Mojo 217–SIC 117, my FIRST craft fair and a FREEBIE for YOU!

Where has the time gone?  Seems like yesterday I posted last but it has been a week or so.

In between then and now I took part in a local craft fair for the first time in my life.  It was a very positive experience for me, on the whole. The only glitch was arriving to find the spot I’d paid for and reserved was taken!  The merchant had set up the entire table with their wares – jams, jellies and whatnot.  It was FULL. 

I mean, how could I be ok with Mr and Mrs Santa if I’d been a grinchy grouch?

The confusion was not on the part of the organizers and as I had only needed the electric for a set of mini lights on my display, and being it was Sunday morning I decided to make things as easy as possible for everyone.  I said I’d go “wherever” – which in the end wound up being the perfect place to be. 
I’m “doing” another fair this weekend beside my lil buddy Mel O – her very first ever sale too.  She’s going to sell her beautiful beeswax candles (mmmm, can smell them now) and also some crocheted “Travel Angels” her Mom made too.  I’ll post about that later. 

On to my card for this week which is covering for two card challenges. 
Mojo Monday 217

Stampin’ Sisters in Christ Challenge 1:17 Matthew 6:25-34

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34 ".... Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?...."


Challenge:  Make a card/project that features a bird, such as in the patterned paper, a stamped image, a charm, etc.


Here is my take on these two challenges (combined) which I am doing along with my Sister in Law Judy.

I did some recycling with this card – the two sweet birds came from a used greeting card (a woman at our local thrift saves them for me) I matched it with coordinating paper in colors which complemented the graphic.  The stamp is a little Studio G. 

The square button – well, thats my very own design, and I’m going to leave you a link here to download either the png files or the .studio files so you can cut your own 2 layered square edged buttons!

 

Just click on the graphic to download the files – these files will also be added into both the “Tabs” at the top of my blog under “free PNG carding templates” and also “free Silhouette .studio files” – always FREE, always available.  Please use these for your personal use (unless you consult with me – I’m pretty easy going) and don’t share my links but have your friends come pick them up for themselves. 

Happy creating!

Happy Thanksgiving Neighbours, First ‘sewn’ Card and more FREEBIES added to the “Vault”

Firstly Happy Thanksgiving to my neighbours to the south (only 10 minutes to the south, but still…)  May your Turkeys be plump and moist, crispy on the outside or if you are Vegetarian or Vegan my your tofu be the same.  May your holiday be a time of connecting with family and a good rest.  We truly have so much to be thank you for.  I think having our Thanksgiving ahead and then your USA one causes me to think twice as hard about our blessings. 

I have been crafting like MAD in prep for my first ever craft fairs – I’m probably doing twice as much work as needed because I don’t know any better.  I’ve got my display figured out etc – but would welcome any wisdom from YOU if you have done this before? 

So I am making cards like crazy – and my dear friend Rose loaned me a sewing machine because the one I had was defective – I had many spats with it, it being the victor.  So, first thing I tried yesterday was to come up with my own “sewn” greeting. 

 

 

Whenever I make a cut with my Silhouette SD and there might be some wasted paper space around the object I’m cutting, I will toss a few heart, circle or other shapes in beside to make good use of the paper.  (specially when its exclusive designer paper)  I had all these sweet paper flowers to use up so I went wild with the straight stitch and sewed them onto this square format card.  I love this “quilted look” paper for the background to show up all the pretty patterns on the blossoms.  I embellished the centers with small pearls, alternating them between sizes.  I printed the sentiment in Word and then added a bit of gelly roller to soften it.  I thought this card could be for either a sympathy or to genuinely say … Sorry! 

On another note, I’ve added three more files to the Freebies Vault (tab top – scroll waayyyy down, the Christmas items are all at the bottom)   – these being a cute Santa hat and two versions of a Festive Ornament.  Enjoy!

Mojo 216 and Stampin' Sisters in Christ 116

Our first big snowfall all melted away today.  Very gloomy outside.  Windy.  I notice the wind comes up the lake from the south in the winter - its almost always opposite during the summer.  Never mind, I am all cuddled up inside and crafting and it can storm out there all it wants, nothings going to pry me out of my little crafting comfort corner. 

The other not so fun thing that happened this week was our phone line and internet biting the dust for a day.  I thought it was due to a power bump but it was actually due to...

 

SHREDDIE!

