Another Practical Scrappers Challenge!

Over at Practical Scrappers, the Challenge this week is to use vellum.

Here's the LINK.

Can't wait! It's due tomorrow (Friday!) LOL

~

Creatively Green....

NEWSFLASH: Through a friend, I discovered a new site I really enjoy visiting. It's called "Creatively Green."

They are a kit club in the US that deals in GREEN scrapbooking products! What a great niche! They EVEN manufacture their own "green" cardstock. It's even textured!

The cardstock they sell is made by them and it's on sale right now... 40% off. Check it out when you get the chance. They are also the manufacturer of Clay Artz products AND offer FREE worldwide shipping on orders over $50.00 which is a wonderful incentive for a lot of us who are "internationally" located!

Additionally, the whole philosophy there is to scrap and craft as green as possible. I love that. So, So, IMPORTANT!!!

Here is the link. Be sure to pop by and check it out and tell them that Ali sent you over... It's a GREAT place, and super friendly!!

~

Serenity...

Serenity, to me, is being able to...

"See everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little."
~Pope John XXIII

And remember no matter WHAT the circumstance...

"If you surrender to the wind, you can ride it." ~Toni Morrison

((HUGZ)) girls... Thanks to Carla at SOS for getting me thinking on this!
~

A Practical Scrappers Challenge!

Over at Practical Scrappers we were challenged last week- yet again! It is a super fun place, helping us use up our stash!

Here is my entry for Practical Scrappers' Challenge last week!

Everything, including the background cardstock is from my scrap bin, I cut the flowers from Basic Grey Mellow scraps.

We were to use ONLY paper scraps to make our project. I chose to do the card above.

This card was based on a sketch by Deanne Burton...

Thanks to Practical Scrappers for the FUN CHALLENGE!

~

Another couple of my cards!

a couple of my cards are over HERE on Deanne's "Just my Sketches" blog.



In the month of August, we were to take Deanne's sketches (she sent me 5 to use) and interpret them. She then posted our creations on her blog. So nice of her!

Here is my card for August 24th:

Card is based upon this sketch by Deanne Burton~

Here is a closeup of the butterfly, which I trimmed from patterned paper, and applied stickles to for glimmer. Then I raised it with 3M foam squares:

And here is a card I made for Peter's Dad, [the kids' "Opa"] for his b'day on August 11:

I used Deanne's August 24th sketch:

Here is the envelope I decorated to go with Opa's card:

Thanks for checking these out! ~ Ali

The "La-La Land" Weekly Wednesday Challenge.

Every Wednesday there is a Challenge posted at La La Land Crafts ! Check the link for this week's Challenge!

OK: The challenge this week is Stitching.

We are to use stitching somewhere in a card or other papercraft project. It can be machine stitching, hand stitching or faux stitching. Remember, anyone can play!

There is also a prize awarded! The design team will select the top 3 favorites for each challenge. Then the 3 top choices will win a button to post on their blogs. :O) So, get busy!

I ADORE sewing on paper so this is right up my alley!

The one with the most votes will also get 25% off at La-La Land Crafts online store!

Here's what you need to do to participate:

1) Create a NEW card or other papercraft project for the challenge.Yes, you may combine challenges! You may use any stamps, but if you've got some La-La Land stamps, why not show them some love!
2) Link your card or project to Mr. Linky on the La-La Land site.Be sure to link directly to the blog post featuring your entryor to the gallery picture of your entry
3) If you link your card to Splitcoaststampers,please use Keyword: LLWWC2** If you are using a stamp from La-La Land Crafts, use keywords LLLC and LLWWC2
4) Link to this challenge in your blog or gallery post.

Note: If you do not have a blog and do not upload to Splitcoaststampers, you can still play along. Just email us your card/project and we will enter it into the challenge.

You have until Sunday, August 30th at 11:59 pm PST (GMT -8)to enter.

