Decisions

We got the official email from Sheri our fearless Mystic Paper Design Team captain. Our March project sacks are ready at Mystic. march?...March?....MARCH already!?!?

I picked up my kit yesterday...Lindsey was there getting hers too.

My sack had one of the new Paper Loft patterned paper lines. If you haven't seen the wonderful display Jennifer set-up of these papers, just as you walk in the front door at Mystic, you'll have to stop by and take a look. The line I got for my project is called "Grandmas House". Great colors and even better it's two sided. There was also gorgeous aqua ribbon and a token...



The assignment was two 12x12 layouts-or-one 12x12 layout and one card-or-one project of your choice.
Decisions...decisions!

A place for everything ?

There comes a time in every designers life when you have to just stop and clean your room. I'm not what you would call a neat designer, I have everything out on the table, papers stacked on top of cutters, scraps on the floor and glue on my fingers. Most of the time I know where all my supplies are because I reorganized the room two years ago when my husband's Mother's Day gift to me were built in shelves. Everything had to come out of the room for this to be done, so I made a point of giving every item a home when I put it back. Every paper, album, brad and rub on in it's own spot with a label. I have pretty much stayed organized. I had noticed in the last few months I was spending longer and longer looking for things, only to be surprised to find something I had been looking for tucked in with a totally unrelated item. Saturday afternoon I finally broke down and cleaned my room. Pulled out the loose flowers, ink pads, buttons and put them back in the baskets where belong. Loose drifting idea pages went into file folders and stashes of paper placed back in the stacking trays. The table is now cleaned off and ready for a project. Even after all this I still can't find the package of pink rhinestones I know are in this room somewhere!

Recovering from Valentines Day

I have been recovering from Valentines Day and to help in my recovery Tucson Sister came up for a couple of days to visit. I helped her with the book she is making using the photos and poetry of her mother-in-law.

We worked on a few page techniques, she did some organizing and we stayed up way too late for me. I have taught TS well...she has now been taking a second look before she throws bits and pieces of ephemera away. She asks the question...can I use this in scrapbooking.

Our Flagstaff Sister came down for the day along with mom. The four of us met for lunch in Gilbert

at the Country Cottage Cafe...

then to Merchant Square antique mall in Chandler. We walked down all the aisle and looked at everything. I found some great old black and white photos and a couple of Easter postcards.

Our next stop was Mystic Paper (you can't come to the Valley and not go to Mystic) Kim and Jennifer had met mom at the brunch, this time they met the sisters. I completely forgot to take pictures.

We headed over to Treasures for the Past antique mall off McKellips...walked down all their aisles and looked at all their treasures. I have to admit I was antiqued out. Never thought I would every say something like that. Mom and FS drove back to Flagstaff, TS and I back to my house...I'm so glad I don't live in Flag.

Pink Over Load

Happy Valentines Day

I went in to a pink overload on this card...pink card stock, pink petal patterned paper, red heart (how did that get in there?) misted with Tattered Angels Vintage Pink Glimmer mist, pink organza embellished with sparkles....

zig zag stitched with sliver thread onto the papers, pink silk flower with a pink gem brad...also misted with glimmer mist and pink braided ribbon accented with sliver.

Too much pink?

Mr. Rogers and Old Sweaters

I received a Valentine in the mail today from my Tucson Sister. When she was up last month we talked about ideas for the valentines we were going to make for this years.

Tucson Sister said she had found an old red sweater she was going to cut hearts out of and use on her cards. The message in the inside of the card reads...

"I want to wish you a warm Valentine's Day."

I love to use old images on cards. This is a cabinet picture of my grandmother on my 2008 Valentines card.

Designed with lots of sparkly Stickles, Fruit Punch and Pink. The paper is Basic Gray "Two Scoops". I borrowed the idea for the message from Mr. Rogers.

Cupids and Hearts

When mom was here last week she brought me a present from Tucson. She found these 2 cupids in a Thrift shop and knew I was looking for valentine decorations. I cut out a pink petal heart for the two day dreamers to sit on and Mom used a pink heart crown I had from another project to add some bling to the display.
This is the Valentines Day Card I designed for 2007.
The patterned paper is from Melissa Frances, the pink heart brad is Heidi Swapp,Tattered Rose distress ink and some little pink puffy hearts.

Dancing as fast as I can

The weekend was spent racing around getting everything caught up, finished and done for dreaded Valentines Week at the flower shop.

Mom came it to town Friday afternoon

(she had been in Tucson). She only stayed overnight on her way back up the hill to Flagstaff in order to beat the big winter storm that was approaching Arizona which predicted snow for the high country and rain for the valley. Saturday morning we attended a lovely brunch hosted (hostessed?) by the wonderful ladies at Mystic Paper. Kim, Jennifer and Ellen treated some of their bloggers and teachers to delicious quiche, muffins, fruit and yogurt. Sheri was there and I got a chance to meet Lisa of

House of Hullabaloo, she is so fun! Mom got a chance to put faces with the names of people I talk about.

I finished and turned in my design team project ( it was one of my "to do" before Valentines). The team was asked to make 2 layouts with the items selected. I picked up a few other items at MP to embellish the layouts. Some Prima flowers and 7 Gypsies fabric covered brads (they were too cool!) and some ivory lace.

On the "Tea Party" layout I made flowers out of the ivory lace, with the covered brads as the centers.

The heritage page is of my great grandparents and how they met. This time I used the covered brads by themselves, layered the flowers and added some 7 Gypsies gaffer tape.

While I'm here (posting) I might as well (as promised) add a valentine card from holidays past.

This was the Valentine for 2006. See they are getting better.

Just like being back in 3rd grade

My Valentine cards are finished, signed, addressed and have lovely 42 cent first-class "heart" stamps in the upper right hand corner of the envelopes...all that is left to do is get them in the mail box.

I made this retro valentine in 2005. These remind me of the valentines we gave out when I was a kid in elementary school. I think each member of the class made "mail boxes" out of empty Kleenex boxes, covered in red and white construction paper and crepe paper...we were altering way back then and didn't even know it!

I scanned, copied, cut out and then backed the retro valentines with chip board. Dry brushing the blank card with a light blue paint I then stamped places the dry brush missed with a text background and different heart stamps which created my own patterned paper. The yellow velum heart in the corner provides another layer of hearts in the background. The retro Valentine was mounted with foam tape to make the image stand out.

My grand kids will pass out to their classmates Valentines that represent Corporate created Icons like Barbie, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hello Kitty and Superman. They some how don't seem as innocent as the ones I remember as a kid.

Valentines Day prep

I got called in to working extra days this week at the flower shop. The preparation to get ready for Valentines Day is nuts. If you every want to see organized chaos, visit the workroom of a flower shop the week of Valentines, just stay against the wall or you will get run over.

I have been making Valentines Cards...yup, lots of pink! I am about finished with those and in the meantime I'll post some of my past Valentine cards until the "big unveiling" of this years. But remember just like the Christmas cards...they do improve over the years. This is one of the first Valentines Day cards that I made. I used a vintage Valentine post card, scanned and printed. The darker red background had the look of a handmade paper that had been covered with lacquer.

The 7 Gypsies are still in the sack waiting for me to come and play.