THE PAPER YARD

Cosmo Cricket (mitten weather)

2010-11-18T08:41:00.003-05:00

This card fits perfectly into the Caardvarks challenge going on right now. The challenge is using die cuts. I used a Cosmo Cricket die cut from their brand new mitten weather collection. This collection is full of fun colors and embellishments. I am glad I purchased it!

2010-11-17T08:04:00.001-05:00

Hi, Lori here today. I thought I would share with you how to create a wreath using double-sided tape and glitter. I used antique gold glitter but you could use many different colors.

This went together pretty quick. The card could be recreated in about 15 minutes (if you precut the flowers).

I'm looking forward to Black Friday! Is anyone else?
My girls and I started going 3-4 years ago. They were finally old enough to go out they early in all the hustle and bustle. Truthfully, I don't usually shop for Christmas gifts that day. I just enjoy the fun of getting out and about with everyone else all decked out in their Christmas attire and spreading the Christmas spirit.

Don't forget to stamp the sentiment. :)

I forgot to add it to the tut.

To make an envelope coordinate with your card.

Simply trace the shape of the envelope onto your

choice of patterned paper. Cut it out and adhere it

to the enevelope with tape. It is an instant face lift.

You can emboss the bottom before you glitter or

after. It didn't seem to affect it doing it last.

Supplies

paper: joyful piece (gcd studios), very vanilla cardstock (stampin up)

stamp: hero arts

ink: basic black (stampin up)

flower stickers: hobby lobby

other: glitter, double-sided tape, silver cording, rhinestone,

swiss dots cuttlebug folder, envelope

Nikki Sivils card and project

2010-11-10T13:34:00.005-05:00

As many of you know, I am expecting our 5th child. As a result I've gotten severely behind on posting my DT projects. This month I'm planning on posting at least two projects a week in hopes of "getting caught up".

I have a couple Nikki Sivils projects to share with you today. I enjoy creating with Nikki's fun and cute collections.

For this project I used Tree Love it's an adorable Fall

collection. I simply wrapped these mini pumpkin bread

loaves I baked using a small piece of the patterned paper.

I then tied a bow around it and added some embellishments

and a Tree Love tag.

For this card I used a piece of My Friend Birdie

patterned paper. I added some cuttlebugging, a cute

little lion stamp, a couple of Nikki's cute little muslin

covered buttons, and sticker letters from the Something For

Everyone collection.

Holiday Gifts

2010-11-09T08:00:00.003-05:00

The holidays are here!!!! Well, almost....I have been looking forward to them since Fall began. I can't wait to start listening to Christmas music while the scents of the season float through the house. My oil burner runs 24/7 and I have some yummy Christmas smells to add to it.
What is your favorite scent of the season?

This month is the time we start thinking about gifts for family, teachers, co-workers, mail carriers, neighbors etc. So I put together this little candle in a jar. What a quick, easy and inexpensive gift to give. I will probably give these to the personnel at the school this year.
Candles are usually well loved and fun to receive. I know I enjoy getting them as gifts!!

Supplies
paper: joyful peace (gcd studios)
cardstock sticker: october afternoon
bling: zva creative
ink: black stazon
clear window sheet: creative cuts
ribbon: wal-mart ?
button: stash
tag punch: stampin up
stamp: wal-mart
twine: statsh
votive jar: dollar tree
candle: dollar tree

October Plaque

2010-10-15T04:25:00.001-04:00

Hi y'all! Lori Here......Since I have never used flocking before. For my technique I decided to flock a gcd Studios chip board piece. The piece I used is bird that was easily turned into a raven.
Flocking is a very simple ans easy technique. I will definitely be doing it again.

I started out with this Christmas frame.

I used stazon and a black sharpie to color the wood frame.

My black paint was out on loan. I love the shine the stazon

created. I used my heat gun to speed up the drying process.

Here is the chipboard piece after I put a layer of black stazon

over it. Inking it before adding the flocking helps hide any

missed spots. To adhere the flocking I used Elmers spray

on glue. It seemed to work well and gave an even coat.

Here is a close up of the flocking. It actually feels like

velvet too. It gives the bird a nice texture.

Have a super day!

Candy Corn and Peanuts

2010-10-07T08:48:00.001-04:00

This month for Gcd Studios we were challenged to decorate one of their chip board tags in a Fall theme. I decided to tie the tag I made to a mason jar filled with candy corn and peanuts. YUM! They are the perfect snack. I'm planning on giving each of the children's teachers one too.

I used papers from the Independence and Sunny days collection.

The orange chip board piece is from gcd studios. I used the
Chip Art tool to deboss the word FALL.

I hope you all are enjoying Fall. It is such a beautiful time of year!

Lori R.

2010-09-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

Wow! It's hard to believe Fall is almost here. The kids have been back in school for several weeks, the air is turning cool and the urge to bake pumpkin-y treats is undeniable. Fall is my favorite season!! What's yours?

"Make a Word " using magnet letters is very educational. I came up with this fun idea for my 5 yr. old daughter using the star, Chip Art shapes and the peacock, ornamental letter stamps. She loves learning and I'm always looking for fun, innovative ways to keep her interested.

Note to self: Make the letter "O".

Start out with stars in various sizes.

Deboss the letters into the stars.

Paint the shapes with acrylic paint.

Once dry. Color the letters in with a fine tip, Sharpie.

Glue a small magnet to the back of each star.

Now they are ready to play "make a word".

2010-09-09T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hi! Lori here. This month we were challenged at gcd Studios to create some type or jewelry. We could make pins, necklaces, bracelets, hair accessories etc. I chose to make hair accessories. As a mom of three girls. I know you can never seem to have enough of them.

Today I have a cute little tin to share with you. I had the tin in my stash but you may be able to purchase something similar from Papertrey Ink or Stampin' UP. Your local craft store may even carry them.
This would make a perfect gift for a little girl's birthday or special occasion.

All the supplies are from the Homespun Chic collection minus the rub-on and twill ribbon.

To make these I simply took these pre-made, Homespun Chic felt embellishments (scroll down, photo is on the bottom right) and hot glued hair clips to the back of them. There are six in each pack so you get a lot of variety.

2010-08-27T13:12:00.004-04:00

Gcd Studios make these cute little necklaces to coordinate with the Chip Art tool. I created a crackle finish on mine. I added some bling and distressed the edges with some paint. They are fun and easy to create. They would be perfect birthday party projects.

Please Hop over here to see Heidi Sonbouls cute necklace.

Embellish Challenge

2010-08-19T13:44:00.003-04:00

I've been wanting to participate in an Embellish challenge for a long time. So, I was happy to sit down and create this card for the current challenge. The colors are so soft and lovely. They went along perfectly with the October Afternoon Thrift Shop cardstock stickers I recently purchased.

Sorry for the lack of chat but I must run....have a super special day!

supplies

cardstock: very vanilla, kraft

floral cardstock sticker: october afternoon (thriftstore collection)

scalloped border cardstock sticker: october afternoon (thriftstore collection)

cardstock sticker tag: october afternoon (thriftstore collection)

friend rub-on- melissa frances

ribbon: stash

pearls: zva creative

background stamp: stampin up (french script)

cuttlebug folder: swiss dots

Pinwheels and circle punches. gcd Studios

2010-08-17T10:00:00.001-04:00

To be completely honest. Pinwheels were always a challenge for me. I would look at them and feel quite confused at the way the blades laid. For some reason my brain just couldn't "go there".
I saw some of these browsing the net this week and I knew I wanted to figure out how to make them. They turned out to be very quick and easy to create. They can be created in less than 5 minutes. I think I'm going to making a lot of these in the near future!

********************************************************************************

Pinwheel Tutorial:

Punch 4 circle of the same size.

Cut each circle in half. You will have 8 halves.

Punch a smaller circle and cove with adhesive.

Lay 4 halves evenly on circle.

Take the remaining circles and layer them over the

bottom halves. (all halves go the same direction)

Have a super day! ~lori

My Town...GCD STUDIOS

2010-08-09T08:00:00.001-04:00

Now you all know I'm a little rusty in the SB area. I gave it up for cards and altered projects. That means a challenge like this really stretches my comfort zone. Which is a good thing!! Anywho......This month we were challenged to create a l/o using photos of our town. This is what I came up with using the Independence collection. I kept my l/o very simple so the photos would be the main focus.

Our town is the first capital of Ohio. We celebrated 200 years in 2003. Chillicothe holds a lot of Ohio history. With farming still being a fairly big industry.

Downtown host several quaint shops. We enjoy strolling through them occasionally. My mom celebrated her birthday last week and in honor of her day I took her shopping downtown and bought her brunch at one of the little cafes. Fun times! :)

Photos left to right: united methodist church (walnut street), yoctangee park (water street), united methodist church (walnut street), in honor of fallen soldiers statue (water street), Lloyd's Sweet Shoppe (water street), The Pump House (Yoctangee park)

TSM for stopping by!

~lori

ChipArt tool give away

2010-08-05T16:58:00.002-04:00

PLEASE go here to see how you can be eligible to win the new ChipArt Tool from GCD studios.

2010-07-09T11:03:00.000-04:00

Hi, it's Lori here with you today. I hope your week is going along smoothly! We've been enjoying the lazy summer days. How about you?

This month's theme was parties. The photos Heidi S. put together are amazing! I was not at a loss for inspiration.

I love girly styles and colors so it's no surprise that the top right photo stood out to me. The colors of the cupcakes, party hats, and banner in the photo work perfectly with the Homespun chic collection. The shades of pinks and greens are perfectly scrumptious.

I always need birthday cards so this card and gift bag combo will come in handy.

Here's a close up of some of the detail. Scallops, fabric, lace, and pearls are the perfect vintage touches.

The bag only cost around .33 cents at Hobby Lobby. So this gift bag is a very inexpensive gift wrap. I started out making a tag but in the end I decided to add it to the front of the bag instead of hanging it from a handle.

I used Homespun Chic paper and borders to create the card and decorate the bag. I REALLY love that collection! It is one of my absolute faves!!!!!

Have a SUPER day!!

~lori

2010-06-17T12:00:00.002-04:00

I'm excited to bring you my technique today. I guess you could say I was inspired by the bright and shiny necklace in the photo. And of course, I can't leave out the vibrant blue skies.

A light bulb came on when I was digging out possibilities for this month's challenge. I believe I was working on another project and had these two pieces of chipboard laying out on the table. For some reason they caught my eye and all I could see using them for was a robot. I could just envision his cute little boxy face. Almost immediately I went to work spray painting the little dude.

