hello, sunshine!

we were lucky enough to spend most of last week in clearwater beach florida, which was absolutely as ♥AWESOME♥ as you'd imagine, so g'head and be jealous, i don't blame you one bit, lol! since it was a short trip, and since we planned to spend most of it sitting in lounge chairs doing as little as humanly possible, i had more or less decided not to bother taking along my traditional travel book kit. that is, i had actually decided NOT TO; until, in the course of packing on sunday, when lovely husband jeff inquired, "hey! where's the travel book?!" and i found myself unable to stick to such a course of action in the face of the adorably disappointed look that followed. turns out, he really *LOVES* helping me collect "the stuff" and looks forward to seeing the completed book when it's done. it occurred to me that i've never shown one of my 4x6" mini books in action, and this would be a good time, so i threw together a little something sunny!

usually i print my day pages on the computer, but this time i had a LOT of 4x12" scraps from another project and i really wanted to use them up. mostly they were paper-weight though, and i was worried they' be too flimsy, so i used the xyron to attach them smoothly back-to-back before trimming to size, and thus came up with sturdy pages about the same weight as the cardstock i usually use. a nice fringe-benefit of this is that all the brightly patterned fronts also have brightly patterned backs!

since i couldn't then print my text on the computer* i decided a little hand-stamping was in order. this ancient set of making memories (or k and co?!) acrylic letter stamps is one of my all-time faves. i don't think they make them any more, which is a shame; but i'm sure you have SOMETHING that would work! you could use stickers, even, or rub-ons; or mix it up and use the remainders of lots of sets of letters for a super-fun and funky vibe!

i don't usually adorn the pages too much before a trip, but i had half a packet of those little recollections blingy palm trees, and i just couldn't resist using them! i made the book's covers from sturdy chipboard with panels of two favorite "tropical" patterned papers affixed. (MME clouds on one side and ancient SEI "fruit stand" oranges on the other!) i always use a big sharpie marker to color the edges of plain chipboard; covers just as well as paint, but you don't have to wait for it to dry! :)

the other advantage of a 4x6 minibook is that it fits perfectly right into the lid of the little plastic "school box" i use to tote my supplies!

so what's in my tool kit? my tiny hole punch; scissors, a ruler, small ink pad, and a plastic bag in which to keep the book itself. all the rest is either for ATTACHING stuff or WRITING, since i've found that's what i need most while i'm actually ON vacation! i've got a selection of pens and pencils (black, white, permanent, eraseable, etc); my go-to adhesives (tiny stapler, gluetape runner, gluestick, foam tape, some clips and brads); and that's about it! i used to take stickers and stamps and other "artsy" touches, because they are so much fun to use, but i've discovered that while i make a priority of collecting the fun ephemera and writing down what we did each day, the "embellishing" part of the book almost always gets done after i'm at home again.

it's actually possible to be even MORE minimal than i am... (i know! shock, right?!!) :) ...when i set up a travel book and kit for my (non-crafty) friend liz's trip to israel last fall, luggage space was at a premium, so i found a small plastic case to carry a mini hole punch and stapler, plus a couple of pens... and she had everything she needed!

so do you want to see the finished book with all the photos and fun stuff from the trip? yeah, me too-- but it's not quiiiiiiiiiiiiite done yet! c'mon back in a day or two, though! i can already tell you that heavily featured within said pages will be my favorite day of the trip: wednesday; my favorite activity of the trip: a serious MEGA-thrifting expedition which encompassed half a dozen stores in the clearwater area; and my favorite vacation guest star: the lovely miss gina!!!

yep, after a couple of false starts, we finally got to meet up "in real life" as they say, and the result was, if anything, even more fun than expected--which was already preeeeeeeeeetty danged fun, i can tell ya! :) to sum up eight hours of hilarity, chatting, shopping, eating, and hijinks in one sentence, let me just say this: if you planned on hitting a few thrift shops in southern florida to buy books, magazines, flashcards, stickers, or ANYTHING made of vintage paper... you might want to wait a week or so, as there's actually not much left! (sorry!) :)

in fact, rumor has it that SOME PEOPLE, who were flying home to new jersey after this little shindig, may have had to ask OTHER PEOPLE, who were staying in florida, to take a GIANT BOX of papery goodness to the post office the next day. i can't say for certain it's true, but that's what i heard. (...looks around innocently, whistling nonchalantly...) it's possible that if such a box existed, a photo of its contents might show up on a certain blog, after its arrival... just sayin'... ;)

ciao for now, darlings! ♥

*ok, technically, i could have, by using the 4x6 photo tray on my printer, but i was too lazy, and also i just sort of felt like playing with the stamps right then! :)

hooray for the red, white and ♥JUL♥!

