Life from Marianne's Table

Orange Blog Hop Winner!! Plus One!

2011-10-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

First I want to thank everyone who stopped by my blog and left such nice comments over the weekend during the Second Annual Orange Blog Hop! I really hope Debby keeps this tradition going and I can continue to be a part of it each year.

All of the Fiskateers did such an amazing job blogging and hopping along leaving Fisk-a-luv! It was great seeing so many different ideas from so many talented Fiskateers! I know there are ideas from the hop that will come in handy when I least expect it! That is what I love about looking at blogs - even if you don't have something in mind for the new idea you see, eventually you will!

Now, you didn't really come back to read my ramblings! I used Random.org to select my winner, but I still need to learn how to make a screen copy of the results like some of the more professional bloggers I see! Until then, you will just have trust me! I put in the numbers 1 - 74 and the winner is #22

Cordelia Stewart said...

Love it! Way to think outside the box in turning your new bag! It makes it more special/more rewarding than just going out and buying something orange!October 1, 2011 7:51 AM

Since Cordelia didn't mention the scissors pin, I picked another winner to receive it. The winner of the pin is #61:


Rosalee said...: Love your bag. The decorating is beautiful. I don't have a pair of those cute little scissors and I would so love to have a chance. Hugs, RosaleeOctober 11, 2011 10:03 AM

Congratulations to Cordelia and Rosalee! As soon as I get your shipping information, I will get your prizes out to you!

Fiskateer Orange Blog Hop!

2011-09-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

Wowzers! I was so excited to see the line up of everyone participating in this blog hop! There is going to be so many great blogs from Fiskateers to find yourself a lot of crafty inspiration!

Did you just arrive from Lindy's great blog, Vini Vidi Scrappy? If you did, you are on the right track! If you just happened by, welcome to the Orange Blog Hop where members of Fiskateers, a community sponsored by Fiskars, are sharing their passion for crafting. If you need to see the hop list, remember Angela will have it posted on the Fiskateers Blog.

All but one crop I have ever done have been on-line with my fellow Fiskateers. So, I didn't have a bag to carry my small tools to the upcoming Arizona United States of Fiskateers crop. With this crop in mind, the hunt was on for a small bag. I didn't find anything in my first color choice, which was Orange, so I bought this inexpensive bag at Hobby Lobby thinking I would get crafty and jazz it up a little! If a Fiskateer cannot get Orange, the next best thing is to get green and add Orange to it!

In this first shot, I had already added some Orange and white checked ribbon to the clear pockets. For a sturdy, flat stamping surface, I placed the long block from my Fiskars block set inside each clear pocket as I went along.

Next,I inked up one of my stamps from Fiskars Simple Stick Kaliediscope set with white Staz-On Ink and stamped flowers on the three clear pockets on each side of the bag.

After I added a few more embellishments...Wa La! A bag that looks like it is fit for a Fiskateer crop! An added plus about this bag, is it is small enough I will be able to leave it on my crafting table with some of my favorite tools and it will match a lot of other things in my crafty space. I have mostly Orange, green and pink baskets and containers. When I became a Fiskateer, I had a lot of pink and green, but we all know what happens once you are a Fiskateer! Every Orange thing you see just wants to go home with you!!

Fiskars products used:
     5" Non-Stick Scissors
     Kaleidoscope Simple Stick Repositional Stamps
   Stamp Block Set

PRIZE ALERT: I will randomly select a Fiskateer who leaves a comment to win a special Fiskars surprise (you do not have to follow my blog to win). Also, did you see that special pair of scissors on my bag with the beautiful Orange bling? If you do not have a pin like it, let me know in your comment, and I will include one in the package if you are the winner. If the winner of my prize already has one (i.e. they don't mention it), I will pick a second winner from those who said they don't have one, and that person will get my extra pin.

Now, prepare to be amazed as you go hopping the next stop where, Mary at MareBare Scraps will show you some crafty fun!

Don't Miss the Fiskateer Hop...

2011-09-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

If you are a Fiskateer and haven't heard the news, there is an Orange Fiskateer Hop on the way! I have a project I am getting ready for the big event. It is sure to be Fisk-a-fantastic!!

If you are crafty and you are not a Fiskateer, why not? Go to fiskateers.com and check it out for yourself, contact a lead and be a part of the creative fun!

A Great Giveaway from Tifany! Open until August 8th...

2011-08-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

Look at Tifany's blog to see the details. She is has some wonderful gifts in celebration of reaching 250 followers.

What YOU could win!

Finally a Crafty Post on My Blog - Simple Layered Flowers...For Fiskateer Chalenge

2011-07-20T23:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I have been wanting to try my hand at a tutorial on video. I had no idea how to start. This week on the Fiskateer CHA-In-Spirit Crop there was a challenge to do a tutorial. It did not have to be done with video, but I was determined. First I decided on the easiest little project I could, so the content would be easy for me and it would go quickly. I know it is super simple, and I could have typed out the directions in about 1/20th the time it took me to do this video. But, I was using the video recording and uploading as a practice run in case I ever decide to do this again.

So, with out further ado, here is my video and I hope you can find something in it that you can either enjoy or learn from!

I don't know why there is the parts with the jumbled up sections. They were not there before i started the upload. But, since this is the last day to enter and I really don't have time to go back and figure it out, that is something I will leave to tackle next time!

Thank for your patience! I see more videos in my future, because I really did have fun doing it!

Hugs, Marianne

Dreyer's® Fruit Bars: Where Will You Plant Your Vote?

2011-06-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

Dreyer's® Fruit Bars: Where Will You Plant Your Vote?: Marana, Arizona

I am really hoping some of my readers will help with this worthy cause. My friend, and fellow Fiskateer, Sandy is working hard at getting votes for her community food bank to have an orchard planted by winning this contest. Registering just takes a minute and you can vote one time every day. I believe they are currently in 5th place, just about 300 votes away from 4th place.

