I Heart Crafting

Halloween Treat Bags...

2009-09-15T16:00:00.002-04:00

...are now for sale in my Etsy shop!

How cute are these?

All you have to do is fill with goodies (I think candy corn would be dee-licious), and you have the perfect gift for a teacher, crossing guard, or a little someone! I found the tutorial for this 2-5-7-10 box here. They were so ridiculously easy to make! I am definitely adding these to my gift-box arsenal!

I stamped the sentiment in black and then accented it with a gold Gelly Roll pen. I used a cool Victorian edged pair of scissors to cut the flap, and then inked up the edge for contrast.

The hardest part was creating the embellishment for the front. Well, not so much hard, as time consuming. I added Gold stickles, and black glitter and Voila! Cute embellie!

In an Effort to De-Fur my Couch...

2009-09-12T20:03:00.005-04:00

I whipped this bad boy up:

This giant fleece pillow is a doggie bed for our gal-pal Roxie. I got the fleece at joAnn's for a steal at just $5 a yard. I even tufted the giant pillow to make it look "fancy". She had to check it out...

Before accepting it as her new lounge area...

Anywho, I totally love how it turned out! And it only took a couple of hours to make! :)

Ok, so the upside is...

2009-09-10T13:22:00.002-04:00

...I have managed to borrow a laptop from my Aunt while she is overseas for the next few weeks... And I have been crafty too... Soon I will have kinds of pictures of the craftyness I have been up to. Also, be sure to check out my Etsy shop in the coming days, as I will be uploading some Spooky Treats! :)

The wait for a new computer continues...

2009-09-04T21:09:00.002-04:00

...money's tight, and life has been simpler without daily access to the internet. I have been able to get online here and there, but there just isn't the budget for any new electronics right now... :(

My Computer is doomed!

2009-07-28T15:42:00.003-04:00

It happened just over a week ago... I was playing around online, browsing some blogs and what not... And the computer just shuts off... No beeping. No lights. NADA!! I tried everything, but I am not exactly a tech wiz or anything... So today I am coming to you from my parents living room... I don't know how long I will be without my precious computer, but with vacation coming up, funds are tight, so I may be without for some time. I just hope I don't lose my files... I know it's the worst mistake, but I have never backed up anything, so I have 4+ years of pictures hiding inside the silent back shell that once housed my gateway to the internet... THIS SUCKS! AAARrrrggghhhh!

For those of you in the mood for a giggle...

2009-07-16T14:03:00.002-04:00

...head over to the Cosmo Cricket blog and enjoy the rant about bathing suit buying. I was rolling laughing while I read this.

I recently tried to go shopping for a new suit, myself. Seeing as though, the one I currently sport has about had it, after 4 years of good continuous use. While pre-second-baby bikini's that I hold onto in the hopes of losing the extra 60 or o pounds of "baby weight" I have been carrying around for the past, oh, 3 years or so, sit neatly folded in a drawer, collecting dust...

C'est la vie! At least I'm happy right? :)

Crafty Storage Space...

2009-07-14T10:33:00.004-04:00

I made this little card this morning. I had stamped and colored and stickled the image a few weeks ago and suddenly knew exactly what to with her! I only wish the picture had come out better, she really is a beauty. The sentiment reads: "Thank heaven for little ones!"

So I figured that today I would share with some pictures of my scrap area, though it is still a work in progress... It seems I have more stuff that just doesn't have a home yet.

The white cabinet was my mom's computer cabinet, but she upgraded to a laptop and didn't need this bulky piece of furniture taking up valuable space in her living room any longer, and so I got it for the best price ever... FREE!

On top of the cabinet is a shelf my mom and I painted blue for a craft show. On the top shelf is Christmas and Halloween themed scrap items... Everything from stamps to ribbon...

The middle shelf holds Disney themed scrap items, and other miscellany things that I have acquired but do not really use very often... A.K.A. the random scrap crap....

On the bottom shelf are ziploc bags that contain my flowers (I want to get jars, but keep putting it off...) And underneath that are three little sts of plastic drawers that are home to my buttons... Next to that is the bling bin, 'nuff said... :)

And now a peek into where the magic happens... I have mat stacks, an embellishment caddt and these adorable felt cupcakes that keep my stick pins tidy on the top shelf. Inside are my colored pencils, my MM Carousel holder thingie, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!, my adhesive container, and all the random crap I have been playing with... I am not exactly a neat person... I also make good use out of what once was the keyboard tray.

I especially wanted to show you how I store my brads. I found these little plastic containers at Target a while ago for super-cheap so I snapped up as many as I could. I also picked up ome super sticky velcro and put a strip on top of the lid of each container and then two strips underneath the top shelf in my cabinet. I t was super easy and totally cost-effective.

In the bottom of the cabinet, I keep my cuttlebug, paper punches, and crop-a-dile on one shelf, miscellaneous packaging crap on the bottom, and my stamps on the right. The clear stamps are organized in clear CD cases in the bin in front. A few of my Stampin Up sets are just lying on top there, because I haven't decided where to store them yet and behind all of that are two storage drawer thingies with all the other stamps. I have my ink caddy on top.

So here is a view of the cabinet and everything to the right of it.

First my ribbon storage. I took this wodden thing that I found in my mom's basement, which I also used for a craft show to hang hairbows, and made it work perfectly for neatly holding all of my ribbon spools. In the bin in front are all of my ribbon scraps in gallon bags, sorted by color. My plan for this area is to find a deep bookcase (for the right price of course), and put the ribbon holder on top of the bookcase and then inside the bookcase get some glass jars to hold the ribbon and maybe move the flowers down there too... we'll see... it's just what I've been thinking...

Next to that, I have one of those plastic storage shelf thingies, that used to be in the kids room to hold their board games and trains and such, until they some wicked cool upgrades from IKEA. I have all of my alphabets in the green thing on the top shelf, along with some unfinished frames, and another embellie caddy. The second shelf holds some notebooks and some fabrics. The bottom shelf has all of my acrylic paints, backup adhesives, my labelmaker, and more fabric. there is also a sewing basket in front of that that holds a ton of embroidery floss, some skeins of yarn and knitting needles out the yin yan (I plan on teaching myself this skill in the upcoming future)... I also have these cool adirondac chair picture frames that I got at a flea market for like 50 cents each, but I don't know what to do with them yet, and I have this awesome pink tulip hanging lamp... I'll take pics of it once I get it up...

And then on the wall adjacent to the store shelves, I have this little unit that holds empty containers, and naked clothespins and clipboards and such.. You know, the alterable junk... :)

Clear on the other side of the room... Is my neat and tidy computer workspace... which is neither neat nor tidy... Printer is on the left, Items listed for sale in my Etsy shop are in the bin there, and packaging supplies are on top in the empty wine box... I know it looks terriblke but its really efficient. Under the printer is a pleathera of magazines and how-to books... :)

And finally, in a little book shelf under the computer I hide my cricut and my cartridges... I need to find a better place for this, but space is limited right now....

Phew... and that is just how I roll! :)

Win $1,000 at TheCuttlebugSpot.com!

2009-07-12T10:34:00.002-04:00

I have just discovered that The Cuttlebug Spot is having a contest - "The Journey to 1,000"!

They are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July and need your help. To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower and complete a few easy steps and you could win a $1,000 gift certificate to Custom Crops (http://www.customcrops.com/)!

GO NOW!!!! and check it out at http://www.thecuttlebugspot.com/

I wish I had more to share...

