Creative Haven

Card: Christmas is coming

2010-11-24T00:00:00.001-05:00

Card: Jolly

2010-11-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

Card: Trimming the tree

2010-11-22T00:00:00.002-05:00

Vintage image shaker card highlight the joy of the season.

Card: Glad tidings

2010-11-21T00:00:00.002-05:00

Santa is on his way with glad tidings on this shaker card.

Card: Holiday home

2010-11-20T00:00:00.001-05:00

Card: The halls are shakin'

2010-11-19T00:00:00.002-05:00

This is a lovely shaker card!

Card: Xmas damask

2010-11-18T00:00:00.001-05:00

Card: Snowflake

2010-11-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

Card: Reindeer dreams

2010-11-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

Card: Merry & Bright

2010-11-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

Card: Christmas 2010

2010-11-14T00:00:00.001-05:00

Card: Merry Christmas

2010-11-13T00:00:00.001-05:00

Card: Sparkle

2010-11-12T17:05:00.000-05:00

Card: Xmas blessings

2010-11-11T17:03:00.000-05:00

Card: Sending you warm wishes

2010-11-10T17:02:00.002-05:00

Mini: Christmas Day!

2010-11-09T00:00:00.002-05:00

Card: Fill the season...

2010-11-08T00:00:00.002-05:00

Card: Perpetual heart

2010-09-04T00:00:00.001-04:00

Scrapbook: Faith

2010-07-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Scrapbook: Girly girl

2010-07-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Card: He loves me...

2010-07-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

Scrapbook: Bliss

2010-07-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Card: Inspirational

2010-07-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Scrapbook: Kismet

2010-07-10T00:00:00.001-04:00

When I found this photo it reminded me of the word Kismet or Fate. Maybe it's the faraway look on her face and the richness of the mehndi applied.

Card: True Friends

2010-06-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

This card began with Teresa Collins' paper quote card and making it pop with additional bling.

Card: Coney Island

2010-06-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

This was a card inspired by my boyfriend's love for Coney Island. Even though I have never been there myself, he has painted such a vivid picture that I can hardly wait for him to show me around.

Card: Live in the moment

2010-06-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

It's my birthday again and my new goal is to embody this message. I will LIVE IN THE MOMENT, since I am not assured any more than that. Life is all in the meaning of each of those moments and how much we achieve in them. Have a wonderful Tuesday!!!

Card: One of a Kind

2010-06-14T00:00:00.002-04:00

Choosing dandelions with the quote made sense to me because they are each one of a kind and fragile. The creative lives of each of us are equally unique. Treasure your uniqueness every day!!!

Card: With love

2010-06-13T00:00:00.002-04:00

In two days I will be celebrating my 43rd birthday. When I look back on my year I am resolved to live the following year with more love toward myself and then to others. You see, I have a problem saying no to people and that has caused me to put myself last. As selfish as it sounds I will be moving away from this phase, but "WITH LOVE"

Card: Grunge Dad

2010-06-12T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: Swirly cupcake

2010-06-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: #1 Dad

2010-06-10T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: Make a wish!

2010-06-09T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: Life is nothing without love

2010-06-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Card: Grease Monkey

2010-06-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Inspired by my handsome boyfriend, Joey, who just happens to be the greatest mechanic ever.

Card: Everyday beauty

2010-06-03T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: You make me smile

2010-06-02T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: Always love you no matter what

2010-06-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Inspired by my handsome boyfriend who makes me happy every day!

Card: Be all you can be

2010-05-31T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: Thinking of You

2010-05-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

Photography: Rose by any other name

2010-05-29T00:00:00.001-04:00

Painting: Colorful Koi

2010-05-28T00:00:00.001-04:00

Altered: Distressed mini mailbox

2010-05-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: Sunset Sympathy

2010-05-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: Birthday wishes

2010-05-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: Getting my groove back!

2010-05-24T21:29:00.006-04:00

I know it has been a long time since I blogged, but my health has been a top priority since late January. I have just recently been able to get my creativity "groove" back. Thanks to all my friends that have checked on me through my tough times.

Stampin' Up! Clear Mount Stamps

2010-01-16T14:36:00.001-05:00

Mini Catalog is here

2010-01-16T14:13:00.003-05:00

Stampin Up has finally joined the clear stamp bandwagon.... The sizzix dies, punches, patterned papers, and embellishments are more vivid than ever.... For more details, click here!

EXTRA! EXTRA! - My new logo

2009-08-13T00:00:00.001-04:00

Card: Blow out the candles

2009-08-12T00:00:00.003-04:00

This was a surprise birthday card for my friend Joycy. She loves pink, green and pretty patterns. I had the rest of our team sign it and they oohed and aahed all day!

