Final Round

Once again my hubby rode in to my rescue just in the nick of time.
...He helped me upload my photos for the last round of the Memories from the Attic Christmas card contest. (I've been having computer problems.)

Here are my latest submissions - this first one is for the "Shaped Card" category. It was inspired by some Christmas gift tags I found at WalMart - I loved the color scheme, so I used that too! These papers are Making Memories, the snowflakes are Provo Craft. The "bling" is My Mind's Eye.


Next is the "Vintage/Victorian" category. I fell in love with these rich looking papers by Cosmo Cricket and K&Company. The design was inspired by one of my favorite card makers, Iralamija. The ribbon used is from Stampinup, the label is Melissa Frances, the flower is Prima, and the antique button was from my mother's collection.

My "Stamped card" uses a fun set I just got from Stampinup. I used silver embossing powder on the snowflakes, and the deer was stamped with a light blue and sprinkled with lt. blue glitter. These ribbons are also from JoAnn's.

This last card is for the "Non-traditional color" category. I wanted to do black & white, but several other people chose that, so I fell back on the teal/brown combo. These papers are from Daisy D's Fall/Halloween collection, the tag is from etsy, and the flower is from JoAnn's.

Thanks for looking!
...Winners will be announced on Monday.
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Thanksgiving Eve...

Taking a minute to wind up the last card in round one of Memories from the Attic's Christmas card contest. This one is for the "Stamped Card" category.
Basic Grey papers, Prima lace, Stampinup stamp, ribbon and metals.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving day!

Week 2

This week's entry for the Memories from the Attic Christmas card contest is one using non-traditional colors.

I've seen so many pretty Christmas decorations around using chocolate browns lately, that I was inspired to try that. The only problem was that these dark colors are hard to photograph well - this was the best shot I could get:

I used Basic Grey "Wassail" papers for this, and the snowflake is Making Memories. The Merry Christmas rub-on is Imaginisce.

This one is for the "shaped card" category:

I used some of that awesome new Bazzill polka-dot embossed cardstock, snowmen from Sandylion, and the tree was made with a Quickutz die. I added some chalks just for shading/highlighting.
Thanks for looking!

(BTW - I made it through round one!)
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'Tis The Season

To make Christmas cards, and I have been doing a few...
This first one is for Lucy's November sketch:
All made, of course, with my favorite Basic Grey papers.

This second one was for a Christmas Card contest over at Memories from the Attic.
It was supposed to be a "Vintage" or "Victorian" theme. The green paper (and stamp) are from Stampinup, and the red paper and ribbon are Basic Grey. The gorgeous Santa face came from a paper by Making Memories.



Also, I've been tagged, by Lucy.
Here's the rules:

Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog:
Share SEVEN facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird...just 7 facts. :) Tag 7 people at the end of your post and make sure to let them know they've been tagged!

I have had the hardest time this go-round, trying to think of something - anything that might be the slightest bit interesting, but I'm afraid there just isn't much
Okay, well - hmmm... Here's my best try:

1)I am known on some scrapbooking fourms for my use of smileys, I have 215 in my arsenal (which grows almost daily)

2) Confession: My teenager is not the "Twilight" fan in my house -
I am.

3) Before I became a scrapbooker, I was a tole painter and did that pretty much 24/7 (Meaning I did some for work too - I loved it, and often miss it)

4) I own a rather large collection of Barbies (long story, me and my therapist are still working on that...LOL! - kidding)

5) I attended 3 colleges, but sadly, no degree.

6) My fantasy job would be to be a lighthouse keeper.

7) I have been secretly dabbling in writing this year - if that ever goes anywhere, I'll let you know... LOL!
(Don't hold your breath - not gonna happen)

Pretty pathetic, I know - but there you have it.
I'm now tagging Michelle, Melissa, Aimee, Joy, Alecia, and Tricia.

Whitney Benefit Auction

I donated a set of six cards to the Whitney Benefit Auction a few weeks ago - they went up on the site today!
You can see them here - Whitney Benefit Auction The proceeds go to the Whitney Awards Committee for LDS (Christian) writers.

...Looks like the site is down for maintenance today - you can also see them on e-bay.
One minor correction in the description -

Six all-occasion greeting or note cards, lovingly handmade by Pat Taylor. Each card is embellished with ribbon, lace, flowers, buttons, and metal accents. Two of these cards were published in the Special Card issue of the online magazine "Ready Set Create." Others have been featured on supply manufacturers' websites. Each card is a gift to treasure.

That should read "ribbon, lace flowers buttons OR metal accents" they don't all have all those embellies on them!

You can click on the photo for a closer look:

Been Busy...

