Altered Mini Comp Notebook

**go here for my Cutting Cafe drawing
]
Did you all have a Merry Christmas? If you have a large family like I do, you may still be celebrating. We have one more gathering at my cousin's New Year's Eve day. It is such a bittersweet day as G'pa and G'ma are no longer with us and this summer my uncle passed away, so there will be another empty spot. I am so glad that we still get together as so many families seem to quit when grandparents/parents pass away, but us cousins have decided we aren't doing that, that we are going to keep the tradition.

and...Aaron's birthday is tomorrow, so we will be having a party then as well. I have something really fun planned and hope all my ideas work out. Benjamin's girlfriend will be here too, so it's going to be a great day!

With all the Christmas projects I've made lately, I decided to share with you a non-Christmas looking project, even though I made these as gifts. They are so quick and easy to do...altered mini composition note pads.

**A timesaver tip: I stamp a bunch of images onto cardstock, cut apart and keep in an envelope. I take them to work when I'm going to stay at school over my lunch break and color (we only get 30 minutes for lunch, takes me 5-10 minutes to eat, so I have plenty of time to color Ü). Then when I have time, I just match the colored images to paper and create whatever.

For this particular project, I just covered the notebook with papers using Mono Adhesive Power Bond and colored the images with Irojetin Pencils. These are so handy to have extra on hand so that you have a little something for someone when you need it.
I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy project. I would like to wish you a very Happy New Year! We have some fun things to share with you next year on Tombow's blog starting just next week. Be sure to come back and invite your friends too!

**this was entered in the Tip Top Tuesday challenge

Pillow Box Owl & Give-a-way

I am back with something creative to share with you. I have seen these owl pillow boxes on blogs and Pinterest (my new addiction for awhile now) and have had them saved in my favorites to make. I first saw them here on Lynn's blog and then here, here, here, here, and here.  So I just took a little from each to create my own.

This week on Cutting Cafe, the DT gets to pick their favorite set/files to give away and Regina let me choose 2 files to give away as I am using 2 for my project. I am using the Assorted Pillow Box set and Assorted Heart Borders set.

Is this cute or what?! I love how it turned out. I named her Owl-ivia. Ü Now she just needs her tummy filled with chocolate and she is ready to give as a Valentine gift.

A few details:
I glued the bottom end shut with Tombow's Multi Liquid Glue so that I would have to worry about goodies falling out.

Next time I will make the "wings" a bit bigger. I used an oval punch, but think they need to be a bit bigger and this was the biggest one I had.

I scrunched the ends of the heart border up to give a little dimension.

The beak is the bottom of a cut heart.

Love how my crocheted flowers worked for the eyes! The "eyelids" were attached with Tombow's Foam Tabs. The tiny foam tabs were the right size for going around the outside edge.

I want to thank Regina for letting me be a part of her awesome DT! I had a blast and am sad to leave, but I won't be a stranger to her blog and have a TON of files that need played with.

Now for a chance to win the 2 Cutting Cafe files I used. All you need to do is leave a comment. I will draw a name Saturday morning.

Merry Christmas

I want to wish all of my readers a Very Merry Christmas! Thank you for sticking with me even when I am quiet. We have a lot going on this week, but I will be back with a creative post and a give away from Cutting Cafe.

Elizabeth Craft and Tombow

This week Tombow is partnering up with Elizabeth Craft Designs. I first learned of this company at CHA and I LOVE their stickers! They are open images that you color in. You can even remove the sticker after coloring in to leave a white border, but I liked the raised image on my card.

I colored the image with Dual Brush Tip Pens and adhered the layer with Mono Adhesive Permanent. We were sent so many lovely designs. For my card I chose Christmas Ornaments. These come in gold, silver and black.

The colors of pens I used were 847, 098, 993, 452, and blender.

Feel Better Soon

Rain, Rain, Go Away is the set the Cutting Cafe is showcasing this week. I was needing a card for one of my youth group girls who has been sick and in the hospital and I hope she likes this card.

If you would like to see more lovely designs with this digi stamp image, be sure to stop by the Cutting Cafe later Wed as Regina will have the rest of the DT's posts up.

