God Bless

Seeeeeeee... I *do* still stamp sometimes! I made this a few months ago, actually. I sing in a local choir and each spring I like to make a thank you card for our director that matches the theme of our annual concert. This year we had a sort of Americana theme, so I pulled out the old Stampin' Up! God Bless America stamp for the first time in ages (ever?). The flag behind the image is actually two different pieces of patterned paper, and then I accented the inside and the envie with the SU star wheel. Not bad for a (then) messy unorganized craft space!

I have since painted my craft room and am in the process of putting it all back together. Maybe I'll post a few pictures when it's done. It's nothing spectacular, but it's mine! I was just giggling the other day at all of the mismatched furniture I have in there, but oh well. It's functional, and a fairly large space, and right now that's all that matters. Maybe some day I'll invest in matching furniture with all the cubbies and cuteness you can stand, but it's not on my short list.

I'm also excited to share my new blog design! Wahooooooooooooooo! Michelle at Laycock Designs totally hooked me up with a beautiful new look. It was time for a change around here. If you're looking at this post in a reader, click over and take a peek and let me know what you think!

Missing You

Helloooooo! Long time, no crafting, eh?! I just thought I'd pop in and post this sweet little card I made for a small swap I participated in with some of my girlie-friends. The swap was for kid-cards, and I took my inspiration from a little girl I know who saw two of her besties move away within the last year or so.

I have more stuff (cards and embroidery and floral arranging of all things) to post as soon as I get my act together and get organized around here. I've been busy painting and organizing and my craft room is next in line for a make over. Maybe I'll share a few pics when I'm done. It's nothing special, but it's mine and I love it. Or I will once it's all clean and organized again!

Happy stamping!

You're Sweet

I'm ba-aaack! :o)

Well, probably not entirely. At least not in the post-a-new-card-everyday sort of way, but the good news is I am back at stamping on an as needed basis, and I'm enjoying it, which is more than I could have said at any single point in the last 12-18 months. It has been nearly 18 months since I have sat down and been creative. Oh, I've made a few cards in that time, but all were duplicates of past creations. Nothing really spontaneous, until now. I decided this year that I needed to stop buying cards and start making them again, so I whipped up a batch of thank you cards for friends and family using Pink Cat Studio's Itty Bitty Christmas set and an older SU! Paisley Print background.


Here is a close up of the glitter snow detail:

You know, I kind of forgot how time consuming a set of ten cards could be. It took me a few days to complete this, which surprised me. I also found that *gasp* I've forgotten the names of some of my colored cardstock that I never filed properly. Time to dig out the old catty's I guess, and do a little matching! I could never forget my beloved Riding Hood Red though. Man, I love that color....

And finally a quick glance at the inside of the card. I am usually bad about leaving this part of the card empty, without insert OR embellishment. I'm going to try to be better about that (and coordinating envelopes) because I think they really lend so much to the overall presentation, don't you?

So, there you have it folks. My first step back into the world of ink and rubber. Stay tuned for more posts as the need for a card or ten arises!

Note of Thanks

Hello friends! I don't want to go so far as to say, "I'm back," but I did stamp a card tonight! I needed a thank you card for one of Jack's therapists who is leaving us. I bought this set a few mos ago from a friend and thought it could use some ink. I have to be honest with you though - stamping isn't really the same as riding a bicycle in that I think you *do* forget how to do it if you fall off the wagon for awhile! I had some serious mental blockage tonight, but I think the end result is cute. You'll notice I even decorated the inside, which is rare for me.

This baby is all Stampin' Up! Riding Hood Red, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, etc. It has been a long time since I've been able to say that, too... even when I was stamping regularly.

Things here are going ok. Some days are better than others. Some hours are, too. I still can't believe my little guy is gone. I see his picture at the top of the blog every time I log in and it just seems like he's upstairs sleeping (I always blog late at night). In short, it sucks. But I manage, through heavy prayer, the grace of God, and the love of friends and family. I'll tell ya though, I've never been more excited in my life to get to heaven. Not saying I'll do anything to speed up the process, but hopefully you understand.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support,

Hop Up Jump In!

