Life is pretty amazing...

   It's my turn on the Shop Pumpkin Spice blog.  Two years ago my first purchase at Shop Pumpkin Spice was Echo Park's "Victoria Gardens."  I pulled it out today to see if I could come up with a set of quick cards.  I found a sheet of this patterned stripe and decided to get to work!  I used an element sticker as my embellishment; a quick and easy card.  Then I decided to make a set using up some sentiment stickers I won from SRM.

  Four pretty cards in half an hour; gotta love that!

Happy Wednesday!

Cardabilities Sketch #80 Challenge

  What is your favorite way to create a card?  I usually choose a focal image and build my card around it.  Most often I stick with one manufacturer collection, but I get even more excited when I make a scrappier card (different manufacturers) like this one.
  When I am going to stamp an image, I first choose an image and then my papers.  When I am just playing with paper, I will search for an element (e.g. an sticker, a glazed brad embellishment, or a chipboard embellishment) and then choose coordinating papers in that collection.  Even when I play with my Cricut I start with the image I want to cut and then choose the papers that give me the look and feel that I want the card to have.

  This week my inspiration started with Cardabilities sketch #80,  yet I still chose the 3D heart/camera sticker as my focal point before designing the rest of the card.

Supplies:
paper:  Fancy Pants "Country Boutique" (black polka dot); BasicGrey "Ambrosia" (orange damask and grey paisley); SU whisper white card stock
black gems:  i-rock tool and hot rocks
3D sticker:  Amy Tangerine "Hi Friend" (camera/heart element from December 2011 Artful Delight kit)
border punch:  SU
sentiment:  SRM sticker "We've got your border" Bright

  This fortnight Cardabilities is having a Rafflecopter giveaway with Scraptown Lady.  Please join in the fun!  I hope you win :)

Happy Tuesday!

What's Up?

   I have been creating like crazy lately and auto-posting for August.  This weekend we are going to visit some of our favorite cousins on my husband's side of the family, and then I will fly to Salt Lake City, Utah for a week-long visit with my favorite cousin on my side of the family.  Cousins are the best, aren't they?

  I still need to make a birthday card for my beautiful *almost* 91yo grandma for this Friday, but when I saw this sketch in my reader I just had to give it a try:

Retro Sketches #74

  My card was made from a scrap of American Crafts "Hello Sunshine" paper, a scrap of navy linen card stock, and a My Mind's Eye Lime Twist "Out of the Blue" Family die cut.  I added some paper piercing and The Twinery "stone" twine.  Voila!  A super easy card.  And it gave me an excuse to use my newest purchase:

Neat and Tangled "Just Hello" stamp set

I love a quick and easy card.  Now if I can just find some inspiration for my grandma's birthday card...

Happy Monday!

Kindness Matters

  I am taking a break from scrapbooking while I wait to get some more photos developed.  I am enjoying getting the scrapbook layouts made and I actually really enjoy putting away the scraps too.  And speaking of scraps, in an attempt to clean up my little "bits and bobs" tray I decided to make a scrappy card.  The wood button, the stray leaf, and the hand-made embellishment flower were in that tray.

  The flower was made from BasicGrey "Picadilly" paper so I chose the dark brown patterned paper also from that collection to make my banner.  The wooden button is also from the BasicGrey "Picadilly" collection.

  I am entering my card in the current challenge at BasicGrey Challenges "Flowers."

  I also would like to remind you that there is still time to play at Little Tangles "Into the Woods" challenge.  My wooden button fits the challenge and I also used a Neat and Tangled sentiment from the "Kindness Matters" stamp set:

Supplies:
paper:  BasicGrey "Picadilly" (December 2011 Artful Delight kit);  SU whisper white; kraft
stamp:  Neat and Tangled "Kindness Matters" stamp set
flower embellishment and wood button:  BasicGrey "Picadilly" (December 2011 Artful Delight kit)
leaf:  Amy Tangerine (December 2011 Artful Delight kit)
ink:  SU

Happy Wednesday!

Doodlebug "Hello Spring" layout

  My desire to scrapbook is still energized!  The motivation and momentum started last week when I couldn't seem to make a card come together.  It occurred to me to create a scrapbook layout, then guilt crept in reminding me that I not unpacked my scrapbook tote from a crop I attended in March.  Unpacking the entire tote seemed too overwhelming, so I have worked on it a bit each day by completing the layouts I started last March.  Where there are chronological gaps I am creating a layout from scratch. 

