Merry Christmas Tree Card

Quick and easy card for you guys today. I decided to try my hand this week at the Retrosketches challenge. Funny thing is almost 4 years ago I swore as a New Years resolution that I would do more of these. Guess I'm finally getting around to it huh?

 Its a 6x6 card that I started off thinking I was going to put a ribbon around, since it opens in the front. But I got a little crazy with the chipboard pieces. So the ribbon was a no go. I think it still came out cute though! 

Sorry I could not get the darn thing to stay closed for the picture. (Honestly I was just too lazy to look for some tape when taking the picture. )

Supplies used:
Echo Park Holly Jolly Christmas Chipboard Accents
Echo Park Holly Jolly paper
Colormates paper
Creative Memories corner rounder


This is what the sketch looked like. 

Over and out peeps

You say goodbye and I say Hello

I call this one Purple splatter Hello Card. Long name. Little card.

 It started out as a mistake. I was trying to stamp without my acrylic block and bending the stamp like I've seen people do online. Unfortunately it looked like crap. I added the dark purple paper that I knew I'd be putting my lettering on. Still wasn't doing it for me. So, I ended up drizzling some antique linen distress paint on it. Again it was still lacking something. So I decided to use some dark purple ink spray. I kinda liked it then. So I added the chipboard lettering. On impulse I just started stamping.

 It ended up a hot mess. But I still like it. Something about it works. 

Products used: Scenic Route chipboard letters, Scenic route star stamps, antique linen Distress Paint, purple twilight Adirondack color wash, Miracle Tape, misc scraps of purple paper, and dusty concord Distress ink.

Gratitude Card

So summer is finally here in Cleveland, Ohio. I've had the windows open, and all this fresh air is getting my creative juices flowing. Also been on a major craft spring cleaning binge. I've been making cards, cards, and more cards.

Here's one for you. Its a quick, easy card and came together in less than three minutes. Plus I got to use up some of the paper I've had for-ever!

Products used: Theresa Collins Giving Thanks paper and tag, Core'dinations black paper, misc gems.

Join me on Goodreads

So I joined Goodreads awhile ago. Today I noticed that you can post your reviews to your blog. Awesome sauce, right? So here's one of my reviews. Instead of keeping track of which books I've read in a list on the side of the blog. Like i've done in past years. I'm just going to post the book reviews from my Goodreads account. I just read too many damn books for a list. It would be longer than my blog posts. Seriously.


 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6068551-shiver

Here's my review:

I'm a huge fan of the paranormal genre. But this book just didn't hit it with me. Maybe I was expecting too much from all the reviews I'd read

For me, I found it very slow going. I have to admit that I hate giving up on a book, because sometimes what starts out slow takes a turn and finishes up great. I kept on reading and chugging thru, but this isn't one of those books. My recommendation- as my title states. There are so many other better books you can be reading. Don't read this one.

Over and out
Shannon

Free digital papers from Sizzix

Just wanted to make a quick post for all you digital scrapbook lovers out there. Sizzix is giving away six different digital papers if you sign up for their email newsletter.  I'm never one to say no to "free". Here's the link to the spot.
http://www.sizzix.com/spring-papers?utm_source=lyris_scoop&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2014-Project-May-Papers&hq_e=el&hq_m=435543&hq_l=2&hq_v=f6bf94afe2 
Just enter in your email and whaaaa-laaaa the site directs you to the free paper. Have fun people.

Go in The direction of Your Heart Frame for MJ

I work in the healthcare field by day (in case you didn't know),and my work has been "restructuring". Which basically means one of my friends (and possibly myself, I don't know yet) has lost their job. They offered her some options that just didn't work for her and her family so sadly I'm going to be saying goodbye to her on the 24th.

She's so upbeat and happy and brings much joy to me personally at work.  She has an awesome voice and ADHD. Which just means she is hyper and always singing. I love music but truth be told, have a horrible voice. My fourth grade music teacher once told my mother in front of me that he didn't understand how all of her other children could carry a tune except me. Ahem, well, it never stopped me from loving music. So there Mr. Turley. 

So this should sort of explain why I love hearing her sing at work. Because I don't have to hear my own voice. Although I do sing along. Anyways, my favorite past time has become getting songs stuck in her head. I know you're all out there in the blogosphere shaking your heads. Probably thinking- don't you have work to do. Have you people never watched the office? I mean come on, I shuffle papers all day and answer phones - so mind numbly boring. It is a job so I won't complain. So, I make the most of it and try to repeatedly walk behind her at the nursing station and hum or sing a snippet of a song I want to hear.( Or just annoy her by getting a stupid song stuck in her head, which is fun too) She once told me I was her muse and needed to take me with her wherever she went. I proudly took that as a compliment. 

