Sally's doubly celebrating!! 39 years with her hubby and 1500 hits on the ol' hit counter... and she's got some fantastic blog candy to share! Hop on over to her blog for your chance to win. Good luck!
Hop over to Stamps, Paper, Scissors, and Donkey Smiles for a chance to win some Valentine blog candy. Quite a cool little prize, that!
And Dannie's got some great candy up for grabs, too! Check it out on her blog. See the Cuttlebug folders? Oh, yeah!!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Keeping Up with My Project-a-Day Plan... and Suffering from SpyWare
Here's my project from the other day, but I was only able to take a photo of it just a few minutes ago. Oops!
Anyway, it's a stationery box. I needed something in which to keep my finished cards, and I wanted to see if I could make it pretty simply. Success on both counts! The base is cardstock and the lid is acetate. I decided to have the lid sit inside the base rather than fitting it on top.
The belly band is a 12" x 1" strip of cardstock.
I added clear craft glitter to the flower petals, though I don't know if you can tell in this photo. Also added is a little circle punch for the center of the flower.
Next is yesterday's card. It's a sort of everyday card.
I used a Stampin' Up! image and added a Michael's dollar stamp for the sentiment.
Lastly, we have today's project. It's a Thank You
tag for people who remembered Kat and me on Christmas. It's attached to a little cellophane bag that contains a couple of small chocolates. Kat and I made about a dozen of these this afternoon.
Off the stamping subject... Kat's computer (which is our only computer) has been hit HARD with spyware and malware. HELP!!! I can't figure out how to get rid of it and, frankly, it scares me. It's shut off my Automatic Updates and new tabs keep popping open when I'm in the middle of stuff. And sometimes it shuts down the computer on us. Even Ad Aware crashes when we try to use it. Aargh..............
Anyway, it's a stationery box. I needed something in which to keep my finished cards, and I wanted to see if I could make it pretty simply. Success on both counts! The base is cardstock and the lid is acetate. I decided to have the lid sit inside the base rather than fitting it on top.The belly band is a 12" x 1" strip of cardstock.
I added clear craft glitter to the flower petals, though I don't know if you can tell in this photo. Also added is a little circle punch for the center of the flower.Next is yesterday's card. It's a sort of everyday card.
I used a Stampin' Up! image and added a Michael's dollar stamp for the sentiment.Lastly, we have today's project. It's a Thank You
tag for people who remembered Kat and me on Christmas. It's attached to a little cellophane bag that contains a couple of small chocolates. Kat and I made about a dozen of these this afternoon.Off the stamping subject... Kat's computer (which is our only computer) has been hit HARD with spyware and malware. HELP!!! I can't figure out how to get rid of it and, frankly, it scares me. It's shut off my Automatic Updates and new tabs keep popping open when I'm in the middle of stuff. And sometimes it shuts down the computer on us. Even Ad Aware crashes when we try to use it. Aargh..............
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Happy Birthday, Chrisi!!!
It's my 
second daughter's 22nd birthday today! Yay!!! I made a card to send her the other day. Here are some shots of it along with the matching bookmark and envelope. Sorry I didn't get back to the computer to post them yesterday.... got caught up with other stuff!
I was able to borrow Kat's
scrapbooking markers (thanks, Kat!), so now we've got some fun, vibrant colors goin' on. Woohoo!! Anyway, this stamp set is soooooo Chrisi!! I had bought it originally because it seemed to match my girls so well... and I was right!Chrisi changes her hairstyle quite often, so both the long hair and the short worked for this card. I used the slit punch on the bottom right corner of the yellow layer and added a button for some interest.
I took
scraps of the yellow cardstock to paper piece onto the two purses so they would have some fun texture. I also grabbed some textured red cardstock for the gift she's holding.
I popped the cell phone onto a dimensional to give that some "oomph" as well.
The circles containing the purse and cake are on dimensionals. Since I don't have a bigger circle punch (long story) to layer the 1" circles, I just used a dauber to sponge some color on them instead.
Here's a side view so you can see how the bookmark is "attached" to the inside of the card.
It's one of those over-the-page magnetic bookmarks. The image I used for the front of it is the same long-haired girl with the cell phone; just no dimensionals so it won't get wrecked in the book. You can see the front of the bookmark up in the next photo. I also made one with black hair for Kat. That photo will be up later...
Oh yes, and I did remember to stamp a little flower inside the card to carry the theme through.
