Bookmarks

Anyone else enjoy reading?  I am an avid reader!  I just finished reading Fearless Fourteen  by Janet Evanovich last night and I picked up Nefertiti by Michelle Moran to read.  I'm also reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo  by Stieg Larsson.

I started making bookmarks 3 or 4 years ago.  I like to keep a few extras on hand to add to packages/presents for friends or family that are readers.  Here are a couple of mine plus a couple extras I have on hand to give away...

A couple of these I used my sewing machine on.  Talk about a great way to use up scraps!  A couple years ago for Christmas everyone got a bookmark as their name tag on packages... I went through scraps so fast!

The 2 on the right are mine.  A few things you should know about me... animal print, bling, monograms!  All about it!!!!!  The zebra strip one I love b/c of the zebra and than the prima flowers with bling centers (not sure the bling shows up in the picture).  The one with my monogram, I just love those colors together.  I inked up the edges of the pink polka dot paper.

Also -- if anyone wants some of the sleeves just let me know in the comments (Just leave a way for me to get in touch).  I had to order these in bulk and I've got about 60 extra sleeves just sitting here.  I'll  RAK them to a good home (or a few different homes) :)  Like I said easy, fun little gifts or even for those of you who do craft fairs. Let me know!

Thanks for looking.  

Cheers

-Amanda 

ps - If you have any questions about the paper used here just let me know...  I *may* remember.  Like I said these all came from my scrap bins!

Back to School Good Luck

This is the last challenge I worked on this weekend... it's for cricutcardzchallenge challenge #39 which is for Back to School.

I made this little card for one of my cousin's who is in her first year teaching this year.  I wanted to wish her luck....

I think it might be a little too plain???  Not sure what else to do to it though... suggestions?  

The cardstock is Bazzil.  The cut is 4 inches from Doodlecharms.  I welded 2 buses together in Design Studio to make a card.  I added buttons on the tires for some texture and the yellow layer is popped up  for dimension.  Easy peasy!

Thanks for looking.  I have some non-card posts coming up this week on projects I'm finishing up today.

Ummm.... It's Cold Outside?

Not in August, not where I live, LOL!

It was kinda weird working with snowflakes and penguins while the temps are so warm.

Robyn at mypinkstamper.com has a challenge this weekend to make a Winter theme project.  As I started to go through my cartridges I noticed I don't have much in the way of winter-y cartridges.  Joys of The Season is about it honestly.  I just don't have much use of winter images.  In the part of California that I live in we just don't get much of a winter.  I did find a few cuts on random cartridges and this is what I came up with....

I think this is the first tri-fold card I've done as well.  Isn't that little penguin to die for!  I loooove penguins (almost as much as owls).  I'm really happy with the way this card came out.

It's cut @ 4.5x12, than I scored at 3 inches and 9 inches.  All the cardstock is Bazzil.  The snowflake paper is from DCWV Stack 7.  The snowflakes and Brrr were cut from Graphically Speaking.  The snowflake on the front is cut at 3.25 and the little ones inside are 1 inch.  Brrr was cut at .75 if I recall correctly.  I just used my exacto knife and free hand cut the paper on the inside to look like snow.  Super easy to do.  The cutie little penguin is cut at 3.25 from Joys of The Season and he's pop dotted up inside there.  I still have plenty of room on the side flaps to write a quick note to one of my girlfriends living in Pennsylvania this winter... when she'll be seeing plenty of snowflakes.  :)

Thanks for taking a look.  Hope everyone has a blessed Sunday!

Cheers

-Amanda

Companion Challenge Birthday Bash

I love that now I'll be able to share my creations for various challenges now here online.  I usually do challenges but haven't had a place to post them up or link them.... now I can!  Woot!  (Hey - It's  the small things in life, lol.)

So first up I have Crafting With Cristina's Companion Challenge.  It's birthday bash this time.  

Here's my simple card....

More cupcakes!  I just love the cupcakes on Sweet Treats... actually I love that entire cartridge.  So this is a card base from DCWV, the kind you buy in the boxes.  I've had it for ages.  The pink patterned paper is from the Sweet Stack by DCWV and the green patterned paper for the cupcake wrapper is from DCWV Summer Dream Stack.  It's cut at 3 inches.  The stamped sentiment is from some random set I picked up at Joann's awhile back.

