Snow Day

We woke up to a winter wonderland today. My boys have been asking for months to go outside (when there are 3 flakes blowing around, they think it's time to go sledding). So... when we looked out the window and saw almost 12 inches of thick white snow this morning, it was finally time to get out and play.

I just want you to see what kind of energy I have to deal with day after day. Take a look at Emery (my 3 year old). Yeah. He needed to get outside and wear himself out.

And... here's the fam. Outside and freezing. This is pre-shower/no makeup... so don't be scared. ;) Why is it that kids can play outside for hours and never feel cold? Brrrr!!!

Here's Emery having a blast just digging around in the snow. He made his first snow angel today too --- which I'm hoping my hubby got on video. After he came in for some warm soup, he passed out and slept for hours. Ahhh! I think we need snow days every day! :)

And here's Eli (my 7 yr. old). This smile says it all!

I just found out that school's cancelled again tomorrow. One of our neighbors came and plowed our drive so that we could get out to the main road. (thank GOODNESS!) Hope you all are keeping warm too! Have a good one! :)

Good Clean Fun!

Yeah. This is a card I made the other day when I SHOULD have been cleaning instead. ;) It's so much more fun to stamp vacuums than use them though! :)

I paper pieced the vacuum bag and the dress using some of my hoarded Lemon Grass paper. :) For the slippers, I applied just a bit of Liquid Applique and then heat set. Voila! Instant fluffiness! I love that stuff! The rub-ons are from the same Crate Paper collection.


Below is the inside of my card. I found this sentiment in one of my favorite Gina K sets. (Perfect fit, huh?) :) I love the off-balanced font. It looks like it came from an antique typewriter.

Supplies:
Stamps:
(clear): Domestic Goddess (Hanna Stamps)
(rubber): Way to Go (Gina K Designs)

Ink:
- Rich Cocoa Memento ink (Tsukineko)

Cardstock:
- Core'dinations CS

Printed Paper:
- Lemon Grass Collection (Crate Paper)
- Snowflake FaLaLa (Making Memories)

Accessories:
- Lemon Grass Rub-ons (Crate Paper)
- Copic Markers/Spica pens
- Liquid Applique (Marvy Uchida)
- Copper Precious Metal Hardware (We R Memory Keepers)

Tools:
- Sewing Machine

Chat Away!

I just wanted to let you know that I now have a chat box on the left side of my blog. So... if you ever have a question - please drop me a line! :)

comments

I've been having trouble getting notifications when you guys comment or ask questions. I use to get an e-mail every time... but now I only get about 5% of them. So... I've changed my blog so that I have to 'moderate' each comment & hopefully I won't miss anything from now on. Anyone else had this problem with blogger?

I have a new post below, so if you want to see more cards, just scroll down. :) Gracias!

Sweetie Pi

For those who are regular visitors to my blog, you KNOW how much I love a good sketch! It always helps to have something visual as a starting point for creativity.

I recently discovered a really awesome sketch blog that I wanted to share with you! 2 Sketches 4 You posts a new sketch at the beginning of each week -- so it's a perfect site to get your mojo going after a long weekend!

The sketch above is this week's sketch. And... here is my take on it:

My best friend's husband is a math major. (For those of you who are NOT math braniacs, the symbol is the Greek letter "Pi".) ;) He was telling me about how his high school math students loved to celebrate Pi day (March 14 ~ 3.14)... and that got my brain turning. (They all bring in homemade pies to share with the school.) I knew the sentiment that I wanted to use, but wasn't sure how I would incorporate the symbol. And then... as I was digging through my craft stash, I found just what I was looking for in my Basic Grey Recess Chipboard box. YEAH! It was meant to be! :)

I hope you get a chance to craft this weekend too! I'm hoping to barricade myself in my craft room for at least an hour today. :) (pinkie toes crossed!)

