Buttons and Butterflies

Welcome to the Studio!

Whew, it's been a rough few months.  I haven't had hardly any time to craft.  I've been packing and purging not only my scrap stash but everything else in the house too.  You can't imagine just how many Christmas ornaments you can acquire in four short years:)

So to update everyone, I am partially moved (and my mom too) to the sprawling metropolis of Picayune, Mississippi.  It's country living at its finest.  The guy who lives across to street brings fresh chicken eggs once a week.  I've never had eggs that fresh!  From coop to kitchen in under an hour.  We have a brand, spankin' new scraproom built by my Dear Old Dad.  It's awesome!  Just a huge 10x20 open space with lots of outlets for all my scrappy gadgets, some uber lighting, and lots of windows.  There's even a tin roof so I can hear the rain pitter-patter.

The cube wall with all our paper is put together (mostly), the dies and diecutting machines are ready and raring to go.  I even found my paper trimmer - Yay, Me!  So I FINALLY got a few moments to crank out some cards after months of not really being able to.  By no means is everything unpacked, but at least I can find some of my stuff;)  The picture below is the cube wall...

I thought a good way to get the creative juices flowing again was to start with a few challenges.  Here is my newest creation...

It's based upon Sweet Sunday Sketch #188.  The sketch is pictured below.  I also got a bit of inspiration from a challenge blog I just discovered, 613 Avenue Create.  Their current challenge, #27,  is a "create your own" challenge.  I created my own with a Choose 3 option of pattern paper, solid paper, and a sentiment.  It was a lot of fun and really made me put my creative thinking cap on.  I also used a bunch of buttons so I could join in the fun at Catered Crop with their Button Up challenge.

For this card, I used:
Ivory 5x6.5 card base, from chain craft store
Pattern Paper:  denim (Paper Studio/Hobby Lobby); Flowers and pink (Crate Paper/Random collection)
Chipboard:  Butterfly (Michaels)
Stamps:  Happy Birthday (Heidi Swapp); Flourish (Justrite Stamps)
Buttons:  yellow are from CTMH, pink from stash
Linen thread:  Stampin Up
Jute Cord:  from stash
Inks:  Gumball Green, Primrose Petals, Rose Red and Crumb Cake (Stampin Up); Colonial White (CTMH/retired)
Dies:  Spellbinders scalloped border

Here are a few more pictures of my new scraproom.  I'm just so excited to have a pretty place to craft!

The "Timmy Table" aka home of the Vagabond.

 

New stamp storage.  It spins and holds tons of stamps

and even has room for a lot of bottles of Prima flowers!

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed your visit.  Until next time, Scrap Sassy!

Link Up For Pink Challenge 14

 

 

 

Welcome to the Studio!

So glad you could stop by today.  My crafting has been intermittent at best due to "the move" and the entire scraproom is in boxes now and ready to go, but I was sure to put aside a few of my favorite items to make this pretty-in-pink card for Challenge 14.

 

I chose the sentiment, "You Inspire Me," because this lovely digi from Sherri Baldy is the epitome of old-time, classy Hollywood...like back in the days of Bogey & Bacall.  This is a lady who takes whatever life puts in her path and handles it with courage and grace.  And I know there are a lot of ladies just like that today, and each and every one of you inspire those around you!

 

 

 

And if you'd like one of these awesome digis to call your own (or maybe 20-30), please visit our sponsor, Sherri Baldy!

 

 

Here are the rules for this challenge...You must use EITHER the sketch or the inspiration photo or BOTH.  It's up to you and the sky is the limit.  I look forward to seeing what you creative gals come up with!

 

 

I'll be "afk" (away from keyboard) for about three more weeks or so until I get myself, my mom, and our scraproom moved and set up again.  I'll have pictures of the new space and some new organizing ideas too!

 

 

 

"Courage is Grace under pressure."  - Ernest Hemingway

 

Lucky Number 13!!!

Welcome to the Studio!

Whew, it's been a long time since I posted.  I apologize for that, but things have been absolutely crazy here.  I've been packing like a madwoman trying to get everything ready for a move to our new home in Picayune, MS.  It's a small, quaint little town and we'll be living out in the country...ah, peace and quiet...and a really awesome scraproom too!

Enough about all that.  Time to get to the good stuff.  Link Up For Pink Challenge 13 is open.  It's a really simple challenge.  You must use the inspiration photo.  The colors are so vibrant.  That's what jumped out at me.

The blue makes me think of the ocean and purple is my all-time fave color, behind lime green, that is.
Here is my card for the challenge...

 

That very cute bra digi is from one of our sponsors, SK Digis.  They have some of the most adorable images.  I really had fun working with this one.  I borrowed a few Copic markers from my mom to color the image.  I haven't gotten the hang of shading and stuff yet. 

 

And that lovely "Ocean Blue" seam binding is from another one of our awesome sponsors, Lovebug Creations.  I just love, love, love all the beautiful "Rumple Ribbon" they have!

 

I also based my card on a sketch from Deconstructing Sketches, No. 98:

 

Now it's time for you to head over to Link Up For Pink and join in all the Challenge 13 fun!

 

Supply List:

Pattern Paper:  "Blue Without You" from the Hello, Beautiful Collection by Bella Blvd.; The pink pattern papers are Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby.

Dies/Punches:  All three are from Stampin Up.

Cardstock:  Stampin Up

Twine:  WeRMemory Keeprs

Other:  The flower trim and rhinestones were from my stash.

