November 16, 2016

2016 Reading, part 2

I've been reading more than I've been writing, and that includes blogging. Here are some of the books that have kept me busy in the second third of this year (thanks to Goodreads, or I wouldn't have kept track of half of them):

The Malediction Trilogy by Danielle L. Jensen was one of my favorite series this year. I loved Stolen Songbird, and devoured Hidden Huntress and Warrior Witch as if compelled by a promise to a troll.

The Immortal Descendants by April White is another of my favorite series, and I was really happy to get my hands on Waging War. The last book, Cheating Death comes out next year and I already pre-ordered.

Daughter of Dusk by Livia Blackburne was a wonderful sequel to Midnight Thief. I loved how the story wrapped up and that the characters had to live with the consequences of their actions.

Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St Mary's #1) by Jodi Taylor is a great time travel novel of the academic variety. Research in the real world could never compete. I'll be reading more of this series in the future.

Zons Crime series by Catherine Shepherd, translated by Julia Knobloch. I liked both Fatal Puzzle (read by Dan John Miller and Tanya Eby) and The Reaper of Zons (read by Mikael Naramore and Tanya Eby). As this series is translated from German, the language is a bit dry, but the narrations more than made up for that and I found the plots and characters very engaging.

Murder on Amsterdam Avenue (Gaslight Mystery #17) by Victoria Thompson. I'm always impressed when authors manage to keep a series going for over a dozen books and not make them the same old story. These characters are definitely worth revisiting.

Juliet by Anne Fortier was a delightful take on Romeo and Juliet where history repeats itself but not quite in the same way.

This list is getting too long so I'll finish off with some honorable mentions and post the last third at the end of the year: The Wulfkin Legacy by T.F. Walsh, Circle of Jinn by Lori Goldstein, Fade Into Me by Charity Bradford, Soul Crossed by Lisa Gail Green, Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake, Flunked by Jen Calonita, and Faery Swap by Susan Kaye Quinn.

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November 1, 2016

Fall birthday card

Here's a birthday card I made for a colleague at work and have been meaning to post for almost a week. The renovations at home got a bit out of control and we had to move out... hopefully, for just another week.
Jillibean Soup papers; Simon Says Stamp birthday sentiment die; Nuovo chocolate fondue glitter accent; Eyelet Outlet acorn brad; unknown ribbon and squirrel corrugated shape. This card was inspired by the Atlantic Hearts sketch 183 (but I meissed the deadline to post on their page):

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October 24, 2016

Making art

The little one loved coloring until he realized he was color blind...
Fancy Pants Childish Things papers; Crate Paper The Pier papers; American Crafts Thickers; Paper Trunk alphabet stickers; Stampin' Up date stamp and grunge stamp set; VersaMagic white ink; Simple Stories enamel dots; Sakura gel pen. This layout was inspired by last week's Scrapbook Steals Mid Week Mojo Poppy 1 sketch:
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October 23, 2016

Carrousel

The kids loved Prince Charming's Carrousel so much, I think we spent half the day there.
Simple Stories Say Cheese papers and enamel dots; American Crafts Amy Tangerine Thicker words; Nuvo Chocolate Fondue Glitter Drops; Stampin' Up! pierce template and date stamp; Jillibean Soup twine; Bo Bunny brads; Hampton Art glitter alphas; unknown kraft tape and kraft stickers. This layout was inspired by the Stuck?! Oct 15th sketch:

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October 21, 2016

Off we go

Disney: a place someone is allowed to drive even though they can't see over the steering wheel... That bottom photo is one of my favorites from this trip.
Echo Park Little Boy and All About a Boy papers; Jillibean Soup Game Day Chilli stickers, epoxy buttons, and sequins; Stampin' Up! card stock; unknown brads. This layout was inspired by the Stuck?! Oct 1st sketch:

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October 7, 2016

Disney 2012

The kids really enjoyed their day in Magic Kingdom. And these photos were perfect for finishing the Mid Week Mojo Marigold challenge.
Jillibean Cold Avocado Soup papers, die cuts, and sequins; WRMK Sew Easy stitch piercer and floss; Ranger Frayed Burlap distress ink. This layout was inspired by MWM sketch Marigold 2:


 Simple Stories Say Cheese papers and enamel dots; American Crafts Thicker words; Ranger Glossy Accents; Stampin' Up date stamp. For this layout, I used Marigold 8:


Fancy Pants Childish Things papers; BoBunny Double Dot; Simple Stories enamel dots; Ranger Frayed Burlap distress ink. This layout was inspired by Marigold 3:

My other Marigold layouts are here: 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10.

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October 2, 2016

World cardmaking day

This weekend I played along with the Jillibean Soup card making challenges.

