Starburst cards

My version of a missing you card using a starburst technique. I'm always trying to find ways to use my left over patterned paper scraps so when I came across this tutorial http://www.owhstarsandstamps.org/2011/06/tutorial-starburst.html
from OWH I was thrilled!

quilted cards

Strips of patterned paper give a quilted look to this card design. The stamped image is then adhered with demensional adhesive .

Flap cards for Operation Write Home

These are some flap cards I made to send to Operation Write Home. I had these stamped images waitng for homes. These 3 cards are stamped using a Studio G dollar stamp I picked up at JoAnn Fabrics and colored with Copic markers. I only have about 16 Copic markers so I can't really do much blending. I would LOVE to have more Copic markers! There is nothing else like them. I can't even describe what they feel like when the color goes on. The patterned paper were leftover scraps that fit perfectly.

I used a double sided patterened paper sheet from a baby paper pad and a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page "Double Loops" punch. For the Sentiment I used a Studio G dollar stamp that I picked up at ACMoore.

Hope you Enjoy!

digi image card

Miss you card with digi image, ribbon and cut out "Miss You"

Purple Page Layout

I know I haven't posted a layout in  a while. I wanted to use some embellishments that I had leftover and pull it all together in a layout. This is my creation. 

The paper flowers were leftovers from OWH cards, I had a small piece of the purple ribbon and the clip was the last in the package.  Hope you enjoy!

Any Hero Cards

Any Hero Cards being sent to Operation Write Home along with 76 Missing You, Easter and Thank You cards.

12th Birthday Card

My son's birthday is tomorrow. I typically don't make cut outs @ 1 in. sizes but I wanted to load this card up. I used embossing folder "Spots & Dots", cut outs frm Indie Art, Sweet treats, Sentimentals, and Lacy Labels.

OWH MTD- Color Challenge

This weeks challenge was to make a black and white card with a little splash of color. Here's my version.

I used "Ashlyn's alphabet" for the center flourish, "Sentimentals" for the tag @ 3.75, Martha Stewart punch around the page "Double Loops" and for the embossing, Sizzix folder form "Wedding Set #2"

Today's Page

Still catching up on some old photos.  In this photo my son is less than a year; he's turning 12 next week. lol I used a giraffe from "Create A Critter", the title is from "Home Accents", the font used on the tag is from "Plantin Schoolbook" and the border is punched with "Ribbon Loop" from Martha Steweart's punch around the page.

My Crafty Set-up

I've come up with a few ways to organize some areas of my craft space. I think sometimes i spend more time organizing than I do crafting...lol Hopefully I'll inspire you with a few ideas.

I repurposed these wooden cubes. I used them when my kids were little to store their books. When they weren't being used i put wheels on the bottom and now they house my scrapboking paper which is organized by colored patterned paper on the left and then by theme in the cub on the right. The colored cardstock also has a folder organized by color.

So I had way too much ribbon! I went to Home Depot and bought wooden dowels, ask them to cut them in 12 inch lengths, bought some hooks and nuts that would fit the dowels and hung them down the side of my craft closet. They are out of the way, put in a place that wasn't being used and displayed so I can often hold up a card or layout to a ribbon before cutting. The dowels can be removed from the hooks to remove empty rolls and add new rolls. I was able to fit 10 rows of these on one side of my closet. Total price about $12.00

I actually got this idea form someone on Youtube. Sorry don't remember from who. I bought the container from target and the photo box at JoAnns. I seperated the cartridges using the photo cards that came in the photo box. Since I use a Gypsy I rarely need to shuffle through the Cricut cartridge boxes and I wanted to free up some space yet still have them handy if needed. The container fits 42 cartridges.

This has really freed up a lot of space on my work table. I wanted to do this for a while and I had the buckets on my desk (dollar section at Target) but all the coat racks were $18+ dollars and I couldn't justify the cost. When I saw this rack at Home Depot for $5.00 I snatched it up. It is actually a utility rack meant to hold rakes and shovels. I hang the buckets full of stuff and the top portion holds my trimmer out of the way as well as some misc. photos and brick a brack that I'll get to sooner or later. I also hung my OWH card sketches (held in page protectors) so they are right there when I need them.

These are the best! I bought thse about 8 years ago from Staples for my classroom and when they were no longer needed I knew I could use them for my crafting. I fit them under my craft table out of the way and they turn so everything is accessable. The organizer fits my 8.5 x 11 card stock perfectly, silly sissors, binders with my stamps, Shrinky Dinks, accordian folder with scraps, etc. etc. Just love it!

So where do all the tiny scraps of paper go but still have them close touse on cards? In a pencil case.

OWH Sketch Challenge #104



Wanted to make a Valentine's card and thought I'd double dip and use this weeks card sketch from OWH. I borrowed some staps from my daughter's stash. She got these for Christmas. Thanks Victoria!

My Boy's Thirteenth

Okay, so I've had a little time on my hands lately. I recetnly had some minor surgery and will be out of work for a bit. So...I've tried to catch up on some scrapbooking I've procrastinated on in the past. These pics of my son were taken in Dec. 2010. He's since had another birthday and for some reason  I kept pushing them to the side for other pics and pages. (I think its because the pictures were rather dark and not as nice as some others I've taken) Well, today was the day to finally compete this double page layout. I finally did it!

