Christmas Cards Day 6

Another simple Christmas card for you:

I kind of wish I had taken a group shot, I made 12 of these and they looked so pretty all lined up!

Papers: CTMH Believe Level 2 kit

Stamps: CTMH D1498 Art Philosophy Seasons(tree)

SU Season of Joy(sentiment)

Christmas Cards Day 5

Can you believe I've posted 5 days in a row?  I've been pretty lazy with my blog lately, but that's just because my life keeps getting in the way.  I like these recent short and sweet posts... quick and easy just like my Christmas cards have been.

This card wasn't exactly quick with all the heat embossing, but if you set it up assembly-line-style it doesn't take too long. Nothing beats heat embossing for a little bit of shimmer without too much bling:

Snowflakes were cut out with the CTMH Cricut Art Philosphy cartridge, then stamped with the coordinating snowflake images from D1480 Snowflakes stamp set in versamark,  then heat embossed using silver and pearl. Added a little extra sparkle with some rhinestones and silver ribbon. Papers are from CTMH Wonderland Paper kit.  This card is really pretty up close, click on it to see for yourself.

Thanks for popping in today!

Lorrinda

Christmas Cards Day 4

I believe this was a Mojo Monday sketch from days gone by...a great pattern for using up scrap strips of paper:

Paper: CTMH Mistletoe Level 2 kit (retired)

Snowflake : CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge

Thanks for popping by, be back soon with more Christmas cards!

Lorrinda

Christmas Cards Day 3

Another cased Christmas card for you.  I was inspired by a beautiful card made by Darleen Adamo, and I wish I could find the link to post here, but I had this saved in my inspiration folder b.p.(before pinterest)  Now I pin inspiring ideas to my pin boards on Pinterest, so finding links will be a snap.

It's hard to see in the photo, but I stamped a glittery snowflake in the center cutout portion using CTMH Create a Shade Pearl Paint.

Stay tuned for more Christmas cards!

Lorrinda

Christmas Cards Day 2

As promised, here's another set of cards I made for this year's collection.

And the same card, just flipped sideways:

Stamp: CTMH C1469 December 25th

Card base and cut shapes made with CTMH Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge Z1686

I totally cased these cards from CTMH TV.  Here is a handy dandy video tutorial:

Want some more crafty holiday video inspiration?

Check out CTMH TV

Lorrinda

Going Postal...Christmas Cards Day 1

I am so unprepared for Christmas this year!  I had most of my decorations up by the end of November, and thought that I was on track this year....but I just realized that it will be Christmas next weekend!  NEXT weekend!! I have made a few online purchases, but I am no where near the end of my Christmas list.  

I have been tinkering away at my Christmas cards since Halloween, so at least I have that done...but I still haven't mailed them. Before I go postal, I figured I would snap some photos to share with you over the next few days.  I don't usually make bulk cards, but at Christmas I try to make at least 6 of each style. Assembly line cardmaking means I get lots done quickly, but I have to keep the design fairly simple.

Please excuse the poor lighting, I've been going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark, so it's been tough to get any decent natural light for my camera.

This is a quick and easy card, and I liked how it turned out so I made another variation using the opposite piece of the torn white paper:

Paper: CTMH Wonderland Level 2 Pack

Stamps: C1468 Winter Joy (kids) and

                  D1480 Snowflakes (sentiment)

Make sure to check back, as I will be posting the rest of my Christmas cards over the next few days.

Lorrinda

Medallions Challenge

Say that 10 times fast!

I made this card for the Championing Award Medallions Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

The challenge is to make something that incorporates a 3 dimensional medallion in an innovative way.  I was in Christmas card mode and I couldn't figure out how to use a medallion for Christmas other than on a tag...then it hit me to make a tree out of it!  What do you think?  I have a gazillion brads so I went all out with the silver mini brads.  I like to bling-bling my Christmas cards, don't you? 

This card will probably be attached to a gift, so I wasn't worried about the weight or the thickness, but it would probably require a padded envelope for mailing. 

