Merry Christmas - Part 2

I had to share this card too.  It seems everything my sister creates turns out amazing! Here is her Christmas card for 2012....  Hard to see, but the lights are done in glitter, and the bowtie is done in a beautiful metallic red cardstock.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

I love Christmas!  I love the entire Christmas season. This season is a bit different as Christmas Day began with breakfast at a local restaurant with my family, and then my husband and I went to see a movie. We celebrated Christmas with his family last weekend, and we'll celebrate with my family next weekend. Last night we had my extended family at our house last night. My favorite food day of the year!!

This year my Christmas cards took a little longer than I anticipated, but I loved how they turned out. I think next year I need to use a lighter weight cardstock because with the heavier weight and the Action Wobbles (LOVE THEM!), each card took 85 cents in postage to mail.  Ooops!  :-)

The Santa is from the Simply Charmed cartridge, and the mats from Elegant Edges. Cardstock is from Paper Tray Ink and Stampin' Up.  The patterned papers are from the Christmas DCWV stack (about 3 years old). Santa is on an Action Wobble, so he "shakes when he laughs...."

 

 

Enjoy!!
Kim G

Country Girl Birthday Card

Hello! 

This has been such a great day (when you take out the huge car repair bill anyway)!  I finished the cleaning I wanted to get done, all the wrapping is done, catering order placed, and now I get to sit here, relax and enjoy a quiet evening before the holiday festivities begin.

I still have several cards or projects from 2012 that I have yet to post, so here is one more. 

Each year I try to find new ways of using my God Daughter's favorite colors in her birthday card. She and I share a love for country music, so I wanted to do something to give a nod to her favorite music -- which also tied in with her gift (tickets to see Toby Keith in concert).

I used the Country Life cartridge, cardstock from Stampin' Up as well as my scrap bin, and blue and silver glitter papers from Wow!  The "bling" is from Want 2 Scrap.

 

 

Here is the inside.  In the pocket were two "mock" tickets to show her that she would be going to the show a couple months later.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!!

Kim G

Crafting Block

For the last several months I have had a severe creative block. Until it was time to start my Christmas cards, coming up with new ideas seemed more of a chore than the fun, creative outlet I've always enjoyed. Thankfully I've busted through it, and I'm ready to get back to work.  I've done a few cards while "on break" that I will post here over the next couple of weeks (including my Christmas cards once I know everyone has received them).

So - back to business!  Last weekend my sister and I finished our Christmas cards and then started working on some other holiday decorations.

Here are the ornaments Kristi made (we both just discovered the joy of rosettes!)

This year I decided to try out those disposable hand towels for Christmas Eve rather than having to change out a wet guest towel every hour or so (with 20+ people in our home, that's a lot of hand washing!) However, I found the box they come in to be rather boring. So...with a few pieces of patterned paper from DCWV, some letters cut from the Plantin Schoolbook cartridges and some leftover twine.....no more boring hand towel dispensers!

Before:

After:

 

 

More to come.  Happy Holidays!!!

 

 

Kim G



Happy Mother's Day!!!

I hope all the mom's out there had a wonderful day!!

Just wanted to share the cards I made for my mom and my mother-in-law.  This was another one of those times where I wasn't sure how I would ever use a cartridge...until the need arose. I used the "A Child's Year" cartridge for the silhouettes. I just love the silhouette look - it adds drama to both solid colors and to just about any pattern or color!

Enjoy!

Kim G

Whomever said time goes by faster as you get older couldn't be more right!

Hi everybody!

Although it looks like I've been slacking because I haven't posted since February, I assure you that's not the case.  I just haven't had a chance to post much lately. I would love to promise that I'll do better... but we know how that goes.  So....I'll promise to TRY to do better!

I've been working on several orders lately, and I'll post those soon.

I was sad to see my favorite challege site (Birthday Sundaes) has shut down. I loved that site! Not only did it get me to think outside the box more often, but everyone's entries were a tremendous source of inspiration. I'll have to search for a new favorite.....something to look forward to!!

In the mean time, here are two cards I hadn't posted earlier.  See ya soon!

Enjoy!

Kim G

Color Splash!

Hi everyone!

We're getting closer to spring!!  Not being a winter person, I couldn't be happier! This weekend I worked on a few more challenges even though I haven't had time to put them up on the blog site yet. So, here goes the first one!

I really like how simple this one was!  I'm entering it into the Play Date Cafe PDCC 119 - Splash of Pink challenge.  You can find all the details here




And.... here is the card I made.....

The 4.5 x 6.25 card is on PTI white card stock, with black and pink Bazzill. Unfortunately, I do not know the manufacturer as I lost the packaging. I used Fiskar's bubble punch to give the pink card stock a chance to show through. The sentiment is from PTI as well.

Enjoy!!

Kim G.

Featured on Birthday Sundaes

Hi all!