SUPPLIES:
Stamps:
(clear) Borders & Corners Circles (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:
- Timber Brown StazOn (Tsukineko)

Cardstock:
- Kraft, Suede Brown Dark (Prism)

Printed Paper:
- "Garden Chair" Daydream Collection (October Afternoon)
- "Walk in the Park" Detours Collection (October Afternoon)
- "Crimson Dots" Serendipity Blue Boutique (Sassafras Lass)

Accessories:
- Poolside Vinyl Letter Thickers (American Crafts)
- "Together" Stitched Felt Stickers (Chatter Box)
- Recess Undressed Chipboard (Basic Grey)
- Circle Nestabilities Die (Spellbinders)
- Threading Water Punch (Fiskars)

Tools:
- Sewing Machine & thread

Sweet Sugar!

A few weeks ago, I came across a "new" stamp company and fell head over heels! Sugar Nellie is based out of Scotland and has some of THE cutest images! I really loved the stamps by one of their artists, Leanne Ellis --- so you'll be seeing them pop up on my blog quite a bit. :)

My grandpa has Parkinson's disease and has recently needed to move to a nursing home. He had a really rough night a few days ago and one of the CNA's came in to check on him in the morning. She was so sweet to him and even prayed with him for a little while. My grandpa was so touched by her (Actually, he couldn't stop talking about her. LOL!) -- and I wanted to make her a card to let her know how much her kindness meant to my grandpa... and to our entire family. The inside of the card reads, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." (quote by Aesop).

I'd also love to have you jump over to read my latest Craft Critique article! This card is part of the post. :)
Here's another view so that you can see the dimension on the card. Isn't this image the cutest?!? :)

Stamp: Talking to the Birds (Sugar Nellie)

CS: Papertrey Ink

Printed Paper: Making Memories

Ribbon: Papertrey Ink

Tools: Spellbinders dies

Markers: Copic

Just For Fun

Hey everyone! I wasn't sure if today's post would make it to my blog or not! My internet service keeps going in and out (mostly out)... but is scheduled to be fixed SOON! Yeah! :)

I'm super excited today because a group of my favorite stamping friends have started a monthly "get-together" --- a Just For Fun (JFF) Challenge! Each month, one of the girls sends out some fun patterned paper to each of us... and another girl selects a stamp for us to use. Since the paper/stamps are selected on the down low, it's fun to see what kind of combination we end up with. And.... I can't WAIT to see everyone's different versions. :)

This month, Carole sent us this fun heart print paper from American Crafts to use. I've been dying to get my hands on this Whiff of Joy image too (Willow with Hot Chocolate) so this was a great excuse to finally take the plunge and buy it. :)

I've been saving this pair of brown corduroy pants that my son use to wear (the snap broke) & wanted to try to cut it out with my Nestabilities dies. I tried over and over and couldn't get it to cut... but it did leave a nice smashed outline - so I trimmed it with my scissors & it worked just fine. I love putting fabric on my cards. It's a cheap, unique way to add texture! :)

The sentiment is from Kim Hughes' Hugs & Kisses set. I thought it was made for this image and paper combo! :)

I colored Willow with my go-to tool (Copics). I have a cool tip for you Copic lovers! If you have a bottle of Copic Blending Solution (the stuff that goes inside of the 0 Blending Pen), try dipping a tiny paint brush in it and using it to highlight your colored images. It's easier to control than the Blending Pen and you can customize how much blending solution you want to add.

To get a little more texture, try dipping a small gauze into the blending solution and dabbing onto your colored project. The first thing I colored on my image was Willow's green sweater. If you look closely, you can see the texture this technique produced. I would recommed not coloring anything else on your project until you're finished with the gauze/solution because it's easy to make everything surrounding it textured too.



