Good Morning! for about eight more minutes.

I have been seeing A LOT of pictures on FB about re-purposing items, all sorts of items.  So on a much smaller scale, I re-purposed a small bag that I had from the Tea & Spice Exchange in Fort Worth.  (I LOVE this place!!!)

I needed a bag to put a thank you gift in.  The gift is from my husbands boy scout troop to our family doctor (who was a member when his boys were younger), he does summer camp physicals for the boys every year for free.

This is the inspector, she was making sure the camera was on.

This is the side of the bag, I decided not to cover it up,

I like the idea of letting people see

that the bag has been repurposed.

This is the front of the bag.

I used a thinlet die from Stampin' Up!

for the base to cover up the store info.

The hiking figure I got from the Silhouette store,

I then added the offset for an outline image.

The Font is from my computer - Bookman Old Style - which I added the offset outline to as well.

This is the back of the bag.

Again I used the thinlet die from SU! to cover the store's info.

The circle "Tag" is an image from "Nitwits" called Lodge Creek.

I had to trace the design in Silhouette and then offset the circle. 

I then removed the traced images from the offset outline. 

I printed up the image that cut the exact shape with my Sil.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Leave a note to let me know what you think! THX!

Happy Friday!

I have been trying to post from my IPAD Air for two weeks now!  After I've been typing for a bit the screen goes blank and then to my wallpaper and everything I've typed is lost!!  Grrr.  So now I'm on the desktop - which is probably where I should have been in the first place.

Last week I completed a challenge at Die Cutin' Divas and was pretty happy with it, but alas that was one of the posts that kept getting deleted.  I'll have to try to get it switched from my IPAD to the desktop so I can post it. This weeks challenge came in handy.

I used my Silhouette and even though it took ME a long time, I love the fact that I can create the layout, and cut all the pieces out of various shapes and colors on almost one mat!

Here is my contribution to this weeks challenge.  The story behind my card is that we have a friend who lost his Mom this week and I needed a sympathy card for him.  I remember seeing a post on FB about "The Legend of the Cardinal" and how when you see one, it's actually the spirit of a loved one who has past on and is letting you know that they are still with you. 

The layout:

http://diecuttindivas.blogspot.ca/

Here is my card:

The size of the card is a little too big at 6"x7" and took a lot of time for me to make.

 All the solid papers are from Stampin' Up!, the patterned paper is from Authentique

Collection - Adore "Always" two sided paper.

The Font is from my computer called "Agnes".

The 3D rose is from Maya Road,

and the rhinestone stickers are from docrafts Papermania

I used SU!'s pop dots for dimension

Since the card base would have measured, 6" x 14" I made the top base 6"x8" and the back base 6"x7".  The top piece I scored at 1" and attached the back to it.  I then added a strip of the patterned paper over the 1" strip at the top. Confused? I know I am.

Well, that's it for now, I have some sewing to do.

Have a GREAT weekend and thanks for stopping by!

WOW! my last post was in March 2015! 

A LOT of stuff has gone on between then and now. Well, our youngest graduated High School that June and there was A LOT of preparation for that.  Then it was summer and hubs and I took another EPIC road trip. We headed out of TEXAS through the panhandle of Oklahoma, then through Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.  We hung a left and crossed into Montana, headed down through Wyoming and into Colorado.  From there we went into New Mexico and back into TEXAS. It was a wonderful trip.  People really do need to stop flying and ride the highways and byways of our great country. The sights are impressive, thought provoking, a little sad at times, but most defiantly beautiful.

I have been re-evaluating my blog.  Obviously I'm not very good at keeping up with it. I realized that there were a lot of things I wasn't keeping up with, so I made a couple of resolutions for this year.

The very first thing I did was pick an inspirational word to focus on. After a few days of  picking and choosing and tossing out words, I finally settled on CONSISTANCY.

CONSISTANCY

for me, this word means

1. keeping a little more organized (utilizing my "DUMP DIARY" more)
2. setting aside a few moments of the day just for me
3. staying in the moment, being aware of the present and not so much on what's down the road.

Hopefully by doing this, my home will stay cleaner, I will have less stress and time will(?) slow down.

I'm also doing some charitable sewing. 

1. 2-5 cute & fun pillowcases for the cancer center at our local hospital. 
2. Lap quilts for our towns Police force to use on domestic dispute calls.  (I also go to Kohl's once a month to get the stuffed animal and book that they have for their "Kohl's Cares" program.  The stuffed animals are only $5. and the police department uses them too.)

So my hands and heart are full and happy.

As for my card making, I just participated in two January challenges.  One from "Die Cut Divas" and one from "Cut it Up!". 

The first challenge is from Die Cut Diva's . It's their first sketch challenge for 2016. 

Here is the sketch

Here is my card

The die cut is from my silhouette

and the image is from Nitwits called Nitwit Hollow

the paper is So Saffron from Stampin Up! as is the ribbon that is retired. 

The gems are from Stampendous!

