A Chilly Wednesday and My Scrapping Space

Good Morning Friends! It's a very nippy Wednesday here in north Georgia! When I went out at about 8 AM it was 33 degrees out on my deck, and that brisk wind we had yesterday had settled, so I'm guessing when hubby left for work about 5 AM he had a bit of frost on the windshield!

I haven't made anything since Sunday except for a card I made for a friend to give to her brother for his birthday, and I was in a great hurry to get it in the mail to her and forgot to take a pic, so you'll have to imagine how it looked - chocolate brown cardstock, blue, brown and cream striped Wild Asparagus paper, a vintage golfer clipart image, and a greeting. It was very pretty - I promise!

So, the main reason for this post is to show Dawn in Scotland my scrapping space. She's having a little giveaway to celebrate the 20,000th hit on her blog, and to enter you have to show your scrapping space and if you have any, your furry crafting buddies. Well, here are a couple of old pics of my space because, truly, you don't want to see how it looks right this minute (trust me!).



This is my main work space. A very simple 6 foot long folding table that I've assembled all my little storage drawers on so most of my stuff is easily accessible. Please forgive the really bad picture as these were made on a very dreary February evening.

This is my desk, which is very much a part of my crafting space. This is where I'm sitting as I type this post. To the left you can see my only window and my sewing machine, which I have begun to use much more in my cardmaking.

Okay, this is my closet, which we modified by adding a second shelf to make room for more storage. We don't hang clothes in here, but we do store our household files, craft supplies, and in the brown cardboard box in the lower righthand side - my Christmas dishes. For years I stored them in the top of the guest room closet and last year hubby told me "No More!" he was tired of getting that heavy box down in November and putting it back up in January.

And these are the most important part of my craft room - my furry craft buddies, Bailey on the left, and Bessie on the right. As you can tell, Bessie is quite disgusted that Bailey has the 'good' rawhide bone. There are others there, just not THAT one! My 'girls' are both mini Dachshunds, but Bailey is more mini than Bessie, who is a real porker! They are my shadows, my entertainment, my loving when I need a cuddle, and my company when I'm home alone all day. They are 'the girls'!

So, enough from me for now - time to go put on that big pot of Tuscan Chicken Veggie Soup for dinner tonight. I'll get it going and it will simmer on the back burner all day and be ready when we're ready for it! I'm going to post the recipe on my other blog HERE shortly in case you are interested. Have a great day! Becky

2 Sketches 4 You Design Team Submissions

Since the first moment I read about this DT call last weekend, I've waffled back and forth between "Yes, I'll do it!" and "Why, there are so many more talented people out there", but after much encouragement from my sweet husband, I finally decided to try for this great Design Team. 2S4Y was one of the first challenge blogs I started entering my cards in, so it's special in that respect, but even moreso because of all the inspiration I find there - those folks are just incredible!

First, let's look at the card I made using Kazan's sketch. This one was easier for me, and I just love how it turned out. I could just see it being sent to a pre-teen or young teenager as an encouragement to be herself. What do you think???

I used a purple Bazzill cardstock, some gorgeous paper lace I got from One Hundred Wishes, alpha rub-ons called "Stitch in Time", and the patterned paper is from a '3 Birds' kit.

For the flower, I used the 5 middle sized dies (out of 7 total) from the Spellbinders Nestabilities small circles set. I alternated the patterns in size, putting plaid on bottom, dotted, plaid, dotted and ending with plaid. I misted them with water, scrunched and crinkled them up, and let them dry. Then I used a purple ink to ink the edges, stacked them, and topped them off with a yellow button with long embrodery floss threads for a little more texture.

Now for Laura's sketch, and this one had me going all week. I just couldn't find my inspiration, then this morning I took one last look and there it was, staring me in the face - it was perfect for a Joy Fold card. (You can find a tutorial HERE at Split Coast Stampers) I turned the card 180 degrees from the one in the tutorial to make it work right, but I love the result!

The base is a burlap textured Bazzill cardstock, and the patterned papers also came from the '3 Birds' kit, as did the photo anchor and two stickers. The brad is Basic Grey. I distressed the edges with a touch of brown ink to kind of warm it up a bit. The photo anchor actually is used to hold down the flap on the right hand side, as you can see in the next picture.

