From the Scrapyard

Happy, happy birthday!

2012-02-13T04:17:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law turned 19 this past weekend...whaaaat?!?
When I started dating Pete she was only 8 and we used to
write pen-pal letters to each other and play Barbies.
Now she's in her first year of university, living away from
home and all 'growed-up'. {insert little sob here}
Actually, she couldn't be any more awesome and it's been
such a delight watching her become who she is today.
So, to celebrate this momentous occasion, a lovely card
for an even lovelier sister was in order.

Here's what I came up with:

I ended up making a 6x6 card (something BIG for the

big occasion) but I had a hard time figuring out how
to arrange all the elements on it. I guess I need to
stretch myself out of my 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 comfort zone
a bit more :) I started with the Basic Gray patterned
paper and pulled the colours from it for stamping the
Happy Birthday sentiment. The white space in between
seemed kind of bare, so I used my scoring board to add
some lines. I like the texture and detail they added without
making the front too 'busy', y'know?

Lastly, I made this flower and attached it to the front with
a little bit of twine. I really wanted to attach it with a jumbo
paperclip, so she could take it off and use it as a bookmark
or something, but I didn't have any so I guess I'll just have
to tuck that idea away for later. Other than the wonky
layout, I like how fun and cheery this card is. And sister
loved it, so that's all that really matters ;)

Supplies:
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake (SU!), Green at Heart (BG)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango (SU!)
Stamp: Happiest Birthday Wishes (SU!)
Other: Flower layers die (Sizzix), button (BG), twine (SU!), scoring board (Martha Stewart)

Well, hello!!

2012-02-04T04:03:00.001-08:00

It's been a little while since I've last posted here...
Lately, a certain fellow stamper has been nagging me
unmercifully, I mean kindly urging me ;) , to get my butt in
gear and share what I've been up to again.
So here's two cards from last week. I used the same papers
and colour scheme for both and, while I'm not sure they're
my style so much, I'm still happy with how they turned out
because I know the people they were made for will enjoy them.

Card #1:

Card #2

Supplies
Paper: Crumb Cake, Almost Amethyst, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Barely Banana (SU!) and
Sugar Rush dsp (Basic Gray)
Stamps: Wings of Friendship (SU!), Distressed Dots background, Scripture (Unity), Year of
Flowers: Sweetpeas (PTI)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink (SU!), Versamark,
Old Paper Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
Other: clear embossing powder (Ranger), adhesive backed pearls and rhinestones (Kaiser),
Organic Flourishes embossing border (Cuttlebug), button and string from my stash

Hope you're happy, Marn.
I mean,
Thanks for visiting!!
;)

The Long & Short of it

2011-08-03T12:14:00.001-07:00

I'm joining the crew over at CAS-ual Fridays
again this week. They have been hosting the best
and most unique challenges. This month's challenge,
The Long & Short of it
was to create a tall, skinny card (or a short, fat
card depending how you go about it!). I can honestly
say that I've never even thought to create a card
with these dimensions...not sure what that says about
my creative genius (or obvious lack thereof!) Ha!
Anyways, enough chit chat. Here's what I came up with:

Crazy, eh? Who would've thunk?
I'm super happy about the way it turned out.
I think the tallness of the card just stretches
the happy factor to epic proportions :)

Here's a little close-up of the flower:

I knew I wanted something a little extra-
special because of all the white space (well,
green space, if you're going to be technical)
of the card and I think the embroidered
flower adds just the perfect amount of snazzy.

I'm loving these challenges and seeing what all
the girls come up with. Lots of crazy inspiration!
Thanks for stopping by :)

The Nitty-Gritty Details:
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Melon Mambo, Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Rich Razzleberry (SU!)
Stamps: flower (Material Girl - CC & Unity), sentiment (Unity - April KOM),
lazy daisy stitch stamp (Messy stitches - Autumn Leaves)
Other: white embossing powder, embroidery floss, sewing machine

Christmas in July?

2011-07-23T04:14:00.000-07:00

This month's HCCC was a doozy! I was totally stumped on this
challengebecause it was so out-of-the-box. I mean, really,
a colour combination of orange, yellow and green for a
Christmas card? I sat down a couple times pulling cardstock
and looking at stamp sets hoping something would come
to me, but each time I was completely stumped.
That is until I made this card.
As I typed the words "I have a feeling more of these
patchwork-y cards will be in my future...
so much fun mixing patterns and colours!" I finally had
my 'Aha!' moment and here's what I created:

I pulled some patterned papers - a Cosmo Cricket Holly Jolly,
Basic Grey Nook and Pantry and Basic Grey Sugar Rush
(I thought the flowers looked kind of poinsettia-ish)
- and just followed the same layout as the previous
card I had made. And, while I'm happy with how it ended up...

...I'm pretty sure these won't be our Christmas cards this year :)

So good to be pushed out of my comfort zone though.
Thanks for getting us to think out-of-the-box, Marnie, and
creating what may have been the most challenging challenge yet!

I'm going to have to think up something epic for August...

A Wedding Card

2011-07-17T04:25:00.000-07:00

I'd recently seen a challenge about creating a card that coordinates the the theme colours of a wedding. So when we received an invite for a wedding this past weekend, I thought it would be fun to make their card with their wedding colours. The only problem was their colours were black and yellow. How does one create an elegant wedding card using black and bright yellow? Without the card looking like a bumblebee? I was quite stumped, until I saw this card.
I figured if I could find some cute patterned paper, I could put together a little patchwork that would be fun, but still classy enough for the wedding. Next problem was, I only had one sheet of patterned paper that was yellow, none that were black...and that's when the inspiration hit me and all of a sudden I knew this was gonna be a great card. Using some background stamps I created my own patterned paper and came up with this lovely:

A little close-up of the flower:

I'm SO happy with how it turned out! Bright and fun, like the bride
and groom, but not too cutesy that it's not appropriate for a wedding.

I have a feeling more of these patchwork-y cards will be in my future...
so much fun mixing patterns and colours!

Thanks for visiting :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Wishing You (Verve), Musical notes (Unity), Text (Hero Arts)
Paper: Doily Print (Basic Grey), Basic Black, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight (SU!)
Ink: Basic Black, Daffodil Delight (SU!), Old Paper Distress Ink (Ranger)
Other: Clear embossing powder (HA), flower die (SU!), twine (PTI), button (BG)

A Perfect Challenge!

2011-07-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

I came across a new challenge blog this week and it was the

perfect inspiration I needed for a special card.

Our friend lives in a city apartment with his Airedale Terrier
and made the difficult decision to give him a new home
where he can run and play outside all day. I can't imagine
how hard that choice was...and how lonely his apartment
will be without his best furry friend. We're all going to miss
him so much! I wanted to send him a card to let him know
we're thinking of him during this tough time and that we
will always cherish the special visits we shared with him.
So, without further amounts of sob story, here's the card:

This week's challenge was 'Krafts-men':
a clean and simple card for a guy, using kraft cardstock.
I started with a kraft base which I embossed with
a Tim Holtz impression plate. I rubbed distress ink
all over the impression plate before I ran it through
my Cuttlebug and it gave it a great weathered look.
Another layer of kraft with a torn piece of Riding
Hood Red cardstock to border it and then wrapped
it in twine and frayed the edges. I finished the panel
with four brushed copper eyelets.

To finish it, I stamped a retired SU! sentiment on Very Vanilla
cardstock with Riding Hood Red ink and heat embossed it
with clear embossing powder. I love the way it makes the
words really stand out. Lastly, I heavily distressed all the
edges and adhered it with some pop-dots.

I'm so happy with the way it turned out! I wasn't sure
what kind of card to create for the situation, but hopefully
this will send a special warm-fuzzy to our friend...
in a very manly way, of course!

Thanks, CAS-ual Fridays for the inspiration!

For the boys

2011-06-29T04:55:00.000-07:00

Between Grandpa and Dad's birthdays and Father's
Day, I had a whole bunch of man cards to make.
I wasn't feeling particularly inspired at the time
so I used layouts from some other manly "man
cards" to get my mojo flowing.

The first card was for Grandpa's birthday. I used
the gift bag on page 62 of the May/June PaperCrafts
to start me off and this is what I camp up with:
I used some old SU! papers from my stash
and a sentiment from Verve. My trusty
Spellbinders dies for the label shape and this
card came together licky-tee-split!
Love it!! And I think this is such a versatile
sketch to work with. I can totally see making
this in fun, bright colours for a child's birthday.

Next up were some Father's Day cards and
Dad's birthday card. Both of these cards were
inspired by ones in the SU! Summer Mini
catalogue, just switched up the stamps and
papers and a few little details.

I especially love how this card turned out!!

It was fun tying in lots of details and textures without
getting overly frilly or bling-y.

After making these cards, I feel a lot more excited about
creating cards for guys. I was glad for the inspiration
I could use to, not only make the whole process a lot
quicker, but to learn some great techniques for 'dressing
up' cards for the men in my life :)
And a special thanks to this gal for lending me SU!'s
Countryside stamp set. I would've never got this set on
my own, but I've used it SO much in the past few weeks,
I just might have to add it to my "Buy Immediately" list :)
It's a crazy versatile set and I'm finding I'm using it for
everything. Thanks, Marn!

June's HCCC

2011-06-28T04:24:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to share this month's challenge

card. It turned out a lot different than I had envisioned
in my head...but I think that's okay
because I really like it!

My 'borrowed' item was the plastic from this tomato
container. I used it to cut out some butterflies with my
Cuttlebug - I love how they turned out and will
definitely be doing this again. I saw a package of
die cut 'ghost shapes' (clear plastic hearts) at the
scrapbook store for $5.99. My tomatoes cost
$2.99, with the added bonus of getting tomatoes :)
Making your own embellishments is a huge
money saver! Plus, reusing the container is
environmentally friendly and feels like I'm
giving myself a good, Dutch, pat on my back. Ha!

Originally, I thought I would use the layout
from the inspiration card. I really liked it
and it was so different from what I normally
do...but it just couldn't get it, so instead
I used the colours from the card: Baha Blue,
Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette and used a
layout from a card I saw online a long time ago.
I copied the sketch, but forget where it's from.
I can't take credit for it, and my apologies to the
original creator!

I used Versamark to stamp the polkadot background (Unity)
and Basic Grey patterned papers for the little butterflies.
The sentiment (Inkadinkado) was heat embossed in white.

Overall, a sweet, happy little card...
that puts a smile on my face!
:)

Loving these Hazzard County Card challenges!
Can't wait to see what you've got in store for
us in July, Marnie!

The Biggest Form of Flattery?

2011-06-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

It was our uncle's birthday and I was in a total crunch for
a quick card that would suit him. Thankfully, my friend
came to the rescue and let me borrow the perfect stamp
set...and the perfect card to create with it :)
Using this amazing card for my 'inspiration'
...okay, okay, I totally copied it! Just changed up the
cardstock and patterned paper with what I had on
hand ...
I think I put this together in like 10 minutes:

An absolutely perfect card for our uncle who is
restoring a '78 Chevy.
Happy Birthday, Uncle Garry!!

And thanks, Marnie, for coming to the rescue again! :)

May's HCCC...kind of

2011-05-27T03:03:00.001-07:00

Well, this month's HCCC was a great one...unfortunately,
I didn't get my butt in gear soon enough to fully complete it.
This card was supposed to be a Mother's Day card but, alas, it
was not given to anyone on Mother's Day :( It will, however, be
going to my aunt, who is a sister to my mother, so maybe I
can get half points for that? LOL!

