Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, all!

A couple things about this time of year to share ...

1) you may not know this, but I'm a list junkie from WAY back! So, I'm lovin' this time of year, and checking out all sorts of "year in review" posts on blogs and on TV. And ...

2) I love a parade! Always have been and always will! We're watching the 125th Tournament of Roses parade as I post today, and the Harlem Globetrotters just passed by. They weren't on a float but walking, and doing basketball tricks as they passed by. I went with my family to see them when I was a kid (well, maybe not THIS version of the Globetrotters ... ) and loved 'em! And ...

3) I made today's card this morning from some Jolee's paper tape I purchased this past fall on an crafty outing w my stamping buddies Pat and Kim, and the EK Success stickers that I received free with a recent online order. I was pretty surprised they matched so well! The star that the new year is posted on is popped up, and it's a present from my buddy Kim this past Christmas! I'm just now breaking it in (thanx, Kim!). And ...

4) One of my New Year Resolutions is to return to posting ... something I've been remiss about recently. Dunno why ... I CERTAINLY keep purchasing new product so should try to at least post on a weekly basis! So, if you have a blog, how often do YOU post? And ...

5) I added a "follow me on Feedly" button on the right hand side of my blog this morning. Isn't modern technology wonderful?! And ... that's it! Here's the card's deets:

stamps: n/a; paper: Neenah's Solar White , SU's Tempting Turquoise; ink: n/a; tools: Cuttlebug; accessories: Jolee's Cool Blues paper tape set, QuicKutz's No. 73 number set and Spellbinders Stars Five dies

secret Santa 2009

We celebrate the start of the holiday season with a fun week of Secret Santa where I work (insert shameless plug for Kettering University here). Generally, it consists of exchanging small value gifts the first 3 days, and a larger gift on the 4th day during a lunch get-together. Here's the card I made to house a PC-generated gift certificate for my final day's gift. It's fun sneaking about to hide your gifts the first 3 days, and on our 4th we try to guess who our Secret Santa was before we open our last day's gift. We even all bring our final day's gift to the restaurant in a plain brown grocery sack with the name hidden on the bottom of the bag! As usual, a fun time was had by all! So, what do you do to celebrate where you work?

I punched the dove and sprig out on both cardstock and cardboard, glued 'em together, and popped 'em up using dimensionals. Then, crafty me, I stapled the tag to hang down inside from the top of my grocery sack, and adhered my card (with gift certificate inside) from that. It was, needless to say, probably the lightest gift there!

stamps: studio g (inside sentiment); ink: studio g; paper: deconstructed Bath & Body Works gift bag, accessories: tag - from the Bath & Body Works gifts (a 2-part lotion and soap set in matching plaid containers), ribbon - (you guessed it!) from the Bath & Body Works gift set, peace - a JoAnn's dollar find from last year, dove - Cuttlebug and QuicKutz 2x2" set

QK Club flower pot

Have you spotted these cute flower pots springing up all over the Internet? Here's a QuicKutz version, from my May QuicKutz Club meeting. These are some of the different QK flower dies the lovely and talented Pat L had cut beforehand for us. They lift out and this one's inside sentiment reads "you're the best" - I didn't take another pic of the inside and am too lazy to pull back out my camera but here's another flower pot I'd posted last month if you're not familiar with these.

I don't recall who the paper manufacturer is and I dunno about you, but I'm lovin' this dotted swiss cardstock; it's solid on one side and dotted on the other. It's similar to one I used for another recent project - a notebook to keep track my inventory of QK dies ... which I never completed. Of all the things I miss, I miss my mind the most, y'know?!

another QK cutie

I should be done w Easter cards by now as they're due to hit the mail this week ... but I'm NOT! Here's another from this past Saturday's QuicKutz Club meeting at CAM (link at right), led by the lovely and talented Pat L. I have this chick and used it as (methinks) a duck last year, judging by the coloring, LOL! It's much softer in Pat's colors.

