Christmas Cards 2013

I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas. Where does the time go?
Last year when I made Christmas cards I decided that everyone was getting a unique card. I made 16 different cards. PHEW! Way to much work. So this year I decided to mass produce 4 different cards. Much easier and less stressful.
Here are the cards I made this year. I made 4 of each.




Papers used are from a couple of years ago from Recollections and DCWV. I used the Snowflake embossing folder from Darice and embossing powder from Recollections. The reindeer and Christmas tree stamps are from the Fiskars Holiday Frolic stamp set.  The Christmas Owl clipart is from MissKateCuttables.com. Everything else is from Recollections.
Thanks for stopping by.
Laura

Happy Halloween-Treat Cards

Happy Halloween! Today I have a few treat cards I made for my daughter’s friends. I got this idea from Getting Inspired on youtube. You can find the video here. The cards were so much fun and easy to make. The only hard part was to stop making them. They’re addicting!
On this first photo I used papers from Recollections and Me&My Big Ideas. The digi stamps are from the Cuddlebug Cuties blog, Ladybug from Pink Cat Studio,Witchy Kitty from Some Odd Girl and Hallobean from the Greeting Farm. Unfortunately Ladybug and Witchy Kitty are both retired.


On the next two photos I used the same paper packs and clip art from Miss Kate Cuttables. I love the fact that Miss Kate Cuttables sells each file in .jpeg, .png and .svg  for a very low price. So you could use the file as clip art or use your cutting machine. Awesome! I love that website!
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Here’s what the backs look like. A full size candy bar will fit in the pocket but it’s much more fun to get more than one candy.


Unfortunately I forgot to take photos of the inside of the cards but I assure you that they’re very cute.
I hope you have a very happy and safe Halloween.
Thanks for stopping by,
Laura

McCall’s Messenger Bag

Ever since I stopped selling on Etsy I haven’t really sewn that much. I really miss sewing bags. So I decided to make a messenger bag from a pattern I bought years ago. Patterns have always intimated me so I usually make my own and roll with it. But today I faced my fear and went for it. I used McCall’s 8705 pattern option c.  Unfortunately this pattern isn’t available anymore so it’s a good thing I haven’t lost pattern pieces, ripped it or even burned it for that matter. Sometimes accidents happen.

 

I made some adjustments on the pattern like making the flap 2” wider. The flap on the pattern is just to small. I also didn’t use bias tape on the flap like the pattern suggest. I sewed the flap front to the lining right sides together then flipped it inside out and did some top stitching. I also added swivel clips, d rings and an adjuster for the strap.  I had to make loops for the d rings so that was added as well. Adding the hardware really made the bag pop.

I’m very proud of how my bag turned out. My daughter loved it and now wants me to make her one and my husband said “That’s sharp looking babe!” I love it when my family loves what I make.

Thanks for stopping by,

Laura

Flirty Anya Birthday Card

Oh my gosh! Is she not the cutest! I had so much fun using Flirty Anya from The Greeting Farm. It’s my niece’s 19th birthday and  Flirty Anya reminded me so much of her when she was little. Ok so a lot of The Greeting Farm stamps remind me of her. She has grown up so fast (reaching for tissue).
For the background papers I used The Citrus Stack from DCWV. I love the colors in this paper pack. For the greeting I used Fiskars clear stamps All Year Greetings. I added some Recollections rhinestones and a cute pink heart button I had on hand. I also did a scallop edge on the pattern paper with a EK Success Edger punch.



Some readers have asked how I color my stamps and digi’s. I use Artist Loft colored pencils from Michael’s and also Prismacolor pencils. I blend it all in with odorless turpenoid which I get at Michael’s. Here’s a really good video on how to do that.

Thanks for stopping by,
Laura

Chipboard Box with Dividers

Happy Friday everyone! I have a box I wanted to share with you all. I’ve been slowly collecting journaling and Project Life type cards and needed a way to organize them. I came across a video on Youtube on how to make a box out of chipboard. You can find that video HERE. I decided not to have a lid so I skipped that part. The box measures 7.5”w x 7.5”L x 4.5”D. I used K&Co Berry Sweet paper stack to cover the box.  I also created some dividers with the same paper collection and laminated them. I used Microsoft Word to print up labels and adhered them to the dividers. Now I can go to one spot and not scramble through my supplies to find my cards. Makes things a lot easier.

Thanks for stopping by,

Laura

Superman Card

I have a quick card share for you today. It’s my nephew’s birthday and I wanted to create a more masculine card. I searched the web for a superman digi and I found the Superhero digi stamp from Kenny K. I used a variety of colored pencils to color him in and Recollections papers for the background. This was the most perfect image for his card. He kinda reminds me of my nephew.

Thanks for stopping by
Laura

Wake by Amanda Hocking

Do you ever read a book and you are instantly fascinated by whatever type of characters the book is about. For instance Harry Potter had wizards, Anne Rice wrote about vampires etc, etc. Well I just finished reading Wake by Amanda Hocking. Now I’m fascinated with mermaids.

