Tried A New Product! Safmat Film by Letraset

I was sent sample of a new product from Letraset, the makers of ProMarkers, quite some time ago but then my printer got fried and before I got time to try it out. Since I got the wireless printer hooked up and working I thought I would finally try it. The product is called Safmat Film.

Safmat Film is a product that you use to print designs onto materials that normally won't go through your printer, such as heavyweight cardstock, acetate, large 3D objects, glass, etc.

It was very simple to use! It's just a matter of printing, trimming, applying and burnishing. That's it!

I did take some pictures of my first use of the Safmat Film so I could show you guys how easy it is to use.




I typed up what I wanted in MSword and then printed on the Safmat. Just make sure you print on the NON-WAXY side.

I then trimmed close to the text with my trimmer. It was very easy to cut, no more difficult than any other paper product.








After allowing time to dry I peeled the Safmat off of the backing. Taking the Safmat off the backing was very easy and I didn't have any problems lifting the edge with my fingernail to get them apart.









Next I lined up the Safmat onto the cardstock I had prepared. Since I was using textured cardstock I wondered about how well it would look but thought it was better to try it out on texture and say if I liked it than use it on smooth and say I liked it then trying on textured and finding out I didn't.







It went down easily and smoothly onto the textured cardstock.












Next I used my Basic Grey rub on tool to burnish the Safmat down. This made the Safmat have a very smooth look and you didn't see the film. It looks like it was typed onto the cardstock.










And here is the Safmat applied and burnished to the cardstock. As you can see there is some distinction about the Safmat being on the cardstock but I think it is because this is a close up picture. It actually is not even noticeable on the layout after I got it done.








I am definitely giving this product an A+ on quality, ease of use and most importantly the ability to use it for scrapbooking and cardmaking!

I am hoping to use it for some card sentiments this week. I think with this product it will make it so much more simple to add sentiments on colored cardstock and also to print and apply your own sentiments you need when you don't have that "just right" stamp or the size you are wanting to use.

Tomorrow I will be posting the layout that I put this journaling on so you can see how well it looks.

Might be trying out the scanner today

I have a picture of my daughter when she was about 16 months old and she is standing there crying with her fingers in her mouth. I can remember it so clearly but it's so foggy *okie is beginning to think she is just a big contradiction*. I remember having the camera for some odd reason and when she started crying taking her picture. I know I took the picture because her face just broke my heart! I think today I might gas up that new scanner printer and scan that picture and see what I can make that puppy do.

Oh my friend Nancy and I had a great time last night. She won at the casino. I did not. Okay she probably had a better time than I did then LOL. Of course we were out late and have vowed to do it more often! I think I might be a good teacher at this "successfully single" business!

My cousin Teresa called me and she is coming to spend the night. Her husband is a ranch manager and he has to get the hay cut this weekend so she figured a night with me would be nice. I know there isn't a lot of closeness in extended families sometimes, and even branches of my own aren't close, but there are some that I am very close with and my cousin Teresa just happens to be one of those! We use to spend a lot more time together before she got married and I do miss that. It's not that her husband minds company or would even care if I was there every weekend, it's just that after she got married I felt time with her husband was the most precious thing she could have due to his long odd work hours. You might have saw Teresa in a few layouts over the years. We now have Thanksgiving at her house. One of the cool things about Teresa's visits is that if I am working on a project she will sit in the recliner and we will watch tv or a movie or just talk and it doesn't bother her a bit. Oh who am I kiddin, she knows them's the rules if you are coming to visit me! *okie cracks up laughin because it's oh so true*.

Oh I fell behind

I fell behind on my crafting in the last few days!

With all the excitment of getting ready to finally get a laptop of my own I have been busy with other things. I purchased a Dell from Walmart. This will be replacing my Acer desktop. I had the desktop for about 5 years so it was time for something new. Not to mention it was on it's last leg.

I wasn't sure what to do about my photos and documents on my desktop so I did get an external hard drive. That is something I have been wanting for about 2 years now. I got a Seagate that has 1TB so it should provide plenty of space for storing photos. My daughter was over here and I showed it to her and where I am keeping it. I told her if she was at the house and a storm was coming to grab it and put it in her purse that way all our photos would be saved. She was not amused *okie thinks that kid needs to get a better sense of humor but then thinks maybe not because okie was not kiddin about it*.