We made our lacy scalloped trim by using a 12" scallop punch, then running it thru a crimper and adding some extra crimps by hand on the flat edge, then positioning it around the circle. It's definitely something that will take a bit more practice on my part! Fun projects, Pat - TFS!

the incredible edible egg

Here's an Easter card from my weekend's QuicKutz club meeting led by the lovely and talented Pat L. We made two Easter cards and I love how Pat led us in converting this cupcake die into a basket. She has a knack for seeing possible uses in dies that others usually don't. Once we used a cannon die as a vase ... another time she pointed out that a ship could be an ice cream sundae bowl. Well, I collect bunnies so thought I'd share this one first! Pat provided all the "parts," we simply assembled our cards at the class. Thanx again, Pat!

king of my heart

I'd already made a Valentine's Day card for my sweetie but this one's a t'riffic match for him too. Maybe he'll get two valentines this year. Or maybe this can hang out 'til he's done something especially sweet and deserving of another card, eh?! He hasn't played chess in ages but I still immediately thought of him when these dies were released last month - the crown and chess piece are new dies. I hesitated to buy them 'cuz I didn't know how often I'd use them after making a card for PB ... and today Pat L remedied that situation by using it for today's subject - a masculine card. Thanx, Pat!

Today's QuicKutz Club meeting projects were this card and a 12x12" scrapbook page. Well, the lovely and talented Pat L KNOWS I haven't made a large scrapbook page in ages and teased me about that at the meeting; I usually end up making a couple cards from the materials and today was no different ... but that's another post!

no deets on this baby except for the kewl DP - it's graphic 45 2-sided; I've long since forgotten the QuicKutz alphabet sets! Thanx for stopping by!

It's Groundhog Day

... and I'm hopeful this card's going to be a thank-you note for Punxutawney Phil! According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow this a.m. there will be six more weeks of winter weather, and if he doesn't see his shadow there will be an early spring. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2nd annually, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world. There's a countdown on the official site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

I dunno about you - I'm going on faith and prepared this card and matching mini album in advance! It's a make-'n-take from a CAM (link at right) QuicKutz club meeting that I hadn't posted earlier. I was a slacker and got my stamps out yesterday but just drew some sketches and played on the PC.

Don't let me down, Phil!

America Votes!

They're talking about probable record voter turnout in Michigan, where I live. It was my youngest's first experience voting, and we made it a family affair this a.m., voting before we headed to work and classes.

I'd purchased these specialty QuicKutz dies last month, thinking of making a card for one of my fav peeps, a political junkie of sorts, so this one's headed to her in the a.m. It's based on Laura's sketch #12 at the 2 Sketches 4 You blog. The acrylic piece, America, was a find during a sale this past summer at my fav LSS, and I dotted the "i" with a specialty star brad using my Crop-a-dile (cut thru that thick acrylic like buttuh, baby!). The color of the original picture wasn't true so I took another pic in daylight before delivering the card ... to Pat (did those who know me guess its intended recipient?). The dark blue at left is actually CTMH's Outdoor Denim, which is a medium-to-dark navy that I'd originally picked up LOTS of to use in my youngest son's album, but it almost looked like Royal Blue in the fluorescent light above my printer ... It'd been past 10 p.m. when I finished the card, too lazy to pull out my portable photo studio.

stamps: n/a; paper: CTMH's Outdoor Denim, SU's Real Red and Whisper White; ink: n/a; accessories: My Mind's Eye's Parade "Celebrate" America Title, SU's Real Red grosgrain ribbon, I Voted sticker from the polls

twoote sweet!

It's Sweetest Day, and I already had a card for the occasion from my latest QuicKutz Club meeting (thanx, Pat L!) ~ this one's for my DH, along with a little certificate good for a home-made meal of his choosing!

It's also my nephew's b'day and I've sent him an e-greeting. Don't you hate it when this happens? -- I had a card made for him in advance BUT can't seem to locate it! I've a photo box a bit larger than a shoebox with cards already made, but this one seems to be missing in action. I'd pulled it already for the mail ... and where do you suppose it is? Could I have actually mailed it already?! I don't recall ... so the search continues ...

the deets? all materials supplied in advance by my LSS, Capture-a-Memory

WCMD QuicKutz Club

I've really liked the various Frankenstein cards I've seen on the Web. Today the lovely and talented Pat L led us (us being the Saturday crew in our local QuicKutz Club - we've grown too large to all meet on one day so we now meet the first Friday/Saturday monthly) in the making of this cute basket.

It's just one piece of 12x12 cardstock, 1) scored at 3" and 9" in one direction, 2) scored at 4-1/2" and 7-1/2" in the other direction. You then line up the outer corners' scored points and crease the resulting fold outside of the "box," fold those toward the 3" section of the box, pierce thru all 3 thicknesses and insert a brad to hold the sides together. The hair is a QuicKutz die originally intended to be grass. Voila! Easy peasy!

