Creative Pzazz

Dollar Bin Mini Album

2011-06-27T18:51:00.000-05:00

Hope you enjoy this mini album!
Thanks for stopping by today!
Leslie

Photos of the Ice Cream Party!

2011-06-05T16:29:00.000-05:00

Use a jar with small rocks to hold a skewer with the designed paper tag on top!

Thanks for stopping by today! Leslie

Charm Dangle-icious-ness!

2011-03-16T17:46:00.001-06:00

I made the Charm Dangle to hang from a mini album ring. I added charms that fit the color scheme of white and cream. It was going in with my swap with Olga for the Fairy Bottle Swap (more details on that tomorrow) and so the charms relate to that!
I am also submitting this charm dangle to Drew at Scrappyhappiness.com for the Live With Prima Jewelry Challenge! Wish me luck!
Thanks for stopping by today!
Leslie

Click on photos for a better view!

Youtube Give Away by Iowa2308

2011-01-17T19:24:00.000-06:00

I am still organizing my craft room... I have been all year! I will finish, hopefully, this week. I will post a video tour and photos when I do.

Stop by and subscribe to Iowa2308 on Youtube. You will NOT be disappointed! Her videos are so informative and thorough! She is VERY creative! I have four favs on YT... (1)CynthiaLooWho, (2)Iowa2308, (3)Followthepapertrail, and (4)Jennings644, who makes me laugh!

Go to this video and subscribe, then you can comment on her video to have a chance to win her giveaway! It is basically an entire mini-album kit! Or a Medium album kit anyway.

Thanks for stopping by today! Leslie

War Eagle!

2011-01-10T23:35:00.000-06:00

War Eagle! The Auburn Tigers are 2010 National Champions! It is a great birthday present for me!
Whoo Hoo! I am sooo excited!
My favorite things about this National Championship?
(1)We Shut the Duck Up!
(2)Auburn is 2 Cam Good!

Thanks for stopping by today! Leslie

Plan for 2011

2011-01-01T22:43:00.001-06:00

I haven't been around much in late 2010, after starting the year by posting daily, because of my mother's health. When I added her illness to my MS, the girls, the house, my little business, etc. it just became too much. I had to cut back, and the blog is where it happened. Everything took a hit though. You should see my house! Completely opposite my normal clean, orderly, and neat appearance!

So what is in store for 2011? First, I'm turning 40 on January 18. It's not a time of reflection for me; it feels like an accomplishment or celebration. No, I don't know why.

On the home front, I want a clean home again. I won't be able to hire a housekeeper, so that will mean more teamwork from everyone in the house. Pray for me!

On the business front, I am closing my business, well, part of it. I will still be selling on etsy/ebay and selling in Southern Style on Main Street in Opp, but other than that… no more creativepzazz.com sales.

On the craft front, I would like to:

complete Marion's 31 days, 31 goals, 31 videos. I plan to start with a video series later next week that will catch me up to day 1. That is goal #1.
make 6 mini albums. With this particular goal, it gives me 60 days per album to get it completed! My hope is that I will get more than that done, but with everything else… Minis are for (1)Stella (2)Mom and Dad's wedding (3)An angel book for mom (4 and 5)Two Christmas books—loving the monster story book AmyV made. See AmyVLovesTV and her video!
Make minimum of 1 video a month.
Make flowers and more flowers. Fabric and paper. For the fabric ones, I want to make headbands, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and clips/pins.
Paint something for my girls. If you craft for money, you may know how difficult it is to take the time to do something for yourself or your kids. The goal is for their birthdays.
Reorganize my craft room! I get busy with painting, then 3 other projects come up. Well, before you know it all of their accompanying mess is everywhere! Certain areas just do not work for me as it is either, and many things are not needed so close to my workplace, while others are.
Sell unused and unwanted craft items on etsy!!
Sell kits and things I make on etsy.
Make a facebook page for creativepzazz. I have one for me, but I want to combine it with CP. I've even heard I can sync updates with twitter, FB, and my blog!

It will be funny to look back in a few months and see what I have and have not accomplished! I've made these lists before here, and not many things get knocked off my list! Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie –Find my on YouTube: Creativepzazz

Vintage Mini Album or Signature Book

2010-11-08T05:13:00.000-06:00

Today's post is a long one! Its full of photos, details, instructions, and 3 videos!! My grandmother turned 85 yesterday. We had a huge "reception" party for her. Very fancy. I offered to make a book for guests to sign. Well, let's just say that the vintage style of my book was a complete contrast to the decor to put it mildly! However, my grandmother LOVED it!

This book was a signature book, but could just as easily become a mini album with other decorated pages instead of the lined papers I used.

Front cover is below.

Inside Front Cover is below. Each ad was significant to my grandmother!

Back Cover is below.

Front Cover Detail is below. I LOVE these metal frames.

Prima Say It With Pearls – cut off and use just the portion you want! See photo below.

Technique for the embellishment on the Front Cover: Emboss Resist

The technique I used for the cover is called Emboss Resist. Here are the instructions for what I did:

Ink and distress the background cardstock or designer patterned paper that you will want to show through. I inked (to age) and stamped an image that I wanted to show through. Using patterned paper will work great too! Just remember that what is on the base below the embossing powder will show through in the end. Make it something dramatic!
Before you do the next step, rub an Embossing Buddy (corn starch puff) over your cardstock/paper. I ALWAYS forget to do this and end up with a paint brush trying to remove the excess embossing powder. Ugh! I used a stencil (the cheap kind of paper stencils from the hardware store) for the numbers on the background paper. You could use a stamp instead! I laid the stencil down and inked the area with VersaMark ink. If you use a stamp, just ink the stamp with VersaMark! I then removed the stencil.
Cover area with CLEAR embossing powder and heat emboss.
Rub a darker color ink (any color) all over the paper and the embossed area. You can do this in a distressed fashion or more solidly. Wipe the excess ink off the clear embossed area. You will now have a "peek thru" to the base paper! Super simple!

Here's a Hot Tip for those of you who are new to distressing and inking edges. Using more than one color creates great depth! Use a lighter color to rub in a bit around the border, maybe 1/2 or 1" deep. The second color should be darker and you only apply it to the edges, barely allowing it to come onto the top surface of the paper. You could use 2 shade of red or two shades of green. Match it to whatever you are doing!

Here is the quote from the Tim Holtz Visual Artistry stamps that I used.

Here is the pdf version of the lined paper I used for the signature book. This is loaded on scribd, but you can also email me for a direct copy at creativepzazz at gmail dot com.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Creative Therapy

2010-11-07T04:50:00.000-06:00

Whew! I am back! It has been a while. The outpouring of support for me while I took a break to help my mother (after being diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon and Liver cancer) was humbling. I didn't know there were that many of you that visited my blog! I have been very touched!

So, my mother is taking chemotherapy treatments and will continue for the rest of her life. The hope is to slow the cancer enough to give us more time. While I haven't really gotten "settled", I have realized that creating is my most important therapy! I started paper crafting in 2005 when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as a physical therapy for my hands, etc. I was amazed at the mental relaxation that comes from creating too! Of course, I will fuss and fight with things that don't go my way too, but in general, the rest of the world slips away. That is if I keep the door locked.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago… I was getting a routine going with my mom and my family responsibilities, as well as my physical limitations. It's not that I "have the time", but I decided I needed to "make the time"! Once I made myself go and create for a while one day, I felt so much better!

Allowing yourself time to create, no matter the result, will release you from the other stresses in your life. Even if just for a short while. I do hope you all will continue visiting my site and watching my videos on YouTube! I have TONS to show you!

I will leave you with this piece of wall art, acrylic on canvas, with a very powerful quote. Click on the image for a larger version.

Thanks again! To place an order, email me at creativepzazz at gmail dot com!

Leslie

Life can change in a second...

2010-08-27T13:50:00.000-05:00

My mom walked in for a routine ct for gallstones on Monday. That night the doctor called her and told her to immediately get to the hospital in Pensacola. They had to give her massive amounts of antibiotics and 4 units of blood. Long story short...she has colon cancer that has spread to her liver. It does not look good. The surgeons were able to remove the affected part of her colon, but none of the liver.
If you are a praying person, and I believe in the power of prayer, please pray. If not, please meditate, think positive thoughts, or whatever you do for a friend in need.
I am so thankful for all my YT and blog friends, but obviously with mom's recovery being so long and chemo to follow, I will have to put something on the back burner. This is what will be going.
As I can create, I will come back and post or video about it.
I think the first thing I will do is create an art journal. I saw a great video a while back about a lady who used art journaling for dealing with her emotions.
I need that. An outlet.
Thanks to you all.
Leslie

My BEST Creations!

2010-08-24T05:29:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share some First Day of School photos with you all. It is a tradition that we take a photo on the 1st day in the kitchen in our house to mark their height, etc. for that year. We don't buy school photos anymore (they wash them out so badly!) so I make copies of these for family and friends. Another tradition is for kisses photos. Megan thought she was above all that this year, so she wouldn't kiss Syd. Megan will be 15 on the 30th and Sydney Grace is 10. They are both precious!!

Thanks for stopping by today! I have another video for you tomorrow!
Leslie

To Do List

2010-08-23T05:09:00.000-05:00

Here is a Hot Tip! Keep a running TO DO List in your craft space with a list of the projects that you have to do, but also include all the things you want to do! This will keep you focused on getting the required tasks done and get you closer to doing all the fun things you want to do!
Is your TO DO List this long?

Bulletin Board/Ceiling Tile Wall Art:
- Polka Dot Bobcat colors
- Auburn no zebra border
- Alabama no zebra border
- Aquas stripes
- Small samples
Ballerina Canvases
- Large with initial on it
- chalkboard canvas panel sample
Canvas Panel Initial and Name Signs
Canvas Quotes and Scripture Signs
Satin Flowers for Headbands and Barrettes
Canvas Panel Mixed Media (like the Maggie sign)
Business Card Holder Tutorial
Clean and organize my craft room, especially my paints. I have gallons, small bottles, and quarts of paint.
Set up an ebay account.
RE-do my website CreativePzazz.com (this was supposed to be done by March!)
Make a Cricut and CDS word book using a monogram.
Make a craft/art tin with crayons, markers, etc. in a cookie tin.
Mini Album using distress techniques and metal accents!
Pink and black mini album for my daughter.
Aquas and greens purse mini album for my other daughter.
Christmas cards.
Birthday cards
Assorted occasion cards, especially sympathy cards.

Oh my gosh, right? Well, I hope you stay tuned for more!
Thanks for stopping by today! As you can see there is a lot to see over the next few weeks!
Thanks, Leslie

Charm Swap

2010-08-22T05:21:00.000-05:00

These are the charms from the charm swap with Cindy from Life on the ScrapBeach. If you aren't a member, click on the link in my right side panel and join. It's FREE, and there are tons of great ladies on there that are so helpful! Plus, giveaways, videos, and swaps are available each month!

I love these charms. They are so pretty! I can't decide which is my favorite! More importantly, these charms inspired me in directions I wouldn't have thought of going otherwise!! Check out the video of the charms. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Oh, can you give me your opinion of the sound quality for the videos? I know I mumble at times, but in general is it loud enough?

Thanks, Leslie

Satin Flowers: The Posy or Peony

2010-08-21T11:06:00.000-05:00

There are 100s of videos on YouTube about how to make lollipop flowers with satin fabric, a candle, and some hot glue. The video I have made for you is a twist on the lollipop flower. You'll see samples of each in the video!

These flowers remind me of a posie or, if you add several layers, a peony or rose. In my opinion, the lollipop flowers look great for clean and modern layouts, while these layered flowers continue the vintage theme really well. Of course, you can interchange them all to suit your needs!

Layer a larger flower with a smaller flower before you add the center for a fuller flower! Don't forget to use larger circles to make larger flowers too!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Pretty Woman Tag

2010-08-20T05:11:00.000-05:00

I made my first tag!! Well, I have made Christmas tags before, but this is what I call Tag Art. I won't be using these tags as tags. I plan to place them in a book, sort of like a mini album of tags! Remember: click on the photos to see a larger view!!

Carlene the Pink Scrapper hosted a swap for August, and the theme was Pretty Woman. I decided to use a photo of my grandmother. I love things from the 40s. I think it is my favorite decade. So, I thought a photo of her from 1944 would be great!

I used pearls below the photo on the swap tags and black beaded trim at the base. I didn't have enough of the tiny trim I used below the photo on the tag for my grandmother or the vanilla trim I used at the base of her tag. It all worked out well though! They both look great! To me, at least.

My tag was themed around her as inspiration to the rest of us. I added a hope ribbon charm because she has survived kidney cancer (they gave her 6 months to live over 6 years ago) and bladder cancer (three times so far)! I am inspired by her strength, so I decided to add the definition of inspire and the word inspire stamped on the tag. Besides cancer, she has survived atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rate), where they have to shock you with the "paddles" to get it back in rhythm. She went through that 3 times. It never worked. It basically kills you for a second or two, not to mention the pain of an all over extreme body contraction! She has a pace maker (recently placed) to help keep her heart rate from going so slow too! She had two strokes and was still 100% the same as before the strokes. She just had another stroke two weeks ago, which she is still recuperating from, but she should recover completely from it too!

Here is a video with all the tag details. I also have a video for the flower coming tomorrow!! For any further info about what I did or how, email me at CreativePzazz at Gmail dot com.

Did you lose count?

Cancer X 4 (with a death sentence of 6 month over 6 years ago)
Stroke x 3 (and still the same after all)
atrial fibrillation (basically killed by the defibrillator paddles 3 times)
Pace maker

Amazing, right? She is strong and it is all because of her faith in God. So, I dedicate my tag to her!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hope you enjoyed the video!

Leslie

Organization Ideas

2010-08-09T05:49:00.000-05:00

I was killing time today while waiting on supper to finish cooking, and I came across some great organizational ideas. Hope you enjoy them too!

JARS- If you use jars to keep ribbons, buttons, etc. Paint the top of the jar to match the color of ribbon in the jar or a neutral color to match your decor!
Cards- To keep cards that you have made ahead of time, place them in a storage box so they are standing upright or on their side. Laying or stacking your cards will smash the embellishments that you have on your card. There are large photo boxes for 5x7" photos that work really well for cards. Some standard photo boxes work too!
Clear Stamps and Unmounted Stamps- Storing these stamps in CD cases was a trend before CD cases became Jewel Slim Cases and no longer hold a foam mounted stamp. My new storage idea is using empty DVD cases. These are very easy to find. You can even as a local DVD rental place for used ones for next to nothing. Place a complete Stamp Set or several similar stamps in a DVD case, add a label, and stamp out an index sheet for which stamps belong in that case. It will help you put them all back in the correct cases after a marathon session.
Ribbon- I have shown you methods of storing ribbon before—click Organization under categories for these tips and more—and the particular storage method I currently use is the rain gutters. It cost me around $10 for a set of 5 three foot long trays that the rolls of ribbon sit in. Loose ribbons are stored in jars on a shelf. BUT I just found a less expensive way of storing ribbon on the roll! Use those white sliding curtain rods that are $1 at the dollar store. They come with the brackets they hook to the wall with, and they sit just far enough from the wall for those standard 3-4" spools of ribbon you get at Michaels. Plus, the added benefit is that you don't have to pull a dowel out to change out a roll of ribbon!
Punches- I use these same white cheap curtain rods described above to hang my punches from! For the very small punches that try to fall off the rod, I have them sitting just under the rod on a shelf. I have seen where people have nailed a thin piece of wood to a section of wall behind part of the rod and then the small punches wont fall off. I may try this one day. Priorities!
The Clip-It-Up!- I have seen the long bar version of this storage device, the two tiered desktop version, and the 3-4 tiered floor model. BUT have you seen the ones that people are making themselves? Go to Youtube and type in DIY Clip It Up or Handmade Clip It Up. You will be amazed at the ingenuity of people! Using threaded rods from the hardware store, old lamp shades, and some nuts and bolts, many people have created their own Clip It Up very easily and for WAY LESS MONEY! I have wanted the long bar version for a long time, but have never made one for myself yet.

