Changes over here! Changing Kids! Changing CTMH Products!

Well, it's almost October which means it's almost time for the Pumpkin PATCH Fall Classic!  This is a show/banquet we put on every year to celebrate the kids in our therapeutic horsemanship program called PATCH by Design.

I made this canvas for a young lady who showed last year and will be showing again in a couple of weeks!  The horse you see pictured is Charlie!

I love these shows every year because I get to see how much these kids change!  It's amazing to watch them learn and grow in their horsemanship and do things they've been told they would never be able to do!  This has got to be the best part of the job!

As for CTMH product changes, this canvas is full of CTMH retired goodies in my stash!  (Some are still available in the clearance section at the CTMH shopping sites.)  The font for the title is from Artbooking.  The stencil is also cut from Artbooking.  Stamped flowers are from In The Background; laugh is stamped from the Love Life stamp set.  Paper flowers are in the clearance and called Just Blooms Floret Paper Shapes.  The 3D flowers are from Art Philosophy.  The Bronze Shimmer Trim adds just a bit of sparkle!  The patterned paper is the old Fundamental Paper; the pattern is different on the new ones.

The paper clip, lace and twine were all in my stash.

Yes, the products have changed over the past month at CTMH, but you can still find some of your old favorites in the Clearance and While Supplies Last sections at ScrappyHorses.ctmh.com.

This canvas is off to:
Heart 2 Heart:  Change

Thanks for visiting today!  It's always great to have you here whether you're here for my ramblings, inspiration or just "checking in."  Feel free to leave me a comment, question or contact me.

Tuesday Tutorial/Share

Well, it's Tuesday again and time for another Share.  Today I want to share one of the new features in Design Space:  Pattern Fill.  This is not a feature that excited me at first; but after playing with it, I think I like it for designing layouts, album pages and cards.  I think, for me, it will be a time and paper saver!  Gotta love that!  ; )

As for this video, I'm experimenting with OBS and iMovie.  That was an entire weekend venture for me!  Yikes, the learning curve on computers is just crazy for me, but I think I've figured out some of it.

The layout you are going to see in this video is part of a project I'm working on for a class I'll be teaching this fall.  I'll share more about the class and the layout later when I have the project completely designed and made.

Great, you survived the past six minutes!  I hope this video explains how to insert the pattern fill and suggests another use for it in addition to printing out patterns on your cuts.

I'm always happy you came by to visit!  Questions, comments?  Leave them below if you like or you can contact me through the form at the right of this post.  Need CTMH supplies?  I'd love to have you shop with me at ScrappyHorses.ctmh.com or click the shopping cart at the right to see the newest products.  Looking for information about other projects on this site?  Feel free to peruse other posts or pages.  You're welcome to stay as long as you like!

My Fav Update in Cricut Design Space

This is a very quick post as a follow up to the my earlier post today.  This is a very short video showing my favorite new feature in the Design Space update.  

I received several surveys after buying my Cricut Explore.  Every time I filled one out I asked for this feature.  It was available in Cricut Craft Room and I had truly come to depend on it.  

I'm so happy to say they brought back the cut information!  Here is a video on how it works.  I really will work on my video skills.  That is on my 'to do' list.........  Until then, try to squint through the blur  and bear with me!

As always, please don't hesitate to ask questions or make comments.  I don't have a lot of answers, but I generally know where to find them!  There are lots of great videos out there on the updates Cricut made and how to negotiate them.  

Hope all you Cricut users are enjoying the update!  

Cricut Changes, Doodling, & Colors

My guy needed a couple of Thank You cards to send, so off to the craft desk I went!  

I used the colors for this week's Color My Heart Challenge. For the first card,  I stamped with pigment ink using the September Stamp of the Month.  I heat embossed and then rubbed the Goldrush ink over the cardstock.  I doodled around the edges with a Sharpie and added the stem and some simple leaves.  I adhered it to black cardstock.  The ribbon was dyed with the ink colors and wrapped around the black.  I adhered that to Goldrush CS and then to a black card base.  The thanks sentiment is from the Pathfinding Workshop on the Go.  I cut a couple of flowers in black from the Artiste cartridge and stamped them with White Daisy pigment ink.

 My second card was really easy!  I sponged the Goldrush over the top 2/3 and rubbed my pigment ink over the bottom 1/3.  I then stamped with Archival Black using the September Stamp of the Month:  Paper Garden.  I really like this Stamp Set!  The sentiment is again from the Pathfinding Cardmaking Workshop.


