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Thank You Card Set

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Both Rinda and Jacky have posted recently about letting patterned paper work for you, and stamping directly on paper. I did a bit of both with this set of thank you cards to three friends who gifted me with a wonderful children's book and painted stool for Skylar. A painted stool for Caleb is in the works. 

I love these patterned papers from the mini pad "Sunshine" Lost and Found by My Minds Eye. All three papers came from the pad and were adhered to Vintage Cream cardstock by Papertrey Ink. The stamps were Fillable Frames #1 and #11 (sentiment). The nice thing about cards like this is once you pick the papers, the cards come together very easily.

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And Happy Veteran's Day, and a heartfelt thanks to all the veterans who have defended our freedom throughout the years!

Project 64: Dandelion and More iPhone Fun

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This week's color at Project 64 has been dandelion. I was pretty amazed to find dandelions still blooming as we walked to our polling place to vote yesterday. All four of these photos were taken with the iPhone (we keep track of our walks on an app called Runkeeper so I always have my iPhone with me), and for the first time, I edited them on the iPhone as well with an app called Photogene. It was pretty easy, and then I used an app called Frame It that Adam told me about to gather them into a collage. The VW was in the shadows so I used an app I downloaded for free this morning called Camera Flash which lightened it right up. I find these apps so amazing. For some reason I've felt rather intimidated by the thought of editing a photo on the phone itself. Should have been trying this a long time ago!

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This is the photo I'm posting at Project 64, taken with the Hipstamatic app at a cute little deli in Mt. Morris where we had a yummy lunch last week. The colors were so cheerful!

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Bear!!!

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Meet Samuel Bear Harrison, Adam's sister's new baby boy. Allison and her husband, Simon, live in England, and Adam's parents arrived just after he was born. Perfect timing! He sure is a cutie pie!

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Photo Collage by Adam

I couldn't resist buying him a little outfit embroidered with bears, a long-sleeved onesie, a hat, bib and adorable little socks. I forgot to take a photo of it, but I did take a photo of the package with the card I made.

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I cut the card with my Silhouette using cute gingham paper by Memory Box. Then I stamped the little bear from Papertrey Ink's Baby Button Bits on brown gingham paper and added a button from my stash tied with some twine by Martha Stewart.

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JustRite Friday Challenge

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It's been awhile since I've participated in a challenge, but when I saw the JustRite challenge for a thank you card, I knew just which JustRite stamps to pull out. "Autumn Blessings" has been a long time favorite so it was fun to pull it out again.

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After coloring the image with Copic markers and adding a bit of glitter with Copic glitter pens to the vines, I cut the image with an oval Nestability. I stamped the border separately, and cut it with two oval Nestabilities at the same time to create a frame I could pop up with dimensional tape. I colored the acorns with Copic glitter pens as well. Then I cut a strip of burlap and frayed each edge and wrapped it around two pieces of patterned paper from Lost and Found "Sunshine." (My Minds Eye) I've nearly used all the papers in this pad; it's been a real favorite this fall. I layered it all on a textured American Craft cardstock base. I know just who's getting this card!

Baby Shower Scrapbook

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I found this amazing jungle scrapbook by BoBunny at the Buffalo stamp store in September, and couldn't pass it up. I had no idea what I might do with it, but I'm sure glad I grabbed it. It turned out to be the perfect format for Sarah's shower scrapbook. After all the guests wrote their tags out, I printed a photo of each of them that Tracy had taken with Sarah that afternoon. The tag and the photo fit perfectly on a Grand Nestability Scalloped Circle die which fit perfectly into the scrapbook. 

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The cover

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 The bottom photo is of Sarah and her babysitter who is still like family to us!

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The album came with several adorable chipboard animal faces which I used as dividers for the pages.

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Sarah liked the animals so much she asked me to buy a second album so she can hang the faces on the nursery wall. Fortunately, the store still had an album left when we stopped there on our way home from Canada recently. I'm really pleased with the way this turned out, and think it makes a good record of a lovely afternoon.

