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Whirlwind

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These past ten days at home have been a whirlwind of activity. I've had four meetings for my volunteer commitments, lots of projects to complete for Scrap-Mart and Christmas, as well as going to a musical revue at our local theater, playing with our bridge group, entertaining, and going out to dinner and lunch with friends. Yesterday I took down all the fall decorations, and today I started putting out the Christmas things since we won't be back until December 1st. We're hosting our book group two days after we return so there'll just be time to cut down the tree and get it decorated. Everything else needs to be ready.

ChristmasTags

One of the projects I wanted to finish was this year's Christmas tags, inspired by Heather Nichols. This is about half of the tags I made. I plan to get all the shopping done for Sarah and Adam while we're in California, and leave their presents there all wrapped and ready. Last year I stuck to a red and white theme and really liked it, so I'm going with it again. I love these "Tiny Treat: Christmas" stamps by Papertrey Ink. They fit perfectly on the "Fillable Frames #9" tag. All of them were colored with Copic markers. You can't see it in the photo but each little image has a bit of glitter added with the Copic Spica glitter pens. They make it so easy to add glittery detail to an image. A piece of Pure Poppy twine was tied to each tag.

Just three days more at home and we're all off to California for a long holiday!

 

 

 

Take Care

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My mother-in-law had her hip replaced on Monday. She's doing quite well, and moved from the hospital to rehab yesterday. Tracy's been going up to "coach" her during her morning therapy sessions, and I wanted to send a cheery card with him today.

I first saw this Unity "itty bitty" stamp at CHA this summer, but it wasn't for sale. When I was at Buffalo Stamps and Stuff in October I snatched it right up. It reminded me of the girl on the old Morton Salt containers when I was growing up. It's hard to tell in the photo (I took this last night without available daylight) but the kraft layer was embossed with a Quickutz embossing folder–lines and dots–that made me think of raindrops. The umbrella was crying out to be paper pieced, and I ended up cutting out the bottom of the image as well.

TakeCare

Cardstock: Summer Sunrise, Pure Poppy & Kraft (Papertrey Ink); Patterned paper: Bitty Dots (Papertrey Ink); Stamps: "Rain or Shine" (Unity) & Vintage Picnic Sentiments (Papertrey Ink); Cloud dies (Papertrey Ink); Copic markers; Quickutz embossing folder; Pearls (A Muse Creative Candy)

CASE 14

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I've been following along with this challenge site for a few weeks now, but this is the first time I've played along. Here's the card to case by Heather Pulvirenti:

CASE14
I loved the ruffled ribbons along the bottom, and stayed with the general orientation and layout of her card, but used one of my Zva Creative designs that I won several months ago for the focal image. I made the flower by tightly winding the ribbon and attaching it to a punched cardstock circle. The card will soon be off to good friends of ours who will be celebrating their anniversary next weekend.

       Love2 copy
Cardstock: Green textured (unknown), Fine Linen and Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink); Ribbon (from stash); Stamp (Hero Arts); Scalloped Oval Nestability (Spellbinders)

 

Celebrating Blog Friendship

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Blogging-for-scrapbookers-r

Welcome to the Blog Hop Party for the "Blogging for Scrapbookers" reunion! You may have arrived here from Maya’s blog "Chronicles." If not, you can start at the beginning by going to Lizzie’s blog “Lizzie Made.” Thanks to Jo and Lizzie for organizing this reunion. I’m looking forward to visiting everyone’s blogs.

I wrote my first blog post in June of 2005. My daughter, Sarah, had brought home her new boyfriend (and husband-to-be) who was an avid and popular blogger. He had encouraged Sarah to start a blog, and helped me set one up while he was visiting.  Here’s what I wrote about starting a blog on that first post:

So why start my own blog? I'm hoping it will encourage me to be more reflective about my life, attend to the daily instances of grace in my life, and to record significant events in my life. Stamping and scrapbooking have made me so much more attentive to design, light, and color; perhaps blogging will make me more attentive to journaling which I find so much more difficult.

Over time, things have changed a bit. Photography wasn’t even mentioned in that post because it wasn’t until March of 2007 that I took the BPS “Photography 101” online class that stimulated my interest in photography. I started categorizing my posts a year or so ago, and Typepad shows a visual representation on my sidebar of the frequency of each category. My most frequent posts are to share my passion for cardmaking, then photography, and then scrapbooking. Sprinkled in among those three hobbies are family excursions and events.