Thanks for taking a look.  I know not many are reading, but I know a few friends are... so leave a comment!  I need my first one :)  Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!  I've spent all Saturday in my craft room... yay!

Cheers

-Amanda

Grams

In a long line of crafty chicks in my family it all starts with my Grams.  She was an amazing crafter.  Not with paper and glue, which is my chosen love, but she is a fabulous seamstress, quilter, painter, crocheter, knitter, doll maker, she was so good at so many different things.

The past couple years her body has started failing her.  The mind is sharp as a tack, just her body is losing and time is winning.  :(  Her hands have really been affected so crafting is something in the past for her.  I know she misses it and that makes me sad for her.

Since she has a hard time getting out and about but still remembers EVERYONE's birthday (seriously, she remembers everything!) every couple months I crank out some super easy cards for her to send to family and friends.  This is what I came up for her this time around....

Very simple, even for me and I'm a super simple card maker/scrapper.  Standard card base.  Circle was punched w/ my big jumbo circle punch (which is hiding from me somewhere since I made these cards... hmmm time to organize and straighten up!).  The stripped patterned paper was from my scraps, but I believe it's old KI Memories.  The green plaid and polka dot paper for my cupcake frosting is from the DCWV Stack 7.  The cupcake I cut out with the Solutions Home Decor cartridge.  I used my Design Studio and did the Hide Contour feature for the cherry on top of the cupcake because I didn't want it on these.  I also used the Hide Contour feature to cut all my tops out at once, than my cupcake wrappers.  Saved paper that way.  

I think that's it.  Pretty easy.  Thanks for taking a look.

Cheers

-Amanda

Inspired

I was inspired by Crafting With Cristina for this next card.  Her card is insanely cute and so much better than this card.  I'm not thrilled with this at all.  I just noticed that my ribbon ends are frayed... grrr!  I need go back and fix that up.

Standard card.  The patterned paper is old KI Memories (KI Memories, the old stuff, is absolutely some of my favorite paper EVER, no one does stripes like they do.  LOVE it!).  The scalloped squares are from Accent Essentials.  The flowers were cut from Forever Young, all scraps.  Does anyone else get a thrill from using up scraps?  :)  The stamps were Michael's dollar bin from a few years back.

Thanks for taking a look.  I've got a few things to post up tomorrow and a lot of ideas.

Cheers,
-Amanda

Forever Young Project

So let me share a little something with you... When I first see a new Cricut cartridge, almost always, I *have* to have it.  Than I think about it and wonder how much will I really use it, do I *really* need it, etc, etc.  I usually talk myself out of getting it.  Than.... it somehow ends up in my stash ;)

That's how I felt about Forever Young.  When I first saw the previews I thought how adorable, gotta get it. Than I thought, eh... not sure I'll use it that much.  Well than after seeing so many cute projects being done with it (the Cricut msg. board is enabler central, gah!) I put it on my maybe list.  One late night cruising ebay... she found her way to my house (and for under $20 bucks, score!).  

I did some practice cuts when I first got it, used a couple phrases on scrapbook pages than came up with this idea.....

My office/crafty space is done in pink/white/red.  I have had these 6x6 frames for a few years I think.  They came from the good ol' Target dollar spot and I bought a bunch of them.  Well one day I saw them in my craft closet and came up with this idea.  Right by my craft desk I have a little wall space that these 3 pictures will hang on vertically.  I just think they are too cute.  All of it was made going through my scraps, except the mats and you can barely see them in this picture, but they are red and pink under the white.  

Thanks for taking a look!

Cheers

-Amanda

ps-- forgive the boring blog look.  I'm trying to spruce it up... so it will definitely be changing.

Well, helllllooooo

Hey Everyone!

I thought it was time to start a blog... I enjoy reading and learning from so many others that I guess it's time I contribute as well. 

I guess this means I better get busy making things and posting!  :)

I hope to get to know as many of you as possible and we can share and learn from each other. 

Cheers-
Amanda