November TJ One on One Swap

Hi all! This is my card for the Technique Junkies One on One swap for November. Of course, I made this a couple of weeks ago and forgot to write the tech name on my file name. SIGH. I will look around and see if I can't remember what the technique name is. That is the problem when you have all of the TJ Cd's. It's too easy to forget where things are! I hope my partner enjoys her card! TFL

Bethany Birthday Card

Hi everyone! I had a heck of a week last week. I was busy and stressed for several reasons. However, I comitted a grievious error! I forgot my best friend Bethany's birthday!!! Her birthday was on Sunday the 15th and I didn't realize my error until the 17th! I'm such a bad person, I tell ya. Luckily for me, Bethany had her second baby girl on the 8th so she was a little too preoccupied to notice much. :) I of course had to go all out when I made her card this year. This card and a homemade pumpkin roll from yours truly were my apologetic offerings. TFL





Bethany loved her card and the pumpkin roll. Baby Justice is too cute and adorable!

Until later!

~A

Rich Razzleberry Bday Card

Hi everyone! I'm finally with a steady (for now) internet connection. Yay! So I thought I would share the birthday card I made for my mother, who's birthday was the 6th. This is an almost exact copy of a card by Julie Dinn. I had it stashed in my card inspiration folder. My mother's favorite color is purple so of course I had to use Rich Razzleberry. It's so yummy! I don't have the Bride Specialty paper and didn't really like that it looked like white swirls and the cardstock was silver. Soooo, I made my own specialty cardstock. And now it all matches, silver and rich razzleberry. TFL!

Sepia Season of Friendship

Hello everyone! Been a busy couple of weeks for me. Mostly because last week was my birthday week. Yes, week. I celebrate all week long! So after the celebrations have died down it was time to do a bit of stamping, plus I am all inspired after going to the CK convention this last weekend. This is my card for a fellow TJer in our swap 1 on 1. I hope she likes it!


I used three techniques for this card. Sepia, Drywall Stitching and Depth of Field. I think it's lovely. I really like the Sepia tech. I just love distressing things I guess! Off to sleep I hope. Later stampers!

~A

Expressionistic Watercolor

Hello everyone! After my busy weekend I finally got to sit down and stamp today. Yay! I browsed my Technique Junkie cds until I found the next technique to call my name. It was Expressionistic Watercolor. It's a very easy technique that can be adapted for many styles. After my first run through using water, I decided to try Glimmer Mist in Pearl to see what that would look like. It was beautiful! So after a few more tries this is what I came up with. Lookie:





Sadly, the picture does not show the shine of the glimmer mist. Trust me, it's eye catching IRL. This is a lovely technique that I know I will use again. Thank you for visiting!

Crumpled Resist-Redo

Ever had a card that you finished but every time you looked at "something" bothered you about it? That's what happened to me with my card from yesterday. It was cute and I loved the technique but it wasn't quite right. It wasn't until I posted it here and saw it on my blog that it hit me, what was wrong. The pumpkin just didn't work. It wasn't ugly or anything, he just wasn't what was needed for the card. So, I decided to go with the spider and his web. Even then, I messed up the first try and it was...illogical. So I fixed it again. Here are my two versions. Illogical and fixed. Thanks for looking in today.

Illogical version:

Fixed Version:

I. Cant. Stop.

Ok, so I'm really excited that I finally started trying some of the techniques that are featured on the TJ newsletter. It has really got me excited again about crafting in general. Case in point. I've made 4 cards in the last 24 hours. I can't stop! On to the next card, the technique is called Crumpled Resist and it's very fun. I pulled out this Halloween set that I've had for over a year and have never inked up. Bad stamper! I know! But I broke it in right this afternoon. Lookie:


Ok, now I just have to figure out what technique to try next. Until later stampers!

Another TJ Card

Hello stampers! After I posted my first TJ card to the TJ list I got a huge outpour of support from those fabulous ladies! They truly made me feel welcome. The side effect is now I think I'm turning into a TJ monster! I made another card before the family came to dinner tonight. I was literally stamping and glueing as my niece and nephew were knocking on my door. But it's all worth it right? Lookie what I did:




This technique is called Embossed Pastels. I had to try it because I don't use my SU chalks near enough. While I'm not thrilled with this card, I don't hate it either. I do love how my elephants look camoed. I will have to remember that when I make something for my nephew TJ. If you ask him what his favorite color is, his answer is camoflage. LOL Thanks for looking!

