You Rock!!: A Farewell Post

As you’ve probably noticed, I haven’t posted in quite awhile.  Besides not doing alot of stamping, I’ve just needed a break from blogging here.  Instead, I’ve been focusing on simplifying my life.  While I’ve so enjoyed developing this blog over the years, it’s become more of a chore lately rather than a fun and relaxing endeavor.  Plus, I’m trying to put my time & energy into my family and improving my health.

At first, I just intended to take a short break, but it’s become apparent that this is more of a permanent situation.  I have no intention of giving up stamping, but I won’t be sharing projects here.  However, if you are interested, I would love to for you to follow along on my journey to health (via running, Isagenix, and Weight Watchers) on my So Skinny on the Inside blog.

Before I wrap up this last post, I’d just like to say a great big THANKS to all of you for following along with me these past few years.  You REALLY ROCK!!!  I hope you’ve been inspired a time or two from my papercraft projects.  I know I’ve enjoyed sharing them with you.  May you continue to stamp & create well into the future! 

And now a little farewell card to all of you….

10 Things We Love About You!

Here is the card I made for Brian this Father’s Day.  Though the main image is actually a large die-cut adhesive from a retired Simply Scrappin’ Kit, I felt it was perfect for a card.  On it, I jotted 10 reasons why the kids are so happy to have Brian as their Dad…..mainly fun activities that we love to do together.  I used the Clean and Simple Sketch Challenge (FTL #95) for my layout.  Though I flipped my ribbon layer upside down and had it span the entire width of the card.  I also  added my embellishment to the right side instead of the left. 

I hope all of you enjoyed spending the day with or thinking fondly about the special men in your life!   

My Newest Rubbah Venture

If you’d like to follow me on my newest rubbah venture, head on over to my So Skinny on the Inside blog.  No, it doesn’t have anything to do with rubber stamps…..but rather rubber soles in the form of running shoes.  I’m attempting to become something of a runner using the couch-to-5K (c25K) plan.  It’s challenging, but I’m LOVIN’ it!

Even better, I’d love for you to join me (just start at Week 1) using the  c25K plan and/or leave some supportive comments.  If you’re already a runner, feel free to give me some beginner running tips and provide a link to your running blog if you have one.  Thanks in advance!   

The couch-to-5K Plan

By the way, it’s Isagenix that has allowed me to follow this new venture.  Not only does it give me the ENERGY that I need to start a regular exercise routine; but, it’s allowed me to LOSE ALOT of WEIGHT (45 lbs), which has made running possible.  Because I still have more weight to lose, running takes alot of effort.  I can’t even imagine trying to run with those additional 45 pounds.  You could say that I’m powered by Isagenix!

Sketch Whimsy #1 & #2 Winners

So sorry for the delayed announcements, but better late than never right?!! 

Sketch Whimsy #1:

The winner of my first challenge is Tina Joergens.  Her scrapbook pages about her MS diagnosis were wonderful!  It’s so easy to scrapbook about the things in our lives that are bright and shiny; so, it takes real courage to scrapbook the events that aren’t.  I love that Tina chooses to address her illness head-on and in such a positive manner.  You can see Tina’s beautiful pages HERE! 

Sketch Whimsy #2:

The winner of my second challenge is Rae Anne Littrell.  Rae Anne’s  scrapbook pages about the statues at Disney were created using My Digital Studio.  I love that she choose to create her pages digitally first and will then go back and create actual 3-D pages.  What a great way to get your pages “just right”.  You can see Rae Anne’s bright & colorful pages HERE.

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Tina & Rae Anne – Congrats, ladies!  Please send your mailing address to t.kieninger@comcast.net so I can get your prizes in the mail.  Thanks for playing Sketch Whimsy!

Sketch Whimsy #3

I’m back with Sketch Whimsy #3.  Because participation in the challenge was low to nil, I’ve decided to nix the challenge and give-aways altogether.  I have a hard time doing scrapbook sketch challenges in one week myself!  But many of you expressed interest in the sketches themselves; so instead, I’ll just offer Sketch Whimsy as I’d originally intended…..as inspiration for your future scrapbooking layouts.  Because there is no weekly challenge, there are no deadlines to do the sketches.  Simply bookmark my blog so that you can come back to the sketches at any time in the future, or subscribe so you don’t miss a post.  If you do make a layout based on my sketches, just add a link to your creation in the comment of that particular Sketch Whimsy post.  Look for Sketch Whimsy here on my blog every Sunday! 

