...hello! (2S4Y + Denami)

happy thursday. i wanted to share with you some 'everyday' things that have been happening with me...

first off is the delicious looking bagel sandwich in the photo above. i made it. it was dinner on monday. it was AMAZING. (aka: NOM NOM x10!) it's piled high with lots of stuff, which explains its open face. so from the bottom up: mayo, spicy mustard, co-jack cheese, turkey, ham, cucumbers, red peppers, bacon, and avocado slices (sprinkled with salt). DE-lish! *you jealous yet?*

hehe... anyway, up next is a combo challenge card: 2sketches4you Laura's #58...

plus another entry into the Denami Product Challenge (inspired by the technique that Wendy used on the card featured over at the blog today)...

and here's the card:

featuring Webster's Pages, felt flowers, a border punch, DeNami Glitter and 'hello' sentiment, and some Polka Dot Basics II, and some pearls and buttons!

there's still time to enter both challenges, so hop on over there to get some serious inspiration as well as a shot at snagging a top spot!

thanks for stopping by... i'm off to play some water polo tonight and hopefully not get injured in the process (i'm wearing my mouthguard now to prevent any more chipped teeth! :D *toothy grin... hehehe, j/k about the toothy grin part**)

TA!

OH! how i love steampunk!! (2S4Y style)

hey everyone! happy thursday :D (note: i seem to be a little 'talky' today, so if you want to skip that, go to the end.)

i had the pleasure of using Kazan's sketch #56 for this card, and oh boy! was it ever PERFECT for EVERYTHING... the details just shine through with this awesome layout :D

and believe it or not, although i've been behind on the challenge side of things... haven't been creating much for sketches/ color combos/ etc, i actually made this card for the 365 Cards Day #129 - Aged Look. it's simply a match made in heaven :D

on to my card. i actually made this to giveaway in a contest... i was given some idea about what the contest was, but i was given artistic freedom in the execution. i think i've mentioned before that i LOVE it when that happens... i love that freedom to create what i think will fit :D

so, the contest is called SteamBoyz, and it's hosted by Velvet over at vvb32 reads--she's got a great book blog going on over there, and i know she's fabulous herself! now, you may be wondering how i got connected with a book blogger to create a card for a contest. the answer is simple. i'm a nerd. YES. a NERD.

you see, i have a sister, Cecelia, who is awesome, funny, but equally (if not more! [agreed Cece?]) nerdy as me. she loves to read. which isn't to say i DON'T, because i'm actually an English teacher, but she LOVES to read. like--she went to the American Library Association Conference a few weeks ago, even though she's not a librarian. well, you say, that's not all bad... and NO! it's not. but that's how nerdy WE are. :D

so--last year she began a blog shortly after i did, and started featuring recipes, anecdotes from her life, and of course, she shared her love of books, or shall i say OBSESSION with them? she introduced me to some books, and i read them, and they were awesome! really, they were, and i can recommend some to you based on your movie preferences... really. it's what i do for my students at school. anyway, she fell pretty hard into the book blogger stratosphere, and i have to say, if i'm being honest, that i'm a little jealous at her instant popularity. i mean, there has to be a little rivalry for us to be normal siblings, eh?

at any rate, she's wildly famous and funny, while i just make cards and occasionally tag along to book events like author signings. the one author signing i went to was for a book called Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld. and it was a steampunk book. and i got to see what all the fuss was about.

i had a TON of fun. AND, i got a signed copy of the book to go in the bookshelves at school too! win WIN!

and after reading some books from the steampunk genre (Soulless by Gail Carriger as well, and probably more), i knew what my sister kept raving about. yes, she may have looked foolish to her roommates or our mother, but i at least, finally, understood.

and here i am, to present you with a card made specifically with steampunk in mind, and my sister, and Velvet, who asked me to do it :D thanks a ton girlies!

i used a lot of vintage stuff... tried to make it fit with the genre. so, there's some Graphic 45 papers on there (from the Le'romantique line) and a page torn out of an old book covering a chipboard piece. i then stamped the chipboard with a wrought iron fence stamp that i bought at a stamp convention who knows where :D and let's not forget how i shabbied everything up with either distressing with scissors, inking with Tim Holtz antique linen pad, or even using some black ink from a SU! cube. and can you see those Kaiser black pearls in the top left corner? so many details.

