Gettin' creative in a completely different way...

I know, I know...

"where the hell have you been?"

Did I read your mind, or what :)

Let just say that I have NOT been feeling the papercraftiness creative mojo for the longest time.  Especially this fall & winter.  All I wanted to do was to hibernate and eat bad food.  DAMMIT!  Yep, I have gained some of the weight back that I was so proud of losing not-to-long-ago.  Which just leads to more depression, which leads to more bad eating... blah blah blah.  Vicious effing circle.

This fall & winter I did, however, help my mom get several of her rooms organized & cleaned.  I even got her to get rid of a lot of her old quilting magazines... THAT was a feat in itself ;)  I was proud of her... she has a ton of stuff in the donation and "to sell" piles.

Other than that, I have been Pinteresting my stubby fingers off... which I am sure many of you are sick of getting the notifications.  Just ignore them :)  

So, you are probably wanting to know what creative schtuff I have been up to... otherwise the title of this post was all a ruse ;)  Well, a few years ago, I had started a handmade quilt.  I stuck with it for awhile, but as with us creative types, we have to pace ourselves and switch to other projects and media.  So, since the papercraftiness mojo left me, I thought I would try quilting again.

My workstation all ready!  My wand iron & table-top ironing mat, mom's fancy sewing machine that I am borrowing, a little burlap box for scraps, rotary cutter, add-a-quarter ruler, cutting mat, cutting ruler... gang's all here!

Selecting fabrics for each block is both challenging and fun.

I used freezer paper method to cut the "L" shapes & quarter-round center. 

The center arc is paper-pieced.

I don't know what I was thinking, starting a king-size quilt for my first quilting project.  AND picking a pattern with circles... crazy woman.  But, I fell in love with the idea of this quilt fading from deep dark colors to bright warm colors.  So here are some work-in-progress pictures:

Most of the fabrics are batik... which I LOVE!  There are two different "Carnival Beauty" block sizes from Valori Wells that I am using (8" & 4").  My goal is to not duplicate any blocks... yikes.  Both sizes will be intermingled throughout... similar to this:  http://www.valoriwells.com/quilts/carnival-beauty

What do you think?

Ugh...

My creative mojo has gone missing again.  I couldn't even find it for a class that I'm teaching tonight!  And even though it is against my better judgment, I'm going to share these not-so-hot cards with y'all today.

First up, my "Love ya' bots" (get it, love ya' lots) card... very cute play on words me thinks, but the card kinda sucks.  It was really late at night, and wasn't feelin' it.

Next up, a card that started out wonderful and ended up as a whoopsie.  I'm going to do it over again, and this time I'm gonna leave off the vertical hearts & the three dots on the right.  And I'm gonna make sure that the cute little owl is centered.

And believe it or not, the pinks really do match in person.  Once again, my sucky photo-taking skills show up.  But I'm moving on!

This last one, I actually like a little bit.  Next time I might not make as many heart balloons, but otherwise, it's pretty cute.

 

I paper-pieced the car & colored the rest with Prismacolor pencils & mineral oil blending.  I masked the heart balloons and drew in the streamers &  mini-heart exhaust.  And of course, Stickles glitter glue is my friend  :)

What do you think?

 

Card details:

 

Love Ya' Bots:  Robots stamp set, Catelynne dp, kraft & Caboodle White cs, DCWV brown cs, Reece ribbon, Prismacolor pencils

 

Owl Love You:  Be Square, He Likes Me, Fabulous Frames, Awesome Blossoms, &  Love You stamp sets, Lilly Anna dp, Lilly Anna & white ultrasmooth cs, Bazzill & misc. grey cs, Jewel Tone chalks, Dove Blender, Juliette ribbon, button, misc. glitter

 

Love Bug:  Bug of Fun & He Likes Me stamp sets, Uptown Girl dp, black & premium white cs, paper piercer, Prismacolor pencils, Glossy Accents, Icicle Stickles, Micron pen

Surprise!