These cards are off to:

Color My Heart
Heart 2 Heart:  Doodling







Ok, now about Cricut Design Space, if you've been on today you have noticed some changes!  I want to share my favorite change with you.  We no longer have to search for images we have already used on a project.  The name of the image and cartridge are available in the Layer panel!  Yay......I'll explain more about this in a quick video tonight!  Again, said video will be ugly and unprofessional, but you'll get the point, I'm sure.  

Thanks for coming by to visit!  As always, make yourself at home and check out other posts /pages, shop at ScrappyHorses.ctmh.com, leave me comments /ideas /questions, or contact me.  I'm always happy to hear from you!

Tuesday Share/Tutorial: All Those Scraps and Leftovers!

Today I want to share a new item from CTMH!  It is the Instalife Album.  This line has adorable cards to go with it, but I'm going to suggest another idea.  

Do you have tons of little scraps and left overs cluttering your drawers?  This is the PERFECT place to use those pieces and embellishments.  Remember those Base and Bling sticker squares you have left over?  They would be great in this book.  How about the 3 or 4 Flamingo Dots?  Again, a great place to use them!  You get the idea----use those little pieces you may be hoarding.  : )

 This is the best gift album for proud moms/grandmas to throw in their purses.  This would also make a fun "how-to" book placing little direction cards in the 2in x 2in squares.  Maybe a List Book for the bride-to-be.  How about making it into a book for the college student with quotes and small remembrances?  The price and size make it an ideal gift.  You can check it out HERE.

I have some big ideas for my little book!  I'll be sharing my finished album soon.  I'll give you a hint, it will have something to do with horses and a silent auction at an upcoming event.  Yep, it'll be ScrappyHorses for sure!

There are so many new items at CTMH.  I'll try to highlight some of them for you.  If there is an item you would like to see featured or you'd like ideas on how to use an item, please let me know in the comments below and I'll see what I can do about making it a Tuesday Share!

Thanks for coming by today; it's always wonderful to share an idea with you.  Please, feel free to contact me with ideas, questions, thoughts, observations of the crafting world.  I'm all about it!

Dedication is expensive

I am again so happy to be a guest designer over at Path of Positivity this month!  If you missed my first post on the September theme of Dedication, you can see it here.

Seeing the beautiful image of the ballet slippers from Sparkle N Sprinkle took me back to my college days at Jordan College of Fine Arts where I studied music.  We instrumentalists mostly spent our time on the first and second floors of the older building in rehearsal halls, practice rooms, and private studios.  When we ventured down to the basement it was mostly to visit the vending machines or library.

The basement was also the home of the dance and theatre departments.  Now, I'll be quite frank with you, we didn't really hang with the kids from those majors.  Their lifestyles seemed very foreign to us.  I'm sure we appeared aloof and anti-social as we spent hours a day alone in practice rooms.

It wasn't until that first Nutcracker rehearsal where we all came together in the basement of the auditorium that we would be forced to see each other's dedication.

I'll never forget seeing the dancers' feet as they put on and laced their toe shoes.  Most of the dancers skipped lunch or ate scant salads.  They would come out onto the stage and look so lovely, but would breathe heavily or limp from pain in the wings once out of sight of the audience.

We instrumentalists also paid our dues for our art.  We would play our rehearsals, but then we would have to go back to practice rooms and work on reeds or practice those passages that simply didn't flow in the rehearsals.  Most of us also taught lessons, played gigs sitting behind the potted palms and worked other jobs to pay for the maintenance on our instruments and all the "bells and whistles" to make them work properly.  We wind players would play so many hours, our mouths would feel sore and our teeth would honestly feel somewhat loose!

We all learned very quickly, with all our differences, we had one very important attribute in common -- dedication!  We spent every moment perfecting our talent.

When I saw the quote I used on this card, I had to smile.  It is so true in all aspects of life!  Talent without dedication is useless to the craft, but true dedication is very expensive!

Would any artist trade back the painting, performance, exhibition, etc for the time?  Probably not; most would say they wish they had spent more time at their craft!  We, as the recipients, are so blessed by their dedication!

***

Wonderful sponsors this month are:

Creative Bug Digis

About this card ~  All cardstocks and inks are from CTMH.  The ribbon, button and tulle were from stash.  The beautiful image from Sparkle N Sprinkle is printed on glossy photo paper.

Thanks for visiting today.  Please make yourself at home and feel free to ask questions, leave comments, or peruse other posts.  Come back and visit again; you are always welcome!

Nothing like a good story~~~if you get it! Hahaha

This layout is a series of fortunate events!  First off I was trying to get some portrait type pictures of Lu and her horse Thunder.  Neither of them were in the mood to do that and we struggled to get some great photos!  Between tears, rain and a horse who seemed very uninterested.......well, let's just say I didn't have high hopes for anything good!

