Nancy's Nifty Notes

I'm Back!

2010-10-18T10:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't really been gone. Much. A few travels, but otherwise still here in central Illinois. I've just not had the time/energy for posting on my blog. But as the kids start their second quarter of the school year I find that I have both the time and something I'd like to share.

Nicole is very into Halloween, and has been wanting to do a Halloween party for the last few years. This year I said, "yes," and here is the invitation:

Nicole loved it, and helped make them all:

Hope you are all enjoying nice autumn weather!

Shared Space

2010-03-13T12:09:00.000-06:00

There's a new artists' co-op in Urbana that opened up this week: Shared Space (123 W. Main). It's right in the middle of the downtown block that features other great galleries and fun and funky stores and restaurants, so make some time to check it out!

The brainchild of my friend and Holiday Market booth partner, Marlene Mahon, this nice space is a great place to stop in for cool, affordable, and locally-made items! Lots of jewelry, the fabulous zippered pouches by our friend, Jennifer, and my cards and gift items, too.

New Toys!

2010-01-31T14:09:00.000-06:00

One benefit to having done the Holiday Market is I feel I can indulge my itch for new stamps and tools a bit more freely...Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration freebies help, too! In between cardmaking sessions I've been doing my normal homeschooling and housekeeping gig, and volunteering for PTA and Community Center for the Arts. Oh, yeah, and running down to St. Louis for a big-time medical test. You know I was tired the other night when, after dinner, I could have spent the evening with my new toys but I opted to go to bed!

Here's some of what I've been working on the last few weeks (all of these are available to purchase - contact me if you're interested):

This is a square easel card, shown both closed and then propped open. The papers are identical on both parts - they just look different in the lights.

A few simple valentines.

Here's what Chrissy came up with for Stamp Club in January:

I liked this layout enough to case it for a valentine:

While I was waiting for the order to come from Stampin' Up! I played around with a few challenges:

Splitcoast's Clean and Simple Cards had a White, Teal + 1 other color challenge:

This one is a sketch from MojoMonday. I'm holding off on a sentiment or another image until I know what to use it for.

Here are a couple of versions of this MojoMonday sketch:

And I played a bit with the "Black Magic" technique:

Another neat sketch I case'd...

I needed a birthday card for a 1st grade boy and came across this layout online...

And finally my new toys arrived! I've loved this set since the current catalog came out last July:

And I surprised myself by really wanting this ultra-feminine one:

New edge punch used on these, too!

I've got a few more new sets that I haven't inked up yet, but wanted to get this backlog posted.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-07T22:18:00.000-06:00

Just as we start to get into the swing of things again Mother Nature gives us another holiday. We got a total of 6 inches or so of dry powder, with a nice, stiff breeze to blow it into big drifts. School was cancelled, as were our evening activities, so I got to play around with Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration Challenge #57.

As I've said before, I love her work for its clean lines and wonderful use of color. She used to have these color inspirations quite frequently, but gave them up this fall to focus on other things. Many people were excited to have another one appear on her blog this week.

These colors spoke to me, but it still took me quite a while to come up with a way to use them that I liked. I really wanted to evoke the same feel as the fabrics in her photograph, not just use the colors.

I dunno - I may just need to try again.

Mojo Monday Magic

2009-12-08T16:03:00.000-06:00

On Sunday Nicole and I went to the local production of The Nutcracker at the Krannert Center. We knew several of the dancers, but two in particular: the dancer who portrayed Clara has gone to school with Andrew for years, and one of the toy soldiers was the daughter of a friend of mine who has become one of Nicole's playmates. It was a fantastic production, with the sets, costumes and dancing that you'd see in a large city.

We didn't take either girl flowers that afternoon...but I thought of doing cards with these great Fifth Avenue Floral roses...had them all stamped and embossed and cut out and was playing around with a layout when the Mojo Monday Sketch for this week came out. Voilá!

The Start of the Christmas Season

2009-11-28T20:01:00.000-06:00

Here are Tom Turkey's successors!

