Sarah's Studio

No Longer Posting Here

2010-02-18T04:14:00.000-08:00

I want to let everyone know that I will no longer be posting here at 'Sarah's Studio'. I invite you to follow me over at ladygil.com.

A Little Sewing

2010-01-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

I would love to be updating my blog more often...but there just isn't enough time in the day! Lily is 3 1/2 months old and is getting more and more active every day. Here's a picture of her and a picture of a recent card that I made. Thanks for stopping by!

This is the onesie that she wears when daddy dresses her. He's a huge Star Wars fan!!

More 3x3 Thank You Cards

2010-01-02T21:03:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to build my card stash back up and I was able to work on some 3x3 cards today. I'm not going to post any supply details this evening. Feel free to contact me if you have questions about the cards. I know my posts are few and far between, but thank you for coming by. :)

A Card

2009-12-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, but I've finally found some time to post a card. I used my Scor-Bug tool on the bottom right edge of this card. What a fun little tool! My card base is a kraft card stock that has been inked with Burnt Umber Palette ink. The sentiment is from TAC's 'More Elegant Sentiments' and the little scrap of patterned paper is from 'Willoughby' . Christmas break is coming and I'm hoping to find a little time to work on some new creations. Please be sure to stop back by!

Holiday Girls

2009-11-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

My inspiration for this card came from the new Inspiration Avenue (IA) that TAC recently released. On page 26 of IA there are three really cute projects and two of the projects feature a little girl image from the Holiday Girls stamp set. I used my Copic markers to color the little girl...love my Copics! The sentiment is from Tag Tidbits, the red flower is from the Ava Embellishment Jar, and the white flower is from the Neutral Mix Bitty Blossoms.

Reece Christmas Cards

2009-11-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here are three more Christmas cards that I made with some of my Reece scraps. I've made two more 3x3 cards and then another fun size - a 6 x 3.

I used one of the Reece tags and a large eyelet for this 3x3 card. What a quick and easy card! The sentiment is from Trendy Greetings.

The stamped images are from Sweet Goodies and I used red stickles on the berries.

On this card I used just a small scrap of Reece paper, added some ribbon, and a sentiment from a Level C Hostess set. Quick and simple!

Christmas Card - 3

2009-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is the third card that I demonstrated. This card measures 3x3 and uses TAC's Reece papers. The stamped image is from Christmas Circles and the word 'thanks' is from Tag Tidbits. I have a lot of fun making 3x3 cards because I can usually go to my scrap box for what I need. I made three more cards from some Reece scraps and I'll be showing those to you tomorrow!

Christmas Card - 2

2009-11-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

This is the second card that I'll be demonstrating today. I really wanted to use a white ink for the white snowflakes, but the three different white stamp pads that I have just wouldn't show up very well. I ended up embossing with white embossing powder. I love the look, but don't enjoy the mess and hassle. I used three different stamp sets for this card : Ornamental Snowflakes, Tag Tidbits, and Joyful Ornaments. My inspiration for this card came from a card I found over at splitcoaststampers.com. Thanks for stopping by again and be sure to come back to check out some more Christmas cards that I've been working on.

Christmas Card - 1

2009-11-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

     Several businesses in downtown Oswego, KS, are having open houses tomorrow afternoon and Taylor Newspapers asked if I'd like to come and demonstrate a few Christmas cards. I've prepared three projects and I'll show them to you over the next few days.
     The card shown above features TAC's Amelia paper collection. It is great paper to use for Christmas cards. Do you see the the pierced holes just below the patterned paper? I used the Scor-Pal and the Scor-Bug Embosser to make perfectly spaced holes. So quick and easy!! No more measuring with a ruler and making holes with my paper piercer. I ruined so many projects that way...I'd always get something crooked. The sentiment on the card comes from a Level C Hostess set in the current TAC base book.
     Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check back in the next couple of days so that you can check out my other Christmas cards.

Playing with Copics

2009-10-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

I purchased some new Copic markers and had a little time to play with them. I still have a long way to go, as far as knowing how to blend and shade. I've been reading some great blogs that have great tutorials. Here are a couple for you to check out:

I Like Markers

Thinking Inking

Anniversary Card

2009-10-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

I was needing a couple of Anniversary cards and decided to pull out TAC's 'More Elegant Sentiments' set and scraps from TAC's discontinued Genevieve paper. I just love the teal and purple combo!

Supplies-
More Elegant Sentiments
Genevieve paper (discontinued)
pop dots
VersaFine black ink
Antique Copper eyelets

Hello Copic Markers!

2009-09-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

I've been bitten by the Copic Marker bug. TAC will be offering a Copic Marker promo from Oct. 1 - Dec. 31 and it's been all the buzz among TAC Angels. I thought it would be cool to try the markers out and I remembered that I actually had some in the house. My husband, Chris, is an artist and had bought 3 or 4 Copic Sketch markers about a year ago to use on a project. So, I found them and tried them out...I love them! Chris also has a stash of Prismacolor markers and I pulled them out, too. Why have I not been using these??

This stamp comes from a retired TAC set called 'Joyful Noises'. I stamped my image with Noir Palette ink and then used an Avocado green Prismacolor marker and a Pink (RV11) Copic Sketch marker. I let the first layer of Avocado green dry and then I went back over the left edge of the dress for a little shading. I have a very clean line, linear paper crafting style and I was having trouble with the shading. I asked my husband for some help and he said I needed to be more 'messy' about it. :) That's hard for me to do, but I'll keep working at it.

My 4 Copic Sketch markers...can't wait to purchase more!!

Chris's Prismacolor markers...a fun addition to my crafting supplies.

2009-09-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

I ran out of masculine birthday cards and I decided to use a design by my friend, Stacy. The card that she designed was done in browns and I've made it before and LOVE it...but when I went to make my card, I realized that I didn't have any brown ink!!! I'm suppose to teach a Technique Class this Thursday night and I took all the supplies over to the place I teach at just in case baby Lily arrives early and I have to have someone else teach...and my Burnt Umber Palette ink is with those supplies. I can't believe how lost I am without that ink...but it's ok because I really like how this card turned out in blue. Thanks for the great card idea, Stacy!!

Supplies-
Circle Sampler
retired 'Floral Dingbats'
'Happy Birthday' is from a GWP set
Prussian Blue Palette Ink
DCWV blue cardstock and kraft cardstock
large silver brad

Simple Thank You

2009-09-20T06:50:00.001-07:00

Here's another quick thank you card that I wanted to share with you. It's a 3x3 card and I've stamped an image from Special Delivery with black StazOn ink. The sentiment is from one of TAC's new Purchase with Purchase stamp sets - Sincere Sentiments. When you purchase $30 in TAC products you can choose one of these fun new stamp sets. You can check out all the PWP stamps here.

Thank You card

2009-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

I used TAC's Victorian Elements stamp set to stamp a background on this card. This particular image was really easy to stamp and fit together all over the card front. I love 3x3 cards, so I just had to use some scraps to put together a matching mini card.
Well, I've probably spoiled you with four days of posts in a row. I just discovered that I could schedule my posts. I'll probably be using this feature more often. Thanks again for stopping by. I'm off to do a little more creating!!

Supplies-
Victorian Elements
white card stock
red DCWV cardstock
L'Amore Red Palette ink
misc. black brads

Little Bunny

2009-09-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here is my third 'baby themed' card. TAC released this stamp set through a special promotion and I don't think it can still be ordered. I didn't mark my case and I can't even tell you the name of it!! I'm sorry...If someone out there knows the name of this set, please let me know.