i also grabbed a bookplate and some brads from my stash and roughed them up with my file, and then inked them with some black Staz-on ink to give it a more 'aged' look. the crown brad comes from Queen & Co, and the buttons are vintage from my stash as well. i even layered a Hambly frame transparency to the hat/ cane panel to give some more depth.

i've seen some crafters use the 'pull back' approach with double sided paper, but i've never really given it much thought until this creation... i think it's a fabulous way to showcase both sides of the paper, and to show a little of the fanciness underneath, don't you?

now, check out the inside. because i used a clear card stock to create the card base, you can add some awesome details all over and have them show through to the front or back. in my case, i covered the OTHER side of the chipboard piece with a steampunk clock image that i got HERE before i adhered it to the front of the card. that way, when you open it up, you get more for your money :D

also, you can see from above and below, that i used some October Afternoon papers from the Thrift Store line... i know just about everyone and their mother is in love with this stuff, and i'm no exception. i mean, seriously--with so much in the steampunk genre originating from London, what other choice could i have than to use it on the inside of my card? it's PERFECT!

and also, after you're done checking out my card... if you've missed the tons of tags i've been creating, then you'd better take a look HERE, and HERE, and at yesterday's HERE. plus, i finished the rest of the tags and have a few pictures to show you...

these yellow ones were INTENSE. PTI's polka dot basics II again, some October Afternoon stamping, a flourish is there as well, along with Sassafras papers, Recollections rosebuds on top of Prima flowers inked to the perfect color. there's some 'orange peel' stickles there, a vintage orange button on all of them, and some citrine glitter from DeNami Designs. oh, and green ribbon from M's.

now these red-orange tags feature some Cosmo Cricket Early Bird papers, more Recollections rosebuds, clothespins, random buttons from my stash, 'so happy!' ribbon from SEI, and then some chipboard from DCWV that i glittered and shabbied up. oh, and some MM blooms as well.

now, for the ULTRA FUNKY orange tags. these are crazy. but, they're good crazy! more Sassy goodies, stickles, buttons, KI memories ribbon, and even those green foil stars you usually put on chore charts... hehe!

and here's one from each of the colors all grouped together. i realized that i used my Cricut to cut out 11 different colors, and they're all completely different. i LOVE that. what do you think? don't they look awesome together? :D

so all in all, i've been quite busy this week, and plan to be even more so next week. i'll be the storyteller for my church's VBA (Vacation Bible Adventure... just like VBS), and i'm head of the skit crew (and in it as well). so mornings/ afternoons will switch schedules for me a bit.

thanks so much for visiting... i'd LOVE to hear what you like most in today's post > the card? the tags? the sister envy? ha!

have a great day, and stop by later to see what i've been doing on the scrapbooking end of things! :D XOXO

2S4Y Laura's #53

if you've stopped by the blog lately, you've noticed that i've picked up a bit of a vintage/ shabby chic vibe in some of my cards lately. well, when i was pulling supplies for the 2Sketches4You sketch this week by Laura (#53), i found myself steering towards that style again. [btw, happy 2nd birthday 2S4Y!]

so here you can see another foray into the land of pink and ruffles, and lots of inking things up...

what do you think? like my other styles better? wanna see more? i'd love to hear what you think.

there's lots of graphic 45 paper on this, and a digital image from the etsy shop Piddix. i also used the mini cupcake stamp from PTI's tiny treats :D so darling, right?

well, my weekend has been off to a great start already--out to dinner with a friend (we talked for a good 3 hours!) last night, movie with my brothers :D at my parents house, then today i'm visiting a new home that another friend will be moving into (i get to give my seal of approval--hehe!), and then TONIGHT i'm going to a stamp night at the Impress Rubber Stamp shop in Tukwila. i've been to several of these before, and they're always soo fun! can't wait to get to use some new stamps and supplies :D

hope your weekend is filled with lots of fun too, thanks for stopping by! XOXO

i just love you

i've really been having a lovely week so far... yesterday i was commitment free as far as coaching goes... i went to see the water polo girls for about an hour and then went shopping. i needed groceries so badly. you know how it is when you're sick? you don't want to cook, bake, or do anything that isn't sleeping? yeah, that was me last week, and i still had school and coaching on top of all that (and it was STATE! for that matter).

