Sketch This #90

Good Monday morning everyone!  It’s the start of a brand new week, although a rather rainy one in our neck of the woods.  It’s a perfect morning to snuggle up with a cup of coffee and a good book.  Or with this little cutie right here.

Isn’t he just the sweetest?  There’s nothing like a little Sargie love to bring a smile to my face on a gloomy morning like this.  I’m also thinking that a little foray into my scraproom for some play time might bring out a smile or two as well.  But before I go, I would love to share my card for the current sketch over at the Sketch This blog.

Yes, I’m definitely getting in the mood for Fall!  I love this time of year.  And I still love this old paper line from Melissa Frances.  I’ve used it A LOT, but never seem to get tired of it.  The chipboard swirl and leaf that I covered in patterned paper, plus the vintage buttons, are also MF.  I added a cut up Heidi Swapp calendar journaling spot and a touch of glitter, as well as a mixed rub-on greeting and some fun trims.

Here is sketch #90 for you all to play along with.  I would love to see what you do with it!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope your weeks are off to a great start!

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Cardalicious #26

Hi everyone!  Hope you all are having a wonderful day!  We are having a happy day at our house because we have one of our absolute favorite visitors here this week.  Sargie!

Is that not just the cutest face?  And as you can tell, we’re all just a wee bit fond of this guy.

Other than getting so little attention, I think Sarge likes it here.

And now for the Cardalicious card challenge of the week.  Make a friendship card using the colors green, pink and orange.  I love those colors.  Together they make for a bright and happy composition.

Papers and rub-on greeting are from K&Co.  I did a simple layering and embellished with 3 floral cut-outs and a couple of buttons.  I added the rub-on directly onto the 3/4″ satin ribbon, with a small “friend” tab peeking out the top.

I enjoyed these papers and colors so much that I made a second card for my friend, Paige’s, birthday.

This card uses the same paper line, as well as a green frame from Creative Imaginations and a birthday greeting from Around the Block that I added to the K&Co. tag.  A bit of Melissa Frances trim, ribbon, and a flocked brad finish this card off.

I had so much fun with this color combination, that I know I’ll be using it again and again.  Hope you all will play along, too.

Thanks for stopping by!

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First Day of School

Hi everyone!  I don’t know about you all, but we’ve been crazy busy at our house these last few days.  We’ve gone from the lazy end of summer bliss to the hectic pace of back to school in the blink of an eye.  What a shock to the system that is, isn’t it?

Both my kiddos are having big changes this year.  Makes me a bit sentimental watching them step to their next stages in life, but at the same time, I’m so very proud of them.  Nik is starting middle school this year.  She has to change buildings to move from class to class, dress out for PE, and deal with the dreaded locker lock.  Here she is at her new school.

And here she is in front of her locker.  Having to use those combination locks for the first time can be very intimidating, but she’s doing great with hers so far.  No troubles at all!

And finally, here she is yesterday morning on her first day of school, waiting for the school bus.

Off she goes!

Peter has started high school this year.  I couldn’t get a photo of him yesterday morning, as it was still dark when he left the house at 6:17 am (yuck).  But…I was waiting for him at the front door with the camera as he walked up the driveway.  Of course I asked him right away how his day was, and of course he started smiling right away and told me it was “suckish”.  Oh, how I’ve missed that old routine!  Made us both laugh to say those words again.  Here is his “suckish” face.

What a goofball, huh?

And for a quick scrappy share, here is a card I made for my girlfriend for her housewarming party over the weekend.  Perfect use for some of my favorite Webster’s Pages papers.

Finished size is 5 x 7.  The papers are a combination of Hello, Beautiful and Postcards from Paris.  Trim is also Webster’s.  I added a die-cut greeting from my stash that is old, old, old Chatterbox.  Do you all remember those things? Truly ancient stuff, there. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great evening!

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For the Birds

Hi everyone!  Hope you all have had a great last couple of days.   We are winding down to our last few days of summer vacation here, and  Nik and I have been on a crafting roll again lately.    We’ve been making our “famous” stale bread/peanut butter/popcorn creations to hang in the trees in our backyard.  We say they are for the birds…. but truly I’m sure the squirrels are the ones who enjoy them the most.  Either way, they are fun and super easy to make, and Nik and I always feel like we’ve done something good for the animals when we’re through.  And what’s more, I feel like I’m recycling food bits that would otherwise go to waste.  Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Here’s Nik in action.  Of course I had to grab the camera!

