Sleep is over rated, right???

I have decided that my days definitely need more hours in them! Either that or I need to stop sleeping! Lol!

It's been a long while since I had the chance to do some crafting, but I recently made a large purchase and I am now the proud owner of a Big Shot!

I am hoping to finally be able to use a die that I had bought that was just a smidgen to wide for my Cuttlebug! Lol!

I also received 4 new Stampin Up! stamp sets and I got to play with them this morning! Here are two cards that I created.

This first card I made using the Kinda Eclectic stamp set and a flower from the Best of Flowers set. While spending some quality time on Pinterest the other day, I noticed quite a few cards that had black stamping against softer colors. I loved the look! 

Of course I had to add some sequins!

I stamped the flower three times in the blue ink and once in the green ink. I then fussy cut them out and stacked them.

This next card was basically the same idea as the first, in the same color scheme.

To create the background, I rubbed my two ink colors over an embossing folder, spritzed it with water, then laid a piece of watercolor paper over it and pressed down.

Once my watercolor paper was dry, I stamped my black images.

The stamps I used for this card were the sentiment from the Forever Florals set and the rest from the Butterfly Basics set.

The ink colors I used were Tim Holtz Distress ink pads (Broken China & Shabby Shutters) and my Jet Black StazOn ink pad.

Check out my Pinterest board to see where I got my inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Cayla ~

Card Crazy!

Hello everyone! 

I am going to try to keep my words down to a minimum because lately I have gone on a card blitz, so I have quite a few cards I want to put in this post!

So lets just get right to it shall we!

:D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I loved making this first card!
I have gone crazy buying all the new Stampin Up products from the Occasions catalog! This butterfly die and the larger butterfly stamp came from those products.

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" Kraft Cardstock

4" x 5.25" White Cardstock

Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder

Follow Your Heart "Be Happy" Stamp Set by MME

Butterfly Basics Stamps by Stampin Up

Butterflies Thinlits Dies by Stampin Up

Crumb Cake Ink by Stampin Up

Aged Mahogany Distress Ink by Ranger Ink

Misc Twine

Misc Sequins

Wax Paper, Kraft cardstock & white cardstock to cut out butterflies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This next card was inspired by a card a saw on Pinterest (actually all the cards you will see here today are inspired, if not downright copied, by cards I saw while spending "quality time" on Pinterest! :D)

As you can see, I have a love for sequins right now! They are so darn easy to use and come in so many different colors, sizes and shapes! I love them, love them, love them!!!! 

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White cardstock

4.25" x 5.5" Cardstock (times 2)

Misc Sequins

MME Washi tape

Red Cardstock

Misc Black Twine

Pool Party Ink by Stampin Up

Coastal Cabana Ink by Stampin Up

Bermuda Bay Ink by Stampin Up

Chevron Punk by EK Success

Technique: To get the ombre look behind the Chevron, I first took one of the 4.25" x 5.5" white cardstock pieces. Starting with the darkest color and using a sponge dauber, I applied ink to the right top side, working down. Then I took the next shade and applied the ink, blending up into the darker shade. I repeated this step with the lightest shade, closest to the bottom. I then took the second 4.25" x 5.5" white cardstock piece, punched the chevron pattern and placed it over top. Lastly, I adhered the whole piece to the card front. Practice on scrap paper till you get the hang of doing the ombre!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I saw this feather stamp set used so many times on cards on Pinterest that I just had to have it! :D

This was a tricky card to get the feathers all lined up straight but in the end it has a simple yet classy look!

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" Kraft Cardstock

4" x 5.25" Yellow Cardstock

3.75" x 5" White Cardstock

Four Feather Stamps by Stampin Up

Wonderful Words Stamps by Stampin Up (retired)

Scattered Straw Distress Ink by Ranger

Smoky Slate Ink by Stampin Up

Jet Black StazOn Ink

Misc Sequins

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another card that I loved to make!

