Saturday, January 31, 2009

January's Flood Swap Cards

Here are the two cards I sent out to the ladies for this month's flood swap! I really have had so much fun with this swap. I will be sad when it comes to an end. Hopefully there will be a next round - I will definitely be one of the first ones to sign up! Enjoy!

You can find my "Blue Flower Thanks" card on SCS HERE.

Stamps: Sweet Stems and Thank You Kindly
Paper: Whisper White, So Saffron and Brilliant Blue
Inks: Brilliant Blue
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Dimensionals and adhesive

You can find my "Flowery Thanks" card on SCS HERE.

Stamps: Sweet Stems and Short & Sweet
Paper: Very Vanilla, Regal Rose and Raspberry Tart DSP
Inks: Regal Rose, Cameo Coral and Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Paper Piercer, 
Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon, Snaps, Dimensionals and adhesive

Friday, January 30, 2009

ATS Challenge #4

am slowly playing catch up with all the All That Scraps Design Team Challenges. Here is my submission for Challenge #4 - A Gate Card. When I first saw this challenge I thought "a what?" So I looked at the examples and got on SCS to find a tutorial - once I did that I thought "ok, I can do this.  So here is how my very first - and not the last gate card turned out.  I LOVE this card!

This is the outside. I used my Scallop Rectangle Nestibilities to make a Bashful Blue and the Certainly Celery panels. Then I used two different sizes of hole punches to make the "see through"  spots. I added the ribbon tab to use as a pull and finished it off with the adorable monkey from the Summertime Fun stamp set. The second picture is of the inside. It says "The day just floated by. Hope you had a wonderful birthday!"
I wrote the words in Word and used the color values for the Bashful Blue color that I found from StampMonkeys. You can find it HERE. I hope you like the card as much as I do!

You can find my "Floating Monkey" card on SCS HERE.

Stamps: CC Design Summertime Fun
Paper: Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, 
Bashful Blue and Cutie Pie DSP
Inks: Black StazOn, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Certianly Celery,
Bashful Blue and Pacific Point
Accessories: Scallop Rectangle Nestabilities, Circle Punches,
Bashful Blue Grosgrain Ribbon, Stapler, Blender Pen, Dimensionals and adhesive

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Thankful Thursday #19

For this weeks Thankful Thursday post I am truly thankful for:

"A little girl and all the things she makes me!"

Everyday Alexa makes me not one, not two, but at least three or more cards. She brings them to me all slobbered up in an envelope and waits patiently as I open them. Every single one says on the inside: "MOM I (HEART) U FROM ALEXA". After they have been opened and I give her a huge smile, she stands there waiting for a big hug and kiss. It just warms my heart! She is growing up so fast! I am so extremely thankful for such a special little girl -  who by the way, is turning into quite the card maker.

Feel free to leave a comment on what you are thankful for - I would love to know! Until next time, take a moment to think of something you are thankful for, then smile!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Sister's Purse Color Challenge #15

So I have finally got things worked out and I can post my "Sister's Purse Color Challenge #15". I got to pick this one - I am not sure what I was thinking when I picked it. I think I liked the purse, but when it came to putting the colors together for the challenge - GEE WHIZ! It took me forever! The details were once on eBags.com, but I cannot seem to find this bag on that site. I did however find this bag in black on baghaus.com. You can check it out at THIS link.




Colors to be used this week:
Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Cameo Coral, Sage Shadow and Summer Sun

You can add a neutral if you like, but it's not 
necessary.




I went for a birthday themed card this time around. As I said, I had a hard time using all the colors, but when I decided to just use one stamp and all the colors it easily came together. You can find it on SCS HERE.

Stamps: Party Hearty
Paper: Tangerine Tango, Whisper White and Basic Black
Inks: Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Cameo Coral, Summer Sun, Sage Shadow and Basic Black
Accessories: White Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals and adhesive














Becky, however did not have trouble with these colors. I struggled with the one and she made two - she's so ambitious! You can find her cards on SCS HERE and HERE.

Stamps: House Mouse
Paper: Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Cameo Coral, Summer Sun and Sage Shadow
Inks: Basic Black
Accessories: Scallop Punch, Ribbon, Rub Ons and adhesive

Want to play along?: Leave us a comment on this post where your card is located. If uploading to SCS please use the keyword SPCC15 (Gallery HERE) for this weeks entry, so we can find your card quickly. We will pick our favorites and post them with next weeks challenge. Should be lots of fun!

I've been tagged - not once, but twice!

