C is for Cat.

You guessed it! I received another great CCS card from Karen Christensen. Posting these creations has certainly taken the pressure of my need to produce something for my blog. Karen embossed this cat and added a cute rhinestone brad to her collar!

I don't have this set. So, it will be great to show off this card to my cat loving customers!

I did get an opportunity to get upstairs and create some of my own work. I did a scrapbook page and a card that I can't wait to show you!

Have a great day!

Another Swap Card.

Here is the card that Janice McWilliams sent my way from the SUDEMOONLY site swap that I participated in. She also added chocolate chip to the color combination of Crushed Curry, Real Red and Tempting Turquoise.

Janice did some paper tearing, dry embossing and added 3 chocolate chip flower brads. I haven't seen the flower brads in real life, and I like them!

Again, another fun swap!

Enjoy your Sunday.

One of the swaps that I received.

Here is a card that I received from Cyndi Willis from the SUDEMOONLY group swap. As previously stated, the theme was Real Red, Crushed Curry, and Tempting Turquoise. Cyndi combined these colors very nicely! And, the Crushed Curry polkadot ribbon is a great addition to the card.

It took me a long while to jump into "swapping." But, this group has been wonderful and the card quality has been phenomenal!

Enjoy your weekend!

The swap I spoke of earlier.

I belong to a great group called SUDEMOONLY. It is an online group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators. We share ideas and stamping supplies. The group is wonderful and I enjoy it very much.

Each month, there is a swap. You don't have to participate every month, but I try too! This month the theme was a color theme. Crushed Curry, Real Red and Tempting Turquiose. I instantly thought of this new set in the Holiday mini. It is a great color combination for girls or boys and I had a ton of fun making the card.

I used my Big Shot to cut the scallop circles and emboss it with the texturz plate. I embossed this little guy with black embossing powder and he was easy to color. I colored with markers (which are great in the New In-Colors). And, added a little bit of Crystal Effects to the balloons and it really made them "pop."




I had so much fun making and coloring the cards, that I decorated the front and back of the envelopes, too! I hope that the ladies enjoy them!

Have a great day!

The First Try With A Treat Cup.

In the Holiday mini there is a stamp set called Sweet Centers. You can also order Sweet Treat Cups to go with them. You then stamp and use your 1 and 3/4 inch circle punch and put the cup in the hole. It has a rim that is covered with adhesive. So, you can stick candy, glitter, buttons or whatever you fancy in your card.

There is plenty of potential for the set. It has a Halloween stamp, a balloon, petals to make flowers, a Christmas ornament and a Valentines heart. Of course, the holiday ones would be easy and the possibilities are endless. It will be perfect for class favors for the boys in school, but I have plenty of time for that!

Well, what I needed was a birthday card. So, I started with the balloon stamp to see what I could do. I used Real Red and Brilliant Blue. I dry embossed the red piece of cardstock. And, added Skittles for the candy in the balloon. It is cute, but rather basic.

I will continue to research what others are doing with this set and the next sample will be much more fun! My time was limited, so this is what I came up with!

Have a great day!

The other workshop card.

Well, good morning. It seems like I was just here. Actually it was less than 12 hours ago....and here we are again! I was on a mission to post this morning and not wait until this evening!

This is the other card that we made at Fridays workshop. We used Night of Navy, Crushed Curry and Bermuda Bay with the Greenhouse Garden stamp set. I wanted to show off the Stamp-a-ma-jig again. So, this was a perfect set to use.

It is a very cheery card. And, since I have Teeny Tiny Wishes it helps everyone at the workshop be able to make a card for whatever occassion that they need. I think that they really like that too!

Well, have a good one!

The First Workshop Card.

This is one of the cards that we made at Friday nights workshop. We used the Lattice Die and some Bella Blue DSP to create an elegant card. One of the ladies even used the wedding sentiment and was going to use it for a wedding card.

I used the slot punch to punch holes and tie the ribbon in a cute little bow.

