Oh How I Missed Scrapbooking!

My scrap pages have been on a bit of a hiatus - ok a pretty long hiatus, four years to be exact. I have so many pictures I just felt overwhelmed at where to start. But I LOVE these pictures of our daughter and wanted to get them scrapped before they were forgotten about.

Last month I ordered some colors of cardstock that I was a little unsure of until I actually got them in my hands. I knew they were perfect. Her pics were done in color and black & white, and I really liked the B&W the best, but I wanted the rest of the page to have that WOW factor, and these colors were perfect!

After finishing this page, I was REALLY happy with it! I entered it into the PTI Guest Star Stamper contest. Although I didn't win (insert sigh) I did get an Honorable Mention from Nichole Heady, which is huge in the paper crafting world! I haven't entered in quite some time, so it felt really good to be recognized.

Here are some of the details, lots of glitter on the flourishes and on the flowers. I cut the flowers, the flourishes, and the letters for the title with my Making Memories Slice, which my hubby bought me for Christmas - LOVE that thing!
The journaling tag is hidden behind the main picture...

The Damask patterns are embossed with white EP. I really like doing the little ribbon effect with the sewing machine. I need to do that more on my cards too.

Sadly, I have had to pack a lot of my craft supplies, well mostly paper and miscellaneous things that don't get a whole lot of use - but even that was hard. My husband looked at the space yesterday and laughed because he could actually see the top of my desk :D. You just never know what your gonna need - KWIM? I couldn't pack any of my stamps away, I tried, just wasn't gonna happen!

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the detail from my scrap page. I had so much fun putting it together. This was the first project in a long time that I didn't even have to ask my husband for his opinion. He came home from work, saw the page and said "WOW, that looks AWESOME!" That makes a girl happy!

Well, I am off to start New Moon. I finished Twilight last night and read it in three days, which is so not like me. It is seriously as good as everyone said it was.

Have a great night and as always thanks for stopping by!

Time Is Flying!!!

I can't believe I haven't updated my blog since it snowed. Although we have been having mixed weather around here (one day 60, next day 30), I don't expect anymore of that fluffy white stuff - So SAD :(

Well, I have a few things to share today to participate in the Papertrey Blog Hop once again! It always helps get me out of a creative funk. I have been so busy packing and volunteering that I haven't made time for my craft therapy :D! One fun thing (quite honestly there are many) that comes out of volunteering is that the ladies at the home are teaching me how to knit; now I just can't wait to actually complete something - LOL!

So, the challenge for the PTI Blog Hop was to create a background with stamps. I made a few cards to showcase some of my favorite stamp sets for backgrounds.

The first one is one I made for one of my fathers-in-law (technically, I have two) for his 70th birthday. I love these colors together! This card was actually inspired by this card that Niki Estes made a few months back. I LOVE NIki's backgrounds! For this one, I used PTI's Guide Lines , and added little white dots with a Ranger Inkssentials pen. The Kraft paper was scored with a Scor-pal at 1/4" intervals. Then I sponged the edges with Dark Chocolate ink. Easy peasy!

The second card I made last week for a friend whose husband just got laid-off (seems to be an epidemic these days :( ). I hope it brought a little glimmer of joy to her life. I used both Guide Lines and the PTI 2007 Anniversary Set Simple Little Things for this one, and again added the little white accents with the Ranger pen. I love that little accent! The sentiment is from a new set I picked up at our new Jo-ann Superstore (YIPPEE!) from the Paper Company Studio called Faith Greetings (great set!). The butterflies are of course a Martha Stewart punch, I think they complimented this design well. I popped the white piece with the sentiment up on dimensionals. Oh and one more thing, with the ribbon I did that crinkly thing with the heat gun - so pretty! I think this may have been the first time I didn't scorch it - LOL!

Well that's all I have for now. I have a crazy toy room that is screaming to be packed up (can't wait to put those toys in storage!).

Have fun on the Hop! As always thanks for stopping by!



***One more thing... How could I have forgotten this, I was chosen as one of the Honorable Mentions on Nichole Heady's Blog, Capture the Moment for the March Guest Star Stamper! Please go and read all about the other designers she chose! It's always so inspiring to see what everyone creates! I will share my project in depth tomorrow - PROMISE! ***

What I used: {Masculine card}
Stamps: Papertrey Guide Lines
Paper: Papertrey Kraft, Ocean Tides
Ink: Papertrey Dark Chocolate
Accessories: Scor-pal, PI Dark Chocolate Satin Ribbon, Cuttlebug and Tag Dies, Ranger white EP, Ranger White Inkssentials pen, twine, sponge, dimensional (under tag)

What I used: {Pink card}
Stamps: Papertrey Guide Lines, 2007 Anniversary Set Simple Little Things, Paper Company Studio Faith Greetings
Paper: PTI Kraft, Raspberry Fizz, SS White
Ink: PTI Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Fizz
Accessories: Provocraft Mini Scallop Scissors, Organza ribbon Jo-ann, Martha Stewart Butterfly punch, Pearls Michaels, Ranger White Inkssentials pen, dmensionals

Read Any Good Books Lately???

Before I get to my latest creations, have you read a good book lately? I have! You would think I would say some great novel, well at least I aspire to that again one day :D. But actually, the “good book” I am referring to is a book my cousin gave to my daughter for Christmas and it really got me thinking. The title of the book is… Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud and David Messing. The basic theme of the story is to remind us that by doing nice things for others we in essence do something nice for ourselves. Fill someone else’s bucket with kindness and you fill your own emotional bucket with positive feelings.

