Amanda's Crafting Adventures

My Hubby and I just celebrated our 5th Anniversary!

2010-12-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we have actually been together for almost ten year now! And we have two amazing daughters!

Most recent projects

2010-12-04T13:20:00.001-08:00

Projects * EnJoY!

2010-12-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

We put our tree up this week!

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Been almost two years since I posted anything!

2010-12-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have a lot to catch up on.

I was working as an Assistant Manager at Holiday Kennels in Kent, WA. But I was laid off in October, 2010. Just been taking care of my wonderful lil monsters. They are now 2 1/5 and 4 1/2.

I was also in a car accident that totalled our family car and we have no means of transportation.

I wanted to leave a link to my girls wishlists for x-mas.

We signed up on AMAZON.com
Hannah's
http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/1BBDF3I8TRW77/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go
Paris's
http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/2J2J1O1KZCR59/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go

Blog again soon!

My baby Paris is all grown up!

2008-09-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

She grew up so fast!

She turned two on August 9th and she is speaking in sentences!!!

Hannah is Here!

2008-09-06T23:29:00.001-07:00

Hannah Jolee was born July 5th 2008 at 4:58pm. It was super easy and I went home the next day. She weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces. Here are some pictures.

Paris Charms

2008-09-06T23:25:00.000-07:00

I have been in Elma for a week or so and I got a chance to hang out with my crafty cousin. She had a great idea to get my daughter Paris to put her hand prints on shrink plastic so we can make charms out of her own handprints.....This is the picture of the end result....Paris thought it was so great mommy was getting ink all over her hands and I think she had a lot of fun. I am going to send two of the charms to her grandmas.

Only Two Months Left

2008-05-07T22:01:00.001-07:00

I am due July 8th!!! I only have two months left....I am getting big and I feel great.....Gained a lil weight and the baby is super healthy......Paris still doesnt really know whats coming but we talk to her about it a lot and she loves my friends newborn babies........so cross our fingers it works out having two....HEHE.......Here is a pic of me recently....

Altered Book Class

2008-05-07T21:57:00.001-07:00

I am taking a two part Altered Book Class and the first class was today.....The instructor was great and she had a lot of ideas...she gave us books to use for our project and she showed us materials we use in our everyday lives that are great for adding to our books...etc.....I have two ideas for books...I want to make one for Paris that is all about trucks and another all about sisters......these will be mostly display only books but i will let her see them often......I cant wait to make them......Here is a picture from the lecture today....Next week we get to make our books....

Paris is growing up beautifully!

2008-03-07T22:41:00.000-08:00

She loves her sunglasses! Those ones are actually mine, she has her own......She can say a lot of things now and walks up to our 3rd floor apartment very nicely....Stairs used to be impossible. She is now 19 months old and will be 2 years old a month after the baby gets here....

5 1/2 Months pregnant!

2008-03-07T22:38:00.000-08:00

So I kinda look like I am pushing my tummy out, i didnt mean to do that LOL......But u get the jist, i am showing LOL

We are having a little girl. Hannah Jolee...She is due July 8th and doing very well......

Itty Bitty Art Chix Swap

2008-03-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

A while ago I participated in a Swap through our yahoo Artchix Studio group.....I received my swap items in the mail and also received the collages of all our artwork put together.....You can even purchase these sheets at artchixstudio.com.

Wonderful Christmas Present!

2008-03-07T22:21:00.000-08:00

For Christmas my wonderful Creative cousin Michelle Johnson made me a scrapbook for my daughter.....Its purple and amazing!!

3 1/2 months pregnant....

2008-01-05T21:44:00.001-08:00

Things are going great.....I have to get back into the swing of things and start making stuff.

I hope everyone had a great New Year and Holiday!

I am pregnant!

2007-12-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

We are a little over 2 months pregnant...and I already look pregnant...Bummer. LOL

We started trying to get pregnant and about a week later we found out we were prego.....A bit overwhelming but a blessing!

2nd Anniversary

2007-12-02T10:54:00.001-08:00

My hubby got me beautiful pink roses and a teddy for our anniversary....

My work was posted on ArtChix Studio!

2007-11-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

http://www.artchixstudio.com/mall/ac105.asp

Here is the link....The page contains the things you can buy from ArtChix and after you view them you see my work as an example of what you can do with them!

This is super cool!

Artchix Matchboxes

2007-10-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

I used some artchix images and embellishments to decorate some matchboxes and I love them. I emailed them to Helga, who created Artchix Studio and she wants to post her favorites on the website next month. I was very honored! Here they are!

Fiber Festival!

