My top 10 of 2011 -- sort of.

Hello again, all!
Now that the new year is in full swing (or as full swing as it can be on day two!), I figured it was time to take a stroll through last year's projects and pick my favorites.

My original goal was to pick 10 cards and 10 layouts...but as I was scrolling through a year's worth of blog posts, I realized I made a boo boo -- I think I might have deleted a couple of older Picasa web albums...not a big deal, except a few month's worth of blog photos were in them. Oops!

So, I'll just go with ten total projects instead, with a big date gap in the middle. Without further ado, here we go!

From February:

A layout featuring my pal's sweet dog. Read more here.

Jump to June:

Baby predictions, the old-fashioned way. See original here.

 The first card I had published. Never gets old. Read more.

In July:

Simon is about 12x this size now. Still cute. See details here. 

From my Growing in Unity week. Original is here. 

in August:

More kitten, with banners this time. Close-ups here. 

My sweet man's birthday. One-layer happiness here.  

October:

Still love this mini. All the pages are here. 

Stepped into a new style and surprised myself. Spongeworthiness here. 

November:

Got a little lost in an 8-layout post, but man, I love this one. And yes, more kitten. See them all here. 

So, what can we conclude? I definitely like to scrap animal photos, especially of Simon. (Dex got attention too...I swear!) Also, scrappy projects just barely outnumber card projects, which I'm pretty sure reflects my creative output last year. I like patterns a lot, but no one color dominates. Nor does a single style, which either makes me versatile or mildly schizophrenic. I'd prefer versatile, though ;) And I definitely shouldn't delete web albums willy-nilly! 

I can also say with some confidence that my December album (aka the Big Fun Christmas Project) will be one of my favorites as well -- but as I finished it yesterday, it's technically a 2012 project. You'll see it soon...and again in the 2012 year in review!

Hope you're having a great day!

What the heck?

Where on earth have I been? I know I'm in good company in not blogging much during the holidays, but I haven't blogged AT ALL in weeks! I've missed my bloggy friends!

I've been inspired by some year-in-review project posts, so I think I'll do one of those soon. (See here and here for some inspiring cards from my craft pals!). I have also been keeping up with my Big Fun Christmas journal (see here and here for its humble beginnings), and I'll get some photos of that soon to share. 

For now, though, will you settle for a layout? Thanks!

This photo is from the wedding (duh) of a couple of sweet kids. I can say that they're "kids" because one of them is my husband's former student! We've become pals in the intervening years, and were honored to attend their wedding. Don't you love this photo of them? They're so cute.

I made excellent use of my ever-expanding washi tape collection here, creating a shiny/patterned/textured background for my title and caption. The paper collection is My Mind's Eye's very pretty Love Me, part of my long-neglected December kit from Scrappy Chic.

I fussy-cut some banner flags from my extra paper, popped them up on foam, highlighted the hearts with stickles, and then "strung" some twine all over the place (it's glued down, which was easier to do than I thought it would be). I think the swirly lines break up all the straight lines from the tape. In my head, anyway. Wanna see a secret?

More photos! I had a handful of not-great shots that still helped tell the story of the night, so instead of featuring them, I created a little accordion fold right in the middle of the layout. I'll definitely try this trick again!

I had some leftovers, so I combined them with that pretty plaid pattern from the same collection for a quick card. The stamped twill started out white, but I inked it up with some Distress Stain (spun sugar, from my stocking!) before stamping and adhering it. Stamps are from this Studio Calico/Hero Arts set, also sourced from Scrappy Chic.

Local folks, have you been up to the store since their big expansion/re-organization? I love it! So spacious-feeling and much better-lit. Can't wait to get up there for a crop!

Well, it's good to be back. I hope you all have a very happy and crafty 2012! Happy New Year!

Thanks -- and a thankful giveaway :)

Hi all!
I'm peeking out from under my mountain of essays just for a minute to share some thank-you cards I made a bit ago -- they've all reached their destinations now (the homes of my bloggy friends who sent me these birthday goodies).

First up, for my buddy Meg:

Meg was kind enough to send me my first Market Street Stamps, and I used the cane bg here, along with some gorgeous Crate paper (also from Meg!). Most of the rest of the supplies are PTI. Thanks again for all the goodies, sweet Meg!

