My 251st post and some fun cards

I can't believe that number. It's crazy! When I started this I thought that I would be really bad at this blogging thing. Back then it seemed like getting a post published took a long time. There's editing and down sizing the pics plus uploading them, then typing and then if I had some links I wanted to add, I had to do that one by one. And now I feel like I'm such a pro at it! hehehehehehe.

Anyways, this post is about cards. I'm really enjoying cards right now, I think more than making pages. I know that's kinda bad to say but I think this is good, I'm learning a lot and deviating to a different type of craft always creates new inspirations.

So onto the cards....shall we.....

Just a little note to say THANKS!

this was inspired by cuttlebug's Inspired challenge #22 , where we were to stamp an image and add glitter. Now I didn't read the challenge very well and realized that I HAD to stamp onto the stamped image. Duh! Oh well, this is only for share anyways.


I stamped my sentiment and added red stickles all around it for some impact.


I used my embossing template to give my background card a little more personality and then used my scrap papers to make my flowers. The die is also from cuttlebug. I believe it's the asterisk one.

Your Special day card

This one was based on the CPS sketch #106.


I used scraps here. The starts were cut from a punch and I distressed the edges a little. The sentiment was cut from a pattern paper.


I made the stars "pop" out with pop up dots.

have a great weekend and till next time,
Grace

all the girly things

Ok so let's pause a little bit from all the "crafty" posts that this blog's been doing and let's focus our attention to girly things. After all this household has two of them and I'm lovin all the cute, feminine things that I have been seeing around here.....

First, I got this at Target yesterday.

I initially went in there cause I heard that Target was clearancing a lot of their scrapbook merchandise. I didn't have any luck with my local target since most of the sale items were gone, so I decided to look around instead. Window shop, for inspiration, of course *wink* Then came across the purse in the clearance section. I fell in love with the happy color and fun design on it. It just screams spring to me. Don't you think so? Oh and it was only $7! Definitely a must have!

Then we have these.....

I'm finally pulling these out of my sweet daughter's drawer cause as of Sunday she was officially potty trained! Woohooo!!! I have to tell you that it was a long time coming. We started it last year but after a couple of days of trying we would end up reverting back to diapers. Finally on Friday, I was almost out of the diapers and decided that I would try again. I made such a big hype about being a "big" girl and for some reason, this time it worked! Well the skittles reward helped a little too. hehehehehehehe! She even refuses to wear a diaper at night. She thinks that I will wake her up when she needs to go to the bathroom. Funny kid!

Aeropostale is now selling some cute flip flops. I got this one and decided that it's time for me to put some color on my toenails and since my girl was showing so much maturity, I thought of rewarding her by letting her color her toenails too. Oh was she ecstatic about that!


and yesterday, Maddie and I jumped on the trampoline. Dad was out doing some home teaching and Marcus was taking a nap so we figured we'd have some fun bonding time and take pictures too.

darn that camera strap!

I'm so proud of my little Madelyn. She's truly a gem to have. I love that we're both girly girls. She never complains when we go shopping, especially at Tallmouse, which just happens to have a gum ball machine at the entrance; She loves all the Princesses and I love seeing her twirl around in her many costumes; She makes me laugh when she tries to copy what I say, like "whatever you say" or "do you understand me?" and she gives me courage with every hug and kiss.


I'm so grateful to have her and look forward to the many things we have yet to share together.

Till next time,
Grace

National Craft Month

Did you know that MARCH is the official "National Craft Month"?

Well since I have officially dubbed myself as a Paper ambassador. I strongly feel that that's one of my purpose in why I continue to do what I do. I wanna invite anyone out there that have been thinking of crafting, most specifically "paper" crafting to get up and DO IT!!!

Why this month?

