Trials, tribulations...and a card

We are very much in the midst of summer here and I'm not sure how long I'm going to make it! I was one of the few parents excited about summer because I *thought* I missed my kids. Our lives during the school year are so hectic, we barely see one another and when we do, it is in the car while running to one practice or another; sometimes, it's one game/competition or another.

Summer, to me, is a time to slow down and relax. Except that's not happening. The slowing down is happening, but there is very little relaxing.

You see, The Boy is 12-and-a-half. He *thinks* he runs the house. He is now taller than I, so he believes, in his twisted, misinformed mind that he has some sort of power over me...that he is, in some way, my superior, if you will. He could not be more wrong! Be that as it may, the arguments have become far more frequent. I can point to a black shoe and tell him it is black, and he will argue that it is yellow JUST FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUING (and in the hopes of proving me wrong). He's a very self-righteous child, which, when he was young, was cute. Now, it's annoying.

The other day, The Boy was at a party. The party was at a pool. When The Husband went to pick him up, The Boy decided it would be a great idea to jump out of the pool and unload a super-soaker on The Husband. Let's just say that did *not* go well. For anyone.

I am beginning to believe The Boy will spend a significant amount of time this summer getting reacquainted with his bedroom, as I suspect he will be grounded often. And, since we are the mean, horrible, rotten, no-good parents that we are, he will be BORED TO DEATH since he has no TV, game system, computer or anything of the sort in his room. Just a bed, books (all of which he's read at least two or three times), clothes, and a few toys...and his iPod, but that may have to be taken!

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On a more positive note, the other day, I watched my friend's kids. When I went to bring them home, she offered to keep MINE for a few hours. Giddy with delight, I ran out of there before she had a chance to change her mind.

I came home and decided to make a card, since it is something I have not done in MONTHS! Here it is:




I should totally do a supply list but I cannot, for the life of me remember how I did that since it's been too long. Suffice to say, all products are from PapertreyInk. Cardstock is Vintage Cream & Berry Sorbet and a tiny bit of Lemon Yellow. (The black is leftover Stampin' Up!). The stamp sets are Flower Garden and Everyday Classics. The inks are Very Black and Berry Sorbet. The twine is plain twine that I dyed with the Very Black ink.

Almost an embarrassment!

As I said, I had a baby shower yesterday. The invitation said no cards - use a book instead; however, thinking there may be doubles of books, I went ahead and made a small card rather than write in a book making it non-returnable. (Is that a word? It is now!)

It has been a long time since I made a card. Actually, it has been a VERY long time. I dug out my supplies and got to work. This time, I added ribbon and used my sewing machine! Those are to biggies for me. Well...not so much the ribbon, but the sewing machine!

Here is the result:

I can honestly say I'm a tad bit embarrassed to give it away. You cannot see from the photo, but there is a rather large red smudge between the ladybug and the ribbon. I'm not sure how it happened. Also, the red body of the ladybug did not stamp properly - despite my stamping it twice. Lastly, the word "things" is blurry because I moved the stamp. It is a long, one-line stamp that I had to split into two. It worked OK but not great.

Overall, I think it came out OK but it could have been SO much better. *sigh* I didn't have the time to redo it, nor did I have time to embellish it further.

SUPPLIES:
All supplies PTI
Little Lady
Swiss Dot ribbon - pure poppy
Pure Poppy; Noir

Joy

We are having a secret santa swap for the next four days at work. I always do these things - I think they're so much fun (even though I always end up with stuff I'd never buy and don't really want). I love giving stuff, so that's where the fun comes in. Also, I love making stuff, so that adds a bit of fun to the whole thing as well. For our swap, we are to give a card, a food item, a gag gift, and a real gift. Don't ask what I'm doing for the gag gift...I don't even know the person I have!! Suggestions would be great here!

