A Little Tweak

I'm stuck inside this weekend while I recover from the dreaded PINKEYE! I really sucks. I feel like a bit of a pirate being able to only see out of one eye and all, so "Arg!". I really didn't like the card I did yesterday anyway, so I made a little tweak. Actually, I made an entirely new card. I love the glittered frosting from the first version, but the rest of it just didn't work for me. I started with the same foundation and just changed the focal point embellishments. I'm still not satisfied. I don't think I ever am. Which card do you like the best?Here's what I did: I started with an A2 base in black then added a 2.5" x 4" piece of patterned paper from KI Memories "Jacks" to the bottom half. The green is the other side of the pp and was ran through my Cuttlebug. It's cut to 3"x4". I then used my craft knife to cut a slit for the ribbon to slide through on the fold. I tied two pieces of the pink stitched ribbon (from Michael's) each in a knot. The black flower and green circle are from a Quickutz die, and I then used the Making Memories Tag Maker to add the silver rim. The brad is from Making Memories as well and is used to attach the blue flower (Bazzill). I used pop dots under the rimmed tag as well as under the black flower to adhere them both. And...that's it!

Cupcake

I've had this stamp set forever now, and I just cut the rubber today. I have more than a dozen other sets that are still sitting in the box they shipped in as well. I hope to eventually get to them all, but for now I'll settle with any amount of being creatively productive. Here's what I did: I started with an A2 base in black then added a 2.5" x 4" piece of patterned paper from KI Memories "Jacks" to the bottom half. The green is the other side of the pp (Don't you love double sided?). It's cut to 3"x4". I then used my craft knife to cut a slit for the ribbon to slide through on the fold. I tied two pieces of the pink stitched ribbon (from Michael's) in a regular knot. I punched out a 1-3/8" square (SU!) and matted it with the black scalloped square (Marvy) before pop-dotting it. I then stamped the cupcake base in VersaMark onto a teal piece of embossed paper I found. The frosting is also stamped in VM. I then added heat & stick powder and dazzling diamonds (both from SU!). The candle is stamped in Yoyo Yellow (SU!). All of the cupcake parts are also pop-dotted. I then used a VersaMark marker to hand draw the flame before using heat & stick and orange glitter. (It's not in the picture, but I went back and stamped a polka dot background on the green with VM. It was just too plain for me.) And...that's it!

I Love You, Dad!

What a relief! My dad found my old logo that he had designed for me last year. I lost it after my computer crashed not too long ago, but alas it's back! Woo-hoo!

Wedding Favors

Whew! I did some extra special PT (physical training) this morning, and now I'm really feeling it in my hip flexors. PT is a great way to firm your buns and feel geriatric for a day or so. It's just super! Okay, so I was strolling around Wally-World as I often do. I get lost in there sometimes. It's really just a ploy to waste time on occasion, but this time I ventured into the kitchen section and discovered these cute little jars next to the assortment of sugar, salt, pepper, and parmesan shakers. I'm a sucker for any cute container, so I grabbed five. It's easy enough to make your own bath salts at home, but I bought three jugs while I was there anyway. They were only a couple bucks each and had enough salts in each to fill two and half of the jars. I guess I'm too lazy when there's a good deal and less mess. I also picked up some beautiful organic soaps to match. I brought my goodies home and filled them with with the colorful bath salts, added a fun little tag, and voila! I now have the wedding party gifts for my sister's reception this weekend. It took less than ten minutes to finish all five. I'll be sure to pick up some more on my next visit. It's a great thing to have for a quick gift. Here's what I did: This one is EASY... All you'll need are two scallop punchies (Stampin' Up!), one 1-3/8" punchie (SU!), six inches of ribbon, a flower, and a brad. One end of the ribbon is sandwiched between the scallops and the other end was pulled through a double slit made on the rear scallop so the user can remove the tag without loosing the ribbon. I originally secured both ends of the ribbon between the scallops, but my test audience (aka the girls at work) didn't like that the tag wasn't removable for "keepsakes".

Ashle's Invite

My cousin, Ashle, asked me to design some invitations for her high school graduation that's coming up in May, and since I'm going home this weekend for my sister's wedding reception I thought it would be the perfect time for us to get together and put them all together for mailing. I know that when I was Ashle's age (not long ago) I really didn't want anything traditional, so I went ahead and asked her how she felt about it, and I was right on. She wanted a fierce pink and black combo and polka dots of any sort, so this is what I came up with:

Here's what I did: I purchased pre-cut scalloped card fronts/postcards with envies from JA's. When I saw them I immediately knew they were my starting point. I also picked up EVERY pink/black polka dot paper I could find between JA's and HL. The card above is just one of the color/pattern combos I ended up with. I first trimmed off the long sides of the black scalloped card base after discovering they weren't true A2. It made the card easier to slide in and out, and you can't see it anyhow. I then trimmed the white/pink paper to 5.5" x 9.75". I scored in at 2.75" from each short end and folded the edges in. This should give you an A2 base (4.25" x 5.5") for the inside. I then used my Circle Scissor at mark 140 to create the curve on each end. I was able to get two card wraps out of a 12" x 12" piece of paper with a 1" strip left over, so of course I utilized that scrap too for my card band along with the trimmed off scallop from the black card base. After assembling all the pieces I wrapped the whole thing with a piece of ribbon from my stash. All of the cards are completely different since I just used a mix and assortment of ribbons I already had and six different sheets of coordinating patterned paper. And...that's it!

I'm Not Fat

I haven't shared anything about this subject, but something pushed me to let it go... Actually, someone said I look fat, and I lost it. It's been nearly two years now since I started treatments to rid myself of some "bad cells" as the doctor first described what I now know as cancer. I'm sure we all know someone who has it, or you've even had or have it yourself. It's not fun, and it's scary no matter what type or severity you have. The word "cancer" just flashes sweet memories of my Aunt Sarah. It was my senior year of high school when she was diagnosed one day and gone the next. I didn't even know what was going on until I saw her in a hospital bed so stocked with medications that I doubted she knew I was even there. I can still see her there and hear the moans that I never was able to escape. I never got the chance to say my goodbyes, to hug her one last time, or even tell her how much I love her. I hope she knows. Anyhow, I've done a few different recommended methods of treatment from burning it off (stinky!) to getting huge butt shots (owwie!). One day I'm feeling great and the next day I can't venture two feet from a bucket. I've gained 20 pounds, my skin is pale and pasty, my hair falls out constantly, I've got two black eyes, and I'm just so tired all the time. I'm emotionally and physically drained constantly, and there are days when I just want to throw in the towel... but I don't.