This is just a simple, quick card. I'm most excited about the ribbon knot that I tied. I went to YouTube and found a video that showed me how to tie a flat knot. This was my best knot out of about 10 cards. I found that the secret is to have enough ribbon to work with.

Many Thanks

2009-09-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I found a card very similar to this on another site and just had to case it! I used the baby and stork from TAC's Special Delivery set and added a sentiment from Tag Tidbits. I love this image because you don't have to do a lot of coloring. I decided to paper piece the baby blanket because I couldn't seem to find the right shade of pink to color it in.

(Please forgive the picture quality. I always seem to have trouble when I have a card with green card stock...looks yellowish here. )

Supplies-
Special Delivery
Prismacolor pencils
Tag Tidbits
pink, green and white card stock
misc. ribbon
1" circle punch
1-1/2" circle punch

Baby Shower Thank You's

2009-09-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of baby showers are being held for me and I decided to go ahead and get some thank you cards made up ahead of time. I haven't stamped with a baby themed set in a long time and it's been a lot of fun. I have four cards that I'll share with you over the next four days. Three are baby themed and one is just a general thank you card. Thanks for stopping by!

The mother and baby image on this card are from TAC's set, Special Delivery. Such a cute stamp set! I'm not to wild about the way I put the sentiment on this card...I made 7 more of these cards and just left the sentiment off and centered the main image. Be sure to come back tomorrow for another thank you card that uses this stamp set!

Supplies-
Special Delivery
Prismacolor pencils
white cardstock
teal DCWV cardstock
white brads
retired TAC 'thanks' sentiment

Watercolor Plants

2009-08-27T18:21:00.001-07:00

This is a card that I taught at a recent Technique Club. The flower image comes from TAC's Watercolor Plants stamp set and the sentiment is from Tag Tidbits. I used the 'huffing' technique where you color right onto your stamp with markers and then 'huff' on it to moisten it right before stamping. I love using this technique with this stamp set.

School has started back up and I'm trying to get back in the school routine. I have 16 kindergartners and I'm working hard to get them into their routine because I'm due to have my baby in less than 7 weeks! I know I have not been good to update lately and now things are set to get even more busy...I'll do my best to keep the posts coming. I'm sure that once baby Lily arrives you will start seeing more mini albums and scrapbook pages...I can't wait! Thanks for stopping by.

August Stamp of the Month

2009-08-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

TAC's August SOTM is called 'So Squirrely' and I was asked to design a few projects for it. I'll share a couple of my projects with you and then be sure to click here and go and check out the other two Angels that also designed. If you would like to purchase this set, please let me know!

Card Sketch

2009-08-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

I issued a card sketch challenge in the monthly newsletter that I send to my TAC customers. This sketch comes from www.pagemaps.com and here is the card I came up with.

I used TAC's Kaleidoscope Girlz paper, Simple Bet alphabet, and a retired sentiment set. I had fun doing a little sewing, too.

Thanks - Robot Card

2009-07-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick card using TAC's Robot stamp set. My friend Kelli has a photography business and she has commissioned me to make thank you cards to give to her customers after photo shoots. She asked for some kid thank you cards and I thought this would be a lot of fun!

Be sure to check out Kelli's blog. She does amazing work!!

Finished Coaster Envelope Album

2009-07-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

I finished embellishing my 4x4 coaster envelope album that I talked about in my last post. There were 6 girls at the youth 'girls afternoon' this past Friday and they had a blast making this album. It was fun watching them personalize their own album. The other 2 sponsors had fun, too!

I love to paper piece...especially with these cute birds!

More paper piecing! :)

Please excuse the coloring in this picture...having problems with my lighting.

Coaster Envelope Album

2009-07-21T13:27:00.001-07:00

We learned how to make an envelope album at The Angel Company Seminar back in June. I had so much fun with it and I decided to make a smaller version using 4x4 coasters.

I used TAC's Kaleidoscope Girlz paper, some yellow cardstock and green ribbon. The inside pockets are 6-1/2" x 3-5/8" envelopes. I used scalloped scissors to cut off 2-1/2". I'm going to make this project with my youth groups girls later this week. I think they'll have fun making it!!

Half-Circles

2009-07-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

I decided to play around with a half-circle today and came up with a few cards. It was a great way to use up some of my patterned paper scraps, too! Also, be sure to check out the last picture in this post. It's another 6x6 layout to go with the layout I shared in a post from a couple of days ago. Thanks for stopping by!

Juliette patterned paper V-839

More Mimi patterned paper V-855, Mimi Hardware B-111, Sunday Stroll stamp set T3130

More Mimi patterned paper V-855 and Sunday Stroll stamp set T3130

6x6 layout - Fancy Curls stamp set T2804
This is my brother, Scott, dancing with his bride, Melissa, in May of 2008.

Win $1,000 at TheCuttlebugSpot.com!

2009-07-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have just discovered that The Cuttlebug Spot is having a contest - "The Journey to 1,000"! They are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July and need your help. To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower and complete a few easy steps and you could win a $1,000 gift certificate to Custom Crops (www.CustomCrops.com)! GO NOW and check it out at www.TheCuttlebugSpot.com

6x6 Layout

2009-07-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is a 6x6 page that I'll be teaching to my Technique Club ladies later this month. I was searching the web for 6x6 layout ideas and was inspired by this layout. I love this color of green, so I decided to keep the same color scheme. I used TAC's 'Fancy Curls' and 'Family is Forever' stamp sets and did a little heat embossing with black powder. So elegant - I love it! This is a picture of my brother and I dancing at his wedding reception a year ago. Fun memories. :)

Quick Cards

2009-07-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to get more involved in my community and I received a call the other day from a lady in town who helps set up activities at the Senior Citizen building. They have asked me to come and do a short program and then have some projects to make. I'm very excited about this!

I put together three cards that are quick and easy to make. I think the ladies will like them. Let me know what you think!

Supplies - Giga Scalloped 3" circle punch, mega 2-1/2" circle punch, Violete Palette ink, white ribbon, purple cardstock, pop dots, retired TAC stamp sets.

Supplies - teal, yellow and white cardstock, VersaMark ink, Noir Palette ink, Prismacolor pencils, Trendy Greetings, Beautiful Day, and Petal Pack.

Supplies - Mega Scalloped Square punch 2-1/2", Giga Square punch 2-1/8", L' Amore Red Palette ink, Graphic Blooms and the sentiment is from a retired TAC Hostess set.

Blog Candy Winner

2009-07-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

The winner of my blog candy is.....Sara Russell!! Congrats, Sara! Please email me with your address and I will send some stamping goodies your way. Thank you to everyone who commented on my 200th post. I hope to post some new creations tomorrow, so be sure to come back!

Miss Moxie Paper Bag Album Tutorial

2009-07-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Barb sent me a cute paper bag album and I was inspired to make one using TAC's Miss Moxie paper. I tought this bag at a recent Technique Class and told the ladies that I would post a tutorial on my blog. This is a great project to use your scraps on. Have fun!!

