Not enough time

Ever felt like that, well that has been my whole weekend. Trying to get cards done and submitted for PaperCrafts current call, planning a dinner for my daughter's birthday, trying to get housework done, trying to get chores done, trying to get some gardening done, trying to get the house baby proofed..plus getting called into work..I just don't seem to have enough time. So for now the house is baby proofed, tied and picked up, the table is set, the cake is done, the plants have been watered, new plants have been planted, clothes have been washed, dried, folded and put away (thanks to my hubby), cards have been sent off for publication and time is ticking down to minutes before my dd arrives with family in tow. I feel bad no time for gift shopping so she is getting {gasp} gift cards and cash along with a home made card and a fabulous dinner of course. Serving Honey, Lemon and Sage Roasted Chicken, home made Mac and Cheese (for the little ones), Caesar Salad (with home made dressing) and the best part....dessert. Pumpkin cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese frosting, Candied Pecans (I put those in the middle for some crunch) and a home made Carmel Drizzle..yum! So here is a couple of picts.

A Glimpse into the Past

So today I am sharing a clipboard that I display as artwork in my home (this was also published in PaperCrafts Magazine back in 2008). The reason I am sharing this is becuase not only is it one of my favortite photos of my oldest dgs (who is 12 now) but it is my inspirtation for my next project that is clipboardish.

Basically I found in the clearance section at JoAnns what are called cake boards or platters in the shape of hearts. Obviously these were leftovers from Valentines Day but they are finished on one side and chipboard on the other. There is one red and two pink. 

So using the clipboard for inspiration I am going to make my daughter something similar but hers will be  wall hangings and actually I am going to do 3, one for each grandson. I hope to have at least one posted by Monday. And as a last thought just remember when you get stumped and are looking for inspiration you can always scraplift yourself.

Another KK contest

So this time Kraftin Kimmie had a challenge to use fall colors. While typically I think fall of browns, yellows, golds, reds and oranges I decided to do a monotone color. I really like the look of using just one color and definitely tests your use of copic color combos, assuming of course you own enough of them! <insert smiley face>

TGF Color Combo Challenge

Well I have to say this was pretty hard, not sure why but I think the color silver was a definite curve ball. Although I do have to admit it goes really well with turquoise and orange..who would'a thunk? So here is my take on this weeks TGF challenge using the colors turquoise, orange, silver and making it a guy birthday card. How do you think I did?

Pretty in Pink!

My DIL loves pink and anytime I do anything with pink or girly I always think of her. So of course I made this Kraftin Kimmie card in pink to celebrate her love for pink! and it also makes for a handy birthday card to send to her :-) 

Halloween Goody Boxes

I found these boxes at Michaels for $1 and they are perfect for gift giving full of some Halloween or Fall Goodies. They were super fast to make, measure the box and cut pp to size. Use some strong adhesive to adhere pp to the box, a border punch, a nestability, an embossing folder and some stickers..or coloring a cute stamp. I did use stickers and die cuts for the lettering and of course tie on a bow to kick up the cuteness!

Back To School - A gift for Teachers

Here is a set of note cards that were pretty easy to put together. I made 5 cards of 3 designs and tied it up in a pretty gift bow and gave to my DIL (she's a Kindergarten teacher). Using lots of QK, Spellbinders, a Cuttlebug die and the Cricut. So if you're looking for something to show your appreciation to your favorite teacher you might think of some handy note cards for them to hand out to show their appreciation to their students.

Finally...

Ok here is Marshall's big debut. I have to admit I have been spending time with him and Zack but not taking many photos. Of course life is busy and I haven't been able to do a photo shoot for my daughter let alone enjoy Marshall since most of his time is spent just like he is in his photo.

Treat Bags

So getting ready for some of the upcoming holidays I noticed that Halloween falls on a Wednesday, which means trick or treaters come earlier in our neighborhood with school the next night and we won't get as many. However my co-workers still get a little extra something because I made these cute little brown paper bags which I plan to fill with goodies as well as make some cupcakes to go with these for everyone to enjoy.

Mainly used QK dies except Martha Stewarts Drippy Goo punch, pp is Echo Park and I am lovin these clear jewel stars that are adhesive backed from Michael's you just grab your copics and wham an instant embelly that match your colors.

In addition, my bff's will also be getting a little goodie felt bag filled with all sorts of odds and ends that a girl needs to celebrate Halloween including these adorable caskets my son brought me from where he works that I plan to alter and personalize. (once I get these together I'll share a finished product photo)

Autumn is creeping in

Around here weather is starting to cool back, leaves are slowly changing and with the kids back in school you can feel fall coming our way. I think I am ready for a little seasonal change which in California isn't saying much since our seasons kind of blend together. In preparation I made a quick little card to honor the oncoming changes. Stamp is from Art Impressions and colored with copics. PP is from PapertyInk.

Use Kraft cardstock

For this KK contest we had to incorporate Kraft cardstock, which I really love to use. I made this stamp with my oldest dgs in mind. I plan to use it for a birthday card for him. It's always hard to make "guy" cards but these stamps really make it pretty easy.

Time for another TGF Contest

Well this one was a little challenging since we had to use all white products and the only color allowed was on the stamp, really makes you think about how to add some variance when everything is white. Any hoo here is my take on this challenge

A Different Kind of Crafty

Well in the midst of scrapping this weekend I got the sudden urge to make some blankets for my grandsons. With the help of my youngest ds, we headed to JoAnns (and by the way got the friendliest cashier that helped save me $$$ on my purchases) and opted for some cute dinosaur fabric and soft cozy chenille material. We couldn't find two fabrics that coordinated so decided changing the backs would work. My son declared the blue one should go to Zack while the newborn, Marshall will get green. I have to wait until I see my oldest grandson, Anthony and let him pick his material. I figure it will either be Sharks hockey team of something with red in it.

I have to admit my sewing skills were a bit rusty and I haven't sewn since my dd was a little girl (I used to make all her dresses) so most of my sewing supplies have gone the way of yard sales or Goodwill..it's amazing how a carpenters tape measure, pencil and scrapping scissors due in a pinch.

So here are the results. I figure these will hold up for the next 4-5 years. I did line them with some quilting "Warm and Cozy" (I think that was the name of it) filler..so these are one warm blanket or I guess sorta of a hybrid quilt.

Dorthy KK Stamp

I just love how Kraftin Kimmie takes a twist on nostalgic items such as the Wizard of Oz, Superheroes, Hollywood Bombshell actress, etc and make them into stamps. They are such fun to play with and add humor to your projects. This is one of those stamps and have to admit made me realize I needed more copics, you can never have enough copics, can you?