Julie over at Julie Cameron's Studio - who is very talented and creates some of the most gorgeous cards I have seen - and Olivia over at Olivia's Creative Quest - who has just became one of "My Message Followers" and has some awesome things on her blog as well - have tagged me. This fun little game is a picture posting game. SO LET THE FUN BEGIN! 

The rules: 
Go into your pictures. Pick the 6th folder and upload the 6th picture. 
Here is what I found!


I supervise a program at our local recreation center for kids ages 1 - 7. We open up the gym, pull out all the toys and let the kids have all the fun they want. Now don't get me wrong, the parents stay to play with the kids - I just watch over and help to avoid those incidents that happen when kids get together. This picture is of Ben playing ball. I had just got my new camera the day before and decided to take it with me to play with it as they played. He really looks into the game - doesn't he!

So now I get to tag a few others to play along - up to six!


Have fun and let me know when you post the picture.

A few Flood Swap Cards - Part 2

First let me warn you - this is a long post. My stack of Flood Swap cards is growing fast and I wanted to share what I have gotten since the last batch - seen HERE. I should have one more installment of the cards, so look for those in the next week or so. I hope you enjoy them as I am.

From Lori - I am in LOVE with this card! The colors are fantastic and the added touch of the folded brown oval is very creative!

From Niki - A cute Valentine's day card. Those birds are so adorable and the little heart above them is such a cute idea.

From Sara - I never thought about using the DSP in this way. I love it!

From Rae - You can't tell from the picture, but the flowers have glitter on them! Absolutely gorgeous!

From Helen - Another card using the Upsy Daisy set. I love how colorful it is and the use of the felt ribbon on the edge of the card.

From Mary - This is a beautiful card. I love the color combo. I will definitely try this sketch out.


From Kathy - These two cards are stunning! I love the technique used for the butterfly card and the simplicity of the pink card.


From Carrie - Another set from fellow swapper. Both are super cute and I really like the color combo of the Rose Red, Always Artichoke and Chocolate Chip.


From Jennifer - the swap leader! I love the brightness of her "Enjoy" card. The newest In-Colors have grown on me and I love these two colors the most! The second card is so cute - minus the bite the Post Office took out of it. The purse is made with the punches - such a great idea. Thanks for the tea bags too - can't wait to try them!
 
From Joan - a beautiful snowflake on a spectacular card!

Thanks ladies for flooding me with some very awesome cards! I truly appreciate all of the ideas and all the fun this has been. Thanks again for stopping by and if you are a fellow swapper let me know your blog link if you have one and I will post it with your cards.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Change it up Tuesday #20

It's Tuesday and that means it is time for another "Change it up Tuesday".  With Valentine's Day coming up I decided that I would remake one of the previous Valentine's Day cards I had made. I really loved this one, but thought that the pink was too subtle, so it made it the perfect contender for "Change it up Tuesday". 





My old card - "Valentine's Card" details can be found on SCS HERE.







My "Change it up Tuesday" card - "Valentine's Card - Take 2" details can be found on SCS HERE.


I really like how the "Change it up Tuesday" card turned out. I usually like the first one better, but in this case I really like the second one better. What do you think?

* * Congrats to Rachel over at My Cardstock Creations. Send me your snail mail address and I will send you last weeks "Change it up Tuesday" Card. * *

How to play: Take a card you previously created and only change the colors used. The layout and the stamped images should remain the same. Then leave me a comment where your cards are located or if you upload to SCS use keyword CIUT20 (Gallery HERE). For fun, I will pick from those commenting (with or without a card) on Monday (2/2) and I will send you my "Change it up Tuesday" creation. Have fun and I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

ATS Challenge #3

I have decided that I am going to start working on past challenges that the All That Scraps Design Team has issued. I am extremely far behind, but in time I hope to catch up to the more recent challenges. A few of the reasons I decided to do this is because I absolutely LOVE the CC Designs stamps, I love shopping at the All That Scraps online store and all the ladies on the Design Team are so talented. Check them all out at the All That Scraps Blog. I am hoping to learn some things from them by completing these challenges as well. 

I could not find the information for challenges 1 and 2, so I am starting with Challenge #3 a color challenge - this one goes all the way back to June. I have almost 7 whole months of check up to do - YIKES! I had a hard time with the Summer Sun. I find it so BRIGHT and that it overtakes the card if used too much. That's why I only used it on the presents - it gives it a pop of color amongst all the browns and greens. I used my paper piercer and then folded that edge over so I could give a peak of the DSP on the inside. Besides that everything is pretty simple. Enjoy!