But it wasn’t until last year, while I was enrolled in Shimelle’s online class, “Blogging for Scrapbookers,” that I found an online community. And truly, that has been the very best thing about starting a blog. I have friends who just don’t understand the time I spend online, nor do they think online friendships amount to much. It is their loss!  The blogging community is a truly supportive one—supportive of creative endeavors, family celebrations and tragedies, challenges, and accomplishments.  I have learned so much as part of this community: from new vocabulary and cultural traditions in different countries to techniques I can use in my papercrafting. This post would be forever long if I tried to list them all. So in gratitude for all the many lessons learned and kindnesses extended, here’s to our very special blogging community.

WonderfulFriend

Cardstock: Summer Sunrise & Kraft (Papertrey) ;patterned paper: Distressed Dots (Papertrey); stamps: Take Three: Summer; Friends To the End & Framed (Papertrey), Friendship Definition (Hero Arts); rhinestones: Kaiser

“P” is your letter for “secret” phrase, and now you’re off to Melissa’s “Daily Life—Bits & Pieces!” Enjoy the rest of the tour!

 

Just a Note

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 . . . to thank all of you for your kind words of sympathy. The love and prayers of our friends and family has been a huge support to us, and to Adam and Sarah.

JustANote

Cardstock: Ripe Avocado & Vintage Cream; stamps: Take Three: Summer & Floral Frenzy; ribbon Ripe Avocado (all Papertrey Ink)

This is a card I sent off last week to a friend who is struggling with chemo. A couple of weeks ago I bought the Fiskars stamping press with a  50% off coupon. I wasn't sure I'd like it, but Jennifer McGuire raved about it on her blog. It is as good as she says. To create this card, I lined up the three bird stamps on the stamping grid as well as the sentiment. Then I lined up the cardstock underneath and was able to stamp all of it exactly where I wanted it with one stamp.

 

 

Scrap-Mart Projects

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I've had several projects go live on the Scrap-Mart blog, and I often forget to share them here as well.

BumperCropLO

Sadly the bumper crop of tomatoes has ended, and we need to get over to the garden this week to clean it out. Our investment in the Community Garden plot was returned many times over this summer–both the financial and time investments.

SMApples

I love this "Autumn Blessings" stamp from Just-Rite. I colored it with Prisma colored pencils and then sponged some ink on the Scrap-Mart exclusive Nestability. It's become one of my favorites. So many images seem to look good on it.

FarmersMarketLO

As usual, the layout looks a bit crooked in the photograph. I've been investigating some different options for photographing projects. Does anyone have a process (or product) that works for them? Our house is so dark I always need some artificial lighting. And I'd love to get more reliable results when taking photos of scrapbook pages that are too big to be scanned.

This layout uses new Jillibean papers from the Pasta Fagioli line which I love.

 

Gift Set

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We made our annual trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake this weekend. As always we took in a play (The Ideal Husband, this year) at the Shaw Festival, visited some wineries (new ones this year; never made it to our old favorites), and had dinner with the couple who used to own the B&B we stay in who have become our dear friends. We had a glass of wine and delicious pate and cheese, with Pat and Ian before we went out to dinner so I wanted to take her a little gift for her hospitality.

I started with a notepad I created in August and made four cards to go with it. One thing I love about Paptertrey Ink products is how easy it is to pull together a set like this. I chose the 2009 Autumn Tags stamp set and the Turning A New Leaf patterned paper pad. I added some twill, ribbon, and buttons (all Papertrey Ink), a few pearls, and stuck with a basic card design. I made envelope liners this time with the  liner die I picked up at the Papertrey booth during CHA. It really makes the set seem much more finished, and it's so easy I think I'll start doing this regularly. The notepad and cards fit in one of Papertrey's large glassine bags perfectly, and I added a little topper to it with scraps from the project.

GiftPackage

CardCollage

 

A Card and Macro Fun

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I have been getting some papercrafting done, but most of it is for the Scrap-Mart blog. I did finish a birthday card for a friend today that I can share here. I had a lot of fun with this one. I found an old piece of leaf-printed vellum that I knew would make a good background for a fall birthday card. First I covered it with Amber Clay chalk ink and rubbed it in with a tissue. Then I misted it with some Sunshine Glimmer Mist and a couple of shots of Studio Calico's Mr. Huey Sunshine mist. Despite the same name, the two mists are quite different colors. I like the final effect.

NikkiBD

The wreath (Wreath for All Seasons by Papertrey) is overstamped with red and orange Brilliance inks which has a pearlescent glow to them that doesn't show up in the photography. The sentiment is from Impress Rubber Stamps, and the ribbon is from my stash.