I did finally get the laptop yesterday and spent quite a bit of time getting it set up and programs installed. I can't believe how fast this sucker is but in reality anything would have been an upgrade from my desktop. I also like that it has the 10 key on the keyboard. I don't use one often but when I need to do numbers I love having that feature. The laptop has a webcam as well but not sure what the heck I am suppose to do with it. It makes me nervous because I wonder if someone is watching me. Maybe I should cut a tiny Cricut head out of some vinyl and put it on there!

I also got a new wireless printer, a Canon Pixma MG5520. I was worried about setting it up but it was actually fairly easy to do. I even printed a test page so I do have it set up right *okie wipes her brown dramatically*. I would hate to have to throw it out the window because it didn't want to setup right, especially with it being brand new and all!

I won't get to do any crafting today as I have an all day workshop *okie would like to smack her boss upside the head for making the workshop on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend but figures what's done is done*. Then tonight I got a hot date with my friend Nancy. We are going out to eat and then to the casino for a little while. Nancy is trying to come to grips with learning to be single and happy. I have tried to tell her for quite some time that it is really nice when you can become your own best friend. I told her many times that I am my own best company and have quite a few interesting conversations with myself *okie wonders how many of her readers are nodding their head up and down and thinking 'yep that's so okie'*.

Anyway, if I don't get anything posted this weekend I just want to tell you guys to have a Happy Memorial Day and stay safe!!

At the Park - layout

I really think I need to do a lot more layouts that don't stress me out! This one was an easy one and there was no stress what so ever and ya know what...I like it!

Supplies used:
Cricut - E2; Don Juan cartridge; Locker Talk cartridge; Seasonal Cake Cartridge
Scenic Route - Garden Grove collection
Signo UM 153 gel pen
Cardstock - various
Prima - flowers
Janome Sew Mini
Stickles
Cat Eye Chalk Ink







I don't know how many people have Don Juan but I love the font on this cartridge! There isn't an upper and lower case, just one case and I am not sure really which it is. I thought it might drive me crazy being that way but I actually like it!

The redeeming factor is that the font does have a shadow! There are some cute cuts on the cartridge as well but to tell the truth, I don't think I have used many of them yet.






The slide is cut from Locker Talk. The silver of the slide is pop dotted. I wish I had cut the slide out of blue but I wasn't going to go back and do it again! The grass is from Seasonal Cake.

Altered Purse Tim Holtz Style

I think everyone knows I love Tim Holtz products! If you don't then you do now! I have managed to get 4 of his stacks and have been refusing to use them. You know the whole "if I use it I won't have it anymore" mentality. I finally did break out one of the stacks to use on a purse.


Supplies used:
BE Chipboard Purse
Tim Holtz - Lost and Found Paper Stash; Distress Ink; Ball Chain
K & Company - patterned paper, brad
KI Memories - Key
Small doily
Stampin Up - Marker
Twine
Jeweled brad
Geo Breeze - dome circle
Terrifically Tacky Tape (used for adhering elements to purse)






Here is a close up of all the elements on the flap. The clock was cut out from a sheet of the paper in the stack. I layered it with chipboard and a piece of the pink cardstock like on the front of the purse so it would have stability to stand up off the edge. I added a small doily behind it for the lacy look. Oh I added a small dome circle on the thermometer part of the clock.

The paper flower is book flower I made using a scallop punch and two different size circle punches.

I made the tassel on the key with some twine.



When I got the purse done I just felt like it needed something else and that is when I went back and added the ball chain. I thought about adding it just directly onto the flap but then I thought it would look so much better if it could swap from the flap.

You can see in this picture how it is just draping from the flap. Yes, it is okay for you to say right now "OMG OKIE!! YOU JUST ONCE AGAIN PROVED YOU ARE A CRAFTING GENUIS!" I'll wait....*okie waits for her readers to say the phrase...clears her throat and glances over to the right to the reader who is rolling their eyes and says...* Now now! Don't hate, just say it and we can go on...