You can find my "Presents Puppy" card on SCS - HERE

Stamps: CC Designs It's my Birthday
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Kraft and Wild Wasabi DSP
Inks: Black StazOn, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi and Summer Sun
Accessories: Paper Piercer, Dimensionals and adhesive

Friday, January 23, 2009

Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration #39

Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration Challenge this week had me stumped - until today! The colors from the picture she used were ones that I had all kinds of trouble with - ok so it was just the Green Galore, I never use this color unless I absolutely have too! I was bound and determined to use it because I want the BONUS points! Go ahead admit it - I won't tell - we all have a little brown nosiness in us. 

So instead of a card I wanted to try something different. This morning I remembered this cute box that Robin at About a Girl had made and thought that since the picture Kristina chose had candy in it that it this would be perfect time to make a little candy box. I used my cuttlebug and the Stampin' Up! Scallop Envelope die to make the base of the box and decorated with the lollipop from my Dress Up Lily stamp set. I then used my brayer on copier paper to make the Green Galore and So Saffron covers for the Tootsie Pops. The red is from the Summer Picnic DSP pack and then I finished them off with a little ribbon. I think it came out cute. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Details for my "Sucker Box" can be found HERE on SCS.

Stamps: Pink Cat Studio Dress up Lily
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White and Green Galore
Inks: Black StazOn, Real Red, So Saffron and Green Galore
Accessories: SU Scallop Envelope Die, Cuttlebug, Brayer, White Unigel Pen, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Yellow and Green Satin Ribbon and adhesive
oh - I almost forgot the best part - TOOTSIE POPS!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Change it up Tuesday #19 - Player

I just wanted to give a thumbs up to Tegan at Swiftly Created for playing along once again on my "Change it up Tuesday" post. Her cards  - yes she did two - turned out so adorable. I love that little penguin! I may need to do an image swap with her to get a couple - HINT HINT Tegan!

You can check out her cards at this LINK and leave her a comment to tell her I sent you over! 

Thankful Thursday #18

For today's "Thankful Thursday" I am thankful for:


"A Good TV Show"

Brad and I don't get to watch to much television together. The kids usually get to watch what they want or it is off and we are doing other things or one of us likes a show and the other one doesn't - you know how it is. But every once in a while a show comes along that Brad and I decide to watch together. "How I met your Mother" is one of those shows. It meets the requirements of a funny adult show and it's just 30 minutes in length - a perfect combo to say the least.  We tape it and then the object is to find a time without the kids to watch it together. When those cards fall into place, we catch up with the "gang" and laugh hysterically. It's great and I am so thankful for the time with my wonderful hubby and a totally hillarious TV show. What are you watching together?

Feel free to leave a comment on what you are thankful for - I would love to know! Until next time, take a moment to think of something you are thankful for, then smile!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Purse Color Challenge Delayed!

I usually post my "Sister's Purse Color Challenge" on Wednesday, but I am having problems with the document where I store all the information so I decided just to show you a few of the cards I have made instead. I will resume the "Purse Challenge" next week - hopefully!

Here is the Thank You card we sent to all of Alexa's preschool friends who came to her birthday party at the gym. See this POST for all the fun they all had. I love how quickly you can get Thank You done using this stamp. We came home from the party and I cranked out 12 of these babies in about a half an hour! AMAZING! I colored the sprinkles and Alexa added the Robin Nest Dew Drops on the coordinating colors. She loves to add the little things to the cards. Then she and her dad filled them out and they were ready to deliver the next day.

You can find this "Birthday Thanks" card on SCS - HERE

Stamps: Simple Birthday Thanks
Paper: Whisper White and Real Red
Inks: Black StazOn, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Yo Yo Yellow, 
Gable Green, Eggplant Envy and Brilliant Blue
Accessories: Dew Drops and adhesive

Another card I wanted to share was this one I made for my nephew's 6th birthday. My SIL asked me to make an invite with a camping theme and this is what I came up with. I am extremely happy with how it turned out even though they took a while to make. 

You can find this "Max's Birthday Invite" card on SCS - HERE

Stamps: Under the Stars, Sock Monkey Accessories and Hugs and Wishes
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, 
Very Vanilla, Kraft and Watercolor paper
Inks: Timber Brown StazOn, Chocolate Chip, 
Close to Cocoa, and Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Coluzzle Circle Cutter, Brown String, Tan Pompom,
Dimensionals and adhesive

Hope you are having a great day and sorry about the delay in the challenge.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Change it up Tuesday #19

"Change it up Tuesday" resumes - did I hear celebratory cheers! For this installment I chose a very simple card I made for Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration Challenge. It is one of my favorites and I thought I would see how it would look using different colors. Although now that I am posting it, I noticed that a couple of the colors are the same. OOPS! Let me know what you think.



My old card - "Simple Stems" details can be found on SCS HERE.