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White Cardstock

Crazy About You Stamp Set by Stampin Up

Hello You Thinlits Dies by Stampin Up

Sahara Sand Ink by Stampin Up

Pool Party Ink by Stampin Up

Bermuda Bay Sequin Trim by Stampin Up

Misc Bakers twine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I did a couple, more masculine cards because I know those men can be a little bit fussy! They don't like bling and they don't like flowers! Sheesh! Who do they think we are? Lol!

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White Cardstock

Black Cardstock for stars

1" x 4" strips of varying shades of grey & blue cardstock

Diamond Plate Sizzix/Tim Holtz Embossing Folder 

Riveted Metal Sizzix/Tim Holtz Embossing Folder

Honeycomb Sizzix/Tim Holtz Embossing Folder

Gears Set Sizzix/Tim Holtz Embossing Folder

Big Day Stamps by Stampin Up (Sale-A-Bration Catalog)

Stacking Stars Die-namics (Mft Stamps)

White Sharpie Paint Pen

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White Cardstock

4.25" x 5.5" Black Cardstock

4" x 5.25" Kraft Cardstock

3.5" x x4.75" White cardstock

4.5" x 1.5" Pattern Paper banner strip

.75" x 3.75" Black Cardstock banner strip

Misc Off-White Pattern Paper to make Stars

Misc Black Rhinestones

Crazy About You Stamps by Stampin Up

Jet Black StazOn Ink

Sahara Sand Ink by Stampin Up

Supplies I used:

8.5" x 5.5" White Cardstock

4" 5.25" White Cardstock

2.5" x 5.25" Woodgrain Pattern Paper

Misc Off-White Pattern Paper to make Stars

White & Black Cardstock

Lucky Stars Embossing Folder by Stampin Up

Stacking Stars Die-namics (Mft Stamps)

Hello You Thinlit Dies by Stampin Up

Crazy About You Stamps by Stampin Up

Sahara Sand Ink by Stampin Up

Word Window Punch by Stampin Up

Jet Black StazOn Ink

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This Pear stamp is a set I have had forever! I love it but hardly ever use it! Lately I have finally caved and started getting into the world of alcohol markers! I don't know why I have resisted it for so long, because it is simply wonderful!

Supplies I used:

5.5" x 8.5" Kraft Cardstock

4 1/8" x 5 3/8" Black Cardstock

4" x 5.25" White Cardstock

3.25" x 2.5" White Cardstock (Tag)

Black & white cardstock for word & stamping

Seeing Dots Embossing Folder by Cuttlebug

Spectrum Noir Markers

Old Olive Assortment Blendibilities by Stampin Up

Hello You Thinlit Dies by Stampin Up

Crazy About You Stamps by Stampin Up

Infinite Goodness Stamps by Stampin Up (retired)

Peeled Paint Distress Ink by Ranger Ink

Black Memento Ink

Misc Twine

Technique: I have said this before I know, but I love when I can find more than one way to use a tool! To get this patterned background, I took my embossing folder and spread my Ranger Distress ink over it. I didn't apply ink evenly but pressed harder in some areas and lightly skipped over other areas. I then LIGHTLY misted the inked embossing folder with water. The "lightly" part is important, because if you use too much water your ink with just run all over the place! I then placed my paper in the embossing folder and pressed down! I didn't even run it through my machine, although you totally could do that to give it more dimension & texture! 

The reason I used the Ranger Distress Ink is because the ink is designed to react with water in a fantastic way! So you get some really cool watermark effects without the colors separating! YouTube has some great videos on Rangers Distress Inks, so check them out!

Technique: When using alcohol based markers such as Spectrum Noir, Copics, Stampin Up Blendibilites, etc, you want to use a fast drying, water based ink like Memento ink. That way as you are coloring in your image, the outline is not bleeding into the areas you are coloring with the markers.