2009-07-01T10:50:00.002-04:00

...the truth is, I am still unpacking. Since we spent most of the weekend here there and everywhere, I spent Monday doing all the things that didn't get done over the weekend, i.e. the laundry, the dishes, and picking up after all three kids.

So, now I am back to unpacking, but with the small people home 25/7 and litterally at each other's throats non-stop, it has been quite the challenge... Ughh...

Do you have the same problem with your little ones? I mean Zach is 6 and Allie is only 3 but every little tiny thing with them is a Battle Royale... WTF?!?!?! I spend 2/3 of the day trying to make them get along... It's exhausting!

Anywho, I have most of the craftyness unpacked, so I promise to deliver some eye candy soon!

:)

We have a Winner!!!

2009-06-28T10:35:00.002-04:00

I wanted to post this yesterday... But you see this guy here:

well he kidnapped me:

and along with these three here:

Forced me into the car to drive down to here:

Basically the five of us ended up spending the majority of the day playing and relaxing on the beach in Cape May Point, NJ. It was a lot of fun!

********

But now onto the "COOL" stuff... I really enjoyed visiting everyone's blogs and reading all of your comments. I had no idea how big this would become!! :) So without further ado:

The winner of my scrumptious blog giveaway is....

********

True from True's Gifts from the Heart
********

Congratulations True. Please email me your address and I will be sure to get this in the mail quickly! :)

Guess What...

2009-06-27T12:28:00.002-04:00

****Blog Candy now closed! Today is the day!!! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and in a few hours, I will pick the WINNER!!!***

Stay Tuned!!!

...tomorrow is my birthday!!!! Yeah! HooraY!!!!

Those of you that know me, know that I act like a 6 yr old when it comes to birthdays... Yeah, it's bad... I started counting down the days to my birthday on Easter... I get really, really, really excited about birthdays... Maybe a little too excited... This year I am turning 27... My girlfriends have pointed out that this is a milestone birthday... I will no longer be in my mid-twenties... No-siree-bob... I will officially be "almost 30"... They say it with that ominous tone in their voice meant to terrify and warn of the danger of aging that lies upon the path ahead... But I'm not scared!

I LOVE my birthday! And so, in honor of my birthday, I thought it might be fun to offer up some blog candy...

***Note: this post will stay at the top until the drawing, please scroll down for more recent posts... Especially this post, please take the time to read it, and help out if you can!

Thanks!! :)

There is a ton of random stuff... Yeah, it's random... I buy too much... Sometimes I even accidentally buy multiples.. Oops...

But check out some of the highlights: some American Crafts flair, some Basic Grey rub ons, Mickey buttons...

...Stackable screw-on container of random brad assortment, little alpha stamps, totally random paper, sanding blocks, lotsa stickers, a few ribbons...

Junkitz alterable Decor board, (see this post and this post to see how I have used them) some number acrylic stamps, some thickers, tons of Pink Paislee glitter sticks, cotton candy Stickles, etc....

It's pretty yummy!

So now that I have you salivating and sitting at the edge of your seat, you are wondering, what do I have to do to win this dee-licious candy? Am I right?

Well... that is the easy part... All you have to do is comment this post, follow this blog and post a link on your blog! Simple right?

But what if I don't have a blog? What am I to do then? No worries, just post a comment and follow and you are good to go...

I will even ship overseas!

This candy will close on June 27th, when I will pick a random winner!

So, PLEASE... Join me in celebrating my birthday and spread the word and the yum-yums...

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Yeah! We Did It!

2009-06-20T21:12:00.003-04:00

... We Moved... a whole 9 miles... from a BIG apartment in an blah small city, to a decidedly smaller apartment in a cute funky artsy small town... They say you sacrifice space for location... and they sure weren't kidding!!!

On the upside, I now have my very own washer and dryer... my laundromat days are over!!!

I just can't believe we actually did it... today... in torrential downpour... NOT FUN!!!

But I will tell you this, rain comeing at you in 10 different directions will certainly light a fire under your bum... in a good way of course... So now we all of our tiny rooms packed with boxes and furniture in no particular order (Allie hid my Sharpie when I was packing) and well, when it's raining and you're rushing, you tend to put things just about everywhere, just to get them in, QUICK! So far the only things I have managed to UN-pack are the TV (since the cable guy was coming this afternoon) and the computer and a few boxes of books and DVDs for the living room. In fact the whole living room is pretty much set-up(not a whole lot to it)... And the computer is good to go in the multi-purpose room, amid boxes upon boxes of everything else in the world... At the moment, you cannot even get into the kids room, so who knows what ended up in there...

Sadly, my craft desk did not take the trip very well... it snapped en-route, but Jim thinks he may be able to fix it... Keep your fingers crossed! :)

Anywho, I have lots to do before I sleep, though crafting will not be one of them... Booo-hooo!

:)

I'm feeling pretty fabulous of late...

2009-06-17T21:07:00.001-04:00

...wanna know why?

...well... since posting my candy, and thanks to all of you who have helped to spread the word... (By the way you ALL rock, and I have greatly enjoyed peeking at everyone's stuff and reading all the lovely comments)... anywho, I have received a flippin fantastic award!

Tracey of Tracey Feeger aka Booyagirl, Jan of Paper Craft Pleasures, and True of True's Gifts From The Heart have all bestowed this wonderful award upon my little blog:

Thank you ladies!

I am so happy...

It totally made my week...

maybe even my month... :)

And now the fun part... the rules:

* Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. (check...dually noted and accepted...)

* Pass the award to 6 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award. If you can’t pass it on to 6 just pass it on to as many or as few as you like! (ooo...the fun part, and I have so many new peeps to choose from!)

In no particular order and without further ado, I would like to pass on the loveliness to the following:

*Kim

Thanks and Congrats!

2009-06-15T08:13:00.002-04:00

So, today is my anniversary, and money's tight, but I wanted to do something special for Jimmy, so I made him a trio of photo holder that he can put in his "man cave".

Here is the "Big Poppa" Clothespin, it's about 9" tall:

And the photo frame (hold a 4x6" photo):

and finally the smaller of the clothespins, standing 6" tall:

No frilly ribbons for my man, he's a man's man... I also have some pics of him and the kids playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero, that I just haven't printed out yet, to put in the frames...

I think he's going to like them. :)

And just for kicks, I thought I might throw in a pic of my youngest this morning...

...she just doesn't understand that binoculars are supposed to make things bigger... not smaller... hehehehehe...

I had the flu...

2009-06-11T09:29:00.002-04:00

... I thought flu season was over, but a horrible stomach bug caught me off guard and I was laid up for three days.... yes three... It was just awful, but I am feeling much better now, thankyouverymuch... :)

Everyday Wishes

2009-06-08T13:08:00.003-04:00

I went to Walmart this morning to pick up my pictures for week 1 layout for the scrapping contest I talked about in this post . They had a bin with books on sale up to 70% off so I browsed a bit... I have a deep affection for books of all types. I found this cute little wonder for only $2:

Little Book of Everyday Wishes. How cute is that? Today's wish:

"When things are a little dull, make a silly, funny wish to brighten up your day.

It's just adorable. I think I will try to post each day's wish from now on, as part of a regular post, that may encourage me to continue posting throughout the busy summer months.

Well, I have to run and get packing, we are moving in 2 short weeks.! Yikes!

I just couldn't help myself...

2009-06-06T18:43:00.004-04:00

...I dreamt about this card in my sleep. I needed to make a card my little boy who's graduating Kindergarten in a couple weeks, and a design idea popped into my head while I was sleeping... It was robots, and I knew I had a little stash of Cogsmo hidden soewhere in the craft closet.

