Shalom Y'all

Good-bye 2013, hello 2014, peace everyone!

So I haven't posted in ages. What else is new? ;) Well, I'm doing the 2014 Goal Setting plan from www.laracasey.com/blog so there's that. :)
This is a rambly post so consider yourself warned.

It's been a good year. I've learned a lot. Good things have happened.

A great family trip where I stressed less planning than I ever have before.
A great Christmas project with my cousins - I learned both that my cousin Ashley gets stuff done and that we all feel like the awkward less eloquent one.
My son started Kindergarten and we are all doing okay with it. And he's reading so well. It makes my heart practically burst.
I tracked my craft spending and did okay keeping my spending in line with my use.
I hosted a challenge for Hope You Can Cling To on Splitcoast. It is my favorite crafty event of the year and I was so honored to participate as a hostess. You should check it out next year. October 1 and the rest of the month.
We got a dog. We lost him. We got him back.
I went to a Carry On Warrior book signing with my mom. So fantastic. It was spur of the moment, I loved meeting Glennon. And it was the first time in ages my mom and I did something just us.
I learned to knit and crochet pretty much entirely thanks to my friend Jaala.
My sister came to visit. We bonded over how weird our parents are. :)
Good friends had beautiful, healthy babies.
An awesome mommy date with one of my dearest friends for her birthday. Definitely repeating this year!
I read more books than I have in ages! - Carry On Warrior by Glennon Melton , Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson, The Gifts of Imperfection and  Daring Greatly both by Brene Brown, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin. All good!!!
I gave up sugar for the month of June and 2.5 weeks in November. June was easier.
We sent a lot of happy mail including art and cards to Jeff's dad.
 I paid more attention to how my clothes make me feel. I like boatnecks and stripes and especially boatnecks with stripes. I'm getting rid of everything that doesn't make me feel awesome.
Lots more things, but that's a good start. :)

There were not so great things, too.

I worried a lot. I need to stop that. Worrying is not the same as thinking things through. We went to an absolutely amazing wedding and I truly loved being there, but leading up to it I was a mess. It was black tie and I felt very not enough going into it. Such wasted energy.
Keeping a household budget was such a fail this year. I just did not do the work.
I yell too much.
I have expectations that no one knows about and I get grouchy when they don't happen.
We have too much stuff. Dealing with this stuff takes energy and time away from people.
We don't have good spiritual habits and rituals and are more catch as catch can when it comes to teaching the kids.
My teeth are in pretty bad shape. Flossing is definitely on the agenda.
I so want things to go organically that I tend to give up when there isn't any flow. I'm learning, slowly, that flow usually comes later so stop giving up.

There will be more coming. I will do posts on what fires me up, what my vision is for this year, and why I chose my word for 2014, Enough.

Here are some challenges I'm doing at the start of this new year:
The 100 cards or projects in 100 days challenge on Splitcoast with no shopping. Man, I need this. Am I going to love it? Doubtful, but I need it.

Stamp to Spend. I did this last year and it really helped me. The basic idea is you "pay" yourself a certain amount for each crafty thing you do and then when you shop you don't spend more than you "earned".  I need to do better with my spending in the first place, but I am ending the year in the black on stamping and knitting, and I rocked it with sewing.

A Target fast.  I spend a lot of time and a lot of money at Target. They sell cute stuff and it's pretty cheap and there is nothing wrong with cute, cheap stuff necessarily. A lot of my favorite things including one awesome friend have come from Target. But just like sugar, too much is not good. I need to clear my head a little and make space in my house and my heart. I do get a lot of necessities there and I use their pharmacy so I will have to go occasionally. (For example, I have 10 Dollar Spot calendars to take back.) I'm going to try to limit it to once a month and only shop from my list then get out. No coffee for me, no icees, cake pops, or popcorn for the kids - no wonder they love Target as much as I do! I can check Cartwheel and the target coupons for things that are already on my list, but not add things to my list because of them.

There will be more. I'm hoping to do the contentment challenge later in the year and do more no-sugar months. This is enough for now.

Oh, here is my to read list so far. If you are still reading this post and have any book suggestions please let me know!

The Night Circus - recommended by my mom and my neighbor, on request from the library
A Confederacy of Dunces - one of my husband's favorite books
Where'd You Go, Bernadette - recommended by the tiny twig on IG
Interrupted - recommended by Lara Casey
The Story of Stuff - just looks interesting, on request from the library
It''s All Too Much - a reread from 2012, but it really fired me up
Say Goodbye to Survival Mode - Crystal Paine's (Money Saving Mom) new book, I really enjoyed her first one.

And my one bona fide resolution for 2014? Buy comfortable bed pillows. Ours are all lousy.

