Let Me Tell You A Story

These pictures show a family out for a brisk afternoon walk. Pretty unremarkable, even with the balanced posing and picturesque background. What they don't show is the story of a mom attempting to capture her darling girls against that lovely brick and wrought iron background while completely blocking the sidewalk. They don't show the group of Gig Harbor visitors trying to make their way past us without interrupting the shot. These pictures don't show a kindly member of the group offering to include mom, her deferring, and his insistence that her smile reflecting those of her children also be captured.
Ah, stranger, thank you for prompting this photographer's joy to be thus recorded!
You know, there is something about this fresh face showing up in my album- having no make up on does not detract in any way from the brilliant beam of my trademark mega watt smile. The selfie "beauty," i.e. softly blurred, filter is missing; all my blemishes (real or imagined) are evident only to my internal knowledge, not in the picture itself. The redness of my cheeks matches my children's and shows that indeed, this spring day had shining skies but a brisk chill still...
Thank you, strange but kind gentleman, for preserving for us the beauty of our happy trio, thoroughly enjoying our day trip to town!

Relay Rally Cards

These cards were sure a lot of fun to make, and for a good cause- they will be used to raise money for our Columbia Bank Relay for Life team!

Thank you to Queen & Company, an awesome scrapbooking supplier that generously donated many of the supplies you see on these cards. I love the one with all that bling- something I have always wanted to try. I was tempted to keep these myself... but I can always make more I suppose :-)
Yes, I think I'll do that now as a matter of fact!
Thank you to all those who are helping us in our fundraising efforts!

May CARDMAKING Kit from EmbellishKits.com Conclusion

   When Shelby emailed me that this month's subscriptions from EmbellishKits.com were on the way, and that the May Card Kit would include a more masculine themed collection, I immediately thought of many holidays and birthdays coming up that offer themselves to a more subtle and classic design. The 6x6 paper patterns from the Jack and Jill collection and chipboard and sticker accents, twines and buttons all come together in layers that were easy to create but look absolutely stunning, making this an admirably texturized collection of 8 cards.

My Hero wears a Mulit-Function Tool

Starting with the full color example and directions for card number one, "My Hero,"  we used some foam adhesive to lift up the sticker sentiment and slipped a button behind it. Another layer of dimension is achieved with that black twine wrapped around the long rectangle. Rounded corners contrast with the column effect and mimic the frame around our sentiment.

Lovely Layers

 I'll admit, I fell victim to the same habit many of us do, I looked at that sticker and thought, Nope, not gonna use it, don't feel it, don't have boys etc. Then, as I followed this month's well-written instructions, my mind wandered to a different interpretation, and I thought of What makes a Hero to me? What came to mind were examples like, a dad teaching his kids how to survive in the forest. Or when a schoolmate stays close enough for a phone call for decades. Even a grown up taking a look a their life and deciding to act more mature or doing a bit of self exploration. Needless to say, the card now sits in my craft room while I debate which boy stole my heart enough to get a postal salute!

Based on Card Design Number Two

 Now, anyone who's taken a class or placed a custom order for cards from me will be able to tell you, I'm not very good at sticking to an example when I'm in the creative zone. One of the things I really appreciate about the card kits from EmbellishKits.com is that the directions and pictures let me get creative comfortably. Knowing which pieces I can set aside or use with each of the cards ahead of time lets me sift through the left over pieces, and get inspiration from the basic design. Here, instead of a vertical card and stacked banner (pennant) shapes, I turned the design and used a cut out phrases from the six by six papers instead of the stickers and chipboard. Instead of a father's day card, I've got myself a great card to give my brother the car junky next month!

There was just enough room at the left hand side to slip on that red chipboard BOY. With the blue and white twine I stuck to the star theme but used the red and white stickers, with a tiny blue chipboard circle layered over a bit of that blue airplane paper and an inked strip with a postal mark on it. Whenever you can cover more than one paper with an embellishment, it will help it to look as if it's pulling the card together; part of the overall design,  instead of that there's just another thing on the card.
I put a lot of my handmade greeting cards out for sale in Gig Harbor's Copy Mail It, and the card rack there has a majority of spaces for horizontal cards, so I tend to convert many designs to one that is stretched across the card front. Taking an idea and transforming it into a design that works for you is one of my favorite concepts to teach. In card #3, I used that thick brilliant red pre-scored cardstock and the Light Blue Kaleidoscope Paper, adhered to the center of the page. I didn't worry about the top cut too much, just width. Instead of the Orange paper, I used a row of those element symbols. That pattern, the airplane print, and the billiard motif had my mustache loving heart a flutter! A little bit steam punk but not in a nerdy way is what I kept think, as well as the songs from Oh Brother Where Art Thou and the Grapes of Wrath.

