2013 Christmas Ornaments

Yesterday we had class Christmas parties at the kids' school.  In my daughter's fifth-grade class, along with enjoying yummy treats, playing some silly games, and watching a short video on the giant squid (per the kids' request!), we made Christmas ornaments.  The kids were enthusiastic about making their ornaments, and they were especially fascinated by the heat embossing process. 

Shannon's Wonderful Blessing Ornament:

Details:
Stamp - Stampin' Up! - Wonderful Blessing
Cardstock - American Crafts
Embossing ink - Ranger - Emboss It
Embossing powder - Ranger - Seafoam White
Ribbon - Offray
Self-adhesive half pearls - Jolee's Boutique

Wishing you peace this Christmas!

Hugs,
Marcy

Sweater Weather Tea Bag Dispenser Box

Yesterday I decided to try something new and remembered seeing the new tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers by Heidi Baks for a Tea Bag Dispenser Box.  I just received the Sweater Weather designer series paper and thought it would be perfect for this project. 

The measurements were a little fussy, but now that I know what I'm doing, I think the next one will go a bit easier.  I really like how it turned out:

Details:
Patterned paper: Stampin' Up! - Sweater Weather
Cardstock: Core'dinations (rust); Stampin' Up (ivory)
Scalloped die: Nestabilities
Stamps: See D's
Ink: Ranger's Adirondack Ink -Espresso
Markers: Copic Sketch
Ribbon: Stampin' Up!

Stay warm my friends, & thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,
Marcy

With Appreciation

With the exception of Christmas cards, I think I make Thank You cards more than any other kind.  That fact is a testimony to how many wonderful people there are at work, at school, at church, who use their time & talents to help out.  I love that about our community!

Here are two thank you cards that I made for teachers, who helped make a recent event at the school even more special:

Details:
Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Happy Blessings
Ink: Memento - Espresso
Cardstock: Gina K Designs (ivory); Core'dinations
Patterned paper: DCWV - My Sunshine Stack
Markers - Copic Sketch

Details:
Stamps: Crafty Secrets - Mouse Party; Altered Art; Snowbunnies
Ink: Memento - Rich Cocoa; Ranger Distress Ink - Antique Linen
Cardstock: Gina K Designs (ivory); Core'dinations
Patterned paper: K&Company

Thank YOU for stopping by today!  Hope you have a wonderful fall weekend in store!

Hugs,
Marcy

Our New Craft Room - A Photo Tour

We still have some work to do on our new family craft room, but it's now presentable enough to share it with you.  This new room is on our third floor.  Our house is more than 100 years old, and the plaster was very rough.  We didn't have the time or money to gut it, so my hubby did patch plastering, sanded, skim coated, and sanded it again.  We used heavy-duty primer and gave the whole room a couple coats of semi-gloss paint.  (The paint is "Wind Blown" from Ace Hardware's Premier Paint collection.)

The Main Scrapping Area:

I've gotten a lot of mileage out of the yellow desk & the old dinette set over the years. 

 Another View of the Scrapping Table with My Counter in the Background:

Since most of the walls are sloped in this room, I don't have the wall space I had in my old room.  I had to re-think some of my storage.

New Expedit Shelf & (not so new) Sewing Cabinet:

The Expedit shelf is one of the few new things we purchased for the room.  My mum got me the two-drawer card catalog and the Standard stamp holder at a local antique shop.  I'm keeping finished cards in one drawer and mat stacks in the other.  It's perfect!

My Counter:

My husband built the wall behind the counter.  This area was all open before.  He made an 8' x 10' foot storage room with built-in shelves and walled it in.  The door to the right of the counter leads to the storage room, where we keep all of our seasonal items.  We still need to paint the door, and when it's done, I'll hang my Cricut cartridge storage on it. 

Paper Tower:

The only annoying feature in this room is the huge chimney in the middle of it.  I'm sure I'll get used to it soon, though. Eventually we are going to carpet the room.  I'm considering carpet tiles, so an area easily can be replaced if it gets damaged.

