Playing in Leaves Card

Here's a sneak at my next card *and* next layout. I wanted to show a boy bear playing in a pile of leaves whilst mom/dad is raking. I remember doing that as a child! The card inside isn't completed yet, but it will be layers and leaves and such. The layout probably won't be up for two weeks due to a long weekend away.

I'll add another leaf or two near his left paw, I think. How do *you* like it?

Shopping, On- and "Off"-line.

We made the 2-hour drive to Joann's and Costco yesterday. Joann's is a Superstore and a real treat when I can get up there.Loose papers (regularly 59¢) were on sale 5/$1. I picked an armful, including Core'dinations. I've never used them and am always in search of solid core cardstocks, so this will be fun.

I spend a lot of time poking around online shops and, as a result, am really shocked at the high prices in my local Michaels. What are they thinking? I *had* to have Imaginisce's Twitterpated "Hey Foxy" paper, so I bought one at $1.99... (and never used it). Now that I have an idea for it I found it online for half the price. *sigh* What *is* Michael's thinking?

Speaking of online buying, I want to give a shout-out to a few favorite shops.

The Beary Scrap is where I get mulberry paper. Kimm is a very sweet lady and offered tons of great advice when I started making bears. I am indebted to her. She currently has a ton of new papers in the shop, and is having great sales in her eBay store.

I found a great selection of great quality metal findings at Accent Factory on eBay. I compared a few sellers and found that Accent Factory has the best quality *and* the best pricing.They are great to work with!

Lunagirl Images has a mouth-watering selection of Victorian and Vintage images.

So, where do *you* find the best deals? Do you have a favorite for metal embellishments? I'm always on the lookout for shops with a wide selection of charms and such, and would appreciate your share!

Oh, and Costco was dangerous as always. Husband and I have fun shopping Costco together, but we do get in trouble while we're there! :)

Off to play. Have a great Sunday!

New Layout - On Ebay Tomorrow!

Here's my newest layout. I wanted to create a backyard feel, and I think I succeeded! Everything except the birdhouse and leaves on flowers are hand made. The fence is shadowed with Prismacolor pencils and OMS. The tree is layered and edges are inked. I shaded in the tree trunk with Prismacolor, too.

The birdhouse is from the Cricut "Stretch Your Imagination" cartridge, and the leaves are a Martha Stewart punch and another cartridge (I can't remember at the moment). The bird is hand cut, but is inspired by a Cricut cartridge I don't have... yet. :)

The auction goes "live" tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Birthday Card for Courtney

My dear sister-in-law had a birthday last week. Here is the card I sent: