I noted the sketch below . . . and rather than one circle decoration, I did a few hearts aligned diagonally . . . my own twist on a the sketch, I guess.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Unity Stamp Kit of the Month Sketch
I used the May Stamp set to create a card using this months sketch. Using Bazzill white cardstock, Memory Box pattern paper, Stampin' Up Ribbon, and scraps of additional Bazzill. I used the sheet music stamp, which has the hearth embedded in the image with the words "my heart sings." But then I stamped the image on the pattern paper a few times and on my coordinating red card stock once and cut those images. It's nothing fancy . . . but it sends a message.
I noted the sketch below . . . and rather than one circle decoration, I did a few hearts aligned diagonally . . . my own twist on a the sketch, I guess.
I noted the sketch below . . . and rather than one circle decoration, I did a few hearts aligned diagonally . . . my own twist on a the sketch, I guess.
Monday, June 27, 2011
A Stitch in Time
Anyone who really knows my sewing abilities over the last several years knows that I am the queen of unfinished projects. I have a long list of unfinished quilts (just ask my daughter, Kelly), and a long list of projects waiting to be started and added to the unfinished list. And so I thought I was out of my mind when some friends said, let's make a wine tote/lunch bag, and I said yes. It was a class being offered locally, but that usually doesn't stop me from not finishing the project. I usually leave with unfinished items, and that's usually where the story ends.
But . . . this time I stitched in time!
I always pick out fabric with high hopes. Then when I cut, I think . . . "what was I thinking."
There was something in the air yesterday. It was a banner day. A project started on Saturday (with laminating and cutting in preparation for the class) and finished on Sunday. O.K., so it was just a little lunch bag. But it has a zipper . . . and some "holders" on the inside for a bottle/can and utensils. And in the end . . . it's transporting lunch . . . nothing more . . . nothing less.
Loved the bag . . . the lemon Chobani . . . not so much!
But . . . this time I stitched in time!
I always pick out fabric with high hopes. Then when I cut, I think . . . "what was I thinking."
This day was no different. I didn't like the direction of the fabric and was worried it was going to be a bad scene in the end. I was fretting over the fact that I had laminated the inside pieces, but left the outside pieces unlaminated (which I don't think is a word).
But putting that aside, My first pieces to make were the holders inside the bag. I was upset that the words went horizontal on the short sides, but vertical on the long sides (who made up this pattern?). Eh . . . not my fault.
But as I started piecing it together . . . the pieces that were just fabric and interfacing and laminate and zippers and thread came together in the end . . . (although sorry to say there was a bit of swearing), numerous missed stitches and scrunched up areas (that's like my signature on things I sew).
Horizontal or vertical . . . my fabrics came together quite nicely (what the heck did I do all that worrying about). And check out the end of the zipper (where it stops) and the little zipper pull!
There was something in the air yesterday. It was a banner day. A project started on Saturday (with laminating and cutting in preparation for the class) and finished on Sunday. O.K., so it was just a little lunch bag. But it has a zipper . . . and some "holders" on the inside for a bottle/can and utensils. And in the end . . . it's transporting lunch . . . nothing more . . . nothing less.
Loved the bag . . . the lemon Chobani . . . not so much!
Peachy Keen Stamps : Sketch Challenge 54
I hadn't done a challenge in quite a while, and so it was time to sit down and get a little something going. And so I realized I had a few hours before the deadline on Peachy Keen Stamps Sketch Challenge #54. I just did a bit of a quarter turn on the sketch, and there was my little card.
To my Peachy Keen Stamp I added some cardstock and pattern paper from my stash . . . some ribbon, a button and a flower . . . and my Copics . . . Done!
To my Peachy Keen Stamp I added some cardstock and pattern paper from my stash . . . some ribbon, a button and a flower . . . and my Copics . . . Done!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Meet "Buzz" Lightyear . . . the "Paws" that came with Accessories
What can be said about this little guy?
This little boy puppy came into the world as a little tiny guy. He is Samantha's brother (you met Sam, she was the first paw). His mom was a Shih Tsu; his dad was a Chihuahua. Samantha came to live with us, and he went to live with some other people (kind of how Snoopy went to live with Charlie Brown, and Spike went somewhere else). They named him Buzz Lightyear.
And so it was that a year and a half later those other people said, "Hey . . . would you watch our dog while we go on vacation?" And so we did. But we soon learned that his little guy was NOT a people person. He also was NOT a dog person. In fact, the only creatures in our house that he remotely identified with was our cats. This little guy had clearly gotten his dad's Chihuahua frame, weighing about nine pounds (his sister weighed in at 16-18 pounds, and clearly got mom's Shih Tsu frame). You couldn't touch him. You couldn't hold him. If he was sitting in his little dog bed (and he was always sitting in his little dog bed), you couldn't put your hand over the edge of the dog bed. It was as though there was an invisible wall, and if your hand penetrated it, he would lash out at you. We would tell Samantha, "That's your little brother." She was not impressed.