Introducing May's Hazzard County Challenge Card:

Our inspiration picture was a beautiful bunch
of gladiolus' and, thanks to my fellow Duke Diva,
while I didn't have a stamp of one of these beautiful
flowers, I did have a picture which I printed onto 3
different colours of patterned paper and pieced for
the final image.

I used some dimensionals to give a bit of depth
to the flower and I love how it turned out.
The layout was taken from this card and while
I really wanted to add a little bit of ribbon and some
sparkle, my aunt is not into that frilly, frou-frouey
kind of stuff, so I left if kind of plain. Even though
I would have loved to 'bling it up a notch' (ha!) I
do think those beautiful glads create quite a
statement on their own.

I've used my computer for card-making before and,
while I prefer good old-fashioned ink, rubber and paper,
I can see how if you don't have a specific image or
sentiment it can be a quick (and inexpensive!) way to
expand your supply stash. So thanks again for this great
challenge, Marnie. I love how they always push me outside
of the box. Stay tuned to find out what we have in store for June!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Rose Red, Crumb Cake, Whisper White (SU!)

PP: Basic Grey - Lemonade
Flower Image: found online
Stamps: Old Letter Writing (HA), Thankful Hearts (Verve)
Ink: Rose Red (SU!), Old Paper (Tim Holtz Distress), Versamark
Other: clear embossing powder (HA)

CASE-ing gone bad! ...and a redemption :)

2011-05-24T04:12:00.000-07:00

After seeing this super cheery card I knew
I wanted to give the layout a try and create
an equally happy card to send to a friend.
Unfortunately, sometimes even the best
made plans don't work out and this card
is a great example of that:

I don't know if it's lacking the cheerful
cuteness of Kristina Werner's card or if the
colours I chose just didn't quite work out, but
this card definitely falls into the 'scrap' category
of Angela's Scrapyard :(

Wanting to redeem the 'blech-ness' of what
I had just created, and needing a sympathy
card for friends of ours, I set about using what
was sitting out on my desk from the previous
mess to create another card.
Thankfully, I had better results with this one:

After putting together the background pieces, then
adding some scoring and gold brads, I knew it still
needed a little something...Thankfully I remembered
this gem of a sympathy card (that was created back
in January...talk about being inspired!) and heat
embossed the sentiment in gold. The perfect
finishing touch! Still not an epic card by any
means, but a vast improvement over the
previous attempt. It just goes to show, if at
first you don't succeed...have some chips, and
then try again :)

March HCCC: Part One

2011-03-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

This month's Hazzard County Card Challenge was

just too good! Such a beautiful inspiration picture.
Thanks, Marnie!
I had so many ideas floating around in my
head for this one, but unfortunately my scrapyard is
slowly being packed up in boxes as we prepare for
moving in a couple weeks :( I got a good start on the
challenge, but I don't have a finished project to
share with you...yet!
So, here's a little peek at what I have so far:

After seeing the stained-glass window,
I knew right away that I wanted to try the
'cracked glass' technique for my project.
I have seen it many times and always thought
it was something I'd like to try. Well, let me tell
you something, unless I get myself some of the
Ultra-Thick embossing powder, I won't be doing
this again in a hurry!! Oh my word! It took forever,
I burnt my fingers off with my heat gun and got
hot, melty, sticky embossing powder seared into my
flesh numerous times. Also, apparently I didn't
put enough coats on (Really?Because I did, like,
six!) as there are no cracks on the left side of
the piece. I'm not a huge fan of how the distress ink
soaked into the cracks and the anal-retentive part
of me doesn't like that I can't control where and how
the cracks end up forming.
ANYWAYS...
I'm still kinda in love with it ;)
Now the problem is, I can't decide what to
do with it!? This baby took so much time
and effort that if I were to put it on a card it
would have to be for someone incredibly special
and amazing before you could pry it out of my
blistered, glazed fingers! LOL! Maybe I'll use
it to make a journal for myself...I am pretty special
and amazing, y'know? Bwaahahahahaha!!!

Anyways, stay tuned for part two of March's
HCCC...it will probably be a few weeks before
we get moved and settled in. But don't worry,
I've got a couple things in the archives that I will
post, for your viewing pleasure, in the meantime.

Can't wait to see how this month's challenge
picture inspires all of you!
Happy stamping :)

A Tag!

2011-03-06T03:27:00.000-08:00

This tag was totally inspired by one from
the latest PaperCraft's magazine. I don't
usually make tags, preferring to make a
full-out card, but in this case I didn't have
a tonne of time and really did just want a
little note to tie onto a gift. This turned out
even better than I had hoped!

Using my Nestabilities (I just can't stop using
these babies - I love them!) I cut out the green
layer using some old Basic Grey paper and then a
smaller layer in Ballet Blue. I used the Distressed Dots
background stamp from Unity and stamped the dots
with Versamark. Then I stamped the star (also from
Unity) in Ballet Blue and embossed it with clear embossing
powder and popped it up with a dimensional. I've had
the letter stickers for-ever, I think I got them when
I was in college!, but they were perfect for this tag!
Lastly, I put the eyelet in the top and added some
baker's twine.

Pete's friend is in a band, so I thought this fabric would
be perfect for for his new little rocker. Plus, doesn't
every baby need a skull and crossbones blankie? Ha!
I wrapped up some onesies, a book, and some
Johnson's baby products in the blanket and tied it all
up with some twine. Added the tag to finish it up and
I think it was a pretty sweet gift, from one guy to another!

My sewing machine is getting a work-out lately.
Can't wait to show you what I've been up to! ;)
Hope you're all finding some crafty time during
these grey, drizzly days to keep you cheery!

February's HCCC

2011-02-17T03:33:00.000-08:00

That's right, people!

Only half-way through February and my
Hazzard County Card Challenge is complete!
(insert self-pat on the back here - hee!)
I had a friend that needed a bit of lovin'
and since she's a five hour car ride away,
we decided to pack up the love and send
it through the mail :)

Some sunshine-y happiness:
This card honestly would never had happened
without this month's challenge. I pulled out
the sparkles like they were going out of
style and dug through my cuttlebug
accessories hoping for some inspiration.
But, really, it all began with the cloud stamp...

The clouds were stamped with Versamark Dazzle
and embossed with a sparkly embossing powder.
You should see them shimmer in real life!
I also went around the embossed edge of the
yellow label die with a 2-way glue pen and then
shook on some Dazzling Diamonds. So pretty!
Lastly, I covered the small punched heart with
Glossy Accents. It looks like a shiny epoxy sticker
now. Love it!! After embossing the blue panel with
a hearts embossing folder, I wanted a little bit
more definition, so I took my white ink pad and
gently wiped it across the top - perfect!!
I just wanted to keep this sweet, cheery card
sitting on my mantle but, alas, it will be
sent in the mail, along with lots of love
and prayers.

Can I just say I love these challenges?
Always push me to take things one
step further - so good for the creative mojo :)
Happy stamping, friends!

Happy, happy, happy!!

2011-02-13T03:31:00.000-08:00

My youngest sister-in-law just turned 18!!

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!
The first birthday I celebrated with her,
she was only 8. 8, people! And now she can
legally gamble. I'm not sure how that happened.
Anyways, gone are the days of cutesy, little
girl cards and, yet, she's totally not into floral,
lacey 'mature lady' cards :)
What to do??
Well, it was tough figuring but, once
I started, it all just seemed to come together :)

Introducing...the 18 year old's birthday card:
It all started with that little snippet of ribbon.
I knew Michelle would love the colours, so I
went from there. I stamped the ledger in Old
Paper (when I purchased this stamp online I
thought, being a background stamp, that it
would cover the entire background of a cardfront.
Unfortunately, as you can see, it doesn't. I was
kind of bummed. I still like it, but I really
wish it covered the WHOLE background.
Do any of you know of a ledger stamp that
is truly a background stamp? I'd
appreciate any links - thanks!)

Pulling the colours from the Cosmo Cricket
ribbon, which I just stapled in place, I stamped
the word 'happy' ('So Very', a retired SU! set)
in Pumpkin Pie, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip,
Baja Blue and Kiwi Kiss. I punched the edge
with my spiral notebook punch from SU! and
layered some cameo coral cardstock beneath it.
The swirly flowers are a Basic Grey rub-on.
Generally I'm not a fan of run-ons, it just seems
silly to buy something that you can only use
once, when you could buy a stamp and use it
over and over and over again? But I picked
these up at a clearance sale for a dollar and
I do like how it turned out.

To finish things off, I added a Basic Grey
brad - which I've been hoarding for a year! -
but figured my sister's birthday was a
worthy enough occasion to break it out ;)
and a little snippit of matching patterned
paper to finish off the inside. The sentiment
inside says 'birthday wishes'.

While this card is totally outside of my usual
'creative box', I love how it turned out. I
especially love how it uses material from
four different companies (SU!, Unity, Cosmo
Cricket & Basic Grey) and yet looks so
'together'. It was super fun to make, and
I think I'm gonna stretch myself to do
stuff like this more often!

Thanks for popping by!

You're on my mind

2011-02-11T07:28:00.000-08:00

Just a little note to let a friend know

I've been thinking of them:

Started with a kraft base with white sponged
around the edges. Stamped Old Letter Writing (HA)
in Baja Blue on the white layer and then distressed
the edges with Old Paper and sewed around the
outside. Used the spiral note punch (SU!) on some
patterned paper and stamped the sentiment from
Upsy Daisy (SU!) with the Baja Blue again and
wrapped some thread around that panel.

Finished by stamping the violet on 2 different
patterned papers and embossing them with
white embossing powder. I cut out the different
layers and used Vintage Photo distress ink on
the edges. I popped up the layers with foam
dots and finished by adding some sweet little
yellow rhinestones to the center. A sweet,
happy little card - just what I was hoping for!

Our valentines are coming along slowly but
surely. Crafting with kiddies always takes
a bit of time and patience but, in the end, I'm
always glad we spend the time doing it (even
though I *may or may not* get a tad
exasperated in the process sometimes!)
Stay tuned next week for lots of Valentines
goodness coming your way! :)
xoxo

May your cup overflow!

2011-01-31T12:24:00.000-08:00

It was my sweet sister-in-law's birthday
so a cheery little card made it's way out West:

The image and sentiment from Unity (which reads
'May your cup overflow with Joy, Love & Laughter)
were perfect for my dear sister who loves a good
cup of tea and deserves a year just overflowing
with goodness! I totally copied the layout of one
of the cover cards from the latest Stamp It!
magazine (What an awesome issue, by the way!
And congratulations to this amazing gal whose
beautiful creation was published on page 61.
Wowee!!) I do wish I had die-cut the purple
layer to match the white, instead of leaving
it square with the wonky white stitching...
but once I had it all sewn down I wasn't
about to rip it all apart. Sometimes it's best
to just leave well enough alone!

I embossed that ca-ute tower of teacups with
clear embossing powder and then coloured
them in using dye ink and a blender pen.
Love how it turned out! I think I'll be
trying this technique out a bit more, I had a
lot of fun with it! I'd also like to mention how
much fun I had using my first set of
Nestabilities (a most awesome gift from an
incredibly thoughtful friend - THANK YOU!).
I think a serious addiction may have just begun...
;)

Thanks for stopping by to visit! The kids and I
are starting to get in the Valentines' Day groove,
so hopefully I'll have some delightfully LOVE-ly
things to share with you in the next little bit!