I thought I should show how I added the ball chain since I know someone will likely be curious on how it was done. I used some nylon thread and a sewing needle, yep, that was the secret! I used my Tonic paper piercer to pierce through the flap so the needle would go through. Once I got the chain in place I made several passes through with the needle and thread so it would be sturdy. I then tied it with a square knot since nylon thread has a tendency to not want to stay tied.

While it is obvious in this picture how it was done you can't really see it when you are just looking at the purse in person.



I did add a little effort to the back of the purse this time *okie thinks to herself very little effort* and I know I did it because it just seemed to need it with the vintage theme of this purse. I was going to add some brads across the back to make them look like rivets but I decided not to waste the brads since most people will probably never see the back of the purse *okie is so cheap sometimes it almost hurts her* and I figured why waste them!

I really do think it would look better to decorate the backs a little more but honestly I just can't see myself doing it! To me it would be like decorating the back side of a layout!




To make the partial scallop circle I used a punched out scallop circle and laid it on the paper. I then took my foam inking pad and inked out so it left the image of the scallop lighter.

I think it gave it a nice effect but I wish I had started on the outer edge and worked my way in, making more of the scallops. I might try this on another project in the future and see how it works out.

You can see the faux stitching pretty good in this picture. A lot of times just a little faux stitching really adds a lot to a project.



I still have two purses left to alter. I can't decide what I want to do to them so it might be awhile before I get them done. So far this one is BY FAR MY FAVORITE!!

Bath Time - layout

I still have some more pictures of my daughter to scrapbook from when she was a baby. I try to save them to scrapbook for when I am upset with her and that way I can look at the pictures and remember when she was a baby how I cherished her and loved her so much. Not that I don't now, it's just that the love for our babies changes over the years and becomes different. Much like Mama bears fighting to the death for their young but then pushing them out on their own when it is time. It doesn't mean we love the less, we just love them differently.

Anyway, here is a layout I did of her when she was in the bath tub. That girl could never get enough of being in the water!

Supplies Used:
Supplies used:
Cricut - E2; New Arrival cartridge; Everyday Paperdolls cartridge
K & Company - Hopscotch
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo
Eyelets
Pearlescent Vellum
Cardstock - various
Robins Nest Embellishments
Decorative Accents
Janome Sew Mini
Stampin Up markers






I had taken a picture with my cell phone to post to the Cricut messageboard and after I did I thought the layout need a little something else. That is when I went back and added the little embellishments. I think they really made the layout look a lot different and so much better!

The clear ones are Decorative Accents. I believe they can be found at Michaels in the floral department. Years ago a bunch of us scrapbookers went nuts over them. Everyone was scrambling to find them. When the colors we didn't have or need weren't available we would use Tim Holtz alcohol inks to color them. I think the rage died down but I still use mine quite a bit. I think I have enough to last two life times.



To get the silver cut I moved the image to the edge of the mat and then just trimmed a little so I could just have the pipe and shower head in silver. I pop dotted the top layer of the tub for some dimension *okie wonders how many people get tired of her saying this*. I thought adding the little embellies to the top of the tub also made it look more festive *okie wonders if that is even the right words and decides she is too lazy to try and think of something else to say*.

For the bubbles on the title and border I cut them in cardstock and then layered with vellum. On the title I went back and cut with cardstock again so at least the centers would have the pearlescent effect.

Craftiest Mom Contest

I have entered the Craftiest Mom Contest that ProvoCraft is sponsoring on Facebook. I entered the double walled tumblers I made not long ago.

They asked why were were the craftiest mom and I told them:

From the time my daughter started school I was always the “Party Favor Mom”. Now that she is in college I am trying to continue with the tradition of providing cute crafty things for her and her friends.




If you think the tumblers I made are worthy and you have facebook please think about voting for my project! You can also share on your Facebook wall for your friends to vote as well. Thanks!!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Altered Purse Bird Theme

I got another one of my purses altered and this time I used some Cricut cuts! But first I want to show you what the purse looks like without being decorated. I thought I would post a picture so you guys could see what to look for if you decide you would like to do a purse and this way you know what to look for. I am not positive about the retail price, but I do know I got a great deal on them at GASC last year!







