PagesPat's Ponderings

Friday, February 27, 2009

Roots


This is my grandma, circa1926. Her mother made her this ethnic dress, as well as one for her sister and cousin, to wear at the weekly dances Gram went to with them. Unbelievably, this dress has been in the family to this day. Her daughters have worn it, her granddaughters have worn it, and now her great granddaughter has worn it. There are still one more great granddaughter and now a great-great granddaughter who will someday wear it.
This is why I scrapbook.
The next time you see this photo it will be in a layout, along with all the photos of the girls in my family in the same dress. Yes, I finally managed to get my hands on those photos and get them scanned!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

One More Day until PCS Releases New Stamp Set

Enchanted Lily will be out tomorrow--Yippee!!

New Easter Tilda Card


I know, Easter isn't until April, but my good friend sent me some of the cutest Tilda images and I had to color it. Well, coloring it led to matting it, and matting it led to making a card front and making a card front led to the embellishments. Isn't that blue flower gorgeous?! And I'm so happy I bought the pack of daisies, I have used them on so many projects recently. I also managed to dig up the blue photo corners, and the embossed card front was from a PIF I snagged earlier in the year.
Here's how well I'm using my stash---the blue patterned paper behind the matted image was actually a card backing from a package of some kind of embellishment, I forget what now! I just snipped off the mfg name and voila! another card bites the dust.
Tomorrow I'm going to seriously dig up my photos of my Australia trip so I can finish my layout of my summer trip eith the Youth Group. I have to bag up my papers and embellies and maybe I can travel light this Saturday if all I plan for are these specific pages. We'll see!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

More Cards and PCS Contest

Here's a nice Spring birthday card for you! I love the sentiment font, very whimsical.
Speaking of whimsical, have you seen my new blinkie??? on the right, a little lower, there you go! Pink Cat Studios is coming out with a new release---oh, I so much want to be on the design team so I can get all the new releases before anyone else and play with them to my heart's content.
But I'll just have to rely on luck, as PCS is going to give one lucky winner the whole set of "Enchanted Lily". I got to play with one image when PCS offered an earlier contest, and can't wait for these to come out. If you want her for free you can click on the blinkie and it will take you to the blog. Have fun!!
I made this card using an old ATC I made with a SU stamp. The ATC swap was for Black and white theme, and I had to add some silver for bling, don't you know. The patterned paper and flower and pearl are really a much lighter blue, but I couldn't get the right color back onto my photo, even with photo editing software. Hmm...bad lighting maybe?

New Cards

Got to play some more in my craft room after work today. I used PresentaBella (?) and attacked my scrap drawer. That's how I'm approaching my handmade cards at the moment. I find a few scraps of patterned paper that go well together, color the stamped images to match the papers and put together some cards. I made four tonight but didn't put a dent in my drawer.

Here's a nice tag card that I pieced together with scraps. I love the Hedgehog and know it's from a well-known brand of stamps, but I got the image in a swap and can't for the life of me remember the set or the designer name!! I'm fighting a losing battle with my memory.

Homemade Folder


I made this folder to use when I send stamped images to crafting friends. Instead of throwing them into an envelope, I can place them inside this handy dandy folder, which measures roughly 5x6.
I used a 12x12 piece of patterned paper and folded it so that it opens as a two-pocket folder. The inside offers a pocket on each side and is completely covered by the patterned paper (no bare spaces). I attached a ribbon around the middle to tie it closed, and embellished it with a slide frame surrounding the stamped sentiment, and a few flowers and skittles.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

New Cards

I'm just having a whale of a time sorting through my stash of leftovewr papers and ribbons and embellishments. While I really need to organize photos for Heidi's next crop, I can't stop coloring Tildas!!! I love the cupcake Tilda so much, I decided to color in an extra one and cut out her cupcake in hand as well as her other hand holding the mixing spoon and piece them together for a 3D effect. Since there wasn't enough cupcakes on the card front, I colored and cut out more to embellish one side of the card.
I'm also in love with my owls, thank you very much Tiffaney and friends who sent me images. I stamped part of the tree from PCS's Limitless Limbs and decorated the branches with skittles and pearls, then attached the owl with dimensional dots. The card still looked plain, even when I added a few sequin flowers, so I colored and added the word WHOO and it was complete.
I've added a goal to this year's resolution: to work my way through a dismayingly tall stack of leftover pieces of patterned paper. I just can't seem to throw away anything!! My leftovers take up a whole file drawer, and I just throw the pieces in there. There is no rhyme, reason or organization to the pile. Maybe if I took the time to sort by color, I could find and then create more easily and swiftly, but I just don't feel like it. Wait until I really need a small piece of remembered paper and can't find it, then I'll bemoan my laziness!!!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Mini Card Sets