Baby Shower for Sarah

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Sarah and Adam left almost two weeks ago, and time has flown by, partly because we had to be out of the house for the better part of two days while the hardwood floors in the  kitchen and hall were redone. They are beautiful, and Jack spent three days installing the hutch near the window, and the crown molding. This week the tile guy, the painters, and the siding folks all arrive, and we should be done except for the final coat on the floor. The contractor took all his tools out of the kitchen and powder room on Friday, and we finally have our kitchen back for the weekend, at least.

The first day Sarah was here I hosted a baby shower for her. It was so much fun to have  so many of our good friends here to celebrate with her. The day after Sarah and Adam left was the anniversary of Micah and Judah’s birth and death; a sharp reminder of the grief and trials of the last year for all of us, but especially for Sarah and Adam. It was wonderful to be celebrating the upcoming birth of Caleb Elijah, and so good to know that everything is going very well this time around.

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I put together a collage of some of the photos. Sarah has chosen a jungle theme for the nursery and it was a lot of fun choosing and making decorations for the shower. The cake was fabulous. All the little animals marching around the cake came from the design of the paper products. It was a pumpkin spice cake and as delicious as it was cute. The cookies were made by a friend of a friend and matched the food picks in the muffins (see below). The centerpiece had three little stuffed animals, the giraffe and lion as well as a monkey on the other side. The family photo shows four generations:  Tracy, his mother, Matt, and Sklar—and Betsy and me as well. (I wonder where Sarah was when this was taken?) Sadly the light over Tracy’s head doesn’t do much for the photo.

Here are some close-ups of the banner and some of the things I made for the shower. 

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Each guest was asked to fill out a tag with good wishes or advice for Sarah. Then Tracy took a photo of each guest with Sarah, and I've put them together in a scrapbook for her.

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I used my favorite fry-box die to make favors we filled with chocolate-covered almonds.

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These cute papers from My Minds Eye were just perfect for the jungle theme. I'll be back tomorrow with some photos of the scrapbook album I put together. I'll be taking it with me when we go to visit in a couple of weeks.

 

Project 64: Turquoises

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Turquoise was the color at Project 64 last week. I got the photos taken, but editing them was another matter. I'm getting this posted just under the wire—only a few hours left! I've been super busy with lots of projects, and lots of cleaning. The kitchen should be finished by the end of this coming week, and I've started cleaning up after all the construction workers. The electricians caused the biggest mess, but the new wiring was badly needed. Everything in one area of the basement was covered with measurable dust. I have lots of things to post, but haven't had time to edit any photos. Hopefully this week will be a little better.

So here are my captures for turquoise. First my nail technician. As soon as I saw her outfit, I knew I needed her photo, and she was glad to oblige.

 

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The next two photos are from a diner where Tracy and I had breakfast on Wednesday after an early morning shopping excursion to pick up some new speakers. When Matt left in May, he took his speakers with him, and we've been without ever since. Our favorite, local, store had an invitation only sale, and we took advantage of it. The neon lights were perfect, and I'm submitting the second one to Project 64.

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All three photos this week were taken with my iPhone. 

 

Project 64: Gold

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Just a quick post for my photos of gold for Project 64. I wanted to take a shot of my great-grandmother's pocket watch, but I can't find it. That's a bit worrisome. So I had to settle for a pretty little candle that sits in my studio and some gold thread.

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There's more gold to be found here.

October Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

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Once again, I nearly missed today's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. Early this morning I saw a reference to it on someone else's blog and had time to create a card. I love this month's inspiration photo.

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My first inclination was to paper piece some pumpkins, but as I went through my Papertrey collection, I came upon Take Three: Fall, and decided to stamp each of the three pumpkins on a different piece of patterned paper from the Autumn Abundance collection. 

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Since I don't have a recipient in mind, I chose a sentiment from Everyday Button Bits so it can easily become a birthday card, a thank you card, or just a thinking of you card. The ribbon is Orange Zest (PTI), and the black rhinestones are from Kaiser. I'm off to check out the other entries on the blog hop, always a great source of inspiration!