Because the time to start crafting is TODAY. When we put it off, we just end up not doing it at all. We create too many excuses that at the end we believe those excuses. If you're overwhelmed, start small. If you're intimidated into trying out new things, grab a pattern, idea book or try a class and just DO IT!!! Remember even the most talented and creative people started somewhere. They didn't just wake up one day and was extremely crafty. Though I wish I was. *wink*

Because it is Craft month, I betcha there's going to be a lot of great sales at your local craft store. It's the best time to check out what Michaels, Joanns, local scrapbook store and even online stores have cooked up to get you into their store. Remember retail would use any kind of holiday/special events just so that they can have sales and you'd want to come in their store. Believe me, I know!

Crafting can be very therapeutic. Having your hands do all the work while you rest your mind is very relaxing. Of course there's a little bit of thinking here and there but I'm telling you, even when I'm picking what pictures to scrap or which colors to use on my next card, I'm still very relaxed.

It's the best time to do it yourself. With all the cost of things going up and all the financial problems many are facing now. Doing your own invitations or making a personalized gift is the way to go. It's economical, gives you that good feeling knowing you made it yourself and your recipient would appreciate the personal touch you added to your gift.

So now that I've shared some reasons on "why" to craft, it's time for you to execute and commit to do something "crafty". Again start small and be realistic.

My goals for this month.......

1. Finally finish this felt quiet book that I've been draggin myself to accomplish.

Did you know that I've been making this since Marcus was a toddler. Yes that's over 3 years ago and I'm still not done. It's funny cause my kids would be too old to use it now but I'm determined to still finish it. This month's going to be the month I'd check this off of my list!

2. Finish the reward charts that I've planned in my head since late last year. My kids are good but I think a chart will motivate them more to continue doing good.

3. Accomplish all the challenges and projects that I've planned this month. There's a lot out there and sometimes they're the best inspirations to use for your next project/page.

So if you're with me, raise your right hand and repeat after me......

I (state your name) will inject a little craftiness in my life this month. Today is the day and I won't make any excuses. I will pledge to visit my local craft store and try something new. I'm going to start small and be realistic. I will give someone a handmade gift. And most importantly, I'm going to have fun!!

If you've been inspired, be sure to let me know what you've planned to do this month. I'd love to hear, see or read about them.

Till next time,
Grace

Cuttlebug #21

Here I am again with another card. This one was for the Be Inspired #21 challenge over at the Cuttlebug blog.

This week's challenge was to use water color. Now I have to say that I was very intimidated by it. I mean, the only time I pick up a water color set/pack is to open it up for my kids' to use. I never really gone to that degree of being an "artist".

But since it is a challenge and I wanna go out of my comfort zone, with a little hesitation, I grabbed the brush and painted my bunny with water color. I'm glad I started with a small project. It wasn't too overwhelming.

Some bunny loves you! card


I used three embossed folders from cuttlebug to "spruce" up my cardstocks. I love, love, love my cuttlebug right now. The embossing folders are very addictive. *wink*


The sentiment and the bunny stamps are from the dollar spot at Mikes. Gotta love great deals.

Till next time,
Grace

Under construction

Mitch and I are finally doing something with our kitchen! It's been in the plans since last year and I'm so excited that we're finally in the execution part. Of course this is the messiest, most stressful part but I can't wait to step on my new tile floor and prep food in my new granite countertop and put my stuff away in my new oak style cabinets.
I know I've been saying "my new" alot but Mitch has been so kind to let me pick all the things so far. I'm telling you, it's going to be great!!!!
Here's our kitchen right now....


Hopefully in a month or so, I can repost this picture as a before picture and put a much different and of course more pleasing "after" picture next to it.

and here's how we are going to live for the next few days....

Everything was moved to the family/living room. Glad we had room there enough to fit the dining table and all the kitchen stuff. That's Mitch putting the refrigerator on the corner. It's standing next to our entertainment system. Bet you don't see that set up in a normal house plan before. LOL

And all our stuff are in boxes right now.


As for cooking.... Mitch set up our camping stove in the backyard for that. I'm also planning on cooking a lot with my crockpot and the microwave. Can anybody recommend some great microwave recipes? This is definitely going to be an adventure! but in all honesty, I'm not too stressed about the cooking part, it's the washing/cleaning dishes that I'm not looking forward too. I mean, using buckets or small bathroom sinks just doesn't scream efficient and comfortable to me, but then I just have to remember the prize at the finish line, right?!

