Friday, September 16, 2011

Scrappin’ STARS ~ September Blog Hop by SUStars

Welcome to my little piece of scrapping here - you should have arrived from Eileen LeFevre's blog if you are following the SUStars blog hop. The next stop is down at the bottom. A link to the home stop so you can go back to the beginning is also at the end of this post.

(Psst - my post is up early - I have had it scheduled for a couple of weeks - and just added the links and couldn't wait, so it's up Friday night - the blog hop actually starts Saturday morning, Sept 17)

This really is no big secret, but I was a scrapper before I was a stamper. I started scrapping when my youngest daughter Katie (who is 24 today, September 17 – Happy birthday, mi bebe!) was 4 years old. That means I started scrapping – wow – 20 years ago!

My friend Kim is really responsible for me beginning to scrap. We lived in the beautiful town of Iola, Texas ~ one block off Main Street on a dirt road in the church parsonage as my husband Bo was the pastor of the Baptist church in town there. One weekend we packed the kids in the car and went to Houston for a few days to see family and friends since that is where we are both from (we’re high school sweethearts Winking smile ).

We got to visit with Kim and her husband Greg, and Kim was showing me some scrapbooks she had started for her kids. I was SO excited about this great idea. Having always been into painting and creating things, I couldn’t wait to get back home and start pulling out pictures and put them in albums in a creative way. Turns out, it’s a really good thing I was so excited that I pulled them out before I unpacked. Unbeknownst to us, while we were gone the air conditioner pan had overflowed and was running down the wall of the little closet where ALL my photos, including my formal wedding pictures in their humongous white leather album were. The water (I can still see it in my mind’s eye) was only an inch or two from my wedding portraits!!!!

If not for Kim and her sharing nature, I would not have some of the pictures I so love to have scrapped over the years!

So, speaking of sharing, I have some things to share with you!

I used to make and sell a LOT of scrapbook pages, mini albums and scrappin’ lunch boxes on eBay, back in the heyday when you could make some serious money doing so. One of my favorite projects was to make a quick mini album like this one. this particular one was done with my stampers one year.

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I’m not going to share the whole thing due to the fact that you have several other blogs to hop to, but this mini album included pages like this:

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and was given to my mom. I think I still ended up putting the pictures in it for her :).

Currently, I pretty much scrap 12x12, mostly two page layouts, and have a ton of layouts I could share, but will limit myself to a few favorites:

One of the layouts from the album I created for Katie when she graduated high school and left home for the first time…The first sets of layouts were based on a song sung by Sandi Patty called, “Masterpiece”, but as they are not all SU, those are a share for another day…. this one celebrates just one tournament of many that Katie played in.

softball combined

…and a layout celebrating my first grandbaby, Ava – who is now a bit over 3…

(Circle Circus © Stampin’ Up! 1990-2012)

Circle Circus

I love Circle Circus and the circle punches from SU made this a snap to create. Some circles are popped up on dimensionals. On the title piece, I goofed up and smudged a stamping when I had it almost done, so I took the 3/4 inch circle punch and punched out a few holes to cover up – how did I do?

…and more recently, Emma, Ava’s baby sister, now 8 months old

(and yes, that’s my in the green jacket, and my hubby, Bo, in the next picture, and Katie in that great sunlit photo)

All letters and punch art shapes by SU – Big Shot for the alpha letters.

And Ava and Emma’s mommy, Kari – my oldest daughter – growing up pictures with Katie, and then the two of them with Ava at about a year old.

How quickly they grow SU ONLY 10-09

White gel pen, Big Shot letters and flower – simple, simple sketch!

Finally, a layout that means so very much to me because, however I started scrapbooking, it has become such a vital part of my life, and is so much cheaper than therapy ;)

January 2010 My heritage

My Heritage is the name of this layout – from the left are my mother’s parents and Uncle John, my dad’s parents and my sister Connie – they died the year I was born and this was taken before I was here. Then, my mom and dad’s wedding photo, in the middle, the two of them in uniform – Daddy was in the Army Air Corps and mom was a Cadet Nurse. Next a photo of my mom’s daddy, who died when I was only 7, and my Aunt Carolyn who died when I was 17, with her baby daughter Lisa, who was born on my 8th birthday.

Finally, my mom and daddy, holding the three granddaughters they had at the time. Hannah (4/15) my sister’s first grand, Ava (7/3) my first grand, and Zoe, born in August to our cousin/brother, John (long story – but he’s my big brother – trust me!). Daddy died in March of 2011.

I hope that you were inspired by my layouts and mini album. Please come back for more scrapbook sharing this week!

Click here for the next stop on the blog hop - Carol Parcell's blog: www.cjstamps.blogspot.com

http://su-stars.blogspot.com

Monday, September 5, 2011

A little Halloween surprise

I am not a big Halloweenie kind of a girl, but my kids always enjoyed it growing up, and I know that my stampers with kids and grandkids (like me!) will appreciate these projects. (Cue door bell ring as my three year old granddaughter drives her John Deere tractor over from their house which is in front of hours. Pause to text her daddy so he knows she came over here and doesn’t worry, lol.)

Next week for my Stampin’ Saturday club, we are making a couple of Sour Cream Containers (SCC) for Halloween. Now, the cool thing about these little containers is that you can get up to 6 from ONE piece of 12X12 Designer Series Paper (DSP), and they are SO easy to make!

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The instructions are not hard to find on the web with tons of samples, but here is what I did to create these cute little critters:

o Cut DSP to 4X5.5 (6 per one piece of DSP – I used Frightful Sight 122351)

o Sticky strip (p 206) on two long sides and one short side

where to tape

o Peel sticky off short side and make it a tube.

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o Peel sticky off one long side and squeeze that end/edge together to make one end of the SCC.

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o Fill with wrapped candy and seal other end perpendicular to the first.

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o Crimp ends with paper crimper (p 207) by inserting end into the wrong side of the crimper as far as it will go and then turning handle. You know it’s the wrong end because the little arrow I’m pointing to indicates the right end Smile

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o Punch hole with 1/16” punch (p 212) and run White Baker’s Twine (p 194) through that and the punchart piece, tying a knot to hold it.

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o Stamp sentiment, punch with Modern Label (p 209).

o Spritz with Color Spritzer Tool (p 203) and markers (p 202).

Some have asked how to get different sprays out of the spritzer – simple adjust how hard you squeeze along with the distance from the paper.

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o Use dimensionals (p 206) to attach punched sentiment over string. (The ‘ghost’, of course, is the Owl builder punch with the ears cut off, and googlie eyes. The Spider is a circle with rhinestone eyes and lattice die legs)

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Happy Labor Day!!!

Friday, September 2, 2011

HOLIDAY MINI – Now LIVE!

 

Welcome Holiday Mini!!!!!!

Above you’ll see a picture I’ve been just dying to share with you for a couple of weeks – there is so much goodness in this mini, you just won’t believe it until you see it!

Beautiful new rubber, buttons – HUGE buttons – a Big Shot stocking die – it’s not just for Christmas, either, nosirree…. gorgeous fabric, glittery embellie, awesome new Designer Series Paper and my huge favorite – Simply Scored.

There are so many wonderful things in here, it’s hard to know where to start!

Diving in this evening, and plan to create some fun, which I’ll share with you!

What are YOU going to order from the mini?