April 24th & 26th, 2015

Hey there,

Friday the 24th. 

I had taken my son to town for groceries, but what I hadn't realized was that there was a rotating supercell headed for the same town. Now there was a tornado watch issued, but for some dull reason I didn't follow through to check the radar. 

As we got ready to check out we got the severe thunderstorm warning. And as we got outside the looming darkness was speeding our way. We ran to another store just in time for excessive wind and hail to come down. 

When all was said and done, and it was safe to drive again, we surveyed the damage. Whilst leaving the shopping center we saw a TIV (Tornado Intervept Vehicle). We also saw tress shattered and ripped from the ground, roots and all. Power lines had been bent to the ground and trash cans littered the street along with countless leaves and fast moving rivers of runoff. 

I later realized that the storm was a supercell that was falling apart. 80 mph winds, 1 3/4 hail, and flash flooding triggered by the water that poured from the sky. 

Sunday the 26th.

I've lived in this wonderful state for almost 6 years now. And in all that time, I've lived here I have never seen a day like this. 

Never. 

I always knew that where I lived was right at the end of what is considered 'Tornado Alley' but that was never an issue...until today. 

We were lucky enough to dodge the first couple of super cells. But as dusk drew near one finally headed this way. My father, having his degree in Meteorology, was there to catch any rotations before they were issued by our local forecasters. He's also taught me what to look for too. The one that was headed for us juked at the last second, but another one formed between my town and another one close by. 

I packed up 2 of my 3 cats (the third ran and hid) and took my son to my in-laws next door...where we sat in the bathroom while awaiting our fate. 

The storm must have formed a funnel cloud, because we heard a loud roar. But then the worst passed. And we once again remained unscathed. We ran home as it poured and continued to flood outside, but we were thankful for the safety God granted us. 

The storms devastated our surrounding communities with softball sized hail, damaged vehicles and houses, and certainly left us all in fear. But ultimately, it could have been worse if the tornados touched down in the right places. 

The supercell that loomed over Stephenville on the 26th...

Count your blessings,

C.Jackson

Midweek Inspiration...

Hello again,

I'm almost halfway through my week. But the weekend still holds just as much excitement. My son's mother is coming and bringing his half brother who is turning 3 on Saturday! We've got a little celebration planned out for him. It's going to be a good weekend!

Last weekend I had finished out my 2nd "Thank You" box. I only needed 6 more to have about 100 in the box so I looked to Pinterest for more inspiration. 

I loved this card. And I knew it would be another card that would take some time to create because I would have to cut all the banners but I couldn't resist. 

The finished product:

I chose a brown paper sack card, with wood, stone, and green grass patterned paper. I finished it with a sweet sentiment and of course some Hemp. I was really pleased with this one!

I'll tell you, at this point, I could use your help cheering me on! I have several more projects and assignments to get done. But I'll tell you, I'm ready to throw in the towel. 

Must...make it...two...more...weeks!

That's all for now!

C.Jackson

Birthday Cards for Boys!

Happy Sunday Everyone!

As much time as I spent sleeping this weekend, I still feel completely exhausted. 

Yesterday didn't exactly go as planned either. First thing I dealt with was a snake. I startled it, and when I realized what it was he'd found his way onto the porch, just in time for my husband to come out to see all the ruckus. The snake started to strike at me, even though I was far enough away. He found his way back under the house. And then, a little later a baby squirrel fell out of our largest oak tree. 

Not even old enough to have his eyes open. 

We took care of him for a while until someone we knew came to pick him up and give him a home. And then there was that nasty storm that blew in later in the afternoon. 

So the actual card making didn't take place until today. 

I finally moved on to a new box, my second "Birthday" box. And I had a plan for today too. I don't have very many masculine or boy cards so that's the route I went. 

Dinosaurs! I chose to distress the edges of this card (you can see the rough edges on the base backing paper) and added some fun ribbon and a metal paper clip in the shape of a swirl. 