Thanks for popping by today!
Lorrinda

Supplies used all CTMH unless noted otherwise:
Paper: Mistletoe Level 2 Pack
Sentiment Stamp: D1243 Peace on Earth
Red Sparkles Z1326
Bitty Brads-metal Z1368
Cranberry Ink

SU Silver elastic cord
SU Border punch
Create Impress snowflake brad

Moxie Fab World: Random Fun Challenge

I'm not missing....I've just taken an unintentional extended crafting/blogging break.  I was only planning to slack over the summer, but then life just sucked me in.  I'm sure you can understand the demands on a working Mom who decided she needed a new kitchen...'nuff said.  Plus, I am officially addicted to Pinterest. Don't know what Pinterest is? Trust me, you don't want to know! Seriously, don't look it up or you will be sucked in to your computer and will never get out.  Don't. Go. There. Consider yourself warned.

Even Pinterest couldn't keep me from following along with my favorite crafting blogs, and I came across the Moxie Fab World 365 Cards Week  .  The new Papercraft special issue 365 Cards celebrates a card for every day of the year, including some wacky holidays and silly celebrations. There's a whole week of challenges, just what I needed to get away from Pinterest my crafty mojo kick-started back into gear!

Did you know there is a National Margarita Day?? Me neither! It's February 22, which I think is perfect, because here in Canada that is getting to the end run of a very long winter and I know I could really enjoy a margarita about then (but I could really enjoy a margarita on any given day :)

I just happen to have the perfect card for Moxie Fab World's Random Fun Challenge:

 

I made this card back in January, but I haven't given it to anyone because it`s one of my favorites and it would cost a premium to mail with all those brads...it's sitting on my display shelf in my craftroom just waiting to be entered in a challenge celebrating National Margarita Day! (So if some of my followers recognize this card, please don`t slam me for case-ing myself!)

Winter is just starting here, and this relaxing beach scene along with some Jimmy Buffet on my ipod is just what I need to mentally escape the cold dark winter months ahead. I think I'm just going to keep this card for myself.  Anyone want to join me for a margarita?  I found some great cocktail recipes on Pinterest that I want to try...

Thanks for checking out my blog!

Lorrinda

Recipe:

All product CTMH

Stamps: D1228 Chillin' (sentiment), B1351 You're Sweet (lime)

Inks: Pear, Sky, Sorbet

Paper: cs in Sky, Sorbet, and Colonial White

Pear B&T duo paper from Olivia Level 2 pack

Vellum

Brads: Spring, Summer and Basic Assortments

Opaques in Pearl and Mocha

Liquid Glass

Prisma Glitter

Techniques: masking, brayer and sponge backgrounds, paper tearing, edge distressing 

Tombstone/Pushing Daisies Cake

A quick post today.

My friend and coworker recently celebrated her 50th birthday, and of course I had to make her a cake!

Her first grandbaby was born just 2 days later, so I guess we can say her youth is "officially" pushing daisies now that she is a wise and respected Grandma!  But since she is someone who neither looks nor acts 50 years old, I didn't feel one bit bad poking fun at her with this cake. She was a great sport about it too. 

Here's hoping the next 50 years are as good as the first...Happy Birthday Heidi!

This cake is fondant-free (yucky stuff), all yummy buttercream frosting.  To make the letters, I put the cake in the fridge until the frosting was stiff, then I used my CTMH alphabet stamps to create the letter impressions in the icing, and filled in the color with a small paintbrush and black petal dust mixed with vanilla to make an edible paint. Turned out pretty good!  The daisies are royal icing.

Back to business...

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted anything here! 

Did you miss me? 

I had decided to take some time off this summer because we were crazy busy with summer activities and a complete kitchen reno, but then found that sending the kids back to school did not revive my crafty mojo as I had hoped. 

Our home was a mess after the construction, and as I tried to stay on top of the drywall dust I realized that we just have too much stuff!  I've been busy cleaning out closets and storage boxes, trying to simplify and de-clutter.  Why do I hang on to so much crap? It's starting to look and feel better but I still have more to do.

My new kitchen is almost finished, but still needs some trim and window coverings before I'll have the "after" pictures to share. 

I miss you all!  I have been in my craft room this week, and will soon have some new projects ready for my blog.   For now I have some tasty photos to share!

 My talented daughter did this for Thanksgiving:

Best. Veggie. Tray. EVER! Jenna rocks!!

