have you heard about this giveaway?!

Here's a blog I follow, love her shabby chic style with lots of creative ideas...anyway now she is offering some yummy prizes to some lucky followers! Check out Creating from the Heart!

Circle Blog Weekly Challenge #13

Once in a while the weekly challenge on the Cricut Circle blog inspires me and this week the theme was inspiration.  A beautiful inspiration piece was shared and when I saw the river and perspective (small to large from top to bottom) I envisioned a skier going down the slope.  Here is a 12 x 12 page layout I did using the winter frolic cart.  The blue background paper is by Coredinations from the vintage collection.  I lightly sanded three spots to give the allusion of a mountain.  The bunny skier was made using scrap papers from my stash, most of the paper have a slight sheen/shine to them making picture taking very difficult!  The dark trees and picture frames are actually cut from a dark green shimmery/shiny paper from my stash.  I cut the skiers and trees(each set) at 2 inches, 3 inches, and 4 inches.  the middle sized skier (3") is adhered with dimensionals (3m) and the largest skier(4") is adheared with a double layer of 3M dimensionals.  I have two photos already selected to add later.

Shadow Box Decoration

I had fun making my first ever shadow box.  It was made to be a gift for a ladies dinner Christmas party where we play a game and the gift recipient is a surprise.  The frame/box was purchased at Craft's Direct (Waite Park, MN).  I wish the details of the items inside showed up in the picture but alas, this is all my limited photography skills could accomplish.  The snowflake tags were cut with the Very Merry Tags cartridge using the light blue glitter coredinations card stock.  The tags were shadowed with plain white paper.  The silver metallic ribbon is from Stampin' up.  The snowflakes were pop-dotted with stampin up dimensionals. The snow for the ground/background is the same blue glitter coredinations ripped to give it an uneven edge.  The pattern paper for the top of the background is from my paper stash. The snowmen are from Snow Friends cut out using white glittered coredinations.  I stamped the faces using peachykeen basic paperdoll face stamps.   The scarves are pop dotted (each of the two layers).  The goldenrod is cut from bazzil card stock and run thru the cuttlebug using the swiss dots folder.  The red and green scarves are from my Christmas scraps of paper purchased last year at Target.  The finished snowpeople were double popped using stampin' up dimensionals.  The dark blue vinyl was adhered to the out side of the shadow box using cricut vinyl and the let it snow phrase is from Christmas Cards cartridge.

Croppin' with Kim

My bags are packed, ready to scrapbook with Kim...it's only for the day, do I have everything?  Geeze, I thought I was packing light but I still have 4 things to carry!  and I just remembered I'll need some vinyl for a project I plan to finish - more to pack - YIKES!!

prize worth entering for...

At Roberts Craft blog they are giving away a wonderful bundle of Die Cuts With a View (DCWV) items.  We're talking about hundreds of dollars of fantastic scrappin' stuff!  I just love DCWV paper stacks, used a delightful glittery stack of princess papers for DD book(s) and have been a fan ever since.  So pop on over there for a chance to enter and to see the delicious goodies!!

what do librarians make?

Here is a wonderful answer by Joyce Cevalenza to the question What do Librarians make? patterened after the wonderful poem by Tyler Mali called What  Teachers Make

finally JoAnn's black friday ad!

Check it out here:  http://bfads.net/Ad/Joann-Fabrics-2010

Cricut Expression $199 and carts for $27.99

Now the ad I really want to see is Craft's Direct!!!

Michael's Black Friday

Here I found an ad scan for Michaels at   blackfriday.info

http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/michaels-black-friday-ad.html

Cricut in Black Friday Ads

I have been checking out the sneek peeks for Black Friday and this is what I have found...plus Michaels was leaked but now I can't find it (my main source of info is from  bfads.net)  So here are two images from Walmart and one from Menards!

Walmart's ad...are these new lites?

menards - it still boggles my mind that Menards carries Cricut items but I can't argue with the prices!

Obsessed with scrapbooking blog

I find lots of useful information on blogs, a fav. of mine is obsessed with scrapbooking and right now Joy is doing a give away...check it out here!

October Circle Challenge

The challenge was to create a home decor item that inspires creativity...I used an old book and made a card holder for my craft room.  It is decorated with flowers and the words bloom, inspire, dream.  I used large paper clips unbent and reworked to hold the words on one end and clip to the book page at the bottom.   I plan to put in circle calling cards in the holder as I think of each card as a mini piece of art.  Seeing all the creative ideas certainly inspires me!

register a Gypsy and download some carts!

