Fab Sketch

I checked Pam's blog and discovered a neat blog, Fab Friday. I really like this week's sketch and decided to try it out.

I pulled out some older Christmas paper and embellishments to use for this card. I am also looking forward to using the back side of this paper, but for now I started with the glitter side.

The square punches that I used were one of my first craft purchases in 2005. It was time to sharpen them after making the card, so I punches some aluminum foil.

October Homework

The current Mojo Monday sketch is my homework for October Stamp Club, so I am working ahead.

I decided to start channeling some of my creative energy into Christmas cards.

All of the supplies for this card are from Stampin' Up!, but the stamp set, punch, and ribbon are now retired. I love the washi tape that is covering the ornament.

Monochromatic Challenge

Lawnscaping Challenge #66 is to create a monochromatic project. Usually purple is my go-to monochromatic color scheme, but I decided to try brown for this one. I wanted to use more of the Into the Woods collection, especially some elements that relate to fall.

Here is the card I made:

Supplies Used
From Lawn Fawn:
Stamps - Critters in the Forest (The "sending hugs" stamp came free with my recent Lawn Fawn order.)
Paper & Embellishments - Into the Woods collection

From Stampin' Up:
Crumb Cake card stock, ribbon (retired), ticket corner punch (retired) & button

Other Supplies:
Copic Markers E33 & E39
Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Between the weekend and today, I managed to make 11 cards. Four were from a kit, five were in a class, and two have been posted here. It was fun, but next weekend I will need to work on grading instead of cards.

Making Tape Technique

I wanted to try the masking tape technique after watching this video from Jessica Taylor. I also wanted to try the sketch for this week's Pals Paper Art Challenge.

Here is the card that I created today:

Supplies Used
From Stampin' Up!:
Inks - Midnight Muse & Crushed Curry
Pattern Paper - Print Poetry Designer Series Paper
Card stock - Crumb Cake & Marina Mist
Punches - Curly Label & Extra Large Oval
Tool - Stamping Sponges

From Lawn Fawn:
Stamp - So Much to Say

The masking tape technique is fun and I plan to use it again. The wider stipe is from masking tape and the thinner stripes are from washi tape. I do not have all of the inks that match my paper perfectly, but I can often find a color that is similar in my collection. I decided to make the card 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 square.

Lawn Fawn: Into the Woods Collection

I received some happy mail on Thursday when my Lawn Fawn order arrived.

I ordered the 6x6 paper pack and some embellishments from their new Into the Woods collection and love them! I also ordered the 6x6 paper pack form the Dewey Decimal collection since I had eyed it for months, and is it now on sale.

Alex helped me make a card yesterday before a birthday party. We had fun making a card together but did not have a chance to take a picture.

I decided to take some time this afternoon to make another card with the items. I was inspired by a card that I saw on Pinterest recently.

I wanted to use my scraps, but decided to make two scapbook layouts instead of another card. It has been a while since I made traditional scrapbook layouts, and I really enjoyed it.

Next I am eyeing the Peace Joy Love collection to scrap our photos from last Christmas. I am also happy to find how well these collections coordinate with the ink and card stock that I have purchased from Stampin' Up!.

September Homework

I have a "homework" sketch to work with for my September Stamp Club.

I made two cards from this sketch. The second card included more modifications to the original sketch. In the process of making the second card, I actually threw away a card because I did not like the result.

Alex helped me punch one of the shapes for the first card, and he had fun playing with my punches.

(All supplies used for the cards are from Stampin' Up!. Some are current and some are retired.)

States Visited

22 States to go! Here is a map of the states I've visited so far:


visited 28 states (56%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Free iphone travel guide

Oregon and Washington were the 2 new ones this summer.

Road Trip: Seattle

My "Bucket List" includes visiting all 50 states, so I am happy that I visited 2 new states on our road trip. It was brief, but we made it to Seattle. We timed our drive up to Portland to avoid traffic, but we were not so lucky in the Seattle area. We still got a taste of the area, and I definitely want to go back to see more.

When we arrived, we went straight to the Space Needle. There was light rain that afternoon, and of course my rain jacket was at the bottom of the suitcase. Next time, I will remember to pack better for rain.

Alex enjoyed playing with the telescopes and displays.

What do you do when waiting for the elevator at the Space Needle? Make silly faces!

Next we took the Monorail to the city center to see the Pike Place Market.

The market was closing as we arrived, but that turned out to be okay for us. Alex did not like the fish smell and would have wanted to touch everything if the vendors were still open.

Alex found an Angry Birds hat to buy on the trip and will be ready for colder weather. Alex purposely sat by the Monorail driver on the way back and then got to honk the horn.

We were not sure if we would drive to Seattle until the last minute, so the hotel choices in our price range in downtown Seattle were sold out. We ended up staying at The Heathman Hotel in Kirkland, which was really nice. One the way there, we stopped off by Lake Washington at sunset. I think that one of my draws to Seattle is all the water in the area.

We had more traffic on the way home, but Alex entertained himself with the iPad.