happy fourth of july!

happy independence day!

(for those in the USA)

hope you have a chance to celebrate with friends and family as we enjoy our freedoms :D

i'll be back soon with some tags that i've been playing with... purely fun creating. i also get to look forward to monday--a friend is coming over to CRAFT. we are going to get inky and snipping. look for some cards later in the week.

go have a wonderful day!

no matter what... & ABC's

a while ago i made this Fathers Day card for my dad. we were having a family picnic on Father's Day, and i wasn't able to take a picture of it, so here i am posting this WAAAY later than planned. i really like the color scheme for this "masculine" card, even though some parts of it could be considered girly. American Crafts, DoodleFactory, and Bazzill were my main products used.

**i know i haven't been posting regularly lately, but i've been super busy with the 1st week of school and teaching and coaching, etc... i'm definitely not used to this pace yet, and am still settling in. thanks for bearing with me!**

here you see i made a belly band for this card... i used my Cricut to cut out the "Happy Father's Day" that fits perfectly behind my band. i did a lot of distressing and sanding around edges of everything, to give it a more guy feel.

here's how the card opens at first: "no matter..." i wrote a bunch of funny little things my Dad does, like shrinking clothes in the laundry, and not delivering phone messages. i love him all the same, though :D

and here's the full card opened completely. overall, there are quite a few layers on this card, and it was a good thing i had thought of a way to close it up, otherwise it would be spilling out, hehe!

also, i picked these barn and castle stamps for the inside of the card because my Dad has been dreaming up the house/ barn he's going to build at our property for years... he's actually tossed around the idea of building a castle type house, but my Mom wasn't really going for it. anyway, whatever they both finally decide, i'll be happy for them, because i know they'll love it. i got these stamps from DoodleFactory, and they were sooo perfect for layering and this card for my Dad :D

do you see how the windows are popped out, and i even had these barn doors open on the top layer! hehe, i felt so clever when i made this card... everything is just so cute :D (oooh, and did you see that windmill detail with the brad in the center? neat, huh?)

and here you can see the mega-layering on the castle. i stamped it 3 times--the first on the panel, then twice on gray card stock. i popped out some turrets and shaded everything in to give it even more depth. ahh, don't you just love this? it makes me think of knights, and princesses, etc :D too fun!

i got to use some fun velvet letters from Making Memories as well as some alphas from Basic Grey (on the belly band and on the inside). it added another kind of texture to the card which was really nice.

here you can see how i cut out the tags with my Cricut again and made a pocket to hold all the special little notes on why i loved my Dad so much. i used a circle punch out of the front of the half envelope and stuck these tags in with AC ribbon too.

he really liked this card, and actually showed it off at the picnic we were at... so glad he liked it. now he's got in in his office along with some other cards i've made for him over the years. so funny to see what you made before and compare it to your style/ sense now.

Anyway, in other news, I’ve been tagged by Celia @ The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia to participate in a fun meme, and since she’s my sister, and it looks like fun, I think I’ll play along. Plus, don’t you want to know more about me? :D

RULES

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Share your ABC’s
3. Tag three people at the end by linking to their blogs
4. Let the three tagged people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website
5. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag

Available or married? Available! But totally willing to change that ;D

Best Friend? Cecelia, my sister. *grin*

Cake or Pie? Cake. For sure, ah, I love chocolate, and spice, and carrot… and doesn’t cheesecake technically count as cake?

Drink of choice? Water, or Diet Coke with a lemon OR lime. Either works.

Essential item for every day use? Gum, or my car. I practically live in my car… I drive about 45 minutes to school, and 45 minutes back every day. I spend so much time in my car, and everything in it is essential (like the chap stick, the comfy seats, the CDs, the speed at which it goes…)

Favorite color? Red, black, pink, and blue. My second favorite color is orange, green, and yellow. I also look really good in purple.

Google? Yes. Frequently. The maps are better than MapQuest, and well, it’s Google.

Hometown? Seattle, Washington.

Indulgences? Pretty patterns… especially on paper. Although I’ve been known to covet some items from Ikea catalogs every now and then. I also love movies, FOOD, and traveling.

January or February? February. Valentine’s Day, and it’s not right after the holidays when you don’t want to go back to school…

Kids and their names? I want them someday, and have ideas regarding names, but currently, no children… unless you count my “kids” at school… which I don’t really want to do.

Life would not be complete without? God, family, friends.