No card to post today.  Just wanted to share my excitement at finally being featured on Birthday Sundaes (along with 4 other gorgeous entries) for the easel card challenge! 

http://birthdaysundaes.blogspot.com/2012/02/super-sundaes-for-challenge-41.html

Stop by and check it out.  And isn't that frog card at the top super adorable??


Enjoy!
Kim G

Valentine's Day - Part 2

Hi everyone!

Welcome to Super Bowl Sunday - or as I like to call it - "Funny Commercial Day". 

So, what better way to spend the hours leading up to The Commercials than in my craft room playing with all my newly organized supplies. I love the first few weeks of the year when I get the motivation to purge the old and reorganize. To me, being totally organized makes me more creative.... or least makes me want to be more creative!

Today I'm playing along with two challenges:

Cooking with Cricut Challenge 71 - Make a kids valentine using red, pink and white.  See all the details for the challenge here!

Cardz TV Challenge 101 - "Be My Valentine", make a valentine project using any colors you choose. See all the details for this challenge here!

I kept this one really simple, but it makes me smile each time I look at it.  I used the Create a Critter cartridge for the SUPER cute ladybug and the postage stamp image. (I just love her!).  The card stock is all Bazzil, and the silver glitter paper is from American Crafts. This glitter paper is my FAVORITE!!!  As mentioned on a previous post, it's super sparkly, very smooth and cuts like butter in the Cricut.  The card is 5 x 7.

Enjoy!
Kim G.

Pink, Pink, Pink!

Hi everyone!

Although my favorite color is actually green, I can't seem to resist the color pink!  So, when I saw that Cardz TV had a "Tickled Pink" challenge, I couldn't pass it up.  I made this card for my aunt who is recovering from surgery, so the timing of this color challenge was perfect.

You can find all the challenge details here on Cardz TV!

The card stock is from Bazzil, and the printed papers are from my scrap bin. The ribbon is from Offray....and of course some stickles too! I also used the Fiskar's loop boarder punch.  I didn't have a large chip board "h", so I cut the letter from some heavy duty card stock six times and then covered it with the pattern paper. Unfortunately, this left me with the tiny wrinkle o the left.  But -- that just proves it's handmade.....right?

Enjoy!

Kim G.

Happy Bird-Day!

Hi everyone!

Another challenge!  Today I am participating in a challenge from one of my favorite challenge sites... Birthday Sundaes.  I am determined to be better at getting cards out this year (maybe not perfect, but better!), and their weekly birthday challenges really help get me motivated to stay ahead of the game.

This week's challenge was to create an easel card.  You can find all the challenge details on the Birthday Sundae's site here.

I kept this one fairly simple because I had to tackle some other things tonight, but I still like how it turned out.  The images and background paper were all printed/cut from Imagine More Cards. The paper is all Bazzil, and I used 3 different stickles colors. Rarely do I make a card anymore that doesn't have at least a little bit of glitter these days!

Enjoy!



Kim G.

Valentines Day - Part 1

Hi everyone!

I have to confess....  I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day.  To me it's always been about "forced romance." I've always said that I'd rather get flowers or candy on any other day of the year because it means my husband did it purely because he wanted to - not because the calendar said he had to.  However, as a crafter, I find Valentine's Day secretly fun. I mean all those hearts and pinks and reds!! What's not to love?

So.....why aren't they any pinks or reds in my Valentine's card?  Well, that brings me to the challenge part of this post. I found a couple of challenges that I thought worked well together and wanted to see what I could come up with. I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

HIMCR #31- Valentine's Day Project. The goal of this challenge is to make a non-traditional valentine project.  You can read all about it here at Hiding In My Craft Room

Challenge #41 - Bringing Out the Old.  The goal of this challenge is to make a project using something old (old supplies or tools not used in a long time).  You can read all about this one here at Whimsical Designs

Supplies Used:  Scraps!! (Love using those scraps!), ribbon from Offray, Cuttlebug folders (script and hearts). The green and brown hearts are cut from Gypsy Wanderings.

What's old?  The stickers!  The "candy hearts", "chocolate candy" and sentiment came from an old sticker sheet I bought a long time ago and never used.  It's from Flair Designs, 2004. I think you could also classify the ribbon as old because it's been in my collection for at least two years and I never opened it. (The scraps may or may not be old......no way of knowing how long they've been in the scrap bin!)

Enjoy!!

Kim G.

Cardz TV - "It's a Guy Thing" Challenge

Hi everyone!
On the day after Thanksgiving I waited in one of those long pre-dawn lines with other bargain hunting shoppers. I happened to be about the 50th person or so in line at Menard's, and was behind a person who works in my office. I commented that I hoped not too many people in front of me were after the $12.99 Cricut cartridges. His response?  "I don't really think you have anything to worry about there."  Ha ha ha!!  Never under estimate crafters looking for deals on Cricut cartridges!!  When I got to the cartridge section, hands and arms were flying trying to grab the limit of 8. I grabbed whatever I could and headed for the registers. When I took stock of what I actually grabbed, I was happy for the most part. However, I had no idea how I was going to use the "Hey Dude" cartridge.  Well.....

