Resolutions...

With the year coming to a close, I've been in a reflective mood.  Looking ahead to 2011, I contemplated what changes I'd like to make in my life.

The list got pretty long.
Either I'm pretty hard on myself, or I have A LOT to work on, lol! :)

Though all of this has been going on in my head, today's "Free For All Friday" challenge at SCS was to make a card based on one of your resolutions - it gave me the push I needed to post something. :)

Here are some bits and pieces...in no particular order.

Be a better mom. That's a loaded generic statement. ;-)  There are many ways I'd like to improve, but a big one is this: I get so focused on what it is that I'm trying to accomplish at the moment, that sometimes I tend to do the "uh huh" nod my head thing and not truly pay attention. I know I'm not the only one out there, right?

Be a better wife.  I resolve to be more selfless. My hubby is SO good at this.

Be a better homemaker. Yup, that means doing better at planning meals (that is the root of making good meals. I can cook, no problem. I need to PLAN.)  Better housecleaning - once upon a time, I followed a system that worked really well, but I got lax. Time to pick that up again.

Be a better friend.  Take more time and foster relationships. I get so busy (and stressed) over all that's going on, that I don't shove that aside and just invite anyways - the house doesn't need to be perfect to have someone over for coffee, right? ;-)

Be a better blogger/stamper. This means being more consistent! (thought you might like that one - wink)  It also means that I'd like to use up my stashes, and stamp more often - including taking part in challenges frequently again! This also means following God's prompting when I feel the push to send someone a card. :)

Be a better PERSON. This means better time management & less being late, better diet/exercise, and most importantly, this means making more time for devotions and plugging into God's Word.

Sometimes I look at this list and think "How on earth will I have time for ALL of this??"  Well, it all needs to start with the last one.  Taking more time studying God's Word - it is the best instruction book there is, right?  :)

That's it in a {small} nutshell. ;-)

So, you're wondering how in the WORLD will she make all this into a card?  I thought the same thing, lol!  But then I realized something...
Most all of my resolutions are based on bettering relationships with all whom I love.

LOVE....HEARTS...hmmm...oh!  I just thought of another challenge I could use!  Thursday's "Ways To Use It" challenge was to use silver!

After gazing at a few of my 'heart' stamp sets and drinking some creamerized coffee, the idea came to me.  A clean and simple (my fave kind!) card using hearts and silver.

Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to capture embossed silver on cards??  Ugh.  I won't tell you how many different angles I took the pic from. ;-)

Here's a closeup of the embossing:

I may just keep this card setting up to remind me of my resolutions:

Keep your life clean & simple, and remember to foster the relationships, Crystal. :)

Wellllll.....what do you think?  Do you have any resolutions you'd like to share?

The Small Print (All Stampin Up)

Stamps: Love You Much

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Encore Silver

Accessories: Silver EP, Heat tool, Paper snips, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)

Crystal

Birthday/Christmas Thanks

So, I have to be honest with you.
Yesterday's post came pretty easily to me...and I'll tell ya why. ;-)

You see, I had made up some thank you cards to send for my Birthday/Christmas gifts (remember, my b'day was the 21st).  A clean and simple card that looked nice, that I could make multiples of, without spending a ton of time on.

When the CAS challenge came and I saw the colors included, I knew I could make a card for the challenge, just by changing a few things from my original design. So that's what I did. Essentially, they're the same card...but not. lol! :)

Here's the card I originally made for thank yous (aka my inspiration for yesterday's card):

A great little thank you!  A 4.25" square card, one layer, generation stamping, and a simple sentiment.

Well, what do you think?

The Small Print (All Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Watercolor Trio, Warmest Regards
Ink: Pear Pizazz, Basic Black
Cardstock: Whisper White
Technique: Generation Stamping

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Wild & Krafty Thanks

Okay, so it's not exactly "wild," but there IS a reason I named this post as such.  I took part in a CAS (Clean & Simple) challenge on SCS, and the challenge (not only to be CAS) was to follow a specific color palette:

Wild Wasabi
Kraft (Crumb Cake)
Chocolate Chip
White

Are you ready to see what I came up with?  ok. :)

To me, it feels like something's missing on this 4.25" square card...what do YOU think?