I'll end this terribly long post with one of my favorite cards from 2013.

Shalom y'all!

School Rocks

So I always mean to do all these challenges and blog posts. Sometimes I even have cards made or drafts started and I just forget to finish them. Others, like today, I pretty much forgot everything until the very last minute. I wanted to get the kids, or at least the oldest, to do the Simon Says Stamp Back to School Vacation kids challenge. Which ends today. If Patricia hadn't posted the fantastic card her son made I wouldn't have remembered at all! Thanks Nick and Patricia!

Here is Archer's card. He decorated the front, back, and inside. I think I need to start letting him (and ONLY him) use my ink pads. The kid ones are extremely juicy.

 

And, yes, that is our update after one week of school. So far, school rocks. He has had great teacher feedback, has been getting ready without complaint, and is excited to go back. I'm very grateful and happy!

Thanks so much for looking!

 

Supplies:

Stamps - Paper Smooches Smarty Pants

Ink - Hero Arts kid ink

Paper - PTI white, Pure Poppy, SU designer paper

Other - PTI pumpkin die shaped into an apple (these were leftover from a project I did last year)

New Beginnings

First day of school in the morning. Kindergarten for my first child. Clothes are laid out, school supplies ready to go. Wow. It's just so hard to believe. The days are so long and slow, but the years just fly by. He rides his bike without training wheels and has a tooth loose, too, just for extra emphasis. It's true, the saying that when you're a mother your heart is now outside your body, but it seems so much harder to have it walking around in some other building from 8-3. This is faith and vulnerability right here, y'all. He is so excited, though, and I think he will have a wonderful time mostly. He is amazing and I hope Kindergarten is ready for the awesome!

I made this for him for in the morning using the MFT weekly sketch. My awesome friend Jaala sent me the papers and they are perfect. (My husband told him "the journey of 1000 miles begins with one step" proverb the other day so this seemed like the perfect sentiment.) The banners are handcut and I enjoyed stapling everything for once. :) I have another card for when he gets home and, of course, one for his brother. It's a big change for him, too! (The girl will also get a card, but I'm probably just going to glue random die cuts to a base because tearing cards apart is kind of her thing right now.)

I'm linking this at the MFT Sketch Challenge and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog for their back to school challenge. If you have a baby starting school tomorrow - or high school or college - I'm thinking about you!

Supplies:
Stamps - MFT Clearly Sentimental About New Beginnings
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Antique Linen
Paper - DCWV school papers, cork paper, PTI Rustic White
Other - Tiny Attacher, pop dots, MFT red hot felt, Jolee's red twine

Lost in Blue

Finished up another monochromatic card tonight. I've been admiring all the beautiful mixed media work people have been doing lately. This is me dipping my toes in. ;) Lots of ink, a little fiber paste, smooch spritz, and glitter paper. I sponged blue ink on the glitter paper so it has a mottled appearance up close. I also gave a few swipes with a white crayon for some resist action. I had fun making this card and getting out of my box. Linking this at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog.

 

 

Supplies:

Stamps - Studio Calico What a Wonderful World

Ink - SU Cool Caribbean, Memento Paris Dusk, Teal Zeal, Bahama Blue, Nautical Blue

Paper - PTI White, Recollections glitter paper

Other - Simon Says Stamp Leanna butterfly die, Fiber Paste, Studio Calico Intertwined Circles stencil, Smooch Spritz Sea Breeze, blue rhinestone, Ranger ink blending tool pad (but not the handle, which explains some of the harsh lines. No idea where it's disappeared to.), white crayon

Nuttin' Better Than a Friend Like You or Is It Fall Yet?

Morning! This week is a special week. It's the last week before my firstborn starts school for the first time. To me, it's the biggest transition since he was born and we went from married adults to parents. What. A. Ride. I'm both excited and terrified for next week. So far, he's only excited. We're practicing getting up early, going to bed early, and making lunches, but I'm trying to be pretty chill about everything else. This last little bit of summer, of early childhood, of early parenthood, is about to be over so we may as well enjoy it.

In all other respects, though, from the weather to food and color choices, I am ready for fall. The kids are drawing pumpkins at the moment so I think they're ready for fall, too. :) And part of my staying calm is crafting. It is so therapeutic for me. It takes all that nervous energy and makes something from it. Combine those two thoughts and you get fall crafting. The best crafting. :)

I'm playing in a new to me challenge this week, A.R.T. A Random Thursday Challenge, discovered because Misti, an awesome online friend and major inspirartion, is on their DT. It's a cutie pie CAS sketch this week. This is also for Simon Says Stamp Monochromatic challenge. Monochromatic is really hard for me so I am pleased to get to enter. :)

Thanks so much for looking!!!

