Hello Kitty Beary Special Friend

This Hello Kitty card is my least favorite of the series. I am not sure why but I just don't care for it.

I used some velvet paper for the bear and wish i would have had a lighter color but since I was using scrap I used what I had. I do think it looks better in person, and it would have looked better had a lighter color to use. The sentiment is a little lame too! It reads "Happy Birthday to my beary special friend" *okie sighs and rolls eyes on how unimaginative she was with this one*.

I am going to blame it on being distracted by the movie "Double Jeopardy" with Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones. It is a great movie and even though I have seen it several times before I was rather engrossed and maybe not paying attention to what I was doing with the card *okie thinks...yep that's my story and I am stickin to it*

I did faux stitching on this one instead of machine sewing. I figure I better keep my doodling in practice for other things *okie laughs at the word doodling because it is just a fun little word*. I do like the polka dot ribbon on there and think it might be the only redeeming quality on this card.

I used the Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing folder on the lime green Coredinations Whitewash paper and sanded it. I have said this before but I think it is worth repeating...when sanding an embossed image leave the paper in the folder while sanding. It helps keep from smashing the embossed image and makes it a lot easer to sand.

I distressed the edges of the paper for a worn look.

On this close up you can see the velvet paper a little better and see how it does add a nice look. I used some hot fix gems on the bears eyes and maybe should have used a different color for those also.

If you click the picture you can see more of the detail of the eyes and velvet paper.

Tomorrow finishes up the Hello Kitty series so be sure to come back and check out the last card and also get the Cut file or Gypsy file for today and tomorrow's cards.

Hello Kitty Red Polka Dot

Red is my favorite color so of course this is going to my favorite Hello Kitty card that I did! *okie really thinks the next two are stinkers but will post them anyway* I like the colors, patterns of paper and the design of this card. I rarely say I like things I make but this one I do.

The pattern papers are Stampin Up as is the cardstock. The polka dot some scrap I had *okie so loves polka dots, maybe because they are round like her*. The border punch is also Stampin Up.

I wasn't sure about a sentiment but found one that I thought was okay. It says "We know we are getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it." I don't think I am old quite yet, but I could careless about my birthday. I have never been big on celebrating my birthday but since Jesus has his birthday two days later and I just figure it would be hard to compete!

Again I did some stitching but I am sure by now you guys are NOT surprised! LOL I used some 3/8" ribbon that I got at Walmart for the bow and strip. My Walmart does have some nice ribbon but I still prefer to order from Ribbon and Bows Oh My! because of their prices and selection.

I did do 3 layers of paper on the card mat alone and I think the layering of papers really adds to cards and layouts.

The eyelets are some I got from Eyelet Outlet. I love their prices and their shipping is super reasonable! I think one time I ordered almost $40 in product and the shipping was a little over $3.00. If you do go check them out make sure to check out their clearance! They always have wonderful items in their clearance. I get most of my shaped brads from them.

I don't think I have said before but all the Hello Kitties are pop-dotted on the cards. You guys know how well I love my pop-dotting! And if you are new to the game and don't know I do have a video on how to MAKE YOUR OWN POP DOTS. It is a lot cheaper than buying them...fo' sho!

I will be honest and say the cards I am posting tomorrow and Wednesday aren't very good but I am too lazy to try to come up with something else and well...it's time to move on to something else! LOL

If you would like to make yesterday and today's cards you can download the files.

HELLO KITTY SUNFLOWER RED POLKA DOT CUT FILE

HELLO KITTY SUNFLOWER RED POLKA DOT GYPSY FILE

Hello Kitty Sunflower

Oh my post is late today! Guess because I slept in this morning.

I don't think I have done Hello Kitty in any traditional colors so I figure why start now! *okie laughs and wonders if she has a traditional bone in her body...and decides it is probably the ones with arthritis* I know some of you might remember this sunflower paper. I have used it on quite a few cards and that is because I love it! I am almost out and will be sad when it is gone. It is by Pinecone Press. The cardstock is Stampin Up Summer Sun I believe.

The sentiment on this card I used a stamp set I have used before also. I got the stamp set probably close to two years ago at Hobby Lobby and the company that makes it is no longer in business which is too bad since they did have really nice stamps. I believe the company was called See D's stamps or Sugarloaf. I thought the sentiment went well with the paper.

I used the Stampin Up Word Window and Modern Label punches for the sentiment on the front. Those punches are great for small sentiments and make them stand out a lot more than if you just stamped directly on the card.

And yes, I did do stitching again! I just can't even tell you guys how easy it is to use that Janome Sew-Mini and it stores so easily. I can't remember who posted a comment about using "invisible thread" for the bobbin so you don't have to switch colors but THANK YOU! I did have some nylon thread and even had some on a bobbin. It is making it much easier to switch out colors because I am not having to switch my bobbin now.