My son has really enjoyed this story and honestly the few times I read it with him I just went through the motions. But Monday I read it with him and for some reason it really hit home. Doing nice things for people really does make me happier. Sometimes it is hard to figure out what someone might need, and other times a simple hello or thank you can bring a smile to another’s face. We talked at length about ways we could fill someone’s bucket and my son is actually having so much fun with it that his three year old sister is finding ways to help too. When I drive my son to preschool I usually tell him to “Make good choices” as he gets out of the car. Today I decided to change it around a little and I said “Fill Someone’s Bucket” and he just turned around with the biggest smile and the brightest eyes and said “You got it Mom!” Gotta love that!

Now on to something crafty..

I made this card for the Card Positioning Systems card sketch challenge this week. Of course the prize has to do with Papertrey so I had to participate! I had a really hard time with this sketch, everything turned out so plain looking. But I needed a birthday card for one of my fathers-in-law and this was my favorite of the three cards I made.

I used my new Damask Designs stamps from PTI, and really love this set. It is so versatile and has the most beautiful damask shapes. It’s a pretty simple card actually, but men are fairly simple (well most men) so I think it will suit him just fine.

Well, I have lots of house stuff to do tonight. I can’t wait until this "To Do" list is behind us and our house is finally on the market!

Have a fabulous night/day!

And ask yourself, have you filled a bucket today?

*hugs*

Be Mine *Heart*...

One of my FAVORITE stamp companies, Papertrey Ink, is having a countdown for their Two Year Anniversary. They have been giving away prizes since Sunday and will continue to do so until their release party on February 14th. For all the PTI "groupies" :-) (including myself) this is a big deal. It is so exciting to see everything that is in store for the coming year, and to see all of the fabulous inspiration.

Since I have been spending more time getting our house ready for sale, I haven't had much time to do anything fun. It has been really hard to stay away from my desk, but will be worth it in the end I hope. So, I thought I would participate in today's challenge called It's In The Bag. I was planning on making a few little bags to fill with candy, so why not start now? :-D

I am embarrassed to say this took me a little over an hour. First off I can't find anything on my desk. Second, since it has been so long, I had NO idea what to do. So I used my trusty Polka Dot Basics to start me off. Maybe this will spur some other ideas, and I can start those Valentine's cards too *wink*!

If you are visiting from PTI, hope you enjoy the inspiration that everyone is sharing. There are some fabulous bags already posted! Can't wait to try some of them myself!

Have a great night! As always, thanks for visiting!


What I Used:
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Heart Prints, Sweet Love (little heart)
Paper: Kraft, Vintage Cream
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy
Accessories: MS Scallop Punch, Twine SU!, Ribbon Michaels, Scor-Pal, MS Glitter in Garnet

Hello 2009!

I am extremely happy that 2009 has finally arrived! From the start it felt like 2008 was jinxed for us and it seemed to be neverending. My husband and I have decided that 2009 has got to be a better year and we are looking forward to so many wonderful experiences for our family. We have some family resolutions that we are excited about and I hope we look back on 2009 with fondness and not a sense of relief as we did this past year.

Although I did not share many of my projects the last few months of the year, I was still creating. I just couldn't find the time to blog as much as I would have liked. I spent a great deal of the end of November and early December making over 70 Christmas cards, and that was after I cut the list down! I vow to make it even shorter next year! On top of that I made some all occasion card sets and a thank you card set for another friend. And I also made my son's prechool teachers each a special frame (there were seven of them) which I will share a little later.

Now I know that Christmas is long gone, but I thought I would share the Christmas cards I made with the hope that they might inspire someone out there.

This was the first card I made. I sent out about 50 of these to family and friends, until I ran out of that fabulous ribbon. I was so excited to use something up from my stash, but now I am sad that it is gone. I bought that Martha Stewart ribbon at Michaels end of season clearance sale after Christmas 2007 for something crazy like $1.50 for 7 yds. What a steal!

Here is a close-up of the glitter. I outlined the entire card with white glitter, like snow. LOVE it! (Now if we could just get some snow here - I would be so happy!) The snowflakes also had glitter on them for that added sparkle. Of course it is hard to capture that in the picture, but they were way more sparkly in real life!
Here is the second card I designed. I wanted to use a less traditional color scheme on this one because quite frankly I was sick of red! This one also had glitter on the medium sized snowflakes for a little extra glitz.

Although I was pleased with both cards, I have to say the red one was my favorite.

I need to leave you with a little note... After re-reading my last post I felt like I may have left you with the notion that I was a complainer or a whiner of sorts. I really do try not to be that way in life. I was just a little disheartened. I believe that after 2008, I have a stronger sense of purpose and even more of what is most important in my life - my family! It doesn't matter how much money you have, what car you drive, or how big your house is - what matters is the love and support of your family and cherishing every moment with them. I have a stronger appreciation for my husband, my children, my friends, my family, and most of all for good health. Sometimes it is important to find that silver lining...

Thank you for visiting! I hope to be here more often!

Whoo Deserves a Thank You???

(Wise Owl) from Alli Miles back in June, and I was soooooo excited to get a chance to stamp some images from it! I'm sure my fellow stampers know how hard it is to wait for goodies to come in the mail. Alli was so good about keeping in touch and letting me know what was going on. It seems that her goodies were shipped to her, but NEVER arrived! Unfortunately, I have had this happen to me a few times - I wonder where it all goes... hmmm... Anyway, we had to wait for another set to get to her (in Canada!) and then for her to ship them to me.

I seriously LOVE this set! I am usually not a big fan of owls, but these owls are just so cute and I love that you can customize them! I think Kim Hughes' owls are so cute too - they are on my long list of things I want! I started making just one of these from the idea in my head, but then realized they would be perfect for my daughter's Thank You cards for her birthday. So, as much as I hate mass producing, sometimes it is necessary :-)

I also got to use some new Cuttlebug embossing borders on the Chocolate paper. These are so cool and I love that they add just a little something. I hadn't received my PTI Pure Poppy paper and ribbon when I made these (that was in my Happy Birthday to ME! order this month) so I used some red Martha Stewart Christmas ribbon I picked up last year on clearance. I think they came together nicely, and I am so happy to be able to cross something off my list!