After mulling the idea around for a bit. I started thinking of supplies I already had on hand that I could use. Like pop cans. I washed a couple out before bed that night so they could be drying. Then the idea to use hardware came into play. So I dug around and found some in a kitchen drawer. All I had to do was dab some acrylic paint on them with tiny piece of a sponge.

Without further ado....Meet Ramsey the robot. I think he's such a cutie! He was so much fun to create. Hmmmm, maybe he needs a Mrs.?

Supplies: 2 pieces of medium plaques chip art chipboard (#551), blue redwork homespun chic paper, red and white card stock, 2 pop cans, silver metallic spray paint, 7 silver nuts (hardware), silver wire, 1/2 in. circle punch, rhinestone, stickers, blue acrylic paint, pen, hot glue gun, kid paintbrush, foam tape

Spray paint chipboard. Allow to dry (approx.15 min)

Cut two 1 in. strips from one can for legs. Accordion fold and adhere.

Cut two 3/4 in. strips from 2nd can for arms. Accordion fold and adhere.

Create two rectangles from a piece of scrap aluminum.

One will be cut for the eyes. The other will remain uncut for the neck.

Cut one rectangle in half. Fold to create eyes. Make a small square

out of scrap aluminum. Fold to create a triangle for nose.

Also cut small rectangle for mouth.

Wrap wire around end of paint brush to create antennae.

Complete instructions:

spray paint chipboard. allow to dry approx. 15 min. cut pop cans to create arms and legs
accordion fold arms and legs. adhere.
cut neck from scrap. adhere to head and body to connect. create eyes, nose and mouth. adhere.
paint nuts. allow to dry approx. 15 min. once dry adhere.
trace and cut middle panel. hand draw hearts, hands and feet. cut and adhere.
affix stickers to card stock. cut and adhere.
wrap wire around paintbrush. remove. punch out circle affix rhinestone. adhere to wire. adhere wire to robot.
cut card stock to create card base. cut patterned paper slightly smaller than card stock and adhere. Adhere robot to card base using foam tape.

~lori

2010-06-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Is it really June already?? School is out (JOY, JOY) and it's the month we celebrate the fathers in our lives. Both events are special in my book. I enjoy my kidlettes being out of school. We usually have a long to-do list each summer. So far on our list. We have vacation (to a never been before state), summer reading program at library, baseball, camping, voice lessons, volley ball camp, church camp, Florida trip, garden (it's actually growing famously). Sounds like a summer of fun!

Father's Day becomes more special each year as our children get older. I enjoy watching my hubby interact with kids in such a wonderful way. Our children have been blessed with a father who is active in their lives. He goes on field trips, attends field day, cooks for the school cook out, helps with baseball practice and games, he's a good provider, attends church each service, makes sure they get the proper discipline, I could go on and on. He really helps make my job as a mom a joyful experience.

The inspiration this month evokes such carefree feelings. I was really pulled in by the hot air balloons. By the way they float so haphazardly through the cloudless, deep blue sky with such ease and beauty. I can hardly tear my eyes away from the bold colors and patterns. It's almost breath taking.

Needless to say, my first card was inspired by the hot air balloons bold color and pattern. I pulled some paper from the Smoothie Shoppe and Lydia collections. I added a Melody Ross chipboard tag, some bling, a doily, and a Melody Ross button. The flower was created with a scalloped punch. I have a small tutorial for it in the works.

Below is a close-up of the flower. The paper used for the flower is called Pinas (smoothie shoppe and the stems are called Linen (lydia collection) .

This card has many elements seen in the photos. The scallops (cloud necklace), green colors ( balloon), stripes (balloon), blues (sky), orange, bronze accents (dirt road and fields). How fun is that. Talk about inspiration. It's amazing what you can get out of a few photos.

Patterned paper used for this card. Smoothie Shoppe and Homespun Chic.

Since this is the month we celebrate our fathers. And masculine cards seem to be a bit of challenge for me. I decided to create something really simple but fun. I started out with a plain Kraft card base. I wanted to make a frame using score lines. To do that. Punch a square and use it to mark each corner. Then simply connect the lines. I then stamped a smaller panel with a wood grain BG stamp. Adhered it to the center of the frame with pop dots. To create the tie, I used a square punch and a straight edge. The "knot" is a square cut in half with each angle tucked under. I then faux stitched around the edges.

Patterned paper is Diamonds from the Lydia collection.

TSM for bearing with me this long. I guess I got a little carried away with this month's challenge. I just couldn't seem to stop myself!

My last project is for my sweet daddy. He likes to fly little airplanes and he thinks Snoopy is funny. It also matches his office. Which in turn will make my momma happy.

The paper is form the Artsy Urban collection. I also used Melody Ross Chip Art Tool and chipboard. I colored in the stars and DAD with Copics.

I hope your summer has gotten off to a great start! C-ya next month. BOOM Time! :)

~lori

Vintage beauties....

2010-05-31T12:00:00.001-04:00

As you all know this month the DT was challenged to use Russian dolls as our inspiration. Personally, I think they're adorable and full of inspiration. If nothing else, the deep, rich color scheme is over the top. The rich color palette makes me feel vibrant and happy. Ultimately, I had fun creating these cards. I used both the Artsy Urban and Homespun Chic collections because they are plum full of these yumma-licious colors and folklore patterns.

Supplies

cardstock: stampin up, patterned paper: home spun chic, artsy urban (gcd studios), buttons: homespun chic (gcd studios), vintage images: homespun chic (gcd studios), sentiments: SRM Stickers, flower: dollar tree, Doilies: Dollar Tree, other: twine

Embellish Magazine Blog Hop

2010-05-26T23:59:00.004-04:00

Welcome! I'm happy to be sharing this fun blog hop with you today! I was delighted to be asked to participate in Embellish Magazine's first blog hop. It is such a fabulous emagazine. IMO Ashley has created a beautiful and affordable publication. It is full of gorgeous cards and photos.

To top it off. I was extremely happy to have a card published in the very first issue. If you subscribe you will get to see my card creation. :)

Here's the deal.....Create a paper craft project using: red, brown, kraft, turquoise and use twine. White/Cream are fine to add as well. This is such a striking color combo. I love working with these color elements.

Please be sure to visit each blog. You will up your chances of winning a prize. Plus you will see a TON of extreme inspiration and talent along the way!

As you all know, using trim on projects is quite trendy. I decided to layer a couple of pieces together to add some dimension to the card front. The red border is a doily I spray painted and then cut off three pieces from the outside edge. The rest is pretty much self explanatory. :)

Prizes: 2 Lawn Fawn stamp sets (1 winner), 2 assorted May Arts twine samples (2 winners), 5 subscriptions (5 winners), 2 A New Design crinkly and stained ribbon (2 winners)

•Prize contest open until Monday 5pm EST. Winners will be announced Tuesday, June 1.

Supplies
cardstock: paper trey ink
patterned paper: gcd studios (homespun chic)
button: gcd studios (artsy urban)
trim: (craft store) hobby lobby
letter stickers: memory makers (puffy alpha)
rub-ons: american crafts (berry special, miniworks)
rhinestones: zva creative
twine: stash

BLOG LINE UP

Embellish Blog
Ryann Salamon
Tessa Wise
Charlene Austin
Renee Van Stralen
Lori Roop (you are here)
Julie Campbell
Sara Martina Parker
Tammy Fite
Heather Pulvirenti
Regan D'Agostino
Emily Niehaus
Maile Belles
Tiffany Johnson
Anya Schrier
Leigh Ann Baird
Amy Rohl
Mariana Grigsby
Kelly Marie Alvarez
Michelle Woerner
Tina Fussell
Maureen Plut
Brenda Weaver
Julie Lacey
Ashley Cannon Newell
Embellish Blog

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~lori

NEWS FLASH

2010-05-26T10:14:00.005-04:00

Mark your calendars. This will kick off tonight at midnight. Eastern time. We don't want you to miss it! :)

Happy Mother's Day!!

2010-05-08T15:11:00.010-04:00

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a very special aspect of my life. For several reasons.

a wonderful mother to share it with. a wonderful husband that makes my job as a mom easier (he made lunch today) . four wonderful kids that call ME mom.a strong faith in Christ that keeps me steady. I couldn't ask for many more blessings than I've already been given. We have been given much more than we will ever need.

My sweet and darling daughters

My heart is full of gratitude when I look into each one of my children's face and see love and trust in their eyes. I'm aware of the fact that they have been entrusted in my care from above. I find great joy and fulfillment in teaching and guiding them as they grow. Many nights after the lights are out. I will sit in their rooms and we will talk about their day. My daughter's call these "life lessons." I try to help them cipher through their thoughts and feelings of the days events. And how they could handle the days adventures in a Christ like manner. I try to do it in a way their childish minds can comprehend. These moments make me realize how fast my children are growing up.

Some days I wish for time to fly and other days I wish time would stand still. I often have to remind myself to slow down and savor the little tid bits of my life. Like my little Grace coming in the house yesterday so excited to show me something. She finally convinced to come outside and look at her discovery. Which was one of our bushes that had burst out into full bloom. The flowers were gorgeous and I thanked her graciously for showing it to me. To prove it to her I picked a flower and stuck in my hair. I think it made me look rather glamorous. :)

These are the two favorite guys in my life

May your Mother's Day be full of extra special moments that you may cherish for years to come!

my little Grace took this photo of me a couple weeks ago

i made it into a pencil sketch at picnik.com then simply colored it in
i hope it's not too cheesey for you all :)

~lori

GCD Studios card......

2010-05-04T10:25:00.003-04:00

Hi all!! Here's a quick card for you today. It features the Homespun Chic collection by gcd Studios. This is one of my favorite lines. I also used the Chip Art tool by Melody Ross for gcd Studios to add some texture to this shabby card. The chipboard star is from the Chip Art collection as well. It is really fun to work with. There is so many possibilities with the Chip Art tool.

Well, I gotta run. I'm off to the grocery store and need to run so errands in town. Have a super day! :)

Nikki Sivils NSD winner is.......

2010-05-03T14:05:00.004-04:00

Teresamatz is the random winner.

she said, great LO. I love how you put the flower in her hair!

I am spending all weekend scrapping and doing blog hops :)

Congratulations!! Please email me at m2three2000@yahoo.com.

I wanted to post at least a little something. Here's a little tag I created using Henry's Brilliance collection by Nikki Sivils. To fancy the owl up a bit. I added some lace, a button, twill, twine and some Zva Creative 3-d flowers.

