Bunny Butts, Anyone?

Hello! So very happy you stopped by for a visit! Today I have a cute little treat that is super easy to make and perfect for Easter.  This was my 'make and take' project for a recent fundraiser at my school.  My girls have affectionately named these Bunny Butts. 

If you need something that is easily reproduced (like bunnies...), this is a terrific option.  I punched out all of the pieces for 30 of these while watching tv one evening.  They are even easier to put together.  For each Bunny you need a 2 1/2" circle with a 1 3/4" circle punched out, a complete 2 1/2" circle, and two small ovals.  I also used a circle treat cup ($2.95 for 12) and a 1" white pompom.  The snack size bags of pastel m&ms fit perfectly inside the cups!

We had a lot of fun making these at the Ladies Day Out and I think they could be cute table setting decorations for Easter as well.  I have been playing around with a lot of my new to me supplies and will have quite a bit to share with you soon!  Spring Break is almost here and I have big plans to get a lot of scrapbooking completed and lots of other creative things accomplished too!

Well, I better get hopping back to work! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Project Recipe: Paper-whisper white, Accessories-2 1/2" and 1 3/4" circle punches, small oval punch, circle treat cups, white pompoms

You Are My Sunshine...

Hello! I'm so glad you dropped in!  A special welcome to my new followers! I am so glad you're here!! After a cold, snowy, and rainy week, I was in desperate need of something bright and cheerful.  Since Mother Nature didn't seem to want to help me out, I decided to make my own!

How this for warm and sunny?!  I don't usually do a lot of yellow, but the image from the new Sale-a-bration set, See Ya Later, just called for some paper sunshine!  The images in this set are so fun and I know I will be using them a lot for cards.  Sale-a-bration begins on January 28th and I will have a link to the online catalog available soon.

Just a reminder that our Balance challenge is still going on at Anything But a Card and the week two ladies have shared some wonderful inspiration!  We would love it if you would join us and link up with your creation!

Well, that's it for me.  I'm off to get some laundry done so the kids have something clean to wear tomorrow!  Have a great week and happy crafting!

Card Recipe: Paper-whisper white, daffodil delight, Gingham Garden DSP, Stamp Set-See Ya Later, Ink-smoky slate, daffodil delight, Accessories-daffodil delight stitched grosgrain ribbon, 2 1/2" circle punch, brights candy dots, yellow glitter glue

A sneak peek, spring/summer cleaning, and lots of rambling...

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am so excited to have some new followers and hope that you get either inspiration, insight, or something to make you smile when you visit!!

I am in a 'bunny trails' kind of mood today, so I will share my cards (a sneak peek of my ABAC project for Sunday) first-just in case you don't want to wander the trails with me!

Challenge number 20 at Anything But a Card Challenges  is "Dust Off Your OLD Supplies". For this challenge we are having a bit of a spring cleaning theme. Go "Dust off your older supplies" for this challenge - and make something... ANYTHING GOES! Use up those paper scraps, break out tools that haven't seen the light of day, finish up one of those U.F.O's {unfinished objects}... or how about those hoarded stickers - we all have a stash. The theme is open so the possibilities are endless.... just remember create anything except a card... this is going to be FUN!!!

Now how easy is this?! Well... When your crafting space looks as horrific as mine, first you actually have to do spring cleaning (or for those of us who love to procrastinate, summer cleaning) to find most of your supplies and the table. I really wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not!  It's been a very crazy month! So after spending the morning finding my table (and several started projects), I knew what I would be doing for our challenge.  I am part of week 2 of the design team and usually finish my project Friday night or Saturday morning and rush to get it photographed, but this week it is ready to go by Wednesday afternoon!  I am sharing the cards today because I can't show the other part yet, and the blog is anything BUT a card...  Can't be flaunting any cards on Sunday, so the cards become the sneak peek for the main piece.