Will definitely keep you guys updated on the major project!

Till next time,
Grace

Saturday share

If you're a papercrafter that checks out my blog for some paper "candy" then this post would make you say yahoo! but if you're my family looking for some home updates and pictures of the kids, I know you're probably shaking your head in disgrace! I know it's too much paper post in a week but I promise some home updates later on..... (wink!)

Anyhow...... it seems like I can't get enough of blog challenges. I'm getting addicted. Can anybody pull me away from my computer??? hehehehehehe.

Here's a layout made for method playground's challenge using 5 pattern papers from 5 diff. manufacturers.

Never again!

I used papers from Creative Imaginations, Scenic Route, Upsy daisy, Bobunny and Pink Paislee


this page was mainly done for the journaling....

I don’t drink coffee and I don’t drink tea, but once in a while I admit to a can or cup of coke. I never really realized the cause of caffeine though until our trip to Vegas for our anniversary.

On our first night, we decided to watch a movie. So we got some popcorn and coke. We thought it would be smarter to get the big cup so we can get free refills. Besides, Mitch and I needed all the “pick me uppers” we can get. After all, getting to Vegas took us about five hours in the motorcycle, and that’s a loooonnnnggg and tiring time, if you ask me.

The movie was great, the popcorn tasted good and the soda was exactly what we needed. The only problem was that I didn’t realize that I drank too much till that night when I tried to go to sleep. I tossed and turned, counted sheep, wrote in my journal and stared at the ceiling but nothing worked! The caffeine got me all hyped up, excited and feeling no need to shut my brain off. By about 3 am, I could tell that my body was exhausted but my mind was still going. Needless to say it was a very “rough” night.

Lesson learned- stay away from the caffeine, especially at night, or else no “sweet slumber” for me. May 2008

then this card was inspired by CPS sketch for this week....

I adore you card

Visiting Michael's craft store a lot lately cause they have Bazzill cardstock there (did you guys know that?) I was so happy about that, especially when they go on sale for 2 for $1. Beats the LSS price! anyways, since I go there often, I've started collecting those one dollar stamps again. How can I help myself? They have cute designs and for a buck! Who can resist!

Anyways the scallop journaling stamp was one of the stamps I got. Fun stuff, I tell ya!


So there you have it. Just fun stuff all around!

Till next time,
Grace

OLW- See

One little word blog's challenge this week was the perfect fit for my page.......

Let's see those pearly whites
-PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION-
First off, it feels very good that I'm finally scrappin pictures from last July. Knowing that some of the pictures from more than 6 months ago are getting scrapped makes me feel a little less overwhelmed.

-PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION-
I decided to make the "see" word transparent so there's more variety in my title since there's lots of words and they're in diff. depths/textures. I thought it was fun to do it that way. :)

-PULLED OUT FOR PUBLICATION-

I cut the number die from the cricut (before my mom took it home) from the graphically speaking cartridge. Oh how I love that cartridge!

Journaling:

Marcus’ first trip to the dentist turned out shockingly well considering he’s always afraid of new things. Mom was very worried that she would have to wrestle him down in the chair but we didn’t have any of that today. This is just one of the signs that he has truly matured and is ready for Kindergarten. Maddie even behaved well as she looked on while the dentist examined her brother. Now if the dentist wouldn’t have found 4 cavities in his teeth, then this would have been a “perfect” visit. July 14, 2008

thank you for looking and till next time,
Grace

a new page

ok so after my "card" making weekend, I decided to make a page. This was inspired by scheme #14 at this blog. As soon as I saw the color scheme of the "ad", I knew exactly what pictures to use. It was the perfect combination to use for Mitch's birthday layout. The shirt that he was wearing popped out more bec. of the color combo that I used.

Your birthday bash

The bobunny swirl paper was perfect cause it had all the orange and red hues that I was looking for.


