Parlez Vous Français?

For this next card, I wanted to do something different and make a postcard. My friend Scott has a fancy job working in Paris. (he's an animator on the new Super Mario Brothers movie!) He was kind enough to indulge my massive Disney pin addiction and purchase two really cool villain pins when he was at Disneyland Paris. Were we not currently in a pandemic, I would have shown up on his doorstep a long time ago pretending to be Emily in Paris except instead of showcasing an amazing wardrobe, I'd have colorful Mickey ears. 

For the postcard, I used a Mickey stencil from The Sassy Club to try and create an ombre look with different colors, but it kept turning into a disaster no matter how much masking I used. So I chucked it and decided to go with a very simple color palate. The castle is from a Sassy stamp set and the words are from Simon Says Stamp. It still looked a little bare, so I used Squeezed Lemon distress oxide on a border.

For the other side, I created a stamp also from a Sassy set (she has the best Disney stamps) and then used my fanciest script writing to make it look sophisticated. I snapped this photo before writing out my note to him. I also blurred out his last name for this post. And of course, I had to include a picture of the pins! Paris had a really awesome villains release last Halloween. They glow in the dark! 

Unfortunately, my current pin collection is in storage or I would post a picture of that as well. However, I do have a picture of the pin bouquet I made for my wedding. I saw someone selling Disney pin bouquets on Etsy for a crazy amount of money and I realized I could just make it myself and be able to really personalize it just the way I want. It was a little heavy, but soooo beautiful and totally worth the effort. Lasts a lot longer than flowers too!

Happy Anniversary!

Last month, my husband and I celebrated our 12 year anniversary. I know once folks get married, they tend to only celebrate their wedding date, but we were together for eight years before we got married, so I tend consider this June date the more important one.

On our first date, we saw Disney Pixar's UP! so it's always been a very special movie for us. When I saw that Sandra from The Sassy Club had stamps from the movie, I knew I had to grab them. 

First, I covered the card with a rainbow background using my distress oxides: Wilted Violet, Broken China, Cracked Pistachio, Squeezed Lemonade, Dried Marigold, Abandoned Coral. I didn't like that though. It just looked too much, so I grabbed a stencil from Waffle Flower and tried to recreate the effect. I messed up a little on the top, but at that point, I wasn't going to start over.

I'm actually really proud of the Copic coloring that I did on these characters. They took me awhile to get just right, but I love the end result. I topped it all off with a CZ Design sentiment.

Hope you all take the time to celebrate the special people in your life!

Bride Tribe

Surprises are the best. The BEST. I love them. I’m a hard person to surprise though. I get nosy and suspicious really easily. I like to bug and bug until people crack. I’ve been told it’s not fun for the other person, but I just can’t help it!

So imagine my surprise when I walked into my apartment last August and found a million balloons scattered around the place. The soundtrack for Pixar’s UP was playing and my very sweet boyfriend was standing holding a bouquet of sunflowers. I would like to say my first reaction was sweet- I cried, I laughed, I grabbed him. But no- my first instinct was to say, “What the fuck?” (If you know me then you aren’t very surprised by this) But then the speech came and the ring and then I started jumping and crying so eventually, I got there.

Fast forward a couple of months later- it’s time to pick my wedding party. BRIDESMAIDS ASSEMBLE!

There wasn’t a question of who I would ask- just a question of HOW. I wanted it to be special and personal and Disney related of course.  My girls are all Disney fans themselves so I knew I wouldn’t have to ponder too much on this. I decided to create a Disney Princess box for each of them showcasing their favorite princess. I was sly about this, randomly taking a poll for a Disney Blogger online (which isn’t too much of a stretch since I used to be one once upon a time) and pretty soon, I had my results.

I wanted the outside of the box to be the wedding colors of red and navy blue. Off to Michael’s I go! I found these great boxes with room for a picture on the lid and painted them all accordingly. I covered them with blue ribbon to give them a sense of “opening a present” (I covered the photos for this blog just to give them some privacy).

Once you open the box, this is what you would find:

• Will you be my Bridesmaid postcard from Papersource
• Bottle of champagne with “I Love You” written in different languages and cute cartoons. I also made a special tag for each of them
• A Ring pop (featuring Sid the Sloth from Ice Age since JP worked on that movie!)
•  A mini clipboard for notes
• A figurine of your Disney Princess from the Animator’s collection (TOTES my fav!)
•  A Little Golden Book of your Disney movie which I took a part and added pages of notes about the wedding after the story

I was able to deliver them personally to each girl and it was so wonderful to see their reactions. I was so glad they all said yes and have started this crazy journey with me!

From L to R: Michelle (Aurora), Me (Belle), Rachael (Ariel- also my Maid of Honor!), Tana (Pocahontas), Monique (Mulan) and Gale (Jasmine)

Out on Sabbatical

Hi! Remember me? I used to post about cards and arts and crafts things. Let's just fast forward past where I explain how busy life can get and just show some of the things I've missed posting. Most are from Cricut cartridges and various stamps. Welcome to a plethora of holidays and birthdays:

I have some big projects coming up soon to showcase. Lots of changes that are bringing about plenty of DIY projects. More to come!

Sweeeeet Birthday!

