The Cats & Pajamas

Wow - time got away from me again!  It's been over a week since I posted last!

But, have to say, Thanksgiving sorta got in the way, I'll use it as my excuse for this time.

I cooked a turkey breast and all the fixin's for myself on Thanksgiving, knowing that I had plans to go out of town for Thanksgiving weekend.  Now I'm back, and I STILL can have a turkey dinner!  Yee haw!

I'll share my Thanksgiving weekend in another post, but for this time, I thought I'd give you an update on The Kidz...

Not that any of them has changed in the past year (other than to get older, as we are wont to do!), but I do still get some cute pix of them once in a while...

So, without further ado, here they are!

Yep - all three on the bed at the same time!  Doesn't happen very often, so I record it for posterity each time!  And there, on the pillow on the right, are my pajamas...

Here's Silly Melie...  I was practicing taking his picture out in the Stampin' Garage and got this one.

Here's a better one.  The color of his fur reflects the flash from the camera so well, that sometimes all I get is a big yellow photo.  So, I'm learning (finally!) to not focus ON him, but to focus to one side or the other.  Here's another of him.

I know!  He looks mad or sad, doesn't he?  He was sorta pouting because I wasn't petting him - instead, I was taking his picture!

Of the three cats I currently have, he's the one with the most personality  - I call him my Clown Cat!  It's always fun taking pictures of him, because I never know what expression I'm going to catch!

And here's his sister, Ms Smudge...

I have yet to figure out WHY photos are upright when I bring them into the  folder where I store them until I use them, yet when I bring them into the blog, they're sideways!

Can anyone help me with that?

So, here's Velvet - she's sideways, too!

I even went back to IPhoto to check and make SURE she was upright (and she was!) before trying a second time to upload her...

And finally, here's what I've done with the canning jar from the Cannery Set Framelits (127822 $24.95).

When I saw the framelits in the catalog, all I could think of was putting photos in the jar!

So, here's one of my takes, using this accessory.  I also used spiderweb embossing folder on this card.

There are two of the three cats - in the jar!  The "meow" I used is long retired, but seemed the most appropriate for the card.


Hope you enjoyed seeing "The Kidz" again - I know I enjoy having them around!

Thanks for stopping by - come back again soon!

PS - if you can help me figure out why my photos are ending up sideways these days, I'll be your best friend!  LOL  ALL HELP APPRECIATED!

Orchard Harvest DSP

How about a few more cards made using the Orchard Harvest Designer Series Papers (DSP)?

 

At this time of the year, it's hard NOT to Give Thanks, isn't it?  As a result, most of the cards I've made lately have a Thanksgiving theme to them.

This card ISN'T in the fall colors I'd been working with - which makes it one of my favorites!  I really like the blue checked paper, which doesn't feel Fallish to me - so I went with blues and greens on this one.

And, of all the cards I made using the Orchard Harvest DSP, I think this one turned out to be my favorite!  Love the color combo of Gumball Green and Cajun Craze...

I want to show you the trick of stamping items INSIDE the jar.

A  MASK!  Yep, I just stamped the image in black on Vanilla CS, then took my scissors and cut the "guts" out of it, and made a Reverse Mask.  

 

When you do this, you want to make sure to cut on the INSIDE of the stamped lines.  This will assure that whatever you want to stamp inside the jar won't cross over the lines on your finished image.

Well, that's all I have to share today.  Thanks for stopping by, and come back again!

And if you have some awesome cards YOU'VE made using the Orchard Harvest DSP, send me a link and let me see, too!

Cuttin' Back In (con't)

Well, Blogger has changed since I last used it, and it was giving me fits and starts when I tried to schedule a follow-up post to the last one.  So, I gave up in frustration...  Sometimes I just have to walk again before I kill my 'puter!   LOL

But I'm back again.

So, you ask, what's MY favorite feature of the cutter?

It HAS to be the extra wide cutting area!

OMG!  You can cut a 12 x 12 piece of CS into a 6 x 12 piece with OUT pulling out the extender arm!

It's AWESOME to be able to do that!

I used to be a paper hoarder - are you like that?  I was always afraid to make that first cut, cuz I just KNEW I was going to screw up the whole sheet of paper...

Well, I don't hoard any more!

I now know I can cut a piece of 12 x 12 into 6 x 12 - and then the 6 x 12 into two 6 x 6 pieces.  And I can work with the 6 x 6 pieces and NOT MESS UP THE REST OF THE SHEET!  Woo Hoo!

I do that with most of my DSP these days.  It actually helps me use more of it, too - because I've got all those 6 x 6 pieces, just sitting in the package staring at me, BEGGING me to use them...

This past week I was playing with the Orchard Harvest DSP ( 126895 $10.95) and made a bunch of bags, boxes and cards.

Wanna see some of them?

Hold on while I go fetch 'em...