2007-10-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

I went to the Fiber Festival where my cousin Michelle was selling her handmade items and also had her espresso stand outside.....There were lots of vendors there selling fiber arts, jewelry, jams, quilts, candy, handmade soaps and other misc. I had fun and here are a few things I bought, it was great for christmas shoppin. There is a needle felted santa...very cute....Some charms...my cousin makes them....and found the most amazing Jelly there....At the festival I bought a small jar of garlic rosemary jelly...I was curious to see what it tasted like on chicken and bread....So I found out I am the best cook, not really the jelly just makes me look like I know what i am doing.....I love this jelly....So i emailed the seller and I bought these three jars!!!! I recommend buying these jellies for cooking......It makes your house smell so great and even though you are cooking with garlic, basil and rosemary....it still makes the chicken taste sweet and its very juicy!!! Contact Mrs. Rydman at rydman@ techline.com. She is located in Aberdeen, WA.

Mail Call!

2007-10-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

So I ordered some things off of Etsy.com.....That is such a bad site for me to be on....I want everything!!! Here are a few of the things I got.......

Paris is growing so fast!

2007-10-05T22:45:00.001-07:00

Paris is so entertaining...We just love her so much! We fight over who gets to pick her up from daycare, she is so happy to see us...LOL. She is learning to talk....she moves her new room...She is pretty much spoiled by her grandparents....she loves to make her goofy smile....She is growing up so fast!

Finally I'm Back!

2007-10-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

I have been super busy working and being mom and moving into our new place but I finally got a night of peace and I caught up on my swaps.....Tell me what you think.

The book is for a Fun Fall Fat Book Swap......The matchbox is for a simple Pink and Black Matchbox swap.....

We Have Kittens!

2007-10-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

We recently moved into a new apartment and we love it. But our cats have been staying with my sister until we were settled into our own place. So when we moved into our place we got to bring out cats with us, my sister was very excited to let us take them...she doesnt like cats....Well I realised Precious was pretty fat.....Turns out she had just less than 2 weeks left before she gave birth.....She had 4 kittens! It was a fast easy delivery and the kittens are all doing well.....

Fair, Paris turned 1, new jobs, no time for crafts!

2007-08-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

Its been super crazy around here still. I have done one thing....I did an oil pastel drawing for a friend. LOL....its my first no laughing k? tell me what you think of it....Paris swallowed a penny and it was stuck in her throat...so we took her to the emergency room and they took xrays......then paris was transferred by ambulance to childrens hospital in tacoma where they put her to sleep after they gave her an iv and went in to get the penny out....it was a horrible experience but she is fine......there is a pic above with her still in her gown from the hospital

Paris had three bday parties.....she turned 1...and she has a temper to add on top of things.....I am still working and Jay is working a lot...We went to the fair in Elma WA on the 8th of August...We got some portraits done of Paris the beginning of July.....We are still looking for apartments....we found some very cheap and nice ones.....we hope to move into one in two months.....Hmm what else is new.....Just a lot of things happening in our extended family.....its stessful.....I hope to have some time soon to be crafty....I have dust on some of my things LOL

I did finish a book that was made out of paper bags and my partner loved it!!!! That I have been working on for a few months now.....well here are some pics......Talk soon!

2007-08-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

These are the Things With Wings ATCs I made for a swap on Swap-Bot. I had a lot of fun....Well lately I havent had a lot of time to make new exciting things....I am working as an instructor/cashier at Michaels and I do data entry at a Brain and Spine Clinic...Paris is in daycare and Jay starts his new job on monday....Things are kinda crazy...But I did have time to finish a few projects for the Grays Harbor Country Fair. I am even entering some photos into the fair....I hope I do well...Well I do hope everyone is having a great time crafting.

Catching up

2007-07-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

Well I havent had much time to post but I do intend to catch up...My friend Carol and I are going to try painting. I chose for her to paint this cafe print for me....she feels pretty confident with it...and i dont know what i am painting for her yet...i made the matchboxes for swaps....black and white swap and a words of wisdom swap......the ATCs are for an Adutls only swap.....I have had a lot of fun making things but I also moved and started two new jobs.....And this month looks just as busy so i will try!

Fairy matchbox theme swap

2007-07-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

I LOVE SWAPS!

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HERE ARE A FEW THINGS I HAVE RECEIVED LATELY FROM SWAPS...I LOVE IT ALL!

Almost finished!!

2007-07-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

As you know I have been working on 200 matchboxes for a friends wedding. They will be used as wedding favors.....Take a look.....its been a long project...