Thanks for joining me for my first JFF Challenge! Make sure you check out the other girls' blogs to see what they came up with!!! :)



Carole Burrage

Michele Boyer

Alli Miles

Lori Craig



SUPPLIES:

Stamps:

- Willow with Hot Chocolate (Whiff of Joy)

- Hugs & Kisses (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink:

- Timber Brown Stazon, Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko)

Cardstock:

- Coredinations

- Spring Willow Medium, Suede Brown Dark, Simply Smooth White (Prism)

Printed Paper:

- "Hey There" Everyday Line (American Crafts)

Accessories:

- Copic Markers

- brads: Aged Copped Hodge Podge Hardware (SU)

- Heart XL Ghost Shape (Heidi Swapp)

- Aqua satin ribbon (Michaels)

- Creative Cafe green felt ribbon

- Stardust Gelly Roll pen (Sakura)

- Oval Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders)
- Corduroy

Tools:

- Sewing machine

Believe in Yourself

I thought I would start the week off with an encouraging card. :) This past week was kind of a downer. Let's see.... our furnace stopped working on the coldest day of the year. Then, my washing machine froze. And then... our internet stopped working. So... several days and $$$ later, I have heat (thank goodness!) and I can wash clothes again... and as you can see... I have internet service. :)

I really love this funky paper by Sassafras Lass! I paired it with a tree from Unity's Tiny Trinity set, embossed in white. And... for a little texture, I cut and ripped up a piece of an old box and layered it on my card. If I have anything else break in my house, I'm sure I'll be using a lot of 'trash' for my embellishments... because I can't afford much else. ;)

I wanted to add a little embellishment to my tree, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. Then... I noticed how perfect the color of the heart from one of my pins matched my CS and had an idea! I used my wire cutters and snipped off the sharp 'pin' part... and voila! Instant embellishment!

Hope you have a good week! Thanks for visiting!!!

SUPPLIES:

Stamps:
(tree) Tiny Trinity set from Unity Stamp Co.

Ink:
Versamark by Tsukineko

Cardstock:
Island Mist Dark, Birchtone Dark by Prism
Coredinations CS

Printed Paper:
Jack's Beanstalk (Woodland Whimsy) by Sassafras Lass

Accessories:
White Embossing Powder by Stampendous
Oval Nestability die by Spellbinders
Neutral Spare Parts ribbon by the Paper Studio
Melissa Frances Vintage Transfer by Heart & Home Collectables
Harvest pin by Fancy Pants
hemp
cardboard

Retro Chic

I had a lot of fun with this one! :) I LOVE Gina K's Many Happy Re-turns set! The classic images are so 'in' right now! It was designed by artist Rupa Shevde... which makes it an even GREATER set in my book. When I met Gina at CHA last summer, she told me a little about Rupa. Rupa loves the Lord and uses the talents that she was given to help others. (She gives most of her earnings from the sets she designs to charitable organizations such as Food for the Hungry.)

How many of us use our talents to gain esteem or personal recognition? Rupa's life and attitude are truly aspiring. :)

So... here is the first card that I've made with my new set:

I wanted to use this fun green shade because it reminded me of the color of old appliances from the 50's. :) The main image is embossed in white and cut out with a Spellbinder's die. The little bottlecap letters reminded me of the old type font... so I HAD to use those too. :) Finally, I punched some holes on the side panel and snipped them just a bit to look like that fun binding punch from Stampin' Up! that I've never forked out the $$$ for.

Thanks for visiting!!! :)

SUPPLIES:
Rubber Stamps:
(typewriter) Many Happy Re-turns by Gina K Designs
Ink:
Versamark by Tsukineko
Cardstock:
Caribbean, Licorice CS by Memory Box
Printed Paper:
Night Light Sugar Dots by My Mind's Eye
Accessories:
White Detail Embossing Powder by Stampendous
Labels 1 die by Spellbinders
Spare Parts Bottlecaps by the Paper Studio
Card Sayings rub-ons by Making Memories
hole punch (office supply)

Did You Catch a Whiff of Something?

Whiff of Joy, that is! :) My friend, Lori Craig, sent me a few of the CUTEST images! (This one is called Willow with Cookies.) These came in super handy because another one of my friends celebrated a birthday this week & I thought she could use something sweet to help celebrate. Now... a good friend would have brought her freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to accompany this card... but instead I brought her eggs. Yeah. I know. I'm something. :) BUT... she had just told me that she would love to have some farm fresh eggs... and my parents just so happen to have chickens. She got me a box of noodles for my birthday... so I'm going to call it even. :) Country living at it's best. (When it takes 20 minutes to get to the nearest grocery, you appreciate these things!) And... we've been best friends for 29 years. You know you have a good friend when they are excited to get brown eggs. I think she's a keeper.

