Wednesday, February 22, 2012

I–Magicut Ribbon Cutter

I have been on a big kick over the past year to have less gadgets in my scrap room and more multi-task items.  I am doing the same for my kitchen.  But I found a new tool that I had to have.

I love making cards and using ribbon in my crafting but I hate all of the little strings that you can get on the edges of the ribbon.  Yes you can burn the edges with a match or lighter but I am so frightened that I will start a fire in my house so I do not use a flame.

  Here is a link to get your own Ribbon Cutter.

It is battery operated, portable and quick!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Pemberley Birthday

Have you ever orders a paper pack for the sole reason of making a card? When I was first looking at the Spring / Fall Idea Book the birthday card on page  started screaming … MAKE ME!

So I ordered the paper and the stamp that coordinated with it and I love how it turned out. 

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This is a total scrap lift from the Idea Book the only thing I changed was the size and one of the stamp sets.  It was so easy to make and now I have some very elegant cards to send out.

Supply List

Wishes  Simply Said™ (Card Confidence Book)

C1494 My Acrylix Card Word Puzzle

X7148B Pemberley Paper Packet

1388 Colonial White Cardstock

Z2140 Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks Pad

Z1718 Color-Ready Garden Wooden Shapes

Z1707 Bitty Opaques Pearl Adhesive Gems

Z1096 Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment

Assorted buttons from my button stash

So look around your Idea Book and see what cards inspire you.  I have some family in my life that are going to love getting these cards.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Cleared for work–YEA!

I went into the hospital yesterday to visit with the Employee Health folks.  I needed to be cleared before I could report for duty this Sunday night.  Everyday my knee – leg is getting better.  Stairs are killer but the swelling is getting better and unless I am using the stairs there is no pain.   I am a Unit Secretary and sit down most of the shift so I should be ok to go back to work.

  As much I have loved being home… my sleep pattern is messed up and I need to get back on schedule.  I have been waking up around midnight and staying up until just before Mike gets home from work just playing in my scrap room.  Then as luck would have it … the minute Mike gets home my eyes will not stay open and I have to go to bed.  I have been home since Monday and the poor man has barely seen me.   This is not like me!  On the flip side I am getting all kinds of scrapbooking done!  Smile but I miss Mikey!

Here is what I have done since my last layout blog post:

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The journal formatting about drove me crazy! My printer did not want to print this size but I finally won!

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Are you wondering why you have seen some of these photos before?  Well you have but that  was in Kaela’s 7th grade album and this is for the Family 2009 album.  Kaela will take her school albums with her when she moves one day so the family album is an overview of the year.  Although I am using the same photos I try to make the layouts different.

I am glad that I am almost done with this album.  I have 3 “months” of photos and the Stryper concert to go and the album is getting full.  I might be able to get this one closed without Kaela sitting on it. Smile

Valentines Day 2012

This was a strange Valentines Day this year.   I was scheduled to work so we did not make dinner plans or even family plans.  I bought Mike a card and a little treat box that I was going to sneak into his car when I came home Tuesday Morning before he left for work and I thought that  card would be left for me.  This is our typical “Jenny is working” holiday to each other.

We normally go small on Valentines – just for fun.

But since I injured my knee at work Monday I found out at work while still in the ER as a patient that Mike ordered flowers and they were going to be delivered Tuesday night!  Oh No…..

Mike offered to go to the hospital to pick them up before coming home so that I would still have my flowers.  There was a little confusion in the delivery schedule but he finally found them.  Here they are:

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They are so pretty!  It is not often that I get flower so these are in my scrap room where I can enjoy them longer.  I love the size of the vase too so I am thinking that I might leave the vase in here and just buy some grocery store flowers every now and then to have pretty flowers in my room while I work.  This will become the gift that keeps on giving.

What did we do for dinner since I could not walk and we did not have reservations?  Chinese Take – Out!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Ice, Elevation & Bonham, Texas

Sometimes just getting to work can be a challenge!  Sunday night was no problem – really.  Monday started out like any other day I was happy that everything I needed to get done before work was accomplished and was listening to my IPod while going into the ER department when BAM! 

I suddenly found myself on the floor!  Somehow my right foot dragged and I came crashing down without any way to catch myself.  I have a slight bruise on my face from hitting a doorframe and an ostrich egg just under my knee on my right leg. 