My hubby did an 18 lb turkey outside in the turkey fryer, and stupid me forgot to take a picture. But I will say that it was awesome!  Sit down supper for 12 was a good way to break in the new kitchen!  Why, oh why, did I not get any photos of Thanksgiving dinner this year!? (Hey gang, if anyone took any photos please email them to me!)

For dessert, I made a 4 layer Pumpkin cake with

whipped cream cheese filling

topped with pecans and drizzled with caramel...

 can you believe there was none left over??!! 

Nothing beats Thanksgiving leftovers, and I made an extra large cake on purpose so now what am I supposed to have for breakfast this week? Huh?

I am so glad that sugar doesn't soak in by osmosis,

because I also made this cake last week:

This one was made for my friend Shirley. 

She has 5 family birthdays in fall, and they were all together at her home last weekend for Thanksgiving. She ordered a fall birthday cake for 5. Notice the 5 little turkeys? 

This one is a 2 layer pumpkin cake with a caramel/pecan filling and all cream cheese frosting. The figures are made of sugar gumpaste.

So, I've had enough sugar for a while. I am suffering from paper and glue withdrawal though, so hope to get my fingers sticky and inky this weekend!

Thanks for not un-following me in my blogging absence,

I will try to get back to posting more regularly now that I've had a break!

Lorrinda

Another one of those "special" birthdays...

I know, every birthday is special as long as we're around to celebrate it.  But some birthdays are just more special than others.  You know, those milestone birthdays...
We recently celebrated my Dad's 65th birthday in style...the entire family spent it together on a Vacation Houseboat on Shuswap Lake in BC.

Since 65 is one of those "special" birthdays, I really wanted to make my Dad a great cake, but it would have been too hard to take it on the 3 day road trip we took just getting to the lake.  So I made him this special card instead:

Some of you may recall seeing others like this that I've made. 

I have made several of these Birthday Year cards books for family members. 

I have a full tutorial with pics for you on THIS POST.

Here are the inside pages,

click the pics to enlarge them if you're interested in reading the text.  Some of these trivia tidbits were really interesting to research:)

Thanks for not un-following me as I have been a very lazy blogger this summer!

Lorrinda

 

Recipe:

(All product CTMH unless noted)

X7137B Lucky Level 2 Paper Pack

Cardstock in Cocoa, Outdoor Denim, Desert Sand

Inks in Cocoa, Outdoor Denim, Desert Sand

Stamps: C1439 Enjoy Life, D1495 You & Me

 Z1387 Wooden buttons

Z1371Blue buttons Assortment

Z280 natural Hemp

Retired Pewter accents medley

Ribbon scraps

Cricut and Plantin' Schoolbook Cartridge

We interrupt this summer break for a candle project

How's everyone enjoying their summer?  Between kitchen renovation and family camping trips my summer has been anything but lazy.  I came back from a long weekend at the lake to find 375 unread posts on my Google Reader! So much crafty inspiration...so little time.

I haven't posted anything crafty for a while, so I thought I'd share my candle project with you.  My Mom is one of 6 girls, and they get together every year for a "Sister's Weekend".  They always bring little gifts for each other, and this year Mom asked me to make something for her to give each of them. 

She loved the candles I made:

These were super easy to make.  I started with inexpensive 3" pillar candles from Ikea. 

The sentiment was done with my printer onto white tissue paper (tape the tissue paper to a sheet of regular office paper so it doesn't bunch up in the printer) Then trim the excess away around each logo, smooth it down onto the candle, cover it with a piece of waxed paper large enough to wrap around the entire candle with enough to grab onto to keep it tight, and carefully heat it with the heat gun until the logo is set into the wax. Then remove the waxed paper...viola! Custom candle.

I wrapped some matching ribbon around the base of each candle, and it it just held on by the brad in the center of the flowers pushed into the candle like a stick pin.

The big one is 5" and has an angel charm on it for their sister Leona who passed away from Breast Cancer 3 years ago. I really miss her. They kept this one burning all weekend while they were together.

This was a fun project. Thanks for visiting my blog, and a special thanks to my followers who have stuck with me while I've been pretty much AWOL this summer.  Summers in Alberta are just too short to spend in a basement craft room, I'll be back to regular posting when the kids are back in school.

Lorrinda

Kitchen Reno Update

Hi there!  Just thought I'd pop in with a kitchen update.  I have been so busy that I haven't even stepped into my craft room in the past 2 weeks.  But I have been painting so I guess that counts as crafty, right?

