Doubling Our Joy

I needed a generic card for a male friend, and this is what I came up with. I think that black and white DP is beautiful (Dorada Vista, from i {heart} papers), and it lends itself quite nicely to a mancard. The oval is Riding Hood Red, cut and embossed with the largest oval Nestability, and then pierced around the inside edge. The ribbon was a gift from my friend Courtney. The sentiment is from an old SU! set called Friendship Flowers. I don't normally do cards with just a sentiment and no image, but I liked the simplicity of this.

I also thought I'd mention this book that I recently finished reading:

I am a huge fan of Picoult's writings, and this book was no exception. The story centers around the kidnapping of a little girl, and as a mother I found the entire story riveting. Like all of her other books, I was instantly drawn in and barely able to put the book down. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys dramatic fiction. Most all of her stories involve a crime of some sort and the legal process that follows (this one included), but she writes in such a way that you really feel as if you're part of the story. It's wonderful. Click on my "Books" label to see some of the other books I've read, if you're interested. I read tons, but have only remembered to blog about a few, unfortunately. I'm trying to be better about that!

Enjoy the day,

Stressed!

First of all, did you know today is National Women's Friendship Day? Here is a snippet I received in a recent email about the day:

Ask any woman--there' s something special about her friendships with other women. Our female friends know us better than anyone else. They are there to listen, to console, and to encourage. They are our loudest cheerleaders and our most compassionate confidantes. Our women friends come in a wide variety--sister, mother, neighbor, childhood playmate, college roommate. We make connections at the playground, the workplace, the gym, and over the proverbial back fence. From a leisurely Saturday afternoon over coffee to precious moments stolen for a late night phone call, our relationships with other women can sustain us and give life depth. We need to remember the important roles our women friends play in our lives.

And isn't that the truth? Of course the paragraph neglected to mention those women we've all met through our blogs and chatting on Splitcoast! I know I've been lucky enough to meet some wonderful women through both avenues (some even in person!) and I value those friendships as well. One of those friends is going through a rough time right now, and this card is for her. Although I have to say I find it totally ironic that I'm probably more stressed now that I've ever been (meaning, strung out as opposed to wound up) so I think I should have some desserts too. :o) hee hee.

About that... we are still struggling with Jack and his sleep issues. I've been doing some research online and I'm fairly certain we're dealing with a case of silent reflux. But the meds he's on don't really seem to be helping (though they did at first, which is weird), so we're struggling day by day with only brief periods of sleep at night as we think he just can't find a comfortable position with his severe heartburn. Poor little guy. As a result, I've fallen wayyy behind on my blog reading, and even more so on my blog comments. Please bear with me. I haven't forgotten any of you, I just need to put family first for awhile. Well, family is always first, but you know what I mean (hopefully!).

The card is pretty self explanatory, but I just wanted to note that I was working off of the layout of the card on page 80 of the current SU catty. It's a loose translation, but I wanted to give credit where it was due!

So, that's my story for today. And that story is titled, "Stressed!" ;o)

Details:
Stamps: Hang in There (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Adirondak Pitch Black
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Pixie Pink, Whisper White, Summer Fun DP
Other: Copic Markers, Nestabilities, Paper Piercer, White Grosgrain Ribbon

Jack-o-Lantern Box

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means! Time for another CBC Challenge! Today's challenge is boxes... make one, alter one, fill one with goodies and mail it to me, whatever works for you! *wink*

For this challenge, I decided to alter a box. I found this cute little take out box at Michael's on Sunday, so I bought it. I think it cost me all of $0.89. I had this challenge in mind, but really had no idea what I was going to do with it.


Here is what I came up with.... A cute little Jack-o-Lantern treat box.

To make the pumpkin, I used my Nestabilities circle die (the second largest one... 3.5", I think) to cut a circle of Pumpkin Pie paper. Then I trimmed the top of the circle by hand to make a little divet where the stem should be. Next, I used the edge of that same nestie, and lined it up with the point of my divet, and sponged along the outside edge with Pumpkin Pie ink. Then I moved it in a little and did it again, repeating this 3-4 times for each side of the pumpkin to give the effect of texture.

