Crafty Che'Marie

Feeling a little cheesy... and sassy!

2011-11-20T12:48:00.001-08:00

There are so many things I love about today: the crisp cold weather, the smell of the freshly cut Christmas trees being set up on the corner, baking cinnamon struesel coffee cake for breakfast, chilling in my jammies doing laundry, and a photo shoot of my girl. Well, the last one didn't turn out so well. See, my best friend takes some truly awesome photos of her baby girl, and I am more of an informal snapshot kinda gal. But I was inspired by all the cute outfits, hats, and socks Kayla has, and we didn't have any other plans so we went for it. We did get a few good shots, like this one:

But here's a few other shots to show you how the session truly went:

My intention was to get some pictures like Jessica's, as seen here... I missed by a mile! =o)

Laptop Cover

2011-08-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

About a year or so ago I decided my laptop was too plain so I jazzed it up a little. Nothing too fancy, just a few rubons and a cute pink skull I cut out with my Cricut. But I decided it was time to change. I wanted a Girl on my laptop! I decided the best way to manage this was to use cardstock as my base and work from there. I stayed away from sprays because I figured those were too wet and would cause too much buckling, and I went light on the Mod Podge for the same reason. Of course it was still a bit warped but the heat gun smoothed out the biggest bumps! I think she turned out really cute! I ended up edging in orange this time for 3 reasons: 1) I saw someone else's She Art edged in orange and it looked great; 2) I'm trying to use more orange- growing to love it!; and 3) the laptop is black so I needed another color to pop! How did I attach it, you ask? Scotch tape. =o)

Two New Girls

2011-07-24T19:21:00.001-07:00

I am a new mommy! So new girl #1...

Despite my #1 new girl, I found time to create another girl for a friend! Here she is, new girl #2...

Journaling Course

2011-07-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger! But I have been busy crafting and some other stuff, which I won't mention here... just yet. I'm taking Christy Tomlinson's Three Hearts journaling course and I've been having a blast experimenting with new (to me) mediums and techniques. I highly recommend her courses- she is so positive, upbeat, laid back, and just has a great way of explaining and teaching. Here are a couple of pages I've done about the heart I share with the world:

Conquer the World

2011-06-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

I let this piece develop on its own- not much of a plan other than a landscape and maybe a fence. I had a hard time intially deciding on the phrase, which was the very last part I added. I've been thinking a lot lately about my attitude. I feel like I used to be such an optimist and so determined. Now I'm more cynical . There are things about myself I'm not happy with, but there's nothing that's really out of my control to change, so why not change? I was considering giving this girl away, but instead I think I'll keep her as a reminder of the attitude I should always have.

Birthday Girl

2011-05-27T20:02:00.001-07:00

My good friend Shannon had a birthday this week, and with my new love of She Art Girls I knew exactly what I wanted to make her. Shannon is an amazingly giving person, fun, outgoing, stylish (she ALWAYS looks cute!), and she naturally makes everyone feel at ease when she's around. I think this girl captures a lot of her spirit!

She for Baby

2011-05-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

My best friend and her husband are expecting their first child and they just found out it's a girl. I was instantly inspired to create this angel. She is so sweet, just like I know their little girl will be!

She was... Finished!

2011-05-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hooray! A finished project! =o) I had a lot of fun creating this and have already started on my next one! Thanks to the wonderful She Art class taught by Christy Tomlinson and all of the wonderful inspiration from the other class members.

Home Sweet Home

2011-04-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

Finally... two straight nights in my own bed! I'm way behind on my "regular" work and should spend the entire weekend working to catch up on grading and such, but I'm planning on slipping in some crafting time. I'm taking Christy Thomlinson's She Art class and I'm loving it so far! Here's a shot of one of the techniques and inks I've been experimenting with. If I manage to finish my project this weekend I'll post the result.

