Acrylic Cover Album

I made this album using Club Scrap's Sparkle Acrylic Album project. Its from their December 2007 kit. This paper is SSSOOOO scrumptious!!! Thick AND sparkly....who could resist?! lol The album kit included an acrylic cover, bookboard back, 6x6 page protectors, 6x6 pages and the cute silver rings to hold it all together. There were also supplies & instrictions included to make your own rub-ons. I couldnt because my printer is out of ink and they dont sell my cartridges here. :( So, I used some epoxy stickers for the cover. They say, "treasure", "inspiration" and "discover the miracle in each new day". Also included in the Scrap Rap were instructions for 6x6 layouts. I used those as a starting point for my layouts. Once I figure out exactly who will recieve this beauty, then I'll finish the pages.

Canvas Memory Album

Over at Club Scrap Chat, the September challenge is to complete projects using primarily Club Scrap products. You see, they send us these fabulous projects in our kits and well, sadly sometimes the projects just sit there. sssoooooo I've been busy working on projects. This one is from Generations. The front & backs of the album are canvas board. You know, like you normally paint on. So, I penciled out my rectangles and squares, inked them using Ancient Page Azalea, Close To My Heart Pansy Purple, VersaColor Bamboo and a green Memories ink. (sorry it doesnt show the name color on the container) I then stamped images from the Club Scrap Food For Craft Asian kit. I'll be using this album to showcase our fav places and adventures here in Japan. As you can tell, I went a little ink happy. lol The map wrapped around the divider is the Tokyo Rail map.

Job update

I went to the Arts & Crafts Center Friday to swap out a bottle of Stickles I had bought that leaked. The front manager was working. When I walked in she asked me if I wanted to teach a class or have a "scrapbook club". I said I would love to. She was very happy and said they had been hoping I would come in soon. I will, of course, have to interview with her boss, the center manager. She said, "but since we know you, as a customer....." So I'm guessing that as soon as I talk to her boss, the job is mine. They already advertised that there is a scrapbook club. The gal who normally does this told them that she is too busy for it now. The way the scrapbook club works is basically, people come in, work on their projects and the "teacher" helps them if they have any problems. I plan to bring in examples of my work and suggest they offer specific classes too. I completed some really cute projects over the past few days. I'll share them in a bit.

I've been double tagged!

I was tagged by Sharon & Karen. Go check out their blogs!
Here are the rules:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So lets see, what did I not mention before......
1. I would love to have my own business.
2. I love sports, especially football & hockey.
3. All my spices are in Tupperware spice containers, labeled and in alphabetical order.
4. I'm 1/2 Cajun.
5. I can trace my family roots back over 200 years.
6. I want to learn to snow ski.
7. I'm hopelessly addicted to Club Scrap!

Now, who to tag???? hhhmmmm how about.....
1. Leslie
2. Theresa
3. Susie
4. Kristen
5. Karen
6. Viv
7. Luanne

Alzheimers affect so many!

When I found out Cammie had blog candy that is helping to bring awareness to Alzheimers, I knew I wanted to help. She and I have something in common other than crafting. We both lost our grandmothers to this disease. She suggests, "In celebration of World Alzheimer’s Day, we are reaching out to some amazing people who deserve to be thanked. ….the caregivers. Caring for an Alzheimer’s patient is HARD work and an often thankless job. There are so many people who help and so—I am asking you to make a card for a caretaker of a person affected with Alzheimer’s. Yes, you can send it to someone you know. If you do not know anyone to send a card to you can send it to the address below (this is the home my grandmother lived in for the last few years of her life. The nurses, aids and support staff there were tremendous. It is such a difficult job and I would love to see them showered with cards!)" I thought this would be the perfect chance to thank my mom for all she did for my grandmother when she was battling this illness. I've listened to everything she dealt with but I never truelly thanked her. I made this card to send. I thought I would write how Grandma was so blessed to have her care for her during those trying times and how thankful & blessed I am to have such a caring mother. Thats why I chose the "blessings" tag for the front.
So go check out Cammie's blog. There are many fabulous companies who've donated prizes such as: Stamping Bella, Verve Visual, Papertrey Ink and much much more! Go check it out! There is over $1000 in prizes being offered.
Now for the info about my card..... I used Club Scrap's Be Still kit. I stamped Frizzy Bella from Stamping Bella and colored her with my pastel chalks. I then inked around the yellow cardstock she is on with Close To My Heart's Pansy Purple. I used the ribbon from the Be Still kit to attach the "blessings" metal tag to the dark purple strip. All these elements are mounted onto light purple cardstock from Be Still and then attached to the dark purple for my card base. Since purple is the color for Alzheimer's awareness I thought these would be the perfect colors.