 I've been very down about her leaving and wanted to let her know how much joy she brought to the office. So I made her this little frame. Ha, you thought this story was going nowhere. Fooled ya.

This was my first time really experimenting with the Distress Markers. And I have to say. Me likey. 

The frame was from Walmart. It cost a buck or two. So it doesn't come with any glass. I sanded it down and painted it.

Then I Modge Podged my paper on and sanded the edges again. Then inked the front edge, and a little on top. then started to add my embellishments. 

I got a new flower die, that I was dying to try out. Like the before and after picture? They are really fun to make too!

Then I decided it need more than just flowers and lace. So I dug around and found some Unity stamps that worked with the project. Funny how I threw them in at the last minute but I think the saying on the stamps makes the frame. Especially since my friend who is an LPN, has been taking classes towards becoming an RN.

I blinged up the flowers a bit with some blog candy I won awhile ago from Kathy. Of course I couldn't find my diamond glaze to glue the suckers down, so I stickled em down and like the little bit of sparkle so I grabbed the crystal stickles and put some on my finger and sort of brushed the ends of the flowers with my finger. Highly technical folks!

Then I decided it needed some butterlies. This is where the distress markers came in. I'm not a huge copic fan. Mostly because I suck at coloring with them and I like things a little more grungy and messy than a perfectly colored stamp. (although I am secretly envious of all you bitches that can do it)

So distress markers, a little spritz of water and my water brush thingy. Then I decided they were too bright. So I pulled out the white distress marker. I freakin love it. Had to even water it down a bit too. But so freakin cool looking. I mean just look at this stinkin little guy. He turned out Awesome or as my friend's daughter would say "Awesome Sauce". Which has become my new staple saying.

 Tadahh all finished. I did decide to make a picture backing for the whole. I used some left over thin card board stuff then decided it looked tacky.  Then I added some orange paper to the backing and it was perfecto. She gave me a big ole hug and teared up. I was glad she liked it and no she know's how much I'll miss her big fat heart.

I usually keep a notecard on each project so I can list what I'm using as I go. But I seem to have lost this one in the pile O crap on my desk. Forgive me. Soooo this is what I can remember using on this:

• Theresa Collins Fabrications paper
• Unity Itty Bitty: Direction of your heart stamp, and butterfly?
• Distress markers
• Spellbinders Foliage & Bitty Blossoms shapeablilities
• Echo Park paper
• Stickles- crystal
• Liquid pearls -rouge
• See thru stone thingies from Kathy
• Boo Bunny Jewels
• Lace was from 2 differents sets but I'm not sure which ones.
• AppleBarrel Light Leaf Green acrylic paint
• Distress ink
• Glue dots
• Miracle tape
• and can't forget the good ole Modge Podge.
• Ranger distresser
• Sanding paper

Hope you liked it. Over and out.

A recipe for a meatloaf sandwich and a LO

So I googled meatloaf sandwich to see what images popped. Was thinking I needed a cute meatloaf sandwich picture for my blog. I found this 6 step recipe to a good meatloaf sandwich. I pretty  much agree with all of it except that I'm a purest and I don't use lettuce or cheese and no pickle is needed for me. Just white squishy bread, big hunk of meatloaf and lots of ketchup. Here's the link http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/04/17/six-steps-best-meatloaf-sandwich . Check it out and tell me what you think.

I will let you guys in on something. I make meatloaf just so I can have sandwiches the next day, because my daughter always groans when I make it. (Although she eats it, because the rule in this mama's house is that mom does not equal short order chef and if you don't want to eat what I make then you can make yourself a pbj sandwich)

But I'm digressing. I totally pledged to do more posts this year and keep up, but as know I'm a slacker. I really have a hard time at New Years resolutions. Anyways, I was feeling guilty for not posting so long. So I popped in some Fiona Apple and logged onto the new laptop (in my scrapbook nook). So yeah no excuse to not post now, huh?

OK so it took me about six months to finish this book for my friend at work who got married last year. This was one of my favorite pages. I really didn't take too many pictures except this double LO. I used a lot of Echo Park in this book.  Here's what I used that I remember (I usually have a stack of note card cut in half to write down what I use as I go. But I didn't for this project, because I wasn't really planning on photographing it) So here goes: 

Echo park Be Mine -paper

Coredinations (white and black) textured paper

two heart die cuts were on my cameo

Creative Memories corner punch

Memento black ink

Distress ink-spun sugar

also I fussy the tickets from the Be Mine pack and the sticker were also from that set. 

Pretty simple and easy.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get to do a post on this really cute frame I made (if I do say so myself). It had way too many pictures to include in this post. Later gators.