Baby Flutters

The title this time is not meant to be a play on words- it is what I'm feeling right now!

It's been awhile since I've posted, so let me catch you up on my life as of late (and then you'll understand my lack of posts as well...)

Back in February we discovered our family of two was shortly going to become three!  Yup- we're expecting a little bundle of joy around Thanksgiving time this year.  Thus the baby flutters- my little tike is starting to move and it feels like I'm getting butterfly kisses from inside my belly (very ticklish mind you :) ).  In preparation for the baby, I've been frantically trying to finish up the actuarial tests I need to complete to get my first level of certification.  I'm getting close now- I have to take a test in August which I am currently studying for, and if I pass it I will have my ASA!!!

Sadly, this has not left me much time for crafting, so thankfully I still have lots of my Christmas album to share with you.  I realize it is out of season, but hey, it should still offer ideas for scrapbook layouts and it will get you more acquainted with the possibilities of digital scrapbooking.

Here's my title page:

The background paper with a strip on the side was created with three layers.  First, I made the entire background a solid real red.  Next, I added a strip of Christmas Cocoa DSP to the left side of the screen. Finally I added the same DSP to the right side of the page, lined up the images where they overlapped, and changed the opacity of this final sheet so that the real red background would show through the white sections.  Neat trick!

The other "cool" thing on this page is the Christmas Tree.  It is actually a stamped flourish turned upside down!  I also used a couple of layers of the stamp in order to achieve the 3D effect and make it stand out.

Next on my list of treats for you today is my set of Chico Hot Springs Pages:

There really are not any "tricks" on these pages, but I just really like the way that they turned out!  The tips I would give after finishing this are as follows:

1) Don't be afraid to use the same embellishment multiple times.  The only stamps I used on these pages were the snowflakes!  However, by varying the size and groupings of the stamps it creates a wonderfully accented and finished look.

2) Shadows, shadows, SHADOWS!  The shadow feature is there for a reason- use it often.  You may not notice the shadows on the snowflakes, however you would notice the lack of them.  Even the shadow itself is not very dark it will help make your pages pop!

Well, hopefully that was a good treat for now.  It may be awhile before I'm back again (remember- very large important test in August), but I will return and bring more treats and tricks with me at the time.

Wrong Holiday

Wow- It's been awhile since I've had a chance to post.  But between work, study, and life in general my last month has been pretty crazy.  It doesn't help that I haven't been feeling top notch either, and so I've slept a lot which diminishes my free time even more.  But anyway, enough about my boring life and onto the more interesting subject at hand... what have I made lately.

Well, I know that we just had Easter, and so this is completely out of season, but I just finished up my Christmas digital scrapbook and I was excited to share with you.  So, over the next couple of posts I'll show off some of my favorite pages- and perhaps you will be motivated by the layouts or colors to get to work on your own scrapbook.

Here's my favorite spread, from our Christmas tree hunt.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do:

By the way, the program I used to create these wonderful digital pages is "My Digital Studio" by Stampin Up.  It has been by far my favorite toy for the past couple of months.  If you haven't given it a try yet, I highly suggest that you check it out.  Now, if you are a traditional scrapbooker only, I bet you're thinking "but I don't think I'll like a digital product as much as I like to play with real paper and embellishments," and I admit that I was a skeptic at first as well.  However, ever since I've tried it I've loved the flexibility it brings- I no longer have to guess how big to print my pictures, or how far to zoom in so that I can get the right size.  Now, I have the ability to size my pictures exactly how I like, not to mention if I don't like what the end product looks like I'm not out anything- I can make as many changes as I'd like without ordering new pictures or buying more paper in order to fix it.  I'm actually having a very hard time scrapbooking without it now and wish everything was available in a digital form : )

A Different Kind of Flutter

There will be no butterflies today... but we still get to have wings.

Ever since I saw Patty Bennett's milk carton bird house I've been itching to try it.  Evidently I wasn't the only one, because these little cuties have been showing up all over the web.  Well, my first chance at creating one finally came on my "craft weekend."  When my mom asked what she should bring with I fairly begged her to include the milk carton die and bird punch.