Supplies-

'Miss Moxie' 12x12 cardstock - V-841 p.30'
Miss Moxie' Hardware - B-119 p.30
'This Girl' stamp set T-2894
'Spring Dream' stamp set T-2688 p.80
Violette Palette ink TT-200 p.121
Regular sized brown paper lunch bag (10.5" x 5.25")
2.5" Mega circle punch (pink) D-74 p.124
2" Super Jumbo Punch (blue) D-73 p.124
adhesive
scissors
paper trimmer
Crop-a-Dile K-100 p.124
orange felt flower - from 'In Bloom Buttons and Blossoms' G-706 p. 30 of Serendipity Magalogue sponge for inking
Misc. silver brads, green and orange ribbon for tops of tags
Two, 22" lengths of white and orange ribbon to tie album shut

Directions-

Cut your Miss Moxie paper as follows-

floral paper - one 2.5" x 4.5"
striped paper- one 2.75" x 4.5"
yellow with sunburts paper- one 3.5" x 4.5"
green paper- one 1.5" 4.5" and punch a circle with 2.5" circle punch and cut circle in half
purple paper- one 1.75" x 4.5"

Cut one inch off open end of paper bag. Lay bag on flat surface as shown in picture below. Fold in left side at 3.5" (the width of the base of the bag) and then fold in the right side at 2".

Use Violette Palette ink and flourish stamp from 'Spring Dream' to stamp edges of paper bag. Then use sponge to sponge edges of bag and all cardstock pieces.

Cut a slit in the yellow starburst and striped paper so that you can insert a tag later. I lay my paper on my paper trimmer to cut the slit.

Use the 2" circle punch to cut a half circle from the purple paper. Lay the purple paper on the outside front flap (refer to first picture of finished project) and trace the half circle onto the paper bag. Use the 2" circle punch to cut out area that was traced. You may have to use scissors to cut it out all the way. Adhere the half circle of green paper and adhere to the cut out area.

Adhere floral cardstock to the front cover of the paper bag. Fold the top-right and bottom-right corners back and place a green eyelet in each corner.

With album closed, punch a hole in both edges and then run ribbon through. Finish embellishing album as desired!

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win some blog candy from me!

Cards and Blog Candy

2009-07-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

Looks like this is my 200th post...wow! How about a little blog candy?? If you leave a comment on this post between now and midnight on Tuesday, July 7th, I will randomly draw a name. The winner will win an assortment of fun paper crafting goodies. I don't have a picture to post, but I'm sure the winner will enjoy the goodies. :) Be sure you leave your email address!

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Here are a couple of cards that I've been working on for a friend.

I used TAC's Graphic Blooms for this set. The sentiment is retired, but I just love it so much! You aren't able to see in this picture, but I put Crystal Lacquer on the pink flower and it looks really cool in person.

I used a piece of Willoughby pattern paper on this card - I love the colors in Willougby! The background stamp is from an old SOTM and the sentiment is from an old Hostess set. Sorry that I'm using a lot of retired items today! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to leave a comment so I can enter you into my Blog Candy giveaway!!

Robots

2009-06-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

I took part in a color combo challenge over at PW. We were challenged to use blue, coral, yellow and white. As soon as I sat down to start working I knew that I just had to use TAC's new Robot set. This set is SO cute!!

I was able to get my table and light tent set back up and hopefully I'm back in business for picture taking. Now I just need to find my camera charger...I'll get my act together pretty soon!

Supplies-

Robot stamp set
Yellow, blue and coral DCWV cardstock
white cardstock
Prismacolor watercolor pencils
Tombow Blender pen
Gray Tombow pen

Summer 2009 Seminar

2009-06-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

I had a blast at The Angel Company Seminar in Wichita! I got to hang out with great friends, make awesome projects and was motiviated by speeches made from Mischelle Smith (the CEO of TAC) and other TAC staff and Angels. I'm excited to show my customers the new catalog and to share the great projects that I learned how to make. If you want to purchase the new catalog, let me know!! They are $4.95 each.

Me, Jen and Diane

Barb, Me, Amy and Laurie

Photo Holder

2009-06-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

I used TAC's Angelee paper on this big wooden clothes pin and then embellished with a couple of flowers and tag stamped with 'laugh' from Tag Tidbits. These make the best photo holders and I hope to sell a couple of these on Saturday at my booth at Altamont's Flag Day celebration. Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, Wow!!!

2009-06-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

My crafting area is finally complete...

I was telling my husband the other day that a small flat screen tv would be just perfect above my craft desk. We recently rearranged our office area and our tv is now directly behind me...I've missed my cooking shows! I was blown away when he came home today and surprised me with this. We just need to get a longer cord and then we're set. Thanks, Chris!!

Paper Bag Book

2009-06-01T08:08:00.001-07:00

My very creative friend, Barb, sent me the cutest little paper bag book awhile back (the one on the right). I made one using TAC's Miss Moxie patterned paper. I'm not quite done with the inside, so you'll have to wait to see it. I gave a similar bag album to my Hostess last Thursday night and all the ladies said they want to make one of these at our June Technique Club. Sounds good to me!

I recently moved my craft area and hubby and I moved to a new bedroom so that we can make room for little Lily. I don't have my photo tent set up, so I hope these pictures are ok for now.

Friendship Card

2009-05-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

This card came from a card sketch in a book called 'Card Maker's Sketch Book'. It is a great book and I highly recommend it. I used TAC's 'Mimi' patterned paper and a stamp set called 'Seeds of Blessing'. I colored the stamped image with Prismacolor watercolor pencils, I put Crystal Lacquer on top of the colored areas and I used Crystal Stickles on the wings. This is a really quick and easy card and I plan to teach it at my Technique Club next week.

School is officially out and I hope to start posting more. Come back again soon!

No Squares Here!

2009-04-29T04:16:00.000-07:00

I was asked to design a scrapbook page for a challenge going on at PW for NSD. I love to do smaller scrapbook pages and this 6x9 layout was a lot of fun to work on. The challenge offered to other PW members was to create a layout that was not your typical square layout.

My layout is very simple with few embellishments, but I like it that way. You can do a lot with some paper scraps and a little VersaMark. :) This is my cute little neice, Cylee. My husband and I got to spend a whole day with her and her older brother, Calin, last August and we had a blast!! This will be a great page to help remember that day.

Supplies-

A Little Whimsy
purple, teal and white cardstock
VersaMark
scallop edge punch
Graphic Blooms
black pen

2009-04-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some cards that I made based around the card I made for this PW color challenge. Thanks for looking. :)

Suppies-

Fancy Curls
black, white, red, gray cardstock

Trendy Greetings
black and gray ribbon

pop dots

Noir Palette Ink

Mini Notecards

2009-04-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

I played with one of the new hostess sets from Serendipity this evening. There's not much to these, but I think they are cute. They are quick to make, too!!

Color Challenge

2009-04-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a color challenge that was offered by Laurie over at PW. The challenge was to use gray, black and white. I kept trying to use a piece of gray cardstock, but I gave up and used some gray ribbon instead. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies-

Fancy Curls
black and white cardstock
Trendy Greetings

gray ribbon
VersaFine black ink

Birthday Card

2009-04-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

I just love the 'Edge Designs' stamp set. It just adds a little extra something to your project. For this card, I glued a scrap of teal paper to my white card base and then stamped one of the 'Edge Design' stamps next to it with Noir Palette ink. The floral images come from a new set called 'Floral Patches' and I stamped the image in Claret Palette ink onto white cardstock and then cut the images out. My sentiment (birthday wishes) is from the set 'Little Cupcake'.

A card and some news...

2009-04-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for not posting in so long. I have been taking a little time off because my husband and I are expecting our first child!!! I'm just about at 13 weeks and I'm finally getting a little energy back. I've been going to bed at 8:30pm most nights and haven't felt like doing any paper crafting. I'm feeling good today and decided to try and make a card. I didn't have many ideas flowing, but finally came up with this. The colors in the cake didn't show up very good, sorry. There is a thin green mat behind the cream cardstock piece. I used it to help with some of the green flowers I put on the cake. I like this new stamp set (Little Cupcake), but I'm never quite sure on how to color everything. Well, hubby and I are heading to a movie. I hope to have some more new new stuff to post and share soon!!

