Merry, Merry!

This is a design I made in my Make the Cut software. Make the Cut is for designing your own files to cut on the eclips. I have ecal software, but I prefer Make the Cut and Inkscape for designing my files. For the card base I used Gumball Green. The Designer Series Paper is from the Festival of Prints stack in the Holiday catalog. Once again I used the Scentsational Season stamp set along with the Holiday Collection Framelits, also found in the Holiday catalog. I had a sliver of a Very Vanilla cut from the Top Note die that I had used on another project, so I used it for the snow on my card front. A little Dazzling Details glitter on the snow and a star die cut from So Saffron, finish out the details. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings!
Barb

Oops! Back to Autumn!

Everyone has been working on Christmas cards and I have been too, but this one I made last month, so thought I would go ahead and post it anyway :). I used More Mustard as my card base, layered with Soft Suede and I used some torn paper bag. Old Olive used for the acorn, More Mustard and Cajun Craze for the leaves. The leaves and the acorn were die cut with the new Autumn Accents Bigz die in the Holiday catalog. The sentiment is from a retired stamp set. Inks used to edge the elements were Garden Green, Old Olive, Cajun Craze, and Soft Suede. Have a great day!!!

Blessings!
Barb

My 'first' card book that I made :). This one uses Old Olive, Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, and More Mustard card stock. The Designer Series Papers are from the Festival of Prints stack, all by Stampin' Up! The Christmas Tree is from the Scentsational Season bundle (Stampin' Up!) which includes the Scentsational Season stamp set and the Holiday Collection Framelits dies. The stars on the left side were punched with the small star punch (retired). The inks I used to edge some of the elements are Cajun Craze, Garden Green, and Soft Suede. The embossing folder I used was Northern Flurry for the snowflakes on the front cover.

I added a pocket to the inside cover that's perfect for a tag or to hold a gift card. Add a gift card in the pocket and fill the inside pages of the book with some chocolate and you have a sweeeet little gift for someone! The sentiment on the inside is from Merry Messages (Stampin' Up!- retired). Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings!

Barb

Thanks Donna!

My good friend Donna sent me a link to a tutorial for making a card book that we had seen on a few different blogs in the UK. I loved the book and wanted to make my own, so I really appreciate the link she sent me! I changed the measurements from metric to our measurements, but followed the rest of her instructions and it was quite easy to put together. This is my second card book that I made. I'll post the first one tomorrow. I know, backwards :).

Back in May, my husband bought me a Sizzix eclips... love, love, love my eclips! This little gingerman and lollipops are cutting files from Designs on Cloud 9. She has the cutest files ever! Of course, I used Stampin' Up! papers, card stock, and inks :). The gingerman is cut from Close to Cocoa (retired- boo hoo hoo!). I used Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Island Indigo, and Pink Pirouette card stock along with Festival of Prints DSP. The edges are inked with Early Espresso and Crumb Cake. The snow is inked with Island Indigo.

 When you open the card it looks like a book inside! How cool is that?! The little peppermints at the corners of the book pages is a Stampin' Up! set and also the sentiment inside the book. I used Stampin' Up's! small Heart punch as well. There is plenty of space inside the pages for treats or a little gift. The inside pages measure the same as an A2 card base- 4.25 x 5.5 inches.

 A side view of the card book. You can see, in this photo, how it looks like the real pages in a book. So nifty :) ! Love it!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!

Blessings!
Barb

MDS 2

As I mentioned two posts ago, my daughter and I had a bucket list that we made during our trips to Chicago of things we wanted to do when she quit skating. Archery was at the top of the list, so we did that first. My husband is a sweet, sweet man who encourages us to do whatever we think of to do. When we told him about our bucket list, he told us to go buy bows, arrows, and targets- that day! And we did! :)

We had no idea that archery was going to be so much fun! If you haven't tried it yet, you owe it to yourself to at least try it!

Being a scrapper, you know I document EVERYTHING in our lives, lol! I made this double page layout of my daughter in her cute camo hat that she found at Bass Pro :).

Left side page

Right side of page

Side by side 

Haha! By the way, her shirt says, 'Armed and Dangerous', but there is a scripture quotation under that :D. I just thought it was funny that she was wearing that shirt when I took these photos of her. 

I made these pages in MDS 2. Love this digital scrapping software so much! It's so easy to get your scrapping caught up and no mess to clean up! 

Blessings to you!