Today I sat down to make a card for my secret santee (that's what I'm calling the receiver of this and if you have a problem with it, go scratch!). Because I have such few chances to be crafty now, my brain has dried up. I ended up online searching for cute ideas to steal replicate. I ended up at Kristie's blog and this particular card.

I had to make some changes...including moving the bow because my sentiment went where she had none. Still - I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

SUPPLIES:
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Ripe Avacado, Stamper's Select White (PTI)
Stamp Sets: Snowflake Serenade, Borders & Corners (square) (PTI), It's Snow Time (SU)
Ink: Ripe Avacado, Noir, (PTI), Real Red (SU), Blender Pen (SU)
Ribbon: Sheer White Polka Dot (PTI)

And now for something random

I have had a somewhat productive day so far. I did some laundry, ran the dishwasher (no...it is not unloaded yet but the laundry is folded...and NO, it's not put away...jeez! One step at a time here, people. I'm not Wonder Woman!) and went to the grocery. When we got home, I made lunch for the kids and then decided what I *really* wanted to do was make something. A quilt came to mind but I quickly pushed that aside after doubling over with laughter. Instead, I decided on a card. Much easier than a quilt and I have all the materials necessary right here.

I recently purchased Boards & Beams from PapertreyInk and decided I really wanted to play with it. It took me about 20 minutes to whip up this little card. Of course, I did not make it for anyone in particular. I know no one who is away, nor do I know anyone who is just coming home from anywhere. I have a brother who is moving soon but this does not really fit that occasion.

Anyway...here is the card. Hope you like it. I don't have time to make another because it is freakishly quiet in the house and there is no telling what The Boy or The Girl is up to. I'd better go check!

SUPPLIES:

Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Sage Shadow (SU); Stamper's Select White (PTI)

Ink: Palette Noir (PTI), Metallic Art Pencils (SU), Blender Pen (SU)

Ribbon: unknown

And now...a Crafty Post!

My friend's daughter graduated from high school this year. She's a sweet girl and I wanted to do something for her. I knew I could give her money...but I really wanted to make something and I decided on a journal jar. If you don't already know, a journal jar is a jar full of strips of paper. Each strip has a question and the recipient is to tape or copy the question into the journal and then respond to it. The end result is a nice, reflective journal.

I started my project with a color scheme. I knew what colors I wanted to use and I made my jar first. After that, I had to figure everything else out! Here is what the jar looks like:

My next step was to make a book/journal. I had no patterned paper in the colors I wanted so I had to make some. I used the Beautiful Blooms set from PTI. I started with the leaves, then the large flowers, then the small ones, then the individual leaves.

Once I had that finished, I made my book. I used Berry Sorbet paper for the background and some Prima Flowers and stitched ribbon for accents.

I used a bit of patterned paper to decorate the pen:

The end result is a journal jar ensemble perfect for someone headed off to college.

SUPPLIES: (All supplies PTI except where noted)
Ink: Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, Aqua Mist
Stamps: Beautiful Blooms; Boxes, Bags & Tags
Cardstock: Berry Sorbet, Stampers' Select White, Aqua Mist
Ribbon: Berry Sorbet stitched
Flowers: Prima

Celebration time

Not much to say today - just want to post my card for the day. Ever since I first saw the set Limitless Labels from PapertreyInk, I thought the inner-circle images looked like faceless watches. Today, I put a face in the watch. Time to celebrate!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Pixie Pink & Green Galore - SU!; Stampers Select White - PTI
Ink: Pixie Pink & Green Galore Stampin' Write Markers - SU!; Noir - Palette - PTI
Font: Bickley Script & Times New Roman
Stamps: Limitless Labels - PTI

on keeping promises to oneself...