~A

My First Technique Junkies attempt

Hi everyone! So, I've been a lurker and admirer of the Technique Junkies group for a while now and I finally sat down and tried my first technique. It's called Acetate Swirl. It's fun, easy, messy and you feel artistic when you are done. Are you ready for the card? Lookie:



Thanks for visting! See you next time.

~A

First Aid for the First Aid

I know, I know....I didn't keep up with my craft a day in September challenge. In my defense I went out of town, had visiting friends and relatives after being out of town and didn't feel so hot after they left. Anyway, I have crafted a little bit. Lookie:


This is the first aid station at CCCKC. I used my cricut and black vinyl to spruce it up a bit as it was a little ghetto fabulous with the painter's tape before. I'm not really happy with the result but it's still better than the blue tape job. Maybe next time I'm down there inspiration will hit and I will make the first aid station first rate! Hehehe, I'll quit while I'm ahead. Goodnight!

Fabulous LO

I'm on a roll! Two layouts in one day? I know, I'm as shocked as you are. Heheh. Lookie what I did:

Would you believe that is me? Yup, my senior year of high school. I was so cute! Of course I didn't realize it at the time. I thought I was fat. Yup, fat. Ah the irony is of course, now I am fat so I know the difference. Ah well, live and learn right?

~A

Party! LO

Whoohoo! I made it to Day 3 of the Craft A Day September Challenge! Aren't you proud of me? Hehehe. I made this layout out of a scrapbook kit featuring Tinkerbell. I've had this kit for about 2 years, so I figured it was high time I did something with it. I'm not sure if I love it yet but I am happy to have another layout finished. So it's all good right? Lookie:
I do have to brag a little bit. This is the first time I've done anything that would be considered digital on a layout. I printed up a journaling block and used reverse type as well! Thank goodness Cathy Zielske showed how to do it on a Creating Keepsakes DVD. I feel like a total pro now. LOL Now it is time to sleep. Night!

~A

I LOVE One Sheet Wonders!

Hey everyone! How's it going? Things are just dandy here. Today I am going to show you some One Sheet Wonders I've made. I have fallen in love with One Sheet Wonders. If you don't know what I'm talking about OSW are a template for cutting up pattern paper to make cards. The one I've been using recently is the Verve 6x6 OSW from a couple of years ago. This OSW makes 4 cards out of one sheet of 6x6 pattern paper, with no left over paper. Don't you love it? However, I stretched this template into 6 cards. Meaning I can get 24 cards out of one sheet of 12x12 pattern paper. Which is awesome when you make as many cards as I do for our troops. Here is an example of just one of the batches of OSW I've made recently.



As you can tell, I do have to fancy up the cards a bit. I really don't like leaving pattern paper unmatted. Besides the way I figure it, the more paper and cardstock I use the more I get to buy later!

Thanks for looking!

~A

My Cubicle

I've recently discovered (actually rediscovered...appreciate better now) a new scrapbooking guru for myself. I'm sure many of you know her name already but I adore everything Cathy Zielske does! Her clean graphic style draws me. I've discovered in my sophomore year of scrapbooking that I prefer clean lines and linear layouts. I detest the trend of throwing as much product (ie..crap) as you can fit on a layout and call it good. It's about the pictures and stories, not the product! So here is a very quick layout I made for my 1st day of the Craft A Day September Challenge.

I took this picture with my phone the day my mail van broke down on the route a couple of weeks ago. My caption at the time had something to do about the fuel pump and waiting for the calvary to come and help me. Not a happy memory to be sure. However, I have noticed that in my circle of friends and acquaintances many people work in cubicles. Every time I see a picture of a friend in a cubicle, I shudder. I could not imagine being cooped up in a windowless prison all day long. This made me realize that I very grateful to have never had a job where I've been subject to this torture. Hence the birth of this layout....my cubicle. I love it. Dust, bugs, dogs, rain, heat, snow, ice and all. I wouldn't have it any other way.


~A

Powell Gardens Mini Album

Hello everyone! Whew did I get busy this weekend! Sorry to disappear on you all like that. However, I had a great time so it was worth it. On to my next display of greatness....er craftiness. LOL. I took my niece and nephew to Powell Gardens in late April to see the tulips in bloom as they are my favorite flowers. This is the result. I hope you like it!

New Stamps!