Barb

Another Paper Bag Album

Thank you so much for all the welcome backs! Really made my day :) !

I made another paper bag album after we got back from Nationals for a young 15 year old girl who is a friend of a family that we go to church with. Sadly, her momma passed away from breast cancer, leaving three children and a husband :'(. I wanted to make her something that she could put photos of her mom in and write special memories that she shared with her. Even though she's a teenager right now, it won't be many more years before she is grown, so I made this album with an older girl in mind. 

This wasn't completely made with Stampin' Up supplies. I used K&Company paper, all Stampin' Up! card stock and inks, and some Stampin' Up! dies, plus, I made few elements on my Sizzix eclips. The paint for the cover is Martha Stewart and the ribbon is... I have no idea :D. It's 1/2" double faced satin though.

The front cover- Cherish the Moments

Inside cover with pocket and tag

Inside cover and page one. Each page is two pockets with large tags in them.

Pages 2 and 3. Between each page is a flap.

Pages 4 and 5. 

Pages 4 and 5.

Pages 6 and 7

Pages 6 and 7

Page 8 and back cover page

There are a total of eight pages, 17 pockets with inserts, and several smaller tags throughout the album. This album will hold up to (40) 4x6 photos. I also added a few small die cut envelopes for her to put little keepsakes into and several journaling blocks. With the album, I gave her a zip lock bag filled with additional die cuts, journaling blocks, tags, etc., and some adhesive. It was really nice to be able to use some of my stuff to bless someone and help them along in their journey of healing. I'm hoping I will get to see the finished album after she gets all her photos into it, but it's okay if I don't. It's her special place for keeping special memories of her momma in and I hope that it will be a blessing to her for many years to come. 

Blessings to you!

Barb

It's Been a Hectic Life!

Where to start? As most of you who have been regular visitors to my blog already know, my daughter spent the last three years in competitive roller figure skating. The first year was spent learning and training and the last two years were a whirlwind of travel all across the country, competing from Meet to Meet. Not only did we travel to Meets at least once each month (sometimes more), but we also traveled to Chicago once or twice a month for training with two World Class coaches. My daughter and I were home for a total of five days in July. The rest of the month was spent in Chicago training. In between all that traveling and out of state training, we were at the rink practicing for many hours each week. Needless to say, our lives consisted of skating, Meets, practice, training, and more skating! There was hardly time for anything else. Literally.

My daughter made a decision to stop skating after Nationals was over this year. It was not a decision that she made lightly or quickly, but I know it was the right decision for her. You see, she was the victim of bullies/mean girls who were also members of the artistic roller skating team, for the entire three years that she skated. It wasn't just one or two girls, it was the entire team of girls. We are very proud of her because through it all, she stayed strong and she never retaliated, but always treated them with kindness. Her decision was partly due to the fact that she was really tired of the bullying, even though skating and competing was her passion, and because she wanted to do other things that she never had time to do. She goes to a GREAT youth group with a great group of kids and she had to miss out on a lot of fun things because she either had to practice or we were out of town for Meets and/or training. She also wanted to be able to be more involved in church and ministry. She is now greatly involved in church and ministry, able to do fun things with the kids in her youth group, and is quite happy. A 'day' after we returned from Nationals, she hit ministry running and hasn't stopped since! In so many, many ways, quitting skating has been a tremendous blessing.

Since we knew that she was going to stop skating after Nationals was over, during our trips to Chicago, we were concerned that 'life after skating' might be a big adjustment for us. We decided to make a list of things that we always wanted to do, but never had the time to do because of skating. THAT was a great idea because after skating was over, it was a HUGE adjustment for us! We started to work on our Bucket List that we made in Chicago and had so much fun! At the top of our list was to learn how to shoot with bows and arrows. We got bows, we got arrows, we got targets (hanging in our back yard), and we learned how to shoot them. My daughter is becoming quite accurate :). Next on our list was learn to shoot guns. My husband taught us how to shoot his rifle and then she and I took a private class at a local target range with a professional. Our days have been full with church, archery, shooting at ranges, home school, and a lot of other things that we never had the time to do :).

I am just now starting to feel motivated to spend some time in my scrapping/sewing/crafting room. My husband got me a Sizzix eclips for my birthday in May and I am just now getting to play with it. Love that machine! It cuts Stampin' Up! card stock like 'buttah'! I have done a couple of little things since we quit skating, but mostly have been just enjoying doing other things with my daughter. I don't know how often I'll be posting on my blog. I guess that depends on how much motivation and inspiration I have :). I only have evenings for creating, since we home school, and that takes up a good portion of my time. But, as mentioned, I do have a couple of things that I worked on, so I'll start with those.