Project-to-Be

2011-04-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

Several years ago my husband's grandma found out that I didn't own a sewing machine and bought me one for Christmas. My first project was to make some very simple valances for our kitchen. VERY simple... rectangular, two different patterns sewn together. Want to know how long it took me? Almost 2 years. Yes, yes, most of that time was pure procrastination. But in the end I got them done and installed in our kitchen (that took me 3 years to pick new paint for... literally... ask anyone who visited my home during that time... paint samples taped to the wall!). In any case, I "started" a new sewing project about a year ago. And just recently purchased some additional materials for it I thought I'd share. Cute, right? =o) This will "soon" be transformed into my new apron! Any guesses how soon "soon" will be? HA!

Buzz!

2011-04-14T20:53:00.001-07:00

Just a cute birthday card I made for my husband's Grandma Bee. Sorry about the poor quality photograph... I was in a hurry and only snapped one shot!

November 20?! Wow...

2011-03-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

Shame, shame, shame!! I've been crafty since Novemeber 20, but where are my posts? Sorry... I promise to try to do better. And I'm expanding my craftiness- I've got a new hooking obsession, and it's not what you think. Unless you were thinking crochet and amigurumi then you were right. I'll post pics soon!

Sweet Bo-Bo

2010-11-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

Here's the left half of a layout I did of my little Toby. We took this picture right before we shaved him for the summer. I love it when he's all shaggy, but it gets a little too hot in the summer for all that hair.

Ketchup Challenge

2010-11-19T17:39:00.000-08:00

This weekend I'm at the Scrappin' Pad with the girls. I've only completed one layout so far, but knowing my track record, I figured I better post it now, because it might be the only one I get done!!

Here's the background about this "event". One on of their visits to Tulsa for a scrap weekend, we made our usual Sonic run. They were crazy busy, and Jessica forgot to ask for ketchup when we ordered, so we requested some from the car hop. Well, he never came back, and Jessica insisted I go through the drive-thru to get some. I told her we had ketchup at my house, but she said that Sonic ketchup was better and she could tell the difference. It HAD to be Sonic ketchup. Ever since then, I've been dying to see if she could actually tell the difference. So on her next visit, I set up a little taste test challenge. All of the ketchup was Heinz, and I had packets from Wendy's, Sonic, and straight from the bottle. In the end, Jessica did not choose the Sonic kethcup!

SC Birthday Bash Blog Hop!

2010-11-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

This is my second blog hop, and it's a ton of fun! This part of Scrapbook Challenges 1st Birthday Bash. The hop start's on Pamela's blog, and you can find information on the hop here.

Here's the sketch and my take on it. I love this picture of my two BFFs! I find myself stepping out of my box more and more often, thanks to the challenges on SC. This color scheme is not one I have used before, and I broke out tons of tools for this one: 2 different Cricut cartridges, my Cuttlebug and Spellbinders, Coluzzle... I'm sure I left something off. The paper is SEI with the exception of the two solid colors- the gray is Close To My Heart and I have no idea about the pink one- it came from my scrap pile. Thanks for visiting my blog and enjoy the rest of the hop! ♥

Taste the Rainbow

2010-10-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

Last June (2009), we went camping at Lake Arcadia in Edmond, OK. Of course we can't just camp, we always have all kinds of little side trips. This time we headed to Pops on Route 66. It was pretty cool! I completed this page for the Rainbow challenge on Scrapbook Challenges. I think they secretly know I have an obsession with the rainbow...

Everything Girly

2010-10-13T19:20:00.001-07:00

A little lace, a little sparkle, a little pink, a little purple, a few flowers... and pearls. A totally girly card! Not my usual color palette, but after the earthquake this morning figured it was a day to "shake" things up. Hardy har har!

Tatts in Vegas

2010-10-03T15:04:00.001-07:00

Spook Season is Here!

