Hello, friends!  I've got a whole lot of red in store for you today with FUSION's newest challenge...

Yep...couldn't resist the packaging idea...I've been needing to experiment a little for this year's treats anyway.  I've been working on some little french fry boxes in sweet vintage prints I recently downloaded, and decided to use one as a template to create my own to match the FUSION inspiration...

I don't have a lot of washi, but I DO have a couple reds, and liked the idea of the tape for extra security.  (Don't you just cringe at the thought of the your pretty little package falling apart??? I was extra worried about these because the cardstock is stiff and heavy.  That tape was perfect for it!)  I used sentiments on today's card and packages from Avery Elle's 'Oh Happy Day' set.  I adore these sentiments!  The little flowers and leaves are from the same set.  This is a simple mini-card to match...

It fits inside my medium sized glassine bag...somewhere around 3.5x5.

Next I wanted to try some quick little bags to sell in the teacher's lounge as part of a fund raiser.

I've used my smallest bag here...about 2.5x4...

 ...it only has 5 kisses inside.  Thought it could be a fun little treat to find on a desk...from one teacher/teacher's assistant to another...

(The reds look much better in person.)

In case you're interested, I get my bags and doilies from Henny on Etsy, HERE.  Excellent service, prompt shipping, great prices, and so many pretty things to choose from!

Ok, I'll let you go now.  The rest of the team has LOTS of beautiful inspiration waiting for you!

Thanks so much for stopping in!  Have fun creating!!!

~geri~

Betty J
Cathy Weber 
Dannielle Robeson
Deepti
Julia Aston
Katie Brooks
Kelly Griglione
Kimberly Wiener 

Lyndal Higgins

Lynn Mangan 

Michelle Williams

Michelle Lupton

Sindhu
Stephanie Severin

Hey, hoppers!  Popping in to share a project I made earlier in the week for Jillian's teacher's birthday! (Perfect for today's hop at Papertrey!)  She loves this gal...and this gal loves owls...and her favorite color is pink!  She is an adult, though...so I used lots of neutrals with little pops of pink in the fabrics and felts I chose for a little pillow (maybe not so little...around a foot wide and an inch or two taller).  My PTI dies (and some Spellbinders)  made it easy and fun!  The Spellbinder and Funky Flower dies were used for the eyes...

The Limitless Layers Heart dies were used just as they are...along with the Heart to Heart flower die...

And the large scallop die was used for layers of  'feathers' on the tummy...

And here's the full feathered friend...

It was a bit of a risky project...at least the way I did it.  I didn't have a pattern so I made one, and stitched it up with scrap fabric.  Wasn't pleased with that shape, and modified the pattern, but didn't re-stitch to check. I just hoped that I had made the necessary changes.  Then everything was sewn onto the front before stitching the two pieces together and stuffing.  That was the risky part.  Stuffing does change the shape...it would have been very disappointing to find out I didn't like the stuffed shape once all that work had been done. All in all, I was pretty pleased, though.  I would probably modify it slightly if I made another, but her teacher was surprised and delighted at a handmade gift, so...it's all good!  I did use a metal shim for the fabric die cutting, but that all went very smoothly and took a lot of work out of the designing.  Hope you like!!!;)

I have a couple other projects I'm hoping to finish and share later...but my family may have other ideas;)

Have fun hopping, and thanks so much for visiting!

~geri~

Here is the winner of the Border Tape 1 stamp set...

                 
                    ********************
Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

6 

                    ********************

Chucksusan...that's YOU!  And...on a funny note...I promise this was on the up-n-up...but 'Chucksusan' happens to be my very dear friend right here in Brazil, IN!!!;)  So, SUSAN,...I will get Dyane your mailing information for your new set!

Thanks so much for joining in the fun everyone!

~geri~

Hello, my festive friends!!! Delighted to be here to share the first Festive Friday challenge of 2014 with you...

This year were're a little more relaxed in the challenges.  Meredith has chosen some lovely Christmas graphics, and you may pull whatever inspiration from them you'd like.  I went with the colors and lovely natural, woodsy theme.  I couldn't wait to get out some new Christmas goodies to use on this card...starting with my little Winter Sparrows from Lawn Fawn...