Putting together these little albums for my sisters, spotlighting some of the fun adventures we've had this past year.
They seemed like a good idea at the time, but sorry to tell you - they have been the project from you know where!
Everything that could go wrong, has!
They're finally coming together now, all I have left is to find a couple of photos for the inside covers. (Which will involve 2 more days of searching, I'm sure!)
I had a different color scheme in mind, but these papers caught my eye at the shop, and followed me home - they are from Me and My Big Ideas.


Inside of albums:

Autumn Blessings

Just two little things today - I felt inspired by the pretty fall colors in a photo a friend sent me, so I decided to use one of my own - these are my darling girls posing for some photos for "granny" up the canyon a few weeks ago.

Definitely Autumn blessings!

The papers are My Mind's Eye and Daisy D's, the little tag sticker is Melissa Frances.


This second peek is a set of cards I am donating to an auction to benefit the "Whitney Awards Committee" (awards for LDS authors.) I'll link the site here ...as soon as I find out where it is!

Thanks for peeking today - happy Wednesday!
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Card Swap

Time for my October card swap this week. I wanted to do something fun for the season.
All materials used here are Stampinup.

Sketch Time...

Lucy's sketch is up now, so I have the green light to post this one - I loved doing this - I used some Cuuuute My Mind's Eye "SPOOKED" papers and label, and Martha Stewart "Gothic Owls" stickers. The black paper with the polka dot "eyes" is from Scenic Route - the ribbon is Stampinup.
I found the cute hanger at The Scrappy Gourmet.

Invites

I just realized that my sister retreat is only a couple of weeks away, and I haven't even started getting ready yet!
So I made the invitations today.

This year it's going to be a Midieval Feast, so I'm hoping these will do

Don't you love these papers? They're Basic Grey's new "Ambrosia" line - yum!

Hard at Play...

This past weekend was a very busy one - albeit a very fun one.
We spent the day Saturday taking my son to Cracker Barrel for a birthday breakfast, then we chatted with the neighbors all afternoon. Around 4, the grandaughters came for us to tend for the evening.
I got the baby down for a nap, (The other girls pretty much entertain themselves these days) and then slipped out to my "studio" (ha ha) because I had to hurry and whip up some cards for the weekend events.
This first one is for my son's birthday. He is an art major, so it can't be the typical "average" card for him! I took one of the fun photos I have of him, and printed it with some "special effects," then used some of the funkiest black & white papers I had (these are KI Memories) I found the felt "Happy Birthday" border at the Roberts Crafts booth at the expo (It's self adhesive, and a little tricky to get on straight, but I thought it was cute)

This next card was for a very good friend of my son's who just returned from a Mission to Eugene Oregon. (Yes, he was one of those nice clean-cut boys who rides bicycles and knocks on doors.)
It was so good to see him again - he was here so much "back in the day" that my daughter called him "my brother from another mother" ...it's funny, because he shares a birthday with my son too (well, almost - his is a day earlier)
This photo isn't great either, because I had to hurry and take it as I was on my way out the door to go see him.

I used some fun new SEI papers (and button) I found at the expo, some scraps of Basic Grey from my stash, and some Studio 45 punch outs that came in the mail Saturday.
What a great, great weekend!
:)

Celebrate Friendship

The older I get, the more I realize how important friends are in my life, and one of my biggest regrets has been that I haven't kept in touch with so many of them from my past.

This past week, I found and contacted a dear friend from my early college days, and have exchanged a few emails with her.
What an amazing joy to reminisce on old times, and get caught up to date on her life! It was a total surprise to find out that at one point we were living in the same little town - and we never ran into each other! How crazy is that?

Just a little reminder that life is short and friends are a gift and should be cherished...

This card was a bit of an experiment - I often tend to over-think things, when sometimes simple is best.

The paper is Basic Grey, I used a pre-made tag and stamped it with Stampinup stamps.
(The ribbon is also Stampinup)
:)

Surprise!

Just thought I'd surprise (stun, shock) you today by actually doing something... !
I've been in a slump around here again, and nothing gets me through that better than some "creative therapy."

It seems that everywhere I turn lately, I am surrounded by touching stories of personal tragedies of one kind or another, so many of us out there are experiencing trials that bring us to our knees. I find myself repeating the words of this scripture over and over in my mind;

My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high...

With all of that in mind, here's a little token of comfort and peace for us all.

I used some Basic Gray, and Stampinup papers, the birdie sticker is from K&Company (comes with all sorts of 3D butterflies - I love these!) The rub-on is Making Memories, and the buttons are All My Memories.
(Funny how sometimes a photograph makes the project look better, but sometimes - well, it's looking a little out of proportion this time - sorry)

Stamp Club

Yup - I did it, I joined a stamp club again.
Sometimes a girl's just got to get out of the house and mingle with her cronies.
Karen had this card ready for us to make - isn't it cute? ...That's another thing I love about club, is that she always has such fun things for us to do.
(Not taking any credit here - all I did was assemble)
Anyway, it was a sparse meeting, there were only 2 other ladies there this time (2 of them are teachers, and it was back to school night) But I had fun anyway, Thanks Karen!