Sorry that this post almost didn't make it today, it has been busy. I am adjusting to my new normal. I hope to get back to posting in the mornings soon!

Enjoy!

A Baby Card and Gift.

Good Sunday morning! Another weekend on its way out the door! Why do they go by so quickly? It doesn't hardly seem fair, we look so forward to it and then it is gone! Not too much that we can do about it, I guess!

Here is a baby afghan that I crocheted and a card that I made for a family friend. I used the sponging of the circles technique and then stamped on a butterfly from the Flight of a Butterfly stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your Sunday!

A Fun Little Project.

Here are some magnets that I made recently. My downline, Jessica, introduced me to the concept. They are so stinkin' cute and easy to make. For this set of magnets I stamped the image from Farm Life and then colored it in with my markers.

Then you use the 3/4 inch circle punch to cut out the image. Using a craft glue dot attach the image to a 3/4 inch magnet. To apply the marble, just put a small dot of crystal effects on top of your image and set the marble on top. It will dry quickly and be ready to go.



The flat marbles are found in any craft section. They are the ones that are used in floral arrangements and such. The marble kind of magnifies the image and they come out so nicely. We did this project last night at my workshop.

But, to keep it even more simple, we just cut out 3/4 inch circles of designer paper and used that. They came out super cute too! I will have to share them sometime.

Thanks, Jessica. For this super idea. Our refrigerator is covered with magnets, but most of them are so light they don't hold much up. Now, we have super cute and strong magnets!

Enjoy your weekend!

A Great Idea!

So, yesterday I spent part of the afternoon "quiet time" looking through a "Control Freaks Blog Tour." There was so much inspiration packed into these sites I was amazed.

Well, one of the cards that caught my eye was one that used the sponged circles like this card. I wish that I was smart enough to bookmark the page so that I could give this talented lady credit, but of course I didn't.

Anyway, I changed the colors, stampset and added the crushed curry cardstock strip, punches and the paper piercing to come up with my own creation. It does look a lot different than the one that I saw, but both of them are wonderful cards.

It is so easy to do this. Simply pick a punch and punch cardstock with it. We used three circles here. Then use that as a guide (template) to sponge your chosen colors. I then used the stamp set Pocket Silhouettes and stamped it in Chocolate Chip ink. I also added the gathered Melon Mambo ribbon along the bottom of the card. I used monotombow adhesive. I am not sure that is the best choice. I guess that I have to look into how all of these creative ladies are gathering the ribbon.

Anyway, there you have todays post! Enjoy!

Simple Birthday!

Happy Thursday! The week is flying by. The month is flying by. And, before I know it the kids will be back to school. Such mixed emotions!! Top that with heat and humidity....and, it boils down to I need a vacation!

Here is quick little card that I made this morning for a friends birthday. I used the Top Note die embossed with the Finial Press embossing folder. A scallop circle cut with the Big Shot. To add a little zip, I used my hole punch to punch each scallop. I colored the little bird with markers and then used the spritzing tool to add a little more color!

And, there you have it!

Enjoy your day!

Simple, Simple, Simple!

So, here is the result of 5 minutes of "playing" yesterday. My time in my stamproom is minimal, and I knew that I had no new card to post today. So, I used the Lattice Die with Very Vanilla and Bermuda Bay cardstock. I used Teeny Tiny Wishes to add happy birthday.

I thought that the card was done. But, maybe it needed a little something. So, I spotted my bottle of Crystal Effects. I added it to some of the spaces on the die. And, this is what I came up with.

Maybe, the card still needs a little something, but I don't want to over do it. Thanks for checking in!

I am Having So Much Fun!

For some reason, I have always had a good time with any set that has a balloon in it. I think it is because you can make them work with any color combination!

Here is another card that I made with the Beary Best Friend stamp set. I used Rich Razzleberry and Pale Plum. The colors work so nicely together. I also used the Finial Press embossing folder. And, I colored it in with my markers.

I will have to change themes for tomorrow so that I don't bore you to death. I wonder what I will use?