If you are a Fiskateer, Sandy has a RAK she is giving out for those who are voting. If you pass this on, she will give you more entries!! (I am not entering the RAK)

So, when you get registered, you can ask for a listing by state and then vote for the Community Food Bank in Marana, Arizona.

This will only take a minute of your time and is for such a worthy cause!

Nothing Crafty, But I Wanted to Share

2011-04-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

When I was four years old, my parents moved our family to the country from the Big City. My mom still lives in the house we moved to...42 years ago. We didn't have a telephone or a well for over a year. We hauled our water from a community well five miles away and my parents made emergency-only phone calls from a neighbor's house. There was only one television channel. It was an NBC channel and the local news was half in English and half in Navajo.

At first we lived on 2 acres, then my parents were able to buy the lot next to us, then the one on the other side. My grandfather owned the adjoining property to the back of our house, where he had a small mobile home he visited in the summer. So, we had one big yard!

Growing up, we made our own fun and mostly it was outside. We liked to make forts in the bushes and climb two big juniper trees that were in Grandpa's backyard. We didn't know about property lines or anything, so his pretty much seemed like our backyard.

Now fast-forward to 1999. That is the year that Grandpa gave up his property and Dan and I acquired it. The best thing about our new yard were those two huge juniper trees. We situated our new house about 25 feet away from one of the trees so it is on the south side and provides wonderful shade for our house in the summer. It is the tree we sat our swing under, along with our Bar-B-Que, a picnic table, and even a couple of Grandpa's old metal patio chairs, which I guess to be from the 1950s or 60s. We have a bird bath close by, some bird feeders Dan made for me from cups and saucers on top of posts and feeders for the hummingbirds hang from the tree's branches. You could pretty much say we built our house and yard around this tree.

Since we live in an area that has been in a drought for so many years, we haven't added any more trees. Our well has gone dry once. For over two years hauled water from that same community well that my family did when I was a child. If you have never had to haul water, let me tell you it is not a real fun thing to have on your to-do list every few days. It gets old fast! Hauling it to water trees just doesn't seem like the thing to do.

Just recently, about three or four weeks ago, Dan noticed something not quite right on one of the branches of our much-loved tree and suspected some bugs had eaten away at a part of one of the branches. We were busy going out of town a couple of weeks in a row, due to a relative who was sick and has now passed away. So, obviously, the tree would not Dan's first priority at the time. Once we were home and settled, Dan took a little closer look at the limb, broke a piece off, collected some of the bugs and headed to the local nursery for advice. It turns out the tree has been attacked by Bark Beetles. There are two big limbs that have really suffered a lot of damage. Dan has sprayed it and fertilized it with what the man at the nursery advised. He has cut off any of the little dead limbs that were up inside to let all of the nutrition can get to the live parts. Yesterday our friend, John, who has a Master's degree in agriculture came to take a look at it. John's news was not good. He said it is not very often that you can actually get rid of these nasty insects once they get started. We know that here in the southwest Bark Beetles have killed off huge portions of our forests. The good news, if you want to call it that, is that it takes years to actually kill off a tree of this size. John encouraged Dan to keep doing what he is doing with fertilizer and maybe it would be healthy enough to fight it off.

The news was not what we wanted to hear, but we are trying to remember it is only a tree. For some reason, this is harder for me to remember than it should be. That tree has so many fond memories spanning nearly my whole life. It is a beautiful part of God's creation and I suppose I just don't want to start making memories without it.

The Bling Queen's Giveaway - Last Day to Enter

2011-03-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

Look at all of the goodies that Wendy from the Bling Queen is giving away! Today (March 31) is the last day to enter. Go take a look and enter to win. When you do, please tell her Marianne sent you. Thanks so much!

Easter with Glue Dots® Adhesives and Copic Markers A Doubld Giveaway

2011-03-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

Easter is fast approaching. All the holidays this year have been sneaking up on Debbie this year and she is not taking any chances for Easter. You won't want to miss the fabulous Easter project she has already finished that she did with Glue Dots. You will also want to find out how you can be the winner of some Copic Markers! So run, don't walk, over to Debbie's Blog.

Debby is at it Again. Chance Number Two of Three to Win Six Copics.

2011-03-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

This time around instead of showing you her artistic skills as a scrapbooker, Debby is talking junk. She is having some great Copic Giveaways this week and you can have a chance to enter by going to her blog to see just what junk Debby is talking about while she gives away her second set of Copics

Big, Big Giveaway of Petaloo Flowers

2011-03-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Just a sample of the many packages of
flowers Leah has pictured on her blog

Leah at "Life as Lou" is giving away an unbelievable amount of beautiful Petaloo Flowers. Take a look at her blog and please tell her Marianne sent you. If she picks you comment, we will both win $75 worth of Petaloo flowers.

Also, while you are there, take a look around her blog. She writes some interesting stories that will get you thinking!

Fun SVG Files

2011-03-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

Sample of Patti's Work

Patti at Short 'N Scrappy has some fun SVG files in her Etsy shop. She also has some that she offers for free on her blog. I hope you will check out both sites and support her Etsy shop if you have the need and find something you like. She is a generous lady with a fun blog, so go check it out!

Great Blog Candy - Take a Look for Yourself! ♥ Candy for U! ♥

2011-02-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

Creating from the Heart: ♥ Candy for U! ♥

Making Rosettes...the Old Fashioned Way!

2011-02-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

My First Rosette

I was talking to my friend, Maureen, today. She had posted several rosettes on her blog that she made with her Tim Holtz die. I told her I had just recently made my first rosettes and she asked me to post a picture. This is a Valentine I made for my husband to take to one of the ladies at the doctor's office. He had an appointment on Valentine's Day. The doctor has three great ladies who work in the office and he asked me if I would make them cards. It made me so happy I did when he came home and he told me they all really liked them and one of them said that it would be the only Valentine she received.