2010-10-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

The weather is cooling down and the leaves are finally starting to show some fall colors. I love fall!! I've been itching to play with a couple of my recent purchases: a creepy owl stamp, creepy black-bird paper, and purple pearls. I put them all together to make a spooky owl card. I painted in the owl with Smooch- the purple looks pretty blue in the photo, but in real life it's a really nice deep purple color. I like how it turned out! Here's the inside:

Sweet Girls

2010-09-26T15:34:00.001-07:00

I love these two pictures of my nieces! The dresses are adorable, their smiles could melt anyone's hearts, and the one where they are messing with each other... well, it shows that they're not quite little angels. =o)

Clean & Reorganized

2010-09-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing much scrapping since my visit to Dallas. Instead, I've been super motivated to clean up my scraproom/office. Got some new shelves, a new over the door Elfa system for my Circut cartridges, recovered my window bench, did something new with my ribbon, and covered up my work stuff (so I don't have to see it when I'm trying to have fun!).

I've seen ribbon hanging before, but seeing Jessica's made me decide I needed to do it. I saw this idea in PaperWishes, but didn't like how expensive they were, and they only held 2 ribbons each. Mine hold four 1/2-inch ribbons, and I made the cards out of a couple of folders I found at Walgreens.

Here's the close up:

And here it is with ribbon on it:

Productive Scrap Weekend!

2010-09-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

I have been in Dallas this weekend, scrapping with my BFF, Jessica. Amazingly, I have nearly matched her in the number of pages completed... normally I don't get very much done at all. Here are the last three layouts I completed. =o)

I am a Llama (Scrapbook Challenges BLOG HOP!)

2010-09-04T22:53:00.001-07:00

In another life I owned an art gallery & frame shop in Monument, Colorado. It was an amazing experience, and one of my favorite things was meeting lots of people. One of our regular customers owned an alpaca farm and invited us to visit. Besides alpacas, they had two "guard" llamas (apparently they are quite loyal and territorial) and two camels. I cannot tell you how bizzarre it was to see two camels standing quite happily in the snow. One of our resident artists, Janice Hill, was snapping photos and took this one of Frank and I.

I completed this page as yet another Scrapbook Challenge, this time for a blog hop! The hop starts at Pamela's blog, and you can view the entire list of hoppers here. Here is the sketch I used for the challenge:

Most of the paper is by Cosmo Cricket- the scraps of solids... who knows! I cut the title using the "stilts" setting on the Jubilee cartridge (Cricut). Oh, and I totally made my poppy! I flipped the petals of a paper flower so they were concave (I used a stylus to help it 'stick'), tied some DMC floss around a brad, trimmed it, and flared it out.

Prius Power!

2010-09-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

I love that Jessica has hooked me up with Scrapbook Challenges. I am using supplies that I normally don't use, trying techniques I don't usually try, and best of all... completing pages 100%. My m.o. is to not put a title or journaling, or both. I have tons of "almost" finished pages. This is Sketch #215, and what I did with it.

I used all Close To My Heart supplies. The paper and brads are from the kit Splendor, and I used three different stamp sets: Go Green, Over the Rainbow, and Chocolate Alphabet. Ink colors are Goldrush, Topiary, Heavenly Blue, and Moonstruck.

Here's a closeup of some of the details:

Challenge COMPLETE!

2010-08-31T20:30:00.001-07:00

Here it is...

Challenge in Progress

2010-08-28T15:47:00.001-07:00

My friend Jessica has been posting some pretty awesome pages on her blog. She was telling me about this site called Scrapbook Challenges and she talked me into signing up and giving one a try. I haven't scrapped in so long that some of you are probably wondering if I have abandonded it altogether. So not only as proof that I am still scrapping, but to also get some ideas from you all to finish it up, here it is...

I plan on stickling the letters "BOWL", but am thinking the diamonds need something, too. Maybe faux stitching drawn around the edges? Or just a simple black line? Or a star brad inside each one (to match the stars in the patterned paper)? There will also be string or fiber threaded through the loops, and I'll adjust the "let's" a bit. Journaling will go on the left in the blue space- not sure if I'll put that on another piece of cardstock or what. So come on girls, give me your ideas! =o)

Froggy

2010-08-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for my friend to receive this card so I could post it. Another Ketto stamp I got at Stamping Bella!

