Happy New Year...5 days late.

Happy New year!
I have so much catching up to do, but I think I'm finally getting my feet under me, after our flood, basement renos, back to school (with some volunteering this year!), some sickies, and Christmas...it doesn't sound like much, but I've been hopping.
Tomorrow I will have a bunch of 2010 DT stuff up from the Nook, to finish off that year. lol
Hopefully on the 7th, I'll spread some Merry January around too!
Don't forget about the Nook crop starting this Friday and running for the full week!  It's the Nook's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
I'm so excited, and the festivities are going to be so much fun!  Make sure you check out what's going on over there. I'm sure Janice will run a sale, and there will be prizes!
Check us out HERE

Days 8-11 Tim Tags!

Day 8

I didn't have his seasonal masks, so I used my labels die and his mask sheets to cut my own, and this is what I did with it.

Day 9

I love this one. Mine is off from Tim's but I tend to take a good look at his, head down to my 'studio' and just work from memory.  I also didn't have the alpha die, so I used a set of my QK squeeze alphas.   Also the acoutrements are just some random buttons from my stash, the music stamp is Purple Onion Designs  HERE and garland was from my tree a few years back. lol  I also made all my own baubles for the tags, with wire and beads.

Day 10

Again, I didn't have the right die, so I used my snowman stamp...but I'm now the proud new owner of the snowman die, just waiting for it to arrive.  I think I'll cut a bunch and send them into school with my 6 year old for his class to decorate!

Day 11

So sad to see this day come every year.  It means there's only one tag left. Sigh.

For this one I did something totally different.  I don't love the pine tree die that I have, and I did use it on one of the other tags, becuase it was all I had.  I was planning to use it for this one as well, infact, i even cut it twice from my grunge...then when putting the die away this one caught my eye!  I picked it up at a yardsale about a year ago, and had never even used it...until today!  I love the unexpected twist on this, and I think Tim would approve of the improv. lol

I will be back tomorrow with my final tag of 2010...I'm so sad it's nearly over!

Tim Tag day 7

Here it is!

I loved this tag, and I hope to make a few more!  I think I'll use a ready to go Pointsettia though for my duplicates, as I don't have the sticky back canvas, and this was a lot of extra gluing and cutting. lol

I can't get my pointsettia to look like Tim's but for a first shot at it, I'm happy with the result.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jumping in where I am...

I'm so far behind, I can't even believe it.
I'm just going to jump in where I am and pray that one day I get to catch up.  lol
So, Tim's 12 tags of Christmas are where I am scrappy-wise!

So far, this is how mine are looking.  I had ordered the reindeer die on Pre-order, but they still haven't come in. :0(  I'm sad that Sizzix isn't caught up, especially with Tim's Tags going on!!

I've become an improv. specialist, as well as a huge wish-lister. lol

Day 5

Sadly I'm finding that pretty well all of my crackle paints have either completely dried out, (like my rock candy {sniff sniff}), or they're so dry I can't paint with them, but I've added some water, and praying I can salvage them. The exception to this rule has been my metallic ones, that seem to be holding up pretty well, so I used a brass one here instead of my dry as a bone and already-crackled-to-the-max-inside-the-jar green. 

Again, I don't have his numbers, so I had to make do with my old MM ones, and though I did use the emboss trick, you really can't tell, irl or here in the photo. lol

  

Here we have days 3&4.

Again, I didn't have most of what he used, so I made it up as I went along!

This was day 2.

I loved making my own custom stamp pads and did so for many of my stamps.  I'm going to need to buy more felt!! lol  No metal birds or baubles here either, so I used a QK die for the bird on some metallic coal CS and fashioned my own bauble with some wire and beads.

This was day 1.

I didn't have either of the dies for this, so I free hand cut the house, and I used an old sizzix die for the fence.  I also didn't have the Prima branch, so some blingy greenery stood in for that too. lol

Today, Day 6.

I didn't have the tree folder or the reindeer die yet, so I cut the sizzix tree I do have from Chipboard, and used it to emboss the tag.  Then I stamped the snowman, and embossed, and cut him out to use rather than the reindeer.  I also didn't have the lovely music  note tissue tape.  I have so much to collect still!!

I will be back again with more Tim Tags, as I'm determined to at least take a little time each day for me during this 12 tags of Christmas!

