TIPsy Tuesday - Frame a Page (or 2)

Usually my scrapbook pages are of events already happened.  These pages look to the future as we decided to put our goals on display to keep motivated for 2011.

I got these wonderful frames at Target after seeing a reference to 12x12 shadowbox frames on Susan Weinroth's blog.  These are hinged record album frames that actually have a display space of 12 1/2" x 12 1/2" so no losing the edges like some frames.  They were $15 each and only come in black.  They have glass on both sides which I don't really need but it makes it very easy to just adhere a page to the back and then change it out in future.  Also my pages don't get flattened inside these.

We are using two of the frames to display our resolutions for the year.  They are positioned in the hallway opposite the bathroom door so you can't miss them!

After I did my page, I asked Lenny if he would like one and he eagerly wanted me to create a page for him.  He wasn't so excited when I made him get specific on his losing weight resolution - especially changing his diet.  You see, he has made this resolution every year for many, many years.  He always talks about how he will exercise but never says or does a thing about his diet.  I'm a firm believer that you won't lose or keep weight off by exercise alone.  Of course, as you can see by my resolution, I need to increase my exercise level.  Between the two of us, we could make one real health nut!

Project Notes on Shape Up page:

• I'm really tickled with how the scales came out.  They were cut on the Cricut with shapes I placed in SCAL software from just circles, squares and a couple other basic shapes.  By 'welding' shapes together I got a fairly decent set of balance scales.  A photo from a set being sold on Ebay helped me figure out the design.
  

• When building the balance scales, I added some Vintage photo distress ink to the edges of the top layers to add depth.  32 is a magic number, can you guess what it is???
• Originally, there was just one photo of Lenny at the top but it was sort of empty up there so I kept adding stuff until I had this photo border.

I bought two more of these frames and look forward to displaying other pages of fun things we have already done.  Thanks for stopping by!

Ingredients:  DSP:  Lemonade (background) by October Afternoon; Offbeat 6x6 paper pad by Basic Grey

Cardstock:  Soft Suede, Baja Breeze by Stampin' Up!

Ink:  Vintage Photo by Ranger

Undressed chipboard letters:  Stampin' Up!

Stickers (32): Basic Grey

So tweet!

We are just past Christmas and Valentine's Day will be here soon!  This is one of the cards in my last Operation Write Home box.  The Valentine's deadline has now past but you can still get a jump start on Easter or Mother's Day.   If only I'd get started now, I tend to wait until the last minute.  Good thing Easter is late this year.
  

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Whoo Loves You by Hampton Arts

Ink:  Prussian Blue, Rouge, Dark peony and  by Colorbox

Marker:  Creamy Caramel

Cardstock:  Marina Mist, Crumb Cake

DSP:  Regal Rose by SU!

Ribbon:  Rich Razzleberry by Stampin' Up!

the challenges of the Resolution Inspiration Page

Have you noticed my new blinkie?  I was the December Stampers Anonymous Addict of the Month!  My layout about Jasper our cat was the randomly picked winner in their monthly challenge.  It was fun to play and it is fun to win a prize, too.  Check out this month's challenge for a chance at a great prize.   January Challenge

In January we are challenged to use 17 (or more) buttons!  Wow! That did prove to be a challenge.  My layout is designed to remind me of my resolution to Get Moving every day.

Another challenge was taking this photo of me walking in front of the camera.  The neighbors probably think I've started some new fad exercise regimen if they glimpsed me doing little sprints in the driveway the other day.  After I set the self timer, I would run in front of the camera trying to catch my feet at the perfect position.  It is a wonder my knees didn't protest.  For some reason I thought I had to halt abruptly as soon as the photo was taken.  And I did this for 2 different days.  The first day I was running in the opposite direction.  When I started putting together the layout I realized in our left to right reading culture that it would look like I was running away from my goal - not toward it.

Then there was the running part.  Why did I need to 'run' in front of the camera? One of the best photos has both feet suspended off the pavement at once.  Like that is going to happen!  I'm not a runner.  I walk, I hike (easy to moderate stuff) when I get the chance.  So I settled on this one with at least one foot connecting with the ground.  That's more like me.

Project Notes:

The color scheme came about because I wanted to use some sherbet colored buttons I got on sale at Hobby Lobby last year.  They are pretty colors with great shapes and just aren't getting much use.  At one point I almost abandoned them thinking the theme of this layout needing more commanding bright colors.  However, I want this resolution to be something that blends into my day.  I don't want the layout to SHOUT at me to do something all the time.  I think the orange gives it enough of a kick. - or me enough of a kick.