I spent most of the afternoon working on the cards for a very special friend from our  church.  She is one of the most caring and selfless people I know.  She made meals for my parents when Dad had his stroke, and still occasionally drops off goodies for them.  She has also been a wonderful mentor.  Last week, she stopped by to drop off some asparagus from their garden since she knows my oldest DD loves asparagus.  She handed me two HUGE bags of fresh asparagus, enough for many meals, and refused to accept any payment for it. "It will be a relief to get it out of the house." is all she says.  Well, if I have learned little else from the crafting community, one of the joys of crafting is passing on our creations to others.  Plus, I know she won't be able to turn down a handmade just for her gift! Pretty sneaky, right?  So I made a set of 8 greeting cards for her.

Now if you're still on the trail with me, I'm moving on to dusting off supplies.  I decided that while I was in cleaning mode, I would go through my DSP and clean that up too. OH MY!  We will not discuss just how much retired paper I have that can't be used for classes, not to mention the non SU things...  So I decided my summer crafting goal would include using up some of that paper.  I found a lone sheet of the paper above and have no clue which set it came from but I do know it was from a loooooong time ago. I managed to use almost the whole sheet for the 8 cards! Woo! Hoo! 1 page down, 4 million to go...  I also dusted off my daisies die which hasn't bonded with my Big Shot in ages. They were so happy to be together again!

I have really been slacking in the commenting and visiting of blogs lately.  Mom has been in the hospital twice this month with heart issues.  While her condition is not life threatening, it does sap all of her energy and messes with her heart rate.  They switched her to a new med this time so we are crossing fingers and praying that this one gets the job done.  I'm just thankful that I wasn't working this last time and could commit to being there for her and Dad.  Makes things a little less stressful!

Well, this is the end of today's bunny trail and post. If you made it all the way to the end, I applaud your tolerance! Hopefully Sunday will bring some less distracted blogging!  Have a wonderful rest of the week and I hope you don't have to clean before you do your happy crafting!

Card Recipes: Cardstock-wild wasabi, bashful blue, pumpkin pie, whisper white, old DSP, Stamp Sets-Word Play, Loving Thoughts, Ink-pacific point, bashful blue (sponged on daisy), Accessories-daisies 2 die, boho blossom punch, 2 1/2" circle punch, perfect polka dots & square lattice EF, non SU circle framelits, brights buttons, white bakers twine, bashful blue brad

Anything But a Card Challenge 15

Hello! So glad you stopped in today! It has been a WET and nasty day in southern Indiana. The perfect day for curling up with a good book or crafting, or if you are as fortunate as I was, taking a nap!

There is a new challenge posted at Anything But a Card Challenges.  This time, we are encouraging you to think spring! Of course, if you follow our challenge blog, you know that things are never as simple as this...  We like to get as creative as possible and Carla, our fearless leader, has taken the Spring theme and made it even more open ended!

"For Challenge 15 we are asking for something Spring-y or spring colors, or Alice in Wonderland!  I know it may seem like a strange combination, but that's how it works in my mind! :)  I think it's probably the rabbit/Easter thing."

So there you have it! Get your thinking caps on and see where this challenge leads you.  We would love to see your creation, and if you are so inclined, the team would love it if you checked out their creativity for the week.

I will be posting my project on Week 2, so be sure to stop back in to see the inspiration for the second week as well!

And just so you have something to look at on my blog this week, I created a card for my most recent club meeting that fits the theme of the challenge.  Yes, I know this is a card and the challenge very specifically is Anything BUT a Card, but since this isn't a DT post, I'm bending my rules a little!!  Feeling a bit rebellious at the moment... Hee! Hee!

This card was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest.  You can see that card here.  She has a great tutorial on how to create her card.  Since I was using mine for a club project, I simplified it using punches instead of the oval framelits.  I also made mine a standard sized card so the ladies could use the envelopes they already have on hand.

I hope you have a most wonderful week and find lots of time to be crafty!!

