Family Calendar Minis (photo heavy)

 Three weeks before Christmas I decided to start a project as Christmas presents for some of my family.  Photo Calendars are always a favorite and so I decided to make 3.  Needless to say these calendars were more of an undertaking than expected and Christmas presents turned into New Years presents, then Valentine's, and now St Patty's.  I was thrilled to have finally shipped them early last week and cross them off of my unfinished projects list.  Although the first 2 1/2 months have already passed, they will make great mini albums for them to enjoy once the year is done.

  The calendars are 8 x 8 and each month features a scrapbook page with pictures from 2010 and perhaps some journaling and/or a Title.  I tried to keep the pages relatively simple so that these projects could actually be finished.

  I know that these will be cherished for years to come and it makes it all worth it, and is the reason I scrapbook in the first place!  Next time though, I think I'll start a little sooner lol!!  Now on to the rest of the pile....

Snip 'n Fold Swap mini

  This little mini was made for my friend Valentina based on Laura Denison's 12 days of Christmas tutorial.  We were to make a vintage inspired mini using the colours brown, cream and blue.  I added a bunch of gold as well as I loved the gold glittered motif on the paper I chose for my covers.  This is my first swap and it was so much fun I'm sure to try more.  I already received my beautiful little mini made by Valentina and flip through it each time I go to my craft room.  Hope she will enjoy mine.

  The roses on the front cover are made using Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die and the grunge flower method.  I edged the flowers with gold pigment ink and added clear glitter.   Silk flower leaves left over from a wedding and inked in gold add the perfect backdrop to these pretty blooms. The closure is a piece of grungepaper covered in the same gold ink, and the brad was teal and silver so I used a gold leaf pen to colour the metal.  I love the antiqued little bird house I found at my local hardware store. 

  The inside pockets are created by the folding method used to make this mini and the strips of patterned paper that close the open edges.  Because these pockets are already sooo tiny you would not want to glue that edge together.  Each of the little pages has either a gold or teal glitter bird which I cut out on my cricut.  I added glossy accents to the glittered shapes to prevent the glitter from coming off and to add dimension and shine.

  I loved the colour of these gorgeous Webster's Bloomers which was the jumping off point for the colour choices in this album.  The trim is hotglued to both the front and back cover and hides the spine as well as preventing the tags from coming through.

  I created the tags in my Design Studio software welding two of the same shape together.  The stamped image is one of my favorite Stampin' Up wood mounts that I'd been hoarding in my craft room for sometime waiting for the perfect project.  The images are heat embossed in gold and the edges of the tags are inked in that same gold pigment ink.  The tags are rather tiny with just enough room to jot a tiny note.  This tiny mini would be fun as a brag album housing cropped wallet photos.

  I saw the tutorial for this Tri-Fold card on Splitcoast Stampers' YouTube and scaled it down to fit with the tiny mini.  The finished size is 3 by 3 and it opens up to 3 by 9.  I love the bright springy colours and the Stampin' Up image on the front is another of my favorites.  The Organza ribbon is another from my Stampin' Up stash...no I'm not a representative, I'm just an avid buyer LOL!

  Sorry about the lighting in these photos...its been rather dark in the mornings and a couple of my lights were burnt out!

Thanks for stopping by :O)

Valentines and a Mischevious Monkey

  Making Valentines for my kids classmates has become a tradition.  Although my son has outgrown the holiday, my daughter still looks forward to it each year.  I try to keep the cards somewhat simple because of the number I have to produce.  I used the CindyLou cart for the cute little critters and the Tim Holtz embossing folder to add texture to the background.

   The sentiment on the girls card was "Your a Deer Friend" and the boys was "I'm Nuts About You" which I typed up on the computer and printed on white cardstock.

   My daughter said her friends loved these handmade creations!

  The next project is a pop-up Valentine card I made for my Sweety.  I'd seen several different YouTube videos on this mechanism and always wanted to try one.  The pull out tag has a picture of us looking all fabulous and lovey. I used a tutorial from Capadia Designs to create the rolled rose template in my Cricut Design Studio.

   The Sentiment is also cut using the Cricut Design Studio and then covered with glossy accents. The leaves were leftovers from silk dollar store flowers from a friends wedding.  The card is a little top heavy with all those flowers and layers, but I just love how it turned out.

   My little monkey decided to reorganize our hat/glove drawer while I was doing this post so I just had to add this picture to the end.  She looks so proud of herself seated in the empty drawer.  These are the moments that make me smile.

Supplies:

Cricut Carts - CindyLou & Winter Woodlands, Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye, Cardstock - Stampin' Up & Creative Memories, Pearls - Prima & Kaiser Craft, White Flowers - Wild Orchid Crafts, Glitter - Martha Stewart

Belle's New Coat

  This is Belle. She is Mom and Dad's new Border Collie who's recently had to have surgery on her shoulder for a bone growth in her shoulder that she developed from birth.  Because of the surgery, they shaved a huge amount of her fur from her shoulder, side and back leaving her skin exposed to the elements when out walking in this winter weather.  So her mom decided to sew her a new coat out of fleece remnants and I thought I would share it as I think it's too cute!!