Supplies:
Stamps - PTI Autumn Acorns
Ink - Memento Desert Sand, Rich Cocoa
Paper - PTI Rustic White
Other- rhinestones, polka dot washi

Feel Better Soon

I'm excited to be playing in the new to me CAS(E) This Sketch challenge. This sketch is by the fabulous Karolyn Loncon! Karolyn was my secret sister once in a Splitcoast swap and boy does she know how to send a package! And make cute sketches. ;)

 

The picture looks crooked, but it's my ridiculous photo setup not the card. I decided to try stamping on cork. I used Memento ink on it and I think it worked pretty well. I'd love recommendations, though! A friend just sent me the pretty red twine and I'm trying not to hoard. ;) It's a complete cheater bow. The twine was too stiff for me to tie a bow tight enough and a knot just wasn't enough so I tucked some loops into the knot and it seems to work just fine. Several friends are dealing with aches and pains and medical situations so a feel better card seemed just the thing.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Supplies:

Stamps - PTI Botanical Silhouettes, Waltzingmouse Stamps Frame It

Ink - Memento Bamboo Leaves, Lady Bug, Rich Cocoa, SU Marigold Morning

Paper - Cork paper, PTI Summer Sunrise

Other - Jolee's paper twine, scor-tape

Bonjour

We read a bedtime story set in France last night so this card from Dare to Get Dirty seemed like a good one to post. It's for my Eiffel Tower loving little sister.

 

Lots of old things making an appearance. I've had the stamp set, the paper, the seam binding, and the glitter for at least 4 years. I need to rotate my supplies more often!  My glittering glue is also a few years old and has gotten thick.  Maybe the next time Michaels has a 50% off coupon a new Xyron will come home with me. :)

I thought I'd try something new and actually include the instructions for the card. It's pretty straightforward but maybe someone will want them.
1. Make card base (or in my case, find it on the table).
2. Cut patterned paper 4 in x 5.25 in. Sponge edges with distress ink.
3. Stamp Eiffel Tower. Position die cut with tower in the middle, fix in place with washi tape, die cut. Run through the cuttlebug  again using the embossing mat to emboss. Sponge with distress ink.
4. Die cut oval mats in vanilla and brown. Spread glittering glue as evenly as possible and apply glitter. (I do this in an old Stampin Up clamshell to cut down on the mess. Glitter is the devil to clean up.)
5. Adhere the mats together. (I put adhesive on the brown layer in the middle and all over the back of the image layer so that I could just sandwich the glitter layer between them.)
6. Tie/tape seam binding to paper, tie a bow. Adhere image over the seam binding with pop dots.
7. Die cut sentiment strip. Sponge with Distress ink. Stamp sentiment. Adhere to card. Trim edge. Adhere pearls.

I had such a good time with the Dare to Get Dirty challenges. I have a few more cards from it that might make a blog appearance. :) I'm linking this at Simon Says Stamp. Thanks for looking! 

Supplies:

Stamps - Crafty Secrets French Mail

Ink - Memento Rich Cocoa, Distress Ink Tattered Roses

Paper - GinaK Vanilla, Basic Grey Blush, SU Chocolate Chip

Other - Oval nestabilities, Martha Stewart seam binding, Martha Stewart White Gold glitter, MFT Sentiment Strip die, pearls, sponge
Card is A2, 4.25 in x 5.5 in.

Give Up on Perfect

Just a little reminder for us all. :)

 

 

Another one of my Dare to Get Dirty cards from Splitcoast. Love this sentiment from My Favorite Things. I had a little tantrum the other night when I didn't get to craft and was behind and was afraid I wouldn't get all the challenges done. And I didn't get them done. But that's okay, I just needed some deep breaths before I remembered it. Linking this at the Simon Says Stamp challenge. Anything goes. ;)

Thanks for looking!

Supplies:

Stamps - MFT Clearly Sentimental About New Beginnings

Ink - Versamark

Paper - PTI White, Pure Poppy, Basic Grey Fact collection

Accessories - Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, Zing White embossing powder

July Stamping With Friends: Wordless

It's the last day of the month so it's time to do a blog post with friends and our theme this month is Wordless. But this isn't any old last day of the month. No sir! This is the last day of the month DURING DARE TO GET DIRTY at Splitcoast. What is Dare to Get Dirty and do I really want to know you might ask? It's only a super awesome week of amazing challenges, outrageous talent, and astounding prizes on the coolest stamping site in the whole wide interwebs that's what. Get thee to Splitcoast and join in the fun. It is WELL worth the $15 for a 6 month subscription or $25 for a year. Plus there are other perks. Seriously. Go. This comes from someone who hates paying for things when she can get almost the same thing for free. But this and Amazon Prime man. Spend the cash.

