Not your average canvas tote!

I've been having a blast making ruffle totes, they are so much cuter then just canvas! And the best part is you can make them with just a few fat quarters or even scraps of material.  There is no pattern because I just started playing and came up with the final project on my own.  I've been using mine as a camera bag and went to a party last weekend and 2 of my aunts wanted one made so now I'm busy this week trying to get them done.  Really put a hampering on my playing with paper this week, but I love sewing just as much. 

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for my altered chalk board. I think it's turning out stunning!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop!

It's the second most wonderful time of the month!  When all of us PTI fans get to post our projects for a massive PTI fan blog hop.  This months challenge is: (taken from PTI website)

Boys To Men

This month's blog hop is dedicated to all the boys and men in our lives! Now's your chance to create

Father's Day projects, boy birthday cards and more to build up your stash! Focus on masculine color
schemes, fresh pattern combinations, understated embellishments and unique uses of images you may
already have in your stash!

The inside says "It's Your Day". 

Supplies:
Cardstock-Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper-Papertrey Ink
Stamps-Papertrey Ink Frienship Jar, Friendship Jar Spring Fillers and Mega Mixed Messages
Friendship Jar Die- Papertrey Ink
Button and Twine-Papertrey Ink
Copic Marker
Pen- Marvy Reminisce (which is my favorite white pen)
Ink-Momento
Bird-just in my stash, not sure where  it's from.

Papertrey Ink Make It Monday Challenge

This weeks Make it Monday challenge is to use a line frame on your cards.  Nicole demostrated how she makes a line frame. I do mine just a bit differently using a drawing ruler but the results turn out the same.  I wanted to make a few masculine cards because I really don't have many in my stash.  This is what I came up with for the line challenge. 

LCOM Card Team Project for this week

I made this fabulous card using Crate Paper from the A Million Memories Kit and Tim Holtz Stamps.  The sketch is from Kimberly and you can play along on the LCOM sketch blog. 

And look at that gorgeous trim.  The kit was just loaded with a whole bag of about 10 different trims!  It's gorgeous!

Cards and Papercrafts!

I'm so excited to have  cards picked up for both publications!  I'll admit I'm kind of lax at actually sending the emails or uploading my cards but that's only because I much rather be creating them.  I have a few to share with you this week, including a Sympathy card that was a personal challenge for me. 

And stay tuned because I have the sewing project you see peeking from under my cards all finished and boy is it cute! Ruffely and girly and fabulous!

My painting progression....

Is turning into a whole house job.  I keep wanting to do more, and of course the painter keeps telling me about these fabulous techniques that would "look good"!

You can see the awful mess I made trying to clean a few posts back. 

This is the lovely hole. 

This is the paint swatches. 

Some before pics of the stairway. 

Before of the hallway.

Here is started painting the accent walls.

This is the scraroom after it was painted but before being put together. 

And today it's all done!  Well the scrap room anyway! 

I'll post the rest of the house pics when they are finished. 

Thanks for stopping by!

.

Cookin' Up Creations Crop!

Do  you have what it takes to be top chef of the crop?


The CROP CHEF competition starts this Thursday, March 31 with the first of SIX challenges! Competitors will earn participation points, and there will be opportunities to earn extra points along the way. Forum members also will be able to vote for their favorite layouts.




The participant with the most points at the end of the competition will be named CROP CHEF. And her prize? A guest design team spot for May here at Cookin' Up Creations! The CROP CHEF will receive products from our sponsors and will create projects for the weekly design team reveals; will have the opportunity to issue Blue Plate Special challenges; and will be invited to participate in our upcoming blog hop and crop in honor of National Scrapbooking Day. The CROP CHEF also will be featured on our forum, our blog and our newsletter.





So ..... join in the fun and who knows .... you could be the next CROP CHEF!!!!

My Core'dinations Creative Frenzy Continues

So today I think I'm feeling a little Sweet and Sassy!  What do you think?

First a little sweet Niki Silvis turtle...awwwwww......

I used 2 layersof core for the base. The first layer is white and the secod layer I distressed and added some chalk ink to add a little pop. 

And a little bit Sassy with this Bombshell! This entire card is Coordinations.  This is a great way to use up those little scraps you hate to get rid of.  I bet you have some laying around you could use. 

My Core’dinations Creative Frenzy

My Core'dinations Creative Frenzy started quite some time ago, but today I want to share with you a few projects for the Core dt call. 

I started this page by choosing Webster's Pages patterned papers and the combining them with Core'dinations cardstock that was a perfect match off white on the front with a gorgeous yellow on the back.   I matted my photo with the same paper with the white side showing. 

