I'M Back From Provo Craft Training...whew!

The reason I have been MIA is that I was selected to be a Provo Craft Demonstrator at Michaels.  Woohooo!  They selected about 200 of us nationwide to kick off a campaign that starts this coming Sunday, May 2nd.  We are going to be demonstrating.....get this..........

THE BRAND NEW CRICUT CAKE MACHINE !!!

I am so excited for this opportunity!  We get to demo the Cricut Cake the month of May every Sunday afternoon from 1 to 5 pm.  Select Michaels nationwide were chosen to have demonstrators. 

Plus get this....we are getting paid to do this!  Can you imagine, getting to play with one of the newest Cricut machines on the market ?  I am one lucky lady for sure.

To top it all off, they flew all of us to Chicago for a three day training class...all expenses paid!  We were treated like Cricut Royalty :)  We are working for Campaigners which is part of ASM.  They are supporting this huge campaign for Provo Craft.  We had training sessions on many of the Provo Craft products such as the Cricut Expression, the Gypsy, the Yudo, and of course, the Cricut Cake.  I learned so much about each of their products. 

Here are a few pics from the weekend. I will post a few more later this week.

Training Room Full of 200 wild and crazy Cricut Lovers !!

Lots of New Friends Were Made During this Trip.

 Here are a few of us from all over Texas. We even named ourselves the Cricut Mafia !  LOL

After a long day in training we managed to have a little bit of fun !

32 of my new BFF...of course, we had to see a scrapbook store while in Chicago. 

We all piled into a stretch hummer limo and made it to Windy City Scrapbooking.

Thanks to their wonderful team that stayed open late just for us to come to their store. 

We had a blast getting to know each other and of course shopping !

Here is one of my new BFF,Michelle, getting out of our stretch hummer.

As you can see here, Windy City Scrapbooking is an amazing store!

And of course, everywhere I go, I always look for my 2 Peas Message Board Friends.

Here is part of our group that got together and did a swap.

As usual, the 2Peas group was full of creativity and wonderful swap items were given. 

Thanks ladies. I LOVE everything I received from you !

This post is getting too long...so I am cutting myself off.  Check back tomorrow and I will share some info we received from Provo Craft during our training weekend.

I will be at the Michael's at Bissonnet and Weslayan here in Houston. Come by and see me if you are in the area on Sunday afternoon. Would love to see you and show you the Cricut Cake ! If you know anyone who might enjoy this fun new machine, tell them to come on by.

I am a Guest Blogger !

We had a great time taking our granddaughter Bianca to the Houston Zoo over spring break a few weeks ago.  Recently I was asked to be a Guest Blogger on the zoo blog and showcase our trip. The article was posted today...go to HOUSTON ZOO BLOG to read about our fun zoo adventure.  Please leave a comment on the blog post there....I have dreams of being a frequent blogger on the site since we really enjoy our outings there and also supporting the zoo.  The number of comments I receive might help give me another shot as a Guest Blogger...thanks! 

Stay tuned for a Zoo Mini Album I am already working on about our trip.  You will want to come back to see the album when I finish it since we captured Bianca and  some of the animals doing some interesting things that day !

Here is a taste of some of the fun we had...different pics are on the HOUSTON ZOO BLOG posting.

SWIMMING WITH THE FISHIES...ISN'T THAT COOL !

TESTING HOW THE ANIMALS THAT LIVE UPSIDE DOWN FEEL

JUMPING FOR JOY...ON A SPRINGY FOREST FLOOR IN THE CHILDREN'S ZOO

"I HAD THIS MUCH FUN AT THE HOUSTON ZOO!"

Wishing you all a wonderful and INSPIRING time this weekend.

Lambs, Chocolate Bunnies and Easter Chicks...Oh My !

I am having so much fun with my new Cricut Easter 2010 cart...LOVE it!

We are having more people than originally planned for Easter Dinner so I don't have enough Easter napkin rings to go around (they were flower felt ones I made ages ago)...so, I had the brainiac idea tonight to make new ones using shapes from the Easter cart. Lambs, Chocolate Bunnies and Easter Chicks, OH MY !