So, if you remember my last post, we had just finished the drywall. Since then I had to put 2 coats of paint on the ceiling of the entire space, all by myself:

If I never paint another ceiling in my life it will be too soon!

Then I painted the kitchen and adjoining laundry room:

The color is Benjamin Moore "Stone House", nice and calm.  I may still paint one wall blue...I'll have to wait and see when it's all done. Just ignore that hole in the wall under the window, it's an access panel for the dishwasher plumbing, and will be hidden when the cabinets are done.

Then we got kicked out of the house and had to move into the camper while the flooring was installed.  New flooring was put in front of the front door (shown) and the back door in the laundry room, so we couldn't even get into the house until all was finished.

Isn't it purty??  Was just finished YESTERDAY.

Talk about a tight schedule...we just had enough time to move the appliances in and get things cleaned up.  Then this morning THIS beautiful van showed up:

And this is the view from my front step right now:

See?  We've been so busy in the house we haven't even mowed the lawn...not really, it's been raining all week so we just couldn't get it cut and all the rain does is make it grow faster. Today is a beautiful day, and by tonight I should have most of the cabinets installed. 

Thanks to Peter and Vince:

I'll be back with another update soon.  Sorry if you popped by looking for some crafty ideas, I am too tired to even think about making anything crafty, but I do have the new CTMH Idea Books, and I did get time to order some new supplies (I always have the energy to spend money!). 

Thanks for popping in!  If anyone has any advice for adding some pops of color into my overly beige new kitchen/family room I'd love some ideas?

Lorrinda

Just checking in...

Hi all!  I thought I should check in to my poor neglected blog and let my followers know why I have been such a bad blogger lately....

We decided to start a complete kitchen reno this summer.  I could stop right here and I'm sure you'd all understand, but I have pictures to share! 

Important NOTE: I like to think of myself as a scrapbooker, but I am 15 years behind on my pictures so I figure if I blog it then it is an actual recorded event...am I right? (I am also taking Stacy Julian's online course 'Finding Photo Freedom' at Big Picture Classes right now, so maybe someday soon I will stop thinking that I am 15 years behind with my photos...wish me luck with that...I'm already 4 weeks behind on the course!  Remind me again why I thought I would have time to do a 10 week online workshop while I was starting a kitchen reno???? I'm glad that my registration allows me unlimited access to the course materials so I can revisit this as a winter project.)

Here is my kitchen BEFORE:

For a 30 year old kitchen, it's really not that bad...

But...the counter top is all chipped and the flooring is in really bad shape.  The cabinet color isn't so bad, but those stupid door pulls in the middle of the doors have always bugged me, and the drawers are warped and don't work very well anymore.

And since we moved in 11 years ago, we have wanted to knock out this closet/pantry wall to open up the kitchen and family room.

This was the kitchen last week.  Removed the cabinets and scraped off the backsplash tiles. Discovered some creative wiring behind the range hood, and realized we forgot to mark the stove outlet on the plans and would have to move it to the right 6 inches...and of course there was not enough wire so we had to fish a new electrical line in. There was some colorful language when my big hubby had to crawl into the tiny attic space to do the wiring, but we are still happily married (for now, things may change by next week).

Here is my kitchen today.  Making progress.  All the drywall repairs are done, ceiling almost finished. Don't you just love my new plastic drapes?  They are all over my house right now until the wall sanding is done, but even with the plastic there is a lovely film of white dust covering virtually every surface in my home.  I should be able to start with a primer in a couple of days, then I have the ultimate joy (not) of painting the ceilings.

My new cabinets are scheduled to be here on July 25th, and before then I have to prime and paint my kitchen and laundry room (and I still can't decide on a color, I'm thinking teal blue), repaint the ceilings, and remove all the yukky peel and stick vinyl tiles from the floor. And hubby has to fix the holes in the subfloor, move a couple of floor registers, and cut in the stove outlet. In case anyone else is worried, we do have a real electrician coming to do the work on the breaker box and hook up the stove outlets. My man is a trained plumber however, so he will come in handy when we finally get to put in the new sink and dishwasher. Hopefully that will happen before the kids go back to school!  Then I can get him started on a new bathroom...