I messed up on the flower centers so I just did some coloring to the flowers to get them how I wanted. As I always say... There are no mistakes in paper crafting, there are only creative opportunities!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the cut file and gypsy file for this card and tomorrow's card!

Who knew Kitties could drive?

I sure didn't. Well maybe I did. Years ago I use to watch Saturday Night Live and they had a skit with Toonces the Driving Cat who could drive, but he was not a good driver *okie cracks up remembering Toonces driving off cliffs and thinks...TOONCES, LOOK OUT!*. Ah but this post is not about that bad driver Toonces but rather about the good driver Hello Kitty!

It is probably hard to read the sentiment but it says "Just remember, once you are over the hill you begin to pick up speed" which I thought was totally appropriate and rather genius of me to use *okie sighs and wonders when she will ever convince everyone she is a genius*. I just wish I would have set the font larger *okie realizes maybe she isn't quite the genius she believes herself to be and hopes no one notices*.

All the cuts are from Hello Kitty Greetings. The patterned paper is DCWV Spring stack from a few years ago *okie thinks she should have used copy and paste from yesterday for that*. I did add some Diamond Stickles to the sun and the headlight of the car.

I did do quite a bit of faux stitching on this one *okie thinks she might have on yesterday's card too and tries to think, but then decides not to bruise her brain and stops thinking*. One little trick for this one that I will share is that for the small cuts of the sleeve, headlight, steering wheel and hub caps I used white paper and then colored with my Stampin Up markers. It seemed just a bit easier to do it that way than cut them multiple times or hide contour so many times.


*okie starts to leave the blog, still cracking up about that darn Toonces and realizes she forgot something*

OOHHH!! Yes...if you would like to make yesterday and today's cards you can download the .cut file or Gypsy file below.

HELLO KITTY PLANE CAR CUT FILE

HELLO KITTY PLANE CAR GYPSY FILE

When people use my .cut files....

I just love them telling me about it! I got a comment from PaperScissors and she had used my CRISS CROSS CARD .cut file that I originally posted on May 28, 2008, and she posted the link where I could see. I do have to say that I love the words she put on the cards!!

So what do you think of her use of the .cut file??

Here is one of her cards. You can visit her blog Long Live Paper and Scissors to see the other card she made.

And for my next series of cards......

I have had this cart for sometime now and I haven't gotten to use it like I had planned. Of course I don't mean I had a bunch of wonderful plans for it, but rather I had wanted to use it more than just the once I have in the past.

Oh what is the cart? Hello Kitty Greetings! Yep that is my series of cards for a few days! I think Hello Kitty is so darn cute! I kept resisting it but then when I kept seeing what people were making with it I just had to get it. Well that probably over 6 months ago! *okie feels sorry for poor lil ol Hello Kitty that was stuck in the cart box for so long*. But now she is free!

For my first card I decided to use the airplane cut. I am not sure I care for the patterns of papers I used on the card. I like the concept...just not the card so much. However, my daughter being the precious child she is, said she loves it! *okie wonders if her daughter says such things hoping okie will do daughter's laundry*

The stamping is done with a set of Just Rite stamps, but the inside of the card is computer generated.

I used the D'Vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder on the cloud to give it some dimension and then lightly inked the edges and swirls. The patterned papers are from a DCWV Spring stack from a few years ago.

I do have to be honest and say after I put this one away for a little while and then went back and looked at it I did like it better than I did when I first finished it.

Hello Kitty isn't too bad to cut, some of the smaller parts can be tricky but using Tweezer Bee's are definitely a huge help!

Ribbon, Ribbon and...

RIBBON! How do I love thee ribbon, let me count the ways!

Oh yes I am a lover of ribbon! It adds just the right touch to cards and layouts sometimes but the problem usually is trying to find that "just right" ribbon. Living quite a distance from Hobby Lobby I don't always get to hit the ribbon when it is on sale and I refuse to pay full price. My Walmart does have a small selection of ribbon but of course there are always colors I need that they don't carry.

Sometime ago my friend Linda, aka LGuild, and I found out about a website called Ribbons and Bows Oh My! and we started ordering ribbon. I think this is our third order from them now. The prices are great and the shipping is super fast!

The ribbon in the picture cost $52, and shipping was $9.50. Shipping maybe considered high but since it was sent in a priority box I figure it wasn't too bad. Now you might think it was a lot of money for those rolls but consider this..

There are 30 yards of polka dot ribbon there and the price worked out to be about 30 cents a yard.

There are 120 yards of 3/8" grosgrain ribbon and the price works out to 17 cents a yard.

There are 160 yards of 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and the price works out to about 15 cents a yard.

Since Linda and I split most of the ribbon it works out great! This time I ordered the 5 yards of Polka Dot, the 20 yards of the grosgrain. They do have larger quantities but the 20 yard seem to work great for us. So if you guys need ribbon you might consider ordering from this website! They are definitely on my list of favorites!