I know it has been ages since I've posted a card (and done any stamping, for that matter), but I am just not feelin' it lately. I want to stamp, but I have this block that just prevents me from doing much. I actually sat down with some stamped images and my copics one night and just stared at it all for a good hour before I gave up and went to bed. I didn't make a single mark!

Jack's birthday is coming up, and I've always made all of the cards for the boys. I made all of their baby announcements, thank you cards, birthday invites, baptismal invites, etc. Heck, I even made all 60 of my baby shower invites and the thank you's for that as well. I tried like the dickens to get out of making these birthday invites. I even BOUGHT invites! But, guilt got the best of me, and I went ahead and popped out six of them. It's hard to make cards when you're not feelin' it... and it's even harder when they don't make stamps in the images of the people you need!

I improvised with some Handy Manny stickers I found at a local stamp store, and used them on this much loved layout (remember this?). Below you can see the inside of the card:

I don't know what I did to my camera, but all of my pictures look so washed out lately. It's not just this light and/or set up. No matter where I take a picture, it looks washed out. I'm going to have to google that and see what button I pushed or take it to the camera store to get it straightened out one of these days.

Anyway... I made six cards. I used elegant eggplant and real red, trying to coordinate with the stickers as much as possible. They turned out pretty girly for a handy man, but hey. At least they got done. Here is a pic of the whole batch:

Several of you have contacted me asking for more information about the card ministry I mentioned in my last post. I was hoping to get that off the ground before Valentine's Day, but I'm behind. I'm struggling with a lack of motivation lately, and lots of indecision. I've been joking with my family that I should be the president of the 80% club, because I've been starting all of these projects but not finishing any of them. I've read that this is a common response in the grief process, so I'm not overly concerned about it. This too shall pass, right? As I get more organised with the card ministry, I'll post details here. No telling when that will be, but still... you'll be the first to know.

Also, if you pop over to my family blog from time to time (link at top of sidebar), you'll notice I made a nice overhaul to the look of it. I still have a few things I need to clean up. Some font issues, etc. But again... 80% club. *sigh*

I hope you are all well! I miss traveling the blogosphere on a regular basis and seeing all of your wonderful creations. I've pretty much just been trying to take it easy and losing myself in mindless games on facebook. This too shall pass.... Eventually.

Blessings to you all -

Thanks So Much

Hellooooooo! I am SO excited to share this card with you. I made these (I actually made three, but could only fit two in my white space) for some of the people that I sing in our local choir with who gave me gifts before our performance (flowers, bread, chocolates - YUM!) on Saturday. We had our annual concert this past weekend, and we had an island theme for the show, so that explains the color combo, DP, and primas! The music clef stamp is by Unity Stamp Co., and was a sweet gift from my friend Lorie a few months ago. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Thanks, Lorie! The words on the image stamp are pretty small, but it says, "You make my heart sing!" Isn't that sweet? I love it! And holy man, have you been to the Unity site lately? I just looked up the link to add it here, and I think I have to go back and shop now. LOL! :) I love their single sentiment stamps!

Keep a song in your heart!

My Dearest Friend

I just wanted to share a quick card I made tonight using the set called A True Friend by Sweet n' Sassy Stamps. I accented the card with my Tart n' Tangy set from SU!, as well as some coordinating papers that I bought from the new IB&C.