I hope my family loves the Easter Napkin Ring Holders as much as I do!

Directions for those that are INSPIRED to make this quick Easter project:

I cut the shapes at 5 inches and used a glazed pen to highlight their bows and a 2" X 6" green strip of cardstock rolled up to form a little tube, stapled using Tim's Tiny Attacher and then glue dotted on to the back of the die cut shapes.  Super, super easy and fast ! 

You could easily make these as place holder to depending on the placement of the paper ring.

HOPPY EASTER everyone !

Come Join the Craft Carnival !

Have you ever done a craft blog hop?  If not, you are in for a real treat. For those that have blog hopped before you know what great inspiration you can find on other peoples blogs. 

My blog is being featured on the Craft Critique Spring Carnival. Just click HERE and then click on each listing to go to that person's blog and see what Spring Craftiness they have to offer !

I also wanted to share with you some additional Spring Craftiness I have been up to lately.  With Easter just around the corner...April 4th...it seems sooooo early this year, I created this table scap to get the spirit of Easter started early at our house.  Enjoy and hope you find some INSPIRATION to get your Easter decor out soon.

I can hardly wait for my family to sit down to Easter dinner

surrounded by all these pretty Spring Colors.

More Spring Projects to Share

I promised in my last post to show you the other two projects I made using the Martha Stewart Crafts Scoring Board. 

The first is a Spring Paper Medallion...It was so easy to get even scores using the score board to then fold to create the total medallion shape.

Once I scored the 12X2 1/2 piece of patterned paper, I then accordian folded it.  I made two of these.

After I made the two accordian folded pieces, I then manipulated the paper until it formed a fan shape with each piece and then glued the two fans together to get the medallion shape.

After I made the lovely Spring Paper Medallion, I then used some circle punches for center pieces and a cute crocheted flower to the center. 

Tada.....now it is ready to hang or use as a gift package topper.  You could easily create very large medallions and then used them in banners to hang up in your house and decorate the fronts to your liking.  Don't be too shocked if you see me make my next banner using this technique !

     

The Martha Stewart Crafts Scoring Board not only includes instructions to make various size cards and envelops but also includes instructions to make your own Paper Gift Boxes.  That was sooo exciting, I decided to give it a try now that I had "made friends" with the scoring board.  Here is what I ended up making out of scrap paper I had laying around.....

It is a cute 4X4 Paper Gift Box with a lid that lifts off. You could put lots of small treasure in this box to give to someone special.  And it was super-uber-easy to make in just a few minutes.  Seriously !  How fun would it be to use up more of your patterned paper and create adorable Paper Gift Boxes for your family and friends.  There are directions for making both smaller and larger boxes too that are included in the instructions. 

Oh, and I added one of those paper roses that are all the rage now using a large circle shape, cutting in a spiral and then wrapping the curly strip until it forms the flower.  I also made a couple of paper leaves to complete the look.

Hope these projects INSPIRE you to get a MSC Scoring Board and make some awesome projects of your own.

A Crafty Review Just 4 You !

Even though I have been making scrapbooks for a number of years, I had never really gotten into making cards with my scrapbook supplies. While I have admired those who use beautiful patterned paper to make their own cards and envelops, I was frustrated at the complicated templates and scoring products I had tried. Repeatedly over the years, I had abandoned my dream to join the card maker ranks until recently.

Low and behold while on a recent trip to a local craft store, I found a scoring system that didn’t look so awkward and promised to be easy to use. It was the Martha Stewart Crafts Scoring Board. I have loved all my other Martha Stewart Craft purchases so I was intrigued they had a scoring tool. Retail was only $19.99 USD but with my craft store coupon it was even less expensive so I decided to give it a try.

I joyously share this great find with you.

After reading the easy instructions, I was ready to make my first card and matching envelop. I chose to make a standard A2 card and envelop. The Scoring Board comes with everything you need except paper and adhesive to make a card base and envelop. Plus it has handy built in storage for the scoring tool in the tray on top and envelop template fits on the back of the base.