I came home and made the matching card. The inside reads "Friend. Good. - Frankenstein," a quote from one of SU's stamp sets.

card deets follow - stamps: n/a; paper: Paper Reflections' black cardstock, Prism's Parakeet bright green cardstock; ink: PC-generated greeting and Sakura pigma calipen for mouths; accessories: Darice's 10mm googly eyes (sigh ... the larger of the two I'd picked up and I still should've purchased larger, eh?! ... back to the store I go again!)

a Halloween to die for

QuicKutz die, that is ... I was planning on using this cutie patootie skeletin for a Halloween card, and the current Caardvarks' "Live and Let Die" challenge just so happened to call for using a die ~ kismet! My buddy Skelly's just stepped out of the coffin, ready to celebrate; heck, the coffin door's still hanging open (I cut it with the hinge area on the fold)!

stamps: studio g $1 stamp sentiment; paper: SU's Ghostly Greetings DP, Whisper White cardstock, Paper Reflections' black cardstock; ink: StazOn Jet Black; tools: Cuttlebug w QuicKutz skeletin die

busy day at CAM

I've come to the conclusion that the talented ladies at CAM are psychic (or izzit psycho?!)! First the lovely and talented Pat L led our QuicKutz club meeting today in the making of the two of the projects pictured here. The incredibly cute dishwasher status tag is staying at my house. Methinks I'm gonna make a run to Mike's to pick up some Mod Podge this week to seal it before leaving it on the dishwasher. I've never used the stuff so it'll be a learning experience for me.



Pat led us in making this card too - I've the birds die at home and some long rectangle Nesties but no ovals - they're high on my wish list, LOL. Our class time involved using the Nesties embossing mat and the Revolution to add the beveled edges to some QuicKutz dies. Well, perfect timing - this card went to my Mom in celebration of Grandparents Day, which is Sunday. I love this sentiment stamp set, don't you?! Tune in later for the 3rd card ... hopefully can upload it Monday after work!

LOVE ...

Did you know ... that on August 8, 1930, Betty Boop appeared in her first cartoon? Well, I couldn't let a day like that slip thru the cracks without celebrating, so I gave my DH this card yesterday evening.

The lovely and talented Pat L may recognize that "parts" from a recent QuicKutz club meeting were used in the making of this card. I'd arrived at what appears to be the February meeting not feeling up-to-par ... had a wicked headache and just didn't want to concentrate on making anything then! I bagged up the goodies we rec'd, shopped a bit, and figured I'd make a card later on ... well, sooner or LATER, anywho! The die cuts are of a sparkly cardstock but it's really a "spot on" match for the colors to the right side of the background DCS.

stamps: n/a (I searched Google pics for the Betty Boop images); paper: My Mind's Eye 29th Street Market, Prism black, and SU's Whisper White cardstocks; ink: PC-generated outside pic and inside greeting; accessories: QuicKutz die shapes

a QuicKutz 4th

Have you seen all the QuicKutz states and countries dies released this year? Part of their Around the World in Eighty Dies promotion, today's card used the US shape and I believe this wraps up the cards I did for Independence Day.

The lovely and talented Pat L from CAM led us in the making of this card during a recent QuicKutz club meeting at my LSS. I LOVE this card - thanx, Pat! (no deets - all provided by store - unknown white, navy, red, and gold cardstocks)

happy birthday, KAZ!

It's my favorite sister's b'day (don't worry; I've only got one!) today and this card's on its way to her ... admittedly, it'll be a bit late arriving - such is life! We're having a family get-together in her honor today even tho' she's got to work so won't be able to be here. A pathetic ploy to get to eat cake? Nah! We usually try to stop by my Mom's every other weekend and this weekend the weather's just TOO darned hot 'n humid and she's without air at the moment ... so it was a natural to have a cookout up here and invite her and my brother (her chaufeur!) and his daughter, right?! If the weather doesn't cooperate, it'll be a pizza get-together.

My sister and I share a love for all things purple, so that's the basis for her card. That, and both Beate's weekend sketch challenge #51 AND Taylor's cupcake challenge #19 ... seems great minds think alike and I made #10 envelope sized cards that satisfied both this week! I'd picked up this cool 4-part stamp at a garage sale last summer and I love it. The 4th part of the stamp is a wood/wrought iron bench, and that's in the inside with the sentiment and a couple garden tool die cuts. The outside sentiment's popped up using dimensionals.

stamps: Annette Watkins' Spring Garden Sampler, PC-generated sentiments; paper: CTMH's Contemporary Collection's bright purple, SU's Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant, Pale Plum, Vellum, and Whisper White cardstocks; ink: SU's matching inks, StazOn's Jet Black, and Tri-C watercolor markers; accessories: pink dotted organdy ribbon, QuicKutz' garden tools die cut; tools: QuicKutz Squeeze

sending you sunshine

I made this card for my brother, who's stopping by tomorrow for a cookout here with his daughter Jessy. He's being a sweetie and picking up my Mom on the way. Tomorrow's my sister's birthday so I think I'll pick up a cake, tho' she's working and not able to join us ... bummer! We talked quite a bit on the phone today but I miss her - she's going to school a couple evenings during the week and works weekends; I work weekdays. It doesn't seem like we see each other very often lately .... sigh!

