A long overdue gift…

If a law were to be passed that said we all had to change our names to highlight our hangups or weaknesses, my name would have to be, “I really meant to, had the best intentions, where did the day go, DeGruccio.”

I have a wonderful friend and co-worker.  I have had many plans over the 7 or so years I have known her to MAKE things for her.  Awhile ago I made her some cards and she loved them so much, she said she’d never use them..oops!  So, I knew the next time I made her something it’d have to be a gift that she did not need to give away. My lovely friend is a Krishna Devotee.  Now, before you think back on any movies you have seen with Hollywood’s version of the Hare Krishna’s, that is not Judy. 

 I tend to be somewhat open-minded when it comes to religion.  I mean that I think in this life we are living, there really needs to be more acceptance and love for the religions we have.  We were not put on this earth to judge one another or ones, beliefs, that is not our place.  Maybe I am more open to listen and appreciate other religions because I myself, belong to a church that the mainstream media loves to distort.  Goodness, I think there is even a HBO show that has tried to bring back the whole idea that our church still practices plural marriage!  ****ROLLING MY EYES!!!!*****  Since my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, tends to be a religion that some love to hate, I am very sympathetic and unwilling to believe stereotypes of others too easily.

Judy, has to be on of the most gracious, kind, peaceful, loving unselfish, (I could go on and on here..) people I know.  I would trust her with my life and would do anything to help her, or make her happy.  She is just GOOD! 

Keeping that in mind, and back to my LONG OVERDUE GIFT, I have had an idea of something to make for her for a while.  This is where one of other favorite people come in.  THERESE TRAVIS, the brilliant artist behind all my fairies and other creations, made an Angel for me, based on Judy.  I emailed her this picture of my friend:)

This is Judy at home in front of the Temple that she and her hubby built on their land.  It is truly beautiful and they welcome, any and all to come and visit. 

 Without further ado, here is the Angel Judy.  This is the DIGI STAMP version.

 

Here is another picture, I always love to try to photgraph the layers and detail.

 

Now, because Therese is just AWESOME, she also did a .svg file for me.  Here is a larger version of Angel Judy, done on my Cricut.  I thought I was done and then I realized I’d forgotten to put her earrings on!  OOPS!

 

Here she is with her earrings, some additional work to her hair and her wings!

 

Another close-up for you.

 

My little ones, seriously could not keep their little hands off the finished product!  My 6yo son looked at Angel Judy and said, “Mommy, you are just so good at making crafts!”  Is that sweet or what?

Lastly, Judy had asked if I knew how to make business cards.  So keeping that in mind while photographing Angel Judy, I was able to turn my creation into a Digital image to use over and over again.  I knew she wanted her name on the front(she thought I was going to use a photograph of her) and on the back she wanted her chant written.  As soon as I got done with her real gift, I whipped this business card up.  I told her we can fine tune it to suit her needs, but she just smiled and said, “I LOVE THEM!”

 

I hope I have kept your attention for this whole post.  I have some around me who do not understand why I make things.  It might seem like a waste of time and yes I have a house that could be much cleaner, if it were not for my hobbies.  But, the look on Judy’s face and the pure joy I knew she felt to look at and hold what I made for her, reminded me why I do this.  Not for freebies, not for money(although that’d be nice…right?)  I do it because, I love creating things and even more, I love creating things FOR others.  Might seem crazy, but that’s me!

Thanks for joining me again.  Remember to stop by THERSE’s PAPERFACES DESIGNS and of course check out RHINESTONE HUES  inventory while you are there.  This project would not have been possible without either one of them!

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One picture, SO MANY OPTIONS!!

Another of my top 10 people who have inspired me and has had a great impact on me is Therese Travis.  Therese’s Design Team for PAPER FACES DESIGNS, was the very 1st team I wan invited(or allowed) to be on.  I am proud to say I am still with her and she will have a hard time getting rid of me:)

The other day, I shared with you the tutorial of how to create a card with a Digital stamp and Digital Papers.  Todays techniques have some same steps, but are different in many ways.  To view the tutorial on Digital Stamps with Digital Papers you can click here to view the post.