Card Number Three

Can you see the little red arrow I left attached to another sentiment strip from a sheet in the 6x6 paper pad? And another detail to keep in mind the next time you're working with border strips is how I centered the element boxes, leaving the same open width on the left and right edges. But enough about me, I thought this card would be great encouragement for a soon to be graduate or even just an average student  or friend currently struggling. As an inside sentiment, that Dream Big sticker finds a place to inspire the recipient. But what did I do with that gorgeous scripted wood veneer "today?"


Closer to the original! Card Number Four

Why, move it onto my next card, of course! I loved the idea of the contrasting pattern topped tag and since our local Gig Harbor High School's school colors are grey, dark blue, and white, I figured this would be a great graduation card to put in the store too. It doesn't hurt that our local Narrows airport just opened up their field for visitors to watch the aircraft up close and personal; perhaps some of our locals will be more inclined to day dreaming?

The alphabets included this month allow us to really customize these cards and I used the number stickers to put the graduating year on there. The rich colors, busy but subtle patterns, and the layers on layers give this card a lot of substance with very little effort on the maker's part and only a few scraps of paper. I think it's the wood veneer and the bold silky blue ribbon that give this card that pop of quality.
You can't tell by the size of this photo, but our next card is a whopping 9.25 inches long- and comes with a custom envelope to prove it! Hey, it's not the size of the card but the amount of paper you can get on it, and I actually saved this card for last so I could put my cut offs to good use. The tones of blue and white and talking about cut offs reminds me of the quilt my mom made out of all the legs we'd cut off our jeans each summer (does anybody even do this anymore?) That quilt darn near killed her sewing matching because we hadn't thought about all the rivets... hmmm, may have to go back and add a few blings to simulate that effect!

Let the flag fly!
Based on Card Design Number Five

The full color picture shows a few different patterns and stickers being used. Again, not feeling the brothers theme, I pictured a couple enclosing their love within this card that speaks of the pride a parent fells for their child when big things are on the horizon. If I'd thought to grab a close up you'd see that I layered chipboard and sticker sentiments over that large square chipboard sentiment sign. The compass points are layered too; I brought that red in to go with the bright crimson twine included in this month's card kit. Thought this would be perfect for a parent with a son graduating from the military or getting shipped out after school, too.

Card Number Six,
 perfect for an "Amazing Dad"

 Did you have a chance to see last week's card making tutorial? Together we layered a border sticker and a few patterned paper strips with chipboard and stickers to create one of the coolest Father's Day cards my hands have crafted. Working within a collection, there is not a lot you can go wrong with in selecting different patterns, but Shelby has a knack for creating designs that are easy to simulate and look amazing no matter how you interpret them.
As I mentioned in the video, if you wanted to turn this card on it's side and read vertically, it would be a snap; just cut your pieces to the correct height and cut the excess off the sides! The twine tied around the banner and layered under the chipboard ruler, as well as the dimensional adhesive behind the DAD pennants are two of my favorite features on this card. Plus, I'm a total sucker for all things wood grain!

Cad Number Seven

Because I had already used the compass and The Sky is the Limit stickers on other cards, I needed to mix up the design a little for card number 7, but I did still include many of the same elements. I have the blue airplane paper, the red chipboard airplane with the blue Adventure sticker, and that beautiful blue ribbon threaded out on either side. For some extra movement and texture I did two stickers at the top, the camera on the right is lower to the card front than the chipboard timepiece tag tied with baker's twine you see to the left. I like the way the two stickers, being the same color, almost appear to combine into a flag waving in the wind.


