It's A Girl Banner + Tips...

I've been working like a 'busy bee' these last few weeks before Christmas! So since I have a few new creations and some helpful tips to share, I'll be brief because I plan on posting several tonight...squeezing it all in before the New Year!   First up is this festive and girly, shower banner!

I had originally started out with an argyle pattern, and even after I stamped all 10 banner cards in argyle, I decided it just wasn't working for me!  I went back to my 'stamping board' and came up with this little number...POLKA DOTS!  If you've followed my blog for even a short period, you'll find me using polka dots A LOT!  They're so versatile and stripes are also a great compliment to polka dots!  For the top border I 'scrunched' up some crate paper(party streamer paper!) and glued it down with a 1 inch strip of certainly celery cs.  On top of the cs, I used a chocolate circle border and strategically cut it just so...evenly spaced out for room to add a few rhinestones!

For the lettering, I tried something NEW!  Normally on my banners I use regular old cs for the lettering...not today!  I knew I had some espresso chocolate vinyl in my stash so I thought I'd give it a whirl!  I have to say, I may start using this a whole lot more than cs now!  It goes on smooth and I don't have to double matte the letters like I normally would with regular cs.  If you're not comfortable sticking the vinyl on 'blindly', you can use line contact paper like I did below with the 'G'.  Letters with a lot of curve can sometimes be tricky to get on straight and I can't tell you how many times I've had to re-cut letters!  Go with the contact paper...especially with extra curvy fonts.

Sweet little embossed star!

A quick tip!  When you're punching holes in the banner cards, simply put 2 cards 'back-to-back' and  you'll get evenly lined up holes for every card.  Once you have 2 cards punched, use 1 as a guide for the next card and so on and so forth!

Teacher Thank You Cards...

Getting back to making loads of cards for the Marston Craft Show. I think these stamps by MFT are just adorable for the kids teachers. I made these up in burnette and blonde and also different skin tones. It's a pretty simple layout and added a simple clear button over some patterned paper. Her little dress is paper pieced. The clouds are made by die cutting a few cloud images from eclipse tape. Eclipse tape is like a full sticky post-it note and it works great for masking. Once I had my first layer of clouds, I laid the images over again, but off centered and that's how you get a fully loaded fluffy sky. If anyone is interested in a tutorial, let me know and I'd be glad to put one up!

What Would I Do Without You?!

I'm all for change in every aspect of my life, but when it comes to electronics (i.e. cell phones, computers etc.) I really dispise learning new equipment! Last weekend my hubby decided he wanted to take over the old laptop and purchased a new netbook for me. I really didn't care to switch over because I knew where everything was already and I was just getting comfortable with some new photo editing software he had just showed me 2 weeks ago. Well, with the switchover I DID get all my photos transferred but lost my editing software along with my watermark for posting pics on the blog. Needless to say, I'm warming up to this new netbook (it's smaller then a normal laptop, cramping my fingers a bit) and my sweet hubby set me up with a brand new watermark!

Soooo, enough chat about the netbook, how about a new notebook?! I had other projects I was going to post, but I just finished this up today and I was getting ansy to post it for my gf (for her daughter's teacher) in TN. Patterned paper is from October Afternoon. Doesn't it almost make you long for Summer again? I love the bright colors! I did a little airbrushing with my copic markers and also used them for coloring in my image. This little doll comes with not only a shiny red apple, but also patent leather shoes, courtesy of Crystal Effects!
This was also the first time I had a chance to use my new PTI-star die. These dies cut very nicely and leave a subtle rounded edge on the cardstock.

Spooky Sweets...

Going simple and easy on the spooky sweets this year! I'm always looking for an inexpensive treat that Gracie can share with her classmates, and this snack sack is picture perfect!I cut all the shapes out with my nesty dies and the stamps are a mix of Papertrey Ink and My Favorite Things (spider). To keep the contents inexpensive and healthy, I opted for bags of Halloween shaped pretzels and new shiny new Halloween pencil!