Mmmm hmmm - sure he's eating something nice and innocent here but apparently he and his buddies have an especial appetite for power lines!  And so he's been nibbling away at ours to the point we now have to have a loooong line replaced. 

It was very funny - the telephone tech was just asking if we had squirrels when we heard this very angry "chi chi CHI!!!" and Shreddie took one look at the tech and scrammed.  Why Shreddie you ask?  Well thats because his side-dish used to be my patio furniture, the material parts.  It sounds like there's not much one can do for these pesky little critters, specially when we have bird feeders out.  I have a feeling this costs the telephone and cable companies a pretty penny.  

Ok, so on to cards. 

I'm doing this weeks Stampin' Sisters in Christ number 116 - Job 13:15 with my sister in law Judy.  

Challenge:  Make a card of praise using music, stamp, or design paper, or just the word "praise."

Here is my version of this challenge:

Background dp:  Dragonfly Duet by Graphic 45

Stamp - Wooden, no branding on it. 

I cut the image on my Silhouette SD 

Mojo Monday # 216

 

 

I turned this design on its side for my card.  I had a request come in for me to create a sympathy card.  The person who died was involved with diamonds in their business - and this card is going to his widow and family.  I decided to create a "giving" card.  A "giving" card for me is one when I know it will not be mailed, so I can make it as big and fat and extravagant as I want to.  I have people donate their discarded jewellery bits - broken necklaces, earrings etc - and these make fabulous additions to some cards. 

 

 

I figure the diamond says it all - I included the following poem inside - which you can find HERE along with a beautiful little movie.  I thought the diamond glints on snow part was appropriate. 

Do YOU have a favourite poem or sentiment or site for these which you can share with me? 

Thanks so much for visiting me today!

Stampin’ Sisters in Christ #115, a Funny Video and a FREE Clown element/cut file

Brrrr – while my good friend KimB cooks in the heat over in South Africa, having probably to deal with sweat threat to her computer and overheating, here sit I on this continent oh so far away and I’ve got shivering timbers for fingers… they don’t move very swift I’m telling ya! 

Good thing the pink ladies were picked last week for just when they were being loaded up to be taken  for processing… 

So we have had our “first snow” though it has not stayed other than in patchy areas.  Can I choose to rewind the seasons just for a bit?  Hehe, I could be happy with winter coming just a bit more on the December side. 

On to the card – I am taking up this carding challenge with my sister in law Judy. 

Stamping Sisters in Christ Challenge:  Create a card or project that depicts gratitude...it can be an image of something you are grateful for, a scripture that evokes your gratitude, or it can be a card made especially for a person you would like to thank this time of year!

Here is my take on this theme:

I do not know which designer paper this is.  I simply took the flower image already present and outlined the edges with brown felts and some glittery gold.  I added three gems into the center.  Now the tag – that’s interesting! 


I stamped the “I’m thankful for you!” from a wooden stamp.  It was actually a stamp which had flowers on it too, but I simply colored the words using color brushers.  Then I cut it in a rectangular shape and nipped the corners.  I squeezed Glossy Accents in a squggly line over the sentiment and let that dry.  I punched a tiny hole in it and threaded a ring, chain and charm (all salvaged from discarded earrings, necklaces etc)  I finished it off with the sheer ribbon in a nice rich brown. 

I always listen to music when I’m carding, it makes it fun.  My sister Nina has been putting country music in my ear – I like country but for sure its not the first thing I turn the dial to.  However, this said, I have to share the following video with you which keeps me in stitches:

And finally, I made a sweet Clown element – I’ve provided it in full PSD, in all png parts and also in .studio for Silhouette SD users.  Here’s a card I made using it:

YOU can decide whether you would like to use the plain “circle” eyes included or if you are a Silhouette SD user you may opt to use the little buttons I “stole” from my last Gingerbread Man cut and copied in here.  As you can see i used the teensy buttons and added some crochet thread in red.  I found it was helpful to use a tiny bit of double sided tape to stick the buttons down onto a stick (popsicle stick or stir stick for coffee) to anchor it while you try to tie a teensy tiny little knot.  

I added some creative shading to some of the “ruffle” and the hat.  Have fun, puh-leeeze show me what you make?  I’d love to share here.  This file is for personal use projects (unless you ask me for permission) and please have your friends come download directly from my blog – a comment would probably knock me over…

Click on preview to download!

