Simple Stories, You Are My Sunshine

  "Summer Fresh" is the first Simple Stories collection I have ever owned.  I have the 6x6 pad and I am addicted to it!  I love the bolder colors and the fact that it pairs well with my navy Bazzill card stock (my picture makes it look black, but it is truly navy.)

  This pad is different from all of the other 6x6s I own because some of the papers are not just a pattern (like the red check or green polka dot pictured.)  There are papers that can be cut up and used as journaling tags or as the sentiment (e.g. "you are my sunshine" panel above.)  Here are some earlier posts of other cards I have made from the same 6x6 pad:

Sooooooo much fun in one little pad.  Do you see the clouds behind the sail boat?  I fussy cut the clouds from one sheet in the pad of paper...so many flags and other goodies to fussy cut.  The "waves" in the sail boat card were the negative image from using my scallop border die.  Then I used the actual scallops for this card:

  The hot air ballon panel is one of the rectangles of journaling cards; I just added the bit of twine on the basket and a navy snap in the corner.  Easy-peasy.

  Now I am motivated to give some love to my other 6x6 pads because I may need to make room to buy more Simple Stories...they sure are easy to work with!

Happy Wednesday!

My Cricut Imagine is Yummy-licious

Supplies:  Cricut Imagine image;

Echo Park "Life is Good" background papers;

DCWV card base;

My Pink Stamper "Yummy-licious" sentiment)

 Hello, my Bloggie Friends!  I have not been able to craft (or type...any activity with my arms forward) for a week now due to a pinched nerve in my upper back. My doctor said I could now resume normal activities as much as I could tolerate, but no heavy lifting or carrying.  My dh has been terrific doing the grocery shopping, cooking, and dishwashing.  I am typing this post, but resting my arm when the tingling becomes too uncomfortable.

Since our move to our new home last Spring, I have been able to keep my craft room neat and organized.  I unpacked my craft room in April and for nearly six weeks I cleaned up my supplies after every card, LO, or project.  Wahoo!  Then in early June, I hit a creative road block.  There were piles of papers and supplies on the floor surrounding me and on my work table...cards that just wouldn't come together.  Since then I have slowly worked those piles, so now the only mess is confined to my work table.  I actually made these 3 cards last month and photographed them, but I had not blogged them.                                                                        

 These last two are also Cricut Imagine images and DCWV card bases with a little twine and crinkle ribbon.

It was fun playing with my Cricut Imagine and using up some really old stash (DCWV card bases), and it was a relief to create a few cards and then put the supplies away...no more piles on the floor :)

Happy Sunday! 

Cow's it going?

  Cow's it going?  I am amazed at how fast the summer is going.  We had fun at our annual family reunion/beach trip last week, but we are happy to be home and playing with my papers and stamps.  I used two My Pink Stamper stamps on my card.  The cute cow is from "Moo-ey Doodles" and the sentiment is from "More Punny-licious."  I stamped both stamps with My Pink Stamper "Darkest Night" black hybrid ink and used card stock from this month's "Moo-ey Doodles" stamp kit.

Check out this kit:

All for just $25

Sold exclusively at Shop Pumpkin Spice

  The My Pink Stamper design team has rocked this kit...did you see all of the samples last week during the monthly My Pink Stamper blog hop?  I was awed and inspired...and there are more samples today on the My Pink Stamper blog.  Check 'em out!  I'm clicking over there now :)

Supplies:

paper:  My Pink Stamper Moo-ey Doodles kit & My Mind's Eye On the Bright Side-Two

tools:  i-rock tool and i-rock gems by Imaginisce

Cricut cartridge:  Everyday Pop-Up Cards (tree cut @ 3")

border punch:  grass border by Martha Stewart

Core'dinations Pinterest challenge

  Are you addicted to Pinterest?  There are so many pins I enjoy:  books, organization ideas, and especially craft inspiration.  I especially like to go to the projects boards for my favorite paper companies, like Core'dinations "Hard Core Projects."  