Card Recipe- Cardstock-Baja breeze, whisper white, pink pirouette, Stamp Set-Wacky Wishes, Ink-Baja Breeze, pretty in pink, early espresso marker, Accessories-extra large and large oval punches, 2 1/2" circle punch, small heart punch, decorative label punch, wisteria wonder bakers twine, perfect polka dots folder, big shot

Anything But a Card Challenge #8- Frosty the Glowman

Hello and welcome to week two of the current challenge at Anything But a Card.  We are celebrating the light or Seasonal Holiday.  You are free to interpret light however you like, as long as it's not a card.  We would love it if you would join in our challenge!

I am neck high in planning and making gifts for Christmas and knew that I would combine my design team project with something that would make a nice little present as well. It's multitasking by only doing one thing!! Gotta love that!!

I have been on an ornament kick lately and enjoy giving them as gifts because most people have a Christmas tree and who doesn't love a gift made with love?!  I first saw a snowman using a tea light, at Stamp & Scrap with Frenchie and thought it would make a cute idea for a little gift.  Then I saw another version that had a body as well.  Debbie's snowman is part of her 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments and she has a great tutorial, and some absolutely wonderful creations displayed on her blog!  I loved the hat on France's snowman and decided it had to go on my snowman too.  Of course, I took a little artists inspiration to change things around a little and make this guy my very own...

This was so easy to put together that I made 6 of them using up the tea lights I had left over from DD#1's birthday party a few years ago.  My girls liked them so well, they immediately laid claim to them as gifts for their teachers.  Good thing I made six of them!!

If you would like to recreate my little snowman, he really is super simple to put together.  Just layer the two larger circles and then use the 3/4" circle punch to make a hole for the switch to fit through. A little sticky strip around the base hold the ribbon in place and also attaches the tea light to the circles.  The eyes, buttons, and mouth are pearls that I colored with a black sharpie.  If you need a more visual description, I suggest a visit to Debbie's blog.

Well, that's it for me today! Only three more school days until our Christmas vacation begins.  Woo! Hoo! I am planning on doing a lot of crafting during my break and am looking forward to some 'not busy' time with my family.  Have a wonderful week and happy crafting!

Project Recipe:  Cardstock-basic black, whisper white, red glimmer paper, Ink-Baja breeze, whisper white, black sharpie, Punches-2 1/2" circle, 3/4" circle, Boho blossom, modern label, word window, Accessories-3" circle die, basic pearls, neutrals brads, old olive grosgrain ribbon (ret), sticky strip

Color Me Beautiful Challenge #13 Christmas Sweets

Hello! I hope all of my blogging buddies in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving and didn't overindulge too much!! We are back, a day late (took a holiday!) with a new challenge at Color Me Beautiful!

**Warning!  The next part of my post relates to my creation for the design team.  It is a little lengthy... If you want to bypass the back story and scroll down to the challenge and my project, I will not be offended!** 

On Thanksgiving day, my Mom and her sisters gathered their families together for our traditional dinner.  It is A LOT of people, A LOT of food, and A LOT of fun!  When I was little, we would also get together for Christmas, as well, and draw names for a gift exchange.  As the families grew and our lives grew busier, we stopped doing the Christmas celebration but kept the Thanksgiving dinner.  About 15 years ago, we decided to add a bit of fun and festivity to the celebration with an ornament swap.  Each person wanting to play along brought an ornament (or two) and then played the Sneaky Santa game (nothing like stealing gifts to put you in the holiday spirit!!) to see which ornament would go to each person.  After a few years, I stopped participating because I already had so many ornaments, and being sentimental, couldn't part with the ones that were special and from family...  Fast forward to 5 years ago and my girls REALLY wanted to be a part of this.  So we went out and bought ornaments and they played along.  It was a lot of fun for them and they wanted to continue the tradition. 

