Altered Tin

I don't have anything recent to share because I haven't done anything recently so I had to dig into some old pictures and find something that I hadn't posted on here yet!

This is an altered tin that I did last year for one of my SS's. It was the first one I made but I love it. I wanted to keep it for myself actually! This project is actually pretty easy to do.

Cologne Germany

I have to apologize for not keeping up lately. It's summer here in Germany...yes, I said it's summer here in Germany. We don't normally get much of a summer so when we do have good weather we try to take advantage of it. I don't have a single crafty thing to share...I have been terribly lazy in that department and have been missing my work area.

But, here are some pictures of a trip we took to Cologne Germany.

Jodus climbing to get a better look at the Zoo

Family picture in the Zoo. That doesn't happen often.

We got totally lost in Cologne. My husbands great idea to walk

to the Chocolate meusum instead of drive (with the GPS)

Jodus at the front door of the Dom.

Me, Leila and Jodus on the skyline ride

The chocolate meuseum. I wasn't very impressed but the

chocolate was still good.

The fresh chocolate mmmmmmmmmm.

Leila had a LONG day!

One of the many alters inside the Dom.

Another Alter in the Dom.

View of the Dom

Another view of the Dom.

Criss Cross Cards

I joined a swap of Traceys for criss cross cards and really enjoyed putting them together. They are pretty easy once you get all your pieces cut out. I used SU! cardstock and DP. Bikinibella and ribbon is also from Stamping Bella. I don't know what happened to my pictures though, they came out kind of blurry. Of course I added primas and filled the centers of them in with yellow stickles.

Breast Cancer Cards

Last year in October my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was progressive and they needed to act quickly to stop the spread of it. She endured six months of a very strong dose of chemotherapy and will be on medications for the next five years. She has finished her chemo which was a huge thing for her and she is feeling a lot better. She even made a joke about her hair starting to come back in!
She had asked me to put together a set of cards for her to give out to some people that had really helped her through her time of sickness. So this is what I came up with. I worked a long time on these because my mom tends to give me more credit then I deserve so I know she was "bragging" about my cardmaking skills and I didn't want to let her down or the person receiving the card. My coloring in some of them is pretty bad. I don't know what was wrong with me!
I used a purple base because my mom isn't really a "pink" "girly" kind of girl. So I wanted it to portray the breast cancer but not only pink. I used my Bella~Causabella, I used the sizzix embossing plate for the card background, copics to color, some SU! ribbon, a breast cancer charm I had bought through Oriental Trading Company, and the saying is from American Stamp Art. Oh, and of course there is a bit of stickles on her flower in the center of her dress!

Crafty Critter gals, I'm so sorry I am behind. But I promise things will be better after Sunday when my classes are officially over! I just need to really concentrate on my term paper (which is already late) and get a good grade on it or I might just barely pass! I have never been so behind in a class before. But thank you all for baring with me!!!

Bookmark swap

I participated in a bookmark swap and so loved putting these together.

The first one is just one of the jumbo clips and then I used a circle punch to punch out the solid cardstock and then the scallop circle punch for the DP, used a glitter brad in the middle and attached it. Soooooo simple. Oh, and I then tied some ribbon on them. I thought they were pretty cute.

The second one I made was something I had semi-cased from someone else. These too were pretty easy until it came to coloring in all those Rileys! I used my cricut to cut the shape out, stamped out my Rileys, layered my paper the same as the cricut shape, used the big SU! eyelets, added ribbon, colored with copics and that was it.

CCC #5

We had a great challenge this time around. It was a sketch challenge but you also had to use ribbon somehwere on your card, a stamp set you hadn't used in at least 3 months and red.

Well, I started out with a stamp set I have never actually used and had been dying to try out! I don't use red very much but...I thought what a great rock card with red, black, and white....so here is what I came up with.

I used stickles all over the card in different little ways. I am actually quite pleased with this card!

Post-It note holders

I was doing two swaps...one that was for post-it note holders and the other that was for anything altered...so I just made more post-it note holders.

I think this was the easiest thing I have ever put together. Basically you just mod podge your chipboard coasters, lay your cardstock on over it and allow it to dry. I then cut them out with a craft knife and do the process again on the other side. Being sure that I put the chipboard coasters between some heavy books to keep them flat. After they are done drying and they are cut out I use the little binder clips, and put the same DP on the little black parts of the clip and adhere them with the glue gun. Add some embellishments, primas or ribbon and I'm done. EASY!

Trifold Pocket Cards

I told you I'd be back with more of the same bella!!!!

I joined a swap on SCS doing pocket cards. I saw the trifold ones and loved them and decided to try my hand at them. Once I got the measurments right (they weren't hard it's just I had the paper turned the wrong way and it throws everything else off) they went together very easily and quickly.

