Beautiful Daffodils

This is my try at the JustRite botanical challenge. My daffodils are looking mighty cheery, don't ya think? How I would love to see a cluster of them in my back yard...

I used this image from the Breath of Spring set and coloured with Copics. I wanted some white space to really let the daffodils stand out, so no stamped frame this time around. I cut out and placed dimensional foam under the daffodils and added a few rhinestones. The paper is, you guessed it, Origins again.

Thanks for looking!

Chriss

Pot of Gold!

Hello again,

I was able to finally complete this sketch from Jen (the 1st in a series of 4) for the big prize that she is giving away. I am all caught up now, waiting for the next Saturday sketch.

I guess you won't be totally shocked that I have, yet again, used some of the Basic Grey Origins dp and some K and CO. too!

I wanted to make a few more St. Patrick's Day cards and this is one of them. The card is pretty self-explanatory and I made some more of these ruffled flowers. They are a lot of fun to make because you get to use some of your smaller pieces of dp scraps.

The sentiment is from the PTI set "Luck of the Irish" and I cut the ring from the circle sentiment using my round Spellbinder dies.

The ribbon is a new treatment, for me at least! I wrapped it under the card front before adhering to the card base and I just created the folds in the ribbon, tacking them down as I went with my tape runner.

Thanks for peeking in again,

Cheers!

Chriss

Mello Yellow Hospitality

Good morning all! No snow today, the sun is shining brightly and we should get into the 50's today. Where is Spring?

Where are the Texas Bluebonnets? Well, it is a little early for that, but in the meantime, Cath's MoxieFabWorld's Tuesday Trigger was this card. I don't use yellow often enough and it's a colour that I definitely associate with Spring, so this is my try at my yellow inspired (with a twist of blue for the Bluebonnets;) card.

I used 2 of the quilt blocks from PaperTreys' Quilters Sampler Additions stamp set on white PTI card stock. Punched out with a 3/4" square punch, coloured with a Copic marker and adhered to a piece of yellow patterned paper from the Citrus Stack. I am also using the sketch from SCS #269. I also do not use triangle very often in my cards, so this card was a double challenge effort!

The other pattern papers are also from the Citrus Stack and I like the way that they co-ordinate together. The sentiment is from the Quilter's Sample PTI set that has wonderful images in it. I stamped it in the same black ink (PTI True Black) and I pierced around the edge and sewed some embroidery floss around it, keeping with a stitching theme.

For fun, and because it happens to be yellow, I photographed the card on my new microfiber dusting mitt that I picked up from WS last week ;) It has not been used yet...for dusting that is!

Have a great day!

chriss

Happy, Joy birdies

Good Day everyone! It is snowing in Austin!!! Can you believe it?! All of the roof tops are covered. It looks like we got about 1 inch and it has stopped right now, but we will see what happens later ;)

I made a card today and was able to combine two challenges. The PlayDateCafe#17 is a colour challenge, to use red, brown and linen...check. The sketch I used for this card is from the Card Patterns site and this is sketch #52. They are celebrating the 1st year anniversary.

Here is the card, another wedding/anniversary card made with the same two cute birds stamp from Hero Arts that I used yesterday.

They are coloured with Copics and have touches of
Spica Sparkle on them. She also has a tiny pearl in her hair flower piece.

This is the first time for me that I have made one of the scalloped/ruffled paper flowers. I like how it turned out in the red/brown combination. For the center, I used a metal flower brad and a pearl studded fabric covered brad that I removed the fastening part from the back. I also useda length of lace that I first gathered with a needle and thread and cinched into a circle.

Most of the edges of paper on the card are sponged with creamy caramel. Thanks for visiting!

Chriss

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

Hello again everyone! Thanks for visiting. I have another card today made with the Basic Grey Origins paper. I am really liking working with this package. I only used the one pattern paper and paired it with a Bazzil textured card stock. It is quite striking IRL, even though quite simple. This was a great sketch and very easy to work with.

The focal sentiment is from the Papertrey "Luck of the Irish" and it was stamped onto cream with Memento Tuxedo black. I used a Martha punch for the hearts and adhered with dimensional foam. The two scalloped circles are made with the Spellbinders petite scallop, 1 in black, 1 in the same Bazzil cs.