Before this week began, I set a goal for myself. I decided I was going to spend time crafting and, to that end, my goal was to post a new card every day this week. Unfortunately, life doesn't always work that way we want. I *did* make a card this morning but not the type I wanted...not the type anyone wants to make. Heartfelt thoughts go out to my sister-in-law who lost her grandmother yesterday.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Confetti White & Basic Black - SU!
Ink: Noir - Palette (PTI)
Stamps: French Script - SU!
Fonts: Accord Light SF & AdineKirnberg

Day one on vacation

Day one of "vacation" is going well so far. I dropped The Boy off at camp and then went with The Girl to Bed, Bath & Beyond to get some of these guys for The Girl's room. Her room is REALLY small so space is at a premium. Right now, she has a bed, dresser and bookshelf in her room. That's all. It is the smallest room in the house (except maybe the office, but even then, I'm not 100% sure - it may be a tie).

The bed is pretty damned high on those risers and it does not seem all that sturdy. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm going to like this. It may end up a project for The Husband - and won't HE be thrilled when I tell him how I think we should build a loft for The Girl rather than balance her bed precariously atop four inverted small plastic buckets.

After shopping, The Girl and I went out to lunch at Panera, did more shopping, and then she went to her camp. I came home and thoroughly enjoyed my hour and a half! Seriously! I made a card. My friend, Melissa, designed the set for Papertrey Ink and I love it. Melissa is all about flowers, so it is no surprise she'd design a flower set! The name of the set is Women of Life. I started with one of my favorite Stampin' Up! color combinations, Old Olive and More Mustard. I used the stampin' spots to make some patterned paper. Then, I stamped the flowers & sentiment, rounded the corners, aged the edges, and adhered it with dimensionals. The finished project is 4 ¼ x 5 ½.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Old Olive, More Mustard - SU!; Stamper’s Select White - PTI
Ink: Old Olive, More Mustard, & Creamy Caramel - SU!
Stamps: Women of Life - PTI

PAPERTREYink's March Blog Hop Challenge

OK - So I signed up for this challenge because I knew I had to do something to motivate myself! Also, I didn't know until Saturday that I could pull my name (and blog) from the challenge!

I love quilts. I am not a quilter but I love the IDEA of quilting and to that end, read about quilters. I think my passion for quilts and quilting began WAY back when I saw a production of the play, Quilters when I was in high school. Several years ago, my mom gave me a copy of Jennifer Chiaverini's The Quilter's Apprentice and I loved it. I have read all the Elm Creek Quilt novels so far (I am anxiously awaiting the next novel - due out in April). I have even told my mother a few times that she should take up the craft. She, in turn, told me *I* should take it up instead. Yeah, right!

So - I don't quilt. Someday...perhaps! In the meantime, I will continue to combine my love for quilting with my love of paper crafting. One result is this:

The challenge this month was to make ribbon the focal point of the card, rather than an accent. I absolutely LOVE this patterned paper. It is in PAPERTREYink's new pink patterns pack and is 6x6. Don't you just LOVE how Nichole thought to make the 6x6 paper to scale?! It is one thing I hate about 12x12 patterned paper - the images are too big for cards and such. So - I chose my paper before I even chose my card pattern! Then, it was off to grab some PTI ribbon. I ended up using the Spring Moss grosgrain and the Berry Sorbet saddle stitched ribbons to complement the floral paper. I did not put a sentiment on the card because it doesn't need one. The card conveys warmth and friendship, as quilts often do. The finished card is 5 ½” square.

**link back to the PTI Blog Hop** This is a contest, so if you like my card, vote for it HERE at Papertrey's forum! (Voting ends TONIGHT at midnight EST!)

Just once...if I could have my very OWN idea...

Wouldn't that be nice for a change?!

Friday afternoon, when I picked up The Kids from aftercare, I realized there are 4 aftercare ladies for whom I had not made gifts! Since I have no more of these adorable Hershey Nugget tins that I got from PaperTrey Ink, I had to do something else. Since I'm all out of creativity, I stole yet another FABULOUS idea from my friend Nichole. The other day, she made these adorable purse-like containers. They are SO cute! Since I had the clear boxes on hand, I decided to make some of these for the aftercare ladies. Here is how they turned out:

Not too bad, if I say so myself! LOL! I used some Stampin' Up! stuff and some really cute ribbon from Michael's. The sentiment on the cello bag says "holiday treats" and is from PaperTrey's Holiday Treats set. I put a bunch of Christmas Hershey kisses in each bag. The bag comes right out of the "purse" so the ladies can use the purse again, if they choose.