   At this point the tote is half empty; hooray!  I need to get more pictures developed to complete my 2005 scrapbooking. Today I decided to go organize what is left in the tote.  I found a 1-page layout and the three pictures (above) to make a companion page.  I pulled out my Doodlebug "Hello Spring" collection and used the scraps from the 1-page layout to make the companion page above.  Here is the previously completed page:

  Happy Monday!

Daisy D's & My Pink Stamper July layout

 Woot woot!  I am moving right along with scrapbooking 2005.  I created this layout this morning.  I am using my really old stash that survived the basement flood from earlier this year.  Getting these layouts made is so gratifying, yet I am enjoying using my old stash almost as much.

  I also stamped a little on my layout; this is something I rarely think to do, but I felt it needed a little more decoration.  My stamps are more recent; I used two from the "Yankee Doodles" set from My Pink Stamper.

   "FOURTH of" was cut from Designer's Calendar and the stars from "Plantin Schoolbook."  "JULY" was in my stash; I believe it is an Ellison die.

My girls were working the camera that day!  It was so nice to have great photos to scrapbook.

Happy Saturday!  I need to develop more pictures, but I hope to finish scrapbooking 2005 this week.

Cool Pooh-l

  Enough procrastinating; I am scrapbooking again!  The last time I actively worked on my scrapbook of my twin girls was the summer of 2007...and I was scrapbooking 2004 events.  I had already developed lots of pictures from 2005, but I had not made any layouts.  Since 2007 I have scrapbooked very little, and not chronologically.  My goal is to fill in those gaps.

   Here are my sweet girls around their 3rd birthday (June 2005) playing in their kiddie pool.  They are wearing Winnie-the-Pooh swim suits.

   I have made seven 2-page layouts in the past three days.  I completed March 2005, Easter 2005, April 2005, a spring 2005, Mother's day, the girls' third birthday, and Father's Day.  This is the seventh layout, and it is my favorite so far.

  I am having a blast working on this project.  I much prefer making cards, but right now I am having fun making these layouts and using some really really old stash.  These papers are KI Memories "Princess" from 2008; the "Pooh" die cut and sticker are perhaps even older.  Now on to July 2005...

Happy Friday!

Into the Woods challenge

  "Into the woods" is the current fortnightly challenge at Little Tangles.  I found this was the perfect excuse to purchase some Studio Calico wood veneer for my craft stash.  I used two of the stamps from the Neat and Tangled "Just Thinking of You" set:

  Super cute little set, right?  The conversation bubble could be used for a cloud.  I stamped the solid heart three times in white pigment ink and heat embossed and the sentiment is stamped in chocolate chip ink. The hearts are fussy cut from Jillibean Soup "Hearty Barley."  I added faux stitching with real red ink.

  I am so tickled to be home and back in my craft room!  The summer is flying by.  We have been very fortunate to be taking so many family vacations.  We've been to Hershey Park, Lancaster PA, Ocean Isle Beach NC, and in August we will travel to Smith Mountain Lake VA, Ocean City MD, and Salt Lake City UT.  I have to admit that I have enjoyed being away from the internet for the weeks that we have been away :)  But now I am happy to be catching up on mail, email, and laundry...maybe I will even clean the house, but I'd rather craft!

  I hope you will join in on the fun at Little Tangles "Into the Woods" challenge.  Hop over to Little Tangles and see what my DT sisters have for inspiration.  Interpret the challenge however you like!  You do not need to have wood veneer; but if you need an excuse to buy some I am here to enable you :)

Happy Thursday!

Red, White, and Blue challenge

  It's my turn on the Shop Pumpkin Spice blog today.  Did you know that the SPS blog has weekly challenges?  This week's challenge is:

 red, white, and blue

Link up your card, layout, or project by Friday evening, July 19th.

  I chose Glitz Design "Yours Truly" 6x6 papers for my card.  My card stock is a dark blue, but in my picture it looks black.  It coordinates beautifully IRL with the navy blue floral print.  I cut two squares of the solid red and used my Xyron to make it a double-sided red square, then I placed the square in my die cut/embossing folder to cut the butterflies.  I attached my butterflies with glossy accents.  My sentiment is by Technique Tuesday.  I am very impressed with their stamps.  This was my first time using them and I wondered how well the tiny font would stamp.  Crisp and clear!  I love that.

  Link up your red, white, and blue creations at Shop Pumpkin Spice (July 13th post).  See you over there :)

Happy Tuesday!