Yeah, it's me... can you freakin' believe it?!  I know. I know... I've totally been slacking.  BUT I have been very busy working... two jobs, plus TAC, plus my Hostess Club, plus planning classes that I'm going to start teaching, plus...  Oy.  I'm tired just writing all of that :)  Needless to say, my mojo has gone on a very long hiatus.  My last Hostess Club/class night didn't even have brand new stuff... nope, they were similar to projects that I had done before, but they were new to the ladies.

Have you seen the HUGE list of specials from TAC?!  Awesome grab-bag deals, stamp of the month, retiring stamp list, and more!  Just go HERE to check the specials, and then go HERE to go shopping :)

So, anyway, back to today's bit o' fabulousness.  :)  Not really... but I REALLY like using that word.

How do you like this "fluffy" girl?  You know: "I'm not fat... I'm fluffy" :)  I think she's pretty darn cute... in fact she looks more like an adult than a kid.  But how many adults still hold their teddy bears?  Wait.  Don't tell me... it might scare me a little ;)

Stamps:  Movie Night, Happy Thoughts

Paper:  Hemingway dp, Hemingway & brown cs, Neenah white cs

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo, Burnt Umber Palette

Other:  sheer ribbon

Copics:  BG72, BG75, BG78, E000, E00, E01, E11, E31, E35, E53, E55, E57, G85, G99, N4, N7, R32

I don't really like the black trim & socks, but my BG's bled into them too much to do anything lighter... dammit.  Maybe the colors make her look grown up instead of kiddish... I dunno.  But her skin came out just right :)

What do you think?

Did you miss me :)

HDH055 - Elegantly Evil

Today's post is HERE

enjoy :)

Not feelin' it...

... still.  What is up with me?  It's gotta be job stress... I don't know what else it could be.  I didn't even pick up the right cardstock to stamp & color this image, so it's notsogreat either.

Stamps:  Boys Will Be Boys, retired TAC sentiment

Paper:  Mia's Cottage, Mia's Cottage & white UltraSmooth cardstocks

Other:  Memento Tuxedo ink, WeRMK eyelets, star gems

Copics:  B12, B24, B32, E000, E00, E11, E57, R02, YG01, YG03, YG06, YR12, YR15, YR18, YR24

 

 I have been spoiled when it comes to cardstock for Copics.  So far, I'd have to say that Neenah 80# solar crescent white & TAC's White Caboodle Cardstock are my faves.  Though the coloring ends up nice, Gina K's & PTI's white are too thick for images that I want to cut out... just can't get a nice cut.

Anyway, that's it, folks.  I'm working tomorrow night & Sunday, so no creative time for me until Monday... only if the mojo shows up from it's looooooooooong hiatus.  :)

Finally a card to show on this blog...

... I know, right?  The best part about this one is that I've had the image colored up for about three months, so all I had to do was slap a couple of layers on and BOOM, done.  That's just how I roll.

Totally cute image... wish I could give this to my own kids, but they would just slobber all over it and then take it outside into the yard :)  Sooooo, this will be going into the slowly growing collection of cards for sale at The Blue Bow.  I haven't checked in with her for awhile, so I'm wondering how sales are doing :)

Stamps:  Outdoor Adventures, This Boy (retired)

Paper:  ivory ultrasmooth, Penelope, & brown cardstocks

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo & Rich Cocoa

Other:  Silver glitter pen, MS border punch, TH wood embossing folder

Copics:  0, B000, B00, B02, E000, E00, E11, E57, E59G21, G24,

G85, YG01, YG05, YR04, YR07, YR18, YR20, YR23, YR24

Can you believe it... no pop dots, foam tape or foofiness... what's wrong with me?!  I tried... really... but nothing was working, so I just left it as is.  At least I got the glitter pen out for the fishing pole and boat hooks :)

What do you think?

A recipe-of-sorts...

... kinda... maybe.

No papercrafting post today.  Nope, still missing that creative spark.  So, to fill space, I've decided to share a fabulous summertime recipe.  Well... kinda.

