My Attempt at Cardmaking

I am a member of the Scrappin' Mojo group online.... (link is provided in my sidebar.) This is a great group of gals who love scrapping, cardmaking, and papercrafting. Some of them got together a few months ago and formed a small group who participates in a special card event monthly. One member will put together a card kit and sends it out to each member. Each crafter works to use the kit contents to create their own special card creations and shares them in a blog post.

I have watched every month as ladies posted wonderful inspirational cards and found myself oohing and aahing at their creativity. As for me..... cards have just not been a strong point. I think that this is largely due to the fact that I just haven't tried to create them very much.

A couple of months ago one of the kit club members surprised me by sending me the kit. I opened the kit and found myself almost afraid to cut into anything. My cards just aren't good enough...... at least that is what the little voice inside my head kept saying. Besides, my scrap space was so stacked up at the time that I didn't even have space to work.

This month another member of the club sent me the kit. Once again I opened it and found myself in awe of the contents. (Here is a pic.... so you can ooh and aah right along with me...)

See what I mean? GREAT stuff..... Anyone could create cards with this stuff, right? I had to give it a try. Besides, my scrap room is now relatively clean and organized, so that isn't even an excuse anymore.

I headed off to Pinterest, my usual inspirational search location and with a little help from there, I was actually able to create 4 cards that I am happy to say, I MADE!!!

Hey, I could get used to this! As long as I have Pinterest to help me with ideas....LOL!

Seriously though.. if you like cardmaking and scrapbooking, check out Scrappin' Mojo. These ladies are fantastic crafters and some of the sweetest ladies you will meet. And who knows..... you might discover that you can do things you didn't think you could do too!

Christmas in July

Some of you have probably joined my blog via the "Christmas in July" Blog Hop.

I hate to put pressure on anyone...... but I really felt that I had to make you aware that there are only 163 days until Christmas!!

Ok...... do I have your attention now?

Seriously though, it is right about this point in the year that I start seeing Christmas ornaments popping into my local Garden Ridge and Christmas craft project supplies showing up at the nearest Hobby Lobby. Sometimes, working on a Christmas project can be a great way to "mentally" escape the heat that normally befalls us in the middle of July, but it can also put a lot of pressure on someone like me who still hasn't done anything with the photos from LAST CHRISTMAS!

Luckily for me, I happened to take part in this blog hop that should help inspire me to get creative and document some of those memories from 2012. Not only will that help me clear the desktop, but it should also help me clear some space in my stash piles before the newest Christmas supplies show up in the scrapbook stores.

Lucky for you...... You can join the fun too!

First, let me share my layout with you....

This page gives homage to my daughter, who is probably the BIGGEST Christmas lover in our family (and that is saying a lot!). Kari sings Christmas carols all year long and loves nothing better than sitting through a Christmas movie... no matter WHEN it is on television.

I snapped this photo at a store in Tennessee. When we visited the store in the month of July, my daughter was thrilled to know that Christmas was ONLY 171 days away.

I reached into my stash to find 2 sheets of 6X6 papers from the Basic Grey "Jovial" paper pad. I used these to create the block behind the photo. I added some paper strips that I cut from various 12X12 papers in my stash, a border strip punched from some scrap paper and several stickers and chipboard words and letters from my abundant supply closet. Some inking around the elements helped tone down the colors a bit and blend the elements together. All in all, I am very happy with the end result... and definitely in the mood to do more Christmas scrapbooking!

Now it is your turn! Join in the fun and create your own Christmas project. If you participate, use the hashtag #scrapbookchristmas in Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Next up on the Blog Hop is Alanna-  http://scrapping-and-life.blogspot.com

If, at any point, you get lost, here is a FULL list of the blogs participating in this event:

Ruth - http://scrapmachine.com/

Bernice - http://btsoi.blogspot.com/

Theresa - http://himynameistheresa.com/

Holly - http://harmonydiy.blogspot.com/

Sandra - http://www.thecraftybunch.com.au/

Melissa - http://digitalscrapbookinghq.com/christmashop

Kimberly - http://kimberlymariekett.blogspot.com/

Stella (YOU ARE HERE) - http://myscrapbliss.blogspot.com/

Alanna - http://scrapping-and-life.blogspot.com

Megan - http://meganlianesblog.blogspot.com/

Jen - http://myreillyboysandme.blogspot.com

Lisa - http://mykreativepursuits.blogspot.com

Margareta - http://www.paperpilekitten.com/

Taniesa - http://thecraftypickle.com/

Smitha - http://www.smilingcolors.com

Catherine - http://paperaddictcatherine.blogspot.com

Kate - http://www.funkytales.blogspot.co.uk

Tasha - http://tashascreativejuice.blogspot.com/

Melissa - http://yesterday2day4ever.blogspot.co.nz

Alison - http://magicalmesses.blogspot.com/

Cat - http://decisioninspired.com

Manda - http://www.mandalikadesigns.com/

Madeleine - http://senoritaml.wordpress.com/

Melissa - http://www.scrappyjedi.com/

Amanda - http://amandathemadscrapper.blogspot.com/

Ali - http://www.moloneystylestamping.wordpress.com

Jenny - http://scrappinjen-partyoffive.blogspot.com/

Ros - http://noteverypicturezperfect.blogspot.com.au/

Sue - http://themakingtable.blogspot.com.au/

Julie - http://plywthpper.blogspot.com/

Leave a comment and let me know what you think of my layout. You can also share links to YOUR Christmas in July projects. I can't wait to see how everyone is inspired!

Finally Scrapping Again

This week I FINALLY managed to scrounge up the creative energy to create a layout again. Actually, to be honest, I started the page several weeks ago, but then my little scrap mojo engine lost steam. The page has sat here on the desk gradually being covered by paper after paper and new purchases.

This week I decided to just get started digging through the stack and do SOMETHING creative!

I found myself here at home, all alone. Hubby was working, along with my son, Keenan. We had dropped Kari off last week for Governor's Scholars. The house just got too quiet, and I got too bored. I had to do something..... so I cleaned. When I found this layout at the bottom of the stack, I had to try to finish it.

The scan isn't perfect, but you get the idea. The original sketch came from one of the Allison Davis books that I purchased from Scrapbook Generations. I LOVE those books! If I had to do it over, I think I would have added just one more of the vertical strips behind the photos, but I guess it will do. At least...... it is done!