I imported them into iPhoto and noticed just how funny they were and saw the story unfold.  I chose the four that seemed to tell the *oldest horse joke in the world, and printed them.  Didn't get the picture I wanted, but that's ok!  I still got some fun shots.

As for scrapping these pics, I knew I wanted to go with the colors in her dress and use a background piece that had a tie-dye, girly-grunge look.  As I was "thumbing through" hoards of paper I ran across this piece I had made awhile back practicing some background techniques!  Ahhhh, perfect!!

Inspired by the Splat challenge over at Heart 2 Heart, I got the new CTMH watercolors out and added splattered pink and blue down the middle like the sketch from Stuck?Sketches.  I also painted the strip across the middle to match her dress.

The heart, horseshoes, and title font came from the CTMH Artistry cartridge.  The remaining cuts are from Graphically Speaking.

I'm sending my LO and joke off to the following challenges:

Heart 2 Heart:  Splat ~ Watercolor pink and blue with the horseshoes
Stuck?Sketches:  Sketch to the right
Scrap Our Stash:  Layers:  Laughing horse, Arrow, Yellow-flaxen color, Embossing Powder, Re-inker mixed with Gesso, Story
Scrap It With a Song: Photograph ~ Specifically the lyrics, "Look at this photograph.  Every time I do it makes me laugh."

Oh, and for those of you haven't heard this *joke, here it is:  Girl walks up to her horse and says,  "Why the long face?"  Ok, stop groaning!  ; )

Material List
CTMH Cardstocks:  Colonial White, Crystal Blue, Sapphire, Hollyhock, Outdoor Denim
CTMH Inks:  Sky Blue, Cotton Candy, Dutch (retired), Flax, Chocolate Re-inker, Slate, Pixie
CTMH Stamps:  Fabulous You (retired), Universal Backgrounds (retired)
CTMH Watercolors
Cartridges:  CTMH Artistry and Artbooking (heart stencils) and Graphically Speaking
Misc:  Gesso, Black Sharpie, 3-D Tape, CTMH Bubbles and Flamingo Dots (retired), Embossing Powder (on That's So Funny)

Moral of this post:  Remember, we don't always get what we set out to achieve, but the open mind can see something even better ----- like a fun story to share!

Thanks for sharing some time with me; I'm glad you came to visit.

My Sister's Birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRIS!

I got to choose the theme for the Cut It Up challenge starting today, September 18th!  I chose the theme "Oh, Brother" or sister or best buddy to honor my sister's birthday since today is her birthday.  My sister is a science teacher who has recently gone back to the classroom after taking a 'leave' to stay home with her son.  

She has definitely worked hard to get her skills into the age of computer technology complete with SmartBoards, computers, and media.  It's a different classroom than 17 years ago!  

I made her a sign for her door and now this decor item for her classroom to remind her through all the technology and learning it is still her character that shines through and makes her the teacher she is!  It's also a reminder to her students to always take the high road.  

I started with this piece I picked up at Goodwill! I enjoy repurposing items and giving them a new job.  I picked this up on a 'yellow tag day' for half price;  I paid only around $2.00 for it.  Now, please understand, my sister is worth far more than $2.00, but I'm always into a bargain while supporting a good cause at the same time.......hey, it's a form of multi-tasking!  I always go to DQ to support the Blizzards for charity events ---- only out of civic obligation, of course.......not because I love Peanut Cup Blizzards with added peanut butter!  Ok, I have really digressed in this post, so back to the project!

I deconstructed by cutting around the back with a razor blade and removing the back.  I pried off the sun and set it aside for a future project.  I then tore out the matte in the front.  My intent was not to tear it, but that piece was glued in there tight!  So.......I had to get a little gnarly with it as you can see in the photo below!

I went into Cricut Design Space and created the front matte by attaching the font and slicing the window.  For me, it was still a little bare even though I had printed it on a piece of Wausau Stardust CS with little colored flecks on it.  I remembered I had used these science symbols on the door sign before.  I had already uploaded them into DS, so I attached them to my matte, also.  These fun symbols are from the CTMH stamp set Positive Chemistry.

Those beakers are also uploaded from the stamp set and cut in DS.  The background paper behind the beakers is from the new **Nevermore collection!







We all have a brother, sister, best buddy who needs some of our artistic attention!  Make something fun using a die cut and share your story with us over at Cut It Up!  This is a win/win because as you share with your sibling/friend, you share a story with us, AND you have a chance to pick up a great prize ($20 gift certificate) from As Cute As A Button!  You need to check them out for some really fun embellishments!

