Inspired

While creating and blog hopping yesterday I came across The Paper Players blog and challenge #170 which is Wildlife. So I thought I'd mix it with the chalkboard technique. This is the card I came up with.  I do love owls!

I know it's odd for me to post three days in a row, I must be inspired!  Thankful that my mojo is on the upswing right now. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!  Hope your week is off to a good start.

Craft Show Mojo

I'm trying to get my mojo going and create some awesome items to sell at some upcoming craft shows.  Luckily, I found a couple of blog challenges and Core'dinations Hard Core Crop!  With so many cool creations being created, it's not difficult to get inspired. I am starting with Tami Mayberry's Hard Core challenge which is to create a clean and simple card. I decided to go with a Christmas card and thought I might as well use some colors I don't use very often, which also happen to be one of my favorite color combos.

Here is my Hard Core Clean and Simple card.

This Stampendous stamp by  is a good reminder for the Holidays.  Don't get your tinsel in a tangle.

I'm also entering this card in these challenges:

Casual Fridays CFC #119 which is to use dry or wet embossing and on this card I've done both.

Dynamic Duos #77 using these awesome colors: real red and baja blue.

You'd Think (and Cancer Crop creations)

 I was busy this summer or something?  It's not like I haven't created something over the past five months.  Geez!  Yesterday was the first crop at Picture This I've been to this season and it was the annual Cancer Crop.  I've always wanted to go to a Cancer Crop and it does feel weird that this was my first time ever. Although I do not have a picture to show you, I was the only one not wearing pink.  Out of all the people I personally know, only one was diagnosed with breast cancer.  The others were rectal cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer and lymphoma.  So I chose to wear my lime green "paper is my weakness" shirt to support lymphoma.  Sharing a few photos of yesterday and the creations I made.

This is what it looked like outside, so it was perfect to be inside at the Cancer Crop

My area, I did eventually take up more space use up this whole side of the table.

The prize table

My second creation of the crop yesterday

I think this was the third creation,
but I was also working on the Christmas tag
and was stumped at how to finish it.

Chalkboard technique I really love this look

Yep, I really do like this look!

And that's it for now. For whatever reason, blogspot is not letting me go back to the body of the post it's still typing in the caption font and size UGH!  Hope you have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by to take a peek!  Well, well at least it looks like I was able to correct it. Oh and I bet you're wondering what my first creation was?  Well it was a cookbook cover and back.  I don't want to show them just yet.  But I will show them once I've got them together.  

Happy Halloween!

Okay, so it's not Halloween just yet, but it is right around the corner.  It's sort of Halloween for me, because I won a few prizes around World Card Making Day.  I will post a photo of what I receive.  So far I've only received my prize pack from Reminisce paper.  I was Runner Up in a Pin and Win contest.  I got a nice sized box of scrapbook paper, stickers and dimensional sticker. Some of the scrapbook paper is die cut.  There is a huge snowflake, ornament and peppermint candy paper. There is probably more than that I just can't remember it at the moment.  I had to take two photos to get all of it in and really the photos don't show all.  

I have been busy creating inventory for an upcoming craft sale.  It is called Gifted Marketplace and will help to support the Eau Claire Children's Theater.  Mitch, my oldest, has been involved with ECCT since last year.  He's been in Camp Rock, Footloose, Legally Blonde and is rehearsing for Peter Pan right now.  You can check out Gifted here on Facebook. So if you are in the Eau Claire area, stop on out and do some holiday shopping.  It will be at the Oxford Theater Nov. 16 and 17th.  Which is also the weekend of Peter Pan, so I guess I will go either opening night or Sunday.  

Here are some of the creations I've made.  I have never made a set of 3x3 mini cards until a couple of weeks ago and now it seems that I'm on a roll. Smiles. I've also made boxes to store the cards in.  

3x3 mini cards 

Box to hold 3x3 mini cards

side view

3x3 minis using Reminisce paper, nestabilities and SRM stickers

more minis

some birthday minis 

Box for the birthday minis

I must say nestabilities, SRM stickers and pretty paper make it easy to create these little cards.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and fabulous Halloween!

Happy New Year!

So it's almost two weeks into the new year and I'm finally wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy 2012!!  After the past couple of years I'm ready for an awesome year.  As you might have noticed by the time of day this is posted I've been having bouts of insomnia.  This is one time when being unemployed is good - taking a nap later if I can squeeze it in.  A few weeks ago my netbook decided she'd served her purpose for long enough - just over two years.  Hoping that tax refund time is good to me. Very thankful for Mitch sharing his laptop with me.

I guess I should show you a couple of things I did for Christmas.  I won't post anymore altered journals for the moment, unless you ask.  I did a couple with a coaster sticky notes holder and coaster notebook. I called them a kitchen set as the journal was done so the recipient could add recipes.  Also Curt inspired me to do a mini book for my parents as they lost one of their labs (black lab) last year. Sadie was such a good dog.  Scared of thunder and lightning though, she once crawled in bed with me when it was storming.  I was going to do my first paper bag album, but when I found this mini flip book that I made about three years ago, I thought that might be a better choice.  I found the MAMBI doggie stickers at M's.  

Last year our calendar was a weekly tear off calendar with dog quotes.  I used a few of the quotes on some of the pages. I created some journal spots so my parents could add any of their thoughts or memories.  My mom called and thanked me for the pictures.  


Here is a card I made.  Actually made a couple of these in different colors but only got a photo of this one which was my first one.  Dawn allowed me to open her Spellbinders Poinsettia Shapeabilities at the last crop we went to in Dec. I sat and cut out 6-8 of these in red, grey lavender color and this pink.  I really love the Memory Box paper that I used.  I wish I would've bought more than one sheet of this.  I used a sakura glitter pen to add a little glitz to the petals.  

Well that's it for now. I suppose I should try and get some sleep.  I hope to be a bit better at blogging this year. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Christmas Shopping Season

I really wish we would all consider this as the holiday shopping season approaches. There are so many wonderful artists, crafters and local places out there. You can find wonderful gifts on Etsy, Artfire, Ebay and a few others.  Take a little time and Google handmade gifts.  I know a lot of my friends and family are crafters and you'd be supporting such wonderful families. Carmen

 

Here are some ideas on how to shop this year--

Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

· Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

 

· Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

 

· Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

 

· Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

 

· There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

 

· How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

 

· Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

 

· My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

 

· OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

 

· Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

 

· Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

 

· Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?