Challenge #54

For Challenge #54 on CropChocolate, we were challenged to use 5 different types of ribbon on a layout, card, altered art, etc.

So I decided to do a layout of myself and daughter on my wedding day.  It is one of my all-time favorite photos of us together. Here's what I came up with:

Supplies:

 CC products: Well Traveled paper collection and CS by Carta Bella; Lush 2 ribbon in burgandy & black; Sprouts (black ricrac) by JilliBean; Walnut Stain distress ink; and Xyron Mega Runner

And even though I absolutely LOVE the new "Well Traveled" paper collection by Carta Bella, I'm still not happy with the layout . . . I feel like something is missing.  But I posted it anyway.  I know eventually it will come to me as to what else it needs, if anything.  Because as they say, "We are our own worse critics."

Till the next time I'm up in the night.  Kathy

Challenge #53

For Challenge #53 on CropChoclate, our challenge was "Here it is March already and so many of us are ready for warmer weather or at least a break from the cold, so our challenge for you this week is to create something (LO, card, altered art, etc.) representing or showing something you do on Spring Break. And get a double entry by also using a common (or unique) household item on it."

I decided to do a layout of my mom, my grandmother, my daughter and myself on Spring Break 2006.  Here's how it turned out:

This is one layout I will treasure always . . . it is a picture of four (4) generations.  Now that my grandma has passed, I am even more thankful I took the time to get this type of photo each time we went to Florida to visit her the past 5 years.

I used "Hopscotch" paper collection by Fancy Pants on this layout.

Till the next time I'm up in the night. Kathy

"Eye Chart" with Crazy Quilt Border

Hi, all my crafty friends!  This month our theme for CropChocolate's Design Team was "Grandma's Quilts."  Well, when we got our theme for April, I was very excited because I LOVE quilts and quilting.  One of my favorite quilts is the Crazy Quilt . . . not sure why, but I think it is because there is no rhyme or reason as to what to use in it or how to put it together.  The fabrics used can be anything from silk to tweed to cotton to velvet. And because a variety of shapes and sizes of fabrics are used, too, there are a lot of decorative handstitching, ribbons, laces, buttons, etc. added to it.

 

With that in mind, I thought that I could come up with something similar but simpler that I could use as a mat for another project I had started a few months ago . . . an eye chart.

As many of you know, I spent the last couple of months dealing with issues with my eye, thus having to go to an eye doctor quite frequently.  One day as I was sitting there looking at the eye chart, I thought how it would be neat if the letters read would actually say something instead of just being random.  Thus coming up with my phrase “I am so blessed to have you as my daughter.”

 

So taking those two ideas, I went to work.  Here's what I came up with:

Click HERE for instructions on how to do your own crazy quilt border or project.

So what do you think?  I am really happy with the way it turned out. :)  Again, click HERE for instructions on to make your own paper crazy quilt eye chart or other project. 

Till the next time I'm up in the night. Kathy

Faux rust - "Discover a World of Imagination" wallhanging

Hi, all my crafty friends!!!  This month (March) for CropChoclate's Design Team our theme was "nature."  When we got our assignment, I knew I wanted to try to do something with the shells, sand dollars, starfish, etc. that my daughter had found in Pensa Cola, Florida, while on vacation in 2007 . . . well, the starfish we bought the pier because the ones she had found were in bits and pieces.  

So since I knew what I wanted to use, I needed to come up with a way to display them . . . so off to my “treasure” box to see what I could come up with.  It is actually a box that I put things in there that I think I can use on something, sometime. But my hubby calls it my junk box . . . he just does not understand that everything in there will have a purpose eventually.

I ended up finding some metal roofing sheeting and scrap wood that I thought would make a nice frame and background, but I wanted to make the metal look “rusty” without having to buy something special.  Thanks to Christina here on CropChocolate, I found a way to do so.  So with the help of my dad (he cut the metal down to size and the scrap wood for me), I went to work.

Here's what I came up with:

Click HERE for instructions on how to make this project.

Once again, I absolutely LOVED doing this project. (I know, I say that every month . . . but it's true.)  And thanks to my friend, Christina, I learned a new way to make things look rusty.   

Till the next time I'm up in the night. Kathy

Challenge #52

Our challenge on CropChocolate for Challenge #52 was "Since Saturday (March 17th) is CC's 4th Anniversary, I think it's appropriate to create a "celebrate" project (card, LO, etc - whatever your heart desires) using a celebration-themed sentiment. For an additional entry (2 for 1!), create a card using Laura's tutorial that's up today on TheCrop. You may submit as many projects as you like for this challenge."

