why is it that guilt creeps up on us so easily..even when we try and avoid it it has a nasty way of just being there. anyways i am still trying to catch up on things, ticking of to-do lists, and trying to be creative at the same time. yet it seems that i have no energy for anything and am feeling rather flat at the moments. so no updates and no new posts on the Cuttlebug, which i promise i will finish and continue with as soon as i am caught up! 

one thing that i managed to do this weekend is paint the one bedroom wall which was actually 3 walls counting the huge *blunder* of a grey wall i conveniently or subconsciously forgot about - anyways it IS DONE! and it feels really good. it took me most of Saturday and then i did the antiquing liquid on Sunday to get rid of the "off" paint smell.

funny thing that - when you leave paint to stand for months on end it tends to go rotten and get the most horrific smell! anyways a quick stir and off we went. thankfully the strong oil smell covered the paint odour and all is well in the household again! *note to self...use paint and do not store!

after said paint and oil layer was dry i got to hang the crystals and finish off my chandelier! oh my heart is well now - and i am in love. i do think that i may have to have another one of those beauties - so save some moolah and find a spot and just maybe it may happen in this coming year.

and not to bore you too much below is a sneak peak of a design team layout i completed and uploaded

creativity = 1 messy kitchen = 0

wishing you an awesome Monday. i am trying to clean the kitchen and throw out some mismatched and odd glasses, mugs and general crap that tends to collect over time, then some creative play and writing an article! how are you keeping busy?

I know i know (guilty for being MIA)so sorry - but while real life sets in and the reality of fighting a cold while my body and mind begs me to shut down i have gotten more and more irritated with society and their lack of celebrating Christ's birth instead of buying the love of their family members with lavish gifts while other die of hunger and depression. so i am throwing myself at the mercy of my work table and playing catch up.

tip # 8 - partial embossing
i am know for using only partial stamped images, small bits of paper and images and so it's only a natural extension of this trait that i only do partial embossing using my Cuttlebug.
i will emboss only a small part of corner of my patterned paper to add texture and then add a light inking on top to accentuate the design 

this is a funky way of adding texture to only a select piece of your design.

keep in mind that you can only move your selected piece of paper so far out of your embossing folder for it to still fit into the opening of your Cuttlebug. yes i know what you are thinking - and truly i am fine with it. i often turn my paper at an angle and only emboss a small corner to add texture.

play around and experiment with this - you too will find it addictive. i promise to be back...and will complete all 25 tips - but at my own leisure - without any pressure. so thank you for hanging around and here's wishing you a wonderful and Merry Christmas.

Bargello is a technique traditionally used in needlepoint and borrowed by paper crafters to create interesting background effects using paper strips. I borrowed this technique and have done a couple of versions over the years, but today I am incorporating die-cutting and the ever so popular washi tape to create this easy technique. Just another reason to use my products combined together in my Cuttlebug. 

Tip # 7 - Use Bargello and washi tape to create funky die-cuts.