Sketch Whimsy #3

Click HERE to see my completed pages using these sketches!

Click HERE to see all the Sketch Whimsy posts!

A Girl and Her Swing 12x12 Layout

I finally got a chance to play my friend Stacey’s Curtain Call Color Challenge again.  It’s been a long time coming.  What a beautiful inspiration piece and colors this week:

Rather than a card, I opted to do a scrapbook layout.  Because I know Stacey loves to sew on her cards, I added some zigzag stitching to my pages using my Janome sewing machine.  I did use an extra color on  my pages (chocolate chip), but hopefully Stacey won’t mind!

The photos on the page are of Mia on her beloved swing.  My journaling reads:   We put the swing up in our front yard when Mia was little.  I never imagined that she would still love it so much at age 9.  But it’s her favorite place to be.  If I can’t find her in the house, I know just where she’ll be.  And each morning it’s her ritual to swing until the bus come to take her to school.  She spends hours on her swing talking or singing to herself & practicing tricks.  It’s her therapy.

Because I didn’t have any swing-themed stamps, I created a paper swing using a scallop oval punch and natural hemp twine.  I drew a K for Kieninger on the swing base.  But no swing is complete without a tree from which to hang, so I hand-cut one from chocolate chip cardstock.  The plain cardstock didn’t look very realistic, so I sponged a little cocoa ink over parts of it and then added bark lines & a hole using a blender pen & chocolate chip ink. 

Here are my finished pages:

Stamp sets: whimsical lower alphabet, expressive flexible phrases; Inks: chocolate ship, night of navy, whisper white; Cardstock: chocolate chip, night of navy, whisper white, bashful blue, certainly celery prints DSP; Embellishments: natural hemp twine, whisper white 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, bashful blue taffeta ribbon, button latte; Tools: scallop oval punch, scallop edge punch, circle punches

How NOT to Lose Your Clear-Mount Stamps

I’ve seen this idea on several blogs including Julie Buhler’s Paper Pleasing Ideas; thus, I can’t take credit.  However, it’s such a good idea that I wanted to share it with all of you.

I LOVE Stampin’ Up’s new clear-mount stamps.  I have more flexibility in how I use my stamps, plus the clear-mount stamp cases take up less room on my shelves than the wood-mount stamp cases.  However, because the stamps are loose (not mounted on wood blocks), they are easier to lose….especially the small ones.  So, here’s a solution:

1) Start by removing each of your die-cut rubber images from the rubber frame.

2)  Mount the rubber images onto the clear-mount sheets as directed.  Then place the rubber image back into the rubber frame.  (view from bottom side of rubber frame)

3)  Repeat steps 1 & 2 until all of the rubber images have been mounted to the clear-mount sheet and then returned to the rubber frame.  (view from bottom side of rubber frame)

4)  Now with stamps inserted, peel off the paper backing from the bottom of the rubber frame and stick the frame to the inside of your stamp case.  Now you’re done!

5) Not only does the rubber frame keep those small pieces from tumbling around and/or falling out of the case when you open it, but you’ll be able to tell immediately which stamp hasn’t been returned to the case just by looking at the rubber frame.  (see the “missing” airplane image)   

Pirate Time Birthday

Seth got invited to a friend’s birthday party this weekend and I needed a card.  I didn’t have alot of time to come up with my own idea, so I turned to the Pirate Time stamp set gallery over at SplitCoastStampers to get some inspiration.  There were several coordinating cards by maryloves2stamp that I fell in love with, so I created my card in a similar manner.  The skull & swords are embossed (it’s been forever since I’ve used this technique) and the skull cap is popped up with a stampin’ dimensional.  Great layout and colors for a guy card.

