Reduce, reuse, recycle...

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Have you ever had to quit a project in the middle because housework or dinner got in the way? I have a cat and sometimes when I come back to the project I find pieces of it all over. So, I went to Dollar General and got a really cheap package of ziplock bags. Now, when I have to leave a project half-finished or I run out of inspiration in the middle of it, I put all the pieces of the project in the zip lock bag. I can come back to it at any time (even weeks later) and know everything will be in the bag. When I finish the project, the bag goes back into the package for reuse. Of course, this won't work for scrappers, their paper is too big but for cardmakers, a sandwich bag is the perfect size to hold paper, cardstock, embellishments, ribbon and anything else you might care to use on it. And....the bag can be reused for the rest of your life.

MSL Challenge - Lace

Back in the day I used to sew all the time. When my daughter was born I made dresses with matching coats for her. All of her dance and prom dresses were handmade. Being a single mom, I didn't have the resources to take her shopping at expensive stores, and, being a really cute kid, she had lots of dates to fancy dances. Her Senior Prom dress was a "Gone With the Wind" affair with a very full skirt and ruffled neckline. I also made a ruffled lavender shawl to go with it. She was stunning. But, those days are long gone, I don't sew anymore (my hubby even sews on his own buttons if he has to wait too long for me to finish a project). So - no lace in the stash. Thank goodness for border punches, huh? Make It Crafty has several of these background digital images. If you look closely you will see a great level of detail that makes coloring these images a learning experience. I plan to use this one again and again.

Paper: Beckett Radiance 120 lb Cardstock; Stamps: Make It Crafty Whimsical Log Digital Image, Magnolia Longing Tilda, Magnolia Fairy Tale Butterfly; Fiskars Lace Border Punch; Spica: Melon, Lipstick, Red, Chocolate, Lavender; Smooch Illuminate; Starry Night Stickles; Copics: [Wood E31, E33, E43, E57, E59][Lichen YG95, YG97, YG93][Stone C7, C3][Mushrooms Y23, YG93, Y26, YG95, YG7, YG93, E57][Ferns G24][Leaves on Left YG17, G28][Grass YG09][Flower Stem YG05, G07][Flowers R24, R35, R27, R29, R37][Skin E000, E00, R20][Hair E30, E33, E35][Clothes R24, R27, R29][Butterfly BV0000, C5, BV000, BV00, BV01, BV02][Background B0000, G40]

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Have you ever had to quit a project in the middle because housework or dinner got in the way? I have a cat and sometimes when I come back to the project I find pieces of it all over. So, I went to Dollar General and got a really cheap package of ziplock bags. Now, when I have to leave a project half-finished or I run out of inspiration in the middle of it, I put all the pieces of the project in the ziplock bag. I can come back to it at any time (even weeks later) and know everything will be in the bag. When I finish the project, the bag goes back into the package for reuse. Of course, this won't work for scrappers, their paper is too big but for cardmakers, a sandwich bag is the perfect size to hold paper, cardstock, embellishments, ribbon and anything else you might care to use on it. And....the bag can be reused for the rest of your life.

Purging...

Hi, my name is Cindy and I'm a hoarder. I've finally admitted I have a problem and now I'm trying to deal with it. Have you seen the program on hoarding? It's like a car wreck, you don't want to look, but you can't tear your gaze away from it. And yet, when I walk into my craft room I see the signs of potential trouble - my room has spilled into the hallway (just storing a couple of things there). So, I started cleaning about a week ago and have carried out 3 kitchen sized garbage cans to the garage for sorting. Things that can be recycled are placed in the recycle bin and everything else is either set aside for a garage sale or pitched. Today I found a small package of teeny tiny frogs I purchased in Wakulla Springs, Florida in January, of 2008. They were still in the bag with the receipt. When I think of all the frog cards I've sent without these little gems, I could cry. I've found calendars from 2006 (well, they might have made good backgrounds)..., tourist books from travels (they might look good scrapbooked)...place mats??? The list goes on. Four bags of cotton balls, a hundred acrylic boxes from purchased products (how many windows can you cut in cards, anyway?), a huge stack of wildlife magazines (which might have text I could use), enough cardboard to cover our house (it makes good die-cuts), pheasant feathers???, a big box of printed Christmas cards left over from before I started to make them - from card-making software - just fold in 4ths and mail...four packages of glossy paper so I could practice some techniques but by the time I was ready to practice, the paper was in hiding so I ordered some more...six specific scrapbooks with extra pages filled with memorabilia in a plastic pocket waiting for someday...a hash pipe belt buckle (honest, I haven't seen that in 40 years)...well, you get the idea. We evolve. I used to use Clipture clip art to print and cut out die cuts. Now I have rubber stamps and dies for use with my Cuttlebug. My early attempts to make cards seem very amateurish now.