 First, one of the cards - guess I only took pix of this one - but I have more, so will put that on my list of things to do this evening...

Next, one of the boxes I made.  This was SO EASY (once I figured out the dimensions, of course!).  Made with a single sheet of CS and no scraps leftover.

Score an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of CS (on 11" side) at 4-1/2.  Turn paper 180 degrees, and score again at 4-1/2.  Turn paper 90 degrees (to 8-1/2" side), score at 1-1/4.  Turn paper 180 degrees and score again at 1-1/4...

I tried to draw this in Word, but can't figure out how to import it, so that's going to have to wait til I learn how!  Sorry - but it's really easy - just take your CS to your scoring tool and do it!

Once you've scored it,  --> cut the center two scores on both sides of the box, fold them up, fold the sides in, and glue with Sticky Strip.  And your box is done!

OH  - if you want to decorate the box with stamps, you should probably do that before you glue it all together.  MUCH easier that way!  LOL

I've made a few more since this one and added a handle (1-1/4" wide, 11" long) to one of them to turn it into a bit of a purse.

And here's one of the bags I did - can't figure out how to re-orient it, so stand on your head to look at it!  hee hee...

Started with a small bag I purchased for Halloween ( and never got around to making into something!) and added DSP and some leaves I'd cut out of the Bigz die (127812 $21.95) and stamped with the matching stamp set (128087 $17.95 clear mount).


I'm very pleased with the outcome for a Thanksgiving gift bag!

So...  what have YOU been making lately?  Send me a link to your project - I love CASEing things from others!  Hee hee...

Thanks for stopping by - please come back!

Cuttin' Back In

Hey everyone!

I'm back!   Yeh, I know - you've heard that before, huh?

I plan to hold to it this time!  Probably won't blog every day - found myself getting burned out on that - but will try to blog a couple of times a week...

All the while I HAVEN'T been blogging, I HAVE been taking photos of the cards I've been making.  Somehow, not blogging didn't interfere with THAT aspect of my business.  But have I shown them to YOU?   NOOOOOOOO I haven't.

But before I start regaling you with pix of my creations, I wanted to mention our NEW PAPER CUTTER!

YES!  It's been in the catalog since June, but unavailable to everyone - until NOW!

As a demonstrator, I was able to purchase mine during October.  I've had it for about 2 weeks now and I LOVE IT!

Here's a video Stampin' Up! created to show you all it's features!

And for those of you who aren't crazy about watching videos on-line,  the details and features are outlined below the video:

The New Stampin' Trimmer

Introducing the new and improved Stampin' Trimmer! Although paper trimmers are a common crafting tool, this trimmer was designed exclusively by paper crafters for paper crafters-and because it was made by Stampin' Up!, you know it's a cut above the rest! Please note, the cutting and scoring blade refills will be available early in December.
Features of the All-New Stampin' Trimmer

• An extra-wide 6-1/4" cutting base and an extended 14-1/2" ruler
  • The extra-wide cutting base provides a large work area and is marked in 1/4" (4 mm) increments, allowing for small measurements. 
  • The right-side grid helps you measure and cut very thin strips.
  • The extended cutting arm has a stabilizing leg to provide a sturdy and steady cutting surface for longer cuts. 
  • When fully extended, the extended cutting arm sits flush with the trimmer base, providing more accurate and consistent measurements across the entire surface.
  • The cutting base and track include a full ruler, incorporating measurements down to 1/16" and grid lines that mark each quarter inch. 
  • All rulers and measurements on the base are printed under a plastic cover so your measurements won't wear off.
  • The base has nonskid feet, which keeps the Stampin' Trimmer securely in place on your work area.
• A full 12" cutting and scoring track
  • The extra-long cutting track has space at the top and bottom so you don't have to take the cutting and scoring blades out when you're not using them. 
  • The track gives you enough space to cut or score a full 12" (30.5 cm) without having to remove or switch out handles. 
  • The cutting track locks in place for secure storage or transport. 
  • The track includes an insertion point for cutting and scoring blade handles so you can easily insert handles into the cutting track.
• Specially designed handles and cutting track to ensure straight cuts
  • The hook on the scoring and cutting blade handles keeps the handles stable so the cuts are as straight as possible.
  • Handles come in two colors: dark for cutting, light for scoring. 
  • The precision tip on the cutting blade allows you to pinpoint precisely where you're cutting.
  • The point on the side of each handle shows you where the blade will cut, making it easy to see exactly where your cuts and scores will begin.
• Storage compartment under base
  • The storage compartment holds scoring and cutting tools such as a Bone Folder, Simply Scored Stylus, extra scoring and cutting blades, and even business cards. 
  • Separate compartments within the storage compartment keep your tools organized, and the clear cover makes it easy to see what you've stored.
• Product details: item 126889; $29.95