I cut the flourishes on the Cricut out of thin chipboard and pattern paper.  I found it easier to place the buttons with the layout on the floor so I could get a good all over look at it.  There are exactly 17 buttons at a LOT of glue dots!

The layout is going in my new hinged album cover frame and up on the wall for motivation.  I'll have a photo of that frame posted soon.  Thanks for visiting with me today!  I'd better get moving now and do some errands.

Ingredients:  DSP:  Sweet Pea by Stampin' Up!
Buttons:  Paper Studio
Cardstock:  Hobby Lobby
Chipboard letters:  Offbeat collection by Basic Grey

Simple Kissed Flowers

I must be stamping virgin.  I've never kissed!

At least I don't think I've ever done the kissing technique for stamping.  It is the technique for this week's Clean and Simple cards at Splitcoast Stampers.  Pals Paper Arts challenge is to use the new Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze and Perfect Plum.

The two stamps I kissed are large flower stamps from two different Stampin' Up sets. I inked up the open flower design in Plum and inked the solid flower from Petal Pizzazz in Baja, press together and Voila!

For the background flower, I had to cheat a little to get it large enough to show.  After stamping in Perfect Plum and 'kissing' with a polka dot stamp, I cut out the image and then snipped each petal separately.

I then adhered the petals to another circle of cardstock so a slightly larger flower would peek out the back of the top flower.

A pearl and a sentiment wrap up this very simple card.

Thanks for visiting today!  Check out the other Baja, Pear and Plum cards at Pals Paper Arts

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Petal Pizzazz, Playful Petals; Kind and Caring Thoughts (greeting) from Stampin' Up!; Polka Dot Basics from PTI
Ink:  Basic Black, Baja Breeze and Perfect Plum
Cardstock:  Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz
Pearl:  Pretties Kit from SU!

Covered Box

Tis the season to have a lot of boxes hanging around.  My 1-800-Contacts order isn't seasonal but it did arrive at a great time to turn it into a storage box for all my bottles of spray stuff like Tattered Angel's mist and some adhesives that were just tumbling off the shelf all the time.  It is a super sturdy box.  I kept meaning to buy something to hold these and never seemed to remember.  So I'm recycling!

The box is covered in some Basic Grey Periphery collection paper, die cuts, ribbon and buttons.  Just had fun with this on New Year's Day.  A nice relaxing crafting session working through my stash. Business is picking up so those kind of days are going to become rare.  Not that I'm complaining, I love to have customer projects to do!

Project Notes:

• To hide the 'wrapping' folds, I covered the ends first with a different piece of paper on each end not worrying about going all the way along the sides.  Then I wrapped the sides and added some ribbon.
• Be sure to put any ribbons on and hold punch any brads before covering the bottom or the inside so all raw ends get covered.  I almost glued the bottom on too soon.  Oops!
• I used thin designer paper  for the inside so it was easier to fit.  I did one piece on each end and then did one along the sides and bottom.
• Have lots of clothes pins on hand for extra hands when gluing.

See the other entries in the altered art challenge at Sugar Sweet Paper Treats.  They have a great prize this month!

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients:  DSP, Buttons, Ribbon and Die Cuts:  Periphery by Basic Grey
Brads:  Oriental Trading

TIPsy Tuesday - Fast Tone-on-Tone Card

Looking to make quick work of a card?  Have a Cricut, Silhouette or other paper cutting system?

Inside message:  "When I met You"

Here's your quick card recipe:
1 sheet of cardstock (light to medium in tone)
Matching ink color
Sponge dauber
Scraps of contrast color paper - cardstock or designer paper

Cut an all over design for your card front on your paper cutting system.  For my card, I used the Storybook Cricut Cartridge and cut the "A Wish Came True" design 4 3/4" high. Consider multiple images too - like several hearts or flourishes.

Sponge the matching ink color over particularly on the edges.

Cut out some flowers, hearts, butterflies - whatever image is appropriate for your card.
Glue everything in place and you are done!

(I have to admit my first go at this card was anything but fast.  I used my usual pressure setting of 4? (next to the highest) for the Cricut.  I had to do a lot of trimming to get my image freed from the rest of the paper and looking good.  I turned up the pressure to the highest setting and the next one came out perfectly and was ready to go in about a minute.   In hindsight, I'd have been better off to just discard the first one since I had plenty of Baja cardstock. I just hate to throw stuff away!)