Next up, for Lindsey:

Linds has a family member who is a big squirrel nut (pun. ha.), so I kinda ran with that theme here but kept true to Linds's CAS style, using an older squirrel stamp (Memory Box, maybe?) for the bg and another stamp from Meg for the gridded acorns (which are stamped on watercolor paper, btw -- hence the imperfect impression). The acorn caps and dies are PTI, and a bit of faux stitching finishes this one off. Thanks for the adorable snowman stamp, Linds -- I would've used it on the card, but I don't want to tempt the snow gods into sending some of the real stuff just yet ;)

Finally, for Emily:

Whoa, this is a big card. About 4x9, which makes it a you-know-what to get a good photo ;). I kind of went wild here, with a very busy bg (more paper from Meg -- one of my favoritest Pink Paislee lines), stamped-and-die-cut bikes (Em is a supreme fussy cutter, unlike me, so I go with dies!), and some ribbon and cs in coral, which she likes way more than I do! I also included a little twine bow made with the twine she sent along. You rock, Em!

Now, how about a little giveaway? I'm very thankful for all my regular (and irregular) blog readers, and I have some stamps that need a new home with one of you:

All three sets are new -- the Prima tree is brand-new, while the Sassafras stamps are older but unopened. If you think they should come and live in your house, drop me a line in the comments below. You could tell me about your Halloween costume, your holiday crafting plans, the weather, your kids...anything at all. Can't wait to hear from you! Everyone who comments by the end of Halloween (that's Monday, 10/31, at 11:59 EST) will be entered to win. Who knows? A few other goodies just might find their way into the envelope, too :) Enjoy!

Have a lovely day.

Baby got BAK.

Well, if that Justin Bieber song didn't get stuck in your head after my last post, I sure bet you've got a song in your head now!!

I've always wondered why we crafty folk refer to the cards and other goodies we get in the mail as "RAKs" (Random Acts of Kindness) even when they aren't random at all! Recently I got some lovely cards for my birthday, which I shall hereafter refer to as "BAKs," or "Birthday Acts of Kindness." Sound good? Ok, on we go!

First, from Lindsey over at Bashful Blogging, comes this cheery Bird-day card:

Linds is a whiz with color, and I really love the pops of yellow all over the place. Plus, Linds knows I love a pun!! I haven't spied this one on her blog yet, but keep an eye out for it! (She also knows I love a good surprise!).

Next, a card from my birthday-sharing buddy Emily that makes me look way nicer than I actually am ;) :

Gorgeous! It uses my favorite shades of orange, pink, and green, along with those glorious wings, which I bet Em knows I'd never in a million years have the patience to fussy-cut at all, much less as perfectly as she did here. You can read more about it in her blog post here.

And finally, from my uber-creative-with-her-Silhouette pal, Meg, comes a card she knows I LOVE:

Ack! If you recognize this one, it's because it's kinda famous -- it was part of her amazing final round submission for Gallery Idol a couple months ago. You can see the whole rad suite here. And yep, the tape pops out:

Since my bday often falls on the first day of fall (as it did this year), this adds an air of poignance...or something ;)

Thanks for the BAKs, crafty pals! You made my birthday brighter. And a little more full of loot, too -- there were some fun stampy gifties that came along with each card! I'll be sure to let y'all know when I use them. Woohoo!

Have a lovely day!

Happy Birthday, times 2!

Well, happy Friday to all of you, and Happy Birthday to my crafty pal, Emily Leiphart!  Em, I hope you get to party down today!

Often, when I make a card that's going to be mailed right away, I jump the gun and get it all sealed up in an envelope before realizing I haven't taken any photos. Doh!  This isn't one of those times, luckily. 

other supplies: Unity and PTI stamps, SU inks, My Mind's Eye pp.

Can you tell I tried to channel my inner Emily on this one? Twinery twine, a mix of patterns, and I even {gasp!} colored that little party birdie! Ok, so I watercolored him, whereas Em is a Copic genius, but still.

[Speaking of that little bird, he's from a company new to me -- pictureshow stamps -- and he's actually their logo. Ain't he cute? I picked him up at a local stamp show, where they were selling tons and tons of images in mounted and unmounted versions. Their etsy shop only seems to sell mounted stamps, and a smaller variety, so if you are lucky enough to see their booth at a show, be sure to stop and browse.]

