Hi everyone! This week's Make a Card Monday uses the same Imaginisce patterned paper I used in my last video. I just couldn't put it down! I love it!

Anyhow, I'm sitting here in the dark because all the lightbulbs in my craft room went out last night! Ahh! I'm waiting until it's a bit lighter in the day so I can climb up on a ladder to change the lightbulbs. (Vaulted ceilings can be VERY inconvenient, you know). Good thing I don't have to look at the keyboard while I'm typing! lol

So, I'll just keep rambling on while I wait for the video to upload to YouTube...

I tried something new with this video. One of my subscribers over at YouTube (thanks ninajeanette2!) suggested I still have audio commentary. So in this video, I tried voiceovers. I felt like I was doing commentary on a DVD! :) Hopefully it makes it a bit easier to watch. Leave a comment, please, and tell me if you like it better than the text commentary.

Thanks! And on to the video...


Watch in high quality here (click on "watch in high quality" below the video).

Hi all!

Hope your Christmas was wonderful! It was a low-key holiday here. I made cinnamon rolls Christmas morning and they turned out okay, but I wished it would have been better. Does anyone out there have a wonderful cinnamon roll recipe they'd like to share? Email me or leave a comment. I'd love to try it out!

Speaking of things I did on Christmas day, we went to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I really enjoyed it. Even though it was pretty predictable, it was still an entertaining escape.

I also did a little bit of shopping, including a visit to my local MAC counter (no, not the "mother ship" aka the Apple Store). I bought some gorgeous eye shadows and fluidline eyeliner. What is it about new makeup that's just so fun?! Has anyone out there tried e.l.f. makeup (as in Eyes Lips Face)? Everything they sell is $1. It's supposed to be at Target stores, but I haven't seen it at my local Target. Can anyone vouch for the quality?

Back to why you're here...

My craft table has been a bit lonely the last couple of days. I haven't made anything really until this morning. Just taking a break, ya know? Anyway, here's what I made this morning. Hope you like it!

Watch in high quality here (click on "watch in high quality" below the video)

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your holiday is shaping up to be the best ever!

Some of you noticed because I Twittered about, but I bought myself an early Christmas gift! I have been accumulating Target gift cards for a while and I put them all together for a trip to Target on Saturday. I bought a Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal vacuum! It's the best ever! Since it was a larger purchase (nearly half was paid for by gift cards!), of course I named her. Jerrica. Anyone else watch Jem when they were younger? Jerrica was Jem's real life persona.

Yes, I'm a dorky child of the 80s.

Anyway, it's wonderful! It's made for homes with pets and lots of pet hair, and I don't have a pet now, but when I move out I want to get a cat. I was thinking ahead and bought the animal one because of that. It also has a HEPA filter in it so it's great for people with allergies.

Seriously, I'd just vacuumed with my Mom's vacuum right before I went to Target to get Jerrica. When I vacuumed again after bringing her home, I was totally amazed and grossed out by how much dirt and dust the Dyson picked up! I had to empty it after only vacuuming one room! And that was AFTER I'd vacuumed it before!

We had our family (just the siblings and my mom) Christmas dinner last night. I made Kathy's breadsticks and they turned out great! Definitely not as wonderful as when Kathy makes them, but for a first attempt they turned out pretty well. I think I had too much flour and kneaded it too long... oops! But they were all gobbled up so I must have done something right. :)

I opened a gift from my mom last night and loved it right away. It was a pair of slippers. They are so comfy and the first thing I thought of was that I could wear them while making cards! I'm a truly sick crafter if that's the first thing I think of. ;)

You'll see in the video that I had some trouble with a square punch. Well, I figure it out! I was trying to punch off the edge of the card stock. For some reason, the punch needs the resistance from both sides. I tried to punch a square out of the center of a piece of card stock after I turned the camera off, and it worked just fine. :)

Also, this week's MACM was completed in 19 minutes. Once again, Merry Christmas!


Watch in high quality here (click on "watch in high quality" below the video).