The book was a little slow at first but it quickly became a page turner. Gemma is on the swim team and loves to take late night swims in the ocean. Which her sister and father don’t approve of. Gemma quickly gets the attention of 3 beautiful strangers in town. They are so eager to have Gemma as their friend but why?  Below is the book trailer to spark your interest. I love how books have trailers. I think it’s the coolest thing ever.

 

  Well I’m off to read the second book in the series. I’m so hooked!

Thanks for stopping by,

Laura

Family Traditions

I was recently reading a blog and the topic was about family traditions. It got me to think about what kind of traditions my family has. I’m not sure if this is a tradition but it’s probably the one that my daughter will carry over when she starts her family.

Ever since my daughter was little she would get such awful colds and flu. So you can imagine how bad bedtime was. It was so hard for her to fall asleep. When I was pregnant with her I had started buying books for her library. One of them was The Winnie the Pooh book set. Well lets just say Pooh Bear and Christopher Robin helped her get through the night. When she got a cold or flu at bedtime I would read a couple of chapters and off to sleep she went. She must have been dreaming of Pooh and friends because she would always fall asleep with a smile on her face. I have read all 4 books to her about 10 times. That’s how sick my poor baby will get.

 

Now she is a teenager and she doesn’t get as sick as when she was little but when she does she still asks “Is it time for you to read to me yet?”  It’s not Pooh Bear that she wants and anymore. Now it’s Alice in Wonderland. Who doesn’t love Alice right?

I wonder if when she becomes an adult will I still be reading to her when she’s not feeling well. Um yeah! Of course I will. I wonder what story I will be reading to her then.

Thanks for stopping by

Laura

Halloween Mini Album

I know it's not Halloween season but I couldn't resist, I had to make a mini album. I love Halloween. It's the only time I can dress crazy.So here's a quick slideshow of what I made. Enjoy.

Pretty Head Rachel Card

Time for a quick card share.

This card measures 4” x 4”. I think this is the smallest card I have made so far. I used papers from DCWV All Dressed Up stack. The digi stamp is Pretty Head Rachel from The Greeting Farm. I added ribbon roses and a white rose from Recollections.

I love Pretty Head Rachel. She looks so innocent and yet has attitude. Hmm. Sound like my teenager.

Have a great day!

Laura

What I’ve Read This Week

My daughter bought a book about a couple of years ago and to my surprise she loved it. My daughter hates reading. Well she told me that I should definitely read this book. Actually what she said was “Mom you need to read this book. It’s amazing!”. So finally 2 years later she slapped the book onto my lap and said “READ”. I picked it up started reading and I couldn’t put it down.

This is one of the best YA books I have read in a very long time. And yes I’m over 40 and I read YA books. There’s magic, there’s romance, sisterly love and father and daughter turmoil's. It’s got everything!

So if you’re looking for a good summer read pick this book up. Or get it for your daughter. Hey! Get it for the both of you.

 

 

A couple of Pouches

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Today we spring forward and yawn all day. At least I will.
Here’s a quick share on a couple of pouches I made. The first one I made for my MP3 player. I added some padding to it so my MP3 player will be nicely protected. I carry it in my purse and seem to drop it a lot so I needed something to protect it.

 

Next up is a wristlet that fits just the right amount of items to take with me when I don’t want to take a huge purse.

Sorry but I don’t remember the company the fabrics are from. I’ve had them in my stash for about a couple years. I’ve been trying VERY hard lately to use what I have. It isn’t easy!
Thanks for stopping by.
Laura

Zoe Celebrates Birthday Card

It was my sister's birthday this weekend and I’ve been dying to use this digi stamp. She’s so perfect for a birthday card. Say hello to Zoe. Isn’t she fun?

I decided to make a bigger card instead of the normal size. This card measures 5.5”x5.5” which was much funnier to play with. I colored her in using Artist Loft pencils and added some Stickles to her bow. I don’t remember the brand of the stamped sentiment but I think it’s from Ditto.
Thanks for stopping by.
Laura
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My Daughter’s Card Share #1

Happy New year everyone! I can’t believe how fast this past year has gone.
I have a couple of cards my daughter made to share with you.
I love this card! She used The Rockstar Matstack from DCWV, Create A Critter Cricut cartridge for the winged heart  and The Flower Shoppe Cricut cartridge for the roses. She added some Frosted Lace Stickles to the wings and added a black ribbon on the bottom to finish it off.

Next she made an adorable little kitty. For this card she used The Glitter Sweet Matstack from DCWV, the Create A Critter Cricut cartridge and letters from Recollections. On the top of the card she added lace trim to make it this card even sweeter.

She had no help from me making the cards, except for the flowers. Those could be a little tricky. She now has a shelf in my craft room all to herself and it’s filling up quick. I’m glad to see that my love of crafting is passing on to her. Nothing better than a mom and her teenage daughter fighting over workspace. Gotta love it!
Thanks for stopping by.
Laura