To color the pear, I chose two shades of yellow (dark & medium) and started by outlining the image with the dark color. I then went in filling in the image using the medium color making sure to work in a circular motion, blending the two colors together. I left a white spot in the top left corner and used the blender pen that I had purchased with one of the Spectrum sets, to blend the edges of the spot so there was no defined lines. Practice this technique on scrap paper to get the hang of blending with alcohol based markers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I am the worst sister ever! I made this next card for my baby sister, whose birthday is on Valentines day, and then forgot to send it! Lol! But now she can see this picture and know that I made her the best card ever! :D

Supplies I used:

5.5" x 8.5" White Cardstock

3.75" x 5" White Cardstock

4.25" x 1 7/8" White Cardstock

4" x 5.25" Red Cardstock

2" x 4.25" Red Cardstock

White & red cardstock for hearts and feathers

Heart Punch by Stampin Up (retired)

Four Feathers Stamps by Stampin Up

Feathers Framelits Dies by Stampin Up

Happy Heart Embossing Folder by Stampin Up

Big Day Stamps by Stampin Up

Smoky Slate Ink by Stampin Up

Real Red Ink by Stampin Up

Misc Sequins

Stamping the candles was fun! It was a single candle that I stamped over and over, so don't judge cause they are definitely not in a straight line! :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grey & Yellow! Two of my fave colors put together!

Supplies I used:

5.5" x 8.5" White Cardstock

4" x 5.25" Woodgrain Pattern Paper

3.25" x 3.25" Printed Pattern Paper

White Cardstock for flowers

Fabulous Florets Stamps by Stampin Up (retired)

Scattered Straw Distress Ink by Ranger Ink

Washi Tape

Black Fine-tip Sharpie

Glossy Accents

I added some Glossy Accents to the center of the flowers to give the flowers an added dimension. It's hard to tell in the pics though, sorry!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope I have inspired you to go get crafty and create!
Thanks for stopping by!
~ Cayla ~

Check out my Pinterest board:
  "CARD IDEAS"
for all the great ideas that inspired me to create these cards!

Also check out Allison Okamitsu's Blog:
NICE PEOPLE STAMP
Allison was the wonderful gal who taught me the fabulous ombre technique and how to overcome my fear of alcohol markers! :D

Counting down the days...

Woot! Woot! 

Only one more week and then I get to make that borrrrrrring 6 hour drive back to Saskatchewan to come scrap with some of my crafty peeps! I am soooooo excited!!! :D

I have been looking forward to this trip for months now and I would drive half way around the world to be at this crop!

It's not going to be fancy or have big time, headliner scrapbook designer people there... but it will have some of the nicest ladies I have ever met, good homemade food and a whole lot of laughs! So I wouldn't dream of missing it for the world! :D 

I have been to this crop every year for the atleast the last 5 years (maybe more) as a store rep, but this year I am going just as myself and I get to play! :D 

Yayayayayayay!!!

But of course I was thinking I needed to be doing something a little extra for my good friend Lana, who is the one putting on the show with her lovely ladies from the Langham Library (this is a fundraiser crop to raise money for their local library!) So I started gathering a few things and may have put together a beautiful prize basket to donate! :D

Here is a little sneaky peak, but only a little one! I don't want to spoil the surprise!

I know that anyone who wins this fabulous prize is going to love it! I want to win it! Lol!

So now before I go and spend the next week agonizing over what supplies, tools and projects and I can fit into my vehicle between my kids and their suitcases, I want to share this cute little card I made. I have even written up a quick tutorial for you, so I hope you will give it a try!

Supplies I used:

"Work of Art" stamp set (Stampin Up!)

Whisper White Ink (Stampin Up!)

Black StazOn Ink

White Cardstock (5.5" x 8.5")

Black Cardstock (4" x 5.25")

Coral Cardstock (1.25" x 5")

Teresa Collins Sequins

Misc Dk Coral Twine

Glossy Accents

Corner Rounder

Heat Gun

Tweezers

Acrylic Block (for stamps)