My "Change it up Tuesday" card - "Simple Stems - Take 2" details can be found on SCS HERE.



How to play: Take a card you previously created and only change the colors used. The layout and the stamped images should remain the same. Then leave me a comment where your cards are located or if you upload to SCS use keyword CIUT19 (Gallery HERE). For fun, I will pick from those commenting (with or without a card) on Monday (1/26) and I will send you my "Change it up Tuesday" creation. Have fun and I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Look another Blog Award!

My blog buddy Rachel over at My Cardstock Creations has given me this very special award. I encourage you all to check out her blog. I love all the things she creates. She has so much talent! Right now, you can also check her out at All That Scraps (another one of my favorite places to visit). She is the guest designer for this month - I am so jealous! Way to go Rachel and keep up all the fantastic work!

The rules:
1. Post a link of the person who gave you this award.
2. Nominate 5 other people and give a link to their sites.
3. Let the people who you have nominated know.
4. Put the award on your blog.

So here are my 5 very talented nominations. Be sure to check them all out, as they are all very talented women who love what they do. Thank you all for being such an inspiration to me.

Corrine at "Stamping with Roxy"
Michele at "The Stamp Link"

Saturday, January 17, 2009

A few Flood Swap Cards - Part 1

I joined a flood swap this year and have been swapping cards with about 30 wonderful and very  talented Stampin' Up Demos from all over. Every month 4 participants get their mail boxes flooded with gorgeous handmande cards and I am one of the lucky participants for this month. There was a saying on the back of one of the envelopes I received that I thought was so appropriate. It said: "When getting flooded is a good thing." I have loved every minute of this flood and I thank all the demos who have sent me cards so far. They are all FABULOUS and I hope you don't mind me sharing them. I will share the rest of the ones I receive at the end of the month. I hope you enjoy them as much as I am. 

From Denise - This was the first card I received. I was so excited and thought that this card was so amazing.

From Regina - I love this color combo and all the layering!

From Bonnie - another pink and chocolate color combo card. I wish I would of gotten this set before it went away.

From Jennifer - one of my favorite color and sets.

From Michael - This card is so bright and cheery. I love how simple it is. 

These are from Laura - I have been eyeing the Wild About You stamp set for some time and I finally purchased it after seeing this card. My husband thanks you so much Laura!

From Trinity - after seeing the brad on this, I might have to add it to my next order. So pretty!

From Jeannette - I am going to try this type of card. Thanks for the cute example!

I hope you enjoyed all the cards - I know I am! Thanks for stopping by.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration #38

Today, although a bitter -7 ( yep that's a negative sign), there was tons of sunlight! So, I was able to get some good pictures of most of the things I have made over my hiatus from blogging. I wanted to get in on this weeks Color Inspiration over at Kristina Werner's Design Blog, so I hurriedly looked at the colors and went to creating. I went back after I completed my card only to find out that the distance between my computer and my craft room is just a little too far. I got one of the colors wrong - so back to my room to use the right colors. Here is how it turned out. Enjoy!

Details for my "Lots of Flowers" can be found HERE on SCS.

Stamps: Doodle This
Paper: Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White
Inks: Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink and Black StazOn
Accessories: White Grosgrain Ribbon, Rhinestones, 
Dimensionals and adhesive

And for those of you who are curious about the first card I made. Here it is. The colors are so similar, but I just couldn't upload and submit to her challenge using the wrong colors. In a way, I kind of like this combo a little better - SORRY Kristina! If you can't tell - this one uses Rose Red instead of Ruby Red.

Details for my "Lots of Flowers #2" can be found HERE on SCS.

Stamps: Doodle This
Paper: Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White
Inks: Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink and Black StazOn
Accessories: White Grosgrain Ribbon, Rhinestones, 
Dimensionals and adhesive

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

What's up with me?

I just can't seem to get into the groove of posting. It's not that I am not creating anything - I am, but I just can't seem to find the time or have the effort to post it. One of the main issues I am having is that I have been trying to get good photos of my creations, but with the yucky weather around here it seems to be an impossible feat. It has just depressed me, so I have ordered a photo tent to try out. Hopefully, as soon as it gets here I will get to posting everything in a more timely manner. So please bear with me as I am trying to overcome this terrible rut I am in.

I thought I would show you what I came up with and sent out for our Christmas card this year. 

So, what do ya think? I love how it turned out and how simple it was to make. It has to be one of my favorites that we have ever sent out. You can find this card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Snow Swirled
Paper: Basic Gray, Basic Black and Whisper White
Inks: Black StazOn
Accessories: Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Rhinestones, 
Dimensionals and adhesive