Welcome Spring

It was officially the first day of SPRING yesterday, although we are still having below normal temperatures and the odd snow flurry or hail storm.  But despite this, I am forging ahead, and creating something seasonal.  I figure the weather will catch up eventually.

Here is my latest card creation.  I call it, "Spring Birthday", because my brain is tired and I can't think of anything else.  It was made for my son's girlfriend, who is having a birthday in about 2 weeks. 

One of the reasons I made this card was out of guilt.  I went shopping last week (also known as "retail therapy"), and bought FOUR Memory Box dies.  I had only planned on getting one, but you know how I have trouble making decisions, and so I ended up with more (plus one on order!)  So having blown the budget, I thought I had better use the stuff I had purchased.

The paper is Basic Greys's "Porcelain", one of my favorite lines.  The flowers are Memory Box "Cherry Blossom", made with a velveteen paper.  The branch and leaves I cut with my Silhouette. using cardstock and paper.  My Silhouette doesn't want to cut anything thicker, for some reason.  The label is die cut with another Memory box die, "Primo Labels".

I really like using the Memory Box dies.  They cut well, and are small so easy to store.  That being said, they are also easy to misplace, if they are tiny.  

Until next time, when it may actually feel like spring.......

Krafty Curiosity Shoppe Opens On the Boardwalk

The RULE was, I was only going to use G45's "On the Boardwalk" paper for my travel journal.  I thought, "No matching, less options and therefore fewer choices - this will be easy".  And it was, for a time.

Then came the crop, which I was an hour late in getting to.  And one of reasons I was late, was because I went shopping on the way in, picking up the new G45 papers, Kraft Reflections and Olde Curiosity Shoppe.  (It was either shop on the way there, or during the crop.  I figured time wise it was better to stop on the way there).

Anyway, I just couldn't help myself, and suddenly flowers and butterflies were appearing where I didn't expect them to be.  Are there flowers and butterflies on a boardwalk?  Maybe not in real life, but there are in my journal.

You may be wondering if I forgot to take anything to this crop.  Of course I did.  The photos made it, but I left some of my dies at home.   Somehow I got thru the day without them! 

Until next time...

Count down to Crop

Yes, the crop is only TWO SLEEPS away, and I have not started packing for it yet.  Unless you have attended crops, you won't understand the craziness of this.  Why would I need so much time to pack a few papers, glue and scissors?   The answer is simple.  I am going to have 12 hours of uninterrupted time to create, think, scrapbook, colour or whatever I want.  There won't be any laundry.  Or meals.  The only distraction will be the vendors, and I can handle that.  So I must plan, and plan carefully, to make sure I have everything my current project will require.  This means I will have to THINK AHEAD, which is not something I always do.  I often forget things.  Like my pictures.

The first crop I ever went to was a 2 day affair, and a 2 hour drive away.  You can imagine my dismay to realize that I had left all my photos behind. 

Another time, I neglected to bring my pictures as well, but I was close enough that I could just drive home and get them.  (It was a mistake to go home.  The dog wanted out, someone wanted a ride somewhere, and I couldn't help noticing the pile of laundry....)

I've also forgotten papers, glue and my work mat, but often I can buy what I need, or make do.  I really can't manage without my pictures, which are my inspiration for the pages I make.

Which brings me to a realization:  If I created scrapbook pages with no photos, I think it would be easier.  My problem is coordinating the papers and embellishments to colours and objects I see in the photo.  No images would mean that I could just make a page, and not worry about the picture fitting in or agonizing over colour choice, or fretting if that embellishment is obscuring  a vital image in the corner of the photo.  But that would take all the fun away, wouldn't it?

Until next time......

My New Mantra

For the last month, I have been doing a different job at work.  It's called "holiday relief", and let me tell you, it will be a relief for me when it's over.  It's not that I don't know how to do the work, it's just that it's outside my comfort zone a lot of the time.  So when the telephone messages and referrals start piling up, I start to feel a little panicky, like I'm losing control over the situation.   To settle myself, I have starting chanting this little mantra...."Keep Calm and Carry On".    It does help somewhat, although the mountains of paper are still there, and the telephone keeps ringing. 

I decided to make this to put in the office.  I may leave it behind for the regular gal when she gets back from vacation.  The words and background were made using my Silhouette.  The paper is plain black cardstock and Basic Grey Marrakech.  It's pretty bright, and a little goes a long way.  The butterfly is a metal thing I picked up at Micheal's.  You can't see it, but there are Stickles in the flower centres.

