Have you seen this ribbon by May Arts? I saw a card made with it in the newest Paper Crafts mag and had to check it out..

Don't stare at the netting, your eyes will "wig out." My camera didn't like it too much!!

I used a butterfly die from Stamping up to cut out the two butterfly shapes, both out of paper. Then I cut the smaller butterfly down the centre and held the netting over top. I then cut out the netting in the shape of the wings and adhered them to the large butterfly! I used a big and bold SRM sentiment to finish it off! 

Phoenix and I saw some cute cards at a local craft store and the images were paper quilled.. He was pretty impressed, so I said I would show him how to do it. (I only know the BASICS, trust me...) I let him do all of the rolling and pinching, and I helped with the gluing.. Here's what we did:

I am excited for fall for many reasons, but the main reasons are the sights and smells of fall. The colour combinations that surround us during Autumn are yummy and delicious. So is a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks!! Here is a simple Autumnal card using some digi stamps from the cutting cafe and a little clear embossing powder. Enjoy!

Hmm.. Do you find challenges harder when the parameters are "whatever you want"? Yikes!! So to play along with the Bella challenge I picked up an image that I don't think I've inked yet *gasp* and started colouring.. And that's as far as I got. Clean and Simple it is!!!

My cards are being featured on the SRM blog today, and I put together a little tutorial dealing with the LONG stickers that are featured on a number of SRM sticker sheets. Just in case you didn't know, all of the SRM Sticker Sentiments come with two long stickers along the left-hand side of the sheet, like this:


I usually cut them up and use the sentiments individually, but I thought I would experiment with leaving them whole.. In their natural state... As nature intended.. This is what I did:

1) Adhere the sticker to a piece of cardstock and layer it over a piece of wide ribbon. I used Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots on the back of the cardstock strip, it's a good adhesive for popping stuff up on non-paper materials.

I love ribbon... Didn't used to. But I think it's that I didn't like that thin ribbon that we all used to use. Thick ribbon is substantial enough to add more than just a touch of something, it has the ability to contribute a significant design element, as it did on this card. As I was playing with the ribbon I thought there HAD to be some other way to tie the ribbon, or SOMETHING.. So I came up with this. I have other ideas involving paper using this technique, and I'll put it to the test asap!

Thanx for looking, have an awesome day!

Stamps: papertrey ink (Polkadot basics, beautiful blooms)

Paper: kraft, white

Ink: PTI Hawaiian Shores, Versamagic Turquoise

Accessories: PTI Hawaiian Shores ribbon, Kaiser bling, Helmar Liquid glue dots.

I've been a busy little bee packaging up a bunch of my stash to sell at Clipper Street's humongous garage sale!

This was the LAST garage sale in July and it was FUN! It inspired me to let go of a lot of my un-used goodies.

The funny thing about it, is I'm working in the store and can't man my own table, so Ian (my hubby) is actually doing it! I hope he does ok, and doesn't scare too many ladies away!! (Just kidding Ian!) I am thankful I have such a supportive husband. Not everyone would brave throngs of women like this. I hope he comes out unscathed!

I have made little packs of coordinating paper with embellishments to sell, a bunch of stamps, about 70 of my cards that I've made over the past2 months, and other various things (you know how it is...). So if you're in the 'hood, come on down to Clipper Street and say hi to me/Ian!!

When I first saw the "Wanted" collection I was like "meh..." because it had horses and stuff.. Me no likey horses... But I got the paper in my hands and fell in LOVE with the wood grain, and the papers are kind of moody, for lack of a better term. I actually have in my possession some Wanted papers from when it was first released 4 years ago, and I had also had a little mini-book kit. I used that and some SRM stickers to make this little album: 

I love SRM stickers for so many reasons, and one of them being the amazing products we get to play with! We all got to choose 1 line of Cosmo Cricket from their new releases, and they sent us the entire collection PLUS a 6x6 paper pad from another line. Today the whole team is featuring "Togetherness" and tomorrow we're featuring all of the other papers..

hmmm.. that spelling doesn't look right, but whatever, I'm still on summer vacation!!! I have a 3 weeks left before my whole family goes back to school (my hubby and I are teachers and my son is going into grade 4!) and I suppose it's time to think about back-to-school gifts, cards and layouts.. That's the easy part..

I made a sweet little duo using Quick Cards: Teacher:

1.  Cut out the shape from this Cutting Cafe file (All About School). 
2. Grabbed a 5x5 card base from my stash and traced the apple shape onto it.
3. Cut out the shape, and glue the lined apple shape to the card base. 
4. Done!

My "job" with SRM Stickers is to feature cards, primarily, but when I'm scrapbooking (and I'm REALLY trying to do it more) they are so handy to throw onto a layout..

Here's my darling little girl, my sweet baby, my precious beauty:


Yah, that's right! My dog, Kitara. I really do love her SO much, and I have all of these awesome GIRL stickers, so why not use them for my dog layouts????? The sticker set is called "Everyday Girl" and there are tonnes of words and phrases to use on cards or layouts...

I used a couple of stickers from sticker sentiments "Love" as well as some random products.. (October Afternoon papers, OLD prima flower, OLD clear letters and heart shape...)

Email me, or comment on this post with your email, and I'll send you that set so you can get started digi-stamping right away!!