Stampin' Up Party

2007-07-11T00:41:00.000-07:00

So I finally got my blog posted for the party.....sorry Arline, I haven't got the blog posted for the cards we made together..i will soon!

It was so much fun teaching a new technique and seeing everyone's finished cards. I think it was a success!
Since the catalog came out just days before the party it was perfect timing for a party!

So Sweet!

2007-06-28T00:58:00.000-07:00

This is the matchbox I received from Natasha's Shabby Chic Matchbox Swap! I had seen it on Michele's page and was admiring her work and when i received it for the swap I was so thrilled!! I just love the paper too! This was a great swap!

Finished charms!

2007-06-25T01:36:00.000-07:00

I made a few charms a while ago and i finally finished them! What do u think!

An Inconvenient truth!

2007-06-24T00:58:00.000-07:00

An Inconvenient Truth
BY ROGER EBERT / June 2, 2006
Cast & CreditsParamount Classics presents a documentary featuring Al Gore. Directed by Davis Guggenheim. Running time: 100 minutes. Rated PG (for mild thematic elements).
I want to write this review so every reader will begin it and finish it. I am a liberal, but I do not intend this as a review reflecting any kind of politics. It reflects the truth as I understand it, and it represents, I believe, agreement among the world's experts.
Global warming is real.
It is caused by human activity.
Mankind and its governments must begin immediate action to halt and reverse it.
If we do nothing, in about 10 years the planet may reach a "tipping point" and begin a slide toward destruction of our civilization and most of the other species on this planet.
After that point is reached, it would be too late for any action.
These facts are stated by Al Gore in the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Forget he ever ran for office. Consider him a concerned man speaking out on the approaching crisis. "There is no controversy about these facts," he says in the film. "Out of 925 recent articles in peer-review scientific journals about global warming, there was no disagreement. Zero."
He stands on a stage before a vast screen, in front of an audience. The documentary is based on a speech he has been developing for six years, and is supported by dramatic visuals. He shows the famous photograph "Earthrise," taken from space by the first American astronauts. Then he shows a series of later space photographs, clearly indicating that glaciers and lakes are shrinking, snows are melting, shorelines are retreating.
He provides statistics: The 10 warmest years in history were in the last 14 years. Last year South America experienced its first hurricane. Japan and the Pacific are setting records for typhoons. Hurricane Katrina passed over Florida, doubled back over the Gulf, picked up strength from unusually warm Gulf waters, and went from Category 3 to Category 5. There are changes in the Gulf Stream and the jet stream. Cores of polar ice show that carbon dioxide is much, much higher than ever before in a quarter of a million years. It was once thought that such things went in cycles. Gore stands in front of a graph showing the ups and downs of carbon dioxide over the centuries. Yes, there is a cyclical pattern. Then, in recent years, the graph turns up and keeps going up, higher and higher, off the chart.
The primary man-made cause of global warming is the burning of fossil fuels. We are taking energy stored over hundreds of millions of years in the form of coal, gas and oil, and releasing it suddenly. This causes global warming, and there is a pass-along effect. Since glaciers and snow reflect sunlight but sea water absorbs it, the more the ice melts, the more of the sun's energy is retained by the sea.
Gore says that although there is "100 percent agreement" among scientists, a database search of newspaper and magazine articles shows that 57 percent question the fact of global warming, while 43 percent support it. These figures are the result, he says, of a disinformation campaign started in the 1990s by the energy industries to "reposition global warming as a debate." It is the same strategy used for years by the defenders of tobacco. My father was a Luckys smoker who died of lung cancer in 1960, and 20 years later it was still "debatable" that there was a link between smoking and lung cancer. Now we are talking about the death of the future, starting in the lives of those now living.
"The world won't 'end' overnight in 10 years," Gore says. "But a point will have been passed, and there will be an irreversible slide into destruction."
In England, Sir James Lovelock, the scientist who proposed the Gaia hypothesis (that the planet functions like a living organism), has published a new book saying that in 100 years mankind will be reduced to "a few breeding couples at the Poles." Gore thinks "that's too pessimistic. We can turn this around just as we reversed the hole in the ozone layer. But it takes action right now, and politicians in every nation must have the courage to do what is necessary. It is not a political issue. It is a moral issue."
When I said I was going to a press screening of "An Inconvenient Truth," a friend said, "Al Gore talking about the environment! Bor...ing!" This is not a boring film. The director, Davis Guggenheim, uses words, images and Gore's concise litany of facts to build a film that is fascinating and relentless. In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to.
Am I acting as an advocate in this review? Yes, I am. I believe that to be "impartial" and "balanced" on global warming means one must take a position like Gore's. There is no other view that can be defended. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Environment Committee, has said, "Global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." I hope he takes his job seriously enough to see this film. I think he has a responsibility to do that.
What can we do? Switch to and encourage the development of alternative energy sources: Solar, wind, tidal, and, yes, nuclear. Move quickly toward hybrid and electric cars. Pour money into public transit, and subsidize the fares. Save energy in our houses. I did a funny thing when I came home after seeing "An Inconvenient Truth." I went around the house turning off the lights.