Card: Sympathy

2009-08-11T00:00:00.003-04:00

Not many things intimidate me, but the fact that I don't have alot of practice creating sympathy cards made me a little nervous. I researched different sites before decided on this theme. My supervisor commissioned me to create this card for a teammate who had lost his brother. I look forward to all your feedback on this card.

Sneak Peek: Peacock

2009-08-10T00:00:00.004-04:00

This is a detail that inspired the sympathy card I created this week. I have always loved peacock feathers but once I read the meaning behind them it made them even more appropriate. Peacock Feathers have been used for healing for tens of thousands of years in every culture throughout time. According to WikiAnswers: "They are said to carry Spiritual Healing Energy that can be used to assist people seeking balance and harmony in their lives. With the proper guidelines of use, they allow the individual to connect with the Universal Healing Energy and use this energy to heal people of all of their complaints, imbalances and disease."

Scrapbook: Once upon a time...

2009-07-16T00:00:00.003-04:00

This is some more of the inspiration I had referenced before regarding my cousin's wedding photos.

Sneak Peek: Fairy Tale

2009-07-15T00:00:00.003-04:00

To most people the phrase "Once upon a time" brings to mind a fairy tale, and that was my idea as the theme for the scrapbook page to follow tomorrow.

Challenge: 100% Me

2009-07-14T00:00:00.002-04:00

As most scrapbookers have a tendency to do I find myself rarely making layouts about myself. In this instance, I decided to make a mini album (Kaiser Craft - ME tabbed) to do just that.

Card: Perfect delight

2009-07-13T00:00:00.006-04:00

In the SPECIAL category I have always placed vellum. The one used in this card is Stampin'Up vellum cardstock, which means it is thicker and meatier than regular vellum. Once I realized I could use some of the Bigz dies in my cuttlebug i decided to buy the TOP NOTE die (LOVE it!). As you can see in this card I used both the positive and the negative parts of the die with the glittery dot paper.

Sneak Peek: Sheer Love

2009-07-12T00:00:00.003-04:00

This was yet another commissioned card by one of my co-worker. The only direction I was given was "Make it special!".... No pressure, right?

MORE TO COME!

Scrapbook: Smile (Happy BRIDE)

2009-07-11T00:00:00.004-04:00

My goal this year is to create works that will define and broaden my style. This layout was inspired by the breathtaking photos of my cousin, Patricia, on the occasion of her wedding last year. I love to add new elements I have found on the internet... In this layout I added Mark Richards Crystal Clusters, and Colorbok's the SWEET life journaling tag so she can add the top 10 greatest moments in her life.

SNEAK: Pearly goodness

2009-07-10T00:00:00.001-04:00

This element inspired me to create a wonderful bridal layout. It is my first attempt at working with Heidi Swapp's new Invisibles (coated) paper. It's like magic! They are perfectly complimented by Tim Holtz' distress inks.

Stampin Up: NEW catalog

2009-07-09T00:00:00.001-04:00

I have been pretty busy drooling over the new Stampin Up catalog and narrowing down what I wanna order. There are so many new stamp sets, rubons, and bigz dies....OH MY!

Card: Circle celebration

2009-06-19T00:00:00.003-04:00

Whenever I create a card I like using different products that work together well... In this card I included Modern Dot turquoise paper (Creative Imaginations), Gaffer tape (7Gypsies), Hoppy Memories Simply Scrappin border stickers (Stampin' Up), and Zinnia patterned paper/Epoxy sticker (Little Yellow Bicycle).

Card: Be Subtle

2009-06-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

When I looked closely at one of my 7Gypsies gaffer tapes I knew I wanted to use it. The butterfly is a dimensional sticker by Debbie Mumm for Creative Imaginations.

Birthday wishes!

2009-06-15T00:25:00.004-04:00

Where does the time go???? I remember when it seemed like an ice age before my birthday came along, but recently everything seems to be on fast forward. Anyway, this year I decided to treat myself to more than one day off for my birthday. I know the economy is in a slump and all, but I see it this way I am getting paid for part of my days off and if I can't treat MYSELF who's going to. My dad, stepmother, and brother took me out to the KNIFE restaurant yesterday and I had a blast. Of course the obligatory loud display at the restaurant had to happen. Once a year is allowed! - I will post a layout of the embarassing event soon, LOL

P.S.: The cake was DELICIOUS!

