Creativecuttlebuggers layout challenge

Here are the two cards I created for the weekly layout challenge on our new group.

More gift card holders

It has been an exciting weekend. Two of us have started our own cuttlebug yahoo group. We tried to be pretty organized, creating it and loading all sorts of info into files, links and photo albums before we announced it on another yahoo group.
Well long story short we have over 125 members - it has been a rather busy two days to say the least. But so much fun.
Have issued a challenge (card layout) and a monthly mingle. So that's a start.
Here is link in case you are interested:
http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/creativecuttlebuggers/
Requirement for membership - a love for cuttlebug "stuff"
Have tweaked some of the gift card holders - added bits to make them "better"!

Card for birthday (gift card holder)

Have made another trying to use some cuttlebug items

Another gift card holder

Okay so I am on a roll - love the simplicity of this card - so cute, so easy and yet so practical! Thanks Sandy for the patterned paper - love it!

Embellishments to cards

Decided the gift card holders needed something more.

It's been a card making day

Had someone ask about a gift card holder and found one on Dawn's Blog:
her blog is in list on right - the video is dated May 2008 - the card is so cute and easy to make - of course I had to give it a go.
Also I subscribe to another blog called Clean and Simple:
again her blog link is in list on right - this lady makes the neatest cards so of course I had to try to make one like hers.
Here are my creations.

Birthday cards

Have some friends with birthdays coming up so have been making cards for them.

New Stamp Set

Sunday I found a tin full of coins, so I spent the afternoon rolling coins.... are you ready?...... $53.30 !!!!!! so yesterday after running some errands, I promptly took myself off to the LSS and bought myself a new set of stamps. They are made by Technique Tuesday and they are just what I was looking for - flower sillouettes, with cattails or reeds, a little humming bird and dragonfly - so cute! So have gone into production, like I usually do, and made several cards.

ATCs

One of the online groups I belong to - trades ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) each month - Jan was snowflakes, Feb was hearts, March shamrocks and April is sunset. Jan was easy but I don't think I scanned a picture of the one I made - same for Feb but I remembered before I sent off my March batch and have just finished working on the sunset batch.
Michelle Zindorf creates the most beautiful cards and I have been a fan for a while now - but have never been brave enough to "give it a go" - well the sunset ATCs is just the push I needed to try her techniques. I am pleased with the way it turned out and now am keen to try more. You should see my hands - they looked like I put the ink on with my fingers instead of ink pads.....never mind.....look what they created. Can you tell I'm excited?

This weeks Progress Report

Well my printer died this past week - doesn't owe me a thing - bought it off the shopping network about six years ago and it has been trusty and reliable all this time. So have been looking for a new one - almost got one at London Drugs two days ago but didn't buy it as it took several cartridges (color) and everyone knows that the cartridges are the expensive bits.....so off today to Costco - found a photosmart scanner, printer for 69.99.....turns out sale ended yesterday but because sign was still up they gave it to me for sale price. YEAH!!!!!!
Here is a picture of my new printer - hope it lasts as long as the last one!
With the return of the freezing temperatures outside, my focus this week has been on my craft area - it looks like a bomb went off! I went up with the intent of clearing off my table but instead I have just created two cards for next months exchange and a card front - am beginning to wonder if I work best surrounded by chaos - is that possible? Probably avoiding the inevitable - need to sort through what is on my table and put things away - how does it get this bad?

In my quest for avoiding the cleanup have been surfing blogs looking for storage suggestions - actually someone asked how we stored our dies and embossing folders - so I answered but decided to go looking for new ideas.
It is a little tricky as I have two retreats I am attending - one the beginning of next month and another the beginning of May - so I do have most things stored in containers that are portable but I have seen some of the neatest ideas how others store their dies, particularly their nesties. Will share what I found just as soon as I learn how to add links here.

Sick of winter and cold weather

Monday we woke up to 4+" of heavy wet snow which made the commute to work pretty slow going. By that afternoon, most of it had melted and was causing flooding problems in the older districts - city of calgary workers didn't get flood gates open soon enough! Tuesday and Wednesday were warm with temps above 0'C - so the snow from the winter was continuing to melt. This morning we had white out conditions - the trip to mailbox was quite alarming as you could hardly see in front of you. Now it has cleared a bit but it sure is cold - present temp -12'C but with the wind blowing it is more like - 20 or colder.
Sure am tired of the snow and the cold. Can hardly wait for winter to end and spring to arrive - of course this is Calgary - that might not happen for another month.
Have finished my challenge/mingle card for one of the online groups - thought I would share it with you. It is a criss cross card (kind of like an envelope) - insert where you would write a greeting is beside it.
Stamper's Quest Magazine has a monthly sketch challenge - I spent a lot of time making cards for this challenge - I finally ended up with this one.....

Ali has left !

Our daughter was here for two week visit from Brisbane. We are just home from taking her to airport. This farewell wasn't near as bad as the first time she left - in fact we didn't shed any tears this time. Knowing she is returning "home" to the love of her life - really helps. We know Ben loves her very much and is very good to her. That makes all the difference in the world.
Now to get back to the routine of life......taking two weeks off work so I could taxi her around..........was a good thing! Feel like I am ready to go back to a routine of sorts.
We had lots of fun and have lots to think about re the wedding....decisions, decisions, decisions. Thank goodness we have lots of time - date still to be announced!
Created birthdays cards for both Ali and Ben - sharing them here with you!