Treasured Friends

Hello all!  It's Tuesday evening and the week is already moving by quickly. I had a great weekend (and hope you did, too). My twin sister and I celebrated our birthday with family celebrations, good times with friends and, of course, presents!  What's not to love about that? :)

Tonight I was supposed to be in class-- I registered for classes to earn my Reading Endorsement. Classes will meet every Tuesday night from 4 pm until 9 pm and run through May (what was I thinking??). That's a long evening after teaching all day!  Well, I received an e-mail that class for tonight was canceled!  Woohoo (of course I am sooo disappointed!)-- bonus crafty time!! ;)

So here's a little something I came up with...

 

 

You might recognize the patterned papers from Avonlea and Chantilly. I had fun mixing those together. The bear is from Jeanette Lynton's vintage collection. I actually used the (oldie but goodie) wood mounted version that I purchased almost 15 years ago. The newer version is on its way to my doorstep and I am excited to have it in the clear mount form... the newer one comes with accessories-- party hat, gift and a piece of cake-- cute as can be!

 

Well, off to bed now-- this girl gets up before the chickens and needs a little beauty rest. :)

 

I hope you get a little extra time to do what you enjoy this week!!

 

xoxo,

Kristine

 

P.S. I really AM excited about my classes...  it's all worth it in the long run!



It's a Good Day!

Oops!  Late again!  Not sure what's with me...  just give me a tardy slip and send me to detention!! That being said, the theme at the RBG Challenge Blog this month is "back to school." And "back to school" is exactly why I haven't posted in a while!  This girl is worn out!  The kids in our county have been in school almost 4 weeks now. It seems like it is still summer, but I know the extra breaks in October and February (plus our end of the year before Memorial Day) will make it all worth it. My class this year is super sweet, and amazingly, I only have 18 boys and girls!  Last year I had 24-- what a difference 6 less students makes! Whew!! 

So, here is my contribution-- I looked at the "Z" key on the Artbooking Cricut Cartridge and all I could see was scrapbook layouts. Well, my head is so not "there" right now. So, my challenge was to turn all of that scrapbook type goodness into a card. I love the nametag cut and had to use that! :)

 

Please join in the challenge with a school themed project for a chance to win a new CTMH stamp set!

 

 

I hope your day is a "good day!"

 

Kristine

 

 

Materials (all CTMH):

Patterned Paper: Laughing Lola

Cardstock: Kraft, White Daisy

Cricut: Artbooking

Embellishments: Black Twine and Purple Gems (from Laughing Lola Card Kit)

Stamps:  All the Details (D1555)



Summertime! New RBG Challenge!

Oops!  I am a tiny bit late with this post! The Rose Blossom Garden Challenge Blog has a new challenge!  Check it out! Create anything with a summer theme for a chance to win a new stamp set!  For two entries in the drawing, use the new Artbooking Cricut cartridge using the "T" key.  Here's what I came up with...   I have been wanting to try a sunburst card and this key makes it so easy!  I cut the sunburst from 2 different patterned papers and fit the pieces together like a puzzle. Easy and fun!! Give it a try! :)

xoxo,
Kristine

Peace and Comfort

Here are a couple of cards that have been difficult for me to create.  I have been putting them off, unable to really think of creating something that would match the emotions attached. Sometimes you just have to dive in and give it a go, if you know what I mean... so here they are.

I love the sophisticated elegance of the For Always papers, just right for so many occasions.

 

 

xoxo,
Kristine

Thankful

Hello!  It's been a while. Well, this summer hasn't been exactly as I had planned, but as one of my favorite Pinterest quotes goes, "There is always, always, always, something to be thankful for."  It really is so true.  Friday I had some minor surgery due to unexpected complications from the surgery I had last fall. While I am not exactly happy about having to go through that, I am truly grateful that it happened during my time off, when I didn't have to worry about arranging a sub, writing sub plans or about whether or not my students were being taken care of. I am also so grateful, once again, for the great care I received and for the love and support of family and friends.

Another thing I am grateful for is this great hobby that allows me a creative outlet, stress relief and joy. I really enjoyed creating this card.  It features a stamp from the new CTMH Fall Idea Book which is a reproduction of original CTMH artwork from about 15 years ago!  I actually own the original stamp mounted on a wooden block. I now own the newer version, which gets mounted on a clear acrylic block. The image is just as lovely as the original, but the difference in stamping with the clear stamp and acrylic block is amazing!  I love being able to see where I am placing my images.  This stamp is actually one of my very favorites from the "old days." I am thrilled that CTMH is bringing back some of the oldies but goodies--  hope they will bring back even more. :)

Linking up again to the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge... always a wonderful source of inspiration.

 

 

All materials are from Close to My Heart.

 

 

Hope you find lots to be grateful for today!  xoxo

 

Mojo Monday 300

Congratulations to Mojo Monday for their 300th sketch challenge! Here is my entry for the week. The sentiment is from Verve, papers are from MME and CTMH. All other materials are CTMH.

 

 

 

 

Have a great weekend! :)

 

New Rose Blossom Garden Challenge!

It's the first of the month and time for something new from the Rose Blossom Garden Challenge Blog.  The challenge this time is to create something from the "K" key on the Artiste Cartridge. Link up your own creation on the blog and you will automatically be entered to win a free Close To My Heart stamp set!

The "K" key has some really neat options! There is a mini-album cover and a variety of pages to go with it, as well as a fun (and elegant) slider card. I chose to take two of the album pages and turn them into a banner.

I first cut the rounded square page three times (with solid cardstock)  and then cut the decorative square three times, using patterned paper (cut at 2.75 inches).  I layered them so that the solid color of the rounded square piece would show through the fancy cuts of the decorative square.

The "K" key also features a couple of decorative circle/rosette cuts and a butterfly cut. I added the butterflies and decorative circles (popped up with foam tape) to each banner piece. I then layered simple White Daisy circles on top, with the letters to spell "joy" attached. I used pieces of "zip strip" and decorated brads to connect each of the three banner pieces. I added ribbon, acrylic flowers and pink glitter gems to finish the banner.  The ends have ribbon attached, ready to hang as you choose. My intent was to decorate the cake with the banners propped up on wooden skewers. The plan would have been just perfect if my cake had been bigger! :) 

What can you create with the Artiste Cartridge "K" key?