I planned to add Magnolia Australian Tilda but she covered up too much of this image, so I will save her for another day and just go with the background.

Paper: DCWV Safari Chic, Stash; Stamps: Make it Crafty Australian House, unknown sentiment; Ribbon: Stash; Copics: [Roof C3, C7][Background B91, E33 Airbrushed][House E34, E35, E57, E47, E37, E39, B000, R24, N0][Flowers R29, G17][Trees G24, YG17, YG67]

We have Winners

The winner of my blog candy is.....TADAH! LoriSunChaser. Congrats and please e-mail me your snail mail addy so I can get your package out to you.

The winner of the extra two stamps for becoming a follower is: Linda Adkins. Please send me your snail mail addy so I can also mail your package. Congrats!

Contact me at: bluebirdflats@yahoo.com

I hope to be offering more blog candy in the future. Thanks much to everyone who came to visit me during Cindy's blog hop. She loves her customers, it shows in her big heart and her customer service. So, stop by her blog and leave her some love.

Now for some really exciting news: I have been playing around with digital images for a while now. And, I've been dabbling in Photoshop Elements but haven't really had a reason to knuckle down, buy a book, and study (remember studying?). Recently I was inspired by Sandy Hulsart and her amazing Elements work in combining digital images to make wonderful backgrounds. She has two tutorials that gave me a wealth of information and here's the first result: This background was from Make it Crafty - see the original here. I opened the image in Elements, added a gradient background from blue to tan - placed my image, colored the moon and printed it out in the right size.I colored the Magnolia image and popped it up on the background. The only items on the background I colored were the pumpkins, the fence, and the grass/leaves. The Waltzing Mouse sentiment was stamped on the moon and I called it 'done'. The next time I do this card, I will color the fence a darker color so it stands out more from the background. Or...I could change the tan background color...or....the possibilities stagger me. And before I mail this card I will add some Crystal Stickles to the tops of the pumpkins - love that frost effect.



Paper: Stash; Stamps: Make it Crafty digi image, Magnolia Witch Tilda; Waltzing Mouse Midnight Feast Sentiment; Copics: [Skin R00, R000, R20][Hair Y21, E99, YR23][Dress, Hat, Shoes W6, W8, W9, BV08, Spica Gold][Broom E57, E59, Y26, Y23][Pumpkins Y17, YR16, YR18, YR15, E08, G24, YG17][Fence E31, E33, E43, E57, N1][Leaves/Grass YG03, YG05]

Thank you so much

Thanks to everyone who commented on my blog yesterday. Today you should be visiting Anary if you are participating in the StampingScrapping Blog Hop. Winners of my blog candy and the extra two Magnolia stamps for becoming a follower will be announced tomorrow, so stay tuned.

This card is for my friend Cindy Echtinaw who allowed me to become a part of her design team, who blesses me with her friendship and treated me to my very first blog hop.


These Anthony and Bert images are always fun to color and since Cindy and I share a love for frogs, this card is perfect for her. Paper: Basic Grey Oliver; Stamp: Anthony & Bert from Sunday International; Crystal Stickles, Spica: Mint, Clear, Baby Blue; Distress Ink Tea Dye; Copics: YG17, YG03, YG13, YG01, YG00, B0000, YG09, G16, C0, C3.

Blog Hop Blog Hop Blog Hop

Today's the day...three big chances to win. 1. If you've left a comment on every blog in the hop and leave one on my blog today, you have a chance to win a set of these awesome stamps from stampingscrapping.com. 2. If you leave a comment on my blog today, you have a chance to win my blog candy. 3. If you become a follower of my blog today, you could also win two awesome Magnolia stamps. So, get to commentating.

If you've come from Sheri you are right where you're supposed to be. Cindy Echtinaw (and I'm proud to call her my friend) has released a new line of stamps that work in conjunction with Spellbinder's Dies. If you followed any of my blog entries, you'll know that I rarely create a card without at least one Spellbinder Die, so these are a great addition to my collection. The stamps are wonderful quality acrylic, ink up well, and have a gazillion uses. Her stamps will create outlines on cut-out dies and words that fit in the outlines. The outline stamp on my die-cut is from the New Little One set. I used Spica pens to color in all the flowers, dots and blocks. The tiny embellishments are really cute, the bottle and blocks are also from this set. To see the entire line of Nestablility compatible stamps from Cindy, click here.