So, now you know why I haven't been spending much time in my craftroom this summer. Fear not! I am having severe paper withdrawal symptoms, and the new CTMH Idea Book will be out soon...so just as soon as I can find the time I will get back to creating! I have been keeping up with blogland over my morning pot cups of coffee, and have been following along with all the CTMH gals tweeting from the big convention in Disneyland (I really wish I was there!)

Thank you all for hanging in there while I renovate!

Lorrinda

If you can read this, THANK A TEACHER!

Today's post is sadly my last one as a member of the Heart 2 Heart Design Team :(

It has been such a great experience to be in the company of such fabulously talented ladies for the past 6 months.  Each week the challenges have pushed me out of my creative box, and being on a Design Team with these gals has motivated me to bring my A game!  We've all become friends through our little chats behind the scenes, and I really hope to get to meet them all face to face one day.  I feel so honored to have had this design team opportunity!  If you get a chance this week, pop in to their blogs for a visit, and sign up to be a follower if you aren't already:
Debbie: http://www.scrapmyheartout.blogspot.com/
Haley: http://inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/
Jessica: http://www.jessicaspaperpetals.blogspot.com/
Jody: http://cre8nmemories.blogspot.com/
Karen: http://www.kdaycreations.blogspot.com/
Mary: http://www.mbryt1.blogspot.com/
Melinda: http://www.ifyoublingittheywillcome.blogspot.com/

I will continue to stalk their blogs on a daily basis :), but I will really miss being a part of this team.  However, our term is up and it's time to pass the torch on to some new talent!  Keep your eye on the H2H challenge blog for the new Design Team introductions, and please give the new designers a warm welcome.

Before I get all choked up, I better share the details of  this week's challenge.

This week H2H has a color challenge for us:

My kids have had really great teachers again this year, and today is the last day of school (Yay!...? This used to be such a happy day for me, before I became a Mom... just kidding...I think...)

 I wanted to include a little something to thank them for being a part of my kids' lives.  I made them each this cute bookworm card to go with a little gift:

Recipe: All product CTMH:

Stamps: B1380 Mayberry WOTG, C1322 Gratitude (Retired), and D1290 August Word Puzzle (Retired)

Paper: Bamboo, Barn Red, Blue from X7137B Lucky Paper Pack

Inks: Barn Red, Indian Corn Blue, Desert Sand, Sunflower

Z1371 Blue Button Assortment

Z906 Bamboo Waxy Flax

Z1099 Twill Ribbon (Retired)

and googly eyes from my stash :) 

Want to play along with us?  Now it's your turn to use these fabulous colors on a project.  Don't forget you must use some CTMH products...then link it up at H2H so we can all pop by for a peek.  Each entry has a chance to win a fantastic prize from our lovely sponsors, and a place in our Top 10 at the end of the month.

One last thing:

I want to share the inside of my card with all of you today:

Summer is always so busy for us, the kids are home from school, the yard needs maintenance, weekends are spent in our camper (with no internet), and just to make it extra crazy around here we've decided to begin a complete kitchen renovation.  I have no idea when I will get a chance to get into my craft room for the next few weeks, so I may not be posting to my blog very much this summer.  I will keep checking in with some of my favorite blogs that are in my Google Reader, and will try to leave some comments along the way.  Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this little blog...I'm just taking it easy where I can this summer, and am giving you fair warning that I'm gonna be a lazy blogger for a couple of months. 

A big THANK YOU to all my followers and to everyone who has taken the time to leave me a comment here. 

HAVE  A  GREAT  SUMMER!

Lorrinda

H2H BINGO!

Hi there!

Today the Heart 2 Heart Challenge blog is playing BINGO! 
We would love to have you come by and play:)


Here is the bingo card:

Draw a straight line in any direction, and use those 3 elements on your project this week. I had fun with this challenge :)

My bingo line goes through DOILY, FLOWERS, LACE:

After I posted the photo, I'm thinking that this card could have used some stitching around the edges...but I was too busy this week to get back into my craft room to add it. (Summer activities are gearing up and I don't have a lot of spare time to craft.)  So now this looks unfinished to me. Oh well, sometimes I have to remind myself that it's just a card and the recipient really won't care!  (I found a sign on Pinterest that says "Done is better than perfect", I think I need to make one for my wall.)