I also wasn't 100% thrilled with the first card I made for the showdown at 2 Sketches 4 You so I used the sketch to make the card.

This card is also a milestone... I used acrylic for the first time. Woo-hoo! I even cuttled it with the swiss dots folder.

I totally love this card... Even Mr. Sure-It-Looks-Great-I-Guess liked it! Woot!

And here it is (front of the card):

Inside right:

Close up of the cogs, you can't really tell but they are different heights... I used foam stickies...

See.. I cuttled acrylic! Also the circle paper is a design I did myself in Design Studio and then cut with the cricut!

I totally love it!

2 Sketches 4 You Ultimate Card Showdown

2009-06-04T16:58:00.004-04:00

...oh it is a biggie...

...so I figured I'd thrown in my hand and join the competition...

First, the sketch (Laura's sketch #27):

drumroll please...

The Card:

a close up:

and a lil' bit closer:

I wasn't sure about it at first. but I like it! I used Me & My Big Ideas Fashion District line. The floral stripe is actually fussy cut from another sheet of paper, but I like the way it looked layered on the bold stripes. I cuttled and inked the blue rectangle and punch the butterfly out of the striped paper. You know me, it needed a little bling, so I used the tiny rhinestones on the butterfly, and then it needed a little sumthing extra, so I added the ribbon on the seam and the buttons... and VOILA! I really like it...

Working on a gift...

2009-06-04T16:45:00.003-04:00

...it's my very first paper bag album...

...it's not quite finished yet, but so far, here is the front cover:

The first and second pages:

the third and fourth pages:

the fifth and sixth pages:

the seventh and eighth pages:

I have two more pages and the back cover to finish, but I really like the way it's coming along...

I used mostly basic grey's urban prairie line that I have been hoarding for quite some time now... And I added lots of bling... I really like bling... ALOT!!! :)

A Photo Scavenger Hunt

2009-06-01T16:45:00.000-04:00

Limelight Papercrafts is turning one... and having all sorts of fun games and prizes you can see here . Jennifer's game is a photo scavenger hunt for these three types of photos:

~A cat nap
~Something yummy
~Four

Basically you jusat have to make a post (or send an email) of your favorite photos or best interpretations of these three and then link it back to her post.

So, without further ado, my pics:

for a cat nap, here is my youngest taking a little snooze in the mega blocks containers:

for something yummy: here is my youngest again, when she was only about 18 months old, eating her favorite~ ice cream:

And for four: Here is Zachary, on his 4th birthday while we were in Disneyworld:

I encourage you all to enter too! Should be a fun contest!

You have to check this out...

2009-05-23T15:36:00.002-04:00

...ok, so I am not really a scrapbooker, per say... Let me explain... I have always been crafty and such... I get it from my mother, the "craft-a-holic" and admitted pack rat, you know, the "there might be a use for that sometime in the next millenium" hoarder of all things good, and even kinda crappy type...

Anywho, the summer after my senior year of high school I spent hours and hours scrapping every picture I could find from my birth through my senior year of high school... My whole life up to that point fit neatly into about ten or twelve 2" binders with the extra pics stuffed into shoeboxes on a nearly shelf... I was so proud... I even took a few of the binders with me to the dorms that first year of college...

Well, the summer following my first year in college, while no one was home (my mom, my pop, and I were all working that afternoon), an overloaded electrical outlet in my room shorted out... The outlet was near my bed and soon a small fire turned into a 3-alarm blaze... It destroyed everything I owned in the world from pictures to clothes to stuffed animals and even melted the $2000+ computer I had bought with my own money the previous summer... poof! just like that, all my memories gone forever... Hours and days of works destroyed in a matter of minutes...

The upside is that no one was injured... We even had a brave neighbor who broke down our front door, knowing our 2 dogs were inside, and searching for both of them until he was able to get them out of the house...

Anywho, I guess I was sort of disheartened... not that I was deterred from ever crafting, but more discouraged from scrapping... But lately especially, I have been feeling the pinch to put something together for the kids to have when they get older...

I found the perfect contest to keep me motivated this summer:

So, go! Check it out!

So I noticed something immediately after I posted...

2009-05-20T09:59:00.003-04:00

...alot of the pictures I take of the kids are of their backs... I'm sneaky like that... j/k... I don't know what it is but when they know that their picture is being takenm, I get the goofiest faces, or half shots... But when I sneak up behind them to capture the moment, they look so calm and peaceful... Don't get me wrong, I look the big cheese smiles, and have buttloads of toothy grin pics, but the pics I gravitate toward, when I look at them on the commputer, after they have been uploaded, are those that show the kids just taking everything in... Like this one with Allie looking out the window on the ferry:

They did stop for a couple of face shots, I got creepy smile and apathetic look here:

And just plain, stop taking pictures mom!

So, there you have it...

I've been busy, I swear...

2009-05-20T09:31:00.005-04:00

...I really do... It has been a busy birthday month and much more... I figured I'd take some down time as an opportunity to show you all some pica of what I have been working on... wanna see?

In no particular order, mostly because sometimes the picture uploader thingie just leaves me completely baffled, and also because sometimes I upload pics and hide them in folders, not so much on purpose, but more because I figure I'll remmeber where they are later, and never do...

Last week we took another trip to NYC, we took the ferry over to Ellis Island, which the kids thought was too awesome:

My mom's friend's daughter had a baby shower, and I made the invites:

My aunt came into town, so I made her magnetic goodies to take home with her:

And of course a giant clothespin to match:

My mom's (my kids call my parents, greyma and a-pop) birthday was this month, so I gave her this big altered chipboard photo frame, here's the front cover:

Here's the left interior:

And the right:

I also played with my camera a bit, especially when we had some freaky weather. These clouds came rolling in randomly one Saturday afternoon:

And on the first warm weekend, we took a day trip to the shore, (oh and by warm I mean it went from 30 degrees to 80 degrees in one week), here's the girls by the water:

I also snapped some pics of the shed in my parents yard. Something about the new spring green, the clear blue sky and the rustic, worn look of the shed just grabbed me:

It has been busy around here as we prepare for the end of the school year, moving, again... grrr..., my birthday and our anniversary... I ordered some new supplies to play with and am thinking about adding some new items to my Etsy shop, so stay tuned and I more to be more diligent in my posts... Cross my heart... (not my fingers)... :)

I can't believe it has been a month... (Warning: This post is very image heavy...)

2009-04-09T13:11:00.005-04:00

...or nearly a month since my last post! Gasp!
My apologies... The good news is that we are all happy and healthy and I have been a busy little bee...
Let's see what has happened since my last post...
Well Zachary turned 6 on March 23rd. We celebrated by taking all 3 kids to Dave & Buster's for lunch and then an afternoon full of gaming. His birthday happened to fall on a weekend full of soccer for Erica, but we knew that Zach would be terribly disappointed if his Big Sister wasn't there so we worked it out and everyone had a blast... Well almost everyone... D&B tends to give me one of those throbbing migraine headaches afterward... but thats life I suppose. :)
I had been working feverishly to get things done for my first craft fair which was last Saturday, the 4th. My dad's bday was on the 3rd and my parents came over for dinner and fun. We all had a really good time, actually. The next day I had my show. This is me and my show: Yeah!

My mom had these awesome candy jars on a rack in her basement and we painted the rack bright green... Each jar had a little "treat", one for gift tags, one for cupcake toppers, one for holiday tags, and one for my business cards... See:

These were a few of the hair bows all packaged up and ready to go:

I so love the little bees!