March Technique Club Projects

2009-03-11T19:53:00.001-07:00

Here's a peak at the projects I'll be teaching at my March Technique Club. I just love the tags and flowers on page 6 of TAC's new Serendipity magalogue. My first project is this card that features one of the flowers. (Please excuse my poorly taken photos. I'm working with a new light set-up and I'm still trying to get things just how I want them.)

supplies for care- 1-1/4" extra jumbo punch, 1-3/4" super jumbo punch, Angelee paper, Edge Designs, Linear Sentiments, Gratitude, Noir Palette ink, Violete Palette ink.

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Are you familiar with scorpal.com? If not, you've got to check it out. There are tons of great projects and great tutorials. The following project was inspired by a 'Easter Goodie Bag'. I just purchased TAC's Little Cupcake stamp set and it was perfect for this project. I'm not wild about the peppermint candies, but it's all I had on hand at the time.

supplies- Little Cupcake, A Little Whimsy paper pad, aqua cardstock, Prismacolor pencils, ribbon, misc. scallop punch.

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This little tag...I just love it! It goes along with the flower from the first project I showed you. Again, you can find this tag on p. 6 of the Serendipity Magalogue. I'll have my technique club ladies make two or three of these tags. I really like the shipping tag punches. I'm always trying to just make my own tag patterns, but these punches make it soooo much easier.

supplies- Mega Merchandise tag, Giga Shipping tag, Extra Jumbo flower punch, purple patterned paper from Angelee, misc. green and pink cardstock, lavender scrapper's floss, brad, Crop-a-Dile, misc. ribbon and eyelet.

Birthday Card

2009-03-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by a really cute wedding card in the March/April 2009 issue of Paper Crafts Magazine and knew just the stamp sets that I wanted to use...Linear Sentiments and Edge Designs from The Angel Company!

I just received these two sets in the mail and couldn't wait to make this card. What do you think? The word stamp is from a retired TAC set...I don't remember the name, but I thought it was just right for this card. Edge Designs is from TAC's new magalogue, Serendipity. If you haven't checked it out, you really should! There are some amazing new stamp sets and tons of great ideas.

Supplies-

Linear Sentiments
Edge Designs
black VersaCraft ink

Turquoise Gem VersaMagic ink
Misc. flower and silver brad
white cardstock

February Technique Club Projects

2009-02-26T04:21:00.001-08:00

My Technique Club ladies are meeting with me tonight and I thought I'd go ahead and post the projects that we will be making. I've had a very crazy month and just didn't feel like I had time to put together all original projects, so I decided to use some ideas that I've seen on some fellow Angel's blogs. Check out my projects and then be sure to visit the blog of the great Angels that inspired me. :)

This first project was inspired by Heather Scott. This cute little project recycles Gift With Purchase box lids. I love it!!

I recently purchased this cute little bunny stamp set and I was inspired by some cards over at Stacy's blog. I was inspired by this card and this card. You can't tell from the picture, but the little bunny tail has Fun Flock on it and it's just the cutest thing!

This final card is totally cased. Laurie Willison created this and I LOVE everything about it. This card features the reverse masking technique and is a blast to make.

I'll come back later and add product details. Thanks for stopping by!

Beautiful Day

2009-02-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Here are the three projects that I designed for The Angel Company with one of their new stamp sets from the Magalogue. It's called 'Beautiful Day'. I had a lot of fun making this layout. It's a 6x9 layout and works with our beautiful 6x9 flocked albums. This is a picture of my brother Scott and his wife Melissa.

So Thoughtful

2009-01-31T17:17:00.001-08:00

My husband surprised me with this today...

Chris was so excited about me getting published and he had the magalogue and my card matted and framed. He designed the layout and picked the mat colors. Wow! Chris knows how much I love to papercraft and that I was hoping to get published someday. How thoughtful and what a great way to remember this first experience. Just wanted to share...thanks for reading. :)

Blog Award

2009-01-31T09:42:00.000-08:00

I was given a blog award by my friend, Barb. Thanks, Barb! The Lemonade Award is given by a previous winner to 5 bloggers who have shown great attitudes and/or gratitude this week. It's a great way to show these people that you appreciate them. All you have to do is:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 blogs and be sure to link your nominees within your post.
3. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
4. Share the Love and link to this post and the person from whom you received your award.

Here are the bloggers that I have chosen to give this award to:

Jany
Laurie W.
Jen
Laurie U.
Vicki

Thank You card

2009-01-27T12:28:00.001-08:00

Supplies-

Butterfly Bits
silver brad
Juliette paper
Iris Palette ink
black ink
ribbon

Love You

2009-01-26T04:29:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a Valentine card that I made. I used TAC's Just Dream stamp set. TAC released it at last summer's seminar in Wichita. I was insipred by a wedding card in the most recent issue of Paper Crafts magazine. The wedding card had a large image of a bride and groom and I thought of this angel image as I was plannig out my card. I was scrapbooking at a friend's house and I'd forgotten all my ink and colored pencils (ugh!), so I ended up borrowing a fine tip red sharpie marker to color my image. It made it so easy to color! I went out and bought my own pack of markers when I left her house that day!

Today is the LAST day to take advantage of The Angel Company's 50% off sale!! All t-coded stampes are 50% off and you can order from my online shop. If you plan to order $100 or more, be sure to order directly through me so that you can pick out some free stamps!

Supplies-
Just Dream
Martha Stewart border punch (love these!)
red and white cardstock
red fine point Sharpie marker
black ribbon
Gray Tombow marker (for outlining image)
black StazOn ink

Serendipity

2009-01-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

Serendipity is the name of The Angel Company's newest release - a magalogue (part magazine/part catalogue). The magalogue has 48 pages full of brand new rubber stamp sets, new tools and accessories, and tons of great ideas to get you inspired!! One of my creations is featured on page 23. Yah!!!

Please contact me if you would like to purchase one of these magalogues. They are just $2.95 each and the stamps are shown at full size!

Card Sketch

2009-01-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

I've been in a bit of a creative funk and decided to try out Heather's most recent sketch. My patterned paper is from TAC's Penelope Soar With it Collection. My sentiment is from the stamp set 'Soul's Kisses'. It's a set that is being offered with TAC's Wonderful Winter Wishes promotional. I was having problems finding the right color of paper to stamp my sentiment on, so I ended up sponging Violete Palette ink on to a light brownish piece of cardstock. I have quite the stash of flowers going on...I tend to hoard them...so it was a big step to add these three flowers to this card! LOL! I've also had some velvet brads that were tucked away...taken out from time to time and admired...and they were perfect for this card.

'Love'ly Inspiration

2009-01-13T16:18:00.000-08:00

I was needing one more card idea for an upcoming class and I found this fantastic card over at a fellow Angel's blog - Rachel. I changed my card up just ever so slightly by making it from a 6x6 piece of cardstock and then laying the circles the opposite way. Great card, Rachel! Thanks for the inspiration. :)

I used Love Doodles and Sweet Goodies on this card. If you like these stamp sets, you can purchase them and any other t-coded stamps for 50% off from now until January 26th. You can order through me (sgilreath@hotmail.com) or my online ECommerce site! If you want to take advantage of customer or hostess rewards, you will need to place the order directly through me.
Supplies-
Love Doodles
Sweet Goodies
black VersaCraft Ink
Moulin Rouge Palette Ink

6x6 Layout

2009-01-11T19:57:00.001-08:00

Here's a little 6x6 layout of me with my nephew, Chase. Isn't he cute? Besides the cute baby, my favorite part about this layout is the little 'love' tag. I used my oval scallop punch to make the decorative edges on the white and red cardstock of the tag. I'd seen this done before, but had never tried it. I just love how it looks! Gives me one more use for my scallop punches.

supplies-
Love Doodles
red and white cardstock
Moulin Rouge and Noir Palette ink
oval scallop punch
journal lines from The Wedding

New Craftroom Furniture!!