My Mother In Laws Birthday Card.

Yesterday, was my Mother in Laws (and my husbands) birthday. This is the card that I put together for mom. I used the Upsy Daisy set. I stamped it in Not Quite Naby and then embossed over it with clear embossing powder, so it has a little dimension and shine to it. The colors for the paper are Cool Carribean, Not Quite Navy and Baja Breeze and the paper is from a retired DSP pack.

The weather here has been very hot and humid. So, most of our time has been spent inside in airconditioning. So, I have had plenty of stamping time. I can't wait to keep sharing with you!

Have a nice day!

A Girlie Teddybear!

A close family friend had a beautiful baby girl last Wednesday. So, I put my Teddy & Train set to use. This time I used Pretty in Pink and Basic Gray. I always enjoy using Basic Gray with a baby color. It is a color combination that seems to work for me, while others may not like it as well.

I used the Finial Press embossing folder to give the card some texture. And, I colored the bear with my water color crayons and aquapainter.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Another Sneak Peak.

This is another set from the Holiday Mini Catalog that can be ordered from on September 1st. This set is called Gifts of the Earth. It is a great set for watercoloring, if you are into watercoloring. I used my Water color crayons on this card.

It is a great card for the Fall!

Enjoy your weekend!

Sneak Peak!

Begining September 1st, SU! is offering a new Holiday Mini Catalog. In that catalog they are introducing a partnership with Build-A-Bear. They have stamps, Big Shot Dies and DSP paper. The Big Shot dies that they are offering are like "paper dolls." They have the main image of the bear and then other dies with clothes and holiday themes.

This is a card that I made yesterday. I am in a swap with the theme being to use Crushed Curry, Real Read and Tempting Turquoise. What better stamp set to use to incorporate these three fun and cheery colors!

This was just a quick trial card to see how the colors worked together. It was fun doing the coloring (with my markers). The cutting out of the bear and balloons didn't take that long either.

Now, to continue playing and come up with the "official" swap card!

Thanks for checking in! Feel free to leave a comment or two! I would love to hear from you and what you think of my work! Please "challenge" me...give me a color combo or stamp set to use and I will create something in your honor!

Inspired By Nature.

For anyone who has seen my gardens (or pictures of them) it is obvious why I love this set. Each of our gardens have some kind of coneflower in them. Most of the coneflowers are pink. We are slowly adding yellows, oranges and double coneflowers to our collection, but the pink ones are definately the most prolific.




This Inspired by Nature set is an "old new set." It was introduced a while ago. Then the last catalog SU! placed it on the Dormant List. Which means that it was available for purchase, but wasn't featured in the catalog. I knew as soon as I saw it originally that it was a set that I must have! I was extremely disappointed when it wasn't in the last catalog. Then, it magically appeared in this catalog. You can only imagine my excitement!

This card is done with Versa Mark and chalks. I also made a matching envelope which smeared a little more than I might have liked, but you will have that sometimes.

Anyway, enjoy your day!

Teddy & Train.

This is my first attempt with this stamp set. I really think the bear is adorable. And, the train has potential. But, I need to keep working with it. Who would have guessed that again, I did a little masking? I guess I do that more than I realize. But, I found the bear image a little small for the card. It needed a little more color. I used my markers for the coloring on this card. It may have looked better with pastels. I will try that the next time.

I do have more ideas to do with this set, but time is the problem these days.

Enjoy!

Mambo Lattice.

This card reinforces the reason that I love the Lattice Die. It is so quick and simple, yet it is great on the eyes.

The size of this card is about 4 by 4. I made it to fit into a business envelope with some SU! workshop receipts that I needed to send. I used Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry cardstock. The DSP is from the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP paper pack.

We survived camping. Most of the laundry is done. And, we are back to reality. It is a rainy, stormy day here....so hopefully, I am able to keep the kids contained and entertained!

Enjoy!

A Great New Set.