First up, is a lay out I made with one of my favorite photos from a shoot I did with my daughter and my granddaughter. My granddaughter wanted to dress up as princesses that day and she has a wonderful aunt who agreed to dress up with her :). This lay out was done completely in My Digital Studio Two.

If you're still out there, thanks for hanging with me this long. I soooo appreciate those of you who have taken the time to write to me and who have taken the time to leave such sweet comments. Thank you! As I mentioned, I can't promise how often I will be able to post, but my motivation is starting to come back, so we shall see :).

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
My Digital Studio Two

Just in case...

you were wondering where I've been....

I've decided to take some time off blogging for various reasons, but mostly because I needed to devote more time elsewhere in my life. I am happy to report that the time spent elsewhere has been time well worth spending and is paying off in big time rewards for my family and myself. I'm sure I will be back, but I don't think it will happen before Summer's end. There are seasons in life, a time for every purpose under heaven, and this season of not blogging has been a very good decision for me.

Just wanted to update you if you still visit my blog every now and again, and to thank you for still coming! If you add your email to the updates on the right sidebar, you will be notified when I start blogging again. I just didn't want you to keep coming back for the rest of the summer and not finding anything newly posted. Thanks so much for visiting my blog, even when I haven't been!

Blessings!
Barb

2012/2013 Idea Book and Catalog

Today is the big day! The new catalog goes live! I've updated the catalog links in the right sidebar to the new catalogs for you. Lots of great new products, new In Colors, and new ink pads! The ink pads have been changed from cloth pads to firm foam pads. The cases remain the same :). I've tried the new ink pads and you will be very happy with the ink coverage on your rubber stamps.

Look over the new catalog and get ready to make a long wish list! Before you know it, the Holiday Mini will be here :). Have a wonderful day!

Blessings!
Barb

Paper Bag Album

Have ya' wondered where I've been :) ? I've never, ever made a paper bag album yet, and I've wanted to make one for a really long time. I looked online for some instructions and, WOW! Paper bag albums have come a long way baby!!! I found some awesome videos on Youtube by The Paper Trail for mini albums. I loved one of them so much, I set about to make one of my own :). That's where I've been... making paper bag albums! I had so much fun! I used the Everyday Enchantment DSP from the Sale-a-bration brochure. What PRETTY paper! This post has 19 photos so be prepared to be here for a few minutes :)...

The top of the book

The entire front cover (made with duck cloth that I painted with gloss acrylic paint)

Close up of the rose (Very Vanilla, inked with Peach Parfait)

Close up of the butterflies- added Dazzling Details

First two pages- the left side has a pocket

Pages 3 and 4- I used the Two Tags die and the Scalloped Envelope die

The other side of the center flap on pages 3 and 4

Pages 5 and 6- I used the Top Note and Beautiful Wings embosslit

Pages 7 and 8- used the Scribble Swirls Sizzlit and the new Hearts embosslit

Pages 8 and 9- not done yet

The last page and the back cover

Each page is two bags and makes two pockets side by side

I alternated punches to make the tabs on the pull outs that fit inside the pockets

Here you can see the two pull outs in the two pockets

Side view of the double pockets

The duck cloth cover from the side

The duck cloth back cover- the cover is all one piece and adhered to mat board covers

The pockets from the side

The side view pockets and flaps. There is a flap between each page.

I used coordinating card stock and inks to the Everyday Enchantment DSP- Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade, and Peach Parfait. I used lots of stuff, including several punches and several dies, so if you have a particular question about any of them, please fire me an email :). Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings!

Barb

Build a Bear Leprechaun

If you've been following my blog for a while, then you know that the Build a Bear dies are very versatile- they are NOT just for bears! You can use these dies to make people and other critters, like bunny rabbits :). If you liked playing with paper dolls when you were little, you will LOVE playing with the Build a Bear dies :D. I would like you to meet Shamus... 