Little Star, Cup Of Joe...

In the midst of drying out here NC, it also hampered my intentions of getting my morning post up! I take my photos in natural light and the light has been lacking immensely this week! We ended up receiving 20 inches of rain since Sunday and it did not let up until yesterday evening! Being a homeowner makes me appreciate the rain, but I certainly wasn't expecting this much. School has been out for the last 2 days and the surrounding roads are still under water. We are very thankful that all the homes in our subdivision are built on higher ground. I made good use of my down-time to catch up on this simple sketch from the Sept./Oct. of Paper Crafts Magazine.I saw this sketch on page 24 and got this wild and crazy idea that I'd be able to get about 25 cards out of this design! I was a little overzealous and think I ended up with 12 in 2 different concepts. Honestly, I think 24 would have bored me to death! I don't like to mass produce often, but when I do, it's got to be a simple layout!A glittery mix of MFT's-Coffee? Tea? and Sweet Shoppe paper. The cup o' joe is 3-D with crystal effects and very, very fine glitter from Martha Stewart. I see a little spilled on the outer edges here, but it will easily brush off! This is what I get for trying to rush this post!Same sketch, but changed it up a bit! This card is very versatile in that you can either use it as a "new baby" card or for a little girls "birthday" card.

I spent yesterday afternoon crafting with some fun new toys...because who really wants to be hunkered down for hurricane Earl? I have yet to bring in the patio furniture and the kids toys. I'm probably more in denial about how "bad" this storm is actually going to be? The storm is predicted to hit us between 5-7 p.m. this evening so we will be prepared by then! In the meantime, I plan to stay in my studio over the long weekend and get on some projects I've been eager to try. I've already got teacher gifts completed for Christmas...SCORE!This is a sweet little card I made for my girlfriend to go with this lovely GIFT. Since I knew I wanted to use the new felt with the grass die from MFT and cloud die from PTI, I kept the bg simple by arranging a few words from Friends 'til the End. Both manufacturers dies work great! I loved how well the felt cut the grass. The felt is soft to the touch and leaves no frays or excess material after releasing from the die. I did notice while attempting to sew with the felt though, that it does have a tendency to stretch under my sewing foot. Almost forgot, there is one more of my favorite stamp companies, Verve Stamps-Blue Skies that I used for the sentiment.Alright, enough procrastinating! I've got things to get done today and they CAN'T wait! Going out to get a few things, then home to put on a pot of chili and ride out this storm!

Happy New Year!

I hope your New Year's if off to a wonderful start! I had such a great time with my family here for the holidays...certainly went by too fast! Our New Year's was pretty quiet and my hubby and I didn't even make it to midnight:( That is a definite sign that we are getting older!

Needless to say, with the break in blogging I was able to get several new projects created. The past year has brought many folks in to my life that truly made a difference in one way or another. To show my gratitude I'm making up several notebooks as a token of thanks.I will have other patterned notebooks to show, but I started with my these little hot pink/black color combos. I'm back to using those snazzy coffee cups (MFT) again! On the hot pink cs, I decided I wanted a subtle bg image. This particular bg image is from the PTI-bg basics: text style II. It not only gave the subtle effect I was looking for, it with the dew drop ink, it also gave a nice shimmer! Coffee cups are filled to the brim with SU! crystal effects
for a 3-D effect. Fun little gift card holders. I used the same bg text and dew drop ink here, but on a pastel pink cs. This is probably the first project in which I used the same stamp brand, but several different sets. All stamps are from PTI and include: star prints, bg basic: text style II, polka dot basics. I hand cut the polka dotted star, then trimmed a little chocolate chip for an additional matte. Something tells me I really need to invest in those star punches because I plan on making many more of these:).I was trying to "detail" the shimmer of the dew drop ink...my photography skills failed me...again...lol

Simple Teacher Gifts...