Paper: DCWV All About Boys; Stamps: Magnolia Baby Edwin; Spellbinder Labels 10; Spica: Clear, Baby Blue, Gold, Buttermilk, Sky Blue; Fiskars Zing Your Things; BowEasy (if you've never made a bow using this tool, you have no idea what you're missing); Copics: [skin R11, E00, E000][Hair E41, E42][Clothes B95, B97][Shoes B91, E43, B93][Outline N0]


One person will be picked from the comments on this post to win the following blog candy: Spellbinders Lacey Circles and Beaded Ovals, Magnolia Dancing Tilda from the 2010 Fairy Tale Collection, a package of Recollections Trim, and a package of assorted trim and flowers. New followers to my blog will also be eligible for two extra Magnolia stamps: Spellcaster Tilda and Pirate Edwin. The winners will be announced on 9/24.
Stay tuned tomorrow for Anary's blog to see what she's created for you. In order to win one of Cindy's new stamp sets, you need to leave a comment on every blog in the hop on the day that it's posted. You will have until MIDNIGHT PACIFIC TIME of the same day the blog is posted to leave your comment. So, what are you waiting for??????

SSCC #6 - Anything Goes (with blog candy)

I really enjoyed making this card using the Anything Goes Challenge from Stamping Scrapping Challenge Central. The background inside the aperature is from Cornish Heritage Farms which unfortunately, will be out of business soon. I stocked up on their scene stamps when I had the chance. They work well with Maggies. This is a decidedly male card, something I always struggle to make.

Paper: DCWV The Green Stack; Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms, Magnolia Edwin on Bike; Copics: [Background G82, E57, BG01, G24, B02, N1][Skin R11, E11, E00][Hair E33, E31, E30][Clothes G82, B91, B95, G21][Shoes T3, T1][Bike N5, R17, N3, N4] Spellbinders Die Small Deckled Rectangles

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Here's another trick that I use: take an empty toilet paper or paper towel roller and cut off 1/4" circles. Use these to protect your flowers and embellishments on cards. I use small bubble envelopes to send heavily embellished cards, but for extra protection, I lay down a ring over each group of flowers. My cards always arrive in good shape. Bubble CD envelopes are also great for sending cards and are relatively inexpensive.

Sunrise, The Closer, and other stuff...

My husband and I just returned from our annual trip to the Northwoods, eh? We spend a week every year right on the Michigan/Wisconsin border in Land O Lakes, Wisconsin at the Sunrise Lodge. We've been going there since 1995 and plan to keep going as long as we're capable or they go out of business. Unlike some other resorts, Dick, Elsie and Phil put money back into their business so every year when we go up, "our" cabin has been updated in some way. We used to joke when we first started going that they only had two TV channels, the How to Catch Fish channel and the How to Cook Fish channel. I learned some pretty good fish recipes from that channel. Since we first started going our cabin has been the recipient of a new gas fireplace (which really came in handy this trip), new air conditioning, new pillow top mattresses, and a flat screen tv, among other updates. The lodge has excellent food, we always put on pounds when we go up. The grounds are fabulous if you have children, they have: basketball, baseball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, tetherball, miniature golf, bicycles (just take and go), swimming, a huge sandbox, and lots of wooden structures for little kids to climb on. There are grills and fire rings outside each cabin and lots of wood to burn. On cool nights people light a fire and sit at the edge of the lake. Vegging is required. There are pontoon boats, canoes and john boats to rent if you like that sort of thing and the fishing is awesome. To see more on the resort, check out their website here. If you plan to go, tell them Carl and Cindy sent you. There is a terrific little stamping store in Sayner, WI which I look forward to visiting every year. Jill holds classes so you could even take a class or two while you're there. Take a camera if you go, you will want to document some of the techniques you see, they're fabulous. And stop next door at Colours for a blended Creamsicle, yum!
This year for the first time I schlepped some craft supplies up. I wanted to spend time coloring some digital and stamped images I took. I also created some boxes for the housekeepers and friends that we meet up there every year - a big shout out to Jo and Jane. This is the table in our cabin full of 'stuff' that weighed down the car.

This is our new fireplace which made the cabin toasty this year. This is the view I looked at everyday while coloring. This is the beautiful Lac Vieux Desert populated with eagles and osprey and lots of ducks. The grass in front of our deck is filled with native sparrows and hummingbirds in the monkeyflowers.

This is our kitchen, filled with everything you would need to cook except food. We prefer to use the plan that feeds us three times a day. I walk up to the lodge for lunch while my husband gets a "to go" lunch so he can wander out to take pictures.

