Jan 29, 2009

a new circle journal...

well it's finally finished. i'm hosting another circle journal swap over at the shack and it's the first mail day today. i didn't realize when i picked this theme how hard it would be do create my cj! but i finally did. i love the papers...they are from we r memory keepers. very fun! and i was inspired by an idea from friend sarah that i should be using more of my embarrassing large collection/obsession of ribbons and fibers. so i found this funky turquoise fiber i had received in a swap (probably a few years ago!) and it worked perfectly i think!! i had a fun (or frustrating!) time trying to come up with what to do for each month, but i like how they all turned out. i left it unbound for now, since i have no idea how big it will be when it's returned to me!









what i {love} about

stamps: studio g, hero arts, ctmh, autumn leaves, fontwerks, imaginisce, chf, 3 scrappy boys
paper:we r memory keepers, close to cocoa (su); kraft (bazzil)
ink:
jardin moss (palette)
old paper distress ink (tim holtz)
vintage sepia, onyx black (versafine)
cool caribbean, summer sun, riding hood red, pink pirouette, tangerine tango, always artichoke, blue bayou (su)
embellishments: rubons-scrapworks, jenni bowlin, american crafts; ribbon, twine (su, making memories, american crafts); unknown ribbon
fonts: ld woodland, ld distorted drusillus, db journal doodles
other:: weeds and wildflowers designs digital images


here is a link to sherri's circle journal. she's so on top of the game already!!!

Jan 25, 2009

playing with digital scrapping...


so my new project for the year is taking one picture a day of everyday life things and journaling a little about them . it all started from the world of becky higgins and the kit of the month from creating keepsakes called project 365. the craft world went a little whacky over the whole thing. i decided that i'm not a huge scrapbooker, but i do love my blog. so i started a new blog for the project. i've always loved playing and creating things (like blog headers, layouts for pages and stuff) so i downloaded the trial version of photoshop elements. i'm sad it will expire in 25 days...hopefully i'll win a lottery or something and be able to purchase it. anyway, so i decided to try and create a few pages of my 365 project. this is what i've come up with. i posted a different version on my 365 blog, but i've tweaked it since and removed some of the journaling. i like this version much better. most of the digital elements come from this amazing site called weeds and wildflowers designs.

neglect...

i feel like i've been neglecting my baby here. i've become addicted to crackbook, i mean facebook and my other new adventure, 365 my way. after i get back from my trip (in 7 days, woo hoo!!) i promise i'm going to get crafting more. i've missed it...

Jan 17, 2009

a sneak peak...

i never knew that sneak peaks were so poplular!! especially this time of year with craft and stamp companies getting ready for the "big" trade show!!! so i thought i would post a sneak peak of the circle journal i've been working on. i fell in love with this paper at roberts and had to buy it. i'm so glad i did!!! it's from we r memory keepers.


Jan 12, 2009

a free day...

ahh!! i got put on call today for work. but i didn't get the message until after i had already been in the shower (at 520am!). i tried going back to sleep, but couldn't. so i decided to spend some time crafting in the quiet morning!!! i was pretty productive!! i finished two swaps!








changito
stamps: stampendous
cardstock: night of navy, ballet blue(all su)
ink: blue bayou (su), onyx black (versafine)
embellishment: ribbon
other: spellbinders dies, bic markers













whoo-la-la
stamps: stampin up
cardstock: purely pomegranate (su)
ink: purely pomegranate (su); timber brown stazon

Jan 9, 2009

valentine's things...

i told you i would be crafty today and post some things. i made a comment on my other blog (see it here, if you'd like) about how i usually start crafting with an idea i have in my head. then i start playing around with different things and by the time i'm done, i have a few things that have morphed from the idea in my head. that's what happened here. i started working on the atc for sherri's rosey red atc swap and before i realized it, i was making it into a card!!! here are both.


love tree
stamps: stamping bella
cardstock: riding hood red, chocolate chip (all su)
ink: riding hood red (su), onyx black (versafine)
other: ribbon (su), fun flock




love, love, love
stamps: stamping bella
cardstock: riding hood red, pink pirouette, chocolate chip, close to cocoa (all su)
ink: riding hood red (su), timber brown (staz on)
other: ribbon (su), prismacolor markers

the oddest thing...

i promise i'll have crafty things to post later. i've got to get some swaps done today (before sherri kills me!) so i'll have more to add. but for now, i had to share this picture. i happened to have the camera with me the other day (because it was sunny and i wanted to look for cool pictures to take!) and i passed this house. i don't know what they did to this tree, or how they did it, but it is so cool!! the picture doesn't really do it justice. the whole tree is one giant icicle!!! i just now noticed the light at the bottom. i wonder if they light it up at night. i might have to take a drive when it gets dark and find out!!