My first card is for the sketch challenge:
Jillibean Alphabet Soup II paper, die cut, epoxy buttons, and letter stickers. Other: Wink of Stella glitter pen; WRMK Sew Easy stitch piercer; unknown floss and card base. And here is the sketch:

The second card I made with the color challenge:
Echo Park Petticoats & Pinstripes stickers; Tim Holtz tiny attacher; Ranger Glossy Accents; Little B word die; Stampin' Up! grunge stamp; Simon Says Stamp slate ink; unknown cardstock, brads, and patterned paper scraps. And here is the color pallet:

As it turns out, these colors are not in any of my paper collections, and I had to get creative. I also used the Atlantic Hearts sketch #179:

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October 1, 2016

Scrapbook hugs

Scrapbook pages are wonderful ways to relive memories...especially of relatives we haven't seen in years.
Bella Blvd One Fall Day papers and stickers; Stampin' Up! vellum; WRMK variegated floss; Honey Bee dew drops. This layout was inspired by Scrapbook Steals Mid Week Mojo sketch Marigold 1:

Here are some first valentine-making memories:
Jillibean Soup Staples papers and Hearty Barley Soup stickers; Queen&Co. rox; Paper Trunk pink alphas; unknown chipboard.

This layout was inspired by Scrapbook Steals Mid Week Mojo sketch Marigold 10:
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September 27, 2016

Tooth in the box

This Tooth Fairy box is the cutest thing. A great baby shower gift, even if it didn't get used for 6 years.
Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety mini deck and Core'dinations embossed card stock; American Crafts Thickers; Basic Grey chipboard stickers; Making Memories brads; Sassafras Lass stickers; Paper Trunk alphabet stickers; unknown craft tape, twine, and dictionary page.

This layout was inspired by Shimelle's travel page challenge.

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September 25, 2016

Good times

It's fun when relatives come to visit and we can take them out on the boat.
October Afternoon Seaside paper and card, Treasure Map stickers; Simple Stories adhesive brads; American Crafts Amy Tangerine Thickers; Jenni Bowlin label sticker; Stampin' Up! washi sheet; Core'dinations cardstock; Ranger Frayed Burlap distress ink; Bic marker.

This layout was inspired by Scrapbook Steals Mid Week Mojo Marigold #9 sketch:

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September 21, 2016

Frog card

Ali brought the Atlantic Hearts blog to my attention, so I decided to play along with this week's challenge.
BellaBlvd papers; Jillibean Soup card base and die cut; Ranger Glossy Accents and distress ink; unknown confetti. Here is sketch #178:
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September 20, 2016

Shark smile

First tooth, up close and personal.
Echo Park Pinstripes & Petticoats papers and stickers; Jillibean Soup placemat; Simon Says Stamp gems and slate ink; Crafters Workshop stencil; Ranger distress inks, texture paste, and Glossy Accents; Stampin' Up! grunge stamp set, ink, and card stock; Signo white gel pen; unknown washi tapes.

This layout was inspired by Creative Scrappers Sketch 298:

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September 19, 2016

Fun with cards

It's been a while since I posted cards, mostly because I make them in a hurry and forget to photograph them. I really like using the Simple Stories Snap birthday pack for card making.
WRMK Hippity Hoppity paper for the background and hand-cut little presents (unknown).

Here is another one:
Sassafras Lass background paper. What took the longest was cutting out those little presents.

And as I was in a fussy cutting mood, I did some paper piecing with a Fiskars stamp set:
The greeting is a die from Simon Says Stamp. Versafine black ink, unknown papers.

This one is a baby card where I was playing with a Kaleidacolor rainbow ink pad (tomato).
Stampin' Up! stamp set, Jillibean Soup frame, American Crafts ribbon, Recollections sticker.

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September 18, 2016

Found

It was so much fun to find these adorable photos... a perk of not being caught up.
Fancy Pants Making Waves paper; October Afternoon Treasure Map stickers; Simple Stories adhesive brads; Heidi Grace and Basic Grey rub-ons; Ranger Glossy Accents; Colorbok cardstock; unknown black alphas. This page was inspired by Stuck?! September 15 sketch:
I moved the element on the bottom left to the top because it fit better with my main grouping.

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September 12, 2016

Out on the boat

We still have a lot of fun sailing, but those first few months after we got the boat were extra special.
Fancy Pants Making Waves paper; Scrap Your Trip die cut title; October Afternoon journaling sticker and Seaside paper scraps; Crafter's Workshop stencil; Ranger texture paste; No Bunny brands; Honey Bee dew drops; Stampin' Up washi sheet; WRMK floss; unknown buttons and ribbons. This layout was based on Stuck?! September 1 sketch:


Fancy Pants Making Waves papers, journaling cards, flair, and die cuts; October Afternoon die cuts and stickers; Simple Stories adhesive brads, Honey Bee dew drops; WRMK twine; Studio Calico rub-ons; unknown card stock. This layout was inspired by the Scrapbook Steals Mid Week Mojo Marigold 7 sketch A:

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