January's HCCC

2011-01-17T04:34:00.000-08:00

This month's challenge was a GREAT one! Thanks Marnie!

I opened up my scrap drawer and pulled out the leftover
pieces I had from this card that I had planned to make
two of...but never got around to it. I forgot to take pictures
at the very beginning, but I had four 1-inch squares of
card stock that I then punched into little hearts. Here's
what my desk looked like halfway into the card:
I had a couple thin strips of kraft card stock and after
trying to make them into stripes in the background, I
thought of the little ruler stamp from Cosmo Cricket's
'Material Girl' stamp set (another goodie from the Unity
prize pack I won - SO amazing!!) and knew exactly
what I wanted to do:

The inside of the card says:
We love you T-H-I-S much!!

It's just a little card, about 3x4, but I think
it still packs a pretty big punch!

The second card didn't turn out quite as well
but I thought I should share it anyways.
It's always good to learn from someone else's
mistakes, right? ;)
Here's what I started with:

I thought I would glue all the scraps together on a
piece of paper and then trace my Top Note die cut
on to it and cut it out...however the the papers were
too small for the die, and so I ended up using a smaller
one from Tim Holtz. It was a little fancier and I think
the combination of the busy, mix-matched papers
and the die were a bit much. I wasn't sure what to do
with it, and only being able to use scraps upped the ante,
but here's what I ended up with:

(My husband also pointed out the irony of
the sentiment and the very busy card...
Oh well! Better luck next time!)

Here's a close-up of the wonky, scrap-paper die cut:

Anyways, I've learned that sometimes I'm better off
keeping things sweet and simple. The whole 'shabby-chic'
look is obviously not my forte...
But, do not fear!! My scrap drawer is not empty yet
and the month is only halfway through so perhaps
I will attempt another creation or two :)
Stay tuned for more adventures from the Scrapyard!

A few more MDS Thank Yous

2011-01-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

Alright! I for real figured out how to post

my MDS creations here...not just an accident
like last time. Ha!

Here's the second batch of thank you cards
I made. So far I love this program for making
cards with photos! I'm still not really sure I would
make a card without a picture on it though. I really
like the layers and texture of a 'real life' card...plus
there's just something about playing around with
paper and ink, y'know?

The boys in their shirts and skateboards from
Grandma and Grandpa:

Jude and his pull-cow from Aunt Michelle:

The boys in their Batman pj's from Oma & Opa:

Levi, who exclaimed "Thanks!!! It's my FAVORITE!"
after every present that Aunt Katie and Uncle Will
gave to...everyone! LOL!!
What a precious kid:

I still have a handful of thank-yous to finish up.
I'm determined to have them done before the
end of the month...I'm hoping by typing that
out here, I'll be extra motivated to get them done!
Although the MDS program is motivation in itself.
So fun! If any of you are thinking of diving into
the world of digital cardmaking/scrapbooking
I highly recommend the My Digital Studio
program from Stampin Up! (No, they're not
paying me to say that...maybe I should look
into it though. Really, if a technically
challenged girl like me can do it, anyone can!)
Alright, happy stamping! er...digital crafting?

For my little LoveBug

2011-01-15T12:53:00.001-08:00

This stamp may be the very reason I joined Unity's Kit of the Month club....that and a certain someone who tends to strongly influence my card-making supply purchases. I'm pretty sure
she twisted my arm when it came to joining up {grin}. Anyways, one of the perks (at the time) was a kit called 'Love Bug' and it was based around a main image of a VW beetle. As soon as I saw that cute little car, I knew I needed that stamp to make a card for a friend of mine who a.) loves getting mail b.) loves all things handmade and c.) drives her very own lime green little Bug.
Well, I got the stamp and it sat in my collection...over her birthday, her anniversary, a new home...finally I couldn't take it any longer! Christmas was coming and I was determined to make a 'Love Bug' card for my friend. Now the problem was "How in the world do you make a Christmas card with a Volkswagon on the front?" Well, it took a little bit of pondering, but here's what I came up with:

I totally forgot to take a picture of the inside where I
stamped "Merry Christmas to my little LoveBug".
Love it!!!

I had a lot of fun adding all the little details like the
Crystal Effects in the windshield and the peppermint
patty 'exhaust' hearts. This little number just makes
me swoon! I was pretty intimidated about making a
'car' card at first, but this rubber will be seeing a lot
more 'road' in the future!
Toot! Toot!
;)

Bright paper packages tied up with string...

2011-01-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

Just a couple quick pics of some of the holiday gifts we gave. I love 'prettying' things up a bit...and I think it makes things a little extra special for the gift-getters :)

For my sister-in-law, a cutely decorated coffee tin held a new T-shirt...I also love re-using stuff that's lying around the house instead of buying new. Some may say it's cheap. Personally, I prefer the term 'thrifty'. {grin}

For my brother's stuff I quickly sewed up
a little sack with some leftover fabric I had.
I thought it suited him. Plus, now he can
use it to carry his lunch to work in ;)

And, my very favorite of the bunch, the
'work-sock-full-of-holes-turned-gift-bag'.
Pete had these really nice woolen work socks
that he wore gigantic holes through the heels.
Since I'm not so much into the whole 'darning'
thing, but not wanting to waste anything, I
threw them into my scrap pile. When I needed
some cute little bags for the beer glasses
we gave as a thank you gift to a friend, I
knew just what to do! I quickly sewed up the
socks above the holes and cut the feet off.
Tied them up with a little bit of red ribbon
and a cool tag and there you have it. Sweet
packaging - and protective - straight
from the scrap pile. Love it!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this little
trip into my thrifty world :)
Take care!

An MDS Thank You

2011-01-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

I think I've finally figured out how to post
my creations from MDS here on the blog!
So, without further ado.....
Our 2010 Christmas thank you cards!

I'm a huge fan of this software from Stampin' Up!
Mostly because I honestly don't really know what I'm doing,
but I've been able to make the things I want.
I haven't read any directions or tutorials and have been able to
pretty easily muddle my way around. I know there's a lot
more to this program that, if I follow some directions, I could do
but I'm so happy with what I have been able to do.

Anyways, our thank you card is pretty basic but I'm
happy with the way it turned out. And I'm very
happy that it only took me about 1/2 an hour of playing
around to create it! I printed a dozen off at the grocery
store...and they look beautiful!! The detail, colour
and crispness is just amazing. I'm so, so happy!

If I can figure out how I got this one posted again...
I'll try and throw up a couple more that I did :)

Thanks for stopping by!

A Merry little Thank You

2011-01-02T03:45:00.000-08:00

Late again.

Good thing I don't make New Year's resolutions
because I would be such a disappointment to myself. Hee!
Anyways, December's Hazzard County Card Challenge was
to make some little thank you cards and have them sent
out by the end of the year. Well, I'm a few days behind but
I did get it done and I'm looking forward to giving these
little cuties to their recipients at church this morning.

I've been seeing these medallion/rosettes everywhere
and I love them! Thought about getting the die for them,
but then I would also need the extended cutting plates
and, once again, since I'm Dutch, I went the cheap route
and made them myself. There are a tonne of tutorials
online and it's actually not hard or even time-consuming
to do them yourself. I guess if you were making a lot
of them, the die would be handy, but otherwise I'll stick
to making them on my own.

The card base is 4x4 kraft and I inked up the edges with
white craft and old paper distress ink.
The sentiment is from Verve, stamped in baja breeze on
whisper white and layered on a pink pirouette circle.
I finished it off by rounding two of the corners.
Easy-peasy! No lie, this card took no more than 15
minutes...and that included changing a diaper and finding
my four-year old's lost socks. Not too shabby!

These next two cards are 3x3's and I seriously
think they are the cutest, sweetest little things!
I am definitely going to be making more little cards
like this. Both of them took less than 10 minutes each
to make and I think because of their small size they look
really cute and not as 'simple' as they would if they were
done in a standard size.

For this one, I stamped the 'Thank U' from (SU!) in chocolate

chip and then added the stitching in the same ink and kiwi kiss.
Tied some baker's twine around with a sweet, little bow, rounded
the top corner and inked the edges with vintage photo. Done!

I think this last one is my favorite. I think it only took me
5 minutes. Heavily distressed the edges with old paper and
vintage photo, punched out the scalloped circle from a
Starbuck's coffee cozy that I've been saving since
Thanksgiving (hoarding always pays off! {grin}),
stamped the sentiment in riding hood red and layered
it on the same colour circle and tied a little twine
around the top. Wah-lah!!!

I will definitely be making some more of these as
I work through our list of thank-yous. I've also been
making some cards using My Digital Studio from
Stampin' Up! I took pictures of the kids playing
with their Christmas gifts and used the pictures
to make thank you cards. I'm so happy with
how they turned out, and how easy the program
has been to use. If I can figure out how to
post them on here, I will!

Anyways, hope this New Year is finding you thankful!
Looking forward to January's HCCC...I wonder what
Marnie has up her sleeve for us? ;)

Merry Making!

2010-12-19T04:27:00.000-08:00

We've been busy little elves this month, baking and crafting
up a storm - oh, SO much fun!! This is the display on top
of our mantel. I made the banner with the kids' poster paper
and a permanent marker (and a little distress ink to give the
edges some definition). I love the way it looks but, more
importantly, the way it keeps us focused on what's really
important this season. Often in the midst of a last-minute
cleaning, gift-making, packing, wild-children-whooping-and-
racing-through-the-room rush I'll look up and see our banner...
It's such a good heart-check and reminder. Is what I'm doing
bringing Him glory? Where is my heart in the midst of all
the preparation...stressing out over the details or rejoicing
in the celebration of our Saviour's birth?

Alas, with all that said, here's some of the merry-making
we've been up to...

Gift basket with homemade cookies, boeterkoek,
canning and some chocolate-y goodness.
Lots of stamping and cute twine on the tags.
Love it!

Gracie Jo LOVES using my stamping stuff and
did such a cute job making Christmas cards for
all of her classmates and teachers.
A girl after my own heart!!

Even Silas joined us down in the Scrapyard
and made this card (using the Snow Swirled
stamp set from SU!) for his best friend, Thorn.
Isn't he just so sweet?

I've been wanting to try and make one of these flowers made
out of scrap fabric forever and a girlfriend's birthday a couple
weeks ago was the perfect excuse to finally give it a try.
I wasn't totally thrilled with the final result...I'll do a
couple things differently next time... but I'm happy I
finally did it. And, judging by the look on Gracie Jo's
face when she tried it out for me, I'll be making a few
of these for her stocking I think :)

Gingerbread cupcakes.
With marshmallow cream cheese frosting.
And peppermint dust.
Seriously??
We made them for the teachers, our local (AWESOME) librarians
and the bus driver. I can't tell you how difficult it was to
not just eat them all myself. SO GOOD!!!
I packaged them all in little mason jars wrapped with
baker's twine, Christmas-y fabric and a cute little
tag (didn't get a picture because I was definitely finishing
them in a mad rush on the last day of school...)
but I think they just might become a tradition
around here - if I don't eat them all before I
can give them away!

And here's the teacher's cards that went with their
gift certificates. The school has a really awesome program
where the teachers all choose a project to sponsor and instead
of buying them Christmas presents, you make a donation.
This year the money went to a program that builds
shelters for families in Haiti. How cool is our school?