I colored Willow with Copics and stamped one of Kim Hughes' sentiments on the bottom. It was good color therapy. I need a good coloring session at least once a week. It's my therapy. :)

I hope you have a good one! We're expected to get a winter storm tomorrow, so I'm planning on hanging out with my little guy at home. Maybe I can sneak another color therapy session in too if I'm lucky! :)

Let's Party!

I am in LOVE with these images from The Greeting Farm (formerly Pink Poison)! I really wanted to try them out and noticed that there are digital images available for sale too. So... I took the plunge and ordered this one - called Dorothy Anya. I was a little nervous about trying it with my Copics, but it works PERFECTLY!!! No smearing at all! I printed them out on my favorite white CS (Papertrey Ink's Stamper's Select) and they look JUST like I stamped them!

So.... here is my first attempt at Anya:

I wanted to make her more multi-purpose, so I covered her gingham gown with sparkly, pink paper -- perfect for a party dress! Then, I added a strip of black organdy that I gathered and adhered to the bottom of her skirt. The little cupcake image is from Kim Hughes' Tag! You're It set. (Told you that set was super versatile!) The sentiment is from Kim's Bithday Bash set.

My cousin, Addy, just turned 4 years old this weekend and I wanted to make her a little Anya card that looked like her. It's hard to believe that 4 years have passed since she was born! Addy has Down Syndrome and a congenital heart defect that is inoperable. When she was first born, everyone was praying for her to make it through her first few months. And... now here we are, 4 years later -- with a beautiful, smart little girl - full of life! She's such a doll! :)

(The patterned paper is by Sassafras Lass & I just blanket stitched around the edges with embroidery floss.)

Thanks for coming to my blog! What do you think about these little Anya images? Cute, huh!?! :) Take a chance and try out digital. It's super fun!

Thank You for Caring

I have a serious addiction to bird images. Birds and owls. They just suck me in (and empty my pockets! LOL!). When I saw this new image by Hero Arts, I had to snatch it up! Did I also mention that I love newsprint? There's just something about it that is just so cool!
So here's my suggestion: If you're a stamp producing company, you NEED to make a background image in newsprint. I predict that it will be a hot seller... and I'd be happy to take royalties. ;)

The image above is all one stamp. I just used a red marker to outline the border and color in the hearts. The sentiment was stamped again onto printed paper and popped with dimensional foam. The red bird is paper pieced & the wing of the other bird was colored with a marker too.

And... here is the inside of my card. I rarely finish the insides, but I thought I'd go all out on this one. Besides, this green dotted paper is part of some Christmas paper that I'm trying to use up (the other side is full of Christmas trees). :)

SUPPLIES:
Stamps:
- Thank You Card (Hero Arts)
Cardstock:
- Black (Prism)
- Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper:
- Detours: Gazebo (October Afternoon)
- Snowy Jo: Snow Soiree (Imaginisce)
Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine (Tsukineko)
Accessories:
- Copic Markers
- (neutral) Spare Parts Ribbon (Paper Studio)
- Splendid Rub-ons (Fancy Pants
- Ticket Corner Punch (Stampin' Up!)

Sugared Springtime

I just got this new paper from Cosmo Cricket (Hey Sugar line) and fell in love with the funky design and fun colors! I have several of Rachelle Anne Miller's images and thought they would look cute paired together.
I paper pieced her hat and dress (the solid red paper is on the back side of the printed paper) and colored her with Copics. To add a little shimmer, I dotted the flowers and butterfly with Stickles. The card just looked a little bare, so I added home-made flowers using buttons and embroidery floss. (Tip: punch the holes for the stem and leaves before you thread the floss through. It makes it super easy!)

