NEW BLOG ADDRESS

Hello Family, Friends, and Fellow Crafters. Although I'm still working out the kinks, my new blog is just about there. If you have a moment, please follow me at Cassie's Craft Cafe. I'll be uploading new projects this week.

COMING BACK SOON

Hello fellow crafters. I had no idea the last time my blog was updated was back in September. I've had a lot going on and tons of projects in between, BUT, I will be up and running and from a new blog location soon!

Wedding Layout

I had a small break from my busy life this weekend and it was much needed. There is always lots to do and not enough time to do it all. When one project is over, another is already under way. Over at Platinum Scraps this week, we had to create a LO, using the sketch below, from PageMaps.

Here is my take on it:

Baby Shower Gifts

I can't tell you all how swamped I've been with projects. In a good way though and mostly business. Here is a gift for a Scrapper/Friend/Mommy to be.

Vinyl Onesis

This very same friend has also abandoned traditional scrapbooks for digital, but I told her I was going to reel her back in. As a matter of fact, the baby has several 8x8 traditional pages, that she's done, of sonnogram pictures. I think he and I together will bring her back in. I started by making her a paperbag album:

Gift Baskets

Yesterday at church, we closed out our annual women's day season with our Women in White service. Each year, I like to make something special for a few women whom God would lead me to bless. I made four of these baskets:

During our Women's Retreat, one of the speakers advised us to get rid of any journals that contained negative memories and for us to start a Joyful Journal from that point forwared. I used my cinch to bind the book.

Post-It Note Holders. These were created using a sizzix die.

Birthday Easel Card

Another challenge complete. This week Celebrate the Occasion, challenged their followers to create a Birthday Easel card. Although this technique has been out for awhile, this is my very first time doing it. I was instantly hooked! I created 2 more following this one.

Vinyl Tumblers & Water Bottle Take 2

Another busy week for me. The orders for Tumblers and Water Bottles just keep coming; among all the other things happening in my life. I'm sending some special love to my Mom who ordered 2 for shipment to CT. Thanks Mommy!

Finally, the Elephant Wedding Program has been delivered and the Nuptials took place today. I did tell my craft family that although this was a lot of work, there wasn't anything super fancy about it. The bride is a Delta and wanted something different. Special thanks to my hubby, daughter, Lisa, Yani, Chante, Karen, and Femi(Karen's hubby) who each had a role in getting all 250 programs completed.

Today, the Church's Youth Group went out on our monthly outing, to see the Smurfs. The movie was really good and the kids had a blast. Oh wait, so did the adults. We giggled like little girls. After my daughter saw Papa Smurf last week, she asked for (file on mardenz.blogspot.com):

Bridal Shower Gift:

And lastly, I've been waiting to put my Fancy Frames cricut cartridge to use. My sole purpose of getting this cart was to use on vinyl projects.

Vinyl Tumblers and Water Bottles

I didn't have any spare time to participate in challenges this week. I am deep in the final stages of 250 elephant shaped wedding programs. I handed off 200 this evening to my friend to tie bows. I only have 50 left to print, which means another 150 pages. There is nothing complicated about the program, just layers upon layers, upon layers.

To keep my sanity, I took an hour break to fill some tumbler orders.

1) Lakers is for my husband. I was supposed to make this the minute I tried vinyl for the first time, but a few orders came in quickly. He was smiling from ear to ear. He sent me back to my corner to add the jersey numbers of some of their greatest players. Lakers logo was an image file that I broke apart using SCAL.

2) Cowboys belongs to my big brother. His birthday is Wednesday and this will not be making it to the post office in time.

3) Papa Smurf belongs to my dad for his birthday next week. It's going to be filled with Tootsie Rolls. He and I watched the Smurfs together faithfully on Saturday mornings from 9a - 10:30a. He took the grandkids to see the movie. This is an svg file that I downloaded from Mardenz Blog.

4) Tumbler. Turtle is a cricut cut.

CTO Challenge 23

I am so swamped with tumblers, water bottles, and wedding programs, that I barely have time to see the floor in my scraproom. Seriously, it was crazy in here. I just spent the last hour reminding myself that there is carpet underneath it all. Now it's fairly clean. In between wedding programs, I took a second to participate in the Blue & White Challenge over at Celebrate the Occasion.