I got the apple stamp in one of my Unity Kit of the Months
and have been wanting to make a teacher card with it.
Not really a traditional Christmas card, but I thought
the teachers would like it :)

Anyways, hope your holiday preparations are bringing
joy and you're finding a good balance as you celebrate
this Christmas.
Lots of love and all the blessings of the season,
from the Scrapyard
xo

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2010-12-19T04:14:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit behind in posting here lately...

The busyness of the season is definitely upon us!
Anyways, I made this card at the beginning of the month
for Pete's grandma's birthday. I saw a card like
this in a Papercraft's magazine that I borrowed
from the library and knew it would make a
perfect quick card when I was 'in a pinch'.

I'm so happy with how it turned out! And it really
was super quick to make - I had the whole card
finished (even added some paper and stamping to the
inside) in less than 20 minutes. I know if I made some
like this again, they could easily be a 10-minute card.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll try and share some of our
Christmas creations soon...
Hope you're feeling the blessings of this season.
xo

Supplies:
Cardstock, Ink, Embossing Folder, Twill Tape - SU!
Wishing You stamp - Verve Stamps
Patterned Paper - Basic Grey

I did it!

2010-11-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Updated:
I added some details and a supply
list for all you curious cats out there
....namely Marnie :)

November Hazzard County Card Challenge...CHECK!!
Unbelievable, people. I truly can't believe it.
The fact that I actually got it completed before the
end of the month is unreal. The fact that I actually
completed this challenge is even more amazing.
Did you check it out?
Marnie brought out the big guns for this one.
Seriously? Stinkin' hard!
I would have never, in a million years!, picked out this
colour combo: black, blue, grey/silver and white.
I can't remember the last time I used black on
a card...so I was totally stumped when it came to
this one. For the life of me I couldn't come up with
anything. And then, it hit me!! I was practicing
some Christmas songs with my little girl for
the Sunday School Christmas program when
I realized that sheet music is white and BLACK!
And it's beautiful.
Suddenly, I couldn't wait to make this card.
So, after that incredibly long introduction...
November's Challenge Card!

Totally. in. love.
Marn, I can't thank you enough for pushing
me outside of my comfort zone. So glad
for these challenges because they
a) get me into the scrapyard
b)force me to try things I wouldn't on my own

To make the sheet music I used this stamp
that I just got at Unity (thanks to a 40% off sale
and free shipping - love a good deal!) which
I think is going to be my new favorite.
I stamped it in black on Whisper White
card stock and then distressed the edges
with my distressing tool and Old Paper
distress ink. I love the aged look it gave it.
The black fibre was from my 'stash'.

The center panel is Whisper White, layered on
Basic Gray, stamped in Baja Breeze
which I embossed with clear e.p. just to make
it 'pop' a bit. It wasn't quite snazzy enough for
me so I stamped the snowflake a second time,
cut out the center, covered it with Crystal Effects
and then went to town with the Dazzling Diamonds.
Topped it off with a Baja Breeze button tied with
a bit of twine and 'Wah-lah!' Lovin' it!

Thanks for an awesome challenge, Marnie!
One Christmas card down, 74 to go...

Our Fall Mantel

2010-11-06T03:16:00.001-07:00

I always like to do a seasonal decoration on our mantel
and when I saw this idea on the Hero Arts blog, I knew
exactly what I would do for this fall. I'm already starting
to think about switching it up for winter and Christmas,
so I thought I'd better share this with you quickly
before I take on a whole new season!

I found this frame (with a kitschy oil painting in it) for a
couple bucks at a thrift store. I just popped out the canvas
and stapled a string across the back of the frame.

I embossed the 'thankful' sentiment (Unity's September kit of
the month) with gold embossing powder and the leaves from
SU!'s new French Foliage set (such a BEAUTIFUL set!) onto
more mustard, riding hood red and pumpkin pie cardstock.
Then I used some baker's twine and mini clothespins to attach
everything to the string. Easy-peasy!! I can't tell you how
much I love this. Every time I look at it, it just makes me smile.
We've had a lot of ups and downs this past month, and having
this frame sitting up on our mantel has been a wonderful
reminder for me of how blessed we are, and to keep a
grateful heart in all situations.

But, the snow started falling this week and so I'm already
dreaming of how I'm going to switch this up for winter...
Stay tuned!

Thanks for popping by!

October's Challenge card

2010-11-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a bit late posting this, but I did get it done on time!!

It was my Mother-in-law's birthday on Monday, and I knew the
colours in October's inspiration picture were something she would
like. I used a sketch from an old Papercraft's magazine and put
together a little something that seemed just right for her.

Although it's a bit busy, I do like all the layers and
dimension on this card.

I used Crumb Cake, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White and
Garden Green (first time I've used this colour...have had it
for 2 years?...teehee!) cardstock and some Basic Grey patterned
paper. The stitching stamp along the bottom is from Unity (another
freebie!!) and the sentiment is from Verve. Loving the Circular
Sayings set...so versatile! The buttons and twine are PTI, punches
and ribbon are SU!, the rhinestones are from Kaiser Craft and
the doily is from a Dollar Store pack. Phew!

I'm still working on my September challenge...{sheepish grin}
but I haven't given up. Hopefully I can show it to you soon!
Until then, I'm eagerly anticipating November's challenge!
Thanks for visiting and make sure to check out Marnie's
October card - it's FANTABULOUS!!!

Happy Birthday, sweet Sister!

2010-10-21T04:57:00.000-07:00

It was my sister-in-law's birthday this week and

I needed an extra-special card for her. Not only
does she herself make cards, but she truly does
appreciate the time and thought that goes into
all things handmade. I had sketched out this layout
from one of Jennifer McGuire's cards awhile ago
and knew it would be perfect for Tina's birthday.

Isn't it gorgeous?!?
Sorry, I know it's totally rude and lame to
gush over your own creations, but I just can't
help it. I'm in love with this card. Seriously,
it was very difficult to give it to my sister. Ha!!

Anyways, enough drooling. Onto the details.
I've been watching Jennifer McGuire's Holiday
Thinking Inking videos and wanting to try some of her
techniques. She is the queen of distress inks! So, for the
background, I inked up my Canvas background stamp
from SU! with Old Paper distress ink and then gave
it a good spritz of water with my daughter's spray
bottle. Stamped it onto the Top Note die (which I still
just traced and cut out from the negatives I had
scrounged from stamp club...yes, Margaret, I will
finally put that die in my next order! LOL!) and
then inked up the edges with Vintage Photo and
Walnut Stain. Love the detail and dimension it adds!
I then stamped the ledger from a Unity kit and added
the 'Celebrate' sentiment from PTI. Can you believe
the only stamp I purchased on this card is the Canvas
background? All the others were from goodies
I won....sa-weeeeet!!! Love that.

Always inspired by this awesome gal,
I coloured the flowers by sponging various
colours of ink directly onto the cardstock. For
the orange flowers I used: Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine
Tango and Really Rust and for the blue flower I used
Tempting Turquoise, Taken with Teal and Night of
Navy. I love how they turned out!!
To finish things off I added some rhinestones
and pearls to the centers of the flowers and
tied some twine around the top of the card.
I think this must may be my favorite card yet!
Did I mention it was hard to give it away?
Anyways, thanks for indulging me today! ;)
Hope you're having some lovely adventures
in your own crafty corner of the world.
xo

Soft sympathy...

2010-10-21T04:25:00.000-07:00

I needed a sympathy card for our friends, whose
dad passed away. I just wanted something simple
and 'soft' that would let them know we were thinking
of them. I wanted to use the flowers from the 'Upsy Daisy'
set and had seen a really neat tutorial doing shadow
stamping so I thought I would give it a try.

Lots of layers with distressed edges and a few little
butterflies to finish it off. I was very tempted to 'bling'
it up with sparkles and some little diamonds and pearls,
but it didn't seem to suit the occasion. (I'm interested
in your thoughts - is it appropriate to send a heavily
embellished sympathy card, or is that in bad taste?)
Anyways, I thought the end result was very serene
and I hope our friends will feel the comfort and peace
of our Heavenly Father's love during this tough,
tough time. If you have a moment, I know your
prayers would mean a lot to our friends, who are
missing their husband, Dad and Opa right now.
Thanks so much.

For my Mama

2010-10-13T03:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make my Mom a special card, just because.
I didn't have a lot of time (story of my life), so I went
with a 3x3 base to start, which just may have added
to the sweetness I think ;)

I started by cutting out a heart for a mask and a template.
I taped it to the base (will not do this in the future - notice
the tear on the paper near the bottom of the heart? Ya,
good thing it's for my mom and she'll still like it...)
and then stamped the rows of hearts in Always
Artichoke, Tempting Turquoise and Tangerine Tango.
Then, using my new paper piercer (free with my
last SU! order - sweet!!) I pierced holes around the heart
for my very professional stitching guide {grin}.
I backstitched through the holes with some crochet
thread and 'Ta-Da!!' Instant sweetness.

I was able to quickly finish things off with a heart I
punched from some old SU! designer paper, the perfect
sentiment from Verve's Circular Sayings set and last,
but not least, rounded the bottom corners.

A perfectly sweet card for a perfectly sweet mom!

Fall beauties :)

2010-10-09T04:08:00.000-07:00

I've long admired Maille Belles clean and simple

style and these cards were an attempt to CASE one
of hers...although,somehow they didn't come out as
'clean and simple' as hers?
Oh well! I'm still pretty happy with them :)

I used Perfect Plum, More Mustard and Night of Navy
to stamp the flowers from 'Year of Flowers: Violets' (PTI).
I love how it still has a warm, fall feel without using the
traditional red, orange, yellow and brown.

I stamped Hero Arts 'Old Letter Writing' on the
purple strip in Versamark to give a bit of subtle
detail and then stitched around the main panel.
I stamped the greeting from Verve's 'Circular
Sayings' and then wrapped the front with
some twine which I had threaded some buttons
onto. I'll definitely do this again. Cute, right?

The second card is for Peter's grandma's 80th
birthday, so it needed to be a little extra special!
I ran the card front through the Cuttlebug with one
of my SU! embossing plates and then ran two strips
of Scor-Tape along the front panel. I attached the
lace to the tape by bunching it up and just sticking
it down. Easy-peasy! Another little cluster of buttons
to finish it off because a card just isn't done until
it's got a few buttons. Ha! I guess that's where
'clean and simple' just went out the window. I
seem to have a tendency to just keep adding
'one more thing'. Oh well! I'm sure grandma
will like it. And 80 years deserves some
lace and buttons, doesn't it?
{grin}
Thanks for visiting!
Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful
fall weather.
xo

Third times a charm :)

2010-09-27T02:52:00.000-07:00

I think I finally got this card figured out!

You've seen it here and here already
but, after seeing the sweet, bright colours
of this card, I had to give it one more try.
And I'm so glad I did!

Using Tempting Turquoise, Delightful Daffodil,
Crumb Cake and Whisper White papers and ink,
I did the emboss resist technique with the
Unity flower and added the sentiment from their
'Something Within' set. A little crochet thread
and a cute little button finished it off.

I hope this card will be a cheery reminder
for its recipient that they're thought of
and prayed for in tough times...and all the time!

For Evelyn

2010-09-18T02:57:00.000-07:00

Another baby card...but I'm not complaining!!
I really do love making card to celebrate the
new arrival of a sweet little someone. In this case,
the card is for baby Evelyn and I couldn't resist
putting her name right on the front!

