Keep the Wheels Turning!

Yoga with this guy! I gotta keep the wheels turning so this body will run like a well oiled machine. It helps to have a good workout partner. We push each other. He makes me want to be better and healthier!

[caption id="attachment_12323" align="alignnone" width="3600"] Club Scrap® digital kit elements. Steamworks is currently available.[/caption]

I'm always looking for new things to keep my mind busy too, because I've developed a bad habit of playing on my phone. I'll tool around on it when I'm relaxing and before I know it, it 's been a couple of hours. I really need to delete the Amazon app because it makes buying new crafty supplies waaaaay too easy. I've been eyeing the Gelli Plate for a long time and I bought it after it popped up in an Amazon ad. I am such a sucker! I must have searched for it during my online Christmas spree. WOW, that is kind of scary...big brother is watching! On the plus side, I did open and play with the my new purchase immediately.  The Gelli Plate is going to be my new favorite toy for awhile!

[caption id="attachment_12331" align="alignnone" width="5069"] Club Scrap® Steamworks  gear stencil and coordinating colors of acrylic paint.[/caption]

All of the creative monoprinting prompted me to whip up a set of cards!



The Club Scrap® Idea Deck  and Page Formulas are such great tools when I need a little inspiration! The cutting and assembly instructions are listed on the back of each card. I love that the only thing I have to think about is picking out stamp  images and complementary card stock!

[caption id="attachment_12332" align="aligncenter" width="445"] This month's card for the Club Scrap Chat Idea Deck challenge. [/caption]

Card #1

[caption id="attachment_12325" align="alignnone" width="4646"] Club Scrap® Steamworks   Page kit card stock, cut aparts and gear stencil.[/caption]

I substituted the Gelli Plate panel in place of the card stock nesting panel from the Idea Deck directions. I trimmed the cut aparts using detail scissors, inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress ink and assembled the layers according to the sketch design.

Card #2

[caption id="attachment_12326" align="alignnone" width="4699"] Club Scrap® Steamworks  Page kit card stock, 12x12 cut aparts and gear stencil.[/caption]

I trimmed more of the cut aparts to nest on the mini blue squares and added another Gelli Plate panel for the background. The assembly was easy using a grid ruler to line up the edges!

Card #3

[caption id="attachment_12327" align="alignnone" width="3948"] Club Scrap® Steamworks Page kit card stock and 12x12 cut aparts. Stamp image from a past kit that is no longer available.[/caption]

I got a little creative with this card. I made a mini collage cluster with leftover scraps, a stamped sentiment and a little of my own handwriting!

Card #4



This one is for the Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog: GIRLY! card challenge. I searched through my stash of stamps and found these little ladies to fit on the tiny panels!

[caption id="attachment_12328" align="alignnone" width="3456"] Club Scrap® Steamworks Page kit card stock and gear stencil. Stamp images inked with Club Scrap's white pigment ink.[/caption]

I used a scrap of Gelli Plate art instead of card stock and tied the colors together with a bit of matching ribbon.

Whew! That's a wrap! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to let me know you were here!



CHALLENGES ENTERED:

February Anything Goes Crafting Challenge at Polka Doodles 

HIMCR #339 Super Scraps Saturday

Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog: GIRLY!

Club Scrap 02/18 Idea Deck Challenge 

Club Scrap 02/18 Past and Present Challenge 

Club Scrap Tool and Stash Challenge: Paint

Club Scrap 02/18 NBUS Challenge: Wheels and Gears

 

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Daily Prompt: Conjure

via Daily Prompt: Conjure

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The Prompt

A one word prompt. Conjure.

Hmmmmm... I feel a little like I pulled a name out of a virtual hat. *Another sip of coffee and some hair twirling while I stare at the computer screen. Blink. Blink.*

I remember pulling ideas out of a newsboy cap in a speech class in college...