2009-01-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

Chris and I have some great friends, Tim and Mary, and Tim is an AMAZING woodworker. I just have to share what he made me for Christmas. Before I show you though, I want to show you what he gave me last Christmas.

Tim made the set of drawers to the left of my desk. Cool, huh?!

To lead up to this year's gift, you have to check out this next picture. This is how I have been storing my paper. It's not that bad. It gets the job done.

Now check out this set-up.....

This cabinet will hold 12 of the 12x12 plastic containers and I can even put my old black holder on top of the cabinet to hold even more containers! You should see what he made for his wife, Mary! I'll have to get some pictures of it. Thanks so much, Tim!!

'About Me' Project

2009-01-02T14:14:00.001-08:00

I love projects that contain spots for journaling and I found a cute project made by Julie Griffith. I found the idea in her project gallery. Here's a picture of her project:

I kept the same design idea with my project, but used different paper and stamps. Here, have a look...

I bought a bunch of new 'word' stamps from The Angel Company. They have so many great sets to choose from and it makes it so easy to personalize your projects. One of my favorite sets right now is 'My Sunshine'. Check it out...

Supplies:

stamps-
My Sunshine
Fancy Curls
This Girl
The Wedding (I used the journaling lines)

ink-

Black VersaCraft Ink

Embellishments-
Bazzill Bitty blossoms
Crop-a-Dile
Kaleidoscope Girlz paper pad
A Little Whimsy paper pad
white eyelets
misc. flowers

Giveaway featured at La Mia Designs!

2009-01-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

My Etsy shop has been featured over at La Mia Designs "All Yours'. I'm giving away a $20 gift certificate!! Head on over and enter for a chance to win!

Stamp-a-Stack

2008-12-19T04:23:00.000-08:00

The two cards shown above are cards that I taught at a Stamp-a-Stack class about a month ago. These two cards were actually made by Rita, a fellow TAC Angel, and she was kind to let me teach them at my class. I taught four cards in all and each guest made four of each card for a total of 16 cards! I'm showing these two cards today because the ladies had a ton of creativeness going on that day! You've just got to see what they came up with!!

These cards were made by Patty. I LOVE what she did with the top two cards!
________________________________________________
The following cards were created by Karen, Patty and Rhonda. Fabulous, ladies!!

Supplies:

Amelia paper

Reece paper

Sweet Goodies

Simply Christmas

Christmas Gift Set

2008-12-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

My aunt saw some of my crafted goodies and asked if I'd put together a couple of gift sets for her to give to two of her friends at Christmas. I used TAC's Willoughby paper and made a 4x4 mini album, post-it holder, nugget box and a calendar.

I found a great tote tutorial at www.scor-pal.com and changed the dimensions just a bit to have enough room for all the goodies to go inside. The original directions call for two, 6" squares of paper, but I used two, 8-1/2" squares of paper and scored everything the same way. Also, instead of having my bag open at the top, I added a flap.

Successful Night

2008-12-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

I was part of a Holiday Expo in a nearby town this afternoon and evening and it went pretty well. I sold several of my handmade items, met four people that want to book a FunShop with me, made several new friends, and met some ladies that shared about a networking group called The Heart Link Network. I'm going to check in to it a little more and maybe go to a meeting in January. It sounds pretty interesting. There's not much to this post...I'm am worn out!

New Mini Albums

2008-11-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in a Holiday Expo this Thursday and I've been busy making items to sell. I designed some new mini albums that feature TAC's Reece paper. Each SWIC set of paper comes with a sheet of awesome tags. They were a lot of fun to use on this project. If you're interested in making your own album, be sure to check out my supply list at the end of this post. The links will take you to my online TAC store. If you want to receive customer or hostess rewards, you will need to place your order directly through me and not my online store. Just something to remember.

Supplies:

Reece SWIC
Family is Forever

More Abundance
Bind It All

1/2" silver binding wire
4x4 coasters
Noir Palette Ink
Burnt Umber Palette Ink

Anniversary

2008-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Chris and I celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary today!! Here's a fun little post from last year and a new post and some pics at my Ladygil.com blog.

I love you, Chris!!!!!

New Cards

2008-11-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

I did a little creating yesterday and came up with some fun cards. I used non-TAC papers, but the stamps are TAC. I did a little paper piercing on each card. I just love the look of paper piercing!

This card measures 5-1/4" x 4". I used 'Happy Birthday' from Trendy Greetings.

This is a 3x3 card. I folded a bitty Bazzill blossom in half and tucked it under the sentiment. This sentiment comes from one of TAC's Level A hostess sets.

These little cards measure 3-1/4" x 2-1/2" and fit inside some little sacks that I found in the scrapbook section at Wal-Mart. The 'thanks' sentiment comes from TAC's October SOTM.

Birthday Wishes

2008-11-14T04:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my hubby!!

Now I can show you what I gave him for his birthday...

Blog Hop!!

2008-11-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Blog Challenge #2

I'm part of a blog challenge that was created by a fellow TAC Angel, Melisa. Participants were to use one of the following stamps sets from The Angel Company - Joy of Christmas and Holly Swirls.

Be sure to check out all of the following blogs to see some wonderful creations using these stamps sets!!

Melisa
scrapbook layout

Kellyrae

gift bag
Christmas card

Tonya
Christmas Card

DianeH
Christmas Cards
Christmas Card

Laurie
Christmas Card

LaurieU
Christmas Card

Sarah G.
Coaster Ornament

Carol
Christmas Card

Bridgett
3x3 Christmas Card

Joy Christmas Card

2008-11-05T04:12:00.000-08:00

I've got a card to share with you real quick. I'll be demonstrating this card at a FunShop next Tuesday. It's a quick and easy card! I just love TAC's circle stamp sets and how they coordinate so well with the scallop circle and regular circle punches. I used 'Christmas Circles' for this card.

I feel that this card is still needing a little something...I'm not totally satisfied with it yet. What are your thoughts?

The details- I stamped my images with Landscape green Palette ink. I colored the little berries with my red Tombow marker and I added Crystal Stickles to the snowflake in the middle. (you can see it much better in person) I also added some pop dots under the snowflake image to add a bit of dimension.

Supplies-
Christmas Circles stamp set
red and green Bazzill cardstock
Red Tombow marker
white cardstock
Landscape Palette Ink

Crystal Stickles
Giga Scalloped Circle
Mega Circle
1 inch circle
pop dots

Mini Pizza Box

2008-11-04T04:12:00.001-08:00

I've seen these little 'Pizza Boxes' on other blogs and I decided to try making one. I used my Scor-Pal and found a great mini pizza box tutorial at the Scor-Pal site. These boxes are so quick and easy to make! I nugget box is still my favorite right now, but the Pizza box is pretty cute, too. :)

Supplies-

Reece SWIC patterned paper
Aqua Bazzill Cardstock
Mega Scalloped Oval Punch
Super Jumbo Oval Punch
Scor-Pal
Gold ribbon
Trendy Greetings

Tagged...3 Times!!