Bonus Card: Boy Defined

The designs and color photos in each of the kits from Embellish It also come with another bonus: you can use them again and again with patterns and embellishments of our choosing! Look at one of my bonus cards, which uses hardly any paper btw, and you will see many of the same placements as our example shows, such as the large, circled sentiment in the top right and a bold, main piece in the bottom left corner of the card. I even used a 1/3-2/3s ratio with the patterned paper strip to the right and the white cardstock background of my card front. You can learn terrific ideas on how to achieve that designer look on either of our cruises taking you around the Caribbean April of 2016.
The last card with instructions in this set got the horizontal flip again, and then I had some fun choosing stickers that would fit my Thought Up theme of a birthday card for a "One of A Kind," Awesome boy. Look, I got 7 stickers on there, as well as an additional chipboard element!
Working each month on trying to use every bit of these kits is almost the opposite of what I would normally tend to do with a new collection kit in my craft space. Isn't it like, a rule that you have to savor all the pretty things as you work with a kit, using only the pieces you're instructed to and saving the assorted left overs for just the right card front/ layout? And isn't it more likely that instead of being used, those pieces will float in a bag (if they're lucky) around from place to space, not getting used up at all.
Nu-uh; in my sanctuary, I've been attempting the practically impossible- I've been using up sticker sheets, discarding their empty frames on cling with a fling to the paper bin. That 12x12 piece of chipboard elements with only three pieces still in their places? Onto a card front they go- layered, stacked, and adhered with abandoned, or even (gap)  given to the children for artsing with- anything to move those products through my stash. After all, there are more cool patterns and motifs coming!

Bonus Card: Ta-Dou!

When I was working with the stickers, I kept admiring that baseball player and his quote about not letting fear get in your. This background design of a pattern on top, a pattern on the bottom, and a band of a another pattern or texture through the middle is one I turn to again and again, and as I mentioned before, I love me some wood grains. I chose the blue and grey with white striped scrap, and then an off-cut of the chevron which looked like directional arrows to me. I chose a few athletic traits from the element pattern, and then realized I could use them to spell out, "Ta-Dou!" That's sporty, right?!

my precious leftovers @AnnaBradshw

Bonus Card: Soar..

Thanks for joining me in another CraftWithAnna.com card share, using the May 2015 card kit from Shelby Dredge of embellishonline.com and EmbellishKits.com.

and the inside.

Although I used nearly every single piece of chipboard and sticker not part of an alphabet from this collection, the smaller prints on the six by six papers means even with tiny bits and pieces, I've got lots of leftover papers and embellishments still to play with from this month's kit, so be sure to follow me on instagram to see those finished creations turn up amongst pictures of my girls enjoying the spring sunshine here in beautiful Washington state. <3Anna

P.S. Feeling the need for some creative retail therapy? Go ahead and shop for a subscription that fits your papering needs, it would make a perfect Mother's Day gift to yourself or a loved one :-)

Zipping Around the Honduras

I wasn't the only one awake at this hour...

Rising at around fifteen past dawn to run with the sun rising in the distance over the island of Roataan, Honduras was certainly an invigorating start to another memorable day. I had mentioned my desire to do so the night before, but saying you want to watch the sun rise can be easily excused away in the morning from the comfort of the unbelievably just right down blanket! Just before my eyes opened, I had been dreaming of doing some folk dancing, so I figured, Hey, if I've got enough energy to dance in my sleep, then I can get out of bed and get up on deck! What, you don't dream of folk dancing...?

Here on board there are many ways the boat resembles a floating city whose inhabitants come from all walks of life and yet cohabitate in their different roles . From the Impatients to the Complainers, the Young and Old, Rich and Poor both monetarily and in spirit or health, we're all experiencing the vacation in our own way, and yet, together! The smiles of my fellow walkers and joggers reminded me of the atmosphere of my neighboring city Gig Harbor, where people delight in the community of early risers, go outsiders, those of us choosing to greet the day on our own terms...with souls we love...  but there weren't any dogs up top of the ship lol.