I'm one of those people who doesn't really measure anything when I cook.  Well, unless it's a baking recipe... you really kinda HAVE to then.  So, this deviled egg "recipe" may drive you a little bit crazy if you want exact measures... not gonna happen... 

... that's just how I roll.

Pictured above is everything I used to transform a dozen eggs into something even tastier:

large bowl

pastry blender

mayo (NOT Miracle Whip... ewww)

mustard

white vinegar

ground rosemary

granulated garlic

chives

sea salt

Homemade Gourmet Garlic Basil

Homemade Gourmet Dill seasoning

not pictured:  Pampered Chef Chillzanne egg tray & Easy Accent Decorator

The pastry blender is perfect for breaking up the cooked yolks... much quicker than the traditional dinner fork Mama uses :)   I add all of the herbs & spices to the yolks prior to adding any liquid & blend well.  Then, a few dollops of mayo and small squirt of mustard.  To prevent adding too much vinegar, I cover the top with two fingers and kind of sprinkle it... don't ask why... that's just what I learned from my mama  :)  

Had I any prepared horseradish, I would add just a bit of that for more zing :)  Then I add more herbs, mayo or vinegar depending on the desired taste.  You know you've had deviled eggs before that had too much of one thing... mayo makes it too blah, vinegar makes it too wangy, etc.

Well, after the filling is JUST right, I fill the ol' Easy Accent Decorator with the large star tip... LOVE IT for deviled eggs & mini-cupcakes.  After filling all of the egg halves, I sprinkle more of the dill seasoning in-lieu-of the traditional paprika.

Don't they look tasty?!

Whoooo knew...

 ... that I have been slacking lately?!  I'm still not feeling creative... this is the longest creative slump I've been in for some time.  And this is the last of my 'spare' cards that I haven't shared, so enjoy it :)  Who knows when the mojo will return.

I am LOVING the Tim Holtz edge dies... how fabulous is the shape of this card front?!  I totally see using this die for a future handbag card, right?  I still need to figure out a foolproof way of using the die so that it is straight when it goes through the Big Shot... I've had so many that I can only use as mats because they had to be cut down.  Any ideas?

Stamps:  Be Square, Thinking of You (retired hostess set)

Paper:  white ultrasmooth, kraft, brown & random teal cardstocks

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo

Other:  metal button, Tim Holtz edge die

Copics:  0, BV20, E53, E57, BG72, BG78

I love this owl... he's my 2nd favorite in the whole set.  Those itty bitty wings totally make me smile.

:)

See?

And are you guys hating the simple cards I've been doing lately?  I have a room full of schtuff and all of these cards lately have been foof-less!  What is the trend now, anyway?   
Foof or NO Foof?

What do you think?

Card Goulash... aka leftovers :)

Remember my final swap card from earlier this month?  Well, I had this lonesome little stamped panel left over without a base.  Soooooo, since I have been mojo-less as of late, I thought I'd try to create a
card goulash-of-sorts :)

The yellow cardstock strip was also from my previous swap card, the cute little Sprite was a leftover from my Copic coloring class I taught on Sunday (hair isn't great, but oh well), and the black mat was left from the sucky suck suck cards I made last night.  I had some fun with a little edger punch action on the card base (the yellow strip is inside), added the "make a wish" to the panel and popped up the Sprite on foam tape.

Stamps:  Spunky Sprite Girls, Great Greetings, Tiny Tidbits (Hostess Level A)

Paper:  Reece, Cha Cha, black & white ultrasmooth cardstocks

Ink:  Belle Rose, Raw Sienna, & Ballet Blue Palettes, Memento Tuxedo

Other:  EK Success edger punch, foam tape, $1 ribbon from Michael's

Copics:  0, E000, E11, R02, YR23, YR24, E57, BV20, RV10, RV13

What do you think?

Pretty good for leftovers?  :)

Creative mojo...