I used my Nestabilities dies to cut the circles, and added them to the left hand flap, togive a bit more interest.

Don't be afraid of the Joy Fold technique - it's really easy to follow Split Coast Stampers tutorials and you'll be a pro in no time.


Well, I want to thank you for visiting me today, and for the encouragements of my family and friends. Keep your fingers crossed for me, okay! Blessings, Becky

Shhhhhhh, don't tell anyone I've been creating today . . .

Yep, it's been one of those rainy, windy, chilly, stay in your flannel pj's all day and play kind of days! I've actually gotten a couple of things made, the latest of which is this beautiful autumn card I made for two challenges. One is for Sue's 'Forever Autumn' challenge over on Daring Card Makers, and I used sketch #87 from CPS this week. I love it when I can multi-task!

All the cardstock I used is from Bazzil, the striped paper is 'Moonraker' from Pink Paislee's Vintage Moon collection. The images (leaf included) are from clipart software.

I inked the edges of the picture with brown ink, then double matted it in beige and orange cardstock.

The leaf was also a clipart image I printed onto cardstock then cut it out with scissors. Next I heavily inked it with clear ink and used copper powder to heat emboss it. This gives it a kind of hammered copper look. For the next layer I once again heavily inked it with clear ink and used clear powder to heat emboss it. This kind of evened out the texture. I love the way it came out!

The lace is from an OLD stash I've had for ages, but the gorgeous copper colored silk ribbon is from One Hundred Wishes - a great online store. You can find a link to it in my lists to the left.

I touched up the leaves, tips of the wheat stalks and apples with a touch of Stickles and with that it was finished.

Hope you enjoy looking as much as I enjoyed making it! Blessings friends! Becky

I hope I'm not too late!!!

To get my entry in on the "Tag You're It" challenge for this week! We were gone on vacation last week, and this week has been just crazy, but I finally got it done today, and I like it! The twist on this tag was that it had to have a Christmas tree on it. Here's my entry >>>

I apologize for the dingy pic, but while I try to take my pictures out in the sunshine, today there is no sun to be found! Oh, I know it's up there somewhere, but today it's hiding behind the clouds, wind and rain.

Anyway, I made a circle (#136 on my circle scissor) of the My Minds Eye Be Merry 'Frosty Flakes' paper, and backed it with a same sized circle of plain white cardstock for stability. I covered each of the snowflakes with Stickles to get a little bling going on the tag. When that was dry I added some brown inking around the outer edge.

The tree I cut freehand from green felt and put it on a lightweight cardstock scrap for a litle extra stability and machine stitched with red thread. The decorations are diamond Stickles dots.

The greeting was printed on my inkjet printer, trimmed and inked with brown ink. I punched a hole above the top of the tree and added a pretty bow from some WalMart wired ribbon. And voila! I had my tag finished.

I love this, and I think I'll use it on one of the goodie bags I make up at Christmastime. Each year I do all kinds of home baked goods that I take to family and friends, and this tag will be a special addition to a bag of goodies.

Everyone have a great weekend! Blessings, Becky

Daring Cardmakers Sketch

Me again! I told you I was working on this card, and it's now finished - my entry for the DCM sketch dare this week. What do you think???


The base cardstock is from Bazzill and the green polkadotted paper is from the same old Wild Asparagus stack as the previous card.


The flowers are from Prima, the ribbon is from Michaels, the chipboard butterfly is Scenic Route and covered with Sassafras Lass 'Lil Brudders' paper. All the buttons are from the huge bag I recently bought at a yard sale.












The verse is one of my new favorites "Flowers whisper what words cannot say." Wouldn't this just be perfect to send to a friend or loved one who is going through a hard time and needs a pick me up or an encouraging word!



Okay, that's all from me for a day or two. I've got to get this house picked up, and dinner made. Tomorrow has been chosen as the day my mom and I make our annual pilgrimmage to the N. Georgia mountains to buy apples, sweet potatoes and cabbage, so I won't be making any cards until Friday or Saturday. Have a blessed day! Becky

Caardvarks - Monogram

Shhhhhhhh - do you hear something??? It's creativity finally beginning to rear it's head from a long, unproductive slumber . . . . . . YIPPEEEEEE!!!