The Small Print (all Stampin Up)
Stamps: Watercolor Trio, Warmest Regards
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Accessories: Dimensionals (of course - wink)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Filled With Love Promo

Well, I'm back! :)

It was nice to take a little Christmas break and spend time with my family -  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

I will admit to you that I've been hanging onto this for awhile. To me, it just didn't seem right to be promoting Valentine's Day, when we hadn't even celebrated Christmas yet!  Now that we've celebrated Christmas, here it is:

Filled with Love Bundle

(click on pic to view in normal mode)

This Valentine's day, give your loved ones a beautiful handmade gift using products from Stampin' Up!

From now until January 24, get a FREE package of Bitty Buttons when you purchase the Filled with Love Bundle (includes Filled with Love stamp set and exclusive Love Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack) -- only available through this special promotion.

Ready to shop?  Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, anytime!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)

Crystal

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(click on above pic)


Thank you, Lord...for the ultimate gift!


Thank you for stopping by, and have a GREAT Christmas day!
Crystal

Birthday Blessings

So, Tuesday was my birthday.  I *heart* birthdays. :)

This year was especially nice, as my hubby took the day off to spend with us.  He's a dairy farmer, so for him to have a day off, he has to TAKE it off.  No M-F/8-5 with weekends off job for him, lol! So, you seee....I am VERY thankful when he takes a day totally off. :)
THANK YOU HONEY!!

A "party" with my family the night before - mom STILL makes us each our own special meal - is she a gem, or WHAT? My family is so sweet & generous.
THANK YOU MOM/FAMILY!!

Phone calls, Cards, and FB messages...oh, I feel so LOVED! :)
THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

The Saturday before was breakfast out with a girlfriend - I so treasure that time!
THANK YOU, BECKS! :)

Today's card is made using the stamp set I received from said friend: "Aviary".
I also made it to participate in this week's Color Challenge at SCS...use only Black, Red, & White.

The picture quality is poor, sorry about that.  It's a grey and dreary morning, and I'm too impatient to wait for better lighting, lol.

Well, what do you think (poor picture aside, lol)?

I'm sorry I haven't been on here much lately...life has just been so crazy busy!  This was actually supposed to be yesterday's post...but things happen and now I sit here finishing it today. ;-) 

I'm thinking one of my New Year's Resolutions will involve more frequent blog posting. ;-)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day!!
Crystal

Sew, A Needle Pulling Thread...

I decided I haven't been busy enough, lately. (insert sarcasm)

Yup, I've been sewing.

Nope, I'm not technically a "sewer"...but I DO enjoy it! :)

In the past, it's been easy things like fixing things, or making curtains or aprons for the girls.

This November, I decided I wanted to repurpose some old clothes and

make them into doll clothes! :)

November and most of December passed me by,

 and I had yet to get started (so much for the Dec 1 start date).

I should know myself better than that. 

Well, to be fair, I HAVE been busy with other things.

Rather than give up, I decided to try anyways.

As of yesterday (aka - NEW start date),

 I have now made a pair of black stretch pants,

 a black romper-style dress complete with additional white decor, and white shirt for underneath.

I got sidetracked and made a coffee-cozy sleeve, too.

It was supposed to be for my 6 yr old's teacher,

but upon finishing it at midnight, decided it wasn't good enough.

Better keep it for myself and try it out before giving it as a gift! lol 

As soon as I can get myself a latte, I'll pose the cozy and let you take a look. :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

A Cardinal Gift

There are numerous gifts for my children to give to special people this year, and I like to add a handmade touch to some of them...

I was telling my mom about it and how I wanted to make some fudge to give these special people in my kiddos/our lives.  But I was in a quandry as to what to put it in!  She just said matter of factly, without even really thinking about it, "Why don't you just MAKE a box?  You're always making cute little boxes".