Now, if I could only have an original idea, all would be good! Thanks, Nichole, for the use of your brain!

Secret Santa round Three

This is the third week of our Secret Santa exchange. Next week is the bigger gift and reveal. The first week, I made the Hershey nugget tin, seen here. The second week, I went with a store bought gift (a pretty mug with cocoa mix and such). This week, I got some small things and put them in this little bag. Cute, isn't it?

Although it looks like a normal lunch bag, this little number is about 4"x8". I cut an inch or so off the top because I didn't need it to be so tall. I then cut some cardstock and adhered it to the back after cutting a scalloped edge and scoring 1" down. When I folded it over, I punched holes and threaded the ribbon through. What's a gift without some ribbon?!

The snowmen are from an old Stampin' Up! set I have and, as you can see, I added some liquid applique for fun. I love the effect of the stuff (even though I hardly use it). Once the image was stamped, colored, and appliqued, I double matted it and stuck it on my little bag. I'm sure the recipient will appreciate it and love the contents!

get those creative juices flowing...

So today we had a bit of an impromptu meeting at work. The holidays are coming and we need to do something for the custodial staff. I was selected to purchase a card. Being the rebel I am, I made it certain that I would be getting a CHRISTMAS card and not a holiday card. ;)

Making my Secret Santa gift got me in the creative mood and I decided that I would make a card rather than go out and purchase one. It took a bit longer than I had expected...the creative juices are rusty! Anyway, here is the card I ended up with. I used a section of an SU stamp for the trees and used one of the circles from Papertrey Ink's Borders and Corners circle set to make my background paper.

I think it came out cute. Hope the recipient likes it as well!

Secret Santa...and then some!

Once upon a time, I was a stay-at-home-mom. I did it for the better part of 9 years, and, for the most part, I really enjoyed it. Last year, I went back to work.

During the latter years of my time at home, I became involved in the art of paper crafting, much to the joy of my dear friend, Nichole. Those of you who don't know Nichole - she is an amazing woman. Her creativity is staggering! Recently, Nichole started her own company, PaperTrey Ink and it has really taken off. I stole this clever gift idea from her.

We are having a Secret Santa exchange at work. This is the gift I made for my Secret Santa. I know she'll love it (she said she loves chocolate and those are Hershey nuggets in the tin). I plan on making similar gifts for The Boy's teacher and The Girl's teachers.

Speaking of holidays, I have to vent about something. Recently, in an attempt to be politically correct, people have started referring to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees. Now, I ask you...WHAT THE HELL is a Holiday Tree? It seems people think it is less offensive to the Jewish folk and other non-Christians to say Holiday Tree rather than Christmas Tree. As a Jewish person, I can't see why this is a good thing. To the best of my knowledge, no other religion decorates a tree at this time of year. If it is, in fact, a tree that is decorated with Christmas decorations and used to celebrate Christmas, why would you call it anything else? I do not refer to my Chanukah Menorah as a Holiday Menorah. That would be silly. No one else uses a nine-branched menorah at this particular time of year for anything else. Yes, those who celebrate Kwanzaa do use a candelabra, but it has only seven branches. While I do not know the correct term for the candelabra used for Kwanzaa, I'm fairly certain it is not a Holiday Candelabra.

So...people of the word (or, at least the few of you who actually read this blog), PLEASE...don't call it a Holiday Tree. Stand by your guns and call it what it is...A CHRISTMAS TREE. And - Merry Christmas to my Christian friends; Happy Chanukah to my Jewish friends. Happy Kwanzaa to everyone who celebrates Kwanzaa.