Yep, you guessed it, I finally made a card. It's been about 2 weeks since I've had one to post, so this really feels good for me right now! Especially since I'm loving the card I made for Caardvarks challenge this week to use monograms on a card. It's also a little tongue in cheek, since I'm really the queen of nothing, lol!

The challenge this week was to use a monogram on your card, and I chose to use my initials. My inspiration was the journaling tag from Teresa Collins Journal-it 'Tags and Diamonds' sheet. I loved the crown, so I trimmed the journaling tag and inked it with brown. The papers are from an old Wild Asparagus stack, the base cardstock is Bazzill.

I used chipboard that was brown, and wanted to give it a distressed look (just like me - distresssed, get it?) so I sanded it and inked it and used Queen's Gold embossing powder to heat emboss it. Once it was cool I inked it slightly with more brown ink, and it did come out looking distressed, believe you me!

Notice that I finally discovered the scallop stitch on my sewing machine? It only took me a couple of years to figure out that one! I also printed the 'greeting' onto cardstock on my printer and trimmed and inked it with brown ink. I'd had this gold ribbon for YEARS (I'm talking more than 5 because it came here with us from our old house) and finally had just the project to use it on.

And I'm just so proud of this flower I could POP! I used more of the Wild Asparagus papers, cut it into circles with my Spellbinders 'Nestabilities' Classic Circle dies and my Cuttlebug (love that bug!). After they were cut I misted them with water and crumpled them up and tried to shape them a bit. Once they had dried I inked the edges and added a big old coat button from my stash. Don't you love it???

Anyway, that's my card, and I think I'll give it to hubby, since he KNOWS I'm queen of nothing, and he'll get a kick out of it! Everyone have a great day, and I'll be back with something new real soon - in fact, I'm working on Daring Card Makers challenge right now! Have a great day, Becky

More Blog Candy and STUFF!

Bety is celebrating two years on her blog, so she's sharing some of her stash with a very lucky winner. You can find her right HERE!

Okay, I promise to get some actual cards on here as soon as I have a chance to MAKE some! Yesterday (Sun.) was hubby's last day of vacation before returning to work and he wanted to ride up into the mountains. You can find out more about our jaunt HERE.

Fall is definitely here! When I went out to put the dogs out a few minutes ago, the temp on my deck thermometer showed a chilly 37 degrees! I just love these cool mornings when I can wear my favorite pj's and have a cup of hot cider to wake me up. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

And today is laundry day - it's been almost two weeks since I washed a thing, and after camping for a week, followed by a busy weekend, there are tons of things to wash. Hopefully I can get something made today in between loads.

I'll talk to y'all soon! Becky

We're Home!!!

Hey there! Just wanted to pop in and let you know we are back home. If you want to find out all about our trip, just click HERE. Catch up with you soon, Becky!

October Tag Challenge

Hi folks! Just a quick post to share with you my entry for the October Tag Challenge over on Scrapbook.com. The 'twist' for this month's challenge was to use multiples of 7 embellishments on your card. Here's my entry.
I used some really pretty vintage postcard paper from Making Memories (I think), and inked it with brown ink. The quote on the tag says "Flowers whisper what words cannot say", which I think is so lovely! There are 7 flowers - pretty hydrangea blossoms from Prima, 7 pearl beads in the centers, 7 vintage buttons from my new stash, and 7 inches of the brown ribbon. I'm really pleased with this little tag - now, who do I want to give it to???

I'll be gone until the 18th or 19th, our long planned for fall camping trip begins tomorrow morning, so I'll be away from the internet, but I'm carrying a LOT of my crafting stuff, so I'll have plenty to do when I'm not paddling the canoe, pedaling the bike, trikkeing the trikke, or eating and sleeping!