I love these dark colors, even though I should be lightening things up for spring! It was in the 80's here today! I was so excited, but now we have another week in the 50's... *sigh*

Pink Cat Studio Sneak Peeks, Day 3

Here we are at our final day of Sneak Peeks. Have I told you how much I love this set? Because I do. A lot. And of the four peeks I've showed you this week, this is my favorite card! I just got all of this gorgeous textured paper from SU, and I am in LOVE! I paper pieced her towel in that dotted paper, and then used coordinating papers to finish the card. Cute, no? Some friends and I go to a big waterpark in the area every summer, and we've missed the past three years because we've been busy taking turns having babies. I thought this would be the perfect card to send them suggesting we get back to our old habits this summer! :o)

And in case you're wondering, here is what the whole set looks like:

Go on... Admit it. You need it! Click on over to Pink Cat Studio and snag one for yourself. You'll be glad you did!

Long Winter

Let me explain this card a bit...

To make a long story short, one of my girlfriends had a baby about three or four months ago, but it was early. Really early. I think she was at about 22 weeks when she delivered. The little girl was a fighter though, and she has come through so much in the past few months. Last week I found out that she was finally strong enough to come home. I wanted to send a card, but wasn't really sure what to send. I thought about it for awhile, and this is what I came up with. A little welcome home card for baby.


I used SU!'s old Right at Home set, stamped in Going Grey on Pink Pirouette. Then I used my crystal effects on all of the windows, and added a layer of glitter at the base of the houses. The sentiment, which I thought was sooo fitting for both the situation and the season, is from the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps set called His Eye Is On The Sparrow. I just love this set. The sentiments are so versatile.

And finally...... Breaking Dawn.





I actually finished this book a week or so ago, but kept putting off my little review due to a lack of time. I always seem to be blogging at 1am, and trying to race to bed as I do it. I'm finally here mid-afternoon, so I thought I'd say a few words. Ok, I've read all four books. A lot of people I've spoken with have asked me what order I liked the books in. If I had to choose, I'd say 1, 2, 4, 3. New Moon was my least favorite, because of two chapters mainly. Both had to do with a lot of history to the plot, and it just got to the point of being almost painful to read. And by painful, I mean boring. Other people have asked me which "team" I'm on, Edward or Jacob. I'm fully entrenched with Team Edward. The whole bit about who Jacob imprinting is creepy to me, but I saw it coming pretty early on. When Quil did almost the same thing, I knew there was some foreshadowing there.

Yes, I'm being vague. But I'm thinking maybe someone is reading this who doesn't want any spoilers, so I'm being nice. :o) If you want to discuss the book more in depth, feel free to email me at the link on my sidebar!

And don't forget to check out the Stephenie Meyer website. Did you know she actually wrote a fifth book for the series? She has the transcript (253 pages) linked on her site, and the explanation of why it will probably never make it to print... which stinks! Check it out if you have time. I think I'm going to have to read it now... I guess my thirst for all things Cullen hasn't been completed satisfied yet!

Not Fat, Just Fluffy

NOTE: If you stopped by for today's Bellaholic's Sketch Challenge, scroll down. You'll find it in the post below this one...

I thought with all of the Wednesday Weigh-in's we've had lately, and my low loss for this week, that this card was perfect to lighten things up! :) heehehe. The penquin is from the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps set called Penguin Hugs. Isn't he just adorable? He reminds me of that little guy from Happy Feet. :)

The background paper is SU's basic grey stamped with their old Paisley Print background stamp in basic black. On top of that I layered some of their shimmer silver, and a star DP that was a gift from a friend - sorry I don't know what brand it is. The penquin was colored iwth my copics - C1, W3, W5, W7, and 0. The beak is a color called "Atoll", but I don't recall the number off hand (I want to say YR65 maybe? or Y65?). The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby, and I used an oval Nestie to cut out and emboss the sentiment. I drew in the ground, and added some dazzling diamonds down there where the snow should be.

Do you have any big plans for Valentine's Day? I'm going to see Wicked tomorrow night! I can't wait! :) If it weren't for the show I'm sure we'd be staying in with a heart shaped pizza. lol!

Betcha Didn't Know...

