Bombshell Stamps March Blog Hop!

Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, the theme for the Bombshell Stamp March Bloghop is METAL - We had to try using metals in our project : Make something on metal, metal accents, metal embellishments, or even "Metal" music...

Here's a card I made with the METAL theme in mind:

I cut the frame out of my Storybook cartridge and then heat embossed it a couple times to make it look like an aged, metal frame. I colored the Bombshell in black and white to keep with the vintage theme and then put a piece of clear plastic over the image so it looked like it was really in a frame. I then "hung" it on a piece of shiny, hot pink cardstock to resemble the top part of a wall. The damask pattern paper is supposed to look like actual wallpaper, with the black wood-grain cardstock with the silver studs serving as the chair rail.

So much detail is lost in my crappy picture taking...lol. In person, the flowers match the pink almost perfectly. Oh well... you get the point!!

Make sure you leave a comment and Happy Hopping!!

Bombshell Card

I've signed up for the March Blog Hop over at Bombshell Stamps. It's the first time I've ever participated in one of their hops and I'm really excited for it. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the project I did just for the hop - which has a METAL theme - but here's a card that I made using my favorite Bombshell stamp:

I made this for my friend *Darci whose husband was being a real butthead at the time. Paper, cardstock and striped ribbon is Stampin Up! (retired), Staz On ink and Prisma pencils for the coloring, "top note" die cut from Storybook cartridge, font from Opposites Attract cart, vintage buttons, polka dot ribbon and flower from my stash.

*Name has been changed to maintain confidentiality.

The First Step Is Admitting You Have A Problem

I really, REALLY was just going to Joann today for a new paper trimmer.

I've used the same light green, Cutterpede trimmer for 6 happy years and the expandable arm just snapped off in my hand this past weekend. I was devastated. I mourned for almost 4 days before heading to J's this afternoon with a 40% off coupon in hand and two toddlers in tow. I had myself convinced that I'd get out of there with only a trimmer.

And then I saw the paper stacks on sale for $9.99.

I only bought one. But did I really need another 48 sheets to add to the THOUSANDS I already have? (Don't answer that.)

So here I am trying to find somewhere for my latest stack and I am out of room in my Scrapbox. In case you don't know what a Scrapbox looks like, here it is:

Yes, I have one of those, and yes, I could not find a place in it for another 48 sheets of paper. So I start re-arranging things in order to make room for the stack I just had-to-have-and-couldn't-live-without and I realize that the other thing I have started collecting are... stamps.

Acrylic, rubber, expensive, cheap, sets, singles, wood-mounted, un-mounted...you name it, I've got it. And they are taking up precious storage space - space I need for my....uh....paper.

Here is the last of the 12x12 layouts I did during the retreat. It's called "Partners In Crime"

The girls are 11 months old in these photos. I had caught them in Bentley's dog food dish, just having a grand ole' time. The best part of these pictures is the fact that it looks like Breena was the mastermind and ringleader of this incident. See how the bowl is between her chubby legs and she's got both fists in there while her sister looks on....at least at first. Two years later and Breena is still the one that is coming up with schemes to get her and her sister in trouble. I doubt it will ever change.

Those fat scallops at the bottom are one of those flat EK Success border punches. It's hard to tell from the pic, but it also embosses. Love it!

Hump Day

I'm oh-so-glad it's Wednesday. It's Date Night for hubby and me and we might go....line dancing.I know what you're going to say, but hey we sometimes run out of stuff to do on Date Nights. We used to take ballroom dancing lessons on Date Night, but then we never actually went dancing anywhere - so it got kind of ridiculous. It'd be like taking golf lessons and then never going golfing.

So I gotta go figure out what exactly I'm supposed to wear to line dance, but here's a layout I did while on my retreat.

This was an ancient kit (seriously, the copyright said 2004!) from TLC - anyone else remember them? They went belly-up a few years ago but I still have a bunch of these kits in my stash. I went through a stage where I really liked the flat, cut-em-out cardstock embellishments but I'm over it now so I've got a ton of them and I never use them. Storytellers is another company that sells a lot of those and I was a part of their monthly club for awhile too, so I have a variety. Maybe I should offer them as some blog candy....hmmmm...

The Recovery Continues

I'm sure that as this week goes on, I will get feel more at ease in my normal routine (which was interrupted last weekend with a 2 1/2 day scrapbook retreat.) Because I'm still all out of sorts from being gone. I started unpacking my scrap stuff last night, only to get distracted mid-way through by an idea I just HAD to work on immediately. Now my scrap area is a total disaster.

