This weeks sketch @ Let's Scrap

Good morning all! I hope everyone is recovering from the holidays!
Well, it's Wednesday, so that means a new sketch at Let's Scrap. Here is the sketch for this week

This sketch is great for a Christmas page or any page that you have a lot of pictures for, but only want to do one layout for it. If you tape or tie or whatever you would like on the right side, you can "hide" 6 more photo's on to one layout! So here is my take on the sketch

and here it is with the right side open (sorry for the camera glare, it is very overcast here, so I had to use the living room lights!)

Isn't that an awesome way to add extra photos!!

I used DCWV Harvest Gathering stack for all my pp's. I sanded the tan cardstock background. I used a banner stamp that I got from a yard sale for 25cents that I have had for months and never touched! Instead of using regular ink, I used VersaMark and embossed the banner gold. I really like the way it turned out!
Here is a close up of it and you can see the polka dots shimmering from the pp.

So, I hope this sketch inspires you to grab a stack of photos and get scrappin!
Cheers!
~Mindi

Challenge 125 @ Let's Scrap (picture heavy!)

My dear friend Cathy van de Bruinhorst posted the Design Team Challenge for this 2 week period at Let's Scrap. The challenge was to use a song title or part of a song as your page title. Click here to go check it out. So here is my submission

Of course the song is "Still the One" by Orleans. It fits with the pictures, as the older ones are from my folks' first couple years of marriage and both pics on the left are from their 40th anniversary, 12/25/1992. Even though my Dad passed 8/17/1995, he is still the only one for my Mom. He was the only man she was ever with, and they were faithful and loving to each other for over 42 years. Of course they bickered and had the occasional "disagreement" but they stood next to each other through thick and thin. I think it is funny that in the pic that has the 1953 corner on it is dated June 1953. They were married 12/25/52 and she is already "glowing"! LOL My sister, who was the oldest, was born November 1953 teehee!

The bottom left picture is my Mom and Dad kissing 12/25/92. My Dad bought my Mom a ruby ring for their 40th. It is the ONE and ONLY piece of jewelry my Dad EVER bought my Mother. I turned it black and white which I thought I did for the flow of the pages, but in hind sight, I wish I would have left it alone. Oh well.

Just for fun, here are the other pics from the pages. Some of them are not the greatest, especially the one where you can barely see my Dad's face, but this is all I had to work with.

                                                                    1955

                                                               
                                                                    undated

                                                                  June 1953

                                                                       undated

Here are some close-ups of the page

First, I just got an EK dimensional flower punch "Dahlia" and I had to play with it. I gotta say, it is cool! Esp using the gold metallic cardstock! I put a little piece of the lace in the middle, just for funs.

Here is a closer pic of the lacing I did. Used eyelets from my stash and green and gold DMC embroidery floss. I also used the gold floss for the french knot centers of the smaller flowers. NOTE: it really sucks trying to make a french knot with the metallic floss!!! The buttons are also stash from stuff I got from Granny's house. The smaller flowers were made for my MS punch.

All the papers I used are from The Paper Studio's Bella Bohemia stack.

It wasn't the easiest thing in the world doing this page, but I really am glad I got it done before Christmas. In my heart, it will be their 59th Anniversary. <3

Cheers!

~Mindi

This weeks sketch at Let's Scrap

edit to post~ I forgot to bling the tree, so I changed the close up pic, which now has bling!!

Hello fellow crafters! Since I am on Design Team A at Let's Scrap, I don't HAVE to do this weeks sketch, but it's so cute, how could I not?