~

Aloha-- and Christmas Cards??

HUH??

Christmas Cards All Year Round [CCAYR], where I am on the DT, had a wonderful challenge this month! We were to use lime green, bright orange, yellow and bright pink on our cards!
Here are the 5 cards that I made in addition to the one I did for the Design Team Assignment, which is HERE with the others made by the DT.


The assigned colour combo made me think "tropical" so here is what I came up with:

Card #1: Tropical Ho Ho!~
Card #2: Aloha Noel~
Card #3: Ho Ho Noel ~
Card #4: Aloha Noel [#2]~

Card #5: Be Merry!~



Thanks for looking everyone, let me know what you think of these "outside the box" cards.

Thanks to Tamara for the great Challenge!

~

Proud and happy

that I was able to help out with a few cards for Deanne Burton's August Card Sketch Month on her Just My Sketches Blog!!

I was assigned sketches for August 21-25.

So far 3 of my cards have been posted along with cards from a couple of other gals, including Deanne and Liz Weber on those days!

Look here, if you'd like to see my cards for the first 3 days (August 21, 22, 23). Two of them are horse-themed!!

August 21

Card #1~ "Scribbles" August 22

Card #2~ "Best of Luck!"

August 23

Card #3~ "Expect Miracles"

TY for peeking!

Deanne makes great sketches for cards AND layouts. I use them a LOT in my scrappin'.... so be sure to pop on over to her Blog and give 'em all the once over! Remember-- for August , it's cards. Look back in the pre- August posts on her blog if you're interested in the fun layout sketches!

~~

Free Stationery

I have been using the beautiful free stationery from Cloudeight Stationery for years now. My friend Garnetta, a retired RN, sent me the link and I have been sooooo thankful as their freebies are superb.

Here is a set of FREE Angel Stationery that is the latest offering. Please go see and download it if you like it. There are several styles and each is beautiful. I have been using them!

As a nurse I sespecially loved the "Angel of Healing" and the "Angel of Meditation."

Go see!

What do you think of the stationery?!
Do you feel that angels are present in YOUR life?

I would love to hear your answers.
~

Older Gift Bags as Organizing Units!

Hi there everyone!

First off, I'd like to warmly invite you to become a "Follower" of my "Lovingly Created" Blog. Bring a friend, too, the more the merrier.

Look to the right- the sign up spot to "Become a follower" is right there. It's SUPER- E-Z. Click, then follow the directions. It's really simple. You will never miss another Blog post!

I have a GREEN TREAT for you today in the form of an idea I had and use to store gift bags, tissue paper and our flat gift wrap. (I buy all of mine from Regal.)

Here is a view of the big closet in the Laundry/mud room. Guess what those bags are??

Here is a tutorial on older gift bags used as ORGANIZING UNITS!

1- Choose gift bags that are too rough/used to "give" away with a gift inside
2- Tape up any spots needing reinforcing. Check bottom!
3- Decide what goes in each bag.
4- I have:
A] Wrapping Paper/tissue paper, incl recycled paper/tissue
B] Christmas bags/small boxes (foldables.) Be sure it's a large bag. REINFORCE bottom.
C] Misc Holiday bags like Easter/Val Day/Mom's/Dad's Day bags/GRAD; Wine bags
D] BIRTHDAY BAGS (Be sure this is a large bag w/ reinforced bottom.)
E] ONE EXTRA BAG for when u r hurrying & cannot sort 'til later; or as a spare if 1 bag gets too full.

5. Label if desired.
6. Fill bags.
7. Hang on a strong wooden hanger. (I hate them and so am thrilled to find a sturdy use for them!)
8. Hang in closet where you have room. They can be pushed into a corner and slid out when needed.

TIP: Choose bags that mirror the theme of the contents if you have them: for example~Christmas or B'day. Makes life easier. Sort your bags at a glance. No labelling necessary also means time and paper saved.