Saturday morning I was awake and up before everyone else (which really is a shocker in my family) and so I got to work making my my little abode.

For the house I decided on So Saffron, since it was a nice springy color (hint- cut an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock in half and you can get two houses out of one piece of paper).  Then, to add texture I covered the die-cut with the "Very Vintage" stamp around wheel.  Next, I punched a hole in one side of the milk carton and then assembled the whole contraption.  Finally, a piece of Soft Suede with a scalloped edge was added for the roof.

Then it was time to create my cute little birdie.  I decided to try to make it look like a bluebird, because in Minnesota they are a sign of spring (and boy am I waiting for that sign this year...)!  By this time my mom was up and about as well, so she helped me to cut out a "belly" shape for my bird, which I then sponged along the lower edge with whisper white craft ink.  After that it was just a matter of adding little details and assembling the whole scene.  I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

While I was busy creating my birdhouse, my mom decided to create her own little project... and I have to admit it is the first dog house I have seen (details at BerryPineStamping).  Didn't they both turn out cute??

Easter is Flying In

For my first creative flutter I’m going to share with you an Easter candy dish that I created.

This past weekend my parents were up to visit, which for me usually means craft time with my mom- she’s a SU! Demonstrator and so she always brings lots of fun toys to play with!  Well, this time one of the “toys” that she brought with was a handful of Petal Cards (made with the Big Shot die).  I had remembered seeing a cute little basket made out of this diecut in the catty, and so I set about to make my own little version for Easter.  Here’s what I came up with (and, of course, it involves butterflies):

I started by using the Abundant Hope stamp set to add a cute little greeting to the front of the bowl and the fancy little flourishes to the sides.  I even stamped the main saying inside as a little “surprise” to be revealed as the candy was eaten.  Next, in order to get the sides of my dish to stay upright I added a decorative strip around the bottom made with the cute new scalloped trim punch (ya gotta love Sale-a-bration).

At this point I just felt that there was something missing, but then I recalled a card I had seen with floating butterflies inside and decided that my box needed to be exploding with them.  So, I used some of the Good Neighbor DSP (once again, ya gotta love Sale-a-bration) and cut out lots of little butterflies with the Beautiful Wings sizzlit.  After that all that was left was to attach them to the dish using window sheets and crystal effects.

Stay tuned for another project from my craft weekend and our experiment with… Unmounting Stamps!

Take to Flight

Even the smallest flap of of a butterfly's wings can help to shape the future.

Well... my ambitions are not that lofty, but I do hope to help inspire your creativity.  In return I'm hoping you will inspire me.  You see, I have a very busy life between work, study, family, and friends; so I often forget to take some time to relax with my hobbies.  Just knowing that you're out there will motivate me to get back into what I love.

So what are my hobbies you ask?

For starters, I was introduced to rubber-stamping when I was still in school, and I have loved it ever since.  It is amazing how you can put so much of your own style into something such as a card, and make the recipient feel special and loved.

My next love was scrapbooking.  I started this hobby just before it became really main stream- and I remember how in that first year I was scrapbooking the selection of materials in craft stores nearly tripled.  It was an amazing time to become involved in the hobby, literally witnessing its birth.  Recently I have shifted my focus from traditional scrapping to digital.  In fact, since the holidays "My Digital Studio" (the digital papercrafting program made by Stampin Up) has become my favorite toy.  I love how I can take it with me on the bus, making my time spent commuting much more useful.  I'm sure I'll be sharing many of my samples here in the days to come.

My other hobbies worthy of noting are those of the textile variety.  I taught myself to crochet and knit in college, and I also have quilted on occasion.  However, as you well know, these sorts of hobbies take MUCH longer to complete, and therefore will only show up spradically.

Final Flutter

My favorite symbol has always been that of the butterfly.  It represents a new phase in life, and therefore this small creature has always held a special significance for me.  I have used butterflies to usher me through every turning point in my life- confirmation, graduation... the flowergirl at my wedding was even decorated with a pair of monarch wings.

And besides, butterflies are just plain beautiful creatures.  So, don't be surprised if they appear often around here!