Oh man I've wanted this die FOREVER!! It's "Labels One" from Spellbinders, and man I love it.. It's just so classy!! LOL

It's been a long week of rehearsals and concerts and I'm glad I have a night to chill out and stamp. I'll hopefully get more done after dinner.

To make this card I first cut out the image layer with the die cut, and leaving the die in place on the paper I stamped the image, poured clear embossing powder over it, embossed, then sponged different colour inks to create the background.. Then I took the die off the paper and voila, a white border! I love this look.. What I don't love are the flowers, but it looked so plain so I added them as an after-thought.. Stamps are SU! and so is the patterned paper. The green paper is Papertrey Mellow Moss. Thanks for lookin'!

I sat down to create SOMETHING whilst watching my all-time favourite movie "HOME ALONE" with my son. I have no idea why it's my fav, it just is. So many good memories are attatched to this movie, and every Hallowe'en I break out the Christmas music and watch Home Alone.

I didn't know what I was going to make, I only knew I wanted to make something other than a card. I have a stash of cards that would do me a life-time of giving cards to every single person I know, so maybe it was time to make something else..While I was at it I made a new banner too. Remember (shameless plug here) I do banners and watermarks if you're ever in need.. Pricing is on the left.. Now back to my program..


I had this canvas sitting around that I had previously painted (horribly, I might add) so I picked it up, and said "GET THIS OFF MY FLOOR AND DECORATE IT ALREADY!" So I did!
I used mostly WeR products (paper, rub-ons, brads) but as you can see on the left, I also used Making Memories paint and foam letters for the title. The journalling block is from a 12x12 sheet of the same kind of things by Bo Bunny. The photo corner is Basic Grey. 


 I wrote about imagining where I would be in 20 years and I said:

Wow! I can't believe it's Hallowe'en already! I haven't been crafting these last couple of days because I threw out my back after my music department's concert. I was tearing down the concert area with my students, and SNAP! I nearly fell over in pain, instant FIRE on my lower back, and I was like, OMG! SO... I've been making Ian massage my bum on a daily basis (HAHA) and icing it.. But Papercrafts (a magazine I get published in fairly regularly) wanted to spread the word about their newest venture, so here's a look at what's to come with them. You've probably seen it before, but here's a peek if you haven't:



Enjoy Halloween Tag
Designer: Alisa Bangerter
SUPPLIES: Cardstock: (ivory) Dye ink: (Black) Stewart Superior Corp.; (Summer Sun) Stampin’ Up! Specialty ink: (Mango Lemonade color wash) Stewart Superior Corp. Color medium: (black chalk) Craf-T Products Accents: (black brads) Making Memories; (chipboard bat, moon) Melissa Frances Fibers: (black striped ribbon) Pebbles Inc. Font: (Black Family) www.dafont.com Adhesive: (foam tape) Finished size: 3" x 4 1/2"
1 Make tag from cardstock. 2 Crumple tag and smooth out. Spray edges with color wash; let dry. Apply chalk. 3 Ink chipboard moon; let dry. Chalk edges and adhere. 4 Ink chipboard bat; let dry. Adhere with foam tape. 5 Print sentiment on cardstock; trim and tear edges. Chalk edges and adhere with foam tape. Attach brads. Attach ribbon with brad.




Cheesy Garlic Drop Biscuits
Alisa Bangerter
This is a perfect recipe to pull out if you are short on time because there is no rolling or cutting. The cheese and garlic add extra kick to a plain biscuit, and kids love them. They are the perfect accompaniment to serve with soups or stews, and are great served with a salad.
INGREDIENTS
2 c. flour
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 1/4 c. milk
Chives (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry cutter until mixture is fine. Add cheese and mix well. Add milk and stir until just moistened. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Sprinkle top with chopped dried or fresh chives if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for approx. 15 minutes.

Here's the online store where you can purchase it, or it will be on stands soon.