Now, anyone that knows me, knows that if I can take something simple and make it more difficult, I usually do! So the next year, I suggest that instead of 'buying' their ornaments, we could 'make' them.  DD#1 already had better sewing skills than me so I thought this would be a fun thing for us to do.  So we searched online and in books for the perfect ornaments and found some very simple felt ornaments that the girls could make.  My aunts and cousins went crazy! As soon as they found out the girls made their ornaments, the battle to go home with the handmade ornaments was on!! So unwittingly, I started a tradition for my girls and a bit of a headache for me...  With each year, the girls would find a fabric/felt ornament to create, get supplies, and then torment me to 'help' them finish the ornaments on time.  Well, this year, I had a brilliant idea!  DD#1 was getting tired of sewing every year, and DD#2 (who has skills like her mother) was frustrated that her stitches never looked as nice as #1.  Enter brilliant plan...  If you have seen the Holiday catalog for SU, you have seen the beautiful paper ornaments shown in the photos.  Now THIS was right up my alley!  So we decided that this would be the ornament design for this year (not the really fancy one on the front, but the more simple ones inside...) and tried to decide on a color.

Now... If you are still with me, Bless You! Because this is where the CMB challenge finally comes into the story.  I wanted to play with these colors as soon as I saw the fabulous inspiration photo.  I mean, who doesn't love a box full of gorgeous, yummy cookies????

And I just knew these colors would make something equally fabulous and less fattening!

So without further delay, here is the ornament that I made as part of my girls' ornament exchange gift...

and the back w/ a picture of the lovely sisters...

AND... Drum roll please................................................................... From the 2012 collection of C&C Creations, I present to you....... The Paper Ornament!!

They each made one, but silly Mom only took one picture, so I will be trying to pass this one picture off to both of them as their ornament! Quite honestly, I don't remember which one I used for the picture, so technically it could be either one...right???? 

If you are wanting to recreate these, I must give you a tip.  They are NOT difficult at all, very easy to put together as a matter of fact.  After all, if a 10 year old can do it, so can you!!  However, if you are looking for something really quick to throw together, this is NOT your project!!  The cutting alone took quite a while and then we scored the middle of each ornament to make folding easier.  But it was a lot of fun and my girls enjoyed playing with my toys for a change!  The assembly was a matter of looking at the picture and copying it for me, but if you want details, please leave a comment and I will share the 'how to'.  There are three stamped images for each petal and six petals on each flower.  If you want the back to look more 'finished, add an unstamped ornament image as the base for each petal.

We would LOVE to see what you can do with these colors, so please feel free to link up your creations!! The other ladies on the design team have done some fantastic things with these colors as well (even a super cute card for a boy!!!), so be sure to stop by the blog and leave them some love!!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today and especially for sticking it out through my long winded post!! Have a wonderful weekend and amid all of your shopping, find some quiet time to be crafty!!

Project Recipe:  Cardstock-primrose petals, crumb cake, wisteria wonder, Stamp Set-Ornament Keepsakes, Ink-basic gray, Accessories-old olive button (brights collection), snow flurry die, linen thread, Holiday Ornaments Framelits, 2 1/2" circle punch, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, Tombo glue

Color Me Beautiful #7 and a scrappy page

It's Friday!!! Yippee!!! We have survived another week and it's time for a new challenge at Color Me Beautiful. I absolutely loved these colors as soon as I saw them and the wheels started turning when I saw this wonderful blue boat!! 

  

Doesn't that picture just make you want to pack a picnic and set off to your own little private island?!

I have always been something of a 'water baby' and love spending time anywhere near the water.  The colors for this week's challenge felt so aquatic and I really wanted to stay with the watery inspiration.  I also have a ton of pictures begging to be scrapped and after a quick look through the box, I found pictures from a pool party we attended this summer. BINGO!!  My next problem was trying to fit 5 fun filled photos onto one page...  I hunted through some old Page Maps sketches and found one with hinges on the bottom picture.  So rather than making the hinges simply decorative, I made a little mini album to house the extra pictures.  This also gave me a perfect place for journaling too!