Ok then, back to business: Emily, I hope you have a fabulously crafty birthday!! I'm happy to be your stampy pal, and it's extra-special because we happen to be birthday buddies! That's right, it's my birthday too, and I'm already overwhelmed by all the birthday kindness that's come my way. I'll be sure to post some of my craftiest gifts from my craftiest pals soon.

Before I go, how about a cute cat photo for the first day of fall? It just so happens that our cats are perfectly coordinated for the season!

...dinner time is the only time they get this close to one another without any pouncing or growling, by the way ;). Don't they look like they're holding hands? Ha. Simon and Dex wish you a happy autumn, and so do I. Have a lovely day!!

Amy Tangerine: part two!

Like I said in my last post, I am finding this whole line pretty dang irresistible! Today I've got two projects made from the same piece of (really cool) paper. First, another simple layout: the second night of CHA there was this banquet dinner thing with a couple of bands (including a pretty dang good Abba cover band!), and in the corner was a photographer, a backdrop, and a table full of props. You'll get to see all three (!) of the photos we took together someday, but this one, the third, is definitely the best. Ain't we cute??

 Here's the thing about paper with premade stitching accents: usually, they suck for 8.5x11 scrappers...because they usually go around the border and I have to chop them off, making it awfully silly to pay extra for the stitching, don't you think? The cross-stitching here is cleverly placed in comparison :). I broke out my handy circle cutter for (surprise!) the circles, and added the black faux stitching with a pen. Take a closer look for a sec:

The bit between the rows of stitching is stamped with my new favorite camera stamp, and I colored in the hearts using quick 'n dirty gradient coloring -- I inked up a blender pen with some dye ink once, then colored my way down the line. The alphas are some older Basic Grey that happened to match perfectly. Sweet! So, if you're wondering why I scrap 8.5x11 rather than the more common 12x12, the answer is simple:

Leftovers! Trimming paper down for a layout always leaves me with a handy 3.5x12-inch strip, perfect for quick cards made with whatever supplies are already out. Here, it's the same stamp set, a bit of trim that was just sittin' there, givin' me the hairy eyeball, saying "use me already."I also used a fun little trick I learned in my Jen Starr ink class: if you just kinda pound the business end of a Distress Stain onto paper, it makes a near-perfect splat mark! To finish off the inside, I used more stamps from the same set:

(And another splat, too.) The paper on the inside is left over from my layout's journaling strips above. I'm so frugal!

You can see another layout made with the same stitched paper in this post -- you'll just have to scroll down a bit (below all the product pics). I think people sometimes balk at the stitching, but I'm really starting to dig having someone else do all that work for me ;)

Before I go, don't forget to go vote in the last round of Gallery Idol before Thursday at 2 Eastern -- I'd suggest you vote for Meg, of course!  (Congrats [again] on making top 5, lady!!) If you read this post, you'll appreciate just how much awesomeness went into her designs.

Thanks for stopping by -- have a lovely day!

Whoa! Where have I been? Where am I going?

Well, as it turns out, I've been to Chicago, saw Weird Al in concert, had tea, Cotswold-style, at Greenfield Village, hit a Tigers game, and managed to hang out with the fam at home in between. Whew! So...not much blogging, but plenty of new photos to scrap soon!

I have done a bit of scrapping, though, especially with my Scrappy Chic kit for July. What with all the new-cat/injured-cat business in our house these days, could you blame me for jumping on We R Memory Keepers' latest line, Friends Furever? Tired pun notwithstanding, it's pretty cute collection for cat AND dog lovers, and there's lots of orange, which looks good with Simon. Who has a beard! Here:

click to enlarge

A little orange goatee, to be a bit more exact. I used papers from the new line, along with some alpha stickers I've had hanging around for awhile (the green Studio Calico ones are in one of my favorite-ever fonts. Thanks, what the font, for telling me! Thanks, Meg, for telling me about what the font!!) I also used these glass (plastic, maybe?) little drop thingies. Look closer:

When you're done looking at cutie Simon, see those dots on the arrow? I think they're called dew drops? Anyway, I kinda like 'em. I was surprised at that. Other stuff here: a semi-failed attempt at misting, some paint splatters, some flocked lace stuff from ages ago. Simple little layout. Cute little cat!

That photo above was taken right after Simon came home: he weighed about 2.5 lbs and was as fuzzy as all get out! Here he is now:

5 lbs (that's double, people. Whoa!), less fuzzy, cone-free!, but still cute. I checked: beard is still in place as well.

