I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted - work has been super hectic and I haven't had much time to create. That being said, I did have a workshop last weekend and we made a couple of super cute projects that I'll try to post in the next few days. I'm feeling really uggy today, but am trying to push through and head to work. Hopefully once I have more sleep I'll be able to find more time to craft later this week:)

Club Night

So Wednesday was my club night and this month we covered our chipboard technique books. I like the idea of having a technique book where on each page I display an example of a technique with the instructions on the back. We covered these books much differently than I would have on my own. We kind of wrapped the box like a present. I'm partial to cutting pieces for each of the sections and using some ink direct to paper for corners and edges, but it's always good to try something new!

Kristina's Colour Inspiration #44

Here's my card for this week's colour challenge. It's fairly simple, but I love the ribbon so much that I didn't want to overdo it, you know?!

A few treats

I used these instructions again to make these treat holders. I like finding new ways to use what I have and this was a new way to use my scallop envelope die:)

Spiral Notebook

A couple more prizes for something I'm doing this week...

Scallop Envelope Treat Holder

This was made with these instructions from Nutz About Stamping. She has a lot of ideas on her blog about using the Big Shot in new ways:)

Another bookmark

Here's another bookmark I made this weekend - it's a prize for something I'm doing later this week... Details and links are found here.

Bookmark

I loved the bookmarks that people made at the SU Convention, but I didn't have the same chipboard to work with, so I made my own version...

Here's a link to Angie's video on how to make the one from convention.

Cinema Saturday #21

It was fun to have time to play with the Cinema Saturday Challenge this morning, but now I have to clean up my craft area and get on to the housework!

This week's movie was 'Bride & Prejudice' which is one I haven't actually seen, but it's based on my favourite movie 'Pride & Prejudice'. P&P was the first Cinema challenge I participated in and I made Gratitude Journals. Well, that was back in October and my journal is almost full now, so I thought this challenge was the perfect opportunity to make a new one. The colours and patterns were inspired by things I saw when I looked up this movie and I thought the gold hodgepodge fit the culture of it too - overall I just wanted a pretty, romantic feel to match the feeling I got about the movie. I will use one of these as my next Gratitude Journal and I will be giving one as a prize at something I'm doing later this week:)

(Some have asked what I do with my Gratitude Journal - well, everyday I try to write down at least 5 things I'm grateful for... Pretty simple, huh! That's it. It's been a good way for me to reflect at the end of each day on God's blessings:)

Thanks Brooke & Sankari for another great challenge and for helping me find another movie to add to my list for when we have a date night at home:) ...and you simply must go and check out both of their projects - they are both beautiful - and Sankari's is absolutely breathtaking and she has photographed it on top of her wedding dress even!!

Gift Box

I used these instructions for a card box to make a little box for the jewelery part of our daughter's birthday gift. The lighting isn't the best in these pictures, but you get the idea;)

It's my dolly's birthday!

Happy Birthday, Amanda!

We love you very much!!

Mom & Dad

A notebook of another 'kind'

I've gotten a lot of interesting questions about the spiral notebook I posted earlier this week here and on Splitcoast. I also posted one I made for my hubby a few months ago. The original idea came from the awesome Angie at Chic n' Scratch, and each time I've posted I've linked to her tutorial. Given the messages I've gotten this week I thought I'd post another notebook with a little bit of a description of what you do...

I made this little notepad for my desk and the inspiration came from the fact that I got a new embossing folder this week (half price at Michaels!) - so you know I had to play! I have a Big Shot and I'm awaiting my order of a set of texture plates for it from Stampin' Up. The embossing folder I used on this notebook is from Cuttlebug and can easily be used on the Big Shot with the multi-purpose platform (you do not need any special mats for this). Overall I'm really happy with how well these embossing folders work; however they aren't very large, so if you want to emboss a larger surface, you will still need a texture plate and the related mats. (Angie also has a great video on using texture plates in your Big Shot here.)

Also, that little green diamond/square shape on my notepad is a Cuttlebug mini embossing folder too. I thought I'd try a set of these too since at half price it was about $4 for four:)

As for the spiral notebook itself, as shown in Angie's tutorial, what you do is make a template first on some scratch paper (lay it out over your notebook and mark off where the holes for the spirals will need to go; then you punch them on with a hole punch and then you lay this on your measured and cut cardstock and use it as a template to punch the holes on it. You then cut little slits up to each hole so you can attach the spiral part to your notepad and decorate as you choose:) ...oh and use a corner rounder on the bottom two corners - and voila!

Pillow Box Chocolate

Another project from this month's club! This little pillow box is made out of acetate and filled with dark chocolate:)

Pizza box from club

This month Nicole totally outdid herself with projects and brought this adorable pizza box filled with valentine's idea... Too cute! We always work with a new technique each month and this month was everything markers - from colouring images, to applying to stamps, to striping ribbon - so many cute ideas!! Here's a link to the instructions for this project:)

Spiral Notebook

Here's a link to the instructions on making one of these notebooks. This was the first project that I've used a Cuttlebug Embossing folder on (I just ran it through my Big Shot and love how it turned out:)

Squash Mini Album

Here's a link to the instructions for this mini album.

Acetate Box

This is the box I made and filled for Amanda. You can find the Splitcoast tutorial here. As I didn't have any acetate on hand, I substituted Vellum. What I like about these boxes is you can get into them without destroying the box (the lid just slides up the ribbon).

Valentines for my dolly...

These were the valentines I made for my daughter this year... The theme was 'blessing'. I altered a tin to make a blessing box for her to store momentos and notes that remind her of how blessed she is in. Inside the tin, I placed an altered notebook for her to write in. I also made an explosion mini-album... inside it are reminders of blessings in her life (I'll post this with a link to instructions on another day). And last, but not least, I made an acetate box (using this week's Splitcoast tutorial) that I filled with heart-shaped Reese's Peanut-butter Cups! ...afterall, every girl needs a little chocolate:) I'll post links to project instructions in the next few days....

Roses on my table:)

This was one the precious things Les did for me this Valentines:)

Happy Valentine's Day

This is the card I made for my amazing husband:) I had something entirely different planned, but then Les took a liking to the rockabilly dp, so I ordered it and used it for his card. (I have a mini-album in progress that I didn't get finished in time for the day, life has been far too busy these days..., so he'll get it in the future).