Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Winner of the Blog Candy from OWH Memorial Day Weekend Hop!

First, I want to thank all of you who came and visited me on my VERY FIRST blog hop!
I was so excited to be participating in a Operation Write Home Blog  Hop for my first one.

I just recently found out about their organization and am committed to contributing to their cause, which is near and dear to my heart.

Of course those of you who hopped with us probably already know all about OWH, but for those of you just coming to my blog for the first time and you want to know more about OWH and their mission, please visit their site here.

Okay...now on to our winner of the blog candy (Dazzles Kitchen Stickers & Kitchen Time Heartwarming Vintage Cuts...

Drum Roll Please...


#72
Silvia
sillyscrap.blogspot.com

 silvia said...

Beautiful card!! The tribute you posted on Sgt. Brent Maher brought tears to my eyes.
God bless your son Rickey!!



Congratulations Silvia!

Please e-mail me at: lisastuf at gmail dot com with your full name and mailing address and I will send out your prize this week!!

(Just a note to all of you who hopped along: I originally asked that you be a follower in addition to leaving me a comment to win this prize, but wouldn't you know, Blogger was having MAJOR issues with their follower widget on Saturday the 28th, the first day of this hop, so because of all the problems and some people couldn't follow when they tried, I decided to include anyone who left a comment on this post up until 10:00 pm today - 5/31/11. Thank-you for understanding!)

I still have not reached 100 followers, but I am SO close! So if you get a chance comment on the post for my 100 Follower Giveaway  and become a follower and you could still win some awesome blog candy!

Thanks again to everyone for visiting me and leaving such nice comments!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

OWH Memorial Day Weekend Blog Hop


Hello & Welcome to the OWH Memorial Day Weekend Blog Hop!

So glad you are here!

(If you get a chance after reading my blog hop post, please scroll down to my post from yesterday for a tribute to a fallen soldier.)

If you came here from Kristin at Creative Syzygy then you are on the right track.

If not and you have stopped by here for a visit, or have gotten lost on the hop...please start at the beginning of the hop and start from there.

Just click on the picture above and it will take you back to the first stop on the hop which is Operation Write Home.

Here is the card I made for this hop:


I used the Cricut Cartridge Cindy Loo to cut out the heart and sentiment.

Below is a picture of the other supplies & tools that were used to make this card:


I am offering up some blog candy for this hop!


A 12x12 Set of Kitchen Stickers from Dazzles & a Set of Kitchen Time Heartwarming Vintage Cuts 

 All you have to do to be eligible to win is be a follower and leave me a comment, with a way to get a hold of you if you are the winner.

(I'm sorry but I have to limit the giveaway to U.S. residents only, due to high shipping costs for overseas)

I will be picking the winner on Tuesday using random.org

Now onto the next blog on this hop:


Thanks for joining me on my very first blog hop!

Be sure to visit everyone on the hop, there are some beautiful cards from some very talented crafters that you won't want to miss!


Friday, May 27, 2011

Memorial Day Tribute

With Memorial Day almost here, I wanted to pay tribute to all Soldiers past and present who have served our country so unselfishly and bravely.

In particular those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, like Sgt. Brent Maher.


Sgt. Maher served with the Iowa National Guard, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry and his unit was serving in the same area of Afghanistan as my son Rickey, who is also in the National Guard serving with the 2-45th ADT from Oklahoma. He died in an explosion from a roadside bomb.

You can read the story here.

The picture above is from the Fallen Soldier Ceremony held for him in Afghanistan on April 18, 2011 and was taken by Sgt John P. Sklaney who is a member of the 2-45 ADT.

Here are some more photos from the ceremony (also taken by Sgt Sklaney):





Please remember these brave Men and Women in your prayers, they give up so much for us.

My Son Rickey is my hero also, he sacrifices precious time with his Wife and beautiful little Daughter (My precious Granddaughter J!) and risks his life everyday to defend the Country he loves.







Thank-you to all who serve!
We are forever grateful and hold you dear in our hearts!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Stuff-n-Such Blog Candy Follower Giveaway!