October Recap & Pass the Book

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A bit (well, maybe more) about what’s been happening here. The first weekend of October, Tracy and I were in Lake Placid along with our good friends. Tracy and Bob did some hiking (more about that), and Cathy and I enjoyed some time in the shops in the area. It was a cold, rainy weekend, but beautiful, nonetheless.

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The following Wednesday, I began a class on learning how to use Lightroom 3, taught by one of the professional photographers and gallery partners at Image City. My friend, Nancy, and I attend their monthly photo critiques at the gallery. We’ve now had three classes (the last is this week), and I’m beginning to feel comfortable with the program. I had tried to teach myself how to use Lightroom 2, but got all confused about the catalog and how to import the photos. Now I have that mastered and must say it is a very powerful editing program, and much more affordable than full Photoshop. With Lightroom and PSE, I know I’ve got all I’ll ever need in the way of software.

I’ve prepared dinner for Interfaith Hospitality guests at our church, we’ve signed new wills (and taken our children to the lawyers to sign notary documents), attended two meetings in my role as chair of a Presbytery committee (two more to go before the end of the month), crafted with my friends and on my own, had lunch with college friends, attended an Arts & Lectures presentation, and moved back into the kitchen (though it is still not done & there will be more about that later as well.) Tracy and I redid our guest room. Tracy repainted it, and I chose the new bed linens, curtains, and decorations. We also spent a day in Ithaca, visiting our favorite Farmer’s Market, and hiking in Buttermilk Falls State Park.

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But the best part of the month was that both Sarah and Matt arrived on the 15th for a visit. Matt was here a week, and has returned (safely) to Denver. While he was here we spent a lot of time with Betsy and Skylar as well. It was so much fun to have everyone here. Sarah could barely keep her hands off Skylar. On the 16th, I hosted a baby shower for Sarah who is expecting a little boy in early January. It was a lovely event (more about that later). Our friends were so happy to have a chance to see her (as well as Matt), and it was lots of fun to have everyone together. I made the favors, a banner, and have started a scrapbook about the event. Sarah and I have spent quite a bit of time in baby stores, and I’ve had a lovely time picking up some special things for this new addition to our family.

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(Love this photo of my two kids and Skylar)

Adam arrived from Virginia on Thursday where he had been presenting at a conference at Union Seminary. We went out for a family dinner on Thursday night (Skylar slept through the whole meal), and got our family photo for the Christmas cards. Sarah and Adam drove to New Jersey (and back) Saturday for a wedding, and took off for California late this afternoon. They will be there for just two more weeks, as they are moving to Ashland, Oregon where Adam has accepted a position as Associate Pastor for Christian Education at the Presbyterian church. We’ll be going out next month to help them unpack & organize and attend Adam’s ordination back in Livermore after Thanksgiving.

And over the weekend we went on our annual trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake with our good friends, Karen and Mike. We dined, we visited some favorite and new wineries, and saw a fabulous production of My Fair Lady at the Shaw Festival.

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If you skimmed through the above, I certainly don’t blame you, but I’ve had a couple of emails about things going on here so I thought I’d do a recap. Somehow there wasn’t time to blog about it as it happened. But here’s the big news: the new recipient of Sharing Your Story.

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Deb, I’ve got your address, and the book will be on its way tomorrow!

Pass the Book Inspiration Part 3

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Here's the last edition of the Pass the Book project. The other posts are here and here.

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The cover of this album about a beloved dog inspired this card.

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I followed the same color scheme, the same CAS design, and found a silver clip for the top of the card.

On page I found this.

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I loved the idea of using a journaling spot for the bottom half of the card. I have several books of the Making Memory journaling books so it's a great use for them.

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I used some papers and a rosette from the new Pink Paislee line called Vintage Vogue, and a stamp from Papertrey Ink.

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This cover prompted me to use some of my letter stickers for a greeting.

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All the border stickers are from Studio Calico kits.

And finally, this cover inspired me to get Matt's birthday card made way early. He won't be 29 until February!

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I die cut the 29 from black cardstock with number dies from Papertrey Ink, then layered them over a Basic Grey paper from the Granola line. The little star is also from Basic Grey (Life of the Party).  Here's the inside:

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I just love this set from Papertrey Ink.