The strip behind the patterned panel and the front one were made with a CuttleBug embossing folder called Ironworks. It has really nice detail. I used the SU border punch on the strip and layered with black cs from SU.
Thanks for peeking,

chriss!

SFYTT Lucky in Love

Have you seen the loot that Jen has to give away here? Quite the prize!!!

For this week's sketch I really wanted to use this new Hero Arts 2 Birds stamp that I bought from Ellen Hutson. I think it is such an adorable image and I paired it with some of the BG Origins paper that I have had for a couple of weeks, but was finishing the re-org. of my craft room (you can see the 2 previous posts for before and after shots...don't be too afraid of the before, no one got hurt!)

So here is my card. I used all Basic Grey for the front of the card. The card base is a Papertrey select white. I love the quality of this card stock!

On this card I used a MS border punch, Spellbinder dies, a narrow chocolate brown ribbon, BG square rhinestones, Spica pens for the birdie eyelashes and I cut out the bride's head piece (flower from BG Origins) and the wings on both birds are also cut from the Origins dp.

Here is a close-up of the loving birds. The sentiment is a new one from the Papertrey mini set "Luck of the Irish".

Hope you are having a great day so far,

cheers,

chriss

Craft room WOW NOW!

Hi there,

Have you all been just so shocked at what chaos was in the post before...

well, take at look at how the room turned out with guidance from my friend Yvonne ! I am still in awe of...my room!

The pic on the left is walking into the room and looking on the left wall. My SU ink pads and refills Classic and Craft, ribbon lengths in the orange metal containers, (I plan on leaving the drawers open to see the colours and to remind me of what I have)the wooden tea box has my little lace collection.

Here is a face on pic.

Here is the corner unit (in the corner ;)

I have my pretty Primas housed here and a couple of little vases that I have owned for over 30 years.

Notice the free space on the carpeted floor!

To the right of this wall is the windowed wall. Under the window ledges I have two wooden displays that I am housing my rhinestones, Verve Stamps, Magenta Stamps, fancy larger brads, wooden embellishments, etc.

Here is the other corner. It has the other copper corner shelving unit. On this, I have my background stamps, a few photos, my wooden sheep and my big wooden scissors that I had to have from Pottery Barn a few years ago!

The basket is quite special too, not a Longaberger, but made in the same style by another very talented friend. The lid flips up, like a mini pic nic basket.

This is the next wall. It use to have the plastic craft table piled with all kinds of things. Now, I have my 50 year old end table and it houses my heat embossing stuff. I love this little end table and relish the fact that my husband grew up with this table in his family living room.

I also have a few clay pots underneath on the shelf. I am never too far away from some items in my gardening background.

The third usable corner has my little sewing station set-up.

My sewing machine is old, but she still works and I will be having to oil her up, give her a little tune-up! She is going to be seeing paper, lots of it I hope!

This is the little sewing stuff area. It sits on the floor, backing the rectangular copper Baker's garden rack. My tape measure that you see is as old as the sewing machine!

Here is another pic of the whole wall where my embossing station is set up.

Here are some more pics of the baker's rack with my bird house on top of it. I have some ceramic birds situated there too.

In the wooden/acrylic fronted cabinet are my glitter, Lumiere, powders, pencils, chalks, x-acto knife kit, paint brushes etc.

Here is another pic and you can see my buttons!

Some are hanging in test tubes (they are actually rain gauge tubes, so fatter) some are in jars...

I have a whole bunch of brads there too!

Here is my spinner card rack that I bought from Pottery Barn a few years ago.

Here is the front of my desk where I have my 12 X 12 papers organized by company. They are in the Iris storage cases. I also have my SU In Colours grouped a year per box. They are labelled too! Yvonne brought her labeller over!

The little yellow and white trays are for projects in process. Yvonne and I came up with some rules regarding unfinished projects. I am not to buy more trays....;)

Here is a pic from an angle of my desk.

Here is another

Isn't

she

awesome !

Thanks Yvonne! I really don't think that this would have happened with out YOU! I am tickled pink with it!!! Thanks from the bottom of my heart. What a true friend you are!

I am in awe with my room. If anyone has an untidy room out there...don't despair, see what you can do!