Today was lovely and the forecast for the next couple of days is for rain so I decided to take my camera to Highland Park and try out my new macro lens. I know I am going to like this lens a lot. For the first time out, I got a couple of decent shots. (And a lot more that went directly into iPhoto's trash.) I'm going to have to work on sharper focus. I usually rely on automatic focus, but I think I'm going to have to make friends with manual. Here are three:

PurpleFlowersw

We  haven't had a frost here yet, so there are still some pretty flowers in the park.

LeafRedPodsw

I love the light shining through the leaves' veins in this one.

RedPodsw

The same tree, different focus. The bokeh is great with this lens.

 

 

 

 

 

World Card Making Day & Caardvarks C&S Challenge

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It's been the second day where everything I do seems to take twice as long as I allotted. I needed a wedding card, so I did get one card made during World Card Making Day. This fits the Caardvarks Clean & Simple Challenge as well.

WeddingCard2

 

Supplies: Cardstock: from stash; Dies: Diamond Impression Plate
(PTI); Scrap-Mart Exclusive Square/Oval Nestability; Pearls: Zva
Creative; ribbon: Midori; Stamp: Delightful Dahlias (PTI)

Today for my photography project, I set up my new tripod and ball head. I think I'll enjoy using it. I ended up getting the lighter of two tripods I considered, giving up some stability. I know myself well enough to know I'm not going to want to haul a heavy tripod out in the field. I also got out the neutral density filter and figured out how to get it on the camera. Friday we're planning a little photography road trip so I can put some of this into practice.

I also spent too much time this morning reading photography tips and watching videos on Kent Weakley's Blog. It is definitely worth checking out. His explanations are clear and his photography is wonderful. I particularly liked a series of five videos on getting sharper focus. I'll be trying all of them soon, and the tips are good for any camera. Another great post was the Top 5 Reasons for Getting the Shot Now. Great practical advice here.

Moxie Fab #2 & Papertrey Pixie Challenges

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Here's another card for the Moxie Fab Off-Set Scallop Challenge as well as for the Papertrey Pixies September challenge. As usual, I'm getting this in just under the wire for the second challenge! Pat's inspiration piece was an ad from a Macy's catalog. It was truly a challenge; so much going on here. 

September Challenge - Inspiration

Pat identified six Papertrey colors she saw in the ad: white, kraft, Ocean Tides, Terracotta Tile, Orange Zest, and Plum Pudding. There are, of course, florals, diamonds, and repeated patterns as well. I finally decided to go with just the colors. They aren't ones I would typically put together, but I incorporated all of them and am pleased with the outcome.

AutumnWishes 

I started with a Kraft base, used the Woodgrain Impression Plate, and coated it with the Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink. The image, colored with Prisma colored pencils, and sentiment are from the Friendship Jar Fall Fillers. The cork tag came in one of my Scrapbook Circle kits. and the border punch is an EK Success punch. The purple twill from my stash is a bit more purple IRL.

Just Playing Around

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I had some time today to play around, and started with some photos I took recently. I love the textured photos I see on some of the blogs, but haven't come up with a lot I like when I try myself. Today I did. I'm quite happy with this photo.

BottleFlowersLight4w
I bought this bouquet at the Ithaca Farmer's Market on Saturday. I added Kim Klassen's Light Paper 4 with a soft blending mode. Here's the original:

OriginalBottlew

It made a nice card as well.

PhotoCardBottle 

There's plenty of room to add a message directly to the photo, so I think I'll try that as well. I purchased Kim's e-book of Photoshop Recipes, and this texture was part of a preview pack she sent. I realized that I need to learn about Gradient Maps in PSE which I have never used. Tracy has a subscription to Lynda.com so I've started watching the PSE instructional videos there. I haven't gotten to gradient maps, but I've learned quite a few new tricks in just a half an hour or so. The videos go for nearly 7 hours!! PSE 9.0 is coming out in November. They've added some very nice new features, so Tracy is going to upgrade it for me as a late birthday gift. He offered to buy the full Photoshop, but I know the learning curve there is greater than the time I want to spend on it. Hopefully, Lynda.com will do a video series on the new additions when 9.0 comes out.

I also got inspired to make a card with some supplies I've had around for ages.

HappyDayw
I've had a pack of these Happy Day journaling cards from Webster's Pages for ages, as well as the floral rub-on and gems from Basic Grey. The papers are also Basic Grey, the Origins line. I scored the card in the wrong place, but instead of starting over I just went with it and rather like the two layers. The sentiment is from Papertrey (Simply Stationery & Take Three: Summer) and the ribbon is from Paper Source.