Boo Boo

I have another new image from Our Craft Lounge to share with you called Boo Boo. This card uses somr scraps from patterned paper that I had left over from a CHA project I will be teaching in Jan.

Here is a peek at the inside:

Valentine Sneak Peek Blog Hop Day 2

Today I have THREE cards to show you. Ü I love the new OCL stamps. I'm going to have so much fun creating Valentine goodies this year.
I have created with stamp sets Smooth Sailing, Love Potion and Molla Cutie.
Smooth Sailing: This set is perfect for guys and gals! I created a paper bag gift card holder.

inside: (gift card fits into flap

Molla Cutie: It's hard to see, but I used Rock Star Red Sparkly Stuff on the hearts.

Love Potion: I also used Sparkly Stuff on the hearts

Be sure to click on the names of the sets to see the rest of the images in each set. AND if you enter the code "checkusout" you will receive 20% off your entire purchase! WOOHOO!  Can't beat that!

Blog Candy & Drawing:
Prizes: 4 prize bundles - one full set and one single

You can leave comments on all blogs and on Facebook on Thursday & Friday to enter for a chance to win the blog candy prize bundles.

The blog candy will end on Friday, December 16th at MIDNIGHT Pacific time/3am Eastern.

On Saturday, OCL will randomly pick 5 comments/winners from the OCL Blog and the DT's blogs. Winners will be announced on Sunday or Monday on the OCL Blog and the OCL FB page.
ALSO... Don't forget about our "13th Day of Christmas" sale on the OCL Website.
Buy one in stock Christmas set in our CHRISTMAS category, and the second set (in that same category) is 50% off!

* You'll need to use the Coupon code ~ 13daychristmas
Promotion runs today through December 18, 2011. 
Here is a list of all the players today and tomorrow. Have fun hopping around.
OCL Blog ~ http://www.blog2.ourcraftlounge.com
Kendra Wietstock ~ http://kendrawietstock.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge
Lori Tecler ~ http://inkingaloud.blogspot.com/search/ ... t%20Lounge
Tammie Edgerton ~ http://onehappystamper-tammiee.blogspot.com/
Broni Holcombe ~ http://bronih.typepad.com/splashesofwat ... ft-lounge/
Debbie Fisher ~ http://debbiedee.blogspot.com/search/la ... t%20Lounge
Carolyn King ~ http://myblogbycammie.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge
Lori Barnett ~ http://www.loribarnett.blogspot.com/
Debbie Corbari ~ http://doodledesignsonline.com/
Lisa Eisner ~ http://craftingwithprincesslisa.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Serrano ~ http://stephaniesstampinspot.blogspot.com/
Amber Hillman ~ http://ambersantics.blogspot.com/search ... t%20Lounge
Meredith Winston ~ http://www.papercanteen.com/
Joy Stagg ~ http://daiseyfreak.blogspot.com/search/label/OCL
Michelle Pearson ~ http://www.inspirationblooms.blogspot.com/
Dawn Barrett ~ http://dawnmercedes.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge
Melissa Cash ~ http://inkclinations.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge
Latrice Murphy ~ http://latricemurphy.blogspot.com/searc ... t%20lounge
Deb Felts ~ http://withastampandasong.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge

Valentine Sneak Peek Blog Hop

I know it's not even Christmas yet, but Our Craft Lounge has some wonderful new Valentine stamps sets that they are excited to share with you! This hop will be a 2 day hop with the DT showing you all of the new Valentine sets that are coming out.

Today, I am showing a sneak peek of Bug Hugs. This cute mini stamp set is perfect for making those school Valentine's or for any age. I created this card using Our Craft Lounge's Bug Hugs, My Mind's Eye paper, and Tombow's Dual Brush Pens. I added one of my crocheted flowers with a button center.