Thankfully the paper did all the talking for this one. I was lucky enough to have a rocket ship stamp too. I added the sentiment and spiced it up with some brads for the rocket's windows! It was finished off with some orange ribbon. 

But this one was my favorite of the 'boy based' creations. 

For some reason I was drawn to the waves in this paper. And then I remembered I had a wave border punch. I used two different colors, added some Hemp, and popped the sentiment with foam squares. But once again, the paper really made this card. 

In total, I made 30 cards today, which is pretty good! 

School is almost out. I have classes Monday-Thursday and my last student teaching for the semester on Friday. Next week I have class Monday- Wednesday and then my final exams start that Friday. 

That's all for now,

C.Jackson

It's Friday!

Another week in the books!

Well, it will be once tomorrow is over. I've got student teaching obligations again tomorrow and I'm actually teaching a lesson! I'm a little nervous but mainly VERY EXCITED to be teaching a room full of kiddos again. 

In the mean time I've been messing around in the "Scrap Haven". I remeasured and recut my parts for the Triple Time Stamp I had worked on earlier this week. 

The first attempt!

The final product!

I was really pleased that I went back and made my spaces larger. This card just takes my breath away. 

Check out this Barnwood inspired piece, complete with Rooster, brad, Hemp and foam squares to pop the sentiment! 

But I must say, I dabbled with another inspiration from Pinterest tonight. 

I've recently discovered the joys of Washi Tape. I knew I just HAD to try this one. 

Here is the finished product! I had bought this tape earlier this week specifically for this card. I found a scrap that was similar in color and used it to punch out the heart. I popped the heart with foam squares, added a rhinestone inside, and finished it off with the most perfect "heart" thank you sentient. 

I broke my own rules tonight and only made 5 of these because I wasn't sure I had another scrap of the same paper for the heart. I absolutely LOVE these!

I can't wait to get scrappin' this weekend!

That's all for now!

C.Jackson

Midweek Inspiration!

Is it summer yet?

Hope everyone has had a great start to the week so far! I'm still a little slow to get into the week because of how busy and emotionally draining my weekend was. 

I managed to persuade my husband to take me to town today so I could get more cards. They were on sale and I needed to stock up on them! That usually is good motivation for me to get out and scrap in the "Scrap Haven". I had been hoarding photos on my phone of cards I'd encountered on Pinterest that I wanted to try. 

Here is my first inspiration:

I found this one on Pinterest. It's so simple, and I knew I could pull it off!

Here's my finished piece:

I borrowed one of the punches my mother-in-law had (I remember being at the store when she bought this). I had this chevron/zigzag paper that I wanted to use but I felt like the pattern was a bit overwhelming to look at. It really worked well on this card. I finished it all off with some sheer ribbon and a large rhinestone. 

My dear friend Valerie posts on her blog frequently and I stumbled across a new post that featured this card:

The pattern comes from Operation Write Home, it's called Triple Time Stamping. You can find it here. The cards I work with are a little smaller than the ones Valerie makes, so I knew I was in for a challenge. I also knew that the cost of paper used would go up on this card, yet another reason why me charging $1.25 per card just won't cut it! But I really couldn't resist!

Here is my finished product:

I borrowed another of my mother-in-law's stamps and went to work. It took me some time to figure out the measurements (the first two layers were easy, I use those measurements frequently). I liked it when it was done, but it didn't leave much room for a sentiment. Once I got it on the card I opted for some sheer large black ribbon, and suddenly I loved it! 

The 'Thank You' sentiment on the inside.

I really enjoyed making these cards and I can't wait for the weekend so I can make more. I really need to get my head in the game though. I only have two weeks of school left, but mentally I think I'm already on summer break!

That's all for now!

C.Jackson

My Handmade Cards

Adventures with Valerie

Cat's Creations

Paper Packs & an E.R. Trip

Happy Sunday!

My son's biological mother came for her visit this weekend and we decided to have our Easter during this time. She helped out tremendously by brining treats and kites for the boys' baskets. Both my son & his sweet little brother had such wonderful things in their baskets. Not to mention the Easter Egg Hunt afterwards was just as successful and fun. Later we took the boys to get their pictures in some Bluebonnets. And when we got back we dyed eggs! This was my son's little brother's first time to do this. 