I admired these little guys on everyone else's creations all through the Christmas season, and finally have a set to call my own.  They're just the sweetest little things!  I also used a pretty PTI tag die, along with some snowflake dies from Simon Says, and some lovely Authentique paper that had such a natural but clean look...

And there it is...my first Festive Friday creation of the year...how exciting to be back!!! I've seen the team's creations and know they have some beautiful inspiration in store for you at the blog that you won't want to miss.  If you're new to Festive Friday, you have about 2 weeks to join in and link up.

Thanks so much for stopping in!

~geri~

Hello, crafty people!!!  Hope this week and this Thursday are treating you well! I'm delighted to share the new FUSION challenge with you today...

What do ya think about THAT???  This time I stuck with the photo inspiration...the floral theme of it...and the striking black/cream combo against the neutral background...

...using a REALLY old floral stamp image and my not-so-old Simon Says 'YOU are loved'.  And then that resin flower...kinda weird...but I really liked it...

...so I kept it!;)  And I know, I know...no yellow...but there was just no where for the yellow to go.  Hope my super creamy, almost golden, flower and the touch of gold glitter counts...it's all I've got!;)  I will say...EVERY OTHER DT member did a wonderful job of incorporating the gold/yellow...there are some BEAUTIFUL cards to inspire you at the blog...I mean REALLY nice ones...DO NOT miss 'em!

OK, so git on over there, (the FUSION blog) and check out all the details, and the amazing inspiration, and then let's see what you've got!!!  And don't forget this...

Precious Remembrance Birthday Blog Hop and Give Away

...and that Festive Friday starts back up THIS WEEK!  YAY!!! ( I've already seen glimpses of beauty there, too!  It's gonna be a great year!)

Thanks so much for stopping in!

~geri~

FUSION Team:

Betty J
Cathy Weber 
Dannielle Robeson
Deepti
Geri Freeman
Julia Aston
Katie Brooks
Kelly Griglione
Kimberly Wiener 

Lyndal Higgins

Lynn Mangan 

Michelle Williams

Michelle Lupton

Sindhu
Stephanie Severin

Yes, today we're celebrating a special birthday!  Precious Remembrance is turning a whopping *2* years old!!! And the sweet creator of it all, Dyane, wants to share some party gifts with YOU!  Each of the designers will be giving away a stamp set to a lucky comment-er, so, including the Precious Remembrance blog...you get six chances to win.  The set I'll be giving away is the Border Tape 1 set...

I used it, along with sentiments from the Mom and Dad set, and a couple others, to create a fun and cheery birthday card in honor of the occasion...

You won't have to look far for more inspiration using this set at the Precious Remembrance blog...It's a recent release.  So what are you waiting for???  Leave your comment here through, Sunday, January 19th, and...either hop to the PR blog to start at the top of the list, or...if you've arrived here from Rosemary's blog...continue on with the lovely and talented Sue Lelli.  (You won't be overwhelmed with visits to make...only 5 stops besides mine!;)

Happy Birthday, Precious Remembrance!!!

Thanks so much for visiting and joining in the fun!

~geri~

Hey, everyone!!! We've survived the blizzard of 2014, I think.  It only gets better from here, starting at 12 or 13 below...they SAY we should get to single digits today and gradually begin the warming process over the next few days.  You won't hear from me this often, once we're back on regular schedules, but for now...we're having one snow day after another, and momma gets to enjoy it, too.

So...today's creations were inspired by several challenges. One being Addicted to CAS and their challenge to use die cuts.  I know some of you who have followed me from early on would have never thought you'd see me in any kind of CAS challenge...but I DO enjoy it these days!!!  So here's the first creation specifically for Addicted to CAS...

...using that 'Wonderful Word: Love' again (PTI).  I do love this new little die.  And I loved pairing it with that sweet little 'you' from my Simon Says 'YOU' set.  Their current Wednesday Challenge, which is about up, is all about something 'new'.  It can be a new anything, not necessarily even products...so while I'm patiently waiting for my order from them, which will include quite an array of fun new goodies, I've combined a little new and a little old on this card, with the new PTI word die, and the older 'you' sentiment, along with the washi snippets from my Precious Remembrance Border Tape 1 set...