I think this might be the first time I've ever
used stickers on a card. I know, crazy eh?
I had been given these Basic Grey stickers
from the Sugar Rush line and they've been
staring at me waiting for the perfect project.
Now that I've broken them out, I'm pretty
sure these sweet alphabet stickers are going
to find their way on a lot of things around here!

I stamped the heart background in Versamark,
and used another one of my prize pack Tim
Holtz goodies for the embossed ledger sheet.
I distressed the edges and then swiped some
Milled Lavender ink over the top after I had
trimmed the edge with my SU! Scalloped Edge
punch. Another first for me was using the 'Rock
and Roll' technique on those teeny little feet.
I can't believe I've never done this before!! I
love the way it turned out -all soft and almost
watercolour-y. Overall just a sweet little card
for a sweet little princess. Perfect!

Thanks for visiting!

A year of blessing!

2010-09-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

My parent's just celebrated their 32nd anniversary.
Congratulations Mom and Dad!
They had been camping and I was expecting to see them
for at least another week or so, but when Mom called
and asked if they could come over for a visit, I wasn't
about to say no! I had less than 24 hours to plan a
special little visit to celebrate such an incredible occasion.
With the help and culinary expertise of sweet farmer husband
we managed to get a delicious feast together and with the
little bit of time left I needed to make the most wonderful
card....Yipes!!! Out of all the people I make cards for, I
know my mom truly appreciates everything that goes
into them, and so I couldn't just throw something together.
Well, I was still putting the finishing touches on it when
they pulled into the driveway, but I did it!

I started by picking out some fall-ish colours.
My parent's wedding pictures are some of my favorites.
My mom had a bouquet of peachy-orange roses with
lots of fall foliage and stalks of wheat as accents. So
beautiful! I definitely had that in mind when picking
out these colours. At first I was going to run the Creamy
Caramel cardstock through an embossing folder, but
then instead stamped this Unity flourish with the matching
ink and I love the subtle detail it added. I broke out my
new SU! Lots of Tags sizzlit (love hostess benefits!) to
frame the sentiment and I love how it turned out.
The inside is stamped with the rest of the sentiment,
"...a year of blessing!". A simple but beautiful
anniversary card for my wonderful parents.
I hope every time they look at it, they are reminded of
the promises they made that fall and the love
and grace that has brought them here 32 years later!
God bless you, Mom and Dad!

In a pinch...

2010-09-14T03:29:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago, a sweet friend gave me a
Basic Grey baby card kit for my birthday. As
much as I love designing and creating my own
cards, there are always those times, when you're
in a crunch and need a card in a jiffy and this
kit has come to the rescue every time!
I just made the last card from the kit the
other week for our friends' new baby and, even
though I had nothing to do with how it looks,
I just had to share it.
Too cute, right?

That crazy dinosaur just cracks me up!
On the inside I wrote,
"Dear Nathanial, we think you are
DINO-MITE!!
And we're so glad you're here!"

So, if you're even looking for something
to keep in your 'emergency' stash, I'd highly
recommend the Basic Grey card kits. Beautiful
papers, tonnes of awesome embellishments,
gorgeous rub-ons and super high quality
card stock and envelopes. Everything is
pre-cut and pre-scored. Easy-peasy!

Well, I've gotta go get our two oldest
ready for school. I'll tell you, I'm so
thankful that they're so excited because
I can't remember the last time I've been
so sad! Sigh. We'll get through this too!
Hope you're having a great week.
Thanks for visiting!

Back to School :(

2010-09-06T04:31:00.000-07:00

We made these at the end of the school year,
but I think they could be an equally great way
to start the year off too!

Take some containers you've been saving, you know the
ones that get sweet Farmer Husband frustrated every
he opens the cupboard and plastic tubs and tins come
raining down upon him? Those ones. They work perfectly :)

Bake up your favorite batch of these.

Let sweet daughter decorate the tub for the best
bus driver ever!

Transform the tin with paper, ribbon and a little tag.
Easy, peasy, lemon squeesy!

Simple, inexpensive gifts that go a long way in showing
your appreciation...but make sure to bake a double
batch of the cookies otherwise you won't have enough
for the tins after you sneakily eat some yourself...I mean
you won't have any to enjoy yourself after you fill the tins ;)

A boy card!

2010-09-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

A good friend of ours recently moved into a new

apartment and I wanted to send him a little card of
welcome for his new place.
He's a huge fan of all things Dutch so I knew I wanted
to use some orange and, being he's a guy, try and keep
the design fairly simple. I probably overthink things a
bit, but I sure had a tough time with this card!
After playing around with it a bit, I'm pretty happy
with the way it turned out though.

I used the Tim Holtz bingo impression plate (another new
goodie from my Unity prize - Wahoo!!) for the orange
background and finally broke out the Good Neighbour set
that I received from SU!'s last sale-a-bration for those
cute little houses.

Lots of distressing and dimension on this one.

Knowing how much he appreciates visual design I was
a bit nervous to send this out but he sent me a quick
message the day he got it in the mail and...he loved it!
Phew! Creating cards for guys is always a challenge for
me, but it's nice to have to step outside of the box
sometimes. Hope you're enjoying these last days of
summer! Can you believe is September already? I can't
wait to start making some crafty fall things :)

Look to the Lord...

2010-08-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

Talk about getting down to the wire!
3 more hours and then....SEPTEMBER!!

Can you believe it? Not me. I am in total denial.

Anyways, before this crazy heat wave, I was feeling the
beginnings of fall and that, along with the picture from the
August challenge, totally inspired these cards.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.
I really love fall :)

Both cards are pretty similar, and totally copying the layout
and emboss resist technique I used on this card...
but I was pressed for time and figured I should
go with something that works! Switched up the colours to
go with the inspiration picture and instead of multiple colours
for the sponging I only used one. I wasn't sure how it would
turn out, but I *think* I like it.

This one is for my Mother-in-law. She was
just ordained as an elder at our church and is
feeling just a bit nervous :) I wanted to
remind her that this new role and season
in her life won't be done on her own.
I hope she can find a special place to put this
where she will remember that and be encouraged!
I added a bit of lace and some ribbon that I ruffled by
pulling on the outside threads, along the bottom, knowing
how much she enjoys those 'frilly' details.

This second card is the same, just using
a different flower stamp and simply wrapping
twine around the bottom and finishing it
off with a clear button and bow. The
recipient of this card is a bit more simple and
natural so I tried to keep it clean and crisp.
This friend is going through a season of big changes
and a lot of unknown and I thought this verse would
be very meaningful for them as well.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this month's challenge.
I think I may still make a little visual encouragement
for myself when I have a bit of time...I know I could
definitely use a beautiful reminder that I don't have
to do it all on my own each day. So thankful for His grace!

Can't wait to see what the rest of the Duke Divas have up
their sleeves - and our next challenge. Stay tuned for the details!
Thanks for visiting!

My little Stamper

2010-08-22T03:57:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this...
Gracie Jo's first 'official' creation.
This summer I got Gracie Jo her first 'real' stamp set,
'Pony Party' from SU!. The first time she saw this set in my
catalogue, she said to me "Mom!! When I grow up, this is going
to be the first stamp that I buy!!" So cute! I just couldn't resist
getting it for her. She has been such a big help to me this summer
and I knew this would be a real special way to let her know
how proud I am of her and a neat way to share something
we love together. Needless to say, she was beyond thrilled
when I gave it to her and now our stamping-together
adventures begin! Isn't she so cute? She's definitely got
the chops to be a great card-maker...I know, I know, I'm
biased, but really? Such a sweet card for her little friend!

A Second Attempt

2010-08-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't get beyond the beauty of the

card that I attempted to 'CASE' for July's HCCC
(see previous post) and so, after trying to figure out what
went wrong with the first one, I took a second stab at it.

Our friend's mother passed away this month and
while sympathy cards are never 'fun' to make, I
know from my own experience how meaningful it
it to have a handmade card sitting in the windowsill
reminding you that you are in someone's thoughts and
prayers. I hope this card will be that for our friends.

I wasn't a fan of the colours or the lace bow on my last
card, so for this one I kept things a bit more subtle.
After embossing the flower image (new rubber from my
A-MA-ZING Unity prize pack...seriously, out of this world!
I will try and take some pictures and share the goodness
with you soon. I'm still pinching myself! Unreal!),
I sponged Pale Plum, Baja Blue and Not Quite Navy on top.
I added a few butterflies from a sweet SU! embosslit and
tied some simple twine around the bottom to finish
it off. And the verdict is...I'm in love :)

I love the softness of this card and the
gentle way the butterflies seem to just be
fluttering among the flowers.
I hope it brings a bit of peacefulness
during these difficult times.

I love this saying from the SU! set 'Thoughts and Prayers'.
The inside looked a bit stark with just the sentiment though,
so I stamped another flower image (in Versamark)
from the 'Insightful Meadows' Unity set to add a
softer touch. I love the way it turned out!

How are you're August challenge creations
coming? I have lots of ideas 'fluttering' around
in my head...now, just to find the time and energy
to get them on paper! Happy stamping friends :)

Better late than never???

2010-08-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

So, after many not-so-subtle promptings from

my fellow divas, here is my submission for July's HCCC.
Yes, I know August is half-way over, but
better late than never is what they say.
However, in this case,
I'm not sure that is actually true.
This one may have well been better off as a never.

I'm not sure if I'm just not digging the colour combo,
the poufy lace bow, or that I just can't get the epic
gorgeousness of the card I CASE'd out of my head,
but this card definitely falls into the 'failed attempts' category.

Hopefully, my mojo will find its' way back to me, as I have
a whole bunch of cards on the waiting-to-be-made list.
I'll do my best to keep more up-to-date here on the blog-o.
Thanks for not giving up on me! Looking forward to your
visits and comments again. Take care!!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well, Father's Day has been a little bit of a bust over here
at the Scrapyard. Our two-year old picked up a bug
and has been a lean, mean, puking, pooping machine
the past couple days. I had grand plans for celebrating all
the dads in my life, but instead have been doing lots of
laundry, cleaning up vomit and keeping our little guy
entertained and away from the carpets :)
Thankfully I had at least made all our Father's Day
cards ahead of time so they were ready for today.

Unfortunately, when my husband went to visit my parents
this morning I forgot to give him my dad's card...
Thankfully, since I took a picture of it to put up here
on the blog-o, I can still send my dad some virtual lovin'
today until he gets the real deal in the mail later this week!

Anyways, I tried to keep things pretty simple. I did use
some ribbon, but no bows for the men! And I added some
lines along the bottom with the scoring blade in my paper cutter.
I like the added detail without getting too frou-frouish.
(Is frou-frouish a word?) I stamped the word "BLESSED"
from a retired SU! set in versamark and heat embossed it
with white powder and then sponged over top in Old Paper
and Baja Breeze. The inside of the card says ''...to have a dad
like you." I don't always like adding my own handwriting
to cards, but sometimes you just need a sentiment that fits!
And I truly do feel blessed by my husband, dad, dad-in-law,
and our two grandfathers. We are definitely celebrating them
today...even if it's with a barf bowl on couch :)
Happy Father's Day.

Hoo-ray, it's your Birthday!!

2010-06-16T03:29:00.000-07:00

It was Dad's birthday on Friday, so another manly-man
card was in order:

To make the background paper, I rubbed distress ink right
onto my embossing plates (yes, it was scary) and then
ran them through my Cuttlebug with the script stamped paper.
Afterwards I flicked water onto the paper, although I think
next time I will try spraying the water directly onto the embossing
plates as well. Regardless, I really like the rustic/textured look I got.