  Ellen's Hard Core challenge is to head over to Pinterest, pick something that inspires you, and create!  I chose this pretty card by Chris Millar as my inspiration:

  I chose to add 3 gems instead of a stamped sentiment, but the basic sketch is there.

Once again I went with my most loved collections:  Core'dinations Whitewash and Nostalgia.

Happy Sunday!

Core Die Cut challenge

  I combined my Nostalgia Core'dinations collection and my Whitewash collection to enter Andrea's Hard Core Crop Die Cut challenge.  I used both sides of the Whitewash paper (middle tree right side and the sentiment stamped on the wrong side.) Core'dinations embosses beautifully and allows the color core to show through.  I lightly sanded after embossing for more contrast.

  There is still time to enter!  Check out the details on Andrea's blog for the die cut challenge and the Core'dinations blog for all 14 challenges.

Supplies:
paper:  Core'dinations Whitewash collection and Nostalgia collection
embossing folders:  Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" and "Herringbone"; BasicGrey "Eskimo Kisses"
sentiment stamp:  My Pink Stamper "Winter Treats & Sayings"
twine:  My Mind's Eye "Happy Go Lucky" Together
gems:  Say it in Crystals
ink:  Impress "Bottle Green"
die cut:  EKSuccess Tree

Happy Sunday!

Moo-chas Gracias My Pink Stamper and Shop Pumpkin Spice

  Moo-chas gracias to Robyn and Denine, of My Pink Stamper and Shop Pumpkin Spice respectively, for putting together fun and fabulous monthly stamp kits.   The July stamp kit is called "Moo-ey Doodles" and includes card stock, My Pink Stamper "Texas Chocolate" brown hybrid ink, and the My Pink Stamper "Moo-ey Doodles" stamp set.  This kit is udderly delightful!  The kits sell quickly every month, so be sure to get yours today.

  I also used Echo Park "Paradise Beach" papers and My Mind's Eye burlap trim, also available at Shop Pumpkin Spice (links embedded.)  My vinyl alphas are Thickers.

  Please click over to the Shop Pumpkin Spice blog for more MOOvelous creations.

Krafty Christmas

  I am thrilled to be guesting at Jingle Belles for challenge #15:

red OR green, but NOT both!

Think about other Christmas color combos you enjoy:  red and aqua, red and purple, green and white, green and gold...just NOT red and green together.

For my card I chose red, kraft, and aqua.  I used a My Pink Stamper "Biggie Christmas" sentiment, Echo Park "a walk in the PARK" papers, Imaginisce i-Rock gems, red linen card stock, and SU ribbon.  The presents are cut @ 3" from Cricut "Birthday Bash", p.43.

I began making cards using greeting card computer software back in the 1990s.  Oh my, how far I have come!  A few years later, I was introduced to rubber stamping, and I began to make all of my holiday cards.  My very first stamped card looked like this one, that I revamped a little by adding twine, a button, and a tag:

In the beginning all of my cards were stamped in black ink and were the focal point of the card…not that there is anything wrong with that!  I slowly started buying other colored ink pads, then a few years later using patterned paper.  No more stamped backgrounds!  That was time-saving and fun.  When I started blogging five years ago, I was amazed at the talent that was out there.  I still follow those same fabulous paper crafting ladies, and a couple hundred more :)  Many of those uber-talented ladies did not stamp AT ALL.  I thought, "that is cheating!"  I am eating those words now.  I won a Cricut Expression and I have become addicted to die cutting.  Often times I use my Cricut and stamp only my sentiment.  But when I sit down to create, I do not consciously think about using the Cricut OR stamping unless there is a specific stamp I want to use or a specific image I want to cut.  I have an idea and go with it.  I have been wanting to cut these presents, and that was where my inspiration came from.  I also love red/aqua Christmas cards, so I went in search of aqua papers.  And I stamped my sentiment :)

I hope you will join me, Stef and Lauren for this challenge that will run until July 25.  Link your creation to Jingle Belles Challenge #15.  I am anxious to see what you create!  Enter as many times as you would like, but please follow the challenge rules...no serial linkers :)