I unfolded the slip of paper and read the words, "Window Dressing". What the?! We had 30 minutes to prepare our five minute demonstrative speech to present to the class. I was in a panic. I tapped the lady in front of me and whispered, "What is window dressing?" She quickly handed me her crumpled slip of paper and asked to trade. I took it. I opened it up and read the penciled scribble, "Changing a tire". Oh my God! I felt deflated. I'd never changed a tire! I sat slumped at an empty desk in the hall, stared at the floor and chewed my thumbnail. Before I knew it, prep time was up and I had nothing. The only thing I could think of was the movie scene from A Christmas Story when Ralphie says the "F dash dash dash" word. We filtered back into the classroom. Three of us were called to the front and asked to wait our turn in the hall. I was last. My hands were sweaty and DAMMIT why did I wear my glasses?! It was my turn. I could hear the class clapping for the previous speech and the instructor was waving at me through the window in the door. My heart was beating so fast I felt like a butterfly was trapped in there. My thoughts were all over the place. I walked to the front of the room like a zombie and clasped my hands together to keep them from shaking. A few eyes in the front of the room were on me, but most of the class was absorbed in something else. I stared at the piece of paper in my hand, looked up and said, " I've never changed a tire in my life." The group in the front of the class laughed. I was a little taken aback and nervously pushed my glasses up. The instructor gently prodded me, "What would you do if you got a flat?" My wheels started turning and I said, " I hope I have a can of Fix a Flat." More laughter and I chuckled a little myself. I conjured up the infomercial on TV and began to recite the script like a car salesman," The Fix-A-Flat Aerosol Tire Inflator seals punctures and inflates the tire in seconds without the need for a jack, spare tire or any tools, allowing you to get off the road and to a service station where an approved repair can be made..." More laughter. Five minutes later, the instructor handed me my scoring rubric as I walked back to my seat. I sat down and unfolded the paper. At the bottom of the page,  in bright red felt tip pen, were the words, " B for bullshitting."

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Take a Hike!

I like to be different, but sometimes I'm different because I just didn't listen or read things all the way through! Story of my life! DRS Designs is our sponsor at Cupcake Inspirations this week and has generously allowed us to use some of their stamp and digital images. Well, I just glanced at the inspiration photo and saw the colors red, white and pink.



I leisurely scrolled through the images on the DRS Designs website (some cute stuff there by the way!) and found these that I wanted to use...

[gallery ids="12315,12314" columns="1"]

I received my images and THEN I noticed the challenge theme, LOVE. A moment of panic, then pfffftttt...I got this!

[caption id="attachment_12317" align="alignnone" width="3600"] DRS Designs Hiker Boot Prints and Take a Hike images. Club Scrap® Love Ink Digital kit backgrounds and elements.[/caption]

I guess I need to take a new profile pic. I've lost about 20 pounds since then! Maybe I'll wait until April 1, my one year mark. I feel a blog post coming on! My best friend Sheri and I decided it was time to whip ourselves into shape. We started out walking, then hiking, biking and yoga. It's always a work in progress, but I LOVE every minute of it. I can't wait til the weather is nice enough to get out there and start hiking and biking again!

I won't bore you with all the technical details of my digital page, but I will say that Linda Sattgast at Digital Scrapper has THE best tutorials (she is Adobe’s endorsed scrapbooking expert) . Her Learn Digital Scrapbooking class taught me everything I needed to know about Photoshop Elements. I'm not a pro, but sometimes I feel like one! *No, I am not affiliated with Digital Scapper, the classes are just seriously good!*

So, I didn't stop there, I made a digital card too!

[caption id="attachment_12318" align="alignnone" width="2400"] Club Scrap® My Funny Valentine digital kit elements. DRS Designs Take a Hike sentiment and Hiker Boot Prints stamp images.[/caption]

I used Club Scrap® 's 02/18 Card Sketch for the background.



Click here to see another version of this sketch that I created using Just For Fun Rubber Stamps. If you’d like to play along with the challenges (there are some gift certificates up for grabs!). Here are the links:

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge # 439 LOVE theme! DRS Designs is generously providing a prize to their store to our randomly chosen winner!

The next challenge is in the Club Scrap Chat group page on Facebook. This is a closed group, but new members are always welcome!

Club Scrap 02/18 Card Sketch Challenge  

I'll look for your artwork in the galleries!

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Sunshine, Blue Lights and a little Rock 'n Roll

Girls' weekend!  The sun was shining, the road was clear and we were heading to L'Auberge Du Lac Casino to see Daughtry!



Wait! What?! *blue lights flashing*



Because she was soooooo polite, all she got was a seatbelt warning! Momadaboma!



We had a blast! VIP floor tickets to the concert, our VIP bartender Felicia (hey girl!) and a fun group of party animals!



Of course I had to document the night with some digital layouts!



[caption id="attachment_12306" align="alignnone" width="3600"] Club Scrap® Rock Star Digital Hybrid kit elements. Homemade Apple font.[/caption]

It was a much needed weekend away and I even got to see my sister!