ETA: No one got the answer correct to my "faux paux", so I had my girls pick a number and those chose #2 ISABEL Z!!! My BIG faux paus was using the APPLE for a teacher gift...swore I'd never do it, but I just couldnt pass up this cute little girl:) I thought it'd be "ok" to use this image since the apple wasn't an overkill...lol So Isabel please send me your home address via email: madscrapper24@yahoo.com and I will get your notebook out asap! Thanks girls for playing along!


Because I'm running short on time this year, I needed a simple gift for my Daughter's teacher and her aide. If you looking for something inexpensive (this works wonders if your kids have multiple teacher's) try a pocket calendar! I picked mine up at Michael's in the $ section. I don't care much for the the "cheesy" covers they use, so you can see I just make my own:). I customized each PI girl according to the teacher's hair color etc. Added some simple stitches and slipped my finish calendar back into the plastic sleeve. Just a quick post as my "list" of things to do is getting longer!


******Did anyone catch my big faux paux?????!!!!!!! If your a regular reader to my blog, you will know what it is ;). First one to get it right, gets a free custom notebook from me!!!! Just leave a comment ALONG with an email address and I will post the winner by Friday, Dec. 17th @ midnight.

Pretty Little Girls...

My plate was pretty full last week with a very sick baby and washing loads and loads of laundry. It would have been nice to open the windows up and and air the house out, but with chilly weather all the "ickies" got trapped inside! Baby girl is on the mend and we ended the week celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary at Chuck E. Cheese and grocery shopping...signs where your priorities are when you get older....lol I didn't do anything last week, not even step foot in my craft room...but I did manage to squeeze in some crafty time yesterday! I was really inspired by the new PI line from MFT after seeing Jody and Susie's blogs. Love how these girls create...their commentary isn't half bad either:).
Love this ice cream paper! It comes with several different ice cream patterns and I decided to use the pages with wording for this go-around. I colored her with my copic makers and did a little stitching around the edges. The "wish big" is from my PTI-star prints. The umbrella pergola on top of the card is made with my SU! slot punch and I trimmed off the excess on top, then tied with pink shimmer ribbon.I'm off to start my Christmas Dinner shopping. My family is coming from all over to visit with us this year. Parents will be here from OK and my two sister's, one from GA, the other from CA. We don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, so lots of late nights giggling and playing sequence are on the horizon:)

Sister Notebook...

This truly is a "sister" notebook, not only in the sentiment, but also in the flower as well! My 2 sisters are fabulous at crocheting and I asked my twin sis to make up a few flowers for me. She happily obliged and I have several different sizes to play with! I'm not sure what type of thread/yarn she used, but I love the nice sheen it has...really shines! The middle brad is a vintage type from Memory Makers I believe, but I've had it so long I can't "promise" I have the correct vendor. They are heavy duty though and hold well! What else do you need in life besides sister's and chocolate?!! I used the same DCWV Berry Market paper here as I used a few post down. Lots of fun patterns to choose from in this pack...I can't wait to conjure up some more fun items. In response to an email I received about custom orders thru Etsy...I will NOT be reserving spots on Etsy for custom orders. I'm new to Etsy and I'm happy with how it's set up right now. I will continue to do custom orders, but thru email only. This makes it easier on both myself and the customer. I have uploaded a few items into my store front that I have not posted on, so feel free to browse the new items...new Christmas tags, notebooks, and gc holders are posted.

Thank you,Dawn:)

More Pocket Notebooks...