Here is the inside sentiment...

We took a little drive this past weekend and it gave me some time to actually flip through those magazines, PB catalogs and CTMH books that have been stacking up. Boy do I have ideas now, I think I have finally found my creative flow (it's been missing for a while). I kept walking by my craft area and wishing something would come, but nothing ever did ;-P But it's coming back - Yippee!

We are leaving Saturday for a little fun with the kids in DC to celebrate my 36th birthday! I still can not believe I am going to be 36 - I remember when I was a kid that was really old! Doesn't feel so old these days. We plan to visit the Museum of Natural History, among other things, to see the dinosaurs and then hit the zoo on Sunday. I lived in Northern Virginia for two years and never visited the zoo, so my kids and I will be experiencing it for the first time together.

Well, I have a ton to do today while my kids nap - ahhhh, love that sound... silence...

Have a fabulous day/evening!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

What I used:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Polka Dot Basics, Simple Alphabet and Wise Owl sets, Fiskars - Kimberly Poloson Filigree Borders

Ink: Papertrey Dark Chocolate, White Craft SU!

Paper: Papertrey Summer Sunrise, Spring Moss and Dark Chocolate, MAMBI Patterned Paper

Accessories: Dimensionals under owl, Cuttlebug and Embossing Border, Sizzix Wingo Zingo Alpha, Cinnamon Stickles, Large scallop scissors from Dollar Tree, Chocolate ribbon from PTI, Pink and Red are both Martha Stewart, Chocolate Zig pen, glue dots

A Princess Is What You Were Meant To Be...

To think I almost sold this set without ever even using it! Well, thankfully I hadn't parted with it {yet} because I had to make a birthday card for a five year old who is VERY much a Princess. This was perfect for her!

And of course every princess must have a little sparkle in her life, so I piled on the stickles and glitter. This is probably the "sparkliest" (is that a word? :-) card I have ever made. Really not my style (if I even have one), but I can do sparkle when the need arises. I actually enjoyed making this card with all its sparkle. My son thought it was "cool," while my daughter said "oooooo, that's pretty mommy!". This coming from the child who deliberately touches every glittery thing in Michaels just so she can have "pretty hands." Ahhhhh, the little things...

We have been pretty busy around here the last week. I thought having one in preschool would make life slow down a bit, but that hasn't happened at all. But that's okay, I'd rather be running mad than bored out of my mind - we don't like to stay put around here :-)

Speaking of preschool... I have a few pictures to post from my son's first day. He was so cute! Now where are those pictures?...

Have a fabulous Monday! Thanks for stopping by!

What I Used:
Stamps: SU! Pretty Princess, PTI Mixed Messages
Paper: PTI Lemon Tart and Berry Sorbet, Basic Grey Two Scoops
Ink: Staz On Jet Black, PTI Berry Sorbet
Accessories: Diamond and Fruit Punch Stickles, Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils, SU! Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Niji Waterbrush, Dimensionals, Cuttlebug with Oval Nestabilities and Bloom Dots Embossing folder, Mini Scallop scissors, Organza ribbon

I Finally Did Taylor's Challenge...

Hope you all had a fabulous 4th! We had a busy weekend, despite the fact that we really didn't go anywhere - go figure! We saw WALL-E on Friday, it was really cute, and it has a really great message to for the young and old(er). My kids had no clue what the movie was really about, they just liked WALL-E and EVE and all the other robots in it. This was my daughter's first movie ever in a theatre (she is almost three). She did pretty well, although at one point my husband let her go out into the aisle and she thought she could hang from the handrail. I was out of my seat like a shot to get her, needless to say she really did not like me at that point and everyone in the theatre knew it! But, I would suggest going to see it if you are looking for a kids movie with a good message. We enjoyed it!

Now for the card... Taylor VanBruggen has a "Cupcake Challenge" every week. She is a fabulous designer and I get a lot of inspiration from her. In her Challenge she encourages you to use cupcakes (hence the name "Cupcake Challenge") in your projects, but most importantly she really just wants you to follow her sketch. I have a cupcake or two, but none that were large enough to fit the rectangular panel, so I went with something a bit different for me.

I have had this Doodlebug stamp set for quite some time and never used it. It brings a smile to my face every time I look at it though and I have a friend who is going through a divorce who could use some cheering up. I am hoping this does just that! I used a lot of stickles to make it sparkle and quite a few dimensionals to make it pop out too! Like I said, this is very different for me, in more ways than one, but I really like how it turned out. Hope you enjoy seeing it!

Since it is very late here, almost 1:15 am, I will say goodnight. My son has swim lessons at 8:30 am, and my daughter will be up a good two hours before that!

Have a fabulous night/morning!



What I Used:
Stamps: Doodlebug Friends, PTI Mixed Messages
Ink: Stazon Black
Paper: PTI White and Berry Sorbet, Basic Black SU!
Accessories: Dimensionals, Stardust and Black Diamond Stickles, PTI Berry Sorbet Polka Dot Ribbon, Martha Stewart Coal and Pink Flamingo Markers, Paper Piercer, Mini Scallop Scissors

PTI - Acetate Blog Hop!

This is my first time joining in on all the fun with the PTI Blog Hop! I know I am a *little* late, I have two little ones who don't want to go to sleep this evening! UGH! Love 'em anyway!

Back to PTI, the challenge this month was to use acetate on your creation. I used it as the window for the bird. I couldn't quite figure out where to put the sentiment after I had the whole thing put together. Still not sure I figured it out! he-he!