Anyone is welcome to join and play along! Just click here to get to Let's Scrap!
So here is my jovial take on the sketch

First and foremost, I always want to give credit where it is due. I saw the idea for my Christmas tree SOMEWHERE blog hopping in the last few days. I wish I could remember where, but unfortunately, blog hopping has became a new disorder that I have to cope with. So if it is YOU reading this, please let me know so I can give you proper credit. :)

So here is the products I used, in no particular order
red cardstock is unknown stash. (I find it really hard to keep up with the makers of my solids)
All of the different pp's are from Cloud9 Seasonal 180 sheet paper pack (including the tree which is strips of the paper wrapped around a pencil then glued)
gold cardstock DCWV Glitter Stack-Metallics
white cardstock Colorbok
ribbon - found in a Christmas decoration box (and yes, I took it and ran!)
ink around 2 ovals - Colorbox Cat Eye Gold Brocade
"Merry" stamp  - Recollections
"Merry" stamped with Colorbox Cat Eye Silk Green
title cut with my Cricut using SCAL and Gawain font (found online for FREE!)
bakers twine is unknown maker as I bought just a few yards at a LSS



So, this was Mike's Company Christmas party last weekend. It was in a ballroom at a local hotel, so sorry for the poor lighting on the pics. We did a White Elephant gift exchange and were told to bring something free/cheap and funny. So I will explain the pics. The small pic with the 2 guys is Mike and his co worker. Mike got himself a boot ornament. He was incredibly impressed with it at the time. As the Crown Royal wore off, he was slightly less impressed! LOL The gal top left got an aluminum foil bikini, the gentleman got some groovy sunglasses, the next guy got a plate of sausage made to look like poo, the next gal got a rather large pair of men's underwear with prison stripes that say "most wanted", and the best for last. The guy on the bottom got a deck of cards wrapped just perfectly so when he opened it, he had to play 52 card pick-up, whether he wanted to or not!! LOL A great time was had by all, especially my DH Mike. He may have taken too many trips to the open bar, but I have to forgive him. We never go to bars downtown so this is his one time a year for letting loose. I was apprehensive of what he would think of me putting the pic of him on the LO, but he just laughed at himself. So with that,

A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL,

Cheers!
~Mindi

Creating from the Heart Blog Candy!!

So my friend from Creating for the Heart * Keepsakes by Melissa is going to make someone's holiday cheery and bright!! Below is listed what her blog candy is, you REALLY need to check this out! Click here to go to her blog!!




~ A $150.00 Gift Card to Michael's Craft Stores

~ 1 Copic Air-Brushing Starter Set System

~ 1 Copic Color Swatch Book

and finally....

~ 36 Copic CIAO Marker Set!

Are you kiddin' me, WOW!! Good luck to all and thanks to Melissa for such an awesome giveaway!

Cheers!

~Mindi

Blog candy @ Scrappingmamma

My friend Deb @ Scrappingmamma is giving away this awesome blog candy! While you are there, you should really check things out. She is super talented and creative!





http://www.scrappingmamma.net/2011/12/hello-my-friends-its-december-only-22.html

Cheers!
~Mindi

Stack-a-holic time again!!

For those few of you that follow me, you have probably figured out that I love to participate in the monthly challenges from the DCWV blog!!
Here is the sketch this month from Susan at Sketch Savvy


Super cute huh? So, this is what I did

If the title looks familiar, then you know of the Fray, since this is the title to one of their hits. I used Roulien's awesome tutorial from Let's Scrap to use a corner punch to make the beautiful circle. I ripped the edges of the cream cardstock and inked with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo distress ink just a little to make them pop. The flower is 4 circles cut from the corners of the sheet from the Once Upon a Time DCWV stack that was left after making the big circle. I chalked the inside of the flower since it was not a double sided cardstock. The button is vintage from some stuff I got from Granny's house. I also put a little glitter on 2 of the petals and a smidge more on the edges of the mat of the kitty picture. The title was cut with my Cricut using my SCAL and CK Beauty font that I got on Free Font Friday from Creating Keepsakes. Here is a closer pic of the flower and circle.

So, the touching story that goes with these pictures. The little kitty Queso had to go to the vet and have her girly bits taken care of. She was knocked out completely for a couple hours after she got home. The vet reccomended that since there was a dog and another cat in the home, to leave her in the carrier until she was moving around on her own. Our boxer Aoife (pronounced EE-fa) was very concerned about her little friend. She layed there for hours. Every time Queso would wiggle, she would jump to attention and make sure everything was alright. When the other cat Floki came within 10 feet, Aoife chased him away. It was the most precious show of affection and concern between animals. In my opinion, completely worth scrapping!

Thanks for looking and have a great evening!!
Cheers!
~Mindi

Finally got my hubby's surprise done!