3L Foam Adhesive

Scissors

1. Round the corners of the black cardstock piece using the corner rounder.
2. Stamp the background of the black cardstock using the Whisper White ink. I love this ink but it takes FOREVER to dry (if it ever dries), hence the heat gun. Use the heat gun until the ink is dry but be careful not to hold it in one place for too long!!! You can burn the ink and turn it brown! The heat gun is also hot enough to start the paper on fire, also another good reason NOT to hold it in one place for to long! :D
3. Adhere the black cardstock to your card front using the foam adhesive. (I love dimension!)
4. Trim your coral cardstock piece to make the banner.
5. Stamp the zig zag pattern using black StazOn ink (Any other black ink will do too. I just love my StazOn. :D )
6. Tie some of the dark coral twine around the banner and make a bow.
7. Adhere the banner to the cardfront using the foam adhesive. (Yay! More dimension!)
8. Using the Glossy accents and tweezers, add some sequins to your card. Again, there are other adhesives that would work to adhere the sequins, so use what you like best!)

This is a really cute and quick card that would work well for upcoming Valentines day or change up the colors and turn it into a birthday card! 

I just bought this stamp set and I LOVE it!  You can scroll through my 

"CARDS" Pinterest board 

for some great inspiring ideas on how to use it!

Well I guess I should run along now and get busy doing things! I look forward to seeing some of you in Langham next weekend! :D

~Cayla~

Merry Christmas!

Good evening! I hope you all had a fabulous and Merry Christmas and are ready to bring in the New Year!! :D

I had the best Christmas ever! For the first time in 11 years I got to wake up on Christmas morning in my own bed and host my very own Christmas dinner in our new house! Well to be truthful, I had the guests bring the turkey! But trust me, that was for the best! Lol! 

I really did miss spending Christmas with my husbands family though, my mother n' law really does spoil us! :D

The couple of weeks leading up to Christmas got right crazy and hectic, so I didn't quite get everything crafty accomplished that I had wanted too. I took on a couple extra shifts at work and by the time I got home each day, I was just too darn lazy! But the last couple days have been really nice and quiet and I finally found some time to spend how I pleased! :D

I would like to say that I was super productive and got lots accomplished... but that would be a horrible lie! Lol! But I did get this layout done! 

I had these photos taken of my daughter at the end of her grade 8 year by a very talented photographer and dear friend of mine, Ivana! She did such an amazing job capturing Danielle's beauty and personality!

The paper I used for this layout was the Typography collection from Graphic 45. When I first saw the photos Ivana had taken, I would not have guessed I would be using such a vintage looking paper, but this line just worked perfectly with these photos!

Some embellishment I used included:

 Stampin Up washi tape

Teresa Collins washi tape

Studio Calico cork chevron arrows

Basic Grey alpha/journaling stickers

Maya Road camera transparency piece

Misc twine.

The "Inspire" quote and "alphabet card" were pieces I cut directly from the Graphic 45 paper.

To create the banner, I tore various pieces of washi tape off their roles. I then wrapped them around the twine. I left them with the rough edges but you could easily trim them to give them a cleaner, tidier look.

I used 3-D foam dimensional adhesive on the alpha letter stickers to make them stand out a bit more and I did all my journaling along the white cardstock strips.

I also used the foam adhesive on the camera transparency piece. You can't tell though because I used black ones and they are hidden so nicely!

Tomorrow I return to work but I am super excited for the end of the month to come! In just a few short weeks I get to go hang out with my scrappy SK peeps for an annual library fundraising event in Langham! I have attended this crop every year for the last 4 or 5 years now but never as someone who just gets to play!! I have always gone representing a store, so I am really looking forward to the crop this year and hanging out with all you crafty ladies!! :D

Maybe I'll have some more projects to show off! :D

I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!

~Cayla~

Tis the season...

Welcome Everyone!!

If you have arrived here from Jodie's wonderful blog, then you have come from the right place!
 If not and you want to start from the beginning, go HERE!
The complete list of the links in order will be posted at the end!

December seems to be a stressful time for a lot of people and really, it's no different for me. Usually by this time of year I have atleast half, if not all of my gift shopping done, but not this year! With having started a new job and still trying to get in our groove of living in a new city with a new routine, I feel a little behind. Which is why I am feeling extremely grateful that I had the foresight to start making Christmas cards way back in August and also that I had made way to many cards last year, so I still have plenty left over! Lol!