Oh and if you make an account with them they are offering free shipping right now! Make sure you log in before starting your order and offer is only good until midnight Monday!!!

There maybe hope for her yet!

I was on my way home one day last week and talking to my daughter and she said "when you get to the house don't look on the desk", meaning my craft desk, "because I used some of your stuff". Of course my heart almost stopped because I thought "she better not have used my cherry paper, my Basic Grey paper, etc, etc. etc. Then I decided I didn't care because I was just glad she was doing something crafty!

Of course she wasn't here when I got home and I had to look on the craft desk because...well I see it almost as soon as I come in the door! I sat down and examined her work and then happened to look up and saw that she had used Design Studio as well! *okie's heart warms with pride* At that point I didn't care that she has used some of my polka dot ribbon that I won't use because if I use it I won't have it anymore. I didn't care that she has used some of my Prima flowers. I didn't care that she had used some of my precious Prism cardstock. I was just proud that she had made a project that she felt proud of!

I noticed she had used my a photo corner punches and was quite pleased she knew what it was for, even though I know she has seen me use it! I was even more impressed when I saw she used some Glimmer Mist to spritz the cardstock. Now how she knew it was there and what it was for I have no idea! *okie thinks maybe her daughter pays a little more attention than what she seems*. The silver chipboard letters are some that I got at the Great American Scrapbook Convention and I was so excited I forgot to take them off the project when I took the picture. She took this to her dorm room and has it hanging on her wall!

I have tried to get her to do things with me for a few years now and she is always busy or gives up but this makes me think that THERE IS HOPE FOR HER YET!

Here are a few pictures of her dorm room. This is of course, before she made her class schedule to put on her wall. You can see the cork boards and dry erase board I made for her room, and also the infamous refrigerator!! *okie cracks up laughing remember that whole fiasco*

And the final Winnie the Pooh series card....

I am ending the series with another Tigger card. I guess I never knew he was so popular and seems to be the most favorite of Pooh's friends.

I just had to use Tigger's "redickerous" word for this card! And my daughter laughed when she read this one, saying she forgot about him saying it until she read it.

The patterned paper is Bo Bunny and the green cardstock is Prism. The yellow is Stampin Up! Crushed Curry. I used the D'Vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder on the green cardstock.

Again I would say if you are going to do a Tigger this small I would start at the head part with the orange layer. I do have to say he still was not as difficult as that horrid Tinkerbell *okie wonders how much hate mail she will get for calling Tinkerbell horrid* to cut and put together. I did have to use a poky tool to get the eyes out a little bit, but even that wasn't hard.

I added some Stickles to the flowers for a little bling and of course you guys know my feelings about Stickles! I use Diamond the most because of how it looks when used on colored cardstock. I do have quite a few of the colors but I always grab the good ol' Diamond!

I did add the shadow layer to Tigger and the flowers on this one because I didn't want him to blend into the patterned paper too much and also I needed the extra thickness to help stabilize the cuts since I pop dotted them off the card.

The photo corners were made with an EK Success punch.

I made a few cuts along the cut line of Tigger's paws so I could slide the flower stem in there to make him look like he was holding the flowers, and it worked out pretty darn good!

If you would like to make your own Tigger cards then you can download the cut file or Gypsy file. Like the others in the Series both Tigger cards are in one file.

Design Studio .cut file download -----> TIGGER BIRTHDAY CARDS
Gypsy file download ------> TIGGER BIRTHDAY CARDS GYP

I hope you guys have enjoyed the cards from the Winnie the Pooh series! I will be starting a new series in a few days with.......*okie smiles big and then cracks up laughin* I am not gonna tell you! You will just have to come back and see what I use!

Yep...Tigger finally made it!

I have had several comments about Tigger and hoping that he would appear in the Winnie the Pooh Series and of course I could not leave out Tigger!

Tigger was a bit more difficult to put together than the other characters due to his stripes wanting to move around when gluing down. So if you do cut him this small I suggest start at the head stripes and work your way down. I seemed to have better luck with that method.

The patterned paper is Bo Bunny and cardstock is Prism and some other that I had in my stash.

The sentiment was generated in Hallmark Studio and says "Birthday's are like Tiggers....They're a wonderful thing!" Which I thought was pretty clever since I couldn't find a direct quote from Tigger concerning birthdays.

I used the 5x7 dot Cuttlebug folder for the white mat behind Tigger and added some red eyelets in the corners. I also used the Numbers Cuttlebug folder on the blue strip of paper. You can't really see it too well but it does look nice in person.