CPS 186

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It's been a long time since I participated in a CPS challenge. They've always been one of my favorite challenge sites. This week's sketch is a bit challenging, but I had some new Jillibean papers on my desk and a new Spellbinders Nestability so I decided to take it on. Here's the sketch:

186 

And here's my take on it:

CPS186
Cardstock: Chartreuse (Papertrey) & Core'dinations Core; Patterned paper: Pasta Fagioli (Jillibean); twine, canvas flower, journaling sprout, cardstock sticker: Jillibean; button from stash

Papertrey September Blog Hop Challenge

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Bloghoplogo

I love the Papertrey Blog hops and feel lucky to have gotten this card done in time! Here's the challenge:

One of the most fun things about this hobby is the people you meet,
whether in person or online, and the things you learn from them.  Now is
your chance to show off any skills you might have learned from a fellow
stamper, and perhaps even give them a little shout out to thank them
for the inspiration they have provided.  Create a project using one of
your favorite learned skills and perhaps after a little blog hopping, we
will ALL learn some new tips and tricks and continue to pass on the
love of this hobby!

Nicole Heady, one of the owners of Papertrey Ink, inspires me every month with her creations for the monthly release parties. One of the techniques she uses frequently  that I have always admired is drawing a frame around her main focal image. I have tried occasionally to master this technique, but my ability to draw a neat, well connected frame around an image is far from masterful. Now with the new "Framed" set of stamps, I can replicate this look with ease.

BirthdayWishesPTI
For this card, I stamped the leaves from "Turning a New Leaf," masked some of the leaves and then stamped the frame. The butterfly is from "Butterfly Dreams" and colored with Twinkling H2Os. The sentiment is from an old PTI set, "Faux Ribbon." One of the things I love the most about Papertrey stamps is how they can be mixed and matched. Sentiments from this older set fit beautifully into the break in the frame of this brand new set. The cardstock is Select White and Enchanted Evening, and the gems are from Creative Imaginations.

Moxie Fab Offset Scallop Challenge

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I love scallops and Moxie Fab issued a challenge for
projects with offset scallops. It was a perfect opportunity to get our my
Papertrey Ink scalloped border dies. 
I started out hoping to use some of my new Teresa Collins papers, but
ended up with just cardstock and a chipboard star from her Celebrate
collection. I also used my Tin Type Impression plate for the first time and
just love it.

MoxieScallop
Cardstock: Spring Rain
and Pure Poppy (PTI); Chipboard start: Celebrate (Teresa Collins); Stamp:
Fillable Frame #5 (PTI); Dies: Medium Scallop and Mat Stack #3 (PTI);
Impression plate: Tin Type (PTI); ribbon from stash; white Filigree Embossing
Powder (Superior)

Here's a layout I did for our California album that also uses scallops. These remind me of Minnie Mouse, although we don't have any photos of Minnie.


DisneyFunw

Cardstock: American
Craft, Chipboard alpha: AC Thickers "Sprinkles;” Patterned papers: Chicken Noodle "Dried Egg
Noodles" & Soup Staples "Red Sugar" (Jillibean)

More Cards from Bits & Pieces

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In the little bag of goodies I found the other day were several partially colored images or pieces of projects that had never been completed. Here's another round of cards from my "Finish It Up" session.

DaisiesinJar
This card is a total lift from Maile Belles. I loved her card and reproduced it pretty closely, just changing the color of the daisies and adding some Judi-Kins Expresso Speckles to the centers. All the rest of the supplies are from Paper Trey Ink. The ribbon is their off-white silk ribbon which I colored with a Copic marker.

PumpkinThankYou
The picnic basket was in the baggie, so I stamped the pumpkins from the same set (Vintage Picnic by Papertrey Ink), used my Tin Type Impression plate (for the first time!) on the Paper Source card, die cut the Spiral Notebook page and stamped it with lines from It's Official (both PTI). The ribbon's from my stash, and the sentiment from Communique Sentiments (another PTI set.) Must say I have lots of Papertrey stamps and I love the way they can be combined so easily.

MumsThanks
The mums (Autumn Abundance–PTI) had been colored on this image at one of my crafty sessions with my friends, so I finished coloring the vase with Copics, die cut it with a Nestability Labels One and layered it onto two scraps of paper from the scrap drawer. I used a Martha Stewart border punch on the bottom and a sentiment from the 2009 Autumn Tags set (PTI).

Feels good to have some finished cards and a few less scraps laying around!