When the people came back from vacation and took their little dog, the saddest person in the house was the man of the house . . . the guy who didn't want anymore animals in the house. He fell in love with that dysfunctional little dog. He asked me to try and get the dog back. Everyone thought the dog was likely mistreated, as he appeared to have been abused. I did nothing. And then a few days later, the people said . . . "Hey, did you like him? Do you want him." And that's how Buzz came to be a Bonczek.
When Buzz came to stay "for keeps," he came with a bed, a collar, a blanket, lots of toys, a leash, some food and some treats. The joke was that he was the only pet we got that came with his own accessories.
Truth be told, the little guy had problems. BIG problems. He clearly thought he was a cat, and our vet insisted he showed signs of abuse. If you raised your hand, he flinched. He would yelp if you brushed past him. He didn't want to socialize, except with the cats. He didn't want to be touched. He didn't want to move (too much). He just wanted to hide under blankets in a crate until it was time to eat, take care of his business, or give a kitty a little head butt. In order to force him to socialize, we took away the one thing that he loved . . . his crate. It was like his little man cave, and if he was going to become a member of the family, it had to go! It took this dog nearly two years to move outside of the kitchen/family room area under his own power. If you held him, he would spring off of you like a flea.
At eleven years old, he can be a bossy little guy (to some of us). He does as he pleases for the most part. He enjoys an occasional car ride (loves to look out the window). He will come to you for a little ear scratching. He will climb on you to deliver a few quick licks.
Buzz loves to play with his toy, Bobo. There have been many Bobo's that Buzz has loved to death. In fact, if you look at the photo above, Buzz is sitting next to his Christmas Bobo (brand spanking new on December 25, 2009), while his former Bobo sits on top of a book titled, "Loved to Death." If you look closely, you can still make out the smiling teeth on his old pink Bobo atop the book. The book is about dog toys that have been loved to death by their owners. Hmmm . . . how appropriate.
In the photo below, you see Buzz with Christmas Bobo again . . . it's just that Christmas Bobo has become a bit of a shell of his former self. He still has his head . . . and there is a new Bobo (a larger yellow one) waiting for it's turn to be loved to death.
He's still a little odd, but we tell him all the time . . . "Buzz, your a real dog now."
And he believes it! He believes almost everything we say.
This little boy puppy came into the world as a little tiny guy. He is Samantha's brother (you met Sam, she was the first paw). His mom was a Shih Tsu; his dad was a Chihuahua. Samantha came to live with us, and he went to live with some other people (kind of how Snoopy went to live with Charlie Brown, and Spike went somewhere else). They named him Buzz Lightyear.
And so it was that a year and a half later those other people said, "Hey . . . would you watch our dog while we go on vacation?" And so we did. But we soon learned that his little guy was NOT a people person. He also was NOT a dog person. In fact, the only creatures in our house that he remotely identified with was our cats. This little guy had clearly gotten his dad's Chihuahua frame, weighing about nine pounds (his sister weighed in at 16-18 pounds, and clearly got mom's Shih Tsu frame). You couldn't touch him. You couldn't hold him. If he was sitting in his little dog bed (and he was always sitting in his little dog bed), you couldn't put your hand over the edge of the dog bed. It was as though there was an invisible wall, and if your hand penetrated it, he would lash out at you. We would tell Samantha, "That's your little brother." She was not impressed.
When the people came back from vacation and took their little dog, the saddest person in the house was the man of the house . . . the guy who didn't want anymore animals in the house. He fell in love with that dysfunctional little dog. He asked me to try and get the dog back. Everyone thought the dog was likely mistreated, as he appeared to have been abused. I did nothing. And then a few days later, the people said . . . "Hey, did you like him? Do you want him." And that's how Buzz came to be a Bonczek.
When Buzz came to stay "for keeps," he came with a bed, a collar, a blanket, lots of toys, a leash, some food and some treats. The joke was that he was the only pet we got that came with his own accessories.
Truth be told, the little guy had problems. BIG problems. He clearly thought he was a cat, and our vet insisted he showed signs of abuse. If you raised your hand, he flinched. He would yelp if you brushed past him. He didn't want to socialize, except with the cats. He didn't want to be touched. He didn't want to move (too much). He just wanted to hide under blankets in a crate until it was time to eat, take care of his business, or give a kitty a little head butt. In order to force him to socialize, we took away the one thing that he loved . . . his crate. It was like his little man cave, and if he was going to become a member of the family, it had to go! It took this dog nearly two years to move outside of the kitchen/family room area under his own power. If you held him, he would spring off of you like a flea.