The day wasn't over for me after that, I had to cook because we had some friends over later that evening.

Needless to say I was really looking forward to making cards today!

I got to sleep in because my wonderful husband fed the cats. I made my way to the "Scrap Haven" around 10. I got these 6 made first:

Gold sequin pattern paper, gold embossed sentiment, and some gold shimmer ribbon and cheetah print ribbon. 

I was so happy with these, and then the day came to a hault. 

My son had a medical emergency so I whisked him away (30 minutes to be exact) to the Emergency Room. When all was said and done we got home by 2. My son is fine, as if nothing ever happened, no pain, just "normal". His mother had to leave early today so unfortunately she was gone when we arrived home, this made my heart ache for my sweet boy because he left her in such a traumatic way today. 

After I got him settled back in I tried to go make some more cards. I managed to get 2 more sets of 6 done. One of which were these:

Sometimes I buy paper packs and this was a sheet in one of them. I stamped and fussy cut a flower out, added a pearl to the center, and completed it with some pale pink ribbon and stamped the sentiment on the inside. 

I liked these but I felt like my mojo from the morning was gone. 

Then I trimmed a very large bush in front of our house, and mowed the lawn.

Needless to say I'm emotionally and physically drained from today. 

I'll post later this week with my Midweek Inspiration. 

That's all for now,

C.Jackson

Orders Galore!

It's Friday!

Well according to my clock it is (just past midnight). And since I wrote my last post I've gotten 3 more orders for cards! And just to think, I haven't even taken my cards to show my usual customers yet. 

My first order to fill was for "Thank You" cards. I chose 10 of my favorites and packaged them up to put in the mail tomorrow! 

My next two orders were for custom cards. One order was for 1 card, and the other was for 5. If you're keeping up, that's 3 orders packaged and ready to ship. 

My last order was for 20 custom "Christmas" cards. These cards will have a unique twist to them, but I won't share it just yet. So in total, that's 4 orders!

I bumped my price up to $1.25 finally and the new customers still seem to think it's too cheap! Hopefully it will net a little more profit for me. 

What I found so funny about my card making and order filling tonight was that I took 7 cards out of my in progress "Thank You" box. However, earlier I had made 7 more of these "Thanks A Milion" cards. 

Did I mention how much I really love these? They turned out much better than the inspiration too!

  

So really, I ended up back at square 1 with my box total for today. So although I got to make cards tonight, I can't really count them!

I'm looking forward to scrapping some more this weekend. 

Have a great day!

C.Jackson

Midweek Inspiration Strikes Again!

Happy Wednesday,

So I had a bit of free time this evening so I ventured out into the 'Scrap Haven'. First I made a set of 6. 

Nothing too fancy here. Just some vibrant paper, a little ribbon, and some puffy flower stickers for embellishment. This is one of my lazier cards, would you believe it?

Then, I decided it was time to try and recreate a card I had found on Pinterest as inspiration. Here is the original:

Looks can be deceiving, because when I tried one this way, I really didn't like it at all. But then I decided to try it in a different way. Here is the result:

I started up the Cricut, hooked on a marker, and I was off! I liked it with just the saying and buttons, but it was indeed missing something. So that's when I pulled out my trusty Hemp string and made a bow. (Again, I use this stuff frequently, I think I have an issue.)

I sought constructive criticism and feedback from friends and family. It got great feedback. The only thing that needs to be fixed is the '1'. And for that, I will rely on my trusty sharpie to make it darker. I really can't wait to make the rest of these!

And, in the midst of the feedback I was getting, I got my first order of the season! I was very excited. 

Looks like it's going to be a good 'creative' weekend after all!

That's all for tonight,

C.Jackson

On to a new box!

Just me again, 

It's late, I'm not feeling well, but I can't get to sleep either so I figured I would share a few of my newest creations from the weekend. 