These cards are ATC-sized. In fact, I received them as a RAK from my secret sister, and then embellied them just to make them MINE, then made them into mini cards. My boss and bff got a new dog and I thought she would like these. Going to the doctor now tp see if this is a sinus infection!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Tilda Cards


The challenge was to use stitches or sewing on your project, so thank you Linda for PIFg me the lovely sewn card fronts so that I could step up to the challenge! Thanks to Heidi, Sandi and Carol I got a load of Tilda imagesto color and have fun with. One of the cards uses an embossed card front that was also from a recent PIF, and the rest of the patterned paper and cardstock I had on hand, sone from my scrap plie! I finally found a white gel pen that works well! I'll have to make sure I remember the brand so that when the ink runs dry I'll have a replacement.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Whooo's Made a New Page?



Here's a challenge page using seven stamped images. The photos are from a family wedding and I had to take them with my phone! I had forgotten how much fun family weddings could be! The owl images were a gift from a crafting buddy (thank you, they're so cute). I colored them with COpics and stayed with a red, pink and black color theme. I cut the title with my cricut, and I'm STILL learning what I can do with that machine! The musical notes are from a SU set called "Mini Medley"

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

New WOJ stamps with Medieval Theme


Wow, you know how much I've talked about and used Whiff of Joy stamped images? Well, check out this blog: http://katharina1704.blogspot.com/ The photo above is a card she made using the newest set coming out this weekend.

There's a new line of stamps coming out Valentine's Day and it has a medieval theme. What's even better, she's giving the new stamps away as blog candy. I'm already planning card sketches with the new stamps!

Ugly Monkey

He may not look like much now, but when I was four, he was my main squeeze. He was never far from my side, slept with me, went on family vacations with me. I don't know why but at one point I remember biting off his ear! His hair is gone, his insides keep trying to escape, his original clothes are threadbare. I have to keep baby socks on his feet to keep the stuffing in. Once when I was a young teen, my grandma thought she was helping by "rejuvenating" my Zippy. Only problem was that the only fur she had was gray. I took one look at my grey-haired, old monkey and tore off his head of new fur right in front of my gram!! I couldn't help it, he looked old!! Of course, now he is old, but I can remember sitting on the sofa arm with one of those old plastic guitars, playing beautiful music to him.
My daughter got her love of chimps from me. She's collected two from Build-a-Bear, a gazillion from Ty and other brands, she's been a fan of Jane Goodall for years and has all her books, and for her science fair project she made a presentation on the differences between chimps and monkeys.
Anybody else ever dream of owning a chimp when she was little???

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Chicago Weather

Gotta love Chicago to live in the city (or near it!). We've had four snow days so far, with kids at home and commuters stranded due to either SNOW or FREEZING TEMPS. The last big snowstorm, when my hubby heard we were getting a lot of measurable snow, he took the challenge to heart and actually measured the snow. Of course, he had to dig his way to the shed roof to find some untouched snow, but that's what we call winter workout here in the Windy City!
Anyway, I had some leftover felt fusion that I used for the border, some leftover snowflake stickers to embellish, and a few turquoise brads that just seemed to fit in well in the color scheme of things. The brown rubons had flowers, but I covered them with the snowflake stickers.
Doesn't hubby look a little too happy measuring that snow?? and he's not even a native! I'm the wicked city woman, he's the country boy!!!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

One More Card Before I call It a Night


I was challenged to make a Valentine's Day card with layers, colors, sentiment, hearts, the whole nine yards. Here it is, and I like it. Cupcakes are very trendy, and I love these three little guys, lined up and framed as art. I used all my scraps to create this card, including scraps from today's earlier work (see below). I colored two of each of the end cupcakes and mounted them on top of the base image, using Liquid Glass to pop them even more. I also stacked another layer of the outer framework of the "art piece" on top of itself (!?). The cupcakes look yummy--I think I'm going to have to make some real cupcakes tomorrow, getting a craving for them what with this card and the bunny cards below LOL.

Spring is Here (for today)



Had some time in between grocery shopping, WalMart shopping, dishes, bank business, taxes, and cleaning house to dust off the old crafting table and pull together the layout of my MIL's surprise birthday party. Journaling is under the patterned-paper square with the orange flower on it.
I also tried to clean off my desk. As I was putting things where they should go, my eyes fell on this cute bunny image. I had three of them and had to make some pring cards in celebration of the temps being in the 50s here in Chicago. Two days ago the kids stayed in at recess because the wind chill was below zero!
Anyway, I used a sketch for the cards. Heidi asked those in her Yahoo group to make cards using a sketch from a Twilight group, andf this is my loose translation of it.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Card Kit