Same Stamp, Different Look

I made this card for the grandmother of one of the gals on Club Scrap Chat. I've been wanting to use this Foliage Trails stamp from Inkadinkado. I used Ranger Ink's Vintage Photo Distress Ink to ink the image onto Club Scrap's plain Manila paper from their Academy, August 2007 kit. I then tore a sheet of the tan, inked it with the Vintage Photo ink and adhered it to the card. Then I took a strip of the brick paper that was leftover from a layout and attached it on top of the tan strip. I then used the Vintage photo to ink all over the card. Next, I stamped the same image onto the blue paper from the Academy kit. I cut out 2 of the flowers. I attached one directly to the card with my Tombow liquid glue. Next, I used pop dots to attach two more flowers to the card. The last step was to stamp my "handmade because you're worth it" onto the back of the card.


This next card is proof that you don't have to stick with a theme when using stamps. Just because its a Fall, leaf theme stamp didn't mean I had to stick with Fall colors. This is a birthday card for my best friend back home in Texas. Happy Birthday early Chelsea! Your card will be a lil late. lol I used black embossing ink and clear embossing powder for this one. I stamped the image onto plain white paper. I then used my Twinkling H2Os to add some color. I stamped the image again onto the blue print and embossed it with clear embossing paper. Then I cut out two flowers. One I attached with a pop dot and the other with liquid adhesive. I tore the edges and inked it with Ancient Page Azalea ink. I matted that onto the blue print from Club Scrap's Stratosphere April 2007 kit. I matted that onto the green from the same kit and inked the edges with the Azalea ink. I then tore the fuchsia paper from Stratosphere and inked it also with the Azalea. Next I matted it all to my card base which is the dark blue plain paper from this kit. The textures on these papers is AMAZING!!! I then inked around the edge of the entire card with the Azalea ink. To add a bit more color and pop I punched two holes and threaded green polka dot ribbon through the holes. I still wanted a little something extra on the card so I added Magenta Stickles from Ranger onto the stamped image. And lastly I added my "Handmade because you're worth it" stamp to the back. Thanks for looking! Remember, think outside the box and do something beyond the norm with your art! You might be surprised with what you come up with!!

Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers Group 25

I've just joined the Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers. Group 25 is gonna rock! What a great way to "meet" fellow crafters and bloggers and share ideas and works of art! I can't wait to get to know everyone. If this sounds like something you're interested in, check out SBS.
Now a little info about me for my sisters........
I currently live in Japan. (a little obvious from my page title. lol) My hubby is in the Air Force. We moved here in June and love it so far.
We have 2 kiddos, a son & daughter. You will see them in my layouts quite frequently.
We are currently looking for a fur baby. We are hoping to adopt an abandoned dog as the Japanese gas over 200,000 dogs a year.
I am a Disney nut so therefore I CAN'T WAIT to get to Tokyo Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland.
I love to make cards, scrapbook pages, ATCS (wanna trade ATCs, let me know), altered art. I like to draw paint. Ok, I pretty much love anything artsy. I love music. It soothes me, inspires me, pumps me up, gets me going and sometimes makes me sad. Want to know more, well keep checking back or just ask me. I'm an open book. lol