So a couple of days ago I promised I would show you what I was planning to surprise my DH Mike with. Well, here it is

Mike and I are both big Raiders fans, so we have Raiders tree! I made paper ornaments with black, white and  Raiders cardstock. I used my SCAL and Cricut to cut black vinyl "Raiders" and shields for the glass balls, (which were only 1$ for all at a thrift store!) and silver and white vinyl and black cardstock for the topper. I was lucky enough to find 70 count lights on white cord at a yard sale this summer for 25 cents each! I may be slightly biased, but I LOVE our tree! Partly because of the Raiders, partly because it is something different than traditional.

Been a long day, good night all!
Cheers!
~Mindi

No longer a secret!!

Here is the sketch that I submitted for the Design Team at Let's Scrap

I am very excited to see it on the main page, along with my pic under DT also!!
If ya have a minute, you should go see what we are up to over there ;)
http://letsscrap.ning.com/

As far as the secret project for the hubby, he caught me! I am making Oakland Raiders paper ornaments for our Christmas tree. I will post pics as soon as I get some done.

Happy Hump Day all!
Cheers!
~Mindi

8 Years Straight

So, with craft shows over (and being total wash outs!) and my new-to-me corner desk is in my room and everything is tidy for now, I have scrapped! It seems like with everything going on and all the cards I made that I haven't done a layout in forever! So this is what I did with this weeks sketch at Let's Scrap

These pictures were taken at the Birdcage Theatre in Tombstone, Arizona on our honeymoon. This is the card table that is in the basement. It is exactly as it was in the late 1800's when the game stopped. Minus the rude people who have no respect for history and thought it was a good idea to throw coins over the barrier. Sorry, but being someone who enjoys history, I didn't find it in good taste. So, I will now jump off of my soap box and move on. It is said that Doc Holiday and Johnny Ringo both played faro at this table at some point during the game. Of course, not at the same time :) It is said to be the longest running poker game in history, playing continuously for 8 years, 5 months and 3 days non-stop. If someone went broke, or was shot (which happened a few times) a runner would immediately find the next player on the list. I find this absolutely fascinating!
  The center "straight" with the cards is a mini poster I bought at a yard sale for just this page. I started this page in August and could never quite get it how I wanted it. When the sketch for this week came out at Let's Scrap, everything just fell into place. The red stripes are fiber paper that was crumpled and inked with distress ink. The "8 years" was cut with my Cricut. I really liked the way it FINALLY turned out!

Stayed tuned tomorrow, I have a special "secret" project that I am going to do for my honey and I will share with you ;)

Cheers!
~Mindi

TOP 10

So, the page I posted yesterday made the top 10 at DCWV! Very exciting to be chosen, everyone does such beautiful work. It is very humbling and I am honored!

Check out the DCWV blog here dcwvinc

Off to clean the kitchen, oh the life of a queen LOL
Cheers!
~Mindi

This week's sketch at Let's Scrap

C'mon over to Let's Scrap and join in on the fun of this weeks sketch!

Birthday dinner last night was wonderful! You know it was good, when you are angry about how full you are! LOL  Thanks to Brian and Susie for a wonderful birthday! and my honey of course!!
Cheers!
~Mindi

DCWV November Stack-a-holic Challenge

Good morning all!! Today is my birthday, but by now, just another day. My awesome hubby called it in to the radio and said it wasn't really my birthday, but the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday LOL

So anyhow, here is my page

I tried taking a pic last night, but it turned out very yellow instead of black and white. Obviously it is another page for my wedding album. My father passed away 16 years ago and my mother has been in a nursing home for over 5 years now. She is no longer able to travel, so my Aunt Gloria stood in for her. She would be my mom's sister. Gloria has been a rock for me, and I have called her every time I have had a "Mom" emergency. She always listens to me, lets me cry on her shoulder and shares in my joys. I do love her dearly. <3

The veil netting may seem out of place, since I don't have a veil. I originally thought I wanted one, and Susie and I tinkered with it over and over until it was so small that it didn't even look like a veil anymore. Then I came to the realization maybe I didn't want a veil. So we moved on to the feather headpiece that you see Gloria putting on for me. The brooch was my mother's for my "old" item and the blue feather is my "something blue". 