Basically, all I did was cut strip paper and punched it with my Fiskars Apron Lace border punch. The best way to fold it evenly is to score between every other scallop on one side and then turn it over and score between the scallops you did not do on the first side. Then fold on the score lines like a fan, put the two ends together with adhesive, shape it into a circle and glue down. The width of the strip of paper will determine the diameter of your rosette and the length will determine how many pleats it has.The trickiest part for me was holding it in place while I was gluing it.

I saw the instructions for this on a blog and I wish I could give proper credit, but I don't remember where I saw it.

Since I told you there were three cards, here are the other two, plus a picture of what I made for some of my younger nieces and nephews. That is all of the Valentine cards I think I made. Most of them could be used for other occasions as well, but because of the bulkiness of the first three, they would probably have to be hand delivered.

I know my photography is not very good - I will work on it!

Thanks for looking,

Happy Crafting,

Marianne

A Generous Giveaway! Open until March 6

2011-02-20T17:34:00.000-08:00

Cindy at Scrapping Room has a big giveaway on her blog! She has three prizes and first prize is a Your Story book binding system. Go over and check it out.

My Valentine for My Valentine

2011-02-20T11:24:00.000-08:00

I know Valentine's Day was almost a week ago, but I wanted to share the card I made for my husband this year. He gave me the ultimate compliment, telling me he thinks it is the best card I have ever done. I was so happy he liked it that well. He is my biggest fan when it comes to my card making and scrapbooking. The idea for his card came from the cover of last year's February issue of Card Maker Magazine. I loved it then and went back and found it when I was looking for ideas this year. I added to my collection of Fiskars border punches with this heart punch just to make this card. Being a Fisk-a-teer, I tend to love my Fiskars tools! My version of the card is changed up a little from the magazine. They had a greeting on the front with a bow where I have the big heart in the middle. I didn't have a stamp that really fit in that space and I really didn't want to use ribbon on this card. I actually liked the idea I used once I got going on it.

I hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Crafting!

Marianne

Making a Bow for a Package

2011-02-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

Start with 8 1/2" sheet of paper. Cut in to nine 3/4" strips.
(The tutorial I originally saw said you can use
a magazine, but because the scrapbook paper is more
stiff, it holds its shape better.

This is a tutorial for a challenge in the Fiskateer 2.0 CHA On-line Crop. This is an easy way to make a blow for a package. I think I posted a picture of the first bow I made about a year and a half ago. It was the first challenge I completed as a Fiskateer.

Leave three full-length. Trim 1" off of three. Trim 2" off of two and trim one to 3 1/2"

Make a double loop and glue ends
(Works best if they are long and narrow)

With loop at each end, glue in the middle

Starting with the longest working to the smallest, stack and glue the pieces and put the small ring in the middle

After you tuck the loops here and there, you will have a bow

You may have noticed the finished bow isn't the one I have the strips cut from. It is the one I made a long time ago. In the tutorial I suggested you make the pieces long and narrow. The ones I made for the tutorial were a little to short and wide. The pieces didn't tuck in well and it just didn't turn out as well as this one. I do hope someone will give this a try...takes about 5 minutes. I would love to give credit to the person who I learned this from, I am pretty sure it was a Fiskateer Lead, but I am not sure.

CHA Sneak Peeks - You Can Win!

2011-01-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

I have seen a lot of great new product lines getting ready to be revealed at CHA. Here is a sneak peek of three fun new lines from Imaginisce. Go take a look and maybe you will be the lucky winner!

Thank You Color Bok!

2011-01-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

I had one happy little girl at my house yesterday!

Awhile back I filled out a survey from Color Bok and they sent me a plaster magnet Paint Me kit. It was so perfect for a project for me to have on hand for the next time my niece, Hannah, came to visit. When Hannah arrived, she had a scrapbook kit she had gotten for Christmas that she had not even opened because she wanted to scrapbook with Aunt Mari :-) It, too, was made my Color Bok. We had a dilemma on our hands! Do we scrapbook or paint? You can judge for yourself by these pictures of the happy girl I had on my hands!

Our Budding Artist

The Finished Masterpieces

Now we have some new pictures to put in that scrapbook the next time she is here!

My Christmas Fun...So Far

2010-12-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

All I can say is thank goodness I am a Fiskateer! Otherwise, I don't know if I would have had any Christmas cards made or if the bug for creating anything would have hit me yet. Today was the first day I felt like making it "look a lot like Christmas." I didn't get a whole lot done in that direction. However, everything from fall is now put away and there are a couple of things in their place to indicate that Christmas is fast approaching!

My goal is to share a few crafty Christmas items I have made in the last couple of months here on my blog over the next couple of weeks.

Gail #6870, Lynn #7182 and Mary # 6811

In this post, I want to share are the great cards from the Snowmen Card Swap I hosted for the Fiskateers. First of all, I want to apologize to Ruby, who made some beautiful cards. Because I was so excited doing my first swap, I don't have a picture of either of the two designs she sent in. Ruby hosted her first card swap right before I did this one, so with that in mind, I am hoping she will know the excitement involved for me. This was a swap where you received the same number of cards you sent in. The choice was six or 12. Because I made 12 cards, I have pictures of 12 cards - somehow, one of them being my own. I was very careful to try not to give anyone else one of their own (unless they requested it) and tried not to give anyone two cards from the same person. And, since I just took the picture today, and I did not wind up with one of Ruby's beautiful cards, I don't have one to show you. The caption under each card is the first name and Fiskateer number of each of the designers. I think all of the participants did a great job! Now I face a delema...do I actually use the cards, or do I hold on to them because they are special to me?

Tracy # 6773, Deb #7092 and Brenda #5151

Julie #5102, MaryAnn#5271 and Marianne #6701

Laura #7326, Teresa #6857 and Brandy # 6307

I hope you enjoyed seeing the cards, and if you are not a Fiskateer, and would like to know more about this great on-line crafting community, go to http://www.fiskateers.com/ and find out how you can join in all of the fun!

