Monthly Archives: October 2011

a golden moment

Those golden moments.

Sometimes they pop up when you least expect them. Sometimes you just have to squeeze them in.

It’s a crazy busy life, isn’t it? I often get bogged down and it takes the joy right out of things. I need to remember to try and slow down and enjoy the moments, even if they are only small ones found here and there. I hope my ramblings remind you to do the same.

Here’s the story behind this layout…Last summer was especially busy and last August the summer was winding down. We’d only been able to get a couple days off and I decided to take the kids away for a couple days and hubby would commute. That day the packing and list of things to do had been particularly trying. I was exhausted by the time we hit the lake at 7 pm.

But it was a gorgeous night. Hubby wanted to take the boat out but it was the last thing I wanted to do. Didn’t he know I needed to unpack, make up beds, the boys needed to get to sleep, etc. etc. etc. Of course you know by the photos that I gave in.

I was so glad. It was one of those golden moments. A beautiful hour with my family enjoying God’s creative masterpiece written on the sky as the sun went down.

It’s a lesson I won’t soon forget.

Today’s layout uses one of the beautiful September Up the Street Scrapbooking Kits, Bliss. The papers are just perfect for my theme don’t you think? A few design details to note… the background is made up of strips of patterned paper sewn together. I like using piece of cardstock or an old piece of out-dated patterned paper to sew them to as a way to save money. The little glittered dots of paper are punched from the a scrap of the bottom paper and help draw your eye through the design.

Quick Tip: Use the packaging! The Lost and Found journaling die cut is actually the backing of the adhesive pearl flourish you see here. Waste not, want not and all that. 🙂

Oh, and do you know what? The very next day my eight year old broke his arm on a playground. It made it especially important that we had taken the time the night before to enjoy the lake.

Carpe Diem!

Inchie Blocks

Home sweet home. It’s a wonderful place to be.

Houses are a timeless favorite and a great paper crafting icon. I love the warmth they always bring to a design.

Today I’m sharing a project on the Inchie Inklings blog. Yes, this sweet little house is made from Inchies and is so fun to create. I hope you’ll pop by and join me here.

Enjoy your day!

twinkle star baby card

Babies are so sweet and precious. Is there anything more wonderful than a new little someone “fresh from God”. Because I love babies so much, I just adore creating baby cards. Last week, Kristen from Lily Bee Design had a new precious baby boy and on Saturday I managed to squeeze in some time to create a sweet baby card to welcome him. Here’s the post if you want to take a peek at the little cutie or leave a little love.

Of course, I just had to use Lily Bee Design paper for this card so I pulled out my Picket Fence 6×6 Tiny Tablet. Although this was designed as a summer line, it works perfectly for a baby card with the soft blues and little red stars. I also continued the star theme with some Maya Road embellishments such as the trinket pin and bingo pieces.

Actually the little buggy is created from all Maya Road product. As I was sitting at my desk trying to decide how to make this card baby-themed, my eye fell on some Maya Road chipboard. A chipboard circle to be precise. By making two little cuts into the chipboard, the circle turned into a carriage. It’s covered with more Lily Bee paper (this time from the Jingle Tiny Tablet). I was going to use buttons for the wheels and then I found the little star motif Maya Road bingo pieces. So fun! I love it when things fall into place.

Quick Tip: The Tim Holtz Non-Stick Micro Serrated Scissors are my favorite go-to scissors for tough cutting. They are perfect for cutting out rubber stamps, and also tough or thick products like the chipboard circle.

So I think some of you have been waiting to hear the winner of my WCD  Head Over Heels giveaway. Today’s winner picked by random.org is blog comment number 36. Congrats Linda Beeson!

Linda Beeson on 01 Oct 2011 at 3:55 pm  36

Loving the color of your flower! Very nice. I just love the mini pads of papers that so many companies are offering, so perfect for cards.

Supplies: Kraft cardstock by Bazzill, White cardstock by Bazzill, Picket Fence line and Jingle Line 6×6 Tiny Tablets by Lily Bee Design, sewing machine, ABC Stickers by Lily Bee Design, hem tape, Crystal Star Trinket Pin by Maya Road, Chipboard circle by Maya Road, Wood Motif Bingo Pieces by Maya Road, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger

Have a sweet day!

monday blues

I’m so excited, I’m counting down the days. Just two more weeks until Head over Heels starts shipping! To get over the Monday blues, I have a sweet blue card to share with you today.

If you’ve missed it, I’m giving away one 6×6 Tiny Tablet of the Head Over Heels paper line in honor of World Cardmaking Day. You have until 10 pm EST tonight (Monday October 3rd) to leave a comment on Saturday’s WCD post for a chance to win.

Today’s card is a peek at the new Head Over Heels line. It’s a love-themed line but I’ve designed it so that you can enjoy using it for many different occasions.

Supplies: white cardstock by Bazzill, sewing machine, Head Over Heels patterned paper by Lily Bee Design, flower by Prima, Green Trinket Pins by Maya Road, twine, rhinestones by Zva Creative, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger,  Basic Grey Sweet Threads Thank You stamp set by Hero Arts

Now I know that some of you are here to find out the winner of the Paper Crafts 12 Days of Christmas blog hop. I’ll delay no longer!  The winner for the latest issue of Holiday Cards and More is comment number 100 Congrats Karen L! Please e-mail me (link is at the top of the sidebar under my pic) with your address and I’ll get this sent out to you ASAP!

