Liebster Award

Hi Everyone: Many thanks go out to my scrappy diva friends Edie and Susan D., for honoring me with the Liebster Award! And if you want to be inspired by some crafty goodness, check out Edie at http://ediewarren.blogspot.com/ and Susan at http://craftysue52.blogspot.com/ This is a blog award given in the Pay it Forward sense. Which means that once you have been nominated, you "pay it forward and send to some other deserving blogger." So, how do I pay it forward you ask? Well, let me tell ya.... Rules for Acceptance: 1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog 2. Post the award onto your blog 3. Give the award to five bloggers that have fewer than 200 followers and 4. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know that you have given them this awesome award! Here are some blogs that I follow and think deserve this award: http://papercraftingparadise.blogspot.com http://onecraftyncpeach.blogspot.com http://trishcraftexpressions.blogspot.com http://stillyoungandcroppin.blogspot.com http://msscrappycreations.blogspot.com So stop by and show them some love. I'm sure they'll appreciate it...just like me! Hugs+Kisses, Renee

Mother's Day Cards

Hi Everyone. Thanks for dropping by! Just wanted to share a couple of cards that I created tonight. I didn't get a chance to support the hostess (Treva) for Friday Night Chat Challenge over at Scraps of Color tonight at the prearranged time, but managed to get the challenges done nonetheless. The products used for this card were: white cardstock base, zebra and leopard print patterned paper (brand unknown), Wild Orchid Crafts rose, Tim Holtz sewing themed stamp (can't remember the name), Me & My Big Ideas "Hugs & Kisses" stamp, Inkadinkadoo Morphed Flowers stamp, Stazon Black ink, & Spellbinders Foliage die. The products used for this card were: Color Bok Tuxedo smooth cardstock, MS butterfly punch, red organza (in the butterfly aperture), Spellbinders Foliage die, swirled patterned paper/cardstock, and "Mom" sticker from my stash. Again, thanks for checkin' me out! Y'all come back now, ya hear? Hugs+Kisses Renee

Mother's Day

Hey there my scrappy friends: As always, thank you for stopping by to take a peek and joining me on my craft journey. Just a quick post to keep on top of things and to keep myself scrappin'. I've finally started making my Mother's Day cards. This year, time does not allow me to make a whole slew of them. So this year, the plan is to only make cards for those very special women in my life. Of course if I have time, I'll make more to hand out to honor friends and coworkers. The products used to create this card: Color Box patterned paper, Jolee's Boutique Le Fleur fabric flowers, Craft Accessories beaded ribbon, MS butterfly punch, Spellbinders Foliage die and Spellbinders Labels Six. Again, thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to become a follower and leave me a note with your blog address too! It's become my weekend thing to sit and blog hop....and I can't visit you if you don't visit me....I look forward to seeing everyone's creations! Hugs+Kisses Renee

The eBosser by Craftwell

Hi everyone. Thanks for stopping by. Please become a Follower. And share your Blog Address with me too! I had a little accident with my Cuttlebug several weeks ago. Somehow, in my hurry, I created the absolutely wrong sandwich combination. I'd already misplaced another plate more than a year ago, but was doing just fine with what I had - plus some makeshift shims. And I refused to go out and buy more plates...have you seen the prices for those???? Geez!!! I'd been holding onto several pieces of wood that was part of a shelf that was tossed long ago; because you know us crafters 'we can always upcycle, recycle, alter and find something to do with it' right? LOL. Well, it was about the right thickness as the plate, and I decided to give it a try and use it in my Cuttlebug after I said a little prayer of course! And It worked! Hallelujah! I don't know how long it will last, but I'll use it when I want to do something quick. Now, one of the reasons why I didn't want to go out and buy more plates for the Cuttlebug was because I'd already treated myself to a new machine. The eBosser from Craftwell die cuts and embosses in large formats (8 1/2 x 12"). It doesn't take up any more space than a Baby Bug. But this little guy is quite heavy! This machine is able to cut through multiple layers of fabric in one pass so that you're able to spend less time cutting & more time creating! However, the strength of the eBosser does not stop there: cut or emboss leather, wood & metal with ease too. And I love that I can emboss an entire sheet of cardstock (using the large 8 1/2 x 11 embossing folders also by Craftwell) and just cut in half to create two cards. It really does give quite a deep emboss quality. I haven't tried cutting fabric, wood or metal yet. I haven't gotten the nerve yet. Haha. But eventually, after I've had the machine for a good while, I'll give it a try. Plus, I do really love my Cuttlebug...and I'm not ready to give up on it for good. Besides, my birthday and Mother's Day is coming up.... ACMoore or some other gift card to buy scrappy goodness would be nice - to replace those cutting plates don't you think? Here's some more details on the eBosser: Works with Craftwell eBosser Embossing Folders, Sizzix, Spellbinders, Cuttlebug, AccuCut, AccuQuilt, Ellison, QuicKutz, Lifestyle Crafts, Fiskars Fuse, and more... Anyway, I hope this information helps if you're in the market to get a new toy! Thanks for stopping by. See you soon. Hugs+Kisses Renee