   She found the tutorial for the coat on utube and it was super quick and easy to make.  Best of all she doesn't seem to mind it at all.

   So until her coat grows back, or spring comes (whichever comes first) she'll be sportin this new outerwear on her daily walks.

 

A Few Projects to Share! (Yes Im still here)

  No I haven't won the lottery and disappeared to some exotic Island in the middle of nowhere, I've just been hiding under a tonne of unfinished projects and can't even post any of the finished ones as they are gifts that haven't been recieved yet. But.....I do have a couple of little things that I've made in between that I can share.

  On my Birthday weekend, my girlfriends came over for a craft day and my friend Tracy brought the supplies and inspiration for they cute cards and gift mug we created.  She found the inspiration on another blog called Sarahs Ink Spot if you'd like to check it out.

  I don't have a list of supplies or manufacturers as they were provided by my good friend Tracy, but I hope you enjoy.  I will be back in the next couple of days to post a couple more projects.
  And thank you to those who continue to stop by even though there has been nothing new for quite some time. I always appreciate the comments and love to know that there are others out there that I can share my passion with.

Studio Calico's Wishlist Giveaway

  Studio Calico has a fun challenge going on over at their blog!! They've asked us to post our Holiday Wishlist (of course mine would be too long to post everything so here is a sampling LOL). First up is one of my favorite Studio Calico kits:

  I just love all the fun embellis in this kit and the papers are so versatile. A must have for sure!  This trimmer is so hard to come by.  I've heard so many rave reviews on it and need a replacement for my current slopping, crooked paper cutting trimmer:

  I just got the new Big Shot for an early Christmas gift and have a huge list of dies and embossing folders that I would love to have, but I've yet to find a real money tree so here are my current favs:

  And last, but never least, I have seen soooo many fun projects using acrylic paint, and just love the ease and convenience of the paint daubers! And what better to accent those painted projects than some shimmery misting spray:

  When it really comes down to it, the top of my list is just the opportunity to relax and enjoy some quality time with my Hubby and my three children.  We are so blessed to have this time together!  I also just found out my Brother is going to be in town for Christmas, as well as my dear friends who've been away at school or for work, so this will be the most fantastic Christmas no matter what is under the tree.

  I want to wish all my friends (bloggers included) a fabulous Chritmas and all The Best In The New Year!! I look forward to sharing another year with you and thank you for all your support this last year.

Happy Holidays !!

Christmas Cards with Websters Pages and a little Bling

  Thought I would share a few quick cards I made with Tracy using some of Webster's Pages gorgeous Waiting For Santa line.

  I just love how simple it is to add a little embellishment and the paper carries itself!  We used a ballpoint glue pen to add glitter to the tips of braches, some of the flowers and the outside and strings of the balloons.

 The large tree was too gorgeous to cut apart, so it made for a rather large card that I won't be shipping in the mail. With a little glitter and a jewel on top as well as in the ornament was all it needed to shine.

   We used the same patterned paper for the inside of most of the cards and added glitter there as well.

  Still have a few more to share, but may have to wait until I get some of my other projects caught up. I still haven't even got my tree put up. It's definitely not looking much like Christmas here! Mother nature has kept me rather busy as well with now over 3 feet of snow having fallen in the last week and a daughter who is afraid of the snowblower.  Lets just say I've been doing a lot of shovelling!  Better get going though if I want to get some of these cards in the mail.

Supplies:

Patterned Paper - Webster's Pages, Cardstock - Bazzil, Glitter - Stampendous, Glue Pen - Quickie Glue

Glitter is Glam Challenge in the Moxie Fab World

  I just love all things glittery, and when I saw the challenge over at Moxie Fab I decided I just had to play along.  The inspiration for this card came while watching the news hour.  During the list of latest holiday events there was this adorable silohuette of a tree image made of circles as their background. So this is what I came up with:

 I used my Xron 150 to apply adhesive to the large punched out circles and then added Glitter Ritz for sparkle. The trunk has a line of glitter as well using a glue pen.  This was probably the most finicky card I have made as arranging the circles took quite some time and then sticking them down without them moving around on me was a challenge.  I just love the overall effect though as it is a little modern and different from my usual style.

  So for those of you who want to play along, head on over to Moxie Fab to check it out as well as all the other great glittering projects over there.

Supplies:

Glitter - Glitter Ritz, Cardstock - Stampin' Up, Adhesive - Xyron, Circle Punches - Creative Memories, Snowflake Punch - EK Success, Sentiment Stamp - Stampin' Up