I made a Christmas Party Favor:

Platinum Scraps Team A July LO 2

The Layouts are in full effect this week at Platinum Scraps. The Design Team had to create a layout, using inspiration from this sketch by Sketchy Thursdays:

Here's my take on it:

Invite and Place Cards

There is a bulletin board at work that I get to decorate from time to time. Nothing big but a place to post pictures of our events. But, once a year on my 9 - 5, I get to put my love for scrapbooking to use for a few days and get paid for it! We have an Employee of the Year awards ceremony and I'm always part of the decoration committee. This year, I volunteered to do the programs because I was tired of the same old style (8.5 X 11 paper folder in half). The top honoree chose the colors black, white, and fuschia, mixed with her love for shoes.

Christmas in July 2

Over at Celebrate the Occasion this week, they are still celebrating Christmas in July. This week, you had to create a shaped card. I kept my entry simple since I have yet to get a handle on making holiday cards this early. Here is my entry:

Not sure if you can tell, but the snowflake has been embossed using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder, and the tips of the snowflake have diamond stickles on them.

Platinum Scraps July Team B Card Sketch

I decided to hang out with Team B over at Platinum Scraps this week. The challenge was to create a card using this sketch from Pagemaps.

Here's my take on it:

Christmas in July

Over at Celebrate the Occasion this week, it's Christmas in July. The catch, you cannot use red. I hardly ever make my Christmas cards with red (only once in 5 years), so this was a piece of cake. Minus the fact, that I can't even think about Christmas cards this time of year. Here is my challenge entry:

Try it out Thursday!!

Happy Friday Eve!!!! For my weekly followers, you may remember I've mentioned my "Things to try" in 2011 list. At the beginning of the year, that list included 2 things: Tshirt Vinyl and Glass Etching. Over the last few months, you know I have fallen in love with tshirt vinyl. So, this post checks off the other "try" item of the year; glass etching. I watched my friend Lisa tackle this before my very eyes. She was so patient and cautious as it was her first time. A few trials and she got it. I thought, "oh Lord, do I really want to do this." Yes, I must check it off my list. So, below is my first attempt. I had a few slips of the vinyl and I"ve never been a painter, but tadaaaaaa...

Ingredients: Cricut Machine, Armour Etching Cream, foam brush, skinny vase, white vinyl, thick popsicle stick, and transfer tape.

Now, we are 6 months away from a new year and my 2011 list has grown by 2 more techniques: Paperbag Album (which I've done 4 already) and something with canvas. Stay tuned for that one..

Platinum Scraps Team A July LO 1

Layouts, oh layouts, wherefore art thou layouts? It seems like forever since I completed a layout. Especially one I actually intend on using in an album. This week at Platinum Scraps, Team A had to create a layout, using the following sketch from PageMaps:

Here is my take on it:

Be sure to hop on over to Platinum Scraps to see what my fellow designers did with the same sketch.

More Vinyl Tshirts

Tomorrow we celebrate the Indpendence of America. What I also love about this holiday, is seeing the sky all lit up with fireworks. Luckily for my kids, we get to hang at PaPa's house where we are able to light out own fireworks as soon as the night sky arrives.

All I wanted to do this weekend was relax. I did just that but I had a few projects that had to be finished and delivered today; especially since I just got 10 more water bottle / tumbler orders today, for my church fundraiser.

Vinyl for days....

Happy Friday Bloggers!!!!!

I've been quite busy over the last 2 weeks. I am part of a fundraising team at church and for my project, decided to sell water bottles. I'm having fun with all this vinyl but that means nothing else is getting done. The men in my life will be shocked if they open a store bought card for Father's Day but it's looking likely. LOL!!!

Along with the fundraisers, I'm also in the final stages of planning my church's annual women's retreat. The committee had their final meeting yesterday. Every year, the committee donates gifts to use as giveaway prizes during the retreat. Since I was already playing with vinyl, I kept right at it and made 2 tumblers as my giveaway. The image is our logo this year along with our theme.

Thanks for stopping by and have a GREAT weekend!