It was Christmas!

Hello! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! "Was it good for you too?!" All I wonder is how come I know I want to make a few projects for others and I wait until the very end to create them? Such is the case with the projects pictured below. Despite the pressure I put on myself for doing them, I did enjoy the process and the results. And more than likely, history will repeat itself next year too!

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Today, and everyday, I am grateful for you all!

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!

Chris

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY!

Wishing the man who does it all a day to relax. Thanksgiving always seems to upstage his birthday, and this year let's add his dad's hospital homecoming after open heart surgery and our son's wisdom teeth surgery. Here's a card I made for his day, and it actually was made last weekend and not this morning.

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Happy Halloween!

Well, hello again! I get so disappointed when too much time passes between posts. This time I'm going to blame good 'ol Rochester weather. It had been so gloomy for many days. The lack of sunshine made it difficult for me to get half-way descent pictures of cards to post. Some sun appeared yesterday, so I gave it a "shot." Honestly, there could be a problem with the "picture- taker" (me) and not just the need for natural light. Yet I complain...


So getting to the point, I like to send Halloween cards to far-away family members. (if that means you, don't go any further, the card's in the mail!) The monster card was an idea from my friendly CTMH consultant with a few minor adjustments. I love this stamp set! It can work well for kids' birthday cards and my students love it when I stamp their papers with these characters as well. The witch card is an original (yea me!) Another CTMH stamp set that is really cool. I couldn't help but use other stamps from the set for the inside of the card and the envelope as well.

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

You're Invited!

Hi all! Come have some fun making a couple of cards while laughing with the girls!

It's a Stampin' Up Party!

Thurs. Oct. 6th

7 pm

My House

YES RSVPs would be appreciated so enough supplies are available. Thanks!

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!

Chris

Going to the chapel...

Quick post here. Saw this card somewhere and knew I had to make it sometime. Well that sometime came as I needed a wedding card for a colleague.  I think the monotone, simplicity of the design makes it elegant.

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!

Chris

Reality

Well hello again. Reality has set in. The reality is I will not be able to post as often as I would like. I had thought I would post M - Th throughout the month of August and then in September, with the start of back to school, I would cut back to 2x a week. Not going to happen. Posting once a week may be a more realistic goal. I'll give it my best shot.


So, it was a good start to the school year. Only 4 days so far, but things are looking optimistic. Already many cute stories to share. Therefore, today I'll share a story and a few pics instead of a project. I think you'll like it.


Friday was the principal's 50th birthday. If you've ever been at a meeting with her, you know a bottle of Diet Pepsi always accompanies her. Let's just say she'll be prepared for many (50 in fact) meetings to come. A few of my colleagues and I had our students deliver 50 bottles of Diet Pepsi, ONE AT A TIME, to her throughout the morning. I understand it kept her in stitches! We ended the day with the final bottles and a children's rendition of "Happy Birthday!" It was a day to remember and smile.

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting1
Chris

CRAFT SUPPLY SALE

Hi! I might get punchy with a card abit later, but no guarantees. Sorry.


SALE
this FRIDAY/SATURDAY AUG. 26-27
9am - 2pm


High Quality stamps, scrapbook, Cricut, yarns, beads, fabric and general.
Vera purses
Vinyl Wall decor
household too!


There will also be 'tween boy sports equipment and electronics. 
     (Sorry I can't be more specific...the boy isn't ready yet.)


Hope you'll stop by - there's got to be something you simply NEEEEEEED!


Enjoy & THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Punchy for Punches Day 1

Hi!Hope your weekend was a good one! I enjoyed "a few of my favorite things." The Stamp and Scrapbook Expo was Saturday. Not an overly impressive event, but nice to earn more money working it than shopping it.I was so excited for two great CTMH consultants who were vendors there. I'm not biased or anything (?!), but their booth was set up the best. I hope they had a successful weekend! Sunday was my son's (my baby's) 17th birthday! I will admit to shopping the outlets in the afternoon, but only because he was at a motocross event. His great dad, my hubby, took him in the rain and my daughter made a yummy oreo cheesecake for him. (I did the presents part.)
So...it's going to be a week of punch cards, maybe a project. I think every company has some wonderful products. As far as punches go, Stampin' Up punches are by far my favorites and I own my fair share of them.
This pennant punch is new to their current catalog. I just got it and had to break it out of its plastic. Stamping on them was easy with CTMH letters since CTMH alphabets are by far my favorites. The background stamping of presents was an afterthought. I was concerned that there was too much "white space". In doing it again, I would probably do something a little different. (Getting the idea that I critique my work harshly?)

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Comforter Card Day 4

Hi! Creating this week was so easy and fun using comforter ads as my inspiration. I'm liking this "theme" idea and thinking it will continue in some way for another week or two. Next week I might use punches or the Cuttlebug or the new CTMH Cricut cartridge. I guess I'll see what strikes my fancy! I'm working the Rubber Stamp & Scrapbooking Expo on Saturday morning, will I see you there? I'm hoping the extra cash I earn won't get me into "extra" trouble! Have a great weekend!

