Cleaning Out my Stash.....

I'm cleaning out my stash before I get lost in my craft room and never able to find my way out again.  I'll be listing new lots of scrapbook items on eBay all week.  All auctions starting at 99 cents!!!  If you or anyone you know is looking to fill out their scrapbook supplies, just send them along to my auctions here.


Here are some of things I have listed currently.

There are close up pictures in my auctions.

Not Lost...Some Cosmo Cricket for you...

 
I'm not lost fellow crafty gurus.  Just a reminder for those newly following my blog...every quarter I get bogged down in a crunch time with my tax work.  It's a bummer on the craft mojo BUT it helps keep me in my craft room and not out on the street.  So if I disappear for a couple of weeks, you know I'm just up late at night crunching numbers instead of paper.

Tammy from Lil' Lambs Boutique just sent me a whole passel full of new kits and joy, joy, joy...I've got Christmas goodies for you.  I've seen quite a few cute Christmas lines so far.  Tammy is carrying both the Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather paper line or if you like matching embellies, take a look at her Mitten Weather Deluxe Kit.  Here is layout number 1 using the Deluxe kit.  I made it for a challenge on a scrapping forum I frequent.  The challenge was to scraplift a layout from Suzanne S seen here.  Below is my take on her layout.

I used the Martha Stewart Layered Arches border punch to add some red to the edges. The border around the outer part of the page was created using a SandyLion border stamp that my friend Donna blessed me with (including a bunch more stamps which I hope to use soon, thanks Lady!!).  After stamping the edge in Sepia Ink, I added Ruby Red Liquid Pearls in between the arches.

I have to say that I really love the purple that Cosmo added into this standard Christmas color line. I think it makes it stand out from your average Christmas line.  It gives you that alternative to go full on Christmas or just a more wintry type of layout.  Either way, I think you'll enjoy using it.

This layout is dedicated to all of you that have been sportin' a 100+ degrees the past couple of months!!!

Monday's Treasure Find

Hmmm, so somebody forgot to remind me that yesterday was Monday.  That means Monday Treasure Find day on the great world wide web.  Sorry, I completely blanked.  Today's treasure is for all you ATC makers, vintage clip art, shabby chic, collage artists.  The Graphics Fairy posts a new find everyday of royalty free vintage clip art.  She really has something for everyone and is worth checking out.  She even has Request it Thursdays where you can leave your requests.  If she can find them, she fills them.


Here are some of her graphics that I've captured for later use.  You can find these and more at The Graphics Fairy blog.

Happy Monday Tuesday!

Let's make Christmas Cards on the hottest day of the year!

There's nothing like having your snowman melting while you're coloring him, right?  We are heating up, up, up the thermometer here on the East Coast.  I have nothing to complain about though, because this is much better than 3 feet of snow.  However, it does make working on Christmas cards a touch interesting.  I created this little guy from a new challenge website I found called Christmas Stampin' All Year Long.  I love it!  What better way to get half of your Chritmas cards made then to do one a week and have someone else provide you with the inspiration.  This week's challenge is a sketch challenge. 

I'm plowing through all my older papers and using my stash of "must haves" from years gone by.  It's hard but you can do it too!  I will be sending this card off to Operation Write Home.  Will I get any of my own Christmas cards done?  Probably not many, but this gives me happies in my heart to send this off for a soldier to use.

The sketch challenge ends today, so if you hurry, you can still get one in.

Copic Sketch Markers
Background: W1, W3, W5, W7, colorless blender
Stars: E11, E21, E33, colorless blender
Snowmen: C1, B02, B14, BG05, R22, E09, E21, E33, colorless blender, Inkssentials White Pen
Digital Stamp: Sassy Cheryl's
Paper: KI Memories (Alpine Collection)
Ranger: Inkssential's White Opaque Marker
Sentiment: Studio G
Brads: Queen & Co, Creative Impressions (Stars) 

Monochrome Mania

  

Ever since I found the My Cardz blog, that I mentioned in last week's Treasure Find, I've been dreaming of trying a monochromatic card.  So here it is...my first attempt.  I definitely need practice but I'm not completely appalled with my first try. It wasn't easy but it was fun.  I will mention I did a practice run first before doing the card.  The Pixie Cottage challenge for this past week was to create a card using a sketch by Jay Jay, with a twist of stamping twice...which I managed to get in.

I will try this again.  If you have done any monochromatic work, please leave me a link so I can check it out.  This is one of the cards going into a batch for Operation Write Home.  If you are a cardmaker and have some time and too many supplies like me, then this a great organization to work with.

Copic Sketch Markers: C1, C3, C5, C7, colorless blender
Stamp: Sandra Hammer
Paper: Basic Grey Ambrosia
Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities
Punches: McGill Flower Punch
Ranger: Inkssential's White Opaque Marker, Distress Inks (Black Soot), Clear Embossing Powder
Sentiment: Maker Unknown  

Now what page was I on?

If you're a reader like me, then you typically have 3-5 books going at one time, around the house.  I usually have a devotional, a non-fiction, a drama and one of my kids school books going all at once.  So bookmarks are needed a plenty here.  Even the girls usually have a chapter book or two going at the same time. 

So guess how delighted I was to see that the new Copic Creations challenge involved my favorite thing...reading.  Yes, I think I even like reading better than scrapping...but only by a smidge.  If you have children, may I encourage to pick up a book with them daily.  Not only does it make great snuggle time, but increases their vocabulary and love for learning.  Copic Creations is featurning Elizabeth O. Dulemba, children's author and illustrator.  So what could their theme be this month?  Why anything related to reading of course: bookmarks, book gift card holders, book charts, etc...  Elizabeth even has a page full of free downloads for coloring and boy are they cute.  When I was looking through all the images, I saw the one below and instantly knew this one was the one for my bookmark.  I can just see this happening at our house somedays. 

Since it was one of the few non-cutsey illustrations, I wanted to dress up the bookmark by using a clear background.  I grabbed some Basic Grey Cappella Scraps, did some fussy cutting and adhered the flower design to the clear tag.   I added the journal tag and backed it with a border.  Finally, I dotted the edges with Liquid Pearls.

This one will promptly go into my current read: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle.


Copic Sketch Markers 
Couples' skin: E000, E00, E11, E21, E33, R20
Lady hair: E09, E11, E33, YR24, white highlights
Lady dress: G21, G40, G82, G99, C7, colorless blender
Man Hair/Hat/Shoes: C1, C3, C5, C7, C9, colorless blender, white highlights
Man Suit: E09, E25, E59, C9
Paper: Basic Grey Cappella
Ranger: Inkssential's White Opaque Marker, Liquid Pearls (Petal Pink)
Illustration by Elizabeth O Dulemba
Punches: Fiskars (Threading Water)

Monday's Treasure Find

Today is a heartwarming treasure find for you all.  As I've been making a lot of cards lately, I've been perusing many card related blogs.  I ran into a link for this page for Operation Write Home. 

Their Mission: Supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them.

What an incredible service these ladies are coordinating and completing.  I've decided to send all the cards I make in the next two weeks to OWH.  There is still time to send Christmas cards for the servicemen to use.  I have family and friends that are far from home, fighting for the freedoms this country has today.  I absolutely want to be a part of something to help brighten their day or make life a bit easier for them.  I challenge my readers to join with me.  Even if it's only one card.  Here is a link with detailed information about what can and cannot be on the card, what works best and where to send them.

God bless each and every country that has served us past and present.