On to the cards! Since it is Dare to Get Dirty and I have been stamping my little fingers off, I have three cards today. :) 16 cards in 4 days, y'all. That's amazing for this girl! First up, this cheery little gingham number. I tried to make a flower out of the green seam binding and it was taking FORever. White satin to the rescue. This satin is either left over from my wedding dress or my French maid costume, I'm just not sure which. (It was for a play, I promise.) But either way it's at least 8 years old. Hoard much?

The second puts to use a die cut that has been sitting on my desk since October during the other Splitcoast challenges-talent-prizes extravaganza, Hope You Can Cling To. All the parts of this card except the base are scraps or extra die cuts from other projects. Yay for crafty cleaning! And I finally got to use my real enamel dots, which match better in real life! Fun stuff. This card took 15 minutes maybe? LOVE that.

And my favorite card of the bunch. Why? Because one of my dearest friends, who I just happened to meet on Splitcoast, and I challenged each other to hang our laundry to dry this month. I line dried 27 loads of laundry this month and she did even more! I love it. It's peaceful. It gives me time to reflect. To feel the breeze. To pause. Such a great idea and I will be continuing to line dry as often as I can.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Supplies:

Yellow Gingham

Paper - Crate Paper Emma's Paperie line

Other - Martha Stewart seam binding, satin scrap, gemstones, scortape

 

Ginko Leaves

Paper - PTI Fine Linen cs, Simply Chartreuse cs, A Muse Studio Blackberry cs, Basic Grey Fact line

Ink - Distress Ink Antique Linen

Other - PTI Harvest Berries die, spiral notebook die, MME enamel dots

 

Laundry Line

Stamps - Unity June Kit of the Month 2009

Ink - Versafine Onyx, SU Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Brilliant Blue, Marigold Morning, Kiwi Kiss, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Riding Hood Red, Close to Cocoa

Paper - SU Watercolor paper, PTI Hawaiian Shores, Dark Chocolate cs

Other - Niji waterbrush

Happy 4th!!! And 11th!

Happy 4th of July!!! Hope it's been a wonderful day! We had a quiet morning, fun afternoon, and are about to get some firework action! :)

Speaking of happy 4ths, 11 years ago tonight my sweet husband got down on one knee and surprised the heck out of me by proposing. Best fireworks ever. *grin*

So let's celebrate with a card! This cutie pie Lawn Fawn set makes great CAS cards! The star sequins are some more I picked up thrifting. I'm linking this at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge.
 

Have a great day!!! Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Stamps - Lawn Fawn Happy 4th
Ink - Memento Danube Blue, Lady Bug, Encore Silver
Paper - PTI white, SU Real Red
Other - star sequins, micro glue dots

Brave

Today's card is brought to you by the movie Brave and the CASual Fridays challenge to make a card with an arrow. I  have several Disney inspired card ideas floating around in my noggin. I hope they show up here on the blog soon.

 

This card is very simple. I used my new Memento Teal Zeal ink for the sentiment because it's the closest match I have to Merida's blue dress in Brave. The orange arrow is a nod to her fiery red hair and the pale blue rhinestones represent the wisps that lead her to her fate. The inside says Be Brave. I love it. And I love Brave. Emma Thompson is amazing as the mother. And Merida is fierce.

I'm excited to link up at the CASual Fridays challenge for the first time and also at Simon Says Stamp Challenge.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies:

Stamps - a muse studio Fight Like a Girl, Studio Calico Oh Snap

Ink - Memento Teal Zeal, Tangelo

Paper - PTI kraft

Other - rhinestones, bic mark it hot turquoise marker (to color the rhinestones)

Let's Celebrate

Happy July! Goodness, time is flying!

My No Sugar June is over. It was hard at times, but not really as hard as I expected. Mostly, it was darn inconvenient. Almost everything you can grab on the go is sugary. One of the reasons I gave up sugar for a month is that I stress eat sweets. There were a few times where I definitely wanted something because I was having a bad day, but I think I did okay at feeling my feelings instead of numbing them with M&Ms. :) I found some delicious Lara Bars - chocolate chip peanut butter and coconut cream pie - and will keep eating them even though I'm letting some sugar back in my life.

On to the card, which is why you're here. ;) This is another scrappy card I made for the Stamping With Friends monthly challenge and also for the Moxie Fab Mixy Matchy challenge.
 