Additional Shelving:

I keep photo storage boxes and my crafting "go bag" here.  The door to the right of the shelving leads to our walk-in cedar closet.

Kids' Drawing Table:

It didn't take long for the kids to get settled in to their own spaces.


Kids' Nook:

Shannon quickly claimed this dormer area as her own.  These windows are original to the house and are very drafty.  We're hoping to replace them before winter arrives.

Thanks for stopping by my new craft room today!

Hugs,
Marcy

The Craft Room Shuffle & Flowers in Fall

For the past few weeks, we've been working on a huge project at our house.  I'm calling it the Craft Room Shuffle. We did some major room changes, moving my craft room to the third floor and moving my hubby's home office from the third floor to my old craft room on the second floor.  It involved a lot of plaster, sanding, plaster dust, painting, splinters, more plaster dust, more painting, a few blisters, and a lot of sore muscles.

There is a lack of vertical space in my new room, so I had to rethink some of my storage, but I'm finally in the last stages of organizing and should be able to share some pictures later in the week.

In the meantime, here are a couple of cards that I managed to create amidst the chaos.

Roses for Hazel:

Details:

Stamps: Rose - Crafty Secrets; Trust God - Stampin' Up! (sentiment)
Ink: Memento - Rich Cocoa & Bamboo Leaves
Markers: Copic Sketch
Patterned Paper: Mariposa Mat Stack - DCWV
Cardstock: Gina K Designs (white); Core'dinations (green)
Framelit Die - Stampin' Up!
Ribbon - Rebecca Sower Designs


Well-Scripted Sunflower:

 Details:

Stamps: Sunflower - Crafty Secrets; Well-Scripted - Stampin' Up! (sentiment)
Ink: Memento - Rich Cocoa; Ranger Distress Ink - Antique Linen
Markers: Copic Sketch
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey
Cardstock: Gina K Designs (ivory); Core'dinations (yellow & brown) 
Ribbon - Offray

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,
Marcy

1st Day of School Cards

I like to make first day of school cards for my kids' teachers.  It helps break the ice and lets them know we're there to support them. 

This card is for my son's teacher.  My daughter had her too, so I know she has a Bernese Mountain Dog.  I tried to color the pup stamp to look like a Bernie.

Details:
Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Storybook Friends
Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny - Camp-A-Lot
Cardstock: Core'dinations (yellow); Gina K Designs (natural)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Ranger Distress Ink - Tea Dye
Die Cuts & Stickers: October Afternoon
Hemp Twine: Pat Catan's
Markers: Copic Sketch


This card is for my daughter's teacher.  She is a brand-new teacher, just out of college. My daughter's small, sweet class is the perfect start to a new teaching career.  They are smitten with her already!

Details:
Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Storybook Friends
Patterned Paper: DCWV - My Sunshine Stack
Cardstock: Core'dinations (yellow); Gina K Designs (natural)
Ink: Memento - Rich Cocoa; Ranger Distress Ink - Tea Dye
Die Cuts & Stickers: October Afternoon
Ribbon: Stampin' Up!
Markers: Copic Sketch
Button: Wal-Mart

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,
Marcy

Back to School

Everyone but the pets and me went back to school today.  (Rich didn't want me to take his picture.)

Shannon off to 5th grade, and Ronan starting 3rd.

 Shannon even made a backpack for Ronan's bear, Rufus.  She made one for Plinker too.

Plinker doesn't want to talk about school.  Sometimes it's hard getting left behind, and sometimes your mum feels sorry for you and gets you a new toy, and sometimes that helps...for a little while.

Hope you're having a great Monday!

Hugs,
Marcy

Labradorable

Here's another page I made for Plinker's scrapbook.  It's fun to see how much he's grown and changed.  These pictures were taken at my mum's property as part of our annual fall photo shoot, when Plinker was 15 weeks old.

