CKU 2005

In 2005 I attended CKU (Creating Keepsakes University) in Minneapolis with some girlfriends. It was a great experience - fantastic classes, great shopping, fun events and contests, and new friends. But the ultimate of the whole experience was when my name was called as the winner of the page contest. Seriously? I was dumbfounded. And then I couldn't stop smiling. It really was awesome. And the big pink box full of prizes was incredible - I'm pretty sure I still have some of the product left there was so much.



I made a mini album of my whole CKU experience but I still had some of these pictures so I threw together this page to include in my All About Me album.



I stamped my journaling lines using the Mini Scrapbook Series: Library Ledger. I took this close-up of the journaling so you could see how it's ever so slight but just enough so that I keep my writing straight. I also used the same stamp set to stamp "Apr 2005" next to my title.

Thanks for stopping by. See you next time.

Love You Molly

I've made a few scrapbook pages recently so I'll be posting those over the next few days. The photo I used here is a couple years old but I really like it. I wish I would have had the patience to wait for processing of a large 8 x 10 but I didn't. I wanted to scrapbook "now" and I didn't want my mojo to leave me so I scrapped with my 4 x 6. Gotta take the energy and inspiration when I can!



I have no idea where I picked up this little card but I thought it was cute and fun. Especially because there's a private little joke between Molly and me that started when I'd tuck her in at night and I'd say "I love you to the moon and back". Well, one night I forgot and she said it to me but I was already out the door and didn't quite hear her. I thought it sounded like "I love you to the man in the bath." Of course that doesn't make any sense but that's what I heard. So, that's our private little joke now and so I wrote that in on the card so I'd be sure to never forget. It makes me cry a little to think I even could forget something so sweet but I'm old enough now to know what time can do to our memories.



You can see I added a few flourishes to some corners of the photo using Fancy Flourishes stamps (PTI). It really added that little something to the page.



Thanks for stopping by today! Make it a great one.

Supplies:
Paper and die cuts: MME, Basic Gray
Other: large scalloped die (PTI), heart punch (SU!)

Papertrey September Blog Hop Challenge

Welcome to the September blog hop for Papertrey Ink. The challenge for this month is:

One of the most fun things about this hobby is the people you meet, whether in person or online, and
the things you can learn from them.  Now is your chance to show off any skills you might have learned
from a fellow stamper, and perhaps even give them a little shout out to thank them for the inspiration
they have provided.  Create a project using one of your favorite learned skills and perhaps after a little
blog hopping, we will ALL learn some new tips and tricks and continue to pass on the love of this hobby!

I was heavily inspired to create this Halloween card and treat bag by two of my favorite PTI design team members - Mish Wooderson and Betsy Veldman.

Mish creates what she calls pretty packets and you can see some in her blog post here. I thought it was ingenious so just had to give it a try. I absolutely adore how it turned out. A brown lunch bag, some patterned paper, stitch it up, add a tag and voila - way cute packaging for a small treat. A medium glassine bag fits in there just right.




For my card, I took a cue from Betsy by adding a bit of flair above and below my sentiment to create a frame of sorts. See how she added the fancy stamp to the title block of the calendar here on this post? I liked that idea and worked it into my card.



I will definitely be trying that again - so fun!

I tucked some peppermint patties into the treat bag and sent it off to a friend from the Papertrey forum (hi Barbara!) I hope she liked it! :)

I hope you're enjoying your hop!

Stamps: Halloween Tags 2009, Vintage Labels (PTI)
Ink: Memories Black, Memento Tangelo
Paper: Stampers Select White (PTI), patterend paper from Blackbird collection (MME)
Other: Prima glitter, brad (MME), ribbon from stash, an old, old, old fabric label tags from MAMBI, circle punch, scalloped circle punch, stars from Sizzix die

Welcome, Baby Girl

One of my girlfriends from college just had her first baby this summer and I couldn't wait to send off baby girl clothes. Oh, how I miss buying little girl clothes. My DD10 is starting to have her own opinion on clothes and while they're still way cuter than boy clothes, they're just not as adorable as those little girl outfits. Boy clothes, while much cheaper, are just no fun at all. I was at Younker's today (local department store) and the only choices for boys' casual wear was all athletic stuff. Not a single "nice" shirt for pictures to be found anywhere. What's up with that? Anyway, enough of my babbling, onto the card...