Happy 25 Days - Kraft and Chocolate Chip card stock, 1-1/4" square punch, Chocolate Chip ink, Simple Serif Mini Alphabet, embossing powder: Stampin' Up!; chipboard: Scenic Route; patterned paper: S.E.I.; pen: American Crafts; VersaMark ink.

Sorry 'bout the recipe hijacks recently. ;) It's the reason I haven't made any cards. Eek!

Last night, I braved an awful snow storm to drive over to Annie and Amber's to make sugar cookies. Yum! These are the best, if I do say so myself. Here are some fun shots of the evening. The sugar cookie recipe is at the bottom. Seriously it's a really good recipe. Try it. :)









Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1-1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cream together sugar and margarine. Add egg, vanilla, and sour cream. Add dry ingredients. Mix well, but only until flour is incorporated.
2. Refrigerate and shape.
3. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 5 minutes (or longer if they're a bit thicker... just watch the first batch and then adjust the cooking time accordingly).

EDITED TO ADD: I changed the "cube" of margarine to "stick" of margarine. That happens when it's a family recipe, ya know?

Also, the icing! It's just Martha's royal icing recipe. See it here. There's also a video of Martha using the royal icing. Enjoy! :)

One of the gals at work is an amazing baker! (WHAT UP, Kathy!) She makes awesome sugar cookies, to die for breadsticks, and I'm sure anything she touches is just as good.

Anyway, a bunch of us have been asking her to show us how to make her famous breadsticks. Let me tell you, these are awesome! With out fail, everyone who tries them, loves them instantly. So, yesterday a bunch of us gathered at Paula's house and Kathy showed up how to make the breadsticks. At least, that's how it started out. Our breadstick demonstration morphed into a hot cocoa party! We had soup and other treats (including the breadsticks) and then we all tried different kinds of hot cocoa.

So yummy!

So here's Kathy's recipe, which happens to be an award-winning recipe! She won a bread recipe contest in Paper Crafts magazine a while back. This is that recipe! Enjoy! Seriously, ya'll need to make them and when you do, leave a comment and let us all know how they were. :)

Kathy's Best Ever Breadsticks

Mix together and set aside:
1-1/2 c. very warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. Malted Milk powder
1 Tbsp. sugar

Add to yeast mixture:
4 c. OR 1 lb. bread flour (Kathy weighed the flour on a kitchen scale)
1 tsp. salt

1. Knead 5 minutes (Kathy used a Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook attachment on medium-low speed). Let rest 15 minutes (or don't let it rest... Kathy's never does).

2. Roll out on lightly greased surface (Kathy uses Pam cooking spray) so that the dough is a 7-8 inch wide rectangle and 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips with pizza cutter.

3. Gently stretch, double over and twist each strip of dough and place on lightly greased jelly roll pan. You can also just place them on the pan without stretching or twisting.

4. Melt 1 stick of salted butter (8 Tbsp) and brush over top of dough, reserving 1/3 for after baking. Sprinkle with garlic salt (use powder if you REALLY like garlic, otherwise it gets too salty). Also sprinkle McCormick's Salad Supreme, and parmesan cheese.

5. Let rise until doubled.

6. Bake in 400 degree oven until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

7. Brush with remaining butter.

Makes great pizza crusts (two medium pizzas).

And, and just 'cause I can (hee hee!) here's a picture from the hot cocoa portion...

I made a difficult phone call last night. I called Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Support so I could resign my position as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.

But by no means am I leaving Stampin' Up! completely. Here's the story so far. And I'm just going to go at this with all honesty and hope that you all will understand why I haven't ever addressed much of this previously.

After I graduated from college in 2005, I was hired by Stampin' Up! to be a graphic designer. I mostly worked on the catalog and other projects specifically for foreign markets (Australia was my "baby" -- one of the reasons why Dave Abbott's passing really affected me). After working there for a year and coming to love the company and products so much, I decided to become a demonstrator and signed up under a good friend at work, Erica. In fact, one of the main reasons I signed up was so that I could attend the convention in Denver as a demonstrator instead of an employee.