Supplies Used -
BE chipboard purse
Cricut - E2; Serenade cart
Patterned paper - Heidi Grace
Cardstock - Mica Stardream
Pearls - Want2Scrap
Cat Eye Chalk Ink
Prima flowers
Hot Fix Gems
1/4" metallic ribbon
chipboard








I did all the decorating on the flap of this purse. I cut the bird twice in the grey cardstock and then have a layer of chipboard in between. Since the image is off the purse flap I thought it needed some extra stability so it wouldn't bend easily. I welded the shadow of the flourish and the bird together.

After getting all the images layered and put together I added the flowers with some mini glue dots. I then added the hot fix gems with the IRock. I thought it still needed something so I added the pearls around the edge of the flap. The Want2Scrap booth was one I was looking forward to visiting at GASC. Since I am not attending this year I am comforted to know I can order line!



Here is another shot of the flap. I wanted to photograph it with the flap up to give you guys a better idea of what it looks like and how it opens. I posted before about the closure but will mention again that it has a built in magnetic closure.

Oh and on this picture you can see how I layered the bird and pop dotted. I cut the bird body and the wings twice. I then pop dotted between the hot pink layers and then again between the light pink layers. Click the picture if you want to see it up close. Go ahead, I'll wait...*okie files lightly at her finger nails while waiting*. Don't ya think it gives it a lot better dimension and a more interesting look?!



I also thought I would take a picture of the back of this purse so you can see that I do cover that as well. I don't take time to decorate the backs of the purses because I figure they aren't going to be seen anyway. I also cover the bottoms of the purses.

Here you can see the screw on the handle, which is included with the purse. I just use my Big Bit to punch through whatever paper I use to cover the top, following the holes that are pre-punched.


I still have 3 more purses to cover and not sure if I am bored with them yet or not. I probably should go ahead and just cover them and have it over and done with. Hmm, come to think of it I have a few Tim Holtz stacks I am dying to use...that might make an interesting purse for sure!!

We Are Family layout

This layout is actually the result of bad planning. I had planned on using it to scrap a picture of my daughter crying but the colors and layout of the papers just didn't seem to work for the picture. So here I was stuck with a layout and NO PICTURES!!

I dug through my pictures and found some pictures from our last trip to West Virginia. They are of my daughter with my grandma and aunts, and then me with grandma and my aunts. It seemed to work! *okie wipes the back of her and across her forehead and lets a very long dramatic WWHHEWWW!* This was actually the last time we saw my grandma. She died the following February.

Supplies used:
Cricut - E2; Stamping cartridge
Basic Grey - Infuse collection paper and chipboard element and number stickers
1/4" Grosgrain ribbon
Stampin Up - flower brads
Cat Eye Chalk Ink
Cardstock - various
Hot Fix gems








For the stem of the flower I used some nylon thread and gathered a length of ribbon. I cut some small pieces and made them into leaves, stitching them in place. To add the ribbon I just ran my ATG gun along the paper and then laid down the ribbon on the tape.

I have seen this technique used in quite a few things in magazines and I like how it adds some unusual dimension.




The title is cut from Stamping. I added some hot fix gems to give it a little bling. Ya'll know I am all about the bling! I went with the 2mm gems so they didn't over power the words.

Popcorn Cat Eye ink was used to ink the top half of the words. I think it really blended well and also matched the colors *okie wont say she was really surprised by the result, instead leaves people thinking she is a color genius*.

Very Merry Christmas layout

Remember the picture of Lucy working on a layout? Well this is the layout she was working on! She did get a little upset when I made her go with a darker background patterned paper even though I tried to explain that the lighter color made everything look too washed out. I think she got over it though because I did let her dig through the embellishment stash and use whatever she wanted.

Supplies Used:
Cricut - E2; Design Studio; Gypsy; Gypsy Wanderings; Joys of the Season cart; Elegant Edges cart
Cardstock - Coredinations; Mica Stardream
Patterned Paper - Anna Griffin
Robin's Nest embellishments
Stampin Up Ticket Punch
Gold Ink pad (not sure of brand)



The "Very Merry" was cut from Gypsy Wanderings, the date plate was cut from Elegant Edges, the swirls were cut from Joys of the Season. The photos were double matted on silver and then gold Mica cardstock. Lucy matched the blue cardstock to the blue of the pajamas my daughter was wearing. I told her she did good there.

