Friends!

Thanks to Nubia for introducing me to Lilly Pad Cards, I am participating in the Card Chain Challenge. Every month there is a different theme, color pallete, and sketch. You make a card that follows at least one of the guidelines and post it on your blog and/or their site. The card then gets sent to someone else participating. Of course, you also receive one from someone else!

This month I decided to use both the color pallete and friendship them in my card. I can not wait to find out where it is going!!

Check out the page for more info!!

Tic Tac Toe Challenge: Use two or more flowers

Ladies and gentlemen, we have finally arrived at the final post for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge!! It has been fun. It also allowed me to use techniques and tools that I probably would not have tried yet. 

This card turned out really elegant.

Lovely flowers and  a sophisticated stamp make this card super sweet!

Tic Tac Toe Challenge: Incorporate a Tag

For this challenge, I decided to use my distress inks in a way that I had yet to use them in. I applied two colors to each tag, spritzed the tags, and then applied heat. Simple enough, I like how they came out!

I attached a vellum quote with some bright star brads, and also incorporated some stitching.

I am a REALLY big fan of embossing. I still have to perfect my technique though. It comes out really bumpy.



My favorite Holiday

Halloween wasn't always my favorite holiday growing up. It began to go up on my list of favorite holidays as I became a young adult. Aside from the candy and the awesome costumes, I realized that it was the one holiday that didn't stir up family drama and BS. Woot Woot!!

Valentines in October!

I can see myself replicating this card plenty come next February. It is cute and was very simple to make. The stitching didnt take that long', and I absolutely adore the embossed XOXO!!

Cheer me up, Scotty!

I have been a bit down in the dumps lately, and so I decided to make a pretty card to cheer me up a bit. This card has a plethora of different techniques in it. I stamped, embossed, stitched, used distress ink, and even colored in with Copics (not well I may add) The card was effective, if only for a little while. I think this card is very pretty.

I have been wanting to use this hearts stamp for a few days now. With more practice, I am sure my Copic skills will get better!!

Tic Tac Toe Challenge: Use a muted or monochromatic color scheme

This is one of the projects for this challenge that I thought would be the most difficult to complete. Surprisingly enough, I didn't have that hard of a time with it. That can only mean two things. Either I did it wrong, or I am a better card maker than I thought.

I wanted to include the paper quilled sun that I made over the weekend. That obviously meant that I would be making a monochromatic yellow card. I began with pulling out the paper that I had in different shades of yellow. I realized I didn't really have that much assortment, but I made due with what I had.

The card is a bit bright, but hopefully not hard on the eyes.

Tic Tac Toe Challenge : Make a layout

For this particular challenge, I decided to make a layout using a picture of my god-daughter/niece, Anayhi. I absolutely LOVE this picture of her. She is such a mini ham.

For most of the photography section, she chose her poses and always had a smile on her face.

Gorgeous!

TicTac Toe Challenge : Not a card or layout

I have been wanting to make a bookmark for quite some time now. My ideas were just not transfering onto paper like I would like them to. However, I really like this particular one that I made.

Making this bookmark gave me the perfect opportunity to practice my embossing, use my paper distresser, and some Copic markers.

Tic Tac Toe Challenge - Make a Card

Cards, Cards, Cards, Cards, Cards...YAY!!

Okay now that that is out of my system, let's get to it. This project involved making a card. My goal was to make a really cute card. The end result was fantastic! 

Maybe I will just keep this card for myself    ;-)

I also entered this card in the Greeting Challenge September 26 in The Outlawz.

Tic Tac Toe Challenge - Stamp Something

I have recently expanded my stamp collection exponentially. As I shopped for stamps the other night (in the middle of a crop no less!!) I came across a stamp that immediately caught my eye. I knew that I needed to buy it, and I could even picture the card I was going to make.

I made this card for a friend that I haven't seen/talked to in a while. Nothing is better for reconnecting with someone than a pretty card.

Tic Tac Toe Challenge - Incorporate Stitching

The second project that I decided to undertake was to incorporate stitching. I made a card for my cousins. They recently bought their first home together, and I had yet to send them a congratulatory card. The stitching on the cards came out a lot more even than my other attempts. What an adorable card....I hope they received and opened it already....

I am enjoying making more cards with Spanish phrases. Love it!!

Tic Tac Toe Challenge - Distress Inks

Recently my buddy Nubia sent me a tic-tac-toe challenge. I have until Halloween to complete 4 of 9 papercrafting projects on the game board buuuuut.......being the over achiever that I am, I will attempt to complete all 9!