Happy Hallowe'en!

To celebrate Elzybells 5th year, Elizabeth is offering FREE SHIPPING to anywhere in the world when you order her products, and today is the last day to take advantage of that! CLICK HERE to go directly to the online store.

The design team was asked to create a homemade gift item in honour of this event, and I chose to make a treat bag. (No treats inside yet...)

A quick post to share a card I made using the recent CPS challenge.

Not too much chatter, just sharing some recent projects I've completed...

Here's a card I did today using BRAND NEW stamps from Kim Hughes herself. ( I won blog candy, and she's SO generous):


Here's what I gave my mother on Thanksgiving for hosting dinner. The box is full of chocolates:



And here's a layout I designed for a class I was SUPPOSED to teach at my LSS... It looks like it won't run though. People at the store don't seem to like Hallowe'en classes/projects/cards etc... This is the last time I'm going to try that. Anyway.. I like it! hehehe...

I have felt like I'm rushing to get everything done since I moved, mostly because everything is NOT where it should be right now, especially in my craft area.. I'm really craving for it to be all done, but it's so hard to get everything done while I'm working 50 hours a week!! Argh..

So this was done amongst mess and disorganization (I like to create in a quasi-neat space) but I'm fairly happy with the outcome. I used this week's sketch challenge (from SCS) for the layout, and all the stamps are Elzybells. The challenge was to use inchies on a card. Inchies are 1"x1" pieces. In my design team welcome pack Elizabeth gave me 3-4 small stamps (luckily) and I'm so glad I found a way to showcase them. I usually struggle with small stamps/small pieces of paper..

To cut the oval I used a vase from Ikea and traced it around my image.. I'm so glad it fit perfectly. I've decided I need oval Nestabilities though, hahaha... 

Here's what the other DT members did. And here's the info for the next challenge. Challenge 5.

Supplies: Paper: Bazzil, Crate Paper, Papertrey Ink; Ink: Ranger (Nick Bantock Lamp Black), Palette (Burnt Umber and Haystack); Stamps: Elzybells Art Stamps: Copic Markers, Ribbon, Scallop Punch (SU!).   

Well the new house is coming together, and room by room it's getting better. I 've taken "before" pics so I'll take some "after" pics before our housewarming this weekend.

I've got bits and pieces of my scrap area coming together and I am so inspired to create in my new space! I've made a couple of cards and gift-type things especially since I just had two thanksgiving celebrations...

I've been continuing my quest to make non-Christmas stamps into Christmas stamps... Easier said than done! But I may have cheated a little with this Amuse stamp called Embellish Tree, beacuse technically it's designed to be embellished however you want, so I made it into a Christmas tree! I cut the image panel with a nestie and then airbrushed the background with Copic markers and airbrush system.
Supplies: Paper: Papertreyink (white), American Crafts, DCWV; Stamps: Amuse(embellish tree, sentiment, and tiny ornament); Ink: Ranger (Nick Bantock Lamp Black); Copic Markers and Airbrush system.


This second card took a little longer to execute on account of the white glue clogging up the little metal tip used to draw fine lines and accents. This glue is interesting because it goes on white but also stays white, which is great for snow!! You might remember when I used this branch on previous cards, but it was never used for Christmas cards, so it was exciting to make this new discovery! I hope you like this card, and I hope I have inspired you to look at your stamps with a fresh eye!!

Supplies: Paper: Prism (white), Papersalon (red); Stamps: Hero Arts(branch, bird), Amuse(sentiment, snowflake); Ink: Ranger (Lamp Black), Versamark; Glitter (Warm Highlight, Glitter Ritz), White Glue, Copic Markers.

I want to thank each and every one of you for giving me advice about moving.. I used a lot of your tips, and I love the tip that the Random.org chose:

Linda said...