Oh lazy me.....

I'm always up for trying something new; but I tend to be lazy when it comes to measuring. Don't you remember when you were in school you used to say "What am I going to need math for??? Why do I need to know this stuff?? What will I ever have to use it for??" Well, maybe you didn't say those things, but I did. And that's because math; new math, algebra, geometry, all math (besides counting my money - LOL)whatever! was never my strong point. Can you say HATE IT?! Oh, lucky me...I only had to take one year of algebra and two years of general math because that's all that was required of me to graduate. Fortunately, my other classes counted as double. But, alas, the one thing that I should have paid more attention to is what always gets me into trouble. Measuring. Anyway, I tried a new card technique last night, a "shadow box" card. And although it didn't require a lot of measuring I wasted more paper than I should have. Eventually, I did what I always do....I eyeballed it. And guess what? Turned out just fine. I did some really quick embellishing and this is the result To create this card: I used plain white GeorgiaPacific cardstock as the base, Classic Botanical patterned paper from Martha Stewart, the Spellbinders Shapeabilities Foliage die, and a handmade flower using patterned vellum paper. Thanks for stopping by! Hugs+Kisses Renee

More Candy ...

Anyone who knows me - knows that my favorite color is purple....so the name of this blog immediately caught my eye and interest. LOL. "Purpleglo." Ahhh, sounds so mesmerizing and lovely doesn't it? Anyway, there's blog candy being offered at http://purpleglocreations.blogspot.com/ Her name is Gloria and she is a Close To My Heart consultant. And she's celebrating her CTMH Anniversary. Yayyyyyy Gloria! Anniversaries are always special..... Up for grabs are CTMH products: 1. Lagoon ink and marker set; 2. Stamp Set; 3. Paper pack of your choice; 4. Stamp set; 5. Surprise package; and 6. $15 hostess credits. Also being entered into the mix are FREE digis from some of our favorite sites!! PLUS...there is also a separate drawing for $25 of CTMH products for everyone who orders at least $50 from her CTMH website in April. Sooooo....enter soon. The drawing will be on May 1st. By the way, while you're here, become a follower of my blog, leave me a comment or two - they are most definitely always welcomed! Although it was daunting and drove me batty at first - I'm finally getting (although slowly - Haha) the hang of maneuvering around and posting more often now. And I love sharing my paper crafts, other creations and stories with you. I'll be sure to return the favor and become a follower of your blog with pleasure! Thanks much. I hope to see you back soon!!!! Hugs+Kisses Renee

Blog Candy Up For Grabs!