And of course, we tried to get Pete involved in our little project.  Here’s what he thought of that idea.

Look at that face.  Have you ever seen such a bored child? (Well, actually….I’m sure you have.)  He’s so bored, he can’t even take notice of us sitting right next to him, right?  He wouldn’t cause any trouble now, would he?  Nah……..never!

Notice the hand sticking into the camera?  That’s Peter’s oldest trick in the book.  Here’s what else he was up to.

Eating the project!  He sure knows how to drive his sister crazy!  And he loves every minute of it.  I guess that’s what big brothers are for.

Here’s a photo of the finished piece and a few tips in case you all would like to make some of these with your kiddos.

Use a pencil or chopstick to poke a hole in one end of your bread crust before allowing the bread to air dry for a day or so.  Try to use unsalted and unbuttered popcorn, as otherwise, these will not be too healthy for the animals.  And finally, you need only a thin layer of peanut butter on the crust to get your popcorn to stick.  I’m sure it tastes good, but again, it’s not too healthy for the critters.  Once they are ready to go, tie a string through the hole you created earlier to make a hanging loop.  And most of all…..have fun!

Thanks for stopping by everyone!  Hope you are enjoying your last few days of summer break, too!  Oh yeah, it’s not too late to enter the free drawing over at Webster’s Pages.  You won’t want to miss the opportunity to win the really BIG prize.

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Webster’s Pages Giveaway!

Is anyone interested in winning some free goodies?  How about some gorgeous new collections from Webster’s Pages?  Sound good?  If you think so, take a look at what you might win this week over at the Webster’s Pages  blog.

Leave a comment on the Webster’s blog & we will randomly select {TWO} lucky winners to win the entire paper line of new {Postcards from Paris} the entire paper line of new {Nature’s Storybook} the coordinating {Days of the Week Journaling Cards} the coordinating {Vellum} {Alpha Stickers} and {Shape Stickers}. WOAH!

Again, here is the link for you to enter the drawing.  Brandin will be selecting the winners mid-week, so be sure and stop by soon.  You won’t want to miss out.

And for a little teaser, here’s a page I made using one of the new lines that you could win, Postcards from Paris.

Now don’t you want this collection?  The color palette is soft and beautiful and the line is filled with the floral and vintage charm we all  love from Webster’s.

The brown background paper is from Webster’s A Sweet Life collection, and the rest of the papers are from Postcards in Paris.  The designer vellum has butterflies matching the patterned paper, which allowed me to layer the two for a dimensional look.  Here is a close-up photo of that detail.

One of my favorite parts of this page is the built-in journaling block on the striped paper.  Made my journaled notes a snap to add.

I wish you all good luck in the drawing!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

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San Pedro Valley Park

While visiting home this past month, I had many wonderful opportunities to re-connect with old friends and re-visit many special places from my past. I shared in one of my last posts photos from my old college campus that I am thrilled to have after all these years.  I also went back to my park where I spent several happy years as a park ranger at the end of my college career.  I have a small scrapbooks of sorts from my time there, although I was not a true scrapper then, by any means.  Mostly, I compiled a set of park brochures and newspaper clippings, mixed in with a few stock photos and the rare snapshot from me.  That little scrapbook folder has always been precious to me, and now I’m hoping to expand it a bit with all the photos I took this summer.

San Pedro Valley Park is just a stone’s throw from the coast, snuggled against the surrounding mountains.  I always felt such a huge sense of peace driving up the driveway and coming round the bend to this site.

 

This was half a lifetime ago for me, but being there made time disappear for a short while.  What wonderful memories I have of this place.

And now for a scrappy share.  I have wonderful memories of making this page, as it was almost as long ago as my park ranger job.   I’m sort of serious, guys.  I made this page months ago…….can’t believe I haven’t posted it yet.  Guess it’s just my day to re-visit old news.

This is a page I made for Webster’s Pages back in May for the release of their mid-season line, Sweet as Cherry Pie.  I am fortunate enough to have this page on Webster’s website!   Very exciting for me.