One of the observations I couldn't help but notice was the wide variety of cameras being used to capture the amazing view as it unfolded before us. I helped a fellow scrapper with her huge Ipad, and there were a lot of the smaller point and shoot cameras out there too, but I was envious of the big, long lensed, old fashioned focus-with-your-hand-instead-of-a-button versions. Alas, I didn't bring mine; I just couldn't picture myself as being willing to heft it around on our adventures. And, no I didn't bring my camera up top either, but that helped me to really concentrate on the task at hand- enjoying myself!
And not slipping on the running track, which got hosed off with a heavy wash of water each morning. Just before sunrise. So it was extremely wet and slippery. Every morning. Did any of you readers hear about the time I catapulted myself down the stairs here at the house? Or how I have fallen hard enough to knock my glasses off? Dropped a vase on my face just before a trip to see my sisters a couple years ago... Trust me, I slowed down on the hard parts haha. Of the track people!

Back in time for a shower before room service delivered our fresh fruit and bacon heavy breakfast, which of course we chose to eat on our balcony. Don't think it will be possible to tire of that! The pineapple was a perfectly golden tangy this morning, as were the grapes, kiwi, and strawberry. I've kind of surprised myself with the amount of fruit I've been seeking; never high on my list of favorites, it has been a struggle to find a balance of the fruits I love with the stomach uneasiness that can sometimes follow the ingestion of large quantities of God's gift- especially the citruses. The addition of a banana seems to help. And bacon! I must've eaten about 6 pieces. BECAUSE I COULD.

Dressed, in what I considered to be somewhat Ginger and Mary-Annie outfits, slathered with Off!, our bags packed with sunscreen (and credit cards) in tow, we set off giddy with expectation for our first port and pre-booked excursion. The colorful stucco buildings echoed with the beats of a welcoming group of Honduran dancers. Since I plan to end the day with a little booty shakin' myself, it was with a keener eye I tried to observe how the heck they move so fluidly. I feel like a stick doing the robot, and these women were twerking in the streets, so I figured, hey free lesson! Thank goodness their skirts left a lot to the imagination, the way the tourist guys were ogling them. Heck the way their band members were gawking! Girls had the moves. 

Zip N Dip! I forgot about the dip, whoopee!

Down the street we went, easily locating our tour's hut using the information on our printed from home excursion directions. Wrists extended for some lime green bracelets printed with "Zip and Dip!" With friendly smiles we were advised to "wait over there please." Hmmm, OK... where? "Just right there, ma'am." Here? "Yes, ma'am." Realizing there weren't bound to be swarms of bugs attacking within the confines of the restricted access parking lot, off went my long sleeve shirt and I soaked up the 9'oclock sun. Then I realized all the men around us were now ogling me... back on went the shirt!
The addition of sunglasses allowed me the viewing pleasure of watching all the tour guides and taxi van drivers- one in particular captured my attention with his long lean physique and dark glistening skin, accented by a few heavy white gold chains. And then it happened: not only did the object of my interest begin to pick his nose with those elegantly long fingers I'd been admiring, but another much less attractive man nearby hawked a huge loogie into the bushes D had just photographed... Talk about a Deal Breaker.

Joined by two other couples from our ship and our van driver, along the coast and up into the rainforest we bumped along the pot-holed streets, staring into the villagers homes with avid interest. Stilted, with huge open areas beneath, and decorated with what looked like weeks of laundry hanging in the warm wind. Palm and coconut trees in every yard, along with beautiful, long leaved, purpley- magenta plants, sprinkled with coral blossoms bunched in hedges of what looked lot like the invasive vines that grow around our yard.                                                                

 Winding our way up the mountain side, we passed a construction crew, hard at work repairing the dilapidated roadway. While a few men shoveled dirt onto screens leaning against trees, others filled craters in the road with the finely sifted results. I supposed the daily rains, coupled with abundant forest growth, would make cement or asphalt roads difficult to maintain. We noticed the workers backpacks hanging from nearby tree limbs. Guessing they don't have the luxury of company vehicles and the air conditioned lunchrooms our road crews are accustomed to!

I'd say it was about a 15 minute ride to the South Shore Zip Line and Eco Walk starting point. We were greeted by our guides, Jeffrey and Ishmael, who directed us to place our belongings in the small lockers provided for the small cost of $2. I had some trouble with the lock, and will admit to wondering, is this a scam for them to go through our bags and get our credit info while we're screaming from tree to tree? But those thoughts were quickly dismissed, as this company was recipient of a 2013 Service and Excellence award, and chosen by our travel agents Gail and Cheri at CruiseOne as their preferred Zip line excursion package in Roataan.

