Another swap done!

Hello there! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! I am so far...went to a movie with my daughter. We saw The Help. It was such a good movie. Bring tissues. Anyway - did a little shopping after that, then came home and reorganized my craft room a bit. Feels a little more put together now.

Here's a picture of the Halloween stickpins I completed for a swap over on Mini Album Scraps.

And here's the outside of the little card I made for them.

All in all I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I really like playing with the beads and making stickpins...it was very relaxing but making the card was a little challenging. I am not sure why but it took me a bit to get my mojo going.

I think I may try a mini-album next...not for a swap but just for fun. I have a few more swaps that I signed up for but the due dates for them are weeks away. I think it's time to play!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!
Cara

Vintage Tags

Hello out there!! Hope everyone is having a good day!! This is going to be a quick post. I just wanted to share some pictures of the vintage tags I completed for a swap over at A Lil Scrap of Heaven.

I sprayed both sides of the tag wtih a Moon Shadow spray from Lindy's Stamp Gang called Golden Doubloons. (The names crack me up.) Then on this side I added the dress stamp (Inkadinkado), the flowers (Wild Orchid Crafts), die-cut the butterfly (Papertrey Ink) and stamped and cut out the label and sentiment (Papertrey Ink) and added it to the tag.

On this side...which you can't really see...I used pink embossing powder and embossed a script background on the entire tag. I used a Starburst Spray (again from Lindy's Stamp Gang) called Mission Bells Brown and dyed a piece of lace. I added that lace the bottom and topped in with the teardrop-shaped pearls. (These pearls and those on the butterfly are from an Etsy seller named KARLAS001.) I diecut the doily and circle (Papertrey Ink), stamped the cameo image (Papertrey Ink) and attached that to the tag. I added the heart (Webster's Pages) and created a simple charm out of various beads. I attached the charm to the tag using seam binding and called it DONE!

Hope they like it! Thanks for stopping by!

Cara

First Swap - Done!!

So I have joined a few online crafty communities because I kept seeing all the wonderful Youtube videos about these swaps that people were doing. Basically, someone hosts a swap and they determine the theme, colors and whatever conditions there are for the swap. If you join then you make whatever the item is...tag, charm, mini album etc...and send the required number into the host. Once they get the items, they send the same amount (from other people) back to you. Cool, right?

I have joined several swaps but the first one that was due was the charm swap I told you about in an earlier blog. In addition to the charm, you were supposed to present it in a crafty way...on a tag etc. So here is mine.

Here is a close up of the bottom of the tag.

I love those little flowers...Wild Orchid Crafts again. And here is a picture of the back of the tag.

The stickpins were just a little somthing extra I threw in because I was so excited about my first swap. My wonderful hubby put these in the mail for me today so first swap...done!!!

Can't wait to see what I get back!! (I promise I will show you...maybe with my first Youtube video..?) Thanks for stopping by!

Cara





Beginnings and Endings...

So today was a little difficult because it was time for my oldest daughter to head back to college. (And college is out of state.) She has been with us for the summer. It was especially hard because it was probably her last summer with us.  She plans on living and working in another state. I am so proud of her. She is definitely an individual and can take care of herself (although she does call occasionally for grocery money). :) Her life is all ahead of her...it's just beginning. It is just sad to say good-bye.

I was cleaning my craft room (where she stayed this summer) and came across a couple of cards. The first I made for a co-worker her lost her father...

It is always hard for me to make sympathy cards so this time I used a card made by Michelle Wooderson that I found in the Papertrey Ink gallery as a template of sorts. The stamp set I used here was In Bloom by Papertrey Ink.

I also recently made a card for a friend at work whose daughter just had a new baby.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid and the fence is a die from Papertrey Ink.

I promise since I now have access to my craft room and will be back to crafting that I will include a more detailed list of the products I use in my crafty creations. Assuming anyone ever looks at this blog...you might want that information. ;0

Well, I am off to have more crafty fun! Thanks for stopping by!

Cara

Happy News & Charms!!

Happy Monday!!! I recently joined a wonderful online community called Mini Album Scraps. They have a variety of swaps, chats and lots of crafty goodness. All of the ladies I have met (via chat) have been so friendly and helpful. And today....after a loooonnnngggg day at work...I came home and discovered that they featured some pictures of my first mini-album on the site!!! (I uploaded them yesterday.) That makes me so happy!! It is the same mini-album featured in yesterday's blog. I know it's probably silly but things like that give me a little thrill! :) If you are interested in swaps etc. you should definitely check them out. And a big thanks to whichever wonderful lady (or ladies) put my pictures out there!!! Absolutely made my day!!!