I am so excited that Provcraft is sharing!  If you register  your cricut Gypsy by Oct. 31, you can get 6 FREE cartridge downloads!  Whoo Hoo, so if you've been thinking about getting a Gypsy to use with your Cricut machine - now is the time!
Here is the message from the cricut message board:

Buy and register a Gypsy by Cricut by October 31 and receive 6 free cartridges downloaded to your Gypsy – including the exclusive, all-new "Smiley Cards" cartridge (and don't forget about Gypsy Wanderings and Gypsy font cartridges that come pre-loaded on the machine). It's a $419 value!
Free cartridges include:
 Smiley Cards (new and exclusive to this promotion)
 Tags, Bags, Boxes and More (not available in retail)
 Christmas (not available in retail)
 Blackletter (not available in retail)
 Printing Press (not available in retail)
 Indie Art (not available in retail)
All current Gypsy owners included! Simply register your Gypsy by October 31, 2010 and get access to all downloads. Register at www.cricut.com/gypsy.
Downloads will be available through a special update to your Gypsy starting November 1st.
New Gypsy cartridge downloads are easy! Just connect your Gypsy to your computer and you'll automatically be prompted how to start. In just a few steps, you'll be able to download all six cartridges containing thousands of images! And with Gypsy, you'll have all the cartridge artwork and keypad overlays on your Gypsy screen, so there's no actual cartridge, handbook, or packaging.
You only have a few weeks. Don't miss out!!

new blog...

I found a new blog that will have challenges..get picky and they have a giveaway going on right now so head on over and see for yourself!

Challenge # 3

Creations with Christina has lots of challenges...here is my card for Challenge # 3 - make a Christmas card.

I used KaiserCraft paper and stamps to create a card.  The beige paper square are cut with Creative Memories punch from paper I had in my scrap box.  The stamps are from the KaiserCraft Be Merry collection and the ribbon is from Stampin' Up.  Inside the card is stamped The true spirit of Christmas is...Love ~Linda Willis

I love happy comments so leave some smiles!

Cricut Circle Blog

I have been trying to catch up reading my favorite blogs and was so excited to discover the launch of the Cricut circle blog!  They are open to all viewers but will close it to circle members only in a couple weeks, so head on over quick to take a look.  While there I found a challenge to try (open to members only) so had to give it a go!  Here is my 8 by 8 layout using cuts from the Cricut French Manor cartridge.
The papers are from Creating Keepsakes All in One scrapbooking kit, with the exception of the solid pink.  That is from a card stock pack I purchased at Target.  I used my gypsy to size the scalloped square to be 7 1/2 inches. The cut is found with the Tag 1 feature and shift/lock key.  The oval tag layers to be 2 inches by 3 1/4 inches (used hide contour to delete the two holes) for the pink shadow layer and the pattered layer was 1 3/4 by 2 3/4 inches.  The oval is found with the layer function.  I inked the pink paper edges with Color Box fluid chalk - creamy brown.  The green gems in the corners are from Imaginisce attached with the i-rock tool.  The clear crystal gems on the oval are also from Imaginisce.  The pink flourish is cut from the Cricut French Manor Cartridge.  The vintage lace is from a stash I received from my grandmother.

Creations with Christine Card Challenge #1

Saturday, Oct. 2 was World Card Making day...so I had to join in some challenges.  Here is my take on a card sketch from Creations with Christina.
The white snowflake and tag are from my paper stash, it actually has a slight shimmer to it, and they are adhered with stampin up dimensionals.  The rest of the paper is from Kaiser Craft, the Be Merry Collection.  The snowflake is cut using the Cricut  Christmas Noel cartrige and tag is from Very Merry Tags.

Librarians have talent!

Scrapfest 2010

Here I am chatting with some circlets!

And here I am with my super great friend Kim and another super great friend and SIL, Mary

Thank you goodies

I made several of these goodie bags to thank some friends for helping my niece with her job search.  I used stampin up card stock for the orange and the yellow/gold was white paper sprayed with glimmer  mist.  After it dried  I used the cricut markers to write Thank you using the cricut Storybook cartridge.  I cut to size and used fiskars boarder punch Lacy Days of Summer and assembled over the zip style baggie.  Added some ribbon I bought from Stampin Up and gave away to gifts!  My friends loved it.