Hope everyone has a great day!!

Cheers!

~Mindi

My stamp storage

I am not completely done with my room re-arranging, nor will I ever be, but here is how I have my stamps right now

Of course, I have a few more inks now ;) I stamp each of my stamps as I get them onto a piece of white cardstock and put them into my binder by category. holidays/seasons, hearts, sayings, etc. I them write the company name and cd case number next to it. Makes for super easy access. I got to my binder, look for stars, I can see the image of each one, pick one, find the cd case and start stamping!

I know that this is not a new idea of storage by any means, but this is my little version! Thanks for stopping by.

Have a great night!

Cheers!

~Mindi

My little project

So, instead of working on the cards I am supposed to be, I was making a ribbon holder yesterday and this morning.

I have came to the conclusion that I am not a millionaire, nor is my husband LOL.  So I decided instead of ordering 3 of the Cropper Hopper ribbon holders that I wanted, I would make one. I used some cardboard boxes, packing taper, a sacrificed skirt that I purchased at a thrift store and lots of tacky glue. It is about 30 inches long and holds lots of ribbon spools. I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out, and for only the $1.25 for the skirt. I am also making some other smaller boxes with other random black and white fabric, and I will post pics when I get them all finished. You really don't have to spend a lot of money to get creative, cute and functional storage, but having a lot of free time on your hands is helpful. :)
Cheers!
~Mindi

My fellow DT's at Let's Scrap

I haven't had much time to be on the computer with Thanksgiving and my little projects I am working on, so I didn't get this posted the other day. I am pleased as punch with all the wonderful and talented ladies I will be on the design team at Let's Scrap with. They are listed below, just click on each name to go to their blogs. I think you will be truly inspired by all of their work!

Kay
Beth
Cathy
Susanna
Jeaunes
Sue
Roulien
Elizna
Betty
Michelle
Erica
Wilna
Teresa (as far as I know, Teresa doesn't have a blog.....yet lol)

So, I hope you enjoy their work, and maybe even follow them :)
Cheers!
~ Mindi

Great News! I was chosen as a DT at Let's Scrap!

I am delighted to announce that I am one of the new DT's at Let's Scrap !! My term begins December 1 and I can wait to start! I am excited and nervous to take on the challenges and rewards that will come with the position! If you haven't, you should really check it out, such a wonderful group of folks and super friendly. I never used sketches for my pages before, and I have found that I get a lot more done now that I have.

I hope everyone that celebrates it had a great Thanksgiving! We certainly did! Brian, Susie and the kids came over for dinner. We had way too much to eat, which in itself is something to be thankful for. Great company and a great time. Susie helped with dishes and Brian and Mike went hunting, to no avail. It was just really a wonderful day and I feel very blessed.

I had the craft bazaar I was preparing for last Saturday. This was my table (the laundry baskets and hats belong to the lady that was behind me).

I enjoyed myself, but was not very successful. I don't know that it ever got above zero outside with the wind chill and it was the day of our in-state football rivalry game "Cat/Griz". It was my first time selling, so the fact that I sold anything was a thrill. I am going to try again next weekend and I am hoping that there will be more advertising and that the weather will co-operate. I might as well since I have a file box full of cards still! LOL

It has been a long day of cooking and chatting and eating and I am ready for bed! Have a great night all!

Cheers!

~Mindi

Let's Scrap Design Team Call

It is that time again. Let's Scrap is looking for design team for the December to March 4 month term. They will be accepting applications until November 15, there is still time!!! I have already sent in my app, and *patiently* await the results, to be announce November 20! Below is the sketch you would need to use for inspiration. The link below it will take you to Let's Scrap and you can get full details.
Good luck and happy scrapping!




Let's Scrap

~Cheers!
Mindi

Gearin' up for the Christmas Bazaar

I have been a busy, busy girl lately. I wish it were scrapping, but it has been making Christmas cards and goodies to sell at a local bazaar November 19. Here is a few of the cards I have made. I tried to get the first picture to flip to no avail, and to be honest, I am just to tired to care anymore LOL

I was scouring the internet this morning for gift card holders and came across this blog post
http://blog.ginakdesigns.com/2008/11/10/preview-day-1.aspx and had to try making these adorable buggers!! These are what I came up with so far, but I am going to do some Christmas ones also.