Have a fabb-y Monday!!!

A NSD Give-away (Nikki Sivils) and DT call...

2010-05-01T10:32:00.006-04:00

Today is National Scrapbook Day! What an exciting day for many crafters. I don't have any fabulous plans this weekend. But I've created a l/o to share with you. Also, I have a give-away from Nikki Sivils. The winner will receive a complete collection of one of Nikki Sivils line. Leave a comment here about your plans for NSD this weekend and one random winner will be drawn on Monday. The product will be sent to you directly from Nikki Sivils warehouse. That's it.....Happy NSD ladies!!

Nikki Sivils has a new DT call up. If you're interested please visit her website for the details.

Supplies: Patterned Paper (Dan the Record Man) Nikki Sivils, Arrow (Dan the Record Man) Nikki Sivils, Rhinestones (Zva Creative), Butterflies (Artsy Urban) gcd Studios, Flowers (Zva Creative),

Etsy Inspired Challenge week 4

2010-04-24T10:42:00.003-04:00

Happy Saturday everyone!! I hope your weekend is going along fabulous-ly! Can you believe it's time again for another Etsy Inspired Challenge. Woo Hoo!! Best of all...there will be two winners this week. A t-shirt and some Cosmo Cricket is up for grabs!!

This weeks' shop is BEE THINGS. They have some of the cutest stuff in there. They are being generous and giving away this t-shirt.

It wasn't hard to find inspiration in Bee Things shop. Below is the photo I took my inspiration from. It fits the Boyfriend line to a T.

I just made this card for fun. Using the Boyfriend line.Black Board Memory Box http://www.qbaroo.com/cosmocricketretail....at=5&product=78Black

Crafting Kit - Joy Ride http://www.qbaroo.com/cosmocricketretail....t=8&product=371

Crafting Kit - Material Girl http://www.qbaroo.com/cosmocricketretail....t=8&product=384

Set of Tiny Letters http://www.blogger.com/Set%20of%20Tiny%20Letters%20http://www.qbaroo.com/cosmocricketretail....t=9&product=395

Etsy inspired challenge week 3......

2010-04-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

This week Cose Dolci is the inspiration for this weeks Etsy Inspired challenge. I picked this little wool bowl for my inspiration. The Red flowers just really popped out at me.

We were generously sponsored a mini kit (A Cherry on Top)by the Caffinated Cropper. It was so fun to work with and full of the cutest little products!! I couldn't just stop with one card. I decided to make two. I personally want to thank them for their generosity!

I did not get a supply list. So please feel free to stop by the Caffinated Cropper and see what's in the kit. Believe me....it's full of goodness!!

Spring had finally sprug here in southern Ohio! And I'm LOVING it! When the temps start getting close to 80 degrees. I'm one happy girl! :)

Wonderful weekend wishes to you all!!

~lori

Easter photos and a challenge link.....

2010-04-06T09:51:00.005-04:00

I hope each of you had a blessed Easter! Ours was wonderful! Here's a few Easter photos of our clan. It's like pulling teeth to everyone on the same page for a family photo. But somehow we managed to get one picture with all of us looking at the camera.

I also have a couple links. Both links are for challenges to win GCD Studios goodies. Click on the links and they will take you there. (sounds like a calgon commercial) lol

http://gcdstudios.blogspot.com/2010/04/pretty-huh-and-challenge.html

http://www.scrapbook.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/1531959/

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

{hugs}

~lori

Etsy Inspired Challenge

2010-04-03T17:48:00.005-04:00

This month I am happy to be a guest designer for Etsy Inspired challenge blog. I was asked by the sweet Ashley Newell if I wanted to participate this month. I gladly accepted! But to be honest with you all. I missed my first post. Yep! It was supposed to go up sometime today. I got an email reminding me that my post, didn't post. So, I immediately apologized and now...here I am typing like a crazy woman. I could give you a zillion excuses as to how this slipped by me. But I'll spare you the drama. :D Since I'm in such a rush (I still have to put the finishing touches on our Easter outfits) I'll just leave you a link to the Etsy blog where you can get the rest of the challenge details. Here is the photo I choose to represent my card. Doesn't that bracelet look good enough to eat?! (Edited to add shop link) http://www.etsy.com/shop/UntilItEndsStudios

supplies

pearl/rhinestone flourish: zva creative

patterned paper: nikki sivils

stamp: Heidi Grace sentiment

cardstock: papertrey ink

ink: stampin' up

other: swiss dots cuttlebug folder

ribbon: offray

It's Friday.....

2010-03-19T09:24:00.004-04:00

Today was my day to post on the Nikki Sivils blog. If you would like, please stop over there and see my post. Have a super weekend.

Winner of the Nikki Sivils Blog Crawl is........

2010-03-08T09:28:00.002-05:00

I'm happy to announce the winner from this weekends blog crawl here on my blog. Drum roll please.......

C Trimble said...
darling!
March 6, 2010 10:46 AM

Also, be sure to check out her blog...she has some cute ideas on there!! I popped over there just to be a little nosy (curious) and I liked what I saw! :)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:75

Timestamp: 2010-03-08 14:19:54 UTC

A BIG thank you to all who stopped by during the crawl! I appreciate all your nice comments!! Please feel free to pop in anytime!!

{cyber hugs}
lori

Blog Crawl....you won't want to miss it!!

2010-03-04T10:10:00.003-05:00

You can read more information here:

Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker

Jillibean Soup

Bella Blvd.

The design team members at Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker are going to be holding giveaways for projects that were created just for this Blog Crawl! I've made several things. But I like them so much I want to keep them. So, I'm still trying to decide what else I want to make to give away. :D

2010-03-04T10:03:00.001-05:00

Zva winners have been chosen and their name will be announced sometime today on the following blogs:

Jana Eubank: http://www.janaeubank.com

Sherry Wright: www.sherrywright.typepad.com

Lynn Ghahary: http://lynnghahary.blogspot.com

Anabelle O'Malley: http://anabelleom.blogspot.com/

Kim Hughes: http://paperhugs.typepad.com/paper_hugs/

One winner from each of the 5 blogs will receive a Zva prizepack worth $30.00. that consists of the newest Zva CHA release. Congrats winners!

2010-03-04T09:22:00.000-05:00

A note from Heidi.........I know a lot of you don't have an Archivers close by and the tool has been hard to find, but guess what??? There are now a few stores online you can buy it from. This online store is having a welcome sale
Go here to check it out
http://www.stampington.com/html/melody_ross.html
Also, here is another new video to watch about the tool :)
http://www.stampington.com/creative_impulse/2010/february/26/potw.html
Design team up date
We almost have the team narrowed down to "16 people" and boy it has been really HARD! There are so many great applications. The calls will be going out on time.
The international gals will receive emails at 8am PST (USA) March 5th
and the calls for the in state gals will start at 9am PST March 5th
I love making the calls and hearing how excited everyone is. So stay by your phones ;) because the next ring could be me! WOOT!

Zva Creative blog hop #3.....

2010-03-01T09:00:00.003-05:00

Zva Creative DT Blog Hop! Are you ready to be inspired? We are joining together today to share a project that we have created using some of our favorite Zva Creative products. I am hoping thatyou will take some time to join us for a little bit of fun!The Blog Hop begins at Kim Hughes' blog: She is linking to one of the Zva designers and that designer is linkingto the next and so on. There are 12 design team members, so be prepared to be inspired along the way. Hidden on 5 of the blogs is a ZvaCreative prize package consisting of the latest CHA release...YAY! Those blogs will be randomly chosen after the hop is over, so it's important to leave a comment on as many blogs asyou can along the way. This Blog Hop runs through midnight on Tuesday, March 2nd and the 5winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 3rd. We will do our best to notify each winner, but it's best if you can pop in to all of the blogs once again on Wednesday...plus, you never know what kind of inspirational creation that you may find there. All you need to do is leave a comment on this Zva Blog Hop post...you do not need to leave a comment on each and every designer's blog post to qualify. The more times you leave a comment along the blog hop path though, the more chances you will have to be one of the lucky winners.

(Simple b-day invites I created for our DD. they are sporting

a Zva flower FLBK02CA110 and a Zva gemstone)

I really like these crystal flourishes CRW02CA106. They are such a nice size for card makers.

Now hop on over to see Miss Becky Olsens creativity!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

gingham and pom-poms

2010-02-19T20:46:00.007-05:00

Ahhhh...what a productive day. I had the pleasure of cleaning my vehicle out in 35 degree weather! The skies were clear and sunny. So it felt much warmer in the sun. A clean vehicle makes me quite happy! The thought of getting in a dirty vehicle is almost as bad as not cleaning up the house before going to bed! I even got new floor mats for the front floor boards tonight! :)
It's one of things I wanted for V-day! Ok....enough car (SUV) drama. I better move on to a more interesting topic! Like the current Tuesday Trigger Cath is hosting over at the Moxie Fab world blog. I am happy to be playing along this week. The snowy weather has kept the kidlettes home from school so my crafty time has been limited.

I used some sweet cherry paper from Nikki Sivils. The cherry circles were punched from the paper and adhered with Zva Creative dimensional foam. The pearls are also from Zva Creative. I colored them with a red Copic marker. The brad is from Nikki Sivils and the ribbon is by S.E.I. The stamp is by Nikki Sivils. It coordinates with the cherry paper collection. The little paper doily is from the Dollar Tree.

The inside reads "......to have a friend like you."

Have a terrific weekend!!

~lori

Valentine's and a layout....

2010-02-13T14:01:00.007-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day weekend to all of you! I hope you make many special memories.
Our two oldest daughters host a V-day party for their friends. This is the third year running. We had 15 girls here and 7 of them slept over. They had such a blast!

Here's a few projects I created last week for GCD Studios. I added some Zva Creative bling to a couple of them. I created this l/o because Heidi said so. LOL I need more practice, it was good practice for me!!
Homespun Chic is such a fun and easy collection to use. The front of this card is tag embellie that you can buy. Several tags come in a package. The cute little brad is part of the collection as well.
The pearls are from Zva Creative. I colored them with a scarlet red Copic.This last card is the one I'm going to give my hubby for V-day. It's very simple and kinda masculine. I used a Stampin' Up wood grain BG stamp and some goodies from the Homespun Chic collection. I also squeeezed in some stamps from Nikki Sivils.

Here's a parting shot of all 15 girls.

Fun announcement.....

2010-02-04T14:05:00.002-05:00

Hi y'all....I hope your day is going well! If you're not having such a great day. Keep in mind.....Spring is around the corner. What a welcome sight!!