First thing, make up your bed, that way if you are really exhausted, you can leave the unpacking till the next day and just go to bed. Good luck with your move. I moved my craft room by myself so my husband would not bother himself with knowing all of the stuff I have.
Linda Peterson

I did both of these things, and you were right Linda, it was nice to go to bed in a nicely made bed. It was not nice waking up to a mountain of boxes around you though! haha... I then moved all of my stuff in my new craft area, and started to unpack. yay!!

Email me your addy Linda, and I'll get that off to you asap! Hopefully I'll have some crafting time by the end of the week! (For the sake of my sanity at least..)

Supplies: Paper: Basic Grey, Papertrey Ink (White, Spring Moss, Sweet Blush); Ink: Ranger (Lamp Black), Perfect Match by Palette (Spring Moss, Sweet Blush, Burnt Umber); Stamps: Polka Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink), Elzybells (Holding Hands); Copic Markers, Ribbon (May Arts).

So I don't know when I'll have internet at the new place, but I hope to be up and crafting soon. I'll post the winner of the blog candy in a few days... Gotta go teach, then pack, then move!!! Take Care.

These were my favourites of ME/my son from my best friend's wedding I was in in August. These were taken by the wedding photographers (who I am getting for my wedding next summer!)

Did you know I am a makeup artist too? I did makeup for a bunch of girls in the wedding party (as well as mine, lol)... i love having my brushes all clean and lined up perfectly in my MAC brush bag..

Something I have to keep in mind CONSTANTLY when I'm around bubble wrap.. What IS it with that stuff? It's addicting. ANYWAY...

I'm moving. Houses, not blogs... I mentioned in a post or two that I have purchased my first home, and I am moving into it on October 4th. (World Card Making Day... What a bummer!) It's going to be okay because my fiance and I have packed up most of our belongings in effort to sell the condo my parents own that I now inhabit.

Blog Candy: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me some moving tips. I hate moving and am not really good at the packing/unpacking thing, so tips that have helped you in the past to make your moving life easier would certainly help!!! I'll leave the contest open for one week. Please know that upon picking a winner, I will get your blog candy out AFTER i move.. I hope you understand. ;)

And my posts will be sporatic over the next couple weeks, but I hope to get SOME creating done. Thanx!!

Here's a quick tutorial on how to draw your own spider webs. I usually don't like to purchase Hallowe'en stamps because I don't customarily give out cards for the occasion, but I own some a bunch, but one stamp I've never purchased is a spider web. I've seen a few, but I never know what size I will need, so I just draw my own.. Here's how I do it.

I used a Quickie Glue Pen and Glitter Ritz glitter in Black.

Step 1) Draw a tiny circle, and some lines coming out of it.
Have fun, and show me your projects too!!

So the results of the poll are in. The majority of you are interested in seeing/knowing what colour copics I use in projects. Thank you for voting if you did so.. If you didn't, well FINE!!!! just kidding.. lol
Here are the supplies I used for tonight's card:

I LOVE playing with my Elzy stamps. They're a great size for colouring, but I also love to paper piece her little outfits. Her skirt was a scrap piece of MME paper I've had for a couple of years or more!

This is a double challenge card. The colours were inspired by today's Inspiration Challenge on SCS, and the layout is Taylor's Cupcake challenge.

Here are the copic's used on this card:

And here's the finished product!



On a personal note.. School has been kicking my butt! I've been tired since the beginning of the month AND I'm moving at the END of the month, so that's why my posts aren't too frequent right now.. But if you're like me you have over 100 blog updates on your reader, and you don't read the words anyway!! hahaha..

Have a great weekend

~tobi

I was a university drop-out. I was 6 months pregnant and alone. I was living with my parents, who reluctantly took me in after I came home from studying music in Iowa. I was extremely depressed. I had a sister who basically relished in the fact that I was going to be a single parent, and felt the need to put me down about every minute for it. She loves when I fail because it makes her feel better about failing in her own life, I guess... I slept. I slept a lot. Basically I would ROLL out of bed, go downstairs, eat, read, sleep and repeat.