Challenge: Got Sketch Butterfly

2009-06-14T00:00:00.006-04:00

My dear friend Melina has always been there for me.... and this week she invited me to do an online challenge with her. It gave a nice kick in the pants I did not know I needed. The sketch was from Got Sketch. As far as the sentiment I could not come up with one that I liked.

Card: Happy Day

2009-06-13T00:00:00.003-04:00

You know how sometimes you just need a multi-purpose card??? Well, this was my reason behind creating this colorful card.

Card: Graduation 2009

2009-06-12T00:00:00.003-04:00

You know time has flown by when someone you feel is still your "little" niece graduates from high school. Yes, it happened and I almost started bawling when I saw her walk on the stage to pick up her diploma. Where did the time go?... It seemed like just yesterday when I was bawling at her elementary school graduation, LOL!

Card: Thanks Dougie!

2009-06-11T00:00:00.003-04:00

My brother has been through a very hard time this year, and our friend Doug has really been there for him. When my brother asked for a card I knew exactly what the theme would be. You see Doug and I share a passion for the GATORS. I re-purposed a temporary tattoo i had stored for a rainy day. It was a breeze since I had some watercolor paper and a water brush (just like buttah! LOL). The polka dotted tape is by Stemma....The paper and rubon (chitchat) was Stampin Up.

Sneak Peek: Thanks for being there

2009-06-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

This is a sneak peek for a good friend who has really been a lifesaver this year.

Card: Sew classy birthday

2009-06-09T00:00:00.005-04:00

Luck has been my friend lately, and never so clearly as when I was commissioned to create this special birthday card for a coworker. Veronica's mother is a creative seamstress and when I heard that I knew what products I wanted to use. Donna Salazar has been an inspiration to me for a long time and I have been saving one of the camo flowers I purchased at her etsy shop for this special card. Her work at Prima and through her career gives me hope that I can achieve whatever I want. The paper was Stampin Up kraft cardstock & ribbon, as well as Basic Grey (Bittersweet, Porcelain). The embellishments are Me&My Big ideas (MAMBI) puffy flourishes and Fashion District butterfly. A Prima fleur vintage style flower capped with Say it in Crystals is the cherry on the cake. It was loads of fun to create and Veronica said her mother loved it... I am a happy camper

Scrapbook: Princess Francesca

2009-06-08T00:00:00.002-04:00

May brought a lovely blessing to my cousin Lisette Crepeaux' family.... A lovely new baby named Francesca

This page was created with Stampin Up's new love sparkles simply scrappin', Prima's sugar coated chipboard and Say it in crystals.

For some more info on awesome products, click here

Sneak Peek: Love sparkles

2009-05-28T00:00:00.002-04:00

Inspired by the latest addition to my cousin, Lisette's, family

Stampin' Up!'s Window Sheets

2009-05-24T17:15:00.001-04:00

Card: Happiness is....

2009-05-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

Happiness to me is a classy birthday card created for a very special person.

Assignment: Black & Yellow

2009-05-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

In this sneak peek of a recent assignment I created a unique birthday card using the person's favorite colors (Black & Yellow). The challenge for me was having it look classy without looking like an ornate bumble bee.

More to come!!!

Card: Cherish/Dream/Live

2009-05-13T00:00:00.001-04:00

This quote SO describes my outlook on life right now!

Sneak Peek: Cherished embellies

2009-05-12T00:00:00.003-04:00

This is a sneak peek of a card I made after my latest trip to Michaels. I fell in love with this embellishments by Autumn Leaves (Pretty Poppies).

Card: Dog-gone cute card!

2009-05-11T00:00:00.002-04:00

This was a commissioned birthday card.....and it's the biggest I have ever done (8x9). I used embellishments by Autumn Leaves (Pretty Poppies) and Stampin Up rubons.

Card: Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T17:02:00.003-04:00

My favorite Prima flowers make an appearance in this Mother's Day card. The background was created with K and Co QUE SERA SERA Silhouettes on Stampin Up kraft cardstock.

Stay TUNED!

2009-05-02T00:09:00.002-04:00

Some awesome cards and scrapbook pages coming soon.... Please pardon the delay, due to the fact my "weekend" was spent sans internet connectivity

Thanks for your patience!

Scrapbook: Extreme Dude

2009-04-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

This page I wanted to speak for itself.... To be FRESH, FUNKY and YOUNG!

The fact that the photos are of my hunky cousin ....makes the page even more special to me

Scrapbook: Beautiful Bride

2009-04-23T00:00:00.001-04:00

I apologize in advance for the quality of the photo. I have been having some camera issues I am still sorting out. I wanted to feature some of my cousin's wedding photos. She is a beautiful person inside and out.