Mojo Card 215

Monday = Family = craft time!  (Nina, Judy, Samantha & Valinda)

Today's Mojo #215 challenge:

 

I think I pulled it off - leafless though these are (thought that would be too busy)

Random designer paper.  Wooden stamp - Stampin' Up 2005.  Flowers cut on my Silhouette SD.

I did a bit of organizing this a.m. as was expecting a guest and came across these little snaps and they made the ideal centers for the blossoms! 

What odd little item have YOU used on your creative project lately?

Noel Card

This is a second post for me today – just loved how this card turned out and wanted to share!  I’m not posting it for any challenge, just for the fun of it. 

I’m very sorry I do not know the name of this designer paper.  It is quite subdued and I was not sure how I would use it.  I created my own cut which is the face of the card with the lettering cut out – I then took the letters, embossed them with Versamark Dazzle and clear embossing powder and heated it.  I cut the star out using my Silhouette Sd – the star is more to an orangey gold than shows here.  I repeated the star in a smaller format in a dark brown and added a random star stickon element in the center. 

I clicked a second photo to show you how I enhanced baby Jesus with my latest favorite toy – a shimmery Gelly Roll.

Thanks for visiting!

November 11th

Do YOU wear a poppy? 

Let’s talk…

Let's visit THIS site today - so we never forget!

Sisters in Christ 114 Card and … Baking Bacon

I’m taking this challenge with my sister in law Judy today.

Peggysue Turner chose this week’s scripture:

Scripture: Genesis 3:6 “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”

Why not visit the Sisters in Christ blog site to explore the follow up to the scripture and read why today’s challenge to us is:

Challenge:  Dig in your stash and use one of your oldest stamp sets, one that hasn't seen any use for a long while.

 

I dug into my Christmas supplies and found this stamp.   I don’t believe I’ve even used this stamp yet – it was a gift to me when I first started making cards.  I stamped  with a versamark watermark stamp and then I embossed it with black powder and then I baked it with the heat gun.  I also used some inkadinkadoo chalk on the layer underneath, to reflect some red onto it and break it up from being “blocky”.

 

Speaking of baking, I made delicious “wraps” tonight and they were filled with blackened peppers, cheese, fresh basil and rosemary, olives and crispy crispy bacon.  I love bacon and I love it crispy but I don’t love cooking it.  I dislike having to stand over the frying pan and have the aroma waft up and nest in my hair making me smell like a stack of bacon.  I don’t care to get slatted on with hot little nips.  So I’ve experimented with many methods to simplify the method and get freed up from hovering.  Here’s what I do – I take a large baking pan (could be a cookie sheet) and I line it with foil.  Then I fold about 2 sheets of newspaper and lay that down.  I actually sprinkle it with a little water (don’t want a bacon fire in the oven!)  Next, I invert two little ramekins on the newspaper.  Then I place a rack over them so that the bacon will be suspended above. 

I lay the bacon in strips (I cut the package in half first) and lay them on the rack.  I bake them in the oven at a slow temperature, somewhere between 325 and 350 and bake it until its perfectly brown and crispy. 

Clean-up is a breeze, just wash the rack and ramekins, roll the rest up and toss it away. 

Do you have a favourite and easy way to cook bacon?

Mojo 214 card, A Christmas Bells card and a FREE elment/cut for YOU!

 

This picture means nothing to you.  It was taken with my iphone and I did not have a steady hand, so I’ll explain.  It says I ran for one hour at “7” pace and made it 6.8 miles.  Now to some of you this will be ho-humm but for me its actually pretty amazing.  I was just going back through my blog and realize that way back in May of 2009 I began to have some problems with my feet.  (and my knees “crunch”)   Me, who loves to run.  Doesn’t like to run, but loves it.  My Mr and I have even run a few marathons.  Some of my very fondest memories are our late night runs (we live in a small community which rolls its pavement at night and its all quiet)  So, to lose the ability to comfortably run was a blow. 

And I thought my running days were over.

I did get a pair of inserts from the doctor and they did help quite a bit, but in the last little while, though I’m not saying I never have any pain at all – I can now run, comfortably at a good clip for an hour.  Woo!  Now my legs feel like elastics stretched tight hehe! 

So that's my  testimony for today! I’d love to hear how the Lord has allowed a healing in your life?

Random pretty blog post photo:

My Mr is used to hearing reports of me laying on the ground with my camera and sneaking pictures from a “bug’s view”  - soooo pretty last week.