I also have some fantastic news, but I am going to hold off on that a bit until everything is mailed, received, etc. I will keep you guessing for a little bit :) 

I am gonna watch some X-Files on Netflix with my honey and cuddle in for the night. 

Have a great evening!

Cheers!

~Mindi 

DCWV October Stack-a-Holic Sketch Challenge

Good morning everyone!! I have had to deal with sick kids for the last 2 days, so the quiet house is a nice break! That also means I have time to post my challenge that I got finished!

This is for the DCWV October Stack-a-Holic challenge. Susan at Sketch Savvy provided this great sketch

I used the Downtown Loft stack and really enjoyed doing this page. It seems like drinking coffee and  hangin out is what Susie and I do best! :) All of the coffee cups are embossed as well as the quote at the bottom. I inked some of the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink in Vintage photo. Some of the other edges are sanded and I added the 2 cute red coffee cup brads. I cut "coffee" out of a sheet of the stack and left it to look like old school collage style. I remember cutting up magazines when I was in high school like that all the time!! Brings back a lot of memories, and really it was the begining of my addition to scrapbooking! LOL

Well, since I have a quiet house, I am going to take advantage. Gonna get my room tidied, and work on  some Christmas cards hopefully :) Hope everyone has a great day!!
Cheers!
~Mindi

It's been awhile

It seems like I haven't been on here in forever! It's been like 3 weeks! It has also been that long sinced I have scrapped. Well, minus the 2 cards I did for World Card Making Day. LOL

I have been super busy tho. I have been helping my friend Susie pick from the garden and get some canning done. She came to my house and helped me can some apple butter for my awesome hubby! I also got my room redone, again. I will post pics soon, but I love how cheery the room looks with the bright yellow shelves!

So, I have uploaded my latest layouts in my pages section, updated my blog candy sidebars, so all the links should work, and I am so done with the computer for one day.

I am gonna finish watch the new "Transformers" with my honey!
Good night all!
Cheers!
~Mindi

September DCWV Stack-a-holic challenge

I really loved the sketch they provided at DCWV this month! It took some thinking, but when I came up with my concept, I ran with it.
I used Nana's Kitchen stack. The letter stickers are also DCWV that were in my stash. The flower is handmade from a search-a-word I printed out several times. I then inked it with the orange/yellow color in the middle and blue on the edges. The green ribbon is also stash that I bought at Target in the 1$ bin LOL. The "my" metal eyelets are Making Memories and a gift from a dear friend. The "priceless" fabric sticker was stash, as were the silver alphabet brads and the green button.

This is the sketch provided by Susan at Sketch Savvy

TFL and have a great evening! Off to cook dinner :)
Cheers!
~Mindi

Deanne's 500 Follower giveaway!!

My friend Deanne is giving away not one, but TWO cricut carts as candy when she hits 500 followers! There is a pic on my sidebar and you should go visit her and see her wonderful work!
http://deannescreativejuice.blogspot.com/p/500-follower-give-away.html#comment-form
Cheers!
~Mindi

Roberts Crafts Freebie Friday is....

DCWV Street Lace package! Woot!! We all know I love me some DCWV!! Head to the blog to get your chance at these awesome goodies!!!
http://blog.robertscrafts.com/2011/09/freebie-friday-dcwv-street-lace.html

Cheers!
~Mindi

Helldorado Town - Tombstone, Arizona Territory

I have to put Arizona Territory, cuz it tickles me. The tour guide we had while we were there, and now friend of ours, called Arizona that. It just kind of stuck. This is a layout I just finished for this weeks sketch at Let's Scrap. I blurred the picture of Mike just because I thought it may be in bad taste for a public site. BUT this is my blog, and I think it is funny and all meant as harmless fun.