Everything you see here is Stampinup.
Thanks for looking!

Sketch Time...

Time again for one of Lucy's sketches!

This month I opted to use all cardstock, but I gave it an embossed treatment with my Cuttlebug. The ribbon is Making Memories - my daughter in law shared the daisy with me - I forget who made it...(sorry) The buttons are All My Memories, and the rub on was included in a prize I won - I'm going to have to check on that...
Thanks for looking!
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Anniversary Time

This month will mark my son's second anniversary.
With going to college, working every weekend, and living with the grumpy in-laws (us) in between, (not to mention her losing a father and gaining a "step") it can't have been easy, but they are still hanging in there, and hopefully enjoying life.
Best wishes, and Happy rest of your lives!
Mom :)

The kids took this photo with my camera at one of our family gatherings earlier this Summer (very convenient)...and the papers are some scraps that Libby gave me from one of her projects (Daisy D's I think...) she knows I horde them. LOL!
The "years" stickers are also Daisy D's. The rub on is Basic Grey, and the chipboard number '2' is from All My Memories.
(I found this idea in the June issue of "Cardmaking" magazine)

*The sweet ladies over at Scrapbooks.com kindly picked this page for their layout of the week for the week of 8/11. Thanks girls!
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Had a minute....

...So I made this little creation for Miss Lilybean's sketch challenge:

I love sketches - if you're stuck for an idea, it's a really great place to start!
These are Basic Grey "Boxer" 6x6 papers, the ribbon and metal trim are from Stampinup.
Thanks for peeking!

BOM Time

It's been a long time since I've done a page for my Book of Me,
So, when I saw this challenge to scrapbook some childhood Summertime memories over at Scrapbook Doodles, I decided to take them up on it.

I used My Mind's Eye 29th Street Market papers and transparency,(and some scraps from Basic Grey.) The butterfly sticker is from K&Co.
Just a quick, fun little 8x8.

(I need to add that the photo is of 2 of my sisters when we revisited our old homestead this past May.)

Lucy's July Sketch

It's that time again - Lucy has a new card sketch up for July, hope you'll check it out!
Here's my sample - I used Basic Grey paper, Rusty Pickle chipboard (I like to add a little glitter), and the butterfly is made with my Cuttlebug and their new butterfly cut & emboss template, with a little Heidi Swapp bling added.

Hope you're having a fun Summer!

Guess What?

I actually made something today!
(Sometimes you just have to take a creative break!)
I was flipping through some of my old (I mean really old) Victoria magazines the other day, and I came across that page where they display the really clever business cards, and I thought that one of them would make a really cute card - and guess what? It did! LOL!
(Not to mention really quick and easy, which is what we like these days...)

Just plain card stock here - the hardest thing on this one was finding the rub-on - I ended up having to drive 20 miles to find the silly thing! I would have liked it a little bigger, with a little more flourish, but I was lucky to find one at all, so I won't complain!
Hope you're enjoying your Summer! :)
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Lucy's June Sketch

...is up on her blog now - here's my sample card:

The good ol' Red White, and Blue! How appropriate for Flag Day !
Papers are Provo Craft, Melissa Frances star, All My Memories buttons, and Stampinup gold cord.

"Cherry" wishes

Saturday is my daughter in law's birthday. She is such a tiny little thing, she's 20 something, but looks 12! She complains about having to show ID when she goes places with my son, but I keep telling her there will come a day when she'll be glad she looks 10 years younger than her actual age!

She loves cherries, and collects all kinds of things with them on, so I was glad to finally have a chance to use these Heidi Swapp chipboard cherries. The papers are all Basic Grey Two Scoops 6x6 papers, the ribbon is from an unknown source (it was in a kit I ordered.) The rub-ons are Making Memories.
Thanks for peeking!

Mothers Day

Don't you just love Mothers Day? ...like I told the kids - it's a day I get to get presents without having to be older!
My family spoiled me, as usual - hope yours did too.

I made this little album for my daughter in law for Mothers day - she is such an awesome mommy! Her girls are so well mannered, intelligent, and just dang cute too!
She is also the person who volunteers to do all the work, and goes about it quietly in the background, and never expects any notice or thanks.
I just appreciate her so much, and wanted her to know it!

The album is almost entirely made from a kit from Scrapbook Doodles. I just love Yvonne's kits - they are so cute!






Jennie was very quiet while she was looking at this, so I was a little worried - but she came up later after everyone else had gone downstairs and told me that it was the most awesome thing anyone had ever done for her - Whew!

May Card Sketch ala' Lucy

Happy Mother's Day!
Lucy's May sketch will soon be up, and here is the sample I created for it.
I used Making Memories "travel" papers and flower for it - I loved the exotic look of them! (The rub-on is also Making Memories.) The flower center and the leaves are from Creative Imaginations.
Thanks for looking, and hope you have a lovely day!