I then used the cricut and cut flourishes from the Picturesque cartridge.  I embossed the top layer of this flourished with the swiss dots folder and sanded the top layer.  For the bottom flourish I reversed the cut and used the yellow side as the top layer.  I added some color to the edges of the swirls with a yellow copic marker. 

For these flowers I used the picturesce cricut cartridge and cut them at 2 and 3 inches.  I embossed just the top layer of the flower with swiss dots and  added some copic color to the edges and to the die cut lines. 

I added dimension to the flourishes with foam dots.  By using the  back of the coordinations paper I was able to a add beautiful contrast. 

Another close up of the gorgeous flourish. 

I finished the flourishes by added some pearl dots. 

I finished the project by addings a gorgeous May Arts Ribbon bow and vintage stick pins. 

BINGO!  I love the vintage look of bingo cards.  I simply sanded the bingo card and used it for the base of my Birthday card.  I combined it with Jenni Bowlin Studio papers and embellishments for a perfect match. 

 I used core'dinations for the base of this lay out.  I slightly distressed the edges of the larger base paper.  I then stitched around the patterned paper.  For the larger flower embellishment I sanded it then inked the edges. 

Here you can see how perfectly the core matches the MME papers.

Ok, so I realize it said 3 projects but I just love using Core'dinations so much and on everthing I have one more project to share today.  I think I'm feelin' a little JBS vintage!

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope you enjoyed my Core'dnations Creative Frenzy as much as I did creating it!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop!

It's that time of  the month. All the girls come out to play with their PTI products.  For me I'm having an especially fun weekend as I'm spending my weekend at a Scrappy Retreat with 6 awesome gals.  They all just love my Clip It Up filled with all my PTI stamps and dies and I love seeing what everyone can do with the same stamps. 

On to the blog hop.  This months challenge was to use embroidery floss.   So I used dies to cut my flowers then laced them with pink floss.  Love these little flowers and they were so fun to make. 

Thanks for stopping by and happy hopping!

Moxie fab Challenge

Cityscapes Are On the Rise Challenge in the Moxie Fab World and this is what I created for the challenge!

Cardstock: PTI

Stamps: My Stamp Box 

Saturday blessings....

Listen...hear that!?  No fans or dehumidifiers!  It's so nice and peaceful.  If you don't look up, you wouldn't even know there is a huge hole in the ceiling.  We are getting back to normal for a few days anyway until they start the remodel.  I sure hope it goes quick! 

Anyway today I've been doing a little scrapping and thought I'd share a few of my projects.  First, I made this Birthday card for the JBS crop that is going on (actually they are all for the crop, even though not off of the product is JBS)  I'm seriously hitting my old stash before I have to much of an urge to order new stuff! 

 Next is a lo of Ashlyn.  The challenge was to use blue, brown and white.  The the carstock is coordinations and the birds are cut from JBS paper.  The punch is Martha stewart and I added a peom from MME.  The birds and leavs are colored with copics. 

 And fianlly a Cosmo Cricket Lo for the garland challenge. 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

JBS crop

I'll be back with the details!

My day went from....

Just being a normal day, cleaning, laundry and the like to a total disaster!  I got up and started a load of laundry, put cleaning stuff in the tub to clean the jets and went downstairs to have breakfast. When I came back up I folded a load of laundry and started the next, now I'm getting ready to clean when I notice a cloud of foam coming out of the bathroom! OMG! Dishwasher soap and clorox aren't suposed to make suds! It's how the directions say to clean the jets and I've been doing it that way for 5 years! Now let me start by saying this photo is after I walked in the bathroom with suds up to my chest and tried to get rid of some. When Ashlyn yelled water is coming through the lights downstairs I figured I might need a photo for insurance purposes! 

To top things off the electrical outlets in the entire side of the house aren't working now! 

If bad things happen in 3's, I'm in trouble!!!!!!

Bet you can't top my bad day! 

Papertrey Ink Make it Monday Challenge

This weeks challenge for PTI Make It Monday was to use scor tape for glitter lines.  I've been glittering up my scrap room ever since.  I'll be sparkley for days!    Here is what I came up with so far. 

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

Hi Everyone, thanks so much for stopping by.  Todays project is a card I made for the PTI February blog hop.  Todays blog  hop is to use scallops in a fun way.  As my new doily dies and stamps are in the house I had to play with them.  Aren't the fabulous!?

Your a dear friend

I made this quick little card with a combination of deocrative tapes for the Get Daring with Decorative Tap Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. 

Paper: PTI

Tape: Pink Paislee, Darice

Leaf: Recolections

It's all about technique!!!!