Um, duh. LOL!  Sometimes it takes a mom's brain to make your own work. lol
Thanks for the reminder that I can MAKE a box!  Seriously...why didn't I think of that?

So, I made a box. :)  Sponged the edges, and had my daughter help, too, making a cardinal out of punches! :)  It IS, afterall, a gift from her. ;-)  I'll have my oldest (age 6), do most of her own, I think. That is, if I can manage to let go. ;-)

Well, what do you think?

Thanks for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

It's here, it's HERE!

So, if you've been following me at all, you know we've had computer issues around here...and that I was awaiting a new computer. WELL...after much deliberating, shopping around, figuring out affordability, biting nails, etc...Well, I suppose the nail biting thing is an extreme, since I don't do that. Hmm...I'll say tense shoulders and headaches. :)

Here's what it looked like within 5 minutes of me finding a package by my front door:

I just had to laugh at myself. Ya think I was a little excited???!!

We've had our share of headaches, even with setting this all up (wireless router problem), but oh how nice to finally be done, and enjoying the portability of a laptop - sorry...just had to share my excitement. :-)  This is a pretty big deal for us, and for us, a lot of money to spend on one item. We try to do the best we can, try to save what little we can, and be wise with our finances. Which is partly why we deliberated so long on all of this.  We did not go crazy by any means. :-)

All this to say...YAY!!!!
I hope to be back this week posting projects...don't worry, no more snowflake projects (that I know of), lol! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Snowflake Series #7 - and Tutorial!

Well, here we are. The FINAL Snowflake Series Post.  For me, it couldn't come soon enough, lol!  Don't get me wrong...I have loved this series, but...

I just wish sometimes that life could slow down a little and give me time to blog, instead of being busy and having it hang over my head, lol! ;-)

If you've made it with me this far, congratulations...and sorry it's been awhile again...it has been CRAZY around here! :)

Day 7 - Light!

So, this is what is called a Luminary, or Luminare...I'm not sure which, I've seen it spelled both ways. :)

Let's get right into the tutorial, shall we?  It takes a bit of time (perhaps why I haven't had time to post it, lol).

Step 1:  Cut vellum cardstock to 4 1/4 x 8 1/2.

Step 2:  Cut cardstock (Marina Mist) to 2 x 8 1/2.

Step 3:  Score vellum at 2, 4, 6, and 8".

Step 4:  Score cardstock at 2, 4, 6, and 8", flip and score 1/2" from bottom.

Step 5:  Stamp snowflakes on vellum and set aside to dry.

Step 6:  Cut cardstock on score marks along bottom 1/2".

Step 7:  Punch cardstock with scallop edge punch to make decorative edge.

Step 8: Apply sticky strip on edge of 1/2" section of cardstock (see red arrow above), fold at score lines, adhere to itself, making an open ended box. Adhere each bottom corner to each other (I used sticky strip).

Step 9:  Flip vellum over and apply sticky strip along edge of 1/2" section.

 If vellum is not yet dry, carefully dry with heat tool. Fold at score lines.

Step 10:  Adhere the vellum to itself, forming an open ended box.

 Apply sticky strip around bottom edge of box.

Step 11:  VERY CAREFULLY, lower the vellum box into the cardstock box,

 using a bone folder to press the sticky-stripped sides together.

Step 12:  Finish decorating, place LED tealight candle inside, turn on, VOILA!

I feel a little strange saying "voila" after 12 steps, lol!. This is one of those things that may take a little time, but once you've made it, it's easier to whip another one up (easier than explaining, too, lol!)   Hope you were able to figure it out! :)  Oh, and I also added dazzling diamonds to the snowflakes here and there once the box was assembled. :)

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my 7 projects in the Snowflake Series!  There's obviously a lot more you could do with this...in fact, you'll see in the pic below...there's a table placesetting (name)...decided not to show you that in a seperate post. Seven is a good number. ;-)

Oh, and here's a pic of the cards I had Ruth make - which is what started this series in the first place! :)

 (see other Snowflake Series posts for explanation, and more tutorials)

What do you think?

