What I've Been Up To!

I know it has been a very long while since I've posted anything - I've been busy with 27 mini albums for the church girls (all Laura Denison's Lacy Flaps pattern and lots of punching!), making stuff for fun, and just playing in my studio!

This is a sample of my 2012 Christmas Ornaments (this one is mine!).  Below the wreath is a link to the YouTube video tutorial on how to create these fun wreaths! 

Click here for the YouTube video tutorial for the wreaths.

I've made two different sized wreaths, all made with simple colored copy paper, and this particular wreath is made with 18 pieces of 3" x 3" paper. I also used silver stickles, a bead, crochet thread for the hanger, and I colored the sheer ribbon with some spray from Lindy's Stamp Gang line of products and used a different shade for the wreath.

Besides lots of wreaths, I've completed lots and lots of cards for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays.  Gary is still busy with his college classes and has finals next week.  He's doing very well and I am proud of all his effort! 

Spring has finally arrived in Montana (I think!), so the week after Gary's finals means the start of yard work, and dogs to groom and something tells me not near as much time in my studio!

Blessings

Happy Easter!

CD Envelope

I mentioned earlier that I was making a CD of photos for my step-daughter, Amy.  Amy is such a blessing in my life so I thought I would make a nice envelope for the CD.  Below is the finished envelope.  I used Dawn Griffith's pattern for inspiration, but I altered it slightly to include a flap to close the envelope.  Thanks Dawn!

Doing Great!

First, I want to thank all of you for your kind words and prayers!  Gary is doing great.  He's been keeping busy being back to work full-time and keeping up with his college courses and believe me, those on-line classes are lots of work!  Spring break is next week but if you've ever been a serious college student, you know that spring break is not really a break, it's just a chance to catch up and work on research papers, which is exactly what Gary plans for that week.

In other news.....poor Abby girl is very nervous the last few days - the wind is blowing with 50-70 mph wind gusts and she can't find a spot in the house that is free of wind noise and of course, her favorite spot is on my lap - shaking the whole time!  Prince, on the other hand, can sleep (& snore!) through just about anything. 

I hope all of you have a wonderful week and again, thank you ever so much for your kind words and prayers. 

Envelopes Martha Stewart Scoreboard

I recently put together some very thick cards for our 13 grandkids and discovered afterwards that the cards did not fit in a standard A2 envelope!  I didn't like the finished sizes of the envelopes provided on the triangle, so I experimented with my Martha Stewart scoreboard for a thick A2 envelope, a 6" square envelope, a 3" square envelope, and a gift card envelope.  This is what I came up with:

Envelope - Thick A2 Card:

Cut paper 8-1/2" x 8-1/2"

Score sides A & C at 3"

Score sides B & D at 3-3/4"

Envelope - 6" Square Card:

Cut paper to 9-3/4" x 9-3/4"

Score all sides at 3-3/4"

Envelope - 3" Square Card:

Cut paper to 5-1/2" x 5-1/2"

Score all sides at 2-1/4"

Envelope - Gift Card:

Cut paper to 4-5/8" x 4-5/8"

Score sides A & C at 1-1/2"

Score sides B & D at 2-1/8"

Scraps of My Life

I rarely do this type of post on my blog - a post with no pictures or a video, but I've been busy lately, both in my life and in my studio. 

First, I ask for your prayers for my husband - he spent the night at the VA hospital because he had a TIA, or mini stroke.  It made both of us sit up and pay attention!  We are both thankful that there was no permanent damage from this TIA.  There wasn't much they could do for him, as most of the meds he needed, he was already taking, so they added just one medication.  He has a small fear of being alone, and I have a small fear of not being there if his condition turns into a full blown stroke.  The doctor ordered him off work for a week, so he's in his "man cave" study room doing homework and studying for his on-line college classes.  He's doing well in his classes and I'm so proud of him for taking on this challenge!  (He's been keeping me busy proofing his papers, too!)

I've also been busy helping a dear stamping friend organize.  This is a major challenge in her life, and I am always teasing her about turning me loose and she'd be organized in no time!  I'll just call her "T" because I rarely mention names here on my blog.  Lately, "T" has been there for me through so much in my life.  "T" is so creative and I love spending time with her and helping her in any way I can.  She now has all her embossing folders in a nice box just like mine.  I made her an ATG gun cradle (from my pattern, hers is featured in the pattern!), so I decorated the lunch box (from Oriental Trading) to match her cradle.  I'm afraid she'll need another box if she buys any more embossing folders!  One thing that amuses me about "T" is that she'll buy something new and give it to me to either figure out or experiment with in my studio.  Currently, I have her CTMH Cricut Cartridge and matching stamp sets! (Can't wait to play!)

Cards?  I've made so many cards since the week before Christmas that I'm actually bored with card making!  I have all birthday cards and holiday cards through the end of June completed, plus I was playing with my embossing folders and Cricut and now I have my 2012 Christmas cards done (for the adults anyway)!  They were fun, with many steps involved and I thank my sister for the Bow-Easy she gave me for Christmas - 25 bows quick and easy to make!

My step-daughter called last night asking if I could make her two daughters new purses.  For Christmas each of our granddaughters (7 of them) got a purse made with the Forever Young Cricut cartridge with a little card and gift card inside (the 6 grandsons got pillow boxes).  Apparently, their little cousin damaged their purses and they were in tears.  Not a problem!  I got them done, too!  She also asked if I could send her all the pictures I have of her family as her laptop crashed and she lost all her pictures.  Now that will be a challenge as all our daughters take lots of pictures and forward them to us!

You all have been keeping me busy with your on line orders, too!  Thank you ever so much!  Selling patterns sure helps my budget for crafting!

Finally, my next class in Missoula is February 24th & 25th, so I'll be gearing up for that very soon.

Thanks for reading.  Sometimes I just have to write everything out to see how fortunate I am to have loved ones and friends, and be thankful for my life.  Always remember that family is not always about relatives - it's a matter of those in your heart, too!

Blessings to all of you!

Clock Card Video

I always have trouble coming up with ideas for cards for men and I think this one is a perfect fit!



Supply list provided in the video.

Owl Be Your Valentine CardVideo Tutorial

This is a simple Valentine's Card (original design by Karen Salmon - February 2012 issue, Scrapbooks, Etc. Magazine).  Please feel free to leave a comment - I enjoy reading them!

Supply list is provided in the video!

Tiers of MemoriesKeepsake Memory BoxTutorial

This is a simple decorative box that you can adjust to fit more inserts or "pages." The pages slide into the box and are independent of each other. The sample has eight pages for special events. Tutorial includes 23 pages of detailed instructions, diagrams, and colored photos.

Tiers of Memories Keepsake Memory Box Tutorial #5911-07 - $10.00

Late Night Lattes & Crafts #13

Christmas Card


Supplies