Just in case you were wondering.....

...Where I am - well, I am in mourning.
My darling daughter (who I love dearly) has moved back home, and is living - guess where?
...In my scrap-room. This is what it looks like at the moment:

...As soon as I recover from the shock, *sniff* I will salvage what I can, re-locate...somewhere, (probably outside in the trailer), and start creating again.
Thanks for hanging in there with me!

So Lucky....

Can you believe it? I actually made a page today! LOL!
This topic was a challenge at Scrapbook Doodles way back in March, and I finally had an idea for it!
(The old brain just isn't as quick as it used to be, honey.)

As I thought about what makes me feel "lucky" I finally realized that I truly am blessed to have such wonderful daughter in laws. They are each a perfect match for my boys, and do so much to help them achieve their goals. I couldn't have done better if I had picked them myself.
(Actually, I'm going to steal some credit for helping!)

This photo is a favorite (even though it's a little blurry - sorry!)
I love it because they both accidentally showed up wearing the same shirt last father's day. They gave each other a hard time about it all day - it was too funny!
(Ironic that the girls are in the same colors too - this stuff never happens because these kids couldn't be more different!) LOL!

Pubbed again!

The special card issue of "Ready Set Create" is out, and I'm excited to say I have made it into another issue! ...actually, 5 of my cards are in this one!
What a fun thing to wake up to! :)

Everyone's a Critic....

But that's what I get for asking...
My daughter usually gives pretty good advice, so I often ask her opinion if I'm not quite sure which way to go with a project.
I went to her for help with this one today. I asked her what this card needed, but instead she told me it was already too busy and the "Love" brad was in the wrong place, etc, etc, etc...
But, rather than re-do the whole card completely - I'm just going to call it done, OK? ha ha!

This is for Lillybean's Wednesday challenge this week.

Create a card using:

1. the colors BLACK, RED, GREEN, and CREAM.

2. any occasion OTHER than Christmas.

3. make your own FLOWERS.

4. include TRIM.

I used Foof-a-la, Making Memories, and Stampinup papers. The "Love" brad is Provo Craft, the checkerboard one?...I'm going to have to check into that (?)
The trim is a left-over from my sewing stash.

I love the embellishments Melissa makes with old sheet music, but couldn't bear to punch holes in mine, so I downloaded some and aged it with Tim Holtz tea dye ink. (Beethoven's "Pathetique" Sonata - one of my favorites! I was going for a dramatic looking card, so the music might as well match, right?) hee hee.
Anyway, that's my effort for this week.

Oh My Stars!

My daughter in law Libby is such a talented girl! She's been making a lot of these star books lately as gifts for family members and friends - just thought I would share her latest creation with you. This one was for our nephew's wedding.
The papers are Making Memories and Bazzill, I believe the flowers are Heidi Swapp.
Ribbon is MM also.
Cover:


Inside:


View from the top:


Binding:

Awesome, huh?

Lucy's April Card Sketch

I can finally post my sample for Lucy's April card sketch - I think my "sneak peek" went up way too early, I'd almost forgotten about it! Anyway, here it is; you can find the sketch here:

For this one, I used Making Memories papers and rub-on, Prima flowers, All My Memories buttons, Stampinup linen thread, and I believe the lace is also Prima (but I can't be certain) I had fun doing this one - I've never played with flowers quite this large before. Enjoy!

I Love a Challenge....

Nothing like a fun challenge to get your juices flowing...
This on is for Lillybean's blog challenge:

Create a card using the following:

1. a CHIPBOARD SHAPE---challenge yourself to use something out of the ordinary---something you would normally pass by.

2. a STAMP--anything goes.

3. DECORATIVE scissors---scallops, pinked edges, waves---you choose.

1) I used my grungeboard - I was wondering what I would ever do with this shape (the skull) - it's definitely not my usual style! Ha ha!
2)The little stamp I used (bottom right corner) is a generic one I bought at a fun little craft fair at the park last summer.
3) It's a little hard to tell, but I trimmed 3 edges of the main patterned paper with my scallop edged scissors.
Fun Challenge!

It's about time!

...Just didn't know how I could stretch this out any longer! Hee hee! Thank goodness I don't have to. Hubby finally brought the camera home, so here you go -
I've been scraplifting this week - this first card is a lift from iralamija, hers is here:

...and this one is a lift from the fabulous Lilybean.

Both of their blogs are so chuck full of yummies - you just have to check them out!
I used some of my new Basic Grey 6x6 papers for these. I've had them for over a month and hadn't touched them yet - I'm really slipping up! ...anyway, the first card is made from the "Sugared" collection, and the second is made with the "Archaic" ones. Great collections - I can have some real fun with these!