Mistakes I've made: Please learn from me…

Alphabet stickers- I saw a girl with a small drawer system that she used to hold her alpha stickers. she had them individually cut out and placed in each drawer. I loved that orderly storage! So, I cut each letter out of the sheet of alpha stickers. For EVERY sheet I had. Now I didn't have a lot, but I had maybe 6-10 big sheets, and then I had gotten these 1/4-3/8" letter sticker sheets free with a kit once, so I had maybe 10-15 of them. Doesn't sound like a lot, but the small letter stickers had a lot of EACH letter. In the end, I had a large pile for each letter. The storage drawer system that my husband gave me—it used to hole screws and things and came from the hardware store—ended up being too small. It had 20 drawers. I thought I could squeeze in the Q, Z, etc. into drawers with other low-use letters. BUT I actually had way too many letters to combine the drawers. My letter stickers ended up divided into zip lock snack bags by letter and the bags are stuck in a rubbermaid box. NOT so cute or practical. I haven't used a letter sticker in so long, I can't even say. I cut them from the Cricut before I ever look for a sticker. I will not let myself buy the cute Thickers or jeweled letter stickers until I use the ones I have! So, what is the moral to this story? Before you commit to cutting up each letter individually, make sure the storage system you plan to use is something you can live with and will work for you!
Ribbons- I tried the Ribbon Ring system. It was a homemade version using cereal boxes cut into squares to let the ribbon hang from then they were placed on a 3" book ring. The problem was that I had so many ribbons that were still on 5-15 yard rolls that had to be stored too. It wasn't really helping matters. Plus, when I had the ribbons on the fake ribbon rings, it looked VERY disorderly. Now I will admit, I didn't have the ribbons arranged by color, which would have helped. I also didn't have the ribbons ironed, which would have been a HUGE improvement. My ribbon is still stored in two places: the roll ribbon is in rain gutters on the wall and the loose ribbon is in jars on a shelf. It is STILL not the ideal situation I would like it to be! Moral of this story? When choosing a ribbon storage system, note if it will leave you with two storage spots in the end, and if choosing the Ribbon Ring, iron the ribbon!

Here is a challenge; see if you can help me: My husband has bought me two (different) sets of exacto knives for Christmas in the past. Yes, if it can be found at Lowe's and it can be used for crafts, my hubby gets it for me for Christmas! I love it though! Anyway, one set is in a tiny wooden box with the knife and several styles of blades. The second is in a larger zippered case with two handles, three styles of blade holders, and several styles of blades. What is the best way to store these? For now they sit on a shelf away from my desk. I don't have a place on my desk for them. So, because they are across the room, I rarely use them. Any tips?

I do hope you got some ideas today! I know that reading posts is not everyone's favorite, but sometimes the ideas are better explained than shown!

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Leslie Jones

I LOVE Tim Holtz!

2010-07-28T05:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't love Tim himself. Not that he is not a loveable guy! I just love his products and that creative mind of his! Sooo, thanks to Jenn at Live.Teach.Create, there is a giveaway for some of his products! Click on the image to go to her site.

I am so excited about this giveaway that Jenn is offering on her site! Thanks Jenn! Please go and enter! There are 5 ways you can enter!

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope to be back soon!~~~~ Leslie

2010-07-27T05:03:00.004-05:00

It's a beautiful day! I just got home from the Neurologist! There is still no change in my MS, but on Spetember 5th I will be celebrating my 5th anniversary without ANY relapses!! 5 years is a big deal in the cancer world! I have no idea if it is a big deal in the world of MS (I forgot to ask the doctor!). BUT I am celebrating like it is! Woo Hoo!!

For today's project, I have a video showing you the canvas that I made for one of my daughter's friends. It was well received by all the kids at the party. Plus, it was easy to make!

I will show a video soon about how I made the flowers. There are thousands of videos for making the satin lollipop flowers already on YouTube, but I make one a little bit differently! My girls go back to school Aug 6th, so I will have more posts and videos after that. I can't promise anything before that. They are demanding little divas, right now! LOL

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Leslie

Birthday Card #11

2010-07-22T05:05:00.000-05:00

Today's card uses Melon Mambo cardstock. I used Melon Mambo ink to stamp the sentiment in the background. I stamped the cake image on white cardstock, punched it out with a circle punch, colored it, and glued it on with dimensionals after punching a hole in the front of the card too. I then took my scallop circle punch and punched evenly around the circle and glued it around the front hole. Adding the ribbon bow helped bring the white to the other side of the card.

Try placing your image inside your next card. Add a hole or window in the front of the card to give a peek at the image. This way there is a treat inside and outside of the card!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Birthday Card #10

2010-07-21T05:48:00.000-05:00

Today I will show you another masculine card. I used the basic gray and Crushed Curry cardstock again.

For this card, I distressed the edges using Tim Holtz's distressing tool and added eyelets with linen thread through them as a border. I stamped in Staz-on ink and then cut the measuring tape from the Totally Tools stamp set from SU! out of soda can metal. I attached it with dimensionals. I stamped, inked and distressed the sentiment and attached it with dimensionals too. Notice that I changed a word of the sentiment to a word that worked both with the sentiment and the stamped measuring tape. Try to look at your images and sentiments in new and exciting ways!

Then I looked at it. The tape measure was hanging there in mid air. "They" say to add a line or something under a stamped image to keep it from "floating" in the middle of an open space. I added a Modern Label punch, which I trimed on the ends to make it be a log shape. I stamped it with my woodgrain background stamp and inked the edges. I sponged on gray, soft suede, and walnut inks to add the depth and color for the log. I do like how it turned out. In hindsight, I would have stamped the Crushed Curry cardstock with the Woodgrain stamp too.

Hot tip: Do not attach anything until you have done a "dry fit" first. Lay everything out and on top of each other before you glue anything down. then you will be able to see if you need to add a background stamp before it is too late! I'm obviously still trying got learn this lesson.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Birthday Card #9

2010-07-20T05:44:00.000-05:00

Today I will show you card #9 in this series.

First, I have been asked how do I start by making a card. What gives me the inspiration for each card. Well, there are so many sources of "sketches" out there. If you google "card sketches" or "scrapbook layout sketches", you will receive millions of hits to great sites that have these basic blueprints for you. You can then change them up to suit your taste and needs. I haven't yet used one of these sketches, which are usually done by people with a lot of design experience and knowledge. I have none of that. I have just seen things that I like as I am blog hopping or watching videos. I watch for color combos that I really like, for example in today's card with the yellow and gray. I try to push myself with my style, techniques, and layouts, so I don't do the same thing over and over. I am sure a graphic designer could pick apart my cards and tell you 1000 ways they are wrong in terms of design, but they looked good to me.

My biggest advice is to choose colors or paper that you love, pick out some coordinating embellishments, and choose a layout either from your imagination or from a layout/sketch source. What I did, for these 12 cards, was to sketch the design on a piece of paper for each card. I sketched where the sentiment would go, where the stamped image or patterned paper would go, and where the ribbon or embellishments would go. I even marked what colors each item would be. By sketching it first, I saved all that EMPTY planning time that happens when you have all your supplies staring at you and you can't figure out what to do with them. Doing it this way took about 15 minutes of sketching and gathering supplies. I spent about 10-20 minutes per card, most were 10 minutes. Then I started creating. Every single one of my card sketches worked except for Card #3, which didn't work because of the clock I had planned, but the sketch and design were still good without the clock. (See that post for more info.)

So the next time you need to create a card or scrapbook layout, start with a sketch..either yours or someone elses! You can even look at someone else's card and make a sketch from it! Keep your sketches, so you can use them again!

So, here is the card for today and good luck making your own cards! Again my camera spazzed out and didn't show the colors well at all! This is a basic gray color with Crushed Curry cardstock. Very bold, modern, and masculine.

The plastic embossed piece in the center was packaging from a Tim Holtz package. I used my Treadplate Embossing Folder I got from Michael's to give it the texture. I added the eyelets to hide the glue dots that I used to attach it. Yep, I could have used the eyelets to attach it, but that was an after thought. I used linen thread to tie on the tag that is made from metal from a soda can. You can see a video on how to get and use this metal in the Videos category in the right side panel. I punched 2 circles from the metal, one I embossed with the same embossing folder, and the other I stamped using Staz-on ink. Be careful, it took me 5 times to get the stamped image clearly stamped. The stamp will slip with you. Straight down and straight up…and do not have 3 cups of coffee before you do this. Finally, I glued the two circles together and used my Tim Holtz distress tool to distress the edges.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Birthday Card #8

2010-07-19T05:22:00.000-05:00

Here is card #8 of 12. This is pretty in pink cardstock stamped with pretty in pink ink using the Tres Chic background stamp from SU! The background stamp and the tag do not really match in style, but I liked the idea that all the words of the background stamp were things I consider blissful.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

p.s. a new technique video is coming soon! Stay tuned!

Birthday Card #7

2010-07-18T05:17:00.000-05:00

Yep! There are still more cards coming your way! I can't show you the mini album I am working on until I finish showing these cards. I was super busy this week, next week too, working at the library teaching the summer reading program. These cards are a nice way for me to keep posts coming your way for inspiration! I will have a video for you later next week on a technique I learned by accident! I can't wait to show it to you! I am going to create a tag for you using the technique! I can't wait!

For now, here is another card. I tried to do something different on each card I made in this series. For this card, I really like the look of white and navy together. By adding the celery green, this card becomes modern, yet classic. By tearing the papers, it adds the interest that was needed on such a simple card.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Birthday Card #6

2010-07-17T05:42:00.000-05:00

Another card using the retired stamp set from SU! I wish I knew the name of it. So many of you have emailed me asking. I found it on Ebay last summer.

The next time you create a card, try a monochromatic card and accent with very small amounts of color. It really highlights the area with color! Another great tip is to add piercing with your needle tool to create a border. I had planned on punching a scallop trim border along the top, but realized I had not done so AFTER I had attached it to the card. Rather than risk pulling it off, I decided some piercing might do the trick. I like it. Again, the attention is all on the stamped colored cups.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Birthday Card #5

2010-07-16T05:36:00.000-05:00

I made 12 birthday cards. Here is another one. I have been featuring one card per day.

Now why did my camera go dark for this shot? I wish I knew mroe about photography. I know just enough to snap 100 photos just to get 2 that I like! LOL

Don't forget to put a light piece of paper on the inside of dark cards for you to write on! Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Birthday Card #4

2010-07-15T05:23:00.000-05:00

Here is another card I made. The pattern paper matches perfectly with the Sage Shadow cardstock from SU! It is hard to tell in the photo. I love the Baroque Motifs stamp set from SU! It is my "go to" stamp set when I need a swirl!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Leslie

Birthday Card #3

2010-07-14T05:52:00.000-05:00

Here's another birthday card I made. I LOVE the 1" satin ribbon! So lux! This card started as a sketch with a clock in the upper left hand corner. I don't own a clock stamp, yet, so I was going to make one. That was a complete disaster! The numbers I had were way too big for the clock face I made. Since I had stamped the sentiment in the bottom right corner on the card, it was just too plain like that, so I had to stamp it on coordinating cardstock and embellish it up. It is still not what I would really like, but it will do.

Thanks for stopping by today! Oh, have you noticed the beautiful white background in these photos? It is my grandmother's quilted bedspread. Isn't it the prettiest background for cards?

Leslie

Birthday Card #2

2010-07-13T05:56:00.000-05:00

Before I get to today's project, I want to say thank you to everyone who has stuck by me while I have been gone. Between my health, vacation, the girls being out of school, and the death of my mother-in-law, it has been VERY hard to post on a regular schedule. I am back now!!

I was commissioned (makes it sounds fancier- LOL) to make a set of 12 birthday cards for my aunt. I showed one in this post, but there are more. I will even be making a video to show an accidental technique for one!

Here's today's card:

I used an old retired set by Stampin' Up!, but they have another one with coffee pots, etc. you can get now. The stamp of the coffee cup had a heart in the center, so I didn't ink it up and added the coffee beans instead, since the card was for a man! Hot Tip: Always look at your stamps in different ways! Ask yourself: can it be used for another season or can I ink up part to get a new effect?

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

DIY Charms

2010-07-13T05:09:00.000-05:00

There are two posts today! There is a card posted after this series of videos! Enjoy!

Today's project is to show you how to make your own charms to go on your tags or scrapbook pages, or to hang on mini albums. I made these charms for a charm swap that I entered on the Beach. See my link on the right panel or go to Life on the Scrap Beach and join for FREE. I think there are a couple of spots left for this charm swap, if you are interested in joining!

Basically, I was supposed to make 8 charms, they needed to have a bead or button, and they had to have a pin or something to attach it with. I used the pins I made in yesterday's post as the attachment because I didn't want any beads on these particular charms. To meet the requirements, I added some spacer beads and seed beads on some safety pins (that I did not alter like yesterday's pins), and I will send those for each participant as well.

For full instructions watch the video. Sorry there are two parts, but I wanted to share all the tips I learned by doing this process!

Supplies used:

Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) in platinum
Versamark Ink Pad
Heat Gun
Needle tool or Tweezers

To make the Heat Proof Tile:

12" ceramic tile (don't go to any expense here, the cheaper the better, in case it breaks)
Flat backed marbles (from Michael's)
E6000 glue (or other industrial strength glue, such as Gorilla Glue, Goop, etc.)

So after I prepared these charms, I found out that the rest of the ladies in the swap were making charms that were more like Bling than vintage, so I am making different ones! Here is the video about those.

Here is a video showing all the charms, both styles, completed! Plus two things I was working on Sunday afternoon.

Please leave me a comment here or on my YT! Look for a video about more flowers maybe next weekend. Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

DIY Tim Holtz Embellishment Pins

2010-07-11T05:27:00.000-05:00

Today's project is to show you how to make my own home made version of the Tim Holtz embellishment pins. While I would love to buy EVERY Tim product there is, the reality is that I have to pick and choose. I had been wanting some pins like these, but just couldn't let myself get them. Well, now I can make my own, and so can you!

Supplies used:

Safety pins (any size—the cheaper the better, check the dollar store or your sewing kit)
Alcohol ink ( I used black)
Zipper style bag (learn from me and check to see if it has leaks before you start!)

Leave me a comment here or on YT! Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

2010-07-08T05:57:00.000-05:00

Here is a card I made. I used Mellow Moss and So Saffron cardstock-- retired from SU! and some of my favs. Then I stamped the greeting on Very Vanilla cardstock. I got the greeting stamp set from Mike's, but I don't remember what brand it was. The Medallion stamp set in the background is from Stampin Up.
Thanks for stopping by today!

What's Up?

2010-07-07T05:29:00.000-05:00

What is going on in the world of CreativePzazz? Well, I thought I would take today and ramble a little.

Mini Albums I am planning to make a video to show a mini I made. It has combination of a paper bag mini plus an envelop mini. The reason is that I want variety in the pages. I don't want each page the same. I am thinking that I will make it look like a purse, when I finish it. I saw one that Laura of FollowthePaperTrail on YouTube made for a customer. It was so super gorgeous and fun on the inside! I loved the colors too! She used greens and aquas! I take color spells. I love blues and aquas, pinks and browns, black, red, and whites. Those combos really inspire me.

Flowers- Paper and Fabric I have a couple of videos I want to do. I have made some lollipop flowers, an alteration to the lollipop flower, some paper flowers, and an alteration to the paper flowers. I want to share the tips I learned by making these and the new different versions I made.I have made oodles of lollipop flowers from fabric. I hope to sell these in the store, because they are great as a pin, in your hair, and on your purse or bag! Plus I may add an Etsy store soon. A couple of people are really pushing me to open an Etsy store to sell things too. As you know, it is my biggest fear to get overwhelmed with work. Crafting is my love, and I don't want it ever to seem like work; plus, when I get overwhlemed I get stressed, and that makes my MS worse. So I definitely do not want that. I also have a couple of videos I would like to do about some techniques for mini albums that I have made and about closures for mini albums.