So I am going to share a couple with you today! :D

 This stamp set makes me giggle everytime I see it! I just bought this set from Stampin Up and I love it! Santa in his long underwear, how cute can you get! :D 

I bought this set thinking it would be perfect for making Christmas cards for my crazy family and because I was on Pinterest (Surprise! Surprise!) and saw these cute cards made by this crafty gal. You can check out her blog to see what she created and to see where I got my inspiration! 

http://inkingidaho.blogspot.ca/2014/09/visions-of-santa.html?m=1

She did a way better job coloring in her Santa's because I think I need to go back to kindergarten and re-learn to color inside the lines! Lol! 

I of course changed up my card a bit and used some different products. I wish I had the stars embossing folder she used for the background of her card (and it's definitely on my very long wish list! :D) but I decided to use a Tim Holtz embossing folder instead. I also opted out of punching a scalloped border piece and decided to use up some of my washi tape to make a fun border.

This next card was one that I pulled out of my "last year's" stash! 

It was a super easy card to make and was a great way to use up some scraps! The greeting was stamped using a Stampin Up set but I honestly don't remember the name of the set right now and I think it is a retired set anyway. 

The snowmen stamp is also an old stamp I had from Inkadinkadoo I believe. 

These next two cards are some of my fave cards to make and may look complicated but I find they are a very relaxing thing to do!

I started embroidering on paper almost 10 years ago after taking a class at my LSS and I was hooked! It was such a unique way to make such a beautiful card to send to a special person and I found it to be so relaxing and kind of meditating! 

My husband and I used to spend MANY weekends driving back and forth between Calgary and Saskatoon. And when I say many weekends, I mean every second or third weekend for two or three years. So ya, a lot of driving. And for any of you who haven't driven that hi-way, I can tell you it is sooooooooooooooo boring!  So when I learned this new paper crafting technique, I found that it was a great way to pass the time in the car while my husband was driving but we could still have conversations!

I won't lie to you, these cards are definitely more time consuming, but the how-to is not difficult and the end result is gorgeous and unique! Any receiver would be thrilled to get a card like this!

Next, head on over to Carlye's blog and check out her gorgeous cards and then last but not least stop by and check out Amy's blog and her crafty creations!

Please stop in again soon! 

I am hoping to have some more holiday cards and some tags to share!

~Cayla!

Stop 1: Jodie at Prairie Paper Haven

Stop 2: ME at Cayla's Crafty Corner

Stop 3: Carlye at Crafty Carlye

Stop 4: Amy at Yo Ho Ho A Pirate Life's Craft

It's a "Spook-tacular" Blog Hop!!!!

Well if you have arrived here from Jody's Blog for this awesome Halloween Blog hop, then you have come from the right place! If you want to start from the beginning head HERE first then come on back! At the end of my post there will be a list of all the links in order for the hop!

I always have mixed emotions when the end of October comes! On the one hand, I hate that winter is just around the corner and that the snow will be coming at any moment, because I really dislike being cold. But on the other hand, I love Halloween! It is so much fun helping my kids get all dressed up in their costumes! This year I am a little sad though because I think my oldest has decided not to dress up! (Wahhhhh! I'm not ready!)
She was the one that always had awesome costume ideas!

These were the last two year's costumes. They were great!

Well with the move to Calgary I get to be close to my other teenage daughter Abby! And she is still in to dressing up and going out. So I can help her go all out! Yyyyaaayyyy!!!

This year I also decided to decorate my house for the first time and do up some Halloween projects! I was quite excited! I have a couple of special little trick'r treaters coming to my door this year, so I decided to make them something special!

This first project is a paper "treat" bag. Pretty simple project that I made by cutting pieces of black, purple and orange cardstock that fit the front of the bag. I find that paper bags vary by company in sizes, so you just have to measure your bags to get the measurements. I used a border punch on the edges of the purple piece and ran the orange piece through my Cuttlebug to give it an embossed textured. The embossing folder I used was by Cuttlebug and was called Spots & Dots. 

