Goody Box Purses and Template

Click Here for the Template

Hi Everyone!! Well I've been working on these goody box purses for the past few days. Today is the last day that the Key Club will be meeting so I decided to create these goody boxes for the members.



The kids worked so hard this year helping out the community. . .aside from their regular volunteer efforts, they volunteered for the Breast Cancer Run, the MS run, Rose Parade Float, and other various community charities and fund raising. I felt they deserve a little appreciation for their efforts.


My daughter will be president next year and she and I came up with the idea of giving the goody boxes to the members. She wants to be a good president and during her year in a leading position, she wants to recognize the members efforts more than they typically would have. The kids really don't get recognized much for their volunteer efforts individually. . . .they're seen as a group or club.


This was an easy goody box purse to create. Because I had to make 50 of them, I needed something that I could do relatively quickly. I had posted the template a few days ago on Card Inspired. Other than cutting out the boxes, the box is really easy to put together.



The blue ones are for the boys and obviously, I couldn't add the handles to look like a purse but the pink ones are for the girls so I added the ribbon handles so they would look more like a purse.



Hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Handmade with Very Little Love Card

Hi Everyone! Why is this card made with very little love? Well, last night after dinner I decided to watch a little television. . .I had a lot of things I needed to do before I went to bed but decided to take a little break and watch TV.

Well. . .I zonked out, totally crashed out! I didn't even know I fell asleep. At about midnight, I suddenly woke up and realized I was still downstairs in the family room with the TV on and all the lights on. Sheesh, no one even got me up.

As I was walking up the stairs to my room . . .half asleep. . .I noticed that my daughter's light was still on and "ding, ding, ding". . .something went off in my head. I had promised to make a card for my daughter's Key Club advisor and it was suppose to have been completed today!! Well, I forgot to make it and it was already midnight. Okay, I was in no mood to make a card. All I wanted to do was go to bed!!

So. . .I reluctantly walked to her room and she was still doing her homework. Poor girl, she's always up sometimes past midnight finishing her homework. I never stayed up that late when I was in high school.

Anyway, I told my daughter "I'm sorry but I didn't make the card" and she's like "Mom, you promised". . .I'm like "I know but I forgot and well, it's 12:15. . .do you REALLY need it by Wednesday?"

She responded, "YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!" Okay, imagine a teenager saying it. I'm like "geez, can't we just BUY him a card?" She was not happy about that. . .she's like "I already told all the members that you were going to make the card and that they were going to sign it TOMORROW!

Arggghhhh!! So, begrudgingly, I was up at 12:15 making this card all the while thinking "why am I making a card at midnight for someone I've never met?" Furthermore, "why can't my daughter just give him a bought card?". . .I mean, like he would never know that he was suppose to have received a handmade card.

I made the card half asleep, dying to finish it. Luckily, it was a quick card - I finished within half an hour. Unfortunately, .this card was made with resentment and frustration! Not at all made with love!! LOL!!

In the end I was happy I made it because well, my daughter was really proud of it. She really liked it and happy to give it to him! Besides, her advisor volunteers twice a week and gives up his lunch break from his job to attend the Key Club meetings. He does deserve a handmade card.

Anyway, that's my story for the day!! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

10 Minute Card and a Few Pictures - Happy Memorial Day!!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!! What are you guys doing for Memorial Day? Well, we decided to stay home and BBQ! Yay! I love BBQing. . .it's much more fun than eating out! I made this card last night. . .it was a 10 minute card because it took 10 minutes to make. This card is seriously simple. . .I just wasn't in the mood to make a more "dressed" up card. Sometimes going simple is nice and way easier!!

The paper is a scrap piece I had in my scrap pile. . .I believe it's a paper by DejaView, the prima flowers are also by Dejaview and Prima. . .the "thank you" sentiment is a clear stamp by Heidi Grace. The cardstock is by SU. . .not sure what the colors are. . .they are also from my scrap pile. . . .I believe it's either Bravo Burgundy or Cranberry Crisp and the other cardstock is by Serendipity.