Monday I found out I made the Nikki Sivils DT. WOW! I was quite surprised! So today I thought I'd share a couple cards I made using her "My Sweet Cherry" line. This line is very fun and cutesy. The colors are simply delightful. Also, my kitchen is a cherry theme. So naturally, I think these papers are too cute!

I incorporated a small Zva Creative flourish on each card. They just add extra delight to the yummy paper!

I will be adding the buttons and Nikki Sivils DT links to my side bar soon.

Have a fabby day!!

~lori

Homespun Chic

2010-02-03T11:28:00.006-05:00

I'll start off with a bouquet I created for GCD Studios CHA booth using the Homespun Chic collection. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed using this collection! IMO it's one of the easiest collections I've ever created with! If you love shabby chic stuff...you may want this one!! It is not just a paper collection. It has many embellishments to match.

I created the flowers using different sizes of scalloped oval nestabilities and a scor-pal. I then layered the flowers with ribbon and embellishments from the Homespun collection.

The coffee cup was something I found at the Dollar Tree. It is made to decorate so jazzing it up was a cinch.

I wish I had some CHA photos to share with you today. Although, I'm sure you've seen a ton of them floating around blog land! I did manage to snap a few photos but not nearly enough! My computer is still acting up a lot so I'm using my hubby's laptop. It does not have an SD card slot. So, I can't edit or upload photos w/o a big hassle.

CHA trade show was an AWESOME experience!! I was able to meet so many WONDERFUL crafty peeps that I've met through this great industry! I will definitely jump at any chance to go again!

Below are several up-close photos of this set of wall tins. I also found these tins at Dollar Tree. I simply covered them with 8x8 sheets of paper from the Homespun collection. I then embellished them with products from the same collection.

I had the greatest privilege to make some projects for GCD Studios CHA booth using the Homespun Chic collection. This collection was so easy for me to use...the projects just seemed to flow right out of me. I love it when that happens!!

Have a super day!
~lori

Zva Creative blog hop winner to be announced

2010-01-20T08:23:00.004-05:00

Here's a little peek of a Mini Album(Artsy Urban Collection)I created for GCD Studios. I added some big Zva pearls to this page. They're simply fabulous.

Zva winners have been chosen and their name will be announced sometime today on the following blogs:

Becky Olsen

Lori Roop

Angelica Franssen Ingrid Danvers

Lisa Johnson

Each of the 5 winners will receive a Zva prize pack worth $30.00. Congrats winners!

Zva Creative blog hop winner

2010-01-20T07:47:00.005-05:00

Here's the winner from the Zva Creative blog hop.She will recieve $30.00 of Zva product! Please email your address to me at m2three2000@yahoo.com, Congratulations!!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

51
Timestamp: 2010-01-20 12:50:36 UTC

lieke said...
what a lovely card!!
i like the owl!

xxx lieke

Zva Creative Blog Hop #2

2010-01-18T09:00:00.006-05:00

Yay, another Zva Creative DT Blog Hop!

We are joining together today to share a project that we have created using the latest Zva Creative products that are releasing at winter CHA craft show. I am hoping that you will take some time to join us for a little bit of fun! Zva is introducing 100+ brand new crystal and pearl embellishment designs at the show. All designs have a fresh new look and are available in various popular color choices. If you are attending, please stop by the Zva at Booth # 2991.

The Blog Hop begins at Kim Hughes' blogShe is linking to one of the Zva designers and that designer is linking to the next and so on. There are 12 design team members, so be prepared to be inspired along the way. Hidden on 5 of the blogs is a Zva Creative prize package! Those blogs will be randomly chosen after the hop is over, so it's important to leave a comment on as many blogs as you can along the way. Our team is so wonderfully diverse, so we are hoping that you will be inspired when you reach the end.

This Blog Hop runs through midnight on Tuesday, January 19th and the 5 winners will be announced on Wednesday, January 20th. We will do our best to notify each winner, but it's best if you can pop in to all of the blogs once again on Wednesday...plus, you never know what kind of inspirational creation that you may find there. All you need to do is leave a comment on this Zva Blog Hop post...you do not need to leave a comment on each and every designer's blog post to qualify. The more times you leave a comment along the blog hop path though, the more chances you will have to be one of the lucky winners.

Please hop over to see Teri Andersons wonderful card.

Thank you SO MUCH for joining us!! Have a great day!

Here are the blog candy winners from last weeks posts.

day #1 ~amy~

day#2 cindy

day#3 Julia Aston

day#4 DeniseB

Congratulations! Please email me at m2three2000@yaho.com with your addresses.

I will also be at CHA next week. I'm working mon-wed at GCD Studios from 9-12 each day. If you're attending, please stop by and see me at booth #3785

Zva Creative supplies-heavy silk flowers-FL01CB104, corduroy brad-BR01CB104

Zva creative peek #4....and some blog candy

2010-01-16T13:13:00.002-05:00

Shoo....I'm finally getting this posted. I fell in love with this little deer cardstock sticker image and had to use it on this card. I added little "butterflies" to it's tail and on the pink pearl, Zva Creative flourish. The "butterflies" were created by gluing felt flowers together and snipping off one end. I added tiny pearls to the centers. The letters are foam thickers. They add some fun dimension to this card.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.

See this post for blog candy details.

~lori

Delay...

2010-01-15T22:40:00.001-05:00

I'm so sorry I didn't get a post up today.....I will try to post it in the morning.

~lori

Zva Creative peek #3.....and some blog candy.

2010-01-14T08:54:00.002-05:00

Well, today brings another Zva Creative peek. I used a lovely Crystal flourish on this little birthday card. The silk flower and brad are also from Zva Creative. I enjoy using them! They are just adorable together! The papers I used are by Jenni Bowlin as well as the flower die cut. I colored in the dots of the die cut to match the patterned paper.

I'm sorry to make this so short today but I have projects to work on for CHA. I'm getting SOOO excited! Just 9 more days!!!!

Here's a close-up of some of the detail.

The button is vintage cream by

PaperTrey Ink. The ribbon is just

regular craft ribbon I bought at

Wal-Mart by the spool. The gemstone

brad is also by Zva Creative.

The blog candy works the same way as yesterday. I will draw one name from the comments on each post at the end of the week and post the winners. The photo above is a sample of some of the things you may receive. Product may vary.

Have a super Day!!

Zva Creative day #2....and some blog candy

2010-01-12T12:13:00.003-05:00

Since Valentine's Day is swiftly approaching I thought I would share a V-day card. I think they are some of my favorite types of cards to create. I love the color combos associated with this love-y holiday. I think the pinks, blacks and reds are just scrumptious!

This card consists of Zva Creative pearls, felt and silk flowers, and gemstone brads. The heart is a Jenni Bowlin die cut. The black polka dot paper is from the Jenni Bowlin packaging. The ribbon is once again a piece of Wright's, bought by the yard. The little tag is by doodle bug designs.

Each time I use the Zva Creative products I find more and more ways to use them in a fun or unique way. Below is a close-up view of the flowers and gemstone brad.

The blog candy works the same way as yesterday. I will draw one name from the comments left on each post at the end of the week and post the winners. The photo below is a sample of some of the things you may receive. Product may vary.

A big thanks to each one of you who left comments yesterday. I appreciate
all the sweet feed back!

tootles

~lori

P.S. It is not necessary, but I would appreciate it if you would pass the word along about the blog candy give-away. TIA!

Zva Creative new releases and some blog candy.....

2010-01-11T09:37:00.011-05:00

As you already know. I've fallen in love with Zva Creative products. IMO they add so much more character to my projects. I haunt my mailbox when I know there is a Zva package on the way. I'm probably not alone. :)

If you're attending CHA. You will have the opportunity to see Zva's newest products and our projects we the DT made specifically for CHA 2010. Their booth number is #2991. Feel free to stop by and say "Hello" to Carolyn. I know I'm looking forward to meeting her!

I'm going to spread the posts out all week.....and give some blog candy each day. I have some fun crafty stuff in my stash that I can un-hoard. So, leave me a comment and I'll pick all my winners at the end of the week. So be sure to stop by each day and leave a comment to be eligible (shipping U.S. only). Please, post this on your blog. I would appreciate it!

I'll start out with this beautiful blue, pearl flourish. I

love the depth this blue adds.

Here's a close up shot of the flourish. I think it's

beautiful. I added some Jenni Bowlin papers,

a Heidi Grace sentiment stamp. Along with a little

birdie stamp I bought a HL recently. It's one of

my faves right now. It stays on my craft table.

I also used a Zva corduroy brad and felt flower. I think the texture of these two products together is amazing. Another must IMO! The ribbon is by Wright's I typically buy it by the yard at Wal-Mart when I do my grocery shopping.

The photo above is a sample of what you may get. I will divide some of this between each of the daily winners. GL! :D

have a great day ~lori

some tid bits of fun.....

2010-01-07T13:24:00.003-05:00

Today the kids have another snow day. It's the 3rd day in a row this week. Of course, they are thrilled to miss so much school. We ventured out today and had breakfast in town. It's a good thing we got back before more snow hit. The roads are getting covered again. And I'm not real brave when it comes to driving in the snow covered roads.
We're now sitting around the fireplace with our techno gadgets. While the snow piles up around us. Ahhh....what a blessed life!

I've been having a lot of fun using my Zva Creative goodies. And since it's been awhile since my last post I thought I would share a few of my newest cards.

This card sports some Jenni Bolin papers,

Zva Creative pearls and paper rose.

This card is simple but sweet. I used corduroy brads

by Zva Creative to create the balloons.

This little number proudly presents Cosmo Cricket

Early Bird paper, Zva Creative Crystals and pearls.

This year is my first winter CHA evah! And I'm soooo excited! I hope to meet you there.

If you want to look me up. I'll be working at the GCD Studios booth Mon, Tues, and Wed. from 9-12. Just 17 more days!!!

Have a great day!

~lori

Christmas cheer.....

2009-12-23T12:52:00.004-05:00

I've been such a bad blogger lately so this post is full of this and that. First, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Christmas day can't get here soon enough for my kids. We still have some last minute shopping to do. I enjoy it though. My hubby and I have fun shopping for our munchkins. Our gifts will be wrapped with love and placed under our "evergreen" tree. :) I replaced our skinny tree with this one last year. The new one is beautiful! Well worth the $$!
I was able to get the kids still long enough to shoot some Christmas photos. I just used a cheap table cloth and my point and shoot camera to capture these. I used picnik.com to edit them.