I'm hoping to take my blog to a higher level and gain a few more followers, so as a Thank-you to my current and hopefully new followers, I will be offering some blog candy when I reach 100 followers.



To be eligible to win all you have to do is:

 1) Be or become a follower
 2) Leave a comment on this post.

I will pick a winner using random.org when I hit 100 followers.

I plan on doing this the day that I hit that mark, so if you are commenting on that day, you will be included in the random pick (even if you are follower 101 or later). The giveaway will close at 12:00 Midnight (PST) on the day that I reach 100.

(Note: I'm sorry but I have to limit this to just U.S. Residents, because of the super high shipping costs involved with international shipping.)


I'm looking forward to connecting with more crafty friends!
Thanks for reading!

Lisa

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Card for Dylan


Today I want to tell you all about a very worthy cause I found out about a little while ago and hopefully some or all of my craft buddies out there will want to contribute.

I came across this through a blog I subscribe to called Free Digital Stamps.

One of the designer blogs that they regularly feature is Dustin Pike's Blog.


Dustin also has a store web site here.

Anyway...he recently posted about a young boy named Dylan who has an inoperable brain tumor and he is collecting hand-made cards for this precious boy and has sent out a call for cards.

He is also offering a free digi of his if you'd like to use it in the card you make and a free exclusive set of his digi's if you make and send a card.

You can go to this link to find out more.

You can also visit Dylan's site to learn more about his brave journey.


Dustin is accepting the cards until the end of the Month and will be hand carrying them to Dylan.

I am working on my card right now and will update this post when I have finished it.

In the meantime, here is the card/coloring page that my 3 year old Granddaughter B made for Dylan...using one of Dustin's Digi's:

Thanks to Dustin for bringing this to our attention, this little boy deserves all the love and support in the world!

Update: 05/25/11 - I have finished my card for Dylan and mailed it out yesterday along with B's cute coloring page. 

Here is the card I made:





I picked a basketball themed card that featured the Utah Jazz logo, as this is Dylan's favorite sport and team. 

I found the Jazz logo by doing a Google Image Search and printed it out in color on some white card stock.
I cut out the logo and then outlined it in Patina Stickles.

The cute bug is a digi stamp from Dustin Pike

I colored in the digi with Copic Markers and carefully cut it out with my Cutter Bee Scissors and another pair of small scissors.

I stamped "My Hero" on the banner card the bug is holding, using a stamp set from Pink By Design called "Our Troops".

I trimmed the middle section of the card with some bright orange ribbon to match the patterned paper and to go along with the Jazz Logo.

The small oval embelli on the left of the bug was made from a previous cricut cutout that I had leftover from another project.

I lined the oval in Orange Peel Stickles and wrote Dylan's name in the center with two stamped hearts.

I added a bit of Glossy Accents to make the name & hearts stand-out.

I stamped a sentiment on the inside using a Studio G i-Cling stamp and left plenty of room to write a personal note to Dylan.

I am showing the back of the card only because it is the first time I am using my new personalized stamp from PSA Essentials. I just love it! 

Here is a picture of the items I used in making this card:


Recipe:

Pre-Made Blank White Card, K&Company
Memories Forever patterned paper (Basketball)
Paper Reflections, One Pound Scrap Pack (Various Pieces)
Digi Image/Stamp by Dustin Pike 
Copic Sketch Marker, R29 Lipstick Red
Copic Sketch Marker, W5 Warm Gray
Copic Sketch Marker, YG07 Acid Green
Copic Sketch Marker, B39 Prussian Blue
Copic Sketch Marker, B34 Manganese Blue
Copic Sketch Marker, YG03 Yellow Green
Pink By Design Clear Polymer Stamp - "My Hero" from the "Our Troops" Set
Basic Grey, Bitsy Clear Stamps, Heartthrob
Studio G, i-Cling "Thinking of You" stamp, #V54911
Inkadinkado, Dye Ink, Ink Pad, Black
Red Ink Pad, Small Square (Unknown Brand)
Woven Edge Ribbon, 3/8", Bright Neon Orange
Ranger Stickles, Orange Peel
Ranger Stickles, Patina
American Crafts, Slick Writer, Medium Point, Black
Ranger Inkssentials, Glossy Accents
Zig 2 Way Glue, Jumbo Tip
Glue Dots, Glue Lines, 1"
Therm O Web Zots, Clear Adhesive Dots, 3-D, 1/2"
Scotch ATG Tape Gun
Cutter Bee Scissors
Small Scissors, (Unknown Brand), 3-1/2"


(Please ignore the embossing powder, brush and tray in the picture...I had previously made an embellishment and embossed it, but did not like the way it turned out and didn't use it in the card. However, when gathering the items for the picture, I forgot to put these items away and they ended up in the photo...sorry about that!)

