy and was next to me the rest of the day. Look at this sweet face...

Then, of course, once everyone realized I was taking pics they started posing for me. It was lots of fun. Here's one last shot I got of a few of the girls and Shelby together...

I am sure I'll get to do this at least one more time before the end of the year. Maybe we can do something for Valentine's day too. OH! I know, I still have some packing peanuts left. They can paint them one day then glue them so a sheet of paper in a heart shape the next. That's it! ;) By the time you read this, I'll be well on my way to Texas. I'm eager to get back to work and excited that my best friend gets to go with me for my first show of the year. I think we're planning on eating at Pappasita's Mexican Cantina (YUM!) and Olive Garden for sure. Can't wait! Stop in Monday to see pics from the trip and the booth! See you then!

You make my heart flutter...

Rocky and I have been together going on 7 years this Spring. To this day he can make my heart skip a beat by doing to simplest things...like grabbing my hand while we're just sitting together. It probably sounds corny and I'm not trying to make anyone sick here, hahaha. But seriously, I am madly in love with him.

I created the following card for a pub call for Cards magazine. I'm sad to say it didn't get picked up. But, I still LOVE the card. It's a Valentine's Day themed card and since the colors aren't your typical pink/red scheme, I think it'll work well for Rocky's Valentine's Day card this year. What do you think?

This card is being shared on the Scrap-Mart blog today so hop on over to see the list of products used and how I created it!

Tomorrow I leave for Grapevine, TX for the stamp show. My best friend, Stacey, is coming along with me! Since the stamp shows are smaller it usually only takes one person to run the booth. Sooo, we are taking advantage of that and making it a girls weekend...around the show, of course. I mean, I already have a hotel room (thanks to Scrap-Mart!) and I'm driving since it's so close. Perfect, right?! We have three fun nights of eating dinner out planned and probably a little shopping too. Whatever we can squeeze in around the work stuff. :) I will still have a post tomorrow so please, stop by!

Party pieces...

The world of paper crafting now extends far beyond just plain scrapbookin' or card making. Creating homemade party decor is all the rage these days. From banners to party favors to placecards and more. Here's a quick peek at a fun cupcake holder...

These cupcake holders are Boss Kut Gazelle files and can be found HERE. I simply cut the plain one AND the heart one then layered them together. For the polka dot heart on the bottom, I simply took one of the hearts and flipped it over (double-sided paper!) then adhered it. These are super simple and with my Gazelle, I can cut three or four at a time. I am thinking this is what I'll do for the kids' Valentine's parties this year!! I can make some fun little toppers and stick 'em on a toothpick and right into the cupcake. Yep, I think this is it. :)

Today I am doing a craft project with Shelby's class! Remember last month I told you I helped Cody's class make glittery stockings? Well, this month is Shelby's class and we're glittering up snowflakes. Her teacher already has the snowman on the bulletin board so she can add the snowflakes after they dry! Fun times! I'll try to get some pics to share with you!

On another note, I scrapbooked yesterday! Yep, sure did. It seems like it's been forever since I completed a layout. I was creating lots of cards and altered projects and it felt GREAT to get a layout done. I'm not sharing it just yet but don't worry, you'll see it soon enough. ;) See you tomorrow!

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Change is good...

Sometimes I need to remind myself of that. haha Change can be difficult to deal with but it can also be a great thing. Change is what I will be facing in 2011. I want to be healthier. I want to lose weight. I want to be more patient. So, those are things I am going to focus on. Change.

Some things, like I mentioned before, will change here on my blog too. I will be sharing more about some of the changes I'm making and progress and such. I will be sharing recipes and hopefully healthier ones that can help me with my weight loss. ;) I will continue to share projects as well. I am not giving up my scrapbooking, just sharing other things as well.

This week is a short week for me...at home anyway. My kids return to school today and I return to work this week as well. The first show of the year (for me) will be the Heirloom Stamp Show in Grapevine, TX. If you're attending the show, be sure to stop by the Scrap-Mart booth and say hi! We will have a representative from Loralie Stamps there doing demos and showing some fabulous samples. The show hours are 10 am to 5 pm Saturday, January 8th and 11 am to 4 pm Sunday, January 9th.

If all goes well, I'll be crafting today and will have something crafty to share later this week...maybe even while I'm away. ;) So, I'm off to work...or craft, whichever you prefer. I hope you have a Happy Tuesday!

Demo has begun...

Hello and Happy New Year! This is my first post for 2011 so I thought I'd share with you one of the projects we are undertaking for this year...my new scrap room! Yeah! There is a small building behind our garage that we are renovating for my scrap space. The building is about 12x14ish but hubs is adding on a 12x10 space. At the end of the addition will be a closet about 3x12 with french style doors so that we can access the whole closet. Here are a few pics of the building and demo work we're doin'...

Here's the front of the building. The exterior will be covered with siding, hopefully the same as our house so they match. We'll put a new roof on and we've already inspected the deck and it's in good shape. So, most of the work will be sheetrock, paint and of course, the addition. Here's a pic of the inside...

We have most of the sheetrock and old shelves ouf of there. You can see just a small portion more to remove. Once that's out then we'll cut out the wall, behind the ladder there, for the addition and start building the walls. The original building is on a concerete foundation but the addition will have a wood floor. Once it's complete, it'll look like one seamless building.

Now the research for cabinets or shelves and tables. I need to have everything laid out before we start to rebuild so Rocky knows what to put where, or not. I think I have a pretty good idea of what I want. I'm thinking Ikea Expedit shelves for most of my storage. Just need to decide on a workspace AND die cutting table/area. I have so many machines and dies that it needs a designated space within my room. Ha.

Well, that's all I have for you today. If you have any suggestions or ideas I'd LOVE to hear them. Or, if you have pics of your scrap space add the link in the comment section here so I can check it out. See you tomorrow!



P.S. I know Christmas is over but my kids finally go back to school tomorrow so I will begin the transformation of the blog from Christmas to something else very soon!