Cleaning up and a birthday card

We recently rearranged our basement and in the process we opened up a little bit more room for my creative area!  Woot, right!?  But in doing that we created a bit of a disaster!  All the better to organize my dear!

While organizing I ran across some "forty" paper that I had used for my husband's 40th.  I remembered an email asking to send a friend a birthday card and so I thought what better time then NOW to go ahead and do it!

One never wants to focus TOO much on the number, but 40 is something that needs to be recognized.. so it's in the first layer of the card.

Over that layer of the "number" we build all the beauty, the strength, the messes, the things that hold us together.  Because at 40, we are "nothing less". 

Of course, this card is STILL sitting on my creative area where I left it to dry and never popped it in the mail.  I *SWEAR* it's going out this week... hopefully with that other painting I did for a friend MONTHS ago. 

What's that about those roads paved with good intentions?  

Till next time!

Letting a friend know you care...

Some days, you are chatting with a friend and you get that 20 mins where you SHOULD be cleaning, but you realize your friend could use a little boost and instead of doing what you are SUPPOSED to be doing, you make yourself do what you want.  While I don't love friends needing a boost, I do love having a reason to make a card!

I have been watching and following Tracy Scott (Videos here ) and absolutely love everything she seems to just whip up!  So I had this magical thought that I could throw together a card using some of what I just saw.

Not quite as amazing, but it was fun and quick... something I will definitely keep practicing with.  There are some pieces of baseball stats torn up and put on the card (the "boy" in question plays baseball).  I then used some craft paints that I had and started creating colors and shapes.  I even got some rub-ons that I literally collect because they are all amazing, but I never actually USE them... and so I thought - WHY not?!  USE them...and honestly I always LOVE what they add. 

I can't wait to watch her video using Dina Wakley's Girl stamps!   

Time is passing, but things are moving!

So we are well into February and I started this year out with a challenge to myself to be more creative. So far, I think I have really taken the steps to get well on my way!

The biggest accomplishment so far was that I did a complete re-haul on my scrap area. I had a good basis, but it wasn't as usable as I would have liked. And the table was right at the bottom of the stairs so it became a place where we would hide things. Piles of things.. Honestly, I almost forgot there was a TABLE under the "things" and that it was meant for working on. So I went ahead and WENT through ALL those things.. a lot of tossing, a lot of organizing and grouping.. it was a process but it was nice to see process. I went ahead and rearranged the table so that it was away from the 'wall' where I have all the papers and items hanging from peg board. Underneath that where the table used to sit, I bought an 8 cube (2X4) expedit from Ikea. That gives me a surface to put stuff on, along with 8 cubes! To top that off Ikea has WONDERFUL little containers and I really have spaces for a lot of stuff. I rearranged things on the pegboard too. While I had wanted to add some more hanging containers that I already had, Ikea no longer carries them. So now I am playing around with other options.. hopefully will get that worked out soon. It's not 100% finished, but it's SO usable and I have a place for another person to come and work with me if they wanted - which is even nicer! I still need to pick up a 4 cube expedit and add rollers to it, so that I can put that under my husbands Train Table that shares my space, and then put my cutter on that. This way I can ROLL it out when I want to use it, but it's underneath when I don't *NEED* it. Plus that gives me 4 more cubes... where I can put things that I might not use as frequently, like all my "old" stuff that I know I can't part with - Xyron Machines, etc.

  
Because of the organization I have done.. I have actually been able to MAKE a few cards. One was a quick put together for a birthday. One for my hubby, which I went all cheesey with a movie quote - "I am just a girl, standing in front of a boy, wanting him to love her". See what happens when he puts on Notting Hill on random TV flicking?! The other I am still working on because it has to be perfect. A dear friend had a baby, a BOY, after two girls and I just want the card to be something special. It's close.. it's laying on my working surface and it's just looking for that perfect placement of items. =)






 Honestly, I could gamasol ALL day!  There HAS to be a career in that right?!  And digital stamps are a new love.. to just print and color and not clean anything up?!  YES!  Now, to get a printer that doesn't run when I use the gamasol! Hmmmmm.....


























Before all this "organization" I was also able to follow a tutorial from Simple Stories Blog about a mini book that creates a snapshot of you for the year. I made a couple of them.. and I love it! Not that I have filled it out, but I love it none the less! =)











 





Let me know what you have been up to so far!  Are you still working on being creative this year?!