I do have to share a little story about my daughter and this card. When my daughter saw the card she started saying "T-I-double-guh-err" and then started singing "Tiggers are wonderful things. Their heads are made of rubber, their tails are made of springs ". I asked her how she knew so much about Tigger and she said "I have the movie Mom!!" and then proceeded to tell me I got it for her which I do not remember but if she says I did then I am sure I did. I just don't remember her watching Winnie the Pooh. Now all the other Disney movies yes...and I can still talk and sing along with quite a few of them. I guess my friend DCDoll is right, she texted me not long ago and told me I suffer from CRS! *okie wonders if everyone knows that means okie has the affliction of 'can't remember shit'*.

Tomorrow will round out the series since I ready to move on to something else. I had planned to do some of the other characters but I need a little break for Pooh and his friends for a little while. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my last card in the Winnie the Pooh series!

Nope it's not Piglet.....

Okay....it really is. I was going to try and shake things up but to be honest at the time I am typing this post I am tired and about ready to go to bed so I don't have anything to put in the place of this next Piglet card....so yep...it's a Piglet today!

When I saw Piglet cut I thought it would be cute if he was holding a present, and luckily there is a present on the Pooh and Friends cartridge!! *okie thinks she is so lucky to find these little things out so she doesn't have to switch out carts while cutting*. I did have a booger *okie giggles because she said booger* of a time cutting the present and I am beginning to think that cutting with the Cricut is much like sewing.

My mom use to tell me "when you keep having to rip out stitches it's time to put it away for a little while". So I need to keep telling myself "when you keep ripping the paper it is time to put it away for a little while".

Since the cut is rather large I had very little room to embellish the card so I thought embossing the mat that Piglet is on would be a great way to add something extra to the card. I used Cuttlebug Happy Birthday word folder for this purpose. I also lightly inked the paper so it would show up just a big more.

The patterned paper is double sided Bo Bunny and actually some I had left over from a Valentine's project *okie so loves using scraps*.

And if you are wondering if I had a hard time finding a quote.....the answer is of course YES! I really couldn't find any direct birthday quotes from Piglet so this is just another one that I thought would do for the situation.

I bet no one wants the .cut file for the Piglet cards *okie wonders if her .cut files even get used anymore* but I will post the download anyway. So if ya wanna make your own Piglet cards you can download the file here ----> PIGLET BIRTHDAY CARDS.

For the Gypsy files click here -----> PIGLET BIRTHDAY CARDS GYP

Piglet and the Red Balloon

Piglet is up next in the Winnie the Pooh series of birthday cards. I think Piglet is kinda cute, maybe because he is pink, maybe because he has big ears or maybe because he wears a sweater, who knows.

I used Glossy Dimensions on the balloon to give it a shiny finish, obviously this would have been before the balloon that Piglet had taken to Eeyore for his birthday had busted *okie winks and nods head at her cleverness*.

The patterned paper is double sided Bo Bunny and since I only had one sheet *okie shudders at the thought of messing up the last sheet of paper during a project* I had to use it sparingly and wisely. I cut the mat at 4 x 5.25 inches and then cut 2.5 inches off, which is the striped paper. With the piece that was left I cut a .75 inch piece off and used it at the bottom and the other at the top *okie wonders if that makes sense and then just shrugs her shoulders and keeps on typing*.

I kept trying to find a quote about the red balloon that Piglet took to Eeyore for Eeyore's birthday but since I am not a Pooh fanatic *and okie means that in the best sense of the word* I didn't know where to look for such a thing.

I was finally able to found a sentiment that I thought was suitable for a birthday card featuring Piglet and believe you me *okie always wonders what 'believe you me' means but figures it has to emphasis importance* it was not an easy task!

So I figure you guys have figured out the pattern here of my posting and know what will be coming tomorrow! So until then....*okie tries to think of something clever to say but gives up and just smiles and waves* BYE!

Gypsy files for the Winnie the Pooh series

Someone contacted me about being able to use the .cut files for the Winnie the Pooh series cards. She uses a Macbook and has a Gypsy. I was telling her how to do it and then I just wrote her back and told her "OH hell...I can convert the file to a G file faster than you can do all that. Give me a few minutes and I will convert them and post them on my blog." I never thought to save them as Gypsy files also and post on my blog.

So...with that said...here are the Gypsy files for the Pooh and Eeyore cards. I will try to remember to do the rest of them in .cut file and gypsy file form. If I don't someone just shoot me a reminder.

Click here for the Pooh ----> POOH BIRTHDAY GYPSY FILE

Click here for the Eeyore ----> EEYORE BIRTHDAY GYPSY FILE

Sewing Video Tutorial

I have had many questions asked about my Janome Sew-Mini and I have to tell you that I absolutely love it! I think it will be my favorite Mother's Day present ever from my daughter. I thought I would do a video tutorial on how to use it since there have been questions and also this way people can see it in action.

If you are afraid to sew on cards or scrapbook pages I hope this convinces you that it is easy to do and so worth it!

Guess what today's card is....