Now, as for where I'm going: CHA!!! I'll be right back in Chicago at the trade show next week (not the Consumer SuperShow, so don't ask me to buy anything for you, silly ;) ) Chris, owner of Scrappy Chic, is very generously taking me along to shop for the store!

I'll get a front-row seat for all the new releases for the next 6 months or so. Can't wait!! My goal is to blog some finds and fun and such in the evenings, assuming I can stay awake after shopping and walking, walking, walking the show floor. If you have anything you'd especially like to see in those posts (or in the store, local folks), leave your requests in a comment, K? If you just can't wait, you can find links to a lot of what's already been sneak-peeked here. 

And in other people-going-places news, my good pal Meg has already sped through the first round of Paper Crafts Magazine's Gallery Idol competition -- her card for round two, which I'm sure will be absolutely fabulous, will go live tomorrow afternoon. If you agree that she is absolutely fabulous (and why wouldn't you?), feel free to vote for her in Round Two! You can keep up with the competition here, and with Meg via her blog here. 

An old wives' tale...

So, as you may have noticed, I know a bunch of people who are having babies :) The other week, I was at a shower for one of them (see her card here), and, as it turns out, one of our friends who was there is ALSO having a baby (no card for her just yet, but it's on my list). Having two expectant mommas at one shower is maybe not too surprising...except that they have the same name. So:

(click to enlarge if you like)

Here we have Jenn (on the left), and Jen (on the right). Left-side Jenn does not yet know what she's having, so she's trying out an old wives' tale on right-side Jen, who is having a boy. You can read about what they're doing here, though their variation uses the wrist instead of the belly. How accurate are the results? I'll be sure to let you know ;)

I used my Counterfeit Kit to make this layout (along with my Scrappy Chic design team kit -- yay!). Here are a couple of fun details:

Punctuated a die-cut border with a whole row of Basic Grey brads. I haven't ever used this many brads at once before!

(other supplies: Sassafras and My Mind's Eye papers, American Crafts velvet trim, Jillibean twine, AC Thickers, Papertrey dies and buttons)

More border punctuation, this time in the form of buttons and Basic Grey Details. The star on the left started as a plain Bazzill chip, which I painted with  an off-white dabber and pink crackle paint. By the way, I really love that grey dot paper from Sassafras -- it's just about the perfect shade of grey for...well, anything, really! Grey has been a go-to color for me for awhile now, in crafting and in clothing. Any go-to colors for you?

Have a delightful day!

RAKs in, RAKs out!

Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was great. Mine was spent submerged in tasty (mostly homemade) food and drink -- yum!

My mailbox has been busy, too -- in both directions! First up, a giant HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my pal Lindsey -- be sure to stop over and wish her well on her big day.  Here's what should be in her mailbox...whenever the Canada Post snafu gets worked out, anyway:

The girl can grow some awesome flowers, so this seems suitable, no? I've used PTI dies and stamps with some of that fabulous dots and stripes paper from Echo Park (from Scrappy Chic, of course!) -- the blue stripes are from a 6x6 pad, while the green is 12x12 -- love the variation in scale. Have a great day, Linds, and I sure hope your card gets to you eventually!

Next up, a local RAK:

We have some new next-door neighbors, and they seem really nice. What better way to keep it friendly than with a little gift? The card uses mostly scraps from my desk -- papers from Crate and Amuse Studio, a house die-cut from a coaster with a stickles-filled heart at the center, and a fitting sentiment (PTI). Peeking around from the back is a jar of homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam for a little housewarming gift (oh, is it ever yummy, too -- we've almost polished off a whole jar ourselves, and I just made it a few days ago!).  The recipe I used is in this book, which has all kinds of totally doable canning recipes. Highly recommended!

And now for a couple of incoming RAKs, both from the fabulous Meg!

This is part of a trio she already blogged here, and I just love it! I'm also fairly certain I'd never have the patience to deal with all the tiny pieces she popped up so perfectly. Fabulous!!

Also, to celebrate Simon the kitten's arrival:

How cute is this? I swear, that woman is a genius with her Silhouette! Plus, it's punny in addition to being so well-designed. I absolutely love it!! I think Simon might approve:

...or he will, once he wakes up ;)

Here they are together:

I just love my stampy friends and neighbors! I hope you all have a delightful day!

Chevron Chic!