It’s Mojo Monday.  I follow along with my sister Nina, sister in law Judy and my niece Samantha, and our special friend Valinda who I include in our circle -  family time!  

 

Julee (wagging my finger at you) this was a real effort for me first thing on a Monday morning.  Don’t you know I can’t hardly see through half shut lids or find my mouth with my coffee mug?  It is a lovely sketch, but quite busy.  It kept me hopping but I finally worked it out (after making, tearing down, reassemble – hmmmmmmmmmmmmm stick,paste, shift)  Yup, I managed.

I used various random designer papers and scraps.  I printed the sentiment and cut with my Silhouette sd.  The leaves are my own cuts.  I used a cut of ivory lace behind the sentiment. 

And then I created a new FREE cut and built a card to test it:

I love the idea of recycling so I cut these bells out of a Ghirardelli chocolates bag – the foil bits on the side of the package.  The (messy) embossed stamp is from a random wooden stamp, no ID on it.  The background paper is Websters Pages “your beautiful life”  I frizzled a green sheer ribbon with my heat emboss gun – gives it a shabby/vintage look which makes perhaps a few dots of stray embossing seem intentional… well sort of hay?

So I made this bell design for YOU.  It’s a back layer, a top layer (hole where the ringer goes) and then the ringer itself. 

I’ve provided it every which way ( I added in SVG after I made the preview) –  and I’m warning you, the svg’s are BIG – I did not know how to scale it down in inkscape, so you may have to do that yourself, sorry.   Please show and tell with me so I can share what YOU make with this element/cut file!  Just click on the graphic below to be taken to the download site.  I will also post this to the TABS up top for free download anytime in the future should you ever lose it!  Please don’t share the direct link with friends, have them come download it themselves. 

Happy Birthday Little Sister–and a Free Festive Cut file for Silhouette SD

Happy Birthday Nina

 

That’s you on the left,

And me on the right,

The summer day was perfect,

The sun shiny and bright,

Our time together was quicksilver,

The days flashed by in such haste,

Time of sisterhood – easy and free,

In my heart I can still taste,

The sweet time we shared.

 

I could go on and on here Sis, but you’re not the sort who goes for that.  So I’ll make it simple here and just tell you that you’re my LITTLE sister, but you’re 10 feet tall in my eyes.  I love you!   I hope you have a fabulous birthday.

 

Here’s another feathered visitor in our neighbourhood these days.  I believe it is a woodpecker of some sort – there are many of these about as well as Flickers.  Just thought I’d share!

Speaking of sharing, I’d like to share a cut file with YOU today – in celebration of my sister’s birthday.  Sad thing is I’m not sure if her machine will cut this   Still waiting on my vector software – my sweet husband is working on that! 

 

Nina loves buttons, so I created this Gingerbread Man and I was sure to design some teensy tiny buttons for him.  I’m pretty tickled with how he turned out.   I zipped up a folder containing all the pieces you need to make this delicious little feller.  I left him whole in one file, then broke down the separate pieces – body,  icing, buttons, bowtie, smile and eyes (though for my GB Man I used two golden gems)   I cut the buttons out of yellow cardstock and then I painted them with some glittery gold nail polish.  The background paper is October Afternoon’s “Very Merry Bake the Cookies”.

Enjoy – I’d love to see YOUR Gingerbread Man! 

Click on the graphic below to go to the download for Mr GB Man

A New Card Design, Hurting Bird and a Free (studio) Cutting File!

Dinner is in the oven, the fragrance of oven roasted potatoes tossed with Olive Oil and rosemary.  Accompanying these are 6 delicious looking wild rice, red pepper and pepper jack cheese stuffed tomatoes.   I say look delicious because its a new recipe I'm trying out and I won't actually know how good they are in the mouth until they get tasted.  I'll let you know if they turned out.  We have a dinner guest so I'm hoping they are ok.  I don't think my sister Nina would do that to a guest.  My way of thinking is we could always order out if it is terrible (running my finger down the take-out restaurants in the Yellow Pages section of the phone book...) 

A funny aside.  I had prepped the tomatoes ahead - in fact dinner is cooking itself at the moment, it was just a matter of putting it in the oven (don't you love that?)  So, I had clear plastic wrap atop the tomatoes.  Really really clear wrap... which, in my haste and eagerness went into the oven with the dish.  Thankfully I realized after just two minutes and though it had shrinkled a bit it had not stuck to anything - no damage done.

