Blog Candy... Role Call...

I'm reeeeally being lazy...
But we'll call it 'well organized' this time!
ssshhhh...

As you all know there is a draw for
BLOG CANDY:
1) When the Post is a 100-th Milestone Post.
2) Each time there are 25 New Followers.
I find these milestones tend to creep up and go 'BOO!'
...aaaand I'm not prepared.
This time they can go 'Boo Hoo'
Because I Bagged and Tagged ahead!

I'm in a rush tonight because we're hosting an important meeting here tonight, but later on (tomorrow I hope *knock on wood*) I'll list what's in each Pack of BLOG CANDY.

100 Follower: AWARDED!
Khristen!!!
of:
Khristen's Craft Room!!!!!

125 Followers: AWARDED!
JAN!!!
of:
http://papercraftpleasures.blogspot.com/

150 Followers:

LEAH!!!!

One Powerful Hour: Birthday!

My turn to pick the theme at One Powerful Hour!

This time I went with the obvious (read: lazy!) Pick... April 3rd is my Birthday so
BIRTHDAY
is the theme.
***************
I decided to make a Birthday Card.
It's hard to see the textures in the photo:
Cherries are glazed in 3D Crystal Lacquer THEN colored with markers so they are shiny and rounded.
'Icing' paper is sanded so it's roughed up and looks more like real 'whipped' icing.
Markers, Inks, Stamp Set: Create a Cupcake and Punch: Build a Cupcake are all Stampin' Up!
Blingage, Pattern Paper, Brads and Eyelets are all $ store.
Swirl & Stars Stamp is Fancy Pants.

Rolodex Card Swap: Steampunk!

I can now safely share the cards I made for the Rolodex Card Swap between some of the Design Team Members over at Scrap Our Stash, graciously hosted my Kimmarie.

I went with a Steampunk Theme for mine (duh!) Dug out all my steam-y stamps, the gear punch and went to town!
Stamps are Unknown, 7 Gypsies, The Rubber Cafe and Stampin' Up!
All Inks, Markers and the Punch are also Stampin' Up!
Both sides are heavily Glimmer Misted too, Tattered Angels.The back of each card is signed, dated, named and labeled (1 of 9, 2 of 9, etc...)

Shortly I will be adding a post with the latest Follower BLOG CANDY Pictures...

Tomorrow is the beginning of The April Bunny Blog Hop, I'm stop #6 of 20.
For all you that follow already that means the 86 followers we're at now should bloom upwards and, as you also know, I draw for a Goodie Bag at every 25 followers... so I made a few up ahead of time.
Always be prepared!

I will have 2 BLOG CANDY prizes ready for the Hop.
1: for commenting on the post (everyone that comments)
2: for followers (YES if your already a follower your IN!)

It all starts HERE:
http://madebyjacqueline.blogspot.com
8 am sharp (EST)!!!
April 1-5th.
Hop on By!

WOYWW #95 March 30th 2011

Time for 'What's on Your Work Desk Wednesday' at Stamping Ground:

As usual... a mess!
Today I'm going to be lucky if I get back to the Studio to do anything creative.
It's Cleaning Day. bleh...
Best Laid Plans: I had planned to be *done* the major cleaning yesterday but 'life' got in the way. So today I continue...
Sunday is my Birthday and I refuse to do cleaning this weekend so I want it all ship-shape before Friday!
My gift to myself. :O)

For anyone interesting in seeing the end result of last weeks work desk mess, it's done!!!
Portal #2: Welcome to Wonderland is HERE:
http://keepsakescrafts.blogspot.com/2011/03/portal-2-welcome-to-wonderland.html

Last night I started working on my altered frame for the Try It On Tuesday Challenge. This is what's taking up most of my desk.
Over on the left is a blank Canvas Board for my 'self portrait' for the Inspiration Ave Challenge.
In the middle is my 'To-Do' List, otherwise known as the 'Wish List'.
On the right is all my Design Team projects that NEED doing, 3 teams and Blog Hop coming up!
On the left are all the challenges I would *like* to participate in and when they are due.
I sit down (almost) every morning and update the list over my morning coffee/tea.
*Thin line scratch out means I missed it
*Thick means I got it done and Posted
*Yellow Highlighting means it needs doing TODAY!
Over on the right are my cold meds. Damn drippy nose driving my bonkers! I always get sick before Christmas and my Birthday, like clockwork. ugh. All the more reason I want to get the cleaning DONE so I can head back to bed. :O)

