A Cheery Thank You

Easy? Yes, very easy. The best part about the Cuttlebug is the quick texture that gives an easy card a polished look. Of course, I remember when embossing was significantly more complicated than cranking a sheet of paper through a contraption. I still enjoy the nostalgia of old fashioned hand embossing with a light box and stylus; however, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I had to produce several of these in a couple of hours (late hours.)

When I'm tired, as I often am as my crafting usually takes place between dinner and the 11:00 news on school nights, the repeated action of creating identical cards soothes me. This one was really soothing.

Details: Stamps: All CTMH (of course) Treasure Life and Endless Love; Cardstock - all ctmh, flower and brad - CTMH. Cuttlebug, and ribbon from unknown source.

Happing Crafting!

Flower Pots

Aren't these perfectly adorable??!! They look difficult, but this tutorial made them a breeze!

The flowers on the left are all punched (easy peasy) On the right they are stamped using CTMH's Cottage Floral stamp set and cut out by hand (more satisfying.)

I stamped the pot with one of those "distressed" background stamps by rubber stampede.

We will make some of these this summer for the Hostess club. Can't wait, can't wait!

Happy crafting!

Wedding Wishes

Frankly, I would rather take a beating than go to a wedding. Unfortunately, no one ever offers you that option, hence today's wedding card. I ended up making a dozen of these; one for the happy couple, one for my very sweet and helpful upline that gave me the paper to finish my dozen, and one to display. The rest were for a swap.

I hope it doesn't look easy, because it certainly wasn't. The design began as a 5 inch square. Prior to packaging them for the swap, I reread the directions and discovered I'd actually signed up for a 4.25 x 5.5 swap. Grrr. However, all was not lost. The swap host suggested I mount them on black paper, then on white paper and submit them in the still open six inch square slot. Then I had to make ten more cards in the size I'd actually signed up for. Fortified by a blender of margaritas, I completed the task by midnight. I suppose it's my Karma for continually nagging my students to "read the directions."

I don't color very well (the coloring is quite awful.) So, I sprayed an adhesive over the whole oval and coated it with glitter. Beautiful! I love it when I'm clever!

Details: Stamp: CTMH "Now and Forever" Paper CTMH card stock: Black, White, Blush, CTMH ink and colored pencils, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder, and Nestibilities

Happy Crafting!

A Dreadful Day

I had poor Bulldog neutered today and the whole experience has left him feeling terribly disheartened.

I'm tortured by guilt. He's so miserable, so not-manly, so betrayed. I feel awful - like I might go to hell for disfiguring my dog. I had no idea he would be so miserable in the hours following the "experience."

I grilled a sirloin steak for him about an hour ago. His mood lightened considerably for a few minutes after his feast, but now he's back to being sad. Did Dante mention a level of hell for dog neuterers? If so, I'll probably spend eternity there.

I'm sorry Bulldog.

Lots of Cool Stuff!

What is the best part of being a Close To My Heart Consultant? Lots of great stuff!

For only $99, you can start a new adventure today. Look at all of the great stuff you get from CTMH when you purchase this kit:

But wait. There's more:

You can choose to add this Scrapbooking Bonus for only $60 ($180 value)

And still more: You can choose to add this cardmakers kit for only $50 ($150 value)

It is a wonderful thing to earn money doing what you love to do. It is a fabulous thing to earn the money to pay for all your scrapbooking. It is a spectacular thing to get lots of stuff way below retail when you sign up.

Lovin' From the Oven

Any sense that I might be incompetent, unworthy, or inadequate was completely eradicated by my weekend card making activities. Inspired by Mother Mark's acrylic box cards (go here, they are fabulous) I created this little gem for my daughter's birthday. Certain she could never appreciate it as much as I do, she was coerced into granting me custody of the card until she turns thirty or earns her first master's degree which ever comes first.

Dozens of acrylic boxes lie (lay?) unused in a drawer, relics of my abandoned commitment to making cards by the dozen and selling them at craft shows. Can you imagine how tickled I was to find that Mother Mark had put them to use as "windows?" What a delightfully inspired idea!

As so often happens when my crafting time coincides with cocktail hour, a wine induced optimism led me to believe I could create several of these cards in an evening. We always celebrate Mother's day with my daughter's birthday and I certainly couldn't present this work of art for my daughter while my mother got something flat and ordinary. I won't make a short story long, so to sum it up, all the attending mothers and daughters got great cards. However, my cheery mood turned rather sour as the minutes turned to hours, then more hours, and a few more hours (I work slowly). The next morning I was so delighted by the fruits of my labor that all grumpiness soon departed. The truth is, making a beautiful card (even one shamelessly copied) fills me with a god-like sense that paper bends to my will, and I will happily trade a few hours sleep for that!

Details: Paper: CTMH "Daydream"; Stamp "Cupcake Sprinkles" Acrylic box from PTI

Happy Crafting!