More K&Company

Well, I just checked with UPS and my new goodies are "Out For Delivery"! So hopefully I'll be able to play with them and create some new blog pics very soon!! Until then...more yummy projects with this gorgeous K&Company paper.

I used the photo mat pack for the background of this card. The main image is another bella from Stamping Bella. This one, Causeabella, can be used for so may different "ribbon" organizations and causes. I made this card for a brave, fellow stamper that is fighting a recent diagnosis of breast cancer. I just wanted her to know that there are many of us out here cheering her on!

I'm lovin' patterned paper!

Here lately, it seems as if I can't create a card without using patterned paper!!! I'm lovin' the stuff!

While I am (not so) patiently awaiting the arrival of some new SU! goodies, I've pulled out some of my impulse buys from the local craft store. I found this GORGEOUS paper by K&Company. It comes in a little mat pack, which according to the front cover is perfect for matting 4x6 pictures. But I immediately thought that it would be perfect (with some minor trimming) for cardfront backgrounds. The colors are pretty similar to some of Stampin' Up!'s colors, which is another reason I just had to have it! Not to mention it was on sale. Can you tell I'm trying to ease my guilt from buying a non-SU! product???

Anyway, I paired this cute floral patterned paper with one of my favorite images from Farm Fresh. I love the greeting! This card was sent off to a very dear friend of mine who just so happens to be going through some of the same issues I am. I swear its divine intervention - God knew we both couldn't handle these things alone so we are both trudging through it together. His timing is perfect!

A New Post......finally!

Between reconstructing my craft room, my monthly stamp camps, and LIFE, I haven't had a whole lot of time to update here. Well, things have calmed down a bit (for now, atleast) so I have some goodies to share with all of you!

This is a cute little pocket card that I did for a Holiday Swap hosted by Corie. I got the pattern for the card from Splitcoast -I think its the Criss-Cross Card? Anyway, I used Cerise patterned paper for each of the sides and the belly band. The seam of the band is covered up by the scalloped circle punch. (The Very Vanilla cardstock doesn't wrap around the card because I didn't have any 12" x 12")

The insert is Very Vanilla matted on to Real Red. You can't see it in this picture, but I stamped the swirly image from the Priceless set in the bottom right corner of the insert using my Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad. I used the double slot punch/ribbon punch to punch two holes in the top of the matted insert and I threaded Old Olive 5/8" ribbon through for a faux knot.

All in all, I think this turned out SUPER cute. Not sure that I would use it for my Christmas cards - you'd probably need extra postage for this heavy baby!!!

Faux Stitching

The September stamp camp is centered around different ways to use the White Gel Pen. This is one of the projects that we'll be doing. Although it doesn't show up well in this picture, this is a great color combination featuring three of the new 2008 In Color colors: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, and Groovy Guava. The project showcases a technique called Faux Stitching. Faux Stitching is a way to get the look of a hand-sewn card without dragging out the sewing machine! Once you get the hang of it, its a super simple way to add a little extra WOW! to your projects.

The easiest way to pierce a straight line of holes is to use the paper piercing template. (The template comes in the Crafters Tool Kit, but it can also be purchased separately in the Mat Pack) Lay the template over the cardstock and line up the gridlines on the template with the edges of the cardstock. Use the paper piercing tool (or a needle or push pin) to pierce a line of holes in the cardstock. Next, use the White Gel Pen to connect the holes with a series of dashes. When you are finished, these dashes will look like the stitches of a sewing machine!

More pics soon...

I promise! The installation of my new countertop was a bit more than we anticipated...the countertop I had (we installed only a year ago) has been discontinued. And hubby is a real stickler about things matching, so that meant ALL NEW COUNTERTOPS. Yeah...I think he may have been regretting ever suggesting that I "needed" more workspace. Anyway, he went and picked up the other piece that we needed and we installed it this past Friday. I spent Saturday and Sunday trying to put everything back in order. I was able to make some cards last night though...I'll upload those today or tomorrow! Thanks for your patience!!!

New and Improved Craft Room

Well...we went to Lowe's on Monday and picked out a couple new base and wall cabinets. We spend the afternoon putting them together and installing them in the craft room. Talk about quality time with the hubby!!! Here's what the craft room looks like now:

To make room to install the cabinets, we had to move a ton of stuff out into the den. And as you can see from these pics, there is still a good bit of organizing left to do! There will be an "L-shaped" countertop that runs down one wall, turns the corner, then runs down the other wall. Hopefully, we'll install that this weekend. Now I'm searching for a new way to store my cardstock...any suggestions???

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend! Posts will probably be at a minimum for a couple of days...my hubby decided to add some more base and wall cabinets to my craft room. Isn't he just the greatest?? I didn't ask for it - he just thought I might like some more storage and countertop space. So things are a little topsy-turvey as I try to re-organize everything to take advantage of my new space. I'll post some pics of my revamped space once we're finished!