I also did these gient 6" clothespin photo holders:

Big view of the setup: (I had these all in order, but blogger hates me today):

You can see the bows on the far left, next to clothespins, candy jars in the middle, big clothespins, and then mini cards on the shelf...

These sold like free candy, set of 3 clothespin fridge magnets:

more big uns':

I really liked the way we displayed hair bows:

So the show went ok. There really wasn't a ton of attendance, but I did manage to make a few dollars, and everyone seemed to swoon over my stuff and the set up. It kinda gave me a big head... :)

The following day we got together with Jim's family to celebrate his mom's bday, (the end of March through early May is busy for bdays in our families). We all had a nice afternoon and it was fun gettting everyone together.

So, now, I am spending my free time uploading my items to my Etsy shop. I have the clothespins finished and plan on tackling the hair bows next. I miss creating for fun, but I hope to get back in the saddle soon! :)

Hoppy Easter everyone, the bunny is almost here!

Pretty Little Hair Bows, All in Rows...

2009-03-12T13:55:00.004-04:00

I've been busy...
very busy...

very, very busy...

Making hair clipppies for a craft show I am doing in April... My very first craft show in fact... I have a bunch of mini cards I have been working on too... Sp I haven't been adding them to my Etsy shop just yet, I plan on waiting until after the show and uploading what does not sell... Anywho, these are my fav clippies...

Rhinestone collars... too cute... These too..

I love pink!

Sometimes playing with the blocks is hard work...

2009-03-01T12:24:00.003-05:00

...and you just need a little nap:

Just another snowy Sunday here in South Jersey, I was playing on the computer, Jimmy and Zach jamming out on Rock Band and Allie was playing in the bedroom., or so I thought... I hadn't heard any noise coming from the kid's room so I figured it was time to investigate... When I stumbled upon Sleeping Beauty in the blocks containers:

It melts my heart how cute this kid is sometimes! :)

Alexandria's First Day

2009-03-01T08:19:00.002-05:00

Photo Challenge

I got tagged!
I know its been an eternity since I have gotten my hands dirty in card-making for fun, but things have been busy, busy, busy here at home and I have been working on listing items in my Etsy shop, and also for a spring craft show (my very first one in fact). Yeah!

Anywho, here's the skinny:

1. Go to the photo folder in your computer.
2. Go to the seventh folder of photos.
3. Go to the seventh picture.
4. Put the picture on your blog along with a description of it.
5. Invite seven friends to join the challenge.

So without further ado, I present to you the picture I took in the hospital of Allie the day after she was born:

I love love love this photo and in fact it is in more than one frame in my house, in addition to a photo collage... I just really loved the peaceful feeling I get when looking at it. Alex's birth was a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I was nearly 2 months early and when I went to the hospital they told me I wasn't in labor, or that it was too soon, gave me an injection and sent me home, for three days straight, the last time with orders of strict bedrest, and here I was with a 2 yr old at home... Finally, they kept me overnight and gave me something to sleep, since, well, being in labor for three days doesn't allow for much sleep or relaxation and I was a little freaked. I woke up just after midnight and the dr. was in delivery with another patient, but Allie just couldn't wait and she made her way into the world just as the dr. walked through the door. At just over 4 lbs, she was the tiniest human being I had ever seen and she was all mine forever. :)

I dare you not to laugh...

2009-02-25T11:00:00.002-05:00

...so I was trolling the internet today and I found this:

Too freakin funny...

Cute little cards and matching envelopes...

2009-02-10T17:41:00.003-05:00

on sale now in my Etsy store. Check them out:

Yummy 3x3 notcards complete with handmade, stamped envelopes! Yeah!

The cheeky quote from a few minute ago...

2009-02-05T19:06:00.003-05:00

...it really gave me a chuckle. It's partially obscene, and pure hilarity. That is if you have the same twisted sense of humor I do. So without further ado:

"I believe in my cosmetics line. There are plenty of charities for the homeless. Isn't it time someone helped the homely?" ~Dolly Parton

I know that there is volumes wrong with her statement, but I can't help but give a little giggle...

I have an addiction Sir!

2009-02-05T15:43:00.005-05:00

...an addiction to sparkly, scrumptious, shiny glitter glue, particularly of the stickles variety... Yummy!!! You'll see what I am talking about as you see the pics below...
Anywho, the first card I did today was for Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge. The movie this week is: One of my all time favorites! They also gave an optional sketch to follow here:

I liked the sketch and also wanted to try my hand at hand with design studio and my Cricut yet again... This is what I ended up with:

See my latest purchase, yummy, sugar-coated brads:

And the fun Prima accent flower:

Evidence of my addiction:

I liked the sketch so much I did another card, following the suggestion for a card inspired by the zoo from The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge Blog. This one is for my besest's son's 1st bday coming up this week:

I stamped and colored the cupcake with colored pencils, and then indulged in waterfall stickles...

The girafe:

And elephant, both cut from the Zoobaloo cartridge:

More yummy brads:

The little present decor from the Paper Pups cartridge, and Landon's name, to which a added some more stickles, and a little paper piecing:

Whew... it has been a busy crafting day... Well, I'm off to watch Mary Poppins with the kids and my mom who's visiting... Don't worry though, I'll be back soon!! :)

Sweet Tags, pencil cups, and some more snow....

2009-02-04T08:41:00.001-05:00

So, here's some stuff I have been working on...

First up are Valentine's Day Tags for Zachary to take to school:

He helped with the design and putting the flowers together. The flowers , tags, rectangular background, and the sentiment were all cut using the George cartridge for the Cricut and Design Studio. The cupcakes were originally a solo stamp, but I thought it needed company, so I stamped, cut out, stamped again, and again, and again... Then I placed the singular cutout on top of the cupcke and I stamped and stamped another on each side to make a yummy trio. I colored them with colored pencils, and then cut then out and popped them on with foamies. I added some heart brads and the piece de resistance... sparkly dark pink glitter glue. Yeah! Here's what each tag looks like:

I also decorated my pencil cups, I picked up the DCWV Summer Stack a few days ago, as it was deeply discounted and decided to jazz up my coffee can pen cups. You likey?

And finally, I know its winter and we all have snow, but this is the first real thick snow we've seen here in South Jersey this year, Zach even has a two-hour delay this morning. This is the view from our balcony:

And of the ironwork:

I did finally, after weeks of waiting, get my Cricut cartridges in the mail yesterday, but I haven't had time to play just yet. The cartridges I got were ZooBalloo, Paper Doll Dress Up, Paper Pups, and Home Accents Solutions. I can't wait to try them out! TTFN!!

Pictures from New York and Maine

2009-01-29T09:40:00.006-05:00

I apologize that I haven't really been on the ball lately, but it has been such a busy couple of weeks, between visiting relatives and packing and getting organized for a four day road trip to Maine sans munchkins.

The first few photos are from last Tuesday. My mom, the munchkins, and I went to pick up two of my aunts from JFK Intl. in New York. They were flying in from Minneapolis. Here's a pic of my mom waiting for their luggage with Allie McButterpants (the quality isn't the greatest until I started playing with the settings, they get better I swear):

From the airport we drove over to Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Maspeth, Queens. My great-grandmother was laid to rest there in 1929, sadly, without a headstone. Part of our mission in New York was to find a monument maker to makr the grave properly and without an astronomical cost. In the photo my great-grandmother's final resting place is two rows behind the masoleum seen in th epicture:

After wandering Queens and finishing up sme not-so-much-fun stuff we decided to head into Manhattan and enjoy some of the touristy stuff, like Rockerfeller Center:

And Radio City Music Hall (from left to right, Zachie, my aunt Caroline, my mom, my aunt Barb, and random guy who rudely walked in font of me as I took the picture):

We also drove by ground zero before heading back to South Jersey and they went on to my parents home in PA.