And then there's my red-haired child (see yesterday's post for a picture of the culprit) who seems to be (unconsciously, I hope) torturing me with temper tantrums and potty accidents in order to get retribution for being left with her dad for a couple days. *sigh*

Anyway, here's another layout I did while on the retreat:

The title of this is "Trike Rider" -- which was inspired by "Knight Rider" -- (the original one with The Hoff of course. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, than I'll pause here to stick my tongue out at you for being SO MUCH YOUNGER THAN ME.)

The title and the flowers were all cut with my Cricut, the paper was from my stash - some was scraps, but the buttons were a real score from the dollar bin at Michaels - which I bought while shopping at the retreat.

Thanks for looking and HEY - LEAVE A COMMENT!

My New Look

Whatcha think?? Like my new banner? I found a fab graphic designer on etsy.com who worked with me until I was finally happy - (definitely not an easy task). Here's her shop if you are looking for an update to your blog or etsy store.

I spent a long, lovely weekend at a wonderful scrapbooking retreat in Davenport, Florida, just 20 minutes from Disneyworld. We had SO much fun and actually got some scrappin' done, though we also did our fair share of gabbing, eating, shopping and errrr...more eating. Here's the website if you'd like to check it out for yourself the next time you're in town. (Don't forget to tell Christine that you heard about it from me.)

Here's one of the layouts that I did this weekend. If it looks like I spent about 5 minutes on it, you're absolutely right. I love, love, love this paper from Marah Johnson and didn't want to cover up any of it!

I've got lots more to post, so check back later....and HEY LEAVE A COMMENT SO I KNOW YOU WERE HERE! Otherwise it just seems like I'm sittin' here talking to myself.

Update

1) Everyone is finally well. Hurray for antibiotics.

2) I haven't made anything lately. But I've been thinking about stuff I want to make. So that counts, right??

3) I was selected for a new design team for an incredibly awesome site! Details will be coming later...

4) I'm trying to give my etsy shop a makeover before opening up for business again and have spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to decide on a new logo, banner and business card design. It never takes me this long to make a decision....ugh.

5) I'm going to be part of the March blog hop at http://www.bombshellstamps.com. I love, love, LOVE these rubber stamps but I don't use them often enough (much like all of my other stamps) so I signed up for the blog hop in order to force myself to make something with them. Here's a pic of one of the sets that I have. Isn't she gorgeous?

6) I've got LOTS of crops to go to this month - including a weekend retreat in Orlando! I'm trying to get 2 albums done - one for each of the girls - and with all this scrapping time coming up, I should have lots to post in the coming weeks!

I'm Avoiding My Husband

Because he's sick. He has what I had last week, only he's got it worse. (pause)

No really he does have it worse. He's not just saying that. (longer pause)

Okay, initially I thought he was just totally milking it...but then he threw up - which I didn't do last week - so he does feel really bad.

Side note: I really do think men are kind of wussy when they are sick. He asked me to go get him cold medicine this afternoon, then called while I was out to ask me to get him chicken soup (cuz he didn't like the stuff we already had *insert eye roll*) and crackers. And did I think he needed to take Vitamin C?? Back into the store I went for orange juice. And then he texted me that he needed ginger ale too.

Now I'm in my scrap room but feeling uncreative, so I thought I'd post some pics of some things I finished up yesterday (before hubby caught the Bubonic Plague)...

Our church is having a St. Patrick's Dinner and Talent Show and they are also setting up a silent auction. They asked members to contribute items for the auction, so I thought I'd make something "papercrafty" to donate.

I found this square plate in a drawer in my scraproom with the price tag still on it. I picked a design I liked, cut it in vinyl, slapped some glass etching cream on it and viola!:

(The sunny, blue-sky background courtesy of Florida In March!!)

Next I made some 4X4 note cards. I always have a hard time picking colors that I think other people will like, so I played it safe and did white on white. Some pop dots, Stickles, rhinestones and the always useful Swiss Dots folder for the Cuttlebug and here are 6 handmade, church-appropriate, blank cards with matching envelopes:

I made one more thing....but I'm not sharing it here just yet. I'll give you a hint though...it fits in this cute little matchbox from TBBM:

Of course, I will eventually show you what's in the box...

...but not yet!