I have a stack of 4x6 notepads on my desk that are begging to be altered (or at least this is my intetion so I don't toss them in a bin and forget about them for months)! I pulled them out last week and I've tried to do a few here and there. Having plenty of new patterened paper on hand always inspires me to create MORE! The only reason I bought this doodlebug paper last week was because I KNEW my ice cream stamp would be a perfect match. After coloring and matting my ice cream cup, I added a tad of crystal effects to the cherry on top to give it a little 3-D effect. When my oldest saw this sweet treat she said it looked good enough to "eat right off the page"! All the rectangles are cut out with my nesty dies. The sentiment "grocery list" is from my new Take Note set from PTI. To shade in the sentiment I dabbed Dew Drop-Aloe Vera ink around the edges.
My dearest friend Donna came by last week and I've sucked her into stamping as well! She loves MFT just as much as I do and had some sets I didn't own, so I stamped up a few and turned them into some sassy, coffee notebooks! I'm not a coffee/caffeine drinker, but I love the way fresh ground coffee beans smell...it's my favorite isle at the grocery store! These notebooks have a fairly simple layout so I just wanted to add a little extra flair by sewing around the borders. On the top notebook, I used the sentitment that came with the Coffee?Tea? set...the bottom sentiment is from Essential Sentiments. There is also a slight "glimmer" on the rims of the coffee cups...more crystal effects so it appears to be a fresh cup of coffee!

Spooky Treats for the Teachers...

I'm sure hoping the weather clears up this morning! Today my oldest is supposed to have a field trip to the pumpkin patch, but its overcast and raining a heavy mist. Hopefully she isn't too disappointed if they aren't able to go:( In the meantime, I sent these off with her to school this morning. Let's hope she doesn't swing her backpack around too much and crack all the eyeballs...lol Although, it would add more appeal to the googlie eyes! Another cute MFT stamp set. I was trying to find a link from their website, but I don't think this set is available any longer? None the less, it's adorable and kid friendly! I did a little color shading with my Copic markers and cut all the frames out with my nesty dies. In the background, you can see the "bumps" on the green and purple tag. I used my cuttlebug folder for that and used some Dew Drop ink to rub over the top...gives it a vintage-y feel of sorts. Filled with some googlie eyeballs! My girls went crazy when they saw these...I think they enjoyed eating a few, even more!

Celebrate in Style Notebook...

Whew! Finished cleaning out the supplies I no longer need! Luckily most of them sold locally so it saved me many trips to the PO...thanks ladies! I still have supplies/stamp sets left, just scroll to the previous post if your interested.

I picked up some more notebooks the other day and decided I wanted to try a new size. This size is perfect for an add-on gift or something to slip in the kids backpacks for their teachers. I started by taking off the coil and added the SU! chocolate cs and the patterned paper. When I create these notebooks I just can't stand going without sewing the layers together...it adds just the perfect touch around the edges and also makes the focal image really stand out! To create the sentiment and slider I used my SU! small slot punch (you could also use any small ribbon slider punch) and cut my paper ribbon to desired length. Stamp set is "Let's Go for a Walk" by MFT

Added a little rhinestone on the flourish, which is from a PTI set.

So who LOOOOOVES Etsy?? Well, I first heard about Etsy on GMA many years ago when it first hit the airwaves. I've browsed and bought many things on this wonderful website and I really love to buy handmade ANYTHING! I've contemplated opening a shop since I could remember and I'm finally going to make the BIG leap and try it out. I've been doing custom orders for a few years now and have many requests to set up a page with my creations along with their prices. I don't have a set date when this will begin. I've set up my acct. and all the techy stuff, just need to throw up pics and get going. I will be sure to post here when I've opened up shop!

Remind You of the Good Ole Days???