Journaling:

Mitchell’s birthday fell on a Wednesday night. We went to Anaheim Garden walk, a new place just around the corner from Disneyland for his birthday dinner. He was celebrating his big 4-0, so it was just fitting that we celebrate with a bang! So we had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (yum!) with his parents and his high school buddy Ken and his wife Angie. Tonight he ordered their Jambalaya dish and I tried their Thai pasta with chicken. Yum-O! I got the waiters to sing the birthday song to Mitch. You can tell he feels very awkward having all the attention focused on him but he was a good sport about it. After dinner we watched “Batman, The Dark Knight” on Imax. It was a great movie, quite scary at times but it was overall a good watch. All in all, I think Mitch had a good time turning 40. The best part, in my opinion, he doesn’t look a day like his age! September 17, 2008.

My mom finally took her Cricut home and yes I was a little sad but now I'm going through my alpha stash again which was a little neglected bec. of the cricut.

Till next time,
Grace

exhausted yet happy

I'm exhausted bec. I spent pretty much all day doing my scrapbook classes. Either preparing for it or actually giving/executing it. Lots of talking on my part but I think it went well. I love it when I get people that are just starting to get into this hobby super excited about it. It makes me feel great that I can rub off some of my papercraft enthusiasm to people outside of the hobby. Good stuff!

and Happy because of so many things....
-The classes were succesful and all kits were sold. First time since I started teaching classes.
-Last night after the kids went to bed, I watched my all time favorite movie with hubby.

I think this movie has everything good going in it- a great story line/premis, great actors, set at my favorite time period (old English time) and a great moral lesson. If you've never seen it, oh you are missing a ton!!!

-On friday I finally brought my camera to Marcus' school and got this photo of him and his principal.

why all the fuss? that artwork on the Principal's door is Marcus'. His artwork was chosen from all the kindergarten class by the school to be brought to a national artwork exhibit in Santa Clara a month ago. They only brought 6 artworks and his' was one of them. When they got back from the exhibit, they posted them all over the school and his painting was chosen to be placed infront of the Principal's office. How cool is that!!! I'm so proud of my little Picasso.

-another month has started and that means new challenges to try out. If you're like me then you're probably scouring the message boards and blogs for new things to try out. Well I have my challenge at SCS up today so try it out. Here's my sample:




-and finally just a little plug for a good friend and a great cardmaker that FINALLY opened up her etsy store. Check her great handmade cards here.

Till next time,
Grace

it's Card time.....

Having a packed day yesterday with classes (I ended up having two classes so I can acommodate all the people that were interested in my 6 scrapbook pages for $6 class) and family things, I ended up just doing cards last night. I still wanted to play in my scrap space but being to tired to think, I opted to make cards. It was a great way to relax and keep my hands busy while I watch the latest episode of Heroes online.

Anyways here's what I was able to accomplish......I've been running low on bday cards so I thought I'd make some more for my stash.

Happy birthday with crepe ribbon

this was inspired by the sketch at Card positioning system blog. I've been enjoying blog challenges lately, especially when it comes to cards. Everybody knows I need to improve on my cardmaking.


I got the chipboard frame from Making Memories and so was the title sticker.


At first, I wasn't sure about the color combo and maybe they still don't flow together for some but for me, I think it's alright. I really like the crepe ribbons from Jenni Bowlin. Fun stuff!!!

then over at Cuttlebug challenge blog they had a sketch for there inspiration/challenge this week and here's my take on it....

Happy birthday with butterfly

I feel so happy everytime I finish a card for this challenge cause it feels good that I'm dusting off my cuttlebug templates and putting them to good use. *wink*


This card was all about experimenting for me, from the way I was going to interpret the sketch, to the color to even the butterfly. I stamped the butterfly then colored it in with colored pencil then thought it didn't have enough life to it so I sprayed it with some glimmer mist (sadly you don't see the cool shimmer it gives) then highlighted the image more with brown fine point marker.

So there you have it, fun stuff over all.

Till next time,
Grace