Get 'Em Pinched

Welcome to the Studio!

It's an exciting day here.  Today is the day that Link Up For Pink Challenge 11 begins!  Woo Hoo!  Our sponsor for this challenge is Fresh Brewed Designs and the prize up for grabs is three digi images plus a bonus prize!

For my project, I used "Not So Crabby Crab" from Fresh Brewed.  She's a cute, sassy crab.  That's why I like her.  And she has an important message to share with all of you.  Be sure to remind all those special ladies in your life to get those mammograms!

Here is the inside of my card...

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Now it's time for you to get your crafty mojo going and enter your card, layout, page, or décor item for Challenge 11!  Remember, it has to have a dash of pink.

Butterfly Blessings

Welcome to the Studio!

I started working on Easter cards a few weeks ago.  I wanted to do something a little different.  I found some really cool chipboard accents at Michael's recently in their $1 bin during the half off sale.  How can you pass up that bargain?  I didn't.  I bought $4 worth:)

I played around with the chippy butterfly and decided to use paint on it and then some Rock Candy.  It didn't turn out quite like I thought it would.  The chipboard was embossed and the paint was too thick and covered a lot of the detail.  No worries...just add Stickles.  It wasn't quite what I had envisioned initially, but it's still pretty cool.

I used some BoBunny paper, Gabrielle collection.  Many of the papers have butterflies all over them and I think that's where I ended up getting the inspiration.  The pearls are from CTMH.  The paper is from Stampin Up.  The "Easter Blessings" is from Justrite.  The bow was made using peach seam binding from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  I used Stampin Up inks in Marina Mist, Calypso Coral, and Early Espresso.

I am entering this card in two challenges.  The first is Challenge #109 over at Sketch N Stash.  You have to use their sketch, which I really liked.

Next, I'll be entering Challenge #231 over at Flutter By Wednesday.  The current theme is "anything winged."  And of course, butterflies are always welcome;)

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Until next time, Scrap Sassy!

The "Tail" of Two Roses

Welcome to the Studio!

I was at a scrapbook retreat (Camp Sumatanga in Gallant, AL) back in February and I was a cropping fool getting layout after layout done.  I had seen I technique on making roses with the Tim Holtz Tattered Pinecone and Tattered Florals dies.  I decided to play around and see if I could make a pretty paper rose.  The great news is I succeeded!  I made several roses.  Most of them went home with my friend, Jackie; but two of them found their way onto one of my layouts about my sweet puppy girl, Bailey, and her sidekick, Erin.  Bailey is a Silky Terrier, ie an oversized Yorkie.  Since I used just plain, old cardstock to create the roses and some Basic Grey paper that's been languishing in my paper tub for a few years I thought that would qualify for the challenge over at Use Your Stuff  #75, Our Four-legged Friends.  Also, since my layout has two roses, I thought I'd enter the Anything Goes Challenge Blog's current challenge, Seeing Double.

For this layout, I used Basic Grey paper (possibly named Bittersweet) from my stash along with some Stampin Up and CTMH cardstocks.  The rhinestone flourishes are Recollections/Michaels.  The skull is grungeboard by Tim Holtz and is inked with Stampin Up ink in Pretty in Pink and sprayed with "Sassy Shimmer Spritz," which is my homemade version of Glimmer Mist.  The grosgrain ribbon is from my stash.  The font used for the title is Chanel.  I have tons of free fonts and I get most of them at Dafont.

Now, the rest of the story...

As you can see from the photo of my layout above, there were two little pink roses.  When I got home from the retreat, the first thing I did was unload my layouts and put them on my coffee table in page protectors ready to go into albums.  I was procrastinating a bit because I was trying to decide which layouts I wanted to display for a while.  The layouts have been sitting on my coffee table for weeks now.  I know you're thinking I need to clean up, but my scrap table is in my living room, so it's not that big a stretch;)  So I left to run a few errands the other day and this is what I found when I got home...

I searched and searched for my pretty little rose and couldn't find it anywhere.  I knew Bailey was the culprit.  I checked all the usual hiding places...in the bed "buried" in the covers, in the closet tucked under my shoe rack or hanging clothes, I even searched the flower pots in the yard where she occasionally "buries" socks, toys, and other contraband...all to no avail.  My flower was just plain missing.  And then Bailey ran up the stairs to bark out of the half window and she jumped in my lap...yep, you guessed it, with my flower in her mouth.  Let's just say it got a little distressed.  Looks like I'll be making another rose.

Thank you for listening to my "tail" of woe.  Until next time, Scrap Sassy!

A Little Green...

Welcome to the Studio!

I wanted to share a little green with y'all, and no, it's not cash.  Sorry.  We all could use a little extra, I'm sure;)  My bit 'o green is a clean and simple St. Patty's Day card.  I thought I'd get my crafty mojo going with a challenge.  It's based on a sketch from Retrosketches #54. 

 

 

And here's my card...

 

 

 

For this card, I used an 8.5x3.75 card base.  The shamrock stamp is from the $1 bin at Joann's.  The pattern paper is from the Print Poetry mini deck from Stampin Up.  The ribbon is also Stampin Up and the hue is Gumball Green.  The sentiment is from Justrite Stamps and was stamped in SU Gumball Green ink.  The mini pearl is from my stash.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  And don't forget to wear your green on Sunday!

 

Until next time, Scrap Sassy!