That Friday, Jimmy and I packed up the kids to go to my parents and packed up ourselves to visit his best bud in Portland, Maine. While the 8 hour drive leaves something to be desired, the trip was fun and relaxing and a welcome mini-vacation from the munchkins.

One of the first things we went to see was the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth. OH, did I mention that they had had 29 inches of snow in the prior week, which was still covering everything in sight? This is the entrance to Fort Williams Park, where the lighthouse is located:

This is picture from the side of the lighthouse of the rocky, snow-covered coast. I love, love, love how this pic turned out:

And of course, the light itself:

As I said we were visiting friends, and they have the most adorable 8-month old bundle of love, who goes by the name of Griffin. He's my new beau:

This is JImmy and his buddy doing what they do best, ROCK BAND!

On the way home we decided to stop in Connnecticut at th eMohegan Sun Casino. We put a few dollars in the slots and I actually walked away with nearly $300... Which put a nice little smile on my face:

So that's it for pictures.

I have a few crafting packages coming in the mail. I ordered some new supplies and a few cartridges for my Cricut, so I will have some fun things to show you soon, promise...

Hey What's that up there?

2009-01-22T20:14:00.002-05:00

...Oh that? It's just my new banner... You likey? I made a collage, and then I took a picture. I think it's snazzy... :) That's all... I am leaving in the am for Maine! Woot! Woot! I'll check you folks on the flipside!

Cards to match the Candles...

2009-01-19T20:32:00.005-05:00

One quick post before bed tonight. I need to get lots of rest because are flying in from Minneapolis tomorrow and we are going to pick them up at JFk in New York, which is like a 2-hour drive. We are goign to go see where my great gramma is buried in Queens, luncheon at a German restaurant and then visit Ellis Island. It will be a full day and I am so looking forward to it! Anywho, these are the cards I made to go along with the candle gifts in my post from a few days ago. First the butterfly card:

The sentiment: The butterfly:

fun little extras:

And the western themed card:

The sentiment:

The boots:

The horseshoes:

I am really pleased with these and I hope they like their gifts! I don't think I'll be blogging much this week, what with family in and all. My aunts are staying long, they leave on Friday, which also happens to be the day that Jim and I are headed to Maine for a child-free 4-day weekend. I just can't wait!

How are you today? Because I AM Fabulous...

2009-01-18T21:05:00.003-05:00

Check it out...

Well, at least my blog is! :) I have been stalking Nellie's This Little Blog of Mine... for some time now, and then today I got a little note telling me to hop on over and check out her blog... And there it was, the darling award you see above me... Proof that I rock.... :) Errr... my blog rocks! Same difference really...

So I'd like to pass the torch on to some fellow bloggers that I think are wicked fab too:

Drumroll please...

Lauren {All the Good Blog Names Were Taken}

Maria {Maria's Craft Room}

Your Blogs rock ladies!!

A couple of challenges, and a gift for my aunts...

2009-01-16T12:04:00.004-05:00

Ok, so two of my aunts are coming into town from Minneapolis next week, and my mom and I were trying think of a fun gift to greet them with, (without spending a whole lot extra)... I remembered that she had bought some extra jar candles, the big ones, around Christmas and assured her that I could jazz them up nicely... I took the inspiration for the color choices in the first candle from Kristina Werner's Blog seen here:

My Aunt Caroline digs butterflies and this such a fun friuty summery color inspiration that it just screamed butterflies to me, oh and the candle scent is cherry pie, yum! So here's the end result:

I drew the butterfly myself. I have been doodling butterflies for ages now, I mean really, since grade school... I doodled A LOT in grade school... However, I went to Catholic school, and they just weren't the biggest fans of copybooks with pages and pages of doodles... It was bad... Anywho, here's the butterfly:

I also got an Amy Butler mat pad for Christmas, and I cut this bad boy out of one of the pages, backed it in white and popped it onto some groovy striped paper:

I decorated the lid with some Primas and a button to finish it all off:

For my Aunt Barb, who is obsessed with all things cowboy, (she even had a western themed wedding), I used the color combo for this week's challenge from Our Creative Corner Blog, which was two blues and a nuetral. Here is the candle:

I didn't have any cowboy paper or stamps, so I drew the boots too. I really love the way they came out:

And the lid:

I love the way these worked out, but now I am off to craft some more... I am on a roll, and I gotta stick with it!

Oh, I have been a bad blogger...

2009-01-11T09:52:00.002-05:00

... haven't I? Here it is, over a week since my last post, and yet I still have nothing to show. I have been quite busy though, I swear.

Allie's 3rd birthday went well, we did some sightseeing and made a day of it. Since then, it has just been a lot of cleaning and organizing... I am even going through my craft stuff. I don't have a seperate room here, what with it only being a two-bedroom apartment and all, to solely house my craft stuff. Although, I do have my sights on the rather large storage closet next to the bathroom, if I can only get Jim to install some shelving and a fold out table... :)

I got these awesome bins from Target that had been in the dollar section, so things are progressing nicely. I have even decided to purge some things I know I will never get to using.. Yeah for me!

So I promise, very soon, I will have a creation or two to showcase, stay tuned till then! :)

Happy 2009!

2009-01-01T08:54:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

Today is a busy day for us. To be honest this week has been quite busy. Having the kids home from school all week has been exhausting, and I just haven't had time to really play with all the fun stuff Santa left for me. :(

In other news, I spent the majority of New Year's Eve jamming out on Rock Band... It is so fun! I even threw my hand at singing some songs on hard... Good Times, Good Times...

Oh well. Anywho, my parents are coming over for dinner, pork and sauerkraut, yummmmm.... And tomorrow I am going shopping for just one more birthday surprise for Allie... I was hoping to get to some fun stuff before the weekend, but it looks like all things crafty will be put on hold until after the weekend is over. :(

I did make a resolution this year: To see my bestest more often. Of my two closest girlfriends, one lives just outside DC, in Maryland, and the other lives in PA. After having moved here to the dirty jerz, I just haven't been as social, so I want to make it a point to see them more often and have more girl time. What are some of your resolutions?

Christmas Photos as Promised...

2008-12-30T12:15:00.003-05:00

This is how Santa left my living room late Christmas Eve... notice the vacuum in the right hand corner? That Santa, he's a tidy guy and likes to clean up after the reindeer. That, or, after the commotion with the firetrucks it plumb slipped my mind... Anywho, here's the tree and presents in all their glory:

And me, trying to be a sport about being awake at 4:30AM to unwrap gifts... No, people, it's not pretty, but I was only slightly lucid at this hour...

Jim, on the other hand, had woken up at 3:30AM and was beggin to wake up the kids for a full hour before I finally caved:

Think Santa managed to stuff enough crap into Allie's stocking this year?

And this is what made it all worth it:

I apologize that my daughter is sans pants. She woke up, went potty, put on a fresh pull up and bolted out of the bathroom to tear open presents... too cute!

It's been a little while...

2008-12-28T10:09:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting, but between wrapping, making, sending, etc... there hasn't been a whole lot of down time or me time.

We finally got the kids to bed on Christmas Eve, only to have them jolted from their sleep, while I was, of course, frantically wrapping in the living room, by the sound of Santa on the firetruck at 9:45pm!?!?! That's right, quarter to ten on Christmas Eve with all the bells and whistles. I nearly jumped out of my skin thinking Christmas would be ruined for all... But Jim, being the saint that he is, jumped up quicker and stood by while they watched out of their bedroom window and quietly tucked them back in. Whew! THat was a close one!