This is one of the double beds in the bedroom, there are two and the couch pulls out to make a bed, also. I didn't take pics of the bathroom, but it's really big and bright.

Now, on to the Closer. I knew that Brenda Lee couldn't accept the job as chief. What would happen to her team? And who would take Provenza and Flinn? But I think she was a little conflicted after thinking about all the great things she could do and influence if she was chief. Brenda Lee is a terrific example of what can be done with brains and chocolate.

Sunrise, The Closer, and other stuff...

My husband and I just returned from our annual trip to the Northwoods, eh? We spend a week every year right on the Michigan/Wisconsin border in Land O Lakes, Wisconsin at the Sunrise Lodge. We've been going there since 1995 and plan to keep going as long as we're capable or they go out of business. Unlike some other resorts, Dick, Elsie and Phil put money back into their business so every year when we go up, "our" cabin has been updated in some way. We used to joke when we first started going that they only had two TV channels, the How to Catch Fish channel and the How to Cook Fish channel. I learned some pretty good fish recipes from that channel. Since we first started going our cabin has been the recipient of a new gas fireplace (which really came in handy this trip), new air conditioning, new pillow top mattresses, and a flat screen tv, among other updates. The lodge has excellent food, we always put on pounds when we go up. The grounds are fabulous if you have children, they have: basketball, baseball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, tetherball, miniature golf, bicycles (just take and go), swimming, a huge sandbox, and lots of wooden structures for little kids to climb on. There are grills and fire rings outside each cabin and lots of wood to burn. On cool nights people light a fire and sit at the edge of the lake. Vegging is required. There are pontoon boats, canoes and john boats to rent if you like that sort of thing and the fishing is awesome. To see more on the resort, check out their website here. If you plan to go, tell them Carl and Cindy sent you. There is a terrific little stamping store in Sayner, WI which I look forward to visiting every year. Jill holds classes so you could even take a class or two while you're there. Take a camera if you go, you will want to document some of the techniques you see, they're fabulous. And stop next door at Colours for a blended Creamsicle, yum!
This year for the first time I schlepped some craft supplies up. I wanted to spend time coloring some digital and stamped images I took. I also created some boxes for the housekeepers and friends that we meet up there every year - a big shout out to Jo and Jane. This is the table in our cabin full of 'stuff' that weighed down the car.

This is our new fireplace which made the cabin toasty this year. This is the view I looked at everyday while coloring. This is the beautiful Lac Vieux Desert populated with eagles and osprey and lots of ducks. The grass in front of our deck is filled with native sparrows and hummingbirds in the monkeyflowers.

This is our kitchen, filled with everything you would need to cook except food. We prefer to use the plan that feeds us three times a day. I walk up to the lodge for lunch while my husband gets a "to go" lunch so he can wander out to take pictures.

This is one of the double beds in the bedroom, there are two and the couch pulls out to make a bed, also. I didn't take pics of the bathroom, but it's really big and bright.

Now, on to the Closer. I knew that Brenda Lee couldn't accept the job as chief. What would happen to her team? And who would take Provenza and Flinn? But I think she was a little conflicted after thinking about all the great things she could do and influence if she was chief. Brenda Lee is a terrific example of what can be done with brains and chocolate.

This was a relatively simple card to make, some of the petals on one flower were stamped again and popped up and one complete flower was popped up. The other was left as stamped. I love the versatility of the Friendship Jar stamp set and the two additional stamp set "fillers" for the jar. I am assuming they will be coming out with additional fillers for different seasons, the Halloween/Fall set was just released. This card is a tribute to Dick's flowers at Sunrise - good job, Dick.

Paper: DCWV Linen Closet; Stamp: Papertrey Friendship Jar, Jar Filler Vol. 4, #49; Flowersoft Ultra Fine Sand; Copics: [Jar B0000][Flower Y11, Y38, Y18][Leaves G21, G24]

Halloween decorating...

