Merry Christmas

Today is Christmas Eve.  I want to wish everyone who stops by to visit a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

I have lots of excuses for not posting in a while.  My most recent is that I have had bronchitis for the past week.  Before that I haven't done much in my scrap room.  No energy, no time, no get up and go.  In fact, my get up and go got up and left.  Deserted, abandoned, headed for the hills.  Yup, just gone!!!

I did make one card this week, well. . .  actually I made three, but only took a picture of this one.  The other two I gave away before I thought to take a picture. They were the same design, just maybe a little prettier.  Sorry, you will have to take my word for it. This card is called folded tree and if you click on the link,
Connie Babbert you will see my inspiration.  I found a card like it on someone's blog and followed it to InkspiredTreasures.com where Connie had posted the diagram for this darling tree.  It is really quite easy if you have a circle cutter of some kind.

I made 5 of those Thanks/Joyful banners for a lady at work.  I don't want to do any more of those for a while.    I keep thinking that Spring/Summer would make nice banners also, but that is as far as that line of thought has gone.  I need to order more coasters if I am going to attempt it.  My original banner was one sided.  I am trying to improve on it.  I found some large split rings and took out the hemp and connected it with the rings.  Now I am trying to put JOYFUL on the other side, but one of the pieces is confounding me.  I used different pieces of chipboard for it and one just refuses to take on any color.  I can't decide if I want to remake that one piece or keep messing around to try to get it to take the color.

I went to visit my sisters in August and one of them introduced me to Debbie Macomber books.  I wish she hadn't done that.  You will probably notice that my posting fell off around that time.  I can't get enough of her books.  I used to read regency romance novels and never cared much for modern day stuff.  I just wasn't reading the right authors.

There's a nice fire crackling in the living room, I am going to go snuggle up on the sofa and try not to cough my fool head off.

Have a Blessed Christmas and A Happy New Year.

Thanks for tuning in.

Joyful/Thanks

The photos are horrible, I need a decent camera, I guess.
Blogger changed the way they upload photos and I guess I just loaded them backwards.  Sorry about that.

I wanted you to see my latest thanks/joyful banner.  I changed it a little using different stamps and thought you might like to see.  This originally started from a photo in our Close To My Heart Idea Book.  I think it was the Summer edition.  Since then I made one like the book and then Annette Greene  made one that is beautiful.  I have been trying ever since to imitate hers.  Check out the link to Annette's Creative Journey.  She is an artist by trade and gift.  Take a look around her blog, she is so fantastically talented it is impressive.  If you stumble across her Halloween photos you will be amazed at the make up job she did on herself, her husband and her daughter.
I made one of these banners for a lady I work with and the other morning she came into my office to tell me her mother had to have one and paid me for it up front.  I was in the middle of another job, so I had to wait until this weekend to get it together.  I hope she will like this one as much as she likes the one I made for her daughter.  My biggest problem is finding the chipboard letters.  CTMH is retiring them, so I snapped up several more packs.  The ones I used on this banner are actually from Michael's.  I am thinking of making more for Spring and Summer.  I made one for a wedding gift and I made one for my sister's birthday.  I was going to send it to her, but I really wanted to see her open it so I will take it with me when I go next week.  I get to spend 5 wonderful days with my sisters.  I went down in August when they were just getting everything back into the house ofter the construction project. and worked my butt off, this time I am hoping most of that has been done.
I have some work to do this evening so I better sign off.
Thanks for tuning in.

weekend work

Ornament box - pizza box on a diet.

I picked up the Paper Crafts Holiday Cards issue and this was on the same page as the card below. It is supposed to look like a gift on the front of the card.  I could have used a different paper and a larger bow, but oh well.  The button has a big brad fed through the holes and wrapped around the bow.  My Friend, Sharon, showed me this trick.  I thought it was pretty clever.

Deneen Treble made a card like this, Then I saw that my friend Sharon had also made one and she showed me the original in the Holiday Cards magazine.  Love it.  It is so simple and so darn cute.

head on shot of the ornament box.

I am anxious to get back to my book so I will say goodnight and thanks for tuning in.

United Way Contribution

United Way expects everyone in the school to make a contribution.  I am not crazy about the idea of contributing money from my pocket, but contributing my artwork is another story.  I have all the supplies already and for the selfish reason that it advertises my business.  These items will become part of a silent auction.  Whatever is bid will become my contribution.  Yeah, works for me.

The brightly colored School Rules is a 5X8 notepad  with a pocket on the inside of the cover.

The 4X5 Thank you cards go inside the box with the pumpkin on the front.

The six little 3x3 thank you cards go inside the little drawer.

Thanks for tuning in.

Sports Bar

I think this is so cool.  One of my teachers asked me if I could make a sign for her son, Christian's, loft. He is only about 11 or 12, but he told her it wasn't his loft, but his sports bar.  Yes, I know that these balls are out of proportion, DH has already pointed that out.  Too Bad, So Sad.  What do you want when you are making them from scratch, right?!?  Can you think of anything else I should add to it?
I think I might get to bed early tonight, how nice for me.  I want to get up early in the am so I can run by WalMart and get a birthday cake.  Tomorrow is the principal's birthday.  I made her a card, you already saw that the other day, and I gave toward a gift card to Bath & Body Works, but she is a special lady.  You can never have enough cake, right?
Thanks for tuning in.

Couple of cards 2

Check out Vicki Wizniuk's card here.   This is cased from her blog.  Vicki makes and sells the most beautiful work and  I always enjoy visiting her blog for new ideas.  The card is for my boss.  Her birthday is Thursday and her favorite colors are pink and green, which is also her sorority colors.  

This card is for our Teacher of the Year.  Ms. C. Smith.  We have so many  Smith's in our school we call them by their initial.    I used  the Notebook paper pack.  One of my absolutely least favorite paper packs of all time, as the papers have coffee stains ALL over them.  In all CTMH paper packs there are 6 different 12X12 papers, two of each design and there are 10 sheets of 12X12 card stock six of them in the colors that are found in the papers of each paper pack and four in white daisy or colonial white to use as bases for layouts or card making.  Back to the coffee stains - ewe yuk.  I DO NOT like distressing done on a card, layout or other project.  Some people really think it looks nice, but to me it looks dirty.  Why would I put all that effort into a project and then half destroy it before giving it to someone?  To me that would be like taking an article from around my house that I didn't want or care much about and giving it as a gift.  Nope, not happening!!!!  I was able to cut this paper so that little to none of the coffee stains showed.

Thanks for tuning in.  If you haven't seen them check out my other three posts today.

another version of THANKS from the idea book

For this set I used the Passages paper pack and cut my chipboard from nestabilities.  The one that I copied from the idea book on page 38 is made from a Mix and Mingle album.  I had this one at work and was showing it to one of the clerks when a teacher walked by and said she wanted one.  I will take this one and the other, two sided one in and see which one she prefers.

I have a couple of cards to share and will do so in a 4th post today.  Check it out.
Thanks for tuning in.

Imitation part 2

Here is side two of my imitation of Annette Green's project.  The paper pack is Olivia, the stamp set used is Many Thanks and a very old one, I cannot remember the name.  More of the Mocha opaques.
Thanks for tuning in and stayed tuned for another version.of the THANKS. I don't think I have posted it yet.