BUT WAIT, there's MORE!  Yes, it's true!  To celebrate my sister's birthday I wanted to include a gift for some lucky winner!  So, you also have the chance to win a CTMH package from ScrappyHorses (me)!  It will include paper, a stamp set and some mystery embellishments.

Thanks for visiting today!  I'm always happy you stopped in at ScrappyHorses to check out what is going on over here.  Please feel free to comment/ask questions, contact me, subscribe to follow, shop, peruse other posts, and most importantly take away an idea or be inspired!

**Side note about the #CTMH Nevermore collection:  I love these papers!  They are highlighted as Halloween, but I find them to have a wide variety of usage.  The sheet I used has a very popular "steam punk, industrial" feel to it perfect for much more than just Halloween/Fall!  There is also a flourish(y) floral piece that is beautiful along with some small prints perfect for fall or masculine cards.  This collection is a staple, must-have in my craft room!

Tuesday Tutorial on a Thursday: Write and Cut

I'm inspired to share this video due to my misunderstanding a question from a blog friend!  Hopefully, this will clear up the questions on Write and Cut!

Please keep in mind this video is a rough, unedited, piece out there only to teach.  You get the real me with "uhh's," ramblings about off kilter "stuff," and really bad camera work!  ; )  So, sit back and watch at your own risk!

Ok, you're still here, so you survived the video!  Whew, that's good to know.  I decided since I actually cut this, I would go ahead and make the tag even though I don't need one like this currently!

I finished up with a background and a couple of hearts cut from the CTMH Fundamentals.  This particular heart pattern is retired, but the Fundamental Cardstock is still available in all colors!  I backed the house cut-out with a scrap from a retired CTMH paper, Huntington.  I hole punched and added a bit of Flaxen Extra Thick Twine.  I plan to hand write "to recipient" in the little house!  Well, not actually the word recipient, but you know what I mean!

Tomorrow, I have a very special project to share with you in honor of my sister's birthday!  In addition, there are prizes involved........so, you'll want to check that out!!

Thanks for hanging out with me for a while today; I'm always glad you came by for a visit.  Know you are always appreciated here and I welcome you to ask questions, leave comments, contact me, check out other posts and pages on my blog, or head over to ScrappyHorses.ctmh.com for shopping, ideas and professional videos from CTMH!

Tuesday Tutorial part 2 on a Wednesday

Ok, here it is...... part 2 of the September 15 Tuesday Tutorial.  Again, it is a rough video with terrible camera work, but it gets the point across.....hopefully!  ; )

I see it this way, if you were in my craft room with me, you would sit and listen to me ramble on as the Cricut read the sensor marks and cut the images.  I'd hate to take away that fun just because you are seeing it on my blog or YouTube.  haha

So, grab a cup of coffee, cocoa, or a cool lemonade and join me for ScrappyHorses live and unedited full of bloopers, ummms, and ramblings!

I finished off the card very *quickly with Topiary and Sky inks for a background.   *Quickly as in about 5 minutes!

To keep the inks off my camper, I cut a 2nd camper and temporarily taped it down over the printed camper.  After inking the sky and grass, I removed the taped piece.  See pic below.

I colored my camper with a scribble sort of technique using CTMH colored pencils and the Touch markers in Light Orange and Warm Grey.

Camper stamp is from CTMH Camper Crazy.  Clouds are from the CTMH Artiste cartridge.  The font is from Old West cartridge.

Thanks for joining me today!  You are so welcome to ask questions, leave me comments, suggest ideas for Shares/Tutorials, etc.  As always I welcome you to check out ScrappyHorses.ctmh.com for ideas, professional videos, and shopping.

Tuesday Tutorial ~ Yep, It's Rough......

Here it is.....the Tuesday Tutorial and it's a bit rough around the edges, but I'm hoping it answers some questions I have received lately.  I plan to do another video addressing the questions about printing the font.  

Now, this is my first video and there are some great examples of very poor camera work here!  hahaha  Bear with me as I learn this.  

You will see I forgot one step, when the video gets to 7:15 please mentally insert this step:  Change the white square back to cut by clicking the scissors icon in the Layers panel!  I didn't actually cut this, so I didn't do it!  Sorry about that omission!

Update:  Sept 16!  Called Cricut Customer Care today and learned something new!  If you select your printed image and piece you want it attached together simple flatten both at the same time!  Skip the click attach step!

