Aren't we cute?

From Sundiver Dive in Catalina

This was probably the best photo I took diving in Catalina this weekend. The underwater ones did not turn out as well as last time. :-(

Jewelry!

What girl does not love jewelry! Stacy found this cool class where we made a crocheted necklace. I did not even know how to do a chain stitch before the class. Here is what we made:

And here is a close up of my project:
Not a great picture, but what can I girl do... anyway, I made the necklace and had to share it with all my friends, whether or not they were interested. LOL Shaddi expressed an interest however and asked that I make her one with turquoise for her upcoming birthday. This was the result of my efforts:

Little different, but I hope she likes it. And while I am posting, I have been stamping... so here is the card I gave Shaddi with the present:

Well, that's about it until I take more pictures of things I have made lately. Hopefully, this will do for now. Enjoy!

An inspiring Beate's Weekend Sketch

I have been looking at other people making such cute cards with sketches, especially ones Beate posts. So, as I sat down in my partially organized studio, I thought I would give it a try with the scraps that were on my table.

Here is the sketch for the weekend:















And here is my (loose) interpretation of it. I accidentally cut the strips wider than I planned, so I placed the circle in between the strips to make up for it. The cardstock is all Stampin Up (Ruby Red and Confetti Cream), the patterned paper is from MME along with the tag, which I simply stamped with an old sayings set. I used the scallop border punch and scallop circle punch (also from US) cause I am still on that kick. A little leftover ribbon and I was done!

A couple of June cards...

These are somewhat random cards I had to make this month. I just have not had time to post them. The first was made for the Club Scrap Birthday cards swap. We made a card for everyone in the group whose birthday it is each month. There are about 100 members, I think. So, I make a little batch of cards each month and mail them to the gals. When I have a bunch of cards to make I usually make them assembly style. I don't really get bored if it is less than 10 cards. I actually have harder time doing variations on a theme because after I make the first card, then all the variations look wrong to me. Anyway - here it is...

The paper is an odd combibation of POPs from Club Scrap -I think Renaissance yellow, some black and a red I cannot place. The ribbon was from Beverly's, stamp is Stampin Up. The embossing was done with a Cuttlebug folder - one of the more addictive things I have found lately!

The second card (left) I made for my Dad this year. All the supplies came in a kit from QVC (did you get this one too?). It actually had a cool saying for Father's Day in it which just seemed to fit the last year. So, I went for it. The little flower stamps and punches are Stampin Up from this year's punch box. I just love making those flowers.

I hope Dad liked it.

Help me fight MS!

I know this is not scrap related. But it is about something close to my heart.

For the second time, I will walk in 50 mile Challenge Walk MS. Of course, my inspiration for this walk is my friend Kelly, who was diagnosed with MS shortly before I met her about seven years ago. I have seen the uncertainty the disease has created in her life - not knowing whether she will wake up able to walk, see and touch. It was not long ago that she told me she kept dropping the pen as she was writing because she could not really feel it in her hands. I could not even imagine. She has walked this 50 mile route for 7 years and I was honored when she asked me to walk it with her again.

In the next few months, I will be preparing myself both physically and mentally to walk 50 miles. I can do the training and walk the miles each week, but I need your help to reach my fundraising goal. I have made a personal commitment to raise $3,000 to help fight this disease! I cannot do this part without your help!

My fundraising efforts will make a difference. Please consider making tax-deductible donation. I’m very grateful for whatever you can give. Please visit my donation site at http://www.mymschallenge.com/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=258884&u=258884-116878707.

June 11 is a special fundraising blitz for the challenge. As a special bonus with my team, if you donate on my website on June 11th, for every $25 you donate, you will get one chance to win a set of 4 1-day Disneyland Park Hopper passes. So, for example, a $100 donation earns four chances. Note that the tickets expire on September 15, 2008, so you need to plan to go this summer if you win. Of course, the more you donate, the more chances you have to win.

Thank you so much for your support! Believe me, every little bit helps!

What is it with these sketches lately? I am having so much fun with them. Very unlike me. This is from the Lifetime Moments Saturday Sketch challenge. I even got it done in time!!!

The layout was made with a mish mash of stuff from my stash. Paper is Club Scrap, Bazzill, 29th Street. Letters are Thickers and Doodlebug rub ons. Frame is from Anna Griffin (I think) and is filled with Glassy Glaze. Flowers are Prima. Ink is Distress Inks by Ranger. I think that is it!

Thanks for looking!

A Pair - inspired by Classy Coordinates Sketches!

My friend Wendy always does the most amazing layouts. She tipped me off to a great sketch service done by www.classycoordinates.com When you sign up, you get an email each week with seven sketches, so you end up with a sketch for each day of the year. I received all of the 2007 sketches, and signed up for 2008. They look so "do-able." Would you believe this is my first actual layout with them? Well, here it is:

I used one of the kits from Coordinates Collections-- just added a Stampin Up eyelet and ribbon on the tag, some Fancy Pants felt from an add on and some chipboard letters I had sitting around ( they must be Heidi Swap cause they will not stick to save their life. LOL). I wanted something for the eye to rest upon, so there is a thin outline of yellow shimmery paper from Hambly - you know, the one with the cute owl on it. I cut the owl out for future use, don't worry. The rest of the papers are SEI.