Marriage date? Not married, yet ;)

Number of siblings? I’m the second born of 5. One older sister, three younger brothers. My sister Cecelia is only 16 months older than me at 25, and my brother Peter is 16 months younger than me. Then there's Lincoln and Joey. My mom was brave, and had 5 kids within 6 years… I L-O-V-E my siblings.

Oranges or apples? Apples for sure! Fuji are my favorite!

Phobias and fears? I hate heights, but more than that, I hate the edges that usually accompany them.

Quote for the day? “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” --Dory, from Finding Nemo

Reason to smile? Hmm, FAMILY, pretty paper, good music, yummy food, FRIENDS, and finding money in pockets when you didn’t expect it.

Season? I think Winter’s great… I LOVE Christmas--definitely my favorite part of the year. But I absolutely cannot knock having the summer vacation (even though this summer wasn’t much “vacation”) as a teacher.

Tag 3 people?
Heidi at Van Laar Designs
Dad at The Garden Handyman
Amy at Tsuruta Designs
…not sure if they’ll actually do this, but who knows? I always like to hear about real people and their lives.

Unknown fact about me? I went to the National Championships in college for water polo (3 out of 4 years!).

Vegetable you hate? Lima beans, cooked spinach, beets, and sometimes I really hate eggplant. It’s the texture.

Worst habit? Staying up way too late. Especially on school nights.

X-rays you’ve had? Dental, fingers, toes, ankle, etc…

Your fave food? I like pizza, but if I had to live off of one food (made in a variety of ways) for the rest of my life, it would be POTATOES! Mashed potatoes, hash browns, French fries, potato salad, baked potatoes, home fries, tater tots, jojos, steak fries… I love it all.

Zodiac sign? Dunno, my birthday is May 1st.

thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend :D

day 119 - seeing a silhouette

this is the first time i've done a card for the 365 cards blog, and i think i'll participate again! it was a fun experience, and i love the fact that the cards aren't too complicated (hence why you can finish one and post every day if you so choose).

i made this card with a grandmother in mind. not mine, although mine would probably like it, but for a friend that wanted a thank you card for a birthday present he recieved form his grandmother. i love this rose stamp, and i thought it would make a really nice and clean silhouette.

thanks for looking! i'm off to bed to get some rest--my youngest brother joey is getting baptized tomorrow! i'm really excited for him, but he's a little nervous about sharing his testimony (but don't tell him i told you (: he'll be fine, i know).

my memorial day weekend

wow, it's started! a long weekend!

i went to breakfast with my brothers, washed dishes, finished a book, went shopping and bought a book, a cd, and a dvd, and went on an hour long walk with my brothers and dog Cookie.

the walk resulted in some hilarity. i told my brothers we'd be going to the beach to take some "goofy" pictures, but what we actually ended up with was so much more...

and i'll let you see for yourself. i hope you enjoy it as much as i did. i know it's a bit long, but i think it's totally worth watching :D




(or you can check over here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKMYqIntftU)

2sketches4you, Kazan's #26

i loved Kazan's sketch this week, as well as the new Design Team's work. you totally need to check it out if you haven't already!

this sketch gave me a chance to use some scraps, try a new technique, and also to put one of my pretty butterflies to use!

so for this card, i borrowed the leftovers of the polka-dot ribbon from this set of cards. there was just enough to make this cute little bow :D

then, i had seen Kristina Werner's technique of masking an area, and then stamping around it. well, i didn't have any vinyl decals or anything like that, but i did recently get a Cricut, and in trying out some new things, had some extra flower outlines and shapes. so i took the border i cut with Cricut and placed some of the flowers in random order over the top. then i used an ink pad (yellow, to coordinate with my patterned paper) to go over the images... just dabbing it lightly all over until i had the color i wanted. anyway, the result was pretty sweet, no? (and i can totally see myself doing this as an easy complement for other projects that need something "special.")

and after all that, i was looking for some embellies for the flower, and didn't just want to use buttons. well, the other day at Michael's, i picked up a pack of butterfly picks (i think you add them to floral arrangements, etc) and thought that the yellow one would go perfectly in the center here. so i tried it, and YES! it looks good :D i love how the butterfly is pre-colored and glittered so it takes so much prep time out of making a card like this.

all in all, very pleased with my card. i think i'll be trying some new things pretty soon, especially with the upcoming stamp show that i'll be going to with my friend Paulina. she's actually working at it with her family, who owns DeNami Design, but i know that when i get there, all the concentration will go down hill :) i can't wait to see the FORTY-FIVE vendors that are scheduled to be at this event... it will be slightly overwhelming, i think. i'll have to set a budget limit before i leave the house, or who knows?!