As you may or may not know, I store my cards in plastic sandwich bags that have had the zips cut off, and then place them into photo boxes. Each box them has a theme (Birthday, Religious, etc...). I had just finished my Plain box and I was excited to start on a new box. I chose to fill up my second "Thank You" box! 

I bought a few new stamps, and this circular 'Thank You' was one of them. This paper was so happy and bright that I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to use it. This was one of my favorites!

Another favorite right here! I managed to get my Cricut to behave so I decided to cut out the 'Thanks' sentiment. I used quite a bit of paper on this one. Black to back, pattern scrolls with black and white, black for the sentiment and white to back the sentiment. I used two styles of ribbon (thin & thick) and just couldn't resist adding rhinestones. This card is the reason why I really shouldn't charge $1.00 for each card. 

I have an affinity for yellow and it shows on this card. Embossing, oval cutouts, pearls and ribbon all adorn this card. Oddly enough, my level of 'contentedness' changes daily for this card. The other day I was head over heels about it, but now, not so much. I wonder why...I am my own worst critic though. 

I haven't gotten out to my "Scrap Haven" since last weekend. And my Saturday is booked for this weekend. So maybe I can enjoy some time on Friday and Sunday to let my creative juices flow.

It might even be time for another trip to Cat's Creations Scrapbooks in Mineral Wells, TX to pick up some more amazing paper! 

That's all for now,

C.Jackson

My Handmade Cards

Adventures with Valerie

Cat's Creations

Inspiration!

Boy oh boy...

Today sure was a long day. And for most of it, I was almost certain that it was Saturday. But, on the bright side of things, I finally got to make some cards!

My grand total for the night was 18, which doesn't seem like that many in the grand scheme of things (I make 6 at a time).

But what I really want to talk about is the last batch I made. I had initially found the inspiration for the card on Pinterest. Here it is:

Something just drew me to this card. I knew I had to replicate it somehow!

So when I stumbled upon a stamp whilst sorting through my mother-in-law's vast collection, I knew it was the perfect one for the job!

Here is my finished product!

I used red, orange, yellow, and green inks, and overlapped the flowers. To finish it, I raised the sentiment with foam squares and added clear rhinestones to the centers of the flowers!

Not to be biased, but I think mine is better than the original! 

Quite often I find inspiration on Pinterest. Other times, a special piece of paper just speaks to me. How do you find your inspiration?

That's all for now. 

I must rest up to make more cards tomorrow! 

C.Jackson

My Handmade Cards

Adventures with Valerie

Cat's Creations

Scrap-tastic!

It's almost my weekend! 

I still haven't gotten to make cards this week but I do anticipate that will change by tomorrow night! 

And while we're on the topic of cards, I thought I would share another one I made on Sunday (3/29/15). 

So, you see, when I make my cards I usually have a few small pieces of the 12x12 paper left over. I file them into 3 separate drawers (warm color scraps, cool color scraps and neutral color scraps) and tend to forget about them. I also use the collection of punches that my mother-in-law kindly shares with me. Some are square, others are hearts, and then there are the circles. So one day, I punched out countless circles from my patterned scrap papers. And I put them on a card. What I had created had easily become one of my favorite cards, and it became a customer favorite too; it sells quickly!

So here it is! Not the first of its kind, but one of the many unique ones that have come after it!

As you can see, it takes many circles, no two the same, to make this card unique! It does take quite a bit of adhesive, so I usually switch to Elmer's glue for this task. I also use a thin scrap strip to create a nice border at the top, and it is all finished off with a bow in jute or some other thin ribbon!

This card works for so many occasions, but this time around I didn't add any sentiments because it was headed for my "plain" card box! 

Here is yet another card that puts those scrap circles to good use! I made this one on 3/18/15. White on White (well...off white on white) with an embossed Birthday sentiment and a jute ribbon! (I might have an unhealthy obsession with that stuff)

So if you have a large collection of scraps, and I suspect you just might, give these cards a try next time! 

That's all for now!

C.Jackson

My Handmade Cards

Adventures with Valerie

Cat's Creations