Holiday Gifts Pt. 3--Foray into the World of Trays

This year, I got the great idea of making my mom and my mother-in-law
holiday gifts. When Archiver's was giving away free accessories with the
purchase of a 7gypsies tray, I knew it was time to delve into the world of 3-D
scrapbooking...

Goodness knows that I am a card maker, not a scrapbooker. But I figured
that it couldn't be that hard...just slap some pictures and patterned paper into
the holes and embellish with some little trinkets...UUMMMM...WRONG!!!! It
actually takes planning and organization (which I lack) along with lots of
different embellishments to give it variety, and everything must be
strategically placed in order to create balance.

I made it through though, thanks to perseverance (and the lady at
Archiver's who talked my off the ledge at 7:00 on Friday night). I am really
happy with the finish products...not too shabby for my first try. And the
recipients were pretty impressed--there were even some tears!

Eklund Family Holiday Card

Ah, yes...the holiday card. When Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first one in 1843, I bet he never imagined the impact this would have over a hundred and fifty years later.

As a paper crafter, my Christmas card is the biggest endeavor of the year. I usually start thinking about my card in September, make a prototype in October, resolve to start and finish them over Thanksgiving break (which never happens), and then a week before Christmas decide that I need something flashier and totally revamp the whole thing and vow as I mail them that "I won't do this next year"...Welcome to my World!

This year's card was definitely outside my comfort zone--a tad too whimsical for my normal style. That's okay though...you have to try something new every once in a while. I used the new HeroArts/Sizzix stamp and die set and had to do a bit of cutting by hand (ugh...I hate cutting). But any excuse to use my Stickles glitter glue is a good one and thanks to YouTube, my bow tying abilities have definitely increased.

So here it is...the Eklund Family Card 2011 edition! Enjoy!

Holiday Gifts Pt. 2--Customer Service is Still Alive

Home Decor decals have become one of the go-to products in my stash this holiday season. They are so versatile...attaching to any smooth surface and relatively easy to apply (unless it's 11:30 at night and you keep scraping the wrong side...but that's another story for another time).

I saw some projects using these glass blocks so I started trying some things out. This is what I ended up with--a holiday decoration. I gave it to a friend who has her bathroom decorated with similar glass blocks so it fits right in with her own home decor.

On a side note, I am amazed at the customer service of Stampin' Up. There was an issue with the shipping of the decal for this project. When I called to verify the shipping information that I had and the customer service rep realized the shipment might take much longer than the 5 business days they had quoted me, she had a new set overnight expressed to me!

Holiday Gifts Pt.1--Magnet Man not included...

This year, I am flexing my creative spirit and making many of my gifts. I did a lot of searching for ideas and tried some new things...some worked, and well, some didn't.

One that I was uncertain of, but ended up really liking in the end, is the project that I gave as gifts to the members of my team. I saw this project done as a series of frames set upon a mantle to spell "ho, ho, ho." I created one that was a single frame and was able to hang on a wall.

So here's the finished product!

Holiday Adventures Pt. 1

With the holidays approaching, there's a whole lot of crafting going on! I will have lots of pictures to post, but many will need to wait until after Christmas as many of them are actually gifts.

The past few weeks have been very busy--work and life in general have really caught up with me. Additionally, my grandma has been very ill so we have been making many trips to visit her. To help cheer her up, I offered to make her Christmas cards for her. They are simple, but they meet the purpose--they have a reindeer and say "Merry Christmas." We are slowly working on writing in them...doing 3 each time I visit. (The colors are hard to see--I'm still working on the lighting--but it's cranberry, olive, and vanilla.)

Free Project Day

Yesterday was Free Project Saturday at the Archiver's. Since we don't live close to one, I very seldom make it there, let alone on project day. I was super excited to see that it included the Paper Quilling technique. Seems like this is the trend now, but I wasn't sure it was for me. LOVE it! and it was so easy...just roll the paper, release and glue...I even saw a sample with a ballet tutu! I'm hoping to do a bit more exploring with this technique. (I actually went to the Michael's this morning to see if they had a beginner's kit, but I ended up using my coupon on the Martha Stewart scoring table instead...)

