Saturday, January 22, 2011

A Sunday Special

Ok girls, I never blog on a Sunday, cause it is my church day.  I actually wrote it yesterday and scheduled it to show up today, isn't technology grand!?? 
Why all the hoop-la?

well, you know that I am on the Design Team over at Creative Scrapbooking Divas, right?  We just held a wonderfully successful Blog Hop for the design team, but thought "hmmm, we should get our members involved so we can see their talents"  So we are holding a blog hop for our members!  
And what a great time to get ideas for your love bugs than now!  Start your projects, cards, or layouts now to have them ready to post on the 7th of February.  Ah, but the secret is that your cards are already done for Valentine's Day and you don't have to stress to get one made on February 13.  I know how we all are, I am Leader of that club! 
So let's break the cycle of procrastination HERE and NOW!

WHAT? YOU DON"T BELONG TO CREATIVE SCRAPBOOKING DIVAS?!?!?!
That's just silly talk..most everyone else does.  You are missing out!  But I have good news!  You can go join today and still have an opportunity to be in the Blog Hop.  Yes, you read that right!  So get over there now and register to be a member.  We have great challenges, games, tips, resources, inspiration, and fun all in one great room.  You say you belong to  forum already...not a problem...I belong to 4 or 5 that I participate in.  You can combine challenges from 2 groups, make one layout and get twice the kudos from your peers.  It's okay..it's legal...it's moral...it's FUN! 

So come join us..by clicking here

I'm Dreamin' of a great Blog Hop...you keep Dreamin' too!


A bright Layout & a Giveaway too!

Morning Dreamers (ok, morning here, now, so just work with me!),
   I guess going home really inspired me to get busy...cause I got another layout done!  And am  step closer to getting my storage drawers from Kaiser Craft finished. 
It's not real big, 12.5" wide and 9.5" high, but the 4x4 boxes (9 of them!) will house lots of fun things...needles, embossing powders, cat's eye inks, flowers, etc....and will be much cuter than the bottles I have them in.  Or free up a drawer to buy MORE STUFF!!!  Anyway, it comes naked and I have painted the outside box cream, assembled it and the drawers and maybe today I will start decorating!  will keep you posted.             
I had accepted a challenge on a forum that I just found, Sketches for All, in their Bling On 2011 Event. There were 9 different challenges, all using bling of some sort.  I found it on the last day, so I had to get in quick. I only got one layout done, but will finish the 2nd page this afternoon (Steve is going to play indoor golf...not much exercise there but it gets him out of the house).  The pics are alot brighter than the actual layout, but we don't have much natural light this winter!  If you look carefully at the left side of the card stock, you can see the real color of it..deep and rich, not bright!
                It is a LO of my 3 precious ones, after Pat had sung Christmas songs at the mall in Tulsa.  It is dated 1986 making Pat a 2nd grader, Mike in 1st and Tami was 2 yrs old. Again, more pics from Grandma's  stash!  The paper is by BoBunny, their 'Tis the Season line from last year (LOOK! I'm using up my stash!). 

 The pictures were a trip in time, but the fun is in the details.  I took chipboard alpha, and covered them in micro-beads and THEN in a fine glitter, by Glitter Ritz.  I know, you hate glitter cause it gets everywhere...not this glitter!  The secret is the tape I use...red tape would work but I have found Be Creative Tap by Sookwang .  Acid free, double-sided, heat resistant....it is perfect!  The paper rips off easily, I just cover my project and the glitter doesn't transfer off of it....stays where it belongs.  I get mine locally at Creative Cuts & Crafts in Villa Park, but you might find it in your area at an art supply store.
So, here is a hint when using 2 colors of glitter...do the darkest one first!  Especially if you are using the fine glitter next to a chunky glitter!  Enough said about that boo boo.
 
I added this last picture so you could see up close that my stocking was 3-D. The cuff, toe and heel were separate chip board, which really gave it nice texture.  There you have it..another layout finished.  Okay, half of one finished. 
      Oh! I almost forgot.  Here is a sneak peek of some new Nikki Sivils paper that she is releasing at CHA. 

She has been showing them all week.  There is a giveaway  on her blog this morning, so jump over there and get caught up in the excitement.  I have used her products in several layouts, and even took a class at CKC using them.  If you aren't familiar, read up on the new, hip company.  I know you will be impressed. 
Well the snow is softly falling and urging me back to bed.  But I must get in my 5 hours of cropping time! 