Crafty avoidance

2010-08-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

I was Skypebooking with Jessica today and she commented that I "sure have been making a lot of cards lately". There's a reason. I mean, besides that it's fun. I have been avoiding scrapbooking because I have managed to get all out of order and disorganized. I have pages in progress, pages I've pulled out of albums, pictures pulled out to start a page... and I've jumped around a bit instead of working in order. So in otherwords, before I can jump back in to scrapbooking I've got a big mess to sort out!! In the meantime, I'll continue to use other crafty persuits to avoid the mess...

I've been eyeing the Ketto line on Stamping Bella for some time now, and I finally decided to start with Mismatch Ketto. She's super cute! I stepped out of my box with the patterns and colors- these are all bolder and a little crazier than I normally do. Which is why I didn't add any fun embellishments. But now that I see it here, I'm thinking maybe I'll add some ribbon or something else... hmmmm. Thoughts?

New Colors!

2010-08-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Is there anything more exciting than new colors? Brand spanking new ink? =o) Yep, I need a life! These are the new CTMH colors that are being released in the new Fall catalog. That's one of the great things about being a consultant- I can get my hands on new goodies a bit earlier.

Valentines in August?

2010-08-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

I have been slammed at work and haven't had the chance to be crafty, but I was going through my pictures and found these Valentines I made for a couple of my co-workers this year. The paper, stamp, and flowers are CTMH. Not sure about the ribbon and bling. =o)

Budding Seamstress?

2010-08-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

No, probably not. I didn't get to scrap this weekend... I know, the weekend isn't over, but tomorrow I'm hosting a weenie roast for my coworkers so I'll spend the day cleaning up and shopping. Today instead of scrapping or making cards I busted out the sewing machine and started on the kitchen curtains. The same kitchen curtains I purchases materials for close to 2 years ago. Yep, 2 YEARS... LOL. No pics today, but I'll post when I'm done. I'm about half-way done. =o)

New Boss

2010-08-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

I work from home an my coworkers are located all over the state. We just got a new boss, and we were all getting together for two days of staff development so I made this card for everyone to sign. We also chipped in to get him some gift certificates as he's moving here from Wyoming and will be living out of a hotel until he can get settled.

In other news, Jessica and I are planning to Skypebook tonight. I'm hoping to get some actual scrapbooking done!!

01110010 01101111 01100010 01101111 01110100

2010-08-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Birthday, Max! I made these 1st birthday invitiations for my friend, Marina. Her little man turns one on Friday! The paper used is Tinkerin' by CTMH, and the robot is from the Robotz Cricuit cartridge.

Déjà vu en Español… (plus a pun!)

2010-07-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

This is the last time I'm going to use this card layout, I promise! This card is for my best friend's husband, who was complaining today that I never send him anything. The frog is made with the Create A Critter cartridge (Cricut, of course), and the paper... well, not sure. Grabbed it from my scrap pile!

I also created a draft of a 1st Birthday invitation, but you'll have to wait to see that one until it's finished!

Besides the cards, I decided to craft up my work laptop. Don't worry folks, everything is removeable!One last thing... if you're wondering where the pun is, it's in the answer to the question... nada! HA!

Same layout...

2010-07-27T17:02:00.001-07:00

My mom's birthday is coming up and I thought I'd use the same layout I did for the skull card. I love how this turned out!! The balloon (and cloud pair) is a Verve stamp, and I used Copics to color the image. The paper... no idea! I just used scraps from my scrap file. I love, love, love this card!

A Year Later...