Cardabilities Sketch Challenge

  It's time for another bimonthly sketch challenge at Cardabilities!  I always have fun with Karan's sketches, and this one was particularly easy for me:

  Do you see the two leaf pins in the sketch?  I knew I had two mismatched pins in my little basket of bits and bobs (for my supplies that do not otherwise have a home in my craft room.)  The felt flower and decorative brad were also in the bits and bobs basket (I believe all three are from 2012 Artful Delight kits as well as the black seam binding.)  Secondly I went in search of a collection of papers classy enough for the antique brad, so I settled upon Glitz Design "Yours Truly."

  I wanted a deep red background, but also kraft to hi-light the burlap leaf, so I chose Tim Holtz Kraft-Core card stock by Core'dinations.  

Do you have trouble with certain types of papers adhering well?  After sanding Core'dinations, the dust and dimension can be problematic.  This is an excellent time to use your Xyron.

  I added an SRM sticker "thank you so much" as my sentiment on the yellow banner.  I love scrappy one-of-a-kind cards :)

See you at Cardabilities!  Happy Monday :)

Shop Pumpkin Spice challenge: Stars or Fireworks

  Welcome to the Shop Pumpkin Spice monthly blog hop and weekly challenge.  If you are hopping along with us, you should have arrived from Saundra's blog.

This week's challenge:

Stars or Fireworks

  I used various card stock from my Yankee Doodles kit from Shop Pumpkin Spice.  Both the blue and the red Bazzill card stocks are already embossed with those little dots!  I particularly like the heavy weight white card stock in the kit because it works perfectly with ProMarkers, Copic markers, etcetera but it also embosses more crisply!  I embossed my white banner with the Cuttlebug "Stars" embossing folder.  All of the pieces were cut from my Cricut "Creative Cards" cartridge.  And I added glossy accents to my red and grey star for dimension.

  I have not decided on a sentiment since I am undecided if this will be a card for a hero (Operation Write Home) or an all-star dad and husband :)

Your next stop on the hop is Carissa.  Happy hopping!

Little Tangles Challenge: Nation's Birthday

  It's time for another bi-monthly challenge at Little Tangles!  The challenge theme is Birthday.  I interpreted the challenge as our Nation's birthday card.  And I used my newest Neat and Tangled "Sketchy Cupcakes" stamp set:

  My papers and ric-rac are by American Crafts.  I paper-pieced the cupcake and I stamped the birthday sentiment with Impress "Indigo Blue" ink.  I added glossy accents to the icing for dimension.

  I hope I have inspired YOU to create a Birthday card.  Link your creation up in the next two weeks at Little Tangles challenge blog.  See you there!

  I hope you enjoy a happy and safe July 4th.

Happy Birthday, Lauren!

  It's my turn on the Shop Pumpkin Spice blog today.  When My Mind's Eye released their Lost and Found Two collection, I purchased the entire 12x12 paper collection, a few packages of the glazed brads, and a couple of packages of the layered chipboard.  I planned my entire card around the layered chipboard piece (the semicircle scallop piece with pink pearls.)

  This week I realized that I have been hoarding my Lost and Found Two papers.  I thought I had broken myself of the habit of hoarding "papers too pretty to cut."  Seriously, this is why I have collected so much paper over the past fourteen (?) years.  I save it and sometimes I have gone back later and the papers no longer inspire me.  I doubt that would be the case with My Mind's Eye, but how many times have I said to myself, "I'm going to use what I have"?  If I had unlimited amounts of adhesive, I could probably craft for the rest of my life and still have paper left over.  Scraps can go a really long way, especially for card makers (versus scrapbookers).

  Since I decided to center my card around the layered chipboard piece called "Blush", I pulled out every sheet of "Blush" until I was happy with my paper combination.  I used five different sheets:

• "Better" Blossom
• "Favorite" Dance
• "Princess" Special
• "Sweet" Bouquet
• "Sweet" Eiffel

  I distressed the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink (pumice stone), and stamped the My Pink Stamper sentiment (from the "Birthday Doodles" set) with "Darkest Night" hybrid ink.  Other supplies:  EK Success border punches, Creative Memories corner rounder, and My Creative Time "Flower Petal" dies.

  This card was sent to my lovely friend Lauren for her birthday on June 30th.  She loves pink :)

I am entering my card at the current My Creative Time challenge: "Bling it Up!"  I think my glitter card stock and perhaps the pink pearls on the chipboard will qualify.

  Happy Tuesday!