Liquid Glaze, Buttons, and Adhesive Ribbon

Two of the three titled items are new to me and my craft tool bag. Close To My Heart introduced me to Liquid Glaze. However, it sat in my tool bag lonely and unopened for a VERY long time. It wasn't until a recent workshop at The Scrapbook Shoppe that I realized how to use it and I loved the effect it had on my layout! And now, I can't get enough of it.

Buttons are useful in so many ways - keeping our pants on, holding our sweaters closed, adding a little pop to a boring card or layout. It was only recently that I started using buttons. Some of my Close To My Heart Workshop On The Go kits included them and showed me how to embellish my layouts and I realized what a fun little tool I had.

And what could be better than regular ribbon? ADHESIVE RIBBON! While shopping around the PX, I usually peruse the craft section. Tonight my eyes fell upon a 50% off sticker on a pack of Martha Stewart adhesive baby ribbon and I thought that would be perfect for all the cards I'm attempting to make for my pregnant friends. And it is extremely easy to use.

So with the help of my Cricut Expression, I created these two cards. I'm not Hallmark but I think the sentiment will still be appreciated.

You can't tell from the pictures but there is liquid glaze on the wheels of the stroller, hair of the baby, nose and bow of the giraffe. And the use of buttons and ribbon is obvious.

Adventures With Paper & More

In an effort to stay motivated and complete most of the projects on my "To Do" list, I am going to procrastinate on them more. I'm going to start a creative blog. As a master procrastinator, I'll admit the house still needs to be cleaned, the laundry is only half done, and I'm still in my pajamas. But I wanted to take the time to set up a blog to help keep my creative mind going. As a mother of two, I often get stressed about everything that has to be done - we need to go to gymnastics, the dog needs a bath, the coupons need to be clipped, "mommy can you..." blah blah blah. So in an effort to keep my sanity I crop and blog.

My collection of creative toys is expanding. I recently added a Cricut Expression and Cuttlebug to my craft area. Since National Scrapbooking Day several weeks ago, I am constantly researching new techniques, reading other creative blogs, and acquiring new toys, gadgets, and supplies.

I also enjoy digital scrapbooking. When I'm in need of some quick layouts, I turn to StudioJ and hammer out several pages in a few minutes. Here is a look at my most recent digital project.

I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures with paper, scissors, adhesive, border punches, die-cuts, embossing, and more! And just like my wall says, "Scrapbooking is cheaper than therapy"