This took me longer than it should have considering the layout. I think some of the scraps are from 6 years ago! (Why, yes, I do think a deep clean of the craft room is in order. Funny you should ask.) The only thing not a scrap is the glitter paper. I just couldn't find anything that looked right in the scrap hoard. The banners are all hand cut. The sequins I found at a thrift store. I love this Lawn Fawn sentiment from Happy 4th. They have such great fonts!

I'm linking this at Simon Says Stamp Challenge. Gotta love an Anything Goes week. :)
Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Stamps - Lawn Fawn Happy 4th
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - PTI white cardstock, SU red and orange scraps, Basic Grey blues and green scraps, unknown pink scrap
 

Using Scraps

Happy end of June! Wow. 2013 is half over. Craziness. The end of month challenge from Misti is to use your scraps. I use scraps a lot, but for this challenge I tried to use the patterned paper scraps, which is a bit harder for me.

This week's Tuesday Trigger inspired this card. The "hello" is a scrap from a card I did earlier this week. The yellow and green are scraps from who knows when, and the orange is brand new washi. :) I used 1/8 in scor-tape to adhere the "hello" die cut.

I'm linking this at Simon Says Stamp Challenge, Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger, and Moxie Fab World Mixy Matchy Challenge. 

I actually have another scrappy, mixy matchy card that I'll blog tomorrow. :)

Supplies:

Paper - PTI Lemon Tart Bitty Dot, PTI white cardstock, unknown green

Other - PTI hello die, acrylic paints, orange wave washi

Road of Life or What We've Been Up To

Hello! Happy mid-June! Hope you had a happy Father's Day and a good start to your summer! Because it is summer. I don't care what the calendar says.

Some happenings this month: I voluntarily gave up refined sugar, something I was quite sure would never happen. (Just for this month, by the way, not forever.) But it hasn't been so bad. Peanut butter chocolate chip Lara bars are saving the day! :) 

We got new neighbors and a couple of friends had babies. You might see cards related to that here later.

I realized my house has zero personality and am now on a quest to make it both welcoming and more us. Decorating is not one of my spiritual gifts so it's going to be an adventure. 

And, most recently, my husband is thinking about buying a convertible. It's a really good deal financially. Not a practical car for a family of five, but he spends a lot of time commuting so he needs to enjoy it. 

Which brings me to my card! ;) We picked the car up Saturday so he could test drive it a few days. I decided he needed a car-themed Father's Day card. It came together lickety-split. The cute little amuse stamp on a pti pinked circle die and an outdated road map. All there is to it. And he did get it yesterday. I'm just slow to blog. Big shocker, right? ;)

I'm linking this at the Simon Says Stamp challenge blog for their Transport challenge.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Supplies:

Stamps - A Muse Studio (Not sure of the set. A friend gave me several individual stamps.)

Ink - Memento Danube Blue, Tuxedo Black

Paper - SU Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie

Other - PTI Limitless Layers 1.75" dies, old map

Love, Roses, and Lateness

May has been busy with all kinds of happenings. Registered my oldest for Kindergarten! I'm not ready to think on that too much, so instead, I thought I'd blog my mom's Mother's Day card that I made, oh, yesterday.

I was having a hard time figuring out what to do. None of my card ideas were working. Then I saw this stamp in my stash. Then the notebook die. Then the paper. Happiness. Mom's name is Rose so this dear Lizzy Neopolitan paper was just the ticket! That entire collection is just sweet bliss. It's a simple card, but lots of favorite things included.

The card is 6.25 x 4.5 inches. Inside is blank because I needed lots of room to write. Mom asked for a happy memory from childhood - funny coincidence, all three of us originally picked something from age 6! I changed mine though, there are lots to choose from. - and I write big and at an angle. ;)

This is going in the Simon Says Stamp Flower challenge. Thanks for looking! And I hope your May has been wonderful so far!

Supplies:
Stamps - Unity February 2011 Kit of the Month, Hero Arts Mother's Day wood stamp
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - PTI White, Sweet Blush; Dear Lizzy Neopolitan 6x6 pad
Other - PTI notebook die, MFT Sentiment Strips dies, pop dots, A Muse Studio pink pearl stickers

Spring Snow, Whatever That Is

It's the last day of the month, so it's time for another blogging challenge with some online peeps. And this month was Lee's turn to choose the theme. And she picked "spring snow" and you had to use snow and spring flowers. I'm pretty sure if the theme had been "please depict the life cycle of the common unicorn in die cuts and wood veneer" it would have made a little more sense to me. The only kind of snow we have in spring is the kind my kids make crumbling up styrofoam packing material.