YEP ANOTHER EEYORE!! *okie knows everyone was just so surprised*

I can't decide if I like this one better or the one from yesterday's post better. I think since they are different that maybe why I like them both. I am glad Eeyore is happy in my cards and not depressed looking. Who knew Eeyore could smile so much? *okie sure didn't know*

I chose to do some stitching on this one and if you come back tomorrow I will be taking a little break from the Pooh Series and will be presenting a video on how to sew on your cards.

I added yellow Stickles to the flower centers because I like Stickles. *okie isn't sure how anyone could NOT like Stickles*

I would really like to tell you what the paper is but I pulled it out of my scrapbox so I have no idea. Sad but true!

I used a rub on for the sentiment on the front and the inside sentiment is computer generated using the Hallmark Card Studio.

I do like how Eeyore's ear seems to jump off the card since it is out of the frame.

Oh I bet you are wondering about .cut files...are you? HUH? HUH?? Well okay I will give you the .cut file for yesterday and today's cards!!

So if ya want to make your on Eeyore birthday cards just click here ----> EEYORE BIRTHDAY CARDS.

Now remember I will be taking a break tomorrow from the Pooh Series and posting a video tutorial but don't worry I will be back to finish the series!

And today is Eeyore!

For today's card in the Winnie the Pooh series I am presenting to you this wonderful Eeyore card *okie does the hand motions around the card like one of the girls from Price is Right showcasing a fabulous prize*.

I think this one might be a little busy but I do like the colors together. While a wonderful Cricut friend of mine Katy Masino has the whole list of Bazzill colors for the Disney characters I am sad to say I didn't have the right Bazzill colors and had to go with Prism cardstock, which is now owned by Bazzill.

The patterned paper is Basic Grey...uhhh....*okie tries to think and almost hurts herself* CUPCAKE! That's it! Cupcake...sheesh can't believe it was so hard to remember!

The embossed flowers is a Cuttlebug border that I just thought might add a little to the card. The border punch at the bottom of the horizontal strip is a Stampin Up! border punch.

The shading was a bit of a booger but I do have to say I still think shading adds so much to cuts! I added a little Glossy Dimensions to Eeyore's eyes to give them a little shine.

Do you know how hard it is to find cool birthday quotes for these characters?? Well I do! *okie cracks up* For Eeyore I chose to go with...oh whatever it says on the card, click it if you can't read it because I can't read it while trying to type this post and I am too lazy to get up and go to my card box and pull it out and read it.

Well I hope you liked Eeyore and remember to check back tomorrow for another Pooh Series card!

Another Pooh Birthday!

This is my second card of the Winnie the Pooh series and it is also a Pooh card. The others I will be posting later this week will be the other characters from 100 acre woods.

I used Stampin Up! patterned paper on this one and I think the colors turned out rather well *okie so has problems with colors and wondering if they look right*. I used a corner rounder on the image mats and broke it in the process. Luckily I have a Corner Chomper on it's way to me so maybe I will stop breaking corner rounders! I used a Stampin Up! marker to go over the lines on the honey pot because I really didn't want to spend that much time trying to ink all those lines *okie can be so lazy sometimes*.

I did decide to go with a red base for the card since Pooh's shirt is red. I am not sure if you can see in the picture and might have to click and enlarge but I used some Glossy Dimensions on his nose.

When I first saw this image I was a little disturbed *okie actually thought...man Pooh looks pissed off!* but I realized later he is squinting looking for honey in the empty pot. That is what led me to use the sentiment "When carrying a jar of honey to give to a friend for his birthday don't stop and eat it along the way". I have to confess, I don't really know much about Pooh and the quotes I am using I found on the internet so if you are a big fan of Pooh *okie once again giggles and decides she is just TOO silly* and I have the quotes wrong please forgive me.

Now if you would like to duplicate the card from today and yesterday you can download the cut file that contains both cards. All the mats are labeled of course. I did use my paper cutter do do the mats but if you click on the mats on the preview page you can see the measurements as I don't remember them right off hand. OH yes.....the cut file!! Just click here ----> POOH BIRTHDAY CUT FILE.

And for tomorrow I will be posting a card using the character.......*okie decides to leave it a surprise*

Winnie the Pooh Birthday - Start of series

Today I am starting my Winnie the Pooh series of cards. If you guys remember I got the carts off eBay last week for a pretty good price and of course I couldn't wait to use them!! I was really afraid that Pooh was going to be a repeat of Tinkerbell *okie shudders remembering the troubles she had cutting that freakin fairy* but surprisingly he cut rather well. Of course a fresh mat and blade always helps! *okie wishes she knew where to get an endless supply of cheap mats and blades*

For this card I did use both Pooh and Friends and Pooh Font. I wanted to make it look like Pooh was looking out a window so I used some patterned paper for backing. I think I should have chose some different paper, but oh well it is done now! A Stampin Up! marker was used on the grain of the wood for a little more definition.

The full card mat was ran through the Cuttlebug using the Distressed Stripes folder, that is one of my favorites!

