Grungepaper flower

Last week I was so excited to win some Tim Holtz grungepaper from Simon Says Stamp:

http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/

so.... I have been wanting to make some grungepaper roses since I saw Tim Holtz demonstrate the method on his blog for the 12 tags of Christmas 2009 : http://www.timholtz.typepad.com/

It is a bit labor intensive and he is better at it than I am, so, if you are interested in the method check out his tags for 2009...you'll be happy you did.

Here is my version that I did on a little thank you tag.

The stamps were all by Tim Holtz and distress ink colors were scattered straw, old paper, tea dye and aged mahogany. The rose was glimmer misted with Red Velvet color by Tattered Angels then aged with a bit of tea dye distress ink around the edges.

I just love packages in the mail

Don't you ? I used up some Cricut Reward points last week and ordered the Asian Cuttlebug bundle. OMG! I saw this first when it was packaged with the blue version of the Cuttlebug and fell in love with it. Last week, when I went to redeem some reward points ( I have gotten some really great things by wracking up my reward points ), I saw they were offering the Asian bundle as a possibility. No second thinking here, I clicked on that order button immediately. Yesterday , my package came with the Fed EX man. Don't you just love the Fed EX and UPS people? I do. I really, really really do....

Naturally, I had to give them a run through.... I inked over the images so that the designs would show up a little better. I don't know if I have stated this on my blog before....but in addition to my distress ink addiction....I also have a Cuttlebug embossing addiction. It is hard for me to make anything without embossing it in some way. These will definitely get a workout.

The embossing folders in this collection are Plum Blossoms, Oriental Weave, Kimiko, Bamboo, Japanese Scales, Mandarin Screen, Koi, and Lanterns

If you would like to check these out on the Cricut website here are the links:

http://www.cricut.com/shop/#1/36/933/7/Cuttlebug/Cuttlebug%20Embossing%20Folders,%20Oriental%20Weave%20Set

and

http://www.cricut.com/shop/#1/36/932/3/Cuttlebug/Cuttlebug%20Embossing%20Folders,%20Plum%20Blossom%20Setm%20Blossom%20Set

Warm and fuzzy

This layout makes me feel all soft and squishy inside. I really LOVE these photos and love looking back on the time these two were really friends...now...well...let me say...these two are just alike...the same likes, dislikes, the same temperament... that now leads to butting heads and arguements...you get the picture. I, however, have this proof to remember fondly and it gives me hope for a harmonious future....

Recipe-paper from We R Memory Keepers, Tiffany scarpbook pad, black cardstock flower cut with Cricut and I think it was the Paisley cartridge, title from Cricut cartridge Paper Pups, white Sakura jelly roll pen for doodles on black flower, journaling cut and inked with Tim Holtz distress ink, broken china

Blog inspiration

Please go check out this stunning project. I am blown away by Wendy Vecchi's creative talent!
http://studio490art.blogspot.com/2010/04/paper-crafts-tuesday-blog-hop.html
this is part of a blog hop sponsored by : http://papercraftsconnection.com/
go check it out, get inspired, leave a few comments, maybe win a copy of the new publication; go to sketches. Looks like a must have!

Happy Easter

I am going to say it again, I am so happy that spring is here. I love all the colors and warmth of spring. It is always such a welcome relief from the long, frigid winter. My favorite tree is the magnolia and each spring, I point out every single magnolia we pass by. We actually planted two tiny magnolia trees when we moved to this house almost 6 years ago, and they just are not very happy and the biggest is only about 2 feet tall. Yesterday, I went out to the backyard and had a glorious surprise, my magnolia had bloomed for the first time. Okay technically, it had a bloom or two in past years, but I can hardly count those. These were actual blooms, pretty ...purple.... real magnolia blossoms. Okay, don't make fun of my little tree, to me it is the giant and mighty steel magnolia!

Cascarones- Easter confetti eggs

Here is a Mexican Easter tradition that my family discovered about 13 years ago. We make these fun and colorful eggs in large quantities for our Easter Sunday ( or Monday) game as weather permits. I begin saving egg shells as soon as I remember I will be needing them . Some years I have to crack a few more, but this year I ended up with about 3 dozen shells. This would be fun for a crowd but definitely enlist help.

Here goes:

• Begin by cracking a small hole at one end of the egg. I find it easier to crack at the largest part of the egg. You could pierce a hole at one end, then enlarge by snipping to make it larger but I just give a gentle crack and pull the shell around to make an opening .
• Poke inside the egg with a knife or something else with a good point like a fondue fork to break the yolk. Empty contents into a bowl.
• Rinse out egg with water.
• Prepare egg dye and submerge egg to get desired color.
• Pat gently and allow egg to fully dry.
• When egg is dry, fill shell about a third full with confetti ( I just buy premade confetti by the bag at Michaels) but you could be frugal and run junk mail through a shredder and maybe throw in some glitter for sparkle.
• Cut small circles ( or squares as I did since I am not so picky about how they look) out of tissue paper or crepe paper.
• Make a thin wash out of glue and water and place the paper over the hole and paint it down to seal up the hole.
• Allow to dry.

Now you are ready to play. It is a simple game of tag. The person who is "it", grabs an egg and has to chase someone down and crack the egg on their body. We insist on the no face or head rule, but you play however you wish. The person who got "caught" is now "it" and so on....

I hope you will consider giving this craft/activity a try. Start your own tradition. My children love this and look forward to it each year. I personally think they just love the fact that they can run circles around their parents and then smack them with an egg !

No April Fool's joke....another post....

Here are a couple cards I made for this busy birthday season I am in. Only slight variations between the two cards. I can't seem to make a card without using Tim Holtz distress inks . Here I used broken china, scattered straw, mustard seed and peeled paint. Background stamped with tea dye distress ink . Heart winged butterfly from Hero Arts , stamped in vintage photo distress ink then colored with Rangers perfect pearls. I also made a watered down version of the perfect pearls and splattered here and there. All other stamps by Tim Holtz except larger corner flourish stamp by Fancy Pants. Martha Stewart Happy Birthday ribbon.

Marching band layout

Here is the project I completed at our monthly scrapbooking night. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. I am also happy that I actually finished a layout during this time. Generally speaking, I get side tracked and end up socializing most of the evening... but that is okay as well...it is girls' night out. We should enjoy it. Right?

Recipe:12x12 white cardstock background, black cardstock cut to 9x12, pictures mounted on white cardstock, title/music scale cut from the Hannah Montana Cricut cartridge in blue, border cut from silver metallic DCWV paper at 1 1/2 inches x 12 inches and embossed with the Stars cuttlebug folder, name cut from silver metallic with the Pooh Cricut font, white jelly roll Sakura pen