Road Trip Scrapbook

Hi everyone! Here is the second episode of My Crafty Life. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!

Scrapbook Expo in Edison, NJ

I just got back from the Scrapbook Expo in Edison, NJ; and I have to say that, of all the expos I've attended, this was by far the smallest. This is the 6th one I've been to, and there were so many big vendors missing. No Provocraft, no Sizzix, no Ellison, no QK or EK - among many others. Even SEI was missing from the vendor floor, although my friend Zaida and I did see their truck outside. We assumed they were only there to teach classes.

Most of the make-'n-takes were $5.00, so we didn't do any of those. A few booths had very high prices, but most vendors kept their prices reasonable. I even got a buy-2-get-1-free deal on Nestabilities - yay me! We got some very good deals on paper - like I needed more of that. She bought some CTMH kits, and I bought some Core'dinations at 30% off. Then there was the Scrapbuck stand, where everything was $2 or less. Although I didn't make any purchases there, that was the busiest booth at the show.

All in all, we had a good time. There weren't too many people, so the crowds weren't bad. We were able to walk the entire expo twice in a few hours, which was kind of disappointing, though. I hope the low attendance and decline in vendors aren't a sign of things to come, because this is the only scrapbooking show that is a reasonable driving distance for me.

Happy scrapping everyone, and remember to be your crafty self.

Happy Moo-ther's Day!

I just couldn't resist making this card for my dear friend, Leslie. She and I have been friends since high school. (Don't worry, Les. I won't tell them how many years ago that was!) As soon as I got the Create a Critter Cricut cartridge, I knew that I had to make this for Mother's Day.

I began with a standard 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white card base, and I cut a piece of patterned cardstock from the DCWV Pocket Full of Posies matstack to 4" x 5 1/4". Then I cut out a grass border with an extended border die from Sizzix for the grass. Next, I tied a piece of double-sided ribbon (from May Arts, I think) around the patterned cardstock and tied a knot. (In an upcoming post/video, I'll show you the bowmaker I "created" to make adorable bows for cards.)

Now it was time for the FUN. I cut this sweet little cow at 2 1/4". All of the layers were cut at the same side, but here's a tip for you. There is a little mix-up on the CAC cartridge. The layers for the cow are reversed. Layer 1 is Layer 2, and vice versa. I wrote a little note in my manual and adjusted the colors for the cow accordingly. Since Leslie prefers brown cows, I used light brown and dark brown for the body and pink for the face (and udders, of course). As a final touch for the cow, I added a metal flower and a baby button from my stash. I cut out the word bubble, which is also on the cartridge, at (I think) 1", and I used my printer to print the greeting.

To get the greeting centered, I cut out the word bubble first. Then I printed the greeting on scrap printer paper. I held it up to the light and layered the word bubble on top of the printer paper, adhering it with temporary adhesive. Then I ran the whole thing through the printer again and removed the printed-on word bubble. This is a great way to create your own sayings if you don't have a stamp or Cricut greeting that works for you. A tiny flower and some Stickles glitter glue, some foam tape to pop up the cow, and I was done.

Well, that's it for now. I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day with your families. And, as always: Remember to be your own crafty self.

Stop Beating Yourself Up!

I just had to share a reply that I made to a post on a popular stamping forum. It was in response to several posts about looking back on older cards. So many people place so much unnecessary pressure on themselves when it comes to crafting that I felt the need to reiterate how I feel about crafting. I'm looking forward to your replies on this:

Well, I've always been the one to look at things differently, I guess. When I look at my old scrapbook pages and cards, I don't cringe at the "out-of-date" designs and techniques. I enjoyed making those cards and layouts, and I used and did what made me happy then. Sure, my style has changed over the years; but we as human beings are in a constant state of change. Almost everything in our lives reflects that. I also don't feel pressured into keeping up with the latest and greatest. Sure, I love trying new things; but I don't feel as if I have to have what everyone else is buying, nor do I need to make my cards and scrapbook pages look like everyone else's. The second scrapbooking and stamping become a source of stress for me, I won't be doing them anymore. Right now, they are a source of calm and sanity for me. I hope that all my fellow stampers and scrapbookers can find the enjoyment and joy that I find in these hobbies. Happy National Scrapbooking Day, everyone!

As always, remember to be your own crafty self!