also, in other exciting news: my brother Peter is graduating from college this weekend! my whole family has been praying frenetically about whether or not he'll graduate because he needed two B's or better in his history classes, but that had been a struggle for him. PRAISE THE LORD that he passed his finals (with flying colors) and got the grades he needed. i'm so proud of you Pete! my mom'll be at the ceremony, along with my 2nd youngest brother Lincoln, and my older sister, Cecelia. should be a great celebration. i'll post some pictures of that when they get home... and maybe i'll tell you about how i was commencement speaker at college :D

OH! and it's Joey's birthday this saturday... he'll be 19 years old! i can't believe it. he's grown up and matured so much lately. everything goes by so fast nowadays. it seems like i gauge a lot of what happens/ happened in my life by how old Joey is/ was. like when we got our dog, Cookie, Joey was just turning 8. we went to Disneyland around the time Joey was 6... it all goes by the baby, i guess :D

well, i think that's about it for now. i'm going to say goodbye to my mom before she flies off to PA to congratulate my brother (and i'll have to send a card with her for him... better get to making it!). hope you enjoyed looking, and if you read this far... thanks for sticking it out :D

XOXO

(oh, and if you haven't checked out my Dad's blog on gardening, or Cecelia's on everyday life, then you need to check it out, or just look at the previous post here. my family is so funny. i'm including myself, OF COURSE!)

2sketches4you, kazan's #25

kazan's sketch #25 over at 2sketches4you was the perfect starting point for me this week. when i saw the sketch on monday, i was like: i don't have any stars! what do i do? but then i recalled how i was going to get the most fabulous bday present from my family--a Cricut Expression!! can you say WOW?! :D i knew about a month ago that i'd receive the awesome gift, and the anticipation was just about killing me ...so since today was my bday, tonight was my night for creating a card for kazan's sketch. i already am in love with the Cricut--it's addicting, don't you think?

well, here's my card, in fun colors (of course!) and i just have to say, that i feel so blessed by absolutely EVERYONE in my life--family, friends--God is good!

i was surprised by a friend (Tabi, mentioned here) with a ridiculous display of affection [i think] in the form of 10 helium balloons, a bouquet of daisies, about 15 boxes of candy, a 2 L bottle of rootbeer, a HUGE card, and a box of pizza!

(you can see the cricut all wrapped up and the balloons from Tabi to the left)

all in front of my 6th period class of course. so i shared some candy with the kids, and took some pizza to my fellow teachers :D AWESOME PRESENT, TABI! <3

my grandmother, Nana, also had flowers delivered to my school, and the bouquet was gorgeous :) i can't believe how spoiled i am--now my house if full of color.

and my sister, Cecelia, totally outdid herself. not only did she shop AHEAD for my bday (scrapbook supplies), but she also bought be a subscription to Creating Keepsakes! she knew i'd asked for one via this blog post ...chalk a point up for the blog-o. *yikes* i'm so excited to get that subscription ...seriously i was smiling for ages after i heard the news. then Cecelia also made me tear up--she dedicated a post on her blog to me--if you wanna know a teeny bit (well, more than that) about me, then check it out HERE.

my brother Joey is so thoughtgful (i've said it before, i'll say it again) and he custom made me a sheet metal lunch box--i'll be taking pictures soon, because honestly, my description wouldn't do it justice. such an amazing piece of work, Joey!

aside from all that, i can't forget to mention all the lovely friends wishing me a felicitous day (even "Mark" called me!) ...and how could i not enjoy myself with such joyful encouragings? :) even the weather was divine... 75 and not a cloud. you can't beat that combined with a fabulous dinner at a fancy italian restaurant :D

now i am all psyched about spending a night crafting with Paulina and Helene (maybe Shawna) tomorrow... YAY, can't wait. seriously, this weekend has been amazing already.

thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely comments. take care! :D

happy birthday to me!

WOOHOO! it's my birthday :)

it's birthday time, and i figured i'd share some of my latest birthday cards (in a simpler mode of card-making). i made a batch of these birthday cards using identical supplies and design idea a while back...

i used:

*buttons from my stash

*patterned paper from me & my big ideas

*twine

*chocolate fresh ink from impress

*happy birthday from jo-ann's (company... no clue)

*corner rounder punch

these are fun and easy cards to make... measure and slice, stick and tie. it's a cinch. these are easy to make, but often the simpler, the better. i think these could even work for some "man cards"if need be. i may be donating some cards to a neighborhood pool auction coming up, and who knows? maybe these will be included...