Hello everyone, 
Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you like challenges as much as I do and if you do play along and you could win some scrappy goodness from my studio! 

I'm part of a wonderful little blog group called Papertrey Princesses.  Each week one of the blog group posts a challenge for everyone to play along with.  This is my week to post a challenge and I (we) would love for you to play along. 

I love to use my art supplies in new ways.  I also love challenges.  So for todays card I combined several different challenges/techniques. 

First, let me introduce you to the technique of paper piecing as found in the Paper Piecing Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.  I want you to use at least 4 layers to create your project. 

Second, I used sewing on my project to add some demension to the base layer of my project.  Sewing is so fun, you can add a touch to your project by machine or by hand. 

Third, this weeks Make it Monday challenge at Capture the Moment is to use a Vellum Sentiment strip on your project. 

And finally I stamped my image with VersaMark, used off white embossing power and heat set the image.  This provided an excellent medium to use my Glimmer Mist to paint the image.  Isn't is Beautiful! 

To win the scrappy goodness from me just link me up to your blog  or gallery (include a way to contact you if you win)  and let me know what technique or challenged you did.  Have fun!   

Hand Stamped Embellishment Swap/Moxie Fab Challenge

Today I spent some time carfting to make my little gifits for a handmade embellishment swap over at Cooking UP Scrapbooking.  To package the swap goodies I use craft bags and stamped tags for them in coordinating colors.  This was perfect to use up scraps of paper that I had laying on my table. 

For the embellishments I use Papertrey Ink Friendship Jar Die and added a copic colored flower and tag to each jar.  Then I made coordinating flowes to go along with them.  Of cours a bow and buttons finsished these adorable embellishments.  This was perfect because the Moxie Fab Challenge was to use markers on your projects. 

Hope everyone enjoys! 

PTI Button Challenge

Today's PTI challenge was to use buttons in a unique way.  I used buttons to make a tie for my PTI wish list.  These little note pads are so cute and yet so handy.  I use them all the time! 

Products:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Stamps: Papertrey Ink

Markers: Copic

PTI Anniversary challenges....

Hello everyone....

I've spent the past few minutes doing something I hate to do in my craft room.  (and it wasn't cleaning!)  A very dear friend of mine has been having some struggles and dealing with ageing and ill family members and on top of surgeries and nursing homes and trying to take care of everything her Grandmother passed away yesterday.  So I've spent the last hour making a very special sympath card.  This wonder friend sent me this beautiful Tim Holtz, Natures Elements stamp set on Monday for my Birthday and I wanted to use it to make her card.  Thanks you so much for the beutiful stamps and perfect card for my BIG day! 

Traci, I'm so sorry for your loss and know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. 

I started with the PTI challenge to use one of the designers favorite color combos.  I came as close as I could to Betsy Veldman's color choices and also lifted her beautiful design for the card.  Thanks Betsy for the inspiration.  You made this job a little easier. 

I used my score pal to add texture to the background, then stamped the images and cut them out.  I mounted the images on a Spellbiners Die cut and added a sentiment fromm PTI's last years Anniversary Set.

Make it Monday Cards

Let's Capture Our Memories

Is one of those places I just love to hang out at.  As a matter of fact a waste alot of time on the internet just being chatty with the LCOM fabulous girls!  I would love for you to stop by and check out LCOM you will be inspired by all the activity and not one but 2 awesome blogs. 

First, the sketch blog offers great sketches and weekly inspiration.  With a brand new team soon to be announced. 

And second, the card blog offers fun weekly card challenges. 

And lastly there is a fabulous contest going on where you could win a $25. gift certificate to the LCOM store.  Check it out HERE!

Hope to see you there!

Webster's February Guest Designer!

I am absolutely overwhelmed, nervous, exited that Webster's asked me to guest design for them this month.  I can't even tell you how fun it's been using some of their new lines as well as stamps. Spring Market is so fresh and pretty, quite a nice break from the weather we've been having.  And Trendsetter is just over the top crafty girl fabulous!  Here is a sneak peak of what you will see  in the Webster's Gallery tonight along with an apron and gift set.  

I also want to take a moment to congratulate the new Webster's design team.  I for one can't wait to see what they did this month. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you take some time and join me over at the Webster's site for some fabulous inspiration form their new design team, as well as monthly challenges that could land you some of the new fabulous Webster's goodies.  And let us not forget sneak peaks of all the new CHA winter releases. 

Stay warm and safe,
Joyce

It's a Moxie Fab Day!

And I've created this card for the Neutrals Color Challenge for Color Inspiration for Card Makers Week in the Moxie Fab World.