For his gift we got him a gift certificate to
a local tree farm, so I created this 'envelope'
to give it to him in.

This is the tag inside the envelope and the
bands at the bottom are actually a little
pouch that held the gift certificate. I was
really happy with the way it turned out and
I think it's nice to add that personal touch instead
of just giving a plain, boring envelope...not that
Dad would've really cared either way. Hee!
But I had fun making it, so I just look at is as
a double bonus: birthday card and gift for Dad,
play time in the Scrapyard for me. Check! Check!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Loads of love

2010-06-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Between Father's Day and a bunch a birthdays, I've got
a whole bunch of manly cards to share with you in the next
little bit. First up is a birthday card for our Uncle Garry.
He loves vintage vehicles and just last year bought a
'67 Chevy truck that he's restoring. I knew right away
which stamp set I wanted to use for his card:

I kept it fairly simply, which was tough! I kept wanting
to add more - some ribbon, something sparkly, a bow... but
held myself back and stuck with a couple popped-up layers
and some big, bad brads for hubcaps :)

I coloured the truck and hearts in using my blender pen, but don't
love how you can see the lines on the truck...I'm pretty sure Uncle Garry
won't give it a second thought though. LOL! The inside is stamped
with the sentiment "Loads of love on your birthday". Even
though everything in me wanted to keep adding embellishments,
I'm pretty happy with how this card turned out.

Thanks for visiting!
And stop by for some more 'manly inspiration' soon.

More PTI lovelies...

2010-06-11T03:55:00.000-07:00

Eager to ink up some more of my PTI winnings,
I made this set of cards - a late Mother's Day
card for Grandma who was away on vacation last month,
and a thank you for a sweet stamping friend.
I don't own the Top Note Die from SU! (although I wish I did!),
but because I am Dutch, when we used it last year in
our Stampers 10 group, I saved everybody's negative image that
was left after cutting out the shape....I know, so very Dutch.
Anyways, I'm so glad I did because I love how it worked
on these cards! One woman's trash is truly another's treasure.

For the first card, I stamped HA's Old Letter Writing
in Versamark for the background and then the
flower image from PTI's Year of the Flower: Sweetpeas
in Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I restamped the flowers
on some retired SU! designer paper and cut them out and
adhered them with pop dots.

For the second card, I stamped the flower in
Baja Breeze and used a blender pen to shade
in some of the image. I stamped the flowers on the
designer paper with Versamark and then embossed
them with white embossing powder and shaded
them in as well with my blender pen. I love how
little changes like that can really switch up the
look of the card. A few little pearls and some twine
to finish it up, and a sweet, shabby thank you is done.

I'm loving these PTI stamps, they're really
stretching my stamping style. Now, if only I
could win some more... Ha!

Have a great day!

Sending a little HAPPY!

2010-06-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

I don't know too many people more amazing than an

old girlfriend of mine, Cara. She just finished her third round
of chemotherapy, still works full-time and is raising two
teenage girls on her own. I have no idea how she does it.
This month's Hazzard County Card Challenge was the perfect
excuse to send her a little lovin' in the mail and here's the
card I created for Cara:

The colour scheme was inspired by the super cute bobby
pins on the left, from the etsy shop 'howbeadyful'. This is my
first time playing along with the the Etsy Inspired Challenge.
You should check it out - awesome inspiration combining
two of my very favorite things, Etsy and card-making!
And don't you just love those sweet bobby pins...
don't be surprised if they disappear from the shop, I've been

dreaming of them all week. I'm pretty sure my hair needs them :)

The layout was from this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Blog.
Wowzaa - it was a doozy! I'm not used to so many layers on
my cards, so it was a stretch for me to figure this all out.
I'm pretty sure this card will need extra postage, it's so heavy!
I love the teal velvet scalloped ribbon, and it worked out

perfectly as teal is the colour for ovarian cancer awareness.
Love it when stuff works out like that! And those two bitty
clothespins are just way too cute. I've been hoarding them
forever, but knew this was the perfect card to use them on.

Lastly, to work with the HCCC, the card needed to
be different than a standard A2. I decided to make an easel
card, so Cara can prop this up in her windowsill and get
a 'little happy' every time she sees it. Don't you love that sentiment?
Well, that was a long schpiel, wasn't it? Sorry about that!
Thanks for much for stopping by, hope you're having a great week!

Supplies:
Paper: Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Cameo Coral, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red (SU!)

Ink: Taken with Teal, Cameo Coral, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red (SU!)

Stamps: 'Sending you a little happy, Umbrella' (Unity)
' Fill this day with JOY' (Papertrey Ink)
' Canvas background' (SU!)
Other: mini clothespins (dollar store), velvet ribbon (Cosmo Cricket), Versamark and clear embossing powder, button (SU!)

A one-layer card!?

2010-06-05T04:39:00.000-07:00

Kristina Werner had a challenge on her blog
a while back to do a one-layer card. So here I am,
one month later, taking her up on that challenge.
I know, I'm always late aren't I? Someday I will work on
this - LOL! Anyways, my hubby needed to
send some thank you cards and I figured it would
be weird for people to get a flowery, sparkly card
from him. My Duke Divas have been creating some
great manly cards lately (see here, here, and here),
and so, together with their inspiration and spurred on
by the challenge, I came up with this:

The thing I love about a card like this? I made
four of them in less than 20 minutes - love it!
Sometimes it's nice to get back to the basics
and just do some good ole' stamping...although I
couldn't help but emboss the sentiment, just for
a little something :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great weekend!

Supplies:
Paper: Very Vanilla (SU!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss (SU!), Vintage Photo (Tim Holtz)
Stamps: True Friend (SU!), Messy Stitches (Autumn Leaves)
Other: Versamark, clear embossing powder

Another housewarming...

2010-06-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

Friends of ours just moved into a new home, after
spending a couple months renovating it first. It was an older
farmhouse and it truly was a labour of love getting it ready and
liveable for their family. They spent a lot of time and hard work on it,
and it looks fantastic now! They also just celebrated their 5th
anniversary, and I knew right away what I wanted to make for them,
to commemorate their new home and 5 years of marriage.

Another framed layout, this one a bit more substantial
at 12x12. They used a lot of different purple tones in their
downstairs, so I went with that thinking they could then
hang it in whatever room they want. I used a recent family
picture but adhered it with temporary adhesive, so they
can switch up the photo as their family grows.

After making some cute hairclips for my daughter, I had
two of these prima flowers leftover which I used, but the layout
seemed kind of unbalanced with all the pairs of things, so I
made a third flower out of some old sheet music and inked
up the edges to shabby it up a bit. Another piece of sheet music
(which just 'happened' to have lyrics about being part of
God's family - love that!) to anchor the photo, a slip
of crocheted lace to balance it all out, add a few little
pearls for detail and that was that! Except for the fact
that this wasn't a picture of my family, I had a hard time
giving this one away! I think I may just have to
'gift' one of these to myself. LOL!
I'm loving being able to make personal gifts for
friends that are meaningful and AFFORDABLE.
I picked up these frames for $3 each and all the
supplies were just from my 'stash'. I'm sure they didn't
even total $1. Now, if only I could think of something
homemade for all the birthday parties the kids are
invited too...ideas, anyone??
Thanks for stopping by and hope you're
having a wonderful day!

Fill this day with JOY

2010-05-31T03:24:00.000-07:00

Two months ago I won a prize pack from Papertrey Ink.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhoooooooooo!!!
I just got my stamps the other week and I had a bunch of
cards to make, so I broke out the new sets.
I am so in love.
*Sigh*
This card was totally inspired by this lovely one
(which just happens to be sitting on my windowsill,
am I allowed to brag? {grin} ). Looking at my picture
now, I wish I had rounded the corners, but the cards
already in the mail, so it's a little too late! Speaking
of rounded corners, what tool do you use for corner rounding?
I have the SU! corner rounder punch and, I must say, while
I'm really happy with almost all of my SU! products, this is
one that is just not my favorite. Maybe I'm not using it
right, but often it won't punch totally straight or give
a nice, clean edge. I use it a lot, so a different corner
rounder is definitely on my wish list. Any suggestions?

Anyways, back to the card...

First I stamped the background using my very
first Hero Arts stamp...a thoughtful and generous
gift from this awesome girl ... and then used pale plum and
old paper ink to distress the edges of the base.
I stamped the violet image on pale plum cardstock
using elegant eggplant ink and then embossed with
clear embossing powder. I cut it out and used my
blender pen to add a bit of shading, then curled up the
edges to give it some dimension. Lastly I added some
purple rhinestones to the center and popped it up with
some foam glue dots. Next I stamped the leaves with
old paper distress ink on mellow moss cardstock and cut
them out. I crumpled them all up and then smoothed
them out again, distressed the edges, and then tucked them
right in underneath the flower. Finished it off by tying on
a bit of linen thread and adding a sweet little button.
Stamped that lovely sentiment and that's it!

Thanks for visiting and hope you're staying cool!
Our house doesn't have air-conditioning, so in the heat
of the day we've been hanging out in the basement, which
is where our guestroom/my craft room just happens to
be. If this heat keeps up, you just may be seeing more
cards that usual popping up around here. Sound just
about right to me! Have a great Monday!

Grandpa's Mojo-licious Birthday :)

2010-05-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

I needed a card for Grandpa's birthday today and I still

had this Mojo Monday sketch in my head.
Let me tell you, I sure wish I had finished this card up on
time to enter the challenge because....I love it!
(Nothing like talking up your own work, eh? LOL!)
Anyways, here's my take on the sketch:
I embossed the white panel with SU!'s embossing folder.
distressed the edges and then sewed it onto the card front.
I really like the cleanness of the white-on-white. Then I cut
the kraft rectangle and glued on the four squares in various shades
of green and blue and stamped the flower with Versamark
Dazzle. I added the little sentiment tag, and done!
Clean and simple, but still special...for a very special man.
Happy birthday, Grandpa!!

Fan Mail

2010-05-25T03:11:00.000-07:00

I needed a card for a young teenage boy from our church...

Aaack!! I don't think I've ever made a card for a teenage boy
before! Where to start?? Well, I knew which stamp I wanted
to use. I love the 'Puns from the Past' stamp set from SU!. It's
not one that I use all the time, as the stamps are pretty
occasion specific, but whenever I do pull them out I get a
serious case of 'Rubbah Love' :) The vintage sketches and
witty sentiments are just my style! Needless to say,
I love this card!!

I used the design from the SU! catalogue for this stamp
set as my starting point and then started switching
up colours to make it 'teenager worthy'. I was really
excited with the finished card - love that little banner!
I remember being encouraged at church when I was a
teenager, it meant so much to me at a time when you're
trying to figure out who you are and what your gifts are.
Hopefully this card will do the same for our church's young
drummer. This card makes me excited to do some more
creating for the young people at church, something I've
been kind of hesitant about in the past.