Tim Holtz Dies I have a wish list that I will hopefully get to buy soon: a couple of glimmer mists and Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Sizzix Die for the Big Shot. I bought a couple of chipboard die cuts from the various TH dies and a couple of others that I have been wanting from a lady on Etsy. That way I can decide if I REALLY want them or not. I think they were $2.00 each, but they were BOGO when I ordered them. Yippee!!! I am super excited about these!

Glimmer Mists and PAPER I also really want some glimmer mists. I can't get any though. Luckily, I have some Pearl Ex powders and Gum Arabic left over from another project long ago that I was going to do (don't ask what that project was or if I did it because I don't remember and no I didn't). I am going to make some Glimmer Mists using these supplies. I will make a video about that too. I want the glimmer mists so I can change some patterned paper that I hate it so much!! I thought that spritzing it with glimmer mists, rubbing inks over it, stamping it, and altogether changing the looks of it that maybe I would like it and use it. I am banned from purchasing any patterned papers until I use a good chunk of what I have already. Well, ok. I am allowing myself one paper purchase… the Tim Holtz Lost & Found set and two new sets from STampin Up: Newspaper and Vintage something. I LOVE THEM!!! So, I am trying to use and used it! I would love to get the blue and cream papers of K&CO, the MAMBI collection with the birds, and the black and white collection by anybody! I can't have them until I use what I have.

Why am I not posting? My crafting and posting has been hampered by the girls being home for the summer. There is a lot of going and doing with them being home. Plus, I have had several orders and a vacation to fill my time too. The next two weeks are full as I teach the summer reading program at the Opp Public Library. This is my only chance to teach, since I had to retire because of MS. It is fun! Val don't forget to bring the girls! Presley is so excited!

Well, thanks for hanging in for the rambling. Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Family Fun

2010-07-06T05:56:00.000-05:00

Attention crafters: This post is completely about family. Feel free to read and enjoy!

Warning: this page may be slow to load because of the amount of photos on it. My apologies. My cousin Alex, his wife, and daughter, Elsa, came to visit recently. I promised to share photos and the video I made. I have other nieces and nephews, but no photos of them. Sorry!

This first photo is My grandmother and my girls on Mother's Day. They are standing in front of a windmill and a rose my grandfather planted for my grandmother decades ago. It was absolutely gorgeous this year!

My grandmother, Mema—yep I am from the south and proud of it! She is 84 and the toughest woman you will ever meet. She has beaten kidney cancer (was told she only had 6 months to live over 4 years ago), bladder cancer 6 times, atrial fib (irregular heart rate—they had to "shock" her with the paddles 3 times in essence killing her for a moment each time), and two strokes! She still walks and drives as she did before all of this! She even brags that she still cuts the grass at the age of 84!

Now, here are the photos of Elsa and my family. Please excuse the blurry photos and the red eyes in the photos. For a digital camera and an infant, something had to give in order to get the photos of her in action.

The story here is that she was riding horsey on her dad's leg, then she rode on her moms leg. They were both on the couch. Sydney Grace was sitting there too, so Elsa proceeded to move over to Sydney's leg to ride the horsey! She just kept moving down the line to ride the next one!!

This is Elsa's sad face. It was new to her this day. If you said do you want to take a nap or anything else she wouldn't like, she would make this frowning face and bow her head. It was spontaneous and HONEST! So cute!

Here is a video of her walking. She was so funny! She would walk two steps then stand there and clap for herself as if she had moved a mountain!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Candy Buffet Birthday Party

2010-06-17T05:10:00.000-05:00

Where have I been? I have been so busy!! We went to Atlanta for vacation. My sister-in-law lives there (ok, so does my husband's brother and his 2 kids, but who cares about them LOL) so we stayed with them. We went to the Georgia Aquarium, which is awesome! Of course, I always love getting to visit with my sis-in-law! So, I am back now, but the orders are piling in on me. I have a tutorial ready to publish, once I get the pdf file made, and I have some flowers of all kids to show you how to do. I hope to get some time to make some videos for you too!

Today's project is a Party Pack of ideas! You will see everything you need to create your own Candy Buffet Party! You can see the invitations here. You can also click the link on the right in the Categories called PARTY. You will see all things related to party planning and decor.

My cousin's daughter had her 4th birthday recently, and I was in charge of some of the decorations, invitations, etc. Below you will see photos of the party with all decorations in place. It was really cute and everyone LOVED the decor! There was so much candy there! She sent a bag of candy home with each child, then sent a bag home with the adults too!

If you plan to have your own Candy Buffet Party, gather the candies you like and put them in bowls, apothecary jars, jelly jars, or any other clear containers. r containers worked out so that they were symmetrically arranged, but having all sorts of different containers is cute too! Play off the colors of the candy by using a primary color theme or choose one color and let the candy be the accent!

This first photo shows the candy buffet table as it was set up moments before the party. Click on any photo to enlarge it!

This photo shows a gun drop topiary. These were the small size gum drops, which were stick on using toothpicks into a styrofoam ball. The ball was stuck onto a wooden dowel that was cut to size and stuck in a pot. The pot had a piece of styrofoam in it with the dowel hot glued into it. Rocks were added to the bottom of the pot below the styrofoam for weight balance, then colorful paper grass was added on top. The topiary is finished with a tulle bow and tissue paper!

The next three photos are of decorations we made to look like candy in wrappers. We took a cookie tin (we have lots of these—I collect them) wrapped it with crepe paper or tissue paper, then covered it with cellophane and tied off the ends of the cello with curly ribbon! We hung some from the ceiling, put one on each adult table, and two on each child's table. Cute, simple, cheap, and lightweight! You could use paper plates or plastic containers, if you don't have the cookie tins.

The next photo shows the cupcakes. My cousin made them. She is super talented!! Devil's Food cupcakes were iced with a cream cheese buttercream icing then sprinkled with candy sprinkles. A sugar cookie lollipop was iced with Royal icing and added to each cupcake. The cookies were made with a sugar cookie recipe and had a lollipop stick she got at Target stuck in the raw dough before baking. The colored icing was spread on and allowed to dry completely. Then she put the white icing in a small ziploc bag, snipped off just the corner tip, and squeezed on a spiral in the center of each cookie. Each cookie was dusted with chunky decorator sugar, while it was still wet. They were so darling!!

This next photo is of the candy jars. I have seen candy buffet parties with dozens of candy jars. That is all well and good, but remember that all that candy costs a TON, plus you have to do something with the leftovers. There will be leftovers…guaranteed! We probably sent one pound of candy home with each child AND adult at the party! You will see each candy jar in a close up photo after this one. The labels were made with My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! They are super cute! You could also make these by gluing strips of white paper onto red paper and adding a label!

These photos show the party favor. They can't just get candy! That would be irresponsible! So each child got a cute little travel toothbrush with a cap. A tag with a song I made up was tied onto each toothbrush. You will see a close up of the tag, so you can see the words to the song. It is sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Finally, this is the banner for the wall. I used the sizzix Scallop Circle die, cut the circles with my Circle Scissors, and made the polka dot paper using My digital Studio. A hole was put in the top of each piece using the Crop-a-dile. I gave my cousin the choice of using a ribbon punch (makes two vertical slits) or the crop-a-dile. You could also staple the ribbon onto the scallop circles. It will be cute no matter what you use. I have seen these with various coordinating ribbons tied along the long ribbon too. With the different colors and polka dots for this banner, we thought it was busy enough.

One suggestion: When you are planning out your project, do not use the same color for the letters as you will use for the base. You can see how boring it is on the "n" and the "l". The letters were cut using the Hello Kitty Font cartridge and my Cricut!

Most importantly, here is Miss Priss at her party posing, as usual! What a cutie- pa-tootie!!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Drink Tags Container

2010-05-23T05:27:00.000-05:00

As I said yesterday, Syd ran off with the tin that Holly sent for us to put the drink tags she made in (check out yesterday's post to see what I am talking about). So, I had to make something for her to keep them in! What do you think?

The container is a 3 1/8" clear square box with clear lid. It used to hold:

Full of the drink tags…

Front view (the sides look the same, just no bow)…

Top view…

I used STASH for this. The green polka dot paper is DCWV, the blue dot paper is Deja Views. The flower is Night of Navy and Really Rust. I clipped the scallop circle toward the center on each scallop to create individual petals. Of course, I crickled both and inked the center a bit with really rust ink. Everything was inked with Night of NAvy ink. The ribbon is Soft Suede. I really like the way it turned out. Oh, and the alpha set is new for me! It is from SU! Can't remember the name of it. Oops!

I can tell you this about my patterned paper stash: it is old. I bought two patterned paper packs from SU last year, 4 DCWV stacks last year, and the rest of my stash is older than that! I used to go through the patterned paper aisle at Michael's, when they had their sale on paper, and get at least one of every paper I liked. You can click here to see how I organize my patterned paper and see how much I actually have! I know! Right? It is ridiculous. I was/am a recovering paper addict. I am not sure if I am over it or not., but at least I can go to a store and not buy paper (I could never do that before) or buy just 4 or 5 pieces that are really awesome to me. My goal now is to use what I have in my stash!

The problem is that some of it, I don't like now or it has sort of gone out of fashion. For instance, I got a DCWV stack back when they still wrote out Die Cits With A View on everything and they didn't call them stacks! I think it was around 2001 or 2002. Anyway, I HATE that paper now, and I have lots of it left. That is issue #2 with paper and me. I hoard it. I love it and don't want to "waste" it on just any old project. I want it to be used on "a good project". I am now making myself use it! Anyway, with the invention of glimmer mists—(or a mix of my own shimmer paint and reinkers with water/alcohol)—I can now change that paper into something better. At least a little bit anyway. I plan to try anyway.

I'll post about it when I do it.

Thanks for stopping by today. If you want the number to my "paper addiction" shrink, call 1-800-out-of-money! LOL

Leslie

Bottomless Love Tub and Drink Tags

2010-05-22T04:44:00.000-05:00

So after I blathered on yesterday about Feng Shui, I figured I better create something GREAT to share with you all to redeem myself in your eyes! Well, I did create something GREAT, but you'll have to wait. I am working up a tutorial for it! Don't fret! I have plenty more things to share with you!

I won blog candy from http://inkpaperstamps.stampincorner.com/ that Holly was giving away. She was giving away bottle flags, she called them. They were tags with a stamped mug on them colored to look like beer mugs! They were like wine glass markers, supposed to help you keep your beer identified at the party. Well, I don't drink (remember I have Multiple Sclerosis, so meds + alcohol = NO NO!), so I asked her to make them coke floats in the mugs, because my daughter makes floats with her friends when she has a sleepover.

And so she did! She also went over board and made the cutest decorated tin! Check them out!

She made one tag larger for the guest of honor. She used (I assume) a blender pen or the aqua painters to color the soda in the mugs.

These are the other tags. I just LOVE that mini tag the heart is stuck on. Don't forget to click on a photo to enlarge it.

These are all of the tags. She used crystal effects, Dazzling Diamonds, and clear micro beads for the foam on the mugs. On one tag there was a errant black micro bead. She had the Fantabulous idea to make this tag be the "door prize" winner's tag! Since it is different compared to the others!! You could even plan this on your own tags!

Here is the tin. My daughter confiscated it and is using it for her "treasures". It is magnetic on the bottom. Melon Mambo ribbon, if you were wondering.

Cute Circle Circus center for the flower. Platinum Shimmer paint for the ink. Bling-a-licious in the center!

She lined the inside and made this precious Japanese plum blossom punch art attached to the bottom.

This is inside the lid. The green scallop circle is the base of the flower on top of the lid. (Great idea! I had not thought of that!)

What a GREAT blog candy!! Holly was so great and asked me exactly what I wanted! She has great ideas too! Drop by sometime and tell her hi!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

p.s. Since my daughter absconded with the tin for the tags, I made a new container for them. Check it out tomorrow!

Everything has a place and everything's in its place... Or is it?

2010-05-21T05:01:00.000-05:00

Did you ever realize that the organization, or lack thereof, in your craft room may affect your creativity?

It does! I recently experienced this firsthand!

First, my room was a mess, but that is always remedied quickly, so has never caused a problem with my creativity. Everything has a place. The problem with everything having a place is that even though, for example, there is a box for chipboard pieces, which has packaging, cereal boxes, chipboard, grungeboard, coasters, etc. in it, the box is large and is disorganized inside. I have to dig through to get to what I want.

According to Feng Shui, (No, I am not IN to all that sort of stuff, this just made sense) if you have a container, such as a box or basket, even if it is tucked under a table out of sight, and it is disorganized, you know this, and it will affect your creativity.

Each basket, box, or container you have in your craft room should be organized to your liking. Now that doesn't mean that you have to have everything labeled and standing nice and straight. It means that if organized is defined as all your scraps in a box haphazardly to you, then it is organized. BUT ask yourself this: Is it really organized and working for you, or in the back of your mind, does it really bother you, and you wish there was a "better way"?

Apparently, according to a Feng Shui expert I consulted--my Aunt (ok, so she is not an expert, but she has done a ton of research on Feng Shui) your creative space does not have to be serene and sparsely decorated to provide the energy you need to create. For your space to have the "creative energy" you need, you must get rid of the clutter. Clutter in Feng Shui is defined as items that you haven't used for a long time and do not need. It also refers to disorderly tools and supplies that you do need. Clutter no matter the level of visual chaos it creates will affect your creative energy flow in the room.Feng Shui even teaches that clutter that is closed away in a box under your bed can affect your sleep cycle! If it is cluttered, just remember that it is bothering you even if you think it is closed away from sight!

Let's look at two examples, as described by my Aunt:
First, in Suzy Scrapper's room, she has everything in a labeled box. Tools and supplies are in those nice white storage cubes, and the room is clean, neat, and organized from top to bottom upon first glance. However, if you pull out one of those drawers, Suzy has haphazardly piled alphabet stickers in with no regard to how they should best be stored. Seems like such a small problem, right? Well, when Suzy would create a mini album or scrapbook page, she noticed that when she need alphas, she would go to the drawer, look through the first 10-12 of the 30 packages that she has had for years, then give up on finding the "perfect" match. She would then settle for a stamped letter or forgo the letters altogether. Has this ever happened to you? It has to me. Apparently, if Suzy had taken the time to put these alphas in a notebook in page protectors, she would have saved time searching, and would have been able to identify what she wanted much more easily. Even this minor blur of disorganization has affected Suzy's creativity. The negativity she felt after she got frustrated looking for what she wanted, affected her energy flow and thus her end result!

Carol Crafter's room is completely different. When you enter Carol's room, there is visual chaos everywhere. At least to most people it is chaotic. To Carol, everything has a place, and there is nothing in the room that she doesn't use. Everything is out in the open for the eye to see. There is no visual chaos in Carol's eyes; it is all inspiration. Additionally, when Carol sits down to make a tag, for example, she can put her hand on everything she needs immediately. Unlike Suzy, when Carol organized, she thought of how she works. She considered what she used most often and put it near her. She then considered within each type of supply, such as tags, how they should be stored. Carol put the Staples tags in a small box separately because she uses them most often. The other tags, she put on the shelf too. BUT the small box of tags she uses most frequently, is on top. Easy to get. Also, Carol has not hoarded her supplies. Although her area is jam-packed, she uses everything in there. She doesn't have a box of supplies that she hasn't touched in years, because she is waiting for the "right project" to use them on or waiting for "time" to make them. Plus, she has her items stored so they are easy to get to. She has two boxes on the top shelf, but they are business and tax files that she has to keep and not access. Suzy has boxes on the top shelf full of supplies that she uses that her husband would have to get down for her. If Suzy wanted to create something from within these boxes, she would have to wait for her husband to get the box down. It is obvious how this affects the positive flow of creative energy.

Feng Shui tips for Creative Spaces:

Use blocks of color to provide movement in a space. Placing something red, for example, in different locations around the room will provide an energizing feeling to your room.
Showcase your successful projects. Seeing your successes and the beauty they provide will greatly increase your creative drive.
Keep a inspiration board. The things on this board do not have to pertain to your particular craft. Each item should be something that calms you, inspires you, intrigues you, or simply "catches your eye".From these random images, you will be inspired in your creative endeavors as well.
Adding a lit candle to your space will provide an elemental serenity that will help calm your mind, allowing for better creative flow.

