Sunday 29 July 2012

Quickie Cameo Baby Boy Cards

It's a boy... and another boy!! Congrats to two different sets of new parents, and thanks for giving me an excuse to try Lori Whitlock's baby onesie card designs (available through the Silhoutte Online Store). I'm at the age where most of my friends have teenagers so there are very few opportunities to welcome new little ones into the world in my circle. That is, most moms I know are more concerned about hot flashes than diapers and raised their kids in a way as to not make them grandmas anytime soon. Maybe if some of those younger married cousins...

The three little onesies on the laundry line were glued onto Twinery twine instead of the paper clothesline in the design, and then the middle one was embellished with "JK" for the new one's initials. The base of the card and the little stars were inked with Colorbox ink to coordinate with the wee dots on the middle onesie, cut from an uber-old piece of cardstock (I suspect Bazzill) in my stash. This cute little quarter-fold card was a complete cinch to make!

The big onesie card was pretty simple too. The paper was the same as the little onesie from the first card so I planned my Cameo cuts accordingly (you can see the size difference by looking at the dots). The neckline, arm trim and leg trim started out as white cardstock until they were inked with the same Colorbox pad as I used above. The baby carriage was from a box of really old embellishments. It was so old that I had to add adhesive to the back because the original had hardened and was no longer sticky. This was a much bigger card (approx 5' x 7") and so the front and back are joined at the very top.

There ya go - two very simple baby cards made in under half an hour. It almost took longer to select the paper, twine and ink than it did to actually assemble these cards!

Botanical Mini Album

I was going through a box of projects that I had previously used for classes when I came across this little beauty:

This Kaisercraft paper from their Sweet Nothings collection was a wonderful source of inspiration for this mini album.

The class was all about die-cutting. I used Bazzill paper, Kraft-core and metal foil with an assortment of Spellbinders dies, and finished the pieces by embossing, sanding, stenciling or inking. There aren't any photos in here yet (I don't put photos in class projects before the class) but this inspires me to dig through the ones taken during the many trips my Mom and I have made to the Muttart Conservatory during her visits. Here's a closer look at each of the inside pages and what makes them special.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

"From the Heart" Scrapbook Layouts


I’m baaaack! 

The cottage was wonderful, and so was all the visiting we did with family and friends. The next two weeks are going to be frenetic… busy, busy, busy so I can spend a week at my Mom’s farm and then bring her to the cottage for a couple of weeks. Yep, I am well and truly blessed! 

 During the short time I’m here, I’m teaching a set of classes: a coordinating set of scrapbook layouts that feature die-cutting materials other than paper. Check 'em out and see how many different non-paper materials you see. 

There’s a feminine version in ivory with glittery cheesecloth and canvas butterflies and a more masculine version featuring denim, cork, and burlap. 

Both versions began with Little Yellow Bicycle paper and incorporated canvas, cheesecloth, denim, Spica pens, Adirondack inks and Tim Holtz distress stains.Even with the very different feel to these pages, it’s easy to spot the similarities, like the same title (“From the Heart”) and scalloped matting. The LYB paper complemented the textures without being overpowering – just like great paper ought to do. So let’s take a look at some of the unique details of each page.

Thursday 5 July 2012

Vacation!!

Oh my - I'm surprised I have a chance to sit down today. You see, hubby is flying home to day from his job in the oilsands (he's away for 14 days and then home for seven) and I have to pick him up at the airport (about an hour away) at dinnertime. We'll be back there tomorrow morning to fly to Ottawa, first for some visiting with family, and then two weeks at our little cottage. It'll be like the honeymoon we didn't have last summer. *big grin* Did I tell you that I love this man like crazy, even though he sometimes drives me crazy?

So if you don't see me too often during the next few weeks, that's because I'm here:

Wednesday 4 July 2012

A Quick Thank You

Here's a quick thank you card that lends itself to making a dozen (or two, or six) at a time. I found several pieces for this card while sorting through my stash so I'm procrastinating sharing.

Thank you, Bazzill, Bling, cardstock, Spellbinders, Cuttlebug, embossing, folder, heat embossing, Memento
Start with a 5.5" x 4.25" cardstock base, then add two layers of cardstock cut with a Spellbinders Nestabilities label and a third label with a sentiment. Emboss and ink the Spellbinders layers as you wish and... tada! All you need is a standard size envelope available at any office stationary store.


"Grandkids" Wall Art


 Dusty Attic, Grandkids, wall art, Memory Box, Valerian Flourish, Bo Bunny
My fave LSS, Scrap & Bean, received a whole lotta stuff from Dusty Attic yesterday. If you haven't heard about them, they make the most detailed chipboard I have ever seen. I picked up a few pieces, along with some Bo Bunny paper and May Arts ribbon, and home I went with my creative wheels just-a-turnin'.

After dinner and few other chores, I was able to sit down for the first of my projects: a "Grandkids" wall hanging for my Mom. She has three grandkids, none of whom she sees often enough, and I've been feeling especially sentimental during this past week. Okay, so my craft room is still not put back together and there are tons of other projects waiting for me but I just HAD to get my fingers full of ink and glue. Withdrawal is a terrible thing.


Sunday 1 July 2012

Celebration and Remembrance

On a happy note, Canada celebrated its 145th birthday today. Happy Canada Day to all Canadians, home and abroad, actual and hopeful. My boy and I checked out the celebration at CFB Edmonton, and then came home and vegged. It doesn't get dark here until 11 pm at this time of year so we skipped the fireworks (it had been raining on and off all day) in favour of the hopes of a good night's sleep. Needless to say, he's in bed and I'm sitting here typing. Bad Mommy!

On a more sober note, I took time to craft the sympathy card for the family of my son's 15 year old classmate today. The death of someone so young didn't fit any of the sympathy card designs I had previously used so it was a challenge coming up with something that balanced the tragedy of his far-too-soon death with the knowledge that, as a Christian, he was now in the arms of his Saviour. The funeral is tomorrow so I couldn't procratinate any longer over finding the appropriate words or creating a design. Here is the front:  
sympathy, card, front, butterfly, Memory Box, Spellbinders, Lacey Squares