To make the cute little characters, I first stamped the images using stamps I purchased years ago from Micheals onto white cardstock and then colored them in using good old Crayola pencil crayons! (And by the way, I am not convinced that the little dracula looks right in purple! I was originally going to leave him with a white face but that didn't look right either!) I then cut them out and adhered them to the front of the bag. I then stamped the sentiment onto a white cardstock strip, colored it and cut the end to form the banner.

To finish everything off, I used my fine tip black sharpie to draw stitching, punched some holes through the top of the bag (that was folded over) and added some ribbon & fibers to hold the bag closed! Now all I have to do is fill the bag with some goodies and hand it over to one sweet little girl!

Most of you know I LOVE PINTEREST!!! And when I saw these next couple of things, I had to try them...

Of course I don't know about you, but whenever I try to do something that I see on Pinterest, it rarely looks the same! This was no exception. I think because I tried to use chocolate bars that I knew the person I was giving them to was going to like, but the wrappers just didn't look the greatest! One way to fix this I think, is to wrap the bars in cardstock before wrapping it with the crepe streamer paper (which is what I used). They are still cute and it's still chocolate, so score all around!

 You can check out the website HERE to see where I got my inspiration.

 These next cute little treat bags were totally copied from HERE! I'm not ashamed to say I am not always original! Lol!

I just loved these little guys! They are soooooo super adorable! I did improvise alittle because I don't have a couple of the tools she used.

To make the tops, the original used a Stampin Up! punch (which would have made it super easy and quick), but my way worked too! I used some of my dies and followed THIS tutorial. I measured the width of my die and cut a piece of cardstock to the same width and a length of 8.5". I cut both ends using the die and then scored at 4.5" from each end. (You could also score before you punch the ends, it doesn't matter which order you do that step.) 

To draw the white mouth and eye dots, I used the Sharpie water-based paint marker which I love, love love! Just don't shake it with the lid off! Lol! 

In the original, she only used a small piece of candy on the bottom. But that is no fun, so I filled little baggies and stapled them in when I folded the two sided up!

 Check out my Halloween Ideas board for more great ideas.

Here is a quick layout I did up...

I used an older line from Echo Park called Apothecary Emporium mixed with some stickers from Chillingsworth Manor.

It is hard to tell in the picture, but I used lots of 3L foam adhesive to give dimension to the elements on the page. I also added a metal skull and cross bones embellishment that I've held onto for years, just waiting for that perfect project. I'm sure you wouldn't know what that's like! Lol!

And lastly, a banner I made that will be proudly displayed in my house for a little halloween get together I'll be having! :D

Ignore the desperate screams for re-staining by my deck rails!

Thanks for stopping in! Let me know what you think, I would love to hear your comments!
Happy Halloween everyone!
~Cayla~

Next head on over to Tracy's Blog and check out her super cute canvas and be sure to check out the other lovely lady's blogs as well!!

Stop #1: Prairie Paper Haven

Stop #2: Cayla's Crafty Corner (That's Me!)

Stop #3: My Crazy Life

Stop #4: Crafty Carlye

Stop #5: Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Life for Me Crafts

Yaaayyyyyy For New Friends!

REVISED!!

I can't believe it's the middle of September already! It seems my family and I have been on many adventures in the past few months and they have flown by! We have all settled in nicely (including the nasty little skunk under the front step) and we are loving the new house! The kids have all started their new schools and despite the rough start my oldest daughter Danielle had into high school, she is slowly starting to make friends and enjoy it (although she will never admit it! Lol!)

Abby getting ready to take on T-Rex at the Calgary Zoo

Family pic (minus a kid) - best we are going to get! Lol!

Lovely Abby!

Water wars at Calaway Park!

Drowned Rats (Danielle, her friend Kim, Abby and the girls half sister Isabel)

All that whipping hair is Danielle & her friend Kim. I now know why there are chiropractors!

Danielle showing off her ropin' skills at the Calgary Corn Mazes! 