I'll leave you with a few more pics of the pretty tag. Blessings Friends! Becky

A Rainy Day in Georgia

What a wonderful thing to wake up to rain!!! We are in a horrible drought here in northern Georgia, and at my house this is the first measurable rain since the end of August when the remnants of Hurricane Fay passed through. I've lost so many of my perennials due to lack of water the past three summers, and I've gotten discouraged about my yard. I mean, we could water some, but times and ways were restricted, and I just felt it would be better to water as little as possible to save the water for people.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I'm not playing much this week because we'll be leaving on Saturday for a week long camping trip to Richard B. Russell State Park near Elberton, Georgia. This week is all about laundry, packing food and clothing, cleaning the camper and getting sheets on the bed and everything in place. I will be taking a bunch of my stuff with me, and hope to have plenty of time to play with paper at the lake. LOL, I've even told hubby to get over it - I AM taking the sewing machine this time!!! It seems I can hardly make a card without my sewing machine any more.

Next week is all about rest, relaxation, and fun!!! We are taking the bikes, trikkes and canoe, so we'll have lot's of fun getting out and about within the park. We both take books to read, and we have cards and games and old VHS movies to watch at night or if it rains. But I just can't make it a week without having some of my things with me! The one thing I will NOT have, is my internet service, so you probably won't hear anything from me next week. I did find out there's a McDonalds in Elberton (15 min away) that has a wifi hotspot, so I've made hubby promise me we can go there a time or two so I can check my e-mail and such, but don't expect anything from me on here until we get back home.

A little bit of info about where we are going. Richard B. Russell State Park is a 2,508 acre GA state park on 26,500 acre Lake Russell. There is a top rated golf course, a disc (frisbee) golf course, walking trails, mountain bike trails, cabins, boat docks and ramps, a beach, playground and picnic area, and the campground which has only 28 campsites. The campground has water, electric and cable connections. The cable TV is pretty basic, but at least you can see the news. There is no sewage hook-ups, but there are gray water pits for every 2-3 campsites. Within the campground there is a bath house, boat ramp, boat docks, a fish cleaning station, and a fishing dock. And there's lots of wildlife! We've seen deer, beaver, raccoons, squirrels, all kind of birds, and wild pigs. If you'd like more information, you can find it HERE.

Now, everyone have a great day, and I'll check in with you before we leave. Blessings, Becky

WCMD Challenge Three of Three!!!

Here it is!!! Challenge Three of Three!!! Once again, you can find the challenge on Scrapbook.com HERE. If you want to participate for the big RAK I'll be giving away next week, you must do it through that challenge.

The challenge is this! Take a few minutes and think about all the people who do things for you all the time. It could be your spouse, your best friend, your parents. It could be your day care provider, your pastor, or a friend who keeps you in their prayers. It could be your child who makes you happy, or your postman, hair dresser, or a child's teacher. Just choose someone who doesn't get enough thanks, and make a card of gratitude for that person.

It can be any colors or design, or any size - it just must be a theme of thanks or gratitude.

The twist??? This card needs to be in the mail or hand delivered no later than Wednesday 10/8!!! Make the card, write them a note, and get it in the mail, but not before you get a picture of it loaded either here or on Scrapbook.com (if you want in for the voting for the RAK)!

If you would like, we'd love to hear who your card will go to - but it's definitely not a condition of the challenge.

That's it, such a simple act, but by doing this you'll make someone's day much brighter!

Here's my card, I actually made it a couple of weeks ago for the 2S4U challenge, and made up my mind then to use this as one of the categories.

Now, I've been up most of the night and in here all day, and hubby and I are going over to the school to play for a while on our bikes and with his new frisbees. So I'll be back soon to check in on y'all! Becky

At Last . . .

. . . I finally got a card made today! My activities hosting the challenges on Scrapbook.com and visiting all the other blogs and websites having activities today has sorely affected my card making time. But I did get a card done for the 2S4U / Scrapbook News and Review co-sponsored challenge. I used Kazan's Sketch, and followed the theme from the challenge title over on SNR - "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". What do you think???

The base is Bazzill cardstock, and the background is K&Co.'s Holly Vine Printed Embossed paper that I've had for at least a couple of years now. I lightly touched the top of the berries with some diamond Stickles. Luckily I was able to find sheet music for the song "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" on the internet, and printed it onto ivory cardstock, scissor distressed the edges, crinkled and wadded up the paper, then distressed it with brown pigment ink. I tilted the sheet music at a slight angle for a little more interest. The greeting at bottom of the card is actually the title from across the top of the sheet music; I inked it and backed it with dark green cardstock, and popped it on top of some vintage red ric-rack.