The first project had to incorporate distress inks. I am a newbie when it comes to distress inks, so my technique has room for improvement. With more practice, I will be a whiz in no time!!

Baby Blankets Galore!!

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I always have the best intentions when it comes to giving new baby gifts. I have a cousin that is really on the ball when it comes to making baby blankets for all the little newcomers to our family. I on the other hand, take longer to complete projects and that often results in the wee one receiving their gift by the time they are 4, 6, even 12 months old. This post however, highlights an example from each end of the spectrum.

Little Noah joined our family last month. I crocheted for him a beautifully simple baby blanket.

At first I thought the blanket too simple and plain, but as I finished it up, I realized that its simpleness and repetitious pattern is what made it lovely.

Baby Noah received his blankie a mere four weeks after his birth. Not too shabby! ;-)

Baby Diego joined the family back in February. The baby shower was held in early December 2010. I gave him him his blanket this last weekend...For those doing the math, the blanket was 10 months late. Not my finest hour. However, I have had worse!!

I decided to try a different style crochet. It is called Bavarian Crochet. It involves crocheting around the posts of the previous round. It then produces a "popped up" or "3D" effect.





I have a feeling that I will be making this type of blanket many times over!

Birthday Balloons!

We have had a rash of birthdays in the family this summer. Due to my procrastination and lack of organization, I often find myself having to purchase birthday cards on the way to the gatherings. (Blasphemy you say?!)

However, for the latest birthday party, I was able to put together quite a lovely birthday card.

I used a variety of techniques that are fairly new to me. I inked, stitched, and embossed. I was not elated with the results, but I enjoyed making this card very much!!

Getting back in the Groove!

It has certainly been a while since my last crafty blog post.

I will post more frequently!
I will post more frequently!
I will post more frequently!
I will post more frequently!

Maybe if I continue to repeat this to myself, I will actually be able to do it!

I have had a bit of a creativity block lately. After a weekend at the Scrap Expo last month, followed by dozens of purchases of new crafting goodies, I think it is starting to dissipate!

Now, I just have to make more time in the day to complete my projects!

In with the OLD...and unfinished!

I have sooo many unfinished projects! I really need to get my head in the game. Today I dug out a project that I began years ago.

Shortly after my brother told me that he and his girlfriend were expecting a baby, I chose a cross stitch kit that I would make for him/her. You know, those kits that have a design and you can stitch the baby's name, DOB, weight, length, etc.

Well, I worked on it for a long time off and on, but never quite finished it...Did I mention that their baby, my beautiful goddaughter Kaylee, is going to turn 2 years old in two weeks?!! Yeah, I am THAT bad!

I dug it out today, and there isn't a lot left to do before it's finished. I hope to finish it by the end of the week.

I still have to stitch some french knots for the bears eyes. It looks quite freaky eyeless!!

I stitched the same pattern for a class mates of mine about 6 years ago. I raced to finish it and I think I got it done in less than a week. That of course was before DVRs and I didn't have to share my crafting time with tv time! :-)

Don't worry little mama! Nina takes a while to finish stuff sometimes, but never fear. I will be done soon!! Muah!

I will eat your brain!

Ever since I started feeling ill and shacked up in my bedroom with a blankie, my laptop, and my debit card, I have buying things like there's no tomorrow. Okay, maybe not tons, but enough to question whether or not the codeine in my cough medicine had eaten away at my brain.
One of my purchases was a pattern by Christen Haden AKA NeedleNoodles for some crocheted baby bibs. MONSTER BIB!! Okay, maybe not exactly monster per say, but funky nonetheless.



Complete with stainless steel snap closures. I started the bib and finished it....IN THE SAME DAY!! what? yep, you heard me!!

Sorry about the poor lighting control. The yarn colors look different from picture to picture. No doubt this will be something that I will have to work on!


I like it!

Wuzzah!

After much discussion (with myself) I have come to the conclusion that I really need to get my butt in gear finishing some of the many craft projects that I have started and never got around to completing. They vary in craft, from cross stitching to crocheting. I think I have a few paintings here and there that I never finished too!!

I have tried to motivate myself by pumping up the fact that the more I finish, the faster I can officially open my Etsy store. That obviously wasn't working, so more desperate measures had to be taken.

No more buying craft making materials until I have completed two projects!!!

NO MORE!!!

....fast forward to last Sunday...I find myself at JoAnn taking advantage of there Coupon Commotion. There were no completed projects, yet I had half a cart full of loot. I got an awesome ink pad petal thing...if I could only find the stamps that I intended to use it with...