This Week is G-O-N-E!

Hello Everyone,
I am so excited with all the items I completed over this holiday. But I am so sad, that it is almost OVER. I do have a few more cards to post. I cleaned up my deshelved craft room, and I have one more order coming from Dick Blick. I did...I ordered a few more copic markers. It was a dire necessity! I do not have the proper colors I need to complete my Christmas cards! (My husband did not understand it either) Enough chatter, onto the creation!

WOW, you can really see the sparkle in the embossing powder I used in this photo. SO cool! I have been taking my photos outside for the last few pictures, and I am very happy with the results. It seems like all my indoor photos are dark and blurry lately.

I dug out my four (yes, only four) cricut cartridges and looked for anything holiday related. I use my computer with SCAL2.  I found this word "JOY". I cut it out in two different sizes about 12 times in black and my snowflake paper. I glued 4 together for each one to give them some depth. They look great!

Then I used my MOTIVET stamp called "Three Ornaments" and raised them up with glue dots after I colored them with copics, and glittery embossing powder. I am so pleased with the look. Clean and simple.

I went online to check out the MOTIVET company, and I fear they are not doing so well. They are no longer traveling to craft conventions, and their website is in neglect. :(. I really enjoyed their booth at the last stampfest I went to.

Stay tuned, I have more to come!

Christmas and my Dependable Cricut!

Hello Everyone,
I am having a great time fooling around in my craft room. I have created  handful of cards I would like to share with you.
Duo Set: Christmas Trees: I purchased a paper stack that had this wonderful shiny striped paper in it. I popped it into my Cricut, and chose the basic shapes from sure cuts a lot 2. I love them!

Same paper, I used stars for a more masculine look. My husband said he liked this one. 

Who says that Christmas cards must be red and green, huh? I couldn't resist this adorable tree. Its from Katie & Co. for Studio G - 2010. I know you can't see the sparkle black embossing powder I used for the trees, but It looks fabulous in the sunlight!

Paper Crafting: Frugal Coupon Organizer

Good Morning!
     I am up bright and early this morning to share with you a project I just completed. I was in need of a coupon organizer that held all my LONG coupons, and was easy to hang on to. (I misplaced my last one) So, I scoured the internet for ideas. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for. So......and came up with my own. (like I so often do)
     This is what you will need if you want to duplicate my idea. Feel free. Isn't that what blogging is all about?
You will need:

• 5 -7 heavy duty sheet protectors
• 5-7 pieces of 8.5 by 11 cardstock (any color will do)
• A sewing machine (I chose a fancy leaf stitch) and any color thread you wish.
• A ruler or straight-edge
• A razor blade, or a exacto-knife or something similar
• A three hole punch
• A three hold punch folder/binder of your choice
• A label maker

      I cut open the page protector on the left-hand side and slid in the cardstock. Then I measured my sheet into thirds. I stitched all the way down the left side, and across the sheet, from edge to edge including the top. This picture shows the fancy leaf stitch as well as the straight stitch across the top. I had trouble hole punching it, so I ended up discarding this sheet and creating another one. You can use any stitch you want and make one, two or three pockets if you wish.

     After all the sewing is finished, I took my ruler and exacto-knife and slit a line just BELOW each stitch to form an opening. Stopping at the left stitch and just short of the right edge. (The stitches form the bottom of the pocket above) Then, if you wish you can flip the page over on the back, and you have three more pockets on the back. (if your stitches aren't too ugly to look at) CAREFULLY hole-punch the page and place it into a folder or binder.

     I created 4 pages, which gave me 24 pockets. Here are the categories I used. (This I thought was the more difficult part to decide on). These categories may not fit your needs perfectly, but I do know that EVERY coupon will fit in a category in this list. So re-arrange and make it your own.  You can make as many pockets as you need:

1. Baking/Spices/Condiments
2. Bath/Skin/Baby
3. Beauty/Cosmetic/Hair
4. Beverages/Alcohol
5. Boxed/Canned
6. Breakfast/Bars
7. Cakes/Candy/Popcorn
8. Cookies/Crackers/Snacks
9. Dairy/Produce/Salad/Bakery
10. Frozen – Meals/Others
11. Frozen – Sides/Desserts
12. Household Cleaners/Air Fresheners
13. Laundry/Cleaning/Dishes
14. Meat/Seafood/Lunch Meats
15. Medical/Medicine/Feminine
16. Miscellaneous
17. Non-food Items
18. Paper/Plastic
19. Pasta/Sauces
20. Peanut Butter/Jams & Jelly
21. Pet Supplies
22. Others
23. Restaurant Coupons

     Now mind you, I am currently couponing for a family of three. I only keep the coupons I will use. This project does not provide you with HUGE pockets that hold large stacks of coupons. I would estimate each pocket will hold 10-20 coupons each. If you need more room you could break down the categories further. Hope this was helpful. If you can, leave me a message, I would LOVE to know if you used it!

Christmas Card Duo!

Hello Everyone,
I am so excited to have a week off of teaching, and getting back into my creative mood! I unpacked my Christmas crate full of Christmas stamps, festive papers, embellishments and left over ideas from last year. I got right to work on these two cute cards!

This snowman is adorable, isn't he? He is a digital image I purchased from C.C. Designs last year. I never found time last year to enjoy him, so I pulled out my copic markers and had fun with the light bulbs.  I also purchased a pack of winter paper called "The Artic Wishes Stack" from DCWV company. The entire stack has these blues in it, so everything coordinates with everything! I added the fiber and the elegant eggplant border. I almost forgot ....love the puffy hat? I used white liquid applique for the 3D effect!

It was this adorable reindeer that led me to make my purchase at C.C. Designs. He is another digital image. Unfortunately, I don't own the right copic marker colors to finish him in the browns. So I pulled out my colored markers. Sadly, he just doesn't "POP" like the snowman does. (I think a copics order is in the near future) But I still love him. 

 Here are both cards together. Just can't go wrong with these images. Stay tuned, there is more to come!

Happy Thanksgiving Break!

Hello everyone,
Teaching has taken all my time so far this year. I so enjoyed building my blog this past summer, that I wanted to continue it throughout the year. I simply cannot do both. I feel SO guilty for not posting to my blog occasionally, and keeping it up, but my paycheck does come first, and my obsession must come after that.

Anyway, I am on my official Thanksgiving break for a FULL week! I do have a lesson I have to pull together before the week is over, but I would like to start creating my Christmas cards and posting them. I have been scouring the net for ideas and inspiration! I am (for now) totally in love with Simon Says stamps. (I know, it was Penny Black before that, and Hero Arts before that) But I like how my interests and focus changes and refreshes and repeats. I really like the clean and simple look with lots of white space. I didn't before - but I do now.  :) huh, interesting...

I also recently placed an order from a site I found. I had to try it out: cutathome.com. When you sign up for their VIP e-mails, they mail you coupon codes.  I purchased two Spellbinder dies at a fraction of the cost using their 50% off coupon code! I went to Amazon, and the two spellbinder dies I wanted came to $60.00. I came to cutathome.com and my order with shipping was half that! My purchases are on their way! Hopefully they will arrive this week, so I can post them!

In addition, I found the time to make a coupon storage binder using my sewing machine, (NO - I don't sew), scrapbook paper and... page protectors. I want to take pictures and place that up here too, even though it isn't a duo and not even card making! But it is paper crafting and very creative if I do say so myself.

Let me wrap up this picture less post, and get busy, so I can post my creations! Bye for now.