Here is the link to the video at YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CU1NeUnR4Q

Hopefully, next week's tutorial will be better quality.  Also, remember, this is how I do it ~~  doesn't mean it's the only way or the best way, but it works for me!  

Let me know if this answers questions or if you want/need further help with this. 

Tuesday Tutorial in the Works

Yes, it's true.  I have a a very rough video coming your way today.  However, it's taking a while to download.  Since this is my first video, I wasn't sure how long the upload would take .......... waiting~~~~~~~~~~ waiting,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,still waiting-------------

Ok, obviously, it takes a while!

So, check back and I'll get it out to you asap!

In the meantime, please enjoy this photo

and check out some of my other posts, pages, etc!

Thanks for coming by today.

You've Got a Friend.....

This canvas piece was made for a little guy in my PATCH by Design program.  Each year we have a banquet and small show for the kids to share what they have been doing with the horses.  The show includes in-hand patterns, riding patterns, and a musical freestyle with a miniature horse!  The freestyle is probably the highlight of the show.  The kids get to choose their own music and dress in costume if they choose.  They make up their own pattern with a miniature horse.

This project started with paper and stencil designs from CTMH.  The stencils were cut from acetate alternative using the Artbooking Cartridge.  I used CTMH inks over the stencils to match the papers.  These particular papers were a special promotion back in the spring of 2014--Free to be Me.  No, I confess, I didn't remember that title and date......had to look that one up!  Sometimes it's good to be a paper hoarder since this was so perfect for the cowboy/toy look!

Woody and Bullseye were cut using Cricut Print and Cut.  I imported them, print them on glossy photo paper for a shiny look and cut with the Cricut.

They are galloping off to these fun challenges:

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge;  Kids
Bitten by the Bug 2:  Use an Imaginary Character
Scrap It With a Song:  Use a song used by one of the amazing DT Members on the blog hop!

Always good to have you drop by ScrappyHorses!  Make yourself at home and check out my pages above; visit my site ScrappyHorses.ctmh.com for a little shopping or the latest CTMH videos; leave me comments, questions or suggestions for blogposts/Tuesday Shares and Tutorials; contact me; or simply hang out for a while reading about some other posts.

Of course, you are always welcome to see the newest happenings over at PATCH by Design, also!  We're getting ready for our Pumpkin Patch Fall Classic!  Too much fun!!

Sept 10, 2013

Wait......it's 2015!  Hey, that makes it my 2 year blogiversary!!!!!!

Yes, my first blog post was 2 years ago today; time to CELEBRATE!

Wow, I can't believe the changes in paper crafting just over the past two years.  I've had so much fun creating cards, layouts, canvases, shadow boxes, mini scrapbooks, boxes, bags, etc.  It's been great so far.

I can't thank all the challenge blogs out there and their amazing design team members who have inspired me and said such nice things along the way.  I've made some great crafty, bloggy friends, too!  It's always so fun to drop in on their blogs to see what is going on their lives.  

I've gone from a loyal CTMH customer to a consultant, been on a couple of design teams, and have more news to share in the near future.

On a personal note, I've had a son graduate from college and a daughter move into her first house and adopt a puppy.  I've fallen more in love with my little grand-girl---in case you haven't noticed from all the layouts of her, and I've added a new horse to our barn.  Yep, there was a layout of him, too.  I've even scrapped a few layouts of my guy and me!

All in all, it's been a wonderful couple of years and this year is going to bring some amazing changes for me.  Ah, so much to document through my journals and layouts.....I can't wait to get started on year three!

Thanks to all of you who have read my ramblings and checked out my latest crafty happenings!

This card is off to one of the challenge sites I've visited since very early on:  Color My Heart!

As always, thanks for visiting!  You are always welcome here; leave a comment /question, peruse other posts, check out the pages above, meander over to ScrappyHorses.ctmh.com and check out the latest CTMH products and videos.  Most of all I hope you take away an idea or inspiration, make it your own, and share that!
Isn't that why we all blog?  ; )

Tuesday Inspiration / Share

Sometimes I just can't make up my mind what I want to do.  I think this is probably how the art of mixed medium was born!  

My share today is mixed medium with the "share" emphasis on computer - how to attach sentiments in Cricut Design Space and use the print feature.  This anniversary card features the sentiment font from Artfully Sent.  I think this is such a pretty font for card fronts.


First type in your sentiment and choose the font.  Size it appropriately.  Select the color you would like and flatten your image.   I found it is important to flatten or it will print a messy font!  I always seem to forget this step....geesh!

When you flatten the image, it should go to print in the layers.  You will see the printer icon there.