... where the hell are you?  I had the entire evening to do fun stuff and what happens?  Yep, you guessed it.  blah.  nada.  Just two cards... of the sucky variety.  So sucky in fact, that they will NOT make a pit stop on this blog... I'm just sayin' (finger poised over lips to avoid hurling incident)

{heavy sigh}

{heavier sigh}

Maybe tomorrow it will show up... until then, my loyal readers, please stay tuned!

Missing my mojo... majorly!

I can't seem to find it... have you guys seen it anywhere?  Did someone borrow it and forget to tell me?  WTH?!  So, all I have for you today is this 2-second card.

Stamps:  Fun Skulls, Linear Sentiments, Tiny Tidbits (Hostess Level A)
Paper:  Premium white cardstock
Ink:  Noir Palette
Other:  Scor-Pal, paper flower

I am hoping to have something of substance for you soon :)

What do you think?
It doesn't look too...ummm... "wow, I hope this gift of wine isn't tainted" or anything... does it?  ;)
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Happy Heart Day two-fer...

So I was trying to figure out a make-n-take project for an upcoming crop this Saturday... or should I say struggling.  Don't you hate it when you have something envisioned in your head and you just can't translate it into real life?  Yeah.  Me too.  The mojo just wasn't flowin'.

And thus, this first card was born.  Yeah, I know... I'm not feelin' it either.  The only thing I like is the background... I think it's soft & pretty.  The Scor-Bug action is ok, but there's just no... POP... ya' know what I'm sayin'?

So, after trying different backgrounds & patterns & whatever, I gave up and cleaned my table off.  I saved my practice pieces and decided to try something else... and voila!  Just pretend that one little spot of pink isn't popping up from behind the black mat, ok? ;) 

Stamps:  Victorian Elements, Creative Inspiration (heart), & Label Lingo (Level D Hostess set)
Paper:  Mimi SWIC, white UltraSmooth & black cardstocks
Ink:  Toile Pink, Belle Rose & Noir Palettes
Other:  Mimi ribbon, Icicle Stickles

Much better, right?  I think it would be more balanced if I would have used black ribbon... that whole law-of-threes thing.  I loved the Victorian Elements stamp set as soon as I saw it last year... so many lovely background possibilities!

What do you think?
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I'm supposed to be working...

... from home today, but I just can't seem to get started.  It is so cold & windy here... and the shining sun is just a tease.  As if to say, "it really isn't that cold out here"... what-e-v-e-r!  There is a big o' draft coming from my sliding glass door... NOT GOOD.  Well... enough griping... on to the fun stuff!

Another button tree.  And more of that swirly pink paper... yummy :)  That little birdie is just so cute... staring at the wintery swirls... freezin' her tail feathers off!  Or maybe I'm just reading that into it based on the aforementioned gust of wind blasting through my house ;)

Stamps:  Early Bird, Hello Snow (both retired TAC)
Paper:  Toodle Loo & Premium white cardstocks, Bo Bunny dp
Ink:  Noir Palette
Other:  White Scrapper's Floss, Icicle Stickles,Cloud scissors, foam tape, Copics, misc. buttons & fuzzy rick rack trim

So sorry I've been bad about posting, but my mojo has not been showing up lately.  I actually had to force myself to do this one!  Tonight should be fun, so maybe it will bring me back.


What do you think?


BTW... Carol claimed her prize, so NO MORE PRIZE DRAWINGS FOR YOU (to be said soup-nazi style)! 
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Lilly Flower Ribbon Book...

Well, I didn't finish it, but I'm going to share what I have so far ;)

First, the Frugal Find: one of my local Hobby Lobby's, in the fabric & trims department, carries bags of misc. ribbon for $1.99 (or $2.99?). In each bag there are 15 different ribbons with 2 yds. of each kind... 30 yards of ribbon for a couple of bucks! And almost all of it (in the two that I bought) is extra wide (1" or larger). And one was this 5" wide white satin!

[is it still considered ribbon if it is THAT freakin' wide?]

