Back to My "Normal" Self.....

Remember yesterday when I said I was most comfortable with glitter and lace?  Well here I am again back in my comfort zone.  I used to try and fight my style, but now I've embraced it.  I like to play and experiment and push myself every now and then.  But I'm most comfortable with a certain style.  And I have decided that I am perfectly fine with that.  ;)  What is your style?

How would people describe it?

I have a Crafty Secret's card to share with you today.  It uses digital elements from the Valentine Digital CD collection. I printed the post card twice, so I could cut out the roses, and added glossy accents and glitter.  I used dimensional foam circles to give it depth between the layers. 

All of the papers were also from the digital CD. I love that I have control over how big the design is.  It's perfect for cardmakers! I added a bit of lace behind the image, seam binding, pearls, and a button to finish it off. 

There's that depth that I was talking about...... 

Yesterday, Cortney had her tooth filled.  She was such a champ!  I am so proud of how brave she was!  And the dentist and her nurse are such patient caring people. 

They took their time with her, talked to her and put her at ease. 

All that worry I had, and it turned out beautifully!

I am off to shovel snow before heading in to work.

5 inches.

Have a great weekend my friends!

XOXO

Funky Love.....

You know I am usually the vintage girl.  Glitter. Lace. Pinks and blues.  Anything girly, anything shabby. But I had a "moment."  A creative moment.  I played with watercolor paper and alcohol inks.  I'm not really sure why. I just started squirting various colors and after it was dry, I was left with this really cool background.  Perfect. I used Faber Castell gelatos to add color to the chipboard.  I gave it a shiny coat with glossy accents for a cool modern feel. 

I was pretty excited about my little artistic "experiment."  So I decided it would be perfect for my husband on Valentine's Day.  

Apparently I was wrong.

He opened it. Looked at it funny. And then replied, "This isn't your best work." (Don't worry, he wasn't punched because he winked when he said it. )

Men.

What do they know anyway!? ;)  

I purchased a new lens for my camera and have been playing around a bit.  I have always been a gal who used automatic settings, figuring the camera was smarter than me. ;)  But I've been teaching myself about ISO, F-stops, and shutter speed.  And the beauty of digital is you can take as many pictures as you want and delete most of them!  When I take pictures of Cortney, I take many. Usually her eyes are closed, or you can see her tonsils (not a pretty sight!), or her head is down. But this shot captured her perfectly.  

The blue eyes.

The rosy cheeks. 

Her beautiful skin.

And my Skippers .(Who desperately needs a grooming!)  But I love his teddy bear looks right now.  He reminds me of the Snuggle Bear. :)

And Myla, who turns one in just a week.  What a character she is! 

And in bad news, today is Cortney's dentist appt.  I have my supplies ready.  Stuff to keep her comfortable and happy.  My stress level is through the roof this morning.  I hope the dentist is able to fill that tooth and battle through her tears.  (As well as her mama.)

Wish us luck.

Have a great day my crafty friends!

XOXO

Front Door Decor

Good morning!  What a crazy, crazy week it's been.  Our TV died and Cortney went to the dentist only to find out she has two cavities.  One of them is very large and deep, and we are praying that the decay didn't hit the nerve.  She is having her tooth fixed tomorrow and I pray she cooperates with the dentist. 

Easter is early this year, and I can't quite get my head wrapped around that fact! (Maybe it's due to the blustery snow and cold outside my window!) But I did manage to take all of my snowmen down and put my Easter decor up.  (Maybe I should have found tiny ear muffs and scarves for my bunnies? LOL!) 

I altered this old metal bucket using cream spray paint, lace, and Spanish moss.  

I used the Giant Flowers Cartridge to create my focal point.  The bunny was cut out of felt using Teresa Collins Easter Cartridge.  I added a few flowers and my sentiment was computer generated.

I am going to keep it short today!  

Thank you all for stopping by!

Have a great day my friends!

XOXO

Paper Loft's Sketch Challenge!

Good Morning my friends!  I wanted to let you know that Paper Loft has their Sketch and Guest Designer Contest going on.  The challenge will run until February 28th. The Guest designer will get a special badge and will have their projects featured on the Paper Loft blog throughout the month of March.

To participate: Make a project (card, scrap layout or any project that works with the sketch) using the provided sketch and upload it to your blog or online gallery. Leave a link to your project using the link widget at the bottom of Paper Loft's post. The Paper Loft products are not required to participate, but the winner will be chosen from a participant that uses The Paper Loft products somewhere on their project.

 You may enter as many times as you want. 

I am always short on men's and kid's cards, so I decided to make a little boy card for my nephew's birthday. 

 I used Paper Loft's Funkysaurus paper and my Cricut to make the lil' dinosaur. I added a bit of brown Stickles around the edges to make it stand out a bit. 

I am off today from school and heading to the dentist with the kiddos! Wish us luck that they get a clean bill of health!

Have a great day! 

Photography is an Art......

Photography is something I love.....and I admire people that can do it really well.  Some people just have an eye for it.  My good friend Katie Driscoll has an amazing eye! She finds the most interesting locations and captures the personality of the person being photographed so beautifully! I was lucky enough to have her photograph Cortney several times.  

Katie is the driving force behind "Changing the Face of Beauty."  She is a  selfless, warm, kind person. She is the kind of gal you feel you've known your whole life even though you've just met her. She has this amazing ability to put kids at ease and make them laugh.

Why am I telling you all of this?  Because my dear friend is starting her own photography business.  People should.....NEED...to know about her!  If you live in the Chicago land area and need pictures, I would love if you would consider her.  

If you would like to see more of Katie's work be sure to visit her Facebook page!

Have a great Sunday my friends!