2008-11-03T04:20:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged three times and need to take a minute to recognize the wonderful crafter/bloggers that tagged me.

I was given the above award by Bridgett and Barb. Thank you, ladies!!

Bridgett wrote, 'These 5 bloggers are my dear friends, serve to inspire me and help me find my way when I get a little lost. They all deserve the award!'

Barb wrote, 'Sarah is a 'Jill-of-all-trades'!! Her craftiness is not just bound to paper, and the linky is for her all-crafts blog... great stuff from paper to felting to quilting... fun stuff!'

Thank you Bridgett and Barb!!!

____________________________________

I was also tagged by Suzanne. I hang out with her and some other great crafters at the HSS forum...when I can find time. I've been pretty scarce lately!!

8 T.V. shows I like to watch:

1. NCIS
2. Heroes
3. Big Bang Theory
4. Stargate SG1
5. Battlestar
6. Lost
7.
8.

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. Johnny Carino's
2.El Pueblito
3. Olive Garden
4. Ruby Tuesday
5. Logan's Roadhouse
6. Rib Crib
7. McDonald's :)
8. Taco Bell

8 Things that happened last night:

1. unpacked my supplies from teaching a workshop
2. ate pancackes for supper
4. watched an episode of Stargate SG1
5. finished up my party order from the workshop
6. ?
7. ?
8. ?

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Thanksgiving Break!
2. Christmas
3. Going to Branson for Christmas for the Blackwell Family Christmas
4. the weekend
5. working at my craft desk after work
6.?
7.?
8.?

8 Things on my Wish List:

1. to have a good school year with my kindergartners
2. for my hubby to do well with his teaching classes
3. for my mom to get healthy again
4. have a child
5. to enjoy my stamp business and not let it stress me out
6. to enjoy life
7. ?
8. ?

8x8 Layout

2008-11-01T14:52:00.001-07:00

I offered a layout challenge in the October newsletter that I send out to my stamping customers. I told them that I'd be making a page, too. Here it is! I'm very intimidated by scrapbooking, but I find great inspiration from PageMaps.com. That's where I got the layout for this challenge.

I love the scrapbook pages that have a white or light colored background and then have the bulk of the layout focused right in the center. I pulled out my sewing machine for this page. I had to go slower as I went over the photo. The added thickness wanted to make my stitches really small. I used TAC's Mimi SWIC paper for this layout. I love the pinks and greens!!

Supplies-

Mimi patterned paper
cream cardstock
misc. flowers and brads

sewing machine

green thread

QuickKuts alphabet dies (sorry...can't remember the name of the set!)

Another Nugget Box...

2008-10-25T22:34:00.001-07:00

Have I said how much I LOVE these nugget boxes? Oh, yah, I think I did... :) Here's another one for you. I used TAC's Willoughby paper...I'm a little hooked on Willougby right now. Instead of covering my nugget candies with address labels, I covered them with a strip of the patterned paper. I just love this paper against the gold candy wrapper. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies-

Willoughby patterned paper and tag

Scor-Pal

brown ribbon

Hello Fall -October SOTM

Nugget candies

brown cardstock

Giga Scalloped Square punch

Coaster Ornament

2008-10-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

I have TONS of round coasters and decided I'd better start using them! I really like this Christmas tree image from TAC's Joy of Christmas set. I inked the edges of my coaster with Noir Palette ink and then I used my circle Coluzzle template to cut a slightly smaller circle of red cardstock. I glued the red cardstock to the coaster and then I stamped my images with Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder.

Please disregard the '2008' that I wrote on this. I really wanted to put the year on it, but I don't have number stamps that would coordinate wtih this. After I wrote the year, I realized the ink did NOT match the embossing. Other thoughts for this project are to raise the word 'Christmas' up a little higher and then add a photo. I really like the black and white polka dot ribbon. I think it adds a fun touch to the project.

Supplies-

Joy of Christmas

Noir Palette ink

VersaMark

4" Coaster

black and white polka dot ribbon

Black embossing powder

heat gun

red cardstock

Nugget Boxes

2008-10-21T18:57:00.001-07:00

I've had so much fun making these little nugget boxes! I found an awesome nugget box template at Scor-pal.com. I love little boxes and this box was really easy to make. I got my design idea from the pillow box on p. 61 of the Nov/Dec 2008 Paper Crafts magazine. For the red scallops on my box I used my square scallop punch. I just punched a red square, trimmed off an edge and attached it to my green cardstock. It's my favorite part of this project...well, the chocolate is my favorite part, too!! (I've eaten way too much chocolate the past few days...this project can be dangerous!)

I stamped snowflakes onto white address labels and then wrapped them around each nugget candy.

Supplies-
Ornamental Snowflakes
'for you' sentiment from Oct. SOTM-Hello Fall
craft paper
green Bazzill cardstock
white cardstock
red ribbon
Landscape Palette ink
Moulin Rouge Palette Ink
Giga Square Scallop Punch
Hershey Nuggets

Blog Candy....

2008-10-15T04:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not offering blog candy, but my friend Nicole is!! Be sure to stop by Nicole's blog to be entered for a chance to win some fun Christmas rubberstamps!!!

Made to Order

2008-10-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine was browsing through the Christmas cards over in the Paper Wings gallery and came across this cute Christmas card by fellow TAC Angel, Carol H. I got the ok from Carol to 'case' the card and my friend commissioned me to make 50. I had fun using the snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder. I actually put my mom to work on the embossing. :) I think she had fun using the machine. (Thanks for the help, Mom!) My card has fewer embellishments than Carols because my friend lives in Japan and needs things to lay pretty flat in the envelopes. (Click on Carol's name above to see her card.)

I also tried this card in another color combo. The first picture below is the color scheme Carol used and the second picture is the new color combo. What do you think?

Supplies for first card-

Snowy Swirls
Landscape Palette Ink

Ornamental Snowflakes

Red and green Bazzill cardstock

white cardstock

silver embossing powder
VersaMark
White Brilliance Ink
pop dots
(Striped paper - Ribbon Candy, Blitzen line by Basic Grey)

Oswegofest Update

2008-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I had a blast at Oswegofest! I shared a booth with my good friend, Heather Duke (she has a photography business) The weather was perfect, we had a big 10x10 tent, and the perfect spot!! I made a lot of connections with potential new customers and and even sold some cards and mini albums! Woo-hoo!! Here are a few pictures from the event....

My booth...sporting my new TAC banner!

Heather's booth- I thought it looked great!

My husband, Chris, with our nephew.
He knows how to work uncle Chris!!

Our cute little neice!

Heather with her neice.

Stationery Set Giveaway!

2008-10-01T04:46:00.000-07:00

I'm giving away a Stationery Set over at LadyGil.com. You should go and check it out!!

Oswegofest

2008-09-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

I've been busy preparing for a booth event that's coming up this Saturday at Oswegofest. I wanted to share some items that I made to sell. It's so hard to decide what to spend your time on when you're preparing for something like this. You never know what people are going to like. We'll see what happens!

Challenge Winner

2008-09-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

I send out a monthly newsletter that offers information about upcoming promotions from The Angel Company, tips, techniques, project ideas and I also offer challenges from time to time. My challenge in August was to design a card using a sketch that I found from pagemaps.com. Participants send me a picture of their creation and then I put their name into a hat. I send the winner some fun stamping goodies and also post their creation on my blog. The winner for the August challenge was Diana Snead. Check out her great card!

Diana used TAC's Miss Moxie Soar With it Collection paper. I just love the rich colors!! If you'd like to receive my monthly newsletter, you can sign up in the right column of my blog.