The paper I used for this layout is from Paper Studio's I'd Rather Be Hunting paper pack from Hobby Lobby.  I love these papers.  They have a great weight & texture, and they are perfect for fall layouts, not just hunting themed projects.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Hugs,
Marcy

Plinker's Very Own Album

 After I started this layout, I was trying to decide where it should "live" and landed on the thought that Plinker should have his very own album.  Of course, he should!  Silly me!  This is the title page:

Details:

Title: Cricut font - Birthday Bash cartridge
Patterned paper: Bo Bunny (background); Cosmo Cricket - Jack's World (green dp & cut apart card)
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink - Antique Linen; Memento - Bamboo Leaves
Accessories: rub-on alphas - Making Memories; printed twill - Martha Stewart; foam dimensionals - Darice; staples - Swingline; Happy Trails template - Kiwi Lane Designs

Have a happy Wednesday!

Hugs,
Marcy

My First Dazzles Card - A Review of Sorts

So, I've had these Dazzles stickers in my stash since Christmas.  My daughter saw them on HSN and fell in love.  She's used some since we got them, but I hadn't until now.  I've seen people rave about these online, and I didn't see what the big deal is.  They're just stickers, right?  We've been using stickers in our papercrafts since the dawn of time. 

Yesterday, I needed a fairly quick birthday card, so I decided to give these a try.  Okay, now I get it.  Now I understand why people rave about Dazzles.  What I personally like about them is the versatility.  They can be layered over printed paper or cardstock to get lots of different looks, and the sets include main images, accessory stickers, borders, corners, sentiments, so you can get a finished look easy peasy.  One rookie mistake I made: after I took the photo (and put the card in the envelope) I realized that I had left off the lady's earring. 

Bottom line: They are so much fun to play around with, and that's the whole point of papercrafting, isn't it?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,
Marcy

Christmas in July

I've been playing mind games over the weekend, trying to beat the heat & humidity by making Christmas cards.  It may not be working, but at least I'm getting a head start on my Christmas crafting!

Warmest Wishes:

Christmas Chorus:

Holiday Style:

Details:

Main Images: October Afternoon - Holiday Style - Miscellany
Patterned paper, paper tape, & die cuts: Anna Griffin - Twinkle Bright Collection
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink - Bundled Sage, Fired Brick, & Antique Linen
Snowman embellishment: Chipboard from October Afternoon - Holiday Style - Miscellany; decorated with acrylic paint, Sharpie fine point marker, & washi tape from Recollections

Thanks for stopping by & stay cool!

Hugs,
Marcy

You Stole My Heart

Today my hubby and I are celebrating are 19th wedding anniversary.  I feel so blessed to have spent nearly half my life married to such a funny, loving, supportive, handsome, Christian guy, who also is an amazing & dedicated dad.  We've been through a lot of ups and downs through the years, but Rich has remained rock steady.  I am really thankful to have him by my side.

Here's the card I made him for today:

Details:

Stamps: Stampin' Up - Love Bandit set
Cardstock: Coredinations (green & browns); Gina K Designs - Pure Luxury Cardstock (white); Bazzill (red)
Embossing folder: Darice
Markers: Copic Sketch
Ribbon: Offray
Foam dimensionals: Darice


Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,
Marcy

Oh, Meow Meow!

If you've known my family for any length of time, you recognize this furry fellow.  This is my daughter's lovey, Meow Meow.  He's been her constant companion for nearly a decade, tucked under her arm for art & tennis lessons, summer camp, doctor & dentist appointments, first & last days of school, and even hay rides.

Although nowadays he isn't so much a part of the immediate action, he's usually never too far behind.  Instead of being tucked under her arm, he's tucked into a backpack, a suitcase, or a tote bag.  Ever at the ready, just in case he's needed.

You are My Sunshine Layout featuring Meow Meow:

Details:

Patterned paper: DCWV - My Sunshine Stack; Making Memories (small yellow floral paper)
Cut aparts: DCWV - My Sunshine Stack
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink - Tea Dye & Vintage Photo
Accessories: markers - Sharpie fine point; foam dimensions - Darice

Hope your day is filled with sunshine!

Hugs,
Marcy

100% Farm Fresh

This summer I've been challenging myself to shop my stash & use up my scraps more.  In the 14 or so years I've been scrapping, I've accumulated quite a bit. It's been a fun challenge, and I've been super productive in the past few weeks. 