Interesting blog

I am a follower to many blogs (mostly scrap booking related) and whenever I have a couple minutes in the morning (while sipping my daily cup of coffee) I like to take a look at a few.  I have been a follower of Cutting Above about for a few weeks now I really enjoy the variety, a break from just scrappin' things.  She has posted about food, fashion and today it's stamps - Robyn (MPS) stamps to be specific.  And there is a give away so I'd thought to share the info with you!  Just click here to take a look at Maggie L's blog.

9/11 blog hop

I've been busy with the first week of school and finally have a chance to check up on favorite blogs.  Pink Cricut is the first stop of a blog hop honoring heros and of course I have to hop along!  I am inspired by the first project and hopefully after I peel myself away from the computer I can scrap some of Bob's army pictures!  But for now, join me hopping the blog hop starting here!

Menard's Cricut Cartridge haul!

Really, I bought three cartridges for my cricut at Menards!!

MPS event layout

This was a fun layout to do, especially because all the papers are scraps!  The green floral was actually white card stock, the kind that comes in the page protectors when you purchase a photo album.  I used a 12 x 12 template by Crafter's Workshop as a resist and misted the whole sheet with Maya Mists, emerald green.  The rest of the papers, black, light pink, dark pink and white (pleated boarder on bottom of top right pic.) were all scrap papers a good friend of mine gave me.  The papers are remnants she was gifted and shared with me, so I have no idea of the manufacture.  Both border punches used are from Fiskars; Lacy Days of Summer and All a Fleur.    The cricut was used to cut the embellishments: the butterfly embellishment was from Indie Art cartridge and the large flower is from French Manor cartridge. The flower's pink background/shadow was the tag feature, shift for the layer and cut at 4 inches.  The green top layer of the flower was cut at 3.5 inches with the tag feature.  The green paper was created with the Maya Mists on white paper.  The green tag behind the flower pulls out and on the back I listed the names of the Cricut Circlets in the photograph.  The ribbon on the tag is from Target's dollar spot.  The trail of the butterfly was made using my i-rock and glam rocks.  The bottom white paper with the group photo was made by pleating a long strip of paper with just random folds.  The large layout photo doesn't show the texture that the pleating adds to the page but you can see it with the up close photo of the butterfly.

Weekend Fun

I had so much fun on Saturday attending the My Pink Stamper class.  We created a "Ghouls Night Out" card and a Christmas tag.  The class was held at Crafts Direct in Waite Park and the store is also celebrating it's 20th Anniversary, so lots a great sales!  CD even had the pink ATG gun and with a coupon I just couldn't pass it up!  I wanted to take pictures of the crafty day but I forgot my camera.  I was so mad at myself because I usually carry my camera in my purse but my oldest DS borrowed it in the morning and it wasn't sitting on the table (so I'd remember it!) and off I went for crafting adventures without it.  Luckily another circlet had her camera and snapped a picture of all the circlets at the MPS class with Robin and it was posted right away.  The lovely Kristine at CD took photos also so I look forward to receive those and maybe switching one of the pics in the layout I did today of the event.  It was wonderful to meet Robin, she is such a lovely and genuine person.  After the class when I was leaving the store (had to do some quick browsing) Robin was walking by and she recognized me and said hello!  I was thrilled to introduce DD, Emily to Robin. because Em kept listening to me talk about the class (I was just a little bit excited! lol) Em was so sweet in sharing that she liked to do beading so she was happy to shop around while I was in the class.  I think Emily was laughing at her mom and the excitement I had for the day!

i-rock

Recently I won the i-rock tool from Imaginisce.  I love it!  I have used it a bit here and there but had a project planned since last weekend when I found some canvas shoes on clearance at JCPenney's.  I bought two pair, one for me and one for DD, Emily.  I knew she would want to bling out her shoes!  so last night we spent some time rockin' into the night (sorry the 38 Special song has been stuck on my brain all day because we used the i-rock last night!).  The night got late so we finished the project today and here are the beauties!

Cricut Circle

Yippee!  My first circle package with a cart arrived on Thursday.  I was so busy with school preperations that I didn't have lots of time to play and post.  Here's a picture of the goodies inside.

And the first thing I made was a 3 by 3 inch calling card to trade with other circlets at different events.  I used the card feature on the French Manor cart and with  my gypsy sized it so just the fleur de lis with the frame was a three inch square.  I cut the image out of pink glitter paper by colorbok.  The green base was white glossy paper scraps that I sprayed with Maya Mist color emerald metalic.  After spraying the paper I blotted it with a paper towel to give it the marbled look.  I printed from the computer my info (name, email, address) and cut a 3 by 3 square around the info and glued the  paper to the back.  I made several cards and had them ready for the My Pink Stamper class in Waite Park on Saturday.  I am glad I had at least 6 cards made because I met some circlets at the class!

