Thankful Thursday #30

Sorry for the late post. The day got away from me and I wanted to post my "Thankful Thursday" before heading to bed. I am thankful for:

"Some yummy Ice Cream"

Tonight, Brad went out as I was putting the kids to bed and brought home ice cream - not just any ice cream - Marble Slab Creamery Birthday Cake with Sprinkles ice cream. I love this ice cream and it was such a sweet treat after the craziness of the day. I took my ice cream and sat in front of the TV for some me time - it was wonderful! What's the treat that makes you drool?

Side note: Thanks to all who gave me vacation places to think about. We have yet to decide what, when and where we will relax, but I will keep you informed of the plans. 

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!

Sister's Purse Color Challenge #28 & KWCI #50

It is such a coincidence that my colors for my "Sister's Purse Color Challenge" #28 are exactly the same colors (plus and splash of brown) that Kristina Werner has for her 50th Color Inspiration. I so lucked out this week!! This week's purse is a reusable fold-up grocery bag - so not really a purse, but a bag. I know I am stretching it a bit. It really is quite large for a fold-up bag and can be yours for only $7.99. You can find this adorable bag on Modcloth.com or HERE for a direct link. 

Colors for my challenge to be used this week:

Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Yo Yo Yellow and Whisper White

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

Like I said, I found it to be a huge coincidence that my colors and the ones Kristina Werner picked  for her challenge were alike. She did have a brown listed so I went ahead and added a touch to my card, but it is mostly the colors for my challenge. 

I used the cute little Finishing Touch stamp and my Stamp-a-ma-jig to make the "faux" designer paper as the main image. I really didn't have a plan for the pattern, it just kind of happened and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. Don't you just love when that happens. I added the ribbon and the scallop oval sentiment to finish it off. Enjoy!!

You can find my "Fancy Congrats" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: SU Congrats and Finishing Touch Stamp

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red and Tempting Turquoise

Inks: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and Yo Yo Yellow

Accessories: Scallop Oval and Oval Punches, Chocolate Chip Poly-Twill Ribbon, Red Snaps, Dimensionals and adhesive

* * Becky had sent me a stack of cards and I have yet to show them to you - I will soon, I promise. I think that she is up to date on all of the past challenges, but I just found out that she broke her wrist and may be delayed on the next few challenges. What a bummer - right when she found her mojo!?! * *

Want to play along?: Leave us a comment on this post where your card is located. If uploading to SCS please use keyword SPCC28 (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!

Change it up Tuesday #33

Sorry for the delay for this week's "Change it up Tuesday". Things have been crazy around here and I just am not as productive this week as I usually am. I am once again focusing on the cards I made with one of my favorite stamp sets, Pocket Silhouettes. Here is the second one of 4.

My old card - "Purse Challenge #7" details can be found on SCS HERE.

My "Change it up Tuesday" card - "Purse Challenge #7 - Take 2" details can be found on SCS HERE.

* * Congrats to Rachel over at "My Cardstock Creations" and for leaving a comment on that post she will be receiving LAST WEEKS - #32 - "Change It up Tuesday" card. Be sure to leave a comment or participate for your chance to get this week card(s)!  * *

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 CIUT33 (Gallery HERE). For fun, I will pick from those commenting (with or without a card) on Monday (5/4) 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!

A few awards

I really didn't have time to stamp or look at my favorite blogger sites last week with Brad out of town. I am hoping this week will be a little different, but I will let you know that I have been informed that I may not see him until Saturday (it's the end of the semester and he has tons of meetings, award seminars, a final to create, amongst the other 5000 things he does during the week) - so that means I may not have time to play. I will see if I can squeeze some time in my stamp room when the kids are busy playing or sleeping, but if I can't I hope you will bear with me. I did want to share a few awards I got last week:

This one is from Olivia over at "Olivia's Creative Quest". She is so sweet! I sometimes get frustrated with the uploading and writing that I want to abandon the whole blog thing and then I get this wonderful surprise that my blog makes you all smile. Makes me smile and grateful that I have wonderful blogging friends that enjoy seeing what I create as much as I enjoy making and seeing what they all create.

Then I got this Lemonade Stand from Jessi & Rachel over at "Stampin' with Jessi & Rachel" for being a blogger that shows great attitude and gratitude. Thanks girls for the great award! (Olivia gave me this one too!) You all are so sweet to think of me for these awards. 

