Seven Easter Cards

It took an entire day to make these cards, not even kidding. I work out of plastic 12”x12” storage containers (they’re all labeled, so it’s not total chaos) that are kept in a closet, and, man, they were spread every which way. One of the craft YouTubes I watch suggested sketching out your cards before making them, so I put pencil to pad and kind of did that. I even listed some of the “ingredients” I had to work with and it helped me to focus on the things I’d need to make my cards.

I don’t normally send out Easter cards, but I had it in my mind I wanted to do that for a few people this year. Crafting is like therapy for me, so yesterday was like a good ol’ shot in the arm. Thinking about each person as I created something just for them lifted my spirits and left me feeling very loved.

For descriptions and close-ups my flickr has it all.

Been playing around with the Vagabond again. Also, made another card. Go, me.

As I pull into the shopping center, I roll down my window...

Me: Sir! Excuse me, Sir!

Nice Looking Older Man (who just got out of pick-up truck): Looks at me like I’m crazy

Me (not suppressing the giggles): You have a label on the back of your jeans!

NLOM: Blank expression

Me: (Still giggling and pointing at his butt, thinking maybe he isn’t understanding my English; predominately Mexican population here): You have one of those really long labels running down the back of your leg!

NLOM (Finally dawns on him what I’m saying): Turns and grabs the back of his jeans.

Me: The other one!
 
NLOM: Tears off the label

Me: I give him a thumbs up (both of us laughing mightily)

NLOM: I be stylin’!

Me: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! the rest of the day.

I know, I know, More Rosettes!

...but I can’t stop making them!

I have a new die that makes TWO rosettes at a time, so now I have three different sizes. This time I took some Tim Holtz Distress Ink to the edges and it really made them pop. Also, I put a magnet on the back of a couple of them and didn’t hoard them, I actually gave them away!

Rosettes

Rosettes For A Memorial

 

I crafted about 50 rosettes in the colors of the San Fransisco 49ers for my daughter's co-worker. (The colors aren't exact, but it was the only paper she could find. P.S. The photos make the red look pink.) Her father passed away so these will be used along with other table decorations for the gathering afterward.

Rather than making it all dreary and sad, I like that the family has chosen to celebrate this man's life incorporating the fun things he loved during his lifetime.

The rosettes were fun to make and went together easily. They did take some time, though, which is no biggie if you're only making a few, but when you're making them in bulk you need to be organized enough to know what it entails. If you've never used this die, I recommend watching Tim Holtz's demo video.  His videos are so informative and helpful, I keep them in my YouTube favorites folder for quick reference.

Another item I highly recommend having on hand is a reusable non-stick surface. Laying down dots of hot glue for the center of your rosettes will be challenging if you don't have one.

The only part I wasn't fond of was gluing the ends together to make the circle. The paper was thinner than the heavier scrapbooking paper I'm used to working with and the rosettes small, so my fingers seemed like boulders when it came to lining up the tiny ends. But after I began using a glue stick instead of the Glossy Accents (a liquid glue of sorts) Tim Holtz recommends for heavier paper (as I did with these), the ends came together a lot easier.

This particular die makes one rosette and one center at a time, which is great. In this instance, though, the paper wasn't long enough to cut the rosette and the center at the same time, so I used a circle punch for the centers. It worked out for the better because I had extras in case I screwed up, which, of course, is inevitable.

There are so many things one can do with a rosette (Google, you will be amazed). I picked up some super wide ribbon with a stiff texture the other day and it worked wonderfully! This opens up a whole new world of ideas. I am hooked and can't wait to make more!

Wizard of Oz at Goodwill!

Goodwill find, child-sized table, only $24.99!

I'm so excited!

I'm not sure where I'm going to put it, but I couldn't pass it up. It's made in Taiwan and very sturdy for a kid's table. I'm sure there are chairs to match it out there somewhere; the hunt is on!

My First Smash Book

SMASHING!

I began this *Smash Book back in June 2011 and finally finished it the 1st of March 2012, whew! I very much like the end result. It probably isn't much of anything to anyone else but me, but that's what journaling is all about. I just thought it would be fun to show my version of smashing.

Maybe once you see the mish-mash of things I've stuffed inside the pages you'll be inspired to start one of your own. My next one (Orange) is already waiting in the wings! (For photos of the book in its entirety be sure to visit my Flickr.)

The handy-dandy pockets come 3 to a pack with one built-in on the inside-back. It's a great place to put the things you want to stick inside the pages when you don't have time.

I used the tiny photos that came with my photo orders which are printed on 6"x4" photo paper. They're perfect for Smashing, inserting into a locket or to use with any number of other projects.

Look closely at the center of the right-hand page. I stamped a peacock feather and like the way it turned out. You will see it on another page where it's not so subtle.

 

A lot of people make their own books, which I may tackle some day, but for now I need a starting point. The images on the pages of the Smash Books, as well as other products this company publishes, work as prompts and provide me a great place to start. Even the pen that comes with the book is great, and the glue at the opposite end is the best of this type I've ever tried. Really.

 

This is one of my favorite pages. I played around with some of my stamps and markers, even tied a real ribbon around the bouquet of flowers. My images aren't showing it, but my favorite pen is a sparkly-glittery type pen and I used it every single chance I could get.

 

I love buttons!

  

This was the last page I did. It's especially meaningful because every time I looked at that bicycle page I wanted to do something with it, but I got nuttin'. It all finally came together one day when I got home from doing some errands and spotted a piece of paper on our front lawn. It turned out to be what looks like an ice cream label with "Joy Joy" written on it, it's so perfect!

I added vintage ribbon, cut the ends into tiny strips and glued them on to the ends of the handlebars. I also took my glittery pen to the shiny parts of the bicycle so it sparkles where the light hits it. It's another favorite page of mine.

 

My daughters surprised me with a Vagabond by Sizzix (GAH!), so I played around with some of the dies and shared some here. I also bagged some up to go along with a few Smash Books we are giving as gifts. There are so many dies out there that I tell everyone I know if they ever want to give me a gift (for the rest of my life), dies will make me very  happy.

 

My top ten were in no particular order, of course, I mean, who can do that? Number 3 is books, so I made a miniature book especially for this spot.

Thistle was our old lady baby, we had her for over 15 years. I couldn't leave her out. And that back yard of ours, it's tough to keep up, but when I'm done mowing it's very satisfying to see what I've accomplished. And it smells goo, too! I used the built-in pocket for glue dots, envelopes, journaling paper and whatever else I thought I might need to make it easier to journal.

To see the entire set of photos with close-ups, please visit My Flickr under the set titled Smashing.

*I am not affiliated in any way with the company who publishes Smash Book products, I just think they're nifty.

Our Neighbor's Dog

Snoopy, our neighbor’s dog, gets out of their yard a lot. (He’s lonely.) Today I was cleaning out my craft room and left the gate open while I loaded some boxes into my car to donate and he ran into the back yard before I could stop him. Dawn let Gibbs out first and they ran and ran. We put him back in the house and let Winnie out and they ran and ran and ran and ran and Clover joined in. Then they were all out together and had a party.

This is what happened when we tried to get him to leave. He loves us. I ended up carrying him back home.

I uploaded this video to YouTube in case you can't view it here.