Day 4-the last of the card saga

I made it 4 days this week blogging. I skipped a day secondary to being a kind soul who performed magic on my two teens' room this week. Six bags of junk/garbage and lots of dirty laundry and mismatched socks later, they can see their floors. I know most moms do not clean their teens' rooms but I just had to do it. I could not stand it anymore. I am sure if the "Clean Sweep" ladies or the other 'bless this mess' reality shows would have had a hayday in there but it is done and NOW, if I EVER have to do it again, I have told them in no uncertain terms that I would sell their Xbox and Wii and keep the money. HAAAA to them.

So here are some cards that I made. Nothing too flashy. I just love the little critters I got in a stamp set by American Crafts and had to put them on a friends card. The "thinking of you" card is one I have made variations of for years. I know it is nothing new to most who make cards but I would have to say that I love the look and somehow, the lighthouse is very serene and sedate and suits a sympathy card just fine. The sunshine card is a happy card for me. I love the Sassafras paper and again, I used a 6x6 pad to make this card.

Tomorrow, I hope to blog again. I hope to show some recent layouts that I have done as that is my true passion, scrapbooking. Cards are a fun fast creative fix for me, but there is nothing as creatively satisfying as a good layout to make me sleep well tonight.

Lastly, the reason I missed blogging earlier, I went to a "Donate Life Symposium", because, for those that know me, I am a liver transplant coordinator. Did you know that there are over 104,000 people on the US Transplant waiting list, and more are being added every day. On average, about 12,000 people are transplanted each year, so you can imagine the importance of considering becoming an organ donor. Sadly, too, only about 1% of ALL organ donors (designated on their driver's license or registered donors) have viable organs. THat is sad. In Minnesota, only 56% of all persons over the age of 18 are designated donors. If we brought that to 75%, we could make a HUGE impact on that list. So for all of you who are considering donating, giving the GIFT of LIFE could be the last great thing you could do for someone else. I made a promise to myself personally and professionally today to spread the word, so I am starting tonight! God Bless! Love and Hugs. Lara

Day 3--Christmas Cards on a budget

And now, for the next line that I thought was adorable, Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses. I think that it was the little houses and deer on this line (not shown in these cards) that got me.

We are all on a budget right?...of some sort and I have been trying to limit my paper craft items because, frankly, I could just buy and buy and never be able to use it all. I tried to be wise about my spending and what I need. I believe that I said yesterday, with all the Christmas lines being so incredible, I could buy it all and never use it all

For these 3 cards I used for these items: 1 12x12 piece of cardstock, 3 6x6 pieces of paper, 3 buttons, supply floss (leftover from my wedding flowers), 1 8.5 x11 white cardstock (which was for the punched sentiment journaling spot), stamps and ink. How important is this? Well, for someone on a budget, one could definitely do well by buying some cardstock, a 6x6 pad and using craft supply items to make a bunch of cards. The 6x6 pad alone, with 36 sheets could make a bundle of cards.

I won't go into the math because, well frankly, I hate math (LOL) but one could pretty much make 36 cards (or more) for 10-15 dollars depending on what/where you bought your items. I know that does not rival buying a cheapo box of premade cards at Target or Walmart, but these are handcrafted, special gifts that your loved ones will appreciate. I love to card make and scrap but I also love to be spendythrifty too! Love and Hugs. Lara

Day 2--Jump on Christmas Cards

There are some really lovely Christmas lines out there lately and I want so many of them that I could go broke buying all of them.

I tried to be choosy. I was drawn to the classic beauty of the Making Memories "Mistletoe", and the cardinals were a clincher for me.

Every year, my husband's family exchanges ornaments for Christmas. It is a game that we play when we are together for Christmas. My inlaws live up in northern Minnesota where there are beautiful cardinals visiting their bird feeders while we eat dinner, so that cardinal ornaments are ALWAYS hits. So naturally, the MM cardinal paper draws me in.

For my second selection, I chose with my love of color and cute factor. First up we have Cosmo Cricket's Holly Jolly. Who could NOT love this cute sweet line. I fell in love with it when I took their Winter minibook class here in MN, at the ScrapBook Shop of St. Paul in September, and I knew that I would be including this in my card making mania that I get into every Christmas. I love the cute whimsical patterns and then the song paper is something that I love for any card.

Every year, when I get started Christmas cards, I get stuck (on) making them and I have to break the cycle with a layout or two but I just love making them and sending them out....so worth the time and energy to do it! So tomorrow, I wanted to talk about cardmaking on a budget. Love and hugs! Lara

Day 1--Cards

Ok everyone, I am trying to challenge myself to blogging more so I am going to try and do it 4 times this week, if possible/if not more. So here goes.

So my obsession lately is cards. I recently started entering a card swap at my local LSS and it has gotten me into making cards, assembly line style, so that I can share with the others that join in the swap. It has boosted my talent for finding a design that I have enough supplies for, as well as a card that I can easily assemble more than one at a time. It seems hard sometimes, but I have found that I use more scraps, from the same paper and that I will use what I cut up.

I also find that I am using my punches more and that alone, is nice for me, since I bought these things and there is no sense in having them sit on the shelf. My favorites right now are the scallop one from Stampin' Up and the Upper Crest from Fiskars. I am also using my Slice more and more. I mean, who has enough of the same (or similar) journaling spots? I got rid of my circle and square punches at a LSS garage sale, so I am using the slice for that too. The nice thing about the Slice is that it makes designs in 1/2 inch increments, which makes for easy layering/matting of objects that I want to emphasize.


Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket; rickrack: FancyPants; Button: American Crafts; Cardstock: Die Cuts With a View.


Patterned paper: K and Company, Foof-a-la; Journaling spot: K and Company; Stamps: Stampin' Up; Ribbon: craft supply; Gel Pens: Target; Ink: Stampin' Up.

So here I am on a card making binge. Tomorrow I will show you why I get stuck making cards. Once I start Christmas cards,(and I HAVE started them) I cannot stop. See you then. Love and Hugs! Lara