More Stamping for Sailors pictures

Stamping for Sailors

The last couple of weeks, my stamping has focused on a special service project, which I refer to as "Stamping for Sailors" on the USS Bataan.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I was going through the PaperCraft magazine Blog Hop, and I came across the website for Operation Write Home. This is a non-profit group that asks people to make blank interior greeting cards, which are then sent to US Military men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan so they have beautiful hand-made cards to send back to the loved ones on the homefront.

What a great idea!!!! But I wanted to help in a way that was more personal. Then I remembered that my friend is a civilian on a US Navy ship that is currently deployed oversees...how's that for timing...

So I got my favorite stamping buddy to come over and the work began...Tomorrow (yes, it's going out a little later than I had anticipated) I will be shipping the box complete with 72 cards and a special treat for the "Fun Boss." Here are some of the projects that I made...some of the designs were inspired by others that I've seen, but I'm still pretty proud of the work that I was able to get done.

PADS of Elgin Dancing with the Stars

My December and January were very busy with a local charity event supporting the homeless shelter in town. This year, I had the best couple...the amazing Rich Jacobs and smashing Kerry Kelly, who danced to "Rich Woman" by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Thus my February has been devoted to creating the Thank You cards for the donors that supported our team. The key was creating something that looked snazzy but were also reasonable to mass produce (flashback to Christmas!!!). Big shoutouts to Alison Flowers for use of her star punches and my mom for giving me the blue glitter DP that was under her bed since she overbought for my sister and brother's graduation announcements.

Life Lessons Learned...

So yes, I started a blog and then haven't really posted...but here I am! In hindsight, I probably should have done this the other way around--making lots of projects then starting a blog. With a CRAZY January, I haven't had much time to be creative, but after having a 5 day weekend (thank goodness for snow days), I've got some things ready to go and share.

Anyways, I knew that I needed to make a sympathy card for a friend who lost her husband this past week, but I didn't want to go the sappy route. I came across a similar design on another website, which featured this stand-up card with butterflies. I thought this would be a nice card to leave out as a reminder that she is cared for (not just a read and throw away item).

On another note, one of my goals with this blog was to have a place to inspire each other, especially when fellow stampers are not within a distant that we can easily get together to craft. I'm excited to say that my first "challenge" is almost set to go. Hopefully, it will be ready to roll out by mid-week.

Welcome to My World...

...so I finally get my blog up and going...AND, in true Abbie style, my camera breaks. I've now got it fixed (sort of), but I'm struggling with the lighting and the colors. Thus...here it is. My first post. It's definitely NOT something to write home about!!! This is one of my "5 in5"...5 (or less) steps in 5 (or less) minutes. I was looking for something simple to use for thank you notes for Christmas gifts from my dance students. Stick with me during this figuring it all out time...hoping to have more to come AND SOON!

My Resolution

This year...I resolve to focus on simplicity in my life and in my stamping. I've decided that yes, it's true--less is more! I guess I learned this lesson the hard way. I WAY overdid my Christmas card for 2010 in attempt to have people open it and say "Wow! That was Fantastic!" Instead, after all that work (and stress and cussing), the cards didn't work the way that I wanted, and I must admit that I'm actually slightly embarrased that I sent those out. So there it is, this year's resolution...to take a step back, not overdo it, and rely on the making the basic better...

New Year, New Use

Welcome to 2011!!!! This is my first post in my new adventure! My hope is to create a forum for my paper-crafting friends to share their work and ideas, while inspiring and pushing each other to grow in our own creativity. (And also to nudge myself...if I have a place to display my work, maybe I won't feel so guilty about finding the time in my busy life to dedicate to stamping...)

Raise your hand if...
-Your husband (or significant other) says that you need to USE up the stuff you already have before purchasing more...
-You walk through the Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc. and buy an item thinking "Hhmmm...This is really neat. I just have to have it for stamping." and there it sits in your craft (or as my husband calls it "Crap") room...
-You love to create things, but the craziness of your daily life gets in the way of your being inspired...
-{Insert other reason here}

If you raised your hand for any or all of these things, then this is dedicated to you! Stay tuned for updates and challenges.