Today you will see projects made with Love in the Air, Every Heart Beat, Spilling Over, Mr. Knight?, and Bug Hugs.
Blog Candy & Drawing:
Prizes: 4 prize bundles - one full set and one single
You can leave comments on all blogs and on Facebook on Thursday & Friday to enter for a chance to win the blog candy prize bundles.
The blog candy will end on Friday, December 16th at MIDNIGHT Pacific time/3am Eastern.
On Saturday, OCL will randomly pick 5 comments/winners from the OCL Blog and the DT's blogs. Winners will be announced on Sunday or Monday on the OCL Blog and the OCL FB page.
Here is a list of all the players today and tomorrow. Have fun hopping around.
OCL Blog ~ http://www.blog2.ourcraftlounge.com
Kendra Wietstock ~ http://kendrawietstock.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge
Lori Tecler ~ http://inkingaloud.blogspot.com/search/ ... t%20Lounge
Tammie Edgerton ~ http://onehappystamper-tammiee.blogspot.com/
Broni Holcombe ~ http://bronih.typepad.com/splashesofwat ... ft-lounge/
Debbie Fisher ~ http://debbiedee.blogspot.com/search/la ... t%20Lounge
Carolyn King ~ http://myblogbycammie.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge
Lori Barnett ~ http://www.loribarnett.blogspot.com/
Debbie Corbari ~ http://doodledesignsonline.com/
Lisa Eisner ~ http://craftingwithprincesslisa.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Serrano ~ http://stephaniesstampinspot.blogspot.com/
Amber Hillman ~ http://ambersantics.blogspot.com/search ... t%20Lounge
Meredith Winston ~ http://www.papercanteen.com/
Joy Stagg ~ http://daiseyfreak.blogspot.com/search/label/OCL
Michelle Pearson ~ http://www.inspirationblooms.blogspot.com/
Dawn Barrett ~ http://dawnmercedes.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge
Melissa Cash ~ http://inkclinations.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge
Latrice Murphy ~ http://latricemurphy.blogspot.com/searc ... t%20lounge
Deb Felts ~ http://withastampandasong.blogspot.com/search/label/Our%20Craft%20Lounge

The Gift that Keeps Giving

This is the other Tombow challenge I was telling you about that had me stumped. The only thing I could think of was organ donation and Sharron said "no" to that. Ü So it was back to the drawing board....what to do.

I came across these free printables and thought that this gift "keeps giving" (fresh breath for every mint) LOL! Well, it works doesn't it? Ü

For the front I wrapped cardstock around the Tic Tacs and used Tombow's Mono Adhesive Permanent. I colored the image with Dual Brush Tip Pens: 977, 856, 905, & 491. To make the polka dots on the hat and scarf, I made the dots with the glue pen and let it dry then colored the images. The glue acts as a resist and is fun to add designs to an otherwise plain image.

Here is the cute saying on the back:

Merry Shoebox Swap

I entered another of Carrie and Monica's Shoebox Swaps and again received a GREAT partner! Peggy Witter was my partner and it was fun getting to know her. Click on her name to go to her blog. We found we had so much in common and she even used to live in NE.

Here are the wonderful goodies that she sent me.

These YUMMY meringue mushrooms:

Homemade notepads which made me smile, because I sent her some too.

Lots of CHOCOLATE!!

and these yummy homemade peppermint marshmallows in this brown wax paper that I love!

 Thank you so much Peggy!

BFB The Christmas Singing

I loved this book by Cindy Woodsmall and wanted to share a couple of links with you. The first is the first chapter in the book:

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/69473983?access_key=key-rgtk38e2713pbbb4tc2
and the second a video trailer
 http://bit.ly/vvg9mc

There is also a 30% off and free shipping on The Christmas Singing (and any other title) when you use promo code CHRISTMAS11 at checkout on WaterBrookMultnomah.com. The coupon code expires on December 20th, 2011.

Inky's Wrap It Up Blog Hop

Welcome to Inky’s “Wrap It Up” Blog Hop! If you’ve come from Keri’s blog, you are in the right spot in the hop. If not be sure to start at Inky Antics blog and follow along so as not to miss out on some wonderful wrapping ideas. I used X1-0020 Gift Bag Template and 10450 Snow Girls cube to create this project, which you can find on this page: http://www.inkyantics.com/december2011hop.htm

I stamped the bag template image onto my patterned paper and cut out. I used strong adhesive from Tombow to put the box together. These stamps are so nice because all you have to do is stamp, cut and fold on the lines provided in the stamped image. One tip: stamp in a color close to the color of your paper if you don't want the lines to show much.