I did do some shading on Pooh and I think it made him look a little better and not quite so stark. I used some hot fix studs for the nails on the wood window frame.

For the inside sentiment I found a quote of Pooh *okie giggles to self because that sounds funny to her and she is silly* that says "If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you" and then it says Happy Birthday. I figured what a way to tell someone happy birthday!

I did use Microsoft Word to print the sentiment and my friend Linda taught me how to do them in Hallmark Studio so I can get the right size and print them all at once. I just had to trim the sides and bottoms of the cardstock for the proper fit for the inside of the card.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the second card of the series!!

Thinking of you...teacup

I had cut a teacup using some yellow Stardream Mica for one of my Diva Va Voom carts and since I only needed the bottom part I still had the top part left and didn't want to throw it away *okie hates wasting Stardream Mica* and thought I could use it for another card. I didn't do anything fancy, just cut another cup out of some patterned paper and made a simple "thinking of you" card.

The teacup is from Once Upon A Princess. The lacy border on the teacup is a Martha Stewart punch, as is the flower border strip. And yes...I did pull those out of my BORDER STASH! *okie grins from ear to ear nodding head up and down as to say "oh yes...I am a freaking genius*

Then sentiment is from the Stampin Up! Teeny Tiny Wishes set. I used the Word Window punch and the Modern Label punch for the sentiment.

Who won??

Who won what? What are you talking about? HA HA HA

I know I know you guys want to know who won the giveaway! Well let me tell you I had to count and recount because I didn't want to get it wrong. I finally ended up copy and pasting the posts to MSword and counting ten, type 10, twenty, type 20, etc etc etc so I wouldn't lose count and have to start over *okie thinks...I should have done that in the first place and I wouldn't have had to start over 4 times* and count again and again.

Soo...anywho the winner of the Diva Va Voom giveaway is.....


Comment 146!!

Neesey wrote:
Never heard of this line of stamps but they look so cute! Would love to win a set. Thanks for a chace.
August 11, 2010 10:53 PM

Congrats Neesey! I will need you to contact me with your mailing information so I can get your prize in the mail to you!

________________________________________________________________

Due to today being the official move in day for my daughter at the dorms, there being a family picnic and orientation classes this afternoon *okie still isn't sure why she has to go to college orientation since she finished college 3 times* I won't have a project posted today. I will resume posting projects tomorrow.

Let me tell ya about blogging.....

It ain't easy! It is hard work sometimes. Posts have to be written and pictures have to be edited. And if you do a video that can take a few hours sometimes to get ready to post on a blog. I totally enjoy having my blog and having people comment. But it bothers me to think people on messageboards are upset because I posted about something on my blog on a messageboard, or posted about I am having a giveaway *which okie usually doesn't, she prefers her regular readers win* because they see it as solicitation. I started this blog because of my Cricut and wanting people to be able to download my cut file easily. I thought people were pleased about that. But how are they suppose to know I have a new cut file if I don't tell them?

I am not an over promoter. I don't go posting "I have a neat project to show you! Go to my blog to see" or "I have a new idea I want to share, go to my blog to see". I always post a picture or something and say you can read more on my blog if you would like.

So to those who feel like I am offending you by posting on a messageboard that I made a new project or a tutorial, etc....*okie doesn't finish sentence and instead just walks off*

Border Stash Video Tutorial

I mentioned having a "border stash" a few weeks ago and wondered if it might be a good little video so thought I would do just that!

So here is my little secret of having borders ready to use!

Cuttlebug 5x7 folders storage

There has been a recent revival of interest on my Cuttlebug A2 folder storage! I have had several emails asking about 5x7 folders. I think it was back in January when I did the .cut files for the 5x7 folders at someone's request, but I never cut them because I didn't have any of the folders and therefore I didn't put them on my blog.

Well now I do have 3 of the 5x7 folders and since people have been asking about the .cut file I thought I would get it posted. The score lines are included and they are done just like the A2 size ones so you can refer to that post if you need to.

There are two different files, both require the Expressions to cut due to the size of the folder.
- CB 5x7 folders Plantin
-CB 5x7 folders George

Each has the mats labeled and there are graduated tabs on the folders. There is also a divider included if you would like to cut one of those.

If you want to emboss the fronts be very careful. I was not able to use the 2 B plates to do so since the folder is larger than the A2 and the back of the storage folder has to go through at the same time. The combination I used was white plate, C plate, folder with storage folder loaded, 2 chipboard shims. Of course the shims will depend on the thickness of your chipboard.

Hope you guys can use this for your own storage.

Do ya expect me to do a giveaway??

The Diva Va Voom's are over. I have made no more so why are you here? What? You expect me to give them away?? *okie sighs deeply and rolls her eyes* WELL FINE THEN!