~

This team amazes me....

Every time I see her ride I am overwhelmed. Amazed. Proud. And, and, and...yes... well, I am BOWLED OVER.

This 15 1/2 year old daughter of ours, Kate Lillian, placed in EVERY one of the 4 riding events she entered at the Annapolis Valley Exhibition. She earned a red ribbon (1st) in the English Pleasure Pony flat class... THEN she had a 3rd in the "Road Hack" class ... a 2nd in "Working hunter over fences" (Hunter Jumper, where they judge your style & control in getting over the jumps) and a 6th place ribbon in the Equitation class.

August 18, 2009

Kate and "Truly Scrumptious" (Oakley) earned a red ribbon... 1st in the "English Pleasure Pony" class at the Annapolis Valley Exhibition, Lawrencetown, NS

Oakley & Kate receiving a Blue Ribbon (2nd) in the Hunter Jumper class- Ponies & horses competed together. Oakley is a pony. (The gal who won first--a red ribbon-- competes nationally and wins everything she enters with her horse! WOW!)

Bravo Kate! Bravo Oakley! What a team!

Doesn't Miss Oakley (Truly Scrumptious) look fancy with her mane all braided, English equestrian style?? LOL Wish you could have seen the top part of her tail, too! It was all French braided for the show... She was gorgeous, as was Kate.

Thank You to Alissa Cue of Rohan Wood Stables, Kate's riding coach, for good teaching.

Card designed and created by Ali MacDonald for "The Perfect Card"

You clearly ROCK, girls!

**clap clap clap**

~ /Mom

All kinds of fun Challenges!!!!

Hi there everyone,

I'd like to invite you to become a "follower" of my blog. Bring a friend, too. Heck, the more the merrier, as they say!! Look to your right- the sign up spot to "Become a Follower" is RIGHT there! It's super easy. Click, then follow the directions. EZ! You will never miss another blog post!

Here are some wonderful challenges that I am working away at!

There is another challenge over at Practical Scrappers this week! Go, go, go!!
Deadline is August 21st!

A Summer Long Challenge w/ a gr8 prize: at Sisterhood of Scrap (you'll need to register for the Forum, which is EZ... GREAT forum, too! )

August 1st Sketch Challenge at Sisterhood of Scrap (=SOS) Sketch is by Deanne!

August 1st August '09 Sketch Challenge at Scrapbooker's Club House (=SBCH)

August 3rd Challenge Monday at SOS : Create a LO using at least TWO stamped images

August 7th Foto Friday Challenge at SOS : Go into your hometown, take pictures of its' beauty.

August 10th Challenge Monday at SOS : Create a LO of your ideal Lazy Day!

August 17th Challenge Monday at SOS : Create a LO or card about FOOD!

August 17th Sketch from Creatively Yours by Yours Truly: Make a card!

August 24th Challenge Monday at SOS Create a Card or layout taking inspiration from clothing.

Another Challenge over at Practical Scrappers (August 17th)! Your project should be entirely made of scraps with the exception being your base.



August 18th Challenge from Vicki Chrisman: Get some scraps and make a CARD with 'em!!

August 18th Teaching Tuesday Challenge from Carla : Show what you do with YOUR buttons! DONE

August 24th Challenge Monday at SOS :

August 31st Challenge Monday at SOS :

August 31: CCAYR Challenge: have 5 cards made with the lime green, orange, yellow and pink colour scheme! DONE

Have fun!
~

DINO ADVENTURE!!!!!

Please click on LO to see it bigger! I'd love your comments!

WELCOME to my blog! Thanks for visiting, please do consider becoming a follower if you like what you see.

I created this LO as the Weekly Challenge at a new blog called Practical Scrappers!

We had to use at LEAST 3 stickers from our stash. Excellent Challenge~!~

Due by Friday at 5 PM Eastern time, so 6 PM here.

WHO does NOT have some stickers that need using up!??