So, here you have the new set Farm Life. I received it last week. Again, I used masking to combine the two sets. I used some markers and some watercolor pencils to color the card. I used the slot punch to add the wide ribbon.

I belong to a swap group called SUDEMOONLY. (Stampin' Up Demonstrators Only). And, last week I got a card from a gal, and she had used the slot punch and ribbon this way. So, I thought well I guess I need to order that punch with my next order. While I was upstairs working on another project I looked at my punches and lo and behold, I all ready had the punch. So, quickly I put it to use! I think that is a sign that I have too much stuff, if I don't even know what I have!

Well, I will be back on Monday. We are taking the boys camping for a couple of days! I will be sleep deprieved and have a long list of chores to do....laundry, cleaning etc and 7 kids here for the day. But, I will be sure to post bright and early Monday morning!

Enjoy your weekend!

Scrapbooking!

So, here is another page of little Ava! This has been one of my favorite projects. I have been watching Ava for well over a year now. Every once in a while I take a picture of her and scrap it in a 6 by 6 layout and give it to her mom. So, she has a little album of her little girl.

Each time I do a 6 by 6 layout I love it more. Generally, I use 12 by 12. But, boy these little pages are so fun to do! They go together so quickly! I think that I am going to continue this with my niece and my niece or nephew that is on the way!

For this page I simply coordinated the colors with her shirt. I used Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue. The stamps are from the Garden Greenhouse set. I just cut them out and attached them to the page.

Thanks for checking in!

Back to the Lattice.

This is a card that I made for my father in laws birthday. I used Not Quite Navy and Whisper White. The DSP that I used is from a retired paper pack that was a hostess gift.

Again, I layered the Lattice to make it longer. For the tag, I simply kept layering punches using the same colors of cardstock. I used the word window, modern label, 1 inch circle, designer label, 1 and 3/8 circle and 1 and 3/4 circle punch.

The possibilities are endless! Go create! Enjoy!!!

Greenhouse Garden Take 2.

Here is another take on the Greenhouse Garden stamp set, using the same colors as yesterdays card. This set is lovely! I used a little bit of masking to overlap the flowers and got great results! I also did some dry embossing on the Crushed Curry cardstock!

Hopefully, I will soon get a chance to use this set again. I will try using some different colors!

Thanks for stopping by!

Greenhouse Garden Take 1.

Another new item that I received last week was the Greenhouse Garden stamp set. It is a lovely set of 2 step stamping flowers. I used the new in colors Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry to create this bouquet. I also used the Little Leaves and Many Thanks Sizzlit dies. They are so fun!!!

I have two more new sets coming today. Boy, this has been a fun new catalog for me!!!

One Of Our Favorite Summer Activities.

For several years now, we have collected monarch cattepillars. We look for the eggs or young catepillars on milk weed plants as we take our walks. We bring them home and put them in our butterfly palace. We continue to feed them fresh milkweed leaves until they form a chrysallis.



A short while later, the chrysallis turns into a beautiful monarch butterfly. After their wings dry and they are ready to fly, we release them to continue the life cycle.




We all enjoy the process, but Ryan has developed an "addiction" to collecting the catepillars. This was our fourth release this year. We have one in the palace that will be released today! It is great fun to watch the cycle of life up close!

Enjoy your day!

One Of My New Favorite Things.

I knew as soon as I saw the new catalog that I would have to acquire this Lattice Die for the Big Shot. Unfortunately, it escaped my first order but made it with my second order. It came last week and I finally got to play with it yesterday.

The possibilities with this die are endless! For this card, I cut two of them and layered them so that they would cover more area. I chose Old Olive and Not Quite Navy. On the inside of the card, which I forgot to take a picture of, I put down a layer of Old Olive cardstock and then used a sponge to very lightly sponge over the Lattice template. So, there is a very faint image of the Die. It looked lovely. I will definately remember to photograph the inside next time!

I can't wait to get upstairs and try this with more colors. It is one of those pieces that requires very little embellishment! And, that is why it is one of my favorites!

Thanks for looking!