That's what someone said when they commented on my card! Too funny! Yes, snowmen already! And why? Because those of us who teach classes know that September (and even July/August) signals the beginning of Christmas and Holiday-themed classes and workshops, and I'll show you two cards that you will make if you take my classes at Clipper Street:

Stamps: whipper snapper

Paper: the girl's paperie, pti, Bo Bunny

Ink: ranger - lamp black, memento- london fog

Accessories: buttons, flower soft, copic markers

Check out the post below (two down) for The Cutting Cafe giveaway!! 

I finally got my last order of stuff from Jacksonbelle (it's been sitting at the border for well over a month) so I played with my new goodies: the MFT stamp and Capella papers.

Check out the post below for The Cutting Cafe giveaway!! 

I am thrilled to announce that I am giving away a Cutting Cafe printable stamp set that will keep you STOCKED with Birthday sentiments and images for the rest of your life!!! For all you digital stamp virgins out there: this is your chance to try out digital stamps without the risk! And once you try 'em you'll be like, "Why didn't do this before???"

Here is my card featuring "Birthday Fun":





I printed out the sentiment and punched it out with a Marvy punch (the blue one). Quick, easy, everyone can do it! Here's the set:





All you have to do is leave a comment in this post and I draw a random person at the end of the week! ALSO, take a look at the Cutting Cafe blog for all of the other ladies' giveaways!!

I had to play along with this challenge because I love this color palette!
I have been enjoying my "summer vacation" (I put it in quotes because I am actually working at my LSS 4-5 days a week, and henceforth, NOT a vacation...) and have been reveling in the time I do have off! I have been scrapbooking like a mad-woman and I will show some of my layouts as soon as they're photo'd...

I looked through my stamps and didn't find anything that "spoke to me" so I went searching through my Silhouette folder looking for cuts and found the bird image, and the banner image. I "welded" them together, and this is what I got:


A little vinagey, a little classic, a little ME. It's quiet and peaceful, and I love it! The patterned papers are older Stampin' Up! designs that I've been holding on to, but I let them go for this card. I have been learning how to let go of a lot of my stuff with my scrapbooking knowing full-well that I am going to want tonnes of stuff when the fall/winter designs come out.. So move on over old stuff!!! I also used a brand-new SRM sticker for that perfect touch!

Thanx for looking!!

For local (Langley lower-mainland) stampers: 
I have ran an idea by a friend of mine who loves crafty stuff and she's on board, so I wanted to run it by you too! I want to do a monthly card night at my place, and I want to invite YOU! Similar to what some Stampin Up! demonstrators do, I would like to host a get-together with like-minded people, come over and make some cards with my stash (i'll have everything prepped) and have a good time. I will be doing this with my friend and hopefully her mom (are you in Doreen????) so please let me know if you wanna come over and play!! I will charge a small fee/card to cover expenses... So.. Leave a comment and I will get back to you with details... 

In case you didn't know, I am the proud owner of a Silhouette digital cutter:

It cuts right from my computer just like a printer, but it's a cutter!! But today it got even better: I purchased a sketch pen that goes where the blade goes so instead of cutting, it draws, and oh my goodness, it's so easy!!


Just look at that gorgeous flower!! Now, I guess you could print this design out on a printer, but would you get this kind of FINE detail??


It's just superb! Now you wanna know the best part? The ink doesn't run with Copic markers!! So I shaded and coloured this image until it got that 3D effect I wanted, and I nearly cried thinking about all of the designs I can print and colour.. So that was my brain-wave for today... Enjoy!!

Paper: papertrey ink

Ink: silhouette pen

Accessories: copic markers, silhouette, NEW srm sticker, ribbon, sewing machine

Well... I decided to go "all out" for this paper piecing challenge and made this card:


So yah... I pretty much paper pieced everything.. If you don't know what paper piecing is, it's when you stamp your image on patterned papers, cut it out, and glue it to your stamped image on plain paper. So the wallpaper, carpet, and the quilt were all paper pieced, then I coloured in the remaining parts with Copics.

click to see slightly larger view

Thanks for taking a look!! 

I have a very addictive personality. It manifests itself in many ways in my life, but one of the most annoying ways is my reading habits.. I cannot simply read a book over 2 weeks at a leisurely pace, it's DAY 1, DAY 2, DONE!!! I hate it because I really can't do anything else while I'm immersed in a book because I AM ADDICTED to it.. So I've been absent recently because of this book:


It was a really tough book to read, but needless to say I could not put it down. I am relatively naive when it comes to the civil rights movement in the United States owing mostly to where I live  (Western Canada) where our population is mainly caucasian and more recently, asian. I hadn't met an African American person until I was 18 years old and went to college in Iowa. Weird, eh? I'm not saying I didn't know that the racism issue was/is bad, and this book didn't show me how bad it was and still is for many, many people, but I learned a lot from it, and I'm grateful for it.. I HIGHLY recommend this book. You won't be able to post to your blog or do any crafts until you read it from front to back.. Promise.

So here are a couple of cards I managed to make today:

Stamps: trendy trees (sentiment)

Paper: SU! Dsp, bazzill brown

Ink: pti snow white

Accessories: ribbon (may arts), silhouette digital cutter, white gel pen

Stamps: elzybells

Paper: cosmo cricket, bazzill

Ink: ranger - lamp black

Accessories: copic markers, liquid applique, tattered angels mist (chalk white)