Christmas morning was a mess of paper and toys and rushing to get showers, etc., in ortder to hurry off to Grey-ma and A-Pop's house, where we would open more presents and spend the day.

The day after Christmas was spent shopping for deals and for little Allie's birthday... My littlest munchkin is due to turn 3 on January 4th... *tear* She is so big... We got her a virtual army of Littlest Pet Shop toys, they are her favorite. SHe is nothing short of obsessed...

Yesterday, Jim spent his Christmas money and bought ROCK BAND... We have yet to see anything but that on the good old tube...

OH wait... I must have forgotten to mention the lovely gift from my parents... Are you ready? Are you sure?

I got a Cricut!!!!! I was flabbergasted! I am still working out the kinks and getting the hang of it...

I'll post some new pics new!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

It's Another Triple Play!

2008-12-17T11:53:00.007-05:00

First Let's start off with the sketch from Amy at Prairie Paper and Ink:

And this is what I did with it:

Check out the glittery bling:

Next up is Laura's sketch #15 from 2 Sketches 4 You:

And I did this (using an outline from a few weeks ago by Hanneke):

Oh What Fun!

More Bling:

And finally from Poetic Artistry, a little Mojo Moday action:

Warm Winter Wishes:

Happy Little Trees:

I did the writing myself! Yay!

Well, that's all for now, my momma is coming over to help finish up the christmasy fun and send everything out! TTFN!

Oh my goodness! I have never had so many comments on a post! Thank you all soooooo much!

Sweet Blog Candy

2008-12-17T06:51:00.002-05:00

Definitely trot on over to Emma's blog and feast your eyes on the yummy candy she has available. Her post will stay up until January 15th, so go check it out! What are you waiting for??? Why still reading?

A bit sketchy today...

2008-12-15T19:52:00.004-05:00

I love Clare's blog, it was one of the first I started following when I got into blogging, so this is her sketch this week:

And because I am still about 11 cards behind, I opted, you guessed it, to bring a little joy to the picture. Ta Da!

I randomly found these cool square metallic alphas in my embellie bin:

I used lots of bling, from glitter, to silver thread, to tiny rhinestones:

This next sketch comes from i heart 2 stamp:

My first Noel card of the season:

I wish this pic had come out better, but eh, oh well, these are cute teeny little translucent mitten buttons with the teeny tinist little buttons on top:

And of course the noel:

And last though certainly not least from Taylor's blog:

A cute little gingerbrad boy:

I finally decorated my stupid tree!

2008-12-15T10:00:00.003-05:00

So... my tree has been up for roughly two weeks now, with nothing to adorn its branches with the exception of the pretty multi colored lights it was pre lit with... Like this:

I just hadn't found the motivation to actually decoratye te silly thing. This past Saturday we went to the Christmas party thrown in neighborhood where I grew up and I suppose all of the ensuing merriment took hold and SundayI caved and threw it together with the kids... Here is a pic of the kids with Santa (notcie that no one is crying, in fact they are all smiling and it just turned out fantastic! Yay!):

And here is what we managed to do to the tree:

We dont usually do garland, we do tinsel, but I had bought this a the end of last year to decorate my desk at work... but since I quit working back in July, and this a faux tree, and picking tinsel off the tree seemed nightmarish at best, we used all three strands on the tree... The lids thought it looked awesome, and since they did most of the work, I left it as is. Afterall I'll have plenty of time to decorate a designer tree once the munchkins are grown...

Anywho, each year we make our own ornaments for the tree. This was the project last year, grown from pipe cleaners, boiling water, borax, and tons of patience:

And this year's simpler, less time consuming, but still too cute design:

Happy Holidays everyone... I'm off to finish up my cards and such... they need to go in the mail by Wednesday!

Snowman Kisses

2008-12-12T13:59:00.004-05:00

Check out this little army of snowmen:

These little paper boxes are stuffed with a packet of hot chocolate and little Ziploc of marshmellows... I made them for Zachary to give to his teachers as Christmas presents.

I made a tag for each that says "Snowman Kisses"... I wanted to do snowman poop, but you never know who might be offended, so I thought kisses would be too cute. I wanted to make them for Zach to hand out in class but apparently the school has a rule that does not allow children to distribute xmas gifts, go figure...

This guy is my favoite:

Aren't they just adorable... Well, I had better go, I've got a few more to crank out for friends and family... TTFN!

Christmas Kick...

2008-12-09T12:15:00.006-05:00

Ok, so I have been on a roll today, and of course, still on the Christmas kick... I mean do you have any idea how much family I have, not to mention friends??? So I figure doing the challenges is a fun way to come up with new card ideas and also flare up some inspiration. The first comes from Kristina Werner's unbelieveably awesome blog. I can not tell you how addicted I am. She has an amzing talent and everything she does looks perfect! Here's this week's color inspiration:

And here is what I did with it:

See the fun brads at the top and the faux stitching:

A close up of the merry sentiment. All I did here was take the sticker slap it on some cardstock, (which is more teal than sage shadow, but it just worked here), drew some polka dot edging with a gel pen and wrote in the rest of "merry":

And the coordinating brads at the bottom:

My second source of inspiration comes in the form of a sketch, complimenti I {heart} 2 stamp. This is a blog I recently started stalking, and I really like the projects they create here. Anywho, the sketch:

And what I did:

These brads are the major colors used in the card:

I just had to add some bling:

And here we are again coloring those stamps:

Adios Amigos!

A cute little Rudolph and Kitties in love...

2008-12-09T10:00:00.005-05:00

Here are a couple more challenges I have been working on. The first is from Amy over at Prairie Paper and Ink you can see her sketch here:

And here is my cute little Rudolph card:

Like I mentioned in my last post, I am finally getting into rubber stamping and coloring. I borrowed some colored pencils from the kids stash to finish the Rudolph, and I had a lot of fun with shading and blending. I alwasy did love coloring in school!

I also really like the way green, brown, and blue work with each other in this card. What a fun color combo!

And then the second challenge I decided to conquer was from Caardvarks and te only stipulation was to use NO patterned paper. I had this idea for a card some time ago, but I thought this was the best time to use it, my two little kitties in love:

Again, I am off... This post is lovely, happy, and short, and I have cards to make before I sleep...

"A few of my favorite things!"

2008-12-09T09:06:00.005-05:00

I apologize for my inactivity, but I have been busy, busy, busy what with the holidays fast approaching. I have been stalking the Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge for a whlie now, but never had a really GREAT idea to put into a card. But this week the inspiration is from one of my most favorite movies of all time, "The Sound of Music". I can not put into words how much I adore this movie, my mom used to sing the songs to me ever since I was a little girl. So, it is without further ado, that I reveal a few of my favorite things...

"...brown paper packages tied up with strings..."

This was so quick and easy, but I think it turned out really sharp. I am really starting to use my stamps more effectively too, check out the fancy pants stripes I colored... :)

"...snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes..."

I wasn't sure if it looked silly or simple, but the more I look at it, the more it grows on me, see thw glittery snowflakes, too cute!

and they land ever so lightly on the eyelashes...

I so enjoyed making these cards and they were SO easy!! There is just so much inspiration from that movie to put into some fun Christmas cards... And yes, I am still working on Christmas cards, I am making them for family and friends, and I really do love Christmas... Sigh... back to work!

Num Yummy... Blog Candy Anyone?

2008-12-01T08:04:00.000-05:00

Check out more yummy candy at Crafty Emma's blog here. Don't forget to peruse her blog too, she makes some really magnificent cards!