Sam photo bombing my selfie!

I have also started to make some new crafty friends!
But don't worry Saskatoon, I could never replace you! You will always be my first! My heart is big enough for you all! And by the way, Congrats Lori on THINK PINK #5! I was very sad to have missed it this year but it sounds like it was a huge success! My Lovely friend Theresa made sure my hand-self made an appearance for pics! Lol!

Theresa, Lori & Hand Cayla

Even though I was unable to go to the crop in Delmany, I did get invited to another event here in Calgary by a friend of mine. It was a Stampin Up Bingo Night put on by Allison Okamitsu who is a very lovely Stampin up demonstrator! You can check out her blog HERE. I had a very lovely time on Friday night, so much so that I went back on Sunday afternoon to check out her monthly club group! Nothing like forcing myself into the local crafty community! Lol! It was a very warm and inviting atmosphere! It reminded me of all you lovely crafty people back in Saskatoon and of all the fun events at the studio! That's the best part about the crafty community, it's like being apart of a warm & welcoming family!

Now I haven't gotten to the best part yet!
I had lucky horseshoes stuck somewhere cause I just happened to have won the mother of all prizes on Friday night! With my one little Bingo card I won over $200 worth of Stampin up goodies!
The first half of the prize was a package of the Stampin Up line called All Is Calm. This package included:
 All Is Calm Specialty Designer Series Paper
All Is Calm Snowflake Embellishments
All Is Calm Designer Washi Tape
Frosted Sequins Embellishments
Lost Lagoon Silky Taffeta Ribbon
On Point Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
Letterpress Winter Clear Stamp Set
Wintertime Wood Stamp Set
Good Greetings Cling Stamp Set

Plus when I had with my registration fee I had already received the Holiday Cheer Project Life Clear Stamp Set and a package of cardstock for cardmaking!

So then the second part of the grand prize was that I got to spend over $100 on an order from the Stampin' Up! Catalogue!!!!  When Allison told me that part I nearly got up and hugged her! Lol!
 I was almost afraid I was going to get boo'ed out of the room though! Here comes this new girl and she takes home the best prize! Way-da-go Cayla, that's how you make new friends! Well atleast they won't forget me, right? Lol!

Isn't it all lovely!

In the last year I have not had a whole lot of time to be creative as some of you may know. I went back to school last September and studied my butt off for 10 months, then with the move and getting my kids settled, there just hasn't been alot of crafty time! So of course when I brought all this crafty goodness home with me I just HAD to play with it! Right? Right! So this is what I made...

What I used:

SU All Is Calm Specialty Designer Paper

SU All Is Calm Designer Washi Tape

 SU Letterpress Winter Clear Stamp Set

Jet Black StazOn Ink

Iced Spruce Distress Ink

Silver Stickles

3L Foam Adhesive

3L EZ Runner

Tombow Mono Liquid Glue

Misc White Embossing Thread

For this card I used a 5.5" x 8.5" piece of white card stock (folded in half) and covered the front with a 4.25" x 5.5" pce of pattern from the pkg of paper I got. I stamped the "Season's Greetings" sentiment using Iced Spruce Distress ink and the fancy border using Jet Black StazOn ink. I added some Silver Stickles glitter accents to the fancy border (sorry, it's hard to tell in the pic.) I fussy cut out the sentiment piece and used 3L Foam Adhesive to adhere it to the card front. I stuck strips of the washi tape to the top and bottom edges of the card and then tied some plain white embossing thread several times around the top of the card.  To add some security to the bow I put a dab of Tombow liquid glue behind the knot to hold it down.

What I Used:

SU All Is Calm Designer Washi Tape

SU Frosted Sequin Embellishments

  SU Holiday Cheer Clear Stamp Set

SU Lost Lagoon Silky Taffeta Ribbon

Broken China Distress Ink

Tombow Mono Liquid Glue

Bonefolder

This card is made from a piece of 4.25" x 11" Kraft cardstock (folded in half.) I stamped the border along the left side using Broken China Distress ink then tore strips of washi tape to stick to the card. I tied the bow using the lovely Lost Lagoon ribbon I got and adhered it using Tombow liquid glue. I also used the Tombow liquid glue to adhere the snowflake sequins. I then stamped the sentiment using the Broken China Distress ink. Easy Peasy!!