yes, we're appreciating all things scandinavian this fortnight at ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ as we make holiday cards inspired by this gorgeous photo that miss stephanie found:

of course, you can be as loose... or as exact... in your interpretation as you want; for instance you could choose to use only the colors, or just the hand-stitching, or the shapes or... well, whatever inspires *you* in the picture. i love everything about it, and was surprised to find that i actually own products which would allow me to re-create a number of details quite literally. so i did! :)

(patterned paper: dcwv, crate, october afternoon, imaginisce; snowflakes: felt=michaels, chipboard=basic grey, metal=tim holtz; chipboard heart: basic grey; border sticker: reminisce; vintage: buttons and lace; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, gluedots, sewing machine)

the only thing i didn't do on this card, that i wanted to try, was to replicate a little bit of the hand-stitched effect from the knitted stocking ornament. i thought i might work that into the border somewhere, but at some point with all of the other elements i'd added, the card just felt DONE to me, so i stopped! however, my favorite thing about making a christmas card every week, but only having a new ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ prompt every other week is that it means i get TWO SHOTS at each theme, so you miiiiiight just see a bit of embroidery next time!

right now i think it's time for you to head over to ♥JINGLE BELLES♥, see stephanie's gorgeous card, and start plotting what YOU will do with some fabulous scandinavian inspiration! ♥

suits you to a "T"...

...is the wonderful and whimsical brief at shopping our stash this week: make a card which features two (or MORE!) ingredients beginning with the letter T! for instance: tag, tape, twine, trees, tinsel, tattered angels products, tin foil, tin cans, trim, tea bag, tea cup, tomahawk, tangerine, tigers, turtle, etc; be sure to list what they are in your post, because you know we LOVE to see how creatively you can interpret these challenges! :)

now i'll show you my card, and then i'll tell you what i've chosen!

(patterned paper: crate + scraps of basic grey and some doodlebug glitter paper for the stars; tag: making memories... masked with additional star diecuts and sprayed with glimmer mist; tape: love my tapes, recollections, smash; cardstock: core'dinations; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, sewing machine; other: typewriter)

have you found all the "T" elements? i'm proud that i worked in quite a few! there's teal (or turquoise?) tattered angels glimmer mist on my tag; some typing for my text; three different kinds of tape; and totally terrific amy tangerine thickers! woohoo!

i'm also pretty pleased with this just generally, as a "guy card"... which is good because around here we have more guy birthdays in january than any other month! so i need to get moving and make a few more o'these, i think!

and now ♥YOU♥ need to get moving over to SOS and see what the rest of the gang have come up with, it will be worth the trip, i PROMISE!!! ♥

my favorite xmas gifts... to *MYSELF*! ;)

i believe i mentioned recently that there was a sale at the papaya art store right around thanksgiving, at which time some people (ok, ME!) went a little crazy. mostly i bought gifties for a few pals, and re-stocked my "present shelf" for the coming year, but i did treat myself to a bit of super-luxurious giftwrap, a lovely new wallet (see below), and some AMAZING glitter stickers. being as how our current prompt at ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ involves using and showing off one's latest crafty gifts and acquisitions, this seemed like a great time to bust those out!

(new stuff: papaya art holiday glitter stickers, prima mulberry paper & gem flowers; other: red paper scraps by crate, adhesives, machine stitching)

i was pretty happy with my card, seeing as these are my FAVORITE new embellishment, so imagine my surprise when i went to upload to our official ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ post and saw that stephanie had used the very same stickers (which were part of her present from me!) as her "new item" this week!!! so if you were ever wondering, "do they confer or coordinate beforehand on their cards?" you will now realize that NOPE, we really don't; we like to surprise each other, lol! :)

oh yeah, totally unrelated to cardmaking, but here's the wallet i bought myself in the same sale. in my defense, the one i had was literally beginning to come apart at the seams!

if you've ever felt like ♥YOU♥ might (metaphorically) "come apart at the seams" when contemplating the massive amount of holiday cards you need to make in december, why not hop over to ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ and join us?! we make just one card per week, throughout the whole year. it's fun while we're doing it, of course... but it's even MORE FUN to hit december 1st holding a box that already has 48 unique christmas greetings in it! so come and play! ♥♥♥

we're gonna kick your buttons!!! :)

this week at shopping our stash, i mean. and ok, not so much "kick" as "encourage you to USE" your buttons; and because we're all about re-discovering and USING what we already own, we mean your oldest ones, at that! the ones you're either so sick of... or, conversely, so ATTACHED TO... that you haven't even thought about using them in ages. yep. those buttons. go get 'em out! (g'head... i'll wait...) awesome. now use 'em on a card, or a layout, or some sort of paper-crafty goodness and then come on over to SOS and link up with us! in the meantime, here's my card:

(super stashy: genuinely OLD--but not really "vintage" buttons from a big tin i got at a garage sale, bit of an old sewing pattern, lady from a vintage sewing book, scraps of lace; patterned paper: amy tangerine; tag and (super-old!) florals: prima; fabric thickers: american crafts; embroidery floss: dmc; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, gluedots, sewing machine)

as you know, i spent a good chunk of last week at home, sick, so i did my best to try to get a little ahead on cards. i'm not actually convinced such measures constitute a real economy, because it takes so much longer to do anything when you feel unwell, and for that matter, i don't entirely LOVE what i made, but on some level, to have anyhing besides nose-blowing to show for the week, feels a little bit like a "win" to me right now. :)

this card was actually 90% done when i was ready for bed one night, but i wanted to sew around the edge, which didn't seem like a great idea at 11pm, so i put it aside, and as it turns out, i was glad. because when i woke the next morning i decided i didn't love how much contrast there was between the original (blue) background and the tag+embellishment cluster. here's what it looked like in my "first draft":

luckily, the lace was only lightly tacked with gluetape, and everything else was just sitting on top, so i made a second card base (don't worry, i SAVED the first one; you'll be seeing it again!) in a more monochromatic shade of yellow... et voila... instant makeover!

and now it's your turn to raid your stash of buttons and see how you can give them a new lease on life! why not start by popping over to SOS to see what our incredible DT has done, i guarantee inspiration galore will be yours for the taking! ♥

we started the new year with HORRIBLE colds... and WONDERFUL news!

about the colds, the least said the better; although i am currently in talks with the guinness people, since i'm pretty sure i've exceeded all existing world records for tissue use in the course of the last week! :) 

but enough of that, because the thing i really want to tell you is the WONDERFUL NEWS:

we are officially shopping for a house!!!!!!!

(sadly, this is actually very true in my case, lol!)

ok, sorry to shout, but this will be our first experience owning our own home, and we've waited quite a few years for it to happen, so we are really REALLY excited!!!!!!!!!!!! (ok, sorry again!) of course, arguably, if one were going to pick a time of year to add a lot of extra activity, stress and paperwork into an already busy schedule, i think most people would immediately say, "ok, but NOT right around christmas!!!" yeah. we must've missed that memo. :) :) :) but luckily now we're into the rich heartland of january and thus only bad weather and jeff's incredibly crazy work schedule can come (briefly, one hopes) between us and our dreamhouse! keep your fingers crossed for us, ok? and please excuse me for a tiny bit longer if i seem a little more distracted than usual; my head is full of floor plans, square footage, lot size, property tax appraisals, mortgage rates, and daniel craig!!!* ♥♥♥

*strictly speaking he's got nothing to do with the home-buying process, but there's only so much time a gal can spend thinking about  floor plans, square footage, lot size, property tax appraisals and mortgage rates, kwim?! ;)

SOS83: all white now! :)

(yes, it's "two-post-tuesday" over here! scroll down for the first JINGLE BELLES prompt of 2013!)

white-on-white is (imo) one of the hardest design assignments to accomplish. ok, maybe tied with the ever popular "cardstock only" challenge, where pattern is taken away, rather than color. i think it's because in both cases, one is required to strip down to the very barest of essentials--something i always find challenging; and with less detail, fewer colors, etc, one has no distractions to rely on, and the more laser-like the focus on what is actually left. at such times, if you don't have "good bones" you're sunk! so perhaps no one will be shocked that i was just a tiny bit nervous about the first shopping our stash challenge of the new year, which is to make a card using only shades of white: cream, ivory, ecru, eggshell, magnolia, marshmallow, vanilla, chalk, talc, bone, bright white, winter white, etc, are all IN... but everything else must go! even more daunting is the fact that, looking at the other cards in this week's inspiration post, i realized i'm the ONLY one who finds this tough; my fellow SOS design team members have ALL TOTALLY ROCKED IT!!! in fact, you should go over there and SEE; but first, here's what i finally came up with:

(recycled: page from a datebook; patterned paper scraps: pink paislee, basic grey, rhonna farrer, the paper co; floral: prima; rub-ons: fancy pants; other: scraps of lace, ribbon and doily; inks: ranger; adhesives: staples brand glue tape runner, gluedots, sewing machine)

i've semi-CASE-d this card i saw at the shabby tearoom (by michelle bala), and used nothing but scraps for my design, including an off-cut card base, and a re-purposed background paper (from an old datebook, which; has printing on the back!); all the "banners" are from my big box of little strips; even the half-doily was already a half-doily, and the ribbon and lace were leftovers from other projects. the prima flower and the rub-ons are relatively new, but a girl's gotta be allowed a little luxury when she's displayed this level of frugality, right?

so what do you think? are you up for making an all-white card to start off this fabulous new year? why not drop in at SOS and soak up some inspiration before you decide! ♥♥♥