Crisp, clean lines are achieved due to the great scoring tool included. As you can see in the picture, the scoring tool (on left) is thinner than a traditional bone folder (on right) and fits in the scoring tracks perfectly. I love that the folds created are also thinner and not as bulky as those made by a traditional bone folder.

The large scoring base easily holds both small and large paper up to 12 X12.

You place the envelop guide in the upper left corner of the base. The guide lines are easy to read and after locating the appropriate measurement, it was simple to place the scoring tool in the right place and run down the length of my paper in one simple motion.

Once the envelop was scored, it was easy to follow the directions and snip the sides of the folds as directed. The scored lines were easy to fold and made a nice sharp edge all around the envelop.

Tada…I had made my first envelop ever and a card to match !

This was such an easy and fun tool to use, I immediately jumped into creating a few other projects that would benefit from using the scoring board.  I will post those another day. 

Martha Stewart Crafts Scoring Board
Pros
• Extremely easy to use right out of packaging
• Clever built in storage for scoring tool and envelop template, which are included
• Easy to read markings for scoring
• Crisp, clean, thin lines made with scoring tool
• Large base surface fits up to 12X12 paper and light weight to transport
• Easy to follow instructions for various size cards, envelops and gift boxes included
• Instructions are in English, Spanish and French

Cons
• The grooves were a little hard to clean out when I accidently got adhesive in them

I couldn’t be happier with the Martha Stewart Scoring Board. In fact, I think it is one of the best purchases I have made to expand my crafty projects. Don’t walk, run to get one for yourself, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

What kind of projects do you make that could use a score board ?

Signs of Spring are EVERYWHERE !

I LOVE Spring Time, don't you?  Most of all I love the colors of spring...greens, pinks,  yellows, blues, purples are exploding in nature everywhere you look.  So INSPIRING !

My eye naturally finds these wonderful spring time colors no matter where I go.  And who could resist creating a special project show casing not only spring time but the most important spring time event, Easter!  Can you believe that Easter is only a few short weeks away?  WOW, this year is going by so fast.

Here is a special Easter Egg shaped mini album I made to showcase a family Easter gathering.  The album in actually an egg shaped corregated/mylar garland that I bought at Jo Ann's Craft and Fabric store.  See you can find inspiration in unusual places too :)  I used my Cricut to cut some of the shapes, American Craft patterned paper, Cuttlebug embossing, various stamps and lots of cute Easter embellishments I have collected. 

Hope this Eggstra-special Mini Album INSPIRES you to make a spring time project soon. I taught this class last year at a local craft store so if you have any questions about putting this project together, please post a comment and I will happily respond.  Have a great week !

What ! More card making...from me ?

I don't really consider myself much of a card marker.  With the exception of Valentines Day recently, I usually don't take the time to sit down and focus on card making.  However, last week I was down with strep throat and once the meds kicked in, I was bored and feeling a little crafty but not up to my usual marathon scrapping.  So, I tried my hand at making a few more cards...this time for some special friends.
I enjoyed creating these little creations to share.

Hello Friend Card

This card was made with some paper scraps, my new Martha Stewart floral border punch,  some glimmer mist, misc pins, ribbon, thicker letters and an old Lux Designs "friend" rub on. I really loved how this turned out. It was such a cheerful little card to send to a friend that I miss and wanted her to know I was thinking of her.

Have a Tweet Day Friend Card

This is a birthday card I made for a special lady that is so talented. I really wanted to send her something fun for her birthday.  A while back I had bought these adorable Glitz Design chipboard birds and matching patterned paper, but I had been hoarding them for just the right project. {LOL}.  And of course, with all my banner making lately, I am addicted to crepe paper ruffles so I happily added that element to embellish this card. 

My friends who received the cards last week both sent me a note thanking me for the cards.  That really made me SMILE so that may INSPIRE me to try making some more cards to share in the future.

Oh...and for those that were asking...My dad is doing pretty well. After a few set backs he was finally able to start his chemo treatment this week.  His MRI showed that the remaining liver is growing back perfectly and they didn't see any signs that the cancer had grown back.  Thank goodness!  The chemo is for 6 months to help make sure there aren't any cancer cells still lurking around.  We feel very fortunate he is doing well but know the next few months may be hard on him so keep him in your prayers still.