Hello Kitty Card

After being in the kitchen all weekend, I snuck away for a bit of crafting.  My niece has a birthday in September and every year DH and I always scramble for a gift and card - but not this year!  I saw a challenge to make something with a licensed cartridge for the Cricut and I was inspired. The top photo is the birthday card I created.

 
I only used the cart. Hello Kitty font.  The Kitty was cut at 4.25 inches.  The papers are all old remnants I have in my scrap stash.  The white gossamer ribbon is from Target found last year in the wrapping supplies after Christmas.  The sparkly blue gems are i-rock hot rocks adhered with the i-rock tool - love it!  And the greatest part is the the i-rock tool and stones were a prize I won from Imaginisce.  Very cool tool!  The second photograph is of the envelope (green) and the inside of the card.  I had some Hello Kitty ribbon that I just couldn't resist using (I can't remember where I purchased the ribbon).

Salsa is made!

This weekend DH and I made two batches of salsa.  It took all day Saturday to make the first batch.  It was huge, we ended up with 12 quarts and 8 pints but we still had tomatoes! Sunday was spent enjoying visiting with good friends from out of town (they ended up at our place last night because of the hotel goofing up the reservation) then after they left it was back to kitchen duty.  The second batch was only a third of the size of Saturday's creation so it went fairly quickly.  Second batch of salsa yielded 2 quarts and 7 pints with the added bonus of being extra spicy.



  The first picture is of Saturday's results (notice the scalloped labels!) and the second photo is of me showing off some of the ingredients ready for the simmering pot of tomatoes, notice the dark green jalapenos!  I ran out of labels and plan to make a few more with some changes to distinguish between the two different salsas. 

Scalloped labels

Bob and I are getting ready to make salsa so this year I thought to make some labels for the canning jars (to be added after done canning)  I used vinyl so they are removable stickers.  I printed the white labels on normal copy paper with our names and the year then ran the paper thru. the cricut after tweeking the oval to just the right size on my gypsy.  Ovals came from the From My Kitchen cart.  The scalloped ovals were scalloped circles I changed the height and width separately from the mini monograms cartridge.  I put a sample one on a jar with a piece of paper in it so it can be seen better. 

Welcome Banner

I made a banner that says "Welcome" to display at my school.  I wanted to hang it in the hallway (students start after labor day) but didn't have the heart to do it the day the custodian finished washing the walls!  I'll hang it next week.  I tried to get a picture of the whole banner as it was out on the circulation desk.  I took a close up of one of the pennants so you can see the detail.  Okay, so for the "recipe" to this project...I used my gypsy and the base (yellow) was cut on a 12 x 24 mat.  Only four fit on a mat, cut at 9 inches high.  The yellow paper is laminated bulletin board paper (it's very thin and tears in the cricut if it isn't laminated).
The red scalloped ovals are scalloped circles from Mini Monograms with some changes to the size.  I had to unlink the width and height button and make the width narrow to get the oval shape.  the final size was 3.4 width and 5.2 height.  It was very handy to do each element on a different layer so I could get the proper sizes.  The letters are cut from Jasmine with the oval feature.  The measurements 2.66 width and 6.09 height.  Both the red and light blue paper are construction paper from school I had laminated knowing they were to be cut using the circut.  I haven't found a good setting to cut construction paper not laminated.   The purple lace looking boarder to the pennants was made by using my Fiskars border punch lacy days of summer (I thought it appropriate for the end of summer! heehee).  The deep purple paper is from a friend who had a box of scraps she received from a family she did some tutoring with the son, she shared the wealth and gave me a bunch of the papers (lots of diff. colors and sizes!).  The ribbon the pennents are stung on was found in the dollar spot at Target with scrapbook supplies, it took two pieces, which are three yards each.  I tied a bow on each end with the ribbon then strung it through the holes.  Everything was adhered together with Tombo permanent adhesive.  I think this will be a cheerful greeting for the students when the arrive at school!

dorm decoration

I made a whole page full of cherries for my daughter to put on the walls of her dorm room.  I started with black Cricut vinyl and with my gypsy was able to maximize as much space as possible.  The cuts are from Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge.  The green stems are from a pack of solid papers I have had for years and the red cherries are laminated construction paper left over from a school project I had done.  During the vinyl cutting my cricut was accidentally turned off so one of the outlines was cut twice but not exact (the gypsy was handy to remove the already cut ones on the virtual mat and I could begin the cutting again!)  So the goofed up outline was used to sample the final product.  I stuck it to a board used to place a laptop computer on for stability.  I wanted the finished project to be on vinyl so Emily could put the cherries on the wall of her dorm room and be able to remove them without any problem, so basically I made a sticker for her walls!  I glued the paper (green stems) with zig two way glue pen and the cherries (laminated paper) I ran through my xyron using permanent adhesive.  I think/hope Emily will like these!!