My boyfriend's sister, Michelle is a fan of Finding Nemo so for her birthday, I wanted to use my Pixar Cricut cartridge to make something for her. There are so many great cuts in this cartridge. I also used letter stamps to create the phrases. I made little squirt because who doesn't love him?

Two Zero One Five

Here is some advice for the new year: If your boyfriend suggests that you two should move in together, be happy. Be excited. Get ready. Get all your ducks in a row and do your research!

Be patient.

Also, do yourself a favor and don't let the first thing you pack be the hobby that keeps you sane.

When my boyfriend JP suggested we move in together, I was ecstatic. I started to pack immediately and the first thing I packed away were all of my crafting supplies.

Big mistake.

Almost 4 months later, I was still waiting to unpack my craft bins. You see, what a rookie like myself didn't realize was that moving is not immediate. Of course, I knew it would take some time. Some time in my mind was a month maybe? It took us four. Apartment hunting is not easy. Sometimes it was downright scary even. But finally, the stars aligned and we found our perfect one bedroom apartment and after three weeks, we are pretty much all moved in.

Our first Christmas Tree! It was a Charlie Brown moment.

One of the main things I asked for when looking for an apartment was a section to set up all of my supplies. I was pretty cramped in my old room, sequestered in a tiny corner with everything on top of each other. But because my boyfriend is pretty awesome, he helped me pick out the right furniture that would hold everything and still give me room to create. Also, we were pretty lucky in that our bedroom is huge. There was a chunk of free space after we put in two dressers and a queen sized bed so I decided to use the other half of the room as my crafting haven. (Folks, I'm serious. TAKE YOUR TIME when looking for a place. I'm so glad we didn't settle because I LOVE THIS APARTMENT!)

Here is a look at what I'm working with--->

This is my desk looking nice and tidy! See how long that lasts...

I got that book case from Ikea to hold all of my supplies.

It was important for me to be near a television. Originally, we were only going to have one in the living room and use the bedroom as a place to relax at night and help our minds quiet down. But I quickly realized, there was no way I would be able to craft without some background noise. Sometimes, music doesn't quite cut it. And for the past two weeks, I've become obsessed with the NBC show, Parenthood. I was going to need a way to watch and craft at the same time. (Also FYI: Check the show out! It's in it's final season, but it's a realistic, funny, and moving family show)

Can't be creative without JP or our alter egos, Ellie and Carl. 

I was pretty psyched for this Christmas gift. JP bought me a Foldio studio. In the past, taking pictures of my cards was always a 10 minute struggle. The lighting was never good. I couldn't find a good background. There were always weird shadows in the picture. This little studio box eliminates all of my problems! There's a light inside and you could either insert a white (as seen above), black or grey background and you no longer have to worry about the quality of the photo. I seriously, cannot wait to use it! The Mickey ears are just an added decor element from my days as a Disney Cast Member.

I have a lot of stuff.....

Us on Christmas Day. <3

I'm really quite excited to start some projects in this new and improved space. I already have lots of ideas lined up and plenty of creative energy to burn.

So here's to a great 2015! Hope your year is full of plenty of love and surprises. 

And Crafting. =)

Becoming A Fairy Godmother

So I am pretty excited. Actually, I think excited might not even begin to cover what I am feeling. My boyfriend and I were asked to be Godparents and it was such an honor to be asked! I wrote about my boyfriend's best friend Tony from Australia when he last came to visit. He brought his babies for their christening and I totally fell in love.  Well, they have had another little girl. Her name is Isabella and she is now my goddaughter!

And this girl is beyond adorable.

Those cheeks just kill me. 

The family will be traveling to New York for the christening next year so sadly, I have to wait until then to squeeze this cutie. But I have waited a long time to be a Godmother! I didn't want to screw this up. A care package was in order! Off to the Disney Store I went because of course, every child I meet will learn to love Disney. Along with some classic Winnie the Pooh books, I got her some Little Mermaid merchandise. A plush doll, a sun hat and this adorable onesie that I am sure the entire store heard me exclaim when I saw it.

Aw, come on- isn't it so cute?

Anyway, a gift package needed a proper card! I looked to my Disney Cartridge. I wanted to make a fun Little Mermaid card for Isabella. (I'm still trying to figure out what my nickname for her will be. Izzy? Isa? Anything but Bella. Thanks, Stephanie Meyer for ruining a perfectly good name....)

I decided to cut out a seashell and Ariel's silhouette. I thought it was a bit too plain, so I added a flower for her hair with a single pearl. Instead of using patterned paper, I decided to take out my Distress Inks. For the base of the card, I used Tumbled Glass for a light blue background. As for the seashell, I used a combination of Vintage Photo, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers and Tumbled Glass. I blended it a lot to get it exactly the way I wanted. I'm pretty happy with how it came out.

I think it was a success! Seriously though, doesn't her face just scream GERBER BABY??

Godparents are a pretty big deal in my family. I'm hoping I can emulate Cinderella's Fairy Godmother- kind, nurturing, and ready to bestow some words of wisdom along with a plethora of kick-ass presents.

But I can assure you that one HUGE difference between the fairy godmother and I will be our wardrobe. Sorry lady, but shapeless, hooded capes aren't exactly my thing....