Cheribella's offering blog candy

Cheribella is offering some great blog candy. All ya gotta do is make something for Halloween and....wait, just go read it on her blog. You had better hurry though! All entries must be in by September 27th! Put on your thinking caps and get busy! This card is my entry. I stamped the flying witch stamp from Inkadinkado's Halloween Trails. (Isnt their name just the funnest!) I gotta tell ya, I LOVE LOVE LOVE clear stamps! I used Ranger's Inkssentials black embossing ink from the Big & bossy stamp pad. I covered the stamped image with Ranger's Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder in black. Since I don't have an embossing buddy or anything similar, I knew the embossing powder would leave flecks on my page. Thats what I wanted with this stamp. Yes, I tried wiping the paper with a used dryer sheet, it still doesnt keep all the powder from sticking to the unstamped part of the paper. After heat embossing the stamped image, I cut out a circle to use as a mask for the moon. I then used my brayer to apply Sienna ink from my Ancient Page ink pad. I'm still new to using a brayer so I wasnt very happy with the result. I then used a makeup sponge to add Ancient Page Sage ink all over the card surface. Then I added Ancient Page Flannel Gray ink around the edges of the card and a little through the middle. NOW, I was happy with the inking. lol I matted the card front onto glossy black cardstock. I then layered it onto a light orange sheet of Bazzill that I had inked with the Sage. I then matted that onto a darker orange sheet of Bazzill that I am using as the card base. I inked the edges of that with the Flannel Gray. I also used the spider and bat stamps fron this set to decorate the inside of the card. I would post a picture of that but my camera is not cooperating with me today. I used gray chalk to color parts of the moon so it didnt look like just a white circle on my card. Thanks for looking. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

GO enter the FIGHT to WIN her blog candy!

Ok, so its not really a fight but her blog name is GO, FIGHT, WIN! so I thought I'd do a little play on words for my title. lol So what are you waiting for?? Go check out her blog candy! Then enter to win!! Check her cool cards too while you are there! Now I'm off to search for more blog candy! Who knows, I might soon offer some of my own.......

Getting creative with PIF tags

On the Club Scrap message board, we have been having a blast with PIF envelopes. The idea is, you fill a legal size envelope with goodies to send to someone else. Someone on the list says I'll take yours, then the next person takes theirs and so on and so on. I decided to make a tag book from the goodies I receive. Each tag will feature items sent from Club Scrapper. I am decorating front and back so I can include more goodies from each person. So far, I've made 3. In this picture you can see both front and back. The top row is the front, the bottom is the back.

I've been tagged!

Cool! I've been tagged by Janet.Here is how you play: 1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog. 2.Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. 3.Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. 4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Ok so here goes..... 7 facts about me..
1. I have two tattoos.
2. My nose is pierced.
3. I love butterflies.
4. I want a dog but can't decide on the breed.
5. I've trained horses for barrel racing.
6. I was in a few beauty pagents in high school.
7. I was in the best high school marching band ever!
Ok now the hard part. This is difficult since I havent been blogging long. lol
I am tagging..
Katie
Cammie
Traci
Mish Mash
Lucky Bug
The Glitter Goddess
Sweet Somethings