Anyone who knows me knows that my husband and I (well, me, anyway), loves Halloween. Unfortunately, he gets the brunt of the set-up and clean-up. Although we don't do this now, in past years we have decorated most of our considerable property. We had a cemetery complete with hearse and fence, lots of tombstones, skeletons, and cobwebs. Our woods had mats that moaned when you stepped on them, lights that pointed you in the wrong direction and lots of funny signs from Monty Python. Inside, the house was completely wrapped in cobwebs, a Halloween village, the bathrooms were decorated and filled with motion activated creatures, cauldrons, dry ice and potions. The decorating started the first of September and was still being cleaned up in November. Lots of time invested and eventually it got to be too much. Now we just set up the cemetery and have a wiener roast and call it a day. So, anybody need any Halloween decorations?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - This is a hint that should be repeated often. Home improvement / paint / wallpaper stores often have discontinued wallpaper books and paint chips. They're yours for the asking. Our Lowe's store even has a special section in the paint department for discontinued wallpaper books. They have "Discontinued" in big letters on the front so the check out people know the books are free. I have picked them up three or four at a time. Some of the patterns in the books are too big for cards but can be used for scrapbooking. Baby books are always good and you can get some fabulous textures that can even be painted. Lots of the images can be cut out and used for your projects. If you are low on cash but big on ideas, check out these books.

Magnolia Stamp Lover's Challenge - Halloween

Anyone who knows me knows that my husband and I (well, me, anyway), loves Halloween. Unfortunately, he gets the brunt of the set-up and clean-up. Although we don't do this now, in past years we have decorated most of our considerable property. We had a cemetery complete with hearse and fence, lots of tombstones, skeletons, and cobwebs. Our woods had mats that moaned when you stepped on them, lights that pointed you in the wrong direction and lots of funny signs from Monty Python. Inside, the house was completely wrapped in cobwebs, a Halloween village, the bathrooms were decorated and filled with motion activated creatures, cauldrons, dry ice and potions. The decorating started the first of September and was still being cleaned up in November. Lots of time invested and eventually it got to be too much. Now we just set up the cemetery and have a wiener roast and call it a day. So, anybody need any Halloween decorations? To see all the lovely creations from the MSL design team, please visit the MSL challenge blog.

Paper: Stash; Stamp: Magnolia Tilda with Thistle; Grape Stickles; Spica: Clear, Lavender, Lilac; EK Success Stickers; Computer Generated Sentiment on Transparency; Copics: {Skin R20, E00, E000][Hair V95, V93, V91][Clothes BV13, BV04, BV11][Shoes T8, T6, T5][Thistle YG21, YG63, YG67, YG25, G94, V95]

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - This is a hint that should be repeated often. Home improvement / paint / wallpaper stores often have discontinued wallpaper books and paint chips. They're yours for the asking. Our Lowe's store even has a special section in the paint department for discontinued wallpaper books. They have "Discontinued" in big letters on the front so the check out people know the books are free. I have picked them up three or four at a time. Some of the patterns in the books are too big for cards but can be used for scrapbooking. Baby books are always good and you can get some fabulous textures that can even be painted. Lots of the images can be cut out and used for your projects. If you are low on cash but big on ideas, check out these books.

SSCC #5 - Anything but a Card

With Christmas just around the corner, isn't this the very best Stamping Scrapping challenge? I love making gifts for my friends and as I find a new container to decorate, I add it to a box of decorated containers so I'm never caught off-guard without a gift. If this was going into my "just in case" box, I would leave the sentiment off until I knew what it was going to be used for. This is a popcorn box that I created with my Cricut, it was cut on a 12x12 page using the "Cut to Page" button. So the box stands about five inches tall without the handle which is attached with brads. The possibilities for filling it are endless.

Cindy has a lot of embellishments in the store, stop by and see what she's got going on. Paper: Tim Holtz Idea-ology; Stamps: Magnolia, Whimsy, Christmas Eve Tilda; Cricut Tags, Bags, Boxes & More - Popcorn Box; Spica: Baby Blue, Gold, Sand, Red; Distress Pumice Stone, Spun Sugar; Prima Chocolate Mini Roses; Copics: [Skin R20, E00, E000][Hair E33, E21, E30][Clothes R24, R27, R29][Package B000]

MSL Challenge - Fall Colors

I was going out to get the newspaper this morning and I could actually smell fall in the air. It seems early for fall but the days are getting shorter. I love this little Tilda image with the pumpkins.



Paper: DCWV Safari Chic, DCWV Indian Summer; Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Pumpkins, FireCracker Designs; Crystal Stickles; Copics: [Skin R20, E11, E00][Hair Y11, Y17][Hat T5, T8, E19 Spica Gold][Dress E42, E43][Pumpkin YR65, G85][Shoes T8, T5][Leaf E42, G85, E19]

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - I open all our empty cereal boxes and lay them flat on a shelf (I am a Honey Nut Cheerios junkie). Recently I was looking for some stiff cardboard to use in a project and discovered if you cut the cereal boxes to size and glue several of them together, you have a fairly stiff sheet of thin cardboard to use. Single sheets are easy to cut with most dies and when layered with paper can raise the image off of your project just enough to make it pop.