Home of the Free, Because of the Brave - few thoughts about the blog hop and my WINNER

2010-11-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

I absolutely had a great time hopping from blog to blog yesterday! I loved all of the different stories about veterans old and young and the women and men who are now actively serving our country. I read every word of every post and loved every minute of it. I was so into it, I completely forgot to post anything about it to "advertise" on the Fiskateer message board where I can usually be found chatting about something most every day. Thankfully, Cheryl, one of our fantastic leads and also the focus of Groovy Deb's blog post, was on it! She posted about it on the main blog and told how honored she was by Deb asking her to be the one she interviewed.

Now, what you are all wondering about...

According to Random.org the winner for the candy from my blog is comment #41.

Gina Thornton said...

I love your project! I wouldn't have thought to use newspaper on a LO. Did you have to do something special to it? I mean, to prevent it from yellowing?

Thanks for hopping along with us!

Gina

Congratulations Gina!

Now to answer her question, which I was going to do in an email...I was so bad! I know I should have done something to preserve the newspaper article, but since I was in my procrastination mode, I simply cut it out and attached it to the background paper (did use acid free tape runner though!). I wasn't really sure what to do with it to preserve it. I think the only real way to keep it preserved it to copy it. I guess I could do that in two pieces. But, then what about those other 1,528 pieces of newspaper I have tucked away?!

I loved it that I had the newspaper article to add to my page, but because of the size, I wasn't able to do anything to jazz the page up at all. Why is it as a scrapbooker I feel I must add to everything?

Land of the Free, Because of the Brave

2010-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my little part of the Land of the Free, Because of the Brave Blog Hop. I hope you find a way to thank a veteran or many veterans today!

You should have arrived from Judy's blog and you will go to Groovy Deb's blog next.

John M. Ferguson - Marine Corps Raider

The project I picked to do for this blog hop is a double page scrapbook layout about a man who served our country in the first elite fighting force of the United States Armed Forces - the Marine Corps Raiders. John Ferguson and his wife Avis were our dear neighbors at our last house. They moved in behind us a year after we moved there and were our neighbors for eleven years. During those years they became our adopted parents.

Until I met John, I had never known about the Marine Raiders. They were only in force for two years during WWII, from 1942 until 1944. There was controversy about having a group considered the "elite of the elite." In the article I used for my scrapbook page, it says there were about 5,000 Marine Raiders. In an article I found when I Googled Marine Raiders, it said around 8,000. Either way, when you think of the millions of men who fought in that war, the Raiders were a small group. Another reason for controversy, many of the men who were trained for this special force were found fighting right along the side Marines they would have fought along side, with or without the special training. So there were those who thought there was not a need to train special forces. That would not be true for John, he saw a lot of action where they sent Raiders in ahead of the rest. He was in a 3-man shooting group with two men he trained with from the beginning. He spent most of his time with these two men during the war and on the wrong side of enemy lines more often than not. He did missions where just a handful of Marine Raiders would go in, get the information about where Japanese camps were set up, etc. and relay that information back. Then the Marines Corps troops came in with full force.

John is now one of just a hand full of Raiders still living. He is a part of what is called the Last Man Committee, which was formed by younger Marine. Since they were the youngest, they figured they would be ones to outlive the others. John is 84 now and going stronger than we ever dreamed possible just four years ago, when his doctors gave him 2 to 3 days to live. What the doctors did not know is they do not tell John when he is ready to die! He will decide that for himself! He, "still had things at home that needed to be finished." As he started doing better, a doctor came to talk to him about spending 30-45 days in the rehabilitation unit. John told him he would stay 30 days. Then he needed to be home. By staying that long, he would be home just in time for his and Avis' 60th wedding anniversary. They celebrated that anniversary, and on June 1, 2010, celebrated their 64th anniversary.

I am proud to call John my friend and my "other dad!"

Operation Comfort

The other night my husband told me he saved an episode of "Two Guys' Garage" for me to watch with him, because they were showing something he knew I would like. He was right! They were showing a program that is part of "Operation Comfort" called "Automotivation." The Automotivation program provides a place for wounded veterans to learn about working on vehicles. In the part they showed the other night, they were learning different welding techniques and making welding tables that would move up and down to be accessible from a wheelchair. It was the kind of show that made you count your blessings and not want to ever complain again. I had tears in my eyes for a lot of it. They were good tears though. I was happy for those veterans for not giving up hope and proud of the attitudes they had. I had written down the web site so I could look at it myself, and later thought of it again when I started to do this blog post.

Blog Hop Order

KarelJ at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity
Celeste at Touched By a Butterfly
Deb at Tidbit’s Place
Michelle at Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs
Jennifer at ScrappingYoung’s
Diane at Crafting This Moment
Judy at Be Present Be Real
Marianne at Life From Marianne’s Table YOU ARE HERE
Deb at If It’s Groovy
Christel at One Scrappin’ Sista
Belinda at Queen Bee’s Musings
Colleen at Col’s Creative Corner
Summer and Jennifer at Cricut Diaries
Rachel at Suburban Crafter
Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping
Becky at Sew in Stitches
Rebecca at Creations With Becca
Bobbi Jo at Sweet Sassy Diva
Angie at Gypsy Paperie
Linda at The Tulip Collector

Lots of Blog Candy!

You have two chances to win prizes for completing the whole blog! The prizes have been donated just for this special cause, and come from the generous Marlo, who has donated a Scrap’NTote and Anne, from Paper Patch Craft, who has donated a Spellbinders Nesties in the Crown Circle Shape. We all thank them both so much! Without their participation this blog hop would not nearly as much for for the bloggers as it will be thanks to them!
The rules for entering are the same for both prizes: Hop along our path and leave a comment AND a way to contact you on each and every stop. On Friday, November 12, KarelJ will use random.org to choose the winners. She will email the winner and then tt is up to the winner to contact KarelJ at ksjennings(at)gmail(dot)com. If she has not been contacted by Monday, November 15, another winner will be chosen.

My Project

Here are the pages I did featuring John:

You can see I cut out the middle of the papers that were being used as frames, to be saved to use in other places in the project

Double Page Layout

Closer look at left page

Another Chance to Win

I will draw a number from random.org on Friday from the comments left on my blog You do not have to become a follower to win this candy. The winner will receive a little bit of red, white and blue blog candy as a part of their prize from me.

