OCD - The Way for Me

All righty. Tonight, I was bemoaning the fact that I needed "more space" for my materials. I have some black modular cubes. I really would like a couple more. My hubby, of course, asked, "Why don't you just throw some stuff away?" While I didn't fully appreciate his insinuation, reminding him how much the craft saves me in therapy bills, it did make me ponder the use of my cardstock file drawer.

Long ago, I purchased off of Ebay tags for hanging file folders. The tags were for each of the cardstock colors at the time. For a while, I had a file for each color. Tonight, I realized how much space that wasted. So, I reorganized. Yes, it took a long time. But I did find space. I also created a ring using my curly punch of each of the colors I had. Thank goodness for old catalogs, as some of the names for some of the In Colors escaped me. Plus, some of the hues are SO similar. Cranberry Crisp and Bravo Burgundy... hardly a difference.

So the photos are of my finished drawer and ring, and the mess that was on my floor after rearranging the hanging files. Fun! Next... my scraps. But not tonight. That is for another day.

Real World Color I

Well, Cathy picked a great color combination to challenge us. I love this palette, but I have to say I spent a lot of time changing my mind on patterned paper. I knew I wanted to use some, but I kept arguing with myself over what I wanted to use.

I dug in to Ignatius' picture album from his first days, as yesterday's spread was all about King Max. Glad I was medicated. You know, the 3 AM feedings, the diaper changing... that stuff is such a pain. But there are some things about infancy that I just adore and can never get back. May I always remember what it was like to first hold my boys!

Cathy's sketch was for a simple 8.5" x 11" page. I really can't believe how, when I am finally sitting and focusing, I can whip these pages out. I used some of my stickers from Stampin' Up!'s Summer Home Simply Scrappin' kit. The sentiments on the stickers were perfect for this layout.

Baja Breeze is now becoming one of my all-time favorite cardstocks. I also used SU!'s Afternoon Tea patterned paper.

Design Your Life - 8.5" x 11" Symmetry

Here's the next installment for my Design Your Life class. We are still working on symmetry, but this one is a double-page spread using 8.5 x 11" paper rather than 12 x 12" paper. I also attempted to "stitch" this image by scanning both sheets and combining them on a canvas in Photoshop. Yeah, so here's my {stupid} question for Photoshoppers... Why does it say the image size is, say, 8.5 x 11, but when you actually try to mess with it on a canvas, it's truly ginormous? Obviously, I missed something about file size vs. actual size in my class. I have to make it say 3 inches by whatever before I get a manageable image size. If you know how to counsel me on this topic, feel free to comment!

My hubby thought I was a nutcase while I was taking these photos. We were asked to work with something we liked (or in my case, an obsession). Here you go... sugar. The nectar of the gods. I have used it for so many things... comfort, energy, compulsion... I thought it was time that it had its own page. I was humming the Candyman song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as I was making the page, so I decided to script as much of the song as I could as a border for the layout. I think it looks cute. Then I used my SU! sweet stamp from So Very as my page title.

Despite the fact that I couldn't line the pages up completely, the scanned image didn't turn out too badly, either.

Design Your Life - Sketch 1

This week, the Design Your Life class is focusing on symmetrical design. I have had this layout in my head. I forced myself to stay up and get it done, as I have another layout yet to complete this week to stay on schedule.

Cathy's sketch was very clean. I had very little problem following through with this, as she always appeals to my need for a sense of order. LOVE the Thickers... "Sprinkles." Perfect for a glitzy boy page.

My text reads: "There should be no doubt in anyone's mind. One person rules the Plato kingdom. His dad might think he is the monarch (or tyrant most days), but honestly, he should know better. The baby of the family reigns! These photos were shot when I got my Stamping Royalty crown. As soon as Max saw it, he knew it was meant for him. I wouldn't have it any other way. Long live King Maximilian (minus the Doritos beard)! 9/12/2008"

Too much is never enough

I was about to mail my brother's card when I realized that my niece (his daughter) had a birthday at the end of September. Nope, didn't send her a card yet.

This stamp looks so... "her." I really think she will enjoy it. On the inside, I used the SU! On Your Birthday "Happy Birthday" and "(a little late)" sentiments. I am becoming quite proficient at belated cards. Could be a market for me, eh?

This fulfills yet another SCS World Cardmaking Day challenge! This one is the limited supplies challenge. We were to avoid pastels and patterned paper. I love limiting supplies. It forces me to really think about colors, textures, and balance. I wished I had a cute yoga-ish, birthday-ish saying for this stamp. I settled for the sentiment from SU! Full of Life.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Paper: (I think) SU! Garden Green, Only Orange, and PTI white

Stamps: SU! Full of Life and On Your Birthday, Stamping Bella yogabella

Embellishments: SU! Felt Fusion flowers, silver brads, Dimensionals

Coloring Media: Adirondack Pitch Black, Copics (Willow, Brick Beige, Skin White, Flesh, Cool Gray), SU! Brilliant Blue

Idiots... and then there's me...

So, it's 1:17 a.m., and some dorks in the neighborhood ring the doorbell. This makes me scratch my head almost as much as cow-tipping. Everyone in my house is asleep, except me. Since I have some lights on, what else could be funnier, I suppose, than to ring our doorbell? I guess the question is, who is the bigger idiot, them or me (for being awake making cards)? Your choice. :) Ah, the midwest... excitement that can't be had anywhere else.

Anyway, I was making a card for a friend... I have been horribly remiss in sending her a card after her husband passed away at the end of August. It's almost embarrassing to send it now, but to not send it at all would be terrible.

So, I used another World Cardmaking Day challenge. This time, we were asked to use the Coldwater Creek catalog as inspiration. Many of the colors of the season were inspiring. So, I just decided to find a happy medium of patterns and colors that would fit. I found in my newer Club SEI mini-kit some papers that were just delicious. The papers are from SEI's Windsor collection. I paired them up with SU! Really Rust and Chocolate Chip, adding some Oriental Trading velvet ribbon and some gold brads I had hanging around. I used a stamp from my SU! Hope for Comfort set. I distressed the panels just a bit to take away some harsh contrast.

Now, off to bed before the din-dong ditchers strike again. :) Ah, to be young and stupid.

Oh, there's more!

Apparently, I am on fire here. Crazy creative juices.

Here is my submission for WCMDFS08. We were to look at the SCS gallery of SherryLC05 for inspiration. INDEED! Lots of good stuff. With featured stampers, I enjoy taking a journey from their beginnings. I CASEd a card that SherryLC05 did a while back (shown), and I put a little '08 twist to it. I tried to incorporate the green, but the blue and white would not let me.

I really, really like how this turned out. It's a belated birthday card for my niece, whose birthday was Friday.

I have no idea where I got the clear tab. I think it was a Bazzill giveaway at something I attended. Anyway, loved that I had it. I inked it with a white Adirondack acrylic dauber. To stamp on it, I colored part of the SU! Define Your Life "wish" definition with my black Bic Mark it. I huffed... I puffed... I stamped. I cleaned it right away, and all survived the experience. I really wanted to use the wish definition, but I wasn't sure how to balance it without having the card become to cluttered.

Size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches

Paper: SU! Baja Breeze and Maine Blueberry DSP

Stamps: SU! Define Your Life

Accessories: Sheer white ribbon and silver brads

Ink: Adirondack white acrylic, black Bic Mark it