They seemed to be a big hit at the Holiday Market today. Foot traffic and sales were down from the last 2 weeks, but veteran vendors said that they've seen this other years on Thanksgiving weekend. It was also a beautiful day (into the upper 50s) which I bet kept some folks outside instead of (more?) shopping.

The Christmas tree farm we like was certainly hopping when we got there late this afternoon. Like I said, the great weather drew people outside. Coming home with our tree in the dusk we saw evidence of all the light-hanging activity that happened over the last few days. Andrew begged off this year's tree hunt, so Nicole was happy to do the honors:

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have the energy to start pulling out holiday decorations. In the meantime I'm heading for bed!

Holiday Market Week 2

2009-11-25T21:13:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope your holiday is happy, healthy and bountiful!

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New Layout:  The previous one was being balky when I tried to edit it. We'll see how this one fares.

New Feature:  In the right column you'll find a link to my online card gallery. I'll still post new things in individual posts, but this will give people a resource to turn to when they want to find something. Fellow crafters, feel free to CASE (since I probably did, too!).

Blog & Gallery Subscriptions:  Did you know you can get an email when I post a new blog entry and/or photo in the gallery? Click on the RSS button in your browser (often up by the web address, I believe).

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Last Saturday Marlene and I were joined by our friend, Jennifer, who makes fabulous small bags/pouches out of gorgeous fabrics. Thanks to Marlene, she had been assigned the booth next to ours, and the three of us decided to set up as one large booth. Her colorful display drew lots of customers! She'll be back with us on Saturday, December 12. In the meantime, you can check out her wares at www.inmyvastsparetime.com.

I have made and sold 45 of the Tom Turkey Treats pictured above. They use the new SU! Sweet Treat Cups and a variety of die cuts and punches (not to mention a gajillion googly-eyes and Jelly Bellys). Stay tuned to see what will replace good ol' Tom at this week's market!

While at the market I like to have a little something to work on when I'm not helping customers...the first week I assembled Tom Turkeys, last week I stamped and colored snowmen for this card. It also uses a Sweet Treat Cup, but this time as a faux snow globe.

On Sunday several crafting friends came by and we had a marathon card-making session. Glenn helped me set up numerous tables throughout our basement both for individual work places and for a stamp-washing station, cutting station, Cuttlebug center, embossing center, etc. Much creative production and fun was had by all.

Want to stop by and craft? Just let me know!

Lincoln Square Holiday Market Week 1

2009-11-17T19:56:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday was the first day of the Holiday Market and it went well. We had reasonable foot traffic either in spite of or because of the beautiful weather and home UI football game. I had a few friends stop by, and a respectable amount of sales. I think I have a good mix of items at prices that people seem happy to pay. We'll see what happens in the coming weeks....

Here are a few pictures of the booth and some new cards that will be available this week:

This one says inside: "It's your day - spoil yourself silly!"

It's hard to tell in this photo, but the pond and snow are super-glittery!

Still getting ready...

2009-11-11T23:01:00.001-06:00

for the Holiday Market that starts this Saturday (see end of this post for details). Today was a test run of the booth with my friend, Marlene, who makes bead jewelry. I think we've got a good plan...check back later this weekend for pictures of our first day!

I seem to have finally kicked the mild H1N1 or whatever virus attacked my lower respiratory system and zapped my stamina. Good thing, too, since I'm not only homeschooling Nicole and getting ready for this market but also this is the busiest week for Champaign PTA Council's part of the Reflections art contest that I'm co-chairing.

Here's some of the things I've added to my inventory in the last couple of weeks (double-click on an image to see it enlarged).

These 2 thank-you card designs are both being offered at the market and being used for the Champaign School Board members for "Illinois School Board Appreciation Day" on November 15.

And then more holiday cards...some are offered singly, some in sets of 8, some both ways.

Hope to see you C-U folks at the market one of these upcoming Saturdays!