I used some solid cardstock I picked up through Oriental trading and colorbok from Wal-mart. The patterned paper was scraps leftover from other layouts. I cut out balloons using Cricut cartridge "Create a Critter" @ 2.5 inches and the number 13 was cut @ 2.25 and the Happy Birthday sentiment was cut @  2.30 using the  "Sweet Treats" cartridge. I used "Lacy Labels" catridge for the tag cut @ 2.06 inches using my Gypsy to size. I used my Microsoft Word to Journal in a text box.

Hope you like it! 

Waterfall Card

This is my first Waterfall card. With the help of a card kit from SVGCUTS.com

I made this Happy Birthday card for my daughter's friend. Boy! What a lot of peices but so much fun once it's complete.

Thank You Card Using Inchies

This is my latest card. I just love this paper! I had a tiny bit left after using the paper for my smash book and I knew I wanted to use it on a card.  I picked up a few packages of Inkadinkadoo inchie stamps a while back and never used them so I decided to use them on this card. This is my latest creation!

OWH-MWT-Floral Fantasy

This is my card challenge submission for Operation Write Home. These cards are embossed using "Stylized Flowers" cuttlebug embossing folder, then hand painted. I used die-cut flowers using SCAL's  "3D flower kit" and stamped the sentiment using a Studio G stamp.

Teacher Gift Scrapbook Frame

Well, I completed my Above Rubies Studio design team projects and application and will email it off tomorrow. I am so excited and relieved I'm done!

So for today....This is a gift I made for my daughter's teacher. Its a scrapbooked frame. We used an acrostic poem and my daughter came up with descriptors for each letter in the teacher's name of how she felt about her teacher. Enjoy!

A Smash Book

So...in watchng the Tuesday Tutorial from Above Rubies Studio I got excited about smash books and making one. Like I've said before I always jump in with both feet and go full steam ahead so I started making 4 of them. One for my daughter, one for my daughters friend who is having a birthday party very soon, one for my sister and one for myself. I finished the first one and dropped it off at Staples to have it bound. (I don't have a bind it all) boohoo. .

Many thanks to Chrispea on Youtube for the downloadable pages to include in my daughter's smashbook. Here's the link to Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9oV9akW-fo

I cleaned up my  crafty mess and put the materials for the other smash books away for now. I want to see how the first one comes out before I repeat any possible mistakes.  Also....I have to get going on the ABS design team submission. I know what I want to do, it's the getting started. I hoping to have it  ready way before the deadline...so I must get going. I am stopping for lunch, going to get the smash book (I'll load a pic when I get it!) and since my craft room is clean I'm sure either inspiration or exhaustion will hit. lol

*Can't wait until my daughter starts smashing it!*

clean and simple layouts

Hello Everyone! I am scrapbooking my children's photos, finally. I am only about 13 years behind! lol  These are both of my son, Jacob who just turned 14.  I used several pieces of scrap patterned paper for both these layouts that I had left over from other layouts. So hard to believe he is almost grown up! I hope you enjoy these clean and simple layouts.

OWH MWTD-crafty for Christmas

So...I had to use something I got for Christmas in this card. For this card i used the patterned paper and the charm.

January ODBD Challenge

This is my card for the "Our Daily Bread January Card Challenge". The challenge is to use 3 patterned papers. I chose to accent the three papers with a rich chocolate brown and an ice blue. I also added an embossed piece, ribbon and brads. I just wanted something understated and classic.

Princess Pose

My Daughter was playing dress-up. I wanted to capture it on film. I enjoyed putting together different textures, patterns and colors for this layout. I used some store bought stickers to embelish.

Mickey Mouse Card

This is for the Operation Write Home Weekly Throwdown "thank you"card challenge submission. I recently received, for Christmas, the Mickey and Friends Cricut Cartridge and wanted to incorporate something from it into the challenge some how. This is my creation!

Best Friends

 I made this layout without a picture in mind. I was just playing with some of my scrapbooking tools and some favorite patterned papers. I used the cuttlebug to emboss the flowers, a $1.00 stamp I picked up at michaels, ribbon and brads. It wasn't until I took this picture of my best friend and I, last Christmas, that I made the match. This is probably one of my favorite layouts.

Cricut Expression Cake

I've only been papercraftng for about 14 months. My creative interest in the cricut and other paper crafting tools began with cake decorating. I purchased my first Cricut Expression in February of 2010. I began experimenting with it using gumpaste for my cake designs.

Here's a picture of one of the first cakes I made using the cricut expression with gumpaste. I also made the sugarpaste flower corsage for the top. The cake is covered in homemade white chocolate marshmallow fondant.

I love to learn and usually once my interest is sparked in a particular way I run with it and absorb as much as I can about a topic.

First Post

Ok here goes...so my first blog, my first post. I love to be creative! I feel most at home when I am creating something pleasing to the eye; something that makes someone smile. My goal with this blog is to showcase creative projects I have made and hopefully, they will be beautiful. I am new to blogging so  I am on a learning curve.

Big Dream: I want to be part of the Above Ruby Design Team-This Blog is motivation for that. Wish me luck and prayers.