This weekend I'm going to an all day crop.  I'm very excited about it.  I'm planning on working on my Mexico book, provided I don't forget to bring my photos.  I always seem to forget something.  I'll tell you about some of my great faux pas sometime.

Until next then.....



A New Use for an Old(er) Die

 I was working on my Mexico book (in fact I had scheduled a "play date" my friend to get some pages done) when I realized that the photos I needed were inconveniently glued into last years Basic Grey Calendar.  Not sure how that happened.  Anyway, I dragged out my yarn, and crocheted another pair of slippers  to keep myself busy while my friend merrily cut, glued and created cards.

Once completed, I thought they looked a bit plain, and needed a little flower or something.  I was tired of crocheting, and suddenly realized that I could die cut flowers from felt, using my Big Shot and Tim Holz dies!  I think it took almost as long to DECIDE what flowers to use as it did to crochet the slippers.  These are the Tattered Florals.  In the centre is a button from Basic Grey, secured with yarn.  I had so much fun with this, that I cut out some Hello Kitty faces with some Sizzix dies for a pair of slippers I made my daughter.  That was a little harder cutting the felt.  The bigger, thicker dies definitely work better.

These things are always a learning experience, and here is what I learned.  There are more yarn colours that felt colours, so choose the felt flower colour first, then get the yarn to go with it.  Either that or crochet your flowers!

Now not to worry, this is not turning into a knitting and crochet blog, I now have my Mexico pictures, and will hopefully be starting on that again.  Unless I get distracted, of course.

Until next time...



Meanwhile, back in Mexico....

Actually, these phots were taken at Sea World in San Diego.  We had a few days in California before we got on a cruise ship to Mexico.  Ahhh, memories!

So it's hard to see here, but I was quite daring with this page, and got rather experimental, which is not something I usually get.  The paper is Graphic 45 (you were expecting something else?!?), from the Boardwalk collection. 

Experiment #1 - the large flamingo is covered with Glossy Accents, and then ultra fine glitter was sparingly sprinkled over top. 
Result - while the flamingo looks quite stunning, the rest of the page warped. 
Conclusion - Glossy Accents is best left as that:  small accents created separately and then glued on.

Experiment #2 - I really jumped out of my comfort zone, and cut an image out of a photo because the background wasn't very nice.  It  was hard for me to cut around my image in the photo, because I'm a straight lines kind of girl.
Result - well, I kind of like it, although I hope the flamingo doesn't poop on my shoulder.
Conclusion - I may try this again in the future, but I will be more careful with picture placement.

Until next time....

UFO Update

I am very pleased to report that I have completed a couple of pages in my Mexico album (photos to follow in a day or 2 or 3, depending on how things go).  However, I have also been looking through some knitting projects, and pulled out another forgotten creation.

I started this dog sweater a long, long time ago for our dog Lucy, pictured here looking like she would rather be somewhere else.  Since I was in a finishing things up kind of mood, I sharpened my knitting needles, and got right to work.  I did run into a couple of snags.   I had no idea where I had left off, so had to guess where to start.  Also, because doggie sizes are a little like human sizes, and nothing quite fits like it should, I wasn't sure what size I was making.  I had to to just plunge ahead.  One other question I had was, What was I thinking when I chose these colours?!?

I was so happy about finishing this sweater, that I decided I was going to USE UP my yarn scraps, and make some crocheted slippers.  Can you see where this is going?  I had a pattern, but the wrong size crochet hook to get that oh-so-important tension correct.  While I was in the store, I thought maybe I'd get the yarn suggested in the pattern.  (I did some other shopping, but we won't go into that).

After successfully completing a pair in dark blue, I thought maybe I'd use up the partial ball of red yarn left over from making fingerless mittens at Christmas.  One and a half slippers later, I discover I am out of yarn.  So now I will be going back and getting another ball of red to finish the pair, leaving me with yet more scrap yarn.

And this is just the problem with using up leftovers.  Somehow, it always ends up that I'm back at the store, getting more yarn, or paper or ribbon, because I need more of whatever it is I'm trying to get rid of.  How can this be?

On a more upbeat note, I see that the CHA has been going on, and many blogs are all a-twitter about the wonderful new products coming out.  Wouldn't it be grand to go to the CHA?  I feel a bit like Cinderella, wishing she could go to the ball!

Until next time.....