Gotta head out now. Kat's got an internship task today! I really hope Chrisi likes her card. :)
~ Pia
second daughter's 22nd birthday today! Yay!!! I made a card to send her the other day. Here are some shots of it along with the matching bookmark and envelope. Sorry I didn't get back to the computer to post them yesterday.... got caught up with other stuff!I was able to borrow Kat's
scrapbooking markers (thanks, Kat!), so now we've got some fun, vibrant colors goin' on. Woohoo!! Anyway, this stamp set is soooooo Chrisi!! I had bought it originally because it seemed to match my girls so well... and I was right!Chrisi changes her hairstyle quite often, so both the long hair and the short worked for this card. I used the slit punch on the bottom right corner of the yellow layer and added a button for some interest.I took
scraps of the yellow cardstock to paper piece onto the two purses so they would have some fun texture. I also grabbed some textured red cardstock for the gift she's holding.I popped the cell phone onto a dimensional to give that some "oomph" as well.
The circles containing the purse and cake are on dimensionals. Since I don't have a bigger circle punch (long story) to layer the 1" circles, I just used a dauber to sponge some color on them instead.
Here's a side view so you can see how the bookmark is "attached" to the inside of the card.
It's one of those over-the-page magnetic bookmarks. The image I used for the front of it is the same long-haired girl with the cell phone; just no dimensionals so it won't get wrecked in the book. You can see the front of the bookmark up in the next photo. I also made one with black hair for Kat. That photo will be up later...Oh yes, and I did remember to stamp a little flower inside the card to carry the theme through.
Gotta head out now. Kat's got an internship task today! I really hope Chrisi likes her card. :)
~ Pia
Friday, January 9, 2009
Non-Christmas Cards
I'm trying to do one stamp project a day in 2009. Doesn't matter how big or small, or whether it's a card or a 3-D project. I just want to keep those creative juices flowing! So far, I've missed a couple of days but I think I made up for that yesterday with three or projects in one day! I find that I tend toward the more simple layouts, but I'm going to stretch myself this year... eventually...! Anyway, here's what I've been working on over the past few days. Mind you, I haven't bought any new stamping supplies in many, many (too many!) months -- with the exception of that Curly Punch bundle I keep talking about! So these are all made using things I have in my stash.
The first card is a Thinking of You card.
I just wanted to try something with a wider ribbon than I normally use. I'm trying to remember to 
carry the theme of the cardfront into the inside as often as possible.
Next is a Thank You card. Wow, this one was a toughy for me!
I wanted to use the scraps from the Christmas gifts and cards we made, so here's the result. I started with the striped paper and then tried to match everything from there. Not "perfectly" matched in all cases, but I think it works.
Third is a Friendship card.
I started out with the intent to try Sketch Challenge 201 over on Splitcoast Stampers, but I had to improvise because one of my stamp images was too short! Ha! It's my first time trying my hand at a Sketch 
Challenge, though, so I'm being lenient on myself. Every layer on the front is on dimensionals with the exception of the big green base. And I remembered to carry the theme through to the inside on this one!
Hmmm... well, I've got to get to my "regular" work tasks right now. I'm putting together two retreats that are coming up at the end of January and mid February, and having a BLAST! I love my job! So I'll post yesterday's card and projects up when I take my next break.
~ Pia
The first card is a Thinking of You card.
I just wanted to try something with a wider ribbon than I normally use. I'm trying to remember to 
carry the theme of the cardfront into the inside as often as possible.Next is a Thank You card. Wow, this one was a toughy for me!
I wanted to use the scraps from the Christmas gifts and cards we made, so here's the result. I started with the striped paper and then tried to match everything from there. Not "perfectly" matched in all cases, but I think it works.Third is a Friendship card.
I started out with the intent to try Sketch Challenge 201 over on Splitcoast Stampers, but I had to improvise because one of my stamp images was too short! Ha! It's my first time trying my hand at a Sketch 
Challenge, though, so I'm being lenient on myself. Every layer on the front is on dimensionals with the exception of the big green base. And I remembered to carry the theme through to the inside on this one!Hmmm... well, I've got to get to my "regular" work tasks right now. I'm putting together two retreats that are coming up at the end of January and mid February, and having a BLAST! I love my job! So I'll post yesterday's card and projects up when I take my next break.
~ Pia
Monday, January 5, 2009
A Few More Projects to Share
Just a few more Christmas things that we've been working on.
The first is a set of Pirouette cookie gifts.
Wanted to show off the cute little snowmen (I especially like the baby in the middle!). Each one contains four cookies... two vanilla and two hazelnut. Yum!
Next is a bag cover for one of Kat's friends' gifts. We used a set that I had purchased long ago but never mounted until now.
The image of the girls on the cell phones really fits! Of course, they're colored to mimic the two young ladies. I gotta get some more vibrant colored pencils... the ones I used are just some from the stationery aisle at one of the department stores.
