SWEET blog candy alert - he's sooo cute!!

So adorable and fun to colour!!

"Slice" being auctioned off - want one??

Always want to help a girl out with new toys... if you are interested in a slightly used Slice machine, visit Addicted to Paper . Here's how it works:

Ohhhh a pretty little FREEBIE!!!

Darcy's gone and done it again, with another adorable freebie on her blog as a teaser to a beautiful file of none other than a humingbird on a flower!!! It's soooo sweet and the word file - just soooo cute!! Makes me want to make some cards right now!!


Not meaning to Blog-Brag (well, ya, I am) I have been really impressed with the simplicity, and quality of Darcy's cutter files, they are awesome!! What strikes me the most is how she designs them for the ease of cutting, no small parts, layers and texture. I started actually rething how I design my own files after looking at her assembly instructions.

Here's a file I won when she offered some blog-candy ... I love this file so much, I use it often becasue it is so darned EASY, classy and well designed!! Ahhh... she's simply a breath of fresh air!!

Thanks Darcy... and I especially looove the font use used for the "Pretty Little Thing" in your Hummingbird Words file - howww tweet!!

Paper dress Cupcake Toppers

Head on over to http://composinghallelujahs.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-make-paper-dress-cupcake-toppers.html for a tutorial on how to make these cuties ;)

Tips & Tricks: Creating a denim look

How AWESOME is this technique!!!

Take a look at the tutorial by Ellen Hutson WOW!!

Thanks Lisa

I love Markers - Copic markers!!

I have been surfing for some card making ideas over the last while, trying to use up the scrap papers that are in my drawer that I will never remember when scrapbooking but are so pretty that I had to keep em! I've come accross quite a few very great templates and ideas and challenges (awesome stuff) and blog candy contests (doin' the happy dance). But what most interestingly caught my eye was all the stampin' that's going on in blogworld. Holey smokes, I had NO idea!! Back when I first started scrapbooking, eh hemm... about 8+ years ago, stamping seemed so "grade-school" and scrapbooking was a beautiful way to be creative, cherish memories and most importantly for a crafty-anal person like myself, I could CLOSE THE BOOK when it was done, and revisit later ;) LOL.

Well nowadays stamping has taken on a whole new level of awesome!!!

Here's a perfect example by Debbie of

what made me do it...

And sure enough, the colouring that caught my eye over and over again was using Copic Markers and wouldn't you know it there's a blog called I love Markers so I called my fave scrapbook store and they said they are backordered for months and they being in a teacher once every 4 months to teach people how to use Copics because they are so darned popular. Hmmm.... what am I missing I thought. They don't have any in stock and probably never will so... what about a REAL artist's store, wouldn't anime artists go there for supplies - of course!! So off I went, they DID have loooots in stock and I bought the beginner set and a few other must have colours. I had to. It wan't an option! I have a few stamps, clear stamps have been cool and a great way to add doo dahs to the cards I'd been making to date but colouring them... like painiting with vibrant colours uning a marker that cours like a paintbruush it's just sooo awwwwwwwsomeeeee - BLOWS MY CREATIVE SOCKS OFF!!

And... another summery inspiration over at

http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/

how beautiful!

The exploding box

I've heard about this but I've never actually seen one - until I found this great one overe here and a tutorial over here but by far, this is the most awesome one:

Check out more box ideas at http://magic-boxes.blogspot.com/

Flower Pocket Card

Aren't they beautiful??

Here's the challenge and and an example of

the inside of this card idea made by Missie_coop

You can totally use the QuicKuts flowers and leaves that come with the Silhouette in the QK Library and resize them, cut a bunch in different colours and if you have the RM upgrade the QK Library now has leaves you can also cut and add. What am I talking about??

1. Once you arrange and resize your flowers and leaves, save the file! Then save under another filename so you don't lose the integrity of the individual flowers.
2. Then weld the whole flower & leaves bunch and make a mat. Remove the flowers now (they are in the previous file) and add a rectangle and weld that to the flowers background as your card base and cut!
3. Remember to cut a bit of paper (by hand even) at the right size for your message to be written on as well.
4. Now back to your original file with all the pretty stuff. Cut the leaves and flowers in different colours, be patient with yourself.
5. Now you get to assemble!! YAY!
6. To make the flower pot base, I'd just cut it by hand :) And... the ribbon is the only thing holding it closed according to the original directions.

You know I am talking to you - Miss.A!! Enjoy :)

My SWEET luck - woo hoo!!

I won blog candy!
I don't even know what blog candy is, but I won!!
I'm doin' the happy dance!! YAYYY!! Thank you Darcy!

