LSS Crop Night

 Brandy and I had the recent good fortune of spending an entire Friday night at our LSS crop night.  Happy cropping from 5:30 pm to around 11:00 pm.  This is a rare treat for us.  Working all day and then having the energy left to spend the evening out is not a regular occurrence.  However, the hazy, lazy days of summer are working their magic (read: Use it or lose it vacation policies result in random days off). 







This make-n-take was our free gift for coming to the crop.  The design uses the fabulous Simple Stories Summer Fresh collection.  You can check out the entire collection in a recent post on the Moxie Fab World blog.  The chevron pattern is cut from a patterned paper , the quilted effect having been designed into the paper.









The embellishments were very small and simple, but add just the right accents.  How cute is this?  I consider this great customer oriented thoughtfulness while being very penny conscience.  Brandy didn't really want or need a one page layout, she typically makes matching two page layouts.  This card uses the make-n-take materials:

Kinda perfect don't you think?  The card is made on a kraft paper base.  I think she has enough supplies to make one more card, though not this exact design.  Join me in encouraging  her to make more, make more!

Brandy (through Andie)

Hooked on Hexagons Moxie Fab Challenge

Honeycomb and hexagons are all the rage.  I've made a couple of different projects with my Basic Grey Sweet Threads collection recently.  When the Moxie Fab World came up with a Hooked on Hexagon challenge, I just knew these cards were perfect.  I had used a couple of cards in the July/August Paper Crafts magazine for inspiration and wouldn't you know they were featured in the blog post. The Sweet Threads collection has double sided patterned papers that coordinate nicely.  I simply cut out hexagons using my Cricut Accent Essentials cart.  Some of the cards have hexagons cut at 3/4 in. and some are at 1/2 in.  The hexagons have each been edged with the Ink Blending Tool using Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The sentiment comes from an older Close to My Heart stamp set I've had for a while stamped with coffee Archival Ink.  A small piece of baker's twine tied into a bow adds just a touch of girly to the card.  This set was very fun to make and is an easy way to creatively use up those scraps.  Now I'm off to enter this post in the challenge, want to join me?


Andie

Contagiously Crafty on Etsy

A good friend of mine lost her mother recently.  I've previously blogged about Keri and her mom, Vi-  making the sympathy card, remembering Vi at May Day, and often in my thoughts as I craft.  Vi was a lifelong crafter.  She had owned a craft shop when Keri was young and kept up with her skills over the years.

I even had the pleasure of listening one day as Vi explained her love of landscape weavings.  She had just spent the day with one or two of the grandkids (Keri's children) making a landscape weaving.  These beautiful works of art represent a somewhat obscure craft, that Vi turned into a passion.

Keri shared her concern with what to do with all of the various skeins, balls, and scraps of leftover yarn that Vi collected for use in the weavings.  Being a good friend, I offered to take some of the burden off of Keri's hands.  Thus began Contagiously Crafty on Etsy.  Keri will work towards making her own postings of the finished landscapes, but in the meantime, I am trying to sell some of the yarn supplies.  Here's a taste of the first offerings.  




Each yarn stash consists of similar and like colored skeins, some of which are wrapped into balls using a yarn winder.

















Other stashes have some skeins in their original windings with the original labeling.













If you see a stash you are interested in, click on the individual picture which will take you to my Etsy store front.  This is not an auction sale.  Each listing has a set price and shipping fee.  If there is a particular color of yarn you might be looking for and/or a specialty type of yarn, do not hesitate to email me.  You can find my contact information on the About page.  Thanks for looking!

Andie

More Melissa Frances Note Cards

Here's the final tally of Melissa Frances product inspired cards. You'll maybe remember this post regarding the card class that Brandy and I took at the Mesa, AZ CK Scrapbook Convention. All the embellishments on these cards sans the red flower were leftovers from the C'est La Vie Retro Stickers provided in the class kit. I picked up four different patterned papers at their booth during the shopping at the convention. Although I still have a few paper scraps, I have used 95% of the stickers and feel that I definitely got my money's worth. Check these cards out up close:

This Missing You card was made from patterned paper which already had this neat postmark.  The ribbon  was a spare piece from the card kit and the stamp shaped sentiment from the retro stickers set.  All papers are edged in Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

This card contains a spare scrap of red rose patterned paper from a K & Co. paper scrap set I picked up at Ms for, I kid you not, 1 cent!  I just knew that the paper scrap set was on clearance and didn't know that the cost was so low.  I even remarked to the salesperson and she agreed that the price was right.  Yeah me!  All papers are edged in olive chalk ink.



























These three cards just sort of made themselves.  The pink patterned paper came from the stash, various pink scraps so small that I couldn't find a label to identify their maker.  The I Love You card is made with Melissa Frances patterned paper and the Sassy card was made with more scraps from the K & Co papers.  All papers are edged in Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I don't have any specific plans for these notecards.  Maybe they will end up in the mail or given as a set for a hostess gift.  Either way, what a wonderful inspiration the leftovers proved to be.





Andie

Celebrating what is best about America

My grandfather, Robert Burrows, Sr.

My grandfather was part of the greatest generation who went over to Europe in World War II and fought for freedom.  Today as I celebrate America's independence,  I think of him.  This photo was snapped when he spoke to a group of graduates at Chaparrel High School in Parker, Colorado last May.  A local veteran's group organized an event where veterans come in and speak about their lives and their experience in the war.  These are important things to pass on as the distance between our children and this major world event increases.  It seems trite (but I don't think it is) to say that we should never forget what it costs to experience the great freedom we enjoy here in the United States.

I love you Grandpa!

Andie