Less Messy is the 'herd' of bunnies that keeps growing in my work space... breeding as only bunnies can. ;O) I'm a shameless bunny addict (NOT in need of a 12 hop program, thank-you very much!) and so um, they tend to 'wind up' at our house when they have no homes or hubby sees a particularly cute one at the 2nd hand store. They're good company they make far less noise than the kids. lol

To my right is this other wee corner of chaos. I'm thrilled to have a working CD player *new* this week. Bought a new clock radio, this one had stopped going off reliably (not good) but the radio/CD player works well. So we did the slide puzzle thing: New clock radio in the bedroom, this one in the Studio and the radio with no CD player went to the bathroom. I now have some music during showers and CD's in the Studio! yeah!
Good Luck Bear was a 6-month-a-versary Married Gift from Greg (that was the 25th).
"Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat is Our Song. He's also my 1st Care Bear.
Beside him is my 'tray of destruction': it houses all my picking and pulling tools for taking apart watched, clocks and other small electrics. mmwwaaahhhaaahhhaaa!!!
Divided tray underneath has all those parts in it.
Behind the Bear are more trays with small embellies (eyelets, brads, flowers, charms, buttons, jewelry bits etc...) and my ever present Stampin' Up! Markers and Stampin' Spots.
Literally at my Right Hand. :O)

April ARTastic Design Team Page:

Aprils Inspiration will come from the painting:
Autumn Wonder by Debbie Adam's

Diva Demand for an extra 6 bonus points try and
work the following into your layout.
1. Clouds = 1pts
2. Trees = 2 pts
3. Autumn colors (Browns, reds, oranges) = 3 pts

********************************

I decided with such lovely Autumn Themed Inspiration I'd scrap a picture from one of our traditional yearly Apple Picking excursions!
Pattern Paper, Paper Strips, 'Are We There Yet?' Sticker and Cloud Journal Block are all from Cosmo Cricket's: Nutmeg kit.
$ store metal embellishment under the sticker.
Apples are made from a Krafting Kimmie Stamp.
Ink and Marker are Stampin' Up!
The plastic 'Apple Picking' Bag was made from a scrap of page packaging: I cut the corner off a package that had held 12X12 papers, inserted some of the stamped Apples under the top layer and then wrote on the 'Bag' with Sharpies (to help show the layers).
The apples not in the 'bag' are coated in 3D Crystal Lacquer to make 'em nice and Shiny!

Dive Demands:
Clouds: on Journal Block and along 'Car' Paper Strip.
Trees: Background Paper
Autumn Colors: Throughout.

Up close of the 'plastic bag' detail...

***************************
Autumn Wonder by Debbie Adam's:

Dragons Dream Tag It On # 73: Dreaming Haute Couture

TIO #73 - Dreaming Haute Couture
This week, I would like you to dream something in fashion, or based around the various dress forms we can get these days... so haute couture is the high title I have chosen this time!!!
How pretentious but it should be fun, with lots of scope for shabby chic, etc...

There you have it, so please join in with at least one real stamp and ENJOY!!!
Love and light
Frankie
*************
I decided to dream in Coral and Lemon...
Which, after a bit of internet poking around, seems to be one of the *new* 'up and coming' Summer Fashion Collection Combos.
ooo la la!
So there... lol

Paper is Crate Paper, Cowboy Collection (scrap).
Stamps in the background and title are Stampin' Up! Haute Couture (couldn't resist!).
Our Runway Model is a Krafting Kimmie stamp.
All inks and Markers are Stampin' Up!
Stash Eyelet and Trim.

Thank-You.

I received this blog award from Jacqueline.
Thanks so much!