I used 2 Mrs. Grossman's stickers that I rec'd in a RAK-- I think they were actually coral but I turned 'em upside down and used them as two Palm Trees! LOL

Also used a 2 tropical flowers from that sticker sheet. I used stickles in "Mermaid" plus some Glossy Accents and Making Memories "Scrapbook Shimmer" [Thanks to Nicole of Scrapbooker's Club House for the gift].

I did that to make everything sparkle just like the beautiful Amethyst stones often seen around the fossil areas in Parrsboro, where the Fundy Geological museum is located. Of course the palm trees and flowers are sparkly blue-green and not the amethyst colour of the stones we'd see IRL.

The binocular sticker was from Creative Memories, and was also from a RAK. I used Glossy Accents by Ranger in the lenses to make them look like glass!

Other items:
Ribbon: Basic Grey LilyKate scrap
Stitching- leftover green thread spool my Mom sent me-- I THINK! Not new anyway!

TY Practical Scrappers for this Challenge!

Hope you like this! I had a blast making it!

I have a good friend who likes to CROP....

GRASS that is! :o)
Her name is Oakley!
Kate is away right now so Pete, Noah and I went up to the farm to see Oakley, where we have her boarded. We brought her a new fly mask-- a good one, too... it was even purple! Such a beautiful girl!
We took her out of the paddock and she was thrilled to be able to crop the fresh green grass. We fed her carrots, too!
What a beautiful girl. I like to crop too... not grass though...!!
Thank you Miss Oakley for bringing such joy into our lives.

Photos below by Kristie Innes~
Oakley is for sale... Kate has outgrown her, height-wise, although Oakley is on the larger size for a pony- ALMOST HORSE-SIZED (14.1 HANDS HIGH). We are sad to have to do this, wishing there was another way... BUT:

If you are interested in our beautiful girl, please check her ad for more info and remember I am always willing to chat with you.

http://classifieds.atlanticrider.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi?session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=86027&query=retrieval
~

"Gentle Man"

This layout was created with a sketch by Deanne Burton on her "Just My Sketches" Blog. I interpreted it as a member of her JMS Design Team.



I loved this sketch and this September 2006 pic of Pete in Five Islands, NS, at the campground, helping Noah on the big slide at the playground. I'm so happy with the way it turned out!



Here is Deanne's post and a look at how the other DT members interpreted the sketch... and...
here's Deanne's awesome sketch- for JMS Desing Team 2, revealed on her "Just my Sketches Blog" on July 15, 2009.

I love her sketches! THANKS Deanne!


~

The RV... 2006

In 2006, in late August, we bypassed the expensive RV rental season and rented a 27' RV for a 1 week vacation on PEI. We had a blast! We came home after the first few days of September had passed.

Below is the layout I created. There were 2 challenges met here. One was a challenge I had set myself, to use a sketch from a new site.

Well, I had just discovered: Sketches by {Tamara}. I used Sketch #100 from that Sketch Blog. Thanks to Tamara Wheeler for that excellent sketch!


I also chalklenged myself to use another an August recycling idea from Deanne B. On August 7th, on her "Am I a Scrap Addict?" Blog, she used the foam that a set of brads came in to make a stamp, & then used THAT STAMP to create background paper.

I had some of that foam from brads as well and used it to create a triangle stamp, then made up some background paper for the LO below!

Oh, I used Glossy Accents by Ranger to make the red flowers shiny!

Thanks for looking everyone. I am so pleased with how this one turned out! So simple and fun!
Chat more soon...

~

Piggy Tales is giving away

$200.00 of their wonderful products to a lucky winner.

ALL you have to do is join as a fan of theirs on the Piggy Tales facebook site. I am a PT fanatic so I, of course, did what they asked re:Facebook. Now YOU go become a fan too!!!

Here is the link to the Piggy Tales Blog where you can see a link directly to their site on Facebook ! Good Luck!!

