a fun little evening that inspires....

so, tonight i spent some time with some of my girlfriends, scrapping and chatting, chatting and scrapping... well, one of us was scrapping. one was working on a card swap. one was making her own rubber stamps. and me? well, i was making ATCs! :)

i don't have my camera handy, so you'll have to trust me on this when i say that they're LOVELY! :) the first one, which i'm hoping will turn out in the end, was based on the theme "ghost" from the challenge blog Inspire Me Thursday. the other one was much more romantic, featuring a vintage couple. it was inspired by the Stripes challenge on, um.... another challenge blog (can't remember which one off the top of my head!)

the ghost card was done with versamark ink on glossy cardstock. over that, i sponged fuschia ink, which then smeared over the versamark image, leaving a ghostly image. i mounted it diagonally on grey cardstock, with the word "believe" stamped with black stayz on in the corner. once all that was done, i covered the image and word with a crackle medium... i'm waiting for it to dry, and then i'll post (if it isn't damaged, that is).

the second card was pretty basic. some paper (BG eva), and cardstock, mounted off-center of each other, with a pink frame stamped behind the couple. a metal "love" charm attached, and voila! ATC number 2! :)

like i said, when i have my camera, i'll post some pics. until then, you'll just have to trust me on this. they're lovely! :)

k, off to play euchre for a bit! ttyl!

how did i forget this?!

mom and i were going through some beads the other week, and we came across this pendant... that boat at the top of the skinny. well, she had never had any idea what to do with it (she beads). i saw it, and immediately knew it was going to go on a skinny with that boy!!!!! so, i got out all my stuff, and got to work. here's the result.

i used: SU cardstock and stamps, BG patterned paper (ambrosia, i do believe), some brads, some fibres, and a vintage boy. so simple. and i dig it.

btw, it was for a challenge. the theme was "red." but i don't remember what challenge blog it was for. once i remember, i'll update.

look! you can see desktop!!!

you will notice that the pile is significantly lower now. you can actually see the top of the desk! and so far i have found:

1. a vintage photograph of my great-grandparents on their wedding day.
2. 3 wooden coat hooks i was planning on altering for the kiddies.
3. a protractor.
4. a stamp set i was going to sell at the CNP yard sale. (Treat Yourself. it's all cupcakes and gumball-machine themed. very cute. very not me. maybe it will be in the prize pack. i'm counting as an extra, since it's a stamp set i didn't know i had anymore...)
5. a roll of Hypafix.
6. some cards.
7. my hydro bill.
8. a pile of BG rub-ons.
9. my Xyron.
10. my Infusion collection pack.
11. the packaging for my Infusion collection pack. these were not together. seriously.
12. the orange brads i wanted when i was playing with deb the other week.
13. 2 monthly challenge kits.
14. some flowers i don't want. they're cool, but, really, what was i thinking? they're not my style! they're not extras, but i'll count them. and they're going in the prize pack, too.
15. the books i'd borrowed from my councellor to read with the kids.
16. my jar of fibres. that's right. a jar. and it's tall. and until i actually stepped up to the desk, i couldn't see it. that's how high the pile was. i'm not joking.
17. some pics from asher's birthday party last year.
18. a coupon for $2.50 off a class at CNP. the coupon expired at the end of august. of this year. i know what you're thinking. i'm not that bad, you know. sheesh! lol

now, i'd like you not to notice that i am not posting a picture of my dining room table. and i will not be posting a pic of my desk in the morning after clearing off the table so we can eat breakfast. nope. by the end of this week, both surfaces will be clear and usable 100% of the time. but i think, for now anyway, i'll have to settle for an either/or scenario.

this too shall pass. serenity now, serenity now. i can do this. i can... can't i?

Arty Girlz - Red!

the theme this week on Arty Girlz is Red. it's been a while since i've played there (or have i before? i don't remember. after a while some of these challenges blend together, to be honest... especially if you're not a regular. but they're fun and i like them, so...). i wondered what to do for this one, since i don't often use red in my work (other than the tag i did on the weekend; that was also an exception), so this challenge was just that... a challenge!

i was playing beads with my mom earlier this evening, making myself a necklace to go with a sweater i just bought. my mom showed me a gold chain that i could use for a different necklace, and she said, "you can just get rid of that pendant." i sat speechless (imagine that!), gazing at the pendant in my hand, and i was immediately inspired. i knew the papers, i knew the theme, and i started searching for the perfect little boy. and there he was! thank-you, gail, at PaperWhimsy! he's delightful!

the only real challenge on this piece was attaching this most beauteous pendant. it took me a couple minutes to figure out, i'll admit. in fact, i deliberately left it till last, and i pondered this dilemma whilst working on the rest. i finally went with glue dots, some scrunched up into "boogers." then i punched a hole in the paper behind the loop at the top, and threaded outrageous red and oranges fibres through.

so, here's the run-down of what i used: BG ambrosia (love it!!!!), SU! Flexible Expressive Phrases (or something like that... if you know the name of the stamp set, let me know. i forget and i can't find my old catties). other than that, it's miscellaneous brads and fibres and ink. there you have it. my little travelling boy. i dig him. :)

and i forgot to mention that this is a skinny (3x5). i think this is my favourite size. although ATCs are fun, too. and 4x4. and tags. oh, bother, i love them all! :)