Jan 7, 2009

i have a new love...

i'm usually pretty sensitive to strong smells, specifically smelly lotions and bath stuff. stopping in at bath and body works usually has me walking out with a whopping migraine and sneezing all the way home. same with victoria's secret. all their "love" versions...ie love spell etc. now don't get me wrong. i love smelly lotions and body products. if they are the right kind. and when i find one i love, i usually stock up on it. because these two places have a tendency to discontinue everything i love. i used to love (many years ago!) one called 'spring' from victoria's secret. oh my. i couldn't get enough of that smell. i swear i bought all the lotion and bubble bath they had. then one day...poof...it was gone. i was so sad. i searched ebay trying to find more of the stuff. and then i finally ran out. i've done the same thing with MANY flavors from bath and body works. i usually go for the clean, non-fruity smells. i steer clear of almost all things fruity (except for one mango kind...it's not too bad). and anything vanilla?? forget it. that is the worst smell...i hate it.

so knowing all that...remember i an a nurse. we wash our hands hundreds of times a day. i should keep track one day, just to see how many times a day it is. anyway, back to my story...we are in the middle of winter (winter+dry cold air=bad dry cracked skin). and with winter comes respiratory illness. and with respiratory illness comes the dreaded "isolation". code for must wear gown, gloves and mask anytime you touch a patient. so if washing your hands a hundred times a day isn't bad enough, shove them into a hundred pairs of gloves...which i swear makes your hands worse. and i work usually with a bunch of women (and men, but not as many!). so with that in mind, there is usually a wide variety of lotions and creams floating around for your hands. i've seen this kind of lotion before. twisted peppermint from bath and body works. now usually i try and steer clear of any of the "holiday" smells like candy apple or vanilla bean noel, for reasons mentioned above. so i never thought much about the twisted peppermint. then a few weeks ago, my friend jamie was all excited to show me her bottle of this twisted peppermint business. she said it was so yummy. so i tried not to be scrooge and bah humbug her excitement and decided to try it. if it was awful, well, i would inevitably wash my hands 12 times in the next 30 minutes, so i figured why not. OH MY GOODNESS!!! was i floored. i loved the stuff. loved it!!! so much that i think i visited jamie's bedside about 20 times that afternoon just so i could mooch her lotion!! so much, in fact, that i stopped at the bath and body works that was on the way home, that night after work!!! of course, to my disappointment, it was dec 23 and they had zero of it anywhere. i was heartbroken!!! so the next day i had to call all the other 5 stores in and around my town, to see if i could score some. nope. "it's the day before christmas!" was what one kind person told me on the phone. well fine.

so i was sad for a few days, coming to the realization that i may have to wait until next christmas to see if they were going to have this in the stores again. all the time thinking to myself, that since i love it so much, they will discontinue it. like the always do with the flavors i love. but low and behold, what shows up in my inbox the day after christmas? the coveted "big semi-annual sale" email!! (cue heavenly angel singing here!) oh my happiness!! and what was on sale, you may ask? why the twisted peppermint line. for 50% off!! woo hoo!!! i ordered it like a mad woman!!! and it finally came yesterday. i'm such a happy girl. now i have a huge supply of this wondrous product to make me the happiest girl in all the land! or at least, enough to use until i get totally sick of it...then forget about it for 6 months and have it come out again next christmas!!!

ahhh...i have a new love. and it's red and white and full of pepperminty goodness (and yes, sadly, even the tiniest hint of vanilla!).

my 10 wishes circle journal...

if you have been reading my blog for a while, you will remember that i've been hosting a circle journal with the theme of "10 wishes". the swap started back in july. (i can't believe it was that long ago!!) each person started their own circle journal, then every three weeks it was sent on to the next person in the group. we did this 8 times. then we each finally received our own cj back. i absolutely love mine!! i hope everyone who participated is as happy with their cj as i am with mine!! it's priceless!! and so worth the stress it takes to try and organize and create each person's cj entry!! i'm addicted to these little things. i think this is my seventh one. and i just started another (so be prepared for more posts!). anyway, thanks to all the amazing people that participated and made this swap go so smoothly!!

my 10 wishes circle journal


sign in page


angie


terry


chris


roxie


gaerria


sherri


joanne


ellie

Jan 6, 2009

playing with one color...

my friend sherri is hosting a couple of color swaps over at the shack. i'm in the bluer than blue and the let's be brown atc swaps. i did one a while ago that was all purple. i had a hard time with that one. i also had a hard time with the blue one. then i was at the store the other day and walked past the paint isle. i was drawn to the sample wall and saw the cards that have like 4 shades of the same color on one. so i grabbed a few of the blue ones and this is what i ended up with!!!


brrr
stamps: stampendous
cardstock: blue bayou
ink: onyx black (versafine)
other: bic markers, paint sample cards



the brown themed one wasn't as hard for me to think up an idea. i love this little stamp set that i received from a friend and thought the little hedgehogs (at least that's what i think they are!) were so cute!! so i added a quote to it and viola!


love and hot chocolate
stamps: walmart
cardstock: chocolate chip, close to cocoa, river rock
ink: timber brown (stazon)
other: bic markers