And, while I'm on the topic of encouragement...
If I could, I would send this card out to all of y'all :)
I so appreciate the time you take to come and visit
'The Scrapyard' and the comments you leave.
I am so inspired by all of you, and so it means so
much to me when you leave a note for little 'ole me!
Thanks for all of your encouragement.
I'm your biggest FAN :)
xo

On a Roll with the May HCCC

2010-05-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

Another great month, another great challenge - thanks Marnie!
This card needed to use the colours grey, yellow and white
and some paper pieRcing :)
I didn't own any grey paper or ink and thought this would be a
perfect opportunity to add to my supplies, BUT a challenge is
a challenge and so (with a little bit of help) I managed to
make up this card without purchasing anything!
For the 'grey ink' I simply used my black ink and then
stamped off once on a scrap piece of paper before stamping onto
the card. Voila - grey ink! Love it! The grey paper came courtesy
of sa-weet friend, and I punched out some circles
and then stamped and distressed them with my 'stamped off'
black ink. I freehand pierced around the image - I wish I
had a template...I'm a bit of a perfectionist. So, that's not my
favorite part of the card. I ended up drawing a grey 'thread'
with a pencil to make it look like faux stitching.
Anywho, I did have fun with this month's challenge
and I'm excited to get this card in the mail for a friend
I haven't seen in awhile. Love that sentiment!

Roll on, Duke Divas, roll on!

Supplies:
Paper: Whisper White, Barely Banana (SU!), Grey (Marn's stash)
Ink: Barely Banana (SU!), Black (Stazon), Old Paper (Tim Holtz Distress)
Stamps: the swirly woosh behind the roller skates (Bronc Buster - SU!),
diamond pattern, polka dots, roller skates, sentiment (Unity)
Other: Spiral punch, 1" circle, 1 1/4" circle, 1 3/8" circle (SU!), yellow rhinestones (Marn's stash), blender pen

Mother's Day cards

2010-05-22T05:16:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day has come and gone, but I thought

I would share the cards I made for our moms.

Peter's mom loves to quilt and I wanted to try
a paper-pieced version of a quilt square:
I really like how it turned out!

The card, however, was a bit of a flop.
I think the handwritten sentiment just made the
whole card look kind of kitschy. I don't think I'll
do that again anytime soon. But, Mom liked it,
so I guess that's what matters :)

For my mom, I picked a patterned paper that
I thought she would like and a stamp that fit her
perfectly and just went from there:

I recently got the butterfly die from Stampin' Up
and couldn't wait to try it out. And let me just say,
I love it!!! I think we'll be seeing a lot of little butterflies
fluttering around my cards in the next while .

I love how they just pop off the page and add
so much dimension. I popped the whole patterned
paper window up off the card front and stamped the
vine image behind the panel. I popped the sentiment
circle up as well and added the little rhinestone to the
center of the flower. A very bling-y, pop-y one-of-a-kind
card. Perfect for my mama!

Housewarming Gifts

2010-05-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to visit two of my friends

who just moved into new apartments. I wanted
to bring along a little housewarming gift and
originally thought I would give them plants
to cheer up their places. However, after thinking
about it, I didn't know what their apartments were
like - did they have sunny windows? front stoops? -
and did my friends even like plants? Not everybody
has a green thumb, you know ( I can testify to
this, as I have killed many a well-intentioned
blooming gift)! So, I put my thinking cap on, really I
did, and came up with these little ditties:
I had some 4x6 wood frames from Ikea and
just made up a little somethin' somethin' that
they could hang on their wall. I painted and
distressed the frames and tried to create something
that fit their personality and would be happy to
look at :) I think that at 50 cents a frame,
they made a pretty special, and yet incredibly
inexpensive, gift. Perfect!

The second frame I left bare, just sanded and rubbed
in a bit of distress ink on the edges.

I used the emboss resist technique for the flowers and
sponged over them with Baja Breeze (SU!) and Vintage
Photo (Tim Holtz) ink. I absolutely love this one! And,
crazy thing was, it ended up being a perfect match for
my friend's apartment! Love it when stuff like that happens.
The sentiment (Unity) was also stamped in the Vintage Photo
ink and I hope it will be a special reminder for my friend
that she is loved! I'm so glad I didn't go with my initial
thought of houseplants - these homemade frames were
much more meaningful...and much less costly!
I love this craft!!

For Mom's scrapbook - Part 2

2010-05-11T03:16:00.000-07:00

These last two pages were toughies! I wanted to use some

pictures from my Oma and her funeral, but wasn't quite
sure how to share them in a meaningful and gentle way.

This first page was the trickiest. I had a really beautiful
picture that I took of my mom holding Jude and sitting beside
my oma. It was taken a few days before my oma passed away
and it speaks volumes of my mom's love for her family, lovingly
caring for her mother and grandson. The picture is one I treasure,
but it's not an easy one to look at. Oma was very sick at the end
and most of the time was not even conscious. I so wanted to have
this particular picture - the precious moment and memories it
holds - included but knew, because of how Oma looked, that to
just put it on the page wouldn't work. First I tried covering it with
a piece of vellum to try and soften the shot, but it just made
everyone look like ghosts - not good! I finally came up with the
idea of the pocket to hold the picture and a tab on the top of
the picture so mom can pull it out when she wants to look at it.
The rest of the page is very simple and muted, keeping with the
tone of the picture. Mom bawled when she pulled out the picture
and she said she really loved having it in her scrapbook, but also
the way it was quietly tucked away in the page.

The next picture was taken at Oma's funeral. I just think it's
so precious - our two oldest and my cousin's two children
placing flowers down into Oma's grave. It was such a special
and beautiful way to say good-bye.

I created the ruffly little flower by punching out about 8
scalloped circles out of vintage book print and attaching them
together with a brad. I ruffled and crumpled up the top layers
to give it some dimension and inked the edges with some
distress ink. Love the way it turned out and how it looks on
the page. And I finally got to use my Martha Steward dove
punch! I love this sweet little bird, but have had a really hard
time incorporating into cards because of it's size (looks like a
freaky giant-bird paired with most of my flower and tree
stamps), so I was really happy to be able to use it on this
project. Well that's it for the scrapbook pages for now!
I have one more set from my brother's wedding, but I
have a feeling it will be awhile before I finish them...
the nice weather has returned and we'll be back outside
mowing lawn, working in the garden, and pushing four
little bottoms on the swings. As much as I enjoy crafting,
I LOVE working and playing outside with my family!
Hope you're enjoying the weather too!

Gracie Jo's pages for Mom

2010-05-10T04:48:00.000-07:00

I used to keep 'The Scrapyard' off limits to all the

kids, but after Gracie Jo went and visited my sister-in-law
and came back with the cutest and most beautiful cards (in
my completely unbiased opinion anyways) for our family,
I realized that this hobby that I so love is something that
I could totally be sharing with my little girl. Thank you Tina!!
Anyways, Gracie Jo now has her own little chair and corner of
the Scrapyard and, while she doesn't have free reign on all my
supplies, she is coming up with some lovely creations using
paper, glue, scissors, stamps, ink and punches.

Here's the first page she made for Mom's scrapbook:
Isn't it adorable? And she did it all on her own (except for
a little bit of help with the journalling)! She's such a sweet muffin :)

And here's the second page. Her own 'illustration', as she
calls it, and her favorite embellishments. Needless to say,
Mom absolutely loved having a new contributer to her
scrapbook and Gracie Jo and I had some sweet bonding
time in the process. Love it!

I'll be back later with the final two pages.
Hope you had a wonderful weekend thinking
of, or celebrating with, your moms!

For Mom's scrapbook - Part 1

2010-05-07T03:32:00.000-07:00

I made my mom a scrapbook for her 50th birthday and

have been adding to it for birthdays, Christmas, Mother's
Day, etc. ever since. Right now it's the only scrapbooking
I do and every time I think, 'I should do more of this!'
But, alas, there always seems to be other things (namely
our four little crazies) that demand my attention, so it's
not something that I've done a lot of, other than for my mom.
Maybe when I turn 50 I'll start my very own scrapbooks - Ha!
Oh yes, sorry for the bad pictures. I should've taken the pages
out of the glossy holders, eh? Note to self: Glossy page holders
do not make for good pictures! Anywho...

I love this picture of my mom with the two boys - they just
love her so much! And she has so much love for them.
The quote says, "Oma always made you feel she had been
waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete."
It originally started with "Grandma", so I trimmed that out and
replaced it with stickers to say "Oma". I kept the page pretty
simple, because I wanted the picture to be the main focus, and
I added the heart to tie it together with the opposite page.

My dad's name is John William (Johan Willem) and our
littlest guy is Jude Willem. Mom always refers to them as
her 'two favorite J.W.'s', and as soon as I saw this picture I
knew that would be the theme of the page. Although what's in
your head doesn't always play out on paper... This page
is actually a whole bunch of mistakes which I valiantly tried
to work with since I had already glued my only copy of the
picture down! The white journalling tag is covering up a big
splotch where I dropped a big blob of glue, and some very
bad handwriting. Also, after attaching the ghost hearts with
clear glue dots (which were totally visible and silly looking)
I started adding more and more hearts to cover things up.
Well, considering it's not at all what I had planned, it turned
out alright and I do like the flow of the two pages together.

Gracie Jo made some pages too! So cute - I'll try and post them later.
Hope you don't mind my little foray into the world of scrapbooking!
Thanks for stopping by!

Mama's Birthday

2010-05-05T04:08:00.000-07:00

My mom's birthday is May 1st and I needed the perfect
card to celebrate such an amazing woman. She really appreciates
things that are hand made, and the thought that goes into
them, so this card needed to be extra special!

I used the layout and ribbon idea from a card by
Nichole Heady, and tried to pick elements that would
have special meaning for my mom. Both of her parents
passed away in the last two years, so her birthday has
been a bit difficult for her because of their absence.
My Opa's favorite flowers were daffodils, and I didn't
have a daffodil stamp, so I tried to create the look of one using
the retired Delight in Life set from Stampin' Up. I stamped
the flower on the cardstock then coloured it in with my blender
pen. Then I stamped it again on vellum, coloured it and cut it
out. I bent the edges up a bit to give it some dimension and
then added the center which I stamped on Summer Sun cardstock
with More Mustard ink. I crumpled the center up a bit and used some
Old Paper distress ink on it, and I really like how all those extra
steps created such a pretty, detailed focal point.

I embossed the white panel on the front, and used some
pattern paper from Basic Grey's Nook and Pantry line,
along with some strips of Chocolate Chip cardstock that
I punched with my scalloped edge punch. All together it
had a warm, vintage-y kind of look that reminded me
of my Oma's sewing room. Anyways, my mama really
did love the card so it was worth the extra fuss.

I also made some pages for her scrapbook, so
I'll try and get those posted as well. It was good to
get some extra crafty time in last week, but now I
need to get caught up on laundry and housekeeping.
*Sigh*... if only there was a fun, creative way to keep
the house clean, laundry done and meals on the table!
Here's to wishing!

In another world...

2010-04-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

My cousin and his wife are missionaries in Kenya,
and I'm embarrassed to say that, although they have
been there for close to two years, this is the first time
we have sent them anything. After reading their last
update, I was really touched by the way their entire
family is involved in and impacted by their ministry.
You see, they have two little girls close to the same
ages of our oldest children. So I spent some time with
our kids, looking at my cousin's family pictures and
talking about what life is like for them and the things
they are doing in Kenya. We decided to send a little
package to them, specifically with the girls in mind.

The kids each drew a picture with a short note:

So cute!!

And Gracie Jo and I made bookmarks for the girls:

I thought these would be something kind
of special and personal for them. I definitely
had shipping in mind when we created these,
but was actually surprised how relatively inexpensive
it was to send a package all the way to the other side
of the world! (Three letters, 2 bookmarks and a CD for only $8!)
I'm thinking next time we'll get a little more ambitious...
Do you have any ideas? What would you send that could
be mailed, and special for a 4 and 6 year old girl? I'd love to
hear your ideas! And speaking of ideas, this has definitely got
me pondering other ways I can use this craft I enjoy so much,
to bless others. I know there are a lot of different card drives
going on, but perhaps there's something a little more
personal and close to home. Just something to think about...