Select your sentiment and your base and attach them.  They are now ready for the print and cut in Design Space.

If you are finding my pictures / directions difficult to follow, there are several YouTube videos out there!  This is more of a share or inspiration to give this a try than a "how to"post!  This is just such a great way to use the CTMH fonts from the cartridges!








I also used the print and cut feature on the inside of my card.


Once the print and cut was finished, I stamped the tree and hearts using the CTMH Family is Forever stamp set: a past stamp of the month.  I stamped it in Champagne to keep it light.

The leaves were colored with watercolor pencils in 3 different shades of green.  I colored the tree with a very thin brush using an Autumn Terra Cotta color from the watercolor paint palette.  I stamped the falling hearts in Sunset, Honey, and Sorbet.

I painted in some grass using the pencils and paint.  All of this is on watercolor paper.  I backed it with Honey and a White Daisy Cardstock base.


CTMH Material List:
White Daisy and Honey Cardstock
Watercolor Paints
Watercolor Pencils
Family is Forever Stamp Set (retired)
Inks:  Sorbet, Honey, Sunset
Artfully Sent Cartridge

I'm sending this off to the following challenges:
Heart 2 Heart:  Coloring

Dedication

I am so happy to be a guest designer over at Path of Positivity this month!  Every month there is a theme for contemplation, study, and inspiration.  I truly enjoy participating in the challenges there; the best part is reading how others interpret the theme for the month and sharing in their creativity and or stories.  It is so insightful to visit everyone's blogs!

I was so fortunate to work with the image Isabelle Hat Lady from Sparkle N Sprinkle!  I used the image to create a sort of brooch next to the picture of my grandmother.

So, grab a cup of your favorite beverage to enjoy while I share my thoughts on the Path of Positivity theme this month:  Dedication.

Where do we begin when we think of dedication?  First off, there are a few definitions for this word; I'm choosing the definition closely resembling the Latin word "dedicare" which means devote.  (This seems appropriate since my grandfather and I both studied Latin through our HS years.)

Miriam Webster gives this definition:  "a feeling of very strong support for or loyalty to someone or something," while the Cambridge Dictionary gives this as one:  "the willingness to give a lot of time and energy to something because it is important."

I am very blessed to have strong, dedicated women in my family!  The more I look into the lives of my grandmothers, the more I understand the dedication they had to their husbands, children, and lifestyles.  I could have chosen either one of my grandmothers for this post, but I found this picture and wanted to scrap it for an album I'm giving to my father.......and so it is, my paternal grandmother.

***

I look at the picture of this young woman sitting outside a Texas Mortuary and wonder what sort of dedication it took for a midwestern farm girl to leave her family farm with a new husband.  The distance from her Ohio home to this western state must have seemed an eternity away.  Then I think about this young woman in her early 20's leaving that comfortable, rural environment for city life and I can't imagine the shock for her.

As I peruse the photo albums and see her sitting on top of horses dressed in simple clothing, I envision a girl with her older sisters living a life much like any other farm child of the early 1900's.  But as the pages turn, I see a drastic change from that simple farm life.  I see a young woman dressed and poised for a much different life ~ a life not only in a large city, but in a mortuary.

I can't imagine the shock it must have been for her.  Being the wife of the funeral director in the 1930's was a serious position in the community.  Much was expected of her in the way she acted, dressed, spoke, etc.  Even a misplaced smile or laugh was a serious faux pas and would reflect poorly on the business.

My grandparents moved back to the midwest and eventually settled into their own funeral home where my parents would eventually work.

I am now in my 50's and I never really thought about the dedication she must have had to my grandfather and their marriage.  Of course, to me, my grandma was always a well dressed, proper woman who never went out looking anything less than perfect.  Even a trip to the grocery was done in style.  Everything was about looking the part of their business.  For me, that's just who she was; but now, looking at pictures, I have to wonder what part of herself she gave up to become the woman I knew and loved.

My grandmother was dedicated to my grandfather and their life together.  Through that dedication came three more generations and a fourth coming early in 2016!  Life would have played out very differently had she not shown such dedication and loyalty.

***

Now it's your turn!  How does the theme 'dedication' inspire you?  Please share your creations with everyone over at Path of Positivity.  Prize sponsors this month are:

Creative Bug Digis

I'm also sharing this layout with:

Scrap Our Stash:  L-lace, A-Art Philosophy frame cut, Y-y in Kathryn, E- embossing, R- resin keyhole and rhinestone key, S- stick pins and Sparkle N Sprinkle image

Thanks for sharing some time with me!  Please feel free to peruse other posts, leave a comment, ask questions, etc.  Make yourself at home here and visit ScrappyHorses anytime!