The sentiment is by Kim Hughes (by CHF) and is part of her set, "Tag, You're It!". I LOVE this set! It's full of all of those sentiments that you reach for every day. I just snipped the corners and tucked it under my main panel to create a little tab.

Hope you likey! :)

Stamps: Lilly Springtime by Rachelle Anne Miller (Stampavie); sentiment: Tag! You're it! (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink: Pitch Black Adirondack (Ranger); Rich Cocoa & Cantaloupe Memento (Tsukineko)

Cardstock: Suede Brown Dark & Island Mist Medium (Prism); Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

Printed Paper: Hey Sugar: Be Mine (Cosmo Cricket)

Accessories:
- Copic Markers
- Prima Flowers
- Brad (Target Scrapbooking line)
- Small Corner Rounder (EK Success)
- Buttons
- Green embroidery floss
- Stickles Glitter glue (Ranger)

May All Your Dreams Come True....

Wow! It's been forever since I've posted! The boys are finally back in school! (My husband is a teacher.) I loved having a break, but I missed having my routine too. My youngest and I got to hang out today and it was so nice. I've been organizing my craft room and am getting ready to give it a new coat of paint soon. It helps SO much to have things in order. You should have seen the piles of craft supplies that I had all over the place after the Christmas craft rush. It was embarrassing. Maybe 'scary' is a better word.

Anywhoo... I finally got to be creative again. I've learned that this craft is in my blood and vital to my sanity. And... when I don't do something for a while, my creativity gets stuck. So... I went to one of my favorite inspiration sites (CPS) to get a sketch to spark my energy. Here's the sketch for this week:

And... here's my card:

I just flipped the sketch to fit the image I was working with. Isn't this birdcage the cutest? It's called Sweet ZZZZ's (from Unity Stamp Co.). The sentiment is also by Unity (Simply Said).


I paper pieced the little bird (the back side of the houndstooth paper is solid blue) and added bits of color with Copic markers. I used a white gel pen to highlight & then placed a couple of Swarovski crystals for some added glitz. :)

You can find free traceable patterns for the rectangle I used for my main panel HERE by Mel Stampz. She rocks. :)

SUPPLIES:
Stamps:
-Sweet Zzzz's, Simply Said (Unity Stamp Co.)
Ink:
- Onyx Black Versafine; Rich Cocoa Memento (Tsukineko)
Cardstock:
- White textured CS (Bazzill);
- Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Printed Paper:
- Houndstooth Poolside Paperie (Making Memories);
- Serendipity Crimson Dots (Sassafras Lass)
Accessories:
- Markers (Copic)
- Crystals (Swarovski)
- Inksentials Opaque White pen (Ranger
- Neutral Felt Ribbon (the Paper Studio)

Hope to see you soon!

Happy New Year!!!

I am super excited to begin a new year! It always feels so good to start fresh! Possibilities. Anticipation. I wonder what 2009 holds for me and my family... :)

I've been lounging around all day, checking out all of my favorite sites and blogs. There are so many new products hitting the shelves... and I want them ALL! :)

I was able to sneak into my craft room for about 20 minutes to play along with Pink Paislee's birthday celebration. I really love their style! Super fun! Today's challenge was to make a birthday hat using their products to celebrate the big day. So... this is what I came up with:

I've had this little blue bucket sitting on my 'things to alter' shelf for months now and thought the shape would work perfectly for a little 'bucket hat'!

One of the stipulations was that the color pink be incorporated into the project somewhere. Well... I loved this little Pink Paislee owl... so I changed his beak from orange to pink with a little scrap of CS. Then... I made this little hat to coordinate. He's ready to par-tay!


I cut little strips of paper from Pink Paislee's Spring Fling line and misted it with water to make it pliable. Then... I added some red tape adhesive around the top lip and ruffled my paper around the edge. The ribbon is from Target's dollar spot that I got ages ago. :) Oh! And.... I added fun little buttons to the branches to mimic blossoms.

I hope you've had a great first day of the new year! Hope to see you soon!!! :)