 Some more argyle...


Here's a little closer view of the front of the card.



And I decided to dress up the inside a bit...


Stamps: A Little Argyle, Signature Greetings, Inside and Out: Baby (PTI)
Paper: Vintage Cream (PTI)
Ink: Sweet Blush and Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Creamy Brown, Colorbox, Van Dyke Brown (Nick Bantok)
Other: Nesties Label 13, Spring Moss grosgrain ribbon, Sweet Blush button, Rustic Twine (PTI)

Girl Scout Thank You

My Girl Scout troop had a sleepover at another family's home. I was so grateful to them for hosting the party and so grateful that it wasn't at my home! I made this quick little card to follow up with all my verbal thank-yous that I told them at the party. I needed it to be rather flat and mail-able. So, just a center sentiment set on an oval nestie with pop-dots.


A Little Argyle worked perfectly on the bottom. My SU! Kiwi Kiss never gives me good impressions with my clear stamps and I was about to throw this in the rubbish bin until I decided I kind of liked the distressed look and I went with it.



I used Rustic White or Rustic Cream for the card base (sorry, I forget which one), some brown ribbon from my stash, A Little Argyle (PTI), Signature Greetings (PTI), Turning a New Leaf (PTI), and the berries are from Out On A Limb (PTI). Kiwi Kiss ink (SU!), Creamy Brown ink (Colorbox).

Okay, lots more editing to do on photos so going to make this a short one. Night all! :)

Birthday card for Mom

My mom, my grandma (may she rest in peace) and I (along with a host of aunts and cousins) all have September birthdays. I've always loved my September birthday and it is just that much more special because I share this month with my mom and her mom.



Don't you just love these colors! I do!! So fall-ish and feminine. The layout for this card was CASE'd from one I saw in a recent Paper Crafts magazine. I love it when I can start with a "recipe" and then just add my own "ingredients" and "spice". lol


The ribbon really is gray and matches quite well with the paper, even though it doesn't look like it here in this photograph. I cut a tiny felt flower from PTI's Beautiful Blooms die and topped it with a brad from My Mind's Eye (Blackbird collection). I could have (and probably should have) purchased every single item in this MME collection but I showed some restraint especially since I remembered all the other items at home in my craft room that I thought I absolutely had to have. Must use those first with just a sprinkling of some newer stuff. Right?


Here's the inside of the card. I combine some sentiments from Big and Bold Wishes along with Birthday Basics. It makes it so easy when I can place all the sentiments on one big block and stamp them all together. Much less messing up!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Birthday Basics, Big and Bold Wishes, Mixed Messages (PTI)
Paper: Terracotta Tile (PTI), patterned paper (Basic Grey)
Other: felt flower created with Beautiful Bloom die (PTI); cuttlebug Tiny Tags, ribbon, lace (American Crafts)

Clearly, a winner

I'm really not all that witty, but since I have a card made with clear acrylic "paper" today, I thought my post title was fitting. LOL :)


I've been admiring all those lovely cards and such made with clear acrylic sheets. I've really wanted to try it so while at CHA last month I picked up a pack of PTI's clear cardstock. A few things I learned are to pay attention to your design and how your adhesive will be adhered and two, take the time to slowly score your card. A lot. And then some more. It took me a while to get a good score so that I could get an even fold on the card. But maybe that's just me.


I think I'll definitely try the acrlyic card thing again. It gives it such a different look. Very cool. For this card, I used the SU! Top Note die and stamps from PTI. Patterned paper is various old stuff - Heidi Swapp and MME. If I had thought the card through before I started running things through my Big Shot, I would have realized I had only one tiny sliver of Heidi Swapp paper left (the large pink polka dots on the front). I then could have used the same thing outside and inside. This way, I used two different pp. Not terrible. Just musings after the fact. Do you ever do that or is it just me?


Here's the inside of the card. Please forgive the glare off the clear sheet. I didn't know how to avoid that. Anyway, back to the card. I made a small pocket that would allow cash or a gift card to be tucked into. This one happens to be going to my niece, who is now 12!

Stamps used: Cupcake Collection, Birthday Basics, and Fancy Flourishes, all from Papertrey Ink.

Thanks for stopping by!