A peak at the Candy from my Blog - There will be something added to this.

In Closing
Now, before you go, please leave a comment to let me know you were here, and then you can go check out what Groovy Deb has for you on her blog!

Thank you again for stopping by my blog! Good luck as you hop around! Above all today, REMEMBER, THANK, AND PRAY FOR THOSE SERVICE MEMBERS WHO HAVE MADE IT THE LAND OF THE FREE!!

A Chance to Win Bo Bunny...

2010-11-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

Stacy at Scrapbooking Cottage is giving away a the Noel papers by Bo Bunny. She will be posting her winner on Nov. 11th.

2010-11-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

You will want to check out Barbara's blog birthday celebration giveaway! She is really celebrating in grand style!

Land of the Free, Because of the Brave - Bloghop

2010-11-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

On November 11, I will be participating in another bloghop! The Land of the Free, Because of the Brave is a bloghop to honor U.S. Veterans. During the hop you will see a lot of red, white and blue craft projects as you also get to read about veterans and their families.

This will be three hops in three months for me! This hop is being organized by Karel, at One by One the Flamingos are Stealing My Sanity, who also organized the one for Breast Cancer Awareness. She did such a great job with that one, it made me want to join in again. She has arranged sponsorship from Marlo's who is contributing a Scrap"NTote and Anne, from Paper Patch crafts has donated a set of Spellbinders Nesties...the Crown Circle set. These will be the prizes those who leave a comment on every blog will be eligible to win. There will be individual prizes offered by some of the bloggers for the comments on their own blogs. I hope you will join in the fun and honor our veterans at the same time.

Passing the Love for Paper!

2010-10-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

My niece, Hannah, was spending the night. We always read before we go to bed and instead of reading the book she had picked out, she decided to look at my Scrapbooks Etc. magazine with me. When we turned to the page with crafts for kids, she knew what she wanted to do the next day. There were pictures of three Halloween-themed treat boxes - a pumpkin, a mummy and Frankenstien. She thought about it and said she wanted to make one for herself and her cousin, Nicholas. The next day we gathered the supplies to make the mummy and Frankenstien. I scored the paper for her and showed her what lines to use to fold on and which lines to cut. Since it was almost time for her to go home, we put all of the supplies in a bag and she headed home, ready to do some crafting. All we were missing were the Rolos for Frankenstien's bolts. When I was visiting a couple of days later, I saw she had the boxes all done. Funny Thing - I bought the Rolos and gave them to Hannah, but apparently they didn't get all the way to the project. (LOL) I only had my phone with me to take the pictures, but I wanted to share them. Here is what Hannah came up with for her crafty Halloween project.

A Chance to Help Fight Breast Cancer and Win...

2010-10-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a win, win situation! Melinda at Min's Moments and her friend Felicity have teamed up to make a donation during Breast Cancer Awareness month. They are doing this in memory of the grandmothers they each lost to breast cancer. You can go to this post on Melinda's blog , where they are giving $1 for each comment left. Not only will you be making the amount of their contribution go up, but you will have a chance to win one of six great pink prize kits they have put together. They will be drawing the winners at the end of the month. It will take less than a minute to do this and it really is a WIN, WIN situation!

We Have Winners!

2010-10-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

I am hoping everyone who participated in the Think Pink Blog Hop had a great time. There were so many great projects with such a variety. It was exciting for me as I looked at my blog and read through the new comments I had each day, with a total of 81 for the entire hop! To top it off, I now have 53 followers! Amazing! I didn't ask anyone to follow my blog. I would rather just have it be your own idea.

Now, for the reason you all really looked at this post...

I used Random.org to determine the winner. My first prize, which includes the dishcloth I made, a Fiskars Tool Taxi and some other pink goodies, goes to the person who left comment # 7 and said "This is so beautiful. I wouldn't use it as a dishcloth!" Who would it be that be? It was Karel J! Congratulations Karel! Well, we will have to see what she really does with it. A couple of years ago, I made several dishcloths for my niece just before I went to see her in NY. She will not use them as a dishcloth. She uses a couple of them like doilies under something and keeps the others in the kitchen drawer with her other dishcloths, but as of April of this year when I was there last, they were still not being used. My suggestion, Karel, is go ahead and use it! They work great! Thanks for being a part of this!

The second prize I have is a bag of pink goodies and it goes to the person who left comment #3 and said, "Great project... I love it... Thank you so much for the hop and the special goodies....Celeste."

Thank you to everyone for participating in the blog hop! I hope it will remind you not only to do your on self breast exam and mammograms, but also you will encourage others in your life as well.

I apologize for the lateness of choosing my winner. I started it this morning and then was not able to sign back on to the internet until now.

Until next time, happy blogging!

Welcome to the Think Pink Blog Hop!

2010-10-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

It is good to have you here! Welcome to my blog as you participate in the Think Pink Blog Hop!

You should have arrived here from Gypsy Paperie. If you just happened upon my blog and would like to start at the beginning, see the list below.

After I decided to be a participate in this blog hop, I had to decide on the crafty item I would create for my post. When I was in the craft store looking at their special display of pink items for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the yarn caught my eye. So, I picked up some 100% cotton yarn and decided I would make a pink dishcloth for my project and as a prize for one of you who comments on my blog. Here is what I came up with. It was a new pattern to me and I hope you enjoy it.

For the random winner of the dishcloth will also go some a Fiskateer's Scrapbooking Tool Taxi. I will pick a second winner and will send them a surprise package of goodies (yes you are right, I haven't finished my shopping!).

So, be sure to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. Leave a way for me to contact you. I will post my winners on Tuesday. Good luck and have fun, fun, FUN as you hop along.

Here is that list again, just in case you have become lost!