Yessiree...there's blog candy up for grabs over at Mema's Crafts! http://memascrafts.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-candy-giveaway.html GIVEAWAY ITEMS IN GROUP A INCLUDE: Cricut Cartridge "Paper Doll Dress-up," Cricut Cartridge "Stretch Your Imagination," Fiskar Clear Stamps "All Around Quotes," 6 x 6 Paper Pad "Little Black Dress," Small Air Brush Kit, Red Florets (4 per box) GIVEAWAY ITEMS IN GROUP B INCLUDE: Cricut Cartridge "From My Kitchen De Ma Cuisine," TPC Studio Clear Stamps "Inspirational Quotes," Spellbinders D-Lite Die Fence, 6 x 6 Paper Pad "London Market," Red Flurets (4 per box), 2 pack of bling (green and gold) I don't know about you...but I could always use some new craft candy! And there are items in this stash of crafty goodness that have been on my shopping list such as; the Spellbinders D-Lite Die Fence, the Air Brush Kit, and what paper crafting princess doesn't want more paper?! So stop by, you might get lucky! ALTHOUGH I WANNA BE THE ONE TO WIN! LOL Ta-ta for now Hugs+Kisses Renee

Love this die!

Hi fellow crafty people! Welcome back....so very glad that you gave me another look-see! I looooooove this die. It is now my new favorite die! It's a Cuttlebug die; and I believe it's name is Lacey Door. This die was a reward for participating in a Friday Nite Chat Challenge from Treva over at Scraps of Color. It's been in my stash for a little while, and I decided to try my hand at seeing what I could come up with. It cuts and embosses at the same time and leaves a very lovely impression in the card stock. I thought that it was so pretty in this off white card stock, that it didn't need a lot of embellishments; although I added a "door knob (a brass brad) and wreath (made of mulberry roses)." As usual, I haven't added a sentiment....that will come when I decide what occasion the card will be used for. I think that this die would make a great housewarming card or congratulations on your new home card. Maybe even a card that says "...knock and the door will be opened." It's all in the imagination right?! Oh, I'll be entering this card into the Anything Goes Challenge over at Mema's Crafts this week. Wish me luck! Hugs+Kisses Renee

Twisted Easel Card

Hi lovely people! So glad that you dropped by.... Are you like me? Have you ever found yourself addicted to something? Well that's the way I am. I find something that I like, I mean reeeeeeeeeeeallllly like and feel like I can't get enough of it. Doesn't matter if it's food, clothing, footwear, or scrapping. LOL. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about..... YOUTUBE! I think, "oh, I'll look it up on YouTube." And then I realize that I've been sitting in front of the computer for about five hours straight watching videos! Oh the strange addictions that I have! But that's another topic of discussion! I'll have to write a post about that another time. LOL Anyway, I already knew how to make an easel card, but found a video that had directions with a twist. No, really....aptly named - the twisted easel card. Not at all hard to do either. I think that I'll be making lots of these to keep in my stash. Thanks for stopping in to take a look.... Hugs+Kisses Renee

Tile cards

Hello everyone. Thanks for stopping by! I ran across a video that taught me how to make "tile cards." It's a great way to give your cards a whole new look. It's a little time consuming if you're like me and don't like to measure, but you'll like the outcome once you get the hang of the technique. Hopefully I can explain quickly how it's done: First you stamp your image, color it if you wish. Second, you cut the image into equal strips and then into equal squares (part of the hard part is not taking them out of order once you're finished cutting them). You then adhere them down to your base card stock (which will be a different color); leaving a tiny bit of space in between each square (this will be considered the "grout.") Once that's done, use your favorite dimensional lacquer to give it the shine and gloss of ceramic tile. I have three favorites: Dimensional Magic, 3D Crystal Lacquer and Glossy Accents. Cover each square, being careful not to spill over onto the card base itself. And voila! "Card"tiles. Fun huh? Again, thanks for stopping by. Let me know if you try this technique. I'd love to hear how it turns out. Hugs+Kisses Renee

Scrap Happy March!

Hi there scrappy happy people: I know it's been a little while since I made a post. But I've been busy with life, that handful of a grandson, work and everything else. However, all of that didn't stop me from being crafty whenever I could. I'd like to share a few pics of what I've been doing. A girl's gotta do something fun while living this life doesn't she? LOL. These are trellis cards. I kept them clean and simple. I'll be getting back on track of posting more regularly soon. Hope you'll continue to stop by. Thanks for looking! Love ya!