This is the inside, I used scrap strips from the front piece of DP

and  punches from Stampin Up! for the flower

Since the card was 5x5 inches I made the envelope out of the same DP

It was a perfect challenge.  So simple and quick!

The second challenge is from Cut It UP! In this challenge you had to re-use a gift bag that had a logo or store identification on it.  I do this all the time and since I needed a quick bag and for this Saturday, this is what I did.

I bought a gift in Grandbury, Texas for a friend of mine.  We are meeting this Saturday to exchange gifts. Yes, Christmas gifts.  Anyway, again I used my silhouette and a file that I purchased from their store. The bag from the shop was purple and the tissue they used was lime green and black.  Not your usual Christmas colors but fun none the less. I added some silver and gold ribbon (to go with the subtle theme of the cartoon "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer")

You should check out both sites so you can see some of the fabulous contributions!

Another Manic Monday

I've been busy using my Silhouette lately.  Having a lot of fun and frustration in the process, but then, it is a process. 

 

I've made a few cards and am currently working on table decorations for our Son's "Senior Breakfast".  The theme this year is "Picture Th15!" (Picture This) and it is based around the selfie craze.  I volunteered to "adopt" two tables and thanks to my Silhouette and Cricut, they could NOT have been easier. I bought 2 plastic "buckets" and I'm going to fill them with  photo props.  When I get them finished I'll post pictures.

 

So here is a birthday card I made for one of my BFF's.  Her birthday was in February but the two of us have been so busy that yesterday was the first day we could spend time together.

 

 

 This file is from the Silhouette Store, the format of the card as well as the wording. The file for the wording is from the "Birthday Words" Set, I just separated them and resized them.  They are popped up on dimensionals .  The "frosting" on the cupcake is popped up as well. The paper is Stampin' Up! - Whisper White and Rich Razzleberry DP.  A perfect, quick, good looking card, if I do say so myself :)

 

On another note...

We've been having a lot of MUCH needed rain here in Texas. Which has made the Bluebonnets very happy! I noticed the other day how they seemed to sparkle. After a closer look it was rain water that had collected in them and made it look like they were holding crystals.  So I took some pictures and I must say I am fascinated by the beauty the rain had created.

 

 

 

Thanks for looking!  Till next time!

 

 

 

ZENTANGLES!!!

I've discovered

ZENTANGELS

and I

LOVE

them!!!

I was on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago,

 and I came across ZENTANGLES or Tangles for short. 

So of course I jumped in with both feet.  

I also found out that you can take classes and become a "Certified Zentangle Teacher". 

Who knew? I certainly didn't. 

When you think about the word ZENTANGLE,

 it sounds strange.

 However when you take the word apart, 

it makes perfect sense. 

ZEN - TANGLE.

 The ZEN part is important, 

because it is the key to the  " tangles".

 They are SO relaxing!! Really!

Check out Pinterest, then try them!

Glory BE!

and Happy St. Patrick's Day

to you ALL!!

We will be celebrating tomorrow with Corned Beef, Cabbage & Boiled Potatoes, the way my Nana made it.  She was from Ireland, and that's the truth of it.

Today I'm going to show you a card I made for my MIL, to thank her for having us last week in Florida.  It's a simple card made exactly how the Silhouette store showed it.  I was in a hurry to get it mailed so no improvising.

I did change the font style because I wanted it a little fancy.

 

Here are a few pictures of our trip.

We've been to Vero beach several times before

and this time didn't disappoint. 

It was so beautiful!

 

 

  Son#3 & the Hubs

 

Santa was vacationing too!!

 

Taken right outside my MIL backdoor

overlooking the pond.

This bird comes everyday

to sit on this decoy for HOURS.

 

On Thursday we went to the Arts Center. 

It's set in a beautiful park.

 

The Art was eclectic to say the least.

There were some fine pieces. 

Some paintings I would have loved to have.

As you can see, I was fascinated with the trees as well.

 

Friday we had lunch here. 

 I had my very first Lobster Roll.

YUM!!!

 

 

It had a very nice view too!

 

I have more pictures but they are on my phone,

hopefully I will get them downloaded in a day or two.

 

'Till next time!

 

 

 

Manic Monday

Well, Spring Break is over, we had a wonderful time visiting my MIL in Vero Beach, Florida.  The weather was perfect.  We couldn't go swimming in the ocean though because of an influx of "Man of War", they are worse then jellyfish stings.  I've been stung by a jellyfish and THAT was bad enough!!

I'm going to have to post later the pictures of our trip but for right now I wanted to show you a card I made.

A few weeks ago a friend of ours lost her Father suddenly.  I made this card using Silhoutte files and Stampin' Up papers. 

 

The fonts were from my computer. 

 I changed the "S" in Sympathy to a different font and then made it larger.

 

It took me all day as most of my Silhouette projects do.

I'm still a very "newbie".  I also am learning and forgetting ALOT!! :)

 

Well, I have a ton of things to do today,

coming home from vacation is NOT fun.

Too much stuff to do and all I really want to do is PLAY!!