My card is pretty self explanatory though. But I do want to share my inspiration with you - Pottery Barn of course. This was my inspiration for this card... You can click on the link for a better picture. http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p10028/index.cfm?pkey=cbabqltall

I have been saving this picture from the catalog for months and am now just getting around to using it. Candice's set Birds of A Feather spurred my imaginaton! Who doesn't love Pottery Barn?

Have fun blog surfing and enjoy the hop! Have a fabulous evening!

A Little Something...

I wanted to share this project because this was very special to me. A while back in this post I wrote about my cousin, Tricia, who was going to be starting chemo for ovarian cancer. Anyone who knows Tricia (or as she calls herself these days *wink* Patty) knows how much she loves to play waitress. She takes coffee orders at every family get together. She never makes the coffee, just likes to take the orders :-) So, when she finished her last chemo treatment, we went up to visit and celebrate with her and her family. She was too busy on the phone with her boyfriend to really notice we were even around :-) but she did enjoy this little gift I made for her - her very own personalized notebook. My 11 year old cousin was there and she loved the polka dots, apparently they are big right now among the tweens :-) She had polka dot socks on and a bandana to boot, so I know my notebook was cool (is it still cool to say cool?) LOL!

The notebook was actually pretty before I covered it, but I did it anyway. I covered the notebook with Mod Podge and adhered the paper, and added the rub-ons (American Crafts) for her name. The P and the heart chipboard are painted with Making Memories Specialty Glaze in Ruby, see the close-up it's pretty shimmery (love it!). I sprayed the cover with an acrylic sealant before I attached the ribbon.

The sentiment obviously has special meaning for her now more so than ever; I know it does for me.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend! We will be very busy again, starting with my son's t-ball game at 8:30 am - UGH! We are test driving cars this weekend for my hubby, I'm praying that goes well because me and car salesmen don't go well together :-(

What I used:

Stamps: PTI Out On A Limb

Paper: MME patterned (I think), Pink is Carnation from Martha Stewart, PTI White

Ink: Staz On Black

Accessories: Ribbon Michaels Basic Basic Collection, American Crafts rub-ons, Mod Podge, Acrylic Sealant, Scallop scissors, Making Memories Specialty Glaze paint Ruby, Black brads MM, Flowers Prima, Chipboard letter Colorbok and heart MM

Just A Few More Easter Cards...

I have only two more Easter cards to share with you all. We had such a fun time at the Easter Egg Hunts, but for the life of me I can't find the camera we used. We have two cameras (the bulkier really good Kodak, and the smaller pocket one that is so cute and orange :-). We use the smaller one to take quick shots when running around with the kids. Think it's in hubby's car....

Anyway, so here are the two cards I have to share today. The fist one was made for my parents. I wanted to get a few of these done, but after getting all those brads on there I just decided that everyone else knew we wished them a Happy Easter! he-he! I saw this layout on someone's blog - but for the life of me, can't remember who. I drew it out and then forgot who did it, so if it is you please let me know :-) I didn't come up with this on my own! Wish I had...

So the base is PTI white, layered with some champagne textured paper I found on clearance at Target a while back, and the main color is PTI Aqua Mist, love it! I used the Birds & Swirls embossing folder in my Cuttlebug to get the main image.

The sentiment is actually a Studio G stamp I found at A.C. Moore. It looks choppy in the photo, but it actually stamped well. I liked this card, simple yet elegant.

The next one I had in my head for a while, but it was the last card I actually finished. Don't know why??? I think I was having a hard time with the scallop bottom and thought it should have something on it, perhaps a sentiment??? Oh well, done and mailed.

So, the base is SU! Cool Caribbean, layered with some yellow I picked up at Joanns (they were premade cards I just cut up), and the top layer is PTI white stamped with PTI's Polka Dot Basics. I tried using Cool Caribbean, but the dots were blotchy, so I switched to Colorbox Robin's Egg (almost a perfect match to SU! CC), much better coverage.

I made the egg template from a plastic egg my son got for Easter (my in-laws sent their Easter gifts early - thank GOD!). The main one is Cool Caribbean again, paper pierced, with some American Crafts ribbon glued on, and edged with white ink. The striped one is from the new Nana's Nursery Baby Boy collection from DCWV - check it out, very cute patterns (Got the girl one too!). It's got the glitter already on it, who could ask for more??? LOL! For that one I just cut a slightly smaller egg using the same template and cutting inside the lines.

The scallop was made with my large corner rounder and then I punched holes in it. I sponged a little white around that as well, but the photo doesn't show that well.

It needed a little something, so I added a mini butterfly from PTI Butterfly Kisses and popped it up on dimensionals. The I heard the mailman on the next street over and had to run and get a pic! Boy was my heart pumping! That was the last day I could get it in the mail before it would be late! So there you have it... I am officially a procrastinator, never have been, but I am now!

Hope you enjoyed my little Easter cards! I am so enjoying the stuff over at SCS, I just started surfing over there again, hadn't been in a while. Wonderful artists over there! Gotta run - cleaning to do before the kids wake up!

Have a wonderful day/night! As always, thanks for stopping by!

What I used...

Card #1

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, Textured Champagne Paper Bouquet (Target), PTI Aqua Mist

Stamps: Studio G

Ink: Versamagic Dew Drop Pearlescent Chocolate

Accessories: Cuttlebug, Birds & Swirls Embossing Folder, Mini Brads MM, Dimensionals

Card#2
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Cool Caribbean, Yellow (Joanns' pre-made cards), Nana's Nursery Boy Collection DCWV patterned paper
Stamps: PTI Butterfly Kisses and Polka Dot Basics
Ink: Versamagic Dew Drops Could White and Thatched Straw
Accessories: Plastic Egg for template, Large Corner Rounder for scallops, hole punch, paper piercer, ribbon American Crafts and organza ribbon from Offray, dimensionals

On my trip to Walgreens...