Nonetheless, here is my card. It's very simple. The tulip is from the GinaK set Year of Flowers illustrated by the lovely Melanie Muenchinger (who I got to meet thanks to Lee) and I picked it because we had some growing in our yard, sans snow of course. For the snow I used my PTI In the Meadow hill die and stickles. All the cardstock was in my scrap box so that makes me happy and seems very Aprilish. The mat is kraft. On my monitor it has some weird greenish cast to it, but it's just plain kraft.

I'm linking this in the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge because it is anything. ;)

Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Stamps - GinaK Year of Flowers, PTI Birthday Bash Sentiments
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Rich Cocoa
Paper - SU Regal Rose, PTI Kraft, Georgia Pacific white
Other - PTI In the Meadow die, Nestabilities Long Rectangle and Scalloped Long Rectangle dies, Frosted Lace stickles, gemstones, copics
Card is 7.25 x 3.75 inches.

Bright Hellos or Blogging While Cooking

I'm supposed to be making supper. Well, I am making supper, I'm just also blogging. Thank you iPhone.

It's PTI blog hop day and the theme is Tilted. Here's a quick CAS card featuring the hello die, white cardstock, and some really old cardstock from my stash. And that's all. :)

Thanks for looking!!! Enjoy the hop!

Skyline Birthday or Fun With Drinking Straws

I did a craft with my kids today. It had been a while. Oh, we've glued things and played with stickers and colored and all that, but a good cover-the-table-in-newspaper craft hadn't made an appearance here in months. So there's this awesome place where I spend most of my online time, perhaps you've heard of it? What's that? Pinterest? No, although that is a cool hangout. Splitcoaststampers? Yeah, that's the one! On splitcoast a girl in the Stamp to Spend challenge (where you "pay" yourself for each card or whatever that you make and only spend the amount that you've "earned", theoretically) had started a blog and one of her cards featured a cool technique where you blow ink drops around on glossy cardstock using a drinking straw. (Run-on sentence much?) Straws + mess = good kid fun. (Video tutorial for the straw technique here and here.

The 5 year old really enjoyed it and loaded his paper with all different colored inks. I thought it was a terrible idea but kept my mouth shut and I'm so glad because they turned out really cool. The 3 year old was interested for about two minutes and then decided stamping Mickey Mouse on the newspaper and on his arm was more fun. Whatever makes ya happy, sweetie. And the girl just wanted to chew on some clean paint brushes.

Sorry for the sideways photo! The two all the way to the right are my 5 year old's.

I used one of mine to make this card. It is highly unusual for me to do a technique and actually make a card in the same day. Highly unusual.

My reinker colors are Cool Caribbean, Tempting Turquoise, and Pacific Point. I think the weird little dots/bubbles are because my glossy cardstock is about 10 years old. Don't you love that glitter paper? It's so perfect for this skyline. A pale grey circle for a moon and a BIG birthday sentiment turns this into a birthday card for my cousin chasing her fashion dreams in NYC. I'm entering it in the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog's skyline challenge.

Thanks for looking and reading through my ramblings! And putting up with my phone photos. I think I'm ready to go back to my DSLR.


Supplies:
Stamps - PTI Birthday Bash Sentiments
Ink - SU Cool Caribbean, Tempting Turquoise, Pacific Point reinkers, Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - SU Glossy cardstock, PTI white and Soft Stone, Coredinations black glitter paper
Other - MFT skyline die, circle punch, straws

Two cards, One Design

It's two hours before deadline for some of the Moxie Fab challenges so, of course, I have some cards. And I used the same layout for both of them.

The first one is for the Emphasize the Negative challenge. I used mint chevron washi tape, peach Color Shine mist, a doily, negative butterfly, and a wood veneer heart making this one of the trendiest cards I've made probably ever. I gave it to my little sister for her birthday. The big 14 this year. Yes, I'm 20 years older than her.

The second one I'm entering in the chevron challenge. Mine aren't particularly innovative, but they are shimmery green and that has to count for something. ;) I seem to be needing a lot of belated cards lately so I'll be making a few more of these. The scallop die cut is from my dear friend Alyssa who will be having her baby any day now! So excited for her!!!

That's all folks! Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies:
Negative Butterfly
Paper - PTI white
Other - mint chevron washi tape, peach Heidi Swapp Color Shine spray, Studio Calico mask, PTI Love Lives Here butterfly die, doily (not sure who makes this one ), Studio Calico heart wood veneer

Chevron Belated
Stamps - PTI Birthday Bash Sentiments
Ink - Versafine Onyx
Paper - PTI white
Other - Studio Calico chevron mask, Mint Heidi Swapp Color Shine spray, Recollections washi tape, PTI Fillable Frames #5 die cut , rhinestones, black Sharpie to color the rhinestones

Get Well Cards or Why I Love Washi So Much

Happy Holidays y'all! Be it Easter, Passover, or just spring you're celebrating I hope it's been wonderful!