so i got groceries. i was planning a dinner with some former college water polo players... one was up visiting from CA, and the other now lives not 30 minutes away from me (fancy that, seeing as we went to college together in Pennsylvania!) i decided i was going to make some pizza. i LOVE pizza. i made a veggie pizza (spinach, onion, garlic, tomato, cheese, and red peppers... it was DELICIOUS!) and two chicken bbq bacon pizzas... ah! so good :D i can still smell them. i definitely didn't need to make all that food, because i had leftovers, but i get to save them for meals the rest of this week! :D that's what i call planning *wink*

anyway, the dinner last night was awesome and fun... we talked and laughed so much. told stories, caught up, and just enjoyed each others company. it wasn't nearly long enough, but it was so relaxing, and just what i needed. today, i stopped by the grocery store again after a pretty quiet day at school (1/2 days for conferences this week, and no school on friday because of memorial day! yay :D), and then came home... made a CARD!

i based it off of Kazan's sketch #53 over at 2sketches4you... i decided to make this a quick card, since i was starting at 4:10pm, and i needed to leave the house about 4:30pm... i told myself... i'm only going to use what's on/ near my desk. so i grabbed the Linen stack from DCWV, some of my extra Cricut cuts, a strip or two of ribbon/ lace, and then an ink pad.

the results surprised me a little. i usually don't pressure myself to finish something this pretty so 'fast,' so i'm definitely pleased...

i tried to include as many details as i could... layering flowers and buttons, rhinestones in the corner, some stick pins, a tag with the sentiment, a wooden mini clothespin, and even a transparency i made with Staz-On ink and some overhead projector 'paper' (if you could call it that... maybe acrylic? but not quite...) the sentiment comes from PTI's Delightful Dahlia set... it was super elegant and seemed perfect for this type of card.

i love this old antique look, and even if that's not what i normally create, i can definitely see myself getting into it BIG :D i just like the soft touches and the details you get to layer on and add... so fun.

anyway, i hope you enjoyed--can't wait to hear what you have to say, your comments are so appreciated! :D

2S4Y Laura's #50

so i got to play with Laura's sketch this week, and i decided to make two cards to show you... both feature some LOVELY ribbon that i picked up the other day--a new fav of mine from May Arts!

i love being able to base a card off of a sketch... it goes so quickly after that! i keep finding myself looking back at cards and using those simple sketches over and over... i definitely think that this one will become one of those.

anyway, here we go... i used some paper from the DCWV "girly" stack and then some a chandelier sticker from Hambly. i think that i need to remake this card in about 3 different color palettes... don't you? :D the sentiment is a combination of AC thickers and a stamp from Impress that i masked off a bit... super fitting for the occasion, don't you think?

this next card was super fun to make... oh how i love the fun buttons on this! the studio style stamp set from PTI has great sentiments, and i made this card with a specific crafty co-worker in mind. in fact, we're on a scrap retreat together as we speak! i've already laughed a TON and eaten some lovely food + snacks... this will be a great day! :D

thanks for stopping by--i hope you have a lovely weekend and that you get a chance to check out the rest of the talented card-makers over at 2S4Y!

P.S. oh, also! be on the lookout for some blog candy that i have planned here real soon... it's my birthday in about a week, and we'll have to celebrate :D you don't want to miss out on this! xoxox

2S4Y Laura's #49

hooray! this week is getting better by the day :D

i'm loving sleeping in and taking things easy... getting work done around the house, and cleaning up my craft space only to get it all messed up again :) nothing beats that, huh? spring break ROCKS!


here i got to play with Laura's sketch from 2sketches4you. LOVE their sketches, LOVE the participants :D hope you get a chance to play along too...

here we go.


i used papers exclusively from Cosmo Cricket's Earth Love line... so fun to just pull out the coordinating papers and play :D


i also stamped the bee using a DoodleFactory stamp, and then part of the sentiment has some mini-alpha stamping ($1 bin from M's) and also some Making Memories alpha stickers ...all very earthy, don't you think? i distressed and inked the edges to give it all a rustic feel.

i just LOVE that 'bug me' sentiment... something about me and PUNS just makes me smile :D

anyway, thanks for stopping by, and i hope your week is fun and relaxing!

girly, you rock!