Hey, Marching Band is a Sport........sort of!

Our challenge over at Cut It Up is to create a sports inspired project.  Now, I have to admit, I have never really played a sport.  My kids didn't play traditional sports.  (Keith did ride horses and do equestrian sports.) My husband didn't play sports.  My nephew doesn't play sports.  You get the picture.  The closest thing I've got in my background is marching band!

Ok, this might be a stretch for some of you, but here's my story!

When I was studying oboe at Jordan College of Fine Arts I had to write a Senior term paper.  I wrote it on how oboists and bassoonists should all be excused from HS Marching Band because our instruments are not appropriate for an outside marching sport!  We should instead be given the option to play chamber music for the marching season!  

Much to my dismay, my paper was given to the former marching band director for review/grading.  The paper caused some issues and I was asked if I would like to submit another paper.  I quickly said, "No, I stand behind the idea Marching Band is a sport and not music!  Oboes, bassoons, and French horns are designed for making music and not sports!"

My paper went back to the board and was graded.  

I will add when I was in HS our director didn't march the double reeds, but we had to play a different instrument or do auxiliary corps.  Yee gads, I hated it!  I wanted to be in practicing my oboe and not out on the field playing, I should say pretending to play, alto sax.  My private oboe teacher at the time told me NOT TO STICK THAT THING IN MY FACE!  So, I didn't.  He continued to ask me if I had ever learned not to walk around with something in my mouth.  I had to laugh at that one!

So, here is my project for Sports theme at Cut It Up!  It's a sweatshirt for my nephew to wear to his marching band practices!

The trumpet cut is from Quarter Notes cartridge and the Letters are from Plantin School Book.  I used Cricut Iron-on Vinyl.

Ok, marching band IS a sport.........that's my story and I'm sticking to it......again!  ; )

So, what's your story about sports?  I'm sure you have a much more traditional sports inspired project to share with us at Cut It Up!  Our sponsor is One Happy Cut.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Check back with me again; you never know what I might be rambling on about next time you visit!  In the meantime, make yourself at home and visit other pages and posts, do some shopping, leave a comment, or contact me.......unless of course, you are a marching band director!  ; )

Back to School!

This is the first year since around 1994 we haven't had a child going back to school somewhere.  Even though neither of my kids is back in the classroom, my sister has returned to teaching Middle School Science!  Whew, I can still create some back to school projects and this teacher aspect opens up a whole new realm of crafting ideas!

First idea for the returning teacher:  a name sign for outside her classroom!

I thought I'd be in trouble with the science motif, but lo and behold I opened the new CTMH Idea Book and there was the coolest stamp set called Positive Chemistry!  Is that fun or what?  Then I went into Design Space and imported the images from my stamp and cut those cute beakers.  (At least, I think that's what they are called!  Science is not my thing and I avoided those classes like the plague while I was in school!)  The font is Cricut Keystone.

The border is made from CTMH Fundamentals cardstock.  It is a resist pattern so the honeycomb pattern showed up more prominently when I rubbed the Lagoon Ink over the cardstock.   I then had fun stamping from these stamp sets:  My Life (Cricut Bundle) and Assorted Edges.

I have another idea for this stamp set, I anticipate sharing that project mid-September.  This is the most fun this music major has had with science ever!  hahaha

If you have some back to school projects you want to share or would like some inspiration on the theme, I encourage you to stop over at Bitten by the Bug 2 and Fantabulous Cricut!

Thanks for checking in!  I'll be sharing ideas, new products, and a few surprises over the next few weeks.  If you want to be sure to catch all my posts, I invite you to follow me on Google + or by Email.  Of course, I always welcome comments / questions!  Make yourself at home here and hopefully take away some inspiration.

Oh, and don't fret if science isn't your thing either,  I'll be back to a music or horse theme very soon!  ;)  Uh.......tomorrow!

Possibilities!

 Wow, what a week so far!  Between the release of the CTMH New Idea Book, working with the new cartridge Artistry, and learning of the new Cricut Design space features coming later in September, I'm so excited about the possibilities in crafting!

If you haven't heard about the new Design Space features, you can go to YouTube and find videos explaining the new updates.

I've been having fun playing with the new watercolors.  I used them on a card I showed yesterday; they truly are easy to use and very pretty.

I look forward to sharing more from the new collections!

I've been excited over new Idea Books before, but I must say this particular book is so well organized and full of beautiful products.  If you haven't seen one of the Idea Books before, you might want to head on over and check out this one for lots of …..well…..ideas!