We eagerly watched our companions get zipped into their harnesses and then it was our turn to get rigged up. Thinking back to my girls night out the Friday before leaving... was there going to be a Fifty flashes of rainforest scene unfolding? Heavy duty leather gloves and an adorable helmet completed our new ensembles, and it was off to the first platform. Anticipation was felt all around as Ishmael performed the proper placement we'd need for our hands during the ride and how to operate the hand brake. Literally, it would be our hand braking us... D and I look at each other cross eyed and burst into giggles as we have no idea what we are in for!

Exhilarating, surreal, awesome, breathtaking... just a few of the thousand adjectives we could have (and did) use to describe the incredible feeling of flying through the canopy 20-50 feet off the ground. I actually have no idea how high the zip lines were, but the platforms were a comfortable 10-15 feet or so high, with a large net surrounding the exit and landing zones. 

I've been afraid of heights for so long I could hardly believe how comfortable I was, enough so that when Ishmael asked if I wanted to go upside down on the 2nd zip, I agreed without a second's hesitation. "Just trust me Anna, and don't use your hands, I will do it all for you and you will just concentrate on the enjoying, all right?"
The result?

For the first time since I can remember, I wasn't so afraid of falling that I wasn't able to experience with my heart the thrill of zooming over the rain forest tree tops with arms out stretched,  mega watt smile ready to catch any bugs I encounter! A few zips later I was advised  "Just let go and fly, don't even put your hand up until the end okay, Anna, now you're  gonna see why the birds fly all day," and I was suddenly propelled across the valley at an outrageously delightful speed. Already, I was comfortable enough in the harness that I really could just open my arms and enjoy the sensations, lean back and experience that soaring joy without fear. Well, a little fear. Some added bouncing of the lines let me add my whoops and shrieks to the cacophony of wildlife that lay below.

My helmet doesn't look like it's on right...among other things.
Check out my cool vacation water shoes- Aqua Sox with socks Rocks! #RockGirl #PanteraRules

^^^   Safety First!

Seriously, Ish and Jeff were extremely courteous, even when sending our group into fits of giggles at comical lines they must feed every tourist. We asked about how much they work, and sometimes it can be as few as two groups in a day that they lead screaming through the trees. There is a rotation amongst the staff, and they take their livelihood seriously, securing each of us with practiced care, and explaining exactly what not to do- i.e. don't put your hand on the cable in front of the rigging... advice I literally heard booming through my head as my hand attempted to do just that. Shared that little scare with D and thank goodness she then heard MY voice in her head and instead reached behind her, just before her hand attempted to separate from her body through the same method mine had. 

Mega Watt Glad We Stall Have Our Hands Selfie

Laughing at our breathless enjoyment, our group was not only soaring through the air, but we were all literally high as kites as the constant surges of adrenaline flushed our cheeks a high pink and a sparkle to our eyes. D commented that my mega-watt smile could probably power the ship! And yes, it felt like my face might break from smiling so hard. We each took amazing photos of the adventure, and a video showing of our gliding through towards the camera with arms not just outstretched but flapping like the black and red butterflies that surrounded us will be one of the most convincing displays of how safe we felt with the rigging, guides, and I guess being able to make fools of ourselves. But man was it fun!

Stepping out of the harness was a relief; one can only discreetly try to dig a rope out of ones nether regions so many times on one excursion. About 4 flights of stairs took us to an inclining hill where a bench invited a quick rest before the pick up vehicle arrived to transport us the rest of the way up the mountain side where our belongs, and of course the gift shop, were waiting undisturbed. There really was dust on some of the reasonably priced items we could collect as proof that we really had done the unbelievable.

My Precious

Did I mention I'm a Survivor Fan-atic and that Wednesday is the new Thursday in my world? Seriously, we do at home Survivor challenges in our house. Tasks as simple as cleaning the yard become much more intense when There's A MILLION Dollars On the Line! I even have my purple Survivor: Samoa buff with me for flaunting at the beach to come! Would I take home the Oh My Gosh, I want to buy this so bad, but it's not going to get worn "I Survived" shirt? Of course not, I chose a black V-neck with, "Zip Chick" in hot pink emblazoned on the front. D tried to pick out a hat, but none really looked perfect, and finally settled for a cute crew neck tee featuring a lizard a top "Gettin' Zipped," and she picked up the $10 DVD with their photographers pics of our fun for our home printing enjoyment. What a deal!