Yep, I work at Stampin' Up! Some of you have put two and two together and figured this out (at least from some of the comments you've left), but I've never confirmed or denied working at Stampin' Up! because I absolutely loved the anonymity of just being a regular demonstrator, ya know? In many ways, I'm just another papercrafter with an obsession for anything paper or inky. :)

About a year ago, I transferred departments within the company and became a product designer. I now get to design patterned paper, scrapbooking kits, and other items. I don't get to "play" with product at work, so I stamp and create cards in my spare time at home.

Anyway, this change in positions is one of the reasons I left the American Crafts design team. Even though all work for AC was done at my home in my spare time, it was a conflict of interest to be designing product for one company and then having a standing contract with another company. I love both American Crafts and Stampin' Up!, but as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and employee, I knew I would have to let the ACDT go. :( Sarah (ACDT guru) knew about this and knew that I would be resigning from the team at the end of my contract. I always made it a point to be upfront and honest with both AC and SU!

At the same time, I'm living at home and trying to save up for a place of my own (the current housing/mortgage market isn't exactly in my favor, ya know?). After being a demonstrator for over a year, and evaluating my finances, it was more financially responsible to let my demonstratorship go. I will still have the opportunity to purchase Stampin' Up! product at a slight discount because I am an employee, but will no longer have the other expenses of maintaining a small business.

So, that's the story so far. Where do we go from here? It's mostly going to be the same, but just as a heads up...

This is still a papercrafting blog. I am still going to post here and use products from SU! and other companies. I will still have videos and tutorials. However, this is a blog that happens in my spare time and is a hobby. I have rarely talked about work in the past, and I will continue to rarely mention it. I like to leave the office behind each night when I drive home. My co-workers are my friends, though, so sometimes they will be mentioned or will make an appearance in a photo or two.

I'm sure this is a given, but this is not an "official Stampin' Up! blog" or anything like that. I do not speak for the company. I will never speak for the company. As far as my little space on the web is concerned, it's just me. :)

I spoke with my card club girls a couple weeks ago about this and we decided as a group to continue with our card club. But it will be less formal (was it ever really formal?). Mostly just a group getting together each month to make a couple cards. This format is similar to a card club that my sister in Minnesota is in right now, where each month the group meets at someone's house and they make cards. Each person pays for their supplies and they go home with a few cards each month.

I guess the only reason I felt the need to tell you all this is because Stampin' Up! is such a large part of my life. And by resigning as a demonstrator, I'm not leaving it behind. I'm just doing what's best for me.

Sorry 'bout the novel. I'll be back to the regular cards and such tomorrow. :)

I've received a lot of emails from people asking about how I create my videos. So many emails, that I've added a couple answers to the FAQ page.

Just so you know. :)

Let's just say we're lucky I finished making this card.

Have you ever had a day when things just never seem to go right? That was my day when I made this video. :)

Anyway, in this video I show you how to emboss on a brad. It's actually very straight forward, but in case you were wondering... Just "smoosh" the top of the brad all over a VersaMark pad, sprinkle embossing powder over top, heat, and then sprinkle more embossing powder and heat again. It doesn't cool off very fast so the second coat of powder should stick to the first without any problem.

There's also a tip in the video on removing rubons that refuse to work.

Anyway, hope everyone's day is better than mine. Seriously, that won't be hard. Oh, and how's your Christmas shopping coming?


Watch in high quality here (click on "watch in high quality" below the video).

Merry and Bright - Patterned paper, felt flower, brad, Thickers, and rubons: American Crafts; kraft card stock and embossing powder: Stampin' Up!; Versamark ink.

Wow! SEI has some really cute holiday stuff! I received some in my replacement goodie box from Cards Magazine (the first box was stolen off my porch!). Anyway, I absolutely love the earthy colors they chose for the Holly Lane line. Just love it!

This was a super simple card. Quick and easy! And with the proper supplies, you could easily replicate this card over and over to send in the mail (It's just shy of a regular business-size envelope). All the supplies are from SEI except for the stamp, embossing powder, and the white card stock peeking out from the folded corner. All those item are from Stampin' Up!

Hey, while I've got your attention, what are some awesome holiday gifts for under $10? I know there are a lot of people out there who would like to know--me included! So, tell us what you have planned this year, please.