The darker patterned paper really did look better than the original lighter paper that was planned. The title seemed to really get lost on the lighter paper.




The "Christmas" was cut from Joys of the Season, as was the present. Lucy added Robins nest embellies to the swirls and I told her to add the 3 next to the present. Well okay actually I had to add the embellies because she kept getting the mini glue dots stuck to her paws.

I think Lucy did a pretty good job on the layout over all. I asked if she wanted to use the Janome Sew Mini and she looked at me like I was crazy and then I realized she wouldn't be able to reach the foot pedal from the chair. I told her I would work on adding a little ledge on the chair in the future if she wanted to try the Sew Mini. I think she rolled her eyes at me so I am taking that as a "don't even bother".

How I Take Blog Pictures

I have seen many posts on the Cricut message board asking how to take nice pictures of projects to post on the board or to blogs and thought for today I would post how I take pictures instead of posting pictures of a project.

I use to be a photography major in college and I was the assistant editor of my school newspaper and knew all kinds of stuff about how to take awesome pictures, but let's face it folks...that was over 25 years ago and all that knowledge has gotten lost in my brain cells some where along the way. Oh I know it's still floating around in there but there is new information going around that my brain seems to find more important in my life at this point. Like how to assess for suicide, if anger is masking depression, if red and purple can make a great combo on a layout, if a Cricut can cut very thick chipboard, if Lucy likes rawhide treats or Alpo treats better, if....well as you can see my brain has been taken over by important matters that are current in my life at this time.

Now what was I talking about *okie closes her eyes and tries to think what she was posting about and suddenly the most recent episode of Modern Family pops into her head and she cracks up laughing about Cam falling into the little pool and popping it*. OH YEAH!! How to take decent pictures!!

We all know the best lighting is natural sun light, correct? But guess what...we can't always have natural sunlight for our projects! Sometimes it is raining, sometimes it is cloudy, and sometimes if you live in Oklahoma your project might get blown 3 blocks down the street by a high wind. I came up with a solution for me that didn't involve buying any special equipment, making any other purchases, or cost a single extra dime!

I got three wire squares left over from the wire cubes I had and use to use for storing my paper. They now store other things and this is why I had some squares left over. I thought this would make a good base for a background. I used a few zip ties to bind them together and left them a little loose so I could fold the three squares together when not in use. This saves room.

You could easily use cardboard or something else, but I am just showing you what I use and trying to point out that we don't have to go out and buy something.




I knew I needed a white background so colors would show well and something about balance *okie tries to dig off into her brain cells about photography but gives up because she doesn't want to get a headache*. I didn't want to go buy a sheet or material so I thought about what I had around the house. Sure enough in my stash of sewing supplies I found some quilting batting. And yes, I can quilt, I can sew and I can do many many other things, but we will save all that info for another post.





Now about the lamp. I got this fabulous Sunlight Lamps of America lamp from Walmart a few years back and it is A to the W to the E SOME! *okie wonders if everyone understands that she was trying to really emphasize the awesomeness of the lamp*. It is able to bend, swivel and tilt so it makes it wonderful to be able to move around and get the lighting on your projects how you want.




I do use different items to prop up layouts, most often my Big Bite. I use cart boxes or Stampin Up clamshells to put cards or altered items on to lift them off the table, just sliding them under the batting. I sometimes stack items to get the different heights. I take picture with the normal setting and when I want a close up I use the macro setting on my camera. I don't use an expensive camera either. I just have a little Canon PowerShot A470 that I got about two years ago.

So ya see folks, ya don't have to be a professional photographer to get decent pictures of your projects, ya just have to use a little ingenuity and a little digging around the house to find the right set up.

My Friends - layout

This was another layout I did over the weekend using the E2. I love the colors in this layout and I chose the paper from the colors in the picture.

Supplies Used -
Cricut - E2; Graphically Speaking cart, Old West cart, Elegant Edges cart
Patterned paper - Basic Grey Lime Rickey
Cardstock - various
Hot fix gems
Cat Eye Chalk Ink
Janome Sew Mini
Stampin Up Markers
Eyelet Outlet - Drink eyelets
1/4" Grosgrain ribbon



Some of you might recognize BFF Karen on the right. Everyone wave and say "HI BFF KAREN!"



