Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Tuesday Already!

     Whew!  Where did the weekend go?  Oh well, it was crazy-busy-fun while it lasted.  I hope yours was great too!  I had a fabulous time at the crop I attended on Saturday, and they raised some money for a good cause.  Now I'm trying to catch up with real weekday life again.  But I can't complain too much - spring has sprung in my gardens, and new life is poking up through the soil.  I'm sooo ready for spring!

     For today, the rainy weather makes a perfect day for crafting (and cleaning, but that's no fun to talk about).  I have a stamped card to share with you.  I used a stamp from a set that my husband Mick and our grandson Dalton picked up for me at an auction.  Wasn't that sweet!
     Sorry the color doesn't show too well in the picture.  You can see that this paper is very sparkly, and the entire card is done in shades of brown and green.  These stamps are very detailed, and have very fine lines so the image ends up looking quite delicate.  What do you think?

     Well, my clean laundry is waiting for me, so I'd better get busy folding.  If I hurry, I might sneak in some craft time later!

Bye for now,
Anne
  

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Funky Chicken Thursday!

     Well, the weekend is getting closer.  It should be easy sailing from here to the weekend, so relax and start the fun now!  I have another cute chicken card to share with you, and hopefully it brings a smile to your face.
     This chicken image and the phrase, like yesterday's, are from the Country Life Cricut Cartridge.  I used the same papers for both cards, but this one I added a bit of ribbon.  Again, I cut the brown shadow twice so that I could put one shadow flat on the card and raise the other one on sticky foam.  I just love all the great images on this cartridge!

     That's all for today.  I have a full schedule today, so I have to run.  You have a fabulous day today! 
Bye for now,
Anne

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Well, we've made it to Wednesday again!

      We've reached the middle of the week again.  It should get easier from here, so relax and enjoy!  In the meantime, check out this card that I made with the Country Life Cricut Cartridge.
     This is one of the cartridges that I don't have yet, but a friend of mine very sweetly let me borrow it.  I have been wanting this cartridge for a while, but after I saw all the cute images and phrases on it, now I know that I have to have it!  This card is one of a set of two chicken cards.  Isn't it cute?  So easy to put together!  I did add a little ink on the edges (of course), and some faux stitching in a couple of spots.  I also cut two of the brown chicken shadows so that I could place one flat on the card, and raise the other one on sticky foam for a little dimension.

     Well, that's all for today.  Don't forget to leave me a comment, and stop by again tomorrow.  

Bye for now,
Anne

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

A Birthday Card for Tuesday

     Hello again!  I hope you're having a great day.  I have another card to share with you.  Sometimes it can be hard to come up with a masculine birthday card, but this one would be perfect for a guy. 
     The tan mat was cut with a Nestabilities die in my Cuttlebug.  All the papers are from the same collection from S.E.I.  I added a little ink, some hemp, and a few buttons and the card was finished.  The end result is a beautiful card for a man or a woman.  Super easy!  I hope you like it.

Bye for now,
Anne

Monday, March 7, 2011

Monday Mini-Album!

     Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Did you get some crafting in?  I had a great time Saturday at the scrapbook Crop that I attended.  Now I can't wait for the next one.  Good thing it's next Saturday!  Usually I don't get to go to crops so close together, but it just worked out this time.  Yipp-ee! 

     Back to the business at hand.  You didn't stop by to read my ramblings, you want to see a project, right?  Don't worry, I have one to show you.  I haven't shared a mini-album with you in a while, and I thought that might be a good way to start the week.
     This is the Paper Bag Album that I made a few years ago after our first trip to Arizona.  We were visiting some family members, and we had a wonderful time.  I wanted an album that was small enough to carry with me and sturdy enough to take some abuse.  This little album has held up very well, especially considering how much it has been carried, handled, looked at, and thrown around.  I knew that it was going to show some wear and tear, so I started off with a vintage look.  That way all the handling and abuse just adds to the charm, instead of ruining the book.  It's hard to believe how many pictures and how much journaling you can put into a few brown lunch bags!

     You can see that I have tags in a variety of shapes and sizes poking out of every possible opening!  Most of the tags have a picture or memento on one side and journaling on the other.  Some of the tags are folded in half, and there is even more on the inside. 

