Friday, October 22, 2010

Bedazzled & Bejeweled

This is an 25th Anniversary card I made for
my brother & sister in-law.  I can't believe
it has been 25 years already!  

I went a little crazy with the jewels!  It is for a 
special occasion, so it is worth pulling out
the good china! LOL! The jewels seemed
to break it up just a tad by adding
some texture.

This is the front.  I followed a sketch.  
I see I forgot a jewel! Oops!

The design is on the paper etched in velvet
The pendants are layered with popdots.They are 
Spellbinders Shapeabilities- Renaissance Hearts.
Side view of Easel Card

The inside- It is black paper.  Light makes it look green

The whole card

Close up of inside
 The punch is French Scroll by M.S.
The numbers and the flowers are glittered

Pretty flower brads and lots of jewels

Fancy Tags by Spellbinders.  The brads have some glitter too.
Supplies Used:

Misc. Cardstock
Designer Paper: Me & My Big Ideas
Ribbon Rose: Offray
Jewels & Pearls: Recollections
Jeweled Flower Brads: Paper Studio
Glittered Flowers: ? In Wedding Section at Michaels
Fancy Tags: Spellbinders Shapeabilities
Punch: Martha Stewart- French Scroll

Challenges I would like to enter this card in:

Anything Goes: Black & White
Tuesday Throwdown: Anything Goes 
Crafty Catz: Black & White + One
Sentimental Sundays: Black & White + One & Sentiment
Cooking It Up With Katie: Two of Something, Letters, &
 Glitter- 2 Tags, Sentiments, & the Flowers & Numbers Have Glitter
Totally Papercrafts: Stick A Number On It (25)






Wednesday, October 13, 2010

WOYWW

Hi! This will be a quick post today!  What!!?  No long drawn
 out commentary on my life?  No, so sorry to disappoint, but
 have to run to make some money for my long list of craft
goodies that I absolutely must have! LOL
I wish, but it needs to go to bills and crazy
things like food!  How boring! Maybe a
little for crafts.  Who needs to eat?!

Just working on a card for my Grandma! Awww! Hopefully
can finish tonight!



That is all! Sorry nothing exciting happening today!
Must go do that little thing called work!


Friday, October 8, 2010

Orange, Yellow, Green & Brown- Another Leaf Has Fallen Down


Fall is here!  The leaves are turning, the weather is getting cooler 
and summer is pretty much gone.  Summer is my favorite season
and as much as I hate to see it go, there are good things about fall.
Although I don't celebrate the holidays, my card is about the
fall  and the things I do like about it. I HATE the cold, but when
things turn colder, my work slows down and I have more
time to craft!  Always a good thing!  When the leaves
change it really is beautiful. I love Fall colors! It is ironic
 because with growing up in the 70's when our entire house
 was brown orange gold and avocado, I hated those colors. 
  We call them other colors now, but they are the same colors.
  I often get the the urge to bake when the weather turns cold. 
Since I cannot have gluten I have an awesome 
GF apple pie and pumpkin cake recipe.  (The reason for the 
pumpkin picture) So even though I hate to see summer go
my card is to represent the positive things fall brings.
Plus I can't do anything about it so I have to deal with it!
I will be giving this to one of my good friends
that loves fall.


Close up of the leaves.

Close up of bow

Jewels- Fixed the crooked ones after the picture was taken.

Image as I was working on the coloring.

Inside

Inside- Thinking about you-  Ribbon- no wrinkles!

Have to give a tip on the ribbon.  I probably did not come up with this 
idea, but it feels like I am the only one that ever thought of this! LOL
Years ago, before ribbon boxes came out for the whole spool, I
used to take my ribbon off the roll and put it in embroidery
boxes.  So the ribbon gets all wrinkled.  I have seen
ribbon ironers and thought they were silly.  Then
today when I took this ribbon out, and it was all
wrinkled, I wished I had one.  What to do, what to do.
I thought about dragging out the ironing board and iron, 
but my husband would have had a fit if he came home
and I was ironing ribbon, because I hate to iron.
I decided to try my hair straightener.  It is a thin one
that does not get super hot.  It worked perfectly.
I was very impressed and pleased with myself!


