More Recycling

I created a couple more cards using cardboard. I made this owl card. I think I liked the other one with the leaf-stamped background better.
I was disappointed at how this one came out. My friends are buying a new house, and I wanted a card to give them along with their housewarming gift. I'm not sure what I don't like about it. It just seems a little . . . flat, I guess. Still, I had fun playing with recycled materials and hope to do more in the future.

Owl Card

I love all the new owl images on stamps and whatnot, but I have trouble justifying paying $20 for a stamp set with such a specific theme. I saw something like this in a Paper Crafting magazine and thought it was cute. Plus, I like the idea of recycling in my crafting. So I found some cardboard and went to work. It's a little silly, I know. But I like it.

I used an elm leave to stamp the background and found a stick in my backyard to use. The eyes are made from buttons on top of chipboard circles.

I already have another owl cut out that will go on orange card stock and read, "You're a HOOT!"

Dusting Off the Ole Sewing Machine

Yay! I have finally gotten the sewing bug again. I needed a simple and fast project, and that's exactly what I got. I made this skirt for my daughter. She picked out the fabric first; we found the pattern later.

I cut a size 4 in width and 6 in length. It fits her well, I think.

We have a woven fabric for the top, which was largely why we picked this project. Now I'm not so sure I want to do the shirt. The fabric is striped, which I picture as being pretty busy with this skirt. Plus, a woven top like this just doesn't sound comfortable to me, and I'm not so sure I like the cut of that top. We'll see. Maybe I'll talk her into making PJ pants with it and finding a nice knit T to wear with the skirt.

With the way my schedule is so busy when I'm in school, I think it's important to stick to simple and relatively fast projects. The days of fitted jackets are going to have to wait until I'm not so busy.

Some recent projects

I spent Friday night at County Purr Farm, our local scrapbooking store. I love it when my friends I get the opportunity to do this. We enjoy one another's company and get to work on our latest projects. We catch up on one another's lives, give scrapbooking advice, laugh and eat chocolate. Last night I was there for over four hours and somehow left with only two things: a single 12X12 layout and a card. So not the best use of time, but I was happy with what I brought home. Plus the store was having a clearance sale, so I spent time shopping and brought home some of my favorite Chatterbox papers.

I have been into two things lately: using grids for my photos and using tan colored cardstock as the background. I love how pretty much any color works with it and how, despite what I expected, it does not suck out the energy from the photos.

This page incorporates both elements. It's about what a great father my husband it. The journaling is behind the bamboo stamped cardstock and tells a couple stories that illustrate his love and devotion to our kids.
My cousin got married today, so I made this card for her. It took forever for something so simple. The inside has a quote stamped in it. My favorite part about this card are the tiny blue gemstones I placed in the center of some of the flowers. It adds dimension and sparkle. I didn't get to go to the wedding, since I have a sick kid, but I did send the card and a gift certificate with my parents.

Some more recent paper creations

This is a birthday card I made for a friend. For her present, I gave her eight cards, two of each: masculine birthday, feminine birthday, hello, and congrats. It was a lot of fun making them. Too bad I forgot to include envelopes in the present, but I did finally get them to her.



This page I whipped out in minutes. It was one of those don't-think-just-create pages. It's not stellar, but it was fun to make.

Been Busy Scrappin

My images aren't that great, but I still thought I'd share. I had a lot of fun making these pages.

Before and After

My crafting area went on a diet. I cleaned out a lot of stuff. What I have learned is that I need TO STOP BUYING STUFF. Since my son was born two and a half years ago, I have only sewn a few things. Still, I have not stopped buying patterns and fabric. I need to make before I buy. Anyway, I'm proud of the work I did, and I now have a space that inspires me to create. (I have no idea why this text is underlined, and I can't figure out how to make it go away. Blogger can be frustrating at times.)

Some Stats:

• Gone: 2 1/2 garbage bags full of trash
  
• Gone: 2 shopping bags full of patterns
  
• Gone: 3 shopping bags of fabric and clothing items I had been saving for repurposing
  
• Purchased: 2 cloth baskets
• Purchased: 2 vases
• Created: 1 altered clipboard as decoration
  
• To be purchased: 12X12 vertical paper holders