go to stopglobalwarming.org to see a lil bit of the movie

Global Warming Crisis

2007-06-24T00:18:00.000-07:00

I won't normally post things that aren't related to my crafting life....But I think our world and the future of our world is super important to post about. I want to have another child....but how can i bring him/her into a world that is in a severe crisis......well here are some small things we can do to help global warming stop.
Go to liveearth.org for more details and how you can help spread the truth about Global warming.

Please read these things you can easily do every day to help save our planet...I copy and pasted each of them for you to read. A lot of people are ignoring this ugly truth about what we are doing to our planet. But can u imagine our children, or children's children not having a safe place to live because we were to lazy to do one simple thing?

Live Earth Climate Crisis Solution:

By planting trees, you can reduce home cooling costs by as much as 50%and grow yourself a little shade on a warm summer day.

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) last up to 10 times longer than traditional bulbs and use only a fraction of the energy, saving you money over their lifespan.

You can make 20 new cans from recycled material with the same energy it takes to make 1 from scratch.

Wash your clothes in cold water and save yourself up to $400 a year in bills.

Every ton of recycled paper saves enough electricity to power a 3 bedroom house for an entire year.

1.5 million tons of plastic are used to make bottles every year, a waste that could instead power electricity in 250,000 homes.

If just 1 million people cut down their trash by 10%, we could reduce our yearly CO2 emissions by as much as 50,000 tons.

Consider bamboo the next time you’re landscaping your yard; bamboo stores more CO2 and generates 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees.

Computers use up to 70% less electricity when you put them to sleep instead of using a screensaver.

Paper represents more than 70% of office waste. Print and copy on both sides of the page before taking it to the recycling bin.

Globally, we use as many as 1 million new plastic bags every MINUTE at a cost of 2.2 billion gallons of oil a year. Go reusable whenever, wherever.

A 100-guestroom hotel can save an estimated 72,000 gallons of water a year through a linen and towel reuse program. You don’t wash your towel everyday at home, do you?

Purchasing 100% post-consumer recycled paper lightens your carbon footprint by 5 pounds of CO2 per ream.

If just 1 million people replaced a 5 mile car trip once a week with a bike ride, we could reduce CO2 emissions by about 100,000 tons a year.

I hope you consider doing at least one of these things, every little bit helps.

First 6 for the wedding.....

2007-06-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

New Stuff

2007-06-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by a blog I saw today and I made some ATCs....

Shabby Chic Matchbox Swap

2007-06-16T20:30:00.001-07:00

Here are the matchboxes I made for the swap....It was so fun, I made two more, but I sent those out before I took the picture, typical Amanda thing to do. I am now making 150 wedding favors that are matchboxes, purple, pink and creme.....I went to the store to buy 200 of them and I did, but I bought the books, not the boxes, once again typical Amanda thing to do.....Tell me what you think of my boxes, its my first time, dont be harsh LOL

I got my BOX!!

2007-06-14T18:50:00.001-07:00

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

In an earlier post I showed of the box I made for my partner, well today i received my box!!

Crayon Resist

2007-06-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

I learned about another way to make those cute cards Susan Wright showed us at the Stampin' Up meeting. U use crayons instead of a metallic pencil to outline your images. So here are the ones I made, I am ordering a flower stamp of some kind this week so we can use a flower on our cards we make at the July party.

Polymer clay charms.

2007-06-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Well I have never made any charms that actually have been used...or given away....They all need to be made into actual charms, with wire, fibers, what not. But when i made the ATC I had a few extra little pieces of the clay so I made some charms. What do u think of these?

Translucent ATC

2007-06-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

One of the ATC below is made of translucent polymer clay. I went ahead and tried it, although my cards turned out a lot thicker than the example, I still like them. What do you think?

Michelle's ATC Swap

2007-06-13T22:47:00.000-07:00

Here are the cards I got from the swap.....

Altered Playing Cards SWAP

2007-06-10T18:01:00.001-07:00

Here is my first attempt at altering playing cards. I need feedback, good and bad!

