Birthday wishes!

I have been trying to find some time to get to create some cards for several projects. Finally, I was able to sit down and at least make 1 card today!

The background paper that I used was found at A.C. Moore when I was in Myrtle Beach on vacation. it's called AC Patterend Paper: Tea Party by American Crafts. The colors are bright and fun! I used Gable Green for my stripe across so that my circle sentiment doesn't just fade into the background. I added some paper piercing and squares to add some detail! I also added some orange grosgrain ribbon to complete the card.

Thanks for looking!

Have a great day!

Happy Stamping!!!

Fall swap card!

I think I finally have my mojo back! I was able to sit down and just think through and try some different things to make for my swap cards that are due pretty darn soon! So, I decided to look through my stamps and see if I can draw some inspiration! I found Sweet Seasons and thought about how I could incorporate that into a card. Well, here's what the picture in my head looked like! I'm so excited to have a prototype done! Now I can get started on the rest of them!

One thing that I think I'm going to change, is that I'm going to stamp either leaves or little pumpkins like they're falling off the card behind him underneath the slit that shows when you move him to the other side of the card.

I thought it really turned out well that he's facing the opposite direction from the opening of the card! That way your eye goes to the other end of the card!

(I do apologize for the background! I was just going to take a picture to show my friends, but decided to share it w/ everyone else too!)

I did watercoloring for the main image because I think it gives a slightly softer look. And I sponged all the edges, to add to the dimension and detail. Two things that I made a requirement for our swap was that we had to use brads and we had to incorporate orange somewhere. So, I achieved both requirements w/out taking away from the card! I'm so excited how it turned out!!! What do you think about it?

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall is right around the corner! Are you ready?!

Happy Stamping!!!

Creatively exhausted

Well, I have tried to make several cards for VSN, and my mind is just not there. I have come up w/ NOTHING that is even worth posting here. I'm sorry! I was SO looking forward to creating some spectacular stuff, but there's nothing there.

Hopefully I can just come up w/ something new just so I have a card to post!

Thanks!

VSN!

Tomorrow and Saturday will be SUPER CRAFTING DAYS! as I participate in the final Summer VSN Challenge on Splitcoast! If you would like to participate, go here and see what it's all about!
It starts at 7pm EST on Friday and concludes for the day a 11pm. Then, Saturday, it starts again at 4EST and goes until 12EST, and each challenge is 45 minutes long. Like one lady said in a post, whatever buzzer you use for your time, it can scare the bejeebers out of you if you're really focused! I usually jump out of my chair! That is if I'm not looking at the timer swearing because of the short time left!

The theme is Book Club, so every challenge is related to the hostess' favorite book. I have too many favorite books to mention here! I could go on for days! I do have two romance Silhouette books that I read a few years ago, and then gave back to the library after I was finished. But, I never forgot those books, and wanted to read them again. I couldn't find them anywhere. So, my sister found them online and bought them for me for Christmas! Isn't she the best??!!!

So anyway, I'll be posting like crazy over the next few days, and then hopefully I'll get motivated to get all of my cards done! I have quite a few things to complete and they all need to be done soon! So I should be posting daily again! Fingers crossed!

Off to bed to rest up for the stamping marathon!

Come join in on all the fun!
Happy Stamping!!!

Mmmm.....dreamsicles!

My SU! demonstrator made the cutest chocolate popsicle card at my last party, and I've been wanting to make my own! I watch a little boy every day at my house, and his mom celebrated her birthday yesterday. Well, I didn't look at my calendar last week until it was too late to send a card home! So, today I made one. Better late than never, right?!

So, I wanted to make mine different than my demo's, so I went w/ orange and I made a dreamsicle. Yumilicious! I used the Tart and Tangy orange stamp to signify the "orange" flavor. And I'm SO glad that I bought that orange striped ribbon! It certainly came in handy today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Get yourself a dreamsicle and enjoy your afternoon!

Happy Stamping!!!

Way to Go!

Today's challenge on splitcoast was to make an acetate box. I have been wanting to make one of these for a while now, but never found directions to make it work. Well, I got directions, but ended up doing something different! When thinking about what I could put IN the box, I thought about my daughter who actually today started potty training. Wish us lots of luck!!!! We just bought her a bunch of M&M's for a treat after each time she goes. Well, I decided to make the box for her and we'll put all of her M&M's in the box! She loves it and wants to eat all the M&M's NOW! Maybe that wasn't such a great idea?! LOL!

The directions call for 2,4,6,8 box, but when I tried to use the measurements listed, I got confused and my box was lopsided. So, I decided to use a 2,5,7,10 box and then I can add a lid! So, I scored both the acetate and the Regal Rose cardstock, and then cut the flaps off the acetate and cut the middle out of the Regal Rose. It turned out cute! There's a stamp set by Gina K. Design that is dedicated to the "potty" and I have wanted to purchase the set, but never really thought of a reason to use it! Well, I wish I had it now! So, instead I had to draw the potty myself. It works. You can all tell it's a potty, right?!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!!!