At eleven years old, he can be a bossy little guy (to some of us). He does as he pleases for the most part. He enjoys an occasional car ride (loves to look out the window). He will come to you for a little ear scratching. He will climb on you to deliver a few quick licks.
Buzz loves to play with his toy, Bobo. There have been many Bobo's that Buzz has loved to death. In fact, if you look at the photo above, Buzz is sitting next to his Christmas Bobo (brand spanking new on December 25, 2009), while his former Bobo sits on top of a book titled, "Loved to Death." If you look closely, you can still make out the smiling teeth on his old pink Bobo atop the book. The book is about dog toys that have been loved to death by their owners. Hmmm . . . how appropriate.
In the photo below, you see Buzz with Christmas Bobo again . . . it's just that Christmas Bobo has become a bit of a shell of his former self. He still has his head . . . and there is a new Bobo (a larger yellow one) waiting for it's turn to be loved to death.
He's still a little odd, but we tell him all the time . . . "Buzz, your a real dog now."
And he believes it! He believes almost everything we say.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
CRUMPLE Your Stress Away!
What can relieve stress better than crumpling up some paper, and doing a little paper crafting at the same time? So here is my recipe for relieving stress (and it's short of doing anything that will have you behind bars, which is great).
So you take several different sizes of flower dies that can be layered (such as the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die, and you use various pattern papers to cut them out. I used Anna Griffin's beautiful Fifi and Fido line, which is not just for your dogs and cats alone (although I think my dog can read as she is glaring at me for not creating layouts with her in mind). Seriously though, this stuff is beautiful, and still available at my LSS, New England Scrapbook Co. as is that Tattered Florals die.
So . . . after you cut those flowers, you imagine they are the person who is causing you the most angst . . . the bill collectors . . . the loser who cut you off on the highway . . . and you crush them. You totally CRUMPLE the CRAP out of them.
O.K. . . . then you uncrumple them (which I'll admit put some of the stress back into me, so you may want to grab a glass of wine for this part). Then you layer with a brad. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!
Then you get some cardstock, some ribbon and you create a little something bigger to put them on.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tooty Fruity w/Unity
Mmmmm . . . summer fruits! I haven't really had any summer fruits, but I did take the time to make myself some strawberries for a little card for the Unity Challenge, Tooty Fruity! My recipe:
Bazzill cardstock for card base (red)
Bazzill cardstock for mat (black)
Bo Bunny Dot Paper (green)
White Sketch Paper
Copic Markers
Ribbon from stash (red)
Scallop Punch
Black Pearls
Unity Stamps . . . April 2010 Kit of the Month and April 2011 Kit of the Month
Just talking about it makes me want to get me a shiny berry or two from my local market.
Bazzill cardstock for card base (red)
Bazzill cardstock for mat (black)
Bo Bunny Dot Paper (green)
White Sketch Paper
Copic Markers
Ribbon from stash (red)
Scallop Punch
Black Pearls
Unity Stamps . . . April 2010 Kit of the Month and April 2011 Kit of the Month
Just talking about it makes me want to get me a shiny berry or two from my local market.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Out of Boundaries
I'm stepping a little out of my comfort zone on this one . . . trying to put together a Sketch Class for my LSS, NESC. Everyone will get some pattern paper, some cardstock, some ribbon and sketches. We'll maybe add some die cuts from my private stash and some stamping. We will do at least two layouts, and maybe a project or card or two. One layout is done . . . another will be coming . . . and this is just a snapshot of the lower right section of a page we'll be doing . . .
Hmmm . . . I've got some more creating to do for sure!
Hmmm . . . I've got some more creating to do for sure!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Cottage Blog Challenge #1
Another day, and another challenge. The very first Cottage Blog Challenge . . . which had me so excited I think my head was spinning a bit. The challenge was to be inspired by a specific photo posted on their blog which I have linked HERE . . . it was a photo of beautiful pink flowers, with a blue background. Interesting that my eye caught the pink flowers immediately, and headed me straight to my "Sweetpea Seeds" die.
I used some Little Yellow Bicycle Paper as my background, proving that you can use a scallop cut background paper on a card for a really nice effect. I added some shimmering white ribbon to one side, and then went to work on my seed packet. I cut the packet in a light brown cardstock and inked with brown. Then I cut the Sweetpea Seeds pieces in white and used markers to color. I am truly amazed at what a great job markers do on die cuts . . . the more I practice the technique, the more I like it. While I had to keep the green in for the flowers, I pulled the blue background into the lettering on the packet.
Great inspiration! I am really looking forward to their next challenge.