So I decided to finish a layout I started in St. Louis when I was then for a scrapbooking weekend at Memories on Marshall.  Here's what I came up with:

As I stated above, I did this LO while on a scrapbooking weekend in St. Louis at Memories on Marshall.  It is celebrating our "Harvest Party" (or Halloween) in 2006 at church. I used 100% CC products. :)  Almost everything is from the "Mischievous" paper collection by My Mind's Eye.

Till the next time I'm up in the night.  Kathy

Challenge #49

I actually submitted this for Challenge #48 on CropChocolate, but it also worked for the following week's challenge "using wood grain."  So instead of posting two (2) layouts in one (1) blog post, I decided to separate them. :)

As I said, the challenge was "to use wood grain" in your project . . . whether it be paper, stamp, etc.  Here's what I could have entered had I not already entered it once before:

I used Miss Caroline's "Dilly Dally" paper collection from CropChocolate for this layout.  It is a layout of my daughter and some of her friends at the After Prom Party in 2012.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  What do you think?

Till the next time I'm up in the night. Kathy

Challenge 48

For CropChocolate's weekly challenge (#48), the challenge was "Anything goes."  So to the drawing board I went.

Using Lost & Found 2 paper collection, I came up with this layout:

It is a layout of my daughter and her best friend when they were in 3rd grade.  Yes, my daughter is small BUT her BF was VERY tall.  Funny thing is now 8 years later, they are almost the same height . . . with her friend only 1" taller than my daughter and my daughter is still considered "petite". :)  Genetics!?

Till the next time I'm up in the night. Kathy

White washed canvas - "Home is Where the Heart is"

Hi, all my crafty friends!!!  Have you ever started out doing one thing/project and then end up doing something completely different because the first one just did NOT look right or couldn't get the right % of products in it?  And then where you were done with that second project, it "hits" you as to what you could have done with the first one to make it look "right" and have the correct % of products.  Well, that is EXACTLY what happened to me this month with our theme of "Furbaby Love."  I started out with one project and ended up doing another only then to realize what I could have done with the first one.  Oh, well!  I'll be able to use the first one sometime . . . maybe for our April theme. :)

Anyway, as you probably already guessed, CropChocolate's Design Team's February theme was "Furbaby Love."  Well, since I didn't have a furbaby, I decided to do a project for my daughter.  I ended up doing a canvas and white-washing it.  Here's how it turned out:

Click HERE for instructions on how to do this project.

Here's another example using this technique:

Once again, this was a fun project.  Hope you like it, too. :)

Till the next time I'm up in the night.  Kathy

Faux Cracked Glass

As many already know, I was chosen once again to be part of CropChocolate's awesome Design Team.  I am honored to be a part of it.  This time Amber has split us into two (2) groups according to what our projects have been like in the past and what our DT submissions were.  The groups were "Altered Arts/Mini Albums" and "Layouts/Cards".  Imagine my surprise when I found out I was in the "Altered/Minis" . . . I always figured I was a "Layout" person.  But after going back through my DT projects last term and my submissions for this term, I guess I do do quite a few "Altered/Minis". :)

For our 1st assignment of the year (for January), our theme was "ice".  Hmmm . . . the possibilities.  Well, it came to me after looking out past my deck to our pond, as to what I was going to do.  I was going to alter a glass bottle using Rock Candy Crackle Paint and distress inks.  Here's how it turned out:

Here's some closeups:

Click here for instructions on how to do your own bottle.

This was such a fun project to do.  But if you want a fast project, this is NOT fast . . . you have to make sure everything is completely dry and cured before going onto the next step.  Believe me, I found out the hard way. lol  But as I have always said, "There are NO mistakes, only creative discoveries."

Till the next time I'm up in the night. Kathy

A year in review . . .

I thought for one of my blog postings for this new year, I would review each of the Design Team projects I did for my first term on CropChocolate (July 2012 - December 2012).

For the first month on the Design Team, our theme was "ombre".  And after much deliberation and experimenting, I came up with this layout and used a technique I call "burnt edges":

Click here for instructions on how I did this layout.

For the 2nd month (August), our theme was "Mosiac".  This was such a fun project to plan out and do.  I ended up using my quilting knowledge to come up with a formula to do this.  (Though I'm sure there is already something out there like it.)

And here's a 2nd layout I did using the same formula:

Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to do both of these Mosiac layouts.

