A new baby

My brother and his wife had a new baby boy this morning. I used it as an excuse to go to my craft room and stamp instead of cleaning the kitchen and working. I thought it was a valid excuse.

While I've been scrapbooking a bit lately, I haven't felt overly creative. I've been copying layouts and pulling ideas from magazines. It always takes me a little while to be able to just create something on my own. I jumped that hurdle today though. It wasn't the most brilliant card, but I worked through the issues I had as I was making it and not quite liking "something."

I started with the white paper and stamped "Samuel" across the bottom with a Fancy Pants alphabet set I have using Blue Iris chalk ink. Then I stamped the baby stamp (Inkadinkado) on white cardstock with Blue Iris ink. I embossed some blue Core'dinations paper with big dots and then sanded it. But when I put it together, it was still missing something. I used my little Tim Holtz distressing tool and it helped, but it wasn't enough. So, I pulled out my Distress-It-All tool and went hard distressing the edges and then I loved it. Well, maybe not loved it, but liked it well enough to give it away.

If you haven't played with the Distress-It-All, it's quite cool. I love that distressed look, but it takes forever with the little mini tool. My friend, Jacqueline, told me to get the DIA and so I added it to one of my orders. It's so quick and easy and does a fantastic job. I don't know that I would have splurged on it, but I'm so glad that I have it now. I used it on my calendar pages (I'll post my page after I get the calendars all bound and distributed). It was so quick and easy and I found that I'm really liking that look right now.

I was lucky today because my sister came over and we scrapbooked for a bit too. I even created a layout without looking for inspiration in a magazine. I'll possibly post pictures of that tomorrow.

So, Happy Birthday to my new nephew, Samuel Louis (Louis was my grandfather's name). And here is the card I made for him.

A Wedding Card

I needed two wedding cards. Glenn's cousin is getting married this weekend in BC and I want to send the card with his parents who are attending. One of his friends also recently got married and so I needed another card. I sat down last night, high from Thanksgiving turkey and excited since it's been awhile since I stamped. I was optimistic since I had some recent success with scrapbooking, however, it was a struggle.

I had a kind of idea in my head, but I couldn't see it clearly and I definitely couldn't get it down on paper. I find it frustrating when I struggle and often, I walk away, however, I needed to get these cards done as I was under time constraints. I think that likely contributed to my creative issues.

I pushed through and in the end, I finished with a card that is OK. I long ago gave myself permission to not like everything I make. Sometimes OK is good enough. And just because I don't love it, doesn't mean someone else will feel the same way. I discovered that a few years ago when I was submitting cards to magazines on a regular basis. They always seemed to publish the cards I didn't like nearly as much and seemed to ignore the ones I loved.

So, yesterday, OK was good enough.


I used the Spellbinders Labels 4 to cut out a teal panel. I stamped Love (Art Impressions) with Dark Brown chalk ink. Then I embossed the panel with the Cuttlebug Victorian folder. I stamped two hearts (Clearly in Love set by Penny Black) with Dark Brown ink on white cardstock. It's hard to see, but I coloured and traced various portions with a Stardust pen to add some glitter. I cut the hearts out and mounted them on the panel with foam dots.

Now comes the hard part. Writing the sentiment inside. But seeing as it's Glenn's cousin and his friend, I think I'll leave that part up to him.