For the holly, I cut the leaves out of felt freehand, then machine stitched veins up the center in a couple of different stitches. I also took some pretty red buttons and threaded them with brown embroidery floss and used them for holly berries.

I'm pretty pleased with my efforts, and sure hope everyone over at 2 Sketches 4 You and Scrapbook News and Review enjoy it! Thanks for looking, and blessings to you! Becky

WCMD Challenge Two of Three Challenges

I'm baaaaaccccckkkkk! Yep, it's finally WCMD and I'm a busy bee loading the challenges on Scrapbook.com. Challenge 2 is loaded and ready to go, and you can find it HERE!!!

What is the challenge? Well here you go >>>

Make a card. Any theme, any colors, any papers, any size.

The twist??? The front of the card has to have a hidden message somewhere on it!

My examples have tags that are hidden under a picture or quote, but you can add a hidden message in many ways!

You can do a flap with a funky or pretty catch or clasp.

You can do a small envelope affixed to the front of the card and decorated, with a tiny card inside that envelope..

You could do something with a magnetic clasp where the message is on the underneath side of a shape.

Or have a bird or butterfly with the message hidden beneath a wing.

You can do anything you want, as long as there is a hidden message on front of the card. Y’all are creative folks or you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t enjoy a challenge, now would you??? So put on your thinking caps, pull out those supplies, and get crafting!

Here are pics of my examples. Thanks for looking, and go have some fun today!!! Becky

WCMD News - What's happening today!

Hi there! As I couldn't sleep, thought I'd get up and see what kind of WCMD events I could find. And here's a doozie! The official WCMD website has a Blog Tour going on this weekend. It's a list of incredible artists/crafters and links to their blogs. Several of these are folks I visit regularly, and their creativitiy often blows me away. You can find the list HERE.

I'll be back later with more fun things as I find them! Have a great day! Becky

World Card Making Day - it's on!!!

Welcome everyone! I've been telling about it, and now it's here - or at least for some of you! World Card Making Day is Saturday October 4th 2008 (or the first Saturday of each October) around the world, and since we've got readers all over the world I've gotten an early start on my challenges over on scrapbook.com. You can find the challenge HERE.


The first challenge is just for fun, and it's all about making cards! You must take three (3) coordinating sheets of 12 x 12 scrapping paper and make as many cards out of them as you can. Then, once they are finished, get a pic or scanned image and upload them onto the thread on scrapbook.com. The twist? You have to save your trimmings, and also upload a pic of the trimmings. Just so we'll all know how good a scrapper you are!

I got this idea from one of the blogs I frequent, and when I tried to go back and find which one so I could give credit, I couldn't find it, but it's such a great idea!!! If it was your blog, leave me a comment and I'll post a link to it here!

Now, I'm not telling YET how many cards I made, but here are pics of some of them, along with a picture of my leftover trimmings. I took advantage of the opportunity and made Christmas cards to send to my friends, but you can do any kind of cards you want. What a great way to stock up on cards!!!

Now everyone get scrapping, and even if you aren't playing along on scrapbook.com, I'd love to see your cards posted in my comments here! Have a great weekend everyone!!! Becky

New Layout and 'The Girls'!

Hi There - me again! I wanted to ask you to let me know what you think about my new layout. It's fall, and I wanted something sort of seasonal, and settled on this picture of a little wall hanging I made for our camper door a couple of years ago. It's a silk sunflower surrounded by leaves that are made from cardstock, cut freehand, inked and heat embossed.

I really like the lighter background and wider columns, too, so please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Also, I've been asked about the 'pups', and actually they aren't pups at all, but grown ladies! They are also known as 'The Girls'. Bailey and Bessie are our precious mini-Dachshunds, although Bessie isn't so mini! She's quite the porker, lol! Here's a pic from this morning, but bear in mind that when Bailey is upset she pins her ears back, so you can tell she wasn't happy that I was taking her picture.