Have you experienced a mishap like this before company came acalling?

I'm going to jump into my bird tale.  I was working in the cocoon I call my craft area downstairs when I heard a good solid thud and I knew exactly what had happened. 

We have many California Quail here.  They are so comical to watch.  They are frightened very easily and they are extremely vocal at those times.  They cluck like little old women and flap about as if some catastrophe befell them.  When they are happy and not worried they sit and call "po-tay-toe, po-tay-toe!"  They are about the size of a children's toy football but when they walk through the underbrush they generate enough noise one could think a large animal was on the loose.

Sometimes they are frightened by larger birds of prey and when this happens they get in a kafuffle and fly off in every direction – sometimes right into our large front room window.  And this was the case today. 

Poor bird was really in shock – could not move much and it’s breathing was rapid and irregular.  I picked it up and brought it indoors and placed it on a soft clean towel.  I didn’t want to leave it out on the lawn to be plucked off by whatever predator scared it in the first place. 

After 1/2 hour of letting it rest it rallied and I was able to release it back outdoors. 

And its time to share my latest card.  I created it without a sketch or challenge – I just wanted to use a cutting file which I created for YOU – to demonstrate what it would look like in a project.  I am sorry I don’t have my vector program up and running yet, so available just in .studio format, suitable for Silhouette SD or Cameo.

I believe the base paper is a BoBunny – a gift of love.  The golden backdrop behind my holly and berries cuts is actually some gold packaging a friend gave me which was part of a box of chocolates! 

I created the holly leaves in two sections – a whole leaf and then a half.  There are two leaves, one narrower than the other.  There are three berries, one with a hole. I used a solid cardstock for the full leaves and then cut the 1/2’s out of patterned paper.  I inked the edges with a brown studio G.  I stamped added Glossy Accents to the berries to bring them to life.

And so I’m leaving the cut files for you – just click the preview to be taken to the download site.  I use Ge.tt because I love its pretty straightforward and best of all no ads!  I’ve provided the files in a zipped folder.  I’m giving you the elements seperate and then one with all three on the same page.  I’m not sure what is the easiest for you – I’d love your feedback.  I will post this cut in the permanent  TAB at the top of my blog.  Always free! (ps, I’d love to see what you make with my cuts!)

personal use

Just Horsin’ around, Little Critter Nibblin’ and a FREE Festive Silhouette Cut!

I had someone request a “horse themed” birthday card so I put my thinking cap on and came up with a couple.  I’m only going to post one here, the best one. 

 

I found this free SVG cut at SVGCuts – its was a free cut from a while ago, direct link for that particular download by clicking HERE.   I don’t know if you can see it real well, but I used a Kimberley Polson flourish stamp on the horse and then I embossed with clear embossing powder.  It says “It’s Your Birthday – Celebrate!” inside.

 

I love the “rope” – some fine wool my friend Marie gave me, she spun it herself from their alpaca! The word art i cut on my Silhouette SD using the “Western” font which I downloaded from dafont. 

 

On another subject, this morning there were all sorts of critters running about – must have been because it was an absolutely lovely day.  The sort of day we had about three weeks ago and I said would probably be the last before winter hits.  Ha, what do I know?  I took all sorts of photos today but I am going to ration them out over my next blog posts. Here’s the first two:

 

I’ve noticed this mushroom a few times – the other day when I cleaned every single window in the house and then again earlier today.  I wondered what was eating this and guessed perhaps the birds…

 

 

But here’s the little culprit!  I snuck a shot through the slats of the blinds so as not to disturb his little feast.  Better he eats this than my patio furniture which was his meal preference last year, thus earning himself the name “Shreddie”

Lastly but not leastly, I am posting a free cut file here for YOU, should you have a Silhouette SD or (and I’m green with envy if you do have…) the new Silhouette Cameo.  Now this file is “as is” … I’m still learning.  I did make a wonderful card using this cut but wouldn’t you know that I gave it away without taking a photo!  I’d done the plug ends in gold embossing and the bulbs in bright cardstock and embossed with glassy!  And, I’m so sorry but my computer DIED and took all my regular programs with it and so I don’t have a way to make this into an SVG.  When I get my Illustrator back I’ll make it up to you!   Just click the graphic to be taken to the download – and I’ll also host it in the “FREE Silhouette .studio files” tab at the top of my blog.  Have fun … and if you make something cool, won’t you share it with me and I’ll make you famous here?