I had our Christmas cards printed at Wal-Mart this year. They had a better variety than Sams Club. I think they turned out pretty good. Considering, we bought seventy photo cards for $30.00. I was able to get three nice size photos on each card.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As some of you know, I'm a DT member for Zva Creative. Below are a couple projects I've created recently using their products. If you love pearls and bling. Zva Creative has a nice variety of styles and colors. You can find a list of supplies on their website.

Zva Creative Supplies used for snowman card: CR-02CB-101 (clear crystals) eyes; PE-02CB-110 (light blue pearls) hat; CR-01CB-109 (clear crystals) mouth; PEC-02CB-101 (large pearls) buttons; PE-02CB-127 ( pearl flourish) Snow swirls; FL-01CB-116 flower (white felt); pink gem brad

Zva Creative Supplies for owl card: CR-02CB-101 (green crystals); PE-02CB-132 (large flourish)

deck the halls.....

2009-12-17T11:57:00.006-05:00

On the 8th day of Christmas.....my to do list slowly dwindling. Outside lights, check. Trees decorated, check. Garland around the staircase, check. Christmas cards and photos, check. I think I'm finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. I still have plenty of gift wrapping to do and a few more gifts to buy. Hopefully I can get the gifts wrapped while all the kiddos are gone today. After tomorrow they will all be home for Christmas break. YAY!

I have a few GCD Studios projects to share with you today. They're from the new Christmas collection which can be found here. I created a table place setting and a centerpiece from the collection. I'm sorry the photos are dark and not real clear. My lighting was horrid. Night time photos are a pain for me and my little point and shoot camera!

To create the center piece I simply used a #2 pencil, patterned paper, a square punch, hot glue gun, and 3 Styrofoam trees of various sizes. To create the trees you punch out squares (it takes 3-4 sheets of 12 by 12 paper to make a large one). Put a square on the end of the pencil and then pinch and twist it around until it stays to the form of the pencil. Remove from the pencil and hot glue it to the tree form. Make sure the sides are touching on each one you put on the tree. This will ensure you will not have any gaps.

This is a close up of the base of the center piece. Around the base I added a twig wreath that is painted silver. I added a little bird I bought at the Dollar Tree to the wreath. The trees are setting on a crystal cake plate and a sheet of the scalloped gcd studios patterned paper. I also added a ribbon around the edge of the cake plate using a few glue dots.

This little humdinger is name holder. I took a clear bulb and stuffed it full of gcd studios patterned paper. I added some ribbon, bling, flowers, a gcd studios brad, and a yard sale tag.The base is the tube off my glue dots. I added some gcd studios patterned paper and buttons.

The plate is sitting on a piece of the gcd studios scalloped patterned paper. I layered one of their clear, patterned acetate sheets over it. The plate is from Dollar Tree. I hot glued assorted buttons around the edges.

The napkin ring mainly consists of a strip of gcd studios patterned paper, a die cut from the gcd collection, some bling, a bow, a hero arts sentiment stamp and a flower.

If you have any questions...feel free to email me at m2three2000@yahoo.com. I would be happy to clarify any of your questions about the project or products I've used.

~lori

Zva Creative blog hop announcement...

2009-12-09T12:56:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know. The Zva winners have been chosen and their name will be announced sometime today on the following blogs: Teri Hilde Lynn M. Lynn G. Anabelle. We had a ball and we hope that you did as well.

Thank you SO MUCH for visiting my blog. You made my day with all your sweet comments. Please keep an eye out for another Zva Creative Blog Hop in the future.

Zva Creative blog hop.....

2009-12-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

Our First Zva Creative Blog Hop!I am excited to be a part of the Zva Creative DT! We are joining together today to share a Christmas or Holiday Tag that we each created showcasing the beautiful products that Zva has to offer. I am hoping that you will take some time to join us in a little bit of fun!The Blog Hop begins at Kim Hughes' blog: She is linking to one of the designers and that designer is linking to the next and so on. There are 12 design team members, so be prepared to be inspired along the way. Hidden on 5 of the blogs is a Zva Creative prize package! Those blogs will be randomly chosen after the hop is over, so it's important to leave a comment on as many blogs as you can. Our team is so wonderfully diverse, so we are hoping that you will discover a talent that you have not been aware of.This Blog Hop runs through midnight on Tuesday, December 8th and the 5 winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 9th. We will do our best to notify each winner, but it's best if you can pop in to all of the blogs once again on Wednesday...plus, you never know what kind of inspirational creation that you may find there. All you need to do is leave a comment on this Zva Blog Hop post...you do not need to leave a comment on each and every designer's blog post to qualify. The more times you leave a comment along the blog hop path though, the more chances you will have to be one of the lucky winners.

Here's the little tag I created for the blog hop. I started out with a piece of green cardboard packaging. I ran a small piece of it through the Cuttlebug using their new Christmas Tree folder. I then cut out around the shape of the tree and slightly sanded the top and edges. That only left me having to embellish it with my yummy supply of Zva Creative flowers, crystals, and pearls.

Supply list:
CRO-2CA-127 (pearls)
PE-02CB-103 (pearl border)
CR-02CB-107 (colored crystals)

Please hop on over to see:Becky Olsen

Scarlet Lime giveaway....

2009-12-04T09:14:00.004-05:00

(click on the logo)

GCD Studios is giving away a Scarlet Lime kit......the deadline is Dec. 7th. So hurry by GCD Studios and leave a comment if you're interested.

Has it really.......

2009-12-03T12:45:00.003-05:00

Has it really been over two weeks since my last post??? How crazy is that??!! Between all the sickness in our little hovel and my computer going out....things just haven't been the same!
I hope to post something crafty soon.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thankgiving! May your holiday shopping days be merry and bright! :)

It's Wednesday......

2009-11-18T09:04:00.006-05:00

Can it really be Wednesday already? And almost one week away from Thanksgiving? It hardly seems possible!! I'm really looking forward to getting together with friends and family to celebrate our bountiful blessings.

Another event I'm looking forward to is Black Friday. My girls and I get up early and hit the town. It's become a tradition that we enjoy. I'm not the kind of person that stands in line and waits for the stores to open. We just like going for fun. Do any of you venture out on Black Friday? Do you have any stores that you just HAVE to shop at. I ALWAYS have to run in Bath and Body Works! I love their holiday specials!! If you do, I would like to know if you care to leave a comment. :)

Now on to the reason of my post......I entered a contest at Michael's. And I would be ever so GRATEFUL if you could take a minute and vote for me. The contest is a judged event but any votes toward my project will help. Below is the link to my project

http://www.michaelscontest.com/uploads/1140

THANK YOU!!!!!

randomness......

2009-11-14T20:57:00.004-05:00

I feel a little lost now that I'm not on a DT that has scheduled posts every week. Although, I have been enjoying the "extra" crafty time. Not a lot of chit chat tonight (anyone that knows me, knows I love to chit chat, I may even drive you crazy with it). What happened to that quiet girl I used to be?? Oh well, I don't miss her. My husband probably does sometimes. lol

Here's a few cards I've made recently using some of my favorite products from GCD Studios.

Have a super evening!!

~lori

Moxie Fab World/Plum Crazy Challenge

2009-11-07T20:14:00.007-05:00

I'm not a big fan of purple.....and I'm not exactly sure why. So, this challenge is a perfect way for me to get "over it" .The paper I used is some I've had for years...and when I say years.....I mean YEARS!

The snowflakes were made using a Martha Stewart punch. The stamp is by Hero Arts. It's one from their new Christmas sets. I added dinky rhinestone to the center of the snowflakes to add a little pizazz to these very CAS cards. These could be mass produced in minutes. I'm actually thinking of using them for our families cards this year.

For some unknown reason. My last post would not allow comments. So I deleted it and redid the post. I'm sorry if it caused anyone trouble~

I'm a Covergirl.....

2009-11-06T20:57:00.005-05:00

Happy Friday to all my blog friends! I hope your week was full of happy moments! We had a super week. Which I am always thankful for! I try not to take my blessed life for granted. That is one reason for this post.....I found out through the grapevine (Debbie Olsen) that one of my projects is on the cover of the current Simply Handmade idea book. Of course, I was very excited and went searching for it. I finally found it the other day and decided to share it with you all. This is my first time being a "covergirl" so it's a pretty amazing feeling! :D I want to thank the lovely peeps at Simply Handmade for using my project as the cover for their beautiful idea book! I have not taken it for granted.

Here's a little baby announcement I created out of felt and some yummy Melissa Frances paper. I find it so easy to create the most dainty things out of her paper! IMO Melissa Frances paper is a no fail project! :D I also used a chipboard letter from gcd studios. Which I smothered in glitter. The paper doily came from the Dollar Tree. The brand the stamps are from is eluding my memory right now. If I remember I'll post it later. The rest of the of the goodies are just stuff I had lying around.

The back of the tag is for the photo. I should've added it to this post! So much to do.....so little time! :)

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a super weekend!

~lori

Some cards and a Toot.......and a Give-away....

2009-11-04T10:34:00.003-05:00

It's been several days since I posted last. Time seems to fly by faster with each passing day! I've been extra busy since my husband has been working closer to home. He finds more tasks for me to do. :) But no complaints.....I'm happy I'm able to help!
Our Fall weather has been EXTREMELY beautiful! Sadly, the trees are almost bare and the lustrous colors are swiftly fading! I am eagerly anticipating the holidays and all the fun and joy they bring! Family gatherings are so blessed! We're going to have Thanksgiving at our home this year! I need to start thinking about table decor! I think our menu is pretty well set. What do you typically have each year? I would love to know if you care to leave a comment. Goodness, all this talk about Thanksgiving is making me hungry!! I think I'll change the subject.........

Some of you may already know that I tried out for the Zva (Zee-vuh) Creative dt. And can ya believe I made it. I was happy and surprised to get an email and a call from the famed Kim Hughes. To top it all off. It was my birthday weekend. Talk about icing on the cake! I'm still on cloud 9. I'm looking forward to working with so many AWESOMELY talented ladies!

Here's a couple cards that showcase some of the products in GCD Studios newest line created by Melody Ross. I LOVE this new Artsy Urban collection! It's full of character and beauty! I have so much fun using this collection. GCD Studios is giving away some of this Collection TODAY....CHECK IT OUT HERE

TSM for stopping by! I hope your day is wonderful!

2s4u Monday.......

