Merry Christmas in July!

So I guess it's that time to get shopping. Perhaps I will take advantage and not be shopping til Christmas Eve like I do every year. I'm such a procrastinator and I hate it. I work so much better under pressure, but I'm not so crazy about the stress and headaches it brings.

December also marks Miss Ella's first birthday. Wow how time flies!!! Wonder what theme my sister is going to pick? Right now she's in love with Sprout TV and Star. Of course she can't tell us, but you can just tell she is more content when she can hear Nina and Star on TV. All I know is my niece is going to be one spoiled birthday girl. Plus she's got Christmas right around the corner as well. What a lucky kid!

On our way to Pittsburgh the other day we passed a flea market, and boy was I surprised and very pleased when hubs interrupted my reading and suggested we stop to take a look. I didn't find anything but this cute Christmas stamp and just in time for Christmas in July celebrations. I threw this quick card together to get myself in the Christmas crafting mood.

Okay I must be crazy for posting at 3am. Late evening naps ruin my chances for sleeping every time. Good night!! Angels on your pillows!

Color Inspiration Challenge

Sunday trips to Michaels armed with my coupons get me into trouble. ;) I went in to get the Bazzill cardstock colors I needed and out I came with that plus two Cricut Cartridges on sale for $19!!! Holy sale! I love deals. I was so indecisive when in came to choosing among the five on sale. I'm glad I went with the Freshly Picked Cartridge because it had an element I used for my card on it. I like to call this card "A Little Country Thank You." 

Not gonna let it get me down

So I didn't get picked for the Pink Stamper design team but in the words of a very wise person, "I will use this as a learning experience." She's always making everyone feel good. Despite not making it I had a blast making my card and anticipating the live broadcast. I will continue to be an avid follower. No bad feelings! I try hard to be an optimist in all aspects of my life!

Yesterday we spent the day in Pittsburgh! I had a blast. We were going to go to the Pirates game, but the heat was just unbearable and they lost anyway :( so I'm glad we didn't subject ourselves to that disappointment. We caught the game on television at my Mom's house and lo and behold those people sitting behind home plate were fanning themselves like mad! We did do many fun things in the city of black n gold though! I found my new fave place. The Pittsburgh Public Market is so nice, it's like a very upscale flea market and farmer's market in one. I wish I just had a surplus of cash to splurge on everything in there. We plan to make another trip in the fall equipped with a cooler to buy lots of yummy treats. I love fall, and this heat the last few days is making me long for the crisp days so much more. We then had brunch at Pamela's. The food was good but I don't see what all the fuss is about. We had terrible service and personally nothing can even come close to the Waffle Shop for me. We should've just ate at Brueger's. The atmosphere at this particular restaurant was neat thought. There were old pictures all over the walls and I mean every inch was covered. I love that they preserve memories!! We finished the day with shopping GALORE! :) Oh and a little Cheesecake Factory and this time I got a slice of cookie dough cheesecake and it was delish.

As for plans for today....I think I'll spend my time in my craft room and submit for more challenges. I caught a bug that's for sure. I have been papercrafting a lot longer than I have had this blog. Robyn inspired me to start one, I just wish I could get my blog to look as cute as hers. Guess I'll have to consult the hubby again for something computer related. He just loves that! hehe! I post most of my projects on my facebook page so I figured I would share the link with you all so you could see what I've been up to.

My paper creations!!!  

Enjoy this beautiful Sunday that the good Lord has blessed us with!

My craft room....STILL in the works

My biggest hurdle....organization. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. It all started with a bold paint and snowballed from there. So I'm a cricut lover and I wanted a paint color that would inspire me! After the hubby brought home a million paint samples I finally chose Jolly Green by Sherwin Williams. I liked to refer to it as Cricut Green though. ;) I will link to my facebook album....Hopefully it will be accessible to those that would like to see!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150163743283464.306024.738308463&type=1

The My Pink Stamper design team call

This week, Robyn at My Pink Stamper is having her design team call. The challenge is to make a card, scrapbook page, or other Cricut project with your favorite cartridge using the following colors......

Orange

Turquoise

Green

Brown

(Other optional color of your choice)

 From the start I knew exactly what Cricut cartridge I wanted to use. It would have to be 'Life is a Beach.' That cartridge just makes me happy because there is nothing better than a vacation at the beach. Okay well chocolate is a close second! As I was flipping through the images I stopped on the mermaid. YES! It hit me! I could make a card based upon one of my favorite Disney movies, 'The Little Mermaid.'
The recipe for my card… I started with a pre-cut embossed card by DCWV. I love using these cards because they are already prepared for you and all you have to do is add your design. All the more time for the real crafting the better! :) I cut the mermaid at 4" and then used the layers key to cut each part of the mermaid and add some color. I cut the layers each the same size using the specified colors of cardstock. Now came the time to choose my optional color. I wanted it to blend well with the colors Robyn picked but also tie in to the theme of my card. I chose navy to represent the color of the ocean. I cut this piece of cardstock at 5x5" and used one of my favorite go-to scrap tools my corner punch to round the edges. I adhered my mermaid and a separate piece of small turquoise cardstock which I eyeballed to size, and used my friend stamp to make this card for someone extra special. For the center of the flower I used a small yellow brad. Still something was missing from my card. I decided since this was a card I’m making for my friend why not add a little buddy for my mermaid. I cut the fish from the same Crircut cartridge at 3” and tada my card was complete. I then added the finishing touch with my Gelly Roll clear star pen which added some pizzazz to my card.

Hope you like Robyn! I would love to be a part of your design team. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Perfection...does it exist?

So today as I was flipping through the pages of my Creating Keepsakes, Creative Spaces issue I was introduced to a new term, standbooker. Do you ever find yourself standing as you scrapbook? Thus, a standbooker! Most of the time I'll stand during my paper crafting in order to get that mat/title laid perfectly straight or to get a better view of how my project is shaping up. This brings up my second point. Does perfection in scrapbooking even exist??? Scrapbooking is a hobby so does it even make sense to get stressed out and bent out of shape if something on your page is crooked or you ran out of a particular letter to make a word in your title? In general I would consider myself to have a "Type A personality." Sometimes I have a hard time understanding where my creative side even fits in. Last year when I attended the Creating Keepsakes convention I remember my friend constantly trying to get me to stress less and just enjoy what I was doing. Who cares if my projects did not look like the sample? But howwwwww could I do this? I'm a perfectionist in every sense of the word! I still find myself from time to time anxious as I scrapbook but then I remember what Rachel told me and try (key word) to not worry about that little imperfection on my page. I'm the only one that will notice it right? The longer I have been involved in scrapbooking the more creative I become at fixing my mistakes. I'm sure many of you have misspelled a word as you journaled or decided to move something after it was stuck to the page with what seems like the strongest adhesive known to man. What to do?? Use what's in your scrapbooking arsenal of course to mend that mistake, and in my own experience at least, the finished product is cuter than what you initially thought up! Again, I am brought back to my original point and after much reflection provided with an answer. Perfection in scrapbooking does NOT exist!! It is your project so it is what YOU make it.

I am in the midst of my glorious staycation. Six days off from work during Arts Fest, I think I'm in heaven. I love seeing all the talent plus it gets my own creative juices flowing. Oh and you can't forget the wonderful music, food, and sidewalk sales. I'd say this is right down my alley!!  Hopefully no rain and it is a beautiful weekend. Two of my greatest friends are coming to visit too, Kristen and Lindsey. It's going to be a great time with great friends creating great memories. I'll be there with my camera capturing every one of them. :)