I managed to use all of the colors in the challenge and found that I really love these colors together!  I even managed to find some old alphabet stickers in my stash that fit the theme and used them for my title.  

I hope you have a fantastic weekend, find some time to be crafty, and maybe even accept our color challenge and link up your fabulous creation!  Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Page Recipe: Cardstock-sahara sand, old olive, river rock, bashful blue, pacific point, Ink-old olive and pacific point markers, Accessories-2 1/2" circle punch, modern label punch, perfect polka dot embossing folder, metallic brads,stickers from long ago, 2 bowls for making larger circles

Scrapbook Wednesday with a hint of Flashback Friday

Hi! So glad you stopped by to visit my blog today!  I decided to rearrange my scrapbook posting day to Wednesday instead of Monday.  I'm hoping this will give me a little more time between design teams to get my regular posts on here. I'm also calling this a hint of Flashback Friday because I have used a lot of retired goodies from my stash on this layout.

The pictures are from a few years ago when DD#2 was chosen as the student of the month for her class.  As if that recognition wasn't enough to make her head swell, she was then chosen as the corporation's student of the month for the entire elementary school.  She received a very nice award at the school board meeting and even had her name on the school's message board.  We were a little proud as well!  I wanted both pictures on one page and since she wore pink in one picture and red in the other, I thought Sending Love DSP would work nicely.  There are hints of glitter in the DSP which DD loved.  I used an old Page Maps sketch for the layout and as I was working on the layout and digging through my stash, I found a pretty in pink scallop circle from who knows where.  This sparked the idea for the little 'flower' embellishment on the bottom half.

Well, I think I hear a mountain of dirty laundry calling my name... better go tell it to be quiet :P

Hope you have a fantastic rest of the week and find some time to be crafty!

Page Recipe: Cardstock-red base from stash, very vanilla, Sending Love DSP (ret), real red, pretty in pink, chocolate chip, Ink-chocolate chip, Stamp Set-Notes and Details (ret), Accessories-scallop trim border punch, 2 1/2" circle punch, 1" circle punch, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, large scallop circle punch, corduroy buttons (ret), chocolate chip twill ribbon (ret), bakers twine (dyed chocolate chip), snow burst embossing folder, big shot

ABACC #1 My first project!!

Hello!  It is week two of the bi-weekly Anything Goes challenge at ABACC (anything but a card challenge) and I am one of the featured designers this week!  If you haven't already checked out the other ladies work, you really need to pop in!  I am in awe of the talent coming from this group and feel just a tad bit intimidated!  But only a little!!

I had a chipboard journal in my stash for over a year, from last year's Stampin' UP regional event as a matter of fact!  I kept meaning to get it out and play with it, but never felt inspired until now.  I inked the chipboard with very vanilla craft ink and then proceeded to add lots of different shades of brown from the neutrals collection.  It also got a good dose of early espresso and crumb cake from the color spritzer.  Nice and grungy!!

I used the more mustard and soft suede cardstock, the linen thread, and the mini clothespin which came in the chipboard project kit.  I did not however choose to decorate it like the project page.  I pulled out the daisy from Reason to smile, inked it up with crumb cake and then colored the center with pastels.

I'm planning on using this for a quotes, verses, thoughts, etc. journal... something to make me think and be a better person, which is why I chose the sentiment from Just Believe.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my first creation for ABACC and that you will make time to play along if you haven't already, and if you have, well...play again!!

Project Recipe:  chipboard journal (retired), Cardstock-more mustard, soft suede, naturals ivory, Ink-very vanilla, early espresso, crumb cake, soft suede, Stamp Sets-Reason to Smile (ret), Just Believe, Accessories-linen thread, pear pizzazz seam binding (ret.), color spritzer, pastels, mini clothespin basic pearl, 1 3/4 and 2 1/2" circle punch, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, non SU flower punch