Tip: I find that sometimes washi tapes don't always stay stuck down. So I find it helpful to take my bonefolder and press it over the washi tape. 

What I Used:
SU All Is Calm Specialty Designer Paper
SU Wintertime Wood Stamp
SU Frosted Sequins Embellishments
Broken China Distress Ink
White Cardstock (Staples)
3L EZ Runner
Tombow Mono Liquid Glue
Sakura Silver Star Gelly Rolly (gel pen)

I used a 5.5" x 8.5" white cardstock piece for this card (folded in half) and cut a piece of pattern paper that is 5.25" x 4" and adhered it to the front. I then cut a piece of white cardstock that is 5" x 3.75" and adhered this to the front and drew on my stitches with the silver gel pen. I stamped the sentiment with the Broken China Distress ink and adhered the sequins with the Tombow adhesive. Another super easy card done!

Tip: To add a little something more to this card, I might see if I have some matching blue beads I could adhere to the centers of the sequins!

What I Used:
SU All Is Calm Specialty Designer Papers
SU Holiday Cheer Clear Stamp Set
SU Mosaic Madness Wood Stamp Set
SU Mosaic Shape Punch
SU Good Greetings Cling Stamp Set
Martha Stewart Border Punch
Broken China Distress Ink
Shabby Shutters Distress Ink
Jet Black StazOn Ink
Tombow Mono Liquid Glue
3L EZ Runner
3L Foam Adhesive
White Cardstock (Staples)
Misc Jute Twine

So this card as you can see has a little more to it and is a little larger than the rest. First I cut a piece of pattern paper that is 12" x 6" and folded it in half. On the inside (which you can't see) I cut a piece of white cardstock that is 5.75" x 5.75" and adhered it. This will give me something to write on. Next I cut another piece of pattern paper that is 5.75" x 5.75" and roughed up the edges a bit with my scissors (or you could use a paper distresser if you've got one). I then adhered this to my card front. I cut another pattern paper piece that is 2" x 6" and used the border punch along the one edge. I then adhered the piece to the card using the foam adhesive for dimension. I cut a 0.25" x 6" piece from white cardstock and stamped the border using Shabby Shutters Distress ink and adhered it to the card. To make the ornament, I stamped one of the Mosaic stamps 6 times onto white cardstock using Broken China Distress ink (use 3 Mosaic stamps per ornament.) Cut out each stamped image (or use the coordinating punch like I did) and fold them exactly in half length wise. You are then going to put glue on half of the back of one of them and stick it to a half of another. (gosh that's confusing! Hopefully the pics below will make more sense!) In the end you will have three stuck together.

Step 1: Fold 3 ornaments in half
Step 2: Put glue on the back of one but only on half of it
Step 3: Stick to another ornament piece
Step 4: Put glue on the back half of ornament
Step 5: Adhere third ornament piece
Step 6: Put glue on the entire back of ornament and adhere to card

Repeat for second ornament.

revised: I actually found a quick little video that shows a similar technique that may help you understand what I was trying to do with this card, incase you weren't following what I was trying to explain. :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j7oqn2d8jQ


So after I had my ornaments adhered to my card, I tied bows in my twine and adhered them to my card with the Tombow glue. I them stamped my sentiment using Jet Black StazOn ink.

So ya, this card was a little more work but the dimension, it turned out to be super cute!

So those were the cards I made using the awesome Stampin Up goodies I got on Friday. I also wanted to give you a quick look at a couple of other cute cards I created last week.
In Calgary we had some horrible weather and got completely dumped on by snow. I wanted to cry and pack up my family and come running back to Saskatoon. But it made me think of Christmas and how maybe this year I could for once be prepared! So I created some more lovely Christmas cards!

Thanks for stoppin by!
~Cayla~