So, the other day we got a new toy that required yes, you guessed it - more batteries! Now if you go into my kitchen, I have almost an entire drawer dedicated to a variety of batteries, and don't you know it, we don't have the three AAA batteries necessary to make this thing go! How is this possible? Seriously an entire drawer for batteries and only one AAA battery to be found!

Of course, all morning my son can only think about the batteries that he needs for this toy. As we entire every store on our list of errands, he repeats, "Mom, don't forget, we have to get the batteries." How could I forget? You are here to remind me that that is my mission today!

So after our many errands, we end up in Walgreens to get "the batteries!" Of course I just had to walk down that dreaded Valentine's candy aisle, the only thing that could possibly have averted my son's attention from his mission "the batteries!" But as I looked down the aisle I saw all of the Valentine's knick-knack thingys and found a little candy dish shaped like a heart with ribbon woven through it. It kind of looked like this, but a heart with the ribbon in it...

I remember a dish that my grandmother had in her front "parlor" that was very much like this. We used to play with her Hummels there; can you believe she had them out for us to play with - crazy huh! They were the real deal too, my grandfather brought them back from Germany after the war.

Anyway, I found inspiration in that little dish that day. I couldn't get it out of my head. So, I used it as my inspiration. I created this...

I couldn't get a great picture of this card. I think my camera was having a hard time with the starkness of the white and the contrast of the red. I used the new Papertrey Ink stamp set Out On A Limb. I love, love, love this set! It has the most beautiful sentiments in it, and has endless possibilities.

First I made a heart template out of printer paper so it was easier to fold. The only way I know how to make an even heart is to fold it in half then cut :-) I traced the outline of the heart on the base of the card, then punched the holes just around it.

I used my Making Memories Anywhere hole punch to punch two holes about 3/16" apart, then wove the Martha Stewart seem binding through all the way around the heart. I don't know that I would use a very heavy ribbon to do this it would be too much for that size hole. But the seem binding worked perfectly.

The flowers were stamped randomly, I only used the top portion of the large flower clusters. The black dots are made by touching the paper lightly with a black Sakura Glaze pen two to three times, depending on the size of the flower. I also used an SU! Color Spritzer and a black marker to add a little speckle to it and fill in the white space.

The heart is popped up on dimensionals to make it stand out from the ribbon. IRL it looks very elegant. I just wish my picture turned out better. I tried several times to get a good one, in the end, this was the best I could get. Any picture taking suggestions???

Well, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for visiting today! Have a fabulous evening!

What I used: Stamps: Papertrey Ink Out On A Limb

Paper: Papertrey Stamper's Select White

Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink Warm Red, Brilliance Graphite Black

Accessories: Ribbon Martha Stewart Seem Binding Ladybug, Dimensionals, 1/8" hole punch, stamp-a-ma-jig

More Butterfly Kisses...

I did this one a while back for my grandmother's birthday, she turned 83 in October. I am just so glad that my kids are able to know her. She lives about 5 hours away, but we see her every time we go home to visit (yes I still call Philly home - weird huh!). Anyway, I saw a similar card somewhere a while back and loved it, (I am not taking credit for this concept, so if it is like yours, let me know). I loved the ribbon down the side. I did use different colors, and changed the layout of the butterfly a bit.

I really like the Kraft paper with the butterfly, it feels natural to me. This didn't take me too long to do, I just had to wait for the paint to dry before doing anything else. I don't have white ink that shows up so opaque on light papers, ( I have three different white inkpads and they all seem transparent to me) so I used white acrylic paint by Making Memories, called Spotlight.

The purple papers are both from a pack I bought at Michaels a while back, not very heavy paper, but perfect for layering. I made the doted paper with a dot stamp from Technique Tuesday's mini set called "Icing On The Cake." A dotted background stamp is definitely on my long list of things to buy - and when I say long, I mean long! I am trying to be good :-) ***I went to M's yesterday and only spent $9 - that's being good right??? :-)

I love these butterflies from Papertrey's Butterfly Kisses. I come back to them over and over again - my mom just bought her first set from PTI and guess which one she bought - you guessed it! She has always been a butterfly person too!

Well, I hope you are enjoying some of my creations. I am going to get started on Valentine's this week. Can't wait, I love hearts and all shades of red. I have quite a few ideas - now to just fidn the time to do it...

On a side note, I have been cleaning out drawers and downsizing our house a bit; what a great feeling that is to free myself of the clutter and all the unwanted things I just put in drawers so I don't have to look at them. Now to tackle the closets! I am on a mission!

Have a fabulous day!

Here is what I used:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Butterfly Kisses, Technique Tuesday mini Icing On The Cake

Paper: Kraft, PTI Stamper's Select White, Shades of Purple from The Paper Company (Michaels)

Ink: Dew Drops Cloud White for sponging around edges and dotted backgorund, Brilliance Graphite Black

Supplies: Making Memories Paint in Spotlight, Ribbon is Bobbin ribbon from Joanns

OMG - Can You Say Papertrey Honorable Mention???

I was having a really bad morning, got very little sleep last night, was running late for my MOPS meeting, DD wouldn't put her shoes on, then she spilled my coffee on the floor (guess it was better than spilling it on herself), and it was snowing outside (OK - we liked that part, but it never sticks around here so not much to be excited about). At MOPS my day was looking brighter - we talked about food co-ops, which some friends and I are seriously considering starting. I was excited about that...

Until...

I got home, and my day got even better!

There was a message from a friend when I got home saying that she sent me some info via email, so while I was making lunch for the kids I fired up the computer. Opened my email and almost fell to the floor - before I could finish the email I was on the phone with my mom (the one person who truly can understand why this was so great!). I got an Honorable Mention on Nichole Heady's blog for PTI's Guest Star Stamper! YIPPEE! I am on CLOUD 9! This is so totally one of my goals for 2008 and here I am - Yeah!