I had posted on Card Inspired that my husband got me a Canon Rebel XTi for Mother's Day and I've been playing around with the camera. I LOVE this camera! I'm a serious amateur when it comes to photography but I just love how the pictures come out using this camera. I wanted to share a few pictures that I took yesterday!

Here is a picture of my daughter at the South Coast winery that we ate at yesterday! We decided to spend the Memorial Day weekend driving through the wineries in Temecula and stopped by at the South Coast Winery for lunch. Yum! I ate a Pan Seared Halibut for lunch and ate a Seared Ahi as an appetizer. Only after I ate my food that I thought of taking a picture of my yummy food. Oh, well! Next time!!

By the way, the wineries in Temecula is located right at the back side of my neighborhood. It looks a lot different on the back side! LOL!

Here is another picture of the winery that we ate lunch at! It was fun! Temecula has at least 20 wineries! Too bad I don't drink wine. . .otherwise, this would be heaven to me. LOL!

Hey, if ever you decide to visit the San Diego side of California, be sure to stop by the wineries in Temecula on your way to San Diego!

Just a picture of my neighborhood. Ahhhhh, typical Southern California neighborhood. . .big houses all squeezed in next to one another!

It was a beautiful day yesterday. Today, the weather is lousy!!

Happy Memorial Day, Everyone!!

Chris Brown's With You Cover by Boyce Avenue - Awesome

Love this Chris Brown song "With You" covered by Boyce Avenue! The lead singer for the band has such a beautiful voice. They now have an album and to think they were discovered on MySpace. The drummer is actually a guy that added his own drumming to the Boyce Avenue cover but I like the two combined. The acoustic only version is actually really good too but I like it with the drums. Check it out!! I think you'll like this cover!!

Look Ma No Hands!!

What the heck is this picture about? LOL! Well, Jen at Pieces of Me has a blog candy going on and the challenge is to take a picture holding something without using your hands. . . you can use any part of your body other than your hands.

Well, I decided to participate. The picture is my daughter sitting in a semi-lotus position (yoga) upside down using her head to hold herself up rather than her hands. I couldn't think of anything else creative to submit for the challenge and there was no way I could hold my body up with my head so I persuaded my daughter to do it! The girl is such a trooper!! LOL!!

I think this qualifies for the blog candy! She's holding herself up with her head rather than using her hands. . .hey, it takes talent to sit in a lotus position upside down!! What do you think, Jen? Does this picture work?

Anyway. . .Jen has some yummy candies to give away so go check out and challenge! It'll be funny to see what others come up with.

Aromatherapy Box Template

Hi Everyone! Happy Memorial Day weekend! I was playing around with a few templates that I had and I decided to create this simple tray or box or whatever you call it. The name on the template calls it an "aromatherapy box".

Initially, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I made it a little simple because I wanted a more elegant look to it.

Well, I decided to use it as a container for some potpourri. . .

I had heat embossed the CTMH Fair Blossoms image with gold embossing powder. It looks better in person. LOL!


I then lined the inside with the CTMH Everlasting Level 2 Paper Packet Kit and tied gold ribbons to the corners to hold the container/box together.



As you can see, I added potpourri into the container and put it in the sitting area in my living room.
















Here is the template if you want to try it out. It's a simple project. . .nothing fancy but just something different. Click on the image and it will enlarge. It will look HUGE but when you print it, it will print appropriately on to a 8 1/2 x 11" sized paper.

Anyway, hope y'all have a fun weekend!!

Summer Colors

Hi Everyone! Happy Thursday to ya' all!! I had posted this card on SCS a few weeks ago but forgot to post it on my blog. I actually have a few cards that I forgot to post. Sometimes if I don't post a card right away, I'll forget to post it.

I had watercolored the flowers using markers on watercolor paper. Nothing much else to this card. I love the designer paper by Dejaview. I like how it looks with the flowers.

Anyway. . .this will be a short post. . .I don't have anything to say right now. LOL!