August Nook DT Reveals

Happy Friday the 13th!  Are you superstitious?  Fortunately, I'm not...well, not really. lol  Today is the perfect day however to reveal my August DT work for the Nook! :0)
I was given the Creative Imaginations Breathless line from the Scrapping Nook for my August DT kit...it's a fabulous line, that is equally great for both formal occasions, and Halloween fun!
At first, I was a little intimidated.  It's so beautiful, and I didn't know what picutres to use with it...then I remembered that I had some pictures left to scrap from my nieces wedding in May 2009.  Perfect!
 
Thebeautiful Bride and Handsome Groom.



The bride's lovely Cousin, with her boyfriend.

The bride and daddy dance at the dinner reception.

And lastly, a few cards, and even an altered 2X4!
I have a few other layout ideas up my sleeve, but have to find time to pull them off! Lol

To see this line up close, check out the store HERE.

Playing with Wood

My whole life, my Dad has made me things with wood.  When I was a little girl, he made me my first tiny hopechest, and a beautiful cradle for my baby dolls.  When I turned 16 he made me a big beautiful Hopechest, fully lined with Cedar.  When I moved away to college, I was so blessed to have my Dad make me my bedside table, and a gorgeous jam cupboard.  I still have every single one of these things Daddy has made me!  I couldn't bear to part with any of them.  I cherish each and every one. 

In junior highschool, I LOVED shop class!  I loved working with the lathe, the band saw, and all the other tools.  As an adult, I've always had an interest in woodworking, (Dad sometimes let me 'help' him in the garage on projects as a kid, I loved getting my hands dirty!) but I've had little opportunity with 3 kiddies to try anything on my own.   

Enter the rainbarrel flood.

This spring we had a flood in our basement due to a rainbarrel overflowing...our basement has been torn to shreds.  What we found in the shreds was that there was NO insulation down there AT ALL.  Not really surprising to me, since it's freakin' cold ALL THE TIME...you don't need a fridge for your drinks in winter down there! lol   What did surprise me is that there was also no framing.  The basement was strapped, and drywalled.  In order to insulate we had to frame it.  Sigh.

Enter my hero...my Dad!

Dad comes to my rescue more often than anyone else I've ever known. lol  And he didn't fail me this time either.  He came up with all his tools, and started framing...but first, he taught me how to use the miter saw.  Can I just tell you that a miter saw is a beautiful thing?  It is.

Because of puppy problems, he had to return home with his baby before he could really teach me the ropes hands on regarding framing, but I'm a relatively quick learner, and since I've been watching my Dad my whole life, I had no trouble picking up some wood and starting to play.  As it turns out, I found a great guy to come and finish the basement framing, for a great price, and that freed up some of my mucho time this summer to play with the wood in my basement, and make the following!  :0) 

The first of two matching end tables for our deck.

This long table was my very first project.  We use it as a coffee table, and the kids sometimes use it as a little desk. 

This is the bench I made, in its new home, in our front garden!

And finally, I made a footrest for my Dad, as a late Father's Day gift, and a little box for my Mom.  She may use it as a planter, or just a basket in their home, for her crocheting.

Did I mention that ALL of this was made with wood otherwise headed to the dump?

The narrower pieces were all strapping from the basement that had to be removed for the framing to go up.  The 2X4's were remnants from the studs Dad cut and put in before he had to leave.

Watch the blog tomorrow for my DT reveal, and yet another use for 2X4 remnants. :0)

Way late Scrapping Nook June and July Reveals!

Gosh, I'm busy on this blog the last few days! lol
I have to say, since life has been NUTS around here, and it still is, I'm glad to be finally catching up a bit! 

I have had these layouts done for quite some time, but just now am I finally getting them up to show here!

June's DT kit from the Nook was the BEAUTIFUL Paper Girl line by The Girls Paperie.  So soft and feminine!!

Here's what I created.

These cards are made with the Tim Holtz stamps that also came in the kit.  I love how they make a stunning simple OLC.  (one layer card)

And now for my designs from this month, July! ;0)

The stunning Webster's Pages Seaside Retreat was my pleasure to play with.

Now to be completely truthful, I generally struggle with Webster's Pages.  Not because I don't love them, but I'm a little intimidated by them.  They're so beautiful just the way they are, I am afraid to cut them up and try something different...they seem to be perfection just as they are!

But, I made myself dig into this kit, and I'm so happy with the results!

Dh and DD with our sweet Brewie at the beach just a month ago!

Some true summertime fun in Tobermory!

This might be my fav. of this kit.  I love how this paper just is perfect all on it's own.  A teensy bit of embellishing, an oversized pic, and a title is all I had to do! :0)

Head on over to the Scrapping Nook today, and see what new goodies they have in the store!