Most of you have heard of the areas of Feng Shui. The Bagua Map is simply an energy layout of your home or room. It identifies the areas of your home as they relate to the different aspects of your life. So there is an area for career, one for health, relationships, finances, and so on. Here’s what it looks like:

Supposedly, when organizing your room, home, or inspiration board, aligning things into certain areas will help the energy flow. (This is where I get lost, but I share because I care.)
1. It will give more "energy and power" to each goal because you are directly relating it to the relevant "life area".
2. It will show you where you are putting the most energy and focus in your life and where you may need to put more.
Creating your space or inspiration board this way sets clear intentions for what you want and moves the energy towards that much more efficiently and effectively, which will result in more positive flow in those areas.

Hope you got some inspiration to improve your space to be more creative.
I also hope you don't think I am a huge hippie for saying all this. It makes sense to me. Common sense.
Thanks for stopping by!
Leslie

Photo and Video Tips

2010-05-20T05:18:00.001-05:00

I hope you noticed yesterday's post. I am having problems with Blogger scheduler for the posts. Anyway, yesterday's post is below the post from Tuesday!

For today, here is a video I made from requests that I have gotten. It goes through my set-up of how I take photos of my projects, plus a mention of how I video. It cost me around $3.00! Just check out the video. I only use my camera. You can click here to see what camera I use to do this. Someday I will get a Flip or other video camera, but for now, it is my trusty digi cam!

One thing, I forgot to mention in the video, is lighting and sound. I haven't gotten anything perfected yet! But here are the technicalities that I have learned from reading. For lighting, the important thing to remember is natural light is better than regular lights. It gives a truer color and more clear photo. However, don't think that you should film with bright sunlight. You want natural filtered light. Film in front of a window, but if the sun is bright through it, place a white curtain or shade between the window and the video set up.
Also, notice shadows that you are creating as you video or photograph something. I have seen several videos where people have a light that faces the camera, but this creates shadows that make it hard to see the image or project. There are fabulous tutorials out there in YouTube-land, but it is so hard to see what the people are doing that I can't follow along well. So, put the light beside the camera, and you will get better results. If no natural light is available, then use a lamp with the light aimed at your workspace and plenty of overhead lighting.
Finally, I needed to mention sound quality. My sound quality is not great. I need major improvement in that area. My sound is recorded through the camera. With Flip and other video cameras, sound quality will be better. However, you can get by without anything fancy, if you just speak up.
My biggest tip is for you to make a practice video. See how the lighting, sound, and shadows are. Then adjust and create the real deal!
Good luck and enjoy!
Leslie

Welcome Back!

2010-05-19T05:15:00.000-05:00

Whew! I am back! Well, I actually haven't been gone anywhere, but I feel like I have been gone on a long trip. My in-laws are fine. My MIL had open heart surgery to repair 3 blockages. She is at home and fine. My FIL had 3 tumors in his abdomen that they swore was cancer, but after biopsy they said it was infection! They aren't doing anything for it right now, which puzzles me. If you knew my in-laws, you would admit that they are puzzling people to put it politely.
So, have I been creating during this sabatical? Nope. I made some birthday cards for my mother, but that is it. I haven't felt creative or like playing at all. This is a HUGE change in me. Even when I feel terrible, I usually feel like I at least playing around with techniques. Not this time.
I am praying that I am better. With that said, I will start posting to my blog again. It may not be every day, as it was before, but when I post, it will be worth the visit! So subscribe today for updates by email in the right side bar!
Family videos alert! These are some short videos I made at my cousin's birthday party! Soo cute! Presley is 4 (it was her birthday party) and Stella Kayte will be one in June.

One more!

Thanks!
Leslie

Birthday Cards for Mom

2010-05-19T05:13:00.000-05:00

Today's post will show you the cards I made for my mother's birthday. She loved them! If you like the technique and would like me to make a video showing you how to do this, just leave a comment!
The first card is on Cameo Coral Cardstock with a Chocolate Chip mat. I used Mellow Moss (one of my favorite greens) to punch out some leaves. I have lost my leaves Sizzlit die, so I had to use the 5 petal punch. I sponged them with Mellow Moss. The roses are created on Shimmery White Cardstock (it has to be this type of paper). You stamp them in Versamark, emboss them in clear or white, then spritz them heavily with water. You add drops of reinker that swirl and mix to make these beautiful water color flowers! Both cards have different flowers done the same way.

This card is Cameo Coral with a Mellow Moss mat that was run through the Big Shot with the Plenty of Petals Embossing folder. I then lightly rubbed a sponge of Mellow Moss over the top. The sentiment is non-SU punched out with the designer label punch.

Thanks for stopping by!
Leslie
Below are photos from Mother's Day at my grandmother's house. We are standing in front of the old wind mill that powered the home until the mid 50's. My grandfather planted the roses that are growing in it now. The rest of the photos are of the flowers in my grandmother's yard.

The next photo is a close up of these roses in the wind mill. These are my second favorite flowers in the world!

The next 4 photos are of my #1 favorite flower ever! They are cabbage roses. I think they came from one of my great-grandmother's yards. These two roses mean so much to me. I have so many memories with my grandmother watering flowers and talking. These cabbage roses have the most sweetest scent that you can imagine. And to think that I don't care for roses (traditional ones) or the scent of roses. It is too strong for me. These don't even smell like roses.

Pretty Violas.

A traditional rose.

Another antique rose. I can't remember the name of this one, but I love it too.

Love this bird house on this old stump. I love the shabbiness of it and the ornamentation.

These are called Knockout roses. My grandmother loves these because they COVER the bush with blooms.

Another rose growing in the wind mill.

Love this vignette of the greenery, the old water pump, and the water bucket of wild petunias. They grow back every year.

Thanks for stopping by today!
Leslie

Blogger Schedule for posts

2010-05-18T20:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently, the blog schedule tool on Blogger and I are having trouble. For those of you who have subscribed to my blog, you may have received all of this week's blog posts tonight rather than each day as scheduled. I sincerely apologize for this error. I try to stay ahead of things when I am posting by scheduling a few posts at once.
Apparently blogger is excited I am back posting again and is pre-posting, which is embarassing both of us! LOL
Leslie

Tiny Mist Spray Bottles Again

2010-05-01T05:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. My mother-in-law had a heart attack then had triple bypass surgery, and my father-in-law had a biopsy on 3 large masses in his abdomen. All of this yesterday. We are stretched very thin right now trying to see about everyone. So my post today is going to be short… Sorry. I promised to increase the number of project posts, but then this happened. If I do not post for a couple of days, you will know I am overwhelmed.

There was a question about the mini misters. For the brand name Mini Misters, I was told to get the best price get them from Michael's using the 40% off coupon that they ALWAYS have available. Anyway, I am referring to the FREEBIE or CHEAP-O mini misters I mentioned from breath sprays, candy sprays for kids, and hand sanitizers. The brand name mini misters are made to not clog with different materials used in them. So the question was do these freebie mini misters clog when they are used?

The answer is no! I tried alcohol inks and alcohol, classic reinkers and water, alcohol and shimmer paint. All of these worked great in my mini mister! I was specifically asked about Smooch. I don't have any of that, so I couldn't test it. When I tried the same concoctions using a "travel" spray bottle from Walmart, it clogged with the reinkers, but works fine with the shimmer paints to make shimmer mist.

Hope this helps!! Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Chance for blog candy!

2010-04-29T05:17:00.000-05:00

There is a chance to win blog candy in my side bar. Click the link and follow the instructions!
Thanks for stopping by today! More projects and ideas coming May 1st!

Tiny Mist Spray Bottles!

2010-04-28T05:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I showed you some of the Tim Holtz goodies that I got recently. This afternoon, I found a tiny spray bottle in the backseat of the car. When I asked the girls about it, they told me it was from some hand sanitizer that we got at the dollar store. Sure enough, we got them 2 for $1! I was quite aggravated!!! But I was even more frustrated when I told my mom the story I am about to tell you, and she handed me a container that was just a bit larger!! FREE! She even has more!! Here's what happened…

See, I recently purchased the Tim Holtz "Mini Misters" from scrapbooks.com for $4.99 for a pack of 3. I looked everywhere for less expensive versions of these, but couldn't find them. Then today, a month after this purchase, I found this other tiny spray bottle that works the exact same way and cost less it hurts!!

You could go out an purchase several of the hand sanitizers in these cute tiny spray bottles, and either use them or empty the contents, then use them for your "Mini Misters"!

Maybe you can benefit from my discovery! I will definitely be picking these up all along, so I will have a bottle for each color! Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!

Leslie

p.s. I noticed that I have had 4 people stop following me or unsubscribing to my blog. I know that my recent posts have not been the most inspiring. I just ask that if you will give me a chance to get caught up, I guarantee that by May 1, I will be posting actual projects once more! Thanks…Leslie

Tim Holtz Goodies!

2010-04-27T05:03:00.000-05:00

Look at some of these AWESOME goodies I bought with some Christmas money I had. I shopped sales around the internet and got these things at GREAT prices! I can't remember the prices, sorry.

This first photo is of an 8x8 album that I got for $1.99! So, it is not Tim Holtz, but I did want to show it off!

Click on the photos for larger views!! This photo shows all the goodies. I will show each item in more detail in other photos.

This photo shows Mini Misters. No sale here, they are $4.99 for 3. Wish I could find them cheaper. Mini Fasteners for $0.99.

Felt applicator tool, glossy accents, and blending solution. All purchased with a 40% off coupon. You can go through the check out three times, if you are really nice to the cashier of if you have a lot of items, and claim it is 3 orders! Shhh…

Everything Tim Holtz was on sale on JoAnns.com. I got all the metal pieces from there. I plan to use them on mini albums. Philosophy tags. I saw Tim Holtz put white paint on them and then wipe it off. The white stays in the recessed spaces. It was cool like that too!

Keys. They have great words on them too! I didn't get the keyholes. I just like the keys. It's ok to have a key with nothing to unlock, right?

Swivel clasps. There are three sizes of these. Great for holding charms, etc. on an album.

Cheeky clips from Memory Makers. So cute with stars, hearts, etc. cut out in them! I have a plan for these with a bookmark. Great Big Brads sorry I can't remember the brand. These are about 1 1/2" large!!

You can see my Paint dauber tops here. They fit regular craft paint bottles. I wanted a couple of these so I could have a bottle of cream, white, blue, and green paint ready to go for aging things. I know, that is not my normal style, but I have seen some really pretty things that were vintage, and I want to try! Also here you can see the skirt/pants hook and eyes. They were $0.99 for 6. I am going to try to make a ribbon closure for a mini album using these. Instead of connecting the two flaps of the pants, it will be two pieces of ribbon.

While I was in the sewing notions, I picked up these awesome buttons.

These are TH Word Sticks.

D Rings, not from TH or a craft store, but from the sewing department! They don't open, but for my purposes, I don't need them too. I saw an awesome paper bag mini album that one of these sticking out of the binding to hold the ribbons, charms, etc. that are so pretty dangling from an album. Oh, and I got this awesome distressor tool from TH for $1.87.

There was more, but I had put most of it away where it belongs. These things from Tim Holtz are new to me. I don't have other items like them, so I will have to figure out a storage solution for them.

May 1 I will be showing some projects. I am ready to stamp and feel paper between my fingers again!!! I have finally gotten caught up with my products for the local gift store. If you live near Opp, Alabama, stop by Southern Style and see my section of the store! I feel weird a bit, but when I heard that two of my boards were sold Saturday after lunch, I felt great! (They were only put out around lunch time!)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Alcohol Inks!

2010-04-26T05:38:00.000-05:00

I recently spent some money that I had gotten for Christmas, and got these alcohol inks! I am so excited to get to use them. I also got the felt applicator tool and the blending solution. I will show you those tomorrow when I show all the Tim Holtz goodies I got!!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!

Leslie

Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack!! Up to 60% off!

2010-04-25T05:37:00.001-05:00

I got these packages of ribbon from the SU! Clearance Rack. They were regular $12.95 and I got them for $3.99 each! They have 2 yards of each ribbon.
Check the clearance rack often, since things sell out and are taken off the list. Plus, there are new items added all along too!
If you need help placing an order, please contact me. I can help you with your order. Also, if you are interested in a workshop, please contact me!

By the way, there is an AWESOME Blog Candy giveaway going on right now through May 2nd on My Crafty World! You can click this link to go to the blog to enter. There are three ways to enter: blogging about it, commenting, and following the blog. This MEGA Cruise Blog Candy is eligible to anyone and consists of 7 stamp sets, scallop square punch, ribbon, 5 empty tin cases, pack of DSP, decor elements, cardstock, cookout kit and a Stampin' Up! Going Green Bag. AMAZING!!!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!
Leslie

Ballerina Tutu Canvases

2010-04-24T05:26:00.000-05:00

Here are Ballerina Canvases in the two styles that I made for the store that commissioned them as products for their stock. The first has flowers at the straps, and the second has bows. I used the same style ribbon for the straps and the waistband as compared to the original sample I showed you several days ago (you can see it by clicking Wall Art in the categories). I developed a design for the hanger for the 5x7 canvases. What do you think? I actually used children's plastic hangers for the 8x10 and the 11x14 canvases.

These canvases can have an initial painted on them or they can be used as a "frame" for a photo. The 5x7 frame is sized for a 4x4 photo. The 8x10 canvas is sized for a 5x7 photo. The 11x14 canvas is sized for a 8x10 photo. Of course, with the larger canvases you could put several smaller size photos on them.

I can't tell you how cute these are in person!! I have had several questions about how I will be pricing these. The 5x7 will be $12, the 8x10 will be $15, the 11x14 will be $20. These are wholesale prices for the store owner. I would add a few dollars to each, if I was to sell them to an individual.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a blessed day!

Leslie

New Wall Art Designs!

2010-04-23T05:04:00.002-05:00

I thought I would let you see some of the things that are keeping me so busy that I have not been posting a new project each day. These are some of the Wall Art pieces that were commissioned by a store in town. These are made from ceiling tiles and can be used as a bulletin board or just as a picture on the wall.
This first photo is a sample board for the store. The colors do not show well. They are lime green, hot pink, and the outlines are brown. My youngest daughter chose this one based on the sample sketches I made, hence the S.

This next photo is another board based on the sample above. I make them blank, then the customer will indicate the initial to be placed in the center, and I will paint it.

This next board is not finished yet. I just thought I would show you the progress. I still have to paint the square in the center and the centers of each of the flowers. The colors are hot pink, lime green, and orange. I really liked this new design. I just came up with it this morning. My youngest daughter had a fit! She has now decided that she wants this one for her room and not the sample board. No, to this date, I have yet to paint wall art pieces for my daughters' rooms!! Why is it that we always do things for everyone else instead of our family? Well, one reason is that I get $PAID$ for these. LOL

Not a new design, but it is a board for the store. This board is hot pink with black zebra stripes. I am going to come up with about 2 more styles. They may be the same designs as above, but different colors. Maybe.

Well, that is part of what I have been spending my time doing lately rather than making mini albums, scrapbook pages, cards, or gifts.
Edited to add the link!! Oops!! **Also, please check out http://latenitestampinwithsherill.blogspot.com/ where she is giving away a TON of SU! prizes!!! Sherrill Graff is such a talented designer and runs a yahoo group called Late Night Stampers, that is 99% Stampin' Up! It is such a great group with tons of ideas and tips! Check it out!
Thanks for stopping by today. Have a blessed day!
Leslie

One more set of Quotes and Sentiments

2010-04-22T05:14:00.000-05:00

Today's group of sentiments and quotes is very random. Sort of like me.