I will give away a set of my Diva Va Voom cards!! Sheesh you guys drive a hard bargain! *okie falls out of chair laughin*. Okay I will be honest. Once I started making the cards and everyone seemed to really like them I planned then to give away a set. But you know me I can't just send a set of cards, I gotta make a nice little box for them to go in!!

So yep, if you are the lucky winner you will get 12 different Diva Va Voom cards that are seen in this picture, one of each I made and a nice little box for them to go in and can be reused after you send all the cards!

As you can see the cards fit neatly in the box so you can refill it when you need to! The box is one of the recipe boxes I got at Michael's last week and I covered it and decorated a bit.









So to enter for this giveaway you will have to be come a follower, sign up for email subscription to my blog, post this giveaway on 287 different messageboards, donate 2 gallons of blood, walk on hot coals and post links to everything you did to prove you did it! *okie bangs head on desk laughing and gives herself a concussion* TOTALLY KIDDIN!! You guys know me better than that!

Seriously, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post before midnight central time on Friday, August 13th *okie hopes that isn't a bad omen*. I will use the random number generator to pick a winner on Saturday, August 14th. AND PLEASE ENTER ONLY ONCE! Comments have to be approved so it might take a bit before your comment is posted.

The last of the Diva's!!

At least for a little while!! With this card I have completed 6 sets of 12 different Diva Va Voom cards. When I started making these I thought I would just do one or two of the Diva's but then I became hooked! And believe me, I do want to make more...just because they are just too darn stinkin cute!

This one didn't have a whole lot of work into it, nor did it have any Cricut. But I still like it, but it's not my favorite. So far the Dance one has been my favorite.

The patterned paper is Bo Bunny, the punches and sentiment are Stampin Up!, the border is a Martha Stewart border punch.

I thought the border punch matched the cake well so that is why I chose it. Did you notice the little dog in the bottom left hand corner?? He has a cupcake on his nose! *okie just loves furbabies*



As you can see in this close up picture I used some 2mm hot fix gems for the lights on the candles. I also added some diamond Stickles to the scallops on the blue scallop circle. I used the deckle edge blade on my Purple Cows Trimmer to do the image mats. I seem to always forget about that trimmer these days! I do need to get some replacement blades but always forget to look for some when I am in the city. The deckle is my favorite of the blades with that trimmer.

Well I hope you guys enjoyed the Diva Va Voom series! Now I have to think of what I can start on next!

Queen 4 a Day

I am winding down to the finish of the Diva collection!! There are more Diva's but after my next one I will be done for awhile because I am ready to move on to something else for now.

I thought they Diva in the throne was adorable and I was going to use a Stampin Up! sentiment I have but I decided to go with the "Queen 4 a day" from the Once Upon a Princess cartridge. I also saw this cute little flower on the cart and thought it would make a nice little embellishment.

I had a hard time going with colors for this one since there were so many bright *okie thinks almost neon* colors and I was afraid if I matched the colors too close it would blind me just looking at it. I was able to find some double sided Stampin Up! that I thought worked well. And it does work better in person. The image and flower are pop dotted, the sentiment is adhered directly on the card.


I used some Coredinations Vintage for the flower and sentiment phrase. The sanding on the flower added enough dimension that I didn't need to do any inking. I actually did the sanding after the flower was put together. It made it easier to do than trying to hold the little pieces while sanding. I just laid the flower flat on the table to sand the middle and then held up the flower to do the edges. Sanding was done before the flower was adhered to the shadow layer. I did ink the leaves of the flowers a little.

On the crown I used some Bazzil Bling paper and added some Stampendous stickers for jewels.

I am off to finish the last of the Diva's!! Wish me luck!!

My friend Cindy is giving away....

COUNTRY LIFE!! Yep you heard me right! She is giving away a brand new Country Life cartridge!

I had the priviledge of being on a design team with Cindy and she is an absolute talent! *okie feels pangs of jealousy in her stomach over some of the projects Cindy has made* To be eligible to win the cartridge all you have to do is go to her blog at ROYAL THINGS and look for the post titled "My CHA experience, My newest Design Team, My Giveaway" and leave a comment. And while you are there why not become a follower and check out her projects. the deadline to enter is Sunday, August 14th midnight EST.

Now remember I am not giving away the cart *okie likes her Country Life cartridge too much to give it away* so comments left here do not count! Although if you do comment you won't get lashes with a wet noodle or anything.

Diva's are back!!

I was able to get another 6 Diva Va Voom cards done! Just two more sets of 6 and I will have 12 sets of Diva cards!

I love the teapot Diva's *okie thinks that is a silly statement since she loves all the Diva's* but the colors were difficult to match, or at least time consuming. But I think I finally got the colors to where I liked them.

I did do some tweaking to the teacup that I cut from Once Upon A Princess so it would match closely to the one in the image. I used Stardream Mica for the teacup so it would have a more porcelain look. I cut the top off of the top layer so I could have the white strip across the top of the teacup.