Sweet Baby

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As soon as I saw Jennifer Gallacher's layout on Thursday's prompt, I knew it was the perfect layout for some photos of Skylar Rose.

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I followed the general layout, but altered the position of the embellishments. I loved the photo that extended across the layout, and the little envelope with journaling and another photo. I cut the envelope with my Silhouette as well as the ticket I used for the title. All the papers and embellishments came from my stash. Since yesterday's prompt was for dotted paper and stripes, I went through my papers and pulled a group of pink and green ones. Then I went through my embellishment drawers and alpha sticker sheets.  Once that was done, the layout came together pretty quickly. I'm planning to make another one so Betsy and I will both have one.

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Pebble, SEI, Vintage Vogue (Pink Paislee), and old dotted paper from my stash
Chipboard hearts: Heidi Swapp
Trim and cardstock star: Melissa Frances
Spool Button: Vintage Vogue (Pink Paislee)
Distress Ink: Spun Sugar (Tim Holtz)

Project 64: Burnt Orange

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We're hunting for gold at Project 64 this week, but last week it was burnt orange, a perfect fall color.

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When I took my crayon out of the box, and my scribble from the baggie, they matched a card I had just finished creating nearly perfectly.

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Some of the berries on the wreath on my front door are a good match, too.

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But my favorite this week is the pumpkin filled with flowers that I purchased for the shower I had last weekend.

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More Inspiration from Pass the Book

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I made another layout today for the Pretty Paper Party, immediately after seeing Shimelle's prompt, but I'm too tired to upload and edit the photo, so how about a few more cards inspired by Sharing Your Story.

On page 35 I found this:

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And created a birthday card (now addressed to a male friend for his November birthday).

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I loved this cracked paint butterfly on page 49.

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The front of this minibook prompted me to get out my crackle paint. I could only find one jar, and it was pretty old. It took several coats and a bit chipped off. I'm quite sure I have some more, but that will require cleaning the craft cupboard. But I like it enough to try it again.

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And lastly for tonight, this was found on page 52.

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I like the design of this card a lot, but it's my least favorite of all the cards I made. I used some old, old My Mind's Eye die cuts and used some new Studio Calico "Shine" mist on the orange cardstock.

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We've had the best week ever with everyone here. Adam arrived from his conference in Virginia this afternoon, and we all went out to eat tonight. Baby Skylar slept through the whole dinner. She is one of the most contented newborns I've ever known. The days have flown by, and it will be hard to send everyone off during the next few days.

I Love My Cameras

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Both kids were busy today on their own, so I had time to watch Shimelle's video and then to create. Two posts in one day, after days of not being here at all! (Scroll down for the Pass the Book post.) The layout design was really inspired by several layouts on the video rather than today's prompt, and I followed her ideas for collecting materials. In fact, one reason I signed up for this class was so I would begin to use the great papers and embellishments that arrive on my doorstep each month from Studio Calico. I did pull a few other items from my stash, but most of what I used is from the last several Studio Calico kits.

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I started with a full piece of patterned paper which is unusual for me and three photos I liked that would fit across the page. The patterned paper is American Craft by Amy Tangerine, and I already knew I wanted to use her camera stamp which I ordered a few weeks ago. The AC Thickers are also Amy Tangerine and were in the same order. Then I did exactly what Shimelle recommended and I HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE. I chopped up other patterned papers from Studio Calico that I thought would be good accents. The little border of hearts along the bottom of the photos is actually a tear-off from the large patterned paper sheet. Those hearts prompted me to hand cut some little hearts of patterned paper to piece on the cameras. I popped them out on some Jenni Bowlin label stamps where I added the name of the camera over the photo that was taken by each camera. The brads were also in one of the Studio Calico kits. I used a Spellbinders Standard tag to cut the date which was stamped with sets from Papertrey Ink.

The journaling reads: Photos from my close-up/macro project for Shimelle's Learn Something Every Day class. All my cameras take great close-ups.

Here's a close-up of the cameras.

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This is busier than most of my layouts, but I'm quite pleased with it, and pleased with the process as well. I've saved all the scraps, and will be using more of these papers as we work along in the class.