Details for award:

1. Cut & paste the logo and put it on your own blog

2. Pass it along to at least 5 other bloggers and leave them a comment with the link to this post.

3. Link it back to the person(s) who gave you the award to show appreciation.

My nominees:

Jennifer over at "Racing Towards Creativity"

Jenny over at "Pinch of Paisley Designs"

Jenn D. over at "Stamp Your Heart Out"

Robyn over at "Rainbows by Robyn"

Rachel over at "My Cardstock Creations"

It was a "J" and "R" theme for my nominations today in honor of Jessi & Rachel! Congrats ladies and thanks for being so thoughtful and for sharing all of your awesome works. I will try to get my "Change it up Tuesday" posted later tonight.

Just Buzzin' By Card Swap

I participated in a card swap where we were to use the Stampin' Up! stamp set Just Buzzin' By. I thought that this would be the perfect time for me to crack open the calm shell and use it as it was just sitting there on the shelf unmounted and being neglected. I hate it when you buy a stamp set and then you never use it - it drives me crazy - but I continue to do it! Anywhoo - here is the card I made for the swap and the rest are from all the other participants. Enjoy!

You can find my "Bee Swap" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Just Buzzin' By

Paper: Glossy White Cardstock, Basic Black and Whisper White

Inks: Black StazOn and Yo Yo Yellow

Accessories: So Saffron Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch and adhesive

Thank for a fun swap ladies!

Check out - some yummies!

Debbie is offering up some awesome blog candy! You can check it out HERE and sign up if you like! She has lots of really neat projects shared.

A few Flood Swap Cards - Part 6

I told you I had more to Flood Swap cards to share. I hope you enjoy seeing all the cards. I truly appreciate all the time and effort that went into creating the cards. They all are so much prettier in person than the pictures portray. Thanks again for all the fun!

From Denise - GORGEOUS! The scallop oval is chipboard and the flowers have a touch of glitter. Absolutely stunning in person!

From Sara - a super simple and cute Valentine's Day card!

From Lisa - a very unique card made with an envelope. Super cute idea! Can't wait to try it!

From Lori - a really precious friend card. I love the colors and the use of the scallop eyelet punch!

From Jeanette - I love this card. You can't tell from the picture, but the white is embossed with a swirly pattern. I also like the eyelet scallop edge punch on this card - I will have to order it for sure.

From Regina - this card reminds me of a quilt. I love the patterned paper the the scallop circle and flowers as the focal image.

Thanks ladies for all the great cards!

Thankful Thursday #29

This week I am thankful for:

"The Number 3"

For those of you who are confused, this is the number of days until my wonderful hubby gets home from HAWAII! Yes, he went there without us, but it was for a conference and we figured it would be hard to get the kids adjusted to the time change for such a short stay and that the plane ride there would be too long for our rambunctious BEN. I will admit I was a little bummed when Brad left - not just because I was home with our wonderful kiddies, but the thought of him enjoying the tropical weather and the beach without us just didn't seem fair. It was then that I realized that he would be spending most of his time in a conference center - HA HA! I am excited that he will be home soon and I hope that he is enjoying the wonderful weather and a few minutes relaxing on the beach - when he gets home we will start planning a family vacation for us all to enjoy! What's your favorite vacation spot? I need ideas.

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!

Sister's Purse Color Challenge #27's and ATSDTC44

This week's Sister's Purse Color Challenge - #27 - is similar to the one from a couple weeks ago I realize. After a while the purses start to look the same, so I may have to change the color challenge to the "Sister's SHOE color challenge" soon. The purse this week is this Zebra Striped Jaqueline Bag and can be found on Baghaus.com or HERE for a direct link. They have just a black and white one as well, but I like the splash of red on this one. It can be yours for $55.95.

Colors to be used this week:

Real Red, Basic Black and Whisper White

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

I combined my color challenge with a challenge the Design Team over at All That Scraps had last week. They challenged us to use microbeads (#44) on a card and not being a fan of the messy stuff (aka glitter, embossing powders, flock etc) I tend to just let those go. But I was inspired to make the dress and hair bow on this Angel Anya look like sequins with the microbeads. In person this card is lovely - there has been a lack of sunshine here so all my photos look terrible. I will try to get a better one later on when the sun decides to show itself. Other than the microbeads, it's pretty simple. Enjoy!!