anyway, i'm so excited for my birthday today! i just know i'll be getting questions at school from my 8th graders who have no concept of age, "How old are you? 40? 32?" i keep telling them, "Thank you for thinking I'm so young. I have really young skin. You're so sweet for saying I'm only 32..." :D they honestly don't have a clue. i'm a perfect age, and God has blessed me mightily with every day up to this point (thank you Lord)! i am so blessed with so many things:

• generous and loving family (even loving enough to tell me the truth and correct me when it hurts)
• many talents (scrapping, teaching, storytelling... and did you know i threw shot put and won state in hs?)
• a job (that i take for granted and complain about too often--forgive me)
• FRIENDS! (you know who you are: Cecelia [double duty: family + friend], Paulina, Tabi, Helene, Maryke, Sara, Rochelle, Shawna, the list goes on and on...)
• a cute car :D
• a summer of serving (looking forward to 3 VBA's, 3 weeks of teaching, and a missions trip to Ecuador!)
• a great education--thanks GCC
• so much more... there's too much to post in one shot... i'll keep adding, don't worry. i'm also thankful for YOU (my blog reader) and your COMMENTS. they really encourage me and lift my spirits :D you bless me.

may you be blessed on your birthday and throughout the year, as i feel i am. thanks for stopping by! :) XOXO

an Easter card

i know this is late, but really, it's only a week off... i made this card REALLY quickly for my mom for Easter. when i got up for church and got to the table for breakfast, i found lovely cards from my brother and mom and dad, and remembered that i hadn't made any cards (or even thought to make one) for my mom or family members. sooo, i had already been thinking about using the "flower lollipop" technique to make a cute retro flower to stick on a card, and i thought Easter would be a perfect occasion. i just picked some papers and punched out circles using McGill, Paper Shapers, and Marvy punches. i crinkled the flower circles by wadding them up into little balls then unfolding them and smoothing them a bit. then i added the cute button and a bow to the top, used glue dots to stick it all together, and picked out some green ribbon for the stem. i also used the Fiskars "Threading Water" punch for the 'grass' because i thought it would work. the sentiment is from a $1 bin at Michaels that has some other cute stamps to go along with it. i used Stickles to add a touch of bling to the corner, and VOILA! i had an Easter card. all in all, i think it took 10-15 minutes... really quick :) hope you enjoy, and TFL!

you're so sweet... like honey :)

this is one of the cards that i created for the 2sketches4you challenge this week--kazan designed an awesome sketch! i decided to make a set of cards for my grandmother's birthday (she's turning 90! on monday) and i thought that she could use a general cute card like this for some of her friends, or for birthdays, etc... i made a set of 6, and they're all a bit different, but same details:
BG design paper
Making Memories flowers
Random buttons
Hemp string
Jo-Ann's ribbon
SEI patter paper
Kraft cardstock
Starving Artist Stamps
Rhinestones
$1 Alpha from Michaels
Mystery font stamps from Jo-Anns

anyway, had a ton of fun making them... hope you enjoy!

2sketches4you, kazan's #20!

wow, it's been a while since i've posted an actual card. but never fear, i've been making tons of cards over here... i actually had a list of +/- 50 Valentine's cards to give to friends, family, and swimmers... i mass produced about 24 small cards from one of my favorite simple designgs that i'll have to post sometime. but i was really excited to get back from PA (where i cheered for brothers Pete and Link in their MAJOR swim meet in which they did AMAZING!) and check out the new sketch from Kazan. last night i got to work and came out with something pretty cute...

whatdya' think? like the cherries?

i wasn't sure if the flower was too much, but it's bright and cheery. let me know what you think, it's fun reading your opinions... :)

thank you

wow, i've been super blessed this Christmas--so many amazing friends and family members. i LOVE all of my gifts, everyone was super thoughtful. i made quite a handful of 'thank you' cards to express a tiny portion of the gratitude i'm feeling... they're not my favorite colors, but they work together, and the papers and resulting card are masculine enough to send to male relatives.

also, thanks for reading along--i appreciate all the encouragement and knowing that people actually *do* read what i'm posting :)

family picture!

well, all my siblings came home this week--cecelia on time on wednesday from GA, and peter and link a day late from PA.

it's great to have them all back, we're a VERY crazy family when we get together. we woke up this morning to bacon, eggs, and KRINGLE from our uncle in Wisconsin, so that was really sweet. then, seeing as we didn't have family photo basically ALL year, my mom suggested that we take one in the snow. so i used my 10 sec timer on the camera and our trash can (it was the right height) to take this picture :-) think it turned out okay!