This page uses several of the patterned papers, as well as the matching designer vellum.  I cut rays out of the red star paper and stitched them in a sunburst pattern, and framed that piece with the blue paper.  I then added some cut-out labels and layered the left corner with the gorgeous vellum that I trimmed out.  Also added a touch of lace from their Spring Whimsy Trim Kit.

I love these goofy photos of Miss Nik in her silly 4th of July headband.  I’ve never known how to scrap these with the mix of colors they present.  Her outfit is yellow and green, and her headband is patriotic 4th.  What a happy coincidence that this line has all those colors.  It could not be more perfect!

Thanks for stopping by everyone! Have a great evening.

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Weekend Fun

Weekends are great, aren’t they?  Time to just relax and hang out and do absolutely nothing if the mood strikes you.  Combine that with summer break, and life seems doubly good.  And even though I’m loving this summer vacation thing, I can’t help looking ahead a bit to my favorite season of all, Fall.  As a matter of fact, I’ve got Fall on the brain so much that I convinced my friend, Kathy, to come make crafty Halloween projects with me on Friday.  I know it’s only August…………but I’m in the mood, ok?

Kathy was super productive, as usual.  She made a ton of cute stuff, which she put up on her blog for show and tell.  Go take a peek at her cuties.  She’s going to be putting some of them up on her Etsy site starting next week.  As for me, I didn’t get as much done.  Nik and I decided to make matchy-matchy projects.  We didn’t get too far.  Now we have several unfinished craft projects going, but hey……we’re  having fun.

Oh, and Pete sends his greetings.   You all remember Pete, right?  My elusive teenage son……..

Ready to start high school.

I’m not sure I am.

Thanks for stopping by everyone!  Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend!

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Santa Cruz Memories

This summer, while visiting home, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to re-visit my college campus.  I attended the University of California at Santa Cruz from 1984-1987, and during that time, I was not a scrapbooker.  I didn’t even have a camera back then.   Hence, I have basicially zero photos of my time there.  That has bothered me in recent years, so it was with great joy that I rode up the Santa Cruz mountains with camera in hand to walk around the campus and capture some long lost memories on film.

For those of you completely unfamiliar with the UC Santa Cruz campus, I will tell you that it lies on 2,001 acres of rolling hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay.  The campus is divided into 10 small residential colleges, 7 of which were present during my time.  Each college offers it own housing and dining, as well as classrooms and libraries, and each student and staff member alike stay affiliated with their base college throughout their years there.  I was a student at Cowell College.  Cowell rocks!

I could pass for a college student even now, don’t you think?  (Yeah right, Audrey.  Keep dreaming.)

Here is a view of Cowell’s quad of classroom space.

And here is the caffeteria.  It was claimed that the average incoming student gained 20 lbs. during their freshman year due to all the sugar added to the entries to fill a person up on less food.  Those unfortunate souls were afflicted wtih what was commonly referred to as “dorm butt”.  I somehow managed to elude the phenomenon, thank goodness.

There were 8 residential dorms on the Cowell campus.  I lived in Parkman.  It sits in the topmost position of a figure 8 of buildings.  Any other Parkman alums out there?

Here is the rock quarry where plays and musical performances took place.  I had an art class in my final year where we were constantly sent here to draw.  I used to have to hike through here to get to some of my classes.  This campus is huge, and very heavily forested.   I got sprayed directly in the face by a skunk once while walking home from the main library late at night.  Not an experience I wish to re-live, if possible.

And the last photo is of the old college bookstore.  They have built a newer bookstore across the parking lot from the old, which I think just stinks.  Us old-timers have a harder time with change.  

I also have a couple of cards to share that have been sitting on my desk for quite some time.  Every once in awhile I like to challenge myself to use up my scraps, and both of these are made from remnants of an old kit.  They are made with papers and embellies from SEI’s Poppy line.  I still am really attracted to the bright colors in this collection, and do think they work perfectly for this time of year.  Both are birthday cards, as I always think a girl can never have too many of those.

