Taking a short break

Hello all.

Thanks to everyone who checks out my blog.  I have so much fun with it.

I won't be posting for a week or so, not too long, just a short break.

My cousin's wife died the morning of Christmas Eve after a long battle with Cancer.  It was expected, but still of course very hard!  She left behind her husband (my cousin) and her two teenage daughters.  Funeral arrangements have not been made yet, but will be soon.

On a happier note my mother is in town, the timing could not be better, as the family should be together right now.  I haven't seen her in a little over 2 years, so I want to spend as much time with her as possible.

So, I will be focusing on my family in the coming week or so, and then return to blogging frequently.  I just wanted to let everyone know what was going on, and I have already shot some really fun videos, but I do need to edit them before I can share, so be looking forward to some really fun stuff!  I'll be in touch soon :)

Yet Another Felt Ornament

This is the last one I'll show.  It's my personal favorite of the set.  There are 2 more, but I feel like I've shown enough pictures of them for you to get the point!  *LOL*

I purchased stocking kits for both my kids that are a similar technique, but I just wasn't able to get them done this year.  So... look forward to seeing them for next holiday season.  They are absolutely breathtaking.  I will be working away at them all throughout the year.

Wreath Card Using the Martha Stewart Branch Punch

This is a beginner and budget friendly project :) 

I just used the Martha Stewart branch punch to make the wreath.  I added some Stickles for berries and a bow.

Glittered Ornaments With Initials

I have decided that I would like to make an ornament for each member of the family each year.  Last year I bought plain glass ornaments and used some white glitter glue and a silver pen.  The results were OK, but VERY "handmade" looking if ya know what I mean ;)  *LOL*

This year I decided to use the Cricut With The Christmas technique of using floor polish to make the inside of the ornaments sticky, and then adding glitter.  I finished off the fronts with some scalloped circles with the letters of our initials inside!  What a blast!  For those of you with a Cricut, the font is Ashylyns Alphabet.

I had my husband pick his own glitter color, and he made the deciding choice on the font.  That way I feel like he participated!  :)  As the kids get older I want to get us all involved in making ornaments together.

Our initals are fun, they spell things like arts, and rats!  *LOL*  :)  Yes, I'm a dork, but I got a real kick out of that.

Eeyore Cross Stitch

I started this way back in April.  I finished it in June and then put it in a large plastic container where I store gifts.  Just recently I got it back out, bought it a nice frame, and wrapped it for my best friend, who obviously loves Eeyore.  The picture is horrid, but you get the idea :) 

The Tags Put to Good Use

Recently I showed some fun tags I made.  Well, I put them to good use and used them to decorate presents I wrapped.  I also used the 2 boxes I made previously with my Ultimate Crafter's Companion.  I think my gifts look really lovely this year!

Here's the boxes I made with the tags to complete them.

Here's the gifts that I wrapped as normal, and just used the tags on.

Penguin Family Card

Supply List:

Stampin Up Whisper White Card Stock

Stampin Up Basic Black Craft Ink

Stampin Up Stampn' Write Markers
Stampin Up Stamp-a-ma-jig

Stampendous Cozy Penguin Trio Stamp

Stamp N Stuff Embossing Powder in Midnight Black

Embossing Heat Gun

Patterned Paper - This one is from a K & Company Holiday Stack

Cuttlebug - and Cuttlebug folder called Ice Crystals
Adhesive - I used the Glue Glider Pro w/ the Perma Tac

Another Felt Ornament

Here's another handmade felt ornament.  Yes, I know I have been showing a lot of these, but they take many hours, so that does detract from my time to do other projects :)

2 Page New Baby Layout

I didn't scrap this until I had done most of the rest of the book.  I found hospital pictures to be a real challenge.  Crummy lighting, and just an exhausted looking new family!  *LOL*  No amount of photo editing in the world could help with my appearance after that labor!  :)  But... I still thought it was important to include of course.  I managed to get some small items like hospital bracelets in the mix and I chose colors that I think worked well.  I also used this opportunity to journal about the special bond between daddy and daughter.  After all, that magical moment they met... is where it all really began!  I used the Xyron sticker machine, with the permanent adhesive to attach the bracelets, and so far, so good on those holding.