....That I crochet, too. ;o)

One of my toddler mom friends on Splitcoast had a baby yesterday (WOOT! Welcome Luke!), and this is the blanket I made for her. Don't ask me what got into me. I haven't crocheted in AGES. I didn't even make blankets for my own kids, much less any other my other toddler mom friends (Sorry girls!), but for whatever reason decided to go ahead and whip out the yarn for this one. She had been posting pictures of different bedding sets that she was considering, and all of them had a sage-y green in them, so I picked the closest thing I could find to that color in a soft yarn, and went for it.

It took me about three months to finish. I used to be able to whip a baby blanket out in about three weeks, but that was b.c. (before children *wink*). Here is a close-up of the card I attached to the blanket. I swear to you, it says "Happy Snuggling"... not "Happy Smuggling". LOL!

And here is the "real" card that was also included. Just a quick one layer card using SU!'s Wild About You set:

She has mentioned in the past that she likes elephants, so that was my inspiration. And I wanted to keep it simple, because I spent enough time on the dang blanket. HA. Kidding. :) Actually, I had been wanting to try a one layer card forever, so I did. I think it's kinda boring, but it works! Plus, she'll be all doped up on pain meds for a few weeks, so she'll never notice. hee heeeeee.

Enjoy the day!

Count Your Blessings

I needed to make a masculine birthday card last week (I know what you're thinking..."so where is it?" lol!), and this is what I came up with. When I got to this point, I started thinking about what else I could add.... I was going to tie a bow and adhere it to the bottom of that ribbon and use some dew drops on the sentiment. Then I sat back and took a good long look at my card and realized it was soooooo not a masculine card. LOL. So, rather than start from scratch, I just stopped. Because in my mind, minimal = masculine, even if vines and flowers are involved. bwahahahaha! Thank goodness this went to a close friend who gets me, and won't be offended! Maybe I'll luck out and he'll read this and email later to say he had no idea it wasn't masculine. Ok, maybe that's a stretch... *grin*

I used one of my all time favorite color combos on the card: Old Olive and Eggplant Envy. The background stamps are from SU!'s Baroque Motifs, and the sentiment is from an older SU! set as well, though I can't think of the name of it at the moment. Oh, and note how there are also flowers stamped inside the card. Yeeeaaaahhhh. They're masculine flowers, so drop it. HA!

Today is also the first day of another Sweet n' Sassy Stamps Blog Hop! I'm in tomorrow's group, but if you want to hop through today's blogs, check out the info in my sidebar!

I also have to play along with a little tag I got recently. My friend Debby B. tagged me in a photo challenge. The rules for this challenge are - Go to where you store your photos on your computer. Go to the SIXTH folder and pick the SIXTH photo. Post that photo on your blog along with a SHORT story about it. Tag SIX people and leave a comment on their blog or email them letting them know you chose them.

Well, here is that photo... Actually, this is the 7th photo, but only because the 6th one was totally obstructed by the nurse, and kinda dumb. Basically the same shot though:

This is my youngest, Jack, just after delivery when he was being all cleaned and measured. AWWWWWWW! :) Hard to believe he's a thunder thigh totin' ten month old now!

Wanna play along? Then consider yourself tagged! If you decide to play, let me know. I'd love to see your random photo!

Doubling Our Joy

I needed a generic card for a male friend, and this is what I came up with. I think that black and white DP is beautiful (Dorada Vista, from i {heart} papers), and it lends itself quite nicely to a mancard. The oval is Riding Hood Red, cut and embossed with the largest oval Nestability, and then pierced around the inside edge. The ribbon was a gift from my friend Courtney. The sentiment is from an old SU! set called Friendship Flowers. I don't normally do cards with just a sentiment and no image, but I liked the simplicity of this.

I also thought I'd mention this book that I recently finished reading:

I am a huge fan of Picoult's writings, and this book was no exception. The story centers around the kidnapping of a little girl, and as a mother I found the entire story riveting. Like all of her other books, I was instantly drawn in and barely able to put the book down. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys dramatic fiction. Most all of her stories involve a crime of some sort and the legal process that follows (this one included), but she writes in such a way that you really feel as if you're part of the story. It's wonderful. Click on my "Books" label to see some of the other books I've read, if you're interested. I read tons, but have only remembered to blog about a few, unfortunately. I'm trying to be better about that!