Hope y'all have a wonderful day!

Baby Card

Hi Everyone!! Hope y'all are having a wonderful Tuesday! This is my dog Phoenix sunbathing! LOL! It was so hot the past few days. . .high 90's and low 100s. Terrible!! I just hate it but Phoenix don't seem to mind. Here he is just kicking back and laying down enjoying the sun! LOL!

Just a card I made this morning.

This would have been a less than an hour card but I could not find a sentiment for the little tags that were appropriate for the image so I had to go through stacks of stamp sets to look for the two little sentiments. Argggghhhh!!

I have a million sentiments and it took me so long to just find 2 that were appropriate. That's nuts. Do you have that problem? I don't know why I buy so many sentiment types of stamps because how many sentiment stamps do I need? I have to laugh about it cause it's sort of funny. I have my favorites and I'll use them but never touch the others.

This card was created using "Inkadinkado Little Tyke" stamp set. The tag sentiments are from 2 sets of Stampin Up stamp sets.

The designer paper is from DCWV Glitter Stack, the cardstock is SU Brilliant Blue, Certainly Celery, and I believe Apricot Appeal (not sure). I colored the image with my Copic Markers. Nothing much else to the card

Anyway, hope y'all have a wonderful day!!

Candy Bar Pocket Card Tutorial

Hi Everyone! Yesterday at Old Town Temecula (a historic section of my town), there was some sort of event. . .it was called the "Southern California Torch Run". It's like the Olympic torch run but this torch run is to raise money for the special Olympics. How nice.

I took a picture of the fire truck as it was passing by and the fireman waved at me while I was taking the picture.

Click Here for the Tutorial

I created a tutorial for this candy-bar pocket card for my "club" blog site a few months ago and decided to post it for all of you to try out. Many times, I create a tutorial and I'll create it after I've completed the project but the funny thing is sometimes I'll never make another one like it ever again. I know. . .isn't that terrible?

I'm going to tell you a little secret. . .sometimes, I'll create the tutorial and I'm not even sure it's understandable or easy to follow. LOL! So today I followed my own instructions and it actually worked out.

This card is created using an envelope to insert a candy bar. It's a great project (well, I think so) for a party favor or to give to your kids' teachers. I think I'm going to make a few of these for my daughter's teachers before the school ends. Sort of like a teacher's appreciation gift.

When opened on the inside, the candy fits into the pocket to the right of the card.


This is the candy bar outside of the pocket. I know it's a bit dressed up but it's just fun and cute. It's a great way to use up your designer papers.

Card Details:

Stamps: Stampin Up In the Stars
Ink: CTMH Watermelon and Topiary, DCWV Summer Stack
Paper: CTMH Watermelon and Topiary
Accessories: SU Large Star punch, Basic Basic Ribbon, SU Key Tag Punch, 1" circle punch

Anyway. . .try out the tutorial and tell me what you think! Hope you like it!

Close To My Heart Liquid Glass and Flower Child

Hi Everyone! Sorry, I've been away for the past few days. I've been so busy with life in general. I really haven't been able to find the time to craft like I would like to or typically do. Arggghhh.

This weekend, my kids volunteered their time for the Key Club helping out a community auction to help raise money for the community choir.

For those who don't know what the Key club is about. . .well it stands for Kids Empowering Youths. . .a club that volunteers their time to the community. . .helping out the needy, the community, and various charities. My daughter will be president of the Key Club next year and she's currently the treasurer and my son is currently the vice president. I am so proud of them. . .

Anyway, this afternoon when I went down to pick them up from the local theater where the auction was held, I came across this dog. He was sitting in a basket on a scooter. LOL! Isn't he a cutie? I just came across him randomly and just took a picture of him.


I actually made this card a while ago. I posted it on my club blog site but I didn't have anything to post so I decided to post it here.

I had stamped the image on watercolor paper and colored it with markers and an aquapainter brush then added "CTMH Liquid Glass". . .it's similar to SU Crystal Effects. When it dries, it has an epoxy appearance to the image.