2009-10-26T11:48:00.003-04:00

The last six months has quickly passed and it's time to bid 2s4u adieu. The experience has been phenomenal! What a great team to work with!! Laura and Kazan are simply fabulous and very professional! Here's a BIG thank you to both of them!
The DT gals were awesome to work with as well! They're full of talent and creativity! I wish them all the best~

Here's my card this week.....we were sponsored stamps from the Cutting Cafe. The images were super cute!
If you get a chance to play along with this weeks sketch. It would be such a pleasure to have you! I hope you all have a SUPER Monday! I'm still reveling in this splendid Fall weather!
Supplies

patterned paper: nutmeg and earlybird by Cosmo Cricket
cardstock: really rust by stampin up
digi stamps by: the Cutting Cafe
chipboard tree: basic grey
ribbon: offray
acorn: cardstock sticker
other: circle punches, scalloped circle punch, button,
twine, ric-rac, rhinestones, pinking shears

Favorite Fall Foliage

2009-10-24T00:52:00.003-04:00

Fall is easily one of my favorite seasons! I enjoy pulling out my warmer clothes and adding on layers. The cool mornings and evenings are a wonderful reprieve to the muggy heat! For some odd reason I get the biggest kick when it gets cold enough to see your breath when you exhale. Must be the kid in me?!
Fall decorations also hold a big space in my heart! The scarecrows, gourds, cornstalks, straw bales and pumpkins make me want to smile. Fall is a reminder to reflect on our blessings bestowed upon us.
Here is a photo I wanted to share that I snapped sitting in the car waiting for DH yesterday. It was taken through the front windshield. So, there may be some buggy specks.....
Happy Fall to ALL!!

~lori

GCD Studios Challenge and prizes....

2009-10-24T00:29:00.002-04:00

Please stop by GCD STUDIOS....they are hosting a sketch challenge with PRIZES. There is a deadline so you'll want to hop by there asap!

They also are featuring a couple of my never seen before cards. :)

Moxie Fab World Ruffle Challenge......

2009-10-23T18:27:00.007-04:00

I couldn't resist adding one more entry in the MFW ruffle challenge. I'm a girly girl and this challenge is right up my alley!! I have three girls so I am constantly buying hair accessories. Recently, I've decided making them is the least expensive route! Also, I can make them to match an outfit or season. Here's a little gift set I made up.....it consists of a denim pocket, bow clip, tag card and ruffled barrettes.

The regular bow is a hair clip but it could also be clipped on a headband. I created a template for the barrettes to snap on and covered it with sweet melissa frances patterned paper. The barrettes only take a few minutes to create. The supplies are very inexpensive. I but the barrettes and clips at Hobby Lobby when they're half price. You get several smaller ones in each package. So each barrette costs aprox. .30 - .40 cents. or less. I hope to make more and show them on the blog. The card and barrettes fit perfectly inside the pocket......now I need a matching gift bag.

For several years, red has been one of my favorite colors. A lady at the kids school tells me every time she sees me I have red on......so sometimes I make it a point to wear a different color when I see her! lol It's such a rich and vibrant color. My home is also full of shades of red. From the walls and rugs to the decor!
supplies

ribbon: walmart
pocket: cut out of old jeans
hair clip: hobby lobby
barrettes: hobby lobby
buttons: papertrey ink
flowers: walmart
lace: joanne fabric
stamp: stampin up
ink: stampin up
ric-rac: joanne fabric

patterned paper: melissa frances, doodlebug designs
rub-on: melissa frances

2s4u Monday....

2009-10-19T10:18:00.004-04:00

Today is another 2s4u Monday. We were sponsored product from Creative Cuts. Be sure to stop by and check out the prize and sketch for this week.

I used a little bat die-cut card for my card this week. I think it ended up kinda cute. :)
I also used new paper from GCD Studios Artsy Urban Collection. I 'm sooo in love with this new line.

•DT CALL•DT CALL• DT CALL•
Yes that is right, it's that time again for 2 Sketches 4 You to add to their amazing talent of designers! You yourself could be a part of this special sorority of sisters.
We are looking for 4 designers
You can find all the deets here on our
•DT CALL BLOG•
Kazan and Laura are looking forward to all of your fabulous entries!!
Good Luck:) I hope you all have a super week! Thank You for stopping by!! I appreciate every ones comments!

Matilda Jane....

2009-10-15T09:14:00.002-04:00

This post is a little off the beaten path but I just had to share this adorable girls clothing with you.....I would feel selfish if I kept all this goodness to myself. :D
I recently stumbled upon this mom-based company a couple weeks ago.....Matilda Jane. I happily contacted a Trunk Keeper and scheduled a Trunk Show. If anyone is interested in ordering anything feel free to send me an email and I can give you more info.

I'm hopelessly in love with some of these clothing items. I can just see

my girlie's wearing these little dresses and fun bloomers!

Isn't this skirt, bloomer, tights, and clogs ensemble darling!!
I could go broke buying Matilda Jane!! But I'll practice restraint
and buy a little at a time. :D

2s4u Monday......

2009-10-12T10:07:00.004-04:00

I'm happy to bring you another 2s4u Monday! This weeks sponsor is Just Rite stamps. WOW! You gotta love their products! Be sure to stop by 2s4u and see all the other DT's special creations. Also, we'd love to have you play along if you can!

This card has some yummy My Minds Eye patterned paper, May Arts ribbon, and Paper Trey Ink buttons......TSM for stopping by!! I have to run and tackle household tasks and chores! Of course, I would rather be lazy but I'm not going to complain.....I'm thankful I'm able to complete the work I have ahead of me today! I'm blessed to have my health and good senses :)! I wish a happy and blessed day to all of you!!

2s4u Monday.....

2009-10-05T18:35:00.005-04:00

This week at 2s4u we were lucky enough to use Sakura pens again. I used the souffle pens on
this card. I colored in some of the detail on this Just Right cutie pie stamp. The paper is from My Minds Eye (thanks Cath) what an awesome kit this is!!

We would love to have you play along at 2s4u this week! :D

Here's my take on Lauras lovely sketch.....

Have a super evening!!

~lori

Caardvarks Challenge (ribbon)

2009-10-05T17:08:00.004-04:00

OUR SPONSOR for the current challenge is May Arts. It is a leading distributor of high quality ribbon products, serving a wide variety of merchants from large retail outlets to home-based business in the craft and scrapbooking, gift, stationery, quilting, fancy food, floral, interior design and jewelry industries. Since its founding, May Arts has built its business on a foundation of quality products, affordability, and outstanding customer service. To read more about our history, please click here.
In 2008, May Arts responded to customer demand by creating a sophisticated online store to combine personalized service with convenient, anytime ordering. If you have any questions about our new online store, please feel free to contact us directly.
We look forward to serving all of your ribbon needs!To locate a retailer in your area please visit: May Arts Retail Store Locator
And be sure to visit our:
May Arts BlogWhere we have weekly giveaways, contests, a wealth of ribbon techniques and video tutorials!
***********
THE CHALLENGE
Create a ***NEW*** card using ribbon in a wonderful way! Have it linked to Caardvarks via Mr. Linky by October 17th @ Midnight PST. Please post a direct link to your blog post or gallery.

I loved using May Arts ribbon! The assortment and quality is amazing!

(wording came from Caardvarks blog)

2sketches4u WCMD Blog Hop.....

2009-10-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to World Card Making Day and the 2 Sketches 4 You Blog Hop. Each one of the Designers drew inspiration from the special sketch created specifically for this event at 2 Sketches 4 You (the blog hop starts there). As Designers we all worked with a different sponsor to bring you mega inspiration and of course Prizes to be won. Just by leaving a comment on each Designers Blog you will be eligible to win a particular sponsors prize. I was chosen to work with.....Stampbord .
Stampbord™ is an incredible art and craft surface, developed by Ampersand Art Supply, that allows clean, perfect rubber stamp impressions every time. The surface is correctable and erasable, great for jewelry, custom boxes, magnets, altered books, ornaments, embellishments, scrapbooking & more! Stampbord’s ultra-smooth clay finish accepts all types of stamping inks including dye based, alcohol and pigmented. The absorbency of the clay surface lets you apply color without smearing, and no matter how saturated the surface becomes, the material will never buckle
For unbelievable inspiration and ideas on how to use Stampbord visit the Stampbord Idea gallery HERE .

Blog Hop Giveaway
I am giving away this amazing collection of Stampbord goodies including a variety of Stampbord sizes and a special Stampbord etching tool. All you have to do to WIN this entire Kit is leave me a comment here by by Midnight (MST) and I will randomly select the lucky winner. All winners will be announced tomorrow, Sunday Oct 4, on 2 Sketches 4 You.

Here's a card I created using a piece of Stampbord

and the sketch from 2s4u. I hope WCMD is full of

happy and creative memories!!

Now hop over to Sankari's blog for more inspiration. Have a happy day!!

~lori

tender moments....

2009-10-02T23:14:00.004-04:00

I took our puppy Buckeye and youngest daughter outside the other day and snapped a few photos. She wasn't overly thrilled about the idea but I think a few of them turned out ok. Buckeye is 12 wks. old and has blended with our family quite well. He is being a good pup and using his "litter" box (a deep cookie sheet with kitty litter in it) 60-70 percent of the time. He goes to the vet Monday for more shots and I'm guessing he'll be between 2 and 2 1/2 lbs. Since he was close to a pound and a half at his last visit a month ago.

Come back tomorrow for WCMD.....I'll be celebrating with 2s4u and a prize.

2s4u Monday.......

2009-09-28T08:57:00.007-04:00

I love 2s4u Monday! It's something I enjoy doing each week! My fellow designers are fabulous and Laura and Kazan give us such amazing sketches and products to work with!! LOVE you ladies!! Our sponsor this week is Sakura America....I LOVE their pens!! I used the glaze pens on the owl and it really made it pop!
My card for this week is quite "woodsy"! I layered corrugated cardboard over Kraft cardstock and added some slight splashes of color.....

On the inside of this card I added a photo

insert. I took a piece of white cardstock

and folded to create three panels.

I then adhered one side to the card interior

and that created a "mini" album! This weekend was a whirwind of fun and activities.

Grace has a new friend coming over for a play date

tomorrow. She is VERY excited!! She is the only one

not in school now so she gets stir crazy! I hope you all

have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by!! ~lori

Supplies

kraft cardstock by Papertrey Ink

red and white cardstock by Stampin Up

brown ink by Stazon

owl stamp by Autumn Leaves

tree stamp by DRS Designs

patterned paper by K & Company (Bailey)

Our Family rub-on by Melissa Frances

ribbon by Offray

buttons by foof-a-la

glaze pens by Sakura America

heart die-cuts by Basic Grey (Mellow)

other: white twine, pinking shears

GCD Studios new designer to be announced.....