Okay, now that the excitement has died down, I realize I won blog candy over at Darcy's Blog. I subscribed to the news feed and just got the notification a few minutes ago! She's got such awesome files, and I get to choose one free file from the store - yayyy!! There's still an awesome FREE Girly Girl file available which she's taking down any minute now - so sign up for the newsfeed so you'll know when there are more goodies!! Sooo.. back to my candy win - after much *fun* contemplation, I chose this file, I think I'll use it very frequently cause it's just so darned cute!!! Check out her other adorable files over at Visual Designs by Chris.

Thanks Darcy!!!

Happy Father's Day!!

Dear Daddy,

Even though I am little I still want to share a special few moments with you on this Father's Day. Last Father's Day I was only 2 months old so this one will be extra special. Also, I was hoping we could listen to some special songs I am dedicating to you and Me this Father's Day.



Maybe we could dance to this one...



And maybe we could cuddle for this very special one - I love you Daddy!



Love,
Marissa

Paper Lanterns

These stunning lanters can be found at

http://www.earth-friendly.net/

Me and my big brain could imagine how they would look unassembled and flat but do I have the time/bandwidth to play and experiment?? NOOOOO!!!! LOL These are beautiful, I'd love if someone could come up with a mini-version template that we could resize and add the decorative cut-outs on - any designers up for the task?

You can find their catalogues here for even more pics of how they assemble them, etc.

UPDATES:
And a special thank you to Bonnie from the KNK Studio GE Yahoo group for finding these stunning inspirations ...and Meadelie thank you for finding this HOW TO !! ...and Marg for finding this video - just awesome!!

Anyone going to try making these??

A Father's Day Tribute

"Father & Friend" by Alain Clark

FREE Inkscape Tutorials

Hey folkes, did you know that Inkscape is a FREE graphics program which can be downloaded at http://www.inkscape.org/

Also, Aussie Wendy has made some awesome free videos you can watch to get you started designing on inkscape including: Making Welded Words in Inkscape, Making Mats for Titles in Inkscape, Deleting Nodes in Inkscape, Exporting DXF in Inkscape to GSD in Robomaster and Changing Color cut lines in Robomaster. Click their logo below to take you to the videos page:

Daddy's get well card

So, I found myself with a little spare time - oh, so rare... and wanted to try to make a digi-cutter file out of a tri-fold card idea I loved from Bonnie over at Craftiblog and some other ideas I found. I'll be honest, I did a mock-up to try out where to put the score lines in my file since there seems to be way more than one beautiful ways (<- click each word for a great idea) to make a tri-fold card and since I hate to waste good cardstock, I made this cute card from the baby for DH who is having surgery to fix his umbilical hernia "hole in his tummy" next week. I had all intentions of cutting the words, and the card ... but it didn't happen - I was just too tired. Anyhow, as I was settling down for bed reading what my fellow bloggers were up to - all of a sudden... lookie-here ...a CHALLENGE using GRASS?! But I just used grass I thought, and holes-in-one paper as a joke about the hernia/hole and then immediately regretting my amature whipped-up-quick card... but I submited it anyway - why not, right :)

Here's my "using up the scraps" in a golf-inspired paper card:

I've used Artic Frog "241-shoot it spring break" hole-in-one paper, and Amscan "No. 415294 605" grass paper and a real bandaid cut smaller, my sharpie marker and a recent photo altered with the antique effect and printed and cut. I also used ColorBox Pigment brush pad in gold and dark moss to ink the edges and Creative Impressions "screw tops" paper fasteners on the corners.

And here's the cutter files I managed to create but never tested.
4X3 flat front tri-fold card
4X3 tri-fold card
(Note when I get to test these two files, I will replace the original one if necessary so you are on your own for now until I do - LOL)

Enjoy!!

Beautiful advice

This is the most beautiful advice I have ever received in an email ....

'Never borrow from the future.
If you worry about what may happen tomorrow
and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain.
Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice..'

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day un rushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health. 5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it..
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
16. Carry the Quran with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest
18. Eat right.
19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life..
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Lord .'
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego
33 Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35.. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

May was Teach a Friend to Scrapbook Month

... and I missed it!! Ah well, here is an awesome book from scrapbook.com to get her started. Also check out Stacey Julian's blog for even more tips and inspiration :)

"Tell your friend that creativity isn't what you make, but how you think. Tell her that true creativity is simply an ability to fully engage and experience any moment in time. Tell her that as she learns to recognize the magnitude of everyday moments, she will begin to find her creativity. Tell her she can scrapbook." Tell her you'll help! Quoted directly from: S. Julian