I combined two challenge sketches for my layouts, the Club Scrap®  02/18 card sketch and the 2/18 Idea Deck challenges. I love how my creativity gets jump started with a sketch!

[gallery ids="12310,12311" type="rectangular"]

I'm up this week on the Just for Fun Rubber Stamps blog and I challenged myself to use the paper scraps and embellishments that were already out on my craft table along with Roni's card sketch. The Stamptangle Celestial Montage background stamp was right on top of my stash and happens to be a favorite!





I stamped and heat embossed the celestial montage on blue card stock, fussy cut the sun image and a few of the stars from the collage and added them to the card front I created from scraps. I embellished the sun with some red gems and Christmas Red Stickles and heat embossed the SUN word art as my sentiment. I haven't put a card together this fast in a long time, it must have been written in the stars! *BA DUM TSSS*

If you'd like to play along with the challenges (there are some gift certificates up for grabs!) here are the links:

Just For Fun Rubber Stamps Silhouette Stamps Challenge

The next two challenges are in the Club Scrap Chat group page on Facebook. This is a closed group, but new members are welcome!

Club Scrap 02/18 Card Sketch Challenge 

Club Scrap 02/18 Idea Deck Challenge

I'll look for your artwork in the challenges!



 

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Sin. Repent. Repeat.

Whatta krewe...I love this picture!

[caption id="attachment_12290" align="alignnone" width="604"] Mardi Gras 1984 New Orleans.[/caption]

We moved to New Orleans in 1974 when my dad started dental school at LSUSD. Four years later we were seasoned revelers and rarely missed a Mardi Gras. We had some good times in N’awlins!

Day parades were an all day affair. Dad would make sandwiches assembly line style and slide the stack right back into the bread bag... a "loaf" of peanut butter and jelly, one of ham and cheese and maybe some roast beef. We packed chips, snacks, an ice chest of cokes, a blanket to sit on, and we were ready to catch some beads. Those were the good 'ol days!

Mardi Gras during my college years was a different story...an ice chest of beer, no snacks, no blanket to sit on and scoping out the nearest "facilities"...let the revelry begin!

[caption id="attachment_12291" align="alignnone" width="3456"] Just For Fun Rubber Stamps Crooked Old Tree and Couple Under Light Post[/caption]

My card was inspired by this Mardi Gras t-shirt...



I typed up the sentiment in Photoshop Elements and printed on card stock that I watercolor distressed with some Ranger Distress inks in Concord Grape, Shabby Shutters and Mustard Seed.

[caption id="attachment_12293" align="aligncenter" width="423"] Font is Dead Secretary  found at dafont.com[/caption]

Only in New Orleans can trees along the parade route grow beads!



I added the "beads" on the tree with multiple colors of Stickles.



Join the Just For Fun Design Team for the Silhouette Stamps Challenge on the Just For Fun Rubber Stamps blog. There's a jffstamps.com gift certificate up for grabs, so be sure to link up for a chance to win!



Laissez les bon temps rouler!



 

 

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Think Happy Thoughts

Life is complicated and messy, but surprising and wonderful all at the same time. It's so easy to become negative with all the chaos around us, but you can choose to be happy.

I will be 49 in March. That sounds so strange! Midlife, middle age...the wrong side of forty! Eh, it's just a number. I hit a turning point in my life this year and I choose to focus on happiness for the next half of it. It's very simple, if it doesn't feel good/right I don't want to do it. It may sound selfish, but if I walk away from an encounter feeling good, I bet the other person(s) feels pretty good too. That sounds more like giving to me! Happiness is contagious and it is so easy to spread. Think happy thoughts and you will fly!

Today's post is part of the Cupcake Inspirations cream, rose and black color theme challenge!

A Day for Daisies is our sponsor for this challenge and is generously providing a $12 gift certificate to our randomly chosen winner.

I used A Day for Daisies Penguin Flight digital stamp for the focal image on my card.

I typed up the sentiment in Photoshop Elements and added it to the document with the penguin digital image to create my card panel.

I printed on tan mixed media paper and colored the images with colored pencils and blended with gamsol and a paper stump.

I liked this so much I made another one in a different color scheme!

Click here for more inspiration from the Design Sweeties and the link join the challenge. I'll look for you in the gallery!

Do more of what makes you happy!