Today, I am using Therse’s Angel Miriam.  You can purchase Miriam for your own personal use here.  I will show you how to use a .svg file and also how to use Miriam as a DIGI STAMP for 3 beautiful cards.

For my.svg card, I am using a version that Therese created for me so that I can cut it out on my Cricut.

You will start with your file opened up in your cutting software.

Please note, I have warped the pattern to hopefully protect Therese’s image. 🙂  The image will open up all grouped together.

My next step is to discard what I won’t use.  Or to be safe HIDE what you do not need and at this point, I group them on my mat how I want them to cut.

I am pretty picky about trying to save paper.  So I go with the minimum of paper I can go with to cut my files.  You can see on the next image, I have divided the pieces up into what color I will cut them out on.

Next I measure my colored paper out to fit the image on my template and adhere the paper to the cutting mat. That is the next image you are seeing.

Next you will see my pieces are cut and ready to go!  Yes, I warped the picture again:)

Jeannie tip here…When working with certain files, such as Therese’s Fairies, angels, or anything with faces or cirles etc, as I am removing them from the cutting mat, I turn them over and put a small dot on the TOP so I know which is the top and the bottom.  Might sound silly, but it has really helped in my assembling process.

I have gathered all the supplies to complete this card.  In one place..it helps the picture taking process tremendously!!

It is always important to add some depth to you pieces by sponging them with a neutral color.

My next step is to emboss my background and assemble my word art on cardstock.  I sponge these with a dark color and edge with a gold stamp pad.

Here is Miriam all assembled and ready for her card.

Time for the bow.  I use an empty cup and tie a knot on the cup.

I then cut the ribbon on the opposite side of where I just tied my nice knot.

At this point I have a for tailed ribbon, take the ends that you cut and adhere them around an attach behind your card with tape.

At this point, I forgot I needed to mat Miriam with white paper, so find a scrap and “bubble cut” around her.

Next, put dimensional adhesive on the back of Miriam and the word art.

Assemble the rest of the items and that is how I use an .svg file.

Here is a comparison with a card that I did with the DIGI stamp and colored cardstock.  I love the way it looks..but with the .svg file, the CRICUT does the cutting, with the DIGI, I do the cutting.

I also tried a different techiique I can show you later if anyone is intrested.  It uses the DIGI stamp also.  Here is the final product.

Here are the TRIO.  Which do you like best?

Your favorite will be my FREEBIE today..that one lucky winner will receive.  To qualify for the freebie..here are my terms:

Please visit THERESE and if you do let her know that Jeannie sent you over!

Leave a comment and on next WEDNESDAY’s post, I will announce the winner!  Send you friend over and they mention your name..you get an EXTRA ENTRY!

• Leave a comment = One Entry
• Send a Friend = One Entry
• Follow my Blog = One Entry
• Visit THERESE and leave a comment = One Entry
• Fiskateer’s post your Fiskateer Number in comment = One Entry
• Co-Design Team Member of mine, on any team = One Entry  Just mention which DESIGN TEAM we are together on!

Be sure to let me know HOW MANY entries you qualify for and what card technique is your favorite.

The others will go on Etsy, and I will take special orders for these, if you need more than one.

Can you believe the art of Therese?

Lastly I leave you with a card and a scrapbook page made from another one of Therese’s lovely drawings.

CARD

SCRAPBOOK PAGE

I hope you liked this tutorial.  Let me know if there you have an intrest to see the other technique I used on the 3rd card.

I want to thank Therese Travis of http://www.etsy.com/shop/paperfacesdesigns for allowing me to use ANGEL MIRIAM  in this project.

Visit http://tuesdaytrio.blogspot.com/ to see what the sketch and challenge are for this weeks challenge.  Here is what I did with Theres’s Angel Cherie.  Let me know how you like her also.

Wow, what a post, right??

New Cards for PAPER FACES DESIGN TEAM

So, I am a little behind creating for my dear pal THERESE, but I have made a SMILEBOX  for her and you showcasing my latest cards using some of her DIGI STAMPS.  Oh, to be able to DRAW  like her.  I started out not really like DIGI STAMPS, but I think I am getting used to them.  But, they will never be my favorite like Therese’s CUT FILES are!!

