Happy Birthday, Dear Friends

Two wonderful friends of mine from Scrapbooker Online are celebrating birthdays this week, and I finally got some time at my desk to make them cards. The first card is for Patti West. She is an amazing altered artist and can work the kraft and bright colors like nobody's business.

Happy Birthday, Patti!

My other friend celebrating this week is the fabulous Julie Ann Shahin. JA is the reason that I found SBO one year ago, and I am forever grateful. She has encouraged me to dabble a bit in the digi world, mostly for hybrid purposes. Her credits run to the moon and back.

Happy Birthday, Julie Ann!

King of Kings

I just wanted to share this layout I made recently. At Scrapbooker Online we shared photos of our Christmas trees and decorations, and this was a photo of one of our ornaments. I really liked the photo and decided to scrap it in a meaningful way. We sang the Hallelujah Chorus on Christmas Eve at church, so the lyrics "King of Kings" were fresh in my mind. I also got a chance to try using my new corner rounder as a scallop punch.

Merry Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas from the Johnstons! Ian was awake at 7 AM but waited patiently until his brother woke up at nearly 8. Both boys happily dug into their presents. Ian was a big helper this year and was able to read all the to/from tags for each present. Matthew loved helping everyone open presents, even Rusty!


This is the look of sheer joy. Ian hoped and wished for a Nintendo DS, and Santa made his dream come true. We had a great morning together. Once all the batteries were installed, wire ties cut and wrapping paper thrown away the kids settled down to try out all their new goodies.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Layout Sneaky Peek

I am so excited to share this layout on January 1st that it's killing me! I sat down with my latest sketch from Di Hickman and just let the mojo take over. With a few scanning and stitching tips from my good buddy Carolyn I now have a great layout that I am very proud of and can soon share. Be sure to check back next week!

Scrapbooker Online Design Team

I am thrilled and honored to have been selected as a member of the new 2008 Scrapbooker Online design team. SBO was the very first message board I ever joined in the fall of 2006, and it has become my cyber home. Not a day goes by without checking in on my sistas around the world - they have become my extended family. My gratitude goes out to owner Maryfrances for believing in me and my work. Thanks, big sis!

Figgy Pudding Christmas

I can't get enough of Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding line. Today I made a few more cards and some ornaments with the papers and die cut ornaments. I also added felt and wire embellishments. This card even has tiny jingle bells. This weekend has really gotten me into the holiday spirit!

Creative Concepts - First Quarter 2008

I received my advance copy of Hobby Lobby's "Stamping, Stationery and Scrapbooking" First Quarter 2008 issue this week. I was tickled to see several of my friends in this magazine!

The first project is a winter card called "Brr." I trimmed along the pattern of a printed paper and lined it with white fiber. I applied rub ons and added bling to the cardstock area in between. This card always reminds me of wearing a fuzzy scarf in the winter.

My other card in this issue is called "Forever." It's a trifold card that was created for the Caardvarks 10 Day 10K trifold card challenge. I used a Sizzix heart die cut and my Coluzzle template tool to cut holes in different layers of the card that layer when closed.

I have got some other exciting things happening, so keep watching for more news.

Happy Birthday To Me!

It's official! I have been asked to join the Design Team for the amazing Caardvarks challenge blog. Now that's one heck of a birthday present! I will be working with Jen and the 'varks through April 2008 and couldn't be happier. I started my papercrafting obsession in the 90's with cardmaking and have returned to my roots in the recent past. We are starting 2008 off right with a special Becky Fleck sketch and some great prizes. Be sure to check it out!

Figgy Pudding Heaven

We are having a Christmas card swap at SBO, so last night I sat down and made some cards using Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding collection. Those of you who know me and my work should not be surprised at all to see entire projects covered in multiple lines of Basic Grey products. I embrace their grungy finishes and coordinating colors. This card uses an ornament die cut and papers from Figgy Pudding and a hand-cut branch from their Fruitcake line. I added Stickles and a wire hanger to the ornament as well. You can see the complete supply list here.

This card is for the SBO swap. One lucky sista will be getting this beauty in the mail! I have been inspired by Tim Holtz and his 12 Days of Christmas techniques, so I pulled out the old crackle medium and went to town. I also added Stickles and hand-sewn beads to the poinsettia for extra sparkle and texture. And thanks to my friend Celeste and her tutorial I added machine stitching, too. You can see the supply list and some detail photos here.
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UPDATE: These cards have been removed for publication in Crafts 'n Things magazine December 2008.

Our Furry Friend

I made this layout for the December sketch on Di Hickman's blog. You can use a long panoramic photo or several smaller photos clustered together like I did. I have a few more photos from this particular afternoon with Rusty in the backyard, so those will end up being scrapped as a companion page. I loved using the flocked heart and dog bone brads from The Paper Studio.

I got some exciting news late last week. Paper Trends magazine requested a baby card and keepsake box for their April/May 08 issue, and Just Cards! magazine sent me a postcard notification that one of my cards will be in their January 08 issue. That's a great pub week! It's also my first time in both of those magazines. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make more cards. :^)