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Whiskey, Honey and a Little British Influence

My family rang in the new year with the flu. Happy Freaking New Year! Jake started running fever on New Year's Eve. After nursing him for two days, I got it too. Apparently, the flu was epidemic this year and the local pharmacies were out of tamiflu. Thank goodness for Pinterest and loads of home remedy recipes. I settled on the couch with a warm robe, fuzzy socks, a comfy Afghan and a hot toddy in my Royal Albert mug (gift from my sister Stephanie from her trip to England) to binge watch The Outlander. I'm always wary of watching my favorite books on screen, but I wasn't disappointed. I may have to watch it all over again before season 4 comes out in the fall! I started watching The Crown this morning on Netflix. I'm only on episode 3, but I actually cried in episode 2 when the king died. Yeah, I'm sappy like that!

Today starts the first Cupcake Inspirations challenge of the year. This year all the new challenges will come out on a Monday and you'll have two weeks to play!



Our sponsor this week is Lawn Fawn and they are generously providing a $25 gift certificate to our randomly chosen winner. They offer the CUTEST stamps with matching dies!



I created a snowy scene with a bit of British influence for our winter theme challenge!



I challenged myself to make a one layer card. I ended up adding the sentiment last. I can't stand it, I have to have something with a little dimension! I used stamp images from the London Calling kit from Club Scrap® . The kit is retired now as Club Scrap® offers limited edition monthly kits. So sorry! I stamped the background images using a Faber Castell Big Brush marker in cold gray. The phone booth and sentiment were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored the phone booth with Derwent Coloursoft Colored Pencils and blended with a paper point dipped in Gamsol. I really like how it turned out! I'm definitely going to use that method again. I've tried it before, but not on mixed media paper. The paper made all the difference. It has a little tooth to it, so the colored pencils are vivid and blend really nicely. And last, some white gesso for some really nice opaque snow!

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Sweeties have created. There's lots of Lawn Fawn inspiration this week!

Charlotte

Danijela

Debbie

EK

Ishani

Sandy

Wendy (that's me!)

Click here to link up your creation for a chance to win!

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Just the Right Shoes

I am a shoe buying addict. I'm selective about the style, but I'll buy all the colors that are available if the style complements my feet. SHHHH! I have bunions and when I find just the right shoes, I snatch them up! I've learned to choose comfort over style. The turning point for me was a hard lesson on my 40th birthday. My sisters took me to Las Vegas and had quite an agenda planned that required LOTS of walking.



I packed some cute heels to wear out and a brand new pair of Nike's for trekking around...I suppose I should have broken them in first. I ended up with blisters on my heels after the first day, so I bought these while we were out and about.



I wore them the first night out. Vanity=Bad mistake. Now I had blisters between my big toes and the bottoms of my feet were numb! In desperation, I bought these.



At least I could walk without limping, though I ended up with plantar fasciitis for a year! Funny what you notice when your feet hurt...nothing but your feet. All I could think about was taking the next step! On our last night out, as we walked the 20 minute walk from our hotel to Caesar's palace, I enviously watched a group of twenty somethings walking in front of us in their ridiculously high heels and spray tanned legs. BUT, the tables were turned at 3:00 AM! That same group of girls were trudging back across the street, barefoot with dirty black feet, with the pretty heels dangling from tired fingers. I was thankful for my blisters that prevented wearing style over comfort! I still appreciate a pretty pair of shoes when I'm shopping though. I'll "ooohh and aaahh" over them, maybe even try them on, but they aren't coming home with me. I'll stick with my favorite pair of Birkenstocks and a pedicure and I'm good to go!

This sweet little creation is just the right shoe. It's pretty and won't cause blisters!

[caption id="attachment_12262" align="alignnone" width="4833"] Club Scrap® card stock and gems from the December 2017 A Night at the Met Deluxe kit.[/caption]

I found this template from Everyday Parties  on Pinterest. I just printed it on copy paper and traced it onto card stock using a sheet of carbon tracing paper. I trimmed out the pieces, scored on the dotted lines, folded and glued it together. The hardest part was choosing card stock!



I dressed it up a bit with a glamorous "shoe clip". This dragonfly stamp image is part of the stamptangle line from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps. The detail is just gorgeous!



Today's post is my design team contribution for the January Color Challenge on the Just For Fun Rubber Stamps blog.



Make something festive and link up for a chance to win a gift certificate to shop in the JFF Stamps online store! I'll look for you in the gallery!



SUPPLIES USED:

I link to sources for your convenience. Affiliate links used at no extra cost to you.

Club Scrap®  A Night at the Met Deluxe kit

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