I made this layout of my kiddos at the fair in record time, using mostly scraps.  I started with the blue & yellow striped Chatterbox paper and built my page from there.

100% Farm Fresh Layout:

Details:

Patterned paper: Chatterbox (blue striped); neutral text paper - unknown
Cardstock: Core'dinations
Stamps: Crafty Secrets - Down on the Farm set
Die Cuts: October Afternoon - Flower Sack - Woodland Park collection
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink - Vintage Photo & Tea Dye
Accessories: sanding block - Core'dinations; twill - Stampin' Up; vintage buttons - courtesy of my antique dealer father (thanks, Dad!); embroidery floss - DMC

Wishing you a lovely Thursday!

Hugs,
Marcy

Bunny Love

Do you ever get stuck on a layout because you love the pictures so much that you're afraid you won't do them justice?  Scrapper's block ensues. 

When I get scrapper's block, I try not to push it.  I just put the layout aside until inspiration hits.  That's what happened with this layout.  I matted and adhered all of the photos at a crop retreat, but when I brought it home to embellish - I got stuck.  Inspiration hit when I purchased some embellies from October Afternoon's Woodland Park collection.  It has these sweet little bunnies in it.  Although my layout didn't have any blue in it, I was able to incorporate some in my doodling & journaling as well as the swirl from Anna Griffin to tie it all together. 

Bunny Love Layout - page one:

Details:
Patterned paper: DCWV - Nana's Nursery
Cardstock: Bazzill & Core'dinations
Glitter letter stickers & swirl: Anna Griffin
Other embellishments: October Afternoon - Woodland Park

Bunny Love Layout - page two:

Details: 

Patterned paper: DCWV - Nana's Nursery
Cardstock: Bazzill & Core'dinations
Journaling tag: Anna Griffin

Other embellishments: October Afternoon - Woodland Park
Marker: Stampin' Up!
Foam dimensionals: Darice

Have a great Monday!

Hugs,
Marcy

Crafty Secrets Thank You Cards

After all these years, I am still in (big "L") LOVE with my Crafty Secrets stamps.  They are such a fabulous company, and Sandy, the owner, works really hard to bring her customers fantastic products.

They've developed a wonderful line of digital images on CDs.  As soon as I'm able, I'm going to invest in a decent printer, so I can play with them.  In the meantime, I am very content with my CS Clear Art Stamps, Creative Scraps, and Image & Journal Notes booklets.  If you love their stuff as much as I do, make sure to stop by their new online store.  They're having a sale!

Here are a couple of cards I made recently using Crafty Secrets stamps.

A thank you card for my daughter's teacher:

Details:
Stamps: Crafty Secrets - Story of Me set; Stampin' Up - Apothecary Art (sentiment)
Patterned paper: October Afternoon - text paper; Making Memories (background papers, bookplate, & frame)
Cardstock: Gina K Designs (ivory)
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink - Tea Dye
Markers: Copic Sketch
Brads: Making Memories


This card is for a family friend, who surprised us with an amazing watercolor portrait of my daughter.  Shannon is on the archery team at school.  So Lisa painted her in a medieval Ireland setting shooting a longbow.  My heart leaped when I saw it.

Details:
Stamps: Crafty Secrets - All Dolled Up set; Stampin' Up! - Friendly Phrases (sentiment)
Patterned Paper: K&Company - Carolyn Gavin
Cardstock: Core'dinations (red & yellow); Gina K Designs (ivory)
Ink: Ranger - Adirondack Ink - Espresso & Distress Ink - Tea Dye
Die Cuts: October Afternoon - Sidewalks
Ribbon: Stampin' Up

Thank YOU for stopping by today!

Hugs,
Marcy

Get Well Swing Card

Our school secretary had surgery last week, and she's in for an 8-week or so recovery at home now.  Hope this card helps bring some cheer to her day.

This is the first time I've made a card using Green Sneaker's Action Card Templates.  Splitcoast Stampers has been showing them as a featured product lately. So far, I love them!  They are fairly simple & easy to use, and if you have trouble following the written directions, they have great instructional videos on YouTube.