Here's a close up of the flower cluster, they are just simple rolled paper roses sitting on top of crochet lace flowers:

Stop by H2H to see what the other DT gals did with their bingo cards. Wanna play too?  Pick a bingo in a straight line in any direction on the card above, and create something with those 3 elements on it using CTMH products.  Post it on your blog and link it up at H2H so we can all pop by for a peek. Each entry has a chance to win one of the prizes donated by our generous sponsors, and we'll be picking our faves for the Top 10 at the end of the month.

Not only did I get to play bingo, but I got to finally use this stamp set to make a card for the Moxie Fab World "I'm Sew Excited" challenge.  (I love it when I can get one card to fit more than one challenge:)  But I still think I should have added some stitching...

Thanks for stopping by today!

Lorrinda

Recipe:

(All materials CTMH unless noted)

Paper: X7133B Miracle Level 2 Paper Pack

Stamps: C1442 Tailor Made, D1472 Simple Memories (Doily)

Ink: White Daisy, Desert Sand and Bamboo

Z1136 Crochet flowers from White Daisy Mini Medley

Z673 White Daisy Embossing Powder

Z1127 Stitched brown ribbon from Chocolate Ribbon Rounds Collection

Eyelet lace scrap and stick pins from my stash

H2H From Our Heart to Yours...Creating Background Paper for Dad

Hello there!

This week's Heart 2 Heart challenge is to create your own background paper for a Father's Day card.  The Design Team has made some fabulous cards with their own background techniques, and since this is a 'From Our Heart to Yours' challenge...we're sharing tutorials of what we did :)
Their links are over on my sidebar, or you can see all of their projects at once HERE.

I used a couple of different background techniques on my card this week:

Random Stamping on the Hawaiian shirt:

Started with a 4x6" piece of paper.

I stuck 4 small stamps on my block to keep the pattern uniform, and then just filled the paper with it:

To fold the shirt, just google origami shirt-fold and you'll get an assortment of tutorials to choose from.

Sponged Background Scene:

Start with your piece of blank cardstock. Mask off the sun with a circle of scrap paper and a temp bond tape that can be easily removed.  Then mask off the horizon with post-its, cover the bottom edge of the sun too.

Then I used a sponge and Sunny Yellow ink and dabbed and rubbed until it was even.

Next I used Smoothie ink, and filled in the rest of the sky.

Then I grabbed the Sunny Yellow again and went over the entire sky to blend them together.

Remove the post-its and you should have this. Leave the circle mask on for now.

Now use post-its to mask the horizon line, line them up right along the edge of the sky.

I sponged Sunset ink for the water, leaving a strip of white beneath the sun to look like a reflection.  Remove the post-its mask.

Then I sponged the edge of the reflection with Sunny Yellow, and blended the colors.  The trick with this sponging technique is to build up the color in layers so you don't get smears/blotches of ink.

To make the waves, I just cut a random wavy edge on a scrap of paper, and held it in place while I sponged with Smoothie Ink. Randomly move the edge and ink along it until you have a wave pattern.

Now you can remove the circle mask...

Cover the horizon line with the edge of scrap paper, and lightly sponge on Sunset ink to get the water line.

And there is your sunset scene!

The rest of the Design Team have more 'From Our Heart to Yours' goodness for you here.  Do go to each of their blogs to learn what they did, and leave them some love while you are there...we all love getting comments :)

We'd love to see what you can come up with!  Create your own background paper for a Father's Day project, and link it up at H2H so we can all see!  Each entry has a chance to win a prize from our June sponsors, and yours could make it into our Top 10 for a crack at a future Guest Designer spot.

Thanks for visiting today!

Lorrinda

All supplies used from CTMH unless noted:

Paper for shirt: from X7129B Hooligans Level2 paper pack

Cardstock: White Daisy, Black, Lagoon

Inks: Black, Sunny Yellow, Sunset, Smoothie

Stamps: D1470 Dreams Come True (flowers), B1376 Wings (leaves), D1423 Happy Forever and D1288 June Word Puzzle (Sentiments, both stamps retired)

Z1393 Black Mini-Medley (mini button brads)

Black hemp string

Sponges

Post-It notes and removable tape for masking.