The third one is a Christmas/Thank You card for a young friend of ours
who did A LOT of work on our fundraisers for our latest trip to World Youth Day (he's very much into computers). Again, we used a set that had been purchased long ago but not mounted until now. I originally bought that set to use for my son, who's a computer wiz. The computer actually is colored grey, though I don't think you can tell from the photo. Really gotta invest in some new pencils! :)
Lastly, Kat made a bag cover for another friend.
She thought the little Eskimo girl resembled her friend, so she snatched it right up! She added some way cute eyelashes to our miss Eskimo and gave her some wonderfully rosy cheeks. Too cute!
The first is a set of Pirouette cookie gifts.
Wanted to show off the cute little snowmen (I especially like the baby in the middle!). Each one contains four cookies... two vanilla and two hazelnut. Yum!Next is a bag cover for one of Kat's friends' gifts. We used a set that I had purchased long ago but never mounted until now.
The image of the girls on the cell phones really fits! Of course, they're colored to mimic the two young ladies. I gotta get some more vibrant colored pencils... the ones I used are just some from the stationery aisle at one of the department stores.The third one is a Christmas/Thank You card for a young friend of ours
who did A LOT of work on our fundraisers for our latest trip to World Youth Day (he's very much into computers). Again, we used a set that had been purchased long ago but not mounted until now. I originally bought that set to use for my son, who's a computer wiz. The computer actually is colored grey, though I don't think you can tell from the photo. Really gotta invest in some new pencils! :)Lastly, Kat made a bag cover for another friend.
She thought the little Eskimo girl resembled her friend, so she snatched it right up! She added some way cute eyelashes to our miss Eskimo and gave her some wonderfully rosy cheeks. Too cute!
Papercrafts by Rach -- Blog Candy
Hop on over to Rach's blog for a chance to win some pretty cool blog candy! We're talking raffia lace, flowers, brads, eyelets, stickles, new stamps... WOW! Good luck!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Challenge Card
Today was the funeral of a beautiful young lady whose family I've known for a little over 5 years. She died suddenly on Christmas Eve... she would have been 21 years old next week. This is a family whose faith is firmly rooted in Christ and in the hope of resurrection and eternal life. When looking for just the right images and text to use on the family's sympathy card, I came across a set that I had ordered long ago and had never used. It wasn't even mounted yet! The set had a lot of butterfly images, which was just perfect for the theme of being born into new life. For the text, I used one from a retired Sale-a-Bration set that just seemed very well suited for this occasion.
I cut out each butterfly individually so that I could mount them wherever I wanted them. The big butterfly is stamped in Vintage Violet and adhered flat on the cardfront. Then I mounted another of the same image in Cool Carribean on top of it (slightly askew so that the darker one becomes its shadow). I glued down the body and added dimensionals under each wing to give it the semblance of fluttering. The two smaller butterflies in the upper right are adhered flat, and the third little butterfly is mounted on a dimensional near the text, which is also on dimensionals. The background stamp I used is the Script Background from Stampin' Up! which I chose because it is a nice prayer for the family. I wanted the large butterfly to represent the young lady whose soul has flown to new life in Christ. The three butterflies on the front also (by happy coincidence) represent the three family members -- mother, father, and sister -- who are remembering this young lady specially on this bittersweet day.
Inside the card, I mounted another butterfly on dimensionals to carry the theme through. In this photo, you can also sort of see a couple of the dimensionals on the front of the card.
I stamped the small flowers from the same butterfly set along with another little butterfly on the envelope to tie everything together.
This card is being entered in the "Something New" Challenge on Stamp Something. I think it qualifies because of the new-to-me stamp set that I used.
~ Pia
I cut out each butterfly individually so that I could mount them wherever I wanted them. The big butterfly is stamped in Vintage Violet and adhered flat on the cardfront. Then I mounted another of the same image in Cool Carribean on top of it (slightly askew so that the darker one becomes its shadow). I glued down the body and added dimensionals under each wing to give it the semblance of fluttering. The two smaller butterflies in the upper right are adhered flat, and the third little butterfly is mounted on a dimensional near the text, which is also on dimensionals. The background stamp I used is the Script Background from Stampin' Up! which I chose because it is a nice prayer for the family. I wanted the large butterfly to represent the young lady whose soul has flown to new life in Christ. The three butterflies on the front also (by happy coincidence) represent the three family members -- mother, father, and sister -- who are remembering this young lady specially on this bittersweet day.
Inside the card, I mounted another butterfly on dimensionals to carry the theme through. In this photo, you can also sort of see a couple of the dimensionals on the front of the card.
I stamped the small flowers from the same butterfly set along with another little butterfly on the envelope to tie everything together. This card is being entered in the "Something New" Challenge on Stamp Something. I think it qualifies because of the new-to-me stamp set that I used.