Pretty simple stuff with just a couple of patterned papers and a die-cut tag from the embellishment sheet.  I took a cue from my good friend, Kathy, and wrapped some floss around the top strip.  Added a simple rub-on greeting.  I cut the flower stem from another sheet of paper and topped it with a Prima flower and Doodlebug button from the kit.

Here’s another card in which I once again cut out a metallic flower from the patterned paper.  The scallop is created with the Fiskars Threading Water punch.  Letter stickers are from the collection.  Added a metallic chipboard flower center from Heidi Swapp and some seed beads to the flower center.

Here’s a close-up of the beading.  Thanks for that suggestion, Kathy!

Thanks for the visit!

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Porcelain Projects

In looking through my picture folders this morning, I realized how seriously behind I am in my postings.  I knew I’ve been slacking lately, but didn’t realize how many finished projects I’ve let pile up.  Bad Audrey!  So…….I thought I would post some things using one of my favorite lines from this past year, Basic Grey’s Porcelain.  Now I realize that Porcelain has been out for awhile, and is pretty much yesterday’s news, but I still like it!  I guess this serves as yet another reminder that I need to get crack-a-lackin’ with my scrappy stuff.

This first page has one of my favorite photos of me and my little sweet pea from this spring.  I like to stick the camera out in front of our faces and get some real close-up shots. If you happen to get stuck hanging out with me, you’ll probably be subjected to similar treatment.

I love the colors and patterns in this paper, and just adore those birdcages.  They’ve been so popular for awhile now, but I often have a hard time knowing what to do with them.  Love how they look cut out and hanging across the page. Everything is Basic Grey, including the old trims, except for the Making Memories chipboard alpha stickers.

Here’s another page featuring old photos of Nik from a California vacation in 2003.  I am making a whole album for her from this trip. I am trying to keep the pages a little more simple considering the volume of pictures that I have to scrap just from that one trip.

I really do adore that zig-zag paper.  Let a bit of it stick off the top on this one.

Next is my latest card for the Sketch This blog.  Sketch #88.  More birdcages!  Cardstock from Stampin’Up!, rub-ons from Crate Paper and Creative Cafe, and journaling card from Fancy Pants.

And my last project is a page with photos of a few of my Easter decorations from this past year.  Told you I’m behind!

Here are a few detail photos.

Yes, more birdcages…and lots of tiny, cut-out butterflies, too.

I’ve had this Crate Paper rub-on forever, and finally got to use it.  Added some color to the flowers with colored pencils.

You can see I got my money’s worth out of that zig-zag and birdcage paper!  I also used some MME Penny Lane paper, and the aqua trim is from Webster’s Pages.

Thanks for letting me share!

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Girls Gone Crafty

Hi everyone!  Hope you all are having as great a day as we’re having at our house today.  I’ve just spent the last couple of hours crafting with my sweet girl, which is one of my all-time favorite things to do.  There’s nothing this momma loves more than spending some quality time with the kiddos.  Seems like that gets more and more precious as my kids get older and more independent.

Nik and I had quite the quandary trying to figure out just what type of crafty project to get involved in.  If you know me, then you know I was completely up for something Halloween related.  But I just couldn’t get the girl motivated for a holiday that’s still 3 months away.  We finally settled on a 4th of July project, even though we’re a day late and a dollar short for that.   Here are a few photos of day one of our project.

Any guesses as to what we’re doing?  I will tell you that it involves toilet paper tubes and lots and lots of glue.

I’ll share more as we get further along.  Keep your fingers crossed that these even turn out!

I also have a couple of card projects to show with Webster’s Pages‘ new Postcards from Paris line.  I love the gorgeous, vintage feel to this collection.  Very fun to play with.  Brandin was sweet enough to feature these cards in Webster’s CHA booth last week.

I had fun cutting the birdcage and butterfly images directly from the patterned paper and popping them up with dimensional dots for some depth and detail.  I added a piece of a KaiserCraft wooden flourish and some simple organdy ribbon as a final touch.

This card also includes several layers of patterned paper and lots of little cut-out embellishments.  Some of the flowers are once again popped with dimensional dots, and I added a simple line of zig-zag stitching to the left edge.  A rub-on greeting from Creative Cafe and a velvet butterfly from Petaloo are the last details.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!  Thanks for stopping by!

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