2009-09-28T08:08:00.003-04:00

I'm excited to announce GCD Studios will be introducing a new designer this week!
A lot of you will know who it is.....believe me!! You won't be disappointed!!
I've posted a peek of some of the new product they will be releasing with this new designer. I have to tell you...IT'S AMAZING!!

GCD Studios will be showing peeks on their blog through Wednesday of this week.....stop by over there for some fun and eye candy!! :D

caramel apples and a craft.....

2009-09-25T23:35:00.004-04:00

Today dawned early for me....my day started before 5:30 this morning! I honestly enjoy getting up when my body and mind are in agreement!! But that happens on rare occasions...like today!!
Thankfully today seemed to be productive and fulfilling! I lovingly made 25 caramel apples to take to our sons classroom this afternoon....I even squeezed in some crafting time tonight! YAY! I haven't got to sit down and make a card all week! But Tonight was the night!

The apples I used was a brand I'd never had before. The name of them is Grimes. They are VERY tasty and their slight twang mixes perfectly with the caramel! I couldn't resist adding sprinkles and a little bow to the stick. I ended up spending about 3 hrs on them from start to finish. That time included making the bows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This little dear is a package that some

buttons I bought had come in. CARDS had

posted a challenge to decorate a package .

In my dallying....I missed the deadline

but wanted to post it for you all. :)

Now I better get myself off to bed! It's LATE! And tomorrow looks like another busy day!

SMILES

~lori

Delightful cherry jelly........

2009-09-25T09:49:00.003-04:00

I decided to go visit a friend from church who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
Thankfully, after her double mastectomy they declared her cancer free. As a precaution she has been taking chemo and radiation treatments for the past several months.
I didn't want to go visit her empty handed so I grabbed a jar of my homemade cherry jelly and added a few trimmings to it. I put in down in a brown paper sack and wrapped the top of it with a paper doily. I secured the doily to the top of the bag by punching to small holes and tying it with twine.

Don't forget to stop by GCD Studios blog for a chance to win a $100.00 worth of product!

GCD Studios/Grafix Blog Party day 4.....

2009-09-24T08:26:00.011-04:00

Today is the second day of Fall.....I have been enjoying the colorful sights, hypnotic sounds and scrumptious pleasures this time of the year brings! Fall reminds us to slow down and take in our surroundings after a hot and hectic summer. The night starts gathering upon us earlier and ushers us to bed at a more decent hour. Fall is also a gentle reminder that not only the Earth needs to rest and take a break. But our bodies and minds also need this time of year to become refreshed after a busy Spring and Summer.

Later on today I'm going to go to the apple orchard. I need to get some lucsious apples to make caramel apples for my sons class tomorrow. What a gooey sticky job. But I think they'll look so cute dipped in sprinkles with a little bow tied on top!

Now on to business.....GCD Studios and Grafix has teamed up for a Blog Party. What an awesome combination! I had fun with this challenge. Although, at times it was quite a challenge! :D Don't forget to stop by GCD STudios Blog tomorrow for the BIG $100.00 prize give-away!!!

I have three more things to show you today that I created combining the products from the two companies.....

I used Grafix chipboard and GCD Studios

epoxy stickersand patterned paper from

the Canta Collection on this wall hanging.

This is my "baby". She just turned four this past

summer . It's killing me to thinking about sending

her off to school next year!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a mini photo album I created of

my four children. Using Grafix chipboard

and a mixture of GCD Studios products.

This album mainly features paper from

GCD's Canta Collection.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a l/o featuring Grafix shrink film (the orange buttons).

It's very fun to play with! I will definitely

be using it again! I also used GCD Studios

patterned paper and die cuts. I used GCD'S

Vintage Boy Collection here.

Autumn Porch.....

2009-09-22T16:21:00.007-04:00

Our porch is officially deacorated for Fall. It is one of my favorite seasons! We live in the perfect climate to get four distinct seasons. And I LOVE it!

Fall was herald in by hot and muggy weather! I would've preferred weather that carried a little crisp bite but that will be here soon enough.

The munchkins were happy to be greeted when they got of the bus by pumpkins and scarecrows! Which made their day even more special!

Where ever you are on this first day of Fall....I hope you are enjoying it as much as I have.

GCD/Grafix Blog Party

2009-09-22T08:21:00.004-04:00

GCD Studios and Grafix have teamed up for a Blog Party. There will be a main post on GCD Studios blog everyday this week. There will be a link in that post to each of designers blogs. We incorporated Grafix products into our creations. Sadly, I can only show you one of them today but Thursday I can reveal the rest of them.

There will be a winner chosen on Friday to receive a $100.00 worth of free product.

Now here's a card I created using the Grafix clear acetate.......

I stamped the yellow flourish on the acetate using yellow stazon. Then added the red flower accent using cherry red stazon. I layered the acetate panel over GCD Sudios patterned paper. The chipboard is also fron GCD Studios. The ribbon is by Wright's Company.

TSM fr stopping by!! Have a super day!

~lori

2s4u Monday....

2009-09-21T16:38:00.004-04:00

It's Monday again....Time again for another 2s4u challenge. We were sponsored some great stuff by Creative Cuts. The little clear box is a Creative Cuts die as well as is the apple negative on the front of the card.

Even though I created these in a rush. I enjoyed using the products!! If you get a chance to play along you have until Saturday the 26th to upload your card at 2s4u.

Thank you for your comments they are very appreciated. Here's my creations......

Caardvarks/ Studio Calico Sketchfest.......

2009-09-21T09:54:00.002-04:00

This is something you don't want to miss!! Click on the advertisement for the link to all the action.

Sundays Sketch

Mondays Sketch

Autumn fruits.....

2009-09-20T00:02:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post before I hop off to bed......here's a little gift and gift bag I threw together for my daughters teacher. I bought the pumpkin for a dollar at the dollar store. All the other supplies I had on hand. This gift was super inexpensive and easy to create! I see myself making many more of these!! :D Have a great night all!!

SMILES~lori

I hope to add a supply list soon! If you have a specific question...feel free to email it to me!

Caardvarks/GCD Studios Blog Hop

2009-09-15T11:00:00.007-04:00

What a great combination!! Caardvarks and GCD Studios. I am HAPPY and PROUD to be a Designer for both teams. We are celebrating the union with a 3 day blog hop. The blog roll is at the bottom of this post. Be sure to stop by Caardvarks or GCD Studios again tomorrow for the next round of creative goodness! :D

I used the GCD Studios Canta Collection on each card. I also used GCD epoxy stickers and chipboard.

http://torn-paper.blogspot.com/ Jenyfur

http://llaurenb.blogspot.com/ Lauren

http://melstampz.blogspot.com/ Mel

You are Here Lori

http://paperprincessatplay.blogspot.com/ Tanis

http://creationsbyar.blogspot.com/ Adela

http://www.gcdstudios.blogspot.com/GCD Studios

I'm sorry about the scrunched up blog roll.....blogger will not cooperate with me!!

2sketches4you Monday......

2009-09-14T12:28:00.003-04:00

It's time again for another 2s4u sketch.....it's one good thing about Mondays! :D I loved working the current sponsor Flourishes. I instantly fell in love with Sweet violets. It is such an elegant set! I love the sentiments and all the coloring detail in this set! I have plenty of plans for this set!!

I actually made two cards with this set......I just love it to pieces!! :D

Last but not least.....A big TY to Flourishes for the sponsorship!

This card follows the sketch.

This is the first card I made.....

in all my excitement.... I started making this card

only to realize when I was finished that I hadn't

even followed the sketch! So, I thought I'd post this one too.

Moxie Fab World Household Challenge

2009-09-10T20:03:00.005-04:00

Here's a little card I created for the MFW household challenge. I used an American Crafts sticker, papertrey buttons, Just Rite alphabet stamps to create the wording. I've been having so much fun participating in the blog challenges at MFW! If you'd like to play....You're invited and welcome to!

Thanks for stopping by!! Your comments are appreciated!

~lori

2sketches4you Monday....

2009-09-07T14:33:00.002-04:00

We had another fabulous sketch to work with at 2s4u this week. The sponsor is scor-it. I used the scor-it to create a pattern on my patterned paper. To create a more defined look I doubled up the score lines in my pattern. It created a more 3-d effect which I really like.

If you find some extra time this week. We would love to have you play along!!!

SMILES
~lori

Supplies

patterned paper is Mellow by Basic Grey
tree sticker is by American Crafts
green buttons by foof-a-la, white buttons by papertrey ink
red cardstock by Stampin' Up
swiss dots Cuttlebug folder
ink by Stampin' Up
ribbon by Offray

Moxie Fab World Classy and Elegant Challenge

2009-09-05T23:05:00.002-04:00

I've over saturated my blog with posts today. It has been an extremely busy week in the blogosphere!! But I've found myself enjoying the activity.
This card is for the MFW Classy and Elegant challenge. Details can be found HERE.

The Christmas tree image is one of the new Cuttlebug embossing folders (thanks Maggie). I inked up the folder and fussy cut around the edges. The "halo" around the tree is actually the edge of a paper doily. The patterned paper is by Mark Paper Company (TY Maggie). The sentiment is a holiday chipboard piece (I'm not sure about the company right now). I added some small pearls to the tree along with some ribbon and a flower.

PaperTrey And GCD Studios.....

2009-09-05T17:44:00.002-04:00

This will be a super short post since this is my third one today!!

I used Some GCD Studios paper and PaperTrey Ink Stamps on a couple of these projects....Have a wonderful weekend!!

~lori

Our Grace......

2009-09-05T12:24:00.003-04:00

How is it even possible......our "baby" will going to school next Fall?! I am finding out that is harder to let the last one go! My motherly instincts are telling me that home schooling sounds like a good idea (Grace didn't like my idea lol). I am not looking forward to my days being being filled with silence (that's another reason for the new puppy). So, I will probably be spending even more hours volunteering at the kids school. Some of you may be wondering why I'm not considering employment.....my reason for not doing so is two-fold. One I want to be available to go on field trips, help with parties, be able to care for them on days when they're sick etc. Also, my husband is very adamant about me being a SAHM which makes me QUITE happy! I'm thankful he understands the importance of my role.

Here's a few photos I snapped yesterday before we headed over to school for a few hrs.......she couldn't wait to get to school because she thrives on all the attention she gets. lol

Grace blowing Daddy a kiss.