Thank goodness for my nephews!!!  Looking for a birthday card design for a 13 year old boy wasn't easy - and then I pulled out this cartridge and found inspiration!

For the Cards TV "It's a Guy Thing" challenge, I decided to pull the cartridge back out to make a card for my nephew who turns 9 next week. You can find all the details (and some terrific projects!) HERE

For this card, I used Bazzil card stock and papers from my scrap bin. Plenty of pop dots were used to make the cyclist appear to be jumping off the card. And because boys like to get dirty, I distressed the mat and inked the entire surface. The sentiment came from PTI.

 

Here is the one I made for my older nephew last month for his 13th birthday.



Enjoy!!

Take Care -
Kim G.

Easel Card

Hi everyone!

I've seen so many really cute easel cards that I wanted to try it out for myself.  This one is actually my second attempt because - as seems to be the norm for me lately - I didn't take a picture of the first one.

I wish I noted the website where I got the inspiration, but some clever person out there had used the adorable roller skate cut from the Nifty Fifties cartridge, and I knew I needed to use it too.  Funny how I never notice some images on a cartridges until I see someone else use it in a way I never thought of.  I know no one roller skates now - but my friends and I did back in the day! :-)  Of course, we're talking 80's (not 50's).

I started wanting to use pink and purple- but then I remembered the really cool glitter paper I bought last summer. I don't know the manufacturer, but it's the best glitter paper I've ever seen. It's supper shiny but very smooth. The glitter doesn't rub off and it cuts like a dream in the Cricut.

The card stock is all Bazzil. The sentiments come from Fiskars. I added Diamond Stickles to the laces so they would shine line the skates. Too bad the glitter doesn't shine as much in the picture as it did in my scrap room!!

Take Care!

Kim G.

My Christmas Cards!

Hi There!

Thanks to my dear friend Laura and a family whose address I messed up on - I have two versions of my Christmas card to post!  I got the inspiration from a special edition of Paper Crafts Magazine (sketches). The patterned paper is from a DCWV Christmas Stack from a couple of years ago.  I grabbed six different patterns so I could make them a bit different.  The card base is 5.5 inches and I used Fawn Bazzil (cut from Wild Card cartridge).  Buttons are from Buttons Galore, and the twine is from the jewelry section of Michaels (can't remember the manufacturer). All other paper is a mix of Bazzil and Stampin Up. And...of course, gotta have those Stickles (diamond)!!!  I also inked the edges to give them a little bit more depth.  I'm not really happy with the way the pictures turned out - they are much cuter in reality (if I do say so myself.....ha ha ha!).

and here is the inside......

The outside and inside sentiments are from PTI.

Hope your holidays were wonderful!!!  Let's get started on those new projects!!

Take Care!
Kim G

The Paper Variety - Kiss of Color Challenge

Hey hey!  Posts on two consecutive days!!  I decided it was time to spend a full day in my craft room before going back to work tomorrow. Why is it when I have the time to spend working on projects, the ideas just don't come as easily as they do when I'm busy working or otherwise not able to play? I was only able to get three things done today - but hopefully more ideas will flow soon!

To jump start my creativity, I looked through my favorite blog sites to find a challenge to work on. I landed on The Paper Variety who is holding a Kiss of Color Challenge.  For this challenge, you need to create a project using primarily black and white with just a "kiss" of color.  Want to join in?  You can find all the details at The Paper Variety HERE.

Here is the card I created using the challenge rules:

I wanted to keep this one simple so I could finish something quickly and keep going on other projects.  This is a simple 6 x 6 card using black and white Bazzil paper, stamps from Fiskars, and red ribbon from Offray.  (black ink from Memento, and red marker from Marvy)

See ya soon!

Enjoy!!

Kim G

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year Everyone!

My husband and I decided to take it easy this New Year's weekend. Just some quiet time resting and catching up with all those shows stored on our DVR.  It's nice to give yourself permission to be lazy - especially after a very busy Christmas season!

But - it's now time to get to work.  I can't believe I haven't posted since September!  I guess I've been lazier longer than just this weekend?  Unfortunately, no.  Lately when I got a chance to play in my craft room it was only to work on my Christmas cards or rush a birthday card.  Hopefully this year I'll be able to spend more time doing what I love - and using up all the supplies I keep hording.....um.... collecting!

Sadly, no pictures of my Christmas cards.  I was really happy with the way they turned out, but I didn't think to take pictures until they were all sealed in envelopes and ready to be mailed. I was able to use up some of a DCWV Christmas paper pack I bought a couple years ago - so I actually had 6 versions of the same card. This year I'll remember to take pictures!!!

So, to get my blog restarted, I thought I'd post a couple of things I've done over the last few months.

Baby Card

Retirement Card

My plan is to get into my craft room tomorrow and start cranking out some projects.  I have plenty of birthdays coming up, and maybe (just maybe) I'll do some Valentine cards this year!

Enjoy!!

Kim G