March 28, 2011

Calendar Girls 3

The Calendar Girls are at it again!   It is the 28th of the month and our time to post this months creations.   In addition to this post, please view the other Calendar Girls blog posts.  You can find links to their blogs on the right sidebar under the title Calendar Girls.

April, was our hostess this March.   I love the fact that she chose March as her month because her birthday is in March and her name is April! 

Back to business......we were to make a card using the sketch April provided.   The challenges were seemingly pretty simple.   1.  Use the sketch provided.     2.  Feature something that you are looking forward to on your card.   3.  Use a technique that 'scares' you.   Yeah well, simplicity was good in theory!

The sketch was great and no issues there.   What I am looking forward to, easy deal....spring, thus the flower.   The technique, well holy night!  

Anyone who knows me can confidently state that I am my dry cleaner's best customer.   The reasons are I take everything there and they can sew and mend.   This girl cannot sew.   No buttons, no hems, no way.  My sewing needs grew a little more than Mrs. Ford could handle, so I took all of my alterations to the lady at Nordstroms.   She felt sorry for me because they charge an arm and a leg for items not purchased there and put me in touch with a seamstress.   Mary, is my new best friend.

So what does this have to do with my card?  I bought a friggin' Sew Easy!  How funny is that?!   There was a WAIT LIST for it at the craft store.  Who knew so many women were clamoring for the Sew Easy?  DH said "what are you going to do with THAT?".  I had to listen to DH say "That's SEW EASY" for like two days. Let me tell ya, Sew Easy is Sew Hard!!!!  Really, I just made a mess of it!   

The Sew Easy is a cool tool.  I found that it is not easy to roll the wheel in a straight line.  That takes some practice.  I ended up using a plastic ruler as a bit of a guide.   So then I had some holes.   Now the part I am dreading...I HAVE TO SEW.....but it will look so cute.   Holy night.   I had to thread the needle with the floss.  Then I did not know how much floss I needed, so did not want to cut it.  I rocked out about two stitches before I had a tangled mess.   Yikes!  I finally got myself back on track, only to do it AGAIN.  I was laughing at myself out loud.   The second mess was really bad!   It was on the last hole and the floss was knotted hard.  I was trying not to rip the only piece of paper that matched the card for cripe sake, or I would have just cut bait and started over.  I was about ready to call, Mary!

I now have some words of wisdom (yeah right) on the Sew Easy.   Cool product.   Great price - $8.00 for the handle with one head.  Additional heads $3.00.   Using a 40% off coupon $4.80 and $1.79.  You do need the pink pad to roll it on.   It was $8.00 as well.   They sell the floss in three shades of the same color for $3.00.  I just used floss from the embroidery section for $.39 (yes, I had to ask where that was, as I had seen it somewhere before).  While I was there, they had these cute little holders that you can put your floss on and label the color number.   You all know this already, right?  Okay, it's just new to me.

Wow, that was a long story, sorry!   Here is my card.   I used Stampin' UP! Nature's Wonders, circa 2002.  Colored with Prismacolor Pencils. The shiny DP is from Best Creative Inc.  The checkered DP is from Cricut.   The card stock is from my scrap bin.   I normally am not a sticker kind of girl, but used Reflections bubbled stickers.  I placed them on all of the circles of the DP, which does not show well in the photograph.  

I still cannot believe I almost broke a sweat making this card!  Thanks, for taking the time to check out my little project.

    

March 21, 2011

Apples From Taylored Expressions

As a part of Splitcoaststampers (SCS) Taylored Expressions recently became a Member Company.   As an announcement of this membership, there was a thread that offered a card making challenge using Taylored Expression stamps.   Even more exciting, is that there are free digi stamps being offered here.

I used the apple basket digi to create this card.   I remembered that I had some apple DP {remember I am trying to use up the DP's that I have!}.  I paired it with some various colored card stock.  I used a die cut at the craft store to create the fence.  A cute Fiskars punch made the apple.   I sponged some ink on the yellow card stock.  I cut out an apple from the DP {that was fun!} to put on the computer generated sentiment.   Two eyelets, some more sponged ink and a recycled piece of raffia and we are complete!

I know, doesn't it make you want an apple right now?!  Would I appear too cheesy, in the fact that I ate an apple while creating this card?!  Talk about the power of suggestion!   LOL  

You still have time to join in on the challenge!   It closes on March 21st at 8PM CST.   The prizes will be announced on the thread listed above.

I hope that you like the card and thanks, for taking the time to peek in on it!




Card entered in the following challenge(s):   Digi Doodle Shop's Best

March 16, 2011

Luck of the Irish!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

Did you know that the original color associated with Saint Patrick was BLUE?!  Yeppers, it was.   As St. Patrick's Day evolved, it changed to green.  People have been wearing green on St. Patrick's Day since the 17th century....that's a lot of pinches!

The shamrock was used by Saint Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish.  The term 'wearing of the green' is to refer to wearing the shamrock on your clothing.

Well, since I am probably not going to be wearing a shamrock, I thought I would try to make one.  My friend Jeanette, sends out links to blogs featuring paper punch art.  So I thought well, that Martha Stewart heart punch I recently purchased would work for shamrock leaves.   I ran the green paper through the Cuttlebug to add some texture, punched some hearts, cut some stems and used an eyelet to hold it all together.


The card base is Stampin' UP!, Only Orange.  The green paper is from Bazzill.  The DP is so cute, that I did not want to cover it up!  It is from Karen Foster, Irish Gold.  The rhinestones are a really pretty light green that did not photograph as such, but from Relections at Michael's.  The sentiment is from Create with TLC.  I also used the oval scalloped Nestability and an EK Success edge punch for the Celtic looking circles.

My family is Irish, so I had some shamrocks to make! They should be arriving in mailboxes today. I hope that they like them.

Have a great St. Patrick's Day!




Card entered in the following challenge(s):  Bugaboo Stamps  Riley and Company

March 15, 2011

Dueling Darlings - March

Girls, I am so excited to have moved from being a Guest with the Dueling Darlings, to an actual Diva member!  Can you believe it?!  The group is so fun and welcoming. I am very happy to have been considered and asked.

So, it is my official first month.  I was stalking the mailbox.   The kit materials were sent out so quick, but seemed like forevah to get here!   I just had to tear into the kit the first night.  

The kit.  Oh my, the kit.  The kit was themed Being a Kid at Heart!  There was so much stuff in there thanks to, Kelly.   Enough for multiple cards. The image is adorable and from Riley and Company. There was also an extra special 'challenge' item.  I tried to use as many items from the kit as I could. I ended up being able to use eleven items, twelve if you include the image itself.  I hope that is enough!

As mentioned were a few little challenges to go with this kit.  I chose to use the green items from the kit, as my mom was totally into the green theme for a phase when I was growing up - and I don't mean recycling!   Her other favorite color was yellow, so the only added items that I put with the kit were the card base, an accent piece of green DP and a little orange strip of card stock.  The challenge piece given was a piece of the puzzle, literally!  I used the puzzle piece to start the word for the sentiment inside the card. 

I had a great time this month.  Please take the time to check out the other Dueling Darlings listed below!

Dazzlers

Jeanette   ||   Melina   ||   Debbie   ||   Michelle   ||   Terry   ||   Paola   ||    April

Divas

||   Kelly   ||   Joan   ||   Carol   ||   Barb   ||   LJ   ||   Judy   ||   Jamie