The kind folkes at Caardvarks issued a Drink Up! challenge this week requiring participants to make a beverage-themed card. Well, ya'll know how much I'm addicted to challenges, right?! I wanted to give my brother something tomorrow so figured a small card was in order, and I'd not used this cute lemonade die cut in ages! What's it called when everything in the universe seems to be in alignment?! ... hmmnn ...

stamps: A Muse Artstamps' sentiment, SU's Sun Moon & Stars; paper: SU's Yo Yo Yellow, Vellum, and Whisper White cardstocks; ink: StazOn Jet Black, Tri-C red watercolor marker; accessories: polka dot organdy ribbon from one of Jody Morrow's ribbon shares, QuicKutz lemonade die cut; tools: QuicKutz Squeeze

belated b'day greetings

My DH's brothers celebrated their birthdays last month and I was BAAAADD! This is my belated greeting to Dale, a gift card holder to celebrate with some night life in the big city!

It cracks me up, tho' - we're both playing catch up this year. He did a "drive by" this past weekend and dropped a card off for my son and his brother in our newspaper delivery box, so we're gonna have to do the same, natch'! Happy belated b'day Dale!

The gift card just looked too small, so I ended up mounting it on a 5-1/4x5-1/4" double matted cardstock that matched the DP, and double-matted some matching ribbon between those 2 layers using some unknown ribbon I had on hand. It's Beate's weekend WSC45 sketch layout now!

stamps: none; paper: Fancy Pants' Sweet Spring, Prism solid cardstocks, vellum (for inside sentiment); ink: printed sentiment from PC; accessories: QuicKutz cityscape die set, Making Memories' charmed words, unknown ribbon

a bit 'o green

My most recent St Pat's Day card was made for the Only Green challenge over at paper crafters {Anonymous}, an online community I recently learned about thru checking blogs ... whose, I don't recall! I may have stretched this a bit 'cuz I used a bit of white and brown also, but most who've submitted cards so far used a bit more than JUST green.

I used scraps left over from the QuicKutz club meeting noted in an earlier post, and the tree design idea from PatL, an extremely talented cardmaker/scrapper who leads our club meetings. The tree die has a background of leaves (one that can easily be used as clouds also!) that I put aside and instead made falling shamrocks snipped from some St Pat's Day garland I'd picked up recently from Mike's (I have 43' left ... and NOT that many more cards to make ... LOL!). Again, strike another t'riffic idea up to PatL, who showed me a recent card she'd made that used a similar tree but with hearts (I added the falling shamrocks)! Think holidays with specific icons ... I don't think I'll be making falling bunnies, but you get the idea ...

stamps: none, paper: Deja Views' Timeless Collection for trunk, greens - dunno - all provided; ink: PC-printed inside sentiment; accessories: Jo-Ann's Spring Moss ribbon, Mike's St Pat's Day garland; tools: QuicKutz - w tree die

what's brewing?

This is my QuicKutz take on SU's Like it a Latte stamp set, whipped up into a gift card holder for Beate's weekend sketch challenge (WSC38).

I'm geeked with how well the gift card coordinates with the DP, especially since I had left the gift card at work when I went in search of DP!

stamps: A Muse Artstamps' What's Brewing (inside sentiment), Stampendous' Hand-Stamped Arc (rear); paper: Deja Views' Timeless Collection, ThePaperCompany's clear vellum; ink: StazOn Jet Black; tools: Marvy corner rounder punch, QuicKutz w mug die

first St Pat's Day card

I started making St Pat's cards last month at my QuicKutz club meeting at my fav LSS - Capture-A-Memory (see links at side). Pat L leads the group and, responding to popular request, provided a scrapbook page layout. Well, I'm all about the cards, don't 'cha know, darlin' (in my best Irish brogue)?!

I altered the layout and, still using some of the pieces provided, cut the rainbow in half, and joined it together as this St Pat's Day greeting card.

stamps: none, paper: dunno - all provided; ink: Stickles unknown gold; tools: QuicKutz - w unknown pot 'o gold and letter dies