...that's what i think about 2sketches4you! those girlies ROCK :D seriously--have you checked out the cards over there lately?? o.m.gosh.

gorgeous!!

so Kazan had another sketch up HERE, and i thought it was time to play along again...


such a lovely sketch, dontcha think? plus, i have some new Nerdy Bird papers from Sassafras that have been calling my name :) they said: "Ginny! Oh, Ginny... Hey! Come and bring us out of the dark and put us on a card... PLEEEASE?" haha, not really, but you know.

here's what i made, what do you think?

don't you love that Teresa Collins cling stamp? it's a journaling stamp, but i thought that when it was paired with the sentiment from PTI, it looked fab. whatdya think?

the paper and cardstock sticker are from Sassafras, and the pom poms are from my LSS. ribbon is KI memories, and the clouds were cut using the "Going Places" cartridge with my Cricut.

one think i tried for the first time on this card was the graduated stamping w/ colors... i used a rainbow pad, and for my 1st time i'm pretty pleased! thanks for stopping by, and also for leaving your comments--they're so encouraging :D

go have fun browsing the other creations--they're fabulous!

drama queen! + w00t = 2S4U

can i just say WOOT! WOOT! for making the Fab 5 over at 2sketches4you... i am so honored :D i love all the different cards that people come up from just one amazing sketch.

also, thank you so much everyone for your well wishes with my move... it went *mostly* well. suffice it to say, it's a long story and it involves wet carpets, semi-rude landlords, and having TONS of friends help me out! (THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!)

well, as a single person moving into a 2 bedroom apartment, i got SOOOO many comments about the amount of stuff that i own--whether it was in regards to my clothes (eek!) or my crafting supplies, or all the free furniture that i got from friends. anyway, i think that all 14 of the people who helped me move think that i need to 'rethink my life' (as my brother Peter put it). but hey, what can i say? i'm a crafter!

i know you all understand (hehe, at least a little.) i got some unpacking help after the move, and as i was explaining how the tank tops were to go in the drawers, somebody mentioned that they thought i was a tad OCD about the color coding and folding... but i honestly think that the color coding is SMART, and it comes from my crafting habits :D what about you? do you categorize your clothes similarly to your crafting supplies?

okay, on to my card... it's based off of Kazan's sketch #46 at 2Sketches4You (love these designers and EVERYTHING!) i flipped this sketch again, and actually made my 1st SHAPED card! :)


i made this using a whole bunch of different supplies... not everything is unpacked (and may not get much attention anytime soon), so there's a smattering of all types of things on here. Sassafras, some rub ons, SEI, K&Co, Fiskars border punch, and buttons and poms :D

i LOVE how there's an eclectic mix of just about everything on this card... stickers, bling, etc. i thought that Kazan's sketch was just perfect for a shaped card too.

the above is a picture of the inside of the card, i can put a message around it.

then, here's the whole card at a glance... see that 'turn that frown upside down' rub on? i almost forgot the 'turn' part of the rub on >> that would have been interesting :D

i thought it was a sweet detail to have the clear 'bling' where the camera flash would be. can't you see yourself giving this to a loud, personality filled friend 'just because'? i personally would love to have something this obnox... i mean, LOVELY... fits me perfectly :D

thanks for stopping by, i LOVE reading your comments :)

2sketches4you Kazan's #43

yay, i'm back, and it's saturday! :D i've been trying to continue posting regularly so i don't get off track. today i'm posting some more of my Valentine's scrap cards that i've been posting lately (watch out--there's still more to come!) and i've really enjoyed seeing what comes out of that box and onto a card. most of the time i like the end result, even if the card isn't quite as much "me" as it normally is.

do you know what i mean?

well, here's a quick card--patterned paper from K&Co, a couple previous cuts from my Cricut (square outline and circle), and then some stamping, bling, and my fav. new doo-dad embellie with the hearts. what do you think? is this typical 'Ginny' style, or is this something different??

i know what i think, but want to hear what you have to say too :D
okay, on to the sketch i used for this card--it comes from 2sketches4you, one of my all time favorite sites for sketches.