Here's the front of my card:

And here's the inside part of the swing panel:

Details:
Stamps: Crafty Secrets - Feeling Yucky stamp set
Patterned paper: BoBunny Press
Cardstock: Core'dinations (yellow) & Gina K Designs (white)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Markers: Copic Sketch
Accessories: ribbon - Stampin' Up!; vintage button; floss - DMC; chalk - Pebbles Inc.; glitter glue - Stickles - Waterfall

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,
Marcy

Teacher's Pet

My 10-year-old daughter definitely has a way with animals.  Typically shy with people, she is never timid around four-legged, furry critters.  So when her teacher announced that they were getting a class pet, Shannon immediately volunteered to help take care him.  I'm so thankful that her teacher snapped this picture of Shannon & Freddy, the class guinea pig.

Details:

Cricut cartridge: Four Legged Friends (I know; it's a hamster.  It's the closest thing I had to a guinea pig.)
Patterned paper: Carolyn Gavin - K&Company
Cardstock: Coredinations; Bazzill (light blue)
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink - Faded Jeans
Chalk: Pebbles Inc.
Brads: Making Memories
Letter Stickers: Chatterbox

Shannon doesn't know it yet, but Freddy's coming to stay with us for a week at the end of the month, while her teacher is away.  Then the balance of power will have shifted at our house.  There will be more four-legged creatures in residence than two-legged ones.  Good thing it's only for a week! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
Marcy

School Picture Layouts

Boy, oh boy - this school year just flew by!  We had such a crazy, busy year with lots of school projects, teacher changes, a new class pet, archery team, a class play, and the annual auction.  It was really fun, but I think we're all ready for the slower pace of summer. 

I've been making the most of my free time already.  It's nice to be in the craft room without a specific project that has to be done.  Last week I spent a lot of time scrapping and watching mercytiara's process videos on YouTube.  I just love her style, and her narrated videos are so inspirational.  If you haven't discovered her yet, go check her out - she's fabulous!

So here are a couple layouts I made of my kids' school photos.  Shannon's is less school themed because it's more about her being at that funny, transitional tween age.  I liked incorporating the butterflies in hers.  They symbolize change, and I think, the triumph of successfully coming through that awkward stage. 

Shannon's 4th Grade Layout:

Details:
Ha!  Looking back on this, I think just about everything I used was K&Company - the patterned paper, the butterflies, the phrases, the post card, except for:
Lace Screen Print Border - Hambly Studios
Cafe Au Lait Glimmer Mist - Tattered Angels
Chalk Ink - Martha Stewart
Marker - Sharpie
Vintage-style Brad - Stampin' Up
Foam Dimensionals - Darice


Ronan's 2nd Grade Layout:

Details:

Patterned paper & red tag: Foofala
Stamps: See D's
Washi tape: Recollections
Journaling tag: Jenni Bowlin
Cardstock - K&Company
Brad - Making Memories
Ink - Black Soot - Ranger Distress Ink
Marker - Stampin' Up!


Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
Marcy

Cards for a Happy Easter!

I dearly love making Easter cards & crafts.  My mum always made sure there were the sweetest, most whimsical little surprises in my Easter basket, and working with these images just reminds me of those comforting Easter Sunday memories.

A card for my mum:

Stamps: Stampin' Up - Serene Spring & Well Scripted (sentiment); Patterned Paper - Stampin' Up; Cardstock - Core'dinations & Gina K Designs; flowers - Prima; brad - Stampin' Up; markers - Copic Sketch

A card for my dad: 

Stamps: Jack & Jill collection - Prima & Papertrey Ink - Mixed Messages; Patterned Paper - DCWV - Natural Mat Stack; Cardstock - Core'dinations; Distress Ink - Tea Dye & Vintage Photo; Punches - Martha Stewart & Creative Memories

A card for my mother-in-law:

Main Images - Crafty Secrets - Easter Creative Scraps; Stamps - Well Scripted (sentiment); Cardstock - Core'dinations; Washi tape - Recollections; seam tape ribbon - Rebecca Sower Designs

Wishing you all a lovely & blessed Easter!