Enjoy the day,

Simply Heartfelt

I found out a few months ago that the husband of a girl I went to (grade/middle/high) school with was in a terrible accident at work (he worked construction). I don't even know all of the details, but it was something awful where he had fallen into a hole and was buried alive(!!!). Believe it or not, he lived (thank God!), but he suffered quite a bit of damage to his body, and I believe also some neurological damage as a result. Although we talked occasionally, I was never really close to this girl... but this situation has weighed on my mind this whole time, and I finally decided I was going to make a card and send it off to her to let her know I'm praying for them, and see if there is anything else I can do to help. It just amazes me how your life can change in the blink of an eye, and it certainly makes me grateful for all that I have with my dh and my boys.

The card is just a simple little card, made with Stampin' Up!'s Heartfelt Thanks set. This is one of my favorite sets of all time. I'll never part with it! I made a card similar to this at a stamp camp years ago (probably what made me buy it in the first place, come to think of it). The little bit of green cardstock you see on the front is stamped with SU's Canvas background stamp. The ribbon is a wide purple organdy and SU's copper cord (retired).

I also want to share two more Christmas cards I received since the day I put that collage together. This lovely card is from my friend Deb Felts. She and I serve together on the design team for both Sweet n' Sassy Stamps and i {heart} papers.

And this is an awesome z-fold card I got from one of the toddler moms I chat with (SCS: Tiny Bubbles). Isn't that just the sweetest sentiment/image? I love it.

Enjoy the day!

Ahoy, Matey

Pardon my fingers there, but it's not easy to get a good shot of a z-fold card! I made this last week for a pirate-crazy girlfriend's birthday. I used my prismacolors and gamsol for the coloring, and kept it pretty simple (mainly because I knew it was going to be late already, so I just wanted to get it done and in the mail!). I kept the coloring to a minimum, and did some sponging around the edges. The red "x" is made from two pieces of ribbon, and held down with a brad. Here is a shot of it open:

I just wrote a short birthday message in the space above and below the treasure chest.

I'm working on some cards for the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps release party, which falls over New Year's this year. Check my sidebar for details, as there will be lots of BLOG CANDY involved!

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas, and all is well!

Much Appreciated

Here is a card I made tonight for the i {heart} papers DT challenge. The challenge was to make a Christmas themed thank you card. I'm about a week late for the challenge (sorry, girls!) and I think I missed the mark slightly. This isn't really Christmas-y, so much as it is wintery. Close enough? I hope so!

I used the Carrying Tree Riley from Hanna Stamps, and the sentiment is from a small set of four thank you stamps that Stampin' Up! used to carry. What was it called? Many Thanks? Something like that. Anyhow, the DP is that See Spot paper from IHP that I've been using like crazy. I just love the colors in it. The ribbon was a gift from my friend Courtney (Thank you!).

How do you like my buttons? I hate leaving my buttons nekkid, but didn't have the patience to string three of them, so I put brads in the center instead. Just open your brads, and push them through two of the four holes, and flatten on the back like normal. You might need to snip the ends of your brads a little with your craft scissors so they don't stick out, but it works!

Enjoy the day!

Smile!!!

Here is the last of the squigglefly.com images that Holly sent me to play with. Isn't she just the cutest little thing? Believe it or not, this is actually a birthday card for my uncle. I had every intention of making a masculine card. Really, I did. I started with a Bordering Blue card base, and then it all went awry. lol! Did I mention he is 6'2, a hunter, fisherman, and retired army officer? This should be right up his alley, no? lmao. Ah well, he'll love it because it's from me. That's the beautiful thing about family. :o)

While I was coloring those diamonds on her shirt, I thought of the Print Pattern background stamp by Stampin' Up! I thought it would coordinate well, and then I stumbled over this diamond pattern ribbon in my stash while I was looking for a white satin ribbon. Score! Diamonds galore! Hey, that rhymed. :)

And I just realized I forgot to take a picture of the inside of the card. It's cute... it says, "Laugh!!! This is your present!" hee hee.