~

WOW!! Major Giveaway on a Blog... $150.00!!

I wanted to pass on a link to a blog where a talented scrapper is giving away a $150.00 GC to the scrappy store of a person's choice! Imagine the scrappy supplies that would afford you! LOL

Here is that link- GO ENTER an have a giggle at the NAME of her blog! LOL.

TY, Deanne, for the heads-up on this one!

~

GREAT GIVEAWAY!!

WOW- What A GREAT Giveaway! This is one of the most interesting & "full of beautiful graphics Blogs" I have EVER had the pleasure of visiting! TY to Deanne B. for the info on this giveaway.

Check it out...

It's an awesome giveaway for a chance to win a "Big Shot" and accessories/dies. Check it out here! What a generous gal!

~

FREE Scrapbooking Classes!

I just LOVE Big Picture Scrapbooking. Their stuff ROCKS! They have a relaxed approach and caring "way" about them. The teachers are some of the BEST in the Biz. I have taken classes from Beth Proudfoot (A Year in Pictures), Nic Howard (Conversations), and Becky Thompson (Ornamental Memories).

A class I took from Kolette Hall, called "10 Reasons Why" remains one of my faves of all times. I created a 2 page spread with that class, using a kit from Scrapbooker's Club House. I was on the Design Team there at that time. :)

Big Picture also periodically offers free classes and workshops to students. I have taken MANY of those!

Check out their site: BIG PICTURE SCRAPBOOKING

Be sure to let me know what you think!

I am taking two free classes from them right now-- [yeah, I am a HUGE learning junkie.]

1. "Mini Memories," taught by Stacy Julian

and

2. BUSY WOMEN out of time, on a budget, but STILL INSPIRED: "Summer Fun 2009 " which is made up of 3 self-paced projects taught by Lisa Damrosch, Georgana Hall and Elizabeth Dillow.

3. In addition, *blush* I am still working on a FREE 10 Summer Photos to take RIGHT NOW!!- which is/as a (2008) "Projects Now!" workshop from Lisa Damrosch. (I downloaded it and also have it in a hard copy. LOL)

Here is that link again: http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/

((HUGZ))
~

I recycled...

...a little box from my Interferon medication. The inj. kit comes packaged in the cutest little 4 1/2 x 3 x 1.5" boxes! I created a mini album for my Dad-in-law (Doug) and placed it inside the box, which I had decorated.

Now, mind you, this is the first time I have ever decorated a box for a scrappy gift. I think it turned out cute though! I will do even better at it next time! It was fun and easy.

The Mini-Album portion of this Birthday Gift Project:

First, I bought badge holders from WalMart's (office supply dept.) They were only $2.99 for ten. 10 x 2 surfaces (front and back): that means 20 spots to place photos!

So.... I decided to have Peter print up some pics of our beautiful flowers.

He made them small... to fit into the badge holders.

I held the badge holders together with two, 1" binder rings from Staples Office Depot.

I used ribbon as an embellishment. It was by "Make it Special." One was sheer sage and one grosgrain, in a darker sage-- plus another 1/4" satin in a nice cream colour. I knotted them over the binder rings.

I wrote a quote on the front-- something I have started saying when people tell us how beautiful our flowers are:

"God does all the work, we just watch."

Page 1 (Cover page)

Page 2

Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6Page 7

Page 8

I thought that this litle project was fun and simple and turned out SO cute!

Next, the recycled (covered) box portion of the gift:

Pic of little box covered with pp & with Mini-album placed inside~


Little box closed and secured with satin ribbon.


I also made a matching tag- it was plain white on back- we wrote the "to" and "from" on it. :)

I put an eyelet in the corner of the tag and ran a piece of ribbon thru it- that was a small leftover pce of the satin ribbon...- good recycling! LOL




Thanks for checking out my mini gift-album project and little recycled box!


TY Deanne for the inspiration!
~