So, I had to cheat on SU for a bit. After I attended Michelle Zindorf's workshops I just had to buy more ISC stamps! How can I not support a single mom who makes stamps in her living room? Besides, they are awesome stamps! Here is what they looked like when I got them.

Michelle gave us a nice tip for unmounted stamps. Aleene's Tack It Over and Over glue! Just put a thin layer on the back of your cut out image and let it dry. Michelle says that you can get 50 uses out of one application. A little goes a long way too! However, after I got them all cut out and glued I had a conundrum. How should I store them? They didn't come with any storage options. Just a printed image that was on copy paper. Are you ready for my brainwave? Lookie:


I laminated the printed image sheet! So now my stamps are stored on the image sheet itself and they fit perfectly in my stamp expandable file. I love it when a plan comes together.

Until next time-Happy Stamping!

~A

Presence of Trees

Now before you start proclaiming me to be some master of the brayer or something, I must tell you, that this is an almost exact copy of Michelle Zindorf's card. The only difference is I used a different color of dark blue (Pacific Point) and I punched my holes differently. That's it.

However, I love this card. I worked on it over two sessions and had,I think, 6 or 7 fails before I finally got it right. Michelle makes it look so easy! I guess that's why she's the queen. Anywho, I must start getting ready to go see Bethany for our Tuesday Scrappin' Playdate!

Later!

~A

Protecting the Herd

This is my first Zindorf style card. I was shopping with my dear friend Bethany the other day and ran across this great set of horse stamps at Michael's. These were the perfect type of stamps for brayer cards. Not cutesy but realistic looking. I chose this horse because he reminds me of my horse and his posture reminds me of a stallion looking out for his herd.

Not too bad for a first time making this type of card by myself, if I do say so myself. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

~A

Hello again, my friend

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything. Sorry about that. The list of reasons is long and mostly relevant. However, I know how you feel. Something like this perhaps?



So here goes, I attended a Michelle Zindorf Beginner Brayer class and Advanced Brayer class earlier this month in Columbia, MO. (Yes I drove back and forth for two days, it was worth it!) She's fabulous! She also worked our tushies off! Here are the cards I made in the Beginner class. Starting with my first card....I get better with more practice.




Learning to how to control the brayer without controlling the brayer is the hard part. And going fast. The faster you go the better your results. Weird huh? Next we have my favorite card of the Beginner class.



I love this card for the color and the simplicity. Michelle gave us this card to make so we would learn how to get color all the way down the card. Lots and lots of going over the card. The cardstock gets soaked in ink. :)

The final card of the day. As you can tell I'm getting better blending colors already.



I had to take a picture of my inky fingers after this class. I've never sponged with black ink before. Talk about out of my comfort zone!



I then headed home to meet up with my brother and wife for some night geocaching. However we didn't end up doing much because his wife couldn't go and my bro had the kids. So we went to the 2600 meeting, had dinner and then found a couple of caches and our first real letterbox. After that it was time for bed as I had another full day tomorrow.

Here are the cards we made in the Advanced Brayer class. More layers of ink and lots of masking going on. Of course we can't forget all the embossing either. Lots of work but gorgeous cards.


As you can tell this card is anything but simple. Quite ironic that we stamped "simplify" isn't it? The house was stamped first and heat embossed. Then we colored over it with Versamark and embossed it two more times. So we embossed that house 3 times. And that was just the first step! I'm sure you get the picture. As you can see from my crooked stamping and oh so lovely masking that my mojo was not working that day. For some reason I just didn't have the same flow as the day before. Perhaps it was staying up until 2am....yeah that's my story.

On the the second disaster...er card.


I didn't finish putting this card together because I messed it up so bad. I stamped my white flowers upside down. However, I wasn't alone. My table partner did the same thing. The upshot was that I won the example that Michelle makes with us to show us the steps and what the results should be. Here is her card front.


As you can see, Michelle stamped her images correctly. Other than that, I'm pretty proud of the fact that my color and shading are pretty close to hers. On the last card of the day!



If you follow Michelle at all you know she loves to emboss and emboss resist. These trees are gorgeous and lots of work. We inked them with three different ink pads, not markers! It was like marker thumping without the marker. Then of course we embossed each tree as we stamped it. Very pretty and as Michelle says, this would be lovely in fall colors. That's it. Lots of driving and geocaching on the way home, but like I said, well worth the money and the time.


More proof that I was there! Hehehe

Thanks for stopping by!

~A