It occurred to me tonight that I've made a lot of cards for people I know and love, but I've never made a card for Annie! Tragedy! Annie's one of my New York buddies, so she definitely deserves a card. Watch out, Amber, you're next!

Anyway, this card is all about the embossing and x-acto knife. I used an older Fontwerks stamp set for the letters (stamped them in VersaMark) and embossed using Stampin' Up! detail embossing powder. Then I cut them out one by one. It was a bit time intensive, but worth it!

I added the three circle punches and the stamped hearts at the last moment and now I'm wondering if I should have left it alone. It makes me feel all weird like I'm looking at Mickey Mouse ears. Ick.

I always try to go by my gut and when it says, "Should I add something else?" I'll add one little thing and then tear my hands away from the project. Generally, if I have that feeling once, it will continue. I'll indulge it once but after that I ignore it.

Maybe I should have ignored the first one this time. ;) Don't worry Annie, I still love you... just not your Mickey Mouse ears.

Annie - Patterned paper (Scenic Route); George Outline Alphabet stamp set (Fontwerks); Big Bold Birthday stamp set, Basic Gray and Purely Pomegranate card stock, Basic Gray ink, 3/4" circle punch, So Saffron brad, Purely Pomegranate double stitched ribbon, Winter White detail embossing powder, paper piercer and mat (Stampin' Up!); VersaMark ink.

Hi everyone! I hope your weekend was fabulous! Sorry for not being around much--I was busy this weekend!

I got to make a cake for my grandma's birthday. I make a White Lemon Sour Cream Cake with Lemon Curd Filling and Buttercream Icing. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try any of it because I was taking photos for my good friend from work, Wendi. Her family is adorable! Maybe I'll share some photos here, but I want to ask her permission first (they're her kids, after all).

Anyhow, here's another installment of Make a Card Monday! Hope you all like it! Actual time to make the card: 43 minutes. Yep, a long one this week! It was all the chipboard letters. :)


Watch in high quality here (click on "watch in high quality" below the video).

Happy Holidays - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Three For You and Fundamental Phrases stamps sets; Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, and Wild Wasabi card stock; Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose Craft ink; Wild Wasabi Classic ink; On Board Lots of Letters; Heat & Stick powder; Dazzling Diamonds glitter; Regal Rose wide grosgrain; corner rounder punch.

Hi all! Many of you requested the list of songs I'm including on the holiday CD I'm sending out to the winners. This is the list! Each of the songs are available to buy from the iTunes Music Store (just click on the links and if you have iTunes, the exact songs will come up).

I've also submitted an iMix of the playlist, so you can just hit "buy" and you'll download the entire list! Here's the link: Kristina's Holiday Mix 2007. :)

EDIT: Just kidding on buying the iMix with one click. Apparently the Dave Matthews song is an album only purchase. At least you have the entire list there as well.

1. Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
2. Jingle Bells - Diana Krall & The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Christmas Songs
3. Winter Wonderland - Chris Botti, December
4. White Christmas - Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
5. Grown-Up Christmas List - Michael Bublé, Let It Snow!
6. Who Would Imagine a King - Whitney Houston, One Wish
7. The Christmas Song - Michael Bublé, Let It Snow!
8. Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) - Amy Grant, Home for Christmas
9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
10. This Christmas - Harry Connick, Jr., Harry for the Holidays
11. Mistletoe and Holly - Frank Sinatra, Christmas With the Rat Pack
12. Christmas Time Is Here - Diana Krall, Christmas Songs
13. O' Come All Ye Faithful - Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Lost Christmas Eve
14. The First Noel - Josh Groban & Faith Hill, Noel
15. Still Nacht - Jim Brickman, Homecoming
16. The Christmas Song - Dave Matthews Band, Remember Two Things
17. Thankful - Josh Groban, Noel
18. The Christmas Song - Chris Botti, December
19. White Christmas - Bing Crosby, White Christmas

Enjoy! Also, download a CD insert here.