Smiles
~lori

New challenge up at Caardvarks

2009-09-05T09:36:00.008-04:00

The current challenge at Caardvarks was sponsored by DRS Designs. They also have many great stamps to choose from. I invite you to play along with us. Here's the link to all the details.

I enjoyed using DRS stamps again. One thing I like about DRS images is the outline when stamped is so crisp and clean! You would be doing yourself a favor to try out DRS Designs stamps!

I have two cards to share with you using DRS Designs images......

Summers End

M036

CornucopiaL566

Thanks again for stopping by! Your comments are appreciated!

~lori

Introducing.......Mr. Chihuahua aka Buckeye

2009-09-04T06:35:00.004-04:00

My FIL bought this Chihuahua puppy and only had him for around 24 hrs until he decided he was too much trouble......so we were more than happy to pay him and take Buckeye off his hands!
I am not an avid animal lover but something about Buckeye is just too hard to resist! We have already formed a bond with him and he feels right at home with us!
He had his first vet check Monday and he weighed in at a less than one and a half pounds. lol
I have to be very careful not to give him too much food or he swells up like a tick and gets so gorged he can't even hardly breathe. This happened to him yesterday. His tummy was so fat it looked like it could explode. I felt so sorry for him. Although I know he was so uncomfortable, I couldn't help but chuckle at him. He looked so comical with his belly bulging like a balloon. I will definitely give him less food from now on!!

This photo shows how tiny he really is.

He can get lost so easy!

My daughter is holding her in his hand .

I know he will get bigger but there

is something darling about tiny puppies!

Moxie Fab World Stretch Your Style with Stamping Challenge.....

2009-08-31T12:38:00.002-04:00

Here's a couple cards I made for Cath's Moxie Fab World Stamping Challenge.
It amazes me how much variety you can get from one stamp and ink! Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!!

Moxie Fab World Fun and Cute Challenge

2009-08-31T12:14:00.002-04:00

Here's a couple cards for Miss Cath's Cutesie challenge over at Moxie Fab World. I used some goodies I received from Northridge Media (TSM). This is Merry and Bright a Christmas kit from Doodle Bug Designs. It's definitely FULL of cutesie stuff!! Like polka dots, diamond PP, rhinestones, and glittery cardstock stickers.

I cut the tree out of the packaging for this card.

2sketches4you Monday.......

2009-08-31T11:06:00.006-04:00

The challenge this week at 2sketches4you is sponsored by LIVING ROOMS DIRECT. We designers were challenged to browse the Living Rooms Direct gallery and find an inspiration piece to base elements of our card from. I chose a cute little wooden rocking chair as my inspiration piece! My children always had small a rocking chair to sit in when they were really little. We still have my oldest DD's rocking chair that she received for Christmas when she was 6 months old.

My 4 yr old loves this little chair.....she said "We could put that chair in my room". I have one "little" issue that she didn't think of! Where would we find the room to put it?!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I enjoy reading your comments! Have a super day!

Moxie Fab World Vintage Challenge

2009-08-25T11:23:00.010-04:00

Here's some vintage projects that I had put back for the holidays (except one project). Cath at MFW prompted me to pull them out and post them for the new challenge! Although I enjoy many styles of cards and crafts. I believe vintage is my favorite to make! I used Baily paper by K & Comapany for these projects. TSM for stopping by! Have a super day!

~lori

The ornament trio was made using scalloped nestabilities.

I cut scalloped shapes. Put one on top of the other.

Sewed close to the edge all the way around. Then stuffed

the ornament with poly-fil. Easy peasy....IMO stuffing it

gives the ornament a more finished look. The edges of the

flowers and ornaments were distressed with brown ink to create and aged look.

I took and oil diffuser and decorated it with paper.

It is a wonderful gift idea too.

The above project is a plain white gift bag that

I decorated with the same paper as the previous

projects. It makes a lovely gift set when it's all

put together.

2sketches4you Monday......

2009-08-24T10:10:00.002-04:00

The new sketch is up at 2sketches4you . We would love to have you play along if you get a chance! This week we used products sponsored by E.A.D designs. I really enjoyed working with the Vinyl Wall art! I can't wait to use the wall art again on other projects!

I also used Melissa Frances papers (I like to buy them on ebay) and a ticket tag, along with some glittered chipboard, silk flowers, buttons, lace and pearls.

Have a great day and TSM for stopping by! :D

~lori

Moxie Fab World Holiday Clean and Simple Challenge

2009-08-24T09:39:00.002-04:00

Here's a never before seen clean and simple card I'm submitting for the newest MFW
Challenge. The pine bough is a stamp from DRS Stamps. The berries are simply added with a marker. Then lightly coated with paper glaze. I scored the edge and run it through the sewing machine for added texture. The rub-on is from Melissa Frances (which I like to buy on ebay). The Kraft cardstock is from Papertrey Ink (it's dabomb).

If you would like to play along I added the link at the top of this post.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

~lori

A little Papertrey Ink Card......

2009-08-20T18:46:00.004-04:00

Here's a quick and simple card I made using On My Couch Additions and Polka Dots Basic 11 from Papertrey ink. I also used Papertrey Kraft Cardstock and Papertrey Vintage Cream buttons. This is a super simple design but sometimes that's all the occasion calls for! :)

TFL!! Have a great evening!

1st day of school 8-20-09

2009-08-20T12:22:00.003-04:00

My sweet munchkins started school today. I remembered to take photos of my two elementary age kiddos but I forgot to get photos of my middle schoolers first day of middle school. Bad me!!!
I will have to take pictures of her as soon as she gets off the bus!!!

The school year is always exciting! I enjoy PTA meetings, working at Book Fair and Santa's Workshop, volunteering in their classrooms and all the other fun things school entails! :D

Caardvarks Core'dinations Blog Hop Day 3

2009-08-19T10:34:00.009-04:00

Welcome to Caardvarks (you may wish to start there) FIRST ever Blog Hop!! We are excited to show you how we used products sponsored by Core'dinations. Core'dinations is a very unique cardstock. You can do so many interesting techniques with it. Be sure to check out Core'dinations blog for more unique ideas!!

Here's what you need to do......"Follow" or subscribe to Caardvarks as well as MY blog and Core'dinations' blog and subscribe to their newsletter-- Visit each DT member's blog and leave a comment on the Blog Hop posts, each day-- Return to Caardvarks to comment they've completed the hop each day-- You will then be entered in a drawing to win a Super Assortment Package of Core'dinations product (retail value $68.00)-- One prize package will be given away for each day.

The card I created for today is featuring Core'dinations cardstock from the WhiteWash collection. First, I ran a piece of the cardstock through the Cuttlebug. Then I made a pattern on the cardstock with the scor-pal. Lastly, I sanded the cardstock lightly so the "coordinating" color is exposed.

Now hop over to the very talented lady MissTanis to see what she has created.

Lori (you are here)

Blogger is being cranky today. The blog roll is in the correct order but it is not aligned properly! I'm sorry if it causes an inconvenience.

Caardvarks Core'dinations Blog Hop Day 2

2009-08-18T10:45:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Caardvarks (you may wish to start there) FIRST ever Blog Hop!! We are excited to show you how we used products sponsored by Core'dinations. Core'dinations is a very unique cardstock. You can do so many interesting techniques with it. Be sure to check out Core'dinations blog for more unique ideas!!

Here's what you need to do......"Follow" or subscribe to Caardvarks as well as MY blog and Core'dinations' blog and subscribe to their newsletter-- Visit each DT member's blog and leave a comment on the Blog Hop posts, each day-- Return to Caardvarks to comment they've completed the hop each day-- You will then be entered in a drawing to win a Super Assortment Package of Core'dinations product (retail value $68.00)-- One prize package will be given away for each day.

The card I created for today is featuring Core'dinations cardstock from the WhiteWash collection. I made a pattern on the cardstock with the scor-pal. Then I sanded it lightly so the "coordinating" color is exposed.

Now hop over to the very talented lady MissTanis to see what she has created.
Daniela

Jenyfur
Lauren
Mel
Lori (you are here)
Tanis
Adela
Kryssi
Nathalia
Jenn B.
Pamela
Stef
Carrie
Ashley
Lucy
Heidi
Michelle
Jolene

Caardvarks Fisrt Ever Blog Hop.....

2009-08-17T12:01:00.005-04:00

Welcome to Caardvarks (you may wish to start there) FIRST ever Blog Hop!! We are excited to show you how we used products sponsored by Core'dinations. Core'dinations is a very unique cardstock. You can do so many interesting techniques with it. Be sure to check out Core'dinations blog for more unique ideas!!

Here's what you need to do......
"Follow" or subscribe to Caardvarks as well as MY blog and Core'dinations' blog and subscribe to their newsletter-- Visit each DT member's blog and leave a comment on the Blog Hop posts, each day-- Return to Caardvarks to comment they've completed the hop each day-- You will then be entered in a drawing to win a Super Assortment Package of Core'dinations product (retail value $68.00)-- One prize package will be given away for each day.

The card I created for today is featuring Core'dinations cardstock from the WhiteWash collection. I ran the cardstock through the Cuttlebug then sanded it lightly so the "coordinating" color is exposed. The photo doesn't do this cardstock justice. But the colors really pop out at you IRL!

Now hop over to the very talented lady MissTanis to see what she has created.

Lori (you are here)

2sketches4you Monday.....

2009-08-17T09:58:00.002-04:00

This week at 2s4u we were sponsored stamps from Clear and Simple Stamps
I fell in love with my Little One stamp set! It has the cutest Fonts and buttons! Be sure to check out the other awesome cards form the other designers at 2sketches4you!

Your comments make my day! Thanks for stopping by.....I hope you have a great week!

2sketches4you Monday.....

2009-08-10T09:33:00.002-04:00

Today's 2s4u challenge is sponsored by Regina at The Cutting Cafe. The new files are so cute! I wish I would've had more time this week to play with them! I had to rush making this card. Saturday we had two birthday parties and church camp. So, I was cramming to get everything worked in! Hopefully, this week won't be so busy! Although, I have a ton of house chores to catch up on after last weeks craziness!!

I hope you all have a great week as school creeps up on us. I will miss my munchkins as they head off to school. They bring joy to my day with their presence! At least I'll still have one at home for another year!! :D

Supplies

papertrey cardstock, foof-a-la patterned paper, school days by the cutting cafe, button by foof-a-la, twine, white craft paint, brown felt