Hugs,

Marcy

Scrappin' on Sunday

Since the new year, I've been reorganizing a lot of my papercrafting supplies.  I got a ScrapRack, which I absolutely love!   No more digging through drawers for the embellishments I *think* I have in *this* drawer or maybe it's in *that* one.   I also got new paper storage and took all of my cardstock out of the pads and put it in rainbow order. 

Having my supplies well organized has really helped me to be more productive when I do have time to craft. I've always been a slow crafter, but now that I know where to find everything so easily, I can finish a project in a much shorter amount of time.  Like this layout that I made this afternoon of my son & his new scooter on his 5th birthday:

Details:
Patterned paper - K&Company - Rough & Tumble
Journaling stamp - See D's
Cardstock - Stampin' Up (red) & Colorbok (yellow)
Ink - Ranger Adirondack - Red Pepper
Marker - Sharpie fine point

Hope you're having a relaxing Sunday afternoon too!

Hugs,
Marcy

Thoughts & Prayers

Sad happenings seem to be abundant amongst our friends in this early part of the new year, so recently I've been making quite a few "praying for you" cards.  I would much rather be crafting for happy reasons, but I hope that my creations and notes will bring some small measure of comfort to those who are hurting & who are so dear to us.

A get well card for my son's beloved teacher, who is recovering from a heart attack:

Details:

Main Image: Crafty Secrets - Little Blessings Creative Scraps
Patterned paper: Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Core'dinations
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink - Tea Dye
Flowers - Prima
Lace - Offray
& vintage buttons


A sympathy card for my kids' art teacher, whose father-in-law passed away suddenly:

Details:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Wonderful Wings & Trust God (sentiment)
Patterned paper: DCWV - Mariposa mat stack
Cardstock: Core'dinations
Ink: Versafine - black; Stampin' Up! - Wild Wasabi
Markers: Copic Sketch
Ribbon: Offray


A remembrance card for a friend, who miscarried her baby girl in the fall.  The due date was next week:

Details:

Stamps: See D's - Silhouettes; Papertrey Ink - Everyday Blessings (sentiment)
Cardstock: Core'dinations (blue) & Gina K. Designs - Pure Luxury Cardstock (ivory)
Ink: Ranger Distress Ink - Chipped Sapphire
Seam Tape Ribbon: Rebecca Sower Designs
Die - Stampin' Up!

I hope all is well with you & yours, and if it isn't, may you know the peace, love, and comfort that may be found in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Hugs,
Marcy

Celebrating My Mum

Last week my mum & I celebrated her birthday with a trip to our favorite craft store, Pat Catan's, & lunch out at Montana's Rib & Chop House - yum!

This is the card I made her, using the retired Stampin' Up Fairyland stamp set & lots of sparkles:

Here's a layout I completed over the weekend.  This is my mum & my daughter at our Historical Society Tea in the spring of 2011.  The tea featured a fashion show of historic clothing through the decades, so my mum decorated her sponsored table with shoes.  The shoes pictured on the layout were my grandmother's baby shoes.  The teapot on the layout is from Cricut's Once Upon a Princess cartridge.

My mum is an artist, and I'm so thankful to her for always encouraging me & my daughter to be creative.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,
Marcy

Hooray, It's a New Year!

I'm so glad it's a new year.  Like so many of you, I'm looking forward to a fresh slate to start 2013. 

One of my goals is to schedule more time in my craft room.  So many of my projects last year were done in a rush at the last minute - so late, in fact, that I didn't even get pictures for my blog.  I've started working on this goal over the past few days by spending time in my craft room reorganizing and purging my stash.  I always feel more inspired by a clean, neat space, and looking through my supplies with fresh eyes made me want to start making stuff!

Here are a couple of cards I made this fall that I didn't get a chance to share here yet:

Birthday card using SU! Owl Together Now & DCWV's Green Stack

First day of school card using SU! Storybook Friends & Foofala papers

Thanks so much for sticking with me & here's to a fun, creative 2013!

Hugs,
Marcy