Don't forget today is also a CBC Challenge day. This week's challenge is to make a bagalope. I didn't play along this week, but if you decide to play be sure to link your creation to Courtney's blog for a chance to win a little prize! Check out the links of the other CBC Challenge Chicks for some great inspiration, too.

I also want to say thank you to Amber over at So Many Colors, So Little Time and my toddler mommy friend Merry at Random Thoughts of a Confessed Stampaholic for awarding me the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thanks so much for the honor, ladies. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

Ready To Pop?

I'm so excited to finally be able to share this with you. I made this back in July, shortly after I found out my friend Noelle was pregnant. One of the requirements of the application for that 3 Little Dreams design team I was on was to make an altered item, so this served a dual purpose. I wanted to send it right away, but decided to wait until she really was at that "ready to pop" stage. I finally mailed it out a few weeks ago, so I can FINALLY share it with you!

I used a Jiffy Pop popcorn container, and altered it like this:


See all of these pink dots? Each one was punched from pink paper and painstakingly placed by artisan craftsman.... well, ok, maybe just by me, but still... you get the picture. It took a lot of time.

At the time I had no idea what she was having, so I went with equal parts of pink and blue so I was covered either way. Turns out it's going to be a BOY (woot! I totally called it!), and he'll be arriving in February.

The large circle is all one piece, but the blue scalloped edge you see around the outside is separate from the main image. I used a circle punch, and cut each circle in half, then adhered each half directly to the jiffy pop frame.

I am not big on altered items, but I really am thrilled with how this came out. I hope she has it hanging on the wall in the nursery or something for all of the time it took me. LMAO. Ok, maybe that's pushing it. :o)

Before I go, I have to tell you about two FABULOUS blog candy opportunities that are out there in blogland! First, my girl Courtney is giving away some serious loot including a SU! set, ink pad, oodles of ribbon, and actual chocolate! Also, check out Debbie's blog - she's giving away 17 Copic markers (!!!), paper, stamps, etc. Yowza!

And if you're still reading, be sure to click over to MY blog, because I've decorated for winter. I'm now scrampin' in a winter wonderland. :) I also decorated my family blog for the winter, too. I just love snow. I can't help myself! If only it were this easy to decorate my house for Christmas. Anyone wanna come help me decorate a 9 foot Christmas tree? I made my Cherry Cheesecake again tonight. I can feed you!

Best Wishes

Well friends, it's Tuesday, and you know what that means... another CBC Challenge day! This week's challenge is a color challenge. Let me show you what I made for it:



What? Were you expecting a card? lol! Unfortunately, I didn't play along this week... but I made a cool blinkie, so I'm still in, right Court? Huh? Huh? ;o)

Did you know that someone actually sat down and put together all of the RGB color codes for all of the ink colors Stampin' Up! makes? The colors in those flowers aren't guesses, they're actually created using codes from that list. Pretty cool, huh? If you want to play around with it yourself, you can find the codes HERE. And be sure to click over to the other CBC Challenge Chick blogs (note there are two new chicks this month!) to see what everyone else came up with. If you play along, link your creation to Courtney's blog for a chance to be entered in a little prize drawing.

Speaking of our girl Courtney, did you see that she is the "in the spotlight" designer for Gina K this month? How cool is that? Congratulations, Courtney!

Fortunately, even though I didn't play along with this particular challenge, I do still have a fun Changito card to share for today. The sentiment is from an old SU set called Cheery Chat. The DP is from SU!'s Washington Apple line.


Enjoy your day, and remember to get out and VOTE!