Next week I will make a SMILE BOX showcasing everything I have up in my ETSY store.  My current plan is that when I make a project and I am allowed to showcase it, it will be shown here and then go in my ETSY store.  So if there is something you see and really like, well then, you can make it yours!

But, that is next week.  For now, I am off to attend a much-needed GIRLS WEEKEND with my BEEEYOUUUUUUTIIIIFUL mom-in-law and sisters in law.  A couple of days filled with SPIRITUAL uplift and fun at TIME OUT FOR WOMEN!!  Hooray, I went last year and can’t wait for this one that starts TONIGHT!!

So, bye for now and enjoy the SMILEBOX!!

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A gift from a friend.

While my little one was in the hospital, I tried to send messages to keep in touch, when the hospital computer was behaving.  My design team leader, Therese Travis, was one I need to let know what was going on, because, I had assignments due and was missing the deadlines.  I let her know where I was and I told her that my little one needed and ANGEL to watch over her, thinking Therese would know I was asking her to pray for us.  The next day in my INBOX was an email with an attachment from Therese.  It was an ANGEL/FAIRY of my little one.  We will call it the Boo Angel Fairy.

Therese, a wonderful artist, has the wonderful knowledge of how to take a drawing of hers and turn it into a file that the computer can understand, and then I can cut the pattern on my CRICUT.  So below, I am showing off the Boo Angel Fairy on the cards I made for the wonderful, doctors, friends and family that helped us out through our scary time.

Here she is!!

Different lighting.

Oooh, different angle!

A close up of the Boo Angel Fairy.

All 10 cards that I made, whew!  A lot of love and work went into these!

Thank you Therese, from the bottom of my heart!

TOO MANY IDEAS Design Team Project #2

I first came across Therese Travis on ETSY.COM.  I loved her FAIRY cut files.  She is a great designer and I loved the Fairy I had purchased from her.  I wrote her and gave her a suggestion for a certain type of Fairy, and do you know she made one based on my idea and her FAIRY, looked just like me, even though we had never met and at that point she had never even seen a picture of me.  She named the Fairy JEANNIE and you can see her in THERES’S ETSY store, HERE!

I felt like a celebrity when she sent me her final product.  So, for this challenge, I have used “JEANNIE” to create my scrapbook page about one small part of me.  I am very COMPLEX, so this is just a SAMPLE!!

Here is the page.

The Text Reads:

“I have often thought of my life and all of the things I need to do with this analogy.

I feel like all the things I need to do and all the things I want to do are bubbles.  You know how when you blow bubbles from a bubble wand and hundreds of bubbles float around?  No two are fully connected and they all float in a different direction.

Well that is how I feel!

I am trapped in one of the bubbles, and all the things I need and want to do are in their own bubbles and I can’t get to any of them.  I am trapped in my own bubble and can only look, but not REACH or CONNECT, at the things that I want or need to get done.

It is a very helpless feeling.”

Upper Half of page:

Lower Half of page:

I am trying to show the details and layers in this picture.  Can you see them?

Best of all, here is “JEANNIE”, or should I say “ME”!!  Such a great file to work with!  Thanks Therese!

As usual, I would love to hear your comments, so let me know what you think!!

My very first Design Team Challenge

One of my new best friends makes the most adorable SVG files and has a store on ETSY called Paper Faces Designs.  You can find her blog at http://theresetravis.net/ I have been honored to be part of her all brand new start-up DESIGN TEAM and I am GIDDY.  This is my project using one of her designs.  The file is called “CHLOE” in her ETSY shop.  If you have a CRICUT and a little girl, you have to visit her blog and  ETSY store.

My project will be one of a total of 7 you will see over time.  I want to keep this short so I will not explain what my project will all entail, but my project I am posting here is Phase 1 of 7 phases (think kids).  I hope you enjoy.  Please leave me some feedback and critique the project, ok?

Jeannie

Isabella & Chloe Fairy

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