Once I saw her wedding bouquet it brought to mind Tim Holtz vibrant Spiced Marmalade Distress ink. To bring out the metallic accents in the background i added Stampin Up bronze metallic paper which was so much fun to use.

Wedding Photography by: Michelle Maunier

Scrapbook: KI Memories detail

2009-04-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

A small detail of the KI Memories journal lace cardstock I used to embellish a surfing themed page. More details to come!

Stampin Up: Spiced Marmalade flower detail

2009-04-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

This is an embellishment I created for a very beautiful wedding page. I embossed photo paper with the SU Manhattan Flower impressions die. To bring out the detail in the paper I brushed it with Tim Holtz distress inks (Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick).

Card: Plaid is the new black

2009-04-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

This is a multi-purpose card that came about when I saw a snippet of this wonderful plaid paper. I embellished it with the new SU butterfly cut out of vellum cardstock and Cuttlebug's swiss dots embossing folder.

Stampin Up: Hearts galore

2009-04-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

As a considerable addition to my die cut connection .... I loved these SU sizzlit heart dies. More to come!!!

(Details: 2-1/4" x 2-1/2″■ 4-pack of dies)

Card: Thanks 4 everything

2009-04-18T00:00:00.003-04:00

As promised, this is one of the cards I created using the new SU butterfly die. One of the butterflies was actually embellished with the Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder prior to die cutting and with buttons from SU's Button Bouquet. The yellow paper was embossed with the SU Manhattan Flower impressions die pictured below. The card is SU Kraft paper, and cork paper for added texture.

Stampin Up: Shelli's Signature Die - Butterfly

2009-04-17T00:00:00.002-04:00

When I saw this Bigz die in the catalog I knew I had to have it, and the fact that I was able to use it with my Cuttlebug was a bonus. I will be adding a few of the cards I created using this die.

(Details: 5-1/2″ x 6″■ Rule-based die which can cut up to 50 different materials■ Fold paper and align with the side of the butterfly for an even bigger image)

Card: So-owl

2009-04-05T00:00:00.002-04:00

A little whimsy as a thank you card.... featuring the new Bright Delights (SU) rubons

Card: Welcome, little one!

2009-04-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Inspired by the intro to the Partridge family.....

Card: Always dandelions

2009-04-03T00:00:00.002-04:00

I am in love with these new window sheets from Stampin Up.... I embellished this card with pearls from the Pretties kit, and a rubon from the Chateau Bella pack. The rubon went on just like buttah!

Stampin Up: Butterfly love

2009-03-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

All of you who know me know I'm a butterfly collector and this is an awesome addition to the awesome stamps out there.

COMING SOON - Occasions Mini

04.01.09

More info: http://www.alexandramartinez.stampinup.net

Stampin Up: Occasions Mini - NEW!!!

2009-03-30T00:00:00.004-04:00

Stampin Up is bringing forward a NEW product that I am so excited about. They will be available in 12x12 medium and thick window sheets (perfect for rubons and stamping) and the above printed window version.

COMING SOON

04.01.09

More info: http://www.alexandramartinez.stampinup.net

Card: Pinstripes

2009-03-29T00:00:00.001-04:00

Stampin Up: Sense of time

2009-03-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

Stampin Up is launching some gorgeous stamps that I thought you would want to see. SENSE OF TIME will be available in the Stampin Up Occasions mini catalog.

COMING SOON

04.01.09

More info: http://www.alexandramartinez.stampinup.net

Card: A Laugh is....

2009-03-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

When I saw this flocked paper I fell in love with it!

Stampin Up: NEW stamps

2009-03-25T17:00:00.003-04:00

Once I saw this new stamp set the Disney-addict in me just thought BAMBI, Yay!!!!

COMING SOON - Occasions Mini catalog

04.01.09

More info: http://www.alexandramartinez.stampinup.net

Card: Whimsical card

2009-03-15T18:01:00.001-04:00

The sentiment on the sticker made me smile and I chose a whimsical color combination to go with it.

I'm BAAAAAACK!

2009-03-01T03:21:00.003-05:00

This is a belated Valentine's Day card to all..... I used one of the new Stampin Up stamps on watercolor paper, because I decided i wanted to try my hand at watercoloring one more time. Still needs work but I like the freedom of working with a water brush.....

Altered: Dragonfly pendant

2009-01-16T00:01:00.002-05:00

Pendant created with Styled Silver hodgepodge hardware (SU) and Heidi Swapp chandelier crystals.

Sneak Peek: crystal flower

2009-01-15T00:01:00.003-05:00