Thanks for taking a peek at my big mess and the beautiful outcome.

cheers!

chriss

Craft Room Nightmare to WOW

This post is dedicated to my kind and dear friend, Yvonne. Without your inspiration, motivation and support, this would not have been accomplished.

This is a long post with 15 pictures of the before, in all of it's sloppy shame.

Starting from the inside of the closet, my paper racks of 8 1/2 X 11

The white metal racks are sitting on top of an Office Depot paper sorter. I bought the racks about 5 or 6 years ago when a local scrapbooking store was leaving the market.

That's a beautiful teak stepstool cluttered with...stuff.

This is the right hand corner of the closet. There are two sets of 12 X 12 paper racks sitting on the floor and above that, a metal peg board with 12 X 12 trays jutting out and holding assorted 12 X 12 singles.

I also have some knitting stuff sitting on the floor!

Here is a shot of the same wall, but the upper portion including the shelf in the closet that runs the perimeter of the whole closet. I keep my envelope boxes and other "things" up there.

To the left of the closet door is a shorter wall that I had a metal industrial storage rack on and it housed all of my stamps, 6 X 6 paper pads, some punches and other doo dads.

In the far left corner, on the floor is a large bag, with a lot of other folded bags inside of that.

This is in between the closet and the metal rack, a wooden box with Christmas papers inside of the box and ribbon lengths in metal boxes on top of that.

Still moving around the room (as best I can, because there is not a lot of floor space and I don't want to trip) I am taking a photo of the top of a plastic craft table that I had purchased a few years ago when my eldest moved out and I had claimed this room for the crafting space.

It is "adorned" with some treasured teak boxes that I purchased from the store I was working at.

There is stuff underneath it...

This is the corner of the windowed wall, where I have one of two corner copper and black metal plant stands.

On the stand is another teak box with an acrylic panel door. I have glitter, lumiere, and other colour/paint things in there. Some sheep stand in front of my birdhouse that was made by a very clever friend that converted these old door hinges,wood flooring and brass postal box door into this beautiful bird abode.

It is all sitting atop of an old stereo unit. The stereo unit has some stuff in it too, but I can't remember what was in there.

Below is an island that I use for my CuttleBug machine, folders, dies. I love that my CB embossing folders have always been "catalogued" with these little black card stock dividers/and topped with a white name of the folder that I made each time I have acquired a new folder. It was the only organized little box that I truly kept up with.

All of my MS punches sit on a shelf below. They are kinda organized...

This is a shot of the top of my work area, another kitchen island. This is the left part of the top.

This is the right side of the work area. The following photos show the side and front shelving on the island. The sewing machine has been with me since I bought it when I was 16 years old. It moved with us when we left Montreal for Austin. I had to give up a lot of garden and plant books and magazines to compensate for the weight of this old gal. She is portable, but probably weighs 40-50 lbs! She is sitting on an old living room end table from my MIL.

The next photos show my other corner copper shelving planter, it has my music, items for altering and other empty boxes around it. It is not in a corner...

Another copper rectangular copper shelving unit with buttons and other assorted unfinished projects and clutter.

If you have read and looked at

these photos and are STILL with me, God bless you!

I hope you are not too scared.

Wait til you see the next post on the AFTER shots. This process took me 3+ weeks...

The final push was yesterday, Saturday, finishing touches too. There is more to come, but good stuff, you'll see.

I am working on that post later today...

Orange Latte earns 3 challenges!

Another card, another 3 challenges! That's 5 for today, I have never completed 5 in 1 day!

The challenges that this card addresses are,

WT258, Julia issued the challenge to use orange

Impression Obsession, to use a "Cover a Card" stamp

Jen del Muro's sketch challenge from Feb 13th found here

I stamped the card with the CAC stamp "Circles" in orange, cut out a large flower from a K and CO. dp and adhered to the front, added an embossed piece of orange using the circles CuttleBug folder, stamped the sentiment from I.O. (Successful Woman) and the fancy coffee cup (Latte) coloured with Copic markers, cut out with a petite oval Nestie and backed with dimensional foam. I added two sizes of the orange rhinestones to the coffee cup and on top of the sentiment.

The card came together rather easily and I like the orange with the aqua colours!

Thanks for taking a peek! chriss