Thanks for visiting! Be blessed!

Bookmark Details:

Hannah's
Stamps: Collage Alphabet (SU!)
Ink: Pirouette Pink, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron
Other: Ribbon (SU!), flowers and brad (from my stash),
rounded corner and slot punch (SU!)
Beatrice's
Stamps: Collage Alphabet (SU!)
Ink: Pacific Point, Real Rose, Tangerine Tango
Other: Sunflower embellishment and ribbon (In A Scrap Creations)
rounded corner and slot punch (SU!)

For the girls...

2010-04-21T04:02:00.000-07:00

All those sweet new babes needed a little number
to welcome their arrival into this world...and to keep
their bald little noggins warm!

I think these fruity little numbers should do the trick :)

I used a variegated yarn, and I'm not totally sold
on the way it worked up. Kind of a weird girly-camo
pattern. I think next time I will probably stick to a
solid colour yarn. But, all in all, I'm pretty happy
with the way it turned out. And that cherry
on top? Pure sweetness!

Thanks for visiting the Scrapyard today :)

April HCCC

2010-04-18T04:15:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with the kraft/pink/white combo
on my last baby card and since then we've welcomed
two more baby girls into friends' families.
Something in the water, maybe?
So, I kept the colours the same, for this card
but changed the elements for this month's HCCC.

At first I wasn't lovin' this card, but I think
it just wasn't what I had in my head when I
started out making it. Now, the more I look at
it, the more I like it. It seems to be growing on me!

This is the first time I've ever made a circle card.
I didn't take a picture but I just attached the kraft
circle to the front of a 3x3 notecard. Not sure if this
is how people normally do it, but it worked for me!

I received some flocking for Christmas, but
hadn't used it yet. I had really wanted it, but
wasn't quite sure how or when to use it. I thought
a baby card would be a good occasion to break it
out though - and I love how that sweet, fuzzy
little footprint turned out! The pink lace
trim was also something I had been hoarding
and admiring and I'm glad I finally put it
to good use. It looks much better on the card
than on my shelf! Note to self: using pretty things
is a lot more satisfying that just looking at them!

So glad for these challenges - they always push me
to do something new or different. Can't wait till next month!
Thanks for visiting :)

A cheery hello!

2010-04-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

I had just mastered making little crochet flowers

and just wanted to stick them everywhere!
My purse, coat, sweater, our daughter's hair...
there's not too many places that couldn't use a
little bit of hooked loveliness - in my humble opinion :)

I had never put such a large embellishment on a
card before, but thought I'd give it a try, so
I made this card to share are cheerful hello with
a friend. I tried to keep the card fairly muted so the
flower could take 'centre stage'. I hope this layout
did the trick, without being too simple? I also stamped
the polka-dots in Versamark and then heat-embossed
with clear powder. I love the look of clear embossing
powder on Kraft cardstock! It really adds to your
background without adding a lot of layers or bulk to the card.
I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that these flowers will go
through the mail without having to add extra postage (can you
tell I'm Dutch!! LOL!) ...we'll see!

Card Details:
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, DP (all SU!)
Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip (SU!), Vintage photo (Tim Holtz Distress)
Stamps: Best Blossoms (SU!), Savor the Journey: Jan KOM (Unity), Kelly Panacci clear stamps
Other: Scallop Edge Punch (SU!), clear embossing powder

A little sweetness...

2010-04-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

So, there must be something in the air because

babies are popping up everywhere! :)
It may just be the early spring we're having, but
we seem to be celebrating new life all around us.
Between baptisms, new babies and pregnant friends
I've been needing a lot of extra sweet cards.

Here's a little one I made for our friends' new
baby girl. I love that tiny footprint - isn't it adorable?

This card came together pretty quickly and
I love the sweet, soft look. Although, I
am wondering if I should have maybe put
a sentiment on the front? What do you think?
I do know that I will definitely be
trying the kraft/white/pink pirouette combo
with distressing on more cards...stay tuned!!
Thanks for visiting :)

Card Details:
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White (SU!), Sugared (Basic Grey)
Ink: Pink Pirouette (SU!), Versamark, Vintage Photo (Tim Holtz Distress)
Stamps: Canvas background, I'm Here (SU!)
Other: pearl (Kaiser), twine (Dollar Store)

Mojo Monday Madness

2010-04-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

After seeing this rockin' card on my friend's
blog, I couldn't help but check out the sketch
challenge at the Mojo Monday site.
Wowzaa! It was way snazzy and much
more elaborate than I'm used to, but
that's why they call them challenges, right?
This is my first time playing along, but after
seeing the sketch, I just couldn't say no!

So here's my take on the sketch. I'm actually
really happy with the way it turned out.
It's a lot different than anything I would have
thought of on my own.

I tried to stay as close to the sketch as
possible, as my natural tendency would
have been to make things simpler with
less layers and elements. And although
this card is definitely not my usual style,
I think I may be falling in love :)
Now, if only I can figure out how to
make a card like this in under 15 minutes...

Card Details:
Stamps: Organic Grace (SU!)
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Bravo Burgandy, More Mustard, Mellow Moss (SU!), Walnut Stain (Tim Holtz' Distress), Versamark
Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla (SU!), Sugared DP (Basic Grey), vintage book print
Other: Blender pen, Twill tape (natural-SU!, kraft-Cosmo Cricket), Oval cutter (Creative Memories), dimensionals, sewing machine

March Hazzard County Challenge

2010-03-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Once again, this month's challenge was a whopper!
I wish I had taken pictures of the whole process this
card went through - Let's just say it got some serious
tweaking before it left the Scrapyard.

After a failed attempt at making my own patterned
paper using a 2-step stamp, I remembered the new
Versamark 'Dazzle' pad I got for my
birthday and used it, along with Pale Plum ink,
to stamp the hearts on the kraft paper. You can't
tell in the picture, but in real life they hearts have a
subtle, sweet shimmer to them.

I also originally coloured in the mushrooms using ink

and a blender pen, but it looked really crappy. So I
took my first venture into the 'World of Paper-Piercing'.
LOVE the results, but not sure I love how long it
took me to cut all those tiny bloomin' pieces out!
Maybe once all the kids are off to college, I may
try this technique again. LOL!!

Anyways, another great challenge and I can't
wait to see what my girls will come up with for April!

Card Details:
Paper: Very Vanilla, Kraft, Kiwi Kiss, Pale Plum (all SU!) Basic Grey Sugar Rush DP
Stamps: Love You Much (SU!), Savor the Journey (Jan. Kit of the Month - Unity)
Ink: Pale Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, Versamark 'Dazzle'
Other: Scallop Edge punch (SU!), Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU!), rhinestone hearts (Dollar Store),
button (BG), jute twine (Papertrey Ink), blender pen (SU!), sewing machine

Happy, happy, joy, joy...

2010-02-27T03:49:00.000-08:00

Love this card!
Love that once I had it figured out,
it only took about 10 minutes.
Love that it's such a fun, pretty way use up scraps.

I made it for my sister-in-law's 17th birthday.
A tough age to make cards for! But I started
pulling papers that were her colour and style
and then it all came together from there.

I'm thinking these would be a great card
to mass produce for a set of gift cards, or
just have in your stash. By switching up
the patterned paper and sentiment you
could make these cards for birthdays,
anniversaries, new babies, lots of things!
This card definitely goes on my 'love' list :)

Details:
Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White, Rose Red (SU!)
PP: Lemonade (BG)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Whisper White (SU!)
Stamp: Savor the Journey (Unity)
Punches: Scalloped Circle, 1" circle, 1 1/4" circle, 1 3/8" circle (SU!)

Sharing in your sorrow...

2010-02-27T03:36:00.000-08:00

Last week I need to make some sympathy cards.
These can be some of the hardest cards to make.
But, I really think they can be very meaningful for
the people who receive them.
I wanted the card to be natural and simple, but still
something that would be special to look at.
I think that the combination of the floral image, muted
colours and little details accomplishes that.

Details:
Cardstock: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy (SU!)
PP: SU! (can't remember the name)
Stamp: Delightful Moments (Unity)
Ink: Chocolate chip (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress Ink)
Misc: Twill tape (SU!), brads and machine stitching

A baby gift from the Scrapyard

2010-02-26T03:32:00.000-08:00

So I've been on a bit of a crocheting kick lately,

and having oh so much fun! A friend of mine
just had the sweetest baby girl with a head
FULL of thick, black hair. So cute!!
So, I got out my hook and stitched
up this little flower. Added a bit of material
from my scrap box and a bright, pink button.
Sewed it all together and attached it to a little
hair clip. Instant sweetie baby barrette.

I made a box out of card stock and personalized
it for 'Baby R'. Add a little polka-dot ribbon and
you have the cutest little gift box.

All together, it probably took about half an hour to
make and probably cost under a dollar in supplies.
I wish I had taken a picture of it in her hair.
Really, it was too cute for words. A-dor-a-ble!!!
And my friend loved it.
I think the Scrapyard will be making many more of these :)

Supplies:
Cardstock: Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White (SU!)
Stamp: Circus Alphabet (Get-a-Tins)
Ink: Rose Red (SU!), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress Ink)
Misc: yarn, material, button, embroidery floss, hair clip, ribbon all from my 'stash'

If at first you don't succeed...

2010-02-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

...try, try again.

And again.
And again.

Our Duke girls' challenge this month was a
bit more than I could handle! I started off
super excited, with grand ideas for my card
and here's what I came up with:
Eye yi yi!! It looks like something my
five-year old came up with. No offence, Gracie Jo!
(Funny story, Gracie Jo told me this is 'the BEST card
I've ever made. Really, Mom! - Ha!)
Anyways, seeing as part of this card's problem for
me was just way too much... everything, I went
for a second attempt that was a bit more organized.

Here's card #2:
Definitely better than my first attempt,but I still wasn't
lo-o-o-vin' it. So, I left the Scrapyard and called it a day.
(Also, funny story about this card - notice the stitching around
the pink and orange layer? Well, originally this card had the
pink layer as it's base...until I sewed it shut! Bah!
Note to self: always make sure card is OPEN before
you go to town with the sewing machine!)

A few days later, I came across a tutorial on
the 'emboss resist' technique. It had been awhile since
I had done this and all of a sudden the wheels started
turning...what if, instead of using only one colour ink
for the sponging, I used a gradient of all the colours for
the challenge!! Aha! As fast as I could get everyone's
diapers changed, sippy cups filled, and minds occupied
for a brief ten minutes, I was off to the Scrapyard to
give it another go. And here's what happened:
Loved it!! So clean and simple, but I really
liked it. First, I stamped the dandelion in
Versamark ink, then embossed it with clear
embossing powder. I made a mask by ripping
up some scrap paper and laying it around the
flower. Then, using a cheapie make-up sponge
I dabbed the four colours from the challenge over
the flower. Once I was happy with the way things
were looking, I wiped off the dandelion with a baby
wipe and Oh la la!!
I love how this technique really makes your stamped
image 'pop'. I also love that this card took me less than
10 minutes to make! You could make a whole set, switching
up the image or the sentiment, and have a really nice gift for
someone in under half an hour. Love! I'm definitely going
to give this a try again. Thanks for looking and hope you learned
some things from my mistakes - or at least had a good laugh!!
xoxo