This is my 1st try at passing an award along so hopefully I get all the steps right! :O)

The rules state I must:
- Thank the person who sent you this blog (above)
-List 7 things about yourself (below)
-Send this to 15 Bloggers (further below)

Seven Things...
1. I LOVE all things Bunny, so it's lucky my birthday falls so close to Easter!
2. Speaking of Birthdays This Sunday (April 3rd) is mine.
3. I'm a Dark Chocolate Purist. Milk Chocolate just tastes *wrong* to me.
4. I LOVE Steampunk!!! Though that is not a new revelation to anyone. ;O)
5. I'm addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper. I have some everyday.
6. I'm hyperuricemic: I have good days & I have painful days (hands & legs).
7. My favorite book of all time is Beauty by Robin McKinley. A version of the Beauty and the Beast tale told BY Beauty herself totally from her view point. Beauty and the Beast being a favorite of mine too.

My list of 15 WELL deserved Bloggers:
I follow artsy-crafty blogs because I am a very visual person and I just LOVE taking in beautiful eye candy... Each and every one of these Bloggers helps feed my visual addiction! Thank-You all.

http://gaylepage-robak.blogspot.com/

http://fairyrocks.blogspot.com/

http://tyggereye.blogspot.com/

http://shazzacraft.blogspot.com/

http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com/

http://cmoh.blogspot.com/

http://artic-blonde-creations.blogspot.com/

http://peggy-s.blogspot.com/

http://wwwpeggysamusement.blogspot.com/

http://ozstuff-ozstuff.blogspot.com/

http://heartshugsandflowers.blogspot.com/

http://dragon-dragonsweb.blogspot.com/

http://softinthehead.blogspot.com/

http://scrapvamp.blogspot.com/

http://hastingshall2.blogspot.com/

It's coming sooooooon...

The April Bunny Blog Hop!

This BLOG is a
STOP
on the
APRIL BUNNY BLOG HOP
April 1st - 5th

20 very talented ladies to hop on over and visit!

Be sure to mark your calenders ...
There will be blog candy on the blogs along the way!!!
PLUS
There are several Grand Prizes!!!

It all starts
HERE
Friday April 1st!

Scrap Our Stash March Dust-it-Off Challenge ~Design Team Project~

Is 2007 dusty enough?
I was cleaning out some older bins of sh-tuff in the Studio over Christmas Break when I ran across this Halloween Mini-Album... I put it aside so it wouldn't get 'sucked under' again and boy, am I ever glad I did!
Had started it right after Halloween that year: got the pictures printed, cut the back paper and then... I dunno. I think part of it was that being the year of my separation and my Ex was along for this trip (Bless Cropping!), maybe Christmas Rush???
It's a mystery!
But...
I'm so happy for this challenge giving my Muse a good kick in the rear to get it done. As soon as it was finished my 4 boys were passing it around to look at.
It was the last project I got done before this killer virus that's been going around put me out of commission for over 2 weeks. I had to hunt it down on one of their dressers after I was feeling better just to get the photos. That, right there, is why I scrapbook.

The Album is a K&Company Brag Book which was part of kit. I bought the kit for the stickers and other embellishments then the book sat around for a year.
Dusty even before this challenge! lol

I started all the pages by 'wallpapering' with pattern paper...

Then added the Photos...
Then went through and embellished.
I used up papers that had come with some $ store mini-album kits. The boys had taken the albums to do some small books of their own.
Stickers were a mish-mash of leftovers in my Halloween Stash.
Then a final go through to do the journaling.
All Done!!! ...at last.

Now it's your turn to take the March Challenge. See all the details HERE!http://scrapourstash.blogspot.com/2011/03/march-challenge.html

Portal #2: Welcome to Wonderland...

Today being the last day Portal #1 is up at *Steampunk 'The Penny Dreadful' Art Show* it seemed a fitting time to reveal Portal #2.

Portal to Steampunk Teaopia, and 1 of the other projects, will be on it's way home after tonight's show closer.
Nothing will be getting unpacked because they're all going to the Canadian National Steampunk Exhibition (CNSE), when we go up at the end of April, to be displayed there.
I will be posting Portal #2 for Sale on Etsy as soon as I get shipping costs figured out. Portal #1 will go up for sale after CNSE is over. (May 2nd-3rd-ish)

Plus I wanted to get this project in for both the
*Welcome to Wonderland* Challenge on Scrapbook.com and
The Altered Alice Chapter #2: (#2 how fitting!): Hall of Doors Challenge
Time, in typical Alice Fashion... is running out for both and I don't want to be late! ;O)

For those who haven't seen the 1st Portal Project here is the Portal Description (again) with the measurements for this one:

Portal: Base: 20 inch X 5 1/2 inch
Height: 17 1/2 inch
Pictured on a Table but can also be hung on a Wall. (wire)

Q: What is a Portal? A: A Portal is a Door.

