Saturday, March 29, 2014

Pink-Eye, Nits and the Joys of Crafting

Yeah, yeah...I know. It's been over a month! I gave so many people hope!! Hope that the silliness I regurgitate on this blog, might somehow be on permanent hiatus!

But how could I do that to you?

We ALL need aggravating people in our lives. Think about it...if there were suddenly no irritating people, you wouldn't appreciate the wonderful things in your life! Like hot baths, clean clothes and anti-anxiety meds!!

People like me are your own personal silver polish rag! You hate you have to use the filthy thing, but BOY...does that silver shiiiiine?!?!?!?!?!?!

Wait...did I really just compare myself to a silver polishing rag? Crap. Apparently, this break made me a little rusty with my metaphors. My bad. Sorry.

I have a wedding coming up and, as a special request, the Bride requested a handmade card from me! She didn't give me an invitation to the wedding, but at LEAST she likes my work, even if she doesn't like me!



Kidding...I told her I couldn't come due to having pink-eye. I love pink-eye...between it and lice, there's no better way to get out of pretty much any function if people think your kids have been exposed. But that's another instructional and inspirational story for another day.

The past month, I became (re)addicted to mini albums. I made 3: One with my Sizzix Ornate Tri-Fold Card die, with a tie binding, one with the hidden hinge system and pocket pages, and one with the Cinch binding system.

Ok...the Cinch SHOULD'VE been used but it turned out that my husband had to DRILL HOLES BY HAND along the edge of the book. This was a lesson in punching holes before decorating your chipboard pages. Sigh.

I CASEd (and when I say 'copy', I mean COPY-Hey-it's how I learn, homies!) from youtube tutorials by a girl, mybutterflykisses, who works for Graphic 45. I'll put her link at the bottom. Her work is mostly papercrafting and decorating....it's not heavy duty artistic like another girl from the design team whom I adore (xannero?) but find CASEing her impossible. She's untouchable. But butterfly kisses girl is more my style...the more stuff you put on there, the better it looks, and we ALL know I'm all about heaping as many accoutrements as possible on any given work. Here's a look-see at my work this past month:

Graphic 45 Easter Shadowbox

  (CASEd from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orSypfrFCgw)




I used Graphic 45 Sweet Sentiments paper. The large, white flower is one of my 'scunch' flowers, the tiny white ones are punches, the rest are a' la Michaels. I used flocking and stickles to bring out the inside (btw...found the little clay planting pots at Michaels and painted with Tim Holtz white crackle paint. The miniature flowers I took and arranged, sticking them into some clay at the bottom and filling up the pot with glossy accents) and used about 14 pounds of Mod Podge on everything. I'm not sure if I like Mod Podge because it works or because the smell is a bit attractive. Hmmm.

Bird Song album with hidden hinge. CASEd from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMLmeM97lNM

Here's the album cover and the top to the paper mache' box I covered with paper and decorated to put the book in.



NOW...I've got to include this link because this girl blows me away. ALL of her stuff is done WITHOUT the expensive G45 stuff. This video is the one I saw first and desperately wanted to CASE. She is phenomenal. Her name is Paveenah. Here's her video re: Bird Song. Do yourself a favor and check her out. Btw...she doesn't bother with chipboard! She takes old BOOKS and makes her albums!! Wait until you see!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8mBk2xWp4o&list=UUw8JT5cnKNNELWH0or4gPzg


 Next, my sister's album. Made from a pad of tea party paper and the idea for using the die and the tie hinge system came from butterfly kisses. I stumbled on it one day and now can't find it. She has over 600 videos. Give me a break!!! BUT, I DID happen to stumble on THIS video and any time someone b*tches that you have too much stuff, here ya go!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yzfyUAkgN0  You and I will never have to be worried about overkill after seeing this. HAH!








I'll save the other mini album until I give it to my mom. I don't want to blow the surprise. :)

That's all for today...you people have worn my a** OUT! Because of your demands, I have to eat some cake and take a nap. I hope you're happy with the way you've pushed me to the brink!

WAIT! I thought I was talking to my husband for a sec!! Wrong script!! Let me try again.

Thanks for stopping by today! See you soon!



2 comments:

  1. Ah! There's my girl ! How I missed the feeling of snorting tea up my nose.
    What utterly fabulous projects! Holy Scrap! Carmen, these are amazing!
    I know what you mean by being inspired by "butterflykisses", she had me all gung-ho into minis a few years ago. Her work is lovely, and yeah, I'm pretty sure she has EVERYTHING! But frankly, us mortals, don't need nor will ever use all that stuff. She also probably doesn't have to pay for all of it!
    Umm, cake. Crap, I don't have any, but I do have a secret stash of Easter chocolate. You are a bad influence!

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  2. Hmmm, cake. I have homemade biscuits and jelly, that will have to do in a pinch. And yes, mybutterflykisses' craftroom is crazy full of stuff, I don't feel quite so bad about all my dies, but it's probably a tossup about who spent more money. And I LOVE the mini album with the tags, wonderful!

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