I hope Dylan will like my card and I hope you all liked it as well.
Please say a prayer for Dylan and his family or send good thoughts his way!

Thank-You!
XOXO
Lisa





Tuesday, May 17, 2011

New Blog Design

Hey crafty friends!

I'm sure you have noticed by now that I have changed my blog design a bit.

I'm not experienced enough yet or rich enough to design or purchase my very own design, so I am using a super cute background design from The Cutest Blog on the Block.

I just recently re-enrolled in College to try and learn Graphic Design, so hopefully one day I will be able to make my very own unique blog design, but until then...I think this one is pretty cool!

I need to design a new header though.

The one I had before was one that I threw together quickly from a photo I had taken and then overlayed it with my blog name in a font called "Crazy Girlz Blonde".


I really liked that font for my logo, so I may use it again, but I want to change the background of the header and use something different than the photo I had.

Also, you may have noticed that I changed the name just slightly, from "Lisa's Stuff-n-Such" to "Stuff-n-Such By Lisa".

I hope you all will like all the changes, let me know if you have any suggestions or advice, I want to make this blog enjoyable and easy for my followers to read, so your input is important to me!

Thanks for stopping by...and come back soon, I will be offering up some blog candy to say thanks to all of you and to try and attract a few more followers!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Blog Touch-up

Hello and Happy Hump Day!

Just wanted to let you all know that I am in the process of "touching-up" my blog right now, so please bear with me through the changes.

I am bound to mess up a thing or two, as I'm still not super blog savvy!

I actually need to do more than a touch-up...more like a complete overhaul...but I'm too scared to do that yet, so for now I will settle for just trying to make it a little easier to read and navigate.

Thanks for your patience while I touch-up and please keep coming by to visit, it will all be better soon!

XOXO
Lisa

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Tie-Dyed Onsies for Baby

I'm a child of the 60's and 70's so of course a Tie Dyed project or two was destined to be in my future!

I wanted to make something personalized for the birth of my two new Grandchildren, so I decided to try some tie-dyed onesies!

I have only finished 2 and these are the two that I will showcase here.

These were made for my adorable new Granddaughter C, whom you can see below, modeling one of the onesies!


I got inspired to create these from a book that I found in my local library, 101 Snappy Fashions by Cathie Filian.

I think I kept re-checking the book out until they wouldn't allow it anymore, so I finally purchased it from Amazon!

It really is a great book to get you excited about tye-dyeing!

Cute ideas, awesome photographs and even several patterns you can trace if you'd like.

It also has very detailed instructions on various tye-dyeing methods and types of dyes.

Since it had been SO long since I had tye-dyed anything...(I was a pre-teen the last time I did it I believe!), I Googled it to try and find some videos on the process.

It's not that the book didn't have good instructions, it's just that I'm more visually oriented and get more out of watching a photo or video tutorial.

I found a lot of videos, but this one made by YouTube user cacacarkeys, in particular seemed to be easy to grasp and wasn't too involved.

The quality of the video isn't perfect, but it gets the point across.

Of course I also read the directions on the package of dye, and viewed other videos just because each source seemed to have only "parts" of the puzzle if you know what I mean.

Everyone has their own way of doing things and I guess I just wanted to get a sampling of different methods and then go forward.

I didn't take any videos or pictures of the Tye-dyeing process, as I was so unsure of myself and didn't want to pass on bad information, so I just decided to do the "Trial & Error" method! LOL!

When I finally came out with something I liked I decided to use those (onesies) and decorate them.