Latest Layouts

My goal is to use up some of this Club Scrap stash that I have in my closet. After all, their yummy papers would look so much better paired with my gorgeous photos and in an album instead of sitting in their pizza boxes all along in the dark closet. Right? Right! Its hard using the paper knowing that some of it is extinct and I can't replace it. Its also hard knowing that I cant just run down to Hobby Lobby or Michaels to buy more supplies. Don't even think about a local scrapbook store....there is none! Its online shopping for me. Yes, I can buy some scrapbook goodies at a few local stores but the prices are crazy. The arts & Crafts Center does have some nice things but they don't get new stock as often as I'd like. lol Anyway, I did 2 Disney layout. I have several 8x10s and 5x7s from our last Disney trip. I thought those would be a great jumpstart. The larger size makes it much easier to finish a layout! This one is from our stay at the Pop Century Resort. The papers are all Club Scrap's Bistro kit. The fibers are from my stash. The quote is one of my favs and says, "The magic is as wide as a smile and as narrow as a wink, loud as laughter and quiet as a tear, tall as a tale and deep as emotion. So strong, it can lift the spirit. So gentle, it can touch the heart. It is the magic that begins the happily ever after. " - A Walt Disney Imagineer" I have no idea why this pic isnt fully showing up. I've resized and edited this post many times. Anyway, click on the pic and you can see the full version.
This next layout is from the same trip. The papers are also all from Club Scrap. I used their Bistro and Be Still kits. The "Pretty as a Princess" stickers are from EK Success. The castle is an embroidered embellishment I received in a swap. The rose ribbon accent is from my vast collection of fibers and ribbons. lol The brads are also from my stash. I think the colors go great together.

And my last Club Scrap layout for the day..... This one is from my friends' Marium & Jose's wedding. I used the To You With Love kit.

oohhhhh Blog Candy

http://www.javablustamper.blogspot.com/ Go check out the amazing Blog Candy she is giving away!!!!! I hope to gicve some away one day!

Blogging newness

Howdy! Thanks for stopping by my new blog. I'm still playing around with this thing. I can't wait to have a template of my own so its more , well, ME!I've blogged before, just on Myspace. And lets face it, the hubby is on there. I can't exactly vent about him on there when the time comes because he would read it! lol I decided to start this blog for a place to show off my lovely creations & tell my story, my story of what life is like for me while living in Japan.

For those who don't know me yet, my name is Michelle. Nice to meet ya! ;) My hubby is in the Air Force and we got stationed here in Japan in June 2008. Its been an adventure so far. We are due to be here 3 or 4 years. We will have the option to extend that if we wish.

As a crafter, moving to Japan has been a challenge. The options so far are limited. There is the Arts & Crafts Center on base. The employees are extremely friendly. (EVERYONE here in Japan has been amazingly friendly so far!) They sell some great items, just not enough of a selection. My first thought of what a craft store should offer for scrapbooking & cardmaking is a wide selection of basic cardstock. Their space & selection is limited. Their prices are the same, and in some instances lower, than in the states. I did buy some metallic cardstock, me & my BIG ideas jelly stickers, Rusty Pickle Pirate Princess paper, some "golf" ribbon and a me & my BIG ideas "Family" kit there yesterday. Not too bad for $21.98 I guess.

I am still exploring craft stores off base. The one I have found so far is called Joyful Honda. To answer your question, no, they don't sell cars. lol However, they do sell household items (pots, pans, curtains, wiring, cleaning supplies etc), gardening goodies, wood, food, pets & pet supplies and crafts. I'll do a separate post, more in depth, about Joyful Honda (or Happy Honda and Chels and I call it lol) later, with pictures. The prices at Joyful Honda are outrageous! I was ssssooooo happy when I walked in and saw Anna Griffin items. I thought, "YES!! I will be able to buy goodies here." Then I saw the price! Their supplies are at least twice the price they are in the U.S. Yes, I know they have to ship everything here. Its just much cheaper for me to purchase things online AND pay shipping. The difficult part will be finding craft sites that ship to APO addresses.

My all time favorite craft site of course is Club Scrap.Its so nice to get a kit with everything matching. I never appreciated them more than I do now! I love it so much that I upgraded to the "send me everything" kit. Ok, that's not what they call it but its my version. lol I'll probably add Club Stamp. I just looked at the "sneak peek" for this months kit and it is YUMMY!!! I can't wait for my notification from the post office that my goodies have arrived!

I guess that's enough for now. I have birthday cards to work on today. I'll post images & details later as well as details about life here. I hope you have a wonderful day/night and have enjoyed my ramblings. Thanks for readin'!