Tag...I'm it!

2008-09-19T04:09:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Bridgett over at Hoosier Card Angel Creations. Here are the rules:

1.) Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2.) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3.) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4.) Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 Facts About Me:

1. I'll be 29 in December...that is way to close to 30 and it scares me!

2. I'll celebrate my 9th wedding anniversary with Chris in November...that's even scarier!! Wow, where does time go??

3. I'm a Kindergarten teacher

4. I'm a Christian

5. I LOVE roller coasters

6. My favorite color is green

7. I sing and play the piano

Ok, that's enough about me. Time for me to tag some people.

Nicole - I Made It! Creations

Suzanne - My Little Corner of the Blogging World

Kemi - KSSDesigns

Joani - Joani's Cards Made by Hand

Vicki - Angel Stamper

Barb - FosterDesignHouse

Laurie - Laurie's Stampin and Scrappin Place

Take A Look Tuesday Challenge

2008-09-16T04:46:00.000-07:00

My friend, Nicole, offers a challenge called Take a Look Tuesday. The challenge this time was to make a card that was mostly orange. You can read more about the inspiration for the 'orange' challenge here.

My husband and I got IPhones last week and I thought I'd see what the picture taking quality was like. I put my card in my light tent, just like usual, but I only set up two lights instead of my usual three...so this isn't the best quality, but I had fun snapping the picture and then emailing it to myself with the IPhone. I think I'll stick with my regular camera from now on, though. :)

Supplies:

Butterfly Bits

Orangerie Palette Ink
Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder

Misc. orange and white cardstock

Post-It Note Holder

2008-09-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

I found a great Post-It note holder tutorial over at Emily Giovanni's blog. Emily stamped some flower images inside her circle, but I just couldn't decide on what stamp set to use. As I was scanning my craft area, my eyes fell on my Bazzill Bitty Blossoms and that's when my design fell together. For you ladies that are members of my Technique Club, this is one of the projects that we'll be making at the end of the month. :)

Supplies-

Willoughby SWIC

Sweet Goodies stamp set

Mega Scallop punch
Bazzill Bitty Blossom

Burnt Umber Palette Ink

3x3 Post It note

misc. brown, cream and green cardstock

brown ribbon
brown brad

Badge Holder Mini Album

2008-09-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

I bought some plastic name badge holders a loooooong time ago and finally decided to dust them off and use them. My husband's sister had a baby a couple of months ago and everyone has been taking tons of pictures. I got a hold of a few and made this fun little album.

I used TAC's Hip Hop paper collection and Essential Elements. This album is very quick and simple to make. Each badge holder holds two pieces of the Hip Hop paper. I adhered a photo to the paper and then slid it inside each holder. I placed all the Essential Element tags on the outside of the badge holders, after I embellished them, and used small book rings to hold the album together.

I'm sure I could do a little more embellishing, but I also love the simple look of this. It's the perfect size to throw in my purse so that I can be ready to show off little Chase, and I don't have to be afraid that I'm going to tear anything up on the album.

Doesn't Chris look great holding little Chase? I can't wait until we get to be parents someday. He's going to make a great dad!

Supplies-

Hip Hop Fly With It collection
Simple Bet alphabet set
fine black pen
Essential Elements
misc. green ribbon
name badge holders
book rings
sanding block

Bandana Technique

2008-09-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

I had heard about the Bandana Technique and decided that I needed to try it...it's so much fun! I taught the technique at my August Technique club. The secret is to have a really good white gel pen. Here's the card that we made.

The stamp set that I used is called Petal Pack. It has a lot of fun images to choose from. The sentiment comes from one of TAC's Level A hostess sets. (you can get it for free when you have a $100 FunShop!)

There are so many different areas that you can apply your white pen to. I made up this little chart to show my guests just a few of the areas that they could fill in. Each one gives a different look.

My inspiration for this card came from Vicki Hook. She has a great post about this technique here and shares another example here. Be sure to check out her blog- she does great work!!

The Journal Creations

2008-08-30T07:49:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share some more pictures from our Night with the King event. We started working on the journals at 10pm and before we no it it was after 1 in the morning!! We were having so much fun!! Each girl was given half of a composition notebook to decorate. I've posted pictures of their journal creations and then some other pictures that were taken throughout the night.

Kersten is showing off her door prize.

Ashley won something, too.

Kersten and Jordyn...I love this picture!

Emily

Jordan- she is an amazing paper crafter!

Lauren hard at work

Cara and Cristen

A Night with the King

2008-08-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

These are the fun gift bags that I designed for a girl's night that we had at our church this past Friday night. The event was called, 'A Night with the King' and it was an all nighter for girls 6th-12th grade. We did manicures, pedicures, mini devotionals, a journal project and much, much more. I had so much fun getting to know each of the girls better and just goofing around. One of the girls painted my toenails for me...they are pink with silver stripes...interesting, huh? :) I'll be sharing their journal creations later. Thanks for reading!

Oh, if you wonder why a lot of the bags have the initial 'K', it's because there were 8 girls whose name started with 'K'! How wild!!

Supplies-
All supplies are by The Angel Company except for the gift bag and glitter.

Newlyweds

2008-08-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is a project that I made at The Angel Company's seminar in June. It's a little hard to tell from this picture, but the base for this project is a sheer scalloped coaster. We used the Sydney Circle Album kit to embellish the coaster. This would make a great gift idea and they are quick and easy to make.

This is a picture of my sister-in-law, Nikki, and her husband, Cody. They got married yesterday in a beautiful, outdoor wedding. I'll be posting a couple of wedding pictures soon!

Supplies-

Sydney Circle Album Kit

Sheer Scalloped Coaster

Plum colored ribbon from Amelia Ribbon collection

Orange Scrappers Floss

Pewter Hardware

Orange cardstock from Penelope coordinating cardstock

2008-08-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Just a short, quick post for you tonight. Here's a monochromatic card that I'll be teaching at my technique club later this month. I used one of my favorite Palette ink colors, Water Lily Green, on the white cardstock and then used VersaMark ink on the turquoise cardstock.

I hope you're having a great week. I go back to work this Friday and I'm trying to get lots of crafting in before then. I've had a very restful summer and I'm ready to get back to school and start teaching again.

Supplies-
Blooming Builders
Ordinary Greetings
Water Lily Palette Ink
VersaMark

2008-08-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

I finished stamping this card and still thought it needed something...it needed some bling! The butterfly images are from a TAC set called Butterfly Bits. I used Violete Palette ink to stamp each butterfly and used Crystal Stickles to add some 'bling'. With this stamp set, you layer images. I wanted the solid image to be a shade lighter, so I inked up my stamp and stamped once on to scratch paper and then a second time on to my white card base. I stamped the next layer without stamping off first - I used the color in it's full strength.

Featured Artwork

2008-08-05T20:18:00.001-07:00

I found out that The Angel Company is featuring one of my cards in their 'Featured Artwork' Isection. I had submitted three birthday cards that used the 'Uptown Girl' Wing It Collection patterned paper. I love the Wing It Collection because you get three pieces of each design. For just $6.95 you get 36, 8x8 pieces of patterned paper. An awesome deal if you ask me!

Here are the other two cards that I made. I used two stamp sets- Birthday Wishes and Blooming Builders. Thanks for looking!!

Willoughby Mini Album

2008-08-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

I designed this mini album for an upcoming FunShop. I used one of TAC's new paper collections - Willoughby . I just love the greens and browns!!

