How do you like the new look?

I can not believe how easy it is to create a customized blog!! Thank you Shabbyblogs .com. (You can check them out by clicking the link in the upper left corner.)

Until later~

Why I make cards....

People have many different reasons for doing the things they do. I am no different, I have several reasons why I make cards and I want to share those reasons with you. I would say  I love making cards- not to mention buying stuff to make cards, but that is not the first, second or even third reason why I am a card maker.
 The first story happened just over 3 years ago. Christmas of 2006 I had a two year old and a 4 month old, free time was not something I saw very often. When the time came to send Christmas cards I thought of taking the easy way and buying cards to send. After some encouragement from my wonderful husband (and even some help!!) I went ahead and made our cards. After sending them on their way I didn't give them another thought until the middle of January when I received a phone call. The lady on the other end was someone I had never met, she asked a couple of questions and then told me the reason for her call. Hubby had a great aunt that he was very fond of, he had not seen her for 2 years and she had passed away. The only way her family had to contact my husband and his family was from the return address on our Christmas card. The lady on the phone told me that in December when Aunt Lovie was on her way out the door to go to the nursing home she grab our card, it was the only one she took with her!! If it had not been for that card my husband would not have had the opportunity to attend her funeral. (God can use even the smallest of things for His purpose.)
 My second story involved a lady from church. I had joined a ministry that sent cards to other ladies in the church. I had not met some of the ladies I sent cards to, but after receiving her card one lady found me (with the help of a mutual friend) after our next church service. She told me how much the card had meant to her. She told me in detail about the difficult time her family was going through and when she opened my card she was reminded that God was still in control and loved her. She said that God had given her butterflies as a sign of His love for her, well, the card I sent her used an image of a butterfly. (God uses us to encourage others.)
 My third story was this past Thanksgiving. A dear friend asked me to make a card for her to invite her sister to her house for Thanksgiving dinner. The sisters had not seen each other in a long time. The entire time I worked on the card I prayed for the sister to come to dinner and for that sisterhood to be restored. Once again God used that simple card in a way that is far above our ways. The two enjoyed Thanksgiving together!! I am still praying for both of them.
 I am so thankful that God has used the talent and desire He has given me for His good!! So, that is why I make cards........
Until later~

A new camera

 

My honey must really love me, look what he got me for Valentine's Day!! I am so excited!! Not only can I use it for pictures to scrapbook, but maybe now I can get some better pictures of my projects to post here. Just maybe, I can't make any promises. LOL He also got the HUGE zoom lens too, now I need to get the kids into some sports so I can use that baby. LOL

Until later~

Copic Birthday card

 

How about another simple card? LOL, after all that is what I do. LOL  The flower was colored with YR00, YR12 and YR18. For the center of the flower I used E55 and a Muted Dew drop. I used the "fussy cut" technique on the flower- meaning it was stamped onto white cardstock and colored before it was cut out. (Tip- If you have cut your image out and notice that either you have a tiny amount of white showing, or you have cut too close to the stamped line you can ink around all the edges of your image with a black marker. This gives your image a "polished" look. Using the marker helps your image to really "pop" too.)

I hope you have a good day!!

(BTW- I am very happy with the photo- NO retouching and the colors look perfect!!  Woo Hoo! If you have been following my blog you know that I have not been happy with my photos for awhile now, well Hubby took care of that little problem for me. More on that next time. LOL)

Until later~

Layout and card

Have you ever created a scrapbook layout AND a card using the same design? One of the Virtual Crop challenges was for just such a design.
(I am not sure why the photo looks so crooked.....I really need to work on my Photography skills!! LOL) I changed up the green and brown layers, but the design and papers are the same.
Did you notice the embossed Decorative Corners on the layout? I bet you can't guess what I used to color the stamped image........heehee, yep it was Copics!! ♥♥ those markers!!
Until Later~

Circles

This 12x12 layout was for the Circles challenge. I used punched circles for the faux embossed background on the third of my base . Keeping with the circle theme I used a polka dotted designer paper and on the photo flap is circle tab. I was able to get 4 photos and a poem on this layout by making a flip-flop photo mat.








Thanks for looking!!
Until later~

Elements pages- Pumpkin patch

This double page 12x12 layout was for the elements challenge. I am so proud of myself- I used a bunch of "aged" scrapbook items on this layout. (Meaning I dug through my stuff and found some old things I had forgotten about. LOL)





Those small stickers have been around here forever, I am so happy to get them out of the sticker drawer and onto some pages. Other elements- the library pocket with journal card (from a swap in 2006), alphabet stickers, rub-on, felt and paper flowers, ink, fibers and buttons.
Did you notice all the pictures except one has all the corners rounded?

Until later~

Hailey's 3

This is a layout featuring die cuts. I used the Wedding, Jubilee and Paper Dolls Dress Up Cricut cartridges for Hailey's birthday layout. The die cuts were inked and chalked before they were assembled. (Oh, and don't you just love that Peachy Keen stamped face?)

Until later~

Lucy

One of the challenges for Friday was basically a free for all. So for this one I chose to do a layout about our sweet Lucy. This is the first time I have scrapped her. I am very happy with how this one turned out- the only thing is to figure out what to put in the oval. I had originally thought about putting her name in the oval- but it just didn't "pop". The poem had been in my stash for ages- maybe 5-6 years?!
Lucy is really the best dog!! She is so patient with the kids. (She actually wanted kids before we had ours. She would watch the neighbor kids and whine while tilting her head from side to side. Too cute.) She is a very smart dog, she loves to show off all of her tricks. Marrow treats are her favorite- when you get one out of the cabinet she will sit pretty, high five, speak, as she starts doing all the tricks she knows. LOL She also crawls on her belly, rolls over, plays dead and walks through the kids legs. Lucy tore her ACL in the fall (probably while chasing a bunny in our yard) and wasn't able to play fetch, so it didn't take her long to learn to catch, now she doesn't doesn't have to run after her favorite toy. Even though she is a hound- she is not noisy, if she barks you know it is at something. I know the differences in her barks- I can tell if she is barking at a cat, dog, bunny or a strange person (after she has see you twice you are no longer a stranger to her.)
Yep, we are all pretty fond of her!!
Until later~

Using a sketch

One of our ivillage challenges on Friday was a sketch challenge. This is the sketch I chose, I found it at My Crop Room.<--link I like using sketch from time to time to get my own creative juices flowing. The fun part about using sketches is you can follow them exactly or change them up and make them look completely different. If you haven't tried using a sketch I would highly recommend you try one.


This is my completed layout. It is a little different than the sketch, but still very similar. I love the look on Hailey's face in this picture. She could hardly wait to get a piece of watermelon- but as soon as it touched her lips she knew she didn't like it. LOL She is her momma's daughter. LOL

Until later~