For September, our theme was "#D".  At the time, I was thinking, "Boy, Amber was really challenging us."  But that was okay . . . I really LOVED that part of being on a Design Team.  So after remembering a make 'n take I did several years ago in Florida, I decided to do a "Circle Explosion" album.  Here's how it turned out:

Here's a close-up of the sides:

Here's a close up of the wedges:

Click here for instructions on how to make a "Circle Explosion" album yourself.

For October, our theme was "Favorite Candy".  Well, one of my favorite candies are the boxes of chocolates with fillings . . . you know, the ones you do't know what is in the middle until you take a bite out of one or poke your finger in the bottom.  Not only do I love the chocolate, but I love the "surprise" in the middle.  So I came up with a "Secret Surprise Mini Album."   I called it a "Secret Surprise" because its "filling" (its pages) are made of a "secret" ingredient . . . toilet paper rolls!!  And because each page has a "surprise" in the middle . . . an extra tag for more pictures or journaling.  Here's what it looked like: 

Click here for instructions on how to make your own "Secret Surprise" album and for more pictures of this delicious little treat. :)

For November, our theme was "Thankful for".  As many know, I lost my hearing over 5 years ago and have just had a Cochlear implant installed and activated, bringing me back to the world of hearing.  So during this past couple of months as I've been learning "new" sounds, I started thinking how thankful I was to have had my sight and sense of touch during that time.  So for my November project, I wanted to do a project that would stimulate those senses, too.  Here's what I came up with:

Click here for instructions on how to make this wallhanging.

And for my final DT project of the year and for December's theme "Reflective of You".  After much thought, I decided to do a project that reflects how I try to live my life by using the word "J-O-Y" . . . Jesus (faith) first, Others (family & friends) next and Yourself (me) last.  And to add pictures of those who have brought "JOY" to my life.  This is something my grandmother taught me as a young girl and I have tried to live by.  Here's what my project turned out to look like:

Click here for instructions on how to make this paper mache project.

After going through my projects for the past six (6) months, I can't believe how much I have grown as a crafter . . . and how much fun I have had.  I can't wait for the next six (6) months on the CropChocolate Design Team.  And I hope you enjoyed reviewing the past six (6) months with me.

Till the next time I'm up in the night.  Kathy

Challenge #59

This past week on CropChocolate, the weekly challenge was ". . . is a "Little bit of everything" mix! Make sure your project includes buttons, ribbon and an image! Your image can be stamped, fussy cut or die cut. No specific theme or colors :) "  So after many days of my mojo just not being there, I finished up a layout I started in St. Louis on a weekend crop.

Here's what I did:

It is a layout of my hubby and I at a Halloween gathering at a neighbor house one year.  As you can tell, some dressed in costumes, but we didn't . . . we wanted to be warm. :)  The guy behind us is dressed as the tooth fairy.  It was pretty funny and kinda scary seeing this big guy dressed in a pink tutu, a white muscle shirt, tatooes, and piers and such hanging from a tool belt . . . oh, he even had on a "halo".  I wish I had a full view picture of him. 

The paper for this layout is from "Chillingsworth" paper collection by Echo Park and some black cardstock (which I got all the paper from CropChocolate).  I used both my Cameo and Cricut to do the lettering, little spider and the spider web.  I'm not sure who the black/white/orange twine is from since I received it as blog candy. And the button is a miscellaneous button from my stash.

Till the next time I'm up in the night.  Kathy

So sorry . . . . I think I have Gremlins

WOW!!!  As I was getting ready to post CropChocolate's weekly challenge, I decided to check up on my blog postings since I have been having my dd type and schedule them for me for the past couple of months due to my eye and guess what I find?  Over a dozen postings scheduled, but for 2014!!!  Guess I overlooked that each time when I "previewed" each posting after she typed that . . . though I'm sure it said 2013 each time.  Plus, I know I checked my blog periodically to see what was being said and there were posting.  Oh, well!! I'm guessing it was gremlins . . . honestly, little things like that keep getting changed like that on my laptop somehow.  You should see some of the emails my dh has received from me. lol

Just now as I was getting to type more on this post, it jumped up to the previous paragraph and started typing . . . I didn't touch anything.   Gremlins!!

Anyway, so not to overload anyone or my blog, I have rescheduled each posting so they post once a day for the next two (2) weeks.  I pray after they post, they don't disappear on me again.

Till the next time I'm up in the night.  Kat