A Swanky gift card holder!

2008-11-30T13:39:00.004-05:00

First some special little friends want to say hello!My Chrismoose was first shown in an earlier posting, but I forgot to add Frosty, so... Meet Frosty:

Unfortunately, after I had baked them, the kids so badly wanted to hold them, touch, them and play with them, I melted and gave in... And now, Frosty and Chris-moose are no more! Anywho, moving on to other projects I have been working on. Little stocking gift card holders. These will be available in my Etsy shop for sale soon, but I want to whip up a few more first. The first one is a vintage white with navy polka dot fabric with furry white trim. I used my library card instead of a gift card:

And the close-up:

This was more vintage fabric, but it was really thin, so I had to back it with a sturdy red burlap. The first fabric is a khaki ,red, green, and blue plaid and the contrast is a faux patchwork fabric. Very country, and just too cute:

Close up:

And finally my favorite, though the pictures are not great, is a raw silk in cream, pink, and green thick stripes, the cuff is actually lining material, but it looked great with the fabric. I accented with a white and pink ric rac:

This shot is a bit better:

So that, in a nutshell is what I have been busy doing lately. I made a list for the weekend, but it's already Sunday and we have been so busy doing family things, that I haven't gotten much accomplished craft-wise... :)

Delicious Blog Candy to check out, and new blogs to stalk...

2008-11-29T08:01:00.003-05:00

Oooo... check out this blog http://katharina1704.blogspot.com/! It's the Whiff of Joy Advent calendar. The candy is nice, but her cards are exquisite! I really enjoyed tooling around this blog and you will too!
And then spin on over to http://bevscrafts.blogspot.com/ to check out what she's got in store for you!!
I found yet another blog and yummy candy too... http://clairebsd.blogspot.com/.

And last for today, but certainly not least, an ultimate giveaway over at: http://carlzcardz.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-blog-candy.html

So get busy hopping!!!!

2 Sketches for you... well actually three, cuz I didn't really like the first one I did...

2008-11-27T10:02:00.005-05:00

I lumbered on over to http://2sketches4you.blogspot.com/ earlier this week, and it has taken me some time, between the baby having pink eye and my being a little lazy with the computer... So this is a little flip-flopped, because I decided to do Hanneke's bonus sketch first, seen here:

And here is the card: ( I liked using pink and light green instead of the traditional red and bright green)

And that leads us to Kazan's Shetch 14:

This is actually the second card I did, but I liked it alot:

Check out the wicked cool puzzle pieces I pushed into some timber brown ink, and the cool fabric button with silvery thread:

And then the little metal tabs that spell out "thanks":

And this is the original card I had done:

It's nice, but kind of blah...

Although I did have fun with the sequin snowflakes:

And now on to the important stuff...

First off, Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am so excited to spend some quality time with my family and also to not have to cook. You see in my family I am accustomed to cooking 3 meals a day seven days a week.... So on Thanksgiving, we make reservations for a swanky buffet near my parents house. I love it because I don't have to cook or do dishes or clean or anyt of that, and, well, neither does my mama, but the kids love it because they have a chocolate fountain. Basically it is an evening of bliss!!!

Don't forget too... The premium outlets open at midnight tonight and the Black Friday Shopping Extravaganza begins! Woot! Woot!

Anywho, moving on to things I am thankful for:

1. I am thankful that I still have both my parents, alive and well, and that my children have a very close relationship with them.

2. I am thankful for my children and that they are healthy, growing, and learning. And also for my Jimmy, I would be lost without him.

3. I am thankful for the oppurtunity to stay at home with my children and have the time to spend playing with them, helping with homework, reading to them, and just being there. It also gives me time to cook, clean, and create. :)

4. I am thankful for my friends. It has taken a long time for me to discover who I really valued as a friend, and there was a time when I measured friendship by the number of friends that I had and now I do so by the amoutn of love I have from my friends, they are like my sisters, and my brothers too, *wink*.

5. I am thankful for my country, and that I have the privilege to be an American citizen. So many people living in this country take that privilege for granted and do not understand how lucky they are to live in such a prosperous nation.

I could probably go on, but the post only called for 5 and I think those would be my top 5. I hope everyone has a chance to enjoy the holiday and reflect on what means the most to them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Tuesday!

2008-11-25T06:46:00.007-05:00

Hello! Good morning! So yeah! Today is Tuesday, but not just any Tuesdasy... Jim is home from work this Wednesday, and well, obviously Thursday, so it's kinda like a Friday, Yeah!!! Anywho, here's some stuff I have been working on... First a card for a friend:I really liked it and thought it had a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" sort of feel to it...
Check out all the bling:

And a little more:

And even more:

I got this stamp at Michael's around Halloween time, and I think it looks awesome stamped in silver on the fuschia background:

And my little Chris-moose, who still needs some tweaking:

Anywho... I hope that everyone in cyber world is having a good day and getting siked fr the shopping extravaganza that is Black Friday!!! I never miss a Black Friday Sale!!!! :)

Catt's Scratching Post: BLOGAVERSARY... in 8 days!!!!#links#links

2008-11-23T20:36:00.001-05:00

And Another... or maybe I already did this... I dunoo... Computer is acting wacky today... ARrrgghhhh!! Catt's Scratching Post: BLOGAVERSARY... in 8 days!!!!#links#links

Passion For Crafts#links#links

2008-11-23T20:34:00.000-05:00

Did I do this right oh who knows... I may be blog deficient today.. yowza!!! Check out more blog candy: Passion For Crafts#links#links

The Crafting Pad

2008-11-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

OOOoooo... more blog candy.... check out this... Totally and utterly awesome... Check out The Crafting Pad... I was blog hopping... (hmmm... I was just thinking that about 8 years ago, I was most likely out bar hoppping with Leen-Bean...) anywho, I stumbled across this blog... complete with a sweet treat!

Busy, Busy, Busy on this Snowy Friday...

2008-11-21T11:54:00.002-05:00

So the next challenge I attempt, not only inspired a card, but it also inspired me to get into the kitchen and bake up a batch of chocolate chip cookies to go along with my morning coffee. Don't they look yummy... I am afraid Allie is going to try to eat them all before Zachie gets home from school. Anywho, this is what had inspired the cookies, and well, the card, too... From Stampin' with Leah's Monthly challenge #2: http://stampinwithleah.blogspot.com/2008/11/leahs-monthly-challenge-2.html:

And this is what I cam up with:

I knew I wanted to stick with a Christmas theme and challenge myself to use a non-traditional color scheme. I used some random paper scraps I had lying around and just sort of pieced them together for the shape of the card. Immediately I thought of fuzzy warm mittens. I cut out the shapes out of red cardstock and added the chocolate furry yarn for depth:

Then I rummaged through the buttons I had and tried to represent each color and also add some variety and interst to the card. I think they sort of represent faux photo corners:

Just thought I'd give a little update. I am in the groove again today, especially since it's Friday. I simply love Friday! :)

It's Snowing!!!

2008-11-21T08:45:00.004-05:00

It is snowing in good ole South Jersey this morning and it's actually sticking!!! And least on our balcony for now. We have had flurries for the last week or so, but this is bona fide snow!!! Check it out: Allie was getting ready to go outside.... Except I had just changed her diaper so she had no pants on... And those happen to be Jimmy's shoes... I thought this would give you a little giggle. :)

Moving on, these are the cards I did for two Color Challenges on Paper Craft Planet. The first you can find here: http://www.papercraftplanet.com/group/colorchallenges/forum/topics/ccnov1508-nov-15-2008 And here is me card:

I really like it!