Anyhow, here is the Let's Scrap sketch for the week (hurry over, you have until Tuesday at Midnight if you want to play along)


and here is my take on it

We named the jailbird "Bob" just because it seemed to fit LOL The cowboys at Helldorado Town put on a good show. The cowboy in black with the black hat was actually an extra in the movies "Tombstone" and "Brokeback Mountain". As it says in the journaling, this is the first activity we did when we got to Tombstone. The cowboy with the light shirt on was standing out on the corner selling tickets for the show. He is a really nice guy and we chatted a bit, then his cell phone rang. He said it was his "cowboy communicator". LOL The mini cowboy hat and bandana are Jolee's and the cowboy boot is an old metal pin I found at a yard sale. The border above the pictures is an old leather shoelace.  

I have been super tired the last couple days, been trying to catch up on some sleep while the kids are visiting their grandparents. Have a great Labor day weekend everyone!

Cheers!

~Mindi

Top 10!!

See previous post for a look at the page. I am so honored and happy and humbled that my work was chosen as top 10 at DCWV's blog!! WOOT!! Tell me that isn't scrapping fuel for the day!!

Have a great weekend all!!!
~Cheers
Mindi

DCWV August Stack-a-Holic Template Challenge

Nothing like the last minute! I gotta quit with this BUT I did get it done and on time!
I love the sketch they provided from Susan at Sketch Savvy. Here is the sketch

and here is my take on it

I used the Mod-Retro stack, which I love!! I thought the zig-zag of the rick-rack has an awesome retro-funky flair to it. The "Cherish", flower and metal embellies are from my stash. I have had them for so long I couldn't even begin to know where they came from. :)
TFL and wish me luck!!!!
Cheers!
~Mindi

Back to School!!!

So, school is back in session! I will be getting a lot more scrapping done. Well, I will after we get Susie's craft room done. I am somewhat of a pretty good organizer, so I am helping her move things around and sort. A lot of what is left is going to be on her, but I am a wonderful cheerleader! LOL

So, I haven't done a weekly sketch at Let's Scrap for a few weeks now. Between going on vacation and getting back to school stuff ready, just haven't had time. BUT I did this weeks sketch, and I did it up good. 

Here is the inspiration sketch

and here is what I did

I flipped the sketch around a bit so it would fit the pictures I wanted to use. With 4 kids, this was the perfect sketch. It is hard to tell by the picture, but for the crayons with their names, I used construction paper to make the labels and colored pencils to make the ends. I am very extra special super excited about my mini embellies I made.

The clear yellow ruler is made out of a piece of a plastic page divider and marked with a Sharpie. The folder is made from construction paper and the notebook loose leaf is plain white paper. I used colored pencils to make the blue and pink lines and a paper piercer to make the holes. The tiny pencil is a toothpick I colored with a yellow Zig marker. I used a silver gel pen to make the eraser holder and a pink marker for the eraser. Susie broke out her calligraphy set and used the tiniest tip to make the "2". The picture doesn't show it well, but it is very tiny and very perfect! I colored the sharpened tip with a pencil and I actually wrote with it LOL The little notebook was also a lot of fun to make. I cut the cover off of a full size notebook. I pierced the holes and wound thru it will Making Memories wire. I love mini's!! The background paper itself is just white card stock with Office Depot columnar paper randomly glued to it.

Another page that I have done in the last couple weeks is this one which is the month long challenge for August at Let's Scrap. Here is the link to the challenge http://letsscrap.ning.com/forum/topics/august-month-long-challenge



Here is my take on it

I have loved the SteamPunk look ever since the first time I saw it, and this is my first attempt. I am pretty proud of it. I got new goodies in Spokane, so I had to use them. The metal flowers are Graphic45, I got the new chain border punch that is EK, the blue rhinestones are new and of course the blue glitter card stock.  The keys were in my stash. The birdcage is actually a clip art I found online, put into my SCAL and cut with my Cricut onto copper vinyl. The picture on the bottom left has been questioned as to what was going on. I am actually upside down in the dumpster! When I trash a dress, I am literal and take it the whole way! I am really pleased with this and I actually submitted it to Creating Keepsakes reader gallery. I guess we will see.
That is it for now, dinner is almost done cookin'.
Cheers!
~Mindi