Movin in Weekend

We took Emily to UND and helped her move in....we put together her loft/futon and Bill was on hand to connect to Wii!  The we relaxed and play a few wii games.  It is going to be strange with out Emily in the house but she is beginning an excited journey!

Hello Thursday release

Joy at Obsessed with Scrapbooking has some wonderful projects showcasing the new cartridges!  Take a look and enter to win!  While there, join in the blog hop!

My Pink Stamper in Minnesota

Crafts Direct in St. Cloud is hosting  My Pink Stamper classes on Saturday, Sept. 4.  Sign up is today starting at 1pm.  Details can be found here at the Crafts Direct website.

If you want to be a designer...

The Paper Variety is a new scrapbooking challenge blog looking for design team members.  I was started by a couple gal from My Scrap Stuff where I found out about the design team applications. If you are interested and want to apply check it out here.

My Grandma Marge

My grandmother, Marjorie passed away a few weeks ago.  Recently a cousin sent these two photos and I wanted to make a layout showing how Grandma and Grandpa had started a huge family.  The big group picture is almost inclusive of Harvey and Margie's descendants, only two people missing.  I like to think Grandma was watching from heaven as the family gathered to celebrate her life and try to stay in a tight group for the picture!

join in the fun of the hop

I found a blog hop going on this weekend from Scrappin-n-Chattin...hops are always fun, hopping around visiting different blogs to see creative ideas!  Oh and entering to win some blog candy is always a thrill.  So check out the blog hop at Boxer Brats Scraps, but be sure to start at My Scrap Stuff for the details and order of the hop - and have FUN!

More Creating at CHA

ColorArtz had a booth where we were able to decorate a tee shirt using the air brush system, so simple and easy!  I did the scrunch shirt method and hot pink paint then black paint.  I have been wanting try this since seeing Terri O did a video of the paints...very fun and easy!

Creating at CHA

CHA was a blast, so much to see and do I could have spent another day crafting!  Mary and I were busy looking, shopping, helping and creating...this picture is of the two of us making a card using eksuccess Martha Stewart punches, and some beautiful Jolee's stickers.

Ready to Roll to CHA

Mary and I are showing the packed trunk for the road trip...everything in the full truck is for scrapbooking!  No room for clothes?!

Let the roadtrip begin!

Mary and I are ready for CHA!! We started with pedicures and Fiskateer orange polish!

How about winning a Cricut DVD?

I want to win the Cricut A to Z DVD how about you? Enter for your chance at: www.craftecorner.blogspot.com
The video is created by Above Rubies Studio and they have other goodies too, check them out here. 

Cricut Cake Give-away

Check out a wonderfully talented lady's blog Creating from the Heart as she celebrates her two year blogaversary with a cricut cake give a-way!  Wow!
And while we're looking at some fun, how about Cuttlebug Challenge spot as they celebrate Christmas in July!

daily give away

Imaginisce is introducting new collections and every day they are doing a give away...check out their blog!  Wonderful Christmas papers to drool over!

CHA catch-all

I finally finished my tote for CHA,  My original intention was to get the Imaginisce i-rock tool and add the bling but I wasn't able to find one locally so I had to settle for iron-on rhinestones.  After many mishaps and a little designing I was able to iron-on the bling (the butterfly is a pre-made design, the swirls are completely my own design).  The awesome orange flower embellishement is actually a hair bow I won from a very talented fiskateer on her blog at Faeriey Dust Dreams.  Originally I was planning to wear the fabric flower in my hair and I loved it so much I ordered from her etsy shop, one for my SIL, Mary.  We both loved our fabric bows on our bags that I don't know if they will actually end up as head adornments!