Several punches were used to create Shamus' little scene. The Scallop Trim Corner and Scallop Trim Border punches made my square. I cut my Whisper White card stock 5.25". After punching the outside edges of my first square, I cut another Whisper White square at 4.25" and then ran it through my Big Shot in the Square Lattice embossing folder, centering it in the Scalloped Trim square. Shamus' beard is made with the largest petal from the Blossom Petals Builder punch. His head is the 1 3/8" circle punch. His little pot of gold is done with the Extra Large Tag punch and the Word Window punch. The legs of his pot were made with the Word Window punch. The pieces of gold are actually the Small Heart punch, layered. His hat is made with 1 3/8" circle punch, the Small Heart punch, and the Word Window punch.

The inside of the card has a 4.75" Whisper White square, also punched with the Scallop Trim punches, matted on Lucky Limeade card stock cut at 5.75" square. This card is going in the mail today heading to my daughter in Texas :). Have a wonderful day today! I hope that the weather where you live is as beautiful as our weather! Spring is here!

Blessings!
Barb

Certainly Celery, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Cajun Craze, Basic Black, Soft Suede Textured, Old Olive, Blush Blossom (retired) card stock
Garden Green, Blush Blossom (retired) Classic Stampin' Ink
Cajun Craze Stampin' Write Marker
Punches- named in my post above, plus 1/4" circle and 1/8" circle punches
Build a Bear dies- Bear and Beary Essentials

Miss You...

Last night we went to our grandson's 10th birthday party- wow, where did that time go to?! Although it was a happy occasion, my daughter Sarah was missing from the party :(. She moved to Texas two years ago when her husband came home from Iraq and they decided to stay. So, they don't get home often and family celebrations and holidays just aren't the same without them there. I made this card this morning to send to her to let her know how much I miss her. I used a SCS color challenge on my card- Pool Party, Poppy Parade, and Daffodil Delight with a touch of ribbon.

I inked up my embossing folder with Pool Party ink before inserting my card stock into the folder and ran it through my Big Shot. As you can see, this transfers the ink only on the parts of the folder that are not raised. This is not a new technique and has been around for a few years. There are some Christmas cards on my blog that used this technique. Depending on the embossing folder design, you can get some very pretty looks with this technique.

I kept the inside very simple, but adding a Pool Party mat and a few punched corners adds a little bit more interest to the inside of the card. 

On another note, when I woke up this morning, (very groggy to say the least, lol!) my husband said, "you have to get your camera and take pictures!" I looked out the window to see what had him so excited about my camera and I immediately got my camera and went outside in my pajamas. There is nothing like early morning on a farm, nothing. Everything is bathed in golden early morning sunlight as the sun starts its ascent in the sky. This morning though, we were treated to not only the golden sunlight, but the morning mist as well. Here are a couple of my favorite photos from my morning venture. I came into the house with cold wet feet from the dew, but it was worth it :).

The Horse Barn

Golden Sun Rays

The Garden Gate

As I type, the windows are open, the sweet, fresh air is flowing through the house, the sun is shining, the sky is a perfect blue, and I can hear the hens out in the yard squawking at each other. It doesn't get any better... :)

PS- when I was taking pictures of my card this morning, I kept seeing an orange paw pop up in the corner of my lens. Our cat, Dooberoo, decided he needed to help, lol! You can see the card in the upper left corner. Ya' gotta love kitties!

Blessings!

Barb

Whisper White card stock

Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Ink

Up, Up & Away stamp set

Framed Tulips embossing folder

1" and 1 1/4" circle punches

Daffodil Delight 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Oops! So sorry!

I have another email account that is linked to my blog. Most of my emails to this blog come to my regular email account, but upon checking my 'other' email account today for the first time in a looooooong while, I discovered some emails with questions about projects I've posted. I have answered all those emails today and my deepest apologies for such a delayed response! I will make it a point to check that other email account at least once a week, but if you send me an email and don't get a response in a couple of days, please post to my blog and let me know that you've sent me an email and I'll get you answered! Again, so, so, so sorry for such a long delay in answering those of you who sent me an email and it went to the other account.

Blessings!
Barb

A Little Door

I had this card front ready, but not sure what I was gonna do with it, until I got this sweet little door. Perfect backdrop for the door :).

I added some flowers and a little fence, a wreath on the door and a butterfly flitting here and there among the tiny little roses. 

We just got back from another long trip, and I had this card ready for posting, just didn't get the post done until now. I'm gonna rest for a day and then I'll be back :). Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings!

Barb

Whisper White, Daffodil Yellow, Marina Mist, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede card stock

Cajun Craze, Creamy Caramel Classic Stampin' Ink

Whisper White Craft Ink