Look at what I made....

Wow it has been a REAL long time since I posted on my blog.  Who am I trying to kid?  I haven't had much crafting time, let alone creative time.  I have to get better at both.  Do I hear New Year's resolutions?

Well....my dad's side of the family participates in an "ornament exchange" every year.  My grandmother used to make homemade ornaments and trinkets for our family every year.  When she passed away, it was decided this was a tradition that just could not go away.  I think this has been going on for over 15 years.  There is usually an average of 12 of us involved (spanning 3 states) so as you might guess, the trees are a bit overfilled with ornaments.  I have wanted to try this idea for years and this year I decided to do it.  I made lighted glass blocks.  When I saw the Magnolia stamp "Edwin in Lights", I knew it was the perfect one.  I think the family enjoyed it and having something other than an ornament to hang on the tree. 

I know the date of the picture is old but I swear I just made them.  I forgot to change the date of the camera after charging it.  I made 12 of these so you can imagine all the work that was involved, especially since I have never done anything like this before.  I think they came out rather cute.  What do you think?

Since my craftting time is at a premium, I thought I might enter this in a few challenges. Well I can only find one challenge to enter.  I am entering it into the Pink Blue Green challenge at http://www.magnolia-liciouschallengeblog.blogspot.com/. Wish me luck!!

Next on Camera Spring Cleaning

This card was made for birthdays during March and April. I don't think I took pictures of them all. I am just using one. As they were for both male and female family members, I just adjusted the colors. W had quite a few birthdays in March and April. May is a slow month as far as birthdays go. We have had a First Holy Communion (tomorrows post which I am kind of excited about) and a Graduation. The month of June starts the birthdays again. My 40th being one of them. EEKS did I just say that out loud? I am going to be 40. I have to work on my card "recipe" list. I guess I think my cards are so simple, they don't need recipes. I would like to change that. Maybe when I can once again visualize card making as relaxing and just not one more thing I have to do.

I also decided to post the picture I tool of my tulips. I planted them last year and I am proud to say they survived Chicago's brutal winter weather. I will have to cut them and bring them in the house before the squirrels eat them, the kids in the neighborhood step on them or the neighbors help themselves to them. They are purple. It might be kind of hard to see in the picture. I planted 8 last year and this year grew 10. The daffodils and the tulips from my front yard already have bloomed and died. I hope these last a bit more. They make it look so springy. Now if only the weather will cooperate.

What have I been up to?

Hello everyone that might be reading this. I have fallen behind once again with my blog and my creative time. I am trying to spend every waking moment getting ready for my son Ryan's high school graduation May 24th. I am not ready for this day physically or emotionally. One of my babies is graduating and going off to college. He will be missed greatly by me even though he might not think so. I will have to savor every day until he leaves.

Well anyway, I thought I would post some of the pictures that I took of my cards and clear them off my camera in preparation for the graduation. I think I will split them up so I will have a few days of posts. Is that cheating? This is a card that I made for one of my swaps. I think it was for February. My mojo has been very low. I can't seem to get the layouts to paper. It appears that I have to work on my picture taking skills and picture cropping too. Not sure I like this card. It is very plain. I never was one for a lot of embellishments but....I guess it is still just missing something. Any ideas?

My stamps are from Magnolia and from Alota stamps. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the pillows (I used the extra paper for the "heart" picture.) I don't think this needs much explanation. If you want to know, just please ask.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sorry I haven't posted....

Sorry that I haven't been around much. I guess as always I am behind. I don't think anyone checks this anyway. I am trying to get better.

I did catch up on my cards for the swap I am in. I am attaching a picture I made of my January Raining Cards swap. All four were the same but in different colors. I so wanted to use my Cricut but couldn't decide on a layout. That seems to be the second of my problems. The first being I can't decide what stamps to use. Finally comes the colors and the paper to use. There has to be a better way. I guess if I ever get organized maybe that would help. After working with the layout I decided I did have room for the "happy" and the "2009" I cut out with my cricut. I hope the recipients liked them. Let me know what you think. I would like and welcome any suggestions.

There is still time to enter the contest for the blog candy my sister is offering. All you need to do is donate something to St. Baldrick's. Here is the link once again. http://kaputkrafts.typepad.com/kaput_krafts/2009/02/bald-is-beautiful.html

My son Ryan is shaving his head on Tuesday, March 17th. I am trying to post a picture of him. As you can see, he is in desperate need of a haircut, but I don't know about bald. I just got his report cards and I have to say I am very proud of him. He got 3-A+, 1-A-, 1-A and 1-B+ and has raised his GPA to 4.30. He is working very hard. I will miss him greatly when it is time to go to Milwaukee to college. Hey maybe I can combine a mother/son visit with some crafters in WI.


Now I couldn't post a picture of one son without posting the other. This is Brandon my three year old. Yeah he needs a haircut also, but I took care of that this weekend. If I can get him to sit still long enough, I will take a new picture. I think I am being punished with him because Ryan was such a good kid. Oh the trouble Brandon gets into! He is on a "up time" at 3:30am. schedule. He wants to play then and watch tv. He is wearing me and my husband out. He is taking away sleep and craft time with all his mischief. But he is too cute to stay mad at for long.

Please help out a great cause

I am posting this for my sister and my son. My sister is running this blog candy for donations to St. Baldrick's. My 17-year old son is shaving his head....eek. I hope it grows back for graduation. Please check out this link for the details.

http://kaputkrafts.typepad.com/kaput_krafts/2009/02/bald-is-beautiful.html

Who knows, you may win some craft supplies for helping children with cancer. There is no prize involved for Ryan except for the satisfaction to say that he raised more than my nephew did last year. Please feel free to link my sister's post to your blog and spread the word to help raise money to stop childhood cancer. I will let you all know his progress. Thanks everyone!!

Late but new cards

Hello everyone out there in blogland. I am finally posting some cards that I made. These cards were made for our monthly swaps, which I am embarassed to say, I was way behind in. I am trying my best to catch and keep up. These cards went postal to the November and December rainees. I don't have a large readership (I currently don't have one at all) so I am not worried that they will see them before they arrive. In the event that they do, I apologize. At least they won't know what color they get...lol.

The Thanksgiving card uses a Magnolia stamp. I don't know what it is called. I wasn't thinking when I created the cards. I didn't make a formal "recipe" for making them. I tried to color them with copic markers. I can see I need a lot more practice. I tried a technique my sister suggested (I have to get caught up on the card making techie lingo too). I dabbed the cuttlebug folder with orange ink before running it through my sizzix machine to get the colored background effect. I guess it looks okay. One is different...can you spot the difference?

What does everyone do? When faced with a multiple swap, do you make all the cards the same or do you make different cards for all? Up until now I have been making them all the same except for different colors. I think I will have to change that. If I make each one different completely, I can use up more of the stamps that I have and I won't feel like I am neglecting any.

The Christmas card is made using a stamp from MFT. All four cards were the same, however the clothes were colored differently, as for the decorations on the tree. I don't think they turned out too bad. I didn't use copics on these except to color the flesh parts. I know I cheated. I would love to know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to have more to post in the next few days.

op

Kerry's Blog Candy

Kerry is offering some blog candy in honor of her blogoversary. Way to go Kerry!! She is being VERY generous. What are you still doing here? Go to her blog and enter.

http://threecloversdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/01/blogoversary-blog-yummies.html