Nothing is broken just bad knee contusion but holy baloney it hurts!  So I find myself home for a couple of days until I can walk and press a gas pedal.   Add insult to injury… of course I did not to shave my legs before work and my toes are in dire need of a pedicure!  No there are no pictures! 

So while I try and get some movement back into my leg, the whole leg hurts I have been scrapping in between ice and elevation sessions. 

Ladies here is Bonham State Park – our favorite place to camp!

I was going to round the corners of the “bugs” phrases but got adhesive happy and forgot until it was too late.  Oh well!

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I love our camper!  Mike built the shelf unit so that I could keep the coffee pot handy, a safe place to put the bread and other items we need frequently during the day. It all comes apart and folds up flat for transport!  Genius!

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Mike and Radar taking one of their naps after a walk and Kaela coming out of her “room” on the other side of the camper.  Each side of the camper has a king size bed so we have room to spare.

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Popcorn over an open fire after dinner.  Mike loves to cook when camping and his preferred method is with the camp Dutch oven.  We have had some very yummy meals.

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I think this is the end of my playtime today.  It is time for more Advil, and ice.  I might squeeze another nap in there too.  Smile

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Turtle Time–Sew On Paper

It takes just a little practice but I was able to do two layouts with the new sewing templates I made my self tonight. 

The letters are easy to make but I think I may have a harder time with images.

I do not have time tonight to keep playing and trying out new sewing techniques but it is on my list for next week. 

I have two or three more camping layouts to make from this trip but I am getting very sleepy so those will have to wait.  The templates are made and will be sitting here waiting on me.

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I will say that I am enjoying having more than one font to play with.

Well it is time to hang up my scissors for the week and get some sleep.

Until Wednesday!

Confused Seasons

It is 29 degrees outside, my toes are cold, and I have been running around with a blanket all day. So what have I been scrapping?

Summer layouts!

You would think the sun on these layouts would at least me “feel” just a little warmer or is that just wishful thinking?

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And here are those stitching techniques I love to do again.

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Thank goodness I was doing laundry while working on this layout. There was so much sewing that if the dryer did not force me to take a break I would have gotten a cramp in my hands again. 

I had fun trying to get the ribbon attached to the letters last night.  The cat kept running off with my ribbon spool.  I finally convinced her that it was a good thing to let me play with my own supplies or she just got bored put when she finally left I was able to finish will all of the letters.

***BTW, yes that is me doing the belly flop on to the float****

IN-COMING!

It did not take long for all of the kids to get out of my way or get squished. Smile

Kaela’s Art Journal Project

How come when Kaela has homework it costs me money?  I have scrap room chocked full of beautiful supplies and she wants to go to  Hobby Lobby for different supplies.  Alright… I guess I let the kid make her art journal out of supplies that are more to her taste but she had to twist my arm first.

Here is what she has done so far:

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She is going to be camped out in the Crop room until this is done. 

What is the due date again?

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Here is the FREE book that the school library gave her to alter. I am not sure what this book was doing in the library… it looks older than me.  Surely there is newer info out there on this subject.

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She wanted to let her Manga books be her inspiration so we went to kinkos and made some copies so she could cover the outside of the book and use some on the inside.   I will have her put  a bibliography on the back inside cover to cover any copyright issues.  So her supplies are gathered and she has a general idea about what she wants to do.  Art and Manga’s are her world so I am pretty excited to see what she comes up with.

  Stay tuned.

Sewing On Paper

Most of you know that I LOVE to sew on paper.  Sometimes I try not to sew on paper and loose the battle – it just adds a simple, cheap, touch to anything I make. I use Stitching Templates  100% of the time when I sew on paper – until tonight….

I was surfing the web looking for any new templates I could get my hands on with no luck.  Until I happened on a blog post from years ago with step by step instructions on how to sew on paper.  I have heard about doing this for years and it has been featured in scrapbooking magazines but the reason I never tried before was that I was afraid that I would not be able to get the hand poked holes looking good.

 1: Is to choose a font on your computer that you love.

(Use MS Word or Mac Pages)

2:  I found for me the font size needs to be set at 72

3:  Make it “bold”

4:  Print your phrase on vellum then let it DRY.

5: Grab your favorite pokey stick and start poking holes in just the Vellum.

6: Now add cardstock under your vellum and poke the holes again.

7: Use the smallest diameter needle you have and your favorite DMC floss and start stitching out your phrase. 