Bailey (the one on the left with her ears in hiding) is 5 y/o and Bessie is 3, and they are devoted to each other, and definite mama's girls. Right at this moment they are on their bed here in my office/studio/playroom, sighing contentedly from time to time because they are with me. They are my babies! They also just LOVE camping, and somehow intuitively know when we open the garage door and back the truck up to hook it up to the camper. It's weird how they just 'know'. You can ask Bailey if she wants to go camping and she will run down the hall to the garage door! I think they just love it that the 4 of us are all together in a small space and they get great long walks with my hubby.

Enough gushing over the dogs! Hope you like the new look, and I'd love your feedback - bad or good! Blessings friends, Becky

Christmas Carol Sheet Music

Hello! It is a gorgeous day in north Georgia today! When I put my pups out about 8:30 this morning it was a chilly 41 degrees on my deck, and there's a clippy breeze, so that really put a touch of fall in the air! And the sun is shining, the birdies are frequenting my feeders, and the hummers are still here today, although they won't be here for much longer, I'm sure, before they head south to warmer climates.

I am so excited I can hardly wait, because a week from this Saturday my hubby, pups and I will be pulling our camper to a GA state park about 100 miles from here where we'll spend a week camping, eating, sleeping, biking, eating, sleeping, canoeing, eating, sleeping, walking, eating, sleeping - well, you get the idea!

I most definitely will carry some of my 'stuff' with me, and maybe will get a card or two made, but space is limited, so it won't be much. I do plan on taking my felt and embroidery bag so I can make some more felt shapes to use on cards in future. I can NOT go a week without something crafty to do. The big thing I'll miss will be my pals around the world, because there'll be no internet there. BUT! I found out there's a McDonalds about 15 minutes from where we'll be camping, and they have a wifi hotspot, and I've made hubby promise we'll go there at least once or twice during the week so I can check in with everyone, so maybe it won't be too bad.

Now to the real reason for this post. I've had several people ask me about the website where I found the Christmas sheet music, so I've added it to my list of 'Sources, Stores and non-Scrapping Sites'. You can find that in the left hand column, waaaayyyyyy down toward the bottom, before the feedjit feed. But just for this one post, you can find it HERE. Enjoy!

So, wherever you are, and whatever the weather, I sure hope you are having a lovely day! Blessings friends! Becky

Joy to the World!

Good Morning!!! Do you ever make something that you stress and obsess over, and then when it's finished you just L*O*V*E it??? Well, that's me with this card. I just love it! I actually started out making it for a challenge on Melissa Phillips blog. You can fine her HERE. Let me show you the card, then I'll tell you all about it.

Melissa's challenge was to make a card using felt in creative ways. I'd been sitting on this clipart image for a while, but never quite knew what to do with it, but knew it was time to put this sweet little girl onto a card. The first thing I did was distress the image with a little brown ink, then coat the edges with glue and some ultrafine glitter.

While the glitter was drying, I cut a strip of brown felt using my rotary cutter's 'squiggle' blade on both edges. This gave me a cute, sort of scalloped edge. Next I added a piece of ivory paper lace that I also inked with brown ink, and topped it with a gorgeous piece of green velvet ribbon. The button came from Buttons Galore and More, and the ribbon came from One Hundred Wishes - both of which you can find online.

I then cut a heart from a piece of mauve felt, whip stitched around it with embroidery floss and put it on top of a piece of Basic Grey cardstock I'd inked with brown ink. With a little bit of effort, some ugly green plaid chipboard became a glittery gold delight! I sanded it down a bit with an emery board, inked it with brown, dried that, then inked it with gold ink and heat embossed it with Queen's Gold embossing powder. Once it was cooled I added some diamond Stickles for a little bling.

And, while the Stickles was drying I went online in search of Christmas music. After only a few minutes of googling I found a website devoted to Christmas sheet music, and it's all printable in several different formats - cool! I printed "Joy to the World" onto ivory cardstock, trimmed around it, scissor distressed it, crumpled it into a ball, inked the edges and the creases, then put it onto the card. The glue was dry on the picture by then, so I placed her on top of the music. The poinsettias were cut from more vintage clipart, trimmed, inked, and a bit of Stickles dropped onto the centers for a tiny bit more bling!

This card will definitely be sent to someone special, and now that I've found the Christmas music website, I just want to make some more cards! It's playday for me - how are you spending your day??? Blessings friends, Becky