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Another comforter, another card

This is going to be a super quick post. I'm out the door for a date night. 
Here's a card I created from another comforter ad in the Target flyer. Come back for one last one tomorrow.

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Continued Inspiration

Hi! What a simply gorgeous day! I sure hope today put you in a good mood as much as it did for me. As far as creating goes, it seems as though I've got a "theme" going for the week. Today's cards were inspired by another comforter in an ad. This one was in a Garnet Hill catalog. Not sure why I get it, because in looking at the prices, I sure wouldn't have ever ordered anything from it. Yesterday, I liked how the flowers popped on a black background. Today, a white background. personally, if I were buying one of these comforters for a dorm room, I would go with yesterday's Target one. It's cheaper, but also the black background wouldn't show as much dirt as the more expensive white one. Not any of that matters, however, because I'm not looking to buy a comforter. They just seem to be catching my attention.
Enough rambling, here the ad and the cards...

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

You're on my mind

Hi! Sure hope you had a good weekend, rain and all. I'm happy that I found some motivation today. It showed up just a few hours ago, but better late than never. I was looking through this week's Target ad to see what I just must go get, when I noticed the following comforter pictured. I liked the color combo and decided to give it a try on a card. It worked.

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Promise Kept

As promised, I'm posting today to make up for earlier in the week. You'll be thrilled with the projects I'm sharing today since they're not my originals (they're better!). Hopefully my originality will return soon, meaning with something worth viewing.
Anyway, below are pics from the CTMH gathering I hosted on Tuesday. First is a box that contained a mini stamp set as my hostess gift. So cool that the CTMH Cricut cartridge can make this! Then another CTMH Cricut 3D project we did at the party and finally a circle card we also stamped at the party. See why I wish you all could have come?!

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

No more broken promises!

Shame on me! I say I'll post Mon. - Thurs. and then I miss a day (or was it two?). I'll make it up by posting tomorrow (Friday) this week. I was paper crafting instead of posting. I hosted a CTMH party. Come back tomorrow and I'll show pictures of the great things we made. And anyone who would like to order anything from the new catalog, I'm not having the party submitted until the 15th. There's 2 awesome specials and you can take advantage of both. (If it's free, it's for me!)
So instead, you get a picture of this card to view. Nothing special. Honestly, it doesn't even do much for me, probably because I'm not a fan of yellow. I like the chair stamp embossed on a pattern paper to look like upholstery. I tried to make it look grounded by adding a "picture frame" to a "wall." Again, I'm feeling like the idea is there, but the result is not.
Boy I hope some creative juices start flowing soon!

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

CROP the day & night away!

Hi! So yesterday my post said I had an excuse for not posting last Friday. I was having a great time at a crop for 12 hours! Okay, to be honest, not ALL of the time was spent cropping, some of the time was spent socializing and eating. (To be really honest...some of the time was spent cropping and MOST of the time was spent socializing and eating.) Nevertheless, those of you who were there with me would agree we had a great time. The way I look at it is that anything you accomplish creating is a bonus.
Well, the make 'n take was a wonderful bonus! I thought, (and still do think) that the layout was quite nice. Thank you CTMH consultant extraordinaire!

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Where have I been?

Hi! Other than Thursday and Friday, I'm not even sure why I've been away from posting. I've been posting fairly regularly, almost 6x/wk. I must have some sort of life, even in the summer. So, I've decided...


for AUGUST, I will post 4x/wk. Most likely Mon. - Thursday. ( A girl's gotta have weekends, right?!)


So anyway, on Thursday I attended a CTMH home party hosted by a good friend and with a wonderful consultant (and good friend.) Below is the card we created complete with a lovely 3D flower made from CTMH's awesome new Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. Every crafter NEEDS this cartridge and can easily order it by coming to or placing an order from my CTMH party on  this Tuesday. (Contact me for more info.)

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Enjoy Life's Moments

"Enjoy Life's Moments" Easy to say. Harder to stop and do. Today I was lucky enough to enjoy several of life's moments with my son. He'll be a senior this fall, although I don't believe it, and he tagged along on a few errands with me, something he's not known to do. We got alittle punchy and shared a few laughs...a moment to remember.

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Dill

Hi! Once upon a time, I planted dill in my yard. The intention was to use it for making pickles. Pickles were made but not with the dill from the yard. It just wasn't enough. As dill does, it replanted itself and has for about ten years now. Still make pickles, and still don't use the dill. Bottom line, the dill needed a purpose. Thus this post. The dill in my yard became the inspiration for my card. The "packet" even has real dill seeds from the plant in it. I like the concept of the card, but think there is room for improvement on the colors.