It was 6 am and I was in a deep sleep. My mom came bursting in the room saying a jet plane ran into a building in NYC. In my head I was thinking "how does this apply to me" but I hobbled downstairs to watch the news with her. It was on every channel. I watched in amazement as smoke poured out of the building. Then the reporters caught site of a second plane, and I started to cry.

You all know the rest.. The days that followed were a blur of watching news programs 20 hours a day, and basically the world shutting down, reeling from this unprecedented event.

Every year on 9/11 I can't help but to think of what a different life we lead compared to 9/10/2001 and prior. You could practically walk on a plane with minimal ID. I could go across the border to the U.S. and not get asked more than "where are you headed?" And because it's such a momentous event, I think of how MY life has changed too.. I finished university, got two degrees, all the while being a single parent (and proud of it), I got engaged, got a full-time teaching position and just yesterday bought my first house. I need these reminders once in a while. Little affirmations that we're all growing, learning, and leading a better life because of tough lessons learned in the past.

My heart goes out to survivors and relatives/loved ones who lost someone they loved in the 9/11 attacks.

I color most of my cards with Copic markers, as you may know... I was wondering if you had a burning desire to know WHICH copics I used on what card? For example, some people will take a picture of all the markers they've used on a card like this:


I've obviously done it in the past, but felt that no one cared. I, myself, do not care what colors people use because although I may like a technique or stamp someone is usuing, my color scheme is not pre-determined and is usually dictated by patterned papers, or a color combo. I have NEVER copied someone's marker choices, so I figured no one else does! (But i'm learning that isn't so. Some people like to copy everything, right down to the finest detail...)

So here's the poll. Please take a second and give me your input. THANX!

The "Elzy-belles" were challenged with a sketch and here is what everyone came up with! Here's Elizabeth's post, and the next sketch challenge for YOU to participate in!

As always, I took a loose interpretation of the sketch, but really it was dictated by my card base. I don't know about you, but when I cut up my 8.5x11 cardstock for a 5x5 card I always get a skinny strip of leftovers, so I've taken to making cards with it! So this card is 3.5x5.5!



And here's my card:
I scored the base (Papertrey Kraft) with the scor-pal. I then set to trying to make the layers work with the sketch, but also feature the large Elzybells image and the small card-base. Instead of a ribbon along the bottom I cut a little flag-like thingy to feature the sentiment!

I hope you like it, and PLEASE play along! I'd love to see your creations.


Supplies: Stamps: Elzybells; Cardstock: Papertrey (Kraft and white), SU! (designer paper, and Riding Hood Red); Ink: Palette (burnt umber), Ranger (Lamp Black); Copic markers, glitter, ribbon (amuse), glue pen, white gel pen (sakura).

I'm telling my loved ones "if you need Hallowe'en cards for ANY reason whatsoever, I'VE GOT 'EM!!" I don't give Hallowe'en cards. In fact, most people I know don't, but they're so dang fun to make... Ah well.. maybe I'll just give them to everyone I know this year! ;)
This was a just-for-fun card using my favourite stamps set by Kim Hughes for CHF. I drew the hat on the reverse side of the patterned paper and cut it out. I don't know what the sentiment should be, but I'll keep my eyes open for the perfect one.













Another just-for-fun card. I've seen a bunch of cards with little spiders and I thought they were SO cute. This spider came from a cheapo Inkadinkado set from Costco. I stamped them with versamagic, used heat-and-stick powder, and covered them with black glitter. For the "string" I used a glue pen and drew little dots, then covered with glitter. I used the new Cosmo Cricket Hallowe'en line.





This is for SCS's Technique Challenge. I stamped the image by Elzybell's using Pallete ink in New Canvas, and coloured the image in with prismacolour pencils and gamsol. This was my first time doing this, so the colouring is kinda rough, but it's a fun technique.