Dad/mom sayings

1. no one said it was going to be easy

2. im not made of money

3. go ask your mom/dad

4. I would’ve let you but your mom said no

5. heres some money don’t tell your mom

6. do as I say not as I do

7. waste not want not

8. thatll cost you extra

9. if you want it done right you have to do it yourself

10. sit up straight

11. don’t talk with your mouthful

12. pull my finger

13. chew with your mouth closed

14. I don’t care what your friends do if they jumped off a bridge would you

15. set a good example for your sisiter

16. never say never

17. don’t let me catch you doing that

18. what did I tell you

19. the way to a mans heart is through his stomach

20. to boyfriend: if you have any ideas of getting fresh with my daughter, I have no problem going back to prison

21. I think I can fix that. where’s the duct tape

22. don’t make me stop this car

23. I thought I told you to go before we left the house

24. money doesn’t grow on trees

25. what if youre in a accident do you want to be in dirty underwear

26. close that door im not paying to cool the whole neighborhood

27. im only doing this for your own good

28. you will be a much better person for it

29. this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you

30. put that down you don’t know where its been

31. excuse me for living

32. don’t get smart with me

33. don’t look at me like that

Kids sayings

1. im gonna tell

2. youre not the boss of me

3. you cant make me

4. I didn’t do it

5. I have to go to the bathroom

6. please pretty please

7. im not eathing that

8. im not doing it

9. ill never ask for another thing

10. if you will get it for me I won’t ask for anything for my birthday or Christmas

11. idont know

12. I don’t care

13. whatever

14. made ou look

15. I know you are but what I am

16. oops

17. you like her best

Irish blessings

1. may you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been the foresight to know where you are going and the insight to know when you have gone too far

2. may your troubles be less and your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through your door

3. may the road rise to meet you may the wind always be at your back the sun shine warm upon your face the rain fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again may God hold you in the hollow of his hand

4. may you have warm words on a cool evening a full moon on a dark night and the road downhill all the way to your door

More sentiments

1. create as though there are no critics

2. silence your inner critic

3. always follow your heart

4. follow your dreams

5. the best way to predict the future is to create it

6. I am still learning-- michealangelo

7. the best things in life are not things

8. the journey is the reward

9. where we stand is not as important as the direction in which we are moving

10. be the change you wish to see in the world-- ghandi

11. dreams are necessary to live

12. dreams are whispers from the soul

13. I think that I shall never see a rubber stamp that I don’t need

14. women are like buttons they hold things together

15. the measure of love is to love without measure

16. sometimes its best to do nothing

17. it is our belief in good ness that lifts us up and over and beyond all that’s ugly and tragic in the world to keep that belief alive is the accomplishment

18. once or twice in our lives we are given the chance to find out just how much inner strength we possess usually we find we have far more than we ever imagined

19. imagination is more important than knowledge-- Albert Einstein

20. what would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail

21. May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live

22. "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted". Albert Einstein

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!

Leslie

Sentiments and Sayings

2010-04-21T05:10:00.000-05:00

Sometimes store bought greeting cards have those fantastic one-liners for a sentiment inside that is just perfect. Here is a collection of sentiments that I have pulled from before. I have added them to cards, tags, and scrapbook pages. Enjoy!

Here’s to good women! May we be them; may we know them; may we raise them!
Friends we are today and friends we’ll always be for I am wise to you and you can see through me.
We never engage in idle gossip, only important meaningful gossip.
I fear that there is no PMS and this is just my personality.
It’s not gossip if it’s true.
Everything is relative…blame them for whatever you want.
Thank goodness wrinkles don’t hurt.
Sag, you’re it.
Here’s to my friends and the strength to put up with you.
Age takes its toll, please have exact change.
We’ll be friends until we’re blue in the hair.
I hope my ship comes in before my dock rots.
They couldn’t fix my brakes so I made them make my horn louder.
Don’t judge me by my relatives
Time is a great healer, but a lousy beautician.
We’ve been through a lot together, and most of it was your fault.
My face in the mirror isn’t wrinkled or drawn, my house isn’t dirty, the cobwebs are gone, my garden looks lovely and so does my lawn. I think I might never put my glasses back on!
Dear Lord, please put your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
My husband needs new glasses, he still doesn’t see things my way.
At my age, I find that going bra-less helps pull all the wrinkles out of my face.
God grant me the serenity to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight/memory to tell the difference.
I believe that if you can’t be a good example, be a dire warning.
The only reason I would exercise at this point in my life is the chance to hear heavy breathing again.
You can lead me to a kitchen, but you can’t make me cook.
Age is simply mind over matter, If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.
Everyone is entitled to my opinion.
If you have nothing good to say about anyone, come and sit by me.
If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun
pretending to be a normal person day after day is exhausting
I sleep naked and it ain’t a pretty picture
the only time you can change a man is while he’still a baby
girls just want to have funds.
it’s good to be queen
you can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.
my idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
my husband thinks im happy
I think therefore I am single
if its not one thing its your mother
you can at least pretend to like it
queen of denial
It is no coincidence that stressed spelled backwards is desserts.
He is away often. I like that in a man
forget finding the right man…get a cat
a woman who strives to be like a man lacks ambition
Normally I wear a size 12 dress, but a size 14 feels so good that I buy a size 16
I shaved my legs and washed my hair for this?
if you must choose between two evils choose then one you’ve never tried before
well this day was a total waste of make up
Women’s faults are many. Everything they say and everything they do.
guilt the gift that keeps on giving
in god we trust everyone else must show ID
if we can’t laugh at ourselves lets make fun of someone else
never pass up an opportunity to pee
Dad, I will always cherish your wisdom …pull my finger
I only have 2 speeds slow and stop which do you prefer
do the math you’re old
At my age happy hour is a nap
if id known I was going to live this long id have taken better care of myself
I plan on living forever…so far so good
the older I get, the better I was
growing old can be fun if you do it with the right people
I may be lost but I am making good time
I drive too fast to worry about my cholesterol
listen to the oldies weve got a lot to say
everyone seems normal until you get to know them
retirement means you can do nothing all day and then rest afterward
I don’t suffer from insanity I actually enjoy it
I start out every day by checking for my name in the obituaries
three wise men…you’ve got to be kidding
take my relatives please
When I get a little money I buy stamps/paper, if there is any money left over, I buy food and clothes.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!

Leslie

More sentiments and quotes!

2010-04-20T05:30:00.000-05:00

Today's quotes are in a specific photo-type format. They are decorative and nice enough to print directly onto cardstock and either frame them or use them on a project.

Remember to click on the photo for a larger view!

Finally, I watch 19 Kids and Counting… I have since they were 17 Kids and Counting. After you get over the fact that they have 19 kids, all by vaginal births, and do not use birth control, the show is quite entertaining. They are extremely well-organized! I am in awe of the fact that the mother, Michelle, is so kind, gentle, and pleasant with 19 kids running around. The children are well-behaved and well-socialized. I only have 2 kids and we all struggle to keep it together. So anyway, Michelle made this Character Qualities chart that she and the children review each day. They take one characteristic each day and then repeat them over and over. I really like the idea, haven't been organized enough to do it yet, but I may try going over one each morning during breakfast, just to see the effect. Anyway, I needed a place to keep the link to the chart, which is why it is here. I will have to print it tomorrow when the printer is on.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!

Leslie

Famous Quotes, Funny Quotes, and more Quotes!

2010-04-19T05:11:00.000-05:00

I like to post project to inspire each and every one of you. I also post things that I need to remember or keep in one place. I needed a quote today, and I had to look in what seemed like 50 different places to find the one I wanted. So, for the next few days, I will post the different sentiments, quotes, and journaling prompts.

When I am scrapbooking or making a mini album, I like to use quotes as an embellishment for pages. Sometimes it serves as the journaling for a page. I like funny quotes, inspirational quotes, and even quotes by famous people.

Today I will be sharing with you some of these quotes and where I found them. I use these by printing the quote on cardstock then inking the edges and adding it to the page or by simply handwriting it on a journaling tag.

First, here are some quotes from a site that is no longer in service and more from other places I have gathered over time.

Anonymous: The secret of life is not to do what you like but to like what you do.
Kevin Costner: When a defining moment comes along, you define the moment, or the moment defines you.
Anonymous: Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.
Mark Twain: It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.
Sam Ewing: It's not the hours you put in your work that count, it's work you put in the hours.
Anonymous: Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.
Anonymous: "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."
Emily Dickinson: Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.
Dr. Seuss- The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
Dr. Seuss- Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!
Dr. Seuss- Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn. Albert Einstein.

These quotes are from Albert Einstein!

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
"Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." (I love this one so much, I may add it to my blog header!! LOL)
"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."

So mushy even Hallmark gagged…

Just knowing you are out there thinking about me, caring about me, makes me feel safe.
Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.
All my fears and yesterdays wash away and all that is left is your embrace.
You make me thank God for every mistake I ever made, because each one led me down the path that led me to you.
I’ll be back when the winds and fates and chance bring me back…when our souls will join in an eternal embrace.

On this site, The Perfect Title, you will find a collection organized by topic and theme of titles and journaling prompts. They range from the simple Darling Daughters to the more complex statements, such as Mothers and Daughters grow closer when Daughters become Mothers.

Funny Quotes from random places I don't remember anymore:

Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue. Dilbert
Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings. Anonymous
The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on. - Robert Bloch
If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

And last, but most important, the best quotes of all time are from the Bible, There are thousands, but these are my favorites:

"An He said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, most gladly therefore will i rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
"The Lord is good; a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knoweth them that trust in Him." Nahum 1:7
"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings of eagles, they shall run and not be weary. Isaiah 40:31
"From the depths I called for help, and you listened to my cry". Jonah 2:2
"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble". Psalm 9:9

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!

Leslie

Major Announcement!

2010-04-18T05:07:00.001-05:00

I have made some serious changes with my business recently. First, several of my products were picked up by a local store, so I am creating lots of the paintings and dancing tutu canvases, which is eating up TONS of my time. I have been busy with other orders too, such as another painting (the one that I lost the photos for), birthday party decorations and invitations, and some book orders too.

Also, I have taken a leave of absence as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, but will be back in full swing again as of September 1st. You can still place orders through me, I will still provide you with samples, ideas, and announcements regarding Stampin' Up! products, and I still have access to any customer service needs you may have. I will still be hosting workshops to teach you new and creative ideas for gifts, cards, and home decor! Basically, this leave of absence is only on paper and will NOT affect you in any way!

I am excited about all the opportunities that have come my way for my business, and I look forward to spreading my wings to create using "other" products for a while too. I am still loyal to Stampin' Up! because I believe in the quality of the products and the continuity in the colors.

While I won't go into great detail, I will explain this leave of absence this way: I must surround myself with positive people and enter into situations that will be a positive influence. This is not just a personal preference, but also a physical requirement with my MS. A more positive outlook does affect the level of disability that is exhibited with MS, plus stress can bring on flare-ups of symptoms.

Stampin' Up!'s mission statement is called its Statement of the Heart , which states, "To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments . . . in this we make a difference." Stampin' Up! also stresses adherence to the Golden Rule (As spoken by Jesus, "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31 KJV) for all business practices. Therefore, when certain circumstances, which were not in keeping with either philosophy of Stampin' Up! were brought to my attention, I decided a change was necessary to maintain positive situations.

Changes may be happening behind the scenes, but you can still order Stampin' Up! from me and book workshops to learn fun new ideas. Plus, I am still your one-stop craft store for a complete line of color coordinated products! In Opp, I am your ONLY craft store!

I encourage you to continue to contact me with your Stampin' Up! product needs. I have direct access to sales and customer service, so there will be no disruption in your service, delivery, or product availability.
I thank you all for your support and continued patronage!
Leslie Jones…CreativePzazz@gmail.com

Ballerina Punch Art

2010-04-17T05:25:00.000-05:00

Today I am showing you a cute Ballerina made with Stampin' Up! paper punches. I think punch art is so creative! When I look at the punches, I see the punch shape, ex. a heart shape, as the shape that it is. I don't see cat ears or the body of a ballerina. But some people do! All of my ideas come straight from them!

Most of the time, I get the idea to make a card or other project based on a project someone else did, but I always change it up to suit my tastes and needs. Sometimes, like the Card Holder and the Business Card Holder, I even come up with the pattern myself, just by measuring what I want to go in it. Thinking in 3D has always been easy for me. BUT punch art… I can only copy. I can't change up and turn it into something else similar. I just can't.

Today though, I am not even showing you my version of the punch art. This is the actual one posted by Huffergirl on Splitcoaststampers.com. If you are a crafter of any kind and you have never gone to this site, you are completely missing out. It has hundreds of thousands of ideas. It is probably the largest "community" of crafters there is. It has forums, galleries, and tutorials for tons of techniques, etc. No matter what you are IN to, i.e. scrapbooking, mini albums, Stampin' Up!, other companies, etc. there are ideas for you! Besides, it is free.

Isn't she cute? Amazing!

Have a blessed day! Thanks for stopping by…Leslie

It's been one of those days AGAIN!

2010-04-16T05:21:00.000-05:00

So I told you about losing those photos the other night, well today started out about the same way. First, I started making a project. It is a To Do List/ Weekly planner that I was going to decorate and bind using my Bind-it-all.

Well, apparently, either my MS or the pollen had me so foggy that I kept making mistakes. For instance, I forgot to sponge the cardstock before I attached them together, and I didn't leave space on the cover or the pages to allow for the binding space. Then I couldn't for the life of me find the O wires that I use. This is really frustrating because during my last organization project, I wrote down every single thing that is in every single box, typed it up, and cross-referenced it. But today I go to get the O wires, and they don't exist on the list. I looked in several boxes before I decided to give up for the day.

So I thought that I shouldn't be defeated and just start another project. Here's the short version: I started the Business Card Holder Tutorial and messed up the video and photos by skipping a step. When I realized it, there was no way to go back and correct the mistake, so I have to start over. Needless to say, I moved on to another project. There I am stapling the tulle onto one of the dancing ballerina canvases (look under Wall Art in the Categories on the right side of the page) that I do. I am working away, just like I have done several before when I realize that I did the right side of the tutu with the pale pink tulle on bottom and the hot pink on top. The problem is the left side ended up just the opposite! It does seem funny now, but I was so frustrated at the time that I just lost it. I am sure I looked like a 3 year old, who was just told she couldn't have ice cream.

The result:

A post with no photo, no project, and I am not one step closer to marking anything off my To Do List after an entire day of work!

Maybe tomorrow will be better. So to celebrate bad days everywhere… Enjoy these.

Thanks for stopping by today!

And most importantly…

Happy BEARthday!

2010-04-15T05:13:00.000-05:00

There is a Build-a-bear stamp set with the sentiment Happy BEARthday that I wish I had. I have wanted it several times, but just haven't committed to buying it. I probably will buy it one day and wish that I had bought it sooner!

So for this birthday card, I used the Build-a-Bear BigZ Die for the Big Shot and the Beary Accessories Sizzlit die for the clothes. The bear was a scrap that was lying on my desk for a while now. My daughter cut it from a scrap of poster board. It was very sturdy and survived being on my desk for several days. This is an accomplishment! I don't even survive my desk sometimes! So, I decided it would be a cute Polar Bear! I sponged the edges with Going Gray classic ink to just add a touch of color. The Polar Bears I see on Animal Planet are sort of yellow, but that didn't look so good. The gray makes her look like she needs to shave her legs! LOL

The clothes (click for a closer view) were made using papers from the Welcome Neighbor designer series paper pack that I got FREE from Sale-a-bration! Her heart, bow, and belt area have Dazzling Diamonds on them. A girl's got to have some bling!

I attached the bear using SNAIL adhesive, but I put 2 dimensionals behind her hand to make it look like she is waving. I cut a 1"x4.25" strip of whisper white and punched it with the Scallop Trim Punch. I then cut about 1/2" off the bottom of the front of the card, then attached the scallop trim whisper white piece under the front edge as a decorative touch. The card base is made using Melon Mambo.

Hope you enjoyed this project! I enjoyed stamping and creating it! I haven't stamped much lately. I'm going to have to change that!

Thanks for stopping by today! Call or email me to place an order!

Wall Art Photo… MISSING!!

2010-04-14T05:23:00.000-05:00

It is Tuesday night at 7:01pm. Lots of times I will prepare a post ahead of time and schedule it to go "live" to my blog at a specific time, usually around 5am. So today's post was supposed to be about a piece of wall art that I painted recently for a friend. It was really cute!