Between the kit and the sketch, this took just about an hour from start to finish. Not bad for a worknight.

Poolside Vegas

Another layout I did while cropping with friends from one of the Coordinates Collections kits. It came with a pack of chipboard punchouts which I painted blue. I also bought the Heidi Swap clear flower addons. I painted the center of the flower with the same acrylic paint. The big challenge is gluing them on the page. I am not sure of the best glue... but it was not KI Gloo. That totally showed through. I still like the layout though. I think I love anything with Thickers. ;)

A Sketch Layout

Some of you already know how much I love the kits from Coordinates Collections. If you have cropped with me, you will often see me just bring a batch of kits with me to a crop. They basically have everything you need to make a great layout.

Well, this layout was made with one of those kits. I think the papers are Daisy D' - including the little journaling cards. Those make journaling so much easier because you know just how much space to fill. The embellishments are loose in the kit, so I am not sure what they are. The layout was based on a Becky Fleck sketch made for LifetimeMoments. I added lettering from yet another kit, and used stamps I had from Starving Artists stamps to do the stitching.

I have been trying to get these pictures scrapped for nearly 2 years. Somehow, between the sketch and the perfect kit, this came together really smoothly. Enjoy!

Spinning Wheel card

This card was so much fun to make! The instructions were a part of Lifetime Moment's National Scrapbook Day classes. The wheel (which is the really light scalloped layer) spins and reveals different messages in the window. I used Club Scrap's Nature's Wonder kit, which came with this little strip of saying (such as love, joy, walk in the garden) that I punched out and glued into the window. The flower pumchouts also came with the kit. I just added some SU Wild Wasabi ribbon to make the stems and leaves.

I made this one for my stepmom for her birthday. I am giving it to her at lunch, so I don't think she will see this post in the next few hours. I also made her a pearl bracelet and earrings. I will try to post those later (need to take a picture first.)

Color Challenge card

I am a big fan of Kristina Werner's blog because she makes such fun, graphic cards. Wish I could do that... She has been doing color challenges, but the deadline is too short with work. BUT, since I am here recuperating from surgery, I had time to get it done. Not the greatest work of art, but I used stamps and paper I had not used because, and it was fun.

To the right is the color challenge image and the Stampin Up colors she matched to it. Totally different, isn't it?


Well, here is the little card I made from the challenge:
We received this set free from Stampin Up last year (a level 3 hostess set). It is called Time Well Spent. I loved the set but never did anything with it. So, it was time to get it off the shelf and give it a go. All the supplies except the embossing folder (Cuttlebug) and patterned paper (Reminisce) are from Stampin Up. Who would have thunk?

Enjoy!

The start of belated postings...

I guess I have not posted for a month or so. December got pretty busy with Christmas parties, family time. If I posted all the stuff I made last month, I would be putting up Christmas cards for months. Maybe I will spare you that and just post a couple if I have time.

Here is a hostess gift I made for a friend's Christmas Party. The picture frame was a paper base and I covered it with the Stampin Up Brocade paper and Old Olive cardstock. The ribbon is the new taffeta in Chocolate Chip and the pin and beading are from the Pretties kit. For some reason, something simple like this takes me forever. Hope my friend liked it...

A blizzard of Blitzen

Remember Blitzen papers from Basic Grey? I loved those. I used a bunch to scrap Christmas a year or so ago (or was it two?) but I still had paper left. So, I decided to use them to make my Christmas cards this year. I originally thought I would get through all my paper this weekend, but I am not even close. I little patterned paper goes a long way!

The first card was made for the Mojo Monday Sketch on Poetic Artistry.
I have such a hard time using sketches, but Julee's seem more natural to me. I decided I had to use the Merry and Bright SU set - I just love snowmen and this one was so cute! The set is in the mini catalog, so you only have until the 30th if you want one...

Stamp: SU Merry and Bright
Ink: SU Basic Black, Real Red, Old Olive and Only Orange (coloring was done with the markers)
Paper: Basic Grey Blitzen, SU Real Red and Old Olive
Punches: SU 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 circles, SU scallop

Pretty simple, isn't it?




The next little batch of cards (on the right) were all the same supplies as above. I actually made 4 of each style. That way I can mass produce some easy cards but not get too bored. Somehow, 8 cards is my limit. I wanted to play with the glitter my friend Stacey gifted me, so the red on the snowman and the tree is colored with Red Real for a base, and then I used the 2 way pen to attach Making Memories glitter. This stuff is solid coverage. I kept coloring just in case, but I am not sure you can see any of it under the glitter.

Then I started making the little vignette cards (see left). They take longer, so no real multiples here. But this little set is so cute together, I had to put all the images on at least some of the cards.


I think the bottom card was inspired by a sketch on www.splitcoaststampers.com, but I did not keep track of which one. I just kind of made the card as I had the sketch in mind. I am not sure whether or not it is true to the sketch or even close for that matter. Of course, I had to glitter these trees too.






