and so it begins...

another circle journal swap, that is. this one is a summer theme. i had a hard time coming up with my cj for this theme. i knew what i wanted to do for my pages (then did something completely different as i got going!) but couldn't figure it out for the journal part. i had an idea sunday morning and just went with it. this is the result. now that i look at it, it's kind of minimalist, compared to some of my others. but i love the simplicity of it. and i can't get enough of this cute paper and stamp set from stampin up. i originally used the hemp twine to hold it together during the mailing process, but i think i may leave it once i get it back. i think it's cute!









2010 summer cj
stamps: basic grey, eat cake graphics, kim huges, imaginisce, purple onion designs, riley, stampin up
cardstock: river rock, stampin up pp, bo bunny pp, my mind's eye pp, we r memory keepers pp
ink: baja breeze, pacific point, melon mambo, crushed curry, chocolate chip; onyx black, vintage sepia, majestic blue
embellishments: prismacolor markers, stickles
fonts: ck fun, ck new years day
tools: corner chomper, bind it all

support...

a friend from over at the stamp shack was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago. i hosted a breast cancer atc swap in honor of her and asked each swapper to send an extra atc so we could make a little book for merry. today was her first day of chemo and when she got home, she found her little book in the mail. what perfect timing! here is the book i put together with everyone's atcs. they all did a great job. the person who made the atc is listed below their atc. i got this idea from christie (see her's here), who originally did this for our friend lesa. lesa is now a breast cancer survivor and has an awesome program where she sends cards to those battling breast cancer. please visit her blog, little life preservers!

cindi

suzanne

sherri

angie

chris

mary

robin

jenn

kirsty

2010 coaster calendar...

last year i had a swap where we made a monthly calendar with coasters (it's here). i was asked it i was going to host another one for 2010 so i figured why not! i'm glad i did. it turned out amazing (as usual...everyone is awesome!). here is the calendar.

coaster calendar swap...

i was the hostess for a 2009 coaster calendar swap . each person chose one month and altered 12 coasters. then i swapped them all and used my bind it all to bind them. they turned out so great!! everyone did a great job!!

happy mini notebook...

i made another mini notebook. the front piece i created from wordle.net. i was experimenting when i was making the journal for my niece, madi. i wanted to see if i could protect the ink from the inkjet printer in case it got wet or something. so i embossed it with clear embossing powder. it worked great and i love how it turned out. i also ventured to office depot and had them cut a ream of cardstock for these so i didn't have to do it on my little trimmer. best investment ever!!!

happy mini notebook

supplies: stampin up designer paper and ribbon, chipboard coasters, bind it all, embossing powder, versamark ink

mini notebooks...

i've decided i get in ruts. not bad ruts, mind you, but ruts where i find a pattern or group of paper that i like and then i run with it. with scissors, mind you (hehe). the latest rut i'm in is with this fabulous paper from my mind's eye. i love it!! i think it was really for babies, since they make the same paper in boy shades with boy words, but that's not how i'm using it!! below are two mini notebooks i've made. one to sell on etsy in my shop and the other for one of my friends (who shall remain nameless until she receives it!) that is amazing. i'm planning on making more. i just need to find an easier way to get the "guts" of the notebook. i've been cutting paper to size. i think i need to go to office max or somewhere and have them do the cutting for me. it's much easier with their big machine. oh well... thanks to my friend patty from the shack for sending me the princess images.

(this is the inside of the notebooks)

journals...

my two nieces, madison and sydney, just had a special event in their lives. i won't go into details, but it was a celebratory event and i made them each a journal for them to use however they wish. they are about the two cutest girls in the world, with my other niece, breanna, being the third! anyway, these are the little journals i made for madi and syd. on madi's journal i created the front with wordle.net.

madi's journal

syd's journal

10 wishes circle journal...

well, here it is. the newest circle journal swap i've been talked into hosting (hehe!). the theme is 10 wishes. i've been working on this for a while. it is nothing like what i had in mind when i started it. i couldn't get the idea from my head to the journal. oh well. i like how it turned out anyway.

10 wishes

stamps: green grass stamps, stampin up

cardstock: stampin up (soft sky, night of navy, purely pomegranate); patterned paper from pebbles inc and heidi grace

ink: white craft ink and night of navy-stampin up; versafine, versamark

embellishments: ribbon from stampin up and pebbles; rubons from lasting impressions, american crafts and bo bunny; ep stampin up; cardstock stickers from american crafts; chipboard, staples

misc tools: bind it all, slot punch (su)