To some this may not be such a big deal; for me this is HUGE! If you haven't already, check out her post here and if you read this before the deadline - VOTE! For me of course - he-he! No seriously, there are some really awesome projects on there. I saw Barb Schram's project on SCS last week, and remember thinking how awesome that key was!

Here is the card I submitted:

Super simple using PTI's new set Sweet Love. The base is obviously Kraft, the Swirl is Autumn Leaves Swirls I think. Both the swirl and the sentiment were stamped with Dew Drops Jumbo Java. I stamped the hearts with Dew Drops Pearlescent Poppy on Vanilla cardstock. I cut them out, used my eyelet setter to make the wholes in the card (since my 1/8" punch didn't reach), tied some SU! hemp twine through them, popped them up on dimensionals and wallah! I used a corner rounder on the two edges to keep the curvy lines of the heart soft. Simple and versatile! You can use it for a man or a woman!

I am soooooooo excited! You know the saying "it's just nice to be nominated"? In this case it truly is! I don't expect to win, but man this is waaaaaaaay cool!

Thanks for visiting!

ETA: The Swirl is actually from Technique Tuesday's set Whirlygigs. Sorry about the mix-up...

Caardvarks Micro Challenge Part Deux

Okay, while I was using eyelets I was inspired to create just one more card. I finally broke out my crop-a-dile this past week and I am still getting the hang of it. Does everyone's eyelets get all torn up on the back? I like my old fashioned Making Memories set because the eyelets look cleaner and seem to sit better on the back. But of course we all know how loud that is. Maybe I am not using it right??? I have the thing set for 1/8", at least I think I do. Any suggestions?

Well, anyway, while my kids enjoyed their Friday night movie and hubby was relaxing on the couch, I decided to give the eyelets another try. I needed another Birthday card, so I used the Papertrey Butterfly Kisses set to create this one. The paper is Basic Grey Blush and the white is PT Stamper's Select.

I used Versamagic Dew Drops in Pixie Dust and Sahara Sand. The scallop piece is created with Wave decorative scissors. I pierced some butterfly trails and the scallops at the bottom, distressed the edges a bit, and finally tied on a bit of twine for a little something. The scalloped piece is up on dimensionals to create an overhang. Of course the eyelets are Making Memories.

There you have yet another entry to the Caardvarks Micro Eyelet Challenge. Now gotta get it on there on time; I have 15 minutes - UGH!

Have a fab weekend!

I'm still here...

I am sooooooo sorry that I have been remiss in posting anything. I really don't know where the month of September went, and now here we are into week two of October and I still feel like I can't catch up. After deciding not to put my son into preschool this year, I guess I have been feeling like I need to do more things with him, showing him the world. So that's where most of my time has been, devoted to my kids. We are doing preschool things at home and exploring nature a bit. We have been to the beach, went hiking, we shot ears of corn out of a corn cannon, we visited the local gardens, went to a petting zoo, and today we took a hayride and picked some pumkins. By the time we get home, I don't even think about blogging. So, I am sorry to anyone checking back to see if I have done anything new.


I am still creating, just not posting. But, I do hope to change that. I have quite a few things I have been doing actually. I made some scrap pages and sent one to Cara (aka mom2tysonnashlee on SCS) so she could send them to her cousin, a soldier in the Army. She wanted to have a page sent from each state to compile a book of the United States. Check it out...
I like how it turned out, and she seemed happy with it too. I really do appreciate what those soldiers and their families have done and are doing for all of us, and this was truly the least I could do. My husband is a former Marine (Thank God!) so I know what they endure, and can not thank them enough!


I also made some thank you cards for my daughter's second birthday. I was so excited that my new Papertrey Ink set Beautiful Blooms had arrived just in time to make them. Now, so unlike me, I actually stayed up on the night of the 14th of September to see the new holiday releases from PTI. I don't know why I did, I was surfing and looking for inspiration and then it hit me, it was their new release party. So I decided to buy myself an early birthday present, I so deserved it! So of course I had to buy more than just one set to get free shipping, so I also bought Holiday Wishes, which I know will definitely get used on our Christmas cards (maybe not this year as I haven't decided whether or not to undertake that task, but definitely next!).


So where was I, back to the thank you cards. I wanted simple of course, as I had to make quite a few. And this is what I came up with...

The picture really does not do it justice, I had such a hard time getting something good because I took them the night before I mailed them, so the lighting wasn't great. The colors were inspired by the ribbon, which I got at Michael's a few weeks ago when they had their big ribbon extravaganza. Of course the base is PTI Stamper's Select, and I used all Dew Drops inks: Sea Breeze, Pearlescent Purple, Purple Hydrangea and Spanish Olive. The flower stamp is of course from PTI Beautiful Blooms, cut out with my Cuttlebug and Flower Die Cut, and then mounted with a dimensional. The stem is from Rhonna Farrer Elegant Flourishes set by Autumn Leaves, I love that set and can't wait to do more with that in my scrap pages. The sentiment is again PTI, Paper Tray. Simple and sweet, and I need something that went fast. Of course, then I had to write novels inside them to thank everyone for their generous gifts, but that's my style. I am big on thank you cards; people like to be acknowledged, and what better way to do that than to send a thank you.

Well, my daughter is talking up a storm in her bed so I must save the rest for later. Perhaps tomorrow there will be another post? Oh surely you jest :-) See you then, and have a fabulous evening!

Do You Have A Green Thumb?

I can't seem to put my Papertrey stamp sets away! I had them for so long without the time to use them, and now they have a nice little home on my desk, just like my glue :-) I am also truly LOVING the Versamagic Dew Drop Inks! They work so well on all types of paper, and are such a deep color, they work almost like craft inks.