Sparkly Tags & Glitter Glue Talk

In this video I talk about a couple different kinds of glitter glue and what their different uses are. I show tags made using the Cricut cartridge Very Merry Tags, but they could still give you good ideas, even if you don't own a Cricut!

Enjoy!

Santa Ornament

Here's another ornament in the series of 6 I'm making.  These may not be the easiest or quickest to do, but the results are wonderful.  Maybe next year I'll make some that I get to keep for myself!!!

Larger Scale Never Ending Card

This is just a quick video showing a never ending card I made.  I made the card much larger than a usual never-ending card so I could include a bunch of cute photos.  Never ending cards are not as hard as you would think.  If you like this idea, check for a full tutorial on Youtube.  I believe I have one listed in my favorites too!  Let me know if you'd like me to actually show the cutting and putting together of one.

Building a Memory Pregnancy Page

Well, I'm glad I got pictures of just how insanely big I was with my daughter!  I look like crap of course being that pregnant, but it's pretty amazing thinking about what my body did.  Even with the crummy photos I think the page turned out well :)

Handmade Elf Ornament

This is one ornament in a series of six that I am making for Christmas gifts.  It's from a Bucilla Kit.  You get stamped felt which you cut out, embroider, sequin, stuff, and sew together.  It's a lot of work, but I think they will be appreciated and loved.  I really struggle with the stem stitching on these, which is the kind that's done on parts like the eye, and here on the frosting of the gingerbread man! *LOL*  I'm getting a lot of practice with that stitch on all these ornaments though, so maybe I'll get better!

Bliss Card Using Serenade

I just got the brand new Cricut cartridge, Serenade.  I've been waiting not very patiently for months after first seeing the images previewed.  This is the first project I came up with using it.

All the paper is beautiful metallics, and then just the textured cardstock base.  It's all from the Die Cuts With a View Latte cardstock stack.  It's a wonderful stack and I have used it a lot recently!!!

*The card is 4 and 1/4 by 5 and 1/2 when folded.

*The tree is cut at 4 inches

*The bird is cut at 1.89 inches

*The swirl is on the shift key, then flipped.  I used "fit to length" on my Expression and chose 2 and 1/2 inches.

*Bliss is cut and shadowed at 1.38 inches, using Gypsy Wanderings

*The butterfly was cut using Storybook in the fancy corner feature at 1 and 1/2 inches.

Wild Thing Scrapbook Page

My son's baby book is turning out to be a different expreience from my daughter's book.  My daughter's book has just tons of embellishments.  Glitter flowers, buttons, ribbons, etc.  My son's book is turning out to be a lot more simple.  It also has more photos on the pages because I am using a better camera than I used to when she was born.

All these papers are from the Die Cuts With a View Safari Chic stack.  I bought the stack specifically thinking of this outfit to scrap!  Yes... I think that makes me a sick woman!  *LOL*  These letters could have been made more clear with a shadow in a solid color, but in this case I decided I wanted it to look a bit more subtle and not as shap, sort of like an animal in it's environment I guess.

I almost used my Animal Kingdom Cricut Cartridge, which has a lion and giraffe that look great, but then I remembered I had these files.  I thought they were a better fit since they were so cutesy and babyish.  They are beyond adorable and I have been wanting to use them, but I think they are best for babies, or for pictures of baby animals, so I figured it was best to use them now while I had the opportunity, and I'm glad I did.

The lion is a little "off".  When I looked at the picture again I realized his eyes were supposed to be way lower, which made him look more sweet, but I couldn't move the eyes.  I drew in the details with a Stampin Up marker.  She included cuts for the mouth and feet, but they didn't cut well, I'm glad she included them though!  They'd be great for wall vinyl or something!!!  The freckles were already notched it, I just accented them.

Get these great files, and lots more too from HERE!!!!  Notes from the Scrapbooklady is an amazing blog!!!  I just know you'll love it if you haven't seen it before!  :)