I used the hide contour feature on the sombrero so I could get more color in it and after I got it done I wished I had added one more layer in the turquoise blue color but I was just too lazy to go back and do it again.

I added 2mm Hot Fix gems to the sombrero to give it a little more color and it does look a little better in person than in the picture.








I welded the base of the title together and then just layered the top letter on the base *okie wonders why she even typed that since it is obvious what she did from the picture*.

I had to hand write my journaling since my printer is fried *okie is still in mourning over this predicament* and I so hate my hand writing.

The drink eyelets were actually an after thought when I completed the layout but I think they look good even if they do get a little lost on the busy patterned paper background.

13th Birthday Layout

This was my first project with my E2. You might have seen my post from yesterday where the E2 was cutting pink cardstock, it was for this layout.

For some odd reason I had only one picture from my daughter's 13th birthday. Well I know the reason. I had went through a bad breakup just the day before and while I wasn't in the frame of mind to take pictures I sure wasn't going to let my daughter miss out on having something for such a milestone birthday so I picked myself up decorated the dining room, got her gifts ready and got her a cake.

Anywho, I am so loving Elegant Edges!! My friend AllisonF was sweet enough to sell me the extra one she had. I don't think I will be needing to buy anymore border punches either!! The borders are GORGEOUS!





Supplies Used:
Cricut - E2; Celebrations cart, Elegant Edges cart
Patterned paper - Creative Imaginations
Cardstock - various
Cat Eye chalk ink
3/8" grosgrain ribbon
Signo Um 153 gel pen

I did use the hide contour feature so I could get all the colored layers I was wanting for the "13".





While this is a fairly simple layout it doesn't look like it because of all the colors. I sometimes think the more color in a layout the more difficult it looks when in truth, it isn't.

The tags and border of presents are from Celebrations. If you don't have that cart I highly recommend it! I know probably most older Cricut users have it and some new users may not know about it.

I just noticed, I did do some stitching on the layout! See what happens when I don't write a post as soon as I finish a project? I forget what all I did! I bet that never happens to any of you *okie rolls her eyes and thinks 'yeah right'*.

No project posted today

I didn't get anything posted for today, even though I had made some layouts using my new E2. I just didn't get the pictures taken and edited and the posts written. But I am doing that tonight so they will post in the next few days.

I wanted to prove that I did use my E2 so I am posting this picture. As you can see I also have been using my Gypsy. I am getting better at doing my images on Design Studio, saving the file, closing the file, opening the file and saving as a gypsy file and the uploading to the gypsy. It sounds like a lot of work but believe me it is a lot less time consuming than me trying to use the Gypsy.

What about the new screen on the E2 you ask? HA HA HA Surely you guys didn't think I was gonna try to use the E2 without Design Studio! *okie shakes her head and really wonders about her readers sometimes* You guys know me by now that...well....IT AIN'T HAPPENIN!!

Remember MySpace?

Before Facebook became so popular a lot of kids were doing the MySpace thing. I even had a MySpace but quickly moved over to Facebook because I felt it was more simple to use.

Anyway I use to laugh at all the pictures my daughter would put of herself on MySpace and I decided to do a layout. I posted this layout a few years back but thought it was worth sharing again.

I think at the time I might have had maybe 3 cartridges. The filmstrip was a .cut file that someone had made, I have since made a few of my own at different sizes. I thought the film strip was perfect for adding all the little photos. I was able to use my photo program to add all the photos on one sheet and print them at once. I think they might be around 2x2.5". I did add my journaling in the word balloon after taking the picture.




Years from now who knows that kind of social networking will be available and MySpace might be put in a time capsule and forgotten. But at least my daughter and I will always remember it!

Cricut Circle Blog Contest - Show us your craft space

The contest states to take a picture of yourself in your craft space and I don't have anyone to take pictures of me while I am crafting. I tried to show Lucy how to work the camera but she wasn't able to hold the camera and push the button. After some arguing we agreed to just have me take a picture of her scrapping. Actually she had picked out some pretty nice paper don't ya think?!

As you can see Lucy and I have the new E2 right next to our red Expression. You can see our Cuttlebug over in the left hand side of the picture.