I have spent the last 3 hours frantically searching my laptop for the photos. It seems they have disappeared into thin air. Here's what happened. I open the folder to view the files, I go blank for a while (not literally; I just can't remember anything for a while), then my daughter comes to get the camera, which is unplugged and laying beside me. Obviously, I put the pics on the computer, if I disconnected it. I can't find them anywhere. When my daughter goes to download her photos off the same camera, my 4 photos aren't there, indicating I deleted them when I downloaded them.

FRUSTRATION!!! I honestly have looked and searched and even gone to system restore! I guess I have to give up.

I could show you the sketch that I did as a sample for me to go by, but I changed some things and the sample is nowhere near as cute as the actual painting was! It had crystals and bling and sparkle and was soooo cute! Even if I do say so myself.

I guess you'll have to take my word for it.

Thanks for stopping by today… sorry you wasted your time. LOL Well, I guess you did waste your time. Hmmm… what can I do to make it so you haven't wasted your time?

How about this? For today's post ONLY, if you leave a comment, which means you had to read the post to find out this, you get rewarded. I will give you a FREE .pdf file that I have to offer. You can choose from the Card Holder Tutorial shown in the photo at the right, the Business Card Holder Tutorial (you can see a photo of it under 3D projects—I will make the tutorial this week), the polka-dotted patterned paper I made with My Digital Studio (look under My Digital STudio to see this), or you can choose 3 of the My Digital Studio transparency sheets (you can see these under My Digital Studio to pick the ones you want).

How about that? We are talking about a value of at least $2.95 and up to $4.95! FREE for you! Let's see what happens now! What? Yes, for each of you that leave a comment. You see, it has already made me feel less negative by offering to give something away! So in essence, if you leave me a comment, you are cheering me up! This offer is good until Friday April 16, 2010. If you are late catching up on commenting or reading my posts, send me an email… maybe I will give it to you free later too!

Now, thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie Jones CreativePzazz@gmail.com

Candy Buffet Party Invitations

2010-04-13T05:36:00.001-05:00

Today I am showing you an actual invitation that is being sent out for my cousin's daughter's birthday party. The theme is Candy Buffet. I will be showing photos when the party is finished, so just check back often for those. The party is April 24th. I have shown you over the past few days the samples I have made using My Digital Studio for the different decorations, etc. for the party. Using My Digital Studio is such an economical way to make samples! I can do hundreds of different designs for my cuz to choose from without wasting any paper or embellishments! Plus, I can change colors in a snap! Yippee!!

This photo is the complete invitation. Isn't it so cute?!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a blessed day!

Leslie Jones To place an order or for questions…CreativePzazz@gmail.com

Candy Jar Labels

2010-04-12T05:15:00.002-05:00

Today I will show you the samples of the candy jar labels that I made for my cousin. She is having a party for her daughter, who will be 4, and the theme is candy buffet! It will be so cute! I will be posting photos of the finished party, so stay tuned!

So, I have been in charge of making the invitations, banner, tickets for the kids to purchase the candy, and the labels for the jars of candy. Yesterday I showed you the samples of the banner that will be put across the room. Today I will show you the labels for the jars of candy.

You can see my notes to my cuz. She hasn't told me which ones we are using yet. I hope it is the striped one. We aren't doing a red and white striped awning over the doorway, like originally planned, but these are still the cutest thing to me!! The ones with the black brackets on them would be hand cut to the shape of the bracket.

Which would you choose?

Don't forget about My Digital Studio when you are planning a project. It is a great tool to make the samples, see what they will look like without wasting a bunch of paper! What a GREEN way to paper craft!!

Have a blessed day! Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie Jones …CreativePzazz@gmail.com

Banner!

2010-04-11T05:05:00.002-05:00

Well, I am going to give it a couple more days before I make my final decision as to which blog design I am going to go with. You can see here and here the two designs to choose from. I am encouraging you to give me your opinion and vote too!!
Now on to new business! My cousin is planning a Candy Buffet party for her daughter for her 4th birthday! Yes, I will post photos of the finished event so you can see all the decor and candy. Here is a banner sample I made for her to choose from.
Remember a while back, I showed you some polka dotted paper that I made using My Digital Studio? You can see it here. So for the banner, I will print this cute paper that I made and use it as accents on the banner. I made samples of what the banner would look like using MDS too! It is cheaper and easier to email than a paper sample! The whole party will be candy in jars that the kids use tickets to buy, polka dots, and primary colors everywhere! Here are the samples I made for my cousin. I will be cutting the outside shape with the scallop circle die, the inside shape with the circle die, and the letters with the Schoolbook Serif Alphabet, which are all dies for the Big Shot. Ask me about a great deal on a Big Shot bundle for yourself!
Originally, we planned for the banner to say Happy Birthday! But then she called today wanting it to say Princess' Candy Shoppe! (Of course her name is not princess. Her actual name will be there.) Which would you choose as the banner?

Thanks for stopping by today! Contact me to place an order for Stampin' Up! products and supplies or to order your own copy of My Digital Studio!
Thanks again! Leslie Jones…creativepzazz.gmail.com

Another Blog Header

2010-04-10T05:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I showed you a blog header that I made using My Digital Studio. It is so simple to make things using My Digital Studio, that I am actually hooked!

I am giving you all the decision of which blog header to put up until the end of May, either the one from yesterday, which you can see if you scroll down to the next post, or this one.

Leave me a comment about which one you like the best!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie Jones…CreativePzazz@gmail.com

Blog Update!

2010-04-09T05:34:00.000-05:00

I have a blog header (the title at the top of the page) I would like you to look at before I actually put it up. I made it using My Digital Studio (Boy! Is it versatile!). I want to use the blog header until the end of May. I have another one that I made, so I will show it tomorrow. Then you can tell me which you like better! We can have a vote!

That means some of you ladies are going to have to learn how to post a comment. Click comment below my post. Then you have the choice of signing in, if you have a particular email type, or you can choose anonymous. By the way, if you choose anonymous, please leave your name in the post so I will know who the note is from!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Switcheroo!

2010-04-08T05:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I showed a card that I made for Easter. Well, I never did actually deliver the card. There was just something that I didn't like about it. I LOVE the butterflies, but the card needed something. So today I thought I would show you how I changed it up! I like it a lot better!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie Jones…CreativePzazz@gmail.com

NEW Stampin' Up! COLORS

2010-04-07T05:51:00.000-05:00

I have some awesome news! Stampin' Up! has decided to reorganize and renovate their color families! Gone are those colors that are boring, 30 colors to be exact!! Yes, Stampin' Up! is discontinuing 30 colors! 30!

What do you get in return? NEW…FRESH…VIBRANT…Contemporary… and Vivid colors!

In the past there were 6 new In Colors each year with 48 colors in the 4 color families that were standard colors. While some of these colors will remain, the entire structure of the color groupings will change! Now there will be 5 New Colors each year that will stay for 2 years then retire. This is a big change too! Currently, In Colors retire after 1 year! Then there will be 40 standard colors in the color groups.

Some of the past favorite In Colors will return as standard colors, and the Neutrals collection is expanded to include 10 colors!

Yes, I will be very sad to see some of the colors go, so I will have to buy some of my favorites! Pick up your favorites today, just call or email me!

Click to enlarge these photos to see the retiring colors and the NEW COLORS!!

Get ready for exciting fun!

Thanks for stopping by today! Stick close by for the few days. I have an announcement and a request for you!

Leslie Jones

Easter Card

2010-04-06T05:03:00.000-05:00

I have to get a bit more organized so I can start showing the cards I make for a holiday BEFORE the holiday!

For the butterflies, I cut them from the Beautiful Butterflies die with the Big Shot, then I sponged on color. I used So Saffron, Brocade Blue, and then Taken with Teal on the tips of the wings. They are attached with Dimensionals. The tab was punched from brocade blue that had been textured with the texture plates #1 and the Big Shot. Finally, I use the All Holidays stamp set and the Scallop Trim Punch on the edges of the sentiment.

Hope you like it!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie Jones…CreativePzazz@gmail.com

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T05:00:00.001-05:00

Edited to add: Sorry that this post ended up posting a day late! I got my dates wrong when I set the post date! That is okay though, it is never to late to celebrate Christ! LJ

I hope you and your family have a wonderful celebration for the risen Savior today! My God bless you!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie

Using Aluminum Foil

2010-04-04T05:33:00.001-05:00

Check out this awesome B that Beverly did. She spread glue over the B then wrapped it with Aluminum Foil, leaving lots of crinkles! To get that great color, she used alcohol inks! How awesome is this?

I can't remember the last time I was in my studio using paper, stamps, and ink! I am ready! Because I was out so long being sick, I am VERY behind around the house. So, I have been trying to get that caught up, so my creativity is taking a hit right now. I promise I will get back to it.

Thanks again to all of your prayers and well wishes! I have been touched by the outpouring of support! Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie Jones.334.493.2511.&.CreativePzazz@gmail.com

My Digital Studio Transparency!

2010-04-03T04:26:00.000-06:00

Thank you all for the prayers and well wishes! I am much better! I can actually do things now; I am not stuck in bed! I haven't created anything yet with paper, like I am dying to do, because I am so far behind everywhere else in my life. hopefully this weekend I can show you a few things. I have some great ideas flowing in my mind that I cant wait to do! Plus, I have some AWESOME hauls that I got. Let's see, I got some things from Mike's, Target, Joann's, Scrapbook.com, and of course my favorite, Stampin' Up! I am so excited! I had been saving some money from Christmas and then got paid for a job, so I just had to spend it all… What? It was burning a hole in my pocket… Ok, so fine. I did all this ordering and shopping over a 2 week period. As soon as I made the final order, the following day my dishwasher died. So now I am washing dishes by hand for a few weeks. Do I regret my craft purchases? No, but don't tell anyone!

Anyway, today I was looking at some things online, watching videos on youtube, and fell in love with these transparency pieces that a girl used in a mini album she made. I can't remember what she called them, but they were small pieces that looked stamped or printed. She used these small pieces as overlays, of course, but also as a belt-like piece or as pockets to hold tags and journaling. It was so cute! That led me to think that I could make some awesome transparency pieces using the stamp sets included in My Digital Studio! I could even make some that are colored!

Here is what I came up with! There are borders and tags and more, oh my! Each sheet is 8 1/2 x 11 and is printed on a thermal transparency sheet (clear on both sides), because I scrap in an 8x8" size, but I mainly make mini albums. They are so fun! Each of these items are things that I thought would be great to use for scrapping.

To use them all you do is cut each one out individually using scissors or a craft knife. Attach them to your project with glue Tombow multi glue, then hide the glue in the corners using an embellie, or better yet, attach them using brads or eyelets! You can also hide the glue behind the areas that are printed. The most important thing to remember about transparencies on a scrapbook page or card is that they should be layered over something to get the full effect of a transparency. They are nice alone, yes, but if you wanted it alone, why didn't you print it on cardstock? Some of the elements that are in color have a white background. Just email me, if you are interested in purchasing, and I will let you know.

I was thinking about selling these transparencies, so if you are interested, please let me know. I will have to figure out a price, but if you are interested, I will work that up! They will be sold separately and as a group, so you can order what you would like! I will mail all of them in a padded envelope with a piece of chipboard as added protection. With My Digital Studio, we are allowed to sell 150 projects in one year. So I won't be breaking any rules in selling these. I can't wait to print my own!

Without further ado…

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Leslie Jones

Mr. Brown, Where Are You?

2010-04-02T18:54:00.003-06:00

Oops! Sorry for the late post! Today almost slipped by without a post! Well, here is a sample of a project that I found. This was made by the incomparable Ellen Kemper. She is the punch art queen. I like this punch art, even though she made it for Christmas, because I am anxiously waiting for the UPS guy to bring me a Stampin' Up! haul!!

Thanks for stopping by today.
Leslie

April Fool's: MDS

2010-04-01T04:18:00.001-06:00

Happy April Fool's Day! I hope you "get" before you are "gotten"!

Here is the project for today:

APRIL FOOLS! LOL… I know. Lame. It was all I could think of!! No, you don't want to know how in the world my mind came up with that! Maybe it was because I'm feeling like my I need to get a new body… I am sick of being sick!! Pray for me. Please.

I have shown several of ideas for using My Digital Studio (MDS) over the past few days. Here are a few more. These are layouts I made to use in frames too.

I thought that I could interchange them within the one frame depending on the feeling or season I wanted.

These projects took around 1 hour to make. The extra time was spent more on the Christmas layout than the others, which were much easier. For the Christmas layout, I wanted the Medallion stamp to be a wreath. It took me a while to get the correct size circle in the center to cover the center of the Medallion stamp, then to get the brads in the right position, and to make sure the sentiment was centered. There is a GRID tool in MDS that places a grid over the entire layout so you can see if everything is lined up properly and evenly. In some instances you can click Snap to Grid, and everything will jump to the nearest grid line. Hope you enjoy.

Make Your Own Patterned Paper

2010-03-31T04:12:00.003-06:00

It is almost April. The month where everyone works toward being more Earth friendly, celebrate Earth day, hug a tree, kiss a frog, oh... uh, maybe no one goes that far. I don't!! I am still showing you things that you can do at home to save your gas from going to the store. It is Easy Being Green!

Take patterned paper, for example. While you know that you can always stamp a background paper just by stamping an image or two all around the paper, did you know that you can make your own patterned paper and background paper using My Digital Studio?Just another great use for this program!

Here's the story. I needed some paper for my cousin's daughter's birthday party. We wanted polka dots in primary colors for a candy buffet party. I will show you pictures after her birthday. So I looked at what Stampin' Up! had to offer first, but found nothing. I looked online at other vendors and still found nothing! Doesn't anyone carry simple polka dot paper anymore? So, I was sitting there thinking that I could make it myself using punches and paper, then photocopy it. Well, if I can make the design with paper, then I know I can make it with My Digital Studio!

So what do you think? There are two because We decided we wanted to see what it was like without the black spots. That is what is so great about MDS! If I had made these with paper, I would have had to start completely over! The paper we didn't use would have been a waste! Not with MDS! With MDS, I opened the document, made the changes, and then Saved As! I still have both, and there was no waste!

If I need specialty paper in any color with any design, I can do it and then print it out! How awesome is that? Imagine what all you can create using My Digital Studio! I am still battling my Multiple Sclerosis more this week. I am not doing well, but at least it is not a relapse!! Praise God! Anyway, since I made this paper today, I thought that I would do some more My Digital Studio work for you, while I am stuck in bed with only my laptop and TV as friends!Can I tell you how much I am hating the re-runs lately!

I call using My Digital Studio, "Being Green", because you don't waste paper! You can create and create without ever printing! Save it all to a flash drive or make a movie out of your pages and put it on a DVD!

Thanks for stopping by today!! You can contact me to place an order for My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! If you do so by March 30th, you can earn a free stamp set, because your order will be over $50!! I am all about some freebies!!

Framed Art by MDS

2010-03-30T04:15:00.001-06:00

My Digital Studio is not just for scrapbook pages! I use My Digital Studio to make my title banner at the top of my blog. I made the buttons you can click on in the right panel. You can also make cards, too. I wanted to make something to go in a great frame I have! Yes, lots of people frame scrapbook pages, and you can too!

You know what bugs me? When you make something that you like for a specific purpose then find out it won't work! I made this 8.5x11" piece using My Digital Studio (MDS) so they would fit this great 5x7" frame. Yes, you read right. I made it the wrong size! But the great thing about MDS is that it takes 5 minutes to do a project! So I made a new one that is 5x7. Now I have 2 of these!! Note: when you pull up the JPEG image by clicking on the images below, you will notice it is much larger than 5x7". That is just how this particular file was saved. You can save them in various formats, sizes, and qualities! You can even load a JPEG in MDS and resize it as you wish that way.

It honestly took me 10 minutes to complete this layout from scratch. Remember, you can use the pre-prepared layouts and it will take you 5 minutes!!

This next photo is a layout I made in less than 5 minutes! It took longer to open the page than for me to add the photo and save it! These pre-made templates are designed so that you just drag the photo you want from the left panel into the photo box on the layout. For this layout, there were two wide photo boxes. I wanted one tall box. I just deleted the top one added the photo to the bottom one, then clicked rotate to make the photo stand upright, as it should! So simple! It took me way longer to explain than it takes to actually do!!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Scrapbook Layout by MDS

2010-03-29T04:04:00.004-06:00

I'm still suffering from MS symptoms. :( BUT I think I may be getting some better! Whoo- hoo!