The teabag tag is from Once Upon A Princess also. I would have added a staple if I could have found my stapler. The sentiment is a Stampin Up! product.

The loopy stamp on the teacup is a Studio G stamp. The ink for the stamping and on the handle is Stampin Up! Regal Rose, the steam is colored with a light grey Stampin Up marker. I used some small flat back pearls to embellish the teacup a little also.

I used my Janome Sew-Mini to stitch around the edges of the card and just used a straight stitch.

The corners of the image and mats were done with the Stampin Up! Ticket Punch. I used Perfect Layers to do the white and green mats, cutting at 1/8".

I did use a marker to do the sentiment because of the room I had to work with I couldn't stamp the sentiment as a whole. This is another reason I love my Stampin Up! markers. It makes it easier to get the most use out of my stamps. I did cut the tag twice so I could glue the twine between the layers. I also glued the twine between the teacup and the shadow to make it look like it was hanging out of the teacup.

I am hoping to get the other two Diva cards done this weekend so I can get the sets completed. I really think they will make great prizes at my Annual Girlfriend Christmas Party!

We went, we shopped, we laughed!

But then again Linda, aka LGuild and I always do laugh! Sometimes we wonder if people think we are insane, but then we just figure we don't really care! *okie falls out chair laughin*. We weren't shopping for anything in particular this time, well other than checking to see if we could find the dorm fridge for my daughter that my Walmart was out of, so we did do a lot of browsing.

We stopped at a Walmart in Shawnee too see if they had the fridge I was looking for...they didn't. So off toward OKC we went.

First we went to Michaels. I was FINALLY able to use my $25 giftcard that my BFF Karen had given me for Christmas! Michaels didn't have a sale this week but there was a coupon for a 20% off total purchase *okie would so rather have a sale*. I did get the DCWV At Home Glitter Stack and Cardstock Stack for less than half price on clearance. I also got some fabulous little boxes that are meant to be recipe boxes, but I am going to alter them and use them for card sets! Luckily Linda came along and pointed out that cards would fit in them! I also got a Martha Stewart punch on clearance for $4.99, it is one of those punch around the page ones and they didn't have the corner one so I am sure that is why it was on clearance, but I really like it for a border punch! I also picked up the large Dots Cuttlebug folder and used a 40% off coupon for it.

After Michael's we head to Ted's Escandido for lunch, the food and service was great! After that we went to Hobby Lobby and I picked up a pack of 12x12 mats, 12x24 mats and some Shrinky Dink plastic that I was able to use my 40% off coupon on. Then we headed to Tuesday Morning. I found a little package of paper that will be good for some layouts of my daughter and I was excited about finding Tim Holtz Grungeboard for $7.99, that was for two packs. I got the swirls and dots packages. They had quite a few of the cut out packages but I opted for the full sheets so I can cut myself.

At last we went to Big Lots. Guess what! I didn't find much there.....BUMMER! I did get two packs of glitter cardstock that was Heidi Swapps but it reminded me of some DCWV stacks.

On the way home we passed another Walmart and Linda was kind enough to stop in there to see if they had the fridge I was hunting and sure enough...they had one left! We loaded it up in the cart quickly! Okay I have to tell you about that little escapade. I got the fridge off the bottom shelf and I told Linda that I thought we could lift it in the cart but then I added "but I might fart trying to lift it in the cart!" Now remember we had Mexican for lunch! Well that sent us into fits of laughter!! So much laughter that I didn't have to worry about farting lifting the box!! *okie blushes...then falls out chair laughing* We lifted the box and the cart went rolling. Linda had to bump the cart next to the shelving so it wouldn't roll. Finally we got it loaded checked out and went and got it in the van.

We stopped at another Big Lots on the way home, still nothing much good although I did get a few packages of some Making Memories metal embellies that I like.

So that was another excellent adventure with my friend Linda!
_____________________________________________________
Just in case you guys don't read comments on the posts, Linda made a comment so I am including it.

**************Linda's Comment on the Day**********************

You know, sometimes you just have to be there ... to really understand how hilarious it was trying to load the fridge into the cart while laughing so hard! I was laughing so hard about Okie "backfiring" in Wal Mart that it didn't occur to me the cart would roll away when the box holding the fridge hit the front edge of the cart.

You should have seen us, trying to keep the fridge from hitting the floor while I tried to stop the cart with one foot and not fall down! I sure hope they didn't get it on their surveillance video! LOL!

Then we got stopped by an associate as we were leaving the store to show the receipt. (I think they thought we were trying to steal a refrigerator!)

We were still laughing so I suppose we looked suspicious. The associate asked us if we worked for Wal Mart or were some of those "secret shoppers" they send around!

Then she proceeded to give us some "insider" information about why we shouldn't buy food at Wal Mart. She cracked us both up!

Yesterday was fun. Now, how soon can we do it again???????