Jack's thank you cards

When we had my son, and we started to travel, we decided to collect college pennants to decorate his room. Well, friends of my parents have a daughter who got us 2 to add to our collection! So, I needed to make a thank you note for her! How cool to receive those in the mail!

This card is my more subdued, hoping for a design team spot someday side. I try to be elegant, but sometimes, as you will see below, the crazy imagination comes through!

This summer my mother took my son for swimming lessons and he excelled and when we went to the beach, he was diving into the waves, and swimming w/ an intertube instead of hanging on to us! So, I needed to make his teacher a thank you!

This card is a little more like my crazy stamping side! I used a sponge for the noodles, kick board, and floaties. I like to think that's creative! I could not think of any other floatation device that I could put on this card! I just hope she doesn't think it's a dumb card. Or that my mother thinks it's dumb! Cause then I'll have to start all over, and probably make another elegant, yet boring card!

I had the house to myself today, so I was able to complete these two cards and now I can mark those off my to do list!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!!!

Rose coasters

On the Kitchen Sink Stamps website, they have the project of the month which this month is featuring cork coasters! Very cool idea!

I, on the other hand, don't have cork like that, or even know where to find it! So, I got out my dollar coasters from Target that I've been hoarding waiting until the perfect moment to use them! Well, the time as come! I wanted to use my Kitchen Sink Rose stamps. I haven't really done anything w/ the rose set, so I thought it would fit perfectly in the little windows.

The first rose I stamped, I used different color. I went Pretty in Pink, Ruby Red and Real Red. For all the leaves, I stamped the first layer in Mellow Moss stamped off. Second layer is Mellow Moss again. Then the third layer is Wild Wasabi stamped off.

I started experimenting w/ colors and what works and what doesn't. I went online and wrote down a list of colors that roses could be. When I found blush roses, I wondered how I could stamp something that soft! Well, I got my blush blossom ink pad out, and started stamping! I didn't stamp off or anything. I just kept going over the same image w/ the different layers and I LOVE how it came out!

Then I decided to try So Saffron and just used the one color!

I did Pale Plum last!

Aren't they beautiful! I want to keep them for myself!

Thanks for stopping by!

Take a visit to Kitchen Sink Stamps and fall in love!

Happy Stamping!!!

Thinking outside the box!

What can I make to package cards in? Hmmmm......

Well, this stumped me for about 2 weeks. Then, today, I had a brilliant idea! Make your own box! DUH! I took out a gift box and took it apart and fashioned mine to be just like it! Except, it's a lot smaller, and the measurements are crazy! I have measurements like 9 5/8" and 7 1/8"! I am math challenged, so that was interesting! Thank God for mothers who are math teachers!!!! I have written all these measurements on my SU! mat so that I know what each "line" means! My mother took the time to spell it out for me one day! Thank God!!!

Anyway, so, the box came out exactly as I envisioned! Woo hoo! That's always a plus when that happens!

Then, my next challenge: How to decorate the top! Another Hmmmmm.... And then I decided to put a flower arrangement on there. So, all evening my mind ran the gammet of all of my current options. I settled for Kitchen Sink Stamps and the Daisy set. I have only used this set once, and I wasn't really happy w/ the results, so I wanted to try again. I'm liking the turnout this time!

I added chocolate ribbon to go w/ the base of the box. So SOMETHING matches! Maybe someday I'll make everything to match! Maybe!

And here's a picture of my measurements so that I can make it again. I hope I understand it next time!!! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day!

Happy stamping!!!

My last card!

I finally finished an order of 10 cards tonight! I had one, but I was mistaken in thinking it was an extra swap card! So, I made the last one tonight! The lady who I made these for really liked one card I made using Tart and Tangy (which I am SO excited made it to the big catalog!!) and "It's Your Day" from All Year Cheer. I just got my Swiss Dots cuttlebug folder while I was on vacation, so I had something cool to look forward to when I came home! I already love this folder, and I've only used it once! It it SO cool! I just love the look of it!

For this card I used Tart and Tangy, Label Classics, and All Year Cheer stamp sets. I used Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie ink. I used Old Olive and Whisper White cardstock. I used some orange ribbon that I have acquired. I have no idea of its origin. The punch for the ribbon to go through is a slot punch. I also made some lines to separate the white space from the swiss dots w/ my Scor Pal. For the oranges on the outside, I colored the orange w/ my Versamarker and then sprinkled Glossy Glaze to the inside to make it look fresh and wet. Then, on the "peel", I colored w/ my Versamarker and then poured on the Heat & Stick Powder, and then sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds on to make it look sugared.

On the inside, I cut the Whisper White cardstock to size, because who wants to write on green paper and try to read what you're writing?! Then I ran it through my Xyron, and stuck it to the card. Then, I colored only half of the orange, and stamped it in the corner.

Thanks for stopping by!

Today is YOUR day! Carpe Diem!

Happy Stamping!!!