The card base is from a card boxed set I got from Michaels. It's kind of a mustard color with speckles on it, almost like recycled paper. The rust color is from the new Paper Company collections, called Desert. Followed by some MME striped from the Asparagus collection. The White paper is of course, Papertrey Ink (that's the only white I seem to use these days). I used flower stamps from both Papertrey's Green Thumb and Butterfly Kisses and the "smile" is from Paper Tray again. I used Dew Drops in Brick Red, Gingerbread, Spanish Olive, and Sage. I also used Stampin Up! Marigold Morning ink (retired) and Colorbox Chalk Ink Yellow Ochre (I love, love, love chalk inks!). I added a little Gingerbread ink to the main image to give it a more natural feel, the white seemed too stark to me. For the white flowers, I brushed some Making Memories white scrapbook paint onto the stamp and then stamped away. I don't have white craft ink (on my never ending wish list), but this works well! The scalloped piece is made with a corner rounder, then pierced, and highlighted with a Signo Gel Pen. The ribbon is Mellow Moss from SU! On the inside it reads, "It's Your Day!" So I guess it's a birthday card, always need those!

September is a big month around here. First is my daughter's Birthday on the 2nd, then my long time friend Steve on the 3rd, my nephew's follow on the 24th and 25th, and then ME! on the 26th, our very dear friend Vic (currently in Iraq flying planes from the ground - very interesting stories) on the 27th, and one of my mother-in-law's, Connie, on the 29th! Very busy Birthday month here! I think I'll ask for a gift certificate to Papertray for my birthday - he-he!

OK, well, I guess I should go play with my kids, they are looking at me with sad eyes...

Have a wonderful day!

Super easy B-Day card for a guy!

Ok, so I kept reminding myself it was my brother's birthday, and I had to get a card made, but I so dislike making masculine cards (because I can never think of what to do) that I kept putting it off. So, I was at storytime with my kids at the mall, and went to the card store to buy one (GASP! - I know, but it was getting close and I had nothing!). Then I came across this concept from, I think Papyrus, and said to myself "I can do that!". So I went home and reproduced it; it isn't an original idea, but very cute nonetheless!

I used Very Vanilla cardstock for the base. Used what I think is 18-gauge wire to make the shape of the hanger and used a glue dot behind the top part to secure it to the card. The sentiment is Papertrey's Paper Tray of course, stamped in Staz On Black. The ties are made out of MME Magnolia collection scraps. I love those papers! Super easy and quick! One the inside I stamped my own sentiment that read, "Tie One On - he-he!". I think he liked it, or at least got a kick out of it! He laughed when he left his message on the voice mail!

It's kind of dreary here right now, no rain, just gray. I like days like that, but somehow today I can't muster up the energy to get the kids out of the house! Right now that are playing well together, but you know that it is just a matter of time...

Hope you enjoy your day!

Lots to share...

I love my camera! I am soooooooooo happy that we got it back! It really didn't take any time at all and they seem to have done a great job. Something about calibrating the lens, and testing the aperture??? As long as it works, I don't care what they did :-).

Then we had family in town and I just wasn't thinking about blogging :-) Though I have missed stamping and creating, it was nice to just enjoy everyone. I thought about it a few times, but couldn't seem to find the time. And then first thing Friday, I fell off a curb (I know duh!) out front of Michael's of all places! What kind of irony is that!

I was carrying my little girl and holding my son's hand and went down one of those little hilly islands in the middle of the parking lot. Just singing the morning away, when BAM! I don't know where the strength came from, but I was able to get my kids back into the car when I seriously thought I was going to pass out. Somehow I fastened everyone's seatbelts, although I don't recall doing it, and called my husband, who I had just dropped off at work because his car was being inspected (this is all his fault right :-). I drove to his work and he drove me to the doctors. We spent most of the morning at the doctor's office getting x-rays, etc., to find that I have a severe hematoma?, and a possible hairline fracture. What a weekend! And it was absolutely beautiful here, missed it all. But I did get to stamp a little. So here is some of what I came up with...

This first one is the one I sent my cousin Tricia in the package we sent her last week. It is of course one of my Bellas. The white base is Papertrey's Stamper's Select. Flowahbella is stamped in Timber Brown Staz-On, and her dress is paper pieced with the patterned paper from a DCWV stack. The rest of her is colored with Prismacolor Pencils and OMS. I cut her out with the Curvy Cutter Oval set, and then mounted that onto a piece of Cool Caribbean SU! cardstock cut with mini scalloped scissors. The patterned paper is layered onto a piece of Tangerine Bazzill. I punched two small wholes at the top and bottom of Bella, and then in the patterned paper layers before adhering it to the white base, that way it was all hidden :-) I tied it all together with Moss ribbon from SU! and added some turquoise Stickles. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Paper Tray, stamped with Timber Brown on vellum and highlighted with some Stickles. I put glue dots under the flowers to hide the adhesive.

This is one I did this weekend for a friend who's father just passed away, Cancer yet again - anyone hate that word as much as I do??? I was trying to go for something understated yet pretty, but for a guy. I think it might be too feminine, but I gave it to him anyway; I am soooo not good with guy cards. I used some scraps I had left over from the Basic Grey Perhaps 6x6 pad, cut two strips of the green and used a strip of the Beatrice Pattern. Before gluing them into place I inked up the edges a bit with Chestnut Roan Fluid Chalk by Colorbox. I stamped Papertrey's Butterfly Kisses with Colorbox white and added clear embossing powder to make them stand out. Didn't stand out as well as I thought they would because of the patterned paper, so I made a reverse mask of the butterflies and sponged a little Gingerbread on them to make them stand out more. Then I adhered everything to SU! Chocolate Chip cardstock base and added a piece of twine with a tag made from the the yellow paper (think it's called East of the Sun) in the Perhaps pad. The white rim around the tag is Papertey's Stamper's Select cut with mini scalloped scissors, then sponged with a little Chestnut Roan again. The sentiment is of course Papertrey Ink's Paper Tray again, have I mentioned how much I love this set, so versatile! I find that I use it over and over again for almost every occassion. Looooooove it!