Hi all! I'm in the middle of prepping for stamp club tomorrow... Man, this project is really supply intensive! I've been cutting card stock and paper all night! I guess this is what I get for procrastinating. :)

Yes, in the picture that's a stack of recipe cards. 392 cards to be exact. There are 14 people in my club. I cut out every one of those recipe cards with a paper trimmer. I'm an idiot. I should have paid a small neighbor child to do it. My arm hurts.

Okay, enough complaining. At least I'm almost done. I just have to collate all the cards into the boxes (I'm going to do that tomorrow at lunch... Lauren, you said you'd help, right?) and also pack up all my things, and then I'm set!

I'm going to try to get some pictures of my cute stamp club girls tomorrow night so ya'll can see what we're up to. Hopefully they won't be shy. :)



---------

Winners! Yeah! I decided to draw three names. The winners are:

Coral Faust who commented at 9:40 am this morning.
Jeanelle who commented at 10:20 pm last night
Liz in IL who commented at 12:27 pm this afternoon

Thanks, ladies! If you haven't already, you should receive an email from me. Just reply with your mailing address and I'll get the CDs out to you.

And thanks to all of you who commented. What a response! Wow! And just for a CD... I'm so thrilled!

I've been tagged by Annie to tell ya'll 6 things about me:

1. I have a recent obsession for watching make-up/cosmetics videos over at YouTube. Seriously, people there are some talented generous people over there teaching you how to put on make-up. Check out the following videos if you're interested:

- Flirty Date Makeup with askmemakeup (Amy B... LOVE her accent!)
- MAC brushes vs. Painting Brushes from EnKore (save some cash and buy your brushes at a craft store!)
- Sephora Inspired Brush Holder with EnKore (I totally made one of these... awesome!)
- Beauty Tips for Mom: Out the Door in Two Minutes (I'm not a mom, but I'm a busy gal... I totally learned some basic tips).

2. I love the movie You've Got Mail entirely too much. "Good morning, Christina!" "Happy Thanksgibbing back."

3. I TiVo Oprah every day. I don't watch it every time, but I still like to be informed as if I was home during the day and could watch all the TV I want (like that would ever happen!). :)

4. I have an Amazon.com Prime Membership... if you shop online as much I do, it's completely worth it. Two-day shipping for FREE, plus overnight shipping for only $3.99. That's a deal if I've ever heard one. Speaking of, go check out some of the awesome deals they've got going for the holidays. Just awesome.

5. I love LOVE Harry & David pears... if anyone out there who drew my name for Christmas is wondering what to get me, get me some pears. I love them! Yum!

6. My favorite memory of visiting Nashville back in November 2004? Eating breakfast at Waf le ouse (that's Waffle House with some letters missing). Here's a picture from that day...



--------------------

Hey, hurry quick! Leave a comment on this entry and I'll draw a name tomorrow night. If your name is drawn, I'll send you a CD of my favorite holiday songs. :)

This week's Make a Card Monday is brought to you by Heat & Stick powder and a whole lot of glitter! As you can see in the video, I had NO idea what I was doing! I started out thinking the card base was going to be white and then later changed my mind. Oh, well!

Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy it! Actual time to create the card: 23 minutes.

NOTE: The song used in the video is "Nattöppet" by Detektivbyrån. Get a free MP3 download of the song at www.detektivbyran.net. I absolutely loved this song in the Sprint commercials, so I had to track down the song and artist. :)


Watch in high quality here (click on "watch in high quality below the video").

Watch the first video before you watch the last one. :)

Yay for digital scrapbooking!

Have any of you tried digital scrapbooking, or maybe hybrid (a combination of both digital and traditional paper scrapbooking)? In some instances it reminds me of what I do all day at work since I'm a graphic designer, but then again... I get to create what I want, so that makes it fun!

By no means am I a pure digital scrapbooker now. I just really liked trying it out. It was quick and easy, and then I didn't have to photograph it after I was done. One less step! :)

Anyhow, this layout is all about my boss at work. She really is that funny and it's all the time. Love her to death!

Naps - Created in Adobe CS3 (Illustrator and Photoshop). Digital elements: Bedazzles Neutrals paper by Tracy Robinson; Verde Digital Kit by Anne Langpap (branch), and sadly I don't remember the fonts. I'll have to look at the original file.