A Happy Monday ?

Frankly,  I have had better days. With all our crazy weather changes lately, I think I am working on a major sinus infection...I know -- TMI !  LOL   I can barely breathe and my voice keeps going in and out.  Fun, right?  And the weather here tomorrow is supposed to get cold and rainy and possibly snowy! It was a high of 72 today.  When is this going to stop ?  crazy, crazy weather this year everywhere for sure.  I heard the other day that it was being blamed on El Nino winds.....I personally think it is global warming but I will leave that debate for another day.

Okay, now I am turning a "Not so Happy Monday" into a "Happy INSPIRING Monday" for my blog readers.......Ta Da !!!!

There are some really amazing cool and funky and INSPIRING places around Houston. One of our New Year's Resolutions was to pick a different place around town each month and go for a visit.  In February we picked two..since they were so close together.  Today I will share the first one with you.

First up is the BEER CAN HOUSE...yes, you read that right...A House covered in Beer Cans.  It started off in the mid 1970's or so as a foundation insulation project by a recently retired upholsterer for a railroad company.  One day while his wife was at work, the recent retirer was sitting around drinking some beer...he had a pile of empty beer cans and a house with an exposed foundation on his bungelow styled house.  Being recently retired, he knew he needed to save money and thought all those cans could be recycled somehow. (this was WAY before people were even thinking or acting on recycling).  He proceeded to cut open some cans and pounded them flat and added them all around the bottom of the house.  His wife came home from work and noticed the unusual treatment on the house.  The hubby assured her it was a money saving thing and she went inside.  Day two....through seven...every day her hubby kept adding a layer of flat beer cans to the house, when it got up to about 2 feet all around the house, the wife asked what he was doing?  He said the aluminum was a good insulator and would save them on cooling bills. 

Now here is what I admired about the wife...she made a deal with her hubby right then and there. She told him, you can have the outside of the house but you can not TOUCH ANYTHING ON THE INSIDE OF THE HOUSE!  So Funny....just take a look at what that deal meant on the outside after many years.....

Keep looking...yes, he eventually covered every square inch of this house plus all of the garden area was paved over and he added sculptures he made as well.

Check out these beer can garlands he made and hung from the roof of his house...all the way around !

And here is a cute pic of Bianca in front of one of the sculpture walls in the backyard of the house...made completely out of beer cans and glass bottles and a wood frame.  AMAZING !!!

This is what I call recycling at the finest stretch of the imagination !  The man and his wife passed away years ago but a local artist preservation group has bought the property and keeps the house up and offers tours to the curious for a very small donation. 

The Beer Can House has been listed on the 100 Greatest Things to SEE on a Road Trip Across the US.   We were surprised to learn that people from all over the world make an effort to come see this house. The foundation has a registery book inside where everyone signs in...it was great fun to see so many countries represented.  Just that day while we were there we saw a family from Norway, one couple from South America and another couple from Asia who had all made a special trip to see the house. Of course, many locals were also there enjoying this unusual site.

This house brought to mind the old saying...."One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure !" .  What an INSPIRATION  to have enjoyed the creativity of this man.   

PINK = FUN !

All the lovely Valentine inspiration this month has my eye trained to catch anything red, white or pink. 

I want to share something PINK I saw the other day.....this looks like so much FUN! 

Is this not the cutest, PINK thing you have ever scene ?!!!!  I had Bianca with me that day and we just wanted to hop on board immediately and take off on a little PINK adventure !  Of course, we were having a bit of a conflict of who would be driving and which one of us was riding shot gun in the side car. I was tempted to give in and let a 7 year old drive so I could ride in the little side car...what a trip that would make!

I really wanted to hang around outside the store and see who was the proud owner of this adorable transportation but alas, as usual ,we were pressed for time and had to get home.

I hope who ever owns this PINK delight appreciates it as much as I did that day :)  It sure INSPIRED me that day. I wonder how my BMW would look in PINK instead of it's current racer green ?  hmmmmmmm.......