2010-07-21T19:54:00.001-07:00

Now that it's been almost a year since my last post, let's get this show on the road again! The person I made this card for hasn't received it yet, but I'm safe posting here because she doesn't know about this blog! =o)

I used my Indie Art Cricut cartridge for the skull- how cute is that?! I filled the eyes in with black Stickles. I toyed with the idea of putting pink bling eyeballs, but then it crossed the line from cute to semi-creepy, so I put the bling on the side. The zebra paper is fuzzy, and the bottom strip is stamped with CTMH stamps (You Rock set) and then covered with Smooch spray. I've never really decorated the inside of my cards before, but my friend Shannon always does and it always looks awesome, so she was my inspiration for finishing the inside.

Scrappin' Pad

2009-08-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a girl's weekend... a scrap retreat at the Scrappin' Pad in Tahlequah, OK. It was great! I recommend it! Although it is probably no surprise to anyone who knows my scrapping style, I didn't get a lot done. But, I did make myself step out of my box to create this layout. I found this layout in last month's Creating Keepsakes, and I liked it, but since I'm a bit OCD and very mathematical, I didn't think I could make myself work on an angle. I did it any way, and I love the way it turned out.

Now you can call me a 'turd ass'

2009-08-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here's an addition to the monkey war my mom and I have going on (see my first blog for more details). But first a short explanation of the inside of the card... my mom called me a 'turd ass' the other day for something she thought I did, which I really didn't. So this is the birthday card I sent her. I know, probably nobody else thinks it's nearly as funny as I do... =o)

Okay, okay, OKAY! (+ a turtle)

2009-06-23T19:02:00.001-07:00

OKAY, so my friend Shannon just had to point out that I start 90% of my blogs with "Okay". And you know what? She's totally right! It's kind of valley girl... *sigh*.

Okay, so anywho... Speaking of Shannon, one of my awesomest friends (she's totally OKAY in my book), is one of the most energetic, creative, and generous people I know. And I'm not just saying that! I think anyone who knows her would agree! She made us these awesome/slightly inappropriate camping t-shirts, so I made her this little card to show my appreciation.

Now, go one and comment and let me know if you think it turned out OKAY or not... =o)

The elephant!

2009-06-15T20:01:00.001-07:00

Okay, love this card! I made this for a baby shower for a colleague. The solid papers are CTMH, as is the stamp sets (Life is a Jungle, solo B), and the patterned paper is Stampin Up.

Scrappin'... FINALLY!

2009-06-11T19:58:00.002-07:00

Okay, for some reason I couldn't get my slideshow to work if I posted any text in the same post... I'm sure it's something totally simple, but I'm too tired to try to figure it out! So, check the post below for my latest scrapbookin' adventures! Here's what I was trying to post with the slideshow:

Okay, I've finally gotten some scrapbooking done! Some of these pages I did in Wichita with my friend Shannon, and others I worked on while SKYPE-booking with Jessica and Shannon. Skype-booking is truly awesome... I highly recommend it! Anyway, here are a few pages I've done recently (and I must say, Stickles and Dew Drops ROCK):

2009-06-11T19:58:00.001-07:00

Route 66

2009-06-04T14:21:00.001-07:00

Kent and I took a quick road trip today down to Stroud, OK to visit a winery. Rather than hopping on the turnpike, we decided to stick to historic Route 66. After all, we've lived in Tulsa for 7 years, don't you think it's high time we explored some of Route 66? We really enjoyed the drive, saw some interesting things, and we ate at the historic Rock Cafe in Stroud. I first heard about the Rock Cafe when I saw it featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. It burnt down last year, but just reopened this week. The food was good, but I got yelled at by the owner. :( They had newspaper type menus that were really cool that also had a couple of articles and facts about the restaurant and Route 66. The front page had "50 cents" printed on it, and of course I wanted it for my scrapbook! So I took it to the register when we checked out with the intention of asking if I could really buy one, and the owner happened to see me with it and practically snatched it out of my hand and said, "You can't have that!". Yikes!!! She went on to rudely explain that they only had 22 and next time I come (yeah, I felt welcomed, let me tell you) I could have one then. Don't get me wrong, I totally get that they don't have enough menus right now because of the fire, but she didn't have to be rude about it- all I was going to do was ask... not like I had stuck it in my purse... geesh! Anyway, here are a couple more photos from our adventure today. Oh, and a card that I stepped out of the box to create... no squares!