Be gentle this is paper and it will tear if you pull too hard.

That’s it!

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I tried to get just a photo of the vellum phrase with the holes poked but my camera would not focus. I used the push pins to hold the vellum still during the first pass at hole poking.  It worked great!  I feel free – now that I no longer have to depend on my store bought templates to make what I want.

Time to go play again. Smile

Friday, February 10, 2012

Awake All Night–Kinda

Last night I had a creative streak and had to work on it. The family was in bed by 9:00 pm so I was awake and alone with all night to play.  Well I say all night, my eyeballs fell down at midnight and then I was back up at 4:00 am to work on the layouts some more.

  I guess my body understood before my brain that some elements on the layouts needed time to dry so it was nap time.

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So the scallop edges were supposed to be “Honey” colored but when I mixed  the Honey re-inker with the Create –A – Shade pearl paint it came out more of a mustard color.  

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I normally stick to vellum for my journaling but this time I trimmed down a piece of cardstock so it would fit in the printer and stepped out of my box and tried something new (to me). I love the way it turned out and I was able to use spell check (hee hee).

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This little butterfly is from the Color Ready (Garden Z 1718) wooden shapes.  Out of all of the items I used last night, this little butterfly took the longest to make because it took so long to dry!  But I love how it came together and I still do not know how I was able to keep the colors from running together.   Did you notice that these layouts are about a date that Mike and I had but there are no pictures of us.  Opps – we forgot to take pictures of ourselves!

I caved!

This morning I was determined to go to Curves before anything else could change my mind.  I had breakfast (fruit & coffee) with Mike and then was out the door at 8:30 am.  As luck would have it – I started having one of my BREAD cravings and if you know me… bread to me is like cigs are to a smoker.  I have had friends give me a $1 and tell me to go and buy a loaf of French bread if I am feel cranky.  Smile 

There is a donut shop right next door to CURVES – yes I said a donut shop.  I have resisted the urge over the years to pop in there for all kinds of goodness but this morning I was weak.  30 minutes, 3 piggy's and a pint of milk later I was walking into Curves for my workout.   On one hand .. bad Jenny for even going into the donut shop but on the other hand I did not have any donuts!  Note to self: Do not have milk before working out again.  It was not pleasant.

After Curves I went over to Hobby Lobby.  I had a couple items on my list that I really needed to pick up.  I was almost out of Colonial White DMC Floss (Ecru) and after reading my latest issue of PaperCrafts I wanted to try a masking stamp technique. 

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I needed a new blade for my trimmer and I am always in need of Red Line adhesive.  The one item that was not on my list was the Hot Pink StazOn ink pad.  But I had a 40% off coupon so I used it on the stamp pad.  I am going to have fun using this stamp pad on the next Idea Books that I have to put my information on.   The post it notes and the drafting tape are for the Masking technique that I want to try. 

I have to take Kaela back this weekend for supplies for her Art Journal she is making for Art Class so I think that I will print another coupon and pick up one more of the Red Line Adhesive.   I have a whole scrap room of supplies so I am wondering what she needs for this journal that I do not have … guess I will have to wait for the list. Smile

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Making Headway - 2009 Album

This has been one heck of a week.  Mom came in for a visit ( I love when Mom is here) and Winter blew in for a few days.  It was cold, wet, and nasty outside last week so I did not go to Curves.  I did not just not go to Curves … I did not get out of my jammies!  Smile

Mom cooked up a storm then curled up on the couch. She was determined to re-read all of the JD Robb “In Death” books before she went home again.  They are part of a collection of books that I will not loan out – even to my mother. (Sorry Mom)

It was so nice being pampered last week – THANKS!

Kaela came home yesterday with “book altering project” for art.  I am so excited because she is going to be art journaling!  I know the concept but I do not know how so I will be watching this project and learning from her. 

I finally was able to working on the Family 2009 album again.  I have a hard time stopping to blog when I get on a roll so here is what I have done since January.

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It is not often a slice of history happens right in our little town.  I was determined not only to take picture but to also document the freedoms we have in this country.

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This page needed a little something extra so I dug out my Stickles and blinged it up just a little.

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All of these layouts are taken straight from my Imagine How To Book. 

Get your Imagine How To Book Here

I am hoping I get to go to Curves today but since I am still waiting on the oven repair man, it looks like that might not happen.

Wish me luck!