Now for the final card of the day...

This was inspired by the Splitcoast Inspiration Challenge from Saturday, found here. I needed an anniversary card for my parents, who by the way will be married for 38 years on the 23rd. This was the first card I did this weekend, so I was having a bit of a mental block. The challenge helped me come up with some colors. I had bought this set used from Lauren Meader (mytime on Splitcoast) a while back, and hadn't used it yet. So Big Blooms was perfect because I was a flowery mood. The card is a 5 1/2" square, different for me. I stamped the flower from SU! Big Blooms on Stamper's Select in Colorbox Fluid Chalk Warm Red. Cut that out and adhered it with dimensionals to a cuttlebugged piece of white measuring 2 x 3 1/2. The brad in the middle is from Joanns I think. The green scallops are made using the SU! Slit Punch on paper from MME. The brown is Bazill, but I am not sure of the name. The leaves are from SU! Best Blossoms, and they are stamped with Versamagic Dew Drops in Spanish Olive. I added strips of the MME green to the top and bottom, then some ribbon from the Michaels dollar bin, and then adhered the whole thing to Stamper's Select white. The sentiment is a shortened version of SU! Wonderful Words stamped in Chestnut Roan on an oval cut with my Curvy Cutter. The mini brads are again from Joanns, and it is also on dimensionals. The corners are punched with SU! ticket corner punch, but I think it's missing something. I struggled with putting brads in the corners, but I don't want to do it then hate it. All in all I like the way it turned out. This was my first inspiration challenge - I had fun with it!

WOW! I can't believe I just typed all that. Haven't done that in a long time. I hope you enjoy my latest creations. My kids will be up very soon. I must run, figuratively speaking of course - he-he! Thanks for visiting! Have a wonderful evening!

What's Silver and Black and takes a bad picture??? My Kodak Z612! UGH!

I can not believe it has been a week since I last posted anything! I truly do not know where the time goes these days. I am sure that those of you out there with little kids totally know where I am coming from. I had friends come to visit this week from my hometown, and the three days they spent here just flew by. It was so good to have some old friends staying with us, I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did this past weekend. We just watched the kids play together, ate lots of food, played games and just talked forever until the wee hours of the morning. I am still trying to catch up on my sleep. We just had such a great time!!! I admit, I was worried about how the weekend would go before they arrived. They aren't as organized (insert control freak!) as I am. They don't do things on a schedule (they sleep in til after 9-10ish). They eat pretty much whatever they want (most things in my house are whole grain, wheat, or low to no sugar - I know UGH!). But somehow it worked wonderfully! I can't wait to do it again! Our two sons are only 5 weeks apart, and they got along famously! So much so that her son didn't want to go home yesterday. But we came up with a plan; they are going to be penpals of sorts, sending each other pictures, letters (that we write, they are only 3 1/2), and little gifts. They both LOVE to get mail, so this will be perfect!

Now for the bad part, I discovered a few things that were broken at some point during the course of the weekend. Among them, my fabulous (hope I can get another one) alarm clock (I love the display and the sounds). And worst of all, today when I attempted to take a picture of the card I made for the Sketch This Challenge Week #3, I discovered that my camera is now broken! UGH!!!!!!!!! My Kodak is only 7 months old, so I am hoping that it will be covered under warranty. The bad part is I didn't take any pics of my card until today, so after much editing, and many attempts, we got something that is not great, but okay. I couldn't go through the last two weeks and not be able to post something for week three. So here it is, lines and everything, and I am still getting it there in the final hour even though it has been done for days. I needed my computer genious hubby to try something before I submitted it. But we are still getting lines across every picture - flash and no flash, good light and bad light, black background and white background! UGH!!!!!!! Well, I hope Janelle understands over at Sketch This Cards; I am so distraught over this, I just can't believe it! But, this is soooooo my luck! So, not much I can do, but pray that it can be fixed.


My brand new LG EnV died last week, and now my camera! I got a new phone out of that deal, but doubtful a new camera is coming our way. What is worse is that I hate to miss one day of my kids; I hate not having a camera just in case they do something cute - which they do every day!


Well, here are the details on this card. I started with Papertrey's Stamper's Select White Cardstock and stamped a flourish from Fancy Pants Pollen Dust in Colorbox Black , then added a layer of Bazzill black, and another layer of Cuttlebugged Stamper's Select again. I used the Textile embossing folder for the top layer. I then smeared it with Versamark and used a soft paintbrush to apply PearlEx in Blue Russet across the cuttlebugged layer. The hearts are chipboard I cut with my Cuttlebug dies, and covered them with My Mind's Eye Bohemia "Girlfriends" cardstock, smoothed with a file, and painted with Making Memories paint in Spotlight. The paper is double-sided so I was able to use two patterns for the hearts and for the layer under the sentiment. The solid hearts are popped up on dimensionals. The sentiment is stamped in StazOn Black, and it is from Technique Tuesday's Words We Love and Truly, Madly, Deeply sets. I cut the pink layer with my Fiskars Mini Scalloped scissors and pierced the scallops. I finished it off with some Black Organza and some tiny flowers I punched with an EK Success Daisy Punch with Making Memories Mini Black brads. I think that about covers it! I wish my camera worked because it is actually a beautiful card, if I do say so myself :-) And shimmery too! Perhaps if (when???) it gets fixed I will upload a new photo to this post.


Well, good night and thanks for letting me blab about my woes! Thanks for visiting!