Downline Meeting

2007-06-09T01:11:00.000-07:00

Stampin' Up encourages their demonstrators to get together and share ideas. I finally made it to a meeting. Arline and I learned a lot from Susan, who recruited Arline. She shared with us a new technique that I will be showing at my next party...It's called metallic resist. The purple card is an example of the metallic resist. The other card is just a simple little make and take from Susan's. The last two are ones i made earlier in the year. I learned how important it is to have current stamps, not retired ones, and that keeping in close contact with my customers can really help sales. This is all new to me, I just like to make cards! And other lil goofy things! I hope you enjoy the cards, there will be more!

2007-06-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

Ok so my first blog post was some keychains of fishes. Kinda weird but i had this great idea. To make them into things you hang on your purse that show off your creative talents, your interests, etc So here is what I made....Take a look and scroll down to what they used to look like.....

2007-06-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here are a few scrapbook pages. I made Paris 6 scrapbooks for her first year of life. I went a little overboard but I wanted to capture every moment.

Box full of Embellishments SWAP

2007-06-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

So I am all done! This was an international swap, and only 4 people signed up. Me, my mom, a woman from France and a woman from Australia. So exciting! So I am sending my box to France, but I am receiving a box from Australia, click here to see the ladies website and the actual box she made me, http://www.natashaburns.blogspot.com/ she made amazing things. So everyone pretty much had to make the same sized box and the same design, there were instructions thank goodness. I filled my box with brads, eyelets, things i cut from the cricut, the sizzix, fibers, ribbons, chipboard pieces, tags, and more. I love the way the box turned out and I had never made anything like this before. The next swap I am doing is an altered Playing Card swap!

A few projects

2007-05-31T16:09:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a few books, the one in the middle is a matchbook...They were fun and a change from making cards.

The last of the trading cards from the Swap

2007-05-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

I received ATCs from Puerto Rico and Qatar (by Iran)....I love doing these swaps! Here are a few more plus a few I made....

A few more trading cards...

2007-05-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some random cards I made.....

Up Close...ATCs for Michelle's Swap

2007-05-21T20:35:00.003-07:00

These are the cards I made for Michelle's ATC swap, go to www.craftedby.us for details about the swap if you are interested.

New Cards

2007-05-20T18:30:00.001-07:00

Ok So I tend to make cards with too much on them....Sometimes I rush when i make cards and I don't really like what I have made.

Also, Stampin' Up has a certain clean cut, classy, organized way of making cards and I have been struggling to make my cards similar to their examples. The cards I was making before just weren't doing the rubber stamps justice.

So here is my first shot at REAL Stampin' Up cards. I hope you like them......

I will continue to learn the best ways to put together a card.

New Ideas....

2007-05-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

I found these playing cards at a garage sale and I plan on using them to make ATC's. The containers will be nice to store the cards in too. These were a great find! I have to thank Cindy for giving me the idea to use the cards. Then I found those fish tags on a keychain. I had to buy them all because they could be used as a mini ATC on a keychain. This is a new idea and I don't even know how it will work. Maybe it will just end up being a neat keychain for all my crafty lady friends. We'll see. I will post my end project later.

First Ever SWAP Artist Trading Cards

2007-05-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

Here are the first Artist Trading Cards I received from my most recent swap. I have three more sets of 5 on their way. I love seeing all the different techniques! One card was even made with playing cards.

Cardmaking Meetings!

2007-05-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

I am a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, my name is Amanda Westgard and I have put together a Stampin'/Cardmaking meeting twice a month in Elma. It costs five dollars to attend both meetings. So five dollars a month but that is only to cover supplies. There will be drawings held, snacks, lots of new ideas, we will make 2 or 3 cards at each meeting. If you have new ideas or techniques you are also welcome to share them with the group. Everyone is invited, beginners to advanced papercrafters are welcome.

I used to work at Micheals Arts and Crafts store in Aberdeen but since it's been closed I have become part of the Stampin' Up Community.
Feel free to email me at duggly2@hotmail.com for more information.

If you just want to host a party send me a message and I will get back to you promptly.

Visiting Arline

2007-05-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first blog so bare with me.

I created this blog so I could update my progress in my Stampin Up business and my creative adventures.

So I recently visited my Stampin Up recruiter Arline. She and I met at the Holiday Bazaar at the Elma Fairgrounds and after seeing her wonderful work I wanted to become a demonstrator too. I have been a demonstrator since January 2007 and I hadn't seen Arline since then. Finally I made it to her house and for a few hours we got to catch up on the new techniques, stamps, and projects. I had a blast and I can't wait to go again.

The card I posted at the top was one of my favorite Arline showed me. The large flower stamp is going to be the next stamp I purchase from Stampin UP.