You can find my "Sequin Anya" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: The Greeting Farm Angel Anya and Print Pattern background 

Paper: Real Red, Basic Black and Whisper White

Inks: Black StazOn, Real Red, Barely Banana and Blush Blossom and Copic C1

Accessories: Corner Rounder Punch, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Flower Ribbon Slide, Microbeads, Paper Piercer, Dimensionals and adhesive

* * Becky has sent me a stack of cards for the challenges. As soon a I get through them and figure out what is what I will upload them to share! I am so excited that she has decided to join the crafting world again! * *

Want to play along?: Leave us a comment on this post where your card is located. If uploading to SCS please use keyword SPCC27 (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!

Change it up Tuesday #32

As I said in last week's "Change it up Tuesday" post I decided to focus on one of my favorite stamp sets, Pocket Silhouettes, and change up some of the older cards I made using this set. This is the first of 4. I hope you don't get bored with me - I love this set and was waiting to play around with it.

My old card - "Purse Challenge #6" details can be found on SCS HERE.

My "Change It Up Tuesday" card - "Purse Challenge #6 - Take 2" details can be found on SCS HERE.

* * Congrats to Robyn over at "Rainbows by Robyn" played along once again and she will be receiving LAST WEEKS - #31 - "Change It up Tuesday" card.  You can find her cards HERE. Check them out and leave her a comment letting her know I sent you over. I love sharing my cards, so be sure to leave a comment or participate for your chance to get this week card(s)!  * *

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 CIUT32 (Gallery HERE). For fun, I will pick from those commenting (with or without a card) on Monday (4/27) 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!

A few Flood Swap Cards - Part 5

This month is my turn once again to get flooded by my fellow Flood Swap Participants. This is the final month of this round and I am sad to see it end, but the next round begins next month! Here are a few cards I have gotten so far. Look forward to more in the next few days.

From Kathy - a very pretty monochromatic card.

From Kris - a cute Easter card. I love the little wagon from this set.

From Helen - this is one of my favorite sets and I LOVE the colors on the flowers! Stunning!

From Mary - a super cute card using another of my favorite sets.

From Laura - Both of these are so nice. Another one with my favorite set and a really sweet Easter chick.

From Jennifer B. - Absolutely gorgeous is all I can say about this card! I love it - the color combo the stamping and the top layer is vellum with the sentiment on it - wonderful job!

From Jennifer E. - a very springy card and a religious Easter card! Both are fabulous and so pretty!

From Bonnie - such a pretty winter card. I was going to get this set and never did, so I was excited to get a sample from her.

Thanks ladies for a fun swap! You all did a fabulous job and all are inspiring.

ATS Challenge #45

This week the challenge from the Design Team over at All That Scraps was to use buttons (ATSDT45). This is one embellishment I always forget about, so I set out to purposefully use buttons on my card. When I got to my stamp room - I was stumped. I flipped through my collection of CC Design stamps and after the third time I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

I know - a Christmas card - but those ornaments shouted out to me to be made with BUTTONS! It was no "small" feat to find such teensy buttons in my stash, but I think they made the card really cute. Enjoy!

 

You can find my "Ornament Buttons" on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: CC Designs Christmas Around the World

Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Certainly Celery, 

Whisper White and Dashing DSP

Inks: Black StazOn, Real Red, Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa

Accessories: Buttons, Certainly Celery Poly-Twill Ribbon, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Circle and Circle Punches, Dimensionals and adhesive

Jenn's 300,000 Blog Hit Color Challenge

Jenn D. over at "Stamp You Heart Out" has a terrific blog! I stalk it everyday to see what she has created and I am totally amazed by her talent! If you have never stopped by her blog, then you should - she has so many great ideas and projects shared. Here is my submission to her color challenge - they just so happen to be some of my favorite colors to use! Thanks for making it easy Jenn!

You can find my "Trees of Thanks" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Trendy Trees

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, 

Whisper White and Kiwi Kiss DSP

Inks: Chocolate Chip and Kiwi Kiss

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Oval Punch, 

Chocolate Chip Poly-twill Ribbon, Brads, Dimensionals and adhesive

Sister's Purse Color Challenge #26

The kids and I decided to have a fun day today and now that we are home I can finally get this posted. I picked this one for today's challenge just because the colors intrigued me. I hardly ever use the Bold Bright color family and this on made me use two of them. I like this Flower Child Purse and for $25 it's a steal. You can find it at ModCloth.com or a directly HERE. 