Tone-on-tone is always elegant.  I love the added visual texture it gives fabric when we use tone-on-tone fabrics for contrast or for the main window treatment design and it can do the same for your cards and scrapbook pages.

Thanks for visiting today!

ingredients:  cardstock:  Baja Breeze, Rose Red from Stampin' Up!
ink:  Baja Breeze
rhinestones:  Hobby Lobby jewelry dept.

Glazed Brads on Cards Challenge

For the last "A Year in Cards" at Two Peas in a Bucket, Kristina challenged us to use glazed brads on our cards.  One of the cards she did had a glazed brad attached to allow two parts of the card to pivot.  I used this idea on my three hearts.  When all three are rotated, it says "I Love You."

I used the Cricut to cut my hearts but you could use heart punches just as well.

To watch "A Year in Cards" videos go to Kristina's blog at  kwernerdesign blog or to the Two Peas in a Bucket channel on YouTube.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients:  DSP:  American Crafts Honey Tart

Cardstock:  Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Fizz by PTI; Pink Piroette, Real Red by SU!

Brads:  Indian Summer by Basic Grey

2011 - Get Moving!

Happy 2011!

It's a new year and a time for a new notebook.  I just finished the cover for my favorite type of Mead notebook - lined pages on one side and grid on the other.  I use it to keep to-do lists, jot down ideas, and keep track of all sorts of every day things.

This year I'll also be tracking my progress on my New Year's Resolution - Get Moving!   The last two years are the only ones in my life I've kept resolutions for the entire year.  For both, I did resolutions around my creative pursuits.  Still, they were daily challenges to do things and took a real effort some busy days.  I'm hoping I can take some of that creative energy and apply it to an important goal - to improve my physical fitness.

I work hard to maintain my weight - mostly by watching what I eat.  I've never smoked, I don't engage in any other health risk behaviors that I know of (aren't they always coming out with something new we should or shouldn't be doing?).  But I have to admit that one of the other things I don't do nearly enough is Exercise.

I've gone through spurts where I took regular walks or swam or went to an exercise class when I worked in an office building years ago.  But something always happens and I give up my activity after a year or so.  Lenny and I do hike but not often enough, I'm active on vacation.  This just isn't enough to maintain my good health long term.  I know from experience that my most likely excuse will be having something hurt from a sudden onset of exercise.  So I'm looking to start with short blocks of various activities.  I'll be gradually building up my muscles and endurance and not forcing myself into a regimen that I know won't last out the month.

"Get Moving" to me is to get off the couch or away from the computer and do something active.  It might be a household chore, just a walk around the yard or a trip to the mailbox (ours is a long way from the house), or a few exercises while watching a television program.  As the weather warms, the list should expand.  To count, it has to be something I wasn't going to do anyway.  I can't count yesterday's trip to the grocery store (darn).

I tried this last year but my resolve only lasted a few days.  Part of the problem was I simply forgot about it as it got lost among other resolutions - mainly Project 365 - that I had for the year.  This year, this is my one and only Resolution.

Oh, I'll have other objectives for the year.  The difference for me is that a Resolution is something that takes daily effort and takes the whole year. Hopefully, it changes a habit.  Just as 'doing something creatively new every day' has made me continue to increase my crafting skills and problem solve more creatively.  I think doing Project 365 will keep me snapping away at those every day events and remembering my camera every time we go for an outing.

So every once in awhile I'll blog about how things are going.   I'm hoping that by sharing my resolve with readers, I'll be more accountable.  Feel free to comment and tell me to "get moving"!

And now for the project:

This is an October Afternoon-fest!  All the papers and the sticker are from OA.  There isn't a piece of cardstock anywhere!

For self-gifting this Christmas, I treated myself to a new Cricut cartridge - Straight from the Nest - and used it to cut the flower and the scalloped circle.  The flower is cut from thin chipboard as well as designer paper.  Because I want the cover as flat as possible, I cut a circle out of the center to nestle the button.

The leaves and letters are cut with good ole Plantin Schoolbook cartridge.  To balance the colors, I added faux stitching in black on the leaves and stem.

Wish me well on my efforts to get moving!  Maybe I'll even get a cleaner house out of the deal.

What are your resolutions?  Did you blog about them?

Happy New Year!

Ingredients:  DSP:  October Afternoon's Fly a Kite and Thrift Shop 8x8 Paper Pads
Button:  Oriental Trading  Cord:  DMC
Marker:  Zig
Ribbons:  Black gingham from Stampin' Up!; multi color from American Crafts (I think)