Karen L on 30 Sep 2011 at 1:42 pm 100

Julia: I love checking your blog for fresh and fun inspiration, and now I’m fired up for Christmas card-making. Thanks for this fun week.
Blessings,
Karen

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your day is anything but blue!

Getting Sketchy for WCD

Well, World Cardmaking Day is more than half over but still going strong! This is my third card to share with you today and this one comes with a sketch challenge.

Have you stopped by the CLASSroom yet today? It’s full of challenges and chances to win and I love how some of the goodies are some of my favorite things! There are also a lot of great cardmaking ideas to get you inspired.

So as I mentioned above, this card was created as a sample for a sketch I’ve designed for you to enjoy. Be sure to stop by the CLASSroom to play along with my sketch challenge. You’ll be glad you did!

Also, just in case you missed it, my previous post has a fun giveaway on it. Check it out!

Happy creating and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

hello world cardmaking day!

Today is World Cardmaking Day! Wohoo! I adore making cards! They are a great way to stay in touch and a lovely size to explore your creativity.

I’m hoping to find a little time today to celebrate and play in my studio. Are you planning on doing anything special? There’s a lot of fabulous challenges and giveaways all over the internet today so take some time for yourself and join in the festivities.

 

I’ve been dying to get my hands on the Memorandum line from Lily Bee Design. Mine just arrived this week and so I’ve created a pretty card with it in honour of WCD. I’ve added in lots of my favorite things…patterned paper,  stitching, felt, die-cutting and texture. There are two chipboard pieces in this design for dimension. One lies under the hello. sticker and the other is the chipboard flower painted with Distress Crackle Paint. If you’ve been to my blog recently, you’ll know that I’m quite addicted to the 3D Flower die, especially when it’s paired up with felt. I just can’t stop making them!

 

Supplies: Memorandum 6×6 Tiny Tablet by Lily Bee Design, Memorandum Mixed Cardstock Stickers by Lily Bee Design sewing machine, kraft and white cardstock by Bazzill, Styled labels die by Sizzix, 3D Flower Die by Sizzix, Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint by Ranger, Brushed Corduroy Distress ink by Ranger, Wood Bingo Motif by Maya road, chipboard by Maya Road, Star Trinket Pins by Maya road, Butter  felt, Tiny Attacher by Advantus

To thank you for joining me today, I have a fun little giveaway to share with one lucky person. My upcoming Head Over Heels line from Lily Bee Design is set to ship to stores October 17th. I have a Head Over Heels 6×6 Tiny Tablet to share that is perfect for cardmaking and guess what, you’ll have it in hand before the stores do. I’ve also paired it up with some other fun goodies so good luck!

How to win? Well, leave a comment on this blog post before Monday October 3, 2011 at 10 pm EST and you’ll be entered in a random drawing for the prize. I’ll be announcing the winner on Tuesday!

Check out the World Cardmaking Day site for lots more inspiration.

AND, if you like goodies and challenges, be sure to check out the CLASSroom as it will be packed with giveaways and challenges all day long! I’ll be back later today with a challenge for you.

Happy World Cardmaking Day from me to you!

it’s beginning to look a lot like…

Christmas!

’tis the season…

…to start working on Christmas cards.

It’s the first of October and I hate to mention it but the way the months fly, the holiday season will be here before we know it. I like starting early. I have a neat little pile of cards ready to be signed and mailed and there’s a stash of Christmas presents and stocking stuffers already hidden away. A little at a time is MUCH easier on the budget than a few huge shopping trips in December. Much easier too as I HATE crowds.

Today’s cards are using the new Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings stamp set by Avocado Arts. I told you I’d be back! 😉

This first card pairs up this set with August’s ZipnBy to Say Hi set. I’ve turned the globe into a Christmas ornament (pretty sweet, huh?) and did some easy masking to add in those poinsettias.

Supplies: Solar White cardsock by Neenah, Kraft cardstock by Bazzill, Nordic Holiday 6×6 paper pad by Basic Grey, Vermilion Archival Ink by Ranger, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Pear Tart Memento Ink by Tsukineko, twine, Glue Dot

If you like to keep your holiday cards simple and flat for easy mailing, this card is for you.

Supplies: Kraft cardstock by Bazzill, Ho Ho’s and Holiday Blessings stamp set by Avocado Arts, Christmas Town patterned paper by Lily Bee Design, corner rounder, white pigment ink by Clearsnap, Jet Black Archival ink by Ranger, Clear Rhinestone

Ready to do a little blog hopping? Check out some great designs by the rest of the Avocado Arts team…

Did you know that today is World Cardmaking Day? Are you celebrating? I’m hoping to find a little time to get down to my studio and play! Stay tuned as I’ll be back in a few hours as I have two more posts to share today. Lots of card inspiration and hmmmm…maybe a little something to share, so please join me!
Happy stamping!