I love this little ice cream image from MFT-Here's the Scoop. It reminds me a lot of my favorite snack shop in Brooklyn, New York (Little Cupcake), which doesn't sell ice cream, but it set up very much like an old soda jerk shop. And yes, I realize the term "soda jerk" was waaaay before my time, but I actually do know what one looks like...lol Needless to say, this picture makes me want to head to my nearest Braum's (my Oklahoma Folks will know what I'm talking about!) As I was creating my cards, I couldn't decide which colors or sizes of polka dots looked best...I think the PINK one is now my FAV! My card base is PTI white and stamped with dew drops ink. The focal image was colored in with my copic makers and the sentiment is from the PTI 2nd Anniversary Set. I didn't even know I was eligible for this set until my last package arrived...nice surprise eh? Apparently, I bought MORE stamps last year than I thought:( After I colored my ice cream image, I traced a very light cool grey copic on the outside rim. I think it really makes the image "pop" and looks even more fun after cutting it out. I used foam tape to raise the image and also added some adhesive rhinestones in the corners. What to do with that last image?? Make another card?? Nah, lets try something fun and new...a TAG! I make a few baskets here and there and I think this will go perfect for an anniversary ice cream kit, or perhaps a kids birthday! Perhaps I have inspired you to take the kids out for a scoop or two?

Hello Kitty Fun...

Michelle said...
SOO CUTE!!! You (almost) make me want to have a baby so you can make me some..heehee.. WHat font are you using in those invites???

Haha, you funny Mish...you may want to talk to Sam about the baby issue, and don't tell him I gave you any ideas!!!! The fonts I used on the invites (previous post) are just the generic ones on Microsoft Word. They are a combination between Comic Sans MS and Script MT Bold. I have tried over and over again to upload some new fonts online, but I have no clue where they save to, and it gets old asking hubby to find them for me...lol



Joan B said...
These are gorgeous!!!! BTW, I hate to say this but the Gina K paper is even better for Copics!!!

Thanks Joan, I haven't tried her paper before! I really do like my Papertrey only because I don't want to buy yet another brand...I already use 3 whites in different brands...it's kind of like buying 3 different brands of ink...which I also do...but then again, there is different paper and ink for different projects right?


My oldest Daughter had a few birthdays come up for her friends and I really wanted to stay away from buying toys. Anyone who is a parent knows the "losing battle" when it comes to keeping rooms clean and tidy...hard to do when there are thousands of toys, especially those with itty bitty pieces. When it comes to making something for little girls, I only had to reach for my Hello Kitty paper. I remember when I was younger I LOOOVED her and also loved the Sanrio Shop at the Pearl Ridge Mall in Hawaii. During 6th grade recess all my girlfriends and I would trade erasers from our cute little locked boxes! It brought back a lot of memories when I picked up these 12 x 12 Hello Kitty Sheets at Archiver's in GA. I will definitely have to pick up more on my trip there in May!
I had originally made up this purse to coincide with the large notebook, but actually put it together with the smaller monogrammed "A" notebook below. The larger notebook is going to be used in an auction with Relay for Life this coming Weekend. I punched the kitties out with my CM circle punch and then matted them with coordinating colors. To add a little flair to my paper purse, I added a Heidi Swapp Ghost Flower (I didn't want to cover my image so the clear flower allows you to see the Kitty without blocking!) and some Prima's.
A is for Alyssa! I used a mini-composition notebook here and covered it with a hot pink and black color combo. The scalloped neon green is done with my SU! scallop punch and added some pink rhinestones on the spine.

A simple little chocolate box! I didn't get the pics snapped of the inside, but it held 6 chocolates that spelled out Alyssa! She just turned 6 and was super excited about this gift! M is for Mia! This is the perfect size notebook for travel. I kept it simple because she will in fact be traveling back to KY with her parents as they are doing yet another military move! Mia will have plenty of time to doodle and pass them time in her new "M" notebook. I used my new MFT Bling Bet and filled in the spots on the "M" with some pink rhinestones. I also added a few extra rhinestones on the middle of the flowers. Be careful when you pull these stamps off the backing. The "a" and the "f" on my set were actually fused together so when I went to pull of the "a" it split down the middle:(

Well gals, that's it for now! I've been super busy volunteering with Relay for Life...explains the lack in posting...and it finally kicks off this Friday and Saturday!!! If I don't manage to squeeze in another post for this week, I will certainly be back to regular posting starting next week! I do have lots of things to share, just need my "go-go-gadget" arms, or a clone...something! I hope you have a wonderful week!