I did not use any exact designs from the book, but I was particularly inspired by the owl onesie on page 59,


because my DIL loves Owls and she did the babies room in Owls & Mushrooms.

I purchased an iron-on of a brown owl by Plaid Artsy Applique and added some details to it with a homemade stamp that I made (I will be posting a tutorial on how I did this soon) and some acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium.






I wanted to make the onesie look a little bit "girlie" also, so I added a purchased iron on of felt flowers.


I have a confession to make though...The onesie originally did not look EXACTLY like the picture above.
(And if you look at the picture of Little C modeling the onesie, you will see what I mean!)

I made a really dumb mistake that I still can't believe I did!

After initially ironing on the felt flowers I noticed that some of the edges did not stick all the way, and it was noticeable when I pulled the onesie off the baby...it looked like the flowers could come off.

So, I put the onesie away and decided I'd re-iron on the felt flowers the next day, as I was babysitting my Grandchildren and didn't want to be using an iron around them.

Well...somehow I must have landed on another plane of existence between that time, because later, the next day when I went to re-iron the flowers, I just stuck a VERY HOT iron right on top of the felt flower!!!!!

What the heck was I thinking???!!

Now, iron-ons are not something new for me...I've done them forever and have never made that mistake.

Of course you are supposed to use a pressing cloth over the design before applying the hot iron. (Duh!)

This is what happened...in full technicolor... (as if I really need to tell ya!) :


Needless to say...I had to do some quick thinking...or A LOT of crying!

I always get so stressed out when I ruin a project at the very end.

DH was nearby and tried to comfort me and assure me that everything was alright...but I wasn't feelin' it, so I just walked away and sulked for a bit.

I'm a firm believer in just chillin' out a bit in a situation like this and come back to it later when my mind is clear and I'm not so upset.

It was the right decision, because when I did come back to the project, I took one look at it and I knew what to do to fix it.

I remembered that there were two smaller coordinating flowers in the package also, so I got those out and started arranging them on the onesie to see if I could cover the messed-up spot and still make it look presentable.

It worked and maybe you all wouldn't even have know my secret if I hadn't tattled on myself!

The second onesie was much easier and less eventful for sure!


I used a pre-made embellishment for this one also, Studio18, Rhinestone Pig, purchased at Michaels.

After all the trial & tribulation with the first onesie, I just wanted to make this one simple & cute!

This embellishment did not require any ironing, it had fabric adhesive already on the back of the gems and I just did a "peel & stick".

These will be handwashed, even though I think they could handle machine washing on the gentle cycle.

Here is what I used for this project:


I am working on some more onesies for my new Grandson (A) and his big brother (J), so hopefully I will be posting about those soon.

Thanks for reading! I appreciate you all and would love to hear any comments or questions you have!

This Post/Project is linked to the following Link Parties/Sites:

Somewhat Simple



Friday, May 6, 2011

A New Blessing to Love & Cherish!

So it's been over a week since I've posted...sorry about that!

I've been busy as a bee trying to get our spare bedroom set-up into a dedicated craft room for me, myself and I!

Yes, I'm finally going to be a little selfish...I'm just tired of using the kitchen table to do my crafting...and I think DH has had his fill of it also!

He willingly tells anyone who will listen that I have relegated him to a tiny 12" square area of the table!

But, there is even BIGGER news than my impending craft room...we have another new Grandbaby!

Baby A was born on April 24th and he weighed in at a very healthy 8 lbs. 15.6 oz. and was 22-1/2" long!


Isn't he just precious??!!

We are so excited and our hearts are filled with so much love and joy!


Mom (our Daughter S) was a real trooper.
She had to have a C-section, but took it all in stride.

We are so proud of her, she is an awesome Mommy!

Big Brother J was pretty happy also.
He loves his little brother and can't wait for him to get a little bigger so they can play cars together!

Sadly, DH and I couldn't be there for the birth, as they live in Okinawa because our Son-in-law C is stationed in the Air Force.

Thanks to modern technology though, we were able to Skype with them the very next day and see them all live, in the hospital, so it was pretty neat!

Thanks for sharing in our joy!

I will be back soon with a project posting...hopefully later today.

Thanks for checking in!

Lisa