The card above was made using the Print and Cut feature in Design Space.  That fun font and glasses are from Artistry and the paper is from the CTMH Zoe Collection.

Thanks for visiting!  Check out the CTMH Special Promotions Tab at the top of the page for information on how to get a free Idea Book.  Please contact me with questions about the new CTMH collections or any of my projects.

Tues Tutorial / Idea Share: Using and REusing Those Stamps!

I was reading a blog recently where a woman shared her thoughts on stamps.  She continued to say she only uses a stamp a few times before she has little use for it.  As I looked at the hoard of stamps in my craft room, some stained from so much use, I couldn't grasp the 1 -2 time use of a stamp!

Then I started thinking about different ways to reuse those stamps to make them "new" again.  I want to share some of the ideas I have used in the past.

This cute little girl and bunny are from the retired set called Some Bunny.  Obvious choice was to use this for an Easter setting.  You can read more about the card at Vintage Easter.

Below you can see an example of how I made her into a Mother's Day Card, Happy Mother's Day, by replacing the eggs with a flower stamp from the Valentine's stamp set Wild About Love.  You can see the fox holding it in his paws to the right.

If you would like to read details of either card, please click the names of the cards.

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Here is of one of my favorite CTMH stamps: I've had it for years.  Here are a few examples of how I have used it.

Card with a bookmark no link for this one!

Cowgirl's Memories

Very recently, Say Good Bye to Crush Books
Here I curved the sentiment and colored my cowgirl for a different look.

Finally, my card for today uses that same old stamp, Yeehaw!

This time I stamped her on a shape from Art Philosophy.  I wanted this to be a sort of mixed medium card rich in texture.  The cut on this card base reminded me of braided leather reins!  I added CTMH Baker's Twine & Burlap and a stamped background for texture.  To keep it from being a little dark, I added gold ink and gold sequins from my stash.  I think I got these to decorate Christmas tags back in the 1980's!  Ok, now you're really not surprised I keep and use my stamps over and over, are you?  hahaha

Thanks for joining me for my Idea Share today!  I'm glad you dropped by to visit ScrappyHorses.  Please, make yourself at home!

My cowgirl is cantering off to:

Mixed Media World:  Gorgeous Textures
613 Avenue Create:  Optional Twist - CYOC:  A2, Thinking of You, gold, sequins, and burlap
Pile It On:  Friends/Friendly Hello

Hey, I almost forgot......It's Sept 1st!  The new CTMH Idea Book is released today!  Yay!!!!!  You can check out all the new products, ideas, colors, papers, tools, etc at my site:  ScrappyHorses.ctmh.com! If you have any questions, please contact me using the form up and to the right under my picture.  Also, please check out my CTMH Special Promotions Tab at the top of this post; I have a special going on to celebrate the release of the new Idea Books!

Sept 1st!

Well, it's finally here!  It's September 1st and that means the new Annual Inspirations Idea Book is Live!  Wait, that's not all......the Holiday Expressions Book is also available!!  Yes, that means the beautiful holiday collections are ready for you:  Fall/Halloween and Christmas/Winter!  

I want to add if you love the Stamp of the Month deal, don't fret!  CTMH still offers that and the next months will not disappoint.  However, you will not find them in the Annual Inspirations Idea Book.  You will find them in the Holiday Expressions Book.  

You can electronically flip through the pages of both books at my site.  Would you like a hard copy of these books?  The first 3 crafters to place an order from my site in September will receive a special gift and both books from me!

Here is my first Watercolor card using the September Stamp of the Month!  

Wow, CTMH now has watercolors!  They are beautiful; it doesn't take much paint to give you a smooth, lovely color!

This card started out on Watercolor paper (....hey, did I mention CTMH now has that?  It's true, they do!) Using Versa Mark ink and black embossing powder,  I heat embossed the flower and sentiment.

I used  another flower from this stamp set to put in the texture with Sweet Leaf ink.  I distressed the edges of the paper and unwrapped the watercolors!  I used the colors that closest resembled Sweet Leaf and Pacifica because I wanted to send this card over to Color My Heart.

I used some threads from a strip of Burlap Ribbon I had cut for another project to tie it up!

I backed it with a piece of Kraft paper I had embossed with a CTMH Floral folder.  It all sits on a card base of Colonial White.

My plan for this card is an anniversary card.

Thanks so much for stopping in today!  I'll be showing more new items this month, so please subscribe to follow if you are interested!  As always, make yourself at home here and peruse the other posts, ask a question, comment, contact me, shop at my site, or simply take away an idea!  That's why I'm here!  Make it a scrappy day!