Supplies Used:
Green Cardstock: Bazzill - Brown & Orange- From my stash
Designer Paper: Memory Boutique
Buttons and Ribbon- Orange and two different brown velvet- From my stash
Jewels and Flower- Recollections
Ovals- Spellbinders- Nestabilites oval dies
Sentiment- TPC Studio- Greeting clear stamp set with Walnut Distress Ink
Leaves- Paper Flowers by Bazzill
Digital Image- Freebie by Karen's Doodles colored with Prismacolor Pencils

Challenges I would like to enter this in:

Our Creative Corner- Beautiful Fall Colors- 
Craftalicious- Autum Colors 
Charisma Cardz- Autum Colors
Stamp Man- Autumn
Kaboodle Doodles- Fall Colors
Totally Papercrafts- Buttons and Bows
Digital Tuesday- Digi, Ribbon, Buttons, or Bling
Paper Playtime- Ribbons, Buttons, or Rhinestones
Paper Sundaes- Something From My Stash-  Paper, Buttons, Ribbon
Stamptacular Sunday- at least 5 Layers
Karber- Digital Image




Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Prismacolor Pencil Saga



If you are getting ready to take the plunge and invest in these
wonderful pencils, I would like to share some of my recent pencil woes
to hopefully save you some frustration and money.  My mother
recently sent me a gift. A check made out just to me to spend on
whatever I chose! Just because I'm wonderful!
 She didn't say that exactly, but it was there!
Anyway I could have saved it, bought something practical
with it, like food, but what is the fun of that?!  So I did some
 research on E-bay and Amazon and decided to invest in some pencils.
 Since I may not get this opportunity for a while I decided on the
132 box. E-bay's price was slightly cheaper.
So I went with them. Cheaper does not always save you.
My first disappointment was, I was out of town and came
 home to them sitting on my porch in the pouring rain!
Not the companies fault, and they were not harmed!
Then I opened them to find they had been sharpened.
Apparently some boxes come sharpened so that is a good thing.
However, in investigating some pencils were shorter than others.
They appeared to be used.  In calling Sanford, they assured me
that the pencils would be the same height if sharpened by the
company. They said to be very careful with E-bay companies
 because they get this a lot.  They were willing to replace the set even
though I bought them from E-bay!  That is a very good company!
I highly recommend them!

My other disappointment in the set I bought was the size of the box!
It is advertised to be the bigger box, so you can see your layers 
of pencils.  I received a small square box with no room to see
what is underneath.  I would have been fine with that is what I
thought I was buying.  The company was rude, and not willing
to honor anything.  Said that was the picture from E-bay, not their 
problem.  There is no way that this box is used because the 
box was sealed.  I said I would send them pictures, but they
 would not be reasoned with.  They said they had no more in stock
 nor did Sanford! Sanford, the company that makes them has
 none in stock?!! Was I born yesterday?!  Sanford was willing to
 replace them no questions asked, and it was not even their fault!

Anyway, just be careful as you are choosing and know that there are
2 different size 132 count boxes.  If that matters to you.
I went back and forth as to what to do.  The advantage of the smaller 
box is it is smaller easy to store, and carry, and the pencils
were sharpened.  The advantage of the bigger box is seeing your
layers.  You still have to take them out, but you know what you are
 grabbing.  Now the cost analysis.

This is the cheapest I found.  There may be better deals out there.

Amazon: 104.55 + 12.57 shipping = $117.12
Ebay: 99.99 + 13.32 Shipping = $113.31
AC Moore- 239.99 w/ 50% off coupon = $120 + tax
Michaels- 229.99 w/ 50% off coupon = $115 + tax
Jo-Ann's- 219.99 w 50% off coupon = $110 + tax
This is all US dollars

Jo-Ann's is the cheapest store I found.  Did not try Hobby Lobby.
Unless they are running their art supplies at 1/2 off their coupons
are generally only 40%.  I decided to go with the store
and send mine back.  I already purchased at Michael's before I
saw Jo-Ann's.  Only had one coupon.
  If you purchase before the 15th of this month
you get a $10. 00 rebate.  You can only use it with a retail store.
 So with that I paid a few dollars
more, but I know what I bought, don't have to wait, or go through 
the hassle of the company.  I still have to send mine back
and wait for my refund.  This was Sanford's
suggestion and It would be mine as well, based on my
E-bay Experience!  I have been asked to name the
company, but I need to wait until my money is refunded
first.  They really were not nice and may really
give me problems if I expose them before
 I receive my money!
Hope this help's if you are going to buy!

Larger box 12x8 - Smaller box 8x8

Larger box so you can see the layers.  

Small box no room
Small box-  It is handy, but I think I like the bigger box!

Here are my pictures of the used pencils .

I may be OCD but it bothered me.  It also bothered me
that the writing on the pencils was all different colors and in
different spots. The new box has the same color writing and
all in the same spot!  Much better!!

The different size pencils!  The company would
not even look at the pictures, just insisted they were
new pencils!  I have a set of Crayola's that don't 
look like that!

Anyway, when all this drama is done, I will love my pencils
Thank You Mom you are the best!
Now I have to make you a card with my new
purchase!  That is when I sharpen 132 pencils!
Maybe I will keep the smaller box... Just kidding!




 

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