This month the Flybaby challenge was Get Well cards and, oh my, my first card was a challenge. It seemed like such a good idea. It has a lot of elements I like, the polaroid die cut, clear embossed raindrops that really look wet, even my homemade enamel dots (tutorial by Mistylynn here). But nothing came together right, I had to change colors two or three times, my first rain scene looked ridiculous, etc. Eventually, I finished it and am happy to have something ready to go next time someone gets sick.

This card, however, is my favorite. It was fast. It's cheerful. It shows off a tiny bit of the new washi I bought. And it's far more likely to get there on time as it's for someone already on the mend. ;) I'm entering it in the Moxie Fab Washi challenge.
 

Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Under the Weather card
Stamps - PTI Scattered Shower, Scattered Shower Additions
Ink - Memento Tangelo, Versamark, Versafine Onyx
Paper - PTI white, Soft Stone, a muse studio slate, Seattle grey chevron, SU Bashful Blue
Other - MFT Instaframe die, PTI Sunshine impression plate, square punch, homemade enamel dots, pop dots, clear filigree embossing powder

Washi Hello Friend
Stamps - Studio Calico Oh Snap, PTI Ad Sense
Ink - Versafine Onyx
Paper - PTI white
Other - lots of washi tape, rhinestones

Black Tie

Hello! I'm trying something new this evening. I'm blogging from my phone. We'll see how it goes! If my picture is sideways I'll start over later.

Saturday night, we went to a fabulous wedding. It was gorgeous and one heck of a celebration! The bride and groom were giddy with happiness. The food was delicious. The music was as good as a concert. My second favorite wedding ever. ;)

Their invitation was gold, cream, and black with an Art Deco feel. I made this card for them. Pretty cards are not my forte so I went simple.
I'm happy with how it turned out. Except. I have no good inside sentiments. The best I could come up with was Best Wishes. Any inside sentiment set suggestions? Enable me people!

Anyway, back to the card. It's bigger than A2. 4.75 x 6 inches, I think. I stamped the flourish in Gold Encore pigment ink then embossed it with gold embossing powder. The double whammy of gold helps in case there are bare spots from the powder. The banner is handcut with the notches done using the corner of a square punch.

That's it for now! Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Baroque Motifs, $1 spot at Michaels sentiment
Ink - Encore gold pigment ink, Versafine Onyx
Paper - MFT Black Licorice, GinaK Heavyweight vanilla
Other - SU Gold Glory embossing powder, scrap ribbon, square punch (for notches)

Flybaby February Food Blog Challenge

Hello! So it's the end of the month and time again for our Flybaby group challenge to actually blog something! This month the theme is food-related cards. I have a few, all from today of course. This is a fast post because it's late and my husband is dying to watch the new Psych.

First up is a watercolor card. I made the image during the PTI challenges but never got to make a card. I inked the stamps with dye ink then spritzed with water from a Ranger mini mister. I used Prang watercolors that must be at least 18 years old and a waterbrush. I find it odd that the paint I had in high school is still around, but not the brushes? What's up with that? Anyway. The ribbon is a scrap.

I had to make a card for my one true food love, coffee. The sentiment is from Crafty Secrets, the coffee rings from Cocoa Daisy, and the mug from a Stampendous set. 

Last, I made a few quick Project Life cards. Nothing really to explain here. Can't wait to use the Mug one in my album!

Thanks for looking!

Supplies

Berry Card:

Stamps - PTI Fruit Fusion: Berry

Ink - SU Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Versafine Onyx Black

Paper - Watercolor Paper, PTI Kraft, SU Old Olive

Other - PTI Eyelet die, scrap ribbon, Ranger mini mister, watercolors, water brush

Like You a Latte:

Stamps - Crafty Secrets Coffee and Tea, Cocoa Dasy Coffee Rings, Stampendous From the Kitchen Of

Ink - Memento Rich Cocoa, Versamark

Paper - PTI Hawaiian Shores, Kraft, scrap of yellow

Other - Copics, PTI Sending You die, washi tape, foam tape

Project Life cards:

Stamps - Cocoa Daisy Coffee Rings, Crafty Secrets Coffee and Tea

Ink - A Muse Toffee, French Roast, Ocean

Paper - Georgia-Pacific White

Other - We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

PTI Anniversary Celebration

It's February and that means it's PTI anniversary time. Nothing gets me blogging quite like amazing contests with fabulous prizes. Mercenary? Yeah, just a bit.

My first card is from Day 2, when the stamp designers all provide a free upload. I chose Heather Nichols' cool image. I paired it with the PTI Sunshine Impression Plate and some Studio Calico wood veneers to make a quick card for my cousin.