More Halloween and Christmas

2009-10-23T20:32:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple more Halloween cards I've made. Nicole has had lots of fun playing with this set, too.

And another simple Christmas one:

2009-10-23T20:21:00.000-05:00

I'm still working on building up inventory for the Urbana Indoor Holiday Market at Lincoln Square mid-November through mid-December. Here's some of what I'm doing...

These are one-of-a-kind cards.

Happy Thanksgiving

Blank inside

Debating whether to put "Thanks for your hospitality" or "Welcome to the Neighborhood" in these two.

These are gift card holders - slide the band off, insert card in bottom, write a note on inside of the flap if you want, slide the band back on and write recipient's name on it - instant gift!

Feeling Very Appreciated In Chicago

2009-10-15T13:54:00.000-05:00

I spent last weekend meeting some long-time friends for the very first time! The Mothers & More Seasoned Moms email group has been chatting for years - some have been on there for 10 or more - and we finally decided to meet face-to-face.

So we decided to meet up in Chicago, and last weekend was the chosen time. I had a great deal of fun organizing many of the things we did, and the lovely moms who attended were more than appreciative of my efforts. In addition to a very generous gift certificate to use with Chrissy for Stampin' Up! products, and a wonderful send-up in a live rap on Saturday night complete with crown (look for a YouTube video posting soon), I arrived home from grocery shopping yesterday to find a beautiful flower arrangement waiting for me. Thanks for brightening a very grey week, ladies!

While in Chicago I paid my first visit to "The Bean," a sculpture in Millenium Park that is actually titled "Cloud Gate" by Anish Kapoor. It is totally captivating in its shape and reflectivity! You can see by it's shape why it's called The Bean - it looks like a coffee bean!

I love the abstract effect one gets by just stepping inside the domed part:

People were very into lying down along the edge to get their reflection, so Maureen and I decided to try it out.

We have to say we didn't see the attraction.

Looking forward to our next Seasoned Moms' adventure, whenever and wherever that may be!

Crafting Update

2009-10-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

I finally got time in the Project Room yesterday - did some organizing, photographing and crafting! Here's some of my more recent items:

Some things I've done for Halloween inspired by this blog.

I'm getting ready to participate in Urbana Holiday Indoor Market from mid-November to mid-December. Some things I'm producing in multi-packs:

Wreaths made from SU!'s Pocket Silhouettes and glitter glue in both traditional and Illini colors. (case'd from here)

I'm also making these in a variety of colors:

My mother-in-law passed along these plain, small notes (maybe 3.5" x 2.5") and envelopes that I've gussied up with SU!'s Upsy Daisy in Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango and Alway Artichoke.

I'm not sure how many people will be interested in Thanksgiving cards, so I've made about 10 of these to sell individually:

Chrissy showed this card layout at Stamp Club this month that I copied to make this New Year's version:

I liked how the little notes turned out so I made another card with the same stamped image:

I've also made a few of these more masculine thank-you cards:

And a few for those who know knitters. I love being able to embellish with some of my mom's hand-dyed yarn!

Look for more projects when I have a chance to photograph them!

Andrew's Chicago Adventure

2009-09-20T17:46:00.000-05:00

Here is Andrew's recounting of our trip to Chicago.

I just got back from Chicago yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. I went to a live recording of my favorite NPR podcast: “Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!”

At first, we couldn't even find the auditorium, because we had two different addresses. We eventually found it, but that lead to an even greater torture. We had to wait for an hour and a half for the show to start. I was sure that my head was going to explode.

The show was great, even if it ran a lot later than it was supposed to. I then got to meet the panelists and Peter Sagal, the host. I got their autographs. My hair matched Mo Rokka's shirt. All in all, a great experience.

Afterwards, we took the subway to our hotel area. We walked around our area until we
had done a loop, and then we decided to go to Weber Grill. The food was o.k. but the grills were pretty amazing. I fell asleep quickly that night.