~ Pia
How 'bout Some Fabulous BLOG CANDY to Start the New Year off Right?
Starving Artistamps has got a very generous giveaway to kick off 2009 -- over $40 worth of fun new rubber!! Check it out! Such CUTE designs! Good luck all!
~ Pia
~ Pia
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2009! I hope you all had fantastic celebrations last night, remembering with fondness the blessings and challenges of 2008 and looking forward with hope to whatever 2009 has in store. Kat felt well enough to venture out for a bit (going out with her brother and his girlfriend for a couple of hours on Saturday wiped her out and she's ended up nearly bed-bound ever since -- but she says it's absolutely worth it!), so we almost headed to a friend's house. Yes, we were invited; we weren't crashing their party, ha ha! But just before we left, we gave our friend a call and lo and behold, she wasn't home! Talk about all dressed up and nowhere to go! No worries, though, we went to see a movie instead: Bedtime Stories (the new Adam Sandler flick) and had a good time!
Here 
is our Christmas card... well, the 
version that got sent to most of our family and friends anyway... I just couldn't decide how I wanted this year's cards to look. The finished product is fashioned after Shalae's card, which can be found on Shelli's blog. Her 
card is so cute!! And what a fun idea! I didn't have the tools that Shalae had, so I put my own spin on it. My cards are almost-4-inch squares. The photos inside are just 1/4" smaller than the card stock. The corne
rs are notched using the corner of my curly label punch. Boy, did that punch get A LOT of use this season! I really like the texture on the card front (I'm not one to usually go for textured papers, but this worked out nicely, I think). And the little bird on the background stamp (French Flair; retired SU! stamp) showed up in just the right spot! Again, most of the materials used are from my stash (hence the variety of colors). The only thing I bought this year was the Curly Label Punch Bundle from Stampin' Up! -- yay, me!!
Thanks to everyone who's been dropping the wonderful comments on my posts, by the way! I can't figure out how to send you an e-mail reply... help, please?? I do want you to know that I totally appreciate your kind words and encouragement and sharing! I get so excited when I open up my e-mail to find a notice that I've got a comment to moderate!
Oh, and in other holiday news, my son and his girlfriend came to visit!!
It was so nice to have him here with us again, and his girlfriend is just too cute!! They really do seem to be a good match -- she even got him one of those metal brain teaser puzzles for Christmas, and it has him totally stumped (no easy task!). The visit was all too short, naturally. I also got a call from my eldest daughter, who will ship out again in a couple of weeks. This will be her last tour before she gets out of the Navy (she'll be gone six months this time). Kat and I are putting together a little care package to send her... hope to mail it tomorrow.
Well, it's back to crafting for me! I'm taking full advantage of these wonderfully lazy days before I head back to work on Monday. I just love vacations!
~ Pia
Here 
is our Christmas card... well, the 
version that got sent to most of our family and friends anyway... I just couldn't decide how I wanted this year's cards to look. The finished product is fashioned after Shalae's card, which can be found on Shelli's blog. Her 
card is so cute!! And what a fun idea! I didn't have the tools that Shalae had, so I put my own spin on it. My cards are almost-4-inch squares. The photos inside are just 1/4" smaller than the card stock. The corne
rs are notched using the corner of my curly label punch. Boy, did that punch get A LOT of use this season! I really like the texture on the card front (I'm not one to usually go for textured papers, but this worked out nicely, I think). And the little bird on the background stamp (French Flair; retired SU! stamp) showed up in just the right spot! Again, most of the materials used are from my stash (hence the variety of colors). The only thing I bought this year was the Curly Label Punch Bundle from Stampin' Up! -- yay, me!!Thanks to everyone who's been dropping the wonderful comments on my posts, by the way! I can't figure out how to send you an e-mail reply... help, please?? I do want you to know that I totally appreciate your kind words and encouragement and sharing! I get so excited when I open up my e-mail to find a notice that I've got a comment to moderate!
Oh, and in other holiday news, my son and his girlfriend came to visit!!
It was so nice to have him here with us again, and his girlfriend is just too cute!! They really do seem to be a good match -- she even got him one of those metal brain teaser puzzles for Christmas, and it has him totally stumped (no easy task!). The visit was all too short, naturally. I also got a call from my eldest daughter, who will ship out again in a couple of weeks. This will be her last tour before she gets out of the Navy (she'll be gone six months this time). Kat and I are putting together a little care package to send her... hope to mail it tomorrow.Well, it's back to crafting for me! I'm taking full advantage of these wonderfully lazy days before I head back to work on Monday. I just love vacations!
~ Pia
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