November is over....really!!!!!

I can't believe how fast November has come and gone! Just an update that I was out of town for Thanksgiving and got ENGAGED the week before that!!! So it has been a whirlwind of emotions and I can't wait to scrapbook all about it! Stay tuned for Christmas card ideas!

Stampin' Up! Color Combos.

Are you color-combo challenged? When making cards, do you have trouble finding new color combos? Want an easy way to make color decisions? Check out this website http://www.scraptitude.com/colorcombo/

On this site you just enter in the colors and the site tells you all of the possible color combinations that contain your color choices. Give it a try, it so easy!

Card Swap!

At my local scrapbook store I participate in a monthly card swap. It is a great way to meet new friends and see creative, new ideas! Here are my entries for the last three months. Hopefully, soon, I will remember to get permission and I'll post the other participant's cards as well.

For this "G Thanks" card I used pre-printed notecards that were on clearance at Target, priced 10 for $1.50! Hooray for Target. I just added my own embellishments.

I was trying to do a card in black. I really like how this one turned out. I colored in the butterfly using watercolor crayons and blender pens from Stampin' Up! I was having a hard time getting the butterfly centered so I started purposefully stamping it at an angle off the square. It adds a fun element. Next I added glitter, a flower and stamped "happy" with white ink. This is my favorite so far.

This Halloween card is the one I made for this month's swap. I really like the idea of windows. So I punched a square in the face of the card. Then I stamped my ghost on a white square and colored it in with markers. I like how the ghost looks peeking through the window! Then I used some patterned paper for the mosaic strip. For the tag I simple used my stampin' up! tag punch and added a brad and "Happy Boo" phrase, stamped in silver. The very bottom of the card is done with a background stamp and I colored in the white tips of the candy corn with a white gel pen. Whoo, that was a lot of directions!

Remember saturday is NATIONAL CARD MAKING DAY!
Have fun...MAKE CARDS! read more about it here!

Stamping party fun!

Last week I had the best time meeting and stamping with some new friends! We made holiday projects. You can see one of the treat bags below. The ladies put their own twist on the projects, which I loved and will have to copy too! haha!

*On a side note I just realized that the charity card event that I posted on earlier is on the same day as the Alzheimer's walk. So sadly I will have to reschedule the charity cards for another time. Check back here for the update!

World Card Making DAY!!! 21 Days away!

So I stumbled across something so cool today...I thought, is it true? Yes...Yes it is! There is a WORLD CARD MAKING DAY! Check out the website here. They have lots of fun card making ideas and techniques.
The whole idea is that the first weekend in October kicks off holiday crafting and card making season! Honestly, if I started Christmas card making in October...I might actually finish before New Years!
Anywho, I have decided to do a charity card making event. On World Card Making Day I will be making cards for an organization called Paper Stars and Vellum Stripes. It is an organization that sends blank cards to soldiers so that they can send birthday and holiday wishes to their loved ones back home. Basically there are no Hallmark stores in the middle of Iraq. I have made cards and sent them off to this group before and it made me feel so good! Let me know if you are interested in joining me!

Animals!

I think I am going through an animal phase! I'll try to get some more variety up here. I thought I would post these until I can get my card swap entries posted! The first card was one for a young girl's birthday. On the inside I wrote "You're one of a kind". I used silver ribbons and cardstock to accent the glittery penguin.
The second card is actually made with a stamp set that was recently retired but there is another stampin' up set that is similar called "Fishy Friends" that is still available. I used a precut tag in saffron yellow and made the blue bubbles with a circle punch.
Don't forget that by using a simple white gel pen you can add a little hi-light to the bubbles and make them pop a little. The seahorse was just colored in with stampin' up markers. To enlarge the pictures just click on the image.
Also just a heads up. Stampin' Up put out their mini holiday catalog and it is sooooo CUTE! There are many new things to see like ornaments to decorate, wrapping paper and gift card envelopes. To see the catalog go to www.stampinup.com or to order or ask questions just email me!

My alterations!

I think it is safe to say that I love embellishing! I can't take credit for this entire card, I recieved part of it in a swap at Stampin' Up regionals. The card used to be the green piece and the stamped frog, flower and words. I added the entire green piece to saffron paper, I used a white gel pen to add the faux stiching, and hearts...and of course one of my favorite things to have on a card, I added the ribbons! Heads up, if anyone has any examples of cards to share, just email me and I'll post it! Stay tuned for my card group entries. I recently joined a swap group that meets once a month and will post my last two swaps shortly!

You have to see this!

Okay, first off, I apologize for not blogging sooner! It has been a month of travel, buying smelly furniture (on accident) and re-selling the smelly furniture! Lessons have been learned and miles have been travelled!

Recently, when travelling, we happened to stop at a Costco for a rest. LOOK what I found!!!!

It is a set of two pads of 12x12 scrapbook paper! There are 360 pages and here is the best part...it is under $15.00!!!!! Can you believe it??? Here is the deal...I don't usually buy these huge books of paper because they only have a few patterns I like...not the case with this collection! It is "My Mind's Eye" which is one of my favorite companies. The paper is bright, soft, bold, and elegant...too many styles to tell or show. So I had to share with someone...anyone about this great buy!

Stay tuned for more card examples in the coming weeks!

Simplistic can still be beautiful!

I can't tell you how many times I have met people who say, "I could never do that. I'm not crafty. That's too hard!" I can not stress enough that there is a way to make cards look great without spending two hours on it!

Here are my top five ways to make a card look
great without the agony of hours in creation!

Make a card or scrapbook page and email it in. I'll post it on the blog!

5. Always use at least 2 to 3 colors. For example, one color for the card background, another color to frame the stamped image and finally, a third color to color the stamped image. For example, the card below uses green, two shades of purple and even a little blue.
4. TILT! Whether it is the stamped image in the middle of the card or just a word (like below) tilt it. Not everything has to be perfectly straight and it also saves time when you're not trying to line up each piece.
3. Use an embellishment. It can be stickers, ribbon, cording, brads, eyelets, glitter, lace...should I keep going...it adds a little something special!
2.Tear. Yep, like the card below, tearing the edge of one side or all sides can add a lot of interest. Also curling up the torn edge is a great way to add some dimension.
1.And my number one trick that I use on almost every card is "dimensionals"! These are little pieces of foam with double stick sides. When used they add a 3-D effect.

I cannot take credit. This card is a sample from the Stampin' Up!
regional conference that was held in Salt Lake City last May.

A blog is born!

Hello everyone! So this is my first attempt at a scrap/stamp blog and I am super excited! The whole idea is to share what I make and you can email me pictures of your creations that I can post too! Even though we cannot meet every week, we can still share what we create and hopefully learn a lot of fun ideas from others! I'll start the blog by posting several cards that I have made. Remember, I am new at photographing my projects...so they are a little crooked! Remember, you can click on the pictures and they will enlarge for a better look. Thanks for looking and please share any ideas, projects or feedback!

Also, as always, if you would like to schedule a "Girl's Night" with scrapping and stamping just email me and we can plan a great party with fun projects and fun company!