Stamp sets: all holidays, pirate time; Inks: whisper white, real red, versamark; Cardstock: real red, whisper white, basic black; Embellishments: whisper white embossing powder, primary colors simply scrappin’ kit; Tools: heat gun, paper snips

Back Tonight

Sorry for the lack of posts.  My beloved grandfather passed away on Friday and we had his visitation and funeral on Monday night.  Grandpa was almost 91 and lived a full and happy life up until the last few years, when his health really declined.  While I’m so sad that he will no longer be a part of my life, I’m glad that he is no longer suffering and that he is reunited with my grandma.  In honor of Grandpa, take time today to hug your family members and let them know you love them!  

Here’s a photo of grandpa with Mia & Seth, taken in September 2005.  One thing I will always remember about my grandpa is how his face would light up upon seeing my kids…..so sweet!

I’ll be back tonight with a new post.

Sketch Whimsy #2

In case you missed the post, I started a new feature here on my blog…..Sketch Whimsy!  Since I’m always looking for new scrapbook page layout ideas, I figured others might be too.  So, each week I’ll post 2 scrapbook sketches for your inspiration.  But rather than just providing a resource for scrapbookers, I’d love for my Sketch Whimsy to be more interactive….please play along if you’d like!  Just create your own scrapbook page(s) based on one (or both!) sketches and add the direct URL link to your creation(s) via the inLinkz box below.  But even if you can’t play, feel free to come back at any time for sketch inspiration.

Sketch Whimsy will be featured here on my blog every Sunday.  As of this week, I’m still planning to have a give-away for favorite submitted scrapbook page, though I may need to re-evaluate this for future weeks if participation remains low.  I’m thinking that it will just take a little time for word of my Sketch Whimsy challenge to spread.  If you’d like to help me get the word out, feel free to post about Sketch Whimsy on your blog, even if you don’t play along!  The deadline to enter Sketch Whimsy #2 is midnight on Sunday, June 13th.  The winner will be announced the following day.

Remember, a sketch is simply a sketch.  Your scrapbook page doesn’t have to mimic my sketch exactly….loose interpretations and sketch flips are perfectly fine!  Feel free to use an embellishment where I’ve inserted a photo place-holder, etc.  Also, my sketches will be for 12x12 scrapbook pages, but you are welcome to make your page another size, adjusting the sketch accordingly.

Sketch Whimsy #2

Thanks in advance for playing along with my new Sketch Whimsy….I can’t wait to see your pages!

! Card

I needed a good birthday card for my a male friend’s birthday.  Since I don’t have many guy-friendly stamps (I’m hoping that the new catalog will offer more of these!), I used the Pick a Petal stamp set in a non-traditional way…..creating an exclamation point.  Easy and to-the-point!  Stamp sets: all holidays, pick a petal; Inks: not quite navy; Cardstock: chocolate chip, old olive, not quite navy, whisper white; Embellishments: chocolate chip poly-twill ribbon, blue bayou double-stitched ribbon; Tools: cutter tool

Stay tuned tomorrow for Sketch Whimsy #2!

Teacher Notecard #4

Here is the final teacher notecard design.  It’s probably my least favorite of the bunch, but I was pressed for time to get them done before my daughter left for her last day of school.  See my last 3 posts for additional designs.

Teacher Notecard #3

Here is teacher notecard design #3.  See my last 2 posts for additional designs.

Teacher Notecard #2

If you saw yesterday’s post, then you know I put together some notecards in a tin for Mia’s teacher.  Here is the 2nd notecard design with a simple strip of designer paper and a scalloped flower image embellishment.

Teacher Notes in a Tin

Mia’s last day of 3rd grade was today.  As a parting gift for her teacher, I put together 8 notecards (2 each of 4 styles) and packaged them in a decorated Stampin’ Up! metal tin.  It was an easy-to-make, but appreciated gift as teachers always have a need to jot a note to a student or parent.  I got the idea for the notes in a tin from Kristin Moore – you can see her post HERE.

Here’s one of the notecards that I created.  I’ll be sharing the other 3 with you in future posts.

Stamp sets: taffy alphabet, first day; Inks: bashful blue, pumpkin pie, garden green, brilliant blue; Cardstock: whisper white, brilliant blue, DSP; Tools: scallop edge punch, paper snips, 1-3/4” circle punch, 1'-3/8” circle punch, blender pen

Don’t miss my Sketch Whimsy Challenge & give-away!  The deadline to enter is midnight on Sunday, June 6th.