I had some time and some energy last night after work, grocery shopping, shoe shopping, picking up daughter from across town, preparing dinner and dishes (hah!).
So I finished the items needed for a Kit Swap: I had chosen to make card kits. I love the stamped images, which I'm pretty sure is from Stamping Bella, as I recognise one of my favorite girls (they were a giftie, I don't have the stamp myself). I had bought a pile of polka-dotted paper last year when it went on clearance at HobbyLobby, so one sheet served as the patterned paper background for all four cards. I colored w/copics, cut my image into a circle, adhered it to the background cardstock and used a fiskars scissors witha scalloped edsge to get the mat. Instead of ribbon I used same cardstock across the bottom of the card behind the image. A scallop punch out of same cs with the stamped sentiment looked lonely on the polka dots, so I matted it w/white cs. It needed subtle bling, so I placed two white bonbons from Stamping Bella on the "ribbon" and finally glitzed the image and a few of the polka dots w/liquid glass from CTMH.
Oopsi, I have twenty minutes to do my hair and get to work.
Since this swap will go out after Valentine's Day, I had to shake the hearts and kisses theme out of my head for good!

Anyway, in the scheme of all things related to my 2009 Resolution, I'm calling the card I made as one item, and the kit as another, which makes 101 items made this year. I hope I continue on the path of creativity and production. If I exceed my resolution expectations, so much the better. Maybe I can concentrate on organization as well (ugh, my downfall).

Thursday, February 5, 2009

New Bella Card

I found some card candy that I got in a swap that fit well with a valentine theme, but not your usual colors. Tacked it onto some glitzy paper with HuggyBella and voila! another Valentine's Day card. I'm so glad classes are over for the week. I hate working two long days and nights in a row, although I got this morning off so I can't complain (too much).

Stash Bash Challenge

Here's another page completed using only what I have on hand (or given to me w/o payment). My daughter was in fifth grade when they performed the "Granny Awards", a compilation of fairy tales and mother goose rhymes. Wendy got the part of one of two fairy godmothers. Her costume came from the theatrical side of the family--their garage is a costume and prop storage area for a local theater group.

Altered Notepad

Here's an altered notepad I made for the LuckyBug group swap. The swap is for kits, so I made up kits with the paper pad, patterned paper, border paper, image, and colored cardstock to frame the image, plus a Skittle.
'I used to make these notebooks and sell them at craft shows. They were an inexpensive gift that women loved to give to friends. I don't do craft shows any more. Too many times I've heard people say that they can make that themselves. I say go ahead, if you have the time and the eye and the materials and the creativity...

Monday, February 2, 2009

Whoo Made Cards? I Made Cards


Got some real cute Owl stamped images from a fellow stamper, so I whipped up a couple of new cards while at the crop. She also gave me some sentiments to go along with the images, as well as some scalloped circles and ovals in assorted sizes and patterns.
After making the card, I thought it was lacking something, I didn't know what. Then it hit me---google eyes! I think they're cute, and I'm gonna have to break down and buy the QT Owl stamp set from Pink Cat Studios (although this image is from a different stamp company).

First Dance


Forgive the fuzziness of this shot, the actual layout is clea rand sharp LOL. I think I need new glasses or a new camera lens!
My daughter is in 8th grade and has a "boyfriend". He's a Freshman, and they'd never gone on a real date. You know how it is with young teens, they're "going out" with someone, yet they've never really "gone anywhere".
Anyway, I had told her that she couldn't go to any high school dances until she was in high school. Then his homecoming dance came up. I said no and two days later He called me to plead his case. He should be a defense attorney. He was eloquent, courteous and in need of a self-confidence booster, as he moved just before school began to a new town (just a few over) and was having a hard time making new friends. So I caved. Problem was, I was going out of state that weekend. Hubby promised to take care of her and take plenty of pics (he got six!) I called her before she got picked up and also the next day. She had a blast! There's hidden journaling behind the pic of her taking her own photo bottom left.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Blogger is having Issues


I'll try this again. I just wrote a mess of text and put two photos on and poof it vanished!!
I went to a crop and got a lot done: 2 12x12 pages, three cards, three altered notebooks, an Altered Notebook Kit for three, and I put my homemade ATCs froma previous post onto cards to make mini cards for a Yahoo group swap.
Here I just took a few pics of the things that remind me a teen lives in my house--not just a teen, but a teenage girl! Shower gels, shampoo, conditioner, mask...stuffies, dolls, perfume, stationery...pictures, magazine cutouts, cartoons, freehand drawings...
I love the background paper, don't you? I have no idea what it is, just got it out of my pile and thought it fitted a teen page!
I really wanted to post morew than one pic, but with blogger acting the way it is tonight, I'm quitting while I'm only behind one!