1. One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity – http://karelj.blogspot.com/

2. Gina’s Stamping Creations -- http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/

3. Crafting This Moment -- http://craftingthismoment.blogspot.com/

4. The Cricut Diaries – http://cricutdiaries.blogspot.com/

5. Sweet Sassy Diva -- http://sweetsassydiva-gspot.blogspot.com/

6. Scrappin’ Sista -- http://www.onescrappinsista.blogspot.com/

7. If It’s Groovy -- http://ifitsgroovy.blogspot.com/

8. Oh, Snap! -- http://ohsnaplizzie.blogspot.com/

9. Crazy About Cricut – http://crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com/

10. Gen’s Den -- http://www.gensden.com/

11. Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs -- http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com/

12. Heartfelt Creations -- http://tlbheartfeltcreations.blogspot.com/

13. Creations With Becka – http://creationswithbecka.blogspot.com/

14. Calie’s Creative Corner – http://caliescreativecorner.blogspot.com/

15. Tidbit’s Place – http://tidbitsplace.blogspot.com/

16. Gypsy Paperie -- http://gypsypaperie.blogspot.com/

17. Life From Marianne’s Table – http://number1aunt.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE

18.The Suburban Crafter-- http://www.rachelstampshappy.blogspot.com/

End Here: One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity -- http://karelj.blogspot.com/

More About Think Pink and A Few Other Thoughts

2010-10-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of the three-day Think Pink Blog Hop. I am excited to see what pink ideas the other bloggers have come up with to share with all of us! As for my project, I am almost finished with it and it will be one of the prizes I offer to someone who stops by and leaves a comment.

When I signed on to my blog today, I saw I have twenty-one followers! Before last month's Orange Blog Hop with the Fiskateers, I think I had only three followers. Most of the new followers are as a result of that blog hop. I did not require anyone follow my blog to win a prize, and don't ever plan to. I would ratherthey because they want to, not because they might win something by doing it. The last few who decided to follow probably did so as a result of the Q and A I did with Karel, the organizer of Think Pink. Thank you to all of you who are giving me a chance to share my love of crafting with you. Each time I see a new follower, it makes me want to improve my blog.

I thought I would share the Q and A Karel did when she featured me on her blog a couple of days ago for those of you who haven't seen it. Obviously, since this was on her blog, Karel is the "me" in the following:

It's almost here! The 1st annual THINK PINK Breast Cancer Awareness Blog Hop! I'm so excited and pleased with the wonderful bloggers who are sharing their creativity and talent! I'm featuring a couple of them every day between now and the Hop--it starts October 9 and runs all the way through October 11--three whole days to hop, hop, hop and help raise awareness.

My featured blogger today is Marianne. I first met her on the Cricut Boards, and now we are also together on the Fiskateers Boards. Both are great communities for crafters, and Marianne is one of the best! She told me a few things about herself...here's what she shared:

Me: When did you start crafting, and what are your favorite things to make?

Marianne: I have tried crafts from embroidery to macramé to weaving old chair frames starting around the time I was in 6th grade. "Modern" scrapbooking started for me about 15 years ago when a friend showed me pages she had made in a class at our local craft store. That is when my paper collection began! Like so many others, scrapbooking has led to card making. I also enjoy knitting.

Me: You're a versatile crafter! Why did you want to be a part of the THINK PINK Blog Hop for Breast Cancer Awareness?

Marianne: After being a 13-year survivor of breast cancer, we lost my mother-in-law five years ago. The cancer came back and spread to her bones. I still miss her every day. Last year her sister, my husband's wonderful Aunt Lois, was diagnosed and went through treatment. Aunt Lois is now faced with the fact that one of her three daughters, more than likely, will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Participating in the blog hop seemed like a good way spread awareness of the importance of early detection and to provide support to breast cancer patients and survivors.

Me: I'm so sorry about your Mother-In-Law, and your Aunt is in my prayers. Are there other Charities or Causes that you're involved with? You can give them a plug here!

Marianne: I am a supporter and beneficiary of Chronic Disease Fund (CDF). Without CDF, I would not be able to afford Copaxone, my once-a-day injection for Multiple Sclerosis, which costs $48,000 a year. CDF helps me by paying what my insurance does not cover. They are a non-profit organization which also supports breast cancer patients and patients with other types of cancer and other diseases. You can learn more about them at http://cdfund.org/

Me: One of my niece's takes that for MS as well..I had no idea it was so expensive. Is there anything else you'd like the hoppers to know about you before the Day of The Hop?

Marianne: My project is not going to be a paper crafting project and I will be offering more than one prize on just my blog! So, hop for a good cause while you have fun, fun, FUN!

And I know she's right! You can find her blog here: http://number1aunt.blogspot.com/

It is worth your time to check out Karel's blog. She is sharing places you can find more information about breast cancer all month long, as October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Thank you so much, Karel!

Think Pink Blog Hop Sponsor

I don't want to forget Sarah at Pink Cricut who has generously donated a $25 gift certificate and is the official sponsor of the Think Pink Blog Hop. Thank you so much, Sarah!

Now, just remember to come back tomorrow and have fun hopping!

Think PINK Blog Hop

2010-10-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

THINK PINK Blog Hop October 9-11, 2010

To raise the awareness of breast cancer, Karel, at One by One the Flamingos are Stealing My Sanity, has organized the Think Pink Blog Hop. I had a good time doing my first blog hop last month, and thought I would do it again for this very good cause.

Karel is a true supporter of breast cancer survivors. It is not something she only does in October. I first knew Karel from when I was active on the Cricut Message Board. I became reacquainted with her when she recently became a Fiskateer. Be sure to check out her blog, or for just a quick run down about her efforts to support Breast Cancer Awareness, you can check out this post on the Fiskateer Message Board.

I hoping the donation I am working on for a prize for my blog comes through. Either way, there will be a hopping prize!

Just for Fun...use your imagination!

2010-09-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

The night I made the treat boxes for the boys (see below), my sister said she wanted a book marker with her name on it. I wanted to do something a little better. Awhile back Patricia had been telling me she really needs to get organized (who doesn't?). I told her just having my calendar in my purse and writing things down has always helped me so much. While searching for something else a day or so earlier, I found a 2010-2011 planner I had bought months ago with the intention of altering it. So, I altered that first and decided it needed a matching note pad and pen.