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

A Box of Secrets

Hi! I'm afraid to say that I'm actually glad it rained today. Still not enough, but better than the nothing we've had for over a month.Of course I don't want the 3" of water in my basement that my mom in the Chicago area had recently, but a hint of green in the grass would be nice.
I altered this tin box awhile back. I think I've been posting several pictures of past projects because I've been spending more time out buying paper crafting supplies than I have been actually creating paper projects.
I can never pass up a good sale. There's always something I need!

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

How Cute!

Hi! I'm often impressed by what others create. For example, any "make 'n take" I ever do, I never use. It gets saved as a prototype/inspiration. Craft shows I go to, I go for the purpose of looking. I might see an idea that I myself would like to make. Sometimes I might even buy one to use as my pattern. Well, what's interesting about this project is that I have decorated these paper mache letters for others, but never one for myself. Needless to say I was surprised and thrilled when I received the gift pictured below. It was from one of my students this past year. I LOVE it!!!

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Another craft and UL combo

Hello. Just back from a wonderful night out with friends. It was so pleasant to sit out on the patio with good wine,food and girlfriends. (not to mention I started the day sharing a nice breakfast with another friend) Eating out and friends - life is good.


Here's another project hanging in my craft room. Chipboard was covered with CTMH papers and then custom letters from Uppercase Living put the finishing touch on the wall hanging. The papers are some of my favorites and the word encouraging to let my mind wander. There's nothing wrong with DREAMing.

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Paper Crafting meets Uppercase Living!

I have a passion for paper crafting and a passion for selling Uppercase Living. Often the two meet.  In my craft room hangs this display. How true it is! Can you relate? The board and the chocolate brown lettering are sold by Uppercase Living. The paper background is Close To My Heart.

Need this for your space? Check out my website at chrisspace.uppercaseliving.net

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!

Chris

Hello, I missed you!

Hi! I've been anxious to get back to posting and here I am. I returned from Vegas on Saturday at 3pm after leaving Vegas at 11pm the night before. Needless to say, I just starting to feel like a real person again. 


I'm so excited that I inked up this stamp for the first time. (Still working towards my goal.) It actually hasn't been part of my collection for too long. I inked the stamp with several colors of distress ink, sprayed it with water mixed with perfect pearls, and pressed die-cut watercolor paper on it 2 times. The first card uses the first stamped image and the second card, the second stamped image (many of you would refer to this as 2nd generation).

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Oh Baby!

Lately, I am always in need of baby cards. I would hate to say I'm getting old, however, I am quickly becoming one of the more veteran teachers in my building. So, so many now are new and young and getting married and having babies. There must have been 4 or 5 babies born to our faculty this spring, with another one due any day now. For that reason, I designed a simple card and made multiples for both baby girls and baby boys. I'm just glad I'm on the sending end of these cards and not the receiving end!

Well, I'm off to Vegas BABY! It's Uppercase Living's 5th Year Convention. So, I'll be back to blogland in about a week.
Enjoy & THANKS for visiting!
Chris

TGIF

Happy Weekend! Of course I am in no hurry for the week(s) to go by, but we all enjoy weekends.


I'm not a big fan of roses, however, I do like this rose stamp. On the first one, I tried to make the edges darker by rolling the edges of the stamp in the ink. Then I thought Stickles would add a nice touch. In an attempt to add sparkle, the Stickles took away my attempt to make the edges darker. In fact, the Stickles lightened the edges even more. If anyone has a tip for me, I'd be happy to learn.
The second one (with only red roses) is for my husband for our anniversary. For that reason, I kept it simpler - nothing with pop dots or sparkles. I almost used lace (I thought "romance"), but decided against it. I am happy with the results. I'm guessing my husband will too. (He better be!)

Enjoy & THANKS for visiting!
Chris

Dream

Again, what a beautiful day and I can see it clearly since I had my windows cleaned today. First time ever having windows cleaned - what a treat! And somehow I find humor in the fact that it was 2 men that did the job. Not to offend anyone, but it sounds something like "how many men does it take to do what 1 woman can do?"!!! So sorry, it just had to be said.
Now let me say how much fun it was to play with 'never used before' stamps and a few new techniques I recently learned. A few months ago, I took two classes at Buffalo Stamps and Stuff taught by Jennifer McGuire. The classes were all about stamping techniques and I though Jennifer was awesome. She's someone is in "the business" that doesn't act like she is. She's sincerely sweet and down to earth. Okay, okay, I'll stop with the commercial or whatever you want to call it. But, I will add that I follow her blog and you might like to check it out sometime.
           http://www.jennifermcguireink.com/     


And here's the card -

Enjoy!

     Oh ya, and thanks for visiting!
Chris

Be Happy!

We all know how challenging masculine cards can be. Paper makes the difference for me. This paper is Close To My Heart. It took some time to grow on me, but now I'm glad it did. I was pleasantly surprised that a button and a bow of twine didn't "feminize" it at all. 

I inked up some stamps for the first time today. (Gotta try to keep my promise of "seasoning" them all!) I'm excited to put some finishing touches on a few pieces I was fiddling with today. Hopefully I'll want to share them tomorrow.

Be Happy!

Chris