Color  to be used this week:

Chocolate Chip, 

Pink Pirouette, Tempting Turquoise and Green Galore

You can add a neutral 

if you like, 

but it's not necessary. 

For this weeks card I saw a tutorial - and wouldn't you know that I didn't bookmark it to share - that showed me how to emboss with my Nestabilities using the Cuttlebug. I had been wanting to do this for a long time, but every time I tried I couldn't get it to work. So thank you unknown lady who helped me out - I really appreciate it. Once I got that accomplished I set out and created this card. The ribbon came from the kids stuffed animals they got in their Easter baskets - I loved it and thought that it would work with this Color Challenge perfectly. Enjoy!

You can find my "Flower Lily" card on SCS - HERE.

Stamps: Pink Cat Studio Dress Up Lily and Canvas background 

Paper: Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White

Inks: Black StazOn, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise and Blush Blossom

Accessories: Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Corner Rounder, 

Easter Ribbon and adhesive

* * Becky is still on hiatus. When she decides to join the crafting world again, I will post her card. * *

My MIL participated in last week's Purse Color Challenge. Her card is very pretty. I love the Resist Embossing Technique she did! Please leave her a comment on this post if you like it!

Want to play along?: Leave us a comment on this post where your card is located. If uploading to SCS please use keyword SPCC26 (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!

Change it up Tuesday #31

This weeks "Change it up Tuesday" post almost pasted me by. I think I am trying to catch a cold - so my brain is trying to take a vacation on me. I love the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set and I am going to be re-doing a few of the cards I made using this set for the next few weeks of "Change it up Tuesday" posts. Here is the first of the set. 

My old card - "A Card with a Mission" details can be found on SCS HERE. 

My "Change it Up Tuesday" card - "A Card with a Mission - Take 2" details can be found on SCS HERE.

UH-OH!! As I was posting this I noticed that I forgot the sentiment - I told you my brian was on vacation. OH-WELL!

* * Thank you for all the comments on LAST WEEKS post and since I had a participant, Tegan over at "Swiftly Created" is getting the card. You can find her "Change it up Tuesday" card HERE on her blog and her orignal card HERE. Leave her a comment to let her know what you think. Also be sure to leave a comment on this post or participate, for your chance to get this week 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 CIUT31 (Gallery HERE). For fun, I will pick from those participating or commenting on Monday (4/20) 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!

Cards for my Secret Sis

These are the cards I made and sent to my Stampin' Up! Secret Sis. Since the swap has come to a close, I thought that I would share a few of them with you.

This first one is just a simple card. I used my crimper on the Riding Hood Red section to give it a little texture and added the ribbon to finish it off. You can find all the details on my "Simple For You" card on SCS - HERE.

This second card was more of a request from my Secret Sis. She hardly ever used the Bold Brights color family and wanted to see more for inspiration. I am not a big fan of the Bold Brights, but I challenged myself in order to inspire her and this is what I came up with. I love making the circle cards with the Scallop Circle Sizzix Die. I think the are so cute every time I see one or make one. This one is a version of a Valentine's Day Card I made (HERE) a while back. I love the brightness of the colors on this card with the flower. You can fine all the details for my "Bright Flower" card on SCS - HERE.

The next two cards are cards that she wanted made using certain techniques. I was happy to try these out as I had never done either one before and I wanted to be sure to do the techniques she requested. She had also asked to see more with the Soft Subtles color family along with the Bold Brights as mentioned before, since she had difficulties using them. So for these cards I purposefully used those color families. 

The first one was for a "Magic Card" (tutorial HERE). After completing this card, I will say that I am not it a hurry to make another one. I found it very difficult and it took me way to much time to do. I am extremely happy with the results, but it will definitely be a while before I try another one. You can find my "Magic Cupcake" card details on SCS HERE.

The last, but not least, card is made using the Embossing Resist Technique (tutorial HERE). This technique I liked a little better. It was fun to see the images "pop" after wiping away the color that I had brayered on the glossy cardstock. I think the Bold Bright color family worked out perfectly for this card. You can find all the details for my "Bold Fruits" card on SCS HERE.

I am SORRY for such a long post, but I hope you ENJOYED the cards!

Happy Easter!

Hope you are having a "Bunniful" Easter!

Love, Brad, Mandy, Alexa & Ben