So, while I am stuck laying around, not able to do very much, I have spent a good bit of time online. I should be as tan as a coconut by this point from all the surfing I have done! I have watched so many movies that I could kick Roger Ebert's butt in movie trivia! My DVR (TiVo) is almost empty too! Even with all that, I was getting so stir crazy, but still not well enough to get up and out.

Until I thought of My Digital Studio yesterday! I am having so much fun again! I can create even though I feel terrible and can't get to my scrap table! The best part is that I can change papers, replace embellishments and ribbons over and over until I get the look I want without wasting any paper!! It is easy Being Green! Don't get me wrong, I love to cut and glue and ink and sponge the real deal too! It's just nice to create a scrapbook page so quickly and help reduce waste at the same time!

Using My Digital Studio, I can scrapbook a complete layout from scratch in less than 30 minutes! If I use a pre-prepared layout, it will only take me 5 minutes! I thought I would share with you what I have been up to over the past couple of days. With these pages and things you will see over the next few days, I have the choice of having individual pages professionally printed, which has the added bonus of guaranteeing that the colors will be exactly exactly like the Stampin' Up! colors! Or I can choose to print them from home, which can be just as great!

Isn't it cute? The girl on the right is my niece and the others are my babies! It was a Christmas photo, but I didn't want it to be Christmas, but the flowers could almost pass as snowflake-ish, don't you think?

You'll love the rest of things I have created too! Watch for a change in my blog header too! You know that I have to change my blog header as often as I clean my craft room… does that tell you how messy my craft room is right now?

Order My Digital Studio by March 30th and get a free stamp set! Call 334.493.2511 or email me at creativepzazz @ gmail.com.

A Chance for Blog Candy!

2010-03-28T14:42:00.005-06:00

I wanted to pop in today and tell you about a blog candy opportunity! Remember the Top 10 Tip from the post earlier today? This one is from Robyn. Check it out here. This is what she is offering!
Thanks for stopping by again!
Leslie!

10 Tips to find FREEBIES!

2010-03-28T04:22:00.000-06:00

No pics today. I know you love pictures… but maybe the tips will make up for it!

Are you a "hoarder"? I am guilty of being a supply hoarder. I will get different things that I love and want to put on a project, but the extras, I will "save" for that special project that for some reason never comes up. The next time you start to go to a craft store, stop! Check out the supplies you have at home! You may have forgotten about what you already have! Of course, adding a new Stampin' Up! product or two and using what you have is even better!! You get something new and get to use something you already have!
Get free tips from me! I blog every day. If you ever have a question about a product, technique, or organization need, just email me or leave a comment and I will research it and make a tutorial or video for you! It is my job! And I love it!
Take advantage of Sale-a-bration with Stampin' Up! You can get FREE stamp sets, paper, and punches just by ordering $50 or more! Time is running out for 2010; you must order by March 30th! Contact me today!!
Think about recycling items! Recycle card board boxes into magazine holders. Save magnets from the mail to add to the back of a small project. Use envelopes for a mini album! For more recycling ideas, check out my posts in te Being Green category in the right panel.
Check yard sales for items you can craft with. Can that sweater be turned into a handbag? Are there nice buttons on that shirt? Sometimes even stamps, paper, and other craft supplies are there.
Check Craigslist, FREEBIE papers, PennySaver papers, and other free publications. too! There are plenty of sources of craft products there, plus I have found some great deals on storage and organization products on Craigslist! Don't limit yourself to your city on Craigslist. If you find something you want in another city, you could work out a deal with the owner for shipping or possibly meeting you halfway!
Search for free layouts, card sketches, images, etc. online! I provided you with several FREE papers or transparencies that I found online. Again, click Being Green category in the right panel.
Use books from your library for inspiration! The library is full of art books, scrapbooking books, craft books, etc. And guess what? They are all FREE! Unless you return them late! LOL
Gather friends and have a SWAP. You can also find swaps online. In some swaps, you trade cards, scrapbook pages, or even supplies. Some supply swaps are based on color. For example, you trade your red items for another person's green items. If you are in a group swap, then you could end up with a rainbow of supplies! Mind that you will have to give up some of your own, but you can get so much too!
You can also check out Blog Candy for different blogs! Click blog candy in the right panel and see the things I have given away before, but you will also see a Blog Candy event that even you can win!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Leslie Jones

email: CreativePzazz@gmail.com

contact. 334. 493. 2511

FREE Transparencies

2010-03-27T04:11:00.003-06:00

I am still continuing with Freebies that help you Be Green! To learn more ways to Be Green, click on Being Green in the categories to the right. I don't list the traditional ways to conserve, because you already know those! I show you ways you can conserve, while still doing the creative things you love to do!

Well, so they are not actually a complete transparency, these are set up for you to print onto transparencies. For a transparency, I supposed you could use the window sheets from Stampin' Up!, but I can't find any information directly about that, so far. If you are interested, contact me and I will find out for sure if it is possible! These images would also be great just printed on cardstock or patterned paper! How awesome would that be?!?

For each image, right-click and click Save Image As to save the file for your use. These are royalty free images (no copyright!), so enjoy and share!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Free Scrapbook and Craft Supplies

2010-03-26T04:01:00.002-06:00

Today's post will bring you even more FREE ideas, which will help you be GREEN for Eco-Awareness month! I think you all are benefiting from my not feeling well for a few days! Well, I guess I am too! Today's freebies are in your house! These are things you can find laying around in your house. Alter them with ink, cut them, sand them, stamp over them… the sky is the limit!

Free Scrapbook Supplies around Your Home

Would you believe that you have FREE scrapbook supplies at your home? One of my readers even went to her Mom's and found tons of things! Take each item and either use it as is or alter it, stamp it, rip it, sand it, etc. For example:

Stickers that come with your junk mail
Use the envelopes that come with your junk mail! The patterns inside them work great as backgrounds or for embellishments **see note below
Ribbon from gifts, etc. There was some great ribbon around some socks I bought that I used on a project! Try using your ribbon in a new way…run a bit of adhesive, such as Sticky Strip along the back of the ribbon. As you apply it to the project, scrunch it and bend it rather than attaching it in a straight line. Also, you can ink it to distress it or add depth to the color.
Buttons- while I believe you should pass along clothes that don't fit, if it is in bad shape, such as torn or stained, you can clip off the buttons to save!
Save the fabric for your fabric projects too! Vintage fabrics are all the rage!
Lace trim from an old tablecloth or handkerchief that is unusable.
Any metallic bits and bobbles that you see that are of appropriate size and suit your taste are great to use too. Add a piece of chain, ribbon, or twine to hang them from your project, or you can glue them on directly with strong adhesive. My glue of choice for metal or heavy objects is E6000. If it is not too heavy, Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive works great too! Don't forget your alcohol inks are great to alter metal.
Charms or beads from a broken necklace
Costume jewlery, especially brooches and pins.
Clothing tags—many of these are unusually shaped or have unique graphics** see note below
Old greeting cards with fun artwork or sayings** see note below
Wrapping paper or wall paper scraps** see note below
Tissue paper—there is a great technique where you stamp it then glue it in a scrunchy way over a colored project to make it more subtle and textured.
Dictionary, sheet music, and novel pages are great to use **see note below
Paper clips
Paint chips** see note below. Paint chips are fantastic embellishments. Use your punches to punch out shapes that feature several colors from the card. All the great colors can accent a card or scrapbook page really well! Plus they would be awesome tags! Add a piece of plain cardstock to the back for journaling or use a journaling stamp on the colors. Add a bit of journaling, stamp a design onto one of the squares, or embellish the chip with some stickers to make a unique tag for your scrapbook layout. In some cases, you can even use the name of the paint color as a fun title for your page.
Laminate chips** see note below. I discourage you from going to a home improvement store and just taking multiples of these, as they cost the store much more than a paint chip, I do believe it is proper to gather 4 or 5 once a year or so. You can stamp, sand, ink, and alter these tiles into great embellishments or tags.

IMPORTANT NOTE: While you can create many interesting and unusual scrapbooking projects using items from around your home, it’s important to realize that supplies not originally intended for scrapbooking may not be acid-free. If you’re worried about archival safety, test your supplies with a pH pen or use copies of photos that would be hard to replace. To protect your precious memories, don't add tags made from paint chips, greeting cards, or other non-traditional materials to scrapbook layouts containing irreplaceable photos. Unlike the scrapbook supplies you purchase in a craft store, these items are not acid-free and archival safe. Even if you're working with copies of photos, you should try to keep any non-traditional embellishments away from the pictures themselves in order to minimize the risk of damaging your prints.

Thank you for stopping by today!

FREE Sheet Music

2010-03-25T03:28:00.002-06:00

If it is something that you can print on your home computer and, thus, save your gas from going to the store, then it is helping you Be GREEN! April is Eco-awareness month!

So, today I am offering some FREE sheet music that I found online. Click on the photo to enlarge it. Then to save it for your use, right click on it, and click Save Image As.

I chose specific sheet music that suited my interests and needs. Some are wedding related songs and then some others that were lovely tunes or interesting looking. Use them for whatever you want, they are royalty free (no copyright).

Thanks for stopping by today!

Interesting FREE Scrapbook supplies!

2010-03-24T04:00:00.001-06:00

I have located some awesome FREEBIES over the past couple of days. I haven't felt really well—can I say Multiple Sclerosis SUCKS!—so I have spent most of the time on the Internet and watching TV, which I love to do. I don't have any projects to share with you, which is a bummer, but who doesn't love FREEBIES!! I think this is Being GREEN too, because you are saving the gas it would take to buy similar papers or photos at a store.

Today I will share with you some free JPEGS that will make great background papers or that you can use as a focal element. If you have My Digital Studio, you can even import these JPEGS and use them in a layout. You can order My Digital Studio from me and get a free stamp set, if you order before March 31, 2010!If the size is not something you prefer, you can use Paint.Net, which is a great FREE photo editing tool. I use it to put my name overlay on the photos you see, mainly because it is SUPER SIMPLE! I will show you how to do that soon.

These photos are royalty-free, which means there is no copyright for them, according to the site I got them from, which I can't seem to find right now. I can say that I found it through Life on the Scrap Beach, which is a community for those who love to scrapbook and create. Anyway, these are some random images that I liked, so I thought I would share them with you! Print them out and add them to your next project!

Click on each photo to make it larger. To save it for your own use, right click on the enlarged photo and click SAVE IMAGE AS.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Magnetic Dress Up Set! Build-a-Bear Part 3

2010-03-23T04:43:00.000-06:00

Today is the final part of the Build-a-Bear series. My 10 y/o daughter and her BFF made several projects last Friday. My daughter wanted a Stamp Camp as her birthday party, and only wanted to invite her two BFFs (one couldn't come this weekend). We didn't stamp, but they crafted to their hearts content!

Over the past 2 days, I have shown you all the projects we have made. You can view the rest of the projects by clicking on Big Shot in the categories list at the right!

The two photos below show the outside of the tins that contain the dress up bears.

The next two photos show the inside of the tin. The build-a-bear is on the right in the Top Note sleeping bag and the clothes are on the left. The girls chose not to use the skirt. All of the clothes were made with paper from the Welcome Neighbor patterned paper that is FREE when you purchase $50 in product between now and March 31st!

The next photo shows the bear without the sleeping bag.

The last two photos show the clothes and the paper they chose for the background. This paper is non-SU!, but they chose it for the "outside scene", so said the girls.

I told you yesterday that there were some major tips that I wanted to give you about making these magnetic dress up bears. First and foremost, you MUST use a thick magnet sheet. I purchased Avery printable magnet sheets that came 10 to a pack. I found them in the office supply section of Wally World, but you can get them from office stores and craft stores. I cut the bear and clothes from this type of sheet first. The clothes were strong enough to stick to the tin, as shown on the left, but the bear wouldn't stick. Apparently, the magnet sheet was not strong enough to cling to the metal through the background paper. Yes, it was paper thin! Not SU! quality at all!

Luckily I had some thicker magnet sheet in my stash. Problem is, there was not enough for the clothes. So I cut the bears out of the thick, so they would stick to the tin. If I had enough of the thicker magnet sheet, I would have cut the clothes out of it too. Take it from me, use the thicker magnet sheet for it all, including the clothes! the thinner sheet on the clothes sticks to the tin, but when you place them on the bear, they will slide off. Big bummer!! If you don't use cardstock for the bear, then the clothes will stick a little bit, anyway.

The worst part of it all is that I don't know where I go the thicker magnet sheet. But I will tell you everything I know about it. It is 1mm thick. It was also adhesive. So watch for those specifications on the package. The adhesive was really strong. I was impressed. The thinner magnet sheets I used were not even half this thick, very flexible, and came 10 to a pack. I don't know for sure, but I bet the thicker sheets will come with very few in a pack.

If I find the thicker magnet sheets, I will let you know.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Top Note Sleeping Bag: Build-a-Bear Part 2

2010-03-22T04:27:00.002-06:00

Well, that is just wrong! Posting a naked Build-a-Bear! But I had to. I am showing you, in this Build-a-Bear series, what we made at the Stamp Camp, although there was no stamping involved. To review for you, we made a great Tote Bag and a magnetic dress tin. I showed the Tote Bag yesterday, so just scroll down to see it or go to the Big Shot category and you can see all the posts in this series!

I am showing you the naked bear so you can see what the basic dress up doll is. I attached some brown paper (used Soft Suede on one bear and Close to Cocoa on the other bear) to a magnet sheet. Then I ran it through the Big Shot using the bear die. It is MUCH easier to do cut the bear as one magnet and paper sheet! Then I cut the heart, shoes, bow, and muzzle out of cardstock. I did not make these magnetic. I planned to glue these on permanently.

I didn't make the sleeping bag magnetic either. To make the sleeping bag, I used the Top Note die to cut two pieces of patterned paper. I used the Good Neighbor paper pack that you can get FREE through Sale-a-bration for spending $50, but only through March 31, 2010!

There are some major tips that I have for you regarding a magnetic tin project in tomorrow's post!

Wait! I have something to share with you! Here is some blog candy that PaperPopsicles is giving away! Check it out! Here is a picture of what they are giving away!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Build-a-Bear Stamp Camp! Part 1

2010-03-21T04:48:00.000-06:00

I survived! But more importantly, I learned a ton!

I hosted my first Stamp Camp for kids Friday. I really enjoyed it, but it was a lot of work. Originally, there were going to be three ten year old girls in attendance, but one of my daughter's BFFs couldn't come, so there were just 2.

The activities included:

Making a Build-a-Bear Tote Bag
Making a Build-a-Bear magnetic dress up doll set in a tin.
Making a keychain with their initial to hang on their backpacks. This happened to be the only stamping project. So it really shouldn't have been a Stamp Camp, but my daughter really loved the name!

I am going to break it into a few blog posts, so there will be only a little bit to learn at the time! Today's post will feature the Build-a-Bear Tote Bag! Click on the photos to enlarge them.

I really needed to iron this some more! Can you say Spray Starch?

The above photo makes her look odd because the bag was bent.