This is a three page coaster album and it was bound with 1/2 inch wire. The pages above show my sister, Samantha, and my brother, Scott, and his wife, Melissa. I placed a handmade pocket under Scott and Melissa's picture. It's a fun way to tuck away a little journaling.

(Chris and I) (my mom and dad)

Supplies-

Willoghby SWIC
Willoghby cardstock
Pewter Hardware
Mega Scalloped Oval
Oval Coluzzle

Super Jumbo Flower
Burnt Umber Palette Ink
Bind It All
1/2" wire
Family Is Forever stamp set
My Life stamp set

New Product

2008-07-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, TAC recently released their Fall/Winter 2008 Catalog. One of the new products they are carrying are embellishment jars. I bought the Ava Embellishment Jar and I'm loving it! These embellishment jars contain 100 (beautiful) buttons, 40 blossoms and 20 felt flowers. I had never used the felt flowers before and now I think I'm hooked!

I'm beginning a Technique Club in August and this is the little book that I made for myself. There are 14 members in my club and I've used this book to record club members, what month they'll be hostess, and what technique I'll be teaching. I may even have to take some pictures at our club meetings and add them in later.

2008-07-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

I purchased a papercraft magazine awhile back entitled 'Home and Heart' (by CK Media). The magazine is full of simple gifts for each season. One that really caught my eye was the Floral Thanks Gift Box found on page 27. I recently purchased some flowers and had so much fun using them for this project!

I wrapped a strip of TAC's Uptown Girl paper around my gift and used the 'Sweet Goodies' stamp set for my tag. I ran my ribbon up through all three flowers and the tag and then tied a simple knot. What a fun and quick way to wrap a gift!!

Christmas in July

2008-07-21T20:27:00.001-07:00

Nicole and I hosted our Christmas in July party yesterday. It was a lot of fun! We each provided three Christmas themed projects for a total of 6 projects for our guests to make. Two of the projects that I did were this ornament and a tag.

The tag uses paper from the Reece collections and the Simply Christmas and Christmas Circles stamp sets. The ornament also uses paper from the Reece collection and the Christmas Circles stamp set. For the ornament, I used the metal lid off the end of a frozen juice container. The Mega Circle 2-1/2" punch punches the perfect sized circle to fit inside the juice lid! And it also coordinates with the Christmas Circles stamp set. It made the project really easy to make. I used the Crop-a-Dile to punch my hole for my ribbon. The crop-a-dile punches through the metal like butter! I may have to use this project with my kindergarten students at Christmas.

Sewing Machine Fun

2008-07-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

I love to quilt and sew almost as much as I love to work with paper and rubberstamps. I decided to combine all of this and these are the three projects I came up with. I plan to offer them as a class in September or October. I want to give credit for the circle card idea to a friend named Denise that I met on a forum that I use to be a part of. She sent me the most amazing card and I've hung on to it forever because I knew that I wanted to try and make a similar one someday.

Denise's card said this on the outside, "When I count my blessings I count..." and the inside had a letter 'U'. How cute! She also used a patterned paper that had numbers all over it- very cool concept.

I'd like to share a quick tip with you about using your sewing machine. Try to think ahead when gluing your pieces in place. You want to try and not put glue where the needle will be entering. This will keep your needle from gumming up. For example- on the full size card (the first photo) I ran glue along the top and side of my green piece of paper, only down the middle and very edges of the striped paper and along the bottom and sides of the pink paper.

If you haven't tried sewing on paper yet, I challenge you to give it a try!!

Supplies-
Lilly Anna Soar With It Collection, white thread, zig-zag stitch and sewing machine used on all three projects.

Full size card
Bold Flourishes
Level A Hostess set for sentiment
Bella Rose Palette Ink

3 x 3 card
Build a Buggie
Tag Tidbits
green Bazzill cardstock (actual name unknown)
misc. tag and eyelet
black ink

Circle Card
Coluzzle Circle Template
silver brad
misc. flower

2008-07-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'm preparing for a 'booth' event and I've been busy making items to sell. I thought I'd share a couple of the cards with you.

Both cards use TAC's Miss Moxie paper. This paper is bright and fun! The first card uses a stamp from 'Birthday Wishes' and the second card uses a stamp from one of the new Level A hostess sets called 'Feel Better'.

I hope you've had a great 4th of July. My husband and I got to spend the evening with our new nephew. He's just four days old and so, so sweet!

Fast and Fun Mini Album

2008-07-02T09:25:00.001-07:00

One of the great things about the new TAC catalog is that it is full of samples and project ideas. On page 34 of the new Fall/Winter Catalog, you will find an 'Inspiring Idea' called 'Tri-Fold Mini Album'. The album features pictures of TAC's CEO, Mischelle Smith with her husband. The album is so cute and I've had fun making my own version of it.

Here's the awsome part- the directions for this album are right there in the catalog! I love it! The instructions were very easy to follow and I can't wait to teach this project to my customers.

I'm always saying that I don't have a lot of pictures to scrapbook with. Well, I came across a Christmas card that a good friend had sent me. It was a picture collage and I had the crazy idea that I could maybe cut it apart and use it for my mini album. So, I cut it apart and here's what I came up with... (for a closer look, just click on each picture)

Supplies-

Mimi paper collection
Family is Forever stamp set
My Life stamp set
Juliette Hardware (I used two of the large eyelets- I love these)
misc. ribbon
transparency
Staz-On ink
stapler

New Catalogue

2008-06-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

The Fall/winter Inspiration Book and Catalogue is here!! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got to look at it for the first time this past Friday. I am loving this new catalogue!! Let me share some fun facts about the new catty:

15 new GWP stamps
10 new hostess sets
35 new stamp sets
4 new SWIC collections ($6.95 each)
3 new Time Saving kits (amazing kits!!)
3 new embellishment jars (here's Ava)

We got to use several of the new products at Seminar. I love the Sydney Circle Album kit and the Woodrowe Keepsake Album Kit. These kits are double-sided and printed on 100 pound premium cardstock.

Get your copy of the new catalog today- just contact me at sgilreath@hotmail.com Catalogs are just $5 each.

It's Fun Being an Angel!!

2008-06-21T06:08:00.001-07:00

I'm having a blast at Seminar!! And guess who I finally got to meet??!! Nancy Grant!!! I met her through my blog quite awhile back and she is just an amazing person. Nancy is such a sweet person and I'm so happy to be an Angel with her.

Yesterday was jam packed with tons of great stuff. We got the new Fall/Winter catalog in our hot little hands at 8:30 am and started tearing through it. There are some fantastic new paper lines, stamps and embellishments. Later in the day we got to play with a lot of the new products. I have some awesome projects that I can't wait to present at my FunShops!!!

You've got to see this new catalog! They are just $5 each- please let me know if you'd like to get your hands on one.

One last picture to share with you for now...check out this table! Look at all these paper punches! Only a paper crafter would understand. LOL!

The Farm

2008-06-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

My family and I went to my grandparent's farm this past weekend. The farm is way out in the boonies in central Kansas. I have great memories from that place. There is a creek that runs through the property and I can remember playing in it with my cousins. I also have a few memories of snakes...yuck!!

The farm once belonged to my great grandparents and now my mom's folks own it. My grandparents have done a lot of work to the farm over the years and they always keep everything looking so nice. I love going out there!

Chris and I

I caught a 'little' fish

This is our dog, Murphy. It was his first time to the farm.

Grandma Delores and Pam (Pam is my mom)

Grandpa Ron and Grandma Delores

This is how I put worms on my hook...hey, you do what you gotta do!!

Grandpa Ron (reading an paper from 1982...something my dad dug up)