Speaking of SplitCoast, the Chrismas card frenzy started because I wanted to try this star tag punch tutorial. I made the red star last Friday (card on right again) and then really wanted to make a card to put with it. The star was really not hard, though I think it would have been cuter with patterned paper on the inside. The Blitzen papers were a natural with the colors I happened to use for the star. Since I never do anything with them, I wanted to use the tags that come with the kits, which explains the background...

(Sorry, I cannot remember who makes the metal flower - it was just in my Scrap Rack and I wanted to use something in the middle).

Okay, last one...
The stamp on here is actually from 2 years ago. I bought it when it was on sale after Christmas last year from my friend Eva - who, incidentally, just started selling her supplies on line. She has some fun stuff, so check out her store. I buy a lot of my Adirondack/Ranger and non SU stamps from her. This just uses more leftover Blitzen and a prime flower I have been saving forever. Kind of hoping it works for Christmas due to the color. I am so addicted to those Primas...

Well, I have some more card basis cut, but I need work to slow down a bit before I can finish them. Maybe this weekend will work.

Thanks for checking out what I have so far.

Donation card

Stampin' Up does some with with Ronald McDonald House. This year, we are making little packets of holiday cards for the residents. So, I made a bunch of these cards with the Snow Burst set I am so in love with. I may be making a lot of my own cards with this set. The layout design was inspired by Jennifer MacGuire's floral cards on 2Peas.

Stamps: Stampin' Up Snow Burst
Ink: Encore Metallic
Cardstock: Club Scrap
Paint (star center): Ranger Adirondack Pearls
Ribbon and cord: Stampin Up

A fast, fun digi page....

I finally learned how to use a digi template! Jessica Sprague is giving a mini album away with a page each day in December. I guess this page is an early bird. She had outstanding directions on how to use the template, so I learned something new and got this page done in about 15 minutes this morning. It is a layered .psd file, so I could take off the element I did not want on my page and I just added the photos and the red swirls, which are by Shabby Princess from her free kit last year (recolored). Wasn't that easy?

Give it a try:
http://spraguelab.squarespace.com/blog/2007/11/23/photoshop-friday-daily-december-mini-album.html

Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought I would share the little card I made for my brother and his wife. They are doing Thanksgiving for the first time at their house and seemed a bit stressed about it. So, I thought this may be a good pick-me-up. All colors are Stampin Up (Old Olive, Only Orange, Creamy Caramel and Whisper White). The stamp sets are retired Lovely Leaves and More Great Greetings. Giga scallop punch by EK Success - and I used to Coluzzle for the first time to make the circle shapes. It worked so well! I may be using that again a lot more.

I am off to make mashed potatoes, green beans and a salad to help out for dinner.

Have a great Turkey Day everyone!

KAYAKING!

It was awesome! I took kayak lessons last summer, but have only been able to go practice on sit-on-tops. Sunday I got to use the faster and more comfortable ocean kayaks. My friend R. came with me and we had a blast paddling around the harbor. I thought I would show you a few pictures. Not exactly graceful with the PFD on, but hey, a good time was had by all.

First Dive Photos

A couple of weeks ago, I got certified in diving. It was so fun - and kind of exciting! Yesterday, I went on my first post-certification dive. I had bought a case for my little camera and went to town. I thought I would share some of those photos. Location is Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach.

Sea Urchins... yummy - and so cute underwater!

There were lots of these bright yellow fish (garabaldi, I am told). I loved them because they showed up so well in pictures.


This star fish was HUGE - over a foot across.


This little bitty guy was cute too! Not as magnificent, but cute.


Sea plants. They were really more colorful. I guess one day I will need an underwater camera with a strobe. For now, this will have to do for sharing.

I forgot what this was. One of the guys diving with us did tell me though. It was maybe the size of a large fist.

And lastly, my dive buddy was my ex, Jim. It was his first post cert dive too. Not the perfect dive position, but hey, we both just swam the best we could. And as long as I was floating and not sitting on the bottom, I was calling it good!

No pictures of me because I had the camera. Mauricio took some of me for my certification dive, but I don't have his pictures yet. If they are good, maybe I will share them later.

Happy Halloween!

It seems like I hardly ever do anything for Halloween, so I thought I would make treats for my coworkers. They are just little cello bags of candy I made tags for with the Batty for You SU set and SU punches. Enjoy!

How to Build a Snowman

I finally finished it! This was a layout I started at the Asilomar retreat. The photos are from my friend L -- I started by getting paper from her stash and started to play. But I really wanted to do something with glitter and chipboard on it, so I brought it home to work on. I have been doing a little bit, letting it sit out, working on it again etc.

The chipboard is painted with MM paints. On the swirls, I painted a base coat with pink, and them made a wash of a dark pink and the glitter specialty paint. It took a while, but it was fun to paint. The letters are painted in white, and then painted over with a mix of the white and lots of the glitter paint. I dabbed it on with the foam brush so in real life it looks like snow.

I wish I saw the snow more. It is so fun to do snow layouts. Thanks for letting me do yours L!