I absolutely loved this project! It was so simple and quick! Here is what to do:

I started at the fabric store. These are important tips.
- Beware of a dark brown. This bear is made with a medium brown. The bear will be darker because of the iron-on adhesive. Also, choosing too dark of a brown will make the facial features difficult to see.
- Purchase 1/8th of a yard of brown. This will allow you to make a bunch of bears.
- Purchase fabrics for the clothes and accessories. I purchase 1/8th of a yard (4.5" x 45"), but used only about 8" total for 3 bears! You could get by with a sample size, but I think that is being dishonest, so please purchase the fabric. I don't know if they sell 1/12th of a yard (which is 3" x 45"). This is all you would actually need. You can get a ton of clothes from this strip of cloth.
- Purchase paper backed iron-on adhesive. The brands I use are Pellon, which is a lighter-weight adhesive, but still works fine, and I use Heat-n-Bond. Wonder-Under will also work, but use the others if you plan to sew through them so you wont gum up your needle.
- Finally, I chose cotton fabrics for this project. I do not know how other fabrics would work, but they should do just fine!. The only fabrics I would say not to use is a faux fur and a net or tulle, because of the way the glue works with them.
I measured the area of the clothes, such as the pants, by "eye-balling" it. Basically, I just guessed how big the fabric needed to be and cut a rectangle that was a bit larger that the piece of clothing. I did this for each piece of clothing.
Next, I ironed each piece of fabric to the Heat-n-Bond iron on adhesive and cut each piece out. Leave the paper on for cutting, so you do not gum up the blades of the die.
I ran each piece of fabric through the Big Shot cutting out the particular clothing or bear.
TIP: For the Sizzlits small dies that cut the bows and purses, place the fabric face down on the die and be sure to only use one layer. Sometimes, even with a shim, it wouldn't cut through the fabric, if I placed it fabric side up. Placing it fabric side to the die (face down) will make sure the fabric is cut!
TIP: For the Embosslits die, which I used to cut the butterfly, place the fabric face down again. Also, make sure the paper is on the back of the fabric. You don't want to gum up the die with adhesive, but you also need the paper to protect the fabric from the embossing.
Next, Peel the paper off of each of the parts and lay them on the tote bag in the proper position. I peeled gthe paper off everything except the bear on the first bag. No problem though. I just lifted it, peeled the paper, and continued ironing. All the other pieces had attached to the bear, but not to the bag. I ironed every piece on at one time.
Tip: When ironing the adhesive paper onto the fabric and then again when you iron the pieces all onto the tote bag, be very aware of the heat setting of your iron, the length of time that you iron it, and then allow it to cool completely before you handle it. Make sure you follow the recommended setting for your adhesive paper. There are several reasons for this tip.

In the beginning, if you iron the adhesive paper onto the fabric for too long, you could end up melting the adhesive enough that it is embedded into the fabric itself and won't later attach to the bag.
When you are attaching the fabric to the tote (or to the other pieces of fabric), if you heat it too long, you will have the same problem of over melting the glue, making it embed in the fabric. To see a tiny bit of what I mean, go back to the first photo and look at the bear's face. You will see "canvas texture". This is an example of what happens when the adhesive is overheated and "embedded" in the fabric.
Finally, if you don't allow it to cool properly, you will affect the adhesion. If you move the bear, for example when you are moving the tote, it may lift and then not attach properly. It only takes a couple of minutes, and it will make a world of difference.

Don't let these specific tips scare you away from this project! This bag was so simple, even with learning how to use the adhesive (because I didn't read the instructions for it). All 3 bags were done and looked great! So you can do this!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Organization For Your Blog!

2010-03-20T04:25:00.001-06:00

I came across this organization tool for your weekly blog posts, when I was swimming around The Scrap Beach. Life on a {Scrap} Beach is a community for scrapbookers, but there are tons of cards and tags too! Click to go to the site; membership is FREE.

This organization tool is basically a weekly calendar for your blog! It has space for each day of the week, a To Do box, space for ideas for Next Week, and then a box for Blog Parties. While I am not sure of what a blog party is, I used this space to remind me of a blog hop I wanted to visit. I also thought it would be a great space for more information about a project or series of blog posts. You know how I love doing a series of posts based on the same idea, which I am wanting to do, now that I have this calendar to organize my thoughts for blogging. Here is the link to the blog calendar. It is a pdf file. If you cannot open it, you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader for FREE first. Just google it, and then download it. :)

So far, this calendar has really helped me feel more organized. I post on my blog every day, and I have tried making a list of all the projects I want to blog about, but it is hard to just do random things sometimes. And I don't do card after card after card, like many crafty bloggers who also make videos. No offense, by the way. I also do cards sometimes, but I don't focus on them.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Blog Candy

2010-03-19T05:03:00.001-06:00

Today, I will share with you a Blog Candy that the girls over at The Sassy Craft Studio are hosting. It is not your standard Stampin' Up! fare, but the products look great anyway!! What a fun mini-album these items would make!
Visit this post on The Sassy Craft Studio to enter!
I found this Blog Candy when I joined Life On The {Scrap} Beach! Click here to visit that site and join.
Thanks for stopping by today.

Kermit Was Wrong! It IS Easy Being Green!

2010-03-18T05:06:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, being St. Patrick's Day and everything being green, got me to thinking about being being "GREEN" and crafting. No, I do not mean being jealous of your fellow crafters and all the goodies and tools they have, but being eco-minded, non-wasteful, recycle-savy, and resourceful.

When I look at my crafting, I think I am GREEN, or at least, I am trying to be! You know, I used to be more resourceful than I am now! I would keep all sorts of things, in the hopes that I would be able to use it for something!

For example, yesterday, I was at the public library in our town, where my Mom works. They were holding a book sale. I had to work to help her out, so I was stacking, moving and restacking books. I noticed that several of them still had those old library cards in them. The ones that look like this:

I decided to go around and collect a bunch of them. I got all there was from one table of books and brought home a stack over 3" high! What will I do with them? Well, most of them are set aside for blog candy at some point! The rest I am going to use as journaling cards in a mini album. I am building up supplies and ideas for a mini album, and I want these, and the little pockets they go in, to be where I put journaling. I'm probably going to let the back be the only part that shows, because it is empty. Of course, the front with all the signatures is what is so interesting! I found the pockets at the library too. I just asked for one, so I can re-create them at home, but you can find them at the office supply store in town, too. I am really excited about these!

The next time you start to throw something away, look at it, and ask yourself the following questions. These are your Hot Tips for the Month!

To turn yourself a little more GREEN, ask yourself these questions each time you start to toss something away:

Can you use the chipboard from the packaging to create mini-album pages or to punch out an accent?
Could you cover the box and turn it into a great storage or gift box?
Is there any clear plastic that you could use as an acetate accent? Strips of clear acetate make almost invisible props for pop-up cards. Stay tuned for a sample card made this way!
Soda Pop cans are great craft products. Check out this post and video to learn more!
Is there a plastic bowl or cup, such as yogurt cups, that could be used again for non-food purposes? Try them when painting, watercoloring, or to hold crayons for a small child's gift.
Speaking of crayons, don't toss the broken ones! Peel off the paper, break them into pieces, and drop bits into a cup (like a yogurt cup) to melt slightly in the microwave. Start with 15 secs, then add 5 seconds until melted. Do not stir! Let cool and remove or cut away from the cup. Make a blue crayon with all different blues in it or make a rainbow crayon!
Do you throw away all those "pretend" credit cards that come in the mail? They have such great uses! I keep all of them. The cardboard kind can be used as chipboard as is or to spread glue over a project. The plastic kind work great as paint spreaders. They leave really cool streaks and smears on the project! Try this same swiping technique with a couple of drops of craft ink then emboss! WOW!
Do you keep your paper scraps? You should! What if you only need a 1/4" circle? If you keep every single scrap, you will always have a piece to use! If you can't see keeping anything smaller than a 2"x2" square, then put all your paper scraps in a box, when you get a box full make handmade paper one day! Mix a handful of pre-soaked neutral scraps in a blender with a lot of water. Mix well. Add just a few small pre-soaked scraps of a colored paper and blend just a couple of times. This will create an interesting speckled effect. You can do this by starting with a color slurry and adding another contrasting color for speckles too! There is no need for fancypaper making supplies. Just take the slush you made in the blender, pour it into a large plastic box. Use a CLEAN filter for your stove vent, a scrap piece of window screen, a mesh strainer, coffee filter, cool whip lid, etc. to gather some of the pulp, then let it drain. You can lightly press a sponge into the pulp to get more poisture out. Got areas that are bare, gather some pulp in your hand and pat it into the bare spot! Once it is fairly drained and as thick as you want it, flip it over onto some paper towel that is on a folded beach towel. Peel off the filter/screen. If you used the mesh strainer, do not worry that the paper is not flat. Press it with your hands or with a wet sponge. It will dry flat. When dry, cut or punch into a great tag or accent for a card or scrapbook page! Kids love this whole process! Get them involved! Want a video of this process? Leave a comment below!

Other GREEN Crafty Tips:

Use what you have. We all want new products, but if we make ourselves use what we have to make a project, we can remind ourselves why we loved that product in the first place.
Alter what you have. Remember that great paper called Sending Love from Stampin' Up! (click to go to the post about this technique)? Its colors were really pretty, but it had a definite Feb 14th feel to it. Once you brayer or sponge on another color over the top, the embossing still shows through and you have created an entirely NEW paper! Try this with many other patterned papers. Are the colors too bold for your taste now? Distress it, brayer over it, sponge it, or my new fav thing to do is emboss over it in clear, then brayer on color; when you wipe it with a paper towel or clean sponge, you get a reveal of those bold colors. Do a combination of all these techniques and see what you get! Watch a video on this technique later this week!
Wait! Don't forget that brads, eyelets, flowers, and other embellishments can be altered to look new too! For brads and eyelets, sand them, distress them, color the with a marker, press into VersaMark and emboss with your favorite color. For flowers, ink them, paint them with crackle paint, stamp on them, spritz other inks on them. Cover them with glossy accents for a really unique accent!
Visit garage sales and look through the jewelry. Cheap jewelry with a nice chain, great beads, impressive charms, or large pins are great to use when crafting! These items will work great on scrapbook pages, mini albums, and tags. Don't forget to go through the books, while you are there. Dictionaries, music books, ledger paper, cards, and other papers work great as background paper! Even a page from that trashy romance novel LOL would be great for a Valentine's card or LOVE mini album! I always check out the storage items too! A girl can never be too organized! I found some great apothecary jars at one yard sale. $5 each for gallon size! What a find! Not only are you getting a prize, but you are preventing things from going to the dump!
Recycle magazines. Take them to an elementary school, where they cut them up for projects or to a nursing home, assisted living, or hospital. Libraries often take magazines for donation too. Or better yet, sell them on Ebay and make money to buy new craft products... or to give to the needy. :)

Remember next month is Earth Day Month. Try to use some of these tips in your crafting until they become habit. We are all working together to save the Earth.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Leslie Jones

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2010-03-17T05:29:00.002-06:00

I goofed and thought that Monday was St. Patty's Day! Well, I can't say that I am of Irish decent, well not completely anyway, so I should be forgiven!

If I could hand pick a 4 leaf clover for you, I would. I wish each of you the most wonderful "luck" in the world.

My life has been full of scares, pains, and struggles. I still live with pain every day all over my body. Most people would not say that they are lucky to have experienced everything that I have. Yet, I look at it that God has blessed me with an opportunity to look at life differently, to re-prioritize my life, and to truly learn what a blessing is. I am blessed, truly blessed, to be where I am today, even with severe pain all day long. I am blessed with great friends and family. Everything I have experienced in my life, although I would change some of it and do better :(, has brought me here today and given me the strength and courage to be the woman I am today.

I hope you will take a look at all the "luck" you have in your life. Look at the situations in your life that you feel are not positive... can you find blessings in them? I did. Tons of blessings.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a GREAT day!

Slán agus beannacht leat! (Gaelic for Goodbye and Blessings Be With You!)

Leslie Jones

Canvas Wall Art

2010-03-16T05:01:00.000-06:00

Today's project has only one Stampin' Up! product used on it and no stamping, but you are going to LOVE it anyway!! I want to show you what my next project is: I will be preparing several Wall Art panels to go in a store here in my hometown. Southern Style, has unique gifts and products that you can have monogrammed. Well, now you will be able to purchase my Ceiling Tile Wall Art (you can see samples here), and I am adding a new product line for Dancing Ballerinas!

What do you think of this?

I took 2 pictures because you just can't see how poofy that tu-tu really is in the photo! These are "Tu-Tu Canvases" that you can have an initial painted on, add a Decor Elements vinyl letter, or attach a photo of your favorite ballerina to the front! They have straps at the top that hang from a small wire hanger that I made (couldn't get it to show for the photo). Aren't these so cute!

I use 5x7, 8x10, and 11x14 canvases, but the area for the initial or photo ends up being a square area because of the tu-tu. I used a staple gun stapled the tulle as I scrunched it across the front. I did the hot pink first then the light pink. I finished it off with black polka-dotted ribbon to hide the staples and create a waist band for the tu-tu. I used Pretty in Pink ink and rubbed it across the edges of the canvas. I then took a sponge and blended it in a bit, leaving the center a bit lighter.

What little girl wouldn't love to have this in their room?

I have seen people use canvases as their cover for a mini album. What a great mini album cover this would make! I may have to look into making one of these a mini-album!!

Thanks for stopping by! Oh, and Creative Pzazz products will be in Southern Style on April 10th!

My First Stamp Camp- and it is with 10 year olds!!

2010-03-15T05:39:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Do you have on green? Well, I bet you don't have on this much green? Isn't she cute? This is a card that I made (1)to make a Build-a-Bear again (it has been a while), (2)to make a St. Patrick's Day card, and (3)to participate in this week's Pals Paper Arts Challenge, which was a color challenge! The colors we were supposed to use are: Certainly Celery, Garden Green, and Kraft. Since I am out of Kraft cardstock, I substituted and used Soft Suede! Hope you like it!

Friday my daughter will be hosting a Stamp Camp for her friends! The plan is to do the following projects:

Use the Build-a-Bear die to make invitations with the Build-a-Bear in a Top Note sleeping bag. Get it? You sleep in a sleeping bag when you camp? My daughter loves the idea!
Use the Build-a-Bear die and fabric to make Build-a-Bears to go on a tote bag for each girl. They will get to choose their own fabrics for the parts of the Build-a-Bear. Then we will iron on all the pieces.
Use the Build-a-Bear die (notice a theme yet?) and make magnetic dress-up dolls to go in a decorated tin.
We need to stamp something too, so we will probably make a card for their moms.

I will be making samples this weekend for them to go by, so I will show you these as I make them this week. There may be even more projects that we do, if I come up with the ideas! Of course, you will get to see what the girls do too!
I will take notes on what works and what doesn't for the Stamp Camp, so you can plan your own too!
Thanks for stopping by today.

Coaster Purse: More Before & After

2010-03-14T05:23:00.001-06:00

My plans for a day filled with Build-a-Bears and making invitations, samples, and project plans for my daughter's Stamp Camp, were completely upended this morning. I just could not get motivated to start them. Mainly because I wanted to make a sample tote bag using fabric and the Build-a-Bear die, and I didn't have any fabric or totes. So instead of making life easy for myself, I started another Before & After project. I got this great idea from from Holly on Stampin' Addicts. You can join Stampin' Addicts for free, and if you do, mention my name when you join. I am CreativePzazz on that site too!

Anyway, the Before photo is missing because I forgot to take it! I used coasters. Simple ordinary chipboard coasters. You could even use chipboard. Stampin' Up! has great On Board Basics Board to use for this too. Personally, I always pick up the coasters from the table when we go to a restaurant. Most of the time, unless my husband really fusses at me, I will even ask the waitress for a couple of extra. They are more than willing, especially when you tell them what you use the for. Always carry a business card and a sample or two of your work in your purse to share. Who knows you may have met a future customer or stamping friend!

Sooo, for this project I used the Big Shot Fancy Favor Die and used sticky strip to attach a decorated coaster to the front and the back, then I added a piece of the Old Olive striped grosgrain ribbon as a handle.

Background: I used the Welcome Home Designer Series Paper just as it is!
Grass: Two strips of Old Olive paper that I snipped along one edge then inked.
Sun: Punch the Summer Sun with the Scallop Circle punch, then put the circle back in the Scallop Circle Punch and punch it again on top of each scallop. Sponge Summer Sun ink all over the shape. Sponge Pumpkin Pie ink over all the points. Finally, I sponged Dusty Durango just over the very tips of the points.

This is such a simple project to do, but if you would like detailed instructions, please just email me or leave me a comment. Using the Welcome Home Designer Series Paper makes it a breeze!

Supplies used for this project:

Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper
Summer Sun 12x12 Textured Cardstock
Old Olive cardstock
Old Olive 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon
Sweet Pea Felt Flowers
Scallop Circle Punch
Big Shot Fancy Favor Die