What I didn't figure on dealing with was a credit card malfunction that may have spelled a quick end to my MasterCard shopping availability for the rest of the trip... apparently the little gift shop's machine is somewhat temperamental, and my cashier had to run my card twice. That in itself wouldn't have sent any red flags to the Capital One security team, however, I then impulse-bought a souvenir hat as well, which was the third transaction in one day, in a foreign country, on a card without a travel alert on it. And I work for a bank... Whoopsie! 

Have a similar story to share about adventuring? Facing your fears? A shopping trip halting all future expenditures?  Comment below and come back tomorrow for a long awaited trip to the beach!

 

There's a New Shop in town

Birthday cards for the Birthday Girl!

I had the chance to go to Gig Harbor on more than one occasion this week, once to drop off this four pack of handmade-by-me birthday cards for my co-workers {birthday} present, and then my dad took the girls down to play on the water front for an hour or so, giving me a chance to grab a brisk walk myself! I have seen so many new places opening their doors, and it was a beautiful day to do some exploring.

 Standing at the corner of Judson street, across from Brix26 stands the white stucco building that is now host to Blackwater Trading Post's dazzling array of original, locally crafted Northwestern art. As you walk the towards the entrance, your eyes flicker along an intriguing window display of tribal carvings, glass reflecting lights practically vibrating from the gallery of home décor additions waiting your perusal inside.
Upon entering, the warmth of the setting immediately reminds one of visiting a cabin off the coast of Sequim, or maybe closer to Montana's "Big Sky." That's no coincidence; owners Carola and Luke purposefully approached their venture intending to choose art that would fit their own home's asthetics. The faint scent of freshly milled-by-Luke logs (from his own property I might add) support displays that tickle the fancy of a long neglected shopping sector- Men!
Real manly men at that... I'm talking about our guys that are out there fishing for cutthroat in turgid January waters. The fellows who want nothing more but to run along side the wolves of Alaska and walk amongst the same mountain wildflowers that bears frolic about. But, yeah, there are pretty things to be found in the Post as well.   Fancy a blanket you can wear as a purse fashioned from what looks like a bridle? Or perhaps your wine needs it's own sheepskin lined carrier... if it's locally made, durable products you're looking for, or even just want to look more rustic-ated yourself, this is a place to check out.
Can we say custom-made, one-of -a-kind, not- to-be-found-elsewhere-in-Gig-Harbor? You'll find a unique experience waiting for you in each niche of the store. With 26 local artists and counting, there is a media type to delight you at every turn, including texturally rich canvases, original photographs,

 jewelry, and carvings. Sprinkled throughout are Luke's stunning, life-like fiberglass fish replicas and driftwood supports. The thoughtfulness at having chosen artists who truly represent own rich Northwestern heritage and outdoor pursuits has lead to a harmonious collection that is truly inspiring to an artist like myself.

In fact, I found the whole experience so exciting that I stayed up for another late night and created 6 cards in assorted themes including a wedding card, sympathy, a couple of birthday cards, and a really cute card featuring the sentiment, "You're some bunny special!"

You can bring your special bunny into the Blackwater Trading Post's unique gallery a little later in the evenings on Art Walk Third Thursdays, and word is that the check out counter is perfectly bar stool height. Fingers crossed for wine tastings and fundraisers!

Speaking of Fundraisers (an if you're reading all the way down here to the bottom- thank you!)
Have you purchased your $20 ticket to our Key Peninsula Cooperative Preschool Cardmaking fundraiser event Feb. 7th? 6:30-8:30 with me, your's truly, at Key Center's Blend Wine Shop. You can email me for more information about that.

Let It Fly!



There is a crispness to the morning air that lets us know fall is on the way in and summer's on the way ...out. Waaahhh! Gosh we certainly enjoyed a beautifully sunny summer though here in the Pacific Northwest. There were only like five days of rain? That's all I remember anyway lol.