     I picked up maps, tickets, brochures, or whatever information I could find, and used them in my album.  Some of the maps are used as background pieces, and many of the items were cut up and scattered throughout as little bits of journaling here and there.  I used natural desert colors for the book, and if one of the scraps of ephemera that I wanted to use was the wrong color (like the map), then I just scanned it in to my computer and printed it out in a washed out or antique version.
     As you can see in the pictures, I used a lot of interactive elements in this album.  So many things to pull out, turn over, or open up.  People who wanted to could just quickly flip through the book, but if they wanted they could take the time to really enjoy every page and tag.
     I was very happy with the way this book turned out, so of course I took full credit for it on the back.  Hopefully if this album ever gets lost this nameplate on the back will also help it find it's way home.  I think that is always a good idea for a book that is going many places and passing through a lot of hands.

     If you have any questions about anything in this album, like how something was done, or assembly details and such, just ask!  Put your questions in the comment section and I will be glad to answer them as fully as possible.  And if haven't tried a Paper Bag Album for yourself, give it a try!  They can be a lot of fun, they a quick and portable, and very inexpensive to make.  They are perfect for kids too.   Have fun with it!

Bye for now,
Anne 
 

Friday, March 4, 2011

T.G.I.F.!

     Yeah!!  It's Friday!  I hope you have a fun weekend planned.  Mick and I are spending the evening with a group of friends (our trail riding buddies), and then tomorrow I get to go to a Scrapbook Crop.  Whoo-hoo!  All of this has put me in a horse/papercraft/thankful mood, so let's put that all together. 
     There we go!  A Thank You card with horses.  Just right for today!  The horses are stamped, as is the sentiment.  The scalloped oval I cut with a Nestabilities die and my Cuttlebug.  The flowers were a little too overwhelming at first, so I brushed a little ink over the surface.  That toned them down just a bit. 

     Well, that's it for today.  I hope that you like my simple little card.  Leave me a comment with any thoughts or ideas, I always love to read them!

Bye for now,
Anne

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Go Fish!

     Happy Thursday!  We're on the downhill slide, heading towards the weekend.  Yippee!  It's time to think about kicking back and relaxing for a few hours.  Maybe with a fishing pole....
     I just love the silhouette cuts on the A Child's Year Cricut cartridge.  This little fishing boy just makes me think of breezy summer days at the lake.  Come on summer! 
   
     The mat behind the boy is from a Nestabilities Die that I ran through my Cuttlebug.  Both the light and dark blue card stock is from DCWV, and has a white core.  A little sanding gives it a wonderfully worn look.  I used an EK Success border punch for the top of the "water", and added a button and a couple of brads.  Easy-peasy!

     Well, that's all for today.  Drop by tomorrow for another project to wind up the week.
Bye for now,
Anne

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Gratitude for...everything!

     Do you ever feel like you just need to let someone know how grateful you are?  It may be for something big, or something small, or just for being who they are.  Whatever the reason, you don't have to get stuck in that same old "Thank You" rut.  Change it up a bit!  Find a new way to express your, well... gratitude!
     I found this gratitude stamp in a set of clear autumn stamps that I have.  I stamped it first in blue, and then slightly offset in brown.  This gave it a little bit of a shadow effect.  That is my favorite thing about clear stamps - you can see exactly where you are stamping.  Add a few buttons, round a corner or four, and tie on some ribbon.  Not too much to it, but it does get the point across!

     This card can be used at any time of the year, for a man or a woman.  Blues and browns together are universal!  Make a few up today, and let the people in your life know how you feel.  Express your gratitude!

Bye for now,
Anne 

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Here Comes the Bride!

     It's starting to look like Spring is on it's way.  That means we can expect a flurry of April showers, May flowers, and June weddings.  Do you have all your cards ready?  You don't want to be caught throwing one together at the last minute.  Here is an idea for a card that you can use for a variety of occasions.  Bridal Showers, Weddings, Anniversaries, this one work for them all.  See what you think.
     This is the bride cut from the Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut Cartridge.  After cutting all the layers, I ran the brides gown through the Cuttlebug in the Tapestry embossing folder.  Next I used a fine tip glue to go over all the raised areas on the gown and the detail marks on the other pieces, and then sprinkled them with a fine glitter.  The background paper is from the DCWV Luxury Stack. 

      If you know the colors of the wedding, you can make the background paper match them, and you can also change the color of the brides hair to make it more personalized.  If the bride is a scrapbooker, use a repositionable adhesive to attach the bride to the background.  That way she can use the bride figure in her wedding scrapbooks.

     I hope you like this sparkly little bride.  Don't forget to leave me a comment to tell me what you think of this one.

Bye for now,
Anne