 

 The next card is from Day 1, when the Design Team chose some of their favorite projects in an inspiration challenge. I chose the fabulous Trendy Tree Tops card by the even more fabulous Maile Belles. Nothing quite brings home how not Maile Belles awesome you are like trying to be Maile Belles awesome. For example, I had to add ribbon because there was a harsh line from the edge of the impression plate across the card. I buffed out some of it with my scoring tool, but it was still noticeable. Still, I'm happy with this card and it's for a dear friend's baby shower so thank you Maile for all the amazing inspiration!

Thank you for looking!

Supplies:
Happy Birthday - Free Image Download
Paper - PTI Stampers Select White, SU Baja Breeze
Other - PTI Sunshine Impression Plate, Studio Calico Tiny Stars Wood Veneers, Glossy Accents, Stardust Stickles

Showers of Blessings -
Stamps - PTI Scattered Showers, Scattered Showers Additions
Ink - Memento London Fog, Grey Flannel, A Muse Studio Pebble, SU Pink Pirouette
Paper - PTI kraft, Stamper's Select White
Other - PTI Sunshine Impression Plate, Notebook die, A Muse Studio Shell ribbon, pop dots

Thinking of You

Obviously, I need a little push to blog. ;) A group of online friends felt the same way and came up with a monthly challenge. The theme this month is Thinking of You cards. I had high hopes of getting several done. There are several kinds of thinking of you cards, after all. January is highly saturated with birthdays, though, and one is all I managed. Today. Yep, that's right. Laaaast minute.

Like I said, there is more than one kind of Thinking of You. Some are almost Sympathy cards, others are more like Hello. I think this one could go either way. If I just wanted to pop one in the mail to say hey, I'd probably add a few rhinestones. If it's for a death, illness, or other trauma I'd probably leave it be. I've seen some beautiful and tasteful sympathy cards with rhinestones, but I always feel awkward when I add them.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies:
Stamps - (These are from a muse studio. I'm not certain of the sets because they were given to me individually, but I love them!)
Ink - a muse studio Fern, Versafine Onyx
Paper - PTI Stamper's Select White
Other - PTI Woodgrain impression plate, pop dots

PTI Blog Hop

Oh goodness. First time to blog since September? I'm not even going to bother with excuses, just go straight on to the post.

It's the 25th of the month so it's PTI blog hop time. The challenge this month is a black card base. Perfect, since I was already planning on making some black cards.

I have been a birthday card making fool this month. (As opposed to just a regular fool like normal.) January has about nineteen birthdays. Eight are this week alone. It's a little crazy.

 

The first one is for my very dear friend, Alyssa. She is a rocking crafter and she is a die cut queen. I wanted to do something fun for her card. I cut the lowercase script alpha dies out of different bright cardstock scraps and adhered them with Ranger Glossy Accents. The glue got a little squishy on the edges. I've since learned it's better to glue the word together carefully, then glue the whole word to the card at once, rather than letter by letter which is what I did here. It needed something else so I made a frame with quarter-inch scortape and Martha Stewart glitter. (I have one of those 24 bottle sample sets so I figure I should use them!) Final step was a bit of stickles over all the letters. Since this is a birthday card and not at all fancy, instead of putting a white base inside for her note I just used a silver Sharpie.

 

 

This card is for my sweet boy. I intended to blog a whole post for him. He's the light of my life, after all. But AT&T had other ideas and today is the first day our internet has been working all week. This card is a mish mash of products. The number is one of  PTI's By the Number dies. The wood veneers and arrow stamps are Studio Calico. The washi I found on etsy. He needed some action for his card so inside I used the coil die from the Movers and Shakers Poppers collection and added five green stars to it. He said "COOL!" when he opened it. Thanks Nichole, for helping me impress my five year old. ;) Also, thank you Betsy Veldman for all the awesome chalkboard tutorials. I used that on the arrows here. My embossing powder has gotten more use in the last four months than the last four years!

 

Thanks for looking! See an amazing array of talent at the PTI blog.

 

Supplies

 

Party On:

Paper - various scraps, Recollections black

Other - PTI Lowercase Script Alpha dies, 1/4 inch Scor-tape, Ranger Glossy Accents, Martha Stewart Crystal glitter, Stardust Stickles

 

5:

Stamps - Studio Calico Oh Snap!

Ink - Versamark, PTI Fresh Snow

Paper - Recollections black, PTI New Leaf

Other - Studio Calico Star wood veneers, washi, Zing white embossing powder, pop dots, glue dots, Stampin Up star punches (for the inside, not pictured), PTI Movers and Shakers Poppers die (for the inside, not pictured)