There is a lovely banner which reads Family hanging in my craft room that I see everytime I enter the room. It was pretty easy to make, and I've always wanted to make another, so decided the change in season was the perfect occasion. Love the way it turned out! I used a sample pack of Close to My Heart papers for the backgrounds and for the strips of paper that were transformed into 'yo-yo's- the fanned circles behind each letter. One way to almost guarantee your project will have a cohesive look is to use papers by the same designer or company. The colors will all be very similar and the paper will share the same weight as well.

The girls accompanied me on the way to drop off these banners and stock up my card rack at Gig Harbor's CopyIt..MailIt on Judson Street. Once we were done we had a little time to explore the waterfront while we waited for dad to take us out to dinner at the Peru restaurant by Fred Meyers. The dock at Jerisch now has life jackets available for every size person and the kids enthusiastically donned water safety gear. Ray asked later, why did they have those on? And I responded, because they could! Truth be told neither of them can swim and on top of that there is a big sign on the dock explaining that most people who drown don't intend to get wet... so yeah, get those life preservers on if you can!

  

While my cricut does make mass producing a breeze, I made the most of my time and cut all the triangle banner shapes for another, even cooler banner at the same time, and used up the rest of that sample pack of papers. Yea! Another something that I don't have to put away :-)

Living in Washington my whole life, I'm a big Hawks fan, and ever since their Super Bowl win last year, it seems like the whole states got Blue Fever. What better way to show off some spirit than with a cute banner!? On this one there are sparkling green letters and sequins in grey and green too. The banners were still looking a little plain so out came the decorative edge scissors in scallop shape, and added silver glitter paper strips to the top.

 

Gotta make one of these for my Pops in Jersey!



Way to washi no.722

Take a lot of coordinating colors of washi and use them to create a really cute card!
First I covered half of a blank card base with the light blue stars washi tape. Then I covered another piece of scrap cardstock, cut it into separate strips, punched each strip with the scallop border punch, and then layered them together over the ends of the first washi application. Finished with a lovely K & Company die cut and Jillibean soup label sticker. I felt it needed still something else, a query that is almost always solved by the addition of either bling or twine. Or both!
Thanks for stopping by! You can see this card in person by visiting the downtown Gig Harbor Copy It...Mail It! and I'm terrifically excited to announce that as of this afternoon, a few of my cards are available online through Etsy! I'll have more details about this coming out in the next few days. For now you can click on this link: www.etsy.com/shop/craftwithanna  and see what I've got up. Hooray for card sales!

Supersized Scrapbooking

I love scrapbooking supersized photos. They take up pretty much the entire page, and to me that makes it just that much easier to figure out background papers, and embellishment clusters.

In this Superbowl inspired layout, I used a black and white photo of my co-workers dressed up in their Seahawks gear on Blue Friday. I work Saturday mornings, so I printed this photo from an email and took it with me to demo scrapbooking during my Michael's shift. I'm sure my co workers didn't expect to be showing off their style in such a dramatic fashion!

I also uploaded this layout to my TwoPeas gallery, which you are welcome to peruse here.

Mixing up the fonts and using like embellishments really brings the focus to my title and groups of blings, which you'll notice fall in a visual triangle. These are tips I've learned since following one of my favorite scrappers, Shimelle. Check out her tips on scrapping your supersized photos here.

Now, there was a commercial airing close to the Big Game, with the catchphrase of, "its only crazy if it doesn't work." As in, whatever your crazy game day must do activity is, its only crazy if the team loses. Stinky socks, a certain bean dip, or perhaps, as in my case, Scrapbooking !

So no, it is not crazy because we did indeed win :-]

Recent Plantings

I don't exactly have a green thumb, but even I could plant these lovely additions to our front yard.

For Rainier's birthday earlier this year, we returned to Gig Harbor's Java and Clay to paint more heart plates to add to our dishware collection. My mom and grandma were there with us and it was a four generation fun time!

You can't really tell how your painting will end up after the firing process. Of course, us talented girls created masterpieces- that slid noisily to the floor one morning a few weeks ago. To the CONCRETE floor. Only one survived, and I just couldn't bring myself to throw the shards of the other three into the garbage.

Mimi suggested we "plant" them outside, and that's just what we did in between rain squalls yesterday afternoon.  Now we have our little love blooms outdoors, where we can still see  them when we are getting in and out of the car!
They are pretty enough that I'm considering repurposing  the rest of our dishes!