Anyway, I decided that it would make a beautiful little album/ journal cover! I took a bunch of pictures, so I decided to make a slide show for easy viewing. (You can click on "view all images" to view larger photos)

Stamps: Butterfly Bits, Memo Fun, Creative Inspiration, Swirlies, This Girl

Paper: Lilly Anna SWIC & Lilly Anna Cardstock

Ink: Belle Rose, Toile Pink, & Chartreuse Palettes, VersaMark

Other: Scor-Pal, Crop-a-dile Big Bite, Bazzill Bitty Blossoms, Icicle Stickles, Juliette Ribbon, Mimi Ribbon, Extra Jumbo Flower Punch, WeR large green eyelets, misc. ribbon, staples, & sewing machine

I folded it over on both ends and, using my Janome mini sewing machine, double-stitched the flaps to secure and also to create a decorative binding. I did all of my stamping and heat-set it, and punched holes and set the eyelets. I scored my cardstock pages to fit within the cover binding and punched holes through both.

I used the Juliette dark pink ribbon to lace in-and-out through the binding. I then took smaller pieces of the same ribbon and knotted the blossoms to the binding to cover the icky holes. On the inside, I took some green satin ribbon and tied a pretty knot.

I knotted a piece of pink ribbon and ran it from the back through to the front cover as a closure... it holds it closed without having to tie a bow or knot it at the front! I Stickled portions of the butterfly and the centers of the medallions on the front cover.

I started to work on the inside pages, but I just wasn't feelin' it late last night. I do like the first page (the pocket & tags one), but the others I'm not-so-thrilled with... we'll see when inspiration hits again. :)

What do you think?

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Yawn.........

Just a couple of quick notes tonight. I've got Spring fever and this cold weather totally bites... luckily, it's supposed to be really nice tomorrow and Thursday... Yippeeee

First, what do you think of my blog mini-makeover? It's still a standard blogger template, but I thought a little bit of a change would do me good :) Me likey all the pink... so girly.

Second, I'm going to share just a sneeky peeky of a little project I'm working on. I looked up at the clock and it was 10pm! Did the clocks move forward? Did I miss the something... time flies when I actually get a spark of mojo working. Anyway, let's just say that I have another Frugal Find for you!

Intrigued yet? I'm hoping to get to finish it up tomorrow night and post all of the photos on Thursday... sorry... I know... what a tease. ;) ... but that's one of the reasons why you like me, right? Right?

[whispering: you do like me, right?] :)

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Dusting, chalk, and a little missing mojo...

Ahhhhh... Saturday night... and I'm at home :) I just finished cleaning up the house, and Poot has agreed to mop the floors!! OMG... I know! I'll wait for you to pick yourself up off the floor...

...

...

I've been cleaning all weekend, and I even took everything off of all the shelves in my studio and dusted, vacuumed, and re-arranged! Oh... I'll wait again... :)

...

...

THAT took for freakin' evah!! I HATE dusting. It always seems to settle again in 5 minutes and doesn't look like you did anything... maybe it wouldn't do that if I dusted every other day? :)

On to the fun stuff! I so enjoyed the shoebox swaps we did in S.A. This big tag was cased off of a card that Barbara Crooks created for the swap.

I loved how she popped the sunflower up using Tutti Fruitti paper, as well as, how cute the image is when using the Jewel Tone Pearlescent Chalk set. The little girl image is from Fall Harvest from TAC's Fall Supplement, and the sentiment is from a Level A Hostess set Feel Better, and both were stamped with Noir Palette.

I feel as though my mojo has been missing as of late. Check out this card. I'm just not feelin' it. I tried introducing another color with the purple & orange and nothing was jiving. So I finished it and immediately put it away. Far away.

So it won't be staring at me...

mocking me.

Stamps: Hotel Signs, Tag Tidbits, Linear Sentiments, Circle Sampler

Paper: DCWV orange, Bazzill Mono-Purples, White UltraSmooth

Ink: French Lilac & Orangerie Palette

Other: Orange Peel Stickles, Pop Dots, hole punch

What do you think about these?