This bag measures  3 3/8" x 5 1/8" x 1.5" deep when finished and you can fill it with all kinds of goodies. Of course chocolate is usually best. Ü

The blog hop starts today and ends on Sunday, December 11^th at midnight Central time. Please visit each DT members’ blog to view their projects and leave a comment for each designer. The more you comment, the better your chances are to win. (Limit one comment per blog, please). Two people’s names will be drawn at random to receive a surprise Inky prize pack. The winners’ names will be announced on the Inky Antics (insert link) blog next Monday, so remember to stop back and see if you’ve won.

Your next stop will be Trudy’s blog.

BFB The Pirate Queen

I tried something new and read an e-book. While I liked the book, I do NOT like having to sit in front of the computer to read a book! I don't own a Kindle, so it was the only way for me to read.


The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman was a very good book however. The story is about Saphora Warren who seems to have it all. She plans to run away and the very evening of her "escape", her husband comes home to tell her he is dying. The story is one that keeps you wanting to read more and is full of twists and turns.

The story is one of joy and sorry, hope and love and one I think you will enjoy.

I received this e-book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Recipe Card Challenge

Welcome to a new challenge week! This one had me stumped for the longest time (plus another one coming up, Sharron really keeps the DT on their toes Ü) and was suppose to be posted by last Thursday and I just didn't have a clue what to do until an e-mail I got Sunday with gift ideas. The challenge is a recipe card gift. I knew I could print cards from the internet, but was stumped by how to showcase Tombow products. Then Friday I received some goodies from Walnut Hollow to alter for CHA coming up and they sent me an extra goodie and it was perfect! I love how things come together like that. So, I bet you all want to know what it was huh? LOL!

I received an e-mail showing how to make these fun blocks of wood and using them for recipes, photos, whatever you can think of. PERFECT!!

There weren't really any instructions, but here is what I did. First I sanded the wood and spray painted with black (I was in a hurry to get this posted and spray paint is becoming my friend. Ü). It dried fast and I added another coat. Then I sanded the edges.

I cut some patterned paper a bit smaller than my wood size because I wanted a bit of the wood to show. I adhered the stripe to the flower using Mono Adhesive Permanent. Then VERY liberally add Mono Aqua Liquid Glue to your paper, you want adhesive ALL over the paper or it will bubble up when it dries.

Adhere the paper to the front of the wood piece and smooth it out and let dry. I added a clip thingy with 2 Power Tabs and that baby isn't going anywhere. I would have liked to have had a black one, but I didn't have one on hand and I live in the boonies, so I used the white one I had and added the ribbon so it wasn't so stark. Then just add your recipe card and you have a fun recipe card holder. (here is the link to where I printed the recipe cards, it is a free site)

This ended up being a perfect project because I needed a gift for next week for a gal who is getting married and these are her colors. I haven't decided if I'm going to give her the blank cards to use or ones with some of our favorite recipes. Maybe a mix of both.

1st Snow

We are getting our first snow today and it is so pretty. I am so glad that I had already planned to spend the day inside, but had to go out early this morning and get a few pics for the December Daily I am working on. I will try to show you the page I create with my photos next week when I get them developed, but for now here are some pics I took while it was still a bit dark outside.

This is a trike of the boys that I had sitting out that I plan to decorate with for winter.

Caterpillar Cottage

One more day to enter the FredSheSaid blog hop, go here

I have a couple more projects to show you using Inky Antics' 0797H Caterpillar Cottage. I think this image is so cute! My projects today show you how you can get totally different looks with one stamp just by changing the colors.

This first one is a card to look like a bug. Even though the name of the set is "Caterpillar...", I went with more of a ladybug look. Imagine the bee on top is a ladybug angel giving the caterpillar its wish.

This is a totally funky look. I colored the image (with colored pencils and Gamsol) to match the paper. Open this up and inside is a sticky note pad. Perfect to carry around in your purse.