So I'm dreaming of sleep, you keep Dreamin' too.
 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Feeling Creative

Hi all you Dreamers.  It is cold (18) and windy here in the burbs.  So instead of curling up in a blanket (Lisa gave me a wonderful one for Christmas) I decided to do some creating.   So it was my turn to do a tutorial in the forum at Creative Scrapbooking Divas, and I was uncertain of what to do.  I had several ideas, but I always assume that they are not good enough, not fancy enough, not creative enough!  So my indecision left with in a crunch this morning, and I always work better under pressure!   So I pulled out yet another flower technique.  I was so impressed, that I am now working on a frame for baby Evelyn (my granddaughter who will be born in mid-February).      
I like the way it turned out.  If you would like to know how to make one, it is on the front page of Creative Scrapbooking Divas.  While you are there, look around and join in.  It is a great forum, with a wonderful Design Team. I should know, I am one of them.

Thanks for all the comments.  It is easier to be motivated when people notice!  Tomorrow I will be sharing some of the layouts sent in from the Blog Hop and from the Winter Challenge.  And, did you know that the Blog Hop has been extended to the end of the month?  Yep.  So for you new gals, start here and play along with us.  We have some great prizes and some good challenges.  That's all for today, but I'm Dreamin' of tomorrow's entry.  You keep Dreamin' too.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

All is white in my little world

of Illinois.  I am looking out the window, admiring the large fluffy flakes.  It is certainly beautiful. 
   I have a challenge.  If anyone would like to play along, I will randomly draw a winner.  And a prize? 

Sure, I love them and I know you do too!  How about some Maya Road Jewel Ribbon Blossoms?  Good now that we have that settled, let's move to the challenge.

This challenge is about all things winter...snow, ice, frost, snowmen, snow capped mountains..but the trick is: No PEOPLE ON  YOUR LAYOUT (except maybe a snowman/woman).  I know we all take beautiful pictures of our yards in the snow.  Let's include something that has nothing to do with anything. Here's mine- - - -

Amazing Hoar's Frost


I took these pictures early one morning after we had had a freezing fog.  The whole yard was amazing!   I had never seen anything like it in person, but many times in photos.  So I had to snap some shots, so I could share this sight.
I could see the flakes..individually!  It just blew me away!    I used a kit from Story Tellers (ST) to create this.  The word cluster is a clear plastic, that I inked with Alcohol Inks and then splattered with Distress ink. The distress Ink NEVER dried and was quite a mess!
A little bit of wiping gave me a neat appearance.  Story Tellers are  digital company, so all their embellishments are printed, not paper pieced.  I can't stand the flatness, so I popped the "journal" block up to give it some texture.  The Swirl on page 2 is actually the flip side of this paper.  I just cut, following the printed snowflakes.  That's the nice thing about ST, their Pattern paper is the highest quality, and all I have received in kits has been double sided.  Very thick and great colors, also.  

Here is a close-up of the quote tag.  I added a snowflake brad here and on the lower left of page one. I can't remember who they are made by, but bought them at Hobby Lobby.  They fit perfect over the printed ones and give some WOW to the layout.                                                                                                                   And there you have it.  I don't think it turned out bad at all! 
Now, I need you to get busy doing your layout, I'd love to see them!  You can leave a comment, telling me where they are posted, use Mr. Linky, or email me a picture of it at dreamsandmemories@yahoo.com.  Can't wait to see it. 
   Hope you spend some time looking at the snow, and Keep Dreamin' of summer!

 

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Here's a pic!

Ok, I am back home, have my camera and my layout!!  It's not too much to get excited about and probably not worth the wait...

but here it is!
I belong to Story Tellers Kit club and used the paper on this layout.  I love their paper, but the embellishes are all digital.  So I had to stretch to make it have some dimension and texture.  The "1" was cut out of the green paper and instead of using the yellow (that looks pink in this photo?) paper, I used the yellow Stickles to fill it all in.  I like the shiny and bumpiness of it. 

I originally thought I would slip the photo under the edge where I placed the bling...you can see where I sliced it in this close-up.  But I couldn't make it work the way I wanted, so abandoned that thought!  Luckily it is not noticeable on the large page. 