I spent less than $2 making this. The planner and note pad were each on clearance at Michael's for 50 cents when I bought them, and the pen is from a multi-pack I bought a couple of years ago. The paper was from the first RAK I ever won - a box of scrap paper that weighed over seven pounds! I was in crafty heaven! At the time I probably owned about 100 sheets of crafting paper. (How much do I have now? Uh...I don't think I'd better go there!)

After a rough work day, Patricia told me she was happy to see this on her table when she came home. It was a fun little project and it felt good that I happened to make it just when my sister needed a little lift! It just shows gifts don't have to cost a lot of money. Most people love things that come from the heart the most.

THIS IS WHERE YOUR IMAGINATION COMES IN...
I forgot to take a picture, or if I did take one, it did not get saved correctly.

I used a pretty shimmering pink paper that had thin black stripes and stripes of small flowers. The calendar was in a plastic cover. I just added my paper over the paper cover, cut out a scalloped circle, put a white letter "P" with pink stickles on it and put some white ric-rak under the monogram and put it back in the plastic. I changed the orientation from landscape to portrait. The paper pad was one that has a cover with little magnet to hold it closed. It was done to match the calendar. The pen was a Pentel. The outer case is clear plastic. The end unscrews, so I took it off and wrapped the pen itself in the same shimmering pink paper and put the end back. There you have it...a quick, easy gift to help my little sister stay organized.

I hope you were able to look in your mind's eye and see what I have described! I had everything except the description written up when I realized I did not have the picture as I thought I did! Thanks for playing along!

Just a Little Treat

2010-09-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

My sister, Patricia, lives right behind me in my mom's old house. She has a normal life where she goes places every day! I often call on her for a quick stop at the store - usually for milk. That was the story for yesterday. She told me she would send my nephew, Nicholas, and his good friend, Levi, over with the milk. We were both starting dinner, so I told her to wait until after dinner and I would give them a little treat for delivering it.

Well, when dinner was over, I went into my pantry, that is well stocked with little treats, since I am a Costco shopper. I thought about what to give the boys as a delivery treat. Then I thought about of putting a couple of things in a brown bag and putting a fun little tag on it or something. Well, if I put it in a paper bag, I had to put more than two things, because it would look pretty empty. So, I picked out six things for each of them. Then went into my craft room to make a tag. Then I thought maybe I would find different little bags that I could decorate and make it more fun. My thinking kept growing until finally...I could make something on my Cricut with Tags, Bags, Boxes and More! I had wanted that cartridge for so long when I finally bought it, and had hardly used it (as is the case with a few of them). Quick, I sent Patricia a message, "don't send the boys over yet." Then to explain a little more, "I am making them a surprise."

Finally, I decided on that cute little popcorn box. Why put all of that work into a name tag? Make a bookmark!

About an hour and a half later...here are their surprise boxes!

And, here they are enjoying their treats!

As if seeing their smiling faces was not joy enough for me, as they were looking at their goodies, Nicholas said to Levi, "See? I told you she always comes up with something good!" I asked Levi,"Did he really say that to to you?" Levi said, "Yes. He said you always give the best treats." Now my goal in life is not to spoil my nieces and nephews with stuff. I will be honest, this comment made my heart happy and made every second of the time I spent going overboard worth it!

Surprisingly, they did seem to enjoy their bookmarks as well as the candy and goodies. Most kids seem to enjoy having anything with their names on it. This just reminded me of it!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

A Great Blog to Follow and Tim Holtz Giveaway

2010-09-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

If you do not already follow Pinky's blog Much Ado About Nothing, then you are missing out. Pinky is a great blogger. She posts something creative almost every day. She is having a giveaway on today's post and she is trying to get to 1000 followers by Christmas. Take a look at her blog and sign up to follow, you will be glad you did!

Orange Blog Hop Winner

2010-09-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated! It was so nice to read all of the kind comments from each person. This was fun and I hope to do it again. My blog was pretty far down the list and for so many people to have made it to that point in the hop to comment is dedication to the love of crafting!

Thanks to the nice people at Random.org, I have chosen a winner for the "What A Nut" LE Fall punch from last year. Drum roll, please, for my first blog giveaway.......it is number 36... Nana Beth said, "The lace is to die for. I love lace and flowers and pretty and soft and you nailed them all!"

If you send me your address, I will send you your punch!

Welcome to the Orange Blog Hop

2010-09-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

If you are participating in the Orange Blog Hop and came here from Betsy's blog, you are in the right place! If you just happened upon my blog, the blog hop starts at the Fiskateers Blog.

For my orange project, I chose to do a chipboard mini book. Two of my favorite things are flowers and sparkle.And, I used both! On the cover I used some white lace and tulle and sprayed it with my homemade "glimmer mist"(water, colored with food color to make orange and about 1/4 teaspoon gold Perfect Pearls). The butterfly is chipboard covered with paper. The edge is punched with Fiskars Effervescence Border Punch and is laced with green fiber.

I do wish the photographs were better. If I had finished while I still had daylight, it would have helped! I apologize for that!

Other Fiskars tools I used during this project were:

Read Between the Vine Corner and Border Punch

Sure Cut Trimmer

Extra Large Seal of Approval Squeeze Punch

Wishes All Around Clear Stamps

Compact Stamp Press

3 in 1 Corner Punch - Flowers

You can find these tools and many more at the Fiskars Web Site.

Thank you so much for coming by! This is my first-ever blog-hop and I have had fun getting this far! Leave a comment here and be entered in a random drawing for the Fiskars Fall 2009 LE "What a Nut" squeeze punch that I will send to one lucky blogger! (see post below)

Next in the bloghop is Crafy Suz blog.