Creating with Imaginisce

Sometimes I get lucky and win a prize...and that is what happened in May.  Pinky (a fiskateer!) has a blog and she has been sharing wonderful ideas and layouts.  I enjoy reading and seeing what other people create and if I really like the project I will post a comment.  As I said, I was lucky, and won a drawing from Pinky at her Much Ado About Nothing blog that was a page kit featuring Imaginisce papers and embellishments.  I really like the paper and wanted to make sure I used a special picture for the kit.  I reviewed Pinky's tutorial on the page layout and this is what I created following her page design.  And yes, the picture is from 2003 and the family vacation is finally going to be scrapbooked this summer (I hope!)  It will be my main project for CHA during the all day crop.  Yep, I am heading to the Craft and Hobby Association gathering near Chicago.  Mary (my wonderful SIL) and I are going to roadtrip, visit a few LSS on the way and enjoy all the crafty goodness at the end of July.  We even opted to join in the Super Crop sponsored by Scrapbook Royalty! Now to channel my excitement into organizing my materials to take along to CHA!

Graduation Open House

The month of June was busy, busy, busy.   It started with the last weeks of school and the mad rush to get the library cleaned and ready for  summer.  Usually I go into work  a couple of days after school lets out to tie up loose ends and pack up the office but this year we went north the day I started summer break.  The family enjoyed a week of fishing and the kids even tried to swim on the one sunny day!  Brrrr, not quiet warm
enough in early June in northern MN!  After  the fishing vaca. Bob and I headed to southern MN, actually into Wisconsin for a family reunion camping weekend.  Returned home and I took off for a couple night with DD for college orientation and registration.  Oh and the day before heading to Em's college, I went to visit my grandmother who had a few days stay in the hospital, giving all of the family a scare!  So basically I had two days to prepare the house and yard  for Emily's graduation open house.  The thunderstorms stayed away during the party and everyone had a great time.  Sunday, I was so exhausted and my body was so sore, I could hardly move.  It's a good thing I had an interesting book to read and no plans to go anywhere.  I think I slept more hours than I was awake!  I did manage to do a few decorations for the open house using my Cricut and Gypsy.  The first picture is of some small metal pails I purchased from the Target dollar spot.  The blue 2010 was a cutout of vinyl.  I used my gypsy to weld the letters from Plantin School Book cartridge and the graduation hat from Hello Kitty Greetings cart.  I think the letters were 2 inches high.  I wanted to have a decoration by my front door (usually there is a large blooming plant but it died during the winter and I haven't found another I like to replace it) so I grabbed a fake evergreen tree I bought on closeout after Christmas last year at Target and decided to make some graduation ornaments.  I was pressed for time (the theme for June!) so I went simple using the hats from Everyday Paper Dolls and cut the hats in school colors -blue and red.  I made some black graduation hats (mortarboards) to honor Em's graduation from Community college.  I laminated the mortar boards to protect them from the predicted rain and they weathered the night beautifully!

Graduation

My daughter has graduated High School.  I cried like a baby (I did it at her college grad too - yep, she earned an Associates Degree by doing PSEO!)  Enjoy the pictures :o) The top photograph is from High School Graduation and the bottom photograph is a couple weeks earlier on the day of College Graduation.

Gotta love the creativity of Librarians!

visit these blogs for give-aways!

My day usually starts with a cup of coffee and a quick peek at this cricut blog.  Everyday cricut has lots of wonderful projects.  The two ladies that run the blog also have their own personal blogs and in celebration of Hello Thursday and the release of new cartridges, the two are having a give-away.  Check out Joy's obsessed with scrapbooking blog and Melanie's Courtney Lane Designs blog!

sunny day!

I did a little gardening today and relaxed on my deck.  I felt the need to check out some blogs so I hauled out my computer (love wireless!) and took a look at fiskateers and from there visited other blogs.  I found this fun one and she is has some blog candy, a boy what a treat...take a look at her blog, Creating from the Heart and comment for a chance to win a Big Shot and a few dies.  Wow! And the best part, she has some wonderful projects to peruse!

Gift to a coworker

I made a word shape book and it has been "in the works" for quite some time.  I actually used the free Design Studio trial version and found the BABY download to try this out.  I cut the shapes and papers several months ago in anticipation of the baby shower.  I then set the project aside and before I knew it the shower had arrived and passed and I still hadn't finished the book.  It was great glee that I used some of the new baby pictures send in the email and the thank you card created by the new mom to embellish and finish the book!  I am only posting parts of the book because some of the inside pages have baby's personal information.  When the new mom returned to work I gave her the book and she had a little more spring in her step (it was hard leaving baby for the first time!) and I was hearten to have helped ease the transition.