New Toys

2009-09-16T22:41:00.000-05:00

My stamp club order came in this week and included the new In-Color inks and markers to go with the papers and ribbons I've had since July. I finally got to make a whole series of this card:

Chrissy, our club leader/SU! demonstrator showed us a card a friend of hers had made that was very similar to this - sorry I can't give proper credit here. I did several in this Melon Mambo color, and others in Rich Razzleberry and Bermuda Bay. I also varied the sentiments to cover a variety of occasions.

More fun new stuff to come...but first I take Andrew to Chicago for the live taping of this week's edition of NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me". He loves this show and downloads the podcast each week. Then he's requested we visit the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art and The Art Institute on Friday before coming home. Dad gets to play "substitute teacher" for Nicole on Friday!

Settling In

2009-09-13T21:17:00.001-05:00

Well, another week has passed, and I'm finally getting a chance to post again. You've probably seen me email about Nicole's blog, which includes a really fantastic recounting of our field trip to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Apparently in my enthusiasm for her postings I misunderstood her willingness to share it widely, so I'm in the doghouse right now. It will probably be a while before she allows me do that again!

Other than that, we've had a good week. The field trip was a big success, as was the clay class she took on Friday. Our daily routine is working well for both of us, and she's clearly very happy and content with the arrangement. I love seeing what creative projects she comes up with during her free time in the afternoons. She's created restaurants, craft projects, imaginary games, gardening/composting projects and more.

The weather here has been fantastic. Nicole and I have been soaking it up as much as possible, knowing that we've got months of winter ahead! Today we all went to my mother-in-law's place in the country and really enjoyed seeing what's happening on the land. Frogs in the pond, persimmons slowly ripening, butterflies flocking to the flowers, birds at the feeders, and volunteer pumpkins and squash covering the compost piles!

I've been busy doing my regular PTA Council stuff and continuing to plan the Mothers and More Seasoned Moms Getaway. But I've also had time to play in my craft room. Hope you enjoy:

Here's a tote filled with 8 identical blank cards. I think the totes are fun to make and really cute!

I'm thinking about making one filled with these cards, too:

Here's what I came up with for the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge this week:

And a couple more I just played around making:

Starting Over

2009-09-05T20:16:00.010-05:00

As much as it pains me to say it, I've found the Apple/Mac application that I truly hate: iWeb. I've never been happy with my (in)ability to incorporate photos with text on a blog page, so I'm trying out Blogger to see if it's easier.

Since it’s been nearly 2 weeks since I posted you might have wondered if I’d given up already! No, I’ve just been really, really busy with other stuff.

First, I’ve been working every day homeschooling Nicole. While we’re having some issues when I give her assignments that she doesn’t want to do, we’re basically getting along well and making good progress. I’m hoping to get her to start a blog to do some writing about what she’s studying - stay tuned to see if that ever happens!

Next, with the start of the school year comes the start of PTA activities. I taught 3 officer training classes in the last week, conducted the first Champaign PTA Council meeting of the year and worked to set up the schedule of speakers and locations for the year.

Then there’s the Mothers and More Seasoned Moms' Getaway to Chicago that’s a month away. More contacting people to set up activities/meals/lodging/ registration procedures and all the stuff that goes along with that. Looks like it’s going to be a fun weekend with women coming from California, Atlanta, upstate NY, the DC area and the midwest.

Finally, I’ve been able to grab a little bit of time in the Project Room. I borrowed my friend’s chalk pastels to do a some cards inspired by my late summer garden of black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers. This is Inspired by Nature by Stampin' Up!

Thanks to Nancy Riley’s iSTAMP iPICKS week 42, I found the tote to hold the matching set I made. It has 8 cards and envelopes (2 birthday, 2 thanks, 1 sympathy, 1 thinking of you, 1 “Live with Passion,” and 1 get well).

Then I played with putting Whiff of Joy's Melinda Reading

under some of the flowers.

I also saw some cute cards with fish made from punches here

that I just had to case!

And there’s still 2 more days in the long weekend to play some more.

Hope you all have a great Labor Day!