Close up of the stamped sentiment, back white glittery white cardstock:

And here's the bows. White, Ivory, & White again:

Check out the olive mulberry paper against the ghost leaf:

Personally, I think it looks exquisite. :)

And now for the second Color Challenge found here: http://www.papercraftplanet.com/group/pcpcolorchallenge. I started with the ribbon and then did the flower.

Check out the crystals in the center:

And then I made the tag:

I love the way the colors meld together. I had fun with this and Jimmy actually liked it too. ( I think he has a natural aversion to all things crafty, whatever...) :)

I have a bust weekend ahead of me and lots of cleaning to do today, so I don't know if I will be work on anymore cards... We'll see if I can sneak some private time... Who knows...

A Christmas Card or Two Inspired by 2 Sketches 4 You

2008-11-19T14:45:00.004-05:00

OK, OK... I promise no more ryhmes for the time being... hehehe... I was just reading Allie a Dr. Suess book, so, my apologies. Anywho, the next to cards were inspired by this weeks sketches on http://2sketches4you.blogspot.com/. I was a little intimidated when I first worked on these last night, but I think perhaps I was just overtired, because this morning, divine inspiration and some cool crafting wire at the bottom of one of my craft bins took over. The first is Laura's sketch #13, seen here:

Looks simple enough, but I had trouble with a good way to add the sentiment... It just didn't click for me until I found the craft wire... And VOILA!

Cute little trees with a silver epoxy star sticker:

And for the pièce de résistance, craft wire stringing the vellum letters stickers backed by blue cardstock. "I'm Lovin' It":

So, I moved onto Kristen's sketch:

I had cut out all the pieces last night minus the ornament, the ribbon, and the craft wire bit. But it looked flat, and kind of boring.

And you know me, it needed some glitz. Ah ha! Change the circle center into an ornament and edge all of the paper in silver ink and again... VOILA!

See... See....Perfecto!

Although the flash on the camera lighted the blue a little... It's more this color:

And so I am delighted with my creations... As I sit here now with a goofy little grin... I am moving onto more challenges... I have the bug today, and I just can't stop... Yowza!!!

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful comments!!!

A Birthday Card for Sydney

2008-11-19T08:38:00.007-05:00

This is the envelope for Sydeney's card I drew last night while watching the beginning of Season One of Sex and the City:

Jim & I have decided that instead of going with cable we would do the whole Netflix thing. So, we watched the Sopranos series from beginning to end and have begun Sex and the City to be completed with the movie that came out a little while ago. After Sex and the City we are undecuded as to whether to watch OZ or Entourage... Decisions, Decisions. You see, watching these series is almost like watching regular TV every night, so who needs cable, for now anyway...

Anywho, here is the birthday card I made for Sydney to go inside the lovely envelope:

And a close up of the fabric "Make A Wish" embellishment:

And the strawberry, since the party has a Strawberry Shortcake theme:

I made this card for the Paper Craft Planet Sketch Challenge SK111508 which you can find here: http://www.papercraftplanet.com/photo/sydneys-strawberry-bday-card. Notice the yellow cardstock with the yellow stamped polka dot circles and bronze stamped flowers. And of course, the glittery cardstock. Gotta have my sparkles!

I hope to work on a few more challenges I found online last night, today. Especially since Zachary has half days starting tomorrow aand running right through the day before Thanksgiving due to report card conferences. I can't lie I am so excited to go to his conference. He is always so enthusiastic about school, I am curious what his teacher has to say.

Well that is all for now. Perhaps I will have more "excitement" for you later! TTFN! (That's Ta Ta For Now) :)

Color Inspiration #31

2008-11-18T13:21:00.003-05:00

Hello! Happy Tuesday! So I decided to try another challenge and stumbled onto http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog, where you can find really awesome color inspiration challenges. I really liked the colors this week and decided to try my hand at it. Check out the inspiration: And here's my interpretation:

I started with a dark chocolate mulberry paper as my background. Then I decided that the brown was just a little too dark and accented it with a creamy offwhite waffle weave cardstock and a light tan velour ribbon. Since next week is Thanksgiving I decided to go with a thankful theme.

I chose a pumpkin colored cardstock and stamped many tanks in white, but it needed something so I found that cool orangey patterned paper with some scraps and backed the tag in it and them I outlined the lettering in the stamp with a dark pumpkin marker. I added the orange and white polka dotted ribbon and a creamy iridescent edged ribbon.

I then grabbed a purpley cardstock and some white mulberry white and I used my thank you background stamp and some lavender ink, and I even inked the edges for effect. I offset the papers and added some bronze brads.

And last but never least, I added some fun Prima Flowers to accent the rich colors and of course, to add some glitz. I am totally hooked on glitter lately! I love it!!!

Caardvarks Chocolate Challenge

2008-11-17T19:43:00.003-05:00

This is the card I made for the Caardvaarks Chocolate Challenge. IT is the first ever challenge I have entered. I am new to this whole blogging and online challenge thing so, this was my attempt:

I think it turned out just lovely. I used the "all you need is love stamp that I had bought and used for my gorlfriends wedding invitations.

Speaking of, I should find the few that I have leftover and post them too.

(There was about two weeks that I neglected sleep to make 250 of those suckers... What a nightmare! But it was so worth it. It was a lot of fun.)

Anywho, I was just sitting around being bummed about the broken flash on my wonderful camera and decided to check out my newly created blog, when I stumbled upon it. I have COMMENTS!!! Woo-to-the-Hoo!!!! Thanks Deb, you really boosted my confidence. Mucho appreciated! :)

A gift for my best friend's daughter

2008-11-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

OK, so this Saturday I went to this excellent warehouse sale up in NOrth Jersey where they had scrapbooking supplies for fifty cents... Oh yeah, it was awesome, well, except that things have been a little tight financially lately. But anyway armed with $30 I scavenged for those things I thought I'd use most... I found some wicked cool stuff, more on that later. One of the things I purchased were these Junkitz Decor Boardz. My best friend's little one has her 3rd birthday bash this coming this Saturday and I had yet to get a gift. So I got to work creating. And this is the final product: You like?

This was so much fun. First I cut out the letters for her name and antiqued them a bit with a light grey ink. Then I glued the letters onto a cornflower blue cardstock and painted the whole thing with glittery sealant. Then a cut around the letters leaving a blue border. I cut out the 3 freehand as well. I added some prima flowers and drew a few flourishes and VOILA!!
Front Cover:

Close up of Sydney's name (check out the glitter sealant):

The inside:

Left inside page:

Flower I cut out and the handwritten sentiment:
I had a lot of fun doing this flower. I cut out the oval and then each of the petals and antiqued them with a dark chocoloate brown ink. Then I rummaged through my assortment of alpha brads. Again, I added a prima flower. I really do heart those flowers.

Inside right page:

Handdrawn sentiment and stitching on the flower:

A smile chipboard slide with alpha stickers and fun ribbons:

I totally loved the finished product and I hope she does too. I left the two largfe flowers empty for her to add a couple of photos from the party. I really felt a sense of accomplishment when I was done! Yea Me!

My First Blog

2008-11-17T09:28:00.000-05:00

HI!

(waves hand vigorously)

Oops! You can't see that. He he he...

Anywho... My name is Michelle and I am a stay at home mom in South Jersey and this is my first blog, EVER! (wipes sweat from brow) I'm a little nervous... Well, beasically I heart crafting. I do a little of this and a little of that. I don't have any fancy tools, and I don't know how to do everything, but I'm learning.

I hope you enjoy following along with me as much as I hope to enjoy being followed... :)