I'd like to thank those who stopped by on the hop and especially those who are playing along.  I have a couple of new followers now, and I do plan to start posting on a regular basis again.  The holidays just wiped my out creatively! 

 I just got a new kit in the mail from Memory Works (I sell it, if you are interested drop me a comment) and I can't wait to start a new layout!  I'm dreaming that someday my pictures will all be finished...
You keep dreamin' too.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Holidays in Review

Welcome to the HOLIDAYS IN REVIEW CSDivas Blog Hop!!!
You should have come to me directly from Sandy's Blog.  If not, please go back to the CSD forum and begin there.


The holidays have come and gone as fast as the wind in Oklahoma.   This year we want to help you document your holidays or why not all of 2010!


CSDivas Design Team Members have created some awesome challenges specially for this occasion and some of them are offering individual RAKS, besides the 3 Grand Prizes we have at CSDivas!

New to blog hops? Not that difficult, here is what you have to do:
To be eligible to win any of these 3 prizes, you need to:

1) Be CSDivas Members. Register to be a CSDivas member here: http://divascreativas.ning.com/
2)Hop among the 7 blogs to see what each talented DT created, take note of the challenge.
3) Create your project.
4) Once finished you need to upload your entries at the CSDivas Challenges Threads, under the thread of New Year's Traditions.

As I mentioned before, we have 3 amazing prizes for 3 CSDivas members!



First Prize


















Second Prize


Third Prize
















3) Due date to submit entries is Tuesday 1/18, 2011 5pm EST!


With all the rules and regulations done,  now it is on to my part of the hop.  I am starting with an apology for my leg of the blog....my pictures are being held hostage in my camera.  That is being held hostage in my daughter-in-law's car!  So, the challenge will begin with no picture and hopefully it will be loaded by Sunday evening.
    My twin Grandsons, Jacob & Logan, turn 7 today!  And their mom turns  ____ today! (I know better than tell her age on a public forum!!)  So we are in Oklahoma for parties.  I left my page on the desk in Illinois...no problem.....I made a different one at crop on Friday night.  Then took the picture and...refer to paragraph ?
  My challenge was to do New Year's Traditions or Superstitions...but usually they are the same.  Most of us eat Black-Eyed Peas on the first day of each year.  My mom said it was for good luck...I secretly think she just wanted to be mean to us!  They taste just as I imagine a bowl of mud would taste like!  Mmmmmm..I'll have seconds!  This year, Steve, my hubby, made Hoppin John, which is a fancy name for peas with tomato and jalapeno!  I have to admit it was tastier than ever before. 
   So my challenge to you is to scrap your New Year traditions....do you have a fancy meal, go for a winter swim, take in a movie.....tell me what on a page.  I know it's journaling, cause most of us have not thought to take pictures.  But what a good addition to your "Book of Me"? 

   Do your page and upload it to the New Year's Tradition thread....then off to the next blog....which will be  Luisa

Want an extra prize?  I am giving away a Maya Road Album with some Maya Bling, for anyone who leaves a comment and becomes a follower.  (I know there is no layout to comment on, so read beyond this post and comment here on one of my other projects)    Thanks for dropping by and never forget to Keep Dreamin'

Monday, January 10, 2011

I Love to Blog Hop!
Don't you?  My very first experience with internet scrapbooking was with a blog hop.  It was a group of scrapbook stores that held it.  It took me all weekend, cause I played some challenges, read past blogs...soaked it ALL in.
   As you know, I am on the design team for one of the BEST Scrap forums on the net...Creative Scrapbooking Divas!  We are having our first hop of 2011 the end of this week!  It almost snuck up on me and I almost let it slip right past you guys!  We have a total of 7 blogs that you will want to visit. Themes for the challenges will range from my New Year Traditions and Suspicions to Luisa's 2010 in review challenge!  Oh and did I mention.....PRIZES!! Well, i meant to!  I'm not going to list them all here...cause I want you to go to the site, check it out, sign up to be a member with us,  all begins by clicking Here!

so, GO! NOW!  There's nothing more here to see!


My real Merriest Tree Blog

     Hello Dreamers! Let's try this with a little more detail and some design elements in it! I wanted to make it home in time to make t...