Thank you so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)

Crystal

Snowflake Series #6

Hello, and welcome to Day 6 of my Snowflake Series!

Each day with a new project, featuring Stampin' Up's stamp set, Serene Snowflakes!

It all started with the 'secret project' I was working on for Ruth (see bottom of post). One card to make turned into 3, then I got inspired and made several projects to match, using the same materials!

Today's another easy-peasy idea...are you getting the picture I like those kind? ;-)

Very simplistic (see what I'd add below), and not the best pic, but it'll work! :)

Day #6 - Tree Ornament (or gift tag)




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For an ornament, I'd add one of our adhesive-backed rhinestones for the middle - AH, how that would just pop! :)
 
I acheived this look by stamping the large snowflake in full strength, and then stamping over top of it with the smaller snowflakes from the set, after stamping-off first (generation stamping), for a lighter look. Added dazzling diamonds around perimeter of main circle, and in spots all over, too! :)
 
That's all for today - well, what do you think?

Why don't you go take a gander at Ruth's matching project? Click on the icon below to see the project/review, and enter the giveaway too - time's almost up!!! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Snowflake Series #5

Hello, and welcome to Day 5 of my Snowflake Series!

Each day with a new project, featuring Stampin' Up's stamp set, Serene Snowflakes!

It all started with the 'secret project' I was working on for Ruth (see bottom of post). One card to make turned into 3, then I got inspired and made several projects to match, using the same materials!

Today's another easy-peasy idea. :)
I bring you....

Day #5 - All Wrapped Up


















Yup, it's THAT simple today, folks. :)  Wrap your gifts!

For this small gift, I used a sheet of copy paper and stamped all over it (lighter & darker with same Marina Mist ink pad), then tied a Marina Mist taffeta ribbon to top it off!  You could go more than this too...I was just trying to give you the idea. :) 

For larger gifts, you could also use newspaper end rolls (can purchase from local newspaper) - we have a couple on hand for larger gifts - one is white, one is more 'newspapery' - bet that's not a word, huh. Oh well. I made a new word. :)

That's all for today!  Well, what do you think?

Why don't you go take a gander at Ruth's matching project? Click on the icon below to see the project/review, and enter the giveaway too - time's almost up!!! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Snowflake Series #4 - and TUTORIAL!

Well, it seems like it's taken me all day to get here, but the good news is the house is clean, laundry's done, dinner's in the crockpot, other odds & ends done, AND I got to play with my 4 year old before naptime! :)

*****************************
Hello, and welcome to Day 4 of my Snowflake Series!

Each day with a new project, featuring Stampin' Up's stamp set, Serene Snowflakes!

It all started with the 'secret project' I was working on for Ruth (see bottom of post). One card to make turned into 3, then I got inspired and made several projects to match, using the same materials!

How many of you plan on giving a gift card to someone during this Holiday Season?  Why not dress it up a bit? There are gift card holders out there that are easier (I'm even selling some on my Etsy), but this is one I really like to make, and guests at my workshops have enjoyed as well!

Without further ado, I give you...
Day #4 - Gift Card Holder




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Step 1:  Cut cardstock to 4 1/4" x 11"
Step 2:  Score at 3, 5 1/2, 8

 
 
 



 

 

Step 3: Fold in middle, making a mountain. Then fold each side downward to make valleys.

 

 

 

 

 
  



 Step 4:  Flip cardstock over, making your mountain into a valley. Adhere tape as seen below.

 
 
 
 
 



Step 5:  Press the middle together.
Step 6:  Punch middle section with word window punch (I've also added a circle punch in middle at times)








 

Step 7: Clip middle piece out with scissors, snip rounded corners at end (aka beautify)

Step 8: Add gift card to newly formed pouch.

  

 

Step 9:  Decorate as desired.

VOILA!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why don't you go take a gander at Ruth's matching project?  Click on the icon below to see the project/review, and enter the giveaway too - time's almost up!!! :)  

WAIT! Don't forget how much I *love* to read your comments - what do you think of today's project?

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)

Crystal