Hosting My First Swap

2010-09-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

I love snowmen! They are so cute and festive at Christmastime! Last year I bought the cutest little snowman stamp and made a few cards with it and decided I would like to make some more. So, I announced on the Fiskateer message board that I will be hosting a swap. This is something new for me and I am pretty excited to be doing it! How about you? Would you like to play along? Go here to see the post.

Big Orange Blog Hop

2010-09-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

I will be participating in my first blog hop. The list from Debby, who is organizing the hop, showed up in my email. It is unbelievable! There will be 42 blogs to hop! The place to start is fiskateers.com. So, grab a snack, get comfortable and get ready to see some exciting projects from Fiskateers near and far! They love their orange and when this is finished you will too!

Leave a comment during the blog hop and you will be put in the drawing for this Fiskars 2009 LE "What A Nut" squeeze punch.

Win a Big Give Away from T-Bear Touch!

2010-09-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

Trisha is celebrating her 200th follower and a new DT position. Help her celebrate! Check it out on her blog!

1000 Sheets of Paper

2010-09-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

You can enter to win one of five really great prizes being given away on this blog.

My First Knitted Baby Cap

2010-07-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

My husband's dear aunt loves to knit. She knits 9 sets of baby caps and booties a month to give to a local hospital. When I first knitted, I only knew the knit stitch. She was determined that I was going to know how to make something more than dishcloths! She started out by letting me pick another dishcloth pattern, but showed me how to purl. She gave me awhile to practice. I made one scarf that was made out of chenille and is oh, so soft! When we were visiting, Aunt Beulah a few months ago, she went to the yarn shop that she loves so dearly, and bought me some circular needles. She gave me the pattern she uses and I couldn't believe the next day I was making something besides a dishcloth! My niece was getting ready to have her second little girl, so I got busy! The cap was ready on time, but I still have not mastered the booties. I started them about six times when I was on an airplaine, but didn't have the concentration I needed to do something new.

Getting Back to Blogging

2010-06-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't been to my blog for quite some time. I was looking at a blog today that I want to follow. When I put in my information, I thought it was time to actually look at all of those blogs I follow - and maybe even think about posting a couple of things I have been doing myself. I went through my pictures and found a couple of things I don't mind showing.

My Version of a Do-it-Yourself Cookbook

2009-11-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

I was recently in a swap called "Box on a Budget" on the Cricut Message board. My Bind-it-All and Cricut Every Day Paper Doll cartridge are my newest crafting toys and I really wanted to do something using them both. This is what I came up with. I have a store-bought book like this to write all of my favorite recipes down, to keep them all together and I do use it a lot. I hope my box partner, Julie, enjoys using this over the years and it reminds her of our swap when she gets it out! Since this swap is supposed to be 99% out of your scrapbook stash, the cover is made with part of a cereal box sandwiched between two pieces of card stock. It makes it sturdy, and once it is finished, you never would know that is what is in the middle. I did enjoy playing with the Bind-it-All and I can't wait to make more Paper Dolls!

Simple Card

2009-11-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

I was asked to make a card for a little boy who was in the hospital and needed some encouragement. This is from my Cricut Wild Card cartridge. I think the owl turns out cute and I love the matching envelope. It was a fun and simple card to make and I am sure there will be more this one to come!

Stationary Box for My Sister-In-Law's Birthday

2009-11-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law, Debby, is such a sweetheart! When she sees anything to do with paper crafting she thinks of me. My husband was at their house one day and she sent a 300-page package of card stock. Since her birthday was coming up, it was perfect timing to use the gift to make a gift! This is the stationary box I made for her. I made sure that at least one part of the card was paper that came from the package she bought me. I made eight greeting cards, four note cards and four gift tags to put in the box. The directions called for a place for a small address book, pen and postage stamps. By the time I made all of the cards I did, the box would have really bulged with all of those things in there, so I skipped them.

Debby said she loved it (I hope she did - I mean what else does someone say when you give them a gift!). She sent me a thank you card from the set I made her. That was the first time I received a card from someone that I had made!

To give credit where credit it due, I watched a You Tube video done by by Danni Graves who can be found at DanniGraves.typepad.com. Then I was luck enough to find written directions with a supply list and measurements for cutting and scoring lines on the Cricut Message Board that Jackie Topa had written and shared.

I am Fisk-A-Teer #6701

2009-11-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

I am having a great time being a Fisk-A-Teer; seeing and thinking orange as Fisk-A-Teers tend to do!

Most paper crafters know about the great products made by Fiskars. Fisk-A-Teers are Crafting Ambassators of Fiskar products. Even in the non-crafting homes, almost everyone has owns or has at least seen the orange-handled scissors made by Fiskars.

All of my new fisk-a-friends are so friendly, upbeat and encouraging. The positive attitudes of all of the wonderful people are infectious and uplifting!

If you would like to be a Fisk-A-Teer, go to fiskateers.com and follow prompt to join. You will get in touch with one of the five great Lead Fiskateers who will guide you through the process so you, too, can join in on the fisk-a-fun!

My First-Ever Paint Can

2009-08-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

My first paint can swap was on the Cricut MB. It was titled "A Paint Can with a Twist." The twist was making an inchie, twinchie and trichie to go with it.

Card from new stamp

2009-08-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

I made this little card to go in a box of goodies for my friend Nancy. The stamp came from a RAK I won from Queenmusabi in Hawaii on the Cricut MB.

Update on my new stamp I love so much: His name is Ian and he is from thegreetingsfarm.com. There is a girl who matches him whose name is Anya. I like the fact that they are big and you can make them as colorful as you like or just stamp them in black. I have made another card with the same stamp, colored him differently and it looks like a whole new stamp! If you like this little guy, check out the web site to see other versions of him with Anya.

I

Father's Day Card

2009-07-30T04:35:00.001-07:00

I made this card for my father-in-law. I usually have a hard time coming up with something for men. This one was a simple layout and I had fun doing it.

Picture of Mother's Day Card

2009-07-30T04:32:00.000-07:00

This is the first card I remembered to take a picture of. My mom seemed to love it. I went back over a couple of days later and this was the only card still being displayed.