Even More Favorite Tools!

I recently purchased the distressing tool from CTMH and I'm really loving it. It's in the shape of a wheel, easy to hold, and to use. Very inexpensive, too! I also have a few favorite glues and tapes I use: Zig two-way glue I use on almost every project if it involves paper or cardstock! It's great for adhering letters cut with my Cricut Expression. Two other glues I use on a regular basis are the Tombow multi glue, and "Quickie Glue" from Sakura. It's a pin-point sized roller and is super for fine line glittering. Scotch brand double-sided tape is a must have for me. I use tons of it while creating cards. My favorite "puff" tape for adding dimension is the Scotch brand foam tape. It's about the only thing I use when I need to add dimension in both scrapbooks and cards. My favorite tape for adhering ribbon is the 1/8" double-sided tape called "Be Creative." It's the best tape I've found so far and I purchased it at the Scrapbooker's Treasure Box store in Brooks, Alberta. It comes in all widths, is much less expensive than other brands, and the rolls are much larger so I don't run out so often!

Masculine Birthday Card

Nothing beats an antique truck for a masculine birthday card theme! This one is for a dear "nephew" whom I've know since he was 3 and he's somewhere in his mid-twenties now. I used the same "crinkled" cardstock method as in the Father's Day 2009 card.

Father's Day 2009

For the background on this card, I simply sprayed a piece of cardstock with water, both sides, then crumpled and straightened to dry. I've never used this texture method before, but I think it really gives a nice added dimension to the card.

Stampin' Varmint Kitty

This is our old kitty, Varmint, who is 14 now and has very little to do with me. She's a man's cat, mostly because she belonged to my late husband when we married, and was a spoiled only child. But, she loves to hang out in my craft room and take a nap where she can find a flat surface. The only time she has anything to do with me is in the winter, when she enjoys curling up for a nap on my lap!

Baby Boy Buggy Card

Gary's niece had a baby boy on May 5, 2009, and since the baby was three weeks early, I was unprepared with a card. So, this is the card I made for her. I also made this card for Gary's daughter last fall when Gary's first grandson was born . NOTE: This card was copied from a wonderful crafter on the SplitCoastStampers website. If I could remember her name, I'd include it here!

I'm going to a retreat!

On May 15th, I'm going away for a whole weekend to a stamping/scrapping retreat in beautiful Monarch, Montana! So, I've been very busy this weekend working on samples of the projects I'll be taking with me. So far, I've got our Thanksgiving & Christmas cards designed, and I think maybe I'll take supplies to create an explosion box. What's an explosion box you ask? Well, you can see one at my friend, Kathy's blog - Bowl of Stamps, or you can wait and I'll post a picture of my box when I get it done. Kathy's is an awesome example, since she made hers into a "scrapbook in a box" and did a terrific job! I'm not sure what I'll use this box for, but I've been wanting to make one for a very long time. Hopefully, it won't be as hard as the woven basket I made, which turned out okay, but it's not the best project I've ever made! It was not easy and took me forever. It's sure not something I'll post on this blog! Besides working on projects for the retreat, I've been keeping a close eye on Gary, whose doctor increased doses for his migraine medications and had him so over medicated, I took him to the emergency room! He's almost back to normal, and has returned to the old doses. Everybody is trying to figure out why this VA doctor increased the doses - it's still a mystery! Another great thing I did this weekend was talk to my friend Lloyd from Washington. This guy sends the funniest emails, every one of them makes both Gary and I howl with laughter and I just love chatting on the phone with him! Lloyd is like a brother to me and we first met back in 1985 (wow - 24 years!) when I was working with the ambulance service and Lloyd was on my crew. Then, his wife invited me for coffee and we've been close friends ever since. My friend in Canada, Michelle, and I email every single day and I'm not sure I can get through my day without hearing from Michelle! We recently spent two days in Canada visiting Michelle, and really enjoyed our trip and the visit to the Dinosaur Park near her home. We actually went to deliver the scrapbook I made for Michelle's daughter, but really, that was just an excuse to go visit Michelle! Michelle makes the BEST sandwiches and her mom makes the BEST shepherd's pie (her home canned fruit is pretty darn good, too!). Now, I'm off to make myself a latte, since I cannot, under any circumstances, start my day without caffeine! Happy Monday and have a wonderful week!

More of My Favorite Tools

I'll add to the list of favorite tools I use: 1. Embossing Body (SU) really does work! It's really important to use the embossing buddy when using dark embossing powder like I used in the Easter Blessings card, otherwise, your image will have little black specks everywhere! I learn very well from mistakes! 2. Did I mention Gary as a tool? Well, Gary is real honest about whether my cards or pages look good or need more embellishments and unless the card is for him, I get an opinion about every card and scrapbook page I create! 3. Baby wipes! I'm not sure I can even craft without baby wipes to keep my hands clean! My hands have a tendency to get oily quickly, so I've always got a "wet" one handy. Plus, baby wipes are great to remove excess ink from stamps, & cleaning ink off a variety of surfaces (doesn't work on clothes!). 4. Micro tip scissors from SU - I cannot even begin to tell you how often I use these. They are super sharp, super pointy, and can get into the smallest places. Plus, they're still under $10 in their catalog! My sister swears by the CTMH version of these scissors, and they're the same price. 5. Disposable gloves - these are super cheap in the paint section of any hardware store. I use them whenever I'm dealing with lots of permanent black ink and since I'm know for getting ink all over my hands, no matter what project I'm working on, disposable gloves are a must have for me! 6. GooGone - I'm not sure how I ever survived before Gary introduced me to GooGone. At the time, he was working for the local True Value hardware store (isn't that every man's dream - working in a hardware store?) and I wanted to get some sticker glue off something in my craft room. He brought a bottle home and now I use it for lots of things. The best use I've found is for getting adhesive off scissors, just to name one of it's great uses! Beware, though, the label on GooGone warns not to use it on rubber, so if you are unmounting rubber stamps, don't use GooGone to remove adhesive off the rubber. Now, GooGone has a spray bottle, which is super convenient!

Easter Blessings Card

I always try to make a special card for Gary no matter what the occasion (literally, I never make his cards again for anybody else!) and when I saw this stamp set and the "stained glass" instructions in the CTMH Spring 2009 catalog, I just had to figure out an Easter card for Gary because I knew I couldn't wait until Christmas to use this stamp set! It's real simple, you emboss the image in black, watercolor the image, apply liquid glass or crystal effects over the entire surface, let it dry a very long time, and you have stained glass! The "cross" is actually 4 squares from the stamp set arranged to look like a cross.

First Cricut Expression Card

I made this card to say thank you to Gary for my birthday present - a Cricut Expression!

The flower is cut 5 times starting at 1" and then 4 more times increasing by 1/4" increments.

Lots of Hearts!!!

I made this card for Gary for Valentine's Day 2008 and it took hours to cut out all those hearts! He's worth every minute, too!