The stamp set is by CTMH called Flower Child. The sentiment is again CTMH. . .Solos C stamp set. The paper is by CTMH. . .Let's Get Together Level 2 Paper Packet.

Here is a close up of the image. You can't really see the Liquid Glass but it has a shiny 3D appearance to it.

Anyway, I hope I can get back to normal soon. I've been sort of going through a funk. . .

Until later, everyone!!

Woo hoo? Maria Where Are You?

Hi Everybody! Sorry I've been MIA for the past few days! I'll be back in a few days! I've been busy. . .arrrgh! Things should slow down in a day or so and I can return to my old crafting self!! Sorry I've been absent on visiting your blogs too!

In the meantime, check out this video! I LOOOOOOOVE this song by Lights called "February Air". It'll sound familiar. . .can you guess where you heard it from?



Here is another AWESOME song by Lights called "Last Thing on Your Mind". . .I couldn't find the video but you can play it below (CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON) listen to it and tell me what you think of it. . .it may sound familiar too. . . where do you think you heard it from. . .hint: commercial. Anyway, enjoy!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!! Until later!!!

Round Clip Board - CTMH More to Adore

Hi Everyone! Hope you all are having a wonderful Saturday. This is a circle clipboard that I altered. The clipboard is 6" in diameter and made by EK Success. I decided to use it as a memo pad by cutting up computer paper and stamping the image on to the paper. I used CTMH Adorable and Joy Forever stamp sets.

The designer paper I used is a paper by CTMH called "More to Adore". It's a very pretty paper. Stop by my CTMH website. The link is located on the right side of my blog. Check out the pretty products that CTMH carry!! You can also purchase their products directly online from my website or email me.

Nothing much else into making this altered clipboard. You just basically glue the designer paper using Mod Podge or some sort of adhesive. That's it.



This is a close up of the clipboard design.

Hope y'all have a wonderful day.

My Mini Album Needs to Go on A Diet - Bind-it-All Project

Hi Everyone!! Remember yesterday I mentioned on my post that I had gone to Goodwill and found a bunch of new and used craft stuff. Well, I found these mini file dividers at Goodwill which was in a ziplock bag for a $1.00. These usually run about $3.99 or more for 50 when bought new and there were at least a hundred in this ziplock bag.

Anyway, I decided to pull out my Bind-it-all which I have not used since I bought it over 6 months ago and create a mini album using the file dividers. The file dividers measure 3 x6".

Scroll down to read on what not to do when creating a mini album.





This is the front of the mini album that matches my Tupperware Coaster album that I posted on "Card Inspired" . . .another altered item that I found at Goodwill. . .go check it out!!

The paper I used was from ADT, the prima flowers are by DejaView, the button by CTMH, the stickers by Cloud 9 Design, and the ribbons by Making Memories.











Project Tip:

When creating a mini album using the Bind-it-All, keep in mind the amount of pages you insert, as well as the potential bulk to your album.

I used a 1/2" O-wires which looked perfectly fine and laid the album flat before I added the pictures and the embellishments.

You're going to laugh but there's a total of over 16 pages to this mini album that I created - 36 front and back, 32 pictures, and lots and lots of prima flowers.

Well. . .after I added the pictures and embellishments, my once flat mini album became a very, very plump cat!! LOL! So plump that it can't close flat and needs to definitely go on a diet!!

If I had thought about it in advance, I would have used a larger O-wire . .more like 1" and I believe it would have laid nice and flat or I should have added less pages. Arrrgghhh!!! Okay. . .don't add 16 pages to your mini album!! LOL!

Anyway, the pictures are of a family wedding and family get together that we had in Hawaii.

These 2 pages are of a picture of my aunt and cousins.

My kids were in the wedding party.

My daughter was one of the bride's maid.

Here are pictures of my daughter and her cousins! Boy, I really miss all of them. When I think of Hawaii. . .I think about all the parties that we're missing out on and seeing all of my family and friends. Whaaaa!!