I'm Back!

I just finished a week long whirlwind visit with two of my sisters. They were here visiting from Canada...and although I loved the visit...it left very little time for stamping or blogging!

I just have to tell you...one of the things we did together was go to a Bon Jovi concert! It was a blast! We took the train into the city, did a bit of sightseeing, had a great dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen, did a hand off with the kiddies to my husband, and then went on to the concert. The concert was great...and the people watching was even better! The concert goers ranged from one end of the spectrum to the other. Right in the front row was a man with a full head of grey hair who danced the whole night! LOL! I was starting to worry he was going to knock someone out with his elbows!

So, in light of the fact that I haven't stamped in over a week, I have a card to share that I actually made about two weeks ago for the third birthday of one of my daughter's little friends. Her name is Meredith...so that explains the 'm' on the front of the card.

This card was made with papers from a Making Memories Paper Packet called Garden Party. I actually bought it at Target...and it was on clearance! :) I layered up all of the papers...inked up some of the edges to make them stand out, and stitched around my main image with my sewing machine and brown thread. The image is Cuddle Me from Paper Pretties. Sohpia's dress was paper pieced and the rest of her was coloured with pencils and blended with OMS. I used two colours of ribbon and tied them together behind Sophia. The 'm' is chipboard from a chipboard kit that I purchased on clearance from Joann Fabrics and Crafts.

For those of you out there who are new to this craft, or who are contemplating getting into this craft, I just want to let you know that it is possible to produce beautiful things without spending your whole paycheck. The point I was making above, about purchasing items on clearance, just shows that there are supplies to be found on a budget. You don't have to purchase everything from SU! or CTMH to produce beautiful work. I use MANY papers from paper stacks...by far the cheapest way to purchase paper. I save ALL my scraps and I am often able to make a whole card with papers just from my scrap bins. I shop all the clearance bins at the big chain craft stores and watch for specials at the online stores that I love to shop (who doesn't love free shipping?!). Don't forget about your Michael's and Joann coupons that come in the flyers too! You don't have to have every latest and greatest gadget to be able to enjoy this craft and benefit from it as a creative outlet!

Thanks for stopping by today! :)