Thursday, June 24, 2010

Chess Mate


Real confession time. First, I have never scrap booked in chronological order. I didn't begin this fabulous hobby until my children were in their teens. I must have been destined to be a scrapper as I have saved everything! All those adorable paintings from preschool to every flower they pulled in the garden to bring me. Now that I am much more experienced with my Cricut Expression, I tend to not buy ready-made embellishments. But, years ago that was not the case. I had purchased the
3-D Jolee's chess board and pieces for a LO, that I had in my head. I never got around to it until now. Since I bought this embellie, well, I am going to use it! LOL. Didn't seem right not to have any Cricut on my LO. Here is what I came up with. The men in my family are chess players. When they were all home, just about every evening a game would be played. I mimicked the chess board as the background paper. On the gold base page I adhered a black page cut at 11 inches, one inch from two neighboring sides.(Check to be sure your paper is a true 12 inches , before cutting). Then on your cricut using George and Basic Shapes Cartridge( truly a fabulous cartridge, one of my favs). I did this with the Cricut Design Studio, I chose the square and cut white card stock at 1.375 inches, you will need 32 of these squares. Once cut, they will now fit perfectly as a real chess board on the top 11 inch black top paper. Place the first square and glue it down then skip 1.375 inches before the next square( I just used a square for the measuring).Use a ruler to keep your lines straight. Every other row will begin with the white square and end in a black space left. Every other row begins opposite of the one above. Then it was just cutting letters and mats to match. I decided not to place the chess pieces on the board, instead I put them in a clear envie, like real board pieces would be stored. Hope you like it, thanks for looking.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Sunshine Blog Award



I received this award from http://stampinchelle.blogspot.com/. I am so surprised. What an honor. It is my very first blog award! So special!!! Thank you Chelle!

Now it is time to past this award on to five more inspiring blogs. Check out these ladies! http://scrappinjerseygirlinca.blogspot.com This is a new blogger ,looks like fun things to come here!

http://www.Creationsbychristie.blogspot.com This crafter does it all. From sewing, embroidery to paper crafting! Be sure to tour her playroom!

http://217creations.blogspot.com The talent of this young lady is awesome! One great project after another!

http://www.thebugbytes.com Wonderful tutorials for you on this one! The sharing of knowledge of the Gypsy is fabulous!


http://www.cardztv.blogspot.com The ultimate go to for card inspiration! Some of the cutest card I have ever seen!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Stonewall Jackson Lay Out


Happy Thursday Everyone. I have really been busy trying to finish a few projects. I am especially pleased with this double Lay Out. My oldest son was a Cadet at Virginia Military Institute. It is a fabulous College and is so rich in history and tradition. Located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia it is also a beautiful place. For those that do not know Stonewall Jackson was 1st a Professor at VMI, then became a General of the Civil War. Many of the traditions that are still preformed both officially and unofficially are rooted back to the beginnings of the school. I decided that the scrapbook I would make to document my son's time at VMI needed to be sort of a history book as well,this would help future generations understand many of the "customs". This LO is all about Stonewall Jackson. The colors were chosen based on the colors of the Confederacy. I wanted it to have an old tattered feel. Lots of charcoal colored chalk to give that "old" feel and metal brads for the military feel. I also really got into the "tearing" for that worn look. I used Cricut Design Studio to help me design the Confederate Flag. The pictures of Stonewall both young and old, I found in the archives of VMI. The picture of the barracks is actually a note card purchased at the student store on campus(sprayed with Archival Mist, of course). The grave side picture is one I took upon a visit to throw a lemon on the grave. LOL, that is a tradition as Stonewall had a thing about not getting scurvy. Journaling is about the events of his life and the circumstances of his death during the Civil War. Thanks for looking. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Mini flower album

Good Morning! Summer is fast approaching and flowers are in bloom everywhere. My garden help to inspire this mini album. This is one of those $1.00 raw chipboard mini albums from Michael's. This cover is heavily embellished. I love using prima flowers on the front of my feminine minis. These I added Diamond Dust to them. I used Glossy Accents as the "glue" and then just lightly sprinkled the Diamond Dust. Be careful when using it, as it is real crushed glass parts. This is one item to not be messy with! This little mini has enough room for over 20 photos and lots of journaling. I have a gatefold page that hides a photo and a ladder fold that is held with a coordinating ribbon. There are pockets and tags all over this cutie. This mini is a gift. I always pre-add double stick tape that is acid acid free for the recipient to have it all ready to go! Thanks for looking!