The stamp on this card is a Verve stamp- black archival ink by CTMH, Basic Grey paper, Pantone markers, Stickles, and I used the Cricut to cut the shape around the balloon (Jasmine cartridge, I think!)

I'm so square!

2009-05-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, seeing several of my cards here on my blog makes me realize I need to get out of the "square" mode. Time to break free and try something different- a circle, a curve, scallops... something new! It's going to be hard... I'm so anal about clean lines and getting things STRAIGHT... but all the cards I see out there on other blogs are soooooo fabulous! So that's my goal this week, to try something NOT square. I'll post the results later. In the mean time, here's two more "square" cards!

Rainbow Owlie

2009-05-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a card I made with one of my THREE new owl stamp sets... yep, my new obsession is owls! Everything you see is CTMH except for the "woot"- those are rub-ons. One of these days I'll actually post a scrapbook page or two. But for that to happen, I'd actually have to scrapbook! That will be happening this weekend- I'm headed to Wichita to scrap with my good friend Shannon (incidentally, for whom I made the owl card). Can't wait!!

2009-05-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that the new robot stamps from Stamping Bella are to die for?? I also have the girl robot... she'll be my next creation. All the ink (tulip, sorbet, juniper, and creme brulee) and papers (from the special Key to my Heart set) from this card are CTMH. The layout can be found on the Stamping Bella blog- it's this week's challenge! I also made another card, but I have to wait to post it because I'm sending it to a friend who may check my blog... =o)

2009-05-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is my first attempt at a Bellarific Friday challenge. The challenge this week was to use gold and bling... gotta love Stickles and little crystals!

2009-05-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Man, I'm on a roll! Here's another one! This is Kent's birthday card. I got him a tree for his birthday. What a perfect excuse to use one of my new tree stamps! =o)

2009-05-06T19:36:00.001-07:00

Check out the super cute Mother's Day Bella card I made! Loooooooooooove Stickles!!!!

2009-05-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Feeling crafty tonight! I haven't done too much scrapbooking or card making, but I was dying to use my new dew drops! I scraplifted the card layout from a card on http://www.stampingbella.com/, and most of the paper is CTMH. I made this as a thank you card for the PTO who gave us an incredible breakfast this morning.

In other news, check out our new bedroom set! There's also a dresser with a mirror and a chest of drawers.

2009-01-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

I totally scraplifted this card from the Bella site. =) I used the "solid funky grass" stamp, pink Bazzill paper, black and white paper from CTMH, and Stickles inside the flowers. All the ink is CTMH. It's hard to tell in the photo, but I streaked the grass with a blender pen in Topiary and Sweet Leaf ink.

Monkeys

2009-01-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

Mom and I started "The Monkey Wars" five or six years ago. We had noticed that monkeys were popping up everywhere in fancy houses. Not cute monkeys, either. Creepy, yucky, ugly monkeys! Mom started it by finding an ugly monkey planter she gave to me at Christmas. Since then there have been monkey nipple posters, kleenex boxes, figurines, scrapbooks with a monkey theme, and so on. I even adopted a live monkey in Mom's name at the Colorado Springs zoo one year! Lately the theme has become "sock"... mom surprised me Christmas morning with a collection of bumper stickers sporting greetings such as "I love sock monkeys". Well, my mother-in-law doesn't quite get the monkey war... she thinks that we really like monkeys, so this christmas I got..... well, you can see for yourself! I have to confess- it's crazy, fits my style, and I love it! LOL! And in case you're wondering, yes, I have worn it in public. Well, the pick up line at school, but that's still in public!