this week, Kazan had a fabulous sketch (#43) and i couldn't resist playing along. i might make another card using this too!


i used similar papers and supplies as with THIS card earlier this week, and i just love that velvet silhouette paper so much, i *had* to use it again. these are all scraps, remember, so i pulled a lot of different manufacturers together--Bazzill dotted paper, SEI for the brown, DCWV for the silhouettes, some kraft and white card stock for the embellie and card base. the hearts are punches, and the ribbon is from Michael's.

mmmm, i LOVE that combo of bling, button, embellie, and pins on this card--somehow it all gelled, you know? thinking i'll have to send this to someone special ;)

i also inked up a lot of edges on this thing--definitely helps to tie things in, don't you think?

hope you enjoy and have a wonderful weekend--relax a bit!

w00t w00t!

okay, quickie post! i made the Fab 5 over at 2sketches4you again this week! WOW. that really made my day. i can't believe it--i'm still smiling :D

this card is sweet and simple. my martha stewart snowflake punches, velvet ribbon, gems, and some border punches. the paper is from K&Co, and it's actually the ocean stack (the name escapes me now...)

great rich colors for a Christmas card, don't you think?

well, there's still time for you to enter my blog birthday giveaway--i can't wait to announce a winner tomorrow!

i'm going to be posting some banners soon... this time with a winter theme--they're so sweet, can't wait to show you :D

thanks for the comments, and have a great day!

snow day snow cones...

yay! i'm quite the happy camper today :D first of all, this card was made using some more of the eskimo kisses paper from BG that i used to make the "home" card for 2S4U. and guess what?! that card made the fab 5! w00t w00t! :D that gave me a boost, and i know that my week will only be getting better...


so here's the big picture...

see that cute little polar bear holding some snowcones (or snowballs)? which, btw, i'm giving away in my blog-o-versary candy HERE. isn't he the cutest? he's a recent buy from Impress when i went to a stamp night--i paper pieced him and put him on a pop dot for dimension. i also used some fun fluff (flocking) from DeNami Design for the snowy portion of the card, but it's hard to tell in this picture.

anyway, yesterday i got to go up to CK Convention in Bellevue, and BOY, did i have fun (waaay too much fun. my sister threatened to rat my spending habits out to friends/ family, but i think i'll be doing that anyway--probably post some pictures of what i got here on the blog)!

anyway, i'm off to a write-in for NaNoWriMo. i'm happy to report that i have almost met the daily quota, and that Seattle is still in the lead (by a lot, actually :D)

have a great day, and thanks for looking!

Kazan's Sketch #37

so here i am with Kazan's Sketch #37 from 2sketches4you.

i decided to go with a Christmas card because the sketch wasn't quite reminding me of anything other than a wreath! my friend Paulina also made a wreath card for this sketch.

well, i hate to leave this so short, but i really have to go to bed--school tomorrow means an early wake up call. don't forget to check out the blog candy i'm giving away HERE. there's only a few more days to enter, so put yourself in the drawing, and tell your friends too :D

thanks for looking, and leaving some comments--i love reading them!

2sketches4you Laura's #36

oh my gosh! as i was making this card last night to participate in Laura's sketch #36, i said to my sister, "this is the cutest card ever!" hehe. and i really really do like it. i moved the scallops from the bottom of the sketch to right below the midline (with my lace). don't you love how you can switch one element of a sketch and still have it "work"?




see that amazing cupcake felt sticker? it's from sassafras and i'm giving two feltie sticker packages away in my BLOG CANDY--so if you think this card is cute, you should definitely enter.

the rest of the supplies all come from DCWV except the ribbon and lace--Michael's and Jo-Ann's.

that silhouette paper is actually velvety, and i love it. this card has so much texture and interest--maybe that's why it's become a quick favorite.

well, gotta get going--today i'm spending some much needed "rest/ catch up" time with a girlfriend, Paulina... we're getting massages :D then going to dinner :D and THEN going to a party. YAY! and you may be wondering why i'm blogging on a friday morning... well, i have the day off school! w00t w00t! i am so happy :D sleeping in is my favorite.

well, thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to enter in the blog giveaway HERE.