I tried to get her to smile but she got irritated because I interrupted her while she was trying to matte the photos. Oh well, maybe next time!

Altered Purse in Red, Pink. Blue and Brown

This purse looks a little more simple than the previous one, and it actually was faster to do. It might be because I already had my measurements and knew how to cover it.

I do know the paper I used for this one! It is My Mind's Eye Love Nest glitter stack. My friend Linda, aka LGuild, and I were in Hobby Lobby during one of our excellent adventures and I saw this paper and just fell in love with it! Since the paper stacks were half of of course I had to snatch it up!!

I really do love glitter stacks and the look they give to things. You can click on the picture if you want to see the paper a little better.



The ribbon is some I had in my ribbon stash and I thought it went well with the colors. It does look better in person than the photos. I used some Terrifically Tacky Tape to adhere the bow to the purse. For the strips of ribbon I just ran my ATG gun down the length and then placed it on the purse.

The pearls are some I got at GASC last year from the Want2Scrap booth. There is a link to their website in my list of favorites and their prices are great!!



I use my pearls sparingly and was looking forward to getting more this year at GASC but since we won't be going I will have to see if my friend Angela from My Paper Passion will be willing to pick some up for me! She is suppose to be coming to visit me this summer and help me learn how to use the E2.

Come to think of it she did offer to take pictures and buy for me so there might be other things I want her to get for me!! Thank goodness for cell phones with camera's! It's so nice to have personal shoppers available! LOL

Altered Purse in Pinks and Black

I got 6 Bare Element chipboard purses last year when I went to the Great American Scrapbook Convention. They were only $2.50 each was a fantastic bargain! I think they usually run about $10 or so. The flap has a magnetic closure built in and still worked fine with the paper layered over it.

This is the first one I have done and I really like how it turned out. I would tell you the paper I used, but I don't know what it is! Maybe DCWV All Dressed Up. If one of ya'll know please tell me so I can put the correct paper in this post! The polka dot paper is Little Yellow Bicycle and the other side has Halloween items on them.
**update: Thank you Marijo! The patterned paper is DCWV Black Currant**

The edges are inked with Cat Eye Chalk Ink in charcoal, but you probably can't tell. I added some Imaginese flat back pearls on the purse flap. I really like these and got them at Michaels using a coupon.



I dug through my stash of flowers and was able to find some that I thought would work well with the colors of the paper.

I was also able to find some ribbon that matched the flower center and put a little extra color into the project. I just tied the ribbon into bows on the handle of the purse.






The size of the purse will allow A2 size cards to be put in it or I might put some Bath and Body Works items in it. I am not sure yet. But ya know I might just make the purse be the prize without anything any it!

I will be posting another purse tomorrow. I send a picture to my friend Razzi and she told me she wanted it and I told her she would have to come to the party and win it! I don't think she liked it when she asked if she could Skype in on the party and I told her "you must be present to win".

Really Simple and Plain Layout

THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THURSDAY MAY 12TH BUT BLOGGER ATE IT, REPOSTING TODAY.

I did this layout quickly. I just felt like doing a layout and pulled out some a few pictures I had. These were the only pictures I took on a trip to Texas for some reason but I still wanted my daughter and I to remember it so decided to scrap these together.

I used Basic Grey Euphoria for the paper, sticker flower element and the chipboard letters. The red pearls are Queen and Company. As you can see there is NO CRICUT! *okie gasps* I was too lazy to try and cut anything and since I had all the cool elements I just decided to slap it together quickly. Of course I did have to ink the edges, remember it is a compulsion with me at this point in my life and I cringe if I even think about not inking edges of paper *okie wonders if there is a therapy for this inkoitis that she seems to suffer*.

I am really trying to remember that not every layout has to be a masterpiece! Sometimes it can be simple, and that is okay.

The flower vine got kind of lost on the edge so I took it apart and cut the horizontal paper back a little so they would show more. I do like the pearls in the center for the flowers and it did add a little bling to help dress the layout up a little.

I did like how the flower vine overlapped onto the pictures an since the pictures were a little dark it showed up better.

I started not to share this layout since it isn't one I really put a lot of time and work in to but I figured we all have these kind and if we don't we need to remember it is about the pictures and not all the artwork.