I just finished some charms for another swap I am involved in over at Life on the Scrap Beach, another online community. (Yes, I may have gone overboard joining crafty communities but I was excited!!) The theme was French Flea Market and the colors to use were pink, red, black and silver.

I am not sure how much French Flea Market there is in the charm but at least I stuck to the color theme, right? I still need to make tags for them but they should be finished up soon.

Thanks for stopping by!
Cara

My first mini-album

Hello everyone! Hope you had a great weekend! I have some pictures to share of my first mini-album. This mini-album was actually completed in July for my friend Lisa (Hi Lisa!). Lisa is not a frilly kind of girl so I tried to keep the album relatively simple---with the exception of the cover. I kept adding stuff to that corner. I couldn't seem to help myself. :) But I think it looks pretty good. The inside is made from envelopes and the cover was created using grudge board (love it!). I found most of the techniques used in this mini-album in videos on Youtube...especially from a really crafty lady named Laura---her Youtube channel is Follow the Paper Trail. You should definitely check her out! She is crazy creative! (Thanks for all the videos Laura.)

Here is a close up of the upper corner.

Sorry the picture is turned on it's side....but i think you can see the details. I mostly used glossy accents to attach all the various embellishments. That stuff is magic! :) Oh and I made the stickpins myself.

Here are a few pictures of the inside of the album...

I used the Mariposa paper pack from Die Cuts With A View on this album. All in all, I am pretty pleased with this attempt and I learned a few things along the way. Hopefully Lisa will enjoy it and use it for pictures of her little furry daughter, Haylee. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Did you ever have one of those days?

When I do, I like to come home and go right to my craft room (whenever possible). Sometimes I just want to sit there and read a magazine, check my favorite blogs or see the new crafty videos on Youtube. (There are many wonderful people I follow there...I will try to post a list later.) One of the other things I like to do is make something simple...like the card below...one that you really don't have to think about too much.

This was one of those cards. I can always use thank you cards so it was a great one to make since I hadn't really planned anything. (Normally, I'm a planner.)  Once again, I used a Papertrey Ink stamp set...Dot Spot. I also used their pigment ink...Fresh Snow. And their kraft paper...ok, I really like Papertrey Ink!! :) (The sentiment is also from a Papertrey Ink set...Think Big Favorites #1.)

I hope when you have one of those days you have a place to escape to as well...a craft room, a little crafty nook or just your kitchen table. Relax and enjoy!!

FYI - say a little prayer for me...11 more days to go then my daughter will be heading back to school...Pacific Lutheran University. I miss her every time she goes but I can't wait to get back into that room!! I have so many plans I am not sure where to begin...maybe something for my wonderful college kiddo!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cara

Happy Birthday to...

...just about everyone in my family...or so it seems. I know it seems a little early to be talking about fall but here in Alaska temperatures are already getting a little cooler, there is more rain and the leaves will be changing color very soon. For me, the fall means cooler weather and lots of birthdays. So I thought I would show you a card I made many months ago for a friend's birthday. I used a Papertrey Ink stamp set called Guide Lines. All of the designs shown in that beautiful silver color are stamped images. I think that stamp set makes gorgeous images.

I swear I use stamps and products from other companies but I can't say enough about Papertrey Ink. Their stamps offer loads of versatility, the company has great customer service and their design team is fantastic! (And buying their products is very addictive with new releases on the 15th of every month!) :)

I am currently working on some charms for a swap over at Life at the Scrap Beach. Hopefully, I will have some pictures to show you in a few days.

Happy crafting and thanks for stopping by!

My first blog post ever!!

Ok ...so here goes…this blog is going to about my crafty attempts at card-making, scrapbook layouts, mini-albums and whatever else I decide to try to create.

There are several wonderful blogs that I actively monitor, drool over and use for inspiration. Some of these blogs are purely about whatever the person has created. Some are about promoting a company’s product. And some are about a little bit of both. I am not sure which type this blog will be. I am currently not on any design teams or affiliated with any company. I know I want to share my creations with you, talk about what works for me and what doesn’t and participate in some swaps (some of which I have already signed up for) and challenges. I am hoping too get a new camera and have better pictures and maybe some videos to share with you in the future. (My birthday is just around the corner…hint, hint for my hubby...since my he may be the only one who ever reads this...) Mostly, I want to be more involved with the wonderful world of crafters that I know is out there.

This picture is a card I made several weeks ago. Most of the products used for the card are from Papertrey Ink…love, love, love that company. I haven’t been able to do much crafting this summer because my oldest daughter is home from college and is staying in my craft room (which was once her room). But school starts soon and I will be back to my craftin’! (Of course, I will miss my daughter terribly and crafting will take my mind off of the pain…right?) :)

Whew…first blog post ever…done…thanks for stopping by!