Q: Door to where?
A: Open the door and find out.
Second in a series of fantastical Doors (ie. Portals) that when opened give you a glimpse at another time...
another place...
another space... You don't know what's on the other side til you open the Door.
You want to know, don't you.
Go ahead... Open the Portal

Portal #2:
Welcome to WonderlandI have only shared a few picture here (10, there are 43 in total) the rest can be seen HERE:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/keepsakescrafts/sets/72157626344494162/
There are LOTS of pictures up close, of the finer details.
I don't want to post too many on the Blog just in case Blogger can blow-up from Digi-Overload! ;O)

I tried very hard to include as many characters as I could:
The Walrus and Carpenter, Birds, Lizard, Dinah, Talking Flowers, White Rabbit, Alice, Griffin, Mock Turtle, Lobster, King, Knave and Red Queen, Pig Baby, Alice, The Cheshire Cat, White Queen, Lion and the Unicorn, Forest Knights, The Tweedles, The Blue Caterpillar, Dormouse, March Hare and of course... The Mad Hatter.
I missed a few (Cook, Duchess, Card Soldiers...) it was already a pretty crowded place here in Wonderland.

It's like an iSpy...
*Who can you find?
*What Scenes are represented?
*Are you SURE you've seen it all?
Look again! lol

As with all my larger projects most of it is made from Throw-Away sh-tuff:
Garbage, 2nd Hand Store Finds, FreeCycle, Donations etc...
All Paper Elements are mounted on Cereal Box Board
Door is Re-purposed, as are the Antique Door Fixtures.
Backing is Press-board from broken shelves and the Wood for the frame was Scrap.

But enough of my babble...
Have a Look...
and
Enjoy!

BONUS PICTURE:
This is the Portal juuuust as I started it.
The back is papered in Old Book Pages.
The 'grass' is Electronic Boards.

WOYWW #94: Bits of Wonderland...

What you see is what I can show...
I have several Design Team thing 'under construction' as well as my project for the April Bunny Hop, tucked away on the side so I could take today's pictures. ;O)
BTW:
Hop Starts April 1st: 20 Stops AND there will Prizes all the way!
Info on my sidebar.
I'm still working away on my 2nd Portal Project.
So today is all about Spoilers!
This one has an Alice in Wonderland Theme.
Bigger than the Steampunk Teaopia one so I have LOTS more space to fill up behind the door. That works well because there is soooo much I CAN put there!
I've been stash digging and 2nd hand store collecting for months for this project. I've kept my eyes peeled at every FreeCycle event and snapped up more than a few things from the trash.
This week I'm cutting and glazing the paper elements and painting... painting... painting... anything that needs that done before starting to assemble everything for the 3D Collage *inside* the Base.

Clocks, Fireplace, Chess Pieces, Door Hinges, Mirror, Pig, Book, Birds, Lace, Cups, Computer Parts, Turtle, Lobster, Bunny, Mushrooms, Bottle, Flowers, Leaves and Playing Cards... Oh My!

Even more sh-tuff:
Vines, Eggs, More Cards, More Chess Stuff, More Computer Parts, Lace, Ribbons, Flowers, Birds and Book Pages...

Yet again... The Base.
lol, sick of seeing it yet?
One of these Wednesdays I will have this finished and not 'under construction'.
It's a biggie project, it's taking some time... but it will be worth it!
~Sarah Cooper~

PS: getting my Ra-Rah!! In:
Check out who is Artist of the Week on Steampunk Canada's Home Page:
http://www.steampunkcanada.ca
Portal #1: Steampunk Teaopia is up, as well as Warning to Time Travellers.

11-ishy PM:
Update! The Portal is DONE.
I will be taking pictures tomorrow when:
1) I'm more awake
and
2) My wee little camera has sunlight to help it.
So check back tomorrow,
I'll post the pictures when I get 'em done.
:O)