And, I'm also focusing on a technique that I've not made a concerted effort to try before, and one that really breathes new life into stamps.  The current PTI MIM challenge is to create a layered image/focal point from a single stamp.  I've done it here with an image from My Favorite Things that I've never used before.  It's from a free set that came with an order from them last year, but I received it after Valentine's Day...so it seems new to me.  I love what fussy-cutting and layering different colors of the same image does for this image...

You can see, I stamped it in 3 different inks, cut it apart, and put it back together.  And here's the fun card I created with it, using cloud dies from PTI...

I tried the technique again with a large heart image from PTI's 'With All My Heart'...

...It really becomes a whole new image when stamped with different inks, cut apart and re-assembled, doesn't it???

That heart was so big and bold, I really wanted to keep the rest of the card CAS.
I think what I'm really loving about CAS is that it can look so totally different each and every time...and I LOVE trying new things!  I appreciate the MIM inspiration, and was glad for the reminder to take some extra time to get the most of my images, too! I appreciate the Addicted to CAS and Simon Says inspiration, also!!!  Thanks to those teams!!!
OK...that's it from me.  Thanks so much for stopping in!  Stay warm, everyone!!!
~geri~

Happy Sunday, Friends!!!  Just getting in on the end of the current MIM challenge at PTI...'Angled Backgrounds'.  This was a fun technique, and I found myself wanting to experiment further each time...so I did...using different focal points along the way. First using PTI's 'Heart Prints', a Studio Calico frame and a hodge-podge of papers...

...I liked that color scheme!  And I was pleased with the results of the added dab of trim.  So then I thought...how about MORE trim (maybe I shouldn't have...maybe less really is more;)...and a totally different color scheme...from Pink Paislee's Color Wash...

...that's PTI's 'Wonderful Words: Love' and the 'YOU' from 'Everyday Happiness'.  And then yet another color scheme using their Kraft pattern pack of paper which I thought was perfect for this technique...

I thought popping up the flower and adding the little banner added a fun touch.

The focal point there is from 'With All My Heart'.
How fun!!!  This technique really grew on me.  And...maybe it would have been different had I not used trim...that added some bulk...but I really felt the need to stitch all those layers down.  I wouldn't have trusted my adhesive, and felt the edges looked nicer when it was all stitched down.

As you can tell by my photos...I rely on natural light...which can definitely be a problem with short cloudy winter days.  Today, my source of light came from this...

I use that corner of my husband's desk and the light from that window for photos...and yes, the blizzard is upon us...although the blowing and drifting hasn't started yet, and the temps have not yet dropped...we still have that to look forward to!;) This shot is from the front door looking across the street...

We already had a pretty decent snow on the ground that had started to melt...I would say about 3" of what you're looking at is the fresh stuff that started overnight!  BUT...We're good to go, I think.  My worrying hubby, whose job relies on schools being open, is in...of all places...HAWAII, visiting the oldest and his new family.  I think it's going to be 84 there today.  As long as my pipes don't freeze during the next night or two...the kids and I will be fine. And I should probably say, as long as I don't lose my internet...I might just go crazy if that happens! LOL I'll be counting on you gals for lots of interesting inspiration over the next week...I'm guessing the kids will remain home from school the entire week, and that we'll be going NOWHERE for the next 3 days at a minimum.  Nothing like togetherness! I am so thankful we're warm and safe, and worry about those who may not be.
Snuggle up tight, everyone!  Thanks so much for stopping by!!!

~geri~

Happy New Year, Everyone!  I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to a fresh new year of crafting! And so is FUSION...we're all ready to go with our first challenge for the new year...

Lots of ways to go here...no matter what your style!  I chose to do a little fusing of the sketch and photo with some old Papertrey Heart Prints...

I was a little liberal with the sketch...

but that's the fun of it, right?

You'll find LOTS of inspiration over at the FUSION blog...we've welcomed some new members to the team...faces that I'm sure will be familiar to you...

Betty J
Cathy Weber 
Dannielle Robeson
Deepti
Geri Freeman
Julia Aston
Katie Brooks
Kelly Griglione
Kimberly Wiener 

Lyndal Higgins

Lynn Mangan 

Michelle Williams

Michelle Lupton

Sindhu
Stephanie Severin

We'd sure love to have you join us for this first challenge of 2014!

Thanks so much for stopping in!

~geri~