I don't know, do you think it's too many different patterns? It's all from the same DP pack from SU! I already had the bellas done so the background paper was already on them...and I just tried to find other papers that matched! The tutorial for these cards are on SCS if you want to try!

CCC4

It is our 4th challenge...yay! This challenge was hosted by Kelly and we needed to use flowers...seeing how spring as finally sprung.

I had joined a swap that ended up getting put on hold and had all these Bellas cute and colored and then had no use for them....so I used one for this card and you will see I used them for another swap I am in!!!

Bootybella....colored with copics and her umbrella is paper pieced. The saying is from American Art Craft (I think), both of the backgound pieces are from SU! and then I added primas with brads.

So as you can see, lots of flowers...in the primas (of course) and also in the paper for the umbrella and both the DP's.

Oh and how could I forget, her boots are stickled!!!!

A race for a cure

I joined a swap on SCS for cards to be made to donate to be sold at the race for a cure. So here is the card I made for the donation. I hope someone wants to buy them!

Here is the full front of the card. I used my bella donuts...which I am in love with, I got a wonderful Breast Cancer kit from Sizzix and it came with an embossing plate so I used that, dusted over it with pearl ex, added my sentiment and added a ribbon charm to finish it off.

Here is a close-up of the sentiment, I just love this saying. I find it to be very true and use it often on myself!!!!!!

And the inside of the card!

I can't stop smiling......

Last week I received three cards in the mail. I was so excited. I thought at first, this handwriting is a bit "kiddish" and figured I needed to open them right away.

Backstory: I'm sitting at the post office waiting for my number to be called so I can send off one of my millions of packages and had a ton of my own mail sitting with me. Since I was waiting so long (I ended up waiting 25 minutes) I decided to start opening some of the stuff.

These three wonderful little girls from back in the States sent me/the family cards for our duty in the military. They were doing a project for a group they belong to...can't remember if it was Girl Scouts or what but either way, they wanted to send cards to military memembers. I asked if it would be okay to share these on my blog because I just think they are amazing. I was just sitting at the post office with the biggest grin on my face because the cards made me so happy. It's nice to be thought of and rememebered.

Thank you girls so very very much for sending these cards and brightening my families day! It was a wonderful and thoughtful thing to do!

MMMMMM.......CANDY!!!

I am doing a swap on SCS for altered items. I decided to take two spots. One was for altered frap bottles and the other for post-it note holders. I have finished them both up and am sharing the bottles with you today.

I cannot believe how easy these were to put together. For the lids all's I did was use a circle punch and then primas and around the sides of lid adhered ribbon.

Then I took patterend paper and ran it around the bottle, added a second layer of solid cardstock and stamped on it and then added the "Happy Easter" to it.

Then the best part....filled it with M&M's!!!!!! I realized though that I need to stuff the tops of them with something before I send them out. I sent one to my Element SS on SCS and after I bagged it I could hear the M&M's rattling around...I hope they weren't all broken by the time they reached her!

I know this swap isn't due till the end of May so it's past Easter, I wasn't really thinking about that when I put them together.....oh well...the goodies inside are good no matter what time of year right?!!!!

Punch Art

I am taking a break in between cleaning to do a little blog update. It's a very pretty German day here today....it feels like spring....could it be?.....really....spring time in Germany?!!! So I'm doing some cleaning with the windows open and fresh air flowing through the house. Here in Germany we do not have any type of venting or air circulation, so if you want fresh air or air to even circulate so you don't that stangnet smell, you have to open your windows...even in the middle of winter....BURRRRRRR! Anyway.....

I joined a swap that was doing punch art. I thought, this should be easy enough. Well, it wasn't as easy as I thought. I just didn't seem to have the right punches for the things I wanted to do....meaning....I need more punches!! LOL! So I finally found some purses, we all know I'm a total girly girl and I did those for one of the layouts and then I decided on the ladybugs and whatever those other things are!!! They were suppose to be ants but after all that wire curling I just didn't feel like doing anything more with the wire so they are like worms with antenas I guess! Either way they are kind of cute!

It was for a 6x6 layout type for a scrapbook page so here are my three pretty purses and one of my favorite sayings. Also some close-ups of the purses.


I used the round punch and the scalloped punch for this one

I used the round punch and I'm not sure what the name of the other one is, it's from SU!


And my cute little clutch is made from the heart punch (the triangle part) and an oval punch from SU!

Here is my adorable little lady bugs and other bugs. I used the scallop punch and the different sized round punches and then used wire for the antennas.

Blog award.....

Can you believe this....someone gave ME a blog award. That someone would be Angie...stop by and check out her site. I have never gotten an award before and just honestly, feel very honored! Someone does look and like the things I make!!! Yay!

So now it's my turn to pass it on to my top 10 favorite blogs......here we go......all of my lovely Crafty Critter Bloggers! You all have been doing such a great job with your blogs and have been keeping me very well inspired! Thank you!