I also sponged around the edge of the pumpkin with Close to Cocoa ink, using a generous amount at the top so that there appears to be a little depth around the stem. I cut the eyes and nose triangles freehand, then used the 1 1/2" circle punch for the mouth. To do so, cut one circle, then slide that cut circle back into your punch until you see about 3/4 of it in the open circle (punch should be upside down) and punch. You get a nice cresent shape that way.

Once I had my crescent, I cut the teeth out with my exacto knife. I adhered the face parts to the pumpkin and coated them all with black stickles for some shimmer. I cut the stem freehand from Mellow Moss paper, and sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa ink before adhering to the pumpkin. Once "Jack" was complete, I stuck him to the box with pop dots, making sure to position them low enough that the handle would still be able to swing down so the box could be opened.

I wanted to give the illusion of one pumpkin (front and back), so I didn't add a face to the back side, just the sponging for texture. The only problem I noticed when I realized was that the stems face opposite directions (see first picture). Whoops! Oh well, it's still cute. I also am wishing I would have added some black grosgrain ribbon around the sides of the box, but I didn't think of that until it was too late. Don't you hate it when that happens?!


I covered the handle with Moss Gingham (SU!) ribbon, and then tied alternating pieces of Mellow Moss and Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain (SU!) across the top. Voila!

Now it's your turn! Try your hand at making or altering a box, and post a link to your creating on Courtney's blog for a chance to win a prize! The link for Courtney's blog, as well as all of the other CBC Chicks (which now includes Heidi Michel!) can be found on my side bar at the right of this post.

In other news, I just finished my first lesson on Jessica Sprague's Up and Running With Photoshop class. Woot! I have already learned things I didn't know I didn't know (didja follow that? Total Dr. Philism. lol.) about PSE. I'm so glad I decided to sign up for the class. I'll share my digi-pages as I finish them and give more info as I progress!

Details:
Stamps: None
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Mellow Moss, Basic Black
Other: 1 1/2" Circle Punch, Black Stickles, Nestabilities, Moss Gingham Ribbon (SU!), Mellow Moss Grosgrain Ribbon (SU!), Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon (SU!)

A Cherry Hello

I just love this Tart n' Tangy set, don't you? I bought it mostly because I loved it, but also because I thought it would work well with my old Fruity Phrases set. Case in point:



When I started this card, my intent was for it to be a pocket card. You know how it goes though, you get started with one idea in mind and end with something totally different. I still think it turned out cute though, don't you?

And here is a view of the opened card:

I suppose I could have added ribbon or some other bauble to the card, but I thought I'd go easy on the machines at the post office with this one (HA!). I used my brand spankin' new nesties to create the two circles (the scallop is from SU's scallop punch). I've only used the nesties once and I'm already in love! Did I mention I got two more sets tonight at Hobby Lobby? Yeah. I dragged my Mom along so she could get one at a discount too. hee hee. So, now I have the circles, the ovals, and the tags. *happy dance*

Details:
Stamps: Tart n' Tangy (SU!), Fruity Phrases (SU!)
Ink: Real Red (sentiment, sponging)
Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Real Red, Summer Fun DP
Other: SU Markers (Real Red and Old Olive on cherry), Circle Nestabilities, Scallop Punch (SU!)

Enabler Alert!

Today we went over to my Mom's house for a few hours to play in the little pool she has for Henry. I took my camera with me to snap some pictures, and then forgot to bring it home. Argh. I hate it when that happens. As a result, there are no cards from me today because I don't have my camera here to take pictures of them with!

In the absence of creativity, *wink* I thought I'd share a deal I found today. In case you didn't know, Hobby Lobby has recently started carrying the Spellbinder's Nestabilities (click link for a product review on the Craft Critique blog). These "nesties", are soooo cool. They really do have the potential to replace just about every punch you own. And you can use them with just about any die cut machine. I bought my first set today, and tried it out with my Cuttlebug tonight and it works great!

Now here's the cool part... Hobby Lobby has a 40% off coupon on their website this week. You can use one per day, every day this week. This brings the price of your nesties down to $14.99 a set!! These normally retail for $24.99. The lowest I've ever seen them was $19.99 on overstock.com, but then you still had to pay shipping.

So what are you waiting for? Get your booty to Hobby Lobby and buy yourself some nesties! You'll be glad you did! I got the circle set today. I'll be going back tomorrow for another set... and I might even go the next day too! :)