Kazan's #36 & Dawn McVey's #17

yay, a combo card challenge!

i finally got to participate in two challenges this week, which is major for me since i've been so busy lately with school (open house on thursday) and coaching the swim team (2 meets this week--phew!)

anyway, i was able to participate in the Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #17 over at Dawn McVey's blog (use the colors aqua, red, brown, kraft, and cream) as well as Kazan's sketch #36 over at 2sketches4you. hope you check both of them out as the participants have LOVELY entries :D

here i was able to make a super sweet "ho ho ho" Christmas card with one of my favorite stamp lines--DoodleFactory stamps... isn't that Santa the cutest? :D

well, i've gotta run--i'm going to see "Whip It" with my sister tonight--should be good.

also, please enter my BLOG CANDY above for a chance at some lovely goodies.

enjoy, and thanks for looking!

animal crackers layout

well, i was telling you last week about my upcoming crop. remember? well, if you don't, then just check out this post. anyway, it was AMAZING. i loved it. i had so much fun, was so productive, ate waaay too much food, and will definitely be going back next year.

this crop's location was in a nearby city, maybe 20 minutes from my house, so not too far away, but far enough to feel "away," you know?

well, as soon as i drove up to this place called "The Keepsake Cottage" (which by the way is booked almost every single weekend throughout the year with the exception of a few weeks in August), i was struck by how different its appearance was from what i'd expected. i walked in and was even more shocked! from the outside, what looked like a long rectangular single story "office" building almost (more house-ish, but still), was really a beautiful, well-appointed, and amazingly relaxed crop station! hard wood floors, full kitchen (with the cutest stools, tables, and centerpieces), ott lites, rolly chairs, 6 ft long tables, tons of outlets, a Cricut with EVERY SINGLE cartridge imaginable (seriously, i don't think there were any missing, aside from new releases!), 2 Big Shots, a TV/ DVD player, and about 8 different rooms--styled completely separately and fabulously.

in my assigned room i was greeted with some cute pink camo bedding. underneath it all, i had the MOST comfortable bed--pillowtop mattress, good support, everything was perfect, which was an added plus to the cuteness factor.

here's my bed, and above you can see the wall art--the lyrics to "Twinkle, twinkle, little star..."


let's just say i felt MORE than a little spoiled at this cottage. i was so blessed! oh, the nightstands held some noisemakers (i always have a fan running at home, so this was amazingly thoughtful) as well as earplugs for the snorers... not ME!

perhaps the best part, or *one* of the best parts, was the food... our hostess cooked EVERY SINGLE meal, and they were amazing! we had such good variety, quality, and we were treated with desserts after dinner and another "late night snack" towards the time of ten o'clock. i seriously probably gained 5 pounds! (so worth it :D)

the real best part of the whole weekend was the amount of work i got done. i was a machine, making layout after layout. in total, i made 36 layouts (some doubles mixed with singles) from events like last year's Fair pictures, to this year's missions trip to Ecuador.

it's going to take me a while to share all these layouts with you, but i'm super excited to do it... here's the first one, from the Fair last year, entitled, "Animal Crackers" showcasing the mama pigs and piglets that are newly born each year...

this layout is loosely follows Laura's sketch #35 from 2sketches4you... but i think i'll make a card to follow the sketch... gotta love the chunky scalloped edge!

in all my scrapbooking, i've never made that many layouts in that span of time... i think it was really helpful to have everything so spread out and having other people around me. i know for SURE that part of the reason for my success is related to the fact that i didn't have "anything else to do" too... made it easier to focus :D

here you can see a general view of the crop tables. mine is highlighted with the pink circle. i think i brought the most "stuff" to crop with, but it was a good thing, and i was glad i brought it.

here's my friend/ roomie, Shawna, getting things done on her computer so she could cross them off her "to-do" list. we shared a room, laughs, and lots of stories... so great to have her there with me :D

oooh, and a self-portrait. not one of my best, but i thought i'd better take one anyway. i didn't take many pictures while i was there because i was literally cranking out the pages!

oh, i'll have to share with y'all the PRIZE that i won... it's really an amazing prize, AND an amazing story.

anyway, i hope YOU get to have a fun weekend like i did at some point... i wish i could do these more often and with greater ease (i can't leave work that frequently). have you ever had a great (or horrible) cropping experience? care to share? :D

thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Friday!