Happy Saturday, y'all! It's an absolutely gorgeous day here, so I'll type fast and then go play outside :)

I've got a card for you today -- one that I've had in my head for awhile, and it just happens to fit in with something happening over at Moxie Fab World right now -- Cath's Chevron Chic Challenge!

But first, the inspiration. When I was in Atlanta last month, I visited my pal Michelle and her sweet little family. Michelle happens to have a real knack for interior design, and the nursery is no exception. Check it out:

Teeny, tiny room, but with such style. Love the curtains, love homemade mobile and the wave of butterflies on the wall (which she hand-cut from magazine pages, btw), and love seeing proof that little girl rooms do NOT have to be pink and purple! (You can see the sweet resident of this room more clearly in this post).

So, without further ado, here's the card inspired by the challenge and the room:

I stamped a stylish background using Background Basics: Chevron Stripes from PTI, then punched a whole lotta butterflies from a Gardener's Supply Company Catalog -- no hand-cutting for me, thanks! A sticker sentiment was all it took to finish it up. I think I'll have to send it off to Michelle now, don't you?

Before I go, wish me luck -- the first public scrimmage for my roller derby team is tonight! Don't get too excited -- I'm not a skater, I'm an NSO (non-skating official). But I'll be out there with my clipboard tonight, keeping score like a boss. Go Dimes! And thanks, Kasia, for your good wishes! It's nice to know another skater/stamper out there :) For the rest of you -- I'll do my darndest to get some scrap-worthy photos to share with y'all.

Now get out there and have a fabulous day!

other supplies: SU Basic Black ink; Studio Calico Label and letter stickers; Martha Stewart butterfly punches; nesties

all carded out...

...whew! I've been making all kinds of cards these days, but I gotta keep 'em under wraps for now. So, how about a layout instead?

The photo you're about to see is kinda funny...my first night visiting some pals in Atlanta, we were out to dinner when a Face Time request came in from my sweet husband. I think he was hoping to video chat with me, but he got to catch up with our friends instead! I stole a quick shot of them deep in conversation.

feel free to click for a closer look

They had to use headphones, though, since it was kinda noisy in the restaurant. Ok, it was a bar. But a bar with delicious food! (warning: didgeridoo on website. I think.)

I whipped this layout up in my flurry of Scrappy Chic projects before Mega Meet earlier this month. Here I've used Cosmo Cricket's Upcycle -- I love that overlapped scallop print, and it wasn't too much of a pain to do some trimming to turn it into a nice wide border, just ripe for the stitching. 

And this is my new solution to my all-too-frequent "dang, I'm out of E's again!" quandary: hack through the chipboard and use the negative backed w/paper! I'm pretty pleased with myself for that one.

Anyway, I hope your day is as lovely as can be. It might be chilly and grey outside here, but I'm warm. And my house is full of the scent of lilacs -- what more could I want, really?

Oh my, how time flies...

Hi folks -

Sorry it's been so long! I had a blast in Atlanta, and I've already started scrapping my trip...but we'll get to that soon enough. Today is all about a card -- a Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger card, to be (very) specific! You can read all about the challenge here.

The inspiration image was, well, extra-inspiring! Take a look:

I was so inspired, in fact, that I made the card right away, but had to wait for a little sunny-ish daylight to get a photo. Here you go:

Supplies: Papertrey Ink Love Lives Here die, Birds of a Feather and Gingham stamps, Vintage Cream cs; A Muse studio Ovalicious stamp, gingham cs, and papaya ribbon; SU Real Red, Garden Green, and Tempting Turquoise inks; glitter.

I just love the colors in the original image. So happy. I got to break out some of my newest goodies here: the PTI die and gingham stamp,  plus some very fab, even newer goodies from a muse studio -- I used Ovalicious for the oval (surprise!), plus some gingham cardstock and pretty papaya ribbon (thanks for that, Meg!).

I even broke out the glitter -- the real, makes-a-mess-that-lasts-forever kind. See?:

Happy little heart. Oh, by the way, that house? I die-cut it from coaster. Not the pay-for-it kind, but one from my favorite local watering hole. Seems to work fine for me, and it was free!

Well, Cath, you picked a great one this week -- I might even have to make another -- maybe something ruffly or ric-rac-y or flowery...hmm...wheels are turning!

Anyway, welcome back to the old blog -- I have a few more things to show you soon since I feel compelled to make up for lost time -- and I hope you're having a lovely day!